Part 18

The whole house came to life! Every cuckoo clock started to ring, all bells did as well. The piano started playing, the guitar and violin did too… and all whistles and flutes as well. All paintings started to spin round like propellers on their nails and the curtains were moving fast. The lights flickered and the cutlery jumped out of their boxes and jumped around all over the rooms. The twins looked highly amused while the Banks family looked completely shocked. Wes on the other hand… they had never seen that look on his face. It was a look of pure surprise.

"Congratulations", Eric said. "You 'ave managed to do something I've nevah thought was possible."

"What", Will asked as he watched a band of forks run over his feet.

"Make Wes surproised", Brett said happily. "I've nevah seen this reaction before."

"And you're still just grinning", Fred asked.

"Whot", Eric asked. "Wes nevah 'urt anyone with this kind of tricks."

"It is not tricks", Wes snapped and then realized what was going on around him. "That is quite enough of that." Nothing happened. "Stop that at once!" Things only got wilder and Wes narrowed his eyes and said with a voice cold as ice and dangerous:

"Enough!"

Everything stopped being chaotic and the cutlery returned to their drawers, "heads" hanging low.

"Oh grow up", Wes told them and waited until they were all gone before he rounded on the cuckoo-clock. "You too."

The little door that kept the bird in closed and there was a small cuckoo. Wes rolled his eyes and then looked at his masters.

"I'm sorry about that", he said. "Surprise is not an emotional-power I can control."

"What", Thad asked confused.

"I don't do tricks… I have… powers."

"You're a wizard", Jeff said happily.

"You could call me that", Wes said and shrugged. "But my 'magic' is emotionally controlled, which is why I try to keep calm all the times. My emotions makes my 'magic' stronger, like when I got cross with Miss Sylvester… or right now."

"So", Fred said and looked at Wes. "All the things that we said happened and you denied really did happen?"

"Yes."

"Then why did you-"

"If I said yes", Wes said calmly. "What would stop your parents from calling on the men in white coats? I've been there… never again."

"Someone called for the madhouse", Will asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"A boy that claims he can pop in and out of chalk pictures, make things come alive, talk to animals and fly and transform things is usually viewed as crazy. Especially if they are orphanage children."

"So you really are an orphan then", Emma asked and he looked at him. He almost looked sad.

"You really don't remember me do you?" he asked and Emma looked at him and everyone else looked at her.

Emma's gaze though was locked to Wes'. After a bit it felt as everything else faded away around them and they stood opposite each other in the darkness. Suddenly everything turned into sepia-tones and Emma realized they were on a street that she recognized. She used to walk it up and down with her nanny to go to different stores.

Emma suddenly heard small footsteps behind her and saw her five year old self and her nanny walk down the street and pass her. Little Emma was looking around with big eyes and then stopped because she saw a young man sit on the ground, looking sad. She walked up to him and was about to touch his knee when he raised his head and looked at her. Emma gasped and looked at her small self and the young man… and then the young man opposite her. They were the same person.

"Emma", he nanny shrieked. "Don't touch that!"

"It's not a that nanny", Little Emma said. "It's a boy."

"He's an orphan!"

"How do you know nanny?"

"Look at his chest pocket, that's the sign for one of the orphanages", her nanny said and grabbed her arm and pulled her away. The young crying man watched her go and the scene got blurry, except for the part where Emma looked back at the crying young man and he looked back at her.

The scene changed, it was the same street but Little Emma was older, ten years old. She was skipping down the street, she'd run from her nanny and was going to have some fun today. When she got to the wall where the young man had been before she found him there… painting on the wall with chalk.

"What are you doing", Little Emma asked and the young man looked at her and smiled.

"Do you remember me?"

"Yes", Little Emma said. "You're the orphan I see around here every day! I keep giving you small coins and bread when no one looks."

"I know, thank you for that."

"It's okay, my mum says no one should go hungry."

"That is very kind of her."

"What are you doing", Little Emma asked and walked up to him and looked at the painting. It was a painting of the countryside. "It is beautiful."

"A typical English countryside", the young man explained. "As done by a true and loving hand. Although you can't see it there is a little country fair down that road and over the bridge."

"I don't see any road", Little Emma said.

"What no road?!" the young man asked and got out a piece of chalk. "Just a bit of something here… And a bit of something there…" Little Emma watched him draw a road and a bridge. Emma herself moved closer and noticed Wes do too. Emma stood behind her ten year old self and Wes stood beside her, behind the young man.

"There", the young man said. "A country road, suitable for travel and an adventure."

"Please can we go sir please", Little Emma begged him. "It's such a beautiful place, don't you think it's lovely?"

"I do", he said and smiled.

"What do we need to do? Magic tricks? Do we need fairy dust or… Oh do we need to think, then wink, then do a double blink, close our eyes and jump?" The young man looked at her.

"I have no intention of making a spectacle of myself thank you", he said and Little Emma's face fell.

"But please sir", she begged. "Please."

"Then why do you complicate things that are really quite simple", the young man asked sternly. "Give me your hand." She took it and they stepped into the picture. Everything faded away again, into darkness.

When Emma realized she was back in her living room she realized she'd taken Wes' hand as he now stood beside her. She looked at their hands and then her gaze travelled up his arm and locked with his gaze.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"18", he answered.

"How old are you really?"

"18."

"Tell me right now!"

"It is very rude to demand things out of people."

Emma let go of his hand.

"Don't you come with your proper manors and lessons at me young man", she scolded. "We both know that you are the same eighteen year old boy that I met every day when I was a child and that disappeared after I turned 15. We popped in and out of chalk pavement pictures, had tea-parties on the ceiling, made my things come alive, visited fairy tales, danced with chimney sweeps and…" she trailed off when she heard the twins sing:

Wind's in the east, there's a mist comin' in
Like somethin' is brewin' and 'bout to begin
Can't put me finger on what lies in store
But I feel what's to 'appen all 'appened before

A father, a mother, seven rascalls of sons
The threads of their lives are all wrapped in and done
Somethin' is needed to twist 'em as tight
As a string you might use when you're flying a kite

Chim chiminy chim chim cheree chim cheroo

"Really", Wes asked and gave them a tired look.

"Whot", Eric asked and shrugged. "It isn't your first time teaching in London."

"Yeah you 'ave been 'ere before", Brett said and grinned. "We should know!"

"Wait", Will cut in and looked between his sons' teacher, his newest son and his wife. "Emma what are you talking about?"

"He was 18 when I was 5!" Emma yelled and pointed at Wes. "Then he was 18 when I was 10 and so on! He's still 18!"

Everyone looked at Wes and he shrugged.

"There's nothing I can do about it", he said. "I stopped aging by 18 and I still don't know how to start… just like my powers… I don't know how it happened or how I got them and I don't know why. I've been able to do things all my life… which is why I was left at the orphanage. The matron told me that I was left on the stairs a sunny day and I made it snow in July.

Then why I was five I was talking to seven teenage girls while sitting on the roof… you met Maia or Brittany as I called her. Strange things just kept on happening and the matron did not want to force anyone to adopt something like me… so I was kept hidden and by the age of 18 I was kicked out.

I had no one to help me understand what was going on so I couldn't stop things from happening. I was living on the streets and caused small… spectacles every now and then. The first time the wind carried me up and away I must've given a high born family a heart attack because I crashed onto their dining table when they were outside eating."

"So… what happened", Thad asked curiously. "How did you become like you are now?"

"I started working as a servant for a rich family. I watched how they acted and started to act the same…"

"That's when 'e met us!" Brett cheered. "Eric an' I were children of tha chef so we stayed there too."

"So… have you two stopped aging too", Fred asked them and they nodded.

"Wes made us stop", Eric said happily.

"I don't know how", Wes mumbled.

"It's because ya love us an' don' wanna live without us", Brett said and put his arm around Wes' shoulders. "The three of us are going to be togethah forevah!"

Wes smiled slightly.

"Forever is a very long time", he mumbled.

"Good thing that", Eric said and then looked around. "I think we bettah sit down as we talk, it is a long story ya know."

They all sat down in the living room, except Wes. He was standing by the fireplace with an Everett-twin sitting on each side of him, like a pair of puppies.

"So", Wes asked. "What do you want to know?"

The Banks family and their servants looked at each other, Will had demanded Tanaka and Shannon take part too because they were part of the family. Fred asked first.

"You never really told us how you become so controlled as you are", he said. "So what happened? I doubt the rich family was the only reason."

"It wasn't", Wes answered. "These two bumbling baboon babes caused a lot of mishaps and I was forced to leave… and they followed. Wherever I went the went and I lost my temper a few times… and things went haywire."

"'e blew up a an army training camp when 'e tried ta be a soldier", Eric said happily. "'e lost 'is tempah with tha command and poof! Tha whole thing blowing up!"

"How many died", Blaine asked and stared at his teacher.

"50", Wes answered calmly.

"I remember that", Will said. "I read about it in school. In my secondary school days in 1887 I was reading in history about tragedies and there was one about an army camp that blew up without any known cause. 50 people died and many more were injured… You were behind it?"

"I was only 18", Wes mumbled. "Don't judge me. I had no idea of what I was doing… but after that day I tried to kill myself. I flung myself off a cliff… and the wind and sea caught me and carried me up again and gently put me on the ground. I tried to hang myself but the knot would open, the rope would break, the chair or stool would not let me step off… I tried slitting my neck or wrists… but the knife refused to cut. I tried everything but nothing happened… so I turned to the church."

"What happened", Trent asked because he saw the pain in their teacher's eyes.

"Just like that policeman the priests thought me a man of Satan. I will not tell you all details but I will tell you they tried to draw Satan out of me… with no luck because things didn't want to hurt me. I tried to escape but couldn't because I was watched 24/7 and couldn't control my gifts. But one day I got to the library and escaped into a book… Robin Hood."

"That's why he acted as if he knew you", David said. "He did."

"I travelled through books and ended up in the one these two were reading", Wes said and put a hand on each twin's head. "I could hear their voices and was thrown out of the book and onto their laps…"

"We were just 12 at tha time", Brett said happily. "But we remembahed 'im."

"We'd nevah been as 'appy as then", Eric said. "Wes remembahed us too."

"Then what", Nick asked curiously.

"I thanked them for getting me out and left again", Wes explained. "By then I understood that my powers were controlled by my emotions… so I went to the Buddhists and other religious and mental trainers. They helped me get my emotions under an iron control and formed me into what I am today. But around me the world was crumbling… people were acting more and more like monsters and didn't understand what really was important. Kids were suffering… so…"

"You became a teacher", Thad concluded and Wes nodded. "And you met our mother?"

"In", Wes thought for a moment. "In 1879."

"For how long had you been 18 then", Jeff asked curiously. Wes started counting on his fingers.

"I was born in 1790", he muttered. "By 1808 I was 18… So I had been 18 for 89 years… which means I have today been 18 for… 103 years."

"So you are actually 121 years old", David asked and gaped.

"Give or take a couple of months."

"Wow…"

The Banks family and the servants looked at the young man in front of them and wondered over all the things he had seen. It was… incredible.

"So will you ever stop being frozen in time", Shannon Beiste asked.

"I stopped praying for aging when I had been 18 for twenty years", Wes answered. "Which is why I cannot become one in your family." He looked at Will. "I can't."

"Why?"

"Because I will most likely live forever… I don't want to watch you all grow old and die…"

"But we want you to stay", Nick said and pouted. "You're part of the family. There's still so much we need to learn!"

"No Nick", Wes said. "There isn't."

"What?"

"Haven't you noticed?"

"Noticed what?"

Wes looked at the window.

"The wind's changed", he said and everyone followed his gaze and then there was a bright flash.

Wes looked around. Everything was frozen in time. He smiled and moved from his place and walked up into his room and started to pack all his things. The first thing he put in his carpet bag was underwear, his hats, socks, jackets, shirt and then trousers. After that he looked around the room and his gaze fell on his potted plant. He walked up to it.

"Pretty things are a joy for life", he said and took it before putting it in his bag. After that he took his floor lamp and put it in his bag. The lamp was soon joined in the bag by a few shirts and a pair of shoes. Then his golden mirror got into the bag. Then he took his hat-stand, took his coat off it and put it on before putting the hat-stand into the bag. He looked around the room again and saw his medicine bottle. He smiled and took it, putting it into his carpet bag and then he saw his tape measure. He smiled as he took it and walked out of the room. The carpet bag following in his trail.

Wes got to the Banks family and their servants. He looked at them and raised his hand and everyone stood up. He first walked up to William Banks.

"Now let's see how you measure up", he mumbled. Wes measured the man. "Caring, loving, dreaming and practically perfect father." He turned to Emma. "Brave, just and a practically perfect mother." Then came the hard part. It was the sons' turn. Wes smiled and in his mind's eye the boys were awake when he was doing this. He looked around and his gaze fell Fred. The oldest brother, headstrong and stubborn the first time they met. Wes took his measurement and smiled.

"Still stubborn", he said. "But in a good way, caring for the little things, has found his dream… The wind has changed indeed… for the better."

He smiled and walked up to Jeff. The blonde was looking deep in thought and it was actually very adorable.

"Now you Jeffery", Wes said almost sadly and measured Jeff. "As I suspected, laughs when its required, take responsibility, does what's right…" He snapped his fingers, he'd done so after stepping past Emma, Will and Fred as well. The people he'd measured got back into the positions they'd had when he froze time. Wes now walked up to the boy with dark curly hair and confused look on his face.

"Quite the dreamer", Wes read from his measuring tape. "Still a puppy, but a good one Blaine… protective and hopeful." He snapped his fingers and Blaine sat down where he'd been before. Next in line was Trent and Wes smiled and took his measure.

"Believer", he read aloud. "Knows what is important in life, knows his dreams now. David is still afraid of spiders but has calmed down and are more friendly… not suspicious anymore but still cautious around strange people. Nick, temper in check, not suspicious, a good people reader and happy."

The three boys got to sit and Wes smiled. "Where's the last one? Ah there you are." He walked up to Thad and looked at the small brunette. All boys had changed but it was the clearest in Thad. His eyes didn't have the worried and scared glow Wes had seen when he arrived. He had become more secure with himself, bolder… happy. Wes took out his tape measure.

"Incredibly intelligent", he read aloud. "High self-esteem, sure of his dreams and a good student."

Wes smiled. Because all the boys had one thing in common as well. Wes snapped his fingers and Thad sat down in his spot between Fred and Blaine. All brothers were sitting close to each other and their parents and it was no hostility or tenseness in their energies or bodies anymore. Wes walked up to each and every one of them and put something in each of their laps. He began with Emma… it was a smaller version of the picture he and she had walked into. Will got a snow-globe that would come in useful whenever he doubted his relationship with Thad. Wes shook the thing and listened to the words that came pouring out.

"Safe", Thad's voice said and he appeared in the globe, standing on that box in the park. "When I hear the word father I think safe. Your father is there to protect you, all the time. He wants what is best for you, what he thinks is best for you and what will make you happy. Sometimes it doesn't feel that way but that's because he's worried you'll get hurt. I have a very clear of my father… I must've been five or six at the time. You know how little brothers are, they want to be like their big brother… well brothers in my case. I don't remember why but I was running to catch up with my oldest brothers and fell. I started crying but then… there he was. Father came and picked me up, comforting me and keeping me safe from harm, a warm, safe haven. I love my father, even if we argue and don't see eye to eye all the time. I feel sometimes that he doesn't understand me but… I know that he still loves me and only wants to keep my safe and sound… even though he has a hard time showing it. So when I hear the word father… I think: I'm safe."

Wes smiled and moved on to the boys. Fred got a small picture with moving people, it was the woman he'd given money too watching her child get healthy while her other children celebrated around them.

David was next he got that knife he imagined when they were tied up by the Lilliputs. The first thing that showed he was a believer.

After him came Blaine and he got two lockets, one for himself and one for his future husband. Wes could make a guess on who that would be and he was never wrong.

Wes gave Thad a book with blank pages, a book he could start write his story in and it would never run out of room. In it was greetings from all storybook characters he'd ever met and whatever he wrote would become real around him, but only for his and his brothers' eyes.

Trent was next and he got a necklace with golden letters, they spelled out Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

After that Jeff got a locket from Wes that would make him float and hear funny jokes if he ever needed it, all Uncle Arthur Carmichael's joke and laughs that was so infectious.

Nick was last and he got a small version of Nealeus' statue that would dance in your hand if you held it in the sun and then transform into a chimney sweep, dancing over rooftops and keeping constant watch.

Wes smiled before walking up to Brett and Eric and fixed their caps. He looked at the Banks family again. He really wanted to stay, he always did but he couldn't. He hadn't been able to stay with the Pleiades or Jane Sylvester or Robin Hood or Marius and Enjolras or Athos or Gulliver or Quasimodo… or Nealeus. He could never stay and help anyone forever. He sighed and sang:

With every job when it's complete
There is a sense of bitter-sweet
That moment when you know the task is done
Though in your heart you'd like to stay
To help things on their way
You've always known they must do it alone

He looked around the room again.

"There", he said. "Practically perfect… and I hope it remain so." He was about to walk out of the door when something happened.

"Didn't think ya would get rid of us that easy did ya?"

Wes turned around and saw the twins getting up and walk up to him.

"I…" Wes asked. "How… I… What?"

Eric reached him first and kissed him softly.

"This time ya ain't leaving without us", Eric said.

"We've been waiting and chasing ya forevah", Brett said and kissed Wes too. "We don' wanna wait anymore."

"We want forevah with ya", Eric said kissed the top of Wes' head.

"Where you go we go", Brett added.

"You can't", Wes said. "I killed your parents…"

"It was our fault", Eric said. "We caused that emotion."

"We caused tha angah and betrayal… and the love."

"Ya 'ad nevah felt that before and we forced it on ya. We nevah blamed ya. We want to be with ya."

"People looks down on those who marry more than one person", Wes said. "And I can't choose between you."

"You don't 'ave to", Eric said. "We're twins. We can pretend to be one person if we 'ave to."

"Yeah", Brett said. "Ya ain't getting rid of us this time."

Wes smiled at them and sang softly:

Wes: Perhaps I had a wicked childhood
Perhaps I had a miserable youth
But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past
There must have been a moment of truth

Wes looked at the twins that were holding their hands out towards him and he smiled softly.

Wes: For here you are, standing there, loving me
Whether or not you should
So somewhere in my wicked childhood
I must have done something good

Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could
So somewhere in my wicked childhood
I must have done something good

Eric & Brett: For 'ere you are, standing there, loving us
Whether or not you should

Wes: So somewhere in my wicked childhood
I must have done something good

All: Nothing comes from nothing
Nothing ever could

Wes: So somewhere in my youth
Brett: Or childhood
Wes: I must have done something . . .
Eric: Something good

Wes let the two young men kiss his cheeks and smiled. He took their hands in his while Eric took the umbrella that came sailing down from the second floor and Brett grabbed the carpet bag. Wes looked back at the Banks family and smiled.

"Goodbye", he said and smiled.

"Where to", Brett asked.

"Home", Wes said and they were gone from Cherry Tree Lane because they weren't needed anymore.

That was over 80 years ago and now I am an old man sitting in a home. I survived two world wars and other miserable events. My brothers and I woke up from that time freezing thing our old teacher did. I guessed he must have done that because all of a sudden we had gifts in our laps and he and the Everett twins were gone. I remember my mother asking what on Earth had happened and I told her that Wes had left… because we didn't need him anymore… but others would. We all got special gifts and I still got them all, here in my room. But only I can see them work. My brothers all lived long lives but they are all gone now, waiting for me on the other side.

Fred became a doctor and married a nurse. They got two little girls and Fred spoilt them rotten but he made sure they learned all the lessons we learned.

David became a politician and became very successful. He married a wonderful woman and got a whole clan of kids that are all wonderful people. David followed Wes' teachings.

Blaine married Kurt Hummel, it took a while for them to be allowed to get married but it was love. Sadly they never got allowed to adopt children of their own but they started a school for children that lived on the streets. A music school and it is still the best in the country.

Trent became a clothing designer and took over mother's store and made it even more successful. He met the man of his dreams at a fashion show and in secret they adopted a little girl, which "legally" is his husband's ward but we all know the truth. Kurt and Blaine couldn't do the same because Kurt's brothers all lived as did all of us. We all made it through the wars.

Jeff oh dear Jeff became a tourist guide and he has been all over the world, visiting the places we did in those stories all those years ago and told them to the tourists. He was the best there is. He married a beautiful Danish woman and they got a few kids.

Nick… Nick became a teacher and took to using Wes' teachings more than any of us. He was famous for his methods and people sent kids from all over the world to be taught by him. Nick married his job and I know he was happy. He used to say that his dream woman was too good to be true and that his students were his children. He got Christmas cards and birthday cards from all of them… and he saved them all.

And what about me? Sebastian and I married and we didn't get children sadly. But I have so many nephews and nieces that it doesn't matter. I can spoilt them instead. I was the favorite uncle because I made stories come alive. That notebook Wes left me… every time I wrote in it or read from everyone that listened got transported into the stories… until they grew up. My brothers and I never stopped though.

I've written many stories and got quite a few published. But the best selling one is about the Schuester family. The story about Matthew and Jayma Schuester. The parents of Jon, Titus, Darren, Eddy, Dominic, Ryker and Curt Schuester. Their troubled, messy and rowdy sons. Their servants Patrick Gallagher and Dot Jones. And of course, their amazing and magical teacher Telly Leung. The story also have the Pleiades or as they are called: Diana, Heather, Naya, Jenna, Amber, Lea and Vanessa. Then there is Telly's proteges. The twins. I never found any better names for them than Eric and Brett Everett. But what is a good story without a bad guy and I had two. The first one is an evil teacher named Jane Lynch and the evil policeman Iqbal Theba. But the two get help of course by Robin Trocki.

It is a story of magic and it's mine. My story… from my own life. But who would believe me if I told them that it was real. I look into my notebook, this is the final page I'll write. You already read the true story. I finish with: the end. And just as the words are written down I feel a hand on my and look up. I smile when I see a young Asian man around 18.

"Lessons learned Mister Montgomery", I said and he smiled, squeezing my hand.

"Practically perfect", he said and I drew my last breath.

The End. Thank you for comming on this trip with me :D Now I can return to focus on LBW :) I needed a break from the heavy stuff in there.

NiffAreForever - You got to see it :)

Malurina: Why does that reaction feel SO familiar? ;)