*NOTE: I realize that these stories are very happy and optimistic, with only a few instances of conflict and sadness. But that's generally the way I intended them to be. Mainly, because people don't want to read a depressing story, usually. And besides that, the show itself is rather upbeat.
**This story takes place 10-12 years after "Meant to Be" part I&II, and 0-2 years after Part V.
Meant to Be: Part VI:
It's Something Beyond Love
Previously:
"Oliver I've got some great news! I don't know how you're gonna take it though." Lilly said lightly.
"This isn't about not having to change Jimmy's diapers anymore is it?" Oliver asked playfully.
"Noo! It's not!" Lilly said good-humoredly.
"Then what is it Lilly?" Oliver asked as Jimmy's head came to rest on Oliver's shoulder and he fell peacefully asleep.
"Oliver I'm pregnant again." Lilly said quietly.
"Lilly that's wonderful."
"So what is it?" Oliver asked quietly, so he wouldn't wake Jimmy. "It's a girl." Lilly replied, softly. Oliver was overjoyed with this news. Not that having a boy was a bad thing it was just that the suspense of not knowing would have eaten away at him. Also, he was sure he'd love having a daughter. Maybe someday she'd start dating her goofy best friend the way Lilly had.
They walked farther down the beach. Jimmy was still sleeping soundly with his head resting on Oliver's left shoulder. "So what do you think Oliver?" asked Lilly. "I'm so happy, Lilly!" Oliver said unintentionally loudly. Jimmy's eyes fluttered open and he stared up at his father. "I'm sorry Jimmy." Oliver said.
They gradually walked off the sand of the beach. They then made their way into a beautiful and seemingly endless field of flowers. Oliver picked one and handed it to Lilly. She smiled and said "So what do you think we should name our daughter?" "I don't know Lilly how about…" he was cut off by Jimmy. "Rose." Jimmy said, fingering at the flower (rose) in Lilly's hand, with his tiny little fingers. "Oh my gosh Oliver, he just said his first word!" Lilly exclaimed. "Wait a minute, that's it: Rose! We'll name her Rose. It was Jimmy's first word and it's a beautiful name. And your name is Lilly, that's another name of a flower. Soon I'll have my two beautiful flowers, Lilly and Rose!" said Oliver. Oliver looked around the field for a lily and sure enough he found a patch of them, he picked one out and handed it to Lilly. She smiled and kissed him over Jimmy's head.
"You know what that was my mother's middle name and my grandmothers' first name. So that fits even better," said Lilly, "And her middle name can be Nancy." "I think my mom would've liked that," Oliver said, "After all Jimmy's middle name is just my name; James Oliver Oken." Lilly leaned down and kissed Jimmy on his cheek. "Thank you Jimmy, you're already showing signs of brilliance!" Lilly said.
-1 Year Later-
"I love Oliver so much!" Lilly said. "He's so sweet; he's always been that way. He's so caring, and considerate. He's becoming such a great father." "I don't know where I would've been without him, if I hadn't met him all those years ago." She said. "You know I started liking him when I held his hand for having a pack of crayons. You probably think that's silly, don't you?" Lilly said. "I love him so much, but since we had kids, it's become something beyond love. But what's beyond love? Total happiness with a person? What do you think?" she asked. "At this point you couldn't care less, could you?" Lilly said.
Jimmy said nothing at first. He just smiled at his mother. Of course, he couldn't fathom what she was talking about at the ripe old age of two years old. So he simply climbed up on her legs, hugged her around the neck, and said "I love you mommy!" Lilly smiled and put her hand around him and hugged him tight. "I love you too Jimmy, but we're gonna have to do something about this long hair of yours!" "Daddy likes it!" Jimmy exclaimed. "I know he does, he wants you to look just like he did." said Lilly. Jimmy just smiled back at her. He had such a happy personality, but who could blame him, that's just how his parents where.
All of a sudden in walked Oliver with a sleeping, three month old Rose Oken in his arms. "She looks so peaceful, doesn't she Lilly?" said Oliver. "Rose!" shouted Jimmy playfully. "Shh, she's sleeping." Oliver told him. Jimmy calmed down and joined them in looking at her. "She looks just like you did in your baby pictures; you know the ones on the old style two dimensional photo paper? Except for those green eyes." Oliver said. "Yeah she got those eyes from you." Lilly answered. "She's so beautiful, just like her mother." Oliver said. Lilly kissed him. "Not in front of the kid!" said Jimmy. He was referring to himself. He had picked up the expression from Jackson, who had recently married his fiancée Marlene Bouvier.
Lilly and Oliver had gotten Marlene to be Roses' godmother. Oliver's younger brother Owen was chosen to be The Godfather to Rose. He was still a little bent out of shape about Robbie Ray being chosen as The Godfather for Jimmy but he was happy to take the role for Rose. Owen was not married yet, but he was in a long term relationship with a girl he had met in college.
Miley and Jake had been fighting a lot recently. "Jake you're not listening…" she would say. "No you're not listening, we never do anything my way! It's always your way or the high way! And stop bothering me about having kids. I already told you my career is too busy! And besides I don't want kids!" Jake shouted back. Miley simply stormed off with tears soaking her face. What they both didn't know was that they were both in for surprises.
1 Year Later
Things had not gotten any better for Jake and Miley over the past year. They only fought longer and harder. Jake's directing career was an utter failure, but his ego wouldn't let him admit it. Miley still wanted to have a baby very badly. But Jake wasn't wavering on the issue.
Lilly and Oliver went to bed one night and agreed not to get that way in their relationship. Even though Miley was their best friend, they knew their relationship was stronger than Jake and Miley's.
One day Lilly and Miley decided to have a picnic on the beach. Oliver was a ways down the beach with a precocious three year old Jimmy and the now walking one year old Rose. "How do you and Oliver stay so stable with each other? You never seem to argue about things. You always seem to be able to figure things out together. Jake and I get into fights about every little thing. We were so great together when we first got married. But now it's like we've grown apart so much. What's your secret, how do you and donut… I'm sorry Oliver do it?" pleaded Miley.
"First of all we do argue about things. There are times he doesn't think things are important, that mean a lot to me. But most of the time he knows what has meaning to me. And he makes it have meaning to him. He and I have always had this thing going, even before you moved here from Tennessee all those years ago. We just work really well together. And we can always seem to work through a problem, without letting it get under our skin. He always seems to come through for me when I need him. And I do the same for him. But there are some things about my relationship with Oliver that I just can't explain. I love him so much. I love him more and more every day. It's become something far beyond love. I can't even describe it Miley. I feel like I've told that to you before." Lilly said.
"No I've never heard you say that before. But it sounds incredibly wonderful Lilly. I wish I knew what that felt like, I really do!" said Miley. "Well if it wasn't you that I said that to, then who was it? All I remember is they didn't say much back. Oh well, you're right it is a wonderful thing!" said Lilly, cheerfully.
"I mean you know you and Oliver have a wonderful life together. You love each other so much. You have two amazing kids and you're great parents. I wish I could have that with Jake but he really doesn't want to have kids, and I think that is driving him away from me. I don't really know what to do; I know eventually there's going to be nothing left if we don't find a way to deal with it." Miley said.
Just then Miley's phone rang with the ringer from her old hit Hannah Montana theme "The Best of Both Worlds". It was Jake. Miley's face went from sad to angry over the space of the next ten minutes.
Miley began to cry so hard she was shaking and her face got very red. "Oh Miley what's wrong? What did he say?" Lilly said, giving her a one armed hug from the side.
"He said he's… he's filing for a divorce." Miley gasped through tears.
There was a song that popped into Lilly's head, which really captured the moment. She had heard it years back. It was about people separating. It was called "Good Life" by Francis Dunnery. It went:
Softly Now,
You owe it to the world
And everyone knows that you're my favorite girl
But there's some things in life that are not meant to be
I'm not meant for you and your not meant for me
Here's to our problems
And here's to our fights
Here's to our achings
And here's to you having a Good life
From Me
Good Life
Softer Now,
You owe it to yourself
And don't think that you will be left on the shelf
Cause there's someone for you and there's someone for me
Like me you'll meet them eventually
Here's to your lover
And here's to my wife
Here's to your children and here's to you having a good life
From Me
Good Life
"Oh Miley are you sure there's nothing you can do? Did he say he'd talk it through with you?" Lilly said desperately. "No there's nothing I can do. He won't even consider waiting. He says I'm holding him back. He blames me for his directing career being a failure. And he said he couldn't stand all the talk about trying to start a family, like you have. Here's the real kicker. I'm pregnant despite all his objections." Miley said. "Oh wow Miley. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to tell him and that way he'll have to stay?" Lilly asked. "No I'm gonna sign the divorce papers, and I'm not gonna tell him anything about the baby. I actually think it'll be better this way. I wouldn't want him to stay with me just because I'm having his daughter. I'll be better off without him. Besides I've got my two best friends to help me out. You guys are already parents so you can help me with it a little. What would you say if I asked you and Oliver to be the godparents?" Miley said. "Of course!" said Lilly.
"I've actually got something I need to tell you, and Oliver." Lilly said. Just then Jackson and his wife Marlene came walking up to them on the beach.
"Hey Miles guess what? Me and Marlene are having a baby! It's a boy so he's gonna be Robbie Rod Stewart!" exclaimed Jackson, who's middle name was Rod. "Why so sad lil' sis?" Asked Jackson. "I'm getting divorced Jackson, and I'm having a kid too." Miley said feelingly. "I never win nothin'. I mean I'm so sorry Miles." Jackson said wholeheartedly. Jackson hugged his sister and told her everything would be alright.
"So wow, we're both gonna be parents around the same time, huh Jackson?" Miley said. "Yeah, we can all take them places together; you, me, and the Okens. It'll be fun, all nine of us!" said Jackson enthusiastically. "Sounds like a lot of fun Jackson." said Miley, honestly.
"Wasn't there something you said you wanted to tell me and Oliver?" Miley asked Lilly. Lilly looked at her funny for a second. "Oh yeah. Well to tell the truth it won't be the nine of us!" Lilly said strangely.
"What do you mean Lilly?" Miley asked perturbed. Just then Oliver walked up behind them, unbeknownst to Lilly, with Jimmy and Rose in tow.
"What I mean is you won't be going to those places with only nine people." Lilly said happily. "Who else is there Lilly? There's me, Jackson, Marlene, their kid, my kid, you, Oliver and you're two kids. Jakes out of the picture, so I didn't miss anyone." Miley said.
"You hit the nail right on the head when you said my two kids." Lilly said. "What do you mean?" asked Miley. "I mean right around the time you and Marlene have your kids it's going to become my three kids!" Lilly said, with a small grin on her face, still unaware that Oliver was directly behind her. "What's that supposed to mean Lilly?" asked Miley looking suspicious.
"Well I'm pregnant too, I'm having another boy!" exclaimed Lilly.
"Uhh what now?" asked Oliver, who was also perturbed. Lilly turned around and smiled. Oliver smiled back at her, because they both knew that no matter what happened they would only find joy in it. And whatever that joy may bring, they knew it was meant to be.
-To Be Continued-
Notes to the Readers:
*I hope you enjoyed this eighth installment of my "Meant to Be" saga.
** There are still at least one, most likely two installments yet to come. If there is still more inspiration, I may write more than that. Only time will tell.
*** The next installment (Part VII) will once again take place where this part left off, and then jump into the future by one year, at some point in the story. At that point Jimmy will be four years old, Rose will be two, and the other three children will be several months old.
****In case anyone would like to hear the song mentioned, I recommend it, it is a very touching song that does apply to this particular part of the story. It's called "Good Life" by Francis Dunnery. You can find it on YouTube by following this link: .com/watch?v=PuRY44kD2Gk&feature=channel_page
I highly recommend it!! It's both an upbeat song and a sad one at the same time.
*****Once I have posted what I think is the final installment (Maybe Part VIII), I will post the entire saga under one entry, with the different parts as chapters.
****** Reviews are much appreciated!!