Chapter Nineteen

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: Our lovely kindergarten teacher takes an important step - and someone else does, too.

Disclaimer: None of these characters belongs to me except for any OCs found wandering. I own nothing save for this computer.


"No, Rachel, I can't make it this weekend," Kurt muttered as he pushed the cart around the store, eyeing the wide selection of cheeses and wondering if Noah had a preference. He muted Rachel's whining and asked the woman behind the deli counter for his choice in meats and cheeses and then returned to his sister-in-law.

"I do miss you, hon, but I've been pretty busy with school - and Thanksgiving is coming up as you know," he said soothingly.

It had been a while since Daria's fall party and he and Noah had been trying to be pretty discreet about meeting up. The unspoken threat of Daria's husband Nick knowing (or guessing) about their relationship meant that the dating had slowed a bit. Actually, they had both been pretty busy; he in particular was looking forward to the upcoming few days' break around Thanksgiving. Come to think of it, as he listened to Rachel yammering on, he realized he didn't want to have the traditional festive meal at her home.

"Uhm, Rachel, I just thought of this: why don't we combine Thanksgiving with the Puckermans and have it at the house?" An excited smile spread across his face as the idea took root. "I think Dad and Carole will be here then, so it will be perfect!"

Not only would he get to see his dad whom he missed terribly, he could also introduce Noah to him as his… boyfriend? Lover? Hmm, do people still say 'significant other' these days? His mind drifted as he moved through the huge store, barely registering Rachel's comments as he made his plans.

"What?" He suddenly tuned in back to her voice and realized that Finn had come on the line. "Finn, I was talking to your wife!"

Kurt shook his head as he listened to his brother throw an offhand apology to Rachel before continuing. "Hey, Kurt, we haven't seen you around, dude? Puck taking up all your time?"

"Really, Finnegan, turning into a gossip in your old age?" Kurt's voice was snippy but he was just yanking his brother's chain. "If you must know, I've hardly had time to spend with Noah. What, has he been crying on your shoulder?"

"Dude, no, of course not!"

Kurt chuckled at his outraged squawk. "Well, then, why so concerned?"

Finn cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Ah, I just wondered if everything was okay, y'know."

Kurt felt an odd little shiver run down his back and he paused in the wine and liquor aisle, his eyes staring unseeingly at a particularly exotic-looking label on a bottle.

"Finn, I know you, okay? What are you actually saying?"

There was a pause during which Kurt slowly tensed. Then Finn's voice came back and it was clear he was trying to sound nonchalant. "Oh, well, a couple of times… hey, maybe it's nothing, y'know… well, there's this woman… and she's always asking for Puck… on the phone, though, she doesn't come to the school… and_"

"A woman? Calling Noah at the school?" Kurt's voice faded and then hardened. "Did he say who she was?"

Finn hurried to reassure him that that was all he knew but: "He always looks a little down whenever he hangs up."

Kurt's head was spinning now with questions. Who was this woman? Why was Noah upset at her calls? Most importantly, why hadn't he said anything to Kurt about it? Should he bring it up or let Noah do it in his own time?

"Kurt? Kurt, you still there?" Finn's voice was tinny as he called out and Kurt's attention was jerked back to his tiny phone.

"Uhm, yeah, Finn. Yeah, okay, I'm… going to finish up here. I'll talk to you later." Kurt ended the call rather abruptly but his mind was elsewhere. In a flurry of motion, he hurried down the aisle, foregoing his plan to pick up a couple bottles and headed to the checkout with the shortest line. He had to get home and figure out what was going on.


To say Kurt was perplexed, worried and sick with the thought of someone threatening what he had with Noah would be a heck of an understatement. Blanketing the writhing thoughts was a faint pall of anger; he knew if he didn't get a handle on that particular feeling it could easily grow into fury.

For the first time he felt as if what he had with Noah was 'it'. He could see a future with the tanned hunk and his sweet daughter and he was damned if he sat back and let something threaten it. Kurt Hummel could be a force to be reckoned with when he set his mind to it and now, as he ferried his purchases from the car to the house, he decided he would call Noah and find out what was wrong.

Finally packing away the last box of pasta in the pantry, he headed into the living room and threw himself onto the couch. He dialed Noah's number quickly and waited impatiently while it rang. Within seconds Noah picked up and Kurt subconsciously relaxed. He smiled at Noah's first words.

"Hey, beautiful, I dreamt about you last night," Noah said, his voice slightly breathless and Kurt could hear Judith's voice in the background. "Hold on, babe; Jude, sweetie, go pick up your room – yes, it is Mr. Kurt, now go on."

Kurt chuckled as he listened; he couldn't deny the warmth that spread through him as he listened to the domestic quality of the conversation between father and daughter. He wanted that, every day and he knew it was time he came right out and let Noah know definitively how he felt.

"Sorry about that; she's being a handful today." Noah sounded a little more focused as he returned to Kurt. "So, why are you calling me on this gorgeous afternoon, babe? Miss me?"

Kurt smiled as he wallowed in the intimate feel of Noah's voice soft in his ear; he swung his feet up onto the couch and relaxed against its padded arm. "I always miss you."

He heard Noah's soft, sudden inhale and he smirked to himself. However, as much as he'd love to flirt with his sexy lover, right now he wanted to find out all about this mystery caller. He cleared his throat and began.

"Uhm, please don't blame Finn because I twisted his arm to tell me. He said you've been upset recently after a couple of phone calls?" Kurt held his breath and waited for Noah's response. When he didn't answer immediately, Kurt closed his eyes tightly and bit his lips. Maybe he'd overstepped a boundary that he'd never noticed before but he prayed silently that Noah wasn't angry with him.

Noah sighed, a soft, gusty sound and then: "Yeah, it was Judith's mother. She wants her back."

.

oOo

.

Noah dropped his head onto one hand as he listened to the shocked silence on the other end of the line. He knew Kurt loved Judith and would be pretty upset at the news so he waited. Finally he heard a soft gulp and then Kurt was back with him.

"You've got to be kidding me! After all this time? I mean, why now?" Kurt realized he was on the verge of babbling but, of all the scenarios that had been whirling through his mind after he'd spoken with Finn, this was never one of them.

Noah sighed. "I-I don't know. I didn't ask… I just freaked out the first time she brought it up." He shook his head and wiped his face with his hand as he took a quick glance down the short passageway toward Judith's bedroom. Her little iPod was blasting away so he knew she was actually doing her chores. She wouldn't overhear anything he was saying now.

"When she first called, I admit I was surprised to hear her; she's not very social but I just thought she was calling to say 'hi', and find out how Judith was."

Kurt hummed in agreement, his hand stroking the fabric of the couch as he listened to his love. "So, what exactly did she say, about wanting Judith, I mean."

Noah sighed again, shaking his head even though he knew Kurt couldn't see him. "That's the funny thing; at first she made it sound as if she would just visit for a bit…"

"What, come here to Lima? Really?" Kurt interrupted and then caught himself, apologizing. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, go on."

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too. Then she said, 'y'know what, maybe she can come live with me'. Just like that. After all this time of practically ignoring Judith, now, out of the blue she wants her to go and live with her. Ugh!"

"Okay, baby, we'll work this out, I promise," Kurt said solemnly.

Noah smiled softly. Kurt probably hadn't realized he'd said 'we' but it made Noah's heart swell with warmth. The pale, sick feeling that had come over him eased considerably and he wondered now why he hadn't said anything when the phone calls first started. He smiled softly, a longing for Kurt stealing over him and making his voice huskier than before.

"I know, doll. You can be pretty badass, I've seen, remember?" His voice lowered as he remembered the outfit Kurt had worn weeks before to Daria's fall get-together at her mansion. Kurt had had a bad-boy, James Dean vibe about him that had got Noah's body tingling and even now as he remembered their lovemaking after the party, he got aroused all over again.

Kurt chuckled, knowing exactly where Noah's mind was going but he wanted him to know how serious he was. "I mean it, Noah; no one messes with my family and gets away with it!"

Silence.

Kurt slapped his forehead and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Really, Hummel, he muttered internally; that's no way to declare your love for the first time!

Suddenly, though, he heard a soft snort and then Noah was laughing. The sound was so infectious and lighthearted that he just had to join in. Finally, after a few errant chuckles, Noah told him, "She plans to come in the New Year, she says. She can't get away before that, but I get the feeling she has an agenda and with Donna, that isn't always a good thing."

Kurt listened to him, nodding as he spoke and then reassured him again, "If you have full custody, babe, there's nothing she can do, apart from appealing to you as one parent to another. We'll handle it when it comes, okay?"

Noah had to admit it was reassuring to hear Kurt sound so take charge. He was a wreck when it came to Judith as he felt that he had been her only real parent almost from her birth. When he finally pulled himself together, he spoke again and ended up surprising Kurt.

"Hey, babe, do you wanna go to a show with me?"

Huh?

Kurt's mouth opened to speak and then he paused, his mind going back over their fairly serious conversation. Then he giggled and asked softly, "You okay, hon? A show? What show… and where?"

"Actually, it's a craft bazaar over in Columbus. I thought Jude would like it; hey, we're Jewish but I think Christmas is a great holiday."

Kurt laughed, his heart much lighter than when he'd first sat down to call Noah. "Oh, yes, I love Christmas; the whole decorating and gift-buying thing was designed specifically for me, I swear."

They shared the laughter for a bit and then Kurt asked, "So when is this outing?"

"Oh, yeah, tomorrow; I'd planned on calling you this evening but you beat me to it. We could leave around 8:30, have breakfast on the road and hit the bazaar around 10. What do you say?"

Kurt nodded and then added, "Perfect – we could make a whole day of it and I'm sure Judith would be wiped by the time we got back home."

Noah laughed at that. "True – but the best part would be getting to spend nearly the whole day with you."

Noah's honesty and openness made Kurt's eyes mist up and he swallowed before saying huskily, "I feel the same way, sweetheart. I_ I…" but he didn't continue. He wanted to be looking Noah in the eye when he finally admitted how committed he was to him… and Judith.

As usual, Noah seemed to understand and he chuckled soft and low. "Kurt Hummel, I'm going to collect one day soon… that's a promise."

.

oOo

.

"So, how did you hear about this Christmas bazaar?" Kurt had buckled himself into Noah's car after being swarmed by one excited little girl. He had settled her into her car seat while Judith chatted away non-stop but now that they were almost ready to move off, the little girl had subsided and was staring out the window with a smile on her little face.

Noah watched Kurt finish buckling in and then threw the car into gear, backing out carefully before answering.

"The music departments in the district keep tabs on the various fund-raisers going on; Franklin Heights' school band has their annual event this weekend."

Kurt hummed in understanding, staring out at the passing scenery, enjoying the difference in the foliage from summer's lush greenness to this multi-colored extravaganza going on overhead. He wasn't a fan of cold weather as such but there were a couple of perks he thought now as he looked over at Noah.

His lover was intensely sexy in a dark gray faux turtleneck sweater that he had teamed with pale grey jeans and Kurt felt a little buzz start up as he watched the way the muscles in his thigh moved as he drove.

Noah glanced up just then and almost did a double-take at the way Kurt was almost eye-fucking him as he drove. Faint color appeared on his high cheekbones and a satisfied smirk curved his full lips. Kurt was looking particularly fine in a soft, cream-colored top and Noah's eyes slid down to the dark brown jeans and boots that completed his ensemble.

In retaliation, he allowed the look in his eyes to heat up when they stopped at traffic lights and he grinned as Kurt's color heightened. They said nothing as Judith was in the back but she suddenly piped up asking how long until breakfast.

Noah flicked his eyes away from a smirking Kurt and looked at his daughter in the rear view mirror.

"Hey, you had cereal, juice AND a slice of toast, missy. You can't be hungry already!" He ignored Kurt's chuckles beside him as he held his daughter's unrepentant gaze.

"But, daddy, you said we could have pancakes at a nice restaurant. The cereal doesn't count!"

Kurt couldn't hold back the burst of giggles and Noah just sighed and shook his head as they moved off from the stop lights. As Kurt turned his head to study their whereabouts (he didn't often head out of Lima), he noticed a rather large, gleaming car behind him and for some reason, his eyes fell on the wing mirror and he stared at the car's occupants.

Nick and Daria Strando, of all people, had been in the traffic lane behind them and as Kurt turned his head to mention it, the car pulled out from behind them and came alongside on the dual carriageway. Kurt's lips tightened and he dropped a hand onto Noah's hard thigh as his lover noticed the other two for the first time.

Daria, whose passenger seat position allowed her to be closer to Noah, smiled a bright smile that turned plastic when she glanced past Noah to see Kurt in the passenger seat. Kurt nodded politely but briefly and though he couldn't hear her, he knew she'd probably let out a huff. Strangely, though, she didn't draw her husband's attention to them and soon, Nick's car pulled ahead of them because he was in the faster lane.

After they'd passed, Noah glanced at Kurt, quirked his lips and shrugged. Kurt just lifted an eyebrow and then leaned forward to fiddle with the car's player. He eventually found a playlist he liked on Noah's iPod and settled on that; there was no way he was in the mood to listen to what passed for country music right now.

Soon though, they forgot about the Strandos and, roughly 90 minutes after leaving home, they pulled up into the parking lot of a popular chain restaurant famous for their huge breakfasts. Judith's happy cheers from the back seat made Noah and Kurt grin at each other; oh, to be so young and excited about everything.

Breakfast was happy, loud and laidback. Judith, of course, got her kid's flapjack special where she made sure to tell the server she wanted fat, red strawberries topped with whipped cream. Noah and Kurt got versions of the omelet specials; Kurt's was loaded with healthy ingredients and Noah had his with his links and bacon. Kurt rolled his eyes at his lover and savored the really good coffee.

They chatted and laughed as they waited for their meals to arrive and Kurt noticed that no one paid any attention to them even though every now and then Noah would caress his hand while talking. Kurt himself wasn't careful of his actions with both Noah and Judith and found himself returning Noah's touches or occasionally smoothing Judith's wayward hair from her face. Apparently the food in the place was so good that even in Ohio, a clearly non-traditional family wasn't enough to distract diners.

They dived into the food when it arrived, steaming and flavorful and the conversation fell to the minimum which consisted of occasional requests for various condiments. The restaurant was decorated in anticipation of Thanksgiving but there were a few errant touches of Christmas and, at one point, Kurt pointed out how much earlier Christmas commercials were each year.

By the time they were finished – Judith declaring she was about to burst! – the server was back asking if they needed anything else. Noah asked for the check and assured her they'd had a great time and the food was fantastic and she left them with a smile. Kurt declared he would take care of the tip and Noah simply narrowed his eyes at him but acquiesced. He knew how to pick his battles.

Finally, after a quick trip to the restroom for Judith – with Kurt in tow as usual – they got ready to head out, Noah and Kurt thanking their server for a good time. They were just passing a mixed group at a large table – or what looked to be two tables shoved together – when someone made a comment loud enough for Kurt to hear.

His steps faltered and he glanced back at Noah before looking at the young woman. His expression lightened as he glanced around the table at the girl's friends and then smiled at her.

"Thank you, I think he's hot, too!" and continued out the door that Noah was holding for him while Judith was hopping and squealing about the cooler air.

Noah quirked an eyebrow at him enquiringly and Kurt smiled and shook his head. "Hey, I can't be offended when someone thinks 'my husband' is hot. I told her I think you're hot, too."

He laughed aloud at the stunned look on Noah's face and sauntered past him towards their car. He looked back at Noah still by the door and called, "Are you coming?" and giggled at him as he unlocked the car doors.

Noah settled Judith into her seat, teasing her about how much her tummy was sticking out and then he slid behind the wheel. Kurt was already strapped in and he still had that proud, smug look on his face. Noah couldn't help it; he leaned forward and stole a quick kiss from those curving, pink lips.

Judith laughed aloud at them as Kurt threw a quick, faintly embarrassed look back at her but Noah simply nodded and started the car. His voice was satisfied as he said, "That's what you get for sassing me, mister!"

The mood was fizzy and happy as they made the relatively short drive to the high school and they found a lone spot that seemed to be waiting for them in the otherwise packed parking lot. Other families and groups were making their way towards the auditorium where apparently the bazaar was being held and it was all very festive despite the crispness in the air.

Once inside, Judith's excitement ramped up and Kurt and Noah each grabbed a hand to keep her in control. She wanted everything red or pink that she saw! Noah reminded her about what they'd discussed but she chose to ignore that, turning huge, pleading eyes on him.

"Daddy! I have to get something for Briony! Please?" Noah glanced at Kurt with a longsuffering expression and explained that he'd told her the day before that they were only going to shop for holiday decorations.

Kurt chuckled at him but decided to side with Judith this time. "Please? This place looks great; we could do some of our gift-shopping here, hon."

Noah heaved a fake sigh and then nodded, laughing as Kurt hugged him on one side while Judith threw her arms around his hips. Boy, she was growing like a weed, he thought as he hugged her back.

Kurt glanced quickly around and realizing that no one was paying attention to them in the crush, sneaked a little thank-you peck onto Noah's cheek.

The high-schoolers had thought to provide carts, obviously buying into the belief that people shop more when they had carts instead of baskets. Noah grabbed one just ahead of a short, stout lady who looked as if she were about to take him out at the knees and made his way quickly back to Kurt and Judith.

"Here you go; knock yourselves out!" He grinned at the twin avid expressions on their faces but it fell when Kurt turned back and said, "You push – we'll fill."

Once again he shook his head but followed orders, strolling behind the other two as they pointed to, discussed and grabbed at items of every description. He even thought he saw a pair of reindeer antlers going into the cart at one point but he just ignored it.

The noise inside the auditorium was unbelievable and while Kurt and Judith dashed about, snatching up mostly pretty nice items, Noah had to roll his eyes at the more kitschy stuff. When he thought they had covered roughly half of the floor space, he took his life in his hands and asked Kurt if he didn't think they had enough stuff.

He absolutely did not take a step back as his daughter and lover turned indignant glares at him.

"No!"

"Daddyyy!"

"Okay, I was just checking! Honestly, at this point, I think we should have got two carts!" He was not pouting, of course not, but really, where were they going to put everything?

Kurt took pity on him and came back to stand so close that Noah found himself almost drowning in his blue-green eyes. "Awww, baby, are you bored? Do you want us to take a break and then come back? We have been at it for ..." he glanced down at his watch and his eyes widened. "Oh, wow, we have been here three hours already!"

Kurt knew he could get carried away with shopping. There had been many a lost weekend when, between him and Mercedes, they had gone overboard at the mall. Now he grinned sheepishly at his patient lover and then looked back at Judith.

Judith!

The two men's head swiveled in opposite directions as their hearts leapt into their throats. Where was Judith?

Noah dashed to the end of the aisle, his head whipping to the left and then to the right and then he looked back at Kurt, a scared look in his eyes. Kurt's stomach dropped and then he decided to run to the other end of the aisle, yelling Judith's name as he ran.

Two aisles over he saw her and the relief was so sharp, so sudden he felt lightheaded.

"Judith, sweetheart!" He hurried towards her and he knew he looked frantic because her happy smile fell from her face when he dashed up to her.

He hugged her to him tightly while she looked up at him, puzzled and unhappy now as she held a holiday Barbie still in its box in her hands. That was when Kurt noticed that he was in the toys aisle and that they were surrounded by a horde of little girls.

He swallowed the fear that had nearly clogged his throat and brushed the hair back from her face as he stared at her. "Sweetie, don't you know you mustn't walk away from us?" His voice was breathy and shaky and he had to swallow hard.

Tears shimmered in eyes that were so like her dad's and Kurt hugged her again as she said, her voice muffled by his sweater, "I only wanted to see the dolls!"

Kurt nodded as he whipped out his phone to call Noah and within 30 seconds her dad was pelting around the corner of the aisle and towards them. He slowed however when he realized they'd garnered an audience, the little girls and their parents watching as Kurt continued to hug Judith to him.

By the time Noah came up he was more composed but he grabbed Judith in a hug anyway. "Baby, you scared ten years off of me! Don't you know you need to stay close and not go off on your own?"

His voice was quiet, not quite shaky but the tone was firm and Judith looked at him remorsefully. "I'm sorry, daddy, I forgot."

Noah nodded and glanced at the other parents, some of whom had sympathetic expressions on their faces. They began to move away as the mini-drama had obviously come to an end and Noah looked down at his daughter.

"Baby, I don't know what I-what we would do if anything happened to you," he whispered and hugged her again, dropping a kiss on her hair. He'd got a real scare this time; there were so many people around and although everyone in the auditorium looked like folks with families, still you couldn't be too careful.

Kurt took a deep breath and pasted a smile on his face as he stroked Noah's back soothingly. "Hey, I think we can all do with some ice cream. What do you say?" He knew just the thing to take Judith's mind off of the incident, and hopefully Noah's too.

Judith, predictably, brightened and said, "Strawberry cheesecake ice-cream?"

Kurt and Noah chuckled and they headed back to retrieve their nearly full cart. Kurt smiled at her softly. "Oh, I don't know if the school's cafeteria is up to strawberry cheesecake but we can always check."

The rest of the afternoon passed without incident and by the time the light started to wane, around 5 o'clock, they were all shopped out. They made their way back to the car, pushing two carts and as Noah loaded the trunk, Kurt got Judith settled into her seat. The domesticity of their situation tugged at Kurt and more and more he realized he wanted something permanent with these two Puckermans.

As Noah slammed the trunk shut, he came around the side of the car and slowed as he saw Kurt standing by the driver's door smiling at him. "What is it, babe?"

Kurt slid his arms around his waist and brought his head to rest on the warm, muscular chest. He shook his head to indicate he didn't have a problem but then he lifted it to stare deep into Noah's eyes.

Noah caught his breath at the look in Kurt's eyes but the silence stretched out. Finally, Kurt leaned forward slowly, pressed his lips softly against Noah's and closed his eyes. They stood like that, kissing while in the background Judith's half-stifled giggles sounded in the soft twilight.

Kurt pulled back from the kiss but then immediately he leaned forward, his eyes boring into Noah's.

"I love you, Noah Puckerman, and one day I'm going to marry you."

Noah's eyes slammed shut and he shuddered, moisture leaking from beneath the tightly shut lids and then he buried his face in Kurt's thick hair. He could hear Kurt sniff once but he held on, willing his heart to stop racing as his mind went back over Kurt's words.

Finally he pulled back, cupped Kurt's face and wiped away the tears with his thumbs.

"Kurt Hummel, you know I love you… and I can't wait for the day I can marry you… even if we have to go to New York to do it."

Kurt chuckled into the kiss that followed and then they were separating, Noah turning to smile at his still-giggling daughter in the backseat.

"What are you giggling at, huh?" and he leaned into the window and tickled her until she screamed for mercy. Kurt laughed at them, his heart soaring and he hurried around to the passenger seat, jumped in and was buckled up by the time Noah was strapped in.

As Noah started the car, he smiled softly at his beautiful lover, reaching over to hold Kurt's hand as the engine warmed up. Feeling sappy, he nevertheless brought Kurt's hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of it, whispering "love you" as he lifted his head.

Kurt, despite the pair of eyes staring at them from the back seat, leaned forward to drop a soft kiss on Noah's lips and whispered, "I love you, too".

"Yay!" Judith laughed, clapping her hands as she watched the two men gazing at each other. Yes, Mr. Kurt loved her daddy and that was the best, even better than strawberry ice-cream!


The rest of the evening, straight into the night were like a dream to Kurt, even though Noah didn't get to stay over and make love to him that night. That didn't matter; what did was the effervescence that bubbled through Kurt's veins from the moment he'd finally said those all-important words. Even when he had to wake early on a Monday that dawned wet and dreary, the sight of the gray rain didn't bring him down.

Nothing could bring him down, he thought, as he made his way to his classroom, laughing when people commented at the glow and sparkle that seemed to emanate from him. Nothing at all… until the school's vice principal sent a note requesting that he meet with the principal ASAP.

He turned to look at Marcy, a puzzled and slightly uneasy expression on his face but she shrugged. She didn't know of any problems but who knows what could have set off their poor principal now. He was forever appeasing this parent or that but Marcy really had no idea what had come up.

Kurt nodded at the secretary who had brought the note and with another quick glance at Marcy, followed the woman to the principal's office. He was ushered right in when they arrived and Dr. Thompson pointed to a chair before his desk.

"Good morning, Dr. Thompson," Kurt said, his voice low and firm, hiding his nerves he hoped and looked calmly at the little man. The principal had what Kurt could only describe as a slightly embarrassed look on his face but he cleared his throat and spoke.

"Ah, Kurt... Mr. Hummel, yes, good morning," he stuttered and Kurt thought: "uh oh, this doesn't sound good."

Dr. Thompson shifted around some papers quite unnecessarily and then he seemed to reach a decision. He said, quite firmly for him, "This morning, it was brought to my attention that you are… ah, you were seen with the parent of one our students. Is this true?"

Kurt stared at the man, a myriad of emotions and thoughts whirling through his mind as he sat there, stunned at the unexpected question. Suddenly, he realized what must have happened and his expression darkened as one name floated to his mind's surface.

Daria!

.

TBC

A/N: Hell hath no fury... yadda... yadda. Daria Strando is going to try her darnedest to mess with my boys. I'd love to hear how you all think Kurt is going to react to this development so...

PLEASE REVIEW!

.