CHAPTER THIRTY ONE
ENTER THE DRAGON
- One Month Later -
"That was an incredible performance! Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle!" The sold-out crowd at the Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles roared their approval, and Miley & Lilly smiled and waved before finally hurrying back stage.
"Wow…" Lilly managed once they were alone again. "I hate to say it Miles, but you were right… that was a rush!" Miley playfully elbowed her.
"Told ya," she said with a wink.
"Just don't go thinking I'm gonna make a habit of that," Lilly quipped. "Lola Luftnagle's a lover, not a singer!" Miley laughed. She and Lilly were in Los Angeles taking part in a special charity concert to benefit the city's hungry and homeless children. It was actually supposed to be a sort of friendly competition, and it had attracted huge crowds, with the all the proceeds going to charity.
"Millions of fans around the world think otherwise, sweetheart," Miley replied as the two young women walked slowly back to their dressing room. "Our song together is a huge hit!"
"I know," Lilly said softly, "and part of me still thinks this has all gotta be some kind of dream… but I'm telling you right now, there's no way you're ever getting me in that recording studio again!" She smiled as she spoke, but Miley knew just how uncomfortable getting up on stage and signing in front of everyone had been for Lilly. She had been willing to do so only as a favor to her wife, and Miley was deeply touched by the gesture.
"I understand," Miley replied gently.
"Honestly Miles, I don't understand how you can do that all the time in front of thousands of people you don't even know!" Lilly gushed.
"You just get used to it, I guess," Miley said after a moment. "To be honest though, I don't even see the audience when I'm up there singing."
"They're kinda hard to miss, aren't they?" Lilly joked.
"I just think about someone else," Miley explained with a grin. "Someone who always makes me feel warm and comfortable and loved. As long as she's with me, I can do anything."
"Anyone I know?" Lilly asked innocently.
"You, silly," Miley retorted, kissing Lilly gently on her cheek. "You know you're always with me, wherever I go." She reached out and took Lilly's hand in her own as they continued to walk to their dressing room.
"But you know, I remember hearing somewhere that Orlando Bloom really likes musicians…" Miley said teasingly. Lilly's eyes widened slightly.
"Well, maybe 'never' was too harsh…" the blonde tomboy said quickly. Miley laughed out loud.
"Stinker," Lilly managed through a grin of her own.
"Like I would ever share you anyway," Miley said playfully. She took Lilly's hand in hers as they continued to walk back to their dressing room, and slowly raised it to her lips for another kiss.
"Well, look… its Hannah Has-Been and the walking fashion disaster!" an angry voice suddenly called out. Miley & Lilly turned to see a young woman with dark brown hair standing in a nearby doorway, an ugly expression on her face. As they drew closer, they could see she appeared to be Hispanic, and looked to be about their age, or possibly a little younger.
"Excuse me?" Miley replied, caught off guard by the hostile greeting. "Who are you?"
"You can call me Mikayla," the petite Latina answered. "You'll be seeing my name soon… when I knock you off all the charts."
"What's your problem anyway?" Lilly asked her angrily, feeling her temper rising. "Or do you need me to give you one?"
No one threatens my Miley! she wanted to shout, but she knew that would only make things worse.
"Your 'friend' is nothing but a no-talent hick who shouldn't even be in the music business," Mikayla growled. "And you belong on stage even less than she does." She turned to look at Miley again, flashing her an arrogant smile.
"Well you know what, Hannah? I'm gonna steal all your fan-ahs… starting with wiping the stage with you today!"
"Not even on your best day," Lilly retorted, forcing herself to return the smile. "Now if you don't mind, we've got some place to be… and it's starting to stink in here." Miley quickly grabbed Lilly's hand again and began pulling her towards their dressing room again.
"Let's just go," Miley whispered. "She's not worth it, Lils…"
"You might wanna stop holding hands like that too," Mikayla called after them in a sarcastic tone. "Somebody might start to think you're more than just friends..." And with that, Mikayla walked away as well, heading toward the stage and her own performance. Miley stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth dropping open. Lilly looked like she was ready to Mikayla's mouth for her, but Miley was able to stop her enraged wife.
"Don't give her the satisfaction," Miley managed. "Let's just go the dressing room… please?" Lilly swallowed and nodded.
"Fine," she muttered. "But I swear, if I see that arrogant witch again…!" She stopped suddenly, finally noticing the pale, stricken expression on her wife's face.
"Miley, what is it?" Lilly gasped, all her anger - and the person who caused it - quickly forgotten. "What's wrong?"
"Did you hear what she said?" Miley whispered. "Lilly… I think she knows…!"
"Knows what?" Lilly asked, still not understanding.
"About us," Miley said slowly.
"No way," Lilly insisted, finally realizing what her wife meant. "She was just trying to upset us. There's no way that self-important little twit could know anything."
"Yeah… I guess you're right..." Miley said after a moment. She took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry," she managed. "You know I love you, and I could never be ashamed of what we have together, but…"
"But most of Hannah's fans are young kids & teenagers who might not understand, I know," Lilly sighed. It was a discussion they'd had more than once, ever since Miley became Hannah Montana.
"Still, telling the world Hannah Montana & Lola Luftnagle are married is one thing," Lilly said sympathetically. "Having that witch alert the media is another."
"I guess we just need to be more careful," Miley whispered.
"What you need is to relax," Lilly countered, smiling playfully. "When we get back to our dressing room, you're gonna kick off your shoes, let down your hair, and just rest. And if you're really, really good, your wonderful wife just might make it worth your while…"
"Is that a promise?" Miley whispered in a sultry voice.
"First let's see if you can behave yourself," Lilly replied with a smirk. "Then we'll see…"
Thirty minutes later, all the artists who had peformed in the special charity 'sing-off' were brought back out on stage, and the audience was asked to cheer for who they wanted the winner to be. The host announced each of the participants one by one.
"First, singing his new single 'You and Me'... Bobby Beiber!" the host called out, gesturing at the young man standing on far right side of the stage. The audience cheered, but Lilly noticed most of the shouts and screams seemed to be coming from teenage girls. The host walked to the center of the stage and gestured to Mikayla.
"Second, performing her hit song 'If Cupid Had a Heart'... the one and only Mikayla!" The audience cheered even louder, and Lilly thought she heard a few wolf whistles as well. She grimaced.
Do you idiots even know who you're cheering for? Lilly thought darkly, but she managed not to say anything. Finally, the host walked over to where and Miley were standing, on the far left side of the stage.
"And last, but certainly not least, singing their smash hit duet "I Wanna Know What Love Is"… Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle!" The shouts, screams and cheers that followed his announcement were practically deafening. There was absolutely no doubt who the winner was.
"Congratulations!" the host shouted as he handed Miley/Hannah a small pewter statue in the shape of a treble clef. "Our winners everybody: Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle!" The audience cheered again, and Miley smiled radiantly as a storm of camera flashes washed over them.
"Thank you, thank you everyone!" Miley called out to her fans. "Lola and I are really flattered you all enjoy our song as much as we like singing it, but the real winners tonight are the homeless and hungry children of Los Angeles County, and the thousands of dollars we've all raised for them together!" The audience gave another deafening cheer, followed by a second wave of camera flashes.
"And now everyone, our winners have agreed to one last encore!" the host shouted excitedly. "Give it up for Hannah Montana and Lola Luftnagle!" As the music for 'The Best of Both Worlds' began, Mikayla and Bobby Beiber were graciously guided off the stage. Mikayla surreptitiously shoved Lilly as she walked past, an angry glare on her face.
"It's not over, freak," Mikayla growled at her. Lilly was ready to flatten her, but Mikayla was able to convince everyone else it had been an accident. With a smile and a wink at her 'fans', she disappeared backstage, and Lilly had to swallow her temper and return her focus to the encore performance.
A little while later, alone in her hotel suite, Mikayla unleashed her frustrations on her long-distance boyfriend.
"I swear, I just want to slap her smug little smile right off her face!" Mikayla raged into her phone.
"You'll take her down, don't worry," the male voice on the other line replied. "You just need to be sneaky about it."
"I'm too angry to think right now," Mikayla retorted. "I could really use some… comfort… right now, if you know what I mean." She tried to sound sexy, despite her anger.
"Yeah, I know what you're saying babe," her boyfriend smirked. "You know, I could jump on my private jet and be there in just a few hours…" There were no promises of anything beyond a simple physical release, and neither of them pretended it was anything else.
"Good," Mikayla replied, smiling despite herself. "I'll be ready for you, Jakey-poo… and I promise, I'll make it worth your while!"
"I know you will, babe," Jake Ryan said smugly. "See you soon…" After a quick goodbye, Mikayla hung up and tossed her phone angrily aside. She could finally work off some of her frustration once her boyfriend arrived, but in the meantime, she needed to find a way to deal with her blonde-haired rival. Whatever it took, she was going to reign supreme in the music business, and no one was going to stand in her way… especially not Hannah Montana.
While Mikayla was waiting for her 'boyfriend' to arrive, Miley & Lilly were settling in at their own hotel, tired after their long and successful night. They shared a quick shower, then climbed into bed together, glad they could finally be themselves again.
"Man, what a night,' Lilly muttered. "I've never felt this tired in my life!"
"I'm glad you were with me tonight, Lilly," Miley whispered, snuggling against her beloved wife. She wrapped an arm around Lilly's waist and pulled her close for a gentle kiss.
"Mmmm…" Lilly said appreciatively. "I'll always be with you, Miles…" She paused to think about the night's events for a moment.
"I could do without that Mikayla witch though!" she added.
"Just had to bring her up, didn't you?" Miley teased her. "She's aggravating as heck, but she'll never get anywhere with that bad attitude of hers…"
"Well, you showed her she's not nearly as good as she thinks tonight," Lilly remarked. "Maybe she'll leave us alone now."
"I hope so," Miley said softly.
"All right, enough about you-know-who," Lilly said gently. "Let's talk about something nicer…"
"Oh, I can think of something nicer," Miley said teasingly. She gently kissed the side of Lilly's neck.
"This is nice…" she breathed. She trailed teasing little kisses down Lilly's neck, and over her collarbone. "And so is this…" Lilly pulled Miley to her and kissed her soundly.
"I love you, Miles," Lilly whispered.
"I love you too, Lilly Bear," Miley replied, smiling warmly. "With all my heart…"
"One day soon Miles, we're finally going to be able to have a family of our own," Lilly promised, "and then we'll spend our days watching her grow up and spoiling her rotten!" Miley managed a watery smile.
"Promise?" she asked the love of her life. Lilly grinned and nodded.
"And until then, I've got you all to myself…" she said saucily, slowly dragging a finger down along the side of the Miley's neck and over her chest. Miley drew in a ragged breath.
"So what are you gonna do with me?" Miley asked her wife in a sultry voice.
"I'm gonna make love to you until your eyes roll back in your head," Lilly whispered, grinning again. And, still grinning, Lilly did just as she promised…
Much later, Mikayla stood on the balcony of her hotel room, wearing only a sheet that she had wrapped around herself. She should have been freezing, but she wasn't. The coldness in her own heart had long since numbed her to anything the cold late night air could do to her. She stared out at the pale lights of the Los Angeles cityscape, her thoughts far away… and far from pleasant.
Her boyfriend was still asleep, snoring loudly, in the bed behind her. He had fallen asleep almost immediately after they had finished 'satisfying' each other, but Mikayla honestly didn't care; she had never believed in all that 'afterglow' crap anyway. All she wanted right now was to be alone with her thoughts… and to find a way to get even with Hannah Montana.
After everything I've sacrificed… everything I've been through… I deserve what you've been given, blondie! I've got ten times more skill and talent than you… and I can actually sing!
"You've got to have a weakness, blondie," Mikayla growled softly, "and when I find it… you're going down!"
"You say somethin' babe?" a sleepy voice called out. Mikayla cursed inwardly, angry that her quiet time had been interrupted.
"No," she said quickly. "Go back to sleep."
"You're still worried about that Hannah Montana chick, aren't you?" Jake pressed, ignoring his girlfriend's foul-tempered reply. He pulled on a pair of boxer shorts and walked over to where she was standing.
"You'll get her, don't worry," he said, flashing what was supposed to be a confident grin. "In fact, I think I know how we can do it." Mikayla turned to look at him, her face dark with anger.
"How?" she demanded.
"You said she's from Tennessee, right?" Jake asked.
"Yeah, she's a hick," Mikayla spat. "So what?"
"There's a big football game coming up, and the University of Tennessee's gonna be in it," Jake explained. "If you were to challenge her to a big sing-off there, in front of her hometown crowd…"
"There's no way she could say no!" Mikayla exclaimed. Her dark eyes glinted with something malevolent. "And when I take her down, in front of everyone and everything she cares about, she'll be beside herself!" Mikayla's lips twisted upward in a cold grin.
"No… she'll be broken," the petite Latina hissed. "And the whole world will finally see her for the joke she is!"
"We can arrange a few… unfortunate accidents too," Jake continued. "Just like we did when you won American Idol." Mikayla's grin grew even colder, if that was possible.
"Jake, you're a genius!" she gushed.
"You're welcome," Jake said dryly. Mikayla responded by wrapping her arms around Jake, pressing herself against him.
"I think Jakey-poo deserves a special thank you for coming to my rescue," she purred.
"Sounds good to me," Jake said lasciviously. "What've you got in mind, babe?"
"I'm sure you can guess…" Mikayla whispered, grinding against him. Jake growled low in his throat.
"I think I've got a few ideas…" he managed.
"Yeah?" Mikayla responded. "Then why don't you show me, big boy?" Jake pulled her to him and roughly kissed her, and Mikayla had to fight not to grimace. Still, spending a little more time with the ever-arrogant Jake Ryan was a small price to pay if it meant finally being able to get rid of Hannah Montana… and once Mikayla was finally on top of the world, Jake Ryan – and everyone else – would be less than nothing to her…