A/N: Thanks to anyone who checks out this story. I can't believe I'm actually writing a Hannah Montana fanfiction, lol. I was just watching re-runs of the show with my cousin the other day, and we started wondering what a sequel would look like. (You know Disney loves their spin-offs!) It's probably super cliche for this to involve Miley having a teenage daughter, but there are lots of other twists in store. Hope you like!

Miley Stewart didn't always hate the paparazzi so much. In fact, she often enjoyed the attention back when she was Hannah Montana. The spotlight became harder to deal with once she revealed her secret, and Miley became famous too. But she adjusted.

Then, at nineteen years old, she got pregnant. With a child that loathed the limelight. Even when she was a kid, Laurel would hide her little face in Miley's neck as Miley carried her down the street or into a store, with cameras flashing and people yelling the whole time.

Now Laurel was sixteen, and there was only so much Miley could do to hide her away from the cameras. That's why they didn't attempt to go out in public spaces very often. At least, not without a bodyguard. But Miley had decided to take Laurel shopping that afternoon, in the hopes that they could enjoy a few hours like a normal mother and daughter would.

She should've known better.

"Laurel, wait!" Miley called, following her furious teen daughter into their Beverly Hills mansion. Laurel tossed her sunglasses onto the foyer's entry table and pulled her hood down, revealing a head of messy, platinum blonde hair.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Miley sighed, dropping her purse and bags. "I figured they'd try to snap a few pictures, but normally the photographers aren't so aggressive-"

"Mom, what do I have to do to get them to leave me alone?" Laurel asked, tears welling up in her large blue eyes.

Miley pulled her into a hug, tears springing to her own eyes. She knew it was her fault that her daughter couldn't be a normal teenager.

"I don't want to be a celebrity," Laurel said, drawing back and wiping her eyes. "I don't sing, or dance, or act. That's you. Just for once, I want to be able to leave my house without people following me, or taking pictures of me, or making me the center of attention. I'm not even that pretty! It's only because I'm your daughter."

"Hey, don't ever tell me you aren't pretty," Miley warned. "You are absolutely beautiful. And I know it's hard, being so young and feeling pressured by the media to be perfect-"

"You don't know!" Laurel insisted. "Mom, you chose to live part of your teenage years as Hannah Montana. And when you got tired of it, you could just take your wig off and live like a normal person. I don't get to do that!"

"Laurel-"

"It's not fair!" the teen cried. "I wouldn't have to go through this if you had just kept the Hannah secret! You could still perform and be famous as Hannah, and Miley could've just been a normal person raising a normal daughter."

"Laurel, believe me, I wish more than anything that I'd never told that secret," Miley said, regretfully. "But it was before I got pregnant with you. A baby wasn't even on my radar at that point. So, when you came along...I just tried to protect you the best way I could. That was all I could do."

"No, you could have given me up for adoption," Laurel spouted off. "But that would've required you to put my needs before your own, and you're obviously not very good at that."

With that, the teenager headed for the staircase, leaving Miley both hurt and angry.

"Laurel Ray Stewart!" she shouted, following in that direction. But Laurel had already disappeared upstairs. Miley let out a defeated sigh as she laid her head against the railing of the staircase. She loved that girl more than life itself, but motherhood was a huge challenge sometimes. Miley slowly stood up straight and pulled out her phone, dialing Lilly's number.

"Hey Miley, what's up?" came Lilly's chirpy voice on the other end.

"Hey Lilly," Miley sighed, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. "I took Laurel shopping, and the paparazzi were even worse than usual. She's really upset."

"Oh no, I'll send Bentley right over," Lilly assured.

"Thanks," Miley replied.

Bentley was Lilly and Oliver's teenage son, and he'd been Laurel's best friend literally since they were in diapers. He was the one person who could always make her feel better, and Miley knew her daughter needed him right now.

Laurel was curled up on under her canopy bed, letting tears stream down her face and onto her pillows, when she heard the door crack open. She already knew who it was. Her mom did know her very well.

"Hey Blondie," came Bentley's soft, familiar voice.

She opened her eyes just as the tall, dark-haired boy sat down on the bed beside her. Laurel wordlessly wrapped her arms around him as he enveloped her in a hug. Bentley was her safe place; he always had been.

"You must think I'm such a drama queen," she mumbled.

"It's part of your charm," Bentley teased, causing the tiniest of smiles to tug at Laurel's lips. His thumb wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. "Come on, you know I can't stand it when you cry," he reminded her.

Laurel looked up into his deep brown eyes, which were filled with compassion. "I said some terrible things to my mom," she admitted.

"She knows you didn't mean them," Bentley replied. "I think she's just worried about you. She told me about the paparazzi."

"It's like they're everywhere, Bentley." Laurel sat up, drawing back from him. "I mean, I get that my mom's a big star that everyone wants to know about. But I didn't ask to be brought into this life. I just want to be normal. And the only time I can be normal is when I'm at home, locked away in my room like some modern-day Rapunzel."

"Except Rapunzel was locked in a tower. You practically live in a palace," Bentley noted.

"Same concept," Laurel argued, although she supposed he had a point. Her bedroom was huge, with furniture that looked like it belonged to royalty, and her closet was as big as some apartments. Plus, her mom brought in professional designers every time Laurel decided to redecorate. And the rest of their mansion was just as lavish.

Meanwhile, there were other kids her age that slept on the street.

"I'm such a spoiled brat," she suddenly realized.

Bentley shook his head. "You're not. I mean, your mom definitely spoils you, but you still have the biggest heart of anyone I know. And I really wish you didn't have to deal with the paparazzi chasing you around all the time. But your life's not all bad, you know? You're really lucky in some ways. You can buy anything you want. You have a mom who loves you, and all your relatives back in Tennessee who come running when you need something. And that's not even the best part."

Laurel granted him a slight smile. "What's the best part?"

"You have me, of course," Bentley joked, putting his hand to his chest. Laurel's smile widened, and she playfully rolled her eyes as he pulled her into another hug.

Miley was in her beautiful chef's kitchen, scooping cookie dough onto a baking sheet, when she saw Laurel appear out of the corner of her eye.

"Mom?"

Miley turned around, and Laurel ran to her and hugged her tightly.

"I'm sorry," Laurel said, softly. "All that stuff that I said-"

"It's okay, baby girl." Miley drew back and smiled kindly at the teenager. "I'm sorry too. I know it's not easy being my daughter. That's why I stopped singing a few years ago. I thought it might make the media less interested in both of us. I really wanted that normal life for you."

Laurel frowned. "I remember that. You were miserable, not being able to perform. I'd never want you to give up singing again. It's what you were meant to do."

Miley motioned to the barstools at the kitchen island, and they both sat down. She squeezed Laurel's hand. "You were right, you know. When you said that I could've given you up for adoption, for your own good. It's what I planned to do in the beginning."

Laurel's eyes went wide. "Really?"

Miley nodded. "It wasn't just because of the fame. I didn't think I was capable of raising a baby when I was so young, especially not by myself. But then I started feeling you grow, and move, and kick inside me, and I realized that I'd never loved someone so strongly before. I couldn't bring myself to give you up. Maybe that was selfish of me-"

"No," Laurel protested. "My life might be hard sometimes, but I would never want any other mom. I'm really lucky to have you."

"Same here," Miley smiled, giving her daughter a comforting hug and kiss on the forehead. "Now what do you say we get back to these cookies?" she asked, nodding to the tub of cookie dough.

Laurel grinned. "Sounds good to me."