Author's Note: Yay, finally got this chapter done! Like the one before it, this one took on a life of its own and pretty much led me around by the nose while I was writing it. Before we get started, I want to thank everyone for their reviews and notes. I'm always happy to chat! Also, live2rite, thank you so much for your email. I'm really happy that you and your friend are enjoying my stories, and trust me, I'm as addicted to writing them as it sounds like you are to reading them! Mr. Fishy, I love your messages too! I love the stories you're currently doing; no matter how creatively you reimagine Miley's and Lilly's backgrounds, you always find a way for the emotions at the hearts of the characters to shine through, whether times are good or bad for them. And finally, LaughLoveLive, my brother in arms (or maybe brother in bytes). I loved your email, and I'm touched by your offer. My reply has already been sent, but right now I want everyone to know that I am ecstatic over "The Search for Tomorrow." Also, I can hardly wait to see your return to Lileyland for your next story, although I suspect we might be seeing Miley and Lilly before then... To everyone else, keep reading and keep writing, both reviews as well as your own stories. We're all here to share the love, after all!
For my list of disclaimers, please see Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. Also, please exercise some common sense when reading this or any other story. If you don't like it, then stop reading it!
As I Am, I Take Thee
by Jo P.
Chapter 6: Faithfully
They say that the road ain't no place to start a family
Right down the line it's been you and me
And lovin' a music woman ain't always what it's supposed to be
Oh girl, you stand by me
I'm forever yours
Faithfully
--Journey;"Faithfully" (as sung at Hannah and Lola's wedding)
"Come on, Miley!" Kaela said with a plaintive voice as she tried to keep pace with Miley and Lilly as they made their way through the hotel's lobby to the van waiting outside. "Why won't you tell me where we're all going next?"
"It's a surprise!" Miley called over her shoulder as they hurried outside and piled into the van.
Jackson and Robby Ray were finishing loading the bags into the back of the large van as the girls climbed inside. They joined Luanne on the large back bench seat, with Lilly glaring at her brother Ron until he finally moved from his spot beside Luanne. However, Luanne smiled at Lilly and said, "It's okay, Lilly," then she got up with Ron, moving to sit with him in the bench seat in front of the girls.
Lilly plopped down into the large seat beside her new wife and squealed as she abruptly wrapped Miley up in a massive hug, startling her partner momentarily. "Umph! Lilly, what are you doing?" Miley said with a laugh.
"Just loving on my wife," Lilly said joyfully, loudly emphasizing the last word. "And pretty much loving life right at this moment!"
Miley leaned back and relaxed into the hug, enjoying the warm feeling of her lover's strength and passion. "I love you, Mrs. Truscott," Miley said as she leaned her head as far back as she could, looking into Lilly's eyes.
Lilly leaned forward and claimed a quick kiss from Miley before she smiled and said, "And I love you, Mrs. Truscott." She paused, then shook and squealed again. "Ooooohhh! I love saying that!"
"Well, I kinda like hearing it," Miley said with a smirk.
The slam of the rear doors of the van indicated that all the bags had been stowed away. Everyone buckled their seat belts as Robbie Ray and Jackson climbed in, with Jackson squeezing in beside Kaela and Miley and Robbie Ray up front with the driver. "Alrighty, everyone, next stop is the airport!" Robbie Ray cheerfully said.
As the van pulled out and began meandering through the traffic, Miley and Lilly settled back and closed their eyes. Miley settled her left hand atop Lilly's left hand, and wordlessly the two young women clicked their wedding bands together, reveling in the sensation of what would come to be one of their favorite little gestures of togetherness.
Inside, Miley still worried a bit about Kaela's reaction to what she would soon learn. Would she be happy? Angry? Resentful? Jealous?
"Hey," Lilly whispered in Miley's ear, breaking her train of thought.
"Hm?" Miley said as she turned to look at her wife.
"You're biting your lip again," Lilly whispered. "That means you're thinking hard about something."
Miley stopped biting her lip and looked at Lilly. "Her reaction," she whispered. Nothing more needed to be said; Lilly would immediately know what she was worried about.
Lilly glanced at Kaela briefly. She was leaning on Jackson, eyes closed, as he held her snugly against him. Lilly leaned in closer to her wife's ear and whispered, "I think we could tell her about anything and she'd be okay with it now, Miles."
"I hope so," Miley said as she snuggled more tightly against Lilly's chest.
After about an hour, they finally arrived at the airport. "We need to drop me an' another one off at the main terminal," Robbie Ray said to the driver as he changed lanes to accommodate the request. "You sure you want to head back home, Ron?" Robbie Ray said over his shoulder as he turned to look at Lilly's brother.
"Yeah, I really need to get back, Mr. Stewart. They need me to work tonight because half the store took the weekend off." Ron gave Luanne a forlorn look, then looked back at his feet. He glanced back up to see Luanne's blue eyes still fixed on him, a faint smile on her lips. "What?" he said, trying to quell the grin he felt bubbling up from deep inside his chest.
"I didn't say anything," Luanne said. "Just thinkin' loud," she added with a smile.
"Well, what were you thinking?" Ron asked, now not bothering to fight the grin. He had lost anyway.
"I was just thinkin' that it speaks highly of you that you take responsibility so seriously. I mean, not lettin' down your coworkers."
Ron found his mouth growing increasingly dry the longer Luanne looked at him. "Um, thanks," he managed to squeeze out of his constricting throat. As the van pulled into the unloading lane and came to a stop, Robbie Ray opened his door and hopped out. Ron looked back at Luanne, who now seemed slightly closer than before. "I, uh, guess I need to go," he said, now slightly regretting his decision to return and work.
Suddenly, Luanne darted in and quickly kissed him on the lips, no longer than a second or two before she quickly pulled back. She looked into his now-wide eyes and whispered, "Okay," with a smile. "Call me when you get home?"
Ron fought to catch his breath for a minute, then he stammered, "O-o-okay." The side door to the van opened and Robbie Ray dropped his hand on Ron's shoulder.
"Time to go, pardner," Robbie Ray said. "Say goodbye to my niece." He gently pulled Ron toward him, easing his getting out of the seat.
"He already did," Luanne said, still with her smile on her face. She waved as Ron stepped out of the van, giggling when he closed the door and then waved back.
As Robbie Ray and Ron got Ron's bags out of the back of the van, Miley loudly said, "Luanne! You are so bad!"
"I can't help it," Luanne said sweetly. "He's just so..."
"Annoying?" Lilly helpfully suggested.
Luanne frowned at her. "Honest," she said. "And I like that."
Miley tugged on Lilly's arm not-so-gently. "Lil, your brother is eighteen and Luanne is seventeen. I think we owe them a little bit of freedom, don't you?"
The driver pulled away from the loading zone and made for the private charter area. Lilly looked out the window for a few seconds, then she turned to Luanne. "Luanne, I'm sorry if I seem like I'm trying to turn you against dating my brother, but I just don't know if--"
"If I know what I'm getting into?" Luanne said, interrupting Lilly's sentence. "Try me."
As Lilly looked into Luanne's eyes, she could see the same resolve Miley could muster up. I'm not going to win this one. "Well, Ron hasn't dated much. He tends to get really nervous around girls, and he spends most of his free time either on his computer or on his music." She paused and searched for what she was really worried about. "I'm afraid that since he hasn't gotten much attention from girls, he might really fall hard for you, and I'm not sure if you're ready for that just yet."
As Lilly watched for Luanne's reaction, what Luanne did surprised her and Miley both. Even though the fire of determination was still evident in her eyes, Luanne then smiled and slowly reached for Lilly's hand, gently taking and holding it. "Lilly, you know I love you like you were my sister," she said with a quick wink. "But those qualities you see as annoyances, I see as positives. Your brother is honest, shy, sweet and he knows what he enjoys, plus he's not afraid for everyone else to know, either." She paused as she herself searched for the right words to convey what she was thinking. "Right now in my life, I need some sincerity. Some honesty. I know that your brother likes me, and I like him. I promise you, I'm being as sincere and open with my feelings as he is with his. And it feels really, really good to express what I'm feeling."
The van came to a stop inside a hangar with a private jet in it. Miley looked out the rear window and saw Roxy standing beside the plane, talking to some of the ground crew. She turned back and saw Luanne and Lilly smiling, a truce achieved. "Okay everybody," she said as she pulled a Tennessee Titans cap on her head, tucking her hair under it as Lilly did the same with her own Titans cap. "Lilly and I are going to go check in with the crew, then they'll be out here to help with the luggage."
"Um, why do you two get to 'check in'?" Kaela asked, now confused.
"Because we know how to do it, silly," Lilly said playfully, trying to steer any further questions away until they were in the air. She got out of the van, Miley following her.
As they walked over to the jet, Roxy saw them and said, "Well, it's about time you two showed up! Where's that Daddy of yours?"
Miley said, "He's checking Lola's brother in for his flight back home. He'll be here in just a few minutes." She paused for Roxy to hug both her and Lilly at once. At Roxy released them from her bear-like grip, the girls sucked in lungfuls of air, then they laughed.
"You mind to help us with the luggage, Roxy?" Lilly asked.
"I'd be happy to!"
As they walked back over to the van, Miley whispered to Roxy, "Some of them don't know yet, so let's avoid names just yet. We're going to tell Lilly's dad and Jackson's girlfriend Kaela on the flight to Florida."
"Gotcha," Roxy said, nodding her head. "None of the workers here know who's supposed to be flying on the plane, so don't worry your heads about that."
"Good," Lilly said as reached the van. She motioned for everyone to climb out, then she handled the introductions for everyone except for Jackson, who was grabbed in a big crushing hug by Roxy as he stepped out of the plane. After a few bone-crunching seconds, Roxy released him and said, "Well, let's get everybody on the plane! Soon as ol' Robbie Ray gets back, this bird needs to be airborne!"
As the families and Oliver and Kaela made their way onto the jet, everyone was amazed as how luxurious the aircraft was. Already waiting on them inside were Ruthie and Dolly, who both jumped up and greeted everyone as they entered. Jackson and Kaela were the last ones to board, and Kaela just looked around in amazement at first.
"Okay, this is just crazy!" Kaela said loudly as she finally threw herself down into one of the overstuffed leather chairs. "Why are we flying on this jet?" She sat up as everyone else settled into a seat, but before she could say anything further, Robbie Ray entered the fuselage.
"Roxy," he said with a tip of his head to the bodyguard, then he turned to everyone else and said, "Sorry that took so long, but Ron's on his way just fine. Figured you two'd want to know," he said to Phil and Meredith Truscott. Robbie Ray stepped aside so Roxy could close the door, then he said, "Go ahead and tell the boys up front to take off, we need to make up some time."
Roxy smiled and said, "I'll tell the pilots up front to take off, but I don't think one of 'em would take too kindly to being called a boy."
"You just save me from puttin' my foot in my mouth again, Roxy?" he said with a grin. In reply, Roxy just nodded and went forward to the cockpit.
As Robbie Ray joined everyone else in the main compartment of the aircraft, Kaela again spoke up, "Okay, how are we flying on this jet? And where the heck are we going?"
The engines of the jet started, sending a shudder through the aircraft's body as they cycled up to speed. Miley said, "Lilly and I want to do something special for everyone here, because all of you mean the world to us. Plus there's one other thing we have to do for our wedding, and we want all of you there, too."
Lilly spoke after Miley stopped. "We promise we'll tell you more, but just wait a few minutes until we take off, okay?"
Lilly's father looked confused. "So this is some kind of surprise you and Miley have for us?"
"Yeah, Dad," Lilly said.
"Where in the world did you get the money to do this, Lillian?" he said, his voice raising slightly.
"We earned it, Dad," Lilly said. "Like I said, we'll tell you more once we take off."
Her father looked like he had no intentions of letting it go that long, but Meredith reached over and tapped his hand, giving him a look that got his attention. "She's your daughter, Phil," she said. "You've raised her very well. Do you trust the woman she's become?"
He looked at his wife and said, "Of course I do."
"Then trust her and her wife now. I promise, you won't be mad once you hear the truth."
He turned to look at his daughter and new daughter-in-law. He did trust them. "Sorry," he said. "This is just--"
"A surprise?" Miley offered hopefully.
"Yes, a surprise," Phil said with a smile. "And thank you, this certainly does beat flying back on that cramped airplane we flew up on."
"You're welcome," Miley said as she and Lilly snuggled close to each other, covering themselves with a blanket as they readied for takeoff.
In a few minutes, the plane was in the air and Buffalo was fast falling behind them. As soon as the plane leveled out, Kaela stood and walked over to Miley and Lilly, sitting down on the footstool in front of their love seat. "Okay, you two, time for some explanations," she said, prompting a snicker from Jackson. "What's so funny?" she said, turning to fix her boyfriend with a steely stare.
Jackson grinned and said, "Just you gettin' all worked up over them being so sneaky."
Kaela stood and marched over to Jackson, looming over him quite literally. "Well, I'd kinda like some answers, Jackson!"
"No answers here, Kaela," Jackson said, shaking his head. "Just another question."
Sensing what was coming, Miley and Lilly immediately grabbed each other as they held their breath.
Kaela tapped her foot as she said, "It better be a damn good question, Jackson Stewart." Her tone of voice indicated she was approaching her limits of patience, and the interior of the plane had fallen silent awaiting Jackson's response.
Jackson slid out of his seat, landing on the floor on one knee as he pulled a small burgundy box out of his jeans pocket. He opened it and held it up to Kaela as he said, "Will you marry me, Kaela Davis?"
Kaela gasped for breath for a few seconds as she gingerly took the ring out of the box and looked at it. She then slid it onto her left ring finger and then fell to her own knees in front of Jackson. "Yes," she said as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Yes, I'll marry you, Jackson Stewart." She grabbed him and kissed him furiously as Miley and Lilly both yelled with delight and leaped out of their seat, piling against both Jackson and Kaela in one massive hug.
Miley playfully socked Jackson in his arm as she said, "It's about time, doofus! We were beginning to think you'd never ask her!"
Lilly tickled his ribs as she said, "Yeah! Poor Kaela, waiting all this time because she thought you didn't want to get married!"
Jackson shook both his sister and sister-in-law off as he said, "Well, I was waitin' for the right time! And now that I know we're gonna be goin' to UT together, I figured this weekend would be the perfect time to pop the big question."
Kaela hugged her new fiancée again and said, "I think it's the perfect time, sweetheart. This weekend is a celebration of love, and you did a great job by waiting until now."
"Kaela!" Lilly said in mock outrage. "Just last night you were ready to switch his shampoo with blue hair dye because he still hadn't asked you!"
Kaela grinned and replied, "Well, things change."
"She's got you there there, Lilly," Oliver said with a laugh.
Jackson got back up and helped Kaela to her feet. Robbie Ray came over and opened his arms to hug Kaela. "I think my boy did good in findin' you, Kaela," he said as he hugged her.
"Thanks, Mr. Stewart," Kaela said. "And thanks for welcoming me into your family like you and Miley and Lilly did." She looked around and said, "Sometimes things are just meant to be, I guess."
Miley and Lilly smiled at each other as they both thought about how true Kaela's statement was. "Kaela, Mr. Truscott, Lilly and I have something else to tell you. First, we're flying to Disney World. While it's tradition for the newlyweds to get weddings gifts, Lilly and I want to give all of you a gift, just for being as loving and supportive as you have been of the two of us."
"And apparently we're also going to be celebrating Jackson and Kaela's engagement!" Lilly added happily. "Congratulations again."
"But that's not all we're doing in Disney World," Miley said, looking at Kaela. "We're taking all of you to Hannah Montana's and Lola Luftnagle's wedding!"
Kaela clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh my gosh! Are you serious? I adore them!" She poked Jackson in the arm. "Didn't I just tell you the other day I wished I could go to that?" Not giving him a chance to answer, she turned back to Miley and Lilly and breathlessly asked, "How the heck did you get us invites? I thought it was some A-list music celebrities only!"
"It is," Lilly nodded. "But that's why we had everyone pack dress clothes, so you'd fit in."
Kaela frowned. "But you two didn't pack dress clothes," she said. "I saw all that you packed in the motel last night. You not going with us?"
Miley said, "Not exactly. We kinda have something else to do during the wedding." She turned to look at Lilly, hesitating to say anything else just yet.
Kaela was stunned. "What the hell do you mean you have something else to do? This is the biggest pop star in the world marrying her freaking girlfriend, who's kicking all kinds of ass on television! This is the biggest thing to hit this country in years, plus it's some kind of milestone for gay rights in America too! I mean, twenty years ago a wedding between two girls would be broken up by the police, and now it's gonna be broadcast on live TV! How can you two possibly have something more important to do?" Taking a breath to cool down, she glared at Miley and Lilly. "Miley, I know you like Hannah Montana, but Lilly, you practically love her! Your ring tone, your alarm clock, your posters in your room, your locker at school, they're all--"
"There's no 'practically' to it," Lilly said, her voice subdued but firm. "I do love her. Every bit as much as I love Miley."
Kaela turned ghostly pale as she waited for some sort of explanation, but none was forthcoming. She looked at Miley, who seemed amazingly calm. In fact, she was actually grinning at Lilly's confession. "Miley," she said, "how the hell can you be okay with that? You two just got married, for God's sake!"
Miley turned away from Lilly's amazing blue eyes to look at Kaela. "And we're getting married again this afternoon," she said. "But this second wedding is going to be a teensy bit bigger than the wedding this morning."
Lilly laughed, a single loud laugh. "Yeah, just a bit bigger." She turned to look at Kaela and knew they had to spell it all out clearly now, or something inside Kaela was going to melt. She took a deep breath and said, "Kaela, what we're trying to tell you is that..." She took a quick look at Miley, kissed her quickly, and then looked back at Kaela and hurriedly said, "Miley is Hannah Montana--"
"--and Lilly is Lola Luftnagle," Miley finished smoothly as she likewise looked at Kaela.
Silence met their words, until Oliver said, "Geez, could you two have drug it out any longer? I mean, it took you less time to tell me, and that's counting you stringing me along while I was bringing you flowers!"
"As if, Oken," Lilly said, tossing a sock at Oliver. "You were so lovestruck with Hannah you missed all the hints we were sending your way!"
"Oh, and like you were thinking any more clearly?" Oliver quickly countered with. "Who was it I remember boosting up so she could climb in the window of Hannah Montana's dressing room?"
"Awww," Miley said in her loving voice as she cupped Lilly's left cheek with her right hand, "My wife's first stalker moment with me, all those years ago," getting a prolonged giggle from Lilly at her crack.
"Well, if you'd told me earlier, I wouldn't have put Oliver's back out for two days by jumping off of him to reach the window," Lilly said playfully.
"We did what we did," Miley said as she lifted her arms, lacing her hands around the back of Lilly's neck as she looked into her new wife's eyes. "No regrets, no changes."
"Things worked out for the best," Lilly said, nodding her head in agreement. She then realized that they had essentially tuned everyone else around them out during their little chat. "Oops, sorry everyone. I just get so, um, tuned into Miley when we're talking that--"
Miley's fingers on Lilly's lips shushed her explanation. "They know, hon," she said sweetly. "They know." As one they turned to look at Kaela again, awaiting her reaction. However, they were still taken aback at her response.
"You two are full of shit!" Kaela said, her voice such that neither of them could tell if she was really angry or not. However, her tossing her shoes at them, prompting them to both duck and cover their heads, gave them their answer: she had only lightly tossed the shoes rather than truly zinged the makeshift missiles at them, so Miley and Lilly figured she was more amused than irate. Kaela jumped to her feet and fell on the two of them, tickling both of them at the same time, using her long arms to fullest advantage. Jackson rescued his sister and sister-in-law by grabbing Kaela by the waist and pulling her off of them, leaving the two of them a gasping jumble of limbs on the love seat. As he held Kaela back, she started laughing and said, "Okay, that was a kick-ass prank!" She looked around, then said, "I really hope you didn't rent this plane just to tell me that! That would be going too far just to play a joke on someone!" She turned to Jackson and said, "Were you in on this too, Jackson?" Then she turned a bit more pale and said, "Don't tell me you rented this plane to propose to me!"
However, instead of the amused expression she expected to see on his face, only seriousness was there. "They're not joking or playing a prank on you, Kae," he said. "They're telling you the truth."
Lilly helped Miley back up, then she stood and walked over to her father, Miley right behind her, still holding her hand. "Daddy, I hope you're not angry with us for not telling you sooner," Lilly said as they reached her father. "The only reason we told Mom already was that we figured she'd recognize the engagement ring I gave Miley if she saw any closeups of it on TV or in a magazine." She hesitated as her father remained silent for long seconds, then he turned to look at his wife.
"So, are you really Joan Jett?" Phil asked his wife, getting a playful smack on the forearm for his joke. As a chuckle went around the cabin, he turned to Lilly and Miley. "I can certainly see why you girls kept this a secret," he said. "After seeing some of the scenes that follow celebrities today, I think it's very wise of you two to fight to keep your private lives truly private. I would never do anything to risk that, I promise you." He motioned for the two of them to come over and gave both of them a hug. While he was holding them, he said softly, "So can I get some tickets to your next concert for some of my friends at work?"
Lilly said, "Daddy!" in not-so-mock outrage, but Miley just grinned and said, "I think we can work something out, Mr. Truscott." She turned to look at Lilly and said, "Your daughter can be very persuasive when she puts her mind to it," triggering a blush from Lilly.
As Phil released them from his grip, the two girls walked back over to Kaela and looked down at her, now seated on a footstool across from Jackson. She looked up and said, "It's really true?"
Miley and Lilly nodded somberly. As Miley looked into Kaela's eyes, she could see flashes of true hurt, something she was afraid of but had hoped wouldn't be there. "C'mere," she said to Kaela as she took both the redhead and Lilly by the hands and walked back to the rear compartment of the cabin.
As they entered the room, Miley led the way in, with Lilly closing the door behind them softly. Miley turned and said, "Kaela, I'm really, really sorry we didn't tell you earlier, but Lilly and I had decided to wait until this trip. Honestly, we didn't know Jackson was going to propose to you right now."
Lilly stood beside Miley and added, "We realized last night that you needed to know these things, Kae. That's why we told you about Luanne, and that's why we're telling you about Hannah and Lola." She reached out and placed her hand on Kaela's left shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You're going to be our sister, probably sooner rather than later, and we trust you as much as anyone. Heck, I hadn't even told my dad about being Lola. You just saw that."
Miley looked forlorn. "Kaela, I hope you can understand why we didn't tell you until now. I really do."
Kaela looked up and smiled, even though a few tears marred its appearance. "I do understand," she said. "And I forgive you for not telling me sooner." She sat on the side of the bed inside the smaller compartment. "Heck, after seeing some of the craziness you two have to put up with, I'm not sure I'd tell anyone the truth." She paused for a minute, then she slowly said, "Oh!" She looked at Miley and said, "You proposed to her! On Oprah! In front of the whole country!"
Lilly grinned. "Yep, she sure did," she said, beaming with pride in her wife. "And let me tell ya, that was a surprise!"
"You've both met Oprah!" Kaela said, her voice's pitch rising.
"Yeah," Miley said as she sat beside Lilly. "She's really sweet. She was great to us."
"I hope she comes to the wedding," Lilly said offhandedly.
"I think she is," Miley said. "We got her RSVP back, and it said two were attending."
"Can I meet her?" Kaela said, suddenly excited even more.
Miley and Lilly looked at each other for a second or two. "That might be possible," Lilly said, dragging it out as long as she could. For her teasing, Kaela popped her in the back of the head with a pillow. "Okay, I think we can do that, for Hannah's personal assistant," she said with a wink at Kaela. "Hope you brought a nice dress," she added with a naughty smirk.
After not quite two hours, the airplane landed at Orlando International Airport. As the airplane came to a halt inside one of the private hangars, a group of limousines waited for the passengers to disembark. The first passengers to exit the plane were Ruthie Stewart, Dolly Stewart and Phil and Meredith Truscott, all wearing their dress clothes but otherwise unchanged. The four of them went into one limousine, which whisked them off to the wedding ceremony. Next off were Jackson, Kaela, Oliver, Luanne and Robbie Ray. Robbie Ray, Jackson and Oliver all had their regular disguises, although Oliver had toned his Mike Stanley outfit down for the wedding and Robbie Ray and Jackson were wearing new suits just for the ceremony. Luanne simply put on her dressy gray business suit, her wire-rimmed glasses and made sure to carry herself just a touch smartly; she was posing as Lola's personal assistant today. As for Kaela, her fiery hair had been pulled up and back, held in place with two bright pink hair sticks. She was wearing an emerald green business suit and skirt much like the one Luanne was wearing, plus her sunglasses. Her makeup had also been done differently than the usual minimalist look she preferred. Now her eyes had a smoky look to them, and her lipstick was significantly brighter, even though it remained a shade of pink, not red. They went into a second limousine, this one also bound for the wedding but taking them to a section much closer to the actual ceremony. With each of these five slightly disguised, Miley and Lilly felt it was safe enough to have them closer to the front and thus more likely to be photographed or videotaped.
Since Ruthie, Dolly, Phil and Meredith had no disguises, everyone agreed that they should be more removed from the possibility of winding up in some magazine where they could be recognized. It had been Lilly's idea to have them dress as members of the resort staff but not actually be required to do anything; that way they could all stay close but remain essentially invisible, as none of the paparazzi paid much attention to who actually worked at such events, only to those who attended them.
Finally disembarking from the plane were the two stars of the day. Miley and Lilly both made their way down the steps as Hannah and Lola, followed by Roxy. As the ground crew finished loading their bags into the limousine's trunk, they stepped into the cool luxury of the rear section of the limo, with Roxy climbing into the front of the limousine to give the two young women their privacy. Instantly Miley crawled into Lilly's lap, wrapping her lover in her embrace and claiming a deep, prolonged kiss as her prize. After they felt the limo gently start moving, they finally broke the kiss, which had left both young women slightly dizzy and needing air.
"Whoa," Lilly said as she closed her eyes in a vain attempt to stop the world from spinning.
"Yeah," Miley sighed contentedly as she tried to focus past the flashing lights swirling in front of her eyes. She breathed in deeply, then blew all the air out, willing herself to completely relax into her wife's embrace.
Lilly smiled as she felt Miley's breathing exercise take place. As Miley's muscles went slack, Lilly made sure to hold her tightly, kissing her on the temple as Miley sunk further into her grip. "I've got you, lover," Lilly warmly whispered into Miley's ear.
"Mmm, promise to not let me go," Miley purred.
"I promise." Lilly's promise was sealed with another kiss to Miley's temple, an act that resulted in Miley willing some energy back into her right arm so she could reach up and stroke Lilly's right cheek as they rode to the wedding ceremony.
As the limousine made its way through the Orlando traffic, Miley and Lilly sat leaning against each other as they held hands, enjoying the scenery outside the window. "You know," Lilly said, "I've never been to Disney World. Well, on a vacation. I mean, we flew down last month for the rehearsal at the resort, but we were only here for a few hours, plus we really didn't go to any of the theme parks, and--" Miley's fingers on her lips silenced Lilly abruptly.
Miley grinned but didn't look at Lilly as she said, "I know. That was one of the reasons we wanted to come here, remember?"
Lilly rested her head on Miley's shoulder as she said, "I'm glad I get to share it with you."
Now Miley did turn to look at her partner. "Sweetheart, I'll share anything you ever want with you. I swear. You're my best friend, my lover..." She grinned and bit her lower lip slightly. "And now you're my wife."
Lilly sighed happily as she said with a low voice, "It's going to take a lot of time to get you to behave, you know."
"Can't be done," Miley said as she kissed Lilly. After a few seconds, she pulled back slightly and added, "Well, maybe for you," a grin crossing her face as she spoke.
"I don't give up," Lilly added as she shifted her arms to better hold Miley close. "Not when it comes to you."
As they neared the entrance to the Grand Floridian Resort, they could see news vans lining the road, even this far out. "Whoa," said Lilly.
As they reached the entrance to the Grand Floridian Resort, police had cordoned off several lanes of traffic to permit cars to pass through without hitting any of the swarm of reporters, videographers, photographers or bystanders. Even Miley had never seen such a teeming crowd. "Double whoa," she softly said as the police directed the limousine into the resort.
The original plans for the wedding had been to hold it at the Wedding Chapel on the grounds of the Grand Floridian. Miley and Lilly had looked at it online exhaustively and finally flew down last month to personally inspect it, deciding it was beautiful. However, their control over the guest list had been fleeting at best, and the number of guests had grown steadily for the last four weeks. Finally the girls had realized the ceremony was just too big for the glistening white wedding chapel, and they had changed the venue for the ceremony to Cinderella's castle. Or rather, the area just in front of Cinderella's castle. Miley and Lilly would stand for the ceremony at the entrance to the arched path passing through the castle, with the wedding guests behind them. Seats would be provided for a few hundred guests, and a stage in front of the castle had been set up to provide music and performances following the ceremony for dancing.
To minimize disruption of the ceremony, an idea to close the Magic Kingdom theme park for exactly one hour during the ceremony had been floated. The idea had lasted for one day before Lilly considered what might go through a child's mind if she or he were asked to leave the Magic Kingdom so Hannah and Lola could have their wedding. The possibility of upsetting any child's dream of seeing the Magic Kingdom had moved Lilly to tears, scaring Miley for a few seconds until Lilly could explain what had upset her so badly. The more the two of them had thought about it, the more they realized they couldn't live with disrupting any child's trip to Disney World, even for just an hour. And so closing the park had ceased to be an option.
Instead, it was decided to close off part of the area in front of the castle to allow for seats, equipment and decorations to be assembled. The area chosen for the ceremony was a prime viewing spot to begin with, and interested onlookers could have excellent views of the ceremony from several different spots around the center of the theme park. Guests and the wedding party would still have their own space in the immediate vicinity, but this way the wedding would truly be one for the public.
As the limo pulled up to the lobby entrance, Miley looked at Lilly. "Check?" she asked.
Lilly smiled, her bright pink wig making her lips appear rosy, even with nothing more than a simple lip gloss applied. "Check," she replied. "Boogies?" she asked, leaning her head back for Miley to check her nose, then doing the same for Miley.
"Breath?" Miley added, as they both huffed, then sniffed. While they were keenly aware that the other's breath smelled quite fresh, the pattern had become a habit for them.
"Pits?" Lilly finished as they lifted their arms as much as the roof allowed, noting that no deodorant showed under any arm.
"Perfect!" they said together, quickly kissing as the right door opened.
"Miss Montana, Miss Luftnagle, welcome to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort!" said a young man wearing an outfit from the early twentieth century, complete with knickers, a newsboy cap, and the standard white and pink striped Grand Floridian uniform.
"Thank you!" Lilly said cheerfully as she stepped out of the limousine then turned to help Miley out. As soon as Lola's pink wig appeared, flashes began firing from all directions. As Hannah's blonde hair likewise came into sight, the frequency of the flashes nearly doubled.
"Hello girls!" called Cameron, the event coordinator for the wedding. Miley and Lilly had finally met her when they flew down last month, and they had both been impressed by the tiny blonde's fiery personality. The previous coordinator had simply not clicked with either Miley or Lilly, and they had quickly asked that Cameron, who had been assisting, be elevated to their event coordinator. She had been quite frank with them that this would be the biggest event she had ever planned and supervised, but they were just fine with that. For the day they had been here, they had practiced the entire ceremony, although they had practiced for the wedding chapel, not the theme park. However, Cameron had assured them the ceremony would translate effortlessly.
"Hey Cameron!" Miley said, shaking the smaller woman's extended hand first with Lilly doing the same immediately after. "We ready to rock?"
"Yes we are," Cameron said. She handed Miley a small cloth bag tied with a single drawstring. "Here are your room keys. They're under the disguise names the two of you chose last month. How did you choose those particular ones?"
Lilly looked at Miley and winked. "They were two friends of ours we met in California," she said with a straight face. She opened the soft bag that Miley handed to her, looking at the names on the plastic cards. "Miley Truscott," she said, reading the first and then the second, "and Lilly Truscott." She looked up at Miley and playfully said, "Now which one am I again?" As Miley rolled her eyes, Lilly said, "Oh yeah! I'm Lilly," with a positively wicked grin. She shifted to look over at Cameron. "Looks perfect."
The pixieish blonde grinned. "Let's get you two married," she said, leading them inside and through the elegant main lobby of the resort. They hurried, as now they were on a schedule. Keeping pace with the surprisingly quick Cameron, Miley and Lilly soon found themselves waiting for the monorail. As they walked to the farthest section of the waiting area for Disney World's private monorail, Cameron looked at her watch. "They'll start seating guests soon." She looked up at the two women with her, both several inches taller than her. "We already have your dresses, makeup, shoes, everything, all ready to go inside the castle. Once we get into the Magic Kingdom we'll take a ride underground to go directly to the castle without having to brave all the crowds."
A whooshing noise heralded the arrival of the monorail. As the sleek white train with a soft magenta stripe running its length entered the station, a rush of air preceded it through the waiting area. As the doors opened, Miley, Lilly and Cameron all stepped onto the train. The section they were in, directly behind the pilot, was a private section, so they were still alone as the doors started to close. The train lightly lurched forward, quickly building speed as it rushed toward their destination.
As the monorail pulled into the station, Miley and Lilly could see a large crowd of visitors waiting to board the monorail. As the exit doors on the other side opened, they stepped off into a phalanx of Disney employees. The employees presented a living screen for Miley and Lilly, but even with their best efforts, by the time they reached the ground level they had been spotted.
"Hannah! Hannah!" and "Lola! Lola!" came from the multitude of kids and teenagers within shouting distance. Miley and Lilly waved to everyone, but they knew they had to hurry to keep the schedule.
"We can't stop right now, but you can come watch the wedding!" Miley called out to the crowd as they kept a brisk pace. Quickly they reached a door, entering as one of the employees tapped in a code. Cameron led them down a ramp until they reached a small cart in a tunnel.
"Time for a ride!" Cameron said as she and the two brides sat down on one of the bench seats. Immediately the cart took off, speeding down the surprisingly well-ventilated tunnel. In minutes they were underneath Cinderella's castle. Cameron disembarked and hurried over to an elevator, where she inserted a key into a lock. "This elevator goes up to an apartment in the top of Cinderella's castle. That's where we set up your clothes." She checked her watch. "We're right on schedule," she proclaimed with a smile, as the elevator dinged. She held the door open for Miley and Lilly to step in first, then she stepped in and pressed an unmarked button on the panel near the door.
When the elevator door next opened, Miley and Lilly were both speechless as they stepped off the elevator. They were looking at a beautifully decorated apartment, done in soft pinks and blues, complete with a sitting room, bathroom and even a bedroom that could be seen through an open door. "Oh my gosh, I never knew this was up here!" Miley said.
"Most people don't," a voice from behind them said, startling the two young women. They turned to see an unexpected guest.
"Um... Cinderella?" Lilly said hesitantly as she took in a young woman who appeared to be in her mid to late twenties, her blonde hair tightly pulled up and topped with a tiara. She was wearing a full-length sky blue ballroom gown and clear heels. As Lilly spoke, the woman smiled and tipped her head.
"That would be me," Cinderella said. "Welcome to my castle."
Miley smiled as she looked at Lilly. She turned to Cinderella. "Well, uh, thanks for letting us use your, um, apartment to get ready for the wedding."
"Of course," Cinderella said with a smile. "If you dears will excuse me, I need to go greet some of our guests downstairs." She stepped over and lightly kissed first Miley, then Lilly on the forehead. "Best wishes and my blessings on your marriage," she said as she stepped past them and onto another elevator beside the one they had ridden up in.
"Okay, that was weird," Lilly said as the door to the elevator closed.
"Yeah, she was really into character," Miley said, still looking at the elevator with Lilly.
"Who's to say she wasn't really Cinderella?" Cameron said with a wink as she took the girls each by an arm. "Now come on, it's time to get you in your dresses!"
Getting ready took less than thirty minutes, which Cameron claimed was the least amount of time she had ever seen spent on this part of a wedding here. With both girls' hair really being wigs, nothing needed to be done to them, and they had each decided to wear only minimal makeup and their regular lip gloss. The majority of time spent was on getting the Vera Wang gowns on, adjusting the skirts, putting on the white stockings and finally the white pumps. Their gowns were both originals, designed as mirror images to each other and created at the same time from the same bolt of material, as Miley and Lilly had requested. Each had only a single shoulder strap which flowed into a small choker at the neckline, with Miley's gown covering her right shoulder and Lilly's her left. The gowns were simple and smooth, made of sleek silk with only minimal decoration. The skirts were likewise slightly asymmetrical, with Miley's right side of the skirt slightly longer than the left and Lilly's the exact opposite. The skirts at their lowest points reached to the knee, and both young women were wearing sheer white stockings under the skirts, with white pumps to match. The gowns themselves were a very delicate off-white, again at the girls' request. The lightest tint of pink could be seen in the gowns' fabric, creating a slight contrast between the gowns and the veils, stockings and shoes, which were all a pristine white.
As Miley adjusted her veil, Cameron came into the room she was using. "You ready?" the blonde asked.
Miley nodded. "Yeah, I think so."
"You know, most people are nervous at this point."
Miley turned to Cameron and smiled. "I'm not most people," she replied.
"And thank heavens for that," came Lilly's voice from outside the room. "Because I wouldn't be doing this for just anybody!'
"No, just for the woman you love," Miley said.
"Right on, girlfriend!" Lilly said from the next room, getting a giggle from Miley.
Cameron smiled at the playful banter. "Alright Hannah, I'm going to take Lola on down and get her set, then I'll be right back up for you. Okay?"
Miley nodded again as she looked into the mirror one more time. Cameron patted her on the right shoulder as she stepped out of the room. "See you downstairs, sweetheart!" Miley called out.
"You too, hon. Love you!"
"Love you!" Miley listened as the elevator door opened, then closed several seconds later. She stepped out into the large living room of the secret apartment, moving over to a tall, thin window. She suspected the glass was treated to make it quite difficult to look into the apartment from outside, but she was able to see out easily. From this particular vantage point, she could see a large crowd of people packing the areas below, obviously waiting on the ceremony.
Miley swallowed as she thought back to a similar scene almost a year and a half ago, the morning after she and Lilly had proposed to each other. Then it had been Las Vegas and the crowds were even larger, but today she felt some of the same concerns. Was this going to be too much for Lilly to deal with? Would things work out? Could they keep their real lives secret from the crush of the media?
She smiled as she turned away from the window. "We can do it," she said softly. "We can deal with anything, as long as we're together." She moved toward the elevator, eager to have this ceremony completed. There was a honeymoon just waiting to begin.
As Miley stepped off the elevator with Cameron, she was replaying the rehearsal in her mind. She and Lilly had practiced it several times on their own, and she knew the two of them would do fine. They had left behind several of the more traditional elements of a typical wedding ceremony, but this way the ceremony felt right. Plus, they were already legally married; this ceremony was really for show, but her record company had insisted on having this celebration. Not that she and Lilly were complaining about spending their honeymoon in Disney World, but the two of them had felt better with some of their own plans that were being carried out this weekend, plans that neither the record company or the media had found out about yet.
"Okay, Hannah, let's get into position," Cameron said, pointing the way down a covered tunnel that had been erected aboveground to provide a way for her to get to the rear of the assembly without being seen yet. As they walked, Miley could hear the words of the ceremony's officiant over the loudspeakers.
When the subject of exactly who should preside over the ceremony had been reached, initially there was some confusion. While Disney World certainly had ministers who handled commitment ceremonies for same-sex couples already, this wasn't exactly such an event. For one thing, the girls would already be legally married, and further muddying the waters was the fact that the two of them weren't going to be using their legal names. The sheer amount of media coverage was also intimidating, with an equal amount of potential officiants both eagerly wanting the position as well as asking to not be considered. In the end, Lilly had hit upon the perfect solution. "Isn't this place called the Magic Kingdom? Why not just let the King pick somebody to do it?"
Miley smiled as she reached her "ready" position. She looked at the simple bouquet of flowers in her hands, white roses, pink roses, and red roses, signifying the stages of hers and Lilly's relationship: purity, friendship, and love. She grinned as she looked across the open space between the mouth of her tunnel and the mouth of Lilly's. Standing in that other tunnel was her young wife, equally eager to have this ceremony underway. Miley took in Lilly's nervous fidgeting, and she reflected that even with all that the two of them had already seen and done, this was elevating them to a whole new level of spectacle. Even Miley herself was slightly nervous. But as she felt the gnawing anxiety build in her chest, she looked up and saw Lilly smile and blow her a kiss.
The simple act of love and comfort instantly quelled the jangling nerves deep inside, and Miley felt herself relax. She blew a kiss back to Lilly, knowing that it gave Lilly as much comfort in return. And then she heard the voice calling, "Who comes seeking to join into a union of love and commitment?"
Miley swallowed and stepped out of the tunnel as Lilly did the same. As they both emerged, the "royal" band on the nearby stage played the traditional wedding march music. The two young women walked toward each other until they met in the center of the aisle on the red carpet, then they turned to the officiant's platform so that Miley was on the right and Lilly was on the left, linked hands with their bouquets on the outside for each girl, and then they walked forward to the platform.
While both Miley and Lilly knew the seats were filled with Hannah's and Lola's acquaintances and many other celebrities, neither of them could remember anyone on either side of the aisle. All either of them could focus on was how beautiful the other looked and the wedding area ahead of them, lined by a ring of roses strewn directly onto the stone walkway. As they stopped just outside the ring of flowers, the ceremony's officiant, wearing a white and purple "royal" uniform, called out, "Who gives these two women away?"
Miley clearly said, "We give ourselves away," prompting a few giggles around the crowds watching, both in the audience and among the throngs of onlookers watching from across the waterways surrounding the castle.
Lilly smiled and tried not to laugh as she added, "We make our own decisions about our lives, and we have chosen to give ourselves freely to each other."
The officiant smiled and loudly said, "Then as Royal Magistrate to King Mickey, I ask that you leave behind your lives as individuals and enter the ring of joining."
Miley and Lilly smiled as attendants stepped forth and gently took their bouquets and veils, letting the two of them now hold hands with both sets of hands as they stepped into the ring of roses, orienting to face each other. Miley mouthed, Love you, to Lilly, getting an I love you too in return as the magistrate began speaking again.
"Do you, Hannah Montana, take this woman Lola Luftnagle to be your partner now and forever, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"
Miley looked into Lilly's eyes. "I do, now and forever." They had both decided to add this last phrase to indicate that neither of them had any intention of ending their union when one or both of them died. They wanted to truly be together forever, in life and in the afterlife, whatever it may be for them.
Lilly felt her eyes start to tear. This is silly! I mean, we're already married, for heaven's sake! But then she realized that while she and Miley were already married, Hannah and Lola weren't. She and Miley were very careful to keep those personae separate from whom they both truly were, so in a way Hannah and Lola still needed to be married. And it seemed oddly appropriate for those two fictional characters whose very existence was a dream, a fairly tale of a sort, to be united in the center of a place dedicated to fulfilling dreams and making wishes come true.
As the magistrate spoke, "Lola?" Lilly again focused on the woman that she loved both as Lola and as herself. As she looked at Miley, she felt immense joy, and pride, and anticipation at this final union that Lilly now realized they both needed. She nodded, signaling that she was ready to proceed, getting a squeeze of her hands from Miley, who herself was now tearing up.
The magistrate smiled as he spoke, "Do you, Lola Luftnagle, take this woman Hannah Montana to be your partner now and forever, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"
And then Lola, not just Lilly, looked into the eyes of Hannah, not just Miley, and said, "I do. Now and forever."
The magistrate smiled again as Lola and Hannah both extended their left arms, showing him their rings. He raised his arms and said, "Since you have now dedicated yourselves to each other by the exchanging of vows and rings, as the Royal Magistrate of King Mickey, I hereby declare you Hannah and Lola Montana, wifes now and forever!" He paused, then said with just a hint of humor in his voice, "You may now rock the world."
Hannah and Lola both smiled and then kissed, deeply, as they put their arms around each other and held on tightly as the thunderous roar of applause and cheers rang out across the entire Magic Kingdom. After long seconds spent kissing, the two young women pulled back and looked into each other's eyes as the din of cheering continued unabated.
"I love you, Hannah," Lola said with a smile
"I love you too, Lola," Hannah replied. They joined hands again and turned to wave to the formerly seated audience, then they waved to the crowds lining the waterways on both sides of the castle. They knew there were photographers all around them, but no flashes were needed today, as the sun was surprisingly brilliant for a November afternoon. They stepped out of the circle of roses and slowly walked down the ramped walkway until they were in front of the stage set up to their left. The "royal band" was already moving most of their equipment off, and decidedly more modern musicians were setting up their own equipment.
Miley had worried for weeks about singing to Lilly at the wedding. While she was absolutely going to do it, she didn't want to miss the first dance with her bride. Indeed, this would be their first dance together, as they never really had one following their first wedding earlier in the morning. As they reached the stage, Miley helped Lilly up the steps as they made their way to the microphone. Miley looked off to the sound engineer beside the stage, getting a nod in reply. She spoke into the microphone, "Wow, thanks to everyone for being here and making us feel really, really special today. I promise that I will be singing some for my new wife, but not just yet. My place is with her in our first dance right now, and a good friend of mine is going to sing for us while we dance. I think most of you already know her, because she's an amazing singer and an amazing woman, plus she's been a great friend of ours for some time now. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms. Kelly Clarkson!"
As Kelly stepped forward, Miley and Lilly both walked toward her and hugged her as one. "You two scoot off the stage now," Kelly said with a wink. "Time for your dance." Her eyes were still a bit red, signaling that she had been moved by the ceremony too. "Congratulations Hannah, Lola. Always knew you two were somethin' else."
"Thank you so much, Kelly," Miley said with a smile.
"We really appreciate you coming," Lilly added.
"Hey, I wouldn't miss this for the world," Kelly said. "Now go!" she added, making little shooing motions with her hands.
Miley and Lilly both hurried down the steps. As they took their position, ready to dance, haunting notes from a piano began playing a familiar tune. Then Kelly's voice slowly sang, "Highway run... into the midnight sun," beginning Journey's song "Faithfully."
As Kelly sang and the music played, Miley softly sang along to Lilly, trying to not get choked up from emotion. However, several times she had to just skip a line or two and hold her wife tightly, as the tears would overcome her temporarily. Lilly's eyes were likewise full of tears, and when Miley opened her mouth to apologize for not being able to get the words out, Lilly interrupted her by kissing her. When she pulled back, she quietly said to Miley, "It's okay, sweetheart," giving her a loving smile that made everything better. "You've already sung it to me a hundred times before, we've lived it every day, and we'll continue to live it forever." Lilly closed her eyes and leaned in, resting her head against the left side of Miley's neck. "Thank you for loving me," Lilly said as tears escaped her own eyes and ran down Miley's neck.
Miley took a moment to gather herself as the emotional song ended. She rubbed Lilly's back and said, "You're welcome, sweetheart, but it's easy to love you. I'm the one who's hard to love, so I should be the one thanking you." Lilly lifted her head and Miley kissed her lips. "So thank you."
Lilly smiled as she gazed deeply into Miley's gorgeous eyes, a cobalt blue at the moment. "You are kinda hard to love at times," she said with an impish grin that revealed clearly how big a tease that statement was. "Honey, you are the most amazing person I've ever met, man, woman, boy, girl, whatever. Every day of my life I'm going to thank God for making us the way He did, because we're made just for each other."
Miley's reply was cut short when Kelly started singing the next song, Hannah's "Bigger than Us." Lilly laughed at the surprising song choice, with Miley looking up at the stage and saying, "That brat. I'm gonna get her so good!"
"I think it's sweet," Lilly said, forestalling any further mischief from her wife. "So, when are you gonna get your cute butt up there?"
Miley looked back at Lilly, losing herself in Lilly's beauty, absolutely radiant today. "As soon as you say I can."
"Well then, in that case, finish this dance with me, and then get up and rock the house, girlfriend," Lilly said.
"I think we're officially past the girlfriend stage," Miley said with a grin.
Lilly smiled back. "Oh, I don't think so," she said. "We're always going to be girlfriends, just like we're always going to be best friends, and lovers, and now wives. We're gonna have it all, hon!"
Miley's smile grew even bigger. "Sounds perfect to me," she said, ending her sentence with a kiss for her wife. "Okay, I need to get up there," she said, hesitant to release Lilly from their embrace.
"Go on, Hannah," Lilly said as she gently steered Miley to the steps. "Your audience is waiting."
Miley finally released Lilly and hurried up the steps as Kelly finished the song, much to the delight of the crowds. As she stepped away from the microphone stand, Miley hugged her again. "Thanks, Kel."
"You're welcome, Hannah," Kelly said as she turned back to the microphone and said, "Thank you!" to the crowd. "And congratulations again to our newlyweds!" She turned and walked off the stage, leaving Miley on stage.
Miley looked at the massive crowds, taking a moment to just enjoy this. As she looked down at Lilly, resplendent in her wedding gown and attire, she thought again about how fortunate she was. So many things had happened over the years that had led them to this place and time. Now, it was time to celebrate both what they had already achieved and what awaited them in the years to come. "Thank you to everyone for coming out to wish us well! Lola and I both offer you our heartfelt thanks." Applause began as Miley raised her voice and continued, "Now we want all of you to share in our happiness." She raised her voice and yelled, "Are you ready to dance?" Yells from all around went up, signaling everyone's eagerness to continue. Miley said, "Then here's a slow one you can sing along to while you dance. Lola, this one's for you, sweetheart, as much today as it was all those months ago."
The band began playing "As I Am," which Miley had decided weeks ago to sing for Lilly today. As she sang the lyrics she had rewritten a year and a half ago, she thought about what this song meant for her and Lilly. It was this very song that Miley used to publicly declare her love for Lilly back then, so it was only appropriate for her to sing the same song at their wedding reception.
As she finished "As I Am," Miley thought about her next song and decided to let the set list she had planned out go. After all, they had plenty of other musicians who were going to be performing today. She grinned at the crowd, then looked down at Lilly and winked. "Okay, I was planning on singing a few more songs today, but my place today really isn't up here on this stage. It's down there with the woman I love. So I'm gonna do one more song for everyone, and I expect all of you to rock this one out!" As the audience cheered, Miley gave Lilly a thumbs-up, then she looked back out into the audience. "For anyone out there who has a dream, who wants something but is too scared to act on it, trust me. Take a chance. Sometimes dreams do come true." She turned to look at her band and nodded. As they started the music to No Doubt's "Just a Girl," Miley looked out into the audience and said, "Gwen, thanks for this song. This one's for all the girls out there!"
As Miley sang, she felt the energy of her happiness power her singing and dancing, infusing energy into her body as she performed. Whenever she stole a look at Lilly, she felt another surge of electricity throughout her body. As amazing as the thought was, Miley thought that she was even more in love with Lilly today than she had been yesterday, and more yesterday than the day before that. She smiled as she wrapped her mind around that thought. Tomorrow was yet to come.
Author's Afterword: One more chapter left in this story, I think. If you're wondering where the protesters are, because there always seem to be a few around no matter the cause, you're going to find out soon. Now it's time to start thinking about the next story. I've had one reader request a story with our heroines in college, which could be pretty fun. Other ideas for time frames would be around the birth of one of their children, high school graduation, maybe even a senior trip! For an even later story setting, watching our two mommies deal with their own children in school could be interesting as well. Anyway, let me know your ideas for a time setting for the next story! Hopefully the next chapter won't take another two weeks to finish, but all I can promise is to do my best. The stories come out on their own terms; I just guide them. See you soon!
-- Jo --