Chapter 34

"Reunion"

"Dean! Dean! Wake up!" Sam practically yelled at him.

Dean relunctantly responded to someone shaking him rather vigoriously. It was annoying and he wanted it to stop. He slowly opened his eyes feeling rather groggy.

"St-stoppppp..." He begged. "For the love of..."

"Where's Charlie?" Sam asked with an obvious sense of urgency.

"What do you mean-..." Dean started out clumsily, but when the true nature of the question hit him, he bolted upright and found himself staring into Sam's dark blue eyes only inches from his face. Dean jerked his head to his right and found nothing but a rumpled blanket and no Charlie. He jumped out of the bed and nearly tripped over his own feet in the process.

"Where the hell is Charlie?" Dean stammered.

"That's what I'm asking you!" Sam asked apprehensively.

Dean's eyes darted around the room, looking desperately for any clue as to her whereabouts.

"I...uh..I laid down for a second...just a second. I must've fallen asleep." Dean said surprised.

"Well, she must have woken up, right?" Sam asked. "She's not in this cottage"

Dean's eyebrows furrowed together when another question crossed his thoughts. "Where the hell did you go?" Dean asked his brother as he walked over to Charlie's side of the bed.

"I sat down over there," Sam pointed to an old wickered chair pushed back into the corner. "..after you fell asleep. I swear I just closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them you were still there." Sam pointed to the bed, "And she wasn't." Sam concluded.

Dean quickly made his way to the front door and swung it wide open. And what he found wasn't what he expected. The Fairy Guard that had been stationed just outside the door from the moment they had arrived, was nowhere to be found.

"Something's wrong. We gotta go find her." Dean ordered.

"Where ...exactly?" Sam asked.

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. But she either got up or someone carried her out. Either way, we both fell asleep? We need to get the hell out of here and find out where the fuck she is. We'll track down Gilda even if we have to yell from the treetops." Dean's voice was raised with anger and worry. He walked through the threshold of doorway but before he could clear it, Sam grabbed him by his jacket and yanked him back towards him.

"Dean!" Sam motioned his chin in the direction of the front door and just beyond. Climbing up the stairs was Gilda with two Royal Guards trailing behind her.

Dean didn't wait for them to clear the landing. "Where is Charlie? What did you do with her?" Dean's aggressive stance invoked the Royal Guard to raise their weapons.

Gilda motioned them to stand down and waved them back with a calm demeanor. She then motioned her hand towards them. The two Guards who were standing shoulder to shoulder parted revealing someone behind them.

Sam and Dean's eyes widened.

"Ch-Charlie...?" Sam stuttered.

A range of emotions washed over Dean's face. He shook his head confused by the situation.

"Hey Bitches..." Charlie greeted them.

"You made it out?" Dean asked incredously.

She nodded. "All in one piece too."

"One piece.." Dean repeated without realizing he was repeating. "How did you get out here? Without us knowing? I -I don't understand why you didn't wake us?" Dean was trying hard to sort through what was happening.

Dean glanced back to Sam conveying his concern. Maybe it was still a dream. Or worse, a nightmare.

Charlie smiled. "Come on you guys you're staring at me like I came back as a zombie." She chuckled. "I'm not a zombie, I promise. It's me."

"I - uh I..." Dean only managed.

"It's really me." She assured him as she reached out her hand towards him. "It's me."

After a moment, Dean raised his hand, his fingers touching hers. The sudden surge of the warmth from them, left him with no hesitation. He pulled her into a heartfelt embrace. He couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe she was there, for real, in his arms. He buried his face into her shoulder trying to remember every second of their reunion.

Dean pulled back after a long moment. "Are you ok?" Charlie nodded. He clasped her face in his hands. "Are you sure? I mean absolutely sure.. you're ...you?"

"Yes. Yes, It's me and I'm ok." She replied with a smile.

Charlie looked back to Sam and reached her hand out to him. He took it with great relief and hugged her maybe a little too tight. "Are you sure?" Sam asked her.

"I'm fine!" She said, her voice muffled with her face buried in Sam's shirt.

"Sorry!" Sam apologized. "Just so happy to see you." He told her as he loosened his hug a bit.

"I love a good bear hug." She laughed with tears suddenly welling in her eyes. "I'm SO happy to see you guys!"

Dean, looking back at his brother and Charlie, and feeling rather estatic with the reunion, was also feeling a concern creeping in on him.

What had happened to her after he had left her soul?

And why hadn't Charlie woken them when she had woken herself? Why had she just left? And what was she doing with Gilda?

There were so many questions, but looking at her smiling...he hadn't seen her smile like that in a very long time. The questions could wait. They had to.

"Charlie." Gilda's voice was smooth and sure when she spoke. Charlie looked back to Gilda with a sudden expression of trepidation and pulled herself away from Sam's embrace.

Dean noticed the exchanged look between the two of them and it raised red flags for him immediately. He felt Charlie's hand unexpectantly grasp his. She squeezed it and he squeezed back, worriedly.

His heartbeat doubled. "Charlie...whats going on?" He asked already fearing the answer.

"It'll be alright." Charlie assured him.

"I thought you were alright?" Sam asked.

"Charlie." Gilda repeated. "It's time."

Dean turned to Gilda suddenly feeling angry. "What's time? What the hell is going on?" He looked back down to Charlie beside him. He squeezed her hand once more. "Charlie?"

He didn't like the look on her face and he had had enough.

"Okay, so if your good...," He told her, "..then we can leave. Go home." He pulled Charlie close to him. "There's no point in staying."

"I can't." Charlie said softly.

Dean shook his head apprehensively. "Charlie, you have to come HOME with us, ok? There is no reason for you to stay here. Zip. Nada."

"Soon." Charlie said gently. "There's just something I have to do first."