Author's Note: Hm. And I thought that I couldn't be more overwhelmed back when writing the previous chapter. Let's just say that lots of things are going on both at home and at work, most of them good at least, but stress is stress regardless of the cause. I typically don't watch the Grammys, but I did check out Pink's stunning performance at this year's ceremony. I truly think that was the best performance I've ever seen at the Grammys, and I mean ever. I was a bit disappointed that Paramore didn't win, but seeing their video for "Brick by Boring Brick" made me like them even more. Consider my nomination for Video of the Year cast. Now get reading! You've been patient and waited long enough, haven't you?

Here are my standard disclaimers: I make no claims on any of Disney's, Miley Cyrus', Emily Osment's or Hannah Montana's trademarks or copyrights, and no infringement is intended on them or those of any other artist or publication mentioned. Be forewarned that this story most certainly will contain femslash. If love and affection between two consenting young adults of the same sex bothers you, I suggest you turn right around and find something else to read. Keep any flames to yourself and remember that what our world needs now is more love and acceptance, not more hate. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!

We Got Nerve

by Jo K.

Chapter 26: Wading Out Deeper

Keep your feet on the ground

When your head's in the clouds

-Paramore, "Brick by Boring Brick"

The sound of soft voices carrying along the early morning breeze gently tugged Lilly out of slumber. Normally her brain simply would have ignored such a quiet conversation, but as soon as it recognized one of those voices as Miley's, Lilly's brain decided that her attention was required.

"Look, Amy, all I'm sayin' is that you've got to talk to your mom sometime before you two go home! Otherwise you're just askin' for trouble."

"You didn't see her, Miley. You didn't hear what she called me, what she called Dee! Lord have mercy, Dee's got a heart big enough to love everybody in the world, but Mom called her everything but the damn Antichrist!"

"She's your mom, Amy! Give her a chance to—"

"NO, Miley! I won't let anybody talk to my girlfriend like that, even my momma! If she's not wantin' a lesbian for a daughter, then she don't need to have one!"

"So what, you're just never going to talk to your mom again? You think that's the best way to handle this?"

"She's the one who said that she couldn't handle me and Dee seein' each other, Miley. Dee's been like a second daughter to her for nearly ten years, but she can't handle her now that she knows that she's sharin' a bed with me? I can give up havin' my mother in my life, if that's what it costs to be with Dee."

"Amy, you don't know what you're saying."

"What, and you DO?!" There was a long, painful pause, then, more softly, "Shit, Miley, I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I just get so mad—"

Amy's voice trailed off as her attention was drawn to feet thumping down the stairs at a full run, taking them two at a time until Lilly was close enough to jump the last five steps, landing in a crouch before springing back up and hurrying to Miley's side. As Lilly reached her wife, Miley fell into her arms, crying softly as she buried her face into Lilly's neck, bare except for the thin strap of her camisole across her shoulder. Lilly whispered softly, tenderly stroking Miley's long, curly brown hair as she used her voice to soothe her partner's hurt.

Amy bit her index finger as she watched her two friends shut out the world around them, only focusing on each other at that moment. "I'm sorry," she muttered, looking up only to have her words catch in her throat when she locked gazes with Lilly's ice blue eyes blazing back at her. She had never seen Lilly angry before, and the incongruity of such fury in the eyes of someone she knew to be kind and loving took her breath away. After swallowing twice against an increasingly dry throat, Amy finally managed to croak, "Can I tell her?" as she pointed slowly at Miley's back.

Lilly continued to stare daggers at Amy for several seconds before she lifted her head enough to nod once. "Don't hurt her again," she said, her voice low and threatening.

Lilly's eyes remained intensely focused on their friend as Amy carefully approached the two of them. Only when Amy lightly touched Miley's back and whispered, "Please forgive me, Miley," did Lilly finally close her eyes. She felt a single tear escape the corner of her right eye, sliding like quicksilver down her cheek only to lose itself in Miley's soft curls.

Miley placed a kiss on Lilly's neck, turning as she felt Lilly's grip loosen without entirely letting go of her wife. Miley looked into Amy's sad eyes, and she could tell that her friend truly did feel terrible about lashing out at her. "Okay, I forgive you," Miley said with her deceptively deep voice, allowing a hesitant smile to creep across her reddened face, cheeks lined with wet trails down them. "But don't ever say anything like that again, okay?" she added as the smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a more somber expression. "Trust me, havin' your momma is much better than not havin' her, whether ya'll are fightin' or not."

Amy nodded. "I know," she said sheepishly. "I can't believe I said all that to you, Miley. Sweet Jesus, this whole thing with Momma has me torn up six ways from Sunday."

Miley's face lit up as an idea occurred to her. "I think what you need is to talk to somebody who's gone through this herself," she said. She turned to Lilly and asked, "Why don't you take Dee down to the skate park this morning, hon? And I'll see if I can track down Sarah."

Lilly nodded happily, proud of her best friend's thinking. "That's an awesome idea, Miles!"

"You two need to get some skatin' in while they're here, anyway." Miley looked at Lilly with a knowing smirk. "I know it's just been killin' you to wait, too."

Lilly curled her toes against the floor, hugging Miley warmly. "You know me so well, lovergirl," she said happily. "Make sure you pick up Brooke from Mom and Dad's, okay?"

"Like I could forget my little Lilly Junior?" teased Miley. She kissed Lilly deeply, wrapping her arms around her wife as she closed her eyes and breathed Lilly's scent, the essence that was all blonde hair and perfect skin, fiery love and freezing temper, best friend and sister and lover all at once. "I love you, Lilly," Miley whispered as she brushed her lips across Lilly's left cheek. "You're my life, honey, you and our daughter."

"I love you too, Miley, and you know I feel the same way," Lilly whispered back as she allowed her eyes to flutter open, pulling herself out of the same blissful state. "We'll be careful, I promise."

"I know you will, baby," Miley said. "Call or text when you're done, okay?"

"Will do!" said Lilly as she bounded up the stairs to wake up Dee.

Miley looked over at Amy, who was staring out the glass door at the ocean's breaking waves. She walked over to her friend and put her arm around the shorter girl, hugging her lightly as she said, "Come on. I'll buy you breakfast, then we have a friend we want you to meet who's been through this stuff with her parents already."

A little over two hours later, Lilly plopped down onto one of the shaded benches at the skate park less than a mile away from her home. She unsnapped her helmet's strap and set it down beside her as she took a long drink of her orange Gatorade, sighing contently after she swallowed. She pulled her phone out of her skate bag she had retrieved from the locker she kept at the skate park, checking her messages. As soon as she saw Miley's message, she tapped the button to call her wife.

Dee was using the water fountain to soak her hair, standing up to shake her short dark blue hair out once she was appropriately cooled off. She grinned as she saw Lilly trying not to laugh, and a broad smile stretched across her face. Even though this was supposed to be a relaxing trip for both her and Amy, Dee had been knotted up internally ever since they had left Tennessee. Today, however, was already off to a brilliant start, with the last two hours of skating serving to burn off massive amounts of tension she had been carrying around.

As Dee took a seat beside Lilly in the shade, hair still dripping onto her shirt, she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, resting it against the cool concrete wall. "So has your wife managed to convince my girlfriend to chill out yet?"

Lilly smiled as glanced at Dee out of the corner of her eye. "Good," she said into her phone, obviously pleased with whatever Miley was telling her. "Okay, hon. See you back at the house. Give Brookie a kiss for me, and save a kiss for yourself, too, sexy. Love you." She snapped her phone shut and tucked it away into the pocket of her shorts. "That would be a yes," she said to Dee, turning to look at her friend. "Sounds like talking to Sarah really helped Amy see that this isn't the end of the world."

"About damn time," Dee muttered. "I mean, I know that Amy wants to be with me, even if her family does totally flip out over us bein' together, but I really want her to stop lettin' all this eat her up inside."

"Yeah, I know it has to be hurting you, seeing her all twisted up this way," Lilly said knowingly. "I mean, I felt the same way about Miley when her aunt Vicky let her have it that first time." Lilly snickered before adding, "Of course, she had some real good stuff to say about me, too."

"Vicky?"

"Yeah. Called me a temptress and a whore, if I remember right. It was something like that, anyway."

Dee laughed, shaking her head slightly. "Yeah, that sounds like Vicky. Always did love her Bible vocabulary, 'specially when she gets all worked up about somethin'."

Lilly smiled as she playfully slapped Dee's back. "I think that talking to Sarah'll really help Amy about the whole Mom thing. Heck, Sarah's parents wouldn't talk to her for a month when she came out to them, and they all still lived in the same house back then!"

"Wow," said Dee with a whistle. "Well, I hope it don't take Amy's mom that long to settle down. I kinda like her no-bake cookies."

Lilly looked at Dee; the two of them held straight faces for a few seconds before dissolving into sputtering laughter. Lilly put her arm around Dee and hugged her friend. "I think the two of you are going to be just fine, girl," she said, adding her own silent prayer for just that.

At the Dyseni Records building in Los Angeles, Mikayla carried a half-full box of office supplies into the office of Lonnie Walters, the Assistant Vice President over her and also brother to her caustic manager Margot. "Here's that stuff I was telling you about," Mikayla said as she tipped the box slightly while setting it on Lonnie's desk. A small stack of loose objects she had carefully arranged atop the items in a corner of the box slid off, clattering neatly to the floor. "Shit," she said lightly, smiling as she turned her back to Lonnie. She slowly bent down, making sure to give him a good look at her rear through the extremely tight white shorts she was wearing. She had even gone so far as to wear panties with thin pink stripes, which she knew for a fact were visible through the sheer material of her shorts. She took her time picking up the small things on the floor, shifting slightly once to maximize his visibility before she finally straightened up just as teasingly as she had bent over. She turned, flashing a confident smile that only grew as she casually surveyed the bulge in the front of his dress pants. Gotcha, she thought as her smile grew even more. "See something you like, Lonnie?" she asked offhandedly, feigning nonchalance but now supremely confident that her plan was going to work.

"Well, uh, I—" Lonnie sputtered, his face increasingly resembling a beet as he tried to form a coherent sentence.

Mikayla tossed her hair once, locking her eyes onto his. "It's okay, Lonnie," she cooed softly. "I know you want me. And I'm okay with that." She closed the door to his office, then she slowly walked around his desk to face him. She leaned back against the large desk, positioning her right leg between his legs slowly. Now the bulge in his pants was taking rigid shape, prompting her to open her mouth slightly as she continued to smile. She didn't say anything else as she began to rub her leg against the inside of his right leg. Letting silence hang in the air would intensify his interest, and it only took a few seconds before the older man spoke.

"Aren't you, uh, seeing somebody?" he asked nervously, sweat beginning to form on his forehead.

Oooh, nice return, Mr. Walters. Make it sound like you actually care about my relationship when really you're just wanting to pull my shorts down and fuck me right here, right now. I think you've played this game before. "Nah, nothing serious," she said, continuing to project disinterest just enough to pique his excitement even further. She blinked twice, then stared intensely into his eyes as she carefully said, "But I could be," adding after a pause, "If he could keep it a secret, that is. Don't want any more bad publicity."

Lonnie swallowed hurriedly, his heart hammering inside his chest. "I think that could be arranged," he finally squeaked out as he loosened his tie. "I'd, uh, really like that," he added with his attempt at a charming smile.

Mikayla smirked as she reached across his desk to retrieve a piece of paper, stretching enough to make her cropped t-shirt rise along her bare ribs. She grabbed a pen and scribbled her cell phone number on it, folding the paper and tucking it into his shirt pocket once she was done. "Call me tonight, after eight," she said softly. Without waiting for a reply, she stood and stretched, her short shirt again lifting high enough to reveal her pierced navel and the thin twin silver chains that dangled down two inches from the silver charm there. "If you think you can handle me, that is," she added with a wink before she turned and strode confidently out of his office. Phase One, disgusting as it might be, has officially begun.

Three days later, Miley and Lilly hugged Amy and Dee goodbye as the two Tennessee girls prepared to board their flight back home.

"I'm glad you and your mom finally talked," Miley said to Amy, poking her long finger into her shorter friend's chest playfully. "Took you two long enough."

"Yeah, well, that's the Hearons for you," Dee said quickly, leaving Amy open-mouthed.

"I was gonna say that," Amy muttered, only to draw a happy hug from her girlfriend. "And you're the girl who's shackin' up with one!"

Dee kissed Amy on the lips, still quietly marveling at how open the two of them could act in California, where the only people who knew them were friends. "Best trick I ever landed," Dee said confidently. "In a skating way!" she quickly added. "Not tryin' to call you a hooker, babe."

Lilly covered her mouth with the hand that wasn't holding baby Brooke, trying to conceal her amusement at Amy and Dee's teasing until she heard Miley laugh heartily. She smacked Miley's arm, drawing a dirty look from her wife. "Be nice, Miles."

"Why don't you keep both hands on our daughter, honey?" Miley said, overly sweet words dripping with sarcasm.

"I can hold her just fine with this one and pop you with the other. When you deserve it, of course." Lilly batted her eyes and returned Miley's teasing smile. "But I love you!"

Now Miley's smile became warm and genuine as she drank in the sight of her best friend and wife holding their daughter, sunlight from the large window beside them illuminating Lilly in a golden glow. "I love you too, Lil," she said, tenderly leaning forward and kissing first her wife, then their child. The two of them turned to see their friends watching them carefully. "What?" asked Miley loudly. "Ya'll not ever seen two mommas and their daughter before?"

"Not two quite like you and Lilly," Amy said with a smile. "Thanks for havin' us out here. And for puttin' up with my mini-breakdown."

"Anytime," Lilly said as she hugged Amy with her free arm. "That's what friends are for."

Dee stepped forward to hug Lilly next. "And thanks for bein' there for my girlfriend. We're, uh, still sorta new at this whole bein' out stuff."

Lilly couldn't help but smile at Dee's shyness. "You'll get used to it, girl," she said confidently. "I promise."

"I hope so," replied Dee, "but I hope our families get used to it first."

"Amen to that," said Amy as she took Dee's hand. "Okay, we need to get on the plane before they make the last call."

The two couples waved at each other, then Amy and Dee turned and walked to the gate.

"Call us when you get back to Tennessee!" Miley said loudly.

"Absolutely!" Amy called over her shoulder as they handed their boarding passes to the attendant.

Miley, Lilly and Brooke watched out the window until the plane had taxied away from the terminal, then they moved to the other side of the airport, continuing their vigil until the plane had pulled away from the runway, quickly rising into the blue sky as it flew away from the California ground.

Miley and Lilly walked away from the airport in a comfortable silence, holding hands as the background noise of another jet taking off accompanied them across the parking lot. "So you still going into the office today?" Lilly asked as she buckled Brooke into her brightly colored infant carseat.

Miley nodded. "Yup. Got to pick up the rest of that stuff Jen's put together for the Foundation before I hit the gym."

As she clicked the buckle into place, Lilly stood up and smiled across the car at her wife. "I'm proud of you for taking this American Gladiators thing so seriously, Miles. And I know you're gonna do great."

"Not so sure about that," muttered Miley, "but I'd prefer not to embarrass myself on television if I can help it."

"You won't embarrass yourself, sweetheart," said Lilly as she slid into the driver's seat of their sedan.

Miley was quiet for a minute as they drove before she asked, "What if Mikayla beats me?"

Lilly glanced over at her wife, who was looking out the side window. Even though Miley's back was turned to her, Lilly could feel the worry coursing through her best friend's body without having to see the lines of concern etched into her forehead. "Well, what if she beats you?" she asked nonchalantly.

Miley turned to look at her wife. "Uh, I coulda swore I asked you that question first. So you kind of have to answer me first."

Lilly waited a few seconds until they stopped at a traffic light. She turned to look at Miley as she said, "Miley, if she beats you, then she beats you." She smiled warmly, then she shrugged and said, "So what? It's not like it makes her better than you are at singing or performing. It just means she was better at running obstacle courses and playing games than you were on one night."

Lilly turned her eyes back to the road, sending the car into motion again as the light turned green. She reached across the console and took Miley's hand, running her fingers against her wife's as they gripped each other, love and need mixed in their tight grasp. "I want you to win, too, honey," continued Lilly, "but I'm going to love you just as much whether you win or lose. Just go out there, try hard, and have fun no matter where you finish."

Miley smiled and moved a small mass of curls out of her face. "You always know just what to say to me, baby," she said happily. "Whether it's to cool me down or heat me up, your mouth knows just what to do."

"Miley Truscott!" Lilly squealed, her mouth nearly wide open in shock. "You are being a naughty pop star today!"

Miley grinned and bent over to place a kiss on the back of Lilly's hand she was still holding. "Yeah, but I'm your naughty pop star and no one else's. And you love me for it."

"Among other things," Lilly replied, flashing her own smile for her wife. "What time were you wanting to be at the gym?" she asked with a sly grin. "Because I was thinking of another workout we could do if Brooke takes a long nap..."

Mikayla awoke the next day to the sunlight streaming into her bedroom. She grimaced as she slid across sheets wet with her cold sweat, grateful to reach the edge of the mattress and step onto the floor. She took her phone from beside the bed and checked it for any messages she might have missed. As she stared at the zigzag pattern of her phone's wallpaper, a thought occurred to her. It was such an unusual thought for the young woman that it felt alien even considering it, but the more she thought about it the better it sounded.

Mikayla rolled over onto her back, pulling the sheets over her naked body as she flipped through the touchphone's list of stored numbers, finally settling on one particular entry. She hesitated only a second before hitting the Call button.

As the sounds of a buzzing ringtone echoed from her phone, Lilly stopped her early morning run along the beach. She settled into a relaxed walk as she retrieved her phone and hit the Send button. "Hello?" she asked, not bothering to check her caller ID before answering.

"Hey Lilly. What are you doing today?"

Lilly stopped walking, frowning slightly and wrinkling her forehead briefly as she tried to place the voice. "Mikayla?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's me. You have plans for today?"

"Umm, I've got plans for tonight," she said simply. "I'm doing my morning exercise right now."

"Oh, you at the gym or something?"

Mikayla's voice sounded eager, almost anticipatory, and Lilly grimaced as she mentally pictured being at a gym and having Mikayla and her ego appear, bringing paparazzi and chaos with her. "No, just doing a run on the beach this morning," she replied. "I normally go surfing, but sometimes we do a run, sometimes we ride our bikes. Brooke didn't get much sleep last night, and Miley was up with her more than I was, so she needed to sleep in this morning." Why am I telling her all this?

"Lilly, it's not even seven in the morning. It's too damn early to be running."

"Nah, it's the best time. It's not had time to get really hot yet, and there's not many people on the beach this early, mainly just the diehard surfers. They're pretty cool." Lilly left out that she was one of the diehard surfers herself, and that she knew most of the regulars on the beach near her home.

"If you say so, I guess. Listen, would you want to maybe eat lunch with me after while? I was hoping we could... talk some more. You know, if that's okay with you."

Lilly could detect the hint of trepidation in Mikayla's voice, and just like before that suppressed fear triggered a desire to try and learn more about Hannah's puzzling rival. She just wants to be your friend, Lilly. Give her the benefit of the doubt. You know the industry. You know L.A. Real friends are hard to come by. You need to give her a chance. Lilly nodded to herself, hoping that she wasn't somehow betraying her wife by trying to be friends with Mikayla. She and Miley had talked about it several times recently, however, and Miley was in complete agreement with Lilly becoming more friendly with Mikayla. The fight that their nieces Peyton and Melody had been in still weighed heavily on Miley's conscience, and she tried to remain hopeful that the hostilities between Hannah and Mikayla could be defused. Lilly wasn't so sure, but she was willing to work to fulfill Miley's hope for a peaceful resolution.

"Lilly? You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sure, I think I could do lunch. You have a restaurant in mind, or you just want to meet up somewhere?"

"Just come by my house. It's 1138 Tiger Lily Lane. You can Google Map it for directions; I suck at giving them anyway."

Lilly couldn't help but grin slightly. "Alright. What time you want me to be there?"

"Twelve. I mean, if that works for you too."

Lilly shook her head. Part of her brain couldn't believe that Mikayla was being not only nice but also considerate, simply because she had been the exact opposite for years. Still, she was trying. "That works for me. I can't stay too long because Miley and I have plans for tonight, but I can find time to do lunch."

"Great. See you at twelve, then!"

As the connection ended, Lilly looked at her phone for a few seconds before slipping it back into her pocket and setting off at a brisk walk back to the house. She was only a few hundred yards away, and in just a few minutes she was dropping her shoes off on the back deck. She opened the door, smiling when she saw Miley bustling around in the kitchen. "Hey, beautiful!" Lilly called out, only to be answered with a delighted cry from the playpen beside the couch. "Hey, baby girl!" she said happily, bending down as she waved to Brooke, her bright blue eyes locked onto her mother with burning intensity.

"She's been lookin' for you," said Miley as she walked over to her wife. She ran her hands through her thick, chestnut-brown curls as she reached Lilly, who instantly wrapped her arms around Miley's shoulders, bare in the tank top she was wearing this morning.

"Anybody else been looking for me?" asked Lilly teasingly, her lips just inches away from Miley's own.

"I might have been," whispered Miley as she leaned forward, pressing her lips against Lilly's as her eyes automatically closed. They kissed for several seconds, finally pulling apart just in time to hear a gurgling laugh from Brooke.

Lilly gave Miley another quick kiss, then she patted her wife on the butt through her thin fleece shorts as she stepped over to the playpen. She leaned over, carefully lifting her baby daughter up and out of the brightly colored playpen and settling her on her shoulder. "Did you miss your mommy, little girl?" she whispered warmly to Brooke, who made a happy sucking noise as she bobbed her head against Lilly's shoulder. "Oooh, don't bonk your little head, jellybean!" Lilly said, her voice soft as she steadied their daughter's head.

"Got a head like yours," said Miley as she walked back over to the kitchen to finish unloading the dishwasher. "Hard as a sack a' anvils."

"And we love her for it!" Lilly said in a voice that tried to sound scolding but fell rather short. "Her's the best baby ever," Lilly said with a baby voice, getting a smile from Brooke. "Oh, and speaking of babies, Mikayla asked me to have lunch with her today."

Miley stood up from where she had been bending over the dishwasher. "Are you serious?" she asked, slack-jawed.

Lilly nodded. "Yeah, I am. I think she really is looking for a friend, Miley. I think she needs one, too."

"Well, I'm with you there, but who says that friend has to be you?" asked Miley, apprehension oozing from not only her facial expression but also her body language. Now that Mikayla seemed eager to forge a friendship with Lilly, Miley herself was beginning to have second thoughts. It wasn't due to any jealousy because Miley trusted Lilly entirely, but instead this concern stemmed from a growing worry about Mikayla and her penchant for drama.

Lilly walked over to the kitchen, putting her free arm around Miley as she pulled Brooke's other mother into a hug with them. "You want all this feud stuff to be over, don't you honey?" she asked gently. After a brief pause, Miley nodded twice. "Okay," Lilly said with a warm smile for her best friend. "I do too. And I think this might be the best way to make it happen. What was that your dad told you, sometimes the best solution is one where everybody wins something?"

Miley grinned. "That was a while ago, baby. Good memory."

"Some things just sort of stick around up there," Lilly said teasingly. "Contrary to popular belief, blondes aren't all dumb."

"No, they're not," Miley agreed as she gave first Lilly a kiss, then Brooke. "Why don't you get in the shower? I'll play with Lilly Junior here while you get clean."

Lilly grinned. "You got yourself a deal, superstar."

Just over three hours later, Lilly pulled up to a imposing wrought-iron gate in her obsidian Tesla Roadster. She rolled down her window to hit the Intercom button, but before she could do so the gate began to swing open with a soft hum. She smiled and left the window down as she waited for the gate to open enough to drive inside, then she pressed the accelerator to send her car silently shooting up the inclined driveway.

As Lilly parked her Roadster in the paved semicircle in front of the mansion, she shook her head at how right she had been in her guess at how Mikayla's home would look. Big, expensive, flashy, and not an ounce of warmth anywhere. She got out of the car, the soft soles of her sneakers squeaking slightly on the wet tile walkway leading up to the house. As she reached the door and pressed the doorbell, she turned and took another look around at the grounds around the mansion. It wasn't the biggest mansion she had seen, but it was at least as big as Ashley's home, maybe bigger. It was tough to tell without seeing the back of the house and how far back Mikayla's yard stretched behind the house.

As the door opened, Lilly spun around, surprised to see Mikayla at the door. "Oh," she said rather dumbly, smacking her forehead lightly as she shook her head and smiled. "Sorry. That was a brilliant hello, huh?"

Mikayla smiled in return, and while the expression still seemed somewhat foreign to the younger woman's face, it seemed to rest more comfortably than it had just a few days ago. "It's okay," Mikayla said. "The place is pretty big, I know. If you want I'll show you around after lunch."

At the sound of the L-word, Lilly's stomach rumbled knowingly. "Lunch, you said?" she asked with a grin. "Miley'll tell you that my stomach seems to have a mind of its own."

"Then let's get started," said Mikayla as she moved out of the door, letting Lilly step inside. "I figured we'd just eat here if that's okay with you. I had my chef make two or three different things for us. Figured you'd like at least one of them."

"At least being the words to remember," Lilly said smartly as she followed Mikayla down the long hallway.

Conversation over lunch was brief and cursory, as Lilly's hunger demanded most of her attention. It had been a while since she had eaten—food, that is, she thought as a sly grin slid across her lips—and the meal that Mikayla's chef had fixed for them really was outstanding. As Lilly dropped her fork on her again-empty plate and leaned back, she sighed happily as she looked over at her hostess. "That was pretty darn good, Mikayla," she said pleasantly. "Thanks for having me over."

"Glad you liked it," the dark-haired woman replied. "Alejandra doesn't get to pull out the stops too often, so she's probably happy to have someone enjoy her cooking as much as you did."

"You've got to give me her number," Lilly mumbled happily. "Maybe I could have her come out and fix some stuff for Miley and me every now and then."

"Yeah, just remember she's not cheap. You probably want to check her prices first. But if you can afford it, her cooking's sure as hell worth it."

Internally Lilly began to fume at Mikayla's repeated insinuations that she was much wealthier than Lilly and Miley were. Bitch, I know that my woman's worth ten times what you are. Heck, after "Above and Beyond" hitting $200 million domestic, I'm probably close to you myself. With great effort she managed to tamp down her ire and force a smile on her face, but then a thought struck her that made that smile genuine. But the wealth that Miley and I really have isn't counted in dollars, and you're flat broke in that department. "I think we might be able to swing it for a special occasion," she said with a calm voice, determined not to let Hannah's immature would-be rival get under her skin this time.

Things were quiet for several heartbeats, then Mikayla looked at Lilly and said, "There's something that I've been needing to talk to someone about for a long time, Lilly. Several somethings, actually."

Lilly's fork paused over the plate. She slowly looked up and saw Mikayla gazing at her with eyes that ached with yearning, a need so deep and intense that tears nearly sprang to Lilly's eyes. She wasn't sure exactly how to respond to that, so she stayed quiet and continue to hold Mikayla's gaze neutrally.

After three or four seconds, Mikayla blinked and looked away. "I'm not ready to talk about them just yet. Not since Kasey..." She smiled sadly as she looked back across the table at Lilly. "Not since Kasey died. But I think that when I am ready to talk about them, Lilly, you might just be the one I'll talk to."

It surprised Lilly slightly when she heard herself say, without the least bit of sarcasm, "That's what friends are for, Mikayla. We're there when we're needed."

As Miley heard the door close downstairs, she smiled to herself as she began washing Brooke in her baby bath chair. She had felt the warmth in her heart that meant Lilly was close several minutes ago, so hearing the door open and close was no surprise. Just a minute later, that warmth intensified sharply, making Miley's smile become a full grin. "Have a good lunch?" she asked without taking her eyes off their daughter, who was thoroughly enjoying her evening bath if her happy laughter was any indication.

"It was bearable," Lilly sighed as she sat down on the floor beside the bathtub, scooting close enough to her wife for their legs to touch. "The food was actually pretty good, though."

"She didn't cook it herself, did she?"

Lilly laughed. "You really need to ask that question?"

Miley shook her head briefly. "Nah, not really. Just wanted to remind myself of another way you're better than she is."

"Did it work?" asked Lilly as her strong hands began to slowly knead Miley's shoulders.

"Mmm, you bet it did," Miley whispered out as she leaned her head back slightly, soaking in the heavenly feel of Lilly's loving fingers on her skin. "I still think this'll turn out to be a waste of your time."

Lilly slid her left hand up Miley's shirt, lovingly caressing her wife's bare breast. "Oh, I'm pretty sure I'll get something I like out of this," she murmured into Miley's ear, drawing a giggle from her best friend.

"Not this, baby," Miley said with a smile as she resumed washing their daughter with a soft pink washcloth, "I can guarantee what you're doin' right now is most definitely not a waste of your time. I was talkin' about you tryin' to be Mikayla's friend."

Lilly kissed Miley's neck once, twice as she continued to fan her wife's desire. "She's so messed up, Miles. I mean, it's not funny how much she keeps bottled up inside. I hope she's seeing a therapist or a psychiatrist or something."

"Well, she has backed off the attacks on us lately," said Miley as she unbuckled the safety strap holding Brooke securely in her bath seat. "I guess that's a good sign." She carefully picked their daughter up as Lilly slid her hand out of her shirt. "You mind to grab me a towel, please?"

Lilly smiled; she was already retrieving one of Brooke's soft towels from the shelf before Miley even asked. She turned around and unfolded the towel, holding it up as Miley carefully handed Brooke to her other mommy. Lilly wrapped the baby up in the warm towel, then she and Miley stepped into their bedroom, where Lilly laid Brooke on the bed so she could gently dry her off. The baby laughed as her mother toweled her dry, tickling her at several points along the way.

"She looks like you when she laughs," Lilly said to Miley, who was pulling a pair of baby pajamas out of the dresser. "It makes her look even cuter."

Miley gave Lilly a kiss on the cheek as she began tugging the pajamas on their daughter. "Meaner, maybe," Miley said with a teasing grin. "Not sure about cuter. That's more you than me."

Lilly stepped up behind Miley and hugged her, resting her lips on the back on Miley's neck. "You know what, country girl?" she asked softly.

Miley grinned as she snapped the first button on Brooke's pajamas. The littlest Truscott was yawning, and her eyes were already starting to flutter closed. "What, surfer girl?" she replied over her shoulder.

Lilly squeezed Miley just a bit tighter as she said, "I think I just might keep you," punctuating her sentence with a happy sigh.

Author's Afterword: My deepest apologies for this chapter taking forever. I promise I'm still writing, it's just hard finding time to work out chapters and get them typed. I'll keep doing my best, because there are still a few more stories to go. I love all of you, and thank you again for spending time with Miley and Lilly! They love all of you too!

Jo