Thanks for reading! You guys are awesome!

No mio.

~CA

Amber was, as always, her perfect saving grace. They wasted no time catching up, despite the fact that it had been just over three months (three months? Had it really been thee months? True enough, most of her classmates were well into their second summer session. The fall semester was approaching quickly, but Lily had hardly given it a thought. A brief, hazy memory of the argument last popped into her head. Her heart twisted, and she let it go). And because Amber was Amber, and Amber was amazing, Lily didn't have to talk about her father, or the sticky time between his death and her ultimate reunion with her brothers, instead sharing their motel adventures, the few times Sam had driven—and gotten lost—and her frustration with greasy diner food. And in return, Amber talked about classes, boys, and the season's best parties.

Somehow (Lily took it as a sign of Amber's sheer amount of awesome that she didn't remember how), the two old friends started talking about what had happened after Lily had left.

"People talked," she said, and her tone was magically wistful and light. "Of course they talked. All good things, too," she added, eyes twinkling. "Apparently, you can fly and melt steel with your eyes."

Lily laughed, certain she'd never loved Amber so much as she did now. "Duh. How do you think I got in to Dartmouth? I put all that stuff in my essay."

Amber laughed, too, eyes softening. "Man, I missed you. You really think you're gonna come back?"

Now Lily's smile faded. Talking about her brothers, about the three months that had passed without her notice…She'd been hungover and in a bad mood when she'd left this morning, thinking of Sam and Dean and their damn arguing. But now, during the day, she could see Sam there during the early weeks, during her nightmares, and Dean's jacket over her shoulders whenever she woke up from a nap in the car. She thought of Sam instinctively buying her favorite donuts every weekend, and Dean handing her a honey-spiked latte, even when she didn't ask.

And she knew, really knew, it wasn't time to leave. Not yet.

"Not now, Bersey. Like I said, my brothers are hopeless without Da—er, without me."

Amber nodded understandingly. The corner of Lily's mouth quirked upward. Her roommate rocked. Before Lily could say so, though, Amber shook her head as if remembering something very obvious and very important.

"Oh! Duh, I totally forgot to mention…they started up a new scholarship for the kids in your 'freakishly-smart-hey-I'm-almost-a-doctor' program."

Lily tilted her head to the side. "Really?" They'd been pushing for such a scholarship for years, but considering part of the bargain was an almost-guarantee to an Ivy League med school… "You're joking."

Amber shook her head. "Hey, I steal your socks from the dryer, but even I am not that evil. Why would I joke? Anyway, you know I have that friend on the administrative board…Obviously, nothing's set in stone yet, but let's just say your chances are good. Like…really good."

"Oh, please," Lily laughed. "We all know the Dryer Monster is at the root of all evil." Then something else Amber said hit her and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait. I have a chance at scholarship? Really? Me?"

"I mean, yeah," Amber said, smiling. "Between your grades and rowing, and…other recent circumstances, things are looking the bomb-dot-com for you, L-Dub."

Lily laughed. "I thought we talked about that saying. We are not eighth grade boys. But…seriously, you think I have a chance?"

Amber grinned the same goofy grin Lily had grown to miss over the last several weeks. The one that made her whole face light up. "Duh. All you gotta do at this point is come back to school."

Lily shook her head, still reeling. "Man, I leave for a few weeks, and everything goes crazy. How'd you figure all this out again?"

"Listen, chica, I can't be repeating myself all the time," Amber scolded lightly, hopping down off her bed. "My friend from the admissions board, 'member?"

"The one you met freshman year?"

"Who else?"

Lily laughed. "Yeah, yeah, of course." There was a pause. "Didn't you tell me you guys got into a fight?"

"Mm?"

"Remember? After homecoming that year? You came home in tears, and we were curled on your bed for two hours, and afterward you said you'd never talk to him again."

Amber snorted and shrugged. "I say things, Lily. You know that. Besides, I was a stupid freshman. What's your point?"

"Exactly that," Lily said, though her voice had changed. She sounded…sad. Almost regretful. Like she was about to do something she didn't want to. "You say things. Stupid things. But you—Amber—always, always keeps her word."

Amber turned to look at her, frowning. "Lily—"

"They veto'd the scholarship first summer session," Lily continued without looking at her friend. "I left school, Bersey, I didn't leave the mailing list." There was a long pause, then Lily said, "You aren't real, are you." It wasn't a question.

Amber returned Lily's sad smile in a recreation so perfect, Lily almost second guessed herself. And then Amber said, "I could be."

"Everything could be," added another voice, and Lily whipped around to find the janitor from the first 'haunted' building standing behind her. Lily was less than surprised. She'd known since that morning, since 'the note' Sam, Dean, and Bobby had left for her, that the janitor, like the bartender who'd broken up Dean's fight last night, was the Trickster. And she'd known he'd known she'd been on her own. She'd known he'd come after her. They all had. So, here she was, both making up for her actions last night, and participating in the hunt. Win-win. Well, okay, win-win-lose. Her brothers weren't keen on the idea of her playing bait, but she'd won them over with logic in the end.

"He thinks I'll be alone, anyway," she'd hissed in a phone call just before she'd left the room. "He knows you guys know what and who he is. He doesn't even know I'm a hunter."

"All you have to do is give up this game with your brothers and go back to school," the Trickster continued coolly, as Amber and her room dissolved around them, leaving them a block or so off main campus. "It's not like you haven't thought about it."

Lily shrugged. "Course I have," she said coolly. "Hell, I'm not gonna lie, this is real tempting. But if you're telling me to do it, it's probably not in my best interest."

"As opposed to getting hunted down by demons and human freaks with evil powers?" the man—The Trickster—shot back, one eyebrow raised.

"Hey, it's a dirty job," Lily said.

"And you don't have to be the one to do it."

Then Drill Sergeant Grisham was there, suddenly beside her, handing her a diploma, her transcript—all As now—and more than one grad school acceptance letter.

"Just tell 'em you have more important things to do. They'd understand. After what they've put you through, they'd have to."

Lily swatted a hand at Grisham, who, as she expected, evaporated into a puff of smoke. "And what, pray tell," she said, using the words Grisham himself was so fond of, "have they 'put me through'?"

"Well, they sent you here as bait for one thing."

Lily's smile evaporated. Well. That wasn't part of the plan. In an instant of fortunate, yet unnecessary enlightenment, she realized that if he had been the bartender, he might have overheard her interviewing Drake. He would know she was a hunter. Dammit. Alcohol: 2, Lily: 0.

The Trickster laughed. "Ah, there goes that bravado. Anything to say for yourself now, Little Winchester?"

The girl muttered something under her breath. The Trickster frowned in annoyance and stepped forward inhumanly fast, to grab her by the throat, lifting her several inches off the ground. If she screamed, he couldn't tell by the strangled noise that escaped her lips.

"Oh, c'mon, Princess. They all tell me you're the funny one in the family. You gotta have something better than that for your last words."

"I am the funny one, so thanks for that," Lily gasped. "And I said 'look up the word bait, asshole'."

"Wha—" Lily dropped roughly to the floor as the Trickster stumbled away, cradling his now bleeding head.

"You alright?" asked Dean, hauling her up to her feet, even as Sam and Bobby went after the Trickster. "Sorry about that…Cut it a little close."

"No shit," Lily coughed, massaging her throat. "You couldn't just kill it?" Regardless of what Trickster had or hadn't figured out, her brothers had arrived just on time which was, coincidentally, the one thing no one ever counted on, and Lily always did.

"He was holding you too close," Dean explained, handing her a stake. "Couldn't risk—"

"Watch it!" Lily cut him off, throwing her weight at him as one of the Trickster's doubles lashed out from behind.

The two tumbled to the ground, Dean rolling to his feet to cleanly drive his stake through the thing's heart. It vanished; he swore.

"Which one is the real thing?" he grumbled angrily.

"If we knew that," Bobby called over his only mini-battle, "this woulda been over by now."

Lily herself had been about to answer in much the same vein, but she was facing yet another of the Trickster's doubles. This one was speaking to her.

"Cute trick you had set up," it said, gaining on Lily, who still couldn't reach the stake she'd dropped. Sam, Dean and Bobby were either missing or wrestling with their own problems. "Staged that fight with your brother, running away to Amber—"

"Trust me," she grumbled under her breath. "It wasn't all staged."

"Even better," it laughed, reaching down to grab her again. As its hand closed around the fabric of her shirt, she swung out and rolled away. She didn't get far, but she managed to tear her shirt halfway up one side.

"Smooth," it laughed, kneeling over her. "Now—what's that?"

Lily froze, genuinely confused at the Trickster's genuinely confused expression. Of all the things for it to say, she wasn't expecting that. She was caught off guard, something John had warned her against since she was ten years old, something which should have cost her her life.

"What?" she said without thinking, following his eyes to her bruised side, where Andy had bumped her over a week ago.

"When did—" He was cut off as a spike suddenly protruded from his chest. Lily flinched, only half expecting it.

His hand fell away, and his body followed shortly after. The doubles vanished; Sam, it seemed had managed to guess correctly.

"How'd you know?" Lily said, bending to pick up his now-bloody stake.

"He didn't seem like the kind of guy to take a joke," Sam answered drily. "I'd figure he'd want revenge for us outsmarting him, and where better to start than with you?"

Lily grimaced. "That's a nice thought."

"Hey, kids, I'd love to stay and continue the chat, but we'd better duck out before the campus police decide bloody stakes are not learner-friendly." Dean was already leading the way back to the car, where Bobby sat, ready in the driver's seat. They piled in, and Lily watched her school disappear into the rearview mirror behind them. For something that had been such a big part of her life, it faded almost impossibly quickly into the mist.

"So, how'd you distract him, Lil?" Sam asked suddenly as the car started back toward their motel.

She jumped, then shrugged. "What? Oh. I mean, I dunno, didn't really think about it. I guess he caught sight of the bruise from Andy, and—"

"The bruise?"

"Yeah, from when Andy bumped into me—or rather, I bumped into him—back in Bear Creek. It's no big deal, or anything. I mean, it's just a bruise." She made a face. "'Course, now that I played rag doll for that freak joker, I'm kinda sore, but…"

"Remind me to take a look when we get back to the motel," Sam said.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sam, come on, it's a bruise! You don't need to doctor me, I—"

"Well, yeah, your 'bruise' caught the attention of a demi-god, so your brother is gonna check it out."

"Sam—"

"Lily—"

"Well, you two don't waste a second, do you?" Dean said, tearing himself from his conversation with Bobby, which had been either about cars, beers, or demi-gods. Or any combination of the three. "But, hey, in case we weren't already tired of ripping each other a couple new ones, who's winning?" He nudged Bobby. "I got twenty bucks on Lily."

"Lily's hurt," Sam said, and the smug look he gave her let Lily know he was exacting revenge for her betrayal back in Bear Creek after his panic attack. She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing all hope was lost.

Sure enough, Dean's smile evaporated as he turned accusing eyes on Lily.

"What? Lily, you're hurt?" And now Bobby was looking back, too, anxious brown eyes peering through the rear view mirror. Lily ground her teeth together.

"I'm fine," she spat in a voice to peel the paint from walls.

"She's still hurting from Andy in Bear Creek."

"Still? Lily, it's been almost two weeks."

"So, my healing time is less than stellar. Quick, alert the authorities!" Lily grumbled sarcastically. They'd made it back to the motel, only a few blocks from where the battle had been, and Bobby, wise enough to stay out of the growing argument, left (with whispered instructions that they should call if Lily really was hurt). She might have gotten away with it, too, if not for her own frustration as she slammed Bobby's door…which, in turn, sent a spike of pain through her torso.

She hadn't been lying about being sore after being tossed around by the Trickster, so try as she might to hide it, both of her brother's read straight through the grimaced that flashed across her face.

"Get inside, Lily." Dean's tone left no room for argument. Sam had already grabbed the first aid kit. Clenching her jaw so hard it hurt, Lily obliged, storming inside their motel room with all the petulance of a defeated three year old.

Oh, Dinah. It was all a dream.