Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Hey. Sorry, it's not exactly "drama". But I left two HUGE hints in here. They're at different places, though. Find them, piece them together and you can probably guess a good majority of what happens in this story. Plus, I'll give you, like, a virtual cookie or something. Oh, and I think you guys are gonna love next chapter. Let's just say... The door flies wide open for NILEY :)

(After everyone had left the house)

Miley walked back into the living room, "pissed" written all over her face. Nick had gotten scolded... It was Austin's turn. Austin refused to look at her. He was still fuming. "He got in my face, Miley. Did you honestly expect me not to react?" He clenched his fists until they were white from strain then loosened them.

"Hoped...You promised me, Austin. Damn it, you promised me! You wouldn't get angry," Miley snarled.

Austin flashed his eyes in her direction and his face turned cold. Miley shied away. He didn't look like her Austin when he did that. "He. Started. It."

"That doesn't justify anything!"

"Why are you defending him?!"

"I'm not defending him! It's just... God, you can be so stupid at times!"

Austin's jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Look... If you want to be friendly with the dude, I understand that. He obviously meant something to you prior to the accident... Not like that should mean much now..." He muttered that last part. Miley caught the meaning instantly. "But if you have some sort of weird... feelings—and I use that term very loosely—about him, tell me now." He paused, waiting for Miley to speak up.

She kept her eyes down, ignoring the question. She didn't have feelings for Nick like she did for Austin. She knew that for sure. But she really didn't like the idea of any harm brought onto Nick. "If I weren't here... Would you have... hit him?"

"Would it upset you if I did?"

"I...suppose," she spoke the words slowly. "I don't know. I'm not...sure..." Miley pictured it in her head and flinched at the image. Austin towered over Nick by a few good inches. And, even though it wasn't apparent at first glance, Austin had much strength. He could take Nick down if he wanted to.

Though, she was factoring Nick's strength and determination out of the equation. What Nick had told her... Well, she was almost positive he would fight back in a heartbeat—if not for her, then for every ounce of pain that had been inflicted upon him within this past year. If Nick tried hard enough, he could win.

She quickly shuddered at the thought of those two fighting. Kindness was evident in each of their eyes that it seemed wrong for them to ever throw the first punch. It was wrong; against the laws of nature almost. She had only known Nick for a day, really, but the kindness he had showed her proved that he was too caring to ever hurt anyone. Of course, especially her out of anyone else. He did just kind of admit to her that he loved her.

Miley eyed Austin. He was a conflicted person. He had loss so much this past year—on the brink of losing his own mother—that it almost seemed like a miracle that they found each other. He found a reason to keep his feet on the ground. Could he compromise that? Even if someone was showing a threat to tear that apart, could he really jeopardize their relationship like that? Because Mileywas close to positive it would upset her if Austin fought Nick.

So what was it with Austin? Did he love her too much that he would hurt Nick if it came down to it? Or did he love her too much that he would just sit back and watch as she mended a relationship with someone she hardly knew but apparently "loved"? Did he love her enough? That was a touchy subject for them both.

While Miley thought through this, Austin watched her face closely. His expression had softened and he looked like her Austin again. "Then I won't hurt him," he whispered. His voice pulled Miley away from her thoughts. She just stared at him. "I did promise you, didn't I? It's easier to make a promise like that when you're lying in my arms... But, I don't know, it's different to actually know that I was right. That he would come back. It's very...unsettling...to think that he might actually try to get you back. But then to think that if he actually succeeded. I've lost too much, Miley. I... I can't... I won't lose you. I love..." His voice drifted away, afraid to say the words.

Miley sighed and sat next to him. She reached for his hand and held it firmly in hers. "You don't trust me?"

"It's him..."

Miley lifted his hand to her cheek and closed her eyes, loving the feeling of his touch. "I don't know him, Austin. I have no memory of him, whatsoever. Whatever feelings I might've had for him were lost in the accident. I don't see him that way. I don't feel that same sensation that I feel when I'm with you. Kind of like the one I feel now." She leaned into him and smiled. "He's a good guy that's been through a lot, too. Imagine being in his shoes. Imagine the situation being switched around. How would you feel?"

He thought it over for a moment. "Awful. I can see why he doesn't like me..."

Miley opened her eyes. " I'm sure he'll come around. Just don't kill each other... That would suck, you know."

Austin chuckled, but it came out as a soft whisper. "As long as he doesn't kill me first." He winked.

"I highly doubt Nick's capable of hurting a fly."

"You never know." By now Austin's scathing tone he had early had fully disappeared. His tone was no more than good, natural teasing.

"I'm sure..." And with that she leaned up and kissed him.

Austin smiled into the kiss and pulled away. "This does mean I'm forgiven, right? 'Cause if so," he pulled her closer, "we should fight more often."

Miley rolled her eyes dramatically and smiled. "Shut up." And she pulled him in for a deeper kiss.

Nick eyed Joe's door warily and looked back at the others. "Uhm... Are you sure he said he wanted me?" It wasn't that he was scared to go in, he just didn't want to see Joe's face. It killed him already that he did that to his big brother, he didn't need to see it.

Demiplaced her hand on his back and gavehim an encouraging shove. "Go, Nick. It's alright."

Nick looked down at her. "Come in with me?" He felt better with Demi by his side.

Demi hesitated, but shook her head. "No, not a good idea. Aren't I the reason he attacked you in the first place? I don't think it would be smart."

Nick sighed. "I'm the reason, Demi. I brought you into it when I should have just kept my mouth shut. It... I just feel comfortable with you by my side."

Demi smiled at him softly. "Your brother's waiting. Go..."

Nick sighed and placed his hand on the door knob. A shock of electricity shot up his arm and he jumped back with a yelp. A gasp escaped his lips.

Demi's eyes turned frantic. "Nick! What's wrong? What happened?"

But Nick wasn't listening to her. His eyes glazed over as a painful memory attacked his brain...

Nick stared at the door, his face pale white. His stomach started rising to his throat as he thought of what he would see behind this door. Miley... His Miley, lying helplessly in a hospital bed, her body banged up. It made him sick to think about it.

What would he say to her? He knew she was deep in that coma, but still... How could he... What could he... His head started spinning and he had to lean against the wall, grateful for the coldness as it numbed some of the pain.

Then he felt a warm hand lift him up gently. "It's okay, Nick," a voice said trying to soothe him.

Nick shook his head. "No," his voice was barely a whisper, "no, it's not. How can it be, Mr. Stewart? It will never be okay..."

Robby Ray sighed as he gently pushed Nick towards the door. "All will be fine, son. Just don't... Just don't think about it..."

Anger ripped through Nick. Don't think about it?! Miley was on the brink of death and he was not to think about! Nick had to hold back a growl.

Robby Ray caught what he said as soon as he felt Nick's body tense up. "Now you know that's not what I meant," his said with a bit of anger himself. "I just meant..."

"It's fine," Nick hissed through his teeth. "Just give me a breather, please. I need to clear my head."

"Sure." And Robby Ray walked away.

Nick closed his eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling through his nose. He hesitated before grabbing onto the door handle and slowly twisting it open. He could do this....

He looked up at the body that was lying in the bed and a moan escaped his lips, a cry of pain. He tried to look away, but he couldn't. His throat became thick and his heart clenched in his chest. She looked.... Oh, Miley... Her face had been cleaned, all traces of blood gone. But that only made the cuts and bruises stand out more. His eyes swept over where shards of glass must have pierced her beautiful skin. A white wrap was taped around her head, like trying to hide evidence of any more damage. Her skin was pale white...already looking like... death.

Nick gasped for air. This was too much for him to handle and soon he felt his stomach become restless. Turning for the door, he ran out to the waiting room, his eyes looking for some sort of container. He caught sight of a trash can and ran to where it was. Doubling over, he emptied the contents of his stomach. His back still heaved over his shoulders once he was done, still trying to get everything out and making sick gagging noises.

"Sir!" He heard a nurse call behind him."Are you alright?" He ignored her.

"Nick!" He heard a more familiar voice. Soon he felt two firm hands on his shoulder. "Nick, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." Robby Ray whispered.

Nick's eyes were stinging with tears and his voice was hoarse. "Miley..."

Nick's eyes became focused as the memory vanished from his mind. He let out a sharp breath and looked at everyone else. "I... Sorry."

Demi was the closest to him and she wrapped her small arms around him. "Nick... Are you okay?"

Kevin was soon by him in two long strides, worry on his face. "You okay, little bro?"

Nick nodded and held back the tears. "Uhm...yeah... Just a..." He sighed, "Just another trip down memory lane."

Demi and Kevin's expression formed into sympathy once they realized what he meant. "It's... It isn't like that, Nick. It's okay," Kevin murmured.

Nick nodded. "Yes, I know. Just feels the same, that's all." Before they could answer, Nick placed his hand on the door knob and slowly opened the door. "Hey, Joe..."

Austin pulled away gasping for air. "Jeez... Once you start, there is no stopping you, is there?"

Miley's cheeks burned red and she smiled. "It's hard to concentrate when I'm kissing you. I lose track of time, that's all," she giggled.

Austin grinned. "Hey! I'm not complaining. Just saying..." He winked. "But speaking of time...?"

Miley turned out of Austin's grip and looked at the clock on the wall. "Uh-oh."

"What?"

"Crap! Dad's going to be home any minute. You got to go. I'm sure you're mom's worrying about you." Miley looked at him sympathetically.

Austin sighed. "Shoot. Alright. I'll see you tomorrow." He let go of Miley's waist and stood up. "I hope she's..."

"She's fine, Austin. But you better get going. You know, just in case..." Miley whispered.

Austin nodded and leaned down, giving Miley a soft kiss on her cheek, "Bye, sweetie."

"Bye..."

Austin grabbed his jacket and left. Miley watched him leaved. Once his car was long gone, Miley felt a pain in her chest. She felt alone. Without Austin, she felt like how she first felt when she opened her eyes to this strange world...

Everything was black. No sound. No movement. No senses. Nothing. It felt lonely, being trapped in her head like that. So many times she had tried to call out for help, but it was useless. She couldn't move her lips. She couldn't focus her mind long enough to grab a hold of her body. She was so alone...

Was she dead? She tried so hard to remember something...anything... An occasional face, sound, image would appear in her mind. None of it made sense to her. She didn't recognize any of it. But a boy. She couldn't see the face. She had no specifics on what he looked like, but his presence was very apparent. She couldn't feel him, to a sense of touch, but she could recognize that he was there—she felt the presence, not the boy. It was a presence that always showed up in her damaged brain. It was the only way she could possibly know that she wasn't dead. She held onto it.

It was impossible to tell how long she had been trapped. Minutes... Hours... Maybe years... Why couldn't she wake up? All she had to do was open her eyes. Well, how was she supposed to do that? She couldn't even feel her eyes! She couldn't feel anything!

Maybe it was better to not fight for a sense. Maybe she wasn't dead, but she might've well have been. This darkness was too lonely for her. She was useless in it. She just had to let go of it.

So she stopped resisting it. But was she dead in it? She didn't know. She couldn't feel it. But she could feel that presence. That was enough to know she wasn't dead. She pushed that feeling away, isolating herself from it. She was giving up.

But as then she felt the presence fade. It shifted. She panicked. Was she dying? Or was it leaving her? It couldn't leave her. She didn't want it gone. It ached her to think it was leaving her.

Ached? Yes, ached. Right where her heart should be. It was a harsh feeling. A feeling! She felt something. She tried to focus on that. But soon she realized that the presence was gone. NO! She wanted to scream. COME BACK!

Was she dead this time? No. The ache increased. It hurt too much. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't find her voice or her lips. She wanted to whimper. To scream for help. It burned her that she couldn't. Another harsh feeling that engulfed her.

She didn't know how long these feelings lasted. It got to the point that part of her was screaming in her head." HELP! HELP! HELP!" The other part was telling her to just give up. She was torn in two. Fighting herself in this torment.

HELP!

STOP!

It repeated in her head, over and over again.

HELP! PLEASE! COME BACK!

GIVE UP! FORGET IT! HE'S NOT COMING BACK!

SOMEONE HELP ME!

STOP IT!

Her body locked in shock. She heard something. Did that... Did that come from her lips? Did she just say something? She heard a sharp suction of air somewhere. Was that a...gasp? How did she hear that?

"Doctor!" She heard a rough voice speak. It sounded like a whisper.

NO! She groaned in her head. She didn't want this. The part of her that was screaming for help was silenced. Gone. This part just wanted to die. She felt so alone.

But she could feel. She felt where her ears where. She could hear. She knew where her lips where. She had spoken. What else could she feel? She reached out to her hands. Her fingers twitched then curled. She heard another gasp. Was that her? No....

I don't want this... She thought to herself. Please just die, already.

Without her willing herself, she fluttered her eyes open, squinting at the light. Where was she? She felt a pair of hands touch her and she looked up. Through narrow eyes, she saw an unfamiliar face. His grip on her tightened. She screamed....

Miley winced at the memory of first opening her eyes to this world. She felt bad for screaming, though. How was she supposed to know he was her father? Everything felt strange to her. She didn't recognize anything. He scared her.

But that need to disappear never ceased. Not until a few weeks later when she had first laid her eyes upon Austin. She smiled at that memory.

And in that second she realized... She did love Austin. With absolutelyeverything in her. Everything...

"Yo, Nick," Joe said casually, obviously trying to ease the tension from Nick. He was such a good brother.

Nick looked over Joe's face. He had a huge gash in his cheek and a few cuts where glass must've sliced him flesh. Bruises everywhere. Nick groaned, "Look, Joe, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to attack you like that! If I had known that I could've killed you, I would have—"

"Jeez!" Joe snorted, his mouth twisting. "I'm tired of hearing that. You DID NOT almost kill me, 'kay?" Nick looked down, not believing it. Joe sighed. "You doubter..." Nick looked up, confused. Joe smiled. "Didn't anyone ever tell you? I'm superman," he said patting his chest.

Nick rolled his eyes and chuckled. It came out forced. "You're so lame..."

Joe smiled for a second before he got serious. "I'm sorry, Nick. I didn't mean to annoy you like that... I can only assume Dems told you." Nick nodded then blushed. Joe caught it and narrowed his eyes. "What... How much did she tell you, exactly?

Nick looked around the room, refusing to look directly at Joe. "Erm... Ahh," he croaked, "I had to stop her after you two stripped each other... I was afraid she might have told me...about... uhh...the whole thing."

Joe groaned. "Sorry..."

Nick shook his head. "It wasn't awkward," his voice squeaked.

"Shut up," Joe sighed.

Nick nodded and continued to look around the room. "So, nice... curtains..."

"Get out."

"Okay." Nick quickly left.

Demi was already by his side. "Well, what happened?"

Nick didn't look at her. "I'd wait a few minutes before going in there."

"Why?"

"Demi!" Joe's voice growled on the other side of the door.

"That's why..."

Demi stiffened then she turned to glare at Nick. "Damn you..."

Nick shook his head and walked away, smothering a laugh. "Sorry!" He called over his shoulder.