A Christmas Tale

I freakin hate this time of year! Damn Christmas and all the jolly Santa's and the deck the bloody halls. Christmas sucks and especially this year…how can things possibly get any worse?

'I'm sorry Miss but we've just got no rooms available. Everything is booked up'

'Please; I need somewhere to stay. A broom cupboard will do'

The guy looked at me with pity 'I'm really sorry'

I sighed 'ok thanks anyway'

I left and walked back outside, dragging my suitcase on wheels. I rounded the corner muttering to myself and walked right into someone.

'Why don't you watch where the hell….' I looked right into a pair of green eyes and shut my mouth with a snap

'Hey you ok?' the owner of the eyes asked

'Sure' I nodded hardly daring to breathe

Above the nicest eyes I had ever seen was a mess of hair slightly spiky; almost like he'd just rolled out of bed. He had a jacket over a dark blue shirt over a t-shirt; a pendant hung down from his neck...it looked like an idols head or something.

I quickly glanced at his friend. He was taller; in fact he was downright gigantic. I had to crane my neck to look at him. He was cute though and he smiled a big smile that lit up his face.

'You sure you're ok?' the man with the green eyes asked

'Um…yeah…I'm fine' my eyes flicked back to the handsome stranger looking at the freckles that dotted his face

'Where are you going in such a rush?' the cute one asked 'you were walking like your shoes were on fire'

I smiled at that 'trying to find somewhere to stay' I muttered fully remembering my predicament. Just for those fleeting few moments I'd forgotten anything was wrong.

'Owwwww…..' a pain flashed through me as if to reiterate how bad things were

'Woah…' the man with the green eyes said grabbing my arm as his friend put his hand against my back 'you ok?'

I forced a smile 'yeah everything's just peachy' I said through gritted teeth

'Look I know you don't know us but we can't leave you here like this. How about we go get you a coffee or something?' he looked to his friend who nodded

'Yeah maybe a coffee or hot chocolate will ease it' his friend said

I nodded 'I guess I could take five minutes before I try the other motel. I hope they have a room; can't get one for love nor money'

The man with the green eyes held out his hand 'I'm Dean; this is my brother Sam'

I shook both their hands and Sam took my bag from me and pulled it behind him as we walked across the street

'So don't you have a name?' Sam asked

'You wouldn't believe me if I told you'

'Oh you'd be surprised at what we believe' Dean said with a smile as he helped me sit down into a booth and Sam ordered some drinks

I looked at Dean and then to Sam as he sat down I smiled a half smile 'my names Mary'

Dean opened his mouth to say something looked at Sam and shut his mouth shrugging

'Ok so you're Mary?'

'Yep'

'Huh' was all that he said after that and I really couldn't say anything else without looking I was a complete crazy. Which I wasn't by the way.

The waitress brought the drinks over and we all sipped on the hot liquid in silence. Dean broke the silence a few minutes later.

'So you're Mary…and you're looking for somewhere to stay….'

I looked him squarely in those green eyes and tried to keep myself from drowning in them 'yes'

'And you happen to be very, very pregnant'

'Well you're observant I'll give you that Dean' I said sarcastically

'And I don't suppose you know how you got pregnant either?' he said with a smirk

I slammed my cup down and looked at him sternly

'Of course I bloody know how I got pregnant you idiot! I met a moron of a male who had a boat load of charm. Turned out he really had the charm of a rattlesnake and disappeared the next day. I can't find him; I can't find anywhere to stay; my parents kicked me out when they found out I was pregnant and my babys gonna be born far from home with no one to help us and no dad so if you don't have anything good to say keep your stupid mouth shut!'

I stood up grabbing the handle of my bag 'thanks for the drink I'll be off now' big tears were falling down my face and I felt so embarrassed about my outburst. Poor Dean.

'Wait. Mary wait' Sam stood up and blocked my escape

'Please' I said tearfully

'I'm sorry Mary really I am' Dean said 'I was just joking. You've got to admit it is kinda weird'

I nodded 'I'm sorry too I didn't mean to be so horrible'

'It's ok' Sam said 'he deserved it'

I looked at Sam and smiled through my tears

I took a deep breath and smiled 'look thanks for the drink; I really appreciate it. I best go and find somewhere to stay'

Dean and Sam followed me out 'we'll come over with you' Sam said 'just in case they don't have a room'

'What are you gonna do if they don't have one? Beat them up till they surrender?' a said with a small laugh

'Nope were gonna stay with you till you get sorted'

'Sam….'

'Sams right Mary' Dean said 'we can't leave you like this, besides it wouldn't be keeping in the spirit of Christmas if we left you alone would it'

We walked into the motel but it was the same old story…no room at the inn.

We stepped back out into the daylight and I pulled my coat a little bit closer to me and gave an involuntary shiver.

'Ok Mary were gonna take you to Bobbys place' Sam said

'Bobby? Who's Bobby?' I asked

'It's ok he's a friend of ours he'll know what to do; he's only about a two hour ride from here. He should know someone who can help with…y'know…with the…um….like a doctor or something'

'Oh you mean with the birth' I said smiling at Dean

'That' he nodded in agreement

'I dunno guys I mean you've been really nice but so far but how do I know you're not crazy axe murdering weirdos'

Sam chuckled 'we're not'

'Yeah and I bet all the crazy axe murdering weirdos say that' I laughed

'Trust us' Dean said solemnly 'were not the bad guys'

Now I might be mad but looking into those damned gorgeous eyes I couldn't help believing him

'Ok' I nodded 'I must be mad but I trust you'

We walked around the corner and up to a shining black car which Dean unlocked

'Wow' I said sweeping my eyes over the frame 'a '67 Impala. She is beautiful'

Sam shook his head and laughed and Dean stood there with his chest puffed out all proud cos his car just got called beautiful

'You know your cars' he said

'Oh yeah I'm a mechanic; I love cars'

'You're a….mechanic?'

'Yes Dean a mechanic; y'know you should learn a thing or two about equality and stuff. Just because I'm a female doesn't mean I don't know my pistons from my spark plugs. It's much better than riding on a donkey' I grinned

The two brothers laughed at me but not really at me more with me as I smiled and slithered into the backseat as gracefully as I could; which wasn't very!

Dean fired up the engine and the music started up too

Sam reached over to turn in down but I leaned forward

'Sam don't you dare turn it down. That's sacrilege'

Dean looked at me from the corner of his eye with a big grin

'Well come on' I said 'the person who wants to turn AC/DC down needs to be tortured. Crank it up Dean'

Dean didn't need telling twice and turned up the volume 'you heard the lady' he said with a wink to his brother. I'm guessing Sam wasn't into solid rock like his brother…ah well his loss.

I relaxed onto the backseat and tapped my feet to the back beat of Back In Black until I drifted off.

'Hey Mary' I felt a hand gently shaking me awake 'we're here'

I wiped the sleep from my eyes and climbed from the car rubbing my back and looked around the scrap yard we were in.

'Oh look at that' I said 'an old beat up caddy. Oh why is it all beaten up like that; it needs restoring not left to rust'

Sam laughed 'you really do like cars'

We walked into the house and into the library. The house looked like it needed a good going through with a scrubbing brush and bleach but still I couldn't complain; at least it had heating and a roof.

'Hey Bobby; this is Mary. Mary; Bobby'

Bobby was older than Sam and Dean, his clothes were a little dirty probably from being around the scrap yard all day. His head was hidden by a baseball cap and he had a beard

'Hi' I said 'pleased to meet you'

'Hey' he said not really returning my enthusiasm. I caught the glance he shot Dean and Sam

'Hey you know it's been really great meeting you Bobby but I gotta get going you know busy and all that'

I turned and grabbed my case but Sam was quicker

'Mary you don't even know where you are; where the hell are you gonna go?'

I lifted my chin up 'I was planning on going that way' I jerked my thumb right

'Ok well if you go right it's gonna be a two day walk before you hit civilisation'

'Then I'll go left!' I said stubbornly

'Three days' Dean said with a shrug

'Well then…I'll….just….go right and make do with a bad situation'

Dean laughed and Sam joined in

'You've got some spirit girl' Bobby said with a smile 'you can stay here and put up with it. Aint exactly the Ritz but it's all I got'

'I…I don't want to put you…out or anything'

'It's ok; you're not'

'Good' I said in almost a whisper

'I'll take you up to your room' Sam said and carried my bag

I followed him suddenly feeling very uneasy as I heard Bobby and Deans hushed whispers. I couldn't make out what they were saying but it still sent shivers through me.

Sam showed me into the bedroom and put my bag on the bed and showed me where the bathroom was

'Take your time' he said 'rest up and then come find us'

His smile and the way he spoke made me trust him again but I pushed it out of my head and smiled

'Thanks Sam; I'm gonna take a nap I think'

Sam nodded and left the room. I let him leave and waited a few minutes and then sneaked out of my room. I didn't dare take my bag with me as it would have made a noise and I had enough trouble trying to get my pregnant body anywhere let alone dragging a bag while trying to escape the clutches of three strangers.

I sneaked as quiet as I could down the stairs and strained to hear what was being said

'Dean are you really suggesting what I think you are?' Bobby said

'Damn it Bobby yes I am. You've seen her she's innocent she doesn't deserve any of this crap' Dean said

At least he was trying to stick up for me

'No one wants to see her get hurt Dean' Sam said 'but what choice do we have?'

'There's always a choice Sammy' Dean said defiantly 'Always'

'You like her' Sam said

'I do not' Dean replied

'Yes you do'

'Boys' bobby shouted 'we need to have a plan. That kid could be born any day now and we need to be prepared'

Well that just did. Panic surged through me and I steadily backed up towards the door. Fuck this; I wasn't going to make this easy for them. If I was going to die then I was gonna go down fighting for my last breath.

I ran my hand across my belly

'I'm so, so sorry little one' I said as a tear ran down my face

I turned to get out of the door; I reached my hand out and suddenly out of nowhere a guy appeared. And I mean out of fresh air; one minute there was no one a second later he was stood in front of me blocking me from the door.

He stared at me intently through the deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. He cocked his head to one side and stared even more intently.

My mouth opened and shut like a fish out of water then it opened and stayed open letting out a scream.

'Mary' I heard Dean yell and they came rushing in 'what's wrong'

'Damn it Cas' Sam said 'you scared her'

The Cas guy lowered his gaze then looked back up at me from under his lashes 'my apologies' he said his voice deep and gruff

'Come into the library' Dean said holding my elbow and gently leading me back into the library

'He…I…he….wasn't' I wasn't making much sense

'It's ok we'll explain everything'

I looked at Dean and started to cry 'you're going to kill me aren't you?'

Dean looked stunned 'no Mary we're not going to kill you. Where the hell did you get that idea from? On second thoughts I don't wanna know. But trust me nobody is killing anyone ok?'

I looked at Dean whose face was hazy through my tears

'Ok?' he asked more forcefully

'Ok' I squeaked

'Ok sit down before you fall down' he said

I sat down and sniffled; how the heck was I gonna get out of this?

'Can I ask you a question Mary? Do you believe in God? In heaven and hell, angels and demons?'

I looked at him and blinked 'well yeah I guess so. I mean I believe in god and angels so I suppose it's only fair that there's the other side of the coin too. W…why?'

Dean nodded towards the guy who'd just appeared 'Mary this is Castiel'

'I'm an angel of the lord' Castiel said

I stared for a minute; he was dressed in a suit, a white shirt and a loose blue tie. He had a beige trench coat on; oh yeah he looked every inch an angel! I burst out laughing

'Are you guys on drugs? I mean seriously an angel? I mean that's a joke' I looked at the four of them and their serious faces 'a joke right?'

'Um no it's no joke' Dean said 'look something bad is after you and your baby Mary and we need….'

'Woah…back up Dean what the hell do you mean something bad? I haven't done anything wrong? Why would someone want me and my baby? Dean? You're scaring me'

Dean sighed 'I know and I'm sorry for that. Truly I am but…crap how do I explain this. Cas you're gonna have to show her'

Castiel fixed me with an intent stare and everything dimmed; there was noise like thunder and lightning and then I saw it. Behind Castiel on the wall a silhouette of his wings. My mouth fell open and I pointed at what I was seeing and looked at Sam, Dean and Bobby.

The light came back to the room and everything went back to normal

'Holy fuck!' I muttered 'he really is…?'

'Yep he really is' Dean said

'No no no….wait a minute you said something bad was after me…if he's an angel and they really exist that means…demons…'

'Why don't we try and explain things a little better?'

'Sure that would be good' I said nervously

I was beginning to get pains in my stomach and I started to cry softly

'Hey' Dean said 'were not going to let anything hurt you ok? Believe me'

I looked into his eyes and yet again I believed him. What was it about this guy? If he said jump of the bridge it won't hurt you I think I'd believe him.

'Can you tell us what you know about the baby's father?' Sam asked

'It was nothing…I don't…what has that got to do with anything?'

Dean squeezed my hand 'all you can remember'

I took a deep breath 'I met him in a bar where I was working. He was called Chi, he was a good looking guy and unfortunately I fell for his charms. We went out a couple of times and then…'

'Then…' Sam prompted

I wasn't going to get out of not telling this; I sighed 'then one night one thing led to another and…well you know' I blushed crimson 'we went back to his hotel room'

'There's nothing wrong with that' Dean said softly 'carry on'

'I woke up the next day and he'd gone. He'd paid the bill for the room and just cleared out. Didn't leave a note or anything. I was sooo stupid'

'You met one of my brothers' Castiel said looking at me with his head slightly to one side as if trying to read my mind 'Malachi. He's an angel, he left the garrison and disappeared. We've been trying to find him'

'What?'

'He's gone rogue' Sam said 'he thinks…well he thinks he's god. He's trying to do Gods work from the bible'

'You mean…he…he meant for all this?' I said indicating my swollen stomach

Dean nodded 'he's been trying to recreate Jesus. To find a girl called Mary, get her pregnant with an angels child'

'Are there others?' I asked hardly believing what I was hearing

'No you're the only one who got pregnant. The timing had to be perfect for a Christmas birth'

'Oh lucky me' I said with sarcasm

'So is he after me now and the baby. Is that it?'

Dean shook his head 'no there's someone else'

'Oh god who?' I cried

'Well your child is half human and half angel; the combination will be immense and the bad guys don't want that to happen. There's a demon, Adriel who wants the baby dead before he can grow up'

'Wait' I said stunned 'you said HE can grow up. Is it...is it a boy?'

'Oh yeah sorry for spoiling the surprise' Sam said 'it's a boy'

'So you're saying that this demon wants us both dead? How do I even know who they are? If I can't tell an angel how will I know who the bad guys are?'

'We know' Dean said 'it's kind of our job. We hunt and kill demons, spirits and other kind of freakish stuff'

'We've been trying to find you since Cas told us when he'd found out Malachi's plan'

'You had all this planned. It wasn't an accident that you bumped into me was it?'

'Yes it was but we were there looking for you'

'Were going to get you the hell out of here and somewhere safer but there's a few things you need to know that might come in handy' Bobby said

They preceeded to tell me things about guns that fire salt rounds, silver knives, holy water and salting and burning bones. My head was spinning.

Sam passed me a glass of water 'look likes you need it' he smiled

I took it gratefully with a shaking hand and took a sip

'What happens if Adriel dies; will it all be over? Will they still keep coming?'

'Hopefully once we kill Adriel they'll back off. From what we can tell it's just him and a few of his henchmen who think of this boy as a threat'

Castiel suddenly stiffened his body and then in the blink of an eye he disappeared

'Oh crap that's not good' Dean shouted grabbing a shotgun from Bobby 'Mary…'

Castiel appeared back in the room 'he's here Dean with two others'

Just then the door was kicked in and three biggish guys appeared. They looked scary but not demonic scary.

Dean, Sam and Castiel stood in front of me.

'Something tells me they're not the three wise men' I said with a hysterical giggle

'More like the three stooges' Sam muttered

'Adriel' Castiel said

Adriel nodded in reply and their eyes changed to the colour of tar. Ok, so I was wrong; they were demonically scary.

'Why don't you just let us have the girl and save you boys from getting hurt'

'Tempting' Dean said 'but no. She not going anywhere with you and don't forget you're outnumbered'

'Maybe you shouldn't forget that angels have weak spots just like you humans'

With that he flicked his hand and Castiel fell to the floor writhing and shouting in pain

'Oh good' Adriel said 'I do like to see people in pain. It's good…for the…soul' he laughed at his own joke and I had never ever felt such hatred for any thing before.

I felt Bobby grab my hand and I looked at him through terrified eyes. He passed me silver bladed knife and I took it in my shaking hands hiding it in my clothes. I guess Bobbys hopes of getting out of this weren't very high either.

Everything happened so fast; it was like a film where I stepped out of the action and watched it playing out in front of me. Sam, Dean, Bobby and the three demons were fighting, Cas was still half dying on the floor and I felt totally powerless to help them.

One of the demons knocked Bobby out; his head thudding off the desk in the corner of the room. I prayed he was just unconscious…I didn't want to think of the alternative.

Sam took out one of the demons and Dean was in battle with the other. Adriel just seemed focused on me. He took slow deliberate steps towards me while all this mayhem and chaos went on around us.

Sam went down and lay still on the floor and Dean finished the other demon off.

'Adriel it's your turn now' Dean shouted 'stay away from her'

Adriel smiled and turned around to face Dean and shook his head

'Dean, Dean, Dean. Do you not know that I always get what I want'

He made a fist and Deans face crumpled in pain, his eyes bulged as his feet were almost lifted off the floor. He was struggling to breathe and if something didn't happen soon I'd never get to look in those amazing eyes ever again.

I pulled the silver knife and gripped it tight

'I take it you want this then you son of a bitch'

With every ounce of strength I had I plunged the blade into the base of his neck pushing it upwards and through his brain.

Adriels grip of pain on Dean and Castiel were broken and they struggled to their feet. Dean grabbed me pulling me into his side as we watched Adriel die. The blade of the knife did it's thing slowly killing the demon until he fell with a thud onto the floor.

Sam and Bobby began to stir and we helped them up.

'Are you ok?' Dean asked

'He didn't hurt me…but I fell kinda weird' I tried to smile but I felt things go woozy and felt Deans arms catch me as my knees gave way

~x~

I woke up from sleep feeling like I'd had the weirdest dream ever; demons and angels! After a few seconds it hit me that it hadn't been a dream at all; it really happened. I blinked again and felt my tummy. My baby!

The door to my room opened slowly and I took a deep breath

'You awake?'

'Dean? What happened to my baby?'

'Hey, hey it's ok he's doing just fine'

'He is?'

Dean nodded as he walked over and sat on the edge of my bed

'You passed out after Adriel died and then when you came round you went into labour. The shock probably'

'Bobby got one of his friends to come over and help; Jenna she used to be a nurse. You had perfect timing, he was born at 12.05am, Christmas Day'

'Ok' I nodded 'is he…'

'I promise he's fine Mary. Jenna took him into another room just so you could get a bit of sleep. You were pretty exhausted after everything that's happened'

A tear fell down my cheek 'thank you…for everything' I whispered

'Hey it's ok' he said wiping the tear away 'I said no one would hurt you'

I nodded and smiled 'can I see him?'

'Of course you can'

Dean got up and left the room; I sat up in bed and felt my heart beat quicken. I was going to see my baby.

Dean walked back in followed by Sam, Bobby, Castiel and a woman who I assumed was Jenna; she was holding a little bundle.

'Hey Mary' she smiled 'this is your little boy'

She handed me the bundle and I took him in my arms; I moved the blanket he was wrapped in so I could get a proper look at him. He was so beautiful

'Hello gorgeous boy' I whispered 'you're so beautiful. I promise no one will ever hurt you'

I kissed his forehead and was rewarded with a stretch and a yawn; he flicked his eyes open and I saw they were dark brown almost black but not like demonic eyes.

He closed his eyes and went back to sleep in my arms

I looked at the others

'How can I ever thank you?' I said

'We don't need thanks Mary' Sam said 'we're just glad you're both well'

'There is one other thing' Castiel said 'Malachi will want to find his son'

'Cas' Dean rolled his eyes

'What do you mean? Will he come looking for him?'

'Yes' Castiel said at the same time as Dean said 'possibly'

'Dean; it's ok. Just tell me the truth; I need to know'

Dean nodded and Sam spoke

'He'll want to find him, but we doubt he wants to hurt him. He'll probably want to take him though'

My grip tightened 'take him?'

'There is something we can do to help. Well Cas can do' Dean said

'I can hide you from all angels and demons. Both of you'

'Do it Cas…please'

Castiel walked over to me and placed his hand on my chest and his other hand on my baby. H pushed down slightly and a I felt a force through my bones. My baby woke up screaming form the same thing

'Don't worry' Dean said 'it hasn't hurt him; it's just been uncomfortable for him that's all'

I nodded as I cuddled my little boy.

'It's just an Enocian sigil, it's carved onto your ribs no demon or angel will be able to find you now'

'Not even you?' I asked

Cas shook his head 'not even me'

'But what if….'

'Don't worry' Bobby said 'we'll know where you are and you'll have our numbers. If ever you need anything you just give us a call'

~x~

I stayed at Bobbys for two weeks until I had strength enough to look after myself and my baby. Christmas went and we had a little party for the New Year.

Jenna had found me a house two states over and also fixed me up with a possible child minder so I could try and find a job in a couple of months time.

'I really don't know what to say to you' I said looking at Dean, Sam, Bobby and Castiel. 'you've been amazing'

'You make sure you look after yourselves' Bobby said 'I want to hear from you but not because you're in trouble'

I gave Bobby a big hug. Even though I was kinda scared of him to start with he was a lovely guy and I was glad that I'd had the pleasure to meet him.

I gave Cas a hug; but he was an angel and just didn't get the concept. He kept his hands down by his side not quite knowing what to do

'Cas she's not killing you man; just hug her back'

He lifted his hands and patted my back, kinda like you would a dog! It was ok though I knew he meant well.

'Thanks Cas, for everything' I smiled touching my chest where he'd engraved my ribs. He looked at me intently his head slightly tilted to one side.

My baby was strapped into the car seat in the backseat of the old beat up caddy. It was no longer beat up as Bobby and Dean had worked endlessly on it and had given it me; something else I couldn't thank them enough for. He started to whinge a little bit and Bobby went over and began to talk to him and he shut up and gurgled instead. He was going to miss his Uncle Bobby!

Sam gave me the biggest hug I'd ever had

'Bye Mary; you two take care and don't forget if every you need us just call; don't be afraid to ok?'

I had tears in my eyes as I nodded my head 'I won't' I whispered 'I promise'

He gave me a kiss on the forehead and a last hug.

I looked at Dean and I felt a wave of sadness rush through me. I was going to miss him so much; even though there was nothing between us; I kinda wished there was but Dean didn't live a normal life. He hunted vampires, ghosts and shape shifters; he was never gonna be the 'take his girlfriend to the cinema' kind of guy. Damn it that just made him all the more desirable.

I sighed and looked at him; into those stunning deep green eyes and felt my stomach flip

'Goodbye Dean' I said softly my voice cracking under the emotion I was feeling

As we hugged he whispered in my ear 'I'm sure this isn't goodbye'

I gasped and turned my head and looked into his eyes and I believed him. I really believed this wasn't the last time I was going to see him.

We hugged again and then I turned to walk to the car; tears falling fast down my cheeks

'Mary' I heard Deans voice behind me and I felt his hand gently grab my elbow and turn me around.

His lips found mine and I felt my knees go weak. His kiss was everything I had imagined so many times; tender and soft. He caressed the back of my neck as his kiss deepened and I responded. My hand gripped his hip tightly.

Oh why couldn't things just work out for once? Why did things have to end like this?

The kiss broke and we stood holding each other; our foreheads together, the tips of our noses touching.

'Look after the two of you' Dean sighed 'I won't be far away; you call me if you need anything'

I nodded 'I will I promise'

Our lips touched in one last goodbye gesture and I took a step back. We both glanced around remembering that Sam, Cas and Bobby had just witnessed that and we both got embarrassed and I flushed bright red.

I laughed nervously and held up my hand 'see ya'

I walked around and climbed into the drivers side and fired up the engine

The passenger window was fully down and I heard Bobby

'Hey have you finally decided what the babys name is?'

I'd been struggling since he was born to name him

'Oh yeah' I shouted as I looked into the backseat and smiled at my sons gorgeous face 'his name is Dean'

I set off; leaving my new friends behind me.

I looked at Dean until he disappeared in my rear view mirror; I had to stop a couple of minutes down the highway to gather myself together. I dried my eyes and took a deep breath and looked at baby Dean.

'Lets go son, we've got an adventure ahead' I said setting off again.

I really hoped I'd see the original Dean again some time soon.