Thad and Wes, Reunited in the Earth.
Tim Hart did not return to join the other Warblers in the dorm common room that evening, nor did Wes. Owain would explain their absence to the others and the news was greeted with gasps of shock at first and then an outpouring of sympathy. To lose one parent would be bad enough; to be orphaned was something most terrible. Owain would go on to explain that Time's parents had been friends of the Sterling-Duvals for many years and that Wes' fathers had been appointed to be Tim's guardians in the event of something tragic happening of this nature. He purposefully ignored the pointed looks that some of the boys around the room gave to each other at that point; he knew why they were doing it and he suspected as much himself. It was something that was going to make an already horrible situation all the more complicated to deal with…
Having seen Tim and Wes to the safety of their dorm room, Nick and Jeff made their way back to the Senior Commons, where they received a warm welcome. Trent almost immediately took Jeff to one side, and they were swiftly joined by Beats and Flint. As everyone else gravitated in that direction, Nick found himself alone with Sebastian once more and he shook his head with a wry smile on his lips. "I take it that you have been nominated, as Head Warbler and one of the musketeers, to be the one that speaks to me about certain things?"
Sebastian nodded, then replied, "It does kind of go with my new job description, but yes, it is me rather than Skylar because I am one of your closest friends. First of all, is there anything that we can do for you all here and now?"
"No, everything is in hand, and we have also made plans as to how we are going to get everything sorted out over in South Dakota too. Grace is going to come with me and Tim; it transpires that she has been keeping a secret from me; she was appointed by Joe and Sugar several years ago as the lawyer that would handle a situation like this from a legal perspective. Jeff will take Wes back home to the West Village and they will prepare things there for our new resident."
Sebastian nodded, then in a low voice said, "That is of course a very valid excuse for Jeff not to come with you and thus nobody in the small town where Joe was the preacher will ever need to know that your partner is a man…"
"Got it in one. Tim is the son of a preacher that was much loved, by all accounts, and although he will have stood up in his church each week and preached the Christian message of tolerance, acceptance and love, it is not credible to think that all of his congregation will have been entirely accepting of that. Then there is another issue; my father also lives in South Dakota these days and his home is not a million miles away from the town in which Joe preached. He likes it there, because of the like-minded people. If my dad's attitude is typical of the one widely held in that area, then I might be about to have a few days in a virtual hell…"
Sebastian nodded, then went on, "I don't envy you your task in the next few weeks either. Tim's entire life had just been turned on its head; he has lost all the family he has ever known; he is having to move from a small town to a global metropolis and well, there are other things that will make things difficult…"
Nick knew exactly what Sebastian was alluding to and nodded. "I still am not entirely sure that Tim is like the two of us. Truth be told, I don't really know him all that well and I have to reserve my judgement on that, whereas you might have a better idea… All I can say is that I will be keeping a close eye on things. If he is like us and Wes, then there is a possibility of inappropriate behaviour at home, and I will be setting ground rules. If he isn't, then it potentially is much worse; if Wes makes a move and it is rejected, then the atmosphere in our house will be unbearable. Whatever happens, all I can do for now is take things one day at a time; those issues will have to be placed to one side until we get back to New York…"
Across the room, and unknown to his husband, Jeff was actually having a broadly similar discussion with his three friends. Of them all, Beats was the most sympathetic, as he actually had some experience; he had taken in his niece after all when her home situation had become too difficult and new first hand how awkward things could be when a new person disrupted the normal routines of the family home…
"In one way it was a little easier for us in that she was a family member, but she was also, well, a she… We had been an all-male household before that, so there were certain things that we had done previously that we now had to alter in respect to her sex. If I had to offer you advice on how to cope with this, Jeff, then it would simply be this; listen to Tim, and if he is feeling any discomfort, then be prepared to be the ones to adapt so that a compromise position can be obtained. However, also make it clear to him that a compromise means that both sides have to adapt, and he will need to change as well. I would suggest that if there is anything that you have always done in a certain way as a household, then carrying on doing them that way unless it is causing Tim distress…"
Jeff nodded and began to ponder what they as a family might now need to do differently in the West Village house…
Changing the subject, Trent then admitted, "It was not at all easy telling the New Directions what had happened to Joe and Sugar. Sebastian called Santana and your husband called Mike, but I felt that someone else should be told directly and I decided to make a call of my own to Artie. I knew that they were all on the same plane, but I also knew that he and Kitty were perhaps a little closer to Joe and Sugar than anyone else, belonging as they did to the same generation. He was so stunned by it all and after I ended the call, I wondered if he was going to be okay. "
Trent paused, then continued, "Then my phone rang, and it was Kitty, to inform me that my prank was in very poor taste, because unlike her husband she did not believe the scant story I had told him. She wanted more details and I had to admit that I had no more to give; tell her that Nick knew more, but that he was occupied with the major issue right now, namely the fact that Tim was now an orphan; then I mentioned that thanks to a promise Nick had made Joe, Tim would be coming to live with you in the West Village… I think that little bit of news stunned her even more than the fact that Joe and Sugar were dead. She didn't say any more and then I heard Mike's voice, and the call ended…"
"He must have heard her and decided that he needed to intervene," mused Jeff.
"Probably, because that is the kind of man he is. All I will say is this; I think that you will be seeing a lot more of Kitty in future, as she may think she needs to call regularly to ensure that Tim is reminded of his mom and dad…"
"Which is unnecessary; we will never allow him to forget them, as they will always be his real parents," replied Jeff, not entirely sure if he liked the prospect of having Kitty as an almost daily visitor, as she could be quite intense…
"You know of course that all of the brotherhood will do everything in our power to support you all; what Nick and you agreed to do for Joe and Sugar was such a selfless gesture and we will all be there to ensure that you succeed," finished Trent, not adding what he was thinking to himself, and what Beats and Flint were probably thinking too; that there was a much bigger potential complication than Kitty on the cards…
The next day was to be the one when Thad's earthly remains were to be interred next to those of his beloved Wes and Warblers old and new were awake early. His namesake was amongst the first to wake that day and when he saw that Tim's bed was empty, he was immediately worried. He went in search of him, expecting to see him in their shared bathroom; when that proved empty, he hurried downstairs to look in the common room and kitchen. Still not finding him, Wes hurried back upstairs, concerned that Tim might have headed outside on his own, his grief overwhelming him. His first thought was to head for the housemaster's apartment, but he realised that was now empty, so he turned to the next option, which was Owain's room. He tapped gently on the door, then finding it open, he headed in…
The Head Warbler was awake, and in his arms was Tim, asleep but with red-rimmed eyes. "He didn't want to wake you last night, and well, I found him sitting in the hallway crying… I know from all of the stories I have heard what your namesake would have done in that situation, what he did when he found any of his flock upset, so I decided that I would do the same…"
"I was so worried when I woke up and didn't see him in the other bed; I thought that he might have done something silly…" admitted Wes.
"You are a good friend to him, and I would hazard a guess that in sixty years' time, or more, you will still be best friends like you are now," replied Owain softly, although he suspected that they would be more than just friends by then. "You head back to your room, and I will wake him up; he might feel a little embarrassed in the cold light of day about ending up here, and it is probably best that he doesn't find out that you were here as well…"
Wes nodded and headed off, closing the door quietly behind him, his mind now a little more at ease. Owain meanwhile gently extracted a still sleeping Tim from his arms and began to make his own preparations for the day ahead, another which would be filled with so much sadness for them all. He did not know if Tim would be able to face attending the committal in the face of his own personal loss and he would not force the boy to go. He was sure that he could find someone that would keep him company whilst the rest of them assembled up on the hill.
He felt however that he himself did need to be there, both as Thad's last Head Warbler and as someone that had always felt so close to the man in question. He had never known his father, his mother raising him alone, just as his grandmother had done for her daughter; in some ways Thad had become the father figure he had never had… Losing him did feel a lot like losing a close family member to Owain; it was more than the death of a teacher to him. He knew too that Mr Harwood would live on in his memory for the rest of his days…
He allowed Tim to sleep on for as long as was practicable; he carried out his ablutions and then dressed before he decided to rouse the sleeping boy. Tim looked very confused when he woke, not recognising the surroundings and then it came back to him… As Owain had anticipated, he was rather embarrassed to have woken up in the bed of the Head Warbler, and that was before he saw the time on his alarm clock. He jumped out of bed, anxious to get back to his own dorm room before Wes started to panic…
"Calm down; Wes has already been here looking for you, full of concern… He understands what is going on and will not tell anyone. Now, we need to discuss what is happening later on before you go. Nobody would expect you to attend the committal ceremony in the circumstances…"
"I want to be there. The Warbler brotherhood is my family now and Mr Harwood meant a lot to me as well. To be honest, this will be much easier than having to attend the funeral of my parents…"
Owain nodded, then replied, "Okay, I will not stop you attending, but if it all starts to get too much for you and you need to get away then let someone know and we will bring you back here without any hesitation…"
"Thank you," said Tim, before he briefly hugged Owain. Then, after the latter had checked that the corridor was clear, Tim headed quickly back to his dorm room. He made it there without encountering anyone and slipped in the door, just as Wes emerged from their shared bathroom, fresh from the shower. No words were exchanged between them at that moment, but the look that they shared spoke volumes to them both…
"I'm going to get dressed, then head down to the refectory for breakfast," said Wes, recovering first. "Would you like me to wait for you or would you prefer that I brought you something back here to eat in peace?"
Tim saw the love and concern on his best friend's face as he spoke and he replied, "If you don't mind waiting then I can take a quick shower and we can go down together…" Wes nodded, then Tim spoke again. "I am sorry if my not being in the room worried you when you woke up this morning. I woke up in tears last night and I didn't want to wake you, so I just thought I'd slip out and head down to the common room… Only I didn't get that far and Owain must have heard me and came out to see what was going on. If he hadn't woken up, then I wouldn't have bothered him either…."
"It wasn't a problem for Owain, and it wouldn't have been a problem for me either, because you are my best friend in the world. Once you are living with us in New York, if you ever get upset in the night, I want you to know that you can wake me up. I will always be there for you…"
Tim nodded, knowing that Wes meant every word that he had just uttered. He had a feeling that Wes and his dads would be there for him for the rest of his life…
Wes and Tim would be the last of their generation of Warblers to arrive in the refectory that morning, the room empty apart from them and a small group of the alumni. They took their usual seats at the group table, at once inundated with offers to fetch them food; they allowed that to happen and soon were eating breakfast as around them the conversation was as light as possible, nobody mentioning the fact that Tim had lost his parents the previous day, or what they would be doing later that day either…
Once everyone had finished eating, Owain stood up and addressed his boys, telling them the schedule for the day, then reminding them to ensure that they had all of their belongings packed up before they headed up to the committal ceremony. Then he finished with a few more personal words…
"I would like to say at this moment that it has been an honour and a source of great pride to have been your Head Warbler and that whoever is chosen to succeed me will be lucky to have such a talented group to lead. I will look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the graduation ceremony next year, but know this much; the bonds of brotherhood that we have formed between us will never be broken…" His words and sentiments were echoed by his fellow graduating seniors without a moment of hesitation…
At the appointed time, the current group of Warblers headed out of the dorm building and joined with the gathered alumni to head up to the spot on the hillside that had been the favourite spot of first Wes and then Thad in the grounds of the school. They were joined in their walk by several members of staff, the Carmichaels, Mrs Thompson, Burt and Carole and of course, the four Dr Harwoods and their respective partners. Young Thad was there too, as he had been for the funeral of his 'uncle' the previous day. It was at that event that he had met his aunts and uncles for the first time, but there had been no shyness on his part, and he had bonded with them all by the end of the day.
He would walk up the hill alongside his Aunt Marcia; the two of them had hit it off from the moment they saw each other, and she had remarked to Ollie how much he looked like his namesake. She had not spotted the look that had past between him and Benji at that point, nor had her elder sister, both brothers knowing that the boy looked exactly like his father had at the same age…
At the front of the procession, David walked alongside Trent as he carried with great care the carved wooden box that Cameron had made in advance for this moment; inside were Thad's ashes, which had arrived just a few minutes before they had been due to set off. They moved along in silence, making quite a sight to anyone that observed them, surrounded by the sounds of nature. Ollie was not as despondent as he had been the previous day, something that his siblings and Hayden all noticed, but they said nothing. Benji in particular had been greatly concerned for his brother's mental health having seen how he was, and to see him smiling and accepting what was happening was a relief. He might not have felt the same way however if his brother had informed him that he was feeling better because he could now see angels and had been visited by Thad the previous day…
For Beats and Flint, this was their second time climbing up the hill in less than 24 hours; they had volunteered to go up the previous afternoon to the spot and dig the necessary hole to save time, guided as to where to dig exactly by Wes and Thad themselves. Once they were satisfied with the handiwork of the two men, they had allowed them to head off, the two angels staying there for a moment in quiet contemplation of the view, before heading off to the heavenly realms. They would not be present for the ceremony, as Thad had no desire to see what was going to happen, his memories of the day that they had committed Wes' ashes to the ground still so fresh…
He was also content that Tim was being properly taken care of. It had come as a shock to them all when they had been informed by the South Dakota section that they had collected two souls with strong connections to Ohio and their group in particular, as even Wes had not been warned of the event in advance. Kurt and Blaine had been to see Joe and Sugar; they had been able to reassure them that their son was being taken care of as they would have wished. There would be time yet before they would be able to pay him a visit, but it couldn't come soon enough for the couple…
As had happened on the day that they had placed Wes' earthly remains in the ground, it fell to Burt to say a few words before they placed the casket in the ground. "My friends, we are gathered here today to place the mortal remains of Thad Harwood next to those of the man that he loved so dearly, Wes Montgomery. As is so often the case in our world, they met and fell for each other in a matter of days, but circumstances conspired to keep them apart – and then, when there was finally an opportunity for them to be together as a couple, they were parted from each other as a result of a cruel accident. After a short period of despair, Thad's faith allowed him to carry on and he dedicated his life to two things: Dalton Academy and his beloved Warblers. He did so sure that when his own life came to a close, he would be reunited with Wes in heaven. I trust that his faith has been justified and that they are now together, able to be the couple that they were never given the chance to be on earth…."
There were murmurs of approval at his words, before Burt turned to Aaron Carmichael and allowed him to speak next. "Their gain is, however, our loss. For those of us left here to mourn, the death of Thad is painful. He was a teacher, a leader, a mentor and a friend. To my wife and I, Thad was like a son and we both had hopes that one day he would take over as the Principal of Dalton Academy; alas, he was not able to reach that full potential. He leaves behind his family; I was so glad to see as his life drew to its end that he was able to reunite with all of his siblings. I would like to say that all of you are welcome to come here at any time to see this spot and to visit all of us; you are family to us all through Thad. He leaves behind his Warblers, old and new, all of them struck by the same sense of loss, although for some that loss feels greater than for others. We mourn, but we can all take comfort for the fact that when the end came, he had not suffered too much. I would add one final thought to take with you as we leave here later; as Thad sang to us on that video yesterday, we should all make it our mission to try and spread a little happiness in our world…"
As there were voices raised in agreement with his final words, Aaron Carmichael stepped aside, and it was now the moment that they had all known was coming. David and Trent stepped forward with the casket between them, supporting each other for the task ahead, but suddenly they all heard a cough…
Eyes turned to Sebastian, who was unbuttoning his blazer, sparking memories of his actions on that day over two decades ago when they had first gathered at this spot… However, this time he did not take his blazer off, just pulled out another which he had concealed within his own, which made some chuckle. As he unfolded it, he said, "On this occasion, I was much more prepared. This is Thad's own blazer and what better to be used as a shroud for his casket, just as mine was used to wrap the urn in which Wes' ashes were stored…" The alumni all smiled, knowing that they would have to relate the full story to some people later, of the moment when Sebastian had sacrificed his own blazer to protect the urn from the cold, damp earth…
Sebastian placed Thad's blazer in the hole before David lowered the casket gently onto it; once it was in place he stopped for his moment, putting his hand on top of it and closing his eyes… He stood and allowed Trent to carefully fold the blazer over the casket, and was surprised to see that there was a Warbler pin attached to it, before realising that it had to be a new one, as the one that Thad had possessed was now with his brother…
With that done, Trent got back up on his feet, and with David and Sebastian at his side, stepped back. As had been planned, Owain and his deputy stepped forward then, each with a shovel and began to place the earth that Flint and Beats had dug out back into the hole. Nobody said a word as the two Dalton seniors performed their task, but most of them knew that this was not the real end for Thad; they were keenly aware that somewhere up in the heavenly realms, he was already enjoying a new adventure as he embarked on his angelic life with his husband at his side…
Most people made their way back down the hill as soon as the hole had been completely filled in and the turf relaid, but Ollie did not want to leave the spot at once. They all realised that he wanted some time alone to contemplate everything that had happened in the last two weeks, but Marcia refused to leave him. Seeing that the others might try to force her away, he said, "It's okay, she can stay with me for a few minutes at least, as it is quite an easy path for her to follow back down on her own if I decide that I want a few minutes of alone time at the end." His words removed the worries of those around him and in a few moments he and his little sister were the only people left at the spot…
There was silence for a few seconds and then Marcia spoke. "I can see why they chose this spot; it is so peaceful, and the view is beautiful. You would never realise just how close you are to Westerville and Columbus…" She paused, and then asked, "The people at Dalton really don't mind if we come here to visit every so often?"
"No, you are Thad's family and hence you will always be welcome; family ties are so important to all of them," her brother replied.
"Good, because I intend to come here regularly, just to help keep things tidy and to think about him… I know that you didn't have a strong opinion on religion before, but things are changing for us all; do you think that Thaddie can see us now, sitting here like this?"
Ollie smiled and replied, "I would have been surprised to hear myself say this last year, but yeah, I do. In fact, I would actually go so far as to say that I am convinced that he is, with his beloved Wes at his side; I suspect that the two of them will be getting married very soon as well. According to Trent and David, it was one of our little brother's dearest ambitions to become Mr Thad Montgomery one day. I can understand why he was so keen to ditch the name Harwood as well, given how he had been treated by all of us, including me I'm ashamed to admit. I abandoned him at first just like everyone else…"
"You came back to him sooner though," responded Marcia quietly. "It will be one of the greatest regrets of my life that I wasn't as brave as the two of you and didn't rebel against our parents. Hopefully what I am going to do now with my career will count as a form of atonement. I am going to be spending a few months working with Hayden at the hospice here, so that he can teach me all that he has learnt about caring for the dying. He can teach me so much about decent end of life care and, in time, I will use that to take a new direction in my career as the head of a new facility in Columbus for young people…"
Marcia went on to extol the plans that Benji had presented to the hospital board; that instead of building a new surgical unit specialising in superficial surgeries for the rich, they should devote the site to a hospice facility specifically for the young. As she spoke, Ollie found that he agreed with all of it wholeheartedly and that his little sister was the obvious choice of person to oversee such a place. In his opinion, she had no real need to atone for anything, but if she wanted to then what she intended was the best option. He looked up as she talked and suddenly saw Thad standing behind Marcia, giving him a thumbs up; it was a definite sign that he approved of her actions…
Back at Dalton itself, farewells were being said as Warblers old and new headed for home. The majority of the seniors of the current group were waved off by the younger members as was tradition, after they had undertaken their own last duty, which was to supervise the election of the new Head and Deputy Head Warbler, and of course, the Secretary. The idea that should happen on the final day of term was one that had been instituted by Thad, who realised how much Wes regretted that he had not been able to ensure that a replacement was in place when he left. Thad had also decided that all three roles should be held by a senior, which ensured that the tenure at the council table was only ever a one-year term. As it happened, there were only three juniors that had put their names forward that year and so the vote was merely one to decide which of the roles each should have. The fact that Sebastian was satisfied with the way things went was enough for Skylar to be content with things too…
Parents then began to arrive to collect sons, concerned of course about all of the events of the last few weeks, but none of them were angry about the way things had been handled, nor was there anyone threatening legal action. They found that their boys were all at peace with their loss and that the friendships that they had already enjoyed within the group had if anything been strengthened by all that they had been through together as a brotherhood… Meanwhile the alumni worked their best to keep Tim away from all of these scenes of family reunion, as seeing them could trigger his emotions strongly, as he no longer had a family to share them with.
As this occurred, Grace suddenly arrived, clutching an envelope which contained the scanned and then e-mailed documents from Joe and Sugar confirming what they wished to have happen to their son. She handed them over to her brother in private, and Nick knew from a cursory glance that they were sound. His sister then informed him that she had hired an SUV and that if he was ready, they could start for South Dakota now. Nick nodded and went to finalise the plans that he and Jeff had already made and was getting ready to take Wes to the airport for the flight home. Wes himself was struggling with the idea of leaving his best friend at his time of greatest need, but with some friendly persuasion from his aunt, he went to say a temporary goodbye to his friend, knowing that it would not be too long until they were back together again…
Nick and Tim would stand side by side on the steps of the Academy to wave Jeff and Wes off on the bus with the other alumni; they also took all of Tim's bags with them bar a small overnight one that he would have to get him through the next few days. It made great sense to have all of those items head home to be in place when Tim moved to the West Village for good. As Grace placed that bag alongside her own and Nick's in the trunk of the SUV, Tim was talking to Owain, as Nick watched on with Sebastian and Trent at his side.
"Thad moulded that boy into a version of himself. I can recall him as a freshman and he is not the shy boy he came here as any longer," Sebastian said quietly. "He is intelligent, considerate and above all else, respectful and kind. He is going to make an excellent doctor. The fact that he is going to be living in the West Village in a few months' time will also be good for Tim; he will have someone he can turn to if he wants to discuss something in confidence."
"Meanwhile, I wish you and Grace all the best out in the Dakotas," said Trent, noting the look on Nick's face at Sebastian's words. "If you do come across anything or anyone that causes you trouble on your mission then call me, day or night. I still have contacts out there that can get the Governor of South Dakota involved in any scenario if required…"
Nick raised an eyebrow, thinking just how like a Mafia don Trent had sounded at that point, but replied, "Hopefully it will not come to that, but it is still good to know. All I really want is for there to be no upset for Tim. He has lost so much in the last few weeks and I will not have him caught up in any more unnecessary drama and trauma if it can be avoided. Having said that, I am not so sure that every member of Joe's congregation will be happy to allow us as outsiders to waltz in and take his son without some sort of comment, even if they can see that was exactly what he and Sugar wanted to happen…"