Every Breath You Take | Ch.2

Abels quietly slid through the employees' only door, cooly ignoring the bartender and a couple of waitresses who looked up at him with surprise. Still completely ignoring the other people's existence, he started to hum again and the tune carried him out through the employees' side entrance. The bewildered workers watched him leave, blinking at each other before a waitress wonderingly cursed and threw open the door. There was a security door that was made of thicker metal bars and was attached to a small three foot by three foot patio. It protected the employees as they came and left at all hours of the night, and they had to have a code to get out to the parking lot. But as the door flew open, the employees' confused chatter instantly stopped. The blond man wasn't stuck in the enclosed patio...He had completely disappeared.

~~*~~

Dean groaned and slowly pushed himself up till he was sitting. His back was still against the wall he had been flung against and he stayed slumped against it. His head was killing him. And he was pretty sure he had heard his back crack when he had hit. Scrunching his eyes shut, he reached up and touched his head to feel for any broken skin. He cursed when he found a bump, but after peering at his fingers, he at least let himself be glad that there wasn't any blood.

"You'd think this would get easier after the first 150 walls.....Nope. Still hurts like hell." He rasped. 

He slowly turned his head with a grunt. Before he had blacked out, the hunter had seen his target go through a door that was marked 'employees only'. Dean slowly dragged himself to his feet and made himself start walking. He tried not to think about it, but the disappointment of failing started to burn in his stomach like acid. The scowl on his face deepened. He hadn't even been able to get the thing to talk about where he was taking the girl. 

It's either a man-witch or a demon from the way he tossed me around. Either doesn't mean anything good for that poor girl. Damn it.

Dean paused right before opening the door. Raising an eyebrow, he looked down into the shadows right next to the doorjam. There was a small leather pouch just sitting there, tilted on its side and looking like it had been dropped. His eyes narrowed as he studied it for a moment. But after a moment of the pouch just laying there and not growing legs or trying to kill him on its own, he reached down and carefully, but quickly, scooped it up and dropped it into his right pocket. If it looked like a witch, flung a man around like a witch, and dropped what looked like a hex bag...it probably was a witch. The weight of the bag wasn't even noticeable against his chest, and he put it to the back of his mind for now. 

Dean opened the door and had a quick conversation with the employees inside. He made up a couple of lies about the man and how he just vanished before he quickly slipped away. It was better to just leave and let them be confused than to try and be creative. It wasn't something he was particularly good at when his head pounded worse than a hangover. Steadily walking back to his table, he was able to work out most of the major pain before he got there. Still unconsciously scowling, Dean pulled out enough to cover his tab and tip, and left the bar.

He held his new and unopened beer bottle to the bump on the back of his head as he walked down the sidewalk. The motel was a short walk away from the bar and he had figured he'd be fine without his car. The hunter had worried about needing some kind of gun or something from the trunk, but he had shrugged it off and thrown what he could into his pockets. He made his way down the sidewalk, carefully dodging around people who were still up and going before last call. The town they were in was a college town and full of people. It fit the pattern, but being around this many people right now made him want to hit someone. 

Moments later, he reached his and Sam's room. He threw the door open and let it slam behind him. After a quick glance around, Dean saw that Sammy hadnt made it back yet. "Good. I can get some quiet before having to fill Sam in." He muttered to himself as he took his favorite leather jacket off. He folded it in half before dropping it on the edge of the bed. He dropped down next to it and pulled off his boots, carelessly flinging them into a corner when they finally came off. 

Suddenly, Dean heard a soft scraping and shuffling noise. He instantly tensed and looked around the room, trying to figure out what he was hearing. The noise continued and he looked down, his eyes falling on his jacket. It was moving. A lump of some kind was moving around under it.

His eyes went round in surprise and he scooted away from it. 

"Holy crap!" he shouted. 

The jacket stopped moving when he raised his voice. But it had gotten far enough towards the edge that momentum gave it the final push it needed. As Dean stared at it, the jacket slid off the edge of the bed. Vials and bags fell out of his pockets, followed by the black leather pouched he had picked up. 

Dean leaned down to angrily squint at everything, including a small and pale thing that rolled out of the leather pouch.... 

I'm alive. Claire raised her head, trying to make sense of the blurry vision returning to her. How... How am I alive? I must have fallen ten stories or something...

It hurt like hell to survive. Her head ached something fierce, but at least she could see straight. Finally, she had broken out of that stupid sack. She glanced back at it triumphantly as she stumbled forward, nearly bumping into the wall. 

Wait... Denim- OH MY GOSH!!

She gasped and drew back, tripping over her own feet as she backed away from the mountain of a man staring down at her. It had yet to sink in that not only was Abels a giant, everyone was gigantic now. And this new guy looked pissed as hell. 

 "Oh God..." She whimpered. She had to get away. No way was she going to let another man get his hands on her. 

A quick glance over her shoulder: an absolutely enormous leather jacket was crumpled on the floor. A bed beyond that, and some other gaps in the distance she could probably make if she kept out of reach long enough. Though it might seem impossible to outrun a giant, that didn't stop her from trying. 

In a sudden burst of desperate, life-clinging energy, Claire sprinted in the opposite direction. She could feel air rushing on her back, a shadow suddenly falling over her path. With a yelp, she ducked under the jacket sleeve, then went straight under the bed. Every step he took was like a small-scale earthquake. It made it difficult to keep a straight path. Claire glanced behind her only once- and that was a mistake. She screamed again when she saw a hand lunging for her- a hand big enough to completely envelope her body.  

She didn't stop to take a breath until she was against the far wall, plastered against the stained wallpaper. This can't be happening. This can't be happening....

Dean stared down at his hand, feeling the long fibers of the rug underneath his palm. That was.....Holy crap. Holycrapholycrap....Crap! The hunter's mind kept repeating the curse over and over. He was just unable to really get a grip on what had fallen out of his jacket. Trying to just breathe and not think too much, he reached for a penlight that had tumbled past his knee. 

"Okay.....you. I don't know...what you are...but..." Cautiously, he laid down and flashed the light under the bed. "But...let's just...try this again." Finally, his light hit the wall....and the small girl that had run under there. His eyes went round. "Whoa."

Claire shielded her eyes from the LED light. Her chest still heaving, she could barely make out the man's features beyond the glare.  So big...so, so big... Please let this be a matrix type of thing. I'll take the red pill, please!!There was something familiar about his voice, but she didn't linger on that thought. She was a bit preoccupied with running for her life. Claire looked to her immediate right. There was a gap between the bed and the wooden dresser. It would be a dash into the open, but if she ran fast and took him off-guard... She could make off to the crack under the dresser. His hand couldn't fit there. It was a risk, but she took it. She didn't look back.

"Oh sh-...C'mon now!" Dean growled loudly. With a grunt, he heaved himself to his feet in time to see the tiny blond disappear underneath the worn dresser. For such a little...creepy tiny...blond girl...she runs pretty fast. Still hot too. He thought to himself. He'd seen a fairy before and....that meeting hadn't gone well. But now, seeing this average girl suddenly shrunk and afraid...it made this job so much more...."Weird," he muttered softly. But it was a weird that suddenly made him feel oddly protective of this girl. 

Trying to move softly, he kneeled down infront of the dresser and peered down underneath it. He couldn't see at first, so he angled the light under it. He quickly found the little girl. 

"Oh...hey there." He said, tweaking the light so it didn't shine in her face. Looking at her...seeing her crazy small form and the look of fear on her face...it made his heart twist even more. 

"Heyhey now....I'm not gonna hurt you. I swear. Uh... What's your name? I'm Dean."

"Piss off!" Her voice was shaking like mad, and to her surprise, so was the rest of her. 

Claire scooted another inch away, even though he couldnt reach her at the moment. His immense form blocked out almost the entire line of light under the dresser, and she had to squat herself so she didnt bump her head. She had never been claustrophobic, but tonight was different. She was literally trapped down here. 

Dean's soft look slipped to an indignant look. "Geez. No need to get rude now." He drawled underneath his breath. Instantly, he remembered how he had instictivly tried to grab her earlier. Suddenly uncomfortable and wondering if he was actually blushing, he cleared his throat.

He was a little older than she was, judging by his voice. She still hadn't gotten a good look at his face; right now, the best she could see was a single eye staring back at her. There was kindness there, not cold predatory leering. Claire felt herself calming a bit without her own permission. Why do I get the feeling that I know him?

"You." She finally whispered. "Y-you're that hunter.. Person... Aren't you?”

 He had glanced away for a moment, but he looked back when he heard her say something. 

"Hunh?" Dean scooted closer, trying to get a better look at her. She looked like she was scrunched under there. Maybe he could get her to come out sooner so she could straighten up. Good God this is crazy. I'm...I'm actually dying to get a good look at this chick. And get some answers from her. Just can't scare her to death.

"I couldn't hear what you said. Why...why don't you come out from under there? This isn't exactly the best way to talk to a person." He said with the laugh he used when charming a girl.

Her lips twitched upward in a smile, like she couldn't help herself. Claire felt the blood pound in her head as a sudden flurry of mixed emotions and chemicals fought inside her. She looked away from the sliver of the giant visible to gather her thoughts.  He seems genuine... But he could be just trying to get his hands on me. But.. He was trying to stop Abels...If I can't trust him, who can i trust? He's my best shot right now.'

With a small sound in between a nervous laugh and a whimper, the copper-haired girl crawled forward. She counted each fistful of carpet that took her out into the open- 17 in total.  

Dean grinned when he saw her calm down a little and start to crawl forward. "Okay now. There we go now." Anticipating that she'd want some breathing room, he straightened his back and scooted away from the dresser. She paused just once when she heard his loud intake of oxygen. The ground shook again- He was just moving back. 

The warm light of the motel room hit her face. It was only then that she got the full image of just how much height she had lost. The hunter's body stretched several stories sbove her, and it looked like it went on for a nearly a quarter mile of denim in the other direction. She was too afraid to look up at his face. Her heart was pounding like a scared lizard, and she could see it through her blouse.

After he had shifted, the blond man turned and looked down, his hands coming down to rest on his knees. It took him a couple of moments to find her, looking down infront of his knees till he saw her...standing about a foot away from his bent knee. Dean had to slouch down so that he could see her clearly... More like gawk at her. 

"Holy....What did that bastard do to you?" he said softly. His voice had taken on a hard edge as his anger started to burn harder. He looked down at her bent head.  Dean had to hold his hand back from reaching out to touch her... instinctively wanting to comfort her. 

"Umm.." he said, suddenly feeling like a lame, and awkward Godzilla. "So... My name's Dean. Dean Winchester. I'm a hunter. I....well I kill the weird things that do...bad things to people like you. D'you mind... Mind telling me your name?"

She craned her neck upward towards the source of the voice. Oh. He's... he's actually kinda... Really attractive. For a frickin giant. She gaped dumbly up at him for another moment before remembering her voice. 

"Uh-uh.. Claire!" She raised her voice. Hopefully he could hear her this time. "My name's Claire."

A rather proud smile slid onto his face. His chin was practically planted against his chest and his neck was bent at an awkward angle, but the hunter was able to ignore it. He was too preoccupied by the tiny blond in front of him. "Claire? It's nice to finally meet you. Oh..." he reconsidered for a moment, "Unh.. Well, it'd be nicer under better circumstances of course. And sorry about the whole ..trying to grab you thing. I usually wait 'till after drinks to get that touchy with a girl." 

The joke slipped out with a an almost awkward chuckle. This whole case had completly thrown him into friggin Wonderland. 

"So you-" Claire swallowed. She could see the exact texture of the denim stretched over his knees. "So you know who...what.. that guy was?"

"Oh. Umm..." He looked away for a moment and licked his lips. "Being perfectly honest...We're not entirly positive about that yet. In fact," he said and looked back down at her. Dean lost his train of thought for a second, suddenly noticing how her hair shone a gorgeous copper color under the lights. She looked back up at him, and the look in her eyes started to really bring something back to life in him... Something he hadn't exactly felt since....Lisa. 

"Uhmm...yeah. I'm actually going to need your help with this." He looked around, "How about we move...you....to the table or something..?" He looked back and raised an eyebrow and shrugged. 'Don't know how we're gonna do it though.'

His hands moved occassionally while he talked, and the tiny girl stiffened,eyeing them carefully like a jumpy animal. 'But he seemed so certain at the bar...' Still, if his blatant flirting was any clue, Dean was a pretty up-front guy so far. 'Flirting with a doll-sized victim? The man has no shame... Actually, he's probably just trying to make me feel better. Dammit, it's starting to work.' Claire blushed and tucked some hair behind her ear. Her wavy hairstyle she had worked so hard on was beyond repair at this point. 

She had to lean back just to see his face. Geez, he was huge... Like as tall as a building! It was still rather dizzying when she tried focusing on all of him at once. Her brain couldn't process such an existence. Not yet.

"Me?" She repeated. She followed his gaze to the table she had run beneath not two minutes ago. Claire read his mind, looking down at his hands again and taking a step back. It was a reasonable request, when she plucked emotion out of the way. She sighed loudly and clenched her fists at her sides. "Yeah, okay. Just be fast." She squeezed her eyes shut, unwilling to watch.

Dean smiled down at her, really glad to see that she was doing her best to be brave. If she had been the.crying type...the hunter had no idea what he'd of done if she'd been the hystarical kind of chick. Dean didnt know that his smile had lost some of its obvious flirt-charm...and now it was a more genuine. But as he looked at her for a moment, her eyes closed and small body tense...he suddenly realized he'd actually have to.....do something. "Oh....Well...um..." He looked down at her with a bewlidered look and a blush slowly spreading across his face. 'Cmon! Youre supposed to be the professional! Shes gonna get even more creeped out if you keep waiting like this...' Dean slowly brought his hand up and toward her. His fingers started to shake as they got closer...until they stopped a hairs length away. He could just feel her tiny form almost brushing his fingertips. "Oh cmon Dean!" He drawled loudly. Claire flinched at his voice and he winced. "Sorry. Just....Ok, ive never had to do THIS before. You...you got any better ideas on how I can....pick you up?" He snickered diersivly. "Getting your number, I couldve done that kind easily just to let you know." He dropped  his hand to the ground, inches away from her.

Claire squeezed her eyes shut tighter, feeling his heat now... Then he stopped. She looked up at him, relaxing her stance somewhat. She raised her eyebrows at his flirtatious expression, turning to look at his hand for a moment. Her amused smile was poorly concealed as she bit her lip. 'Hell, I'd give it to him now, if he asked.' 

"Like I know!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "This is kind of a first for me, too." 

He consumed so much of her vision, it was hard for her brain to register he was, indeed, a human being. 

"Just... do it, i don't know..." she rubbed her eyes as she glared at his hand."Come on, the big bad hunter can't handle one little girl?" She didnt know how she managed to tease a giant. His charisma was contagious, maybe.

Dean scowled at his hand as Claire responded. He was almost too embarrassed to even look at her right now. Cmon, youve touched girls in much sleezier ways before Winchester. Time to man up and...pick the girl up! Move your stupid hand! His scowl deepened, though the hunter was unaware at how much it looked more like a pout on a rugged model than anything. 

His green eyes flicked back to her in surprise at her jab. Dean blinked as he took it in, seeing the small, smirking smile on her face as she looked up at him. The small girl seemed like she was actually fearless, the only things giving it away was how pale her face still was, and the way she fidgeted every now and then. 

Dean felt his own smile instantly spread across his face. Ok...So this chick is pretty cool. To bad she's...well...tiny. He thought to himself. But the hunter knew that as he talked to her, her size was becoming less of a turnoff.

"Hey now there Tiny." He said, his grin taking on a mischievous edge. "This hunter has handled plenty quite frankly. I'm just...." the pause stretched on for a moment and he scratched the back of his neck, "I'm just trying to be...considerate. Yah...considerate." His smile became flustered as he thought about it for a moment. Had it been any other victim, Dean might not of acted like such a bumbling idiot. Something about the tiny, copper headed girl infront of him was defiantly catching him off guard. "Anyway," he said quickly, "lets try this again, alright?......Unh..." Suddenly feeling awkward all over again, he studied the back of his hand for a moment, but suddenly an idea lept into his brain. Dean raised his eyebrows warily and lifted his hand, laying it down infront of Claire with his palm upwards. He flattened it out, feeling the rug fibers underneath his knuckles. "So...How about this then?" Dean said, mentally congratulating himself at his thoughtfulness......and trying to ignore the giantsized bats that were suddenly flying around in his stomach, making him oddly nervous at what was about to happen.

Wow, I must be really throwing this guy for a loop. The way he spoke to her- even getting nervous- made her feel like a woman... Not the tiny thing she had been reduced to. It was a shame she couldn't have run into him before this disaster date. But the sheer scale of his movements counteracted that relief; she remained with her feet spread shoulder with apart in case she needed to jump back at the last second. His face was so far away... She marveled that she would even be noticeable under his sweeping gaze. 

Claire ogled his open hand, glancing up to his expression. She understood what she was supposed to do, but she hesitated all the same. While she wouldn't be forcibly engulfed by an enormous hand, this way would require her to be extra brave and take the initiative. His index finger must be longer than I am! Her neck was hurting from looking up at him from the floor. Best just do it already you big chicken,She scolded herself. 

"Ohh-Kay..." She scrunched up her face and stepped up onto his palm. Her foot sank into the warm flesh a small amount. With a squeamish squeal, Claire jumped backwards and shook her head fervently. "I can't do this, I can't do this..." She muttered to herself, voice escalating as she paced furiously, fanning herself with one hand. With a groan, she looked over her shoulder at the hunter's face, then at his hand again.

"Oh, This just takes the cake..." She grumbled, approaching again. She walked into his hand. Although she whimpered at the first few steps and looked around her uneasily, Claire stood straight roughly in the center of his palm. She could see callouses and a healing cut on his wrist. With a half-hearted smile, she raised two thumbs up to let her know she was ready. 

Dean looked down at the tiny girl with a pointedly flat scowl. Claire was squealing and looking at his hand as if it was something dead. Oh geez. Cmon, its a hand not a spider. But as he watched her try to work up her nerve and walk onto his hand, he had to try to not smile. Not only was it kinda cute to watch her pace back and forth, but it was just flat out amusing for some reason. 

Looking as resolved as a happymeal-toy sized person could, Claire scrambled up onto the hunters hand. Chills instantly traveled up Deans arm and he hand to force it to stay as still as he could make it. His mouth fell open. The feeling of....crazy tiny feet walking across his PALM made his brain shut down for a few seconds. He could barely glue together the fact that this girl he had been talking to, with the fact that she was now standing in his palm. 

"Umm...Yah.." he awkwardly coughed and rubbed his mouth with the back of his free hand. "Well...Glad to see that we can...figure this out." Dean slowly offered back to Claire. "So...Maybe...hold...on?" Suddenly feeling his impatience flood over, Dean lifted his hand and stood up. 

He barely remembered to try to move slowly before he had straightened with his hand now level with his chest. Looking down at his open hand, he winced when he saw that the small woman had fallen back onto her rear at some point between the floor and now. Claire's hair had fallen into her face, and she was glaring up him through the copper colored locks. 

Embarrassed impatience made him feel sheepish and a small blush lit his cheeks. "Hey! I did tell you to hold on."Dean bluffly said down to her as he leaned over his hand. Without even thinking about it, the blond man reached up and lightly brushed her hair out of her face. It felt incredably smooth underneath his fingertip. 

His eyes widened once he realized what he had done. "Unh..Yah. Anyway." Dean's fingers slightly curled upward, cupping the tiny form more securely in his hand as he walked over to the wooden table. Moving as slowly as his flustered brain would let him, he put his palm down on the table and waited for Claire to walk off.

He stood up: her heart leapt into her throat, her stomach left stories below. Claire felt her legs go out from under her in an instant from the sheer g-force. For a moment, her body tensed, feeling a panicked lightheadedness that she had felt only once before when she rode that weird carnaval ride that spun you around and pinned you to the wall. When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat closer, more vibrant in the air around her.

"Yeah... Hold onto what?" She grumbled. 

Claire froze as another massive hand consumed her vision past the disarray of hair in her eyes. The gentleness of a single fingertip brushing her face took her off guard. How could a hunter be so precise? So.. restrained? The young woman felt a rose color blossom in her cheeks when she looked past the hand to Dean's face- much closer than it had been last she checked. 

Perhaps it was luck or just the opposite, but she didn't have long to consider her fluttering heartbeat. 

"Thanks." She mumbled to the floor as she pushed herself to her feet. Holding her arms out for balance at her sides, Claire stepped off his his hand as gracefully as possible. Immediately, she took in the surroundings from this height, trying to look anywhere but him. There was a lamp and a dusty alarm clock from something like 1989 already occupying the wooden table. Part of her was able to recognize them as the cheap motel furnishings they were. But another, emerging part of her saw them in an entirely new light. They looked almost alien now, from only four or however many inches high she was. She had roughly estimated herself the length of Dean's ring finger, but given how hasty her night had been thus far, she realized she didn't even know exactly how much she'd shrunk. Too much. What more's important?

Glancing towards the bed, she shook her head. It was enormous! She frowned suddenly as something caught her attention. 

"Um... Dean? Why did you rent a room with two beds?" She asked, dreading the answer.

"Hunh?" Dean replied absently. 

He had been watching her look around the table, taking everything in as if she was just seeing all the random, everyday things for the first time. As she looked around, Claire looked almost like a tiny action figure that could move. But her movements were so...real...that he still almost couldnt believe that she was some hoodooed, spell. The look on her face was completely human though, and it made Dean wonder how he looked to her. Once her face tilted up to look at him, heat from a small flush rose to his cheeks. I probably look like a giant dork that doesnt know when to stop staring at a girl.

"What? The other bed?" The blond hunter raised his hand and rubbed the back of his neck. With a raised eyebrow, he turned to look at the beds. For a moment the purpose of the question eluded him and he looked at them with a blank look. 

"Oh! Crap. Guess I forgot to mention that." Dean looked back down at her and instantly smiled his most charming smile. He had forgotten about his own brother for awhile there, but he wondered how Sam's extra inches would effect her. He quickly decided to play it cool and cross that bridge when Gigantor got back. "The other one's for my kid brother. He was canvasing another bar, but he should be back soon. He's bringing food; probably pizza and some of his rabbit food. Hey, you hungry? I bet that we'll have enough to feed ya." Dean said with his best smile and his fastest talking tone; he usually saved it for passing over certain topics when questioning victims and people he had to get answers out of.

Dean forced a cough and pulled a chair closer, smoothly easing himself down into it. Out of habit, he set his forearms on the table before he looked over at Claire. Once his eyes found her, he saw that he had almost trapped her inbetween his arms and that she was standing only a few inches away from either of his hands. The tiny woman was looking between them with a wide-eyed look of a cornered rabbit. "Oh. Unh, yah....Sorry about that." He said sheepishly and awkwardly folded his arms in front of himself. 

"Anyway," Dean said after taking a breath, trying to settle into his professional mode again. It was still getting to him. How could one, crazy small girl, put him off his game so friggin much? He had even forgotten about Sammy for awhile. But as his green eyes followed her, it was surprisingly easy for him to see why he had been so preoccupied. Her situation, how helpless she would be without the right help, how much it would take to change her back,...the list went on. But, there was also just something about...her. He tried to write it off on his protective nature and how much of a sucker he was for a pretty face.

Dean noticed that she was looking around for a place to sit, and he reached out and slowly slid a composition notebook closer to her, black binding facing toward her. "Here, try and see how that fits. Okay. So Claire....I'm gonna need to ask you some questions. But first off, I just want you to tell me the whole story here. How you met this guy, what you said, what he said,...everything." 

A flicker of a frown crossed her face, and she crossed her arms as if cold. She felt like he was hiding something, but... She had always been good with kids. If she could sit here and talk with a giant, then she could certainly handle some immature teenager. 

"Um... I guess..?" She called tentatively as he pulled up a chair. He had spoken so fast, she barely had the chance to answer!

Claire watched him sit down in front of her, but freaked out when his huge frame suddenly fell towards her, with one arm landing on each side. What was he doing? 

She slowly relaxed again- or tried to appear relaxed, anyway. It unnerved her that he really had meant no harm. He was just being a person, and here she was... feeling like slightly less of one all the time. 

"Thanks." She sat down on the edge of the book with her knees bent. It was rather like sitting on a low-level park bench. For a moment, she stared transfixed at his crossed arms in front of her. He was just so BIG! She couldn't get over that... She could feel him looking down at her seriously, and thought it best that she try to follow his lead and be cool and collected about this. Professional. 

"Right, o-of course. Well, I guess it all starts with my ex-boyfriend... He was so clingy and wishy-washy. And not just him, Ryan was like that too. He was just the last in a long line of annoying exes. So I got frustrated, I guess. I finally caved and tried out one of those awful dating sites. I was always afraid I would end up with some creeper... Guess I was right." She finally cracked a laugh at her story, though finding it difficult to hold his intense gaze for more than a few seconds at a time. Her cheeks were cherry red. This was so embarrassing! Telling him her love-life issues like some chick off MTV... Not exactly keeping up her mystique. 

She continued to tell him how he had contacted her first, suggested the place and time... Then the more tedious details like how many drinks she had, what type, what conversations they had at the table... Funny, looking back she saw he had simply said what she wanted to hear. All an act.

"...I felt sick. Bastard must've magically drugged my drink, or whatever it is witches do. I went to the bathroom and when I came out, he cornered me. I was... um, changing." She was stubbornly avoiding the word "shrinking" like it was contagious. Claire had her hands wrung anxiously in her lap now, staring at a button on the sleeve of Dean's shirt as she replayed the events in her mind's eye. It was all too fresh.

"He told me... Ugh." She shuddered in revulsion. "He told me I should be happy that we were made for each other, sick crap like that..."

Another sentence echoed through her mind in his wicked, pleased voice. A thought that made Claire's heart skip a beat and the blood drain from her face. She looked straight up into the hunter's eyes.

"Dean, he said he researched me. My family...He said- He said that this wasn't going to wear off." Her voice became soft, scared. 

Dean stared down at Claire, slowly blinking his green eyes in slight disbelief. Somehow, he kept himself from fidgeting and stayed as still as he could. He hadnt expected for her to completely unload like that. But as he listened to her talk, her cheeks stained a bright red the entire time, he realized that while it was rather uncomfortable for her too, that she was somehow getting some of her worry and pent up emotion off her chest. It was typical for victims and the other people he tended to question; getting them to express what had happened and some stuff tied to it, kinda released some of it out of themselves. It even helped them to talk and eventually get the information out that he wanted. 

Dean's patience was questionable on a good day, so he usually let Sam take some of the lead there. But today...this victim.....Dean found himself doing better than usual. 

Especially when he could see how Claire was almost completely calm and relaxed now. While she had been talking, the hunter had leaned down over her a little more, blinking down at the top of her copper colored head. She had picked some point on his arm to stare at and had yet to look back up at him. Her body had slowly relaxed the smallest amount, and her voice had gone from hurried and smashing her words together, to a slower and more thoughtful pace. 

At some point Dean had made himself stay as still as he could, incase he even twitch and the whole thing became even more awkward for either of them. But just as he was going to let himself relax and find something witty to say, she suddenly stiffened again. Claire's unbelievably small face looked up at him, whiter than a baby's prayer, and she started to tremble just slightly. 

Oh good God...She's going to cry! I dont know what to do with a normal sized crying woman, but one thats smaller than my friggin finger? Not good! Dean winced and braced himself for the sudden storm of tears. But as the seconds ticked by, he realized that she wasnt going to start crying just yet. If anything, the look of absolute fear on her face was almost worse than tears. It demanded an answer of the one person in her world that said he knew what he was doing and would help her. And Dean felt his insides tighten with the sheer need to give her the answer she wanted.

"H-Hey now." His voice caught in his throat for a moment as he tried to think of the right thing to say. "Its....Its gonna be ok Claire. Really." The need to touch her, reassure her, suddenly overcame him. Moving slowly, he slid his hand over the tables surface, and lightly touched her; his thumb lightly touched her feet, the texture of her shoes soft on his skin, and he carefully curled the rest ofhis hand around her, only touching her right side with his fingertips. He didnt want to overwhelm her, but it was the best thing the awkward hunter could think of. "Look...Me and my brother arent feds or anything like that. But that means that we know alot more people that live off the grid. And Im positive that theres some other kind of...hoodoo or voodoo or something else out there that will get you back to normal. Eventually....this will all just be a bad dream." He smiled softly at her. Silently hoping that she didnt hate what he was doing, the hunter gently rubbed her shoulder.

The moment his hand came for her, that claustrophobic feeling returned. Claire's insides knotted up at the knowledge of how easily those massive digits could trap her, and she would be next to helpless to prevent it. She suppressed a shudder as his fingers slid across her back and walled her in. Everything about him was huge and surrounding her- his body, his voice, his stare... She could see the intricate texture of his skin, the unique swirl of each finger print, the ridges on his fingernails. Too much detail. It was just too much for her, and tears begin to prick at her hazel eyes. 

But his words gave her hope, spurred her to look upward at his larger-than-life face. She remembered that this hand belonged to a person. A good person. A man... Who by some stroke of crazy luck actually gave a shit that she was the size of a mouse, and wanted to help her.

How can anyone be so genuine? I mean, he barely knows me. What does he have to gain from this? 

Dean's smile seemed to say "All's not lost" . She swallowed a large lump in her throat as a tingling calm began spread through her being. 

Suddenly, his hand was warm, strong, careful; the circular rubbing on her shoulder was a comfort (although still pretty darn weird, considering it was just the very tip of a finger doing the job.) Very slowly, hesitantly, Claire experimented with the growing desire to lean back against him, into his touch. 

As if dipping her toes into shark-infested waters, she sloped her body towards the four fingertips lined along her right side, allowing a shy fraction of her weight to rest against the hunter's hand. Then a little but more. If she closed her eyes, it was easier to believe she wasn't at the mercy of some unfamiliar giant, in a world that she was no longer suitable for. 

Claire was a realist. This feeling of safety was an illusion, something she couldn't get attached to. But that didn't mean she could ignore that it actually felt kind of... Okay. 

"God, I hope so.."

Click. 

The door lock jiggled, and Claire nearly jumped ten feet in the air. She shot to her feet, tripping on Dean's thumb in her haste. It was only by throwing her arms out to grab his knuckle that she avoided falling flat on her face. By the time she had steadied herself again, the door was now closing, and she could faintly hear fabric shifting. She couldn't see the door past Dean's shoulders from how closely he was leaning over her, and her eyes snapped onto his large green ones, silently sending him a barrage of questions.

She was ashamed that her first reaction to the approaching footsteps was to cower behind Dean's hand like a little animal. No way. I refuse to stoop that low. I may be.. Smaller.. But I've still got my dignity!

Claire's eyes widened when the man she assumed to be his brother came into view. He was a far cry from the gangly teenager she had been anticipating. He was no longer a boy, but a man. For a split second, her eyes darted back to Dean, looking betrayed. I guess I took "kid" too literally... Oh my gosh, he's even bigger than Dean!

The blood drained from her face, brain boggled by the notion that anyone could be larger than the already gigantic man before her. 

"Hey. They were out of pepperoni, so you'll have to deal with plain cheese." Sam announced, putting the pizza box down on the little table. When Dean didn't complain, he gave his brother a closer look and frowned at his odd position over the night stand. 

"What are you doing?"

Dean's breath caught in his throat. He could feel Claire actually leaning into his hand. The woman's tiny shoulders pressed into the skin of his fingers, and then the rest of her body. And then her face touched his hand. He was really glad that she wasnt looking up at his face right now, because his mouth was probably hanging open from disbelief. Holy crap...I can actually feel all of her face just against my finger...the one finger for cripes sake! This is just crazy. How are we supposed to help someone this small? And a girl too! I lived with one long enough to know that they...do things differently. How the hell are two dysfunctional human beings like me and Sam supposed to make sure she stays friggin sane till we can...un..shrink..her?! 

The hunter felt the sudden need to fidget, pull at the collar of his shirt to get more air into his lungs, do something other than focus on the tiny woman in his hand. But Dean knew that he wouldnt move until she was ready to move. Cause as much as the realization of the responsibility he was taking on, had hit him across the face, the hunter also knew that Claire was already very important to him. Even if she was fixed tonight and safe to live out her life without having him around, Dean would have a hard time rolling away in the morning.

Her voice broke him out of the zombie chase of crazy thoughts going on in his head. Blinking, he focused in on her. She was actually relaxed. Even as sad as her bird-like voice had been, she actually looked relaxed in his hand. Dean felt his heart lurch. Not many people were actually like that around him; Sam of course, they spent way the hell too much time together, Bobby was like their dad and if the grouch ever did relax, it was usually around them...and that was it. There might of been others, but either werent speaking to him at the moment, or were just dead. All of his one night stands......

Suddenly the door opened and Sam ducked in. Dean instantly froze and his eyes went wide, watching poor Claire react to his brother's loud and casual entrance. And when she focused her glare on him, the blond hunter cringed. Guess she figured out that my "kid brother" statement might have been an exaggeration. 

Dean was almost glad when Sam walked over to loom behind him. He turned his grey eyes away from the scared looking Claire and looked over his shoulder at Sam.

"Me? Nothin'. Nothin'. How the hell can a pizza place run out of freaking pepperioni? You couldve at least got some sausage on the thing." He said quickly. Dean could feel where Claire was in relation to his hand, and he carefully pulled his hand away from her so that he could stand up. 

The hunter didnt know why he didnt automatically introduce Sam to Claire. Maybe it had something to do with the look in her face when she had heard the door open. Maybe it was the odd guilt that had hit him when the mouse sized woman had finally seen his brother. Or maybe it was just his protective streak that made him stand so that Sam couldnt see Claire yet. Whatever it was, it had guilt and awkwardness written across his face. 

"Whatever. You'll just have to buy dinner again tomorrow." Dean said, plastering a grin on his face.

"What?" Sam said, backing away when Dean refused to move and made their proximity to each other awkward. He scowled at his slightly shorter brother. Catching Dean off guard tended to make him the worse lair in the world; he was hiding something. Exceptionally curious and starting to get annoyed, he crossed his arms. "Bullcrap. It's not my fault that they ran out. And Im not getting sausage. I think I remember you almost having a heartattack when that one witch turned you into Clint Eastwood's grandfather. Now, what are you hiding? You look like a kid that just peed his pants and tried to hide them." 

Sam grinned when Dean's face instantly turned into a murderous scowl and he took a couple of steps forward. Laughing at his brother's predictability, he slid past him and looked down at the tabletop. At first Sam didnt see what his brother had been looking at, and his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. But when something moved, his eyes instantly snapped back towards it. At first he thought it was a tiny doll. But when he saw it take a step back, its eyes bright from an emotion that was probably fear, Sam quickly realized what he was looking at.

The taller hunter's eyes went round from shock and he looked back at Dean, stuttering in his surprise. "Th-tha-.....Thats-...Dean! Wha-..?"

"Its a girl you idiot." Dean said. He was scowling, but his lips were turned up just slightly in satisfaction at his brother's reaction. "Stop staring. You probably look like a giant, dying fish to her." Taking advantage of Sam's shock, he pulled Sam a few feet away from Claire and made him stand by him. "Sam, this is Claire. Claire is the newest victim of whatever we've been looking for. Now if you can stop being an idiot, maybe she'll want to actually say hi to you. Cause I doubt she'd be too impressed if you fainted right now." Dean grinned down at Claire, hopping she was doing ok. 

Dean standing up did nothing to help her nerves. She couldn't see past him, but then again neither could Sam. He didn't seem concerned about me meeting his brother before. Should I be worried? What if this guy has anger management issues?

And then Dean was gone, leaving her exposed. The light dimmed over her as another massive body replaced Dean's and leaned over the table. Claire stumbled back from the unfamiliar giant, managing not to trip over the composition book. 

Lady luck must enjoy screwing me over.

She blushed madly; Dean had to basically introduce her like a child. But his smile made her realize how hard he was trying. She had to try a little, too. Determined to overcome this pathetic streak, Claire ran her fingers through her hair and took a deep breath. 

"It's.. It's nice to meet you?" After a moment of hesitation, she thrust a hand out towards him. 

Sam's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as he stepped forward and delicately pinched the impossibly small hand between a finger and thumb and moved it up and down once. He could feel the minuscule bones under the skin, her tendons twitching occasionally under his touch. It was incredible. 

"Y-yeah..." He replied breathlessly. 

Needless to say, she was glad to have her hand back. There was an awkward moment where she shifted her weight, feeling immensely tiny. She refused to continue relying on Dean as the one familiar thing in the room. Come on, just open your big mouth!

"I kinda invited myself to dinner. I hope that's okay."