After spending a week in Palo Alto looking for the thing that killed Sam's girlfriend, Jessica, Sam and Dean decided to head to the coordinates their dad left for them. During the week, Brett stayed out of their way, since he knew they were focused on finding Jessica's killer. He stayed with them, though, but just out of their way. He was surprised when Dean stuck with his decision to bring Brett with them. He hasn't taught him how to be a hunter yet, which Brett could understand. Their minds were only focused on Jessica.
Currently, they were on the road on the way to Blackwater Ridge, Colorado. Sam was asleep in the passenger seat while Dean drove. Brett sat in the back seat in the middle, looking down at the floor.
"Hey, kid, why the long face?" Dean asked him.
"It's technically my birthday today," he answered, not looking up.
"Technically? How can it be technically your birthday?"
"You remember last week what I told you where I come from?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"It was November 3rd where I come from, ten days before my birthday. And because I arrived three days earlier here, that means my birthday is now three days earlier."
"That doesn't make any sense, but okay. So you're how old now? 18?"
"Yeah, and I'm sad I'm not spending it with my loved ones."
"Yeah, well, until we figure out a way to get you home, you're stuck with us, which means we're gonna have to train you as a hunter."
"I don't think you'll need to worry about that."
"Why is that?"
"Because back home, my dad would take me hunting once every few months. I'm a pretty good shot, and I know how to use a knife."
"Do you know how to use one defensively? Or how to use it when fighting?"
"Well, uh, no, not really."
"Now see? You still need to be trained. Remind me to do so when we get the chance."
Suddenly, Sam jerks awake. It was obvious he had a nightmare. Dean looks at him. "You okay?"
Sam looks at him, then away again. "Yeah, I'm fine."
"Another nightmare?" When Sam doesn't answer, he continues. "You wanna drive for a while?"
Sam laughs. "Dean, your whole life, you never once asked me that."
"Just thought you might want to. Never mind."
"Look, man, you're worried about me. I get it, and thank you, but I'm perfectly okay." He grabs a map and opens it. "All right, where are we?"
"We are just outside of Grand Junction."
Sam folds the map back down. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't have left Stanford so soon."
"Sam, we dug around there for a week. We came up with nothing. If you wanna find the thing that killed Jessica-"
"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?"
Several minutes later, they park outside the ranger's station of the Lost Creek Trail in Lost Creek National Forest. They get out of the car and head inside. They all look around the place. Sam looks at a 3D map of the forest while Dean looks at a picture of a man standing behind a very large bear that he killed. Brett stood next to him, also surprised by the size of it.
"So, Blackwater Ridge is pretty remote," Sam says. "It's cut off by these canyons here, rough terrain, dense forest, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place."
"Dude, check out the size of this freaking bear," Dean says.
Sam comes over to them to see the picture. "And a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. It's no nature hike, that's for sure."
"You boys aren't planning on going out near Blackwater Ridge by any chance?" asks the park ranger suddenly. All three of them jump slightly and turn around as he asks.
"Oh, no, sir, we're environmental study majors from UC Boulder, just working on a paper," Sam says, laughing a little.
Dean raises a fist. "Recycle, man."
"Bull," the ranger says. "You're friends with that Haley girl, right?"
"Yes. Yes, we are, Ranger...Wilkinson," Dean says after a second.
"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 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. 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 just eyes him.
Several minutes later, they walk out of the station. Dean is holding a copy of the permit and he's laughing.
"What, are you cruising for a hookup or something?" Sam asks.
"What do you mean?"
"The coordinates point to Blackwater Ridge, so what are we waiting for? Let's just go find Dad. I mean, why even talk to this girl?" They reach the Impala, and they stand on opposite sides.
"I don't know, maybe we should know what we're walking into before we actually walk into it?"
Sam pauses for a second. "What?"
"Since when are you all shoot first, ask questions later?"
"Since now." Sam gets in the car, with Brett following suit, feeling slightly awkward with the conversation.
"Really?" Dean asks himself before getting in himself.