The kitchen smelled of cheap dish soap, the kind that tries to smell of fruit but just can't seem to get it right. John watched as Mary finished washing the dishes and placing them in the drying rack before he spoke.
"Dean is asleep." Even though he had spoken softly Mary still started and turned towards him quickly. He took in the knife in her hand but decided not to comment. It was his fault she was so on edge, the move, the risk to the children's safety, it was all because she chose him and he had been too weak to push her away.
"That's good. Sam hasn't made a peep since I put him down either." Her British accent was still flowing through all the training she had to speak like an American. She put down the knife with a glance at the baby monitor on the counter. "It's probably time for me to go sleep too." She said quickly as she pushed past him.
"Already? It's still so early. I was hoping we could...talk...or watch a movie." He limped after her, the first chill of fall was making it act up again. "Mary just sit with me." John said, maybe too loudly at the foot of the stairs as he caught her arm. His touch made her stop but she didn't turn around. John hoped he imagined the shiver that ran through her. Did she hate him for all this so much?
"Mary I know the last few years haven't been easy. Taking you and Dean away from all you knew. Forcing this hidden life on you but it was necessary, whatever Lestrade says I don't believe Moriaty is really gone. There are others too-."
"Oh John stop it!" Mary finally turning to look at him, stamping her foot at she did. "Do you think all this would really stop him from finding us? If any of them wanted to? You are still John Watson, the best friend of Sherlock Holmes. You can grow a beard, speak like an American, move us to Kansas but they can still find us!" John had never seen her so upset before. Mary was usually the calm one. Even when he told her of his plans to move them yet again, this time to America, she had taken it calmly.
"Mary I did what I thought was best, for you, for our children." Somehow her anger hurt him more than her simply ignoring him. "We need to stay hidden until I know he is gone. Without Sherlock we have no real protection."
"We never had any protection against him." She moved passed him towards not really seeing him. She started mumbling to herself. John moved closer to hear her. "He was always going to find me. Can't hide, can't run. A deal is a deal." She was walking in a tight circle, her eyes darting back and forth as her hands twisted in front of her. Sweet Lord how she reminded him of Sherlock in that moment. The fevered movements of a mind turning in circles to try to figure out a problem. It made his eyes burn and his heart ache with the memories of his best friend so long gone. Then her words broke through his haze of memories.
"Mary what do you mean? Who is coming for you? Who are you talking about?" His eyes narrowed as he tried to make sense of it all. Moriaty would come after him, not Mary. John had always thought of scenarios where her and the children were hurt but it was always to get to him. Mary had always agreed with him about that, John was Moriaty's target. Why was she suddenly so sure he was coming after her.
"Has he contacted you? He has, hadn't he? Mary what did he say!" Now he was yelling, grabbing ahold of her shoulders as his mind raced about where they could go now. "Mary tell me what he said!"
"John you're hurting me!" It was then John focused on her crying face. He realized his fingers were digging into her arms. Letting go he stepped back, horrified with his lack of control.
"I'm so sorry Mary. Mary dear are you alright?" He lifted his hand as if to brush back her hair but he wouldn't touch her yet, not till she signaled it was what she wanted. "You are scarring me though Mary. Who is coming for you?" She just shook her head, giving herself a moment to regain her composure. When she looked back up at him a gentle smile, a very Mary smile, touched her lips.
"It's nothing John, I swear. I am just missing London lately. This country life is driving me a little loopy, that's all." She moved closer to him and cupped his cheek with her hand. "There is nothing to worry about my dearest. How about you make some popcorn while I check on Sam and Dean, then we will watch a movie. Tonight I want to relax in your arms." She was his Mary again, calm and gentle. As she leaned forward he closed his eyes at the touch if her lips on his cheek.
John nodded and watched her go up the stairs before turning to the kitchen to make some popcorn. He hated this fake butter, microwave stuff but Mary always bought it anyways, saying it made her feel like she was really in a movie theater, all that was missing was the sticky floor. Ripping open the plastic bag he pressed the button to open the microwave door. It took him a moment to locate the "popcorn" button, then he watched for a second as the light turned on automatically. The tray turned and John listened to the slight humming of the motor before going to get a beer. If he had to eat that stuff he needed something stronger than water to wash the taste away.
As he searched for the bottle opener the light suddenly flickered, not just the lights but every electronic thing in the kitchen suddenly switched modes, plugged in or not. While John was still trying to figure that out he heard it, a scream that stopped his heart cold. Everything seemed to go in slow motion then, even the beer bottle breaking on the floor as he dropped it felt as if it took minutes instead of seconds.
"Mary!" John rushed up the stairs, bad leg forgotten as the fear for his family became very real. The soldier in him tried to stop him, telling him to grab his gun, grab anything to fight with, but John couldn't stop. Mary, the boys, they were all upstairs and he had to get to them now. As he reached the landing he started turning his head to each room, trying to find his family but in a way he knew where she was already, the nursery. When he turned to that door though he stopped short. The doorway was filled with the tall figure of a man, the last man he expected.
"Watson." Dear God to hear that deep voice again, to see those thin lips form his name as they curled into a smile. "Or should I say Winchester? Oh John did you really think that would hide you from me?" As Sherlock spoke John stood there frozen. This wasn't right, this wasn't fair. He had mourned Sherlock already, he had put him to rest, burying him as Mrs. Hudson stood at his side crying. No, Sherlock shouldn't be here, he shouldn't be standing in my house. John couldn't speak, he couldn't move as his world lost all forms of reason.
"You look surprised to see me...almost as if you we're expecting someone else." John watched, memorized by the curls of the tall man's hair as they moved when Sherlock tilted his head. He was real but at the same time so wrong. "She didn't tell you about me did she? Oh this is wonderful. Innocent Mary keeping a secret like this."
Mary knew Sherlock was alive? She had known and didn't tell John? This wasn't right, Mary would never do that. She knew how much John cared about Sherlock. She had been there when he was still getting over the lose of his friend. Now facing Sherlock again all he could do was sputter and stare open-mouthed. Closing his mouth finally he tried to swallow but his mouth was too dry. He could feel his throat closing up with emotion and cleared it, forcing it back open so he could say something, anything.
"It's too late for her John. Maybe just save the boys." As he spoke Sherlock's eyes changed, suddenly not the rainbow of color John remembered but a swirling cloud of bright yellow. This wasn't Sherlock, this was some...thing in his form. Sherlock might not care about a lot of things but he would never throw the life away of someone John cared about. The thing smiled at John's shock and dismay. "Better run John or little Sammy will be joining his mother."
Throwing himself passed the thing John rushed into the nursery. He was expecting Mary's body on the floor, blood everywhere but there was nothing. The room was dark, and Sam was awake but calm, John could hear his little coos from the crib. Turning back to confront the thing that used to be Sherlock John just found an empty hallway. Had he been dreaming? Sleepwalking? Maybe he had fallen asleep waiting for Mary, or even before that, dreaming the whole fight, Sherlock, everything. That made more sense than Sherlock come back to life and those demon-like eyes.
Walking over to Sam's crib he smiled down at his tiny son. As he was watching Sam he felt something hit his hand. John looked to see a drop of something dark slide down the side of his hand, it was joined by another and then another. His brow furrowed as he slowly looked up wondering what could be dripping through the ceiling.
"Oh...my...MARY!" She was up there, pressed against the ceiling like she was laying on it. Her nightgown covered with slowly spreading blood. Her face contorted in pain and sorrow. He could see her lips moving but Sam had started a screaming protest at John's distress. He couldn't hear her words but he knew it, he had seen her form his name on her lips enough the image on it was imprinted on his brain. She repeated over and over his name. Then without warning the ceiling burst into flames, engulfing his still living wife.
He couldn't save her, he couldn't even reach her. Instead he did the only thing he could, he grabbed his son, shielding him from the bright heat of the roaring flames. Racing from the room he shouted for Dean, trying to wake him, warn him. His four year old son was rubbing his eyes when John threw back the door and pulled him out of the room and down the hall. Once Dean picked up on John's fear and hurry the little boy raced him down the stairs and out the door to safety. Once he had the boys a safe distance away from the house John turned and watched his house go up in flames, his wife probably cinders by now.
The tragic scene widened, pulling away and turning grainy as it is revealed to be playing back on a small screen that was connected to a glowing console. Buttons, gear, and wires all looked slightly transparent, showing the bright green color underneath. Standing in front watching the screen are three men behind them a young blonde girl who could not control the tears streaming down her face. Two of the men are wearing the crumpled clothes of many nights sleeping in a car, their bodies also well worn from too many battles already fought. Both had tears in their eyes but they were caused by very different emotions. The older one full of anger for having to relive the worst moment of his childhood, the younger one full of sorrow at witnessing his mother's death for the first time.
"What the hell was the point of showing us that Doctor?" Dean said as he turned to the Time Lord. The Doctor stood there hands in his pockets rocking back and forth on the heels of his maroon Chucks. Lifting a hand to his messy brown hair he blew out all the air through his pursed lips.
"I tried to stop this." He said softly, staring Dean down. "I tried to stop your mother's death, the life you would lead." Pressing some buttons on the console he brought up a image of a young couple that the brothers had never seen before.
"Who are they?" Sam asked, pushing back his pain.
"They are Mary Campbell...and John Winchester." The Doctor studied the brothers, gauging their reaction before he continued. "They would have been John and Mary Winchester, your parents but I kept them apart, turned their lives to new and better things. I thought if I could stop them being together you two would be born into a quiet life, that none of this would come to pass." The Doctor moved over to stand by Rose, offering her comfort by just being near her. Her tears had stopped but her face showed effort of keeping them at bay.
"Turna out though that your births, your mother's death, and the meeting of the angels, they were all fixed points. Couldn't stop them no matter how hard I tried. A new Mary and John found each other. That Mary made a deal with the same demon and that John was of just another offshoot of the perfect bloodline for the angels.
"I stopped those two from marriage with each other," he pointed at the blurry images still on the screen.
"the pain that would come with it, yet still a Mary and John Winchester had two sons, Mary still died, and you two became the tools of angels. You two, it seems, are too important for your own good."
"Oh come on Doctor you make it sound like such a chore!" The four beings in the Tardis whipped around at the new voice. They were greeted by the sight of a shorter man, grinning mischievously as he supported a rather bloody guy in a tab overcoat.
"Cas!"
"Gabriel!"
"Bloody angels! I thought I told you all to stay out of my ship." As Dean and Sam rushed to take the stumbling form of Cas from the archangel the Doctor started fiddling with every dial and button he could reach, figuring out how, yet again, angels got on the Tardis.
"What did you do to Cas?" Dean has murder in his voice as he looked at the archangel.
"Calm down there lover boy. He's alright. We just had another little disagreement on whether to come up here and talk to you." With a scoff he rolled his eyes. "I hate it when we fight boys." Snapping his fingers and then gesturing at the other angel he laughed. "I was planning to fix him all along. See?"
"That was completely unnecessary." Cas mumbled as he sat up. "I merely suggested we wait till the Winchesters got back to earth. Violence was a waste of energy." Now it was everyone except Gabriel against the console, staring down the archangel.
"Yea but then the Doctor wouldn't be here to back me up." The smirk on Gabriel's face melted away and he became deadly serious. "Now you boys have seen that there is no getting out of this. You are the vessels, those are your roles and your destinies. Back me up here Doc. The apocalypse is happening."
The focus turned to the nine hundred year old Time Lord. His face was calm except for the slight annoyance that there were still angels on his ship. They all waited for him. He didn't mind stretching it out forever. Finally Rose elbowed him into action. The Doctor looked sideways at the brothers.
"He's right. You are the vessels, there is no way around that. You can't change what you are, that is fixed." Even Dean looked like he might give up at these words. "But...you can change what you do." Slowly a smile crept over the Doctor's thin face. Rose laughed softly, there was her Doctor.
"Forget this angel." He gestured at a stunned Gabriel dismissively. "You have another right here. This one believes in your free will. I like this one, keep this one. I have seen whole galaxies changed in a second with one guy like this." The Doctor winked at Castiel with a click of his tongue. Then he was off, sprinting around the console, flipping switches, spinning wheels, bringing his beloved ship back to life. The noise coming from the machine brought an even brighter smile to his lips.
"You won't have just an angel. Oh no!" He shouted over the whirling. "You'll have all of time and space to help you." Everyone stumbled slightly as the Tardis landed. Jumping down the steps the Doctor threw open the doors, revealing a new world behind it, concealed in shadows.
"What is..." Sam trailed off as they all followed the Doctor out of the blue box.
"All of time and space." The Doctor had laughter in his voice as he stood in a circle of illumination by a circular desk. His arm was reaching behind it, searching for something. When he found it he smiled. "Well in book form at least." The Doctor pulled something and suddenly lamps were turning on all around them, revealing huge shelves stocked high with books in a room that seemed to go on forever. "Every book ever written including spell books from every planet. I'm sure we can find something to help here but we better get moving, this is only the first floor. Allons-y!"