The four of them had progressed quite far, as dusk set in they found the road leading them into a dark forest. Abby's grip on Dean's arm tightened, both hands grasping his wrist like a vice. He touched her arm with his other hand and looked at her reassuringly her grip relaxing a little allowing him to move his hand wrapping it around hers.
The Scarecrow and the Tin Man slowed their walk, looking around nervously.
"Seriously why the hell is it so creepy?" Abby muttered
"Of course, I don't know, but I think it'll get darker before it gets lighter" the Scarecrow spoke
"No kidding haystack" Dean responded with his usual sarcasm "Long as there's no animals around it's all good"
"You think we'll see any?"
"We might" Tin Man replied to Abby's comment
"Awesome" she deadpanned
"Animals that eat straw?" Scarecrow asked
"Some, but mostly Lions, and tigers and bears" Tin Man explained
"Lions?" Dean scoffed
"And tigers?" Scarecrow shuddered
"And bears" Tin Man nodded
"Oh my" Dean sighed "Look just stick together and we'll be fine all right?"
"Lions and tigers and bears" Scarecrow and Tin Man muttered as they walked forwards
Abby let out a startled squeak "What was that?"
"An animal?" Dean shrugged "We're in a forest its likely"
"It it it it – it's a huge one" Tin Man muttered gripping the Scarecrow
"D-d-d-don't be fr-fr-frightened, I- I'll – I'll protect you" Scarecrow stuttered out
"With what? Your magical way with words?" Dean snorted
"Look" Scarecrow pointed to a Lion on a fallen tree, seeing them it leapt forwards growling
Abby hid behind Dean as it leapt onto the road causing Scarecrow and Tin Man to fall
"Put em up! Put em up!" the Lion snarled "Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want! I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I'll fight you standing on one foot. I'll fight you with my eyes closed. Oh, pulling an axe on me, eh?" the Lion snarled at the Tin Man "Sneaking up on me eh? Why"
"Here" Tin Man called "Here go away and let us alone!"
"Oh scared huh?" Lion asked a little amused "Afraid huh? How long can you stay fresh in that can" he laughed "Come on get up and fight, you shivering junk yard! Put your hands up you lop-sided bag of hay!"
"Now that's getting personal Lion" Scarecrow spoke up
"Yes get up and teach him a lesson" Tin Man nodded
"Well what's wrong with you teaching him?"
"Well, well I hardly know him"
"Well I'll get you anyway Pee-Wee" Lion snarled glaring and walking up to Dean
"Hey" Dean yelled "Now no one is going to teach any one any kind of lesson all right?" he stepped forwards and he pushed the Lion back causing him to stumble
"What, what did you do that for? I didn't bite him" Lion asked
"And?" Dean shrugged "You have a go at my man haystack and then size up to me? I'm going to knock you on your ass"
"Well you didn't have to go and hit me, did you? Is my nose bleeding?"
"I didn't even touch you" Dean exclaimed "You're acting like my brother" he pause "You go around trying to rough up people weaker than you, yeah I'm going to do something about it. You're nothing but a uh" he thought about it for a second
"You're right" the Lion sighed "I am a coward"
"Yeah, well" Dean glanced at Abby "At least you admit it" he slightly shrugged
"I haven't any courage at all. I even scare myself. Look at the circles under my eyes, I haven't slept in weeks" he sighed
"Why don't you try counting sheep?" Tin Man asked
"That doesn't do any good, I'm afraid of them" Lion admitted
"Oh that's too bad. Don't you think the Wizard could help him too?" Scarecrow asked Abby
Abby shrugged "I don't see why not, you can come with us, we're on our way to see the Wizard now. To get him a heart" she signalled to the Tin Man
"And him a brain" Tin Man thumbed to the Scarecrow
"He might be able to give you some courage"
"Well" Lion spoke "Wouldn't you feel degraded to be seen in the company of a cowardly Lion? I would"
"No of course we wouldn't" Abby smiled
Lion looked at each of them "Gee, that's that's awfully nice of you. My life has been simply unbearable" he began singing:
"Yeah its sad believe me missy, when you're born to be a sissy..."
x-x
As he continued singing Dean stepped closer to Abby "You sure you wanna take him with us?"
"Don't see why not" Abby replied "I mean he goes with them in the movie, and I'd feel bad just leaving him here"
"Yeah" Dean nodded "I'd feel kind of bad about leaving the hairball here too"
"You going soft on me Dean?"
"Not at all" he smiled "He just reminds me of Sam"
"Yeah well remember you're going to kill him then shoot him when we get home"
"Good point"
x-x
"Then I'm sure to get a brain" Scarecrow sang
"A heart" Tin Man copied
"A home" Abby spoke
"The nerve" Lion finished
"We good to go?" Dean asked the group receiving a nod "All right, remember no singing"
"Dean" Abby sighed "Never mind, let's go"
Unbeknown to them the Witch and her right-hand flying monkey were watching them in a large crystal ball somewhere in Oz. Laughing as she watched them walk together, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion arm in arm. Dean and Abby hand in hand.
"So you won't take a warning eh? All the worse for you then. I'll take care of you now instead of later!" she laughed and turned to a table she picked up a few things and dropped them in a pot, "When I gain those ruby slippers, my power will be the greatest in Oz!" mixing the ingredients together to create a poison, and placing it in a bottle. Holding the bottled poison she waved her hands over the crystal the image of the group in the crystal slowly disappearing and the image of a brightly coloured poppy field slowly taking its place.
"And now my beauties something with poison in it, I think. With poison in it, but attractive to the eye and soothing to the smell" she laughed again "Poppies. Poppies. Poppies!"