Chapter 26

oOo

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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: This chapter is for my own little Judith, a budding fashionista if there ever was one.

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


The next day at school, Kurt got his text from Kelly with the information regarding the tuxedo store. It was in Westerville, surprisingly and after thanking her, he shot her a text about the invitations. She admitted that she didn't know the protocol behind mailing invitations just two weeks before the big day because of the logistics with regard to RSVPs. Kurt decided then, and he told her, that he and Noah would simply do it by word-of-mouth. He promised to send her photos via phone of the suits that he and Noah would finally choose and they ended their texting with her happy emoticons bringing a grin to his face.

He called Noah to let him know that he'd got the address to the tuxedo store and made arrangements for them to leave after school. This time, Judith would be coming with them and Kurt wanted the opportunity to pick out a nice dress for her to wear. He knew the sort of style he would love to see her in and he couldn't wait to take her shopping. He wondered if this was how moms felt about dressing up their little girls. It was a wonderful feeling and he was definitely looking forward to their shopping trip.

As he sat in the staffroom during lunch time, smiling to himself, Marcy plopped herself down in the chair next to his.

"I see you're busy with wedding plans," staring pointedly at the phone on the otherwise empty table. Kurt grinned at her sarcasm and told her about Kelly and Simon Burtowski.

"They were soooo helpful," he gushed. "And you should see the place – oh, wait, you are going to!" He giggled harder when Marcy gave him the hairy eyeball.

She patted his shoulder after he'd settled down. "If I hadn't known you just had lunch, I'd say you were light-headed with hunger. Still, I don't know what it's like to be planning my wedding so you're forgiven for being a little loopy."

They sat and chatted about the plans, the venue, the food that Kurt wanted and he told her that he was actually going to bake his own wedding cake. She was impressed but she was also a huge fan of Kurt's culinary talent so she cheered him on and offered her service as his sous chef, should he need one. He was secretly touched that she wanted to help so he quickly accepted her offer and then told her about going to check out tuxedos later.

"Hey, now, I know you were a bit of a fashionista in high school but don't go hog-wild now!"

Kurt threw a paper clip at her but shook his head. "No, actually, I think I should go kinda conservative with maybe just a touch of the fabulous – but I'll know the right tux when I see it." He smirked at her and added, "Hey, Noah will look good in anything so no worries there at all."

They finally left the staff room when the bell signaling the end of lunch break sounded. Even as they strolled along to their classroom, though, Marcy still plied Kurt with questions about the fabulous five-diamond hotel that was the venue.

As they got to the door, she turned to him and asked quietly, "Do you think I could come with you when you go shopping for Judith's dress? I'd love your opinion."

Kurt felt truly flattered; plus, he never passed on an opportunity to advise someone on wardrobe. However, he wanted his shopping with Judith to be just him and Noah and their favorite five-year-old.

"Hmmm, tell you what: I have to also help Rachel with her dress. How about this Saturday, say 10? I can pick you up on my way to get Rachel…"

She squealed and clapped her hands before looking guiltily along the corridor. The kids were already heading back to class under the supervision of a monitor so she lowered her voice even further. "Yes, that will be great! Ten's good and I can't wait. Oooh, I love weddings!"

Kurt laughed as he turned to watch the little ones bobbing along the corridor, their voices hushed and the girls walking ahead of the boys in the line. He thanked the monitor and opened the door, leading them inside while Marcy carried up the rear and closed the door.

As they scattered to get their various supplies, he looked at Judith with a soft smile. He was very careful not to show her any special attention in class but he knew he couldn't help smiling a little more warmly whenever they interacted. Now he caught her twinkling eyes as she sat beside her very 'bestest' friend, Briony, but he simply nodded and pointed to her coloring book. She rolled her eyes, smiled and then set to her work.

Kurt grinned as he turned away to go to his desk. Her friend Briony was coming to the wedding, along with her parents and Kurt thought of the junior ballroom that was the perfect size for his guest list. Apart from his family and Noah's, they'd invited both their principals and vice principals along with their spouses, Marcy, Brittany, Sue Sylvester (after a lot of thought) and various and sundry co-workers and friends and their plus-ones. The phone calls had been rough but with the wedding being in two weeks, most people understood that they wouldn't be getting an official invitation in the mail.

Burt and Carole had invited another congressman and his husband and Kurt had been delighted. There were only a handful of married same-sex politicians even in this day and age and he was tickled that the couple would be able to attend their wedding. They had even told Burt how Kurt could get in touch with a minister who would be happy to perform their ceremony, even at such short notice.

That evening as the three of them drove to Westerville, which was a whole lot closer than Columbus, Kurt reflected on how much his life had changed. He listened to Judith singing along to the car's iPod and Kurt reminded himself that on Saturday, he was going to pick up her car seat for his car. He wanted it to be a surprise for her so he wouldn't do it while they were out today.

Finally reaching the mall, they headed to the store that Kelly had told him about and Judith squealed as she ran up to a rather elegant though faceless mannequin.

"Daddy, daddy! Look at this one!" She fingered the material of the jacket while she turned to stare imploringly at her daddy and Kurt.

Kurt and Noah exchanged horrified glances but straightened their faces when they turned back to her.

"Uhm, babe, I don't think a maroon suit is what we were hoping for…" Noah trailed off apologetically but Judith simply dashed over to another mannequin and turned to look back at them.

"Okay, what about this one. I like this one!"

Kurt sighed and wondered if it had been a good idea but he smiled, noticing that this one wasn't too bad; still not what he was going for but way better than the maroon one.

"Jude, come on, can you see your dad in a blue velvet tuxedo?" When she nodded he rolled his eyes and then turned to the gentleman who had strolled up to them. "Hi, I'm looking for a simple but elegant tuxedo for my wedding?"

Kurt grinned as the man's eyes slid a little salaciously up Noah's body and then, murmuring something about in the back, he spun around and headed away. He paused as he'd obviously expected them to be following him and raised an eyebrow imperiously.

Kurt, holding back a chuckle, looked at Noah and raised his eyebrow in imitation and then all three followed the man. He eventually stopped in front of another mannequin and held his hand out as if to say, voilà!

Noah stopped and both his eyebrows went up when he saw the suit.

"Ooh, daddy, daddy, get this one. He'll look so pretty, right, Mr. Kurt?"

The suit was a classic Calvin Klein tuxedo with a silver paisley waistcoat, white ascot and there was a white carnation for its boutonniere.

"Wow, sweetie, this suit has your name on it," Kurt murmured in obvious appreciation, already picturing his handsome lover in it. He leaned up and whispered something that had two streaks of color appearing on Noah's cheekbones.

Ignoring his naughty lover, Noah turned to the man. "Can I fit it?"

The man's eyes lit up with an unholy light, no doubt imagining himself helping Noah in the changing room. He said, "but, of course," and scurried off to get a similar suit to the mannequin's while Noah sauntered into the changing room. Kurt sat outside with Judith and waited patiently for Noah to come out. When he did, although his face was a little flushed, he still seemed rather pleased with his choice.

"Wow, sweetie… just – wow! That is absolutely perfect," Kurt said, his eyes wide in admiration. Beside him, Judith was bouncing in the seat and kicking her feet, happy that her daddy was getting a suit she liked. Noah modeled it a bit, first with the jacket on and then with it off and Kurt felt a stirring of arousal that he stomped on because, hey, Judith was with them.

Finally, it was Kurt's turn and the little man took one, long look at Kurt and led him over to another area. Kurt realized the store was laid out according to the various designers and shrugged. He didn't mind not having a Calvin Klein suit; he just hoped their assistant had something just as good in mind and… oh, my!

Kurt stared at the suit, his smile widening and almost pushed the little man out of the way. He fingered the lapel and heard Noah muttering behind him about people molesting clothes. "Oh, shush," Kurt said playfully before turning to the man and nodding.

Soon, Kurt was modeling his own suit for Noah and Judith, basking in the open admiration on their faces. His tuxedo was by Tom Ford and it had slender velvet lapels, the very same that Kurt had been 'molesting'. The suit was teamed with a gorgeous silver paisley cummerbund with matching bow tie and it had a tiny, white orchid in its boutonniere.

He didn't need to hear Noah's opinion because it was written large upon his tanned face. 'Beautiful'.

Judith, however, bounced over to Kurt and threw her arms around him. She looked up at him, smiling hugely and announced, "You look like a model, Mr. Kurt!"

Kurt, a little pink in the face, hugged her back, dropping a little kiss on her head and stared at Noah even while answering her. "Thank you, sweetheart, and you're going to look beautiful, too."

When she raised her face to his again she almost squeaked, "Me?"

Kurt chuckled and mussed her hair. "Of course, you! Did you think your daddy and I would be out buying things to make us look fabulous and forget about our favorite girl?!"

Her laughter pealed throughout the store, causing some of the other shoppers to look around and smile. "Yay! I'm going to look pretty, too!"

When they'd paid for their suits and were heading out with the garment bags slung over their shoulders, Kurt steered them to one of his favorite stores in the mall. He and Mercedes used to shop at this mall in the old days so he was pretty familiar with the stores there. He knew just the place to find the perfect party dress for Judith.

They strolled into the store and immediately Judith was transfixed. There were long dresses and short dresses; there were dresses for slim girls and not-so-slim girls. There were dresses in delicate, gossamer fabric and there were dresses in much sturdier fabric. Most important of all, these dresses came in every color of the rainbow.

Kurt just knew Judith's squeal could be heard in the next county over and he and Noah cringed as startled moms and little girls looked around frantically for the source of the noise.

"Daddy, daddy, look!"

Noah rolled his eyes but he nodded as he pointed all around at the different dresses that had caught her eye. Kurt could barely hold back the laughter as the poor child basically stood in one spot with her head turning this way and that as she tried to take in everything.

A rather matronly young woman came up to them and smiled understandingly. "Every now and then we get one," and she nodded to an awestruck Judith. "Hi, I'm Molly, how can I assist you this evening?"

Kurt, still trying to hold back a chuckle, finally sobered enough to explain. "Her daddy and I are getting married in two weeks – on Christmas Eve and_"

"Oh, my, congratulations! Oh, Christmas Eve, that's so romantic – and you're looking for the perfect dress for your little princess? Yes, I've got just the thing…" and they watched as Molly's considerable bulk disappeared rather quickly down an aisle.

When she came back she was holding one of the cutest dresses Kurt had ever seen on a padded hanger.

The dress was velvet and two-colored: the bodice was cherry red and the extremely full, ankle-length skirt was cream with tiny red poppies embroidered all around the hem. The two colors were brought together by the black satin ribbon around the waist that tied in a gorgeously loopy bow at the back.

"Yes, daddy, yes; this one, pleeeease?"

Noah looked vaguely helpless and Kurt, taking pity on him, asked her, "But sweetie, don't you want to see others? Maybe there'll be something else better?"

Judith looked almost affronted and she shook her head vigorously. "No, please, can I get this one? I love it!"

Kurt and Noah mentally threw their hands up and Noah looked at Molly and nodded. She smiled triumphantly because, after all, she'd guessed just right where the little girl was concerned. She led Judith to the dressing rooms and Kurt and Noah waited for their daughter to come out and model for them.

It seemed that Molly was the perfect salesperson because when Judith came out, she was all but unrecognizable from the messy little girl who had bounced into the store ten minutes earlier.

Judith was wearing the dress, of course, but apparently Molly had not only combed her hair, she'd found a pair of lovely gold barrettes with little red velvet bows on them and affixed them to Judith's gleaming dark hair.

As she spun and twirled so that the skirt belled out, Noah and Kurt could see that she was wearing white patterned tights and then they realized even her shoes were different. Now, instead of trainers, Judith was wearing shiny, black patent leather maryjanes.

"Wow," Noah and Kurt said in unison and Judith laughed out loud, causing Molly to chuckle indulgently. Judith really did look exceptionally lovely in that dress and Kurt knew they would never be able to get her to even look at another one. When she dashed over to a full length mirror to stare at herself, Noah shook his head and then dropped it into his hand.

"Kurt Hummel, you're turning my daughter into a fashionista!"

Kurt and Molly both laughed and then Kurt, pretending to pout, said haughtily, "Well, at least we're keeping it in the family," and then hugged Judith as she threw herself into his arms.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Judith punctuated her thanks with little kisses and Kurt's eyes watered.

Noah looked at the two most important people in the world to him and knew there was no way in hell he was going to let Donna break up his family. He had to make her see reason and now, as he listened to Kurt and Judith chatting with Molly, an idea started percolating.

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oOo

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That Saturday found Kurt, Marcy, Rachel and Sarah all shopping together in a different mall. Kurt really had the lowdown on the best places to find the most interesting things and Rachel proudly told the other women about Kurt's fashionista past.

"He could be a buyer for one of those high-end stores, believe me," Rachel was exclaiming, her big eyes wide as she sat in the front seat beside Kurt. The other two nodded; they could believe it because, even as a 'lowly' kindergarten teacher, Kurt would have to be crowned the best-dressed in the state.

"Oh, wait 'til you see what I have in mind for you, Marcy!" Kurt grinned at her in the rear view mirror.

Rachel didn't know if she should be happy or scared; she didn't have the kind of figure that lent itself to high fashion but she relaxed. She trusted Kurt's impeccable taste so she really had no need to worry.

They all chatted amongst themselves and then Kurt suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, yeah, Sarah, do you remember the store where Noah bought Jude's car seat? I want to get her one for this car, too."

Sarah nodded yes she did and they would pass the place on the way to the mall. Kurt decided however that they should probably pick it up on the way back from their dress shopping excursion. That settled, the girls continued discussing the type of outfits that they felt would be perfect for a Christmas Eve wedding.

Kurt grinned to himself because he knew exactly what he wanted to see everyone wearing. Hey, it wasn't every day that a guy got married for the first time!


True to his word, Kurt found just the dress he wanted to see Marcy in. It was a cashmere figure-hugging sheath that cut straight across her collarbones. It was in color blocks of black in the front and back and red along the sides and tight, long sleeves. What made it interesting was that the black was shaped so that it made her waist look a lot smaller than it actually was. The effect, when she modeled it for them, was of a taller, slimmer Marcy and she loved it.

"Oh, Kurt, yes! It's simple and elegant and I feel great. Wow!" Marcy gushed as she turned this way and that, staring at herself in the full-length mirror. "What do you guys think," she asked Sarah and Rachel.

The others agreed; it was the kind of dress that was a classic. The style was so simple that it would never be dated. As it was a little more expensive than what she usually spent on clothes, it was a good thing she could get several years' service out of it.

Kurt nodded, accepting Marcy's thanks and then asked, "Do you have a nice black coat? Also, we could look for red pumps to give it a party kick?"

Marcy nodded. "Yes, I have the perfect coat. It's a little dressy as it has a slight sheen and I've never worn it but the once. As to shoes, nothing too high, okay?"

Kurt rolled his eyes but acquiesced. He knew everybody couldn't rock three-inch heels, especially as he expected everyone to be dancing that night.

They paid and headed out into the mall, strolling from store to store until Rachel saw something in a window and forced them all inside. She found a dress in a beautiful dark green color with delicate gold tracery along the hem of the full skirt. She twirled in it and giggled, much like Judith had done when she'd modeled her own dress.

Kurt gave it his stamp of approval and then reminded her that Finn's cummerbund should probably match her dress; just for a festive touch, he said. She agreed that that would probably look cute and they searched for fabric to match her dress.

Finally, it was Sarah's turn and although she protested she wasn't a dress up kind of gal, Kurt insisted she had to.

"Look, your brother is getting married for real this time," he said, his eyes twinkling like crazy, causing the others to laugh. "You are going to want to look good in those photographs, okay!"

However, it was easier said than done. They went from store to store and if she saw something she liked, Kurt torpedoed it and vice versa. They stopped for lunch in the food court and then resumed their hunt for the perfect outfit. Finally, when Kurt was about to suggest they head to another mall, Kurt saw it.

"Sarah, Sarah, come here! Look at that." He grabbed her arm and pointed, the others piling in to stand behind them. "That's your dress, sweetie!"

"Oh, my," Rachel breathed reverently. Sarah and Marcy stared at the dress while Kurt grinned maniacally. He tugged Sarah's arm and they hurried into the store as he looked around for a sales clerk.

Sighting a woman looking at them a little suspiciously, he beckoned to her a little imperiously and she sauntered over.

"Yes, may I help you?" Her tone was as professional as ever although it was a little cool.

Kurt looked her up and down and said, "I certainly hope so." He pointed at the dress in the window and said, "I want that dress in a …" and he turned to stare intently at Sarah; "a size 8."

The woman looked at Sarah and then back at Kurt before nodding. "Very well; wait here, please."

Sarah gripped her hands together and grinned at Kurt who had his arms folded around himself. He looked as if he would shatter if the woman didn't come back with the exact dress and Marcy touched his arm.

"Kurt, relax, it's just a dress."

Kurt turned wide eyes on her. "It might be just a dress to you but in my mind, I see what I want my wedding to look like. I know Sarah will look fantastic in that dress!"

Marcy held up her hands in a placating gesture. Jeeze, she'd heard of brides getting like this but grooms?

Finally, the saleswoman came back and in her arms she held the dress. Kurt took it from her, turned towards Sarah and said, "Yes!" He grabbed Sarah's arm and marched her towards where he'd seen the signs indicating the changing rooms and he pointed at one, handed her the dress and said nothing.

She got the picture.

Within minutes she was back and Kurt, Rachel and Marcy stared at her.

Sarah had Noah's coloring, meaning she was dark-haired with soft hazel eyes and a warmth to her skin tone that Kurt envied. Now, in this dress, she looked absolutely stunning.

It was made of a midnight blue velvet with such a fine sheen that when she moved, an electric blue color seemed to move over the fabric. The cut was simple too, just a sheath that cut straight across her collarbones like Marcy's dress but the similarity ended there. When she turned around, the neckline dipped in folds to the middle of her back. The dress was sexy and classy and just perfect for her.

Sarah felt the heat in her cheeks as the others stared at her. She'd never owned anything this magnificent and it made her feel rich and glamorous. Her hair was pulled to the side and the dark curls cascaded over one shoulder and down to her left breast.

Kurt was flushed with success, his cheeks pink and his eyes sparkling. He just knew that he would find the right dress for Sarah and he knew Noah would be blown away when he saw his sister. Sarah was a jeans and sweater girl, always had been apparently, and her idea of dressing up was clean jeans and a tighter sweater.

Now he clapped his hands gleefully before stepping towards Sarah. "How do you feel, sweetie?"

Sarah's cheeks reddened further but she smiled at Kurt. "Oh my god, Kurt, I feel beautiful!"

"You look beautiful! Now, I want to see you wearing silver earrings and a bracelet, no necklace; can you manage that or do we need to pick that up, too?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, I have jewelry that I've had for years but never worn. I'm sure to find something."

Kurt looked around with a satisfied air and said, "Okay, so all we need to do is find some kick-ass red pumps for Marcy and we're set!"

Finally, laden down with their bags, the women and Kurt headed for one of his favorite shoe stores and he found the perfect shoes for Marcy. They were a little higher than she'd wanted but he explained that the added heel height would only make her legs look longer.

Sold!

By the time they finished up, it was getting dark and Kurt had one final stop to make. On the way back home, he stopped at the store they had marked out earlier and they chose the best car seat for Judith.

Kurt had wanted to get one identical to the one in Noah's car but he found one that had her favorite color in it. The metal rings on the rigging were fuchsia (how cool was that?) and he chuckled when he saw them. In addition, there was a cup or bottle holder built into it that could also hold a juice box. Man, these people thought of everything, Kurt marveled as he paid for the seat. He loaded it into the back of his SUV and then they finally headed for home.

After dropping off first Rachel and then Marcy, he and Sarah headed for her house, chatting excitedly about the wedding and the plans that Kelly had put in place. Kurt had shown her the pictures Kelly had sent to his phone and she was excited to see the venue and its décor herself. Kurt promised her that the next time he and Noah went to meet up with Kelly, he would pick her and Judith up and make it a day out.

Sarah marveled at how perfect Kurt was for Noah. He was gorgeous, loving and kind and great with kids. She privately thought he was a pretty sexy guy and that was just what Noah needed. She knew her brother really well and remembered his reputation from when he was in high school. Their mom had tried to shield her from that kind of knowledge but kids always found ways to get at things hidden from them. She'd thought most of the women her brother hung out with were skanks and her opinion of his ex-wife Donna wasn't much higher. When he'd begun to be interested in Kurt, she'd been really surprised, not figuring that someone so hetero could be suddenly into guys.

Now as she watched Kurt singing along to the music from his iPod, she crossed her fingers and hoped that nothing would take that look from his face. Kurt made Noah happier than she'd seen him in the longest while and she loved Kurt just for doing that for Noah.

When they pulled up into her driveway, he jumped out of the car to get her stuff from the back seat. They'd made other non-wedding essential purchases throughout the day, of course, so now he shuffled a couple of bags together into one hand and closed the car doors with the other. Sarah in the meantime had opened her front door and then she turned back to take the bags from Kurt.

After she'd put the bags in the front hall, she turned back to Kurt with a head gesture, silently asking him if he wanted to come in. Kurt grinned at her but shook his head.

"Sweetie, I have a date with a tub and a long, hot bubble bath right now. No thanks, but I'll see you tomorrow?" They'd made plans for the four of them to have dinner so she nodded.

"Yeah, five o'clock right?" She loved Kurt's food and Sunday dinner was sure to be amazing. She stepped forward and pulled Kurt into a bear hug, burying her nose in his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her and smiled when she whispered, "Thank you so much for loving my brother." She pulled back and kissed him on the cheek, grinning when she saw he'd colored up again. "And thank you for picking out that gorgeous dress!"

Kurt laughed despite the heat in his face but shook his head. "Sweetie, the dress is okay; you made it gorgeous…"

And they laughed and hugged again before he stepped away, throwing a wave over his shoulder. "See you tomorrow!"

She stood there watching him back out of the driveway and waved to him until he disappeared. What was that Noah's ditzy friend had said again? Oh yes, Kurt was magic – and she agreed completely.

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TBC

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