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John left the station, looking over the road that would lead to the arena. He was back again. He clutched onto his guitar case tightly, stopping at the top of the stairs to gaze over the hundreds of contestants walking towards their destination in front of him. They were all excited, happy, all wanting to make a new life for themselves. John was here for one reason and one reason only. Chloe.

Steadying himself, John began to walk down the stairs. With any luck he'd be back on the train within a few hours or the next morning at least, having made a good showing but without being put through to the next round. As he walked, he wondered what the next round would be. Judges houses. A holiday. He hadn't been abroad in years. That would be quite nice, he supposed.

The walk towards the arena seemed to take forever, especially with his bad knee. Sitting on the train down to London that morning hadn't done it any good at all. Bastard bullet. Anyway, time to focus on the task at hand. The brief he had been given at the audition was to be prepared to join other acts to perform. John hated meeting new people as it was, but to have to sing with them. He shuddered.

Reaching the back of the queue that lead to the arena's entrance, John looked at his phone to check the time. Nine thirty. He queued for ten minutes or so before reaching the front. A young man sat behind a desk, a list of names in front of him.

'Hello sir, and welcome to the It's Your Time bootcamp.'

'Yeah, thanks.' John rolled his eyes.

'Name please?'

'John Bates.'

The man began looking through his list, coming to a stop half way down the first page. 'Here we go. So you'll be in the over 25's catergory.'

'Yeah, thanks for reminding me.'

He began to write a number on one of the stickers he had before peeling it off the sheet and handing it to John. 'Here, you'll need this so the judges can recognise you.'

After making his way into the arena foyer, John was quickly ushered into the auditorium. The contestants were to fill the seats from the front to the rear, John finding a seat around half way back from the stage. He hadn't spoken to anyone yet, everyone seeming to be young enough to be his child or on a completely different wavelength. Sitting with his guitar between his knees, John watched everyone around him. He had been in his seat a few minutes when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Turning, John furrowed his brow as he took in the sight of a gentleman smirking. He was about the same age as John, he supposed.

'Hello,' the man said.

'Alright?' John replied, completely confused as to why the man was speaking to him.

'My name is Tim. Tim Drewe.'

'Hey, I'm John. John Bates.'

The man began to chuckle before continuing. 'You look about as lost as I do.'

Ahh, a kindred spirit. John released a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. 'Yeah, I am feeling like that to be honest. My niece put me up to this.'

'My kids dropped me in it,' Tim replied with a nod of the head. 'I love them to pieces but I might just write them out of my will after this'.

John laughed. 'Where you from?'

'Scunthorpe,' Tim replied. 'Originally from Hull. You sound like you're from quite nearby.'

'I was born in Dublin actually, I'm Irish believe it or not. I lived in various places across the south whilst I was in the army but I currently live in Yorkshire.'

Just then, the lights in auditorium dimmed. John turned to look at the stage before looking back at Tim. 'We can talk some more later perhaps, Tim?'

'That would be good,' Tim whispered in agreement before sitting back in his chair.

The lights were shining on the stage now. He supposed he was meant to be excited as a few whoops and claps went up around him. Then he noticed Anna and Tom walking on stage. He sat up, Anna looked stunning. Now he was interested.

'Hello, and welcome to boot camp!'

John looked left then right as his fellow hopefuls cheered Tom's words. For what seemed like the hundredth time, John wondered what he was doing here. He felt so out of his depth. So out of place. He tried to think of Chloe as Anna announced the judges onto the stage. She was the reason why he was here.

Charles was explaining about what the judges expected of the contestants today. They would be given four songs to choose from, and would have to perform that song with four other acts. John felt his heart sink. The songs would probably be ones he had never heard of. He hated this. Before he had time to think too much about it, the judges were gone and the contestants had been given three hours to group together and learn the song as well as rehearse their performance.

'We'll go together, yeah?'

Looking over his shoulder as he rose to his feet, John met Tim's gaze. He seemed about as out of touch with modern music as John was. Best to stick together. John nodded his consent before following the hundreds of people now rushing outside to the foyer to find their group. John stood beside Tim, both men looking on as people rushed here, there and everywhere. Some were even squealing.

'Here we go.'

One of the production assistants was handing them a song list in the next moment, John looking down at the slip of paper he had been given. He read the words on the paper that seemed like a foreign language to him. He'd heard of Taylor Swift, but who the heck was The Weeknd? DNCE? What?

'Hey, do you mind if I join you guys?'

A softly spoken voice could be heard to the men's left, both looking to see a red haired woman talking to them. John looked at Tim who nodded.

'Of course,' Tim said kindly. 'I'm Tim.'

'I'm Mabel,' she offered her hand.

'And I'm John.'

'Great, so we just need one more.' Mabel observed, standing closer to them.

'Here, do you know any of the songs on this list,' Tim asked her, showing Mabel the slip of paper. The three of them huddled together, discussing the options ahead of them before they were interrupted.

'Here we go lads, I think we have found our group.'

John looked up to see a tall, dark man followed by four others. They were obviously a band, a boyband. John's least favourite kind of band. They seemed full of themselves, especially the one who had spoken to John, Tim and Mabel.

'We're Vegas 5.'

Oh God, what a shit name John thought to himself, turning his head away and trying to surpress a chuckle. The five men introduced themselves. Thomas was the cocky one, joined by a young lad called Jimmy, Kemal who told everyone individually he was Turkish, Jack who sounded American and a serious looking chap called Evelyn.

'So, we were thinking Cake By The Ocean?'

John furrowed his brow at Thomas's words. 'What by the what?'

'DNCE,' Thomas continued. 'Cake By The Ocean. It was like the biggest hit of a couple of summers ago.'

'It is a banger,' Jimmy agreed with his bandmate.

'A what?' Tim seemed just as confused, shrugging his shoulders.

'I think we should sing Blank Space by Taylor Swift,' Mabel tried to argue.

'Cake By The Ocean is the better choice,' Jimmy argued, 'plus we all want that one so you are out voted.'

'How does that work, pipsqueak?' Tim stepped forward, pointing at the five young men before them. 'There's five of you, and you're the same band. Your five votes should count as one.'

John stepped in. 'It's alright Tim, let them have what they want. I'm sure we'll recognise it when we hear it.'

They didn't. Mabel knew it and was playing the song on her phone to the two older men. It was catchy, John had to admit but he didn't really care. He had picked up the tune and the words to the chorus pretty easily, however the band were obviously in their element, this song was one of the staples in their act.

As he watched them rehearse their oily slick choreography, John wondered yet again what the hell he was doing here. Mabel was given the first few lines, Tim the next part then John would lead the song into the chorus where Vegas 5 would take over. The three of them went away to listen to the song on repeat, to become even more familiar with it. They sat by a nearby wall as the five lads practiced the chorus again and again.

After what seemed like the hundredth time of them practicing, John had had enough of gyrating hips and synchronised hand clapping. Explaining to Tim he was going for a breath of fresh air, John walked away. Once outside, he saw an empty bench by the fountains outside the arena. A group of fellow contestants were practicing near by, singing a different song. Something about twenty four carat gold being in the air. John had no idea.

'Hello there.'

Looking over his shoulder, John instantly stood when he saw Anna Smith approaching him. He was shocked to see her there. He imagined someone like her would be surrounded by an entourage or something. But here she was, all alone and speaking to him.

'Hi.'

'John isn't it? You were at the Sheffield auditions with your niece?'

She remembered him. 'Yeah, that's me.'

'She was so proud of you,' Anna continued, now standing beside John. 'I remember her telling me you were like a Dad to her.'

'That's very sweet of her,' John replied with a smile, now thinking of his niece. Anna gestured for him to sit. She sat beside him.

'She said her parents had died, and you were taking care of her now.'

'That's right,' John answered, looking down at the ground. How long had he been on the stage for Chloe to have mentioned all of that.

'So, how are you doing today?'

'Wishing I was anywhere else.'

Anna chuckled. 'You seemed a little reluctant at the audition I must admit.'

'I'm just a little out of my comfort zone. And if I hear Cake By The Ocean once more I won't be responsible for my actions.'

'Oh, that's a banger.'

'Yeah, that's what young Jimmy said,' John laughed, nodding his head.

'Well, just remember who you're doing this all for. Make your niece proud and trust in your talent. You're really good.'

After patting his arm, Anna rose to her feet and walked away. John watched her as she disappeared back inside. And then he was thinking about Chloe. Anna was right. John owed it to his niece to give this his best shot, despite how uncomfortable he felt. And he must be alright if he had impressed Anna Smith. She had complimented him without a camera being shoved in their faces.

Within the hour, John, Tim, Mabel and Vegas 5 were in the holding area, waiting to be called onto the stage. John was going over the lyrics in his mind, he had always been good at picking up songs. He had learned Shape Of You, chords and all in an afternoon. Before they had another chance to rehearse, the eight of them were making their way on stage.

This felt slightly better, John thought as he walked out onto the stage. There was no audience, just the four judges ahead of them. Anna and Tom were sitting a few rows behind them, John keeping his gaze focused on Anna once he had realised she was there. She waved at him, John holding his hand up in response.

'Okay, so this is an interesting collaboration,' Charles began. 'We have Tim Drewe and John Bates from the Over 25's, Mabel Lane-Fox from the girls and Vegas 5 from the groups.'

'Correct,' Thomas answered, clearly trying to butter up the judges. 'And have we got a treat for you.'

'We'll be the judges of that,' Elsie was quick to counter, causing John to snigger. 'What song have you chosen?'

'Cake By The Ocean,' Mabel informed the judges. 'Well, the group chose it and we all went along with it.'

'No,' Thomas interrupted, shaking his head. 'We simply believe this song will best showcase all our vocal talents.' Tim and John shared a roll of the eyes.

'Okay, well It's Your Time,' Joseph announced. 'The floor is yours.'

The introduction of the song began to play, the members of Vegas 5 beginning to dance whilst their three fellow contestants just stood there. If John even attempted to copy their moves he wouldn't be able to walk for a week. Not with his knee how it was. That was his excuse and he was sticking to it.

'Oh, no, see you walking 'round like it's a funeral. Not so serious, girl, why those feet cold? We just getting started, don't you tiptoe, tiptoe, ah...'

Mabel had a nice voice, but before John had a chance to focus on that, Tim was singing.

'Waste time with a masterpiece, don't waste time with a masterpiece. You should be rolling with me, you should be rolling with me, ah.'

Now it was John's big moment. 'You're a real-life fantasy , You're a real-life fantasy. But you're moving so carefully, let's start living dangerously...'

And then it was over. As soon as John had started, it was over. He sang it quite well, he thought although four short lines were not enough to showcase anyone's vocals. Then Vegas 5 knocked it out of the park and John suddenly thought he had blown it and was confused as to how that made him feel.

He hadn't wanted this, had he? Maybe he did. And that realisation made John's heartbeat quicken. Suddenly, all that mattered was telling Chloe that he was going to the next round.

************************************************
They had been sitting in this room for forty five minutes. Tim was with John, and everyone else around them seemed to be from the same age group. This was how they did it on this show. Gathered those who were successful and those who were not into separate rooms. If Tom and Anna came in, it meant you were out. If one of the judges did, it meant you were through and that judge would be your mentor.

'That band were full of themselves, eh?' Tim said suddenly, bringing John out of his reverie.

'Yeah, but they were good.' John ran his feet over the carpet underneath them. 'Bastards.'

'Okay, could everyone stand in the middle of the room please.'

One of the men with a clipboard was back again. John didn't actually have a clue what those people do, other than walk around and tell people where to stand. They did what they were instructed to do however, moving to the middle of the floor with the twenty or so other people. The room was deadly silent as they waited. John wasn't sure exactly who they were waiting for.

Before he had a chance to contemplate it much more, the door to the room was opening, and out from behind it came a beaming Joseph Molesley. A judge. They were through.

Others in the room ran to jump on top of Joseph, clearly ecstatic his presence meant they were through. John didn't know what to do. He was shocked he had got through to boot camp, so to find out he was through this time was almost unbelievable.

'Now, I want you to go away, practice a song that you know and love, then come back and sing your heart out for a place at my judges house.' Joseph seemed really pleased to have this catergory. John was pleased it was him, too. The thought of Sarah walking through the door didn't bear thinking about. 'I believe I have the winner in this room right now, now its up to you guys to prove it to me.'

After some contemplation on his own, John decided he was going to sing one of his mother's favourite songs. Then if he went no further, at least he would have sung one song that Chloe liked, and one for his mum. Waiting outside the door to the arena felt like torture. In a way, John wished he didn't care so much about going through, like before. At least he wasn't filled with this anxious dread.

But John knew this song. He had sung it so many times, played it on his guitar so many times that it was probably to him what Cake By The Ocean was to Vegas 5. He knew he could knock this out of the park. He had no choice, woe betide him if he sang one of his mother's favourite songs out of key.

The door opened and yet another man with a clipboard ushered him into the arena. He followed, his awkward half step and the tip of his cane hitting the floor echoing in what was an eerie silence. The four judges were there, sitting behind their oversized desk with enough lights on it to power the national grid.

John rested his cane against a chair at the back of the stage, before twisting his guitar so it covered the front of his body. He strummed it once, out of habit more than anything, before looking up at the four people who had got him this far. However this time, it was only Joseph he needed to impress.

'What are you going to be singing for us, John?'

Joseph's voice startled him a bit. 'To Love Somebody. By the Bee Gees.'

Noticing Joseph nodding in what he thought was silent appreciation, John also couldn't fail to see Sarah roll her eyes. What was her problem? Looking down at his guitar, John decided to not let that bother him right now. He needed approval from one man, and one man only.

'When you're ready, John.'

Closing his eyes, thinking of his mum instantly took him to a place he didn't visit very often. John wasn't the most emotional man, but there was something about the music he had shared with his mother. He began to play the first few notes before finding the first lyric.

'There's a light, a certain kind of light, that never shone on me. I want my life to be lived with you, lived with you...'

He was in the zone, John could have been standing in his front room singing for all he knew. The connection he felt towards this song was immense, he hadn't sung it since his mother had died. And it brought a whole different dimension to his performance, to what the song meant to him.

'You don't know what it's like, baby, you don't know what it's like, to love somebody, to love somebody, the way I love you.'

'Thank you, John.'

The familiar brogue that belonged to Joseph brought John plummeting back into the empty arena. He stopped playing immediately, shifting uncomfortably on the spot as he awaited the judges response. Joseph was busily whispering with Charles, John unsure as to what that meant. He didn't have long to wait.

'John, I'm going to put you out of your misery straight away,' Joseph began, not allowing his fellow judges to offer their critique. 'Your voice is incredible, and it's a shame because you don't realise how good you actually are. This has been the easiest decision I've had to make on this year's 'It's Your Time.' You are through to my judges houses.'