Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel, That's So Productions, Brookwell-McNamara Entertainment, It's A Laugh Productions and Warren & Rinsler Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.
The Best of Both Worlds
Chapter 2
Lilly of the Valley
Sunday, September 17, 2017, 11 am Pacific Standard Time – Lilly Truscott's apartment, Thousand Oaks, California
There was no doubt in the mind of Lilly Truscott that she loved her best friend Miley Stewart. She loved her when she was just the new hick from Tennessee. She loved her when she discovered she was the alter ego of pop sensation Hannah Montana. She even loved her during the time she calls "The Dark Ages", the five and a half years that Miley Stewart was Miley Ryan.
Indeed, there was no doubt that she loved Miley. The question that was forming in her mind was why did it feel like she was developing more than just friendly feelings for her? In all the years of their friendship, she had never looked at Miley in that way. When they were teenagers, she thought Miley was pretty. When Miley got married, she thought Miley was the most beautiful bride she had ever seen. But that was looking at her purely as a best friend. So what changed in the last five years that changed the way Lilly looked at Miley? It all started with beginning of the end of Miley's marriage.
FLASHBACK (Sunday, December 11, 2016, 2 pm – Lilly's apartment, Thousand Oaks)
"Miles, what's wrong?" Lilly said, ushering a sobbing Miley over to the couch.
"I can't take his shit anymore!" Miley said, tears flowing like a river. "Every day I stay in that house with him, a small part of me dies!" Miley pauses to allow more sobs to pass her lips. "Some days I wake up… and I don't even know who I am. It's… all Jake, all the time!" Miley flopped her head onto Lilly's shoulder as she cried. "He doesn't care about me."
"Shhh. He's not worth the tears you're shedding." Lilly whispered softly. She was startled when Miley suddenly shot straight up where she sat.
"FUCKING… EGOMANIACAL PRICK!" Miley shouted as her entire body tensed. "I wasted FIVE YEARS OF MY FUCKING LIFE ON THAT ASSHOLE!" Miley's sobbing intensified. "I WANT MY LIFE… BACK!" Miley then collapsed into Lilly's lap and sobbed. "I want my life back!"
Lilly felt the most overwhelming onset of tears in her life descend upon her. She was caught at the epicenter of the blast that was Miley's heart breaking. She rocked Miley in her arms as they both wept. Miley wept out loud, Lilly wept silently. After several minutes of crying had subsided, Lilly wiped her tears and did the same for Miley, who was now numb from the tremendous outpouring of emotion.
"It's not much, but this is your home for as long as you need it." Lilly said with delicate softness. "I'll fix up the guest bedroom. We just need to get you some clothes. Is he home?"
"He's… in Michigan… shooting a Lifetime movie." Miley whispered. Lilly reached over and picked up her phone and began dialing. "Who are you calling?"
"The cavalry." Lilly said before the phone was answered on the other end. "Jackson, it's Lilly. Time to set your sister free." Lilly pauses to listen to Jackson's response. "How long will he be gone, sweetie?" She said to Miley.
"Three weeks. He left this morning." Miley said with caution in her voice as she listened to Lilly.
"Yeah. Thank you so much. She'll be here." Lilly said as she hung up the phone.
"We're gonna go get your clothes. Jackson and I are gonna find you a house, Jackson's gonna hire the movers and you will be completely moved out by the time he gets back." Lilly said.
"You… had this planned?" Miley asked as she sniffed the last of her tears.
"Since the day after you left for your honeymoon. Are you mad at me?" Lilly asked.
"Only that you didn't share the plan with me five years ago." Miley said as she chuckled.
"That's the smile I know and love." Lilly said with a smile.
"The last thing I wanted to do today is smile. How did you manage to get one out of me?" Miley inquired.
"Hey! I'm a third-grade teacher! If I can't make people laugh, I'm dead in the water! You know what I'm saying?" Lilly responded. Miley's response was to squeeze Lilly tighter.
"Thank you, Lilly. I don't know what I'd do without you." Miley said softly. Lilly accepted the warm hug and smiled. "If you were a tall, good-looking man, I'd marry you in a heartbeat."
"Well, I got the good-looking part down pat." Lilly said smugly causing both of them to laugh.
"That you do." Miley said with a chuckle. She then paused and lit up with an epiphany. "But wait a minute… Raven and Chelsea got married! Why can't we? Marry me!"
"Hold the phone there, Tiger! Two things are preventing that from happening." Lilly said.
"I know. I'm still married to Jake and we're both straight." Miley said.
"No. You're still married to Jake and you snore! I'd have to kick you out of bed every night!" Lilly joked.
"You little… shit!" Miley said the last word just as she picked up a sofa pillow and hit Lilly in the arm, setting off a minute and a half long pillow fight that left both of them exhausted and giggling at the end. They both collapsed onto the sofa laughing and out of breath. They both looked at each other with a lingering glance.
It was then that Lilly replayed Miley's last open admission in her mind. "Thank you, Lilly. I don't know what I'd do without you." She was sure Miley meant it as a best friend, but Lilly's heart had just received it as much more.
"Come on!" Lilly said sharply, breaking the stalemate. "Let's go get your stuff."
"But he doesn't come back for three weeks!" Miley said.
"Do you want to still be there if, I don't know, the producers realize what an axe wound he really is and fire his sorry ass causing him to come home early?" Lilly reasoned.
"You watched Mean Girls again, didn't you?" Miley said, picking up on the "axe wound" comment used by a character in the film.
"Yeah." Lilly said with her signature puppy dog pout, still effective after many years.
"That's why I love you Lilly. You're so damned cute!" Miley said with a smile. "Let's go."
END OF FLASHBACK
I should have said something then. Lilly said to herself. But what? What would I have said? Lilly paced her apartment. Plus, even if I did say something about liking her, how would I know if she liked me back? And if she did like me back, the ink is barely dry on her divorce decree. Lilly then stopped in mid-pace. Wait a minute, what am I thirteen?
"I've got papers to grade." Lilly said to herself as she walked back toward her guest bedroom/office. When she walked in, the first thing her eyes fell upon was the picture her father took of her and Miley at their college graduation dinner. She gazed at the picture for a moment, looking directly into the eyes of the smiling Miley. "Is this possible? Am I actually falling in love with you?"
It was around 2:30 Monday afternoon at Robby Ray's house. Jackson had just come over to show Miley the mock-up of her new CD cover and to check on his baby sister. To say that their relationship had changed over the years was an understatement. Of all the people on the planet, Miley trusted only her father and Lilly more than she did Jackson. He had proven himself to be fiercely loyal and responsible in the last seven years. There was nothing on Earth that Jackson wouldn't do for Miley and vice versa.
"So what do you think, Miles?" Jackson asked eagerly. It was a close up of a made-up Miley with her head resting in the palms of her hands looking directly into the camera with her piercing blue eyes. He took the picture of her years earlier for a photography class and used it for the sample cover.
"I like it… but… it's… I don't know, too much me." Miley said.
"Too much you?" Jackson said, confused. "Miley, this album is all about you! It's your coming out party! It's your first album as Miley Stewart, not Hannah Montana!"
"Yeah, Bud." Robby Ray chimed in. "Your fans, I mean, Hannah's fans already know she's beautiful, but you have to realize that they are really seeing you for the first time."
"Yeah! I mean, look… we know how ugly you are. But slap a few coats of paint on you, some new clothes, and we can pass you off as something! You might even look better than Mikayla!" Jackson decided to yank her chain, as he still did from time to time.
"You just had to mention that poisonberry pop tart, didn't you?" Miley said.
"Do you still have a beef with her after all these years?" Robby Ray said.
"Actually I don't." Miley replied. "I never told you about what happened at the restaurant?" Robby Ray and Jackson shook their heads.
"Jake and I went to Spago one night last year. We had just had a fight in the car and I was miserable the whole evening." Miley started. "Well they put her at a table near us, adding to my level of absolute discomfort. So at one point in the evening, I had to excuse myself from the table to get away from him. A few seconds later, she appeared in the bathroom. And do you know what happened next?" Miley asked rhetorically. "She came up to me and I bristled up at her like 'If you came here to gloat you can save it.' And she walked over to me and, for the first time without cameras around, spoke to me in a soft normal voice. She said, 'I'm not here as Mikayla, I'm just me, plain old Jennifer McGowan and I can see how miserable you are tonight. Always remember who you are and you'll be fine. Believe me, I know what you're going through.' And she hugged me. It was a genuine, comforting hug. I have never looked at her the same way again."
"Wow. I didn't know she had a heart." Robby Ray said.
"I actually had lunch with her one day. She's actually a sweet person once you pickaxe your way through the crusty exterior she's built up around her." Miley said.
"All right, enough about Mikayla! What about the CD cover?" Jackson asked.
"Can I take some new head shots like that?" Miley asked Jackson.
"We can do a whole photo shoot and we can decide together which shots to use for the CD." Jackson said.
"That's a great idea, Jackson!" Miley threw her arms around her brother's neck. "I love you!"
"My children gettin' along. Who'd a thunk it?" Robby Ray said shaking his head. He then looks up at the heavens. "You see that Brooke?" He said to his deceased wife. "I told you they'd make it." Moments later the door bell rang.
Miley got up off of the stool and began jumping up and down with joy. She could see two of her East Coast visitors through the glass door. "LONDON! MADDIE!" She flung the door then her arms wide open to embrace them in a group hug. All three of them were beaming. They hadn't seen each other since Barbara and C.J.'s wedding. "Thank you so much for coming!" Miley exclaimed.
"Anything for our favorite pop star." Maddie said. They released the hug. "How are you?"
"Better now that you're here?" Miley said, breathing a visible sigh of relief.
"You look great." London said.
"Not me but you! Maddie is good for you." Miley said.
"And to me." London said with a smile and a nod toward Maddie.
"How is everybody back in Boston?" Miley asked.
"Good." Maddie said with a bit of a tired sigh. "Max is bouncing off the walls making wedding preparations and the twins' mom and Arwin are heating up."
"Right! You told me about them…" Miley said just as two distinct clearings of the throat behind her signaled that the men in the room wanted to be introduced. Jackson and Robby Ray had just missed meeting them when Hannah went to Boston years earlier and London and Maddie didn't go to Raven and Chelsea's wedding. "Sorry, guys. London Tipton, Maddie Fitzpatrick, this is my father and business manager Robby Ray Stewart and my brother slash road manager Jackson. Dad, Jackson… London and Maddie."
"Miley told us that you were pretty, but her description didn't do y'all justice." Robby Ray extended his hand to shake. London and Maddie giggled and blushed.
"Ladies, he's old. I'm not. Jackson Rod Stewart is the name…" Jackson kissed both of their hands. "Pleasing the ladies is my game. How do you do?"
"Does he know?" London whispered to Miley. She shook her head no and grinned. "Very smooth Jackson. I actually liked the line." London said before moving her lips to within millimeters of Jackson's ear. "There's only one small problem."
"What's that?" Jackson whispered.
"We both play the same game." London whispered and slowly withdrew but not before placing a chaste kiss on Jackson's cheek.
"Are you serious?" Jackson inquired softly with imminent defeat in his voice.
"I'm afraid so, Big Boy." London said as she stepped backwards blindly into the waiting arm of Maddie, placing Maddie's arm over her shoulder.
"DANG FLABBIT! MILEY!" Jackson cried out in frustration. Everyone else had a dam-is-about-to-burst smile on their lips. "Just once, could you bring over some straight friends for me to hit on!" Jackson said, remembering Miley's last set of visitors, Raven and Chelsea from 10 years earlier.
Everyone burst out into laughter. "I'm sorry Jackson!" Miley said playfully. Jackson pretended to be offended when she threw her arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry too. I was just having some fun with you." London said.
"It's all right. Even though you are my type." Jackson said. "No offense to you." He said to Maddie.
"None taken." Maddie said with a smile.
Miley leaned over to Maddie. "It's a women of color thing. I thought he was going to drool on himself the first time he met Raven." Maddie nodded her head in understanding.
"Well I've got to go." Jackson said. "I've got some stuff to do to set up the photo shoot. Maddie, London, it's been real."
"Call me later Jackson!" Robbie Ray said from the kitchen.
"Bye Jackson!" Maddie and London said in unison.
"Now that's just cruel!" Jackson joked before turning to open the front door. Just then the figures of Raven and Chelsea appeared. Jackson opened the door. "WHY DO THE GODS MOCK ME?" The three women inside the house exploded in laughter, leaving Raven and Chelsea out of the loop.
"Hey Jackson! Long time, no see!" Raven said as she gave him a peck on the cheek before brushing past him.
"Haven't you grown up to be a tasty dish!" Chelsea said with a mild purr as she kissed his cheek and entered.
"I hate you all… and yet love you all the same." Jackson said before turning to close the door, ending his dramatic exit. Once again, Miley, Maddie and London exploded in laughter.
"What is up with your brother?" Raven said. "I thought Cory was weird."
"He's batting 0 for 4 with y'all and he can't get over it!" Miley chuckled. "You made it!" Miley squealed, grabbing Chelsea in a tight hug before releasing her and moving over to Raven. "I know you've got pictures of the babies! Lemme see 'em!"
"Um… hello? Hugless Robby Ray over here!" Robby Ray joked.
"ROBBY RAY!" Raven bellowed before jogging over to hug him. "It is so good to see you! You look great!" Raven released the hug.
"I feel great for an old man." Robby Ray chuckled.
"I don't see any old men here… only a virile young studmuffin!" Chelsea said before embracing Robby Ray.
"Now this one, I think I'll keep!" Robby Ray said before scooping Chelsea up in his arms causing her to giggle.
"Now why does everyone want to scoop my wife up and take her away?" Raven turned to the other women to say. She then felt herself being lifted. "What the…" She snapped her head around to find Robby Ray sweeping her off her feet. "OH!"
"Now what was your question?" Robby Ray said with Raven in his arms.
Raven giggled. "Nothing, Robby Ray." She said with syrupy sweetness.
"Dad, put her down! I told you about showin' off and flirtin' with my friends!" Miley chided.
"All right. Here you go Raven." Robby Ray sat Raven down earning himself an extra peck on the cheek. "Ooh! Bonus!" He smiled and paused before continuing. "I'm gonna take a ride to the music store. You ladies have fun. Bud, call me if you need anything."
"I will Dad." Miley said before her father left.
"Bye Robby Ray… Billy Ray." They all said in unison with Chelsea's Billy Ray drifting in at the end.
"Billy Ray, Chels?" Raven asked.
"Sorry. I always get him confused with Billy Ray Cyrus!" Chelsea said.
"Me too!" "Me too!" "You know I do too!" The ladies began chattering amongst themselves until Miley brought them to order.
"All right people! Settle down! Settle down!" Miley said.
"We're sorry girl." Raven said. "So… where is she? I haven't seen her since y'all were teenagers."
"She's probably at home grading papers. Teacher's in-service day." Miley said.
"A teacher. Very interesting." Chelsea said.
"Yeah, if you're naughty she can spank you with her ruler!" Maddie said.
"Make you stay after class!" London joined in.
"Gives a whole new meaning to teacher's pet!" Raven said as all four of them began laughing.
"Come on guys! Can we be serious for a minute? Then you can crack all the lewd jokes you want." Miley said.
"She's right. Sorry Miley." Maddie said. "So for you to call us, you must be serious."
"I hadn't even thought about going out on a date or anything like that, I just… I want her. I want Lilly." Miley said.
"Okay. Admitting it to yourself is half the battle." Chelsea said. "Now it's just a matter of admitting it to her."
"Well, how did you admit your love to Raven?" Miley asked.
"You don't want to know." London deadpanned.
"Why not? It was an All-American love story." Raven said sweetly.
"Yeah, if all of America was tuned in to The Playboy Channel!" Maddie said.
"Now you've got to tell me!" Miley said.
"It was in the shower." Chelsea mumbled.
"After we did it for the first time." Raven mumbled.
"In the bathroom." Chelsea still mumbling.
"And the shower." Raven concluded the mumbling portion of the evening.
"Sweet niblets!" Miley exclaimed. "Talk about puttin' the cart before the horse!"
"Yeah, and this bronco bucked all night long!" Chelsea said patting Raven on the knee, earning catcalls from the other women and a look of shock from Raven. "If it's not true, tell me." Chelsea challenged. Raven simply dropped her head attempting to hide her blush. The other three women applauded.
"Okay, we're nowhere near there yet." Miley said. "How about you two?"
"It was on the dance floor at a club." London said.
"Yeah." Maddie picked up the story. "It was a hot and steamy night…"
FLASHBACK (Requited, chapter 10, Soarin')
London and Maddie breathlessly twisted and tangled their bodies; sweat glistening, hearts pounding. London's hands were locked firmly around Maddie's neck. She closed her eyes; her head leaned back, inhaling Maddie's scent. Maddie firmly grasped London's hips, feeling the back and forth sway, increasingly intoxicated by the feel of London's body on her fingertips.
As the song neared its end, London opened her eyes and looked back at Maddie, who was looking at her. The electricity of the moment was building rapidly. As the song ended, they found their lips mere millimeters from each other. They were both breathing as hard as they could remember. Their lips were parted slightly as the oxygen slowly began to return to their lungs. Seven years of angst, trepidation, hope and dreams were nearing a head.
This has got to be the moment. Maddie thought. This feels right. London said to herself. It's time to tell her. They both said in their heads.
The D.J. came back on the mic. "It's time to slow it down with a song from back in the day. This goes out to two special ladies from four friends that love you very much. Time to go back to the place you belong. Chris Daughtry. Home."
(music playing in the background)
London turned around to face Maddie, her arms still around Maddie's neck.
"I wonder who the song is dedicated to." London said in a whisper.
"Whoever they are must really be special." Maddie replied as they both grinned. They drew closer, dancing cheek-to-cheek as the smooth melody swept them away.
"Maddie, I need to say something to you." London said, still cheek-to-cheek with Maddie. "Something I meant to say to you when I left seven years ago…"
"I have something to say to you too." Maddie said. "But… you first."
"I was hoping you'd let me go first." London said before pulling back to look at Maddie then slowly leaning in and capturing Maddie's lips in the sweetest of soft kisses.
London was the first to break the kiss. "I am in love with you Maddie." London said. "I was in love with you seven years ago. I never stopped being in love you when I was in Paris and I am still in love with you. I am so sorry that I left without saying goodbye… and if you'll have me, I'll never leave you again."
"London. I am in love with you too. I loved you then and I love you even more now. I can't stop thinking about you." Several tears began to fall. "I love you so much. I need you in my life." Maddie leaned in to kiss London again with increased passion.
"Well, since I'm your newest neighbor, you'll have me in your life a lot more often." London said.
"Did you…?"
"I go to settlement on Monday. I'm coming home." London said before capturing Maddie in the most passionate of their dance floor kisses yet.
"I'm going home too." Maddie said echoing Chris Daughtry's last verse. "And you're coming with me." Maddie planted a soft kiss on London's lips.
"Yay me." London said with soft sensuality.
Raven, Chelsea, Barbara and Max were all in tears as they witnessed the beginning of a new love affair.
END OF FLASHBACK
"And then they went back home and did the damn thing!" Raven joked. Everybody laughed. "But seriously, we all joke about the sex because we fought through the other stuff to get there. You've got to have the love first. And it sounds like you've got it."
"We do." Miley said. "I love her." Miley said proudly. "I love her."
"Well what does she look like? You two have met her. We haven't." Maddie said.
"Hang on a sec." Miley went to her purse. "Here is a picture of the two of us at a concert last month."
"Oh, she's a hottie!" Maddie said.
"Hot's too mild. She's smokin'!" London said.
"Man, she was cute when we met her but, damn!" Chelsea said.
"You've definitely got taste. I'll give you that." Raven said.
"I kinda wish she was here right now." Miley said. Just then the front door opened causing all five of them to turn toward it.
"Ask and ye shall receive." Maddie said under her breath.
Miley smiled and looked at her guests before turning back to the front door. "Lilly."
Well, that's chapter two. What do you think? Please let me know. I want to thank all of you that read and reviewed chapter one. I want to thank all of you that just read. It meant the world to me. Chapter three is coming soon. Stay tuned. PLEASE REVIEW.