Summary: Miley Stewart has been signed on to write a duet with her ex-boyfriend Nick Lucas and this puts a strain on her relationship with Jake. Can Nick manage to find a way to get things back between them to the way they were before the storm? Rated T for language and mature themes. xxNileyxx Crossover: Hannah Montana & JONAS.

Disclaimer: This is a nonprofit work of fan fiction written by smileyniley487 :) I do not own and/or associate or liaise with Disney, Miley Cyrus, JONAS or any of the JoBros or associated third parties or any parties but I do love them and their work dearly.

A/N: Thanks to Izy160, nileyfan#1 and Melody90, for reviewing Chapter One! :) It truly means the world to me that you would take the time to read my story let alone leave a comment. Izy I checked out your favorites and you've seriously got some really good recommendations! Nileyfan, as promised, I've removed the status from hiatus to in-progress, enjoy WEEKLY updates & Melody I'm so glad you liked it, I really hope I deliver.

I started writing this story the week after Nick and Miley performed in Texas so for people to like it means more than words can say! Enjoy and keep letting me know what you think =)

Chapter Two - Call

Nick wakes up the next day and he is still in a daze while he mulls over the events of the previous night. He hasn't slept well at all. He's sporting a fat lip and there's a small bruise under his eye where Jake managed to fight back. He knows there'll be hell to pay when his mother sees him but he's got bigger fish to fry.

He's not over what went down at the party and he's found himself wishing more than once that Jake was still in pain. He also found that his dreams had been of him and make out sessions and a certain girl with whom he was making out with. His dreams had been of him doing those things with Miley and he - above all else - especially did not want to be thinking of her.

He shouldn't have gone to protect her. He should no longer care at all. Except he did. And that was driving him crazy.

It was also driving Joe crazy.

"I have one solution for you man," Joe explained after hearing for the umpteenth time that his brother was actually in fact over Miley, "Take it or leave it."

Nick sighed, "Fine, I'll hear you out."

But what Joe had to say was not at all what Nick expected, or wanted, to hear from him. "Ask her out man! You're clearly still in love with her. The sooner you guys get over yourselves and start dating again the world will be a happier place."

Nick rolled his eyes, "That's the stupidest thing you've ever said to me! I'm trying to forget about her and you're not helping!"

"Well, look how much 'trying to forget her' is working! So do the reverse. And eventually you'll grow out of this stupid obsession you have worrying about her constantly and then everyone can move on with their lives."

Nick didn't reply. Joe's face broadened into a smile, "See? You can see how right I am now, can't you? I know you still have her number. Just call her."

~.~

Nick barricades himself in his room; he's trying to avoid Sandy and Joe is backing him up, feeding lies to his mother that Nick isn't feeling well. She wants to come in and mother him but Joe has played the part of the elder brother and convinced her that Nick is asleep and needs his rest.

But truth of the matter is Nick is not asleep. He is paralyzed. He is staring at his phone, at the contact that reads S-MiLey and is debating the pros and cons in his head of calling her. He does want to call: he also wants to be the one to hold her hand and smother her with kisses in that special, yet respectful, un-animalistic way that he knows only he can do. He wants to hold her and stare into her gorgeous eyes and whisper just how much he still loves her. He really does.

But unlike before, he now understands what his mother said when she told him Miley meant drama, and he understands that there will be more fights that he won't be ready or in the mood for, and he understands that she will be away from him at months at a time on the opposite end of the country, and he'll get paranoid because she's beautiful and she can have anyone she wants. He'll start worrying that he's not good enough for her and who she's spending her alone time with. And more than half the world has already seen her, in a way that was only meant for him, which means she will be looked at differently by just about everyone… in the way that there will be more guys who'll also wrongly assume how "easy" she might be and take advantage of that.

The only reason Miley had been successful with her Breakaway* album was because she had used Hannah Montana to release it. And yet the kicker was Nick knows 7 Things You Do* was written about him; in fact she had written that Hannah had dedicated her whole album to her 'Prince Charming' and there was more than one song on there that had crushed him. Say Goodbye* and At The Bottom of the Ocean* had been particularly painful; he remembers the conversation they had that she refers to in Say Goodbye*, which struck a blow at him when he heard it and made him really wish he could be a Little Fly On the Wall* too. But wanting to be a 'little fly' didn't mean he didn't trust Miley. It was the guys who eyed her when he wasn't around - and he knew they were out there even if she laughed at him when he tried to explain that to her. Yes, maybe he should have made her more confident that he trusted her. Being away from each other for so long made trust a big issue. Long distance relationships were not easy, even if they both were working in the same industry. They were still human and the doubt still existed.

But as Nick Lucas stared at his phone, he realized his dilemma: the more he wanted to, the more he realized how he could never ring her. She seemed to be getting on with her life and enjoying it too. Who was he to deny her happiness? If he truly wanted to protect her, wouldn't leaving her happy be the best thing to do-- by protecting her from them?

Nick takes so much time thinking about the situation he is in that he doesn't notice an impatient elder brother join him in his room.

"Why haven't you called her yet?" Joe asks.

Nick raises an eyebrow suspiciously, "What makes you so sure I haven't already talked to her?"

"Because," Joe smiles, "You're Nick and you wouldn't be Nick if you had called her... you know what? You are really lucky I sound like you."

"Wait - what does that mean? What are you doing?!"

Nick is disjointed and worried but Joe is too fast for him as he grabs Nick's phone. "If you won't call Miley, then I will!"

The next three seconds feel like they are the longest of Nick's life. He is angry and emotional and excited and fearful and nervous and confident all at the same time. And then Joe looks at Nick's phone, sighs and hangs up without a word.

"Well?" Nick demanded, "What happened? Why'd you give up like that?"

Joe raised an eyebrow at the irony of it all, "Well, I was one step ahead of you, that's for sure. But you can relax now bro. It seems to be that Miley Stewart no longer uses that number. It's disconnected. I'm sorry."

Nick's whole demeanor shrinks and he's surprised. He didn't expect this disappointed of a reaction. He shrugs. "Nah it's cool. I can still catch up with her on IM or MySpace or something…"

Joe places a comforting arm on Nick's shoulder, "Well I'll er… just let you get back to sleep, right?"

Nick doesn't reply and Joe takes that as his cue to leave the room silent and unnoticed. Nick is left to his thoughts. Miley changed her number – but she hadn't let him know. He supposes she changed it right after their breakup. But he wouldn't have known anyway. He hadn't tried to call her till now.

He relaxes a little, there has been a long time since they last spoke over the phone and it could be any number of reasons that her old number no longer existed. She was always so paranoid, yet rightfully so, with hackers tracing her down that she would have been crazy not to regularly change her details.

He used to stay up soooo late talking to her, having memorized her number off by heart. It had felt like they could talk about anything and everything and all the time in the world wasn't enough for them. What had gone wrong? Were they really just too different?

As Nick's phone begins to vibrate, he jumps having not expected it to ring. He doesn't recognize the number and remembers thinking how funny it would be if it were Miley calling him.

But as he picks up the phone and recognizes her southern accent greeting him he doesn't think the situation is funny at all.

"Hello Nicholas," she jokes and there is laughter in her voice but no amusement.

"Miley," Nick answers, switching to serious mode, and feeling nothing but. There's a million things racing through his brain, a million questions he wants answered, but Miley is so damn confident and she speaks before he can think up the perfect thing to say to her.

"So Hollywood Records wants Hannah working with you on your next CD," she tells him, as straight to the point as she can possibly be; there is no mention of the previous night, but he is all too certain she will bring it up. "The decision came along the lines of 'unprecedented fan demand' on the idea of a duet between the two of us. Allows us time to show them we're really good friends and all the blah that comes with it."

"I see," commented Nick, serious mode still on, but inside his heart was racing at the idea. Who ever thought that a miracle would come via his record label? He spoke fast, "Would you like to discuss this in person? Over lunch? I mean if it's us they want to see together, well then what a way to give them something to talk about - right?"

There was a long pause, what Frankie always likes to smartly refer to as 'a dramatic pause.' It must have only been seconds but for the second time consecutively, Nick fell time rapidly slowing down where it concerned him. It felt like minutes.

"Nicholas," Miley whispered and he was surprised to notice a serious tone in her voice, that and the fact that she rarely, like his mother, ever called him Nicholas. "If I didn't know any better - I'd say you were asking me out."

Nick didn't waste a moment's hesitation, "I can see how it may have appeared that way but this is strictly business. So if you prefer we can do this over the phone if it's easier for you?"

He was putting it out there without making it so damn obvious about how crushed he'd be if she said no. The mere thought of being made to work with her was the perfect solution in his quest to get over her. For starters, he'd be forced to spend time with her and then he'd realize why it was they were never meant to be. Of course, there was always the chance that because he still liked her, the whole thing could blow up in his face and he'd end up wanting to be dating her again. But the more he thought about that idea, the more he found himself not caring. Jake or no Jake, it was Nick alone who was Miley's Prince Charming.

"Hmm," Miley thought aloud into the phone. "Lunch eh? That should be fine. I'll be in New York in a couple of days. We can meet up then."

"I'll pick you up from the airport," Nick informed formally, but inside he felt like a kid at Christmas, "Again I'm just-- thinking of expanding the buzz, y'know?"

"Agreed," Miley said, and this time it felt like she had taken no time to answer him, "I'll see you then."

Miley hangs ups the phone and sits in her room thinking how hard it will be explaining to Jake without hurting his feelings that she needs to go see Nick. She still isn't sure why Nick did what he did. Did he still have feelings for her? Or did he really just not like guys taking advantage of girls that he had to take a stand? Was he being jealous and acting out? Or did a tiny part of him still care about her the way she had always hoped he would?

She hated herself for that. For hoping that he still cared. And she felt it was wrong to Jake to be thinking like that. So she pushed it all out of mind. There was no way that Nick still cared about her - not in that way at least - and if he did she was gonna find out and put him straight. She was with Jake now, she had moved on and that she was determined she was certain of.

But the one thing Miley Stewart wasn't certain of, as she struggled to get to sleep, was that if everything was supposed to be okay now, why did it suddenly feel like there was a storm coming on?

"I heard you spoke to the infamous Miley Stewart," Kevin teased joining his younger brother in his room. "Everything okay, man? I know something's up when Joe get's that goofy grin on his face."

Nick nodded, "I know the grin you're speaking of. But, in terms of Miley, there's nothing going on, so to speak, I'll just be working with her soon-- for our album of course."

Kevin understood, but being the older brother he was, he clearly wasn't buying it, "Are you sure there's no thunder in the horizon that will blow up that chance?"

"Maybe…" answered Nick, pen in hand, "But I was hoping we could get past that, to the way things were before… Oh my God! Kevin, you said thunder!! - You HAVE to go - you just gave me the best IDEA!"

Kevin didn't need telling twice when it came to Nick and a pen. He left the room swiftly, glad that he had helped, even if he wasn't exactly sure what he did. He wasn't so sure of Nick and Miley working together, but Kevin knew all too well that even if she was a wild kid; she was Nick's wild kid for sure.

~.~

NOTE: Wherever I've placed an asterisk(*) near a song title, it's because I've changed the real name of the song as this is a work of fiction and the real song titles are most likely copyrighted to Miley Cyrus. So, yes, I do realize her album is actually called 'Breakout;' incidentally also one of my favorite songs on the album. (Oh, who am I kidding? I LOVE the ENTIRE album ;) Anyway, to sum it all up: real song titles changed for obvious reasons :)

p.s. I really love you guys! Please let me know what you think!