You cast a spell on me, spell on me.
Lexi sipped on her coffee quietly, watching as Rachel fawned over wedding magazines with Kurt. It was her first trip to The Lima Bean in a little over a month. She figured it was time to stop avoiding Sebastian and just slowly let nature take its course.
"Well, well, well," a teasing, familiar voice drawled. "If it isn't a young Barbra Streisand and an old Betty White." The three turned to see Sebastian approaching them, a seductive smirk on his face. His eyes scanned Lexi briefly, taking in her soft figure, before nodding. "Sexy as ever, Lexi."
Despite herself, Lexi's cheeks grew pink and she moved to hide herself behind her arm that was holding her coffee cup. "Thanks, Sebastian," she said quietly, and it didn't escape her notice that his eyes sparkle in mischief. It made her wonder what he was up to. She recognized that look.
He glanced around before asking, "Where is Gay Cyclops? Still trying to stumble his way in?"
Kurt looked at his female companions incredulously. "We can't come here anymore."
He pulled out the manila envelope he was holding and stated, "Rachel, I, uh, brought an engagement gift for you."
Rachel threw a look in Lexi's direction. The short brunette held her hands up defensively. "I didn't say anything."
Rachel made a small hum before turning to Sebastian haughtily. Quietly, Sebastian observed that was why he wasn't attracted to women. They were so much work. His eyes shifted to Lexi, taking in her simple, yet beautiful appearance.
He watched as she leaned over her cousin, watching Rachel open the envelope. Her blue eyes widened in shock and she gagged slightly as she felt a little puke fly up her throat.
"Oh, my God! Oh, no, that is PhotoShopped!" Rachel cried out in absolute horror. "His thing is not that small, or – or brown."
"TMI, Rachel," Lexi groaned softly, feeling sick to her stomach. She looked up at Sebastian, who was resisting the urge to laugh. "Penises are so disgusting," she managed to say.
It was all tiny and wrinkled and, like Rachel said, brown.
"And he could never fit into those pumps," Kurt provided while Lexi just pushed her brown coffee away from her.
"Just think, from now until eternity, every time someone Googles 'Finn Hudson,' they'll be treated to that and dozens just like it. That's the beauty of the internet," Sebastian sighed. "It stays with us forever."
"What do you want, Sebastian?" Rachel snapped.
"I want a guaranteed Regionals win, so I want you to drop out," he replied simply. Lexi furrowed her brows, wondering where he was getting to with this. After all, this was blackmail and she did say he wasn't above it. "McKinley gets home-court advantage this year. You're going to come down with Asian bird flu or whatever Tina Blowing-Wang just had."
"But that is show choir terrorism!" Rachel protested.
Kurt glared up at Sebastian. "You give a bad name to the entire gay community."
Sebastian turned to his object of affection's cousin and replied, "And you give the gay community cutting-edge fashion that's usually only seen on Puerto Rican pride floats."
"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you," Kurt responded. "I was distracted by your giant horse teeth." Lexi elbowed Kurt. He turned to his cousin. "You elbow me for insulting his teeth and you do nothing when he blackmails us?"
"You have twenty-four hours to drop out, Rachel, or I press the upload button," Sebastian said.
Lexi ignored her cousin and looked up at the Warbler. "I'm calling your bluff."
Sebastian turned to look at Lexi, hearing her speak for the first time since he arrived. He arched a perfect brow at her. "Oh, really? What makes you so sure?"
Lexi boldly stood up and Kurt and Rachel kept their eyes trained on the petite girl as she walked up to him. She was completely dwarfed by his height, especially since he stood up straighter, but Lexi didn't back down. She'd face broader, taller guys before.
"Because you want me back," she said confidently.
Sebastian shifted. Lexi's eyes zoned in on his movements. She was right. "Maybe I just want to win," he said, leaning in close so he was hovering over her.
Lexi's heart thumped in her chest heavily at his close proximity. Just one slight movement and their lips could brush…
"You just want one last laugh," Lexi said, before whirling around. "We'll see you at the competition, Sebastian."
Without another word, she strode out of the coffee shop. It was just a call for attention, she realized. He was getting impatient with waiting. Plus, even if he tried to be nice, he never could truly be. Sebastian Smythe didn't do nice.
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me.
Lexi sat quietly in a corner as the members of New Directions were in chaos. Why didn't they understand that Sebastian was just pulling their leg? They were self-destructing from the inside-out, and it wasn't good for the team.
"I'm not going to chill!" Finn cried out. "I'm done chilling!"
"The official show choir rulebook states that 'any real or perceived threat of violence, vandalism, or humiliation will be met with a swift and unquestioned disqualification of the threatening party's team with extreme prejudice'," Artie read, slamming the rulebook close. "It's right here. Page 72, by-law 15, section 6, article 44."
"Lexi doesn't seem to be worried by it," Santana's voice pointed out. Lexi glanced up from whatever she was doing (she wasn't so sure herself), turning to look at the Latina.
"Why aren't you worried?" Puck asked, looking at her suspiciously. He might've liked her, but he was still wary about the fact that she dated the captain of the Warblers.
The brunette glanced around the room before replying, "Sebastian's bluffing. He's doing this to get my attention." At the silence, she continued, "You guys are looking at him as too much of a threat. Yes, he is capable of horrible things, but when it all comes down to it, he's as soft as Jett."
"Who's Jett?" Tina asked, brows furrowed.
"Our puppy," Lexi replied. She then frowned. She still hadn't seen the puppy in a while. She missed him… badly. She pulled out her phone, showing her lock screen, which was now just her puppy. She couldn't stand seeing the picture of Sebastian on her screen any longer after that night with the slushie.
"Well, if someone posted a picture like that of me online, I'd probably kill myself," Sugar said.
Rory nodded in agreement. "Twice to be sure I was dead."
They weren't calling his bluff like she was. Lexi frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. She truly believed that it was just a ruse to get the New Directions riled up and Sebastian to make sure that Lexi had him on her mind. They were falling right into Sebastian's long, elegant fingers.
Finn then stormed out of the room, and the brunette's frown deepened. She didn't know what to think anymore. While she should be mad at Sebastian for creating such a photo of her cousin, it was a purposely-poorly-done job, which would let everyone know that it was undoubtedly fake.
Her phone suddenly buzzed in her hands and she looked down at it.
It was a text from the Devil himself.
Why's he texting me? He promise he'd keep his distance, Lexi thought to herself. Curiosity got the best of her and she found herself unlocking it, reading the text message. What she saw next had her dashing out of the classroom, worried.
Sebastian Smythe: I need you.
She quickly swiped over his contact name to call him. "Sebastian?" Lexi asked, once the line on the other end picked up. "Sebastian, what's wrong?"
"Lexi," Sebastian's voice, slightly breathless and panicking. "I – I didn't know who else to call. He's – He's… I should've been there. For him."
"Where are you?" She climbed into her car, starting the engine. If she got in trouble for skipping school, she'll take the punishment willingly. She stepped on the gas and drove out of the school.
"Home. Home in Westerville. I don't know what to do. He's in the hospital."
Lexi's eyes widened and she pressed down harder on the gas. It would take her at least an hour to get there. "I'll be there soon, okay? Just calm down."
And I decided you look well on me, well on me.
The door was unlocked when she arrived in front of his doorstep. She'd only been here twice before, both times after she visited Sebastian at Dalton. He forgot to lock the door.
She stepped into the apartment, making a beeline to his bedroom. "Sebastian?" she called, opening the door.
The sight of him made her heart shatter to pieces. He was on his bed, looking like a lost child. His turquoise eyes that usually held mischief or seduction were wide, full of fear and guilt.
She walked over to him cautiously. Reaching forward, she wrapped her arms around his lanky frame. A choked sob that Sebastian had been holding in for over an hour squeaked out of his throat, and the dam burst.
Lexi made soft, shushing noises as she ran a hand down his spine, comforting him as his arms went around her, holding her close to him. His head buried into her left shoulder, dampening it as his body shook with tears.
"Shh…" Lexi softly whispered, the only sound in the room besides Sebastian's sobs. "It's gonna be okay."
The couple sat there for a period of time, unsure of how long time had passed.
Sebastian pulled his head away from Lexi's shoulder, slightly embarrassed. "Sorry…" he mumbled, looking away from her.
"Hey," Lexi moved to protest. She shifted and made sure she could look at Sebastian's slightly red-rimmed eyes. "Don't apologize." There was a beat of silence, before she asked, "You wanna talk about it?"
"Remember when you went with me to Scandals and the guy – Karofsky – hit on me?"
Lexi nodded.
"Remember how you said it was harsh?"
She nodded again.
"He was found by his father after a suicide attempt."
A gasp escaped from Lexi's throat and her eyes widened. "Is he okay?" Her mind flashed to Kurt, who knew him better than she or anyone else did. She knew her cousin was keeping a distance with the boy since he had confessed his feelings.
Sebastian nodded. "He was found before it was too late. But… Lexi," he voice came out choked. "He could have died. It was all because of bullying. And Lexi… I'm a bully. His blood would've been on my hands."
"That's not true," Lexi said quietly, reaching to hold Sebastian. He flinched away from her and a pang shot through her. He's hurting, she tried to appease herself. He's confused.
He shook his head. "That doesn't make it right. I could've been there for him – one gay to another. Lexi, I've bullied your cousins. They could be the ones in the hospital right now… or worse..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I could be a killer."
"I'm not going to defend your actions, Sebastian," Lexi said quietly. "What you did to Blaine was horrible. Blackmailing Finn and Rachel was a horrible thing to do, yes, but it was a cry for attention. You've been lonely, haven't you?" At his silence, she knew she had hit the mark. The Warblers probably isolated Sebastian but only followed him so they could win.
"You have to make it right, Sebastian," Lexi said softly. "It's all fun and games… until it's not." She moved to touch his clean-shaven face. She cradled it softly and he moved into her touch.
"How do I do that?"
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me.
Sebastian and Lexi sat in the Lima Bean, looking over his calculus homework. Lexi's eyes were practically cross-eyed as she took in the math. Yeah, she was smart, but not Sebastian-smart. The only numbers she could do were sports statistics.
She heard them before she saw them.
"Let me break it down for you, from one bitch to another," Santana's voice got louder and louder as she approached the two, Blaine, Kurt, and Brittany in tow. "All this vicious, underhanded crap has got to stop."
"Exactly," Sebastian agreed, and surprise flashed onto Santana, Blaine, and Kurt's faces. "That's why I called you here." He looked at each and every one of them. "First of all, Blaine, I am sorry about your eye."
Blaine didn't relent. "That means nothing to me."
"Just give me a chance," Sebastian said, almost-pleadingly. "I have no excuses, other than a lame prank gone completely out of control. Second, the Finn photos have all been destroyed – not that they ever existed. Lexi was right for calling my bluff. I want the Warblers to win fair and square. And we're gonna take donations for Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation. Win, lose, or draw, we're gonna dedicate our performance to Dave Karofsky. I thought you might want to join us."
Kurt leaned into his boyfriend, stage-whispering, "Wait for the punch. You know it's coming."
"No," Sebastian shook his head. "Not this time. For too long, I have treated everything like a big joke." He clenched his hands into fists, and Lexi reached out, placing a small, comforting hand over his elegant fingers. He visibly relaxed and the notion didn't escape the New Directions members' attention. Sebastian turned his hand and gave Lexi's hand a small squeeze. "It's all fun and games… until it's not."
Santana moved to open her mouth, but Blaine spoke up, interrupting whatever she was going to say. "Lexi, what do you think?"
"Give him a chance," Lexi said, taking her hand away from Sebastian's. She missed the look of disappointment on his face. She turned to look at her best friend. "Trust me, Blaine."
Blaine's hazel eyes met mine, and I tried to tell him it was alright. If he couldn't bring himself to trust Sebastian, at least trust me.
Finally, Blaine's head nodded. "We'll give you the benefit of the doubt."
"That's it?" Santana asked incredulously. "You can't be serious."
"Life's too short to hold grudges, Santana," I said quietly. I stayed silent, wondering something as my words rang through my head. I shouldn't hold grudges, I repeated in my head.
Make you glad you came.
Later on in the week, the day of Regionals, just five hours before the competition, I found myself sitting in a large circle in-between Artie and Blaine.
"Mr. Schue," Mercedes was the first to speak up. "Why do you have a jar of peanut butter with only one spoon?"
"Yeah," Sugar nodded. "There are sixteen of us here, and I'm only comfortable sharing a spoon with about half of you."
Speak for yourself, Lexi thought. She was only comfortable sharing with Blaine and Kurt.
"Well, it's come to my attention that our good friend, Rory Flanagan, has never tasted peanut butter," Will announced, making Lexi's eyes widen in shock.
Other noises of incredulity filled. "No way."
"Rory," Will address, standing up. "If you don't mind." Rory met him in the center of the circle.
Will opened the jar of peanut butter, putting a little bit of it on the spoon before handing it to the Irish boy. "Oh, God," Rory whispered nervously. He put it in his mouth before his eyes widened in shock. "Oh, my God. That's the best thing I've ever had."
A few of the members chuckled, while Kurt sighed heavily. "Mr. Schuester, while that's incredibly moving, it's kind of been an emotional week for some of us." Rory took the jar of peanut butter and the spoon before sitting down next to Kurt again.
"Yeah, Mr. Schue," Finn nodded. "What's the point of all this?"
"The point is Rory just had a brand-new experience," Will explained. "Something as simple as peanut butter. You guys are young. I want you to promise me that no matter how depressed you get, no matter how hopeless or alone you feel, you'll try your best to imagine all of the amazing experiences you have ahead of you."
"Mr. Schue, look, I know we're a little dramatic sometimes, but I don't think anyone will ever considering taking our own life," Mercedes said, looking around. When she met Lexi's eyes, the brunette looked down guiltily. She was stunned silent for a moment. "… Lexi…?"
She could feel all eyes on her.
Lexi swallowed the lump in her throat. "You guys know I moved here because I was kicked out, y'know, for… being gay. Though now I'm starting to realize it's not about gender for me." She spared them a glance and some of them nodded. "I wandered around the park after I told them.. I remember it was around nine o'clock, but then when I actually paid attention, the sun was setting."
"I called you at six because you weren't online the whole day…" Kurt remembered. "You wandered around for nine hours?"
Lexi shrugged. "Probably." She couldn't remember much. She remembered answering her phone – the first phone call the whole day. She remembered sobbing out a greeting before hearing Kurt's voice. Then she fell apart again.
"I felt so horrible that day," Lexi admitted, and Blaine scooted closer. He wrapped a comforting arm and Artie reached out to pat her hunched shoulder. "I thought I was a freak. That I didn't belong. I didn't have friends, and now I didn't have family or a shelter. What was I going to do?" She sniffled softly.
"I was too weak to live on the streets – I'm not built for that," Lexi admitted, remembering she toyed with the idea. "Kurt," she said, looking up at the blurred outline of her cousin. "You don't know how much you saved me that night when you called me. I can't thank you enough."
Kurt shook his head. "You don't have to thank me for that. I'd do it again any time." He stood up, walking around the circle. Blaine scooted over so Kurt could embrace his cousin. "You'll never be alone again, Lexi."
"Yeah," Mercedes agreed. "Not while we're around."
Murmurs of agreement came around the circle.
"Don't say you're weak, either," Puck said from where he sat. "You're the toughest girl I know. There isn't anyone I can think of that can take down a six-five monster on the court like you can."
Lexi laughed softly through her stuffed nose, along with others. The mood was fixed.
"See on what you would've missed out on?" Will asked quietly. "You would've missed out on these wonderful people as your friends. You would've missed out on a new family – one that'll accept you and love you for who you are. And you have a home with us now." He looked around the stage and continued, "So, right now, I want you all to think of something that you're looking forward to – big things."
"Someday, I wanna earn enough money to buy my folks a new place, so they don't ever have to go through losing their home again," Sam was the first to share.
"Y'know, I'm most looking forward to meeting Rachel Berry's children," Mercedes said, looking at the diva. That earned a few chuckles.
"I want to be there to see my kid's first steps," Artie smiled.
"I want to be there to see Sex and the City: Part III," Sugar admitted.
Will's brows flew up. "Wow."
"I'm sort of embarrassed to admit it, but I really do wanna graduate high school," Puck admitted.
"I'm gonna petition the Army to change my dad's dishonorable discharge status to an honorable one," Finn smiled softly.
Quinn looked around before saying, "I'm looking forward to graduating from Yale at the top of my class."
"I'm looking forward to the day when my grandmother loves me again," Santana shared.
Brittany looked around before stating seriously, "I want Lord Tubbington to kick his ecstasy addiction."
Blaine smiled. "I am looking forward to marriage equality in all fifty states." He reached out, holding Kurt's hand while Kurt cradled Lexi to his chest, having her small body while he wrapped his legs around her, shielding her protectively.
"I'm looking forward to the first time I dance at Carnegie Hall," Mike smiled.
Tina looked around before admitting, "I just want a song," causing laughter.
"I'm looking forward to watching my dad make a difference in Congress," Kurt explained.
Lexi smiled softly and looked at the faces around her. "I'm looking forward to living my life filled with success and love with my new family – you guys." That earned her soft smiles.
"I'm looking forward to being friends with all of you for the rest of my life," Rachel agreed, smiling at Lexi, who returned it.
Rory plucked the spoon out of his mouth before saying, "I know this sounds silly, and the peanut butter really is amazing, Mr. Schue, but do you know what I'm looking forward to? Winning at Regionals."
Laughter ensued all around and various members applauded at the statement. They were at the top of their game and prime and nothing was going to stop them.
"Hey, guys?" Lexi asked, shifting so she could look at the majority of them from Kurt's hold. "Do you mind if I change the setlist up a bit?" Eyebrows shot up in astonishment, but they chose to listen to her.
My universe will never be the same.
"And now, let's meet our judges for the 2012 Midwest Regionals! Deputy Zoning Commissioner, Melba Jackson-Wright! President of the Ohio Plumbers Union Local 109, Mr. Harl Beindorf! And Central Ohio's number one late-night horror movie host, Svengoobles! And now, from Westerville, Ohio, the Dalton Academy Warblers!"
Lexi applauded with the rest of the audience as the curtains drew up, revealing the Warblers standing uniformly. They all clapped, and sang, with Sebastian led:
Come on, stand, up again
Stand, you're gonna run again
Sebastian walked forward, keeping his eyes on the audience as he beamed, singing:
Don't give up,
You're gonna see tomorrow
(with Warblers: That you'll be on your feet again)
Sometimes the world's gonna knock you over
But you will see who are your friends (Ooooooh!)
Lexi found herself clapping to the rhythm of the music as the Warblers moved together, singing:
Come on, stand, up again
Come on, stand,
Stand, you're gonna run again
The Warblers slid across the stage, surrounding Sebastian before he sang out:
You have the power to face your demons
(with Warblers: No matter how they go at times)
And rid yourself of your fear and weakness
So you can start to live your life (Oooooh!)
Finn was the first to stand up, followed by Lexi. The two exchanged looks as they clapped to the music, before the girl next to Finn tugged at him. "Why are you cheering on your competition?"
"Life's too short," Finn replied. "You should try it."
Lexi's eyes met Sebastian's on stage and he beamed at her, singing his background vocals as the Warblers harmonized:
Come on, stand, (Come on, baby!) up again (Stand, yeah!)
Come on, stand (You can, baby!)
(with Sebastian: Stand, you're gonna run again)
The Warblers' feet moved, making thumping noises to match the beatboxing while Sebastian sang:
Pick up your will
And put on your face
If you need to, just take my hand (Take my hand)
It's time to demonstrate, don't hesitate (Don't hesitate)
Just get up and say, "Yes I can." ("Yes, I can.")
Lexi resisted the urge to bounce as she clapped with the audience and Warblers:
Come on, stand, (Ohhh, stand, yeah!) up again (Stand up, again!)
Come on, stand (Ohhh, come on, baby!)
Stand, you're gonna run again (Stand, stand!)
Stand, you're gonna run again (Come on!)
Stand, you're gonna run again (Gonna run again!)
The audience applauded loudly and Sebastian spoke, his voice echoing through the auditorium. "Thank you," he said. "Just a reminder to please make a donation to one of our charity baskets. We're set up all around the auditorium. Just look for the Dalton blazer. Please," Sebastian's eyes landed on Lexi's briefly before moving, "give what you can."
He fell back in step with the Warblers and the next song started, with Sebastian looking directly into Lexi's baby blue eyes:
The sun goes down,
The stars come out,
And all that counts,
Is here and now,
My universe will never be the same,
I'm glad you came.
The music picked up as the Warblers moved around and Lexi smiled, standing up once again, clapping. The rest of the audience had the right idea too and Lexi beamed, seeing the moving figures of Jeff, Nick, Thad, Trent, and Sebastian as the latter led:
You cast a spell on me, spell on me,
You hit me like the sky fell on me, fell on me
And I decided you look well on me, well on me
So let's go somewhere no one else can see, you and me
Lexi flushed softly when he gave her a playful wink from the stage, but she kept clapping with the audience to the beat of the background Warblers while Sebastian continued to sing:
Turn the lights out now,
Now I'll take you by the hand,
Hand you another drink,
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slippin' away,
From us, so stay,
Stay with me, I can make,
Make you glad you came.
Lexi knew what this was. Not only was for the competition, but also for the fact that Sebastian was thanking her for that day two days ago, when he had called her. She smiled softly, looks like they had the same idea to dedicate a song to one another.
She couldn't wipe the smile from her face as Sebastian continued:
The sun goes down,
The stars come out,
And all that counts,
Is here and now,
My universe will never be the same,
I'm glad you came,
I'm glad you came.
The audience went absolutely wild when Jeff and Nick both did cartwheels on stage, before the Warblers moved around, dancing before heading to the stands, moving in sync:
Turn the lights out now,
Now I'll take you by the hand,
Hand you another drink,
Drink it if you can
Can you spend a little time,
Time is slipping away from us, so stay,
Stay with me, I can make,
Make you glad you came.
Sebastian was the one to move back and forth, having most of the attention:
The sun goes down,
The stars come out,
And all that counts,
Is here and now,
My universe will never be the same
I'm glad you came.
I'm glad you came,
I'm glad you came.
The Warblers bunched together before Sebastian finished off the song:
The sun goes down,
The stars come out,
And all that counts,
Is here and now,
My universe will never be the same,
I'm glad you came,
I'm glad you came
The audience cheered loudly, with Lexi probably being one of the loudest. Finn laughed from where he stood and Lexi grabbed a hold of Sam, hugging him enthusiastically.
Seeing Sebastian up on stage, up there, singing a song not only to inspire people, but also to thank her, she knew the decision she made was the right choice.
I'm glad you came.