Fault

Who: Oz and Dean
Where: the house they currently occupy
When: before dawn

After getting Thia and BB into the other bedroom with Sophie, Oz shut the door, and leaned against it for a few long moments. He looked over at Dean, and was at least satisfied that he was alright. Alright and he'd be alright, and yes he had injuries and the smell of blood was all over the house, but...the kid would be physically alright. Now he just had to deal with the mental. He walked over, and leaned against the dresser. "How are you holding up?" he asked first. Instead of 'okay now tell me absolutely everything right the hell now'.

"I slept most of the day," Dean admitted to him, easing himself up in bed, his hand hitting the cooling spot next to him where Thia had been lying until recently. He didn't like being separated out from her like this, paranoia from their previous conversation looming - her fear that she'd just be sent away, all of it. But he tried to push that down, tried to tell himself it was nothing but paranoia. He didn't want to be feeling like that right now, not when he was so fucking relieved to see Oz right now.

"Good. I'm sure you needed it." Oz said, wincing slightly as Dean moved to sit up. "You can keep laying down..." he told him. He remembered being wholly laid up before, when he'd done the rituals. Where he'd spent for-fucking-ever on pack lands, in the healer's cabin. That had in fact, sucked. "Just take it easy." he added.

Dean stopped moving up, but he didn't lie back down again, instead settling half propped up by pillows. "Sorry about the mess," he told the other guy, meaning his room and the bathroom, which were both disaster areas, in his opinion, but tidying up had been well beyond them. he knew he was playing for time here, not wanting to launch right into things.

Oz gave Dean a bit of a Look, though it was mildly. "Yeah, we can clean up pretty easily." he told Dean. "What I'm worried about is you. And what you couldn't tell me on the phone. And Thia, and why you didn't want Billy here. Everything else...that's completely beside the point, so don't worry about any of that, alright?" he said. "Just...can you tell me what happened, now?"

Dean chewed gently on his top lip and nodded, knowing this was the moment of truth. He was nervous again - but he had been ever since Sophie and Oz arrived home, waking him up as they came through the front door. "I... You wanna sit down?"

No, I want you to stop fucking avoiding everything, and talk to me. Oz thought, but didn't say, instead, he grabbed the little chair over in the corner, and he pulled it over to sit by Dean. He didn't say anything, he just leaned forward, arms resting on his thighs, and waited.

Dean swallowed and took a few minutes before replying, instinctively starting to pull up his knees so he could sit with his arms wrapped around them - but that pulled at both sets of stitches, so he stopped and straightened out again. Still, it felt weird and uncomfortable not to sit balled up like he normally would. "I - we... Did Sophie tell you that Thia and I went out to this masquerade party at this place in town called Babylon last night?" he asked.

"Yeah, she mentioned." Oz said. He was also looking at Dean's haircut, something he'd noted pretty late, all things considered. But he didn't mention it now. "So, you went to this party..." he prompted, feeling like this entire thing was going to be like pulling teeth. At least his voice was gentle. He wanted to know now, of course, not ten minutes from now when Dean got around to it, but it was quite obviously something very difficult for the kid. So...he kept any impatience he had down.

"We went to this party," Dean agreed. "And - we left and... We went for a walk, down by the beach." It was nice, the moon was out, she looked so good... He should have been more observant, he felt. He should have realised they were being followed, he should have done something, he could have stopped this - couldn't he? What if he could have stopped this? "I... He found us there. He wanted to take her away, with him and she didn't want to go. We tried, Oz, really. We did - he... We told him to go away, to leave her alone. He said he wanted to 'take care' of her - he fucking had her killed Oz! And he was saying that we hadn't taken good care of her and he was going to now and she didn't want to go and I tried to stop him, I tried to tell him and he told me to leave and I couldn't do that, Oz - you know I couldn't do that but he told me to walk away and when I didn't..." he broke off, realising he was losing himself in a ramble and needed breath.

"Calm down..." Oz said, reaching out a hand to set on Dean's shoulder for a moment. "It's okay, just breathe for a second." he told him. He was following along just fine. Could picture the situation in his mind. And he wished he'd been home. Fuck. "And I know you couldn't leave. It was good that you didn't." he told him. Because at least that much he could back up. He sure as hell wouldn't have. just...leave her to that psychotic's mercy? No. And no. There was a lot of no for that whole idea.

"He hurt me to try and get her to go with him," Dean explained, taking a few breaths and try to do as he was told, to keep calm. It felt easier said than done, but he knew what was coming. "He didn't think I was any threat to him. So he hurt me - he... My leg, and my back..." He sat forward, starting to turn to show Oz the wound, but that hurt too much and he slumped backwards again. Later. "He - he said I'd bleed out in fifteen minutes, that if she went with him, she could call an ambulance for me. But - Oz... I couldn't let her go. I - not with someone who'd do what he'd done. What he was capable of. I... And he said if she didn't, he'd just kill both of us and just come back for her the next day. I - I didn't have a choice..." He sounded now like he was almost pleading.

"Dean...calm down. Okay?" Oz said again, scooting his chair forward. "It's alright. I'm...pretty much able to fill in the blank here." he said. He knew what he'd do in a situation like that. "And don't move...I've smelled enough blood in this house to know how much you lost. I don't have to see the wounds." he added. He was also trying to temper down the uprise of rage in the back of his mind, especially since it didn't have anywhere to direct itself. If he was right. If the fucker was dead.

"I'm sorry," Dean told him. Not sorry for what he'd done as much as sorry for letting Oz down. Sorry for not being able to avoid this situation, sorry for becoming tainted, for the fact that Oz would have to forever see him as someone who had killed a man. That's what he was sorry for. The act itself - he'd had no choice.

"...what are you sorry for?" Oz asked, that kind of making him blink. "For protecting yourself and Thia?" he asked. He shook his head. "Dean you just told me you had no choice. I believe you. I would have done the same thing." Granted, different method, and Dean's in this case was likely much more effective, but still. "There's nothing to be sorry about." he continued. He paused. "Look at me." he said. "Some things are life or death. It happens. You know I lost this defending Billy." he said, gesturing to his bad eye. "I did what I had to do there too. And it was someone we both knew. You don't always get nice choices. Things aren't always set up to be easy. You did the really hard thing. But it was probably the right thing."

Probably. That word hit Dean and he looked down at the covers, taking that doubt there to heart. Would there always be that there? That question about whether it had been the right thing to do?

He watched Dean for a second, and sat back. "Tell me the rest of the story." he said. "I can fill in that blank but I'm not a mind reader. I'm sure it'll be hard for you, but try, alright?" he asked.

Dean took a moment, then a breath and looked up. "I... He wasn't looking at me. He - he was walking towards her. He'd taken me down, and like I said he - he didn't think I as any threat," Dean explained. "But - see. I went to the party as James Bond and... Well, it meant that - I had the beretta with me. And - warning shots would have been no good. He - you know he could do magic. The wounds, on me - they were - he'd hardly looked at me, there was no effort. If I hadn't... If I'd just wounded him, we would have been dead. So I didn't. I - I killed him, Oz." He paused, then drove on. "Just - one shot, head shot. I... he just dropped."

Oz listened, and nodded. "Well...we know the guy killed at least five people before, and that was sometime within the last sixteen years. I'm sure he's gotten even better since then. And from what you're saying...you did exactly what you needed to do. I agree. If he'd already hit you twice, and didn't even need to pay attention to do it, then he needed not to have any warning." He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm sorry you were in a position where you had to do that, Dean. But I'm glad you were able to. Otherwise..." he didn't really want to think about otherwise, and he looked down at the floor for a moment. "So I'm sorry you had to do that. But you're still here and so is she, and that's what's important." he told him. "Where did this happen? Do things need...taking care of?"

"No - I... It's all taken care of," Dean told him, again going to bring his legs up and stopping as the wounds began to pull.

"I'll....ask you about that later." Oz said. "Like...tomorrow, or the next day or sometime that isn't right now." he added. "How are you? What's going through your mind? Do you have any questions? Anything?" he asked, wanting to be there, and possibly dispel any worries the kid had.

Do you hate me? But he didn't think he'd get an honest answer to that if he did. Dean was quiet for a long time. "I... Keep thinking this could have been avoided," he said, at long last.

Oz was quiet for a moment as he thought that over. "Honestly, Dean, I'm not sure it could have been. We've been aware he's out there, but it's not like any of us knew if or when he'd be back. We suspected, but...that's all that was. Suspicion. We couldn't track him--we tried. If we could have found him and still didn't do anything, then we could yell at ourselves for not avoiding this. But fact of the matter is, we just...no one's perfect, and none of us can magically do everything we ever want. He was out there, he was either going to show up some day, or not. He did. But there wasn't any indication of when, or anything else. So I don't see any real way it could have been avoided."

"I could have seen about that hunter," Dean pointed out. "I - I could have done more. But I didn't - I... I just didn't and I should have done and I knew that he was out there but I - I wanted to believe that he wasn't coming and I let things drift and if I hadn't done that, if I'd stepped up over this then it wouldn't have happened like this." And I wouldn't have had to kill anyone and I wouldn't be here like this and Thia wouldn't have had to see her father die and she wouldn't be left with yet more scars that she got because of me.

"Hunters aren't all seeing." Oz said. "One of them probably wouldn't have had that much better luck finding the guy than we did. Hiring one might just have been expensive and gotten them killed for all we know, or maybe just not have resulted in anything. The same thing could have happened exactly if we'd hired a hunter. They aren't the answer to everything, I promise you." He stressed. "And Dean...look. I know you like to put things on yourself. I know you like to take responsibility for Thia. But this wasn't your fault. None of it was. You've done far better than most people your age. You've done a lot. And you've done a lot of really difficult things that other people wouldn't have. You've done well, alright?"

"Well?" Dean asked, sounding disbelieving. "Oz - I killed someone! I shot him. I blew his brains out! I..." He could feel the tears pricking at his eyes again as he ranted, emotional clear in his tone as the dam broke a little.

Oz leaned forward again, putting a hand on Dean's shoulder once more. "And the alternative would have been better? You and she both dead?" he asked gently. "No. That's just not acceptable." He was discounting the fact that Thia would be back. He understood the idea of consequences on that. Her dad being there when she came back...there was a cycle that could be followed there and it was one he didn't like to think about. "It was one thing or the other. Either you did what you did, and protect yourself and her, or you didn't, and you both died. So yes, you did well. Most people would have hesitated and..." and he didn't like finishing that thought.

"Or I could have taken steps before now to make sure that that situation never happened in the first place," Dean said, pointing out the third option. "We knew he was a threat - we knew he was dangerous. And we were being careful - a few weeks ago. But time passed and we got complacent. I got complacent. We should never have been in that situatino in the first palce," he repeated, taking that all upon himself, fully willing to say that he'd failed here, that he'd felt himself, themselves safe and secure - never mind that his baseline paranoia about safety in Marquette had led him to wear a concealed firearm more often than not.

"Dean." Oz said. "Shut the fuck up." he said simply. "If you want this to be all your fault, fine. But don't try and make up completely unreasonable, ridiculous situations to make me believe it. I'm not going to. What exactly would be the alternative here that you're suggesting? That you never leave the house? That she never does? Because that's what you're talking about. You're talking about having kept Thia locked up in a single location so she couldn't be tracked down." he said. "You went to one party. You both deserved to go. You know, why don't you blame me if you really feel that way, I was the one who encouraged you both to actually go out and have some fun with your time here. Or blame Sophie, since she didn't tell you not to go. Or blame her, because it's her dad. Or blame any number of other absoultely irrelevant things, for as much as you can actually claim blame for this. It was a shitty situation and you did what you had to do. I'm not saying it was easy because I've been there and it isn't. You saved the goddamn day, Dean. Quit trying to turn this into the inquisition, aimed at you. You're taking away from everything by doing it."

"I don't want this to be all my fault," Dean said, not raising his voice. "I don't want - but... And no, I'm not suggesting that - I mean, It's not the party even. But - we knew. We - we shouldn't have gone off on our own like that. If we'd just stayed. That's what's... And don't, please don't - I... I killed someone. Don't make me out to be some kind of fucking hero. Just... please don't." He didn't lift his eyes, keeping them firmly down to the covers on the bed, picking his nail against a thread there.

"You saved your own life and hers. And...I know she can come back, but that's not the point. She would have come back and been stuck with him, and the knowledge that her best friend was dead, and I'm willing to bet she'd figure it was her fault. I'm not making you out to be a hero. You just happen to be one. At the very least to her, if you can't accept it for yourself." Oz said. "But please stop fishing for ways for this to be your fault. It just isn't. Flat out, I see absolutely no way this could in any way be your fault. You can't do everything, you can't make everything perfect and you certainly can't predict the future. It wasn't your fault. It was his. And he's dead because he killed his daughter. He's dead because he showed up to try and take her back by force. And you didn't let him do that. There isn't anything resembling blame that goes with that, Dean."

"I don't - what I did, it needed to be done, but I don't deserve any kind of praise for that. Thia and I, she... We've talked about this. And I... I just... What happened - i know what I did was the right thing there and then, I just... You know, I... The hunter thing was because I couldn't - When we first knew the possibilities, I considered and I couldn't and I - I knew what had to be done and I couldn't so I looked at hunters but then I coudln't do that either and I just... And now I've had to and... I never wanted this, Oz," Dean told him, wondering if he'd at all managed to make any sense whatsoever in that broken ramble.

"I know you didn't. No one would." Oz said. "But again--the hunter thing. That isn't your fault. For one, do you have the first idea where you'd find one? Do you have the money for one? Do you know who would just rip you off or actually do something? Do you know who could be trusted not to just turn round and decide that the werewolf, dreamwalker, witch and fade you hang around with shouldn't be taken down just because we might be dangerous at some point in the future?" he asked. "I don't believe you do. So, it couldn't have been your fault. Not to mention, Dean, I'm sorry, but it isn't your call, either. You're a very responsible person. But you're also sixteen. If anyone was going to really make that kind of a call it would be me. So if you really want some negativity to pin down on that score, settle blame here." he said, gesturing to himself. "You talk like everyone was waiting for you to make some call on the hunter. That wasn't the case."

"This isn't your fault, Oz. And I wasn't waiting for people to make any kind of call, I just..." He knew he wasn't going to win this one and he wasn't really trying, he just felt like he couldn't get people to understand. Everyone seemed to see him as a much better person than he knew he was in actual fact. Everyone was always so ready to forgive him his failings, when he was sure that they probably shouldn't. "I don't know whether the hunter would have made a difference or not. But - I didn't like the idea of hiring a hunter, of paying someone to... It just seemed - do you know what I mean? So I didn't - not because it would have been no use. not because I didn't have the money. Not because I didn't know how or because I thought that it would be dangerous for my friends. I didn't because I the idea of ordering an assasination made me feel sick. Because I was afraid to do it. Because I thought that if I just ignored the problem, it'd go away and leave us in peace. That's why. And so I didn't and I had to kill him. And she had to see that. And Caleb had to get rid of the body and then he had to stitch us up. And all this huge mess happened. And yeah, maybe it couldn't have been avoided. But - maybe it could."

Oz listened, and internally sighed. He had opinions on things. Opinions Dean wasn't going to want to hear, and he didn't think Dean would ever consider in the light that Oz was. He just didn't know if he could say them. So, he listened, first. "Dean." he started. "You aren't making sense." he continued. "What we had just established was that the hunter idea was not up to you. So regardless of your feelings on the matter regardless of if you had decided not to do it, or didn't like the idea, or anything else--it didn't actually have anything to do with your say. So what you're telling me, is you've decided to claim blame for something you've already admitted you had no real hand in. Just for an emotional response to an idea. I don't see how that can possibly land you with blame for anything. Or why you'd be so quick to decide something was your fault, but yet completely absolve me, considering what you're talking about--what you're finding the fault in--was on my shoulders, not yours." He dragged his fingers through his hair, and sighed, looking at Dean again. "Maybe. Maybe is just maybe. Not certain. You can't sit here and decide to take everything on faith that 'maybe' would have been a certainty either. That's ridiculous, and masochistic." He paused, and looked towards the door for a moment, then back at Dean. "...I know that this is hard. I know that you probably feel fucking awful about what you had to do. It's not easy to reconsile by any stretch of the imagination. But please, Dean. Please don't turn this into what you are. You saved your own life. You saved your best friend's. Don't make turn something that was good, the preservation of two people, into a reason to hate yourself, because that's what it looks like from here. And if that's the price you have to pay for doing something like that....look at it from the other side. Or try to, for a second. And I'll go with what I know probably means most to you. Look at it from where she's standing. You save her life--and this is what you do to yourself over it. This is the price. You...sitting in here, coming up with ways you could have done better, ignoring the fact that you're only human and you only just got into this fucked up world where this shit happens, or how it's all your fault." He shook his head. "You did not create this situation, Dean. You dealt with it. There's a difference."

As much as Dean kept arguing his point, Oz was, in fact, getting through to him somewhat at least. It was almost like talking to Thia - he could feel his arguments crumbling, the vilifications in his head not seeming to make as much sense outloud as he'd imagined they would do as other people presented the same facts from a different angle. "I didn't want to do it, Oz," he said, in a small voice. "But I didn't have a choice." He felt it would be easier if he hated himself, almost afraid of what would happen if he didn't. There should be some payback for this, some kind of punishment, surely. It had been too easy, to pull the trigger in the heat of the moment. What if there were more moments? She'd promised not to let him fall, but...

"I know you didn't, Dean. I know." Oz said, voice quiet and light. "And you shouldn't have had to, either. But what you said right there--you didn't have a choice. That knowledge absolves you from blame. If there isn't a choice, then there isn't a choice. There wasn't another road to take. He would have showed up eventually, and...honestly, if we think tactically? It would have been while you two were alone. It would be easiest for him. He would have had a bargaining chip he didn't think was a threat, and he could easily use you to manipulate her. And again....we can't know everything, and we can't just...keep everyone under lock and key. I know sometimes I greatly feel like it...but...that's kinda my issue...I occasionally try to get over it, I'll let you know if I ever do...but it's just not good for anyone either. But you're both okay. And now...no one ever has to worry about that anymore, either. She can breathe easier, the rest of us can too. It's over."

Dean didn't argue back this time. He just sat quietly as Oz spoke and then nodded a little, though he still wasn't looking up. He'd hardly looked at his cousin at all throughout this whole conversation.

Oz fell silent as well, and just watched Dean. God, it was difficult talking to him sometimes. It felt like he was talking to a brick wall, and he had no idea if he was being heard or not. He just hoped to all that was holy that he'd gotten through this time, at least on some levels.

Dean was quiet for a few moments before he finally lifted his eyes to look at Oz. "Congratulations, by the way," he said, making an effort to sound happy. "I..." He shrugged. "Yeah - congratulations." It was a shitty thing to come back to after your honeymoon, but Dean still didn't want that to pass by entirely.

Oz quirked a little half smile. "Thank you." he said. "We're officially family now." he pointed out unnecessarily. "Though...you were to me anyways." he added. Pack, and all. Dean had become family ages ago. This just said legally they were.

"Yeah, I know," Dean agreed. "I just... Yeah," he said, not knowing how to say what he wanted to Oz about that. It'd just get awkward and embarrassing for both of them.

Oz nodded. "You feeling any better? When was the last time you took anything for the pain?" he asked. "Do you need anything? You and Thia...you can stay in here." he said. It wasn't like Oz and Sophie hadn't slept in the other room for ages. It used to be theirs in the first place. "But if you need anything, just say and I'll get to it immediately." He'd just be sitting around listening for that kind of thing in the first place. Then he paused. "...you said before you didn't want Billy or Maddie involved. I'm taking that to mean you want what happened to remain just information this household has." It was kind of a question.

"What time is it now? I - I don't know? A few hours ago, at least. We were sleeping before you came in," Dean admitted. There'd been a whole lot of sleeping lately. "We've been taking the pain killers from the bathroom cupboard? The pink ones in the white jar. They take the edge off, but they make things kinda... fuzzy," Dean admitted. They did for him at least, not that that was a bad thing right now. "And... I don't know what I want. About telling people. I... What do you think is best? I just... I don't know."

I think I'm a bad liar, and I'm going to want Billy to calm your dreams down and he'll know then anyways, even if I didn't tell him the specifics. Oz thought. "...I think all of us together are like a family. And I think they'd do everything they could to help you too." he said. "...hell, Maddie would probably pat you on the back a lot. Y'know, if Maddie were the type to do that thing. She's a protector...she...well. Yeah." he said, rubbing the back of his neck for a moment. "I think they would want to know that the danger in that area is over, as well. You might not know them very well but they care a lot about what happens to you and Thia."

"I don't want people to look at me differently. I... I'm scared about how people might take it and... I mean, I know my mum and dad can never know. I... It's... God, Oz - there's just so much right now. It's like the entire world has changed and there's all this stuff and I just don't know what to do with any of it and I... There's just too much," he finally admitted, because that needed to come out.

"They won't look at you differently." Oz said. "I don't look at you any differently, if that was a concern of yours." he added. "And like I said, Maddie I know...she's a protector. What you did there is what her entire life is dedicated to. She won't do anything but possibly think better of you for it. Billy...he's been around. He knows how things get too and ...just trust me. They won't. And no one else has to know beyond them. But honestly, Dean...don't worry, okay? Sophie and I still love you just as much as before, and Billy and Maddie's opinions aren't going to take a sharp turn for the worse." he promised.

That Dean had been worried about all of that became very clear in his expression that moment as he looked at his cousin. He wished that he knew what to say right then, was better at expressing himself, but he wasn't and so he ended up just saying nothing, just looking at the other guy and hoping that by some miracle he'd just Get It.

Oz looked back at Dean, and gave him a little smile. Because he did get it. "Get some rest, okay?" he said. "And I'll be prepared to be errand bitch for anything you guys need." he added. "And if you want to talk any more, or anything, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere, so...whatever you need."

"Thanks - I... I really appreciate that," Dean told him with a tiny smile. "Can you - can you make sure Thia doesn't overdo it? She's been looking after me, but she's hurt as well and... Yeah, just make sure she doesn't try and do too much."

Oz cracked a smile. "Yeah, I can do that." he said. "After all I can just say that she's hurt, and there's two perfectly capable people here who can get you or her anything either of you happens to need. I don't think she can reason around that." Even if she did have that tendency to knock down perfectly good arguments with that. He couldn't see flaws in this one.

Dean settled back down, turning into the only position that was in any way comfortable for sleeping at the moment - half leaning on his left side and front so that there wasn't any pressure on either wound. It still felt unnatural though and he had a tendency to turn over in his sleep, which wasn't good. "Well, if she kicks up a fuss, you can tell her I sleep better with her here," Dean told the older guy - which might also have doubled as a comment directly to Oz. that he wanted Thia here, even if the guy had already said she wasn't going anywhere.

"Always good to have a back-up argument with that girl..." Oz agreed. "I'll let her know. Either way, get some rest, alright? I know she's in talking to Sophie right now, but she'll be back. Tomorrow morning we'll assess things better. Like your wounds and everything else." Like how mobile Dean was. Oz was wondering if he should be kept out of school for a bit, considering. Having to explain huge obviously non-professionally handled injury wasn't what he wanted to have to do with the schools. They had things like councelors that were supposed to ask too many questions when shit like that popped up. That would do no one any good.

"She's worried you'll think this is all her fault. It's not, Oz - none of this is her fault," Dean stressed.

Oz paused for a moment. "...'course it's not her fault." he said, slightly taken off guard there. "She didn't make her dad a raving psychotic." he said easily. Then he paused. "...are we going to have the 'this isn't your fault' talk with her too?" he asked. What was with them? He could see it though. he was willing to bet Sophie might be having a similar conversation with Thia right now, even. He vaguely wondered if that was the flipside to having responsible children. They tended to think everything was their fault...

"I had to," Dean told him. "She - she thinks that if she left that night, none of this would have happened, but that's ridiculous. Her leaving - it'd just mean that she didn't have any defence against him. He would have found her, eventually. And she didn't want to go with him. And I wasn't going to just let her walk away like that. Not when she had nowhere to go, not when... She thinks she brings badness into our lives."

"....okay then, we'll have the talk with her too." Oz said. He didn't think she did so. And he'd known what he was undertaking when they'd let her stay in the first place. It wasn't like this was new information or anything, or a situation they hadn't realized was going to come about anyhow. "And if she would have left we just would have followed her anyways." he added. He would have. Billy would have. He was sure Dean would have if he had the means to. "So, moot point there. And hey--we can look on the bright side." Oz offered, giving a half smile. "He's not after her anymore, and you'll both be okay."

Dean half smiled, though it was a saddish kind of a smile. "Yeah - she pointed that out as well," he told his cousin as he reached up to bring his pillows round a little so he could snuggle up to them, hoping he could get some more sleep. He felt like he was permenantly exhausted at the moment.

"Remember...here if you need anything at all." Oz reminded Dean again, heading for the door. "You want the light out?" he asked. Dean looked like he was going to be headed back to dreamland, which he couldn't blame him for. When injured badly enough, resting was pretty much the best plan ever. And the only real plan.

"No, leave it on," Dean asked. He bit back the request that oz not go far. He still didn't want to be alone, but he made himself be okay with the fact that it was a tiny house. And hopefully Thia would be back soon.

Oz nodded. "Get some sleep. I'll see you when you wake up." Oz promised. Since he planned on being awake whenever that was. Sleep wasn't really the order of business for him today. He couldn't if he tried, with everything spinning in his head as it was. But, he knew the kids were safe, anyways. Not well, but alive and they'd heal. That was what mattered the most to him.