Chapter 4

The sun turned overcast in the shade of the forest overgrowth, and Dean strained to find that splash of red hair that earlier glistened in the sun. He knew he saw her, he just needed to find her again. As the forest darkened, mushrooms sprouted up all around him and Dean was cautious to not step on any. He could not explain it, he just knew they should be kept safe. Very curious.

He rounded a particularly large tree, and suddenly there she was. Charlie: dressed in her queen LARP costume and puffing on a pipe.

"Charlie?" Dean asked as he approached her, and Charlie looked at him with all the air of royalty.

"Who are you?" She asked as she puffed at her pipe.

"Charlie its Dean," he said feeling a little hurt. But then Charlie smiled and emitted one of her goofy laughs that Dean found so endearing.

"I know that silly. It's LARP, remember? Play along with me." Stiffening once more, Charlie tilted her head and peered down her nose at Dean once more.

"Who are you?" She asked as she puffed at her pipe.

"I... don't know," Dean said, deciding to play along, "I mean, I know who I was this morning, but things have gone a bit out of whack since then." Charlie peered sternly at Dean with a frown marring her pretty face.

"What do you mean by that? Explain yourself!"

"How can I explain myself when I am not myself, your highness?" Dean thought himself clever and Charlie's frown deepened. She pondered this as she drew on her pipe and then turned to blow smoke rings into the sky.

"I think maybe you should tell me who you are first," Dean offered and Charlie cocked her head inquisitively.

"Why?" She asked and Dean shrugged.

"Because I can't remember the girl that you were," Dean said softly, "and I miss her." Charlie broke into a smile and waved her hands in front of her.

"Can I just game pause to say I love this battle of wits. You have been practicing, haven't you?"

"Charlie, where am I? What is this place?" Dean took a step forward in earnest but already Charlie was waiving her arms and announcing "game resume!" She peered at Dean and puffed her pipe once more.

"I think I can help you brave knight on your noble quest," she said and Dean wanted to shake her.

"I don't even know what my quest is!" He exclaimed, and threw his hands in the air, exasperated.

"Oh but you would, if you could remember who you are." Charlie said as she drew on her pipe. Then she crooked a finger to lure Dean closer. He bent towards her, till their faces were almost touching, and Charlie blew out a smoke ring so that it framed his face in a misty halo.

"You," she whispered, "are a hunter."

"So my quest is to hunt then?" Dean asked, annoyed.

"Your quest is to save the Knave," Charlie declared sitting back once more, as she puffed in her pipe.

"What the hell is a Knave?" Dean snapped, "and when the hell did you start smoking?" Charlie waved her hands and announced "game pause".

"It's not tobacco," she said with a snort, "I just stuffed some mushrooms in my pipe. They really give you a buzz." That might explain a few things.

"Charlie, if I help this Knave, will I be able to go home?"

"I don't know," Charlie said, pondering, "but Castiel should be able to tell you that." Dean gasped.

"Cas? He's here?"

"Yes...well...sort of," Charlie said with a roll of her eyes, and she bit the stem of her pipe. "He can't really be here because he's not dead, you see." Dean winced and looked down at his feet. The words stung. Her death was still so raw and painful, he couldn't even think of a thing to say. He didn't want to make this an emotional moment. He didn't want to end up falling apart. So Dean did the only thing he knew how to: he distanced himself.

"Charlie, I'm going to go find Cas," he said softly and swallowed against the hoarseness in his throat. Charlie just smiled and waved.

"Last I heard he was conniving with the Mother. Follow the path to her house, you'll see." Dean waved back, feeling melancholy and out of place, and turned to find the path through the woods once more.