A/N: Life makes for the best inspiration, eh? This story has parts actually based on real life.

Early

By Melissa

"I'd rather have a moment of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special." - Steel Magnolias

---

Miley wandered around her and Lilly's small apartment, humming to herself. The little being growing inside her seemed to be keeping time by kicking. The young brunette woman absent mindedly rubbed her swollen belly.

"It's okay, darlin," she said to silence surrounding them. The baby had been kicking up a storm today.

Her swollen ankles carried her back to the kitchen to check on the batch of her mother's famous stew. It was one of the Stewart children's favorite. She lifted the lid off the pot and gave it a healthy stir. The aroma made her mouth water.

Deciding she could sneak a small bowl before dinner, she went about doing just that. A healthy size ladle full was put in a ceramic bowl. Pouring herself a glass of milk, she sat down at the table.

"This is the life," she said to herself. She had a wife who loved her, a child on the way and some of her favorite food right in front of her. It couldn't get much better.

Several bites into her meal, Miley felt something warm and wet touch her legs. She glanced down, wondering how on earth she managed to spill any stew on her.

It wasn't her meal though.

Her water just broke.

The spoon she had been holding fell, forgotten, to the floor.

"Oh niblets…"

---

The phone on Lilly's desk rang. She stared at it for a moment, surprised. She wasn't expecting any calls. After two rings, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"My water broke."

"Heh, good one, hun." The blonde chuckled at her wife of 3 years. "We're going to do plenty of practice runs before it is time. But don't you think you're a little early in your planning?"

"Lilly," Miley's voice was dead serious. "I'm not joking. My water just broke."

"But…" her throat immediately tightened. "But you're only six and half months pregnant."

"I know." The panic was now starting to creep into her voice. "My Dad is on his way to get me. Please, meet me at the hospital?"

"I'm there. I love you."

"I love you too."

They hung up the phone as Lilly made a beeline for her boss's office. Once hearing what was going on, she didn't hesitate to let the blonde go, after extracting a promise of a phone call with how everything goes.

Lilly was not prepared for this. She was still in the mindset that they had ten more weeks. They hadn't even come to a final decision on names!

She sped away from her job and towards the hospital, constantly telling herself not to break too many traffic laws. Miley would never forgive her if she didn't make it because she was arrested for aggressively speeding.

---

Miley was admitted right away, nurses and doctors scuttling in and out, starting IV lines, asking questions, peeking at her nether regions, etc.

Robbie Ray was sitting by his daughter's bed, holding her hand. Well, actually, she was holding his hand, extremely tightly.

"It'll be okay, bud."

She looked at him with wide eyes. Whatever she was going to say died when a doctor came in.

"Hello, Miley. My name is Dr. Garrett. Looks like your baby decided to end the lease early."

She smiled slightly at that.

"Don't worry. We're going to take great care of you both."

"Isn't it too early?" her voice was whisper quiet.

"It's earlier that we would like, but not at a point where it can't survive outside the womb. We have a whole section of this hospital just for premature births."

Lilly ran down the hallway and skidded to a halt in front of a nurse's station.

"What room is Miley Stewart in?"

A middle aged nurse looked over her glasses at the questioner. "Who are you?"

"I'm her wife."

"I'm sorry, but you aren't allowed in there. Only family is."

Blue eyes became hard. "I am family."

The nurse almost sneered. "Not according to the state, you aren't."

Miley could hear voices being raised out in the hallway. One of them she would know anywhere. She sighed and shook her head, having a good idea why her wife was yelling.

"I want to see my wife, Lilly Truscott."

"Ms. Stewart, only family is allowed in. You know the law does not recognize gay marriage…" He didn't get to finish his sentence, because he broke the cardinal rule; which was being in the arms reach of a woman about to give birth.

Miley's arm shot out faster than a blink of an eye. She grabbed the doctor by the collar and brought his face a mere few inches from hers. Her grip was like a mechanical vice.

"Either I get to see her, or I have this baby in the waiting room. If that happens," she added sinisterly, "you're the one who's going to need the epidural from all the pain you're going to be in."

He was craning his neck back to try and put as much distance between her face and his. It was barely helping.

"Am I clear?"

"Crystal," he squeaked out. "Could one of you lovely nurses go get Ms. Truscott?"

One of the nurses disappeared and came back a minute later with an obviously angry looking Lilly.

"You okay?" they both asked at the same time. The moment of tension passed and both dissolved in laughter. Robbie Ray smiled and shook his head.

The blonde girl held her wife's hand, which had released it's vice like grip on Robbie's.

The spoke in soft tones as medical personal busied themselves around the three.

"Ms. Truscott?"

Lilly turned at her name. This was a young female doctor.

"I hate to ask you this, but could you wait in the waiting room with Miley's father? We have a lot of work to do, and there will be a lot of people in here to take care of the baby."

Lilly's eyes flicked to her wife, deferring to her decision. The brunette nodded slightly.

"Okay. Thanks for asking, by the way."

The doctor rolled up her sleeve on her lab coat. A rainbow chain link bracelet was on her wrist.

"No problem."

The blonde went to her wife and kissed her on the head. "I'll be right outside."

Miley smiled, only slightly. She grabbed Lilly and planted a fierce kiss.

Out in the waiting room, the young girl could not stay still. She was constantly walking around.

Robbie Ray watched her with amusement. "Lilly. Could ya sit down? You're making me dizzy."

"I can't!"

"Sweetie. It'll be okay. Trust me. I was the same way when Jackson was born. You're always a wreck with the first one. It'll get better with the next one."

"The next one?! I don't know if I'll be able to survive this one!!"

The hillbilly laughed out loud at his daughter in law.

"Lilly, darling…"

"No! I just want my baby and my wife to be okay! It's too early…" she slumped down into a chair next to her 'father,' placing her head in her hands.

A lot of time passed, though Lilly couldn't be sure how much. She resolutely would not look at the clock, because when she did, it never moved.

"Ms. Truscott?"

Lilly bolted out of her chair, as did Miley's father.

"Congratulations. It's a girl."

"A girl," her voice was reverent. "Is she…okay? Is my wife okay?"

"Well, she's 4 pounds seven and half ounces. That's due to her very premature birth. Had she stayed in 'the oven' for the full nine months, she would have been a much healthier weight. We've sent her upstairs to be put in an incubator to keep her warm, and to help with her breathing. We're monitoring everything, Ms. Truscott. The truth is we may not know if anything is wrong until later. You're wife is great, she passed with flying colors."

Lilly nodded, numbly.

The young doctor placed her hand on Lilly's shoulder. "I'd tell you not to worry, but I know that is useless. We will take the best care of her. I promise."

The blonde and Robbie Ray went to Miley. She was dozing on her side, but was aware when her family came to see her.

Lilly smiled and kissed her wife's temple. "We have a little girl."

The brunette smiled, tiredly. "We never did decide on a name."

There was silence as they both thought.

"How about…Samantha?"

Lilly mulled it over for a moment. It had been thrown around before."

"I love it."

---

[One Month Later]

It was a cool mid December day. Lilly and Miley were going to the hospital for the last time. Today, they would finally be able to bring their daughter home for the first time.

Samantha had definitely improved, over nearly a month's time. She had gained a couple of pounds, and was no longer jaundiced. For a while, she had so many tubes and wires coming and going from her tiny body, Lilly had said she looked like a 'borg baby.'

It didn't matter anymore, because the little 'borg' was coming home with them. To stay.

Lilly snuggled the little bundle that was placed in her arms. The baby gave her mother a toothless smile. Miley chuckled at the complete awe Lilly had shown on her face.

"She's really ours."

"You said it, darling," Miley responded, placing a kiss on both her girls.