Hey guys! Sorry this one took so long to get out, I've been super busy lately. But here's some adorableness for you!

BPOV

As much as he tries to hide it, I can tell that Sebastian is still in some pain, so after breakfast I make him go back upstairs into bed. He grumbles about it, which is how I can tell that he's starting to feel better, but he complies anyway. "Want to watch a movie?" I ask. He nods, so I show him the DVDs I brought up. He chooses one and I put it onto the DVD player before going to the door.

"Uh…Wait!" Sebastian calls softly. When I turn to look at him he stares down at his lap. "I was wondering if…you know, if you didn't have anything else to do, you'd…like to stay with me?" he mumbles, a pink tinge spreading over his face.

I smile at him. "Sure, I'd love to." I sit next to him on the bed and he scoots a little closer to me.

It's not long before Sebastian is fast asleep against my shoulder. I take the opportunity to really look at him. For once, he looks peaceful. I have to admit that it's really strange to see Sebastian Smythe vulnerable and genuine, but it's not a bad thing. It's actually kind of interesting to think that, all this time, I never even guessed that the Sebastian I knew was just a shell for the real person.

If someone had told me three weeks ago that the real Sebastian Smythe is quiet, timid, and actually kind of friendly, I would have laughed. The idea of a genuine, introverted version of the boy I thought I knew seemed completely absurd just a few weeks ago. But now this new version of him is fast asleep next to me. And, I have to say, I never imagined I would enjoy spending time with Sebastian Smythe quite as much as I do. The thought brings me back to a question that's been bothering ever since that day I found him on the floor. What is it that I really feel for this boy, and why do I feel it?

I don't have too much time to reflect on this, because soon my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pick it up as quickly as I can so as not to disturb him, but the buzzing doesn't even make Sebastian stir. Looking down at my phone, I see Mercedes' number blinking on the screen.

"Hello?" I say softly. I don't want to wake him up with my conversation, but I really don't want him to wake up alone, so I settle for being quiet.

"Hey Blaine!" Mercedes answers cheerily. "Where were you today? I missed you!"

I sigh, trying to figure out how to explain this to her without telling her about Sebastian. As much as I don't want to keep things from her, I don't want to tell anyone about his predicament unless he gives me permission. "I was home. I won't be in for the rest of this week, actually."

Her voice grows worried. "Why not? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I assure her. "I just have to…take care of some things," I say carefully, watching the boy at my side.

"Well do you want me to come over some time this week? I could bring your homework or something and we could chill."

"No!" I say louder than I intended. Sebastian's nose wrinkles for a second, but he doesn't wake up. "I mean, no, that's alright, my mom already picked it up for me."

"What are you hiding from me?" she says critically. "And don't tell me it's nothing because I know you better than that."

I hesitate. "Look, Mercedes, it's not what you think. Yes, something is going on here, but it's nothing bad. I just can't tell you yet. Please, please, please don't tell anyone about this. I promise that when I can tell you, you'll be the first to know. I just really need you to not come over this week until I can explain everything."

She sighs over the phone. "Okay Blaine, if it means that much to you, I won't say a word and I won't come over. I'm just worried about you, that's all."

"I know you are, 'cedes," I say, "but you don't have to worry. I'm fine, I promise."

"Alright," she concedes, I'll talk to you soon?"

"Definitely. I'll tell you what's going on as soon as I can."

I hang up with her, but her call only gives me another question. How long am I going to be able to keep this from the New Directions? I don't want to tell any of them until I get back to school, that way I can tell them all at once and explain the truth. But it's not going to be easy to keep it from them if they think I'm in trouble.

Shortly after, while I'm still pondering this new development, the phone buzzes again. A still-sleeping Sebastian burrows further into my shoulder, and I carefully put an arm around him as I answer.

"Hello?"

My mother's voice greets me from the other end of the line. "Hi honey. I'm just calling to check up on you boys. How is Sebastian doing?"

"He's alright, all things considered," I tell her. "I got him to come downstairs and eat breakfast, and then I brought him back to bed. He's asleep; I'm sitting with him now."

"That's good," she says, "He can use all the rest he can get. I talked to his doctor at the hospital, and they want him to come in Friday afternoon for a check up. Will you be able to take him?"

Getting Sebastian back to the hospital is going to be quite a feat, but somehow I'll manage it. "Sure, I'll take him."

"Thanks dear. I'll leave you two be. I'll be home to make dinner tonight. See you later!"

After she hangs up, I sit back and try to relax and clear my head, cradling Sebastian to my chest in the process. He looks almost happy this way, and I commit myself to watching the rest of the movie and not worrying about what the future holds.

Around an hour later, Sebastian stirs, a frown painted upon his face. A small whimper escapes him as his eyebrows furrow, and that is how I know something is wrong. I wake him up as quickly as possible, before the nightmare gets too bad. He wakes with a gasp and initially tries to pull away from me in terror. I manage to keep my arms around him as the dream fades away, and when he recognizes me, he stops struggling.

He hangs his head, looking embarrassed and utterly defeated, and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Sorry," he mutters.

Gently, I coerce him to lie back down on my chest, keeping my arms tight around him. A shudder runs through him. "Why is this happening to me?" he asks bitterly. "I just don't know what's wrong with me."

I carefully raise his chin until he looks me in the eye. "It's not your fault," I tell him gently. "You've been through something terrible, and you can push away those memories while you're awake, but when you're asleep that doesn't work."

He sighs heavily into my shirt. "It's not fair that he gets to haunt my dreams too," he mumbles. "Will they ever go away?"

I wish that I could tell him for certain that the bad dreams will go away soon, but I'm not sure of that. "Well," I say carefully, trying not to upset him further, "I can't say that for sure, but I think there are ways to reduce them at least."

He looks up at me questioningly and sniffles. "Like what?"

I think about this. "Uh, well…I think talking about it might help. Maybe if you can get some of these memories out while you're awake, they won't invade your dreams as often."

"Like…with a shrink?" he asks uneasily.

I hesitate. "That's one option. But if you don't want to do that…I think maybe even just talking about it with someone you trust could help too."

He nods against my shirt, contemplating. Then he looks up at me nervously. "If I wanted to talk about it, would you…could I…talk to you?"

The question surprises me a little bit, not only because I didn't expect him to want to talk about his past in the first place, but also because it means that I'm someone he trusts. "Of course you can talk to me," I tell him firmly. "I told you, I'll always be here for you. If you want to talk, I promise I'll be here to listen."

He nods again. "Hey Blaine? I…I made a decision." I wait patiently for him to continue. "When I'm cleared for normal activity, I'd…I'd like to go to McKinley with you. That is, if that's alright…" he trails off hesitantly.

I hold him a little tighter, trying to convey my feeling. "That's great. We can talk to mom about it tonight."

He is quiet and tense for a few moments, and I rub his back gently, trying to get him to relax. "I miss living in Paris," he murmurs suddenly.

I sense that this is the beginning of something he'd like to talk about. "Why's that?" I ask, showing that I want to hear this.

"Because that was the happiest time in my life." A faint smile lights up his face as he continues. "Back then I still had my mom, and we would go out into the city after school or on a weekend or something and just enjoy life. We'd start walking down a street we'd never been on before and just see what we found." His smile fades. "But then that all ended."

He pauses, and I continue to rub his back, hoping to keep him calm enough to talk to me. "What happened?" I prod gently.

"My mom and I were driving back from one of our adventures, and we…we got into an accident. I survived, but she…" he pauses to collect himself. "She died on impact. That's when my father starting abusing me. I think he blamed me for her death. And I blamed myself too," he whispers.

My hold on him tenses a little bit. "Sebastian, you can't blame yourself. You were just a kid, and it was an accident. A terrible thing happened, but it wasn't your fault."

He sighs. "I know that now. But back then, I thought that it was my fault, and that I deserved the abuse from my dad. I thought it was just…punishment for doing something bad. I didn't understand. Anyway, that lasted for a few years and then good old dad decided to move us to Lima, Ohio. I didn't want to leave Paris, but I had no where else to go," he says sadly. "Eventually, I figured out that what he was doing was wrong, and once I threatened to tell someone. That was the worst beating I ever got. He told me that if I ever told anyone, he'd kill me. He said he'd tell people that I was the reason my mom died." He sniffles again, and my heart breaks for him once more.

"So you never told anyone." I say softly. Finally, the pieces are starting to fall into place. I understand now, why he had to hide himself away. He nods in response. "I can't say I know how you feel," I tell him, "But I definitely understand why you did what you did."

This seems to jog something in his memory. "Blaine," he says slowly, "in the hospital, when I asked you why you helped me, you said that it was because I was hurt and alone and scared. You said you knew how that feels. How do you know?" He looks up at me hesitantly, as if he thinks I'll be mad at him for asking. I try to smile at him to tell him that it's okay.

"Some pretty bad stuff has happened to me too," I explain. "Before I came to Dalton, I went to another school, and people there…they hated me. They used to bully me every day, and I hated being in school. Anyway, one day this group of guys from the school grabbed me off the sidewalk and pulled me into their car. They drove out to this abandoned field and almost beat me to death. They left me there for dead, and no matter how loud I yelled…no one came to rescue me. After that, I just…I shut down for a while. So I understand why you acted the way you did." It amazes me how hard this still is to talk about, but I continue on for Sebastian's sake. "And when I saw you hurt, and afraid, I wanted to be the one who would rescue you like I wish someone would have done for me."

He studies my face carefully for a moment before reaching up and brushing his fingertips gently across my cheek. It takes me a minute to realize that I was crying, and that it was his way of trying to comfort me. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I'm so sorry they hurt you."

I rub his arm reassuringly. "Not your fault," I tell him softly, "But thanks. I want you to know that, even though I haven't been through exactly the same thing you went through, I still understand the emotional pain you're dealing with. I came out on the other side of it, and I turned out pretty well. You can get through this too."

He nods, thinking about this. "Did you ever have nightmares like me?" he asks quietly.

"Yes," I tell him. "I used to get them exactly like you do. But they went away after I started talking about what happened."

He shakes his head a little absentmindedly. "I just can't believe anyone could hurt someone like you. You're always kind and honest. How could anyone do that to you?"

I shrug. "Hate isn't governed by fairness," I say. "But what they did made me stronger, and it made me a better person in the end."

He observes me carefully for a second before settling back down in my arms. "Thank you for telling me," he says softly. "I still don't know how I got so lucky; ending up here with you. But thank you."

I run my fingers lightly through his hair. "You had a right to know," I tell him. "And thank you for telling me about what happened." He nods sleepily as his eyelids start to droop. "Go back to sleep, Seb," I say softly. "I'll be here when you wake up."

He snuggles closer to me and I wrap my arms around him. This seems to comfort him, and he quickly falls asleep again.

Aww! Aren't they just the cutest? As always, please review and let me know how I'm doing!

~TheSongSmith