CARRY ON

Blackwater Ridge

Sam jerks awake. It is 10 Nov 2005, he is riding shotgun next to Dean, Foreigner's "Hot-Blooded" is playing, and the cemetery visit is days behind them if it ever occurred. Sam blinks and rubs his eyes. Dean looks over, concerned.
"You okay?" Dean asked. Sam glances over and away.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam answered. Dean nods.
"Another nightmare?" Dean looked at Sam, then back at the road. Sam clears his throat. "You wanna drive for a while?" Dean asked. Sam laughed.
"Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that." Sam smiled.
"Just thought you might want to. Never mind." Dean said following Joan's car in front of him.
"Look, man, you're worried about me." Sam looked at Dean. "I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay."
"Mm-hm." Dean hummed. Sam grabs a map.
"All right, where are we?" Sam asked.
" Joan said we are just outside of Grand Junction." Dean informed.
Sam folds down the map, which is of Colorado and has a large red X labeled 35-111.
"You know what?" Sam asked. "Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sam said.
"Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica..." Sam cut off Dean.
"We gotta find Dad first." Sam argued.
"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence." Dean said. "Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do." Dean reassured.
"It's weird, man." Sam looked at the road. "These coordinates he left us."
"I know. Last stop when you were out, Joey said it was just woods." Dean said. Sam nodded, then smirked.
"Oh we're using Joey now." Sam smirked. Dean shook his head.
"Shut up." Dean growled.
"No, No. You haven't called her that since we left to go to Boston. What's the change of heart man?" Sam asked. Dean shook his head annoyed.
"Drop it."
Sam puts down the map with a smile.
"Back on hand. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?" Sam asked. They drive past the National Forest sign that says, "Welcome to LOST CREEK COLORADO National Forest".

The Impala and Charger are parked next to a sign that says "RANGER STATION Lost Creek Trail, Lost Creek National Forest".
Joan stepped out of the car. She smiled over at the boys. She waved. The two got out.
"See you made it in one piece." Joan smiled. "How you feeling?" She asked Sam. Sam nodded.
"I'm... I'm okay." Sam said. Joan nodded patting his shoulder. Dean walked up.
"Were you racing me back there?" Dean asked. Joan smirked.
"No... I was kicking your ass." Joan walked away to the Station.

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote." Sam looks at a 3D map of the national forest, paying particular attention to the ridge labeled "BLACKWATER RIDGE". DEAN looks at the decorations.
"It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place." Joan looked from the other side.
"Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear." Dean chuckled.
Sam and Joan look over. Dean is looking at a framed photo of a man standing behind a much larger bear. Sam and Joan come to stand next to Dean.
"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure." Sam said looking at the photo.
A forest ranger, Ranger Wilkinson, walks up behind them. When he speaks, Dean, Joan and Sam whip around, startled.
"You three aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" The ranger asked.
"Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." Sam smiled.
Joan laughed a little. Dean grins and raises a fist.
"Recycle, man." Dean said with his fist in the air.
"Bull." The ranger said with a growl.
Sam's eyes flick to Dean, who doesn't move. "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?"
Joan considers.
"Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger..." Joan checks the Ranger's name-tag. "Wilkinson." She smiled.
"Well I will tell you exactly what we told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the twenty-fourth, so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" The ranger said. Dean shakes his head. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine." The Ranger grumbled.
"We will. Well that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?" Dean smirked.
"That is putting it mildly." The ranger said with no emotion.
"Actually you know what would help is if I could show her a copy of that backcountry permit. You know, so she could see her brother's return date." Joan smiled.

The Ranger eyes Dean. Dean raises his eyebrows.

Dean, Joan, and Sam leave the ranger station. Dean is holding a piece of paper and laughing.
"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam asked, disgusted.
"What do you mean?" Dean asked.
"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" Sam asked.
Dean and Sam stop on opposite sides of the Impala.
"I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?" Dean said.
A pause.
"What?" Sam asked.
"Since when are you all shoot first ask questions later, anyway?" Dean raised a brow.
"Since now." Sam said. Before Sam could get in the car.
"I think we should ask her questions. Know why he was out there. Not say her brother conjured something but whatever it is... it territorial and didn't want him there." Joan said.
Sam turns away. The sound of the car door opening is heard.
Joan walked over to Dean.
"Give him time. He's in a rough patch right now. He just wants answers." Joan rubbed Dean's arm. Dean nodded.
"I have no clue how we would survive this without you." Dean said. Joan smiled.
"Crash and Burn hunny. Crash and Burn." He watched her walk to her car.