Disclaimer: I own nothing you may or may not recognize. Characters are from RFR, I don't own them.

Rating: PG13, just in case

Pairing: Travis/Lily eventually

A/N: What can I say, it's raining here and I can sit and type for lack of anything better to do. Rily is out of the picture now so rest easy; however is anything in life ever easy?

Because I Know You

Chapter Eight: Bridges Crossed

Lily was not surprised to find Ray waiting for her on her steps. This time there were no presents and Ray's lack of nervous energy clued her in to the type of conversation they were about to have. His hands were dangling loosely between his legs and his gaze was somewhere off to Lily's left, distant and non-seeing. She was quiet as she moved to sit next to him. A few more moments passed in silence so she gently nudged his knee with hers. He had come here to say something; she wanted him to come out with it.

"You were right, Lily."

She could have been flippant but this was not the time. She spoke very softly, "What about, Ray?"

He turned to look at her. It tore at her heart to see Ray looking so hurt and sad. "I am scared, Lily. We've been friends forever and you grew into this beautiful person. I thought the only way we'd stay close was to move forward or else some Prince Charming would come and whisk you away. Didn't really work out like I thought, huh?"

She shook her head slowly, tears forming in her eyes. This is it, she thought. Ray looked down at his feet and took a deep shaky breath. When he looked back at her, he had tears in his eyes as well. "Lily, I want to break up."

As she let out her response, a very shaky "O.K," Ray's tears fell. He swiped at them, angered by his weakness. Lily's tears fell as well. Dear God, she thought, This dear sweet boy is doing this for me despite his fear of losing our friendship. She grabbed him, wrapping her arms around him in a bone-crushing hug. Through her tears she told him, "I will never ever let our friendship go, Ray. We will always be friends… best friends."

He held on to her just as tightly for a full minute. When it appeared she wasn't going to release him he spoke, "I believe you, Lil." She pulled away and he joked with her, rubbing his ribs comically, "Wow, girl, you are freakishly strong." She smiled and ducked her head to wipe away her tears.

They resumed their positions side by side on the steps. "You know, Lil, you really are good at that softer landing thing, maybe you should write a book?"

She huffed at that. She did always seem to be getting dumped even if it was what she wanted.

"Yeah, well, maybe so."

He seemed hesitant to ask her something. She bumped his shoulder with hers and it popped out of him. "So, Lily, you got some Prince waiting in the wings?"

She knew he was asking if it was Travis. She wasn't sure of that herself and even if she was, she wouldn't kick Ray while he was down. She could tease him a little though. "Yeah, yeah I do."

Ray's head whipped around. His voice controlled and tight, "What's his name?"

"Julliard."

The look on his face was priceless and Lily couldn't help but laugh. Through his confusion he asked, "Kind of geeky, isn't it?"

So she spent the next half-hour sitting in the evening breeze telling her best friend about her dreams, her hope for the future. She finally wound down and the silence was now comforting.

"Lily?"

"Yeah, Ray?"

"You're gonna be great."

"Thanks."

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After Ray left, Lily wandered to her back yard. She looked up at her Gigantuous Twee. It had been here a long time, she was hardly a blip on its radar. She went to sit under it's outstretched limbs once again, at it's front this time. She leaned back against the roughened bark and looked up trying to pinpoint the stars through the mass of swaying leaves and curving branches. She closed her eyes and sighed.

To her surprise she received a response, a familiar voice said, "Meditate here often?"

She looked up to see Travis, surprised to see him again so soon after their little play date in the park. Two intimate conversations in one night was going against their usual habit of avoidance. She answered with a small quirky smile, "Believe it or not, yes." He sat down next to her, shoulder to shoulder, much as Ray had about a year ago. Life moves in weird little cycles, she theorized. "You guys keep following me home, I'm gonna want to keep one of you."

"I thought you could use a friend."

She let out an unladylike snort, "I seem to have those in abundance. It's love that is elusive."

"You broke up with Ray."

"No, he broke up with me. It was another perfect execution of Lily Randall's Softer Landing Approach."

Travis simply nodded. "It's still going to hurt."

"Yeah it does. But not like it should."

He looked over at her as she continued to gaze skyward. "How so?" he prompted.

"It hurts me that he is hurting more than me." She shook her head, bemused by her lack of verbal skills.

Travis teased her softly, "You're jealous of his pain? Lily, I'm concerned for you." More seriously, he added, "No one likes to hurt a friend."

She sighed, "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have let it go this far."

Travis gave a soft little humming noise. "And there is the real culprit…guilt. I'm well acquainted with it lately." Lily reached for his hand. He returned the gentle pressure and softly rubbed his thumb across her skin.

"At least I told him about mailing the demo tonight. Only one more bridge, I guess." She reveled in his presence; somehow he grounded her. "What a pair we make, huh, Travis?"

He looked down at their clasped hands and smiled. He thought if only. Instead he said, "You're going to be O.K., Lily."

She looked up at him as he stood to go. "Why is it that most people ask me that question but you say it like it's a statement of fact? Wait, wait, I know what you're gonna say … because you know me."

That intense and penetrating look was going to be the end of her. "I don't know everything about you, Lily," He backed away slowly and just before he turned, "Not like I'd like to."

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Travis backtracked and had been circling the park; he had spent the last few revolutions scolding himself. You're supposed to be her friend, not drag her down into your own little world of confusion. He was honestly trying but every time he and Lily were alone, he wanted to touch her. It was as if he needed to assure himself that her beauty was real and tangible. She would be leaving soon. He could feel it.

His orbit of the park kept bringing him around to the postal box on the corner. He had heard its undignified squeal of protest just before Lily had appeared next to him by the seesaw earlier that evening. With each pass he would gently touch it, Lily's hopes and dreams were in this box. He had never been this attached to anyone before; his parents were always moving him around. It felt wonderful to have friends and find a certain someone who could recommend a movie or a CD because they knew him. Or someone who could make him feel better without having to meditate his way through it. It was an amazing feeling. He couldn't give in to it. He wouldn't, even though he had an idea that Lily wanted him to once again. She would be chasing her dreams and he knew what it felt like to leave when you really wanted to stay. He couldn't give her a reason to linger, no matter how much he wanted it.

He fingered the worn paper he had taken to carrying with him. Ray would scoff at him for having a "good luck charm." Ray. He felt guilt and anger at himself that he had continually forgotten the real reason for backing away. He had become quite the hypocrite lately. There is no honor in betraying a friend. The fact that Ray and Lily had broken up did not eradicate the betrayal he had hidden, the deeper feeling he harbored for Lily. He sighed; he couldn't change the past and once again reminded himself to let go of all of that. He pulled the paper out of his pocket. It was the donation receipt. He smiled as he recalled her name for it, "an investment in his beloved karma." He came upon the postal box again. Perhaps he needed to be brave like Lily, he needed to think forward and invest in his future. Focusing on his future should make it easier for him to stay on the right path. He decided to email his uncle in London when he got home. He had a demo now too. It gave him a little comfort to know that he and Lily would be focusing on the same thing: music.

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Summer arrived and in honor of Lily's probable departure for greener pastures the foursome decided to keep doing RFR daily. During summer breaks, the show usually had several hiatus to allow for vacations, visiting relatives, and just plain goofing off. This time they decided to maintain a daily routine and sometimes they would just stay on air for hours. Lily had Travis record their shows. If she was lucky enough to be accepted she could pop in a CD if she got lonely. Each of them sensed that this would be the last summer that there would be four DJ's. At the close of summer when it came time for Lily to go to New York for her audition they saw her off at her house.

Her heart was about to explode and she didn't think she would be able to speak for the thickness in her throat. It was hard enough saying goodbye to them all now knowing she would return. How could she do this if she was accepted, knowing she would probably not be back to Roscoe.

Robbie gave her a hug and a long distance card and told her to call into the show if she could and let the world know about her experience. She laughed, leave it to Robbie to turn it into a gripping reality show. Ray had given her a replica of her Valentine's Day gift. A little cardboard figure of herself with various costumes for music genres: country, pop, alternative, and even scarier…goth. He hugged her for a long time and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Travis simply gave her a kiss on the top of her head as she blushed. She knew he'd wanted her to remember their moments. He slipped her a worn piece of paper. It was the donation receipt and on it was Travis' neat script. It only had one line but it gripped her heart. "Thanks, for knowing me so well, Lily Randall." She looked at him with tears in her eyes. This did not sound like a wish for good luck, it sounded like a goodbye.

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A/N: If you are sitting at your PC cursing my existence for such an evil cliffhanger then I have done my job properly.