Phew, last chapter has arrived!
Thanks so much to everyone who read this story and came along with us for the ride! And special thanks, as always, to Shadow cat 181, Artemis1964, Colby's girl, Guest(s), The Tinglenator and BloodforInk!
Stan took the candid conversation as a signal that it was safe to come out, now that they were clearly in the car with Dean again. The little guy pulled himself to his feet, tugging at the top of the pocket so he could peek out without dangling on tiptoe just yet.
He let the humans carry on talking overhead, eyes widening as he found himself high enough to see out the windows of the car. The world looked so big and bright, passing by at speeds Stan could hardly comprehend. Trees and houses taller than any human would ever be, all blurred as Dean guided his vehicle down a long strip of road. It was mesmerizing and quite disorienting for Stan, but he could hardly look away.
Dean frowned in contemplation of Sam's revelation, deep lines etched into his face that gave him a more intense look that he meant to have. "Borrowers…" he said, trying out the word. "Not quite a leprechaun, but definitely on the shorter side of the supernatural."
Reminded, Dean fished around in his pocket. "That's right." He pulled out a granola bar and tossed it to Sam, making Sam fumble to catch it. Dean got a bitchface sent his way. "No one suspects a thing, and dear Nicholas doesn't have any friends in town. With any luck we'll be long forgotten before they ever find his body."
Sam hummed thoughtfully as he tore the wrapper in half. "No more strange deaths from this corner of the world," he said. Breaking off a small piece of the granola bar, he held it up for Stan.
Seeing the offered food, Stan reached out to take it from the massive fingers. His armpits over the edge of the pocket held him in place as he nibbled, grateful for the snack as it seemed that they wouldn't be stopping for a while. If there was one thing Stan knew, it was when a long car ride was imminent.
This time, though, he knew he was never coming back. Nicholas was gone forever, and the hunters had no reason to stay and every reason to go. Apparently taking Stan along for now. At least it would seem that he wouldn't spend the entire time trapped, like in the jar the witch kept him in during his road trips.
For once, Stan could enjoy the view a little, without worrying about all the people he was going to help kill.
Sam was just about to bite into his granola bar when Dean, impatient as always, prompted, "Borrowers…?"
"Hm? Right, sorry." Sam put the granola on his leg, reaching into his jacket to get out the book. "So get this. When I was checking up on what the library had, the librarian told me about this kids book. Written back in the fifties, I honestly didn't think much of it until Stan got real excited. Apparently, he remembers enough of his past that borrowers was familiar." Sam frowned. "He still can't remember where his family is, but at least we've got a start."
The revelation unsettled Dean. "So people that live in the walls… they're real? Like really real?"
"Real, and pretty harmless, from what I can see," Sam said, flipping through the book at what he could skim quickly. He was eager to delve fully into the pages, but until Dean got the information he needed, he wasn't likely to let the subject drop. "They get by only by 'borrowing' what… human beans? have on hand. Little things, bits of food, knick knacks." Sam took a bite of his granola, chewing while he was distracted by another illustration.
Stan craned his neck to view the book along with Sam, interest piqued as he saw more illustrations pass by. The way Sam explained it sounded about right to him, and he didn't feel the need to add or correct anything.
With another thoughtful bite, Stan regarded the book with a frown. For something that most humans would brush off as make-believe, it seemed to be quite accurate. Every detail regarding what the world looked like to someone Stan's size- down to the bent nails, pipes, and cobwebs under the floorboards- was all too familiar to Stan. Like he could be standing where the borrowers in the story were.
It might be old-fashioned, Stan thought, but it couldn't be far off from the truth if it struck a chord with him this much.
The discussion between the brothers tapered off as Sam settled into the book, finishing off his granola bar in short order and leaving the wrapper tucked next to his leg for when they needed to stop and refuel later on in the day. Dean turned on some music, keeping it soft so the volume wouldn't hurt Stan's ears, or startle the kid back into hiding.
For himself, now that Sam knew it wasn't as childish as he'd thought at first glance, he was drawn quickly into the plot of the book, fascinated by this revelation of how people like Stan lived alongside humans. It was obvious to Sam why the borrowers wanted to stay hidden. Stan was a prime example of a worst case scenario, kidnapped as a child, branded for sale like so much livestock, and eventually sold off, his life out of his own hands and under the control of a witch.
Now, however they managed it, Sam was determined to get Stan back to his family. Wherever they were, their long lost son was freed and he deserved that happy ending like any other rescued victim. Even if he was a little short.
Tracking down Stan's past would have to become a priority for a bit. The more Sam read, the more he wondered just what they'd gotten themselves into here. Stan was like night and day compared to the untrained, wild borrowers, with determination to be free and live lives of their own. Sam flipped to the next chapter, wide hazel eyes hanging on every word, knowing the answer could be waiting in the book for them to find.
Stan only got through half of his crumb of granola before giving up. His stomach was still getting used to handling food so rich and in such large quantities, in such regular intervals. He reached back and let the rest of it drop into the pocket for later, his attention stuck to the book just as much as Sam.
He tried his best to keep up, more than a little out of practice on his reading. Certainly less prolific a reader than Sam. He understood well enough to see what the words were, at least, and the illustrations helped set the scene for him when he was having trouble.
Soon, Stan was enthralled with the story of the Clock family and their troubles, letting his chin rest on his folded arms as time passed. After a few hours, the rumbling ambiance of the engine and the soft music added weight to Stan's eyelids. He was warm, full, and safe in the car with these new humans. When he could no longer fight it, Stan let himself sink back down into the pocket, laying across the bottom for a nap until the next stop.
Sam didn't notice at first that Stan had vanished from the top of the pocket, so intrigued by the story in the book was he. It wasn't until he'd reached well over halfway that he glanced down to find Stan gone.
Concerned, Sam nudged open the flap of his pocket to see inside, spotting Stan in his ragged clothing curled up inside, fast asleep. The amount of trust invested in them by the little guy hit Sam all at once. Stan had no control over what happened to him, yet he was slumbering peacefully away, his face relaxed.
Dean glanced over when he saw Sam moving. "He okay?" he asked.
Sam nodded, letting the pocket close up again. "Sleeping, now. It's probably the best thing for him after everything that happened yesterday."
A few more moments of silence stretched between them as Sam played with the book in his hands. The book looked smaller than it should have, dwarfed by the size of his hands. "Dean," he finally said, unable to hold it in any longer, "I don't think there's an easy fix for Stan."
Dean's green eyes met Sam's hazel, and he could see how serious Sam was.
Sam continued, "Stan's not like the borrowers in the book. Interacting with humans- it's supposed to be one of the worst things for them to do, yet Stan hasn't tried to hide from us once. I think… if we find a place for him to go, he might not be able to survive on his own. Even if we find more people like him, he might let himself get caught by the first person that comes along."
The frown lines on Dean's face deepened. "Then we'll just have to teach him how to survive," he said. "We didn't save him from the witch just to let the next jackass come along and do worse things to him."
Sam sighed, some of the tension in his shoulders leeching away as he slumped down. "I hope it's enough," he said uneasily. "No one should lose their family like that."
Dean clapped a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder. "We'll get him back one day," he said, his gaze intent before it slid back to the road. The sun was dipping towards the horizon. Soon they'd need to find a new motel to stay for the night. Look up some cases. Investigate deeper into Stan's past. "We're experts, right?"
Sam forced a smile. "Yeah. We'll figure it out."
He glanced back down at the pocket, hoping they were doing the right thing. Stan didn't belong with humans like them, from everything Sam had read and all of Stan's fearful reactions and trepidation. Yet what choice did they have?
Sam resolved to talk to Stan about it, as soon as he recovered from the trauma. They couldn't decide his life for him.
The drive continued with Sam and Dean unaware that Stan had overheard their conversation.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but Sam's voice in particular would not go ignored, the way it vibrated through Stan's entire body when he spoke. Not so much that it bothered Stan, but with every word exchanged, both voices kept him from slipping back into the depths of sleep.
And anyway, Stan was the subject of their talk. He needed to know what they thought about the whole situation, especially when the discussion turned to their next step for him.
Everything Sam said was true. Stan couldn't deny that he was very different from the borrowers he and Sam were reading about. He'd spent so long with someone taking care of him, suppressing any kind of self-sufficiency, isolated from his own kind. There was absolutely no way he could simply reintegrate into the kind of mindset his kind needed to survive.
Halfway through the humans' conversation, Stan began to get used to the soft rumble that was Sam's voice, and it actually started to lull him to sleep. Though he missed the part where the brothers talked about reuniting him with his family in his half-asleep state, he was glad that the brothers had decided to keep him, at least for the time being. He needed someone for protection, shelter, and food, and now he had two people more than willing.
The least he could do in return was be a good pet for them.
A/N:
Stan doesn't realize Sam and Dean are very different from the people he's dealt with before!
He'll be sticking around for a bit, and they have a lot of work ahead to find out just where his home is! Stan's story will continue in Avenue of Life, which doesn't currently have a release date, as we still have to edit it.
The contest is still going, and we can always be reached through the brothersapart tumblr page! I'll be taking a posting break for a bit, partially to get some time for editing so we have more stories ready to go, and partly because I have a surgery coming up in April, and I'm likely to be stressed to high hell for it. But always feel free to reach out! These stories keep my mind off a lot of stuff, and it's great to know ya'll like it too.
Next story: Avenue of Life (Coming soon)
Please leave us a review if you're enjoying the story!