AN: Apologies for the delay. Thanks for all your kind reviews.
Part 9
"I'll be their guardian angel," she remembered him saying. "I'll watch out for them. I'll never let them come to harm." That was the promise Castiel made to Mary when they first met. She was hunting for Azazel and was hot on his trail. But Azazel figured he was being followed and sent three demons out to protect him. She was able to exorcise the first two demons but the third one came out of nowhere. She could feel her existence draining away and for a moment, she thought her life was over but then He came. He put his hand over the demon's face until a white light shone through. When he turned back to her, she could feel her eyes swell and her lips burn. He placed two fingers on her forehead and all the pain disappeared.
"You cannot die tonight," he told her reaching out his hand to help her up.
"And who are you to say otherwise?" she was grateful for his help but wondered what kind of demon would help a demon hunter.
He smiled gently. "I am not who you think I am. I am not like the others. I am not like the things you fight." He told her who he really was. "Do not be afraid," he added.
Mary nodded like meeting angels was an every day event. "I'm not afraid," she told him raising her shoulder. "I'm just highly sceptical since angels don't exist. They're just make believe and only appear in fairy tales."
Castiel nodded and smirked a little. "You believe in vampires and demons, so why not angels?" He thought carefully before speaking again. He had to tread carefully. He had to warn her of a future that was unwritten without scaring her too much. This world was similar to the others. Sixty six seals were still needed to be broken before Lucifer could rise again. Yesterday Judas broke the first seal and now it was only a matter of time. "In the future, your sons will be given a choice and they must choose wisely. I understand that you have decided not to bring them up as hunters."
She agreed stating that she and her husband had agreed to exclude their children from the dangerous world.
Castiel nodded. "Unfortunately, this world will not be safe unless they are trained to protect it." He looked over to her confused face and realised he would have to be less cryptic. "God has chosen a very specific future for your children which must be achieved. The day will come when Dean must choose between saving his brother and saving millions of people."
Mary was shocked. "Dean would do anything for his brother." Even at a young age, she noticed how Dean helped her feed and dress him. He was the perfect big brother. "Can't he do both?" But Castiel shook his head. "Unfortunately, Sam will grow up walking a very narrow path. If he isn't careful, he will falter and may choose to side with evil," he sighed. At the moment, Judas was planning to visit Sam just after his twentieth birthday with the offer to be the one to set Lucifer free. Without Dean by his side, Castiel feared the worst.
"No," Mary shouted in disbelief interrupting his thoughts. "I'm bringing up my sons with kindness and faith. Sam would never side with evil. Neither of them would. What if I don't teach them to be hunters?" Mary could only imagine what John would do to her.
"Then the blood of the world will be on your hands."
Ellen clapped her hands in front of Mary again. She went into a trance when she was asked what she was going to do now. "Are you okay?" she asked worryingly.
Mary nodded.
"So, what are you going to do? Are you going to tell John?"
"No, way," Mary shook her head and slapped the laptop closed. "He'd kill me."
Ellen sighed. "He's not going to kill you."
"Why not? I would," her eyes watered thinking about what Castiel said. "If I tell him, he's going to try to find the boys and take them back. Then he's going to come home and kill me where I sit." She shook her head. "I shouldn't have done this. This is my fault we're in this mess. I should have kept my promise with John. I shouldn't have gone back to the job. I shouldn't have trained them. I shouldn't have…"
Ellen sat down and rested her hand across her friend's shoulders. She watched her let her tears fall and groaned. "Isn't it better to send them into the real world with a loaded shotgun for protection than sending them into a world where all they think they need is a working condom."
Mary wiped her tears with the back of her hand and laughed. "How do you know what to say to make me smile?" she whispered.
Ellen slid her hand from Mary's shoulders down her arm and tightly gripped her hand. "Because I'm your friend and I love you," she spoke softly. "Now, this is what's going to happen," she said after a few moments. She straightened up and slid the laptop to the side. "You're going to find John and tell him everything and I mean everything about this case. You're going to tell him everything that angel said to you that night twenty years ago because I know from your blank expression a few minutes ago, you're hiding something big. And while you're doing that, I'm to go find Bobby and stab him with a meat skewer for not telling us about all of this."
Castiel stood on the other side of the car park. He watched Sam sit at the motel window, throw his cell phone down on the table then hold his head in his hands.
"You should not have told them," a dark voice appeared beside him.
"They can handle it," Castiel didn't flinch with the sudden arrival of his superior, Uriel.
"They are too young to know their destiny," his voice rumbled slowly through their empty surroundings. "There is a reason why we waited so long before." They both watched Sam stand up and quickly close over the thin curtains, leaving a small crack of light in the middle.
"I cannot lie to them."
"You cannot lie to them?" Uriel repeated and huffed a dry laugh. "You already have."
Castiel groaned. He knew telling them a story of other worldly dimensions was a little farfetched but it was the only thing he could come up with on this occasion. "Events are happening a lot quicker in this world. As of today, Judas has only four seals left to break. I had to warn them before it happened all over again."
"You cannot keep turning back time, Castiel. Eventually, you have to stop and let the inevitable happen."
"No," he shook his head. "I have to get it right. He made me promise I had to make it right."
"Fine," Uriel reluctantly nodded just before fluttering away. "But this is your last chance. I am tired of dying for you."
