Story Summary: Sebastian has a special way of explaining to his daughter how he and her Daddy met. Now it's time to tell Daddy.

Chapter Summary: Blaine is not surprised when his daughter asks for the bedtime story Sebastian usually tells her. The problem is he doesn't know it.

Notes: This was begun as a "Dragon" prompt for Seblaine Week 2018 and never finished. It is my only WIP and I was determined to finish it before the end of 2020. HOWEVER, since it had been so long, I couldn't just go in and finish. I, of course, had to edit the entire thing. AND THEN, I just couldn't stop. So, if you read the first chapter (and can remember) there are some changes but not enough to change the story too much. It goes off the rails after that.

Since this was begun prior to Covid-19, I'm ignoring it.

A significant portion of this work is told as a bedtime story (hence the title). It will be in italics.

Warning(?): This is Sebastian's story and he is not nice/down-right mean to several (but not all) of McKinley's canon characters.

Alexandra Anderson-Smythe was probably the most easy-going 4 year-old you would ever meet. However, there were two things for which she refused to compromise…bedtime stories and the wardrobe that went with them. If it was Daddy's turn, she must wear superhero pajamas because he tells her The Adventures of Nightbird and the Blond Chameleon. If it was Papa's turn, she must wear a princess nightgown to hear The Adventures of Lord Sebbington.

This formula worked every night for as long as she could remember. Then, one day, her whole world changed.

Daddy and Papa sat her down and said the three of them were moving from NYC to a place called LA. Papa was going to be on a TV show watching people dance to win a part in the new movie he was choreographing. Daddy was going to be on a different TV show. It was about a teacher who gets kids who people call "Losers" to sing together.

For some reason Aunty Tana thought that was the funniest thing ever.

At first, everything sounded totally awesome. They were going to live on the beach. Daddy would be home every night, not just Mondays. Papa's knee would feel better because he'd be watching people dance and not have to really dance. Aunty Tana, Aunty Brittany and baby Josh were moving to LA too. However, her favorite part was now she would get to see Uncle Cooper, Aunty Jill and her Cousin Paul all the time. Even Uncle Sammy was moving there.

Papa said something about always knowing they would have to buy a house with an apartment over the garage.

Anyway, once they got her super excited, that's when they snuck in the not totally awesome part.

Papa was leaving two months (100 years in 4 year-old time) before her and Daddy. He had to go to a whole lot of different cities to find the dancers to be on his TV show. Or like Uncle Cooper said, tell them how much they sucked and not let them be on his TV show.

Daddy still had to work at the Moulin Rouge for three more weeks. Then they got to meet Papa in someplace called Florida for a week and watch him do his show (and meet ALL the Princesses! AND Harry Potter!...Ok, that part was TOTALLY AWESOME!) before going to LA. They would set up the house and wait for Papa while Daddy got ready for his new TV show.

Meanwhile, Grammy Pammy was coming to NYC to help Daddy until they moved. And don't get her wrong, Alexandra loved her Grammy Pammy, but…

SHE'S THE WORST STORYTELLER EVER!

So, before Papa left, they came up with a plan. On Mondays, she would still wear superhero pajamas and Daddy would still tell her The Adventures of Nightbird and the Blond Chameleon. All the other nights she would wear her new just pink nightgowns and Grammy Pammy would read stories from books she brought with her from Ohio.

The plan went well…the first week.

"Uh, Sweetie? Why are you wearing your Sleeping Beauty nightgown?" Blaine asked the following Monday. To be honest, he was kind of surprised this hadn't happened sooner. "You and Papa packed it in your suitcase before he left."

"Duh" was her response, along with her signature eye roll. Alexandra may have been Blaine's biological child and inherited his puppy-dog eyes, but by the age of 3 she had mastered Sebastian's eye roll and smirk (as well as a lethal combination of the two). "But Grammy Pammy put all my other princess nighties in boxes and I want to hear Lord Sebbington."

"Then why didn't you ask Papa to tell you Lord Sebbington when we were Skyping with him before dinner?"

"Daaaaaddy, it wasn't bed time."

Blaine began to rub his temple to try and prevent the headache he felt coming on. He was too tired for this. "Of course, it wasn't. Silly me, I don't know what I was thinking. I'll tell you Lord Sebbington, but only tonight. After this you have to wait until we see Papa in Orlando or ask him at Skype time, no matter what time it is."

"Yay!" Alexandra cheered as she kicked off her slippers and lifted her arms to be picked up. When Sebastian hurt his knee and couldn't get down on the floor to sit next to Alexandra's toddler bed, he moved story time to his and Blaine's bed. Even though Sebastian was gone, Blaine decided it would be easier for everyone if moving it back was something they dealt with in LA.

And it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact Alexandra cried for her Papa for an hour when his mother tried doing it the first night Sebastian was gone.

Once she was tucked in, Blaine realized he had a problem. "Sweetie, I can't tell you Lord Sebbington. I don't know it. I'm always at work when Daddy tells you the story."

"And you can't talk French as good as me and Daddy."

"Speak French as well…"

A fake cough came from the doorway. Grammy Pammy walked in with a beautifully wrapped gift. "I hate to interrupt but I was asked by Lord Sebbington himself to bring this." She sat the gift down on the bed and prompted Blaine to open it. Inside was a large leather-bound book with the title written in gold.

"It's just like the book on the fairy tale show" Alexandra whispered in awe as she gently slid her fingers across the leather. "It's so totally awesome."

Blaine took the book out of the box. When he opened it, he found a title page with an illustration of Sebastian wearing a full suit of armor. Apparently, his husband had some help in putting this together.

The Adventures of Lord Sebbington, Knight Protector of Dalton Castle…Volume I
Story by Sebastian Anderson-Smythe
Illustrations by Sam Evans

When Blaine turned the page there was a simple dedication

Thank you for proving to me that fairy tales really can come true

"Sweetheart? Are you ok?" Pam asked her son since he hadn't said anything.

"I can't believe Seb did all of this for Alex." Blaine gazed up from the book and saw an all too familiar look on his Mother's face. The one she would get when she felt he was being (in her words) oblivious…of which he was not. "What am I not getting?"

"The book isn't for me, Daddy" Alexandra told him, beaming with pride over her ability to keep a secret. "It's for you."

"For me?"

"For you" Pam confirmed. "Enjoy the story but I would like to see the book later."

When she was gone, daddy and daughter got back in place then Blaine smiled down at the little girl snuggled into his side "I'm glad Papa had the book made because I realized I don't know the story of Lord Sebbington."

"Yes, you do. It's the story of how you and Papa met."

Oh, no. "This will be interesting" Blaine said under his breath as he turned to the page "Once Upon A Time…Oh good, it's in English."

Once upon a time the charming, smart, brave, amazingly agile and dashingly handsome Lord Sebbington of Paris was visited by Wesley the Wise, trusted advisor to King Cooper of Westerville. His brother, Prince Blaine, had been kidnapped from his castle in Dalton by Rachel, the Evil Drama Queen of Lima.

Evil Drama Queen Rachel had become jealous of Prince Blaine when she heard he was the best singer in all the realms. Her henchmen sent a spy, Hummel, to Dalton Castle where he tricked Prince Blaine into going back to Lima with him. Now, he was being kept at McKinley Castle where he remained under Hummel's spell and was forced to sing duets with Evil Drama Queen Rachel since she believed he was the only one who could keep up with her vocally.

Lord Sebbington felt badly for the prince, but royalty was often kidnapped by persons from other kingdoms. What was so special about this prince that Wesley the Wise had come all the way to Paris to recruit him? Didn't Prince Blaine already have his own Knights?

Wesley the Wise explained the Knights protecting Prince Blaine, the Warblers, didn't realize until too late Hummel had tricked them and was indeed a spy. More than that, in his true form, Hummel was a magical dragon with a secret weapon. Not only did he spit out fire like other dragons, he could make a high-pitched noise so terrible anyone who came near suffered terrible ear pain. Despite what the Warblers discovered, King Cooper was furious they didn't protect his brother. He was prepared to offer Lord Sebbington the new position of Caption of the Warblers. The King had heard great tales of Lord Sebbington's abilities to devise ingenious plans as well as plow through men with his trusty sword.

Some men even told stories of how they believed his sword to be enchanted.

Lord Sebbington seemed unconvinced so Wesley the Wise reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of cloth. As he unfolded it, Lord Sebbington heard the most beautiful voice singing the most beautiful song he had ever heard.

I walked along an empty land
I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

After the cloth was finally spread out, Lord Sebbington not only heard the most beautiful voice he had ever heard, he saw Prince Blaine…the most beautiful person he had ever seen. He was so captivated he agreed to go back to Westerville. Wesley the Wise pulled out a scroll proclaiming him Lord Sebbington of Paris, Captain of the Warblers, Knight Protector of King Cooper and the House of Anderson as well as Dalton Castle and the Kingdom of Westerville. The scroll included a list of all the riches Lord Sebbington would receive but he wanted one thing added for his services…Prince Blaine's hand in marriage.

A message was sent and King Cooper agreed. It was obvious Prince Blaine had questionable judgement with matters of the heart.

Questionable judgement? Ok, that was better than "Did stupid shit for the love of a narcissistic asshole."

To say his relationship with Kurt ended badly was a massive understatement.

He looked next to him when he heard a cute little snort. Alexandra was sound asleep. Seriously? It usually took him at least an hour for him to get her down. Afraid to move her too early and wake her, he decided to leave her be and returned to the story.

When Lord Sebbington arrived at Dalton Castle, he did not receive the warmest welcome. The Warblers were understandably wary of strangers, even one with a scroll from the King. They had been tricked before. After word came from Wesley the Wise that Lord Sebbington was indeed who he claimed to be, the Warblers opened up and revealed all the information they had been able to gather since Prince Blaine's abduction.

The hold Evil Drama Queen Rachel and Hummel had on Prince Blaine remained strong but the New Directions, McKinley Castle's poor attempt at the Warblers, had begun to fracture. A Lady Santana and a Lady Mercedes had managed to leave the group. Unfortunately, Lady Santana's unicorn, Brittany, had had her magic stolen (presumably by Evil Drama Queen Rachel and Hummel). Lady Brittany couldn't leave without her good magic and Lady Santana loved her too much to stay away so she went back.

Lady Mercedes left to find her love, Sam. The Evil Drama Queen had her Head Henchman, Hudson, banish him for saying Lady Mercedes was better singer than her. When Lady Mercedes found her love in the far-off Kingdom of Kentucky, Hudson was there waiting. Sam was brought back to Castle McKinley. However, Lady Mercedes was immediately sent off to the mystical Queen Bee where her mind was erased of all knowledge of Sam and she was forced to forever be a back-up singer.

The Warblers believed the key to Prince Blaine's rescue was Sam. He was being held with Prince Blaine and after what happened, they questioned his loyalty to Evil Drama Queen Rachel.

The information Lord Sebbington found the most useful was McKinley Castle was holding a week-long festival beginning that evening. Prince Blaine was singing with Evil Drama Queen Rachel in the opening ceremony so he would be easy to find and because of the crowds, Hummel would be unable to change into his true dragon form. Lord Sebbington was still worried, so he assigned Warbler Nick and Warbler Jeff to find some sort of undetectable ear protection which would render Hummel's high-pitched screeches ineffective.

Just in case they couldn't find anything, Lord Sebbington told everyone he would make a potion he knew could temporally turn dragons to stone. It only lasted for a few minutes but that should be enough. The biggest problem was someone would have to get close enough to Hummel to throw the potion on his clothes. It was the only was the only way the potion worked.

Later that evening, getting into McKinley Castle was easier than they anticipated due to the crowds. Once the ear protection had been passed out, the Warblers separated to find the best way to get Prince Blaine out of there. They would meet in front of the auditorium 15 minutes before the festival's main performance and devise a plan.

Lord Sebbington and Warbler Thad snuck around to the back of the performance stage. They were caught off-guard when they found Prince Blaine warming up.

There's a place for us
Somewhere a place for us
Peace and quiet and open air
Wait for us
Somewhere

"You shouldn't be back here." Both Lord Sebbington and Warbler Thad had been so mesmerized by Prince Blaine's voice that they had failed to see the tall blond man, dressed as a court jester, come up from behind.

"Sorry" Warbler Thad said quickly but before the two of them could leave, the jester stopped them.

"No, you shouldn't be…" he stopped to point around "here. You're Warblers aren't you? Friends of Blaine? Someone could see you."

"Sam?" Sam nodded and then motioned to follow him, leading them behind bleachers which had been set up for the jousting tournament being held later in the week. "We should be safe here. Now, answer my questions."

Lord Sebbington didn't know why but he felt he could trust Sam. "Yes, we are Warblers but Prince Blaine doesn't know me. King Cooper brought me to Westerville to help rescue his brother and bring him back to Dalton Castle."

"Why?"

"Why?" Warbler Thad snapped. "Because he loves his brother and wants him home. And his name is Prince Blaine."

"Not here, it's not. He's just Blaine…shhhh." Sam quieted them as he heard Head Henchman Hudson and his top lieutenant Puckerman walk by. Once they passed, he continued. "And Hummel has Bl…Prince Blaine convinced his brother no longer cares for him and sent him away. I think his plan is to one day help them to reconcile, be seen as the hero and gain favor with the King."

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

Lord Sebbington turned to see who assumed was Hummel, backed up by Hudson and Puckerman. He gave a quick glance to Warbler Thad who understood what had to happen.

They had to protect Sam. Prince Blaine's rescue would have to wait.

"I am Lord Sebbington of Paris. I have come on behalf of King Cooper of Westerville to give a message to his brother Prince Blaine. I found this good fellow, Sam, and he was having me wait here until after Prince Blaine's performance as to not interrupt the festival."

"There is no Prince Blaine here" Hummel sneered. "We do have a Blaine but I know for a fact he wants nothing to do with his egomaniac brother. So, do you want to tell me what you're really doing here and I would word my answer carefully considering there is a Warbler next to you. Hello, Thaddeus."

"Now!" Lord Sebbington yelled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the potion. He never saw Prince Blaine jump in front of Hummel. He did see him fall to the ground…screaming in pain. Warbler Thad yelled at him to run away but Lord Sebbington grabbed Sam first "This wasn't supposed to happen. It was meant for Hummel. You have to believe me. Come with me to Dalton Castle and let me explain. We can protect you."

"I can't but I will send someone. I promise."

Blaine closed the book, stretched and put Alexandra back in her own bed. Then he checked the time but it was only 8PM, 5PM in Portland, Oregon, where Sebastian was. It was too early to call him.

His husband had some explaining to do.

There was never a doubt someday they would have children. The goal was two but, due to their circumstances, they would be ecstatic with one. When they decided the time was right, they took the weekend before meeting with the surrogacy agency and locked themselves in the apartment with no distractions. They wanted to make sure they were on the same page on how to raise their children and knew some compromises must be made.

For instance…

Blaine agreed that if a child of his DNA had curly hair, he would let it run wild.

Sebastian agreed (but after much protest and not one but TWO blow jobs) their children would go to public school…as long as it was a charter-style school tailored to whatever gifted ability a child of theirs would obviously have.

The system of compromise worked well until they reached the subject of the Slushie. How (if at all) would they tell their children? In the end, they tabled that one item. Then, for some unknown reason considering Sebastian's insistence and Blaine's OCD about leaving things unsettled, the topic just sort of fell through the cracks.

So, maybe, it made sense to do it within the guise of Lord Sebbington. But why hadn't Sebastian told him he told their daughter about throwing "the potion"? This was something they should have done together.

Blaine had to admit he was at a loss for what to do next. His mom was already in her room for the evening, so he texted Sebastian about calling him when he got the chance, texted Sam about his amazing illustrations and texted Santana that they would discuss her contributions tomorrow as well as to give Britt and Josh a kiss for him.

8:45PM

He went back to his room and took a shower before settling back in bed with the book. This had to be more than just a simple bedtime story for their daughter. It felt like Sebastian was sending him some sort of message.

But what?

Blaine sighed as his head fell back and hit the headboard. He really did have the habit of overthinking everything.

He opened to the bookmarked page and laughed at a drawing of Lord Sebbington being yelled at by who had to be Lady Santana. Looks like they were still trying to stick to actual story when possible.

This should be good.

TBC

Notes:

Yes, I gave Blaine's daughter the habit of saying everything is Totally Awesome on purpose :)

The "Fairy Tale Show" Alexandra mentions is Once Upon A Time