Okay, how does this change my report? If Kurt knew this was an interview, did he modify his behavior accordingly? If he did, he's a fantastic actor, but I think I was seeing the real Kurt. He's too genuine for this to be an act.

Blaine's train of thought was abruptly derailed by an outburst from Burt. "Hey, wait a minute! So you were playing us? Trying to trick us or something?"

So Burt�didn't�know. Kurt knew, but didn't warn him.

"No, Dad, settle down," Kurt hastened to explain. "It's cool. Blaine was just doing his job. And don't worry you were perfect. That's why I didn't tell you. I knew if you would just be yourself, we would be fine." He smiled reassuringly at his dad, and Burt's shoulders relaxed.

"Well, okay," he huffed, "but nobody pushes the Hummels around." He looked directly at Blaine. "Nobody," he reiterated.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Sir," replied Blaine, with his most sincere smile.

Burt looked stern for another minute, then extended his hand. "I guess I owe you an apology, Blaine. I'm sorry. No offense intended. And, please, call me 'Burt'."

"None taken, Burt," replied Blaine, completing the handshake.�Wow, he's protective. I can understand why, though, given what they told me about the high school bullying. I guess I'd better see what I can salvage.�"So," he asked, turning to Kurt, "what gave me away?"

"Oh, it wasn't you. I knew before we got on the plane that this would probably happen."

"From a spoiler website?"�Heidi is going to be�livid�if it's on the web!

"Oh, no. It was exactly what I would do -- hold unannounced interviews when people are tired and hungry from traveling, and maybe a little unsure. It's a good way to find out how they handle stress and get at least a glimpse of the real person, and that's important for this show. For some reason, I'm absolutely sure being on�Project Runway would be stressful. Besides, that line in the rules was a dead giveaway."

Thank goodness!�"I guess great minds really do think alike, Kurt. That's almost exactly the way Heidi explained it to me when I first started."�Now, do I tell him or not? I'm going to risk it. He's got integrity; he'll do the right thing as long as he knows what it is.�"As far as I know, you're the only contestant who's ever figured it out. I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't tell anyone -- the other contestants, I mean. If it comes up in your interview, then just say whatever you want."

"Do you think it will come up?"

"It might. I'll have to put it in the report that I may or may not be writing," Blaine said with a smile. "I've got to get going, though. We don't want …," he said, pausing to check his phone, "... oh, yeah, Aaron to think I've forgotten him."

The two-bedroom apartment was amazing. The Hummels were sharing what was obviously meant to be the master bedroom, either because they were there first, or because Burt was along; Kurt wasn't sure which. The other bedroom was nearly as large, though. Both bedrooms and the living room had floor-to-ceiling corner windows, which provided a gorgeous view of the city. Kurt couldn't keep his hands off the linens. The sheets and towels were the kind he had only dreamed about -- high thread count; wonderfully soft; and in the case of the towels, absorbent and fluffy; and made with bamboo fiber, so they were good for the environment as well. The rooms were decorated primarily in white, with light wood accents, possibly to provide a neutral background for what was sure to be a colorful group of people. Kurt unpacked for both of them while Burt settled in for a short nap. Kurt wanted to visit Mood, but Burt needed to rest and Kurt had promised not to venture out into the city by himself, so when he was finished, Kurt put on his workout clothes and went to find the fitness center.

Like everything else at the Atlas, the fitness center was luxurious, with all the latest equipment. The desk was staffed by a petite blond with an upturned nose dusted with freckles. "Hi, I'm Mandy. I haven't seen you before. Can I give you a quick tour of the facility?"

"Kurt. That would be great, thanks."

"So, are you a new resident?"

"I'm here for�Project Runway."

"Oh, wow! That's fantastic. Are you a designer or a model? I'll bet you're a model. You have the build for it." She tilted her head and viewed him through thick eyelashes.

Kurt snorted. "Thank you, but I don't think so. I'm a designer."

“Oh, you have the hard part, then. It's a great opportunity, but won't you miss your family, being gone so long? I'll bet your girlfriend doesn't like this at all."

Kurt was a little nonplussed, but he had to admire her straightforward manner. He decided to answer in kind. If she was offended by his sexual orientation, so be it. "First of all, it's just the interview. I'm not on the show yet. And, second, it's not 'girlfriend', it's 'boyfriend', but I'm single, and I'm under 21, so my dad came with me. But, yes, if I do get selected, I'll miss him."

Mandy made a moue of disappointment. "I guess it isn't meant to be, then. Oh, well." She smiled impishly. "John comes on duty at 6:00. I think he'd be more your type."

Kurt was astounded. He expected New Yorkers to be more accepting in general, but this was not what he had envisioned at all. "Thanks, but I'm only here for a few days, and I think this hour may be the only free time I have."

"Well, we'd better get you started then. What equipment are you interested in?" The girl had toned down the flirting a little, but other than that, her manner hadn't changed at all.

Smiling warmly now, Kurt indicated the elliptical. Mandy got him some towels, showed him the antiseptic wipes and the urn in which slices of orange and lemon floated in ice water, offered him some headphones and left him to exercise. Kurt chose a playlist and quickly lost himself in the music and the feeling of vigorously moving his muscles after the enforced inactivity of the plane. Before he knew it, his hour was finished and it was time to go. He wiped the equipment clean, dumped his towel in the bin and headed out, pausing at the desk to thank Mandy. She handed him a plastic cup of citrus water with a smile and a wave. "Come back if you get a chance, Kurt."

Kurt was surprised to find the living room occupied when he got back.�Oh, great. Why didn't I think about this? Now I have to meet new people when I'm disgustingly sweaty.

"Hi, Kurt," Blaine greeted him. "I'd like you to meet Aaron and Michele Gomez." Turning to the Gomez family, he continued. "This is Kurt Hummel, and Burt is around here somewhere."

Kurt blushed as he looked at the pair; mother and son, he assumed. Michele was tall and elegantly thin. Her dark hair was cut short and framed her face with soft curls. She was dressed in a wrinkle-free business suit evidently designed for traveling. Aaron was also tall, but much more muscular. He was darker than his mother, and wore jeans and a t-shirt. "I'm very glad to meet you," Kurt said. "I won't offer to shake hands because I'm pretty gross right now, but I can tell you that this building has an awesome�fitness center. Dad was taking a nap when I left. Let me get him."

"Oh, please don't disturb him on our account, Kurt. We can meet him later." Michele had a soft, musical voice and a brilliant smile. "We need to unpack and get ready for the 5:00 meeting anyway."

Mother and son moved toward the open bedroom door, leaving Kurt and Blaine alone in the living room. They exchanged amused glances when they heard Aaron whining. "But I'm hunnnngry, Mom. When are we gonna eat?"

"Aaron, the kitchen is fully stocked. Feel free to help yourself to anything you find," Blaine called.

"Cool!" came the enthusiastic reply. "Thanks!"

I wonder what he thought of Mandy. I'll bet she tried to eat him up.�"So, how was the fitness center?"

"It was beautiful, just like everything else here. I wish I had more time to spend there, though. Mandy … do you know Mandy? Yes, okay, well Mandy was flirting with me, so I let her know I was gay, and�she didn't judge me. In fact, she tried to fix me up with one of her co-workers." Kurt struggled to hold back the tears. "She didn't even know me, but it was like it didn't make any difference to her. None at all."

Blaine's heart ached.�It must have been worse that they let on, for Mandy's acceptance to affect him this way.�Blaine fought the urge to take Kurt into his arms. "That would be John," he said lightly. "You might want to drop in later. He's�very�hot, if you like the big beefy type. He spends a lot of time on the machines when they don't have any clients."

"I live in�Ohio, Blaine. I have no idea what 'my type' is."

Blaine put his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "As Heidi will tell you tonight, one of our goals here at�Project Runway�is for the designers to experience personal growth. Maybe that will be one of the things you figure out. Just be sure you don't act on whatever it is."

"Wait, what?"

"Don't worry about it, Kurt. You'll hear all about it tonight. Now go get ready," Blaine said, giving his shoulder a final pat. "I'll wait right here to take all of you down to the meeting. You have about …," He checked his watch. "... forty-five minutes." Blaine couldn't help but chuckle when Kurt let out a squeak of horror and rushed toward the bathroom.

Burt was the first to appear in the living room. He sat on the couch, happily talking sports with Blaine. Michele and Aaron joined them shortly thereafter, and introductions were made. Blaine was just beginning to get worried that they would be late when Kurt finally arrived. Blaine gathered his little group with his eyes, surreptitiously evaluating their appearance.�They look pretty good. It's funny, though. All three men are wearing similar off-the-rack suits, and Michele is impeccable, but Kurt has something extra. It's not just that his suit has obviously been tailored; Burt's fits just as well. Kurt has a certain … presence.�"Everyone looks fantastic! Are we ready?" he asked as he led the way down to the lounge.

Blaine knew it was silly, but he couldn't help hoping that 'his' designers would make the cut. It wasn't that he thought it would reflect well on himself if they did. He genuinely cared about people, and the few hours he spent with each designer were enough for him to form bonds. It was one reason Heidi insisted that he be assigned to the two contestants who were under 21. She knew the parents would find him reassuring and the designers would enjoy meeting him. Unfortunately, the producers were reluctant to cast anyone under 21. Kurt and Aaron would have to be outstanding to be considered at all.

"This is where we sit," he said, leading his group to one of the front row tables and pulling out a chair for Aaron's mom when it became evident that Aaron wasn't going to do it. "Would you like something from the bar? Michele? Burt? Aaron?" he asked, noting each request. "Okay, that's white wine for Michele, a beer for Burt and a rum and Coke for Aaron. What about you, Kurt?"

Kurt looked at Blaine, his elegantly raised eyebrow clearly inquiring�Another test, Blaine?�as he shook his head 'no'. "I don't think so, thank you."

Yes, and you passed. Aaron didn't.�"Maybe some iced tea, then," Blaine suggested.

"That would be nice. Thank you."

Blaine went after the drinks as Heidi mounted the dais in the front of the room.

"Welcome," she proclaimed with a grand gesture. "I'm so glad you're all here. I'm Heidi Klum." The room burst into applause. She waited. "And I'm sure you all recognize Tim Gunn. Tim is your mentor, your advocate, and your liaison with the rest of the staff." Again, the designers applauded. "You'll meet Michael Kors and Nina Garcia tomorrow. I'm sure you're all tired and hungry, so I'll try not to keep you too long. With any luck at all, the end of my speech will coincide with the buffet being ready."

Blaine returned and quietly distributed the drinks, except for the two glasses of iced tea. "They had mango green tea and your standard orange pekoe. I like them both, so you can have whichever one you prefer," he whispered, smiling as Kurt gleefully reached for the mango green tea.

"I always wanted to try this, Blaine. Thank you," he whispered back before turning his attention to Heidi.

"By signing the application form, you've giving us permission to film and use your every action, starting tonight at midnight. However, we won't use any hidden cameras. You will always know when we are recording. We also won't film any private activities, so you don't have to worry about stepping out of the shower and into living rooms across America." Heidi paused until the laughter died down again, assessing the room. No one looked surprised. After all, most of the contestants had watched Project Runway�from Day One. They knew how this would work.

"We may, however, come into your bedroom unannounced in the morning to awaken you, so if you sleep in the nude …" Heidi looked around the room. "... don't." Again, she was forced to wait for the laughter to dissipate.

"Runway�is a reality show, but as I'm sure you know, reality shows aren't any more 'real' than professional wrestling is," she began again.

Tim spoke for the first time. "Wait ... Wrestling's not real?"

"He makes that joke every time," Blaine whispered to Kurt under cover of the laughter that had erupted once again.

"We have a number of goals here at�Project Runway. First of all, we want to be profitable so we can continue. In order to make a profit, we need ratings. We want to produce an interesting show with likable characters. This is, first and foremost, a business endeavor. But that's not all we want to do. We want to foster young designers, help you get a start on your careers. You'll find that just being on the show will give you a leg up on your competition. Our third goal is for each of you to experience personal growth, to challenge yourselves, to stretch a little, and get to know yourselves better. It will be stressful and difficult, and you may want to give up and go home, which is an option at any time, by the way. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you need to leave, just let Tim know and we'll make the arrangements. We hope you won't, but it has happened, and you need to know that you aren't trapped here." Heidi paused, confused. "Where was I?"

"Best experience," supplied Blaine quietly.

"Thank you, Blaine. No matter how stressful it feels at times, we hope you will count this as one of the best experiences of your life."

"Our show is more 'real' than most reality shows, but at times we will have to shoot things again. We expect you to do your best to repeat the actions the same way you originally did them, and not let on that it's another take. Also, we hope this doesn't happen, but if you truly feel that something shouldn't be included in the show, please come talk to Tim about it. You've placed your trust in us, and we're not going to abuse that trust.

"Any questions so far? No? Okay.

"Let's talk about confidentiality. You may not, by word or deed, reveal anything about any episode until after it has aired in the United States on the west coast. To be safe, I suggest you wait until the following day. We shoot four weeks ahead, so you'll have to keep everything under wraps for about a month. You may not tell your friends, acquaintances, classmates, enemies, family, pets -- am I leaving anyone out? -- anything whatsoever until after the episode airs. Breaking your agreement is grounds for dismissal if you were selected. If you weren't selected, you can be edited out of the Selection episode." She grinned wolfishly. "If nothing else, we can always sue you for breach of contract. And just so you know, when you signed on the dotted line, you agreed to abide by our decisions. There will be no appeals, no lawsuits. We're really serious about this. There are no second chances."

Kurt leaned over to whisper to Blaine again. "Wow, she's scary!"

"You don't know the half of it!" was Blaine's heartfelt response.

"Any questions? Yes … it's Jessie, right?"

Burt looked puzzled. "Have some of the contestants met Heidi already?" he asked Blaine.

"No, she makes a point of learning every designer's name from the videos. She says it's a way to show respect."

A young woman evidently Jessie stood to ask her question. Kurt noticed Blaine's nod of approval. "Do you mean that if we are selected, we should go ahead and register for next semester, even though we won't be there, and if we aren't selected, we should pack and buy plane tickets and stuff like that?"

"That's a good question. We know this can lead to problems since all of you are college students and you will miss the spring semester if you are selected, so we're going to rush this episode through in just two weeks and it will air on December 5th. At least half of the episode will be taken from your audition tapes, and we're using the ones we think will appeal to the audience, regardless of whether you were selected, so that's given us a head start. So, to answer your question, we want everyone to prepare both ways. Register for classes. In most cases, you won't have to pay before the show airs. If you must pay and the school won't refund your money, the show will reimburse you. The same goes for dorm rooms and apartments. If you are sharing and are unable to sublet, the show will pay your rent for the time you are here. You won't need to buy plane tickets until after the show airs. I suggest you all memorize the phrase If I tell you, Heidi will have to kill you, so please don't ask. All together now." She raised her hands and conducted the designers as they dutifully repeated the phrase back to her as laughter filled the room.

"Now, about the drama. I know designers tend to be drama queens …" She paused as scattered protests broke out. "Yes, you do, admit it. Designers are nearly as bad as models," she said, gesturing to herself, "and I should know, but we don't want you manufacturing drama for the sake of the show. The ratings are better when people get along. We're not asking you to hide your feelings -- quite the contrary -- but we don't want you to create drama that isn't there. And that leads us into the next topic. Tim?"

"Gather round, designers; we need to talk." There was laughter at the familiar phrase. "We're not asking anyone for details -- that isn't a factor in the show -- but I'm sure we have multiple sexual orientations in this group. For simplicity's sake, we will be assigning roommates based solely on gender. As the show progresses and we consolidate housing, you may be sharing an apartment or even a room with someone of the opposite sex. We trust that all of you will remain professional. If you have a problem with this, please see me and we'll work something out. Harassment of any kind, sexual or otherwise, will not be tolerated. If you observe or experience harassment, I expect you to come to me immediately. There will be repercussions if you fail to do so.

"You may not have a romantic or a sexual relationship with another designer during the time either of you is on the show. Even if you have an established relationship, you must put it on hold until both of you have been eliminated. We know we can't force you not to have feelings, but we can require you not to act on those feeling. That includes telling the other person about them. In other words,�no hanky-panky! Any questions?"

In the midst of the laughter a voice was heard. "Uh, Tim?"

"Yes, April? Stand up please."

"No sex for 12 weeks? We have needs, you know," she whined. The room was evenly divided between laughter and horror.

Tim's eyes remained on April for several seconds while the room quieted. She seemed to shrink into herself under his cool appraisal. "I suppose you need to ask yourself how badly you want to be on�Project Runway," he said in the coldest voice Blaine had ever heard him use. The tension in the room was palpable. Tim surveyed the audience slowly before returning his gaze to April. "I'm sure you'll survive, though," he said dryly. "That's why they invented masturbation."

I can't believe he said that!�As the room exploded with laughter, Blaine looked to see how his charges were doing. Aww.�That's so adorable. He's a true innocent."Kurt. You're blushing," he whispered fondly.