Mary's chest heaves, as she pushes through the last stretch of forest top speed.
In hindsight, it's pretty clear that challenging every demon within earshot to 'come at her' might have been a poor choice.
"Come here you little brat!" A gigantic, brutish demon reaches for her, snagging her by the hood of her coat.
She digs her heels in, and twisting around. The demons momentum carries him forward, and she uses that force to thrust her demon blade deep between his internal firestorm lights up his frame, as he falls forward onto Mary; pinning her to the ground.
She draws her limbs up underneath the demon, and roots her body into the leaves as deep as the soft earth will allow.
"She got Malcolm!" Mary hears a female demon call out, "This way!"
Thankfully, demons have no concern for their own dead, and they leave Malcolm face down; continuing toward town after Mary.
Several beats after the demons footsteps fade Mary allows herself to exhale, pushing the demons corpse off of her.
"Way to go, moron." She chides herself, as she continues toward town- more cautiously this time.
Once she reaches the tree line, she crouches in a patch of weeds; scoping out the area before emerging.
For some reason she expected a chaotic town populated entirely by demons; instead she finds a calm suburban area, with flocks of bustling people going about their daily business unknowingly.
Mary moves along the edge of the woods, until the trees come close to the back of a grocery store. Finally, she manages to slip out, unnoticed.
She pulls her coat off, using it to wipe her blood encrusted face, and discarding it in a nearby dumpster.
Hoping that she looks presentable enough not to horrify the locals, she enters the grocery store, and approaches a stock boy.
"Excuse me, I'm from out of town, and I'm supposed to be meeting a friend at a shop. The thing is, I can't remember the name of it."
"Whereabouts is it?" He asks helpfully.
"Uhm... good question..." She chuckles, "She mentioned it being near an empty bank building?"
"Oh! She must be talking about Morris Department Store." The boy winks. "Two blocks down, turn right at the light, and three more blocks will get you there."
"Thanks!" Mary grins, and makes her way out the door, trying not to break into a run.
...
Castiel and Dean crouch low and circle the First National Bank building- scouting the premises before entering.
"You do realize that there's no way Mary stayed in the woods, right?" Dean mutters under his breath.
"I would expect nothing less of her." Cas whispers, "She is just like you. That's why we need to get in and out as quickly as possible, if we want to keep her out of the fray."
"I'm with ya there." Dean brusquely nods his agreement. "What are we looking at here?"
"No warding sigils." Cas murmurs, sliding the tips of his fingers along the brick wall slowly. "They are definitely expecting us after what happened at the diner. This is, no doubt, a trap."
"Right." Dean grimaces, as he slides his blade from its sheathe. "I guess there's no use sneaking around then. Let's get this over with before Mary shows."
They stand, straitening their strained shoulders, and striding to the front door brazenly.
Inhaling deeply and in unison, they prepare to plunge into battle. Dean forces the door open with a compelling heave of his heel, and the sound of it splintering reverberates through the dusty bank lobby.
Nothing…
"Knock knock bitches!" Deans throaty voice echoes loudly off the marble columns.
Still no reply…
"Dean, I have a bad feeling abo-" Before Castiel can finish voicing his concern, a ring of holy fire flickers to life around him, holding him at bay.
"Cute." Dean chuckles sardonically, starting toward his ensnared comrade.
"Wait!" Cas holds his hand out, motioning toward the ceiling, "Don't move closer. I'm surrounded by demon traps."
Dean's eyes trail upward, and he nods his understanding. The ceiling is riddled with traps, placed so that only a thin pathway winds through them, for Auceps and his lackeys to use as needed. "Huh. Rude welcome." He grouses, moving onto the pathway cautiously.
He moves further into the center of the bank, keeping a cautious eye out. "Sammy?" He calls tentatively.
No answer.
"Uh... Dean?" Cas calls nervously.
Dean wheels around to find that the wall of holy fire is slowly closing in around his friend.
"Shit." He scowls, making way back toward Cas as quickly as possible, while still avoiding the traps.
"No, keep going!" Cas decides. "You wouldn't make it to me anyway with the traps! You can't help."
Dean stares at Cas painstakingly, before turning away.
Castiel watches through the flames as Dean makes his way to the swinging double doors.
The flames move closer and closer, until they lick at the tail of his beloved trench coat, and singe his feathers.
...
Dean moves through the double doors, trying to push Castiel out of his mind. Cas would be fine.
He always pulls through.
"Deserting a friend in need, oh Winchester? How deplorable." A voice seeps through the room, turning Dean's stomach. "Still, I shouldn't be surprised. Leaving those that need you... running away- It's what you do best, isn't it? "
Dean's eyes flash black, as he searches for the source of the malicious voice. "WHERE IS MY BROTHER?!"
"Why would you care?" Auceps steps into the light from a shadowed corner, a tight smile painted across his face. "You left him, remember? You didn't care when he lost Mary's mother? You didn't care when he went back to hunting, or any of the dozens of times he has neared deaths doors in the interim. Why do you care now?"
"I don't have time for games, Auceps." Dean moves forward, raising his blade. "What do you want?"
"Oh, I already have what I want." Auceps gestures to Dean grandly. "You're mine."
"Oh really? How d'you figure?" Dean shakes his head, and grins evilly. "I mean, yeah, I'm here, in the room, but what does that mean? Not a DAMNED thing. I'm stronger than you. So, congratulations, you caught a tiger in a mouse trap."
"I have you, because I have him." A door in the back of the room bursts open, and Sam is lead through it, a shimmering blade pressed to his jugular by Scaeuolus.
It first Dean is taken aback.
His brother is so... worn. His eyes are tired, with crow's feet lining them. His hair is graying slightly at the temples, and his shoulders are slumped.
Dean shakes his head, and growls under his breath, instinctively lurching forward.
"Ah ah ah." Auceps waves his forefinger warningly. "Don't move."
Scaeuolus increases the pressure on the blade, until a thin red stream of blood trickles down Sam's neck.
Dean stops cold, turning toward Auceps. "I'll kill you! I'll rip you apart with my bare hands!"
Auceps ignores the threat, motioning to a bare spot in the corner of the room, underneath a crimson devils trap. "If you would be so kind."
Dean strides into the trap without hesitation, and turns toward Sam, as his mind races to find a way out of this mess.
...
Castiel can no longer see through the flames, as the smoke fills his eyes and lungs bringing him to his knees.
"Uncle Cas?!"
"Mary?" Cas strains his ears, struggling to his feet again.
"Oh shit!" Mary flits around the flames, her hands outstretched- not sure how to help. She stops for a moment, and inhales. "Okay, I can do this."
Her eyes trail around the room searching the walls frantically.
Finally, she finds her mark, and nearly flies across the lobby, wrapping her fingers around a red lever, and pulling down with all her might.
A shrill fire alarm rings out, and, much to Mary's relief, the sprinklers flicker to life, spraying water down on room.
She makes her way back to Castiel, nearly wiping out when her wet sneakers slide on the tile. The lobby fills with soggy demons searching for the cause of the disturbance.
The holy fire flickers out, and Cas straitens. His eyes flashing a dangerous blue, and his dark wings stretch out in a threatening display of power.
The demons stumble back, but not soon enough. Castiel flies at them, his angel blade reflecting the red emergency lights from across the room.
With a burst of white light, the demons are thrown lifeless to the ground.
...
"Auceps, you have me, now let Sam go." Dean glares hatefully from his corner.
"Do you really think me that foolish?" Auceps grimaces, "I know the stories, Dean. One Winchester brother will always come for the other. I can't afford to have Sammy here nipping at my heels.
Besides, I can hardly break up a set. Your heads will go so nicely together, mounted on my wall."
Dean snarls with rage, pushing the boundaries of his trap with all his might.
"Don't strain yourself. It won't do any-" A screaming alarm interrupts Auceps monologue, and lights go out. Red emergency lights flash on, as water rains down from the ceiling. "What in all of heaven and earth is it now?!"
As a line of demons file from the back door and into the lobby, Dean laughs, "You'd better run."
"Take him out the back!" Auceps barks at Scaeuolus, as he moves toward the front room.
Scaeuolus nods, backing toward the door.
Sam strains forward, as a flash of white light shines under the door. "Dean! Dean is that Cas?!"
Dean nods.
"Mary?!" Sam asks frantically.
"Probably here by now." Dean frowns.
At that Sam comes to life, slamming his head back into Scaeuolus' nose, and twisting under the blade.
Scaeuolus snags Sam by the wrist, and slams his fist into the side of Sam's head.
Dean roars, struggling against his prison again, as Auceps turns back toward them; momentarily distracted.
The door to the lobby bursts open, throwing Auceps to his hands and knees, as Castiel pushes through.
Between dodging Scaeuolus' swings, Sam calls back over his shoulder, "Cas, where is Mary?!"
"Haven't seen her." Castiel answers, waving his hand toward the ceiling, so that the plaster cracks- breaking the devils trap, and freeing Dean.
Dean moves toward Auceps, when Scaeuolus gains the upper hand, and presses his blade to Sam's throat once more. "DON'T MOVE!" He hisses at Dean, "DROP THE BLADE!"
Dean lifts his hands, letting the first blade fall to the floor.
"Hey, asshole!" Mary hisses as she pushes her way through he back door, and shoves her demon blade deep into Scaeuolus' spine with one flowing motion. "Nobody messes with my family!"
Sam rolls his captor onto the floor, and turns toward his daughter, pulling her into his arms roughly. "Mary," He whispers, his voice muffled by her hair, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine dad. I'm okay." She nods, as tears of relief pour down her cheeks.
Dean moves quickly, snagging Auceps by the roof of his still-gaping mouth, and slinging him through the lobby door. Auceps lands with a thud, and scoots away from Dean.
"Dean, the blade!" Castiel follows him back into the lobby, holding the blade out.
Dean shakes his head, and smiles morbidly. "I don't need it."
He steps on Auceps chest, clawing up under his jaw, and ripping his head clean off with sheer force.
Mary buries her face in Sam's shoulder, unable to stomach the spectacle.
Dean carries Auceps head across the lobby, and shoves it down on a spiked gate that separates the cashiers desk from the main lobby. He wets his fingers in the dripping blood, and writes on the front of the marble desk:
Be Warned
"Ominous." Sam smirks, approaching his brother, and pulling him into a bear hug. "Dean, it's so good to see you."
"You too Sammy." Dean visibly relaxes, "You too."
Without warning, Sam pulls away, and slugs Dean in the shoulder.
"What the hell?!" Dean rubs his arm sorely.
"For bringing my daughter here!" Sam snaps. "Dean, how could you?!"
"They didn't have a choice!" Mary intervenes. "I would have come, one way or another."
"Why did you involve her at all?!" Sam ignores her, still addressing Dean.
"Have you even met your daughter?" Dean laughs. "Sheinvolved me!"
"She what?"
"Come on Sam, are you really that surprised?" Castiel smiles, and crosses his arms. "She ran off while I was organizing a search for you. Decorated her arm with Enochian sigils so I couldn't find her, tracked Dean down, and brought him home. You really think we could have kept her out of this?"
"No, I guess I'm not." Sam sighs, rubbing the back of his neck.
"You look like shit, dude." Dean cackles, slapping his brother on the shoulder. "You need a vacation. I've been in the mountains for ages, Hawaii's sounding pretty good about now."
"Oh my god yesssss!" Mary practically bounces out of her shoes with excitement. "Please dad?! Family vacation!"
"You mean you're not going back into hiding?" Sam raises his eyebrows.
"It doesn't seem to be doing any good." Dean shrugs. "My existence is always going to bring you trouble... Might as well be around to protect you."
"Great! Hawaii it is!" Mary dashes out the front door without another word.
"Bet you've had your hands full the last sixteen years." Dean observes.
"You have no idea." Sam shakes his head, trailing after Mary tiredly. "Nooo idea."