Dean kept a worried eye on Piper as they followed Bobby and Sam down the alley. She'd subdued, withdrawn since the hospital with Brandy and Steve. She'd softly told him what Castiel had said, then had fallen into him, crying into his chest for a long time.

Dean Winchester could handle a lot of things, but his wife's broken heart wasn't one of them.

Now he had her hand clasped in his, hoping to convey some comfort through the physical contact. He wasn't sure he hit the mark, but the way she squeezed back gratefully told him that something was getting through.

"Where is she?" Sam asked as they made their way to the end of the alley.

They were meeting one of Bobby's friends, Eleanor. She'd helped them out a while back, and now she said she'd be able to help them keep the gate to purgatory from opening. Dean was still fuzzy on the details. He'd been focused on other things.

Bobby shrugged and pulled his cell phone out. "She said to meet her here. I'll try her again." After a moment, they all heard a ringing. Piper finally perked up enough too look around with them, and she led Dean by the hand over to the dumpster that sat along one of the dingy walls that made up the alley. There, leaning up against the dumpster, was Eleanor. She was covered in blood, and seemed woozy when she looked up at them.

Bobby shoved his way through them and came to kneel next to her. "El?"

She smiled a little. There was blood in her teeth. "Hey. I guess I could've used your help after all."

Her words seemed to startle Bobby into action. He pulled her hands away from her middle, wincing at the blood pooled on her stomach, staining her shirt. "Just be still. What the hell happened?"

"They took me. I got away."

"Oh, Ellie," Bobby said mournfully. "What did they do to you?"

She chuckled, and blood dripped down one side of her mouth. "Everything. The demon I could have handled, but when the angel stepped in, I…" Dean felt Piper stiffen next to him at the word "angel" at the same time Eleanor coughed weakly. "I told him, Bobby," she continued. "They have enough to crack purgatory wide open."

"Tell me," the older hunter said gruffly, "I need to know."

"They need virgin blood, that's a milk run for them. And they need the blood of a purgatory native, and well…" She gestured to herself. "They've got plenty of that."

Dean felt his eyebrows raise in shock. Purgatory native? Jesus, he needed to start paying more attention. "Have they opened it yet?" he asked.

Eleanor shook her head. "Tomorrow. The moon… An eclipse." She turned back to Bobby and raised one blood-smeared hand to cup his cheek. "I'm sorry, Bobby."

He shook his head. "No, shh. It's okay, it's okay."

"I'm sorry, I'm reall-"

"Tell us where they are," Bobby insisted gently.

Before she could say anything else, Eleanor slumped to one side, clearly dead. "El?" Bobby asked, although Dean could tell by his tone that he knew she was already gone.

"I'm sorry this had to happen," a gravelly voice said from behind him. All of them turned as one to see Castiel standing just a few feet behind them. There were a lot of emotions swirling in his eyes, but his posture was stiff, his face unreadable. He didn't look real sorry to Dean. "Crowley got carried away."

"Yeah, I'll bet it was all Crowley, you son of a bitch," Bobby growled. He took a step forward, but Dean grabbed one arm at the same time that Sam grabbed the other. As much as Dean didn't want to think that Cass would hurt Bobby, the whole situation with Brandy and Steve had opened his eyes to how much trust he'd put into the angel.

And if that hadn't had him second-guessing himself, the raw look in Piper's eyes as she stared at Castiel would have done the trick.

"You don't even see it, do you?" Dean snapped. "How totally off the rails you are?"

"Enough," Castiel snarled, and the nastiness in his voice was enough to give Dean pause. "I don't care what you think. I've tried to make you understand. You won't listen. So let me make this simple. Please, go home and let me stop Raphael. I won't ask again."

"Good," Piper said coldly. "Because you already know our answer."

Castiel shook his head sadly, and for some reason it infuriated Dean. "I wish it hadn't come to this," the angel said mournfully. "Rest assured, when this is over, I will save Sam, but only if you stand down."

Dean felt like his heart had stopped. "Save Sam from what?"

Castiel disappeared, and before Dean could do or say a thing, he reappeared behind Sam. He reached up to press two fingertips to Sam's temple.

The way his little brother screamed would join Dean's nightmares for the rest of his life.


It had been a long time since Piper had been in shock, but she was certain that that was what she was feeling. She wrung out another cool cloth and carried it back over to the cot they'd set up in the middle of Bobby's panic room. Sam was laid out on it, completely unconscious, but he would sometimes twitch or moan deep in his throat. She smoothed the cloth over his damp forehead and cheeks, wishing there was more she could do.

Dean and Bobby came in a few minutes later, both looking stormy. "Anything?" Bobby asked.

When Piper shook her head, Dean let his breath out explosively. "We can't just sit here. We've got to help him."

"Dean," Piper said reproachfully.

"I mean, dreamscape his noggin or something."

"You know what Cass did," Bobby said sharply, and Piper had to hide the way she wanted to flinch at the angel's name. "The dam inside your brother's head is gone, and all hell's spilling loose. We don't know what's going on in there."

"I don't care! We've gotta do something!"

"And we will," Piper said, gentle but firm. "But right now, we've got sixteen hours until they open the gate to purgatory. We're already down one man, we need both of you working on that."

"How's that even going? We've got no line on Crowley, we've got no line on Cass, Balthazar's MIA. All we got is Sam, going through whatever the hell this is!"

Piper knew that Dean was just angry and scared at the situation they found themselves in, not specifically at her, so she let the fact that he was technically yelling at her slide.

Bobby did not, and he was glaring daggers at the eldest Winchester when he spoke. "You know, this is exactly what Cass wants. For you to fall to pieces." He walked over to the cupboard and efficiently poured three whiskeys, handing one to Piper and Dean each before he spoke again. They were both silent as he did so.

"Try to think of what Sam would want."

Dean heaved a sigh and looked heavenward. "We gotta find Cass, Bobby. We gotta find him now."


Piper was sitting on Dean's lap, his strong arm around her waist. She had her own hand wrapped around his wrist, running her thumb along the delicate skin just below his palm in what she hoped was a soothing manner. He had a tumbler of whiskey in his other hand.

She was struggling to not let her thoughts turn to the last time she was with Dean and whiskey in front of a bed where Sam lay still when she heard the sound of footsteps from behind them. She turned at the same time Dean did to see Balthazar standing just outside the doorway of the panic room.

"Look what the cat dragged in," Bobby said dryly.

The angel was looking around curiously. "Well, at least you mudfish finally got the angel-proofing right." He pointed to Sam. "How's Sleeping Beauty? I trust no one stole any kisses?"

Dean frowned, and Piper stood so he could get up and stalk across the room. She followed at a more sedate pace, snagging the bottle on her way. She had a feeling she'd need it.

"What took you so long?" Dean snapped.

"Honestly? I was having second thoughts."

Piper grabbed another tumbler and poured a couple of fingers into it. "About?" she asked as she handed it over to the angel.

He accepted it quietly, which clued her into how serious this was. "About whether or not to help you." He eyed Dean warily. "I was thinking maybe I should rip out your sticky bits instead."

Piper rolled her eyes. "And what did you decide?"

He stared at her and she stared right back. As much as she wished she was up for the mental acrobatics required to play verbal games with angels, she just wasn't. He'd help them or he wouldn't. Either way, she would get Sam back, and she would stop Castiel.

He finally heaved a sigh, pulled a piece of paper from his back pocket, and handed it to Dean. "Cas and Crowley are there. That's where the show gets started."

Dean was looking at the address grimly. "All right. Give us a minute to pack up, then zap us there."

The angel actually chuckled. "Oh, no, no, no, no. I don't think so."

"And why not?" Bobby asked.

"Because I'm betraying a friend here. A very powerful friend. We all are. So I think I've stuck my neck out far enough already." He looked at each of them in turn. When his eyes got to Piper, they softened just a bit. "Good luck," he said quietly, then disappeared.


Dean approached Piper cautiously. He knew how this conversation would go, but God help him, he had to try.

"I'm willing to bet the chances of you staying behind to look after Sam are slim to none?"

She snorted, but when he came to stand behind her, she leaned back into his chest. Her eyes stayed on Sam the whole time. "You'd win that bet."

He wrapped her close in his arms and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "All right, then."

"Just like that?"

"Kitten, it may have taken me years, but I do eventually learn. You're gonna do whatever you need to, and I'm gonna be right there with you, baby."

"Even if we have to go stop the king of hell and our angelic ex-best friend from opening the gate to purgatory for a Hail Mary power grab?" Her voice was soft but tinged with bitterness.

He hugged her tighter. "Even then."


"I count a dozen mooks, probably more," Bobby said grimly as he looked through binoculars at the building Balthazar had led them to.

They were all sitting in the Impala, trying to get as much recon as possible before they went in to confront Castiel. Piper was in the backseat, subdued.

"Demons?" Dean asked.

"Angels."

He groaned and rubbed a hand down his face hard. "Well, how the hell are we gonna take out that many angels?"

Bobby shrugged. "We don't. We'll ninja our way in."

Dean scoffed. "Awesome, yeah, 'till they hear your knee squeak."

"Shut up."

"Oh, what, now you got thin skin?"

"No," Piper said, suddenly urgent from the backseat. "Do you hear that?"

Once Dean did, in fact, shut up, he heard it, too. A loud, rhythmic booming sound. It almost sounded like giant footsteps coming closer.

"The hell is that? T-rex, maybe?"

He heard the creak of leather when Piper turned around, and her soft gasp. "Oh, fu-"

A huge black cloud of demon smoke surrounded the car, picked it up, and everything went dark.


Dean woke up crumpled on the windshield, groaning. Gotta get seatbelts put in, he thought dimly. There was a pounding pain in his head, but before he even thought about addressing it, he looked around for the other two passengers in the car.

Baby was definitely flipped upside-down, which he had already gathered. Bobby was next to him, unconscious but breathing. He twisted around a little before he saw Piper, already stirring from where she lay sprawled behind him.

"Pipes?" he croaked.

She groaned and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I'm okay," she said softly, "I'm okay. You?"

"I'll live." He poked at Bobby's shoulder. "Bobby?"

"What?" the older hunter grunted as he, too, sat up.

"Come on, we gotta go."


Piper stayed between Dean and Bobby as they crept into the room where they'd heard a woman who she didn't recognize, but who was pretty clearly an angel.

Crowley was standing next to her, chanting. "Quarum ungulae et dentes, nunquam, tetigerunt carnem humanam-"

Before he could finish, Dean reared back and threw an angel blade at the female angel. She didn't even have to turn around to catch it. She and Crowley turned to look at the three of them, and with a flick of his wrist, Crowley tossed them down the stairs. Piper clenched her teeth to keep from crying out as she felt bruises forming on top of bruises. When they hit the ground, Dean groaned weakly. She reached out to lay her hand gently on top of his.

"Bit busy, kids," Crowley sneered. "Be with you in a moment." He turned back to the sigils drawn on the wall in blood. "Aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum, nunc, ianua magna aperta tandem!"

Precisely nothing happened.

The demon looked down at the paper he'd been reading from. "Hmm. Maybe I said it wrong."

Piper's eyes widened as Castiel appeared behind Crowley, holding an empty jar of blood. "You said it perfectly. All you needed was this." He put the jar down on one of the medical examination tables next to him.

Piper slowly began to get to her feet. Next to her, Dean and Bobby did the same.

Crowley had turned to look at Cass. "I see." He walked over to the sigil already on the wall. "And we've been working with…" He reached out, swiped a finger through the blood, and stuck it in his mouth. "Dog blood. Naturally."

"Enough of these games, Castiel," the other angel growled. "Give us the blood."

Crowley rolled his eyes. "Moron. The game is over. His jar's empty." He turned toward Castiel. "So, how'd your ritual go? Better than ours, I'll bet."

Castiel closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Piper's blood ran cold as a bright light began to emanate from him. She covered her eyes with her hand as she quietly panicked.

"You can't imagine what it's like," Castiel said, and he sounded different now that she was really listening for it, like he was further away but louder at the same time. Like he was shouting across a parking lot to them. "They're all inside me. Millions upon millions of souls."

"Sounds sexy," Crowley said dryly. "Exit stage Crowley." He disappeared.

The other angel looked terrified. Castiel tilted his head as he looked at her. "Now, what's the matter, Raphael? Somebody clip your wings?"

Raphael? If Castiel could ground an archangel, what the hell was he going to do to them?

"Castiel, please. You let the demon go, but not your own brother?"

"The demon I have plans for. You, on the other hand…" Castiel snapped his fingers, and the archangel exploded. Piper gasped and turned her head just in time to not get splattered in the face with angel bits. The angel blade Raphael had been holding clattered to the floor.

The angel turned toward them. "So, you see, I saved you."

After a beat, Dean nodded slowly. "Sure thing, Cass. Thank you."

"You doubted me, fought against me, but I was right all along."

"Okay, Cass, you were." Dean was still nodding, hands held up in surrender. "We're sorry. Now, let's just defuse you, okay?"

Castiel tilted his head again. It wasn't the adorable squint Piper was used to on his face. It was more like someone who'd never had facial muscles trying to figure out how they worked. "What do you mean?"

"You're full of nuke, buddy," Dean said gently. "It's not safe. So before the eclipse ends, let's just get them souls back to where they belong."

"Oh, no. They belong with me."

"Cass," Piper protested softly. "It's frying you."

"No. I'm not finished yet. Raphael had many followers, and I must punish them all severely."

"Listen to me," Dean said harshly. "Listen, I know there's a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once. I'd have died for you. I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you…. Please. I lost the life I wanted with Piper, that apple-pie life, and now I've lost Sam. Don't make us lose you, too. You don't need this kind of juice anymore, Cass. Get rid of it before it kills us all!"

"You're just saying that because I won. Because you're afraid." Piper saw movement behind Cass, but kept her eyes on the angel. "You're not my family. I have no family."

The words sliced through her, but before she could protest, Sam was behind Castiel, driving the angel blade through his chest. Sam groaned, but Castiel simply pulled the blade out of himself and put it down. There was no blood on it or him.

"I'm glad you made it, Sam, but the angel blade won't work, because I'm not an angel anymore. I'm your new god. A better one. So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord, or I shall destroy you."

Something snapped inside Piper. The weeks of angst and pain, of wondering where her friend went, of wondering what they'd done, as Team Free Will, to deserve all of the shit they were put through.

And now Castiel was asking this of her.

She stepped forward, seeing red. She ignored the way Dean hissed her name in alarm, and Bobby's sharp intake of breathe.

"You want me to grovel, Cass?" she snarled. "You're going to have to make me."


- Feedback gets my motor running.
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- Me: "You're the level-headed one. How do you handle this?"
Piper: "...I essentially tell the angel to go fuck himself."
Me: "... Piper, Piper no."
Piper: "PIPER YES."