Piper watched as Samuel squirted the blood of Dean's sire (which was such a strange thought it gave her pause every time she had it) into a jar that supposedly held the potion to cure her husband.

It had killed her to let Dean go to the vamp's nest alone, and when Samuel had suggested they should follow, she had agreed immediately. The sight of Dean covered in blood, growling, had put a sliver of ice in her heart that had yet to thaw. She suspected it wouldn't thaw until he was human again.

"If this works," Samuel said softly, "you know it's not gonna be a kiddie ride, right?"

Dean was panting and holding his stomach. "Great. Light her up."

Piper winced and resisted the urge to go to him. Everything in her wanted to comfort Dean, but she knew his senses were probably completely overloaded, so she stayed next to Samuel, across the table from Dean.

As Samuel mixed, Sam spoke in what was probably supposed to be a casual voice, but there was an eagerness had Piper's hackles rising. "So, what'd you see in there?"

Dean glared at him. "What?"

"In the nest. What'd you see?"

Dean groaned and rubbed a hand down his face. "Sam, I can't hear you. You're blood is so fucking loud. Just, just back off."

Even as he said it, he held a hand out to Piper. She immediately took it in hers as she rounded the table to stand next to him. She pushed her hand up beneath his shirts to rub his cold lower back gently, and was gratified when he leaned back into her touch just a little bit.

Samuel had poured the potion into a coffee mug and handed it to Dean. "Here goes nothin'."

Dean grimaced. "L'chaim…" He tilted his head back and drank the whole thing. He winced again and swallowed hard.

After a beat, he looked around at them. "I don't think it-"

Before he could finish, he retched, then spun and fell to his knees in front of the bucket they'd placed next to the table. He started projectile vomiting thick, dark liquid, and it took Piper a moment to realize that it was blood.

He fell to his side. "Dean!" she cried, dropping to her knees next to him. Her hands hovered over him nervously, unsure of what to do, how to help.

He started to seize, and her heart stopped. "Dean!" His convulsions sent him to his back, and she blinked through the tears in her eyes to gently turn his head to the side, in case he started to vomit again.

It seemed to take forever for his shaking to stop and his eyes to open. She sucked in a breath, having not realized until that moment how sure she had been that his fuckwit brother and grandfather had killed her husband.

"Hey," she said softly, stroking his face lightly.

His bloodshot, watery eyes focused on her, and his face softened. She smiled and bit her lip a little, trying to contain her elation that he was all right.

Then his eyes flicked above her, and his face hardened right back again. She didn't have to turn around to know that he was looking at Sam.

xxxxx

Later that night, in the motel room that Dean had insisted they get separate from Sam, Piper watched her husband when he came out of the shower.

He had a towel slung low around his waist, and warm, feminine satisfaction wound its way through her. Even though he looked absolutely spent, he was gorgeous. And, more importantly, and more attractive than any pretty face could be, he was hers.

He ditched the towel, slipped into a pair of sweats, and sat on the bed next to her, leaning against the headboard. She automatically leaned against him, soaking up the warmth that was baking off of him again. Despite how good it had been earlier, with his animalistic growling and rough hands, he had been cold when he'd touched her. She'd missed his warmth.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to press a kiss to her head. She looked up at him. "How are you feeling?"

He leaned his head back. "Like I want to sleep for a week."

She kissed his shoulder gently. "We can make that happen, you know."

He just grunted softly, and she lay her cheek against him again. She wasn't sure if he was thinking, or just so tired he could fall asleep right here, but she was willing to wait him out either way.

"So, uh, did Sam… How did Sam react, when I got bit?"

That sliver of ice showed back up in her heart, and she looked up at him to think carefully before she replied. "Why do you ask?"

He sighed, but didn't look at her, just kept his eyes closed and his head leaned back. "I think… I think I saw something, about him. When I was having those visions, while I was being 'cured.'"

"What did you see?"

He hesitated. "I think… I think he let me get turned."

She hesitated, too. "I think so, too," she said in a very small voice.

He looked down at her. "You saw him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I got hit on the head pretty hard. I thought I was seeing things, and I might have been."

Dean pulled her close to kiss her on the forehead. "I don't think you were, kitten."

xxxxx

"...Consumers from predatory prices. Here's the facts. Tune in weekdays for the newest addition to our award-winning local team."

Piper sat next to Dean at the bar, idly watching the news while he took a shot. She didn't strictly approve of him drinking in the middle of the day like this, but one didn't get married to Dean Winchester without accepting a little bit of day drinking as part of who he was.

They were in a town where people had been committing suicide at an alarming rate. Two instances they had found so far involved the victim being told a brutal, warped version of the "truth" just before they killed themselves. They were at a loss, so Dean and Piper had come to the bar while Sam looked at the bodies the morgue.

The obnoxious, uptight little newscaster was still speaking on the television hanging above the bar. "Find out the truth about your layaway living room."

The bartender came over to them. "Another one?"

Dean shook his head. "Uh, no, thanks. We're working."

The girl shrugged and walked away. Piper felt Dean's hand land on her thigh and flip over. She automatically threaded her fingers through his as he answered his ringing cell. "Hey, what's up?" Sam's voice over the phone, then Dean frowned. "What do you mean, they just vanished?" Sam spoke again. "Suicide? Well, that then that would make her our patient zero, right?" Sam again, then, "All right, give us ten."

He flipped his phone shut and sighed, then looked up at the bartender. "You know what? I will have that other one."

She smirked "Thought you were working."

Piper smiled and squeezed his hand. "We're working up to it." As the bartender walked away, Piper watched Dean rub his eyes and squeezed his hand sympathetically. "How are you holding up, handsome?"

He sighed. "I'm not, not really."

She reached up to run her free hand through the short hair on the nape of his neck when he spoke again. "I'd just like the friggin' truth."

The bartender set the next shot down, and Piper opened her mouth to speak, but the girl behind the bar beat her to it.

"Sometimes I think I can't get pregnant 'cause God knows my marriage is a sham." Piper's eyes widened and the girl frowned. "Why'd I say that?" She shrugged. "I mean, I've been snorting oxy all day." The bartender blanched. "Why'd I say that?"

"I'm pretty sure I know," Dean said thoughtfully, then he looked at Piper.

She was biting her lip hard to keep from speaking. She had also figured out what was going on, and she didn't particularly want to participate.

Dean seemed to agree. He stood and looped an arm around her waist. "Come on, kitten, let's go."

As they were walking out, a woman smiled flirtatiously at Dean. "I'm sitting like this so you'll look at my breasts. I just bought them. I need a lot of attention."

Dean nodded dismissively. "Good luck with that."

Knowing her husband, Piper rolled her eyes when they stopped a few steps away, then smiled a little when he stepped back and gave the woman a thorough once-over before they walked out of the bar.

They made their way out to the Impala, and Dean stopped her before she got in. He tilted his head and looked down at her. "Any burning secrets you wanna share, Pipes?"

Before she could do anything to stop it, her mouth was speaking.

"Not really, but I think you're too hard on Cass. He's fighting a war, and you tend to have tunnel vision when it comes to Sam. Which is okay, you've always had tunnel vision when it comes to Sam, he's the most important person, I get it, I think we all get it, but you've gotta ease up on Cass, he's doing his best, and-"

His lips against hers cut her off. She leaned into him gratefully and kissed him back, savoring the firm body pressed against hers. She wrapped her arms around him and smiled against his mouth when he did the same to her.

He pulled away and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Pipes, he's not the most important."

"Of course he is, anyone can see that the rest of us take second place." She leaned back to look up at him. "But it doesn't matter to us, Dean. It doesn't matter to any of us, especially me." She smiled. "I love you more than I thought it was possible to love someone, and I've always loved you like that. I'm okay with taking a backseat to Sam."

He looked pained for a moment, then cupped the back of her head and brought her in for another kiss. She went willingly, because he was an amazing kisser, and because she felt like he needed her.

When he pulled away, he still looked frustrated. "Pipes, you… You're not second place, baby." She smiled up at him, not believing him, and he groaned. "Kitten, you're killing me." He took a deep breath, then fixed his eyes on something up above her head. "Pipes, you're not second place, or in the backseat. I…" He swallowed hard. "I love you, and whatever I have to do to prove to you that you're first, you just let me know, kitten, and I'll do it."

When he looked back down at her, he seemed surprised to see the tears in her eyes. She went up on tiptoe and kissed him fiercely, not wanting to say what she had to say while she was under the effects of what was pretty obviously a curse.

They were only interrupted, several steamy minutes later, by Dean's phone ringing. He looked down at it, then looked ruefully at her. He had her pressed up against the Impala, and she had shamelessly brought one leg up to keep him close, and was now pressing kisses to his shirt-covered chest.

"It's Bobby," he said softly.

She sighed and looked up at him. "He might have some information. Go ahead and answer it."

xxxxx

Dean watched as the newscaster, Ashley Frank, walked into her home. They'd discovered that she was actually the goddess Veritas, thanks to Piper, and now they were following her.

"Looks pretty normal, right?" Sam asked.

Dean felt infinitely better about Sam since he'd been able to ask him about his behavior under while they were under the effects of the truth curse. He figured Sam was just having some sort of reaction to the job, to what he'd gone through with Lucifer. Dean was confident he and Piper could help him get back to normal.

"Maybe the inside is where she hides the creep," Piper said from the backseat.

They watched the lights turn on as Ashley entered her home. Dean turned to Sam and held up the two big knives they had. "Ready?"

Sam held up a jar of dark liquid. "Yeah."

Dean frowned. "And that is…"

"Dog's blood."

Piper made a little distressed noise in the back of her throat, and Dean winced. "Do I even want to know where you got that?"

"Probably not."

xxxxx

"The tongue is the tastiest part," Veritas purred. "It's where the lies roll off."

Dean had to close his eyes when the goddess took a bite out of the dentist's tongue, his stomach rolling dangerously. Don't upchuck while you're tied up, God dammit.

When the smacking and chewing noises had ceased, Dean opened his eyes again to see Veritas smirking at him. "And I cannot wait to eat yours. I mean, I've seen liars before, but you three?" She shivered. "Gold standard."

Dean's face felt like it could have been carved from stone. "Point of professional pride."

The goddess crouched in front of him. "I wouldn't be so cocky if I were you, Dean. You know what happens when you base your life on lies, right? The truth comes along and…" She shrugged. "So, while you've still got your tongue... God knows you've gotten an earful today." She tilted her head and smiled. "I think it's your turn to spill something. How 'bout we play a little truth or truth? What should we ask Dean first, hmm? Something… Personal. About you."

Dean had no idea what was going to come out of his mouth when it opened. "It's really fucking with me that Piper thinks she's second choice," he said evenly, looking over to his wife, whose amber eyes were widening. "I know she thinks that Sam's the most important thing, the most important person, but it's always been her." He smiled a little. "Ever since you told me you didn't need my help crawling out from under that table, kitten, it's been you."

There were tears in Piper's eyes, but Veritas was groaning in exasperation. "Ugh, boring." She looked over at Sam. "Hey, Dean, I'm curious. How do you really feel about your brother?"

"Better now," Dean said simply. "As of yesterday, I wanted to kill him in his sleep." Sam's eyebrows went up, and he got a what the hell look on his face, but Dean continued. "I thought he was a monster, but now I think he's just… Acting like me."

Veritas frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's the gig. You're covered in blood until you're covered in your own. Half the time, you're about to die, like right now." He looked over at Piper as sorrow speared his heart. "I'm sorry, Pipes. We should have stayed out. We should have stayed away."

His wife shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Don't do that, no, Sam needed us, we-"

"Oh, holy fuck," Veritas snarled. "This is ridiculous. We get it, the famous Winchesters are wildly in love, can we get a move on, please?" She stood. "So, Sam walking back into your life must have been a relief. Hmm? Mallory to your Mickey. And how do you feel about the band getting back together? Hmm, Sam?"

She crouched in front of Sam, whose face was working and moving. "Look," Sam said finally, "What we do… Is hard."

Dean spotted a hook hanging above him, then met Sam and Piper's eyes respectively, communicating silently with them. Piper nodded just a little.

Sam was still speaking. "But… The three of us, we watch out for each other. And that's what's important. And that's it. That's the truth."

Veritas stood, her chest heaving. "No, no it's not."

Sam frowned. "You said yourself, I can't lie."

"How are you doing that?" Veritas hissed. "That's not possible. You're lying to me!"

"No, I'm not!"

"What are you?" Veritas turned to look at Dean. "What is he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sam said loudly.

The goddess whipped around to glare at him again. "Really? I doubt that. I doubt anything that comes out of your mouth right now. You're not human."

Everything in Dean stilled. "What?"

Veritas looked at him again. "You didn't know? Now, that I believe."

Before he could say anything else, Sam leaped to his feet, grabbed one of the dog's blood soaked knives and lunged at the goddess. As they fought, Dean cut through his own ropes, tossed the knife to Piper, who caught it easily, then stood to grab the hook and drove it through the Veritas' back.

That done, he turned and helped Piper stand, then carefully tucked her behind him and held the knife at Sam when his brother stood.

Sam immediately put his hands up in surrender. "Guys, it's me."

Dean advanced. "You are not my brother," he snarled.

"Just listen," Sam insisted, still backing up.

"What are you?" Piper asked softly from behind him, her warm hand landing on Dean's back.

"I'm me, Pipe. Look, please, just let me explain."

"Why the hell should we believe anything you say?" Dean snapped.

Sam stopped moving. His face smoothed out, and he straightened a little. He could have been standing in line at the DMV instead of at knifepoint for all the emotion he was showing now.

"Okay, okay. You want the truth? Here it is, God's honest. She was right. There's something wrong with me, really wrong. I've known it for a while. I lied to you. And… I let you get turned by that vamp. Because I knew there was a cure, Dean, and we needed in that nest! And I knew you could handle it!"

"Handle it?" Dean growled, trying to keep focused through the anger coursing through his veins. "I could have died! I could have killed Piper!"

Sam nodded. "And that should stop me cold. But I, I just don't feel it."

Piper came to stand next to Dean, frowning. "What?"

Sam shrugged. "Ever since I came back, I am a, a better hunter than I've ever been! Nothing scares me anymore! 'Cause I can't feel it. I don't know what's wrong with me. I think... I need help."

Dean turned to look down at Piper, who was still staring at Sam. She could have been killed. Sam's actions, and lack of feeling, or whatever he was calling it, could have put Piper in serious danger. Dean argued with himself, fighting to keep a handle on his emotions.

It didn't work.

He stepped forward and punched Sam in the face hard. Sam went down, and Dean attacked him. He ended up straddling his brother's chest, hitting him over and over and over, just waiting for himself to feel better.

That didn't work, either. He couldn't stop until Piper's small, warm hand touched his arm. She was crouching next to him, tears in her eyes, a resigned look on her face. "Come on, Dean. Let's call Cass."

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, comments, and kudos give me life and keep me going.
And, as always, thank you for reading, you beautiful, beautiful people.
**We're gonna start moving fast now, people. Like I've said before, I don't really like S6 or S7, so we're gonna breeze on through them as much as possible. If you really love those seasons, I'm sorry, but I don't, lol.