"What if this is the real deal?" Dean asked, as he watched Caleb and Jim sort out the weapons that they would need in case they came up against the demon.

"Then we'll as ready as we can be," Caleb said, as he packed some holy water and multiple rounds of ammunition in his bag. "Right now, we're only going to interview one of the more recent vic's."

Dean nodded, anxiously switching from one foot to the other as he watched his guardian's progression. "But what if this is real? How are you going to kill it?"

After all, this demon had been responsible for pinning his mother to the ceiling of Sammy's nursery, and then setting his mother and the nursery on fire. This wasn't a typical demon with typical demonic powers, this was something else entirely.

"We'll cross that road when we come to it," Caleb said, as he double-checked the weapons that he had with him. "And if we need to, exorcise it, send the son of a bitch right back to hell where it belongs."

For the guys, they kept their eyes out for signs of the demon for years, but they had never been able to pick up a pattern again, until now. Truth be told, they didn't know how they would handle killing the demon if they actually came face-to-face with it.

So many things could be used to kill it, so many things had the potential to either work, or not. That was why they were going into prepared.

For the moment, they were only going to interview the husband of one of the girl's who had died recently, but after that, they had no idea where they were going. They would base that decision on what the man said when they spoke with him.

"I want to be there."

Dean had waited his entire life, or so it felt like it, to kill that demon and finally avenge his mother's death.

"You can't go," Caleb said softly, as he finished what he was doing, and locked eyes with the indignant twelve-year-old.

"Why not?"

After all, this was a demon that had torn apart his family. To not be allowed to go, was absolutely infuriating to him, and also completely disappointing.

"Because you haven't had the training," Caleb explained calmly, "because we have no idea what we're going up against, and I would feel much better if you were here with Ellen, watching out for Sammy and Jo."

Dean understood the logic behind the decision, but that didn't mean he had to like it. In fact, he hated it, but once his guardians put their foot down about something, it was normally very final.

"I don't care," Dean argued, knowing that wouldn't gain him a lot of credit. "I need to go! I can be in the background, I'll do whatever you tell me to, but I want to go."

"Dean," Caleb said, as he dropped his bag to place his hand on the child's shoulder. "I know what this feels like, believe me, I do. But right now, I want to keep you safe from this. You have not had the training to deal with something like this, and sending you into the battle right now would be suicide."

Dean shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest, as a single tear slid down his face and into his mouth. He tasted saltwater, but didn't care.

"I can handle it. You'll be there to back me up," he whispered brokenly. "All I've wanted is to kill that son of a bitch for killing my Mom," Dean urged. "You got revenge on the thing that killed your wife, why can't I?"

"Because," Caleb said, shaking his head. "I won't let that thing take you, too. I'll work with you, Dean, we'll work on some more advanced fighting moves, and how to exorcise demons, but right this second, you're not prepared for this."

It wasn't a slam against Dean, either. It was the truth that he hadn't had the proper training on how to deal with something of that magnitude. So far, the only creatures he knew how to properly take care of, were the spirits and poltergeists.

Sending him into the field as he was right then, would be suicide, and it would put Caleb, Jim and Bill in danger by having to jump in and protect him when he wasn't ready for something that big.

It was better for everyone, especially Dean, if he stayed back for this one. No matter how much he fought it, or wanted to be involved, it was better for him in the long run if he was with Ellen and Sam.

The most frustrating part for Dean, was that he knew Caleb was right. There was no way he was prepared physically or emotionally to take this kind of thing on.

"What if it hurts you? Or Jim? Or Bill?"

"There's strength in numbers. There's three of us and one of it."

Dean nodded, still not liking the fact that he couldn't go, but also realizing when a battle was lost, and this was one of those times, unfortunately.

"I still want to go."

"I know, but next time," Caleb promised. "Right now, I want you here."

"Okay."

The latest victim's house wasn't far from where Bill and Ellen lived. It was situated on a secluded part of land that looked like it had seen better days, as Caleb and Jim walked up the snow-covered brick pathway to the front door.

Bill had opted out of going in, believing that their cover would be more believable if it was two going in instead of three.

"We're sorry for intruding," Jim apologized, as the man invited them inside.

"No, it's okay. You said you were from the paper?"

"Yes," Caleb said, "we're just trying to understand what happened here."

The first floor of the home, looked relatively undamaged, though it was the upstairs they were itching to see, especially the nursery where the fire had originated from.

"I don't even understand it," the man said, shaking his head, as he took another sip of his Scotch. "One second, my wife was singing a lullaby to our daughter, and then the next second, she was burning on the ceiling!"

"Of the nursery," Jim prompted.

"Yes. Now tell me how that happens? The fire department is saying that it was some electrical shortage in the walls or something, but how do you explain my wife dying like that?"

There was no explanation at least none that would make sense to the poor man who was grieving the loss of his family, life as he once knew it.

"I'm very sorry," Caleb said.

What else could he say?

"If you don't mind," Jim said, treading carefully, "do you mind if we saw the upstairs?"

The man shrugged, tears lining his brown eyes. "Sure. The police are done with it.

"How much of it was destroyed?" Caleb asked, as they moved toward the staircase.

"Only the nursery. The firefighters were able to keep it pretty well contained."

"Okay."

The nursery was down the hall on the second floor. It was pretty well destroyed. Everything was either burned to a crisp, or melted into nothing. Glass shards covered the floor, making it difficult and precarious to walk, as the men carefully picking their way across it.

"She burned up there?" Jim asked, pointing to the ceiling."

"Right above the crib," the man said, motioning toward where the crib used to be, directly next to the window. "I heard the baby crying, and then I saw the blood...and she was on the ceiling."

"Is your baby okay?" Caleb asked, as he bent down to inspect something questionable.

"Yes. For the most part. We had her checked out at the hospital, and she had inhaled some smoke, but she was okay."

"Good," Caleb said distractedly, as he brushed his fingers along a small pile of wooden debris. "Come check this out," he whispered to Jim.

"What is it?"

Caleb out his hand, and the foul-smelling yellow dust that was coating his fingers. "Sulfur."

The telltale mark of a demon. Whenever a demon entered an area or a room, they would usually leave sulfur behind.

"You think it's the demon?"

"Probably."

After bidding the man farewell, they returned back to the kids and Ellen. Dean was chomping at the bit to ask what had happened, and wasn't disappointed when Caleb filled him in later.

"What happened?"

"The nursery was burned to a crisp. The baby's fine."

"Was it the demon?" Dean asked, as he settled himself on the arm of the chair Caleb was sitting in.

"I think so. There was some sulfur that was left behind."

"Are you kidding?"

"No. Whatever it was, it was long gone, though."

Dean nodded, trying not to be disappointed. "Okay."

He supposed he should be glad that the demon hadn't been there, that he hadn't lost his chance to one day get revenge for his parents, and the life that he could have had if the demon hadn't broken into the nursery.

"We'll get there," Caleb said, "one day, we'll find it."

"I know."

Their moment of solitude, was short-lived. Bill, having just been on the phone with one of his friends, interrupted the bonding moment.

"Caleb, we got to hit the road."

"Why?" Caleb asked, already standing up.

"My friend Joshua just called. He said that he has a demon in his shop under a Devil's Trap, the thing said something about you guys."

"What did he say?"

"I don't know. Something about Sam."