"Hey, George! How's it going?"

"Burt! I can't complain. How about you?" George replied, a smile breaking over his face. "Hi, Blaine."

"Good, good. Have they got you working the whole holiday? I thought you might have the day off today."

"Margaret and I don't have any family in the area. Our kids are grown and living out of state, so it's pretty quiet. Margaret likes me to work the holidays as much as I can. She says it's more important for the people with younger children to be off. We still celebrate; we just do it on a different day. What's Kurt up to?"

"That's why I'm here, actually. Kurt's making lunch for a few of his friends, and we wanted to invite you to join us. It's baked fish."

George looked uncomfortable. "Gee, Burt, I'd really like to, but I'm not sure it would be allowed. The producers are pretty careful about who is given access to what. I don't want to hurt Kurt's chances of getting on the show."

"I cleared it with Jon," put in Blaine. "He said if you wanted to go, it was okay. The rules allow it." I've known George for two years and he's never talked about his family, never been willing to go to lunch with me. What is it with these Hummel men?

"In that case, I'd love to. I'll head up when my relief comes on about noon, if that's okay."

"That'll work! See you then."

Blaine looked around the apartment. After visiting with nearly everyone, he had settled down to observe, sitting cross-legged on the floor midway between the kitchen and the living room, positioned so that he could easily see both areas. Everyone was relaxed and happy; the combination of good food and excellent company put people at ease. The groups had been quite fluid, people moving around as they wished. At the moment, Burt and Michele were seated at the table with George, listening to Annie tell funny stories about her dog, insisting that she missed the dog more than she missed her parents. April, Jen and Aaron were in the living room, trying unsuccessfully to convince Mike and Sandy to spill some juicy details about celebrities they had met in the course of their work with Project Runway. Kurt was floating between the rooms, bringing rolls and beverage refills, making sure his guests had everything they needed, pausing now and then to interject a comment or introduce a new topic if the conversation lagged. Kurt was a touchy-feely sort of person, Blaine realized, watching him place a hand on Sandy's shoulder or trace one of Jen's tattoos with a fingertip.

"What can I get you, Blaine?" Kurt asked on his next trip back to the kitchen.

"How about some company? Get a plate and sit down here and eat with me. I don't think you've had anything at all."

Kurt surveyed the room, reluctant to abandon his duties. "I don't know, Blaine. Maybe I should …."

"Look," Blaine interrupted. "The food is all out on the counter. If people want something, they can get up and get it themselves. You deserve to eat, too. And besides, I'm lonely." He stuck out his lower lip in a mock pout. "A good host would come entertain me."

"Well, when you put it that way," Kurt laughed, "what choice do I have?" He filled a plate and sank gracefully to the floor, mirroring Blaine's pose.

"This was delicious," Blaine said, indicating his plate. "How long have you been cooking?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "After Mom died, Dad took over in the kitchen. He did the best he could, but there were quite a few disasters along the way an underdone chicken here, a charcoal roast there. We ended up eating mostly the same three or four dishes he could make reliably. By the time I was twelve, I decided that if I wanted anything other than spaghetti or mac and cheese, I was going to have to learn to cook."

"Hey, I heard that!" Burt yelled from his seat at the table. "You love my mac and cheese!"

"Dad was very supportive," Kurt continued. "I think he was just as tired of the monotony as I was. He got me a cookbook, and we'd decide what recipes to try. We'd make a shopping list and go to the store together. At first we cooked together, but eventually I was doing most of it. I had some disasters of my own, but Dad never complained." He looked at Burt with a fond smile. "We still cook together at least once a month, though. It keeps us connected." He took a bite of the salsa. "Wow! Michele, this salsa is fantastic! Adding the kumquats was pure genius!" he exclaimed. "I don't suppose you'd share the recipe."

"I'd be happy to," she replied, "as long as you'll share the recipe for the roasted vegetables."

"Annie did the 'veg', as she calls it."

"I just followed your instructions, Kurt, but I remember what I did. I shall be making that dish again soon. Can I e-mail the directions to you, Michele? I want the recipe for the salsa, too."

"How come no one wants my dessert recipe?" Jen was pretending to be offended.

"Even I can figure that one out," commented Aaron. "Wash fruit. Slice everything except the grapes. Discard seeds and peel when necessary."

"Don't be too sure," she huffed. "Maybe I washed the fruit and maybe I didn't."

"Speaking of 'washing', I'd better get started on the dishes," said Kurt, getting to his feet. There really wasn't much to do since they had cleaned up the mess from the preparation while the veggies were roasting.

"I don't think so! Aaron and I are going to do it. We're the only ones who didn't help cook. Besides, I want to get to know Aaron a little better," April said with a wink that was barely short of lascivious, laughing at the look of alarm on Aaron's face as she took him by the hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

"Don't worry, Michele. She's harmless," Annie said quietly. She excused herself from the table and looked at Jen, who nodded regretfully and stood up. "Kurt, this was so much fun! Thank you for inviting us. Jen and I have back-to-back interviews starting at 2:00, so we're going to go get ready now."

Kurt hugged each of the girls in turn. "I know you'll both be great! Good luck!"

One by one, everyone said goodbye and headed out. Aaron was helping Sandy and April return the dishes they had borrowed from the girls' apartment, Michele had gone to her room to call her husband, and Mike had gone back to work. Blaine noticed that George seemed to be hanging back, as if he wanted to be the last to leave. Something's up. Blaine moved to the couch, sitting with his back to the kitchen, but still listening. He knew George would understand that he had to stay -- it was part of his job.

"Kurt, Burt, I just want to tell you guys goodbye now. I'm off tomorrow, and I don't know if I'll see you again today. It was really nice meeting you both. Kurt, if you get on the show -- don't worry, Blaine. I know the rules. -- If you get on the show, they'll restrict your contacts so we won't get to talk much, but if you and Burt ever want to come back for a vacation or maybe to check out the schools in New York, Margaret and I would love to have you stay with us."

"George, that's really nice of you to offer, but Margaret hasn't even met us. It seems like we would be imposing," Burt protested.

"I can't tell her about you until after the show airs because of the non-disclosure agreement, but we've been married for thirty-five years. We know each other pretty well by now," George explained, "and I'm certain she would love you both." He moved to the door before adding, "I've got to get back to work. I can't give you my contact information now, but you can get it from Blaine after the show is over." With that, he was gone.

The Hummels just looked at each other, stunned. "Wow. That was really nice," Kurt commented softly.

"I've got to go, too," Blaine said, getting up from the couch. "Kurt, lunch was fantastic. Thank you so much for including me. Remember, the excursions meet downstairs at 2:00. Burt, if you want to change your mind, it's not too late."

"Not me! I'm ready for some football!"

By the time Blaine got to the conference room, everyone else was already assembled and waiting. Great. Am I late? I hate being the last to arrive. It looks bad.

"Okay, let's get started," Jon said from his seat at the head of the table. "Does anyone have any problems to report? Matt?"

"I had a little trouble with Ernesto. He was really tense before his interview." 

That's an understatement.

"I take it you got him calmed down. I saw the transcript. It looked like he did pretty well."

"Actually, I didn't. I'd already been through all the procedures and nothing was working. If anything, I was making it worse. Then one of Blaine's kids -- what was his name, Blaine?"

"Kurt. Kurt Hummel." You should know his name. He did you a big favor.

"Then Kurt came out of his interview and started talking to Ernesto. At first he wasn't doing any better than I had, and I was about to intervene when he said something I didn't catch and suddenly Ernesto was laughing and smiling and completely relaxed. Blaine, do you know what he said?"

"He got Ernesto talking about his sister." Jon made a note.

"Well, anyway, Ernesto owes Kurt a lot and I guess he knows it, because he wants to change his excursion to whatever Kurt is doing this afternoon."

Jon considered. "I don't see why not, as long as there is room in the group. What is Kurt signed up for, Blaine?"

"He's going to Mood. That's my group and there's plenty of room."

"Okay, that's settled then. Sandy, Blaine -- any problems? How was lunch?"

"Blaine's group and my group got together and cooked lunch," Sandy explained, seeing the inquiring looks from the other assistants. "It was fun. April pretended to put the moves on Aaron, but she's really all talk and no action. She insisted on cleaning up, since she hadn't done any of the cooking." She looked at her watch. "I need to get my girls to their interviews."

"Go ahead, Sandy. We'll text you if there's anything you need to know," Jon replied. "Cheryl, anything to report?"

"The airline found Andrew's luggage. Evidently it changed planes during the layover in Chicago and made a brief visit to LA. They delivered it this morning, so he has his interview clothes now."

Jon made another note. "I could use a brief visit to LA. Lori? No? Let's see, Jo's at Parsons. Amy, anything? Okay, if no one has anything else, we're done here. Your show tickets will be at the box office. No changes after 3:00 on the shows. Remember to text me if you deviate from the planned excursions this afternoon," he said, looking meaningfully at Blaine, who smiled and nodded.

The designers had gathered in the lounge under the signs. Blaine saw Ernesto standing with the 'Chinatown' group. He must not have gotten Matt's text. Blaine walked over and pulled him aside. "Hi Ernesto. I'm Blaine, Kurt's assistant. Matt said you wanted to change excursions; is that right?"

"Yeah, but he said he'd have to get permission and I never heard back from him, so I figured I'd better stick with my original group."

"He was supposed to text you. Maybe he forgot."

Ernesto looked stricken. "I turned my phone off for the interview and never turned it back on again." He turned it on, and his face lit up when he heard the tone that indicated he had received a text. "Yes, here it is. He says I'm going on the 'Mood' trip."

"That's my group and we're all here. We'll be ready to go in just a minute. I'm glad you can join us."

Kurt was talking animatedly to April and another girl -- one of Lori's group, Blaine remembered. What is that girl's name? I know it … Oh, 'Marisol that's it. "Hi, everybody!" Blaine greeted them. "I see you've all met. Marisol, I'm Blaine. Do all of you know Ernesto?"

"I saw you in the green room. You had the interview right before me, right?" asked Marisol. Ernesto nodded.

"I'm April. It's nice to meet you." Good, she isn't hitting on him. Maybe this will be a pleasant trip. "Blaine, it's so good to see you again," she cooed, placing her hand on his arm and tilting her head to look at him through her lashes. Oh, great! Just what I needed.

"Mood is just a few blocks away, so we'll be walking."

"Walking?" April interrupted. "I can't walk in these shoes. I've got to go change." She rushed toward the elevators.

Marisol rolled her eyes. "What part of 'walking tour' did she not understand?" she asked rhetorically.

"Kurt, can I talk to you a minute?" Ernesto looked suddenly shy.

"Sure. We can go over here," Kurt said, indicating an alcove. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me in the green room. I was so panicked that I couldn't think straight. I know I would have totally messed up my interview if it weren't for you."

"I'm glad I could help, but I didn't do that much, Ernesto. Anyway, I'm sure you would have done the same for me."

Ernesto looked at his feet, his face a study in misery. "That's just it, Kurt. I have to be honest. I don't think I would have done the same for you or anyone else. I mean, it's a competition."

Kurt took Ernesto by the shoulders and shook him gently. "Hey, don't worry about it. Everyone has to do what feels right for them. And you can't really know what you would have done until you've actually been in the situation." Seeing that Ernesto still wasn't reassured, Kurt pulled him into a hug. It took a second or two, but eventually Ernesto relaxed and hugged Kurt back. When they broke apart, Ernesto was smiling again.

"I'm baa-aack," April announced. She tucked her hand under Blaine's arm. "Shall we?"

"So, what is everyone looking for at Mood?" Blaine asked as they went through the door and out onto the sidewalk.

"I want to get some fabric to use for Serena and my mom. The selection where I live in Texas isn't that great. I just wish they could be here, though. I know they'd like some input," Ernesto said wistfully.

"Mood allows swatching. You can cut samples of everything you think they'd like, get the item numbers and call Mood when you get back to Texas, or place your order on-line. You'll have to pay for shipping, but that's better than buying material that they don't like. The only place you can't swatch is the bottom floor, where they have the home dec fabrics. You can still have swatches, but you have to get an associate to cut them for you. I've got scissors and Sharpies for all of you."

"I was hoping for some New York-themed cotton fabric," said Marisol. "I'm making a quilt, and I want something to commemorate this trip."

Blaine frowned. "I don't think Mood is going to have much of a selection. Let me check something." He pulled out his phone and opened a browser window. "Okay, I think this will work. After we finish at Mood, we're supposed to walk around the fashion district. The City Quilter is less than a mile from Mood, and I know they'll have what you want. I feel sure our tour will take us in that direction. April, what about you?"

Oh, I don't want anything in particular," she said airily. "I thought it might give me an advantage to be familiar with Mood." She's more conniving than I thought. I don't think I'll tell her that all the designers who make the show spend several hours in Mood to do just that before the first challenge. I wonder if the whole 'sex fiend' thing was just a ploy to get noticed.

"I want to make myself a new messenger bag so I'll be looking downstairs," Kurt said into the silence that followed April's brazen announcement. "And I'd love to get some of that New York fabric that Marisol was talking about for the lining."

"Okay, here we are." Blaine motioned toward a doorway. Kurt's eyes lit up when he realized that the elevator was the old-fashioned kind with a telescoping metal grill and a human operator. Blaine smiled to himself. I thought he'd get a kick out of that.

"May I?" Kurt asked the operator, getting out his phone to snap a picture.

When they got inside Mood Blaine handed Ernesto a pair of scissors and pointed him in the direction of the fashion fabrics. April's attention had immediately been captured by the display of buttons and trims. Marisol decided to go with Kurt and Blaine downstairs.

"What show are you going to, Kurt?" Marisol asked as they walked down the aisles of upholstery fabric.

"How to Succeed. What about you?"

"I didn't know which one to pick, so I chose Sister Act. I like the movie, so I figured it would be safe. Why did you pick How to Succeed?"

"My dad really likes Beau Bridges. It will be a nice surprise. He let me pick the show, and I haven't told him anything about it."

"Would you excuse me, please?" Blaine asked suddenly. "I need to let Jon know about our side trip to the quilt store and I don't have service down here." I hope I can make this work. Blaine went upstairs, found a quiet spot, and placed a call. "Hey, Alex. It's Blaine, with Runway …. I'm good. You? …. Listen, the reason I'm calling is about the backstage tour tonight. I've got a group of designers and they're getting a tour and a meet-and-greet with Catherine Zuber, the costume designer. One of the designers is underage and his father's with him. I just found out that the father's a huge fan of Beau Bridges. He's a great guy and I'd like to do something nice for him. Is there any way …. Oh, that would be great, Alex. I really appreciate it. I know … no promises, no pressure. Just do what you can. Thanks. See you tonight."

Blaine decided to check on April and Ernesto before he went back downstairs. Ernesto was at a cutting table with a handful of swatches and three bolts of material. "Doing okay?" Blaine asked.

Ernesto smiled and nodded. "I got lots of swatches, and I know they'll like this material, so I'm getting it now. I'll be done once I have this cut."

April had left the buttons and trim and moved on to the zippers. "This is so cool, Blaine! I can't get zippers with decorative pulls like this at home, and they have about a million colors!" I like her when she's not putting on an act.

"There are more downstairs. I'm headed there now. I'll show you where they are, if you like," Blaine offered.

"I think these will be plenty. I'm on overload already too many choices."

By the time he got downstairs, Kurt and Marisol had finished at the cutting table and were looking through the boxes of zippers. Kurt had selected a velvet fabric that was predominantly chocolate and kiwi. The design reminded Blaine of old-fashioned TV screens rounded rectangles inside rounded rectangles. He also had a cotton duck in a slightly darker brown. Marisol was holding up zippers for his approval. "See if you can find two like that with the square pull that are at least 15" long, and I think that will do it," Kurt directed.

"Do you need D-rings or anything?" Blaine asked.

"No, I'll get those at the hardware store. I need something that will take the weight of college textbooks, and nothing they have here will be strong enough," Kurt laughed ruefully. "I learned that the hard way. My books ended up all over the hall when a ring came apart."

When Kurt had the zippers he wanted, they all climbed the stairs and joined April at the checkout counter. Once everyone had paid, they headed back out onto the street, Blaine pointing out shops, schools, and museums as they made their way along 7th Avenue.

When they got to The City Quilter, Marisol pulled on the door, only to discover that it was locked. "Oh, they're closed," she said in disappointment.

"You just have to ring the bell. It's a safety thing," Blaine explained as he pressed the button, opening the door when he heard the buzz of the lock releasing.

"Welcome to The City Quilter. Can I help you find something today?" The man behind the counter was tall and tanned, and if he was a quilter, it looked like he also made time for more energetic pursuits.

April looked him up and down approvingly before she spoke. "These two," she said, indicating Kurt and Marisol with an elegant fingernail, "are looking for fabric that represents New York. The rest of us are just along for the ride."

"Our New York collection is in that case by the door. Perhaps the rest of you would like to view the art quilts while you wait. Just go to the back of the store and turn right."

"Hmmm," April purred. "I think I'm more interested in the human art right here."

"Give it a rest, April," Ernesto said, irritation getting the better of him. "Let's go look at the quilts."

Marisol made her decision quickly she wanted a yard of each of the fabrics. She began to carry bolts to the cutting table. Kurt was considering two for his bag a line drawing of buildings in black on white and a colorful representation of the subway map on black.

"What do you think, Blaine?" Kurt asked, holding up the bag fabric against each bolt.

"It's your bag, Kurt. You should get the one you like."

"You've been a big part of this trip, Blaine, and I know we wouldn't have enjoyed as much with anyone else. I want you to pick the fabric."

"In that case, how about this one," Blaine asked, extracting a bolt from Marisol's stack. It was the building fabric again, but in brown on cream. "I think it goes better with the chocolate."

"Oh, I didn't see that one! It's perfect! Thank you!" Blaine suddenly found himself engulfed in an exuberant hug. Almost before he figured out what was happening, Kurt released him again with an apology. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes," he said, a blush creeping over his downcast face. Wait. Come back.

"It's fine. I'm a hugger, too. Feel free, any time." I did not say that. Just kill me now.

With some trepidation, he risked a look at Kurt. The smile on Kurt's face was the most beautiful one he had ever seen.