Author's Note: Okay, time for the next chapter in our heroines' lives. I'm still loving that Tyra Banks interview, by the way. Guitargirl007, you raise some excellent observations in your review for chapter 8. Looking back, I have to agree with you; I've never seen Miley be that open and affectionate with anyone else EVER in public. There's no argument that the two of them are best friends in real life, and relationships that grow out of deep, solid friendships tend to be the strongest. We can only wish them the best and support them, whether as friends or as a couple if their feelings lead them that way. But my gosh, they're just such an adorable couple when they're sitting on that couch with Miley leaning back and Em holding her, playing with each other's hands! Too cute, I tell you. And DataAndrd, I did indeed spot that quick little kiss that Em planted on Miley's shoulder in part 6. A bit more than I would have expected for just friends, certainly. I also like how once Miley grabs Emily to stand beside her, the two of them just ignore poor Lucas. Shows who's more important to her, doesn't it? In fact, I've watched the clips again twice, and each time they seem just a bit more obvious, like they're testing the waters to see if there would be any negative reaction to them being affectionate to each other.
All this has led me to form a theory: What if Disney has been seeing feelings like these manifest between Miley and Em for some time, and all the recent storylines about the boyfriends-of-the-week (and now the Lilly-Oliver thing) are meant to distract viewers from the obvious connection between Miley and Emily? Working from that theory, it makes looking back at the first two seasons much more telling when it comes to the Miley/Lilly relationship; it also makes Emily's comments from two years ago about the show not even scratching the surface of Lilly's and Miley's relationship yet even more prescient. It would also make Miley's relationship with Justin more acceptable, as that would confirm that they really are just friends (and that would certainly explain why her parents are okay with the two of them doing things together). It could also explain why we haven't seen Miley and Em out doing things together lately, as there might be some concerns of them being a bit too obvious. Now, please bear in mind that this is just a wild theory. But it would certainly explain some interesting behavior that lots of us have noted recently.
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 9: Getting Their Feet Wet
I breathe your visions
They pull me through the coldest of nights
They steer me toward a moment in time
When you show me what it means for you to be mine
You're giving me the will to try
You know that there's happy in these eyes
Whoa you got my head in the clouds
Whoa you got me thinking out loud
The more you dream about me, the more that I believe
That nothing's ever out of reach
So dream, dream, dream
--Miley Cyrus;"Dream"
As Miley, Lilly, Luanne, Peyton and Melody all stood transfixed in the living room of Miley's and Lilly's home, time seemed to halt. Luanne had been the first to speak in an attempt to break the silence with humor, but that hadn't worked. Another approach was needed.
"How was the party?" Luanne asked Miley and Lilly, who turned as one to look at her. "You know, the costume party?" Luanne added, hoping that her sister and sister-in-law would quickly pick up on her hint.
"Oh, uh, it was okay," Miley stammered, seeing what Luanne was trying to do and infinitely grateful for her sister's quick wit. "Our host had a bit too much to drink, but Lilly fixed her good."
"Yeah," said Lilly, trying not to blow the slim chance they possessed of saving their secret from Peyton and Melody. "We left kinda early and got some dinner."
"Dressed like that?" asked Peyton, pointing at Lilly's bright purple hair. The skepticism in her voice told her aunts that this was going to be a hard sell.
"You two look just like them," said Melody with an unsteady voice, still clinging to her older sister's hand. "I mean, exactly like them. The clothes, and the hair, and the purses, too."
Miley and Lilly looked at each other, sharing a silent moment of decision. After a few seconds they turned back to their nieces. "You two need to sit down," Miley said gently as she and Lilly took off their wigs. Miley handed hers to Lilly, who carefully set them on the kitchen table then walked back to the living room to curl herself into Miley's lap as she sat in the large chair.
"Before we say anything else," Miley began, "Lilly and I are always going to be your aunts, and we're always going to love you."
"Aunt Miley, you're startin' to freak me out," said Melody, her voice apprehensive.
Lilly stood. She walked over and carefully took each girl's hand, leading Peyton and Melody over to the couch, where she gently pushed both of them down into a sitting position. She then walked over to Luanne and took her sister-in-law's hands. Lilly looked into those blue eyes, so similar to her wife's yet completely different all at once. "Thank you for trying, Luanne, but we can't lie to them. And it was our fault entirely that we didn't change before we came home. Do not—" When Luanne turned to avoid Lilly's gentle gaze, Lilly gently turned Luanne's head back around so they were again looking into each other's eyes. "Do not blame yourself for this, Luanne Truscott, do you hear me?" Lilly said firmly. She felt a familiar hand press against her back between her shoulder blades, then she saw Miley's arm wrap around Luanne in a hug. "You tried to give us a happy surprise, when you were feeling pretty down yourself. That's all you were trying to do. So don't blame yourself for us not being as careful as we should've been."
"We were in a hurry to get home," said Miley. Immediately afterward the sound of high-pitched laughter rang through the living room. Miley looked between Lilly and Luanne, staring at her nieces rolling on the couch with laughter. "What's so dang funny?" she asked.
Luanne cleared her throat. "I, uh, was giving them the play-by-play on you two making out on your car. Before you came inside."
"So we know why you two were in a hurry to get home!" squealed Melody, face red from laughter.
"You're too young to be knowin' about stuff like that!" said Miley, only partly faking the indignation in her voice.
"Aunt Miley," said Peyton seriously. "We're teenagers. I mean, give us a break."
"Sounds like we need to have another Serious Talk with you two before much longer," Lilly said, trying to put on a solemn face but not having much success.
"You know, if you two want to act all serious, you should probably change out of your costumes," offered Melody. "It's hard to be all adult-like when you're dressed up as Hannah and Lola Montana."
Lilly turned back to face Luanne and smiled, then she and Miley both gave Luanne a hug. "It's okay," Lilly whispered again in Luanne's ear as Miley whispered the same in her other ear.
Miley looked closely at her sister and said, "If we lie to them now, how can we expect them to believe us about anything else later on?"
"We can trust them, Lu," said Lilly. "And they need to know that we trust them."
"Okay," said Luanne. "And thank you both. For everything." She hugged them both at the same time, squeezing them tightly for several seconds as she enjoyed the feelings of love and acceptance that radiated from them like heat from a fire. When she was through, she released them and walked over to the chair, wiping her eyes as she sat down.
Miley sat down on the couch next to Peyton, with Lilly sitting next to Melody. "Okay, you two, serious time," said Miley. "Do not ever, ever, ever ever ever, tell anybody any part of this. Not your parents, not your friends, not your pets, NOBODY." She looked at each girl in turn. "You got me?"
Peyton and Melody both nodded, each of them suddenly quiet until Peyton carefully asked, "So you two really are...?"
"Yes," said Lilly.
"Uh huh," nodded Miley.
Lilly gently said, "This isn't the kind of thing we go around telling people... even our families. Because if it ever got out who Hannah and Lola really were, we'd never have a minute's peace again. And I enjoy my quiet, happy life with your Aunt Miley too much to let anyone ruin it just because they couldn't keep a secret."
"What she's tryin' to say is, there's lots a' good places in the mountains back home to toss a couple bodies where nobody'll ever find 'em," Miley helpfully said as she ran her hands through her hair, trying to separate the places where it was wanting to cling together.
Lilly looked at Miley. "Or we could just take them out on a boat and feed them to the sharks," she said.
Peyton and Melody looked back and forth between Miley and Lilly, then back to Miley again as she spoke.
"That's not a bad idea. Wouldn't have to get 'em back to Tennessee that way."
"We won't tell anybody!" said Melody.
"Yeah, we swear!" followed Peyton.
"Good," said Miley. "Now I think it's probably time for you two to get in bed. C'mon and we'll show you your room."
"Bed?" said Peyton indignantly. "After you drop a bombshell on us like you just did? How are we gonna sleep now?"
"I'm kinda tired, Pey," Melody said, much to Peyton's consternation. The younger girl then yawned loudly.
"That's because you two are still on Tennessee time. What time is it here?" She looked around, finally seeing the clock on their DVR. "Almost eleven. That means for you two, it's nearly two in the morning."
Knowing she was beaten, Peyton held up a hand and said, "Alright, alright. I'm goin'." She and Melody followed Miley and Lilly up the stairs, with Luanne bringing up the rear. "But we are so definitely going to talk in the mornin'."
Miley stopped outside what used to be Jackson's old room, although now it was unrecognizable as such. She flipped on the light, illuminating a cheery room with pastel blue walls, a queen-size bed with a white comforter festooned with green and blue squares, circles and rectangles, and ivory carpeting. "This is the guest room," Miley said. "Hope you can live with the queen bed. There's a bathroom right down the hall in the nursery."
"Ooooh! The nursery!" said Melody. "I wanna see it!" She actually hopped up and down twice, which Lilly thought was so cute she nearly picked her up and hugged her.
"It's down here," said Luanne helpfully, smiling at the new teenager's excitement. She led them to the nursery, switching on the light as they got in the room. It was the room that used to be Miley's and Lilly's old bedroom less than a year ago, and much of the furniture in it was still the same. However, the walls had been repainted a soft pink, and gauzy curtains were hanging over the windows instead of the older window coverings that had previously hung in the room. Leaning against the wall was a large cardboard box containing a crib that still needed to be put together; however, Miley and Lilly had already assembled the changing table, which sat close to the door. The old Hannah Closet was still in place, but now Miley and Lilly used it to store most of their shoes and boots, with some space reserved for items they didn't wear as much but wanted to keep for one reason or another. Most of their clothes that they weren't going to wear again were now donated to the HLM Foundation to be auctioned off, with proceeds going to either the Foundation or another charity.
"This is, like, adorable!" said Peyton, clapping her hands together as she looked around the room. "What did this room used to be before you turned it into a nursery?"
"This was our bedroom," said Lilly proudly. "For several years. And it was Miley's bedroom before we started dating."
"But you were still over here all the time," Miley quickly said, turning to look at Lilly. "It was already partly yours, Lil."
"Aww," cooed Lilly as she ran her hand through Miley's long, full hair. "You were sweet to me from the beginning, Miley. And you've stayed sweet."
Miley held her arm out, inviting Lilly to lean against her. Lilly immediately did so, resting her head on Miley's right shoulder as they held each other. "Sure glad I took that charm bracelet when you offered it to me," Miley said with a teasing grin. "Otherwise you might'a stomped off and found another best friend."
"Never would've happened," Lilly said firmly. "I was putting that charm bracelet on your arm whether you wanted it or not, Miley. You just didn't know it." She lifted her head and looked at her nieces. "I was ready to go stalker on her," she said.
"Oh, please!" laughed Miley as all of them walked out of the nursery, Miley turning off the light as she and Lilly were the last ones to leave the room. "You had just met me! We didn't know our feelings were like that back then, and you know that just like I do."
"But we both knew that we needed each other, Miles, even then. At first it was just as friends, but then our feelings got... complicated."
As they went back into the guest room, Peyton sighed loudly. "Boy, I know how that goes," she said dramatically as she flung herself back onto the bed, arms stretched out above her head.
"Yeah," Melody said as she repeated her sister's actions. "Me too," she moaned as she lay beside her sister on the bed, the two of them paralleling each other neatly.
"Uh oh," said Miley, still holding Lilly next to her. Her body was starting to heat up where Lilly was surreptitiously running her left hand up Miley's back under her shirt, so she knew they wouldn't have much more time to talk tonight. She summoned her willpower to prolong her wife's foreplay a bit longer, knowing it would only sweeten things in a few minutes. "I know that tone a' voice. What's botherin' you two?"
"Boys," sighed Peyton dramatically.
"Girls," sighed Melody, her tone and inflection identical to her sister's.
Miley and Lilly looked at each other, and each of them raised a matching eyebrow, mirroring each other.
"That is so creepy when you two do that," said Luanne with a laugh. "I mean, the eyebrow thing, together. I swear, Lilly, you might as well be a Stewart as good as you do it."
"I'll take that as a compliment," said Lilly proudly, "even if you Stewart women are as stubborn as old goats."
"Yeah, you fit right in, don'tcha?" said Miley smoothly, eliciting giggles from Peyton and Melody.
"Okay, I think I'm going to get some sleep," said Luanne as she yawned loudly. "Me taking the couch still work with you two?"
"Of course," said Lilly.
"Why don't you sleep up here with us, Luanne?" asked Melody.
Luanne smiled and said, "Nah, I prefer the couch when I stay over here. Sleep better that way." She kissed Peyton and Melody both on the forehead. "Get some sleep, you two. It'll take you a day or two to get used to the time difference." She turned to Miley and Lilly, who gathered her in for a long hug. "Thanks for being there for me," Luanne whispered.
"We're always here for you, Lu," said Miley, patting her sister on the back.
"And we always will be," Lilly said as she looked into Luanne's eyes. Those blue eyes weren't as haunted as they used to be, but Lilly suspected there would always be some measure of regret reflected in them. "You're a good person, Lu, and we love you."
"Love you two too," Luanne whispered, giving them one more squeeze before releasing them and heading downstairs.
"Okay, girls," said Miley, "you know where the bathroom is in the nursery, right down the hall. We've got a night light in the hall that'll let you get down there without runnin' into the walls."
"We hope," Lilly added, looking at her lovely but accident-prone wife.
"We'll see ya'll in the mornin'," Miley said, letting Lilly's little verbal poke slide as she walked over and gave each of them a hug where they sat up on the side of the bed. "And we'll talk some about boys and girls, I guess." She turned to look at Lilly. "Which one do you want?"
Lilly thought for a minute. "Well, you were always better at dealing with boys than I was," she said.
"Yeah, but you understand how they think better than I do."
"That's true," allowed Lilly. "Flip for it? In the morning?"
Miley smiled as she reached out and took Lilly's hand in her own. "Sounds good to me, girlfriend."
Lilly pulled Miley forward with her as she hugged both of their nieces. "Sleep good, big girls. We'll let you sleep in as long as you want tomorrow." She pulled the door closed as she followed Miley out of the guest room, grinning at her wife as they looked at each other, desire quite evident in both sets of bright blue eyes. Without another word the two of them broke into a run, covering the rest of the hall in seconds as they raced into their bedroom, pausing only to close the door behind them.
With speed and precision coming from years of practice and an intimate knowledge of each other bordering on the supernatural, Miley and Lilly shed their clothes in less than five seconds, hitting the bed in less than ten. They made love with a passion bordering on frenzy, fueled by pent-up desire for each other that had been building throughout the day, reaching a peak after dinner tonight.
For Lilly, the world outside their bedroom quickly ceased to exist, then the bedroom faded away, leaving nothing but Miley to flood her senses, filling them with her wife's beauty, her cries and moans, her burning skin slicked with sweat, her scent mingled with Lilly's favorite perfume, and her light, salty taste. It was more than enough for Lilly, and she could have been happy in that bed with her wife and best friend for the rest of her life.
Lilly expertly brought Miley up, up into her first orgasm, quickly followed by her second. When her third rocked her body just a minute later, Miley abandoned all pretense of self-control. She twisted her body, grabbing at Lilly and pulling herself around to where she could more readily touch the woman she loved in every way possible. She could hear Lilly's voice saying something, but Miley was too far gone to answer her with words. Instead she threw herself forward on the bed, rolling Lilly from where she had been on her hands and knees onto her side. Miley fell upon her wife, seeking out what she wanted and forcefully laying claim to her Lilly with her gentle mouth and strong fingers. As Miley made love to Lilly heatedly, she felt Lilly push her legs apart then pause as the first wave of orgasm washed over her. Miley paused for a moment as Lilly recovered and began to touch her again, first shallowly, then deeper.
"Don't stop, Miley," Lilly whispered loudly as she squeezed Miley's thighs. "Don't ev—" She gasped as Miley drove back into her, at full speed without any buildup whatsoever. "Yes, baby..." Lilly whispered between clenched teeth as she felt her body abruptly peak, then explode with an intense release that caused Lilly to black out for long seconds.
Feeling her wife's grip slacken on her legs, Miley growled. She rolled them so that she was above Lilly, then she began to work her hips down, then back and forth across Lilly's face and lips, being careful not to hurt either of them but unable to sit still and wait for Lilly to come back at her own pace. "Wake up," Miley said loudly, giving one more grind that seemed to have the results she was looking for, as Lilly's grip once again resumed on her legs then intensified.
"You like waking me up that way, huh?" Lilly said with a distinct note of sass in her voice. She smacked Miley's butt hard with her right hand, coaxing a sharp cry from her best friend that seemed to rattle the walls. She immediately resumed her work on the woman she would spend eternity with, determined to bring her ecstasy like she had never felt before. Lilly put both hands to work as she continued to make love to Miley, pleased as she heard Miley's groans followed by sharp gasps of air as Miley began her climactic ride. As Miley began to shudder in her grip, Lilly turned up the speed and force, making Miley loudly scream her name time after time, separated by deep breaths sucked in between shouts. Lilly felt her feet touch the headboard, and she pushed against the smooth pine to twist them into a roll across the king-sized bed.
Miley flailed her arms uselessly as Lilly rolled them across the twisted, sweat-soaked sheets. She was now beyond even cries and shouts; all she could do was moan and clutch at Lilly's strong legs as she rode out what had to be the longest, most sensational orgasm she had ever felt. Even when Lilly rolled them off the bed onto the floor, Miley felt nothing except the stinging bliss of being claimed by her Lilly. No one else would ever—could ever—call Miley her own, or his own. Only Lilly, her sweet Lilly, would be able to do that, and that was a thought that would always give Miley comfort.
As Lilly began to gently remove herself from Miley and catch her own breath, she registered that they were on the fluffy rug next to their bed. Her right shoulder was tingling, probably from where she had fallen, and as she mentally inventoried her body, her right hip also began to tingle. She hoped that she had borne the brunt of the fall, because worrying that she had accidentally hurt Miley while they were making love always managed to make her feel bad. "Sorry, Miley," she said carefully.
As Lilly pulled herself out from under Miley's throbbing, panting body, she looked down as Miley rolled onto her back. The brunette was feverishly trying to catch her breath, her chest showing the ribs beneath the skin as it rose and fell with each deep breath. Her hair was wild, splayed across the rug and hardwood floor as well as her breasts, and the primal beauty of her wife in that disheveled position stirred a feeling inside Lilly that she was not expecting. Pride. Pride in her beautiful wife, pride in being able to bring Miley such joy and passion, pride in their relationship that surpassed all boundaries that had once existed between them. It was not a boastful or envious pride, but a simple one that filled Lilly with hope and resolve at times when she needed it most. It also gave her a capacity to love and forgive others that she had never known before. Truly, loving Miley had made her a better person, and she knew Miley would say the same.
Lilly smiled as she crawled forward, hovering over Miley as the taller woman held her hands over her hair-covered eyes, still gasping as her heart pounded in her chest. Finally Lilly saw Miley's breathing slow and become slightly less strenuous.
Miley swallowed carefully before she spoke, making sure her tongue and mouth still worked correctly. Because she wasn't entirely sure at this point. Finally, she opened her mouth and said, "What in the name of Neyland Stadium could you be sorry about, Lilly, after that?"
Lilly giggled once as she watched Miley lick her lips, her face flushed and glowing. "About rolling us off the bed."
Miley moved her hands from over her eyes and felt the ground on each side of her. "We're not on the bed? Where are we?"
"On the floor."
Miley patted the floor, then she moved her hands closer, touching the furry rug. "How about that," she said weakly.
Lilly reached forward and gently brushed Miley's dark chestnut hair out of her eyes, revealing glimmering eyes as blue as Lilly had ever seen them. "You're beautiful," Lilly said spontaneously, the words spilling from her lips as her brain formed them.
Miley smiled as she looked up into sparkling eyes blue as the afternoon sky. "Because you make me feel beautiful," she whispered as she pressed her right hand against Lilly's face.
Lilly closed her eyes and leaned her head against Miley's hand, relishing the firm support that Miley gave her not only now but also in every aspect of their life. No further words were needed by either of them as Lilly opened her eyes and looked deeply into Miley's. She leaned down and kissed Miley, the softness of their lips touching in stark contrast to the fury of their earlier lovemaking.
The soft chiming of Miley's cell phone on the floor on the other side of their bed broke the spell each girl held on the other. "Who the heck would be calling at this time of night?" said Lilly as she stood and then helped Miley up. They both held each other for a few seconds as they regained their balance. The notes from the phone quickly stopped, indicating a new message for Miley rather than a missed call.
As soon as she felt steady enough to move, Miley slowly walked forward, holding hands with Lilly as they moved around the foot of the bed to retrieve the phone. Miley bent down and picked up the phone from where it lay on the floor, pressing the button to read the new text message.
OMG!!!1!!1
can u 2 screw any louder?
think our ears r bleeding
P+M
Miley and Lilly sat down—no, fell onto the bed as laughter overcame them. They held each other as they shook with laughter that was truly the perfect companion to their fiery lovemaking, giving them a mental release to complement the physical and emotional release they had achieved together just seconds before.
"They're going to pay us back, you know," Lilly said as tears of humor fell from her eyes onto Miley's bare shoulder.
"No," Miley said as she tried to stop laughing, "they're gonna kill us."
As the sun rose the next morning, Lilly found herself stirring first, as was usual. She leaned forward slightly, kissing Miley on her right temple as she still slept. "C'mon, pretty girl," Lilly whispered. "Let's go for a morning swim."
Miley didn't open her eyes, but a smile slowly stretched across her face, just barely visible where she had most of her face buried in their large pillow. "Okay," she said softly. "But I get to pick which swimsuit you wear."
"Then I get to pick yours," countered Lilly.
"Deal," said Miley. She pushed herself up as Lilly hopped out of bed. "What time is it?"
"Eight," said Lilly. "Figured the girls would be up by now."
Miley cast a look of disbelief at Lilly as she pulled a dark green bikini out of their swimwear drawer. "Obviously you don't remember when you were a teenager," she said as she tossed the bikini to Lilly, who caught it in the air as she walked over to the wardrobe Miley was digging through.
"Their time is later, Miles. It's eleven according to their bodies."
Miley took the hot pink bikini Lilly handed her and held Lilly's gaze with her eyes. "Like I said..."
Lilly playfully pushed Miley on the shoulder. "Oh please! I can't count the times I had to walk right into your room, climb up on the bed with you and then wake you up."
Miley got a dreamy look on her face. "Sometimes I was faking," she said, batting her eyelashes at Lilly.
"So I'd crawl up on the bed with you?" Lilly asked quietly as they slipped out of their bedroom.
Miley nodded as they silently made their way down the stairs. She stopped at the closet next to the back door and grabbed two towels and a beach blanket. She stuffed them into their massive beach bag and stepped into her orange flip-flops. She opened the back door for Lilly, taking their key that was threaded onto an elastic bracelet that she slipped onto her wrist. When they were both outside, Miley locked the back door as quietly as she could.
Once they were off the back porch and onto the beach, Lilly once again started her line of questioning. "Okay, getting back to what we were talking about. You'd lay there like you were asleep just to see if I'd crawl into bed with you?"
Miley grinned as she handed Lilly their sunscreen. "Well, it was more like I was hoping you'd crawl into bed with me."
Lilly began working the sunscreen into her shoulders as they walked to where the surf was breaking. "You're a sneak, Miley Truscott." She stopped and began rubbing sunscreen onto Miley's belly, just slightly fuller than normal. "And your daughter's gonna be a sneak, too."
"Because she takes after you," Miley retorted as she dropped the beach bag. She pulled out the beach blanket and shook it out, making a place for them to sit. "When you finish getting me, I'll do you," she said, quickly adding, "The sunscreen."
Lilly grinned. Miley had beat her to it. "Okay," she said. "You getting in with me this morning?"
Miley stretched, her arms going up to the sky. "Yeah, I think so. If it's not too cold."
Lilly rolled her eyes as she said, "Wimp."
Inside the house, Peyton began to stir not long after. She sat up, rubbing her eyes to remove the light dusting of particulate matter from the corners of her eyes. She turned to look down at her sister. "Eww," she said as she saw the small puddle of drool under the side of Melody's mouth. "Drool Girl strikes again." She shook Melody as she said, "Hey, puddle girl! Wake up!"
"Mmm," mumbled Melody, pushing back at her sister. "Don't call me that."
"Then quit droolin' on your pillow!" Peyton slid out of the bed. "Dang, I didn't get much sleep last night." Left unsaid was exactly why she hadn't slept much, but she was fairly sure Melody could figure it out.
"Nothin' like sex education class, huh, Pey?" Melody said with a smirk as she sat up. She looked at the far wall as she said, "I hope when I get married I find a woman who does that to me."
Peyton turned to her sister with a frown. "Okay, don't you try to put any more images in my head. I got enough in there already now." An evil smirk crawled across her face. "I could always tell that girl at church that you're sweet on her," she said slowly, delighting in Melody's eyebrows shooting up nearly to her hairline.
"You wouldn't dare!" said Melody loudly. "I would freakin' die if you told her!"
Peyton quickly jumped back as Melody tore herself free of the covers. "What was her name? Julie? Jeanie?" she said, stepping out the bedroom door.
"None of your business!" said Melody, right on her sister's heels. When Peyton suddenly stopped, Melody ducked under her left arm and kept going, right into the nursery. "I get the bathroom first, since you're such a bitch!" she yelled over her shoulder.
Peyton stood with her hands on her hips, watching as her sister ran into the bathroom. "Dang it," she said softly. "Maybe there's a bathroom downstairs."
As she made her way down the stairs, Peyton smelled pancakes cooking. "Mmmm, that smells good!" she said loudly. She turned the corner at the foot of the stairs only to see Luanne at the stove. "You cookin' pancakes for us, Luanne?"
"Yep," said Luanne, not turning around. "There's a bathroom right down that hall there, if you need one." She pointed over her shoulder.
"Thanks," said Peyton, hurrying down the hall.
When Peyton was done, she saw that Melody was in the kitchen. Both of them still had on their nightgowns, and Luanne was just setting the pancakes on the table. There was still a stack of them next to the stove, and the younger girls guessed that those were for their two aunts.
"So," said Luanne, a faint grin on her face. "Sleep well last night?"
Peyton looked up, about to say something when she realized exactly what Luanne's expression indicated. "You knew!" she shouted. "You knew that they were gonna do that!"
Now Luanne's grin turned into a broad smile. She speared a bite of pancake on her fork as she said, "Why do you think I sleep on the couch downstairs when I spend the night here?"
"Meanie," Melody said. "But since you fixed breakfast for us, we'll forgive you."
"Very generous of you," Luanne said around a mouthful of food. "Milk's in the fridge. You can pour me a glass too. Cabinet right next to the sink for glasses."
As Peyton and Melody got up and got three glasses, Peyton asked, "So where are the porn stars this mornin'?"
Luanne nearly choked on her current bite of pancakes. "I suggest you don't call 'em that," she said after she managed to swallow. "Or you'll probably get a real concert tonight."
Peyton paused. "Hadn't thought about that," she admitted. "Okay, we'll call them somethin' else."
"Smart girl," said Luanne. "I expect they're down on the beach. Lilly likes to get up early and go surfing. Some mornings they go for a walk down the beach, sometimes a bike ride." She got up and walked to the back door, picking up a pair of binoculars from the desk next to the door. She looked through them down at the beach. "Yep, Lilly's surfin' and Miley's watchin' her."
Suddenly, amid great bustling noises, Luanne found herself flanked by her two cousins as they peered out the back door at the beach. "Holy crap!" said Melody. "The ocean's, like, right there!" Without another word, Peyton turned and ran upstairs, with Melody hot on her heels.
"Finish your breakfast, girls!" Luanne called up the stairs. "Or Lilly'll finish it for you when you get back!"
As Peyton and Melody ran down to the ocean, they paused long enough to drop their towels onto the large beach blanket. No one else was near them, so they knew it had to belong to their aunts. Once that was done, they kicked off their sandals and ran through the warm sand to where the ocean was lapping onto the beach.
"Ahhh!" Peyton squealed with delight. "I can't believe we're swimming in December!"
"And the water's warm!" said Melody, crashing forward against the surf as she waded out to waist-deep water. "Whoa," she said as she looked farther out into the ocean.
Peyton turned to look at where her sister's attention currently was. "Holy crap, is that Lilly?" she asked, astounded.
Much farther out, they watched as a large wave slowly rose from the rest of the ocean. At the top of the wave's crest, a woman in a green bikini began to carve a path across the wave's front, arms extended as she held her balance despite the roaring wall of water just inches behind her body. As the two teenagers watched, they saw Lilly reach behind her and run her fingers through the wave right behind her, spraying a small amount of water behind her hand as she continued to ride the front of the wave. For long seconds she seemed almost to be crawling along, then she turned the board slightly just as the wave began to crest. The white foamy spray fell down on Lilly, but then they saw her squirt out of the foam, still on her board as she pumped her fist in celebration.
"Whooo!" Miley yelled, her voice carrying in with the waves to where Peyton and Melody were. "That was the best one yet, sweetheart!"
Lilly looked down at Miley, then she fell backwards into the water, obviously on purpose. Miley swam over to Lilly's surfboard and held onto it as Lilly popped back up and did the same. The two of them floated with the tide for a minute, then they began to kiss as they held onto the yellow board. Finally they spotted their nieces; Miley and Lilly both waved to them. Miley clambered up onto Lilly's surfboard, getting what looked like a swat on her butt as she did so, then Lilly got behind the surfboard and began kicking, bringing them into the shore as she pushed the surfboard carrying her wife in front of her.
A few minutes later, Miley and Lilly were in close enough to stand, so Miley rolled off of the board into the water. "So what'd ya think?" she asked the teenagers proudly. "Isn't she amazing to watch?" She moved to stand behind Lilly, wrapping her arms around Lilly's waist as she held her best friend.
"That was really cool," said Melody, still slightly awed at how Lilly had ridden that wave, which had to have been at least fourteen or fifteen feet tall. "How long have you been surfin'?"
"Since I was five," said Lilly with a smile. "Kinda hard not to learn, when everyone around here knows how."
"Not for me," said Miley quickly, looking away as she made a funny face. "Hard part for me is not fallin' in the water."
"So," said Peyton, "when can we talk some more about what you two told us last night?"
Miley turned to look at her niece, and her face was more serious now. "When we get back inside," she said. "We don't need to talk about things like that when we're out where other people can hear us."
As Miley spoke, Lilly moved to put her surfboard between herself and the other three. When Peyton and Melody were focused on Miley, Lilly slipped under the water's surface and swam forward to where the girls were. She grabbed the first leg she touched and bit it, eliciting an initial scream at first contact that only got louder as Lilly playfully gnawed on the calf muscle. When a foot kicked her in the head, she let go and swam to the surface, breaking into the air to the sound of her wife laughing hysterically.
"Oh, that was priceless!" Miley shouted, giving Lilly a high five as they stood in the water coming almost up to their breasts. "She almost jumped all the way out of the water!"
Peyton was looking quite pale, and Melody looked like she didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She finally decided to laugh, getting a splash of salt water from her sister. Peyton looked at Lilly, her face still a bit shaken but smiling. "Nice one, Aunt Lilly," she admitted. She paused a few seconds, then she asked, "Is it okay if we pee in the ocean? 'Cause I think I just did."
"I think the ocean will forgive you this time, Pey," Lilly said with a grin. "C'mon, let's go in and get something to eat."
As they splashed their way out of the ocean, Lilly picked up her surfboard and tucked it under her arm. Miley put her arm around Peyton and said, "Hey Peyton, I did the same thing the first time Lilly did that to me. Oliver was distracting me, then all of a sudden I felt these teeth on me. I peed all over myself while I was screamin' at the top of my lungs."
Lilly gave Miley a funny look. "As I remember, it was me you peed on, Miles."
Miley grinned. "Serves you right for bitin' me where you did," she said with a laugh as they began to dry off.
Almost an hour later, Peyton and Melody were watching in amazement as Lilly finished her fifth pancake, complete with butter and syrup. She and Miley had changed into t-shirts and shorts before they sat down to eat, and Luanne had stepped outside to call Ron.
"How the heck can you eat so much?" asked Melody.
Lilly gave her a sideways look as she picked up her plate. "Because your aunt Miley keeps me busy," she said with a smirk.
The ringing of the doorbell made everybody turn to look. "I'll get it," said Miley as she got up and walked to the door. She opened to the door to reveal the rather large figure of Albert Dontzig, their next-door neighbor.
"Hey Mr. Dontzig," Miley said pleasantly. Since Robbie Ray had been gone, Dontzig hadn't been quite as blustery as they had grown to expect, and Miley suspected that in his own odd way, their neighbor was missing his verbal sparring partner.
"Morning, country girl," Dontzig said gruffly. "You think you could do me a favor today?"
Miley shrugged her shoulders. "I guess," she said. "But I've got a final exam later today. What do you need?"
Dontzig looked a bit apprehensive before he spoke, but he managed to say, "You remember my niece Patty?"
Miley thought for a second or two, then she had a flash of a memory of being stuck in a rather hot, sweaty moose outfit. "The little monster?" she asked, surprised.
"You do remember!" Dontzig said, smiling. "Well, she's back in town for a few days, and I was wondering if you and your girlfriend could, you know, talk to her about something for me."
Now Miley looked a bit more reluctant. "The last time I babysat her didn't work out so great," she said as she stepped out onto the porch, closing the door behind her. "How old is she now?"
"Fifteen," Dontzig said, shuddering. "She's not quite as nasty as she used to be." He looked away for a moment, then he said, "Look, I know I can be a real jerk at times. But I do love my niece. And she's been having a real hard time at her school this year."
"What's going on?" asked Miley. She placed her hand over her heart as she felt Lilly's curiosity manifest as a tingling warmth in her chest. It's okay, hon, Miley thought. Tell you in just a minute. The tingling eased slightly, letting Miley know that Lilly had understood. She smiled slightly as she considered just how deep her connection with Lilly truly ran, letting a pulse of love flow to her wife.
"It's her dating habits," Dontzig finally blurted out.
Miley stared at him briefly. "Okay, you gotta give me a little more to work on, here."
Dontzig turned red, but he managed to get out, "Let's just say she's not into the boys, okay?"
Now Miley was beginning to see. "So she thinks she's into girls?" she asked. When he nodded, Miley guessed at the rest. "And you want Lilly and me to talk to her about it?"
"Bingo!" he said loudly. "Look, she's really confused right now. She's not exactly sure what team to play for, if you get what I'm saying. And I figured that since you two, are, you know..."
Miley took a moment to digest what Dontzig was saying. "But Lilly and I always liked boys before we fell in love with each other," she said. "I'm not sure if we're—"
"But you had people at your school do stuff to you, didn't you, and say hurtful things about you? I mean, when they found out about you and your girlfriend?"
"Lilly's my wife, Dontzig," Miley said, squaring her shoulders as she stood up as tall as she could. "We've been married for five years now. But yes, we did have some bitches at our school do mean things to us."
"Look," Dontzig said, running his hand through his short, curly hair. "I'm not asking for you to babysit her again. I'm just asking for you to talk to her for a bit. She's going through a rough time, and I was hoping you could help her. Even if it's just telling her that other people have gone through this too."
As he spoke, something occurred to Miley. Melody was probably going through much of the same things at her school. Maybe the two of them could talk to each other. Heck, it might even give Peyton and Melody a friend closer to their age to do stuff with for the next few days. She made up her mind. "Okay, we'll talk to her."
"Fabulous!" said Dontzig, relief evident on his face. "I'll send her over in a bit."
"Okay," Miley said. It felt like there was more she should say, so she hurriedly tried to think of what her father would say in this situation. She pointed a finger at Dontzig and said, "But you owe us one, Dontzig."
"I know," he grumbled as he turned around and began walking back to his house down the road.
Miley considered what she had agreed to, then she turned around and went back inside.
"Who was that, Miles?" asked Lilly as Miley walked back over to where everyone was sitting in front of the television. Miley swung her legs over the back of the couch as she sat in Lilly's lap carefully.
"Dontzig," Miley said. "He wants us to talk to his niece today."
"Not the niece you took to Make-a-Moose," Lilly asked skeptically. "Please tell me you didn't agree to—"
"He just wants us to talk to her for a little bit," Miley said quickly. "She thinks she might be gay, and apparently some kids at school are giving her a hard time."
"How old is she now?" asked Lilly.
"Fifteen," Miley replied. "So I figured that Mel might be able to talk with her, too. They're close to the same age, so maybe they might relate with each other."
Melody looked a bit uncertain. "Hey, I'll try to talk to her, but why would she want to listen to someone two years younger than her?"
"Because you're comfortable with who you are, Mel," Miley said as she smiled at her niece. "You always have been. When you realized that you were attracted to girls, it never bothered you."
Melody blushed slightly as she looked at Miley and Lilly. "That's because I had two really great aunts who taught me that I couldn't help who I was, or who my heart pointed me to. They were such good examples that I knew that I had nothing to be ashamed of."
"You really feel that way about us?" Lilly asked, slightly surprised.
As Melody nodded, Peyton said, "We both do. You showed us that we have to be open to love when it presents itself, because sometimes the best thing we could ever dream of is right in front of our faces."
"Sounds like you two have some smart aunts," said Luanne, who had slipped back inside.
"We sure do," said Melody proudly. "Three of them," she added with a smile as she turned to look at Luanne.
Luanne looked more than a bit surprised. "Me? You think of me as an aunt, too?"
Melody nodded vigorously. "Yup. We haven't spent as much time with you as we have with Aunt Miley and Aunt Lilly, but you're, well, almost like their sister, Aunt Lu. All three of you are really close, so of course we think of you as our aunt too."
Luanne felt a tear run down her cheek as she stood there. "Thank you," she said softly, marveling at how perceptive teens and tweens, which Melody was until last week, could be. They might not know the truth of Luanne's relation to Miley, but they could see how closely Miley and Lilly regarded Luanne, and that was enough.
"Okay," said Miley, trying to steer the conversation onto a less weighty subject. "So now that you two know what your Aunt Lilly and I do in our spare time, we need to make some plans for the next few days."
Lilly said, "You want to take them?" as she kissed Miley on her cheek.
Miley nodded. "Yeah." She turned to look at her sister. "You want to come, Lu? I think Lola could always use her personal assistant."
Luanne shook her head. "Thanks, Miley, but Ron's coming back into town this weekend. He was just saying that they're taking a break for Christmas, and Kelly is letting the band and crew off a couple days early." She looked wistful as she added, "I miss my man."
"Those Truscotts get under your skin, don't they, girl?" Miley said happily, earning her a tickle from her wife.
"Yeah, they sure do." Luanne smiled sadly and turned to walk back outside.
Miley turned to watch Luanne go outside and sit in one of the lounge chairs on the back porch. She turned back to Peyton and Melody and said, "You two want to go see a movie this weekend?"
Peyton and Melody looked at each other. "Sure," said Peyton as Melody nodded her assent. "What movie?"
Miley grinned. "Oh, how about the new Lola Montana movie that opens this weekend?" she asked, pleased by the looks of surprise and delight on their nieces' faces.
"Seriously?" shouted Peyton. "That's kick-ass! What time is it gonna be showin'?"
Now Miley reached down and patted Lilly on her leg. "Well, it's gonna be a bit more involved than just goin' to a movie."
"We need to get you two dresses," added Lilly. "If you're going to the official premiere as Lola's and Hannah's special guests, you need to look the part." She almost laughed at how the looks of surprises shifted into looks of utter shock. "I probably need to call somebody. Who do you think, hon?"
Miley thought for a moment, then she said, "How about Kylee Dean? She did a really nice job on that dress of yours for the Grammys last year. And she did say to give her a call if we ever needed anything."
"Yeah, she did, didn't she?"
Miley nodded. She carefully stood up, then she bent over and kissed Lilly lightly on the lips. "Tell her if she can come through for us, Hannah'll wear one of her dresses to the next big event."
"I think Lola will too," Lilly said with a smile up at the woman she adored. "You going to talk to Lu?"
Miley nodded. "Yeah, something's eatin' at her, and I want to try and help if we can."
"Good girl," said Lilly as she patted Miley's leg. She stood as well and picked up her phone, flipping through her list of phone numbers. "I need my Lola phone," she said. "Be right back, girls!" she yelled as she ran up the stairs.
"And I'm gonna go talk to your aunt Luanne," Miley added. "That was really sweet of you, by the way, telling her that."
"We mean it," Peyton said. "We might not spend as much time with her as we do with you and Aunt Lilly, but we love her."
Miley walked over and kissed each girl on the top of her head. "You two are sweet. Be listening for the doorbell, okay? Dontzig's niece Patty is supposed to be coming over to talk to us for a while." She walked across the room to the back door. "I'll be back in just a minute."
No sooner had Miley gone outside than the doorbell rang. "You get it," said Peyton, pushing Melody nearly off the couch.
"Why me?"
"Because I'm older than you."
Melody sighed. This was an argument that really wasn't worth having. As she stood she grumbled, "Don't see why we have to play therapist," as she walked to the door. The doorbell rang again as she crossed the living room. "I'm comin', I'm comin'!" she yelled. She reached the front door and swiftly opened it. "Don't have to—" The words stuck in her throat as she gazed at the girl standing in the doorway.
She was a bit taller than Melody, with black hair cropped short but somehow pulled up into two stubs of pigtails that stuck straight up on each side of her head. Her bangs had been left longer, and they dangled in front of hazel eyes that locked in on Melody's own green ones. Melody's gaze continued down, taking in the small black choker around the girl's neck, a small silver charm of some sort dangling from it. Her top was a black t-shirt that had been partially cut away at the bottom, revealing a pierced navel with a small chain hanging down, drawing Melody's gaze even further down to her cutoff olive drab shorts, with long legs continuing down to the short black boots she was wearing.
As Melody tried to catch her breath, she somehow pulled her eyes back up to the girl's face, where she abruptly realized that the girl was checking her out, and Melody was glad she had taken a shower and put on running shorts and a t-shirt after getting back from the beach. As the girl's hazel eyes once again found Melody's green ones, Melody stammered out, "Um, h-h-hi. I'm Melody. From Tennessee. I'm out here visiting my aunts."
The dark-haired girl smiled, and Melody felt her heart stop momentarily. "Hi, Melody from Tennessee," she said in a voice much softer than her clothing style. "I'm Patty, but I go by Trish now. You mind if I come in? My uncle Albert said that your... aunts were going to talk to me about some things that are going on." Now Trish's smile faded, and she looked more than a bit uncomfortable. "About, you know, some questions I've got. About things, you know?"
Melody stepped back, letting Trish step inside, then she closed the door. She sneaked a peek at Trish's rear as the slightly older girl walked past, and this time her heart skipped several beats. "Yeah," said Melody. "This is my sister, Peyton," she said, walking over to the couch.
"Hey," said Peyton, not batting an eye at the new girl's outfit. It did look cute, in a Goth sort of way. "Well, since we've got company, I guess I should finish getting dressed," she said, standing. She still had a robe on over her swimsuit. "I'll be in the shower, Mel. Be back down in a bit."
Out on the back porch, Miley was holding Luanne's hand as her sister cried softly. "I hate feeling this way!" said Luanne angrily.
"Lu, you can't help missing Ron," Miley said tenderly. "I know it drove me crazy when Lilly was gone a few months ago, and that was just for a few days. I know it's been hard on you."
Luanne looked up and managed a small smile for Miley. "It's not just that, Miley. I miss my home, too." She wiped away the tears on her cheeks and added, "I miss Tennessee. I miss the woods, and the mountains." She laughed once, humorlessly. "You'd think I'd be over it, after living out here four years. But it's just gotten worse, this homesickness."
Miley held her arms out, and her twin sister fell against her. Miley held her tightly, rocking them slowly. "It'll be okay, Lu. We're all goin' back to Misty Hollow in a few days for Christmas. You'll feel better then."
"Did I make a mistake, Miley?" Luanne asked, her voice anguished. "By moving out here?"
"Well, your school was out here, Lu. And Ron was out here. So, no, I don't think you made a mistake."
Luanne felt her mind race for long seconds, but having her sister here for support helped immensely. And she knew that if Lilly was—
"Hey," called a voice from above them. "Everything okay down there?"
Miley looked up through the deck above her and said to Lilly, "Lu's feelin' a bit homesick." As she saw Lilly move to the railing, Miley loudly, "No, Lilly Truscott! Don't you dare!"
Luanne looked up to see Lilly's feet dangling down, then she could see Lilly's belly as her sister-in-law climbed down the upper deck's railing. Lilly suddenly dropped down, landing on her feet in a deep crouch with a satisfied grin on her face.
"Not funny," said Miley seriously. "I asked you not to be doin' that. You might fall and get hurt."
"Hey, I said, 'Only in emergencies,' remember?" Lilly said as she walked over to the two of them. "What's bothering you, Lu?" Lilly asked.
Luanne looked up. "You knew?" she asked, surprised.
"Well, kinda," Lilly replied. "It was like I could feel Miley was worried, but it was somebody else she was worried about. And I just sorta knew it was you. It wasn't exactly like I could feel you, not like I can Miles, I just knew it was you that Miley was talking to. Somehow."
Luanne smiled, then she stepped forward and hugged Lilly and Miley both. "I'm just being a wimp. I miss the mountains and woods I grew up in. Going back to the Hollow for Christmas will help a lot."
"Having Ron here would probably help, too, wouldn't it?" asked Lilly.
"Yeah, it would," Luanne admitted. "You know, I think I might fly up to meet him before he comes back here. It might do both of us some good if we saw each other a bit earlier than we had planned."
"You're just missin' the sex," Miley teased, poking her sister in the ribs. The three of them laughed, and now they could all feel the tension ease.
"Yeah, I do miss the sex," Luanne admitted. "But more than the sex, I miss being held by someone who loves me."
"Amen to that," Miley said, leading the other two to the back door. "No other feelin' like that in the world." She opened the door, letting Lilly and Luanne go in first. As Miley went in and pulled the door closed, she nearly ran into Luanne and Lilly, both standing transfixed by what they saw on the couch: Melody and another teenage girl with short black hair and pigtail nubs, kissing quite intently as they held each other on the couch. It looked like Melody was sitting in the other girl's lap, and both of them appeared quite lost in each other.
"HEY!" yelled Miley, making both girls jump and scoot away from each other. "Who the heck are you, and what the heck are you doin' mackin' on my niece?!" she said angrily.
Author's Afterword: Hmm. That's a good place to stop for now. Sorry if I'm mean. But at least the updates have been coming a bit sooner, right? Hope you enjoyed it, because there'll be plenty more excitement to come in the next chapter. I had originally planned on getting Mikayla back in this chapter, but it's going to have to be the next one, or this chapter'll go on for another five pages. I'll hurry, I promise. See you soon!
-- Jo --