Part 13- Interview
Watching her lover pace back and forth across the dressing room, Miley stopped Lilly in her tracks and pulled her into her arms. "Are you sure you're okay to do this?" she asked quietly. "It's more than fine if you're not," she whispered soothingly, placing a kiss in the other girl's hair.
"No, it's fine. I mean this isn't exactly a new experience for me," Lilly told her, trying to convince herself.
"Being backstage at one of my concerts or even at an interview is not the same as being on talk show," Miley pointed out. "I'm more than happy to go out there alone," she assured her nervous fiancé.
Wrapping her arms tightly around the taller girl, Lilly let out a deep sigh. "No you're doing this for us. The least I could do was be there to support you." Squeezing tighter, she took all she could from the embrace, needing that strength for what lied ahead.
A knock at the door startled them both. "Five minutes, Miss Montana," a voice called through the wood.
"Almost time," the pop star smiled. Running her hands along Lola's pink wig, she made sure it was perfect, while Lilly did the same for Hannah's wig. "I love you."
"I love you, too."
Sharing one last kiss, the two headed out the door and along the hallway they had been shown earlier. They had arrived at The Ellen DeGeneres Show over an hour ago, and been given a tour of the studio so that they would know where to wait when the time came. They both found it fitting that such an announcement would be happening on this show in particular.
Standing just beyond the stage, they turned their eyes to the monitor, waiting for their cue to walk out. The audience laughed as Ellen told some joke, before settling back down. "You all know my first guest today. She continues to sell out tickets to every concert, and manages to keep herself on the top ten list with each new single. Her newest release just hit the number one spot once again. Please welcome for the first time Miss Hannah Montana and her good friend Lola."
As the crowd began cheering, Best of Both Worlds began playing throughout the studio, signaling for them to walk on the stage. Hannah easily danced her way out, playing it up for the audience, while Lola took it more slowly behind her. When they finally made it over to the red couch, Ellen gave Hannah a hug first and then Lola, motioning for them both to take a seat.
"It's good to have you here," Ellen tells them both. "We've met at a few events, but this is the first time you've been on my show," she directs towards Hannah."
"Yes it is," Hannah agrees. "I'm glad to be here though. Especially with Lola here beside me," she says, lightly patting her friend on the leg.
Ellen watches the action and sees Hannah unconsciously leans closer to the other girl as she talks. "You two seem pretty close. I mean Lola here has been spotted backstage at your concerts many times and beside you at other events."
"We are really close. Lola was the first friend I made when I moved to California. She's supported me through my career, offered advice when I needed it. She's been a shoulder to cry on when I was upset, and made me laugh when I was done. She's the best friend a person could ever ask for," Hannah said honestly, looking deeply into the blue eyes she loved so much. Tearing herself a way to look back and Ellen and then the audience, "But that's not why she's here with me today."
"Oh?" Ellen asks curiously, having a feeling she knows what's coming.
Hannah looks to Lola, getting a nod of encouragement. "As I said, we've always been really close, since the day we met, but at the time we were too young to really understand what it meant. The connection between us could always be explained as a really great friendship."
"Then we started dating," Lola continued, speaking for the first time. "Our relationship with each other seemed to change with each new boyfriend either of us had."
"How is that?" Ellen asked, encouraging them to continue.
"Major jealousy for one, especially from this one here," Hannah stated with a hint of amusement, pointing at Lola, making the audience chuckle with her.
"That is so not true," Lola argued.
"Jake," Hannah said.
Thinking about it for a minute, Lola had to admit that Hannah was right. "Alright there was jealousy, on BOTH ends," she added.
"And then when one of us got dumped, the other was right there to pick up the pieces," Hannah continued with their story. "No matter how many guys I dated, I could never seem to find anything close to that connection, that love that my dad still talks about that he had with my mom." Hannah paused, gathering her thoughts.
"One day I was sitting in my room, mindlessly playing on my guitar when I realized I had, had that connection all along. I was just looking in all the wrong places. Even then it took me more than a year to finally voice my feelings." The audience seemed to practically be sitting at the edge of their seats. "And now we're engaged," Hannah finally announced happily, entwining her fingers with Lola's and holding up their hands in a show of connection, placing a quick kiss on her partners lips.
After the audience's shock wears off, Ellen announces the need for them to take a quick commercial break.
"Oh wow, congratulations you two," Ellen tells them both, once the camera's stop filming.
"Thank you," Lola says, taking a deep breath, glad to have the cameras off them for a minute. She knew it was going to get a little crazier when they come back from break, however. The three of them chat for a minute more before they call for the camera's to start rolling again.
"We're back with Hannah Montana who just announced her engagement to her best friend Lola," she begins. Turning back to the girls, "I know this is something you must have been worried about. It takes a lot of guts when you're in the public eye to make such announcements. I know from experience."
Hannah looked at the audience before looking back to Ellen. "It is a scary thing, not knowing how people will react. I'm hoping that people will see that I'm still the same Hannah that I've always been. I know I will likely lose fans because of this, but I'm willing to take that risk."
"I know that most of my fans are children, and I've always tried to be the example for them, to be a role model. I don't party a lot, I don't drink or smoke," she continues. "Part of the reason I wanted to come out on your show was so that the parents who watch can sit their children down and talk with them about it. I wanted to give the parents of my fans the information so they could decide what they wanted to do with it."
"I think I get what you're saying," Ellen tells Hannah. "Instead of announcing it to the fans themselves, who then some of their parents might accuse you of pushing you beliefs on their children, you're leaving the decision in their hands."
"Exactly. I mean I know in today's world information gets spread like wildfire through social media, so I can't expect it to work out like that in every situation. I'm just hoping that this opens a line of trust and understanding between my fans, their parents, and me."
"Well I wish you luck."
"Thank you," Hannah smiles. "If the worst comes, well so long as I have Lola, I don't care if I never sing again. She's the most important thing in the world to me, and I won't give her up for anything."
Ellen smiles, seeing the obvious love between the two girls. "Well that won't be happening quite yet. Hannah will be singing her newest single for us when we come back." The cameras stopped filming once again and the two girls quickly make their way off stage to get Hannah ready for her performance.
"I think that went well," Hannah said as she quickly changed her outfit in a move perfected over years of performing.
"I think it did too," Lola agreed.
"Kiss for luck?" Hannah asked, just before she had to take her place for the performance.
"You never need to ask. And you don't need the luck," Lola teased but kissed her lover deeply before stepping to the sidelines. She'd never get used to watching Hannah work the crowd. She really hoped she didn't have too.
Later that night, they climbed into bed together, the day to exhausting to do anything more than cuddle. After they had left the studio, they had visited the apartment they would call home once they started college to begin to decide how to decorate their first home together. Miley had put down extra money down to hold it for them so that it would be there whenever they decided to move.
"I think I changed my mind," Lilly said quietly as they lay there in the dark.
"About what?" Miley asked sleepily.
"About getting married next year."
The statement snapped Miley's eyes open in fear. "What… what do you mean?"
Lilly smiled, running her hands down Miley's face soothingly. She could hear the fear in Miley's voice and knew exactly what the other girl was thinking. "I was thinking around Christmas instead. Our families will all be here anyway. It's perfect."
"Really?" Miley asked hopefully. She understood Lilly's desire to wait better now, but a part of her wanted them to get married as soon as possible. The desire to call Lilly her wife was so strong.
"Really."
"What made you change your mind?"
"There's no real reason. I was just watching you sing on that stage today and the idea popped into my head. It felt so right. I can't explain it," Lilly told her. She watched Miley dance around that stage, looking so amazingly gorgeous and it just hit her all the sudden that Miley was hers. That she got to claim the other girl for the rest of their lives and she wanted to make it official as soon as possible. "December 28th. Gives us a day or two to recover from Christmas. It's perfect."
"December 28th it is then. I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
A/N: Haha change of plans! LOL Lilly is starting to feel the urgency that Miley is.
Yeah I know using the Ellen show is kind of cliché but one- I LOVE her show and two- it's the only talk show I watch so it seemed fitting.