Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.
Author's Note: So this is part two of the Skies on Fire series, as it will be known from here on out. This will be a twelve-part series and will be regularly updated, or as regularly as the holiday season allows.
Black clouds of smoke rolled heavenwards. She choked and coughed, attempting to clear her lungs. Her throat only burned worse. She fell to her knees and cried out as she landed on something sharp. A splinter of wood lodged itself into her tibia.
Strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto her feet. She winced as she put pressure on her injured leg. Limping, she allowed her savior to lead her out of the burning building.
Outside, the damage was much more drastic. The roof of the apartment complex caved in with a thunderous roar. Several people on the street screamed and backed away.
"We need to move." Her rescuer, a teenage boy with sunken eyes making him look older than his fourteen years, directed her round the corner and into an alley.
She gingerly slipped to the pavement, carefully positioning her leg so as not to cause any more damage. The boy knelt beside her to inspect the wound. She waved him away. "I'm fine, John," she said.
John frowned. "You need medical attention. Unless you plan to-"
"No!" She shook her head emphatically. "I won't become like them." As if to prove her point, she yanked the splinter out and stifled a scream. The wave of pain that crossed her face did not go unnoticed by John.
"Damn it, Jessica! Why'd you do that? You should have left it in, now you'll bleed to death!" He ripped the lower part of his gray t-shirt into a thick strip and wrapped Jessica's sticky leg.
Jessica's vision swam. "Yeah, maybe that wasn't the best idea," she conceded. She put a hand to her head to steady herself but the whole world seemed to spin around her. She felt dizzy and nauseous and she began to suspect the feelings had nothing to do with her injured leg.
She screamed and squeezed her head harder. John froze, fearful of interfering. He'd seen her like this before and had learned early on to just leave her alone and let the premonitions happen. Still, he held out a shaky hand; Jessica grabbed it and moaned.
The ground beneath them rumbled as the apartment complex they had fled toppled into a heap. John curled around the invalid Jessica, using his body as a shield against the torrent of smoke and ash that billowed from ground zero.
After several long minutes, the air cleared enough for John to release his charge. He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding and looked down at Jessica. She was collapsed in his arms, mouth slightly open, eyes only half shut. Her eyelids fluttered like a child's in REM sleep. The vision still claimed her.
John knew they had to get off the street. He could hear the screams of human victims and the celebratory glee of demons getting closer to their location. Slipping an arm under Jessica's knees and another around her back, he folded her into his chest and ran.
Mary stared at the paint-chipped ceiling, her eyes unfocused as her thoughts wandered. She could hear Dean snoring from across the room. He was slumped across the queen-sized bed, one hand reaching towards the knife hidden under his pillow. Sam should have been sleeping in the other bed but he had sneaked out earlier when he thought his brother and his niece were asleep. Mary knew he'd gone to Ruby.
Mary flipped onto her side careful not to fall off the couch. Sam and Dean had argued with her about sleeping on the sofa but she refused to take their beds. She didn't want to impose anymore than she'd been doing. The whole situation was still awkward.
Just the other day Dean had sent Sam and Ruby on a hunt so he could spend time with Mary. The young girl knew that if he was willing to send his brother into enemy lines and very real danger then he was serious about establishing a relationship with her. It was slightly unnerving.
He'd taken her to a department store so they could buy her some clothes. Shopping with Dad, that was fun. He was quiet most of the time, except when he asked about the future. But he never asked about her. He was more interested in the demons and the war. Which was for the best, she assumed. She didn't want everything changed, just the bad stuff, and she worried she might accidentally change the good stuff if she said too much.
She watched her father, or the man who would one day be her father, mumble in his sleep. She wondered if it was a nightmare, or a memory of his time in Hell. She knew the feeling. She'd grown up in Hell and now that Castiel was dead- her throat tightened as she held back a sob.
Mary felt agonizing pain whenever she thought of him, her angel. For the first few days after his death, she hadn't been able to suppress the tears. Her grief flowed freely, coaxed by Sam and Dean. They understood she needed to grieve. If she kept it bottled inside it would only be worse in the long run.
Now, though, she'd had time to come to terms with her situation. Castiel was dead, the war was in full swing, and she was stuck in the past. The pain would never recede, but she had to move forward. They couldn't let the demons win this time.
Dean grunted and woke with a start. He blinked several times. "What time is it?"
"Just after three," Mary replied. She pulled herself into a sitting position.
"Where's Sammy?" Dean asked.
Mary rolled her eyes; Dean got the message. "Should have known," he muttered. He copied Mary, rolling his legs off the bed so he was sitting up. "Hope he doesn't do anything stupid."
"Like what? Sleep with a demon or not use protection?" Mary laughed. Dean didn't get the joke. That just made Mary laugh harder. Her cousins would get a kick of this, especially Jessica. Mary's eldest cousin relished the humor in life.
Dean couldn't help but grin. He knew she was laughing at him but it was good to see her laughing. She'd been brooding for so long Dean had begun to wonder if she was even capable of laughter.
"You hungry?" Dean stood and stretched. "There's a twenty-four hour restaurant down the street."
Mary nodded. She hadn't eaten a proper meal in... she couldn't remember how long it had been. She'd been so busy hunting and just trying to survive that it never occurred to her to stop for a moment and enjoy something as simple as food.
She armed herself while Dean went to the bathroom and dressed. The knife, handgun, shotgun, ammo, and rock salt her father had bought her lay on the table before her. Dean had been insistent on buying Mary her own weapons. Not that she was complaining, she'd seen the future and knew that all the necessary precautions must be taken. Besides, in this family, you had to be prepared at all times.
Dean came out of the bathroom and grabbed his wallet off the nightstand. He smiled when he saw Mary loading the shotgun. "That's my girl!"
Mary smiled back. He was trying, even if he didn't quite know what he was doing. He'd practically raised Sam but finding himself face to face with his grown daughter was totally different. He was unsure about how to form a relationship with her. She was trying too but it was hard. She remembered her father in the future, had wonderful memories of him. But Dean hadn't lived those yet and that made things complicated. She couldn't talk to him about his future. He'd have to wait and be surprised and take everything as it came.
John crouched behind a garden fence. A group of demons strolled down the street, oblivious to the world around them. But John knew better than to make his presence known. The demons staggered along until they disappeared into a darkened house.
Lights popped on allowing John to see into the living room. A middle-aged woman was naked and strapped to a table, a hooded demon standing over her limp form. John could see its lips moving as it chanted then plunged an already blood stained knife into the woman's heart. A part of John was relieved the woman couldn't scream. He didn't think he could stomach it.
"Where are we?" asked a groggy Jessica. She rested on her palms. John noticed her lack of energy. He shushed her and forced her to lie back down.
His attention returned to the house. The demons were quiet now, just sitting in the living room. Except for that couple on the couch. That was just gross in a very necrophilia-ish way. John wrinkled his nose in disgust.
Satisfied that the demons had not caught their scent, John lifted Jessica to her feet. She swayed a moment but recovered and smiled. "You're a wonderful little brother, you know that?" She hugged him. "You take such good care of me, when really I should be taking care of you."
"I don't need someone to watch my half-demon back," John laughed. "You're the one who can't control it."
Jessica playfully swatted her brother. Her vision was finally straight, as was her mind. She was still weak from the blood loss earlier but her leg seemed to be healing itself pretty well. She wouldn't mind a tetanus shot, though.
"Come on." John took his sister's hand and they headed away from the demon infested house.
They stopped for breath a few blocks over. Well, Jessica stopped for breath. She was still recuperating, no matter how much she believed her body could take care of itself. John supported her while she arched her back and took several long, deep breaths.
"I'm good," she said, acknowledging the concerned look on his face.
Once she her lungs felt stabilized, Jessica glanced around. She didn't like their current location. It was too far from where they needed to be, from the place she'd seen in her premonition. She grinned at her brother and pointed left. "That way. Mary's in trouble. Or will be. I wish these damn things came with a countdown."
John nodded and grabbed Jessica's hand again. They zigzagged through the neighborhood until they came across a rather unexpected sight.
Mary sat on her haunches, hands on the shoulders of two men. The girl's face was wet and Jessica realized she'd been crying. Stepping forward, Jessica saw the body on the sidewalk. She gasped and clutched at her brother. "Castiel," she whispered.
Suddenly, Mary and the two men disappeared. Jessica started forward, panicking. "Mary!" she shrieked. John caught his sister as she stumbled over Castiel's body. That's when Jessica lost it.
"Let me go!" she screamed, struggling against her brother. "We have to go after her! We have to help!"
John responded by pulling his sister closer. "Jess, calm down. You'll wake the neighbors." He cast a worried glance down the street. No demons. Yet.
But Jessica was determined. "You don't get it, John! She's in trouble! She went to the past! And if we don't do something to stop it she'll die there!"
Dean and Mary headed for the restaurant, a cool breeze lifting Mary's long hair. She shuddered. She was reminded of Castiel, of how he would run his hands along her bare shoulders, tickling her sensitive skin just like the wind was doing now.
Dean glanced at her, concerned by her shivering. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just cold I guess."
Dean quickly ushered Mary inside and into a booth, hoping to warm her up. He passed her a menu. Mary found herself slightly disgusted by the greasy meals but since Dean seemed fine with the grub, she decided to go with it, ordering a pork tenderloin sandwich with fries and a large pop.
After the waitress left with their orders, Dean bit his lip. He attempted to broach a conversation but didn't know what to say. "So...um..." He looked at Mary imploringly.
Mary instinctively knew what he wanted to ask. "I don't know if I should tell you about me. I mean, I know we want to change the future and all, but I think it's Mom's business, not mine."
"Oh," Dean said. He played with his fork for a minute. "So you want me to wait and meet your mom and find out naturally that you're my daughter?"
"I think it's best that way." Mary noticed she was playing with her fork too, imitating her father. They smiled at each other.
The waitress stopped by with their drinks. Mary noticed the woman was flirting with her father but for once, shockingly, Dean ignored the very gifted woman in front of him. His attention was solely on his daughter.
"You have a lot to look forward to and I don't want to spoil it. Besides, I don't want to screw up my existence," Mary explained. She sipped her pop. It tasted good.
They sat in silence for a while. Mary had the feeling this was going to be a long night. She remembered a similar occurrence between father and daughter. It was the last time she'd seen him, future him.
Her father had returned home from a three-day hunt and immediately packed to leave again. At nine years old, Mary already understood the ins and outs of the job and was one of the best soldiers their side could have asked for. That scared Dean. He didn't want his daughter raised in that life and he certainly didn't want her involved in the war. But, being a Winchester and half-angel, Mary didn't have a choice.
That night, one of the worst nights of her life, Mary and her cousins watched their parents leave for what was believed to be the final stand. They would win this thing, they just knew it. If they could end the war today their children wouldn't have to fight tomorrow. That was the first time Mary had ever seen Castiel cry.
Mary snapped back to the present when Dean snapped his fingers in front of her face. "You still with me?" he asked.
She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and nodded. "Sorry, just spaced out for a moment. Still trying to get used to all this."
Mary was afraid Dean would ask questions and he looked like he was about to, when Sam and Ruby entered the restaurant, a thankful diversion for father and daughter. Mary saw Dean visibly relax when he spotted his brother and beckoned him and the demon to join them.
"We already ordered, but we can probably flag the waitress." Dean looked around for the woman and finally caught her attention.
While Sam ordered for himself and Ruby, Mary studied the demon. She held Sam's hand in a very cute manner, all the way across the table. This made Mary smile. She remembered how they acted when she was little, when Ruby would stop by for a night or two between battles. She would play with Mary, read her stories, train her even. But Mary had to remind herself that the woman sitting next to her wasn't the same Ruby she'd grown up with. This Ruby had a lot of changes ahead of her.
"What are you two doing here?" Sam asked.
"Couldn't sleep, thought we get something eat." Dean glanced at Ruby. "Looks like you're already full, little brother." Ruby glared at him.
Their meals came and Mary sunk her teeth into a juicy sandwich. It was amazing, the best she'd ever tasted. She'd almost go so far as to say it was orgasmic. Almost. She laughed at the ridiculousness of it all.
"What's so funny?" Dean asked.
Mary shook her head. "Nothing, don't worry about it." She drained her pop and ordered a refill. She could get used to living in the past. Good food was plentiful, they still had a fighting chance, hell, hunts were still just hunts, not overblown battles. The past seemed pretty sweet.
Author's Note: For those of you who paid attention, several little hints were dropped that will play major roles in future episodes. Did you spot them? Expect part three Sunday evening. With Thanksgiving, I will not have internet access so sorry for making ya'll wait that long!