The winner is announced. John made plans to get rid of the chaperones for a while, and with a little help from Castiel, it all works out. Castiel gets a surprising birthday gift, but manage to take everybody's mind of it.
Songs in this chapter
Son of a Preacher man - slightly different from Dusty Springfield's version - M/L: Hurley, Wilkins
We are the champions - Queen - M/L: Mercury
"The runner-up is…" The emcee gestured for the drummer to make a drumroll. "...Vocal Adrenaline."
The moment Sam heard the words, he kind of knew the outcome. Even with a less than perfect ear, he was confident that his choir was better than those 'hoosier-guys'. Unless the judges were bribed or blackmailed, it was inevitable; New Directions was going to win this. His friends up on stage didn't look half as convinced as he felt, but it didn't matter.
He could see that his namesake, Mr Evans, was just as certain. Mr Schuester and Mrs Lopez seemed to be holding their breaths, but they were both sporting clandestine smiles.
Without any knowledge on how the guys from Indiana had performed, Sam wasn't surprised that the guys from McKinley still looked rather pale and worried, but they had no reason to be. If they lost, it would be outrageous. The whole audience knew that, and Sam was pretty sure that someone would protest if that happened.
"The winner of this year's midwest regionals is…" Another drumroll followed. "...New Directions from McKinley high school in Lima, Ohio." The last few words drowned in the applause and cheers from the audience. There were a few boos as well, but they got totally overpowered by the supporters.
Everybody in the choir started to hug and kiss each other, and Sam didn't feel very well when Jack lifted Jo off the ground and planted a wet one on her lips. He knew that she was a bit taken by the guy, but he'd been quite confident that Jack was batting for the other team.
Sam didn't get much time to worry. Mr Evans pulled him up on stage along with Mrs Lopez and Mr Schuester as the head judge came in to hand out the trophy.
Scooting all the way to the back where Brad and the rest of the band were hanging, Sam watched as Unique stepped over to the microphone to give the prepared victory speech.
"We are thrilled and humbled…"
Sam didn't get more than that because a small hand eased its way into his. "We won." Jo whispered as she stood on her toes to lean her head on his shoulder. "This cause for a celebration."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"There's no way around this. You guys have led us here, and this is our way to say thanks." John was addressing their teachers as he pulled an envelope out of his pocket. They had all just emerged from the locker-rooms and were standing in the middle of the basketball court. "We wanted to give you a treat no matter what, but you really deserve this."
Dean had no idea what the guy was talking about, and looking at the other members of the choir he realized that he was not the only one who felt left out. Their three chaperones stared at John, and didn't seem to notice that the students looked a little dumbfounded.
"A table at the best restaurant in town, a full dinner and limitless drinks." John handed Sam Evans something that looked like a credit card. "All payed for by your humble slaves in New Directions."
Mr Evans looked at them suspiciously. "Er, what about you guys? We are supposed to chaperone. Is this some trick to get us out of the way?" He panned the crowd. John shook his head. "Nooo, no. I mean… What can we do? You'll be back sooner or later anyway. We'll get some pizza and hang out at the motel."
The teachers didn't look convinced, but then Castiel scooted forward and cocked his head. "It's true. You brought us here, and you deserve a treat. There is no hidden agenda in this. We just wanted to do something nice for you."
John seemed a little surprised as he threw a sideways glance at Cas, but then he composed himself and patted the guy's back. "Like he says. It's totally innocent." He cleared his throat. "Brad will take you there, but the guys in the band are driving home tonight so you have to get a cab back."
Looking at Castiel's big, blue, innocent eyes, their elders caved in. Dean smirked to himself. That Cas decided to step up and confirm John's words was an excellent move. The Pastor's son, a true Christian wouldn't lie. Dean was pretty sure that Cas knew just as little about this as anyone else in the choir; it was probable that John had taken this upon himself, so Castiel's move was intriguingly bold.
Over time, he'd learned that Cas wasn't as restrained and reserved as his upbringing could have made him. His looks and his everyday demeanor could easily fool you, but there were depths to this guy that didn't immediately meet the eye. Dean had been quite surprised on more than one occasion, and he was very interested in exploring Castiel's mind. Maybe not only his mind, but that was a little bit too scary to think of at the moment.
Brad showed up as if on cue, and waved their chaperones over. "If you want a ride, we have to leave now." Mr Schuester, Mr Evans and Mrs Lopez looked at each other for a brief moment, before the principal nodded. "Okay. Thank you all. We didn't mean to be ungrateful, but you know…" He threw his hands out. "We will check on you when we come back though. You better be there." With a bright smile he grabbed Santana's arm and walked towards the door where Brad was waiting. Sam Evans shrugged before he followed them. "Thank you all. We'll be back suddenly. No misbehavin' please."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Just as everybody was about to ask John about what was going on, he lifted his hands before he put a finger to his lips. Nodding towards the other end of the court where the guys from Indiana gathered their stuff, he started walking towards the door. "Come on, there will be plenty of time for explanation later."
The bus was standing outside and they all entered it quietly. During the short ride to the motel, one could hear some whispering, but John clammed up and refused to say anything until they were outside their sleeping quarters.
"I have discovered that Dean and Ianto's, and and, er, Jack's room is around the corner and quite sheltered from the rest of the complex." John was standing in the middle of the crowd. "It will be the best room for a party."
After a split second of silence, everybody started asking questions, but John just shook his head and waited until they had calmed down again. "Okay, I went all out and made sure that we could get some alone time." He chuckled a little. "I mean… without… chaperones." He paused for a moment. "If you don't want a party, that's okay, but we can do it. We have about three hours. Not much, I agree, but it is what it is." He opened his oversized suitcase and revealed that it contained only alcohol. "Gwen is carrying my clothes, but she didn't know why."
After a little bit of subtle cheering - they were standing right outside the reception and everybody seemed to be aware that they couldn't be too loud - Charlie took a step towards John. "We don't know when they will be back, and time travels fast when you're in good company. I'm pretty sure we will get caught."
John cocked his head and chuckled silently. "Oh please. I payed the Maitre'd at the restaurant a handsome amount of money to call me when they leave. I come prepared."
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Jack felt as if he'd been run over by a freight train. It wasn't like he didn't want to party, but he didn't like the way John had handled this all by himself. So now John was the hero, and what they all had done to win this competition was just gone and forgotten.
Maybe it wasn't so, but Jack was tired of competing with the guy.
If this was some kind of maneuver to win Ianto over, Jack wasn't sure if he had the audacity needed to fight it. He had never been a giver-upper, but John's wealth and his connections made him the center of attention in so many ways.
Jack knew for sure that the song they did together had been part of the reason why the judges decided to make them winners, but now he felt that John was taking all the glory. It didn't sit well with him at all.
John was handing out drinks, and everybody was crowding around him. Everybody but… Ianto. Jack looked around. Ianto wasn't even in the room.
Charlie came towards him and handed him a plastic cup with whiskey. "Take this, and don't look so gloomy." She sat down next to him and grabbed Ianto's guitar. "I want to sing a song, but… I'm not too good with the guitar."
The way she strummed it told Jack that she was a little too modest. So maybe she was better with the fiddle, but she knew what she was doing. "When Cas stepped up and convinced them to take the offer, I kind of fell in love with the guy." She rolled her eyes. "Er, not like that. You know I'm not into guys."
He knew, but didn't say anything. "Help me out here. You can sing with me." She played a few chords, but Jack didn't know what song it was.
"Castiel was a preacher's son
And when his daddy would visit he'd come along…"
She begged for him to sing along, but Jack was not familiar with this song. He didn't get a chance to say anything before Jo came running over. "Cool. Cas is the hero."
"...Out through the back yard we'd go walkin'
Then he'd look into my eyes
Lord knows, to my surprise."
Jo gestured for the guys nearby to join in on the chorus.
"The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me…"
Jack felt way more comfortable making Cas the hero than letting John get all the credit for this. He got up and pulled the guy over. "They are doing it for you, you know."
"Bein' good isn't always easy
No matter how hard I try
When he started sweet-talkin' to me
He'd come'n tell me 'Everything is all right'..."
Dean came over with his guitar and joined Charlie. Jack tried to follow as the others sang along in the background.
"The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, ooh, yes he was…"
Dean tried to do an elaborate solo on his instrument, but it was an acoustic guitar, and didn't really give the guy's skills much justice. After that little interlude, Dean and Charlie were back in sync, and Jack noticed the subtle nod Dean sent her.
"How well I remember
The look that was in his eyes
Stealin' kisses from me on the sly…"
They had both changed the key so that it would fit Dean's voice, and Jack was surprised by the passion he put into the performance.
"Takin' time to make time
Tellin' me that he's all mine
Learnin' from each other's knowin'
Lookin' to see how much we've grown and…"
The look on Castiel's face was priceless. He stared directly at Dean and it was impossible for Jack to misinterpret the meaning behind that look. As he sang along with the others - in a slightly lower key than the beginning of the song - he kept a keen eye at the choirboy.
"The only one who could ever reach me
Was the son of a preacher man
The only boy who could ever teach me
Was the son of a preacher man
Yes he was, he was, oh yes he was…"
Jack averted his gaze for a moment and threw a peek at Dean. The guy was looking straight at Castiel now, and he didn't turn away as he started singing the last chorus. Gwen and Unique did the background vocals while Dean and Charlie collaborated on the lines in between.
"(The only one who could ever reach me)
He was the sweet-talkin' son of a preacher man
(The only boy who could ever teach me)
Was the son of a preacher man…"
Suddenly, Dean put his guitar down and walked over to Castiel. After a slight hesitation, he wrapped his arms around the boy and kissed him on the cheek. 'On the cheek!' Jack almost screamed it out, but managed to keep the words in his head.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
"Congratz, birthday boy." Dean pulled back and smiled before he gave Castiel a big bear hug. "The son of a Preacher man. This song was for you. Our Hero."
Castiel pulled back a little; he didn't want to get out of this grip, so he still held on to Dean with one hand. "Technically, my dad is not a preacher…" A hard rap on his shoulder made him stop. Gwen was standing there shaking her head. "Can't you just take it. Don't rationalize. This song was for you, but I didn't, er. Is it your birthday? Really?"
He hadn't told anyone, and couldn't understand how Dean could now. "Yeah, uh, It is, but this is not my party. Forget about it. John made this happen."
Suddenly everybody was crowding around him. John reached a hand out to give him a cup. "Birthday drink. Bottoms up!"
Cas really didn't want to unlace his fingers from Dean's shirt, so he had to reach over with his left hand to grab the drink. It wasn't like it was directly uncomfortable to stand so close to Dean, but the others were pushing to get to him, forcing the two of them even closer together.
"Kiss him." A subtle whisper from behind caught his ear. He wasn't sure who said it, and he didn't know who it was addressed to. He dared to look at Dean briefly, but the guy was busy downing a beer, and had probably not heard the words.
"Kiss him!" The voice was a little louder now, and he recognized that it was Unique's. He could feel that Dean got a little startled, and he wondered if he would pull away. "Kiss him for Christ's sake. Sorry Cas. Give him his first kiss for his birthday."
It was too weird. He couldn't get away if he wanted to because everybody was circling Dean and him, giving him no way to escape. Not that he wanted to escape, but the first kiss shouldn't be like this. He knew Dean quite well, and was pretty sure that the guy wouldn't cave in under the pressure, so he tried to calm down.
"Cas. Castiel. Look at me." Dean had grabbed his shoulders and he shook him gently. "I know you don't like beer that much, but a little taste of it won't hurt you." As the rest of his friends chanted 'Kiss him, kiss him', Dean leaned in and let their lips touch. For a moment Cas froze up, but then he forced himself to relax. Dean's tongue graced his lips, and Cas wanted to reciprocate, but didn't dare.
The wild cheers from some of his mates, made him perfectly aware that this was a public event, but when Dean's hand travelled down to rest on the small of his back, he almost forgot. The kiss was over, and he found himself staring into Dean's eyes.
The guy smiled brightly. "Happy birthday choirboy." He said it jokingly and everybody applauded and started greeting Cas. What they didn't notice - Cas was quite sure of that - was that Dean's hand had crawled up under the t-shirt, and that his fingers were caressing the bare skin on his back for a brief moment.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Ianto had heard the cheers from the room, and he worried that someone would complain. He'd rushed over to the office to get some ice, and had no idea what the commotion was all about. As he stepped inside, he realized that they were all greeting Castiel, wishing him a happy birthday.
Dean looked like he was about to have a heart attack; his face was red and flustered and his breathing a little labored. The others didn't seem to care as they pushed passed him to give Castiel a hug.
The choirboy looked rather out of it as well, but that could be explained by the fact that he wasn't the center of attention very often.
Ianto put the ice bucket on the table and looked for a cup. "Here." John handed him a beer. "If you want something else, it's on the counter." He nodded towards the small kitchenette before he leaned over and picked up two ice cubes with his fingers and dumped them into his drink.
It was the first really friendly words from the guy since New Year's eve. Not that there had ever been any real hostility between them, but Ianto knew that they had both tried to avoid talking about anything that didn't have to do with school or Glee-Club.
"Thanks. Beer is fine. Thank you." He gave his friend a crooked smile, but John had already moved on, busy stuffing the rest of the beer into the tiny fridge.
"What's the point." Garth grabbed one out of John's hand. "They won't get much colder before this party is over. Mr 'Principal' and crew can walk in on us at any time." He was obviously determined to make the most of it, because he downed the beer in three big gulps before he reached out for another one.
Ianto chuckled a little and walked away from the scene. He maneuvered himself between Kevin and Sam Winchester to get closer to Castiel. "Hey Cas. Happy birthday. I didn't know. Cheers!" He lifted his drink as a patted Castiel's back. "Seventeen, uh. Only four years left before this is legal for you."
Cas still looked a little like a fish out of water, but he took a deep breath and smiled. "Yeah. Thanks. Cheers to you too. Cheers to everybody. We won. We should all congratulate each other." He threw a peek over at Dean before he turned back to Ianto. "A seventeenth birthday isn't even worth celebrating. It means nothing, but together we are the champions."
It was inevitable. It took about two second before everybody was singing.
"We are the champions, my friends
and we'll keep on fighting 'til the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions
of the world."