It was a new year, and Lily sat with her phone in her hand. She knew he was busy. His plate was full with stopping the seals from being broken, but she had no one else to call. She dialed Dean's number and cleared her throat.

"Hello?"

"Dean..." Her voice cracked despite her efforts to sound okay.

"Lily? What's wrong?"

"Are you anywhere near Indiana?"

"We just finished a job in Fairfax. We're almost to Illinois. What's up?" She hesitated, making Dean worried. "Lily, what's wrong?"

"Dad's dead."

Dean immediately turned the car around. He knew Lily was close to her dad. He had to be there for her.

"I'm on my way, sweetheart. Just hang on."

Dean drove as fast as he could, filling Sam in when he hung up the phone. When they made it to the cabin, the door was unlocked. Dean let himself in with Sam close behind. Lily was sitting on the sofa, hugging her knees. She stood when she saw Dean, running into his arms.

"I'm so sorry, Lily."

"Lily," Sam said, "can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?"

"Actually, some hot chocolate would be nice. There's some in..."

"Don't worry, I'll find it."

Sam went into the kitchen, but the open layout allowed him to hear. Dean sat Lily down on the sofa.

"How did it happen?"

"A heart attack. The man hunted monsters all his life, and he died of a heart attack."

"Are you sure? Maybe a spirit or something caused it."

She shook her head. "We were here, Dean. We had finally finished the job in Oregon..."

"What was the job?"

"Vampire nest. We cleaned it out."

Dean nodded. "Okay, go on."

"We actually made it back here in time to celebrate Christmas. Dad thought we should take some time off to enjoy the new year... We were just sitting here, Dean. I called an ambulance... He died at the hospital."

"Where is he now?"

"Hospital morgue. That's why I called you. They're releasing his body to me tomorrow. Dad wanted a hunter's funeral... I don't know if I can do it."

"I know the feeling," Sam said from the kitchen. He hadn't been able to burn Dean's body when he died.

"We'll help you," Dean said.

Sam brought the hot chocolate in, and Lily sat holding the warm mug in her hands.

"I just can't believe he's gone. He was all I had."

"You know what I'll always remember about your dad? When they finally found us in that basement room. After they knew we were okay, your dad realizing that we were in there alone for five days... he was just sure I took advantage of you. He wanted to kick my ass."

Lily chuckled. "It took a long time to convince him that you didn't."

Sam seemed surprised. "So, nothing happened between you two in there?"

Dean raised a questioning eyebrow at Lily, and she answered. "Oh no... something happened. But Dean didn't take advantage of anything."

Dean put his hand on Lily's knee. "You want us to pick him up tomorrow?"

"Yes. There's a van out back that you can use."

Dean nodded. He talked to Lily for hours, getting her to share stories about her father. Sam listened, but, as it got late, he eventually excused himself and went to bed. Exhaustion from lack of sleep the night before and all the crying she had done finally caught up with Lily.

"Dean, I'm not looking to hook up, but... could you stay with me tonight? I don't wanna be alone."

Dean pulled Lily into his arms and held her tight. "Come on," he said. "Let's go to sleep."

She lay facing him, completely wrapped in his arms as he hummed.
The song wasn't familiar, but the sound of his deep voice was soothing, and she was soon asleep.

She awoke a few hours later to find that Dean's grip on her had tightened. He was muttering in his sleep again, and she could see the movement of his eyes beneath his lids. He was having a nightmare.

"Dean, wake up."

She didn't whisper. She said it sternly, but calmly. His eyes popped open, and he loosened his grip as he stared at her.

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't be sorry. You were having a nightmare."

"It's okay. Go back to sleep."

"You're dreaming about Hell, aren't you?"

"Lily..."

"Aren't you?"

"I don't have to dream about it... it's there all the time."

She lowered her eyes for a moment, trying not to show him how sorry she felt for him. He wouldn't like it.

"But you are having nightmares of Hell." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am."

"And you still don't wanna talk about it?"

"Nope."

The next morning, Dean and Sam headed to the hospital with Lily to claim her dad's body. Once they were back at the cabin, they prepared him for a hunter's funeral. Lily watched with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Dean handed Sam his lighter before moving to stand next to Lily.

"You ready?" he asked.

She hesitantly nodded her head, and Dean looked to Sam. He used the lighter to ignite a makeshift torch, which he then used to set the wooden frame beneath Lily's father ablaze.

Lily looked on quietly, listening to the crackling of the wood, as the flames grew brighter and higher. When the sheets that wrapped her father's body finally ignited, she turned away, unable to fight the tears any longer. Dean grabbed her, stopping her from bolting back into the cabin, and pulled her into his arms. She clutched the front of his shirt in her fists, burying her face in his chest as the tears freely flowed.

Sam stayed to finish up while Dean walked Lily back inside. She walked over to a large mirror in the living area and wiped her hands beneath her eyes. Dean stood behind her and watched her reflection.

"I'm such a mess," she said with a sniffle.

"You're beautiful."

She scoffed, still sniffling, "You're such a liar."

Dean wrapped his arms around her from behind and stared into eyes with the help of the mirror.

"You are always beautiful. And the way you love your dad... that just makes you more beautiful."

The tears came again quickly, and she turned in Dean's arms, once again burying her face in his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and held on as if her life depended on it. At that moment, she felt as if it did.

"Can you stay again tonight?"

"As long as you need."

The next morning, Lily and Dean were arguing as they got out of bed. She'd had to wake him up from another nightmare, and he still wouldn't talk about it.

"I don't wanna fight with you, Lily. I came here to comfort you. Can you please let this go?"

"I just don't understand why you won't talk about it."

"Because it won't help. No amount of talking is going to take away those memories. Nothing can make it better. I swear, you and Sam are like broken records." He started to leave the room, but Lily grabbed his hand.

"Dean, I'm sorry. I'm not trying to push or annoy you... I just want you to know that I'm here, okay?"

He hugged her. "I know. Look, I talked to Sam about it, okay? I told him what happened down there, and the nightmares are still coming. If you really wanna know what happened, you can ask Sam."

Lily shook her head. "I wanna hear it from you. If you never tell me," she added before he could protest, "that's okay. I won't ask anymore."

They went into the kitchen. Sam was already up with the coffee going. He smiled at Lily when he saw her.

"How you holdin' up?"

"Okay, I guess."

She sat at one of the bar stools at the counter while Sam handed her a mug. Dean ran a hand over her back as he sat next to her. Lily asked where they were coming from when she called, so Sam and Dean filled her in on the case at one of their old schools. She stared at Dean, and eventually let out a chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just having a hard time picturing you in school. All those rules, and teachers... you must have hated it."

"We were never in the same place long. It wasn't too bad."

As the afternoon wore on, Lily realized she couldn't ask them to stay any longer. They had important things to do. They both tried to tell her they could stay, but she insisted they go.

"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked as they stood in the doorway with their bags.

"I don't know. I don't wanna quit hunting, but I've never done it completely alone. My dad was always a phone call away."

Dean reached into his bag and pulled out a notepad. "Here," he said, writing. "This is Bobby Singer's number. He helps us out a lot. You take some time off, and give him a call when you're ready to get back in. I'll tell him all about you. He's a little gruff, but you'll like him."

"And you can always call us," Sam added.

"Most definitely," Dean said.

Lily hugged Sam and told him goodbye. Dean held out his arms for a hug. Instead, she grabbed his face, pulling him into a kiss. As it deepened, Sam got uncomfortable.

"I'm gonna wait in the car."

Dean dropped his bag on the floor and buried his hands in Lily's hair. When she pulled back he let his forehead rest on hers.

"Thank you for coming."

"Anytime, Kitten."

She smiled. "Do you realize this is the first time, since we first hooked up, that we didn't hook up?"

"Well, you just lost your dad. I'm not an animal, you know? I do have some self control."

"That's good to know," she smiled.

"I may not have any the next time I see you," he said with a smirk.

"Also good to know."

He picked up his bag and gave her one last kiss.

"Call if you need us."

"Okay."

"And don't forget to call Bobby."

"I won't."

She watched him walk to the car before closing the door, feeling very lucky to have Dean Winchester in her life.