Sam and Dean spent another week in Palo Alto to investigate Jessica's death, which included having to go back to the apartment. That was difficult and was almost enough to put Sammy back into a bad headspace, but Dean was there, ready to take his hand and bring him back up to reality. But then there was the funeral, which was somehow harder than going back to their home. He had Dean wait in the Impala simply because he knew he had to do that on his own.

So many tears. Jess' family mourned her over a closed casket. They hugged Sam and told him how much she loved him, how much she talked about marrying him someday, only because they didn't know he was the reason why she was dead. And so they treated him better than he deserved. He watched as she was lowered into the deep, deep hole in the ground, the priest's words drowned out somewhere in the distance.

Sammy didn't want to talk about it once he got back in the car with his brother. He pushed it down deep-even deeper than Jess' coffin-because he knew that was his burden to carry and he deserved the pain that came along with it. Dean knew not to press the issue any further. It wasn't his place. He just intertwined his fingers with Sam's, hoping it brought even the slightest amount of comfort, as they made their way to Blackwater Ridge, Colorado.

Small touches and long kisses. That was all Sam was able to give since that one night and Dean was more than okay with that. They'd go at Sammy's pace, however long that would be. He was still hurting but trying, trying his best to make Dean feel loved, and the older sibling could truly tell. Still didn't change the fact that the younger man was more on edge than ever, and it didn't help that they found nothing during their investigation in Palo Alto.

When his Sammy fell asleep, he didn't bother him, just drove and made sure to look at him every so often. The younger man wasn't sleeping well either, on top of everything. Nightmares plagued him and so he settled with just staying up and looking at Dean, his fingers brushing against his skin when he'd think the older boy was sleeping. Dean caught him many times during the week and wanted to do one of two things: pull him down and urge him to finally sleep and the other was more like.. pulling him down and kissing his body all over, whispering promises in his skin.

Dean shook the thought away. Concentrate on the road.

It was gonna be a long drive.

Sam jolted awake from another nightmare, thankful to find that he was still in the Impala and not where his mind just was. Where Jessica's cold, dead hand rose up and wrapped around his wrist- It's okay. Breathe. Just a dream. He was safe because Dean was there.

"You okay?" A large, comforting hand found it's way to his knee and Sam laid his palm against it, still trying his best to bring his heart rate down. "Yeah.. I'm fine." And then he squeezes Dean's hand and pulled it upward a couple inches. Right there on his thigh was a lot better. Dean agreed wholeheartedly, and so he kept it there. He didn't move it though, only stilled his hand from going any further.

"Do you wanna drive for a while?" Dean asked after a moment of silence. He watched as Sam's face lit up, an amused smile playing at his lips.

"In your whole life, you've never once asked me that." Sam said through a chuckle. Dean rolled his eyes but his hand never left that spot, "Just thought you might want to. Never mind." His voice sounded grumpy but there wasn't any heat to it, he was just a little frustrated that he didn't know how to help his Sammy.

"Look, man. You're worried about me. And I get it, thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." He gave his older brother's hand a reassuring squeeze but he could tell Dean wasn't convinced. With a sigh, Sam removed his hand so he could get into the glove box and pull out the map.

"Alright.. where are we?" Sam's eyes glazed over the map as Dean answered, "We are just outside of Grand Junction." Green eyes never leave the road but he could hear another sigh come from the younger man.

"You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon." Sam said in a rush and he almost regretted saying it because as soon as they came out, Dean removed his warm touch, leaving the spot cold.

"Sam, we dug around for a week. We came up with nothing. If we want to find what killed Jessica.." He trailed off, trying his best to tread carefully, but he knew his baby brother knew where he was going with it and that he was right.

"Got to find dad first." Sam finished the sentence solemnly. He removed his eyes from the map for a brief moment so he could look at the road and take in his surroundings and not think about Jessica and her blood dripping on his face-he pushed the thoughts back as far as they could go as he blinked away tears. He didn't feel like crying anymore, especially not in front of Dean.

"Dad disappearing, and this thing showing up after twenty years? It's no coincidence. Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do." And he was sure of it, too. He tried not to notice the little shake of Sam's head out of the corner of his eye.

"It's weird, man." He gave as he looked over the map again, "These coordinates he left us, this Black Water Ridge.. There's nothin' there. It's just.. woods." He sat the map down and looked forward, shaking his head again as he tried to wrap his head around everything, "Why is he sending us to the middle of nowhere?"

Dean finally spared Sam a glance, one that meant he had no clue. His hand found his way back to Sammy's, their fingers intertwining and fitting together perfectly. The younger Winchester let out a breath, his nerves easing slightly. Dean turned his attention back to the road, quickly making his way to the place their father instructed them to go.

The Winchester brothers found themselves at a ranger station on Lost Creek Trail. Sam looked over a textured map, while Dean decided to look around the station. "It's cut of by the canyons here.. Rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold minds all over the place.." Sam explained somewhere off in the distance. It was hard for Dean to listen when he was captivated by a single hunting photo. It's huge!

"Dude, check out the size of this friggin' bear."

Sam looked up and then rolled his eyes once he realized Dean wasn't even listening. He stood up straight and stood beside his brother, eyeing the same photo. Damn.. Sammy thought silently. They were pretty huge. "...And a dozen or more grizzles in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure."

"You boys aren't planning to go out near Black Water Ridge, by any chance?" A ranger asked from behind them. They both turned quickly, thinking of a good cover. Sam spoke first, his smile seemingly genuine.

"Oh, no, sir. We're environmental-study majors from U.C. Boulder. Just working on a paper." It came out as smooth as it could. "Recycle, man." Dean added with a raised fist. Sam tried not to grin at his Dean's antics.

"Bull." The ranger called them out. Sam's face faltered as he looked from his big brother and then back to the ranger. "You're friends with that Hailey girl, right?" He asked, motioning towards them with his coffee filled mug.

"Yes." Dean answered quickly, sure not to miss an opportunity to get information. "Yes, we are, Ranger.." The oldest Winchester paused to get a look at the name tag, "Wilkinson." Said ranger took a few more steps across the room just to lean against a desk. He shook his head as he spoke,

"Well, I'll tell you exactly what I told her. Her brother filled out a backcountry permit saying he wouldn't be back from Black Water until the 24th. So it's not exactly a missing person, now is it?" He looked over the two young men in front of him as they shook their heads. "Tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will." Dean watched as the older man walked to the door way, only to continue, "Well that Hailey girl is quite a pistol, huh?" The ranger turned around and agreed with the statement in an exasperated tone.

"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." Dean knew it wouldn't take much convincing, the older man would have probably done anything to get the girl off his back. The brothers walked out and to the Impala, permit in hand, and Sammy couldn't shake his aggravation.

"What, are you cruising for a hook up or something?" He tried to make it come off as a joke, but the jealousy and strain were clear in his tone. Dean stopped walking for just a second and just stared at his brother's back. He somehow managed to shake it off, not really wanting to explain that he had only been with one person since he left. Sam didn't need to know about her. Dean didn't really wanna think about her.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked instead as he made his way to the driver side door.

"The coordinates point to Black Water Ridge. So what are we waiting for? Let's go find dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" Sammy could barely register how brash he sounded, how unlike him he sounded. But Dean noticed, and he didn't like it. He understood, wholeheartedly, but he still didn't like it.

"Maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it." Dean said, almost surprised at how logical he sounded. That was supposed to be Sam's thing. But apparently not that day as Dean looked up at him from across the hood, those hazel eyes just.. tired.

"Since when are you all 'shoot first, ask questions later', anyway?" He found himself asking despite his better judgment. Sammy sighed as he opened the door, his eyes never leaving those green orbs he loved so much, "Since now." The passenger door slammed shut behind Sam and Dean was left with just his frown.

He managed to shake that off too and got in behind the wheel, but this time was met with Sam's fingers at the nape of his neck, the digits absentmindedly carding through the short hair there. Dean leaned into the touch and let out a content sigh. Despite the war going on inside his baby brother, he was still able to love him.

And that simple fact was just enough to keep the frown away, for a little while anyway.

When Hailey Collins opened the door, Sam couldn't help but notice how pretty she was, and he couldn't shake the thought away that Dean noticed, too. It was selfish and he knew it, the girl's brother was missing for heaven's sake. But that didn't stop Sam's stomach from twisting in knots when she looked up at him through her lashes and commented on how nice Dean's car was.

He tried his best to ignore those childish feelings and kept his train of thought on the case. As far as Hailey knew, they were park rangers, looking to ask her some questions about her missing brother.

"So, if Tommy's not due back for awhile, how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked as he stopped just beside the table. Hailey made her way through the kitchen and sat a bowl and a pot down onto the table, where her little brother was silently eating.

"He checks in by cell everyday. He emails photos, stupid little videos. But we haven't heard anything in over three days now." She told them as she stirred the baked beans. Sam nodded but also added, "Well maybe he can't get cell reception." She shook her head at that and let them know that he brought a satellite phone with him.

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked without really thinking. The silence coming from the table broke as the boy dropped his silverware, his stare hard and urgent. "He wouldn't do that." The boy said, a warning clear in his voice.

"Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other." She ran her fingers over her brother's scalp and he leaned into the touch, his strained features softening. Sam and Dean shared a glance for a single moment, both knowing full well how that felt.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asked once he managed to tear his gaze away. She agreed, of course, and soon enough the younger Winchester was in front of his laptop, studying each image and video. He made sure to download them so he could show Dean, which was exactly what he did once he finally left the girl's house. They found a country bar and discussed the video in which Sam managed to find a shadow of.. something.. in the background. Moving way too fast to be some kind of bear.

That brought them to all of the missing persons, all of them assumed bear attacks, every twenty-three years. All died expect for one, in 1959, a child who barely made it out of the woods alive. And that boy grew to be the gruff old man that opened his door for the brothers, or rather, the park rangers.

"Look, ranger, I don't know why you're asking me about this. It's public record. I was a kid. My parents got mauled by a-" Before the old man could even finish his sentence, Sam cut him off.

"Grizzly? That's what attacked them?" The brothers watched as the man paused, taking a long drag of his cigarette before finally turning around. Mr. Shaw's nod was small and unsure.

"The other people that went missing that year, those bear attacks, too?" Dean asked as he inched closer. He could see the old man's eyes and Dean was sure he didn't believe it, either. "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing? If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it." The graying man let out a dry laugh at that.

"I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see the difference it would make. You wouldn't believe me." He sat down, his features tired and defeated, matching his apartment all too well. "Nobody ever did." He added as he clung to the small glass of liquor in his hands.

Sam moved passed Dean and sat on the edge of the old man's bed in front of him. "Mr. Shaw.. What did you see?" The young man asked, no trace of judgement in his voice. He watched as the old man's guard fell, his sigh long and deep.

"Nothing. It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it though. A roar.." He shook his head as he remembered the ear splitting sound, "Like no man or animal I ever heard."

"It came at night?" Sam asked and Mr. Shaw nodded shortly after. "Got inside your tent?" The old man shook his head again as he corrected the young man, "It got inside our cabin."

"I was sleeping in front of the fire place when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door-...It unlocked it. Do you know of a bear that could do something like that?" He watched as the two men in front of him exchanged glances "I didn't even wake up until I heard my parents screaming."

"Dragged them off into the night. Why it left me alive.. I've been asking myself that ever since." Silence filled the ratty apartment, the brothers looking down at the floor until Mr. Shaw spoke again, "It did leave me this though." Long scars that looked all too similar the claws. Seeing it made the Winchesters' blood run cold, but only for a single moment. And when that moment was over, they went into hunter mode.

"There's something evil in those woods."

Mr. Shaw didn't know how right he was.

They left the little apartment knowing more than they did when they arrived. Which was good, despite the fact they still weren't completely sure what it was. They crossed out ghosts and demons and had a slew of other options, which was why they had to be prepared. Dean rummaged through the trunk of his car, packing his duffel.

"We cannot let that Hailey girl go out there." Sammy said from beside him. Dean sighed as he packed his shotgun. "What are we gonna tell her-she can't go into the woods because of a big, scary monster?"

"Yeah." Sam's response was quick and all it took was one look in those hazel eyes and Dean knew his baby brother was dead serious. Sam knew the consequences of lying and couldn't really understand the point anymore.

"Her brother is missing, Sam. She's not just gonna sit this out." I sure wouldn't. "No, we're gonna go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend." He said as he stood up straight, duffel over his shoulder. He hoped his brother would just drop it.

"So, dad's not enough?" He asked as he slammed the trunk shut. Dean couldn't help it, he flinched at the noise and at the way his Sammy's eyes looked. "Now we gotta babysit, too?"

Dean could only stare at him, his brows furrowed as he tried his best to understand. Sam watched the flash of hurt come across Dean's features and all his anger washed away-why was he angry in the first place? He had no clue. Too many reasons, all jumbled up. It was just how he felt constantly and he tried his best to hide it but it was so hard. The last thing he wanted was to hurt Dean, however. He rubbed at his face before looking back down at Dean.

The older Winchester visibly relaxed once he saw his Sammy's eyes. No more anger. He looked young and beautiful even if they were pooled with something else, something like regret for the way he talked to his Dean.

"Dean, I.. I'm so sorry.." His older brother was at his side in an instant, shushing him. "Don't need to apologize, Sammy. I could settle for a kiss though.. if that's okay." Sam smiled down at Dean, his hands at the nape of his neck so he could pull him in close, their lips barely inches apart.

"Always."

Author's Note: This book was supposed to be 3-4 chapters long. Now I'm realizing it's more of AU of the first season, and I kinda like the pace I'm going. So, with that being said, this story is about to be a long one lol..