Somehow, six weeks had come and went at a snail's pace for Caleb. The only times he had to look forward to was when he was allowed out of his cell into his pod, or when he was able to have his daily phone calls with the boys. They both seemed good, though the stress of the situation had gotten to both of them. Dean was trying to distract himself in searching for the YED, and Sam was clingier than normal with Bobby and Dean. Caleb could understand both reactions, and tried his hardest to offer his famous talks.

Now, he wished there was someone to give him a pep talk as he sat in the chair at the defense table.

"Are you doing okay?" Dawn whispered, leaning in close to him.

"Hell no."

It was the first morning of Caleb's preliminary hearing, and from Dawn's best estimation, if everything went smoothly and according to plan, the judge could render the decision to either send the case to trial or dismiss it that day. It would be preferable to know right then, even though Caleb could feel his heart race in his ribcage while he watched the prosecution begin to prepare their statement to the court that would detail the amount of evidence against him.

"I know," she whispered, as she kept one eye on him and the other on the room at large. "But try to stay calm, okay? The last thing you need is for the judge to see you react."

"Yep."

Secretly, Caleb didn't know why his reaction would make any impact on a judge that had the sole responsibility of judging the case based on the evidence of the case and not his own, personal reactions to things, but he wisely held his tongue as he focused his attention on the prosecutor, who was getting ready to speak. He could not help the spark of rage he felt when he looked at him, and the calm way he conducted himself as though he was not on the fringe of destroying his life. And Sam and Dean's. Wisely catching himself before he let his reaction be put on display, he swallowed hard.

His mind had comforted himself by thinking to the phone call he would have with the boy's later that night. No doubt, they would demand answers to things that he might not have the strength to answer. In particular, he thought of Sam and the ritual they had developed every night when he called. He would recite a story to Sam, and wait until he was good and sleepy before hanging up. It was as close to being there as he could, and he was determined to enjoy every minute of it.

"Good morning," prosecutor Mark Williamson said, after finalizing his notes and how he would use them to present an efficient and believable case to the judge. "Let me first start off by thanking this courtroom for their time and attention this morning."

Caleb resisted the urge to roll his eyes. This man was trying to suck up to the judge, and he could only hope that the judge would be smart enough to suss that out on his own.

"Be careful," Dawn warned, seeing how upset he was getting.

"I know."

"What does the state wish to prove?" Judge Clemens asked.

"The State will prove during the course of this hearing today, that the marks on Dean and Sam Winchester, are consistent with the charges in the indictment, that their guardian, Caleb Rivers knowingly and willingly caused the cuts and bruises on their arms and back."

Caleb couldn't control himself, and shook his head in blatant disagreement and rage at what this man was saying. Someone who didn't know him from a hole in the wall, and yet still felt the audacity to pin something so horrible and cruel on him.

"And then," the man said, hammering the final nail in the coffin, as he turned to face the judge again. "On September 22nd 1992, after being ordered to surrender custody to the offices of Minnesota Child Protective Services, the defendant was caught fleeing over state lines with the boys. Which, in our law and in our country, proves kidnapping."

"You may proceed," the judge instructed calmly, as he looked down at his papers to write something down.

"Thank you."

The first portion of the prosecution's case was all about the abuse and neglect charges that he had been slammed with. Calling several different medical witnesses to the stand to testify to the validity of the injuries, the prosecution got one woman to admit that the marks appeared to be consistent with a sprain or break.

"And is it your contention that the purple and blue marks on Dean's upper arm, is consistent with a sprain or a break of some kind?" The prosecutor Mark Williamson asked her, as she stared calmly back at him.

"Yes, it is."

Caleb bowed his head, shaking his head as he wiped a few stray tears from his eyes. This woman had no idea how much he loved those boys, had no idea that those marks had been caused by something inhuman, and that he would sooner die than cause those boys any harm, physical or otherwise. It was one of the most difficult parts of being a hunter, of having no recourse to defend himself in a believable way.

"And obviously a mark like that needs to be seen by a doctor?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you."

After that, came the issue of their absences from school, which the prosecution was hoping to corroborate with their injuries based on a general timeline of when the injuries had allegedly occurred.

"How many times were Dean and Sam Winchester absent from school this year?" Mark asked the principal he had called to the stand.

"We have it documented that they were absent approximately twenty-five times in the last three to four months."

"And at any point did you see the boys come back with bruises or marks like the ones that have been shown this morning?"

"Yes."

Caleb couldn't believe his ears; the principal and he had always gotten along fairly well, and he couldn't believe that this man was now throwing him under the bus when he knew, and had seen for his own eyes, how much he and those boys loved each other.

"Did they appear scared or exhausted?"

"Exhausted, yes," he admitted, as he avoided looking in Caleb's direction. "Scared, no."

That was obviously the wrong answer, at least in the prosecution's eyes, as he winced noticeably before switching to another topic. "And how many times did you see Dean with bruises on his arm?"

"Several times."

Liar.

Caleb knew for a fact that there had only been a few occasions in which the boys had gone to school with any bruises or marks on their arms, and each time it had been something that had healed over a period of time. It wasn't nearly as serious as this man was trying to imply.

"And were you the one to make the first call to the child protection agency?"

"Yes."

"Why did you decide to report it now?"

That would be interesting to hear: if this man was detailing so many injuries to Dean, why didn't he report it long before this? As Caleb found himself leaning foreword unconsciously to hear his answer, he was aware of the notes that Dawn was writing, no doubt preparing her rebuttal to what was being said from the prosecution.

"Because of the heightened severity of the bruising."

"Was he able to flex the arm in question, or have any range of motion?"

"With difficulty. He tried to hide it, but it was there."

"No further questions."

Caleb was relieved when Dawn got her chance to get up and ask the man some questions of her own.

"Did you ever see the boys scared of Caleb Rivers?"

"No."

Of course not.

"Did you ever see Caleb Rivers hit or grab the children?"

"No."

And that man never would have because he would have sooner died than hurt those kids in any way shape or form. It was ridiculous that this was even happening, but even more so when he realized that someone at the school, who he considered to be a friend, had betrayed him in such a huge way. After that, followed a brief lunch break before they were back in court. This time, the second half of the prosecution's case concerned the alleged kidnapping that had transpired. This time, it was much easier for the prosecutor to prove his case, as he strutted around the courtroom floor as though he owned it, as he interrogated the arresting officer who had caught Caleb and the boys.

"Were you the one to stop Caleb Rivers on the twenty-second of September of this year?"

"Yes," Officer Adams said, as he paused to take a sip from his water bottle.

"And what did you initially pull him over for?"

"The CPS had called us, and had told us that the boys had not been turned over, and we considered that a kidnapping case, and so we had put out an APB."

"What was his demeanor as you two talked?"

"Calm, cooperative."

Even though Caleb had been terrified of what he knew was going to happen, he had also known that raising a fit about it and fighting the officer, would have only led to more problems for him in the end.

"And what about when you were placing him under arrest?"

"The only request he made was that I not cuff him in front of the boys."

Caleb remembered that well. It would be traumatic enough for them to find out that he had been arrested, without having the sight of him in handcuffs be seared into their brains for the rest of their lives.

"Was he aware of the court order stipulating that he had to surrender physical custody of them?"

"Yes."

"And was he aware of what time he was supposed to have them there?"

"Yes."

"Where did you catch him?"

"In South Dakota."

"No further questions."

To anyone on the outside, anyone who didn't know the truth, it would look like he had rebelled against the court order in place, and had taken the boys in an attempt to flee. What they didn't know what that he was only doing it to protect them, to make sure YED didn't have a chance to take Sam.

After that, it was Dawn's turn to take the floor. While she didn't call any witnesses, her powerful testimony to the court was enough, as Caleb leaned foreword in his seat to listen to her, hoping whatever she said, would be enough to override the damage that the prosecution had caused.

"We can debate who caused the bruise marks," she said, referring to the first part of the prosecution's opening to the judge. "We can debate if it was my client, or simply a freak accident, but we cannot prove conclusively that they came from my client-"

"We also can't prove they didn't come from him," the prosecutor interjected.

"You heard the testimony," Dawn said, acting as though there had been no interruption. "You heard those teachers and that principal describe to you, your honor, what a loving and caring guardian my client is, and how those boys never acted scared or vulnerable around him.

In regards to the kidnapping charge," she said, shaking her head. "Your Honor, I know what our law defines as kidnapping, but you have to consider the facts of this case. There was no intention to harm them, there was no intention of keeping them against their will, there was none of that. I believe you have documentation that the family has been dealing with a stalker, and so it makes sense, as misguided as it my have been, that my client would want to protect them."

Caleb had no idea if she had proved what she wanted or not. No matter his reasoning for taking the boys, it was still considered kidnapping in the eyes of the law, and that was what he was nervous about, as he waited for the judge to make his final ruling. The ruling that would either abolish the case completely, or hold him over for trial. He knew it would be dangerous to be optimistic in this case when everything had gone so completely wrong for him lately, and with that mindset, he faced the judge as he began speaking.

"I don't know what happened with those bruise marks," the judge said. "Apparently there have been several instances where there have been marks on the children, and they have not been attended to by a doctor, and in our state and in our culture that is a moral obligation of the parent or guardian to provide that for the child. In regards to the charge of kidnapping, I can appreciate the special circumstances surrounding it, but that does not excuse taking them outside of the state, and even going so far as to admit to the fact that that was what he was doing. There was a judgment, or a court order against him, telling him he had to surrender custody of the children, who would have been perfectly safe from any would-be kidnappers, and instead of abiding by the order, he ran."

Caleb shook his head, not even believing what the judge was saying.

"It's okay," Dawn whispered.

"In my opinion, the prosecution has proved probable cause in relation to the kidnapping and abuse charge in the indictment."

This time Caleb couldn't hold back his emotions, as a single tear slid down his face.

"Does November first work for opening arguments?"

November first; three weeks away. At least it wouldn't be long before he had to face the music, and go through the emotional nightmare of another trial, but he also knew that he would be doomed for another round of sleepless nights, and endless agonizing over the decision a jury could make.

"Yes," the prosecution said.

"We'll be ready," Dawn said.