We drive in the lovely summer weather through nice forests and hills and away from the last town. It's relaxing and therapeutic. We have the usual family moments with fights, squabbles, teasing and jokes. About two days after we left the last town, something interesting happens.

Dean spots someone standing beside the road, which is odd for a place in the middle of nowhere. For someone who is stranded in the middle of nowhere, the guy looks clean. Actually, he looks possibly cleaner than we do. Dean stops the car and leans out of his window.

"Cas, what're you doing here?" Dean asks. He obviously knows the guy.

Cas looks very serious, his eyebrows permanently drawn together. He is wearing a trench coat and a shirt and tie. He has short hair and bright blue eyes. "There are people chasing after you," he says. "It's not safe out here."

"What are you talking about?" Dean scowls. "Get in. You just have to sit in the back with her."

I scoot to the far end to get away from the stranger. I eye him warily and he studies me silently.

"Guys? Who is this?" I ask.

"My name is Castiel. I am an angel of the lord," Castiel answers way too seriously.

"Cas here told us where to find you, when Crowley got to you the last time," Sam explains.

"Thanks, I guess," I say.

"There is no need for you to be afraid of me, Pierce," Castiel says.

"How do you know my name?"

"Of course I would know your name," Castiel nods. "It's well known among the angels, which is why you're not safe."

"What do they want?" Dean asks.

"They want the Key," Castiel answers. He looks at me before saying, "They want you."

I nod, "I kind of guessed that."

I still haven't told them about the contents of my visions yet. They don't know they're visions. As far as they're concerned, I have been having bad headaches since I came back from Crowley. I don't want to tell them. It would potentially put them in danger and it would be my fault. I just want to live a long life as normal as possible and die with the world's biggest secret planted in my head.

I have considered dying straight away but I doubt that Sam and Dean would let me do that. I don't want to, either. I have come to enjoy the life we live right now, leaning on each other and no one else. I don't want that to end. Not to mention that I'm a great big chicken at inflicting wounds to myself.

"The angels sense that the Key is awakening and they want to rid the world of it as soon as possible," Castiel continues. "You must hide from them until it is safe."

"The Key is awakening? What does that mean?" Dean growls.

"It means that Pierce is finding out more and more about the summoning of hell's worst creatures. There is a cabin just off the road from here. I made sure that no supernatural thing can get into the area."

"How did you do that without hurting yourself?" Dean asks.

"I didn't," Castiel answers simply. "I have been weakened while getting the wards up. Don't worry, I just need some rest and I'll be fine. Turn here."

We turn in to a dirt road canopied by trees. We reach a small clearing with a log cabin in the centre. Dean stops the car and we get out. Walking up the pathway, I realize that Castiel is not following us. Dean turns around and looks at him.

"So you can only stand there?"

"Yes, unless you invite me in. Otherwise, it's like walking into a pit of acid."

"Come in, then," Dean says and Castiel walks with us into the log cabin.

The interior of the cabin is neat and well decked out for our needs. There is a main room with sofas and a fireplace at one side and a dining table beside a small kitchenette on the other side. There are four doors excluding the one leading outdoors. There are drawbacks, though. The entire cabin is only lit by little bulbs hanging sparsely on the ceiling and the rest of the place is completely void of electricity. The walls look slightly rickety and the curtains floating around in the wind at the widows are thin, worn and faded.

"This is cozy," Dean comments sarcastically. "How did you find this place?"

"That's not of your concern," Castiel says. "Stay in here and you'll be safe. All of you."

"If angels are looking for me, how can I be so sure you're not?" I turn on Castiel.

Castiel looks at me the expression on his face makes me regret my doubts. "I was the one who kept you safe and alive for so long. I turn heaven into chaos so that you could come here. I was cast out of heaven to keep you safe." His eyes intensify until they shine like twin blue laserlights, literally.

Suddenly, something inside me clicks and I understand everything. "You were the one who visited me when I was a baby," I realize. "You gave me this life, this second chance."

"Yes, you are but an innocent child," Castiel confirms. "I am under orders to protect you and keep you safe. As an angel, I am limited so I sent you to the most trustworthy name in the history of hunters. Seeing that you're still alive and breathing, they have not failed yet."

"If you have orders to save me, why do others have orders to kill me?"

"The other angels believe that killing you would end everything," Castiel explains. "Everyone has their own point of views, and theirs is violence. There are a fair few of us who want you for selfish reasons. They won't kill you, but they will be no better than Crowley."

"Maybe the others have a point," I say. "If the world needs to be rid of the secret, why not just kill me and be done with it?"

"Don't you even consider that option," Dean growls. "We keep you alive, that's our job. From my past experiences, death never solved anything." He looks at Castiel and says, "I thought the secret is hidden, even she doesn't know about it."

I turn to him, "I'm sorry I haven't told you guys but it's true. I am starting to uncover the secret. It turns out that I'm not just the key keeper, I am the key."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asks. "When did this happen?"

I sigh, "The key to open the gates of hell is not a physical thing. It's a ritual and a sacrifice." I look them in the eye and make the point, "I am the sacrifice."

"So you know all the steps to this ritual?" Dean scowls. "When did you start realizing all this?"

"When Crowley zapped me with some drill thing and I've been having these really bad migraines and I get visions when the headaches happen," I confess. "The pain is bearable, I guess. I get a heart attack on worse nights but I'm good."

"What about the ritual? Do you know the whole thing?" Dean probes.

"I know some parts but there are some fuzzy things," I shrug.

"Great, so do you want to tell us about it?"

I shake my head, "No, I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?" Dean insists.

"It'll put everyone in danger," I say. "Not to mention, defeat the entire purpose of my existence."

Castiel agrees with me, "She's right. The secret should be kept a secret. And the secret keeper kept safe. They're coming for you. You must stay here until it is safe."

"I guess we can get settled down then," I say. "How long do we have to stay here?"

Castiel answers, "At least a week or two. You'll be safe by the end of the month."

I look at Dean and beg with him. He gives in reluctantly. "Alright, get your things and make yourselves at home. We'll be here for a while." To Castiel he asks, "You sure this is an angel proof place?"

Castiel nods, "Angels, demons and everything in between. They can only come in if you give them permission." He spots my pendant, "You still have that." I nod. "Keep it with you. It'll help bury the secret."

Without a word, Castiel disappears before our eyes. A bit bewildered I look at Dean and Sam. Dean pulls a face and says, "He tends to do that." He looks around and four doors in the cabin. They turn out to be three bedrooms and a bathroom. He points to the biggest room and says, "Dibs on this room. I'm going to park the car inside the circle and get our stuff."

I take the room furthest away on the far right near to the kitchen and Sam takes the one on the far left right next to the bathroom. Dean took the middle one, being his selfish self. We get settled in and I explore my room for the next fortnight. It is a comfortable size with a bed covered in soft sheets and a thick blanket. There are cupboards to keep my clothes in, although they are a bit dusty. I have a dressing table complete with a mirror as well. This is the most comfortable place I have stayed in so far. I think I might like it here.

I fall on the bed and close my eyes. I enjoy of the soft sheets against my skin. I realize that I need the rest. I shut the world out and just listen to the forest life outside. I sigh and drift off to a light sleep. I was just starting to really enjoy everything when something lands hard on my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I look up and Dean is standing there laughing.

"You are evil, you know that?" I groan in pain.

"One of my perks," he chuckles and winks. "Your stuff," he points to the bag.

"Yeah, thanks for crushing my guts with them," I mutter sarcastically.

"Don't mention it," he says before walking out of the room. "Just get up in time for dinner. I'm cooking."

"There are supplies in the kitchen? I'm surprised."

"Yeah, there is enough food and beer to last for a month," Dean says. "Cas has done good."

I take a nap and wake up to the smell of something cooking. The scent of herbs and spices make my mouth water. My stomach grumbles and I get out to see what's cooking. I turn and see Dean setting plates of burgers down on the dining table. I raise my eyebrows and he grins proudly. Sam, who is sitting in the living space using his laptop, looks up and walks to the table.

I bite into the juicy burger and the flavor floods my taste buds. I must have had an impressed look on my face because Dean smiles smugly. Sam looks at me with an 'it's true' face.

"It is good?" Dean asks.

"It's amazing," I exclaim. "It's the best thing I've tasted the entire time I was here."

"Aw, shucks," Dean smiles. "You make me blush."

We finish dinner and I lounge on the sofa while Sam does his surfing. The fire is lit in the fireplace and warms up the large space. There is not much electricity in this place but miraculously there is Wi-Fi. Each room has a small light bulb to light up enough to create shadows everywhere. During the warm summer day it's comfortable, but the night time is cold and drafty.

Dean kills time by cleaning his arsenal of guns and knives. I lie there on my stomach watching them do their things and I sigh. They look up at me with questioning looks.

"Something tells me I'm going to be very bored by the end of it all," I comment.

Dean chuckles and says, "Yeah, you and me both. But it's a bit of a break, and we need some of that."

I look at Sam busy with his computer and I ask curiously, "What are you doing, Sam?"

"Nothing," he answers. "Just keeping watch on the surroundings."

"Okay," I reply. I twist myself so that I'm facing the ceiling. "Now what?"

"Now you're going to tell us what exactly Crowley did to you when he abducted you," Dean says. "I just realized that you never told us anything about it. All we know is that you get headaches now and again and they're really bad."

I reach for my pendant as an old habit. I think for a while before talking. "When the big guys took me from the store, they knocked me out because I was fighting too much and causing a scene. I woke up in a dark room, tied up and chained to the ground."

I pause for breath and continue, "Crowley came and asked for the key and I told him I didn't have it. He hit me every time I said I don't know about the key. Later, he got an assistant to do the dirty work, he stood there and kept asking me about the key.

"One time, he came in with this drill thing like the ones dentists use and he said that it uncovers truths, or at least cause enough pain so the victim tells willingly," I chuckle half-heartedly. "He aimed at my head and turned it on." I stretch my neck to see an upside down image of Dean who is frowning there with a dismantled gun in his hand. "It hurt," I tell him. "But it didn't work."

"He aimed for my heart one day and I started seeing things," I recount. "Before that it was just white hot pain that's blinding and numbing my brain. This time it was worse and I started seeing and hearing things. After that, you guys came and saved me." I smile at Dean, "Thanks for that."

"Yeah, no problem," Dean says. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"

I shrug, "You never asked."

"That's not funny," Dean says.

"I never said it was," I look at him unsmilingly.

Dean puts down his gun and says, "You have to talk to us, man. We need to know what's going on so we can help you. Hell, heaven and everything in between is looking for you. And I want to know why."

I sit up and look him straight in the eye, "There's a ritual, there's a sacrifice. Only I know the steps for the ritual and I am the sacrifice. There's not much else to that." I sigh, "I don't actually know everything about it yet, and I plan on keeping it that way. I'm not going to discover more about it and I don't want to."

"But there is obviously a method out there that can draw out the secret," Dean argues back. "Now it's our job to keep it down. Also our dad owes it to your dad to keep you safe and alive so you can stop thinking about killing yourself either."

"Why? Then I can be out of your way and one less responsibility for you!"

"Pierce, we're not going to let you die," Dean raises his voice. "What's the point of us coming all the way here and taking care of you for so long if you're just going to kill yourself at the end of it? Besides, you owe it to your own father. He's been trying all these years to keep you safe, the least you could do is try and fight for your life as long as you can."

"Dean's right," Sam speaks up gently. "It's not worth what your dad has done, what Cas has done and what we've done for you to just give up."

"But this is all so pointless," I say in a strangled voice, trying to choke back tears. "If I get caught by anybody, they'll torture the summoning ritual out of me then kill me. If I manage to stay safe, I am still going to die with the secret it's just a matter of sooner or later."

"That's not a reason to stop living," Dean exclaims. "Every day we live brings us closer to death, but you don't see us just dropping everything and giving up. I don't care if demons and angels rain chaos down here until you're a wrinkly old woman, we're going to fight them until the day you die a natural death."

He stands up for that freaky height advantage. "You're not just another job to us anymore. You're as good as family to us now, do you know that? You're like our baby sister and we do not just give up on family like that, you hear me? So whether you like it or not, we're keeping you safe and alive. Understand?"

I cast my head down and nod, tears threatening to pour.

"So I say we forget about the whole key thing and just concentrate on keeping you out of harm's way. Okay?"

"Okay," I manage to squeak out. I fight back the tears and look up at him, "Thanks."

His expressions soften and he says, "It's okay. Come here."

He sits beside me and I lean in for the hug. He holds me tight and I lay my head on his shoulder. I look at Sam who smiles at me and I try a watery smile back. Family, that's what we are. We'll stick together and fight until our last breath. Family.

New character introduction! Cas will come out more in the third installment. (Yes, this is the end.) I hoped you liked it and will continue to read Part Three. Following this is an End Note from the Author (me) just like Part 1. It's not obligatory to read it but you can if you want. Do put a review down below and let me know what you think of my story so far and if there are ways for me to improve my writing. Thank you.