Lilly scowled through the outstretched tray of martinis. The unfortunate target of her wrath being Julia Wicker. It was a wonder how the ice in her gaze hadn't frosted the glass. Lilly begrudgingly plucked a drink from the tray, still less than keen on the idea of helping the woman who'd quite literally left them to die. She sat cross-legged on the carpeted floor of the Physical cottage, her back pressed against Penny's legs as he sat on the settee.

"To our little thievery corporation." Eliot lifted his glass towards the sky. Lilly didn't join in his merriment.

"PS, we still hate you," Margo gave Julia a pointed look. "But it's the 21st century. Shouldn't be this hard for a girl to get an evil demigod abortion."

"And we're emotionally advanced. We can hold resentment and sympathy for a person at the same time." Eliot took a sip of his martini and fiddled with the lemon rind that garnished the rim.

"And Fillory's broke. We need gold. So lucky you."

"Thank you." Julia sent them a grateful smile. Lilly felt at war with herself as she gazed at the broken woman across from her. Julia didn't deserve what happened to her. No one did. Yet, it was because of her that Lilly nearly lost her friends. Penny lost his hands because she chose revenge over their lives.

"Just to be clear, I'm doing this as a favor to my friends. If you do anything to jeopardize their safety again, I'll kill you myself." Lilly narrowed her chocolate brown eyes even further. She'd help, but she wouldn't let her guard down this time.

"Okay, so on that note, uh, if this heist is happening, any ideas as to how?" Quentin cleared his throat in an attempt to soften the mood. He sank into an armchair, and the others followed suit, setting into their chosen spots.

"Well, we cased the bank. There was a pretty gnarly ward around the vault." Kady addressed her peers from the arm of the settee.

"Who here's actually robbed a bank?" Margo piped up, her signature smirk quirking her features in a way that promised trouble. Trouble came in the form of her hand raising high. Everyone's eyes went wide.

"When was this?" Eliot cocked an impressed eyebrow.

"Senior year of high school. I had some issues," Margo declared proudly.

"Remind me never to underestimate you." Lilly shook her head in disbelief.

"Sweetie, you wouldn't dare." Margo grinned at her former protege and turned to address the rest of the circle. "Who's up for a little field trip?" Margo forced them to stand in a flurry of movement and frantic hand waving. Lilly just managed to gulp down her martini before Margo ripped it from her grasp and pushed her and everyone else through a hastily conjured portal.

The wretched stench of piss and trash hit her before she even registered her surroundings. Honking horns and squeaking bus breaks filled the city street. They'd emerged into a side alley beside an overflowing restaurant dumpster and some overly comfortable feasting rats. Lilly was unfortunately used to this, having lived in New York almost her entire life. The dark recesses of the city were nothing to be desired. Lilly peered around Eliot's towering frame to examine the main street. A sign for Hamilton National Bank caught her eye. This was to be their victim.

"Okay, listen up, 'cause I'm only gonna go through this shit once. Any bank worth robbing uses one of a handful of security systems. All the usual bells and whistles." Margo took center stage as the others closed in behind her. Their attention trained on the bank and its steady stream of customers. "But what most idiots don't know is, those companies are all owned by Magicians."

"Wait, so the people that work there--"

"Clueless. Tellers, managers, security guards. They're all Muggles. They have no idea the vault has a secret feature."

"Serious wards." Kady supplied with a nod. None of them were surprised at all that she knew the answer.

"Designed specifically to keep out Magicians," Margo confirmed with a devious smile. "Now, in the case of our target, their fingerprints control the alarm systems. It takes two managers scanning their prints simultaneously to do this." As if on cue, a trio of suits exited the building. "Librarian, Neck Beard, and White Privilege. They're the managers. We need two of their prints. The good news is, they all go to the same lame bar after work. Take your pick, ladies." Margo nodded between Lilly and Kady. Kady gave her a withering glance, scrunching up her nose at the less than appealing options. Lilly, on the other hand, was already examining her targets with calculating eyes. "Oh, nut up. It's just a finger. Walk up to him, grab his hand, and say, 'Can I borrow this?' Dip his stupid finger in his drink to sanitize it, and pop it in your mouth, walk away, yet stay emblazoned on his heart for a lifetime. Done and done."

"Fine," Kady grumbled, crossing her arms in indignation.

"As for you, Lilly, just do your thing." The nicknames Margo had given the managers were undeniably accurate. The blonde, middle-aged woman, in an excruciatingly practical pantsuit was clearly 'Librarian'. 'NeckBeard' was self-explanatory. Last, but not least, there remained 'White Privilege'. He was most likely in his early thirties, his blonde hair styled to perfection.

"Why's it gotta be Kady? It could be Penny or Eliot." Quentin looked pointedly at the rest of the group.

"Or you," Margo pursed her lips.

"Yeah, sounded like volunteering," Penny smirked, his arms folded across his chest.

"Okay, fine, I'll take the librarian." Quentin sighed, a frown pulling at his lips.

"Great. Quentin will go in my place. Thanks, Q." Kady patted him lightly on the back with a laugh.

"Leave White Privilege to me. He's got no wedding band. Something tells me he wouldn't mind me loosening that tie for him." Lilly smiled, knowing that she'd no doubt get what she wanted within moments. Margo grinned.

"They grow up so fast." She wiped two imaginary tears from each eye, before launching into her explanation once more. "Once both the alarms and the wards go down, you've got ten minutes to get downstairs, past the armed guards, and enter the correct ten-digit combo. If you screw up the combination or you take longer than ten minutes, you're fucked. Now, basic bitches trip all the standard alarm systems, but Magicians? We also trip the magic wards, which means battle Magicians. Full-time security employees on the DL, with benefits. You see one, run. They only ask questions post-mortem. But our ace is you, Penny. Once we nab prints and drop the wards, you travel straight in."

"You really don't think a bank vault, of all places, has anti-traveler protection?" He raised both his eyebrows condescendingly.

"Oh, they do. The entire floor of the vault is one big anti-traveling sigil. You get locked in till you run out of air." Margo shrugged as if it were a small sacrifice.

"Yeah, pass. I like air." Penny declared with an infinitely baffled expression.

"Relax, dummy. You only get stuck if you hit the floor." Margo scoffed, rolling her eyes at his lack of faith.

"Oh, so it's like "Mission: Impossible," Quentin spoke up, adding his signature pop culture reference to the equation.

"That movie was stupidly unrealistic. It's so much easier to just levitate."

"Yeah, I don't know-how, and in case you guys have all forgotten, I can't do magic." Penny held out his hands as a reminder of his handicap.

"Oh, that's fine. This is gonna get done to you. It's a little thingy any Physical Kid can make in their sleep." Eliot looked very proud of that bit of information. Anything to show superiority over the other disciplines.

"Gravity belt, exactly. Once we drop the wards, float Penny, he zips in, he zips out payday." Margo's hands flourished about to deliver her point. An animalistic screech sounded from the recesses of the alley. They all whirled and Kady shoved past them towards the sound, assuming a defensive stance.

"Julia, run!" Kady yelled, watching intently as a flurry of trash was thrown into the air of its own accord. Bins and discarded trash bags were jostled and thrown forcefully into the bordering brick walls. No one moved, too shocked by what they were seeing to do anything other than stare. "It's there, you just don't see it. Go!"

"I thought it was dead," Julia spoke, never tearing her eyes from the whirlwind of destruction headed straight for them.

"I guess it's got friends." Whatever the creature was, it was closing the distance fast. Julia finally came to her senses, turning and bolting towards a nearby subway entrance. The rest of their group hurried after her, save for Kady. She stayed her ground, clenching her jaw in determination. Penny hesitated, grabbing at the witch's arm in an attempt to pull her along.

"Kady, come on!" Lilly turned, following Eliot towards where the others were making their quick escape. "Kady!" She was just about to take the stairs two at a time when she heard Penny's voice, still at the mouth of the alley and not anywhere close to escaping.

"No, you go. I'll catch up." Kady yanked her arm from his grasp as Lilly watched from the subway entrance. Her fingers were white where she clutched the railing. "Kady!" Penny still stayed beside the hedge despite her assurances.

"Penny!" Lilly screeched. The invisible creature was getting too close for comfort. Yet there he was, by the side of a woman who wanted nothing to do with him. "What the hell are you doing?" His head snapped in her direction with wide eyes, then back to Kady. He reached out for the dark-haired woman again.

"Kady!" His voice was frantic. He wasn't about to leave her. She cut off his next attempt.

"No! I need to kill it. I'll be fine."

"Why?"

"Penny!" Lilly cried. Their friends had disappeared from her sight and made it to safety. They'd probably already hopped through a portal to Brakebills. Penny glanced her way but still didn't budge.

"I need its spoon," Kady told him, just as she sprung herself towards the monster.

"Spoon?" He called after her, startled into pursuit. Lilly took one last longing glance towards the safety of the subway before chasing after them.

After helping Penny and Kady get the bloodied spoon from whatever invisible monster had been tracking Julia, Lilly managed to open her own portal home. Though she'd tried her best to discourage Penny from going, he'd chosen to accompany Kady as she tracked down whoever sent it. Lilly deposited herself outside the Illusionist castle and sent a quick text in their little group chat to let everyone know she'd made it back safely. Thankfully none of the other Illusionists bat an eye at her as she made her way to her tower. She wasn't sure she could handle a conversation about what had happened over the past year.

As she ascended the main staircase, she felt a familiar twist in her chest. She hadn't been back here since Alex was killed, and the memory of such events was still as sharp as the day it happened. A few of the doors were open as she passed, exposing each individuals living quarters to the rest of the castle. It wasn't unusual, as many students preferred the open environment and the socialization that came with it. Alex had been one of them, and as she approached room number 37, she saw the door ajar, as if her best friend was still inside, waiting for her to flop onto his bed and vent about her day. She yearned for his radiant smile and infectious laugh. She craved his wise words and ever-present shoulder to lean on. When she reached his open door her heart sank even further.

Gone were the photos of his family plastered across the corkboard and the messy desk only he knew the order of. Closed were the blinds, which had always been open in welcome to the endless sunshine and sea breeze. His furniture was replaced by that of a stranger. All the warmth and familiarity was gone, and Alex had been scrubbed from existence here as well.

"Can I help you?" An unfamiliar voice sounded from behind her. Lilly jerked in surprise, turning to see a young man with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was only a few inches taller than her, but due to his proximity, she had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze. For a moment she just stared at him. He looked so innocent, burdenless. He had no idea that he'd taken something so dear to her and eradicated it. Lilly forced the lump in her throat down, shaking her head minutely and plastering a shaky smile onto her face.

"No." Her voice didn't betray a thing. It never did. "I was just passing by." She didn't give him the chance to speak again. She whirled and hurried up the staircase to her room. The moment she shut the door to her room she was frantically wiping at her eyes, though no tears had fallen. One, two, three, shaking breaths later, she was taking inventory of her duties that night. She wouldn't allow herself to fall down the rabbit hole of grief, not again.

While the others would be spending their night building a gravity belt and ironing out the kinks in their almost flawless plan, she and Quentin would be returning to the city. They'd chosen their targets and knew their timeline. She only had an hour to get ready before meeting Quentin and beginning their mission. Over the next half hour, Lilly went through the motions of preparation quickly and concisely. Shower, hair, makeup, and finally clothes.

Wearing only her undergarments, she rifled through the dresser drawers, trying to find the perfect combination to get the job done. She needed something sexy, but not too provocative. She had a hunch that 'White Privilege' liked a classier look.

"Hey," Lilly jumped, slamming her head into the edge of the dresser.

"Shit!" She clutched the spot she'd hit and carefully straightened to her full height. She knew his voice well enough to know it was him. "Penny! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

"Apparently a few more." He chuckled softly. The crinkles beside his eyes portrayed no remorse. She glared at him, though it soon dissolved as he approached, leaving a tender kiss on her injured head, "sorry."

"It's okay," she sighed, turning back to sift through her clothes. "How'd the spoon hunting go?"

"Well, they won't call it off unless they pay." He explained as he settled down onto the arm of her couch.

"Lucky for her, we'll be rich tomorrow." Lilly pulled a dress from the mess of clothes, laying it across the bed to undo the zipper. She stepped into it in one fluid motion and presented herself to Penny with a silent request. He zipped it up to the top and watched her inspect the ensemble in the mirror.

It was all black and fell to just above the knee, hugging every curve perfectly. The bottom edge was trimmed with lace, balanced out by a pop of the same scalloped material lining the low neckline. The spaghetti straps showed off her prominent collar bone in a sensual but sophisticated touch.

"How do I look?" Lilly did a little twirl, assessing his reaction.

"Hot," he looked her up and down appreciatively. "He'd be crazy not to fall for you."

"That's just what I needed to hear." She slid her feet into the strappy heels she'd selected and fastened them securely. "I guess I'll see you later." Penny nodded, his eyes tracking her movements as she snatched her bag from the bed and slung it over her exposed shoulder. She stepped towards the door, her hand pausing on the knob. Her body hesitated, though her mind pushed it to keep moving. "I just have a question." Lilly turned to face him, her brows knitting together. "Why did you stay?"

"What?" His brows furrowed in confusion.

"I mean," Lilly's feet carried her towards him, now fully committed to the conversation. "Kady, she can take care of herself. Yet, you still refused to leave her earlier. There was a monster coming straight at you, and you still stayed. I know you guys have history, and I know you didn't get closure, but you still haven't told me the full story of what happened between you. I just need to know if you still have any feelings for her. Because, If you do, this is only gonna end in heartbreak. I'd rather rip the bandaid off than drag out the inevitable."

Her words came out in a rush, and once she'd finished, they stood in contemplative silence. Penny leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs. Lilly analyzed his movements anxiously. Her heart pounded in her ears, and the longer the silence was prolonged, the surer she was that she'd be sick. Why had she chosen that moment to broach the subject? She regretted the decision the second she'd finished. Penny looked up at her for a moment, and she internally squirmed. He stood, and every step he took felt to Lilly like one more nail in her coffin.

"You're right. Kady and I do have history," her heart sank, "but It's just that." Penny leveled his gaze with hers, "I told her I loved her the night of the third trial. I told her my deepest truth, and in return, I learned hers. She was only using me to steal shit from Brakebills. She didn't care about me. It was all a lie."

"You don't have to--"

"No- I want to." Penny cut her off, stepping towards her once more, now only inches away. "For a while, I didn't even care that she'd used me. I still loved her. But over time, that faded, and I was able to see how toxic that relationship was. Most of that was thanks to you." Lilly reached across the distance to intertwine their fingers. "Kady and I were close, and despite how things ended, I don't want anything to happen to her. She had a rough life, and she's never had someone to look out for her. I don't have feelings for her, but I won't abandon her. Besides, I kinda have this thing for another girl." Penny grinned down at her and reached out to caress her cheek.

"You're a good guy. You know that?" Lilly leaned into his touch. Her muscles relaxed, her nerves placated.

"Ugh, don't remind me." He rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.

"It'll be our little secret." Lilly chucked, reaching up to pull his face to hers. Their lips met, slow and sweet. She allowed herself to live in the moment, shutting out the worries and doubts she had. It was a while before they pulled away. Neither one's desire satiated. "I really don't want to ruin this moment, but I kinda have to go seduce another guy."