Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural.

Author's Note: Part three of Skies on Fire series.

Dean was worried. He'd been watching Mary all night while she thrashed and groaned and whimpered. He wanted to console her, tell her it was all a bad dream. How do you tell your child that her nightmares are real? He wanted to shield her from evil, the same way he and his dad had tried to shield Sam. Unfortunately in this family, evil would find you and if you didn't grow up fast you'd end up dead real quick.

He sighed and reclined in the motel chair, hands clasped behind his head. Mary had been with them for two weeks now. She'd accompanied the boys and Ruby on a couple hunts, proving her worth many times over. Dean had to admit he was damn proud.

Still, this wasn't the life he would have chosen for his daughter. He understood that his future self hadn't had a choice. The entire family was caught up in the war between Heaven and Hell. Mary was forced to be a soldier strictly because of her paternity and that little fact really pissed Dean off. Just because Mary was half-angel didn't mean she should be subjected to something as harrowing as war. Hell, he didn't even want her hunting, even if she was an asset. That was the whole reason he'd chose to stay with Mary instead of going with Sam and Ruby to exorcise the demon they'd trapped that afternoon.

Mary's eyes shot open. Dean was at her side immediately, crossing the room in three long strides. He stroked back her sweaty hair. "You okay?" he asked quietly.

"I have to go," she whispered.

Dean's eyebrows shot up. "What?"

Mary shook the tears out of her eyes. "I have to go," she repeated, swinging off the bed.

Her nightmares plagued her worse than anything she'd encountered before. She kept seeing the people she couldn't save, the ones who were too far gone to the other side. She'd spent years traveling from town to town liberating anyone she could. But they always got caught again. Nobody ever ran for long. She shuddered at the memories of the times she'd been caught. But worse of all, she relived Castiel's final moments repeatedly and her heart ached. She hadn't meant to think of Castiel, it had just happened. And now the pain threatened to overwhelm her.

She hadn't changed out of her clothes when she'd gone to bed, so she simply headed for the door in her disheveled t-shirt and jeans. Dean grabbed Mary by the arm as she passed him. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Church." With that, she left the motel.

Jessica continued to swat at her brother. "Let. Me. Go!" She twisted enough so that he was forced to relinquish his grasp or break his arm. Jessica glared. "We have to go back."

"What? Jess, we can't." John was worried about his sister. If she didn't get her emotions under control she wouldn't be able to control her powers and she had a hard enough time with that already. Their parents had worked tirelessly to force their human halves to corrupt and dominate their demon halves but sometimes things happened, like Jessica's visions. There just wasn't any way to control those. Their other latent powers, however, could easily be controlled, as long as they kept their cool. With Jessica teetering on hysterics, John began to worry that might be more difficult than usual.

His sister continued to glare. "You didn't see what I saw." Jessica pointed to another body mere feet away. It was a balding man in trousers, collared shirt, and necktie, a businessman of sorts. John looked to his sister for further explanation. "He was possessed. By Azazel. Mary got rid of him, ending him for good with her angelic abilities. But the seal's about to be broken in the past, the seal that releases the inner circles of Hell. Azazel will hunt our dad and uncle, find out Mary's identity, and kill her."

"But that happened. Dad and Uncle Dean told us about the seal and Azazel when we were kids. If they survived that, how can you be sure Mary won't?" John asked.

Jessica shrugged. "I can't be. All I know is what I saw, and saw Mary pinned to the ceiling."

John rubbed his temple. They were getting in over their heads. He needed time to think and so stooped to examine the body laying prostrate before him. He had to remind himself it was simply a vessel. Regardless, Castiel was dead and that spelled bad news for their side. He was one of their best foot-soldiers. With him dead and Mary time-traveling, their power couple was gone and John had a nasty feeling they were screwed.

"Mary's in trouble, John! We have to help her!" Jessica was raving at this point. She'd lost so much, she couldn't lose her cousin, too. She was determined to do everything in her power to save Mary. In her power... "That's it!" Jessica exclaimed.

John didn't even look up. He was still staring at the body. "What's it?" he asked stupidly.

Jessica clapped her hands as she worked through her brilliant idea. "I'll tap into my powers to send us back!"

Now she had John's attention. He jumped up like he'd sat on a thumbtack. "What!?" he panicked. Jessica had always denied her powers, just as they were taught. He knew she was emotional and therefore the possibility of accidentally using their demonic abilities increased, but never before had she even considered knowingly using her powers. "Jess, you can't use your powers! You know better than that!"

Jessica wasn't listening. She began to pace as she put her plan in motion. "If Mary could do it, I can do it. Course, I might need your powers too, just for a boost. As long as I concentrate on Mary we should get to her with no problem. That's all our abilities are, concentration. We can do anything as long as we think about it hard enough."

"Jess, are you even listening to yourself?" John grabbed hold of his sister. She stopped pacing and looked at him properly for the first time since they'd watched Mary disappear. "We can't use our powers. They're demonic!"

"But if they help-" Jessica began.

"It doesn't matter!" John was furious Jessica would even consider exploiting that half of them. He took a moment to calm down and regulate his breathing before continuing. "I get that you saw something bad happen to our cousin, but she'd kill us, hell, our whole damn family would haunt our asses if we knowingly used our powers."

Jessica's head fell in defeat. She knew her brother was right. They had been warned about their demonic inheritance, threatened even. But they had to do something to help Mary. She was all the family they had left. Jessica couldn't bring herself to write off Mary as a lost cause. No, she was a Winchester, and she'd go to Hell and back to protect her family.

"What the hell?" John muttered. Jessica followed his gaze. Castiel's body was fading. Jessica gaped at the empty pavement where moments before a lifeless body had laid. "I've never seen angels do that before," she said.

"Something very strange is going on," John agreed.

"If you'd used your powers this would have gone a lot quicker." Ruby grunted under the weight of the bodybuilder she was supporting. What the hell kind of demon possesses a bodybuilder, she thought, they're so jacked up on steroids they don't even have the equipment to fulfill the life of pleasurable sin most demons yearn for.

Sam sighed and repositioned himself under the bodybuilder's other arm. "We're not going through this again, Ruby. I'm done, end of story."

Ruby continued to pout as she and Sam hauled the unconcious man to the Impala. They tossed him in the backseat. Sam growled at her for not minding the guy's head; she simply rolled her eyes and slammed the door. So he might have a concussion? They were heading straight for the hospital anyway, one more injury really wouldn't matter.

A shadow shifted. This caught Ruby's attention. She peered past the car and into the treeline where the shadows continued to move. "Sam," she warned. He glanced in the same direction she was looking. "It's just the wind," he shrugged.

Ruby wasn't so sure. She stood rooted where she was, bracing for the fight. She didn't have long to wait. A huge figure leaped from the trees and tackled her to the ground. She blocked high and knocked her attacker on his back with a quick front snap kick. Sam was ready with the holy water. The demon, its vessel a chubby woman with rolls where Ruby never thought rolls could be, screamed as it burned. Ruby slipped her knife from her pocket and made towards the demon.

"No," Sam ordered. "There may still be a human being in there."

While Ruby and Sam locked glares, the demon regained its strength and lunged at the couple. Sam inhaled sharply as his spine connected with something hard. Ruby took it upon herself to take down the demon, using any means necessary. She blocked low and whipped around with a right-hook before flipping the demon and coming to land on top of him. She sliced his throat and the job was done.

Sam staggered to his feet. "You shouldn't have done that," he said quietly. Ruby turned to him as she pocketed the knife. "I didn't have a choice. We're at war, Sam, casualties will happen. If it wasn't him it would have been us."

They slid into the front seat of the car and sped to the hospital, Ruby dusting dirt off her clothes. She was covered in mud and blood. "Drop him off at the ER then take me to get cleaned up," she moaned.

Mary remembered passing a little wooden church on their way into town the morning before. It took a few minutes before she got the directions right, but she found it with little trouble. Thankfully, it was unlocked. She wasn't sure how she'd feel if she had to break into a church. Sure, she'd done it before in her time, but that was necessary. She'd needed hallowed ground to hide. But in this time, with the war still in the beginning stages, breaking and entering was probably a sin.

She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The altar loomed dark and welcoming and she raced down the aisle. She paused before the rough oak table that read "In remembrance of Me." Then she broke down.

Castiel was dead. Everyone she'd ever known and loved was dead or in the future. She was alone. She'd never been alone. Her dad or her uncle or her mom or her cousins had always been there during her childhood, and she'd had Castiel for as long as she could remember. Now they were all gone.

"I can't do this without you," she whispered. "I miss you so much. I can't...I just can't." She cried and she sobbed, rocking back and forth on her knees. She saw his body, or his vessel's body, its cold, lifeless skin and faded eyes. The image was ingrained in her mind.

He had been there for her when nobody else was. When the demons took their toll, Castiel had been her rock. He'd nursed her back to health, bandaged and healed the wounds. Their love was inevitable. He knew it and she knew it and they let it happen, regardless of the consequences. But the consequences never came. They eventually learned it was not a sin, it was predestined and they relished it.

She could remember his touch the first time they made love. It never changed over time. He was gentle and soft, almost purring. Sex transcended the physical. Her angel half molded with him until they were one being. It was euphoria and she'd never felt anything like it since. She didn't knock the physical, though. His hands on her thighs, the feel of his hair in her fingers, his hot breath on her lips. He knew exactly where to lick, where to kiss, where to rub. He knew her better than anyone.

Sobs overtook her again. She would never again feel that high, feel him inside her, feel his body tense between her legs. He could no longer hold her when she cried, soothe her agony when her grief became too much. Mary was alone, rightly and truly alone.

A hand rested upon her knee. It was warm and gentle and reassuring. "Stop crying," a soft voice ordered.

Mary looked up. She gasped. "Castiel?" she whispered in disbelief.

Castiel smiled. "Hello, Mary."

A thousand different thoughts raced through Mary's mind but the one that lodged itself front and center was 'Castiel is alive.' Her breathing quickened in excitement and confusion. "How can this be?" she asked. She wanted to reach out and touch him but was afraid this was simply a dream and he would disappear.

"I was sent back to you. He resurrected me and sent me back to you."

Castiel pulled Mary to her feet and brushed hair from her face. Her green eyes, red from crying, bore into his. She felt his heart break at her pathetic sight. "Mary," he whispered, running a hand along her cheek. She melted into his touch.

"You were sent back to me," she breathed. It still seemed surreal. Yet here he was, flesh and blood, standing before her, holding her once again in his arms.

He nodded and pulled her into a tight embrace. Tears flooded her face, tears of joy and anguish and love. Castiel felt the hot tears fall onto his coat and hugged Mary closer. "Don't leave me," she begged.

"Never again." Castiel took her face in his hands and kissed her to seal the deal.

John and Jessica were back home, attacking every book they could get their hands on, looking for some way to transport themselves to their cousin. Their parents had stocked the study's bookshelves with anything and everything about the supernatural, from mythical creatures to the Koran. Most of the books they'd taken from Bobby's place when he'd died, but there were several John knew had been "acquired."

Nothing in their library seemed to have the answer. Jessica sunk into a battered arm chair, deflated. "What do we do now?"

His sister looked like she was about to cry. John ran his hands through his hair and sighed. They were getting nowhere and running out of time and options. Then he had a thought. It wasn't a good thought but it wasn't a bad thought, either. It was a thought that just might have some merit, if their contact was willing to help. John bit his lip. This particular contact had never really liked the Winchesters and they never really liked him. But everyone knew to put aside their differences for the greater good. And saving Mary, that was definitely for the greater good. Even he would have to concede that their side needed her.

John let out a low whistle. "I think we need to summon Uriel."

Back in the motel, Sam sat the desk, his laptop flipped open in front of him. He was searching demonic omens while Ruby grabbed a shower. They had safely delivered the bodybuilder to the hospital and, after ensuring he would be alright, quickly returned to their room where Ruby immediately claimed the bathroom for herself. Dean, who had commandeered the television to try and get his mind off Mary, was pacing the room. "Where is she?" he growled.

"Relax, Dean. I'm sure she's fine. She just needs time. Church is probably the best place for her to think, what with her being half-angel and all," Sam said.

Dean sat in the chair opposite his brother. "Yeah, what's with that? I didn't think angels could do it, let alone have kids."

"You screwed Anna," Sam countered. Dean shot the younger Winchester a look. Sam shrugged and resumed his search.

"Anna was different. She was still human."

Sam's fingers hung over the keyboard as a thought hit him. "Dean, you don't think Anna is Mary's mother?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Dude, we did it once when she was human. Even if I knocked her up the kid would be human. So there goes your theory, college boy."

"Yeah, but what if she shows up again in the future? You clearly had feelings for her and she felt something for you. Who's to say...?"

The bathroom door creaked open, relieving Dean. He was beginning to find the conversation redundant and annoying. Ruby stepped out wearing nothing but a towel. She crossed the room and wrapped her arms around Sam. "Find anything?" she asked.

"Still looking." Sam clacked away at the keys again. "Clothes are on the bed."

Ruby kissed the top of his head and grabbed the shirt and pants Sam had laundered for her while she showered. She slipped back into the bathroom for a few minutes and returned fully dressed. "Mary not back yet?"

Dean shook his head. He was beginning to worry. Regardless of the timeline, Mary was his daughter and he felt an instinctive urge to protect her.

A giggle resonated from outside the hotel door. For a moment, the trio inside thought a drunken couple had stumbled upon their room. Then the door opened and revealed a very sober and very happy Mary. She grinned at Dean as she led someone into the room. "Look who's back," she said.

Sam, Dean, and Ruby gasped when they saw Castiel.

"But, you were dead!" Dean sputtered. He saw Mary's hand entwined with Castiel's and his eyes narrowed. He knew his daughter had a relationship with the angel but it was his right as her father to be wary. She'd been hurt before when Castiel died and Dean would do anything to shield Mary from that kind of pain again.

"The Lord returned me to Mary," Castiel said simply. Mary squeezed his hand. "And I will not hurt her," Castiel said, looking straight at Dean.

Dean flinched. He hated when Castiel read his mind. He looked at Mary and relented. She was happy, happier than he'd ever seen her. Castiel must be good for her. Dean still swore to interrogate him. "Just what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Author's Note: For those of you who think I just couldn't bear to kill off Castiel, you just keep thinking that =) I still have a few tricks up my sleeves...