Author's Note: I tried to get this chapter out relatively quickly, and I think it complied for the most part. Hope everyone didn't get too antsy waiting. Okay, nothing big to talk about this time, believe it or not. I guess we could chat about Miley and Justin breaking up (supposedly), but then I still say that was a smokescreen from the beginning. And I still have my fingers crossed for Miley and Emily's relationship, whether it's just a strong friendship or budding romance. Only time will tell, I suppose, but my best wishes go out to them regardless. Being a teenager is freaking hard these days, much harder than it was when I was growing up. Stay strong, you two, and follow your hearts.
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 or publication 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 14: Breakdowns
Sometimes it falls apart but you can't let it go
Sometimes you've got the drugs and you just can't say no
Give me power, get me up on the stage
I see you howling and I'm ready to play
Pretty baby, you know I'm crazy
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
I've got the feeling in my blood and in my bones
They've got each other tonight but I'm still all alone
When the show is over
When the show is over
--The Donnas,"When the Show Is Over"
As Mikayla walked off the stage, she couldn't help but grin at the cheers still echoing in the concert hall behind her. The last few days had been exciting in ways both good and bad, but she had learned to shake off the bad a long time ago. A few dozen people protesting outside her concerts following her comments on Nancy Grace really wasn't so bad, after all, and tickets sales had gone up over the last twenty-four hours for the rest of her local shows. Dyseni was talking about a national tour now, sometime they had been reluctant to do up to this point, and Mikayla remained immensely proud of herself for finally getting Hannah Montana to lose her cool. The fact that her meltdown occurred on live television was simply icing on the cake.
As she walked into the dimly lit VIP area backstage, Mikayla surveyed the room coolly. More suits, more suck-ups, more wanna-bes... hello. Cute boys. She put on her flirtatious smile and slowly walked across the room, nodding and waving at those who congratulated her on a fine concert but not taking the time to actually speak to any of them.
Arriving at her chosen prey of the night, Mikayla slid up behind one of the two young men, leaning against him as she reached for a glass from the table. "Hi," she purred with a sultry smile as he quickly turned around.
"Um, h-hi," he stammered.
He's cute. Couldn't be more than eighteen or nineteen. "I'm Mikayla," she said, offering her hand.
"Jerry," the young man said, recovering enough to smile the smile that had made his television show a hit on one of the networks for teenagers. "And, uh, this is my brother Jim."
"I thought it was Jimmy," Mikayla said, turning to look at his brother, who had curly black hair to contrast his brother's straight brown hair. Their clean looks and sly humor had made their show popular with kids from eight to eighteen.
"Ah, I decided to go by Jim. Jimmy makes me sound like a little kid."
Looking him up and down, Mikayla murmured, "No chance of that from where I'm standing." She flashed him a grin as she saw him blush. Obviously he wasn't used to that direct an approach from women. Lucky me.
"So, you two like the concert tonight?" Mikayla asked as she filled her glass with some sort of punch. Taking a sniff, she didn't detect any alcohol in it. She downed it in one gulp, refilling her glass smoothly.
"Oh yeah, you were awesome!" Jerry said, smiling broadly. "You dance great, too!"
"Oh yeah!" added his brother. "I mean, you had us—I mean, them, eating out of the palm of your hand all night!"
Mikayla took a sip of her drink this time, watching how they hung on, waiting for her to speak. Finally she said, "Now that sounds like an idea," she said, giving them a smile that made both young men start sweating. "Eating out of the palm of my hand, I mean," she said as she turned and stretched across the table to place her glass on the far side of the table—conveniently giving both young men a long look at her bare lower back and rear as her shirt slid up her back. She turned around, catching both of them still staring at her butt. "All night," she finished with a smile. She put her arms around the two of them. "So, you two have any plans for tonight?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
The happy squeals drew Miley's attention away from the sunset she found herself watching. She looked across the white sand of whatever beach she was on, taking in the crystal clarity of the turquoise water, so different from what she was used to back home in Malibu. As she scanned the sparsely populated beach, she saw a trio of figures running through the waves as they chased each other from sand to surf and then back again.
Miley smiled as she shifted her sunglasses and began to walk down to the beach. From the amount of breeze she could feel caressing her bare skin, she guessed she was wearing a dangerously daring swimsuit that left little to the imagination. However, she stopped thinking about herself as she drew close enough to her family to get a good look at Lilly.
Lilly's blonde hair blew in the tropical breeze, dancing to and fro as the nimble young woman continued to avoid the grasping hands that belonged to their two daughters. Miley guessed offhandedly that they were seven and five, or maybe eight and six. It was hard to tell with them spinning and running in attempts to grab their other mother. But it was also hard to focus on them with someone as stunningly beautiful as Lilly on display for Miley to look at.
Lilly showed no signs of having been pregnant, with her stomach as solid as Miley had ever seen it. Her thighs were a bit stronger and fuller but no less gorgeous as she ran, showing off her amazing legs in the silvery white bikini she had on. Her shoulders glistened in the sparkling spray of the sea, and the laughter evident on her face completed the vision of loveliness Miley was taking in. No sooner had Miley once again given thanks at finding her perfect mate than Lilly spotted her. The blonde took off at a run toward Miley, jumping over their younger daughter and leaving her laughing as she fell backwards trying to grab her mother. Miley saw Brooke stop to help up her younger sister, then Lilly was upon her, hugging Miley tightly before kissing her so intensely that Miley's knees buckled. If she could have thought about anything other than her best friend's tongue and lips, Miley would have been happy that Lilly was holding her up while she regained her footing, but for several seconds she could only clutch firmly to her wife and return the kiss with all the passion and joy she felt for her sweet, sweet Lilly.
As first one small body, then a second impacted their legs, Miley and Lilly finally disengaged themselves from their kiss. They looked down to see two matching sets of bright blue eyes gazing up at them, smiles on the precious faces of their daughters.
"Was that a good kiss Mommy gave you, Momma?" asked Brooke, an impish grin on her face. "'Cause your face is really red right now."
Miley licked her lips as she tried to formulate a word, making both young girls giggle. "Oh yeah, that was a good kiss, baby girls." She looked at Lilly and couldn't help but grin madly. "Your Mommy is a great kisser."
"Mommy says that you're the best kisser in the whole world, Momma," said little Meri, hanging onto Lilly's strong leg with both arms.
"Oh she does, does she?" asked Miley, lifting an eyebrow in the direction of her best friend.
"Something like that might have slipped out the other day," admitted Lilly, trying to conceal the playful grin that threatened to break out across her face. "But it's true."
"How 'bout our kisses, Momma?" asked Meri. "Are they good?"
Miley knelt down and held her arms out for little Meredith, who immediately threw herself into her mother's embrace. "Your kisses are both wonderful, yours and your sister's. But your Mommy's kisses are different than the ones you two give us. Do you know why?"
Meredith didn't say anything, but Brooke smiled an impish smile and said, "I know why!"
"Why?"
"Because you two are married and love each other! That makes Mommy's kisses for you special!"
Miley smiled. She felt Lilly's hand rest on her left shoulder, and she reached back and covered her wife's hand with her own right one. "That's right," she said proudly. "When you girls give me kisses, it reminds me of how much we both love you. When your mommy kisses me, I can feel all the love in her heart mixed with all the love for her in my heart, and it was all that love that made the two of you."
"That's a lot a' love," said Meri happily as she wrapped her arms around Miley's neck and Lilly's arm at the same time, squeezing as tightly as her little arms could.
"You said it, angel," said Lilly softly, pulling Brooke into the family hug. "More love than I ever could have wished for in all my life, that's what your momma gives me."
"And what you give me back, Lilly Bear," Miley said, turning her head to kiss Lilly's hand. "Then, now and forever."
Miley woke to the slightly surprising but no less charming sound of Lilly snoring softly in her ear. She tried not to giggle at the tickling sensation where Lilly's lips were brushing strands of her long chestnut hair, managing only limited success.
"Wha's so funny?" mumbled Lilly, tightening her grip around Miley's hips as she pulled herself even more against Miley's butt.
Miley lightly blew her bangs out of her face before she turned slightly and answered, "You were doin' your cute little sleepy snore thing again."
"I do not snore," said Lilly, nibbling tenderly on the very tasty earlobe right in front of her lips.
Miley squirmed as her entire body shivered at the warm, thrilling sensation of Lilly's lips on her ear. That had always made her shiver with delight from the very first night they had made love, and Lilly had definitely gotten much better at doing it over the years. "Well, it still sounds like a snore, just soft and cute. And I like it."
"I liked that dream," said Lilly in a soft whisper. She was always careful to lower her voice when she was this close to Miley's ear, both to protect Miley's tender hearing and to further tantalize her lover.
"Oh honey, I loved that dream," said Miley as she rolled over so she could face Lilly. She kissed Lilly good morning properly, and only after hands had started to slide beneath pajamas did they pull their lips apart. "Our daughters are going to be so beautiful," she said. "They look a lot like you."
"As long as they behave like me too. You tend to get into trouble."
Miley lightly bit Lilly's cute nose, making her best friend laugh involuntarily. "That's what you get for that crack," Miley said with a smile. But as Miley looked into Lilly's bright blue eyes, she saw her wife's face grow serious unexpectedly.
"I need to tell you something, Miles, and I hope you're not mad at me for not telling you last night."
"I promise that I'll try not to be mad, and that I'll eventually forgive you for whatever it is," Miley pledged, her tone of voice light and playful.
Lilly smiled, but Miley could detect a hint of worry in that smile. "Last night, I... asked Jen to start doing something. About Mikayla."
Miley searched her wife's eyes for any signs of anything seriously wrong. She could see—and feel—Lilly's concern about potentially upsetting her, but she didn't feel any signs of serious trouble. Miley thought quickly, and she made a decision. "Okay," she said.
"Okay what?" asked Lilly, slightly confused.
"Okay, whatever it is you asked Jen," clarified Miley. She smiled lovingly at her Lilly as she ran her fingers through Lilly's blonde hair. "If you didn't tell me last night, it was because you're trying to spare me something. That much I can tell. And whatever you asked Jen to do, you'd only have asked her to do it to protect you, me, or our family."
Lilly felt her concern start to fade somewhat. "You're right on so far," she said, pleasantly surprised.
"So whatever it is, I trust you and your reasons behind it. And so if you're trying to keep me out of whatever this is for my own good, then I understand what you're doing and I'm okay with it."
"But I don't want to keep any secrets from you, Miles. I... I don't think I can."
"And you're not this time, Lilly. You've offered to tell me, and you can when you think the time is right. I'm just wanting you to wait a little while to tell me. Maybe after we get back to Malibu."
Lilly's gaze danced all over Miley's face before she finally said with more than a hint of amazement, "As much as we understand each other, Miley, it's just creepy that you figured all that out and reacted the way you did. And it's more than a lot cool, too."
Miley gave Lilly a quick kiss on the lips. "Goes with carrying your little baby inside me, girlfriend," she said proudly. "Along with the mornin' sickness."
"Please! You haven't had morning sickness in two months, Miles, and I'm really happy that you've been so healthy through this pregnancy. Just a few months to go, then we get to meet our baby girl for the first time."
"I bet she looks like you," teased Miley. She thought for a minute before she opened her mouth to say—
"She looks like both of us," Lilly said, rolling to position her body just over Miley's. She smiled as she looked down into Miley's bright blue eyes as she added, "And you know it just as much as I do."
Miley looked up at her best friend's face, hovering just above her own. "I do," she whispered as she reached up and pulled Lilly's head down close enough for their lips to touch, leaving all that those two words meant for them ringing in their minds.
The long ringing of the doorbell abruptly woke Mikayla from her sleep. No bad dreams that she could remember from last night, but the way the sheets were wet around her implied that they had still visited her. Oh well. I'll take not having to remember them, I guess. Must have been too exhausted to focus on the nightmares. She smiled as she stretched out lazily in the bed, only to jump when the loud chimes of her doorbell rang out once again. "Damn it! Who's in such a pissy mood that they can't have a bit of patience?" she said loudly to herself.
She threw back the covers and grabbed a silk robe from the closet, covering her nude figure with it as she hurried through the house. "Oh, just perfect," she mumbled as she looked out the small window in the door. She unlocked the door and opened it. "Good morning to you, too, Margot," she said with a subdued voice as the older woman stepped inside. "Want something to drink?" Mikayla asked as she turned and walked into the kitchen.
"You're in a good mood this morning," Margot said quizzically as she closed the door behind her.
"Had a good night last night," Mikayla called out over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator.
"And would that have something to do with those boys you left the concert with?"
Mikayla grinned as she remembered last night's prolific amorous activities. "It might," she said as she poured herself a glass of orange juice. She walked back into the main room, passing by Margot as she went to her large couch and happily sprawled herself across it, being careful to keep her legs tucked beneath her to keep from flashing Margot. Ugh. Nasty thought. You are most definitely straight, Mikki.
"Don't I get a glass of juice?" asked Margot, her expression neutral.
"I asked; you didn't answer." Mikayla took a sip of her juice to conceal her smile.
"I'd like a glass of juice."
"Pour it your fucking self."
Margot's expression darkened ever so slightly. "I suggest you remember your place here, Mikayla."
"I know my place, Margot. I'm your client, not your servant. I'm the one with the album that's about to go platinum, I'm the one who Dyseni wants to talk national tour with, and I'm the one who just got Little Miss Perfect to lose her cool on live TV day before yesterday." She grinned, not bothering to hide it as she added, "Plus I'm the one who got laid last night. Like, an awful lot."
"They're not still here, are they?" asked Margot, glancing around.
"Hell no. Sent them home a few hours ago, when they were too worn out to go for another round. I think four did it for them."
"Will they stay quiet about things?"
Mikayla nodded. "Oh, I'm pretty sure they will. Especially after some of the things I had them do with me." She leaned her head back and looked up through the skylight at the blue sky. "They were a bit nervous about both of them doing me at once, at first, but I got them over that fast."
"Corrupting two more virginal boys?" asked Margot, her own smile coming out.
"Oh, I wouldn't say they were virginal. They didn't act like it."
"Well, we don't need you getting into trouble for sleeping with underage boys."
Mikayla rolled her eyes, even though Margot couldn't see it. "They were eighteen and nineteen, Margot. I asked them first. God, give me a bit of credit. And yes, I made them use condoms." With a sly grin she added, "Every time."
"Did you make sure that neither of them recorded you screwing them?"
"Yes, yes, fucking yes! What are you, my fucking Mom or something?" Mikayla lifted her head to glare at her manager. "I made them leave their cell phones out here before we went to the bedroom."
Margot didn't flinch from Mikayla's angry stare. "No, what I am is the one who had to hush up your last little scandal before it ever hit the press. Because if it had gotten out, your career would have been totally fucked in this town forever. Then there was the scandal before that, and the scandal before that."
Mikayla sighed and looked down into her glass as she swirled her juice, watching the bits of pulp floating to and fro. "I just sort of roll them all together into one long period of shit in my life," she said numbly.
"This isn't some fucking joke, Mikayla! You're lucky to be alive, much less have a career again!" Margot stood, her buttons obviously adequately pushed at this point. "And if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have either one, so don't you forget it!" Margot took a few seconds to cool off before she said, "And I seem to recall you didn't want to go after Montana because it was too close to Christmas or some bullshit like that, so you can thank me for even getting the chance to piss her off!"
"You weren't the one who knew what buttons to push, though, were you?" fired back Mikayla. "Pregnant women are easy to get to, once you get their emotions all stirred up. Their emotions control them, not the other way around."
Margot paused. She locked gazes with Mikayla where the brunette sat on her couch and said, "You'd know, wouldn't you?"
For a single second, time seemed to stop inside the Beverly Hills mansion. Then Mikayla sprang from the couch, hurling her heavy tumbler still half-full of orange juice at Margot, narrowly missing the older woman's head. "GODDAMN YOU!!" she screamed as the glass exploded against the pastel blue wall, spraying orange juice and shards of glass all around. Before Margot could do anything more than flinch from the glass shattering behind her, Mikayla was across the room, leaping off the coffee table and punching Margot in the side of her head. The larger woman staggered away from the furious young woman scrambling back to her feet after landing on the floor. "You fucking bitch!" Mikayla screamed as she shoved the chair beside her away, sending it tumbling across the floor. "If you EVER say anything like that again, I'll KILL you, Margot, do you hear me?! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?!!"
For the first time that Mikayla could remember, she could see true fear in Margot's eyes. And despite all the anguish and rage now boiling inside her heart, a tiny piece of her felt good at knowing that she had put that fear inside of Margot instead of it being the other way around. "Get your bottom-feeding ass out of my house, Margot," Mikayla said with a soft but furious voice. "And I suggest you give me a day or two to cool off before you try to call. Because right now I really don't care what you've got to threaten me with, and nothing would make me happier than to choke the life out of you right this fucking second for going where you just did."
Margot hesitated only a second before turning and walking out of the house, slamming the door behind her as she did so. When she was gone, Mikayla turned to look at the wall where rivulets of orange juice were still trickling down to the floor, but she wasn't seeing anything that was happening in the present. Tears filled her eyes as she abruptly sat down, falling to the floor as much as deliberately sitting, and she pulled her legs up to her chest as she began to sob uncontrollably.
Back in Tennessee Lilly and Miley were walking from the barn to Ruthie's house after taking a leisurely winter horseback ride. Lilly still refused to learn to ride by herself, instead preferring to scoot up behind her best friend and hold on tightly while they shared the ride together. As they made the walk back to the farmhouse, hands sought out their mates on their own, without either young woman having to consciously reach for the other. As Miley's right hand curled around Lilly's left, the two of them smiled at each other.
"I love spending Christmas here, Miley," said Lilly. "I love the cold weather, and your family, and the trees and mountains, and..." She stopped, prompting Miley to stop despite the intensifying chill in the air. Lilly pulled Miley closer, into a tight embrace but stopping short of kissing her just yet. "And what I love most is just being here with you. Getting to share everything with you. It's like spending time with you here lets me feel like I'm part of your childhood." She leaned her head down as she looked at the ground next to them as she mumbled, "I know that sounds weird, believe me, I know. But part of me wishes that I'd had the chance to be here, so we wouldn't have been apart ever." She looked back up into Miley's eyes, a gray tint in the bright blue courtesy of the late afternoon sun. "Does that sound stalkerish?"
Miley grinned. "A bit," she said, drawing a playful smack on her butt from her wife. "Okay, a lot." A firmer smack, with a grin spreading across Lilly's face to match Miley's own.
"Meanie."
Miley kissed Lilly then, pressing her lips against her wife's slightly dry ones, chapped just a bit from the cold wind blowing during the ride. As they kissed, all sense of discomfort was melted away from both pairs of lips as they reconnected with each other first lovingly, then hungrily. When they finally separated, both young women's eyes were fluttering as they sought to regain their breath.
"Okay, I take back the meanie comment," said Lilly with a smile.
Miley blinked as a stronger gust of wind blew through the valley, rushing over the relatively flat fields between the barn and the farmhouse. "And I don't think you're a stalker," she said.
"Well, good," Lilly replied as she leaned against Miley, slipping her right arm and shoulder beneath Miley's coat and pressing their chests together as she sought to get as close to her wife as she could at the moment. "Let's go inside and curl up under a blanket."
"Sounds good to me, girlfriend," said Miley.
As they turned to resume their walk back to the house, Miley said, "I can understand what you were sayin', about wantin' to be part of my childhood."
"You can?" asked Lilly.
"Yup. And I don't think it's weird or silly." Miley tilted her head to look at Lilly. "You know why?"
"Why?"
"Because I think you were there, in a way. All those times when I'd wonder what life held for me, if I'd ever find true love and happiness, I was thinking about you, Lilly Bear, I just didn't know it yet. And whenever I'd pray to God to help me find someone who really loved me, I was really praying for you that whole time."
At that moment Lilly wished she could crawl into Miley's clothes and hug her entire body. "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever heard, Miley," she said with a tight voice. "I love you so much."
"Love you too, beautiful. Love you too." Miley kissed Lilly on the side of her head while they were walking up the porch steps.
As they went inside, Ruthie was in the kitchen, working on something for dinner.
"Are you supposed to be on your feet this much, Mamaw?" asked Lilly, concern in her voice.
"Don't see the doctor here tellin' me otherwise," Ruthie replied without turning around, focused on what looked like cutting small pieces of meat for what smelled like a stew.
"Well, we're gonna curl up on the couch and watch TV for a while," said Miley. "Unless you need us to help you with cookin' dinner." As Ruthie stopped cutting, Miley knew that her choice of words had indeed had its intended effect.
"Miley May Stewart Truscott, the day I need someone to help me cook in my own kitchen is the day you might as well just take me out in that there field in front of this house and shoot me!" Ruthie continued to give Miley a serious look as Miley held her hands out in front of her, trying to ward off any further comments of that sort from her grandmother.
"Alright, Mamaw, just makin' sure!" Miley said, feeling Lilly laugh where she had buried her head against her wife's side. "Then we're gonna put on some loungin' around clothes."
As the two of them walked into the hallway, Ruthie called out, "And don't think you pulled one over on your old Mamaw. I just don't think it'd be a good idea for a young lady in the family way to be on her feet too long, especially after a horseback ride."
"Busted," whispered Lilly with a grin.
"Thanks, Mamaw," Miley called out down the hall, a guilty grin on her face. "Love you."
"Love you two, too," came floating down the hall as they went into their bedroom here.
Roughly an hour later saw Miley and Lilly stretched out on one of Ruthie's long couches in front of the television, Miley between Lilly's legs as she laid back against her wife. They had covered themselves with a large, light blanket which had proven to be both comfortably warm and adequate to conceal careful little touches and caresses that would have been a bit much for anyone else to see. Ruthie and Robbie Ray had gone into town to get some more ingredients for the stew, but they would be back before long, and getting caught fooling around wasn't on either Miley's or Lilly's agenda.
All in all, it had been a wonderfully relaxing day, soothing much of the last two days' anxiety; even the news reports showing clips of the interview two days ago didn't spoil the mood of the young couple. Thankfully, CNN had run the show with a slight delay, so Miley's slip of profanity had been bleeped before it could be heard, giving her immense relief.
As the front door opened, Miley and Lilly turned to see their nieces Peyton and Melody walking in. "Hey girls," said Lilly, looking back to the television after a cursory glance. "Have fun at the mall with your friends today?"
"Mostly," said Peyton with a sour voice. "Until we got in a fight."
"What?" asked Miley as both she and Lilly whirled their heads to reassess the two teenagers. Peyton and Melody walked over, and now the tears and rips in Peyton's personally autographed Hannah Montana concert shirt were obvious, as were their red knuckles and the darkening bruise on the side of Melody's face. "What happened to you two?" shouted Miley as she stood.
Lilly just barely got her hand out from under Miley's shirt as her wife jumped to her feet, but she manage to extricate herself before Miley pulled her off the couch. "Mel, your face!" she cried out.
"It stings," said Melody with a slight whimper in her voice, but despite the tears in her eyes, the newly thirteen-year-old refused to cry. "But I got her back good," she added proudly. "Real good."
"Mel knocked her out," Peyton said, slapping Melody on the back only to see her sister yelp and cringe. "Oh shoot! I'm sorry, Mel!"
"Okay, in our bathroom, now!" said Miley, looking around and hoping that Ruthie and her father didn't get back for a little while longer. The four of them hustled down the hall and into the large guest bedroom. "Let me look at your back, Mel," Miley said, helping her younger niece lift up her shirt. "Mel!"
Large bruises were scattered across the young girl's back, making all three observers wince in sympathy. "Who the hell did this to you?" asked Lilly angrily. "Because I'm gonna stomp them into the ground!"
"A bunch of bitches we go to school with," answered Melody, "and we already took care of the last part."
"We had just gone outside after walkin' the mall a few times, and we were walkin' through the parkin' lot when this one whore named June Little and her bitchy friends got in front of us," said Peyton from the bathroom, where she was running cold water on a washcloth.
"Who's 'us'?" asked Miley.
"Us, our friend Freddie and his girlfriend Hildy," said Melody. "Hildy's mom had taken us to the movies and was pullin' into the parkin' lot right as this happened. Anyway, they saw Pey's Hannah Montana shirt, and June said something really nasty about you, Aunt Miley. Well, about Hannah, but you know what I mean."
"What did she say?" said Lilly, and silently Miley found herself hoping that Melody didn't give any details, because Lilly was already at the point of exploding.
"You really don't want to hear it, Aunt Lilly. Neither of you do." Melody took the cold rag Peyton handed her and began gingerly washing her face with it, removing the residue of tears and grit. "Anyway, we got pissed at her big mouth. Then she called me a dyke whore."
"That was when I shoved her skanky ass away from my little sister," said Peyton. "And then she puffed her flat chest up and had the guts to say that being gay was immoral and that I must be a lezzie lover because I liked Hannah Montana and had a lesbian sister. So I knocked her fucking head off."
"Peyton, watch your language!" hissed Miley.
"Sorry. And that's when all of them jumped the two of us."
"How many of them were there?" asked Lilly, starting to gently apply the other side of the washcloth to the scrapes and bruises on Melody's back. "Sorry, sweetie," she said as Mel flinched slightly.
"It's okay," whispered Melody. "I think there were four or five, I'm really not sure."
"There were five left standin' after June went down like a whore on dollar day," Peyton said. "She tried to get up, but Mel jumped on top of her and beat the shit out of her."
"I got all those bruises on my back from where some of 'em kept trying to get me off of her," Melody said.
Peyton gently gave her little sister a hug, fighting back tears herself. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep them all off of you, Mel. I really, really am."
"I know, Pey," Melody said. "I heard you fightin' the rest of 'em the whole time."
"Anyway, I saw Hildy's mom pull up, so I kicked the last two bitches swingin' away at Mel in the backs of their knees and pulled her off a' June so we could get in the van and get the heck out of there." Peyton looked over Melody's shoulder at her aunts. "I'm sorry for throwin' the first punch, but I'm not sorry for defendin' my sister and my aunt," she said defiantly. "And I won't take people talkin' shit about either Hannah or Lola, 'cause those are my aunts whether anybody knows it or not!"
"They got it from that Mikayla, on that TV show two days ago," Melody said. "June's usin' the word 'immoral' sounded just like that tramp right before you put her in her place, Aunt Miley. And like you said, if they want a fight, they've got one, and we sure as heck gave it to 'em!"
Miley felt her blood suddenly turn to ice as she realized what her niece was unknowingly implying. "Girls, that's not what I meant when I said that..."
"No, Aunt Miley, that is what you meant, and all of your fans are gonna stand up for you! We're not gonna let somebody who's probably doin' lots worse stuff than either of you talk trash about either of you any more!" said Peyton. "That bitch Mikayla don't know what hornets' nest she's kicked, but I think she's gonna be findin' out real soon."
Lilly gave Miley a serious look behind their nieces' backs, then she said, "We're going to get some ice packs for you two. Stay right here." She left the room, closing the door behind Miley quietly.
Miley didn't say anything as she felt guilt collapse upon her. Each step down the hallway felt like she was walking deeper into a nightmare, only this nightmare was one of her own doing. By the time she reached the kitchen, still following Lilly, Miley was crying. She yanked a chair out from the kitchen table and fell down onto it, burying her face in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Gentle hands rested themselves on the sides of her head, but Miley didn't think she deserved comfort at that moment. She tried to push Lilly's hands away, only to receive a crisp smack on her left hand for her efforts.
"Don't you push me away, Miley," said Lilly, her voice stern, caring and beautiful all at once. She pulled out a chair beside Miley and wrapped her arms around her best friend, pulling her against her chest as she held Miley, whispering assurances of her love and that things would be okay as she tried to soothe her devastated wife.
"I did that to them, Lilly," Miley said amidst her sobs. "I told Mikayla that she was getting a fight, and Peyton and Melody took it literally! They got hurt because of me, because of what I said!"
"Miley," said Lilly calmly, "you didn't make those other girls say those ugly things. They caused the fight, not you."
Miley lifted her head, and her red eyes made Lilly's heart ache. "What if other girls take what I said that way? What if there are more fights between Hannah's fans and Mikayla's fans?"
Lilly felt her own eyes water, but she struggled to keep it together. Right now Miley needed her to be strong, to tell her that this wasn't her fault and not to try and take all this guilt upon herself. "Miley, I don't think that people are going to take what you said that way," she finally said, running her fingers through Miley's long brown hair. "But even in the worst case, if they did, Mikayla's the one who's been saying all this bad stuff about us. She's the one who's been building all this hate. All you did was tell her that you weren't going to stand by and take it anymore."
"It's my fault," Miley whispered again, her tears showing no sign of stopping.
Lilly swallowed. She had seen this downward spiral of guilt only rarely in her best friend, but it always threatened to consume her when it did. This had to stop now. "Miley?" Lilly asked, softly. When she got no response she tried again, with a firmer voice. "Miley."
Miley's body stopped shaking, and Lilly could hear her best friend suck in a shaky breath.
"Listen to me, Miley," she said, trying to project as much confidence as she could. "Are you listening to me?" Miley weakly nodded her head, emboldening Lilly ever so slightly. "Good. You know I love you, right?" Another nod. "And you trust me when I say something, right?"
"Yes," came a weak voice from near Lilly's chest, and it sent a shiver down Lilly's spine. It was so despondent that it didn't even resemble her girlfriend's strong voice.
"Okay, good," Lilly said. "Now you need to listen to me and believe what I'm about to tell you, Miley. Because I'm not going to lie to you." She leaned back slightly and reached down, lifting Miley's head up with both hands. It was harder than she had expected, because Miley initially resisted, but she quickly let Lilly do what she wanted. Lilly looked at her distraught wife, and impulsively she leaned forward and kissed Miley. She tried to convey all the love and support she could through that kiss, and soon Miley began to kiss back. Lilly could feel deep inside her heart how Miley was slowly recovering her confidence through that intimate connection between them, and part of her mind registered that Miley had stopped crying.
When they finally parted lips with a soft sigh on Miley's part, Lilly smiled. "Whatever is going on, whatever you said on that damn interview, you did NOT tell your fans to pick fights with Mikayla's fans, Miley. You did absolutely nothing of the sort, and I'm not going to let you try and convince yourself that you did. You didn't. If some people are taking your words that way, then we can put a stop to that. YOU can put a stop to that." Lilly searched her best friend's eyes, brilliant pools of blue amid the redness surrounding them. "You said what you did to try and stop the hateful words and actions, Miley, not create more. Don't forget that."
Miley stared back into Lilly's own blue eyes for long seconds. She reached up and touched Lilly's lips with her right index finger, running it lightly across her lover's lips until she had covered both of them in their entirety. "You are so good to me," she finally said. "Even when I don't feel like I deserve it."
"But you do deserve it, Miley, you—"
Miley shushed Lilly with that same finger, covering both lips at once. "I know," she said, and now a faint smile stole across her own lips. "I know I deserve it because I have you, and you're the most special thing in this whole world to me. Thank you for talking some sense into me." She threw her arms around Lilly's neck and hugged her best friend fiercely.
"It's a hard job," Lilly said.
"What is?"
"Talking some sense into you."
Miley smiled more comfortably now. "I can only imagine," she said softly. "I bet it's a thankless job, too."
"Actually," said Lilly, "there are some benefits to it."
"Oh, really?"
Lilly nodded. "Having someone help keep the house clean rocks."
Miley tried not to snicker at Lilly's rather unexpected comment. "Is that all?"
"Well, the sex darn near blows my mind, too!" Lilly chirped happily.
The sound of a crash in the hall drew both young women's attention. "Were you two listenin' to us?" called out Miley over her shoulder.
After a pause, two rather guilty voices said in unison, "Yes," making Miley and Lilly both laugh.
"Well, might as well come on in here, then, since you apparently heard it all already," said Miley with a sigh. As their nieces took seats at the kitchen table, Miley said, "Sorry you had to hear me have a moment there."
"We tried to come in here so you wouldn't hear us," said Lilly. She looked up and fixed both Peyton and Melody with a stern glare as she added, "I think you owe your Aunt Miley an apology for eavesdropping, don't you?"
Peyton and Melody looked at each other guiltily. "We're sorry, Aunt Miley," said Peyton, with Melody joining in immediately with, "Really sorry!"
"It's okay," said Miley. "So what are you gonna do about your favorite Hannah Montana autographed t-shirt gettin' all tore up?"
Peyton grinned. "Well, I was sorta hopin' I might be able to get it replaced, maybe?" she asked carefully.
"Only if you don't get in any more fights over Hannah," said Miley, pointing a finger first at Peyton, then at Melody. "Defending your sister is cool, but rollin' in the dirt with Mikayla fans ain't, you got me?"
"We got you," sighed Peyton.
"Now," said Miley with a teasing grin, "what exactly are you gonna tell Mamaw when she gets inside? 'Cause I see her and Daddy pullin' in the driveway right now."
"Turtle turds," said Melody, putting her head down on the table atop her folded arms. "I'm so grounded."
Author's Afterword: Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! It was a bit more emotional than most others, but sometimes those are the better chapters. This chapter also gave some hints into what's going on in Mikayla's mind, for those of you brave enough to go there. For now let's just say that there are lots of things she'd like to keep in the past, but I promise you'll get a clearer picture as the story continues. See you in the next chapter!
-- Jo --