Title: Sectionals

Rating: T

Characters: Sebastian Smythe, Nick Warbler, Blaine Anderson, Jeff

Summary: 4x08 spoilers. Sectionals are over but Sebastian just doesn't feel any happier. When he disappears after the performances are over and the awards received, Nick finds Blaine and they track him down. Part of my Second Chance verse.

Warnings: 4x08 spoilers, angst

Disclaimer: Nothing in this fic belongs to me, I'm not capable of the cruelty RIB are and I'm not old enough to own the song from Les Miserables.

A/N: Because of the horrible horrible cliffhanger RIB have left us with this week, for the sake of this fic, the Warblers won (and if I might share my opinion, I hope that they actually do). But here's the Sectionals breakdown fic as promised in "Oh Captain, My Captain". This is also a little more true to season 4 but Hunter still doesn't exist and Blaine is still occupying most of his time thinking about Kurt.

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SECTIONALS

Sebastian had performed well. He'd enjoyed watching the other teams attempt to beat them – especially the McKinley girl falling over and lowering their chances. And he had savoured the chance to accept their first place trophy. Jeff, Trent and Thad had it now, having taken it off Sebastian's hands when Nick had leapt forward to kiss him. Nick had grown increasingly affectionate since he'd called him from the Dalton bathrooms.

They hadn't won a competition since the last Sectionals and it felt good to be the top dogs again, even if it meant Blaine would be left behind. But the elation and adrenaline was wearing off now and Sebastian finding himself wandering towards McKinley's stage in the darkened, empty auditorium.

Hands in pockets, Sebastian glanced around, sighing softly as he took in the events of the day. He should have been elated – so why did he still feel this way?

Sitting on the first level of the stands, he looked out at the empty chairs and the judges' table and began to sing softly under his breath.

There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Now my friends are dead and gone.

Here they talked of revolution.
Here it was they lit the flame.
Here they sang about `tomorrow'
And tomorrow never came.

From the table in the corner
They could see a world reborn
And they rose with voices ringing

I can hear them now
The very words that they had sung
Became their last communion
On the lonely barricade at dawn.

Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
That I live and you are gone.
There's a grief that can't be spoken.
There's a pain goes on and on.

Phantom faces at the window.
Phantom shadows on the floor.
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more.

Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
What your sacrifice was for
Empty chairs at empty tables
Where my friends will meet no more

Sebastian bowed his head, leaning forward and letting his tears swell and fall to the stage beneath him.

He was sick of feeling like this.

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Nick and the rest of the Warblers were out in the McKinley car park when Blaine came running over to them.

"Hey Blaine! Sorry you guys didn't win. Is that girl who fainted okay?" Jeff asked as he moved to draw level with Nick.

"Yeah, Marley's fine. She hadn't eaten, nerves or something," his hazel gaze settled on Nick then. "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure," Nick looked to Jeff. "Do you wanna take the guys back to Dalton? Seb and I will be there soon."

"I'll see you there," Jeff said, nodding and waving to Blaine before he headed back to the rest of the group.

Blaine started leading Nick towards the auditorium again then. "I heard Sebastian singing, in the auditorium. He sang "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables" from Les Miserables and then started crying. I didn't try to talk to him; I didn't know what kind of state he'd be in."

"That's okay, thanks for coming and finding me," Nick answered, quickening his pace but soon he and Blaine were running. They burst through the auditorium doors, finding Sebastian curled in on himself on the stage. Nick ran forward, almost tripping as he bounded down the stairs and leapt up onto the stage.

"Sebastian? What happened? What's wrong?" Nick asked as he knelt down beside his friend. He could hear Blaine moving behind them but knew that the boy had more sense than to interfere before he was invited.

"I should be happy and I just feel absolutely miserable. I should be ecstatic that we finally beat the New Directions but I just wanna cry. I feel absolutely freaking horrible," Sebastian looked up at Nick, his eyes red and puffy. "Why don't I feel any better, Nick?"

Nick didn't know how to answer that question. He reached and gently smoothed his hand over Sebastian's shoulders. "I don't know Seb, I don't understand this either."

"Is there anything we can do, Sebastian?" Blaine asked, moving forward slightly to stand beside his friends.

Sebastian shrugged helplessly as he folded his arms on the crests of his knees. "I don't know. I don't know what to do anymore."

"We're here to help you, Seb. If there's absolutely anything you can think of…" Blaine trailed off. Even he wasn't sure what he and Nick could do to help Sebastian now. If they didn't know the problem, they couldn't fix it.

"I just don't wanna be sad anymore," Sebastian murmured, letting Nick push his hair out of his face.

"You're not gonna be," Nick said without thinking. "You're not gonna be sad anymore."

Sebastian looked between his two friends and he knew that if there was anyone who could try to make him happier, it would be Nick and Blaine.

Sadly however, Nick and Blaine were not so sure.

It was going to be a hard winter.

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A/N: So there's that. I'm so angry at today's episode's ending. My mother is not grateful to RIB for my reaction (I literally shouted "NO!" at my laptop screen). But thank you for reading and I'm sorry this isn't more dramatic, it's all I could muster without a proper result from the canon competition. Hope you're having a wonderful day –Frankie xoxo