Chapter 9 – For Good

Dean didn't really like leaving Sam behind to play the Scarecrow, but he had to agree that Sam knew more about the Wizard of Oz and he when he saw the costume, he wasn't all that jealous anymore.

They stripped down a scarecrow and filled Sam's clothes with straw, to make him appear… well, softer and fuller. For a final touch they pulled a sack over his head and stuffed that with straw too. He stumbled around for a bit. He could see through the sack, but only barely.

"You look gorgeous," Dean smiled.

Sam made some spitting noises and growled. "Why did I agree to this again?"

"Because you are nicer than me," Dean slapped his brother on the back.

"There's straw in my underwear," Sam sighed.

"So?" Dean frowned.

"My balls are itching."

Chuckling, Dean tied Sam to the pole and hid in the cornfield with Glinda until Dorothy appeared in the distance.

"Follow the yellow brick road!" Dorothy smiled to herself. "Now which way do we go?"

"That way is a very nice way." Sam spoke up, pointing down the road.

"Who said that?" Dorothy twirled around.

That little ugly rat started barking at Sam.

"Don't be silly, Toto." Dorothy shook her head. "Scarecrows don't talk."

"It's pleasant down that way, too." Sam added, trying to grasp Dorothy's direction. He switched arms too.

"That's funny." Dorothy sounded a little scared. "Wasn't he pointing the other way?"

"Of course, people do…" Sam crossed his arms, "...go both ways!"

"Why?" Dorothy frowned. "You did say something, didn't you?"

Sam shook his head, but then nodded.

"Are you doing that on purpose, or can't you make up your mind?"

Dean sighed. Sam probably memorized the entire script for some weird reason.

"That's the trouble." Sam lifted his head. "I can't make up my mind. I haven't got a brain, only straw!"

"How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?" Dorothy asked.

"I don't know. But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking, don't they?" Sam shrugged.

Dean chuckled.

That was a line from the movie, smartass.

"Yes, I guess you're right." Dorothy shrugged. She stepped over the fence towards Sam. "Well, we haven't really met properly, have we?"

She curtsied.

"Why, no." Sam said. "How do you do?"

"Very well," Dorothy smiled. "Thank you."

"Oh, I'm not feeling well at all." Sam shook his head. "You see, it's very tedious being stuck up here all day long with a pole up your back."

"Oh, dear," Dorothy frowned. "That must be terribly uncomfortable. Can't you get down?"

"Down?" Sam asked. "No, you see, I'm, well, I'm," he gestured around, indicating that he was tied up.

"Oh, well, here, let me help you." Dorothy reached up and untied Sam from the pole.

"Oh, that's very kind of you," Sam said. "Very kind. Where are you going?"

"To the Wizard!" Dorothy said. "I want to go back to Kansas."

"Kansas?" Sam frowned, "Where's that?"

Dean nearly pissed himself. They were born in Kansas for fuck's sake.

"In America!" Dorothy replied.

"Do you think," Sam started, "That maybe, if the Wizard can get you to Kansas, he could get me a brain?"

"Why don't you come along, so you can ask!" Dorothy smiled.

"That'd be splendid!" Sam said.

They started down the road.

Glinda, Dean and Fiyero waited until he was really out of sight before they got up.

She raised her wand.

"Whoa- whoa," Dean shook his head. "There's no rush at all, so I'm going to walk back to Kiamo Ko."

"That's dangerous, Dean," Glinda frowned.

"I can handle myself," Dean smiled, pointing at his gun. "I could use the time alone."

Glinda nodded and danced her wand around herself and Fiyero.

"Glinda!" Dean called before they ascended.

"Yes?"

"You, uhm, look after Charlie for a bit, yeah?" He smiled.

"I will," Glinda said.

Dean still had the map Elphaba drew in his back pocket and he could just follow the Yellow Brick road for a bit and at Restwater he would cross the river and then follow it back to Kiamo Ko.

He figured he'd reach it in about five days, being on foot, but he didn't mind. He didn't really feel like being cooped up in Kiamo Ko while Sam was out there singing songs with Dorothy.

He trekked through Munckinland and reached the lake by nightfall. Dean caught a rabbit by sheer luck and built a small fire to enjoy his evening meal in the starlight.

Dean didn't have a tent, so he slept staring up at the stars. It reminded him of those clear nights, where he and Sammy would park Baby in the middle of nowhere, sit on the hood and watch the stars, for hours, without saying a word.

But these stars weren't familiar. Back home he could point all the constellations, here he couldn't even point out the North Star.

Dean sighed and closed his eyes, when he felt soft drizzle on his nose.

"No," He groaned. "Man, this isn't supposed to happen, I'm in Oz, it never rains in movies."

He sat up and sought shelter under a nearby tree, trying to catch some sleep.

…

Next morning he woke up with something soft nibbling at his nose.

Startled, he opened his eyes, staring right into the big brown ones of…

"Baby!" He smiled. Dean stroked Baby's cheeks, grinning. "I never thought I'd see you again! Are you gonna take me to Kiamo Ko?"

Baby whinnied happily.

"Of course you are!" Dean got up, finished the last bit of rabbit and drunk some water from the river, before he mounted Baby bareback, and started on his journey towards Kiamo Ko.

The soil smelled fresh and damp after last night's rain and even though it wasn't as comfortable without a saddle, Dean did enjoy the ride back.

He reached Kiamo Ko a couple of hours after dusk. He put Baby in the stables and went to see Charlie.

She was talking to Glinda, her game-face on.

"Yes, so then I took a step back, waited for the ghost to follow me, completed the salt circle and torched his own corpse right in front of his eyes," Charlie smiled.

"Oh, that's so heroic of you!" Glinda giggled. She slapped Charlie on the arm. "Weren't you scared?"

Charlie shook her head, "No, of course not! I had it under control the entire time!"

"What's up, kiddo!" Dean slapped her on the back.

"Getting a little nauseous from Elphaba and Fiyero, but I'm amusing myself," she smiled.

"Are you now?" Dean winked.

"Yes I am." Charlie said, winking back.

"Elphaba and Fiyero have decided to stay here," Glinda added.

"Are they sure?" Dean asked.

"Yes. I'm gonna clear their names and they'll live happily ever after, where they belong."

Dean raised his hands defensively, "Hey, I just want what's best for everyone! When is Sammy the Scarecrow planned for arrival?"

"Tomorrow afternoon, earliest," Charlie said.

"Good, is there any booze?" Dean sat down on the nearest chair. "I gave my last whiskey to Romeo."

"It's Fiyero," Elphaba entered the room. She opened the wine cabinet. "Treat yourself, since you saved his life."

"Ah," Dean licked his lips, "The, uh, eternal thanks treatment! Awesome!"

By the end of the night, he was feeling pretty numb and pretty sure he could go sleep for a few hours without nightmares.

…

Dorothy and company indeed arrived around the time Charlie had said.

She grew a lot closer to Glinda, but Dean wasn't sure whether Glinda really liked Charlie, or whether it was some sort of rebound.

He'd decided to keep an eye on Charlie, because he felt like he had to watch over Charlie, like a brother would watch over his sister.

Glinda left on the morning of their expected arrival and everyone except Elphaba hid in the basement.

She acted the little play out quite well, and he actually had to restrain Fiyero when she started screaming.

"Calm down," Dean hissed. "She's just acting for fuck s sake."

"For whose sake?" Fiyero looked puzzled.

"It's- it's American slang, I suppose." Dean grinned.

"It's like saying 'for Oz's sake'," Charlie said helpful.

"Don't, actually, start saying it though," Dean smiled.

They had agreed to all wait until dawn, so Dean settled back against the wall and closed his eyes.

Sleep didn't come though. He was worried about Sam, and Elphaba, and about getting back. He wanted to go back home, take Baby up the interstate and get five speeding tickets. Or shoot some werewolves.

It was a long night, and when they finally emerged, Dean was also very, very hungry. Elphaba just didn't have anything but bread, dried fruit and sour wine.

"First thing back is a hamburger." He growled to no one in particular.

Charlie chuckled.

They ate silently, until Fiyero spoke up in the room next to them.

"I'm worried, Fae."

"I feel like we shouldn't be listening." Charlie whispered.

"I feel like I don't give a crap." Dean growled, shoveling the bread in his mouth.

"What's wrong, Yero?" Elphaba asked.

"It's just, can we ever live a normal life again?" He said.

"Yero, I'm green, I've never lived a normal life." Elphaba said.

Dean chuckled.

"Maybe we should take up on Charlie's proposal and return with them to America."

"No." Elphaba said. "I don't belong here, I won't belong there. At least I get this world. America is a mystery to me."

…

Sam and Glinda returned three days later, after Dorothy had returned home and the partying had seized in the Emerald City.

"The Wizard has been dethroned, Morrible is being held in the dungeon and I think I have the power over Oz," Glinda reported. "I've told them our story Elphie, and lots of people felt really bad."

"So?" Elphaba asked.

"So, I think it's safe to say that in give or take a few months, we could introduce you back into society again." Glinda nodded. "I didn't tell them you were still alive,"

"So…" Dean said, grinning. "Any chance you could, maybe, see us back to America?"

Elphaba laughed. "Sure, I'll go get the Grimmerie, the spell should be easy enough with two Witches."

"Everyone join hands!" Glinda said. She grabbed Charlie's.

"I…" Charlie bit her lip. "I want to stay."

"Charlie, no." Dean shook his head. "You're coming back with us."

"This is what I wanted, Dean, the magic is here." Charlie clenched Glinda's hand. "And I'm the boss of me."

Glinda gave her a loving look.

Dean sighed. "You have no idea what's in Oz. I mean, t-there's flying monkeys, armies of Witches."

"Hey!" Elphaba and Glinda said.

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Fiyero smiled.

Charlie stepped forward and hugged Sam, and then Dean. "Take care, kiddo. There's all kinds of danger."

"Promise?" Charlie's face lit up.

"If you need anything, just, uh," Sam grinned. "tap your heels together three times, okay?"

"Me?" Charlie smiled. "What about you crazy kids? You gonna be all right without me? Take care of yourselves, boys."

"Yeah," Dean nodded. "Will do."

They joined hands, Grimmerie in the middle.

"Thank you so much," Elphaba said. "I have no idea how to repay you."

"Get our asses back home," Dean grinned, grabbing the green girl's hand. "And you, take good care of Baby or I swear to God I'll be back to yank your ass." He said to Fiyero.

"Don't worry," Fiyero pulled a lopsided grin.

Elphaba smiled, threw her hair back and started chanting, together with Glinda.

After they chanted the spell three times, Dean felt a jerk in his stomach.

After one more time, the world went black.

…

Dean woke up lying on the hard surface of the computer room. He scrambled up, checking the phone that was lying on top of the computer.

Same date as when they left, only nine hours had passed since they disappeared.

He nudged Sam.

"Wake up, Samantha," he said.

Sam opened his eyes. "I just had some weird ass dream." He begun.

"I don't think it was a dream at all." Dean shook his head.

They looked each other in the eye. Sam slowly got up.

"Charlie," he murmured.

"Think she'll be back?" Dean asked wistfully.

"Of course." Sam grinned. "There's no place like home."