SOUIX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA

It only took them a few hours to get to the familiar home. The drive was quiet as everyone was on edge from the appearance of the angels and from the discovery of Oshea's secret. She kept quiet, not knowing what she could say to explain. Bobby was waiting for them when they arrived and helped them bring their bags inside the house. As Oshea was bringing her duffel bag inside, Bobby stopped her. "Oshea, there's something downstairs I want to show you and the others. You and Dean go on down there and I'll get Sam and Ella." Oshea nodded without a word, glancing to Dean briefly as she laid down her bag and started downstairs. Dean followed Oshea, and when they had reached the panic room, he stopped at the door, looking down at the ground as she continued to walk inside.

Oshea moved into the panic room that Bobby had set up downstairs and smiled a little. She had heard about it, but had not had the chance to actually see it yet. Bobby stepped out behind Dean while Oshea was looking around the room and gave him a little nod. Dean stared into the panic room one last time before they both pulled the heavy iron door and then pushed it to a close, locking the latches, and closing the little barred window. The sound of the door closing echoed throughout the house loudly.

Oshea jumped as she heard the door slam behind her and she frowned, stepping from the middle of the room to the door. "Dean? Dean, are you out there?" She called through the door. She tried to open it and frowned deeply, starting to feel nervous. "Dean? Dean, what's going on? Let me out..."

He and Bobby exchanged glances and then after a moment, they started up the stairs to the main part of the house. Dean looked back, only for a moment, to hear the cries of Oshea and then he followed after Bobby. Oshea beat her fists against the door and tugged at the handle. "DEAN! DEAN! You can't leave me down here! LET ME OUT! DEAN PLEASE! Don't leave me down here!" Her cries followed Bobby and Dean up the stairs and poured into the room until they shut the door that led down to the basement. Sam looked up at Dean with a small frown.

Ella was quietly curled up in the small armchair in the corner of the room, staring at the wall as Oshea's screams from below was muffled by the door closing.

Sam looked over at her and frowned sympathetically. He had opened his mouth to speak when there came the sound of footsteps. A slender teenage male stepped from the entryway into the room where they all were gathered. He was wearing a pair of dusty, worn jeans and Converse shoes; a white button down shirt was messily tucked into the waistband of the jeans and a tie was loosely dangling from around his neck. A black dress jacket hung over the white shirt and an acoustic guitar was slung over his back. His black hair was messy and hung in front of his face, partially hiding his bright blue eyes. He smiled, looking at them all. "Hello. My name is Joel."

Dean's eyes widened and he arched a brow. The room was silent for a moment. "Are you serious? You're supposed to be an angel? You look like a friggen Jonas brother for crying out loud."

Bobby's brows furrowed in disbelief, looking the young man over. "How old are you, twelve?"

Joel frowned and shook his head. "Seventeen. At least, that's how old my suit is." He said, glancing down at himself. He turned his attention to Dean and scoffed. "I can sing and play much better than those girls. But that's beside the point." He cleared his throat and straightened some. "I am Joel and I am the guardian angel assigned to you."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, we all feel very safe now that the Boy Wonder is here."

Dean scoffed. Ella's eyebrows were raised as she looked up at Joel, but she remained in the small armchair, hugging her legs to her chest. She chuckled a bit at Bobby's comment. "You've got to be joking. You're my guardian angel?"

"Yes. You must be Ella." Joel said with a smile, his eyes sparkling as he walked up to her. He shed his guitar and leaned it against the wall before going to stand in front of Ella. "It's a pleasure. Don't worry I'm quite capable of protecting you, much more capable than Tweedle Dee and Tweeddle Dum there," he said, glancing toward Sam and Dean.

"Funny," Dean said sarcastically with a snort. "Especially since you all-knowing angels didn't even bother to inform us about Ella's little ability to hear and see angels."

"It's none of my concern what the higher ups want to tell or keep from people," Joel said with a shrug. "I don't ask questions, I just do my job."

Sam straightened in his chair, suddenly remembering. "Speaking of your superiors, one of them took Castiel and we haven't seen him since."

Joel looked to Sam and sighed a little. "Castiel's in a whole mess of trouble...," He said with a small frown. "They took him back to Heaven so the angels could yell at him."

Sam shook his head in confusion. "I just don't understand what he did that was so bad."

Joel shrugged lightly. "He brought Oshea back from Hell. You see, it was the plan all along that you all were to be sent to the orphanage, Ella was supposed to die and Oshea was supposed to make a deal and bring her back. The angels want Oshea dead."

"And why is that?" Dean asked, glaring at the young angel.

Joel glanced toward the basement door silently for a moment, listening to the sound of Oshea's muffled screams. He lifted a hand and gestured toward the closed door. "That's why. Because of what she's been doing."

"Again, another lovely bit of information you and your nice little angel friends failed to mention. You just put a hit out on her, and don't even tell us," Dean said.

"I just told you didn't I? I didn't have to do that." Joel said, his brows furrowing. "They probably won't like that I told you since now you'll try to stop them from coming after her..."

"You're right, that's exactly what we're going to do. So if you angels have a problem with that, that's too bad," Ella said with a glare, standing up from the small armchair and walking past Joel towards the basement door. Joel was quiet as he watched her stand up from the chair and walk to the basement door. Oshea was crying softly, leaning against the door of the panic room. Her hands were red from beating against the metal of the door. As she heard someone coming down the stairs, she pounded against the door.

"Let me out! Please... please let me out!"

The sound of clanking metal was heard as Ella unlocked the iron door. "Back up from the door, Oshea, I'm coming in," She warned.

Oshea curled her arms around herself and stepped back from the door, keeping her eyes down on the floor. "Ella, I can't take this," She said quietly once her sister had entered the room. "Please... you have to let me out of here." Her voice was weak and scratchy from the yelling.

Ella looked down as she pushed the heavy door to a close. "Sorry, sis, I can't do that... you know I can't."

Oshea brushed a little hair behind her ear, coughing softly. "Yes, you could, Ella... please just... l-let me... out..." Her voice became tight and she coughed again, sinking down to the floor. She gagged and

doubled over, gasping and choking sharply. Suddenly, she lurched from the floor and flew through the air of the room, crashing into the wall. Her eyes rolled back as she grunted painfully and lifted her hands. She shuddered and her body jerked, rolling along the edge of the wall and crashing into shelves and other furniture in the room.

Ella stood helplessly, and pulled the door open a little, poking her head out. "Dean, Sam, Bobby! I need help! Something... something's happening!" She yelled up the stairs.

After a few moments the others had rushed downstairs to help. Bobby shook his head as moved into the panic room and along with Dean, grabbed Oshea and held her down onto the ground. Oshea jerked and convulsed against the floor violently. Bobby frowned deeply, glancing to Dean. "We're going to have to tie her down."

Dean stared down at Oshea for a moment, before looking back up at Bobby, nodding. Bobby pulled over a thin metal bed with a small old mattress. With Sam's help, he placed Oshea, who was thrashing weakly and whimpering, onto the bed and tied her down with padded leather cuffs on her wrists and ankles and a large strap across her chest. Oshea jerked and tugged against the straps, her eyes rolling back and sweat pouring down her face. Bobby sighed and looked to Dean. "Are we sure that we're doing the right thing?"

"Well what else are we supposed to do, Bobby?" Dean asked quietly. After they had her strapped down completely and safely, Bobby and Dean started out of the room. "I'll... I'll be up in a few minutes," Ella said, standing in the door way of the panic room.

Bobby sighed. "Dean, we're killing her." He said quietly as he and Dean moved up the stairs. "If she doesn't get what she needs... she isn't going to last much longer." Sam watched Ella a moment and hesitated at the bottom of the stairs before nodding and following the others. Oshea panted softly and tugged weakly at the restraints. There were footsteps after a moment and Joel stepped up beside of Ella. "I'm sorry... about your sister. I wish there was something I could do."

"I want to talk to my sister, alone." She said, not looking up at Joel as she started to close the iron door.

"Be careful," Joel said, glancing to Oshea briefly before he went back up the stairs. Ella pushed the door closed but did not lock it. She walked over to the side of Oshea's bed, and stood there for a moment, not saying anything. She walked away and sat down in the chair in the small room.

After a moment, Oshea opened her eyes and looked down at her wrists, giving her arms a little tug. She glanced around the room, stopping as she saw Ella sitting in the chair. "Why... why am I strapped down?"

"You were flinging around the room, Oshea," Ella said with a sigh. "You need to explain this, sis, because I don't understand it a damn bit."

Oshea sighed softly. "I don't... think there's really anything to explain, Ella." She said softly. "Please... just let me out of here... I can't go on like this much longer..."

Ella scoffed. "There's not much to explain? Oshea, you just broke down and chugged a demon's blood right in front of us, I think there's a good bit you need to explain. And until you do, and until you get better, you're staying right here in this room."

"Get better? There is no 'get better,' Ella." Oshea said with a bitter, pained chuckle. "Don't you understand? If you don't let me out of here… I'm going to die. Is that what you want? You want me to die strapped down to this bed and locked away in this room like I'm some kind of monster? Besides, I think you have some explaining to do, too. Why didn't you tell me I was adopted?"

Ella stared down at the floor. "When I found out, you were way too young for me to tell you. Then when you were older, I didn't know how to tell you. And after our parents, I mean... my parents, died, I didn't have the heart to tell you."

"You know how I found out? Jonah... a demon... told me. He told me that my real mother was killed by a demon. Yellow Eyes ripped open her stomach and burned her alive on the ceiling of our home. Before he did that, he cut open his wrist and made me drink his blood. When I was a baby." Oshea closed her eyes, her brows furrowing as she writhed slightly on the bed she was strapped to. "Jonah explained everything to me. I have powers, Ella. I can exorcise demons with my mind... if I keep this up, I'll be able to kill them. I won't be weak anymore... I'll be able to save people."

"You think this is you being strong, sis? Try weak. You are giving in to this... to this evil because of a demon, Oshea. The same type of creature that killed your mom, killed Sam and Dean's parents," Ella sighed and stood up, pacing around the room. "And you're believing every word he says. I cannot believe this. You're stronger than this, smarter than this."

"He's not lied to me so far, which is more than I can say for you." Oshea said with a frown. "You lied to me about my family, had plenty of opportunities to explain things to me and never did. I think you're jealous... I'm getting stronger and I'll finally be able to take care of myself...I won't need you to protect me anymore."

Ella scoffed, shaking her head. "Do you not hear yourself, Oshea? You're choosing demon blood, you're choosing a demon over me? I admit, I should have told you. But you being adopted doesn't make us any less family." Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. "So you can throw all of this in my face all you want, you can call me a liar, and tell me that you hate me for not being honest. But you cannot for a second say that I won't always be here for you, because you are my sister, and I will never stop trying to protect you. Which is why I can't let you out," Ella said, walking over to the door, turning her back to her as she pulled it open and started to walk out.

Oshea opened her eyes and watched her sister as she started to leave. "Ella... Ella! So that's it? You're just going to leave me to die down here?" She shouted as she squirmed on the bed and jerked against the restraints.

"Don't be overdramatic," Ella said, turning to look at her as she stood out the door. "You're not going to die. But this isn't going to be easy, for you or us. Think of this as rehab, except for three times the hell. I'm sorry, but this has to be done. I can't let you turn into a monster. Think of your mom. Even if you never actually knew her. She died, trying to save you. And now you're repaying her by screwing around with the same kind of evil that killed her. This isn't right, Oshea, and deep down I think you know that." And with that, Ella pushed the door until it was closed completely, and she locked it, walking away and up the steps. She avoided the group of hunters that were gathered in the living room area outside the basement door, and she walked by them silently, grabbing her jacket that was slung over one of the chair, and walking outside, alone.

The sound of the door slamming echoed through the home along with Oshea's muffled cries. Joel glanced to the stairs, watching as Ella stepped out and grabbed her jacket before leaving the home altogether. He had been leaning against the wall by the basement door, his arms crossed over his chest. After she had left, Joel opened the door and slipped down the stairs. He stopped in front of the heavy metal door and frowned as he heard Oshea yelling and cursing inside. He hesitated, almost going back up the stairs. He did not know why he had been told to do this, but orders were orders. The locks of the door slowly slid away and the door swung open. Joel slid behind the staircase as the restraints on Oshea unfastened. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back slightly, hearing Oshea scramble from the bed and rush up the stairs.

Oshea frowned as she carefully pushed open the back door. She looked both ways before she slipped out and closed the door softly behind her. Once it had closed, she broke into a run away from the house.

Outside, Ella sat down on the rickety steps of Bobby Singer's front porch. She sighed deeply before leaning her head against the railing, closing her eyes. Sam stepped from the house and sat down on the steps beside of her, curling one arm around her shoulders. "Everything's going to be okay, Ella..." He said quietly.

Ella shook her head. "I don't know if it will be, Sam."