They all perform their group number. Sam is feeling sorry for himself, and Dean has possibly made a new friend.
Songs in this chapter
Without love - from Hairspray - M: Marc Shaiman, L: Scott Wittman/Shaiman
Nights in white satin - The Moody blues - M/L: Justin Hayward
What a man - Linda Lyndell (original) M/L: Dave Crawford
My girl - The temptations - M/L: Smokey Robinson and Ronald White
Here I go again - Whitesnake - M/L: David Coverdale, Bernie Marsden
'Tom Dooley' and 'You'll never walk alone'
Performing a group number
They introduced themselves as 'Evan-no-sense-at-all'. Sam Evans found it quite humorous, even if he never expected or intended for them to name their groups. He was pretty sure that Gwen and Jo were the brains behind the name; he'd heard about their quite hilarious performance of 'If I didn't have you', and knew that the two had it in them.
There was no humor in the Evanescence song they performed though, but that was not a problem at all. Sam really enjoyed their rendition of the song, even if it was kind of dark. Jo was doing an excellent job as the lead; Gwen had definitely stepped up her act, and was almost able to measure up to the other girl.
Ianto was perfect on the chorus, but Sam was a little disappointed that John barely got to sing alone. His voice was really good, but in this song he'd mostly just backed up the others with beautiful harmonies.
Sam wasn't surprised when the four of them received wild cheers from the rest of the guy's in the choir room. The room didn't really give the song justice, so Sam took a mental note to try it in the auditorium at one point. This was possibly something they could think about for sectionals.
The next group up was Cas, Unique and Dean. Sam didn't know what to expect. They were all really good singers, but he wondered how their cooperation had gone. Dean was a little bit of a loose cannon, and wouldn't take any crap from anybody.
'The choirboy, the rocker and the diva.' Sam named them in his head as they came up to the piano. He couldn't think of any songs that would fit them all, and he was curious to how they'd solved this assignment.
He got a little bit surprised when it looked like Dean was going to start. Sam got even more surprised when the band started and he realized what song the three of them were going to do.
"Once I was a selfish fool
Who never understood
Never looked inside myself
Though on the outside, I looked good!..."
It was very good. Sam leaned back in his chair and decided that he'd worried for no three of them did the chorus together, with Unique in the middle and the two boys holding her hands.
"Without love
Life is like the seasons with no summer
Without love
Life is rock 'n' roll without a drummer…"
They'd changed the lyrics somewhat to make it fit better, but only minor adjustments were made and it didn't interfere with the meaning of the song.
"In my ivory tower
Life was just a hostess snack
But now I've tasted chocolate
And I'm never going back…"
After singing his lines, Castiel kissed Unique on the cheek before the next chorus.
"'Cause without love
Life is like a beat that you can't follow
Without love
Life is Doris Day at the Apollo
Darling, I'll be yours forever
'Cause I never wanna be
Without love
So darlin' never set me free…"
Unique was still standing between the two boys, and they stared at her as the three of them alternated on singing the next few lines.
"If I'm left without my baby doll
I don't know what I'll do."
"Link, I've got to break out
So that I can get my hands on you."
"And girl, if I can't touch you
I'm gonna lose control."
Dean didn't hold back, and it was quite interesting to see him in this group setting. He had previously not seemed very keen on making friends, so this was good in so many ways.
"Without love
Life is like a prom that won't invite us
Without love
Life's getting my big break and laryngitis
Without love…"
Sam noticed that he wasn't the only one who was pleased about the performance. A few of the students still looked at Dean with suspicion, but most of them smiled and a couple even joined in on the last chorus.
"No I don't wanna live
Without love
Darlin' you have best believed me,
Never, leave me
Without love."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Sam called a short break before Charlie, Garth, and Kevin's performance. It was partially because the three of them weren't quite ready, but he also had a couple of announcements about sectionals.
Ianto didn't pay much attention. Even if he hadn't been a part of Glee-club before, he knew how it worked. He'd been to see the performances last year and the year before that, and was quite aware of what would be expected of them.
While Mr Evans was talking, Ianto watched as Charlie's little string ensemble shuffled in, and he wondered what the geeks were up to. He got very surprised when Kevin sat down with a cello, and started tuning it. He didn't know that the guy was a musician, but then again, he didn't know him very well at all.
He considered everybody in there as friends, but had to admit that he didn't spend much time with them outside of this room. He shared a few classes with Garth, Charlie, and Castiel, and Ianto had sat with them for lunch a couple of times, but he still didn't feel that he knew them.
Kevin was a sophomore, and even if he was good friends with Jo, Ianto had yet to meet the guy outside the choir room. He knew it was his own fault; he could have been more forthcoming and joined them for lunch, but it felt awkward to interfere when they sat there with their classmates.
Gwen and John were the only seniors that he could say he knew. The rest of them often hung out together, and if it was awkward joining the sophomores, it was even worse trying to butt in at the senior's table.
They would probably welcome him, but Jack was always the center of attention among them, and Ianto was afraid that the guy would think that he came over for him. He knew that it was just paranoia on his behalf, but the fact that he wanted to hang out with Jack made it very intimidating to try. Ianto was sure that everybody would be able to read him like a book.
Charlie announced that they were ready, and Mr Evans came over and sat down with the rest of the class.
Ianto knew the song, although it was very different from how he'd heard it before. The intro was much more elaborated and longer than the original, but the strings suited the melody nicely.
"Nights in white satin
Never reaching the end…"
Garth started singing as the girls in the ensemble quieted down. Only the drummer accompanied Kevin and Charlie as they continued playing their instruments.
"Beauty I've always missed
With these eyes before…"
Kevin did the next lines, and it did interfere with his playing, but the girl with the cello picked up quickly and played his part.
Charlie lowered the violin as the chorus came up. The rest of the band and the girls with the strings, joined the drummer creating a nice backdrop for the singing trio. Garth did the melody line, while Kevin and Charlie harmonized.
"'Cause I love you
Yeah I love you…"
They played the second verse almost exactly like the first one. After the chorus, both Kevin and Charlie played a short solo each before the three of them sang the first verse again. This time, they did it all together and let the band take care of the music.
They received standing ovations, and Sam seemed very pleased with them. He noted that Kevin hadn't told them that he played the cello, and the boy shook his head. "It's been a while, and I'm sorry, but I'm a little rusty."
Jack's group was up last. Ianto had been waiting for this, and looked forward to hear the guy sing. He explained it to himself with the fact that Jack was exceptionally good, and it was a pleasure to listen to him, but deep down he knew that he was trying to kid himself.
The band started playing an unfamiliar tune as the four of them walked to the front of the class. Jack and Mason was just standing there as the two girls started singing. Madison was holding Jack's hand, and Jane had her arm loosely wrapped around Mason's waist.
"I get lovin' (lovin')
By the hundred
And I get lovin' (lovin')
By the pint
Got me doin' the camel walk
In my sleep
Make me do the James Brown
Every time I get on my feet…"
It wasn't until they hit the chorus that Ianto recognized the song.
"What a man, what a man, what a man
what a mighty good man…"
He watched as Madison practically rubbed herself on Jack while she sang it. It was like a visual innuendo, and for Ianto it was almost a little appalling. He could see that Mr Evans was a little concerned as well, while a few of the others cheered and whooped. A stare from the director made them stop, but the moment was over anyway.
There was a change in tune as the two boys stepped forward.
"I've got sunshine on a cloudy day
When it's cold outside I've got the month of May
Well I guess you'd say
What can make me feel this way?"
They grabbed the girls' hands and twirled them around as they sang.
"My girl (my girl, my girl)
Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)..."
It went back and forth between the two songs, until they ended it with a joint effort. The girls sang the chorus from 'What a man' softly in the background while the boys took it all out on the last few lines of 'My girl'."
"With my girl (My girl)
(Talkin' 'bout my girl my girl) I've even got the month of May
With my girl (My girl, woah)
She's all I can think (My girl)
(Talkin' 'bout my girl my girl)
Talkin' 'bout, talkin' 'bout my girl (My girl, woah)"
Jack didn't stand out compared to the others, and Ianto was slightly disappointed. They did an excellent performance, but he would have wanted to hear a solo from the guy. The rest of the class was obviously quite satisfied with them, and cheered wildly as the four of them went back to their seats.
As he passed Ianto, Jack nudged him gently. "You didn't like it?" He gave Ianto's shoulder a quick squeeze. "I'm sure I can come up with something you'll like, if you know what I mean?" The other students were talking loudly, and the band was busy packing up the instruments. With all the commotion, Ianto was pretty sure that nobody else had heard Jack's words, but he didn't dare to reply anyway.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Planning for sectionals
Sectionals was coming up shortly and Sam Winchester felt totally abandoned by his friends. His plan to get closer to Jo by getting Dean to join Glee-club, had totally backfired as well. For the last few days he had barely seen any of them.
Between school, football practice and rehearsals, Dean had been too busy to spend much time with his brother. Kevin had decided to pick up the cello again, and he also went to vocal training two days a week, so he hadn't really had time for friends lately either.
Sam was still having lunch with him and Jo every day, but with Garth and Gwen at the same table the four of them had pretty much only talked about the upcoming competition, making Sam feel a little ignored.
A few years ago, John Winchester had come into some money and he'd told the boys that they could go out and get something expensive for themselves. Sam hadn't even hesitated when he picked a laptop, while Dean had headed to the music store and bought a guitar.
Ever so often, Mr Winchester had a little bit extra, and could provide the boys with an upgrade for their toys. Sam had always chosen to go for a new computer, while Dean focused on the music.
It was never a problem. Dean practiced and learned to play the guitar flawlessly, and Sam started to get a real hang on programming. They shared their progress with each other. Sam found new songs online for Dean to play, and he always enjoyed the little performances his brother put together when they were alone.
Sam had never had any problem finding friends at the different schools they attended over the years. There was always a computer geek or two that he could hang out with. When they were younger it wasn't much of a problem for Dean either, but as soon as he started high school, he became moody and sometimes even a little hostile.
It was a good thing that his brother was trying to change his ways when they came to Lima, but at the moment Sam felt that he'd lost him somewhat.
Sam didn't feel comfortable when he was alone in the apartment, but Dean had dropped him off after school and taken the car to go to a friends house to rehearse. Walking the streets alone in this neighborhood wasn't an option.
There was nothing on TV and all homework was done, so Sam browsed the internet for something to watch. It was almost a little creepy when that ad came up. 'Learn to sing!' He'd seen it so many times that closing it was part of his daily routine, but this time he opened the link.
"Breathing exercises?" Sam shook his head as he skimmed through the first few paragraphs. "Finding your range." He wasn't totally tone deaf and tried a few scales just for fun. It sounded horrible, and he wondered if the neighbors would think that they had a dying moose in the house.
He threw a sideways look at Dean's guitar before he typed a few words into the search engine. Maybe it would be easier to learn to play an instrument? Sam knew a couple of chords; Dean had tried to teach him, so he grabbed the guitar and tried the first song on the list.
"Hang down your head Tom Dooley
Hang down your head and and cry…"
It was kind of pathetic. "Hang down your head Sam Winchester, poor boy you're gonna be lonely for the rest of your life." He practically spat the words out as he put the guitar back.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
They were going to do the Evanescence number for sectional, and Gwen was ecstatic about it. "It was our song, we picked it." Jo brought her to the ground by claiming that it was initially her suggestion, but it didn't throw Ianto's cousin off much. "I know, but we did that song together so well that he picked it up for the competition."
Ianto wasn't sure if any of them would actually be singing the lead; Jo sang it really well, but for the female part he would have picked Jane in a heartbeat. Gwen wasn't really good enough, although she had improved significantly lately. He was pretty sure that he would be bumped down to do the choir, but he hoped that John would be considered for the male lead vocals.
"We need a good solo and a big show number. I have a couple of ideas, but I want you all to think about it and give me suggestions." Mr Evans addressed them as they sat down. "Be bold. I want something out of the ordinary. I want something they have never heard from a school show choir before."
Ianto threw a peek at Jack. That guy had been out and about, and he'd been doing show tunes for a living. Not much of a living according to the rumors, but still, he should be able to come up with something.
Everybody in Glee-club were starting to become friends. Even Dean had managed to change his way, and he shared his time between the football guys and the choir. He got a little bit of lip from his teammates to begin with, but after giving them a piece of his mind reminding them that he was in top three among those who had scored any points during games, they kind of stopped. They were still mocking him a little, but from Ianto's point of view it sounded more like just friendly teasing.
During lunch, all the seniors in Glee sat together for the most part. Gwen hung out with Jo and her friend ever so often, while Ianto usually stuck with his own classmates. Charlie was a little fleeting. She was a busy girl, and didn't really have time for chit chat over the lunch table. When she was not too busy with all her extracurriculars, she seemed to prefer to hang out with Ianto and Castiel. The three of them were in English and Spanish together, so they knew each other quite well from class as well as from the choir room.
Outside of school, it was a little different. Ianto and John still spent a lot of time together, and Gwen usually joined them. She was much more outgoing than Ianto ever was, and had made a busload of new friends since she came. Sometimes it resulted in overcrowding in Ianto's room and they had to withdraw to the basement where they had an extra living room. Down there they didn't have a TV and the sound system was crappy, but it didn't matter.
Jo was a frequent guest, but apart from her both Jane and the twins had been there on several occasions. Gwen had also invited a few students that were not in Glee-club, but they had never returned for a second visit. Ianto could easily understand that. The get-togethers in the Jones house could be quite intimidating if you didn't sing or play an instrument.
No matter what the plan for the evening was, it always ended up with a lot of singing, and not much talk.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Dean was driving home after a strange but interesting evening. He felt bad for leaving Sam alone for so long without any chance to get anywhere, but he was sure that his brother would be happy that he'd made a friend.
It wasn't that he didn't have any before; the guys on the football team were his friends, and he'd started to consider most of the Glee-club his friends as well, but he never really hung out with them after school.
When he joined the club, it was mainly because he liked to sing, but he had a second agenda. He wanted to make good memories, and he wanted to be liked. It wasn't easy. Dean knew that it was mostly his own fault. He'd tried to be like the lone ranger, singing his way into their hearts without losing face.
He had even thought that he could swoop in and go for the male lead, but after hearing Jack perform, he knew he didn't have a chance. It was a little disappointing, but after getting to know the guy Dean didn't mind.
Both of them were older than the rest of the group, and they had also had some of the same struggles in their lives. That the reasons for their problems were a little different didn't matter. They both knew how it was to go to bed hungry, and they also knew how it felt to not even have a bed to sleep in.
Dean had been in this situation for years, while Jack had only had ten months of struggle. It didn't change the fact that they seemed to bond over it.
When Jack invited him over to his place to try to come up with a number for sectionals, Dean had been a little wary. He was pretty sure that the guy was as queer as a three dollar bill, and wondered if he could have misinterpreted Dean's friendliness.
He did like boys; it had been a few years since he had admitted that to himself, but Jack wasn't really his type. Not that he knew so well what his type was really; he had never even so much as flirted with someone of the same sex, so it was more due to a gut feeling.
Dean decided to go regardless. If it was a come-on, he would deal with it. If Jack invited him to get into his pants, he'd handle it one way or another. He could always use the experience, but he wasn't sure if he'd go there.
Jack's room was not what he'd expected it to be, It was a whole lot of pink, and the walls were covered - okay not totally covered but close - with pictures of Barbra Streisand.
"Sorry, It's not my own decor. This is Rachel's room." Jack slumped down on the bed as he threw his hand out. "I didn't want to mess it up. I'm a houseguest, I have to deal with it." He shrugged a little. "I have another room where I sleep, but this one is bigger and Rachel told me I could use it when I have friends over." He nodded towards the sound system. "This room is also the best one for rehearsals. She grew up singing show tunes, and all the equipment is still here."
Dean had briefly heard about Rachel Berry before he came to Lima, but he soon learned that she was some kind of local hero. Even some of the guys on the football team seemed to worship her, and Dean felt that he should probably be in awe as he looked around in her room, but he was quite unfazed. For him, she was just a former student with a chance of a career on Broadway. He was actually more intrigued by the fact that she had two dads.
They obviously thought that Dean and Jack had a thing, and Jack didn't do anything to contradict them. "Don't worry about it. They think that I don't have any friends because I never invite anyone over. You are my first visitor since I came to live here." Jack shrugged as he picked up a laptop. "I'm just, erm, it's just awkward having people over when I myself am a guest in this house."
Dean could understand that; he and Sam had had to stay with strangers on occasions, and even if some of them were very nice and did their best to make them feel welcomed, it wasn't like home. He didn't share that information with Jack. Dean didn't want the guy to know too much about his crappy life.
The evening had been nice, and Dean soon realized that he had nothing to worry about regarding any advances from Jack. It was partly a little disappointing, but he was mostly happy about it. Jack was too much of an alpha male for Dean's taste anyway. He still had to admit that the guy was very handsome and sexy, and he didn't know what he would have done if he'd actually come on to him.
They spent the evening going through Jack's playlists, and Dean got introduced to music that he hadn't payed much attention to before. Arias and showtunes was not what he listened to on a regular basis, but he knew he had to learn, so he tried to follow Jack's lead as they sang their way through the lists.
Dean had been eavesdropping outside the choir room when Garth sang 'You'll never walk alone', and even if his voice cracked a little at the end, it was a good performance. When Jack suddenly started to sing that song acapella as he scrolled down on the screen in search for something else, Dean understood that Jack was in a whole different league. It was amazing, and he almost - just almost - fell for the guy.
Jack didn't finish the song, and Dean got a little disappointed. He could have listened to that voice for a long time without being bored. "This one. This one could be it. Mr Evans wanted a powerful solo, and I want to try this." Jack stood up before he hit the play-button. "Join in if you can."
"I don't know where I'm goin'
But I sure know where I've been
Hanging on the promises in songs of yesterday…"
Dean almost didn't recognize the song the way Jack sang it. His clean, pure, voice was so different from the more raspy one of David Coverdale. The background music was also barely audible so he could almost only hear the Jack's vocals.
When the whole band joined in, Dean was ready to jump in on the chorus. He knew this song well, and he could even play it on the guitar. He wished that he'd had brought it.
"Here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An' I've made up my mind, I ain't wasting no more time…"
Jack had stepped onto the bed and it was almost a little funny to see him rock it out. Dean had not expected this from the guy.
"...Here I go again, here I go again…"
They both whooped and cheered when the performance was over. Dean wasn't quite sure if this was what Mr Evans was thinking about when he wanted a powerful solo, but it was good; really good.
When Dean revealed that he could play it on the guitar, Jack was even more eager to sell it to their director. "Coverdale and Marsden. We can do this together."
It was a bonding moment. They had both been on their own. Dean had a younger brother to take care of, but the two of them had been out there struggling to make a life for themselves.