Yesterday, All My Troubles Seemed So Far Away
Yesterday - The Beatles
Something's not right.
And now she remembered why. Tomorrow was the ten year anniversary of that awful, awful day when she'd lost everything.
Her mom. Her dad. John...
She hadn't sold her soul that day, she hadn't. She had been young, not naive. It had been ten years, but the memories of that day were vivid - mostly. For some reason, parts were just... hazy. Unexplainably so considering how crystal clear everything else was.
And why had she only remembered the significance of tomorrow yesterday?
The demon with the yellow eyes was coming. But for what?
She called her cousin again, convincing him this time over Dean's fork-derived tantrum that he needed to haul his ass over to Lawrence because the storm hadn't ceased and cows were dropping like flies. She could've sworn she smelled sulfur at the grocery store as she bought an obscene amount of salt. Because if the demon was coming, it could get her. And if it got her, it could get John. And if it got John...
"Let's play a game, Dean," she suggested after he'd calmed down.
"I don't wanna," he argued, still pouty.
"But it's a messy game," she tempted.
Dean couldn't resist that. So they played a game of "who can put the most salt in front of the doors and windows?"
She wanted to be out there helping her cousin, cleaning up her own mess, but she couldn't. She had two young children that needed protecting. It wasn't like she could drop them off with Kate or Julie with the request that they salt their doors and keep holy water on hand. No, her boys were safest with her.
She hoped.
Because if they weren't, if the demon did anything to them, she would never forgive herself.
She'd made a selfish decision bringing John back. But she couldn't have gone on without him, and looking at her boys, Dean happily scattering salt as neatly as a four-year-old can and Sam nodding off on her shoulder, she knew a life where they didn't exist was no life at all. She just hoped that their existence would still be a happy one after tomorrow.
So she did what she could, prepared excuses that she'd give to John for the mess of salt and sudden appearance of holy items.
"Mom, why are you scared?" Dean's little voice asked, snapping Mary out of her thoughts. His eyes were wide with concern.
Her father would've sat Dean down, told him he was just preparing for whatever may come tomorrow, told him the honest to God truth no matter how scared or upset it made Dean. But Mary couldn't do that, not to her little boy. There was more than one way to protect her family, and telling them everything and ruining what she'd worked so hard for was not an option. She'd lie if she had to because there are things more precious than the truth. Mary didn't have a childhood, not really, and she would do anything and everything to make sure her boys did.
"The thunder just scared me a little bit, baby, I'm okay."
Dean's eyes grew even wider as he ran to wrap his arms around her legs.
"It's okay, Mom. Don't be scared. I won't let it hurt you," he promised, and Mary's heart couldn't help but flutter at the goodness of her son. She knelt down and hugged him with her free arm. Sam reached over to his brother, wanting to be held by him. Mary smiled.
"Why don't I get us some pie and you go sit on the couch and watch Sammy?" she suggested, getting an enthusiastic nod in response. The next second Dean was seated on the couch, arms out waiting for Sam to be placed in them. Sam made a noise letting his mother know he objected to the distance put between him and his brother. "Alright, alright," Mary soothed as she walked over to Dean and Sam practically jumped out of her arms. Dean was beaming widely and playing with Sam's outstretched hand as Mary went to make do on her promise of pie.
If anyone deserved her soul, it was those two boys. Not some murderous demon with some vague plan for tomorrow. She jumped a little as the phone rang, still on edge.
"Hello?" she answered tentatively.
"Hey Mary, it's me," greeted the voice.
"Oh! Hi Paul. Any news?" It was her cousin finally getting back to her.
"I got it, Mary. I sent him back to hell."
Mary breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Oh thank God. You sure you got it though?" she asked, because she needed to know for certain that her family was safe."
"You know, I've been doing this longer than you have now," he assured.
"What colored eyes did he have?" she asked, because she had never specified.
"Huh," Paul responded. "Funny you should ask. Never seen anything like it, Mary. Strangest thing, 'cause I've only only ever seen demons with black eyes, but this one had yellow, clear as day."
Mary laughed, finally allowing herself to feel safe. "Oh, thank you, Paul. You having no idea how much better I feel. I owe you one."
Paul laughed. "Give those kids a hug for me, will ya? Haven't seen Dean since he was a baby. Might be nice to get an invite sometime so I can meet your new little one. Sam, like your daddy, right?"
"Yeah, my little Sammy. You available next weekend?"
"Oh, I'll definitely be free by then," was the response. "See ya then, huh?"
"It's a date!" said Mary, hanging up the phone and finally getting to that pie, because she could hear Dean starting to get impatient.
Unbeknownst to her, as her cousin hung up the phone on his end, his eyes flashed black. "She bought it," he told the man standing next to him.
"Good," the man responded, his eyes burning yellow. The plan was ready. Mary was at ease now, the salt lines would be cleaned up. There was nothing to stop him from acquiring another one of his special children come tomorrow night.
