sparks fly, sam winchester [ 2 ]

005. into the woods

Miranda is lying across the backseat, doodling in a notebook to try to not get too lost in her thoughts. She looks up when Sam jolts awake, quickly sitting up.

"You okay?" Dean asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sam says.

"Another nightmare?" Dean asks. Sam doesn't answer. "You wanna drive for a while?"

"Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that." Sam laughs.

"Just thought you might want to. Never mind." Dean says.

"Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." Sam says. He looks back at Miranda who is focused on the random doodles. He reaches back and gently squeezes her ankle, the blonde still not looking at him. Sam softly rubs her leg before grabbing a map.

"Where are we?" Sam asks.

"We are just outside of Grand Junction." Dean says.

"Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sam says.

"We were there for two weeks. If we wanna find the thing that killed Bella--"

"We gotta find dad first."

"Dad disappearing and this thing showing up again after twenty years, it's no coincidence. Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do."

"It's weird, man. These coordinates he left us. This Blackwater Ridge."

"What about it?"

"There's nothing there. It's just woods. Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"

+++

They walk into the ranger station and Sam is holding Miranda's hand.

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote." Sam comments. "It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place." He says, looking at a 3D map of the national forest.

"Dude, check out the size of this fucking bear." Dean says, pointing to a photo of a man standing behind a giant bear.

"And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure." Sam comments.

"You kids aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge, by any chance?" Miranda flinches at the voice, the three turning to find a ranger.

"Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper." Sam says.

"Recycle, man." Dean holds up a fist.

"Bull." The ranger says. "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?"

"Yes. Yes, we are. Ranger... Wilkinson." Dean says.

"Well, I will tell you exactly what we told her." Wilkinson says. "Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Blackwater until the 24th, so it's not exactly a missing persons now, is it?" Dean shakes his head. "You tell that girl to quit worrying, I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will." Dean says. "Well, that Haley girl's quite a pistol, huh?"

"That is putting it mildly."

"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."

+++

"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam asks as the three leave the station.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks.