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: Cumulo-what? I know that's what you probably said when you saw the name of this chapter. Allow me to explain. Our good friends at Wikipedia define cumulonimbus (pronounced cūm-you-low-nim-bus) as a type of cloud that is tall, dense, and involved in thunderstorms and other intense weather. The clouds can form alone, in clusters, or along a cold front in a squall line. Cumulonimbus clouds form from cumulus clouds and can further develop to a supercell, a severe thunderstorm with special features.
Now, if I told you that this chapter is going to help set up the beginning of the Thunderstorm sequel I've been talking about, would you understand the chapter title now? I thought so. We will see an appearance from an old friend in this chapter. Remember I told you, their name rhymes with Haven.
Back to the Future
Chapter 14
Cumulonimbus
Monday, August 10, 2020 – 7 pm – Miley and Lilly's house – Belle Meade, Tennessee
Lilly was five months pregnant and starting to show. It hadn't gotten to the point that it was uncomfortable for her to move around but Miley was cautious with her nonetheless. As Miley expected, Lilly's appetite grew. The petite five-foot, six-inch blonde normally weighed between 125 and 135 pounds. During month number five, she had gone up to about 155 pounds, with no check in her appetite. Pepperoni pizza from either Domino's, Papa John's or Pizza Hut were her cravings of choice along with chocolate ice cream from Cold Stone creamery or Baskin-Robbins topped with sprinkles that she carried in her purse.
Lilly found herself frequently on the phone with London who herself was eight months pregnant with Maddie's first child. It made Lilly feel as if she weren't going through the experience alone, having one of her best friends there with her in spirit, even though she was eleven hundred miles away.
Miley was on her way home with Lilly's cravings of choice after calling to ask Lilly if she needed anything. Lilly was downstairs in the media room watching television when to her surprise, the intercom for the gate chimed.
"Huh. We weren't expecting anybody tonight." Lilly said out loud to herself before getting up out of her plush movie theatre-style stadium chair to answer the intercom. "Hello?"
"Lilly? It's Raven! Open up!"
"Raven?" Lilly said to herself before responding. "Yeah! Hang on!" Lilly hit the button to open the gate. She then made her way up the stairs and to the front door. By the time she opened the front door, Raven was parking her rental car next to Lilly's Bentley.
Raven made her way up to the front door with a smile on her face as Lilly's face had a mixture of happiness and disbelief over Raven's surprise visit.
"Oh my God! What are you doing here?" Lilly said as she hugged Raven.
"Well, I was in Memphis for a regional sales meeting and I said to myself that I was only two hundred miles away and Miley and Lilly would kill me if they knew I was in Tennessee and didn't stop by." Raven said.
"Well come on in!" Lilly said, leading Raven by the hand inside. "Where's your bag?"
"I have a room at the Four Seasons in town, I just thought I'd come visit." Raven said.
"You know you're more than welcome to stay here or the guest house, whichever is more comfortable for you." Lilly said.
"I don't want to impose…"
"That's what friends are for; to be impositions on each other!" Lilly said. "Come on. I was downstairs watching TV." Raven followed Lilly downstairs to the media room and sat down in one of the plush stadium seats. "So how's Chelsea doing?"
For the first time that Lilly could ever remember, Raven's face did not light up at the mention of Chelsea's name. It struck her as odd but she kept that observation to herself for the time being.
"She's fine." Raven said rather flatly. "She's… been working late, you know… busy at the firm. The odd chord struck Lilly again, this time getting the better of her curiosity.
"Is everything all right?" Lilly asked.
"What? Oh… yeah. Yeah. Everything's fine. We've both… been busy, you know… barely seen each other lately… long hours and such." Raven stammered. Lilly had never known the usually quick witted, sure of herself Raven to be at a loss for words.
Fumbling over her words and two 'You knows' in two sentences? Something's definitely not right. Lilly thought to herself. Before she could get cranked up to inquire further about her suspicions, they heard Miley's voice call out from upstairs.
"LIL? ARE YOU IN HERE CHEATING ON ME AGAIN?"
Lilly looked at Raven and silently giggled. Raven returned Lilly's giggle with a half-hearted smile that Lilly didn't pick up on in her effort to have some fun with her wife.
"OH GOD YES! BABY! RIGHT THERE! UNHHH! UNHHHH!" Lilly exclaimed in her best porn star voice. She started laughing hysterically as she saw Miley slowly saunter down the stairs to the media room. Raven smirked and gave a chuckle that to the naked eye was warm enough but would have appeared forced upon further review.
"Those sounds are reserved for me!" Miley said just before reaching the bottom of the stairs. When she reached the bottom, her mouth dropped open at seeing her friend from New York. "Great Caesar's ghost! Raven Baxter-Daniels! What in the blue blazes are you doing here?" Miley said as she briskly walked over to embrace Raven, planting a big chaste kiss on her lips.
"Hey watch the lips, buddy!" Lilly teased. "And she gets a kiss before I do?"
"I'm sorry baby." Miley said in a playful pout. Raven looked on with a dim smile as Miley cupped Lilly's face and kissed her softly then rubbed her belly. "And how's mommy's little man today?"
"Oh, you're having a boy?" Raven softly exclaimed.
"We found out Friday." Miley said with a smile. "So you never answered me! What are you doing here?"
"I was in Memphis on business and just decided to pop on over and say hi." Raven said.
"Well I brought pizza and ice cream…" Miley started.
"What kind?" Lilly asked expectantly.
"Does it matter?" Miley asked playfully.
"Not really! Lemme at it!" Lilly said excitedly.
"Well look, I don't want to be a third wheel…" Raven started.
"What's your hurry? You know you and Chelsea are welcome here day or night, three hundred sixty five days a year." Miley said. "By the way, how is Chelsea?"
Lilly tried not to be obvious as she intently watched Raven's face again for any signs of distress. Once again, she noticed Raven's brilliantly hazel eyes dim just a bit before speaking.
"She's doing fine. She's working, I'm working… we've been really busy." Raven said with no lift in her voice.
"And you two haven't seen each other… and you're not doing it… and you're a little bummed out…" Miley said.
Raven paused for a second. "Something like that." She said.
"Aha! A rut. We haven't gotten there but, you have your friendship. That will carry you through the little rough patches." Miley said. "But who am I kidding? You two have been together forever. You could teach us a thing or ten about a happy marriage!" Just then, Lilly looked at Miley and with a subtle move of her eyes conveyed to Miley that they need to go upstairs to talk. "You know what? You're staying and having pizza with us! I'm not taking no for an answer! I am going to fix us something to drink and I'll be right back!"
"And I'm going to go feel her up while she's doing it." Lilly said. "Be right back!" Miley jogged upstairs with Lilly behind her, albeit at a slower pace. When they reached the kitchen, Miley turned around with concern on her face, recognizing Lilly's eye gesture as a serious one.
"Babe, what's wrong?" Miley asked.
"Something is wrong with Raven and I think it has to do with Chelsea." Lilly said.
"Are you sure?" Miley asked.
"Miles, that woman's eyes normally sparkle when you think about mentioning Chelsea. Today, it looked like Chelsea was the last person she wanted to talk about." Lilly said.
"She did seem a little… morose." Miley said.
"Okay, no more Wedding Crashers before you go to bed." Lilly said. "But seriously, what can we do?"
"I don't think we can do anything until Raven wants to tell us what's going on, if anything is going on." Miley said. "We certainly shouldn't push her. Let's just… let her talk about what she wants and see if she brings up Chelsea."
"Okay. I can do that." Lilly said. "All right, now get the drinks before she thinks we're up here talking about her."
"But we are up here talking about her." Miley said.
"No. You're fixing drinks and I'm feeling you up, remember?" Lilly said as she stepped forward and cupped Miley's breasts. Miley backed up until she was pinned between Lilly and the edge of the counter. "Not only has my appetite increased, but I'm starting to get hornier."
"So… I've noticed." Miley whispered as Lilly brushed her thumbs over Miley's sensitive nipples. "What… if I did this… to you?"
"I'd probably come." Lilly purred in a whisper. "My nipples have gotten very sensitive."
Just as her good feelings kicked up a notch, Miley grasped Lilly's wrists. "Whoa! Slow down, baby!" Miley whispered. "We have a guest. Let's wait until we go to bed. Okay?"
"Party pooper." Lilly pouted playfully as she grabbed the two boxes of pizza and a handful of napkins. Miley smiled and began gathering glasses and ice as Lilly made her way back downstairs.
Moments after Lilly arrived downstairs, Miley came down with a tray of sodas, glasses of ice.
"I hope pepperoni is okay." Lilly said to Raven.
"It's great. I'm not the vegetarian, Chels… is." Raven realized she was mentioning her wife again and quickly put the brakes on her thought.
Miley picked up on Raven's screeching halt and quickly switched gears. "So how's work going? I heard that you have this big collaboration with Devyn Shelby!"
Raven's jaw stiffened at the mention of her collaborator. "That woman is the biggest pain in the ass in the history of fashion design." Raven said through gritted teeth. "I want to take her to Utah and have her summarily executed by a firing squad!"
Nice job, Miley. Miley said to herself.
"Well… it's almost over, right?" Lilly said.
In more ways than one. Raven thought before answering. "Thank God yes."
"Good. Now you can help me with something." Miley tried another tactic, knowing what make Raven happy.
"I've been approached about presenting at the Academy Awards ceremony in March…" Miley started.
"Say no more. Just tell me when you want the dress. I will make you the envy of every heifer at that awards show!" Raven said to the delight of Miley. "Unless I go then I'll have to take you down."
"That's my girl!" Miley said as she embraced Raven. "Now let's eat this pizza before it gets cold."
The three women talked for about a half an hour as they ate, covering just about every subject known to man in that time. As they talked, Lilly and Miley did their best to observe Raven without appearing to do so. What they noticed was a much less animated Raven than they were used to. She still laughed at every joke and threw in anecdotes here and there, but she was not the life-of-the-party, ring leader of the Divas that she normally was. It was obvious to Miley and Lilly that something heavy was weighing on Raven's mind. They just hoped what ever it was didn't consume her before she could figure out how to deal with it.
"Raven, I just noticed that beautiful necklace you have on." Lilly said. Raven stopped in mid-thought and paused to look down at the necklace. She put a neutral smile on her face as she massaged the brilliant sapphire stone between her thumb and forefinger. It was then that Miley's eye lit up as she remembered where she had seen it before.
"Thanks Lil." Raven said softly. "Chelsea wore this on our wedding day." Raven let out a sigh. "Her mother gave it to her the morning of the wedding." Raven paused again. "It's a family heirloom passed down through three generations of Richmond women. She told me the day after the wedding that it belonged to us… that I was a Richmond now as much as I was a Daniels."
"That's beautiful." Lilly said. Raven nodded her head.
"You know, I still remember everything about the day y'all got married." Miley said.
"Really?" Raven asked. "Some things are kind of a blur. I was… so excited."
"I especially remember the looks on your faces when the sheet went up and you saw each other in your dresses for the first time." Miley said.
"A sheet?" Lilly inquired. She and Oliver did not attend Raven and Chelsea's wedding.
"Yeah." Miley said. "They used a sheet to keep them from seeing the other person before the ceremony…
FLASHBACK – (excerpt from For Them The Bells Toll, chapter 12, The Moment)
The first sheet that separated Raven and Chelsea was slowly pulled back. They simultaneously turned their heads to look at one another. They were standing next to one another, Victor was to Raven's left, Rich was to Chelsea's right. The dresses Raven made were of white silk that danced effortlessly when they walked. They were trimmed in the most delicate white lace. Both dresses were strapless. Chelsea's neck was adorned with the sapphire necklace her grandmother left her. Raven's neck was adorned with the silver locket her Grandma Viv gave her on her eighteenth birthday. As they promised, they were both barefoot, leaving their white, strappy sandal heels in their limousines. Both of their heads were adorned with tiaras of miniature lilies fixed in their upswept hair.
The looks in their eyes said it all. They were both mesmerized by the visions of beauty and elegance that were before them. Just before the final sheet went up, there was only one thing left to be said… and it was Raven's to say.
"I told you it would fit."
END OF FLASHBACK
"That was a breathtaking moment." Raven recalled.
"I bet that was beautiful." Lilly said. "Just as beautiful as the moment your dad saw Kylie at the top of the aisle, remember?"
"Yeah. That old hillbilly broke down at the altar." Miley said.
"I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to see it." Raven said of her and Chelsea's absence at Robby Ray and Kylie's wedding. She and Chelsea had prior business engagements that prevented them from leaving New York.
"It would have made you cry." Lilly said.
FLASHBACK – (Saturday, March 23, 2019 – 2:26 pm – First Baptist Church of Nashville - Nashville, Tennessee)
Robby Ray stood at the altar with his best man Tyler Connors and his groomsmen; his brother Bobby Ray, his cousin Earl, his nephew Steven, Vickie's oldest son, and Kylie's youngest brother Mitchell. They stood opposite the cadre of bridesmaids; Miley, Lilly, Kylie's best friend Stephanie and Kylie's sister next in age to her, Patience. The Maid of honor title was bestowed upon Kylie's youngest sister Adrienne.
"I've been waitin' twenty years for this day, brother!" Tyler whispered to Robby Ray moments before the wedding march began.
"You've really wanted me to marry this girl that bad! How much money do you have ridin' on this thing?" Robby Ray joked.
"You've still got your sense of humor. Good. That means you won't run." Tyler said.
"Are you kidding me? Have you seen the size of Kylie's cousins? They look like they should be playin' football at UT!" Robby Ray said causing Tyler and the other groomsmen to chuckle seconds before Here Comes the Bride began.
As the first notes sounded, Robby Ray could feel his heart begin to pound. He hadn't been this nervous since he stood at the end of the aisle about to watch Brooke come down the aisle some thirty-six years earlier. Robby Ray knew that when those doors opened, all he would see would be his bride-to-be. Kylie's father had passed several years earlier and she vowed that no one else would walk her down the aisle.
The doors at the back of the sanctuary opened and when Robby Ray glimpsed his bride in her gorgeous ball gown of a white lace wedding dress, he was overcome with emotion. Miley and Lilly glanced over in time to see Robby Ray drop his head and begin sobbing. Every woman inside the church welled up seeing his emotional breakdown including Kylie who despite her best efforts could not hold back her tears.
"Oh my God, he loves her so much." Miley whispered to Lilly as Kylie continued her walk toward the altar.
"This is why I love weddings." Lilly said.
"They are gonna be so great together." Miley said with a tearful smile.
END OF FLASHBACK
All three women had glassy eyes as tears threatened to spill over the poignancy of the story.
"WHOO! I do not need to cry today!" Raven said as she fanned herself. This was the most demonstrative she had been that evening. "I've been doin' way to much of that lately."
"Why?" Lilly asked with concern.
Raven mentally kicked herself for saying that but had a quick recovery. "I get emotional when I'm tired and frustrated. Work has been kickin' my booty!"
"Wanna vent? I'm a good person to vent to." Miley said.
Raven thought about the offer for a moment. She had indeed been carrying a heavy burden around for the better part of four months and it was starting to take its toll.
"I'm good." Raven said. "But I promise to come to you if it gets to be too much."
"I'm gonna hold you to that." Miley said.
"But back to weddings… you never told me how your friend Oliver's wedding went or Jackson's for that matter." Raven said.
"Well… Oliver's was just beautiful." Lilly said. "They got married in a huge Catholic church in downtown Chicago. They had a Mass and then a reception near Navy Pier. I have never seen so much food in my life!"
"And she ate more than her fair share too!" Miley added causing them to chuckle.
"Well, Oliver's may have been more beautiful to the eye, but Jackson's was heartwarming and funny." Lilly said.
"Yeah. Especially when the unity candle went out!" Miley said.
"I've never seen that happen before!" Lilly said laughing.
FLASHBACK – (Saturday, April 27, 2019 – 3 pm – Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church – Washington, D.C.)
The beautiful ceremony uniting Jackson Rod Stewart and Tamera Jenae Carson was straight out of the wedding ceremony textbook. They had reached the part of the ceremony where the mothers of the bride and groom meet near the altar to jointly light a candle symbolizing the uniting of the two families. Tamera's father and stepmother met Robby Ray and Kylie on several occasions since the engagement and really enjoyed each others company.
Kylie and Tamera's stepmother, Angela, solemnly approached the unity candle with their candles. After stopping at the candle stand, Kylie and Angela brought their candles together, touching their flames to the wick of the larger candle. After separating, the wick of the larger candle flickered to life, the warm glow of the candle fluttering brightly. Just as Kylie and Angela moved to step away, the flame suddenly died. The women locked eyes and moved toward the candle again, touching their candles to the wick, again lighting the wick. For a second time, the flame dimmed and went out.
"Lord, are you trying to tell us something?" Tamera said out loud causing the guests to burst out in laughter. Jackson smiled and shook his head.
"Shhh. Don't tempt Him!" Jackson whisper-yelled to Tamera. "If we stay cool, it'll light this time. I can feel it.
Jackson's words turned out to be prophetic as on the third try the unity candle blazed forth in all its glory not to be extinguished.
"Thank goodness." Miley whispered to her fellow bridesmaid, her wife Lilly. "I thought we were gonna have to return their gift."
"We wouldn't have had to worry about that. I would have kept it." Lilly said with a smile.
END OF FLASHBACK
"The worst thing Chelsea and I had to worry about was having our dresses blow up over our heads." Raven said causing the other two women to laugh.
"But you know, I look at things like that happening during weddings as a blessing." Miley said.
"Me too." Lilly said. "Weddings that are too perfect are like guys that are too perfect. You're just waiting for him to scratch his nuts in front of you or something else gross." Miley and Raven burst out into laughter.
"What in the world is wrong with you?" Miley exclaimed as she laughed.
"You've never caught your man doing that before? That's why I'm glad we don't have all that going on down here." Lilly said waving her hand over her pelvic area. Miley and Raven continued laughing.
"Come here, Nut Job!" Miley said as she stood up and walked over to Lilly to kiss her forehead and pull Lilly's head to her stomach. Raven looked at Miley and Lilly's display of affection and smiled. She then felt her bottom lip quiver and the familiar churn of her stomach that she had experienced over the last four months.
"Can I use your bathroom? Too much soda." Raven said.
"Of course you can. Straight down that hallway, last door on the left." Miley said.
"Thanks." Raven said with a smile before getting up and walking down the hallway.
"Still worried about her?" Miley asked Lilly as they heard the bathroom door close.
"A little. But she seemed to come closer to her old self after a while." Lilly said.
"Raven is one of the strongest women I know. Whatever is going on, she can handle it. If she needs us, she'll let us know." Miley said.
Moments earlier…
Raven stepped into the bathroom and closed the door. After finishing her business, she flushed the toilet and began washing her hands. As she worked the liquid soap into her hands, she looked down into the sink and then looked up at her reflection in the mirror. As she checked her appearance, her eyes fell upon the sapphire necklace that Chelsea had shared with her ten years earlier. As she stared at the pendant and thought about all of the stress that swirled around her life, her eyes welled up with tears. Unable to look at herself, she closed her eyes. Several seconds passed before another set of tears began streaming down her face as she began doing something that had become all too familiar to her over the recent months. She stood alone and silently sobbed.
(Raven's voice) – "Next, in Back to the Future…"
Lilly and Miley travel to Massachusetts to celebrate with their friends. London's baby shower – Joy and Pain: The Liley Point of View is next.
PLEASE REVIEW