January 20, 2007
Nick and Miley had spent a lot of time together since their first kiss. They weren't official yet, but they both knew they were together. However, they were much more secretive about their few kisses that they got now.
Today, the Jonas family was having dinner over at Miley's house. The six of them arrived at around 5. Tish had already started dinner and Denise went in to help her. Billy Ray and Kevin Sr. got right into talking about their kids and music of course. Kevin Jr., Joe, Nick, and Frankie were all ushered by Noah into the back wing of the house that was basically Miley's. Yes, she has a separate wing of the house. Everyone is welcome, but she has her own huge room, private bathroom, a living space, a small kitchen, and another bathroom off of that. Brandi and Trace's rooms weren't far from it though.
Miley, Trace, and Braison were in an intense game of Life, which you would think would not be that intense, but it really was. Brandi was lounging in the big armchair, playing on her guitar.
"They're here!" Noah yelled as she came into the room, pulling on Joe's hand.
"Hey," Miley, Trace, and Braison all said in a monotone voice without looking up. Brandi looked at her siblings and rolled her eyes. She looked back up at the brothers and apologized for them.
"Sorry. They really get into the game sometimes," she said, standing up.
"Oh, it's cool. I love this game!" Joe said and sat down on the floor with the rest of them.
"You can't just invite yourself into a game, Joe," Nick told him, sitting on the couch.
"We're almost done anyway," Miley said, still not looking up from the board.
Nick, Kevin, and Brandi talked for awhile. Noah had taken Frankie off to the other side of the room and they were playing Uno Attack!. When Life was finally over, Everyone joined in. Braison went first.
"Yes! A six! I get to go to a college party!" he exclaimed.
"Not a chance, bud," Brandi said and ruffled his hair. He scowled at her. They each took their turns and the game went on and on…and on. Joe ended up with the most kids of all of them.
"Help us all!" Kevin laughed as Joe showed off his 2 cars full of kids. Yes, he had to get another car to fit them all in. How that was possible, no one knew. Miley and Nick ended up with 4 kids each. Same gender, same order. Coincidence?
"Who knows…" Miley started to say.
"Hey, I already have a wife," Nick said and pointed to the yellow figure in his car. Miley took his car from him and pulled out the yellow piece and replaced it with her yellow piece from her car. Nick smiled at her and leaned in to kiss her, but she just offered her hand. Thankfully, no one was really paying attention to them, but if they would have been, it would have been a much bigger deal.
"Hey guys, dinner is ready," Tish said over the intercom. All the kids got up and rushed into the kitchen. "We're eating in the dining room." They all followed her into the dining room and sat down at the table. At the head of the table was Billy Ray, and to his right was Tish, next to her was Trace, then Brandi, Kevin, Frankie, and Denise. At the other end of the table was Kevin Sr. Next to him was Joe, then Braison, Nick, Miley, and Noah which brought it back to Billy Ray. That's a lot of people at one table!
"This is a huge table! Do you guys always have an extra six people at dinner?" Joe asked, perplexed by the sheer size of the large wooden table.
"It's usually just set for 8," Miley told him, "but we have these cool table extension things that you pull the table out and put the boards in the middle, and it makes it bigger. It can actually seat 20."
"That's insane!" Joe replied. They all just smiled or chuckled softly at his amazement.
"Would anyone like to volunteer to say the prayer?" Billy Ray asked the table.
"I would like to if you don't mind, Mr. Cyrus," Nick replied, almost embarrassed now that he had said anything.
"Go ahead. And please, it's Billy Ray," Miley's father replied. Everyone joined hands and bowed their heads.
"Dear Lord, we thank you for this day and this night. We thank you for bringing us together for this wonderful dinner that our mom's cooked. We thank you for allowing us to be neighbors and to be fortunate enough to live in a safe neighborhood. Lord, we thank you for our good fortune and our good health. We thank you for everything you have given us. And I thank you for this wonderful girl sitting next to me and her wonderful family being brought into my life," Nick said as he brushed the top of Miley's hand with his thumb. "Amen."
"Amen," everyone replied. Billy Ray squeezed Tish's hand as he let go and she gave him a warning look, as if to say "He's a nice boy, leave him alone!"
The dinner went nicely. Conversation through out the table flowed relatively well. Denise and Kevin Sr. helped Tish and Billy Ray clean up after dinner was over and the kids went into the living room. Being the musicians that all of them are, they each picked up an instrument, Miley, Brandi, Trace, and Kevin on guitar and Nick on the piano. Joe, Frankie, Braison and Noah didn't have instruments, but they all sat mixed in with the others. Their parents came in shortly after to find their kids playing around with song ideas.
"Play it! Please play it, Kevin!" Frankie begged his brother.
"Frank, it's not Christmas anymore!" Kevin told him.
"I don't care! I want you to play it!" he said. "It's funny!"
"Fine," Kevin said and started the melody on the guitar he had borrowed from Trace. He looked at his younger brother and Nick started to play along on the piano.
"1, 2, 3, 4," Nick started.
"I want a hippopotamus for Christmas. A hippopotamus is all I want. I don't want a dog, or a rhinoceros; all I want for Christmas is a hippopotamus. And a hippopotamus wants me too," Joe and Nick started to sing. When they had finished their little rendition of Frankie's favorite song, everyone was clapping and laughing.
"How did you guys come up with that?" Braison asked them.
"Joe made a joke about getting a hippopotamus a few years ago for Christmas and we just went from there," Kevin told him.
"My turn to sing!" Noah exclaimed and jumped up.
"What do you want to sing, baby?" Miley asked her sister as Brandi got up and sat next to Nick on the piano bench.
"Hannah!" Noah said, her eyes getting big. Every one chuckled a little bit.
"Which one?" Brandi asked her as she put her fingers on the keys.
"Who Said!" Noah yelled. Brandi got up from the piano and picked her guitar back up. Her and Miley started playing the rhythm. Trace chose not to play Hannah songs if he could get out of it. Kevin joined in once he saw what they were doing.
"Go ahead, Noah, sing!" Miley said.
"Sing with me! You and Brandi!" she said.
"You start," Miley told her.
"Who said, who said, I can't be superman? I say, I say, that I know I can!" Noah sang. She wasn't the best, but she loved singing almost as much as Miley did. Miley and Brandi started singing the next lines with her.
"Who said, who said, I won't be president? I say, I say, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" they all sang. By this time, Noah was strutting around the living room like Hannah would have. She was so cute when she did things like that.
"Go on and make some noise," she sang by herself. "Every girl has her choice. To lead her own parade, I do it my way!" Noah looked at her sister, a little unsure of what the next words were. Miley looked at her and picked it up.
"I can be soft and sweet, or louder than the radio," Miley sang by herself this time. "I can be sophisticated, or totally go."
"Totally go, outta control!" the three girls sang together. They sang the chorus again and ended it. Every one was clapping and laughing.
"I believe we have way too much talent in this room," Denise said.
"I would have to agree," Tish said. "But it sure is nice to have deeper voices in this house."
"You know what would be awesome?" Joe exclaimed suddenly.
"What?" the majority of them asked.
"If the Jonas Brothers did a song with Hannah Montana!" he said.
"You know, that sounds like a good idea," Billy Ray said, contemplating. He looked at Kevin Sr.
"I say let's go for it!" he said.
They played around with a few ideas, but they soon realized that Frankie and Noah were no longer with the rest of them. They looked around for them and found them asleep on the game room floor.
"I think this means that we need to get going," Denise said as Joe picked up his little brother and threw him over his shoulder. "We had a wonderful time."
"We loved having you over. We really will have to do this more often," Tish told her, grabbing her hand.
"Of course. You know the number," Denise said as she was putting on her coat. "Let's go boys!"
Kevin Sr. thanked the Cyrus family for having them over as well and went out to start the car. Denise followed him out and Joe wasn't far behind.
"Come on, guys. Off to bed," Tish told Noah and Braison.
"But Miley isn't going to bed!" Braison said.
"She will in just a little bit," Tish said and looked at her daughter. Miley mouthed a 'thank you'.
After Tish had taken the littler ones out, Trace left as well, but not before giving Nick and Kevin both dirty looks. Nick and Miley stayed where they were at the piano and Brandi and Kevin went to one corner of the room.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Kevin asked Brandi. She had her arms crossed and he had his hands on her upper arms, rubbing them up and down.
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I just need to talk to my mom about it," Brandi said, looking down at the ground.
"It'll be fine. This is not your fault, Brandi," he explained to her.
"I know, it's just hard to talk about," she said looking up at him.
"You'll be fine," Kevin said and pulled her into a hug. She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Thanks," she mumbled into his chest.
"Anytime," he said, rubbing her back, "anytime."
"What's going on with them?" Nick asked Miley as they looked over at Kevin and Brandi.
"I have no idea. It's so weird!" Miley said.
"Thanks for having us over tonight," Nick said and grabbed Miley's hand. She smiled. "I've wanted to do that all night."
"I've wanted you to!" Miley responded.
"When's the next time I'll see you?" Nick asked.
"I'm not sure. I've got some stuff going on. I'll be at the studio all day tomorrow and then we have some major stuff for the show to be filmed. They want to tape a whole show in 3 days!"
"That's insane. Have fun with that," Nick chuckled.
"I will. I always have fun when I'm at work," Miley said.
"So I'll see you in a few days then?" Nick asked her, hoping the answer would be sooner.
"Yeah, probably. I hate it, but I think that's what's going to happen," Miley explained to him. "But then I'm off from everything for a few days after all that."
"So when you're done with all of that, do you want to help me paint my room?" Nick asked her.
"Of course!" she said. "And I'll call you on all of my breaks!"
"Just whenever you can. I'll be fine. Just chillin' with the boys."
"Well you have fun with that," Miley said and her and Nick both laughed.
"Call me tomorrow?" Nick asked her as he stood up when he realized Kevin and Brandi were done and Kevin was waiting on Nick.
"Yeah, I will. Bye, Nick," Miley said.
"Bye, Miley," he said, wanting to kiss her so badly, but not being able to. He blew her a small one and she caught it and put it in her pocket.
Nick and Kevin left and Miley and Brandi went upstairs. As Brandi broke off and went to open her door, Miley stopped and turned back around.
"What's going on, B?" she asked. Brandi wouldn't look at her.
"Nothing," she responded without emotion.
"Brandi. Something is wrong. Please just tell me," Miley said and placed a hand on Brandi's arm. Miley waited for a second and saw a tear fall from Brandi's cheek to the floor. She grabbed her older sister in a hug and they both walked into Brandi's room where she told Miley everything that was going on.
"You have to tell Mom," Miley told her.
"I know, I just, I really don't know how," Brandi said, drying up her eyes with a Kleenex.
"Just tell her. I can be there if you want me to."
"No, it's okay. I'm going to try to handle this on my own first. Then we'll see."
"Tell Mom," Miley said sternly.
"I will. Just give me a little time," Brandi said. Miley left her sister in her room to go to her own. If she had known what was going on, she wouldn't have bothered her about it. Miley just hoped that Brandi would tell someone; and soon.
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January 25, 2007
"This is an awesome color!" Miley said as she opened the paint can in Nick's room. They had moved all of the furniture out and had the carpet covered with plastic and all the trim decorated with painters tape. Denise gave Miley and Nick the task of painting his room together. She knew it would mean more to Nick if he got to do it himself.
"It's gray," Nick said, looking at the paint.
"It's not gray. It's a light slate blue. It will look bluer on the walls, I promise," she said and smiled at him.
"Only if you promise," he said and raised an eyebrow.
"Of course!" she exclaimed and he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
"Okay, if you say so," Nick said.
"And I get the roller!" Miley said, snatching the painting equipment before Nick could reach it.
"That means I have to do the trim," Nick whined.
"Too bad you weren't fast enough," she teased as she poured the paint into the tray and stuck the roller in it. She began painting the wall that his bed used to be on and Nick started on the wall with all of the nails sticking out, since it would have to be done with a paint brush anyway.
"This is kinda fun," Nick said after awhile.
"It is, but my arms are getting tired," Miley said, rolling slower and slower each time.
"Come here, take a break," he said, looking over at her.
"No, I'll keep going until I'm done with this section," she told him. Then he had a brilliant idea. After a few moments of silence, Nick stopped painting and looked at her.
"Hey, can you tell me if I'm doing this right?" he asked.
"I'm sure it's fine, Nick," Miley said, not taking her eyes off the wall.
"I'm not so sure. Just come look at it, please?" he asked her gently. She smiled to herself and put the roller down. She turned around and started to walk over to Nick's wall, but as she saw what he had done, she started walking slower and slower, her eyes glued to the wall.
"Nick…" she breathed out and put her hand over her heart.
"So? Will you?" Nick softly asked and nodded to the wall. Written with bluish gray paint on the white wall simply read "Will you be my girlfriend?" with 2 boxes underneath with a yes next to one and a no next to the other. He smiled at her as she came to a complete halt right in front of it.
"Give me your paintbrush," she said. He gave it to her and she put a big X in the 'yes' box. She turned around and it was her turn to smile now as she dropped the brush on the floor. "Yes."
"Oh, thank the Lord!" Nick said as he hugged her tight and spun her around once. "I thought for a minute you were either going to say no or have a stroke!"
"Nicholas!" she said as she lightly slapped him on the chest. "How could I ever say no to something that adorable?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he blushed slightly. Then Miley slapped him again. "What was that one for?"
"For not asking me sooner!" she said and they both laughed. "I think we need to get back to painting."
"You're probably right," Nick said as he grabbed the paintbrush off the ground. Miley grabbed her roller and went back to painting the other wall. They took a lunch break after the 2 walls were done. Nick had wanted to keep the "girlfriend wall," as he was now calling it, the way it was, but Miley told him he'd have to paint over it, only after they took a picture, of course!
"How's the room looking?" Denise asked the new couple as they sat and ate at the kitchen counter. They both looked at each other and blushed.
"Good," Nick said with a mouth full of food. Miley laughed at him.
"We have 2 walls done already. Now we have to do the other wall with the window and the wall with the closet and door on it, so we don't have too much more to do. We may need a second coat, though, because the paint is a little thin," Miley told Denise.
"You know a lot about painting, don't you?" Denise asked her.
"When I was little and living in Tennessee, we were always painting something. The fence, the house, my grandma's house, but the worst was the barn," Miley laughed.
"Sounds like it," Denise said. "Well let me know if you need any help!" Denise said as she walked out of the kitchen.
"We will!" Nick called to her and then looked at Miley, "we don't need her help, do we baby?"
"Baby?" she asked him.
"I, umm, I mean, I just meant that, since we, you know, and I didn't, I just," he stuttered.
"You are so freaking cute when you get nervous!" Miley said and kissed him on the cheek.
"I try," he said. "OH!" Nick exclaimed after a few seconds.
"What?" Miley said, and looked a little concerned.
"I have to show you the music room. That's what me and you are painting next," Nick informed her as he grabbed their empty plates and put them in the sink and then grabbed her hand.
"Nick, don't you think we should wait awhile to paint another room. I mean, what will you ask me in this one? To marry you? I think we should at least wait a month," Miley laughed at herself. Nick didn't think it was nearly as funny as she did, but he laughed anyway.
"Come on," he said, dragging her into the room. It already had Nick's keyboard set up, since the piano was going to be in the living room when it was delivered next week. All of their guitars were lined up along one wall, and Nick's drums were set up in the corner. Miley looked around and checked out their gear.
"This is really nice stuff!" Miley said, picking up an acoustic. "Is this one yours?"
"Yeah, that was my first good quality guitar I bought," Nick told her as she sat down on the floor with it. He sat down across from her as she strummed on it a little. They were silent for a minute.
"Are you going to do the charity?" she asked Nick. He was a little shocked, to say the least.
"I still don't know," he said after a few moments.
"I still think you should," Miley told him, looking up at him and taking her hands off the strings.
"In theory, it's great. But what if the fans don't take it well," Nick said.
"You just have to trust them, Nick. If they are really fans, it won't matter," she told him, and he knew she was right.
"I'm still just really scared to come out with it," he said and Miley started playing again.
"I wrote this for you," Miley said.
"Really?" Nick asked, listening closely to the melody.
"Yeah. I started it right after I came to see you in the hospital. I've been working on it a lot lately, though. Since you told me about the charity," Miley informed him.
"Well, let's hear it, then," Nick said, nervous about what she had to say, or sing for that matter.
"Mmk," she said and started playing more loudly. She closed her eyes and got into the rhythm. "It's easy to feel like you're all alone, to feel like nobody knows. The great that you are, the good that's inside you, is trying so hard to break through," she sang as Nick listened intently. She opened her eyes and looked at him and continued to sing, "maybe it's your time to lift off and fly, you won't know if you never try." Then she stopped playing. She was starting to tear up.
"Miley, keep going," Nick told her, reassuringly.
"I will be there with you all of the way. You'll be fine," she sang. "Don't let anyone tell you that you're not strong enough. Don't give up, there's nothing wrong with just being yourself; that's more than enough," she stopped again. She took a few deep breaths and looked at Nick again. He was mesmerized by her and her ability to capture his heart. His eyes were starting to water.
"Go on," he choked out softly. She nodded at him.
"So come on and raise your voice. Speak your mind and make some noise, and sing," she sang as she continued to play the guitar and took a few more breaths to calm herself down. "You can't just sit back and watch the world change, what matters is what you've got to say. There's no one else who can stand in your place, so come on it's never too late," she paused. "Maybe it's your time to lift off and fly, you won't know if you never try," she concluded. She closed her eyes to hold back the tears and when she opened them, she looked right at Nick, who had tears in his. Miley started to put the guitar to the side.
"Miley," Nick breathed out softly and he got up on his knees and inched over to her. She did the same and he pulled her into a tight hug. "That was incredible," he whispered in her ear as he grabbed her by the waist and the back of her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his curls. They just held each other for awhile; Miley crying and Nick trying not to, but not winning that battle.
"I was so scared for you, Nick," she whispered back after awhile. "I just--" she started to say and started sobbing again.
"Shhhh, it's okay, baby," Nick tried to sooth her, but his voice was cracked. She pulled away a little to look at him and the sight just broke her heart. He was trying so hard not to get upset, but it was obvious that he was. But not in a bad way, and she knew that. They both relaxed a little and sat down on their legs, still facing each other and holding hands.
"You need to do this, Nick," Miley told him.
"Okay," he said. She was shocked that he gave up so easily.
"Really?" she questioned.
"Really. You're right. I'm the only one that can do this. And as long as you're with me, I'll be fine. I can't just let the world pass me by because of my diabetes. I'll do it," he explained to her.
"Thank you, Nick," Miley said, really appreciating him listening to her.
"No, Miley. Thank you. You've done more for me than you will ever know," he said and smiled at her. "Let's go paint some more," he said with a wink after a few moments.
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, baby," she replied. Hand in hand, they walked back up the stairs and into his room to start painting again. Thankfully for Nick, his mom had put cardboard in the windows so that they wouldn't get paint on the glass, but more importantly for Nick, unbeknownst to his mother of course, Miley couldn't see out his window. He'd save that for another day.
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Thank you all for the reviews! As always, let me know what you liked! I promise Brandi's problem will be resolved soon…and it has nothing to do with Kevin, he's just there to support her. Also, Nick and Miley are official now! Yay! But you know there's bound to be some sort of trouble with the 2 of them. Remember to review!