Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story. Actual celebrities are listed only as physical inspiration for the characters and are not depicted in this story. This is a story involves a romantic relationship between two female characters. If that subject matter offends you, please do not read this story.

Author's Note: On June 6, 2008, I posted the final chapter of my Liley fic, Back to the Future, and at the end of that final chapter I posted a sneak preview snippet from what I envisioned to be the next installment of the Liley series, The Valley of Queens. In the 16 months since I posted that preview, I have received more PM's, emails and reviews mentioning that preview than any other thing I have ever written with the exception of the Raven-Chelsea fight that led up to Love Conquers All. Well Ladies and Gentlemen, the day has arrived. The Valley of Queens is here. As always, I pay homage to the Marquessa of the Lileyverse, Kurrent. Love you girl. This story is dedicated to you.

Now… there is a ton, and I mean a TON of characters in this story. By my count, there are 22 characters in this story and that is not counting Miley and Lilly's son, R.J. or the group you have come to know and love as The Divas; Raven, Chelsea, London, Maddie, Chloe, Sandy, Mary-Margaret, Corrie. Now there is one Diva that I did not list there because until now she has not been formally cast. I am talking about Lilly's friend and fellow teacher, Renee Morton. Since day one, I have had the same actress in mind to play her but have never put a name to her until right now. Renee Morton is portrayed in my story by former American Idol contestant, actress Katharine McPhee. As for the other characters, be ready to become fanboys and fangirls when I run down the cast. This is by far my most star-studded cast. You will wonder how I am going to fit all of them into the story. Trust me. I will. Get ready for the cast rundown and then get ready to travel… to The Valley of Queens.

The Valley of Queens cast

Miley Stewart-Truscott – Miley Cyrus

Lilly Truscott-Stewart – Emily Osment

Madison Carter – Demi Lovato

Renee Morton – Katharine McPhee

Aaron Seabrooks – Jesse Metcalfe

Jennifer McGowan – Selena Gomez

Luanne "Tori" Stewart – Miley Cyrus

Ariel Scott – Kristin Chenoweth

Margo Walters – Camryn Manheim

Suzanne Stacey – Crystal Chappell

Robby Ray Stewart – Billy Ray Cyrus

Kylie Stewart – Emily Procter

Jackson Stewart - Jason Earles

Tamera Stewart – Shadia Simmons

Ayelén Carter – Jessica Leccia

Leslie Cathan - Erin Burnett

Mackenzie Drew – Miley Cyrus

Rachelle Masters/Angelica Porter-Kennard – Jennifer Freeman

Aeryn Westerly/Fiona Browning – Michelle Ryan

Sara Douglass/Andi Shelton – Mila Kunis

Samantha Ford/Elizabeth Catherine Victoria "Deuce" Erickson – Megan Fox

Denise Calhoun/Zoe Lassiter – Anne Hathaway

Jessalyn Ashby/Eleanor "Len" Townsend – Emily Blunt

Heather Rhodes – Elisha Cuthbert

BTW, one last thing. All of the chapter titles for this story will be parts of famous movie quotes, usually referencing directly or indirectly something that one of the characters has said. Chapter one's title comes from one of Humphrey Bogart's lines as Rick Blaine in Casablanca. You'll see why as you read.

The Valley of Queens

Chapter 1

"Of all the gin joints…"

Opening title sequence and music – Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield – as the title credits begin to flash, early morning shots of attractions in the Nashville area, shots of neighborhoods in the Belle Meade area.

The camera dissolves to a medium shot of Luanne embracing Jennifer at the baggage claim area of the airport. Camera pans around to a close-up of Luanne's hand as she rubbed Jennifer's back dissolving into a close-up of Robby Ray's hand as he is playing guitar for Kylie in their home.

Kylie reaches down to pick up a piece of sheet music. Camera shot then dissolves showing Ariel picking up a sheet of paper off of a desk as she set up a classroom in the school. Ariel smiles and attaches the paper to a clipboard. The camera circles around Ariel and zooms in on the back of the clipboard.

The camera then zooms back out from the clipboard that is now being held by Tamera as she and Jackson direct a stage crew as the setup a concert. Jackson motions for a young blonde woman to retrieve the clipboard from Tamera's hand. The woman takes the clipboard and begins running across the stage. The camera follows her in a close-up shot from behind, pony tail flopping from side to side as she runs.

The camera then circles around to a side view of Lilly in jogging clothes running down a residential street in her neighborhood. The motion shot pans around to a close-up shot from the front of Lilly running then to a close-up of her eyes. That shot transitions to a close-up of Miley's eyes. The camera slowly zooms out to show Miley on the couch in their living room intently reading a script.

Monday, August 9, 2021 – 8:30 am – Miley and Lilly's house – Belle Meade, Tennessee

It was decision day in the Truscott-Stewart household. Earlier in the year, a guest starring role on a Showtime drama earned Miley a slew of positive reviews from TV critics and a phone call from the producer/director of a spinoff of a popular Showtime series that went off the air thirteen years earlier. The producer wanted Miley to audition for one of the lead roles in an ensemble cast for a new drama called West Hollywood that follows the lives of seven lesbians living in West Hollywood, California. Does that plot sound familiar? It should. West Hollywood is the spinoff of The L Word. After a week of contemplation and consultation, Miley decided to audition for the role of Mackenzie Drew, a girl that went to Hollywood to get away from a boring existence in a small mountain town in Georgia. Miley nailed the audition and was immediately told that she was in the running for the role along with one other actress. After several gut-wrenching weeks of waiting, she received word that the role was hers if she wanted it.

But first, there was one thing that worried Miley as she considered the role. The show was being filmed in and around Los Angeles as well as on location in Vancouver, British Columbia, a city used for its visual similarity to Los Angeles and cheaper labor rates. That meant that she would be away from home off and on for four months. Lilly ran a charter school and couldn't pull up and take a four month leave of absence. Their eight-month old son would be uprooted from family and flown across the country.

To her credit, Lilly saw the big picture. She told Miley that she had a golden opportunity staring her in the face and that she would be a fool not to take it. She convinced Miley that unless she wanted to take a chance and wait on a production company to shoot a series or movie in Tennessee that California was where she would want to go. When Miley started feeling guilty about talking Lilly into moving away from California, only to consider going back for part of the year, Lilly reminded her that her family and new found friends were in Tennessee. She reminded Miley that her long time friends, all of the Divas, with the exception of Renee, and Oliver were only a short flight away making Tennessee an ideal place for their home.

On this day, Miley was taking a final look at the script before her agent arrived to get firsthand news of Miley's decision. In February, Robby Ray told her daughter that it was time for her fly and spread her wings professionally and she couldn't do that with Dear Old Dad managing things. As professional as he was with her, he still saw his baby girl in every decision he made and every recommendation her brought to her. To reach the superstar status in the acting world that he believed she could, he decided that someone else could do it better. After consulting everyone that she knew, she chose the last person anyone who knew Miley Ray Stewart would think Miley would choose. Miley turned her professional career guidance over into the capable, shark-like hands of Mikayla's manager, Margo Walters. Margo wasn't Miley's favorite person in the world, but she got along well enough with the woman she once described as 'a pit bull that learned to walk upright' to make the relationship work.

Miley was waiting for Lilly to come back from her late morning run when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Mornin', Bud!"

"Hi Daddy." Miley said with a warm smile. "How are you?"

"I got a spark in my eye and a pep in my step! I'm fine, darlin'." Robby Ray said. "How's my Big Man doin'?"

"R.J.'s fine. He's asleep right now. Lil is out on her run." Miley said. Just then the front door opened and closed. Miley glanced over her shoulder to see Lilly in her baby blue sports bra-spandex short running outfit, purchased at Miley's request as a lasting reminder of a four year-old dream. Lilly had two fingers at the pulse point in her neck and her eyes fixed on her watch as she checked her heart rate. "I take that back. Lil is right here. Hey babe."

"Is R.J. still asleep?" Lilly whispered as she walked over and gave Miley a quick peck on the lips.

"Yeah." Miley replied. "Say hi to Dad."

"Hey Dad!" Lilly said. "Are you and Kylie coming over?"

"Tell her we're leaving the house now. We'll be there in about 25 minutes." Robby Ray said.

"He said…" Miley started.

"I heard him." Lilly replied. "I better go shower."

"One second, Dad." Miley put her hand over the receiver, lowered the earpiece from her ear and lowered her voice to a sexy growl. "Need some help?"

Lilly bent down and tapped the script in Miley's lap with her index finger. "Finish looking over your script. We'll hook up later." Lilly said softly.

"We better. Momma need some lovin'." Miley said.

"Momma gonna get her lovin'. But business and family before pleasure." Lilly said as she turned to walk away, making sure there was a little extra twist in her hips as she walked away.

Miley grinned and took her hand away from the receiver and lifted the earpiece back up to her ear. When she did, she heard something that she didn't want to hear.

"Robbie Ray!" Kylie giggled in the background. "You're daughter is on the phone!"

"And she can hear you!" Miley said. "Jeez! And I thought Lilly and I were bad."

"Miley, I am a grown man that is married to a hot woman. I ain't ashamed of nothin'!" Robby Ray answered.

"Nor should you be; except when your daughter is on the other end of the line." Miley said.

"Aaaanyway…"

"Exactly. Anyway…" Miley said.

"Margo Walters? Are you sure, Bud? That woman has more acid in her than a hippie at Woodstock." Robby Ray said.

"What do you know about Woodstock? You were like eight years old when that happened?" Miley scoffed.

"You get the point. I just want to make sure you're doing the right thing." Robby Ray said.

"Dad, I know that you two didn't get along, but you have to admit that the woman knows Hollywood. In four and a half months, she hasn't steered me wrong yet. I think she's the real deal." Miley said.

"Okay. 'Nuff said. My protective hat is goin' back in the box." Robby Ray said. "Kyle and I are leavin' now."

"Drive safe, Daddy." Miley said sweetly.

"See you soon." Robby Ray said before hanging up.

Miley hung up the phone before taking a deep breath. Deciding that she was finished with the script, she picked up the remote and turned on the television. As soon as the picture came on to the screen, she came face to face with an image of herself.

"… and studio executives are awaiting word from Miley which could come any day now. Lisa Randall, CNN Entertainment News."

"Yeah. Like they're all sitting in a conference room staring at a speaker phone waiting for word from above." Miley chuckled before she continued her channel surfing.

Roughly twenty minutes later, Lilly made her way back down the stairs and into the kitchen in her favorite Pepperdine t-shirt and shorts, the same t-shirt and shorts Miley gave to her the night they declared their love for one another. As she reached the living room, she noticed that the channel was stopped on an episode of The Crew, the Showtime series in which Miley had guest starred earlier in the year. Seconds later, she saw her wife appear on screen with a gun in her hand, ready to shoot.

"This is my favorite part. You were such a badass." Lilly said as she flopped down next to Miley with a bottle of water in her hand. Lilly offered Miley a sip, which Miley graciously accepted.

"They just had to show this episode today." Miley lamented.

"Maybe it's a sign." Lilly said.

"Maybe." Miley said.

"Baby, if you don't want to do it, don't do it." Lilly said. "I have never pressured you into anything in all the years we've know each other and I'm not gonna do it now."

"I'm gonna do it." Miley said. "I'll just miss R.J… and you."

"Jackson and Tamera said they would bring R.J. out to see you while you're on set." Lilly offered. "And as for me, you just keep that missing feeling when you're sucking face with Sara Douglass." Lilly said of one of Miley's rumored co-stars.

"I would be kissing her lips…" Miley said as she leaned into Lilly. "But thinking… of yours." Miley then delivered a slow, erotic kiss that made Lilly whimper slightly. Before things could heat up any further, the phone rang in several short bursts, indicating that someone was at the front gate. "Damn." Miley softly mumbled into Lilly's mouth. She then reluctantly picked up the remote and switched it to the closed-circuit channel. "Daddy and Kylie."

Lilly answered the phone. "Come on through." Lilly then entered into the phone the code to open the gates before hanging up. Lilly and Miley watched Robby Ray navigate his truck through the iron gate. Before it could close, however, they saw a second vehicle, a sports car; zoom through just as the gates were beginning to close. "Aaaand it looks like Margo is here."

"Last time, she piggy-backed off of Jennifer." Miley remembered. "She's gonna rear-end somebody one of these days."

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. As Miley approached the door, she could hear an argument brewing on the other side. When she opened the door, Margo and Robby Ray had picked up their contemptuous relationship right where it left off.

"Woman, that's a $65,000 truck you almost hit! I know you're mean as a rattlesnake but I didn't know you were reckless too!" Robby Ray scoffed.

"Goober, I didn't almost hit your car! I missed you by a good ten feet! You need to clear some of that hayseed out of your ears!" Margo shot back.

"I'll clear the hayseed out of my ears when you have your fangs removed!" Robby Ray shot back.

"Look here Cletus…" Margo started before Kylie spoke up.

"Now that's enough!" Kylie sternly declared. "Rob, you chill out."

"Tell him, Sister!" Margo said.

"And you…" Kylie turned, pointing her finger at Margo. "You cool it with the 'Goober' and 'Cletus'. I happen to have an Uncle Cletus and he is the nicest man in Hamblen County! Now I haven't been to a whole lot of gated houses, but I'm pretty sure you don't come flyin' in behind another car like a bat out of hell! You DID almost hit us and if you do it again OR let me hear you call my husband ANY kind of names that suggest that he's a country bumpkin, even though you have me by like, seventy-five pounds…" Lilly and Miley nearly split a gut holding in the laughter after that put-down. "… I will, and excuse my French; I will whip your ass from here to Nashville and back again! Do you understand me?"

In the moment of tension that followed, Miley and Lilly were still on the verge of hysterical laughter. Robby Ray, standing behind and to the side of his wife, stuck his tongue out at Margo and made the accompanying noise. Kylie whipped her head around and gave him a death glare, making him stop.

Margo sized up Kylie for a moment before extending her hand. "Margo Walters. It's a pleasure to meet you… ma'am." Margo said, emphasizing the 'ma'am' as a sign of respect.

"Kylie Ann Stewart." Kylie said, as she shook Margo's hand. "That's much more ladylike."

Margo released Kylie's hand just before Kylie walked toward Lilly and Miley to greet them. She them stepped up to Robby Ray and patted him twice in the chest. "I like your woman, Goo…" Kylie glanced out of the corner of her eye at Margo daring her to finish that word. "I like her, Rob. She's a real spitfire."

"That's Miss Spitfire to you." Robby Ray said.

"Rob, be the example for your daughters and your grandson." Kylie said as she released her embrace of Lilly. "And speaking of which…"

"He's upstairs." Lilly said.

"Nana is going to go say hi." Kylie said as she made her way to the stairs. Before reaching the stairs, she stopped and without turning around she spoke. "And Rob…"

"I know. Be nice." Robby Ray said. Kylie nodded her head and started up the steps. Margo walked past Robby Ray and made the sound of a whip cracking in his ear. "Bitch." He growled underneath his breath.

Miley smacked her father's arm. "Daddy!"

"Sorry, Bud." Robby Ray said. "Sorry, Margo."

"PFFFT! Please. My ex-husband called me worse on our wedding anniversary." Margo said. "You fussing with me shows me you care."

"About my daughter." Robby Ray added.

"Which is exactly why I'm here." Margo said. "So Miles, Am I calling Leslie and telling her that she found her Mackenzie or are you sitting this one out?"

"I'm in, Margo. I'm Mackenzie Drew." Miley stated plainly. Lilly put her arm around Miley and hugged her with a smile, touching foreheads with her.

Margo pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial to call Leslie Cathan, the creator and executive producer of West Hollywood. "You will not regret this one bit. You will be the next Leisha Hailey when I'm through with you – Leslie! Margo Walters. Miss Stewart is on board. I will fax you the contract before lunch… I know. She's excited too… I'll tell her… Okay… Bye."

"So that's it, huh?" Lilly said.

"That's it, Blondie." Margo said as she looked at Lilly intently. "Are you sure you don't want to get into the business? There are a couple of roles that would be perfect for you."

"No thanks. I love my school and I love my kids. That is my life's work. I educate 'em, Miley entertains 'em." Lilly said. Just then the telephone rang. "Excuse me. Hello?"

"Lilly, it's Ariel. You didn't forget about the new teacher orientation, did you?"

"Shhhhhhhhit!" Lilly whisper-exclaimed.

"It's okay. I can stall them for an hour or so." Ariel said.

"You are a life saver. Lunch at Blackstone on me." Lilly replied. "I'll see you in an hour." She replied before hanging up.

"Your New Teacher Orientation. I forgot all about it. I am so sorry." Miley said.

Lilly stood up and kissed Miley on the forehead. "It's okay. I needed to be here for you. Family over job seven days a week." Lilly said.

"I raised a right fine daughter right there." Robby Ray said.

"Goob, your daughter is right there." Margo said.

"My wife is gonna get you." Robby Ray said.

"She's upstairs." Margo said dismissively.

"Anyway, I feel like Lilly is mine too. She spent just as much time at our house as she did at her own."

"So… if your daughters are married, then isn't that incest?" Margo teased.

"You're a sick woman, Margo Walters… a sick woman." Robby Ray said.

"And on that note… I'm leaving!" Lilly announced. "Dad, I will talk to you later. Margo…" Lilly surprised Margo by bending down and giving her a hug. "Thank you for looking out for Miley's career."

"As long as she pays me, Blondie." Margo said.

"And you…" Lilly said to Miley as the taller woman stood up. "I'll see you tonight to celebrate." Lilly then placed a kiss on Miley's lips that lingered for a few seconds.

"Okay, save some for the set!" Margo exclaimed.

Lilly and Miley giggled. "But save the best for me." Lilly said softly before turning to head upstairs.

It was just after 10 o'clock when Lilly hopped into the car and took off for Green Hills at top speed, hoping that the police didn't have any speed traps waiting for her. Even though she enjoyed New Teacher Orientation day all she could think about was getting back home at the end of the day and holding her son in her arms while Miley held her. Lilly was about to crank some tunes for the 25 minute trip to the school when her cell phone rang. She put her Bluetooth in her ear and answered the call.

"Lilly Stewart."

"You don't believe in checking your caller ID, do you?"

"Renee! How are you sweetie?" Lilly asked of the westernmost member of the Diva brigade.

"Well, I'm following in your footsteps. I quit my job yesterday."

"You WHAT?" Lilly exclaimed. "What happened?"

"The school board fired Dr. Chancellor last week for some stupid bullshit reason and they brought in this nub to be the interim principal and he switched me from English to Science! He moved me to the other wing of the building… half the teachers are ready to walk out AND… Melvin retired." Renee said referring to Melvin, the long-time security guard that Lilly was very fond of.

"He ran Melvin out of the building?" Lilly exclaimed. "Oh my God, Nay! I am so sorry! Well, you know you can have as many recommendation letters as you want. Just tell me who to send them to and when."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." Renee said. "I was thinking about getting away from here."

"Calabasas?" Lilly asked.

"California." Renee said.

"You're not moving back home to Indiana, are you?" Lilly asked, knowing of Renee's dislike of her home state.

"Uhh, hell to the no!" Renee quipped. "I was thinking further south."

"Texas? They have some good school systems there." Lilly said.

"So does Tennessee." Renee said. "Particularly… Nashville."

"Are you getting around to a question?" Lilly asked.

"Well I was thinking…" Renee never finished her sentence.

"You're hired." Lilly said. "When can you start?"

"By the time school starts. I have to pack and hire movers and find a place to live and…"

"I'll ask Jackson to hook you up. When Miley left her ex-husband, Jackson had a moving company at her house packing and moving her stuff within 24 hours." Lilly said. "As for the place to live, you can stay in our guest house until you find a place. I insist."

"I am not going to freeload off of you and Miley. Asking you for a job was hard enough." Renee said.

"Fine. You can babysit our guest house for us." Lilly joked.

"Lil!"

"Nay, bring your cute butt out here so you can educate some chillins'(children) and drive some guy insane with your hair and smile and face and rack." Lilly said.

"See, I knew you liked my boobs." Renee joked.

Lilly laughed. "Call me tomorrow and we'll work out all the details." Lilly said.

"Love you Lilly and thank you."

"Love you too Renee and you're welcome. You helped me through my Bay Laurel mess. I'm just returning the favor."

"Tell Miley I said hi."

"I will. Bye girl."

"Bye."

Lilly hung up the phone and sighed. "Well, the west coast branch of Divas Inc. is closing up shop. But at least Nashville got itself another cutie."

Monday, August 9, 2021 – 10:45 am – Green Hills Academy – Nashville, Tennessee

After a slight traffic delay due to road construction, Lilly walked into Green Hills smoothing down her black pencil skirt and making sure that her silk lilac blouse was right. She then looked down at her feet. Everyone knew she was the wife of a wealthy international pop sensation and up and coming actress, but she didn't want to flaunt it. She always made sure that her school clothing wasn't too expensive with too exclusive a label. As she looked down at her feet, she realized that while she was successful with the rest of her outfit, she failed miserably with her feet as evidenced by the eleven hundred dollar pair of Christian Louboutin pumps she accidentally pulled out of her closet in her haste to get dressed.

"I still can't believe Miley talked me into these shoes." Lilly said to herself before she text messaged Ariel letting her know that she had arrived. Moments later, the woman that Lilly considered to be the cutest forty-six year old woman on the planet, came jogging down the tiled hallway, the echo of her heels clacking reverberating off the cement walls.

"Thank God you're here. I mean I'm funny but I didn't know how many funny stories I had left in me!" Ariel said. "You ready? Let me look at you."

"God, Ariel! You're just like Miley! I really don't dress like Lola, you know." Lilly said of her former alter ego, Lola Lufnagle-Montana.

"Turn! Turn." Ariel said, waving her hand in a circular motion. Lilly completed the turn as Ariel looked Lilly over from head to toe. When Ariel reached Lilly's feet, she paused. "Louboutins, huh? Your shoes cost more than me and Christian's car notes combined!"

"Oh God! I knew they were too much! I didn't bring an extra pair of shoes." Lilly said.

"Don't worry. They won't notice." Ariel assured. "I bet they don't even know how to spell Louboutin."

"I don't know how to spell Louboutin." Lilly joked.

"Let's go, you ninny!" Ariel said, grabbing Lilly by the arm and leading her down to the library, where the meeting of fifteen new teachers was being held. When they got to the door, Ariel stopped. "Stand here. I'll introduce you."

"I'm not John Cena being introduced to an arena full of people." Lilly said of the popular wrestler.

"Just… stand here and take your introduction like a man!" Ariel whisper-yelled before entering the room. Lilly stood patiently as she heard Ariel's introduction. "Ladies and Gentlemen, the founder and principal of Green Hills Academy, Lilly Stewart."

Lilly walked into the room and was greeted with warm applause. She confidently strode to the front of the gathering and leaned on the table behind her with her arms bracing her. She crossed her legs at the ankle and began her speech.

"I want to apologize for being late. Events in my household caused me to lose track of time. Now, I know that Ariel talked your head off until I got here…" There was a round of laughter after Lilly's comment. "But I want to thank you for coming out today and I want to thank you for making the commitment to Green Hills Academy. I told you what was expected of you in your interview and you showed up anyway…" The group once again laughed. "There is one purpose and one purpose only in this school; to give the children that walk through the door the most positive, stimulating educational experience possible. I want this school to be not just the best charter school in the state of Tennessee, but the best school period in the state of Tennessee. And I believe that Ariel and I have assembled the staff that is going to help us get there. My door and my mind are open. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, musings or just the general 'I-want-to-throw-that kid-out-the-window' rant…" The group laughed yet again. "… lay it on me. Education is serious business but it should also be fun; for the students and the teachers. Now, please, mingle amongst yourselves. I want to make sure I talk to everybody, then we will get some lunch and do a little Q and A before we call it a day. Thank you all very much and welcome to Green Hills Academy. Go Hornets!"

Everyone stood up and began mingling; introducing themselves to those that they didn't get a chance to before the session began. Lilly wanted to work the room, but didn't get a chance to as teacher after teacher stopped her where she stood. Lilly believed that she had assembled the finest group of young teachers in the Volunteer state and she was proud of them even before the first student crossed the threshold for the new school year.

"Thank you Jim. If anything in the gym doesn't work for you, let me know." Lilly said.

"I will. Thank you Lilly." The young man said.

As the next teacher stepped forward, Lilly's already bright eyes seemed to brighten a little more. In her mind, this young woman had all the makings of the next great educator. During her interview, Ashleigh Madison Carter displayed to Lilly and Ariel the same heart-on-the-sleeve emotion that Lilly displayed to Miley the night Miley first discovered that she was in love with Lilly. She recalled the struggle her mother had as a single parent trying to make ends meet for four children and how she vowed to give back to the educational system that gave her the hope and the chance for a better future than her childhood poverty suggested was possible. She described the work she did as a student in the poorer areas of Nashville and how that experience made her appreciate the value of a good education. Lilly recalled saying to Ariel that there was no way they could let this one get away. It was that remembrance that brought a beaming smile to Lilly's face as the woman that preferred to be called by her middle name approached.

"Madison Carter." Lilly smiled and extended her hand. "Great to have you here."

"It's great to be here." Madison said. "I am beyond excited and nervous and this is only orientation." Madison said with a giggle.

"Well save a little bit of that enthusiasm for the kids." Lilly said. "And there is nothing for you to be nervous about…" Lilly reached out and touched Madison's arm. "… they are going to love you. And you'll definitely keep the boys' attention if you know what I mean."

Madison laughed. "Trust me; they will be breaking their necks trying to get sent to the Principal's office." Madison then leaned in closer. "Especially if you wear killer Louboutins."

Lilly nodded her head making a mental note to tell Ariel that someone outed her shoes. She then looked down at Madison's feet. "Or killer Chelseas." Lilly said of her friend Raven's Chelsea line of shoes.

"My one splurge for 2021." Madison joked.

Lilly chuckled. "Now that we've exchanged the standard, yet true, compliments on our obvious beauty and impeccable taste in high-end footwear…" Madison laughed again. "… let me know if there is anything you need." Lilly extended her hand to shake. Madison pressed her hand into Lilly's.

"I will. Thank you Lilly." Madison said warmly.

Before letting go of Madison's hand, Lilly had one more thing to add as she lowered her voice. "I see a lot of me in you. Just be yourself and let the real you shine and you will rock this place." Lilly encouraged.

Madison beamed. Her megawatt smile was on full display. She winked at Lilly. "I will channel you every chance I get."

"Atta girl." Lilly said. "I'll see you after lunch." With that, Lilly released Madison's hand, placed a hand on her shoulder then moved on to find Ariel.

Madison took a deep breath and smiled a toothless smile as she watched Lilly walk away, but not before summing up her feelings the way she normally did – by quoting from a movie. She decided that Humphrey Bogart's Rick Blaine from Casablanca would be her muse for the day. "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

You have reached the end of chapter one of The Valley of Queens. What do you think so far? I need you to help me with something. As of today, my personal best for the number of reviews for any of my stories is 284 reviews for Love Conquers All. I want to surpass that. I think you all can do it, as a matter of fact, I know you all can do it. I love reading reviews, especially the ones in which you share your gut reaction. So please, share them. Review every chapter, even if it is just to say "Nice job" or "More please" or "I didn't like [fill in the blank]". I want to thank you in advance for reading this story. Your encouragement brought me back and your reviews and PM's will keep me going. I love you all and I am as excited to write this story as you are to read it. I will be back for chapter two. And as always…

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