A/N: If I owned them I'd make sure the car is fixable and returns for another season. I know from Wikipedia that the show has five Chevy Impalas that they use. That leaves four for a comeback, if they actually wrecked one.

A/N 2: Thanks to carocali, pmsdevil01, pandora jazz, Beautiful Ally, cutie-pie-rockchic, Kaewi, and Barbara for your reviews. Sorry this took awhile, but on the bright side there's no cliffhanger this time either :)

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Birds singing their hearts out were the first things Sam heard as he slowly woke up. Blinking sleepily, he looked around; noticing the numbers on the clock by his bed shone a steady 7:28. From the avian racket and the sunlight peeking through the blinds he deduced it was morning. He stretched and yawned, suddenly glad Dean had made him take a bath. His muscles were stiff, but not as bad as they could have been. Thinking of his brother, Sam's eyes strayed to the other bed in the room and he smiled as he saw Dean's sleeping form. Trying not to wake him, Sam slowly got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He showered and shaved, feeling enormously better, and then managed to dress his wounds himself. Exiting the bathroom, he saw Dean was awake, sitting on the side of the bed rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Good morning," Sam said.

A grunt was Dean's reply. Then, "'Morning Sam. Did you sleep okay?"

Sam nodded. "I can't believe it. I didn't even dream. I think we slept for twelve hours, if you crashed after I did."

"Yeah, but we needed it. Give me ten and we'll go get breakfast." Dean replied.

"You're on. I'm starving."

Dean flashed him a grin as he went past, giving Sam a quick once-over. Apparently satisfied that his brother was doing better he disappeared into the little room, skipping the shower as he'd had one the night before and brushing his teeth instead.

Just before they left Sam grabbed the red backpack. The hikers were no longer with the bear so hopefully they would be home. He wondered what Dean hadn't told him and resolved to find out at breakfast.

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Dean's gaze sought out the waitress, relieved to see her holding a pot of coffee. He flashed his smile as she refilled his cup and then Sam's.

"Will there be anything else?" she asked.

"Nope, that'll be it for today." he answered.

"Here you go, then. Come back soon." She said with a smile as she placed the check on the end of the table.

His gaze lingered on her form as she proceeded to the next table. He could feel Sam looking at him with that intense stare that said his time for avoiding serious conversation was over. He sighed and sipped some coffee, trying to put off the inevitable. Sam cleared his throat and Dean rolled his eyes, finally facing his brother.

"So?" Sam asked.

"So, what?" Dean replied, concentrating on his caffeine intake.

Sam sighed. "So what did you do? I told you what happened with the bear and the ghost over breakfast, but you didn't tell me anything. What did you do during that time?"

Dean swallowed the last of his coffee and started to talk. At least they were in a public place; Sam wouldn't yell too loudly here he hoped.

"Well after I woke up and saw you weren't around I tried to lure the ghost back by burning the bear cub bones, but it didn't work. There was this park guy that saw the smoke and made me leave-"

"Did he see our stuff?" Sam interrupted, alarmed.

"Nope, I put it away before he did. He wanted to have a search party go after you in the morning, but that didn't work too well with the hikers and I thought I'd follow up with the diary. I know how the kids died, but it wasn't their ghosts taking the hikers, I figured out, like you did, that it was the mother. I had a plan, sure it might not have been the best plan in the world, but I thought if I returned the kids' bones to where they'd been buried to begin with the ghost would come to them and release you so I brokeintothemuseumandstolethebodies." Dean finished in a rush.

"You what? You stole the museum's display?" Sam asked, not having missed what his brother said.

"Well, what would you have done?" Dean shot back, and was surprised when Sam broke into a grin and sat back.

"I'd probably have done the same thing," Sam admitted. "I knew you had done something, but that's not too bad. All we have to do is tell the museum people the bones are back where they were before and…"

He stopped at the guilty look on Dean's face. "What else did you do?" he asked, feeling trepidation.

"Uh, well the bodies were back and nothing was happening and I thought you might be running out of time so-…." Dean mumbled something under his breath.

"What? What did you just say?" Sam demanded, not having heard the last part.

Looking steadily into the empty coffee cup as though it held the secrets of the universe Dean shrugged, swallowed, and said, "I torched them."

Sam blinked. "You torched…" he repeated and then his eyes opened wide. "You burned them!" his voice rose.

Dean glanced around at the nearby tables and hissed at his brother. "Keep it down, will you? You're here, you're fine, and did I mention that the latest hikers are okay too?"

Sam shook his head, taken off track by the change of subject. "What?" he asked.

"I saw them when I was on the way to the field. Josh and Marie, remember? The bear must have brought them to where the park guy could find them. They looked fine, well, okay anyway."

"That's good," Sam said, genuinely glad the other hikers were all right. He'd figured they might be, but that didn't excuse Dean burning the museum exhibit.

"You know, I had a plan too. I was doing fine and would have made it to the welcome center anyway when the ghost just went nuts. Now I know why," he said, staring at his brother. "So now all the bodies are burned? The kids and the bear cubs?"

"Well," Dean shrugged, "all but one. I sorta traded the last kid for you. The ghost possessed bear went off with it. Maybe it won't bother any hikers anymore."

Sam shook his head again and sighed. When he took a minute to think about it, he realized Dean had done what he'd felt he had to, and Sam realized if it came down to saving his brother or saving a museum exhibit there wasn't really a choice.

"Okay," he said simply.

Dean's brows rose. "Okay?" he asked, tentatively.

"Yes. But no more destruction of public property unless it's unavoidable. And I think I know where the bear went, but the body of the kid won't be enough. The spirit is lonely and wants company. She isn't going to stop taking live people-we have to finish this." Sam said.

Dean nodded. "Yeah, but the only way to do that is to burn the mother's bones and put her to rest, but we don't exactly know where they are."

"Actually, I think I may have an idea about that," Sam said, rising.

They paid for the check and left, about to get into the Impala when Dean noticed two familiar looking people getting out of a tan SUV, talking to each other and holding hands as they headed into the diner.

"Hmm, guess this place has a good rep. Guess who else is here for breakfast?" he asked Sam, nodding towards Josh and Marie.

Sam looked, and the couple did seem none the worse for wear. He would have liked to have talked with them, but didn't feel like posing like anyone at the moment. He was startled when Dean opened the door, grabbed the red backpack, and went past him, pausing to watch as the previously missing hikers went safely inside, then plopping it onto SUV's hood by the windshield.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Hey, it'll just be one more mystery for them to think about." Dean grinned, and slid into the driver's seat of his car. "Get in," he said to his brother, who was looking at him like he was crazy. Dean rolled his eyes. "C'mon Sam, daylight's burning."

Sam shook his head, and then got into the passenger side, explaining his dream about the mother burning her cabin down around her.

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I know this was a little short, but I'm working on more, and promise it won't take so long. Have a great day!