A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying reading my story as much as I'm enjoying writing it... and I owe everyone a HUGE thanks for making this this first story I've ever written to hit 100 reviews :) By the way, did anyone else get to attend Miley's Sweet 16 Birthday Party at Disneyland last weekend? I took my nieces there for an early xmas present, and we had a blast! Anyway, enough of that... on with the story!

CHAPTER ELEVEN

REACHING FOR THE FUTURE

"I still can't believe all this is happening," Miley whispered into the darkness of her bedroom. It was well past midnight, but she was still wide awake.

"You deserve it, Miles," Lilly said from beside her. They were lying together on Miley's bed, talking about the day's events. "I said you had an awesome voice, and now everyone's gonna get to hear it." She grinned, although she knew Miley couldn't see it.

"You wouldn't be a little biased, would you Lils?" Miley teased her.

"I'm just being a supportive best friend," Lilly replied playfully. She reached out to play with Miley's hair for a moment.

"Do you really think I can do this?" Miley asked quietly, doubt creeping into her voice.

The man they'd met earlier, from Hollywood Records, had offered to help Miley make a demo tape to submit to his company. If the record company liked the tape, she could be offered an official contract with them. First though, she essentially had to prove herself.

"Do you want to?" Lilly countered, asking a question of her own. "You know I believe in you, but no one's gonna force you to do it if you don't want to."

"I do want to," Miley said after a moment. "I'm just scared, Lilly."

"Scared of what?" Lilly asked gently, moving closer to Miley.

"It's all happening so fast," Miley whispered. "What'll happen if I do this? What'll happen to my life if the company wants to sign me to a contract?"

"What do you want to happen?" Lilly asked her quietly.

"Do you always have to answer my questions with another question?" Miley quipped, laughing softly.

"Sorry, Miles," Lilly replied, smiling warmly. "All I mean is, nothing's gonna happen if you don't want it to. It's your future, Miley; it's up to you what you want to do with it." Miley was silent for a long moment. Lilly slid up beside her and took Miley's hand in her own.

"Tell me something, Miles… did you like being up there on stage?" Lilly asked her quietly.

"Yeah," Miley admitted quietly. "I did enjoy it. It's funny, you practically had to drag me up there, but once I started singing, everything just felt… right."

"Do you think it's something you'd like to do again?" Lilly continued. Miley thought about it for a moment.

"Yeah, Lils… I think I would," she said slowly.

"Well, this is your chance then," Lilly replied softly. "You just have to stand up and take it." Miley laughed into Lilly's shoulder.

"How do you do that, Lils?" she managed. "I swear, sometimes I think you know me better than I know myself."

"Just part of being best friends," Lilly said warmly.

"If I do this, will you come with me?" Miley asked softly.

"Try and stop me," Lilly quipped, smiling warmly. Miley smiled back and snuggled close to Lilly, resting her head on Lilly's shoulder.

"How did I get ever get so lucky?" she whispered.

"Lucky?" Lilly repeated, not understanding.

"To have you in my life," Miley answered softly. She squeezed Lilly's hand and closed her eyes.

"I feel the same way, Miley," Lilly replied, swallowing back a lump in her throat. "I'll always be right here with you, as long as you'll have me."

"Forever then," Miley said happily.

"Deal," Lilly said warmly.

"Mornin' bud," Robbie Ray greeted his daughter as she and Lilly walked into the kitchen of the Stewart home the following morning.

"Morning daddy," Miley responded. "Watcha doing?"

"Oh, just cookin' up some breakfast," Robbie Ray said, tending to a cast iron skillet filled with sizzling bacon. "You ladies hungry?"

"I am!" Lilly called out excitedly. The smell of the bacon was making her mouth water.

"You better feed her daddy," Miley laughed. "Lilly can get awful mean on an empty stomach!" Lilly looked over at her and playfully stuck out her tongue.

"Just for that Miles, I'm gonna eat your bacon too!!" Lilly said mock-threateningly. Miley laughed again. Chuckling, Robbie Ray served both girls big plates of breakfast then sat down beside them with a heaping plate of his own.

"So what do you ladies have planned for today?" he asked around a mouthful of country potatoes.

"Actually daddy… I was thinking about what that man from the record company said yesterday," Miley replied, taking a drink of her orange juice.

"Oh?" Robbie Ray replied.

"Well, what would you say… if I wanted to accept his offer?" Miley asked him. Robbie Ray looked at her across the table.

"Is that something you really want?" he asked his daughter carefully. Miley looked over at Lilly and smiled, remembering their conversation from the night before. Without really thinking about, she reached underneath the table and found Lilly's hand. Miley felt a slight thrill at the sudden contact, and wasn't entirely sure why, but she decided she liked it. Clearing her throat, Miley looked back at her father.

"It is, daddy… if it's okay with you," Miley said softly.

"You know it isn't gonna be easy, darlin'," Robbie Ray cautioned her. "I've lived that kinda life before, and I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding but exhausting times of my life."

"I know," Miley admitted. "I was hoping… you'd be there to help me, daddy. I don't believe for a moment it's gonna be easy, but I at least wanna try." Robbie Ray smiled proudly at his only daughter.

"All right, bud… if you're really sure you want to do this, I'll support you all the way."

A few days later, Miley found herself at a small recording studio just outside of Knoxville, her daddy and Lilly by her side. Eddie Lebeck, the agent from Hollywood Records she'd met before, owned the place and had invited Miley to record her demo tape there.

The studio was actually a small building attached to Mr. Lebeck's home. The agent himself sat in the control room, watching as Miley nervously slipped on a pair of headphones in the smaller vocal booth where she was to record her song.

"How are you feeling, Miles?" Lilly asked through one of the microphones. She and Robbie Ray sat beside Mr. Lebeck on the other side of the glass separating the two parts of the studio. Miley looked over at her best friend and smiled.

"I'm glad you're here with me, Lils," she said softly. "I swear, I'm so nervous I feel like a field mouse in a room full of tomcats!" Lilly laughed.

"Don't worry Miles, you're gonna do great," she said soothingly.

"Okay Miley, now all you have to do is sing your song just like you did at the fair," Mr. Lebeck addressed her through his own microphone. "Start whenever you're ready."

"I'll do my best," Miley said quietly. She took a deep breath to calm herself and slowly closed her eyes. Whispering a silent prayer to whoever might be listening, she started to sing. At that moment, the only phone in the recording studio suddenly rang, cutting her off.

"I'm sorry honey, one moment," Mr. Lebeck apologized. He reached for the phone.

"This is Eddie Lebeck," he spoke into the phone. There was a long pause, and Miley saw the record company agent go visibly pale.

"W-what?" Mr. Lebeck stammered suddenly. "An overdose? Are you sure?" Whoever was on the other line must've confirmed the awful news, because Mr. Lebeck then nodded solemnly.

"I understand," he said slowly. "Please pass my condolences on to his family. Yes, I'll handle things on this end. Goodbye." He hung the phone up very slowly, a sad expression on his face.

"Is everything all right, Mr. Lebeck?" Robbie Ray asked. Mr. Lebeck shook his head.

"I'm afraid not," he said heavily. "Another young star I was representing has… died… of a drug overdose." He ran a hand over his face.

"I'm real sorry to hear that," Robbie Ray said, trying to conceal his own shock.

"I knew Daniel had been having problems, but I never expected something like this." Mr. Lebeck continued.

"What kind of problems?" Robbie Ray asked him carefully.

"Well… poor Daniel's fame was growing faster than I think he could handle," Mr. Lebeck answered slowly. "I know he was having trouble dealing with all the schedules and hassles that can come with this kind of life. I just wish he'd have asked for help…" He was interrupted by the sound of a door slamming closed. He looked up to see the vocal booth was now empty, the headphones Miley had been wearing lying discarded on the ground.

"Miley!!" Lilly cried out. She was on her feet in seconds, hurrying out the studio door after her best friend. She found Miley a few seconds later, standing under a nearby tree, shivering with her arms wrapped around herself.

"Miles!" Lilly called out to her. "What is it, what's wrong?!"

"Did… did you hear what Mr. Lebeck was saying?" Miley whispered.

"Yeah, I heard him," Lilly said softly, walking up beside Miley and gently wrapping an arm around her. "I know it was terrible, but… why did you run away?"

"What if… what if something like that happened to me?" Miley managed. "What if that happens to me too?"

"Miley, you know that's never gonna happen," Lilly told her gently. "You're one of the strongest people I know; if anyone can handle it, it's you."

"Then why am I so scared?" Miley countered.

"Because you're human, bud," Robbie Ray's voice answered her.

"Hi, daddy," Miley greeted her father as he walked over to her. He gave Miley a gentle hug.

"Hey darlin'," Robbie Ray said softly. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," Miley admitted. "I'm sorry I ran out like that daddy."

"It's all right, darlin'; I understand how you feel," Robbie Ray told her. "If you don't want to do this Miley, just say the word and we'll leave."

"I do want to, daddy… I'm just scared."

"What if there was a way you could maybe have a singing career, and still have a normal life besides?" Lilly asked her best friend, an idea beginning to blossom in her mind.

"What are you talking about, Lilly?" Miley asked her, not understanding.

"Well, what if you could have, like… another identity, maybe? I mean, you could pretend to be someone else when you're singing and then go back to being just regular Miley when you're not. No one would even know!"

"Lilly…" Miley started to argue.

"Actually, that could work bud," Robbie Ray interrupted, "As long as we're real careful about it."

"You really think so, daddy?" Miley asked her father uncertainly. "Could something like that really work?"

"If you really want it to," Robbie Ray answered his beloved daughter. "It's up to you, bud, but I'll say this: if you really do want to sing, and still have a normal life besides, this is one way you can."

"I guess… I guess it could work…" Miley said hesitantly. She looked up at her father, then slowly turned to look at Lilly. Both of them were staring at her expectantly. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Miley suddenly found herself laughing nervously.

"Uh, Miley? Are you all right?" Lilly asked her uncertainly, wondering if maybe her best friend had finally flipped.

"I must be crazy," Miley managed. "I don't even believe I'm saying this, but… all right. Let's give it a try."

"How does this look?" Miley asked, slowly turning around. She was trying on yet another outfit, in an attempt create a convincing disguise for her to wear in her other 'identity'. As yet though, she hadn't come up with a name for her other self.

"You look smokin' Miles!" Lilly exclaimed. Miley felt herself blush.

"Comin' from you, Lils, I'll take that as a compliment!" she laughed. She was wearing a glittering silver and black vest, black stirrup pants, a rhinestone belt and black high heel boots. She was also wearing a blonde wig to cover up her long chestnut hair.

"I'm serious Miley! All those soon-to-be fans of yours aren't gonna be able to take their eyes off you!" Lilly gushed. Miley wasn't certain why, but something about Lilly's attentions was really making her blush. It was almost as though… she was enjoying it?

"Miles, are you okay?" Lilly asked, noticing how quiet her best friend had suddenly become.

"Y-yeah, sure," Miley managed. "Sorry, I was just thinkin' about something."

"Anything good?" Lilly asked with a grin.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Miley said teasingly.

"So what's it gonna take to make you tell then, hmmm?" Lilly quipped, playing along.

"More than you've got, Truscott!" Miley laughed. Lilly arched an eyebrow.

"Be careful what you ask for, Miles," she said with a grin. She stood and walked up behind Miley, wrapping her arms around Miley's waist.

"Tell me or I'm gonna tickle you into submission!" Lilly playfully threatened, resting her head on Miley's shoulder.

"You wouldn't dare," Miley laughed.

"How long have we been friends?" Lilly replied, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "It's like you don't know me at all, Miles!" She punctuated her 'threat' by reaching up to tickle Miley's ribs from behind. Miley shrieked and laughed and tried to push Lilly away, but her best friend continued to tickle her relentlessly. Finally, Miley managed to turn around in her friend's grip and started tickling Lilly back. The two giggling, thrashing friends fell onto Miley's bed together, and suddenly Miley found herself lying on top of Lilly, looking down at her best friend with an amused smile.

"You still play dirty," Lilly half-complained. She felt her heart starting to beat faster at the sudden close contact.

"You started it," Miley retorted, her voice soft and husky.

"You can't prove anything," Lilly replied, grinning. Smiling back down at her best friend, Miley reached down and began to play with Lilly's long blonde hair. It was supposed to be entirely innocent, but without realizing it, she soon began stroking Lilly's hair slowly and softly.

"Uh, Miles… what are you doing?" Lilly asked nervously, quickly finding herself lost in Miley's deep sapphire gaze. In truth, Lilly was beginning to enjoy it, but she was afraid to admit it. However, Lilly's words seemed to snap Miley back to reality, and she regretfully pulled her hand back.

"Sorry Lilly," Miley swallowed. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's all right Miley, really; it… wasn't all that terrible," Lilly managed. "Anyway, we should… probably get downstairs. You dad's waiting on us."

"Yeah, you're right," Miley agreed. She carefully stood up and helped Lilly do the same, then took a few moments to straighten to her clothes and blonde wig.

"Do I still look okay?" she asked Lilly after a moment.

"You look great," Lilly said honestly.

"Thanks, Lils," Miley said, beaming happily. "Now let's go see what daddy thinks!"

"Looks like all you need now is a name, so you can get back to recording your demo tape," Lilly said as they walked out Miley's room together.

"I know," Miley agreed. "One thing at a time though, Lils!" After leaving the recording studio earlier, Miley, Lilly and Robbie Ray had gone shopping in Knoxville for some flashy new clothes to help create Miley's new identity. The blonde wig had been one of their first purchases, based on a suggestion of Lilly's. Afterwards, Miley and Lilly had spent most of the afternoon in her room, trying to put together a flattering outfit for Miley's new alter ego.

"How do I look daddy?" Miley asked her father as she walked out into the living room, Lilly right behind her. Robbie Ray looked up at his daughter and grinned.

"You look real good darlin'," he responded. "I don't think even your momma would recognize you now."

"Feels a little weird though," Miley admitted.

"What do you mean?" Robbie Ray asked her.

"Lookin' in the mirror and seeing somebody else," Miley replied softly.

"It doesn't really matter what you look like, bud," Robbie Ray told her. "Inside you're still the same sweet girl I'm proud to call my little girl."

"Oh, daddy…" Miley hugged her father warmly.

"So what should we call the new you, Miles?" Lilly called out.

"Actually, I've been givin' that a lot of thought, bud," Robbie Ray said carefully. "I figured it should be somethin' catchy, you know… somethin' people would remember really well."

"What do you have in mind daddy?" Miley asked him.

"Well darlin', what do you think of… Hannah Montana?"