A/N: DataAndrd here, back for another chapter. Hope you all like it :)

CHAPTER SIX

After enjoying their nice, relaxing siesta, Miley and her friends headed out to tour the city's great Bibliotecha, and the historical museum beside it. Though all the recent events were still strongly on their minds, they decided to try and put them off their minds and just try to have some fun for once.

The Bibliotecha was, essentially, a huge library filled with ancient tomes and other historical documents. The original Maltese flag was proudly displayed, as was the George Cross, given to the people of Malta by King George VI of Great Britain for their gallantry during the dark days of World War II.

The museum beside the Bibliotecha was a walk-through of the Great Siege of 1565, complete with life-size replicas of galleys, battlegrounds, churches and even underwater scenes. Despite their apparent dislike of history, the boys found themselves particularly drawn to the stories of the bloody siege.

"It says here the siege lasted nearly four months, and resulted in over 25,000 casualties," Oliver said in a low whisper, reading a plaque beside one of the replicas.

"The Knights of Malta defeated a vastly superior force from the Ottoman Empire, in one of the most celebrated and fiercely contested battles in history," Jackson added, reading from the plaque as well. The two boys looked at each other.

"Cool!" they gushed simultaneously. Miley and Lilly laughed.

"Boys," Miley muttered, shaking her head. "All they care about is blood and guts!"

"Ah, they have their uses," Lilly replied. "After all, they invented skateboarding didn't they?" Miley laughed again.

"You're one of a kind, you know that Lils?"

"Just like my best friend," Lilly replied with a grin. She took Miley's hand in her own and gave her a small hug. Without realizing she was doing it, Miley closed her eyes and leaned into the hug.

"Lilly?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I… uh…" Her eyes snapped open and Miley swallowed.

What is happening to me?!

"Thanks, Lilly," she managed. Lilly looked at her strangely.

"For what?" she asked.

"For being my best friend," Miley said shyly. Lilly smiled and gently squeezed the hand she held.

"Face it, Miles… you're stuck with me!"

"I wouldn't want to be 'stuck' with anyone else," Miley replied earnestly. Wordlessly, she reached out and brushed a few stray hairs away from Lilly's face. For a moment, she just stood there, staring into the depths of Lilly's sapphire blue eyes.

"See anything you like?" Lilly quipped, feeling herself blush without really understanding why.

"Yeah…" Miley breathed.

"What are you two doing?" Jackson called out, ruining the moment. "Come on, we're gonna go see the recreation of the harbor battle!"

"Guess we don't wanna miss that, huh Lils?" Miley said weakly. The situation was awkward enough, she didn't want Jackson to suspect anything. Lilly forced herself to swallow.

"Nope, can't wait to check out that harbor!" Lilly squeaked. Jackson stared at his sister and Lilly for a moment, then turned and walked away. Miley and Lilly slowly followed him, at a distance, their hands still joined. Neither said anything about what had almost happened, but Lilly found herself unable to take her eyes off Miley.

What the heck just happened? She wondered to herself. Why was Miley staring at me like that… and why did I like it?!

"You guys coming?" Oliver called out. He and Jackson were already far ahead, eagerly taking in the museum's many exhibits.

"Sure," Miley replied, her voice unusually quiet. "Wait for us." She squeezed Lilly's hand.

"Ready for some more history, Lils?" she asked her best friend.

"Y-yup," Lilly stammered. "Lead me to it, Miles." They walked on in silence, saying nothing but refusing to let go of each other.

In another part of Malta, in the ancient fortress-city of Mdina, Maximilian and his men had taken up residence in the catacombs beneath St. Paul's Cathedral.

Mdina, also known as 'The Silent City', was an ancient walled city resting high atop a verdant green hill in the center of the island of Malta. The old capital of Malta, the city had seen its share of history. Hundreds of years ago, it had been the home of the Roman Governor during the reign of the Roman Empire, and it was in Mdina that the Apostle St. Paul was said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the islands.

Now, Mdina was a largely quiet city, echoing with the ghosts of the past. No cars were permitted on its narrow, winding streets. Several old palaces, now private residences, could be found there. The Cathedral of St. Paul, fronted by a large town square, was perhaps the city's most well-known edifice.

Deep beneath the cathedral, far from prying eyes, a very special room had been prepared for their soon-to-arrive 'guest', on specific instructions from Maximilian himself. The room was small, carved out of the earth itself long ago by unknown hands. A wooden bench had been placed in the room, and opposite it was a small chair. A single lamp rested in one corner, and beside it was what appeared to be a camera and other electronic equipment. Finally, bolted into the floor on either side of the bench, were two long chains.

"Excellent," Maximilian said, inspecting the small rock-walled room. "She will be kept quite well in here." He turned to look at Ugo, who stood just behind him.

"You brought the equipment I requested?" he asked. Ugo nodded.

"It's ready when you are, padrun."

"Good. Then we have only to collect our special guest."

"How do you intend to do so, beloved?" Melita asked him. She was standing in the doorway to the small room, unwilling to walk inside. "So far, your plans have been, shall we say… less than successful?" Maximilian glared at her.

"I was foolish enough to entrust those plans to others," he said simply. "This time, I will take no such chances." He stepped out of the small room and motioned for Ugo to shut the door.

"You will wait here until we return," he ordered his Maltese minion. "See that no one finds this place." He didn't wait for Ugo's reply, and instead began to rapidly climb a nearby flight of stone stairs, Melita on his heels. They emerged from a secret passageway in the rear of the cathedral not long after, and walked out into the warm afternoon sun. Maximilian reached for his phone and flipped it open.

"Ivan?" he spoke into it.

"I'm here," the other man gruffly replied.

"Are they still inside the museum?" Maximilian asked him.

"All four of them," Ivan answered. "What do you want me to do?"

"Proceed with the plan," Maximilian said simply. "Make sure they cannot leave. We're on our way."

Back at the museum, Miley, Lilly and the others were nearly done with their tour. Jackson and Oliver talked nonstop about how much they had enjoyed it, while Miley and Lilly remained very quiet.

"Miles?" Lilly asked quietly, when she was certain Jackson and Oliver couldn't hear her.

"Yeah, Lils?" Miley answered her, just as quietly.

"What… happened back there?"

"What do you mean, Lils?"

"Miley…" Lilly knew Miley was trying to avoid talking about their encounter earlier, but Lilly would have none of it. She made it clear just how serious she was by actually using Miley's name, instead of her usual nickname for her best friend. Miley knew it, and hung her head.

"Look… I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, Lilly."

"You didn't," Lilly answered quickly, surprising even herself.

"I… I didn't?" Miley stammered. Lilly shook her head.

"No, I… I think I kind of liked it, Miles." She swallowed and looked over at her best friend. "I think… I think I like you." Miley's eyes widened. She opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out; it was as though her mind was refusing to process what she'd just heard.

"Miles, please say something," Lilly practically begged her.

Please, please tell me I didn't just ruin our friendship!

"I'm s-sorry, Lils," Miley managed. "I just never expected you to say something like that."

"Do you hate me now?" Lilly muttered.

"What? Lilly, no! You're my best friend, I could never hate you! It's just…" Miley forced herself to swallow.

"I think I like you, too… and it scares me." Lilly frowned, not understanding.

"Why?" she asked.

"I'm just not used to thinking about you like that, Lils. I never thought that we could be… y'know…"

"Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?" Lilly teased. "I just said I liked you, Stewart, and you're ready to pick out china patterns!" Miley laughed nervously.

"Sorry," she apologized. I guess I am overreacting to all this. Tell you what – how about we catch up to the boys right now, and we'll take more later?" Lilly grinned.

"Sounds good to me; but you're not allowed to let go of my hand." Miley smiled and tried not to blush.

"I can live with that," she said quietly. Suddenly, shrill alarms began to sound throughout the museum, and emergency lights began to flash everywhere.

"What's happening, Miles?!" Lilly cried out.

"I don't know, but try to stay calm Lils!" Jackson and Oliver ran up to them.

"What did you touch?!" Miley shouted at her older brother.

"It wasn't me, honest!" Jackson protested. Uniformed security guards appeared and took up positions near all the entrances and exits.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please remain calm," one the guards called out in Maltese and English. "While the alarm is being investigated, no one is allowed to enter or exit the building."

"What? Why?!" Oliver cried out. Jackson tried to calm him down.

"Probably so no one can try to steal something from the museum and escape," he replied. "Just take it easy, okay? I'm sure they'll let us out of here soon."

Meanwhile, outside the museum, a dark car pulled up near the building. Maximilian and Melita stepped out of it, both dressed in policemen's uniforms. Ivan met them, wearing a similar uniform.

"Everything is ready?" Maximilian asked him. Ivan nodded.

"I tripped the alarm; they responded just like you said they would. Everyone is trapped inside."

"Good," Maximilian replied, smiling. "Then the time has finally come to greet our young friend." The three of them walked up to the museum entrance and spoke a few words to the security guards posted there. After a brief conversation, they allowed the three would-be police officers inside.

"They believe we're here to investigate the alarm," Maximilian explained to Melita. "Now we just need to find…ah, there she is!" He pointed to Lilly, who was still standing beside Miley, their hands joined. Jackson and Oliver stood nearby. Maximilian nodded to Melita and Ivan, who both drew their guns.

"Miss?" he called out to Lilly. She looked up at him.

"Me?" she asked fearfully. Maximilian nodded and smiled.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to come with us, Miss de Piro." Melita and Ivan flanked him, their weapons pointed straight at Lilly at her friends. "It's a matter of utmost importance."

"Miles…?!" Lilly whimpered. Miley stepped protectively in front of her.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you've got the wrong girl!"

"I won't ask again," Maximilian said, ignoring Miley completely. "I'd really rather this didn't become violent."

"Says the big man with a gun," Oliver snapped.

"A necessary evil, I'm afraid," Maximilian said with a sigh. "Step over here, Miss de Piro, or you'll be carried over."

"You're not taking her," Miley hissed. Jackson and Oliver flanked her, surrounding Lilly completely.

"Young people," Maximilian muttered sadly. "Very well." He motioned to Melita and Ivan. They surged forward to grab Lilly. Miley tried her hardest to stop them, but Melita threw her angrily aside, hurling her into a nearby display case. Oliver jumped on Melita's back in a desperate attempt to hold her back, but Melita slammed him to the ground and smashed her pistol across his face, knocking him unconscious. While Jackson struggled hopelessly with Ivan, Melita grabbed Lilly by the arm and pulled the young woman forcefully to her.

Lilly stomped on Melita's foot as hard as she could, causing the older woman to let go with a yelp of pain. She started to run, but Melita tripped her up. She was about to jump to her feet again, but the barrel of Melita's gun – aimed squarely at her face – quickly changed her mind.

"No more games, girl," Melita growled. She hauled Lilly to her feet and, gun pressed against the side of her head, forced her to walk over to where Maximilian was waiting.

"That was unpleasant," he said simply. "You'll find, mademoiselle, that things will go much easier for you if you do not resist." He motioned again, and Ivan strode over to them, leaving Jackson sprawled on the floor. As one, the three kidnappers turned and walked calmly out of the museum, taking Lilly with them.

"Excuse me, what is going on?!" the head security guard demanded, stepping directly into their path. "Wait… you're not policemen!"

"No," Maximilian replied. "We're not." Ivan's gun roared and the guard went down in a pool of blood. Lilly screamed.

"Shut her up!" Maximilian roared, "and let's get out of here!" As she was dragged out of the museum against her will, Lilly managed one last look back at the last place she'd seen her best friend. A single tear trickled down her cheek.

"Miley…" she whimpered. Then she was hauled bodily into the car, which tore away seconds later with a loud screech, leaving a cloud of dust behind