Chapter 35
PREVIOUSLY:
"Charlie." Gilda said softly. Charlie gave a long uneasy glance back to the Fairy as she slowly pulled away from Sam's embrace.
Dean noticed the exchanged look between the two of them and immediately felt uneasy. His heartbeat doubled.
"Charlie, what's going on?" He asked already fearing the worst.
"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 her rush. "What's time? What the hell is going on?" He looked back down to Charlie and squeezed her hand. "Charlie?"
NOW:
Dean stared back at Charlie perplexed as fuck. "Talk to me.." He told her.
Charlie could feel Dean's trepedation coming off of him in waves. She took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Okay...well..you see..." She then cleared her throat. "While I was able to free myself from The Key's magic.." Charlie paused for a really long time.
"Charlie?" Sam said worriedly.
Charlie took a deep breath. "Well the Key's magic became a part of me." Charlie looked back to Sam, then Dean. "Like every. fiber. of my being."
Dean felt like his thoughts were moving through molasses. He shook his head still very confused. "I'm gonna need more than that Charlie. Alot more."
Gilda interjected. "While Charlie managed to free herself from the original intent of the spell, the magic has binded itself to her." Gilda answered instead.
"Binded? What the hell does that mean? I thought the magic was the key?" Dean asked knowing full well he was going to depise whatever answer he got.
Glida glanced over to one of her Royal Guards who in turn produced a small wooden box with a symbol the boys had never seen before heavily carved into its facade. The Guard opened it and revealed its content.
It was The Key.
"How did you...?" Dean asked surprised.
"My Royal Guard found it in the woods close to where they had found you three." Gilda answered.
Sam and Dean both took a closer look and were surprised to find that the key was singed in various sections around the edges. Actually more than singed. Much more.
"What happened to it?" Dean asked. "It looks burnt..."
"The Key was only the magic's vessel. But when Charlie broke the spell, that vessel was destroyed." Gilda gazed upon it with with great sadness. "It is now nothing more than a simple piece of burnt Alderarean wood. But the magic ..." She paused, "..contained within it was not destroyed. Instead...it found another vessel." Gilda looked to her right.
The Winchesters followed her gaze right back to Charlie who stood up on her tippy toes for a brief second waving uncomfortably.
"It went..." She cleared her throat before continuing."It went...into me. I'm it's new vessel."
Sam and Dean could only look back at her dumbfounded.
Dean blinked rapidly. "It did what now?" Dean blurted out with a doubletake.
"It went to the vessel it was already connected to." Gilda stated.
"Me." Charlie said.
Sam was shaking his head now. "Wait...wait wait..." Sam raised his eyebrows before his next question. "You're..you're the Key?" Sam actually stuttered, his headache now officially getting worse. "Like the actual key? You?" He pointed at Charlie.
"What do you have like...superpowers now?" Dean asked flabbergasted.
"Superpowers would be cool." Charlie replied trying to interject some humor into an already deteriorating situation, rather unsuccessfully. Sam and Dean stood motionless for a few moments slackjawed.
"Look, I know its alot to take in." Charlie previced. "But ..um..its not the worst thing that could have happened. I'm back and I'm me again. Righttt? That's good."
Charlie looked from one brother to the other gauging for anything that would clue her in to what was going on in their heads but their silence continued to encapsulate the room.
"Charlie, what does this mean for you? Dean questioned. "I mean are you still even you now?"
Charlie looked back to Dean apprenhensively. "I don't know Dean. I really don't."
