Author's Note: As promised, here is the next chapter! This one takes place about 5 minutes after the first one ended, so Mary and Cas have dropped the dog off and are back at the house. Quick note: the love Cas feels for Dean in this chapter is PURELY FAMILIAL. I mean, in the future (where Dean and Sam are and where Cas came from) it can be romantic, but it would be creepy if it were anything besides platonic right now, considering Dean appears as a baby throughout. I ship Destiel, but only when Dean is an adult. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or anything affiliated with it.

"Here we are," Mary said with a sigh, flicking on the lights of her house. It was of a standard size and had a comfortable feel to it, what with all of the baby toys scattered everywhere. Mary motioned for Cas to follow her through a small hallway leading into a dark kitchen. More lights were switched on, and the room lit up brightly. Mary glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's 9:25," she muttered. She set Dean down in a tiny crib-like structure in the corner and ran a hand through her hair. "How much time is left?"

"Roughly 20 minutes," Cas responded, his voice gruff. He pulled out a chair from the circular table and sat down heavily, placing his hands on the wood. This task would require intense research. Under normal circumstances this would be easy, but, unfortunately, they were on a strict time limit. "Where do you keep your books on mythology?" he inquired.

Mary raised an eyebrow. "I told you, I left that life behind me. I don't have anything anymore," she huffed. "But I do still have some contacts. Just for security, you know? Can't be too cautious." She turned to one of the many cupboards and yanked it open, pulling out a dusty black book. She brushed off some dirt and grime, then smacked the volume on the table. "This is a collection of some of the best hunters I know. How about we call one of them and ask if they know anything about your monster?"

Cas gave her a slight smile. "Thank you, Mary," he said softly. He turned to the book and carefully flipped it open, his hands gently caressing the delicate old pages. He ran his finger down the paper, stopping at a name that looked familiar. Yes, he remembered, this would be the father of a hunter Sam and Dean are associated with. He quirked up his eyebrow. I suppose it runs in the family.

"This one. We have mutual friends," he said, showing Mary the name. "Can you place the call?"

Mary nodded. "Got it," she replied, walking over to her phone and dialing the number. After a few moments, she said, "Hey, William, it's Mary. Winchester? I used to be Campbell. Yes, Samuel's daughter. No, I'm not in the business anymore. I'm just not. I don't want to – look, it doesn't matter right now." She rubbed her temples, suppressing a migraine. "I need you to check something out for me, okay? Yeah. It's a monster that feeds off of a person's life energy and sends them back in time when in mortal danger. Gives them 30 minutes to get back to their own time before their energy is gone and they die. Why? There's a hunter here, says he knows some of your friends. He's a victim of this creature, and he needs to know how to kill it and get back to the present. Oh...why not? What does that mean?" She brought the phone away from her ear and sighed loudly before resuming her conversation. "How far away are you? Well...all right. I'll come right over. Bye." She placed the phone back in it's receiver and spun to face Cas.

"Look, there's a bit of a problem...Will's got a book that seems like it has the exact thing you're looking for, but he can't make any sense of it and wants me to come over and bring it back to you so you can decipher it yourself." She bit her lip, worried. "Is that okay?"

Cas furrowed his brow. "That depends. How far away does he live?"

"About five minutes, walking."

"That gives us ten minutes with the book." Cas nodded. "That's more than enough time." He looked up, a sudden sense of darkness crawling up his skin. He shivered. "You need to go quickly. I can feel the monster – he's here. He wants my soul, and he will stop at nothing to get it."

Mary cleared her throat. "Listen, a hunter's house is no place for a child. I can't bring Dean with me – it's too dangerous. Can I trust you to look after my baby while I'm gone?" She stared him down, daring him to object.

Cas cracked a smile. "Absolutely. I couldn't let any harm come to him even if I wanted to," he replied steadily.

Mary chewed her cheek for a moment, then folded her arms. "Okay," she said, coming to a decision. "I trust you. Just...please, be careful. I'll only be gone for ten minutes, so it's not like I expect something to happen, I mean...I don't know." She looked at him helplessly, then inhaled deeply. "All right. I'm going now. Take care," she called, snatching her purse and heading out. The door slammed shut behind her.

After a few moments, a calm sort of quiet fell around the house. Dean breathed softly from his bassinet, and Cas leaned back easily in the cushioned dining chair. It was unsettling to see the Winchester house after knowing Dean and Sam for so long – a sad, melancholy feeling that he couldn't quite explain. It was unfamiliar to him, but upsetting all the same. Just seeing Mary Winchester was a troubling moral event. He felt sick at knowing her future, her whole family's future. Where is this coming from? he thought wildly, placing a hand on the table to steady himself. I've met her before, I've even brought Dean back here to see why nothing could stop the future; why is it having such an effect on me? He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The house smelled like cinnamon.

Cas' eyes watered. A sinking feeling began in the pit of his stomach, and his nerves prickled. The hair at the back of his neck stood on end. His gut clenched, and he looked up sharply.

There's no doubt about it – the creature is here.

That was why he was feeling so odd, so human. His energy, his soul, was being slowly but surely sucked away by a vicious monster. He let a shudder pass through him, then watched the shadows on the wall grow longer.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp stab of pain in his torso and let out a shout. It was like a knife was being ripped through his muscle, his ribcage, sawing through his bones. He wrapped his arms around his middle, moaning in agony. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to focus on something – anything – that would distract him from the hurting.

A baby's cry rang out.

Cas coughed and struggled to sit up.

Dean was awake and wailing as if the world was ending.

The pain in his chest stopped abruptly. Cas looked down at himself, alarmed at its sudden disappearance. He was noticeably paler than before, and he felt somehow...weaker.

Dean screamed again, and Cas' head shot up. He cautiously crept closer, peering over the edge of the crib. The baby stared at him, large tears dripping out of his emerald green eyes. Still so vibrant, even at such a young age, Cas noticed. He blinked. What am I supposed to do in this situation? he thought, out of his element. The only other time he'd taken care of a child as young as this was when he babysat and almost got himself, and the baby, killed. He could NOT let anything like that take place this time – what if by picking Dean up, he hurt him? If something bad were to happen to Dean, he wasn't sure what would come of it. The angels might restore his soul to his body, but Mary and John would both know of the future, and their whole timeline would be altered completely. There was also the idea that there would be a mishap, that Dean would just stay dead, and aside from the fact that the whole future would be erased, Cas didn't think he'd be able to live with himself knowing he'd caused the death of his best friend.

However, the baby continued crying, and Cas was starting to think it would be MORE harmful to ignore him than to give in and see what was wrong. He very, very gently lifted Dean out of the crib and carefully cradled him in his arms. The baby hiccoughed and nestled his face into the crook of Cas' elbow. Cas felt an unexpected rush of warmth and love course through him. He held Dean more securely and set his jaw in determination. I will protect this baby with my life, he thought.

He wondered what could be wrong. Mary mentioned earlier that she had fed Dean and gone out for a small walk that night, both to fulfill her promise to her neighbor to take care of the dog and to get some fresh air. This meant that hunger was out.

Cas leaned down and took a quick sniff. Nothing of...that sort, he thought in puzzlement. What can be wrong?

But then, he sensed it.

The chill that ran up his spine.

The shadows on the wall grew longer, more menacing, and he felt a small tug at his chest.

The creature was here.

Dean sniffled, and Cas pulled him closer. "Shh..." he whispered, softly rubbing the baby's back. This isn't good, he thought in worry. I can't let anything bad happen to Dean. Cas looked down, studying him. He was so innocent, his features untainted, still naïve, not knowing of the hardships he would soon face. Dean had mentioned once something about his mother singing to him before he went to sleep. He said it calmed him. What song was it? Cas tried to remember, searching through his file cabinet of a mind, while attempting to ignore his growing paranoia at the monster that was approaching. Come on, think, think...

Hey Jude.

Cas' eyes flew open. "Hey, Jude," he sang, recalling the song from one of Dean's cassette tapes. "Don't make it bad, take a sad song and make it better." He rocked Dean back and forth, and the baby quieted, listening to him intently. "Remember to let her into your heart, then you can start to make it better." Cas gulped a breath. The beast was unstoppable if he didn't get that book in time. He would die, and he wouldn't be able to help the Winchesters in the future. He would never be able to see them again.

He would never be able to see Dean again.

Cas' breathing became raspy. "Hey Jude," he croaked, quickly walking to the hallway. "Don't be afraid." He pressed his forehead to Dean's. "You were made to go out and get her." He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't fight the monster – it had already sucked out too much of his energy, his soul. His stolen grace was being eaten away, bit by bit. The most he could do was comfort his friend.

"The minute you let her under your skin-"

He could feel it. Surrounding him, coming from all sides, everywhere, all around the room. It was inside him, circling him, choking him. He couldn't breathe. He could only hold Dean closer, protect him from the evil, just for a little bit longer. There was so much evil coming up for him, Cas needed to keep him away from it for as long as possible.

The creature was directly behind him now. He didn't dare turn around; he wasn't even sure there was anything there in physical form. But it was in the air; the darkest form of hate, a pure monstrosity. Cas wasn't sure he could bear it. It was burying him – he couldn't feel anything but agony. He fell to his knees, and the impact resounded through the house. The monster was breathing over his shoulder, hot and sticky and disgusting. He curved his body over Dean's, trying as hard as he could to defend him from the revolting being. "Then you begin to make it better."

Dean blinked, then reached his tiny hand up and placed it on Cas' cheek. Cas inhaled sharply, forgetting about the creature for a moment. He held Dean tighter.

"Don't worry, little one," he murmured. "Angels are watching over you."

Author's Note:That last bit was really fun to write, for some reason. I think it's because I like seeing Protective!Cas :P Anyway, the next (and final!) chapter should be up within the next week or so. Reviews are a nice little present, just so you guys know (they can even be critical, I'm not picky. It just makes me happy to know people are looking at my stuff). Either way, thanks for reading!