A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long to get this out... I guess my muse side-tracked me a little bit :) Anyway, to make it up to you all - 'cause you guys are the best readers are reviewers in the world - I'm gonna dedicate myself to getting out Chapter 16 ASAP. I hope you all like the latest chapter, and thanks again for all your kind words and awesome reviews :)
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
NEVER GONNA LET YOU GO
"How was your date, you two?" Robbie Ray asked as Miley and Lilly climbed back into the car.
"We had a great time, daddy," Miley answered, buckling her seat belt and taking Lilly's hand in her own once more. "Thanks for picking us up."
"You're welcome, darlin'," her father said warmly. "I'm glad you both had fun."
"Mr. Stewart?" Lilly spoke up, her voice unusually soft and quiet.
"Yeah, Lilly?" Robbie Ray replied, keeping his eyes on the road as they pulled away from the curb. Lilly looked at over at Miley and smiled, squeezing the hand she held.
"Thank you for accepting me and Miley," she said softly. "Miley makes me really happy… and I know it means a lot to both of us to have you support us." She felt Miley squeeze her hand back, and looked over to see Miley smiling at her, joyful tears sparkling in her eyes. Wordlessly, she leaned over and gently kissed Lilly on the lips.
"You do know I'm still in the car?" Robbie Ray teased them. Laughing, Miley and Lilly stopped kissing but remained snuggled close together.
"Lilly, darlin', you don't have to thank me for anything," Robbie Ray continued, growing serious again. "Seeing you two happy together is all the thanks I need."
"We love you, daddy," Miley said happily, and she wrapped her arms around Lilly, pulling her close.
Miley and Lilly spent a restful night sleeping in each other's arms, and woke up around eight o'clock the following morning to the tantalizing smell of pancakes and bacon.
"Smells like daddy's cooking breakfast," Miley whispered to Lilly.
"I know, it's makin' me hungry!" Lilly quipped, making Miley laugh.
"Guess we'd better feed the beast then," she said with a smile. They got up and walked downstairs, where Robbie Ray was finishing making a huge breakfast.
"Mornin' ladies," he greeted them warmly. "I already fixed your plates." He gestured to two plates resting on the counter, practically overflowing with fresh, hot breakfast.
"Thanks, daddy," Miley said, smiling. "You didn't have to do that!"
"I wanted to," Robbie Ray responded with a smile of his own.
"Um… where's Jackson?" Miley asked carefully. Robbie Ray sighed.
"He left early; he wouldn't even eat. I swear, I don't know what I'm gonna do with that boy."
"I'm sorry, daddy," Miley whispered. Robbie Ray looked up to see the sad expression on his daughter's face.
"It's not your fault, bud," he said softly. "Jackson made his own decision to act the way he did; you're not to blame… either of you." He turned away to flip a few more pancakes on the griddle.
"By the way, Miles… the record company called for you last night," Robbie Ray announced.
"What did they want, daddy?" Miley asked, sitting down at the kitchen table beside Lilly.
"Seems they're just about ready for 'Hannah' to start recording her first album," he said calmly as he began to fix himself a plate. "One of the company big wigs wants to meet you in person first, though… next weekend." He looked up at Miley again.
"In Los Angeles," he added. Miley froze just as she was about to take a bite, her eyes widening.
"Los Angeles?!" she gasped. "That's all the way across the country!"
"I know," Robbie Ray replied, taking his seat at the kitchen table, "but if you really want to do this, we're gonna have to make the trip."
"All right," Miley answered, struggling to remain calm. "I guess you're right." She looked over at Lilly then.
"Can Lilly come with us?" she asked. Robbie Ray smiled; he had been expecting the question.
"Actually, Lilly's mom and I already talked about that last night, after the record company called," he said, grinning. "If Lilly wants to, she's more than welcome to join us."
"What do you say, Lils?" Miley asked her girlfriend with a huge smile.
"You and me in the big city?" Lilly replied with a grin. "Count me in!"
"It's not all gonna be fun and games, ladies," Robbie Ray warned.
"As long as I've got Lilly with me, I'll be fine," Miley responded earnestly.
"Which reminds me," Robbie Ray said, pausing to take a drink of coffee. "If Lily's going to be accompanying 'Hannah' this weekend, I think we're gonna need to come up with a disguise for her as well." Miley and Lilly exchanged a curious look.
"Except for Mr. Lebeck, no one at the record company knows who Hannah Montana really is," Robbie continued. "So if at all possible, we need to protect that secret."
"Well, we have all week," Miley pointed out. "We'll come up with something."
"All right, bud," Robbie Ray said, smiling a little. "Just don't get too carried away, okay?"
It was Thursday night, all of one night before their trip was to begin, when Miley and Lilly finally showed Robbie Ray what they had come up with for Lilly's new secret identity. He sat and waited patiently in the living room as Lilly changed upstairs, then Miley walked into the living room with a huge grin on her face.
"Okay, daddy, hang onto your hat! Introducing, Hannah Montana's best friend… Lola Luftnagle!" Lilly walked into the room and struck a pose, throwing her arms out above her head. She was wearing a short red skirt, black and white striped leggings, a white t-shirt with a picture of an angel on it, mostly covered by a red vest, and a bright blue wig that hung nearly to her shoulders.
"What do you think, Mr. S?" Lilly asked.
"I'd say there's definitely no way anyone would ever recognize you in that outfit, Lilly," Robbie Ray said with a chuckle. "I think you and Hannah will look great together."
"Thanks, daddy," Miley said happily.
"Where'd you come up with the name, though?" he asked curiously.
"Lilly made it up," Miley admitted. "I don't think I wanna know where she got it from!" She giggled and Lilly stuck out her tongue.
"All right, you two," Robbie Ray said with a laugh. "I'm glad you were able to come up with something, but we've got all got a lot of packing to do to get ready for our trip."
"It's settled then!" Lilly said excitedly. "Get ready, California… here comes Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle!"
The following day, right after school, Miley, Lilly and Robbie Ray drove to the McGhee Tyson Airport in Knoxville for their flight to Los Angeles. The terminal was crowded and noisy, and it took them much longer than they expected to get to their gate. Finally though, they boarded their flight and waited for their trip to begin.
'You okay, Miles?" Lilly asked, noticing the nervous expression on Miley's face.
"Just a little nervous," Miley replied. "I've never been on a plane before."
"Really?" Lilly replied, sounding slightly astonished. Miley nodded.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Have you?"
"A couple of times, to visit my grandma in Arizona," Lilly answered. "It's no big deal, really. Here…" She took Miley's hand in her own and squeezed it gently.
"Just hold onto me okay? I'll be right here with you." Miley smiled gratefully and rested her head on Lilly's shoulder.
"I love you, Lilly," she whispered. Lilly smiled back and kissed Miley gently on the top of her head.
"I love you too, Miley," she said softly. Moments later, the plane began to move. Once it was in position for take off, it thundered forward at incredible speed, and Lilly felt Miley stiffen beside her.
"It's okay, Miles," Lilly whispered, wrapping an arm around her girlfriend. "I'm right here." The plane rose quickly off the ground and Miley sucked in a breath. Her stomach lurched, and for a moment she felt like she had left it back on the ground, but the feeling passed quickly.
"I'm all right," she managed. "I've never felt anything like that, though."
"It'll get easier," Lilly promised. "Now, for the best part… look out the window, Miles!" Miley did so, and felt her breath taken away at the sight that awaited her. The distant cityscape of Knoxville swept by far below them, sparkling in the waning light of sunset. She could even see the familiar golden orb of the Sunsphere. In the distance, misty tendrils crept up the craggy slopes of the Great Smoky Mountains.
"Oh, Lilly…" Miley breathed. "It's beautiful!"
'Told ya," Lilly said with a grin. She snuggled happily against Miley, who grinned and returned the embrace. They soon fell asleep in each other's arms.
It was late at night when Robbie Ray, Miley and Lilly finally arrived in Los Angeles, so they went straight to their hotel to get a good night's sleep. All too soon though, morning dawned, and soon the three were headed for their meeting at Hollywood Records.
After a few minutes' ride, they pulled up to a towering skyscraper that seemed to be made entirely of sky blue glass. They parked and walked inside, where a middle-aged woman with graying hair greeted them from behind her desk.
"Welcome to Hollywood Records, Miss Montana," the young woman said in a cheerful voice. "We've been expecting you; Mr. Corbin is waiting for you in the conference room on the 30th floor." She gestured to a younger woman who suddenly appeared behind them.
"Miss Bronson will show you the way." Miss Bronson nodded and smiled. She had long brown hair that hung down to her shoulders, warm brown eyes and a friendly smile. She wore a neat dark blue skirt and white blouse.
"I'm Mr. Corbin's assistant," she introduced herself. "You can call me Jenny. If you'll follow me please, I'll escort you to the conference room." After some brief introductions, Robbie Ray, Miley and Lilly followed Jenny to the elevators.
"Look at this place!" Lilly whispered to Miley, struggling to keep her voice down. The lobby was a huge, wide open space, with a high vaulted ceiling. Sunlight streamed in from the windows all around them, giving everything a cheerful glow. A large fountain sat in the center of the lobby, filling the air with the tranquil sound of trickling water. Actual palm trees were growing in the four corners of the room, reaching for the sky.
"Wow," Miley agreed. "I guess they don't do anything small out here, huh?" Led by Jenny, they rode up to the 30th floor of the huge office building. The conference room turned out to be just down the hall, behind a pair of big glass doors. At the far end of a long, black wooden table, sitting in a comfortable leather chair, was none other than Mr. Corbin, Vice-President of Sales for Hollywood Records.
"Mr. Corbin," Jenny announced, "I'd like you to meet Hannah Montana, her father and manager Robert Montana, and her best friend Lola Luftnagle."
"Well, it's nice to finally meet the talented young lady I've been hearing so much about," Mr. Corbin replied, flashing a friendly smile. He stood and held out his hand, which each of the three visitors shook.
"I have to say, Hannah, you remind me a great deal of my own daughter, Suzy," Mr. Corbin said with a smile as he shook Miley's hand. "She's just a few years younger than you."
"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Corbin," Robbie Ray replied as he shook the older man's hand. He was wearing a dark hat and fake moustache for his own 'disguise' as Hannah Montana's father and managed. "We've been really curious why you wanted to see us in person." Mr. Corbin was a tall, older man, with receding reddish hair. He spoke with a slight Texas accent.
"Please, call me Ira," Mr. Corbin answered. "To be honest, I just wanted to see Hannah for myself," he said, gesturing for everyone to take a seat, "and to let you know the studio is ready for her to start recording her first album." Lilly shared an excited smile with her best friend.
"When?" Hannah asked carefully.
"As soon as possible, really," Mr. Corbin replied. "These things can take time."
"Mr. Corbin, my daughter is still in school," Robbie Ray said calmly. "Attempting to record an album right now would be really difficult."
"I understand," Mr. Corbin responded with a nod. "We certainly don't want to interfere with her valuable education, but we'd like to have her first album released in time for the summer buying season. We feel she'll be very popular with the young teenage crowd."
"What if we come back during summer vacation and she records her album then?" Robbie Ray offered. "We can have it done in time for the end of summer, at the very least, and probably out in the stores just in time for holiday shopping." Mr. Corbin steepled his fingers and grew quiet. Then, an amused grin spread across his features.
"I can see you're no stranger to this business, Mr. Montana," he said. "All right, I accept your offer. I have to warn you, though; attempting to record an album in just three months may be very difficult." He turned to look at Miley.
"You think you can do that, Hannah?" he asked her. Lilly reached under the conference table and squeezed Miley's hand in support. Miley grinned.
"I promise I'll do my very best," she responded.
"I'm sure you will, honey," Mr. Corbin replied, smiling as he rose to his feet again.
"Thanks, Mr. Corbin," Miley said, standing and extending her free hand towards him. Mr. Corbin made as if to shake her hand again, but stopped suddenly when he noticed that she was holding hands with 'Lola', a frown darkening his expression.
"Is there, uh… something you haven't told me, Hannah?" he asked slowly. Miley didn't understand at first; then she noticed where Mr. Corbin's gaze was fixed.
"Lola's my very best friend," Miley said softly. "We hold hands all the time."
"You do realize that could give some of your younger potential fans the wrong idea?" Mr. Corbin continued, apparently not at all appeased by Miley's explanation. Miley felt her own expression darken as well.
"What do you mean?" she asked him, a slight edge to her voice.
"I think you know just what I mean, young lady," Mr. Corbin muttered. "That kind of thing can destroy careers, and give this company a black eye it can ill afford."
"If you honestly think I care more about my career here than I do Lola, you're dead wrong," Miley growled, her temper rising. "I don't care what you or anyone else thinks… I love Lola, more than anything, and if you've got a problem with that, maybe I don't want to work here!"
"Mr. Montana, is this how you've raised your daughter?" Mr. Corbin asked threateningly.
"To stand up for herself and follow her heart?" Robbie Ray retorted. "Absolutely."
"Maybe we should all take a little break…" Jenny started to suggest, but she was cut off by a furious Mr. Corbin.
"I think maybe you should all leave now, while we decide if we still want to do business with you!" he snapped.
"Don't bother," Miley hissed. "I don't want to do business with a hateful old man like you! You wouldn't know what love was if it walked up and bit you! Come on, Lola!!" Still holding onto Lilly's hand, Miley stormed out of the conference room. Robbie Ray looked over at Mr. Corbin, shook his head sadly, then slowly followed his daughter and Lilly out of the room.
Miley didn't stop until she was completely out of the building and was back at their car. Lilly was practically out of breath.
"Miles?" she called out. When Miley didn't respond, Lilly knew something was wrong. "Miley, please say something." Miley slowly turned to look at her girlfriend, her cheeks stained with tears. Immediately, Lilly felt tears sting her own eyes.
"Please don't cry, Miles," she whispered to the young woman who had captured her heart. "That jerk isn't worth it."
"I just don't understand, Lils," Miley managed. "Why does everyone have to act like that? What's wrong with us loving each other?"
"Nothing," Lilly answered simply. "There's nothing wrong with it, Miley. People just attack what they don't understand."
"I'm never gonna leave you, Lilly," Miley whispered, wrapping her arms around Lilly. "I promise. You're more important to me than anything… I'd even give up being Hannah for you." Lilly blinked, startled by the depths of Miley's admission of love for her.
"Oh, Miley," she said softly. "I love you too… so much." Lilly held Miley tightly in her arms, planting gentle kisses on the top of her head and down her neck to her shoulder. Miley shivered.
"No fair," she playfully pouted. "Just wait 'til I get you back to our hotel room, Truscott."
"What can I say, I'm just that good!" Lilly said teasingly. Miley giggled.
"You two okay?" Robbie Ray asked quietly, coming up to stand beside them.
"Yeah, we are now, Mr. S," Lilly replied. "Thanks for letting us have a few moments to ourselves." Robbie Ray smiled.
"I figured you could use some time alone," he said simply. "How about we head back to the hotel and get some rest? I can call the airline and arrange an earlier flight back home."
"I just want to get away from things for a little while," Miley said instead. "I just wanna go somewhere with Lilly and have some fun."
"Well, we are in L.A.," Robbie Ray replied. "I'm sure we can find something fun to do around here."
"Disneyland," Lilly said suddenly. "How about Disneyland? I've always wanted to go, and it's probably not too far from here!" Miley grinned.
"Sounds like fun to me," she replied. "At this time of year, they might even be decorated for Christmas already!" Lilly's eyes lit up.
"Really?" she asked. "In November? That'd be so cool!" Smiling and squeezing Lilly in a hug, Miley turned to look at her father.
Can we, daddy?" she asked her father. Robbie Ray smiled.
"All right, darlin'… I think my girls could use a special treat. We'll go back to the hotel and change, then head for Anaheim." Miley and Lilly both ran over to Robbie Ray and encircled him in an excited hug.
"Thank you, daddy!" Miley gushed.
"You're the best dad ever!" Lilly added.
"This is turnin' out to be a good day after all," Miley said with a grin. "Get ready, Lils… we're headin' for the Happiest Place on Earth!"
"That's anyplace I'm with you," Lilly said sweetly. "I hear they have a really cool roller coaster there, where you go upside down through Mickey's head! We have to check that out!" Miley laughed.
"No promises," she teased, sticking her tongue out.