AN: Hey everyone, I'm back from New Mexico and just had to update this one. I know, I know, I have sooooo many others to do - I haven't forgotten any of them, I promise! I hope you all like this one... and uh, don't hate me at the end, ok?

After consulting with a few of the townspeople and gathering enough supplies for a couple of days, John packed the Impala and waited for Dean and Sammy to return to the car. He wasn't sure this was the smartest move he'd made in awhile, but he wasn't going to back out this time – not when it seemed like things were starting to smooth out between him and his boys.

Thinking about the last several months, he knew he'd been more than unfair but if his boys knew what he'd actually been dealing with – that not everything that held evil was demonic – he knew that Dean would be more than willing to jump in with both feet and not look back; leaving both his boys exposed to the dangers of that night so many years ago. No, it was better for them to worry about the creatures of the supernatural than the evils of man – at least for now. For now though, he too wasn't going to worry about it. Right now he was going to concentrate on his boys, and make sure his youngest recovered fully before finding a new place for them to go and start over – again.

"Hey Dad, miss us?" Dean asked as he and Sammy walked up to the car. He had noticed a far off look on his dad's face and knew what it normally meant – another move. This time though he had already decided that he'd fight his old man on this one – his little brother needed some rest, not more aggravation.

John smiled and looked at both sons. Dean was tall and fit at sixteen with a determination to keep his family safe at all costs. Sammy might be small, but he was quick in both body and mind. Both his boys made a great team and were best friends, and he felt sorry for anyone or anything that might try to change that. Tossing Dean the keys his smiled broadened, "Hey kiddo, how about you drive while I take a nap in the back. The map is on the front seat, Sammy."

Looking at Dean, Sammy sent a silent question that seemed to be sent right back to him before they both looked back at their dad. Seeing that this wasn't some sort of weird test, they both smiled before getting in the front seat and waited until their dad was settled in the back before Dean started the Impala and groaned in happiness at the sound of her engine coming to life.

"Dean," Sammy whined, "it's just a car… not a girl." He loved to tease his brother about his fixation on the one and only stable thing in their lives – he wasn't about to admit just how much the thought of ever losing the Impala actually scared him.

Making a tsking noise, Dean shook his head. "Sammy, Sammy, Sammy, what am I going to do with you?" he asked before snapping his fingers. "I got it – maybe I'll stuff you in trunk … right next to the tire."

Seeing Dean's smile, Sammy tried to think of a great come back, but his brain wasn't working like it normally does so he settled for his old standby, "Jerk."

Dean laughed before ruffling his brother's hair. "Bitch!"

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The trails they had been sent to was only ten minutes away, and the path they chose took them far enough away within another fifteen minutes that they found a clearing still secluded amongst the trees that they felt they could still be alone but not be too far away if Sammy began to feel ill. Sammy made the fire while John and Dean set up their one worn tent and arranged their gear to ensure that nothing would get to their youngest member before going through them.

With a decent fire going to give them warmth against the chill and light against the night, the Winchester men allowed themselves a chance to sit back and enjoy the sheer pleasure of doing nothing. The fire crackled, and the wind blew gently in the trees, while the stars shone brightly, giving them all a sense of peace that they hadn't realized they'd been lacking until they finally got it.

"Hey Sammy… would you go get that small sack next to the ice chest?" John asked while taking another look at the stars. He'd learned how to navigate by the stars when he was in the Marines during the war, a tool that had proven useful on many hunts in recent years, now though, he was just watching the beauty of it and wondering what the sky would look like in another lifetime – would they be different at all?

"Here you go Dad." Sammy said quietly as he held out the paper sack.

Nodding, John smiled and looked at Dean. "Did you get what I told you to?"

"Dude… right here!" Dean responded as he reached behind him and pulled out three long skinny sticks. "Perfect, don't you think?" he asked, obviously pleased with himself.

Puzzled, Sammy stood and watched his family as if they both had lost their minds. It wasn't until Dean jumped up and patted his shoulder that he was starting to get a clue that he was really missing something.

"C'mon Sammy, let's eat!" Dean said as he pulled his little brother and the sack closer to the fire. "Well, c'mon, hand over those marshmallows."

Not sure he heard his brother correctly; Sammy stood a moment before actually taking a second to look inside the bag he was carrying. Graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, and several chocolate bars. Looking back up at his brother he wondered what was going on when he heard his dad behind him.

"S'mores, Sammy. Don't tell me you've never had them before?" John asked, but seeing the question in his son's eyes he realized just how badly this could go. He was sure he had the treat with his boys before, but now that he thought about it – he'd had them with Dean on one of the few times they'd gone training without Sammy. Sighing, he understood just where that left them. "Huh, well then I guess that's one thing your old man has left to teach you, right?" he asked as he maneuvered his youngest son towards the fire and took the bag. "Ok, first… you need to pick out the right type stick. I know, you're thinking that any stick will do, but that's where you're wrong. You need to make sure it's not too thick, otherwise it'll take up most of your marshmallow… but if it's too thin, it'll catch fire itself. Now, put the marshmallow on the stick and put it close to the fire until it's done enough."

"Hey Sammy, look!" Dean yelled as he pulled his stick back out to show a completely enflamed ball clinging to the stick he was holding. "Yuuuuuum!" he enthused as he blew the flame out and immediately devoured the remaining bit of goo right off the stick.

"Ugh… Dean!" Sammy whined, clearly disgusted with his brother's antics. Seeing that his dad was watching, he decided to give it a try, not fully understanding what the whole purpose of this exercise was. As he watched though, he became mesmerized by how quickly the marshmallow browned. Pulling it out of the fires edge, he looked expectantly up at his dad who was smiling.

"That's good Sammy. Ok, how about we finish it off now? S'mores are built, and like with anything that's built, there's a certain way to do it. You have the graham cracker, marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker."

"Or…" Dean interrupted, "graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow, graham cracker. Personally, I think mine's better!"

Sammy looked at both his brother and his dad and noticing how serious they both seemed, decided that they were both off their rockers. Sighing, he decided that he'd play along until they both regained some sense of sanity. Digging out a cracker and a piece of chocolate, he managed to get them lined up with his one hand while still holding onto his stick with the other. Placing the marshmallow on top of the chocolate, he ignored Dean's enthusiastic cheer while he finished it off by placing the other half of the cracker on top and looked at it dubiously. One final look at his dad and brother and he bit into it, only to be surprised at how great it really tasted.

"Ooooh coooool" he mumbled through his mouth full of s'more.

John laughed as he watched his youngest son enjoy something so simple, wondering why he never thought to give that little pleasure to his boy sooner. Pushing that thought behind him, he joined in the fun and soon they all were vying for the best position in the fire for 'optimal marshmallow performance.'

It didn't take long before the Winchester men were turning the bag upside down in the attempt to find the last remaining chocolate bar, only to find the last half was sitting right next to Sammy.

"Holding out on us kiddo?" Dean asked as he made to reach for the last piece of chocolate.

"Not so fast Dean," John said as he intercepted his eldest boy, "I'm thinking that the last piece should go to one providing the feast in the first place." He said with a wide smile as he reached for the foil covered item only to have it snatched by Sammy at the last moment.

Staring at his brother and dad in shock, he suddenly felt like the last cookie in a room full of Kindergarteners. "Uh… maybe we can share?" he asked as he slowly backed away.

"Oh no way little brother, hand it over." Dean said in a low growl, as he got ready to pounce. "You know you're going to." He said as he began to make his move, only to be tackled on the ground by a large moving force.

John couldn't help but jump into the foray that was about to happen, mainly because it was too hard to resist getting the chance to wrestle with his boys. Wanting to be careful of Sammy, he tackled Dean far enough to the side that there was no way his youngest would get caught in the middle, but still close enough he could still feel a part of the action.

"Uh uh son, you're not getting away that… that s'more's mine!" John teased as he and Dean rolled around on the ground, both enjoying the cheering they heard from Sammy.

Dean knew what his dad was playing at, and he couldn't agree more – anything to hear his little brother happy, especially after the tough time he'd been having lately. Not wanting to make it look like he was giving in too easily, he positioned himself to 'toss' his dad off, not expecting the weight to come off easily, he shoved a little extra and was surprised when his dad not only was pushed away, but went stumbling back – towards Sammy!

Seeing that Dean knew what he was planning, and expecting him to make it look good, John was ready for the shove even as he pushed himself back. What he hadn't been expecting though was his loss of bearings while wrestling and the direction he found himself going towards was the exact same spot his youngest was now squatting down while watching the show. Unable to stop, he could only pray he didn't hurt Sammy as he felt himself tumble over his smallest boy and finally stop on top of a fallen log.

"Oh my God – Dad!" Sammy yelled as he felt torn between who he needed to check on first. Feeling Dean's hand on his shoulder, he immediately ran towards their dad and rested on his knees next to him. "Dad… are you ok?" he asked, wondering how something like this could have happened.

Dean wasn't sure what to expect, but staring down at his dad to assess the situation hadn't been one of the things he'd been expecting to do while they had been horsing around. "Hey Dad, you ok?" he asked as he stepped over the log to tend to his dad, all the while watching Sammy for any signs of injury.

"Yeah Dude, I'm ok… help me up." John groaned. He didn't want to admit that his back hurt like hell, but he had the feeling that it was something he wasn't going to be able to hide. Allowing Dean to help him to his feet he immediately turned to Sammy. "You alright son?" he asked, knowing full well that something like this could actually set him back.

Nodding, Sammy watched sadly as Dean made an icepack and grabbed some pills from the first aid kit. Sighing, he wasn't sure what he should do – it was his fault his dad got hurt, but now he didn't know how to fix it. It wasn't until he heard Dean calling to him that he realized that he had spaced out again. Hating himself for that even more than being the one to ruin their trip, he looked up at his big brother.

"Hey Buddy, it's alright… Dad took a muscle relaxer and a couple of pain pills, so he'll be out tonight but ready to go tomorrow, ok?" Dean said, worry clearly clouding his voice as he looked Sammy over closely – these staring fits were starting to scare him. "How about you and me finish off the marshmallows? What… did you really think I didn't stash extra? C'mon dude, you know me better than that." Smiling, Dean led his little brother towards his knap sack and dug down deep until he found what he was looking for. It wasn't much, but he was determined that for the next couple of days, Sammy wasn't going to worry about anything… especially if he messed up or not.

As the night turned later, the two brothers sat close and exchanged stories while roasting marshmallows, secure in the knowledge that they were a part of each other and nothing was going to change that.

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The sun shone brightly the next morning over the campsite, shining through the opening in the tent and engulfing the lone occupant who began to stir from his drug induced sleep.

'Damn, I have to remember to let Dean know not to combine those two again.' John thought as he looked over and saw both sleeping bags were empty next to him. Taking another look he noticed they didn't look slept in, making him wonder if the boys had decided to sleep under the stars last night. Grunting he rolled to his knees and managed to get out of the tent before straightening and stretching his back. Pulling his arms over his head he stopped in mid stretch when his mind started processing what he was seeing. Their camp fire was out, but the remaining wood was strewn across their campsite. Dean's knapsack, the one that had his candy stash in it was torn in several places with bits of material scattered like confetti. Red patches were along the ground, the wood, even the tent, slamming what was missing into his brain like a freight train – Dean and Sammy!

"DEAN! SAMMY!" John yelled, praying that it was some careless joke his boys were playing, all the while knowing that something was terribly wrong. "BOYS!" he continued to yell as he searched for signs to what could have happened. What he saw away from their site made his blood run cold and sent him racing back to the Impala to get supplies, all the while wondering how this could have happened.

AN: Hmmm... did I mention not to hate me at the end? yeah? ok, good... so, uh, you don't right? Don't worry, more on the way! Take care!!!