A/N: Yeah, another chapter! I'm happy myself, not to mention proud of myself, haha ^^ enjoy it, you guys =D

Disclaimer: I don't own Disney, Hannah Montana or the characters and actors/actresses, songs or movies used in this story!

Bigger Than Us

A Hannah Montana Fanfiction. OOC, AU, Liley

Bad Weather?

We're all gathering the stuff we're taking on the boat. It's a sailing boat. Yep, it's the next day already. The evening yesterday was so nice, I almost didn't want it to end. With Mister Stewart 'tolerating' us - as he said - life was even better. Miley seemed a little looser than before. Her dad wouldn't look disappointed whenever we got a little more affectionate, he was just rather looking away.

The night was okay, sharing a tent with Ollie and Joanie wasn't too bad. Of course we didn't have sex or anything, but we definitely kissed for a long time. It was very gentle but passionate. I could daydream about kissing Miley all day, but I should focus on walking or so before I trip.

"Alright, kids, I think that's everything we need. We're gonna fish our food for tonight, how does that sound?" Robbie Ray asks and looks at us. "Sounds yummy!" I immediately reply and Oliver agrees: "Just what I wanted to say. I love it!"

"What about the rest? Our two omnivores here don't count." Mister S. teases and grins. Everybody laughs shortly. But also the rest is very happy with the idea of fishing.

Oh yeah, Alex is joining us on our trip today as well. Robbie Ray also seems to like her. She's just a very cheerful person who makes everybody feel a little … brighter or so. But she's also very friendly, so there's absolutely no problem.

"Very nice, I just hope we catch enough fish to feed Lilly and Oliver." Mister Stewart says, and this time Miley chimes in: "I hope there are enough fish in the sea for those two, daddy."

"Hey, we're not that bad … " I exclaim, but everybody seems to be raising an eyebrow at me, even Oliver himself, so I duck my head and get on the boat quietly. Pfft …

ooo

As we sail away, out in the open, Oliver suddenly asks: "Hey, did anybody check the weather?"

I look out in the sky in every direction. Just a few clouds. Oliver is such a wimp. He should seriously run around in a suit filled with foam rubber or something, then nothing could happen to him. He'd be safe like in mommy's womb.

"Of course I did, Oliver. The weather is going to be fine." Mister Stewart assures my shaggy-haired best friend. I say: "Don't worry, Ollie … Joanie'll protect you, I'm sure!"

"I won't be too sure, Truscott. But sometimes I make exceptions." she replies and kisses his cheek. Oliver just folds his arms and pouts.

ooo

After a good hour of sailing we stop somewhere. Robbie Ray has three fishing rods and he exclaims: "Alright, you guys have to arrange who will get a rod since we only have three."

"I think we can switch after a period of time? I mean, that'd be fair and we most definitely have enough time." Miley suggests. Alex agrees: "Yeah, I would've suggested the same thing. Everybody okay with that?"

"Yeah, totally." I say first, shrugging. Oliver and Joanie also nod. Mister Stewart grins and says: "Good, so that's settled. But I'll warn you, I want one fishing rod for myself later on as well."

He hands us three rods. Miley, Joanie and Alex are first. The three sit on the side of the boat and Miley is the first to cast the line. It looks like she's done that many times before. Joanie and Alex look rather questioningly, but luckily, Mister Stewart and Jackson are at hand and show them both. Oh god, I hope I can do it, I think I've never really been fishing before. Oh well, Miley hopefully will show me.

I sit right next to Miley and lay my head onto her shoulder. "It's so nice to be away from home. I really don't want to go back, especially to school." I moan, sighing shortly. Miley just nods. "Same here. It can take your mind off of so many things if you're not in the same house all the time."

"True … " I say, then there's silence between us. I breathe in deeply. My lungs fill with the nice and fresh, salty air. It feels great, being able to breathe. And then I breathe out again.

I shortly sit up and look around. It's very silent, I wonder what the others are doing. Well, Joanie and Alex, and Miley of course, seem concentrated on fishing. Okay, Miley is actually more staring out in the open. Joanie and Alex are very fixed on their rods.

Mister Stewart is lying on the deck on an inflatable mattress, Jackson is leaning against the rail, drinking water out of a bottle, and Oliver is standing at the very front, staring out at the horizon. He looks stressed. "I'll be right back, hon." I say and get up. "Sure."

I walk up to my best friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "What's up, buddy?" I ask sounding happy. He doesn't move. "Not much. Just thinking."

"'bout what?" I'm even more curious now. Oliver isn't always the person to think, especially when it comes to thinking before talking or doing something. He takes a long breath. "About what happened to the baby … "

I pat his back, "You alright?"

Oliver drops his head. After a short second he looks up again, smiling sadly. "You know … Joanie and I … we called her Amy."

"A girl?" I ask, a little surprised. He never told me. Aww, I imagine Ollie with a cute little girl, probably as clumsy as him … at the same time, thinking about it makes me sad. Because for now, it won't happen …

"Yeah … the doctors found out the day … the day she … " - "It's alright, Ollie. You don't have to say it." I say, knowing what he means. I smile at him, or well, at least I try to smile at him. It's a rather sad smile.

She died. She's dead. His baby girl is dead …

"It's like she was there all the time. As if she was born for years. It hurts just as much." tears form in his eyes but he's fighting them and doesn't let them fall. He takes long breaths for a short while. I just keep watching him.

But suddenly, he seems to have a change of heart and he looks at me with new found strength. "But you know what," he then says, "'What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger' right? I'm not going to ruin anybody's trip with negative thoughts or being sad. Joanie and I have grown even closer. At least we can now wait until we finished school, huh?"

I smile a small smile. I'm glad he can find a little humor in such a situation. I respond: "Yeah, you're right, Ollie. You're always right, buddy. But it's okay to be sad sometime. I mean, this is huge for you."

"Sure it is huge, Lilly, but I don't think it's the right place or time to be a wimp. I'm stronger than that. And I'm also starting to get over it, just sometimes I have a short emotional moment. I'm fine, trust me." He then smiles at me with his typical Oliver smile, warm and inviting. I shake my head … men and feelings. At least that's the Oliver I know!

"Now come on, Lil … let's go fishing." he commands, puts his arm around my shoulders and leads me to the others. I just plop down beside Miley.

She turns her head and looks at me: "Everything alright, honey?" she asks. I nod. "Yup. Everything's fine."

Miley just smiles her perfect smile as a respond and I just can't help but give her a short kiss. It feels so much better, now that her daddy accepted it! Yay!

ooo

"No, no, no, Oliver, you're doing it wrong!" Joanie complains, shaking her head. We've switched places, now it's mine, Oliver's and Jackson's turn to catch some fish. The three girls were lucky and each caught a fish.

Miley just showed me how to cast the line and I actually managed to do it at the first try and she was very proud of me. Miley whispered that I'm very skilled with my hands, probably a little too sexy because it made me blush fiercely. I really don't know how Miley does that, I never used to blush or anything, but with her it's so different.

Oliver, right now, is a hopeless case. He somehow managed it to get the line slung all over his body because the hook got stuck in his sweater. Poor guy, it's not his fault he's such a clumsy boy … or simply incompetent …

Miley sits down beside me and strokes my back with her right hand. The touch feels very nice and soothing. Her hand is warm on my back. I'm not cold, but it's a good and warm feeling. I like that. I look at her with a soft smile on my lips, Miley leans in for a short but soft kiss. After we break apart I look dreamily into her eyes. Her perfectly blue eyes. Amazing …

"What?" she asks, smiling a little shyly. I stroke her cheek with one hand and reply: "Nothing … I was just fascinated by your eyes again."

"My eyes? Why?" she sounds a little unsure, yet she knows exactly what I'm going to say. "They're perfect … did I ever tell you that the first thing I recognized about you when I first saw you, apart from your accent, were your eyes?"

"Huh? How? I can't even remember looking in your eyes or so the first time I saw you." she tells. I tilt my head to the side. "Well in chemistry. I think you did look at my face when you introduced yourself."

"Oh, right … chemistry." she says, looking down. She stretched the last word a little. I raise an eyebrow questioningly and ask: "Did we meet before chemistry?" Am I missing something here?

"Uh … well, I saw you once in the hallway. No, a few times, actually. You just … stuck out, I guess. You were … intriguing." she then confesses, blushing a little. I grin. Cool. I don't why, but I think it's cool. I stuck out. Well, I know a lot of people seem to know me in school. Bad rep, unfortunately. It's funny that I care now. I just want to make a good impression on Miley.

"Now that's interesting." I say, grinning. "But I really didn't realize you before chemistry."

"I know." Miley responds, then she smirks. "You always seemed really caught up in your own thoughts, or you were talking to Oliver. You really didn't realize anyone around you."

I want to protest, but I don't know what to say. She was right. The time before I met Miley … I don't even wanna think about it. Life was a mess.

"But you know what … that day in chemistry … your eyes were very, very intriguing for me, too." my girlfriend tells me with a small smile on her face. I look at her, questioningly. "I think I've never seen eyes like yours before … the first time I saw them … they seemed so cold but at the same time so … so friendly and kind."

I listen carefully. Her voice is so soft right now. It's so soothing and captivating. "They are ice-blue, sometimes with a little light-grey touch. Looks like they matched you better back then, huh?"

I smile sadly and nod. Yeah … cold like the blood in my veins and grey or rather colorless like my life back then. She's absolutely right.

"But now … " she continues "when I look into your eyes … they're definitely not cold or anything. They're warm … still absolutely intriguing and so kind … " Miley drifts off. I raise my eyebrows. Wow … I really wasn't expecting that … that trip to my eyes … I think I like it, when she's talking like that … when she's talking about what she's feeling … what she felt … what she thinks …

I lean in and kiss her lips gently. She smiles at me again.

"Hey Miley, could you help me with that rope shortly?" I hear another female voice from behind us, breaking the romantic silence between us. I sigh inwardly. Bad timing … It was Alex who called her. Miley got up and went over. Not sure what she needs help for, something with some rope which should be more loose or whatever.

I look back at the ocean and breathe in deeply. Ah … such a nice feeling. Man … Miley should ramble like this more often. I love listening to her when she's talking, no matter what. It's her voice which is so captivating … talking, singing …

"You two are seriously enviable." I hear a deeper voice from the rather blonde boy beside me. He snaps me out of my thoughts and I turn to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Come on, Lilly. You two are the perfect couple. I'm really happy that my sis found her true love. Still, I'm a little jealous … " he says, staring into nowhere right in front of him. I decide to cheer him up: "Jackson, dude, we're all still young. Life's ahead of us. And so is love. You'll find your own someone sooner than you can think. I might just have this feeling …"

"I admire it how sure you are of that, Lilly. But it seems like you are always right with what you say, huh? At least I heard so from Miley. Then this can only mean something good for me." he replies, now smiling. I smile back. "Of course I'm always right." He smiles at me then looks back out at the ocean.

I turn my head to look at my girlfriend and I see her talking to Alex. It looks like Jackson's flame just cracked a little joke because Miley is laughing at what she was just saying. It's a very hearty laugh and I feel a little sting in my chest. I frown. I'm jealous … I feel like only I am supposed to make Miley laugh like that. I continue watching them. They're talking. I don't know what about, but I don't care. Miley seems comfortable in Alex's presence …

No, Lilly, this is stupid, Miley is allowed to have other friends. Get yourself together girl, she's talking. She wouldn't just … no, no way, stupid Lilly … she's my girlfriend and nobody else's and she's allowed to have a life of her own …

I shake my head and look back out at the ocean … no more jealousy … no, no, no … stupid Lilly …

ooo

It's late afternoon, and we all were lucky to catch a fish. Really lucky. Even Oliver managed to do so. I know, I couldn't believe it myself. But with a lot of help from Joanie, he managed to pull that sucker out of the water and into the box.

Miley and Alex, on the other hand, seem to be on the same wavelength or something … they get along really well. I just hope I get over that jealousy because it's really annoying me.

I'm lying somewhere on the boat, the waves make the boat sway from side to side. It's absolutely relaxing. Miley is lying right beside me. I enjoy her close presence. She is lying on the side, one arm slung over my tummy, holding me softly. Her head is resting on my arm, with which I stroke through her hair. Her soft and lush hair. I remember when I was a little girl … I've always dreamed of hair like hers. It's wavy and by now reaching right to the middle of her back. And a perfect brunette. I think I could go on forever …

Suddenly Mister Stewart speaks up: "Kids, looks like there's a storm forming, we better head back!"

Miley and I sit up and look around. I see a few dark clouds quite far away. They don't look really threatening, but I'm not a sailor or anything. I'm sure Mister S. knows what he's talking about.

The others also get up and help to set sail. We pull and tie ropes like Mister Stewart tells us until the sail is tight and he makes sure that it's not on the wrong side … which one the right one is, I don't know, I'm really stupid when it comes to sailing or ships in general.

The boat starts moving quite quickly and the wind is picking up pace as well. I look back to the clouds. They seem to be moving quite fast in our direction. Looking back at the dark clouds is a little frightening. I feel persecuted … I hope we arrive back at the camp soon.

"Thanks for your help, kids. We should be back before the storm hits us." Robbie Ray reassures us. I sit down on the side of the boat again and watch Jackson, Miley and their daddy leading the boat in the right direction. I don't really know why I feel a little uncomfortable right now … maybe because I'm not used to sailing.

I look around. Oliver and Joanie don't seem to care a lot about storms or anything. They're just making out quite unappetizingly … yuck … and Alex seems all excited about that storm. She always seems excited about everything … sigh …

I then look at the other three because I suddenly feel watched. It's not Mister Stewart, not Jackson, but Miley. She smiles at me … she smiles at me reassuringly. Do I look that scared? I'm not! Just … not too comfortable. Just like I'm not too comfortable flying in an airplane.

The wind is still picking up quite a bit and Robbie Ray tells Miley and Jackson to sit on the boat. Now I'm a little worried. Miley sits down right next to me and the moment she does a big wave hits the boat and it's tipping over a bit. My hands dart out in reflex to catch Miley and I pull her close to me. Shut puts her arms around me and pulls me in close, kissing the top of my head and whispering: "You saved me, sweetheart!"

I look at her with raised eyebrows: "I … did … ?" I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a question or not, I just caught my girlfriend before she could fall. I hold on tight and only set up an innocent look. Miley chuckles and then kisses my lips. "Yeah, you did. And you're being extremely cute right now."

"I am?" okay, now I'm playing a little and I smirk instantly. Miley giggles and strokes my cheek lovingly. I snuggle up really closely to her and close my eyes. I still hope we'll arrive safely soon!

ooo

We all practically jump off the boat and run off to our tents. Mister Stewart is securing the boat. I feel bad for him but it's pouring with rain. After Oliver, Joanie, Alex and I reach the tent we look back. I see Miley and Jackson walking cozily towards the tent.

Jackson shouts: "Are you guys made out of sugar? It's a great late-summer rain!" and then he tags Miley and runs away from her. We watch the two goofing around for several minutes. Jackson is right, how stupid is it, hiding from rain. I have dry clothes in the tent - at least I hope that they're still dry - so where is the problem?

I'm the first to join Miley and Jackson in the rain. The drops feel cool against my skin, and the wind doesn't make it warmer, but it was such a hot day today, so I don't mind cooling off like this. We run around like little kids on the playground. My clothes are getting soaked, my hair is clutching all over the place, but I'm having a lot of fun.

A few more moments later the others also join in. Now we're really like a bunch of big children. The grass is already splashing under our feet, every time my foot touches the grass water splashes all over the place, also onto the others, and we all eventually slip and fall on our butts, which brings us to other funny ideas. Oliver and I are now sliding on the wet grass and mud, competing, who can go faster and further. My clothes are absolutely dirty now, but what are washing machines for?

This childish moment seems to last long, but too short at the same time. The rain is stopping and the sun seems to be coming out again. I look into the sky, almost blinded by the sun. It is crazy, is it? A moment the world looks like it's going to end in a few minutes, dark and enraged. And then suddenly there's light, blue sky, everything is calm and the birds are singing their songs. It's like it's a rebirth of the earth. A new day, a new beginning. I envy this moment.

Then I look at the others. All of them have a big smile on their face, I also do. It was just so cool, goofing like little children. For a moment, I forgot all of my troubles.

I then eye Miley closely. Her eyes are glistening in a new blue-green, as deep as the ocean but so bright like a beautiful meadow at midday. She looks happy. She looks free. I think I've never seen her like this before. Then she looks at me and her eyes seem to sparkle even more. My heart skips a beat when she does it. I'm a little overwhelmed and happy that I have such an effect on her.

Miley walks over to me and then pulls me into a radiant kiss. I snake my arms around her waist and pull her close. Hmm … her lips are so soft … I deepen the kiss even more and get absolutely lost in it. Her skin is hot from all the running, but still extremely silky. Her wet hair seems to smell like raspberries, but it's still so soft. I suddenly drift off …

This weekend was absolutely perfect! I can't imagine having felt this free in a long time. Not even a little rain could stop it. I also can't wait for the next delicious grill tonight. I smile at Miley after the kiss and whisper: "I love you, Miley."

She giggles shortly and nudges my nose with hers. "I love you, too, Lilly." Yep, life is definitely great right now!

A/N: First of all … I don't know anything about sailing, or fishing, so forgive me if I made a few majorly unrealistic mistakes xD and second … oh well, leave your thoughts ^^