"Well, Steven, what you heard is not what happened," Piper snapped into the phone. Dean lifted his head and grinned at her tone. "And if I hear you spreading rumors about it, I will take it upon myself to personally, physically, let you know how offended I will be. Am I making myself clear, Steven? I don't want any more misunderstandings like this."

She flipped her phone shut, irritated. "The nerve of that guy! Telling me what happened like I wasn't in that damn cemetery."

Sam was chuckling. "Pipe, no one knows you were there."

She turned to him. "Shut it, Winchester."

Dean grinned and looked back down at the book he was looking at. It was a few weeks after they had killed the yellow-eyed demon, and untold number of demons had been released into the world. He and Sam had been hunting almost constantly since then, but had come back the night before. Bobby was trying to get the Colt to work again, and had called them back to help.

Piper's wrist had been severely sprained in the cemetery, so she had opted to stay back. She had become a mini-Bobby, fielding calls from hunters in need. She had also become sort of a dispatcher, calling hunters to go where they were needed, assembling teams, building strategies.

Dean was a little worried, she was working at least twenty hours a day, and barely ate a thing. He hadn't realized how bad it was until he had seen her when they had gotten in yesterday. There were dark smudges under her eyes, and her clothes were starting to hang off of her already slender frame.

He was brought out of his musings by Sam raising his hands in defeat. "Yes, ma'am."

Piper laughed and flopped next to him on the couch, laying her head on Sam's shoulder. "If these people don't stop blaming you guys, I'm going to lose my temper."

Piper had spent the time when she wasn't researching or directing hunters fiercely defending the Winchesters. Anyone who even suggested that they might be to blame for the door to hell opening got an earful. Anyone who didn't let up on their suspicions was hung up on, and Piper blatantly refused to help them.

Dean smiled at her. "Pipes, people are going to blame us. It's not fair, but it's what it is."

Her eyes were closed, and she didn't open them. "That's stupid," she muttered.

Dean frowned. She hadn't looked at him all day, and barely spoke to him. It was subtle, but if she was addressing him, it was because she was addressing both brothers. He was sure it had something to do with the deal he'd made, but she wasn't talking about it, and he sure as hell wasn't going to bring it up.

He glanced at the window, mildly surprised that it was dark. He checked his phone. "Pipes, it's after midnight. Go to bed."

She shook her head and got up without meeting his eyes. "No such luck. Gotta research." She picked up a book and sat down opposite of Dean, flipping it open and digging out the notebook she kept her notes in, sinking into her work.

Dean met Sam's eyes, then waited her out. Fifteen minutes later, she was mostly asleep, her head propped in her hand. Dean stood and came around to stand behind her. He reached a hand out to her shoulder, but something prevented him from touching her. Instead, he put it on the back of her chair. "Piper, you're about to drop. Go to bed."

She started awake, blinking owlishly. "Um… You might be right," she mumbled as she stood. As she stretched her arms above her head, Dean averted his eyes and stepped back. Stop it, pervert, he thought angrily at himself.

Piper made her way to the stairs, then turned and smiled at Sam. "'Night, Winchesters. Back at it bright and early."

Dean watched her go, then turned back to Sam, who was smirking. "What?" he asked, irritated.

Sam raised his eyebrows. "Nothing, man. Just watching you leer at our childhood friend."

Dean scowled and closed his book. "Shut up, Sam."

xxxxx

A noise startled Dean awake. He sat up in his bed, trying to get his bearings. He looked over at Sam, who didn't seem to be bothered, if his snores were anything to go by.

He heard it again. It sounded like a soft moan. Dean got out of bed and found a pair of sweats, pulling them on as he opened the door and stuck his head out. The noise was coming from the right, the direction of Piper's room.

He walked slowly down the hall, cursing himself for not grabbing his gun. He stopped at Piper's door, listening intently. He felt his heart stutter when he realized she was crying.

He knew that it was his fault. He knew she was crying over him. His chest felt like it was on fire as he closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against her door. He didn't know what to do. He shouldn't go in there, he didn't have the words to comfort her. He wasn't a words guy, he was a man of action. The soft whimpers were tearing at him, but if he went in to comfort her, it wouldn't be with words.

Piper was his best goddamn friend, and if he touched her he wouldn't stop. And suddenly, he was tired of running from her. He was tired of her not meeting his eyes, he was tired of not touching her, platonically or otherwise. He was tired of the tense silences, and of her only speaking to Sam.

Dean was tired of not having Piper.

Before he could reconsider, he lifted a hand and rapped on her door. "Pipes?"

xxxxx

Piper was laying on her bed, crying like her world was ending. She knew it was part exhaustion, but she couldn't tell herself that was all it was. Only a year, she thought sadly, a fresh wave of sobs tearing through her.

During the day, she was able to distract herself with work. Helping hunters, researching a way to save Dean, researching omens in general. But at night, at night she couldn't stop crying. At night, it was harder to keep the fact that Dean would be torn from her in a year at bay.

She was winding down, starting to doze, when she heard a knock on the door. "Pipes?"

Her eyes widened and she sat straight up in bed. No. "I'm fine!" she chirped, wincing at her weirdly cheery tone.

"Piper, come on…" Dean said softly on the other side of the door.

He wasn't going to go away, Dean was too stubborn. She hurried to flip her wet pillow over, wipe her face, and check her hair in the mirror. She ran her fingers through it and wiped her face again. She sighed softly. Her face was still swollen, and her eyes were red, but there was no helping that. She stood in front of the door and cursed herself for being nervous. It's just Dean, she thought to herself as she pulled the door open.

Her eyes widened and her breath caught. Dean was leaning in her doorway, shirtless, a pair of sweats slung low on his hips. His green eyes (seriously, who has eyes that freaking green?) were intent on hers.

She pasted a smile on her face. "What's up, Winchester?"

There was a predatory look in his eye that sent a shiver down her spine, even though he wasn't moving. "I heard a noise."

She felt herself shrug. "I didn't hear anything." Is this an out of body experience? This is an out of body experience.

He raised an eyebrow, and warmth spread through her belly. "Is that so?"

"What do you want, Winchester?"

He stood up slowly, stepping toward her. Piper had to concentrate on not moving back. She felt like prey. His eyes were hypnotic. "Piper," he rasped.

She swallowed, her breathing becoming shallow. "Yes?"

He stepped forward, as close as he could get without touching her. Piper felt dizzy. "Why don't you say my name anymore?"

She blinked. That wasn't what she was expecting. "I say your name all the time."

He didn't break eye contact, and the heat radiating from him was getting distracting. Piper felt heat pool between her thighs. "My first name, Piper."

"I do say your first name," she breathed. The tension in her belly was becoming unbearable. If he didn't touch her soon, she was fairly sure she would die.

"Piper." His voice held a low, sensual warning that made her head spin.

She kept her eyes on him and said nothing. The words she needed weren't coming to her. Only one word was beating its way through her.

He tilted his head toward hers until their lips were a whisper apart. "Say my name," he growled softly, his eyes on her mouth.

The next second felt like an eternity. Was she really going to do this? She should shut her door, pretend this hadn't happened in the morning. Dean was one of her best friends, and if they crossed this bridge, they were never coming back. Could she do that? How could she not?

Before she could reconsider, Piper let her eyes drift close. "Dean."

Before she knew what was happening, his mouth came crashing down onto hers. With a soft cry, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into him, kissing him back with all the emotion she had left in her. His hands settled at her waist, pushing her gently into the bedroom so he could kick the door closed behind him.

He pushed her gently to the bed, then broke away from her mouth to give her a gentle nudge so she fell backwards, landing on the pile of blankets.

"Clothes," he whispered softly, the sensual threat still making her heart beat faster.

She pulled her tank top off with shaking hands, grateful that her room was dark enough that she couldn't see his expression. She didn't think she was that bad, but when she thought of some of the women Dean had slept with, she didn't have a lot of faith.

His quick intake of breath swept her insecurities away. She took her time slipping her bottoms off, not breaking eye contact as she swept them and her panties off at once. Once she had kicked them to the floor, she smiled at him in what she hoped was a seductive manner. The look in his eye was making it hard to think. "Dean," she sighed softly.

He hooked his hands into his sweats and swept them to the floor. Piper took her own sharp inhale when he stood before her. He was glorious. She hoped God was patting himself on the back, because Dean was absolutely perfect.

He leaned forward and crawled up her body, licking and nipping his way from her hips to her breasts. He gently lapped at her nipple, making her moan. She arched her back and had to swallow a cry as he sucked it into his mouth, gently scraping the sensitive bud with his teeth. "Oh, God, Dean!" she whimpered as he gave the other nipple the same gentle attention.

She felt him smile against her breast, and he moved up to her collar bone. He let his weight rest on his elbow, and his other hand trailed down from her hip to between her legs. She was gasping as his finger move slowly through her folds. "Dean, please…"

He chuckled and bent down to lick her neck, his voice rasping in her ear. "Do you want this, kitten?"

Her hips bucked of their own accord as his finger slowly sank into her. "Oh, God, yes."

He slipped another finger into her, causing her back to arch. His own breath was becoming unsteady in her ear. "Jesus, Piper, you're so wet," he growled softly into her ear, sending heat into her abdomen.

She turned her head and took his face into her hands, kissing him soundly. "For you, yes, I am," she said softly, watching his eyes darken with desire.

He started to kiss down her body. She put her hands on his shoulders, causing him to look up at her. "No," she said softly. "Not right now. I need you." She tugged him back up to her and pushed him onto his back, enticing a growl from deep in his chest. She smiled as she straddled him, the tip of his cock almost touching her.

His low moan made her head spin. "Protection?" he bit out.

She leaned down to lay burning kisses along his jaw. "I'm on the pill." She sat up a little and smirked down at him, her hair creating a curtain around them. "Got any diseases I should know about, Winchester?"

An unreadable expression settled on his face, his eyes burning holes into her. "No."

Before she knew what happened, he hooked an arm around her waist and rolled her underneath him, another growl rumbling in his chest. She gasped as he pulled his arm from underneath her and buried his hand in her hair beneath her head, tugging it gently to pull her head back. "Kitten, when I have you naked," he settled himself between her legs, his cock pressed against her entrance. "In bed," he scraped his teeth against the skin of her vulnerable throat. A low moan pulled itself from her. He kissed his way up to her ear. "You will call me by my name." He tugged her hair again. "Understood?"

"Yes, oh God, yes," she choked out, desire making her thought processes cloudy. She was trying to move her hips up to his, trying desperately to fill the emptiness she felt.

"Yes, what, Piper?" he snarled in her ear, his hand tightening in her hair and his hips moving back to deny her.

She groaned and scraped her nails down his back, enticing a shiver out of him. "Yes, Dean."

He buried himself in her in one hard, fast motion. At just the right moment, he put the hand not in her hair over her mouth to cover her cry. He stayed still for a moment, giving her time to adjust to his size. When she started to whimper and squirm, he started thrusting slowly. He released her hair and rested his weight on both of his elbows, biting her neck gently and sucking hard, leaving his mark on her.

It wasn't enough. "Dean, please," she met his eyes. He stilled, and she groaned and dug her fingers into his shoulders. She placed a hand on the back of his head and pulled him down for a deep kiss. When they came up for air, he pressed his forehead to hers. "Dean," she said softly, meeting those insanely green eyes. "Not gently, not tonight, please, Dean," she pleaded softly.

He kept her gaze for a moment, then a slow smirk that sent electricity through her spread across his face. "Fine," he purred, slamming into her again.

He set a punishing pace, hand covering her mouth to keep her cries quiet. He bit into her shoulder, leaving another mark, his hips ramming into her. Piper shifted her hips, and suddenly he was hitting that delicious spot that sent electricity shooting through her. She pulled herself away from his hand and came up to bite his shoulder, still giving mewling cries as he drove her closer and closer to the edge.

He grunted as her teeth bit into his flesh. He was starting to lose the rhythm, she could feel him him start to tense. He shifted his weight, moving his hand down to move his fingers roughly over her clit, moving in tight little circles. It was enough to send Piper screaming over the edge, Dean covering her mouth again in the nick of time with his to swallow her cries. She felt him tense over her, sinking himself completely into her as he came. "Jesus, Piper," he moaned as he rested his head on her shoulder.

She moved her arms to wrap them around his neck, holding him as he gradually stopped shuddering. He moaned and rolled over, pulling her with him so she was tucked into the crook of his arm, pressing his lips to her forehead.

xxxxx

There were several long moments while their breathing slowed. Dean's blood was singing, and a fierce possessiveness gripped him. Mine, he thought, satisfied. "Jesus, Pipes, that was-" a soft noise interrupted him. He looked down to see her fast asleep, nestled into his shoulder.

He smiled and pulled the blankets over them without disturbing her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, causing her to murmur softly. "'Night, kitten."

Her lips tilted upwards. "'Night, Dean."

xxxxx

A/N: Hi, everyone! Here's my notes:

I own only Piper Finley, the original character. I don't own Supernatural, or the characters (heartbroken).

Reviews and comments give me the warm fuzzies and keep me going.

If there are any mistakes in continuity, canon, or geography, blame me.