Back in the kitchen, Bobby was steaming. He pounced before Dean was fully in the room, slinging the discarded Henley at his chest.
"I can think of only two reasons you let her slide without passing the smell test, and they both start with Double-D."
"Jesus, Bobby. She was hurt in the line of work. It was a professional courtesy."
"Professional courtesy, my ass," Bobby scoffed. He shot a disgusted look at Dean's crotch. "Will you uncock the hammer on that thing?"
Dean blushed fire-red and tied the shirt around his waist.
"And where the hell is Sam?"
"Right here," Sam said, pushing the screen door open with a dozen grocery bags in hand. He muscled his way to the counter and began unpacking fruit, vegetables and lean meat. Bobby looked over the bounty with a scowl. First Dean, the besotted sonofabitch, risking the whole operation, and now even Sam was acting like a love-sick teenager.
"So she's got you playing nursemaid too?"
"She did us a solid killing the dryad. Now we're helping her out. Simple," Sam said.
"Did you dose her before she crossed the threshold?" Bobby gestured at the cabinet where he kept holy water and colloidal silver.
Sam shrugged. "There wasn't time."
"Dean-o here lets his bone do the thinking, but you're usually more thorough than that, Sam!" Bobby stormed. "One mistake is all it takes for me to come home and have to mop up your guts!"
"Hey," Dean yelled, "I told you she's Team Human."
"Guess you gave her a thorough check-up, huh?"
Sam froze, eyeing his brother's naked chest. He prayed Zena hadn't been "Deaned" while he was out. It wouldn't be the first time.
Bobby was still going. "Did you know to look for a pair of nymphs? Dryads never roll solo."
"The cops were close. We had to get outta there," Sam said. "If there were some around, they didn't step up to help the dryad. I don't think anything followed us."
Bobby sucked his teeth. "Well, they're wood creatures, and they've got a hell of a lot of cover around here if they did. Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
Resigned, the old man washed his hands and started a pot to boil. "Dean, you're on chop duty. Get to it."
Dean zoned out prepping vegetables, barely answering while Bobby or Sam talked. He needed to get away, clear his head. Zena made him crazy; he wanted to fight her and fuck her and hold her, not necessarily in that order. She was worse than Viagra; he hadn't gone down a bit. He knew he had a problem when Sam went to feed her. On reflex, he nearly knocked the bowl to the floor.
"No one touches her but me," he snarled. Luckily, Sam didn't understand him.
"What the hell, Dean?" his brother yelled, looking worried.
"Forget it. M'going out."
**