1978

"So Azazel," Mary heard a gentle voice cackle behind her. 'What have we got here?"

Mary turned her head slightly, she held John closer to her body and stared at the stunning blacked haired women to the side of her.

"I'm making a deal," The yellowed eyed demon seethed. "None of your concern you wench."

The female clicked her tongue, "Watch your tone Azazel."

"My business is done here." The demon that, unbeknownst to her, would ruin her son's life seethed once again. Mary stared in shock as he vanished into thin air.

"I wonder what he took." Mary heard the woman wonder into the air.

"Are you a demon?" Mary asked. John began to gasp for breath as he came to life.

"Looking to make a deal?" The demon asked instead of answering the broken looking woman's question.

"I'll give you my life if you watch over my family."

"I ain't no guardian angel Missy if that's what you're-"

"My life! On November 2nd, 1983 when that yellow eyed demon comes to my home I will gladly die if you make sure my family get out alive need, I want them out of that house with no scars – not even a single bruise. Watch over my family until they send you away themselves. Make sure they are safe and my life – my soul – is yours."

The demon watched with calculating and curious eyes as the blonde woman in front of her held back tears, a strong façade to comfort her husband who was staring at the demon and wheezing out questions neither woman could hear.

The stupidity that humans held always amused the demon, they chose to be strong in the most idiotic of situations.

"I cannot refuse, can I? Oh, the trials of being a crossroads demon." The demon sighed dramatically.

"What? – What a – a – Demon?" John wheezed, his eyes so wide the crossroads demon laughed at how stupid the handsome man appeared.

"Now boy-o, we can't have you interrupting us." The demon clicked her figures and John Winchester fell back onto Mary's lap.

The young blonde scrambled to take a hold of her husband's face, she held his head gently in her hands as she glared darkly at the demon with stinging hot tears in her eyes.

"What did you do to him?" She asked, the inner rage she tried to hide in her voice seeped through and the demon grinned.

"He isn't dead, sweetheart. Just out like a light – Asleep."

Mary held John even closer to her body, she gulped and took a sharp intake of breath and gazed at the female demon with hate.

"Are we going to make this deal or not?" Mary gritted out.

"I was just thinking the same thing." The demon chortled.

The kiss the sealed the deal stung. Mary winced and an overwhelming fear crept into the back of her mind. She watched as the demon pulled away, Mary's eyes trained on the pale face of the female demon, her red eyes shone like blood and her stunning red lips curved into a beautifully terrifying grin that shot shivers up the hunter's spine.

"What's your name?" Mary choked out.

"Mara," The demon answered, "My name is Mara and I will see you, and little Johnny, in a few years Mary Winchester."

Mara disappeared within a split second into thin air, the shiver stung Mary's whole body as she hugged John closer. She kissed his head and finally let one single tear run her face.

Mara, a feared and respected crossroads Demon, once made a deal with the young Mary Winchester in 1978 that changed her life forever.

She was a ruthless demon, cunning and evil but there was always something broken about her, something odd. Mara was a mere one-hundred years younger than the Archangel Gabriel, the messenger of God. Her vessel, the body of a stunning pale women with long black hair and blue eyes that were as blue as the ocean in a storm that could kill thousands with one wave, had been her first vessel since she first stepped on earth.

She was evil in such an obvious way,

And cracked in a way no demon was.

She fell in love once,

With an Angel, no less,

And was punished for it,

Tortured for 700 years in the darkest pit of hell.

She was a warrior,

She killed millions with no hesitation.

But her life was changed forever after that night in 1978.

November 2nd, 1983

"WHO ARE YOU!?" John Winchester screamed as he scrambled to crawl off the ground, his eyes were glued on the dead body of his wife on the ceiling.

"If you truly value your son's life then give me Sam." Mara, her eyes burning red as she refused to look at the burning corpse above her.

John cursed and tears flew down his face and a loud cry could be heard from the crib and from down the hall.

Mara pushed passed John who had stood up and held onto the side of the crib, she gathered Sam into her arms and grabbed John's shoulder with her free hand. Mara transported herself into Dean's room, the door had been blocked by the fire and Mara found Dean crying and screeching out for his mum or his dad or anybody. She held Dean over her shoulder, Sam still bundled in her arms and a hand still gripping John's shoulder.

And then they were outside.

John fell on the ground and watched as his house burnt done. Dean cried when Mara didn't let Sam down.

"What?" Mara snapped, she then glanced at baby Sam in her arms and then glanced back down at Dean. "This?" She motioned to Sam, she knelt on the ground and pushed Sam into Dean's opened arms.

"Take care of Sammy so it makes my job easier." Mara advised. She then reached out a hand and stroked Sam's face, her fingers slid down his soft cheek with a gentleness she had once been shown hundreds of years ago.

"What are you?" John asked, his eyes blazing wide and red with tears. He rushed to kneel beside his two children, he took Dean – who still held Sam tightly – into his arms and hugged his boys close.

"I just saved your lives." Mara reminded the man, her lips curled. "You should be thanking me, not demanding questions."

"WHY COULDN'T YOU SAVE HER TOO?!"

"Not a part of the deal, Johnny boy." Mara answered with a light air, her voice floated it seemed and carried on into the wind carelessly. "Sorry boy-o."

John couldn't speak, his voice was hoarse and his throat felt like fire, stinging tears stung his face as his eyes watched Mara, his grip tightening around his boys every so often.

"I'm not going to hurt them," Mara scoffed. "I can't."

And with that she disappeared, her eyes flashed burning red and she was gone.

Why didn't Sam, Dean and John die through their years together? Because Mara made a deal with Mary Winchester to protect her family, and a crossroads demon never breaks a deal. Mary's soul was taken but Mara was still bound to the Winchesters, she was bound to them until they told her themselves they didn't need her anymore. She often showed up uninvited to mock John and in some instances of true cruelty she talked of Mary. But mostly she watched Dean sleep, his arms wrapped around Sam as if he thought that could protect his younger brother of all pain. She watched Sam and how his eyes never seemed to close, he's stay awake and stare at the wall, stare at Mara, he'd cry sometimes too. Sometimes John would be too sad to check on the boy but when he couldn't Dean would be there, soothing his little brother and whispering comforting words.

Mara would watch Sam as he wailed into the night, she'd watch John break down as he tried to look for Azazel, she's watch Dean trying to keep down tears as he hugged his brother.

She watched them for many tears, she saved them from dying countless times. Mara was sick of all the times Dean would jump in front of Sam to take the hit instead of his younger brother, she was sick of all the times they'd nearly died for each other. When Mara had told Dean to look after Sam, she didn't mean trying to kill himself.

But still, that devotion and love reminded Mara of something she's been tortured to forget, the broken family reminded her of something from hundreds of years ago.

And so,

Mara, the crossroads demon, kept watch over Sam and Dean and sometimes even John. Other demons would mock her, liken her to an Angel, say the name of the Angel she had once loved and Mara would kill them. Or torture them. Crowley was sick of all the subordinates he was losing, but Mara would only snarl at the crossroads king and walk off.

Mara watched the Winchester boy's grow, she only spoke to John, and she hadn't uttered one word to the boys since the night their mum died.

Mara laughed at John when Sam finally escaped.

"Oh God did you really think he'd stick around forever? That kid's the only one with brains in this family." Mara chortled.

"Shut up." John gritted out through his clenched jaw.

"Oh is daddy going to cry? Are you thinking 'Oh how could my son leave me?' Let's go over it, shall we? You trained him to kill monsters, brainwashed him basically to take part in your revenge plan, you haven't really been a father since the whole fire mishap and Sammy was only – what? – 6 months old? How about when – "

"Do you think this is funny?!"

"Do you think this is surprising? Sam wanting to be normal? Sam's rebellious stage is wanting to go to school, education is his drugs and College is his sex. But no, you'd rather him come back and kill Vampires with you and Dean-o."

"You have to protect him – Go to Stanford, look after him. I – I'll give you my soul damn it if you go and look after him!"

"Soul? I wasn't aware you had one Johnny. And besides I was going to him anyway, If I can't get out of this deal then I'd rather be with the sane one of the family…..I mean, unless you decide you don't need me anymore? Set me free, in other terms."

"No. I can't."

"Oh you can. You just don't want to. You're afraid without me your kid's lives will be even more fucked. You trust a demon more than yourself! Oh this is amazing."

"SHUT UP! Are you going or not?!"

When John whirled around Mara was nowhere in sight.

"Are you new here?"

Sam heard a gentle voice ask behind him, he turned around awkwardly and his gaze settled on a curvy, short stunning looking young women about his age, maybe older by a few years. Her eyes were blue and her face pale. Her long black hair sat on her shoulders in gentle waves.

"Well?"

Sam heard her speak again and found that were voice wasn't all the gentle, it was like steel. Sharp, dangerous if you go too close. If cut through you as she spoke, like she saw all your insides and thoughts, her voice made you think she was seeing flaws in you, you should've been seeing yourself.

"I – I – Um – Yeah, yeah I am." Sam stuttered, his tried to smile but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Good," The girl smiled, it didn't reach her eyes in the slightest but Sam was distracted by her stunning face. "As it happens, so am I."

"I'm – Uh – Sam – My name's Sam Winchester. And – Uh – You?"

"I'm Mara."

What do you think? Should I continue? What do you think of Mara and what Angel do you think she fell in love with?