The dogs are too quiet. They don't rush out to greet him like they usually would, they only wag their tails quietly. There's a faint smell of ozone in the air.

Something isn't right.

Bobby's home sooner than he'd thought he'd be. The hunt had been clear and straightforward for once and there wasn't any reason to stay for longer.

He walks through the living room and the house seems empty. These days that ain't quite right.

Harry's been living with him for the better part of a year now and Bobby stopped worrying about leaving him alone a while back. He goes out hunting sometimes, like he did before John dumped the kid at his place. He's never going to admit it, but it actually makes it easier with Harry around, at least he doesn't need to get anyone to feed the dogs.

It'd taken him a long time to trust Harry enough to even think about leaving him alone at his place.

He likes Harry well enough and this far he hasn't done anything to make Bobby doubt him. Even so, he's still not completely sure how far he'd be willing to trust him when it comes to anything else.

They still aren't too sure what Harry is. He's not been real forthcoming about it, but he's said enough to make Bobby suspect a lot of things. Still, he ain't done nothing to warrant shooting him. Actually, he's been a help. Bobby damn sure didn't mind when Harry took over most dealings with John Winchester. Harry isn't allowed to answer the phones – as far as Bobby's concerned, he never will be - but when it's John he'll hand over the phone and let Harry find him the lore he needs. The kid hasn't got the experience Bobby does, but he probably knows Bobby's books better than he does at this point.

There might be worse things than being stuck with Harry.

But he's almost never anywhere else than inside, reading those books. He's got good reason for it too, at least Harry believes he does, and by now Bobby doesn't doubt his belief in it at least.

What Bobby himself thinks of the whole thing ain't nobody's business but his own.

Right now, Harry isn't anywhere in the house.

Once he gets outside it doesn't take him long to find Harry. And maybe he should have followed that smell of ozone to begin with, but habit made him expect finding the kid inside.

The blood's soaked into the ground. It stains the gravel in a large patch around Harry. He's lying in the middle of it – fallen on one side. (Body his mind says when he sees it, not Harry).

That's going to take some work to hide, he'll need more gravel.

Blood stains Harry's arms, smeared over his forearms, like he's been rubbing bloody hands over them. The front of his t-shirt is wet with blood, the stain still spreading from where the dagger's sticking out from his chest.

There are some markings drawn into a circle in the ground and the blood's worn out some of it and the rest Bobby doesn't recognise much of. Doesn't look much like any sort of summoning, but then he's pretty sure Harry never wanted to summon anything.

"Idjit," he mutters and there isn't much more to say.

He'll have to get in touch with John.

centerTHE END/center