DISCLAIMER: I only own my character! Anything you might recognize is courtesy of the CW. Any Gifs and/or pics present are not mine. They were pulled from google searches and/or Tumblr.

"How long's he been missing?" Angel asked as she flipped through her dad's journal, "You thinkin' he's just takin' a little longer on the job or he's in trouble?"

"He's not really missing." Ace sighed, "He just decided to jump into a job nuts first without backup."

"Well, you know Bucky…" She smirked into the phone, "He likes to show off but you always end up running in to save his ass."

He laughed, "Yeah, you're right. Which is why I'm on my way to the town he's in now. You guys find your pops yet?"

"We're getting close I think. Hit some coordinates he left us."

"That's good. Keep me posted. I'll uh talk to you later, babe. Pullin' in now."

"Alright, talk to you later, Ace." When she hung up she saw the look her brother was giving her and silenced him, "Can it, Dean."

"What?" He laughed, "I've just never seen you this… comfy around a guy. Let alone a hunter."

"Yeah… well… Asa's a little different."

"How?"

"I'll let you know how, if it goes past wherever we're at." She sighed, "But for now lemme just feel it out."

"Gotcha. But the next time i see him? He and I are having a talk."

She laughed, "Alright dad. Do whatever you gotta do."

When Dean turned another worrisome look to a sleeping Sam, he leaned forward and turned the radio on full blast. Sam jumped awake from the music and from whatever nightmare was currently plaguing him. He blinked a few times before rubbing his eyes as both of his siblings studied him with worry.

"You okay?"

Sam glanced at Dean before quickly looking away, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Angel pursed her lips as she leaned forward, "'Nother nightmare?"

Sam only offered her a throat clearing as an answer making her sigh.

Dean shifted in his seat, "You wanna drive for a while?"

Angel grinned as Sam laughed, "Dean, your whole life you never once asked me that. You've asked Angel but not me. This is the first."

"Just thought you might want to." Dean grumbled, "Never mind."

Angel shook her head, "Look, Sammy, he's just worried. I'm worried too. I mean with Jess… are you sure you're okay?"

"I get you guys are worried about me and thank you but really i'm perfectly fine." He dismissed, "Really." They nodded but looked less than convinced as he grabbed the map, "All right, where are we?"

Angel motioned, "We're just outside of Grand Junction."

Sam folded down the map, "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."

"Sam…" Angel frowned, "We looked and looked. There was nothing."

"Yeah… we dug around there for a week. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica-"

Sam finished, "We gotta find Dad first."

"Yeah. That's gotta be what dads tracking." Angel leaned on the driver's seat, "There's very few coincidences in this life and dad disappearing right when that thing pops back up is not one."

"Dad will have answers." Dean nodded, "He'll know what to do."

"It's weird, guys." Sam shook his head, "These coordinates he left us… This Blackwater Ridge."

"What about it?"

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

Angel motioned outside, "Well… we're about to find out."

They quickly drove past the National Forest sign that says, 'Welcome to Lost Creek Colorado National Forest' before pulling into the ranger station

"So Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote."

Sam explained as he looked at a 3D map of the national forest inside the station. He paid particular attention to the ridge labeled 'Blackwater Ridge'. Dean looked around at all of the things that filled the station as Angel studied the map next to Sam.

Sam pointed, "It's cut off by these canyons here. There's rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."

"Hm." Angel looked over, "Whatever dad was huntin must be big and bad if it's camping out here."

Dean scoffed from behind them and pointed to a framed photograph, "Check out the size of this freaking bear."

Sam and Angel walked over, "And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area." Sam commented, "It's no nature hike, that's for sure."

"It's a good thing we're all in shape boys." Angel winked, "You ready to wrestle some grizzlies?"

A forest ranger, Ranger Wilkinson, walked up behind them. When he spoke, the Winchesters all whipped around, startled.

"You three aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?"

"Oh, no, sir, we're… environmental study majors from UC Boulder." Sam forced a smile as he laughed, "Just working on a paper."

Dean grinned and raised a fist, "Recycle, man."

The ranger didn't look an inch convinced, "Bull." Sam's eyes flicked between them, the three don't move as he points, "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?"

"Uh… Yes." Angel grinned, "Yes we are. Love that… Haley. Haven't seen her… in awhile to say the least..."

The ranger bristled, "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 person's now, is it?" They shake their heads at his pointed glare, "You tell that girl to quit worrying. I'm sure her brother's just fine."

"We will." Dean smiled, "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."

The Ranger eyes Dean who raises his eyebrows, but complied with his request. As they exited the ranger station Dean held the piece of paper, laughing.

Sam gave him a look, "What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?"

"What do you mean?"

"He means: dad left us coordinates that point to Blackwater Ridge so why aren't we just going straight there? Why all the theatricts with the Haley chick?"

"I don't know…" Dean looks at them as they stop next to the impala, "Maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?"

"The kid's probably just camping, Dean." Angel pointed out, "I mean, he put in dates. What else could she tell us?"

"You said it yourself, since when are there coincidences with us in this life?"

"Alright, alright." She put up her hands, "Lets go talk to her, but let's make it quick."

Sam rolled his eyes, "I still think we should just stop wasting time and head into the ridge."

"Since when are you two all 'shoot first ask questions later'?"

Sam glared before getting into the car, "Since now."

Dean sent an impressed grin to Angel who rebuffed it, "Wipe that look off your face. That's not a good thing."

The Collins House:

"You must be Haley Collins." Dean smiled charmingly when she opened the door, "I'm Dean, this is Sam and Angel. We're, ah, we're rangers with the Park Service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over. He wanted us to ask a few questions about your brother Tommy."

Haley hesitated as she studied them, "Lemme see some ID."

Sam quickly pulled out a fake ID with the name 'Samuel Cole' and held it up for her to study.

She then opened the door wider, "Come on in."

"Thanks."

When the door swung open, she caught sight of the Impala, "That yours?"

Dean smirked, "Yeah."

"Nice car."

With a knowing smirk for Dean, she turned and led them into the kitchen. Angel quickly swatted her brother in the back of the head and mouthed for him to keep it in his pants. As they entered the kitchen they saw another young man sitting at the table on a laptop and motioned their hellos.

Sam turned to Haley, "So if Tommy's not due back for a while, how do you know something's wrong?"

"He checks in every day by cell. He emails photos and stupid little videos- we haven't heard anything in over three days now."

Angel nodded, "Maybe he just doesn't have reception."

"He's got a satellite phone, too."

"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?"

Ben, the youngest brother, piped up, "He wouldn't do that."

Dean eyed Ben, who looked away from him as Haley put more food on the table, "Our parents are gone. It's just my two brothers and me. We all keep pretty close tabs on each other."

The three Winchester's looked at eachother knowingly, "Can we see the pictures he sent you?"

"Yeah." On a laptop, Haley pulled up pictures, "That's Tommy."

She clicked twice and another picture came up. Then the still frame opened the latest video.

"Hey Haley, day six, we're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow."

Sam and Angel each share a look as they spotted a shadow flicking across the screen. Their hunter radars immediately went off.

Dean turned to Haley, "Well, we'll find your brother. We're heading out to Blackwater Ridge first thing."

"Then maybe I'll see you there." At their questioning eye she explained, "Look, I can't sit around here anymore, so I hired a guy. I'm heading out in the morning, and I'm gonna find Tommy myself."

Understanding filled Deans' features, "I think I know how you feel." He motioned between his siblings with a knowing look, "We all do."

"Hey," Sam motioned, "Do you mind forwarding these to me?"

"Sure."

At a local bar…

"Whats up, douches?" Angel smiled as she sat down in front of her brothers, she motioned to Sam when he closed his laptop, "Find anything good?"

"Groups of campers seem to go missing every 22-23 years."

"Found that too, Sammy." She handed over a newspaper article, "And I also found a potential lead. In fifty-nine one a camper survived one of these supposed grizzly attacks. Just a kid. Barely crawled out of the woods alive."

The boys look at The Lost Creek Gazette curiously, "Is there a name?"

"They call him Old Man Shaw." She smirked as she slid out of their booth, "Lets go. I already got an address."

At the Shaw house…

Old man Shaw led them inside as he lit a cigarette in his mouth, "Look, rangers, 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-"

"Grizzly?" Sam interrupted pointedly, "That's what attacked them?"

Shaw took a long puff of his cigarette as a fearful look overtook his face.

Angel studied him, "And all the other victims that year? Bear attacks?"

A long silence filled them before Dean continued, "What about all the people that went missing this year? Same thing?" Another pause as Old Man Shaw took a hard swallow, "If we knew what we were dealing with, we might be able to stop it."

"I seriously doubt that. Anyways, I don't see what difference it would make." He shook his head as he sat down, "You wouldn't believe me. Nobody ever did."

Sam sat down across from him, his eyes softening, "Mr. Shaw, what did you see?"

"Nothing… It moved too fast to see. It hid too well. I heard it, though. A roar. Like… no man or animal I ever heard."

"It came at night?" Shaw nodded, "Got inside your tent?"

"It got inside our cabin. I was sleeping in front of the fireplace when it came in. It didn't smash a window or break the door. It unlocked it." His eyes widened, "Do you know of a bear that could do something like that? I didn't even wake up till I heard my parents screaming."

"It killed them?"

"Dragged them off into the night." Shaws eyes became pained, "Why it left me alive… been asking myself that ever since." His hands went to his collar, "Did leave me this, though."

He opened his collar to reveal three long scars. Claw marks. The three winchesters leaned forward to study them as Shaw continued.

"There's something evil in those woods. It was some sort of a demon."

Back at the motel...

The three Winchesters walked the length of a corridor with rooms on either side discussing the case.

Angel heaved a sigh, "Okay, so demons wouldn't go out of their way to pick off people in the woods and kill them. And they don't have to unlock doors."

Sam nodded, "So it's probably something else, something corporeal."

"Corporeal?" Dean repeated impressed, "Excuse me, professor."

"Shut up." He rolled his eyes, "So what do you think?"

Dean took a breath, thinking, "The claws, the speed that it moves… could be a skinwalker, maybe a black dog. Whatever we're talking about, we're talking about a creature, and it's corporeal." Dean pointed, "Which means we can kill it."

They walked into the parking lot and Dean opened the trunk of the Impala. After propping open the weapons box with a shotgun, he started packing weapons into a duffel bag.

Sam leaned in, "We cannot let that Haley girl go out there."

"Uh, yeah." Angel nodded, earning an eye from Dean, "Kind of in agreement here. I mean they're not hunters. It's way too dangerous."

"Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can't go into the woods because of a big scary monster?"

"Yeah."

Dean centered them both, "Her brother's missing, guys. She's not gonna just sit this out. Would you?" He looked to Angel who immediately shakes her head no, "Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator friend."

"Fine." Angel raised a brow as he picked up his duffel bag, "But when we find it, one of us is staying back with them. We can't let another person die on our watch."

"Alright. No arguments."

"Finding Dad's not enough?" Sam slammed the weapons box shut, then the trunk earning glares from both siblings, "Now we gotta babysit too?" They both stared at him, heated, "What?"

"Nothing."

Dean threw the duffel bag at Sam and walked off. Angel shook her head at her little brother before taking leave as well. She wouldn't say she was surprised at Sam's behavior. The loss of Jess and being catapulted back into this life was obviously taking its toll on him, but she just wished he'd relax with the intensity a little bit. Sam stared after them, emotion blazing in his eyes.

The next morning Dean pulled the impala up to the beginning of the forest where Haley and Ben stood talking with another man, Roy. They exited the car and Dean went to talk to Haley as Sam and Angel unloaded the Impala.

Dean smiled, "You guys got room for three more?"

"Wait…." Haley eyed him, "You want to come with us?"

Roy glared from Dean to Angel and Sam, "Who are these guys?"

"Apparently this is all the park service could muster up for the search and rescue."

Sam walked past everyone and Roy watched him closely before turning back to Dean and Angel, "You're rangers?"

"That's right."

Haley looked them over, "And you're hiking out in biker boots, leather and jeans?"

"Sweetie." Angel walked forward, "I don't do cargo shorts."

Dean laughed before winking at Haley and following his siblings.

Roy glared, "What, you think this is funny? It's dangerous backcountry out there. Her brother might be hurt."

Sam and Angel turned back around, the latter giving Dean an annoyed look.

"Believe me…" Dean nodded, "We all know how dangerous it can be. We just wanna help them find their brother, that's all."