As their drive toward Nebraska continued on, Dean found himself growing restless. They had stopped a few hours previously in order to allow the boys to stretch their legs, and grab some lunch, but now Dean was going slightly stir crazy as he stared out the window at the hundredth or so it seemed farm they had passed, and sighed.

Boredom was never something that was usually a problem for him, and when it was, he simply found something to occupy his time. It was hard when he was in cramped quarters with his brother, and the list of things to do, was very small.

"Bored?" Jim asked, from the front seat.

Caleb had taken over driving after their lunch stop. One of the perks of having both of them on the trip, they could take turns driving to give the other a break.

"Kind of," Dean admitted, as he cupped his chin in his hand as he continued to star at the passing cars and vans.

"It's not much longer. Only about another hour or so."

"Half-hour if you factor in my driving," Caleb countered, with a smirk.

He knew how much Jim hated it when he pushed the speed limit.

"I know," Dean said, shrugging. "It's fine."

Complaining was never really his style. Instead, he preferred to ride out whatever discomfort he had, until it was over and done with. That included the temporary feeling of boredom.

Sam was more impulsive, and got impatient easily when he didn't have something to do that would occupy his mind.

Dean tended to be the exact opposite, and tried to hold everything in as much as he could. The way he figured it, it wouldn't do him any good to make a big deal out of something when there could be a better way to fix it.

"When are we going to be there?" Sam asked.

"About another half-hour, hour," Caleb said. "Not too much longer."

Caleb was just as eager as the boys to get there. It had been too long since he had seen his old friends, and it would be a welcome reprieve from the same old town, and the same job and routine that he had become accustomed to.

"I want to show Jo some new tricks I learned," Sam said, eagerly.

"What tricks?" Dean asked, curious in spite of himself.

"I learned some new somersaults on the trampoline," Sam said proudly, "and I can show them to her."

"Sounds good, dude," Caleb said, trading secretive smiles with Jim. "Maybe you can also show her the cool trick I showed you."

"What?"

"Count backwards by burping."

"Oh, yeah!" Sam said, giggling.

"Please don't do it here," Dean said, groaning, already having heard enough of that when Sam had first showed it to him.

"Don't be a party snooper, Dean," Sam said, using the wrong terminology.

"Pooper," Jim corrected him with a smile.

"Whatever," Sam said flippantly, using the kind of word that Dean would have used in the same situation.

It was nearing dinner time by the time the small pulled into the Harvelle's winding dirt driveway. Eager to get out and stretch out the kinks in their muscles, Sam and Dean both hopped out of the car well before it had even fully stopped.

"A little eager?" Caleb asked teasingly, as he got out along with Jim.

"More than a little," Dean said, rolling his eyes. "My legs are finally getting feeling back."

"And I bet your stomach is growling," Ellen said, as she came down the steps of the wrap-around porch she and Bill had. "Long time no see, sweetie," she said, as she gave Dean a quick hug, knowing he wasn't particularly fond of those kinds of displays of affection.

"It's good to see you," Dean said, as he shocked her by returning the hug.

"You, too. And you," she said, picking Sam up and tickling his sides. "Jo's missed you, she wants to show you some things up in her room."

"Well," Jim said, "that's a coincidence. Sam had some things he wanted to show her, too."

"Well, you better get up there, then. And you," she said, turning to Caleb, "I missed you the last time."

"I missed you, too," he said, smiling warmly as he reciprocated the hug she gave him. "How are you guys doing?"

"We're managing. Bill is in there getting some of his research together to show you. I couldn't even pry him away from it when you guys rolled up."

"Well, we won't take it personally," Jim said, shaking his head in amusement.

"Well, good."

"Do you know what he's cooking up?" Caleb asked, as they slowly made their way up the steps and into the open and spacious living room/kitchen.

"Some possessions," Ellen said, as she checked on the food that she had been cooking, "some hauntings, and some omens, I believe."

"Okay."

It had been awhile since Caleb or Jim had come up against demonic omens. Usually they signified that a demon was in a certain area if certain signs started appearing in that area. Usually, the guys just dealt with run-of-the-mill possessions and spirits, and their work was done. Not so this time, apparently.

"He wanted you to help him figure it all out, if you could."

"We'll do what we can," Jim promised, as he took a seat at the table.

"Can I go upstairs and see Jo?" Sam asked, eager to see his friend again.

"Sure, sweetie," Ellen said, "and tell her that she has to do her homework."

"Okay," Sam said brightly, glad to have a job to fulfill.

"Well, it's about time!" Bill said, as he came out of his study to greet his friends. "It's good to see you."

"You, too," Jim said, as he shook the hunter's hand.

"Roads were good?"

"Yeah," Caleb shrugged. "Traffic was the only problem."

"That'll do it," Bill said, as he took a seat at the dining table with his friends. "So how are you?"

"Good," Caleb said, "I'm doing good."

For the most part, he had recovered from his time behind bars, and more recently, the surprise Wendigo attack.

"Good," Bill said, shaking his head in astonishment at all that his friends had gone through. "You know hunting is a risky pool to dive into, but you never think about it until something happens to you or someone close to you."

"Yeah," Caleb said, "believe me, it took me by surprise, too."

"But everything's okay, now?" Ellen pressed.

"Yeah," Caleb assured her. "Probation is done, and it's behind me for the most part."

"Well, good," Bill said. "Good attitude, good outcome."

"Yeah. So Ellen mentioned that you had some cases you needed our expert help on?" Caleb said with a laugh.

"Yeah, actually, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"How long have you been back in the game?" Bill asked curiously, as he got his research organized.

"Not too long. Small cases here and there," Caleb said.

"Got it."

Sliding the clippings that he had cut from the newspaper, across to them, Bill watched as Caleb, Jim and Dean bent over the articles.

"Demonic omens everywhere you look," he said, watching as the wheels in their heads turned. "Never seen anything like it."

"Where are they originating from?" Jim asked, a slight frown appearing on his otherwise calm face.

"I couldn't decipher that yet, but the most recent ones are from all around here and in towns near us."

Something in one of the articles had caught Dean's attention, as he leaned foreword to inspect it again. "Nursery fires?"

"Yeah," Bill said, as he twirled his pen thoughtfully. "I noticed that, and that's why I thought of you guys, because I know-"

"That's how my Mom died," Dean said, looking down to avoid the looks of sympathy and loss from the people around him.

Even though it had been so long since his parents had died, he had never fully come to terms with it, and instead tended to bury as much of the pain as he could, by focusing on the family that he had now, and the wonderful life they had managed to give him and his brother.

"So the mothers died in the nursery?" Caleb asked, reaching over to rub Dean's shoulder.

"Yeah, far as I can tell. Besides that, you have your typical omens: cattle mutilations, electrical shortages, and temperature fluctuations."

All the classic signs of a demon.

"Find out where the first fire originated," Caleb said. "And in the meantime, let's go to the latest vic's house."