"Can you stay for lunch, Blaine? We've got some of last night's lasagna left, or I can make sandwiches," Kurt asked as he unlocked the door.

When does this cross a line? If Ernesto invited me to stay for lunch, I would, so I guess it's okay when Kurt asks me. I just hope Heidi sees it the same way. "That would be great. I didn't have time to pack a lunch today, and I don't feel like going out." As soon as they were inside, he handed Kurt the other package he had grabbed before they left the office. "This is the present from your dad. I thought you might want to put it under your tree."

"Oh, thank you." He shook it gently, holding it to his ear to see if it rattled. "I wonder what it could be. It isn't very heavy," he mused. "What?" he demanded, seeing Blaine's frown. "Didn't you ever try to figure out what was in your presents?"

"Of course. It's a Christmas tradition."

"Then what was the frown for?"

"Oh, I was just hoping you'll like it. I don't want to let you or Burt down."

"Don't worry about that. It's bound to be much better than some of the things he's gotten me. After my mom died, he tried really hard, but sometimes he kind of missed the mark. Eventually we just decided that I would tell him what I wanted and where to find it. I didn't get surprised, but I didn't get disappointed, either. This will be the first surprise I've gotten from him in a long time. Don't get me wrong, though. I always appreciated everything and it really was the thought that counted. Do you have any Christmas traditions?" Kurt placed the gift under the tree and moved to the kitchen. "Lasagna or sandwiches?"

"I'm not passing up a chance for homemade lasagna! Every Christmas Eve, my parents let me camp out under the Christmas tree. They started one year when I was about four. I was just too excited to sleep and I insisted I wanted to wait for Santa. We finally agreed that I could go to sleep under the tree and Santa would see me and wake me up. Every year we put out milk and cookies, and every Christmas Eve I laid out my blanket and pillow under the tree, but every Christmas morning, I woke up in my room. The milk and cookies were gone, and there was usually a note that said Santa had tried to rouse me, but I was too sleepy, so he put me in my own bed. Who made the lasagna?"

Kurt fixed two plates of lasagna, two salads and a basket of garlic bread. He put one plate in the microwave to heat. "Aw, that's so cute. You'll have to do that with your own kids some day. It was my turn to cook last night. I hope you like it."

"It smells wonderful. In fact, this apartment always smells good. Should we open presents before we eat? I imagine you already have a pretty good idea what's in mine, but I don't have a clue about yours." At least he probably won't listen to it while I'm here.

"No, let's wait until afterwards. That way, if we run out of time, you'll be sure to get something to eat. I would hate for you to miss another meal today." Kurt opened the refrigerator. "Oh, good, we have some of Annie's tea. Marisol convinced her to make iced tea out of her special Earl Gray, and it's fantastic. I think Annie thought we'd all lost our minds. Evidently, they don't drink much iced tea in England. Do you want some with lunch?"

"Yes, please. So do you have any Christmas traditions?"

"My mom had a string of harness bells she used as a decoration. Every Christmas Eve, after I got in bed, I heard bells coming from the roof. I would get so excited because I thought it was the bells on the reindeer. I found out years later that my dad used to climb up there in the dark and cold to jingle those bells. It's a wonder he didn't fall off the roof. What was your best Christmas present ever?" He removed the first plate and handed it to Blaine. "I'll have some garlic bread ready in a second. Go ahead and eat while it's hot."

Blaine took his plate to the table, but didn't start eating. I'll wait for you. I'd wait forever for you. "Best present ever... The best one I ever got is easy my first guitar. I think I was eight. My parents didn't believe in getting toy items, so it was a real guitar. I still have it, although it isn't the one you've seen. The best present I ever gave someone … that's harder. I must not be very good at presents. I can't think of anything outstanding." Maybe one day it will be something I give you. An engagement ring, perhaps. "What about you?" he asked as Kurt brought the garlic bread to the table.

"That is a hard question. I'm not counting the presents I picked out for myself, of course. Maybe the sewing machine I got the year before my mom died. I'm still using it." He got his plate from the microwave and sat down to eat. "I can't think of anything outstanding I've ever given anyone, either. I'll have to work on that."

"Mimi, you understand that you can't tell anyone about this until the day after the episode has aired, right?" Heidi asked. "This is very important, and we can't do what Nina and I want to do unless you agree."

Mimi's eyes were very large. "Yes, Ma'am. I won't tell anyone. You can trust me. Papa has always been careful not to tell anything about the show until we watch it together."

"I'm very glad to hear that. We have a music-oriented challenge coming up next week. I'd like to wear this pair of guitar pick earrings when we announce the challenge on Monday." Heidi was interrupted by an excited squeal from Mimi, who immediately covered her mouth with both hands. Heidi and Nina laughed.

"I think she likes the idea," Nina said with a smile. Mimi nodded, eyes sparkling.

"Good. I'd also like to make the earrings available to the designers to use if they choose when they style their models. We have 8 female and 3 male models still in the competition, but not all of them have pierced ears, and I'm not sure how many designers will want to use them. It could be all of them or none of them. If no one uses them, it won't mean that they don't like your designs. It will just mean that the earrings didn't fit their vision for the challenge. Will you be okay with that?"

"Oh, yes! I understand completely and I won't get my feelings hurt. It's an honor just to have you wear them. Do you want me to make some with magnetic backs, so it won't matter if the models have pierced ears or not?"

"That would be very helpful, especially for the men. Here's the hard part, though. I'll need the 11 pairs by Monday at noon. We're going to be short on time because it's Christmas, and I want the designers to know the earrings are available while they are designing. That will make it more likely that some of them will want to use them. Would you be able to do that?"

Mimi smiled excitedly. "Oh, yes! Papa can help me. We can work on it all weekend. I have some pairs already made up. Could I show you something?"

"Of course," Heidi replied graciously.

Mimi pulled a charm bracelet out of the box and laid it on the desk, spreading it out so all the items were clearly visible. "I have these musical charms," she said. "I could incorporate some of them with the guitar picks if you want."

"I like those, especially the little musical instruments. I don't want to give out any more details about the challenge, but both types of guitars, the clefs, the notes, and the drum set would all be appropriate. Just remember that whatever you do needs to be visible, so the smaller charms probably wouldn't work as well. Why don't you make up an assortment? Just use your judgment. We'll purchase up to 25 pairs, plus the pair I'm going to wear, plus this set, but there's no pressure. If you only get 11 pairs done, that's fine."

"Purchase? You want to buy them?" Mimi clearly didn't believe what she was hearing.

"Of course we want to pay you for them. If you were an established company, we might make a deal to exchange your earrings for publicity, but I don't think that would be of much benefit to you right now. Would $15 for each piece be acceptable to you?"

"It's such an honor for you to wear them and use them on the show. I don't know what to say, except thank you." Isaac put an arm around his daughter's shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze.

"Now, if that's settled, it's my turn," Nina said with a smile. She picked up a pair of olive green and gold dangles. "Do you have the other pieces to go with this?"

"Yes, Ms. Garcia." She dug around in the box. "Here they are. This set has a necklace, a brooch, and a bracelet."

"Very nice," she said appreciatively. "I'll wear these on Wednesday. I don't want to put pressure on you right now, but I have an article planned for Marie Clair that I think you can help me with. I'll be in touch in a month or so."

"Add Nina's jewelry to the Project Runway bill, but don't let her charge anything for the magazine to us," Heidi said with a look of mock-severity at Nina. "I'll get Sandy to draw up a confidentiality agreement for you and a contract for the jewelry. Isaac, since Mimi's a minor, you'll have to sign it as well. Is that okay with both of you? Mimi, it would be a good idea to come up with a name for your business."

"Of course," Isaac said happily. "Thank you both so much." Mimi swept the samples back into her box and they said their goodbyes.

Isaac and Mimi were talking so excitedly when they left Heidi's office that Sandy hated to interrupt them, but she didn't want to miss her chance. "Isaac, could I speak to you both for a minute?" she called.

"Of course," he replied, leading Mimi over to Sandy's desk. "What can we do for you?"

"Blaine and I loved Kurt's dragonfly pin, Mimi. It was exquisite and absolutely perfect for him. He was delighted with it, too. The first thing he did when he came out was show it to us. I was wondering if perhaps you would make a honey bee for my sister's birthday at the end of January."

"I would be happy to. We're supposed to come back on Monday. If I have time, I'll make a sketch and bring it in with me." She turned to her father. "Pinch me, Papa. This has to be a dream!"

"It's real, my Mimi. It's real." He smiled fondly at her as they left.

"That was wonderful, Kurt. You're going to make a great husband for someone one of these days," Blaine said, rubbing his stomach. Like me, for instance. "It would be easy to end up with body image problems with your good cooking around all the time, though. I'll have to hit the gym tonight for sure." He put his dishes in the dishwasher and washed his hands. "Shall we open presents now?"

"I'm glad you liked it. There were some veggies hidden in there, so it wasn't as bad for you as it seemed. Let's go sit in the living room."

Kurt sat down on one end of the couch, leaving Blaine with a dilemma. Did he sit on the couch because he wants me to sit next to him? Do I want to sit next to him, or sit in the chair where I can see his face better? If he wants me to sit next to him, and I sit in the chair, it might hurt his feelings, but I don't want to invade his personal space. What am I twelve? Just sit down, you idiot and quit over-thinking everything. Blaine sat on the other end of the couch, angling his body so he could see Kurt's face clearly. "Why don't you go first, since you already know what your gift is."

Kurt unwrapped the package slowly, peeling back the tape and trying not to tear the paper. He wasn't at all surprised to find a CD; Blaine had pretty much said that's what it was. It was labeled 'For Kurt Christmas 2012'. He flipped it over and realized that the entire disc had been used. "I thought this was just the practice track for our song. Did you record it multiple times?"

"There might be a few other things on there. I hope you enjoy them."

Kurt looked at the liner notes.

Tracks 1 3"This one's for you demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and backing vocals

Track 4: You've Got a Friend, accompaniment and backing vocals

Tracks 5 7: Some good advice about the Queensboro Bridge; demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and backing vocals

Tracks 8 10: A little Disney; demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and backing vocals

Tracks 11 12: Something the Warblers would have killed with you as lead; demo; accompaniment and backing vocals

Tracks 13 14: What winning 'Runway' is for everyone else, IMHO at least; demo; accompaniment only

Tracks 15 17: You'll sound like an angel on this one; demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and backing vocals

Tracks 18 19: You'll have more than one, I'm sure; demo; accompaniment only

Tracks 20 23: Are you cold?; demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and voice 1, accompaniment and voice 2

Tracks 24 27: If we ever do this one together, I want the top; demo; accompaniment only; accompaniment and voice 1, accompaniment and voice 2

Track 28: Never Thought

"These are karaoke versions, aren't they? You bought me some tracks I could sing to. You didn't need to do that, Blaine. I appreciate it, but you didn't need to spend money on me. You already do too much for me."

I'd like to do so much more. "Don't worry. It didn't cost anything. You'll see when you listen to it."

"Am I supposed to be able to figure out the songs from the clues? The third one is obvious, but the rest are a little obscure, and I've never heard of the last one at all."

"No, I don't think so. I was just having a little fun, making some editorial comments. You'll know them when you hear them, I think. I hope you enjoy it." He looked at his watch. "Shoot, I've only got a few minutes. I need to open your present and get going." He slid the ribbon off and started to remove the paper, but realized the top and bottom were wrapped separately just in time. He lifted the lid and unfolded the tissue. When he saw the contents, he sat in total disbelief, eyes wide.

He doesn't like it. He hates it and he's trying to think of something nice to say. "Blaine, it's okay if you don't like it."

"You made me a shirt," he said slowly. "You. Made. Me. A shirt." He touched it reverently. "You made me a shirt?" A broad grin stole across his features. "You made me a shirt! Can I try it on? Did you design this? Is it an original? It is; I can tell it is." Words were pouring from his mouth. He made me a shirt! He touched this fabric and held it in his hands, and he was thinking about me the whole time he worked on it. It's so silky. And the color!

Kurt smiled happily. I think he likes it. "Of course you can try it on, but I'm sure it will fit. After all, I had your measurements. Yes, it's an original, and I designed it for you."

My hands are shaking. I can't believe he made me a shirt. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down. His mind knew that the shirt didn't mean as much to Kurt as it did to him, but his heart didn't seem to be able to grasp the concept. "Is that why you had me try on the shirt in the workroom? Kurt, you shouldn't have done that. You could have gotten into trouble." He removed his tie and white cotton dress shirt and slipped his arms into the beautiful burgundy creation.

"I got permission first. Heidi said it was okay to make the shirt, and Tim knew what I was doing when I got your measurements." Kurt couldn't help but laugh at Blaine. He resembled nothing so much as an eager puppy with a treat dangled just out of his reach, and he was having a little trouble with the complicated closure. "The buttons below mid-chest are underneath the placket, so they won't scratch your guitar," he explained quietly.

I can't play guitar in this. The sleeves will be in the way. How do I tell him? "The … uh … the sleeves …" he began, misery evident on his face.

"Are designed to be rolled up," Kurt broke in happily. "They're cut specifically to look good either way, and they have tabs to hold them. I've seen you play guitar; I know how energetic you get. This material wouldn't stay rolled up without tabs. It's washable silk, by the way, so it's easy to take care of. Here, let me show you." He fastened the remaining buttons, smoothed the collar, rolled the sleeves, and stepped back. "I want to see how it looks on you."

"You made me a guitarist's shirt. You made me a shirt specifically designed for me to perform in. I don't know what to say, Kurt. I'm absolutely speechless."

Kurt laughed again. Blaine's reaction was certainly much more than he had hoped for. "For someone who's speechless, you sure are talking a lot," he teased. "But seriously, Blaine, you need to look in the mirror. You look hot in that shirt! Really, really hot! If you would just cut down on the gel a little and lose the undershirt, you would be perfect. Come into the bedroom."

He said I was hot! Blaine was so bemused that he didn't realize he was being pulled by the hand into the bedroom until Kurt's grip shifted to his shoulders to turn him to face the mirror. He gazed at his reflection in astonishment. Blaine liked to look nice, but he wasn't vain by any means. "Kurt, this shirt looks amazing." He turned to admire the way his arms looked, the way the fabric nipped in to accentuate his concave stomach and slender waist. He moved his arms experimentally into the positions required for performing and discovered that even though the shirt appeared to be quite tight, there was more than enough ease.

"It's not the shirt, Blaine. You look amazing." Kurt was very pleased with the way his gift had been received.

Blaine examined his reflection yet again. "Would it be okay if I wore this for the talent show? Do you have something that will coordinate?"

"Blaine, please. Of course I have something that will coordinate. And I'm so happy you want to wear it," he added in a softer tone.

"Kurt, this is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. Remember when we were talking about best Christmas present ever? Well, this is it. The best one I've ever received. And it would be hard for me to imagine anything better that you've ever given anyone."

"Really, Blaine? Better than your first guitar?"

"Better than my first guitar." He doesn't believe me. I've got to make him understand how much this means. "No, I'm not just saying that. I loved my guitar; I still do, but what you did is so much more. You didn't just go down to a store and buy something. You figured out something I needed that I didn't even know I needed, something that would support a dream I've barely even admitted to myself. Then you analyzed it and built in features like the sleeves and hidden buttons to make it functional, and then, on top of that, you designed it for beauty and convenience. That would have been amazing all by itself, but then you drafted the pattern, bought the materials and made it for me, with your own hands. I can't imagine the amount of time and skill it took. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you gave of yourself, Kurt, and nothing could be more precious."

"Gee," said Kurt lightly, "I thought I was just making you a shirt. When you put it like that, it sounds marvelous. But don't you need to go?"

"Oh, shoot! Yes, I do. I'm not changing, though; I can't wait to show this shirt off." You have no idea how much I wish I could kiss you right now. He pulled Kurt into a fierce hug. "Thank you so much, Kurt."

"You're welcome. I'm glad you liked it. Now go, so I can enjoy my new CD."