I do not own Hannah Montana. This fanfiction does not represent the actors or actresses in the television show.
Miley waited anxiously in the Hannah Closet for Lilly to finish changing into her Lola clothing. She had quickly finished dressing in her Hannah apparel so that Lilly wouldn't have to wait for her. She could hear Lilly shuffling through her clothes the dressing room; pulling her skirt up her legs, and her shirt over her head. She seemed to be moving very slowly.
"Hey, Lilly, is everything going alright in there?"
There was a pause, and Miley heard the sound of a zipper zipping up. "Y-yeah,"
The dressing door opened, and Lilly stepped out. She had on a purple Lola wig and black leggings with neon green stripes. Her short denim skirt hung loosely off of her hips, nearly falling off. It wasn't the only piece of clothing that hung loose from her body; her purple polka-dot arm warmers were baggy on her arms, and her black shirt with pink and blue stars and hearts seemed more like a nightshirt than a tight fitting t-shirt.
Miley sighed and looked Lilly up and down. "Now do you believe me when I say you need to eat more?" Miley had had to eat Lilly's share of Robby Ray's chocolate chip pancake breakfast, and she was certainly feeling it stretch her stomach.
"I know…" Lilly looked down at the ground. "I… I try… I just… can't keep it down…"
Miley knew it was true. She had sat Lilly down around lunchtime and made sure she had eaten a fair amount of hotdog. Not long after, she was heaving over the toilet bowl with Miley holding her hair away from her face and gently stroking her back.
"I'm worried, Lilly… I'm worried that you can't eat…" She walked over to Lilly and wrapped her arms around her. Lilly sighed and leaned into Miley's embrace.
"I know… we'll just take it slow…" They parted and Lilly smiled faintly, "One bite at a time,"
Miley grinned and placed her hands on her stomach, "Good, 'cause as much as I like a good meal, I don't know how Hannah's fans would react to an overweight pop idol,"
Lilly stepped closer and gently traced her fingers over Miley's belly and around to her waist. "You're beautiful. You're perfect,"
Miley pulled Lilly closer, "Well, all that matters is that you think so," Their lips met each other in a warm lingering kiss. When they pulled away, they were smiling. Lilly sighed and rested her head on Miley's shoulder. Miley held Lilly close and they remained in the position for a long time.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Miley finally said, breaking the silence, "It's the first time you've been out, and Stewart house to Hannah concert is not the most gradual transition,"
They parted and took a step back, yet still remaining close. "I'll be fine Miley," Lilly smiled a smile that wasn't exactly convincing, "I told you, Hannah's not canceling, and Lola's not missing a show,"
"You're so stubborn," Miley sighed and leaned in to quickly kiss Lilly on the cheek. "But I wouldn't have you any other way,"
"Damn straight!" Lilly exclaimed playfully. Miley smiled at this. Little by little Lilly was starting to have her playful moments again. Her "Lilly-moments".
"Oliver will be around too, as Mike. Daddy needs his help working the lighting during the show, but once that's done, he can stay backstage with you,"
"Yeah…" Lilly wasn't sure how she felt about seeing Oliver. She knew his mother had told him what had happened, and she had been texting him during the day to reassure him that she was okay, but face to face, she wasn't sure how he, or she for that matter, would react.
"Girls! Y'all ready?" Robby Ray hollered up the stairs.
Miley turned towards the hall and shouted back. "Yeah Daddy! We're coming!" She turned back to Lilly, who for a brief moment looked nervous, but quickly covered it up. "…You ready?"
Lilly nodded. "I'm ready,"
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When they arrived at the concert auditorium, it was practically empty. The doors wouldn't open for another two hours so there wasn't anyone around besides a few tech guys running around checking lights and sound. Still, Lilly felt anxious and uneasy.
On the ride over, Jackson had noticed her discomfort from watching her in the rearview mirror as she stared out the window with a nervous expression. Miley had noticed it too and slipped her hand into Lilly's to comfort her.
Now that they were out of the car, Lilly tried her best to look like she was confident and had everything under control. She wasn't doing a very good job. Oliver (who was dressed in his Mike Stanley III apparel) had seen her from across the room and eagerly walked over to her.
"Hey! Lilly!" He approached her from behind placed his hand on his shoulder.
Lilly cringed and let out a shriek. Miley, (who had been going over the song list with the band) heard Lilly's cry and sprinted to her.
"L-Lilly," She asked breathlessly, "What's wrong?"
Lilly lowered her head in embarrassment away from the bewildered Oliver, "N-nothing, I didn't mean to scream, I just got startled," She turned to Oliver, "S-sorry Oliver, you surprised me. I'm just a little… jumpy,"
Oliver stared at her, and then closed his gaping jaw and smiled. "No problem, I shouldn't have sneaked up on you like that,"
Miley stared at Lilly, who was still trembling from shock. This is exactly what she had been afraid of. She grabbed Lilly's arm and pulled her into a hug. "Lil, I'll be right on stage the whole time, okay? You come get me if you need me, okay?"
Lilly sighed and melted into Miley's arms. "Okay,"
"Promise?" Miley wasn't letting go until she was sure.
Lilly nodded. "I promise,"
"Good," Miley sighed, and they both pulled away.
"Ms. Montana! We gotta pick the order for the last few songs!" A handsome blonde with a guitar in his hands waved his hand at Miley.
"Remember, come get me if you need me," Miley turned to walk back with the band.
Lilly felt a faint jealousy rush through her body when the blonde guitarist smiled as Miley walked over to him and apologized for her sudden disappearance.
"Lilly?" Lilly turned back to face Oliver, having briefly forgot he had been there. "Are you… Are you gonna be alright?"
She tried her best to smile seem cheerful, "Yeah, I'll be fine,"
Oliver didn't say anything for a moment. He looked anxious. "Hey… Lil…? Is it okay… if I give you a hug?"
Lilly stared at him, at first, wondering why he was asking her, but then she quickly became aware of how nervous his request made her. "Y-yeah. Of course, you doughnut,"
He didn't move right away. He studied Lilly's body language, and slowly stepped towards her. He brought his arms around her and squeezed her tightly, but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. She could feel his care and concern for her, but she couldn't help but feel a sudden wave of nausea. It was the smell. Oliver didn't smell back, but it was the male scent engulfing and surrounding her. The musky strong smell she knew every male had.
Still, she knew Oliver would never hurt her, and that he cared about her and would always be there for her. She found the courage to return his hug. He sighed and spoke softly. "Same as Miley… I'll be around if you need me too… even though I know I can't ever be there for you like Miley can. You can always count on me,"
Lilly nodded. "I-I know… Thanks, Oliver…"
He pulled away and watched her. "Anytime,"
"Oliv….err…um… Mike! Could I get your help over here?" Robby Ray called from backstage.
"On my way!" Oliver called back, then he turned to Lilly before taking off, "I'll see you after I'm done helping out,"
He jogged over to where Robby Ray was, and Lilly was left standing alone.
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Within the next hour, things were a blur for Miley, just like every other concert. She started out with making sure she saw Lilly out of the corner of her eye every so often, but after they had started letting fans into the auditorium, things got hectic fast. Miley was rushed backstage into wardrobe. As she was on her way to get there, she passed Oliver.
"Mike! Are you all done setting up the lights?" She spoke fast and nearly knocked him over as she passed.
"Y-yeah," Oliver stuttered as he caught his balance, "All set,"
Miley was hurried onwards by her makeup artists but she hollered over her shoulder. "Will you find Lola?"
"Yeah! I think she's in the green room! She went there a bit ago to sit down!"
"Thanks!" Miley disappeared behind the curtain.
Oliver sighed and turned towards the green room. The lights were dimming, the auditorium was packed full and even Oliver felt uneasy in the crowd. This made him wonder and worry how Lilly was doing, and he quickly headed to the green room.
Before he had gotten there, the auditorium went dark and the stage lights began to flash. A loud guitar strum echoed throughout the concert hall and the drummer began his flashy solo entrance. The crowd began to cheer and Oliver could barely even hear himself think, which wasn't anything that hadn't happened before, but he was in a clear determined state of mind, and not spacing out.
"Hey! How's everybody doing tonight?" Miley's voice echoed off the walls. The crowds cheered louder, and the lights flashed faster, and suddenly, Oliver felt panic set in.
"Dammit!" He muttered to himself, pushing his way through a crowd of photographers and tech crew that stood between him and the green room. "Lilly!"
After a long eternity of prying his way through the crowd, he had finally got to the green room door. He burst through the door Just as Miley was finishing her last song of the first act. "Lilly!"
The green room was empty. Oliver stood in the doorway panting and desperately glancing around the room. "Lilly?" he tried again. After another silence, he turned and hurried out the door. "Shit!"
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As soon as the crowd started to pour in, Lilly began to get scared. She wasn't sure why, but she knew she wasn't comfortable without Miley near her. More and more people started coming into the auditorium, and Lilly got swept up into the sea of people. She immediately froze in fear, being pushed and shoved and thrown all over the place. She couldn't make out any of the faces that surrounded her; all she could see were blurs of eyes, noses, and mouth, all of which seemed to be malicious and threatening; Grabbing and clawing at her, trying to sweep her away. She was crying out Miley's name in her head, over and over again, but the obsessive screaming of the fans was almost enough to paralyze her.
If she could have screamed, she would have, but she was in a state of shock. Lilly started looking for a way out; any way out, and suddenly she saw an opening to a hallway through the bodies in the crowd. She threw herself towards that direction and after a desperate struggle she came out through and fell hard on her hands and knees at the entrance of the hallway.
She looked around, disoriented, and pulled herself up to her feet. She stumbled towards the nearest door and went inside. Once she was inside she fell back to her knees and began choking and sputtering until her sobs were able to come out. She looked around and realized she was in the green room. She needed to hide; to hide from everything around her. She slowly stood up and staggered over to the dressing room closet.
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As soon as Miley stepped off the stage for intermission, before she could even grab a bottle of water, she saw Oliver rushing towards her looking panicked, and her heart sank.
"I can't find her!" he cried desperately, trying to get past the security, "She's gone!"
Miley dropped everything and ran past security guards, who were trying to restrain Oliver. She ran right through the crowds and into the green room. "Lilly!" She cried out desperately. "Lilly! Where are you?! Answer me!"
She stood in silence and listened intently. At first there was nothing, but hen she heard a soft whimpering coming from the closet. She ran towards it and threw open the door. She looked around and saw nothing, so she took a few steps forward. "Lilly?"
She saw a figure curled up in the corner, and as she drew nearer, she could tell it was Lilly. "Lilly! Honey, it's okay, I'm here," Miley flew to her side and took Lilly into her arms.
Lilly remained curled up in a ball, sobbing uncontrollably. Her face was wet with tears. Miley pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed Oliver's number while still cradling Lilly. "Oliver! Get Jackson to pull the car up front. We're getting out of here, right now! I don't care what the fans think!" She shut the phone and pressed her forehead against Lilly's. "Lilly, honey, we're gonna get out of here. We're gonna go home, okay?" Lilly continued to sob and cling to Miley. "Shhhh, it's gonna be okay,"
Suddenly, an out of breath Robby Ray burst through the door, and looked down at Lilly and Miley. "Daddy," Miley looked up at him helplessly, "She won't stop crying,"
Robby Ray bent down and scooped Lilly up. Together, they ran through the crowd. (Miley had pulled her wig off before leaving) Upon exiting the building, they found Jackson and Oliver in the car, waiting for them. Robby Ray placed Lilly in the back seat and Miley climbed in after her. He then shut the door behind her.
"Daddy, what are you—"
Robby Ray leaned over to speak through the window. "I'll take care of everything here, just get her home and calmed down,"
Miley nodded, not caring to hide her approaching tears. "Thank you, Daddy…"
"I love you, Miles. See you at home," He waved as Jackson tore out of the parking lot.
Miley placed Lilly's head in her lap and stroked her hair. "Hush, Lil, it's alright,"
"M-Miley," Lilly managed to choke out, "I-I'm sorry. You're sh-show,"
"Hush," Miley continued to stroke her hair. "You're more important to me than any show. You come first,"
Lilly continued to sob on the way home.