Disclaimer: Based on real events, but some things are made up to help the story. Slight AU. Goes in a different direction.

Chapter 17 - February 14th, 2017

"I believe in time and chance 'cause I'm not one for making plans." - Excerpt from See You In Another Life, Miley Cyrus

"Hey, can I talk to you?"

A smile glowed on Miley's face. "Sure!"

Liam swallowed hard as Miley glided over to him, as innocent as an angel. He bit his lip but could do nothing to prevent a smile from spreading across his lips. She just had that kind of effect on him. She laced their fingers, and Liam couldn't help but feel like melting. Sure, Miley could let him down considerably (which was only happening recently because of that Jonas kid), but then she'd do something like this.

And Miley was always doing something. Whether it was working on some stuff with Happy Hippie to recording music to doing an interview, she was always trying to have a good time and make everyone smile. She met his gaze with a unique sort of seriousness and empathy. Then, a slight frown crossed her features. "What's wrong?" she murmured softly, squeezing his hand.

Liam sighed a little. "Miley... things have been... different between us."

Miley froze for a brief heartbeat. "W-what are you t-talking a-about?" she stammered.

She sounded genuinely confused. "You and Nick are close..." Liam murmured, hoping she'd pick up the clue. "Closer than you should be..."

Miley swallowed, resigned. "You... you heard." She shook her head. "I don't know how you heard, but you did... How? Did Joe tell you—?"

"No, of course not," Liam said quickly, feeling a little guilty. He would not get Joe in trouble because of this. "I just heard you." He locked eyes with Miley. She didn't back down, to her credit. He took a deep breath. "Miley..." He gazed directly into her clear blue eyes. Her eyes revealed nothing, save for the slightest bit of defiance. But other than that, there was nothing else. Liam scratched the back of his neck. "Mi..."

"It's all true," Miley declared quietly. "I'm not going to deny it."

"Nor should you," Liam agreed tersely. "Miley, do you have feelings for Nick? I mean, I won't begrudge you if you do because..." Liam trailed off. He did love Miley, but he didn't think she would choose Nick. Maybe that was why Liam hadn't threatened Nick or anything yet. But had Liam created the rift between himself and Miley by complaining about Nick all the time? Was hanging out with Nick just to prove a point to him? He hadn't thought of it that way before.

"I... The thing with Nick is... complicated," Miley said, looking troubled. "We have some history... and then some." She looked up at him, and he tried to hide how hurt he was. "I'm telling you this because I want to tell you the truth. I... Nick and I, we have a friendship that no one can replicate. No one's quite like Nick, Liam. I guess I'm kind of exploring that friendship." Liam felt his heart sink.

"Miley..."

She looked up, and he reached out and tucked some strands of her hair behind an ear. A slight smile reached her lips but didn't quite reach her eyes. "But there can't be any secrets between us," Miley told him simply. "Nick's a great guy... if you ever got to know him..." A warm smile rose on Miley's lips. "I guess I'm just making up for the years I didn't have him around."

"That's understandable," Liam mumbled quietly.

"But if we're going to work things out, you need to tell me when something is wrong," Miley murmured softly. "You need to trust me."

Relief pooled in Liam's heart. "It's great to hear you talk about working things out, you know?" He met her eyes seriously. "For a moment, I thought we might... that you might want to ditch me and..." Tears sparkled in Liam's eyes but didn't fall. He struggled to remain his composure. He didn't want to seem weak for a moment—especially in front of Miley.

"Oh, Liam," Miley said with a little wistful smile. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around him. He leaned into the embrace.

"I'm sorry," he told her, feeling like a storm was raging in his head.

"I'm sorry, too," Miley murmured.

She leaned up and pressed her lips against his cheek. As her delicate lips thudded against his cheek, he shivered, feeling warmth spread through him. He stared at her adoringly, and she gave a small smile in return. He knew his eyes were still glistening. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. A rush of emotions broke through him.

She broke the kiss, but a soft smile played on her lips. He watched her, feeling his heart bubble with emotions. She was so, so beautiful. Her hair was growing longer and was slightly curled. Her brunette roots were visibly there, and her long-lashed blue eyes completed the picture. She had a sort of beauty that left you breathless. "Why're you staring at me like that?" she murmured.

"You're beautiful," he breathed.

She smiled softened. "You're so sweet..."

"I love you so much," Liam whispered, voice ragged and full of meaning.

Miley smiled and met his eyes. "And I you."

He pretended his heart didn't fracture a little when she didn't say the word 'love.'

It was so much easier to pretend than to face the truth...

... but he knew sooner or later, it would be too messed up to even pretend anymore.

Still In Love Somehow

"I think..." Joe's heart raced as he stared Demi. He wanted to remember this moment forever. "I think I'm in love with you," he whispered.

A soft smile curled onto Demi's lips. "I love you, Joe," she breathed.

Joe leaned forward and kissed her tentatively, wondering and asking and hardly daring to breathe. But she kissed him back. Joe felt lighter than a feather as her fingers got tangled in his rough curls. His hands curved around her slim waist, and he brought them closer, breathing her in. The feel of her lips against his were incredible. They pulled back for air and locked eyes before reaching towards each other again.

Sparks flooded Joe's body as he kissed Demi fiercely. Her lips were as soft and perfect as he remembered from all those years back. Her hands moved from his hair to his cheeks. He felt warmth spark through him from every place she touched him. When they pulled back again, Joe still held her close. Their foreheads were pressed together, and warmth buzzed through him. "Demi," he whispered, voice hoarse.

"Joe..." She looked incredibly innocent with her lips slightly parted. "I love you..."

Then, they were kissing again, and it felt so right...

Joe gasped as he woke up. Shivers rose through him. "Demi," he whispered.

Sadness crept through him. It had only been a dream—an incredibly realistic dream but a dream nevertheless. He and Demi had only gone on two dates, and Joe wasn't sure where that put them. They never said that they were at a boyfriend-girlfriend status yet, and it was slowly—but surely—killing Joe on the inside. He needed to know what they were.

But they also hadn't kissed. They had held hands on the second date, and he had put an arm around her in the first one, but that was it.

He wanted to take things slow if she needed the time, but... he needed to confirm what they were. He pulled out his phone and stared at a picture of Demi. Her long raven-colored hair was flowing gracefully down her back, a few strands tucked behind an ear in a sort of innocent way. Her eyes were dark and unnerving, and she looked like the most gorgeous person Joe had ever seen in the entire 27 year period of Joe's life.

He played one of her songs: Skyscraper.

Joe put his phone down and buried his face in his hands as he let the music wash over him like a lull. Demi was a wonderful singer, simply wonderful.

Last night's events flooded Joe's mind... Helping Liam, forcing information out of Miley, who was obviously unwilling. Guilt swirled through Joe. He hoped Miley would be alright. He knew that Demi wouldn't tolerate this kind of behavior. Miley was Demi's best friend and would hate Joe for doing something like this... Joe knew how protective Demi was of Miley.

Only a few people knew the real Miley—and Joe proud to say that he was one of the few. Miley's family knew her—because they grew up with her. Nick, Joe, Demi, and Liam only knew because she let them in. Miley may seem strong—and she was—but she was deeply vulnerable to those that were important to her, including the selected few that she let in.

But you could see the real Miley sometimes. She hid behind the dazzling smile and happy-go-lucky attitude.

Demi would be disappointed in him... He wondered what she would say if she was here. He could almost see her chastising him. The disappointment in her eyes haunted him, though.

And Joe suddenly felt very, very lonely.

Still In Love Somehow

"I just don't understand you sometimes, Nick!"

Nick looked up wearily at Demi and sighed. "What're you talking about?"

"You! You're exhausting yourself everyday!" Demi all but snarled. Her displeasure was blatant, and Nick dipped his head a little lower, slightly ashamed. He valued Demi's verdict about him—and not just because Demi was his friend. Demi was fair and blunt. "You're always so tired—you should really stop with the whole 'invincibility' crap—it's getting old."

"Invincibility crap?" he echoed.

"Look at you! You can barely keep your eyes open," Demi chastised, her gaze rolling down him. "Honestly, how does the gym cause all those scratches?"

Nick glanced briefly down at his arms. Long scratches—not very deep, just painful—marred his arms. He should really wear a sweater or something for the daily run through the woods. He sighed. It was better to be honest—especially with someone as intimidating as Demi. "I don't train in the gym," Nick confessed, and Demi balked quietly. "I train in the woods. And then the gym, too, for strength. But for stamina and endurance? That's the woods." He sighed.

"You. Are. Insane," Demi declared.

"Thanks," Nick said through gritted teeth. "It's not that bad."

"If you keep this up, you're going to end up getting hurt," Demi warned. "More hurt, I mean."

Words stirred in Nick's mind: physical pain to distract from the mental and emotional kind. He wouldn't dare utter the words to Demi, though. He sighed. "I appreciate the concern..."

Demi sighed. "Does it hurt?" He gave her a what do you think? look as he sighed, and Demi smiled wryly. "Okay, fine. What's wrong? You've sighed, like, fifteen times in the past ten seconds."

Nick smiled softly. "Demi... I just..." He bit off his words. He knew that Demi used to cut herself... and what he was doing wasn't quite the same but not quite different, either. It was still inflicting pain—of course, Nick's wasn't intentional, not really—but it wasn't like he minded it that much. He was about to sigh when he remembered her earlier words. "I just..." he repeated. "I..."

"It's Miley, isn't it?" Demi said, warmth and sympathy lacing her voice.

Nick lowered his head. "I tried calling her earlier, but... she didn't pick up. Did I do something wrong?"

Demi frowned. "At what time?"

Nick shrugged. "Around eight."

Demi's frown deepened. "But I called her around then, and she answered..."

"She's ignoring me?" Nick felt dejected.

"Maybe she wasn't with her phone then," Demi said uneasily.

Nick stared. "You don't believe that any more than I do. But if she's ignoring me, I'd like to think I know why."

Demi frowned. "Do you want me to get her here?" Nick shrugged, and Demi picked up her phone, texting away. Nick didn't think Miley would come—he didn't think he could give himself false hope—and she was probably ignoring him because of Liam. Of course Miley would want to salvage her relationship with Liam instead of her friendship with Nick. Who would choose their best friend over their boyfriend, anyway?

"Nick," Demi said softly, "are you okay?"

Nick blinked, attempting to clear his vision. Dark spots clouded his vision. He tried to blink them away. "Just a little... woozy..." Nick's words were slightly slurred.

"Nick?!"

Still In Love Somehow

"Miley, get out of your house RIGHT NOW!"

Miley flinched away from her phone. "Demi? What's going on?"

Liam stared at Miley anxiously, but Miley shook her head, raising a hand to stop him from speaking or anything. "Miley, something's happened, and I just... I don't know what to do! Miley, get over here at Nick's right away!" Demi all but screamed into the phone, and Miley's heart race quickened. Demi sounded really, really, really, really, really freaked out—yes, it took five 'reallys' to get the point over with.

"What? Is Nick hurt or something?" Miley inquired worriedly into the phone.

"Or something," came Demi's despaired tone. "Miley, I don't know what to do! Get over here!"

"I'll be right over," Miley promised. She ended the phone and grabbed her purse and car keys. She headed towards the door.

"Miley, what's going on?" Liam said, frowning.

"It's Nick," Miley said, not bothering to elaborate further. "He needs me right now. Demi—she's freaking out." Liam balked silently. You didn't need to know Demi that the "Confident" singer didn't freak out much. And if she did freak out, she wouldn't freak out a lot. It would be something she could resolve easily. Miley pushed open the door and strode right out it, not bothering to close it.

"What do I do?" Liam called after her.

Miley craned her neck back at him and shot him a pleading look. "Stay safe, Liam. And call an ambulance to go to Nick's place."

Liam frowned but nodded before heading back inside the house. Miley raced over to her car. She pushed the gas and wheeled out. She was almost sure she was going to get a ticket for driving so fast, but she didn't care—she couldn't care, not right now. All her thoughts were focused on Nick. Nick, Nick, Nick. His name ringed like a mantra inside her head.

Miley had never felt so scared in her entire life.

She pulled up at Nick's street and parked her car. Without bothering to lock it, she ran out to his door, nearly tripping over her feet as she sprinted. She knocked on it furiously, and Demi opened the door, gaze frantic. Miley felt her heart stop as she saw the limp figure on the ground, face paler than a ghost's. His lips had lost most of their color, and his eyelids were stretched tightly over his eyes.

Miley's heart stopped.

"Nick! Oh my God!"

QotD: Who has ever been to a funeral?

#Great Grandma #Sorrowful

A/N: Hey, it's Darky! Yes, I feel really bad for putting a cliffhanger and all... but you should know by now: there must be something. A turning point. I guess this would be a sort of climax to the story. I think this story will end up being 100,000+ words (like my ADWD story) because I love this story so much. But I'm writing more for this story. Usually, I want my chapters to be around 2000-3000 words, but most of my chapters range close to the 3000 side. Several are actually more than that.

I guess that's just my level of motivation. I would recommend listening to Avril Lavigne's Keep Holding On if you ever want something to listen to. Plus, I think it's a good song for this chapter. I think I'll use an excerpt from that song for the next chapter. I'm kind of making all of this stuff as I go along. I legit had no idea where this story would go. I only knew of a few events: that party, Nick's concert, Miley hanging out with Nick.

Seriously. That's all I had planned out.

I didn't expect to add all of this... but I promise a ship will emerge within this... I'll never tell which though... Knowing you guys, you could probably guess.

Review your answer to the QotD! Tell me your thoughts? I appreciate it though you don't need to. But who doesn't love reviews? ;)

- Darky