Chapter 1

Sam looked at the small brown house surrounded by a silver gate, his feet shifted a little. He was suddenly uneasy about all of this. What if she actually didn't come back with them? It seemed she really had a life of her own now. He had been surprised to find out she was a hunter again when last he heard that she had given up that life...along with them.

"Dean…"

"Damn it Sammy, it's time she came out of hiding and she might know something about if angels really exist or not!"

Dean interrupted his brother as he went over to the gate to examine the lock. He pulled out his lock pick set and started working on the gate. He heard his brother sigh and he rolled his eyes.

"We haven't seen her since dad's funeral. She'll be angry we didn't tell her about the deal you made. Let alone that you were dead for four months."

"Blood is blood Sam."

Dean grumbled as he got the gate open. He held it out for Sam smiling smugly before following after. The lawn sprinklers kicked in and it was just their luck they happened to be standing in their path.

"Awesome." Dean mumbled as he and Sam ran to the front door only to get more soaked in the process. Dean grabbed the door knob but pulled away with a curse. Sam looked over his shoulder and saw a few of his fingers were bleeding. As Dean tried shaking the pain away he took a closer look at the doorknob and saw the jagged pieces of silver covering it.

"Jeez paranoid much. How much you wanna bet we're covered in holy water?" Dean raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Sam for a moment before he turned back to the door. He tried picking the lock again only this time being more careful with the knob. He was able to get it with a few turns and jabs. Sam followed Dean into the house and it seemed to be pure instinct as he tackled his brother to the ground.

"What the hell!"

Dean exclaimed as a shot of flame shot out at where they had just been standing. If Sam hadn't noticed the thin wire attaching the flame thrower to the door they would've been toast just then.

"Nice save Sam."

He looked up and frowned at the flickering lights. Before getting up to detach the wire that was holding the handle of the flamethrower.

"Be careful Dean, this whole place could be filled with traps."

Sam warned as he got up looking up and around to see if there were any more traps. Just as Dean cut the wire and stopped the onslaught of flame.

"I don't like the feel of this...you don't think she's…" Dean glanced at Sam worried but not wanting to finish the sentence.

"No."

Sam clenched his jaw willing to believe that their sister was still alive. He couldn't help but feel angry at Dean. He told him they should've came back for her sooner. That he should have just got over their fight and make up with her so they could have her back in their lives. But Dean and his stupid pigheaded stubbornness wouldn't have him forgive their sister for what she did.

"Damn it, we should have come sooner."

Dean ignored the look his brother was giving him from that statement. They walked around the house carefully now after almost being roasted to death. A breeze came in and Sam and Dean couldn't help shivering as they remembered they were soaked with what was most likely holy water. Sam reached out to close the door, the lights turned off as soon as he did. Sam wanted to test out a theory and opened the door again which caused the lights to flash on and off again.

"She's pretty good at this safe house stuff."

Dean mentioned as Sam opened and closed the door a few times before shutting it. Sam nodded his head in agreement impressed.

"Adeline! It's your brothers!"

Dean shouted out into the dark house. They waited for a response and when none came they decided to risk it and started looking around the house. It was a simple house. A kitchen, living room, bathroom and one bedroom all sparsely furnished In fact it looked like no one actually lived here. There were no personal effects laying around, no trash, no toiletries, and no food in the cabinets or fridge. Just the basic furniture and even they looked untouched.

"I don't think she lives here anymore Dean."

Sam met him in the kitchen were Dean was checking the last cabinet. Dean sighed and pulled out his phone to call Bobby.

"She's not here Bobby. Although this place had quite a few traps but it looks like no one actually lives here."

"Check underneath the pillows."

Dean turned to Sam. Sam nodded his head and he quickly returned with a handful of white sticks. Dean raised an eyebrow and Sam shrugged his shoulders he didn't know what it meant either.

"Okay yeah there were some sucker sticks there…..No I don't know how many Bobby." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Seven."

Sam answered after he checked them over again. Dean relayed that number to Bobby.

"I don't know Bobby."

Dean grabbed the sticks from Sam irritated and looked at each one carefully. They were all pretty cleaned off but one of them didn't have any bite marks. Dean handed back all of them but that one to Sam.

"What the hell do you mean unwrap it, it's a stick Bobby."

Dean looked over the stick annoyed and looked for a way to unwrap it. Dean held the stick up to Sam and he took it and after looking it over he began unwrapping it from its tight roll revealing that it was actually a note not a used sucker stick. It had only one word on it. Out.

"It says out Bobby."

"Oh wow, I never would've guessed that she wasn't here." Dean shot a look over at his brother and they both nodded. What was the point of that?

"Jeez Bobby, don't you have a number for her since it seems you two are all chummy what with the secret notes and all. Yeah fine we'll meet you at Olivia's then." Dean hung up the phone and turned to Sam.

"Bobby says he doesn't know when she'll be back it could be either be a few days or a few weeks according to him. He wants us to take the sticks and note with us though, said it's part of the code and whenever she gets back she'll notice and get in contact with him. Anyways let's change our clothes and hit the road again and see what's up with Bobby's friend Olivia."

Dean told him before he left the room muttering curses about his weird sister. Sam pocketed the sticks and note before he followed him out.

XXXXXXXXXX

"I checked on Carl Bates and Rc Adams, they've redecorated… in red."

"I don't know, but until we find out, you guys better get your asses to my place."

"Dean, that girl is smart, she's okay stop worrying. Well damn right it's your fault she left you guys in the first place and yeah you should've went after her sooner."

Bobby hung up his phone and shortly pulled into his driveway. He walked in and couldn't help but feel something amiss as he dropped his keys on the table. He looked around the room and saw a half-eaten sucker on the floor. He picked it up with a frown.

"Adeline." He mumbled before looking around his house to see if he could spot the girl.

"Adeline!"

He shouted walking around his house looking for the girl hoping whatever got those other hunters didn't get her. He went down to the basement and finally found the blonde girl on the floor. She had blood on her shirt and Bobby ran in and quickly knelt by her side not noticing the salt line around her.

"Adeline! Addy!" he shouted and shook her with one hand and moved her clothes around to find where the blood was coming from with the other so he could figure out what he needed to patch the girl up.

"...Stop shaking me Bobby. The blood isn't mine. It's been a long few days." Adeline finally grumbled batting away Bobby's hands tiredly.

"Olivia, Jed, Carl Bates and Rc Adams dead."

She told him and didn't bother to open her eyes. Bobby was about to ask her what all she knew but he was met with a soft snore. He sighed relieved she wasn't hurt but he was still irritated at the girl. He picked her up gently and carried her upstairs to set her on the couch. He watched the girl sleep for a moment. Her short hair was new but it still had her crazy waves, it looked about the same length as Sam's except styled differently. He found no other obvious differences to the girl when he saw her a few months ago. She still had in all five of her earings, wore loose cargo pants, t-shirts and a bright red pair of sneakers that he bought her a year ago. He sighed and gave her one last look over before he sat down at his desk.

Bobby had been researching more about what exactly was going on when he heard a squeak. He looked over to the couch and saw Adeline was watching him with a tired look in her green eyes.

"Are you going to tell me what the hell happened kid?"

He asked as he walked over to her. The phone started to ring. Adeline turned to Bobby who was still looking at her waiting for an answer.

"Are you going to get that?"

"Phone can wait."

Adeline shot him a look as she ran a hand through her hair trying to get it to stop sticking up from every which direction.

"I went over to Olivia's. She wasn't answering her phone so I went to her place and saw what happened to her, then I started calling around and found out that Jed, Carl and Rc weren't answering theirs either so I went to each of them and found them all dead. So I called over here and you didn't pick up. Came over, looked around for some sign of you before a ghost of a person I knew I had burned the remains of attacked me. I took care of him and super glued a salt ring so I could catch some shut eye after driving around so much the past few days. Could have saved myself a trip here if you had answered the phone. You ignoring phone calls nowadays Bobby?"

Adeline yawned when she finished and pulled out a sucker from her pocket. Seriously if the old coot had answered instead of ignoring the phone like he just had she could've slept in a bed in a safe house before coming this way to see what was going on with the hunters.

"Dean and Sam went over to your house looking for you."

Adeline frowned as Bobby told her that. She stood up and grimaced when she put weight on her right foot. Just her luck to sprain her ankle she thought miserably as she sat back down again.

"Why?"

She asked him with narrowed eyes not liking that Bobby gave her brothers the address to one of her houses. Although as far as Bobby knew she only had the one but now she would have to get rid it.

"They miss you and want you back with them."

Adeline snorted at the thought. "So they decided they miss me after three years of nothing, well aren't they sweet." She rolled her eyes.

"Well Dean did just come back from the dead from Hell no less so I say his priorities have changed. Just give him another chance Ads."

"Ah yes the soul deal they didn't tell me about. So how did Sammy get him back?" Adeline leaned back and closed her eyes still drained from the past few days.

"He didn't an angel did by the name of Castiel."

"The angel of Thursday?" Adeline opened her green eyes and looked at Bobby with a raised eyebrow wondering if she had heard correctly or if her tired mind had missed something.

"So you believe an angel really did drag him back up?"

"Yes, in the books it says an angel is the only one that can do that. So yeah I believe an angel really did, but they probably have a reason and it's probably not good. I'll stick around for a bit, you have my interest. Perhaps I can meet this angel…Castiel for myself."

She told him with a loud crunch. She smirked when she noticed Bobby's glare, he had always hated it when she did that. She pulled out her empty sucker stick and laid it on the coffee table ignoring his irritated sigh. Adeline lied back down and closed her eyes. Before Bobby knew it she was asleep again.

"Girl can sleep anywhere can't she?"

He grumbled to himself. He poured himself a drink and shot some of it back. He wasn't looking forward to when the three siblings met again, he knew there was going to be a fight but hopefully Adeline and Dean could overcome what happened between them. After all the girl was different from three years ago and that worried him. When he had met up with her again a year or so ago he had noted the hard glint in her eyes. She had also built up walls to keep him and anyone else out. It would be good for her to join back up with her brothers. Especially since they were her only family now.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Adeline opened her eyes and stood up slowly being careful with her ankle She pulled her gun out. Something had woken her up. She looked around the house and couldn't find Bobby. She frowned when her breath pooled around her and turned when she heard a familiar voice.

"Adeline Winchester, fancy seeing you again."

"Vince, I would say the same but I just saw your dead ass yesterday."

Adeline cocked her gun and aimed it at his chest.

"It was your fault that I died, that my family died! I want to kill you for that Adeline!" The ghost came at her.

"Get in Line!" Adeline shot him and he disappeared she knew he would be back though, it was only a matter of time. Adeline began looking around the house trying to find Bobby She winced when she forgot to take care of her ankle for a moment when she heard the front door open. She paused and listened to the two voices downstairs.

"You go check outside."

She would know that voice anywhere. Adeline heard the door again as Sam left. Great just great. Of course those two would show up now.

Adeline began moving again to check the last room for Bobby. The doors started randomly opening and closing and Adeline sighed. She was tired of this ghost business when she had already dealt with them before.

"Adeline how could you let me die?"

The ghost slid the dresser over so it hit Adeline in the side painfully. She grunted as she fell to her knees and lost her gun.

"I didn't let you die Blondey. Tried a bunch of stuff and then when it came down to either me or you I, of course choose me."

Adeline told the ghost of the woman in front of her as she put her hands in her pockets. The woman growled and came at her with the intent to kill but Adeline was waiting for that as she swung out the small iron wrench she kept on her keychain. She grabbed her gun and got up with a grimace cursing her dumb ankle. It had been the main reason she had fallen over when that dresser hit her. She rubbed her side before she readied her gun and left the room.

She saw Dean lying on the floor with a ghost above him, she aimed her gun and shot it. Dean looked up and his eyes widened when he saw her.

"Adeline!" He got up quickly and ran up to her hug her. Adeline hesitantly patted his back then pulled away quick. Dean frowned at her lack of reaction then noticed all the blood on her shirt.

"Addy, what the hell happened are you okay? Where's Bobby?"

Dean started running his hands on her stomach trying to find the wound. She slapped his hands away and turned around so she could go down the stairs.

"Not my blood, a ghost probably has him."

She answered briskly as she hobbled down the stairs. To her surprise Bobby was in the living room with Sam.

"Bobby, I was about to come save you." She smirked at the older man and he snorted

"Sam beat you to it Addy, but thanks for the thought."

"Adeline!"

Sam exclaimed before pulling her into an air crushing hug. Adeline wrapped her arms around her younger brother.

"Sammy."

She commented as he let her go. Sam eyed her shirt and before he could do the same thing Dean and Bobby did she pulled the damn thing over her head showing that no blood was on her black tank top it had just been on the t-shirt she had been wearing.

"Now get your guns loaded with salt rounds instead of being occupied with me."

She told her brothers as she grabbed a sucker out of her pocket. Sam and Dean looked at each other wondering if they both noticed the difference in their sister and then they got to work reloading their guns.

"So they're all people we know." Sam commented.

"Not just people we know, people we couldn't save." Adeline said as she looked out the window.

"Hey, I saw something on Meg. Did she have a tattoo when she was alive?" Dean asked Sam but not before casting a quick look at Adeline.

"I don't think so." Sam answered.

"It was like a-a mark on her hand almost like a brand."

"I saw a mark on Henriksen." Sam recalled.

"What did it look like?"

Bobby and Adeline asked them at the same time. Adeline raised her eyebrow at Bobby and he did the same at her before they both looked at Sam.

"Uh Paper? Thanks."

Sam said as Bobby handed him paper.

"That's it."

Dean said as Sam showed him the paper. Sam showed it to Bobby and Adeline. Adeline turned around and Bobby said he might've seen it before then he turned around to the bookshelf and started grabbing books along with Adeline. They paused at what they were doing when they heard a noise.

"Come on we got to move."

Bobby told them as he handed some books to Dean to carry before he grabbed some more.

"Where to?" "Someplace safe you idjit."

Bobby grunted at Sam and they all followed him down the stairs.

Adeline whistled impressed at the sight of the panic room. She hadn't made it that far in. She recalled Bobby talking about it sometime ago with her but damn.

"Nice digs Bobby, might've come over sooner if I knew." She patted him on the shoulder before going in. Sam and Dean followed looking around.

"Bobby is this?" Sam started.

"Solid iron completely coated in salt one hundred percent ghost free." He finished for Sam.

"You built a panic room?" Sam asked him impressed.

"I had a weekend off."

Sam laughed at his comment and Adeline couldn't help a small smile slide through.

"Bobby, you're awesome." Dean told him smiling to himself.

Sam and Dean got to work making more salt rounds while Adeline and Bobby started looking in the books they brought down.

"So Adeline...did Bobby help you with the traps set at your house?"

"No."

She answered without looking at him she didn't want to talk about this right now and was amazed when Dean actually changed the subject.

"See this is why I can't get behind God."

"What are you talking about?" Sam questioned him.

"If he doesn't exist, fine. Bad crap happens to good people. That's how it is. There's no rhyme or reason just random, horrible, evil I get it, okay. I can roll with that. But if he is out there, what's wrong with him? Where the hell is he while all these decent people are getting torn to shreds? How does he live with himself you know, why doesn't he help?"

Sam and Adeline glanced at each other then turned over to look at Bobby.

"I ain't touching this one with a ten foot pole."

"Yeah." Dean sighed.

"Found it." Bobby said. Adeline peered over his shoulder to see what he found.

"What?" Sam asked.

"The symbol you saw, the brand you saw on the ghosts, mark of the witness."

Adeline sighed she didn't like the sound of this. Great a sign of the apocalypse, she thought tiredly as she sat back and listened to Bobby.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Well that was fun."

Adeline said sarcastically as she held her bleeding arm. Bobby snorted and rolled his eyes at her.

"So what are your plans now Adeline. Care to stick around with us for a while?"

"What the hell, might as well since it seems we have the apocalypse on our hands. I'm going to shower and clean my gun. I'll trust you guys to clean all this up."

She waved her hand at the mess around them. She nodded her head at Bobby ignored Dean completely but couldn't help but cast a glance at Sam before she limped away muttering curses about her foot.

"Sammy you should tell her what happened."

"Why can't you Dean?"

"She likes you better, she's barely looked at me since we got here. She'll take the news better from you."

Bobby sighed and kept his mouth shut after all when he told Adeline what was going on with them she made him swear not to tell them she knew. She wanted to wait to see when they would fess up themselves about the damn deal Dean made for Sam.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Adeline woke up and looked around groggily in the guest room. She couldn't spot anything amiss but she got up slowly knowing her instincts had woken her up. She grabbed her gun and cocked it before she crept downstairs. She saw Sam asleep on the couch and Dean sleeping on the floor. Her head started pounding when she looked at him. Adeline put the safety on before putting her gun in the waistband of her shorts.

"Damn headaches."

She grumbled as she got a glass of water before heading back up the stairs to take the painkillers Bobby kept in the bathroom. She was annoyed her body woke her up just for the stupid pain head pain and some ringing in her ears.

"Who's the girl Dean?"

Castiel asked as he watched her go back upstairs. There was something about her... something... off about her presence. It took him a minute to realize what it was and he furrowed his eyebrow wondering what happened to her to make her that way. It took a lot of damage to someone to see even a little bit of their soul. And that girl's had been leaking, nothing good could come out of something like that.

"My sister Adeline. Why?" Dean asked annoyed at the angel for the question.

"Her soul is falling apart or actually breaking in half I should say. Keep an eye on her Dean, it's not easy for a soul to break in half. Something horrible must have happened to leave her like that." Castiel informed him in a gruff voice still looking up the stairs to where the girl had gone.

Dean took a step closer to Castiel worried about what the angel had just told him. Surely the angel knew what had happened to her he seemed to know a lot about his and and Sam's life so he must know something about her.

"What the Hell Cas? Tell me what happened to her!?"

Castiel turned his narrowed eyes back on Dean. He didn't like the tone the oldest Winchester had took with him.

"Show me some respect, I dragged you out of hell and I can throw you back in." He told Dean before he left the dream.