Author's Note: Several of you sent very sweet e-mails to me about the last chapter; thanks so much for them and for the nice reviews! It makes me feel good to know that in some small way I'm bringing a bit of happiness to others. I love all of you, and thanks for reading and enjoying my stories. Please see Chapter 1 for my standard disclaimers!

All I Want

by Jo P.

Chapter 7: Convalescence

You pull me aside when something ain't right

Cover me now and into the night

'Til it's alright again

You're a true friend

--Hannah Montana"True Friend"

As Lilly slowly drifted back into wakefulness, she blinked her eyes at the sunlight flowing into her room. Why is it so bright this early? Oh no, I bet I overslept! Miley's going to be SO ticked off if she's on her way over here to wake me up, because it'll make her late for school too! Lilly threw off the covers and froze. Why am I naked? I only sleep that way when I'm sleeping with Miley... Was Miley here with me last night? She looked around her room, searching for clues as to what was going on. She saw her clock, which cheerfully informed her that it was almost ten o'clock. Then her eyes settled on Miley's backpack, shoes and clothes stacked on her dresser. Lilly smiled as she had the answer to her question. As she pulled a t-shirt over her head and slipped into a pair of panties, the door to her room opened.

"Morning, sweetheart!" Miley said cheerfully. "You're up! Yay!"

Lilly grinned when she saw where Miley had been. Miley walked across the room and set the tray on Lilly's work desk. On the tray was a bowl of oatmeal, a dish of brown sugar, scrambled eggs, and toast with whipped butter and grape jelly. For drinks, Miley had brought two glasses with orange juice and one glass of milk. Lilly walked over and hugged Miley from behind. "Thank you, sweetheart," she said to Miley. "You're so good to me, and I love you."

Miley patted Lilly's hands, clasped around her chest. "You're welcome, dear," she replied. "I figured after that rough soccer game last night you could use some pampering."

"Thanks, Miles," Lilly said again. "Did my parents say it was okay for us to stay home today?"

Miley nodded. "Oh yeah, plus my dad agreed too. You took a hard shot to the head last night, Lil." Miley lifted Lilly's hair on the left side of her head, gently feeling the knot just underneath the skin. Lilly winced as Miley touched the knot.

"What happened at the game?" Lilly said. "I mean, I remember scoring a goal, and I remember that it seemed like everyone out there was trying to hurt me. But other than that, I don't remember anything about the game."

Miley smiled gently. "Honey, everyone playing for Oaks was trying to hurt you. We have Amber and Ashley to thank for that."

Any time Lilly heard those two names, she knew something bad was never far behind. "What did they do?"

Miley picked up a slice of toast and lightly spread some butter across it, then she handed it to Lilly, who promptly began munching on it. Miley said, "Well, it seems that our two archenemies put out a hit on you last night, and nearly everyone on the Oaks team was trying to collect. Oliver found at least three players on their team that were either related to or friends with Amber and Ashley, but it wouldn't surprise me if there were more."

Lilly was amazed. Even for Amber and Ashley, that was ruthless. "I take it one of them collected, since I was knocked out."

Miley shook her head. "I honestly don't know what was offered, or what the conditions were, just that everyone seemed to be trying to hurt you last night. You got hammered several times, until one of them finally got a very cheap shot on you with a shoulder to your head while you were off-balance."

Lilly started on the eggs as she said, "Did they at least throw her out of the game?"

Miley shook her head again. "Nope, just a yellow." Lilly's jaw dropped open, but before she could say anything, Miley held up her hand and said, "But she got what was coming to her. Jen knocked her out. I mean, flat knocked her out. Right there in front of the ref and everything."

Lilly mumbled something around a mouthful of eggs. Miley pointed at Lilly's mouth, smiling. Lilly grinned, then finished chewing and swallowed. "Sorry," she said to Miley. "I said, didn't they throw her out too, then?"

Miley looked sad as she said, "Yeah. Jen didn't even wait to see the card. She broke that girl's nose, then punched another player as well, and then she just helped carry you off the field, not even looking back at the referee once."

"She punched another player?" Lilly said, her eyes wide.

Miley said, "Yeah, and she screamed at the referee about having to do his job taking care of the players on the field."

"Wow," Lilly mumbled again. "She must have been royally ticked off!"

Miley hugged Lilly, then she said, "Believe me sweetheart, she wasn't the only one." She handed Lilly a glass of orange juice. "I made you a special breakfast, so you can start feeling better quickly. And I wanted to stay home with you today to make sure you were okay."

Lilly grinned. "As long as you're with me, Miles, I'm great," she said. "But I do have a killer headache." She reached up, feeling for the lump on the side of her head. Finding it, she said, "Wow, that's a big knot." She decided to leave it alone, as it remained very tender. "So what are we going to do to get Amber and Ashley back?"

Miley had already been thinking about that this morning, but she hadn't come up with a good plan yet. "I'm not sure, Lilly. Whatever we do, we need to be careful. This feud has gotten much uglier with what they did last night. I'm afraid if we strike back too hard, things will only get more dangerous."

Lilly considered that, then she spoke. "But there's no way we can let this just slide! What they pulled deserves some serious payback."

Miley sighed. "Like I said sweetie, I agree, but we have to be careful to not push things too far, or they're going to continue to escalate what they do as well. And next time, one of us might get hurt even worse than you did last night."

Miley did have a good point. It sounded to Lilly that she could have been hurt much worse than she actually was last night, and the last thing she'd want would be for Miley to be the one who got hurt the next time. "Okay, so we need to seriously plan out what we can do to get them back, plus keep things from getting any more dangerous," she said to Miley.

"Yes, exactly," Miley said, nodding. She had taken possession of the oatmeal and dumped the brown sugar into the goopy stuff, stirring it in until it had melted nicely. Once she had the oatmeal sweetened just how she liked it, Miley attacked it hungrily. "Well, we can think about it for a few days. If we pulled something this soon after what they did, we'd be the first suspects anyway."

Lilly watched Miley eat, as she thought about how special Miley really was. Take away all the celebrity, the fortune, the musical talent, and Miley was still the most amazing person Lilly had ever known. All the silliness, the laughter, the passion, the crazy ideas, the true friendship, all those were part of the young woman Miley was. Lilly could spend her entire lifetime with Miley and never get tired of being around her. While unpredictable at times, their life together was never boring. And Lilly expected it never would be.

"What are you smiling about, Truscott?" Miley said, licking her lips to get a dab of oatmeal off them.

Instead of replying verbally, Lilly instead set down her plate, got up and walked over to Miley, and sat down in her lap. She then leaned down and wrapped her arms around Miley's chest, pulling her lover close to her. As their eyes danced, just inches away, Lilly gently extended her tongue and licked the dab of sweet oatmeal off Miley's lips. As Miley's eyes fluttered at the incredibly erotic contact, Lilly leaned the remaining inch forward and pressed her lips against Miley's. As both sets of lips parted to deepened the kiss, Miley fumbled to safely set the bowl on Lilly's desk before they fell over onto the floor. Once the bowl had been deposited on the desk, Miley grabbed Lilly's legs and stood up, lifting her lover as she carried her the few feet to their bed.

"Ooooh, Lilly likey," Lilly breathed as Miley fell onto the bed with her. "My Wonder Woman," she whispered into Miley's ear as Miley started peeling off Lilly's t-shirt, with her own clothes hitting the floor just seconds later.

After fiercely making love, the girls took a morning nap, their shapely limbs entwined together across their bed. Upon waking, Lilly was still wanting more, so Miley happily obliged her. After all, it wasn't every day they got a morning all to themselves. After round two and then round three, Miley was stretched out atop Lilly's firm body, exhausted but content. Miley kissed Lilly's neck, getting what sounded remarkably like a purr from her blonde lover. "You like that, sweetheart?" Miley whispered.

Lilly softly said, "Oh yeah," turning her head to the right to expose more of her neck for Miley to kiss. She ran her hands softly down Miley's long back, feeling the skin prickle and rise along the paths her fingers traced. "And I know you like that," Lilly said to Miley, smiling at the effect they always had on each other.

Miley whispered, "Oh yeah," against Lilly's skin, echoing her lover's earlier response. Miley lifted her head, then kissed Lilly gently on the lips, lingering there for long seconds. "I love touching you, Lilly, I really do, but what we have is..." She paused, unsure of how to say what she was thinking.

"It's more than just sex," Lilly finished for her. "Much more."

Miley was astonished, because that was exactly what she had been thinking. "Yes," she said, looking down into Lilly's eyes. "It is. If we never had sex again, I'd still feel closer to you than to anyone else I've ever known."

Lilly smiled up at Miley, looking into her partner's ocean blue eyes. "Right. When you touch me, whether we're making love or just brushing each other's hair, it's like you go through my skin and touch my soul, Miley Stewart." She brushed Miley's dark hair back behind her left ear, grinning at how Miley unconsciously leaned into even Lilly's slightest touch, instinctively craving more. "I don't ever want to get tired of you, Miley. I—I don't think I could. I hope that doesn't bother you or make you worry I'm jinxing us by saying that, I just..." She hesitated, unsure of how much more to say.

Miley smiled and kissed Lilly again, knowing what fear Lilly was hesitant to speak out loud. "Lilly, don't you worry. I'll never get tired of you, I promise. We have so much together, there's always going to be something different, something fun, something special we can do together. But right now, I'm kinda enjoying making love to you, so don't plan on us stopping any time soon," she said, grinning down at the woman whom she would soon pledge her life to. In her heart, Miley already had pledged her life to Lilly, but she wanted to do it out loud, with all the world watching, solemnly sworn before witnesses, family and God. All they had to do was be patient, for soon enough their time would come.

As Lilly listened to Miley's gentle words, she teared up. As usual, Miley had known exactly what she was afraid of, that one day Lilly would lose her charm and Miley would move on. And Miley had known exactly what to say to reassure Lilly that their love was forever. Lilly knew that, of course, but sometimes just hearing what she already knew made her feel better. "Sorry for getting all teary, Miles," she said, freeing a hand to wipe her eyes. "I guess it's the concussion talking. I know you're not ever going to leave me, and it's silly--"

Miley cut Lilly off by kissing her, a kiss deeper than any they had shared that morning. Lilly's toes curled as they pulled themselves against each other, wanting more, needing more. Without breaking their kiss, hands started to roam, as they found each other's most intimate areas and gently entered, not needing to ask permission when it had already been given permanently, payable anytime and anywhere. As the kiss continued, the touching intensified, coming more quickly, more firmly, until both of them shuddered with their orgasms, sharing their release throughout their entire bodies.

As Miley's brain began working again, she forced her eyes to focus as she panted, still leaning over Lilly, whose face was joyous in its ecstasy. Lilly was also fighting for breath, and as her eyes shot open, they too took several seconds to focus, until they finally settled on Miley's beautiful face. "Wow," Miley said, nearly dumbstruck by how intense their intimacy had just been.

Lilly opened her mouth, but nothing came out at first. She then just smiled, then tried again. Finally, she whispered, "Amen."

Miley giggled at her lover's attempt at speaking, making Lilly laugh as well. Miley looked down at Lilly, then she rolled over onto her left side, pulling Lilly over with her. As she gently trailed her fingers down Lilly's flushed face, she said, "I love it when you're silly, Lilly." She inadvertently giggled at the rhyme, getting another laugh out of Lilly as well. "But being concerned about our future certainly isn't silly. And I'm sure at times I'll feel insecure and could use some reassurance from you, sweetheart."

Lilly said, "Well, I hope I can reassure you half as well as you just reassured me, lover, 'cause I think you fixed that catch in my back from my skateboard wreck last month."

Miley grinned at Lilly's compliment. "What makes it so great is the difference between having sex and making love, Lil," she said.

Lilly nodded her head as she pulled Miley's head against her chest. "Yeah. It's more than just the physical part. It's knowing that you are always going to be there, always caring, always loving, always helping, always understanding. Touching you, kissing you, that's just the icing on the cake."

Miley's face got serious as she suddenly said, "Oooh! Your mom made a red velvet cake and left it for us!"

Lilly's eyes got big again. "Seriously?" she asked. Lilly loved red velvet cake, as did Miley. "Did she frost it and everything?"

Miley shook her head. "Nope. She took it out of the oven right before she left. She said we could frost it when it cooled down."

Lilly's smile widened. "Rock on," she said softly. "Double frosting?"

"Yeah. Cinnamon sprinkles after?" Miley replied.

Lilly nodded. "Race you."

"Two articles of clothing minimum?"

"Of course."

The challenge agreed upon, the girls exploded out of the bed, each grabbing a shirt and panties from Lilly's dresser, then racing down the stairs to the kitchen. Miley made it down the stairs first, but only because she jumped the last four steps. As they ran into the kitchen, Miley started jumping up and down, shaking her fists in the air. "I won!"

Lilly grinned and smacked Miley's nearly bare butt, getting a jump out of her girlfriend. "Yes, you certainly did. That means I get to feed the first piece to you when we're done."

Miley turned around, a huge grin on her face. "The prize just keeps getting better and better," she said.

Lilly opened the cabinet and pulled out two little jars of cream cheese icing, tossing one to Miley. "Yes, it certainly does," she said, a knowing smile on her face.

After the cake was frosted, Miley claimed her prize, and Lilly happily fed the first piece to her. They went into the den, where they sat on the couch, Miley leaning back against Lilly as they stretched out along the couch's length. They clicked on the television, flipping through the channels until they came across a talk show discussing Hannah Montana. As soon as Miley and Lilly heard that name, they turned the sound up slightly and set the remote down on the table.

This particular talk show had several female hosts who usually discussed topics as a group. At the moment, an older woman was saying, "The talented teen singer has seen her popularity, which was already huge, grow even more since coming out as being in love with her best friend, who just happens to be a girl. Since then, the two have been inseparable in the public eye, appearing at concerts together, charity appearances together, and even hosting a reality show together. Is this a real case of unusual but true love, or is it a publicity stunt that might go horribly wrong?"

A different host, a very attractive young blonde woman, said, "Well, I personally am not as comfortable with the whole gay rights agenda that seems to be promoted by the media, but the times I've seen Hannah and her girlfriend Lola together, they really do seem like they're in love. There's this quality about them, the way they seem to smile when they're around each other, how they're constantly sneaking glances at each other... I mean, they're teenagers! It's just so cute to watch them interact, especially when they're not really aware of how they constantly try to be next to each other." She turned to look at another host, a slightly older woman with dark hair.

The dark-haired woman said, "Well, I'd like to mention that even before the girls came out on national television, they've always been nearly inseparable at public appearances." As she started talking, the screen cut from the hosts to start showing video and still pictures from various concerts and appearances that Miley and Lilly had been at over the past four years. All the videos and pictures clearly showed the girls holding hands, hugging, leaning against each other, smiling and laughing together, or caught in some slightly embarrassing situation such as being covered in green paint. At that video, Lilly said, "Sorry," to Miley, getting a giggle from Miley in return. "Sheesh, are they ever gonna get tired of that one?" Lilly said, rolling her eyes.

As the picture returned to the hosts sitting around their table, the dark-haired woman said, "Would you like to guess at what all those pictures and videos had in common?" to the table in general. When no one answered, she said, "All those were taken before the girls officially came out. So really, that attraction and these emotions have been there all this time, they just hadn't come right out and said it. But it's always been there, now that we know to look for it."

Lilly said, "Wow, I didn't realize it had been that obvious for that long."

Miley was a bit amazed herself. "Yeah. Why didn't we see that?"

Lilly shrugged her shoulders, then said, "I guess we were too caught up in everything else to really pay attention to how we felt. And when I did realize how I felt about you, I was either afraid to say anything or one of us was too busy chasing boys to give it a chance."

Miley leaned back against Lilly, reaching back over her head and running her fingers through Lilly's hair. "I'm sorry for putting you through everything I did, Lilly."

Lilly smiled, enjoying Miley's touch. "I'm sorry too Miley, but we don't need to apologize any more for what's in the past. The only thing I'd like to change is that I wish I'd been honest with you sooner."

"Same here, Lilly," Miley said. She reached for the remote; grabbing it, she turned the talk show off. "We need to get in the shower sometime, since we have our big group date tonight, then we get our night together, with the house all to ourselves."

Lilly smiled, thinking ahead to the fun they were going to have. "Yeah, plus we have Hannah's concert in New Jersey tomorrow night, too. Are you going to tell me what big secret you have planned for that show or not?"

Miley said, "Not! It wouldn't be a secret then, would it?" When Lilly put her pout face on, Miley said, "I'll give you a hint." The pout face was immediately replaced by Lilly's sunny smile. "I'm acting on one of your suggestions you made to me last month. You said it would be neat to do a few cover songs, to have Hannah show respect for some other bands and singers."

Lilly nodded, saying, "Yeah, plus it'd be a good way for you to make a connection between Hannah and her fans' parents and older family members. You'd be singing songs that they'd already be familiar with, so they could instantly relate to what you were singing."

Miley said, "Well, I think I'm going to start doing that."

Lilly excitedly said, "Really? That's great!" She clapped her hands lightly, thrilled that Miley was acting on her suggestion.

Miley said, "Yeah, my band and I have been practicing on some songs that I know you like, and we're going to do a special one at the concert tomorrow night." She paused, looking Lilly in the eye. "My goal is to absolutely blow you away, lover," she said, a sparkle in her eye.

Lilly wrapped her arms around Miley. "Well, then, you achieved that goal quite some time back, Ms. Stewart," she said, hugging Miley warmly. As they relaxed the hug, Lilly suddenly yawned quite loudly. "Sorry," she said, still yawning.

Miley laughed as she said, "I think all the physical activity this morning has worn you out, Ms. Truscott."

Lilly nodded, adding, "Yeah, but that was an awesome way to get worn out," a grin firmly etched on her face.

Miley said, "Let's go lay back down for a few minutes. We have plenty of time before we have to start getting ready for tonight. I mean, it's only..." She searched for a clock, finally spying the one on the DVR. "Eleven-thirty. We've got plenty of time. I mean, we're not meeting at the bowling alley until four-thirty, and Jackson won't be home until three."

Lilly added, "And you know he won't be ready until right when it's time to go pick up Kaela," getting a giggle out of Miley. "I think they're sweet together," Lilly said.

Miley nodded. "I agree. Never thought I'd say this, but Jackson seems to be growing up some."

Lilly also agreed with that statement. Dating Kaela had been very good for Jackson. He could still be himself and act silly, but being with her made him want to be more responsible. "Kaela has been very good for him," Lilly said. "And she's so sweet."

Miley said, "Yeah. Think she'd make a nice sister-in-law?" she asked Lilly, smiling.

Lilly nodded. "I do. You think they're that serious about each other?"

Miley said, "Well, they've only been out a few times, so it'd be way too early to really think about that. But I think she'd be fun to have around more. And I've never seen Jackson act the way he has been. I mean, do crazy things to get a girl's attention? We've seen that way too many times. But I think he's trying to have a serious relationship, and I'm happy that he's finally realized that there's a difference between the two approaches."

Lilly said, "Oh, I definitely agree. Although he still has his moments."

Miley rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh yeah. You missed him and dad arguing yesterday about whether or not underwear was dirty if you only wore it one day."

"Ew." Lilly turned to look at Miley. "Seriously?" Miley nodded. "Must be a guy thing," Lilly said, not thrilled at even thinking about such a discussion.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Miley. Looking back at Lilly, she said, "Now it's time for my favorite patient to go take a little nap, so she's all better for our big night tonight. I don't want the date to tire you out too much, because I have some special things planned for you later tonight."

Lilly liked the grin on Miley's face at her last statement. "Special things, huh?" she asked, getting a animated nod from Miley. "Well then, lead the way, because we definitely need our rest, lover." She took Miley's hand as they stood up from the couch and walked back upstairs, where they climbed back into the bed. Miley fussed over Lilly's pillow, getting it just right for her partner, then she pulled the covers up around them as they curled next to each other, Lilly's left leg across Miley's hips and her left arm lightly draped across Miley's belly. They caught each other's eye and smiled, then they kissed softly and closed their eyes. Sleep overtook them swiftly, giving them several minutes of peaceful rest in each other's arms.

All too soon, the alarm clock went off, signaling them that it was twelve-thirty. Miley scratched her head as she opened her eyes and clicked the alarm button on the clock, ending its persistent buzzing. She sat up and said, "Lilly, we need to get in the shower. It's twelve-thirty." Lilly snoozed on, so Miley pinched her nose, holding it closed until Lilly snorted and woke up. "Time to wake up, dear," Miley said sweetly.

Lilly smiled at the beauty of Miley, sitting up in the bed beside her, her dark brown hair falling around her shoulders and chest, just barely reaching the top of her breasts. "Wow," she said, getting a giggle out of Miley. Lilly pulled herself up and hugged Miley, enjoying the scent of Miley's skin, her hair, her sweat, everything that was Miley. "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Miley," Lilly said tenderly.

"You're welcome, sweetheart," Miley replied, just as tenderly. "Now let's get in the shower so we can start deciding what we want to wear tonight."

Lilly smiled as they climbed off the bed and walked down the hall to the bathroom. While the bathroom wasn't adjacent to Lilly's room, the other bedroom on this side of the house was an unused guest room, so Miley and Lilly considered this bathroom theirs. As Lilly started the shower, Miley used the bathroom, then the girls traded places as they usually did, with Miley stepping into the shower while Lilly finished. As Lilly joined her girlfriend in the shower, Miley passed her the shampoo. Miley leaned her head back under the cascade of water, thoroughly wetting her hair, then she held out her hand, palm up. Without any words being spoken, Lilly squirted some of the shampoo into Miley's hand, then she replaced the shampoo and grabbed the body scrubber and the body wash. As Miley worked the shampoo into her hair, Lilly began scrubbing her lover's wet body. The girls were well practiced at this routine, and other than a few playful caresses they were very efficient. In less than ten minutes, Miley's hair had been washed, rinsed, conditioned and rinsed again, and her body had been thoroughly cleaned. "Nice that you're washing more than my breasts now, Lil," Miley said with a grin, her smile sparkling as her chestnut hair fell in wet strands across her face.

Lilly leaned down and kissed one of the afore-mentioned parts of Miley's anatomy, getting a shudder from her lover despite the hot spray of water. As she straightened back up, Lilly said, "Still complaining about me focusing on your breasts, Miles?"

Miley shook her head and said, "Heck no!" That prompted a deep laugh from Lilly as she moved under the spray of water. Again, no words were needed as the two young women worked together to get Lilly thoroughly clean. They had learned early on to keep the type of shampoo, conditioner and body wash each of them liked at both of their houses; by now they didn't need to carry anything to either house to spend the night, as both of them kept enough at each location to function smoothly. Miley did let her hands "slip" a time or two as she washed Lilly's body, getting a little squeal each time from Lilly, who was trying to focus on her hair at the time.

When the girls were done washing their hair and bodies, they adjusted the spray to strike the wall at the end of the shower, providing heated steam to keep them warm but getting them out of the direct and the indirect spray of the water stream. Lilly sat down first, settling her back against the end of the tub between the wall and the off-set faucet. Miley popped the lid off the can of shaving gel and sprayed a line of it across her left hand. She then slowly began lathering up Lilly's legs, first her right, then her left. Once Lilly's legs were ready, Miley snapped a new blade on the razor and began gently shaving her lover's legs, taking long, slow strokes with the pink razor. While both of them disliked the time required to shave their legs, they also both liked the look and feel of smooth skin when they ran their hands across each other's legs. By shaving each other's legs, it became much less of a chore and much more of a sensual experience. Several times shaving became rather intense foreplay, resulting in the need to start again after taking a break to make love. This time, control barely won out over lust, as both girls knew it would take some time to settle on the perfect outfits for tonight. When Miley finished shaving Lilly's legs, Lilly spread her legs, offering Miley enough access to shave her pubic area. Neither girl was big on the totally bare look, but they did take pride in looking very neat and trimmed for each other. When Miley finished with Lilly, they switched places. Lilly moved a bit swifter than Miley did along the legs, but she took more time with Miley's pubic area, as she was extra careful not to nick her lover.

When the grooming was complete, the girls stood back up and stretched, then they rinsed the residue of shaving gel off their bodies. Miley replaced the razor and shaving gel as Lilly turned off the water. They stepped out and began drying off, putting on antiperspirant and brushing their teeth next. Once that was done, Lilly sat down and Miley began drying and styling her hair. Miley loved a few braids in Lilly's hair, so she made sure to work several of them into Lilly's blonde locks as she fixed Lilly's hair. When she was finished with Lilly, Miley sat down on the stool and Lilly went to work. Lilly gently and carefully curled Miley's hair, drying it softly and gently brushing it out as she went. When she was finished, Miley's hair was as glossy as Lilly's, her curls falling all around her beautiful face. As Lilly and Miley locked gazes in the mirror, Lilly said, "You look beautiful."

Miley smiled and reached up to take Lilly's hand and squeeze it. "Only because you did such an awesome job," she said.

Lilly helped Miley up, and the girls took a moment to drop their towels and kiss until they were breathless. As things started to heat up, Miley said, "If we don't get out of this steamy bathroom, our hair is going to frizz out." Lilly nodded, and they left the bathroom, holding hands as they walked down the hall. As they entered the bedroom, Lilly said, "And if we get in the bed, we're going to really mess our hair up."

Miley looked forlorn for a bit, then she said, "Then let's save all this energy for tonight." Lilly nodded. Miley said, "Okay, time to get serious. What are we going to wear?"

That simple question proved rather difficult to answer. After nearly an hour going through the clothes at the Truscotts' house, Miley and Lilly put on the best candidates they could find, then they hurried over to the Stewarts' house. There they went through the clothes in Miley's closet and dressers. After another hour, the girls were beginning to get a bit frustrated.

"What are we going to wear?" moaned Lilly. "I mean, where's that perfect outfit?"

Miley agreed. It was proving nigh impossible to find the perfect outfit. A knock at the bedroom door got the girls' attention. "Miley? Lilly?" Robbie Ray asked through the door. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Daddy," Miley called out. The door opened and Robbie Ray stepped inside. "Woo wee!" he called out, marveling at the explosion of clothes spread around the room. "What happened, somebody bomb the Juniors' section at the mall?"

Miley didn't seem to find that comment particularly amusing. "We're having a hard time finding the perfect outfit." Lilly nodded her agreement.

"Why do you need the perfect outfit? Why don't you just wear something you like?" Robbie Ray asked.

Lilly rolled her eyes. "Mr. Stewart, you obviously aren't a girl, or you'd know how crazy that sounds."

Robbie Ray looked a bit confused at that statement, then he said, "Well, Lilly, you're right about me not bein' a girl, but how much time have you two spent tryin' to decide what to wear?"

Lilly started to answer him when Miley reached out and took her hand. "He may be right, Lilly," she said, causing Lilly to spin around. "I mean, who are we really dressing up for?" Miley said, looking at Lilly.

Lilly looked back at Miley and said, "Well, I'm dressing up for you."

Miley smiled and said, "And I'm dressing up for you. Are you going to be upset if I wear something you don't absolutely love?"

Lilly shook her head and said, "No, I love you no matter what you wear. And when you don't wear anything," she said, a sly grin on her face until she heard Robbie Ray clear his throat behind them. "Oops..." she said, blushing.

Miley was likewise turning quite red, and she tried to steer the conversation back to less dangerous terrain. "Same here, Lilly. I'm gonna love you no matter what you wear. So why are we driving ourselves crazy trying to find the perfect outfit? Why not just wear something we like?"

Lilly nodded her head. She turned to Robbie Ray and gave him a hug. "You're pretty smart, future dad-in-law!" she said cheerfully. With a quieter voice, she said, "Sorry about the no clothes comment."

Robbie Ray seemed to be blushing a bit as he said, "Thanks, darlin'." He paused, then he whispered to her, "Apology accepted." As Lilly released him from her hug, he walked out of the room, then he turned and said, "You ladies have fun tonight. I'll have my phone if you need anything. Now, ya'll are gonna be back around eight or so?"

Miley nodded. "Yeah, because we know you and Jackson are going to that late game in L.A."

"Okay, then you have fun, and I'll see you when you get back," he said, closing the door behind him.

"Your dad's pretty smart, Miles," Lilly said as she grabbed a simple t-shirt and red zip-up jacket to go with her jeans.

Miley nodded. "He has his moments," she said playfully. She stepped into a brown dress, patterned with swirls across it, and pulled it up. The bottom of the skirt fell right above her knees, prompting Lilly to whistle at her. "Nice legs, Stewart," Lilly said.

Miley twirled, flaring the skirt up to give her girlfriend a better view of her thighs. "All for you, Lilly," Miley said with a smile. She stepped over and sat down on the bed, with Lilly sitting next to her. The girls softly kissed, pulling closer to each other as they continued.

After a minute or two, the door to Miley's room burst open as Jackson barged in. "You girls-- Whoa!" he shouted, turning around.

"You could knock, Jackson!" Miley said, removing her hand from underneath Lilly's shirt.

Lilly slid her right hand out of Miley's skirt as she added, "But why Miley? He wouldn't embarrass himself as much then!"

Miley laughed at that. "True," she said. "Anyway, Jackson, you ready to go?"

Jackson carefully looked over his shoulder. "Are you two going to keep it in your pants?"

Miley stood up and walked to Jackson and smacked him on the shoulder. "Don't talk that way to my girlfriend! And I'm wearing a skirt, in case you didn't notice."

Lilly hopped up and strode over to him as well, then smacked his other shoulder. "And don't talk to my girlfriend that way!" She turned to Miley and said, "That was fun. Can we smack him again?"

Miley said, "Probably not. He is driving us, you know."

Jackson threw up his hands and said, "He is right here, too!" His next words were cut off as Miley and Lilly both wrapped him up in a group hug. "What's that for?" he sputtered.

"Because we love you, big brother," said Lilly. Miley nodded her head and said, "Right, and because you're good to us now. Thanks for driving us tonight."

"Uh, you're welcome, and thanks," he said. Extricating himself from their embrace, he said, "I'm going to start the car. We can go get Kaela whenever you want."

As Jackson went outside, Miley grabbed her purse and handed Lilly her slim wallet. "You ready, girlfriend?" she asked Lilly.

"Born ready, girlfriend," Lilly replied, a smile on her face. She extended her hand; when Miley took it, they went outside, closing the door behind them. As they walked down the stairs, Lilly softly said, "And I noticed you were wearing a skirt."

Miley replied, "I could tell," as she smiled lovingly at Lilly.

The drive to Kaela's went very quickly. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, the front door swung open and Kaela came rushing out. She was wearing olive capri pants and a tan tank top, covered with a sheer floral print shirt. Her red hair was pulled back into a ponytail and fell below her shoulders, bobbing as she ran to the car. Jackson unlocked the door as she reached the vehicle, where she opened the door and dropped into the front seat beside him. "Hi Jackson!" she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And hi Miley, Lilly!" she said, looking at the girls in the back seat.

"Hi Kaela," Jackson said, his cheek tingling from the kiss.

"Hi Kaela!" Miley and Lilly said in unison. "You look really nice, Kae," Lilly said. Miley added, "Jackson would have told you that, but I think the kiss on his cheek has left him at a loss for words."

Kaela grinned at Jackson as she said, "I think so too."

Miley and Lilly waved at Kaela's mom, who had stepped outside to wave goodbye. "Are we picking up Oliver, or are we meeting him and his date at the bowling alley?" Miley asked as Jackson backed the car out of the driveway.

Jackson said, "Well, he told me that his mom was taking him and his girl... what was her name again?"

"Lindsey," Lilly said. "Lindsey Hall."

"Right, Lindsey. Anyway, Oliver's mom was taking them on to the bowling alley, so they could make sure we got two lanes," Jackson finished explaining.

Miley whispered something into Lilly's ear, which got a rather loud response from Lilly. "Are you serious?" she yelled. When Miley nodded, Lilly said, "No. Way!"

Kaela spun around and excitedly said, "What, what?"

Lilly said, "Tell them who's meeting us at the bowling alley, Miles."

Miley smiled and said, "Jen Kittrell and Lee, her boyfriend."

Jackson glanced up in the mirror. "Um, why are they meeting us there, Miley?" he asked, turning a bit pale.

"Because they're going on the date with us, dummy!" Miley said, getting a giggle from Lilly.

"Not scared are you, Jackson?" Lilly asked with a cheerful voice.

Jackson glanced at Kaela and swallowed. "Who, me? Naw, not at all. I think Lee's a pretty cool guy."

"I wasn't talking about Lee," Lilly said in the same cheery voice.

Jackson looked back in the mirror momentarily. "Oh, Jen? Well... yeah, kinda," he admitted. "At least, I wouldn't want to fight her if I could get out of it."

"I love honesty," Kaela said, smiling as she ran her left hand through the back of Jackson's hair. Miley and Lilly caught each other's eye and grinned at the display of affection.

"You two are a cute couple," Lilly said suddenly. Miley nodded and added, "Yeah, you really are. And I'm happy for you two. Kaela, my brother can be a handful at times, but you do quite well with him."

Kaela smiled at Jackson as she said, "He's sweet. He's just still got some boy at heart, and I think that's cute."

"Did I ever tell you about the time Miley tried to hit Jackson with the fish, Kaela?" Lilly asked.

At that, both Miley and Jackson said, "Don't you dare!" Lilly promptly ducked before Miley could grab her, but Miley changed tactics and simply fell on top of Lilly, tickling her. "Oh no, Lilly, they've not been dating that long yet!" she said as her hands worked Lilly over.

Soon enough, they were at the bowling alley. As Jackson parked the car, all of them climbed out. Kaela stretched, popping her back slightly. She was the tallest of the four of them, standing several inches taller than Miley and even Jackson. Lilly didn't really care that she was the shortest of them, as long as she had Miley by her side, and the difference in height between her and Miley was only an inch or two anyway. Their lips met just fine when they kissed, as far as Lilly was concerned.

As they reached the door, Jackson politely held it open for Kaela to enter, then for Lilly and Miley. As their eyes adjusted to the dimness inside the bowling alley, they walked cautiously to the counter to check in. Miley said, "I've got this one, everybody. What shoes do you need, Kaela?" Once Kaela whispered what size shoes she wore to Miley, Miley smiled and said, "Okay, go find Oliver and Lindsey, you two."

Lilly stood beside Miley as Kaela and Jackson walked off toward the lanes. "I hope Jackson realizes how lucky he's got it to be dating Kaela," she said.

Miley agreed completely. "Yeah, she's absolutely gorgeous. Plus she's really nice. That boy needs to be good to her."

Lilly said, "I agree completely, Ms. Stewart." When the clerk served them, they got shoes for everyone and Miley paid for two games for all eight of them. As Miley put her change back into her purse, Lilly said, "Oh great," as she looked over Miley's shoulder.

Miley turned to follow Lilly's line of sight and said, "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." Walking toward them was a small crowd of about a dozen of their classmates, mostly girls but with a few boys mixed in. And at the center of the crowd, Amber and Ashley giggled as they chatted with several of them.

Lilly said, "Let's go sit down, maybe they won't be anywhere near us." Miley nodded and scooped up the shoes, then they turned and hurried to their lanes before the small crowd reached the counter. As they reached the seats for their lanes, Oliver stood up and said, "Hey you two! I'd like to introduce you to my date for tonight, Lindsey Hall."

Miley dropped the pile of shoes onto floor in front of the seats, then she said, "Hi Lindsey! I'm Oliver's friend Miley Stewart, and this is my girlfriend..."

"Lilly Truscott," Lilly said, neatly finishing Miley's sentence. "Miley and Oliver and I have been friends for a long time."

Lindsey was about Lilly's height, maybe an inch shorter. She had jet black hair that fell right to her shoulders, parted in the center of her face and pulled back with several hair clips on each side of her bangs. In the lights of the bowling alley, the glittering clips sparkled constantly, giving the impression of stars set in a night sky. She smiled at the introductions and said, "It's great to meet you two. I've seen you around at school, of course, but I don't think I've ever had a chance to meet either of you yet."

Miley started to say something, but Lilly beat her to it. "Same here, Lindsey. Now, I assume Oliver has told you that Miley and I are a couple, right? And that we're completely and totally head over heels in love with each other?"

Lindsey grinned as she said, "Well, not in those exact words, but yes, he has told me. And I'm totally cool with that. I kinda already knew, to tell you the truth."

Miley laughed, saying, "Well, it's not exactly a big secret." Lilly laughed as well as she took Miley's hand and said, "I'm going to the bathroom, sweetheart."

At that, Kaela said, "Oh, I'll go with you, Lil, 'cause I need to go too!" She and Lilly hurried off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Miley sat down and started putting on her bowling shoes. "Oh, just a warning," she said. "When we were paying, Lilly and I saw trouble coming in. But hopefully they'll be on the other side of the alley." When she straightened back up, she was at eye level with Ashley, sitting not fifteen feet away at the next two lanes, her eyes fixed on Miley. "Great," Miley muttered.

Author's Afterword: Sorry for it taking a day longer for this chapter. I'm working on the next chapter right now, and I plan on having it up by Sunday. The date continues, and Miley and Lilly get their special night together. Wonder what will happen?

-- Jo --