Piper helped Dean shove Samuel Campbell's desk off of the trapdoor that was hidden beneath it. She helped as much as she could, but the play of muscle in her husband's arms was… Distracting.
"I'll be damned," Bobby said thoughtfully, pulling her from her detailed examination of Dean's physique.
They climbed down through the trapdoor, Piper going first at Dean's insistence. Since the "dream" he and Sam had had about the Titanic not sinking, he had been more protective than he had been in years. The thought was nice, but it was about to drive her crazy. She had not become spontaneously made of glass since the Titanic debacle.
When they were all on the ground, Sam looked around, arms flung wide. "Welcome to the Campbell family library."
Dean's eye was critical as he scanned his surroundings. "So, Samuel collected all this stuff, huh?"
"Apparently."
"All right," Piper said, rubbing her hands together. "What are we looking for?"
"Well, anything that'll put a run in the Octomom's stockings," Bobby said grimly. "Pick a row."
"Okay," Piper said, breaking the silence and looking up from her book. "Who's ever heard anything about a phoenix?"
Dean pretended to be startled, or to have just looked up, but he'd been staring at her for quite a while, entranced by the way the fluorescent lights shone on her auburn hair. Probably not the most romantic thought he'd ever had, but there it was. Ever since what Piper called "the Titanic incident," it had really hit home that he… He might not have ended up with her, here.
Looking back now, Dean could acknowledge that he'd had feelings for Piper for a long, long time before the night they'd gotten together. His dumb ass never would have made a move, had it not been for the moment of impulsivity he'd experienced the night a few weeks after his deal.
It was a thought that had been keeping him up at night.
He stood and walked over to read over her shoulder, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "We talkin' River, Joaquin, or the giant flaming bird?"
She leaned back into him a little. "The bird. It says here that the ashes of a Phoenix can burn the mother."
Sam frowned from where he was seated. "The mother?"
Dean kept reading over Piper's shoulder. "Great. Where do we get one?"
In his peripheral vision, he saw Bobby shrug. "Beats me. I thought they were a myth."
Piper sighed. "Well, let's see if we can find something about a phoenix."
A few hours later, Dean sat up abruptly, making Piper jump.
"Guys, guys, guys, guys, guys, guys! Check this out." Piper stood and followed when Dean moved to join Bobby and Sam at the table they were reading at. He set the book he was holding down on the table and began to read aloud. "'March fifth, eighteen-sixty-one. Sunrise, Wyoming. Gun killed a phoenix today. Left a pile of smoldering ash.'" His excitement bled into his tone for the last two words.
Piper was smiling at her husband's giddiness as Sam spoke. "Really? Who's gun?"
"Colt's," Dean said proudly.
Piper's eyebrows went up. "Colt? Colt like…"
"Like the Colt. From…" He held up the journal he'd read from. "Samuel Colt's journal."
"What?!" Sam's face lit up. "That's his?" He made grabby hands. "Let me see."
Dean held it away. "Get your own."
Bobby was scowling at both of them. "Well, what else did he say about the phoenix? What does it look like? Has it got… Feathers, or something?"
Dean shrugged. "It just says 'phoenix.'"
"Did he say where he tracked it?" Piper asked.
"Nope."
Sam clapped his hands together. "All right, so I guess we've got to find one of our own, whatever… It… Is," he finished lamely.
Dean grinned. "I know where we can find one. March fifth, eighteen-sixty-one. Sunrise, Wyoming." He looked around, almost vibrating with excitement. "We'll Star Trek IV this bitch."
Piper was torn between the urge to laugh and the urge to roll her eyes. "Dean…"
Sam shrugged, and Bobby frowned. "I only watched Deep Space Nine."
Dean threw his hands up. "It's like I don't even know you guys anymore." He looked at Piper. "Pipes, baby, come on, tell me you know what I'm talking about."
She sighed. "Dean, I do, but we-"
"What are you talking about?" Bobby asked.
"We hop back in time, we join up with Samuel Colt, we hunt the phoenix, and then we haul the ashes back home with us."
Bobby was scowling. "Time travel?"
Dean nodded, excitement not dimmed at all. "Yeah."
"And that's a reasonable plan?"
Dean shrugged. "We got a guy who can swing it." He stood up and closed his eyes, leaning his weight on his hands placed on the table. "Castiel, the-"
Piper put her hand over her husband's. "Dean."
He blinked and looked down at her. "Huh?"
Piper winced. "Dean, do you think… I mean, Cass is pretty busy right now."
For the first time since he'd found the journal, Dean didn't look excited. Piper despised being the one who put that look on his face, but she didn't want to put too much strain on Cass. Dean tended to have… Tunnel vision, but Castiel was in heaven, fighting a war. If he lost, they'd be right back where they started, but with none of the angelic assistance they'd had the first go-round with the apocalypse.
"I'm just thinking that there are maybe easier ways to do this," she said softly. "Maybe calling Cass as our first option isn't our best bet."
He stared at her for a long time, and Piper held her breath while she wanted for him to decide if he was angry with her. She would weather the storm if he was, she wasn't scared of Dean, for God's sake, but it would suck. She hated fighting with him.
He sighed. "I guess you're right…" he said reluctantly.
A new voice from behind them had Piper standing as she spun, pulling the gun from her belt and pointing it at the newcomer.
"My Father, it's like you can learn."
The blonde woman had a snide look on her relatively pretty face. She was dressed in a grey business suit, and since she'd appeared out of nowhere, Piper had a good guess as to who she was.
"You're an angel?"
"Rachel. I gather you need assistance."
Sam frowned. "You got all of that from Dean just saying Cass' name?"
Rachel's sneer deepened. "Our leader seems to be… Very in tune with the three of you annoying creatures. He said you wouldn't call unless you needed something dire." She sniffs. "I don't know if I agree with that, but-"
"Hey," Piper snapped, incensed at the implication that she would use her friend. "We were gonna find another way to fix this when you I Dream of Jeannie'd your way in here, so I don't want to hear it." Piper kept her gun steady on the angel (she knew it wouldn't hurt her, but it made Piper feel better, anyway). "If you're going to be a bitch, you can go. We're Cass' friends, we know he's going through a lot."
"Are you?" Rachel spat. "Because from where I'm sitting, it looks like you call him every time you stub your toe, you useless little bi-"
"Rachel."
Piper's eyes widened when she took in Cass standing behind the blonde angel, staring at her quizzically.
Rachel turned. "I told you I'd take care of this."
"I can handle it," he intoned gravely. "You can go." Rachel huffed, but disappeared obediently.
"Cass," Piper protested softly, "You don't have to do this."
"Yeah," Dean said from next to her. "If Miss Universe can zap us back, we can put up with her shitty attitude."
"Rachel is my lieutenant," Castiel said apologetically. "She's… Dedicated to the cause."
His diplomacy made Piper smile, even as she was stepping forward to wrap her arms around his neck. "Thanks for coming," she said softly. "Sorry."
His arms only hesitated a beat before coming around her waist and hugging her back. "I'll always come when you call."
She stepped back and beamed up at him. "I know you will, we just feel bad. I know you're busy."
He shook his head. "What do you need?"
Piper felt patently ridiculous.
She loved her husband, she did. She would die for Dean Winchester, she would do any number of terrible things for him. Piper loved her husband.
But she was considering shooting him. She wondered if Cass would blame her, or if he could make sure she got into heaven despite murdering her husband. Did he like her or Dean more?
She felt ridiculous in the getup Dean had insisted she wear (and damn him for using those Winchester puppy dog eyes on her).
She followed the Winchesters into the saloon, which knocked her out of her reverie. Oh, God. It was covered in filth, just like the people, and it was beginning to become quite clear why life expectancy had gone up since this time period. She wrinkled her nose at the smell.
A few men at a table nearby gave her a leer, so she stared them down until they all shifted uncomfortably. Idiots, she thought darkly, turning to see Dean ordering a shot of whiskey at the bar. Frowning, she came up to stand between he and Sam.
"Dean, honey, that's going to taste like kerosene."
"Pipes, kitten, it's authentic."
"It's disgusting," she said frankly, though she did keep her voice down. She couldn't help the smile on her face, watching his dancing green eyes as he took everything in. "But I'm glad you're happy."
He grinned and looped an arm around her waist. "Always am when I'm with you, baby."
She rolled her eyes and turned to listen to Sam speak with the bartender. "You know a man named Samuel Colt?"
Elkins, the bartender, continued to pour Dean's shot. "He passed through here about four years ago."
"Is he still around?" Piper asked.
"Rumor is, he's building a railroad top twenty miles out of town, just by the postal road." He snorted. "Middle of nowhere."
Sam turned to look down at her. "Devil's Gate?"
"Location fits," Dean said thoughtfully from behind her.
"Howdy, boys!"
Piper turned to see a very immodestly dressed woman leaning up against Dean, pressing her barely-covered breasts against his arm. Elkins, the bartender, smiled. "Darla's my best girl, gentlemen."
Dean smiled tightly, clearly uncomfortable. "Well, I, uh, I'm married. Real married, Darla."
Piper's expression was tight for a different reason. "To me," she snarled.
Darla was distracted, luckily, from Piper's hostility by the judge they'd seen earlier walking in. The prostitute cheered happily and swayed over to the man, making exclamations about a date and the room she always kept for him.
Dean watched with a horrified expression, then turned and slammed his shot of whiskey. His face contorted with disgust, and when he was done, he looked at Piper with despair. "This is not awesome."
She smiled and cupped his face. "I know, sweetheart, I'm sorry."
Hours later, Dean was glaring at his (distractingly lovely) wife, furious.
The judge had burned in bed with the hooker, and Darla had claimed that the man who had been hung in the town square earlier was at fault. The Sheriff was inclined to believe her, and so was Dean. Elias Finch was their phoenix.
The problem was this:
The only thing they knew, surefire, that would kill a phoenix was the Colt. They couldn't all go get it, however, because Elias was still running around, and Dean didn't want anyone else to get hurt if they could help it.
Which all would be fine, but Dean and Sam had already been brought on board to the posse assigned to hunt Finch, and that just left Piper to go find Samuel Colt and ask to borrow his gun.
Which was not happening.
"Absolutely not."
Piper nodded wisely. "Ah, yes. Well, I have always done exactly what you told me to do."
Dean growled in frustration. "Pipes, it's not safe."
"Dean, nothing is safe, and I'm going!"
"Sam, tell her she's not going."
Sam, the wuss, visibly paled when Piper turned her hazel glare onto him. "Yeah, no way, I'm not getting involved in this."
Piper stormed over to the horse she'd brought out, because she had already been planning to fight about this, apparently. Dean kept glaring at her as she mounted (which was hot), settled herself sidesaddle on the giant animal (also… kind of hot) and rode the horse up to him until she could lean down and cup his face.
"I love you," she said softly, vehemently. "Go catch the bad guy, I'll be back soon."
"I don't like it."
She smiled. "I know, baby."
When Piper arrived at Samuel Colt's house, she dutifully tethered her horse to a tree outside and tried to quell the nervous butterflies in her stomach. Quit being ridiculous, she scolded herself. It doesn't matter if he likes you.
She knocked on the door, unsure of what to expect.
What she did not expect, however, was to have a flask of holy water splashed onto her face.
She blinked, then wiped her face with a scowl. "I'm not a demon, I'm a hunter."
The man standing in front of her was an older gentleman, and was blatantly staring at her. "You're a what?"
"A hunter."
"You're a woman."
She glared again. "Very astute. Are you going to let me in?" He stepped back to allow her entry, and she started speaking as she brushed by him. "My name is Piper Winchester. I'm a hunter from the year two-thousand-eleven."
"Prove it."
She thought for a moment, then pulled her cell phone from her bodice. She handed it over, surveying the man as he stared at it. He seemed to have gotten over the "woman" thing, and she was glad, because she did not want to have to explain to her husband that she'd had to kick Samuel Colt's ass for being a sexist.
Colt shrugged and pocketed her phone. "All right."
She raised her eyebrows. "Just like that?"
"Well, when you've done this long as I have, a beautiful woman from the future with a magic brick doesn't exactly give you the vapors."
Piper smiled. "Mr. Colt, I think we're going to get along just fine."
Getting shot at is really getting' kind of old, Dean thought to himself, scowling as he hid from Elias Finch.
"Come on, Pipes, never been late a day in your life," he muttered. "Where the hell are you?"
As he said it, he heard her shout. "Dean!"
As much as he hated being shot at, and Jesus Christ did he hate the idea of being shot at, he hated the idea of someone shooting at Piper even more. He shot to his feet and scanned the street, finally spotting her down the street, crouched behind the saloon. He ran to her, staying low, and ignoring the irritated look in her eye because he'd put himself directly in the line of fire to get to her.
"Where is he?" he panted as he skidded to a stop beside her.
"He's not coming, but he sent me with the Colt."
"Good." Before she could argue, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and brought her in for a brutal kiss. While she was distracted, he grabbed the gun from her hand. He pulled away and looked her in the eye. "Love you, kitten," he murmured, just before standing and striding confidently out to the middle of the road. "Finch! Get out here!" he bellowed, ignoring Piper hissing his name.
Finch walked out to the road to face Dean. "So, this is how you want to die? Your pretty woman watching when you hit the dirt?" The phoenix shrugs. "Fine."
Dean couldn't contain just a smidge of glee as they waited for the clock to strike noon, because he's a real life Western shoot-out. As soon as the clock struck, he drew, and was immensely satisfied to see the phoenix glance down in surprise as he died.
Teach you to shoot at my wife, Dean thought maliciously.
Before he could enjoy his triumph, he felt the familiar way the world tilted away from him when they flew via angel wings, and he was back in Bobby's study.
He immediately turned to Cass, who admittedly looked a little rough. "You gotta send us back."
"Dean," Piper said severely as she hurried to Cass. "Look at him! He's obviously drained."
Castiel nodded. "I never want to do that again."
Piper nodded and ran her fingers through his dark hair soothingly. "You did great, Cass."
Dean glared. "I did great," he muttered, then flipped Sam off when he saw that his brother was smirking at his behavior. When he looked around, he saw that Bobby was leaning against the desk, pale and shaking. "Bobby, you-"
"I'm still kickin', Annie Oakley," the older hunter said drily. "Be back good as new in… A decade or two." Piper left Castiel to fuss over Bobby next.
Dean heaved a sigh. "And we screwed the pooch. Bobby, I'm sorry."
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Dean drew his gun, and was proud when he saw Piper do the same. Sam answered the door warily, opening it to reveal a courier delivery man.
The man looked down at his folder, then peered into the room. "Is there a Piper Winchester here?"
Piper frowned and hid her gun behind her. "Who's asking?"
The man zeroed in on her. "Look, this is nuts. Me and a couple of guys made a bet. So…" He held out a very old, very battered package. "This thing's been lying around the office since… Ever? Uh, with a note on it saying to bring it here today. It's from a…" He peered at the box. "Samuel Colt?"
Piper grinned. "Yeah, that's mine, then." She took the package from the man and thanked him. When she turned, all four men in the house were staring at her, a bit awestruck. Dean chuckled when she rolled her eyes, then made way for her to come stand next to him to place the package on the desk. He looped an arm around her waist while she pulled the letter off and read it aloud.
Dear Piper,
I got this address and date off your thingamajig, and I thought the enclosed might come in handy.
Regards, Samuel Colt.
P.S. (you ever get bored, pretty lady, you know when to find me)
She laughed delightedly, and Dean scowled. "What?"
She patted his arm. "Samuel Colt is just an old flirt, Dean. No reason to get jealous."
Dean growled and tightened his grip on her, pressing a kiss to her hair. "Damn right," he muttered, then glared at her when she shook with more laughter as she pulled out a glass bottle filled with grey powder.
Bobby's eyebrows went up. "That what I think it is?"
Piper had a fond smile on her face when she nodded. "Ashes of a phoenix. Samuel must have gone to get them for me."
"You know what this means?" Dean asked, anticipation starting to thrum through him, despite the irritation at a man who'd been dead for a hundred years for flirting with his wife.
Bobby snorted. "Yeah, I didn't get a soulonoscopy for nothin'."
"Yes," Dean nodded. "And, it means we take the fight to her."
**Feedback gives me the warm fuzzies and keeps me going.
