AN: Ohmygoodnes, thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews - I'm so glad you're liking it so far! Now, lets finally get these brothers back together!
The safe house was more of a cottage tucked deep in a sudden outcropping of woods. It was just on the outskirts of the city but the sentient trees blocking out all busy noises of traffic and people made it feel like it was in its own little world. Sam paused in front, looking for any signs of Lillian inside. The house was small and painted a robin's egg blue with elegant white accents and trimming, like something out of a fairy tale. He walked up the wooden steps of the porch and knocked on the front door twice. No answer.
"She must not be here yet," Sam said to himself under his breath. He walked down the porch, steps creaking at his leave, and wandered around to the back to find another open porch with soft little white rockers that called his name. He didn't want to go inside without her, so he made up his mind to sit down, enjoy the view, and wait. He let out a sigh and relaxed.
After Lillian had left the supply closet, Sam had gone to the front desk to ask if anyone recently checked in had almost drowned or washed up on shore. If Sam was Dean's size, then maybe his brother could have been taken to the hospital – but the woman had checked for him and confirmed that no, they hadn't had anyone like that come in.
So after that dead end, Sam had gone to tell Joyce he was going for a walk to clear his mind. The family had been so kind to him he didn't want to worry them with disappearing. The walk over had been a little long; he could have taken a cab but he wanted to look around and didn't have any money anyway. Besides, he was pretty sure a secret safe house was supposed to remain a secret – not have its address given to any cab driver who happened to pick him up.
And now here he was, sitting on a wooden, cushioned rocker, staring out at the green leaved trees and listening to the birds sing overhead. It was still a nice day; a little chill was in the air but the jacket Sam had borrowed was keeping him comfortable. He soaked it all in, every bit of it, because he had missed the outdoors all those years living in the motel. Even with Dean nearby, if Sam ever ventured through the grass he could never fully relax because at his small size anything could be a threat. But now - Sam leaned back, slowly rocking back in forth in time with the steady thrum of the ground - now he could fully enjoy the nature around him without fear.
He let out another deep sigh, closing his eyes for a second. The low thrumming grew heavier now, vibrating the earth and his rocker. Sam froze.
He knew that sound. It was ingrained in him ever since he shrunk.
The thrums were growing closer now, turning into booms, visibly shaking the leaves and everything on the porch.
It was the sound of giant, human footsteps.
But the only way that would be possible here is if…Sam shot up out of his chair and ran to the edge of the porch to stare at the woods, one hand clenched tightly to the railing. The tall, thick trees were shaking now as the crashing booms reverberated across the ground like the beginning shudders of an earthquake. He felt the low, steady vibrations in his bones.
Then the illusion of Sam's curse being broken was shattered as his huge brother came into view. Dean was as giant as ever, giving some of the towering trees a run for their money as his head almost reached over the tops of them, but Sam never saw a more welcoming sight. His brother was watching his step as always, one hand cupping against his chest and the other holding his trusty duffle bag.
Sam's heart swelled with an aching happiness and relief. He left the porch to come into view but still far away from the thunderous steps. "DEAN!" Sam shouted out excitedly, waving his hands over his head and hoping he was heard from where he was at on the ground. He needn't have worried, because he felt his brother's green eyes lock on him instantly at the call.
"Sammy!" Dean's face lit up, flooding with the same emotions Sam was feeling.
The earthshaking steps quickened, and Sam took a little step back as the windows behind him shook in their frames at Dean thudding down onto his knees in front of him. The duffle bag was carefully laid down and then, with that hand freed, Sam was scooped up into the palm of his brother's hand and soaring through the air.
"Sammy," Dean said again as he brought his hand up to his face to look his little brother over critically, almost not believing they were finally reunited. His brother stared up at him with a big smile, wiping the ever-floppy hair out of his eyes. "God Sam, I'm so happy you're okay." His voice hitched a little at the end, and he couldn't keep his eyes from tearing up from relief and happiness. He opened his mouth to say more, to explain how horrible it was watching him be torn away by the waves, how helpless he felt to have let Sam down, but his throat was suddenly too tight. Blinking rapidly, he cupped his little brother close to his chest, over his heart, in their make-shift hug. He wished, as he always found himself wishing, that he could hug Sam properly, hold him tight, to convey just how relieved and happy he was.
Sam wasn't mad at the quick grabbing, but welcomed it. He relaxed in the warm cave that was his brother's hand, stretching his own arms out as wide as he could across Dean's chest in an attempt to hug back. He felt the worry and anxiety he had ever since waking up here melt away as he listened to the steady beat of his older brother's heart, and understood everything Dean was trying to say because he felt the same.
Then the small sound of a throat clearing caught their attention.
"Don't mean to interrupt your moment…" came a familiar voice a little below Sam.
Sam shifted as Dean's fingers curled around him so the hand could pull away before opening back up to let him stand on the palm again. As the other hand was brought up next to him, Sam was surprised to see Lillian. That was why he saw Dean's hand cupped, but it didn't explain how the heck she ended up running into him.
"Hello, Sam." Lillian beamed, giving him a little wave from where she stood on Dean's other hand as if she was as used to doing so as he was. Sam gave her a little confused wave in return.
"Alright, just a sec," Dean said, grinning at his two passengers and the wondering look on Sam's face. "I'll put you both back on solid ground here…" He lowered his hands slowly, feeling the slight shifts of their feet as they adjusted to his movements, and then laid them flat on the ground so the two could step right off. Dean didn't mind holding them, in fact after losing Sam all he wanted to do was keep him close, but he knew Lillian might be more comfortable away from him and he didn't want to be too suffocating to his little brother.
With those two a safe distance from him on the ground, Dean shifted his own weight and moved as slowly and lightly as he could to lay down in the backyard and see them better. "Well Sam, it looks like you had a better welcoming committee waking up here than I did," Dean said with a grin, pointedly taking in Sam's new clothes.
Sam looked down at his jacket and the pants that were a little short. "I was lucky, a nice woman and her son found me and helped me out. That's where I got these," he replied, gesturing at his borrowed clothes. "Although, the whole everything-being-my-size thing has me freaked out."
"Guess what, we're in Lilliput, as in from that Gulliver's Travels story or whatever," Dean told him, knowing Sam would find it just as weird but also help him understand why Dean was the odd one out here this time.
Sam's eyebrows raised and he shot a questioning look at Lillian, who nodded in confirmation. "Wow. I didn't think this place actually existed…That explains why I fit in so well then…" Sam frowned in thought. "I guess the storm really was a buildup of supernatural energy strong enough to rip through universes."
"Most likely," Lillian agreed, "That's how Jonathan Swift traveled here in our stories." She tried to brush back a wayward curl that had fallen down the middle of her forehead.
"Jonathan Swift?" Sam questioned, shooting a look up at Dean. "Isn't that the author of the book?"
"Dude, do I look like I would know that answer?" Dean responded with a twitch of his lips. "I saw the movie once as a kid, that's about it."
Sam rolled his eyes. "It's interesting, that means he was the one to come here and then wrote the book and published it as fiction…" Sam's eyes widened a bit as he recalled more bits of the story. "I'm glad we ended up here – if this place is real that means the land of the giants he also visited is real as well."
Dean made a face at that, "Yeah, no – Lilliput is good, even with the rude welcome."
Lillian laughed. "This is a nice little country, when it's not getting attacked by demon generals from Blefiscu that is."
Sam looked up at Dean, "You told her? Wait – where did you wake up, and how did you two find each other?"
"Lillian told me how you both met, and I filled her in on what's really going on when we made our way here." Dean rested his head on his arms to get comfortable.
And so the three of them filled each other in on what had happened and what they had all learned. The shortened versions.
"The army has to cross a river to get into the city," Lillian was telling the brothers after they started making defensive plans. "If they plan to be stealthy they won't use the bridge, and will have to wade through the shallow part that's not too far from here."
"Perfect," Dean said with a smile, "We can meet them there and do what we planned before they even get into the city. I brought my duffle bag and it has the hunting stuff we need, so I can add a little something to what we already have mapped out and it should go over smoothly."
"Hopefully," Sam added, a wary smile of his own growing. Hunting with his brother like normal, only this time he'd actually get to help out more.
Lillian nodded and started to walk backwards towards the porch. "Sounds like a plan. I have to make a couple phone calls first, to alert my parents and to warn them about," she lifted an eyebrow and waved at Dean's huge form, "y'know, you, so no one freaks out."
"Good luck with that," Sam told her as she left.
Once the sound of the screen door creaking shut was heard, Dean sat up to unzip his duffle. He pulled out a sharpie and looked at it thoughtfully before tucking it into his back pants pocket and turning back to look inside the bag. "Man I'm starving – I haven't eaten anything since this morning. All they gave me was one of my water bottles, but luckily," he said, digging around inside before triumphantly pulling out a granola bar, "I threw a couple of these in the bag before we left!" He eagerly unwrapped it but paused, looking down at his brother. "Want some?" he offered.
"No thanks," Sam said, "the family that took me in fed me, so I'm good." He grinned as Dean shrugged and took a bite, obviously relishing the small bar even though Sam knew it wasn't his favorite of snacks to eat. He loosely crossed his arms, unconsciously pulling his sleeves up a little.
"They sound like great people," Dean said sincerely, "I hope I get a chance to thank them for being there when I couldn't - y'know, if I don't freak them out first, but what's new?" He gave Sam a wink as he shuffled to sit cross legged. Then he paused, gaze locking in on Sam's forearm with an intense frown. "What's that?" He asked, voice suddenly flat and testing.
Sam looked down in surprise at the dark bruise peeking out from beneath his jacket sleeve. He had meant to not tell Dean about it until he absolutely had to, but of course he should have known his brother would notice the bruise right away even when only a little was showing. "Uh, a bruise – from the storm. It's no big deal, I'm fine," he tried to shrug it off. He wasn't lying - all his bruises were uncomfortable but the hot shower had helped.
But Dean wasn't having it. His gaze narrowed in thought. "From the storm, huh." Then his eyebrows rose as he realized: "Shit, Sam – that's from me wasn't it?" The frown dissipated and Sam could practically see the self-loathing starting back up inside Dean's mind as he looked away. "I'm so sorry, Sammy. I couldn't keep you safe and I actually ended up hurting you more – I'm doing a great job of being an older brother, aren't I…"
"Dean-" Sam broke in quickly before Dean could go on. "It wasn't your fault, none of it – okay? We couldn't control the storm and it was my idea to be out there in the first place. Alright? I don't want you to feel bad; in fact, the life jacket you made me wear saved me from breaking any ribs."
Dean paused, then finally nodded. "Alright…But we're getting you an ice pack after this whole demon thing." He shifted, staring down at his granola bar. "Actually, this experience has been good for me, it lets me kind of get a taste of what you have to deal with back home…"
Sam cocked his head to the side and looked up at his older brother in question. "What do you mean?"
"I'm used the you and the rest of the family your size, and you and everyone have gotten used to me… But y'know, everything is still my size back home – the world is made for me. Hell, even in the sprite village the trees were still normal sized." He shot an accusatory glare at the significantly smaller trees behind him. "But here everything is different, and I uh, don't fit – in more ways than one." He huffed out a quiet laugh at that. "Except it's even worse for you back home because it's the opposite everything is bigger and y'know," Dean shrugged, "you have to fight just to do everyday things. I mean, I got that before, but this has given me a new perspective. I don't know if I say it enough, but Sammy, you're really strong to be able to do what you do daily."
Sam nodded, walking closer to lay a hand on his older brother's knee. "Thanks Dean, that, that means a lot." He craned his neck back to look up at his brother. It really did mean a lot, Sam sometimes couldn't help but feel hopelessly weak when outsized by normal fingers and everyday objects; hearing his older brother say he was strong - his huge, perfectly trained hunter of a brother, made Sam's chest lighten at the words. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm just a weirded out by all of this as you are," he said with a grin to lighten the mood.
Dean chuckled, carefully bringing a knuckle over to playfully nudge his little brother. "Not used to being so tall, huh?"
Sam shot him a bitch-face as he caught his balance, and it just made Dean's smile grow larger. "This is definitely an experience." He looked over his shoulder at the house, then back at Dean with miniscule brows furrowed. "Hey, why does Lillian need to call her parents to tell them about the army? What can they do about it?"
"It's because they're like, the king and queen of this place," Dean answered absently as he focused back on eating the small bar. Man, he was so grateful he tossed a couple of these granola bars in for Sam. Maybe they weren't the worst snack after all.
Sam's eyebrows raised. "Wait, so that means Lillian is…"
"A princess, yes," Lillian answered as she came out of the little house. Sam's eyes widened and she winked at him as she walked over. She couldn't help but think the sudden, flustered way he adjusted his jacket was cute. "But a badass one, don't forget. The only time I'm a damsel in distress is when I'm pretending to be one to draw soldiers near." Lillian grinned up at Dean, who was busy taking big bites out of a granola bar that was bigger than- nope. She was not going to make that connection.
"She sure is," Dean piped up in praise, crumpling up the now-empty wrapper and stuffing it back in his bag. "She knocked out a dude in one punch. I'm glad she's on our side, I wouldn't want to go up against her in a fight." He gave her a wink.
The corner of Lillian's mouth tugged upwards at the compliment, even if she knew Dean was exaggerating. She wouldn't last two seconds up against him, he could just swoop her up into a fist before she even tried anything. Could was the key word of course, not would; Dean never made any bad moves that would make her question his word – Lillian trusted him, and that's what she told her parents. "Well obviously without me you both would have no chance up against this demon army." Both the boys nodded gravely at that, and she laughed. "Speaking of which, we should be going if we want to get prepared before they cross the river!"
