A/N: I would've posted this sooner, but the site was having some issues yesterday. Anyway, I promise the story is still going strong, and I hope you're all still following along with me :) As always, please let me know what you think :) Oh, and I've started thinking about a new story: another of my Liley versions of movies (speaking of which, SHEHASMYHEART does the absolute best Liley versions of HM episodes ever, you should check them out). I'll give you a hint - maybe you can let me know if you like the idea :) Lilly - "Nobody puts Miley in a corner..." :)
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
THE REAL ME
"So what'd your dad say?" Lilly asked as Miley made her way back to the Olympic-sized swimming pool at their hotel.
"The mechanic's still working on the tour bus," Miley replied simply. "The parts he needs won't arrive until tomorrow, and it's gonna take him a while to do the repairs. It looks like we won't be able to get back on the road 'til Wednesday."
"Well, at least the thing decided to break down while we were still in Nashville," Lilly quipped. "We could've ended up stranded on the side of the road somewhere."
"You're right, being stranded near a swimming pool is much better," Miley said with a grin. She placed her cell phone on the table beside their clothes – where Roxy was still sunbathing – and gently slid back into the cool water beside Lilly.
"You just like looking at me in a bikini," Lilly teased her. Miley blushed slightly.
"Busted," she said softly. She drew a finger slowly across Lilly's bare shoulder. "You without the bikini is even better," she added in a playful whisper.
"Careful," Lilly managed, trying to ignore the sensations caused by Miley's gentle touch. "We're not exactly alone."
"Hey, guys!" an excited voice called out. Miley and Lilly looked up to see their new friend Felicia climbing into the pool as well. Over the few days they had been stuck in Nashville, they had spent more time with her, and gradually she had become a good friend.
"I, um… I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Felicia asked carefully, noticing just how close 'Hannah' and 'Lola' were standing together.
"Not at all," Miley said simply. "We were just talking. How was your day, Felicia?"
"Not too bad," Felicia replied. "I'm up for a couple of commercials next week. It's not much, but a least it's work."
"That's the spirit," Lilly replied. "You'll make your big breakthrough yet, red!" Felicia grinned at Lilly's nickname for her.
"Thanks Lilly, I hope so," she answered. "There are times being a struggling actress really sucks."
"Well, today you can just rest and relax," Miley told her with a smile.
"After we play a game," Lilly added. Miley and Felicia both looked at her.
"A game?" Miley repeated.
"What kind of game?" Felicia pressed.
"Marco Polo," Lilly replied with a grin. Miley's mouth dropped open.
"You're not serious," she managed.
"Why, afraid you're gonna lose?" Lilly taunted her playfully.
"Ooh, now that sounds like a challenge," Felicia quipped. "What do you say, Hannah? We can take her!" Miley's own grin grew.
"All right… but if anyone asks, this wasn't my idea!" she exclaimed. Lilly made her way over to the side of the pool and turned around.
"Ready?" she called out. "Marco!"
"Polo!" Felicia and Miley shouted back. Lilly began to splash towards them. Miley and Felicia tried their best to get away from her, but the athletic blonde tomboy wasn't so easily defeated. Their own giggling didn't exactly make it easy for them to hide, either. Finally, Lilly managed to grab Miley from behind, all but jumping onto her back with a triumphant shout.
"Gotcha!" Lilly exclaimed.
"Okay, okay, you got me!" Miley laughed out loud. "Now let me go!"
"Make me," Lilly whispered into Miley's ear.
"You're getting my wig wet," Miley whispered back. "We don't wanna accidentally show Felicia somethin' she doesn't need to see."
"Fine," Lilly said with a mischievous grin, "but later, your cute little butt is mine, Miley Ray Stewart."
"Is that a promise?" Miley replied softly.
"You know it," Lilly told her, and she punctuated her statement with a small, gentle kiss on the side of Miley's neck. Miley shivered appreciatively. Grinning, Lilly released her girlfriend and stood up again. When she did so, however, she accidentally dislodged Miley's blonde wig.
"Eep!" Lilly exclaimed. "I'm so sorry Miles! Quick, go get yourself straightened out, I'll distract Felicia!" Miley nodded and hurried away.
"What's wrong with Hannah?" Felicia asked worriedly.
"She, um… started getting a nose bleed," Lilly lied. "She'll be all right, don't worry."
"I hope it wasn't because of our game," Felicia said.
"No, it's okay…" Lilly started to say. She turned around to face Felicia, only to end up accidentally crashing into the redhead. Felicia fell back into the water with a splash.
"Oh! Felicia, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Felicia managed as Lilly helped her back to her feet. "Just a little shaken, I guess."
"I'm so sorry!" Lilly gasped. "I should've been watching where I was going!"
"Hey, no harm done," Felicia insisted. She looked up at Lilly and shyly. "You know, you have… really pretty eyes."
"Uh, thanks," Lilly replied nervously.
"I'm sorry Lola," Felicia said quickly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"You didn't," Lilly insisted. "I'm just not used to, um… compliments like that."
From anyone but Miley, she thought uneasily.
"Really?" Felicia said softly. "I'd have thought someone like you would get plenty of compliments, Lola." For a brief moment, Lilly forgot she still had her arms around Felicia, that she hadn't let go after helping the redhead to her feet. Then, suddenly, she felt Felicia's warm breath on her cheek, and a pair of soft lips near her own. For a brief moment, Lilly felt herself start to move forward… before ultimately jumping back as she finally became aware of her surroundings again.
"Felicia?!"
"I'm sorry!" the young redhead gasped, close to tears. "I, I thought…!"
"Take it easy," Lilly said softly. "You didn't do anything wrong, Felicia, honestly. Under any other circumstances, I'd be really flattered."
"But not now," Felicia said sadly.
"No," Lilly said honestly. "I'm sorry, Felicia, but there's something I think you should know." Felicia stared at Lilly for a long moment.
"You and Hannah?" she guessed. Lilly blinked.
"How did you know that?" she managed.
"The two of you have always been really close, ever since I first met you," Felicia reasoned. "I've seen the way you look at each other too, when you think no one's watching."
"I, uh… wow," Lilly whispered. "Here we thought we were doing really good keeping our secret." She looked up at Felicia again.
"You can't tell anyone," she said seriously. Felicia started to open her mouth, but Lilly interrupted whatever she might have been about to say.
"We're not ashamed, if that's what you're thinking," the blonde tomboy said quickly. "I just don't want anything to happen to Hannah's career. She's been through so much to get here, and I won't let anything hurt what she's worked so hard for."
"You really love her, don't you?" Felicia asked carefully.
"More than anything," Lilly said softly, "and I'd do anything to protect her."
"I understand," Felicia replied in a gentle voice. "I won't tell anyone, I promise." Lilly smiled.
"Good," she said happily. "Let's just put this whole thing behind us, okay?"
"Maybe I should just go," Felicia said, turning away slightly. "I don't want things to get awkward…"
"Hey," Lilly said gently, gripping the redhead's hands so she couldn't leave. "You're still our friend, Felicia. You didn't do anything wrong."
"I tried to kiss you," Felicia pointed out guiltily. Lilly nodded.
"Yeah, I kinda noticed," she said teasingly. "For the record though, it's not a crime. You just need to understand that Hannah and I are together, and nothing's gonna change that, all right?" Felicia nodded slowly.
"I'd never try to come between you two," she said honestly.
"I know," Lilly responded warmly. "Now, I'm gonna go see how Hannah's doing and then we can get back to our game, okay? And I'm still gonna kick your butts!"
Hundreds of miles away, back in their small hometown of Pine Ridge, Tennessee, someone else was thinking about Miley as well. Unlike Lilly however, her thoughts were anything but kind.
As she continued cleaning the few tables outside of the small fast food restaurant known as The Walk-Up, where she worked to earn a meager salary, Luanne Stewart's only thoughts for her twin cousin Miley were ones of contempt. For as long as she could remember, Miley had always been the one to get all the attention. In the eyes of the rest of their family, she had always seemed to be the favorite child, the one who could do no wrong… while Luanne herself struggled for everything she had. It wasn't fair… and the latest insult was by far the worst.
"Hannah Montana stuns in sold out show," Luanne hissed as she read the headline of the local newspaper on the table in front of her. "Congratulations, cousin… it looks like you've outdone me yet again!" With an angry sweep of her hand, Luanne sent the paper flying.
"Why should you get all the fame and glory, while I sit here cleaning up day-old leftovers and greasy burger wrappers?!" she growled. "Why do I always have to live in your shadow?!"
"Talkin' to yourself again?" a familiar voice called out. Luanne turned to see her boyfriend Travis walking towards her. He bent down and picked up the paper Luanne had angrily hurled away a few minutes before.
"Who's this?" he asked.
"My favorite cousin," Luanne said icily.
"What?" Travis replied in a stunned voice. "This is Miley?"
"Amazing what a little blonde wig can do huh?" Luanne retorted. "She's just another Hollywood big shot now."
"You sound almost… jealous, Lu," Travis said carefully.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Luanne retorted. "She's always getting the best of everything!"
"There's nothin' wrong with the way you are, Lu," Travis said gently. Luanne whirled around.
"I want more!" she shouted angrily. "I deserve more!" She clenched her hands into fists.
"Will you help me with something?" she asked her boyfriend after a moment.
"You're not gonna hurt her, are you?" Travis asked, already somehow sensing what his girlfriend was thinking. Luanne's eyes glimmered with something dangerous.
"No more than she's hurt me..." she whispered.
"What do you think?" Miley asked, gesturing at the picture on the monitor of her laptop computer. As one of the conditions of her agreeing to the tour, the record company had given it to Miley so she and Lilly could continue their studies online. At the moment, as they made their way to Hannah's next show – in Dallas, Texas - they were using it to focus on something much more pleasant: plans for their wedding.
"It's beautiful Miles!" Lilly gushed, staring at the small church showing on the screen. "Where is this?"
"A little place called Franklin, not far from Pine Ridge," Miley replied. "It's where my parents were married."
"Do you think they'd marry us there?" Lilly asked carefully. Miley frowned slightly and Lilly swallowed.
"You know I'm not ashamed of us!" she said quickly. "I love you and I don't care what anyone thinks. It's just that, well… not everyone is quite so open-minded." Miley smiled warmly.
"I know," she said softly. "I love you, too, Lilly Bear, and I always will." She took Lilly's hand in her own and gently squeezed it.
"Anyway," she continued, "the pastor is my uncle, so we won't have any problems."
"Your uncle?" Lilly repeated. "Really?"
"Yup, my Uncle Steven on my mom's side," Miley said with a smile. "So what do you think?"
"Getting married in the same church your mom and dad did?" Lilly grinned. "I have to admit, it does sound romantic…."
"Is that a yes?" Miley asked warmly.
"It's a yes," Lilly replied. She leaned forward to gently kiss her fiancé's lips. Miley pulled her close, deepening the kiss, until the world seemed to fade away around them.
"Mmmm…" Lilly whispered. "Is there more where that came from?"
"Later," Miley promised her in a seductive voice.
"Tease," Lilly said playfully. "Okay, so now we know where we're gonna get married… how about when?"
"Well, you know I can't wait to call you mine forever," Miley said softly, smiling.
"How about right after your tour is over?" Lilly suggested.
"It's gonna take a lot of work to get everything ready that soon," Miley replied. She smiled again. "I'm willing if you are."
"Count me in," Lilly said with a grin. She wrapped her arms around Miley and pulled her close.
"You know what I'm really looking forward to?" she asked after a moment.
"The honeymoon?" Miley replied in a teasing voice, wagging her eyebrows to match her suggestive words. Lilly blushed slightly.
"No," she managed, trying not to laugh at the suddenly wounded expression on her best friend's face. "Okay, yes, I'm looking forward to our honeymoon a lot, but that's not what I meant!"
"What then?" Miley asked her, grinning.
"Spending the rest of my life with you," Lilly said softly, and the honesty in her words made Miley want to cry.
"Do you remember when we first met?" Lilly continued. Miley nodded.
"Of course I do, Lils," she answered, her voice growing hoarse with emotion. "It was our first day of school, back in third grade. You gave up jumping rope – your favorite thing in the world – just to spend time with someone you didn't even know."
"You looked so sad and lonely, all by yourself on that playground," Lilly said gently. "You needed a friend."
"As soon as I saw you smile though, I knew I was in trouble," she added with a grin.
"Really?" Miley asked softly, smiling as well. Lilly nodded.
"Uh huh; I got this warm, funny feeling inside… and right then and there I knew I'd do anything just to see you smile again." Swallowing, Miley leaned forward until their noses were gently touching.
"Of course, back then I never thought we'd end up getting married… but how many people can say they get to spend the rest of their lives with their gorgeous best friend?" Lilly's tone was light and teasing, but she meant every word. She watched a single tear slowly trickle down Miley's cheek and gently kissed it away.
"I'll always be right here beside you," she whispered. "I love you, Miley… and I don't ever want to love anyone else." Miley instantly captured Lilly's lips in a fiery kiss, wrapping her arms around the woman she ready to spend the rest of her life with as warm tears streamed down her face.
"Forever," she whispered to the blonde tomboy who held her heart. Lilly smiled through tears of her own.
"Forever," she promised, and then she claimed Miley's lips in another wonderful kiss.
"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Travis Brody asked his girlfriend carefully as they sped towards Dallas in his small car.
"More than anything," Luanne said softly, "and you promised you'd help me."
"You know I will," Travis insisted. "It's just, you and Miley have never gotten along all that well. How do you even know she'll even talk to you?"
"You just get me backstage, I'll worry about getting Miley to listen to me," Luanne replied. "Besides, all I want to do is talk. I don't think my dear, sweet cousin would turn me down." She was lying, of course; talking was the last thing on Luanne's mind, but she knew Travis would never help her if he knew what she was really planning. Still, if all went well, she'd finally have what she always wanted, and no one would be any the wiser… not even Travis.
"How much longer?" she asked him abruptly.
"Just about two hours," Travis replied. "We'll be there by supper time."
"Maybe we could find a nice place to have dinner when we get there," he suggested with a warm smile. As sweet as Travis was, Luanne couldn't bring herself to return her boyfriend's smile. Her thoughts were far away, focused on what she would soon seize for herself, and until that was reality, nothing else mattered.
"That sounds great," Luanne replied in a distant voice. She managed a fake smile, and then she turned away to stare out the window again, into the distance… and the unknown future that awaited her
Twenty four hours later, American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas came alive with the excitement of another sold-out Hannah Montana concert. Somewhere amidst the huge crowds, a girl who looked suspiciously like the guest of honor made her way over to the group of security guards blocking access to the backstage area.
"I'm sorry miss, you can't come back here," one of the guards said simply.
"I just really want to meet Hannah!" the brown haired girl gushed. "Please?"
"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to leave," the guard said again. He reached out to take her by the wrist, as if to lead her away, but another voice interrupted him.
"Hey, leave her alone!" an angry-sounding voice called out. A young man with short dirty blonde hair, wearing a black cowboy hat, rushed over.
"I saw that! You were going to hurt her!" the young man shouted.
"What?!" the guard exclaimed in a stunned voice.
"Did ya'll see that?" the young man shouted to all the people around them. "He was seriously gonna hurt her!"
"Now wait a minute…!" the security guard shouted back, starting to get angry.
"We don't have to put up with this!" the blonde haired young man exclaimed. The crowd of people gather around them began echo similar thoughts, and very quickly the situation began to get very ugly.
"Good job Travis," Luanne whispered to herself. With everyone – security guards and crowds of onlookers alike – otherwise occupied, Luanne took the opportunity to slip past the metal gate behind them and into the passageways leading backstage.
"I think this crowd is even wilder than the last one, if that's possible!" Lilly exclaimed excitedly. She and Miley were in her dressing room, getting ready for the big show.
"I still can't believe they're all here just to see me," Miley replied as she applied some ruby red lipstick.
"You're just that good," Lilly said with smile. "I always knew you could do this."
"Thanks, Lils," Miley said warmly. "I couldn't have done it without you, though."
"You can thank me properly later," Lilly said with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes. "Right now, you've got a lot of excited fans waiting for you." Miley arched an eyebrow.
"I'm sure I can think of all sorts of ways to thank you," she said in a saucy voice. "Now could you hand me the eye shadow?"
"You don't need it, you know," Lilly told her best friend as she handed over the pale blue cylinder.
"I don't?" Miley asked in an uncertain voice.
"Nope," Lilly insisted. "You're already beautiful." She grinned widely and Miley couldn't help blushing a little.
"So are you," Miley managed with a shy smile of her own. The sudden sound of Lilly's stomach growling interrupted the moment.
"Maybe you should go get something to eat, Lils," Miley said with a grin. "You know how the beast gets if you don't feed her!"
"Well, the sushi did look pretty good," Lilly said thoughtfully, remembering all the delicious food prepared earlier by the caterers.
"Go ahead," Miley told her with a smile. "I'll be here when you get back."
"Okay, be right back!" Lilly called out, and she rushed out the door. Grinning, Miley turned back to the mirror she had been staring into and reached for her blonde wig. All but lost in her preparations, Miley barely heard the door creak open behind her a few moments later. Assuming it was Lilly returning from her snack break, she didn't even turn around.
"That you Lils?" Miley called out.
"Not quite… cuz," a soft, menacing voice replied. Miley started to turn around, but a strong hand suddenly clamped itself over her mouth, all but smothering her with a small white cloth. The cloth was slightly damp, and Miley could smell something slightly sweet. She struggled valiantly for a moment, but darkness quickly claimed her, and she went limp into her sudden assailant's arms.
"What do you know, this stuff really works," Luanne quipped. She smiled coldly.
"Don't worry cuz, I'm not gonna hurt you… you're just gonna get a taste of how the rest of us live…"
By the time Lilly returned to the dressing room, snack in hand, Luanne had already removed any evidence of her unexpected entrance and was beginning to dress herself as Hannah.
"Dang, I thought you'd be ready by now!" Lilly exclaimed. "What's takin' you so long Miles?"
"Oh, just uh… wanna make sure everything's just right, you know?" Luanne lied.
"Uh huh," Lilly replied, not at all convinced. "Hey… I thought you already put on lipstick?" Luanne froze, the makeup still in her hand.
"Just wanna make sure I look good," she muttered.
"Come on Miles, we already went through this," Lilly said with a small smile. "You don't need makeup to be beautiful remember?" She walked slowly over to the young woman she thought was her fiancée and gently rested her hand on top of Luanne's. The brunette instantly jerked her hand away.
"Don't touch me!" she shouted. Lilly jumped back, a hurt expression on her face.
"Miley, jeez! What's wrong with you?!"
"I'm not like you," Luanne retorted. "I'll never be like you... or my precious cousin."
"You're not Miley," Lilly replied, realization dawning on her.
"Good guess," Luanne quipped. "You're smarter than you look." Lilly's hands clenched themselves into fists. Seized by a sudden unreasoning fury, she darted forward, grabbing Luanne by the front of her dress.
"Where is she?" she demanded. "What have you done with Miley?!"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Luanne said coldly.
"Tell me!" Lilly screamed.
"Go to hell," Luanne growled. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the small clear bottle still sitting on a table nearby – where she'd left it after dealing with Miley and changing herself into Hannah – and a plan quickly formed in her head. Angrily swatting Lilly's hands away from her, Luanne dove for the bottle. The blonde haired tomboy saw where she was heading however, and jumped on her back. With a shout, Luanne elbowed Lilly in the gut and tossed her off, then dove for her prize again. Reaching for a nearby towel, she wrapped it around the small bottle and then smashed it against the ground. Lilly jumped towards Luanne again, but the treacherous brunette was ready for her. Whirling around, she caught Lilly and pressed the soaking towel against the furious blonde's face. Lilly fought as hard as she could, but the chloroform was too much for her, and she finally collapsed, going limp in Luanne's arms.
"Say goodnight blondie," Luanne growled in triumph.
Much later, Lilly found herself slowing regaining consciousness in a dark, filthy back alley. With a groan, the blonde tomboy carefully opened her eyes and began to take in her surroundings.
"Ohhh… what… where…?" She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. She could tell it was late at night, and she began to worry that the concert was already over.
"Where did that lunatic leave me?" she wondered aloud. Slowly, carefully, she rose to her feet.
"Looks like some kinda alley," Lilly muttered to herself. She wrinkled her nose. "Smells like one too." Gritting her teeth, she started to walk.
"Time to worry about my nose later; I gotta find Miley!" She took a few steps, only to suddenly trip on something lying directly in her path.
"Whoa, what the…!" Lilly looked down, and her heart all but stopped when she saw a familiar spray of long, curly brown hair. Dropping to her knees, Lilly reached out with trembling fingers and carefully turned the still form of the young woman over, revealing the face of the woman she loved.
"Oh my god! Miley!!" Tears in her eyes, Lilly pulled Miley to her. "Come on baby, wake up! Please!!"
"L-Lilly…?" a soft, distant voice replied.
"I'm here, Miles! I'm here!" Lilly gasped. Miley's eyes slowly opened.
"What… what happened…?" Miley managed.
"Some nutcase is trying to take your place as Hannah," Lilly said carefully. Miley groaned and tried to sit up.
"Heck, take it easy!" Lilly exclaimed. "Give yourself some time to wake up!"
"What… what did she look like?" Miley demanded.
"Well, actually… she looked just like you," Lilly said after a moment. "I swear, I even thought she was you, at first."
"Luanne," Miley muttered.
"Who?" Lilly repeated.
"My cousin," Miley answered, carefully rising to her feet. "She's my cousin…my twin cousin." Lilly blinked
"You have an identical twin cousin?" she exclaimed.
"It's a long story," Miley replied wearily. "Our dads are twin brothers, okay?"
"Right, sorry," Lilly apologized. "Tell you what, you can tell me all about it later; right now, let's find your lunatic cousin and shut her down!" At that moment, the sound a loud diesel engine caught their attention. Miley and Lilly looked up just in time to see a huge bus roar past them. With matching expressions of horror, they both recognized it as Hannah Montana's tour bus.
"Oh my god… Miley, they're leaving us!" She turned to look her fiancée, her arm wrapped protectively around Miley's shoulders.
"We've gotta catch them! Where are they supposed to be going tonight?" Lilly asked her quickly.
"Denver," Miley managed to reply. Lilly looked at her with wide eyes.
"W-what?!" Lilly gasped.
"I think… we're in trouble, Lils..."