John and Ianto shares an awkward moment in the kitchen. In the meantime, Dean realizes that he has to appologize. It's not something he looks forward to, but he agrees with Sam that it has to be done. It goes rather well. Castiel knows what is to come, and he waits patiently for Dean to show up.

Songs in this chapter

Highway to hell - AC/DC - M/L: Angus Young, Malcolm Young, Bon Scott

Summertime - from Porgy and Bess - Ella Fitzgerald - M: George Gershwin, L: DuBose Heyward

Morning has broken...

"I'm on the highway to hell

on the highway to hell

highway…."

Ianto reached out for his phone to stop the alarm. He didn't even remember setting it, but it didn't matter. He checked the time. It was almost noon and nobody had tried to wake him up, which was highly unusual. Whenever he slept in, he often woke up with his two little nephews jumping on his bed.

For a moment, he just enjoyed the fact that he'd been able to get a decent sleep, but then he suddenly remembered what had happened last night when he and John went to bed. He flipped his head around and discovered that he was alone.

After a good stretch, Ianto got out of bed and looked out the window. John's car was still parked on the street, so his friend was obviously still in the house. He also noticed that his father's car was in the driveway, and he figured that his parents were back.

Trying to postpone the inevitable, Ianto went to the bathroom and took a long shower. Part of him wanted John to be gone before he went downstairs, but on the other hand, it would probably be better to get it over with. They would meet again sooner or later, and it wouldn't be less awkward in class on Monday.

Ianto gave the door to Gwen's room a soft knock before he opened it and peeked inside. His cousin and her friend Jo were still sleeping, so he closed the door gently.

With a deep sigh he tried to brace himself for what was to come before he went downstairs. He could hear talking from the kitchen, and he recognized John's and his mother's voices. This was just too fucked up.

He put on a brave face and stepped into the room. "Hiya. Good morning." Without looking at John, he went over to the counter and grabbed a cup from the cupboard and poured some coffee in it.

"Good Morning?" His mom chuckled a little. "Afternoon almost. Did you sleep well?" She was busy emptying the dishwasher, but stopped and picked up the pizza coupons. "You guys never ordered pizza so I took the liberty of doing it now. I'm not in the mood to cook right now."

Ianto shrugged before he finally turned around to look at John. The guy had a nice little shiner on his left eye, and his cheekbone was slightly bruised. "Hi. I didn't want to wake you. I…" John paused and looked down at the table before he took a sip from his cup. "I… I didn't…" Again, he paused.

"Did you two get into a fight last night? Did you do that to him?" Ianto's mother looked at her son as she furrowed her brows. "I mean… sounds to me that you have a couple of issues to resolve." Ianto could feel that his cheeks heated up from the blood rushing to his face. "No. We didn't." He and John spoke in unison, as both of them looked at her.

"It was an accident. I tripped." John gave her a shy smile. "I think I drank a little too much. Not that much, but it was the stairs, and I kind of… I just fell on my face." Ianto knew his mother, and he could see it on her face. She didn't believe a word. "Umph, yeah right." She turned to Ianto. "The Patricks told me that the police were here, can you explain that?"

Ianto did not want to explain anything, but he was happy about the leeway. "The Patricks, uh? I guess it was them that called the police in the first place. They could have just called me, or come to the door." He shook his head. "We handled the police fine. We were just playing the music a little too loud. The officer was in the house and he saw that we were behaving."

His mother nodded towards John. "Is that what you call behaving? Tripped on the stairs. Don't try to fool an old fool." She put the last few of the clean dishes away before she started to walk away. "I'm going to the store. Your dad is in the garden. I don't know how many of your friends are still here, but get them up and feed them. The pizza will be here soon." She grabbed her handbag. "And you two need to talk it out. I'm very disappointed in you, Ianto. Fighting with your friends is not good."

Both Ianto and John turned to her. "We didn't. We didn't fight." Again, they spoke in unison, and they both had to laugh a little. It was kind of refreshing, but Ianto knew that the awkwardness wasn't over yet.

As soon as she had left, Ianto pushed away from the counter and crossed the floor. "I'll better check downstairs. Do you know if Garth and Charlie are still there?" He didn't want to be alone with John right now. It took a moment before John said anything. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what I was doing. I was drunk... It'll never happen again. Can we put it behind us and pretend that it never happened?"

Ianto didn't know what to say. He was pretty sure that he would be unable to pretend that he didn't get aroused last night, but he really didn't want this to be an issue between them. "Sure. We can do that. You just got beat up and needed a little comfort, right?" Ianto dared to turn and give John a quick smile.

"I did not get beat up. I stood my ground, and I'm sure Dean has a few bruises too. Along with Jack, but that was just unfortunate." John sounded a little disgruntled, but then he bent his head down and chuckled quietly. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just needed a little comforting."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Dean woke up after only a few hours of sleep. He emitted a groan when he remembered what had happened. It wasn't really his style to apologize, but he knew that he probably had to come up with some excuse for what he did. Before he finally fell asleep sometime in the early morning hours, he had been too angry and embarrassed to even care if they threw him out of Glee-club. In the light of the new day, his view on it had changed significantly.

He had to admit to himself that an outcome that would shut him out of the choir room indefinitely would be close to devastating. Reluctantly, he realized that he wouldn't have been half as bummed if Beiste had threatened to kick him off the football team.

John was not his biggest concern. He wasn't particularly big and muscular, but he had gotten a few punches in on Dean before the others separated them. Dean rubbed his sore jaw, and wondered if he had any visible bruises. Knowing that he'd stood his ground and with his everyday easygoing demeanor, John would probably be willing to forget about the whole thing if Dean came up with the correct lines.

It was the reaction from rest of the group that worried him.

Dean was busy making a list in his head on who he had to grovel for, when Sam came out of the little alcove. His brother stretched his long body before he headed for the bathroom. "Slept well?" Sam asked as he crossed the floor. Dean didn't answer, and Sam didn't pursue it.

A few minutes later after taking a leak, Sam came back out and sat down on the couch next to Dean. "Is it time for some humble pie, or are you still angry?" He gave Dean a tentative smile. Dean looked down and didn't answer at first.

Sam was a smart guy and could possibly be at help, but Dean wasn't sure if he wanted to give his brother that pleasure. Giving it a second thought, he realized that he probably didn't have a choice. Sam was good friends with a few of the members, and he was generally well liked.

"I need to…" It wasn't easy to say the words. "I have to apologize to, er, them." Dean hoped that Sam wouldn't mock him. He knew that if his brother started to make fun of him for this, he would never go through with his plan to get into the good graces of the Glee-club again. Dean knew himself well enough. It felt like he was balancing on the edge of a knife, and one joking remark from Sam could piss him off enough to fall down on the wrong side.

The sound that Sam emitted could have been a laugh, but if so, he quickly managed to cover it up with a cough. Dean decided to give his brother the benefit of the doubt. At least he was trying to take this seriously.

"I think." Sam leaned back and rubbed his chin. "I think you have to go to each and every one of them and apologize in person." Dean could almost feel Sam's eyes on him, but he didn't look up. "If they get together and decide that you are not fit to be in the club, it could be too late. You have to do it today."

Dean still didn't look at his brother. The humiliation he would have to suffer through would totally ruin his image, but deep down he knew that Sam was right. "Okay. Okay. Better get it over with then." He got up from the couch. This humble pie tasted very bad, but he did his best to swallow his pride.

Before he went to fetch some clean clothes and get ready, he finally turned to meet Sam's eyes. "Could you, hm. Could you maybe call Kevin and ask what he thinks. I mean… he is your friend, and…" The glimpse of humor he saw on Sam face almost had him change his mind, but he managed to brace himself.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Castiel didn't want a ride home. After a light breakfast, he packed up his things and decided to walk to the bus station. "My brother offered to pick me up there when we came back. They think we were coming back this morning with the bus."

Jack understood. From the conversation they had over eggs and toast, he knew that Cas had lived a pretty sheltered life up until now. His family had moved around a lot over the last few years, and he never really had any friends outside of church.

The family's stability had been crushed when his mother died of cancer three years ago. Castiel's father decided to uproot the family and move, because he couldn't bare staying in that house where his wife had withered away for two years before she drew her last breath.

In church, they called it a promotion when the family travelled around so Castiel's dad could help struggling ministries. It took three years before he decided to settle down again, and that's when Castiel ended up in Lima.

During the time on the road, Castiel had started to lose his faith. He was very open with Jack when he talked about it, but he didn't elaborate on why or how. Determined to make new friends that had no connections to the church, he had convinced his father to enroll him at McKinley High; the school furthest away from his house.

"I just wanted a little sliver of independence. I wanted to make sure that my new friends would know me for me, and not as the pastor's son."

Jack suspected that there was more to this tale, but he didn't pursue it. He could easily understand Castiel's need to distance himself from all the religious mumbo-jumbo. Jack had hardly ever set foot in a church, and he had never really had any faith.

As soon as Castiel left, Jack went to check Rachel's room. He knew it was okay for him to use it, but he wanted to make sure that everything was in order. He had nothing to worry about. Cas had made the bed himself in the morning, and the bathroom didn't show any trace of a visitor.

For a moment he contemplated on changing the linens, but decided against it. Nobody needed to know. He was on his way back down when the doorbell rang. He opened the door, and was surprised to see Dean.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

This is going great

Gwen was not impressed with Dean's apology. She was still a little pissed about what happened, but she reluctantly decided to give the guy absolution for his actions. It was mostly because he actually came to the house to face her and Ianto.

From what she'd learned about the guy so far, it had to have been a tough decision to make. She was pretty sure that his brother was the mind behind this, but it didn't take away the fact that Dean seemed genuinely embarrassed about his own behaviour.

When it all went down, Gwen had been furious, and she had blamed Dean for ruining the party. In the morning, she had to admit that the fight had nothing to do with the party ending, and it could have gone on if it hadn't been for the complaint from the neighbors.

Both she and Ianto had tried to find out why the guy attacked John, but didn't get any straight answers from him. "I was drunk, and I thought… John said something earlier that pissed me off, and then... I thought he was making jokes on my behalf. I don't know. I was just too drunk to think."

Gwen had been willing to let it go. She wasn't sure if she'd ever invite Dean to another party, but this was over. It surprised her when Ianto started to pursue the matter. Over lunch, both he and John had been ready to forgive Dean without even talking to him, much to Gwen's annoyance, and now it seemed like Ianto wasn't done with this after all.

Standing there on the stoop, Ianto stared at Dean with a smirk on his face. "You're sure that was it? What was it that John said then? You're sure it wasn't something he did?"

Dean was quiet for the longest time, and Gwen started to worry that he'd withdraw his apology and attack Ianto as well. She tried to interfere. "Don't worry about that… It's something between John and him. Let them…"

Ianto looked at her. "I know. I'm just curious, so if you could shut up…" He threw her a smile before he turned back to face Dean. "John claims he didn't say anything to offend you, and I believe him. So why? Why did you really attack him?"

Gwen was ready to give Ianto a piece of her mind. Shushing her like that was not cool, but she got a little intrigued. Did Ianto know something she didn't? She looked Dean again and could see that he was struggling to keep calm.

"I don't know. I was just…" For a moment it looked like the guy was in pain. "I don't have a good reason. I don't remember much of it, and I am so sorry. I think I was just bored and wanted some action."

That didn't even sound plausible, and Gwen started to believe that it was more to this than met the eye. She would have loved to know, but this was not the time and place. "It's okay. Talk to John, and make up with him. Ianto. Stop it."

It was pretty clear that Ianto wasn't ready let it go, but he complied and took a step back. Before he turned to go inside, he gave Dean a wink. "Yeah, talk to John. Do that. I'm sure he can lift the veil from your clouded memory."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

After driving around Lima for two hours to find each and everyone, it started to look good for Dean. Jack took it very well and commended Dean for actually coming around to apologize. That was pretty much Jane's reaction as well, although she wasn't ready to let it go completely.

Jo hadn't even been present for the commotion, and after talking to John in the morning, she believed that it wasn't such big deal. "John was happy to get in a punch, and if I understood him correctly, he has forgiven you already." She shrugged. "I missed the whole drama, but as far as I'm concerned it's between you and him."

Sam had been nice enough to call Kevin, Garth, and Charlie. The three of them were all a little concerned, but didn't really hold a grudge. Charlie had actually, according to Sam, mentioned that she secretly welcomed the little scuffle because the party had started to get a little boring at that time.

Garth was a little less forgiving, and warned Sam that if he hadn't been so tired he would have taken Dean down himself. When Sam told Dean what Garth said, they both got a good laugh out of it. The guy was skinny as a toothpick and about as buff as a shrimp, and would not have been able to do much. Eventually he'd mellowed and admitted that he liked Dean, and that the two of them had had a bonding moment at the party. "I am gonna keep an eye on him though."

Kevin didn't really care. He was not happy about the fight, but decided to trust Sam and give Dean the benefit of the doubt. He mentioned that John could be a little big-mouthed, and even if he probably didn't mean any harm, it was sometimes quite annoying.

The McCarthy twins refused to come to the door when Dean showed up. Their mother tried to make them, but eventually Dean had to leave. It was a bummer, but he tried to keep his spirit up as they continued to Unique's house.

Her father came to the door, and if Dean had felt a little intimidated with the man the first time they met, it wasn't any better now. He invited them both inside, and Dean didn't dare to refuse.

"...fish are jumping

and the cotton is high

Oh, your daddy's rich

and your ma is good looking

"So hush…."

Unique flipped her head around and stopped singing as the Winchester brothers entered the den. "Oh. It's you." She sighed and turned the volume down on the sound system. Ella Fitzgerald's rendition of 'Summertime' was playing softly in the background as Unique gestured for the boys to sit.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Castiel was pacing back and forth on the front porch. The call from Jack had stirred him, and he didn't know what to expect. Evidently, Dean was out on a mission to get absolution for his actions last night, and he was probably going to come there as well.

If Jack had been right about his perception of the event, it would be very uncomfortable for Cas to even look at Dean.

His father had been a little concerned when he refused to come inside after the call, but Cas wanted to make sure to keep Dean away from his family. He didn't really trust himself to handle this in a calm and sensible way, and didn't want anybody to see him stutter and blush in front of Dean.

He thought about just giving the guy a call to tell him that he was forgiven, but part of him wanted the confrontation.

Unique had hit the nail on the head when she insinuated that Castiel sat on the bleachers during football practice just to eye the handsome guys on the field. She was wrong about one thing though. Cas wasn't interested in looking at anyone else but Dean.

In the beginning he'd just hung there with his books, throwing clandestine glances at the boys. After Dean joined Glee-club and Cas got to know him a little bit, he didn't care about the other guys on the team.

He rationalized it to himself with the fact that he was just supportive of a fellow choir member, but deep down he knew it wasn't so.

Unique had a thing for the linemen, especially those who were above average size. If they were African American to boot, she was practically drooling as she watched them. It was kind of sad to know that most of these guys would be totally turned off by the fact that she had a penis.

In Castiel's mind, she was a beautiful human being, and he was sure that there would be someone out there for her, but finding that guy on the local football team was a long shot. Unique had to get out of Lima. She had to go out in the world and meet people who would see through the exterior and find the diamond inside.

Thinking about all of this had made him lose his concentration, so when he heard the sound of car coming up the street, he hurried to sit down on the hammock pretending to read.

It wasn't the Impala, but Cas decided to stay put. Sooner or later Dean would come, and he wanted to make sure to be cool and collected when that happened. The book he'd picked at random from the shelf turned out to be a textbook that his brother had kept from when he took Humanities in college. Cas had already opened it on a random page, and when he started to read he found it quite interesting.