Three Men an Angel and a Teenager – Part 10

"Dean." Castiel interrupted "I think the question that Mary needs to answer first is why her mother has traces of angelic grace in her being?"

Oh no, oh no, oh no Mary thought frantically, what do I do?

Dean watched as a torrent of emotions flashed across Mary's face, the most obvious terror and panic.

"Mary?" he said questioningly, his mind drawn immediately back to the night that Mary had appeared her words "my mom's... special she's not exactly human.." coming instantly to his mind. He didn't know why he hadn't picked up on that statement up before. Christ if the Winchesters weren't screwed up enough this was a whole new level of screwed.

He watched Mary's demeanour change as she innocently asked "What?"

"Mary, don't try the innocent act you heard exactly what Cas said, care to explain?"

"I... I can't you're not supposed to know, she doesn't even know yet...It's not the right time." Mary replied trailing off unhappily. Sitting down on the porch steps she laid her head against the old wooden banister. "This is so unfair, dammit! I'm messing everything up."

"Dean I will talk with Mary if you wish to go inside with Sam and Bobby to talk with Haley." Castiel said, he could see the turmoil that his observation had wrought inside his daughter and wished to speak with her alone. He wanted to show her that he would support her and no matter what he would be there to guide her. It was perhaps inevitable that she would be unable to preserve her timeline in the way that she wished.

Dean stared at Castiel his expression tense "I think I'd like to know what Mary has to say before I talk to my soulless, not quite human sister."

Mary drew in a startled gasp "Please Uncle Dean don't make me do this?" she pleaded "I can't do any more damage."

"Mary I think it's a sure bet that your timelines screwed. We have to know what we're up against and if it can put you or Haley in danger."

Mary dropped her gaze to the ground and whispered "But-"

"No buts Mary" Dean interrupted her attempt to argue, his gaze softening as he realised how truly terrified she was. Kneeling down in front of Mary he gently lifted her chin until her gaze met his. "Mary I know your scared-"

"I've, I've never been this scared in my whole life. If I tell you I don't think I'll ever get home... what happens to me if we mess things up so badly, will I just cease to exist, what about my parents and you and Sam..." Mary whispered brokenly, her eyes glistening with fear. "What happens to them?"

"Mary we're still your family-"Dean said.

"But you're not, not really. I don't belong here..." Mary said. She drew in a shuddering breath, sadness radiating from her. "Man look at me, I'm a mess. I'm supposed to be a Winchester and here I am crying like a baby. Again!"

"Mary don't worry about that. I've been known to cry a time or two when things seem too big to handle." Dean said, with a wide grin, green eyes sparkling brightly. "Just ask Cas, he's been my shoulder to cry on a time or two."

"That is true, Dean has indeed cried in my presence on more than one occasion." Castiel interjected "I believe the term is "sobbed like a girl" I however simply drunk my way through a liquor store."

"Cas man, come on!"

Mary looked from Castiel to her dad, the latter looked like he wanted to punch his friend for the "little girl" comment and said "Yeah right!"

"Hey cross my heart, have I ever lied to you?" Dean asked.

Shaking her head Mary said "No... but a liquor store?"

"Yep, he was completely wasted." Dean laughed at the memory, sobering as he recalled his ill fated decision to say yes to Michael. Shaking it off he brought the conversation back to the present "Mary do you trust us?"

"You know I do but this is huge, it's everything."

"Trust us to make things right."

Mary thought for a moment, she knew that she had no choice, she would have to tell them everything but she was still afraid. "Okay. I'll tell you but you have to promise not to tell her."

Dean looked at Castiel and nodded, they could do this one thing for Mary.

"Okay we promise not to tell Haley." Dean said as he sat beside Mary on the porch then indicated the space at the other side "Cas might as well get comfy."

"You want me to tell you now! My mom's in there with Sammy and Bobby, shouldn't we talk to her first?" Mary asked hoping to stall them a little longer. She was still unsure that she was making the right decision in telling them everything.

"No tell us now then we'll go in" Dean said as Castiel sat next to Mary, his trench coat wrapped around his legs. "Mary quit stalling."

Dean couldn't help but grin as Cas took Mary's hand in his and squeezed softly, his attempt at putting her at ease. His grin widened as Mary smiled at Cas shyly and squeezed back, he knew how hard this was for his friend and how much of an effort it took to try and be what she needed, but he was trying. Mary appeared to appreciate his efforts, although she still hadn't called him "dad" since the incident in the panic room.

Mary looked down at Castiel's hand entwined with hers and remembered the times when she would sit out on this very porch with her dad and talk for hours then silently watching the sunset or sunrise over Sioux Falls. Laying her head on his shoulder she took a shaky breath and began to speak, her voice trembling with the force of the emotions within her.

"When I was little, Uncle Gabe used to tell me stories all the time. We would spend hours sitting here as he told me about the most beautiful Archangel in Heaven, one of the great Father's fiercest warriors but with the purest of hearts. She was unique and because of her capacity to love she was adored by all in Heaven...

...As the years passed he told me the story of two human men, one old hunter and a single renegade angel who stopped the Apocalypse and saved the world and finally of a girl with a soul so bright, who had been lost but was found, and together they all became a family. He told me of a how a demon stole the girl away and hurt her terribly and that it was only because of the Angel that she was found and did not perish. She and the Angel quickly fell in love, but because she was human they were forbidden to be together and they stayed apart for fear that the Angel would be cast out of Heaven...

...They lived happily together for a short while, a family of heroes who hunted monsters and kept the humans safe, unaware that they were not safe and that an evil so great would attempt to tear their family apart. When the evil came the brothers, the old hunter and the Angel, determined that they would keep the girl safe, locked her in a place in which no being from Heaven or Hell could enter. They all agreed that they would sacrifice themselves to make sure she survived. They fought a great battle, but the evil was too great and they were almost defeated but continued on bravely ready to give their last breath to save the girl...

...In the very last moments of the battle the girl was freed from the room and ran to save her family, she ran so fast and so hard that she ran straight into the arms of the evil itself. The evil laughed and gave the girl a choice, a deal, their lives's for her, she would bind herself to him for all of eternity or watch those that she loved die...

...What the evil did not know was that the girl was special that her soul shined so brightly because buried deep within her was the essence of the most beautiful Archangel in Heaven, passed on to her through generations of her family, hidden from all of creation until she would once again be called to be a warrior for Heaven in times of great need. What was not known was that the essence of the Archangel would pass one final time and in the moment of the girl's birth it would fuse with the human child's soul making them one. A unique being born of Heaven and Earth filled with great power. As the evil tried to force the girl to chose, the most beautiful Archangel's brother intervened and awakened the power which lay dormant within her. The girl knew in that instant what she was and what she needed to do, she fought the evil for many days in a place far away from those she loved. When the evil was defeated she returned to her family, forever changed, fearing that they would reject her. Her family were overjoyed to have her returned to them and they swore that no matter what they would always be together...

...The family rejoiced when the great Father granted the girl and the Angel their most heartfelt desire. They were allowed to be together and were married. In time the great Father gifted them with a child." Mary stopped talking and breathed quietly in the silence, allowing Dean and Castiel to process the story that she had just told.

"Celeste." Castiel said as he recalled Mary's duplicitous actions in the field on the day of her arrival. Raphael had called her Celeste. "That is why Raphael was convinced that you were telling the truth. Your mother is conjoined with the Archangel of whom you spoke."

"Only the original four Archangels have any recollection of Celeste... Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel her older brothers."

"Jesus, she's their little sister... and she's my little sister. That's screwed up." Dean said, as he absorbed everything that Mary had told them.

Mary shrugged "Not so much, it's the Winchester blood line."

"Christ, I need a drink...but lucky for me I've got to go and deal with a baby sister who looks like she hates my guts. As if having had to deal with demon blood addict and replicant Sammy wasn't enough." Dean said. Turning to Castiel "Cas this is karma for the stealing and the chicks right... Son of a bitch! How can this much freaky shit happen in one family?"

Castiel simply smirked and said nothing.

"One thing that's still bugging the crap out of me is her soul, if it's gone, what's keeping her all angst filled?" Dean asked the two angels. He was damn sure he wasn't going to like the answer.

xxOOxx

"Right missy, we got some formalities to get through before you get too comfortable." Bobby said as he followed Haley into the kitchen. He could hear Sam at his back.

The gruff old hunter stopped suddenly; he watched Haley with narrowed eyes as she walked around the kitchen, hand gliding over the old work surfaces.

"Nothing's changed. It's just as I remember." She said as she turned to look at the men standing in the doorway her green eyes softening a fraction as they landed on Sam. "Why don't you remember me?"

Sam slipped from behind Bobby to stand in front of Haley, his tall body obscuring the petite woman from view. "You're a hunter?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes."

"Then you'll understand that there are a few things we need to check out before we get to that." Sam said "Take a seat."

He watched as Haley turned her back to him slightly and pulled her long hair away from her neck exposing an anti possession tattoo identical to those he and Dean had on their chests.

"Not a demon." Haley stated then took the knife from the back of her pants. She held it up to Sam then without a word drew the silver blade neatly across her palm, a trickle of blood, deep and red streamed from the wound, but other than a small grimace there was no reaction. Stepping to the side she raised a perfectly arched brow at Bobby "Holy water?" she asked.

Bobby walked into the kitchen and pulled a bottle from the fridge; tossing it to Haley who deftly caught it with one hand. Unscrewing the cap she took a long swallow then placed the bottle on the table "Satisfied?"

"That'll do for me." Bobby replied gruffly as he handed Haley a white handkerchief to cover the small gash on her hand. "I'll get the whiskey... I think we'll be needing it."

"Sounds good..." Sam said as Bobby went in search of the whiskey "take a seat Haley."

Sam watched as Haley removed her jacket and placed it over the back of the chair then sat down placing her knife carefully on the table. He could practically feel her distrust as she stared at him steadily, suspicion and caution clear in her gaze. Not that he could blame her, twenty years was a long time to feel rejected and unwanted by those that should be protecting you, loving you and now they were about to rock her world again. He still found it difficult to believe what his dad had done. After everything that he had said about family and blood coming first he had done taken their sister and abandoned her on the other side of the world. God know what she had been through. He only wished that he could remember the memories of their childhood together.

"So...I guess we should wait for Dean?" Sam said, taking a seat opposite Haley.

Haley looked over her shoulder and stared out of the kitchen door, seeing that the hallway remained empty she said "Looks like he's gotten held up. Why don't you start baby brother and Dee can catch up?"

"Baby brother?"

"Yeah, by a few minutes...I don't understand." Haley said frowning "How can you not know?"

"Haley, we've only known we have a sister for three weeks, but we don't remember you." Sam answered. "We only know what Mary has told us."

"Mary...the dark haired kid with the freakishly blue eyes?"

"Yeah..." Sam trailed off, okay how do you tell a sister that you've just met about her daughter from the future? He thought dammit where the hell is Dean!

"How would she know and you don't... she's just a kid?" Haley asked confused.

"Mary's from the future." Sam replied, "She appeared whilst we were on a hunt shocked the Hell out of us then told us about you."

"The future, you've got to be freaking kidding me, the future!... you expect me to believe that." Haley said incredulously. Standing slowly she placed her hands on the table and leant forward, her expression turning dark and dangerous. "I don't know what game you're playing with me Sammy-"

Sam stood and leaned forward his, height making him tower over his diminutive sister "I don't play games Haley, I'm telling you the truth." He said, "and its Sam."

Unfazed, Haley stubbornly lifted her chin and pushed forward, green eyes glittering angrily "Well SAMMY don't think because you've grown to the size of a tree that you can intimidate me. I've taken down bigger and badder than you. You may not remember me but to me you're still a nerdy little squirt."

"Nerdy little squirt!"

"Oh yeah!"

"Well you must have stopped growing when you were eight, because you're –"

A sharp whistle from behind stopped both siblings in their tracks, both turning towards the door.

"What the Hell Sammy?" Dean said, interrupting Sam's response. He'd walked in to the kitchen to find his brother and his sister bitching at each other like they were kids.

Haley frowned up at Sam "Yeah what the Hell Sammy?"

"Sam." He responded stubbornly. God, Dean was bad enough but having a sister was gonna drive him nuts.

"That's enough both of you sit down!"

Dean watched them glare at each other and reluctantly sit down. "Okay now that the kids are going to behave maybe we can get this show on the road."

"Dean, where's Mary and Cas?" Sam asked noticing for the first time that the two angels were absent.

"This'll just be us Sammy."

Taking the seat opposite Haley; Dean stared at his sister for a minute. He'd had a lot of time to think about this over the last few weeks and despite the complication with her soul and her connection to the angels he still thought the best way to deal with this was to just do it. No messing about, pull it off like a band aid. "Haley, I know you're confused, but there's a reason we don't know you... you're wearing a pendent that has taken away our memories of you. You gotta take it off before we'll get them back."

Haley reached under the collar of her shirt and pulled the pendent that she was wearing out, holding it loosely in her hand "Dad gave me this?"

"I know... but it's time to take it off."

"No dad said-"

"It doesn't matter what dad said. You can take it off." Dean interrupted "Trust me, it's safe."

The brothers watched as Haley struggled to decide whether to trust them or not, her gaze flickering between them as she ran her fingers lightly over the pendent in her hand. They saw the moment that she made her decision and watched Haley let out a long sigh before slowly lifting the pendent and pulling the chain over her head. She looked at it for a second before placing it on the table.

They only had a moment to register the Enochian symbols before they were bombarded by image upon image of their childhood, pain intense as memories of their childhood were re-written, memories shifted to include in every one a little girl with brilliant green eyes. The images slowed until finally they heard Dean say "It's okay Hales we'll see you soon" the final image of their dad driving off with their sister left lingering as they opened their eyes.

"Christ... Mary didn't say it'd hurt." Dean moaned, as the pain of the newly restored memories began to lift.

"and then some." Sam added, with a groan as he laid his head on the table for a moment.

"Uh guys?" Haley said tentatively from the other side of the table. She had sat transfixed as her brothers memories were returned, her thoughts in turmoil as she realised that her dad had not only abandoned her, but for them she had been wiped out of existence. They didn't know about her so they hadn't known to miss her or even to come looking for her. How could he have done that? She thought a single tear slipping unnoticed down her now pale cheek.

Sam and Dean looked up simultaneously and stared at their sister, both searching for the little girl now firmly placed in their memories. Dean grinned and stood, striding around the table he pulled Haley up, his strong arms pulling her into a tight hug. "Hey Hales."

He held on tightly for a moment, before being roughly pushed out of the way as Sam grabbed tightly onto his sister and lifted her off her feet, his massive frame, obscuring her as he wrapped his arms around her "God Haley." He whispered into her hair.

"Okay Sasquatch put her down we-" Dean said, letting out a very girlie yelp of surprise as Sam reached out and yanked him into the small group. Grinning he wrapped his arms around the twins and held on. I guess we can wait a bit. He thought. They had a lot to talk about, not least of all Mary and Castiel. That was going to be a lot of fun "hey Hales meet your future husband, your daughter and oh by the way they're freaking angels... yeah the kind with wings." He would need to tell Sam about Haley's connection with the angels, but as he had promised, would not be telling Haley.

He found it difficult to believe that Haley didn't have a soul and although Cas and Mary were confident the angelic grace that was within her kept the essence of who she was safe, preventing her from becoming a cold hearted automaton as Sam had, they were fairly sure that Haley's soul had been yanked out when Cas had pulled Sam from the Cage and was most likely in the Cage with Sam's. Yeah, we've got a shit load of talking to do!

TBC

A/N Thanks for reading. Please review. CG1