"We have work for you."

Piper felt good, clean anger course through her, and she grasped at it. Angry was better than terrified.

She shoved herself past Dean, ignoring his protests and planted her feet in front of him. Meeting the insanely blue eyes with her own, she put the shotgun up against her shoulder and aimed. "Over my dead body, jackass."

He frowned. "I am not a donkey."

She didn't let that faze her. "Look, wings, I don't care what you are. Dean and I are leaving, and I swear to God I will shoot you in the face without hesitation. It won't kill you, but I'm willing to bet it will slow you down."

"Threats of violence are not necessary, Piper Finley."

Piper ignored Dean's restraining hand on her shoulder. "Not from where I'm standing, wings."

Castiel frowned again. "Why are you saying 'wings?'"

She started moving slowly, gun still pointed at the alleged angel. "We're leaving."

They slowly circled Castiel, Piper never taking her eyes off of him. Dean knelt and grunted as he picked up Bobby under the arms, taking him with them. Piper was certain the angel was letting them go, he could take all three of them without breaking a sweat (do angels sweat?), but for some reason, he just watched them leave.

Right before they were at the door, something in his gaze changed. He met Piper's eyes again. "I would like to know what your role in this is, Piper Finley."

She pushed Dean backward, ignoring his possessive growl, and they ran for Baby.

What?

xxxxx

Dean was sitting across the kitchen table from Sam, glaring at him over Piper's shoulder, arguing with him about whatever the hell Castiel was. Piper was in his lap, back pressed to his chest, with his arms wrapped around her.

He didn't understand the constant need to be touching her, but he didn't fight it, either. He craved her closeness, her skin against his. He was using her as a touchstone, he knew it, but he couldn't seem to stop. His soul was ragged, he could feel himself unravelling at the edges, the knowledge of what he'd done in hell screaming in his head constantly. Holding her, touching her, made the screaming go quiet, and her gentle affection and steady presence was soothing the torn edges of himself.

The fear that had shot through him when she had aimed the shotgun at Castiel had shaken him to the core. And it just confirmed… How he felt about her. The thought of the "angel" touching her had sent white-hot rage through him. She was Piper, and she was his.

He realized he had turned to stare at her. With an effort, he looked back at Sam. "Look, all I know is I was not groped by an angel."

Piper chuckled as Sam huffed. "Okay, look, Dean. Why do you think this Castiel would lie to you about it?"

"Maybe he's some kind of demon. Demons lie."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "A demon who's immune to salt rounds and devil's traps... And Ruby's knife? Dean, Lilith is scared of that thing!"

Dean was getting agitated, they didn't understand. "Don't you think that if angels were real, that some hunter somewhere would have seen one... At some point... Ever?"

Piper moved so she was sitting sideways in his lap, putting her arm around him and running her fingers through the hair at his nape. "I think you just did, Dean."

He glared at her, but moved his arms so she was securely locked in place. "I'm trying to come up with a theory here. Okay? Work with me, kitten."

"Dean, we have a theory," Sam snapped, making Dean swivel back to him.

"Yeah, one with a little less fairy dust on it, please." They didn't, they couldn't understand. He wasn't worthy of saving, especially by God.

Sam sighed. "Okay, look. I'm not saying we know for sure. I'm just saying that I think we-"

Dean snapped his fingers into irritation and triumph. "That's the point. We don't know for sure, so I'm not gonna believe that this thing is a freaking Angel of the Lord because it says so!"

"You two chuckleheads want to keep arguing religion, or do you want to come take a look at this?" Bobby asked from the living room.

Dean frowned. "Pipes is in here, too," he said as the three of them stood and made their way to Bobby's desk.

"I'm aware," Bobby said calmly as they joined him.

Piper shot Dean a sassy smirk and stopped next to Bobby's desk. Dean retaliated by slapping her on the ass, grinning at the squeak she made.

Bobby glared at them. "You done?"

Piper nodded, a lovely blush rising on her face. "Whatcha got, Bobby?"

He gestured to the books piled on the desk. "I got stacks of lore. Biblical, pre-Biblical. Some of it's in damn cuneiform. It all says an angel can snatch a soul from the pit."

Dean felt himself tense. "What else?"

"What else, what?"

"What else could do it?"

Bobby raised his eyebrows. "Airlift your ass out of the hot box? As far as I can tell, nothing."

Dean felt Piper's soft hand slipped into his and squeeze reassuringly. She knew it wasn't what he had wanted to hear. How did she always know?

"Dean, this is good news," Sam said softly.

"How?"

"Because for once, this isn't just another round of demon crap. I mean, maybe you were saved by one of the good guys, you know?"

Dean, frustrated, ran his free hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "Okay. Say it's true. Say there are angels. Then what? There's a God?"

Bobby shrugged. "At this point, Vegas money's on yeah."

Dean felt his anger start to bubble up. Before he could yell, he felt Piper use his hand to put his arm around her shoulders, while slipping her arm around his waist. He looked down at her concerned eyes and felt the anger drain out of him. "I don't know," he said softly to her.

"Okay, look. I know you're not all choirboy about this stuff, but this is becoming less and less about faith and more and more about proof." Sam insisted.

Dean looked at his younger brother, confused and getting irritated again. "Proof?"

"Yes."

If he hadn't been holding Piper, he would have started to pace. "Proof that there's a God out there that actually gives a crap about me personally? I'm sorry, but I'm not buying it."

Piper frowned up at him. "Why not?:

How could he explain to her? "Because why me? If there is a God out there, why would he give a crap about me?"

"Dean-" She started.

He interrupted. "I mean, I've saved some people, okay? I figured that made up for the stealing and the ditching chicks." That earned him an elbow in the ribs, which he ignored. "But why do I deserve to get saved? I'm just a regular guy."

Sam shook his head. "Apparently, you're a regular guy that's important to the man upstairs."

Dean shuddered, pulling Piper closer to him. "Well, that creeps me out. I mean, I don't like getting singled out at birthday parties, much less by... God."

Sam let out a mirthless laugh. "Okay, well, too bad, Dean, because I think he wants you to strap on your party hat."

Dean sighed in defeat. "Fine. What do we know about angels?"

xxxxx

Sam was watching Piper sit at the kitchen table, looking dejected. He was worried. The Rising of the Witnesses had affected them all, but Piper had always kind of worn her heart on her sleeve. They were all upset, and shocked about the news of the apocalypse, but she was the only one showing it.

She wouldn't tell him who she saw, just that it was no one from the sheriff's office. Sometimes Sam forgot that Piper had hunted on her own for years before she came back to help them. Every hunter had a few people haunting them.

He wanted to help her. He still felt guilty for not being there for her when Dean had gone to hell. He didn't regret it, per se, but he did feel bad.

An idea struck him, and he walked over to Bobby's radio and flicked it on. The first sounds of "Black Water" by the Doobie Brothers floated through the kitchen.

He approached Piper slowly, then held his hand out and smiled at her.

"Dance with me, Pipe."

She groaned, but gave him her hands and let him pull her out of the seat. She just stood still, eyes narrowed, as he started dancing without her, moving her hands in his.

She just looked at him for a long time, and he almost gave up, but the smile creeping slowly across her face was worth it. Sam was a little shocked at how glad he was. He didn't like seeing Piper like this, too thin, always upset.

Her hips started to sway, and before he knew it, she was crooning the words to him as they danced across the kitchen.

xxxxx

Piper's breathless laughter was like a drug. Dean sat up from his place on her bed (which he was starting to think of as their bed) and started towards the stairs.

"Black Water" was playing as he came down the stairs to see Bobby standing in the kitchen doorway with a half smile on his face.

"Bobby, what-" Dean stopped when he saw what Bobby was looking at.

Sam and Piper were dancing around the kitchen. Sam was leading, grinning down at her, and she had her head dropped back, laughing. Sam spun her and she moved gracefully, stretching her arm out, then spun back into him. They were off beat. They were ridiculous. And she looked so happy it made his chest tight.

He fought with the alpha male, jealous, macho bullshit that was trying to rear it's ugly head. They looked good together, they looked right. Sam grinning down at her, her laughing up at him as they shimmied. They're friends, they're just friends, he told himself firmly.

He watched her hips sway, her head bop back and forth, her lips curved into a smile. His jealousy was smothered by satisfied possessiveness, which was still a macho move, but it was progress. He was the one she was kissing with those lips, and those hips were held by his hands at night.

Piper was her own woman, strong and independent, she always had been. But Dean was the one holding her at night, so it suddenly didn't bother him that she was dancing with Sam.

Much.

The song changed to a slower melody, but Dean wasn't listening to it, he was too focused on Piper. He walked toward them, letting the possessiveness thrumming in his veins show in his face.

Sam saw him and grinned, slowly releasing Piper and stepping back. She turned around with a confused, almost put out look on her face until she saw Dean. Her hazel eyes widened, then darkened. He moved closer to her, not touching her, knowing how it drove her crazy.

"Mind of I cut in, kitten?" He let his voice stay low, sensual.

She shook her head mutely, moving forward to lay her hand in his, her other resting on his shoulder. He pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist.

They started to slowly sway, her hips driving him slowly mad as they moved with his. He was losing himself in her eyes, the slight part of her lips, the hard beating of her heart against his chest.

"The only good thing, huh?" She asked breathlessly, her gaze never leaving his.

He nodded slowly, bending down to kiss her softly, thoroughly.

I have never been in more trouble than I am now.

xxxxx

Bobby watched Dean and Piper dance in the kitchen, tears fighting to get to his eyes. He turned to go to bed, leaving them in their own world, comprised only of the two of them, his heart very full.

His kids were falling in love, it they hadn't already.

The idjits.

xxxxx

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.