A/N: So I've had this chapter mostly written in a notebook for awhile, it was just finding time to get it typed up. So here it is finally. I have no ideas for the next chapter, so it may take awhile, but I promise I'll try to have it up as soon as possible.

Part 9- Time

Miley watched as Lilly completely fell apart after Oliver walked away. All she could do was hold her and whisper calming thoughts in her ear. Oliver's reaction had hurt her too, but not nearly as badly as it had Lilly. She could live without him in her life, but she didn't think that her girlfriend could. They'd known each other their whole lives.

When Lilly had calmed down enough, Miley guided her gently to the car and helped her settle down into the seat. "Damn you, Oliver," she muttered as she walked around the front of the car to the driver's side. As soon as they were back on the road Miley reached out and took one of Lilly's hands into her own. The blonde remained almost stoic the entire drive, the occasional sniffle the only sound in the car.

Putting the car into park, Miley once again helped Lilly out of the car, seeing that the drive hadn't eased the pain in her girlfriend's heart any. Wrapping an arm around the smaller girl's shoulder, she held her close as they made their way towards the house.

Robbie Ray was in the kitchen when the two girls entered through the front door. He opened his mouth to ask the question that fell on his lips, but Miley shook her head not to ask before he could get it out. Instead he could only watch as they made their way out the back door.

Leading her out to the barn, Miley moved them both over to Lilly's bed, helping the girl sit down. Lilly quickly pulled her knees up to her chin and hugged her legs. Miley leaned down and placed a lingering kiss on a soft forehead. "I'll be right back," she promised.

The idea of leaving Lilly even for a minute right now wasn't one she relished, but she knew she probably needed to explain to her dad what was going on. Especially on the off chance Oliver showed up for another round. She probably should grab some snacks and drinks as well in case they never made it back out of the room that night.

"What's going on, Bud?" Robbie Ray asked when his daughter once again appeared in the house.

"We told Oliver tonight and he didn't take it well," she confided. "No, to tell you the truth, he was a complete ass," she added, letting the anger boil within her.

"Mi…"

"Sorry," she quickly apologized for her language before he could chastise her. "But the word fits." Pulling a large cake pan they used as a make-shift tray occasionally, she sat it on the counter. Moving to the fridge, she grabbed a couple of soda's and two bottles of water.

"I'm sure it was just a shock," Robbie Ray tried to reason.

"Don't defend him!" she shouted, looking him dead in the eye. "Did you not see Lilly? He tore her apart." She loved Lilly more than anything in the world, and right now her love was in serious pain. She wasn't in the mood to hear Oliver's side of things. "The really sad thing is, he threw it all at her. None of it was at me," she admitted sadly.

"I'm sorry, Miles," her dad soothed, pulling her into a hug. Part of him wanted to rip Oliver apart for what he'd done. The other part just said to give it time. He'd been where Oliver was now. He didn't understand it. Now that they'd told him, he could see that love had been there all along, he just didn't know what to look for.

"I sure hope he's smart enough to stay away, but if he does show up, he's not welcome," Miley stated with conviction. Pulling away from her father's embrace, she went back to loading the tray with snacks.

"I was thinking about making some of my double fudge brownies. Want me to bring you some later?"

Miley smiled, loving the sound of that. "That would be great."

"Alright, you just go take care of your girl." The smile on the man's face saying all it needed to say. You didn't have to tell her twice. She practically sprinted back to the shared room, juggling the loaded pan of goodies.

Lilly was still in the exact same position Miley had left her in almost fifteen minutes ago. They might as well just call it a night and get ready for bed at this point. They didn't have anything else that needed doing tonight. She placed the pan down on the nightstand next to her own bed, and pulled the covers down.

Quickly changing into her own pajamas, she grumbled when she realized Lilly's favorite pair was already dirty. Not that they wore them much these days, but with her dad coming later, they'd better for now. Settling for second favorite, Miley helped her girl into a standing position and quickly got her changed and settled down into her own bed before crawling in beside her.

As soon as Miley pulled Lilly to her, it was like the damn burst and the tears she'd held back came pouring down as she curled further into Miley's chest. "Oh, sweetie," Miley cried, placing a lingering kiss on Lilly's forehead. "It's going to be okay," she promised.

"Why was he so mean?" Lilly sobbed.

"I don't know," the brunette answered honestly. "Maybe he's in love with you too," she answered with a bit of fear in her voice. Now that she knew what it was like to be with Lilly, she didn't think she could ever go back. But she wanted Lilly to be happy more than anything so she'd find a way to live without her if she wanted to go back to Oliver.

"Miley, don't think that."

"Think what?" She hadn't said that out loud had she? She didn't think she had.

"I know you, Miles. I know how you think. I thought I was in love with Oliver at one time. But you know what?" she asked, looking her fiancé square in the eyes. "I knew I was wrong the first time we made love. I knew then that I could never love anyone the way I love you. If Oliver doesn't come around then I'll deal. Don't you ever question that you're the one I want."

"Okay," Miley smiled, placing a deep kiss on her girlfriend's lips. "I love you so much, Lilly."

"And I love you too," Lilly whispered. "Can you just hold me? It takes away the pain."

"For as long as you'll let me," Miley promised.

The feeling of being wrapped in each others arms was so comforting that they quickly fell into a deep slumber. They were both hopeful that dawn would bring a bright new day.

Robby Ray was startle awake by the doorbell ringing and an incessant pounding on the front door. It was too early for this. "I'm coming," he screamed as he made his way down the stairs.

He was only mildly surprised to find a ragged looking Oliver on the other side. They boy didn't look like he'd slept a wink all night.

"I'm not sure it's a good idea to be here, son," he told him by way of greeting. He really wanted to respect his daughter's wishes, but he felt for the dark haired boy.

"I know, but I couldn't sleep and I just really need to talk to Miley and Lilly." His tone held no clue about just what he had to say.

"You hurt my daughter," Robbie Ray sternly pointed out.

"I'm sorry for hurting Miley," the teenager sincerely apologized.

"I wasn't talking about Miley," the older man all but yelled. "I was talking about Lilly. She's my daughter too. Even more so now, and you destroyed her last night. So unless you're here to apologize and accept what they feel for each other, you have no business being here."

"Just please, let me talk to them," Oliver pleaded.

"Don't move, I mean it," Robbie Ray ordered with a pointed finger. He wasn't sure this was the right thing to do, but the three of them had been friends for too many years not to give them a chance to try and work it out.

He walked out to the barn and lightly knocked on the door. He waited for an invitation to come in before opening the door. They were still wrapped in each others arms as they had been the night before when he'd dropped the brownies off. Both with expectant looks on their faces at his early visit.

"I'm sorry, but apparently he's not going to go away," he told them, not needing to explain who he was.

The two girls looked at each other, seeming to have a silent conversation. "Tell him to come back," Lilly finally answered.

"You sure?"

"Yes, we're sure," Miley answered this time.

"Alright then."

Oliver was surprised when Robbie Ray told him to go on back. He was expecting them to not want to see him, and he couldn't really blame them. Hesitating outside the door, he knocked lightly before entering.

What he didn't expect was that they were both cuddled together in Miley's bed. Knowing that they knew he'd be coming back, this was obviously a statement to him that they were together and nothing had changed that. "Hey," he greeted lamely.

Neither girl responded to his greeting, leaving him to assume they had nothing to say, this was his show. "Look, I'm sorry about last night. What I said was uncalled for." Relief seemed to flash in Lilly's eyes.

"I still don't know how I feel about you two together," he continued, holding up a hand to stop her when Miley looked about to speak. "You have to give me some time here. You told me yesterday that Lilly, the girl I thought I was going to marry, plans to marry someone else. And that person was a woman, it was too much. Yes, I know we weren't really together anymore, but I figured once I was done on my tour, I'd come home and we'd get back on track."

"So you just thought I was sitting around waiting for you?" Lilly questioned with a bit of anger.

"Yes, no, I don't know. I didn't see this coming alright? So please, just give me time. I go back on tour day after tomorrow. Maybe by the time I come back I'll feel better about it. I just need some time," he requested again.

"Okay, we accept your apology, and we'll give you some time," Lilly said, speaking for both of them. "Don't think something will change in that time though," she warned, not wanting him to think there'd ever be a chance for them again. "What Miley and I have together, it's the real deal. I love her more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone. I'm sorry I hurt you though," she told him honestly.

Oliver just nodded his head and left without another word. Nothing else really needed to be sad at that point. Everything was out in the open.

"I love you, you know that?" Miley said sweetly once he was gone. She loved how Lilly had taken back some control this time.

"Love you, too," Lilly replied around a yawn. "Now snuggle with me so I can get some more sleep."

"Yes, ma'am."