Disclaimer: I don't own Supernatural.
Author's Note: I put the entire series under one story. It's just easier that way! Each chapter will be the next part, so this is part eight.
Dean couldn't stop staring at Anna. He fumbled blindly in his pocket for his cell phone. He had to call Mary. He had to know the truth. He had to know if Anna was the mother of his daughter. He finally pulled the phone from his pocket and ran his fingers along its sleek body, looking for the latch to flip it open.
"There's no need," Anna said. She smiled at Dean and pushed his phone back in his pocket. "I figured if she was here, she'd find you. That's one smart kid we've got."
"What? How?" Dean stammered. He couldn't clear his mind. First, Anna was back. The one person (if you could call an angel of the Lord a "person") in the whole world who understood what he'd been through (save for Mary and possibly Castiel, but that was different) had returned to him. Anna had actually seen everything Dean had been through. Second, Anna was pregnant, four months if she was sticking to the proper timeline. Dean couldn't be sure about that; neither Mary nor Castiel had fully explained the whole time-travel thing. Third, Mary was half-angel, but Anna was human when...
Anna ran a pale hand along Dean's jaw, pulling him out of his reverie. He continued to stare at her, bewildered. "You were human," he whispered. He knew he should say something more meaningful and relevant to their reunion, but Dean's brain was simply stuck on the technicalities.
"Mary is a warrior for God. I thought, since I was human when she was conceived, perhaps she would be spared the life she will lead." Anna hung her head in defeat. "She is why I questioned my Father. I refuse to believe that He would breed a young girl for war. He is love and light and what they ask of her is foul and taints her." Anna looked up at Dean, her eyes brimming with centuries of unshed tears. She had bottled her reservations for so long. Only in his presence did she feel she could let go.
Finally, Dean's brain kicked back into gear. He enveloped Anna who buried her face in his chest and sobbed.
Tossing another book aside, Jessica growled. She hated research. She hated dust and worn leather and anything that reminded her of a library. But, as John constantly reminded her growing up, she was her father's daughter and had inherited his knack for research.
"Take a break, Jess. Bobby's calling some of his contacts; they might have something he doesn't." John stood up and stretched. "I'm gonna make a sandwich. You want anything?"
Jessica nodded. "To live where there isn't an age limit on drinking."
John laughed and patted his sister's arm. "I'll get you a soda."
The eldest sibling watched her brother stroll into the kitchen and start rifling through cupboards. Jessica swiveled in her chair and slumped in front of the fireplace. She really, truly, hated research. Books only taught so much. It was the practical application that you either passed or failed, lived or died. That was so much more thrilling.
Something hard fell in the kitchen. Jessica rolled her eyes, expecting John to yell a smartass retort about his clumsiness. Instead, Jess felt something moving behind her. Damn it, John, don't try sneaking up on me!
She turned and vaulted out of the chair. The beefy man standing in the doorway oozed pure evil and raw power. Jessica felt her stomach drop. This demon was more powerful than any she had gone up against, more powerful than the demon they had been looking for.
The demon stared at her, a smirk tugging at his tiny mouth. He lunged forward, outstretched hands on a course for Jessica's throat.
Mary wearily blinked sleep from her eyes. The thin sheet covering the lower half of her body lacked the warmth she craved. She slid her hands past the edge of the sheet, searching for the comforter. She whimpered when she spotted it on the floor. She couldn't remember how the comforter had been thrown from the bed, or why she was buck naked under the sheet. Then she recognized the heavy breathing of slumber and rolled over, finding herself face to face with Castiel.
Last night came flooding back, images of sweat and skin. Mary grinned and snuggled closer to her lover. Even in sleep, Castiel welcomed the young woman into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest.
Mary sighed contentedly.
"Are you alright?" a groggy Castiel asked.
Mary looked up from his abs, finely chiseled she noted, and into his inquisitive eyes. "Perfect," she answered, giving him a chaste kiss.
Suddenly, her cell phone vibrated on the dresser. Mary groaned. "Way to ruin the moment people," she muttered as she flipped it open. "Hello?"
"Mary?" Jessica's voice was shaky, as though she'd been crying. "Mary, you have to come to Bobby's. Something... something horrible's happened."
Mary bolted upright, fear clenching her heart. Castiel sat up too, frowning as he wrapped his arms around the girl's waist. "Jess, what's wrong?"
"Oh, God," Jessica cried into the phone. She sniffed. "Mary, it's all my fault. If I'd been quicker, or hadn't let him out of my sight..." Jessica couldn't continue, she was crying so hard.
"Jess, Jess! Look, whatever's happened I'm sure you're not to blame," Mary soothed.
Jessica continued to bawl incoherently. Mary held the phone a little further from her hear to avoid damage while Jessica's crying rose a crecendo or two.
The motel room door jiggled open; Castiel gripped the sheet tighter around his naked waist as Mary pulled it up over her chest. Sam and Ruby entered, slightly disheveled. They saw Mary and Castiel in bed and knowing glances passed between the two couples.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Jessica cried. "Please, you need to come! I can't do this alone!"
"Jess, what is going on? I can't understand half of what you're saying!" Mary complained.
Sam, who had been crossing to the bathroom, froze when he realized who was on the other end of the line. He looked at his niece then at Ruby, who was equally confused and concerned. Jessica seemed to be having some sort of breakdown. What had happened to have rattled their daughter so?
"You need to come to Bobby's. Me and John, we were looking for info on the demon and we were attacked and..." Jessica faltered again, clearly unable to speak further.
Mary tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Look, just sit tight. We're on our way." She flipped the phone closed and sighed. "John and Jessica were attacked. She didn't say what happened, but I think it's pretty bad."
Sam nodded and took Ruby's hand. "We'll wait for you at the car. I'll call Dean, then when you two are ready we'll grab him and go."
Dean pushed Anna a few inches away from his chest, angling his head so he could see her better. "It'll be okay, Mary will be okay," he assured.
He hoped she would be. Dean wasn't exactly versed in angel lore and he sure as hell didn't know much about teenage girls on top of it. But he knew Mary had her head on straight and he had to have faith in her.
"She's a good kid," Anna said, smiling at Dean. "You'll raise her right."
"You mean we'll raise her right," Dean said. He studied Anna, who sighed and clutched him harder. "Anna? We're in this together."
Anna shook her head. "I turned my back on Him, Dean. I can't get away with that. Once the baby's born, she'll be in your custody, she'll be your responsibility. I won't be allowed to be her mother."
"You'll always be her mother," Dean whispered as he leaned in and kissed Anna.
An engine shrieked behind them, shuddered and stopped. Dean turned to find Sam hurtling out of the Impala. "Dean! We need to get to Bobby's! Something's happened to John and Jessica!"
Dean paled. The look on Sam's face was heartbreaking. Neither of them wanted this life for their kids. Dean began to wonder if Mary would be better off without either of her parents.
They- Sam, Ruby, Dean, and Mary- made it to Bobby's in under three hours. Castiel stayed behind with Anna; they had orders not to get involved. Mary wondered about that, but shook the thought. He worked in mysterious ways, but she trusted Him. She always had, even in her darkest hours. He'd given her back Castiel, given her a second chance with her dad. She loved Him with all her heart.
As the Impala pulled into the drive, every occupant gasped. Half the roof was blown off, and several of the front steps had caved in. Most of the windows were cracked or shattered. The yellow headlights swept over three persons, two squatting over a third. Dean killed the engine and they jumped out of the car, racing to Jessica and Bobby.
"Jess!" Mary cried. Jessica looked up at the sound of her name but did not move from her vigil over her brother's body. Her brother's still body, Mary noted. She paused beside Jessica. "What happened?" Mary whispered.
Dean, Sam, and Ruby caught up. Bobby stood, walked over to Sam, and clapped him on the shoulders. "I'm sorry, son."
Sam stared at the body on the grass. John was a bloody mess, one arm cocked at an unnatural angle. His half-closed eyelids were caked with dirt. Ruby stifled a sob, burrowing her face into Sam.
"He's gone," Jessica sobbed, rocking back and forth on her haunches. "He's gone and it's all my fault. I tried to protect him but the demon, he was different than the others. He was so powerful and I couldn't stop him."
Mary dropped to her knees and hugged her cousin. "It's not your fault. The demon did this, not you."
"But I'm his big sister, I'm supposed to protect him!" Jessica screeched. She fell forward onto John's body and sobbed.
"No, protecting you both is my job," Mary said determinedly. "And I'm not about to fail now." She jumped to her feet and hollered heavenward, "Get down here! That's an order!"
A figure appeared in the darkness. Uriel strode forward, keeping far enough away from Sam, Ruby, and the kids to subtly convey his dislike. He kept an even glance on Mary.
"Bring him back," Mary ordered.
Uriel shook his head. "Those are not my orders."
"I'm giving you new orders. Bring him back!" Mary repeated stubbornly. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.
Uriel stood motionless, staring back. "I don't follow your orders."
Now Mary was pissed. Jessica gasped as the ground shook and the atmosphere grew steadily darker. "I am the most powerful being on this Earth," Mary began in a low voice. "The only gift I do not possess is the gift of life. But you have direct contact with Him and His abilities. So I will ask you one last time. Bring. Him. Back."
Dean, Sam, and Ruby could only watch. Dean's chest rose and fell heavily with trepidation. He'd never seen this side of Mary and after his conversation with Anna that afternoon, he was beginning to understand. It all made sense now. Mary was nothing more than a soldier, a powerful warrior. She was the one who would lead them. He'd only been dragged out of the Pit so she would exist.
They waited for Uriel's answer. Finally he said, "No."
A simultaneous gasp ran round the group. Even Bobby, who didn't know any angels beyond Mary, Castiel, and Anna, was shocked by Uriel's refusal.
"Why not?" Mary asked, trying very hard to contain her fury; the house was shaking violently now.
"Because of what he is."
"'What he is' is irrelevant. John and Jessica are on our side, as are Uncle Sam and Aunt Ruby. They have proved their loyalty time and time again, yet you who are too set in your prejudices refuse to acknowledge what they have achieved for us." Mary sighed, and the quaking began to subside. "If you don't bring him back, I may have to rethink my alliegance."
Uriel's eyes widen slightly, the first sign of emotion he'd displayed since his arrival. "You wouldn't."
Mary smirked. "I know what I'm worth, to both sides. You wouldn't want them to get their hands on me, now would you?"
Uriel didn't say anything. Mary sighed and began walking towards the road. "Fine. Be a stubborn bitch. I'm done with this, all of this."
Jessica was the first to find her voice after Mary's defiance. "Mary, wait, are you just going to leave us?" She couldn't believe her cousin would just throw in the towel so easily.
"He won't bring John back. But I have other options."
Uriel bristled. "It's forbidden!"
"For you, I'm half human, remember? I have more free will than you ever thought possible. My soul is mine to do with as I see fit." Mary turned on Uriel. "So, bring him back, or I start heading for the nearest crossroads."