A/N: I hope you're all still with me :)
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
THINGS TO COME
As the morning sun rose over the mountains of Tennessee, it found two young lovers wrapped in each other's arms, safe inside their tent. Miley woke up first, a familiar scent tantalizing her senses. Realizing her father was already outside cooking breakfast, she gently turned around to face her blonde haired best friend, still snuggled in her sleeping bag.
"Time to get up, Lils," Miley whispered sweetly to her girlfriend. Lilly groaned.
"C'mon Miles, the sun's barely up," she muttered. "How can you be so cheerful this danged early?"
"Because today we get to go hiking up the mountain all by ourselves," Miley said warmly. "No parents, no annoying older brother, just you and me!"
"Can't we go hiking later?" Lilly managed, her face still buried in her sleeping bag.
"I guess," Miley said carefully. "But then we'd miss daddy's famous sourdough pancakes for breakfast…" A single sapphire blue eye peeked out from inside Lilly's sleeping bag.
"Sourdough pancakes?" she asked eagerly. Miley grinned.
"Uh huh… all you can eat," she responded. The top of Lilly's head slowly began to emerge from within her sleeping bag as well.
"With plenty of butter and syrup?" the blonde tomboy pressed. Miley laughed.
"Yes, silly," she said simply. "Now doesn't that sound like something worth getting up early for?"
"See ya outside, I'll try to leave some for you!" Lilly said quickly as she suddenly shot out of her sleeping bag. Miley grabbed her best friend before she could get very far, giggling as she wrapped her arms around Lilly from behind.
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked in a slightly husky voice.
"You're right," Lilly said after a moment. "Where'd I leave my fork last night?"
"Lilly!" Miley exclaimed, only half-seriously. Lilly grinned.
"You know I'd never forget about you Miles," she said softly. She turned around so she and Miley were facing each other. "C'mere you…" She pulled Miley to her and they shared a gentle good morning kiss.
"Much better," Miley purred once they parted. She squeezed Lilly in a hug, sighing contentedly.
"Now can we eat?" Lilly asked teasingly.
After a hearty breakfast – especially in Lilly's case – the two best friends got dressed and headed out on their hike. Robbie Ray and Heather made the girls promise to take their cell phones with them, just in case, and for the first time she could remember,
Miley honestly didn't want to do so.
"They just want us to be careful Miles," Lilly reminded her girlfriend as they carefully made their way along a well-used path through the woods.
"I know," Miley said quietly. "I just wanted to ignore the rest of the world for once."
"It's just you and me today, okay?" Lilly said gently. "No one and nothin's gonna stop us from having a good time… and that includes you, Miss Grumpy!" She ran her fingers up and down over Miley's ribs, tickling her from behind, and the secret pop star shrieked with laughter.
"All right, all right, I give!" she giggled. "You win!"
"Good," Lilly said with a satisfied grin on her face. She reached out and joined her hand with one of Miley's. "So you gonna tell me where you're takin' me?"
"You'll see," Miley said with a smile. "It's not far from here."
"Fine, be that way," Lilly retorted. "But no more kisses for you!"
"Like you could last!" Miley said teasingly. Lilly was just about to respond when a loud cracking nose practically made her jump into Miley's arms.
"What the heck was that?!" she managed.
"Probably just a critter of some kind," Miley replied simply. She peered carefully into the brush ahead, and her eyes widened when she saw a small fawn carefully nibbling on some grass.
"Lilly, look!" she whispered urgently. "It's a baby deer!" Carefully holding onto Miley, Lilly peeked out from behind her best friend.
"Oh, it's so cute!" Lilly squealed. The fawn's head shot up, its keen ears picking up the sudden noise.
"Quiet or you'll scare it!" Miley hissed. They stood there watching the fawn together for several long moments. Then, amazingly, the fawn turned and stared back at them. Its big brown eyes locked with theirs, and it seemed to freeze in place. How long the amazing moment lasted they didn't know, but finally the fawn scampered away. Miley looked over at Lilly and smiled.
"That was incredible," she breathed. She gently squeezed Lilly's hand.
"Have you ever seen anything like that before?" Lilly managed.
"I've seen deer once or twice before," Miley admitted, "but I've never seen one just stand still like that." She grinned.
"I'm really glad I got to share that with you, Lils," she whispered. Lilly eagerly returned the smile.
"Me, too Miles… me too."
Not quite fifteen minutes later, the girls reached a small clearing, empty except for a large rotting log in the center of it. Miley lead Lilly over to the log and they carefully sat down on it, setting their backpacks down on the ground in front of them.
"What do you think?" Miley asked softly.
"You've been here before?" Lilly replied. Miley nodded.
"Jackson and I found it a long time ago," she said carefully. "We used to pretend it was our own little playground." She smiled.
"I wanted to share it with you," she said gently. Lilly grinned.
"That really means a lot to me, Miles." She gave Miley a quick, gentle kiss on the lips. "You must be the sweetest girlfriend ever!"
"I was gonna say that about you," Miley said lightly, her smile growing. The sudden sound of someone's stomach growling turned the smile into a laugh.
"Sounds like someone's hungry again," Miley quipped. "Ready for a snack?" Lilly nodded eagerly and Miley reached into her backpack, pulling out two bags of homemade trail mix. She handed one of them to Lilly, who tore into it hungrily. Miley grinned and ate a handful or two from her own bag.
"I wish every day could be like this," she sighed contentedly.
"Like what?" Lilly asked.
"No Hannah, no fans, just you and me and peace and quiet," Miley said simply.
"Works for me," Lilly said with a grin. "Then I can do this…" She leaned in and gently kissed Miley again.
"You can do that anytime you want, Lils," Miley said warmly. "You and no one else."
"Is that a promise?" Lilly asked with a smirk. Miley grinned.
"Absolutely," she replied. "In fact, what are you doing for the rest of your life?" Already enjoying their flirtatious game, Lilly continued to play along. She pretended to look thoughtful.
"Well, I'm kind of engaged…" she said playfully.
"She must be pretty special, to get to spend the rest of her life with you," Miley quipped.
"Oh, she is," Lilly continued. "There's no one else like her in the world…"
"Really?" Miley asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously. Lilly nodded.
"Really…" she breathed. She leaned forward and their lips met again in a passionate kiss. They parted only when they could no longer ignore their need for air, and Miley happily rested her head on Lilly's shoulder.
"What do you think our future will be like?" she asked after a moment.
"I think we're gonna have an awesome future together, Miles," Lilly replied. "You're gonna have a great career as Hannah Montana, I'll find something I enjoy doing, and we'll live happily ever after!" Miley smiled warmly.
"I hope so," she said softly. "Do you… do you think we'll have children?" Lilly was taken aback for a moment.
"Someday, I mean!" Miley added quickly. "You know, after we're married and all!"
"Take it easy, Miles," Lilly said softly, gently squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "It's okay. I just never really thought about it," she admitted. She swallowed.
"Do you want to?" she asked carefully.
"Yes," Miley said quietly. "Do you?"
"Only with you," Lilly replied, her voice thick with emotion. "I can't imagine myself having children with anyone but you." Miley managed a watery smile.
"You'd be a great mom, you know," she whispered.
"So would you," Lilly said, gently running a hand through Miley's long auburn hair. "And I hope she inherits her mother's wonderful voice."
"As long as she doesn't inherit her momma's appetite," Miley joked. "All the singin' in the world couldn't feed two of you!" Lilly laughed and playfully tickled her girlfriend.
"You should be so lucky!" she teased. Miley laughed and squeezed Lilly in a hug.
"How do you know we're gonna have a girl though?" she asked lightly.
"We don't exactly have any boy genes, Miles," Lilly said with a grin. "Besides, you don't really think I'm gonna let you carry anyone else's baby, do you?" Miley threw herself into Lilly arms, hugging her fiercely as joyful tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I love you Lilly… so much…" she whispered. Lilly smiled and held Miley close.
"I love you too, my Smiley Miley… and I always will…"
It was late afternoon when Miley and Lilly began walking back towards their campground. The sun was just beginning to set and its golden light shone through the trees, casting breathtaking shadows along their path. Miley quietly began singing an old song she remembered from her childhood, and soon Lilly was singing along with her. Glancing over at her girlfriend, Miley grinned, and they joined hands as they continued to softly sing together.
"You've been holding out on me Lils," Miley said playfully. "You sing great!"
"Thanks, but I'm no Hannah Montana," Lilly smirked.
"No, you're even better," Miley replied, smiling as she gently squeezing her girlfriend's hand. "You're the girl I love."
"Awww…that was really sweet, Miles!" Lilly gushed. "Cheesy, but sweet!" At that moment, Lilly slipped on a small rock, causing her foot to twist out from under her. With a shout, she fell forward. Miley was at her side in an instant.
"OW! Crap!!" Lilly hissed.
"Lilly!" Miley shouted in a panic. "Are you okay?!"
"I think I twisted my ankle," Lilly replied, clutching her wounded foot. "Guess I shoulda watched where I was walking, huh?"
"Just don't do that again, okay?" Miley managed, taking a deep breath as relief washed over her. "You almost gave me a heart attack, Lils!" Lilly managed a small smile.
"You were worried about me," she said with a smirk.
"I'm allowed to worry about the girl I love," Miley said, half playfully and half seriously. "Get used to it."
"Yes ma'am," Lilly quipped. She winced as her ankle throbbed painfully.
"Do you think you can walk on it?" Miley asked her carefully.
"I don't know," Lilly answered truthfully. "Only one way to find out…" She held out her hand and Miley gently helped her to her feet. Then, gritting her teeth, the blonde haired tomboy tried to put weight on her throbbing ankle and take a step. A sharp pain stopped her instantly. She sagged against Miley.
"It hurts like hell!" she practically growled. "I'm sorry Miles, but there's no way I can walk on it…"
"We gotta get you back to camp," Miley whispered.
"I'm open to suggestion," Lilly said lightly. "As long as it doesn't involve me trying to walk again!"
"I know," Miley said gently. "We'll think of something, okay?"
"Why don't you go back and get help," Lilly suggested after a moment. "I can wait here for you…"
"I'm not leaving you!" Miley shouted. She instantly regretted her outburst and reached out to gently caress Lilly's cheek.
"I'm sorry Lils, I didn't mean to yell at you… but there's no way I'm just gonna leave you here, all right?" she said softly. "We're goin' back to camp together."
"How?" Lilly asked her pointedly. Miley took a deep breath.
"Get on my back," she said gently. Lilly's eyes went wide.
"Miles, there's no way you can carry me all the way back!" she argued.
"I'm sure as heck gonna try," Miley retorted. "Come on, we don't have time to argue about this, it's gonna be dark soon!" Lilly still wouldn't move, and Miley sighed.
"Lilly, look at me," she whispered. Her soon-to-be-wife's familiar blue eyes rose to meet hers, and Miley leaned in towards her.
"Please let me help you, Lils," she said softly. "I know I can do this… I need to."
"You know you don't need to prove anything to me, Miles," Lilly replied carefully. No words had to be spoken to communicate what needed to be, but Lilly knew how stubborn the girl she loved could be. Sighing, she nodded slowly.
"All right," she said heavily. "But if you need to stop, you say something, got it?"
"I will," Miley promised. "Now climb on!" She turned around and Lilly slowly, carefully climbed up on her back, wrapping her arms around Miley's chest while her legs rested on either side of the taller girl's waist. Miley grunted slightly, but otherwise she said nothing.
"Are you okay?" Lilly asked, concerned.
"I'm fine," Miley said with a nod. She managed a small smile. "Come on, let's get you back to camp so we can get some ice on that ankle!" Moving slowly and carefully, they set out.
By the time they made it back to camp, Miley carrying Lilly all the way, it was already dark. The journey wasn't easy, but Miley never once complained. There was nothing she wasn't willing to do for the girl she loved, and a sore back seemed a small price to pay. Robbie Ray and Heather were ready to give both girls a serious talking to for being out so late, but Miley's urgent call quickly dashed that thought from their minds.
"Lilly's hurt!" she gasped. Jackson and their parents were at their side in a moment, carefully helping Lilly down from Miley's back.
"What happened?" Robbie Ray demanded.
"I twisted my stupid ankle," Lilly muttered.
"She needs some ice, daddy," Miley said softly, trying to catch her breath. Heather rushed over to their ice chest to get some while Robbie Ray stayed with daughter.
"You okay bud?" she asked her carefully.
"Just tired," Miley managed, bent over slightly with her hands on her knees. Robbie Ray looked at her for a long moment, then over at Lilly.
"Did you carry her all the way here?" he asked his daughter softly. Miley just nodded.
"She needed me, daddy," she said simply. Words failed the elder Stewart then, and he settled for just hugging his daughter to him, thanking whoever might be listening for the wonderful young woman he was proud to call his little girl. Heather returned with the ice a few moments later, sealed tightly in a small plastic bag.
"Here Heather, let me," Robbie Ray said gently. Carefully taking the bag from her, Robbie Ray walked over to where Lilly was sitting on the ground with Jackson, Miley and Heather right beside him.
"All right, let's see that ankle, kiddo," Robbie Ray said gently. He carefully examined it, noticing the already present swelling, and nodded.
"Is she gonna be okay, daddy?" Miley asked urgently.
"It doesn't look too bad," Robbie Ray replied. "She'll just have to try and keep off it for a bit. This ice'll help take the swelling down." Lilly nodded.
"Thanks, Mr. S," she managed.
"I still can't believe Miley carried you all the way back," Heather said softly.
"Sounds to me like you've got someone special there," Robbie Ray added, smiling knowingly. Lilly smiled shyly.
"I know," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked over at Miley, grinning as she noticed her girlfriend trying hard not to blush.
"How about you two relax and your mom and I'll get dinner ready?" Robbie Ray offered, still smiling. Lilly's smile grew into a wide grin.
"What're you cooking?" she asked teasingly.
"How does campfire stew sound to you?" Robbie Ray replied.
"Like I'll be needing a second helping," Lilly quipped. Robbie Ray laughed.
"Well, I'm glad to know your appetite's still intact," he said warmly. He walked away to start getting dinner ready, and Lilly turned back to Miley.
"Are you okay, Miles?" she asked, noticing her girlfriend's discomfort.
"I'll live," Miley replied quietly. Lilly could tell Miley was in far worse shape than she was letting on, and she leaned forward and wrapped her free arm around her girlfriend in a hug. The other continued to hold the ice on her wounded ankle.
"I don't know what I ever did to deserve someone like you in my life," she whispered softly. "I love you so much, Miles…"
"Not nearly as much as I love you, Lilly," Miley whispered in reply. "You know I'd do anything for you…"
"Yeah I do," Lilly admitted, her voice thick with emotion, "and I'd do the same for you, my Smiley Miley."
"I can think of more pleasant ways to throw out your back, though," she added, wagging her eyebrows suggestively.
"You're bad," Miley managed, burying her face in Lilly's shoulder.
"Bad to the bone, baby," Lilly joked. A sudden twinge of pain from her ankle cut through her and she winced. Miley fought back a giggle.
"That wasn't funny, Miles," Lilly complained. Her half-wounded expression made Miley laugh again, and it wasn't long before Lilly was overcome as well. Soon the two of them were laughing out loud as they collapsed, giggling, into each other's arms