SPN Fic: What about the Grand Canyon? PG
Title: What about the Grand Canyon?
Author: summerholt
Beta: The awesome nightrider101 .
Characters: Dean, Sam
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own and I don't get paid.
Summary: Sam and Dean take a vacation. Sam persuades Dean to go on a backpacking trip to the Grand Canyon and Dean doesn’t really like it.
Notes: I read a great fic with a lot of angst where Sam and Dean planned to go to the Grand Canyon and never got there. That fic has a happy ending but I am sad they never made the trip. This fic here is my outlet. Slight spoiler for episode 5x10, Abandon all Hope.
The last hunt they have consists of three days of driving, five days of research, two days of hunting, and a couple hours of adrenaline rush, resulting in both of them covered in some sticky goo that not only is hard to remove, but also burns slightly and smells really, really awful. Dean has called dibs on a shower. Sam slumps in the sofa and stares at the wall that’s covered by research papers.
“We need a vacation,” Sam mumbles, almost too tired to speak.
“Huh?” Dean asks, coming out of the shower, one towel around his waist and drying his hair with another.
Sam peels himself from the sofa, taking off his clothes on the way to the bathroom and tries to speak more clearly for Dean’s benefit. “Dude, we really need a vacation.”
Dean makes a noise in his throat as he rummages through his duffel. He is probably not even registering what Sam is talking about, just replying out of habit.
“What ‘bout the Grand Canyon?” Sam peaks his head out of the bathroom door, visibly more energized by the new idea.
“Yeah, maybe,” Dean says with half of his brain functioning. He falls onto his bed, grins when he hears Sam’s distressed shout, “Did you use up all the towels?” He’s asleep within minutes.
Sam comes out of the bathroom dripping wet. He fetches the towel that Dean carelessly threw on the floor to dry himself. He looks at Dean and smiles affectionately, “Jerk.”
Even in his sleep, Dean mumbles, “Bitch.”
Sam can’t help laughing. He jumps happily into his bed, already planning the backpacking trip into the Canyon.
~~
They arrive at the south rim of the Grand Canyon just before sunrise and take the Bright Angel trail to descend into the inner canyon. Sam has finally worn Dean down enough to agree to this hiking trip. They rented some backpacking and camping gear from a shop that Sam found online, and parked the Impala at a local garage. Two hours into the hike, the sun is high above them and Dean regrets more and more about giving in to Sam’s idea of a vacation.
“I thought we were going on vacation,” Dean whines.
“Want some cheese with your whine?” Sam replies happily.
Dean kicks at the loose stones in the path. “I miss my baby.”
“Your baby’s doing fine,” Sam promises.
“You’d better hope she is,” Dean spits out.
Sam feigns concern. “You need a break?”
“No, I don’t!” Dean yells. He can tell that Sam is suppressing a laugh and his eyes shoot daggers at Sam’s back. “Seriously, what kind of vacation is this? I’m hot. I’m exhausted…”
“So you do need a break?” Sam turns around and laughs at him. Dean throws his backpack down angrily, which by the way weighs a ton, and glares at Sam.
Sam puts up his hands and says, “I need a break, too.” He shakes his head and sits down, leaning against his backpack. “I remember you enjoyed our last hike when we were hunting the Wendigo.”
“First of all, hunting. Second, hot chick. And, oh yeah, it wasn’t scorching hot!” Dean plops down next to his backpack, pulls out his bag of melting M&M, takes a disgusted look, and stuffs the bag back into his pack. He continues, “When you said Grand Canyon, I thought you were talking about all the touristy stuff, ya’ know? Driving to the rim, taking a look, and then driving on to Vegas to have a good time. The American way.”
“You won’t be able to see the river until we reach the inner canyon.”
“I don’t care about the river. Can we turn back now? It’s not too late; we can be in Vegas before night fall,” Dean inquires hopefully.
“Dean…” Sam starts, pauses, then says quietly, “I’d really like to spend a night down there.”
Dean looks at him. He wonders why it’s so important to Sam, but something in Sam’s expression stops him from asking. He punches Sam’s shoulder and stands up, smiles at Sam and says, “Remember that you promised to do whatever I want in Vegas.”
Sam sighs, every bit the put-upon younger brother. “How can I forget? You only remind me every half hour or so.”
Dean laughs and says, “Just wanna make sure, you little weasel. Now let’s get this over with so we can have some real fun.” He picks up his backpack and stumps ahead of Sam.
Sam remembers the amount of negotiation and persuasion he has put in to get Dean to agree to this backpacking trip. Sam’s not particularly looking forward to the nonstop strip club visits that are sure to come, but he’s glad he can make the trip and his brother is with him.
~~
They stay close to the river, away from the campground. Dean tries to sleep but it’s just too hot. The thin mattress doesn’t provide much comfort either. After much tossing and turning, he finally gets up and goes to look for Sam.
He finds Sam sitting at the river. Sam is staring at something in his hand, caressing it from time to time. Dean slows down and purposefully makes some noise when he approaches. When Sam looks up he looks lost, pained, and curiously serene at the same time. He smiles when he sees Dean and says softly, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Dean replies cautiously, “You alright?”
“Yeah,” Sam says and turns his attention back to what’s in his hand.
Dean sits down next to Sam, crowds into his personal space, their shoulders and thighs almost touching. He cranes his neck to see what Sam is holding. It is a silver ring with the tiniest diamond glittering in the moonlight. It looks delicate in Sam’s gigantic hand.
Dean opens his mouth several times, but nothing comes out. He can feel Sam’s pain and wants to help. But he’s never been good at that, talking about emotional stuff.
Sam rubs his finger over the silver band, pushing the diamond into his palm. “Jess used to love it here. We both did.”
He’s surprised that Sam has been here before, but he doesn’t let the surprise show. He nods and agrees, “It’s beautiful here.” In an attempt to brighten the mood, he adds, “Almost worth the eight hour hike and the oven-like temperature.”
Sam laughs and bumps Dean’s shoulder. “Dude, it was five hours tops. And the temperature isn’t too bad. Here, have some water to cool down.” Before Dean realizes what’s going on, he dips his hand in the river and splashes Dean.
Dean retaliates immediately. The two of them are laughing and wet within minutes. Sam’s at a disadvantage since he’s still holding the ring in one hand.
Finally Sam holds up his hands in surrender and Dean backs off. He sits down and pulls off his shirt to dry himself. Dean only has a pair of sweatpants on so he snatches the shirt from Sam before he’s finished to use it as a towel.
Sam is still laughing when Dean asks, “So you came ‘ere often?”
Sam takes a deep breath, smiles and nods. “Yeah, we always came here after the semester ended, a sort of celebration. I wanted to come here and ask her the question. But-“ He shrugs, his gaze falling to the ring. “Never made it.”
Dean puts a hand on Sam’s forearm and gives it a tight squeeze.
“The night before we went to look for Dad, Jess and I went to a party. I asked her what I would do without her. She said crash and burn.” Sam looks at the ring in his hand. “She was breathtaking.” He kisses the ring and puts his hand in the river, the water chilling to his bones. “And I loved her so much.” He keeps his hand in the river and starts to feel the pain. He turns the ring and the diamond looks like a faint star.
He finally lets go. The ring sinks, the star fades. He sighs and turns to Dean with shining eyes.
Dean doesn’t know what to say so he says the only thing he can say, “I’m sorry, Sammy.”
Sam smiles at Dean, it’s soft and fleeting, and says, “Thanks.” He covers his eyes with his hands, the coldness calming and soothing. His hands are wet from the river and for a second he pretends it covers his tears.
~~
They both sit there for a while, listening to the rushing water. Finally Sam sighs and stands up. He looks down at Dean and says, “Come on, man. We need to get some sleep.”
Dean nods and follows Sam silently to their campsite. He takes a sleeping pill and hopes it will work. No way can he sleep in this heat without any extra help.
Sam doesn’t mind the heat, but he can’t fall asleep either. He gazes into the sky, trying to count the stars. Dean is restless beside him, so Sam asks, “Do you think we’ll see them one day? Mom, Dad, and Jess?”
“Yeah,” Dean mumbles. “And Jo and Ellen. Remember we saw Ash up there? Pretty sure if we look long enough we’ll find them all.”
“Yeah.” Sam pauses then says thoughtfully, “I hope we go to the same place.”
“If not, I’m coming to find you. Don’t you worry, Sammy. I’ll always take care of you.”
Sam is surprised at Dean’s uncharacteristic admission and blurts out, “Dude, what’s with the chick flick moment?” He catches himself and says, “Not that I’m complaining.”
Dean laughs and says, “Hey, that’s my job. Taking care of you. It’s not always easy but it’s the most important thing.”
Sam snorts. “Dad sure drilled that into you.”
Dean’s reply is almost immediate, “No, not dad. You’re the most important. Always have been.” His words start to slur at the end.
Sam rolls on his side to look at Dean. Dean seems to be sound asleep, still mumbling but not clear enough for Sam to understand. He wonders whether he should start asking the tough questions, the ones Dean would normally run away from screaming, now that he’s clearly under medicinal influence, but changes his mind and just quietly says, “Jerk.”
Dean grins in his sleep and murmurs, “Bitch.”
~ fin ~