A/N: Well, I hope I got this chapter out at least a little faster than last time :) Thanks again to everyone who is still reading and reviewing this story... you guys are the best :)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Lilly gushed as she and Miley walked hand in hand up to the main gate of the Happiest Place on Earth. Beside her, Miley smiled.

"As long as you don't pull my arm off," she teased. Robbie Ray had decided to occupy himself elsewhere, leaving Miley and Lilly to enjoy the rest of their day alone together.

"Hey, can I help it if I'm excited?" Lilly replied. "I've always wanted to come here, and now I finally have the chance… and with my favorite person in the whole wide world!" Miley blushed.

"I love you too, Lils," she said softly, "and I'm really glad you're here with me." She smiled and squeezed Lilly's hand warmly.

"So what do you want to do first?" Lilly asked excitedly.

"How about we get through the gate first?" Miley quipped. "After that, we can do anything you want." With that, they made their way up to the entrance turnstiles and quickly passed through. Just beyond, the friendly face of Mickey Mouse stared out at them from a large, immaculately trimmed flower bed. As Miley and Lilly watched, a stream of sparkling lights suddenly illuminated the flower bed, appearing to have come from the magic wand of a small statue of Tinker Bell nearby.

"That is so cool!" Lilly exclaimed. She reached into her purse and pulled out her digital camera. "Good thing I brought my camera!" she said with a grin.

"Let's take a picture together," Miley suggested. "Please?" she asked innocently, looking for all the world like a child who might burst into tears if she couldn't have her favorite cookie.

"You know I can't resist when you look at me like that," Lilly whispered, smiling.

"It's a gift," Miley said teasingly. Lilly laughed.

"Yes, we can take a picture together, Smiley… there's no one else I'd rather take one with," she whispered. Smiling, Miley leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Come on!" she said, grabbing Lilly's hand again and pulling her over to Mickey's huge floral portrait. They found a friendly passer-by who agreed to take their picture and quickly posed together. Miley wrapped her arms around Lilly and gently leaned her head against her girlfriend's shoulder. Lilly put her arms around Miley as well and pulled her close. Smiling happily in each other's embrace, they turned to face the camera. The camera flashed a moment later, and Miley and Lilly rushed over to see how it turned out.

"I am so putting that up in my room!" Lilly said happily when she saw the finished picture. "Thank you!" The stranger who had taken it, a young woman not much older than Miley and Lilly, smiled.

"You're welcome," she replied. "You two are adorable together, you know. Don't ever let anyone come between you." Miley and Lilly shared a stunned look.

"I'm sorry," the stranger said softly. "I hope I didn't embarrass you."

"No," Miley answered. "It's just… how did you know we're together?" she asked. The young woman smiled again.

"The way you look at each other," she said simply. "It's the same way my girlfriend and I look at each other when we're together." Miley couldn't help blushing a little.

"Busted," Lilly quipped. The young woman laughed and handed back Lilly's camera.

"Well, I'd better be going. Take care you two… and have fun."

"We will," Miley responded, "and thanks." The young woman smiled and walked away. Miley and Lilly smiled back and waved goodbye to her.

"I wish more people could be as understanding as she was," Miley said wistfully.

"Me too," Lilly admitted. "Someday, everyone will open their eyes and see that love is beautiful, no matter what." Miley looked at the woman she loved and smiled, tears in her eyes.

"I love you, Lilly," she whispered.

"I love you too, Miley," Lilly whispered back, an adoring smile on her face. They shared a short, soft kiss.

"So… where should we go first, m'lady?" Lilly asked, grinning widely as she put her arm around Miley's shoulders.

"Well, let's see what our friendly little map has to offer," Miley replied. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the souvenir map they were giving away at the front gate. Snuggling close to Lilly, she opened the map and held it out so they could both see.

"How about It's A Small World?" Miley suggested. Lilly arched an amused eyebrow.

"Wanna start small, huh?" she asked teasingly. Miley laughed.

"We can ride the Matterhorn Bobsleds after, okay?" she replied. "A 'breathtaking bobsled ride down the icy slopes of the majestic Matterhorn' oughta have in me your lap in no time!"

"Sounds good to me," Lilly said with a grin.

"Thought so," Miley said with a smirk. "Come on… let's hit those rides!"

"…though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide, it's a small world after all!" Miley sang happily as she and Lilly walked over to the Matterhorn. Lilly squeezed her hand and smiled.

"I swear, I'm gonna be hearing that song in my sleep," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry, that was just such a cute ride!" Miley gushed. "Didn't you think so?"

"Yeah, it was," Lilly admitted. "I'm ready for something a little faster now, though!" Miley laughed.

"I know what that means," she said with a grin. "All right, let's see what those bobsleds are like!" Fortunately, the line wasn't too long, and soon Miley and Lilly were on the ride for the very first time. They both shrieked with delight as they careened down the towering mountain, and again in terror as the abominable snowman suddenly appeared out of the darkness. Eventually the ride came to a quick, watery end and the two girlfriends climbed off, holding on to each other and laughing.

"That was great!" Lilly laughed. "Oh Miley, you should've seen your face!"

"I was too busy listening to you scream!" Miley giggled. She laid her head on Lilly's chest as she continued to laugh. "We gotta do that one again before we leave!"

"Deal," Lilly said with a grin. She reached up to wipe away her laughter-induced tears, but Miley gently did it for her, smiling as she did so.

"So where to now, my Silly Lilly?" Miley asked her sweetly.

"I don't know, what do you feel like, my Smiley Miley?" Lilly replied softly. At that moment, an announcer's voice suddenly boomed from a nearby loudspeaker, startling both girls.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls… please join us for Walt Disney's Very Merry Christmas Parade, a wondrous celebration of holiday magic starring Mickey Mouse and all his friends! Starting near It's A Small World in just a few minutes!"

"I think we have our answer," Lilly quipped, seeing the expression on Miley's face. "We can watch the parade."

"Thanks, Lils," Miley said happily.

"On one condition," Lilly continued, holding up a finger. "First, we get something to eat." Miley laughed.

"Sure, no problem; you want some popcorn or something?"

"I was thinking more like some ice cream," Lilly said thoughtfully.

"Ice cream?" Miley repeated. "In November?"

"There's no such thing as a bad time for ice cream," Lilly retorted playfully. She winked. "Trust me, that's just a nasty rumor." Miley shook her head, struggling not to laugh.

"Whatever you say, Lils," she managed. "Okay, ice cream it is."

"Woo hoo!" Lilly cheered. "Come on, I saw a cart back near Small World. We can grab us something to eat and then sit down and watch the parade!"

After the parade – and the ice cream - the girls headed over to New Orleans Square, where they decided to try Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion (which had actually been taken over by Jack Skellington and his crew, from "The Nightmare Before Christmas"). As they made their way back to 'the world of the living', a series of high-pitched screams caught their attention.

"What's that?" Lilly asked aloud.

"I'm guessing that," Miley replied, gesturing. Lilly looked where she was pointing and saw a towering, almost foreboding mountain rising into the distance. As Miley and Lilly watched, what appeared to be a log – full of people – went thundering down a steep drop, followed by a tremendous splash.

"Whoa," Lilly breathed. She turned to look at Miley, only to see a smile mirroring her own already on her girlfriend's face.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Lilly asked her. Miley nodded.

"You're sittin' in front though," she said quickly.

"Fine," Lilly replied, sticking her tongue out, "but if I get wet, you get wet!" Miley laughed.

"You're on, Truscott!" Hand in hand, they hurried over to the ride – which they learned was called Splash Mountain – and quickly got in line. It wasn't long before they were enjoying the log flume ride together, and as Lilly predicted, she was soaked to the skin by the time the ride was over. She made good on her 'threat' to soak Miley as well, snatching her girlfriend and pulling her into a wet hug the moment they stepped out of the log vehicle.

"Lilly!" Miley laughed. "Come on, you're getting me all wet!"

"That's the idea," Lilly said mischievously. Miley couldn't help but laugh again at her girlfriend's antics.

"All right, all right, you got me… now come on, let go!" she gasped. Lilly stubbornly shook her head.

"Nope," she said simply. She rested her head on Miley's shoulder, her still dripping wet hair quickly soaking through her best friend's shirt, but her arms stayed firmly wrapped around Miley.

"Lilly!" Miley laughed. Lilly grinned and shook her head again.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Miley managed, still laughing.

"Yup," Lilly quipped. "You know what else I am?" she asked.

"What's that?" Miley replied in an amused voice.

"In love with you," Lilly answered, smiling, "and I'm never gonna let you go, my Smiley Miley." Miley beamed.

"Better not, Silly Lilly," she said softly. She gave Lilly a soft peck on the lips and wrapped her arms around Lilly as well, letting the world around them slip away as she held the other half of her soul in a tight embrace.

After spending several long moments in each other's embrace, Lilly finally agreed to let Miley go, but jokingly promised she might again fall prey to the urge to just grab her girlfriend and not let go sometime in the future. As they continued to walk through and enjoy the park, Miley and Lilly eventually found their way to Adventureland, where they decided to try the Jungle Cruise.

It was much calmer, gentler experience than their last few rides, which proved to be a nice change of pace. Lilly was awestruck by how realistic all the animals on the ride looked. She and Miley both laughed at the skipper's quips and jokes throughout the ride, especially when he referred to the 'native uprising'… what was supposed to be the members of a lost safari, trapped at the top of a tall pole by an angry rhinoceros.

"I think they're getting the point," Lilly muttered, causing Miley to giggle.

"That was bad," she whispered back. Lilly just grinned.

"I wonder how they can do all this, though," she continued. "I mean, I know they're not real animals, but what are they… some kinda robots or something?"

"Something like that," one of their fellow passengers replied. He was a slightly older looking man, wearing a pair of golden Mickey Mouse ears and smiling broadly. He was holding the hand of a woman sitting beside him, and the girls assumed she was probably his wife. Based on the fact she was also wearing mouse ears – though hers looked more like Minnie Mouse – they were both apparently big Disney fans.

"They're called audio-animatronics," the man said. "They're like really sophisticated robots, that the Imagineers can program to move and act just like the real thing."

"What's an Imagin… Imaginee… whatever you just said?" Lilly asked, struggling with the new word. Beside her, she could hear Miley struggling not to laugh.

"Stop it, Miles," Lilly whispered, giggling a little herself. "You're gonna embarrass me!"

"I'd never do that, Lils," Miley said half-seriously. Lilly turned to look at her, arching an amused eyebrow.

"Uh huh," she muttered. "Keep it up, and next time I won't let go of you!"

"Promise?" Miley replied, wagging her eyebrows slightly. Lilly took one look at her and had to fight not to laugh out loud.

"Sorry," she said to the man as she turned to face him again. "My girlfriend's just being silly."

"Look who's talking," Miley added under her breath.

"That's all right," the man said, flashing a friendly smile. "Anyway, Imagineers are the people who dream up and build all the wonderful attractions here. They're called that because first they 'Imagine' and then they 'Engineer' all the magical things people love about Disneyland… like the animals here on the Jungle Cruise."

"That's pretty neat," Lilly admitted. "I bet that'd be an awesome job to have." The man nodded.

"I think so too," he agreed. "I've always thought it would be a lot of fun to work here." By then, the boat was pulling up to the dock again, signaling the end of the ride.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," Lilly said to the man. "Thanks for answering my question too," she added with a smile.

"My pleasure," the man replied. "By the way, I'm Gary, and this is my wife Kathy. We come here all the time."

"I'm Lilly, and this is my girlfriend Miley," Lilly responded. "This is actually our first time here, but after all the fun we've had today, we're definitely gonna have to come back soon!"

The girls spent most of the rest of the day enjoying their very first visit to Disneyland as only they could, riding and experiencing as much as possible. Eventually, they found themselves visiting some of the shops on Main Street, taking a few moments to relax. In one such shop, called 'The Emporium', Lilly tried to sweet talk Miley into buying a matching set of Mickey Mouse ears.

"Come on Miley, they're cute!" Lilly pleaded. "We can even get our names on them!"

"You really want them that bad?" Miley asked carefully. Lilly nodded… and then did her best impression of a sad, begging puppy.

"That's not fair!" Miley half-whined, half-laughed. "How am I supposed to say to say no to that?"

"You're not," Lilly said teasingly. Miley laughed again and shook her head.

"All right, Lils, you win; we can buy the ear hats." She held up one finger. "I get to pick out mine, though!" Lilly nodded excitedly.

"Sure!" she exclaimed. "Let's go!" After a few minutes, Miley chose a pink 'ear hat' with a tiny tiara and veil and "Disney Princess" written on the front of it. Lilly picked a set of black Minnie Mouse ears, with her trademark red and white polka dot bow on the top between the ears and Minnie herself on the front, along with the words "Love and Kisses, Minnie Mouse". They both got their names embroidered on the back of the hats and proudly wore them as they walked out of the park to meet Miley's father in the Downtown Disney shopping and dining district.

"That is the biggest Christmas tree I've ever seen," Lilly remarked as they passed by the towering, sparkling evergreen near the main entrance. Miley nodded.

"Me, too," she agreed. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"We should get our picture taken near it," Lilly said thoughtfully. "…with our mouse ears!" Miley smiled.

"I think I'd like that," she said softly. They paused for a moment near the huge Christmas tree and posed for a quick picture, which Lilly snapped with her small camera. Miley grinned when she saw the results.

"That one's going up on my room!" she said happily. Eventually, the girls met up with Robbie Ray just outside the huge 'World of Disney' store.

"Looks like you two had fun," he said with a smirk. "Nice ears, by the way."

"They're cute," Miley replied, feigning hurt feelings. "So what have you been doing while we off having fun, daddy?"

"Actually… I spent most of my thinking," Robbie Ray admitted.

"Thinking?" Miley repeated. "Thinking about what?"

"About what happened back at the record company," her father said heavily. "I want you to know bud, I'm behind you and Lilly all the way, and I would never let anyone do anything to hurt you. I'm really proud of the way you handled things."

"Thanks, daddy," Miley said softly. "It just… makes me so mad, when people treat me and Lilly like that."

"I know," Robbie Ray agreed. "It made me pretty darn mad too. Nobody treats my little girl that way." Miley smiled, tears filling her eyes.

"Trying to make me cry again?" she teased her father.

"Nah," Robbie Ray said with a smile. "I think you've shed enough tears for one day." He paused for a moment.

"Do you still want to do this, bud? Being Hannah, I mean?" he asked her carefully. Miley thought about it for a long, silent moment.

"Not if it means having to deal with people like that," she answered, referring to the hateful little man they'd met earlier at the record company.

"What if there were a way we could still do this, and not have to deal with him at all?" Robbie Ray continued.

"Daddy… what are you saying?" Miley asked him, clearly not understanding.

"I know how much you want this, bud… I've seen how happy it's made you," Robbie Ray said gently. He smiled. "Not nearly as happy as Lilly makes you, I know, but I've seen the way your eyes light up whenever you hold that microphone and start to sing. I'd hate for you to lose all that just because of one stuck up, bigoted asshole."

"Daddy!" Miley gasped. She'd never heard him swear before, not even once.

"Sorry darlin', but he was," Robbie Ray said simply, smiling a little. "It's all up to you bud, but if you still want to go through with this… there's a way you can."

"How?" Miley asked carefully.

"I spoke with Mr. Lebeck, and told him what happened," Robbie Ray said slowly. "He had some choice words for the folks back at the record company; seems they've placed Mr. Corbin on some kinda suspension."

"Good," Lilly said sullenly. "He deserved it." Robbie Ray nodded.

"He deserved a lot more than that, if you ask me," he said quickly. "Anyway, if you're still willin'.... Mr. Lebeck wants you to come back to his studio and record your album with him. He'll be the only one runnin' the show; you'll never have to deal with the rest of those jerks again." Miley looked over at Lilly, hope beginning to dawn in her eyes.

"What do you think, Lils?" she asked softly.

"I think it's up to you, Miles," Lilly repled. She grinned. "I bet it'll really aggravate that Corbin jerk when he sees your album at the top of the charts after everything he said."

"I bet it would," Miley agreed, grinning as well. She looked over at her father again.

"All right, daddy… I'm willin' to try one more time. Call Mr. Lebeck and tell him he's got a deal!"