Disclaimer for this chapter: In my little world, everyone swears.
"I wondered why the car was parked so far from the house." It whispers.
Mary looks up into the demon's sneering face and has had enough. Dead parents, tricked into a demon deal, John dead anyway, Sam altered/marked, having to give a four-year-old Dean hunter training, and having to live alone in a shack with just her babies for company and now this asshole thought he'd gotten the drop on her. It was all just too much.
All the fear and worry disintegrate as the hot lava of rage pours over those lesser emotions and burns them away. She pulls a piece of altar cloth out of her pocket and shoves it into the demon's mouth.
He shrieks and shoves her away while pawing at his mouth with both hands. "You Bithch!"
She keeps her feet and pulls two of the bombs from her pockets. She throws one at the demon and the other at the opening to the tunnel. Both explode when they hit the ground, and her version of homemade napalm spreads fire over everything it touches.
While the demon screams and burns, Mary runs for the car. Dean, bless him, has strapped Sam into his car seat, and has strapped himself into the passenger seat with the seatbelt Mary had installed after she realized that she couldn't give up the one thing of John's she still had.
The Impala lives up to her name. Roaring to life, she flies down the road, much faster than Mary should be driving her, but finding her feet even so.
Mary is on the Illinois/Wisconsin border when she feels safe enough to call Missouri.
"You got away. I felt it, but I couldn't be sure. Thank God."
"Missouri, if you saw what was going to happen, why the hell didn't you call?"
"Because I didn't see anything to warn you about. I saw you throw a Molotov cocktail at a demon, the demon screaming, and the three of you driving away. Since I had that vision yesterday morning, I'm guessing it was after the fact."
Mary sighs, "I'm sorry. After what the demon said…"
"It's somehow gotten even more complicated." Mary bites her lip, then relates everything the demon said to the other woman. There's a long enough silence from the other end of the phone that Mary wonders if Missouri is considering hanging up.
Missouri makes an irritated noise, "Mary Campbell Winchester! You're being pursued by some of the worst evil I've ever heard of! I would never abandon you!"
"Maybe you should."
"Really? Then tell me how I'd ever live with myself again?"
"Easily, think of your own son."
"I AM thinking of my son. How will he think of me if he knows I left you three to fend for yourselves? I've never been a coward, and I ain't about to start now." She makes an irritated noise, and Mary hides a smile even though the other woman can't see her.
"Missouri, I don't want to drag anyone else into this."
"Too late. Besides, this man likes nothing better than to fight demons." There's a faint scratching noise and then the older woman orders, "Alright, take this down. 'Bobby Singer, Singer Salvage, 2194 Graymalkin road, Sioux Falls, SD."
"Who's Bobby Singer?"
"He's a hunter, but he's also the greatest lore expert in the country. A couple of years back his wife died of demon possession, and it drove him into the life. If there's anyone who can find out more about what's after your family, Bobby is the one."
Mary wants to say no. She wants to tell Missouri that, fine, she'll go see this Singer person, but then she'll get in the car and drive until she's two countries away. But that's a luxury she can't afford. She needs help to keep her babies safe.
"Two years? I was a hunter for much longer than that. Even if I just go to the stashes I know about, where no one has been in years, that's far and away ahead of a hunter that's been in it two years."
"And I've been a psychic my entire life, yet this man finds answers that wouldn't even occur to me." She sighs in irritation. "Or don't go see him. Wander around the country with a kindergartner and an overgrown baby and discover how long you last before they're orphans!" The silence from Missouri's end of the line is deafening.
It's Mary's turn to sigh, but this time it's in resignation. "You're right, you win. What was that address again?"
Of course they're early. Good thing Bobby started preparing for his guests with babyproofing. Hopefully he did enough of it. He broke every record he ever set driving to Brandon (instead of Sioux Falls, the last thing he needs is someone there knowing he needs wrapping paper and hot wheels cars) in half a foot of snow, but now his has a baby gate to keep the kids out of the second floor, real food to fix for breakfast and dinner, bedding suitable for children, and even a few toys to wrap.
That son-of-a-bitch Patterson just had to be there because the Brandon Sears still has tools. He had a story prepared in case he met someone he knew, but not one good enough for Patterson. The man was part bloodhound, and a worse gossip than the entire roster of fifty book clubs.
So, Bobby bespelled him. Patterson went home with his new socket wrench, and no memory of seeing Bobby Singer, of all people, buying toys.
When he goes to the door, he gets the third big surprise of his day. Missouri warned him when she bullied him into taking in the Winchesters that the woman had young children. She also said that Mary herself was smart, brave, well-trained, and stubborn. What she neglected to say was that Mary is beautiful. Bobby's hands and face go numb at the sight of her, and for a moment he feels like he's going to pass out. She has curly blonde hair, big eyes, a sweet mouth, and a nice shape. Sure, she's got dark circles under her pretty eyes, and they're filled with fatigue, but a couple of secure nights rest, and she'll make heads turn no matter where she goes.
Bobby hurries outside to help with the bags but gets no further than the front grill. A boy who doesn't even stand as high as Bobby's waist stands guard. Large, serious eyes narrow at him from under a fringe of blonde hair. If the kid wasn't extremely cute, Bobby might actually feel a little intimidated. Before they can get into it, Mary straightens from the back seat with the baby in her arms.
"Dean don't be rude. That's the man who owns this house, he's going to help us out. Missouri sent us here."
The kid's expression loses some of its skepticism, but not all. "You know about monsters huh?"
"A bit more than most, yeah. Plus, my house is pretty safe." Dean looks the house over.
"Our cabin was pretty safe. We still had to leave in the middle of the night."
"I heard about that. Your Mom was all alone out there, and the monsters knew she lived there. They don't know you're here now, and I can help your mom protect you." Mary walks up beside Dean, carrying the baby in one arm and a bag in the other.
Dean nods. "Alright then, but I wanna see your protection stuff." He marches back to the car and picks up two backpacks, gesturing to Bobby to lead the way. Bobby glances at Mary who rolls her eyes, before hefting her toddler into a more comfortable position. "Better do what the chief says."
Then Bobby makes his final mistake of the day. He looks at the baby, and Sam Winchester looks up at him from under his cap of messy brown curls. Before he can say something inane like 'cute little guy', Sam's face breaks out into a smile that could charm birds out of the trees and reaches out for Bobby.
"Oof! Oh geez, Sam!" Mary groans as the little boy throws his weight towards Bobby. He dives forward and catches the kid who clings like a lipid. His grin doesn't lessen, it only stretches wider.
"Ba-ba!" Sam declares, grabbing onto Bobby's vest with one hand and his beard with the other. Bobby looks into the baby's multi-colored eyes and falls helplessly in love.
"I guess I'll carry him in for you."