Before It's Too Late: Chapter 2

Dean and Sam arrived at the house ten minutes to six o’clock. Kyle let them in the house and explained what he knew. “I called her work; they said she left sometime after one thirty. I asked Brad if he’s seen her, but he hasn’t and neither has my grandmother.”

“What about her friend? Cody?” Dean asked.

Kyle shook his head. “No. Cody moved a few weeks ago to North Carolina.”

Dean sighed, “Great.”

“So what do you want us to do?” Sam asked.

“I wanted to search the woods behind our house. I’m hoping if we find anything, it’ll be there.” Because that’s all I have right now, Kyle thought. Hope.

Dean turned to his brother, “Why don’t you take Hana to Brad’s place and check around town. I’ll go with Kyle.”

Sam nodded his head and went to Hana’s room, while Dean and Kyle headed out to the Impala. Dean dropped Kyle off at J&J’s bar to start searching the woods. Dean and Kyle decided to meet in the middle.

After arriving at the house, letting Sam use the car to drive around, Dean walked into the backyard, turning on his flashlight. The sun had set and the sky was getting darker, making their search harder. Half an hour passed by and so far Dean came up empty handed. He sighed, hoping Kyle was having better luck.

Kyle walked along the river, searching the shadows for some sort of clue as to what happened to Alex. As he stepped over a fallen branch, crunching the leaves under his feet, he caught a glimpse of something behind a tree. He shined his flashlight on the object and quickly rushed over to it, realizing it was Alex’s coat. Kyle aimed his light around the area looking for a shoe print or something, but there was nothing.

“Alex!” he called out, hoping that she could hear him. Kyle waited and listened, but there was nothing to listen to, just crickets. He called up Dean on his cell phone to tell him what he found.

“Hey, did you find anything?” Dean asked as he crossed the bridge.

“Yeah. I found her coat. It was lying by the base of a tree near the river.”

“Are you sure it’s hers?”

“Positive.” Kyle aimlessly shined his light around the woods, not really sure where else to look. “Dean, I searched the area, but there’s nothing.”

“Did you check the coat?” Dean could tell that Kyle was having a hard time focusing on staying calm, but Dean needed his help.

“Hang on.” Kyle knelt down next to the jacket and examined it closer. Spotting something dark by the collar, he carefully reached his hand for it and touched the spot. He pulled his hand up to his face, shining the flashlight on his finger. His eyes went wide at what he saw. “Oh no.”

“What is it?” Dean asked more alarmed by the tone of Kyle’s voice.

“There’s blood.”

Dean started walking along the river, trying to find Kyle’s location while searching for Alex. “How much? A lot?”

Kyle shook his head, looking at the jacket. “Looks like a nose bleed maybe. It’s hard to tell.” The crimson color was blending in with the black coat, camouflaging the smaller spots of blood.

“Well, let’s just keep looking. There’s gotta be something else around here that will help us out,” Dean encouraged him, wondering if what he said was true.

“Ok,” Kyle hung up his phone and picked up the jacket.

The guys soon met up. “You find anything?” Dean asked spotting the coat in Kyle’s arms.

“No.” Kyle’s face fell as he sighed. “What about you? Any luck?”

Dean shook his head, “No.” Noticing Kyle’s distraught face, Dean spoke up again. “Don’t worry, we’ll come out here tomorrow when it’s daylight and search every inch of these woods. We’ll search the entire town if we have to.” Dean watched as Kyle simply nodded his head. He didn’t say anything. Dean sighed and decided to check the surrounding area to prove that he wasn’t going to give up. As he did, Kyle was looking at the blood on his wife’s coat. “Alex,” Dean called out as he approached the river’s edge. The water glistened as he shined his light from one end of the river to the other. Even though the current was weak, Dean still wondered if Alex somehow fell in the river.

While looking at the jacket, Kyle heard a noise. Something low to the ground was coming towards him. Thinking fast, he quickly aimed his light at the ground and was shocked at what he saw. “Dean,” he breathed. “We have a problem.”

Dean quickly turned around, pulling the gun out of the back of his pants as he walked past a tree to see what Kyle was looking at. “Not again,” Dean groaned as he slowly walked up to Kyle’s side. He lowered his gun and ran his hand over his face. “Please tell me that I’m seeing things,” he begged as he looked down at the ground, where Alex was staggering towards them, no bigger than a house cat.

Before Kyle could say anything, Alex fell to her knees, catching herself with her hands. Both men were now more worried about Alex’s health than the obvious size issue. Sitting hunched over, barely able to hold herself steady, she looked weak and tired. Her clothes were dirty, her shirt had a rip on her left sleeve that was as long as the width of a finger nail. Dean had barely caught site of it at first.

“Alex?” Kyle handed her coat over to Dean and rushed over to her, instantly wanting to get her somewhere safe. Very carefully he picked her up in his arms and held her close. He looked down at her small form as her eyes cracked open, gazing up at him.

Dean came up to Kyle’s side and looked down at Alex. Her skin was pale and there was dirt on her clothes. “We should get her home.”

“Yeah,” Kyle nodded, feeling Alex shake in his arms. As they started walking home, Kyle pulled his own coat around both of them. He kept it open so he was able to look at Alex. The entire time he barely took his eyes off of her as she rolled over, snuggling up against his chest, soaking in the warmth that emanated from his chest. She clung onto his shirt, pulling his closer to her. He couldn’t blame her. The night was cold and her coat was too big for her to wear. Why is it still normal, Kyle wondered.

Following Kyle, Dean pulled out his cell phone and called his brother. Sam answered his phone and Dean explained what happened. “We found her, but we have a problem.”

“What’s wrong? Is she hurt?”

“I’m not sure. But do you remember when we were with her in Wisconsin and you two got glitzed by Talia the psycho fairy?” Dean waited.

It took Sam a moment to realize what he was talking about. “You don’t mean…”

“That she pulled an Incredible Shrinking Woman on us? Yep.”

“How is she?” Sam asked as got into the car. He had just finished searching an alley when Dean called him.

Dean sighed and Sam knew it was bad. “Not good by the looks of it.”

“Is there anything you guys want me to do?”

“Turn the fireplace on,” Dean said feeling the cool breeze. “And get a blanket.”

“Hey, Dean? How small is she anyways?”

Dean caught up to Kyle and glanced at Alex. “About a foot tall. Give or take an inch.” He spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb Alex.

“Did she say what did it?”

“No. She hasn’t said anything yet. She nearly passed out before we could ask her anything.”

“You know she probably hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday. She might need food when you guys get back,” Sam reasoned, feeling bad for Alex.

“Yeah, I was thinkin’ the same thing.” Dean glanced over at Alex again and shook his head.

“Alright, well I’m heading back now. I’ll get everything ready for you guys.”

“Yeah, ok. See ya in a bit.” Dean hung up his phone as they crossed the bridge. He kept an eye out for anything unusual incase whatever did this to Alex was still out there.

Sam arrived at the house and started the fireplace up first. Once he got the fire going, he searched the house for a blanket, finally settling on a light blue blanket of Hana’s. He grabbed another blanket, folding it up on one of the fold out chairs to use as a mattress. After setting the blanket down, he went over to the phone book and ordered two pizzas. When he was done ordering and hung up the phone, he heard Dean and Kyle come in through the back door.

“I set up a bed for her on the chair in the living room,” Sam explained to Kyle who nodded his head and went straight to the chair. Sam caught a glimpse of Alex and sighed.

Dean closed the back door and shrugged out of his coat, setting it on the back of a chair in the dining room. “Did you get her food?”

“Ordered a pizza. Should be here in about ten minutes,” Sam replied as he checked his watch.

“Good. I’m starving.” Dean absently put a hand on his stomach as it grumbled.

“So what do you think?” Both of them looked into the living room where Kyle gently placed Alex down on the impromptu bed. She had fallen asleep on the walk home and was still resting.

Dean shook his head. “I have no idea, man. Last time was weird enough.”

“Well, it can’t be the fairy. I mean you did kill it…” Sam’s face scrunched up in confusion as he turned to his brother. “Didn’t you?”

Dean looked at Sam, offended by the accusation. “Of course I killed it!”

“How? I don't remember you packing any weapons into your duffel before you left, just a bag of marshmallows and your lighter."

"It's complicated," Dean said trying to avoid the subject.

"How's it complicated?" Sam knew what Dean was doing and was starting to get worried by way his brother was acting.

"Okay, fine.” Dean gave in and confessed, “I didn't actually do anything."

"What?! I thought you said that you killed her?" Sam yelled at Dean, earning everyone a stare from everyone.

Alex stirred a little, groaning as she rolled onto her side. Kyle placed his arm around her back, stroking her shoulder through the blanket with his thumb.

"I did,” Dean spoke softly in a defensive tone. “I said, 'I don't believe in-' "

"Fairies?!” Sam too lowered his voice as he stared at his brother in shock, not believing what he was hearing. “Are you serious?"

"It worked in Peter Pan!"

"You're joking, right?" Surely he could not have heard his brother right. Dean Winchester using children’s stories to help solve a case? He wouldn’t, Sam thought. But his suspicions were confirmed when Dean looked around the room nervously. Oh my God, he did! "Dean, that was just a kid’s story!"

"Hey!” Dean pointed his finger at his brother, threateningly. “I thought it was created by a bunch of children from that one orphanage, which would make a lot of sense that saying those words would kill it! “

Sam sighed, looking around the room before looking back at his brother again. “Did you at least do any real research on fairies?”

“Yes, I did do research. And you know what I found? Crap. Oh and by the way. Talia went up in flames after I said that."

“I’m sure she did, because I distinctly remember that happening in Peter Pan,” Sam replied sarcastically with a straight face, annoyed with his brother. “I’m sure the adults let all the children in orphanages read about Tinker bell, the combusting fairy.”

Dean shrugged. “Maybe that’s what happens in the Grimm Brother’s stories?”

Sam just glared at his brother.

Over in the living room Kyle lowered his head, watching Alex as she slowly started to wake up. “Hey,” he soothed as he continued stroking her small arm. “I was worried about you.”

Alex blinked, looking him over. The whole day she had wanted to see his face again, to be near him. Now she was closer than ever to him, finally safe, but she didn’t feel right. She knew what had happened to her. That was obvious when she woke up in the woods, crawling out of her zipped up coat. No, something else is wrong. I just know it.

“Are you ok?” Kyle asked, noticing the confusion on her face.

“No.”

“Are you hurt?” he asked with more concern. He looked her over, still wondering about the blood that was on her coat.

“No,” she said again. Alex kept staring at him, trying to get over his size or rather her size.

“Then what’s wrong?”

Sam and Dean walked into the living room after they heard Kyle talking to Alex. They stayed silent, waiting for Alex to speak.

Alex shook her head and swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat. “I don’t remember.”

“What do you mean? You don’t remember what’s wrong?”

“Kyle?” Her voice was shaking. Now he was getting worried. “What happened to me?”

“You mean, you don’t remember how you shrunk?” Dean asked as he walked closer to them.

Alex shook her head as she looked up at him, holding back the tear that threatened to fall. “No. I don’t remember anything.”

Everyone stared at Alex. Sam was the first to speak up. “What’s the last thing you do remember?”

Alex thought back. “Um, walking to work. After that it gets a little fuzzy.”

“What do you mean?” Dean asked kneeling down next to Kyle.

“I don’t know. I feel like there’s something I should know, but I don’t know what.” She held her head in her hands as she rolled onto her back, trying to remember everything that happened. “All I remember is one minute I’m walking to work and I see the bar, and the next I’m waking up, drowning in my coat, and feeling incredibly dizzy.”

“Dizzy?” Dean watched her nod her head. “Anything else?” This time she shook her head. “Great.”

Dean looked at both Kyle and Sam, knowing that it would be harder, if not impossible of figuring out what happened. They didn’t know why she was tiny, how she became tiny, or what did this to her. But Kyle knew one thing for certain. “We’ll figure this out,” he assured her, as he slowly brushed her hair out of her face. “I promise.”

Before It's Too Late: Chapter 1

Alex looked at her reflection in the mirror, staring deep into her eyes. Only she knew what was going behind them. The thought made her sigh as she filled a plastic cup with water in her bathroom sink. Once the cup was filled, she raised it to her lips and gulped it down. A shudder ran down her spine and she held a hand up to her head.

“Get a grip, Alex,” she told herself as she turned the faucet on. “Focus.” She then splashed some water on her face, wiped it clean with a towel and looked at her reflection again. “Just tell him already,” she whispered, but shook her head, knowing that she wouldn’t.

Alex opened the bathroom door and turned the light off. She passed Hana’s room, where her daughter was sound asleep in her crib. Walking into the living room, Alex saw Kyle sitting on the couch with piles of books and papers all over the coffee table. She paused for a minute in the dining room, taking a deep breath.

Finally she got her bearings together and continued to the living room.

“Hey.” Kyle smiled at Alex as she walked up to his side.

“Hey. What, uh, are you looking up?” she asked as she studied the pile of books on the table.

Kyle looked at the mess and then back up to his wife. “Research. For Dean. He thinks there might be a case in Indiana. He would do it himself, but he’s actually working on another case in Minnesota right now. Guess he wants a heads start. I offered to take care of it myself, but he refused.”

“Oh,” Alex’s expression fell as Kyle looked down at the books again.

When he looked up he noticed the forced smile on her face. “What is it?”

Alex shook her head. “Nothing.”

Kyle knew she was lying. “I know you don’t like me hunting, but if I don’t help out in some way then more people are going to die. I have to save them, I can’t just ignore it, Alex.”

This time she nodded her head. “I know. Believe me I know. I just wish…” Alex stared at Kyle as he waited for her to finish. She knew he loved her and she did not want fight with him. “I just wish it was easier.”

Kyle was confused by what she meant, but before he could ask about it, she cleared her throat.

“There’s a load of laundry in the washing machine. Can you put it in the dryer in about an hour?”

“There’s another load?” Kyle was surprised considering they just did a load that morning.

“Yeah. That’s what happens when you have a kid,” Alex explained with a shrug. “They’re messy.”

Kyle studied her face for a minute. “Right.”

“I always am,” Alex smiled. “I have to get going. I don’t want to be late for work. I might work later tonight, so don’t wait up for me.” She bent down and gave him a kiss before heading towards the back door. As she was about to leave the house she gave him a small smile that faded as soon as she closed the door.

It was mid November and the sky was dark and cold. Alex walked through the woods wearing her black winter coat, crunching leaves and twigs under her shoes on her way to work. The sun shined through the trees casting shadows across the woods. The leaves shined and sparkled where the sun reflected off of the drops of water from the morning rain.

Upon reaching the bar, Alex took in a deep breath of the cool fall air, sending chills down her spine as it touched her lungs. She walked into the building and started her shift.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


Later that night Kyle finished folding the last item in the laundry basket; Alex’s grey shirt. Before setting the shirt down, he looked at it again. When Alex had left for work she was wearing a black shirt and her jeans, but he thought she had worn the grey one that morning.

She did mention Hana giving her a hard time at lunch, he thought to himself. Kyle looked at the pile of clothes on the table and saw an outfit of Hana’s. Kyle chuckled, shaking his head for being paranoid about something so common.

Kyle placed the shirt on the small stack of clothes and carried them into their bedroom. On his way back into the living room he checked on his sleeping daughter. He walked over to her crib and leaned on the rail, looking down at her with a smile on his face. Slowly, he reached his hand into the crib and pulled her blanket up to her shoulders for extra warmth. Seeing Hana at peace in her dreams put Kyle at ease and made him forget about all the evil things he read during his research.

“As long as I’m around, you have nothing to worry about,” he whispered. It wasn’t just a statement, it was a promise. If anything happened to her or Alex, he would never forgive himself. He knew he would have failed them both.

Kyle looked at his watch. Alex would be coming home within the next hour or so. Wanting to cheer her up he decided to make her something to eat. He went to the kitchen and found a recipe for a simple meal and waited half an hour before he started cooking the noodles. He wanted to make sure that they were fresh and warm when she got home.

Time passed by and the noodles were cooked and the sauce was heated up. He left them sitting on the stove with their lids on them to keep them warm. As he sat down on the couch and waited, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier. He didn’t want to fall asleep, knowing Alex would leave him be on the couch once she got home, so he swore he wouldn’t fall asleep…Too bad his body didn’t listen to him.

Kyle woke up to the sounds of someone crying. Immediately his eyes snapped open and he frantically looked around the room. His eyes fell upon the baby monitor and he sighed. Checking his watch, he noticed that it was well after eight in the morning. Listening to the monitor he waited for Alex’s footsteps, but there was nothing.

“Probably still sleeping,” Kyle reasoned as he stood up, stretching his stiff back. He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked into Hana’s room. “Somebody hungry?” He smiled as he reached down into the crib and picked her up. Hana was still crying, so he held her up against his shoulder and rubbed her back. “It’s ok. We’ll get you some breakfast.”

Kyle walked into the kitchen and placed Hana in her baby chair next to the kitchen table. Once he entered the kitchen, he froze. The pans were still sitting on the stove. It’s not like Alex to leave these sitting out, Kyle thought as he looked around the house. Out of curiosity he walked down the hallway and up to their bedroom door, pushing it open.

His heart jumped into his throat as he stared at the empty bed that was still made. Calm down, she’s probably in the bathroom. Kyle looked in the bathroom, which was also empty. Ok, maybe the basement. Kyle ran to the basement door and flicked the light switch as he rushed down the stairs. Staring at the empty basement, Kyle’s chest filled with panic, but he wasn’t about to give up.

Searching everywhere for her purse, shoes and winter jacket, Kyle found none of them.

Kyle walked back into the dining room where Hana was crying again. Coming up with an idea, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed Alex’s cell phone. The phone rang and rang until finally Alex’s voice was heard on the other end. Kyle’s heart sank realizing it was just her voicemail. He closed his phone and sighed as he looked out the door to their backyard. “Where are you, Alex?”
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

In a small motel in Millerville Minnesota, Dean was stitching up a cut on his right forearm. The spirit that they had just destroyed moments ago had taken a beating on both him and Sam. They were bruised and cut up all over. Sam was thankful that he hadn’t broken any bones when the spirit threw him through the glass door of the building and down the small flight of stairs that lead up to them. Having a few gashes here and there was much less painful and quicker to heal than a broken bone.

“Dean, I think we should let Kyle take care of the Indiana case,” Sam said as he finished wrapping up his forearms where some glass had stuck into his skin. The cut on his lip however was just going to have to heal on its own like it usually did.

“No way. Kyle’s a family man. We can’t risk it. Alex has lost enough people in her life. No need to add to the body count.” Dean cut off the end of the thread and wrapped his arm up nice and tight.

“But he offered to help.” Sam stood up and took off his shirt and changed into a fresh one that wasn’t currently stained with blood. “And he’s experienced, so it’s not like he’s going to get himself killed.”

“Sam. We’re experienced. We’ve gotten ourselves killed,” Dean pointed out as he looked across the room at his brother.

Sam glared at him, but he couldn’t argue with him there. It was true and there was no denying the facts.

As they started cleaning up the mess they made when they stumbled into the room, Dean heard his phone go off. He patted down his jean pockets, but it wasn’t there. “Where did I put…?” Dean looked around the room and finally found his phone in the mess of papers and medical supplies on the small table.

Dean answered his phone, “Hello?”

“Dean,” a voice came from the other end.

“Oh, hey, Kyle. I was just about to call you. Did you find out what was killing—“Dean stopped talking, the smile dropping from his face. “What? Since when?”

Sam looked at his brother, knowing something was wrong by the worry on his face.

“No, I haven’t talked to her since last week… I don’t know, I’ll ask.” Dean turned to Sam. “Have you talked to Alex recently?”

“No, what’s going on?” Sam asked as he crossed the room.

“She never came back from work last night and she’s not answering her phone,” Dean explained to his brother, who was now worried about Alex.

“Dean, I have no idea where she could be,” Kyle replied over the phone. “What if a demon got to her and she’s being tortured right now and there’s nothing I can do to stop it because I have no clue where she is?”

"Alright, Kyle, try to calm down. Sam and I will drive to Watseka. We’ll be there before nightfall and we’ll help you look for her.” Dean snapped his fingers at his brother, silently telling him to start packing their stuff.

“You don’t have to. I’ll just call up—“

“Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s no trouble at all. Really. Besides, she’s family, it would be wrong not to help.”

“Thanks,” Kyle replied already sounding defeated.

“Hey, don't worry, we'll find her," Dean reassured him while packing his clothes and weapons into the appropriate bags.

“Yeah, I don’t know. I just have a bad feeling about this,” Kyle confessed as he walked into Hana’s room. Being in her room gave him some comfort, knowing that he could protect their daughter.

“Well, try not to worry too much. We’re gonna need your help finding her when we get there.”

“I know,” Kyle spoke quietly, wishing they could get there sooner.

“In the mean time you can watch out for Hana and keep her safe. We’ll try to get there as soon as we can.” Shortly after, Dean hung up his phone and shook his head.

“What?” Sam noticed the smile on his brother’s face, which confused him considering the conversation he just had on the phone.

“Leave it to Alex to disappear.” Dean chuckled in disbelief remembering everything that had happened to her since they met. “I swear her luck is as bad as ours.” He doubled checked his shot gun to make sure it was loaded before tucking it into inner coat pocket. “So far every time she’s gone missing, something bad happens.”

“Well, let’s just hope she comes back in one piece.”

“Hey, I’m just hoping we find her alive at this point.” Grabbing his bags, Dean looked at his brother. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, pulling the strap of his laptop bag over his shoulder. They cleared the room and loaded up the Impala.