As the afternoon passed it had become apparent that, by some, the small group were considered to be heroes. Their reputation grew as their story quickly made the rounds. Some of their admirers made their way to where they sat and thanked them for doing what they had lacked the courage to do. To Josie, Allen, and James the attention was most welcome. It felt good to no longer be invisible; to finally feel accepted.

The ride back to the school, however, had them feeling a little less like rock stars and a lot more like criminals heading to their sentencing. They didn't have any regrets but the realization there were real consequences waiting for them had begun to sink in. They could handle the punishment that the school would hand out, a few days detention wasn't that big of a deal; it was the unknown of what their parents would do that they were worried about the most.

Upon arrival, they were escorted to the principal's office where their parents, except for Sam and Dean's, were waiting for them. Mr. Wilfred, Dean's principal, had been called in from the high school to attend the meeting as had the parents of Tucker, Chip and Tommy.

Mr. Olison, the elementary school principal, sat behind his desk and addressed the assembled crowd. "It is my understanding that an unfortunate incident occurred today during the class outing. I want to make it clear that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated, and that formal punishment has been agreed upon. It has been decided that those involved will be given two weeks inside detention during recess and that they will research and write a paper about the effects of bullying during that time. As for the older student, I will turn to Mr. Wilfred."

"Thank you, Mr. Olison," Mr. Wilford turned his gaze to Dean, "I find it disturbing that someone your age would think it ok to frighten someone younger than them as you have. We have decided that the best course of action for you would be three weeks of in-house suspension where you will be assigned to help the custodial and kitchen staff in any and all tasks, they give you. You will also be required to keep up with your classwork. If any infractions occur during your time of punishment you will be promptly expelled. Do you understand?"

There were two things that Dean Winchester excelled at hunting and watching over his little brother, Sam. One thing he never really excelled at, unless it involved his father, was being able to control what came out of his mouth. "Oh, I understand just fine," he replied as he straightened his stance and folded his arms across his chest, "I understand that if your last name is Timlison you can bully and harass anyone you choose without fear of consequence. I understand that Tucker had been making my brother's and his friends lives a living hell and that no one bothered to do anything about it. Miss Carlson sat quietly by as Tucker harassed them many times today. The final straw for me was when he almost made Josie cry. I knew none of you were going to do anything about it, so I decided to."

"Just who the hell do you think you are," Mr. Timlison snapped as he moved to stand in front of Dean, "What you did to my son and his friends today…" his sentence cut off as he reached out and slammed the teen against the wall. It was at this point Caleb entered the office.

"I see I made it here just in time," Caleb spat as he pulled Mr. Timlison off Dean, "Looks to me like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He shoved Mr. Timlison back and stepped in between him and Dean. "Sorry, I just got the message you had left on the answering machine." He turned his attention to the men seated behind the desk, "Now, would be a good time to fill me in on what I've missed."

Mr. Wilford was the first to recover from his shock and therefore he was the first to speak. "Mr. Winchester, we had just gone over the formal punishments when your son decided to speak out of turn."

Caleb's eyes went hard, and he shifted so he could look at Mr. Wilford and still be able to track Timlison. "First of all," he began, "I'm not their father. I'm their uncle. I'm here to stay with them while their dad is out of town for a few weeks. And secondly, I understand that what happened today should not be tolerated and they should be punished, but so should the other three who were involved. I was at the farm for a little bit and I witnessed the incident that Dean spoke about. If this is only one example of how Tucker and his friends behaved, then…if you ask me, they got off easy."

"Now you wait just a minute," Mr. Timlison fumed. "My Tucker and his friends are good boys. They are nothing like your nephews. They didn't deserve what happened to them," He stepped closer to Caleb and jabbed his finger in his chest, "The humiliation and the trauma that were inflicted on them is more than should have been done to anyone. Your nephew is nothing short of a delinquent. If you ask me, he should be locked up."

Caleb grabbed the man's finger and pulled it backwards, fully intent on snapping it when Sam stopped him dead in his tracks. "Stop," Sam called out as he jumped up from the chair he was sitting on, "Just stop! All of you, please."

The room was thrown into a stunned silence as Sam bent over trying to catch his breath and reign his emotions in. Dean placed a hand on Sam's back trying to comfort him but the younger boy shook it off. He straightened himself and focused his gaze on everyone in the room. He settled on Miss Carlson and when he spoke her heart broke. "What happened today was wrong and yes we deserve to be punished, but make no mistake so does Tucker," Sam turned to look at Mr. Timlison before he continued, "Your son has made my life a living hell. He has bullied me from the first day I came here. He has made it his mission to make sure I never forget that my clothes are second hand and that I don't have the money to go on field trips or to do other things that he and the others get to. He not only torments me but other kids as well. Today was the final straw. You can say what you want about Dean, but one thing he can't, no, won't, tolerate is a bully. When Tucker pushed Josie to tears Dean snapped. When Miss Carlson ignored it, he decided to do something. I just don't get why he gets away with it."

Mrs. Gibson, Josies mom, looked at her daughter. "Josie," she asked as she took her daughters hand, "What happened? I want to hear from you what happened."

"Mom," Josie started then looked at Dean, "It's embarrassing. Please."

Mrs. Gibson shook her head. "Josie Ann, you tell me what happened," she gently demanded.

Josie nodded and swallowed. "Ok. Ok," she whispered then her voice grew in strength, "I had saved a seat for Sam's brother next to me on the hayride. I guess Tucker picked up on the fact that I had a crush on him and he teased me about it.," Her eyes once again filled with tears of embarrassment, "It was embarrassing. And then he did it again after I had offered Dean one of the apples I had picked. If it bothered Dean he didn't let on; he was really nice to me. I guess that's when he decided something needed to be done. Oh, and I heard Tucker threaten Sam on the bus ride over, something about telling Miss Carlson how Dean forged the permission slip so Sam could go on the trip. You see, he was asking for it mom. "

Mr. Wilford spoke up. "Is that true, young man," he asked Dean, "did you forge the permission slip?"

Before Dean could answer Mrs. Gibson angerly snapped, "After all that Sam and Josie have said that is what you are concerned with? I'm beginning to see why they did what they did. I'm not agreeing it was right, but I do understand." She took Josie's hand and lead her daughter to the door. "This meeting is over as far as I'm concerned. My daughter will follow through with the punishment, but if I hear that Tucker or his friends harass her again you better believe I will file a formal complaint with the state board of education. This is unacceptable."

"I agree with Alice," James' father chimed in, "I spoke with James a moment before this meeting and he relayed the same information to me that Sam and Josie had. It seems that Tucker has been allowed to run rough shod over the other children for quite some time. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened. C'mon on James we're going home." He stopped and looked back at the two principals, "If I hear of Tucker harassing my son or any other child, I will join Alice in placing a formal complaint with the state board of education. Good day, gentlemen."

Allen's father had sat quietly listening to the others. He set his eyes on Mr. Timlison. "Warren, I tried telling you that your son's behavior has gotten out of hand. I warned you. You wouldn't listen. Now look at what's happened. I'm with Alice and Robert on this. I don't condone what happened and I think the punishment doesn't really fit the crime, but Allen will follow through with it. I will add there needs to be some kind of punishment for Tucker, Chip and Tommy. Their behavior was the catalyst that started this after all. The prank isn't punishment enough as it's being used to once again paint them as the victims. I suggest that they each get one week in detention at recess and that they also write the paper about the effects of bullying. It pains me that it took something like this to bring this all out in the open," he stood and escorted Allen to the door. He looked back over his shoulder at Mr. Timlison, "Oh and Warren if you don't do something about my nephews' behavior, I promise you, I will."

Warren stared, slack mouthed, at where his brother had once stood a silent rage growing inside. He looked at Dean and before anyone realized what was happening, he had the teen pinned against the wall his arm across his throat, effectively cutting off his supply of oxygen. "You," he seethed, "This is your fault. Everything was fine until you and that runt of a brother came along. Tucker told me all about you. He told me about how Sam walks around like he's better than everyone else and how he blames Tucker for everything that goes wrong. You're going to pay for this. My son's the victim here." Warren pressed his weight into the struggling boy, his fury blinding him.

"Mr. Timlison," Miss Carlson shrilled, "Stop! You're going to kill him!"

"Warren," Mr Olison shouted, "Warren, enough! Stop!"

Mr. Wilford had walked around the desk and attempted to pull Warren away from Dean. "Stop! He isn't worth it. Warren, think about your family. Don't do something they'll regret."

Sam turned to Caleb his eyes wide in fear. "Caleb, do something."

Sam's plea pulled Caleb from his shock and forced him into action. He pushed Mr. Wilford away and grabbed hold of Mr. Timlison. He yanked Timlison off of Dean and pushed him hard enough that he fell over one of the chairs and landed hard on the floor. He pulled the man to his feet and threw him against the wall. He held him the same way as he had held Dean. "Let's see how much you like it, you piece of shit. I know your kind. You have no problem hitting women and kids, but when it comes to a grown man you cower."

"Uncle Caleb, please. Hasn't there been enough violence today," Sam asked looking as defeated as he felt. Caleb let Mr. Timlison go and Sam turned his attention to Mr. Wilford. "To answer your question. No, Dean didn't forge the permission slip. I had asked him if he did, because I was surprised dad said I could go. Tucker pounced on that and attempted to use it against me. You see, we aren't the trash you think we are."

"You're lucky my nephew is as good as he is," Caleb hissed at Mr. Timlison, "I promise you, if I see or even suspect you have done anything to either of these boys again it will be the last thing you do. Do I make myself clear?" Mr. Timlison nodded. "Good," Caleb replied as he patted the man on his chest.

Caleb went to Dean and knelt in front of him. "Dean. Hey, kiddo. Dean. Look at me," Caleb coaxed the shaken teen, "Hey. How you doing, kid."

Dean's green eyes focused on Caleb and a hint of a pained smirk crossed his lips. "Peachy," he whispered, his throat sore from the abuse it had taken.

"That's my boy," Caleb reached out and helped the younger man stand. The way Dean wobbled worried him and he vowed to do a complete check once they had gotten home but right now there was a little more business that needed his attention. "This matter is closed," Caleb hissed, "they will follow through with the detentions, but that is where it ends. If I or their father hear of further incidents involving Tucker and his friends you can rest assured a call to the state board of education will the least of your worries. Boys, let's get out of here."

Once inside Caleb's truck and he was certain no one else could hear Dean said, "Richland had nothing on this. What a shit show. Caleb, I'm sorry man. I didn't see this happening. Dad's gonna be pissed."

"Your dad's not going to find out. He's going to be out of town longer than he originally thought. By the time he gets back this will have blown over. That is if you can stay out of trouble. Now what you say we head home? I picked up some movies and candy and thought if Sam wanted to, we could go trick or treating before it gets to late."

"No, thank you," Sam said, "I don't think we need to tempt fate anymore than we already have. Besides I'm beat. I just want to go home and crash."

"Sure, kid if that's what you want."

"It is," Sam looked out the truck's window and thought what had happened. All he wanted was one day of normalcy but who was kidding? He was a Winchester and normal wasn't something they did.