Lily woke up on her back. She smiled when she turned to see Dean's sleeping face right next to hers. He was on his side, an arm draped over her, and his leg over hers. She rarely got to wake up in his arms with the opportunity to stay there. She always had somewhere she was heading, so she left before he woke up. Or, he would leave while she still slept. It never bothered her. That was just the way they were. But she would cherish these rare occasions.

She managed to snuggle into him even more, resting her forehead against his, and closed her eyes. She lay still for several minutes, then smiled when she felt him hold her tighter with the arm he had draped over her. The words almost came out then. Those three words that would completely change, and possibly end, the relationship they had. She wanted so badly to say it, but she wouldn't.

At some point, she drifted back to sleep. When she woke up again, Dean wasn't there. She got dressed and went to the kitchen to find Sam and Dean already drinking coffee.

"Good morning," she said.

"Mornin'," Sam and Dean said together.

"Got a call from Bobby this morning," Sam said. "He has a possible haunting a few hours away. Asked if we would investigate."

"Sounds good to me," Lily said. "When do we leave?"

"After breakfast," Dean said. "What are we having?"

Lily gave him a look that told him she wasn't amused.

"You're kidding, right?"

"What? We've got to eat, and you're a great cook."

"I just woke up. We're having whatever they're serving at the IHOP in town."

Most of the trip was quiet. It wasn't until Dean said he would be stopping for gas soon that Lily spoke up.

"Sam, did Bobby say anything about you two being unreachable for three weeks? I mean, he called you this morning for the first time?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't mention anything. Maybe he never called."

A few minutes later they pulled into a gas station. Dean and Sam both got out. Sam went in to pay and get a few snacks, while Dean got the tank open. Lily got out and leaned against the car in front of Dean.

"I noticed I didn't have to wake you up from a nightmare last night. Those getting better?"

"They are. I don't have them every night now."

"That's good. No dreams at all last night?"

"I didn't say that," Dean said with a grin.

"Do I even want to know?" she asked, laughing. He playfully raised his eyebrows, and her curiosity got the better of her. "Okay, what did you dream about."

"You."

"Really?"

"Well, the office assistant you, anyway."

Lily tried to hide the disappointment on her face.

"I'm tellin' you," Dean said, "that skirt did things to me. Why don't you wear skirts?"

"Because they don't work well for hunting, and I'm more comfortable in a pair of jeans."

Lily saw Sam heading back to the car, and decided she should visit the restroom before they got back on the road. When she got back, Dean was returning the nozzle to the pump.

"Alright," he said, "let's go."

They were almost to their destination when they stared talking about the case details. There was a building in town, with a few units rented by businesses, that had some strange reports. No solid leads, but it wouldn't hurt to check out. Dean thought it would be a good idea to get a motel room so Lily could do some research while he and Sam did some preliminary investigating.

"Why do I have to stay behind?"

"Because you're good at the research, and Sam and I are gonna go in as FBI. You have a badge?"

"No." She sat back in the seat with her arms folded, almost pouting.

"Okay, then. Motel for you."

They dropped her off and she used Sam's laptop to check out the local history. She was sitting on one of the beds when they came back less than an hour later, carrying several books.

"What's all that?" Lily asked.

"Our lives," Dean said. He dropped the pile of books he was carrying onto the end of her bed.

"What?"

"Some guy is writing books about our lives."

Lily looked to Sam, confusion all over her face. He handed her a book and she read the title.

"Supernatural?"

"Read the back," Sam said.

Lily read quietly, then her eyes darted to Sam. "Woman in white? This was the first case you and Dean worked when he went and got you from Stanford, right?"

"Right. And they keep going." He started tossing books onto the bed one by one. "The wendigo, the little boy in the lake, the demon that caused plane crashes. They're all here." He dropped the rest of the books into the pile that Dean had started.

"Unbelievable."

Dean grabbed one of the books and lay across the other bed to read.

"I wanna see just how accurate these things are."

Lily leaned over and sifted through the pile, reading the backs of some of them. She picked up one titled "No Rest for the Wicked" and read the back cover. Dean's last hours before going Hell. She glanced at Dean, wondering if she should read it. She never did find out exactly how it happened. Did she want to know? She opened the book to the last chapter and began reading. When she was done, a tear slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away before Sam or Dean saw it. She choked back a sob, and cleared her throat as she stood and walked to the door.

"I'm gonna go grab a soda. You guys want one?"

"No, thanks," Dean said.

"I'm good," Sam said.

Lily walked outside and let out a shaky breath. Part of her wished she hadn't read it. Now she knew the horror of what he went through, in detail. She wouldn't know it any better if she had been there herself. The image of Dean being ripped apart by hell hounds wouldn't go away.

She put the money in the soda machine and made her selection, but she left the drink sitting there after it fell. It took everything in her not to cry, and she kept repeating in her head that Dean was alive.

Sam walked out of the room and headed to the car. Dean followed him out, but walked over to Lily, who reached down to grab her soda when she saw them.

"We're gonna go check out the publisher. It's a few hours away."

"I'll stay and finish with the ghost."

"Is it a ghost?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"You'll be okay by yourself here for a day or two?"

"I'll be fine... go."

Dean started to turn away, but he noticed the redness of her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

He had her a doubtful look. "Which book were you reading?"

She hesitated, but answered. "No Rest for the Wicked."

"Dammit Lily."

"I had to know, Dean. I'm sorry."

He pulled her into a hug. "Maybe you should come with us."

"No," she said pulling away. "Bobby asked you to look into this, so I'll stay. Just keep in touch. Okay?"

Dean nodded and headed to the Impala. Lily watched as they drove away, then she went back inside.