• Smooth Criminal • Sebastian Smythe-BOOK ONE✔

t w e n t y - o n e

At the homeless shelter, Marina, Arabella, and Sue were the first to arrive. Sue began to set everything up as Marina told the piano player to play something. All he knew was jingle bells. Sebastian, Thad, Nick, Jeff, and Trent arrived shortly after, looking at the havoc in surprise. Everyone was sitting on the tables, eating the food Sue had provided as the guy on the piano still played jingle bells.

Marina greeted the boys, a hopeful look in her eyes as Arabella came to stand beside her. "Please tell me at least one of you know piano. And something which isn't jingle bells." She pleaded. Trent nodded, grinning.

"I know a few." He moved to the piano, politely asking for the man to let him play. Sue came over to the group, sighing.

"Tell me you're doing something that isn't jingle bells." They nodded, earning a sigh from the woman as she went back to what she was previously doing.

Trent beckoned them over, telling them what song to sing. 

Trent only lightly sang the piano as the group mainly did acapella for the backing, Marina and Arabella leading the vocals. The piano gave it a certain edge as the boys focused on the harmonising and backing vocals of the song. It was a song that got people on their feet, both adults and children dancing together as they laughed.

Everyone clapped when they finished, two figures behind Sue as the woman thanked them for providing actually good music. Sue moved to reveal Sam and Quinn, the pair smiling widely as they looked at the seven. "That was really good, Marina, Arabella." Quinn smiled at the pair, before looking to the Warblers, less energetically, "You guys were good too."

Sam nodded. "I'd heard Kurt and Blaine talking about these impromptu songs you seven have been doing, but I hadn't heard one before. That was, like, awesome!" Marina and the rest of the group thanked the pair, smiling happily.

Sam and Quinn moved behind the counter, the duo handing food to the people in the shelter, talking quietly as the seven continued to sing multiple different songs, getting people on their feet, dancing every time. They were all smiling and laughing, before Marina gasped. Sue, Quinn, Sam, Arabella, and the Warblers all gasped too, as none of them expected Will Schuester, Emma Pillsbury, and the rest of the Glee club to come through the doors.

"Hey!" Will grinned.

Artie held a large tray in his lap. "I know we're late, but we were all hoping there's still time to help. We brought the turkey from the special with all the fixings."

"Yeah, it's a prop but it's real." Mr. Schue nodded.

"Why don't you put it on the table over there, kiddo." Sue said to Artie.

"You guys finally me around." Sam said to Finn, who was carrying a large purple Christmas tree.

"Well, you can thank Rory for helping us see the light." Finn looked to Rory.

The Irish boy grinned, looking to Sam. "I was just following my Christmas sponsor's lead."

"Would it be weird if I made myself a plate?" Puck asked, moving the hat he had on his head.

"We have a song, too. We were gonna perform it as our final number for our Christmas special, but we lost the final ten minutes of airtime when the station reached a last-second agreement with those Yule log people." Artie offered. Sue didn't mind.

"As long as it's not Jingle Bells. It seems it's the only song our janitor knows how to play, and those seven deserve a break." That made the group aware of the small group who were now sitting in a small corner, talking, and playing with the children.

"If you'd be so kind." Mr. Schuester said to the pianist, who had only just begun to play jingle bells once more.

During the chorus, every member of the Glee club joined in, including both Marina and Arabella, the pair forcing the Warbler boys to join in as well, knowing they were now on civil terms with the members of the McKinley Glee club.

After everybody sang together, it was time to leave and so Marina told the group to come to her car, the girl opening the boot to reveal a collection of gift bags, some bigger than others, some smaller than others. She handed them to the fourteen members of the New Directions, before handing a bag to Mr. Schuester, Miss. Pillsbury and a final bag was handed to Sue. Everyone thanked her as they looked at their presents, but six looked at her expectantly. Marina only laughed, telling them they wouldn't get their gifts until they were back at Dalton.

Marina and Arabella hopped in the girls car as everybody dispersed, the five Dalton boys going to Sebastian's car as they all drove back to Dalton, going in separate routes as a mock race. Marina grinned when she realised, she and Arabella were there first, running up to the dorms and going into the open space, lighting the fireplace, and letting Arabella pick out a classic Christmas movie as she went and got the presents.

When the boys arrived back, Arabella started the movie and Marina forced everyone to sit down. She placed the gift bags on the table, each bag in front of the respective person. She held out her hand, counting down from three. When it hit zero, the six darted forwards, unwrapping their presents and immediately thanking her energetically.

Marina first looked to Sebastian, who was looking down at his gifts in awe. The first was a new lacrosse stick that was customised with the red-and-blue Dalton colours, as well as the boy's name written down the side. He also had a flask sitting on his lap, a hand-written note from Marina stuck to the flask which says he can get courvoisier from Bobby whenever he chose, the note being the thing he could show to Bobby for evidence.

Arabella had two gifts, and happily squealed when she saw them. One was a sewing machine she could keep in her bedroom, as it's easier to keep one in her room at all times. The other gift was a small box full of needles and threads Marina had seen the girl longingly looking at.

Thad was grinning at his gifts. Marina had gotten him a new black leather jacket, and a large book called '101 ways to get a girlfriend, written by a woman'. Nick was happy with his gifts, getting a pair of black running trainers and a red flannel (as he only had a blue one and needed to stop stealing Jeff's). Jeff had a blue flannel (as he had the red one and needed to stop stealing Nick's blue one), and a giant teddy replica of his dog, which nearly brought the boy to happy tears. Trent had a large notebook and pen collection, as he was a hardcore studier, as well as a hand-painted poster of his idol, Lin Manuel Miranda from Hamilton.