Their first marital fight happened first thing in the morning.

"I'm coming with you."

"God dammit, Piper, no."

"God dammit, Piper, yes," she said with a smile, pushing a mug of coffee into his hands and pressing a kiss to the stubble on his jaw. "I'm going. Deal with it, Winchester."

She smiled at his irritated grumble, but ignored it and continued to help Ellen make breakfast.

xxxxx

"Baby, come on, stay home," he muttered into her neck later, his hands on her hips as she tried to pull a book from the bookshelf in front of her.

She put her hands on top of his, a little thrill racing through her at the click of their rings, and rolled her eyes. "No, Dean. I'm going with you to get the Colt, and I'm going with you to hunt Lucifer."

He growled a little against her neck, but the way she was pulled tight against him and the wet, open-mouthed kisses he was laying on her told her he was distracted by something else.

Which was good, because she was getting pretty distracted, herself.

She turned in his arms and kissed him, her hands on his huge, hard shoulders. "Dean," she murmured against him, "Let's take this out of the living room."

His hands slid down to her ass and lifted her so she could wrap her legs around his waist.

"Gotta keep the wife happy."

xxxxx

That evening, they finalized the plan while eating leftovers. Piper sat in Dean's lap, and absent-mindedly enjoyed the very pleasant ache her husband had left while listening.

"I still don't see why we can't just break in," Dean protested again. "There's no reason to send Piper in as bait."

Castiel shook his head. "It is far too well protected. There are several guards, and an iron fence that's twelve feet tall."

Piper smiled. "It's fine. I can be bait. Dean's just being obnoxious."

He shifted underneath her, and she turned to meet his glare. "Not scared of you, Winchester," she said evenly. "I can handle myself, and you guys will be right behind me if it gets out of hand." She kissed him gently. "Just shut up and let me do my job," she murmured.

xxxxx

Piper pressed the button on the intercom at the gate, adrenaline buzzing through her veins.

It beeped. "Hello?"

"Hi, my car broke down. I need some help?"

Another beep. "I'll be down in a minute."

Piper waited, bouncing up onto the balls of her feet. Nothing to do but wait.

The gate swung open and she turned, smiling easily at the two men who approached. "Evening, pretty lady," the closest one said, "Get yourself on in here."

Piper let her eyes widen and her voice shake. "I just need to make a call."

The first man smiled again. "You don't need to call anyone, baby." He glanced back at the other man. "We're the only help you're ever gonna need."

Piper took a step back. "You know what? I think I should wait by my car."

She turned to leave, and had to stifle her smile when he grabbed her arm. She turned around to see that his eyes had gone black. "We said, get your ass in here."

She grabbed his arm and pulled hard, knocking him off balance. Once he stumbled, she brought her elbow up hard into his face, knocking him out cold. As she turned to the other man, she saw the tip of the demon knife run through him, and he flashed with yellow light. He fell, and Sam stood behind him.

While Sam knelt to kill the other demon, Dean approached and kissed her hard. "That was hot," he said in her ear huskily.

She grinned. "You think everything I do is hot."

He leaned back and smirked. "It is."

Sam was rolling his eyes. "Jesus, the two of you. Can we go now, please?"

xxxxx

"We need to talk. Privately."

Dean was tense with anger as the demon Crowley led them into a different room. When Dean had thought Crowley was aiming the gun at Piper, his entire world had stopped.

He grabbed her hand as they followed Crowley, and she gave him a reassuring squeeze. It helped a little, but he was still pissed.

"What the hell is this?" He snapped.

Crowley turned around and waved the gun in the air. "Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?" He waved his hand and the door shut behind them. Dean jumped, then pulled Piper close and scowled at the demon.

He didn't seem to care. "There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."

Sam's eyebrows rose. "You told us."

"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine."

"So what is it that you want us to do with it?" Piper asked. When Dean looked down at her, she explained. "Well, he wouldn't have let us know where it is without wanting something from us."

Crowley was giving her an appraising look. "You're not a Winchester."

Dean stifled a grin when she raised her chin proudly. "I most certainly am."

The demon chuckled. "Marrying into the family isn't quite the same, dearest."

She frowned. "My name is Piper, use it. And if you don't tell us what you want, we're leaving."

"I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it into his face."

Piper nodded. "Okay." She strode forward to take it.

Dean frowned. "Why-"

Piper shook her head. "Nope. Don't care why, although it's probably because at the end of the day, Lucifer is still an angel, and he probably doesn't have pleasant plans for demons."

Crowley looked at her with a smirk. "I like you. Much more than these morons."

"I'm thrilled," she said dryly, "But keep your damn mouth off of them if you want our help."

As she took the gun and turned back ,Sam asked, "You wouldn't happen to know where the devil is, by chance, would you?"

"Thursday, birdies tell me, there's an appointment in Carthage, Missouri."

Piper turned back toward the demon. "Ammunition?"

Dean pulled Piper close against him and frowned as Crowley opened a desk drawer. "Uh, excuse me for asking, but aren't you kind of signing your own death warrant? I mean, what happens to you if we go up against the devil and lose?"

Crowley looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "Number one, he's going to wipe us all out anyway. Two, after you leave here, I go on an extended vacation to all points nowhere. And three, how about you don't miss, okay! Morons!" He smiled at Piper. "Except you, dear, you're a peach."

xxxxx

"It's gotta be a trap, right?"

Dean smirked. "Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon." He shrugged and lifted his beer. "Well, better late than never."

Sam glared. "Thank you again for your continued support."

Dean nodded. "You're welcome."

Piper smacked him upside the head on the way by. "Don't be a dick, Dean."

Dean stared after her, rubbing his head. "She's abusive." Sam rolled his eyes, and Dean sobered, thinking that he needed to build back up to his original point. "You know, trap or no trap, we got a snowball's chance, we gotta take it, right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah, I suppose."

"Besides, I'm not sure it is a trap. Check it out. I mean, Carthage is lit up like a Christmas tree with Revelation omens. And look at this." He handed over the papers he'd been looking at. "There's been six missing persons reported, in town, since Sunday. I think the devil's there."

Sam nodded again. "Okay."

Dean sighed. Dammit. "Look, when you think about it… You can't come with."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Dean-"

Dean interrupted him. "Look, I go against Satan and screw the pooch, okay. We've lost a game piece. That we can take. But if you're there, then we are handing the devil's vessel right over to him. That's not smart."

"Since when have we ever done anything smart?"

Dean glared at his little brother. "I'm serious, Sam."

"So am I. Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together."

They glared at one another, until Dean heard the click of his and Piper's bedroom door shutting. Sam winced and looked up the stairs. "I, uh, I think Piper heard you."

Dean winced, too, and wondered if he could get away with not going up there to talk to her.

Sam looked at him evenly. "Dean, the longer you don't go after her, the more of an asshole you become."

Dena groaned and drained his beer, slamming it down on the table when he was done. "Shut up, Sam."

He walked up the stairs nervously, just hoping that she wasn't feeling like throwing stuff at him. He hesitated at the door, then knocked gently. "Pipes?"

He could almost hear her roll her eyes. "It's our room, Dean. You don't have to knock."

He smiled. He may be in trouble, but if she wasn't calling him, "Winchester," he probably wasn't in that much trouble.

When he walked in, she was sitting on the bed with her legs crossed beneath her, staring down at her hands. He closed the door behind him gently and came to crouch in front of her. "Pipes?"

She looked up at him, and the fear and sadness in her eyes had him standing so he could pull her into him. He turned and sat back down with her in his lap, her legs stretched across his.

He didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent and just held her. She sighed and nestled into him, and he tucked her head under his chin and closes his eyes, savoring the feel of her in his arms.

"We couldn't take it, you know," she said softly.

He leaned back to look at her. "What?"

She put a soft hand on his face. "If you died. We couldn't take it. Hell, Dean, the first time you died, I didn't have a real conversation with Sam for four months." Her hazel eyes were boring into him, and he felt yet something else in him change because of his wife. "You're not just a game piece, Dean."

Before he could think of something to say, Bobby was shouting from downstairs. "Everybody get in here! It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner."

Piper smiled and kissed Dean on the cheek. "Come on, handsome, let's go find out what the hell he's talking about."

Ellen was complaining as Dean let Piper lead him down the stairs. "Oh come on, Bobby. Nobody wants their picture taken."

"Hear, hear," Sam said dryly, walking in after her.

"Shut up," Bobby snapped, "You're drinking my beer."

Dean came to stand next to Sam, his other arm wrapped around Piper. Garth stood next to her, with Ellen and Jo on the other side of him. Cass stood on Sam's other side.

Bobby fiddled with the camera, then rolled back to join them. "Anyway, I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by."

Dean smiled for the picture as Ellen snorted. "Ha! Always good to have an optimist around."

"Bobby's right," Castiel said bluntly. "Tomorrow we hunt the devil. This is our last night on earth."

xxxxx

That night, Dean held Piper as she slept. He was too keyed up to sleep, so he just kept her close, worried it would be his last chance.

You're not just a game piece, Dean.

xxxxx

"Hellhounds."

Piper tried to stifle her panic as flashbacks of Dean being torn apart slammed through her. She kept her eyes on Meg, because if she looked at Dean, she would lose it.

"Yeah, Dean," Meg smirked, "Your favorite. Come on, boys. My father wants to see you."

Sam scowled. "I think we'll pass, thanks."

Meh shrugged. "Your call. You can make this easy or you can make it really, really hard."

Piper saw Dean glance backwards. She kept her gun trained on Meg.

Dean looked forward again. "When have you known us to ever make anything easy?"

Piper took the words as they signal they were and fired at the invisible hellhound standing next to Meg. "Run!"

They ran. Piper saw Dean go down and her heart stopped. She whirled, gun raised, and her heart stopped again when Jo ran forward, firing.

"Jo! Stay back!" Dean shouted.

Before Piper could think, Jo was tackled from the side. Piper kept running and firing, panic clearing her mind and letting her get in several good shots.

Dean scooped Jo off the ground and ran toward them. Piper stopped running and started backing up slowly, covering Dean as they found somewhere to go.

She stayed where she was and kept shooting, covering her family as they ran, until she felt Sam wrap an arm around her waist and start carrying her to safety.

She fired until he slammed the door behind them.

xxxxx

"Guess we know what happened to some of the townspeople."

Piper nodded, but said nothing. She felt like she had run out of words. Hard, numbing shock had gripped her, and she gave in to it gratefully. There would be time to grieve when they got home.

For now, she intended to kill the son of a bitch who had killed Ellen and Jo.

Sam looked at them. "Last words?"

Dean looked at him strangely, then back at Piper. She stood a few feet away from him. If he touched her, she'd lose it.

Dean shook his head. "I think I'm good."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, me, too."

"Here goes nothing."

Piper stayed next to Sam, creeping around the clearing. There was a man she didn't recognize, filling what seemed to be a giant hole. From the way Sam tensed next to her, she guessed she was looking at the fallen archangel.

Sam raised his shotgun, and so did she. "Hey!" Lucifer turned, dropping the shovel. "You wanted to see me?"

Lucifer smiled. "Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here. You know I'd never hurt you. Not really." He looked at Piper, and she was suddenly even more grateful for the numbness, because she'd be terrified if she could feel anything.

"Yeah?" Dean asked. "Well, I'd hurt you."

He was standing next to Lucifer, and then, numbness or no, Piper was afraid.

Dean pointed the gun at the devil's head, point blank. "So fuck you." He fired.

Lucifer collapsed. The crowd of men surrounding them did nothing. Piper was tense, she felt like she couldn't relax yet. That had been way too simple.

She was proven right when Lucifer inhaled sharply and started to move. "Ow."

When he stood, Sam grabbed her and pushed her behind him. Irritated, she moved to stand next to him. Idiot. She would stand next to him if this was the night they died.

Lucifer turned to Dean, who looked shocked. "Where did you get that?" the devil asked thoughtfully. Then he reared back and punched Dean hard. Dean flew back into a tree and collapsed.

"Dean!" Piper cried. She ran to him, falling to her knees when she got there to check his pulse. Lucifer was speaking behind her, but she was focused on Dean. "Dean, baby, wake up for me." She checked his pulse and exhaled sharply when it was there, as strong and steady as ever.

She was joined by Sam, who put one of his hands on her back and the other on Dean's leg. "Is he…"

"He's alive, Sam," she said softly.

She stood and turned to face Lucifer, and Sam did the same next to her.

Lucifer was looking at them with pity, which made Piper's hackles rise. "Don't feel too bad, guys. There's only five things in all of creation that gun can't kill, and I just happen to be one of them. But if you give me a minute, I'm almost done."

He turned back to shoveling dirt into the hole, then switched back to them, leaning on the shovel. "You know, I don't suppose you'd just say yes here and now? End this whole tiresome discussion? That's crazy, right?"

"Fuck you," Piper growled.

"It's never gonna happen!" Sam snapped.

Lucifer smiled coldly and went back to digging. "Oh, I don't know, Sam. I think it will. I think it'll happen soon. Within six months. And I think it'll happen in Detroit."

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch," Sam snarled. "I'm gonna kill you myself, you understand me? I'm going to rip your heart out!"

Piper put a hand on his arm. "Chill, Sam, he wants you to be angry."

Suddenly, Lucifer's gaze sharpened as he looked at her. "And who is this?"

Piper didn't dignify that with a response, just turned to look at Sam. He looked much calmer, and there was gratitude in his eyes when he looked back at her. Then he looked around at the crowd of people standing around them. "What did you do? What did you do to this town?"

Lucifer waved a hand. "Oh, I was very generous with this town. One demon for every able-bodied man."

"And the rest of them?" Piper asked, horrified. She knew what the answer was before she asked.

Lucifer sighed and looked down into the hole. "In there." Piper closed her eyes for a moment and put a hand over her mouth. "I know," Lucifer continued, "it's awful, but these horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first. I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."

Sam tensed again. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Piper snapped, glaring at Lucifer. "Let me guess. A big brother who obeys his father and a younger brother who rebels. Ugh, this same story over and over and over again." She put her hands on her hips and stepped in front of Sam, who seemed to be too shocked to respond.

She was a little surprised herself, but her emotions had come back, and they had come back angry. She was so tired of these damn angels, and their damn meddling, and their using the Winchesters like tools. Well, she was a Winchester, too, now, and things were going to change if she had something to say about it.

"You're just like all of the other angels," she fumed. "You're just big, powerful children, throwing temper tantrums because Daddy isn't around."

Lucifer tilted her head, controlled fury in his eyes. "And who, exactly, do you think you are? That you get to lecture me?" He held his hand up when she opened her mouth. "I'm sure this would be fascinating, but you'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling, and I have a ritual to finish." He winked at her. "Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you would."

When he turned to start chanting, the fire went out of Piper. Suddenly scared, she turned back to kneel beside Dean, who was beginning to stir.

"Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls," Lucifer chanted.

"We offer up our lives, blood, souls," the demons repeated.

"To complete this tribute."

"To complete this tribute."

The demons started to flash golden light and fall over. It looked like they were… Dead. Piper stared, horrified.

Lucifer turned back to look at them and shrugged. "What? They're just demons."

The ground started to tremble beneath them. Dean grabbed her around the waist and held her close, looking around for escape.

Before they could, Castiel appeared. He touched a finger to Dean's forehead, then Sam's, and the world swirled around them. When it came back, they were standing in Bobby's living room again.

Piper swayed on her feet, the events of the day finally starting to set in. "Oh, fuck."

xxxxx

That night, Dean held Piper as she cried. He was upset, too, but he felt more guilty than anything.

Because in the moment when Jo had declared that she was gonna stay behind to die, the only emotion coursing through Dean had been gratitude that it wasn't Piper who had gotten hurt.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, murmured soothing nonsense, and let this new guilt join the heaviness he always carried in his heart.

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.