Even though Dean was still confused about the nightmares he had been suffering from, it helped to be able to speak with Caleb about them, and know what he thought about the strange dreams. Normally, Dean never had anything like that happen to him. Usually, whenever he suffered from a nightmare, it went away the next night to be replaced with another fabrication from his overwrought mind.

Having the same set of dreams in a row was highly unusual for him, but he tried not to dwell on that confusing realization while he shakily got himself dressed for the day. Since he had had little to no sleep the previous night, his movements were definitely slower that morning, as he went through the morning rituals that had long ago been as familiar and comforting as staring at the back of his own hand.

It was the routine that mattered to him.

In a world that was often unpredictable and frightening, having something that he did every morning without fail helped. Even if it was something dumb like brushing teeth, or pouring a bowl of cereal or pancakes, it helped to know what came next for him. And even though Caleb had given him the option of sleeping in some more to reclaim the lost zzz's that his nightmares had claimed as their own, he had declined. There would be no point, not when his brain was firmly awake.

"Hey, Sammy," he said, as he groggily walked into the kitchen, where Sam was currently gorging himself on Caleb's delicious pancakes.

"Morning," Sam said, a mouthful of pancakes dripping from his mouth.

"That's disgusting," Dean shook his head, before punching Sam in the arm.

"Close your mouth when you're eating," Caleb reminded him, as he put some pancakes on Dean's plate. "Here are some of my award-winning pancakes, dude."

"Thanks," Dean said gratefully, as he tried to lose his mind in the amazing food in front of him. If there was one thing that Dean loved more than hunting or training, it was food.

"No problem."

"Where's Bobby?"

It had only just dawned on him that the older hunter was nowhere to be seen. For the last two months, they had been hiding out at the safe house that Bobby had first brought to their attention. It was safe guarded against every possible demonic threat, and that was why they had chosen that place to bunker down in.

"He went to get some coffee," Caleb replied. "We're running low."

"That's a tragedy," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

If there was one person in his family that absolutely lived for the intoxicating caffeinated drink, it was Caleb. And Dean, when Caleb would let him have some of the delicious beverage.

"You bet it is," Caleb said seriously. "Coffee solves everything."

Dean laughed. "You're something else."

"You bet."

"So when can we go?" Dean asked, starting to get antsy.

"Go where?" Sam asked, looking back and forth between his brother and guardian.

"We're going to blow this place for a few minutes when Bobby gets back," Caleb explained. "You and Dean need to get out of here for a few minutes, I think."

Even though the kids had been doing fairly well with the imposed restrictions that staying in one place had presented, Caleb knew they were both chomping at the bit to get some fresh air, and escape the confines of the house for a little while.

"Awesome!" Sam said, trading fist-bumps with Dean. "Where are we going to go?"

"Nowhere fancy," Caleb explained to him, "but maybe stop through a drive-thru and get some food or something, and then maybe we'll see about renting some movies to hold us over for awhile."

"Awesome."

They had a TV in the living room, but even that had lost its appeal after awhile, with both boys looking for an escape from the security measures that had been put in place for their own protection against a demon that seemed to up the stakes whenever they came in contact with him.

"Morning, idjits," Bobby said, as he finally came back into the house with Caleb's requested coffee.

"Hey," Dean said, raising his head briefly to look over at him. "Out getting coffee?"

"Yeah," Bobby said with a scoff. "This one," he said, looking over at Caleb. "Wouldn't stop hounding me until I left this damn place."

"I had to find some way to get rid of your ugly ass," Caleb joked. "And it just so happened that the reason served a purpose."

"For you."

"You know it," Caleb said with a dramatic sigh. "Dean, you want some of this?"

"Sure."

Normally the guys tried to limit how much caffeine consumption they allowed Dean to digest, since they let him run loose with the outrageous amount of soda that he drank on a daily basis, but Caleb didn't think it would hurt once in awhile for him to indulge in his favorite beverage with him.

"I'm cutting you off on the sugar, though," Caleb warned, as he shook the vanilla cream that Bobby had brought with him. "Sammy, you want a little?"

"Yes!" Sam said eagerly. It was extremely rare that the guys allowed Sam to have any coffee. Normally, the kid was already hyper enough on his own without the added assistance of caffeine.

As Caleb poured him a small amount of it and carefully handed it to him, he sat back and allowed himself to really breathe for the first time that morning. Going into Dean's room and hearing how worried he was about those nightmares, had been more than a little concerning, especially with how crazy everything had been lately.

"Dean," Caleb spoke up, "you should tell Bobby about these dreams of yours."

"What dreams?" Bobby asked, taking an interest as he studied the thirteen-year-old.

"It's nothing-" Dean began, not wanting to make another big deal out of it like he had done with Caleb that morning. At that point in time, he didn't feel it was anything major to worry about. Just an annoyance than an actual worry.

"Dean," Caleb warned. "Talk to the man. He might know more about this than I do."

Dean sighed, knowing better than to mess with Caleb when he got that warning tone in his voice. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bobby with the information like he trusted Caleb with it. He trusted Bobby with his life, and with Sam's, but he didn't want to think about it anymore.

"Alright. Fine," Dean said with a deep sigh. "I keep having these really weird dreams. And it's not like they change every night, either. They're the same ones night in and night out."

It was obvious the wheels in Bobby's head were turning, as he considered what Dean was telling him. He had heard of the rare times when demons would have the power to influence dreams, but the last time he had come across something like that, it was when Yellow-Eyes had been visiting Sam while he was sleeping.

"Are they bad dreams?"

"Well..." Dean said slowly, as he tried to think of the right way to phrase his answer. "They aren't bad bad, but it's the feeling I get whenever I have them. Like, something bad is going to happen."

"It sounds kind of like when Yellow-Eyes visited me," Sam chimed in.

"Yeah. Is he still doing it?"

Sam shook his head. "Not in awhile, anyway."

"Do you see anything in your dreams? Or do you go anywhere? Like with what happened to Sam?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing really," Dean said softly, as he ate some more of his breakfast. "Just this forest, and Sam and I are in it, and we're running from something. I don't know what, but we are, and we're alone."

"We're not there?" Caleb asked, looking over at Bobby with his eyebrows raised in question.

"I didn't see either of you. And it's been the same dream for a week now."

"It doesn't change at all?" Bobby voiced.

"Only when something else appears," Dean said, shaking his head. "Like, it was night when Sam and I were running, and there was this urgency about it, too."

"What do you think?" Caleb asked quietly, shifting his focus from the boys to Bobby.

"I wouldn't worry about it for right now," Bobby said after a minute of silent consideration. "As long as you're not actually being harmed physically in real life, I think we should track these dreams as best we can, and if anything continues to change, you let us know, and if they seem to stop."

Dean nodded. "Okay."


After their tense discussion over the state of Dean's dreams, Caleb fulfilled his promise to the boys, and took them out of the house. It had been weeks since they had been allowed to leave the protection of the house that had shielded them from any other possible further attacks. And while Dean had been grateful to enjoy the rare feeling of safety and security, and knowing that he was in a protected place to sleep and lay his head down at night, it had still been difficult to adjust to a whole new set of rules and regulations.

First and foremost was no outside jaunts unless accompanied by Caleb or Bobby.

"Are you guys having fun?" Caleb asked, with a small smile on his face.

They had just gone through the drive-thru at Mcdonalds, and Caleb had indulged the boys in their favorite food and drinks from the famous fast food restaurant. It had been awhile since they had been able to enjoy a leisurely afternoon like that.

"Yes," Dean said, with a small smile. "This Big Mac is simply without comparison."

And much needed, too.

"I'm glad," Caleb said. "What about you, Sam?"

"It's awesome!"

"Good."

Cheeks red from the snow, and hearts bursting with excitement over their day, the boys returned to the house that afternoon, with smiles as big as Texas on their cherubic faces. Even though the trip hadn't lasted long, it had been nice to venture out of the confines of the house, and have it be successful.

"I take it the trip went well," Bobby said, looking up from his place at the counter.

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Anything new happen here?"

"Not a lot. Caleb," he said, looking over at the hunter. "Someone left you a message."

"Who?"

"Family services."