I should never have woken up. I should have stayed asleep, unaware of what was transpiring in my house. But then I would never have been able to live with myself, leaving Sammy and Dean to their fates. I guess I wouldn't have known what was coming, and I wouldn't have known what was going on in Sammy's nursery. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

But I did wake up, instantly knowing that John had left the bed, or had never come up at all, and I couldn't sleep on without him. He'd been overworked at the garage, I knew that, and I didn't want to make it hard for him, but I worried. Of course I worried, about all of my boys. John staying out of the bed wasn't what had woken me, it was the static on Sammy's baby monitor, the sound of his distress underneath the interference. It was one of his first nights in his nursery, out of our room, and I wasn't coping without his sweet baby smell. It wasn't time for a night feed, but it could have been time for a diaper change.

I left most of the hallway lights off as I walked to the nursery, not wanting to confuse poor Sammy with a mix up in his routine. When I reached the nursery, it looked as though John was standing over Sammy, watching him even as he calmed down.

When I asked if Sammy was hungry, when he shushed me, it didn't strike me as odd, at all. John and I have - had - a great relationship, but it wasn't without its problems, and with the garage making more and more demands, we'd hit a bad patch. I had acquiesced because I didn't want to end up fighting in Sammy's nursery, waking up Dean who had already taken three stories, one rendition of Hey, Jude and fifteen minutes of 'hugging' time to fall asleep. I was tired too. I was completely off my game.

So much so that I didn't question it when the one light in the hallway we did have on began to flicker. A bad fuse, I thought, or a failing bulb maybe. My father would be so ashamed that I didn't instantly think of the Supernatural. I had worked so hard to keep everything out of my little family, it wasn't something I had wanted to question. And it had been so long since I had encountered something supernatural, why would I have questioned it? I should have known, you don't get to just opt out of being a hunter.

I went downstairs after hearing a noise, and saw the television on, with John asleep on the lay-Z-boy. It took me far too long to realise that John couldn't be in two places at once, that if I could make out the familiar contours of his face as he slept on that chair then it couldn't possibly have been him in the nursery with Sammy. After all, I hadn't looked properly at the figure in the nursery, I'd just assumed … I ran back to Sammy, hating myself for not thinking things through sooner, for not assuming the worst right away. I felt sick to my stomach, wondering what this … this thing could possibly want with my baby. He was six months old! He was concerned with eating solids and trying to sit up and talk just like Dean could, he didn't have to worry about the things that have plagued my entire life.

I called for him as I ran up the stairs, along the hallway. I was so out of practice with running, it felt like I was hardly moving at all, like with every second passing the hallway stretched itself out. Was this person, this thing, this apparition, were they still with Sammy? Or had they finished with him and moved onto Dean? I didn't want either of my beautiful boys hurt.

I finally reached the nursery, feeling short of breath, and saw the figure still there. He turned, and there was a golden sheen across his eyes, just for a moment. But it was long enough for me to remember exactly where I'd seen him before, sort of. Maybe I didn't recognise the meat suit, but I knew this was the creature that had murdered my parents, the one who had nearly snatched my John away. The one who said I could have John back in exchange for something. Was this it? Was it trading John for Sammy? That wasn't fair, it wasn't fair at all. How could you possibly pick between the man you love with every fibre of your being and the tiny, defenceless, innocent baby that you made together? It was a choice I shouldn't have to make. The one silver lining I could see in that moment, was that at least Dean wasn't involved, that one of my boys was definitely safe. Maybe there was something in what I said every night as I tucked him in. Maybe angels truly were watching over my Dean. If only the same could be said for little Sammy.

"It's you." That was all I could think of to say to the thing standing over my baby boy, before I went on attack mode, trying to get to the one precious thing in the room. I hadn't reckoned on the demon's power. He pinned me to the wall and dragged me up it before a pain unlike any I'd felt before ripped its way across my abdomen. I couldn't help but scream from the pain of it, though I didn't want Sammy to worry. I was helpless against a demon, pinned against the ceiling, my stomach stinging, and all I could think of was how this was affecting my beautiful little baby. But Sammy seemed okay. He could see me, immobile and unable to sleep, pinned to the ceiling, and he smiled that adorable, innocent little smile as he realised it was me.

I could hear John as my scream began to fade, calling my name tersely before his feet pounded the stairs. I wanted to call back, to tell him to protect the boys, to apologise for dragging them all into the hell that was my life. I watched, completely helplessly, as he crossed the room to Sammy and smiled down at him, making sure he was okay, almost as though he could hear my silent pleas. And then he touched something on the pillow, and I realised that the pain in my abdomen was a deep gouge, which was dripping blood right by poor Sammy's head. Was this going to scar our baby for life? He looked up and saw me, and there was nothing I could do to stop what happened next. I wanted to tell him to run, take the boys and save them, bring them up safely.

But there was this overwhelming heat all of a sudden, and John fell down, yelling. The heat consumed me, and I could see flames licking out all around me. Sammy began to cry, and John got up, grabbing Sammy, finally acting on my unspoken dying wish. I could hear little Dean in the hallway, and I prayed John would get them both out, and leave me to my fate. If I ended up in Hell, I was searching for that bastard demon and making him undo whatever he did to my precious baby.

But then I heard it, John demanding that Dean take Sam outside. Was John not going to run too? Was he going to make our boys orphans so young, just so we could be together? Who would raise them? My parents were dead, his father had run away, and his mother was senile.

The flames were overwhelming my vision, but I could barely feel them anymore. I could barely feel anything. I could hear John calling my name in the distance, but the flames had taken over.

And then John was gone, and I was lost in the flames, though I could feel myself moving. I couldn't say if it was up or down, left or right, into the searing heat or away from it. I only knew the movement, and the flames, for what felt like forever.

Then suddenly, I was in a barren world, with little defining features. If I were to describe it, I would have said I was in the middle of a cloud, though I stood on solid ground. It was unformed and a dull grey colour. There was a cluster of people just in front of me, all stood around a gaping chasm in the floor, looking down without any comment.

"Hello?" I called tentatively. A woman beside the chasm looked up at me, her face expressionless, her complexion pasty and sickly under her vivid red hair.

"What are you doing here, human? Your soul should be further along."

I didn't understand. And this woman looked so familiar! Had we met before in another life? The thickset man beside her looked up as well, glancing at me before looking at the redhead.

"We are watchers, Anna, are we not? Maybe she needs to be watching also. This does involve her family."

A few of the crowd laughed, and the silent man on the other side of Anna stepped aside, looking at me with kindly eyes.

"Come, watch. They're clearing up the wreckage of your house now."

I walked forward as though I were in a dream, and stood beside the kinder man, whose focus was once more on the chasm. I looked down and gasped, because we were right outside my house. I could have reached over and touched John. The kinder man touched my wrist gently, as though he knew what I was thinking.

"We only watch. That is our duty."

"What are you?" I whispered, my eyes glued on my family, on John holding our boys and kissing the top of Dean's head as he sobbed into his hair, Sammy sleeping through it all. Even as the fire fighters won against the flames and my family huddled together on John's prized Impala. The kinder man took his time to answer.

"We are part of the Heavenly host, the garrison charged with watching over humans."

I suppressed a gasp. What I had always told Dean, was it true? Was it - could it be true? Angels were watching over him. They were watching over all of them. It felt like a small blessing after my death. I felt overwhelmed by my company then, I knew what it meant that I was allowed to be here with them, watching over my family. I bowed my head and watched, grateful at least for the kindly angel who stood next to me with the dark hair, bright blue eyes, and cloak wrapped around himself. There was something comforting in him, and I found myself stepping closer, even as my eyes were fixed on the chasm.

I wasn't going to upload this straight away, I wanted more chapters written, but I'm way too impatient for that, it turns out. I hope you like it, it's kind of nice not to do a Destiel story for once. Though of course, I love my ship :D but rest assured, this story will not be intentionally Destiel. This is all about Mary Winchester.