Author's Note: This chapter is once again from "old" Kurt's point of view. 1920s Kurt gets permission to date Lottie, and Burt is pretty much planning the wedding already. This is the last "ready" chapter, so now you'll have to wait for me to churn out a new one. Next week, I'll have a Facing Your Dragons update for you, and after that, I'll focus on Chapter 6 of this story. Thank you for your patience and your thoughtful feedback and your readiness to come with me on whatever adventure my mind dreams up. It truly means the world to me.

Chapter 5: Getting Serious

November 1925

The next evening, Kurt went back to the Dalton, and thankfully, the girl waved at him as soon as he entered the ballroom, and jumped off her seat to come greet him.

"Lieselotte!" a loud voice barked.

But Lieselotte just rolled her eyes and said to Kurt, "Let's dance!"

She took his hand and led him to the dance floor.

Kurt quaked a little inside. He wasn't as good of a dancer as his great-grandson, and he could only hope Lieselotte wouldn't notice. He looked at the other dancing pairs and tried to copy the men's movements. It worked well enough, and soon, Lieselotte was gabbing away at him – about the brooch and her dad being angry about it, though her uncle and mother agreed it was a sweet gesture.

"Your dad is angry with me?" Kurt asked. That wasn't good. His hands became clammy, and he felt the hair on his arms prickle uncomfortably.

"Oh, don't mind him, he'd kick up a fuss no matter who I started stepping out with," Lieselotte reassured him. "It's nothing personal. You're from a good family. My mother really likes you. Says you're polite and respectful, and would be an excellent match for me. My dad just… Well, he'd like for me to always stay his little girl. He doesn't like the thought of me marrying and moving away."

Kurt hummed in understanding.

After a few dances, Lieselotte said she was thirsty and led him to her family's table, still holding his hand.

Kurt smiled nervously. "Good evening."

"Sit down, boy," one of the men said, grinning.

The other one glared at Kurt and then snapped, "So I take it you have designs on my daughter?"

Kurt glanced at Lieselotte, and her encouraging smile gave him the strength to look her father in the eye. "Yes, sir. If you'll allow me, I'd love to court your daughter."

"Hmmpf."

"Oh, Carl, don't be such a curmudgeon!" his wife berated him.

"Well, he might have asked me first, before giving Lotte jewellery!"

Kurt cleared his throat. "I meant to, sir. It… It was a spur-of-the-moment decision. I apologise."

"Hmmpf."

Lieselotte's mother nudged her husband, until he reluctantly said, "Apology accepted. And Lotte likes you well enough, so I guess you can court her. But don't you dare get fresh with her or I'll have your hide!"

Kurt's eyes widened. "I wouldn't dream of it, sir!"

Ain't that the truth…

Lieselotte and her mother both beamed at him, and the other man at the table engaged Kurt in a conversation about cars.

Kurt lit up and eagerly discussed every aspect of the new Ford T Runabout, and before he knew it, the band stopped playing and the waiters announced that there would only be one more round of fruit punch.

"Oh, I stayed for far too long," Kurt exclaimed.

"And you only danced three dances with me all evening," Lieselotte pouted.

Kurt looked at her, stricken. For a moment there, he'd forgotten all about her.

"Aww, Lotte, you'll have your whole life to dance with Kurt."

That made Lieselotte smile again. "I hope so, Uncle Franz."

"I promise I won't monopolise your beau tomorrow. Kurt, my boy, any time you want that job as a car salesman, it's yours! You've more than proved that you're fit for it."

Kurt grinned from ear to ear. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

He squeezed Lieselotte's hand. "I promise I'll dance more with you tomorrow. It's just… When I start talking about cars…"

Lieselotte sighed and then laughed. "I know, I know. It was the same yesterday. I can live with it, as long as you promise me at least five dances."

Kurt smiled at her. "You have my word."

She IS nice. I'll never love her like I love Blaine, but I think I could grow to love her. Yes.

When Kurt came home, his dad was still up, reading and smoking his pipe.

"You're late," Burt said. "You've never come home this late."

Kurt felt his cheeks heat up. "I… I lost track of time. It… I… I promise it won't happen again."

Burt blew a smoke ring and then grinned at Kurt. "Looked a bit too deep into your girl's eyes, did you?"

"I… We… We were... talking…" Kurt stammered, feeling more uncomfortable with the minute. "With her family… And I… I didn't realise… I didn't know… it had gotten so late."

Burt hummed. "Talking. Uh-huh."

"Dad!" Kurt protested, the tips of his ears flaming.

Burt laughed. "Aw, let me have my fun. Jeremy has a new girl every few weeks, so Clint gets to rag him over and over again. You're so earnest about this stuff that you will probably only ever be in love once. So I need to tease you about her while I can. That moonstruck phase is not going to last long, if you take after me. I'd been courting my Lizzie for only two weeks when I proposed to her. You have marriage on your mind already, don't you? "

Kurt smiled hesitantly. "I… Yes. Uhm, Dad?"

Burt took another drag from his pipe. "Yes?"

Kurt gripped his hat with both hands. "I… I hope you don't mind, Dad, but I've given Lieselotte the rose brooch."

There was a moment of silence. Burt's back straightened, and his jaw worked, and his eyes grew darker. "Lizzie's brooch?"

"Yes, Dad."

Burt stared at his son for a good long while. Then he let out a deep sigh. "You're serious about this girl."

Kurt nodded, now twirling his hat around in his hands.

Burt sighed and shrugged. "All right, then. I wouldn't have let you give away Lizzie's brooch to just anyone, but if you've got your heart set on this girl, you'll marry her, and the brooch will stay in the family."

"If she says yes."

Burt laughed. "She accepted the brooch, didn't she? That's your yes right there."

"Is that why her dad was so angry?" Kurt asked. "He told me I should have spoken to him first, before offering her jewellery."

"Yep, you should have asked him first."

Kurt swallowed. "I didn't know. I meant no harm."

"I know you didn't," Burt said, his eyes crinkling in amusement. "Her dad will get over it. What's her name again?"

"Lieselotte."

"Hmpf. Kind of a mouthful. I'm gonna call her Lottie. When can I meet her?"

Kurt had no answer to that. "Uhm…"

"Oh, all right, I see how it is. Young love and all that. I'll give you 'till Christmas to bring her home, how's that?"

Kurt gulped and stammered out an incomprehensible reply before fleeing to his bedroom. Burt's laughter followed him.

Christmas, that was little more than a month from now. Still, he welcomed the reprieve. It would give him some more time to convince Blaine not to give up on him. And it would allow him to get to know Lieselotte better, and befriend her.

He couldn't give Lottie all of his heart, 'cause that belonged to Blaine now, but he could give her his friendship and support. If marrying her was his lot in life, he resolved to be the best husband he could possibly be. He would never desire her, but he would compliment her on her beauty and help her enhance it with the right clothes and hairstyle. He would never wish to bed her, but somehow he'd manage to give her children if that's what she desired. He would never have his head turned by her, but he'd be her fiercest ally and her strongest supporter. They might not be compatible sexually, but in every other aspect, they'd be an unbreakable unit. He owed her that much.

He started taking off his clothes to get ready for bed, and then froze when he felt the brooch still in his coat pocket. He'd forgotten to take it to Blaine's dressing room, so absorbed had he been in the conversation with Lottie's uncle.

Tomorrow. I'll go back tomorrow. I don't want Dad or Lottie to find the brooch.