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Every Breath You Take || Ch. 10

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Already shielding herself from the sight of Abels' withered wounds, Claire twisted around to match the face to the voice. 


Dean. Dean was here, which meant things were suddenly and overwhelmingly looking up for her. But he wasn't just looking at her. Her heart went out to him when she saw the horror twist his features upon spotting the shrunken Sam pinned to the table. He muttered Sam's name, but the brothers were only able to share anxious eye contact from the space between them. Dean's eyes were back up again to Abel's, and Claire was exceedingly grateful she wasn't the target of that cold rage. 


Abels clenched his jaw furiously when he saw Claire face glow for the blond hunter. If these damnable hunters hadn't intervened, she would have already been tamed by this point! 


"You really think I would hand her over to you? When this is what you let happen to the people under your watch?" The witch gestured to Sam, easily playing up on the guilt Dean already burdened himself with. Abels sauntered closer, keeping Sam close on the side and Claire still clutched in one hand. The barrel of Dean's gun was aimed inches from his chest. 


"Go on," he whispered cruelly. He hugged Claire over his heart, and the tiny woman watched miserably; Dean's aim faltered as he considered the risk of hitting her.


What's the plan now genius? The withering thought passed through Dean's mind. His eyes shifted from Abels face, glancing back down at Claire. The silent terror that was plastered across her face made his insides go cold and his gut twist. Something so beautiful shouldn't have to be so scared. If he had done his job right, she'd have been back to normal already. And Sam...  Sammy... 


Dean couldn't even let his brain think about his little brother. Just an arms reach away, completely useless in a fight, and completely effing vulnerable. 


The hunter took a deep breath through his nose, his lips compressed into a thin line as he stared the man-witch down. Abels had to twitch first. It was the only way to get a clean shot off. But he might as well as been in the Kobi Oshi freaking Miru! If Dean twitched first, choosing his brother or Claire, they were all dead. Abels would have a split moment to move while Dean made a desperate scramble to save whatever shrunken sucker he decided to go for. 


The longer I wait, the stronger he'll get, and ill be back to negative square one. God. Is it crazy to think you're there? Giving a crap at all? Come on... just something! Please.


Abels smile widened as he watched the hunter sweat. He even started to enjoy the look the boy was giving his Claire. The fear was palpable, radiating off the other creatures in the room. The pale witch's eyes half closed, letting it soak in beneath his skin. 


Pain suddenly shot through him, his burning bullet wounds flaring into a pain that seared deep into him. He screamed, his voice coming out as a shrill but hoarse whisper. The silver in his flesh only burned this badly when the witch's enemy was called on... invited into the situation. Abels barely noticed as he fell, a very surprised Dean grabbing Claire before she tumbled to the ground.


The witch could only feel the pain. A soul unnaturally and evilly attached to a body that should be long dead, could only know this type of pain. 


Dean careful clutched Claire, his eyes round in shock. The skin on Abels' body was turning grey and patchy, flaking off in small pieces. The wisps that survived their master's pain screamed along with him, flying around the room like mad breezes. Dean could wrap his mind around this...Unable to even comprehend how it had happened. 


"Later idiot. Later." He muttered. Still clutching Claire to his chest, Dean bent over Abels and pulled the twine necklace. A large hex pouch came loose. Stuffing it into his jeans pocket, he put Claire into his shirt pocket, relief washing through him as he felt her small weight drop into it. He then turned to the table. His brother stared up at him from it, his mouth hanging open. 


"Well, baby brother... Time to get you and Claire out of here." He said, a wicked smirk flickering across his face as he plucked Sam up and dropped him next to Claire. Dean turned and ran for the next room... He had to keep moving, no matter how much he almost wanted to savor a five inch baby brother.


Jostled around in Dean's pocket, Claire knew the fight wasn't quite over yet. She was shaking violently with a mixture of terror and relief. She clutched the fabric walls for dear life, only to be slammed against Sam as he half-dropped into her lap. The moment they untangled each other, they were thrown together against with the frantic rhythm of Dean's sprinting. To keep them from bumping into each other beynd that, Sam wrapped a strong arm around Claire's waist, holding her against him in the best way that he could. 


"It's okay," Sam was jerked out of his thoughts when he heard Claire's strained voice. He couldn't tell if it was aimed at him or not. "It's okay, Dean made it. We're both gonna be okay... Not gonna die with a witch..." Claire muttered in labored spurts, like just talking aloud was an immense struggle. Which it was, given  the violent movement of her ride. When she bite her cheek painfully, she learned to keep her mouth shut for the remainder of the ride. 


In any other situation, Sam would have rolled his eyes that she was so hung up on his big brother. A lot of girls looked at Dean in ways they never would for the "little brother". But right now, he was literally thumping against Dean's chest via pocket. It was a humbling and disturbing experience he made Dean swear not to bring up in the future. He was still trying to get the mental image of his brother, the giant, out of his mind. 


Dean scrambled through a more than halfway blocked doorway, sending dust and spiders crawling away when debris were sent carelessly flying in the opposite direction. His boots hit the floor and he grunted, but immediately started moving again. Okay....maybe he DID know what had happened. Maybe..."Someone" had been listening. 


Crap, that old preacher man got in my head! Just gotta get these two OUT. I won't go after Abels again till they're safe and moving towards the car. Anything happens, Bobby can track the cell I left on in the car and pick them up. Heh... literally if he gets here soon enough.The last thought made him smile in momentary amusement. Seriously, he wasn't gonna let Sammy forget this.

 

Something moved at the edge of his vision and Dean threw himself backwards to hide behind a crumbling column. He winced when he felt the tiny bodies in his pocket get thrown against his chest. He hoped that Claire and Sam were holding up okay. Cautiously, he peeked around the column. His heart twisted when he saw that he was back in the massive entry way of the old house, moonlight streaming through cracks in the walls and the large opening where one a door still actually hung. But small white shapes flew around the room liked demented, glowing fireflies. Dean considered his options, his features turning to scowling stone. Sam and Claire were getting outside, no question about it. But those things meant that Abels was going to be on top of them sooner than he liked. 


"Looks like this is going to go the hard way. Hold on guys." He said as he reach behind him and pulled his rifle off his back. The end was sawed off and it was loaded with a silver stuffed scatter shot that would hopefully get rid of enough of the stupid fairies. Once he stepped away from the column, he fired, the cloud of wisps melting away as the silver passed through them. He knew the others would report to their master and he didn't have a lot of time, so he ran till he was within a few feet from the door. 


Reaching into his pocket, he pulled both Sam and Claire out, each in a different palm as he knelt on the floor. 


"Okay. You guys go from here." Both of the tiny people in his hands tried to argue, but Dean shook his head and talked over them. He told them where to find the car and to wait for Bobby if they didn't get their size back. 


"Im taking Abels out. Or slowing him down. You guys can't help." Dean didn't look at his brother,  finding harder to say that to him right now. "But you gotta help each other."


He lowered his hands, but the one with Claire paused. He felt Sam climb off, but Dean's eyes were caught by Claire's. Barely thinking about it, he cupped Claire in both hands, her hair still copper bright and silky on his fingers. A small smile pushed onto his face as he slowly brought her closer, and then gently kissed the top of her head... And then the side of her face. 


Couldn't resist, could you? Sam asked Dean in his mind. But seeing that look on Dean's face as he withdrew to look at Claire one last time... He didn't need an answer. 


The four inch woman found her face encompassed by a plush, tender warmth she could never have imagined. It was a kiss that was impossible to emulate or describe to anyone else. A brief moment of peace and clarity amidst this horror movie of a life she was living out. She didn't get a chance to react further than a breathless expression, and perhaps that was a blessing. 


"You're gonna be alright Claire. Sam will take care of you till youre normal again." He didn't wait for her to answer before he gently put her down. Her feet touched ground, bringing her back to reality. 


Smirking, Dean reached out and rubbed the top of Sam's head with a finger. "Stay safe Sammy. Get her out of here." 


Before Sam could flinch, a giant hand dropped out of the sky to give him a noogie courtesy of a single fingertip. Sam shot a dirty look up at Dean, fixing his hair. The glare was fleeting, quickly replaced by momentarily terror as his brother stood up right in front of them. It made his stomach twist and turn with knots the size of planets. He barely reached Dean's ankle, for God's sake! He distantly processed Dean's words, more intent on staring mutely until his eyes gave out. 


Suddenly a shrill, whistling scream ripped through the house, tearing Deans attention away. 


"Go." He ordered as he stood up.


God.....let this work. Dean thought as he reached for the hex bag.


As demeaning as it was to be so tiny, that was quickly going to be a permanent problem if they didn't each do the job they were raised to perform. Sam forced himself out of his stupor by turning his attention to their resident victim. 


"Claire," Sam urged. "Come on." 


He grabbed her arm and steered her briskly along the uneven floorboards, towards the grass in the distance. The grass grew in patches: unkempt and withered, snaking over Sam and Claire's heads like flimsy palm trees. Dean's footsteps shook the floor, but this time Sam felt annoyance twinge at the back of his mind. Dean could have so easily just taken three steps more and put them on the ground outside. Why the hell had he just stopped right before the door? At least it was hanging off its hinges; gave them plenty of room to escape through. 


Legs pumping at a desperate pace, Claire twisted in his grip to steal one last glimpse of Dean's massive retreating silhouette. 


~~~


Dean made sure to stand in front of the door, blocking Sam and Claire's retreat for as long as he could. He stared intently into the dark gloom covering the way he had come, the other two hallways leading from the room the hunter stood in were blocked by closed doors. There were only a handful of wisps still in the room, perched on whatever ledges they could find. Dean rolled his shoulders and tried not to feel creeped out by their stares. He turned his head to look over his shoulder, distracted by wondering how far the other two had made it, Dean almost missed the way the room started to shake. But when the scream suddenly reached an ear splitting pitch, he looked back around in time to see flames gushing down the hall directly ahead of him. 


Barely having time to curse, the hunter threw himself to the side, grabbing the edge of a thick table and pulled it onto its side. The hunter ducked behind it, but his hand was still on the edge when the fire reached him. He yelled in pain when the fire licked his knuckles, searing the skin on the back of his fingers. Dean snatched his hand back and smacked it against his pants leg to put out the flames. Unwanted tears of pain rolled from the corner of his eyes, but Dean's thoughts immediately went to the two small people who had been trying to escape. He could see the door and his heart felt a little relief when he didn't see the flames burning too close to the door. 


"Don't worry boy. These fires only burn what I want remember? My toys only hurt when I want them to." 


Dean winced when the witch's voice rasped out. Could the freak read his thoughts? 


"You dropped my hex bag. Did you already figure out you grabbed the wrong one? Or perhaps you hoped it'd burn up in the flames." 


Dean's eyes went wide, adrenaline surging back into his veins amd helping him stand. It took him less then a moment to find where the bag had rolled and he snatched it up with his good hand. He grimly looked towards Abels, the witch surrounded in flames and looking like a arrogant son of a birch. 


"Keep... keep talking, dick." Dean wheezed with a sneer. The flames surrounded most of the room and smoke was starting to fill his lungs. "You're toast." Dean made himself smile. It was a lie of course. What little silver flakes he had left had fallen out when he had been running or was in the last few shotgun shells he had in his other pocket. But his gun was on the other side of the room. And... what if Abels was telling the truth? What if he did have the wrong bag?


Abels quietly waited for the hunter to make his move. The Winchester had been lucky so far. More lucky than any other hunter had been. The witch could still feel the silver, burning in his veins and head. He only had enough power for one more large move, but nothing that needed precision. 


There is nothing to fear as long as he thinks he has the wrong hex bag. And this child is too stupid and tired to figure this out alone. His faith in the only One who could help him doesn't truly exist. He is mine. His brother is mine. And Claire....Lovely Claire will always be mine.


~~~~


Gasping short, ragged breaths, Sam stumbled to a stop when he felt Claire's small hand slip out of his. Feeling like an over burnt shrimp on a BBQ, the hunter turned around to see what had happened to Claire. The sudden explosion of fire and heat had made it hard to breathe for the shrunken pair. But somehow, they had kept running and were just outside the door, the porch columns looming like skyscrapers. When Sam's eyes fell on Claire he had to bite back a curse. She was staring into the flames and he just knew she was trying to find his brother. 'Damn you Dean! You always make our jobs harder!' Sam grabbed Claire's hand and pulled her around, but his anger faded when he saw her face, covered in ash and fear. For some reason, seeing that she was still so short to him still helped him feel kinda normal for a moment. "Sticking around isn't going to help him. You got to remember that if Abels gets us, were ALL dead. Dean too. Leaving is...its how we help." The words came out through gritted teeth. Sam hated leaving too. But he gently touched Claire's cheek and waited for a nod before he started running again.


~~~~~


Abels looked like a trainwreck- a horrendous visage of peeling flesh and raw skin tissue glinting in the fire light. It was a far stretch from his calm profile picture on eharmony. Normally. a healing spell would be on the tip of his tongue. But tonight was different. He had five casings of silver bullets in his chest cavity, putting his life on a very thin string. 


"You really think you could just whisk her off into the sunset, boy?" Abels condescended, sneering at Dean like he was speaking to a five year old. "Don't play me for a fool, I know how hunters are. You'll leave her. Don't lie to me!" He roared, cutting off dean's protest. He calmed down again with a tense smile. "But I... I will never leave her. I will always be there for her. You just can't wrap your dim brain around the fact that she needs me."


"Screw you! You've already hurt her, you freak!" Dean yelled back at the witch. He was pissed.  Gritting his teeth from pain and emotion over load, Dean reached for a couple of the shotgun shells he still had and chucked them at Abels. The witch laughed when they exploded a foot away from him, the heat getting to them quicker than Dean had thought. 


Dean had taken the moment of distraction and ran to hide behind a column, closer to the heat but now closer to Abels too. What the crap was he gonna do now? How many shells did he have left anyway? He reached into his pocket and cursed when he only pulled out one. 


Suddenly a thought came to his head and he stared down at the hex bag. What he could only HOPE was the real hex bag. He could feel the ridges on the finger bone under the leather bag. Shaking his head, Dean forced the last silver shotgun shell into the hex bag and came back around the other side of the column. Feeling the witch's arrogant stare, Dean tossed the hex bag into the fire near Abels. The witch's magic protected the bag and it landed on the floor deep in the flames. 


"You are an idiot, Winchester. That was your only hope and you give it back so soon? Its time for-..." 


Abels words cut off when the bag began to blacken, liquid silver suddenly seeping out of the quickly charring leather. The hunter's eyes went wide and he looked at Abels. What was left of his face was locked in a look of terror. 


"Suck on that, you piece of shit." Dean rasped.


A blood-curdling moan pierced the air, escaping from lips that were crumbling into ash. Dean stumbled back several steps as Abels fell to his knees, touching his face in a desperate attempt to cling to his youth. The silver pooled around the mummified finger on the floor. The flames caught into the burlap, piercing it in a hot blue fire. The moan got louder and louder until it was ringing in Dean's ears. Abels' body turned gray and lifeless in a mater of seconds, unraveling the years of restorative spells. Dean stood over him in the light of the fire, needing to watch the light leave his eyes.


For all its power, magic was so fragile in the end. 


~~~


Outside, the two tiny figures began to stumble in their journey. Claire fell behind again, her weight pulling back against Sam, her hand in his. Sam turned to keep her from lingering. But this time, she was struggling, gasping for air as she ran. 


"I'm coming." She waved him off, speeding up. A second later she collapsed into a hammock of grass.


"Claire!" Sam barked.  


He could feel it now too- a darkness creeping up in the corners of his mind, telling him to sleep. Sam picked Claire up and tried to press on for the both of them. But before long, the darkness was too strong to fight. He keeled over in the endless lawn, unconsciousness winning. 


~~~~


Cool grass cradled Claire's head. She looked out blearily, not having any particular memorable thoughts as she curled her fingers inwards against the dewy blades. Her eyes shot open. The grass was tiny again. It wasn't huge! Which meant... She wasn't tiny. 


Claire scrambled to a sitting position and looked around wildly. The house no longer hung over them like a skyscraper. It was just a house. The grass, merely natural carpeting instead of a strange domestic jungle. And Sam... Sam was back to normal too. She nearly laughed; after all that running, they hadn't made it more than five feet away from the porch. 


With all the excitement and crippling relief bubbling within her, a sense of dread still remained. It was like waking from a bad dream. No matter how concrete the proof that it was behind her, the vividness of her nightmare kept her wary, like it might re-converge upon her at any given moment. 


But she was big again! Dean had done it. Crickets chirped in the stillness of the night. Where...Where is Dean? Leaning over the younger hunter, Claire grasped Sam's shoulder and shook him. 


"Sam! Sam, wake up. It worked!" She exclaimed in a raw voice. 


Sam groaned in his throat as he wakes. He sat up and looked around, his mouth hanging open as he drew the same conclusions as Claire had only moment before. Without warning he locked his gaze on something behind her. She whirled with a frozen heart to view a silhouette detach itself from the smoke filling the doorway and take a distinct identity, slowly making its way towards them. 


The entry was still burning, but most of the fire had died when the witch had. A breeze hit him as he cleared the doorway and walked onto the rickety porch, the cold air making his skin shiver, his burns tingle, and filled his lungs with fresh air. Stiff legged and stumbling, Dean walked out of the house.  'I feel like burnt toast. At least the evil toaster is dead. Thank... Thank you God for that.' The thought came out more respectful than usual for him. The hunter had a feeling it was gonna be a new thing for him. 


Recognizing him, Claire leapt to her feet and ran to Dean, throwing her arms around him in a fierce embrace. He jolted in surprise at first, but gradually hugged her back. With her face buried in his chest, she feels cemented in place. This was real. He was real. Claire dug her fingers into his back, absolutely adoring the fact that she was able to hug someone normally. 


Dean's eyes adjusted to the light just in time to see Claire throw herself into his arms. He had to bite back a curse from the pain...But as he finally realized what was going on, he gladly put his arms around her. She was short enough to easily fit under his chin, and Dean held her even tighter for a moment, taking a deep breath.


She pulled away and looked up at his face, seeing him clearly for the first time.  


"Are you okay?" She asked breathlessly. 


"Yeah-"


"Oh, thank God." Cutting him off, she went on her tiptoes and crushed her lips against his in a fearless impulse.  


Dean's eyes went wide but it took him less than a heartbeat to respond, fiercely kissing her back. 


Despite everything, this had been one of his favorite hunts, hands down. 

Previous chapter: obsess-confess.deviantart.com/…

LAST: coming soon! 

Co-written by :iconnocturnalbirdie:

Authors note that I keep forgetting to mention! The title of the story is taken from the song of the same name by the Police. Reason being, that song is a stalker song disguised as a love song.. Such like Abels' attatchment to Claire. Fun fact! 
© 2014 - 2024 Obsess-Confess
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dollcollector999's avatar
Romantic, actioned packed, and a real nasty bad guy! TV fan fic at its best.