PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTE
A/N:First off this is a prequel for one of my story ideas listed in my profile that you can vote for by review or poll.
Second, this will contain major spoilers for the movie.
Third for the story the movie takes place in the middle of Season Three of Hannah Montana, after "What I Don't Like About You" and before "Promma Mia".
Forth this will contain a character from Wizards of Waverly Place so only one character is crossing over, which is why I didn't put this in the crossover category.
And fifth Miley and Travis will be kind of OOC for reasons you'll find out soon.
Disclaimer for entire story: I don't own Hannah Montana/The Movie or the character from WOWP.
"Talking/Stressing"
"Thinking/Stressing"
A Turn for the Worst, or Is It?
Narrator's POV
To say Miley Stuart was upset with her current situation was an understatement. Right now she was ridding in a truck with her brother, father, and a dog to their home in Crowley Corners, Tennessee. Now I'm sure you're wondering why she would be upset to go back to her hometown. Well you see, she had no idea that she was going back to Tennessee. When she was on the plane she thought she was heading to New York for the World Music Awards where Hannah Montana would be taking Beyoncē's place in the event. But as soon as she got off the plane she didn't see the airport surrounded by buildings and busy streets, instead she saw miles of green grass, a cow, and her brother in the blue pickup truck that she was riding in now.
Even though the thought of missing the Music Awards was very displeasing to Miley, there was another reason why she wanted to go to New York so badly. Not only would attending the Music Awards have been an awesome opportunity for Hannah's career, but she also wanted to spend time with an old and special friend of hers who lived in New York. She hadn't seen that friend in three years and was looking forward to finally being with him again, but of course it didn't happen that way. And if she was really honest with herself, she was more upset about not seeing her friend again than missing the Music Awards.
Unfortunately she couldn't exactly tell her father that because first, he or nobody for that matter didn't know about her friend and second he'd ask her questions that were way too risky for her to answer. So Miley's only choice to persuade her dad to change his mind is to work with the Hannah Montana reason for now.
Miley's POV
"Dad, come on. Yeah maybe I should've remembered grandma's birthday," I said to him looking at him with a desperate face.
"I did," Jackson replied to me in a smugly way.
However I was definitely not in the mood for his attitude. I was too upset as it is and I didn't need him to make it worse.
"Jackson not now," I told him in a distressed voice, letting him know I was serious.
That had shut him up and now that he was taken care of, I turned my attention back to my dad.
"Dad, please Hannah Montana needs to be walking down the red carpet in New York in less than three hours."
"And Miley needs to be with the boy she hasn't seen in three long years right now!" I thought angrily to myself just thinking about missing a good chance to see him again.
"Miley all you ever wanted to do was sing. Hannah let you do that and still have a normal life. That was the dream, remember? …That's why we created her in the first place," my dad said to me.
As if I didn't know that, but the thing is he is the one that really doesn't know. It's true that I've always wanted to sing, but he doesn't know why. He doesn't know that singing was something that I used to do all the time with my best friend in the world. That friend was the one who even got me into singing in the first place and every time I sing it reminds me of the good times we shared. What he also doesn't know is the real reason Hannah Montana was created. Yes Hannah gives me a normal life, but she also gives me protection from dangerous people that would find me if they knew who I really was. If he did know that then maybe he would understand why she's so important to me. However I can't tell him the truth because that could put my father in serious danger and I don't think I could handle losing another dad again.
"To be honest I don't know what she's about anymore," my dad continued, surprising me out of my thoughts.
"What are you saying?" I asked him, not understand where he was going with all of this.
"I'm trying to say that I think we might be done."
Now I knew exactly what he was talking about, and I didn't like it one bit.
"You can't take Hannah away from me," I declared with certainty to him.
I refuse to let him take away one of the three things I have left that reminded me of my real past. Hannah helped me to keep my true memories alive and if she's taken from me I'm afraid I might eventually lose who I really am.
"Oh, yeah cause that's what I'm do'n," he stated firmly with finality present in his voice, which broke the final straw for me.
"No! Stop the truck. I'm not doing this. I wanna go home," I demanded in a very upset way as I unbuckled my seat belt.
Since I noticed we were still moving, I realized he wasn't taking me seriously so this time I yelled.
"Stop the truck!"
That did the trick as I heard the tires come to a screeching halt. I hurriedly got out of the truck with my suitcase and took the rest of my belongings out of the trunk. My dad too came out of the truck as I started walking away from them.
"You are home. Look around you!" announced my dad.
"This place hasn't been my home for many years," I mentally contradicted him.
"Hannah means everything to me," I responded dejected as I continued walking away.
He just had no idea whatsoever how true my words were. Without Hannah I could never sing again and if I happened to sing without the disguise then he and I would most likely be forced to run away again. Not only would I have to leave this life behind and start another one, but he would have to do the same and I know it would hurt him so much if we had to leave again.
"And that right there just might be the problem," was what my father implied that made me stop and turn around to face him.
"So that's it. He thought that I gained a big head and let the celebrity life get to me. But that wasn't true. So I was late to my concert, stuff like that just happens sometimes. Sure I missed Jackson leaving, but it's not like I didn't try after I realized how late it was. Yeah I started a fight over a pair of shoes, but I was trying to get them for Lilly. And I showed up to her party as Hannah, but it's not like I wanted to I had no choice…….Ok so maybe all those things could've been prevented if I hadn't gone with Vita shopping as Hannah and went as Miley. But my want to go to New York over grandma's birthday is a lot more complicated than he realizes so that one doesn't actually count. But maybe he does have a point, yet that doesn't mean that I can't still be Hannah…right?" I contemplated to myself as fear started getting a hold on me.
"So you're saying I can never be Hannah again?" I asked my dad as casually as I could so my fear won't show.
"Ask me again in two weeks. Right now let's see if that country girl still exists."
"Two weeks!" I shouted back in surprise.
There was no way I could do this for one day, let alone two weeks. It's been too long since I did anything remotely country and now I have to remember all the things I tried so hard to block in order to succeed.
"Think of it as a Hannah detox. Now come on take that wig off and get back in the truck."
I wanted to scream. I just can't do it, I won't do it. It's just too much for me to handle alone and even though it's not the exact same Tennessee I was born in, it's still close enough to bring back all those horrible memories that happened to me when I was here.
"No!... I'm not getting back in the truck…No way," I proclaimed firmly, yet I knew I choked up some of the pain and desperation I felt through my words.
I marched away from him and stubbornly sat down by the fence using my suitcase as a seat giving him a hard glare. I was not going to continue with this. I'm not going back to my so called home. I could get to New York without them, all I had to do was call him and I'd be there in no time. And as soon as they're out of sight that's exactly what I'm going to do. I saw the "unbelievable" look he was giving me, which made me feel angrier that he didn't know the seriousness of how I truly felt about my current situation.
"I'm not getting back in the truck Dad! I'm going to New York whether you like it or not and I am not… " I didn't get a chance to finish my sentence as a horse surprised me by taking my wig off.
It was as if the universe was mocking me and saying you can't be Hannah anymore. My dad was just telling me that Hannah may be over and then a horse suddenly takes away from me the main thing that makes me Hannah. Well there was no way I'm taking that sitting down. I started getting up trying to get my wig back from the horse.
"Give that back you mange little…" I was uttering in frustration until what my dad said next made me stop and turn around to face him.
"Look at that, the girl doesn't even recognize her own horse. Now that truly is sad."
I took a look at the horse and the memories of me with this horse came in my mind.
"Blue Jeans?" I asked myself as I climbed over the fence to get a better look at the horse.
"Why don't you just meet us at the house. It's just about a mile up the road," I heard my father say before he got back in the truck.
"Don't forget your suitcase!" he shouted back before he started the truck and drove off.
"Well in my defense, I never actually met you." I told Blue Jeans, which was the truth.
All I had to work with were the memories that were given to me. I took another observation of Blue Jeans to make sure that I would recognize him this time.
"At least you look the way I'm supposed to know you look…except for the tail. You didn't change it on me did you?" I lightheartedly joked to Blue Jeans.
I realized that this was the perfect time for me to make that call and be on my way to New York. I headed for my suitcase to get my special cell phone when a thought occurred to me.
"If I leave now dad will get suspicious and/or angry and then Hannah would be gone for good."
With that in mind I knew the only way to make sure Hannah still survived was to go along with my dad's ultimatum and rough it in this place for two weeks. So I got my wig back from Blue Jeans and regrettably packed it away along with my jacket and top shirt. After I finished packing I couldn't help smiling as I thought about riding a horse again. I used to like doing it and it was always fun for me. I was a little shaky, but I managed to get on Blue Jeans successfully.
"Good boy. Alright now help me out," I said to him, hoping that he would allow me to ride him.
I learned that dealing with animals was one of the riskiest things for me because they had this sixth sense that let them know that I didn't belong despite how many false memories were put in them. So I was trying to be extra careful with handling Blue Jeans.
"Hold still." I instructed him as I reached for my suitcase.
Unfortunately it seems Blue Jeans is one of those animals that are uncomfortable with my presence. As I just barely touched my suitcase he started moving, which made me fall off of him and hit the grass hard. I immediately got up to run and catch him, but I stopped noticing that Blue Jeans was running away from me too fast.
"Blue Jeans! …Blue Jeans!" I called out hoping that would somehow stop the horse.
It was then that I sensed him. I quickly turned around in the direction I felt him in time to see a boy riding by on a horse chasing down Blue Jeans. A smile broke out on my face at the knowledge that he was actually here right now. Even though he looked completely different I knew it was him, yet the question of why soon came to my mind as I went back to where my suitcase was. As I finished doing a short check of my belongings, I stood back up when I saw him approaching me with Blue Jeans secured behind him. As he came to a halt and got off the horse, I was trying to think of what to say to him. Though he beat me to the punch, giving me a warm smile while tipping his hat.
"Hi…you're alright?......I learned Blue Jeans doesn't take well to strangers, especially not girly sparkly ones," he greeted with a chuckle as he glanced at me.
"I know. He's my horse," I answered, knowing he would get the secret meaning behind my words.
He raised his brow for a moment before a small smirk formed on his lips.
"I see. Well you're not doing a very good job of acting like he is," he said teasingly, letting me know that he had been watching my little ordeal with Blue Jeans.
"Hey, it's been a very long time since I last rode a horse you know," I reminded him, which made him laugh again.
"Right, sometimes I forget."
I still saw the humor flicker across his face so I decided to have my own fun with him.
"Besides, I remember you being afraid of them," I remarked in a smug voice.
By the way he avoided eye contact with me, I knew I got him with that one.
"It was ponies and as you can see I had to get over it," he muttered in an uncaring tone while he still averted his eyes from me.
It figures that only he could make me feel better when I was having a rough day. Nevertheless it was time to be serious, so I put on my "time for real talking" face and asked the question that's been on my mind for a while now.
"So, what are you doing here…Justin?" I asked him, putting emphasis on his name to let him know I wanted an answer.
He turned to face me and then the expression on his face became pensive as he stared at me for a moment before speaking.
"It's Travis. Travis Brody, we were in the first grade together, me and you went up to your Uncle Earl's pond and swam and got poison oak all over our…"
"I remember you now," I interrupted after the memories he mentioned and others with "Travis" fused with my memories here.
"I also remember you…hanging me head first down a well?" I questioned giving him a confused look, wondering why he put that memory in.
He slightly lowered his head to prevent meeting my eyes before he spoke again.
"Yeah I had a huge crush on you back then. Don't worry about it…I'm over it," he answered in a strict voice that unexpectedly cut my heart like a knife.
I honestly didn't think those words would hurt me so much. I knew we had a complex and difficult history, especially in our relationship. He was my very first friend and boyfriend and even though we agreed it was important to date other people, apparently a place in my heart still wanted him the most. But he just made it clear that it was best for us to ignore those feelings and move on with our current lives.
"Good to know," I told him, deep down knowing that that was a huge lie.
He didn't make an indication whether he knew I was lying or not, yet I'm sure he does since he knows me so well. However he soon faced me again with a small smile on his face.
"As for the reason why I'm here…I'm working for you grandma over the summer."
I gave him a playful shove on his arm for that little joke and gazed at him with an intense look.
"Now give me the real reason."
His face turned grim as his voice took a more firm tone.
"When you called me to tell me you were coming to New York and I sensed that you were heading here instead, I figured something must have happened."
"Got that right," I told him in an agitated voice, thinking about what my dad had done.
"I was really worried about you. I thought something bad might have happened to you," he replied in a solemn voice, gazing directly into my eyes.
It was then that I understood. He knew I would never come to Tennessee of my own free will because of all the painful things that happened to me. He was scared that they had found me and brought me here as a means to torture me and lure him out. I couldn't blame him for thinking that, I have no doubt that they would do that to me if they found me and use me to get him too. I didn't need to be an empath like he was to understand exactly what he must have been feeling. So I gave him a comforting hug to which he graciously returned.
" I'm ok. I promise," I whispered reassuringly to him with my head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad. If anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd…"
"I know," I quickly interrupted, both of us tightening our hold on the other.
We stayed like this for a few more minutes, allowing us to non-verbally, yet comfortingly let out our hidden troubled emotions. We eventually broke away from the hug and then he started chucking.
"What's so funny?" I asked him, wondering why he was laughing.
He sent me a bittersweet smile, but with a unreadable expression on his face.
"This is much harder than I thought it would be."
I let my own bittersweet smile adorn my lips, realizing exactly what he was talking about.
"Yeah, same here."
A remorseful expression briefly crossed his face before it turned into a causal one.
"Come on, why don't you tell me about happened on the way to the house," he suggested as he pulled the horses closer to us.
"Ok," I agreed before he started loading my belongings on Blue Jeans and helping me get on his horse.
After I was settled he talked to the horse before he easily get on it. This reminded me of his ability to communicate with animals (among other things that no one else could ever hope to talk to), which is why they never gave him any trouble like they did with me. Just then a certain dilemma occurred to me.
"Wait, he doesn't know I'm Hannah Montana! What am I going to tell him!"
IMPORTANT A/N: From this point on I will be referring Travis/Justin as Travis. Only Miley will call him Justin on rare occasions. So please keep in mind that for the whole story Travis Brody is actually Justin Russo in disguise.
Normal POV
"So your Dad thinks you've spent too much time in California and wants to see if you can revitalize your country girl roots for at least two weeks?" asked Travis as him and Miley were riding on his horse down the road.
"Yep that pretty much sums it up."
"And it's not like I'm lying to him. I'm just leaving some things out," she added mentally to herself.
"I guess that means you're in trouble then," stated Travis with a grin on his face.
"Excuse me?" Miley asked in an "I can't believe you just said that" voice.
"Come on Mile, you said yourself it's been a long time since you've done any "country" things. Honestly after everything we've been through I'm surprised you still have your accent," he answered in a truthful way, causing a humph to come from Miley.
"And here I thought you of all people would be supportive," declared Miley, making a smile appear on Travis's face.
"I never said I wasn't going to help you. And between you and me I'm kind of looking forward to learning how things work around here."
This made her smile, knowing that "Travis" could never resist taking a chance to learn about new things.
"Then I guess we both will be trying to find our "country roots" then," Miley positively affirmed.
"I reckon so," Travis remarked bringing his accent more into those words, making Miley laugh.
After Miley stopped laughing, Travis decided to ask her more about her current situation.
"So why does your dad think you've spent too much time in California anyway? You're hanging out with too many celebrities," he teased.
Miley hesitated for a moment before she decided to answer his question.
"Yeah actually. I'm very good friends with Hannah Montana. I saved her life surfing one day and we just became close friends afterwards. I guess my dad thought we were spending too much time together or something."
"Lucky you. I really like her you know."
"You do?" Miley asked surprised that he was actually one of her fans.
"Yeah, maybe you could get me an autograph," replied Travis, turning his head slightly to give her a grin.
Miley was happy and relieved to know that he actually liked both sides of her and grinned back at him.
"I'm sure I can."
When they finally reached the house, Travis got off the horse and then helped Miley off next.
"Well here we are," announced Travis with a warm smile on his lips.
"J…Travis there's something I want to tell you," Miley stated as she began fidgeting with her fingers from nervousness.
Travis could feel Miley's nervousness, so he took her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.
"Take your time," he told her calmly, bringing a small smile to her lips
"I'm…I'm Ha…happy that you're here."
"Darn it! Why didn't you just tell him your Hannah Montana you big coward!" Miley thought, frustrated with herself for wimping out like that.
Miley was so caught up with being angry at herself that when Travis placed a small kiss on her forehead she was startled and tripped. Luckily he had caught her before she fell and now they both were laughing at the situation.
"I'm happy I'm here too," he proclaimed after he pulled her up and let go of her.
He then went to Blue Jeans to remove her suitcase and then brought Blue Jeans up to where his horse was. Miley realizing that he was going to take Blue Jeans back to the stables quickly went in front of Travis to stop him.
"You don't have to do that," said Miley.
"Actually I do, it's my job remember?" Travis replied giving her an "it's ok look".
Her face softened as she slowly moved out of his way, allowing him to get back on his horse.
"At least let me help..."
"You should get inside, their probably waiting for you."
Miley sighed in defeat knowing that he wasn't going to let her help him and that was that.
"I guess I'll see you around then," she replied in a hopeful voice.
"Oh, you defiantly will," he stated giving her a wink, before gripping the ropes on the horse ready to leave.
"See ya…David," whispered Miley with a huge smile on her face.
"See ya around…Destiny," whispered back Travis with his own large grin, before he rode off with Blue Jeans.
"Maybe this won't be so bad after all," thought Miley before she grabbed her suitcase and entered the house.
A/N: What do you think?
And yes, I purposefully let them call each other David and Destiny at the end. For those who noticed, those are the real names of the actors and I did that on purpose too, but they will have different last names and I'm not using their real names to represent the actual actors. The only reason I'm using their real first names is because of symbolism for the story, which you'll find out much later. So please no comments about me breaking the rules because I'm not.
Other than that hope you liked the chapter and if you've seen the movie you should realize that this will become a Justin/Miley pairing.
Also don't forget to check my profile to vote on story ideas!
