"This is stupid." Cas said flatly. Charlie glared at him from where she stood dangling a crystal pendant over a large atlas. Every few seconds she would turn the page and watch for another reaction.
"Hey, this is a legitimate locator spell. Found it in a creepy old book and everything," she insisted. "Plus I like the imagery." Castiel sighed.
"This is taking forever."
"I know. But I have no idea where in the world the stupid thing is." Cas frowned in irritation, glancing longingly back toward Dean's bedroom. The sooner she knew where her precious artifact was, the sooner she would leave and he could go back to dying in peace.
"No idea at all? How did it get lost in the first place? Maybe we can narrow down the search area."
"All I know is that after Glinda gave the Golden Cap that controls the Winged Monkeys back to their King, he hid it somewhere no one would ever find it. But then someone must have found it because all of a sudden, Winged Monkeys started disappearing from Oz. Eventually one of them made it back and said that he had been abducted suddenly into a world which he described as looking very much like ours. He said the Golden Cap had a new master who forced him and his brethren to attack some innocents. So I came here to find it, destroy it, and if need be, shepherd other Winged Monkeys back home. It was the pact we made when they became our allies in the war against the Darkness. If I don't find it we forfeit the Emerald City and a portion of the Munchkin Lands."
Cas listened to her story, stripped away the extraneous parts, and summarized the useful bits: "So, you have an eyewitness account which places the...Golden Cap, in a world that looks somewhat like ours?" he asked at length. Charlie turned to look at him.
"Well, the monkey I talked to was describing cars and skyscrapers and at one point, the plot to Star Wars, so yeah, pretty sure it's our world," she said confidently. Cas felt a headache beginning to build behind his eyes.
"Charlie, there are literally millions of worlds in billions of universes which fit that description. Travel between them is incredibly difficult, and trying to find a random magical object among them is completely impossible. Go back to Oz and try to negotiate a better deal because your mission has already failed."
Charlie continued staring at him with her big, beautiful, liquid Charlie eyes. They swirled with uncertainly, momentarily at a loss in the face of this sudden setback. But Oz was a strange place and she had gotten used to the world throwing her curve balls. Her sparkling green eyes soon hardened with determination as a new plan formed in her supercomputer brain.
"Okay, Mr. Negative Nelly, don't get your panties in a wad. This just means I have to think outside the box. And clearly this," she said slamming the book shut, "is a waste of time. So," she rounded on Cas with a determined glare, "you're a millenias old angelic being stuffed to the brim with Enochian magic and sacred lore. So do YOU have any ideas on how to find a specific item across all the multiverse?"
Castiel bit back the sarcastic response that he'd thought of nothing BUT such a spell since sending Dean through the portal. Instead, he inclined his head magnanimously.
"It is true that in my travels I have come across a spell that would enable one to find such an item. However, in order to enact this spell we need a close physical and psychic connection to the item. Otherwise it will take an enormous amount of concentration and energy that I am unable to access in my present form."
Charlie's adorable tiny button nose wrinkled in thought. Then she snapped her fingers excitedly and began digging through her bag of holding.
"Ooh! I know just the thing!" A few seconds later she emerged triumphantly with a small, frayed, black feather. She brandished the feather with righteous purpose. "This feather belonged to one of the missing monkey children. Her mom gave it to me. That monkey must be in the same world as whoever summoned her, and, ergo, the Cap! Thus, we have a connection!" she explained excitedly.
Castiel watched her enthusiasm impassively. He plucked the feather delicately from her fingers.
"Fine. I'll cast the spell, open the portal. Then you'll be able to complete your quest," he said flatly before turning away. Charlie watched thoughtfully as he sliced into his own arm, heedless of the pain, and began drawing symbols on a blank space of wall.
"What're you going to do?" she asked curiously.
"I'm going to use my blood and an ancient Enochian spell to open a portal. The words have power on their own so it's fairly straightforward. You're lucky I'm here, though, it's not something a regular human could accomplish," he replied absentmindedly.
"No, I mean, after I leave," she continued, ignoring the unintended slight. Castiel shrugged without turning fully around.
"As I intended. I shall stay here and wait for death to claim me. Without my grace it should only be a matter of months, perhaps weeks." Charlie frowned at his blasé attitude.
"Well, that seems like a waste, doesn't it?" she asked timidly, a sneaky plan forming in her devious mind.
"How so?" he asked gruffly, throwing an irritated glance over his shoulder as he worked.
"Well, I mean, all your knowledge and experience could really come in handy. Especially since I'm not sure where I'm going, or what's waiting for me." Castiel shot her a suspicious glance. She met his gaze with giant, innocent eyes. "I mean, without your help I wouldn't have even been able to find the stupid Cap. And, you know, it'll probably be dangerous in the other world. I was hoping that Dean and Sam would be able to help protect me, but" she sighed, pausing for dramatic effect, "I guess I'm on my own." Castiel rolled his eyes as he continued his work.
He tried to block out her clumsy attempts to bait him into accompanying her on her journey, no doubt her attempt to save him from himself. However, in tuning her out his mind automatically ran towards everything Dean had ever said about her. He had spoken of her fondly, as one would of a favored younger sister; with pride and a fierce protectiveness. She was precious to Dean. Castiel turned that thought over in his head, contemplating its import. If he was destined to fade out of existence, it would be a fitting tribute to the man he...admired platonically, for Cas to dedicate his final act in this world to ensuring the safety of Dean's surrogate family.
He gave an exhausted, exasperated, long-suffering sigh. Charlie smiled triumphantly.
"Very well. I will accompany you on your quest. I suppose a heroic death is preferable to what I had planned." Charlie grinned happily. She ran forward and clapped him on the back with her small hand.
"That's the spirit!" she chirped. Cas merely rolled his eyes.
They both spent a few moments gathering their weapons and belongings and preparing to leave. Eventually they stood together in front of the wall of Enochian symbols Castiel had drawn. He had once again donned his trademark trench coat and hidden his Angel blade-and a few other weapons-on his person. With a shared nod to signal their readiness, Castiel whispered the occult incantation, the ancient language rolling off his tongue accompanied by the acrid scent of ionized dust particles. The air around them started swirling, drawing magic out of the ground and the air, gathering in the carefully drawn blood sigils and infusing them with power. Soon the symbols were sparking and crackling together, little lightning bolts of energy that multiplied and grew until the entire surface of the wall was a patchwork of roiling energy. Cas grabbed Charlie's hand in his, looking at her seriously.
"Ready?" She smiled at him, a bright, mischievous smile that seemed to say 'bring it on' and nodded curtly. Together, they ran into the swirling mass of energy and into their next adventure.
Unbeknownst to the two travelers, a certain smug, blond angelic figure was watching from the shadows with barely contained glee.