Author's Note: Welcome to the next chapter! About a month has passed between the previous chapter and this one, and we're in the middle of December now. Miley's pregnancy is progressing nicely, and she's getting closer to the halfway point. Thanks to everyone for their great reviews, and I'm glad you're still liking the story. Time for the next chapter! Oh, and if you haven't seen Miley and Emily on Tyra Banks' show, you need to check it out if you want a visual on how cute Miley and Lilly are together. The last part of the interview is the best, with the two of them sitting quite a bit closer than anyone else on the show. I mean, quite a bit closer. Thanks to all of you who pointed that little clip out to me!

Here are my standard disclaimers: I make no claims on any of Disney's, Miley Cyrus', Emily Osment's or Hannah Montana's trademarks or copyrights, and no infringement is intended on them or those of any other artist mentioned. Be forewarned that this story most certainly will contain femslash. If love and affection between two consenting young adults of the same sex bothers you, I suggest you turn right around and find something else to read. Keep any flames to yourself and remember that what our world needs now is more love and acceptance, not more hate. Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated!

We Got Nerve

by Jo P.

Chapter 8: Malibu Nights

Into the spotlight we will go

Follow me, 'cause baby life's a show

Into the spotlight you will see

It's the only place to be

Into the spotlight you will see

It's the only place for me

--Hannah Montana;"Spotlight"

As Lilly Truscott chewed the surprisingly tasty end of her pencil, her thoughts continued to wander. This was her next-to-last final exam before Christmas break, and she was already looking forward to having some time off with her family. She smiled as she looked out the window and pondered what that simple word meant for her now.

For most of my life, my family was my parents, my brother and me. It was only after I met Miley that I began to think of someone else as part of my family. But it didn't take long before we were thinking of each other that way, as family. And then we found ourselves thinking of each other as more than just friends or sisters, we just hadn't told each other at that point. Then my family became Miley and me, as a couple, which rocked. Now it's Miley, me, and our baby, and I still get the giggles thinking about that sometimes.

Lilly forced her thoughts back to her test, only to catch a glimpse of a stunning brunette in a floral sundress outside, sitting carefully on a brick wall under the shade of a maple tree as she read a magazine. As Lilly smiled, she saw Miley look up and give her a quick wave, then blow her a kiss. Lilly grinned and made herself turn to look back at the exam on her desk, but that simple look they shared was enough to life Lilly's spirits into the happy zone. As she wrote her answer in the blank and moved on to the next problem, she felt a warmth begin in her chest, and she smiled and closed her eyes as the comforting sensation began to spread throughout her body. Lilly concentrated, taking the joy she felt from Miley's loving feelings and sending it back to her wife outside.

Miley closed her magazine and sent it down beside her on the bricks, covering it with her backpack so the wind wouldn't blow it away. She shivered slightly as she felt the familiar warmth of Lilly's love begin to tingle in her chest. There was something just a bit extra in the warmth as Miley focused on it, closing her eyes in concentration. Amusement? No, that felt just a bit different. Ah. Thanks. That was it. Lilly was thanking her for the support of just being there for her. Miley opened her eyes and blew another kiss toward the window as she tried to send Lilly more confidence and support as she took her test.

"Flirt much?" asked a young man as he sat down on the bricks beside Miley, an amused smile on his face.

Miley turned to regard the interloper, but the love she could feel from Lilly made her so happy that she couldn't exactly get irritated at his overly friendly manner. "Just with people I love," she replied, unable to suppress the smile on her face. Instead she pulled her magazine out from under her backpack and began flipping through the pages, looking for the article she had started reading.

"Sounds hot," the young man said, turning to face Miley a bit more directly. "My name's—"

"Not interested," Miley said quickly.

Undeterred, he tried again. "No," he said with a laugh that might have been charming to another woman, "it's Kevin, actually."

Miley turned to look at him through her sunglasses. She smiled sweetly as she said, "Hi, Kevin. Like I said before, not interested."

"But you don't even know me," he protested mildly.

As he began his determined attempt to be witty and charming, Miley felt a warmth similar to before, only this time it was accompanied by a light-hearted sensation that told her Lilly was not only watching but also quite amused at the poor boy's attempt to pick up her unattainable wife. Miley sent the same feeling of amusement back to Lilly mixed with a hint of reassurance as she continued to read her magazine, deciding to let clueless Kevin expend his energy on an ill-fated pickup attempt before she lowered the boom on him.

After several minutes of him trying to talk her into a date with him, Miley decided that she might as well have a bit of fun herself. She closed the magazine with a quick snap and turned to fix him with a steady glare through her sunglasses. "Look, I tried to save you some time and trouble, but you wouldn't listen," she said. "So let me give you a few reasons why you need to go find some other girl to try your act on." Holding up her left hand so he could see her wedding ring and engagement ring, she said, "First, I said no. Second, I'm married, and I don't fool around. Third, you're absolutely not my type. Fourth—"

"She has a can of pepper spray that's probably in her hand now, and she'll sure as heck fill your face full of it."

Miley turned to look behind her, grinning as she saw her Lilly. "Hey sweetheart!" she said, sliding off the short brick wall to hug her wife. As she did so, the thin sundress fell against her slim body, revealing a belly just starting to show the young life growing inside.

Lilly gave Miley a kiss as she wrapped one arm around her wife and rubbed Miley's belly gently with the other hand. "How's our little jellybean?" she asked cheerily as they finished their kiss.

"She's been good today," Miley said with a grin. "A little bit of heartburn, but that mighta been from the hot dogs last night."

"All four of them?" asked Lilly with a smirk.

"We were hungry," grumbled Miley. "Sorry, I'm not used to eatin' as much as you do."

Lilly gave Miley a one-armed hug. "It's okay, I still love you, Miles." She turned to regard the boy who had been talking to Miley. "Still want to hit on the pregnant married lesbian girl now that her very jealous and protective wife is standing next to her?" Lilly asked him, shifting her demeanor from pleasant to frosty as she spoke.

The look on Kevin's face was fluttering between confused and apprehensive as he stammered out, "Uh, I, uh, have a, um, a class..."

"Hurry so you won't be late," Lilly offered pleasantly, adding, "Bye!" as he took off for the nearest building.

As Kevin hurried off, Miley sputtered with laughter, with Lilly joining her as they stood holding each other under the maple tree's shade. "That was just about the funniest thing I've seen all day," Miley said as she leaned her head against Lilly's. "You do good on your test?"

Lilly nodded. "I was having a bit of trouble concentrating until I felt you out there. Once I saw you, that sort of motivated me to buckle down and get finished. I am so glad I'll never have to take that class again."

Miley turned around and shifted her arms to take Lilly's hand in her own as they began walking to their car. Her hand drifted to her stomach idly. "You still gonna love me when my belly's out to here?" she asked, holding her right hand a foot in front of her stomach.

Lilly leaned against Miley's shoulder as they walked at a leisurely pace. "Of course. And I'll love you when you're in labor and ready to punch my lights out for making you go through something so painful, and I'll love you when we're taking turns getting up at night to feed our little girl." Lilly smiled as she stopped, bringing Miley to a stop with her. When Miley stopped Lilly reached up and slipped the backpack off Miley's left shoulder, holding it as Miley turned to let it slide off her right shoulder as well.

"Thank you, hon," Miley said as Lilly slung her wife's backpack over her right shoulder next to her own. "My back's a little sore this morning."

As they held hands and resumed their walk, Lilly said, "Because you were a wild woman last night, sweetheart. Haven't had you work me like that in, oh..."

"A whole week?" Miley volunteered with a leering grin. "I know, my sex drive is really cranking up. I hope it's not driving you crazy."

Lilly felt her face flush slightly at talking about subjects like their love life in the wide open, but no one was paying any attention to them walking; the hustle of students passing them coming and going was too hurried for anyone to focus on their conversation. Lilly and Miley were walking at the speed of confident seniors in no hurry to arrive at their destination, and the students rushing to their next class simply had to flow around them.

Lilly said, "Miles, I could never get too much of making love to you."

"Even when we're old and gray and our arthritis is flarin' up?" Miley asked with a sneaky grin.

Lilly sighed and pulled her wife closer. "Even then, Miley Truscott. If I can pull myself out of my rocking chair, that is."

The two of them laughed as they finished the rest of their walk in silence, each enjoying being next to her best friend and the haven from the rest of the world that true friend provided. Growing older was a subject that they didn't talk about too often, but it had come up from time to time, usually when they were lying on the couch watching a movie or television show featuring an older couple. Or, even more uncomfortable, a commercial for an erectile dysfunction product. Miley had confided in Lilly that when she was older she might not feel as comfortable making love, simply because her body wouldn't look as good as it currently did. Lilly's response had surprised her slightly.

Lilly turned where she lay on top of Miley and looked into her wife's sapphire eyes. "Miley, our bodies are going to change. There's nothing we can do about that. And honestly, I do love your body. I think you're amazingly beautiful. But who I fell in love with is inside that body, and no matter what that body looks like or what happens to it, my wife—my partner—is going to be inside it, until the day we die. And then what that body looks like or feels like won't matter anymore, because we'll be free." Without looking she found Miley's right hand with her left, lacing their fingers together. "And you know what?"

Miley was fighting tears as she croaked out, "What?"

Lilly's bright blue eyes were similarly wet as she finished, "We'll be together. And then we'll never have to be apart for anything."

Miley sniffled as she used her left hand to wipe the gathering tears from her eyes. "You might get tired of me after a thousand years."

Lilly shook her head. "Nah. I signed up for forever, remember? I think I can handle you for a lot longer than a silly thousand years."

Ever since then growing older had ceased to be a concern for either of them. When they reached the point that they would no longer be as comfortable making love, there would still be endless love between the two of them and plenty of other ways to express it. Life was about change, and living was about adapting to it. But loving was about accepting someone regardless of that change, and that was what Miley and Lilly would do.

As they climbed into their inky black Roadster, Lilly tossed their backpacks into the floorboard before Miley climbed into the passenger side. The only problem with their two Roadsters was that there was no room for anyone besides the two of them, and they had already been looking at slightly larger vehicles in preparation for the growth of their little family.

"So we still going to Traci's party tonight?" asked Lilly as she drove them to their house.

Miley grimaced. Her socialite friend Traci had quietly distanced herself from Hannah and Lola over the past few years, but last week they had received an invitation to a party of hers happening later tonight. Neither of them was entirely sure what it was all about, but they also hated not to go if a friend, even a distant one, needed them. "I guess," said Miley, the lack of enthusiasm in her voice striking.

Lilly felt a bit glum at bringing their mood down. "Hey," she said happily, "what time are the girls getting in tomorrow?"

Now Miley smiled again. Her "nieces" Peyton and Melody Burns, now fourteen and thirteen following Melody's birthday last week, were flying into Los Angeles tomorrow to spend nearly two weeks with Miley and Lilly before the four of them flew back to Misty Hollow for Christmas. She and Lilly hadn't seen them since July, but they stayed in touch via cell phones and text messages. "I think maybe around four or five," Miley said. "I'll call Daddy tonight and make sure."

"I couldn't believe how much they had grown last time we saw them," Lilly said, shaking her head. "They're both beautiful, too. I bet their mom and dad are going nuts by now from the phone ringing off the hook for them."

"I bet you're right." Miley patted Lilly's right thigh, letting her fingers and hand warmly linger on her best friend's leg. "You excited about your movie opening this weekend?"

It was still almost like a dream for when Lilly when it came to her new movie, "Above and Beyond." The movie was opening in limited cities this weekend, with the main premiere in Los Angeles just a few days away. "I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also scared to death, Miles. I mean, what if everyone hates it? What if everyone hates me in it?"

Miley squeezed Lilly's thigh. "Sweetheart, you did an amazing job. Trust me. I think this movie is gonna open a lot of eyes about just how good an actress you really are."

"I sure hope so, Miley. But I'm already so nervous that—"

"Lilly. I'm going to be there with you, remember?" Miley couldn't help but be proud of her best friend. Maybe it was time for Lola to get all the recognition that Miley knew she deserved. And it was important that this recognition come for Lola specifically. That was why it had been agreed for Hannah's cameo appearance in the movie to remain a secret, not to be revealed until the movie was in theaters. The movie was Lola's, and there would be no mistake made there. Hannah had been there long enough to establish the romance between her doomed character and Lola's young veteran as true and heartfelt, and then she was gone. Lola had to carry the rest of the film, along with the two young co-stars who played her stepchildren, and the three of them had done a spectacular job.

"Thanks, Miles. For being there for me," Lilly said after a long pause. She scooped up Miley's hand and held it. "I guess this looks so dumb, being nervous like this."

"It doesn't look dumb at all," Miley reassured Lilly. "It shows that you care about your work as an artist. At least, that's what someone really smart told me once."

Lilly grinned. "Someone really smart, huh?" she asked.

Miley nodded. "Uh huh. Really cute, too."

They drove for a bit longer before Lilly spoke again as they turned onto their street. "So what are we going to do with Peyton and Mel when we go to the movie premiere?" she asked.

"I'd been thinkin' about that," said Miley quietly. "I was plannin' on callin' Lu tonight and seein' if she could take them somewhere or watch them here while we went to the premiere."

"That might work," Lilly said as she parked the car in their carport. "How is she doing? I hadn't talked to her in a few days."

Miley unlocked and opened the kitchen door for Lilly as they reached it. "She's not feelin' too good," Miley said. "She's really missing Ron."

"Maybe we should invite her over tonight. Skip the party and take care of your sister."

"I already offered," said Miley with a soft smile. "But she insisted we go to the party. She said she'd come over later tonight when we got back."

"Okay, that works!"

A few hours later Hannah and Lola Montana found themselves at a nightclub called Envision, which had been rented for the night by the heiress Traci Van Horn. Neither Miley nor Lilly was entirely sure of the occasion that was being celebrated, but they were quite confident that they could deal with the paparazzi and sycophants that seemed to buzz around the wealthy Traci like moths around a flame.

As they stepped out of Hannah's electric blue Roadster, Miley and Lilly were immediately engulfed in a tidal wave of camera flashes, followed by a shockwave of paparazzi yelling their names, each trying to get the best picture possible. As Miley pointed out the "Off" button to the valet, Lilly patiently waited beside her wife, ignoring the calls for her to turn around or look in a particular direction. When Miley was done, Lilly took her hand and the two of them walked slowly to the club entrance, taking their time so everyone could get a good picture of the two of them. They tried to have a relatively friendly relationship with the paparazzi, letting everyone get good pictures of them in exchange for civil behavior on the part of the photographers. Strangely enough, the unspoken agreement had worked for several years now, with both sides happy at its results.

As the two of them made it into the nightclub, they were momentarily lost in the press of the crowd. Lilly stepped back and let Miley take the lead without any hesitation, as this was still her wife's element; however, Lilly did take the hand that Miley extended behind her, holding on tightly to make sure they didn't get separated. That ceased to be a concern a few seconds later, when the whispering buzz made it far enough ahead of them to alert the club to their presence. When that critical point was reached, the crowd ahead of them seemed to part to allow them to proceed unimpeded. Miley smiled as they were given enough room for Lilly to move back up beside her, and with just a slight tug on her girlfriend's hand Miley communicated her unspoken request.

Lilly smiled as she felt Miley tug on her hand oh-so-slightly. She stepped forward and switched hands, giving Miley her left one now that they were able to stand side-by-side. "Thanks," Lilly said, having to raise her voice slightly to be heard over the music, loud but not overwhelming.

"Welcome," Miley replied similarly. "This is where you belong, you know?"

"What?" Lilly asked, unable to hear clearly just then.

Miley raised her voice a bit more and leaned in closer as she said, "I said, this is where you belong. Beside me, not behind me."

Lilly grinned. She leaned into Miley and said, "Sometimes behind you works pretty good for both of us."

Miley blushed right at the time a photographer snapped a picture of the two of them talking to each other, causing Lilly to laugh briefly. "I bet that one'll look good on the cover of some magazine," Miley grumbled to her wife as they again began moving forward, searching for their host.

"I think you look cuter than a box of puppies when you've got that little blush thing going," Lilly said. "I'll buy extra copies of whatever magazine puts that picture on the cover."

Miley gave Lilly a slightly reprimanding look out of the corner of her eyes. "Don't encourage them, Lola," she said with a straight face.

"Hey, there's Traci," said Lilly, pointing forward with her free right hand. Miley slightly lowered her shoulder and they made their way through the mix of people dancing, drinking, flirting and making out. As they reached their target, they both smiled. "Hey Traci," said Miley pleasantly.

"Hannah, darling!" Traci said in her usual nasal voice as she beamed at her friends. "And Lola, dear. So good to see you both. You've certainly livened up my party just by being here."

Lilly wasn't exactly best friends with Traci. In fact, if it weren't for Traci being Hannah's friend, Lilly wouldn't have associated with her at all. There were too many differences for them to ever be entirely comfortable with each other, but she was a friend of Miley's. That meant Lilly also considered her a friend, albeit begrudgingly.

Lilly had often wondered exactly what had prompted Miley to continue the friendship with Traci, as they had grown increasingly farther apart over the years. Miley had fallen in love, matured, gotten married and begun a new focus on the future; Traci, on the other hand, continued to live the same shallow life of parties, dates, publicity and gossip. Despite those differences, Miley still attempted to hang onto part of that friendship, and Lilly suspected it was because she had felt the same harsh glare, loss of privacy and constant demands that came with being in the spotlight. But the big difference was that Miley disliked that part of her fame, going so far as to use Hannah to shield their personal life from the intrusive eye of the public. In contrast, Traci loved the attention. She went out of her way to use that publicity to keep herself in magazines and gossip blogs all the time, and that gave her something to do.

I couldn't handle a life like that, Lilly though, shivering as she did so. But then she reconsidered. I could do it... for Miley. If something ever happened to reveal who we really were. I could keep it together for her. For us. Now Lilly smiled. "For our family," she whispered out loud.

"You say somethin'?" asked Miley, her eyes questioning as they danced over Lilly's face.

"Just thinking. About all this craziness." She saw the comforting look in Miley's eyes, and Lilly knew beyond any doubt that she would never have to face any challenge in life alone. Neither of them would. Strengthened once again, she turned to look at Traci. "Nice party, Traci! What's the occasion?"

"It's my doggy's birthday," said Traci, gesturing toward the bar area where either a small dog or a large hairless rat was resting on a purple pillow, being petted by two attendants.

Lilly nodded, not understanding how Traci's mind worked at all. If it worked. "Well, uh, happy birthday to your dog, then," she said. "Was there something you were wanting to talk to us about?"

Miley put her arm around Lilly as she spoke. "We sort of had some plans already made for this evening, so we can't stay too long. Sorry."

Traci's smile didn't waver in the slightest. "I forgive you, dears. There is only so much attention any of us can tolerate, after all. And TumTums gets sleepy at nine anyway." She held her glass out to Lilly. "Lola, darling, would you mind to fetch me another glass of champagne?"

Lilly had only been annoyed before this point, but when she realized Traci was asking her to wait on her, she began to seethe inside. Miley looked at her best friend, regret in her eyes. She turned to Traci and said, "You know, Traci, Lola isn't part of the help here. She's my wife. I think if you asked her nicely, she might be willing to do that for you, but she sure as heck isn't gonna fetch you a drink just because you expect her too."

Traci's expression was blank as she stared at Miley. Then she giggled once, and Lilly wondered how much she had already had to drink before they had arrived. "Hannah, darling, the two of you are so much fun! It's so adorable how you protect each other." She turned to look at Lilly, her eyes just a touch slow to focus. "Lola, darling, would you please refill my glass for me? If you don't mind?"

Lilly forced herself to smile. She caught Miley's eye and then she realized what was going on. Traci's got something she's wanting to tell her in secret. Okay, I can play along. "Sure," she said. "You want something, hon?" she asked Miley.

"Just for you to hurry back," Miley replied.

Lilly kissed Miley's cheek. "You'll survive." She slipped into the crowd, holding the glass in front of her as if it might attempt to bite her. As she reached the bar, she picked the end farther away from where TumTums was holding court. She stepped up to the bar and set the empty glass down.

"What are you drinking?" asked the bartender, tall and lean with a surprisingly boyish face.

"Actually, I just want a Sprite in a small glass. And I guess some champagne in this one," she said, pointing to the tall glass in front of her. "And water it down, please." The bartender gave her a funny look, but he dutifully complied. He set the Sprite down first; Lilly quickly grabbed it as he took the champagne flute. She took a drink, then almost spit it out. "Yuck! This is flat!" she said, getting his attention before he could walk away. "I think you need to change it out."

"Sorry about that," he said giving her a friendly smile. "Let me get this champagne for you, then I'll get you a real Sprite."

"No, wait," Lilly said as a thought sprang to mind. "Instead of champagne, how about you just fill that glass with this stuff before you change the tank out?" She held up the glass of flat watery Sprite and swirled it around once, smiling as she did so. "I think my friend's had enough champagne for tonight."

By the time Lilly made it back over to Miley and Traci, it looked like they had finished talking. "You sure you're okay, Traci?" asked Miley.

Lilly leaned in and whispered in Miley's ear, "She'll be fine. I already told one of her little poochie's escorts that it was time for her to head home." She handed the glass full of flat, nasty not-Sprite to Traci. "Here you go, Traci," Lilly said cheerily.

"Okay, Traci, thanks for the tip, but we really need to head out. We're gonna stop and have some dinner tonight before we head home." Miley waved goodbye, then she and Lilly turned and hurried out of the nightclub.

After walking the valet through how to start their car, he pulled it around for the two of them. Miley politely opened Lilly's door for her, closing it once her wife was seated. Once she was in the driver's seat, they made their way to West Hollywood to the restaurant Le Clafoutis. It had become one of their favorite places to go when in their celebrity identities, as they both loved the different choices on the menu as well as the more relaxed atmosphere.

Once they were seated in one of the prime tables inside the restaurant, Lilly felt comfortable enough to finally ask what was on her mind. She had held off asking while they were on the way, because she could tell Miley was thinking about whatever it was that Traci had told her and didn't need to be distracted. As Lilly took a sip of her ginger ale, she said, "So."

Miley looked up as she took a long drink of her iced tea mixed with lemonade. "Well," she said, leaning in slightly, "apparently a certain trampy singer wannabe has been nosing around some of my more public friends, trying to dig up gossip on me. She even offered Traci a favor if she could give her something dirty on me." Miley held eye contact with Lilly as she added, "Or you."

Lilly felt her mouth go dry despite the fizzy ginger ale. "I sure hope she didn't tell her anything! Well, not that there'd be anything to tell."

"Exactly," Miley said. "About the most embarrassing thing I could think of would be the whole Orlando Bloom thing at her charity mini-golf event a few years back, and that wasn't that bad."

"You weren't the one who got stuck leaning over an eight-foot-tall fence."

"Hey, at least you were wearin' shorts instead of that skirt you had picked out earlier."

"That's true. You gave me good advice that night, hon."

Miley rolled her eyes as she smiled. "Don't I always?" she asked playfully.

The appetizers came out then, followed by a few fans who asked politely for autographs. Miley and Lilly both happily obliged the young girls, who appeared to be between six and ten, signing not only autograph books but also posing for pictures with the small pack of girls as their parents took several shots for each girl. By the time the photo session was over, their dinner had arrived, so they quietly dined in peace for several minutes. Throughout the dinner small opportunities for physical contact presented themselves, such as Miley taking Lilly's hand for a brief squeeze as they smiled at each other across the table, or Lilly gently rubbing her foot against Miley's bare ankle under the table. Each time they touched, the two of them giggled, as if they were getting away with some illicit deed instead of just simple, restrained displays of affection between two young women very much in love. While the two of them would have been quite happy to strip each other naked and make love right there, they had enough self-control and modesty to refrain from anything more than the small touches and smiles as they dined. After all, there would be time enough for that sort of activity when they got home.

When they were finished, Lilly paid for their dinner, leaving a very substantial tip. She also pointed out the families who had asked for autographs, and she quietly paid for their dinners as well. They made their way out to their car, tolerating the few paparazzi who had spied them at the restaurant and were waiting for them to leave. They ignored the flashes for the most part as they went to their car, and this time it was Lilly who opened the driver's door for Miley. Miley grinned before she got in and put her arms around Lilly's waist. She turned to the half dozen paparazzi still taking pictures of them and said, "Hey guys! We'll give you a really good picture if some of ya'll will flag down traffic so we can get out of here without gettin' run over."

After some nodding and general agreement amongst the pack, Miley said, "Thanks!" She then pulled Lilly in close for an intense kiss, causing Lilly to lift her right leg off the ground and flex it up behind her as she fell deeper into the steamy kiss. After long seconds the two of them slowly pulled apart, each tasting the other's lip gloss as they looked into each other's eyes.

"I love you," Lilly said breathlessly.

"I love you, too, baby," Miley answered, her own heart pounding. "Now let's head home and finish what we're startin'."

Lilly walked around the front of the car. "Works for me, hot stuff," she said with some sass as she opened her own door and sat down.

With several men bravely holding up traffic, Miley and Lilly easily pulled out of the restaurant's parking lot. As they quickly pulled away, Lilly realized just how brilliant Miley's plan had truly been. "They're not going to be able to follow us, because they didn't have time to get to their cars yet," she said, impressed.

"Uh huh."

"You are good, girlfriend."

"I try."

Miley didn't dawdle through traffic, and soon they were at their new private garage, one of the dozen that catered to celebrities eager to avoid excess public attention. Miley parked her electric blue Roadster in her new parking place as Lilly got out and unlocked the box housing the cable that would recharge the car. It had been hooked up to an array of solar panels on the top level of the garage, making recharging the car they had named Junebug free. Lilly plugged the cable in as Miley got out of the car, grabbing their purses. In the morning the vehicle would be checked by one of the service personnel that Jen had hired to care for the car while it was parked here. Since this car was publicly identified with Hannah Montana, Miley and Lilly preferred to leave it here whenever possible. While the Tesla Roadsters had become more common throughout Southern California, electric blue ones still turned heads when they traveled down the road. Driving it home would be a calculated risk, one that neither of them wanted to take unless it was absolutely necessary. Instead they switched over to Stella, Lilly's black Roadster, parked a few vehicles down from Junebug.

As they pulled out of another one of the half-dozen entrances and exits for the garage, Lilly found herself thinking about Traci's news as she drove them home. It was late now, and traffic was significantly diminished.

"So what do you think about Mikayla digging up dirt on us?" she asked Miley.

"I think she's gonna get her hands dirty and not find much of anything," Miley said as she yawned loudly. "Let her waste her time, hon."

"I just don't like her putting so much effort into trying to get something on us," Lilly said quietly.

Miley looked out the window as they left the city. "Yeah, neither do I," she said pensively. "Maybe we should just let Jen kick her ass."

Lilly grinned. "Is that an option?"

"Well, she'd probably have to go through that Margot woman first, but I bet Jen could handle 'em both."

The two of them shared a few laughs at that image, then they grew quiet again, holding hands as they leisurely drove home. "You think Lu will be there when we get home?" asked Lilly.

Miley nodded. "Yeah, I think so. It's just ten, so I think she'll be good to talk for a while."

"What time is your test tomorrow? One?" asked Lilly.

Miley nodded again. "Yeah, but it's not really much of anything to worry about. I already turned in my research paper, and the test is open-book."

"Oh," said Lilly happily. "So you can stay up a bit tonight, then."

The particular type of grin spreading across her best friend's face didn't go unnoticed by Miley. "You, uh, in the mood for somethin' tonight hon?"

Lilly glanced over at the blonde pop star sitting next to her. Hannah Montana was a fantasy of countless boys and a significant number of girls around the world, but only Lilly got to live that fantasy. Well, Lola, actually. But as appealing as making love to that sex symbol was, the person Lilly truly hungered for tonight was her wife Miley. "I'm in the mood for you, Miles," Lilly said, breaking character as she kissed Miley's hand.

"Then you get me," Miley said, feeling her body heat up as Lilly's lips pressed against her hand again and again. Finally they turned into their driveway. The headlights played across Luanne's car in the driveway as Lilly drove past it, parking in the carport. The carport would do a fine job of shielding them by itself, and with the night adding to their concealment there was no chance anyone would spot them as they got out of the car. Lilly met Miley at the front of the Roadster, kissing her softly at first but soon escalating into more than kissing. Lilly felt Miley's hands on her butt as she slid a hand up Miley's shirt, forcing herself to stop at her lover's bare stomach. Lilly gave Miley one more kiss then said, "Inside."

"Lu's in there," Miley weakly protested as Lilly removed her arm from underneath her shirt.

"She'll give us time for each other first," Lilly said, and Miley knew that was true.

"Okay," Miley said grinning as she unlocked the door. The lamp next to the couch was on, but there was no sign of Luanne. "Maybe she went upstairs to lay down?" she asked Lilly as she closed and locked the door behind them.

"Maybe," Lilly said. She set their purses down on the kitchen island and started to walk over to the couch with Miley.

Suddenly someone—no, someones—leaped up from behind the couch, yelling, "SURPRISE!"

Miley screamed at the top of her lungs, with Lilly joining her just a millisecond later as the two of them flung themselves into each other's arms. As they screamed, Luanne, Peyton and Melody's expressions went from jubilant to stunned.

"We, uh, got in early, to surprise..." Peyton said, her voice falling off as she spoke.

"Ya'll scared the HELL out of us!" thundered Miley as she stomped a foot on the floor, but she stopped before she could say anything more. The look on her nieces' faces went far beyond regret, bordering on outright shock. "Lilly?" Miley said as she turned to see if Lilly was okay, but she froze as she realized exactly why her nieces looked like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming train. They hadn't taken off their wigs. Or changed clothes.

Lilly just stared at their two nieces and Luanne where they were all frozen behind the couch. For once, she and Miley were both speechless.

"Sweet Easter Bunny," said Peyton, dropping her cell phone numbly onto her foot, where it clattered onto the floor. Melody blindly fumbled for her sister's hand, unable to tear her eyes away from her aunts Miley and Lilly. Who were, apparently, Hannah and Lola Montana.

Luanne ran a hand through her short auburn hair and blew out a long, slow breath. "Well, this is awkward."

Author's Afterword: Yes, Miley's accent has faded slightly over the years, but it's still there. She does try to be a bit more precise with her pronunciation when she thinks about it, but it slips her mind when she's distracted (which occurs pretty frequently). Hope everyone has a good week ahead of them, and it's good to hear that most everybody has enjoyed the Hannah Montana movie. I myself am weary of the boyfriend-of-the-week plots, but I guess I won't be happy until Disney lets Miley and Lilly be together. Oh well. Maybe some day. Until then, we'll just have to watch the Tyra Banks interview again to see how cute they would be as a couple.

See you at the next chapter, and I hope you had fun reading this one!

-- Jo --