Author's Note: Okay, I owe everyone an apology for it taking so darn long to get this chapter posted. My life has been topsy-turvy over the last month, and it's been impossible to find time to properly work on this chapter. Things have been good, very good, but I've had to devote what would have been writing time to other situations that demanded my full attention. Since it's been so long between the last chapter and this one, I recommend you go back and re-read Chapter 22 before proceeding with this chapter to make sure that certain events are fresh in your minds as you read this chapter.

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 K.

Chapter 23: Go Big or Go Home

It's just my humble opinion

But it's one that I believe in

You don't deserve a point of view

If the only thing you see is you

-Paramore, "Playing God"

Lilly found her feet nervously tapping as The Donnas, the act before Mikayla's scheduled performance, tore through their four-song set. She knew that Miley would do a great job, but there was still some concern in her heart.

She looked around the backstage area where she had given Miley her good luck kiss just minutes before, with Miley seeing that kiss and raising her a lingering squeeze of her butt. Normally Lilly would have been back in Hannah's dressing room as Miley got dressed, but Miley had insisted on surprising Lilly with her outfit tonight as well.

You and your surprises, woman, Lilly thought, shaking her head but still smiling. You drive me crazy with them, but they're oh-so-sweet when they work out just right. As the Donnas finished their last song, the announcer immediately told the crowd about the rock-off challenge posed by Mikayla to Hannah, with a surge of cheers as a result.

"And now our first performer in tonight's head-to-head contest, our challenger... Mikayla!"

Lilly scowled briefly as Mikayla's band began to play, louder than usual for them. In fact, the band looked different than the few performers Lilly could recall from the handful of times she had watched Mikayla sing. It only took a few seconds for Lilly to also recognize the song that Mikayla's band was playing: "Hell Yeah," originally done by the band Rev Theory. Miley had performed the song with Hannah's full band as a secret surprise meant only for Lilly several years ago, but bootleg video footage of the performance quickly made its way around the Internet and inadvertently established some serious rock star credibility for Hannah Montana.

Lilly smiled to herself despite the outrage seething inside her at Mikayla's very blatant attempt to steal Hannah's thunder by playing that particular song. We were both concerned—not worried, just concerned—about what that video would do to Hannah's image, and darn if it didn't wind up helping it. Now this bitch wants to steal from what my woman did for me, but she forgot one teensy detail: she can't sing like Miley can.

After less than a minute, the limitations of Mikayla's voice were showing themselves to Lilly's trained ears. Her voice is all wrong for this song; it's too high-pitched and she can't hold the notes the way Miley can. But her band's doing a great job of playing the music, and her dancers are totally owning the stage. Where the heck did that choreography come from?

"Whatcha think?" said a comforting voice from just over Lilly's shoulder. Lilly smiled as she reached back behind her, letting her wife slide her fingers into her outstretched hand. She wasn't surprised in the least; the warmth in her chest had been telling her that Miley was in close proximity for the last few seconds.

"I think she's singing exactly like you thought she would," said Lilly, squeezing Miley's hand. "She just doesn't have a voice really suited for rock and roll."

"Nah," said Miley, stepping forward enough for Lilly to see that she was wearing a black leather trenchcoat that covered her entire body down to her ankles. Hannah's long, straight blonde hair and unlaced black leather combat boots were the only details that Lilly could see with the coat tightly closed. "Her voice takes a lot of processin' to make it sound the way it does on her albums. Her vocal range is okay for singin' pop songs, but she's never really improved much on what she could do naturally."

Lilly smirked as she turned to look at the gorgeous pop star that Lola was lucky enough to call her wife. "Says Hannah Montana, who had a better singing voice and more talent at three than most singers in their prime," she said, kissing Miley's nose softly. "Your voice is great for rock and roll, honey, especially when you drop it into that deep, sexy register that you do so darn well." Lilly shivered briefly as she thought back to the times when Miley would sing for her while they lay in bed together, that sweet, sultry voice sending skitters of electricity throughout Lilly's body. Lilly stepped forward and hugged Miley tightly, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of Hannah. Part Miley, part Hannah's wig, part Hannah's perfume and part sexy, it was a smell different than Miley's, but it turned Lola on just as much as Miley's scent excited Lilly. "Any last clues to what you're singing tonight?" Lilly asked as they embraced.

Miley laughed softly, then she pulled back enough for Lilly to see her face. "Same theme as always for Hannah," she said, her voice sending thrills down Lilly's back. "Go big or go home." Miley smiled as she thought ahead to the performance she had planned out for her lovely wife. "I got a special seat reserved for you," she murmured as she brushed her mouth against Lilly's strawberry-flavored lips.

"Oh yeah?" replied Lilly, interest evident in her voice. "Do I get a good view of that sexy Hannah Montana?"

"Mm hmm," said Miley, staring deep into Lilly's eyes brilliant blue eyes with an intensity that made Lilly shiver involuntarily. "You get the best view," she finally said, not breaking eye contact as she spoke slowly. "And then..."

Lilly was leaning into Miley's body, hovering as she waited for the rest of her lover's sentence. She registered Miley's arms wrapping around her body, a hand sliding up the back of her shirt, another teasingly dipping beneath the waistband of her skirt.

"...you get to take me home," Miley whispered, "and make love to me for the rest of our lives."

Lilly grinned, her eyes tightly closed as she rested her head against Miley's neck. "Sounds like a good deal to me," she said in reply. "Now you need to get ready to kick some whiny stuck-up ass."

"Okay," said Miley, kissing Lilly lovingly, longingly before they pulled apart. "Roxy'll take you to your seat for tonight's performance," she said seriously, once again the consummate professional. "Hope you enjoy the show," she added before walking away with a lingering smile for her wife.

"Somehow I think it's going to blow me away," Lilly said to herself before she turned to find Roxy. She wanted to make sure she was seated early enough to not miss anything.

As Mikayla finished her first song and immediately began to sing a different one, Lilly reached her seat. She was at the end of the small platform connected to the stage Miley would be performing on by a long elevated catwalk, essentially dividing the floor in front of the stage into two halves. Lilly's seat was in a recess just off the small platform, leaving her head roughly level with where Miley's waist would be if Miley was standing in front of her.

Lilly took her seat, fuming at the presumption of Mikayla to sing a second song but also grimly smiling at the brunette's unwise choice for a second song: "Enter Sandman," by Metallica. We thought it was only going to be one song each, a head-to-head contest. But apparently Miss Bitch thought that she was too good to just do one song. Well, at least she picked a song that her squeaky voice has no chance of pulling off smoothly. "Geez, learn from poor Avril," Lilly said, more to herself than to Mikayla, who was nearly sixty yards away. "Don't try to sing a Metallica song with a chipmunk voice."

She tapped the toe of her pink heels against the metal of the stage, turning to look at the large cloth-covered object on the small platform just a few feet in front of her. Whatever it was, it was firmly in the center of the platform and stood at least ten feet high. Thick black fabric encircled the tall object, preventing Lilly from seeing exactly what lay beneath it. Briefly she considered peeking, but she managed to contain her curiosity. Barely.

As Lilly tuned out Mikayla's voice, she found herself torn internally when it came to her feelings about Hannah's rival. After Mikayla's surprise visit to their house, Lilly found that part of her wanted to get to know Mikayla better, to try and find out what motivated her to act the way she did and try to help her. However, that part was rather small compared to the rest of Lilly's feelings regarding Mikayla, most of which involved stomping the smart-mouthed woman into the ground. She smiled as she thought about how big a fit Mikayla would throw when she lost tonight. For Lilly, there was absolutely no doubt as to who would walk away the winner tonight. The rest of the world would realize that in just a few minutes.

Movement on the darkened stage drew Lilly's gaze out of its unfocused state. Hmmm. Whom exactly did you get to play for you tonight, Hannah Montana? She scrutinized what details she could, but in the deeply shadowed recesses of the stage there were precious few details that she could discern. Her eyes drifted over to a new silhouette as it walked across the stage. Now that walk I can recognize from a mile away. She has a little strut in her step as Hannah that she doesn't as Miley, and it's awfully cute. As she watched Miley's shadowy form move back and forth, Lilly caught a glimpse of long braids hanging from the head of one of the musicians hidden in the dark. The size of the torso strongly suggested a man, but the long braids, one on each side of the person's head, suggested it could be a woman. A hint of recognition flickered in her mind, but she was unable to make a solid connection to any memory just yet.

As Mikayla finished her second song—finally, as Lilly thought—the crowd began to move, leaving the stage where Mikayla had performed to take better positions in front of the opposite stage. Lilly smiled as she looked behind her and to the sides; fans were already forming up a dozen rows deep in front of Hannah's stage, and the rest of the crowd was shifting to move closer still. Massive video screens had been set up on the sides of the outdoor venue to ensure that everyone could get a good view of all of the night's performers, but for thousands of fans nothing would be the same as being within shouting distance of Hannah Montana.

After several minutes to allow people adequate time to settle into their new positions, the announcer's voice came across the loudspeakers.

"And now for tonight's other contestant in our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Rock-Off, in her first performance back after having a freaking baby just two months ago—and let me tell you, she looks damn fine for a new mom—tonight's reigning champion, Hannah Montana!"

Applause, whistles and screams all erupted from the crowd as the house lights went off, plunging the entire venue into blackness. The only lights that could be seen were floating among the sea of fans in front of the stages, subtle movements indicating they were still shifting to get the best possible view for this next performance.

Lilly smiled as the crowd continued to shriek for her wife to appear on stage. The audience's cheers had always made Lilly feel even more special to have Miley, first as a friend, then as a lover and finally as a wife, and tonight was no exception. Lilly added her own applause and cheers to those of the audience, adding a sharp whistle that she knew Miley would hear and recognize. She grinned as she yelled, "You rock my world, Hannah Montana!"

The cheers redoubled as Miley came walking out of the blackness into the bright embrace of an overhead spotlight, her long black trenchcoat still covering her from neck to ankles. Lilly grinned and clapped as Miley looked down the elevated walkway and locked gazes with her best friend. Miley's smile intensified, showing her teeth as she beamed her love in Lilly's direction. Lilly blew her wife a kiss, a gesture that Miley most likely couldn't see but would certainly feel. Lilly eased her clapping as she saw Miley raise the microphone to her lips.

"Hey, Cleveland!" Miley shouted, waving to the crowd. That elicited another thunderous wave of applause and screams which took several more seconds to fade to a level where Miley's voice could be heard clearly by everyone. "Is everybody here ready to rock and rock hard?"

Lilly snickered to herself as the crowd once again roared in affirmation to her wife's words. She's a one in a billion singer, but she can sure work a crowd, too.

"That's good!" Miley said, talking over the whistles and cheers as they began to fade again. "I'm, uh, ready to show you a slightly different side of Hannah Montana tonight," she said, flashing a sly grin as she spoke. "But I would like to offer a teensy piece of advice to that girl who was just singin'."

Lilly covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to keep from laughing. Oh, Miley, Miley, Miley. Calling her out right before you crush her? You are too bad. Lilly unconsciously smiled as her train of thought continued, But it really turns me on when you act all rock star for me. Rawr.

Miley pointed in the air in the direction of Mikayla's stage, where she figured the singer would be watching Hannah's performance. "Mikayla, honey, if you're gonna try to sing a Metallica song, at least have the balls to GET Metallica!"

A flash went through Lilly's mind as her brain finally made the connection about the musician with the braids. No way, no freaking way! How could she—?

"GIVE ME FUEL, GIVE ME FIRE, GIVE ME THAT WHICH I DESIRE!" Miley sang out loudly. "WHOOO!" As she hit the last few words, the booming of drums, electric guitars and explosions all struck in time with the stage lights flaring to life, brightly illuminating not just Hannah Montana but also the four members of the heavy metal band Metallica: James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett on guitars, Rob Trujillo (and his braids) on bass, and Lars Ulrich on drums. As the lights sprung to life, Miley's trenchcoat essentially disappeared as it was yanked offstage by a thin wire attached to it. Miley had simply draped the coat around her, ensuring that when the wire was quickly retracted the coat would easily come off of her body, revealing the risqué outfit beneath: a black mesh cut-off shirt over a bright red lacy bra that showed off her once-again toned stomach, silver short shorts that could only barely be called outerwear, and the same unlaced black leather boots Lilly had noticed earlier.

Lilly jumped up, pumping her fists over her head and adding her own cheers to those of the massive crowd behind and on each side of her. "Wow," she said to herself, shaking her head at her wife's confidence. While nearly any female performer would shy away from the song "Fuel" after the backlash against Avril Lavigne's poor performance of it back in 2007, Miley had decided to sing that very song for tonight's challenge, backed by the same band who had written and recorded it. I'd say, go big or go home. Way to understate things, honey, Lilly thought. She clucked her tongue inside her mouth as she took in every detail of Miley's lovely body, efficiently showcased by her wife's daringly revealing choice of clothing. Miley's stomach was firmer than ever thanks to their workouts before and during her pregnancy and the hard work Miley had put in with her personal trainer for the last several weeks. The combination of hard work, discipline and a bit of luck had left Miley with no stretch marks from her pregnancy, and Lilly was never happier of that little detail than she was right at this moment. Miley's legs were similarly stunning, a combination of shapeliness, flawless skin and strength made even more beautiful by their length, and Lilly was nearly drooling as she watched her wife stalk across the stage while she sang.

As far as female singers went, Miley's deep, rich voice was ideally suited to "Fuel," and she had dropped her voice into a slightly lower register than usual to further capture the feel of the song. She was able to sing the longer notes with more melody and range than James Hetfield possessed, adding astonishing vocal prowess to the existing metal energy of the song. Lilly had no idea how Hannah had been able to get Metallica to agree to this mind-boggling musical team-up, but the pairing of superstar singer and metal legends was proving to be transcendent.

Miley winked at Lilly as she blazed through the first part of the song, not hesitating to use the word "fuck" when the song called for it. It was a subtle gesture that only a few people would catch in the heat of the performance, but catch it Lilly certainly did. As Miley reached the first chorus and sang the line "Ooooh, and I burn," the stage on each side of her erupted with fire shooting from pyrotechnic nozzles set up in the stage. The twin walls of fire surged to life each time Miley sang the word "burn," creating a startling display as well as a wave of heat each time the flames licked into the air. Miley had carefully rehearsed her performance for the last two weeks not only to ensure the best possible performance but also for her own safety; the flames would do very real, possibly lethal, damage if she were to be too close to them when they sprung to life.

Lilly found her wife's proximity to the pyrotechnics to be frightening but oddly exciting, albeit in a dangerous way. Her fears were tempered by the fact that she knew Miley wouldn't be messing with pyrotechnics in her shows without making sure every tiny detail was accounted for, and that allowed her to concentrate on the thrill she got from watching Hannah Montana steal tonight's show with a captivating performance no one could have seen coming.

As Miley finished the second chorus and the song entered the long bridge to the guitar solo, Miley tossed her microphone to a stage tech off to the side as she strode down the walkway toward Lilly's seat, sensuality dripping off her as she stalked her way toward her wife.

From the smoldering fire in Miley's eyes, Lilly could tell that her wife had given herself totally over to Hannah, so she allowed herself to fully become Lola without any hesitation or restraint. Instantly any lingering thoughts of self-consciousness disappeared, replaced with the daring and boldness that Lola personified. She raised her right hand and beckoned for Hannah to come closer, running her tongue across her lips as the sexy singer approached.

As Miley reached the shrouded object, the shroud suddenly fell away, revealing a gleaming silver pole that was nearly twice Miley's height. She gave a seductive smile to Lilly as she kicked off her unlaced boots, revealing her bare feet and flexing her shapely calves.

Oh, honey, I want you sooo bad right now, thought Lilly before her mind went into a haze of desire. She shifted her legs slightly where they were crossed, feeling her wetness squelch between her thighs at the slight movement. When Miley grabbed the pole with her left hand and swung around, dipping her head to look Lilly right in the eyes, Lilly thought she was going to have an orgasm right then and there. As Miley held onto the pole and swung around once more, Lilly couldn't take her eyes off her wife's body, on display for her audience like never before. Miley stopped and gripped the pole with both hands, then she pushed off with a leap, tucking her legs beneath her as she spun once, twice around the pole, sliding down slowly until she landed lightly on her knees.

Metallica continued to play as Miley did her exotic and erotic dance for Lilly, extending the guitar solo to let not only Kirk Hammett but also Hetfield perform a solo. Miley sprang back to her feet, turning her back on Lilly long enough to grab onto the shiny pole once again. She turned to face Lilly, continuing to hold the pole high above her head, then she swung her legs up in front of her until she could wrap them around the top portion of the pole's length. Once she had firmly gripped the pole with her legs, she released it with her hands and arched her back until she was able to look Lilly in the face, her torso parallel to the stage floor. She smiled at Lilly, then she lowered her arms and hands toward the stage, loosening her legs' grips slightly until she slowly slid down, catching herself with her outstretched hands and arms. She continued to hold Lilly's gaze as she released the pole, using her arms and legs to crawl forward to her wife who was sitting utterly still in her special seat, her face rapt with desire and awe.

As Miley's face and those large, gorgeous lips drew closer and closer, Lilly felt her heart stop for a few seconds. She was already having difficulty breathing from the racy show Miley was putting on for her, and suddenly she wished for the concert, for the entire fucking show, to be over NOW, so she could tackle Miley and make love to her right on the stage, the audiences in attendance and at home be damned. And then their lips touched.

Lilly felt warmth spill across her body, first a trickle, then a cascade as her tongue and Miley's met. She shivered as the orgasm erupted deep inside her body, spreading out to her head and limbs just seconds later and carrying an ecstasy pure and profound with every tingle, every impulse. She moaned into Miley's mouth as she remained perfectly still other than the subtle quivering of her entire body. Miley hadn't touched her wife other than their kiss; heck, Lilly hadn't even touched herself, but the kiss coupled with Miley's sexually charged display was more than enough to push the incredibly aroused young woman over the edge.

As Miley felt the pleasure pulsing throughout Lilly's body echo in her own heart, she smiled as Lilly moaned into their kiss. She ended the kiss by licking Lilly's top lip, pulling away while Lilly was still unable to fully open her fluttering eyes. She stood and turned, walking back down the elevated walkway to the main stage. The stage tech handed her the microphone back as the band resumed the regular part of the song, with Miley picking up with the line, "Give me fuel..." She stopped and turned back to the crowd as she sang, "Give me fire..." She raised her free hand as she sang, "My desire..." She motioned for the crowd to start clapping, smiling and nodding her head as the audience did just that. She carefully tossed Hannah's long blonde hair over her shoulder, then she belted out the last few lines of the song, holding the final notes for long, long seconds with her golden voice. As the music stopped and she finally let the last note end, the crowd thundered its approval with applause, cheers, shouts and whistles.

Miley turned and high-fived Hetfield, grinning as she congratulated each member of the band. She flashed Lilly a smile that made Lilly's heart skip another few beats, and Lilly suddenly realized that it was no big deal that Mikayla had done a second song. Miley might even have expected the arrogant singer to pull something like that, because it was now apparent to Lilly that Hannah herself had another song prepared for tonight, given the way that she and the band were lingering on the stage amidst the massive applause and loud cheers of the crowd. Mikayla trying to do that second song just played right into Miley's hands, Lilly thought with a mixture of both pride and satisfaction, because it made Hannah's choice of band even more impressive.

As the electric guitars began to growl again, Lilly's ears took just a few seconds before recognizing the music as the beginning of Hannah's older song "Supergirl." It definitely sounded different with guitars, bass and drums replacing the keyboards and synthesizer from the beginning of the original version of the song, but when Miley began to sing the words Lilly knew by heart, the song really came to life. The dichotomy of the same voice and lyrics with entirely different music was thrilling, and Lilly found herself experiencing this familiar song in an entirely new light. Miley sang aggressively, powerfully instead of the cool confidence that she normally channeled when singing "Supergirl," and Lilly had to admit that the change gave a new dimension to the song she already loved. Where Hannah normally drew the audience in with her songs, tonight she commanded the audience to join her. And join her the thousands of fans in attendance did, nearly matching her in volume as the multitude of voices sang along word for word until the song was finished.

As Miley let the arm holding her microphone drop down, she raised her other arm high above her head, pumping her fist in the air as the feedback from the guitars and the last notes of the wah pedal faded. Hannah always smiled at the end of her concerts, but tonight Miley was cheering, practically screaming with joy at how good it felt to be back on stage again.

She loves this so much, thought Lilly as she stood, continuing to clap loudly. And she's really, really missed it. She was so fixated on how joyous Miley looked that she didn't notice the cheers and shouts from the crowd escalate as people beyond the first few rows recognized Lola's presence on the stage. But as much as she loves singing and loves performing, she set all this aside without any hesitation so that we could focus on Brooke. Lilly shook her head as she began to slowly walk toward her wife, her feet on autopilot as her mind continued to work. I don't think I could ask her to give this up again, even if we decide we want more than two children. I'll just have to thumb-wrestle her for the third baby if we do wind up wanting more than two.

As Miley waved to the crowd and thanked them for their enthusiasm, she noticed Lilly slowly making her way down the elevated walkway to the main stage. She quickly turned and thanked the members of Metallica again, shaking everyone's hand and promising to meet up with them later before turning and running—still barefoot—across the stage to meet Lilly right where the walkway met the large stage. Miley's adrenaline was racing through her body from her performance, and as she reached her wife, she leaped into Lilly's arms. Thankfully Lilly was more than strong enough to hold up her wife, and while Miley's exuberance had caught her off guard, she smoothly got her arms under Miley's thighs and held her wife firmly as Miley grabbed her head with both hands and kissed her fiercely, her tongue already out even before their lips met. Lilly stood there for several seconds, balancing Miley's weight as she had done many times before while the two of them continued to kiss deeply, oblivious to the thousands of people in the audience still screaming and cheering for them.

After coming to their senses, Miley and Lilly made their way backstage, where they saw the four members of Metallica talking to Jen, laughing as they shared what seemed to be a joke of some sort.

"How did you get Metallica to be your band for tonight?" Lilly asked, looking directly into Miley's eyes.

Miley smiled as she looked back into her best friend's eyes. "I sent Jen to ask them. I think they're scared of her."

"Miley," said Lilly with a slight frown. "Seriously."

"I called 'em up and told 'em what I wanted to do, then I asked 'em if they were crazy enough to do it," replied Miley with a knowing smile. "Turns out they were."

Lilly nodded. Still...

"And they were scared of Jen," added Miley.

Lilly nodded her head again. She could see that.

Minutes later Miley, Lilly and Mikayla were standing on the main stage, the announcer standing between them. "Okay, people, it's time to choose tonight's winner in the Hannah Montana/Mikayla rock-off!" yelled the announcer into the microphone. Predictably, the crowds roared their approval, eager to cast their votes for one of the young singers. The announcer smiled slickly as he said, "First, those of you who think Mikayla rocked the house tonight, let me hear you scream!" Quite a few people whistled, shouted, cheered and made noise any way they could. It was a significantly louder response that Lilly had been expecting, but she didn't show any reaction whatsoever. Miley's votes still hadn't been counted yet.

"And now, those of you who think that Hannah Montana laid down the rock and roll smack down tonight, let me hear you scream!"

This time the roars of acclamation actually hurt Lilly's ears; she had removed her earplugs earlier, and now she found herself cringing from the sonic assault of Hannah's fans. Despite the discomfort, she still smiled broadly. Miley had answered Mikayla's blatantly stacked challenge and still won handily.

Sudden movement caught Lilly's attention, and she looked up to see Mikayla rush off stage. She looked at Miley, but Miley was already running after Mikayla. Lilly instantly took off after her wife, everything other than Miley forgotten at once.

"Mikayla!" Miley shouted as she ran across the large open area backstage. The slightly younger singer stopped and whirled around as Miley came to a stop near her.

"What?" said Mikayla smartly. "You want to rub it in that you won? Isn't it good enough that you humiliated me again?"

Miley blinked twice, not expecting so harsh a response. She opened her mouth to reply when she heard the clicking of heels approaching her. She closed her eyes briefly, opening them again when she felt Lilly's fingers brush across her back. She fixed Mikayla with a steely look, but she tried hard to not let any anger show through. "That's not what I wanted to say to you," she said calmly.

"Well, what the fuck did you want to say to me?" spat Mikayla.

Miley crossed her arms over her chest, and if she had been wearing shoes she would have been tapping the toes of her right foot against the floor. "I wanted to say that you did a good job tonight," she said, keeping her voice neutral. "You sang two songs that are really different from what you're used to, and you gave it all you had. Plus your dancin' and choreography was dang near out of this world. I mean, you've got nothin' to feel bad about tonight."

"Except losing, right?" said Mikayla, the hurt bleeding through her voice. She fought furiously not to cry, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold the tears back. She needed to get away from here quickly.

"Mikayla," said Lilly, stepping forward slowly and drawing surprised looks from not just Mikayla but also Miley as well. "One of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn about life was that sometimes you can play a perfect game and still lose," she said. "And when that happens, you can still hold your head up and know that you gave it everything you had. There's no shame in that."

Mikayla turned and hurried away without another word, passing Margot without stopping as the older woman turned and began walking quickly after her client. As Miley and Lilly watched, Jen walked over to them.

"You did good out there tonight, Hannah," said Jen proudly. "See? You didn't have a damn thing to worry about."

Lilly bumped Miley's hip with her own. "Told you, hon. I knew you'd do great, even if you wouldn't tell me who your band was until tonight." At the contact between her and Miley, Lilly felt a jolt of electricity surge throughout her body, setting her nerves on fire. She needed Miley, and she needed her now. "I think we need to head to the motel, Hannah," Lilly said. "Like, now."

Jen stepped to the side, but she gently took Lilly's arm as she did so. "I'm not holding you two up from what I'm sure is gonna be really sweet sex, but I do need to ask Lola something real quick if that's okay."

"Sure," said Miley with a nod, her own insides on fire now. "I'll, uh, go have the limo brought around. Roxy has Megan, and she's gonna bring her to the hotel so we can get her when we're done."

"Tell her to plan on it being a while," said Lilly with a confident smile on her face. "A long while." Lilly continued to stare at Miley's butt on display in the silver hot pants as the singer walked away briskly.

Jen turned to Lilly, a knowing look on her face. "She turned you on pretty damn good, huh?" she asked smugly.

Lilly nodded her head slowly, not taking her eyes off her wife's rear until she turned a corner far down the hall. "You have no idea, Jen," said Lilly deliberately.

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea. Hell, she turned me on out there, and I wasn't the one she was shaking her ass for." She smiled as she said, "You get a good view from your seat out there?"

Lilly beamed, her smile wide enough to show most of her teeth. "Best. View. Ever," she said dreamily. Right before she let herself get lost in pleasant thoughts of Miley's smile, of Miley's smell, of Miley's taste, of the way Miley gasped when she—

Lilly shook her head madly in an attempt to get her mind back on track for business. Jen had wanted to ask her something. "What was it you needed to ask me, Jen?" she managed to say despite her oddly dry throat.

Jen's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression that fell across her face. "A while back you asked me to do something," Jen said softly, paused while she waited for Lilly to realize exactly what she was talking about. "I had just gotten into Hawai'i, and you called me and gave me a... special assignment, let's say."

"Oh," said Lilly as recognition dawned in her mind. "That assignment," she said, her own voice lower now.

"Yeah," said Jen with a nod. "And do you remember what you told me about how far I could go to accomplish that assignment?"

Lilly nodded again. "I said, 'whatever it takes'," she said slowly, keeping eye contact with her friend and business manager.

"Yeah. So what I was wanting to clarify with you tonight was this," said Jen, trailing off and pausing for a few seconds as she looked into Lilly's inquiring blue eyes. "Did you really mean that?" she asked. "Anything it takes, no matter how much it costs?"

Lilly only had to consider the possibilities of what "anything" could mean for less than a second. "Yes," she said firmly but quietly. "You do anything, spend anything. Just find me something to protect her from either of those bitches. They'll stop at nothing to ruin her career, and I'll die before I let that happen."

Jen had known Lilly long enough to know that her friend was serious. Deathly serious. "Okay," she nodded. "Just wanted to make sure before I followed through on something." Jen smiled again, that same smile Lilly remembered from high school, the one that made girls and boys twice her size move out of her way in the halls when she approached..

"I'm glad you're on our side, Jen," said Lilly, meaning every word. "I know we can trust you."

Jen wasn't much for sentiment or being very touchy-feely, so it took her three attempts before she was able to hug Lilly. Lilly managed not to laugh at the awkward starts and stops, and when Jen succeeded in hugging her lightly, Lilly hugged her back with the same gentle pressure. "Anything else I need to know tonight?" Lilly asked as they pulled apart, Jen a bit quicker to let go than Lilly was.

"Yeah," said Jen with a smile significantly more friendly. "Your really fucking hot rock star wife is in the limo, just waiting for you to take her back to your hotel and fuck her brains out all night. Roxy's watching your kid tonight, and I'm taking over baby duty in the morning until you two are up." She looked at Lilly briefly before she spit out, "So why the hell are you still standing here? Go!"

Without another word, Lilly turned and sprinted down the hall, three-inch heels not slowing her down in the least as she raced toward her wife. "Thanks Jen!" she called out, her words echoing down the concrete hallway. "You tell her about American Gladiators yet?" she yelled over her shoulder, not looking back.

Jen cupped her right hand around her mouth as she yelled back, "No! You tell her in the morning, after you fuck her like you own her! She might not be as mad at us for signing her up then!"

"Wimp!" cried Lilly, her voice fading as she neared the end of the hallway. "But we love you!" she added as she turned the corner and ran out of sight. It was going to be a good night. A really, really good night.

Author's Afterword: Please, please forgive me for taking so long to get this chapter up. I've had almost zero time to write these last four weeks, and I really needed just a short break to deal with tons of stuff that's come up in my life. However, I'm happy to say that all of it has been good. Really good. I'll expound more in the next few chapters, I promise. Until then, please know that I'm back writing regularly again now that I'm refocused, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! See you soon (I promise!)

Jo