Blaine was a little late getting back to the office, but he really didn't care. He spent the entire elevator ride examining his reflection in the mirrored walls, finding the tiny details Kurt had included in the design -- the angled seams, the back yoke he hadn't been able to see in the apartment mirror, the shape of the pocket, the asymmetrical sleeve tabs, the triangular buttons that repeated the angles in the shirt. I wonder if he included a heart. I don't see one, but he said he usually hides it. I'll have to look closely tonight. I can't wait to tell Wes about this! Kurt was right, though; I need to lose the undershirt or at least wear a different style that won't show. He decided to make a short detour to the bathroom before going back to the office.

The feel of the fabric against his skin without the intervening cotton knit was indescribable. Now I see the allure of silk sheets. I can't wear this all day; it really isn't appropriate for the office. I'll have to change back after I show Sandy. I want to show Wes, too. I'll get Sandy to take a picture. He was unable to resist taking one more glance in the mirror before he left.

Sandy looked up as he entered the office. He knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he couldn't help himself. "Blaine, you look stunning, and I mean that literally. Turn around so I can see the back," she exclaimed. "Oh, that's just marvelous! Wow! The color is perfect for you. That boy has some serious talent! It feels good on, doesn't it?"

"Oh, yeah! I'm going to wear it Saturday night. Kurt designed it so I could perform in it. Listen, I'm sorry I'm so late getting back from lunch." He took his iPhone out of his pocket, unlocked it and set it on his desk.

Sandy dismissed his apology with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it. You've put in plenty of extra hours lately. I hope you spent the time properly appreciating the gift. If I weren't married, and you dated co-workers, I'd be having some inappropriate thoughts right now." A look of horror suddenly crossed her face. "Blaine, you have to get out of the office right now! Don't argue. Just go before she …"

"Hi, Sandy. Is this a good time?" Blaine had been completely confused by Sandy's sudden panic until he heard Amy's voice. "Wow, Blaine, you look really nice! I'm surprised, though; you usually don't wear anything like that to work."

That's odd. She doesn't sound predatory at all. "Thank you, Amy. I was just showing Sandy my Christmas gift. I'm going to change right now."

"It's beautiful. Who gave it to you?"

Well that's nosy, but at least she's being polite. "Kurt made it."

"Kurt on the show? I'm very impressed. You always look nice, but that shirt just adds something. You must be good friends for him to make you something like that."

Who are you and what did you do with Amy? "We have become very good friends since he's been here. That reminds me we discovered we have a mutual friend. I'd like to send him a picture of the shirt. Sandy, will you take it for me?"

Before he could stop her, Amy grabbed the phone off his desk. "Allow me," she said cheerfully. "Stand over there so you have a plain background, but move about three feet out from the wall so you don't throw a shadow. I used to work for a photographer," she added when she saw their puzzled looks. "I picked up a few skills along the way." She looked down at the phone in her hand, searching for his camera app. She suddenly became very still.

Don't notice the wallpaper. Please don't notice the wallpaper. "Give me the phone; I'll set it up for you."

"I figured it out, Blaine. I'm pretty smart, you know. I figure out a lot of things." The look on her face was filled with meaning. "I'm going to take several pictures, so just hold still and smile. No, smile like you mean it. Think about something that makes you really happy. That's better."

Blaine did his best to comply but he was worried. He could tell by the look on her face that she had seen Kurt's picture on his phone and he knew she wasn't going to let it go by without saying something. The only question was when.

Amy snapped several pictures. "Okay, all done. I took a couple that showed all of you, and a few where I zoomed in on the details. Here you go." She handed him the phone. "You'd better put this away. If you leave it lying around, something might happen to it. Sandy, I want to talk to you about working with the designers who've been kicked off the show."

Maybe I'm worried about nothing. I love this shirt! Ebullient mood restored, he headed for the door. "I'll be right back, Sandy. I'm going to change my shirt, and then you can go to lunch." Sandy nodded at him, and he left.

As he passed the bank of elevators, the doors opened and Heidi and Tim stepped out. "Blaine? That's not what you had on this morning," Heidi said, amusement evident in her voice.

"I opened a Christmas present a little early and Sandy wanted to see it. I know it's not appropriate for the office. I'm going to change now."

"Very nice! I'd say that it was worth a little embarrassment, wouldn't you, Blaine?" Tim asked, not trying to hide his smile.

"Embarrassment?" Heidi was suddenly very alert.

"Oh, that's right, Heidi, you weren't there. Kurt engaged in a bit of subterfuge to get Blaine's measurements and I facilitated it. Some of the designers gave Blaine a little bit of a hard time. It was pretty funny, actually. I'll get Phil to send up the footage for you." He took out his phone. "Tim Gunn. Is Phil available? Thank you. … Phil, this is Tim. Do you have the footage from Tuesday morning when Blaine tried on the shirt for Kurt? … Could you send it to Heidi, please? Thanks." He put his phone back away.

"Could you roll one sleeve down, please Blaine? I'd like to see how it looks." Heidi sounded exactly the way she did during the runway portion of the show, almost as if she were evaluating the design.

He released the tab and unrolled the fabric, fastening the cuff and turning so that side was toward her as he had seen the models do. "We don't have a runway, but I can walk the hall for you." he offered, wanting them to see what a great designer Kurt was. Did I really say that?

Heidi and Tim exchanged glances. "Why don't you do that? I'd like to see how it looks in motion," Heidi said with a laugh.

"Seriously? I was just kidding. I'm not sure I know how to do this." He strode down the hall and back, doing his best to emulate the confident walk of a couture model, executing a turn he remembered from some Warbler choreography from times past, moving to the music in his head.

"Not bad," approved Tim. "With a little instruction, I think you could be quite good at walking."

"A lot of instruction and about 6 inches," replied Blaine with a laugh, "and I don't see a growth spurt in my future any time soon."

Heidi was still considering. She rubbed the fabric gently between her fingers, feeling the hand. "I like this shirt quite a bit, Blaine. Kurt did a very nice job. How does it feel on?"

"It feels great! It's very functional, too."

"Since you're comfortable in it, roll both sleeves down and leave it on, unless you would really prefer otherwise. It's not as professional as your usual attire, but it's very fashionable, and fashion is what we're all about at Runway. Other companies have Casual Fridays. Perhaps I should institute a Fashion Friday. I'll have to think about that. When you get back to your desk, please tell Jo I need to see her this afternoon. Tell Sandy I'll be there in just a minute."

Blaine knew a dismissal when he heard one. "Okay, Heidi. Nice to see you, Tim."

Heidi waited until he was out of earshot. "So Kurt told you about the shirt?"

"Yes. I asked him if this was a romantic relationship, and he assured me that it wasn't, that they were just very close friends."

"And you believed him?"

"Yes, I did, although he did make a reference to 'destiny' that makes me wonder if perhaps he doesn't recognize his feelings. He said that he would consider a relationship with Blaine inappropriate as long as he's a contestant on the show, and I'm sure he was sincere. He also seems to be under the impression that Blaine is straight. I could be wrong, but I get the feeling that he might be mistaken about that."

Heidi wasn't about to share Blaine personal business with anyone, even Tim, and her interest in the situation was mostly professional, although she did want Blaine to be happy. "Either way, it will be easier for Kurt to believe that for now. He would never do anything inappropriate, no matter what he thought, but I don't want him distracted from the contest. Keep me posted if there's anything I need to worry about."

Kurt's laptop was still starting up when the girls came in, chattering happily and bearing gifts which they placed under the tree.

"That looks better," Annie exclaimed with satisfaction. "A Christmas tree with no presents just looks sad."

"I've got some, too," Kurt said, reaching into the Mood bag that was still beside the couch. "I already opened one, though."

"Shame on you!" scolded Jen. "Don't you know better than that?"

"It was a special circumstance. Blaine made me a CD that I could use to rehearse for the talent show, and he said I should open it. He opened his gift from me, too."

"You and Blaine exchanged gifts?" Marisol asked. "Does everyone do that?"

"Oh, I don't think so. Blaine and I just really hit it off, so I wanted to get him something. It wasn't much I just made him a shirt, you know, like you would for a very good friend. I got permission from Heidi first. I didn't know he was getting me anything, and I don't think he expected anything from me."

"So that's what you wouldn't tell me about," Jen said triumphantly. "I wish we had gotten to see it."

"He's wearing it for the talent show, so you can see it then. I think he liked it. It wasn't the only thing I was working on, though." He began to arrange the packages containing the scarves neatly around the base of the tree, stopping in surprise when he realized that some of the packages had his name on them. Did you get me presents? That's so sweet. You didn't have to do that!"

"No peeking!" Annie said crossly. "No 'special circumstances' this time. You leave those alone until Christmas."

"I'll be good, but I'm dying to know what you got me. Did you get some good things for the shelter, Annie?"

"We got a ton of stuff! Most of the designers contributed money, so we had plenty to work with. There isn't enough time before Christmas, but Marisol said she would show us how to make a quick quilt on the serger, so we're going to see if Jo will let us use the workroom one afternoon. Do you want to help?"

"Are you kidding? I'd love to! Maybe we can figure out a way to get some more rotary cutters. Those things are amazing. They make cutting fabric so much easier. I'm getting one as soon as I get home." Kurt didn't see the delighted smiles the girls exchanged.

"That's a good idea. I'll include that in the e-mail to Jo," said Marisol.

"I need to get started on my cookies. The dough needs to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours before I bake it. Would it bother anyone if I played my new CD on my computer? I haven't had a chance to put it on my iPod yet and I'd really like to listen to it."

"I'd love to hear it, Kurt, and I'm sure everyone else would, too. I need to make my cookie dough, too, so maybe we can work together," Marisol said.

"Great! I'll get the laptop. Do you want to make your dough first?"

"No, you go ahead."

Kurt put the laptop on the table where he could hear it, but it would be certain not to get any food spilled on it. He inserted the CD and waited while it loaded. None of the songs had titles other than the track numbers. He smiled in anticipation and hit play. He recognized the opening notes of Elton John's Your Song immediately, even though it wasn't in the usual key. He had suspected that's what he would hear from reading the cryptic description of the first three tracks. He stepped toward the refrigerator to get the eggs and butter, but stopped dead in his tracks as soon as the vocals started. That's Blaine. That's Blaine playing and he's singing the melody and the backing. This is his arrangement; the original was a solo. If the whole CD is like this, it must have taken hours. I can't believe he did this for me! I hear keyboard, and drum and several other instruments, so this is at least 8 tracks. When did he find time to do this?

"Kurt, are you okay?" Marisol asked softly.

Kurt paused the music. "This is incredible! I had no idea what Blaine was giving me. This is Blaine singing and playing all the instruments, and it sounds as if he transposed the songs to fit my voice! Would you mind making your cookie dough first, Marisol? I want to listen to this without any distractions right now."

"Sure, Sweetie. You go ahead. He has a beautiful voice, doesn't he?" Marisol smiled to herself as she assembled her ingredients and got to work. A sudden thought struck her, and she went to find Annie and Jen.

"Do either of you know how to record videos on your computer?" she asked.

"I do," said Jen. "Why?"

"I think Blaine would really enjoy seeing what Kurt is doing right now, if you can record it without disturbing Kurt. He went to a lot of trouble for Kurt's present, and he isn't here to see Kurt's reaction. You need to hurry, though."

Jen grabbed her computer and went into the living room, positioning herself in the armchair and pretending to sketch while she recorded. She wasn't entirely sure of the ethics, but decided to record now and ask questions later. She could always delete the file if she wasn't happy with what Marisol had in mind. Annie followed her in and sat on the couch.

Kurt was listening raptly, eyes closed, an expression of pure joy on his face. When the song ended, he pressed pause to prevent the computer from starting the next track and sat perfectly still, lost in thought.

"That was beautiful, Kurt. Blaine was singing, right?" Annie asked softly.

"It was all Blaine the arrangement, the instruments, and all the vocals. It was incredible, but if I understand what he did, that wasn't the best part, at least from my perspective. I'm going to skip the second track." He started the third track and listened to the first five bars before he stopped it. "Do you see what he's done?" He started the track again, closed his eyes and began to sing the melody. Just as he expected, Blaine came in on the second line, the harmony blending perfectly with Kurt's voice. A second harmony joined the first on the chorus. When the song finished, Kurt paused the CD again. "The first track is a demo, and the second track is just the accompaniment, without any vocals. I'd rather sing with Blaine, and this is so perfect!"

"Kurt, that was beautiful!" Marisol said from the kitchen. She needed to use the mixer, but was not about to interrupt the music with noise.

"I think the original was a little lower. He transposed it for you, didn't he? He's amazing." Unlike Jen and Marisol, Annie knew enough about music to be impressed with what Blaine had accomplished.

"Is there more?" Jen didn't want to draw attention to herself, but she was curious.

"It looks like there are nine karaoke selections, plus the song we're doing for the talent show. I'm not sure what the last track is. He didn't put titles on anything, just some comments, so I don't know what the songs are. I'm pretty sure I know what the next one is, though. Do you want to hear Blaine sing it by himself first?"

"If you don't need to listen to the demo, we'd love to hear you sing," Annie replied.

Kurt started track 7, and bounced excitedly when the opening notes of The 59th Street Bridge Song by Simon and Garfunkel began to play. Kurt immediately started singing, and his light, playful tone matched Blaine's exactly. "Did you hear that? He even included the whistling! This is incredible! I can't believe how much work he put into this, and I don't have a clue how he knew what songs to include."

He looked at the liner notes again. "The next one is Disney, but there aren't any hints. I wonder which one it is. Oh, wait! The next one mentions the Warblers! I need to hear that one right now." He started track 11, but stopped it immediately after the first few notes and began pacing around the room. "I can't believe this! Do you know what this is? Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do this song? This is insane! I begged for the chance to do this song, even if I didn't sing the lead and no one would listen. I even had the choreography worked out. I'm so excited, I don't think I can sing, but listen to Blaine do it." He restarted the track, and despite his words, began to sing the melody of Billy Joel's The Longest Time along with Blaine, snapping his fingers and dancing around the room. When the song ended, he paused the CD once more. "I read somewhere that Billy Joel recorded 14 background tracks for that song, and it sounds like Blaine did every one of them. How is that even possible?"

"Gee, Annie, do you think Kurt likes his present?" Jen joked.

"Hmmm. I'm not sure. What do you think Marisol?"

"Oh, I'd say he likes it."

Kurt couldn't help joining in the resultant laughter. "This is the best present I've ever gotten! Oh, I've got to tell Blaine! No, wait. I want to listen to the last track first. It's different, and he listed the title, but I don't recognize it."

"What's it called? Maybe I've heard of it," Annie said.

"Never Thought."

Annie thought for a minute. "I know several songs with that title. Can we listen to it?"

Kurt started the track, and a jaunty piano introduction filled the room. Kurt looked at Annie, but she shook her head, clearly not recognizing the song. Blaine began to sing and Kurt closed his eyes again to focus on the sound.

I wake up in the morning
With a smile upon my face.
I think about you, Baby
And my heart begins to race.

Every time I see you
I just don't know what to say.
Every time you look at me
The heartache goes away.

Never thought I'd feel this way,
Never thought I could
Never thought I'd find somebody
Who would make me feel so good.

It feels like we're connected
I can tell you anything.
Somehow you just 'get' me
It makes me want to sing.

Kiss me, hug me, hold me
Understand the way I feel
Reach deep down inside your heart and
Tell me this is real.

Never thought that I'd be happy,
Never thought I would
Never thought I'd find somebody
Who would make me feel so good.

He played a brief instrumental interlude before moving into the bridge.

All day long I'm watching just to catch a glimpse of you.
Spend the whole day hoping maybe you'll come into view.
Maybe getting coffee, maybe on the train,
Maybe walking in the park or dashing through the rain.

I want to take your hand in mine
And never let it go.
I want to hold you in my arms
And say 'I love you so.'

One day I'll find the courage
To try to make it real
One day soon I'll tell you
Just exactly how I feel.

Never thought I'd feel this way,
Never thought I would
Never thought I'd find forever
Thought I'd never fall in love.
Fall in love.
Fall in love.
Fall in love.

When the last note died away, the four designers looked at each other. Annie was the first to speak. "Kurt, I think that was original. That's not any of the songs I know by that name."

"I think you might be right, Annie. It just sort of says 'Blaine', doesn't it," Kurt replied softly. "I can't believe he shared that with me. I didn't even know he wrote songs, although it makes sense. He's very talented."

"He must really love that girl," Marisol added. "You can hear it in his voice, not just in the words."

"I have to tell him how wonderful this present is! I don't think I should go to the office, though. He's trying to work. I wish I had my phone!" He groaned in frustration. "I'll just have to e-mail him, but I'll tell him in person the next time I see him."

"Can we hear that last song again while you write the e-mail?" Jen asked. "But only if you want to, I mean. I know the CD is for you, not for us."

"If I play it as often as I want, you'll all be sick of it," Kurt said happily, starting the song again and putting it on repeat. Then he opened a new message.

Subject: Christmas Present

Best! Present! Ever! And I haven't even listened to all of it yet. I'll tell you more in person the next time I see you, but all four of us were blown away by your original song. ~Kurt

While he was sending his message, Jen was sending one of her own.

Subject: Christmas Present

Kurt doesn't know I recorded this, but Marisol thought you would enjoy it, and I don't think he'd mind. I've never seen anyone so excited in my entire life. ~Jen

It was nearly 2:00 when Jo got to the office. "Heidi said she want..." Her voice trailed off and she stood in stunned silence for several seconds. "Whoa."

"See, Blaine," giggled Sandy. "I told you so. You look really good in that shirt. You should see it with the sleeves rolled up, Jo."

"It looked nice in the box, but I had no idea it would look like this on Blaine. Wow! I wonder what it would take to get him to make something for me. Blaine, stand up. I need a better view."

Blaine stood up and turned slowly. I love it that everyone likes the shirt. "You ladies are making me somewhat uncomfortable," he said with a frown.

"Good!" crowed Jo. "Remember how it feels the next time you're ogling some pretty girl."

"I can honestly say that I have never ogled any woman. My mama taught me better than that," Blaine retorted. Not to mention that I have no desire whatsoever to do so, but you don't need to know that.

"Well, sometimes a little ogling is a not a bad thing. Everyone likes to be appreciated," Sandy said with a smile, "and we certainly appreciate the way you look in that shirt."

"Wait, Jo, did you say you saw the shirt before I did?"

"I was in charge of the designers using the workroom during their free time. Why do you think that was arranged in the first place? Heidi's waiting on me; I'd better get in there."

"Did you want to see me, Heidi?" Jo asked as she entered the office.

"Yes. I wanted to ask you how the after-hours use of the workroom was going."

"Judging from the shirt Blaine is wearing, it was a worthwhile project. I've never seen him so happy."

"Well, yes, I agree, but I meant whether it was too much trouble for you, and if you thought we should continue it."

"It isn't much trouble. It's a few extra trips to Parson's, but I enjoy the walk and being out of the office for a few minutes. No one else has asked for the workroom, but if they do, I think we should allow it. They must get tired of being cooped up in the apartments. I'm glad to help provide some entertainment for them. Besides, maybe someone will make something for me. Thank you, by the way. I enjoyed seeing the shirt on Blaine. Kurt did a really good job."

"I'm sorry?"

"With all due respect, this conversation could have taken place over the phone. I'm pretty sure you wanted me to see how happy Blaine was so I would know any extra effort I went to was worthwhile, and I appreciate that. You're known throughout the staff for doing thoughtful things like that. Kurt was really happy, too, by the way. I could tell he was enjoying his time in the workroom."

All the cameras had been delivered and Blaine was determined to get everything ready and send the Heidi Klaus e-mail before he left for the evening, but he took a minute in between importing videos to consider the ramifications of Jo's words. It sounds like Kurt asked for the use of the workroom specifically so he could make a shirt for me. That means Heidi knew about it, which explains why she wasn't surprised when she saw the shirt, and she approved it knowing how I feel about him. Blaine was still trying to figure out the implications when his phone rang.

"Hi, Blaine. This is Amy. Am I on speaker?" she asked sweetly.

Here we go. I hope this isn't too unpleasant. "Hi, Amy. No, you're not. Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to make sure this conversation was private. I'm going on break at 3:00 and you're going to meet me for coffee."

The hell I am! "Excuse me? I don't think so."

"In that case, you might want to think again. Think about that pretty new shirt you got for Christmas. Think about who snapped the picture for you. Think about who had your phone in her hand. Now think about the wallpaper on your phone."

I knew she saw it. This can't be good. How much damage can she do? … Really, not much. Heidi already knows, but she won't like it that Amy knows. He realized she was speaking again.

"Okay, now that you've had time to think about it, is 3:00 good for you?"