Piper felt like her heart had gone through ten rounds in a boxing ring. The sharp, steady ache deep in her chest was almost unbearable. When had Castiel become so important to her? She knew she'd always been friends with the angel, but to have his betrayal cut so deep told her she held him in much higher regard than she'd originally thought.

Was it maybe when he had been human those few short days before the showdown with Lucifer and Michael? When he hadn't known how to take care of himself, and he'd asked her to teach him with those big, earnest eyes that were now his? Or when he'd come to them after they'd gotten back into hunting, purely because she'd asked to make sure he was all right? The first time she'd called him "wings?"

Maybe it was when he pulled her husband from hell that did it.

Regardless of when it had happened, Castiel had become one of their circle, their family, Team Free Will. And now she was desperately trying to cope with the betrayal, the lies.

None of her normal coping mechanisms (of which, admittedly, she didn't have many) were working, so when Sam suggested they pour themselves a drink or two, she'd nodded and followed him into Bobby's kitchen silently. Maybe Dean's way will work better than mine.

She was just accepting her whiskey when Balthazar appeared at the table.

He cocked a blonde eyebrow. "Drinking your feelings? I thought that was Dean's bag."

Piper shrugged. "Stressful times."

Balthazar hummed. "Indeed. Well, we need to talk."

Sam frowned. "Why?"

"Because, I know I'm going to live to regret this, but I'm officially on your team. You bastards."

Dean had entered the room behind her at some point, apparently, and he pressed his firm chest to her back. Piper found herself leaning against him even as he spoke. "And we should believe you why?"

"Would you believe that I do have a shred of decency?"

"No," Sam deadpanned.

The angel clasped a hand to his chest dramatically. "Oh, that hurts." Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh, okay, you're right. It's survival. See, I asked Cass some questions, and I disliked his answers. He seems awfully sure of himself for a man who wants to swallow a million nuclear reactors."

Piper's blood ran cold. She knew that Castiel's plan was a bad idea, but she hadn't known it would be dangerous.

"I mean," Balthazar continued, "these things can get a bit Chernobyl, you know? So, voilà. Consider me your double agent. And I took the liberty of searching for your friends. It took a while, Crowley's a clever one."

Piper straightened. "You found them?"

"Well, the upside is yes, the downside is no, I can't get them for you."

Sam was frowning. "Why not?"

"Because Crowley's angel-proofed the whole bloody building. I guess he doesn't trust Cas. Seems that marriage is going swimmingly."

Piper sighed. "Can you get us close?"

"Sure. But then you're on your own."


They appeared outside of a huge, dark building, and Dean frowned. Why is it always a warehouse? Why does shit like this always happen in a warehouse?

"All right, boys," Balthazar said, "and Piper, dear. This is where I get off." He waved his hand in the air. "God be with you and… What have you." He disappeared.

Piper rolled her eyes and led them toward the warehouse. The temptation to check her out was there (his wife was just as hot as the day he'd met her), but Dean steadfastly ignored it to keep focus. He hadn't bonded with Brandy and Steve like Piper had, but they were civilians, and Steve had had an appropriate level of appreciation for Baby. They needed to be saved.

He was wrestling with the heavy feeling in his chest as they dispatched the demon who was obviously meant to keep watch. He wanted to believe in Castiel, and he wanted to back his friend's play, but Dean wasn't stupid, contrary to popular belief. He could see a bad plan a mile away, and Cass' plan just reeked of bad.

Knowing that the souls Cass wanted to consume were dangerous? Yeah, not only did that not surprise Dean in the least, it just strengthened his belief that Cass had to be stopped before he hurt himself and everyone else.

Just then, however, he pushed all of that aside so they could save Brandy and Steve. Once they were safe somewhere, then he could take some time to be really, royally pissed off at Castiel.

As they crept through the halls, Sam signalled that he was going to go down a separate hallway by himself. Piper shook her head, motioning that they should stick together. Dean looked at Sam, they both nodded, and Dean made sure to take point as the three of them went down the main hall. He was sure that Piper was rolling her eyes behind him, but he wasn't okay with her walking into what they knew was a demon trap in front him.

When they got into what looked to be the biggest room, Brandy and Steve were tied to a post in the middle, being watched over by three what Dean could only assume were demons. He moved quickly to disarm the closest one, trying to do it as quietly as possible. It didn't work, because of course it didn't, and soon all three of them were fighting fiercely.

Sam was able to take his down first, and made his way to the people tied to the poles. Dean tried to watch, to make sure that they were okay, but the demon he was fighting was fast, and worst, it was smirking, like it knew something that Dean didn't. Which pissed him right the hell off.

"Dean!" He turned toward Piper's hiss and caught Ruby's knife when she tossed it to him. Seeing that her demon was smoking on the ground, he turned and quickly slammed the knife into his demon's chest. It flashed and jerked, but he was already yanking the knife back and following Piper down the stairs to where Sam was untying Brandy and Steve.

Brandy woke up first, and by some luck, her bewildered gaze landed on Piper. "Piper," she gasped. "Thank God."

"We're not out of the woods yet," his wife said grimly. "We've still gotta get you guys out of here." She knelt to help untie them. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

Brandy shook her head. "No, no, we're fine. I think they just… Knocked us out?" She wrinkled her nose. "My head is definitely pounding."

Piper's hazel eyes were sorrowful. "Oh, Brandy, I'm so incredibly sorry."

Brandy and Steve were both free, and Dean watched as the other woman reached for Piper. "Oh, honey, no, I know it's not your fault. I mean, I have no idea what's going on, but I know it's-"

Before she could finish, Steve lunged forward, snatched Ruby's knife from Dean's lax hand, and grabbed Brandy around the throat. She squeaked, and Steve held the knife to her neck. Dean's heart plummeted when Steve's eyes flashed black.

"I'm not so sure about who's fault it is," he snarled.


Piper's blood ran cold as the demon possessing Steve spoke. "Crowley thought you might come, so he had me jump into the desperate househusband for insurance. Can't go losing our leverage now, can we?" When Dean took a threatening step forward, the demon tsked. "Ah, another step, she gets a free vocal cord removal, eh?" He tucked his mouth close to Brandy's ear, and the way her friend's eyes filled with tears made Piper's heart thump painfully. "He's in here, you know, your husband. I can hear him thinking."

"Don't listen to him, Brandy," Piper said, a bit desperately. "That's not Steve."

"Oh, what?" the demon sneered. "Sure it is, all up in my head. He's thinking about how if you weren't such a needy bitch, you wouldn't have needed to make friends with the new neighbors so badly." Brandy was crying softly. "You wouldn't be in this goddamn mess. Wouldn't even be on the king of hell's radar, to be honest."

"Brandy, I'm going to get you out of this," Piper vowed. "I'm going to make sure you're all right."

As she spoke, Sam, who had crept up behind Steve, stepped forward and wrapped his arm around the demon. There was a struggle that Piper couldn't make out the logistics of, but she knew that Brandy was choking and gagging, and that the demon was writhing and snarling. Sam grunted in effort, managed to get the knife in his own hand, and jammed it into Steve's side.

The demon flashed and died quickly, leaving Steve slumping into Sam's arms, bleeding sluggishly from the new wound in his side.

Piper stepped forward to wrap Brandy in her arms. The petite woman was sobbing, curling into Piper. "Is-is-is he gonna be oh-okay?" she hiccuped.

"Yeah, we're gonna get him to a hospital right now," Piper promised. Dean and Sam leaped into action at her words, both taking one of Steve's arms and putting it over their own shoulders. "See? The boys are gonna help us get him out of here, okay?"

Brandy was clearly dazed, but nodded along. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

Piper wrapped an arm around her waist and led her up the stairs, praying she wasn't lying to her friend.


Piper was standing at the foot of Steve's hospital bed. Brandy had fallen asleep at his side, his big hand clasped in her small one. Dean and Sam had gone down to the cafeteria to get coffee, so Piper wasn't surprised that that was the moment that Castiel decided to show up.

She didn't let him speak at all before she was demanding, "Heal him."

There was a beat of silence, then the angel murmured, "Of course, Piper." He stepped forward to place a hand on Steve's forehead. "He will waken soon, and he will be fine."

"Good. You can go now."

Castiel looked pained. "Piper-"

"No," she hissed, trying not to wake Brandy or Steve. "You fucked this up, Cass. I tried to work with you, to talk to you, to convince you to just trust us, instead of work with Crowley." She pointed to her friends. "Even if they didn't know Dean and I, they were innocents! And that goddamn demon of yours kidnapped them to keep us in line!" She crossed her arms, staring him down. "I am trying, wings, I really am," she said softly, "but I can't do this if you're in league with him. Dean and Sam won't, either. Please, please tell me you'll get out of bed with him, that you won't go through with this deal, that you'll let me help you."

She was pleading, she was actually begging him, and she knew it. She wasn't ashamed at all, she just wanted her friend back, she just wanted this to be over.

The sorrow in his eyes, however, told her it wouldn't be. His silence was as telling as if he'd said the words out loud.

"Fine," she said softly. "Then get the hell out of my sight."

"I am sorry," he said softly.

"I don't care."

He vanished, and she left the hospital room so she could start to cry without waking Brandy or Steve.


- All feedback is appreciated. The good, the bad, and the ugly, I welcome it all.
- Sorry for the short chapter. I tried to make it longer, I really did, but it just wasn't happening.