Lily waited for Dean to come to his senses and call her, but he didn't. She finally tried to call him, but he wouldn't answer. Neither would Sam. She got Bobby to talk to her, but he wouldn't tell her anything about the guys or the apocalypse.

"Come on, Bobby! I can't believe you guys are cutting me out like this!"

"I'm not cuttin' you out. I'll talk to you anytime you want, but not about Dean."

"Why not?"

"Because he asked me not to. He doesn't want you knowin' what he's doin' or where he is. He thinks you'll try to help or follow him. Now, if you're lookin' for work, I can help you, but don't ask me to break a promise."

Lily sighed. "I don't know, Bobby. I'm still a little iffy on the idea of being a one-hundred-percent solo hunter."

"I know a woman, she'd probably be glad to help you out. She hunts with her daughter. Want me to call her?"

"Another family duo?"

"You'll like Ellen."

Ellen. Lily wondered if it was the Ellen from the book.

"Okay. Let me know."

Over the next five months, Lily travelled across the country with Ellen and her daughter, Jo. She went off on a solo job every so often, but she would meet up with them later. She had just finished working a case alone and was headed to a town in Colorado to meet them when Ellen called. There was a change of plans. Ellen's friend, Rufus, called from River Pass for help. He was in the middle of a town full of demons. Ellen and Jo were on their way there, and she wanted Lily to meet them.

They went into River Pass together, fully armed. The town was quiet as they walked down the main street, but there was an overturned car in the road. And blood. After walking a few blocks, they met a group of the local townspeople.

"We're trying to get to the church," one of the men said. "Demons shouldn't be able to go in there, right?"

"It depends on the demon," Ellen said, "but we can make it harder for them."

They carefully made their way to the church. They broke into three smaller groups. Ellen, Jo, and Lily each stayed with a group. They peeled off and headed toward the church separately. Ellen and Lily made it inside, but Jo's group never got there. Lily tried to keep Ellen calm for the sake of the other people, but she knew Ellen was a wreck inside. She had witnessed several fights between Ellen and Jo about hunting. They weren't pretty, and it always stemmed from Ellen being worried about her daughter.

Inside, they found another small group of people, along with the pastor of the church. Ellen and Lily explained about devil's traps and salt lines and got them laid out as quickly as possible, but the natives were restless. They wanted to get out of town. Ellen thought it was a good idea. She pulled Lily aside.

"You get these people out. I'ma go look for Jo."

"No, you help me get these people out and we'll come back and look for Jo together."

Ellen shook her head, but Lily set a stern look on her face. Ellen knew she wasn't backing down. Lily wouldn't go without her.

"Fine." Ellen turned to the crowd. "We're gonna make a run for it. Leave whatever you can."

They had barely made any ground when they were ambushed. Lily and Ellen didn't have enough firepower to hold them off.

"Back to the church!" Ellen yelled.

Only about half the people who left made it back. Ellen spent the next thirty minutes pacing back and forth. She finally shoved her gun into her pants and heads for the door. Lily ran after her.

"Where are you going?"

"To look for my daughter."

"Then I'll come with you."

"No... You have to stay here and help these people. I'll be back." Lily shook her head, and Ellen put a hand on her shoulder. "I promise."

"You'd better."

Lily watched Ellen leave. She had come to think of the older woman as a mother. The closest thing to a mother she had ever known, since her own mother had died in childbirth. Ellen had treated her like family from day one, and that was something Lily had really needed.

Lily sat, thinking things over, until the waiting finally got to her. She decided to do something useful, so she began moving around the furniture, strategically arranging it in case they were overrun. She was in the back of the room when there was a knock at the door, and she heard Ellen's voice. One of the men, Austin, opened the door. Lily was hoping to see Jo walk in behind Ellen, and was shocked to see Dean and Sam instead. She sat down, not sure if she wanted them to know she was even there, but Ellen must have mentioned her. Dean began looking around, and when his eyes met hers he had a disappointed look on his face.

He went back to his conversation with Ellen, and he and Sam left. Lily went to Ellen to find out what happened.

"The boys are gonna help us get these people out. Then we'll find Jo and Rufus."

Sam and Dean came back with weapons and salt. The four hunters went around the room showing people how to use them. Lily glanced at Dean a few times, and saw him looking back once or twice. He still had not spoken to her.

After some time, Ellen left with Sam to go look for Jo. Lily and Dean continued to help people learn their weapons. Things eventually settled down and Dean went over to Lily. She was sitting in a chair, loading a rifle. He stood next to her with his arms folded.

"Did Bobby tell you we were comin' here?"

"Bobby hasn't mentioned you to me in five months, Dean."

"Then why are you here?"

She glared up at him. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was meeting Ellen and Jo when they got the call from Rufus."

"You've been hunting with Ellen?"

"Yeah. Bobby hooked us up."

"He never told us."

"Really? How's that feel?"

Her eyes shot daggers at him before she turned her attention back to the weapons. He wiped a hand over his face.

"I really don't need this," he said. "It's bad enough I'm dealing with Sam..."

"What's wrong with Sam?"

Dean started to walk away, but he pulled a chair over and sat across from Lily, close enough that their knees were touching. He leaned in and spoke quietly so no one else could hear.

"Lucifer is free."

"What?"

"Killing Lilith was the final seal, and Sam did it."

"But he didn't know, right?"

"No, he didn't know."

"Then what's the issue?"

Dean told Lily all about the demon blood, and it made her stomach turn. She couldn't imagine Sam doing that. But when he told her about the fight they had before Lucifer was freed... that was what shocked her more than anything.

"I can't believe you let it go that far, Dean."

"What was I supposed to do?"

She lowered her eyes. "I don't know."

"I swear, between Sam and Bobby, and..."

"What's wrong with Bobby?" She cut him off.

"When was the last time you talked to him?"

"About two weeks ago."

"He's in a wheelchair."

"How?"

"He got possessed. He was able to take control long enough to stab himself with the demon knife. The demon died, but now Bobby can't walk."

"There had to be another way. Why would he stab himself?"

"Because the demon was about to kill me."

A sad look passed over Lily's face. "He would rather die than hurt you."

"Exactly."

"I'm so sorry, Dean."

"He's not taking it well."

"I wouldn't expect him to."

A silence fell between them. Lily set the gun she was holding on the table and leaned forward, with her elbows on her knees.

"You know, I don't think you even deserve to know this, but... I missed you."

Dean smiled. He mirrored her posture and took her hands in his. "I missed you too, Kitten."