The start of closing arguments was a nerve-wracking experience for Caleb. Over the course of the last few weeks, both sides had put up a strong argument, but he hoped the jury would choose to see truth and look beyond the clearly defined law of kidnapping, and instead look at the mitigating circumstances beyond it.

As usual, even though he was having a min-break down internally, Dawn was the picture of composure as she jotted down a few final notes in her closing statement, as she glanced up to acknowledge his presence. During the entire course of these proceedings, she had been the guiding light that he had needed to keep himself safely afloat, and he could only hope that a jury wouldn't buy into the asinine theories that the opposing party had sold to them.

It would be Dawn's final shot at convincing them that he wasn't the monster abuser that the prosecution had made him out to be, and while he knew from personal experience that she was an excellent lawyer, especially when it came to opening and closing arguments, he couldn't help but feel the pressure himself.

"Hey," he said, by way of greeting.

He was surprised at how cracked and raw his voice was, a side-effect of suffering through little to no sleep the previous night, as he anticipated the conclusion of a case that had haunted him for nearly three months.

"Hi," she answered, taking a break from her frantic writing to spare him a glance. "Scared to death?" she asked bluntly, sensing perhaps, just how terrified her client.

"Hell yes," he said with a sigh. "In a way, I'm glad this is ending, but in another way completely, I'm not."

It would be nice not to have to suffer through day after day of court hearings and countless hours of witness testimony, but that was minor compared to the very real hell he would go through while waiting for the impossible decision the jury would hand down.

"It will be okay," she promised. "I have a good outline for what I'm going to say, and most of it will be common sense stuff that the jury should have been able to pick up on their own."

"Right, but what if the jury agrees with them that they've got the law on their side? At least where it concerns the kidnapping rap?"

"Well," she said, "we'll cross that road when we come to it, but they can't ignore the fact that there's almost zero evidence to implicate you in the abuse and neglect charges, and that's something I'll cover during my closing."

At least someone had a clear head; he was panicking more and more by the second, as the judge entered the room, and they all rose. It was comforting to get the distraction of the commotion that the proceedings gave him, but it didn't ease the intense nausea that he felt, as he turned briefly in his seat to glance over at Bobby. The older hunter gave him a tight smile in response, but there wasn't much else he could physically do to offer his support, but Caleb was grateful for it all the same, as he tried to relax in his seat while the judge rattled off a final set of instructions to the jury, before calling the prosecutor to start his closing.

As the man got up to deliver his final statement to the jury, Caleb tried to force himself to keep his focus on the prosecutor, even though he felt nothing but contempt and hatred for what this person had done to him, and the overzealous way he had pursued him and tormented he and the boys with his senseless allegations.

"Good morning," Mark began, as he placed both hands on either side of the podium. "First off, I would like to thank these twelve men and women for sacrificing their time during these last few weeks," he said, as he turned briefly to face the jury. "I said at the beginning that our goal would be to hurry this case along as much as we could, and I believe we accomplished that."

Caleb resisted the urge to roll his eyes at this man's bravado, as he and Dawn traded glances with each other. It was nothing short of what they expected from him, but hearing this man verbally tear into him was still something he hadn't quite gotten used to, as he had no choice but to sit and listen for over an hour while the man laid out all the evidence his side had collected to convict him.

"The truth is," Mark ended, "we can debate all day about where the marks came from. I believe our evidence points to the defendant. We had experts on this stand tell you that, even if it wasn't at his hands, it should have been something a doctor looked at. But, one thing that is not debatable, is the fact that on September 22, Caleb Rivers committed a federal offense when he, after receiving knowledge of the court order stating that he had to surrender custody, fled with the boys over the state lines.

No matter what his intentions were, whether he meant to harm them or to protect them from something, he was still committing the crime of kidnapping. Our laws are very clear where it concerns that, and that is what he did when he willingly and in full awareness of his actions, took them."

It took every ounce of self-restraint to not react physically to what the prosecutor was saying.

"You have the obligation," Mark said, as he finally wrapped up his closing, "to either convict or acquit based on the evidence that was presented to you over the course of this trial. The evidence, where it concerns the kidnapping charge, is overwhelming. You have no other choice but to convict him based on the fact that he admitted it," he said, counting on his fingers, "he took them across state lines with full awareness of the court order against him, and that is something that is indisputable."

Grateful when the man finally finished his grueling closing arguments, Caleb was relieved that a short lunch break broke the court for the afternoon, before the closing arguments resumed. This time, he was much more inclined to listen when Dawn got her turn to deliver her case to the jury.

"This all started," she said slowly, "with two boys. Sam and Dean Winchester; they lost their parents in very tragic circumstances, and with no one else to raise them, their dear family friends, Caleb Rivers and Jim Murphy took them in, and raised and loved them as though they were their own flesh and blood."

Caleb smiled, at least he was being portrayed in an accurate light as opposed to the skewed version that the prosecution clearly had of him.

"Over the years, they have formed into a tight-knit, loving family. They lost Jim Murphy a few months ago, leaving Caleb as their sole day-to-day guardian. When you ask these boys," she said, as she faced the jury briefly. "What they think of my client, their responses are immediate. He's amazing, he's loving, and he's kind.

These boys, in their own words, told you exactly what you need to know to render a not guilty verdict where it concerns the abuse and neglect charges. The idea, to them, that he could be charged with hurting them, is inconceivable, when all they have known is a loving and caring and capable guardian."

"Dean, himself, told you that he was never abused by the defendant. 'He never abused me, he never took us against our will', is what he told you. A bruise that was the heart of the State's case, was proven to be nothing but a fall on the ground. An expert in these sorts of matters, told you that for a human being to punch or grab someone and cause that type of bruising, is virtually impossible."

When Dawn had officially been handed the case, she hadn't called many witnesses, but she had called the few that had been able to blow apart the prosecution's sloppy case, and had exposed the truth behind their careless allegations and exposed them for what they really were.

"When it comes to the abuse and neglect charges, you heard it from the alleged victim himself. It never happened, and you heard the experts that interviewed both of the boys, say that they didn't see it, either. You have reasonable doubt as it relates to those charges, and in our laws and in our country, that is enough to acquit."

Where it concerns the kidnapping charge," she said carefully, "we do have laws in our country that define what that means. Especially when a child is taken when a court order has been issued saying that custody has been terminated. We know that obviously, but what I am asking you to do is look at the motivation, look at the facts as it pertains to this case."

Caleb hoped what she was saying was enough; too much was riding on the jury believing her, mainly his life, and he hoped that the jury would be shrewd enough to recognize the special circumstances surrounding this case.

"While you are in deliberations, I ask that you examine all the evidence for what it is, and render an appropriate verdict based solely on the evidence presented to you."


It was terrifying to have to wait while the court case wrapped up. Try as he might, Dean could not keep himself calm during the time Bobby was gone from the house for the proceedings. Sam, of course, kept things entertaining with his impressive knowledge of random facts that he peppered Dean with, and a nap was always the key to forgetting life for a moment, but the time came when he had no choice but to face reality.

Pacing.

For some reason, it soothed him. As his legs worked across the floor, he tried to lose himself in that comforting feeling. It distracted his mind, and it gave his body something to do other than lose it in the nausea that he was constantly feeling, as he tried to shut out the thoughts that reminded him of how incredibly fortunate they would be to dodge another bullet like this one.

The kidnapping charge was the one that they were most concerned about, and the one that the jury would be most likely to find fault with him on.

"Dean?"

"Yeah, Bobby?" he asked, as he momentarily halted his pacing to look over at the grizzled hunter.

"Caleb's on the phone."

"Oh, good."

Hoping that talking to Caleb, would provide another much needed release from the crippling stress he had been trying to work through, he followed Bobby out into the living room where Sam was finishing up his talk with him.

"Hey," Dean said, as he took a seat on the couch next to Bobby and Sam.

Hey, dude. How are you?

"Crappy," Dean replied honestly, as he shielded his face from his brother and Bobby. "What about you?"

About the same as you are. I just talked to Dawn, and there's no word yet on what the jury is deciding. They've been in there for the past few hours.

"Is that good or bad?"

The longer they take to decide, the easier the chances are of me being acquitted. If they suddenly come back with a quick verdict, it generally doesn't bode well for the accused.

Dean nodded, swallowing back the influx of vomit that rose in the back of his throat. The fact that the jury was taking so long to decide, was a slightly positive thing for him to focus on. It meant that they were carefully examining the evidence, and trying to make an appropriate decision based on what they had in front of them.

"So what is Dawn saying?"

She's hopeful."

It would certainly be refreshing after so many letdowns and disappointments for something to finally go right.

"Right, so what happens if you get acquitted of the charges-"

I'll be released.

"And then you can come home?" Dean asked hopefully.

Yes.


The jury deliberated into the rest of the day, and well into the next morning. It was terrifying to be in that position to wait. It still didn't make it any easier on Caleb, as he tried to wait out the excruciating time between waiting for the decision to be handed down, and walking into the courtroom to hear the verdict that he was both dreading and anticipating in equal measure.

Finally, he got the call.

Hi, Dawn said, her usually calm and even voice, slightly rushed.

"What is it?" he asked, trying to breathe through the panic that he could feel traveling through his veins. "Did they-"

They reached a verdict.