"No way, young lady,"

"What!?" I exclaim and look down at myself.

Dean folds his arms across himself and puffs up his chest as he looks at me critically.

"You march back up those stairs and put something more respectable on." He says firmly.

"Respectable!?" I splutter and laugh, pushing past him into the kitchen where Sam is leaning against the counter and Cas is studying the inside of his empty coffee cup.

Dean follows me in. "Yes! For a start, that outfit leaves nothing to the imagination, your makeup is dark enough to be my soul and can you even walk in those shoes?"

I roll my eyes at Sam who laughs.
"Dean, chill out," Sam intervenes gently.

"I'm not having her go out like that!" Dean insists gruffly.

Cas looks up casually and frowns at me. "See, even Cas agrees!" Dean says, but Castiel is simply looking at my heels quizzically.

"I don't understand," he says slowly. "What do you gain in yourself by wearing those shoes to make you taller?"

I scowl at him and round on Dean with my hands on my hips.

"Dean, really; I'm not a little girl anymore!"

"Don't take that tone with me, madam!" Dean says and clenches his jaw. Sam sighs.
"Look, she'll be fine, Dean – just leave her alone," Sam now turns to me with a paternal look in his eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you anywhere? Do you have enough money?"

"Sam," I say with light exasperation.

He holds up his hands with a smile. "I know, I know – you'll be okay."

As soon as I think Dean is preoccupied with making Cas a fresh cup of coffee, I try to discreetly pull my skirt down as it keeps riding up around my thighs.

"I saw that." Dean snaps from the coffee machine and I sit down huffily next to Castiel. Sam joins us both at the table and I wait for my date to pick me up but I'm starting to get slightly nervous. "And remember," Dean starts up again. "If he tries anything funny with you –"

"Dean, relax, she punches harder than we do," Sam says gently and gives me a wink. I mouth a 'thank you' at him and he grins.

The next few minutes are painful – Dean is like a caged tiger, prowling up and down the kitchen, Sam is on his laptop and Castiel keeps asking me about why I'm wearing shoes with a 'handy dagger on the heel'.

When the doorbell rings, we all jump slightly and look at Dean who puffs up his chest again and strides over to the front door.

"Oh, God," I mutter as I hear Dean's gruff voice from the hall and my date's overly polite responses. "Well I might as well get changed now, Dean's obviously scaring him away."

Sam smiles. "You know he only does it because he cares and he loves you – we both do."

I sigh. "I know, but sometimes that's the thing that makes it all the more frustrating."

Sam gives me an encouraging smile as Dean enters the kitchen again with my date in tow – he looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights and Dean's face is like thunder.

I stand up and glower at Dean before kissing my date on the cheek, and leading him out of the house.

"Have a good time!" Sam calls and I can hear he's trying not to laugh.

"Curfew at 11!" Dean yells.
"I'm going now!" I holler back from the doorway before slamming the door behind me and locking up.

"Your brother sure is terrifying." Robert volunteers as we walk down the path together to his car.

"Don't worry about Dean," I say, trying to keep the annoyance out of my voice, getting in the passenger side. "He's just a bit precious about me sometimes."

"Yeah," Robert mutters starting the car. "I noticed that."

"And what time do you call this!?"

"Oh for the love of –"

I turn on the kitchen light to see Dean in a chair with a beer in his hand.

"Really, Dean!?" I exclaim, kicking off my shoes and pouring myself a glass of water from the sink.

"I told you; 'curfew at 11' and what time is it now?" Dean demands.

"It's 11:30, Dean!"

"Exactly – I've been worried sick – don't do that to me."

"Dean," I whine at him. "Stop it."

My brother gives a sigh.

"Where's Sam and Cas?" I ask to break the tension a bit.

"The living room," he replies shortly and I leave the kitchen.

Upon entering the living room, I find Sam and Castiel sat in front of the television watching a general knowledge game show.

"But I don't understand," Cas is trying to make himself heard over Sam's triumphant cheers upon answering something correctly. "How does your answering the question make you so happy when the little man in the TV can't hear you?"

"It's a personal triumph, Cas, play the game." Sam says with a fading laugh. He notices me hovering in the doorway and calls me over.

"How was your date?" Sam asks with a meaningful tone that I choose not to rise to.

"It was … fine," I reply and ignore Sam's raising of the eyebrows.

"Did you have to use your heels against him?" Castiel asks. "I can imagine they're more damaging than my angel blade."

"Nah, he behaved," I say. "How's Dean been?"

Sam rolls his eyes. "It's like living with a ticking time bomb."

I bid goodnight to Sam and Cas before heading into the kitchen again.

Dean is still sat in the chair and he looks deep in thought. "I'm going up now," I say gently and make to leave the room.

"Hold on –" I turn around. The muscle in my oldest brother's jaw twitches. "Will you be seeing this guy again?"

I shrug. "Not sure." I admit.

"Why?" Dean jumps into action, ready to kill if necessary.

"Calm down; he's just a bit boring, that's all," I say and refrain from rolling my eyes as Dean visibly relaxes.

"Yeah," Dean clears his throat and briefly pulls the corners of his mouth down in an 'I wasn't worried at all' manner. "Good."

"Night, Dean," I say trying to hide a smile as I give my brother a hug. He holds me tightly.

"Night, Jo."