KEY VITAL AUTHOR'S NOTE:
If, AND ONLY IF, you were satisfied with the realistic ending of the previous chapter, then that will be the final chapter for you. Please make your absolute final review there. This will be the only time that I ask to PLEASE make a comprehensive and cumulative review for my story there. I'm sure you'll want to say as much as you can before you finish with this.
IF NOT, than this chapter belongs to you as the LAST chapter.
You risk diminishing the story for you if you don't heed this. And none of us wants that. You have been warned.
Again, I can not stress enough, that you only read this chapter if you were not satisfied with the ending of the last chapter.
If you don't read this chapter, instead make your absolute final remarks about it now, and do it without reading the following chapter.
Instead for those satisfied with the previous chapters ending, the following 'Afterward' is an 'epilogue':
Afterward:
In essence, Miley gets her old life back, reconciles with Lily and Oliver, and gets over the horrible ordeal of Jake Ryan (not of the hostage taking). Miley lived with her father in Malibu, while taking online remedial courses along with her intensive and long overdue therapy. She is now finishing a degree at the University of San Francisco.
She may be physically alone for now, but she will always have her Teddy, who taught her to guard her heart for a man of quality who can truly win it.
Sometimes, in times of struggle and hardship, she looks up to the heavens and asks "Help me, Teddy".
And he does.
Now for the…
Epilogue
Stewart Residence
151 Tigertail Road
Malibu, California
Months after leaving Tennessee
Outside Source: Waiting by Norah Jones.
The large room that once presented Hannah Montana with dozens of designer outfits, hundreds of bags, and thousands of pairs of shoes are now sitting in their proper place, as they had been for years. Miley had long since outgrown them, not so much physically, but emotionally and spiritually, Miley Stewart was a new person. She had her heart set on a new path in life.
Miley's POV:
When I was young enough to still be able to fit into these clothes, I had seen so much of the world, which it was supposed to make me a worldly woman…
Yet, I know now that I had seen nothing…
None of this matters: not the designer clothes, heels, or handbags…
There is so much more out there…
I, Miley Stewart, am a changed woman…
I look at the table…
And see a jean jacket outfit from my Hannah days…
In anger I pick it up and throw it to the floor…
Because it's on top of my pamphlet…
To the University of San Francisco's part time Hospitality Management program…
What I did to the clothes was more symbolic than anything else.
For too long in my life, I had been hiding…hiding who I really was…and for what?
To be used and abused by someone as superficial and destructive.
For too long, I loved Hannah Montana and hated Miley Stewart.
I loved being her, but now it's time for me to grow up and realize that I'm Hannah and that Hannah is me. The charisma, courage, and persistence was me, not just Hannah.
I pick up the pamphlet on the table…
But suddenly a knock is heard outside the door to her "Hannah closet'.
"Come in…"
Her father walked in with a cup of hot chocolate. Even though thiswasMalibu, it was chilly at night.
"Hello, bud…"
I look at my father…
We reconciled on our way back to Cali. I mean it wasn't like we couldn't get back together. When you reach rock bottom, where else could you go but up?
"Hey…" I softly replied.
Robbie Ray looks worried…
"Miley, you haven't eaten yet…you wanna join me?"
I shook my head…
"I can't dad, I'm gonna start the auction…"
The online auction to sell off Hannah Montana belongings was something that Miley absolutely insisted on. She was essentially 'selling off' Hannah Montana.
"You know you don't have to do this…I still have money…I can still put you through…"
But I won't let him…
"No, Dad…I screwed up…and I'm paying for it. From now on, I pay for my future now…"
I didn't have to apologize for anything now…the thousandth time that I did it on the way back from Nashville was enough for Dad.
But something keeps bothering her Dad…
"Why won't you eat", my dad asked me.
I pause…
"I don't know what you mean…I ate…"
"Almost nothing…c'mon Miley…"
But it was no use. Dad was right. For a week, I never felt like eating, and when I did, it was morsel of this and that before I would rush back up…
…To cry, to call out, to sleep…
I mean, what else could I do? I know that Teddy had to clear up and do whatever he had to do to make himself safe before he came back to me…
But, after a week, what do you do when all the moans have been sung, all the tears have been cried, and all the prayers have remained unanswered?
Robbie tried again, this time…
"Miley…Teddy's…"
"NOT dead" I answered for him, loudly barking and cutting him off.
Robbie sighed.
In the course of the past months, Dad was able to negotiate the entire story out of me. He had remarkably understood how Teddy was not like his family. But...however much he was just like Teddy, but with Mom instead of me…he couldn't understand…he could never understand…Teddy had promised he would always be there for me. He's just delayed…that's all. They can't find his body, because it's still alive.
Robbie saw the good in Theo. And from one good man to another, both had realized that they made mistakes, but they were both blessed enough to be loved by Miley. Yet whatever anyone said or however anyone would argue, nothing could convince Miley that Theo wasn't coming back.
Yet the only thing Miley does is turn to her dad and say this…
"Dad, I have been living a lie. I left middle school, with friends who loved me and a life worth living, but in the years since then, I had lived a lie. At the end of all the partying, drinking, and superficiality, all I had to show for it were rats for friends, an abuser for a boyfriend, and a nihilistic blur for a life. Oliver and Lily left me for each other and Duke, I alienated you and Jackson, and I moved to UCLA knowing that I'll be abused over and over and over again until I died. All the promises that were made to me have been broken over and over again. I came to Grauman's Chinese, a pathetic excuse for the woman who was once the role model for millions, and I left with the greatest man on earth."
Miley breathes…
"He was hurt by life, just like me…he may have been the perpetrators in the crimes of his family, but he was very much more the victim. Unlike me, who threw away life for the sake of self-destruction, he had no choice, being involved since the age of eight, and having no mask, no delusion, and no luxury of an unclear head, he suffered. Watching his sense of decency being destroyed before his eyes, before he had a chance to hit puberty, had lead him to eventually believe that God was tormenting him by giving him a conscience. Could you believe that?"
"But throughout it all, he had pulled me through. I was supposed to have been killed many time, but wasn't. He never once let me down and there is nothing you can say that will make me 'un'-forgive him for kidnapping me. He gave me a warm place to sleep, a friend to talk to, a strong shoulder to cry on, and heart to heal while bringing me up to help heal my own…
"I love him. I'm his everything just as he is my everything. I want to be his everything… forever. He can't die because he promised me something. He promised me that's we would be together….and that whenever God chose us to leave this earth, we'll leave it together…
Miley doesn't realize she's stretching this.
"…He promised he would protect me, and he did. He promised me that he would love and take care of me, and he did that too…"
"…So when he promised that he would be with me…now. He will be…"
"…And since it's taking the man I love, the man who never broke his promise to me, this long to get back to me, you can forgive me for not having an appetite."
She hugged her Teddy. That is her panda bear, who was wearing Teddy's dog tags around his neck.
Robbie left the room without a reply. But it was only know that he accepted that Miley wasn't delusional or suffering mentally. He really did love this man.
He just had to be ready for that fateful day, when she realizes that he's not ever coming back. He wasn't dumb; he saw the wounds and the look in Theo's eyes.
Just then the phone rings…
It takes the fourth ring, before I wake up to the phone…
"Hello?" I answer.
"Is this Miley Stewart"
My head jerks up as I realize the accent on the voice…
"Ye…yes, speaking...speaking?"
"Miss Stewart, you don't know me and I know wish that I knew you better than I do now…maybe I'll soon get to know you better…"
Miley knows that he's getting at something.
That voice, it wasn't Teddy, but it sounded familiar…like a more mature version of him….
"Miley, I'm the father of the man who kept you and became your lover..."
My eyes widen at the revelation, and my face blushes at the world 'lover'
Reading her mind…
"No, no, he didn't tell me anything…I just put two and two together."
I breathe a sigh of relief.
"I'm calling because I didn't see you at the funeral…"
"Teddy isn't dead," I reply.
"Excuse me?"
"I don't know what funeral you're talking about, but my Teddy isn't dead."
"Oh…I see"
William understood Miley's denial.
"Well, we absolutely insist that come and see us…"
I pause, not knowing what to do…
"Miley, you're safe now. No one will come after you. My son kept his promise on that. We need to see you because we want you to have something that was found."
I have to decline.
"Before you say no, as you have every right to, just hear me out. We understand that there is a beautiful jewelled hair clip that doesn't belong to Theo. It must belong to you, so the least we could do is return it to you."
I realize he was right…mom's hair clip.
Yet even though Miley knew that this probably meant that Theo wasn't going to come back, she still refused to believe that he was gone. She had simply told herself that Theo had dropped it, but was still alive, ignoring the fact that Theo would never let go of it, as it represented the only link that he had with Miley.
"Where do I go?"
Crissy Fields Beach Boardwalk
San Francisco, California.
2:32 p.m.
The limousine ride that had taken me from San Francisco International, gave me time to think. When Mr. Tan had told me that he wanted me to see him, I thought it would be nearby, or at the most in L.A. But this was incredible. San Francisco, I could see why Teddy loved this place. Volleyball fields, windsurfing, and Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gates- you can walk past the many birds, joggers, roller bladers, and walkers, and reach it in time, while taking on the beach. I couldn't help it; I'm a beach nut at heart.
I walk past the joggers, roller bladers, and sellers, like I had done many times in Malibu, until I reach the spot.
I look down at the piece of paper telling me that I'm looking for a man named Daniel Nathan Chang and the location I can find him.
Yet as I flip the page over, in an attempt to check for more clues, I'm hit with a shock.
Chocking back sobs and letting down tears, I see in front of me…
The death certificate for one- Theodore James Tan.
Now, the rest of me understands...
...At least if I have to do this, I'll do this here. Where I can be close to my Teddy…
…In spirit…
I'm about to lower my head in despair…
…Until I realize I reached the point where I was supposed to meet Daniel.
He must be the courier. I find that they always do things that way.
I compose myself and walk forward.
The sight of windsurfers catches my eye, as this is the area that most of them meet.
Yet as I briefly turn my head, I spot he's right beside an ambulance. Must be for the surfers, just in case.
I turn and begin to walk away, trying to somehow search for this man I never met…
But as I walk away
(Siren Wails)
But as soon as I stop moving and pay attention to it, it stops…
I walk again…
But as soon as I did that, it wails again...
and doesn't stop until I do…
Miley's confused at first…
I don't know what this means, so I look down and read in quotation marks…
'First Responder'
Ohhh, this must be it…
I shook my head at it and started walking towards it…
I build up my strength and prepare to confront the man…
Not so much for the clip, but rather for information…
As I still can't believe my Teddy is gone…I have to ask the man. He has to know…
Miley makes her way to the ambulance and is only 10 yards away from the ambulance. She clutches Theo's tags for strength and support.
All I see is a man, looking towards San Francisco Bay; his back is turned towards me, but is close by to the driver's seat. He must've seen me through the ambulance's side mirror.
I see only the back of his head and that he's wearing a pair of sunglasses, as well as a paramedic's uniform with the symbol at the back…
But as I walk forward and am about to open my mouth…
"Theodore James Tan is dead. We confirmed it…" he said clearly without turning around.
I start to quietly sob, yet give no clue to it.
But I see he's holding something to the side of his leg.
A butterfly clip?
My butterfly clip?
I glad that Mr. Tan had kept his word, yet…
I perk my head up and walk even closer to see something else…
It's attached?
It's attached to…
A Rosary?
Miley's eyes widen.
A Rosary and my clip?
How can this be? The death certificate clearly stated…
"Theodore James Tan is no more," he said again.
I begin to realize something about his voice…
I have to know, and I know just the way to ask him…
"Tell me, how…did he die?"
The man breathed in and out.
"A spunky, young, white cowgirl from Nashville stole his heart and wouldn't let it beat again until he was her teddy bear once more. Being the fool, he was thought that he could live without it. Being the bigger fool, he thought that he could die without her or it."
I stumble back in awe and complete disbelief. He did have a way with words just like…
All I saw was the man turn around completely to see me…
It was Teddy…MY TEDDY!
Being exactly who and what he wanted to be…
In the only city he ever, truly called home.
Neutral POV:
Teddy and Miley stared at each other, taking a whole ten minutes to fully realize that the other really was who they longed it to be…
Theo, or rather Daniel stepped up...
"Hello, my name is Daniel Nathan Chang…"
Miley's heart skipped a beat as he casually walked up and offered his hand…
Trembling in awe, Miley offered her hand in response, wondering what kind of joke this was.
Yet, to Miley, this wasn't the resurrection. She never believed for a minute that her Teddy was dead.
How does this explain her shock, she herself couldn't even answer that.
Miley looks straight into her Teddy's eyes.
The same…
She stares into them…
They are only a foot apart, and as a final gesture…
Miley traced the scar on his cheek with her fingers, just as she had done in Nashville before making love to Teddy.
It felt exactly the same.
Her open mouth smile grew and grew until…
"You already have my heart, may I have my dog tags back?"
The dam of self control and composure utterly collapsed for Miley.
She leaped into her Teddy's arms with such force that Theo would have fallen down, if the ambulance hadn't been there to stop Theo from going all the way down to the ground.
"Tedd…dd…ddd…y" Miley sobbed as she failed to get words out in a coherent sentence.
"Miles," Teddy groaned with such relief.
Turns out, that this new identity was Teddy's last trick.
The men he went with were from the mainstream Skinheads.They had provided security, though little much else.
You see the alliance between them and the Tan family was so strong that the splinter group's actions could never be condoned by them. Because of that the splinter had only consisted of the men who came to the house. All of which are now dead. Their leadership had put a stop to any and all actions against Miley and Theo. William Tan did such a superb job laundering their money that they couldn't bear to afford losing it. So they stopped it and pretended that it never existed, so that the invaluable business partnership could go on. Sure it meant the same cycle of crime, but Miley and Theo, as well as the lives of others, were in fact safer now than ever before.
Anti-gang prejudice and this particular splinter cell group meant that the police were apathetic to investigate far. After all, they had done so much damage that killing them was a public service. These men had no families and the public forgave and forgot Miley and Theo.
The only way to stop them, was to kill them. They brought it on themselves. And that was reality.
Yet, it was the security that Miley was still alive that kept Theo going all that time, until he could reach Houston again so he could start treatment. He so loved Miley that he had beaten death into submission, giving him no choice but to be allowed to die some other day.
And his father and brother, knew all along that he wasn't dead either…
He loved his son so much that he had the biggest hand in faking his death. He also knew Miley's point of view and made arrangements for her to go to San Francisco. He knew that Theodore James Tan could never be free of crime, so he let him die in Miley's ranch.
…But rescued Teddy.
Thus, in the end, Miley truly owed everything to William and Thomas Tan. Not only had they made sure Teddy came back to Houston, but they put in an inhuman amount of effort to create a brand new identity for her Teddy. William had told Teddy that this was truly the culmination of a housewarming, birthday, Christmas, Wedding, and baby shower gift for his little brother (and yes both him and his dad thought it was only a matter of time between Teddy and Miley). But Miley knew that the best thing that they did was chose him of all people to take care of Miley during the ordeal. Stockholm Syndrome wasn't a factor anymore. This was love.
(A/N: You do understand the difference, right. The play on names is hugely symbolic and foretelling, and is a huge difference)
There was no such thing as 'Teddy' in the family's eyes. And that was the point. Theo had died in Tennessee, but Teddy lived to be with Miley.
Teddy was wrong before. He believed that his body refused to die, until Miley was forever safe again from this whole horrible ordeal. But it turns out that his body refused to die, until he was with her.
He was finally free of everything which had afflicted him since he was 10.
He had a new name, new identity and a new life.
Now he can start the healing too.
Theodore James Tan was no more, only Daniel Nathan Chang. But Miley's Teddy was still there, and will always be there.
Now they could be together.
Miley always knew Theo as "Teddy". So, in the end, it didn't matter that his real name was Theodore James Tan or Daniel Nathan Chang. He was always, and always will be her Teddy.
But that wasn't the end for Miley and Teddy…
Miley sobered up and slapped him twice in the face before shoving him back.
"Don't you ever do that again!" Miley screamed at Teddy.
"Oh…" Teddy replied, and while taking Miley's face into his hands, "Miley, I promised that I will always be with you. And I will always be with you. Nothing can stop us now."
Tears of joy are only now stopping its flow.
"Good! Because if you do, you'll be leaving us behind,"
Teddy realized this…
"Miley, you have my heart, and I'll never leave it behind, ever again."
"That's all nice Theo, but I also have something else that belongs to you. And if you leave you'll be leaving the both of us."
Teddy withdrew.
"Both of… us?" Teddy asked.
Then Miley came close to Teddy and whispered a sweet something into his ear.
Theo's eyes widen like dinner plates as Miley finishes.
He stumbles back and loses his breath. That's saying something for a man trained not to flinch in war.
"Are you sure?"
Miley nodded and smiled.
"Is it mi…"
Miley shushed Teddy's mouth with her finger.
"Jake and I hadn't been together for months before you and I…met," Miley finished for him, picking the right way to end the sentence.
"I went to my OB/GYN…she said so…" Miley added.
Teddy looked down and slowly and nervously placed both his gentle hands on Miley's belly.
"Eek" Theo manages.
And with that he falls to his knees in front of Miley and embraces her belly, with his ear pressed to the side of it, as if he's trying to better hear he or she talk to him.
Miley bursts in hysterical laughter at that as Teddy remains adamant and straight faced as he is hugging her belly.
It wasn't a something that Teddy had left Miley with...
...it was a someone.
Teddy is amazed as he was now holding onto another human being inside Miley.
His life couldn't be more complete.
And with that, from that position, Teddy hoisted Miley up by her waist and carried her on his broad shoulders, screaming and cheering like an idiot, with a shocked Miley laughing all the way through.
After spinning her around and running around enough, Theo put Miley down and faced her.
Miley suddenly got serious.
"Are we going to be ok, Teddy?"
Teddy looks at her and smiles…
"We're both going to be just fine."
And with that both leaned forward and…
Kissed
…knowing that both their lives were finally complete.
The End.
A/N: Just for enjoyment and reflection listen to this:
First, to answer the question I posed in the previous chapter, I believed that it indeed started out as Stockholm Syndrome, but evolved to something even greater. They had gone way to far down emotionally to go back up again. And again, what's love anyways? Does it have to make sense? Absolutely NOT.
For those who didn't answer the question before, tell me now what do you think.
This was the added, alternate ending of the story. In truth, I did this for all of you who would think that this is the way the story should end. It was my pleasure, of course, and I hope that for all the work I had to do, and especially the work I did up to now, please REVIEW ME. Yet for me personally, the ending was the previous chapter.
I think I can ask for that much, can't I?
Thank you all and God Bless us all.
GFMarshall
September, 2007.
Revised: March, 2015