When Two Worlds Collide Ch. 32

Disclaimer: See Chapter one

Previously: "SAMMY!" Both John and Dean yelled in unison, their hearts nearly stopping as they watched their youngest falling towards the edge of the precipice they were walking along.

Reaching out to grasp his brother's arm as he fell, Dean yanked him back harshly and the two of them collided with the canyon wall as they fell backwards into a heap. "Sammy, you o-okay?" Dean asked worriedly as he cradled an unresponsive Sam in his arms and felt around for the lump on his head, sure that his brother had hit it upon falling.

Sam tried to answer, but the breath had been knocked out of him in the collision with Dean and it was all he could do to draw in a few shaky breaths.

"What the hell just happened?" Bobby panted out as he turned around, having nearly been scared to death himself at the sound of the panic in John and Dean's voice as they yelled out Sammy's name.

"Sammy, sl-slipped on a loose piece of rock and he nearly went ov-over the edge." John answered, his body visibly trembling in fear at having nearly lost his youngest son again. "If Dean hadn't managed to pull him back…," his voice trailed off not wanting to even think about the possible outcome.

Having finally regained his breath, Sam croakily voiced, "M'okay Dean. I didn't hit my head. You can let me up now." He was surprised however to find himself tugged more securely back into Dean's embrace instead.

"Yeah, well I'm not okay, so you can just deal with it for a little while kiddo." Dean voiced anxiously as he wrapped his arms tighter around Sammy and soaked in the fact that his brother was okay, that he hadn't just fallen to his death.

Knowing that he needed to take control of the situation before things went to hell, Bobby said, "Listen up, Hermits Rest shouldn't be too far up ahead. Why don't we make our way there and camp for the night." He knew that he needed to get the Winchesters away from the area they were in now since it had given them quite a scare. Neither of the eldest two would be able to fully relax until they knew Sam was safe and secure, and away from the place they stood now.

"Yeah, I think that would be best." John agreed as he reached down to grasp Sam's hand and pulled him into a standing position, making sure to keep his youngest between himself and the edge of the precipice they were walking along. He wasn't taking any more chances.

~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~

Ninety minutes of careful hiking later, the small group of men arrived at Hermits Rest to breathe a huge sigh of relief upon seeing the wonderment of the place. It had plenty of wide open space for campers to set up tents and it even had a small stone building which was built to blend into the area that offered a small snack bar for hikers as well as a gift shop.

"Alright Sammy, you just sit over there and take it easy for a little while we set up camp." John ordered his youngest as he pointed to a small outcropping of rock to sit upon."

"Dad, I'm fine really. You don't need to coddle me. Please let me help." Sam pleaded, his puppy dogs eyes put on in full force.

"Sorry Tiger, but those eyes of yours aren't working this time. Just do as I say." John stated as he placed a hand on Sam's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before adding, "Please kiddo, do it for me and your brother. Okay?"

"Sure Dad." Sam replied as he made his way over to the small outcropping to sit down and relax for a few minutes since he really was exhausted anyway. Watching as his family worked to set up the tents, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty knowing they were all probably just as tired as he was. Leaning back against the rock to rest his eyes for a few seconds, he was surprised to find himself awakened later with a gentle touch.

"Hey kiddo, don't you think you'd be more comfortable laying down in your sleeping bag?" Dean asked his groggy brother as he brushed the bangs back from Sammy's eyes.

"Un huh" Sam mumbled as his eyes started to close once again.

"Smirking, Dean reached out and tugged Sam to his feet before leading, or should he say dragging, Sam towards their tent. Getting Sam inside, he lowered his weary brother to his sleeping bag before tugging Sam's jeans off and replacing them with sweats to help keep him warm. "Sleep well kiddo." Dean whispered as he tucked the sleeping bag in around his brother to make sure Sam didn't get cold throughout the night.

Exiting the tent after Sam had faded off into a deep sleep, Dean smiled as he smelled the aroma of coffee wafting across to him on the breeze. It had been too long since he had a strong jolt of caffeine and he could sure use it. Walking over to where his father and Bobby were sipping on their own cups of the strong brew, he said, "I sure hope you saved some for me."

Pouring his eldest son a cup of hot java, John nodded his head towards the tent and asked, "He doing okay?"

"Yeah, Sammy's just wiped out Dad. A full night of sleep and he'll be good as new." Dean answered as he accepted the cup and sat down in front of the fire to enjoy the evening.

~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~

Awakened early the next morning by the smell of bacon cooking over an open campfire, Sam pushed himself up before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Damn, how long was I asleep?" He wondered, as he threw the sleeping bag from across his legs to see that he was no longer dressed in jeans. "And how the hell did I end up in my sleep pants?" Changing quickly, he pulled on his jeans and a fresh t-shirt from his backpack and then exited the tent.

Spotting his family sitting around a campfire as his father cooked, Sam trotted over to join them. "Morning." He voiced through a yawn as he sat down beside his older brother and swiped a piece of bacon from Dean's plate and bit into it.

"Hey ya little thief, that was mine." Dean stated in a teasing manner as he poked his baby brother in the ribs.

"Leave him alone Dean, there's plenty more." John chided lightly as he swatted his oldest gently on the back of the head for reprimanding his brother. "How are you feeling this morning Sam?"

"M'fine Dad." Sam answered with a smile as he munched on the delicious strip of bacon. Somehow, food always seemed so much better when it was cooked over an open fire.

"S'good Sport, because we've got a ways to hike today." Bobby said as he finished his own breakfast and chugged down the last of his coffee. They would have to get a start soon if they wanted to be at the bottom of the canyon before nightfall.

"Sammy, I want you to make sure you eat a few of those granola bars in your backpack also. I don't want you getting too weak to make the rest of this hike." John encouraged as he looked at his youngest child. Sam still looked a little pale to him, even though he had gotten almost fifteen hours of sleep.

"Yes Sir." Sam replied as he finished off the last of the bacon and then left to retrieve the said items from his backpack.

Tearing down the tents and repacking their gear approximately thirty minutes later, the hunters soon hit the trail again, excited to be on the last part of the hike.

~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~Supernatural~~

Finally arriving at the bottom of the canyon after a full day of hiking and taking plenty of rest breaks in between, the hunters dropped their backpacks and relaxed at the river's edge. They relished in the feeling of being able to take their boots off and plunge their tired, aching feet into the cool waters of the Colorado River.

"You know, I'm glad you talked me into taking this vacation Dean. I have to say that I've enjoyed myself a hell of a lot more than I thought I would." John admitted as he leaned back and enjoyed the scenery of the area as the water soothed his sore feet.

"Yeah, me too. Actually, I think we were all long overdue for a vacation." Bobby agreed. "It's been a long time since I could think about something other than hunting.

Looking at each other in astonishment, the stunned brothers blurted out "Christo," thinking that maybe the two elder hunters were possessed during the hike down.

"Very funny you two." John groused as he gave his boys a stern look before breaking out into a smile and giving them a wink.

"Hey Dad?"

"Yeah Sammy, you got something on your mind?"

"I, uh, I just wanted to say thanks."

"For what Tiger?" John asked a little perplexed.

"For giving us this vacation. I know how hard it must have been on you and Bobby to step back from the hunt for a little while and I wanted you to know I appreciate it." Sam answered a little sheepishly, his cheeks tingeing slightly pink with embarrassment upon making the admission.

"You don't have to thank me son." John voiced as a lump grew in his throat. "You boys deserved a vacation, especially after everything you've been through over the last year and I'm just glad we could do this together as a family."

"Well, I still appreciate it anyway." Sam intoned quietly before looking up at his father with moist eyes. "I love you Dad."

"I love you too Sammy, more than you'll ever know. By the way, that goes for you too Dean." John said as he pulled Sam in for a one armed hug.

"Jeez Dad, enough with the chick flick moments." Dean grumbled before finding himself pulled into a hug also.

Watching the Winchesters with affection, Bobby felt honored to be included in their small family and silently thanked Jim Murphy for having sent them his way all those years ago. He honestly didn't know how he would survive without them in his life now.

Sitting contently, the hunters enjoyed the evening making small talk until the day turned into dusk, each one relishing in the company of the others. They knew their vacation would soon be over as the hunt took precedence once again, but at least they had enough memories from the vacation to last them a lifetime.

The END. I want to say a special thanks to everybody who stuck with me throughout this story. I truly cherished reading your comments and hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it.