Chapter Fourteen
oOo
Summary: Will the proud music teacher eventually find love with the beautiful kindergarten teacher or will he forever come second to the football coach? Rated M.
A/N 1: As much as I love Kurt and Puck, I have to give Judith some love in this chapter. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.
"Mr. Kurt, Mr. Kurt!"
Kurt grinned as Judith's piping little voice, even higher with excitement, reached him before he climbed completely out of her dad's car.
"Hi, Judith, had a good time?!" Kurt caught the child as she came hurtling down the shallow steps of her grandmother's house – well, her Aunt Sarah's now. He swung her up into his arms and grunted as her little arms nearly strangled his neck. "Oomph, I have to breathe, sweetheart!"
Judith giggled happily as she looked over Kurt's shoulder at her dad who was smiling at her as he got from behind the wheel.
"Hey, baby, were you good for Aunt Sarah, huh?" He came up behind the two of them and ruffled her hair, grinning as she laughed happily at him.
The door opened again and Sarah's voice preceded her arrival. "Oh, yes, she was just perfect. Hi, Kurt, Noah, come in, it's a little cool today."
She held the door open for them as they trooped inside, the scent of the Sunday dinner she was cooking filling the house.
"Hi, Sarah, we met years ago, didn't we," Kurt smiled at Noah's sister, remembering her from their high school graduation. She was a shorter, feminine version of her brother, her eyes the same smoky grey color and he smiled happily at her.
Noah closed the door behind them and watched as Kurt lowered Judith to the floor. She ran off immediately, telling him that she had something for him and then Kurt and Sarah stared at each other. Sarah had a slightly curious look on her face and Noah knew he was going to have to explain the recent developments to her as well.
Sarah plucked at her apron that she was wearing over a pretty floral blouse and blue jeans and chuckled. "I'm trying to get this roast done exactly like Mom's, Noah. We'll soon see how well I managed it."
They followed her into the kitchen and Kurt offered to help while Noah started taking dishes and plates out of a cupboard, presumably to start setting the table. He and Kurt brushed against each other while they worked, occasionally exchanging besotted smiles, oblivious to Sarah's shrewd gaze.
Judith had come in and climbed up on a chair at the kitchen table to show Kurt her artwork that she had made for him. When Kurt exclaimed admiringly over the drawing, Sarah chuckled as she checked the potatoes she'd had baking with the roast.
"Oh, all I've been hearing from Friday evening is 'Mr. Kurt said…' and 'Mr. Kurt did…'," she chuckled, quirking an eyebrow just like Noah did. She laughed louder when she saw Kurt blush and shook her head. "Yeah, my niece has a serious crush, Kurt!"
She and Noah laughed as Kurt ducked his head to smile encouragingly at Judith who was pointing out that the family she'd drawn was picnicking at the zoo they'd just visited.
They all worked together in a companionable atmosphere, Judith's little voice a pretty counterpoint to the grownups' lower tones. Soon, the dinner was ready and they moved to the dining room which Kurt noticed was decorated in a slightly older, darker style that he figured was their Mom's doing.
They sat down to eat, Sarah saying a short blessing before she asked Noah to carve the beef that was deliciously dark on the outside and a tender pink on the inside.
"Oh, Sarah, you have the knack, this looks delicious," Kurt complimented as he received, as the guest, the first slices of steaming meat. He sniffed appreciatively of the delicious aroma and grinned at Judith who was bouncing impatiently in the seat.
"Thank you, Kurt, I only hope it tastes as good as it looks," Sarah replied, nodding her thanks as Noah served her next. Then Judith got a couple of relatively thin slices of meat whereupon Sarah helped her with some potatoes and steamed vegetables.
Finally Noah sat and helped himself, smiling happily at his little family. Family was important to the Jewish community and even though he didn't go to temple much, he still considered himself relatively religious. He knew Kurt didn't believe in God but he understood where he was coming from and didn't hold it against him.
"Come on, Sarah, you know you're good. You're just fishing for compliments," he smiled as he teased his sister who he privately admitted was good but not as good as Kurt.
Brother and sister teased each other as they ate and Judith laughed delightedly at their antics. Her little face was shining and Kurt had to admit he couldn't recall the last time he felt so contented. He had been feeling quite mellow since this… thing… with Noah started and he sighed happily as he ate the simple but delicious fare.
"Mmmm, yes, Sarah, this is soooo good," he rolled his eyes as he swallowed a mouthful. "I like the way you use the herbs to flavor the potatoes. So good!"
Sarah grinned at him but nodded. "Yeah, it's our Mom's recipe, actually. She had a little box in the kitchen drawer that has a ton of recipes that she'd written out on cards over the years. I've been wading my way through them recently."
They chatted a while about cooking and favorite recipes, getting on like a house on fire and Noah realized that Sarah liked Kurt. He grinned down the table at Judith and winked at her, causing her to giggle just when she had a mouthful of milk.
Everyone chuckled as Kurt helped the little girl wipe away some of the milk that had dribbled onto her tee-shirt, Judith berating her dad for causing it. "No fair, daddy!" She laughed along with them as Noah hung his head, an obviously fake pout on his face.
Finally Sarah pushed away from the table, asking who was ready for dessert. That got an immediate 'yay!' from Judith, of course, and Kurt laughed as he rose to help Sarah take the dishes back to the kitchen.
"I did a rhubarb pie earlier this morning and Judith's been on pins and needles the whole day to jump into it," she said, directing Kurt as to where to put the platters of leftover meat and vegetables.
They worked together and in no time they were carrying dishes of pie and ice cream back to the dining room.
Kurt smiled as he hummed around the spoon full of cool, creamy goodness and winked at Judith before stealing a spoonful of ice-cream from Noah's dish. He and the little girl laughed their heads off as Noah moved his dish so far away from Kurt's reach that he himself had to lean out of his chair to eat the dessert.
All in all it was a lovely, light-hearted evening and when Noah nodded at Judith that she had to go get her backpack because it was time to go, the little girl looked sad for a minute. She bounced up from her chair and came around to hug her aunt Sarah, kissing her with sticky lips at which Sarah 'ewed!' teasingly.
"Uh, ice-cream lips! Go wash up, sweetie, and I'll get your things," she said to the little girl who laughed all the way to the downstairs bathroom. Sarah followed her out to go and get her sorted, leaving Kurt and Noah still seated at the dining table.
Noah immediately scooted closer to Kurt and took his mouth hungrily, the flavors of the ice cream mingling with his lover's intoxicatingly.
Kurt moaned at the sudden, deep kiss but he slid a hand up the back of Noah's neck, returning the kiss enthusiastically. When a sudden 'yay!' erupted behind them, Kurt moved back from Noah's hold and blushed vividly.
There behind them Judith was bouncing up and down and staring at them with wide bright eyes, her lips wide in a big smile. Her aunt was standing behind her, staring at them with a grin and a knowing gleam in her eyes.
"Daddy kissed Mr. Kurt. Yay!" Judith yelled and ran toward them, launching herself into Kurt's lap. He caught her quickly before she slipped off the other side and then he looked back at Sarah, wondering what she would say.
Noah rolled his eyes at his daughter's antics but he grinned anyway. "Yes, Jude, I certainly did," he said, his tone teasing as he ruffled her hair. The little girl hugged Kurt but he returned it absently, his worried gaze still on Sarah's.
She walked fully into the room and grinned at Kurt before saying, "I was wondering how he managed to keep his hands to himself all afternoon!" and laughed when Kurt's eyes widened in confusion.
Sarah plucked Judith from his lap, allowing him to get up and then she scoffed at Kurt's 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. "Oh, please, Noah's only been talking about you for years now!"
She and Noah grinned at each other as Kurt's color deepened again. He looked from brother to sister and then shook his head. "I-I really had no idea…"
Sarah nodded, "And when this little one kept going on about 'Mr. Kurt' the whole time she's been here I said to myself, 'Uh huh, big bro finally grew a pair!'"
Noah groaned and hung his head, shaking it briefly before coming around them to slide an arm around Kurt's waist. "Sarah, I think you broke his brain; now what am I going to do with him?"
Three pairs of smoky grey Puckerman eyes stared at Kurt who finally got his brain back online enough to stutter: "Uh, thank you for dinner?"
They all laughed at him and Kurt finally relaxed, leaning forward to give Sarah a quick hug before she transferred Judith to his arms. The little girl looked as if she'd been told she was going to Disney World rather than home, the way she was beaming at them.
Noah hugged his sister, thanked her for dinner and having Judith over and they eventually headed outside into the crisp evening air.
"I'll call you, Sarah, love you," Noah said, waving from the car after settling Judith into her car seat. Kurt added his goodbyes, too, waving as the car backed out of the driveway. He grinned as Sarah threw kisses in an exaggerated manner, making loud 'mwah!' sounds as they left.
Kurt and Judith giggled as they watched her dwindling figure at the door and Noah muttered, 'crazy kid' as they drove away.
This weekend has got to be the best ever, Kurt thought to himself as he glanced at Noah's profile, taking in the way he was concentrating in the gathering gloom. He glanced over at Judith in the back and suddenly a feeling like déjà vu swept over him, causing him to gasp softly.
In his mind's eye he saw himself in the same position, clearly in the car with Noah and Judith but outside the windows he could see snow. The feeling came and went so abruptly but as he stared at Noah, he realized he'd had a glimpse – not of their past – but of their future.
He faced forward again, smiling to himself and a feeling of calm and utter contentment stole over him. He and Noah and Judith would be together, at least for the foreseeable future and without looking, he grabbed Noah's hand to squeeze it.
I really do love him, he thought now and smiled in the car's darkened interior as he winked at his vague reflection in the glass of the window.
.
oOo
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That week passed in a haze for Kurt; he and Noah and sometimes Judith hung out, much to the little girl's delight almost every evening. Kurt felt as if he were living a dream, one he had barely acknowledged he'd had and he couldn't have been happier.
Well, there had been one not-so pleasant spot when, on Wednesday, Finn called him to tell him Noah had cornered him in the parking lot to demand he stop being an asshole to him, Kurt. Finn had sounded both confused and hurt before blurting out: "What's going on with you and Puck?"
Kurt had dodged the question and ended up inviting him and Rachel around for dinner the coming Sunday. He had hung up and then called Noah, telling him that he thought they should officially fill their family in on their altered status.
"I want you, Judith and Sarah to come to dinner on Sunday, okay? Then we can just say everything once – well, until I get a chance to tell my parents." Kurt had figured he'd see his dad and Carole at Thanksgiving and that was a good enough time to tell them.
"Okay, that sounds good, babe. Do you want me to bring anything over?" Noah was sitting on the sofa in his condo while Judith was lying on the floor concentrating on a coloring book.
Kurt smiled to himself and decided to tease his lover a bit. "Hmmm, I could say 'your sexy self' but I doubt that would be a dessert to everyone's taste."
Noah chuckled sexily in his ear and lowered his voice to purr, "You're definitely the dessert I would love to dip into every night, sweet lips," and broke into laughter as Kurt giggled.
They exchanged suggestive banter for a bit until Kurt, growing more serious, finally answered Noah's original question. "I don't know yet what I'll be preparing for dinner but I guess ice cream or cake won't go to waste."
Noah looked at his daughter as an idea occurred to him. "How about both – in one?"
Kurt paused before it registered what it meant. "Oh, an ice cream cake? That's great! I haven't had that in forever. Mmmm, I'm looking forward to that. Gosh, now I'll have to pull out all the stops to match that."
They chatted a little more before Kurt finally rang off, knowing that Noah would soon have to start Judith's bedtime routine.
"Tell Judith 'goodnight' for me, babe," he said, his voice soft and intimate, knowing how much Noah loved to listen to him talk.
"I will, babe, and you know how much I wish I could be there with you right now, right?" Noah's voice was slightly husky and a little shiver went through Kurt as he thought about it.
"Oh, yes, same here, sweetie. Uhm, what do you say we take Judith to the park tomorrow if it isn't too cool and then get something to eat?" Kurt had felt as if he were starving for Noah's touch, not having been with him since the day before.
Wednesday had been a staff meeting at the kindergarten that hadn't let out until fairly late. Kurt had pouted when he'd remembered it but it had been scheduled for a while and he couldn't get out of it. Noah had seemed a little put out but he'd understood. McKinley's staff meeting was coming up and he had to struggle to remember the date so as not to have it clash with a date with Kurt.
Now Noah nodded even though Kurt couldn't see and sighed, "Oh, yeah, babe, I'd love that. In fact, we could pick something up and come back to my place and we could… uh, hang out?"
Kurt chuckled at the questioning sound, knowing that 'hang out' in their case was a euphemism for 'make like bunnies after Jude had gone to bed'.
"I think that's a date, Mr. Puckerman, suh," Kurt drawled coyly and chuckled again when Noah laughed. "G'night, sweetie; dream of me, okay?"
Noah hummed softly, "You know I will, beautiful; sweet dreams."
When he hung up he saw Judith's eyes on him and he wondered how much of that she'd heard. He lifted an eyebrow at her but asked, "Ready for bed, baby doll?"
He got up and scooped her up, grinning as she squealed, "Daddy!" and giggled, pretending he was some big monster come to take her away. "I'm not done coloring!"
He tickled her and listened to her laugh as she squirmed but he didn't relinquish his hold as he walked towards the bathroom. Their bedtime routine hardly ever varied as someone had once told him kids needed stability and consistency and he had sworn he was going to be a better father than his had been.
He deposited her in the bathroom and instructed her to get undressed and in the tub while he went to retrieve her pajamas and robe. His heart was so full of love for her and now, for Kurt, that he wondered what he'd done to get this lucky.
Judith had the bath tub filling while she sat in it, singing loudly a song that she said Mr. Kurt had taught them and when he came back in and sat on the closed lid of the toilet she asked if he wanted to hear it. At his nod, she began:
Sing, sing a song
Sing out loud sing out strong
Sing of good things not bad
Sing of happy not sad
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
(Sing, sing a song)
(Let the world sing along)
(Sing of love there could be)
(Sing for you and for me)
Sing, sing a song
Make it simple to last
Your whole life long
Don't worry that it's not good enough
For anyone else to hear
Just sing, sing a song
Just sing, sing a song
Puck cheered when she'd sung the whole song through, his eyes slightly teary as he watched his beautiful daughter's beaming face. Her pride at having sung the whole thing without any mistakes was palpable and he leaned over and kissed her damp forehead.
She giggled and rolled her eyes at him, her cheeks a little flushed from both the heat of the bath water and her daddy's praise. As she played with her wash rag, she looked up at her father from beneath damp, spiky lashes.
"I think Mr. Kurt is the nicest teacher ever."
Noah looked at her indulgently. Schoolchildren in England knew Judith thought the world of her 'Mr. Kurt' but he decided to play along.
"Yeah, why do you say that, baby girl?" He watched as she soaped herself diligently with the bubblegum-scented soap her aunt Sarah had got her and waited.
Judith cocked her head to the side as she'd seen grown-ups do and then nodded as if she'd come to a decision. "Well, he's pretty and he's nice and he never gets mad at us even when we make a mess and…"
Noah waited… and waited and then had to prompt her, "… and?"
Judith looked up at him with his own impish twinkle sparkling back at him in her smoky-grey eyes. "… and he likes to kiss you!"
Peals of childish laughter rang out in the enclosed space as Noah gaped at his daughter.
Judith finally looked at her dad, laughter still brimming in her eyes. "I know you like him a lot, daddy; Briony says only people who really like each other kiss like that."
Noah frowned and tilted his head to look curiously at her, wondering what she meant. "Like what?"
Judith looked at him with her eyes wide, a slightly incredulous expression in them. "Like in the movies, daddy!"
Noah choked back his laughter and nodded as if in understanding. "I see, like in the movies, huh? Well, uhm, you don't mind, do you?"
By this time Judith had started letting the bath water run out and was rinsing off with fresh water. She looked at him as if she'd wanted to roll her eyes but answered respectfully enough. "Of course not, it's Mr. Kurt. Duh!"
Noah excused himself to go and digest his daughter's far too grown-up take on his and Kurt's kissing and left her to get herself dried off and dressed. Damn, he thought, was I that… pushy… as a five-almost-six year old, he wondered.
As he himself got ready for bed later, he thought about having Kurt permanently with him and Judith. Would he want to live with them if he asked, or would he prefer to just keep dating? Noah had realized, when he realized he would have full custody of Judith, that deep down he was surprisingly old-fashioned. It could have been his Jewish heritage but he found that he wanted Kurt to be family in an official capacity.
He stared up at the ceiling for a while as his mind slowly turned over all the things he wanted to ask Kurt. When he was too sleepy to continue his ponderings, he punched his pillow a couple of times before settling down to lie on his side. He stared at the empty side of his bed and pictured Kurt there with Judith just down the hallway from them.
Noah smiled at the feeling of contentment within him. When would Ohio get with the program and recognize same-sex marriages, he grumbled as his eyes closed but he was too sleepy to be very angry at the state's hidebound, ingrained prejudices. No matter what anyone said, one day he was going to propose to Kurt… and Kurt was going to say yes.
Judith would see to it, he smiled to himself as he acknowledged his daughter was a budding little shadchanit*.
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TBC
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A/N 2: The song, Sing, was written by Joe Raposo and made popular on Sesame Street. The Carpenters also did a version which I absolutely loved. *Shadchanit is the feminine Yiddish word for matchmaker, not 'yente' as so many people think.
