I trudged up Lake Street, hiding in the bushes occasionally to avoid being seen. I was pretty banged up. I could feel blood drying on my face from my fall and the bruises on my neck had a hot ache. I only had to hide from actual cars twice, about ten minutes apart. Thank god. If I had to dive into the bushes any more than that, I may not have gotten back up.

The closer I got to Idlewilde, the more I started to feel my aches and pains. I didn't even want to think about the knock on the head I had taken. I limped faster when I saw the security light shining down on the familiar Idlewilde sign. I'd wanted to get away so badly when tonight's little adventure started, but now I just wanted to plop down in the Jacuzzi and soak until I perma-pruned.

My sweater was peeled off before I even got the door open, the cool air a relief on the skin of my neck. I dumped the sweater by the door and sighed with relief as I leaned against the reassuringly strong wood with my eyes shut.

"Jesus Christ, Oli, are you okay?"

I groaned to myself as Kirsti bum rushed me, examining my cuts and bruises. She touched my cheek and I winced. I must have missed an injury when I evaluated myself. "Just trying a new look." My smile was more of a grimace. My face hurt.

Kirsti led me to the table, and I slumped into a chair. I noticed Mandi sipping on a hot drink across from me. She sputtered when her eyes fell on my face, setting he mug down with a thump. I shrugged, chuckling nervously.

"Did-" I grimaced at Kirsti and gave my head a small shake. Mandi got the point, silently mouthing thank you as she took another sip. Kirsti set a mug on the table and flopped on to a chair, her eyes set on my face. I was uncomfortable with the scrutiny, but I ached too much to fidget. "Mandi, there is a first aid kit in the master bathroom. Grab it, please?"

As Mandi got up to do as Kirsti asked, I noticed that she also had a faint bruise on her neck. I was impressed with how well she was holding up, all things considered. Kirsti took a deep breath.

"So… I crossed a line…"

That was just not something I wanted to discuss. "It's fine."

"You are a crappy liar."

I prepared myself to get hit by tidal wave Kirsti as she took another deep breath. "I should have known you liked Dean, even if you wouldn't admit it. I know you better than that. I was drunk and selfish. But next time, be up front. If I ever end up totally embarrassed throwing myself on an uninterested guy because of you again-"

My gaze snapped to hers. "What?"

Before she could answer, the front door banged open, and Ninja scrambled over the threshold, barely skidding to a stop next to my chair and plopping his head on my lap with a whine. "Hey, you!" I rasped. Ninja wined again. "You were a good boy tonight." He yipped, and I set my hand on his head. I looked towards the door. It hung open, blocked by Dean's muscular body. I could see Sam just over his head, stuck behind his brother.

Dean looked pissed. Like, scary mad. I tried another weak smile, raising the corners of my mouth. "Hey, guys."

Kirsti cleared her throat and stood. "I'm going to help Mandi." Kirsti darted out of the room. As soon as the bedroom door shut, Dean stomped into the great room. Ninja slunk away, and Dean knelt in his place and turned my chair. The sudden movement made me wince, and my whole body thrummed with nerves as Dean knelt between my legs.

I tried to make eye contact as long as I could, but I didn't have the wear with all to hold his gaze long before I looked down at the floor. His hands cupped my face, gently turning and tilting my head to examine the damage. His fingers probed my hair line and I hissed as he made contact with the lump on the back of my noggin. There was blood on his fingers when he pulled them away. "Sammy. Medkit. Now."

His voice was a growl. I swallowed, wincing as my throat clenched in pain and my heart began t beat fast. Sam slipped into the second bedroom. Dean's fingers pushed up on my chin and I winced.

"Son of a bitch." He must have seen the bruises. His fingers disappeared from my chin, and I resisted the urge to follow him with my eyes as he banged around the kitchen. Sam came back, carrying a tool box filled with medical supplies, some pretty professional, some very make shift. His smile was sympathetic as he set the kit on the table. For some reason, Sam's sympathy didn't fill me with irritation. Maybe I was just too tired to care.

Sam opened the lid on the tool box, taking out little shelves that were filled with gauze pads, needles, thread, alcohol wipes, antiseptic gel, and just about anything else you may need after a rough night on the hunt. After the shelves came out, Sam pulled out a blessed bottle of whiskey. I must have made a happy noise, because he chuckled as he opened the bottle.

"Looks like you might need this."

I would have smiled gratefully, if my face didn't hurt so badly. Dean materialized beside me, wrapping a cool, damp dishtowel around my neck. I felt a brief moment of panic at the feel of something cold and wet wrapping around my neck, but shoved it aside. I knew I was safe here.

"I've got it, Sammy."

Sam raised his eye brows at Dean, and they shared one of their wordless conversations before Sam gave Dean a nod, stepping away.

Dean and I sat in silence as he sterilized the various items he would need to patch me up. As the light glinted off a suture needle, I took a deep pull off the bottle, followed closely by two more. It hurt like hell to swallow, but I needed the liquid courage.

The bottle left my hands as Dean knelt between my knees again. Despite all my aches and pains, I flushed, aware of how close we were.

His jaw was clenched as he started cleaning blood off my face. I tried not to make eye contact. He was just so damn close, I was over whelmed by the smell of him. I closed my eyes, breathing deeply to keep from cringing when he touched somewhere tender. I was drifting from the whiskey and goose egg on my head. The soothing motion of the rag stopped, and I slowly opened my eyes. Dean had placed a hand on either side of me, trapping me in the chair as he leaned in close.

"What the hell were you doing?" His voice was too controlled. It almost seemed menacing.

"Taking a walk." My voice was barely a whisper.

"Armed."

I shrugged, then winced as a jolt of pain hit me. My shoulder may have been disclocated. "Just being careful. There are monsters out, you know."

Dean pulled my guns out o their holsters, examining them. "How does this even fire?" He was incredulous. "You ever clean this damn thing?"

Who cleaned a gun? I shook my head, not wanting to admit to the misfire. Dean got up abruptly, pulling a chair over and sitting so my knees were between his.

"This needs stitches." Dean was dabbing at a cut on my forehead, running a little over half an inch down from my hair line over my eyebrow.

"Okay."

I sucked my breath in with a hiss as dean slammed his fist down on the table. The med kit and I both Jumped. "It's not okay, Damnit! You went off half cocked into God knows what. With no back up and no word about where you were going." Dean scrubbed a hand down his face before grabbing the needle and thread.

I could see the tension in his jaw. I figured it was better not to answer. It was clear I pissed him off. Of course, as mad as he was, I was surprised at how gentle he was as he stitched up my forehead.

"Guess I'm going as Harry Potter for Halloween this year." I joked lamely as Dean finished up.

Dean was not amused. He brushed my hair out of the way and had me lean forward so he could put a butterfly closure on the split in the skin on my goose egg. His fingers gently touched the tattoo of a treble clef on my neck, and I gasped. His fingers probed and massaged as I leaned against him, my head on his chest. I figured he was checking for more injuries. It felt wonderful, until the soothing movements moved to my shoulders, and he put pressure just above my left shoulder blade. "FUCK NUGGETS!" I pulled away, getting dizzy when I moved too fast. The room spun dangerously until Dean set a hand on my good shoulder, anchoring me to the chair until the floor stopped moving.

"We have to do something about your shoulder. I gotta tell you, it's gonna hurt like hell."

I blew out a puff of air. I knew this would have to happen eventually. I guess I had hoped that I could just ask nicely and my shoulder would decide to go back in on its own. I should have known my shoulder would be a bitch about it. I took a few deep breaths to gather my courage. "Do it." I squeezed my eyes shut as Dean applied pressure to my shoulder.

"On three. One… Two…"

"Christ!" I screeched as my joint popped, my shoulder grinding into place. I panted and waited for the pain to subside. Dean's hands moved in circles on my back, relieving tension as they moved. My voice was scratchy as I moaned, and I leaned into the pressure. I knew I should stop him, but it felt so damn good.

"Do you wanna tell me what the hell happened?" His voice was throaty.

"I got a lead on the case." I closed my eyes. My throat protested my every word. "But I only want to tell it once."

Dean's hands slowed to a stop as he stepped away. I leaned against the table as he tapped on the master bedroom door. The other three emerged, taking seats around the table. I was satisfied to notice that Dean and Kirsti sat as far away from each other as possible.

Mandi went first, explaining that she'd been on a date with her boyfriend, but her parents didn't approve of him, so they met by the old boat launch in the trees to fool around. When the attacker approached, her boyfriend (ex, now, by the sound of it) beat feet and ran. The "weird creepy wet guy" had started to choke her, and she swore he had been trying to do… other things… when Ninja and I burst into the clearing, guns a blazing. Her view on the events painted my actions to be much more heroic, and WAY less stupid, than they actually were.

Dean had a thoughtful look on his face when I stole a glance at him. He must have felt my eyes on him, because his gaze flickered to mine, and I had to quickly avert my eyes.

"What was that thing, anyways?" It was there one minute, and then… POOF!" She shook her head. "He was like a freaking ninja!"

My dog's head popped up, but he lost interested when he realized we weren't talking about him.

"I mean, the guy looked… dead."

Sam and Dean shared another of their looks. "Well," Sam started, a preplanned story ready to spill out of his mouth.

"He was." My voice rasped as I interrupted. Sam exhaled loudly probably frustrated with me, and Dean's eyes stared holes in my head. I suddenly found the top of the table VERY interesting.

"Oli?" Kirsti sounded concerned.

I cleared my throat and started talking, despite the gravely ache each word left in its wake. "Kirsti, hear me out." I looked up at my friend. She was skeptical, but she motioned for me to continue. I ignored Dean's stare. "Remember growing up, we'd tell stories about the dock boy who worked one of the resorts around here over the summer? He started seeing a townie, right? They were getting it on in the dock house and her high school sweetheart showed up, picked a fight with the dock boy, and killed him… They never found the body. But, if you screw around, or have unprotected sex, or a one night stand, or do anything your daddy wouldn't want to hear about, the Dead Dock Boy would come snatch you up, or kill you as a proxy for the girl who lied to him and left him to die."

"That's just a story parents want their little girls to hear to scare their pants on." Mandi laughed nervously. "Isn't it?"

Kirsti looked from Sam to Dean, and form Dean to me, watching our faces. Maybe she thought this was a joke. Whatever she saw as she observed us caused her to slump back in her seat.

I finally took a good look at Dean and sighed. "They should know the truth, Dean. So they can protect themselves. No one can be everywhere at once."

The table lapsed into silence for a moment while we gave the girls a chance to process the big old information bomb I dropped on them. "You guys need to stay away from the water line. When we had our, uh, altercation, he tried to follow me off the shore, but he couldn't. Just in case, keep some iron on you, put salt on the window seals and door jambs, because ghosts can't cross it, and, for God's sake, would everyone at this table keep their damn pants on until we gank this son of a bitch?" I took a good look at Kirsti, Mandi and Dean. Kirsti and Mandi blushed, and Dean's brow furrowed as I coughed, my monologue over, and my voice done working for the night. I didn't say anything else. I just got up, and headed straight for my room, Ninja following after me.