Rampant Paranoia

Who: Caleb and Dean
Where: Caleb's house
When: Immediately after this scene

Caleb had gotten the call from Dean. And he'd been very confused. Because there was in fact, the weirdness of Dean saying he was driving over. And last time Caleb had checked? Dean wasn't in any condition to drive. In fact, he hadn't been in any condition to do anything. He'd been in condition to lay around and do fuck all, because he'd lost a lot of blood and had admittedly poor stitch jobs on deep wounds on his person.

That never made for a good driving situation. And yet, he was on his way over. So, Caleb had agreed that it was fine, no one was home anyways, and he went to wait for his friend on the porch. It didn't take long for him to get there. It was Marquette, nothing took long. But he was blinking at Dean as he saw him get out and walk up the walk like he didn't have the injuries he'd had a few days ago. "...the fuck?"

Dean had called his friend even as he was walking out of the park having left Gabe, turning his phone back on again and dialling before checking to see whether anyone else had called since he'd turned it off earlier. He hadn't explained anything, just checked to see where Caleb was, then headed over, pulling up outside his friend's house and walking up the drive to meet the guy on the porch. He'd caught sight of himself in the rearview mirror as he pulled up - his right eye was already beginning to look a little puffy and he figured that he'd have a nice shiner in a couple of hours. That together with the split brow and cut lip - both of which, whilst no longer actively bleeding, had smears of blood surrounding them where the teen had wiped the blood away in the park. His knuckles were split as well, but at least he figured that meant he'd got a good few punches in. Maybe he'd knocked some vague sense into the idiot. The worst of it, though, was that his ribs ached - he'd kind of gotten used to not being in pain during the course of today and whilst possibly bruised ribs weren't a patch on how he'd felt this morning, it didn't really help at all.

"Someone who knew Thia before recognised her at the masquerade. I went to talk to him today - it didn't go well. You got any water? My mouth tastes like shit right now," Dean said, still fuming over the encounter he'd just had.

Caleb surveyed the damage he could see on his friend. "...yeah. We've got water." he said, standing up and heading to open up the door. "I was kind of more asking what the fuck about the fact that you kinda seem to not be walking with a pronounced, horrible limp from the leg-wound and you're moving better than you should be. Though really, I have to say it here, man. Stop getting yourself fucked up. Give it a week in between, at least. It'll help." He had taken on board the bit about Lullaby and everything, and figured that was going to be the main topic of conversation--but he wasn't having it on the fucking porch.

"Yeah, I intend to - didn't plan this, y'know," Dean said, waiting until they were inside with the door shut firmly behind them before he really said anything more. "Right, okay - firstly, we went up to the mine this morning, there's a healing pool there. So the wounds from the other night are gone," he started with, wanting to get that over and done with quickly. Normally, it would have been something he'd dwell on, but not right now, so he moved straight on without even pausing for breath. "What I wanted to see you about was Gabe. Dunno his surname. Goes to school with us. Freaked out when he saw Thia the other night and fucking freaked out again on me today. So - I need him watched. I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on him, because he just threatened to tell the whole school about her. And that was before he punched me. He's a fucking muppet and he just doesn't get it. At all."

"There's a healing--" Caleb started, but then Dean was talking more, so he just let the guy talk as he led them through to the kitchen, where he got Dean a glass of ice water. Then he leaned back against the counter and turned his mind to Issues. "Freaked out on you like he attacked you because...why?" Caleb asked, wanting to know the situation, and what kind of personality this guy had. "And don't worry, I'll be on it." he added, just so he could put that out there right now. He was thinking about the whole telling the whole school about her thing. "....and don't worry about him telling the whole school." he said firmly, confident even if Gabe did do something that phenomenally stupid, he could take care of it. Somehow. Not necessarily in a manner that might be helpful for Dean to know, but still.

"He's been telling people," Dean told Caleb, taking a sip of water and rinsing around his mouth before spitting out the now pink water into the sink and repeating. "About Thia. I fucking told him not to - we both did. I told him if he needed to talk to people, then I was people. And I know I've been out of action for a couple of days. And I know I should have called him, but he had my number, but no - he had to go shooting his fucking mouth off to fucking... I don't even know. Some girl at the ice rink and Joshua's new girlfriend. Who, of course, told Joshua. Who, of course, already knew. He had to wonder when that had happened, because he was sure that if Joshua had told Thia that someone was talking, then Thia would have told him and he knew Thia had contacted Joshua earlier in the day. God, there were too many angles on this one. Of all the times for him to be down - he'd needed to be here... "So - I tried to get him to appreciate why this kind of thing's not what you go spreading around, y'know? And he was all 'but I'm no threat'. So, I... I used his friend as an example. Said that I was a stranger, that he'd just told me that he knew a girl at the rink and that she was something special. Told him that that information was enough to start tracking someone down if it got into the wrong hands. And he hit me. Fucking idiot fucking hit me."

"So, he's a fucking moron." Caleb assessed. "Who...apparently can't actually think past himself. Awesome. I love those kinds of people." he said, rolling his eyes. Then he paused and looked at Dean for a moment. "So you were trying to give him an example of how he's a fucking moron and probably putting people in danger, and he hit you for it? That's...special." he decided. "So he's a volatile, criminally neglectful, self centered, violent fucking moron. Right." He paused. "Spells out 'huge fucking liability' to me."

"So - he needs watching," Dean agreed, letting Caleb's backing on this feed into the temper he had going. Which wasn't hard, since he was incredibly pissed off right now. "And I'm not going to be around to do it," he added, which was a big thing for him. Dean wasn't good at the whole 'delegation of responsibility' thing, but tonight had made his mind up about the England thing. He wasn't only going for his own good any more. He was going so that if there was a shit storm about Thia, she'd be several thousand miles away when it hit.

That had Caleb pausing. "What do you mean you aren't going to be around?" he asked. Watching someone was fine for him. He could do that. He already knew he was basically a stalker at heart in the first place, so...being asked to keep an eye on someone and a situation wasn't a problem for him, morally or otherwise. But then Caleb was fully aware of the fact that his moral compass did not in fact, point north with everybody else's.

"We're leaving. For a while anyway," Dean told him, annoyed on top of everything else that this was coming out like this. This whole thing - today was just a fucking mess all round. "We're going back to England for a bit. Or, well - I am and Thia's coming with me."

Caleb had a bit of a mixed opinion on that. One was that it was probably best, considering Dean had just whacked a guy, and now there was this possibility of Lullaby's secret getting out to The Wrong People. Second, he'd actually really wanted to have a long talk with Dean, and maybe tell him a few things. Plus he just liked having his friend around in general. Right now, though, he didn't know how well he'd even do with talking to Dean about him-shit, because generally, when given a situation to deal with, he did that, and checked any messy head-bullshit at the door. "Alright." he said. "How long is 'a bit'?"

Dean shrugged. "Dunno? Sophie's seeing if she can get me an open ticket and my school work sent over, but..." He shrugged again. He really didn't want to put a timescale on this. "Just need to get out of here for a bit," he admitted.

Nodding, Caleb could understand that. "Well...consider things taken care of while you're gone, then." he told Dean. Because he really needed more responsibility to be piled on his head. Whatever, it'd give him something to do, he supposed. Other than worry about Rose's wellbeing, and where he was going to be able to send her now that Dean wasn't going to be around to send her to. Shit. Oh well, he didn't let on that he was going to have to do some rearranging.

"Thanks - I really appreciate it mate. I know it's... I know I can rely on you," Dean told him, honestly, aware of the fact that Caleb seemed to be becoming his go to guy when things needed to be done.

"You can." Caleb confirmed. Because really, that was the truth. He'd do whatever. Really, after you got rid of a corpse for someone, everything else was cake. There were levels of trust there that were kind of newish and weird for Caleb, but he didn't mind, necessarily. "So...just go home, hang out, try not to get your ass kicked again, and things here will be covered." he assured Dean with a little half quirked grin. "You going to hit that spring again before you go, so you don't look like you were in a fight when you get home?" He'd have to ask his brother about the spring--that? Was incredibly fucking good information to have.

"Yeah, might try that - it's kind of a walk, so I - it's not going to be happening today, but yeah. Less I have to explain to my mum, the better, really." At least the serious scarring he had now was in places that he could keep covered. "I still have to figure out how to tell her and dad about Thia..."

Caleb shrugged one shoulder. "They know about some shit, right?" he said. "So...she died, and she got better. Crazy crazy, but hey--she's not dead, so let's focus on the positives here." he said, knowing it wouldn't be that easy. "I don't suppose you could get around it, could you? I'm taking it that they know she died." he added.

Dean didn't look amused by that. Right now, he wasn't much in a mood for being amused by anything. "Yeah, they know she died. I was kinda cut up about it at the time," he pointed out. Which was really an understatement and he'd needed to talk to his parents. Really, in retrospect, his relationship with them had seriously improved since he'd moved away. He talked to them more now.

"Yeah...I remember." Caleb said. And he remembered when Dean's abrupt turnaround had happened. When he'd thought Dean had found a girl to distract him. And technically--he had. It had just been the same girl. "I'm serious about focusing on the positives thing. I mean, there isn't really a way to pull the punch of a girl returning from the grave, but the important part is she was your best friend, she died, and now she's back so--it's a good thing."

"Maybe," Dean admitted, setting the glass of water down on the side and moving to the sink to wash off his knuckles, clean them a little. He bent and threw a handful of water over his face, running his hands over his features and back into his hair before turning back to Caleb again, a couple of beads of slightly pinkish water running down his cheeks. "She's afraid of people being afraid of her. Gabe was afraid of her..." he explained.

"You want the first aid kit?" Caleb asked his friend as he got out of the way. "Yeah, and we've established the moronic nature of asshat." he said reasonably. "This will be you. Talking to your parents. They've got to trust you. And...whatever, have your guardians call and back you up on the whole she isn't a danger thing. Bring them something to read on Fades--though not that book. That book is fucked." he said. It was written from the point of view of someone who didn't at all like Fades. "Skip out entirely the how she was made thing, focus on the fact that she's fine and can heal you, remind them how important to you she is, and have them talk to her. She's a sweet girl and if nothing else? She looks incredibly disarming. Seriously, even taking her entire personality out of it, she doesn't look like she could hurt a fly. So...use that."

"Come on - you really think I would tell them how she was made. I'm not entirely stupid," Dean pointed out. "But, yeah, I know, I just... It'll be fine. It has to be because - it just has to be. Y'know? It's just... I can't, well I can, but - it'd be hard telling them before I get there, which means I have to get there and then..." For a start, that would mean leaving her here on her own. He'd definitely need to be talking to Oz before he left. It would have been a given before, but now - maybe he could summon her on the plane, like after passport control or something. Sophie could buy two tickets and then, like, when they got to England she could just hang out in the baggage collection area until he got through immigration and then slip through from a bathroom or something. You're being riduculous, she'll be fine with Oz. "Well, I'll already be over there and if they freak then..." Then I'm kind of stuck and she'll be over here and I'll be over there and that's in no way acceptable.

"You know, your sarcasm filter dies completely when you're in a bad mood." Caleb said, though not in a way that suggested that he had taken offense. He also just attempted to follow Dean's completely broken speech pattern, and fill in the blanks that were left. "Okay okay, hold up." Caleb said. "First of all, if they freak--prepare for it. Assume that they'll take it all very badly. Then just prepare for how you'll deal with that. Then if they don't react that badly it'll be easy." he told him. "Be as vague as possible on any details, focus on the good parts, get your guardians to back you up, if they need another opinion, fuck, have them call me. I don't really care. Type something up for them about Fades, an easy little highlights that ignore anything bad, and tell them it's a credible source. You're probably the resident expert on Fades anyways, you're a credible source. Think of what they might argue before they argue it so you have a counterpoint. So---what's your parents likely to take issue with, really?" he asked, trying to help walk Dean through this.

Dean shrugged, making no comment about his lack of humour right now - he knew it was manifestly true. "I dunno. Not like I have experience about this. I mean, like - they knew Oz was a werewolf before I came out here. They told me that and they still sent me. So, like - I was thinking of starting there. You know, the whole 'movies would have to believe that all werewolves are dangerous' thing? Because they've obviously got it through their heads that that much is bollocks, right? It's just, like - you tell someone someone died and they immediately jump to 'vampire'. Or zombie," he added, pointedly.

"So cut right to that part." Caleb said. "She isn't undead. Make that point right away after you get to the 'she's alive' part. Make it so that before it's an issue, it isn't an issue because you're taking care of it before they can get there. Sell it on the part where she's got a heartbeat and breathes and bleeds and everything else. You can use the werewolf aspect too. Werewolves are made--not sure if this one was or not, but popular opinion dictates they are--so was she. Dude is fine. So is she. There's no...change as a person involved. Make sure that's really out there for them."

Dean nodded, his anger of earlier on ebbing away slowly as he concentrated on a subject that made him more worried than anything else. "I will, I just - I know that once they meet her, it'll be fine. I mean... She's Thia. She's this sweet, cute, tiny, adorable little girl who looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, she looks like if she found a fly that was hurt she'd take it home and try and nurse it back to health. I just - it's the idea of her. And there's Scott - I know he doesn't know anything about this stuff. He's, like, perfectly normal and they're kinda trying to keep him away from it all, I guess. Which I understand and everything, but... I don't know how that's going to factor in."

"Not sure they'll be able to shelter him that much, unless they didn't tell him about her dying in the first place." Caleb said. Which, maybe they didn't. It would be a lot easier if Dean could kind of bring up the fact that Lullaby had saved him or healed him or something but he didn't even suggest it, figuring Dean was going to want to avoid telling his parents about any situation that may have involved her having to do shit like that.

"I dunno - I think there's a chance they didn't tell him." After all, you could get away with not telling the fourteen year old that his brother's friend a few thousand miles away that he'd never met had died, couldn't you? "But, yeah. Look - how did things go with Rose? I'm... sorry about that."

"With Rose?" Caleb asked, kind of having to reset his own thinking to get back into things that weren't dealing with a crisis or whatever. "Fine, I guess. She's here, I went and brought her to help her get a pet, she got a bunny, she kind of drives me fucking insane sometimes but not on purpose. I told her that our information came from a witch, and she cried a lot, but...she's trying to deal. I don't know. I have trouble with her, but it's mostly because I'm used to not pulling any punches, and dealing with people who know their shit. She's...fragile and knows fuck all. She's the kind of girl who gives me a look when I swear for fuck sake. But...I don't know. Don't worry about it so much. Though--maybe tell her yourself you're leaving the country. She kind of latched onto you too, or that's the impression I'm under, so...I know you've got shit on your mind but I'm pretty sure she'd see it as another abandonment."

Dean raised an eyebrow and quirked the first smile since he'd arrived. "A bunny?" he asked, feeling his amusement returning. "You got her a bunny..."

Looking over, Caleb rolled his eyes. "Sure. Now you remember humor." he said. "And yeah, a bunny. I guess she got it from a shelter or something. Very Rose, if you ask me. But no, I didn't get her a bunny, I just helped. I'm not the give a bunny to a girl kind of guy. Then she sat there and was trying to convince me I should get a puppy....."

Dean bit his lip holding back the laugh - then hissed as he caught the cut. But still - "A puppy?" he smirked. "Really..." Oh yeah, he was highly amused by this.

"Shouldn't you have some cute girl looking after you around now?" Caleb asked, smirking. "And yes, a puppy. I told her that if I was getting a dog, it sure as hell wouldn't be a puppy, and it'd have to be a big dog. Y'know, something that can at least bite anything coming after it. Like...a huge rotweilter or something."

"Uhhuh," Dean agreed, still smirking and with a knowing look in his eyes. It was nice to be able to get a little bit of vengeance every now and then - and of the normal, common-or-garden type as well. Normality was scarce right now in his life - whatever Gabe had thought to the contrary.

"Oh fuck off." Caleb said, shaking his head and getting himself a soda. "She was very adamant about the dog. and she'll have her stupid little bunny now. And...stop looking at me like that!"

Dean's smirk didn't drop at all. "Yeah - I'm sure she'll get over me leaving the country. I mean... She's got you and everything," he teased. After all, he'd been putting up with shit from Caleb about Thia for ages now.

"Yes, and I still say this would have worked out much better if she'd latched her bunny-loving ass onto you. See, you've got this thing about you you're a better guy than I am, and--what the fuck ever she's latched on and I'm thinking that's bad and this would have gone a lot better if she was your newest best friend in the whole wide world who wanted to give you big doe eyes and talk to you about bunnies and poetry and not using foul language and getting pets." Caleb said, scowling.

"Hate to point this out, mate, but I already have a best friend in the whole wide world who gives me big doe eyes and talks to me about cute furry animals. Poetry and not using foul language? Well, that's just something that comes special with yours, obviously..." Dean joked.

Caleb narrowed his eyes at his friend. "Well then, you obviously have a forte with this kind of girl, and who doesn't want two of them? It'd be a sweet deal for you, honestly. Could knock that you being gay for me rumor right out of the water. It'll be fun!"

"Well, tough shit I'm leaving the country then, really, isn't it? I guess she'll just have to make do with you instead. Or she'll start college and meet up with some guy who's not still in school and you'll be yesterday's news - isn't that generally the way it goes anyhow?" Dean suggested, throwing the guy a bone.

Caleb thought about that. "Yeah....actually...." he agreed, happy for the mini-out. "Not that it'll mean I'm less protective but maybe it'd mean that she had other focuses too. She's already met some guy. And she's....well. A very pretty girl." he had to admit.

"You don't drop the protective that easily," Dean agreed. "Thi always had Joshua, but I was protective of her anyway. Didn't matter there was someone else who should have been capable of that," he added, feeling a little bad about his wording there. But it was just fact - Joshua was cursed. And more than that, Dean knew he just hadn't been up to the task - at least, not once the real stress kicked in. If things had been different - well, then things would have been different. Nobody knew how that would have gone.

"Logic doesn't really play into it for me at all. I mean, even if I knew she was well protected by some asshole college guy who wanted to play prince fucking charming to her--I'd still feel the need to do it myself." Caleb said with a shrug. "It's just a mind set thing. I'm still protective of Leija, too. People need to just not fuck with what's mine, and everything'll work out just peachy. But..." if they did then all bets were off.

Dean nodded. "You don't need to explain it to me, mate - seriously," he assured the other guy, quietly. "I know what you mean."

Nodding, Caleb looked over and gave a little half smile that was pretty grim. Yes, he knew that Dean knew. They'd talked about murder one, after all, now hadn't they. That was about as far as you could take it. So yes, he understood that Dean in fact had a similar outlook when it came to that. "I know you do."

Dean sucked on his lip cut a little. "I'm not very good," he said, after a moment. "Of letting things go. I prefer... If I handle them myself, if I'm there, if it's me..." Then if they go wrong, then it's my fault, but at least I don't have to torture myself with what I could have done better if it had been me there. "This last weekend - that happened because I didn't handle it. That's not going to happen again. Nobody else seems to get that," Dean said, wondering if Caleb would.

Caleb thought about it. "We talked about killing the fucker." he pointed out. "And I took you out and I still dont' think it would have been worth it for you to do that. Now I could wipe the guy out and never think about it again beyond 'good fucking riddance'. It would bother you, though. And...actually okay. Perspective." he said, deciding to actually go into his thoughts on the matter. "I've seen you with her now. I've watched the two of you. And I honestly think that if you would have done that, hunted him down and killed him yourself, or hired someone to do it, and shit....I think that I wouldn't be seeing the same thing. I think it was him or you. Or him and your relationship as it stands with her."

"Yeah, we talked about it - and then I did nothing. And she and I almost died. Or, look at it another way - I almost died and she almost ended up with all those worst case scenarios we never actually told each other about. So, another perspective - I got lucky this time round. Next time, maybe not. I just - I don't get to ignore shit. And if that makes me a paranoid fuck, then that makes me paranoid. And I'm not saying it's all going to be at that level or anything. It's just - like this. The Gabe shit. I... It's like part of me doesn't want to go. Wants to stay here and make damn sure that that guy doesn't breathe a word. That he appreciates what he's in. But then again - I want her out of here. At least for a while. And then, fuck, I dunno - maybe if he spills, people will think he's crazy or something. And, like - we're not living where I'm registered for school anymore anyway. So even if he tries to track me down, Oz and Sophie are safe from that," Dean told him. And at least he was doing something - he just had to choose from two conflicting 'somethings' here.

"Yeah, I get what you're saying." Caleb said, because he did. "I'm just saying that in that specific case, it was you or him. And not in the you killed him because you had to, but conceptually. You as a person, or him. I think this actually worked out better this way, even though I know it's all fucked. You're fine, she's fine, he's toast. No one's the wiser. From here out, yeah. I'm a paranoid motherfucker all the time. It's habit. It's nature. I can't shut it off even if sometimes it would probably be nice to. So I get what you're saying. I'm...generally speaking the type to be more pro-active than not if I can get away with it. But then I'm a little more ruthless than you too. So, why don't we stick to things. You do your thing, I'll do mine, and if shit is that fucked and that dire...I'm not adverse to disappearing liabilities." He took a drink of his soda. "And don't worry about the Gabe bullshit. If he shoots his mouth off, I'll find out, and have a little chat with him. If he tries to tell the whole school about her, then he's fucked no matter what. Some people will believe him--but she won't be around to be found. And other people will think he's just batshit fucking insane. And if push comes to shove? ....her body is still in that grave."

Dean looked uncomfortable for a moment as Caleb finished up there, but he knew it made sense. It was simply, well - he still hadn't been back to Thia's grave. He doubted he ever would. Surely, then, it should have been easier for him to distance himself from the idea of exhuming her body, yet that wasn't the case. He rolled his shoulders a little and made himself move on. "A lot of the time I think I'm not strong enough for this," he admitted. "If I can't do what has to be done..."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Oh shut the fuck up." he said. "You just shot a guy in the head because he was going to kill you and do horrible things to someone you care about. That? Is Getting It Done, asshole. So don't whine to me about not being strong enough when you clearly are. Plus, you just went and got into a fight over trying to ensure that no one else is a fucking moron and puts her in that position again. You're setting shit up so that it doesn't go down that road. So you're not only capable of doing what has to be done--you've already fucking done it. So check that shit at the door, my friend. That fuckery ain't flying around here."

That? Actually helped some and Dean dropped his head for a moment. "Sorry - I just... You deal with this shit so much better than me," he said. "And I didn't mean for things to go the way they did with Gabe. Though I still hold he's a complete dickhead."

Caleb looked over at Dean for a long, long moment, then glanced away. "I'm not entirely sure that's true. Maybe it just looks like I do. I just...I would have done the same thing. Someone's fucking with someone I care about, and in a situation like that, it's definitely fucking life or death, so...someone's got to go and it's not going to be me or whoever I'm protecting. Some things just click into place and that's it." He shrugged. "And with Gabe--whatever, if he's spouted his mouth off about shit in the span of what...forty eight hours? Less? Then he deserved to get his ass kicked at least in some respects. Who the fuck goes around and tells people about something like that? Assholes, that's who. Even disregarding everything else, logic dictates you don't wander about spouting off at the mouth about undead chicks. Hello with the fucking stupid decisions on that score."

"I gave him my number for that very reason - because, it's a shock, you know? You know, I know - we've both gone through it. And, okay, for me - it didn't matter. I didn't exactly care about the whys and wherefores, y'know?" he shrugged. She'd been alive - the rest, well, that was just detail.

"Yeah, and so he should have called you. Not gone and told someone random or whatever. If he wanted actual information on shit, if he was that bloody worried, he should have been on the phone with you pretty much immediately. And I know you, fucked up or not you would have talked to him." Caleb said. "We'll see what he does from here out. If I have to go have a serious talk with the guy. Maybe you got through. But if you didn't...he won't be a lasting problem, one way or another. You've got my word there."

Dean held up a hand. "Right now, I don't want to know," he said, though a small voice in the back of his head piped up to tell him that he probably should have a very different response to that. But it had been a bad week. "Thank you, though - for this, for the weekend - sorry to just dump on you like that. I just - I didn't know who else to call." And I knew you'd be able to handle it. And I knew I could trust you to do that.

"You're welcome." Caleb said. "And...it's not a problem." he added. He'd kicked his issues in the fucking sac, but that wasn't Dean's fault. "I kind of wanted to talk to you about shit...but right now's really not the time. It'll keep for when you get back." he told Dean.

Dean frowned slightly. "You sure?" he asked, though part of him was relieved - he didn't know if he could handle anything else heaped on right now, even if he didn't know what Caleb wanted to talk about.

Nodding, Caleb didn't have to think about that. "Yes, I'm sure. It can wait." he said firmly. "Til then, go have a nice time in non-fucked-up land. Go see your family and shit, and have a good time with Lullaby. Take her out, work on that having balls when it comes to her problem of yours. Maybe it'll be your time to step into a new role in her life. I mean, might as well, you'll be there...able to show her around, she should be all happy...."

Dean's mind went back to the other night, before everything had gone all screaming, horribly bad and he smiled faintly, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "You're never going to give up with that, are you?" he asked, though there was no real feeling behind it, more resignation than anything.

"Nope." Caleb said. Then he paused, and looked at Dean more seriously. "I saw you. Together. When everything had crashed, and burned, and there was blood and pain, and neither one of you wavered. There's something there. Trust me."

"I know. I just don't know if it's what you think it is," Dean told him. "I... I just sometimes - sometimes, maybe, possibly - I think that, but... It's like we left that night and I kinda thought that maybe, but then all this happened and it was - god, wasn't even worth thinking about. And now? There's so much shit there that I probably shouldn't even think about it, because there's enough to deal with right now, y'know? And if I'm wrong with that then - the world's falling apart enough already. I dunno - maybe you're right, maybe England'll give us some distance. I just... Yeah."

Caleb didn't say anything for a moment. "...first of all, I'm not sure you actually know what it is I'm seeing. What I think it is." he said. he'd thought a lot about it after he'd left, after all. Wrote it down and everything. "What I saw with you two was devotion. That girl? Won't be leaving your side. Not unless shit gets intensely crazy, and even then, I don't think so. And you're the same way. I saw you two...fuckin...switch off. Neither one of you was so involved in their own pain and misery that you weren't actually there for the other. That's...that's rare. That shit doesn't just happen. I think you've got something there, and I think...you'd be really fucking stupid not to try. Maybe not right this second, tonight, but....soon."

"Yeah - that's a good word," Dean agreed. Because he was, and he knew she was to him. He'd just not put a term to it before. "But you already know - I already told you she's told me she loves me. But neither of those are really guaranteed that she wants anything more than friendship," Dean pointed out.

"No, but it doesn't mean she isn't, either." Caleb said. "I think she was staring at you all night. I looked over now and then, and she was looking at you. I think if you wait for it to be guaranteed, wait for some surefire sign from the goddamn heavens that you're in...you're going to let shit pass you buy and someone else is going to latch onto her. I'm not really...I don't really believe in a lot of this shit. I know that it's not really in the cards for me. But I'm not an idiot, and I know what I'm looking at when I look at you two."

"Okay, okay - I get the bloody picture, alright. And we'll see - just... not right now. There's far too much shit going on, between the weekend and now this shit with Gabe, I mean... It'll be easier once we're away from here and all we have to deal with is the fact that I'm probably going to end up having to share a room with my fucking annoying little brother, once I get through the whole parental birds and bees talk that I'm gonna need to give them."

Caleb laughed. "Have fun with that!" he said. "But I'm serious...and I'll of course be calling to ask you for progress reports on how you're doing with pursuing a girl who's already admitted she loves you. You know, you're a capable guy, but you sure are special ed when it comes to girls." he teased with a grin.

"Hey - leave me alone! They're hard work!" Dean protested, not arguing the point other than that, because he knew it was true. He was a complete failure when it came to the opposite sex. "Look - at least I can have entire conversations with Thia. That's kind of a first for me..."

"All the more reason to go for her. See? Most of your work is already done for you. You've got each other, you're totally devoted, she loves you, all you need is to inject some physicality in there--which by the way don't think I didn't notice you guys were holding hands all the time and you two are very physically comfortable around one another." he added. because he couldn't not.

Dean gave him a look. "Yeah, yeah - don't read too much into that. She was 'physically comfortable' with me in front of her damn boyfriend back in the day. And she'd probably latch on to you as easily, just cos - it's who she is. There's just that wide gap between hand holding and taking it that much further," he said, not sharing all about how much time they spent curled up together. He wanted it to be true, he even thought possibly there was a chance that it might be true. But now wasn't the time.

"The only time that girl has touched me was when I had to physically help her up and down the steps because she was too hurt to go it alone." Caleb said. "I think you're delusional there. And hand holding doesn't cover when I was over and she was sitting there with you leaning back against you n shit." he pointed out. "Big difference. And you know? She didn't seem at all weirded out that she just went and crawled right into bed with you when I did get her back upstairs."

"Look, enough already, alright? Seriously. Yes, okay, maybe. Fuck it, you know how much I'd like it to be the case. And yes, she's... We're both like that and we'll sleep together, but never has it been all like that kind of thing. Well, not from her end anyway, so, yeah - I just... We'll see, okay. But trust me, I'm watching for that shit. I... I thought... It's like there was us and night and the beach and everything. But then there was blood and death and... Now's not the time." He looked at Caleb. "It really isn't."

"Ok okay, I'm just sayin..." Caleb said, holding up a hand. "I've just got one question to pose, and it's rhetorical, so don't bother answering it." he continued. "When is the time? You both nearly just kicked it the other night." He shrugged one shoulder. "The world seems to be going to hell in a handbasket and it seems to be going fast. So really....when exactly is the time?" He finished off his soda, then tossed the can in the returnables bag. "So, about that fill in the blank sports team neither of us gives a shit about...."

"When if she turns me down it's not going to make everything insanely worse," Dean told him, replying anyway. "When we're not living together in a fucking tiny fucking house with nowhere else for her to go. When I - when she doesn't have to feel backed into a corner by me, okay? That's when. And if that never comes, then it never comes, but I won't make things worse for her. And don't give me shit about running the possibility of making things better either. And if you're going to be making a move to change the subject to pacify me, at least choose something you're even vaguely interested in..."

Caleb rolled his eyes. "Whatever, you're an idiot." he told Dean, not getting into the counterarguments that he had. Because he had them--but Dean was getting pissed now so he would lay off for the moment. "And I'd choose something, but attempting to help a friend not be an idiot is usually a distracting factor for me. Call me wacky." he said with a shrug. "Did you want ice for any of those injuries, or are you going to wander on home to let her look after you? Which is personally what I would suggest. As far as nursemaids go, I'd pick her."

Dean backed off a little at that and quirked a small smile. "Yeah, she's good at that," he acknowledged. "And... yeah. I'd..." He rolled his eyes a little himself. "Okay, sure - I was thinking that I'd take the excuse," he admitted, able to laugh at himself in relation to himself, even if he had absolutely no sense of humour when it came to Thia.

"And it's a perfectly valid one." Caleb agreed sagely. "So go home. Let her patch you up. It'll be fun. She can be worried and all nurse-like an shit. She...seems like she'd give very good babying." And he was someone who could occasionally appreciate that sort of thing. He didn't often let himself, and he didn't often have anyone who would want to do that, but...when the occasion arose, he certainly wasn't against it.

Dean's smile grew a little and his eyes flashed. "Oh, she really does," he agreed. That he could allow. "She's - she's definitely good at that." Little too good at times, but he wasn't sharing that fact with anyone ever ever ever. "So, yeah, I - I'll see you in class tomorrow..."

"I'll be there." Caleb promised, smirking at Dean. "So...see you then. I'll see what kind of rumors are spreading before you get to school." Which meant that he'd be heading there early. He could figure it out. Maybe he'd ask Nic. Or something. Either way he'd find sources.

Dean winced slightly. "Hopefully none. None would be really good," he said, hating to have to think about that again. Maybe he'd talk to Sophie on the way in, see if they could leave tomorrow. Which would probably be a 'no way', but he'd relax again once they were out of there. Both of them.