They get picked for nationals, and have to come up with the money to make it happen. Some of the guys are struggling more than others. John Winchester shows up, and the question about Sam's future creates a little drama. Ianto's suggestion could save the day.

Songs in this chapter

Money - Pink Floyd - M/L: Roger Waters

Lift me - Madrugada ft. Ane Brun - L: F. Jacobsen, S. Høyem, M: Madrugada, M Monsen

Let's dance - David Bowie - M/L: David Bowie

It had taken quite a while before the judges had made their decision, but finally the letter had arrived.

Mr Evans was holding it his hand, and he looked rather gloomy as he stared at the anticipating crowd in front of him.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry to say that all the hard work you guys have put in this spring has…" He looked up for a moment. Dean was sitting in the back and could see all his friends as their heads slumped down in defeat.

"I apologize, but that is nothing compared to what you're in for from now on." Their director was unable to keep a straight face any longer. "You probably have to give up on everything else you wanted to do for the next few weeks. We got picked, and the tough schedule we planned are going to get a lot tougher."

It took a few seconds before his words sunk in. Dean wasn't even sure if he was happy about this anyway, so he held his breath for a moment as the thoughts of how he would cope with this settled in his mind.

Then all hell broke loose. Gwen, Madison and Garth ran up to mr Evans and attacked him with hugs. The whines and cheers could probably be heard far outside the choir room. John punched the air and muttered some inappropriate words, while a few students high-fived each other.

"I'm gonna set up a plan for rehearsals that will include workshops on the weekends." Sam Evans struggled to come out of the embraces as he spoke. "If you want this, there will be no excuses. Everybody has to step up."

With his work at the garage, it could be a problem, but Dean wasn't especially concerned about that. The money was a more pressing issue. If they were unable to raise the cash needed, he could probably not contribute from his own pocket.

"What about prom?" Unique was just as excited as the rest of the guys, but addressed an issue that mattered for some of them. "Don't have us work that weekend, please, please."

Sam nodded vigorously. "Sure, sure. That weekend is sacred. I will give you that." As soon as everybody had settled down somewhat, he started talking about the logistics of the next few weeks.

Dean didn't pay attention. He could practically see dollar-signs with wings flying away from him. John had told him that he'd bought prom tickets for everybody, and that Dean could pay him back anytime, but 'anytime' could so easily be 'never' if they didn't get a check from their dad pretty soon.

His brother needed new clothes - Dean could have sworn that the guy grew an inch every month. The Impala needed work, and even if Dean got a bit of free service at the garage, he had no money for parts. He didn't worry so much that his own jeans were falling apart, but he could use some new ones.

They had a roof over their heads, and they never had to go to bed hungry, but all these things that he had to cough up funds for were still out of reach.

The senior prom at the school wasn't an elaborate costly one, but it was still hard to take those $50 dollars out of their limited budget. Dean didn't want to do that to Sam. Sam had his own struggles. His brother couldn't even take Jo out for a cheap meal at McDonalds if he wanted to.

"Money, get away

Get a good job with more pay and you're O.K.

Money, it's a gas

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash…"

Dean looked up as the band started playing and Ianto sang along. He felt that they were mocking him, but realized that the impromptu performance had nothing to do with him.

"Money, get back

I'm alright, Jack, keep your hands off of my stack."

Ianto was really working it, and even if Dean wasn't too fond of Pink Floyd, he got a feel for the tune. He had no idea why they were doing this song, and regretted that he hadn't payed attention.

"Money, it's a crime

Share it fairly but don't take a slice of my pie…"

The explanation came from Mason. "I noticed the baffled stare. We were talking about raising money for Nationals, and Ianto just… he just, well…" The guy threw his hand out towards the band. "They followed his lead."

"Money, so they say

Is the root of all evil today

But if you ask for a rise it's no surprise that they're giving none away."

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

Jack wasn't happy at all. He'd hoped that John would take Ianto to the prom, but when that didn't happen, he counted on Gwen. When it became clear that she - for some reason - wouldn't take him either, Jack got a little disappointed.

It wasn't hard to discover that Ianto was just as bummed about it, and Jack really wanted to seize the opportunity. On the other hand, by doing so, he would do the exact opposite of what he'd sort of promised John.

Not that he cared much about John's feelings, but he knew that they guy had been way too accurate about Jack's intentions, and all things considered it would be cruel to lead Ianto on.

John had bought tickets for all the seniors in the choir, including their dates, but Jack had secretly purchased another one just in case.

He didn't have loads of money, but he was living cheap, and could afford to have the little back up plan.

When Gwen announced that everybody was invited for a meal at their house before the prom, it got even worse. Jack hoped that Ianto wouldn't even be there, but he didn't count on that.

Making up some lame excuse for not attending was always an option, but that didn't sit well with him at all.

"lift me – lift me from the ground

and don't ever put me down – oh no

and don't pick a fight with me

just flip a coin my love – you've won."

When Dean started singing - in a deeper voice than his usual - Jack suddenly remembered what they were there for in the first place

"Love – slips her hand inside my hand

oh Love – slips her hand inside my hand

I don't care if you don't want me

I'm yours – I'm yours right now."

Gwen did good accompanying Dean on the chorus before she sang a verse by herself.

"Our years – are years well spent

we may never find out where they went – oh no

and I don't mean to fight with you

now all our troubles and all our struggles they are through."

Everybody did the next chorus together and even if it was their first run-through of the song, it sounded pretty good. Jack had never heard it before, and he still wasn't sure if it would be right for the competition.

"The wolf and the fox…"

It was Ianto and Jane's turn. He started the verse alone and then she joined him as they sang through the rest of it. The song was nice enough, but it didn't really complement everybody's voices. It wasn't a song they could make much of a show about either. As they reached the end of it, Garth and Jo waited for the choir to fade out.

"oh Love – slips her hand inside my hand

oh Love – slips her hand inside my hand…"

The two of them did good, although it was pretty clear that the last line he had to sing didn't fit Garth's voice very well. It was way too deep for him, and he prevailed just barely.

"I'm yours – I'm yours -right now."

Jo did way better on her part when she repeated the words Garth had just sung.

"I'm yours – I'm yours -right now."

They all did okay, but Jack was a little pissed for not being chosen as any of the soloists on this song. Not that he thought it would matter. They wouldn't use it anyway. He was pretty sure about that.

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

Dean dropped out of the athletics team. Football was over, and he had seen no reason to learn another sport at the end of his high school career. He had tried out for basketball, but ended up on the bench.

He still used the weight room and the showers, and he did help Mr Beiste if he needed a hand, but their coach had been understanding. He knew very well what went on with the choir, and didn't mind.

Dean and a few of the guys from the football team had participated when Beiste had the tryouts for next season, but other than that, Dean had not been on the field for weeks.

Some of the guys were talking about what colleges they were going to go to in the fall. A few had gotten scholarships, while some of them were still waiting for answers from the different programs they had applied for.

Dean was not among them, He'd thrown in an application for the local community college, but he didn't think he'd go. Daddy John would probably pick him up, demanding that he partake in the various schemes he conjured up. It normally entailed working odd jobs for lousy pay until a chance presented itself.

It was okay. Dean had never looked at himself as a scholar; he was more concerned for his brother. Sam was smart, and should definitely get some kind of higher education. How that was going to work was a puzzle at the moment, but Dean was not prepared to give up on him.

If they could stay in Lima for another two years, giving Sam a chance to graduate, would be the best. Dean could try to get a full time job, and provide for his brother. If their dad could chip in a little bit of money, they could also get out of that rathole of a building they were living in now.

Dean knew it was a pipedream. After living on the road for so many years, he could get a little antsy getting stuck in one place. Lima was the only place he'd felt comfortable in, but he kind of knew that hanging around there without a real goal in life for himself could be tough. He would still do it for his brother if it was possible, but then again, he didn't even know if Sam wanted that.

In the back of his head, he knew that there was another reason for him to want to stick around. Ever since he first laid eyes on Castiel, he'd liked him. Now, the school year was almost over, and nothing had happened between them.

That they had a plan to hang out sometime in the near future, would probably not change much. Dean didn't want to beat about the bush anymore, but knew perfectly well that he would chicken out again and again. He needed more time. Going after a boy was scary enough in itself; rushing it was not an option. Anyway, if the two of them eventually dared to step it up, it would be devastating to have to leave shortly after.

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

"Hey, guys!" Gwen was sifting through the sheet music they'd been handed as she addressed the rest of the choir. "You know… I'm leaving in a little more than a month. It will not be like for you. You will meet each other every so often, but I will be in little old UK, reminiscing about the good times with all of you."

Jo jumped out of her seat and sat down next to Gwen. She wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders. "You can come visit. We can…" Jo looked up and nodded towards the rest of them. "We can come visit. That would be so cool."

John scooted forward a bit. "Definitely. I would be there in a heartbeat." He smiled widely. "But why don't you just stay? Ianto can hide you in the basement, and we can have parties and, you know…"

Gwen looked up. "Yeah well. It's a possibility, but I have a few people back there that I miss profoundly, so... I have a job waiting for me, and a brand new flat." She cocked her head to the side staring dreamily at nothing in particular.

"A new flat? Are you not going to live with your folks?" Unique had suddenly become interested. "I mean, I thought, are you not going to school when you get back?"

With a heavy sigh Gwen turned her chair a little so she could see the guys behind her. "I will take some classes, but I'm so ready to move out, so I'm gonna take the job I'm offered." She smiled shyly. "Rhys asked me to move in with him, and promised to find a new place for us. His bachelor pad was not an option."

Everybody just stared at her. Ianto rolled his eyes, and it was easy to see that he knew about this beforehand. "But you said… You said that you weren't sure about him. You said you were on a break, and that you didn't know…" Jo had turned her chair a well, and was still holding on to Gwen's shoulder.

"I know. I know what I said, and I meant it when I left. I didn't want him to have to wait for me for a year. I didn't know what would happen." She shifted a little in her seat. "When he came here, I knew that I had been wrong. I love him, and I want to be with him."

Jack started clapping, and after a few seconds everybody was following his example while they cheered and whooped. "This is great. I'm so happy for you." Unique gave Gwen a big hug. "I really liked the guy even if he looked at me weird." She laughed. "I guess he'd never met a girl like me before, right?"

Gwen nodded as she gave Unique a wink. "Yeah, He was very curious, but I told him to treat you just like any other girl." She sighed again. "He thought you all were a little strange, but he liked the dynamics in here, and he was very understanding about why I couldn't be with him so much during that week."

When she lifted her hand and pointed at Jack, everybody followed her line of view. "You Jack, he didn't like so much, but I told him that even if you're a hottie, I would never fall for a guy like you." She giggled a little. "I told him that I had to play along so that the rest of the choir wouldn't understand that you had the hots for somebody else in here. I even told him who it was."

Everybody turned abruptly toward John, but he threw his hands out and shook his head vigorously. "NO! Not me!" He turned to Gwen. "Did you tell him that?"

Gwen was pretty sure that practically everybody knew who she was referring to. It was not John, but they didn't get a chance to talk about it anymore before Mr Evans was back after making more copies. "Okay guys. Are you ready for the next song I've picked?"

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

Another old song that they had to dust the cobwebs off before they could get into it, was just what they needed. Jo was not happy. She had never really suggested a song other than the few she'd sang herself, but digging that deep into history shouldn't be unnecessary. Not only that. It could seem like Mr. Evans was trying his best not to choose American artists.

Jo wasn't picky; she listened to all kinds of music, but what she favored the most was the upbeat country & western style. There were loads of artists with really good tunes in that genre, but Sam Evans was obviously oblivious to them.

(That was technically not true. Sam had had them sing several country songs over the school year.)

On this song, they were going to do one line each, while the choir sang 'Let's dance' in between. John had the solo, and Jo was pretty sure he got that spot because he's just bleached his hair and kind of looked like David Bowie from the eighties.

The dancing was easy; Even Ianto and Dean managed fine, but Jo felt that she didn't get to use her potential.

They had rehearsed this song a couple of times, and there had been made a few changes in the line-up. It didn't mean anything for her. Jo did the background chorus with the others before John stepped forward.

"If you say run, I'll run with you

If you say hide, we'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two…"

Sam Evans waved his hands in the air, and the band stopped playing. John seemed a little confused. "Did I do anything wrong?" He looked at their director a little annoyed. "No, no. I just had an idea." Sam Evans pulled Jo out of the line and walked her over to Jack. "I think the two of you should dance together through the whole song. Yes, you will stop and sing occasionally, but I want…"

He rubbed his forehead for a moment. "I don't know what I want, but try this. Jo, Jack, you are good enough. Just dance."

They started the song all over again, and Jack led Jo around the floor.

"If you should fall

Into my arms

And tremble like a flower."

They paused as they joined the others in the chorus, but then Jack swept her away and swung her around. It was perfectly awesome. He was the best dance-partner she'd ever had, and she almost got a crush on him. Only almost. She knew the type, and she wasn't into those kind of guys. The fact that he was most certainly gay, was kind of a drawback as well.

"Let's dance

put on your red shoes

and dance the blues

Let's dance

to the song

they're playin' on the radio."

The song wasn't so bad anyway. It was upbeat and catchy; maybe it could work for the competition?

"Let's sway."

Jo knew that the other Sam was watching, and she tried not to look so comfortable in Jack's arms. She did worry that he would get a little jealous, and that would not be good.

"Let's sway."

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

Sam watched as his girlfriend - was she really that? - danced around the floor with Jack. He had only eyes for her, and couldn't even tell if Jack was an especially good dancer. He probably was since Sam evans had picked him to do this.

"Who cares?" Jack could be the best dancer in the universe, and Sam would not care. That Jo got a chance to show off was way more important.

The choir had used the auditorium for most of their rehearsals lately, and it suited Sam fine. He could sneak in and watch them anytime without Jo or Dean knowing. Jo would probably suspect that he was there since he'd told her that he would come, but he tried to hide in the back.

A hard punch in the ribs made him gasp for breath. Before he got a chance to recuperate, a couple of arms wrapped around him in bear hug.

"Dad!" He whispered quite loudly, and was afraid that they could hear him on stage. He reciprocated the hug, but then he put a finger to his lips. "Shush. They are rehearsing. We have to be quiet."

John Winchester sat down next to him and nodded. "Sure. Sure."

They hadn't seen their dad for a few months, and in any other setting Sam would have given the guy a piece of his mind. He was happy that he actually dropped by, but he didn't really behave like a parent.

"A year in this godforsaken place, is that enough? Are you guys getting back on the road with me?"

Sam had hoped that he could stay here and graduate, but the words from his father told him that the man had different plans. "No. No way. I'm not going anywhere." They were both whispering as the choir got ready for another run-through of the song.

"I don't want to do this anymore. I want to graduate. Please let me stay." Sam felt that he was on the brink of crying, but braced himself. "I… Just please… I can do whatever you want me to do over the summer, but I want to go back here and get my diploma."

He wasn't whispering anymore, and even if the guys on stage probably didn't hear his words, they got aware of the fact that there were people in the back.

Sam got up and when his dad didn't move, he climbed over the back of his seat and walked out of the auditorium.

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

The drama that went on outside the school should have been a private affair. Ianto bumped into it by accident when he ran back to pick up his bag.

As he was about to cross the parking lot to get back to the car, he was suddenly in the middle of a family quarrel. Sam and Dean were arguing with a older guy that Ianto soon recognized as their dad.

"I can provide for him." It looked like Dean was ready to attack the guy as he spoke. "Don't do this to him, He deserves better."

Sam tried to calm his brother, but Ianto could see that his efforts were futile. "I'll go on the road with you, but Sam…" Ianto could have sworn that there was a tremble in Dean's voice. He didn't want to interfere, so he scooted along the wall to get to his own vehicle. At one point he had to pass pretty close to them anyway.

"He is not old enough to live by himself. I can't just leave him alone." Their father's voice had a bit of sadness to it as well. "Leave me with him then. I can take care of him." Dean sounded desperate.

Ianto knew quite a bit about the Winchesters. Gwen was the main source of the information, but some of it Dean had drunkenly revealed all by himself. It was a sad story. Without any approval from his own family, and with no knowledge of the whole story, Ianto took a few steps towards them. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't… I was unable to not hear what you are talking about." He tried to not look at the dad. "Sam. When Gwen leaves, we have a spare room. If you want to stay in Lima, we'll take you in for sure."

Getting an approval from his parents wouldn't be such a big deal. If he told them what he knew, they wouldn't hesitate.

The two brothers and their dad stared at Ianto for the longest time. He started to feel a little uncomfortable, but did his best to look confident. What if he'd got it all wrong? What if they had a backup plan?

What seemed like a lifetime, was probably just a few seconds. Dean was the first one to speak. "Really? You would really do that?" He turned back to his dad. "We can get the money so that he can stay. We can give Ianto's family some cash every month. Please. It's a good offer. Let him stay!"