overprotective instincts

who: oz and dean
where: osbourne residence
when: afternoon

Oz was in the games room on the third floor. It was too cold outside to be playing on the porch, but he'd still had the urge to play, and even sing for a bit. Which was something, considering he hadn't really done that since the kids had gone off to another country. He hadn't had the concentration for it. And with things as insane as they had been lately, with the attacks, the subsequent executions...he hadn't had a whole lot of music to draw from in his system.

But the kids were back. So, that was part of his stress at least reduced if not relieved entirely. He was sat on the edge of the pool table, blue eyes staring off towards where the blood no longer decorated the carpet, but he remembered where it had been. Had pulled the rug up with Billy and replaced it, painted the walls. After pausing to tune the acoustic guitar a little, he started to play. He didn't play anything in particular for a few minutes, just getting used to the sound of his guitar again, but then he started into an actual song. "She never mentions the word 'addiction', in certain company..." he sang, the acoustics of the room nice. "Yeah, she'll tell you she's an orphan, after you meet her family..."

Dean had spent several hours working on Thia's room. Dressed in old jeans and a faded t-shirt to work had been a good plan, since he was now covered in little paint splatters, but he was making good progress on the mural. The large, blocky areas were all filled in now, giving the painting a vague shape, and he was just taking a break, letting the paint dry before he decided whether he wanted to start in on some of the detail, or he'd prefer to go take a shower, change and seek out Thia for the them-time he'd promised her this morning.

He headed upstairs as he heard the music, wiping his hands off on the hem of his t-shirt, which really didn't do much more than smear the paint around and thin it out so it dried almost instantly on his skin, but at least it meant he wasn't going to be leaving handprints on anything he touched. He stopped just inside the doorway to the games room, watching Oz play, not saying a word.

Oz heard him come up, caught the scent of paint, and beneath that, Dean, with the traces of Thia on him. But since Dean didn't interrupt him just then, he continued the song, not pausing at all in it. There was a longer stretch of just music after the first few lines there, and he played it through. "She paints her eyes as black as night now, pulls those shades down tight, yeah, she gets a smile when the pain comes, pain going to make everything alright....says she talks to angels, they call her out by her name, oh yeah she talks to angels, says they call her out by her name..." He ticked his eyes over to Dean, playing the next guitar beats of the song.

Dean met Oz' gaze, then looked away, tracking over the room, taking in how different it looked - the new paint, the new rug. Not a sign of what had happened here. his eyes dropped to the spot on the floor where it had all happened and he closed his eyes for a second, taking a breath, a half step backwards, before making himself open them again. He hadn't been back here since that morning he'd picked her up and carried her out. It didn't matter how different it looked now, how free of blood, it would still be the same to him.

Oz slowed the song, then stopped it, flatting his palm against the strings to quite the tones entirely. "Do you want to not be in here?" he asked Dean. "We can go someplace else." he offered. As if the fact that they were going to talk had already been established, instead of just Dean poking around to see what the music was upstairs. He knew how Dean felt--or he knew part of it. In fact, it was a part of the reason he was in the room in the first place. It had been difficult on he and Billy when they'd fixed the place up. And he wanted to make a certain sort of peace with the place, and maybe what had happened in there. He wondered if Thia came up to the room, if she would see negative energy where the blood no longer could be seen. If the house had those scars, even if they'd been covered up. He wouldn't ask her, though.

Dean shook his head. "Can't avoid it forever," he said, quietly, not meeting Oz' eyes quite, looking down slightly. Part of him wanted to know why he couldn't avoid it forever - this was a big house, he didn't even really need to ever come up here. Avoiding would be easy enough, surely. The rest of him stamped on that - he wasn't doing that anymore, he wouldn't avoid, he'd face things. Everything should be faced, and dealt with.

Oz's mind kind of went along the same lines. Really? If Dean wanted to? He could avoid it as long as he wanted. The room they were in was a floor above the kid's bedroom, and even if they were all trapped on the third floor, there were plenty of other rooms to occupy, he didn't in any way have to be in this one. So, he shrugged one shoulder slightly. "You could if you wanted." he said. "I just...kind of wanted to come to terms with the place myself." he explained. He wasn't so sure how well that was working out for him, but he was giving it a shot.

Come to terms with it? It's where she died. Because of me. Because of you. Because my cousin and your friends are fucking useless at times. She died and that should never have happened and we failed her and she paid for it - how the fuck do you come to terms with that? "'Kay," Dean said, his voice still quiet, not acknowledging his thoughts at all, though he knew he had to bring some of that up at some point. He just didn't want to start raging at the guy so soon after he'd got back. Or, really, at all - there were other ways of bringing the subject up that didn't involve being pissed. He needed to practice that - communication and dealing with matters without overreacting. If he could do it with Thia, he could do it with everyone else.

Oz looked down a moment, playing the light lines of the song again, but it was an absent sort of thing. "How're you doing?" he asked. He wanted to know, and just wasn't sure. He seemed to be dealing better, there seemed to be something lighter about Dean, but he hadn't seen enough of him yet to really judge for certain. So, the best way to start with figuring that out was to ask, and go from there.

Dean shrugged, going to lean back against the wall, then remembering the paint and instead crossing his arms against his chest, hunching his shoulders a little in the process. "Okay - better than I was," he told the other guy, which covered a lot. So much had happened lately that he wasn't sure which part Oz was referring to right now, so he got a catch-all answer.

He could accept that. He did tick his gaze back to Dean. "Want to tell me about the bruises?" he asked. He wanted to know. It looked like Dean had been in a fairly bad fight, and he wanted to know why. He hadn't suggested he get himself fixed up again before going back to school, even if he thought it would be wise. That was Dean's decision, he was more than capable of making that call himself.

He got another shrug for that question. "Told you - someone tried to do something Thia didn't want, and I taught him that no meant no," Dean said. He'd only given Oz the bare minimum before. He hadn't particularly wanted to talk about it, but the bruises needed some kind of explanation and he'd known the werewolf would have instinctively understood the reaction.

"Yeah, I know." Oz said. "You said what happened. I want to know what happened." he said, emphasizing the word. Events were one thing, but what went into them was what he deemed important. And he wanted to know how Dean was dealing with the long term effects there. He knew how he would react. ...first of all in the exact same way Dean had, but he just knew that there'd be lingering effects. Paranoia about things. Concern over the mental and emotional wellbeing of the lady in question. Oz knew he would probably back off of physical things until he knew it was alright again. But then he tended towards extra caution on all things Sophie-related.

Dean looked down, away. "I... don't really know," he admitted. He knew - but he hadn't seen. And he hadn't grilled Thia to get all of the details either, and he had no intentions of doing so. he wasn't going to push her to talk about it if she didn't want to, and he knew they'd both been carefully avoiding talking about Andy at all. He didn't know how else to deal with matters, except to try and be there for her - and make damn sure nothing like that could ever, ever happen again.

Oz set his guitar down on the pool table, and focused his attention on Dean. "Where did it start?" he asked. "And I know physically she's fine...but is she okay?" He hadn't really felt like he could ask. He'd given her enough hugs since she'd gotten back to let her know she was missed, which she'd seemed to be humoring him on, but he was aware he wasn't always one hundred percent on his judgments or anything. Billy might know better, but he hadn't talked to him about it either. It was one of those subject that no matter what, it was always going to leave people feeling unsettled and awful.

"She's... She seems to be doing okay. I - I don't know. I - Oz, I don't know what 'okay' is here," he admitted, finally meeting the guy's eyes. "I'm - I'm just trying to be there, but... I don't know if she needs more, or if I'm helping at all or... anything." And he knew that at the same time he was trying to carry everything else on as normal, in case that was the right thing to do as well. There didn't seem to be a check-list of things he could be doing here, so he was just making it up as he went along and letting her lead the way a lot of the time.

Drawing in a breath and letting it out, Oz nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what would really be termed as 'okay' here either." he admitted. And he would likely be doing a lot of the same things. Wondering if he was helping at all. Doing a lot of second guessing himself. "She seems okay. So, if she isn't, she's either doing a really good job of covering, or...you are helping." he offered. "I can't imagine that you wouldn't. The two of you..." he trailed off a little and smiled faintly. "You seem to work." He paused for a few moments, eyes still on Dean. "I still want to know what happened though. Not...details of what happened to her, but what happened with you? The fight must've been pretty serious." Being he was still injured, and while it was faded, it was still bad enough that he knew it had taken time to come down from. Oz had spent enough time in his life in various states of healing that he could recognize damage pretty well and had an alright gage of it.

That helped - just that little bit of possible praise, but more the suggestion of approval for his relationship from Oz. Dean had wondered how the guy would feel about it, all things considered, and Dean relaxed a little as a result. "It was my fault," Dean started, always quick to take blame for whatever he could. "I... He was my oldest friend." He couldn't bring himself to call Andy his 'best friend' now - not even in retrospect. "He separated us, got her alone. It... It didn't get far - she phased out to get away, and he was leaving when I found them. He tried to convince me that... Well, I didn't believe what he tried to convince me of. I should have seen the lies before. Years before. Some friend."

Wincing, Oz took that in, and bit back the urge to go pay a visit to this so called friend. It was that protective instinct, that idea that no one messed with his pack and got away with it. Which he really couldn't follow through on here, but he wanted to. He was relieved to hear that it hadn't got far and the guy had been leaving, but didn't really make it better. It also didn't make it better to hear Dean blame himself for things again, or to hear that Dean thought he should have caught this all sooner. "How is it your fault?" Oz asked, wanting to hear Dean's argument first, so he could shoot it down properly.

"Because I should have seen what kind of a guy he was," Dean said, shrugging once again. "Because I've known him all my life and... I knew, you know? I mean - not that, obviously. But... Thia thinks it was all about me, anyway. That he wanted her because of me and that was all. He wanted what was mine, or what I wanted. And... Looking back? He's done that before. I used to think there was something wrong with me, y'know? That none of the girls I liked ever even seemed to look my way - they always just went for Andy. And he'd chew them up and spit them out again. That used to annoy the hell out of me - the way he'd treat them? he never really seemed to care about any of them. And - maybe he didn't. Maybe... I don't know. It just... It sounds bloody insane, saying that he'd go to all that effort. I mean - why me?" Dean really had issues with himself being the centre of anything at all. He hated putting things like this, felt it made him sound arrogant, self-important. "But - maybe it was just me. He knew who I liked. And I know now that there were girls I liked who did like me - but Andy always said I wasn't interested, when he knew I was. And - I knew he was dodgy, I knew it, or I wouldn't have suggesting the whole dating thing to Thia in the first place. But - I should have seen the signs. They were all there. But I didn't - and more than that, I would have defended him against anything." He stopped as he ran out of steam for a moment.

"Dean...things are always easier to see once you've got all the pieces." Oz said, after a few long moments of thinking over what to say. "So, you say, looking back you can see it, but that's looking back. That's when you have the perspective you do now. You can't fault yourself for not seeing something when you didn't have the right angle to see it from. I know you. You trust people. You trust your friends, and that's just...it's part of what makes friends friends. I trust my friends. I trust my family, pack. I trust you. But no one's perfect. We don't always see things for how they are. Especially if you're working long term like that. No one's really going to expect a childhood friend to turn out to be someone like that. And people like that don't get very far without being good at playing people. You also don't expect your friends to play you." he said reasonably. "I don't think this is your fault. And...what exactly was the situation when you suggested the dating thing to Thia?" he asked.

"The situation? He kept suggesting to Thi that when we got to England, they'd have a thing. Get together. Something. And she kept trying to tell him she wasn't interested. You know - I even told her then that Andy wouldn't take no for an answer. Should have fucking listened to myself. But that's why I suggested it - to get him off her back. I thought that her having a boyfriend would be enough. But it was just another case of what people are always telling me: not everyone thinks like I do. And I'm the idiot that constantly thinks that they do. And I have to stop that. I forgave Andy for everything he did to me over the years. And I shouldn't have. I have to stop that." He just didn't really know how, since he didn't see it until it was too late, didn't even consciously realise that there was something he wasn't seeing.

"That was a situation that was specific and right in front of you, something you couldn't ignore. It was also something recent, and a single incident, so you can't expect to have viewed it, and automatically jumped to the conclusion that he was the kind of person he was." Oz said. "And you aren't an idiot. You're too hard on yourself is what you are. From the information I have, I don't really see how it could have gone differently. Especially since you already said that he manipulated the situation that night, separated you two and all." He sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair for a moment, considering. "Dean, you expect the best out of people, and a lot of them are going to disappoint you--but not everyone will. And holding grudges forever doesn't help anyone. Having a forgiving nature...that's not necessarily a bad thing. I wish I had a little more of it than I do." he admitted honestly.

Dean stared at him. "'Forgiving nature'? Are you suggesting that I should forgive that bastard what he did? What he even thought about doing to her?" Dean asked, sure that he must have interpreted that wrong.

"Of course not." Oz said, frowning slightly as he blinked. "I didn't mean him. I mean don't drop the ability to forgive people entirely because one person too close to you didn't deserve it." he clarified. He gave a half smile. "You're a lot like me. You tend to...not do things half way."

"Good - because if I'm holding grudges, I'm holding one against him for the rest of my life. And if he ever comes anywhere near us again..." He broke off, taking a breath and exhaling slowly, forcing himself to calm down. He really, really didn't want to finish that sentence there anyhow.

Oz watched Dean, and didn't blame him. Which he realized was probably a bad thing. He was kind of the parental figure around here, and he should probably not in any way think that not quite finished statement was on the level, but he did. In fact, he couldn't even promise he wouldn't do something, if given the chance. He nodded, averting his gaze for a moment before he looked back at Dean, not trying to effect an air of almost approval, or camaraderie over it, but there was an undercurrent anyhow.

"Anyway, he was leaving. He tried to give me a bullshit story. Thia told me that she'd had to fade out to get away from him. And so I hit him. Several times, actually," Dean told him, getting back to the original story, though in his usual way he downplayed everything. "And then I called Stu to come pick him up off the floor, and Thia and I went home."

"Well, you're a better person than I am, I would have left his ass there." Oz said, without thinking about it, one of those gut reaction statements that just happened. And he would have. But then again, he was still aware of how much he was ruled by the inner wolf on situations like those. The wolf had little tolerance for bullshit. Especially that kind of bullshit. He was also glad Dean got the first punch in, or that's what it sounded like. And that he'd believed Thia. Somehow he didn't really think there was much of a debate there. He didn't ask if Dean had had to think about it, he just imagined there hadn't been much to ponder.

"Needed to make sure that he wasn't too badly damaged. Didn't need the police knocking at the door next morning asking for a rundown," Dean said, admitting with that that he had, in fact, thought about the potential repercussions of his actions. At least, he'd thought about them once Thia had pulled him off the guy. There hadn't exactly been a whole lot of thinking going on whilst he'd been beating the shit out of him - the blind rage had been so all encompassing that he hadn't even protected himself against retaliation, though that was fairly standard for Dean when he fought. For him, if he got into a fight, it was for a reason, and he was driven by emotion in them, highly focused to the extent of which everything was pushed into the attack, leaving little or nothing left for defense. Almost every fight Dean got himself into, he sustained some kind of injury.

Oz gave a little half smile. It wasn't pleasant in nature, it might have had a touch of a vicious undercurrent to it. "Good thinking." he said. But he also noted that what was implied there, was that Dean hadn't done worse because he didn't want there being questions, not because he regretted what he had done, or anything of the kind. Not because of any sympathies for Andy.

Dean shrugged. There was nothing else to say about it. He didn't regret what he'd done. He never would. He'd done the right thing, as far as he was concerned, and he'd do it again if he had to. Andy had deserved that.

"I'm glad you're home." Oz said, after a few long moments of silence. He didn't know if Dean realized that or not, and wanted him to. He'd been missed, and Oz was happy he was back. Not just because it quieted his instincts down again, but because he genuinely liked having Dean around. He guessed he just...didn't mind having the kids. And by not mind, what was meant was he enjoyed it. It wasn't anything he would have thought about previously, but he had an awful time trying to imagine his life differently now. And he'd tried, aware Dean may not want to come back after what had happened.

Dean nodded a little, one side of his lips rising slightly in the barest hint of a smile, a silent acknowledgment and possibly an agreement there. Things had seemed to have gone straight back to complicated, but at least at the moment they were normal-complicated. Well, aside from the fact he'd just found out his friend was a half-demon. but the situation with Nic could be classed as 'normal' as long as you ignored the fact that it revolved around him teaching her to shoot. But, other than that, it was just normal teenage shit. "How's things been?" he asked, after a moment or two.

Oz laughed a light bit. "I've been driving everyone insane." he admitted. "I'm just really, really glad that Sophie, Billy and Maddie at least all know why I was being as twitchy as I was, so I was afforded patience, but...yeah. I've been driving everyone insane. I know it." he continued. "Other than that...not necessarily so well. There was all that happened when the full moon hit. Then, I was going to help people, but...someone...just went and executed so many people. They never even had a chance." He looked down, the fact that that still haunted him clear. "I found one. A single person I can try to help. ...you go to school with him, but I don't know if you know him or not. We've not actually met, just spoke on the phone. His name's Gabe."

Dean had opened his mouth to talk about what had happened on the full moon when he heard the name and stopped. "Gabe?" he asked tightly. He wondered how popular a name that was. "Bit older than me, plays hockey, local lad?" he asked, seeking clarification of that.

Arching a brow, Oz eyed Dean for a moment. "Yes." he said. Since Gabe had even asked about hockey, and whether or not his newfound predicament was going to prevent him from doing that anymore. Which Oz had given him unfortunate news about. "Clearly, this is an issue..." he prompted, since Dean's tone had been unmistakable.

"To fucking right it's an issue - Gabe is the guy who can't keep his mouth shut and went blurting out to people about having seen Thia in Babylon," Dean said, hotly. He really, really didn't like the idea that Gabe was anywhere near Oz, knew anything about Oz. The guy couldn't be trusted and he knew from several sources there were more hunters in town these days. "I don't trust the guy as far as I can throw him - and trust me, that's not far - I've tried."

Oz looked surprised, then sighed and stood to start pacing a little bit. "Well...he's just had a really, really harsh reality check." he said. "Because he's a bitten werewolf now. Turned. So, I'm not sure what exactly to tell you. The kid needs help, and if he doesn't get it, then more people are going to die. I've told him as much as I can, and he's got a private number he can contact me on if he's got more questions. What you want to do with that, I don't know, and I can try and be sure he never even knows there's connections between myself and you or Thia. And I can understand why you're upset, but I'm not going to abandon someone who's just been turned into something I know how to deal with, especially when it's not just a danger to him but everyone around him."

"It's his connections with you I'm worried about right now," Dean told the other guy. "He's really not got a brain - he saw Thia and... We told him time and time again that he couldn't tell anyone, that I would talk to him and explain everything - and the first thing he goes and does is tell people. He couldn't even wait a couple of days. What if he decides to open his mouth again? What if he manages to not blurt out what he is - but puts someone on your trail? I don't want you getting hurt because he's a dumb shit who doesn't know what the meaning of the word 'secret' is."

Oz stopped pacing and looked back at Dean, just a little surprised for a second there. "I'll be fine, Dean." he said first. "And I'll make sure nothing gets back to anyone. We haven't met, he has a number that can't be traced, he doesn't have my full name, and all he does have is 'Oz'. I put him in touch with Billy, but didn't go into the fact that Billy and I were friends either, just that he was a contractor who would put in a cage, no questions asked." he said. "And if the kid can't keep his mouth shut after this? After he's the one on the chopping block if he doesn't? then he'll get himself killed a lot sooner than he'll get me killed."

Dean shot him a disgruntled look. "Still don't like it. He threatened me, y'know. Or, well - he threatened Thia." Which, in Dean's head, was basically the same thing. "Threatened to out her to the entire school. I don't trust him."

"Then watch him. But I'm not abandoning some kid who didn't ask for this shit, and who needs someone to actually tell him how it really is because you know as well as I do, those books? Don't really cover it. They just don't. There is shit that you're never going to read about. There's nothing that'll make up for experience. and like I said--if he doesn't have the guidance, then we're looking at a lot more people dead and probably a few more cursed." Oz said, not backing down in the slightest. He did twitch--visibly, even, when Dean said Gabe had threatened him. It wasn't that he didn't hear it, and it did kick up a really harsh duality in the back of his mind, but the alternative was what had happened at the hospital--and he wasn't going there. Ever.

"Oh, I'll watch him okay," Dean muttered, his jaw tightening slightly. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate where Oz was coming from on this - it was just the person. Gabe had put himself firmly on Dean's Bad Side and as much as Oz had talked about Dean being a forgiving person who didn't hold a grudge - he really wasn't, not by any stretch of the imagination, not unless you happened to be one of his friends. "You just make sure you do the same. Don't trust him," he advised Oz.

"Dean--I've made it this far. I can watch out for myself. Trust me a little, alright?" Oz said. "Your concerns and everything else you said has been noted, and trust me, I won't forget about it. Right now I'm a voice on the end of a line that can tell him whether or not it's a good idea to play contact sports, and whether or not you can catch lycanthropy through kissing. I gave him the run down on the shit he needs to know but he isn't going to read about. I got him the ability to put in a cage quickly and quietly, so he isn't caught without one, and it's not going to rouse suspicion with the hunters in the area."

"I trust you," Dean told him, not repeating that it was Gabe he didn't trust. Fucking small towns - did everything always end up overlapping with everything else here?

"Then calm down. It'll be alright." Oz said lightly. And hopefully, the kid had learned things. Hopefully, whatever brand of stupid Gabe had been before Halloween, he was over it. Oz knew something like this...you grew up really fast and you got smart quick, or you weren't around for the long haul. That was just how it worked.

"Sorry - right now I don't have much faith in things just being alright," Dean said, with a touch of cynicism, though that asn't really entirely fair. He had things in his life that had worked out just fine recently, Dean just had a tendency to dwell on the bad stuff when the good points weren't immediately in front of him. It was part and parcel of the same thing that made him try and shoulder the blame for the world, and be unable to take compliments.

"Dean...I get that you're not exactly in the best place right now. And I get why this bothers you. But...honestly? Something like this? Waking up one day and being faced with the fact that you were attacked, are now a monster, are a danger to everyone around you, and that there's a lot of people around who want to kill you just because? ....whoever you knew? It's not the same person anymore. And if it is, if he's somehow managed to completely miss out on all the issues, or the connotations attached to all of this, then he's not going to be around long. You learn to do this fast, or you go down fast." It's not like what you have, where you short things out and it's not that big of a deal, maybe you get a migraine out of it. Shit goes wrong when you're a werewolf and it's never, ever minor.

"Fine! I get it - okay? I get why you're trying to help him. I really do - just sorry if I can see how this could go really fucking wrong," he exclaimed. "Hear me not actually suggesting that you shouldn't do it at all, okay? I know you should - just don't expect me to be happy about the fact that of all the people who could need help right now, it's him! Yes, it's a shitty situation for him, for anyone, and I think you're doing a great thing trying to help. I just wish that you didn't have to put yourself in that situation. And I'll worry about you, okay. That's all."

"Okay, worry about me." Oz said. "But I've got it covered. And I'm taking precautions. I'm possibly a little more prepared than you're giving me credit for." he said, smirking very faintly. "But okay. Fine. You're worried. Noted."

Dean looked at him, knowing the guy didn't understand. It wasn't about being prepared, or anything like that. Dean just worried. And he didn't trust Gabe. Especially not Gabe. In fact, he would probably be worrying less if Gabe was actively dodgy, rather than what he seemed to be, which was just careless and stupid. Hopefully this had thrust some sense into the guy - that still remained to be seen, though Dean refused to see lycanthropy as a silver lining.

Oz made a bit of a face at Dean. "Stop looking at me like my mom." he said. "One of us is meant to be the guardian around here and I'm pretty sure that was me. Or it was last time I checked...you don't actually need a whole lot of parenting. You're more trustworthy than I was a few years ago. But still...."

"Actually, technically I think it's Sophie..." Dean allowed, finally quirking a slight smile and trying to let go of some of his tension. "And, for the record - I don't think the average person would necessarily be with you on the 'trustworthy' part," he added, indicating his face. "Though, then again, not even my dad tried to ground me for this..."

"See, I think it's perfectly justifiable, and I'm just mad I wasn't there to help, or that he couldn't have gotten prosecuted for it." Oz said. Or worse, but he had really strong ideas about what you did and did not do, and even if it hadn't gone so far as it could have, even riding the line was over the line in Oz's mind. "And sure, Sophie, but I'm her husband now, so I think I count." he said. And brightened for a moment, a grin that just clearly articulated just how happy he was over that fact still. She'd married him. Yeah. He was happy.

"Dad wanted to call the police - I had to talk him out of it," Dean admitted. He still felt bad about that. It wasn't fair - to any of them. Andy should have had to pay more than he did, and... And there as no point wishing for something that couldn't happen. He had to accept that he was firmly immersed in a world where the usual authorities would never and could never get involved. That was the end of it and he should just let that go. He caught the smile on oz' face a returned some of it. "Okay, yeah - so that probably counts," he allowed.

"Probably, huh?" Oz asked, chuckling lightly. He walked back over to the pool table, and picked his guitar back up. Leaning back against the table again, he picked up the guitar strains from where he'd left off, even if he didn't pick up singing the song again. "And yeah, I can imagine he would have wanted to call the cops. Do you know if anyone's keeping an eye on him?" he asked, knowing he would want someone over there watching the fucker's step.

Dean shrugged. "Stu is - and I think Stu's girlfriend's doing her utmost best to ruin Andy's life right now. She and Thia got on quite well and, well, Jen kinda, sorta...Yeah, she's taking care of it," Dean admitted, smirking slightly. He'd had an email about that from Stu this morning. Jen was proving pretty damn effective with her smear campaign, apparently.

Oz nodded. "...women are good for that..." he agreed. He'd seen it a ton before. Highschool. If you really wanted to ruin someone's life, piss off a well placed girl--it would happen. "So, at least there's that. I'm glad it's not just being let go. Which...I'm sure says something about me and all, but..." he shrugged one shoulder. "If he can't get slapped with legal repercussions, social ones I'll take. Especially if it means that he's not going to try it on some other girl." Because in his experience, that wasn't a one-off thing. That shit escalated, not dialed back. "I'm also glad she made a friend over there." he added genuinely. Thia needed more friends.

Dean smiled a little. "Yeah, me too. Which... I hear you followed her the other night," he raised, wondering how much of Thia's conversation with Alexis the guy had overheard. Wondered if he already knew about her father, and, if so, what he thought about that.

Quirking a faint smile, Oz nodded. "I did." he confirmed. "Didn't really want her off wandering by herself, without anyone looking after her." he said. Because he hadn't, and while nothing had happened, that didn't mean nothing could have. "She didn't see me until she was on her way back though. I didn't want to spook her friend." Which turned out to be a good plan, considering what the girls had spoken about.

Dean nodded. "Thanks," he said, though he knew thanks weren't necessary - Oz hadn't done it for him, but still, Dean appreciated it. "Erm... How close were you when they were talking?" he asked, hesitantly. He didn't know whether he was allowed to tell oz what Thia had told him, but he would be grateful for a second opinion if Oz happened to already know what he didn't know if he could tell.

"Close enough to know that Alexis' father might not be the best guy for Thia to be around. Or any of us." Oz said. He hadn't deliberately eavesdropped, but he did have great hearing. Heightened senses couldn't be shut off, and if he was going to be within earshot enough that anything going near the girls would get heard...he was definitely going to hear them too.

Dean exhaled, nodding. "Right. She told me this morning. I... what do you think?" he asked, looking very much the unsure teen looking for advice in that moment, all suggestion of his disapproving look gone by now.

Oz didn't answer right away, giving it due thought--even if he'd already thought about it. "I think Thia needs to stop going anywhere near town." he said honestly. "I think if she wants to visit with Alexis, it should be a little closer to home, and she should make sure that her father doesn't get invited. I think he could be dangerous, but I think we don't know near enough yet to know that for certain. So...I'd err on the side of caution, but not jump the gun."

"I was going to see if I could engineer a meeting between me and Alexis at school or something," Dean suggested. "She knows about me and I thought, well, I'd like to know what she's like and - and I don't know after that. I promised Thi I wouldn't do anything, and yeah - not jump the gun."

Oz paused for a moment. "Getting to know her could be something viable? But it's her dad that's the worry spot. I would personally say that the less people connected in together she knows the better, even if she is unaware of any supernatural touches on people. If we're paying attention...her father sure as hell could be paying close attention to who his daughter is hanging around too." he pointed out, looking at it from the other end. If he was a hunter, and had a teenage daughter in a town like this? OH hell no would he not know exactly who it was she was spending her time with.

Dean considered this and nodded. "Okay. I... You know I'm gonna check her out anyway, right?" he checked - because there was no way he could not not do that. "But then - I'll hang back. I'll just be her friend's boyfriend, nothing more." Unless there seemed to be a reason or advantage to be anything more. But he made a decision that anything else, he'd discuss with Oz first.

"Yeah, go ahead, just keep in mind that we're not the only people out there who're paranoid, and could have people watching. And if I was a hunter, and had a teenage daughter in a town like this, I'd know very damn well who was around her. Who, and I'd be digging into their background to see what I could see, just in case." Oz said, sharing that initial thought of his. "So...just keep that perspective in mind."

Dean considered this. "You know, you're not inspiring me to be at all encouraging for Thia to keep in contact with this girl," he said, very carefully, amending from his first thought which was a hell of a lot more possessory - but he reminded himself that he didn't actually have any grounds to say who Thia could and couldn't see. That wasn't allowed. She'd already had a thing about her not being a possession today, he needed to tread carefully there.

Oz shrugged one shoulder. "Honestly, Dean, the unfortunate truth here, is that anyone Thia's friends with that's in this town is a risk for her. Because she died here. Recently. So even if it's someone who's new to town, or anything like that, all she'd have to do is talk about her to the wrong person, give a description to someone who knew her well enough, someone stops by when she's with someone...it's all a risk. If I could tell her that she just needs to not go there, I would, but...she's sixteen. And she isn't a prisoner here. So if she goes out, and you're not with her, I'll trail her. If you're with her, you'll look out for her, but..." he trailed off. "I know that's not the best situation, or what you or she would want to hear, but..." But that was just how it was. Bottom line, she was a girl who had grown up in this town, and she'd died two months ago in a public murder that everyone knew about, and people had attended her funeral. She'd been a nice girl, who had a lot of friends at school. She'd been a part of the community. So being anywhere near it, where people could find out about her was flat out a bad idea. Particularly when there were hunters crawling the shadows of the town right around now.

"I know that," Dean said, after a few minutes. God, did he ever know that. "I just... I'd be easier to deal with if that was just me being paranoid. Overprotective. I know I do that. Except, with her - I don't know if I'm being overprotective, just just protective enough. Actually, sometimes I don't think I'm being protective enough at all. Hell - look at it, look at what's gone on over the last couple of months. I just - I just want her to be safe, Oz. And I can't manage that. And please don't tell me that's not my responsibility."

Oz would sincerely like to tell Dean that it wasn't his responsibility, but knew that he'd be ignored on that score. He'd told him before, after all, and it had done fuck all in the way of making Dean feel better or relax some on things. And, Oz couldn't really blame him in this case. After all, there'd been a reason he'd followed the girl the other night, now wasn't there, and it really wasn't 'It's been a while since I stalked someone'. "I know it'd be easier. And I kind of wish I could tell you you are being overly protective, or jumping at shadows, but in this case, I don't know that you are. And I know that that isn't going to make you feel any better, and I'm sorry about that, but..." Lying to Dean wasn't going to do anything but potentially come back and bite everyone later, including Thia.

"She says she feels trapped sometimes. Here. Or, she did. I don't know about now. But, with everyone watching out for her, there always being someone there. And I know I find it hard to let go - I'm trying to back off with that, but..." Oz would know what the but was there. "I just don't know what to do for the best ever. I just don't want her to be hurt anymore."

Oz winced. "She feels trapped?" he asked. That...wasn't good. That wasn't good at all. "Can you find out if she still feels that way? Or...what could possibly be done to make her feel less like that? I don't want her to be feeling like that..." Obviously. "I think the best is keeping her safe and as happy as possible, but that's me. I don't know what she wants, or what she thinks about it all, or...." he shrugged helplessly. "I just know I'll be paranoid, and doing whatever I think's best to keep her safe. To keep everyone safe, because it's not all about her, either."

Dean nodded. "I'll see what I can find out," he promised. "And I know it's not all about her," he added, because he did know that - he just knew where his priorities lay. And he knew that, of all of them, Thia was the one who was the most likely to be a target, even with Oz being a werewolf at the moment. But then, he also knew Oz could handle himself - for all that he'd been being telling the guy to be careful, he trusted Oz to be able to handle almost anything. He just had a baseline amount of worry about people he couldn't deny. With Thia, it was different. It wasn't that he didn't think she was capable, but he loved her, and she was at the forefront of his mind for so much of the time. And he wanted to make it so that she didn't have to be put in any kind of a situation where she had to prove that she was capable. He wanted to keep her safe, away from danger altogether.

Nodding, Oz figured Dean did know that, he had just wanted to put it out there. After all, if they got to one of them...that was going to snowball, and snowball fast. "Keep me posted." he said. He didn't know how seriously Thia took things, or if she understood just how interconnected everything was. Or, maybe she did, and she was just a sixteen year old girl who needed more in her life than it currently had. Everyone needed friends. He had his own, he just happened to have his own within the confines of his pack. And Thia did have Dean, but she was with him now, so...did that change things for them? He wasn't sure. So far they seemed happy, and it wasn't like he hadn't heard Thia going on about how wonderful Dean was. But was that enough for someone? Oz had the luxury of having the love of his life and best friend being different people. And he knew Dean had other friends...or at least one. He was starting to give himself a headache with all of that.

"I will," Dean promised, and then wondered if he'd have the right to ask for that in return if the situation ever warranted it. He hoped that Oz would offer it if that happened, but he didn't know whether it would be considered to be something he had a right to ask for. He'd demanded information in the past, he knew. And got incredibly pissed when he hadn't been told things, but he still didn't know what he actually had the right to ask for. Or, possibly, that was all just a big mess in his head. Whatever the truth, now wasn't the time to bring it up.

"Thank you." Oz said. He didn't know how much would get accomplished over this, and figured if nothing did, he could always ask Billy to go talk to her in one form or another. They had their own relationship and Thia seemed to rely on Billy for random things, including moral support. So...he had angles he could be covering, at any rate. That made him feel slightly better, even if he still didn't at all know how things added up for the girl on her end.

Dean nodded, his eyes dropping to the patch on the rug that wasn't there anymore, because the rug was different. He made himself look back at Oz again. "I should get on, I guess - I want to get her room finished." Not that that would happen today, but he wanted to get it done sooner rather than later.

Oz noted where Dean was looking, and figured it was going to be the same for him. That he'd always know where it had been, regardless of if the evidence was no longer present. "It looked interesting so far, I look forward to seeing what it looks like when it's all finished." he offered sincerely. He was all for creative expression. He had his music, and he knew how much that helped his state of mind a lot of the time.

Dean smiled a little. "Thanks. And... thanks. For letting me. I dunno, I half wondered if I'd get back and it'd be painted over or something," he added with a shrug. That had always been possible - he knew his mum would never have let him paint a mural on the wall in his bedroom at home, at least.

Smiling back, Oz had just a tiny pinch of mischief in his eyes there for a second. "Sophie wasn't necessarily pleased, but I had a little chat with her about positive outlets for creative energy and I think eventually she just stopped listening and smiled and nodded so I'd shut up." he said. "I have music, you've got art. Plus...can't say that it's not interesting to look at, and it'll be one of a kind." he said. Like writing a song for someone. It was unique and theirs from there out. A lasting sort of testament to the fact that you thought enough about them to put in that effort.

Dean laughed a little at that. "Well, then, thanks again. And, it's not much at the moment - but hopefully it'll be okay once it's done." He didn't mention that it'd match the new tattoo on Thia's back. He wasn't sure where Oz and Sophie would stand on those, so he was going for 'not mentioning them at all'.

"I'm sure it will be." Oz said. Because he was fairly certain that Dean wouldn't stop fucking around with it until he was satisfied that it was as perfect as he was going to get it. "Let me know when it's done, I'd like to see the finished product. But y'know, I really don't make a habit of dropping by Thia's room, so..." So he'd have no idea. Because it was her room, and he didn't go in there unless it was to help patch bullet holes or replace windows. Like he didn't go poking around in Dean's room either.

"Will do - it shouldn't be long. I'm trying to get it done as quickly as, so that she doesn't have a room permanently smelling of paint. So, hopefully it'll be finished before next weekend." Because he wanted that for her - as much as it was nice to be able to use the excuse of paint-smell to have her sleeping in with him, they both agreed that they needed their own space, and he wanted her to have that.

"Cool, well, let me know, I'll want to see." Oz said. "I'll let you get to it." He kind of wanted to offer in there if he had anything else he wanted to talk about or anything, he could, but...Dean probably knew that, right? Then he decided to say anyways. "If you've ever got anything you need to talk about...I'm around." he said, just to be sure.

Dean's only reply was a slight upturning at the corner of his mouth on one side and a bare incline of his head. Yeah, he knew that - and appreciated it. "I'll bear that in mind," he said, since words were probably necessary on top of that. He shoved his hands into his back pockets and stood there a little awkwardly for a moment. "I'll leave you to it," he said, after a pause, then turned on his heel and headed out.