On the last day they had the room, Piper woke tangled up in Dean. She buried her face in his chest and smiled when his arms tightened reflexively around her.

"Dean, sweetheart," she whispered, "we have to get up soon."

He pulled her up so they were face to face and kissed her gently without opening his eyes. "No," he muttered against her lips.

She laughed against his. She brought a hand up to his face, running her hands through the soft, coarse hair along his chin. "Come on, scruffy, we need to get out of this room."

He smiled and kissed her a little harder. "Mmm, you may be right. I need to shave."

She shook her head and kissed along his jaw. "I dunno, I kinda like it."

He rubbed his face against hers until she laughed and pushed at his chest. "Do you, now?" he husked against her, soothing the burning path he'd left on her cheeks with his tongue and lips. "That's interesting, kitten."

She moved around to press her lips to his. "How interesting, exactly?"

As it turned out, it was very interesting.

xxxxx

Later, Dean watched as Piper French braided her long hair in the mirror. He leaned against the door, running his hand through the new, short beard on his jaw. He wasn't used to it, but if Piper liked it, he was willing to get used to it.

"So, what's next, handsome?" she asked, still fingering the ends of her hair.

He smiled. "I owe you a beach and some little umbrellas, kitten."

She smiled back warmly. "Dean, you don't have to-"

He held a hand up. "We're going, kitten. We just gotta pick a coast."

She turned back to the mirror and tilted her head. "We need to make a few stops first, though."

xxxxx

Piper ran her hands through her new, shorter, auburn hair. It was cut in a wavy bob along her chin, and she was still adjusting. "I feel like I lost all my hair just in time for you to grow more on your face," she said idly.

He chuckled and reached over to run his own hand through it as he drove. She tilted into his touch automatically. "It looks good, kitten." His arm wrapped around her and pulled her close. "Why'd you dye it back?" he asked softly.

She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Because it's a… Like a Winchester symbol, my hair. I'm the hunter with long purple hair. So now, I have short, reddish hair. It's just… It's both keeping us from being noticed, and separating me from that life." She pressed into him harder. "I just want to be done with that life."

He nodded. "Yeah, I get that."

She thought about it for a minute. "Dean, should we… Should we maybe pick a new last name?"

He tensed. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Well, you're pretty damn famous, Dean. Saving the world and all."

Worried that he would be angry, she was surprised when he kissed the top of her head. "You're no slouch yourself, kitten."

She smiled. "So, what do you think? Do we get a new name?"

"No," he said firmly, his voice low and possessive. She shivered at the sound. "No, I like you using my last name. And if something tries to come for us, we'll make them regret it."

She let silence settle over them for a while, appreciating the way he felt against her. "Have you picked a coast yet?"

He shook his head. "Nah. Flip a coin, kitten."

xxxxx

They ended up in California.

As they got closer, Dean felt himself relaxing a little. Piper was still under his arm, reading a book now, her head resting on his shoulder. The air started to smell like saltwater, and that combined with the warmth of her pressed against him had tension draining out of him.

He used the last credit card number he'd stolen (and hopefully the last he'd ever steal) to book them a nice hotel room for two weeks. It was expensive, and he almost walked out, but the sparkle in her hazel eyes while she took in the luxury around them had him shutting up and paying for it wordlessly.

Then, on impulse, he suggested they go shopping.

She looked confused. "Shopping for what?"

What the fuck? The apocalypse turned me into a girl. "Nevermind," he said quickly, looking away from her.

She arched an eyebrow, and he found an absolutely fascinating spot on the ceiling to examine. "Dean," she said softly, her voice low and sensual, making everything in him come alive, "What are you talking about?"

He saw her watching him in his peripherals, and he winced inwardly. God dammit, she's still psychic.

He just… Wanted to be a normal husband for a while. He didn't want to worry about either of them going out of their minds with grief, he didn't want to worry about monsters or hell or the apocalypse. He wanted to bitch and moan while she dragged him around a department store, secretly content and damn near happy. He wanted to make her twirl for him while she tried on new clothes. He wanted to pull her into a dressing room and kiss her until she was making those breathy little sounds he loved so much. He wanted to be a man who just loved his wife, even if it was just for a while.

Oh, fuck. The apocalypse really did turn me into a girl.

"Actually," she said softly, and his eyes snapped down to hers when he heard the emotions she was holding back making her voice tremble. She was smiling, though, so he probably wasn't in trouble. "Actually, shopping sounds nice."

He grinned.

xxxxx

Piper stared at herself in the dressing room mirror, brow furrowing as she took herself in.

She was in some little clothing store, trying on a black dress. It was their first stop of the day, and suddenly, she wasn't sure this was a good idea.

I guess I've never counted the scars.

A round, shiny circle on her left shin. Werewolf in Seattle. A very thin scar that wrapped around her right ankle a few times. Demon in Philadelphia. The line under her right eye. Shifter in New Orleans. And one pink scar peeking out from under the sleeve of the dress that she was dismayed to find she couldn't remember. The dress hid at least a dozen more.

How am I supposed to pass as normal looking like this?

For the first time since she was a teenager, Piper felt… Self-conscious. She typically didn't let herself think about the way she looked, because she typically had more important things to worry about. She didn't wear makeup often, and the only real concession she gave to vanity was dying her hair.

But now, looking at herself in the mirror, in a dress that was much nicer than the clothes she usually wore, and much more feminine than anything she usually wore, she worried. The femininity of the dress didn't really match her scarred body. And thinking about her handsome husband, who she was now realizing was way out of her league, her heart started to ache.

"Everything all right, kitten?"

His voice made her jump and squeak a little, which made her frown. Stop it, he loves you. Keep it together, Piper.

"I'm fine!"

xxxxx

Dean frowned when she squeaked on the other side of the door. "Pipes, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, her voice a touch too high and tight to be convincing, "I'll come out in a minute."

It didn't take a genius to figure out that something wasn't right. It also didn't take very long to pick the lock on the dressing room door and slip inside, shutting and locking it behind him quietly.

He was struck dumb by her for a moment, and he felt his eyes widen. The dress she wore was snug, highlighting all of those curves that made his mouth water. It fell to just below her knees, making him think of their wedding day, in turn making his heart beat faster. She looked soft and feminine and beautiful, adding another layer to all of the reasons he loved her.

Her hazel eyes met his, a question in them.

"Holy shit," he breathed out, feeling like a jackass all of the sudden. "Pipes, you look…"

She smiled a little, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Yeah?" She turned back to look at herself, tilting her head. "I dunno."

He frowned and took a step forward, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her back to press against his chest. He met her eyes in the reflection. "What's wrong, kitten?"

She shrugged and sighed. "I don't know, I just… I just don't think dresses are for me anymore."

He frowned harder and rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her while simultaneously trying to figure out what was going on. "Why?"

She looked down her reflection, and he let his gaze follow hers. The gentle swell of her breasts, the dramatic flare of her hips, the elegant curve of her legs, down to her lovely ankles and her cute toes. He knew that's what he was seeing, but in a rare moment of insight into his wife's head, he realized she was probably looking at the scars.

"I just, Um… I don't know if I'm going to be able to pass for normal."

The suppressed emotion in her voice made something warm and protective rise up in his chest. He tucked her against him tighter. "Hey," he said firmly, upset when she wouldn't look at him. "Hey, where is this coming from, Piper?"

She shrugged again. "I don't know, I just… I mean, I know I can be a hunter. I can be a good hunter, I was a good hunter. But what else can I be, Dean?" She looked up and met his eyes. "I mean, look at me. I'm covered. Covered in scars. I just…" She heaved a sigh and squared her shoulders a little. "It's dumb, I'll get over it."

He squeezed her a little, keeping her gaze with his. "Come on, Pipes, you know you're beautiful."

xxxxx

"Come on, Pipes, you know you're beautiful."

The absolutely sincerity in Dean's eyes when he said it did more to ease Piper's insecurities than anything else could have. She smiled and leaned back into him, taking in their new appearance in the mirror.

"I think you make me that way," she said softly, running her palms along his forearms around her.

He was nuzzling her neck. "Didn't need me, kitten."

We could do this all day. Instead, she turned in his arms and wrapped hers around his neck. She tilted her head back and met his green eyes. All these years later, and the growing heat in his gaze and the way his mouth curled into a cocky smirk made her heart beat faster. "You know," she said huskily, "If we're really quiet-"

He interrupted her by placing a hand on the back of her head and pulling her close to kiss her hard. She whimpered and let him walk her back until she was pressed against the wall. She was helpless against the way he crowded her against it, his mouth moving down to kiss along her neck. "Dean," she whispered desperately.

"You've always been gorgeous," he whispered against her, and she felt emotion rising in her at the tender way he held her and spoke. He'd always been sweet when they were alone together.

His hand trailed down to her waist and started bunching the skirt of the dress she was wearing up. "Especially when you're begging for me."

She shuddered and spread her legs just a little for him, then gasped when he bent to take one knee into his hand and pull it up. "Keep that there, baby," he commanded softly, and she whimpered as she wrapped that leg around him, putting him tight against her heat.

He was still pressing kisses to her neck, and his hand moved gently from her knee up to her inner thigh, making her gasp and writhe. "Dean," she gasped.

He chuckled against her skin, and his fingers found her warm center. He gently tugged her panties off, and she gasped again, struggling to contain her whimpers when he knelt to remove them. He then stood, replaced her leg around his waist, and ran his fingers up her leg again.

"Shh, just like that, kitten," he murmured against her ear as he slowly sank a finger into her already wet heat, then another. "God, you're gorgeous," he whispered reverently, making tears prick the back of her eyes as she ground herself against his hand.

"Oh, fuck, fuck, Dean, fuck-" she kept up a steady stream of filth as he fingered her. There was a very soft, low moan coming from him, encouraging her as she slipped her hands beneath his shirt.

She turned and caught his mouth, kissing him hard. "Dean, now, fuck me, please."

He grinned against her mouth and said nothing as she unzipped his jeans and pushed them and his boxers down far enough to free him. Unable to resist, she took his thick cock into her hand and pumped a few times, twisting a little at the end. He bucked into her hand helplessly, making her feel powerful and sexy.

He pushed her hand away and gathered both of her wrists into one big hand, then held them up against the wall, stretching her to her full height, pulling her body tight for him. He leaned back and let those smoldering green eyes survey her slowly frm top to bottom, then met her gaze again. "Fuck, that's hot." He leaned in to kiss her. "We're buying this, baby, and every time I see you in it, we're going to fuck."

She arched her back as much as she could and nodded frantically. "Yes, yes, whatever you want, just please-"

He chuckled and kissed her again, then shifted so he was pressed against her entrance. His lips brushed her ear when he whispered again. "Come on, baby, beg me for it, God you're pretty when you beg, should have told you that before, should have told you a million times-"

"Yes, please, fuck me, please, God, Dean-"

They were murmuring to each other in hushed voices, but as soon as he heard his name, he thrust into her hard, making her go rigid. She bit her lip to contain the wanton cries that wanted to escape.

He set a fast pace, making it harder and harder to stay silent. When his hand moved to her clit and he started whispering again in his wrecked voice, she was lost.

"I want you to scream for me, Piper. I want you to scream so everyone knows how hard I'm fucking you, how much you love it. Come on, kitten, come for me, scream for me-"

She came with a broken cry, her hips rolling against him madly. He grunted and stiffened a few moments later, his body shaking and his teeth sinking into her neck gently.

Before they came down, there was a knock at the door. "Ma'am? Is everything… Is everything okay?" A suspicious silence while Piper buried her face in Dean's chest to muffle her giggles. "Ma'am, is there someone in there with you?"

xxxxx

They didn't get kicked out, but since they did get caught, Dean bought everything Piper had selected, ignoring her protests and winking at the blushing cashier.

xxxxx

She spent the day making a show of dragging Dean around the little shopping plaza they'd found. He made his own show of complaining, but she saw the twinkle in his eyes when she handed him bags to carry, and his lips were curved into a smile when she pressed hers against them.

They spent the next two weeks sleeping, swimming in the ocean, making love on every horizontal surface they could find, including the beach, and drinking drinks with little umbrellas in them. They didn't talk about Sam, the apocalypse, Castiel, hunting, or Bobby. They talked about nonsense, or they weren't talking at all.

Piper would forever look on that time as almost perfect. They spent the whole time touching, loving, healing. It would never be okay, it would never not hurt to think of Sam. But maybe it would be all right.

And, in the end, she was okay with that.

xxxxx

Hi, beautiful readers! Here are my notes:

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

Reviews and comments give me life and keep me going.

And, as always, thank you for reading, you beautiful, beautiful people.

**I just love Dean and Piper.