Work Text:
1966
It was stupid. Mary Campbell didn’t want to be a hunter. She didn’t care if that was what her dad was. She didn’t care if that was the so-called family business. She was only twelve years old after all. Kids her age didn’t hunt. They got to go to school and make friends and dream of an apple pie life where they owned a big house and got a job and had their own family. Her dad kept insisting that it was her destiny to follow in his footsteps and hey, it isn’t so bad, Mary, promise. Your father’s a hero, Mary, said by her mother once during dinner after Sam Campbell came stumbling through the door with werewolf guts over his clothes. Mary didn’t care though. It still made her angry that her parents didn’t seem to want to listen to her. She never asked for this life. She never asked for her father to be a hero, reckless and pig headed and one of these days might not even make it back. Who the hell would want this life?
Besides Sam Campbell apparently.
-
1968
Mary was fourteen when she ran into a boy with dark hair and the warmest brown eyes she ever saw. He groaned, gripping the side of his head. The collision sent them both sprawling on the floor and Mary got up quickly, readjusting her clothes as she looked at him with sympathy in her eyes, “I’m so sorry. I should’ve watched where I was-”
“No, no, it’s fine. I should be more aware-”
They both stopped and stared at each other. The boy on the floor was breathtakingly beautiful. Mary had no idea she was holding her breath until he finally smiled and said, “Um, right, I, uh, really am sorry about that.” He picked up the books Mary dropped and got up, before handing them back to her. “My name is John by the way. John Winchester.”
“Mary,” Mary said as she took the books.
-
1969
“So what do you want to do when you’re an adult, Mary?” John asked her one day. They were leaning against Samuel’s truck as John looked out into the field.
Mary bit her lips as she thought about the question. What did she want to do? She knew what she didn’t want to do. There was a whole long list and on the very top of it was hunting. She couldn’t say that to John though. He wouldn’t understand. What did she want besides a life away from monsters? A safe, happy apple pie life?
She sighed and leaned against him. John was warm. She could feel the steady thump-thump-thump of his heart. It soothed her. “I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Just you know, have a family, I guess. Find love. Own a house maybe. Just all the normal, boring stuff.”
The two lapsed into comfortable silence. Then John chuckled, “Doesn’t sound all that boring to me.” He turned to her with a smile that practically melted her heart. “Sounds awesome actually. Falling in love? You only see that in the movies.”
-
1970
“I’m sorry, Mary,” John said with a sad smile.
“What for? What’s going on, John?” Mary asked, her heart beating quick.
John sighed. “I’m being drafted. I’m going to Vietnam.”
-
1972
“Mary, you’re coming by my house for dinner next week, aren’t you?” John Winchester asked one day at lunch. He had been back at Lawrence just over a week and already he couldn’t seem to wait to hang out with Mary again. “I’m going to be making some burgers with that homemade sauce you really liked last time.” Mary could feel her cheeks heat up. She looked down and took a sip from her milkshake. She felt like a schoolgirl all over again, giddy with childish excitement over the thoughts of John Winchester in the kitchen, getting his hands greasy over a stove. “Come on, Mary, you know we’ll have a good time. We always do. I’ll even let you pick the movie afterwards.”
Mary looked up to see John looking at her with his big, brown eyes. Even after the war, John was still John. Big and goofy and normal. The complete opposite of Sam Campbell. God. She wanted this so badly.
She smiled and took John’s hands into hers. “Like you have to beg for me to come over.” They stared at each other for a moment before John’s eyes widened and his lips quirked into a smile, bright and genuine, the kind that seemed to light his whole face and made him look so much younger than he really was. “I love you, John,” she said without thinking. But if she was being honest with herself, she knew it was true. She had been in love with John Winchester for years now, before he took off to war.
There was only a moment’s hesitation before John leaned forward and said, “I love you too.” Then they kissed.
-
1973
“Mary! Look what I brought back,” John Winchester excitedly showed off the new car. Mary came down the steps to see her husband-to-be leaning proudly against it. “It’s a 1967 Chevy Impala. What do you think? You like it, don’t you?”
Mary had never seen John so excited over a car before.
-
That same night
“I want to marry you, Mary Campbell,” John said, getting down on one knee with a little red box. He held it out for Mary to take it.
Mary held her breath, amazed that this funny, gorgeous and charming man would get on his knee to ask to spend an eternity with her. She was a hunter and her hands had been bloodied and yet, miraculously, she found someone who would take her and cherish her and love her with all his heart. Mary didn’t deserve John Winchester and she knew as soon as he discovered her dark little secret, it would be all over, but for now, she wanted to keep this man to herself. Just for a little while. Maybe the rest of her life if she was lucky. Call her selfish, but Mary thought she deserved a little happiness just like everyone else.
She took the box and opened it up to discover a ring. It was a simple band, symbolizing John’s love, and with tears in her eyes, she said, “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
John’s goofy smile spread wide on his face.
-
A couple weeks later
A demon. A demon came after Mary and her family and John was caught in the crossfire. It had glowing yellow eyes and it wanted Mary, more specifically Mary’s future baby. She fought against it as hard as she could but it wasn’t enough. It was too strong and Mary felt like a rag doll, tossed around against the walls with a flick of the wrist. She never felt so powerless in her life.
In the end, it took over her father and killed both her mom and dad...and then John came waltzing in, wrong time, wrong place, and the thing turned to him and then turned back to Mary with a wicked, nasty little grin and Mary felt her stomach drop, realizing that her whole life had just turned upside down in one instant.
“Poor, little orphan Mary Campbell,” the demon crooned.
It flicked its wrist and Mary watched in horror as John Winchester’s neck snapped and his head turned in a way that wasn’t possible for a human. He dropped to the floor in a heap. Dead. They were all dead.
“Oh, Mary, Mary, don’t you cry,” the demon whispered. “You’re still alive. You can get out of the life, just like you’ve always wanted. No more hunting. No more needless blood and tears. No more sorrow and danger and being dragged, kicking and screaming to something more terrifying. This is what you’ve dreamed of since you were just a little girl, wasn’t it?”
“No,” Mary whispered. “No, no, no.” No this wasn’t what she wanted. Not anymore.
“No?” the demon asked, grinning, already knowing what Mary wanted. It was toying with her, she knew. But she didn’t care.
She still pleaded, “Bring them back. Please. I’ll do whatever you want. Just please bring them back.”
“Anything I want you say?” the demon asked, pretending to consider it. It looked Mary in the eyes, those horribly bright yellow that would follow Mary around for years, in dreams, in nightmares, “Let’s make a deal, Mary Campbell. I know you love this John Winchester kid. I’ll give him back if you give me something in return.”
“My soul?” Mary dared to ask.
The demon shook with laughter. “No. Nothing like that, sweetheart. I want your child. Your second born child. I’m not going to take him away, don’t you worry about that. But I need access to the nursery when he turns six months. I can’t tell you what for but your whole family gets to live if I’m not interfered.” It paused, watched Mary as she trembled, letting her process. Then it reached her dead father’s hand out and gripped her chin, “Do you understand, Mary?” Mary could only nod. The demon’s smile widened, “Then we have a deal?”
“Y-yes,” Mary said, dread filling her whole body. “We have a deal.”
The demon’s eyes stared at her and its smile turned mocking, “We’re not done yet. The deal needs to be sealed with a kiss.”
-
1974
John and Mary got married in a small church in front of close friends and family. It was mostly from John’s side but Mary didn’t mind. She still loved John with all her heart and maybe it was for the best that her parents couldn’t make it. She felt a pang of guilt as she thought about her father being in attendance, complaining about the crowd of people, as her mom would try to quietly console him. Sometimes she missed them but she couldn’t afford to dwell on the dead. She was supposed to be happy. She watched as John went to grab some food for them both.
He looked gorgeous and happy and completely oblivious to things.
“Hell, I’ll even erase his memories of tonight, Mary,” the demon had said. “He won’t remember a damn thing, except how much he loves you, of course.”
Living a lie had always been the Campbell way, but it was better this way. For them both.
-
1978
In May of 1978, Mary found out she was pregnant. Somehow she knew deep down it was going to be a boy and she wanted to name her son after her mom. John was thrilled when he heard the news and decided to spoil them with a nice dinner out and a romantic movie. Mary smiled at the gesture. Sometimes she forgot her ruggedly handsome man could be such a sappy romantic at heart.
-
On January 24, 1979, Dean Winchester was born. “You’re my little angel, aren’t you, Deano?” Mary whispered to her precious baby boy.