Rating: T. Contains minor language/adult themes and femslash.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana.

Note: Sequel to 'Naked Pictures,' and the third and last one-shot in the series. Go read the first two before reading this, if you haven't already.

"Behind every beautiful thing, there is some kind of pain." – Bob Dylan

Rain pelted against the small oval window of the plane as Miley stared out at the tarmac, shivering in her school sweatshirt as cold air blew on her from above. She hated flying - the dry, stale, recycled air, the loud screaming babies, the obnoxious kid behind her that liked to kick the seat, the hours upon hours of just sitting and doing nothing. It was torture being stuck in the cramped space inside an object hurtling through the sky at several hundred miles an hour with no way of getting off. And if she had any say in the matter, it would be the last time she would be taking a trans-continental flight for a very long while. Because today she was finally flying home, home to Malibu, California, home to her family and friends, and home to her heart. She had a one-way ticket out of Boston and she was not coming back. Ever.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome aboard United flight 167 with service to Los Angeles. Prior to closing the boarding door, all your carry on items must fit comfortably in an overhead compartment, or under the seat in front of you. If you have any items that do not fit in the overhead bins, please let one of our flight attendants know and we will check them for wing side arrival in Los Angeles. At this time all electronic devices must be turned off and stowed, including CD and mp3 players, laptops, and personal video devices. Cellular phones may be used while the boarding door is open. For our passengers seated…" The flight attendant continued to drone on, repeating the words that Miley was sure no one actually listened to. She dug through her backpack and found her phone, opening it up to send two quick texts.

Daddy, it looks like we're leaving on time. See you in 6.5 hours!

Lils I'm comin home today. Should get in around 3, flight is just now leaving. Text/call me.

She then powered down the device and situated her pillow against the window, hoping the little amount of shut-eye she got last night would allow her to sleep through the majority of the flight. She really did not want to be conscious for any of it. With one last sip from her water bottle, Miley slid the window cover down, pulled the hood of her sweatshirt over her head, and closed her eyes.

She saw blue. Bright, twinkling, blue with pieces of soft yellow that drew her in. There was also the sound of waves crashing against the beach and heavenly laughter that could only belong to one person. Miley tried to focus her eyes, tried to bring herself into the moment, but everything was too blurry, things were fading quickly, and suddenly she found herself in a taxi driving along Storrow Drive. Heavy snow was falling and she could hear her dad jabbering away in the background. "I'm so proud of ya baby girl. Harvard Grad School. You're mama always said she knew you'd go far." Panic crept over her as she realized she was back in Boston. Everything was dark and dreary, cold and lonely, sad and depressing…

Something suddenly jolted her into consciousness. Miley quickly took in her surroundings and the panic from the dream faded away. Turbulence. She was still on the plane headed back home, thank God. One look at her watch told her she had approximately 50 minutes until they landed so Miley pulled out her iPod, set it to the playlist she and Lilly had made during their junior year of high school, and stared out the window at the blinding blanket of white.

The clouds slowly faded away and soon she saw palm trees and the ocean in the distance. She felt a jolt of excitement run through her body, all the way down to her toes, as she sat up straighter in the seat to get a better view. They shortly began their descent into the Los Angeles International Airport and as the wheels touched and bounced against the ground Miley almost squealed in delight. A wide grin was plastered on her face, and not even waiting a million years to get up and out of her seat and off of the plane could get rid of it.

Her walk from the gate to the exit for baggage claim was a test in patience and she had to keep herself from running on more than one occasion. Not even a dire need to use the restroom and get a drink of water could stray her from her goal. She walked through the doors, slowing down as she searched the crowd for familiar faces, occasionally getting jostled by fellow travelers as they ran to their waiting loved ones.

"Hey, bud! We're over here, Miles." Miley heard the words and she turned to her right, finally seeing them.

"Daddy!" she cried as she ran over and practically jumped into his strong waiting arms, holding on tight. It felt wonderful, and she breathed in deeply, reveling in the smell of her dad – hair products and guitar strings. She may be going on 22 but she still missed and needed her dad.

"Sure are glad you're home bud. Now come on, let's go get your luggage and head on back to the house. I've got some steaks marinatin' for a welcome home dinner. Jackson, take your sister's bag."

As Miley stood waiting with her dad and Jackson for her luggage, she turned her phone back on, eager to see if Lilly had called. But the only message her phone displayed was from her friend Julie in Boston, wishing her a safe flight. Miley frowned. She figured Lilly would have responded in the almost seven hours since she had sent the message.

"Ya'll right there bud?"

"Huh?" Miley was only vaguely aware of what her dad said as she continued staring irritably at her phone.

"You look a little down. Somethin' botherin' you? Missin' your friends?"

"No, I'm fine, daddy. Just waitin' to hear from Lilly."

"Ah, the big reunion. I'm sure you'll see her soon," he replied, grabbing one of Miley's large bags from the conveyer belt.

The drive back home was done in silence with Miley staring out the window, something she'd been doing a lot of lately. She watched as all the familiar landscape and new developments passed her by. It felt good to be back home, but for some reason she wasn't as happy as she thought she'd be. There was still something missing. One person was still missing.

Back at the house, Jackson helped carry her bags up to her old room. The stuff she'd shipped back a week ago was stacked against one wall, but everything else looked exactly how she left it, right down to the open closet doors and books scattered across her desk.

"Feel good to be back in your old room?" The voice startled her out of her thoughts and she turned to her dad.

"Yeah. Kinda weird, too."

"Well why don't you get unpacked and rest up a bit. I'm gonna be downstairs fixin' dinner. I'll holler when it's ready."

"Thanks daddy."

"No problem, baby girl. It's good to have ya back." He turned to leave. "And bring out any dirty clothes you've got. I'm about to start a load of darks."

"Okay, dad," Miley rolled her eyes, grinning at the familiarity of being in the home she grew up in again. It was kind of nice, if not a little annoying.

After unpacking her necessities, Miley fell back onto her bed, turning her head into the soft pillows. Her bed here was much softer, at least. And it had the comforting smell of home, something she never noticed before but had sorely missed. She felt her phone vibrate and she impatiently dug in her pocket and pulled it out, only to be disappointed. One new text: Julie Shrime: You make it home ok? Boston's boring w/out u & it's only been ½ a day.

Miley quickly replied and tossed her phone on the bed next to her. Julie was a nice girl and she enjoyed her company for the most part. But she could also be really annoying and she didn't enjoy shopping or doing the happy dance with Miley as much as Lilly did. Miley knew she was being too harsh on the girl though, and everybody else who had tried to be her friend for that matter. Nobody could ever measure up to Lilly and she needed to stop comparing everyone to her blonde-haired friend.

She must have fallen asleep because next thing she knew her dad was shaking her awake, letting her know that dinner was served. Miley was starving. She'd had a coffee and muffin from Starbucks at the airport (she avoided Dunkin' Donuts like the plague – after four years she still didn't understand why Bostonians drank the vile liquid imposing as coffee), and she had slept through whatever pathetic attempt at food the airplane had served. Plus, it was her dad's cooking, so one couldn't blame her for shoveling the food into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in days. Her dad just stared at her in half wonder, half disgust, and Jackson nodded his head in approval at her animalistic eating.

After dinner, Miley went out on the back deck to enjoy the late evening, listening to the ocean and seagulls as the sun slowly set in the sky, turning the horizon a brilliant orange and then magenta before fading away into twilight. This is what she had missed the most – the ocean breeze and the vast skyline, all from the comfort of her deck.

She held her phone firmly in her hand, checking her messages obsessively every few minutes, each time hoping that she'd somehow missed the message from her best friend. But the message never came. Lilly never replied. Miley felt like crying.

"You okay darlin'? You've been awfully quiet since you've been home." Her dad's voice startled her out of her sad reverie as he sat down next to her.

"Yeah. Just tired I guess."

"This has somethin' to do with that crazy blonde-haired best friend of yours, doesn't it?"

"What?!" Miley was suddenly afraid he had figured out the feelings she had tried so hard to keep secret. "No, I mean – well, yeah, I do miss her. And I guess I'm just…scared we let our friendship fall apart."

"Oh, Miles. Nothin' could ever destroy your friendship. You two were like Aunt Pearl and Uncle Earl that time they accidentally super glued themselves together. Pretty much inseparable."

Miley chuckled.

He leaned over and kissed the top of her head before standing up to head back inside. "There's nothin' wrong with lovin' another person, Miles, no matter who they are."

His last statement surprised Miley. She had not been expecting him to say that. Maybe she wasn't as good at hiding her feelings as she thought she was, especially if her dad picked up on it. Miley sighed again, shivering slightly in the cool night air. How pathetic was she? Even after four years she couldn't shake the unsought and inconvenient feelings that had developed just over six years ago, back when her best friend had started dating her other best friend and she realized she was jealous. Of Oliver.

Her phone buzzed and it took Miley several seconds to realize it, she was so deep in her musings. She hesitantly glanced at the screen, afraid of being disappointed yet again. But she was more than pleasantly surprised. One new text: Lilly.

Miley couldn't keep the smile from her face as she eagerly sat up in the chair and opened the message.

Hey pretty lady

Miley grinned, hitting reply. "Hi yourself. What's up?"

I got a message saying that my favorite person was back in town.

"I am."

who says it's you? ;)

Miley chuckled, shaking her head. "shut up, loser."

see now, here I am being nice and you're insulting me.

and to think I wanted to say hi to the sad looking girl sitting all by herself

Miley looked up from her phone, glancing around. Was Lilly here? "Who says I'm sad?"

"Me. You've been frowning at your phone for the past half hour."

The voice startled her, and she jumped in her seat before turning around. Lilly stood leaning in the doorway, smiling at her. The light from inside caught the wisps of hair framing her face and she looked like an angel. Miley smiled. "Hi."

"Hi."

"So you've been spyin' on me, huh?"

Lilly laughed and the sound was music to her ears. "Only for a little while. You're cute when you pout, by the way."

Miley blushed. "How come you didn't call me earlier? I thought you were mad at me or somethin'."

"Because. I wanted to tell you how much I missed you in person, and not through technology," Lilly muttered shyly, staring at her feet. She looked up. "Your voice is much nicer in person, and this way I get to see your face when I tell you I've been waiting for this day for four years."

Miley felt her heart swell with an all too familiar feeling. She almost felt lightheaded with the strength of the emotion. "Really?"

Lilly walked over and sat in the chair previously occupied by her father and stared out at the dark ocean. "For sure. Why else would I turn into a hermit for four years? Besides," she turned to face Miley, a smirk on her face, "nobody else talks about opossums as much as you do. How else was I supposed to be entertained? Your family is better than cable."

The two girls burst out laughing, and for the first time in a very long while, Miley felt exuberant. Her heart was racing, her body was humming, and she had the most beautiful girl sitting in front of her again. Now she was happy.

"So, I think it's time we hung out and caught up with each other's lives. What do ya say?"

Miley smiled. "Sure. But I kind of want to get out of here. My dad's been hoverin' like a hawk and I could use some fresh Malibu air. Wanna head over to Rico's?"

"For drinks?" Lilly questioned.

"What?"

"Yeah, after seven Rico's turns into a little tiki bar. You didn't know? Your own brother is the bartender, Miles."

Miley was surprised. So much had changed in the four years she had been gone. "Oh. Well you know Jackson and I - talking to each other isn't one of our activities. But sure, drinks would be fine."

"Okay, sounds like a plan, man," Lilly intoned. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's get crackin'."

They walked to the beach in a comfortable silence, taking the familiar path down to their old hangout by moonlight. Miley kept stealing glances at Lilly, having a hard time believing that this was real. She had always been afraid that Lilly wouldn't be here when she came back, or that she would have moved on and found different friends, tossing their time and distance-weakened friendship aside.

"You know, if you take a picture it'll last longer. In fact, I can help you with that," Lilly snickered.

Miley blushed, embarrassed she had been caught staring. But she couldn't help herself; Lilly was just so deliciously good-looking. "Sorry. I'm just so glad I'm seeing you again. Sayin' goodbye to you was the hardest thing I've ever had to do, Lils."

"Is that why you're wearing the lucky bracelet I gave you back in middle school?" Lilly questioned.

"I never take it off. That way, you're always with me," Miley explained, warmth flooding her face and neck as she blushed.

Lilly laughed. "That was one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard. But sweet. Thank you."

They took an open table in front of Rico's shack and Miley glanced at the drink list. "Impressive. I didn't know my brother was capable of makin' so many drinks, let alone any drink."

"Yeah, he's pretty good. Not that I come here often or anything…I uh…yeah."

Miley raised a questioning eyebrow at her odd response.

"Ah, the eye of judgment returns."

"You've got it wrong you know. It's not judgment, it's friendly skepticism," Miley grinned, leaning forward in her seat as she rested her folded arms on the table in front of her.

"Because that's so much different," Lilly chuckled, mirroring Miley's pose. "So, you want me to grab you a drink?"

Miley looked over at the bar and noticed her brother for the first time, chatting with a customer. "Yeah. Jack and ginger."

Lilly began to stand up but paused at Miley's words. "A whiskey girl, huh? I'd have pegged you for rum with something fruity."

Miley made a face. "No way. Not since my 21st birthday anyway. My friend Julie bought me too many mojitos. Now rum just tastes like vomit."

"Ooh, drinking stories…I want to hear those. I'll be right back."

As Lilly skipped over to the bar, Miley couldn't keep her eyes off of her. Her heart sped up and her chest suddenly ached with how much she wanted her. Was it normal to pine after someone so much for so long? She knew Lilly was someone her heart would never get over. She'd love her for the rest of her life.

"So," Lilly began, setting the drinks down in front of them. "I want to know everything. Where'd you live? What types of classes did you take? Did you like Boston?"

Miley smiled as she began answering the questions, leaving out the parts about not liking Boston because Lilly wasn't there, and the fact that she didn't date anyone because Lilly was always on her mind. The two of them sat talking for several hours, exchanging stories and laughing and rebuilding the once intense connection between them. It wasn't until Jackson walked over and informed them it was last call for drinks did they realize they had been talking for over four hours.

The sand was cool on her bare feet as they slowly walked along the beach back to Miley's house. She was a little sad it was so late, because she wasn't ready to say goodbye to Lilly just yet. Yes, they had just spent hours talking, but somehow it wasn't enough. Nothing was ever enough. She had always wanted to constantly be with Lilly, and that definitely had not changed. Her presence was energizing and nourishing. It was exhilarating.

A light breeze blew off the ocean, causing goose bumps to erupt on Miley's arms and she wrapped them around herself, unable to stave off the shiver. Lilly must have noticed because she silently took off her jacket and draped it over Miley's shoulders, not once breaking their leisurely pace as they ambled along the shoreline.

"Thanks," Miley whispered as she pulled the jacket tighter across her shoulders, burying her nose in the material warm with Lilly's body heat and taking in a deep breath. Lilly. God, she smelled amazing – a mixture of Coppertone, ocean mist, and something lightly fruity, like cherry blossoms.

As they neared the back of Miley's house, her heart sunk even further. Their inevitable good night was now merely minutes away and Miley racked her brain for ways of stalling. But apparently none were needed because Lilly dropped to the sand, pulling on Miley's hand so they sat side by side staring out at the ocean.

"So what did you miss the most?" Lilly's voice was quiet as she stared out at the dark horizon. "The ocean, the sunshine, your dad's cooking…?"

Without hesitating, Miley replied, "You."

Miley blushed immediately. She couldn't believe she had just let that slip out of her mouth. Here she was, only hours into being friends with Lilly again, and she was already making a fool out of herself. But Lilly merely grinned at her, increasing the heat that was quickly spreading like wildfire across Miley's face and chest.

"Awe, is Miley blushing?"

"No!" Miley blushed even more, pushing Lilly over with her shoulder. "You're mean, Lilly Truscott!"

Lilly laughed from her supine position after Miley had knocked her over. "Whatever. You know you like me, Stewart," she teased, yanking Miley's arm so that they were now both on their backs on the cool sand.

Miley grinned, turning her head so that she could look at Lilly. "Yeah I do."

"Well, I am the one and only Lilly Truscott," Lilly intoned, turning her head so that they were looking each other in the eyes. Her voice quieted. "I tend to have that effect on people."

Miley smiled wryly. "Is that so? You've got people fallin' for you left and right, huh?"

"You tell me."

Miley felt her heart pick up speed again and she forced herself to break their gaze, staring up at the starry sky instead. Just breathe, Miley, she didn't mean it like that. "You know, you never did tell me about you and Oliver."

The blonde was silent for several minutes and Miley felt the mood shift, awkwardness filling the space between them. Just when Miley thought Lilly wouldn't answer, she softly spoke. "We broke up, about a week or so after you left."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

Lilly sighed. "It's a long story."

"I've got all night Lils. And I wanna know, please? Isn't that what friends do, tell each other these things?"

"Yeah, that's what friends do." Lilly sounded defeated, but she continued anyway as she mirrored Miley's pose and stared up at the night sky. "I guess, I just realized I wasn't all that happy. I mean, Oliver is a great guy, but there was someone else that made me happier. Every time I saw them or spoke to them, they made me feel so amazing, they made me feel good about myself, something that Oliver never did. And I realized that I shouldn't just be with Oliver because he was a good friend and everybody else seemed to think it predestined that we be together and eventually get married. But I never got a chance to talk to Oliver about it because…well, when we were at Rico's one day, the day I had planned on talking to him about everything, he saw a text message when I was up getting us drinks and he flipped through the rest of my messages and saw some that were a little more than friendly to someone else. And while nothing was actually going on with that person, he assumed correctly, that my heart already belonged to them. He was pretty angry and didn't talk to me for a while, but eventually he got over it. We're still friends, just not as close as we were before all this happened."

Throughout Lilly's explanation, Miley felt her heart break further and further until she thought it just might stop beating it hurt so deeply. So Lilly was in love with someone else. "I'm sorry that happened, Lils. What happened with the other person? Did he ever find out how you felt?"

She saw Lilly turn her head in her direction and she rolled hers to the side as well, catching and holding Lilly's sad and fearful eyes. Lilly opened her mouth to speak but paused, closing her eyes for a few moments. "She just did."

Miley heard the words but it took her brain time to process them. What? "…You…"

Lilly quickly sat up, her back to Miley as she frantically spoke. "Oh God, I'm sorry, Miles. I really shouldn't have said anything. I am so stupid."

Miley sat up and reached out for Lilly's shoulder. She felt the other girl shiver at her touch before she spoke. "Why are you sorry?"

"Because!" Lilly cried. "I fell in love with you and then I had to open my big stupid mouth about it!"

She had figured, well hoped, that Lilly felt the same way after hearing her speak only a few minutes ago, but the words still caught Miley off-guard. Six years. Six years she had been wishing that she would hear those words come from Lilly's lips, and now that she finally did, all she could do was sit there like a stupid idiot as her heart had a field day in her chest.

Tears sprung to Miley's eyes and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she ran the hand resting on Lilly's shoulder down her arm to the hands clasped tightly in the other girls lap. She gently pried them apart, clasping one between both her hands as she brought it to her chest, holding it against her heart.

"Lilly, look at me," she managed to choke out, her voice husky with unshed tears.

Lilly just shook her head no as she sniffled. "I can't."

"Please."

Slowly Lilly raised her head and turned to face Miley, letting out a ragged breath. Tears streaked her face and her striking blue eyes were filled with sorrow and heartache. Miley knew the feeling well.

"Don't ever be sorry for tellin' me how you feel, because I feel it too. Lilly…" Miley paused as she scooted closer to her in the sand. "I love you too."

At first, Lilly's eyes widened in disbelief, then relief flooded her face as a smile replaced the frown tugging at her lips. "Really? You – you love me?"

Miley nodded and smiled as she leaned closer still. "Yes."

"Say it again?"

"I love you Lilly," Miley whispered, closing the remaining distance between them, their lips tentatively touching in a soft kiss. The sensation was more than she had ever imagined and Miley reached up, her fingers catching the soft blonde hair of her best friend as their lips began to move, the kiss deepening as the minutes passed by. It was intense and Miley was almost overcome with the emotion as her heart thumped painfully fast in her chest and her stomach fluttered with butterflies. She thought she just might pass out if her heart didn't completely stop on her first.

They broke apart just before Miley lost all inhibition and devoured her best friend in the sand right in front of her house. Her lips were tingling, her chest heaving, and her body was warm as it reacted to the scent and taste and touch of Lilly, everything seeping into her blood and filling her senses completely. It took everything in her not to rush forward and capture her lips again, the desire to never stop kissing her best friend running rampant through her veins.

The feel of soft fingers running across her cheek prompted Miley to open her eyes, meeting bright blue sparkling ones only inches from her face. "Hey pretty lady," Lilly smiled shyly.

Miley returned the smile happily as her fingers moved across Lilly's face, tracing her brow, then her cheekbone, before sliding along her jaw. The moonlight danced across her features, causing her fair skin to glow and her beautiful blue eyes to shine almost surreally and Miley was having a hard time believing she was not dreaming. "This is real, right?"

Lilly giggled before leaning in and kissing Miley again, the kiss full of sweetness and reassurance, different from the desperate and passion-filled one moments before. She broke the kiss this time, resting her forehead against Miley's. "Does that feel real?"

Miley nodded as she opened her eyes half-way. "Yes."

"Good, because I want to do it again." A moment later, Lilly's lips found Miley's again, and Miley was lost. This feeling that Lilly awakened in her was stronger than anything she had ever felt before and she was aware of it slowly consuming her until everything else faded away.

The only thing that remained was Lilly and herself and the exquisite fire running through her veins as she finally got what she wanted, six years late but worth every second.

Questions, comments, or concerns? I hope you all are satisfied now :) It took me a while to find the inspiration for this one as the last two were based on actual events/conversations and this one was purely what I can only hope would happen. In my dreams. I wasn't very happy with the ending myself, but I don't really know how to fix it. It seemed too convenient, or rushed, or typical…I don't know.