Finding money for Nationals is their main concern, but they make time for a get-together. Prom is coming up, and it is troubling for some. Dean and Wade go to a church concert.

Songs in this chapter

A few hymns and some other songs

America the Beautiful - Patriotic song - L: Katharine Lee Bates, M: Samuel A. Ward

Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen - M/L: Leonard Cohen

"We won't hear anything for at least another week or maybe two, but I suggest that we start trying to find the money required regardless." They had all gotten time off from class Monday morning to perform in front of the judges, and it was an exhausted gang that sat in the choir room that afternoon. Sam Evans had been pleased with them, and he'd promised them that there would be no class today, but he wanted to get them together for a little talk before they got dismissed.

"If we raise the money, but don't get picked, we can spend it on something else. You guys deserve a trip anyway, so…" He paused and threw his hands out. "Go home, get some rest, but think about it. Bake sale, car wash, anything."

They practically crawled out of there as they waved goodbye to their coach. John was pretty sure that nobody was going to come up with anything tonight. They were so fed up with rehearsals that most of them had been ready to leave the choir before the weekend, so spending the free afternoon pondering on ways to raise money would not happen.

He and Ianto had decided to use the time to go out for a bite to eat, and John asked around to find out if anybody wanted to tag along.

Gwen's boyfriend, Rhys was going back home the next day, and she wanted to spend some time with him so she was in a hurry to get home. Jane, Unique and Madison wanted to do some shopping; Charlie decided to scramble together a meeting in computer club. Garth and Kevin wasn't too keen on that, but they did follow her.

Dean always came in late for class because he was on the athletics team, and he wasn't even there when they got dismissed. Castiel wanted to come, but told them that he'd catch up because he had something else to do first. John wasn't born yesterday, he knew that Cas wanted to wait for Dean.

It wasn't hard to see that Jack wanted to come with, but he didn't confirm it at first. John could kind of understand. The three of them together without anyone else around could be slightly awkward. When Jo had called home to make sure it was okay, and Mason finally said yes, Jack seemed a little relieved as he followed them out.

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

There wasn't a soul in the restaurant when they walked in. The couple of waiters were hanging by the bar while another was sorting silverware at a table in the back. They all looked up, but it didn't seem like any of them were in any hurry to greet the guests.

The explanation came quickly. "Oh Mr Hart." A small, stocky, dark haired woman, probably in her forties came rushing out from the kitchen. She kissed John on both cheeks before she grabbed his hand. "Your table is ready for you and your friends. How many will you be." She looked at the others as her face turned sad. "Only five? I prepared a table for ten."

John pulled a chair out for Jo, and nodded for her to sit. "We are expecting a couple more, but most of my classmates were too tired to come. Last week was tough, and we had a performance this morning."

The woman slapped her hands together. "Aww. I hope it went well." She gestured for the boys to find their seats. "Do you need the menu now, or will you wait for your friends?"

They didn't really know if Cas and Dean would show up, and John looked at the others before he made a quick decision. "Let's have some of your special lemonade Mrs Rossi, if that's okay. I have to make a call first."

The woman smiled and walked away. A few minutes later she came out with a carafe with a pinkish liquid and placed it on the table. One of the waiters had followed her and sat down a small pitcher of water next to the carafe.

Mrs Rossi patted the girl's shoulder. "Give Carla a nod if you need anything. I will be right with you."

As soon as the two had left, Jack turned to John. "What is this? Is it family or something?" He smiled and threw a quick peek at Mrs Rossi's back as she entered the kitchen again. "I can not see any family resemblance, but I've learned not to take things at face value. So… Share."

John lifted the carafe and poured a small amount of the drink into Jo's glass. "Women first." He filled his own glass halfway before he handed the thing to Jack. "I guess you know that it is wine. It's very low alcohol content, but it's refreshing and a little bit sparkly."

As soon as the other three had served themselves, John leaned back in his chair. "I guess you can call it family. Sophia, er, Mrs Rossi and my parents went to school together. I have known her all my life."

He took a sip from his glass before he continued. "I was just a toddler when Mr Rossi passed away, and I don't remember him at all. They had just opened this restaurant and Sophia was in a little bit of a financial crises. My father decided to help her out so he became sort of a silent partner."

Ianto looked a little startled. "Your father? But isn't he in Europe?" He threw his hands out and blushed a little. "I guess a silent partner doesn't have to be nearby. Sorry." John reached over the table and patted his hand. "That's probably right, but it doesn't matter. When he left us, when my parents got divorced, my mom got this as part of the settlement. My mom actually owns a little bit of this establishment now."

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

Castiel had no idea what to say to Dean when he showed up. Maybe he should just try to pretend that he was late out of class and that he for some reason decided to hang around in the parking lot just for the heck of it.

He really wanted to go to the restaurant with the others, but it would be so much more interesting if Dean tagged along.

As he threw his bag into the backseat of the car, Sam Winchester came out of the building. That probably meant that Dean was on his way, and Cas tried to man up little. "Hey. Cas. Castiel. Where's everybody? Didn't you have choir practice?" Sam shouted as he walked towards him.

"Eh, no. We got dismissed because we put in a lot of hours over the last two weeks." He realized that this was his opportunity. "I'm meeting up with John and Ianto and a few others from the choir. We are going out for a bite."

Sam was closing in and they didn't have to shout anymore. "Does Dean know? Is he there?" It was obvious that Sam just then noticed that the Impala was still in the parking lot. "Where is he?"

Cas drew his breath quickly. "Football, er, basketball, I don't know. You want to come? You're part of the team, aren't you?" Sam looked down a little shyly for a moment before he asked: "Who's there, and where is it?"

Castiel didn't know where they were going, but he'd got driving directions from John, and was told to look for 'Little Milan'. "An Italian place downtown. I don't know it." At that point his phone started ringing, and he picked up as he uttered: "Jo is there by the way."

It was John. He asked if they were coming, but Cas didn't really know yet. He looked up at Sam again. "John. He want to know who's coming." Sam seemed a little bit flustered, but he nodded vigorously. "Tell him that we'll be there, I just have to find my brother first."

With the hopes that Dean would come too, he relayed the message to John. "We're coming. Sam just have to find his brother."

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

Dean didn't know what was going on. When he walked towards the car, Sam was waiting for him as he'd expected, but his brother was not his normal self. "Come on. We are going out for a meal. Follow that car." Sam pointed towards a vehicle idling at the entrance of the parking lot. Dean immediately noticed that it was Castiel's car, - or technically, the pastor's car - and had no problems complying to his brother's orders. He had no idea why, but got a quick explanation as they hit the road.

"I don't know much, but John and Jo and a couple of more people from Glee-club are at an Italian restaurant somewhere in town. They asked if we'd come too." He faltered a little. "Er, I, maybe not me, but Castiel told me… He kind of suggested that I come too because I'm, like, part of the team."

Dean didn't think it would matter. Sam was really a part of this, and if anyone suggested otherwise he's give them a piece of his mind. That Cas thought Sam was eligible for this meetup it should be good enough.

The others were already viewing the menu when the tree of them were shown to the table by an Italian woman. "More limonade?" She asked before she removed an empty carafe from the table. John nodded. "Sure. These guys needs to try it as well."

Jack scooted over and let Sam have the seat next to Jo. That left Dean and Cas with only one option. They had to sit together across from Sam and Jack.

Dean knew that they couldn't afford this, and he hoped that his brother was aware of it. If they ordered the cheapest thing on the menu it would probably be alright, but they would have to settle for water to drink.

When John urged them to try the wine they were served, Dean tried to wave it away, but then John got up from his seat. "All drinks are on me. Whatever you want." He threw a quick peek at Dean before he panned the crowd. "I brought you here. I chose this place, It's my pleasure to pay part of the bill."

Dean kind of knew that John had noticed his reluctance to try the wine, and it was kind of embarrassing. The way the guy decided to deal with it was very chevaleresque. He knew how to avoid making people feel uncomfortable.

Dean remembered that from the party they had at his house. John was doing his best to include everybody. He had been the perfect host.

Some of the items on the menu was a bit pricy, but most of it was surprisingly cheap. Dean hoped that Sam would know what to do as he himself ordered the Spaghetti Bolognese. It was actually less expensive than a meal at their favorite burger joint.

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

It wasn't actually a date, but sitting there next to Dean was nice. If he moved his leg just slightly to the left, their knees would touch, but Castiel tried to avoid it. He didn't want this to be awkward in any way.

Having wine at a restaurant was quite extraordinary for a bunch of teenagers, and Cas secretly wondered how this place could be allowed to stay in business when the owner bent the rules like that to accommodate John. Even if his mother was part owner, and John himself was a regular, it was still a dangerous move.

That they called it limonade didn't really cover up much. Anyone walking in would soon guess that it was an alcoholic beverage. When John explained that this was not something that happened very often, and almost only when they had private parties, it was more understandable. "We kids used to get this on special occasions from we were fourteen or something, and this is a special occasion."

The restaurant was surprisingly empty, and that had a reasonable explanation as well. "Mondays they open at five. This is really a private party, and as soon as they open the doors for other guests, we have to stick to water and soft drinks."

When Mrs Rossi came to take their orders she brought a small plate of bruschetta for them to share. "This is on the house. Something I threw together when you told me you'd come." It was a nice little appetizer, and the eight of them chewed as they toasted with what was left of the wine.

Dean leaned over to grab another one, and had to press his chest towards Castiel's shoulder to reach it. He could have asked someone to send the plate, but Cas was happy he didn't. He had Dean's ear practically in his face for a second and held held his breath so it wouldn't hitch. He didn't want Dean to hear how the closeness affected him.

The moment was over, but Dean had shifted a little in his seat as he sat back, and Cas could feel the whole length of Dean's thigh against his own.

The food came to the table and one of the waitresses cleared the table of any trace of wine before she went to turn the door sign to 'OPEN'. Busy eating, Castiel tried not to think about the two layers of denim separating him and Dean. Every so often, Dean tapped his heel on the floor, creating a little friction between them, but he didn't pull his leg away.

Castiel was pretty sure that the guy did this on purpose, and it somehow felt that they had their own little secret thing going on. That Castiel himself didn't really do anything was a minor issue. Dean should be fully aware of the fact that Cas could have moved away if he wanted to avoid it.

When the meal was over and the bill was payed, everybody started to get up. Cas procrastinated. He didn't want to let go because he didn't know when the next chance came to be so close to Dean.

Eventually, he pushed his chair back and got up.

Everybody went their separate ways after the meal. None of them were drunk or even a little bit tipsy after drinking wine, but it was kind of nice to have been able to do it.

Sam and Dean took Jo home, Mason had to pick up his sister from the mall. John took Ianto and Jack back to their houses, and Castiel drove away alone.

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

The rest of the week went as normal. Choir practice was a bit amputated because they were spending more time figuring out how to get money than to actually sing.

Prom was coming up, and Unique had a suggestion on how to make some money out of that. "We can style and make up those who can't afford to go to a salon." She nodded towards Gwen. "Gwen is pretty good with hair, and I can do make-up semi-professional."

It was an option, but it wouldn't be enough. Other options were thought of, and it was decided that they could have a car wash as well. "I'm pretty good with a sewing machine." Jack raised his hand. "A lot of students can't afford new clothes for prom, maybe we can help them fit into the second hand dresses they have to wear."

Almost everybody thought it could be a good idea, but John got up and threw his hands out. "You all try to find ways to get money from those less fortunate. Why don't we make an effort to milk those who are loaded?"

Coming from John, the little speech made an impact on the others. He would definitely be one of the targets for that approach. "I mean, my mom would pay handsomely if we performed at one of her functions."

Mr Evans sighed. "We can't sing professionally. We could be disqualified." He rubbed his chin and stared into the air. "Of course, if it's a private party or something it could work. I'll find out."

Charlie and Garth would make posters to advertise their services; John would spread the word to his mother's acquaintances, and Dean would ask the manager at the garage where he worked a few hours a week, if they could have the car-wash there.

They talked a little about who was going to the prom, but except for Jane and the twins, nobody had decided yet. It was for Seniors only, so a lot of them weren't eligible unless they were invited.

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

"We could go as a group, right?" Gwen had just shipped her boyfriend off to Wales, and was not interested in going with anybody in particular. She'd asked the seniors to stay behind in the choir room after class to throw out her suggestion. "Sure." Unique second the idea, and looked at the others.

Jane had a date, and wasn't interested, but she supported the idea. Mason and Madison had planned to go together, but embraced Gwen's solution.

John and Jack just shrugged, while Dean turned away as if he wasn't paying attention. Gwen knew perfectly well that he's heard everything, and she was certain she knew the reason why he was a little evasive.

"Are you not going?" She didn't want to let him off the hook. Maybe it was mean of her to push him, but if she had to pay the ticket for him herself she really wanted him to come. It was too sad if he had to stay home because he couldn't afford it.

"It's not, erm, it's not for me. I don't even have a nice suit, let alone a tux." He drew his breath. "No big deal. I never even thought I would graduate, but it looks like I am, but going to senior prom is, I mean… no big deal. I haven't thought about it, and it's okay."

All the seniors looked at him wide-eyed. "Are you kidding me?" Unique looked like she was about to burst. "I have been dreaming of this since I was a little girl, er, boy…" She chuckled a little and flipped her wrist. "...erm, whatever. Dressing up, walking into the ballroom with a date…" She faltered a little, and everybody kind of knew why. Then she smiled widely. "So maybe I won't go with a date, but going with you guys will be awesome." She grabbed Dean's hands. "High school memories. You need those. Please, please reconsider."

Gwen felt the need to intervene. Unique was getting a little too emotional about this. Gwen had never had dreams about going to the prom. It wasn't such a big deal in her hometown, but being here, she really wanted to be there. She wanted to experience as much as possible during her year in the States.

"Ianto has multiple suits. I'm sure we can find one that fits you." She gave Dean a once-over before she nodded. "Worse case scenario, Jack could always alter it. Right, Jack?"

Jack nodded vigorously. "Sure, sure. You have to come. If it's the money, we'll help you out." He nudged John, but John was not paying attention and startled a little. "What? Sure. Yeah, whatever you say."

The guy had been surprisingly quiet for a long time and it looked like he was in his own little world. As if he finally grasped what the others were talking about, he nodded as he turned to Dean. "Yes. We want you there, Dean" Then he got up from his chair and walked towards Unique standing a few feet away. "Will you go to the prom with me. I know I'm not your type, and I'm sorry to say that you're not my type either, but if you want a date for this, I will treat you as such, and give you the best prom a girl could wish for."

There had been moments where Unique had been at a loss of words, but she always managed to collect herself. This was not one of those times. She stared at John for the longest time before she lifted her hand and wiped a tear out of her eye. John went down on one knee and grabbed her hand. "I know that this was not what you were dreaming of, but I promise to make it memorable for you."

Gwen knew that if John wanted a date for prom, girls would stand in line to be the one. That he chose to ask Unique was quite surprising. When Unique finally got her ability to speak back, she looked at him through teary eyes. "Don't pity me. I don't need that." Her face turned hard as she pulled her hand out of John's grip.

John shook his head. "This is not pity. I want to go with you. I could find a date easily, but those shallow girls doesn't interest me. You are my friend, and I know that the two of us will have a good time even if we do not fancy each other that way. I could ask Gwen or Charlie or…" He threw his hand out. "...or Ianto for that matter, but I think… Please. You will not regret it."

Unique looked away for a second. "So this is not some kind of charity? Poor Unique will never get a date, so I sacrifice myself." She sighed and stared at John. He shook his head. "No. NO. Do I think that you will be asked by anybody else? No, I don't think so, I'm sorry, but it's the truth. Do I think you deserve to have an awesome prom? Yes I do. And I deserve it also. I want a date for this. We will go there as friends, and we will make headlines. We will be the most awesome couple at this prom, and nobody is going to forget us."

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

Castiel was little disappointed. He had hoped that Unique would invite him to the prom as her date, but now she was going with John. The news spread quickly, and it stirred the student mass greatly. It became clear that a lot of the girls at McKinley had dreamed about being asked to the prom by the guy.

That he had hooked up with Jack was a well kept secret. Their unspoken motto: 'What happens in Glee-club stays in Glee-club', had applied, so nobody outside their group knew anything about it. There were rumors that John had hooked up with a couple of the Cheerios girls, but nothing had been confirmed. All in all, he was looked at as a womanizer, so when it became known that he was taking Unique, people started talking.

Unique had told Cas what happened in the choir room that day, and it was easy for Castiel to understand why John wanted to go with her. "The girls are drooling over him, and he doesn't like it. Prom is special. He want to take a date that he knows he can be comfortable with. It's a win-win situation."

He could understand Unique's point of view. Going to the prom with one of the most eligible bachelors at the school was not something she had expected to do. "We know him. He will be the perfect date. He will be there for you, and he will not run away with somebody else. There's a lot of things to say about John, but I trust him to stick to his promise, and give you memorable prom."

They had spent way too much time analyzing John's intentions, and Cas wanted to talk about his own problems. "It's fine. It will be fine. Can I ask you something?"

Unique looked to be in her own little world for a moment, but then she looked up. "Sorry. I'm so sorry. I was thinking about asking you to the prom, but now I'm…" The smile she sported was not reaching her eyes. "I'm sorry. Ask away. Anything."

Cas drew his breath heavily. "I want to hang out with Dean, and I do not dare to ask him on a date, but we have this thing, erm, like a concert at our church, and I want him to come, but I don't know how, like I don't, I can't just ask him, can I?"

Totally out of breath he had to stop. Unique looked at him as she cocked her head to the side. "I'll come, and I'll ask if Dean wants to come with me." She shrugged. "He will know that I'm doing it for you, but so what? From what you've told me, he is into you, and he just needs a push in the right direction."

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

"Wade, is it? I haven't heard that name since, erm forever." Dean stared at the guy who jumped into the passenger seat of the Impala. "It's not easy to wrap my head around this, but I understand that this is extraordinary circumstances."

Inviting Dean to the gig at Castiel's church had been a cakewalk. Unique had approached him and just asked straight out if he wanted to come, and Dean hadn't hesitated for a second. That the guy was very unfamiliar with the concept wasn't hard to understand, but he was all in regardless.

"I have barely ever set foot in a church, so you better tell me if I screw up." Dean pulled away from the curb as he turned briefly to look at Unique. She sighed. "It's not possible to screw up. It's just a concert, not mass. We go in, sit down, and just listen."

Dean wanted to sit in the back, so the two of them scooted into the pew closest to the entrance. Two choirs were performing; the youth choir that Castiel was in, and the senior choir for those over twenty-five.

The kids in the youth choir were wearing turquoise robes, while the older members wore black suits and dresses. Unique could see Castiel up there, but it was unlikely that he could spot them way in the back. Cas didn't even know that Dean was attending because Unique had decided to keep it a secret.

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

They started with a couple of hymns that Dean hadn't heard before. It sounded good, but he was in no position to really judge. When those were over, a young girl stepped forward before the pianist started to play a more familiar tune.

"O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain."

The girl stepped back again as the rest of the choir join in.

"America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law."

Dean almost felt like he had to stand up and salute as the choir sang the song. He had never heard it like this. Knowing that Castiel was standing there singing with them, made it all even more spectacular.

This was something else than New Directions. The basses and the baritones added a depth to the song that all those tenors couldn't. Everybody wanted to be a tenor, but Dean just realized that if they'd had a couple of guys being able to go this deep, they wouldn't have to worry about nationals. They would be a shoo in for sure.

"America! America! May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev'ry gain divine."

This was possibly the best choir he'd ever heard. Not that Dean had listened to a lot of choirs in his life, but he'd been to regionals and sectionals, and even if this wasn't the kind of music he normally chose, he was convinced. This was what a choir was supposed to sound like.

"America! America! God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood,

From sea to shining sea."

They did a couple of other songs that Dean had actually heard before, but he wasn't very familiar with them. After that, the suit and dress clad people started to walk away as a young man with a microphone stepped up in front of the youth choir.

"Thank you all for coming. I am happy that so many of you found time for this. I can see that there are some unfamiliar faces among you, and for those of you who are here for the first time, welcome to our church." He waved towards the older choir members. "Thank you to our senior choir who decided to participate. They will be back for the finale, but now we are going to hear what the youngsters have come up with."

As he walked to the side so he wouldn't block the view he continued. "This is a free concert, but we will ask for a donation so that we can keep up the good work with the kids and the teenagers in our congregation." He picked up a small bowl, and handed it to a person on the front row. "We'll send this around. It's totally voluntary."

As he walked away he gave the microphone to the same girl who sang the short solo on 'America the beautiful'.

The next part of the concert came as a surprise to Dean. The girl sang 'Time after time' by Cindy Loper backed up by the choir. After that they did an amazing rendition of 'Don't stop believing' by Journey and - the biggest surprise - 'You can't always get what you want', by The Rolling Stones.

Dean looked at Unique - or Wade as she was today - dumbfounded. "I didn't think this was even allowed in church. I'm just…" It was weird looking at the Wade character. This was how he - she - looked the first few weeks of school, but Dean didn't know her back then. She didn't seem to find it strange at all. "I'm not much of a church-goer myself anymore, but at my church we sang all kinds of stuff; no limit."

Suddenly, she punched Dean in the ribs and nodded towards the front. Castiel was holding the microphone and was standing in front of his choir.

"Now I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played, and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?"

The guy sang so beautifully that Dean almost got a little emotional. Why hadn't Castiel competed for a lead in New Directions? He was definitely good enough. So he had sang a solo or two, but not with this kind of passion and soul.

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

The choir backed him up nicely before he did the next verse.

"Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you…"

The senior choir walked slowly back on stage as he sang, and for the next chorus there were twice as many voices.

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah"

Dean wasn't quite sure, but he could have sworn - maybe not in church - that it was more than a four-voice-harmony in there. Was it possible even, to have more than that?

"...It doesn't matter which you heard

The holy or the broken Hallelujah."

The thirty-five or forty singers up there almost lifted the roof when they came to the end of the song. Definitely four, possibly a six-part harmony. It was just totally awesome.

"Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah…"