A/N: This is my sequel story to 'Flood'. I started writing it basically as soon as I finished its predecessor, so it hasn't really been brought about by the recent events in Japan or New Zealand, though I do feel great sympathy and regret for those two nations. I've never written a sequel story before so let's see how this goes.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything under the Hannah Montana label, nor the chapter song by Bette Midler or anything else which may have inspired this.

x

Wishing Hole

Some say love, it is a river
That drowns the tender reed…

It was nearly light when Lilly crept back into her flat, letting herself in with a well-worn key. The lounge was lit by a single lamp which had been left on to herald her return. Lilly smiled weakly at the sight, already looking forward to her bed, and she didn't give much thought to the kitbag of work clothes that she left near the entrance to her home.

She slipped across the living area on light footsteps to ease open the door to her bedroom and dart inside. She undressed quickly – stripping down to her pants and an undershirt before climbing into bed beside the lump beneath the covers, which had been keeping it warm for her.

"Mmm…" The person in the bed released a sigh and Lilly curled up beside her, throwing an arm over the waist of the other woman.

"Ssh… Go back to sleep." Lilly whispered when the stirring female turned to rub her nose against Lilly's own.

"Hey baby, how was work?"

"It was fine." Lilly replied with a yawn, "But I'm looking forward to sleeping now."

"Yeah. Sleep good."

"Miley…" Lilly smiled and leaned in to kiss her girlfriend, who was warm with an aura of sleep which Lilly loved to find on her return from an evening on duty.

Miley's lips moved tentatively against Lilly's own at first, but soon she was shuffling closer and uncurling to press her body flush against Lilly's.

Lilly sighed at the blessed contact that already had the temperature of her blood increasing rapidly. Miley's capable hands were winding around Lilly's torso, tugging her closer and rumpling up her shirt to gain better access to her skin. "I missed you…" Miley muttered against Lilly's lips, kissing her soundly whilst her fingertips danced over Lilly's stomach.

"Missed you too…" Lilly gasped when Miley's hands became bolder, "God…"

"I'm leaving in a few hours, so we might as well make the most of our time together." Miley slurred against Lilly's willing mouth and Lilly could only nod abruptly.

"That won't be a problem."

x-x-x

The room was lighter when Lilly's eyes next opened and a smile was formed on her lips before the blurry room could emerge to reveal the proper beginning of another day. She had been awoken by quiet movement in the room around her and Lilly reached for her glasses, which she kept on the table beside her bed.

"Are you packed?"

Miley was tiptoeing about the room, tucking her few possessions into a spare carryall which Lilly had lent her for the trip. She cursed under her breath when she realised that Lilly was actually awake.

"Sorry sweetie, I didn't mean to disturb you."

Lilly only smiled, "That's okay, I would have been sad if I hadn't gotten a chance to say goodbye to you."

"Well, I'm just about ready to leave now." Miley said and to confirm she tugged the zipper across the opening of the bag, until it was sealed shut.

"Then I'd better see you out – to make sure you actually go."

"Always charming." Miley replied serenely and she let Lilly clamber, slightly ungracefully, out of bed to hold the door open for her.

They walked together across the lounge, without the need to say anything, and Lilly carefully unbolted the door. "Are you going to be alright getting to the airport?" She asked again, as she had done before she had gone to work the following evening, and Miley smiled.

"Of course, I've booked a taxi and I'm already running late for it."

"I would drive you, if you'd only let me." Lilly pouted and Miley leaned across to kiss her pursed lips softly.

"You're exhausted and you should be in bed." Miley reprimanded her gently. "I've got this one."

"But the airport's miles away…"

"Lilly." Miley sighed, yet the smile remained on her lips, "You always have to be so valiant. Look, I didn't earn millions of dollars being an international pop star just to ride the sweaty bus to the airport."

"Hey, don't be mean about the bus… It's not that sweaty…" Lilly replied, but then she grimaced. "You forgot to mention that it takes a couple of hours."

"Because it stops everywhere." Miley nodded, "I've already done my research. Just be glad I didn't put in a few extra bucks and hire myself out a chauffeur-driven limo." She sighed, "Those were the days…"

"Diva." Lilly chided.

"Never." Miley replied and there was a playful gleam in her eyes, which quickly dimmed. "You know, I really am going to miss you."

Lilly felt her throat tighten around the words she actually wanted to say, and only managed to mumble out, "Miss you more."

"Doubtful." Miley drawled, wrapping her free arm around Lilly and pulling her into a tight hug. "See ya later."

"I'll pick you up from the airport in two weeks." Lilly promised.

"It's a date." Miley agreed and kissed Lilly's lips again and again, until Lilly had to release her and push her back into the hallway.

"Just get out of here!" Lilly laughed and watched as Miley backed down the corridor, loathe to break their connection, before she disappeared around a corner.

Lilly swallowed and her throat loosened, the sentiment sliding back down her oesophagus and returning to her chest. Perhaps she would be ready next time.

x-x-x

A light drizzle splattered down her raincoat and trickled over the hood, the droplets falling before her eyes as her feet smashed through the stillness of puddles lurking on the pavements. Lilly only shook her head to dislodge a few, but she knew that there would be more to follow. She was growing to hate the rain and all that it brought with it, but she was also wise enough to understand that there was nothing she could do about it.

She was in an unfamiliar town but with the promise of a better mall. Lilly wasn't one to enjoy engaging in the sport of shopping, yet she needed to make some improvements to her wardrobe. She also wanted to do this in private, so that she would have the chance to surprise the female who was still rooming with her.

Lilly smiled to herself – Miley hadn't left since the afternoon when Lilly had taken her in little over a month ago. She had helped Miley regain her place in the world by providing her with an address, and thus Miley had finally been granted access to her funds. However, all good things have to come to an end, or at least be put on hold, and Miley needed to see her family. She had flown back to Tennessee earlier that day and Lilly missed her already, like a constant burn of thirst in her throat which would only be satisfied upon the return of her girlfriend.

Girlfriend, now that was a word that Lilly liked. It fell from her tongue with ease and she smiled to think of how their relationship had come about. Not to mention she was seeing Hannah Montana on the side… But, somehow, Miley was better. If Lilly had to choose, it would be Miley all the way. Plus she was superior in bed, something which Lilly found hard to measure yet it was Miley's infinite softness which won out every time.

Lilly hadn't even noticed that her path had gone slightly off track when she reached a street that led down a hill into a rather bleak part of the town. As she gazed upon the buildings, she could sense that something was different about this block compared to the others she had strolled through. The foundations of the buildings seemed weaker, distorted, and her instincts immediately told her that something was amiss. Then she realised the truth – she was walking into the basin of Miley's town; the place which had been hit by the flood hardest.

Without thinking too much about it, Lilly's feet led her down the road and through the streets which had been decimated. The further she descended the gradient of the hill, the worse things seemed to get and her feeling of unease grew. She was not the only person who was walking here, yet those who she did pass kept their faces downcast as if they could sense the same bad vibes she did. It really didn't help that it was raining – it made the place seem damp, stagnant, and Lilly felt her good spirits begin to crumble along with the mortar that had cracked and withered around her.

Then the ground began to level out and Lilly's eyes widened at the mess that had become of a place that was once teeming with life. One long row of houses was surrounded by metal partitions labelled with construction company signs which promised repair. Chunks were missing from the buildings, the walls weakened by the damage and these houses, built cheaply in the first place, had simply buckled under the strain of the fast-moving water. A permanent stain of filth seemed to cover the buildings and Lilly could easily discern where the water level had crept to in the dirt that painted the walls. Some had been scoured clean, yet the traces remained and would do until they were re-painted. It was taking time, however, because the rain had fallen heavily for so long and the water had not been easy to drain away.

She kept walking, tracing the route the flood must have taken through the town and as she stepped into a new street she noticed that something was really wrong. Here buildings had collapsed and were properly cordoned off. Certainly a fresh centre of growth was to be planned, with homes that were better designed to handle water damage and if the current houses in this section of town could speak Lilly knew that the only noise would be a constant, weakened groaning, like a person who had known prolonged pain for too long.

Her ears pricked as the sound of a car, being driven with high pressure put on the engine, drove up behind her. The noise grew louder and she turned to see a man swerve the vehicle around the corner and into the next block of houses. In just those few seconds Lilly recognised the panic on his face, and the way that his phone was pressed to his ear. Before she knew it, her feet were pounding the pavement after the driver and she only stopped when he pulled up haphazardly and leapt out.

There was a small crowd gathered around a collapsed building and, as Lilly jogged over, she could see them jostling forward before pulling back anxiously, as if an invisible boundary was tugging them away. Eventually she could hear the man who had been on the phone and he was calling out the name of a woman.

"Suzanne!" He moved closer to the rubble and Lilly's training kicked in.

"Wait!" She called out to him and he paused, confused by the interruption, "What's happened here?" She asked, her calm voice immediately generating a quiet sense of authority and he looked staggered as his wide eyes took her in.

"My wife… She's trapped under there…" He jabbed a finger in the direction of the rubble. "We were told not to come back for our belongings but she needed to get to the safe box in the basement. I told her to wait for the officials to deal with the matter but she couldn't. Apparently the house collapsed twenty minutes ago and no one knew she was inside. A neighbour phoned me and I couldn't get hold of Suzanne…"

He tried to dart forward again, but Lilly caught him by his jacket and forcefully pushed him back. "Sir, I understand your anguish right now but I need you to stay away. I can't have you compromising your safety. Have you called the emergency services?"

He nodded tersely, "I'm afraid it may be too late by the time they get here."

Just then the car door opened where a small pair of feet appeared and a young girl dropped from her seat to run over and hug her father's legs tightly. "Where's mummy? She phoned and she was scared and then her voice disappeared…"

He shrugged his shoulders, his eyes already becoming damp, "I was driving and passed my phone over to Courtney when Suzanne rang."

Lilly's eyes flickered to the little girl, her cheeks wet with tears, and swallowed. She met the man's eyes once more, "So, she's definitely in there, then?"

"Yes." He said weakly and then he trembled, a gasping sob breaking from him at last. "We've already lost everything we owned and now my wife… Courtney's mum…"

Lilly glanced back at the pile of rubble, adrenaline beginning to thrill through her veins and she could feel herself being drawn towards the mess. She tilted her head to one side, uncomfortable by the lack of sirens and knowing that they were running out of time.

"Stay here." Lilly said and, pausing only to lower her bag to the floor and zip up her jacket, she turned towards the house.

The crowd stayed quiet as she walked to the building, taking in the destruction with well-trained eyes and looking for a way in, some safe hole where she could perhaps try calling for Suzanne. The woman was trapped in the basement however, with an entire house lying in ruins on top of her. There was little hope but Lilly was confident enough. Her sure feet took her up onto the mound and she was glad for her choice of sturdy sneakers that morning whilst she darted swiftly up the pile on legs that were accustomed to climbing. Yet this was free-climbing and she knew that she had to be careful.

The debris was packed tightly together and Lilly's feet only connected with firmly fallen bricks and mortar. She could find no way in until she reached an area which was less sturdy to tread. Lilly dropped into a crouch at once, bracing herself as she cleared the space with steady hands. Slowly a gap appeared and began to grow. Lilly was aware of the rain falling on the back of her jacket, it was getting heavier now and made the loose rubble slippery between her fingers. She worked faster and finally lay flat, to distribute her weight, as she leaned down into the small void.

She inhaled deeply once, and then cried, "Suzanne!" Quickly turning her head, Lilly listened for a reply, but heard none. She tried again. "Suzanne! Are you in there?" The quiet was disconcerting, yet Lilly shouted and listened whilst the rain soaked through her jeans. She could hear the water tapping on the bricks and an echo of it came to her in a whisper through the space in the rubble.

Then Lilly heard something else and she pressed herself ever nearer to listen again.

"…Help…Help me…"

There was someone trapped inside and Lilly rapidly propped herself up on her elbows, trying to hear the emergency services which still hadn't arrived. She had also lost sight of the crowd of people; they were somewhere behind the ridge of a wall that was still standing. It was just her and the victim, and she knew that she had to make a decision.

Her training told her to move away, to make a call to the station to encourage swifter aid and to comfort the relatives of the woman waiting below. Yet somehow she couldn't. Images of the small child with tears streaking her cheeks flashed across her mind, and she winced to see them. She was drawn to the void, to the blackness of the collapsed building and to the soul that was trapped there.

Lilly rose to stand and consider the small space which she had created, just big enough for her slender body to slip through. It was tempting as she approached the brink and looked down, but she couldn't see anything. Lilly shook her head, her mind winning out over her heart and she hated herself for her decision as she turned away.

Then something shifted beneath her, her feet faltered and before she even had time to master command over her body, one leg slipped, followed by the other. The hole was widening and then there was nothing, not a single stone, between her and the thin air and she was falling, her arms outstretched as they sought a safe ledge. Yet her hands only collided with cold rubble, which grazed her palms and knuckles, burning the soft skin and she cried out in pain and fear as the expanse of the sky grew smaller whilst she fell.

All of the air in her lungs was crushed out of her when her back crashed into a solid pillar, and she was pushed forward, her temple colliding with yet more stone which batted her backwards. Lilly was barely aware as her body flopped between the walls of debris and finally her legs crumpled beneath her as the ground emerged and hit her hard.

She gasped for breath, her whole body shocked with pain. As she inhaled dust flew into her mouth and she choked, her blood deprived of oxygen and the need for air was agonizing. Her heart was hammering fast and Lilly knew that she couldn't panic, yet she had never known it to be so difficult not to give into her fear before. She pressed her nose down into her jacket, sucking in the air through the material of her sweater, avoiding the dust which had yet to settle around her. Whilst she slowed and lengthened her breathing, Lilly tried to make sense of her body and what it could do. Yet, it was just as she pulled her focus away from her burning lungs, that she noticed the pain in her legs. She winced as she tried to move them because her fall had dislodged chunks of heavy stone which had landed on top of her. Her head was also throbbing and her hands stung from their attempts at catching her when she plummeted down into the hole.

Tilting her head backwards, Lilly blinked, trying to dislodge the grit from her eyes which was sore as it pushed against her contact lenses. She could barely see the hole she had fallen through as everything had shifted. All she could make out was a single patch of light, but that was grey and did not help her discern anything through the darkness.

She swallowed, tasting the filth in her mouth and she coughed as she tried to speak. Her voice was shaky when it finally emerged, "Hello? Suzanne?" There was no response and Lilly tried again. "Suzanne, my name is Lilly Truscott. Can you hear me?"

"Hello Lilly."