Chapter Ten

Looking at the body of Vanessa Sam and Dean and Bobby could tell it was Mary by the warm eyes that Vanessa was now donning. Her eyes were always sharp before but now they were soft and kind, her mouth twisted into a warm smile. Sam bit his lip, his face contorted to look like that of a puppy and spoke.

"Mom?"He asked hoping everything went as planned.

Mary nodded and realized she was tied to a chair. "Sam, Dean, Bobby. It's me…Where am I?" She asked looking around the room that was covered in dust and filled from the floor to the ceiling with books.

Dean moved towards her like she was a God, a bit fearful and nervous as if one wrong move and he would be dead. He hesitated, not because he didn't believe it was her but because it really was his mother in there. Untying her slowly he let Bobby do the talking.

"You're in my house Mary, the boys found out you were still out there tied to that hell demon of a spirit and they made the choice to bring you here." He said with a smile. "You're safe."

Rubbing the arms that were not hers, skin tucked safely in a turtleneck she rose to her feet. "Bobby you're in a wheelchair. You poor thing." She said cupping his face gently, finding him to be surprised from a woman's gentle touch.

"Sammy." She said slowly as she watched the tears already start to come to his eyes.

"It's okay baby, I'm not mad at you. I've been keeping an eye on the two of you as best as I could these past years but then I got so lost. I know what getting lost feels like Sam." She said taking him in her arms, kissing the top of his head.

Watching Dean stand awkwardly behind Sam she pulled him close to her, hugging the two of her boys. "You boys are doing the best you can, this burden shouldn't be on your shoulders but it is and I am sorry for that. I also can't begin to tell you how sorry I am about your father's death, I was there with him when he died but I couldn't follow him."

Dean gripped his mother by the shoulders softly "We brought you here to get you to dad, he's gonna want to see you."

Mary nodded "I want to see him too, oh god do I want to see your father. Gonna beat that man's ass, didn't want you two boys to be raised as a hunter like I was but I guess its fate right? Nothing I could have done to prevent any of this."

Dean shrugged "Well you could have never gotten married to dad and had us."

Mary shook her head "That's just silly talk Dean, marrying your father and having the two of you were the best things to happen to me. Maybe now we're in the middle of the apocalypse and I can tell the two of you are unhappy but look how many people you've saved."

Dean shook his head right back at her "Yeah but look at how many people are dying now."

Sam watched Dean riff back and forth with his mother in silence but his mother did not back down.

"Death is part of life, do you think if the two of you weren't born that someone else wouldn't have killed Lilith and this would have happened anyway? I know for a fact that it would have, this was meant to be but now it's up to you and others to put an end to it before it gets too out of hand."

Sam stepped forward keeping his eyes linked with hers "God?"He asked.

Mary shook her head "I do not know who exactly can help you Sam but I do know there is hope because out there, my soul floating around in the universe, I felt it."

"Boys I am so proud of you, all of you. Who is this?" She asked about Castiel and he tried to stand up to introduce himself but found himself whimpering in pain unable to do much moving.

"I am Castiel, I am a soldier of the lord." He said from across the room over at the worn couch.

Looking at him like he had two heads Dean laughed softly "He's an angel mom, he helps us."

Mary walked over to him and pat Cas's hand "Thank you then for taking care of my boys, you were the one to pull my Dean out of hell?" She asked watching him nod.

"Then I owe you one. You too Bobby, I am so grateful, I am sure John is as well." She said releasing Cas's hand and walking over to Bobby. "You sweet man, you do not deserve what has been done to you. I will pray for your recovery I can promise you that." She said as she stood in the middle of all the men.

"So what now?" She asked the group of men.

Dean smiled softly "I guess we get you where you need to be headed. Bout time, right?" He asked putting his hand on her arm.

Mary nodded looking down at her body "This is not my body, whose is it?" She asked inspecting herself.

"A friend's" said Sam as he watched her look in the mirror but she suddenly gasped looking away from herself. "Mom, what is it, what's wrong?"

Turning to Dean and Sam she pointed to her body "There's someone else in here with me."

Sam nodded "Yeah mom, her name's Vanessa Drake, it's her body."

Mary shook her head "No, there's someone else, someone deep down."

Dean looked over at Sam with confusion set on his face, clear as day. "What?"

"Someone else, three people in one body." She murmured sitting on the end of the couch trying to calm herself down. She was so confused and this wasn't helping."

Dean looked at Bobby "Bobby we saw the poltergeist go to hell, what's mom talking about?" He asked as if his feathers had been ruffled.

Bobby shrugged moving his chair over to Mary "I don't know Dean, maybe your friend Vanessa hasn't exactly been telling the truth about her lineage. Did you idjits even check to make sure she wasn't a demon?" He asked with an unwavering sigh.

Dean looked at Sam and Sam shrugged, Dean quickly followed. "Great" muttered the two boys at the same time.

Castiel turned his head to face Mary Winchester in the body of this so-called Vanessa Drake "We should get your mother where she belongs as quick as possible before anything else can go wrong."

Dean nodded helping her to her feet "Sam you know how to do that right?" He asked looking over at his little brother who was a few inches taller than him.

Sam nodded and grabbed an array of books. "This should be easier than the last. Whenever you're ready mom, I can do it." He said holding the book he needed to his chest. He didn't want to let go of her, it felt so soon and there were so many things he wanted to ask her but he knew he would never have the change to do so. Sam knew if he started with the questions he would never be able to stop and it would end in a breakdown and Dean calling him Samantha.

Mary looked at her two boys all grown up and handsome, Sam looking more like his father and Dean looking more like her. "Come here boys…" She said waiting for them to approach her.

They held her in her arms as if she were something sacred and squeezed softly "I love you boys so much; you two are my whole world. I'm so proud of you, and will always support you." She said looking up at them, Sam mostly. Watching their eyes fill with tears she wiped them away maternally as if they were still children.

"Shh it's okay to be alright. I believe in you two…I love you." She whispered as Sam began to chant the words and she felt her soul leaving the body of Vanessa.

"Good luck." She said with a smile and Dean crossed his arms, unsure of what to do with his body, his brain in such tangles.

Sighing he watched a bright light burst from Vanessa's body, the girl falling to the floor as Mary's essence shot through the ceiling and the room fell silent. Dean sighed deeply, his body releasing emotions, a cathartic moment for him as he watched Sam do the same and even Bobby who was trying to regroup himself. Cas sat relaxed on the couch, head slightly cocked as he looked up at the ceiling, he knew where she was but was unsure if that meant being safe or not. He hoped she would be happy, if anything he prayed for that.

Looking up at Dean, his arms crossed Vanessa watched his eyes as she caught her breath, panting softly.

"Lucy, you've got some splainin' to do."