Chapter Twenty Nine

Dean carried Lilly as quietly as possible into the motel room, and laid her on the bed. Caressing her cheek gently, he couldn't help but smile, despite the earlier events. He was glad she was safe.

She stirred slightly as he pulled off her shoes and jacket, and carefully set her gun and knife on the nightstand. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Are we back yet?" she asked groggily. Dean bent down next to her, brushing her hair back.

"Yeah, princess, we're back," he said quietly. Lilly's face shadowed over with understanding, and her voice became thick.

"I'm sorry, you were right, I couldn't do it…" she trailed off miserably, and Dean placed a gently finger to her lips.

"No, it was fine… We'll get him next time. We'll figure something out." Dean prayed he wasn't lying to her.

Lilly sat up slowly, and peeled off her jeans, leaving only her t-shirt and underwear. Dean groaned internally at the image, and fought the urge to push her back on the bed and kiss her.

"I'm tired," Lilly said with a yawn, stretching her back with an arch. Dean closed his eyes briefly.

Baseball, guns, beer, hunting, anything, he though desperately.

"You okay?" Lilly asked quietly, her voice slightly husky from being asleep. Dean forced a smile.

"I'm fine," he said as he tugged off his own jacket and shirt. A few moments later he crawled into bed next to her, turning the lamp off as he did so. Lilly instantly snuggled next to him, attaching herself to his chest. After a moment she sat up. Dean looked at her quizzically.

"It's too hot in here," she explained, turning her back and pulling off her shirt, and to Dean's rising surprise, her bra as well. As she curled back up next to him, Dean wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.

"Are you trying to kill me, woman?" He whispered softly, trying to suppress a shiver when he felt her bare chest against his. Lilly laughed quietly, but didn't respond.

Dean left one arm wound around her waist, and let the other run through her hair. In minutes, her breathing slowed and he felt her eyelashes flutter closed. He was left alone with his thoughts, and his mind wandered half-consciously.

Sam popped into his mind, and he felt a pang of guilt. Without realizing it, his arm tightened around Lilly. He should have told his brother himself, and not been a dick and let him find out. He'd known Sam had the hots for Lilly. He'd known Sam had warmed up to her first. He'd known Sam had been the one to want to save her in the first place.

But Dean loved her.

Dean knew Sam probably thought that Lilly was just another fling, something that would go away… But she wasn't. Dean knew this was different. Slowly, one piece at a time, he felt like Lilly was bringing him back from hell in the way Castiel couldn't; the angel had only pulled out his body. Lilly was giving him back his will to live.

Dean wished Sam knew that.

The next morning, Dean woke up and tried to nuzzle Lilly's neck, only to find she wasn't there. He sat up and glanced around the room; she wasn't anywhere in sight. Worry rising up again, Dean stood, pulling on a fresh t-shirt and jeans.

"Lilly?" he called. There was no answer. Dean stepped out the door into the early morning light, surprised to actually see the sun. There was no sign of Lilly.

He rushed over to the next room, knocking loudly on Sam and Bobby's door. A few minutes later, Sam opened it groggily.

"What do you want?" he mumbled, his arms resting on the door frame.

"Is Lilly with you?" Dean asked quickly. Sam shook his head at first, laying his head against his arm. Then he seemed to realize what Dean was asking him.

"She's not with you?" Sam asked sharply. Dean glared.

"No, Captain Obvious, she's not. Have you seen her at all?" Sam shook his head again. "Alright, well, the car's still here, so she can't have gone far." Dean didn't have to say his unspoken fear that she didn't leave by herself.

Sam quickly told Bobby where he was going, and headed out the door with Dean. There was a thickly wooded section near the motel; both figured that Lilly would go there if she were going to leave.

As they entered the woods, Dean thought he heard a strange sound, but made an effort to ignore it and focus on finding Lilly. When he heard a gunshot up ahead and to the left, he took off running it that direction, Sam close on his heels.

They both came to quick stop when they reached a small clearing, and Dean felt a distinct sense of déjà vu, recalling the last time they'd run through the woods and ended in a clearing.

Instinctively, Dean hit the ground when he heard the sound again, an odd whoosh that made his skin tingle. He ducked just in time to see a knife flying past where he'd just been.

Looking up, Lilly was across the clearing, the gun Dean had given her in one hand. There was a makeshift target painted on a tree, with three bullseyes.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean shouted. Lilly looked at him blankly.

"Target practice," she replied. Dean threw his arms in the air and waved them around, unable to get any real words out. Sam stood behind him, chuckling at the sight.

"You almost killed me with your knife!" Dean finally shouted. Lilly smiled.

"I knew where you were. I don't miss."

Dean glared. "Obviously you did, because I don't have a knife buried to the hilt in my forehead."

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Turn around," she said, motioning behind Dean. He did as she asked and turned, seeing a target painted on a tree directing behind him. The knife was dead center.

"See?" She said, patting his arm, "I don't miss." She said with a slightly condescending smile. Dean was dumbfounded. It was then that he realized another problem, and rounded on Lilly, who had pulled the knife from the tree and was walking back in the direction of the motel with Sam.

"Why the hell didn't you tell anyone where you were going?" Dean shouted. Lilly rolled her eyes again.

"Just come on," she said. Dean glared.

"No, tell me why the hell no one knew you were going to be gone. You could have been taken by demons or something! How the hell was I supposed to know you just got trigger-happy?" He demanded.

Lilly gently took a hold of his arm. "Humor me. Please. Now, come on." Grudgingly, Dean let himself be led back to the motel room.

When Lilly pushed open the door, Sam stayed on the edge, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed against his chest. Lilly headed straight for the small table on the other side of the bed. She held up a note that said Dean in capitals, and waved it in Dean's face.

"Dean, went out to the woods nearby to test out the gun and knife. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Be back soon. Lilly."

She looked at Dean pityingly. "See?"

Dean just glared. "Just- You- You can't just… Give me that." Dean sputtered as he snatched the note. He looked up from reading it and glared. "Fine." Lilly looked at him, as if to prompt him into saying something else. He looked up at her resentfully. "Sorry." He muttered.

Sam stifled a chuckle, then began to turn out of the doorway. "I'm heading back over there. Come on over whenever and we'll get breakfast."

Lilly raised her eyebrows at Dean. "I was fine," she repeated.

"Whatever," Dean grunted. "Let's go," he said, headed for the door. Lilly followed behind him.

Bobby swung the door open just as Dean began to open it, and both men started at seeing the other. Lilly chuckled under her breath, and Bobby scowled.

Twenty minutes later the four of them were seated around a large table at the diner down the road, eating breakfast and planning their next move.

Lilly speared a piece of waffle and sausage with her fork, and gestured with it to the others. "If I can find somebody who's actually had some kind of interaction with this guy, not just seen him like the thrift store owner, then there's a chance I could get him when he's not expecting it." She nodded almost to herself before popping the forkful of food in her mouth and chewing thoughtfully.

Dean groaned. "We can't just-"

Bobby interrupted. "We go off half- cocked, we're gonna get killed. Simple as that," he said matter-of-factly. Lilly grimaced, and then her eyes flashed menacingly.

"It's not half-cocked if I know what I'm doing," she snapped.

"Well, we see how well that worked the last time, didn't we?" Bobby retorted. Dean and Sam saw the rage that flew into Lilly's eyes, and they exchanged a glance. Lilly started to stand up, and Bobby's eyes flew wide open.

"Lilly, what the hell are you doing?" Dean growled, pulling her back down into her seat. The heat of the anger was still bright in her eyes, but it had cooled slightly.

"I know what I'm doing," she hissed at Bobby, her gaze never leaving his. His face was a bit paler than it had been a moment ago, and he glared at Dean.

"Fine," he said. He raised his eyebrows, and Dean thought that maybe the older hunter hoped things would go wrong. His distaste for Lilly was obvious; whether it was because of what she was or her hard-headed confidence, Dean didn't know.

"We'll head back up to Whitefish when we finish up here," Sam said quietly.

The ride to Whitefish was mercifully short. Lilly hopped out of the truck before it had even fully stopped, and Dean hurried after her.

"Lilly," he began, pulling her around to face him, "you gotta be careful…"

"I know damn well how to be careful," Lilly snapped at him, the anger from the diner burning brightly. Her tone softened when Dean's face fell. "I'm sorry… It's not your fault. I just want to kill Conquest and get the hell out of here," she said as she rubbed the goosebumps from her bare arms. The wind had picked up since they'd eaten, and it was overcast and chilly once again.

"Me, too," Dean said. A thought struck him, one he felt foolish for not voicing until now. "Would a dreamwalker die if we just shot it?"

Lilly halfway shrugged. "Not if they're using someone else, and you shot the person they were using. But if you shot them, their body, yeah. They're just humans."

Dean frowned. "I thought Bobby said they lived, like, forever," he said, struggling to get the words out.

"Oh. I'm not sure. I guess that's possible."

Dean made a mental note to look into it.

Lilly was already walking ahead, moving with a purpose and looking like a nightmare for anyone in her way. Dean and Sam quickly caught up with her, while Bobby hung back at the truck, saying he'd keep an eye out elsewhere.

The heels of Lilly's shoes clicked on the pavement, and she moved through the people on the street as if there was no one there. Even though there was only a handful of people out, Dean and Sam had trouble keeping up.

Dean occasionally caught Lilly giving certain people a sideways glance, her eyes narrowed. He wondered what she was seeing; what it was like to walk past a person and see their thoughts wide open like a book.

The hair on the back of Dean's neck stood up, and he resisted the urge to turn around. Lilly was still moving quickly ahead, and Sam didn't look at all concerned. The feeling persisted.

Suddenly, Lilly whirled around, and Dean and Sam almost collided with her. She glared behind them. Dean turned, the feeling on the back of his neck increasing, and saw a man standing at the other end of the street. He was not tall, but thickly built, wearing a gaudy white suit.

His eyes were completely white.

Lilly was casting glances to all the people around her, and they seemed to be moving in one general direction; Dean noticed all of them going into houses, stores, getting into cars. Finally, the street was empty, save the two hunters, Lilly, and the Horseman.

"Lookin' like that, darlin', I might have to keep you alive," he drawled. Lilly glared back.

Dean began to reach carefully for his gun, slowly. Then Conquest turned his white eyes on Dean.

"Can't have you doing that, son," he said, "this is all in the family, so to speak." The eyes returned to Lilly. "What do say, darlin'? Just you and me, no… Interventions."

"Fine," Lilly said, her own eyes set in a steely gaze. She cut her eyes to Dean.

He slowly lowered his gun, responding to the look on Lilly's face begging him to trust her. He didn't put the gun away.

Watching Conquest intently, Lilly took a deep breath. The Horseman grinned.

"Ready for this, darlin'?" The long drawl made Dean want to shoot him down, and he raised the gun again. "How many times do I have to tell you? Put the gun down, or she dies."

Dean's eyes flew to Lilly. Her own eyes were exploding with pain, her face twisted to keep from screaming. Dean lowered the gun, and she gasped.

"Dean," she said, panting, "I can do this,"

"No, you can't," Dean said softly. Lilly glared back, the watch-me challenge evident in the cocky glance at the Horseman.

The confidence left the Horseman's face and he crumpled to his knees, Lilly advancing on him. He clutched at his chest and stomach, clawing at the air. Lilly glared and didn't let up.

She was completely focused on what was in front of her, and Dean's eyes widened, because he knew she would never realize what was behind her in time.

"Lilly!" He shouted. With speed Dean didn't think was possible, Lilly whirled around and snatched the demon sneaking up on her by the throat, choking it. It hissed and tried pulling a knife out, but then its eyes clouded over.

To Dean's horror, Lilly let it go.

She didn't move, only watched, as the demon flew to the Horseman. Dean wanted to scream that that was a stupid move; they were all going to be killed…

The demon plunged its knife into Conquest's throat.

Lilly jumped in, pulling Mary Winchester's knife from the waistband of her jeans, and hacked off one of the Horseman's fingers. Quickly she pulled the ring that was sitting there off and placed it in her pocket.

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