Well, well. After a cruise to Bermuda, several dramatic twists in my life, and a move back onto campus for my second year of college, here we frickin' go! I'm so sorry about the delay. Hope you guys still have an...appetite for this story. The fun has just started.

A small yawn escaping her, Lily propped herself up once again in the infirmary bed and looked down at herself. Bandaged up, knees scuffed from taking the fall onto the dry, rough Badland terrain. She could feel her face sting a bit, and guessed that it had been scratched, cleaned with alcohol, and was now burning.

"God, how did I not leave Fastlane with a broken bone or something?" she asked herself, reaching up and fixing a clump of hair that had formed from lying down.

"'Cuz you seem t' know your way 'round this war better than I'da thought."

The track rat turned her head toward the entrance to the room and spotted a few friendly faces: Theodore, whom Lily thought at this point could be her second father, the Sniper, and strangely enough, the Pyro. All of them held plates of food.

"How ya feelin', sheila?" the Sniper asked, pocketing his pack of cigarettes that his other hand grasped. His sunglasses were off and hanging from the collar of his shirt.

"…"

"…Uh, Lily?"

Snapping out of her daze of seeing the Sniper's unshielded eyes, Lily chuckled nervously. "Heh, yeah, I'm alright," she said, cheeks flaring up. "Uh…that was the question asked, right? About how I was?" Dammit, Lily, you're on a friggin' roll today!

"Too right." Heading for the chair closest to the side of her bed, the Sniper reached out with his free hand and bumped his fist teasingly against her arm.

"Mrrph mmf mr mrph mrrmphr," said the Pyro, handing Lily the plate in his hand before taking a seat himself. Resting on the edge of the plate was a fork.

"Uh…thanks, Pyro," she said with half a smile before looking over at the Sniper with a clear look of 'what on earth did he say.'

"He said he brought some food for ya," the Sniper replied, chuckling. "Pyro's the best cook outta all of us mates. He made spaghetti tonight."

"Oh, sweet." Lily looked down at her plate, eyeing the large mound of pasta on it with almost desperate hunger. It only took one whiff of it for her to grab her fork from its perch and dig in, definitely less than ladylike in manner, too.

Theodore raised his brow, looking at his two comrades before gawking back at the girl. "Uhm, when was the last time you ate anythin', honey?" he asked.

"Nine o'clock yesterday morning," the girl answered after swallowing another bite. "Had to run to class so I only grabbed a bagel from the dining hall and sprinted across campus."

"I see…" The Engineer blinked behind his goggles before taking a bite himself. "That would explain why you're so skinny, girl. Now tell me somethin': when did the whole thing with you appearin' out of nowhere happen over on…your end?"

"Around five or six in the evening." This time, Lily's mouth was filled almost to capacity with spaghetti. "Man, this stuff is great, Pyro."

"Mrrph mrr." Hearing the praise, the Pyro stuck his thumb up.

"Aren't you gonna eat any of it, dude? I mean, you did make one hell of a meal."

"Pyro usually waits for all us t' go t' bed before snackin'," Theodore replied. Gazing over at the clock on the wall, he then turned to the flamethrower-wielding militant. "Brother, your show's on."

"Mrrph!" Standing up and pushing the chair aside a bit, the Pyro walked closer to the side of the bed, reaching out and giving Lily's head a light tussle, making her narrow her eyes. Then, with a simple 'mrrph-mph,' he was out of the room.

"…Uhh, what's he missing?" Lily's eyebrow rose.

"The Honeymoonuhs," the Sniper responded, placing his empty plate on the side table next to Lily's infirmary bed. "The man's a big fan a' shows like that. He loves his comedies."

But most of the Sniper's words seemed to go in one ear and out the other the second Lily spotted the empty plate. Her mouth went slightly agape. Even in her rush to fill her stomach, there was still a decent amount of food left on her own plate. "What, are you a vacuum cleaner or something, Sniper?"

The Aussie laughed. "I've always been a quick eatuh', little sheila," he explained, taking off his hat and resting it on his lap. "I get an appetite easily, an' thankfully, my metabolism is pretty speedy."

"Hopefully, that won't change. Don't think the RED Team could afford to have a chunky Sniper."

"Heh, yeah. I'd be more concerned 'bout my bum bein' too big, rather than aimin' at the other team."

Whether or not this was a joke or pure truth, Lily laughed either way. The mental images of the rifle-toting man gazing into the mirror, his back turned to it so he could get a better view of his backside, was almost too much to bear. Theodore couldn't help but let out a laugh of his own, while trying to eat another bite of his spaghetti.

"Thanks for the mental pictures, Ruben," he said, shaking his head.

"…Ruben?" Lily blinked a few times. "That's your name?"

"Absolutely." The Sniper smiled. "My apologies for not tellin' ya that earliuh'."

"Oh, no. It's alright. Kinda hard to have a formal introduction when we're right in the middle of the battlefield, you know."

"Heh, good point."

"So…could you perhaps tell me what everyone else's names are?" Lily's emerald eyes began to sparkle with curiosity. Of course, from reading up on trivia on the Team Fortress 2 website, she knew the RED Demoman's name – Tavish Degroot – but she would keep that to herself for now.

"Hmm…" Theodore placed his empty plate on Ruben's, before he began to speak again. "Well, y' know my name, an' the Scout an' Heavy's. Our Demoman's name is Tavish, the Soldier is Charles, the Spy is Jean-Luc, an' the Medic is Klaus."

"...Jean-Luc?" Lily interrupted, smirking. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Shaking herself out of her think bubble full of ridiculous internet memes, she continued. "But wait…what about the Pyro? What's his name?"

Both with looks of confusion, Theodore and – turned to look at each other, before looking back at her. "We…dunno," Ruben answered slowly. "We never did find out the Pyro's name. In fact, we're not even sure if it's a mate or a sheila. We jus' always assumed it was a man."

Ah, so in real life, they don't know what the Pyro is either, Lily thought, scratching the back of her head. Maybe that could be a mystery I could crack for myself… "I like it."

"Hmm?" The Sniper raised his brow. "Wot do you like?"

"Your name." Lily's cheeks turned bright pink. "It really suits you."

Ruben blinked a few times, then chuckled and reached forward, tussling her hair. "Thanks, sheila."

The girl blinked, before swatting his hand away, lips in a pout. Ruben cocked a brow.

"Sorry," she apologized, face loosening again. "I just don't like the whole tussling thing. Or being picked up when hugged. Or anything like that. Makes me feel like a little kid..."

"...Uhm, then I'll remembuh' that." The Sniper laughed nervously.

After a few moments of silence, the noise was broken by Theodore clearing his throat. "So, Lily, care t' tell us a bit 'bout your home?" He asked, finishing his meal. "Like, 'bout your college an' stuff like that?"

Slurping up a rogue noodle, Lily nodded, clearing her throat before beginning. "Well, I'm an English major and psychology minor at the University of Pittsburgh," she began. "I'm in my junior year. Gonna turn twenty-one in July." A fist-pump. "Finally gonna be legal."

"You already are."

Lily blinked, turning to Theodore. "...'Scuse me?"

"Yer legal, honey. The drinkin' age is eighteen in the states."

The track rat slowly shook her head. "Nuh-uh. It's twen-" She stopped herself yet again. "Oh, that's right. The drinking age changes between our times. In the twenty-first century, it's twenty-one. And, either way, kids still consume alcohol like it's candy and end up dead. Such is the college life."

At this, Ruben raised his brow. "...Do ya drink a lot, sheila?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that. Probably get tipsy once a weekend. But not on cheap liquor. We all drink wine."

The Sniper smiled and nodded, but Theodore let out a disgusted noise. "Wine? Honey, I can't live without my beer. Or bourbon. But wine is just...ugh, it's terrible."

Lily rolled her eyes and laughed. "You big baby. Wine is frickin' delicious. Especially when it's either in champagne or white form and comes with strawberry puree mixed in. Mm-mm-mm!"

Theodore blinked, before groaning and rubbing his temple. "Well, if one of the many doubts I have 'bout you was what gender you really were, you just cleared that up for me."

"Hey!"

Ruben snickered. "Awful explosive, ain't ya?" He looked up at Lily, eyes meeting hers in a friendly manner, before one of them winked.

"Yeah...so? Anyway, where was I?"

"School." Theodore aided the girl, before taking her empty plate and stacking it on top of the others. He'd take them out later, once Lily wanted alone time.

"Oh, yeah! Durr. Anyway, I wanted to go to cooking school, but my mother kinda looked down on that. I'm a fantastic cook, if I do say so myself, so at least I'd be entertained if I were reduced to being a housewife. But, I want to be a writer. Maybe someone who writes about the world's finest restaurants. Or maybe I could have my own travel magazine."

Theodore's brows were both raised. He was...impressed. Sure, in the good US of A, most women were housewives, but it was a nice change to see a girl aspire to be something more. Either way, there was no way in hell that a girl this outgoing was going to agree to being cooped up in a house all day. "Seems like you got everythin' figured out, huh?"

"You betcha." Lily had a look a pure pride on her face now, lips curled up in a wide smile. "I just love writing. I type every day. Other than that, I like taking nature hikes in the mountains, and playing video games. Where I come from, they're almost as big as movies."

"Yeah, 'bout video games..." Theodore now had a look of discomfort on his face. "What exactly are they...? An' what makes you think we're in one?"

The girl paused, before letting out a heavy sigh. This was going to take a while. "Well...they're interactive stories made to be played on a computer system, a gaming console. In my time, there are thousands of them, about all different kinds of things. Role-playing, horror... They're almost like stepping in the shoes of a fictional character and having them go through scenarios to do silly things." She paused, before continuing, feeling her stomach turn a bit. "As for you guys...well, you're all a part of a game in my world called Team Fortress 2. In the game, people can control any of you guys - how you shoot, where you go, who you kill. Everything."

The Sniper and and Engineer both turned and looked at each other, confusion and denial in both their eyes. Theodore sighed, running his hand over his bald head. "God, after the alcohol chat an' this shit, I'ma need somethin' heavy. But...continue, I guess."

"...You sure? Dude, you look like you're gonna be sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine." He almost snapped at her. "I just...aw hell, there's just no way this can be real."

Lily sighed. "Anyway, you all do exist in my world, but only in another world, I guess... If you really want proof, get my cellphone from Benjamin's ro-"

"You're wot?" Ruben blinked.

"My cell- oh, fuck it. I give up. I'll just show you guys later. And you are not allowed to take it apart; I need it."

"...Eh, not a problem, Lil'. Anyways, you wanna get some sleep?" Deep down, both of them wanted her to say yes. This was far too much for them.

Unfortunately for them, Lily wasn't stupid. Nor ignorant. She could tell that they were getting more and more uncomfortable around her. And while she didn't blame them - hell, the 'I'm-from-another-dimension' line didn't work in situations real or fictional - it upset her. Wasn't she allowed to be upset by what was happening?

"Hey, guys, newsflash: don't you think that I'm scared, too? I mean, I'm in a place that I've never been in, miles and dimensions and years away from where I belong, and I've been trying to hold it together." Her hands clenched into fists, and she felt her throat seize up and quiver. "My friends and family are probably forever out of my reach, unless this is just one big damn dream, which I'm still hoping it is. I mean, hell, I could still be in my dorm room, probably passed out before dinner and unable to wake up." Lily could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and brought one hand up quickly to prevent any from falling. Pinching the uppermost part of her nose's bridge, fingertips pressed to the corners of her eyes, she choked down a sob. "I could have died, and I could still die."

The sight was enough to make the Engineer's heart crumble into rubble. He almost felt like he had made his daughter cry. Well, if he had one. Biting his lip, he sighed and got up from his seat, sitting on the edge of the infirmary bed and placing his large, thick hand on Lily's thin shoulder. "Lily...please calm down," he said, trying to sound as comforting as possible. "I'm really sorry. I can't help it that this whole rig-a-marol' has got us all baffled."

"Yeah, no shit." Lily sniffled, looking up.

"Y'know we both didn't mean anythin' by it, Lil'," Ruben added. "An' I'm sorry, too."

Putting out one hand while the other one wiped away a tear, the young girl tried to smile, though her eyes were still moist. "No, no, it's alright. I'm just being a baby." She sighed. "I just don't know what to do in this situation, y'know? And I thought going abroad for school was going to be a challenge. At this point, I'd rather be stuck in another country."

"Don't blame ya, honey." Chuckling, Theodore brought his arm around Lily, and gave her a half-hug. "We'll figure things out, promise."

"You better..." Lily grinned. "After a few weeks, I can guarantee you that I'll drive you all nuts. But, if Benji kills me by the end of the week, you can easily forget me. Simple as that."

"That brat'd be outta here fastuh' than you, little sheila," Ruben countered. "Can't stand that miniatuh' devil's spawn for more than a half hour." That's when the wheels began turning in the mercenary's head. "Hey, mate. Do we have any empty barrack rooms cleaned out? Or any that can be?"

Theodore shrugged. "There has t' be two or three left in that buildin'." Turning to Lily, he smiled. "You wouldn't mind gettin' your own room, would ya?"

"Hell no!" With a joyful giggle, the track rat threw her arms around him. "Thank you so much!"

"Not a problem, honey. Hell, you got one hell of a grip."

"Sorry." Lily quickly retreated, pushing her hair back over her shoulder. Yet, as she felt it, she grimaced. "Ugh, I need to shower."

"Yeah, you do." Theodore chuckled. "Want us t' take you to the locker room? There're some extra towels hangin' in there. You can get clean an' we'll leave some clean clothes for you on a bench or somethin'."

"Will the Medic let me leave?"

"We nevuh' listen to th' doc anyways," Ruben said with a laugh.

"Guess that works for me!" Ecstatic, Lily hopped out of the bed and onto the floor. Though her right leg was a bit sore, she grinned through it. "Lead the way, guys."

HOMYGOD, I'm so sorry for the long wait, guys. Friggin' job and then school got in the way. I hope I kept my old fans, and that hopefully I'll get new ones from this story. Though, if you're not interested in waiting for chapters anymore, I'll understand. Please comment with your opinions, and I promise the next chapter will have more to offer you readers. I know this was kind of a 'meh' chapter, but I wanted to concentrate more on Lily's predicament this time. And of course, filler chapters can be funny and crap like that. So yeah...let me know what you think!