Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.

Author's Note: Thank you for coming with me thus far. I have really enjoyed writing this story as well as reading the wonderful reviews that you have submitted. As of today this is my fourth most successful story in terms of reviews behind Requited, The Search for Tomorrow and The Best of Both Worlds.

But I wanted to take a second to respond to a couple of questions/points that I received in reviews and PM's. You read my stories with an expectation of being entertained and when you have questions, I feel I have an obligation to answer.

One reviewer, alphaMilca, commented that I skipped some weddings. Yes I did. I skipped Robby Ray and Kylie's, Jackson and Tamera's and Oliver and Grace's weddings by skipping ahead to 2019. The reason I did that is because knowing me, I would spend a couple of weeks writing those chapters. I've written weddings for Raven and Chelsea, London and Maddie, C.J. (Cody) and Barbara and Miley and Lilly and trust me when I tell you that it takes a while to write a wedding because every wedding is unique. I research vows, colors, dress styles and locations to give you as authentic a feel as possible. The first wedding I ever wrote, Raven and Chelsea in For Them The Bell Tolls, took over a week to finish. Before the story is over, I may mention or even flashback to one or more of the skipped weddings.

My girl, EndlessDreamer 1024, asked in a review if Londie (London and Maddie) attended Miley and Lilly's wedding. They did. For length purposes, I chose not to mention them in the wedding chapter instead opting to highlight Chelsea and Raven's appearance. That was done because in my story For Them The Bells Toll, set 10 years earlier, Miley attended Raven and Chelsea's wedding because the wedding was on the beach right behind Miley's house. They then had their reception in the house itself.

And finally, there has been some question as to what the name of the Jennifer-Luanne pairing is called. I am officially putting all conjecture to rest in announcing that the formal name for the pairing is Jennanne. That's J-E-DOUBLE N-A-DOUBLE N-E.

Now it's time for one more time warp ahead from January 2019, when Miley appeared as Hannah on American Idol, to late February 2020 and another VERY IMPORTANT time in Lilly and Miley's lives. That moves us closer to the end of this story (BOOOOO!) and closer to two events that will serve as bridges to my next story, the Chrave story, Love Conquers All. I promise that this story will stay Liley-centric, but there will be a little more Raven and Chelsea involved as we grow closer to the end.

Back to the Future

Chapter 13

The Hands That Rock the Cradle

Monday, February 24, 2020 – 11 am - The Offices of Pacific Reproductive Services – Pasadena, California

Miley and Lilly made the decision several months earlier that they were ready to have children. Both women were adamant about being the one to carry their first child. After weeks of going back and forth, which included several spirited discussions that morphed into mini-arguments, they decided to take Oliver's suggestion and flip a coin to determine which one would be the one. They enlisted the aid of Luanne and Jennifer who were staying in the main house for several weeks during the summer. Jennifer flipped the coin and Luanne called it when it hit the floor. Miley called tails. The coin came up heads.

So several months later, Miley and Lilly sat in the waiting room of an insemination office in their old stomping grounds of Southern California. They chose the facility they were in because they wanted to have the right to more extensive information about the biological, cultural and social background of the donor candidates. They also wanted the donor to meet their child once it reaches eighteen years of age.

"Lil, I'm so nervous." Miley said.

"You're nervous?" Lilly asked softly. "I'm the one that's being inseminated today."

"I know. I guess I'm nervous for you." Miley said.

"Don't be nervous. What did Doctor Saiba say during our consultation? She said that the procedure was painless." Lilly said.

"I know. I just hate hospitals." Miley spat. "Ever since my mother…"

"Oh. Baby, I'm so sorry. I didn't even think about it like that." Lilly said.

"It's okay." Miley said, visibly shrugging off her bad feelings. "Besides, this isn't a hospital anyway."

"Still… I hate seeing you uncomfortable." Lilly said as she squeezed Miley's hand.

"It will all be worth it if you get pregnant." Miley said.

"When I get pregnant." Lilly reassured.

"Lillian Truscott-Stewart?" The nurse said. Lilly raised her hand and stood along with Miley.

"Doctor Saiba will be with you shortly. Come on back." The nurse said, leading them down the hallway to the room where the insemination would be performed.

After waiting there for several minutes, their doctor arrived. "Good Morning Ladies! Are you ready for big day number one?" The British accented doctor asked.

"Yes ma'am. And I have a feeling it will be the only day, Doctor Saiba." Miley said with a smile to the woman whose last name was difficult for many people to pronounce so she simply went by Doctor Saiba.

Nusaiba Venkatasubramanian was a strikingly beautiful woman in her mid forties of southern Indian descent that was born just outside of London. She received her undergraduate degree from Oxford before coming to the United States to complete her doctoral studies at Dartmouth. She was a shade under 5 feet 6 inches tall with coal black hair that went halfway down her back. Contrasting her dark coffee-colored complexion was a pair of striking green-gray eyes that pierced you when you looked at her. And yet, as effectively as they pierced, her eyes carried sympathetic warmth that fit in perfectly with her warm personality.

"Well then, let's get started." Doctor Saiba said. "Now we have gone over the procedure with you. Do either of you have any questions?"

"When can we… resume… relations?" Miley gingerly inquired.

Doctor Saiba smiled. "If you are referring to sexual relations, there is no timetable for that. You can leave the office, go straight back to your hotel and… resume relations." She said.

"Then my questions have been answered." Miley said before squeezing Lilly's hand. "You ready?"

"Ready. Let's do this." Lilly said with a smile.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020 – 7 pm – Miley and Lilly's house

"LIL!" Miley called out. "I'M HOME! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"I'M UPSTAIRS!"

Miley dropped her bag at the front door and sprinted up the stairs. When she reached the bedroom, Lilly was sitting at their vanity.

"You didn't do anything without me, did you?" Miley asked with worry in her voice.

"No. I waited for you before I peed on the stick." Lilly said with warm flatness in her voice. "I don't know why you wouldn't let me pee 20 minutes before you get home so when you walk in the door, you'd know."

"Because I want to be here for every agonizing moment." Miley said.

"As long as you don't bite your nails." Lilly said. "It took me six years to get you to stop."

"You just like it when I rake your back with my nails." Miley purred.

"I know that's right." Lilly responded saucily.

"Go pee." Miley ordered.

"Go pee. How romantic." Lilly said sarcastically as she stood up with pregnancy test in hand and headed to the bathroom. "Do you want me to leave the door open so you can watch?"

"OOH CAN I?" Miley said with sarcastic glee.

"Nut job, I swear!" Lilly said with exasperation before closing the door. After several moments, Miley heard the flush of the toilet and the running of water in the sink signaling that the deed was done. "Now… we get to wait."

Lilly walked over to the bed and sat down next to Miley and looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. The clock read 7:08. After two tense, silent minutes, Lilly spoke.

"So… tell me about your day?" Lilly said.

"Well… I cut a couple of promos for the local country station and the local top 40 station, had a phone interview for Ryan Seacrest's radio show and I visited Kylie at Opryland… met her for lunch." Miley said before a one minute pause. "So what did you do today?"

"Well… I taught my class about U.S History… the Presidents… from Washington to Obama." Lilly said before a twenty second pause. "Oh… and I got a letter from Renee's class at Bay Laurel! Remember Little Spencer Anderson? He sent me a picture of himself and his little dog!"

"That's so sweet!" Miley said with enthusiasm before eyeing the clock. The large red digits read 7:12. "Four minutes! Dang flabbit all to hell!"

"Dang flabbit all to hell. That's a new one." Lilly said.

"Well this is a new frustration." Miley said. "Come on 7:28!"

"Look, my mother always says a watched pot never boils so… turn on the TV. Let's see what's on." Lilly said.

Miley picked up the remote and turned on the TV and began flipping through the channels. "Jon and Kate Plus 8: Ten Years Later… Delivery Room… Oh! I Love Lucy!" Miley exclaimed as she settled in to watching one of her favorite sitcoms.

"Ricky..." An obviously pregnant Lucy said. "It's time."

"Time for what, honey?" Ricky said.

"Time for the baby." Lucy said sweetly.

"Oh. Time for the baby." Ricky said before the meaning fully sank in. "TIME FOR THE BABY!" The Ricardo household then went into full ballistic mode as Ricky, Ethel and Fred panicked, butchering all the carefully orchestrated plans they had made for that moment.

"Of all the episodes TVLand could have played tonight, they had to play that one!" Miley huffed.

"Well, look at it this way… It's 7:19. That knocked seven whole minutes off." Lilly said.

Miley simply grumbled as she continued switching the channels. "The Disney Channel… Look at that, Lil. They have these girls that are obviously older than what they play on screen, looking all hot, on a channel for kids!"

"I think I had a dream about that one the other night!" Lilly said pointing to one of the girls on the screen.

"Lilly! She's what fifteen?" Miley exclaimed.

"Hey, I don't know where Disney finds 'em…" Lilly started.

"I do!" Miley proclaimed. "They go find old singers and younger sisters of child movie stars like… what's his name? The one that said, 'I see dead people.' That one!"

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Lilly exclaimed. "His sister was a real cutie!"

Miley looked at Lilly and shook her head in mock disgust as she continued flipping the channels. "Oh! Here we go! Return to Degrassi! I used to love that show! I wonder what they all look like now!"

"Cool. I can do that." Lilly said as they started watching the movie which was going on thirty minutes old.

After several minutes, Miley looked over at the clock as Lilly continued watching the movie.

"LILLY!" Miley yelled, startling Lilly.

"Holy shit!" Lilly exclaimed. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"I'm sorry, Lil! Look! It's 7:28! It's time!" Miley exclaimed. Lilly looked at Miley then at the open bathroom door.

"What if it's negative?" Lilly asked.

"It's not negative." Miley announced with confidence.

"What if it is?" Lilly asked again.

"If it's negative, we go back to Doctor Saiba and we do it again." Miley said. "And if it's still negative, we go again and again and again until we use up all of our hours on the charter jet's timeshare…" Lilly chuckled. "Then we get the home insemination kit. But we don't do is stop trying."

"But we won't have to worry about that." Lilly said with a little insecurity.

"Right." Miley said.

"Because it's positive." Lilly said.

"Right." Miley countered.

"Go check it." Lilly said.

"Nope. You do the pee, you go and see." Miley said. "Did ya like that rhyme, huh?"

"Yeah. You're a regular Maya Angelou." Lilly said with maximum sarcasm before standing up and walking toward the bathroom. Miley, afraid to move, stayed anchored to the bed.

Lilly walked into the bathroom, picked up the tester, took one look at it and without registering any discernable reaction, walked back out of the bathroom and toward the vanity. With Miley watching her every movement, Lilly picked up her purse and her keys and started walking toward the bedroom door.

"LILLY! Where are you going?" Miley asked.

"I'm just going to run an errand. You can come with me." Lilly said with perfect calm. "I think Baby Town is open for another hour." It was then that Lilly's perfectly calm demeanor began to crack as a broad grin began to leak from her face. When it finally burst through, Miley nearly cracked.

"LILLY?"

"WE'RE HAVING A BABYYYYYYYYYYY!" Lilly screamed at the top of her lungs setting off as delirious a celebration as the two best friends turned lovers turned spouses had ever experienced.

Miley bear hugged Lilly as they began sobbing for joy. "OH MY GOD! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" Miley exclaimed as her tears flowed. Lilly was speechless as she wept. After several moments, they slowly pulled away from each other and looked down at Lilly's stomach at the same time. "Our baby is in there!"

"Our baby is in there." Lilly said with a smile as she wiped away her tears. Miley placed her hand on Lilly's stomach. Lilly instinctively placed her hand on top of Miley's and looked Miley in the eyes. "Our baby."

Thursday, March 19, 2020 – 6 pm – Robby Ray and Kylie Stewart's condo – Downtown Nashville

"Didn't you say you were gonna call the girls when you got home?" Kylie asked her husband.

"Yeah. I did. I haven't talked to them in a few days." Robby Ray said before the door bell rang. "I'll get it, Darlin'." Robby Ray said, placing a kiss on his wife. Robby Ray opened the door to see his daughter and daughter-in-law standing in front of him. "I was just gettin' ready to call you two!"

"No need. We are here!" Miley said as she greeted her father with a hug. Lilly did the same before stepping over the threshold.

"Hey Kyle!" Miley said to her stepmother. Kylie beamed as she stepped forward for a hug.

"And you! Come here Cutie!" Kylie said to Lilly.

"How are you?" Lilly said as she hugged Kylie.

"Tryin' to get your father-in-law to behave himself." Kylie quipped.

"Good luck with that one." Miley said with a chuckle.

"What brings you our way tonight?" Robby Ray said.

"Well, Lilly and I were rootin' around the house and we came across a wedding gift we didn't give you." Miley said.

"You didn't have to do that! I mean, we got married a year ago!" Kylie said.

"I think you two might want this gift." Miley said.

"What is it? Your next record advance check? Cause I sure could use some more money!" Robby Ray said jokingly.

"Here. Just open this." Lilly said as she handed him a flat eight and a half by eleven inch package wrapped in silver and white wedding paper.

Kylie walked over to Robby Ray just as he began to open the gift. As he unwrapped it, he and Kylie could see that it was a silver picture frame with a certificate inside written in beautiful calligraphy. Kylie looked on as Robby Ray read it.

"Roses are red, violets are blue…" Robby Ray and Kylie looked up at Miley and Lilly. "Very original. Did ya think that one up yourselves?"

"Just keep readin', Hillbilly!" Miley joked. Robby Ray started over.

"Roses are red, violets are blue… Mamaw's a grandparent, and soon you will be too! Love, Miley and… Mama Lilly." Robby Ray and Kylie looked at Miley and Lilly in stunned disbelief. "You?..."

"Lilly's?..." Kylie stammered.

"Lilly's carrying your grandchild." Miley smiled warmly as a tear came to her eye.

"Oh my God!" Kylie breathlessly whispered as her tears began to fall. "Rob!"

Robby Ray dropped his eyes as they began to fill with tears. "You two have made me the happiest hillbilly in the world." Robby Ray eked out as Kylie embraced him. He then stepped forward to engage his daughters in a group hug that lasted for several minutes as all four of them cried. Several minutes passed before everyone gained their composure.

"So who have you told?" Robby Ray asked.

"You two were first. We're flying out to Malibu tomorrow to tell Lilly's folks." Miley said.

"You mean you haven't told your… what do you call them? Your Divas?" Kylie asked.

"I didn't want to chance anyone finding out before our parents." Lilly said. "The Divas don't know, Jackson, Oliver, nobody… just you two so far."

"Well don't worry. We won't say a word until you give us the okay. We don't want the press getting' ahold of this." Robby Ray said.

"Yeah. It was bad enough my parents found out I was gay on Entertainment Tonight. If they found I was pregnant the same way, I would never be able to set foot in Malibu again!" Lilly reasoned.

Friday, March 20, 2020 – 4 pm – Ed and Ellen Truscott's home – Malibu, California

Miley and Lilly arrived at the Truscott residence unannounced. Lilly knew that her father was taking a couple of weeks off and knew he would be home, just waking up from his afternoon nap.

"Ed? Do you want something to drink? I'm headed toward the kitchen." Ellen Truscott said to her husband.

"We have any more lemonade?" Ed asked.

"I'll get you some." Ellen said just as she heard keys hit the lock. "Huh. Evan said he wasn't coming over until later." Ellen's face registered complete shock and surprise when her only daughter and her wife walked through the front door. "Lilly? Miley? What on earth are you doing here?" Ellen said as she ran to the front door to embrace them.

"I thought you said we could drop by any time?" Lilly said as she hugged her mother.

"We did! We just didn't expect you so soon. We thought you'd come this summer!" Ellen said as Ed walked over to them.

"How are my girls?" Ed said as he hugged Miley then Lilly.

"Good Mister Truscott." Miley said.

"I told you that Dad was fine." Ed said.

"Okay… Dad." Miley said with a giggle. Just then the front door flew open and an out of breath Evan Truscott came flying through.

"I got a 911 page from Lilly while I was in my meeting! What's going on? Are you hurt?" Evan said.

"I'm not hurt. I'm fine. I'm more than fine." Lilly said.

"Well, honey, now you have me worried." Ellen said. "You do a surprise drop-in and page your brother with a 911 message in the middle of the day on a Friday…"

"All right." Lilly said with resignation in her voice. "If the three of you want to find out from Entertainment Tonight or a giddy Oliver that I'm pregnant then be my guest. Come on Miley."

Ed, Ellen and Evan stood in the middle of the living room in shock. "Wait a minute!" Ellen exclaimed. "You're pregnant?"

"We found out on Tuesday!" Lilly exclaimed. Her exclamation sent the house into hysterics. Hugs and tears flowed like water in the Truscott living room as Lilly's announcement sank in.

"She's gonna have a Christmas baby!" Ellen exclaimed. "I've always wanted a Christmas baby in the family!"

"Well it looks like you're gonna get your wish!" Lilly said.

"I've got to tell…"

"Absolutely no one. Not just yet, Mom." Miley said. "I told my father and Kylie and the three of you. We're gonna tell our friends next but then that's it until we make a statement in about a month or so. Can you keep it to yourself until then?"

"You're asking a lot of Mom." Evan said. "She's like and old rusty refrigerator. She can't keep anything."

"Evan, you just forfeited your piece of pie for dinner." Ellen said.

"Sucker!" Lilly teased.

"For you two, we'll keep it to ourselves, if you promise not to go more than a couple of months without visiting with the baby." Ed said.

"Dad, you've got yourself a deal." Lilly said.

"Well now this dinner is a celebration dinner for the newest member of the Truscott family!" Ellen said. "You are staying for dinner, aren't you?"

"Have I ever turned down dinner before?" Lilly asked. "Besides, I get Evan's piece of pie!"

"To hell you do! I'll thumb wrestle you for it!" Evan said.

"Bring it on, Big Boy!" Lilly challenged.

Ellen leaned over to Miley as they watched Lilly thumb wrestle her brother for pie. "I'm glad to see that the idea of motherhood is starting to soften my Lillian." Ellen said sarcastically. They then watched as Lilly managed to beat Evan and throw her hands up into the air and begin flexing like Hulk Hogan.

"That's our Lilly; soft, dainty, girly Lilly." Miley said flatly. "And her appetite is only gonna get worse."

Ellen walked over to the dining room table and picked up a stack of coupons she cut out of the newspaper. "Here, dear. You're gonna need these more than I will."

Miley smiled and watched Lilly tease her brother about his lack of pie and how she's gonna devour his piece. "Sweet niblets."

Lucky number thirteen is done! Yes Miley and Lilly will go on to tell all of their friends about her pregnancy but you know that that parents have to be first. Another warp job coming up. We'll go from March to August in chapter fourteen. Come back to see who shows up in Nashville. I'll give you a hint. Their name rhymes with Haven. PLEASE REVIEW.