Kurt had booked an early flight again. He liked getting up before dawn, before the world was awake. He had crossed off everything on his list. Burt had a freezer full of meals and grocery lists and instructions for the things that couldn't be frozen. He had cancelled his classes for the spring semester well before the deadline, and had done well in all his finals. His Christmas present to Burt was sitting under the tree in the living room, and he had either mailed or delivered the presents to his friends. Now, on the way to the airport with Burt, he felt nothing but excitement. He was surprised when his phone went off. It was a little early for anyone to be texting him. He smiled when he saw the message.

Mike and I will be at the airport to pick you up. Let me know if anything changes. ~Blaine

Much to his surprise, Blaine was relieved that Heidi knew what was going on. Even though they weren't going to be discussing it, somehow it was comforting to have her support. Her confidence that he could handle the situation in a professional manner bolstered his own, which he had to admit, was a little shaky. He had spent quite a bit of the previous night thinking things through, and now, although he was a little short on sleep, he felt better about the situation. He had a plan. First of all, he was going to be completely honest with himself about what he was feeling. He could deal with the feelings better if he wasn't trying to deny that he was having them. Second, he was going to make sure Kurt didn't realize that Blaine was gay. As long as Kurt was under the impression that Blaine was straight, he wouldn't have any reason to suspect that Blaine liked him, and he would continue to see Blaine as a friend. It shouldn't be too difficult - most people assumed Blaine was straight, and the topic just didn't come up at work. If anyone asked him a direct question, he wouldn't lie, even if that person was Kurt, but he wasn't going to share information unnecessarily. Finally, if his feelings became overwhelming, he was going to talk to Heidi about it.

The only thing left to decide was the matter of how to greet Kurt at the airport. Kurt had said that they were friends, and had made it very clear that, in his world at least, friends hugged goodbye. Did that mean that friends would hug when they were reunited after a few weeks? And did that mean that he, as a friend, could initiate the hug? When did life get so complicated? He sighed.

He stood in front of his closet, lost in thought. Okay, I'm going to be honest with myself. I'm trying to decide what to wear to impress Kurt. Just saying the words in his head made him feel better. He selected one of his favorite vintage looks and got dressed.

Kurt checked his bag, and got ready to go through security. "I guess this is it, Dad," he said. Burt engulfed him in a fierce hug. "I'll really miss you."

"I'll miss you, too, Kiddo, but you're going to have a great time, and I know you'll do well."

"I don't know how often I'll be able to phone you, but I'll be thinking about you, and I'll call every chance I get. Do you still have Blaine's number? If you need to get in touch with me, you can call him."

"I have it on the fridge and it's in my phone. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. You left me plenty of food and Becca and Eric will be on my case if I don't stay on the diet. Call me when you get there, okay?"

"I will, Dad. Bye. I love you."

"I love you, too." One more hug, and he was gone.

Blaine locked his door and headed down the street to the Metro station. He loved taking the subway to work every morning. He lived at the end of the line for the Q and N trains, so he nearly always snagged a seat, although he frequently relinquished it to someone who needed it more as the train became crowded. Sometimes he read a book, but usually he people-watched. He liked the diversity that was New York. He enjoyed looking at the faces and listening to the voices, such a blend of features and accents. He liked imagining what they did, where they came from, and what kind of people they were. His favorites were the couples, young or old, riding together, obviously in love. I wonder if Kurt will like riding the subway. He pictured the two of them riding downtown together every morning.

The train pulled into the 36th Avenue station. All the seats were filled now, and when an older woman dressed in a conservative business suit and heels got in, Blaine stood and gestured for her to take his seat. She smiled gratefully at him and sat down. Blaine found himself holding the support bar next to two men about his age. Blaine realized the woman was watching the pair, so he shifted his position so he could see them better. He was trying to decide whether they were good friends, brothers, or a couple. Their features are similar, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Oh, look at his expression! That's love. They're definitely a couple. The taller of the two was looking at the businesswoman. He looks nervous about something. Blaine followed his gaze. She didn't appear offended by the pair, just interested.

The train jerked and the taller man put his arm around the shorter one to support him. The shorter man leaned into the embrace and reached up to press a kiss against his partner's cheek. Blaine glanced at the woman again, mentally preparing himself to see a look of revulsion. Instead, she was smiling approvingly at the couple.

"That's so sweet," she said. "Are you married?"

The shorter man held up his left hand. "Engaged," he said happily. "Since Thanksgiving."

"So how did he propose? Was it romantic?"

The taller man joined the conversation for the first time. He displayed his matching ring. "Actually, Sean proposed to me, and it was very romantic. We were having Thanksgiving dinner with my extended family, and he did it right before dessert. Down on one knee and everything."

"Have you set a date yet?"

"Jesse and I are thinking maybe next December. That will give us plenty of time to plan."

"Oh, Christmas weddings are lovely! This is my stop. It was so nice meeting you both." She turned to Blaine. "Thank you for letting me have your seat. It was very kind of you."

Blaine was trying hard not to let his imagination run away with him - after all, he barely knew Kurt - but he wanted that kind of relationship so badly. What would it be like to be married to Kurt? He would probably want to do most of the cooking, so I'd do the cleaning, and we could shop together. On Sunday afternoons, we could go to Central Park …. He continued to paint pictures of happy domesticity in his head until his musings were interrupted by the announcement heralding his station.

Kurt was enjoying the flight. The guy behind him in line was carrying a guitar, and they quickly fell into a conversation about music and what it was like to try to break into the business. Since they were flying Southwest, they could sit where they chose and were able to continue talking until Kurt got off to change planes in Baltimore. Nano told about the constant traveling to play little clubs across the country, and the difficulty of coming up with a signature look - something memorable that people could identify with his sound. After asking a number of questions, Kurt got out paper and pencil and started to sketch outfits Nano could put together from ready-to-wear. When Kurt got up to leave, he handed Nano several design ideas and Nano gave him a CD. Kurt promised to listen to it the first chance he got.

"Good morning, Blaine. Thank you. I needed that," Heidi said as he placed her coffee on her desk.

"Good morning. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"I need to see Kurt in my office at 2:00. Please let him know when you pick him up at the airport. Oh, and be sure you bring him straight back. Annie called this morning and said they were fixing a special lunch and they want Kurt to be there."

Well, that's not SOP*. I wonder what's up. "Of course. Anything else?" When Heidi shook her head, Blaine returned to his desk.

During the brief layover in Baltimore, Kurt called his dad. He was still excited about everything, but he missed Burt already and wanted to hear his voice. They talked for a few minutes, then Kurt had to go because his flight was boarding. This time his seatmate buried her nose in her book, so Kurt was left to himself and his thoughts, so he began making a list of the things he would like to do in New York if they had the opportunity. Surely they wouldn't be filming seven days a week. He didn't expect constant entertainment like they had provided that first weekend, but he hoped they would have some opportunities to see the city. The first thing on his list was eating in Chinatown.

"Another trip to the airport, Blaine?" Mike asked, already sure of the answer. "Who is it this time?"

"Kurt Hummel."

"Oh, good. I know you'll be glad to see him again."

What? Don't tell me Mike knows, too! "What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I just thought he was a nice guy. It seemed like you two were friends."

Blaine gave a mental sigh of relief. "Yes, you're right. We did become friends and I will be glad to see him again. We're a little early, so I guess you'd better park in the cell phone lot. I'll text you when we're ready."

"Do you want me to drop you off?"

"No, I'll walk. I could use the exercise."

Blaine walked rapidly across the parking lot and into the terminal, making his way to the baggage claim area as he had done so many times the day before. He was scanning the crowd, looking for Kurt even though he knew he was a little early, so he saw the grin that broke across Kurt's face when he entered the room and caught sight of Blaine. Blaine needed to stay behind the rail since he wasn't an arriving passenger, so Kurt came to him, arms outstretched. I guess I didn't need to stress so much over the hug.

"It's so good to see you again, Blaine!"

Blaine had learned his lesson. Don't breathe in. Don't breathe in. "I'm glad to see you, too, Kurt."

Kurt released him and stepped back. "You're looking very 60's today. It suits you."

"That's me - just a throwback. How was your flight?"

"Great! I met an interesting guy."

How interesting? "Oh?"

"Yes, he's a musician. I learned some stuff about breaking into the music business. I'll tell you about it later if you want. I see my bags."

"I can come past the rail if I'm with a passenger. Do you want some help?"

"That would be great! Thanks. Did you hear? I'm rooming with the girls."

"Yes, Heidi said something about that." I won't forget that conversation anytime soon. "Are you okay with it?"

"Absolutely! It will be fun! I guess Sandy will be our go-to person, since she had Annie and Jen before, or is that how it works?"

"Everything gets rearranged during shooting because there are fewer designers and someone has to work with the models. I actually have your group. Shall I take this suitcase?" Blaine took out his phone to text Mike that they were ready.

"Yes, please. Oh, that reminds me. I have to call my dad when we get in the car. It's kind of loud in here." They went out to the sidewalk and it wasn't long before Mike pulled up to the curb. Greetings were exchanged and everyone got settled in the car. Kurt phoned his dad.

"Hi Dad. I'm here. Blaine and Mike picked me up."

"Okay, good. Tell Mike I said 'hi'."

Kurt relayed the message. "He says 'hi' back."

"Yeah, I heard him. Hey, let me talk to Blaine for a minute." Kurt handed the phone to a very puzzled Blaine.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Blaine. Can Kurt hear me?"

"I don't think so."

"Okay, I just wanted to say that I was disappointed when you never called, but I guess it was for the best, given the circumstances. After this is over, though …"

Did he say anything to Kurt? "So, that's from you?"

"What? Oh, I get it. You want to know if I told Kurt. No, I didn't." Burt laughed. "He's totally oblivious, which is also a good thing."

"Blaine, that's my dad. Give me the phone back," Kurt demanded. Successfully wresting it from Blaine's grip, he addressed his dad. "What were you and Blaine talking about?"

Burt thought fast. "Just your Christmas present. It's tricky, so he's going to take care of it for me. Put me on speaker."

"Okay, you're on speaker, Dad."

"Blaine, Mr. Nosy here knows you're taking care of my Christmas present to him now, so you'll just have to be a little more sneaky about it. I'll call you later when he's busy. What's a good time?"

What? What Christmas present? "He has a meeting with Heidi at 2:00, so that would be a good time."

"Okay, I'll talk to you then. Bye Mike. Bye Blaine. Bye Kurt. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad." Kurt turned to Blaine. "I have a meeting with Heidi? Everyone or just me?"

"As far as I know, it's just you, Kurt. And before you ask, I don't have any idea what it's about. She just told me to have you in her office at 2:00. So, what was it like - watching yourself on television?"

"Kind of surreal, actually. It was like watching someone else entirely, except I knew exactly what he was going to do. My friends loved it, though. Oh - I wanted to ask you - is April okay?"

"April?"

"Yeah. When I saw the show, I knew she was the one who dropped out. I assume it was for personal reasons. I was hoping no one was sick or anything."

"As far as I know, she's fine. I think Heidi will go over that tonight."

"Here we are," said Mike unnecessarily as they pulled up to the curb in front of the Atlas. "Do you need any help with the bags?"

"I think we can get it, Mike. Thanks."

"Okay, Blaine. Kurt, good luck! I'll be rooting for you!"

"Thanks, Mike. Maybe I'll see you around."

They grabbed the bags and entered the lobby.

"Hi, Kurt!"

"George! It's good to see you."

"Welcome back! Your boxes are in your room, and here's your key. How's Burt?"

"He's great. I think he might be a little glad to get rid of me for a while so he can go off his diet, but I have a spy who will keep an eye on him."

"Kurt, I think there are some people waiting for you in the apartment. We should probably head up so you can get unpacked before lunch," said Blaine.