For some reason, even though it went against logic, Dawn had been able to pull a miracle and had gotten him in front of a new judge who would be able to look at him with fresh eyes and an unbiased view of him. His only wish at that point was to be allowed out on bail until the sentencing, and that was the goal of the hearing that day. According to Dawn, the man was known to be fair and was even known to pull strings for certain people. However, nothing could have prepared him for the judge's declaration that he would be allowed out on bail, as long as he got a job. For a second, he was sure he heard him wrong. It was only when Dawn hugged him that he realized he was not dreaming, but was living in reality.

The feeling of being liberated, of being free from the constraints and rules that had controlled him while he had been incarcerated, was an incomparable feeling for Caleb, who had gone into the courtroom with the deepest sense of foreboding, only to be told by the judge, miraculously, that he would be allowed out on bail.

At least until his sentencing.

Even the pressing fear of being sentenced to do hard time behind bars didn't dampen Caleb's spirits as he waited for the bondsmen to pay the bail money that the judge had set, and then he was allowed to get up and walk out of the courtroom a free man. It was a day that he hadn't ever thought would come, even though he had hoped for it from day one, and finally it was happening. A judge had finally looked past the exterior and had taken a peek inside the interior, and had seen the kind of man that Caleb was, and how he could be relied on to keep his word to the court.

Even if the idea was highly tempting to run, Caleb wouldn't do it, not until he was actually sentenced to prison. He and Bobby had talked about what would happen if it ever came to him being sentenced to do time, and all of those ideas involved breaking him out and then making a run for it as far from Minnesota as one could possibly get. It was a town Caleb used to love, especially with the sense of security and family that followed them in that place, but ever since the worst thing happened, things had changed.

No longer did Caleb feel warm and fuzzy inside when he thought of everything they had lost there; they had lost Jim, they had lost all of their trust in a justice system that was continually proving to them how flawed it really was, and it was where Caleb had lost custody of Sam and Dean. But none of that mattered now; what mattered was that he would finally be able to go home and see the boys, especially Sam, who he hadn't seen in nearly three months, not since he had been not since he had been arrested in Sioux Falls, and Dean, who he hadn't seen since he had testified at the end of the trial.

"Does it feel good to be out?" Bobby asked, as they walked across the courthouse parking lot toward Bobby's truck.

"Hell yes," Caleb said, shaking his head in disbelief at everything that had transpired. In the last several hours, he had gone from being incarcerated and awaiting an impossible sentence for kidnapping, and then he had been allowed to leave the horrific jail cell that had been his home, and go back to the house.

"So what are your plans?" Bobby asked, as they slipped inside his truck.

"I don't know, the only thing I'm worried about is seeing the boys first of all, and then taking the longest nap of my freakin' life."

It would feel wonderful to be able to lie down in his own room, in his own bed, and be able to sleep off the last three months. It would be incomparable to know that he was free, for the time being, to do whatever he wanted, and not have jail guards telling him any different.

"Are we going to stay here? Or are we going to make a run for it?"

It had been a consideration from the get-go, but Bobby knew how Caleb felt about running, especially when the boys were factored into that decision, but he didn't really see where they had a choice anymore, especially with Caleb facing a probable prison term.

"I honestly don't know," Caleb replied, as he ran an exhausted hand over his face. "I don't want to, especially when I think of everything that the boys have already lost, but I don't know what else I'm supposed to do."

The worst possible thing would be for them to be separated again, especially with how unpredictable the YED's movements were, and how at any time, the demon could strike again. They had strength in numbers, and more importantly, their love and support of one another.

"I don't either. Before, it was nice because you had a choice of whether or not you stayed and raised the boys in Minnesota, or on the road, but now-"

"Now our hands are kind of being forced right now. I don't want to do it like this, but when I think of that demon stalking Sam, whether its during his waking hours or in his dreams, I won't allow that to happen again."

One of the many choices Caleb and Jim made when they had first started raising the boys, had been to raise them as normal as they could in Minnesota. At the time, their arrangement had worked out perfectly for them, but it wasn't like that anymore, and Caleb hated it. The last thing he wanted was for the boys to be ripped away from their friends and the place they had grown up in, but it wasn't safe for any of them anymore. If it wasn't a malicious DA, it was the demon who knew by heart, where they were and could easily break through their walls again.

"We have to think of the boys," Bobby agreed, "and what's safest for them."

"I know."

At the time, they scoffed at the notion that all hunters had to raise their kids on the road. They thought they were the exception to that hard fast rule, but only now, when they were being forced to make a decision like so many others had, did they realize how wise the choice might be.

"So are you going to wait until-"

"I'm going to wait until my sentencing. You have guys that can get inside the prison, right?"

"Right. They can get you out, but are you sure that you want it to go that far?"

"I'll think about it."

The beauty was that he had time to formulate a plan with Bobby, two months, and if they still thought running was the smartest option, they would go for it. It would be difficult, especially where Sam was concerned, but they would have to make it work somehow.


"Are you excited to see the little idjits?"

"You bet," Caleb said, shaking his head incredulously, as tears pinched the corners of his eyes.

It had been two months since he had really had the chance to see them, especially Sam, and as they pulled up the driveway of their two story, family-style home, he let out the breath that he hadn't even _realized_ had been holding him back, as they navigated their way into the messy garage.

"Well, they're excited to see you," Bobby said with a shake of his head, as he eased the car to a standstill.

"Do you they know about any of this?" Caleb asked, as he got out of the truck and prepared to go inside.

"No. I didn't want to get their hopes up for nothing."

After all, they had been through this game once before when Caleb had been granted an emergency hearing, and their hopes had been bitterly dashed. For Bobby to confide in the boys about Caleb's new hearing, it would have been too precarious, especially with how crushed Dean had been lately.

"Probably a good idea," Caleb said, as he stifled a yawn.

"Tired?"

"Yeah, once I see them for a little bit, I'm going to crash."

It would be the sweetest (and longest) nap of his entire life, and one that he wouldn't take lightly, as he could already imagine the soft, soothing feel of his bed and his nice pillows. It was something that he had taken for granted once before, and now realized with perfect clarity, that he never would again.

"Sounds like a plan," Bobby said with a nod, as he pulled the door open. "You're going to be jumped, I think."

"I plan on it," Caleb said with a slow grin, not even fully believing that, after so long, he was finally being given the sweetest gift of being able to finally reestablish his bond with the kids.

The house was empty at first glance, the kitchen where they immediately walked into was empty. Turning the corner though, Caleb could hear the TV going in the living room, and knew that someone was in there.

Grinning, he pulled himself around the wall, and saw Sam lounging on the sofa. His back was to him, as he watched the cartoon program that was playing, completely oblivious to his beloved guardian standing directly behind him.

"Sammy," Caleb said, as he finally walked around the couch to face the nine-year-old.

"Caleb!" Sam said, his eyes widening in disbelief as he comically used the couch as a springboard to launch himself into Caleb's waiting arms. "I can't believe you're back! I thought-"

The last Sam had known, Caleb would be stuck in jail for another two months while he awaited sentencing for a charge that still confused him, no matter how many times his brother or the adults around him had tried to explain it.

"I know," Caleb said, as he wrapped his arms around the child. "I got out, though."

"How?" Sam asked, as he leaned back in Caleb's arms to look him in the eyes.

"I got bail, my attorney worked another miracle for now."

"What do you mean?"

"I still have to be sentenced," he explained, catching the confused look on Sam's face. "But that's not for a little while," he added quickly when he saw Sam's face fall slightly.

"Okay," Sam said uncertainly, as he tightened his arms around Caleb's neck. "I don't want you to ever leave again."

Caleb nodded, swallowing back the lump in his throat, as he held Sam tightly. "I can't promise that I won't leave again, but it will be awhile, okay?"

Sam nodded. "Alright."

"Where's your brother?" Caleb asked, as he gave Sam a final hug before letting him down.

"Upstairs listening to music."

"Of course he is."

"Do you want me to go get him?" Bobby asked.

"No," Caleb said, shaking his head, with a small smile. "I'll go up there and scare the crap out of him."

"You'll scare the livin' daylights outta that kid before he even sees you."

"That's kind of the point," Caleb said, rolling his eyes, as he disappeared up the staircase to Dean's room. It was the first door on the right, and as Caleb eased it open, he saw Dean lying on his stomach with his headphones plugged in, reading a comic book.

Stifling a laugh behind his hand, Caleb softly inched foreword with only the keen sense of quietness that had been honed from years of perfecting his skills as a hunter. Pausing when he was standing right over Dean, he hesitated before clamping a hand down on Dean's shoulder.

Dean's reaction was almost comical as he spun around, almost falling off his bed as he ripped his headphones off.

"Hey, dude," Caleb said, laughing at the complete look of shock on Dean's face, as he stood frozen in front of him.

"How-how are you?" Dean stuttered, scrambling to figure out how he was there, and more importantly, how he had managed to finally be let free from that horrific place.

"The hearing worked," Caleb said, shaking his head. "Finally."

Dean shook his head, stunned. "I don't-"

"Just give me a hug, and we can talk about it later," Caleb suggested, as he opened his arms to receive the thirteen-year-old.

"I can't believe you're finally here," Dean whispered against Caleb's shirt.

"I can't either."

He had gone from total and complete incarceration, to being granted his freedom. It was dizzying, but it was also the greatest feeling in the entire world, especially when he was privileged enough to see the kids' ecstatic faces when he had surprised them.

"Dawn actually managed to get you out?" Dean whispered.

"Yeah, the judge finally agreed to set bail. There's conditions attached to it, but I can't really complain."

"No, I guess not."

"So are we ready to go have some fun?"

"You bet!"