Sam gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. He'd rolled the window up the second the dog had started to trot in his direction. His phone lay forgotten next to him on the seat. If he'd paused to listen he would've heard a steady stream of cursing coming from Dean.

Right before the beagle reached the Impala, it was yanked back. Sam let it a shuddering breath of relief as the dog let out a loud whine, trying to paw at the car.

His relief only lasted for a moment. The dog's owner let up on the leash, freeing the dog to crawl forward curiously. Before Sam could switch back into gear, a large black nose was snuffling against the side of the door, slightly rocking the Impala from the force. A curious growl filled the air.

As much as Sam normally loved dogs, the last thing he wanted to deal with right now was a pooch big enough to carry around the Impala in his mouth. He was on a whole new level of interaction with the world, and it made him want to find a dark corner, crawl in and never come out.

Sam flinched back from the window when a pair of sneakers stepped up next to the bench. The dog was pulled back, replaced by the smaller, curious hand of the kid that was with the dog.

Sam dove under the seat as the fingers wrapped around the car, or at least, as far as he could fit himself underneath the seat. His 6'4" frame had never been meant to squish into such tight quarters, but despite the flaming pain his shoulder was in from his earlier injury, he managed to make it work. He had no intention of being discovered like this. If his own brother was dangerous to be around this size, he had no doubt an unknowing child would be even worse.

Especially with Sam barely the length of the kid's fingers, if that.

Luckily, he didn't have to worry about the dog using the car as a chew toy with Sam sitting front row to the destruction.

Sam wriggled as far back as he could while the car was tilted at every angle, a shadow falling over Sam as the kid peered in from above. Sam's phone slipped off the seat, landing a few inches from where his hand was resting. He grabbed for it the second the kid lowered the car from his face. The car jerked to the side without warning, momentarily jarring Sam from his hiding place as the kid went to show his mother his awesome find.

Seeing his call was still connected, Sam put the phone up to his ear, flinching slightly back from Dean's angry tirade coming over the line.

"Dean?" Sam hissed, eyes flicking out the window to make sure he hadn't been spotted. "Where the hell are you? Some kid grabbed the Impala!"

"Oh come ON," Dean groaned, sounding short of breath. They just weren't catching a break here. He slowed to a halt. "Hey. I'm in the park. Don't let him get his hands on you, I'm almost there."

He was just beyond the threshold of the playground, and paused to double over to catch his breath while he fiercely scanned each child in eyesight up and down. There were two girls playing in the monkey bars, a toddler eating sand on the ground, a mother helping her son go down the tunnel slide... They were all clear. But Sam hadn't mentioned a playground. Last thing he's said he was near a bench...

Dean took off jogging down the sidewalk. The cramps in his sides complained heartily. He'd said it before and he'd say it again: it just wasn't natural to run everywhere like this. He was practically gasping for air. Despite his better judgement, Dean found himself weighing the pros of working more cardio in his days from now on after this mess died down.

Dean surveyed every group centered around the benches. Many were empty. Some occupied by old ladies enjoying the breeze. A couple teenagers making out-

Dean stopped short. A little boy was kneeling on the ground next to a relaxing dog, pushing a little black car around on the ground. He swerved the car this way and that in pretend pursuit of a government spy. Dean felt queasy, knowing Sam was trapped inside. He could only imagine what the careless handling felt like from the inside.

"Hey!" Dean ran over, closing the last bit of distance between him and the Impala. The kid peered up at the strange man tentatively. Dean hardly noticed as he smiled breathlessly at the sight of the itty bitty car. Not smushed like a soda can, he noted gratefully.

"I've been looking all over for this. Knew I left it back here somewhere." Dean lowered himself to a crouch, leveling himself with the boy, who was still clutching the car possessively by his side. He held out his hand, reaching for the car. The boy frowned suspiciously.

"This is yours?"

"Yeah, thanks for finding it for me." Dean shook his hand a bit, waiting.

"I don't see your name on it. Besides, finders keepers!" Ian huffed.

Dean's friendly smile dropped into a flat expression. His tolerance for people's crap was in the negative digits. He debated on wrestling it right out of the kid's hands... but remembering how Sam had injured his shoulder just from him grabbing the car mid-rev earlier made Dean decide against this. No, the diplomatic method was the only choice here.

Dean felt around in his jacket for his wallet, and unfolded a five dollar bill. "Tell you what, let's make a trade. Go buy yourself a hot fudge sundae."

"What, do you think I'm stupid mister? I found it fair and square. Go get your own." Ian picked up the Impala, turning it on its side as he cradled it protectively. Dean lunged forward, grabbing the kid's wrist to right the car.

"What's going on here?" A woman he assumed was the kid's mother came over, giving him a death glare for having his hand on her son. Dean hastily took advantage of the kid's shock, prying the Impala out of his grubby little hands and into his own as he stood up. Ian protested but Dean was already on his feet and the car was out of reach.

"Just a misunderstanding here," Dean said calmly. "I lost my car back here. Your son here was kind enough to return it to me." He sent a subtle arch of the brow down at the kid, who looked entirely put out.

"It's not his, mom. He's stealing it!"

Thinking quickly to avoid an arrest for child harassment, Dean felt the bulge of the EMF meter in his jacket pocket.

"If it's not mine, then how do I have the remote control?" Dean challenged him. He pulled out the EMF meter and held it up for them to see. Its strange controls and row of lights were foreign to them, but there was nothing to suggest it wasn't a remote control.

"See?" Dean crouched down and set the Impala between his feet, speaking a bit more forcefully to drive the point home to Sam, who was undoubtedly clinging to every word of the conversation. He angled his boot so that the window of the car was hidden from an overhead view. "If I press this button here..."

" 'Don't let him get his hands on me,' yeah, 'cause I can totally stop someone when I'm this small. I'll just Hulk out over here," Sam groused grumpily at the phone, unable to force down the panic rising in him. The car suddenly dropped down, Sam clutching the seat as much as he could. It hit the ground, luckily not hard enough to damage the tires. Thinking fast, Sam dove out from under the seat, swiftly switching the car into neutral so the car wouldn't get damaged when it was pushed along the ground. He ducked back under before the kid could catch sight of his tiny form moving past the windshield.

The next few minutes were a combination of terrifying and dizzying as the car was wheeled about on the ground, the little kid whooping and hollering above as he acted out scenes from his imagination. It wasn't long until Sam started to think he might have to find a place to barf. If they ever got back to normal, Dean would just love that.

Scrunched under the seat as he was, his injured shoulder was jostled constantly, bright sparks of pain flaring up his arm and down his back. If he made it through today, he was going to be recovering for a week.

He lost track of time during this, barely able to hold onto the phone while he was being thrown about. He came back to himself when an overpoweringly loud, but blessedly familiar voice rang out overhead.

Dean!

With the kid distracted by his giant brother for a few seconds, Sam dared to slip out from underneath the seat to see where the Impala was.

A huge hand was still wrapped possessively over the top of the car. Past the fingers and the shadow of the boy, Sam's heart leapt when he saw two towering denim-clad legs, stretching up into the sky. Dean was even taller than he remembered, but Sam had never seen a more welcome sight in his life. With his brother nearby, Sam knew everything would somehow be alright. No matter how bleak the situation, they were always better off when they were together.

He watched the two massive boots walk closer, loudly crunching over the sidewalk. Sam was distracted from the sight when the little boy clutched the car even closer by his side. Dean dropped down into a squat, giving a huge smile when his eyes caressed the outside of his car. He gave no sign of even seeing Sam on the inside at all, reminding Sam of his current insignificance to the humans outside. Even his own brother, who knew he was there, had trouble seeing him like this.

He ducked back under the seat, listening to the exchange outside. He held his breath the entire time. It was so strange that his fate hung in the balance of such an innocent-seeming exchange from an outsider's view.

The car was unexpectedly picked up, sending Sam flying against one of the doors when the world tilted sideways. He slumped down with a groan, clutching his injured arm as the car just as suddenly righted. Cracking open an eye, he saw a massive, familiar hand holding the kids wrist, stopping the kid from knocking around the fragile car. Despite everything, Sam couldn't help a wry grin. Great job, Dean. Scaring little kids... You're gonna get your ass kicked if this kid's parents are around... thought you were the one that was good with kids...

Sure enough, seconds later a third voice joined the conversation above Sam. Dean took advantage of the confusion, wrapping an immense hand around the tiny car, managing to free Sam from the kid with one final yank, accidentally tossing Sam to the ground. Sam's stomach dropped through the floor as his giant brother stood to his full height, taking the car with him.

A welcome sensation of safety at last overcame Sam. He slipped out from under the seat, carefully peeking over the edge of the drivers side window so he could see what was going on outside above his head now that he was in a less precarious position.

Dean was being set upon by the mom and the kid. Sam could actually see the situation starting to slip away from Dean's control while they talked. "C'mon, Dean! We're almost home free!" he muttered, silently praying Dean would figure a way out of this that wouldn't end up with him arrested yet again. There wasn't much Sam could do like this aside from cheer his brother on from the sidelines.

And Dean hit on a perfect idea. Sam grabbed the dash as the car was shifted to the side. A massive hand reached into the jacket behind the car, making the huge fabric wall shift behind Sam. Dean pulled out an EMF meter bigger than the Impala, brandishing it like he'd won the Stanley Cup. A smile quirked at Sam's lips when he realized where Dean was going with the idea.

He braced himself when the world rose up, far too fast for comfort. It was like riding the Tower of Terror without any of the built in safeties an amusement park ride would give. At the end of the swift fall, the car was gently placed down, so softly there was barely a bump when the tires touched ground. Sam pulled himself up on the seat again, flinching slightly when he saw the car had been carefully placed between the massive, crushing boots, stretching out longer than the car itself.

But with Dean protecting him, it was the safest place to be. Sam peered up at the giants towering over him, adrenaline pumping when his eyes landed on the mother and the child. Even the dog was eyeing up the car again, from where it was still lying near the bench.

He caught Dean's signal as the boot closest to him shifted slightly, rocking closer to the tiny car. Switching into drive, Sam hit the gas, slowly building up speed. He looped around Dean, keeping a careful distance from the boots at first.

Jealousy filled the little kids eyes, then awe as he watched the tiny car execute moves that ordinary toy cars just couldn't manage. He grabbed his mom's arm, pulling her down in his excitement. "Mooooom, that's the coolest car ever! I want one!"

After staying around Dean for the most part, the tiny car daringly zipped around the kid and his mom. Sam tried to keep down out of sight for the most part, but he had to admit, he was enjoying the freedom, and with Dean safely nearby he wasn't worried about the car getting stepped on or smashed. It was a nice change from the last twelve hours of pretty much constant panic.

At last, the itty bitty car slowed down next to Dean's boot, stopping in the colossal hunter's shadow. It idled, waiting for its next cue from its 'owner.'

Dean was surprised to find a grin on his face as he watched Sam race around his shoes and loop around the small patch of sidewalk. He had to admit, it was kind of fun to show off his baby like this, while pretending to press buttons on the EMF that didn't exist. A couple of the turns were a bit hard, but overall his kid brother had a good handle on the car. He could only imagine the look on his brother's face way down there. It was hilarious, adorable, and still downright weird.

Of all the nutty things we've done to avoid arrest... this takes the cake.

The mini-Impala finally came to a stop, and Dean stooped down to pick it up.

"Sorry, buddy. She's one of a kind," he announced smugly.

Turning a more withdrawn smile to the mom, he gave her a little nod of acknowledgement. "Sorry for the little misunderstanding."

"Keep your hands off my son, and there won't be any misunderstanding," she replied icily, easily resisting his charms with the memory of his hand on Ian's wrist.

Dean's smile dropped at the edges. But hey, he had what he came for. No need to drag this out any longer than necessary. He turned away from the mother and son and set out on his way with no further ado.

With the tiny car out of intense scrutiny, there was little chance of its teeny driver being spotted by the casual passerby. Still, Dean deliberately kept his hand wrapped completely around the windows. Not that it was difficult to do with the Impala's barely seven inch length, but useful in keeping its tiny driver undetectable in the resulting shadows. He kept it cradled against his stomach as he walked, hoping to stifle the swinging of his steps.

Dean pulled his phone out of his pocket and redialed Sam's number.

"Smooth moves back there, shorty," he greeted when he heard Sam's voice on the other line. There was nothing quite as disconcerting as talking over the phone with Sam, hearing his voice as large as life... And looking down at the roof of the shrunken Impala, knowing the man he was talking to was even tinier, sitting inside.

Inside the dark cave created by Dean's hand, Sam slumped back against the seat, exhausted and relieved to be safe off the ground at last. Being down on the ground made the tiny feeling worse, since he was pretty much eye level with the toe of Dean's boots. He wasn't even bothered by the sight of the immense fingers pressing against the windows now, knowing Dean would never risk any harm to either of them. And after what he'd gone through the last hour, he appreciated Dean's conservative movements that much more.

The steady swaying of his brother's gait lulled him into a blank state of mind until he heard his phone ring by his side. He checked the caller ID. Dean. It was a strange feeling, to have his brother right next to him, technically, but still be unable to talk to each other without the cell phone's help.

"Hey," he answered.

Dean's voice rumbled straight through the car while he talked, the vibrations shaking its tiny passenger. It almost drowned out the smaller version of his voice coming from the phone Sam was holding to his ear. Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's joke.

"Yeah, well at least one of us has smooth moves. She almost ate you alive out there, man."

"Hey, I yanked your bacon out of the fire, didn't I?" Dean protested with an arched eyebrow. He paused. "Any word from the World's Smallest Bitch?"

He was walking back to the motel at a leisurely pace. Now that adrenaline was fading, his legs were complaining from the long sprint earlier. His grip on the car was careful but unrelenting. Even a pair of squirrels chasing each other around a tree earned a glare from the blonde hunter. Now even mundane things had the potential for danger regarding Sam.

Sam smirked at that. "Yeah - thanks for that, by the way. Don't know how much more me or the Impala could have taken back there." He checked the doors, using the tiny bit of light slitting through the fingers pressing firmly against the car to see. He could unlock them now. "Haven't heard anything from her since I got locked in the car. I'm sure she can't be far off though. She seems to like to watch." He shook his head. "Takes voyeurism to a whole new level."

His eyes flicked to windshield, trying to see Dean beyond the cupped hand. From here all he could make out were the shadows Dean's jacket cast, swaying in time with the thudding footsteps that echoed up through the car. "Where we heading, anyway?"

"Gonna grab a bite to eat on the way back to the room." Dean replied. "Only place within walking distance is-" he squinted at the white and red sign projected above the corner florists. "-Rudy's Shake Shack."

His sigh at the lack of better options rattled through the phone. "God, I miss my wheels. This demon bitch can take her kinky hijinks and shove it up her ass."

There was a pause as he lowered the phone to cross the street. One impatient car honked at him to hurry up. Dean turned around to shoot the driver a dirty look. Didn't they know what precious cargo he was carrying?

"Asshole," he muttered under his breath, bringing the phone back up to his ear. "Hey give me your order, then hang up. You better save your battery. We don't know how long she's planning on keeping you bite-sized."

"Yeah, good idea." Sam yawned. Taking a second to think, he turned the car off and tucked away the key. Might as well save the Impala's gas, too. "Just get me… a salad or a chicken sandwich. Whatever they have there." Sam gave one last wistful look out the blocked windows. "And try to keep the roller coaster effects to a minimum out there."

He shut the phone with a strange reluctance, knowing that now he'd be able to hear Dean just fine… but Dean would have no idea if he was even talking from this far away.

Stretching out in the seat, Sam bunched up his jacket, laying down to rest his eyes. Ignoring the occasional rumble echoing through the car from Dean, he drifted off into a light doze. The gentle rocking of his brother's footsteps outside helped lull him away from the waking world.

Dean's eyes slid down when the Impala stopped vibrating. It was such a slight intonation, he was surprised that was the whole engine. He ached to hear his baby roaring purr... He wouldn't even mind hearing Sam bitch about his taste in music right about now.

Dean held the Impala on his lap while he was ordering and waiting around at the countertop seating of the diner. The waitress gave him an odd look when he kept one hand under the counter the whole time, but kept her opinions to herself.

The brothers reconvened back in the motel room for a much needed break from their silence. Considering Dean hadn't a chance in the world to fit inside the Impala at its current size, the motel room they were renting out was the only private place secure enough for the hunters to interact openly. Eating a meal together was still nowhere near comfortable, and Dean hoped dearly that it wasn't something he would have to get used to. Dean flicked on the news, an excuse to watch the screen instead of each other.

"Waitress said library was a ten minute walk from here," Dean said thickly, savoring his deluxe cheeseburger. "Figure we should head down there, see what kind of satan-groupie we're dealing with."

Sam pulled himself out of an uneasy sleep full of laughter and winks from a certain small black-eyed girl to find the Impala being placed down on the motel room table. Dean was still busy pulling out food from the house sized bag when Sam got out of the car, stretching his arms over his head to wake up.

He accepted a small piece of chicken sandwich from Dean and started eating while his brother turned the news on. Once Dean started eating his own food, Sam ended up moving farther away to get a little space. Crumbs showered down with almost every bite Dean took, so Sam was wisely kept his distance. Not that Dean noticed; he couldn't possibly. Once he was far enough away for comfort, he sat down to enjoy his food.

Dean fell quiet as the news anchor went on to tell about a homicide in the neighboring county. Hunter instincts on edge, he listened attentively, reading between the lines to see if the killer was a man or a monster. One handedly, he groped for a fry as he kept his eyes locked on the footage of the break-in. Dean popped the fry in his mouth and went back for another- only this time, his aim was off and his fingers clumsily dropped around a canvas jacket and lean waist.

For a while, they both ate in peace. Sam didn't even look up at Dean when he saw the news story about the homicide start up on the TV, equally interested in a story that could have a possible connection to their case. Because of this, he didn't realize his danger until it was too late.

Without warning, two massive fingers locked around his waist, tightening their grip around him to an almost uncomfortable level. "What?" Sam said, briefly confused. He glanced up at his brother and felt his heart drop when he saw Dean still staring riveted at the TV, distractedly chewing on his food. Dean clearly had no idea he had Sam in his hand - anytime he'd held Sam before he'd stayed as focused on his brother as possible, knowing how easily Sam could be injured by a single wrong move from the larger hunter.

"Dean!" Sam yelled when the hand suddenly lifted, taking him off the table into the air with a casual motion. Dean swallowed down the fry already in his mouth in one swift movement, making Sam's mouth drop in shock when he realized his brother had just swallowed food bigger than he was. The hand steadily moved over to the mouth, Dean taking no notice of Sam's struggles. He was still distracted by the news, the TV easily drowning out his sibling's horrified shout.

Sam stared in horrified awe as the gigantic maw opened up in front of him while Dean unknowingly moved his little brother - the one person he cared for most in the world - over the deadly abyss. Understanding exactly how much danger he'd be in if Dean didn't realize what he had in his hand, Sam tried to get free of the fingers. The realization of how easily he could end up in the same situation as Dean's now nonexistent sandwich gave his struggles a panicked desperation Sam rarely showed. Unfortunately, Dean was either too distracted by the television to notice, or Sam's struggles were too small to pull his brother's attention to himself in the first place.

Sam found himself helplessly carried over teeth the size of his forearm when the grip of the fingers suddenly loosened, dropping him into Dean's mouth with no other warning. "No!" he yelled as he briefly fell through the air. The light from the outside disappeared as the enormous mouth sealed shut behind him with a sickening finality.