Hastening to a Silver Event.
Seeing their son and his boyfriend head off to college that year made Nick and Jeff feel old. They were past the age of forty now and only three years from the landmark that was a Silver Wedding anniversary. Nick could see that his grandparents were getting more frail by the day, as well the two other adults of their age group, the Carmichaels. Both of the latter couple were in their nineties now and their former Principal was now confined to the house, more often than not, his legs never having been what they were after his last stroke. His wife was more active, and Edith Carmichael could still be seen walking around the corridors at Dalton, inspecting things to see that they were done the way that she expected and fussing over the new freshmen whenever they needed a friendly face.
Principal Lefevre had a plan set out already for the day when either of them passed away, knowing that there would be a ripple of sadness across the world; there were former students that were now in their seventies that had fond memories of the former Principal and his wife. They had already been some discussion as to how they would be commemorated and such things as naming an award for good school work, or the like, did not seem to be quite enough. Some had suggested a statue, but in the end they had settled on naming the new school library and media building after them; Carmichael House, as it would be known, would ensure that their legacy was truly protected, as both had believed in the power of books and knowledge.
When that news was announced, it did make Nick wonder what is on legacy might be when he inevitably passed away. Since his work in Geneva three years before he had been consulted for his thoughts on a number of contentious conflicts around the globe, able to stand apart and pass a fair judgement on the most perplexing of problems. He had chosen not to have his own name mentioned in those cases but he did wonder if that had actually been the best choice at times; he had a degree of anonymity under the pseudonym of Mr Dove, but history would be left to wonder who the enigmatic man in question was.
He was glad that his work could be done from New York, as his headaches whenever he flew long distance had if anything worsened in the last year. He had spent his last flight from New York to Geneva unconscious in his seat, but the crew had not noticed and just thought that he was asleep. Now he insisted on staying at home whenever it was possible, citing environmental concerns as his main reason for avoiding air travel. Fortunately, Jeff had also been more than happy to stay at home recently, but Nick did fear the day when his husband decided he wanted to return to Europe, or even worse, but he wanted to see somewhere like South America, China, are in the worst case of all, return to Australia.
For now. at least Jeff had no such plans, his work keeping him far too busy. He had a lot of illustration work to complete, both for Vogue and for a whole set of authors for children, each one of them illustrated in a slightly different style to ensure that they all looked as if they had been drawn by a different artist. He had other larger commissions too, his success as one of the official Coronation artists leading to requests from a number of the well-known to draw their portraits; he did not take up all of those requests, choosing to work only with those he really liked and even then, only those that could come to him. He also found time to assist with the day-to-day running of the gallery that his former college tutor owned, staging his own shows there and doing his utmost to attract other artists to exhibit there too. He also designed murals for the hospices that were following the example of the Kennedy Willets centre in the grounds of Dalton Academy.
The last one he had designed was for the hospice in Columbia that was dedicated to the care of children, which had for its director Thad's youngest sister. When it had come to choosing its name, there had been much debate and then great surprise when it was officially named the Thad Montgomery Center. That choice of name had confused no-one more than Benji and Zoe Harwood at first, but in the end their other two living siblings, Ollie and Marcia had convinced them that using the name Harwood would still be quite controversial after the numerous court cases against their parents, and that in any case, had Wes not died so tragically young, then that would have been the name their little brother would have had in any case when he passed away. When Hayden had also come down on the side of the two youngest Harwoods, Benji and Zoe had capitulated. Of course, the two eldest siblings were unaware that all three of the others had the ability to see Thad; indeed, Marcia spent many a long hour chatting away to her little brother and his husband…
As if all that was not enough, Jeff was still working away on what he so as his greatest current project, finishing up the last part of what would now be known as The Judging Angel triptych. This final part featured Finn front and centre, with Kurt and Blaine in the background. It had taken him a great deal of time to compose, as Finn was kept very busy with his important work as a senior collector; on top of that, Jeff had been puzzled as to exactly what he should wear and potentially carrying to illustrate his role in the angelic realms. Eventually, he and Finn, with some input from Kurt, had decided to dress him in what looked like a tour guides uniform and have him carry a clipboard with what looked like paperwork and information leaflets attached to it.
They all had to admit that it was a little bit corny, but Jeff had realised after Kurt made the suggestion that it would resonate with his audience and suggest that Finn was either a receptionist or a guide for those newly arrived in the heavens. There had just been no easy way to show that he was a collector of souls that might not have caused fright and fear among some of the people that would come to view it. Jeff hoped that he would finish his drawing by the end of 2036, as he wanted it to be in the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the following spring, as the Prince and Princess of Wales had a state visit to New York scheduled for that time, as a late celebration of their 25 years of marriage in the April of that year.
Jeff would achieve his aim and the new drawing was actually unveiled by the Prince of Wales as part of his state visit. It was welcomed by the art world and by Jeff's friends; it also saw him receive hugs from Burt, Carol and Pam, in the full glare of the world's media. That did not attract too much attention as it was well known that the people in Jeff's works were his deceased friends, morphed into angels in his imagination. Cooper had been given a preview, as his current show would not allow him to attend at the right time; that had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as the Broadway actor had burst into floods of tears on seeing his little brother immortalised in a drawing in the Metropolitan Museum.
The Prince and Princess of Wales had another engagement to attend during their state visit and that was one at which Beats we take centre stage; the first phase of his subway plan was now ready to open to the public and they had agreed to do the official ceremony, then ride on the train through the new tunnel that ran under the Hudson, then through New Jersey before it went back underground to its current temporary terminal at one corner of Staten Island. The public opening would be the following day and that would mark the first time that all five boroughs of the city would have access to the subway system. Beats' vision and his drive to get the project done swiftly and on budget add earned him recognition from the Mayor and City Council; the Princess of Wales jokingly remarked to him that in the United Kingdom he would have been in line for an honour for such works…
That night, William and Kate would dine with Nick and Jeff in the West Village house; it was just the four of them, as Wes and Tim were still at college. The royal couple could sympathise about an empty house, as all their children were now at university or in the case of Prince George living elsewhere. The oldest son had not joined the armed forces, somerhing that had once been the tradition for the future monarch and that had attracted some criticism. That changed when it was revealed he was to become a paramedic within the NHS. "He can serve his country far more effectively that way, helping the sick, injured and dying. It was his choice, and we are immensely proud of him. How long he will be able to do that line of work is now the question," Kate said and both Nick and Jeff nodded, knowing that it might not be too much longer before their eldest son became the Prince of Wales himself, when his grandfather passed away and his dad became the new King…
The conversation about Prince George also set both Nick and Jeff thinking about the future for their son and Tim, and in particular what they would do when they left College in 2040. The two young men currently had plans to come back to the city and Nick assumed that they would be returning to the West Village. He was wise enough to realise that they would not want to live in the same house as them, so he pondered whether it might be time for the guest suite to be turned into a home four Wes and Tim instead. If guests were to come and stay, then they could now be accommodated in their own home.
What he did not realise was that Jeff had quite different thoughts on what the future might hold, and they envisioned Wes and Tim in the city, but not on the same street. Although it might be nice for him and Nick to have the two boys living close by, his son and his soulmate would probably find living in their dads shadow difficult. He would not have wanted to spend his first few years after college living under the watchful eye of his own mom and dad.
Jeff decided that it would therefore be best if they put some money aside each month to allow the younger couple to find a place of their own to start the post college phase of their lives in. However, when he said as much to his husband a couple of days after their dinner with royalty, he found that whilst Nick did not dismiss the idea out of hand immediately, he was decidedly non-committal to the whole prospect. Despite this lack of support from his own soulmate, Jeff did set aside some of his own personal income each month to give to the two younger men when they returned to New York, money which could be used towards the cost of their rent or even for a mortgage on a new home. It would be a nest egg for the two of them whatever they decided to do in the future. He also decided that he would actually tell the two boys what he was doing and what his future plan for them was, just to show them that not everything was being set in stone for them by Nick.
By the time that the summer of 2039 came along, Jeff's little fund had grown quite a lot, boosted by a couple of celebrity commissions and the sale of some of his older pieces. Nick was still clinging to the idea of having the guest suite turned into a home for their son and his partner, but all that changed one morning when Adam arrived at the house. The British actor had spent some time in the United Kingdom over the last year or so, initially on the stage, but then helping his family after the death of his beloved grandmother Joan. That she had lived for so long after her diagnosis of heart failure and cancer was just proof to them all of how stubborn she had been. Now Adam was back in the city full time and had received news that his grandmother's will had been finalised and he had been left quite a considerable legacy. Given that his life was now centred on New York, he had decided to put down roots of his own and after much searching online, he had decided to invest in the purchase of a small cottage style home in a quiet corner of Greenwich Village.
"I will always be grateful to you both for allowing me to move into your street," Adam said after breaking his news to them. "It gave me a comfortable home and in the long run it also gave me a husband. I might never have met Lawrence had I carried on living in the apartment in Bushwick that I first lived in on my return, so I am eternally in your debt for that one…"
Jeff had laughed loudly at that one, then wished Adam and Lawrence every happiness for the future in their new home together. Adam gave them three months' notice, but as soon as he left the house, Nick turned to his husband and said, "His place would make an ideal first home for Wes and Tim! The advantage of having them moving in there is that we would be able to retain the guest suite for anyone that requires it."
Jeff looked at his husband, then replied in a cautious tone, "Well, it is an idea, but I think we would have to leave that decision to the two young men in question. They have had a taste of independence now with living in their own apartment in Princeton and they might not want to come back to the street that they grew up on and live next door to the two of us…"
Nick looked at his husband as if he could not believe what he had just said, then burst out laughing. He simply could not understand why his son would want to live anywhere else but close to his friends and family.
This time it was harder for Jeff to persuade his husband to say nothing to their son when he came back from Princeton and had it not been for the fact that it was the year of their Silver Wedding anniversary, he might not have managed to stop things so well. As with his parents tenth wedding anniversary so long ago, Wes felt that such a significant milestone ought to be observed, and he tried his best to bring all of those that had been present on that day back to The New Yorker hotel for a celebratory meal. He had dismissed the idea of a vow renewal as one that neither of his fathers would go for, but to be back in the Crystal Ballroom, with the same music and themes was a possibility. There would of course be some significant guests absent in body, if not in spirit, along with more than a few extra ones present, children that had not been born and close friends that they had not even met on that August day back in 2014.
Wes was also fully aware that the following day would be just as significant a milestone in the lives of many people, especially to David Thompson and Michelle Harwood, because that date had brought tragedy twenty-five years before. He had sought help and advice on how to approach the marking of the anniversary off his dads wedding with this in mind and in the end David had found himself in a three way Zoom call with Sebastian and Trent, the two people that had been his parents' best men all those years before. They had told him what Wes intended to do and how he was only prepared to go ahead it would not cause an upset for the older man. There had been no immediate reply to that from David and for a moment Trent had feared the worst…
"He is such a considerate boy to put my feelings above all else. I must admit the date has loomed on my mind since this year began, but my grief and pain are not quite as raw now. I know that he is happy and that he is with Thad. The one thing I remember most about Nick and Jeff's wedding day is just how happy Wes was to see two of his boys married; of course, we all know now that he knew what was coming, but he did not flinch when faced with the end of his life, instead as always putting the needs of other people first. Tell Wes to go ahead and also that if he needs someone to make a speech in his namesake's stead, I can do it. Of course, that will be much easier if a certain person agrees to be my ghostwriter…"
With David on board and Michelle also having no issues, Wes had been able to press ahead with his plans. He surprised many of his intended guests when he admitted that he had told his dads what he intended to do to mark their wedding anniversary. However, he was not entirely losing the element of surprise. as he had only told them that he was planning a family dinner and not the huge party that would require a lot of skill and coordination to achieve.
He found a willing helper in New York and his Uncle Mike, who was only too pleased to become his liaison with The New Yorker Hotel. The senior bookings manager there had actually been employed in the junior capacity on the wedding day itself, and she had gone back through the records to ensure that as much as possible could be recreated, from the food to the music and decorations.
The one major issue of course had been the wedding cake, as Nick had made that himself, but his son was immediately on the case, using the kitchen at his aunt and uncle's home in Murray Hill to bake it, then using the photographs that Grace had taken of the original cake on the big day, he did his best to recreate the decorations on it entirely as they had been. That done, there was only the question of the little statue of the two grooms that had sat atop it and that was probably the easiest thing to achieve. He knew exactly where it was, and he would retrieve it on the day itself from its place in his dads' memory box; Tim and his Uncle Mike promised that they would arrange a suitable diversion to allow him to access it without either of his dads finding out.
Managing to get all of the guests present also came with its own challenges, especially with the older guests, namely Nick's grandparents and the Carmichaels; although the two ladies were still very active, their husbands had some of the problems that come with old age and had much reduced mobility; nonetheless, they were all determined to be there to see a recreation of the event that had brought them such great joy a quarter of a century before.
As it happened, Wes and Tim were not actually back at the house in the West Village for quite as long that summer, classes, and work keeping them in Princeton. Jeff had felt sad about it, but Nick pointed out that such things were all just part of the process of becoming a responsible adult; he then went on to remind his husband that in just a year's time they would be coming home to New York for good.
He might not have been quite so content with the fact that his son had not come home when normal classes finished had he been aware of the fact that the summer classes that Wes had signed up for were not at the university, but actually at a cookery school in Philadelphia; he commuted into Pennsylvania every day to learn more techniques in the field of sugarcraft, something that he knew was a vital adjunct to baking where fancy cakes were concerned. He ended up learning much more than he expected to and when the class came to an end, his tutor took him to one side and informed him that he had a natural flair for it…
With all of the new knowledge that he had picked up, Wes found it easy to recreate the decorations that his father had put on his own wedding cake back in 2014; indeed, he ended up going much further than his father could have done at that time, crafting additional decorations solely from spun sugar.
When the day of the anniversary party came, Wes was grateful and relieved that everything he had set out to do had gone to plan; all of the invited guests were in town, the Crystal Ballroom had been described by his Uncle Mike as being in a time warp and he managed to lay his hands on the little statue with such great ease that he almost had to pinch himself in disbelief. All that remained for him to do now was to make a suitable excuse that would allow him to leave for the hotel first; to that end, he allowed his dads to overhear a conversation between himself and Tim about the need for him to go and check to see if the special gift that they had arranged for the couple had safely arrived at the venue…
The first surprise for Nick and Jeff at day came when it was time for them to follow their son to the venue along with Tim. A taxi had been ordered, but two arrived, both of which already had a person sitting in the back. Nick and Jeff looked at each other in confusion but then had gasped as the doors opened on both taxis simultaneously and Mike suddenly seemed to materialise at their side.
"Okay, so Wes has asked me to organise things; Nick, if you would like to get into the taxi in front alongside myself and Sebastian, whilst Jeff will ride in the other taxi alongside Tim and Trent. The second taxi will travel a couple of minutes behind us. I'm afraid that Wes has been lying to you about exactly what he has organised for today; he has actually managed to recreate your entire wedding day…. That might also be why he was talking about your wedding suits and how it would be so good to see you wearing them today."
He stopped, then laughed at the look of shock and disbelief on Nick's face, which was entirely matched by the similar look on Jeff's face. With a nod to Tim, he's steered Nick over towards the taxi, sitting him in the back alongside Sebastian, before climbing in himself, shutting the door, and then settling back in the seat.
"Are you nervous?" Sebastian asked Nick. "I mean it isn't too late for you to change your mind…"
Nick looked at his old friend for a moment, then burst out laughing, as he realised that Sebastian had said exactly the same thing to him as they had sat in the back of the car that had taken them from Bushwick to the same hotel twenty-five years before. Then he stopped and said, "Please tell me that we will not be renewing our vows, because I can't recall the exact words that I said…"
"Relax; your son is smart enough to realise that you are now of the age where memory loss is starting to be an issue, so he avoided doing that. Of course, it really wouldn't have been an issue, as Blaine has a note of every word that was said and would have whispered the words into your ear if required. I should however point out that your son has actually baked an exact replica of your wedding cake; he did that in your sister's kitchen. He also ensured the exact same menu for the dinner and has managed to get more or less every single guest that was there that day to attend, including the ones that are now angels. When he sent out the invites, nobody declined, but he has of course had to add some of the new friends you have made. The party may be larger, but we're also gathering for one reason and one reason alone. As for the duties that a certain Mr Montgomery performed on that day a quarter of a century ago, they will be carried out by David at his own suggestion…"
Nick nodded at that, then said, "That is really good of him, especially given what tomorrow will mean to him; in fact, what tomorrow will mean to all of us…"
"As I say, he offered to do it; I think that he sees it as his duty to both the people called Wes in his life. After all, where better than that a gathering of all the people that we know is there to raise a toast to absent friends…."
Meanwhile, in the other taxi, Trent had needed to find a handkerchief to give to Jeff to wipe his eyes as he had told his best friend all that Sebastian was telling Nick, that taxi exactly two minutes ahead in the traffic. The were, of course, mainly happy tears, but some were of course falling as Jeff recalled the other thing that had happened that day, namely how his birth father had tried to kill both him and his new husband in the honeymoon suite. Trent was smart enough to realise that that might indeed be the case, and added, "Wes has not booked you into a room this time, as you were close enough to home to travel there when the party comes to an end. However, he and Tim will be staying in the hotel this evening, to give you both a bit of space to enjoy yourselves…" Trenton couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that both Tim and Jeff blushed at what he was suggesting, but only for the briefest of seconds.
"It is so good of him to do all of this, and I do hope that Nick appreciates that," Jeff replied. "Things have not been as good between the two of them since they fell out about where Wes should go to college and what kind of course he should do. All I hope is that they can get on better together from now on, as Nick has some ideas about what should happen in the future which might cause a few issues for everyone concerned…."
Tim looked at Jeff, then said, "I think that Wes also has some plans for our future that could create some more disputes; he is 100% determined to pursue a career in baking once he finishes at Princeton…"
"Well unless his choice of school to pursue that in has also altered, then that at least means that you will both be staying in New York. The thing is that Nick expects that both of you will move straight back to the West Village, either moving back in with us or being accommodated in one of the other houses on the street…."
"Well, nice as that does sound, I think that Wes might have other ideas about that. He has been looking into the price of apartments on the Lower East Side; I do not actually agree with that at all, but he seems to be determined to have more independence from you both…"
Jeff nodded sadly, knowing that he would have felt the same if he were in his son's position; he obviously thought that distance would mean that there would be less interference in his life by his father.
All of the tensions were forgotten once they were at the hotel. Nick had been taken as far as the door, then Sebastian had stopped him from going in, checking his tie and suit. Mike was also on hand to give a second opinion as to Nick's appearance. Satisfied, Sebastian turned to his friend and said, "This is where you stand and wait for your husband; I know that this wasn't the case the last time we were all here, but recreations should only go so far…"
Nick smiled, then hugged both his friends, before they hurried inside. In the case of Sebastian, he hastened to the front to assume his spot at the microphone, as he was going to sing the same Tom Odell that he had sung after his old friends' actual wedding as the two of them entered the room. Wes passed him as he did so, heading out to join his father at the door; it would only be as he came to stand by Nick that the latter would realise that his son's suit was an exact match to the one that Tim was wearing. Sebastian of course already knew that and that made him smile as he waited patiently at his spot facing the door...
He watched as the door opened to admit Trent, picturing the scene outside the room at that moment, wondering just how much it resembled the scene that he had seen in that very room when he had been a young man of twenty. He then watched the doors carefully, as did Beats, who was sat alongside him at the piano with his hands poised above the right keys, able to play the tune from memory, even if his sight was a little diminished now compared with what it had been all those years before…
Then a member of hotel staff entered and formally announced, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome Mr and Mr Sterling-Duval."
The remainder of the day would pass in a blur for Nick and Jeff. They had both felt tears forming in their eyes as Sebastian had sung True Love, friends and family alike getting to their feet and joining in with the end of the song just as they had done back in 2014. They had been escorted up to the top table by Wes and Tim, but this time the table was laid out only for the four of them, the core members of their own little family. As soon as they had taken their places, David had stood up and spoken, inviting everyone to what was a day of celebration for the love between Nick and Jeff, then added that the day was also dedicated to all of those absent friends that had been there for the wedding itself that were no longer with them. He then asked everyone to raise their glasses, all filled with sparkling grape juice, both to the happy couple and to those no longer present, something that was duly done…
That done, it was time for everyone to order their meals, whilst Nick and Jeff walked around and greeted everyone who had come to spend the day with them. They both couldn't help but notice how frail their former Principal now looked and indeed sounded, but his wife Edith was still as powerful a force as she had been…
They almost screamed in delight when they came across Miss Frobisher sitting in one corner, and she allowed them both to hug her, before she said pointedly, "It was such a delight to be invited to join you today, but I am also here as a messenger from a certain someone in Windsor who could not be here themselves today for obvious reasons…" The royal seal on the envelope she handed to them told them all that they needed to know; when they opened it, the warm message inside was signed not only be Kate, William, and the children, but also by King Charles and his Queen Consort…
The food was as excellent as they all recalled it to be, but there had been a trend to order something different this time around; this was noted by two of the staff waiting on the tables, people that had actually be on duty for the wedding reception all those years ago… The meal over, it was time to cut the cake, and it was brought carefully to the top table, where Nick could only grin at the perfect replica that his son had created of the cake he had made for his big day; the fact that the same little statue was on top of it just added to the authenticity…
After he had cut the cake to loud cheers, Nick felt that he should say something on behalf of himself and Jeff, and he remained on his feet. "My husband and I are so touched to see all of you here today, many of you assembled once again in the very room where we made our vows to each other. Our greatest thanks and indeed admiration must go to our son Wes, who managed to organise all of this without us guessing what was occurring, and indeed to all of those that helped him to organise this magnificent spectacle. I can only say thank you to all of you for the love and support over the years which has helped us achieve this milestone anniversary, and well, what say that we do it all again in 2064…"
There was a lot of laughter at that, even if they were all painfully aware that not all of those gathered in the room would be present when the day of their Golden Wedding finally dawned…