Nick heard a crash from downstairs, and it startled him awake. His vision still blurry with sleep, he rubbed his eyes with his left hand. He smiled as he took in the feminine curves of the person lying with her back to him, and he reached out to brush her hair from her face. Miley stirred, but didn't wake. Nick propped himself up on his elbows, and leaned across her to grab his phone from the nightstand. Judging by the time, Nick guessed that his dad was trying to make breakfast, because it was too early for either of his brothers to be up. Debating whether or not to go back to sleep, he felt Miley move next to him.

"Why are you awake?" she moaned, keeping her eyes shut. "It's so early!"

"It's not by choice," Nick chuckled. "How did you sleep?"

"Well, first of all I closed my eyes. Then your body and mind starts to relax and you drift into an altered state of consciousness and then-"

"Smartass."

Miley grinned, finally forcing her eyes open. The corners of Nick's mouth had curved slightly, like he was trying to suppress a smile. The sun was peeking through the blinds, and Miley stretched her legs out under the covers. For a second, it was easy to pretend today wasn't going to suck. That she could just stay in bed with Nick all day, talking absolute rubbish and teasing each other mercilessly. That if they kept his bedroom door shut, they could effectively keep out the rest of the world and time could just stop for a while. Then she wouldn't have to worry about her dad, or what was going to happen next.

"If you want, I'll take today off school. I'm sure I felt like I was coming down with something anyway. We could just lock ourselves in here and forget about everything for one day. I think you deserve that," suggested Nick.

Miley felt her jaw drop open a little bit. It seemed like only yesterday that she couldn't stand Nick, and now it was like they were impossibly in sync. It was crazy, Miley knew that. But she also knew that right now, he was the one keeping her from going crazy.

"Probably best you go to school," Miley conceded. "Keep up appearances."

Nick nodded as Miley sat up and crossed her legs, facing him. Nick pushed himself from his elbows to rest his weight on his hands. Miley chewed on her bottom lip, lost in thought. Nick forced himself to tear his eyes away from her, and he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He rose to his feet and yawned as he stretched out his arms. Miley's eyes grew wide at the sight, and she unconsciously moved towards him. He took a step forward and Miley moved to climb off the bed too, but Nick surprised her and turned around and closed the distance between them again. Miley was frozen, her legs dangling off the edge of the bed, her hands resting next to her thighs. Nick slowly bent over her, anchoring his hands inches from hers. The closer Nick got, the further back Miley leaned, until she was flat on the bed and Nick hovered over her.

"What are you doing?" Miley breathed.

"I don't know," Nick admitted, trailing kisses down her jawline. "Do you want me to stop?"

Miley hesitated in responding, and so Nick pulled himself back from her. And just like last night, Miley craved his touch as soon as it was gone. What the hell am I doing? Miley thought to herself. This can't happen. I shouldn't want this to be happening!

"Mi?" Nick looked dejected.

"Nick, I…" Miley failed.

"It's okay. I get it," Nick mumbled, uprighting himself.

No, he doesn't get it, a voice inside Miley's head screamed at her. I don't get it!

Miley watched as Nick retreated, wandering to the window to open the blinds. She got to her feet, even though she was still on the bed, and stood with her hands on her hips.

"Just kiss him. It's just a kiss. Who cares? It's not as though you like him so it won't mean anything," she muttered to herself. "You only want him because he's really hot. He's a jerk, so you don't like him."

Miley looked at Nick who was now standing at the foot of the bed, eyeing her curiously as she argued with herself.

"Mi, why are you standing on my bed?"

Miley sighed. Why did he have to have such an adorable nickname for her that only he used? Why did he have to say it and make it sound so cute? Why did he have to turn into the only constant, reliable thing in her life? Why did he have to smile at her and make her literally weak at the knees every time? Why did he have to go and steal her heart?

These thoughts coursed through Miley's head, until they reached the conclusion that Miley desperately wanted to avoid.

"Well, shit!" Miley cursed, throwing herself off the bed and into Nick's arms.

Nick barely managed to catch her because she surprised him. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her close against him, at least a foot off the ground. Miley pressed her lips against his, and he responded immediately. They kissed feverishly, the mouths moving against each other with unbridled passion. Nick still had Miley lifted off the ground, and he swung her around and backed her up against the wall. She clung to him, never breaking the kiss. Miley wrapped her legs around Nick's waist to support herself, and he groaned as she pulled him closer into her. His hands drifted under his tshirt that looked amazing on her, gripping the bare skin on her hips. Miley ran her fingers around from the nape of his neck around to the front, dragging them down his chiselled chest, tracing around his visible abs and back up to rest on his biceps. Nick felt a tingle of heat where her hands had just been, and pushed himself harder against her, and it was impossible for her to ignore the obvious sign of his desire for her. Miley threw her head back, trying to steady her breathing, and Nick made his way down her neck with his mouth, placing hot kisses all the way down to her collarbone.

"You're incredible," he whispered against her skin, his warm breath tickling her.

Miley mumbled a protest, but didn't get very far because Nick's lips claimed her own once again. She reached up and ran her fingers through his curls, knotting them at the base of his head. Miley's mind was hazy, and she didn't even notice Nick lifting her tshirt over her head. She obliged by raising her arms up, wanting the clothing to be removed as quickly as possible to she could feel his hands on her again. Nick cupped her face and kissed her much more gently than before, wanting to reassure her. Just as his hands were travelling down, the straps of her bra falling off her shoulders with his encouragement, there was a knock at the door.

"Nick, get up. I made breakfast!" came Mr Lucas' muffled voice.

The heard him shuffle off, no doubt to wake up Joe or Frankie. They were both breathing hard, and Miley rested the back of her head against the wall. Nick made no move to suggest her was about to release Miley from his grip, he just placed his forehead on her shoulder, trying to get a hold of himself. Now that they had taken a moment, the intensity of what had just happened overwhelmed them. Miley removed her legs from around Nick, and he let her step around him. Silently, she walked towards the bathroom door, and shut it behind her. Nick was left alone in his room, struggling to compose himself.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Nick asked for the millionth time, poking his head around the corner to make sure the coast was clear.

Nick and Miley scampered across the hall and ducked into the garage. Nick jumped into the driver's seat and Miley slid in on the other side, and they pulled out onto the road.

"Mi?"

"Yes, I'll be okay," confirmed Miley, glancing around the street.

"Demi and Joe left 10 minutes ago," Nick said casually, noticing Miley's actions.

"I know."

"She had to leave, or Dad would have wondered why we needed the car too. And pretending Joe was ready and I wasn't was the easiest way."

"I know."

"But you still hoped that she would stay and talk to you, didn't you?"

Miley said nothing, and so Nick reached over and put his hand on her knee.

"I know you didn't want me to take today off… but I was thinking. I've got English at the end of the day, and since it's you I'm meant to be working on the assignment with, and since you're not going to be there, I'll finish early. "

Miley turned her head to look at Nick.

"And work on the assignment?" she asked, screwing her face up.

"I suppose. Mostly I didn't want to go to English," Nick grinned.

Miley glanced down at Nick's hand, resting easily on her leg. She opened her mouth to protest, ready to insist that Nick didn't ditch school for her, when he interjected.

"And since you're taking the car once we hit school, you're probably going to have to come back and pick me up."

"Nick, I don't think that's such a good idea-"

"None of this is a good idea really, but it's happening anyway," Nick shrugged.

Miley sighed. She knew Nick didn't mean it harshly, but the matter of fact tone he used was disarming. Realising it was as pointless arguing with him as it would be for anyone else to argue with her, Miley nodded in acceptance.

"Good. Now what are you going to do for the few hours while I'm going to be getting tortured?"

"Maybe you should go to English, you're getting your words confused. It's pronounced 'educated'. E-D-U-C-A-T-E-D."

"Like I said, tortured," Nick repeated, shooting Miley his trademark smirk.

"Don't know," Miley answered, laughing. "I suppose I should go home and get a few things, but I'm not sure if that's just asking for trouble."

Nick span the steering wheel sharply, and brought the car to a stop. They were a street away from the front of the school, and only a few kids were walking past. Other than that, there was no one Miley had to duck out of sight from.

"You're not the wanted one, right? So you shouldn't be scared to go back home. Even if there are cops or the FBI staking out your house, which I highly doubt there is, you're not the one they're looking for."

Nick unbuckled his seatbelt and shifted in his seat to face Miley. Doubt was written all over her face, so he reached up to cup her right cheek gently.

"If you're that worried… we can go back tonight when it's dark. We'll do the whole stealth thing, wearing black clothes and jumping the fence to go through the back door."

Miley leaned into his touch involuntarily. He was softly rubbing his thumb back and forth, caressing her delicate skin. It had been so long since Miley had felt safe, felt cared for. With the simplest touch, Nick managed both. She wasn't sure how she felt about him exactly, or how he felt about her for that matter. All she knew was that it was better when he was around. And she was almost certain that for the next few hours, she would miss him.

"Tonight?" Miley mused, trying to shake loose the intense feelings that were threatening to overwhelm her as she held Nick's gaze.

"Yeah," Nick threw open the driver's side door and leapt out.

Miley mirrored him, quickly reaching where he stood, keeping her head bowed. Chuckling, despite the situation actually calling for Miley's discretion, Nick opened the door behind him and rummaged around on the back seat.

Miley climbed up behind the wheel, craning her neck behind the seat to try and figure out what Nick was doing. Before she could, Nick slapped a Yankee's cap on her unruly curls, pulling the peak low down over her eyes.

"It's not much of a disguise, but between that and the tinted windows, you should be fine. If you need to get out of the car, just avoid making eye contact and get in and out of wherever it is as fast as you can. Avoid places they will expect you to go."

"Why do you sound like you know what you're doing?" asked Miley, as Nick closed the door.

She hit the button to wind the window down.

"I watch too much TV," smiled Nick. "I think we're being a bit overcautious, but I'll do anything to keep you safe."

Even though his eyes were dancing with amusement, Nick meant what he said. He wasn't about to let the cops, FBI, Child Services or anyone else take her away.

"I'll pick you up here?"

"I'll message you when I'm leaving my locker," agreed Nick, placing his hands on the door.

Miley was about to say goodbye when he leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. It was short, but incredibly sweet, and it left Miley lost for words.

"See ya, Mi," Nick said, walking away from her, his smirk still visible.

Miley looked at the clock on the dashboard of the car again. It was still an hour until she was due to pick Nick up, and she'd done everything she could do, or at least dared to do. Now she was sitting in a carpark at the beach. She'd done three driveby's of her house, and just as Nick said, there was no suspicious looking people loitering. Miley had even visited the library, using their computers to kill time. She'd logged into her facebook, even though no one commented on it anymore. She'd barely paid attention to it for the last 6 months, and it seemed like everyone else had the same idea. Miley peeked at Hannah Montana, finding endless stories about her fight with Jake at Demi's party. It was too late to do anything about them now, and most of them were so ridiculous they were pointless trying to discredit. There were a few postings about Joe and Demi. People were saying they were together now, that they'd already had sex and possibly a pregnancy scare. Even if Demi has turned her back on Miley, Miley wasn't about to let these rumours manifest. She deleted the worst ones, but to avoid attention, she left a few of the more PG rated comments. Unfortunately, that was the best Miley could do, unless she wanted to alert anyone to the fact posts were getting pulled down if they were about Demi and Joe. She couldn't risk anyone started to ask questions again about who Hannah Montana was. Miley was just about to close off the screen when an older post caught her eye.

GONE CRAZY?

Just heard from a source close to Stewart who was there the night she went mental at Jake Ryan. He confirmed she needed to be restrained and that her extended absence is due to her being shipped off to an insane asylum. _AmBaDdz

As livid as she was, Miley's survival instincts screamed at her to leave the post. That was clearly Amber's sign off, but even though Miley hated the girl for writing that trash about her, it kind of did Miley a favour. At least now people would be less likely to pry as to her whereabouts.

Shutting down the computer before she could find anything else that would make her blood boil, Miley returned to the car, doing as Nick said and keeping to herself. She'd left her phone in the console, and pulled it out to check it. There were 3 missed calls, and 4 messages. The first number wasn't familiar, but judging by the area code Miley thought it might have been the school, they didn't leave a message though. The second number was blocked, but they left a voicemail. Miley got into the car and drove to the beach, where she played it, dreading what news it was to convey.

"This is a message for Miley Stewart. This is Deputy Suave. It's been brought to my attention that your location is currently unknown. Please be advised that whilst you are not the one we are after, if you make any contact with your father, you could be charged with aiding and abetting a fugitive. It would be a smart move for you to check in with us, Ms Stewart, and disclose any information you about your father. This is a police matter, not some school yard business. We have been contacted by Child Services who have also been speaking to your principal. Their involvement also requires yours, Ms Stewart. If you have not made contact within 48 hours, you will be declared a missing person as well as a person of interest. Do not make that mistake, Ms Stewart."

Miley was shaking as she finished listening to the message. She had probably guessed right, that it was the school that was probably trying to call her. And Child Services were on the scene now. Its such a mess, Miley sighed. The police wanted her dad, and because of that they wanted to keep an eye on her. And even though Miley had nothing to hide, now that she'd failed in trying to track down her dad, she couldn't give herself up to the cops. Because they would turn her over to Child Services, whether or not her dad was found. Either way, she would no longer have a legal guardian and would become a ward of the state. The same would happen if she showed up at school. The cops and Child Services would be called. But she couldn't hide forever. She had her junior year to finish including exams, and she couldn't keep putting her friends in jeopardy with all of this. Taking a deep breath and giving herself a reprieve from analysing everything, Miley checked the last call. It was from a cell number that she didn't know. She tried calling it back, but it said the service was no longer connected. It was weird, but Miley pushed it to the back of her mind as she checked who the texts were from.

I just saw Nick, he said its cool if I come c u afta skool? Spoke to Dad last nite, got some info 4 u – Luv Lilly xx

Miles, sorry bout this morning. Will speak to u bout D later home. Nick said we're doing some B&E later? Keep ur chin up (but ur head down) – Joe ;)

No one cares about photosynthesis!

How u holdin up, Mi?

Miley was smiling by the time she read Nick's unsigned ones. She guessed he must have been in Biology, and was pathetically excited by the fact he felt he didn't need to tell her who it was messaging her, that he just assumed she would understand.

Miley tapped out a confirmation to Lilly, and was about to reply to Joe when another message came in.

Why aren't u writing back?

Exiting Nick's message to quickly finish Joe's, Miley had barely pressed 'send' when a fourth message from Nick flashed across her screen.

Seriously.

Shaking her head at Nick's overactive imagination, she thought it would just be easier to call him. He picked up on the first ring.

"I messaged you an hour ago!"

"Sorry," apologised Miley. "I left my phone in the car."

"I almost had a heart attack."

"You should have been in class, concentrating on your work. Not thinking about me."

"It's pronounced 'worrying'. It's a more intense form of thinking. And technically… I still should be in class. But Amber decided to sit next to me, and I swear sitting in a room with 30 people dragging their fingernails down a blackboard would have been far less painful."

Miley laughed.

"Where are you then?"

"Honestly?"

"Yeah."

"Sitting underneath the bleaches. Got a perfect view of the buildings, so I'll know if anyone comes my way. But I'm kind of hidden. Cliché, I know, but there's something to those ridiculous 80's songs and tacky high school movies. It's a pretty good spot."

"You should be in class."

"I'll go back eventually. I got math and then you come to my rescue. What are you doing?"

"Sitting in the car at the beach."

"Why don't you sit on the sand near the car at the beach? It's a pleasant enough day."

"And risk being seen? Wait til I tell you about the phone calls and messages I got earlier. That also contributed to my delay in responding to you."

"What? What messages? From who? Are you okay?"

Nick shot question after question so quick that Miley missed half of them.

"I'll tell you later. It's nothing we didn't already know, really. Lilly said you told her she could come over after school?"

"Incorrect. Lilly bullied me into letting her come over. And I'm sure you can sit on a huge beach without attracting too much attention, just be careful."

"How?"

"Don't go stripping down because then too many boys will stop and stare because you're hot. That's a rule for keeping your presence on the down low, and also because I don't particularly want them staring at you anyway."

"You're ridiculous," scoffed Miley, blushing at his compliment.

"Whatever, Mi. Nah, I don't know. Just, act inconspicuous. Keep my hat on, firstly because you looked so cute in it, and secondly, it will cast enough of a shadow on your features."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Nick Lucas?"

"What?" Nick laughed.

"Seriously, I swear last week I was telling you not to be a jerk."

"And now you're telling me I'm being too nice?"

"Yes!"

"Just telling it like it is. It's your fault. You've gone and messed with my head. But don't tell anyone, it will ruin my rep. People avoid me because they think I'm an asshole."

"You are an asshole to most people."

"Shit, speaking of people I'm an asshole to. I swear Amber's making her way over here. Since it might be hard to talk and run for my life at the same time, I'll see you in an hour, where you dropped me off?"

"Good luck," sniggered Miley.

"I'm clearly shit out of that if she's managed to track me down. Have fun at the beach, and remember… the aim is not to draw attention to yourself!"

"Aye, aye, Captain!"

"Smartass."

Miley sighed as she looked at the clock on the car dashboard again.