Chapter 2

It was difficult not to feel a small amount of panic seep through Dean's system when he processed Jim's startling words. For the last several years, Dean and his family had been fortunate not to face serious questions by Family Services for the less than normal way they lived. That was something that Dean counted themselves as lucky they never had to battle. Until now. When everything was already challenging enough for them.

Controlling his reaction so his brother would not notice his sudden mood change, he made a quick grab for his soda and inhaled a gulp to distract himself from doing (or saying) something that would only make things worse. A complete silence had fallen over the entire room when Jim announced who was on the line. Not even Caleb was saying something, and that was extremely rare for him. Taking that in, he forced a smile on his face when Sam slipped into the seat beside him.

"What the hell?" Dean whispered, when Caleb came to stand beside him. He felt a shudder pass through his entire body as he abandoned his place to follow Caleb's rapid-fire progression around the table where Jim had the number for him to call the people back.

It was not often they had to deal with CPS—usually it was their even more powerful police counterparts who they had the displeasure of working with—having Family Services suddenly be so interested in them, was the last thing they needed to have dumped on their laps. Especially with how precarious it was with Yellow-Eyes, and finding Bill's killer.

Dean had no clue what they would do if they faced an investigation or inquiry into their family by people who could not understand what they did not know. What might look like criminal behavior to outsiders, was what his family did to survive the impossible. How many times had hunters been caught in compromising positions because of their dedication to the hunt? Too many times in the last thousand years. The same was true for Dean and his family when the law eventually caught up to them.

Facing the unknown almost had Dean wishing they had the werewolf case to focus on other than this. The hunt was what he was itching for because it would center his mind away from CPS, and onto something productive. Feeling a hand sweep acros his arm, he looked to see Sam was paying special attention to his brother and was trying his hardest to induce comfort in him. Thankful for that act, he tried to quell the anxiousness inside of him.

"I don't know," Caleb finally said, after several minutes of complete silence. His voice was abnormally tight as he squeezed the bridge between his nose and eyes with two fingers. "It's probably nothing, something stupid. But I have to call them to be sure."

The last thing either of them felt like doing was calling CPS and hearing whatever untrue allegations they had against them. However, they all knew that ignoring the call (as tempting as that was), would only be worse for them later, would only raise suspicion into what their family was doing and how the boys were being raised. Dean knew without anyone having to tell him, that another criminal case against Caleb would be catastrophic to him when he was already in their system for past offenses.

Sam was paying attention to everything they were saying with eyes wide as saucers—he was barely old enough to remember their last foray into the world of criminal justice. All of this had to be incredibly confusing for someone who was mostly ignorant of what that world did to them. It was that ignorance Dean wished he could be fortunate enough to have.

"What's going on?" Sam asked, finally speaking up when he could no longer stay silent when his family had the kind of look on their faces he seldom saw.

"It's probably nothing, Sammy," Jim reassured him. "There are people who have some questions for us...for Caleb."

That answer alone did not suffice for someone as smart as Sam. It had always been that way with his brother. Sam had learned to walk ahead of his time, and had learned to read before most children his age. Therefore, it did not surprise Dean that he was picking up on what was happening without a problem. Only this time, Dean was not sure he wanted Sam to be exposed to something this dark.

"What kind of questions?"

"Questions...questions about how you two are being raised," Jim replied, his eyes shifting to Dean.

"But we're being raised fine!" Sam argued, his fiery temper starting to make its appearance. "It's the demon that's messing everything up!"

"I know," Dean said, taking over for Jim. "But right now? Family Services doesn't know anything about the demon, and they never will either. For whatever reason, they have questions for us and we need to do our best to make sure it goes away."

Not that Dean had any idea how they would make something like this "go away" when the department would never make such a call without proof to back up what they were getting at. His mind was already presenting the worst case scenarios. Try as he might to avoid them, it was nearly impossible. Their family had been put through the wringer in the last several months, and all Dean wanted was to find a permanent way to rid themselves of the YED, and locate Bill's murderer.

As much as he wanted to focus on those things, CPS was now making that hard. Sam still appeared confused about why they were doing something so insane, but he bit back his comments and ate a piece of frozen fruit Jim put in front of him. Shaking his head when Sam offered him a piece, he ducked out of the way when Sam teasingly tried to force him to eat it. Leave it to Sam to be their light when everything around them was dark.

"The fruit is healthy for you," Sam pointed out. "It has tons of anti-oxidants. Like, poly-phenolic flavonoids, and Vitamin-C. All of that is good for you, Dean."

Dean gaped at his brother with his mouth hanging open. "Could you maybe translate that into English?"

Sam nodded seriously. "Fruit has-"

His sentence was disrupted when Dean heard Caleb speak quietly with someone who he assumed was a person at the front desk. Scooting closer to him, he hoped his guardian would not bother to buy any of what CPS was trying to sell them. All of them knew the utter truth, and it was far from what CPS was portraying.

"Just don't believe any of their crap, Caleb," Dean said, shakily crossing his arms over his chest.

After all, those people did not know his family. They had no idea how much love and support surrounded Dean and his brother. They certainly did not know how much Caleb, Jim, and Bobby loved them. CPS had no clue that they had been raised to defend themselves not out of choice, but out of necessity against the various evils in the world.

They had no idea what they were talking about, and that was what infuriated Dean more than anything as he alternated between chomping on his bottom lip, and scratching his arm to keep his nerves at bay, and keep himself from spouting something he would regret later. Caleb was watching him, and shook his head when he heard Dean's comment to him.

"I won't. Believe me. These people think they know everything, but they don't know the half of it."

"That's for damn sure," Dean muttered angrily.

"Watch your tongue," Jim warned, throwing him a sharp glance.

"Sorry."

Jim nodded, smiling softly to show it was okay. As a pastor, he had gotten used to the activities and language of those around him. Even though he did not necessarily approve of everything his family did, he still drew the line when it concerned some of the words Dean already knew in his impressive vocabulary.

"Hi," Caleb said, when he finally got through to a real person on the other end. "This is Caleb Rivers, I was told someone from your office was trying to reach me."

Hi, Mr. Rivers. This is Miranda Baker. I'm the representative who made the call.

"What can I do for you?" he asked, turning his torso around to glance over at Dean. Sam was closely following every word that was being uttered by his guardian.

We received a complaint from Mr. Don Woodward at Charity Christian School that the children currently attend.

Dean could not hear everything that was being said by the woman, but he heard snippets of her explanation. When she mentioned their principal at their school and how he had been the instigator of this, he felt betrayed and infuriated all in one fell swoop. He would have laughed if the allegations had not been as serious as they were.

From the look on Caleb's face as he shook his head incredulously, he too was feeling the same thing he was. If there was one thing he and Caleb also had in common, it was their attitude toward anyone who interfered in their family business.

"What complaint?" Caleb demanded.

It would be preferable, the lady replied slowly. If we could meet in person.

"That's not possible right now," Caleb snapped. "I'm out of town. Whatever you have to say to me, you can say it right now or wait until I can get back."

Dean hoped that would be enough for the lady to back off. In reality, he knew his luck would not allow for something like that when the law had always been a concern for them. Accepting the food Sam held out for him again, he chewed slowly as he tried not to think about where the call might lead.

When can you arrange to be back in town?

Clearly this woman was one of the stubborn ones—not willing to let the issue drop that easily—and it made Dean nervous. They had been lucky to avoid inquiry by CPS before this, and now he knew their luck had expired. The question for Dean was how they would safely return to Minnesota and somehow survive without the crucial protection that was in place in the safe house.

"Tomorrow," Caleb finally said.

Having the extra time would grant them the chance to send someone ahead of them to scout the area and make sure it was clear of demons. What Dean hoped was that Bobby, or someone else, would be able to install some of the wards in their own house. It would make all of them feel better, especially Caleb and Jim.

One o' clock?

"Fine."

Caleb was silent when he hung the phone up, and leaned against the counter. It was easy to understand what he was feeling when Dean was feeling much of the same panic that his guardian was. It wasn't enough that they were dealing with a devastating death, and were facing mounting threats by the demon.

Oh no.

Now CPS had to "talk" to Caleb about a "complaint" they received from a school that was supposed to be one of the best in Minnesota. Around the fear that Dean found hard to shake, he also could not fathom how their principal had been the one to do this to them. The man who Caleb used to be friends with after finding similar interests. The complaint was most likely a way to scare Caleb and Jim into getting the boys back in school, but neither of them were willing to base their decisions off that assumption alone.

Too much was at stake. Their family, mainly. The idea of CPS launching an investigation into their lives and how they were raised, could not have come at a worst time. Dean was dreading having to answer to them, and defend his family from the prying eyes of authorities who could not know what they were talking about.

"What did they say?" Sam asked, leaning forward on the counter.

"They wouldn't tell me right off the bat," Caleb answered. "They want to meet with me back home."

"They didn't say anything about me?" Jim voiced, his eyebrows forming together in confusion.

"No."

Clearly the accusations had to do with Caleb alone. Dean was not sure whether to feel relieved that not all of his family was being put under a microscope, or afraid for his guardian. Caleb was normally a calm person under the best circumstances. To see him stressed like he was was not anything he was used to.

"So we're going back?" Dean asked, glancing nervously at Sam.

"I guess we don't have a choice."

Even though Caleb would have preferred staying in the safety of South Dakota until the demon was taken care, he had nothing to fall back on this time. It was a truth he recognized much to his irritation and anger.

Dean nodded, accepting the truth for what it was. It would not be the best idea to return to where they were less safe in light of what had cropped up in their lives, but he was willing to try if it meant they would have a chance at making CPS go away.

"When do we leave?" Sam asked, laying his head on Caleb's shoulder when the hunter sat down next to him.

"I have to meet with this lady at one tomorrow. Probably tonight sometime. Jim," he added, turning to his friend and co-guardian of the boys. "Is it possible for you to go ahead of us, and put some of the wards Bobby has on this place on our house?"

"I can do that," Jim confirmed. "I can probably get some iron parts, and add them to wherever I can."

"You can?"

"Sure," Jim said. "I can also try my skills at painting, and draw the same sigils on our house."

Dean could see Caleb visibly deflate as though a balloon had been released. Now that they knew they were going to be covered at their house, it made the idea of leaving the safe house, that much more tempting.

"What about the wards?"

"The same thing."

"You can do all this?"

"Absolutely."

Caleb nodded. "I appreciate it."

Dean hated the idea of separating from his family when they were enduring another firestorm in their lives, but he was comforted at the idea of being reunited with him once they returned to Minnesota. The thought of being back in his own room and among his things, was another lucky strike that he did not count on before.

Caleb hated the idea of walking into CPS and having to subject himself to whatever nonsense they were about to bombard him with. It was bad enough when he had to worry about the boys and their safety, but now that he was being made to do something like this, it was even worse. Just when he thought he could relax and wait out a time until they could get rid of the demon, CPS was forcing his hand.

Checking in at the front desk, and then sitting as far from the rest of the people there as possible, he leafed through an outdated magazine while his knee jiggled nervously. The boys had not been as thrilled as he thought they would be to return home. Especially Dean. The teen had been through enough lately without having to think about what might be going on with his guardian. Thankfully Jim had gone ahead of them, and installed the crucial wards for them to be safe.

If only CPS knew the half of it.

If only they knew how much he adored those boys.

If only they had any inkling as to what a wonderful family they were together.

If only they were not being pursued by people who held the frightening power of making life even more difficult for them. Mindful of the time on the clock across from him, he knew the boys would be having lunch and Jim would insist on making them something healthy. Smiling to himself when he recalled many a conversation where Dean steadfastly refused to eat what he called "rabbit food", he looked up when the door opened.

"Caleb Rivers?"

The woman was dressed in black and red, and had an approachable appearance about her. Not trusting it for a second, he stood up and shook her hand. Her smile was warm, but he was not comfortable with it yet. Understanding she had a job to investigate allegations like this, he tried to correct his attitude as he followed her down the hall. Her office was located near the end, and had family pictures on every available surface.

"To be honest," Caleb said, once she closed the door. "I'm not too happy about being here."

"I can understand that. I'm Miranda Baker, I made the call to you."

"Okay."

If she expected him to show any euphoria at finally meeting her in person, she would be sadly mistaken. Taking another look around her office, he tried not to think about this place as being an interrogation room. The small room made it feel like that to him, and it only furthered his desire to get out of there.

"So," Miranda said, clasping her hands in front of her. "We received a complaint-"

"From their school, right?"

"Correct," she confirmed. "They seemed to be concerned about a number of issues-"

"Like what?"

It was obvious to him that she was taken aback by the sheer amount of venom in his tone. Understanding that he was not helping his cause at all, he gave her an apologetic look. There was so much happening in their lives, and someone trying to interfere in it was not anything he approved of. Once the woman seemed to get over his response, she consulted notes she had prepared.

"There's been some concern about the boys' number of absences. That's only half of the complaint we processed."

"What the hell do absences-"

"It could mean a lot," she replied, taking on a questionable tone of her own. "Dean, in the past four months, has had over twenty absences. They were excused away verbally by you, who claimed he was sick. The problem is that the school never received a note from a doctor."

If that was all the woman had on him, he was already feeling a weight lifted off his shoulders. School issues were one thing. It was something more serious that had plagued his mind until he spoke with her. Around the obvious relief he could feel, he also felt angry that these people were doing this without knowing the true cause of what was happening.

"Are you aware," Caleb said, matching her tone to a T. "That Sam was kidnapped? And that our friend was recently murdered?"

The woman's thick brunette head disappeared underneath her notes. "There is a police report on Sam Winchester's kidnapping, yes. We are talking about recent absences."

"What the hell ever," Caleb said furiously. "What the hell business is it of yours, or even the school, to raise a fit about this when-"

"When combined with other factors, it raises a red flag," she interjected.

"What other 'factors?''

This was not good. If he thought he could get away with proving his point to her, he was now being proven wrong. Giving him what could only be described as a smug smile, she slid a manila folder across to him. Hesitating before he opened it, he shook his head in disbelief when he noted the timeline of absences that had been marked down.

"That is a general timeline of Dean's absences," she explained.

"I believe I already told you why. We've been dealing with trauma over Sam being taken. Beyond that, a dear friend of our family was killed," Caleb explained, his voice shaking with rage.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, but this is what the school observed, and why they called us. Not the main reason," she added, "but one of the red flags that was brought up."

"So what's the "main reason" he voiced bitingly.

Handing her back the folder when she motioned for it, he felt sick when he watched her hand it back to him. Without having to see what it was in full, he could already see part of it. Staring down at the photographs when he was sure he was ready, he saw Dean's arm. It had sustained trauma in a past hunt, and looked worse than it really was.

"These were taken on the last day he was seen in school, which was over a month ago. As you can see, Dean has several bruises on his arm, and what looks like a cut or two on his elbow."

Staring at the photograph in question, he tried not to think about the vengeful spirit who caused them. He would be thrown into a mental institution if he even dreamed about telling her what really caused them. As tempting as it was, it would score him no points with her.

Playing dumb was his only option.

"I don't know how he got them. They didn't come from me."

"Regardless," she replied, her eyes boring into his. "These are bruises that are severe enough that they should have been seen by a doctor. They're swollen, purple and blue, and they appear to indicate that Dean was either grabbed or hit by someone."

Caleb shook his head incredulously. Ever since he first got the gist of where she was going with her investigation, he suspected she would accuse him of abuse. As sickening and untrue as it was, he knew where her thoughts were leading her and it was not a pretty place.

"How could you possibly tell just from looking at those pictures?"

"We have our ways."

Shaking his head in fury, he tried to control himself before he completely lost it. "Are you trying to tell me that you're going to use those picture to launch an investigation when-"

"We already have started an investigation. Next we need to speak with the children. Privately."

This was bad.

Caleb could feel his heart race in his chest when he thought about the devastating implications this would present to them. Miranda had no idea what she was talking abut, and she had succeeded in bringing another nightmare into their lives. It was the last thing either of them needed, and she was causing it.

"Fine," he snapped, standing up. "I have nothing to hide—neither do the boys."

"We'll see."

Walking out of her office and out the door into cooler air, felt like he was being liberated from the prison he had been stuck in. Although he tried to deny that he was about to face something bad, there was no way around that fact any longer. This woman had started a process against him, and he could only hope they could make it go away.