A/N: The last chapter took a little longer to post because I revised it several times based on the suggestions of my awesome and talented beta-reader loganX5.

I hope you enjoyed reading the story. (:

Chapter 22

A headache pounded behind Miley's temples. Her tongue darted over her dry lips, and she cracked open her eyes and blinked at the harsh white sky. Pink floral curtains hung on the sides of the windows. She had slept with her head at the foot of her bed. Miley sat up, the bedspread slipping off her shoulders. Her Hannah wig lay scattered among her clothes on the floorboards. She had been too exhausted to fold them neatly before going to bed.

Lilly…

For nearly four months, she was her first thought when she woke up and her last thought before she drifted into sleep. Hadn't Lilly tucked the comforter under her chin and clicked the light switch off last night? Miley rubbed her face and groaned. She had been roaring drunk, but Lilly had looked after her. In the limousine, Lilly had slid her fingers through her hair; on the flight back, she had allowed Miley to rest her head on her shoulders; and when she was still tipsy when her father picked her up from the airport in Nashville, she had defended her to him. A tightness replaced the flutter in her stomach. Lilly would leave her today. She would fly back to California.

Miley's gaze fell on the clock on her nightstand. A little past ten. When did Lilly say her flight would leave? Definitely before noon. Could she have forgiven her? Perhaps even more than that? Miley yanked back the covers, pressed a hand against her throbbing forehead, and staggered barefoot into the hallway. Lilly's bedroom door stood wide open. The bedcovers had been removed and lay in a heap on the floor, while the comforter lay neatly folded at the foot of the bed. So much for being forgiven… Was she too late?

Behind the window, snow covered the bare branches of the chestnut tree like powdered sugar on a chocolate cake. A girl in faded jeans and a black coat trailed a suitcase down the driveway, kicking up the thin layer of snow in her wake. Her skateboard was strapped to her backpack.

Was Lilly not even going to say goodbye? Was what Miley had done truly unforgivable?

Miley dashed down the stairs, yanked open the front door, and stepped onto the damp, rough floorboards of the front porch. The icy wind carried the fresh scent of an approaching snowstorm and flattened her pajamas against her skin. She tucked her hands into her armpits. The pick-up truck stood parked in the driveway, and Lilly would certainly not walk all the way to Nashville.

The squeaking of metal rubbing against metal broke the silence. A boy her age slouched on the porch swing, rocking it back and forth with one cowboy boot-covered foot on the ground. He raised his head and flashed a lopsided grin.

"Oliver?"

He tapped the brim of his cowboy hat. "Howdy."

Oliver and his ridiculous southern jokes. Miley opened her mouth to complain but stopped short. She had no time for this nonsense. She needed to find Lilly before she left. Miley descended the stairs, her bare feet sinking into icy snow, which numbed her soles immediately.

"Give her a little more time." Miley turned around as Oliver walked over to the railing. "She wants to say goodbye to the farm first."

Goodbye? So Lilly was really returning home.

"You'll have plenty of time to get dressed."

Wasn't Lilly already carrying her suitcase? What if she had called a cab to pick her up from Old Mill Road? Miley continued across the front yard.

Quick footsteps thumped across the floorboards behind her, followed by "Miley."

Miley swiveled around. Oliver flung her boots over to her, and they landed rustling on the snow-covered grass a few feet in front of her. Alright, maybe there was enough time to dress. She stuffed her feet into the boots. An outstretched hand holding her coat appeared in her peripheral vision. Oliver chewed on a piece of straw that poked out of his mouth.

"Thank you." Miley threw on her coat.

Lilly leaned against the fence, her back to Miley, and gazed over the snow-powdered horse pasture.

"Miley I just wanted to—"

Her gaze darted back to Oliver. "—Please, I'm not in the mood for your jokes right now."

"Jokes?"

"Your outfit? That straw doohickey in your mouth?"

"I'm from Texas."

"Yes, I know."

Lilly strolled along the fence toward the barn, leaving her suitcase at the horse pasture. So Miley did have some time, enough to come up with a plan to convince Lilly to stay.

"I'm a southern boy, okay?" Oliver's whiny voice came from behind Miley. "No matter how uncool I thought it was."

Lilly disappeared behind the corner of the cottage, and Miley averted her gaze and narrowed her eyes at Oliver.

"I think I should accept that my roots are in the south."

"I heard what you said. It's just… you say this ain't a joke?"

Oliver puffed up his chest and grinned. "In front of ya stands Texas Jack Oliverhundro."

"Oliver?"

"I really mean it." He heaved a sigh that condensed into a cloud. "I'm sorry for everything."

In the past few days, he had said hello to her at school and even talked to her once in the hallway. "You really mean it."

"Scout Word of Honor." Oliver spread his arms wide and tapped his chest.

A smile broke free from Miley's lips, and she stepped right into his arms. She encircled his waist, rested her head on his shoulder, and sighed. Finally. She had hoped for so long that he would rekindle his friendship with her. "Thank you," she whispered against his shoulder.

Oliver squeezed her once more before letting go. "There's something else."

Miley's gaze flitted back to the horse pasture. Lilly was back at her suitcase, petting Blue Jeans' neck as he craned his head over the fence.

"Can we postpone this until later?"

"Listen. I just wanted you to know that if Lilly chose to be with you, I'd be happy for you, okay?" Oliver scrunched his eyebrows together.

No, he obviously wouldn't. "Thank you, but she is leavin' today, and don't worry, she don't like me that way."

Oliver just hmmed.

Snow crunched under Miley's boots as she made her way to the horse pasture. Blue Jeans fed from a pile of oats on Lilly's palm.

"You're feedin' him."

Lilly patted her hands on her jacket to remove any remaining oats before sliding them into her coat pockets. "Is that okay?"

"Yes, of course. I just mean you're real good at it."

"I learned from the best." The corners of Lilly's lips quivered with a smile that quickly faded.

"I-I…" Miley's throat tightened and she swallowed the tears. She had to pull herself together. "I'm sure Blue Jeans will be sad if you leave."

As if Blue Jeans understood Miley, he neighed softly.

Lilly stroked his withers. "Me too." A gust of air stirred her hair across her cheek. Her gaze swept across the fields and the tin-roofed barn, trailed over the yellow wooden fronted cottage, and settled back on Miley. "Not just him – everything."

"Then stay." Please.

"I don't want to go back to Pinewood High, and I'm sure you don't either."

Never, ever. Not after Mikayla had tried to kill herself. Too many bad memories clung to that school. "Daddy has already arranged for me to be homeschooled again. Then I'll also have more time for Hannah Montana again. My record label has already planned a tour for February."

"That's good. I'm glad."

If only Lilly could participate in the student exchange while being homeschooled... That was impossible though. "I reckon you'll be goin' back to school in Malibu?"

"Yeah."

Goodness, there had to be something she could do to keep Lilly here, even if it was only for a few days. "Christmas break starts in three days."

"And when the break is over, then what?"

So Pinewood High was the problem? Was that why Lilly wanted to return home? But Miley couldn't possibly allow herself to be homeschooled while insisting on Lilly continuing to attend public school. "Please don't go."

"Miley, I… "

Miley fisted the fabric of her coat in front of her stomach as she waited.

Lilly rubbed her furrowed brow and shook her head. "Nothing."

"Daddy makes the yummiest Christmas ham." Miley bowed her head. "I-I know you're a vegetarian. His cranberry sauce and cornbread are delicious too."

"Hmm."

Snow swirled across the horse pasture, fogging the outlines of bare tree canopies as they whipped violently in the wind.

"Is there nothin' I can do to make you stay?"

Lilly ran a hand through her wind-blown hair but remained silent.

Why didn't she respond? Was this really the end? Was this her last moment with Lilly? It simply couldn't be. "Can-can I at least get a goodbye hug?"

Lilly swallowed visibly and gave a soft nod.

Miley threw herself around her neck and buried her face in her shoulder. She fought back the tears that clouded her vision, but when Lilly wrapped her arms around her waist and drew her closer, she couldn't hold back the sob that escaped her lips. If only this moment could last forever.

"My flight leaves in three hours." Lilly croaked into Miley's neck.

But Lilly obviously didn't want the moment to last forever. Miley released her grip, stepped back, and rubbed her eyes with her sleeve. The wind whirled snowflakes off the fence. One landed on the tip of Lilly's nose, and she wrinkled it in the most adorable way Miley had ever seen her do.

"You could cancel it… "

Lilly's gaze shifted past her, and she nodded slowly.

"So… you're goin' to do it?"

"My mother would kill me."

"I'll pay the cancellation fee."

Lilly bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. "I don't know… "

Why was she even trying? Excuses. Those were all excuses. Lilly wanted to get away from Crowley Corners, but how could she blame her after lying to and deceiving her for so long? Miley couldn't make Lilly love her. That was the harsh reality. "D'ya hate me that much?"

"I don't hate you, Miley. What gave you that idea?"

She had the impression that Lilly cared about her yesterday, but she had been Hannah Montana most of the time. "Because you want to leave."

"It's complicated."

If Miley had known how devastating these two words sounded, she would never have used them to avoid Lilly's questions. "Would you stay if there was no me and only Hannah?"

"What?"

"You like Hannah Montana, don't ya?"

Lilly's face pinkened up.

From the looks of it, maybe even more than only like.

"Would—" Another gust of wind blew snowflakes into Miley's face and she jammed her eyes shut. "Would you go out with her?"

"Like to another party?"

Was she acting extra dumb? A fingernail found its way into Miley's mouth. "On a date."

Lilly's gaze darted to the ground, and Miley's stomach sank. The answer was clearly no. Lilly was still Hannah's biggest fan, but that didn't mean she had feelings for Hannah. Friggin' stupid.

"I'll help you in loadin' your suitcase into the pick-up truck." Miley bent down and hoisted it up.

"I would."

Miley's grip on the handle loosened, and it thudded on the frosted grass, scattering snowflakes into the air. Did she understand correctly? Why was she experiencing this irrational surge of jealousy? She was Hannah, wasn't she? Maybe if she permanently dyed her hair blonde and changed her name… Oh, that was never going to work. In Lilly's eyes, she and Hannah were two different people. Miley frowned at her shoes. "Hannah is one lucky girl. I wish I was really her."

Lilly's cool hand slipped into hers, and Miley raised her gaze to meet Lilly's.

"But you are."

Since when? Did that mean Lilly liked her as much as Hannah? That she finally saw them as one and the same?

Lilly let go of her hand, and the cold and numbness crept back into Miley's fingers. Lilly leaned back against the fence. "As for the concert tour, will your alter ego be coming to California?"

"My record company only planned a southern tour, but… but I'm sure Hannah will find time in her busy schedule to come to Malibu privately."

"And how about Miley?"

"Of course… if you want me to."

Lilly bit down on a smile. "Good."

But why would Lilly want to go back to California if she liked her? "I've already put your presents under the Christmas tree."

"Presents for me?" Lilly shot up her eyebrows. "You bought some even though you knew I was flying back home?"

"I was hopin' you'd change your mind, but you can take them home and open them on Christmas Eve if you prefer."

Lilly drew the sleeves of her jacket over her hands. "I don't have a present for you. Is there anything specific you'd like?"

Yes. You staying here… Miley shook her head. "It's fine."

"No way it is." Lilly gnawed on her lower lip. "But I think I have an idea."

The wind whipped Miley's hair into her face and drove snowflakes across the sky, obscuring the view into the distance. "You shouldn't be out walkin' around in this storm. You don't have to buy me anythin'."

"What if I already have the present on me?"

"But you said—"

"—And to give it to you, one step forward would be enough."

One step? What did Lilly…

"I'll probably have to stand on tiptoes as well."

Was she…? No, it couldn't be that, could it?

Lilly's cheeks rouged up with a blush.

Was her present really a kiss?

Lilly took a step forward, the snow creaking beneath her shoe.

Miley forced a dry swallow. "You-you said it was a Christmas present."

"Huh?"

"It's not Christmas yet."

"Then it's just a preview of what's to come." Lilly raised on her tiptoes, her face inches from Miley's.

This was actually happeni—

Lilly captured Miley's lips in a long kiss, and catapulted her heart racing at double speed.

Lilly's lips were cold, but so smooth.

When she drew back, their clouded eyes met in a deep gaze.

Miley couldn't keep a shaky giggle from escaping her lips. "Preview, huh? Is it safe to assume that there will be more by Christmas morning?"

"Uh-huh."

"Does that mean you'll stay?"

"I don't think any planes are taking off during a snowstorm." Lilly's hands crept around Miley's waist and pulled her closer. "But why wait until Christmas morning?"

They leaned into each other and rested their foreheads together. A grin curled Lilly's lips, and Miley pressed her eyes shut and giggled.

The End