Author's Note: Sorry for the horrible delay. I'm trying to get writing done, but it's just been brutally busy for six months now. It seems like no one else is writing either, and that makes me feel even more guilty for this being so late. Please try to forgive me.

For more information on American Gladiators and the events, Wikipedia has great write-ups on them. There are a few differences between the most recent incarnation of the show and the third version included in my story. Just like every season, some events have changed. There are new hosts and new Gladiators as well, but some old favorites are still around.

As for the intro music for this chapter, I have to say that "Who Owns My Heart" is my favorite song from Miley's new album at first listen. I already had the intro music picked for this chapter, but I changed it at the last minute after hearing that song for the first time. It just feels right to me, because Miley and Lilly are most certainly living art when it comes to their obvious love for each other.

I have no clue why this chapter keeps disappearing. I'm changing the name of the television show, just in case FFNet thinks that could be a problem, but I've received no notification of any problems or any explanations why this chapter keeps disappearing. It's getting annoying. I'll also reiterate my standard disclaimer that no infringement is intended on any person or entity named in this story, and that this story falls under the auspice of fair use.

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 28: Pain and Consequences

The room is full but all I see

Is the way your eyes just blaze through me

Like fire in the dark

We're like living art

--Miley Cyrus, "Who Owns My Heart"

"This isn't fair," Miley said, wiping tears away with her fingers. "For the first time in my life, I was doing something athletic and I wasn't totally sucking, and then THIS happens!" she yelled, stabbing her fingers at the large black brace encircling her injured knee. She covered her face with her hands and yelled something unintelligible as she threw her head back, not stopping until her back smacked against the padding of the training table she was stretched out upon. Her head, however, didn't strike that table. Instead it was gently cushioned by a small yet strong hand that absorbed the impact of Miley's sudden movement. "Why did this have to happen?" Miley moaned, eyes clenched tightly shut against the pain and frustration surging through her body.

"I don't know, honey, but it did, and we can get through this."

Miley dropped her hands to her sides and blinked her eyes open, tears momentarily muddling her vision as she focused on the face hovering over her attentively. It didn't matter if the hair framing that lovely face was pink, as it was tonight, or blonde, as it usually was, or lime green, or pure white, or fiery orange, or any of a dozen other colors that Lola Montana sported. What mattered was the face that Miley loved more than any other sight imaginable, the face that spoke of love and devotion without uttering a single syllable: Lilly.

Miley reached up and hugged Lilly, pulling her down onto the table with her. "There's no way I'm lettin' that skank just walk off with a win tonight," she said slowly as she clung to Lilly.

Lilly pulled back, concern evident on her face as she looked into her wife's eyes. "No," she said resolutely, slowly shaking her head. "I'm not letting you go back out there with your knee and who knows what else already hurt, just to let Mikayla take another cheap shot at you!"

Miley could see the steel shining in her best friend's gaze, and she acknowledged that there would be no way she could talk Lilly into letting her go back out there hurt. Truthfully, she didn't WANT to go back out there right now. Her knee felt like someone had injected fire into it, her left shoulder hurt just taking a breath, her head was throbbing and the only thing her eyes could focus on was her Lilly. But even thinking of putting all that into words made her head swim, so instead all that came out of her mouth was a soft, "It hurts, Lilly Bear."

The starkness of her best friend's trembling voice hit Lilly harder than any physical impact could. Her lips quivered as tears flowed more freely; she tenderly brushed a strand of Hannah's long, straight blonde hair behind Miley's left ear as she fought to regain her composure. "I'll take care of you," she finally said, wanting to say more but knowing that Miley would understand. She always did, and she always would.

Miley smiled back through her own tears. "I know you will, baby," she said, and she did know. "But now there's something else you've got to do for me."

Lilly nodded. "Anything, honey. Just tell me, and I'll do it." She sniffed once, wanting the tears and runny nose to go away. She wanted Miley's pain to go away even more.

Miley's smile was tinged with sadness now. She gazed into Lilly's sparkling sapphire eyes, otherwordly and beautiful through her tears, for long seconds, then she finally said, "You have to finish this for me, Lilly Bear. You have to be my knight."

"Uh uh!" Lilly quickly said, shaking her head. "I'm not leaving you! Not with you hurt!"

Miley reached up with both hands, flinching as pain bit deep into her left shoulder but not stopping until she was cradling Lilly's face in her hands. "She can't hurt me anymore right now," she said, and she knew that Lilly would see that once she thought about it. "And you don't want to see her win any more than I do."

Lilly couldn't deny that. "But will they even let me take your place tonight?" she asked, doubt creeping into her voice.

Miley nodded. "Yeah, they will. They've got a live show goin', and the last thing they want is for people to tune out because there's no more action." She smiled as her memory cast back several years, recalling memories of the first time Lilly had been forced to step up and carry a live television show by herself; her best friend had stolen the show that night, and Miley knew she would do it again tonight. "Do it, sweetheart, please. Do it for me." Miley smiled. "I'm your princess. You're my knight. And I need my champion tonight."

Lilly closed her eyes and thought. Miley wanted her to do it, and she would. She had promised her. "Anything," she said softly before opening her eyes slowly. "I said I'd do anything for you, and I meant it. But I don't want to leave you back here alone."

"Who said I was stayin' back here?" asked Miley with a hint of a smile. "I'm wantin' to watch you beat her butt into the ground!"

As Lilly stepped into her starting zone for the Powerball challenge, she continued to glare daggers at Mikayla across the arena. Powerball saw the two contestants on Celebrity Gladiators start at opposite ends of a wide arena, with several barrels spaced over the floor. Points were scored by tossing rubber balls into the narrow openings atop the barrels, with the center barrel worth twice as many points as the four barrels closer to the two contestants, with each woman having two barrels between her and the central barrel. A single gladiator started between the two near barrels on each side, with the more valuable center barrel guarded by another two gladiators. Each end held a barrel with both red and blue colored balls, necessary since the competitors moved from end to end as the timer ticked down on the event.

"Competitors ready?" asked the referee from his position on the side of the zone.

Mikayla waved dismissively in reply, giving the referee a brief glare before she settled her gaze on the nearest Gladiator, a powerfully built brunette named Python.

Lilly nodded curtly at the referee before taking quick stock of the field layout: one Gladiator in front of her, one in front of Mikayla on the opposite end of the event area, and two Gladiators in the center, flanking the central barrel. She reached beside her and positioned her left hand directly over a blue rubber ball in the bin beside her.

The shrill whistle signaled the event's start. Lilly grabbed the ball and immediately started by taking three steps forward and to the right, then she cut back and shot by Siren. She looked down the field, watching Mikayla get shoved nearly to the ground by Python, then she had to shift her attention to Comet, a short but startlingly quick Gladiator who was one of the central barrel's guards.

Lilly cut to the left, shifting the ball she was carrying to her left hand. Comet matched her move, closing in as Venom, the second center Gladiator moved to intercept Mikayla, who was racing toward the central goal. Lilly took three hard strides to the left, then she cut back to the right. Again, Comet matched her movement, and now she was almost on top of Lilly. Lilly shoved hard back to the left, digging her shoes as far as they'd bite into the firm ground, extending her left arm and the ball in her hand all the way to the left.

As Comet shifted her body weight and committed to meeting Lilly's leftward lunge, Lilly flipped the ball out of her left hand, not really caring about scoring a goal at this point. As she did so, she burned the fleeting image of Mikayla missing her shot and then running past Venom into her mind's eye in that split second. Lilly ducked and threw her entire body into a spin move, rotating counterclockwise but moving her body to her right, using Comet as a screen against Mikayla.

Mikayla never saw Lilly coming. She had taken a poorly chosen shot, missing the goal entirely, and had just run around Venom's right side; in turn, Venom had stopped pursuing her once the ball had left Mikayla's hand. Mikayla's mind was on hurrying to the other side, reloading with another ball and taking another shot at more points, not keeping track of where Lola Montana was on the field.

Lilly had to extend her left hand to the ground to keep from falling, momentarily bracing herself as she spun low and hard. Through her peripheral vision she saw the red of Mikayla's sports bra and shorts, and she used her powerful legs to launch herself upward while she aimed her left shoulder squarely between those two images of red in her peripheral vision.

The point of her left shoulder caught Mikayla directly in the solar plexus, and Lilly allowed herself to smile grimly as she heard the whoosh of air escape from Mikayla's lungs. Extending her legs fully as she continued to drive her body into the brunette's, Lilly's feet left the ground as she picked the brunette off the ground entirely, propelling her backward and sending her spilling to the ground. Mikayla landed hard on her back, followed by her limp limbs smacking the mat just an instant later. Lilly continued her mid-air twist until she was facing forward, lightly touching down on her toes right before Mikayla hit the mat several feet in front of her.

Lilly took four steps to stand towering over Mikayla's prone figure, rolling painfully on the ground as the singer gasped for air. For an interminably long moment Lilly just glared down at her enemy, fists balled and wanting nothing more than to fall upon the mouthy woman and pound her face in, protective headgear or not. Former friend or not. She had crossed an inviolable line when she had deliberately hurt Miley, and now she had to pay.

Miley was watching the action on a monitor that had been wheeled into the training room where she lay on the exam table. "No, baby, don't do it. It's not right, whether she deserves it or not," she murmured, talking entirely to herself despite the three other medical personnel now in the room with her. "Don't sink to her level, babe," she whispered. "Please, not even for me. You're better than her, honey. You're better than her."

As more seconds ticked by, Lilly held Mikayla in her burning stare. Mikayla had begun to recover her breath, and as realization dawned in her dark eyes, Lilly could see something else reflected in their oily depths.

Fear.

Lilly's fingers twitched, like an itch right in the small of her back, begging to be scratched. For a few moments, it felt good to know that Mikayla was afraid of her—no, terrified of her, as was evident in her expression. But then through the crimson haze of rage, she felt a gentle tingle, deliciously cool amidst the rushing heat of the blood pounding in her head. She abruptly looked up, as if she had just realized where she was and what she was doing, then she sprinted across the arena floor to pick up another blue ball.

"Good girl," Miley said to herself as she watched Lilly race away from Mikayla's prone form. She allowed herself to release the breath she had been holding and start breathing normally again. "Now I don't have to explain to our daughter why we need to bail her mommy out of jail later tonight," she mumbled to herself.

As Lilly took another ball, she turned and bolted to her right. She slipped past the powerful but slow Python and slammed the ball into one of the goal pylons. She took a quick glance across the floor at Mikayla, but the brunette was still lying on the floor. Wimp. She can dish it out but can't take it. No surprise.

Despite the seething anger she held for the smart-mouthed singer, Lilly knew in her heart that she had done the right thing by not falling on top of Mikayla and beating her until her face was the same shade of crimson as her Gladiator outfit. That didn't mean she had to feel all sunshine and light about her decision, though.

After a little over two minutes, the horn sounded. Mikayla had struggled to her feet shortly before the signal to stop, but her gait was more like a drunken stagger as she clutched her arms to her abdomen, still laboring to take a full breath. Lilly, on the other hand, had earned eight points with two goals in the center pylon and four more in the outer pylons.

As she walked over to the sideline where some of the crew held a towel and water bottle for her, Lilly smiled as she took the water bottle. "Thanks," she said to the teenager offering the clear bottle, putting a smile on his face. She turned, looking around until she saw Mikayla standing about thirty meters away, being tended to by a small team of first aid personnel.

Lilly took another drink of water, drinking more slowly this time and not stopping until the bottle was nearly empty. When she was finished, she gestured in Mikayla's direction with the water bottle. "She gonna be okay?" she asked the other crew member attending her. He appeared to be closer to Miley's and Lilly's age, early twenties or maybe late teens.

"Looks like it," he said, surveying the way the brunette was yelling and waving her arms at the Gladiators crew. "If she's got enough energy to scream like that, she must be doing better."

Lilly laughed once. "Oh well," she said. "At least she got my point," she added with a smile as she handed the water bottle back to the first boy. She couldn't help but grin as she said, "So what's next for me tonight?"

The rest of the events seemed to race by, with the contest's time reined in by the constraints of the live broadcast's two-hour window. After Atlasphere, Hit and Run, Earthquake, Assault and the Wall, Lilly had obliterated Mikayla's early lead, along with whatever was left of her self-confidence. Assault had been particularly painful for Mikayla; just eight seconds into the event, she was hit in the ribs by a tennis ball fired from the air cannon by Phoenix. As she sat on the sidelines pressing a cold pack against her stinging ribs, she watched Lola Montana prove unhittable to the same sizzling tennis balls, leaping, spinning, ducking, diving and sliding out of the path of everything fired her way. She had missed with the slingshot, notoriously inaccurate in all versions of the television show, and then with the turret cannon, but she had struck home with the rocket launcher, hitting the large target behind Phoenix just inches off the bullseye. As the columns of pyrotechnics shot to life on each side of the target, Lola had pumped her fist in delight as Phoenix was yanked off her perch into the cold water of Gladiator Arena. The intense expression of triumph by the pink-haired star was going to be on countless television shows, highlight films, magazines, and various other forms of media within days, and Mikayla was sure that there would be a picture of her circulating in the media as well, most likely one of her lying on the ground and writhing in pain.

She stood up, not really caring if her ribs were still hurting or not. There was still one final event to be run, and she wasn't finished yet.

Miley made her way back to the arena floor thanks to a pair of crutches someone had finally produced for her. She had been on crutches when she had broken her leg right before moving to Nashville, and it had only taken her a minute to remember the basics of how they worked.

As a few astute fans in the stands spotted Hannah Montana returning to the arena floor, still clad in her blue two-piece uniform, they began to shout and cheer. The others quickly joined in as their more observant friends pointed out the superstar balancing on the crutches, leg protectively encased in the rigid immobilizer, and the cheers rose to a roaring swell inside the coliseum. Miley waved to the crowd, careful to not raise her right arm high enough to lose her balance. She winced slightly as she felt another jolt of pain through her left shoulder, made worse by using the crutches, but she was determined to personally see Lilly compete in at least one event tonight.

"Mrs. Montana, are you sure this isn't going to hurt your leg more?" asked one of the younger production assistants sent to try and bring the stubborn superstar back to the first aid room.

"Nope," Miley replied simply as she continued to hobble her way toward the show's final event, The Eliminator. "Don't matter, though. I'm watchin' my wife and cheerin' her on from where she can hear me." She turned to look back at the young man, who was obviously concerned about her. "I can hurt later," Miley said more quietly, "because my best friend needs me." Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back on him and resumed her slow journey to the Eliminator set.

The Eliminator was a long, physically draining obstacle course. The purpose of Eliminator was simple: the first competitor to cross the finish line won, eliminating the other competitor. The points earned from the other events tonight mattered only because the leader was given a head start in seconds equal to one-half the points difference between the two competitors. The average winning time on Eliminator for the female competitors was between four and four-and-a-half minutes, so even a head start of just a few seconds could make a significant difference.

As Miley reached the Eliminator set, a group of people interposed themselves between her and the event. "Look, ya'll, don't even try to stop me from watchin' Lola, 'cause it ain't gonna happen," she said quickly, flashing a defiant look with her intense blue eyes.

"Mrs. Montana," said an older man with a kind smile, "we're here to help you up the stairs to the finish line. The view's quite a bit better from there."

Miley smiled Hannah's radiant smile for the first time in the last two hours. "Now you're talkin'," she said happily.

As Lilly and Mikayla reached the starting zone of the Eliminator, Mikayla turned suddenly. Lilly reflexively tensed in case Mikayla were to throw a sucker punch, but no such blow came.

"You think you're such hot shit, but you're a fucking joke," Mikayla growled softly. However, instead of the angry reaction she was expecting from the pink-haired actress, Mikayla only got a bemused look in return.

Lilly shook her head slowly as she said, "Whether I win or lose, I get to go home tonight, kiss my daughter, make love to my wife and fall asleep in the arms of someone who loves me for who I am, unconditionally. What have you got to go home to, Mikayla?"

While waiting for a response, Lilly searched the eyes of the young woman she thought she had been forming a friendship with, but now there were no signs of the loneliness or the yearning that she had seen over the last few weeks. Those hints of vulnerability were nowhere to be found, having been replaced with fury, jealousy and bitterness. It was not, Lilly thought, an improvement.

When Mikayla finally spoke, it was through a grim expression that just slightly showed her teeth. "You think I hurt your bitch earlier? Wait 'til you see what I do next."

If Mikayla hadn't've spun and walked away immediately after saying those words, Lilly would have punched her in the face. As it were, she came very close to hitting her anyway, whether it would have been in the back of her head or not. What stopped her attack was the small glance she took at the finish line, where she saw Miley standing on crutches.

Miley saw Lilly freeze, her gaze locked upon her. She waved to her wife, then she put her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. "Go get her, Lola!" she yelled, using her free hand to wave wildly to her partner. "Love you, baby!"

The burning rage in Lilly's chest was abruptly surpassed by the even more intense burn of pride in her wife. Her knee's killing her, but she made it out here to watch me. No way I can screw this up now. She allowed the grin tickling the corners of her mouth to take over, spreading her lips in a gleeful smile as she waved back to the woman she loved.

"Lola, please take your position."

Lilly turned around to see the referee looking her, pointing at the starting line for her side of the course. "Oh. Sorry." She stepped over to the ready zone, lightly planting her feet as she dropped into a runner's starting pose.

The referee stepped back and turned to look at the two women about to begin their final race of the evening. "Lola, since you currently are leading Mikayla by thirty-two points, you'll have a sixteen second head start."

Plenty of time, Lilly thought.

"You will go on the first whistle." The referee turned to look at Mikayla. "Mikayla, you will go on the second whistle. Do both of you understand?"

Lilly nodded, already staring straight ahead.

"Just get it over with," spat Mikayla.

The referee nodded curtly. "Runners, on your marks!" he said, giving them a few seconds before blowing the whistle a single time.

However, instead of exploding out of the start and diving into the water as everyone was expecting, Lilly instead slowly uncoiled and stood up from her starting position. She turned to glare at Mikayla as the seconds of her head start ticked away, prompting confused murmurs from the audience and the Gladiators crew alike. "I don't need a head start to beat you," Lilly said defiantly, arms crossed as she stared directly into Mikayla's surprised eyes.

Lilly didn't move until the whistle blew again. As Mikayla dove forward into the pool, Lilly did the same, with both of them going underwater to swim beneath the flaming ropes burning directly over the surface of the water. By the time they had reached the rope ladder to climb out of the water, Lilly had already pulled out to a three meter lead based on her strong swimming, honed from years of surfing. She quickly ascended the web of robes, reaching the top before Mikayla had even gotten her entire body out of the water.

Miley watched her wife's relentless attack on the Eliminator from her vantage point atop the platform just behind the finish line, adjacent to the pool of water awaiting the competitors after they break through the paper wall delineating the finish line. As Lilly powered through the handbike then slowed to gracefully steal across the balance beam, Miley was again amazed at just what her wife was capable of physically. She could have been a professional athlete in half a dozen sports. Heck, she probably still could be. But she never even thought of going after a career like that, because she wants to have a normal family with me. Well, as normal as we can get. She reached up to wipe a tear from her right eye.

"Are you alright, Hannah?" asked Amanda Beard, one of the show's hosts. She had been watching the singer unobtrusively, but when she saw the tear trickle out of Hannah's eye she became concerned.

Miley looked at her and nodded. "Yeah, I'm great," she said with a smile. "It's just, you know, watching her do something like this..." she said, gesturing toward where Lilly was now scampering up the Pyramid at a blistering pace. "She just takes my breath away," Miley finally whispered. Her heart was pounding and her stomach lurching as she opened herself up once again to all the love she held in her heart for Lilly, letting it swell throughout her body and consume her entirely just as it had so many times before. There was nothing shameful in their love, nothing wrong or immoral. The only wrong would be to deny such a bond's legitimacy, to denigrate or belittle it as unworthy when in fact it was more worthy than anything else either woman had ever known, their relationship more honest and true than most people would ever experience.

As Lilly hit the ground running following her ride down the zipline from atop the Pyramid, she pulled up short as she reached the teeter-totter. Forcing herself to adopt a slower rhythm, she eased her right foot onto the narrow beam then quickly ascended until she was at the crux. Keeping her weight mostly balanced atop the device's center, she used her left foot to shift her weight gradually onto the other half of the beam, making it swing downward. As soon as it had struck the ground, she scampered down the remainder of the beam and raced to the final obstacle of the Eliminator.

Miley took her eyes off her wife to take a quick peek at Mikayla's progress. The brunette had just reached the Pyramid's apex and was gripping the zipline. Miley laughed softly as she considered just how far a lead Lilly had opened up, even after giving up her head start. Satisfied that Mikayla was being sufficiently pummeled, Miley returned her focus to her best friend, who was staring at the quite evil treadmill that had long ago been given the dubious moniker of "The Travelator."

The final and often most insidious obstacle on the course, the Travelator was a treadmill set in a forty-five degree incline, with the belt moving in the direction of the competitor. Even with a rope hanging down the upper half of the treadmill, the combination of the steep incline and the moving belt made this a true challenge for most competitors.

After concentrating on the final obstacle for a few seconds, Lilly lightly sprinted toward the incline, increasing her foot speed as she reached the moving belt of the treadmill. With lightning-quick steps she pumped her strong legs up the incline, defying the treadmill's attempt to negate her progress.

When she reached the end of the knotted rope but didn't bend down to grab it for support, Miley briefly thought that Lilly was going to try and climb the entire length of the incline using nothing but her own speed and strength. In fact, that was exactly what Lilly had initially planned to do; however, by the time she had passed the end of the rope she realized that to make such an attempt would be taking an unneeded risk merely to satisfy her own curiosity. She wasn't sure how far back Mikayla was, and it would be devastating to risk a fall and give the tramp a chance to steal a victory.

Miley breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lilly dip low enough to grab the length of rope, using it to ascend the last few feet of the incline and step onto level ground. With a beaming grin, Lilly ran the last few steps, grabbing the hanging rope and swinging through the thin paper marking the finish line. She laughed loud enough for the cameras to capture her delight as she released the rope, letting herself fall into the warm pool at the end of the course. Her legs were burning after the very demanding obstacle course, but the thrill of competition mixed with triumph ensured that she felt nothing but elation right then.

Miley screamed in delight as the fireworks went off inside the stadium, marking Lilly's win in tonight's competition. Without thinking, she used her good leg to jump into the water, dropping the crutches behind her to clatter onto the platform. Lilly met her right away, wrapping her arms around her wife for a deep kiss. She gave Miley just enough time to catch her breath before they sank under the surface, lips pressed tightly together. They held their kiss for several seconds before finally staring into each other's eyes while their bodies hung suspended in the calm depths of the pool and releasing their kiss. Lilly grinned first, with Miley immediately doing the same before then swimming for the surface. They broke the surface together, each drawing in a cool breath and paddling the short distance to the side of the pool.

"You did it, hon!" Miley said gleefully as she grabbed Lilly's free hand with her own, planting another kiss on her wife's pink lips. "You totally destroyed her!"

Lilly wiped her mouth before replying with a smirk, "Was there every any doubt?"

Miley laughed her deep laugh, the same laugh that always sent quivers down Lilly's spine all the way to her toes and then back up again. "Uh uh, baby. She never had a chance, not from the time you put on that outfit." She paused before adding in a lower voice, "And thanks for not killing her out there. I knew you wanted to really hurt her, but it really wouldn't have been the example we want to set."

"I know," Lilly replied with a similarly subdued voice. "For our fans or for our daughter."

Miley looked into Lilly's bright blue eyes, made even more prominent when contrasted with the wet strands of pink hair peeking out from under her helmet. "That's one of the reasons I love you as much as I do, honey," she said, her voice suddenly thick.

"Part of being a parent," Lilly said, feeling her eyes start to tear up. "And you've turned out to be one heck of a mom yourself, Hannah Montana," she added before leaning in to kiss Miley again.

Normally the hosts of the show would be interviewing the winner immediately after they exited the pool, but Amanda was perceptive enough to know that the tender show of affection between the two superstars would make more of an emotional impact than any interview could just yet. She held back out of camera range, letting the camera operator focus in on the smiling faces and soft chatter of Hannah and Lola Montana as they floated at the edge of the pool.

The splashing of another body hitting the water broke the spell, causing Miley to look over Lilly's shoulder while Lilly turned to see who had joined them in the pool. As her eyes registered what her brain was already telling her, that it was Mikayla who had finally crossed the finish line and splashed down into the pool, Lilly's body tensed involuntarily. She started to kick off from the wall, but Miley gripped her left hand tightly, holding her in place.

Lilly turned back to her best friend. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Keepin' you from drownin' her," Miley replied matter-of-factly.

Lilly sighed and eased her struggling. "I wouldn't drown her," she said dejectedly.

"Mm hm."

"Maybe just hold her underwater for a while."

"Mm hmm."

"Or maybe a minute or two."

"That sounds more believable."

Lilly sighed. "Okay, fine. I won't try to drown her."

"You promise?"

Lilly sighed again. "I promise."

"Okay, good." Miley released her hand.

Lilly flashed her a sneaky grin, going so far as to stick the tip of her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, which in turn caused Miley's hand to shoot out and grab Lilly's hand again. "You're so easy," Lilly teased, giving Miley a grin before relaxing and allowing Miley to pull her back in. Miley's upper body strength had improved considerably from when she was a teenager, both from exercising with Lilly and from carrying around a baby, and she easily pulled Lilly back to her. Lilly grabbed the ladder and easily pulled herself up out of the water, then she turned and extended a hand to help her wife. Miley skipped the lowest rung of the ladder and instead used her good leg to step onto the second rung and lift herself out of the water. Once she was standing, Lilly braced herself and gently lifted Miley up until she could stand on her good leg, keeping her arm around Lilly for support.

As the former Olympic gold medalist Amanda Beard began to speak to Hannah and Lola Montana, Mikayla silently hauled herself up the ladder and out of the pool. She stood next to the three of them for a moment, silently fuming, before stalking past them and heading to the locker room. She knew that she was supposed to stay and have her own interview, but she no longer cared. I can't stand the two of them. Do they expect me to just stand there while everybody fawns all over them? Well, fuck that. She unsnapped her helmet and flung it to the ground as she kept walking away.

"Mikayla!" shouted one of the show's crew. "Mikayla! We still need to do an interview with you."

"Then do it from the locker room," she growled without slowing and even turning to look at the speaker. "Or wait until I've got some damn dry clothes on. I really don't care." She stomped down the hall, fuming at how the evening had turned out. Sure, she had gotten a good cheap shot in on Hannah Montana, but that fucking bitch Lola had positively kicked her ass up and down the arena after that. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she nearly ran into Margot, who was hovering outside Mikayla's locker room.

"What?" Mikalya asked hotly, glaring at her manager. "You waiting to sneak a peek at me changing again? Or did it get too embarrassing for you, watching me get my fucking ass stomped into the ground out there?"

"Well, maybe you should have thought about something like that happening before you broke Blondie's knee," Mikayla said snidely.

Mikayla's mouth dropped open in shock. "IT WAS YOUR FUCKING IDEA TO DO IT, MARGOT!" she yelled, standing on her tip toes to bring her eyes level with the older woman's. "Or had you forgotten that already, now that it's more convenient to blame me for it?" she said, voice lower but no less threatening. Before Margot could reply, Mikayla kicked the locker room door open with a loud bang, followed by a softer thump as the door hit the wall behind it.

Mikayla opened her locker and pulled her phone out of her purse to check for any new messages. The alert bar indicated at least one text message, so she tapped the screen with her thumbnail to jump to the text messaging page. There were no less than four new messages, but only one of them made her heart skip a beat when she saw the name attached to it: Vera Blaike.

Her mouth unexpectedly dry, Mikayla's thumb hesitated just above the touchscreen. The timestamp indicated the message had come through a little over an hour ago. Shit. That's well into the show, and it's after I put Montana out. Shit, shit, shit.

Now Mikayla truly was nervous. Vera had stepped up to try and be there for Mikalya, not just as a friend but as something of a surrogate maternal influence. She also happened to be Mikalya's last living link with her best friend Kasey, not to mention one of the high-level executives at Dyseni Records, Mikayla's record company. Pissing Vera Blaike off would most certainly NOT be in Mikayla's best interests.

Her heart hammering, Mikayla tapped the screen, bringing up the concise message:

my office tomorrow at 8am. no margot.

what were you thinking?

Mikayla closed her eyes and slumped down onto the bench behind her. Not good at all.

Some time later, the metallic jingle of keys unlocking a door heralded the arrival home for Miley and Lilly. There was a lamp on next to the couch, but otherwise the lights were all dark inside. Lilly held the door open for Miley to enter, still walking on her crutches. Once Miley was in, Lilly closed the door behind them and relocked it.

"Mom must have gotten Brooke to sleep," Lilly whispered.

"I'd hope so," Miley whispered back. "It's after midnight. Never thought they were gonna let us go home!"

Lilly helped Miley up the stairs, then she went back down and retrieved the crutches. As they quietly made their way down the upstairs hallway, they stopped and peeked into the guest room. The light from the hall spilled into the room, softly illuminating part of Meredith Truscott's face.

"I guess your mom is spending the night," whispered Miley, grinning quietly.

"Is Brookie in bed with her?" asked Lilly, stepping quietly into the room. She looked at the bed, but there was no sign of their daughter. Once she was back in the hall, she softly said, "No sign of the little lump."

They continued on down the hall to the nursery. The light-sensitive night light was on, filling the room with a soft pink glow. "Awww," said Miley as she stopped just inside the room. Lilly walked with her as they both carefully made their way to the baby bed, where little Brooke had kicked her blanket off. Her little toes were curled up as she lay on her back, a frown on her adorable little face.

Her mothers leaned over the bed, Miley still partially balancing on her crutches. She looked at Lilly, but before she had to utter a word Lilly was already reaching into the bed to cover their baby girl back up. As she settled the blanket back over the little girl's body, Lilly gently ran her fingertips across Brooke's cheek. "Sleep well, little angel," she whispered. "Your mommies love you."

"Absolutely we love you," Miley added softly.

As they spoke, Brooke's face shifted as her body moved slightly. Her frown slowly gave way to a content smile as she rubbed a chubby hand across her face in her sleep, sighing once as she settled in again.

Miley and Lilly smiled at each other, both trying not to laugh out loud at their daughter's personality, already beginning to show hints of itself. They both blew her a kiss before slipping out of her room and going next door to their bedroom. Sleep awaited them with comforting dreams, too.

Author's Afterword: I don't think I could apologize enough for how long it took to get this chapter done. I hope you haven't all given up on me. Again, I absolutely will complete not just this story (probably another four chapter or so, I expect) but also the entire run of stories I have planned. I'm not yielding on that. Have patience and send me some strength and time management skills! I've already started on the next chapter, which is a bit unusual for me, but I'm really trying to pick things up. Home and my family has to come first, though, and I've had to really focus on my wife (not just partner now!) and our girls predominantly the last six months. Bear with me, though, and I'll get us through the rest of Lilly's and Miley's stories. Still some excitement to come in the next few chapters, too...

Jo