AN: -dodges knives and other such pointy objects- I'm pretty sure no one is around to read this insanely late update, anyway, but just to be sure, yeah? I'm attempting and please don't kill me for the crappiness at which this last chapter will, well, end

You all know I don't own Hannah Montana or its' fictional characters, biznitches., so, moving on… Robbie Ray has caught them, oh SWEET NIBLETS!

-You're my Shooting Star-

Shooting Star: noun. A bright trail or streak that appears in the sky when a meteoroid is heated to incandescence by friction with the earth's atmosphere. Also called falling star

Something untouchable, (shouldn't be touched.)

-

Pulsating…

Streams of light, flowing, gentle yet harsh.

Blurry…

Flashes of light, young, and even younger, the smiles, the touches, the hugs, the two of them, their mother's smile that warm smile always forgiving. Always believing that her little girl could do no real wrong. The apple in her eye, "Oh, ma…can you see me, us, now? Can you see what we have done? Please do not hate me, I couldn't bare it…" her little star, her little…

She wasn't so little anymore.

"…what…in the hell... What in tarnation is going on here?!"

Faster than lightning. Sheets were drawn askew, clothing awkwardly and rapidly placed on, each other's clothing, not their own, the dizzy haze evaporating swiftly and the realization setting dawn. Huffing and panting, both theirs and his, his eyes bulging, mind trying to place… mind trying to place…contemplating, no words, no thoughts, what he saw was an illusion, he told himself calmly.

His face was the color that of a thousands suns.

"Miley. Jackson." Paused in their chaotic movements, bumped into one another, shoulders touching briskly, jumped apart for the sheer tension of it all, embarrassment and disdain coupling to create this intensity. "Tell me that you were both drunk and had no idea who the other was."

Silence.

A rush of blood and an array of emotions and ever evolving sense of apprehension, the look on their face, a blank canvas, and the hue they were serving not due to liquor. Their eyes weren't dilated, their movements non sluggish, everything in order, passionately placed and taken care for.

Blood boiling not knowing to laugh, scream or cry.

"Daddy…"

"Don't call me that." As though his words smacked her she cringed and flinched and stepped back, immediately following another form took its place before her.

"Father, listen… we can explain."

"Please tell me you aren't my son and then I would only beat you barely before your death for doing what you were doing to my daughter, alright then?" At the sound of the gulp suffering from the silence, movement is made again and only by the father as he looks out into the rest of the house, barren he takes note in confirmation and closes the door gently, almost too gently

"You used a condom? Just now… or-" he breaks off and shudders gently as he looks between the two standing helplessly before him. "Any other time you two have… it looked like you were experienced."

"Daddy we didn't-I mean-"

Slam. His hand on the desk beside him. "Oh, it looked like you meant it alright, just didn't mean for me to find out ever, huh?" She looks down ashamed and hugs her shirt to her tightly, still having not put it on. "What in the world were you two thinking, what in the… you didn't answer my question, did you use a goddamn condom?!"

"Yes! Every other time, we have just not…I mean, we would have…"

"You fucking kid!" Faster than could be recognized or deterred he slams his once upon a time son against a miscellaneous wall and shoves him so hard by the collar of his shirt that the boy's head bangs harshly against the hard surface.

"Jackson! Da-Daddy stop! STOP-ah!" pushed aside carelessly, her futile attempts at hitting him to cease his attack fails as she falls to the floor.

"Did you ever think of uttering that same damn word when your brother was on top of you???!!"

Shaking and trembling she wails and slams her face into her hands with deep burial, her lover, her brother, grappling and struggling to break free, not for himself, but to be beside her, protect her.

"Yeah, you didn't! Now you," he directs at his once would be son. "I have half a mind to just kick you out right now, disown you, ya hear? Give me one goddamn good reason not to!"

Silence.

"Well?! Not even a defense?! You soiled her for nothing did you?!" A shake of the limp body before hands drape themselves over their father's own with such intensity and force; the elder man is taken aback for a moment. "What is this, some pathetic show of strength? I asked you a question and you better answer Jackson or so help me god I won't be held liable as to what goes down in this house."

A shake of the head from the lesser boy and the girl screams out another plea that goes unnoticed.

"Well?! Nothing to say for your-"

"I love her!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Like the aftermath of a storm, the tremors and terns of the waves, the crashing sounds of sea upon land and the hellish wind unfolding, the calm before the storm doesn't even compare to the end result. The silence seemingly everlasting, the sea's wave serene to the blind eye, the let go of power upon those lesser and invalid. Just as the sea loosens its deathly grip on those that fall prey, so does Robbie Ray on his children.

"Tch, love…" His eyes are blank as he looks unfocused at the room around him. Stumbling he glances at the girl on the floor and he softly lets out a small smile and a whisper of her name with a heartbreaking intensity. Slowly walking out the room he disappears from their sight for a while and they stay in their positions as though a force holding them down, they don't even turn their heads to acknowledge the other or to clarify if this was truly happening, the chill in their bones confirming it for them.

Returning he gives them an ultimatum, one that makes their whole word crumble and as the words are said in that threatening little whisper and the choices are handed out, the dizziness that accompanied them previously returns and oh how she wishes this all wasn't happening.

He has no shotgun in hand, no weapon of violence, he's not disowning them or reporting them or anything of the sort but he is ending their life together in a different kind of way.

Because in life there are no answers

…and in life there is no life.

It'd be pretty if the sun won't shine.

"So, what's it going to be?" He looks between the two and only minutes have gone by but the world seems endless whilst this continues everlasting. He feels the need to repeat this, its dire situation causing the words to be gritted out.

"Fame."

She looks forward into her life, Hannah Montana and the glamour with it. This decision is up to her and Jackson knows this, choosing not to listen to the options another time.

"or Fortune. You can't have it both." For the fortune is not in the money and you really can't have them both in this lifetime or any other.

She shakes her head as the conclusion to this very sad chapter of her life seems to draw to a close despite her will for it not to. She's grasping for something substantial to hold on to as the room and everything behold it darkens and then she's falling into a deep slumber of much needed rest, the last thing she sees being his worried face and form slowly calling out her name.

"Jackson…"

-

And so, he decided for you.

-

She awakens with a start and her father is beside her on her bed in a conveniently placed chair. He doesn't turn to her startled form nor does he say anything as she calls out his name softly with a frightened voice.

"You're awake." And there's no urge to make a comment on the obvious for there is nothing funny about this situation. "Your brother…" and he hisses softly at the mention. "is no longer with us."

"What!" She's hurriedly throwing off her covers and although wobbly and unbalanced for a moment, having to catch herself at the corner of her bed, she continues outward to check his room, the house, the porch, the front and for his car, which is gone and she holds back the scream that rises to her throat and the unshed tears and backtracks slowly into the confinements of this prison.

Wh-where did he go…?" and her voice isn't only breaking from the tears yearning to let loose but from the rage building inside, directed at her father, directed at her brother, for abandoning, leaving, for being weak.

"I don't know."

"Liar!" He turns his head slowly and rises steadily, walking past her he mutters on how she has no right to toss that word around so carelessly and she gasps and lets the tear sting her eyes as they flow down her face freely.

Harshly she turns on him and screams out her demands, what happened after she fainted, how long was she out, what happened between the two of them specifically and what did he do to cause Jackson to leave.

"Hmph. Some things are better left unsaid… or unseen." She looks down then before running back into her room, putting on the most comfortable of comfortable despite the sweat and nasty feel between her legs and dashes out, her father not even calling for her until she reaches the door.

"Leave and never come back."

She doesn't know where to look, doesn't know where to go, doesn't know what to do or if he willingly left but she doesn't look back as she runs out of the house and out into the open to search for him, having to know all the answers to her questions.

His best friend's house.

The Beach.

Rico's.

School and the Schoolyard.

His favorite fast food place, everywhere, always the same, nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing.

It was hopeless she deemed as she wandered to Joey's Restaurant and sat on the pavement. She remembered the baseball incident and how it had lead her here, how she had went all out for him just to get an authentic signature baseball for her brother once more after ripping the previous one to shreds sort of accidentally.

"Miles…?" She smiled blissfully at the sound of that voice, believing it to be her imagination but not minding it in the least. She missed his sense of smell that only held the distinction of Jackson, sometimes he reeked, this was true, but other times… just for her, he actually washed.

"Miley." and then the voice hit her and she looked at the shoes in front of her before snapping her head up. His faltering smile despite the fakeness proving to her that this was real and he was really in front of her giving her strength to bolt up and grab on to him with such ardent need he fumbled backwards while grasping her in return. "Miley, Miley, Miley, breathe, ease up, you're killin' me here…"

"Jackson." She was breathless and holding even tighter, just to be sure. "Is that really you…?" He nodded in return and she buried her face into the crook of his neck, taking solace within the privacy it provided, drinking up her tears instead of spilling carelessly on to his shirt.

"I must be dreaming…"

"Well, do you want me to pinch you to waking?" She slaps him softly, playfully and he grips her hands in return, forcing her to look at him. "Let's go somewhere a little more private." and he leads her away.

-She doesn't fall in love lawlessly-

Euphoria, surrounding the atmosphere, to be in his grasp and embrace again, head on top head, watching the birds pick at everything, their voices a mere murmur.

"We have to leave."

"Daddy will… understand." His body shakes with the rumble of laughter at her incredulous blind faith.

"Ya jokin' right Miles?"

"He was just shocked and angry and…"

"Leave and never come back."

And her voice fades.

"Yeah…maybe he'll welcome us back with open arms and Uncle Earl will be found out as an outstanding citizen and save cities with his extra cleanliness powers." She glares at him before he shrugs causing her to pout and he takes her by the shoulders and he's asking her, understand- please just understand.

"It's either Hannah Montana, or-"

"If I choose her…there will be no you."

"I know, Miles, I'll move in with some Uncle or Grandma, who won't ever know a thing about what happened if Dad can help it, and we'll never see each other again. You'll be a star and the only times I could see you will be on television…"

"But! I don't want that I don't-"

"How do you know what you really want? You're still just a kid, Miley." She shakes her head and refuses all he's saying but her hearts pounding because it's as though he's already decided.

"I could-just, we could just go together, run away, people do it all the time, just pack up and leave, go somewhere that no one knows our names nor ask, the mountains or some far off country…"

"And how do you expect we get there, with what money? Dad sure as heck ain't going to give us any handouts. And we're not old enough to create lives of our own, to change from this style of life of the rich and famous…do you think you could give up all you have Miley, just for… for this."

"You say it as though you regret it…"

"Maybe I do." The expression of hurt in her eyes was beyond words. Shaking his hands off her shoulders she rises slowly, chuckling.

"When did you start to be the rational thinker, the wise one, the…one that shatters all the fairytales and dreams?"

"Miley…"

Her shoulders are shaking now and her eyes are red and puffy and the tears are still coming. She's surpassed chuckling and giggling and laughing quietly and is now laughing with the fullness of mirth. Chaotic. Broken. Shattered.

"Yeah, yeah…that was a pretty stupid idea huh? Hah! To think of all the promises we whispered to one another, to think of the little house we could have one day, to ourselves, and the little yard out back where we'd have lots of pets, Dad never let us have one for we were always out… but you said we could get one, remember that one night Jackson? Maybe a kitty…I'd like it to be white with maybe a black spot or two. Different from the usual… because we would be different too, wouldn't we?"

"Miley…"

Her voice was wistful now, as though in a dream, seeing something in front of her that no other could view. "And maybe one day, when the world's forgotten about Hannah Montana, that pop star that just up and disappeared, we could be free again, and go out to movies, and maybe… even have children-"

"No…Miley, we never could. We never could have children, you know we-"

"I would like to have a boy first, to take after your manliness-hah! What am I talking about… he'd be so tiny, his mommy would have to protect him for so long…I won't leave him too soon, I won't leave my children alone anytime soon, not like mom… not like mom and dad…"

"Miley, you're scaring me…get a hold of yourself." Gripping her roughly and shaking her, she blinks rapidly before focusing on him, her face scrunching up before a new flood of tears rush down her face as she buries her face in his chest. "While you're out performing… those you know, concerts, I can go to some, and I can be in the back of the crowds, watching you, as though I was backstage and cheering you on just the same, just like old times, you know? It could work…shush… hush, hush… shh… come on Miles…come on and wipe your eyes…"

She's nodding but they're not stopping and she makes no other move, his soft fingers rise up on her arms until they connect behind her form and he holds her tightly to him.

They stay there for a long while.

-There's no where we can't go as long as we're losing everything-

The seasons change viewable by the color of the leaves that after awhile disperse and leave the trees barren and cold, the time passes within the empty house and looking in from the outside you see a man waiting for something not coming.

On the first night he paced a bit, on the next even more. On the third he sat on the couch unmoving, and on the fourth he called the authorities, leaving out the reasons as to why they could be missing.

Ran away, the told him, at some time while he was out or asleep they had come into the house and took what they could and they just left. Not a note or any hint as to their whereabouts. Due to them being underage a look out was sent but after a month of no traceable evidence the fervor died down until months later, it was dropped to the bottom of missing people.

Questions of where the pop idol Hannah Montana disappeared to still arose every now and then, the mystery of it all drawing up much publicity for the already stardom hit young teen and allowing her publicist to generate more money than they've seen in a long time.

The once best friends of the missing walked idly around the high school they're forced to attend everyday and the thoughts that lingered and the clues and pieces of the puzzles finding their way to another by themselves made everything so evident and all too hurtful.

No questions asked yet everything answered.

If asked, Robbie Ray once had children, children that died a long time ago in an unforeseen accident that he cares not to discuss. He's drawn up death certificates after a year or two goes by, for he's lost count of the days, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he nods at the thought that this is his gift to them.

Their freedom to be whoever they want to be to one another, wherever they were now.

-

End.

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