Hopelessly Human

36. Southern Thing

[Southern Comfort]

Dean was leaning against the Impala checking his phone. Natalia was laying on the hood. Sam walked up carrying a bag of food and two drinks; Dylan carried two more drinks.

"Heads up," Sam said, handing Dean a drink before walking to the passenger side.

Dylan handed Natalia a drink as Dean said, "Nat and I caught wind of a case on this police scanner. Sounds like our kind of thing."

Sam frowned. "We weren't even gone ten minutes."

"Okay. That matters why?"

"I don't know, Dean. How about because you and Nat haven't said a word to me or Dylan since Prentiss Island? And now, what? You want me to shut up and ride shotgun and act like nothing happened?"

"You want to talk about Benny? Fine. Let's talk."

"Okay. How about he's a vampire?"

Natalia narrowed her eyes slightly. "He's also the reason we're topside and not roasting on a spit in Purgatory. Anything else?"

Dylan looked between them as Sam replied, "Don't pretend I don't get it. I know you two did what you two had to do down there."

"I highly doubt you get anything about Purgatory," Dean retorted.

"But you two are out now, and Benny's still breathing. Why?"

"He's our friend, Sam."

"And what about my friend, Amy? She was what? 'Cause you sure as hell didn't have a problem ganking her."

Natalia crossed her arms. "He does make a good point. Not a good enough point, though."

"Amy was your friend too, Natalia."

"Yeah. And Benny's also my friend!"

Dean shrugged. "Well, I guess people change, don't they? We let that werewolf Kate go, didn't we?"

"She was different," Sam replied. "She -- you two think Benny's different? He tell you he's not drinking live blood, or something? And you believe him. Wow. Okay. You know, you're right. People do change."

Natalia scoffed. "Yeah. We got a vampire buddy, and you turn your phone off for a year and leave Dylan alone."

"Don't turn this on me."

"You already turned it on me."

"Natalia, for the love of God."

Dean pursed his lips. "Look, Benny slips up and some other hunter turns his lights out, so be it."

"But it's not gonna be either of you, right?"

"You coming or not?" Dean asked, getting into the car.

Dylan looked between the siblings worriedly. He'd been in between their spats before, and he really didn't want to play middle man if he could help it.

Dean drove to a house and an ambulance left the driveway as the Impala pulled up and parked on the street outside the house.

Dean, Sam and Dylan were wearing their FBI suits and Natalia was wearing her FBI dress.

"So, guy's old lady comes home while he's working underneath his ride, puts the pedal to the metal, and takes half his head off," Dean said.

Sam frowned. "What, that's it?"

"Yeah, in a nutshell. She says she blacked out, doesn't remember a damn thing."

Dylan frowned. "That sounds like insanity."