When I opened my eyes to the broad daylight and remembered where I was, I hid my face in the borrowed pillow and groaned. "Morning." said a voice pretty close to me. It was a nice, deep voice. I lifted my face. "Morning, Sam." I said while I feverishly tried to come up with a story that he would believe. There was this smell of trouble again. I knew he would want to hear a story. But I couldn't come up with anything. My mind just stayed blank.

.

"So, what is your real name?" Sam asked while his eyes studied my face intently. I didn't want to answer him. I didn't want to tell anything about my past. But they had taken me in, given me a blanket and their couch and when I woke up the next morning, there was Sam sitting on a chair and waiting for Dean to return with breakfast.

"Lily Marie Sutherthon", I answered after a while and hoped he would stop interrogating me. Of course I knew perfectly well at that point that he wouldn't stop.

But, well, a girl can hope - and I didn't want to make up new lies.

The truth is, that Lily isn't my real name. I took it on when I entered the ferry to Dover. Before that, my name was Anna Mueller. And sometimes Charlene Leroux, when I travelled through France. In Spain I was Christina Sanchez.

.

And these weren't my real names either. My real name was buried so deep in the back of my mind, that I almost couldn't remember it anymore. Because I had hoped that without this name, the evil being that had been chasing me through Europe wouldn't be able to find me. Because I had hoped if even I forgot my own name, it would forget it either. I can't say it really worked. But hope dies last.

.

Anyway, when I looked into Sam's dark eyes, I didn't want to lie anymore. I wanted to... – I didn't know exactly what it was I wanted to do, but it definitely didn't involve this guy finding out some day that I lied to him again.

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I was desperately looking for a way out of this situation, when it suddenly hit me that they didn't only have a motel room but there was also a bathroom with a hot shower in it. I hadn't been able to take a hot shower for what felt like ages.

"See, do you think could I perhaps have a shower first?" I asked. This would also give me some more time. And maybe I could make an escape before Dean came back.

"Yes, of course you can." Sam nodded hastily. "Sorry for not thinking about it. You must be dying to have a hot shower."

.

Yes, I felt guilty for using this lame trick. And I felt even more guilty when I locked the bathroom door from the inside, turned on the shower and opened the window. I sighed and looked back regretfully at the steaming hot water before I climbed out of the window.

.

"Interesting way to take a shower", Dean commented the moment I had landed on the ground. I spun around to see him leaning lazily on the wall next to me. "But you probably don't feel nice and clean after this." He smiled broadly into my shocked face. "You really should try a REAL shower. Need some help with it?"

.

I shook my head, unbelieving. He didn't just say that, did he? Dean nodded as if he had expected me to answer that way and indicated that he'd give me a leg up back through the window. I gave him another disbelieving look. "You want me to climb back through the window?"

Dean nodded. "Sam will be disappointed if he finds out that you tried to run from him." He winked at me. "And this way we don't have to pick the lock from the outside."

"And – you're not mad at me for trying to run away?" I simply couldn't believe it.

Dean seemed to study me again. "Why should I be?" He said. "It shows that you don't trust easily. And that you at least TRY to keep your secrets. Can't blame you for doing that."

.

This sounded fair. Almost a bit too fair. But maybe that's the way he and Sam just were. I started to feel some of respect for this guy.

"By the way", Dean added before I could feel TOO much of that damn respect, "You wouldn't come far if I decided to hunt you down." He winked and nodded his head suggestively to the bathroom window. "You sure that you don't want me to take that shower with you?"

"I definitely WON'T take a shower together with YOU", I answered testily .Then I pulled up and climbed back into the now steamfilled bathroom without using his help. "Enjoy your shower." I heard Dean saying. He sounded amused.

.

I was sure he would keep guard in front of the window, so I didn't even waste a thought on trying it again. Instead I took this – wonderfully hot – shower. No use fighting fate, is it.

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.

"Okay, princess is back from her shower – time to talk", Dean said the moment that I opened the door and stepped out. Dean had gotten my duffel bag from my car and had handed it to me through the bathroom window, so I was already wearing a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt. The two were sitting on the beds, waiting for me, and Sam was typing on his notebook again. He didn't even look up to smile at me the way he had done before, so I guessed that Dean had told him about my climbing out of the bathroom window and he really was diappointed. "Look, Sam..." I started to explain, but Dean shot me a warning look and gestured me to sit down next to him.

"Take a seat, make yourself comfortable and prepare to be grilled" he commanded. I chose Sam's bed instead, because it was the farthest place from Dean's and thus seemed to be the safest place at the moment.

.

Dean grinned.

.

"First question. What's you real name?"

"I really think you might want to rethink that question." I grumbled. "Except that you happen to like listening to fictional stories - since I'm not telling you. Lily 's fine."

Dean and Sam exchanged glances. Some seconds passed in silence while I felt them watching me.

.

"Why?" Dean asked finally.

.
I took a deep breath. This was a question I was even willing to answer – after they told me more about who THEY were. "After you, please." I said.

- "What?!"

"After you", I said. "I want to know something about you first. Then I'll answer your question."

"You don't really believe you are in the position to make conditions, are you?" Dean looked as if he wanted to get up, grab my collar and shake me. "Let me tell you something...-"

- "Okay, back down, Dean", Sam said quickly. "I think I can understand her. I mean – we are two, she's alone – why shouldn't we go first?"

I exhaled slowly.

"So you two are brothers", I said. At least I already got that much. "And you're on the road – doing what?"

.

Dean and Sam exchanged glances. "Now, this might sound a bit crazy, but..."

"Believe me, I know crazy", I said annoyed. I was definitely losing my patience. Or maybe I was just losing my nerves. I wasn't sure about that. "So would you just stop this and start telling?" I looked at Dean, but he shook his head and looked at Sam. "Telling" their story seemed to be Sam's job.
"What do you know about ghosts and other supernatural stuff?" Sam asked. "More than I care to." I answered, not exactly understanding where he wanted to get to. "We are hunters", Sam said.

Hunters? I didn't understand. "What kind of hunters?" I asked. "Who do you work for? The wildlife resort? The government? And what do you hunt?"

.

- "We're hunting ghosts and demons and vampires and – all that's evil and supernatural." Dean said, obviously enjoying the shocked-surprised face I made when I realized what he was telling there. And that he believed what he was telling.

"We do not exactly work for anyone who pays us." Sam said almost at the same time.

Nevertheless, I got what both of them said.

"You're hunters of supernatural things?" I asked to clarify. "Of bad things?" They nodded. "I guess that makes you the good guys." I reasoned.

Dean beamed at Sam. "Told you she's not daft."

I shot him a warning glance.

.

"Now about that other thing", Dean said.

I so knew he wouldn't let go.

"I didn't know hunters existed." I said slowly. "But I always knew about the evil things. One of them was hunting me for some time. I think it finally lost my trail. So I'm not going to tell you about it, if you don't mind."

Not that I really cared whether they did mind or not. I simply wouldn't let them dig around in my past and wake up any sleeping demon.

"Maybe we could help you." Sam offered.

I shook my head. "I don't need help. I'm fine." I said. And I knew it was true. I finally "was fine". Except for this strange smell around them. But I would deal with that later. "Thank you, though."

.

"So where are you going next?" Sam asked.

Dean kept watching me. He didn't say anything. It definitely made me uncomfortable. Finally he nodded. "She's not going anwhere. At least not today." He stated.

.

My jaw dropped for a moment. Then I got it under control again. "Firstly, that's not for you to decide", I countered. "And secondly, I wouldn't stay here with you if it was the last place on earth."

To Sam I explained, somewhat less acidly, "I haven't yet made up my mind where I want to go. But if you tell me where you're heading from here, I will take the opposite direction. I really don't care for any encounter with whatever you're hunting, so I'm going to run again."

.

Strangely enough, instead of siding with Dean, Sam looked at me knowingly. "May I ask for how long this thing was hunting you?", he asked.

.

I thought about it.

"About eight years, I think", I finally answered. Had it really been that long? It seemed like all my life, but I still never thought about it being THAT long.
.

"Impossible. You're lying", Dean accused me. "You can't be older than twenty. You'd never have survived out on the streets that young."- "Is it really that impossible to believe, Dean?" Sam said in a soft voice. "Look at her. Look at how she lives." I felt offended.

"I'm seventeen", I defended myself. "And you're not the only ones who can survive on their own, even if you think so."

.

"You're so NOT going out there on your own now", Dean said gravely. "So if that's what you want to say - don't even try."

.

"It would really be safer if you stayed with us for the next days, Lily", Sam tried to relent. "Because even if you don't want to be, you're already in the middle of a hunt. You've stumbled into it last night when you parked near a field that belongs to the farmland outside town. Whatver it is that is out there causing trouble – it has probably seen you. At least stay until we have killed that beast."

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.

I gave in and stayed. I know I shouldn't have to, it wasn't safe. But the idea of running directly into the arms of whatever evil being these two so-called hunters had stirred – I really didn't want to be doing that. Plus, there was the shower. I couldn't even remember the last time I had had a hot shower.

.

Maybe I was also a little bit curious about the hunting stuff.

.

Okay, I admit it. Apart from the fact that they were hunters, these two guys were totally hot. But it wasn't as if this had influenced my decision to stay. I mean, they were ... how old? And I'd had how many relationships before?

Right. I mean - even hearing the word "relationship" usually sent me running.

So this was WAY out of my league. Whatever my league was.

.

The main reason for staying was the shower. Definitely. The hot shower and the hunting stuff. So what? With my history and in my situation, this was just a normal thing to be curious about.