A/N:

Thank you to stargazer100 and Christine for the great reviews!

As the humans and their sprite guide all sank into sleep, a breeze rustled past the trees, tousling the smallest human's hair from his makeshift sleeping bag under his brother's hand. A gentle presence nudged their minds, slowly bringing them to a place unlike any other.

Sam found himself slowly blinking his eyes open. A soft white emptiness surrounded him, energizing his mind in a way he hadn't felt before. He slowly came to realize he wasn't alone; three others stood in the expanse with him, gazing around in befuddlement.

It wasn't until Sam caught sight of the two that were out of place that he started to figure it out.

Bowman wasn't far off, and aside from being a bit shorter than Sam remembered, there wasn't anything new about him. But looking to the side, he realized that if he took away the fact that they were all standing at the same scale, he recognized them both.

Dean and Jacob.

As soon as Sam realized this, Dean slammed into him with a huge hug, almost knocking them both off their feet. "Sammy!" His voice was hoarse with disbelief.

Sam tried to hug him back, but found himself struggling to find words. "Dean... is it... is it really you?" He blinked back shocked tears. Never in a hundred years had he ever expected to see his brother at the same size. Not since he woke up too small to even match a human's finger.

With a laugh, Dean pulled out of the hug. "Who else would it be, pint-size?" His hands found Sam's face, brushing the tears away. "We might have to demote Jacob from 'Sasquatch.' I think you've earned that nickname!"

Sam found himself staring in shock back at Dean. Holy crap…

Dean was right. Sam was taller than everyone else.

Jacob had no idea what was going on. He felt like he'd barely closed his eyes to sleep moments ago. And yet, here he was feeling invigorated and awake. He didn't even feel sore from the fighting.

He noticed the others just as Dean tackled a really tall guy; bigger than Dean by a couple inches. That smile on Dean's face was enough to make Jacob pause. What had him so happy?

And then, Jacob realized it too.

"Sam!" he greeted, approaching the newly-titled 'sasquatch.' He had to look up to make eye contact with Sam! Somehow Jacob had become the shortest member of their group. Not that he would complain- nothing would make him want to take this moment from Sam. "Dude, you're ... this is awesome!"

It was obvious that something extraordinary was happening. Jacob turned to look at the only one in their midst who might know what was happening. Bowman was staring at the humans in shock, leafy wings twitching. Jacob realized that, though he was much leaner, even the sprite was taller than he. Bowman looked thoroughly perplexed.

Those wings... at the proper scale they looked amazing. Huge. Powerful but not bulky at all. Jacob remembered restraining them in his hand and suddenly had an appreciation for why that made Bowman so nervous.

"Bowman... what is this place?"

Bowman shrugged faintly. "I've never seen anything like it. I think... I think this is how the Earth Spirit makes contact."

Sam and Dean stood side-by-side for the first time in over a decade, Dean's hand tight on his younger brother's shoulder. Sam couldn't hide the smile on his face. He was positively beaming at the sight of both humans shorter than he was. It was unreal, after all those times dodging out of sight or sitting in a pocket, to find he was actually bigger than all of them.

He grinned at Jacob. "I... I can't believe this... I mean, I was always taller than my adopted family, but this? " He gestured at the two humans.

Dean punched him in the shoulder. "Careful or it might go to your head, gigantor," he said wryly. Then he paused and reached for Sam's injured arm. "Let me take a good look at that..." he trailed off, intent.

With Dean distracted, Sam remembered what Bowman had said. "Spirit?" he asked. "Isn't that where the magic came from to heal Dean?"

Bowman nodded, glancing around. He had no idea how She would reveal Herself to them. He was almost anxious, knowing that not many wood sprites received such an honor. And here he was with three humans, contacted by the Lady of Life Herself. "Yes. She's the Spirit who made the wood sprites. I didn't know She could even talk to a non-sprite."

Jacob grinned. "Guess we're pretty lucky then," he said.

There was a laugh, a clear sound that evoked the sweet smell of the forest after a rain and the warm feeling of dappled sunlight on the skin. A soft green glow appeared in their midst, and Bowman's attention was immediately riveted on it.

The glow took on a shape, fading into the appearance of a wood sprite woman with gracefully curved wings and skin a darker bronze than Bowman's. Her eyes were solid colored, entirely soft green. Flowing cloth adorned her in mottled earthy colors that constantly seemed to shift.

"Luck doesn't have much to do with it," She said in a steady voice that still hinted at the recent laughter. "This is something you all needed to see."

Even Dean straightened at the sight of the woman that was standing in their midst, surprised at her sudden appearance. He let Sam's arm go for the moment. She might have appeared as a simple sprite, but there was power in her eyes, along with twinkling kindness.

Sam dipped his head down respectfully. "You're the reason I have this chance to see Dean at a normal size." His eyes were glassy. "I can never thank you enough for this." Never once had he thought he'd stand at the same height as a human again. Deep in his heart he'd prayed for it, even just a moment, but he'd been terrified that the curse was permanent. That he'd always be forced to look up to them and feel the twinge of fear at the sheer size of them. This gave him hope that Dean might be right, and one day they might be able to change his fate.

Now that Dean had let his arm go, he held it in front as he gave a small, awkward bow. "This is better than any gift I could receive."

Dean followed through in his own bow, mirroring Sam's movements.

Jacob gave a tight little bow as well, wholly unsure of how he should act in the presence of what seemed to be some kind of sprite deity. Bowman knelt before the Spirit, his awed gaze turned downward and his wings lowered beside him in deference. The Spirit seemed pleased with all of their respectful actions, and her smile warmed Jacob's already joyful heart.

"Miss, uh, Spirit, thank you. Being able to see eye to eye with these guys... it means a lot."

"Of course, Jacob Andris," She answered with a nod, filling him with life just by speaking his name. He had done so well in learning to respect even those over whom he had all the advantage. She was glad to see one of Her children befriending and trusting him.

She then turned Her attention to Bowman, who seemed like he was this close to holding his breath. "Bowman Leafwing, you've made me very proud," She told him, and he looked utterly shocked at the revelation. "No one in your village has befriended humans in generations, and here you are. Proof that your differences aren't so insurmountable after all." She beckoned for him to stand, to greet his allies on an equal level.

That was when Bowman finally realized that on an equal scale, he was taller than the giants. He grinned. "Gee, I guess I'm not such a small fry after all, Dean," he quipped, to snickering from Jacob.

"Hey, watch it," Dean grumbled. "You might be tall for now but you'll still fit in my pocket tomorrow." He smirked at the thought.

Sam rolled his eyes and nudged Dean with an elbow. It was unexpectedly strong, almost rocking Dean off his feet. "Keep dreaming, shorty," Sam joked. Dean could threaten all he wanted, but Sam knew they'd get out of the pocket without a scratch. Dean liked to play around, but he always knew when to call it quits.

Sam glanced over at Jacob, the shortest in the group. "So, jealous that you're the shortest?" he asked with a laugh. "I bet you never thought you'd be looking up to me one day!"

Jacob laughed good naturedly. He'd known it was coming. "Hey now, I'm a growing boy. There's still hope for me yet," he answered wryly, shrugging. "Who knows, maybe someday I'll be the tallest."

Bowman rolled his eyes almost with exasperation. It was strange to think that he'd originally thought Jacob was the giant in charge. Now, actually being taller showed Bowman how youthful Jacob really was. Without deep voices rattling through his chest and putting a generally intimidating feeling in the air, the giants weren't so frightening after all. "And maybe not," he teased.

Seeing an opportunity, Bowman glanced over his shoulder at his strong wings. Then he spread them wide, marveling at the sight of his wings stretching out wider than any of them were tall.

Jacob raised his eyebrows. "Dude, those are legit," he said, impressed.

"I can see how you almost yanked Sam off his feet that first time we saw you," Dean recalled. Sam had practically been dragged along the ground in his surprise, buffeted by the wind those wings had kicked up.

He took a few steps towards the sprite. "About yesterday... I know you probably don't want to hear it, but I am sorry we stuck you under that vase." Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "After seeing Sam hurt I wasn't thinking as clearly as I should have been on a case."

Bowman was halfway through folding up his wings. He glanced between Dean and Jacob, who both looked apologetic after Dean's words. "Thank you," he answered, glad to have the apology. Spending time trapped like that, completely innocent of what they suspected, had been beyond stressful for the sprite. "I forgive you." That said, he extended his wings to brush them over the would-be giants' heads with a grin.

Sam came up behind the 'giants,' slinging one arm over Dean's shoulder and one over Jacob's, enjoying his height for the moment. "See?" he said with a grin. "They aren't so bad once you get to know them! Dean just thinks he's intimidating most of the time, but I can see right through him."

Jacob chuckled, shifting a little in surprise from Sam's unexpected strength. The little guy had looked quite well built, of course, but now at proper size he was almost deceptively strong. It was a far cry from his almost weightless presence when he stood on Jacob's shoulder. Sam's smile, usually a bright expression already, was absolutely beaming now, and it was contagious.

Bowman smirked along with Sam. Somehow it was great to see the two largest people he'd ever met be so much shorter than someone he knew was normally his size. Maybe it wouldn't last beyond the dream, but it was a confidence booster all the same. "You're right, Sam. I'm definitely seeing more of his flowerkin side now that he's not giant."

Dean pushed his way free of Sam. "You call me a flowerkin all you want, slim. As far as I can tell, you're the one that fits that description here." He smirked, figuring his point was made. Jacob and Sam were broader than Dean, but Bowman was still the thinnest person there, his body made for flight. "Keep going and you'll be spending time in a pocket for sure."

Bowman snickered, unbothered by his teasing remark being sent back his way. After all, they may think he was very thin, but the way Bowman saw it they were the odd ones. Even Scar wouldn't be as thick as Jacob was.

In the end, feeling tall was emboldening the sprite in spite of Dean's warning. "Oh, no reason to lament, Dean, just because we're taller now."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Whatever, small fry. You'll still be pocket-sized to me, no matter how tall you are for a few minutes here." He dove at Bowman, messing up the crazy green hair even more with a hand.

Bowman swatted at Dean's hands in surprise, balking from the human's sudden movement. He needn't have reacted at all, since his hair just sprang back looking just a little more disheveled. But it was the principle of the thing, and he threw Dean a flat look.

Jacob chuckled at their antics, prodding at one of Bowman's wings when it flared in his direction. It hadn't seemed like Bowman would actually run into him, so the sprite glared.

Sam snickered at that, letting go of Jacob as well. He was still in awe at the sudden change in size. Who would have thought I'd end up taller than Dean… he thought to himself. Even as children Dean had always loomed over him, with his head start on his growth spurt. Sam hadn't gotten his until his mid-teens, and at that point it was hard to say how big he'd really be compared to humans. All his time had been spent around people who reckoned their sizes by inches, and he had no baseline to compare them.

"This is pretty cool," Jacob mused quietly, still standing near Sam. He glanced aside at him with a faint smile. "Here you are, the real sasquatch of the team."

Sam looked back over at Jacob, barely able to tear himself away from the sight of Dean managing to get the sprite in a headlock despite the wings and give him an old fashioned noogie. "I'm just as surprised as anyone," he admitted to Jacob. "I mean, my dad was shorter than I am, but I never figured he'd be the same size as Dean if we could put them next to each other. It's... unreal." He shaded his hand over his head, trying to compare himself next to Jacob. "What do you think? 6'3? 6'4?"

Jacob looked up at the hand thoughtfully. It was actually Sam comparing heights with him. The same guy who'd stood on his hand shivering and wondering if Jacob was actually going to let him go, way back when they'd first met. "I'd say 6'4", dude," he replied with a grin. That was freaking tall. It made Jacob wonder if he really would get any bigger; maybe he'd match that.

Meanwhile Bowman grumbled curses at Dean and tried to wriggle away from him. With his head locked like that he certainly didn't have an easy time of it. His wings moved and twitched awkwardly as he tried to use them to push Dean away.

Dean strolled casually over with Bowman still trapped under his arm. "Feels like there's something missing..." he mused with a smirk. "Oh, that's right! Our resident pocket zombie detector!" He let Bowman go at last. Bowman rolled his eyes and flicked his wings irritably.

Sam rolled his eyes. "You just can't get enough of your jokes, can you?" he sassed back at Dean. Dean just smirked in reply.

Something in Dean's eyes changed. He almost seemed distracted. "Hey, you still have your knife?" he asked.

Sam nodded and handed it over. The silver blade shone in the white light. "You kept this in pretty good condition after all those years," Dean said appreciatively. He brushed a hand over the flat of the blade before handing it back.

Sam smiled as he held it out for a moment. "You take care of what you got the way I grew up. And dad had a stone he used to sharpen his razor. I made sure to keep this as clean as I could."

Bowman's eyes were drawn to the shining blade Sam held. He'd never seen anything quite as shiny. Clearly it meant a lot to Sam.

With the group together in one spot again, the Spirit stepped forward again. She looked quietly joyful with how the meeting had gone. "Sam Winchester," she greeted, holding out a hand towards his injured arm. "My time with the four of you is limited, but may I impart one last gift before you must have your final say here?"

Sam blinked back in surprise, putting his knife back in his jacket instinctively. "One last gift?" he asked wonderingly. Though it was a little bittersweet to know that his time here was almost over, he was curious what she meant. He already felt like a kid during his first Christmas, overwhelmed by everything going on around him. He held his injured arm out towards her.

Bowman's eyes widened at what he was witnessing. The Earth Spirit put a hand around Sam's sprained wrist with a soft touch, yet once her gentle grasp was there it seemed impossible to break from it. A surge of something like electricity coursed into him from the contact. "I bless you, Sam Winchester," she said quietly while his entire body was healed, starting with the hurt wrist. Sam would wake hardly knowing what pain was.

Sam took his arm back in shock. There was a warmth in him throughout his entire body, leaving his arms and legs tingling. But his arm...

In awe, Sam took off the thick, clumsy cloth Dean had wrapped his arm with only two days ago. He flexed his wrist, amazed at the lack of pain. Dean's eyes widened at that, amazed to see Sam able to move the arm he'd injured so freely.

Sam's hazel eyes were wide and full when he looked back at the Earth Sprite. "T-Thank you!" he said in astonishment. It was one thing to watch Dean get healed. It was a whole other thing getting healed himself.

Jacob leaned in slightly to check out the newly fixed arm. It wasn't even swelling at all. Sam had just gotten an instant healing. Jacob grinned in astonishment.

The Spirit smiled faintly. "Well, you do need to be able to move about, don't you?" She reasoned. It was the very least She could do. Though She had attempted to reach his curse, it was beyond Her.

"I can't believe you just got a blessing from the Earth Spirit," Bowman breathed.

Sam flexed his hand with a grin. "I won't have a problem climbing around now, that's for sure!" He'd hated knowing that he would need to ask for help as long as he was injured. Dean and Jacob never seemed to mind, but it just went against his nature. He enjoyed his independence, even being only four inches tall. "I'll be able to keep these giants in check."

"Now that is something to be thankful for," Bowman quipped, flexing his wings casually. They both nudged against Dean and Jacob though the sprite poorly played it as an accident. Jacob grabbed the edge of Bowman's wing in a hand and raised his eyebrows at him before letting go of the deceptively powerful wing.

The Spirit giggled quietly, like the gentle rush of an unseen brook. "You humans have put your lives on the line to help my children. I cannot begin to thank you enough. I only wish I could have done more."

"You've done plenty," Sam assured her. "More than we ever thought possible, trust me. I never thought I'd get to see Dean on the same scale again, after what happened."

Dean put a hand on Sam's shoulder in support, squeezing slightly. He might not get the chance to do that again, or at least not without being afraid his touch could hurt Sam if he wasn't as careful as he should be.

"This is how you were meant to see each other," the Spirit agreed. She glanced at Bowman, who looked a bit skeptical, and smiled. "I thought Bowman might deserve to look you all in the eye, too."

Bowman snickered. At least She hadn't left him out. Even if he just wound up in Dean's headlock because of it. "This is truly a gift," he said with mock seriousness before reaching out to bop both Dean and Jacob on the backs of their heads. "Normally I couldn't reach far enough for that."

Dean scowled, trying to spike his hair back to normal. "It's a gift alright," he said. Seeing Sam and Bowman like this was a good reminder that they were all equal inside. It was easy to forget sometimes when they were so small, and he never wanted that to happen with Sam. "I guess I'll have to come up with a good revenge when we get back to normal." He gave Bowman a wicked smile. A joke or two never hurt anyone, after all.

Jacob snickered, absently rubbing the back of his head with his hand. It struck him that if Bowman had charged at him at his normal size and smacked his head with his entire body, the sprite still wouldn't have made as much impact. Jacob appreciated the perspective. People like Sam and Bowman deserved his respect regardless of how strong they were. "Look out, Bowman. He'll find a way to get you for messing up his hair so much."

Bowman wasn't fazed. That, at least, remained the same regardless of size. He was bold to the end. "Worth it," he determined with a grin.

The Spirit smiled. "I have to let you all rest soon. Hopefully if we meet again it isn't because one of you needs healing," she said with a subtle wink.

Dean smiled ruefully. "I wouldn't bet on that, knowing our usual luck," he admitted. "But hopefully."

He managed to grab Bowman again, messing up the messy green hair as much as he could. "You let me know if anyone messes with those wings, flyboy. I'll come back and teach them a lesson for you."

Bowman ducked away from Dean with a flick of his wings. He brushed his own hands through his hair, though it wouldn't really fix anything. "Sure thing, I'd love an excuse for more of this," he groused, though there was a smirk on his face.

"You can't get enough of me and you know it," Dean snarked back jokingly. As much trouble as he'd given Bowman when they'd first discovered the sprite, after Bowman had saved his and Sam's lives, he'd stand by the sprite in a heartbeat.

While Dean was doing that, Sam turned to Jacob. He held out a hand to shake, just like the first time they'd met. "Good seeing you... normal, for once," Sam said. "Not that you're not fine the way you are! I just like not having to look up at everyone for once."

Jacob chuckled and shook Sam's hand gamely. "Don't worry, I know whatcha meant," he reassured him. "Good to look up to you for real for once." Indeed, Jacob had thought Sam was one of the coolest people he'd ever met once they became friends. Seeing his friend at the right scale felt so hopeful.

Sam grinned, pulling Jacob onto a quick hug before he broke away. He was surprised again that his own strength seemed to be so much more than Jacob's. It left him wondering if he was actually stronger than the two humans.

Once he saw Dean let the sprite pull away, Sam stepped up to his brother at the same size one last time.

Dean smirked. "You know I'm not one for chick flick moments, Sammy," he groused as Sam pulled him into a bonecrushing hug.

"Complain all you want, shorty, I think I've earned this," Sam said. He pulled away, shocked to see a tear on Dean's face. "Dean..."

Dean rolled his eyes, trying to play it off. "Just got something in my eye." He sobered up again. "Sam, no matter what happens, you can always rely on me, size be damned. I don't care if you're a Sasquatch or a pint-sized Sasquatch, you hear me?"

"Yeah Dean." Sam had a tear of his own now. "Thanks."

Jacob managed to catch a handshake from Bowman after the sprite escaped Dean's botherations. Bowman looked completely confused by the gesture, which got Jacob laughing. "It's just a human thing," he explained with a nonchalant shrug.

Bowman raised an eyebrow, glancing at his hand again. "If you say so, weirdo."

More banter was interrupted as the Spirit smiled almost sadly and began to fade. Jacob found himself motionless and drowsy as the strange dream unraveled around them at last.

A/N

Aaa. Almost at the end. One more chapter!

Brief reminder for all that at this point, Jacob is still growing and is therefore shorter than Dean. So when they're all standing at the same height, it goes in order from tallest to smallest Sam - Bowman (stands 6'2 when put to-scale with the humans) - Dean - Jacob.

Once Jacob hits his growth spurt, he's going to hop all the way to the front of the line, an inch taller than Sam.

And I'm feeling much better now. Naturally, the weekend and holiday are over, but that's okay. The next weekend is almost here.

Last: July 9th, 2017 at 9pm est

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