Unsung

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters appearing on the Disney Channel's original series, 'Hannah Montana', created by Michael Poryes, Richard Correll & Barry O'Brien. Characters are copyrighted to 'It's A Laugh productions'. Original characters are copyrighted to the original author (QYM). This series is posted to Girls Loving Girls with full permission of the author. No copyright infringement is intended or implied.

Feedback: Every author in his or her own way makes it a point to ask for feedback when posting a story, well me I don't usually. But there are several reasons as to why a reader should consider taking the time to give it. The simple fact is that giving some form of feedback is truly the most important thing a reader can do after reading and enjoying a story. Hopefully in the process providing that author with at least one viable reason as to what you liked about the story. This small amount of time spent will no doubt inspire the author to write more and possibly at a quicker pace, knowing that they have a fan base who are waiting on their next works. So thanks for the feedback and please keep it comin.

Summary: In the ALL NEW 18th episode of 'Unsung', the huge multi-family beach party turns into a war zone when Lilly's father once again objects to his daughter's happiness and publicly condemns it before storming off. Later, with some tension between the pair both Miley and Lilly struggle to find common ground. Finally, Miley prepares herself for the big dance, the one which will feature her going as a man, and surprises even herself at how well her costume works.

Original Airdate: Monday, February 22, 2009 @8:30 p.m.
(following an ALL NEW 'Hey Mickie, Hey Mickie')

Story Codes: no sex

Tuesday afternoon came quickly – Miley had been watching the clock all day. She couldn't wait to have everybody together having a good time. Robby Ray had fired up the barbeque, Lilly and her parents – even her dad – had arrived, though Oliver and his family hadn't shown up yet.

Mr. Truscott was very anxious looking. He was uncomfortable when Miley and Lilly were even standing close to each other and had to look away if they actually touched. Miley hoped Lilly didn't notice his behavior; Lilly, of course, saw the way he was acting and tried to distance herself from Miley.

Robby Ray also saw something fishy going on with the other man. "Hey, Ed, want to help me grill a moment?"

Ed sighed – he knew something like this was going to happen. He hadn't wanted to go to this barbeque in the first place but Heather was a very persuasive woman. Disgruntled, he walked over to the grill and waited for Robby to start harassing him.

"I know what you're going to say, Rob." Ed muttered.

"You do? That makes my job a little easier." Robby held out a long brush expectantly. Ed stared at it.

"Aren't you going to tell me to relax? That I need to accept my daughter's relationship because it makes her happy?" He questioned, quite confused.

Robby laughed. "No sir. I figured you get that on your own. I was going to ask if you could marinate the steak."

Ed cleared his throat, "Is it so wrong of me? To want her to date guys?"

Robby shrugged, "It's not my place to tell you how to father your children. I'm supportin' Miley because I love her and being with Lilly isn't hurting anybody."

Scowling darkly, Ed splashed some of the teriyaki marinate on the waiting steaks. He turned and walked bitterly away. For someone who didn't want to tell him he was a bad father, Robby sure knew how to lace his words with poison.

"Heather, I'm going home," he spat out. He didn't need to stay here and get berated for his beliefs.

"Ed! Don't do this!" She whispered fiercely back.

"Do what?" Lilly had approached, overhearing the heated words. Miley was a few steps behind her looking worried.

"Nothing, Lilly. Your father isn't feeling well."

Mr. Truscott shook his head, "I can't watch you two together. It's disgusting! I'm not going to stay and stand by while my daughter is being immoral."

Miley took a step back, completely blown away by his attitude. "Mr. Truscott, please…"

"I won't hear it." He shook a finger at her, "You're the one who lead Lilly down this path. It's your fault she's wrong."

Lilly narrowed her eyes. "Take that back, dad."

"I will not!" He gazed at her, "Lilly, why are you doing this to me?"

"This isn't about you! This about Miley and me and us being happy." She hurled her words at him like spears.

"How can you be happy?" He returned. "Sinning only provides momentary happiness. In the long run you'll be miserable!"

Mikayla, Oliver, and his family chose this moment to enter the backyard. They were all smiling pleasantly; Mikayla, for one, seemed in a particularly good mood. Oliver had his arm wrapped around her waist. They stopped dead in their tracks, however, after seeing the argument that had bubbled over.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Mikayla questioned.

Ed stopped in his rant and gazed at the newcomers. The look on his face made it seem like he was a puppy that had just piddled on the carpet. Without another word he stormed away, leaving Lilly looking lost.

Oliver gave Mikayla an apologetic squeeze before relinquishing his hold and hurrying to Lilly's side. "Lilly, are you okay?"

Miley could only stare at where Ed had gone. He was infuriating. How dare he talk to Lilly that way! Lilly was his daughter, even. She clenched her hands into fists, wanting to chase after him and smash his face in.

"Miley, maybe you should be the one doing this?" Oliver called quietly. Miley turned her attention to Lilly and sighed.

"I know." Miley took Oliver's place, hugging Lilly as if her life depended on it. Lilly barely responded. "Please, Lilly, it'll be okay…"

Miley was terrified, to say the least. The last time something had happened with Lilly's father, it had ended with Lilly dumping her. She couldn't take that happening again. So, in a way, her life did depend on that hug. Lilly felt a stray tear travel down her cheek.

Uncomfortable watching this all unfold, Robby cleared his throat, "Who wants hotdogs?"

Lilly's mom raised her hand, understanding that he was trying to get the attention away from the drama. "I could go for one."

Oliver rubbed his stomach, "I could go for like three."

Slowly but surely the rest of the party returned to normal, or as close to normal as it could get. Miley rubbed Lilly's back, trying to calm her shaken girlfriend. Eventually Lilly got control of herself and hugged Miley back.

"Thanks…"

Miley pulled away slightly and kissed Lilly gently, "I'll always be here for you, you know that right?"

Lilly placed her head on Miley's shoulder, "I know… I just wish my dad would be, too."

"He'll come around, Lilly. Just give him time." Miley dropped her arms. "We should go say hi to Oliver and Mickey."

Lilly gave a watery chuckle, "Don't let her hear you."

Mikayla wandered up to them with a plate in one hand and a soda in the other. "Hi…"

Miley was deeply surprised at how calm, almost shy, Mikayla seemed. "Hi, Mikayla. I guess I should introduce myself. I'm Miley, and this is Lilly."

Lilly leaned close to Mikayla, "She's Hannah. I'm Lola."

Miikayla rolled her eyes, "Really? That was so incredibly hard to figure out."

"So… what are your intentions with Oliver?" Miley asked quite seriously.

"I…" Mikayla trailed off. She wasn't sure herself. "Well, I'm not going to hurt him."

"You better not."

Mikayla shrugged her shoulders. "He's a nice guy. It would be like kicking a puppy."

Lilly laced her fingers with Miley's and leaned against her girlfriend. "No, I'd say it's more like kicking a worm."

That elicited a small giggle from Mikayla – it surprised her just as much as it surprised Miley and Lilly. She flushed slightly, not used to being so relaxed around people. Her expression re-soured.

"Well, thanks for inviting me, I guess." She flipped her hair and turned away. Oliver was over chatting with Heather and she hurried to his side.

"I don't think I'll ever get over the fact that she likes Oliver so much as to be polite to me," Miley shook her head in disbelief.

Lilly shrugged, "Love makes you do funny things."

"Do you love me?" Miley whispered.

"That's a silly question." Lilly returned. "Miley, I love you." Lilly gazed into Miley's eyes, searching for something.

Miley responded with a soft smile. "Lilly, I love you… I was just afraid…" Miley couldn't finish her statement.

Lilly paused, thinking. "Afraid I'd leave you again because of my dad?"

Miley shrugged and looked to the ground. Lilly released her grip on Miley's hand and seized the other girl's shoulders. With a tiny shake, she got Miley's attention on her face.

"Miles, I'm not going to leave you again. It was hard the first time and it'll be hard this time. But this time I know what I want. You make me happy and it doesn't matter how loud my dad screams."

Miley had to smile, "It sounded more like screeching."

Lilly smiled back. "Fine, he can screech as much as he wants. He's not changing my mind or my heart."

The rest of the barbeque went off without a hitch. As the sunset, Robby Ray set a bonfire aflame in the sand. Bags of marshmallows were brought out, as well as roasting sticks. The kids settled themselves around the fire while the adults stood nearby chatting quietly.

Oliver helped Mikayla set up her first marshmallow. "If you want it really crispy, let it catch on fire."

"Ollie, I've roasted 'mallows before," she reprimanded. He withdrew with an apologetic smile.

"Great." He set himself up and stuck his puffy white treat into the center of the fire. It was flaming instantly. Before he could rescue it, it fell from his stick and burned to death with the logs.

"You're helpless." Mikayla sighed. She roasted her first one perfectly and handed it off to him. He smiled at her winningly.

"Thanks, Mickey."

Groaning, she set to firing up a new one. He wouldn't stop calling her that, no matter how much she complained about it. She had grown to accept it and found that she didn't mind as long as it was only him saying it.

Lilly chuckled as she tried to blow her marshmallow off – she'd been so entertained by the other couple's bantering that she'd accidentally left her marshmallow in too long. Miley didn't even bother putting hers on the fire. Raw marshmallows were good enough for her. At some point during the evening Jackson had come through, snagging a few marshmallows on his way home from working at Rico's.

The fire died down eventually – but there wasn't anybody awake enough to care. Lilly was curled up in Miley's lap, dead to the world. Miley was vaguely awake, running her hands through Lilly's limp hair. Beside her sat Oliver and Mikayla, Oliver between Mikayla's legs. His head was on her shoulder and his mouth was slightly agape as he snoozed.

"Hannah, or Miley, or whoever you are…" Mikayla whispered, not wanting to wake the sleeping friends, "…thanks for trusting me."

Miley shrugged, "It's no big."

Mikayla didn't respond verbally again, though she couldn't help but think that she'd found a great set of people to be her friends, if they'd have her. Eventually, Oliver's parents came over and shook Oliver awake. They left with Mikayla, leaving Heather talking with Robby and Dolly, and Lilly still slumbering on Miley.

"I just don't know what to do about him…" Heather sighed, cradling her cup of hot chocolate between her palms for warmth.

"I'm not one to give him advice. I guess you just have to let him cope with it. She tried talking to him, you tried… It's all up to him, now."

She sighed. "I know this is hard on Lilly. She loves him so much, always has. I mean, he taught her how to ride a bike, helped her learn to tie her shoes. He's always supported her before."

Robby stared up at the sparkling night sky. "She's a strong kid. I'm sure she'll learn to live with it."

"That's the thing, Rob. I don't want her to 'learn' to live with it," Heather felt like crying.

Dolly rubbed the other woman's shoulder. "Now, Heather, all you can do is make sure that Lilly knows you love her no matter what. As long as she has you, she'll be fine."

The elder Truscott wiped her eyes and set her cup aside. "I should get Lilly home. It's getting late and it is a school night."

Robby nodded, "If you ever need people to talk to, Dolly and I would sure be glad to listen. And Lilly's welcome here anytime."

Heather woke her daughter and the two headed for home – Miley missed the warmth of Lilly's body and hurried up to her bedroom to regain some heat under her blankets. Robby poured sand on the fire, dousing it safely. He checked on Miley after cleaning up the backyard; she was already sound asleep. Tucking her in, he kissed her forehead, wondering idly how Lilly's father could ever be so judgmental of his own daughter.

--

Wednesday went slowly, way too slowly for Miley. Lilly was slightly down during the school day and Miley desperately wanted to turn that frown upside down. She thought she'd find a way later in the evening, but it was almost painful for her to watch Lilly and know there was something wrong. After school was over, Miley sought Lilly out before she left and hugged her tightly. Lilly gratefully clung to her.

"Do you want to go out tonight?" Miley asked, hoping Lilly would say yes.

Lilly shook her head, though, and sighed. "I have an RC meeting, but I'll call you after, and we can watch a movie or something… or you could come to the meeting?"

Miley shook her head, instantly shooting down Lilly's hopes. "Sorry, I, uh… just don't… you know?

Lilly nodded and the two parted ways, but would not meet that night. The next two days passed with an odd sort of tension between the two. Lilly was getting more and more frustrated with Miley's on-and-off relationship habit. Miley just chalked it up to being nervous about the dance.

As they were leaving school on Friday, Miley stopped Lilly at her locker. "Do you want to get ready together tonight?" – half of her wanted them to do this together, the other half wanted to surprise Lilly with her suit. She'd had it tailored down to her size; the shoulders had been a little wide.

"No, no. My mom promised to help with my hair and make-up and stuff." Lilly shrugged, trying to keep her distance, as per Miley's wishes. "Do you need my help?"

Miley shook her head, "I want it to be a surprise for you. Can you come by my house at like six-thirty? I'm sure my dad will want to take pictures."

"Can my mom take pictures, too? She was asking about it," Lilly shrugged apologetically.

"Sure. Might as well get as many pictures as we can. Who knows when I'll be wearing a suit again," Miley pulled away from her Lilly and smiled sneakily. "Unless, of course, you like it."

Lilly cheeks turned a faint pink hue. "We'll see."

Miley parted from Lilly and hurried home. She wanted to look perfect for the evening. It was still a few hours away from the dance, so she first decided to eat a little snack and watch some television while she could still wrinkle her clothing. The suit wrinkled easily and she needed it to be perfect.

At around five o'clock she hurried up to Hannah's closet and started getting ready. She first donned the pair of black suit pants and ran a roller over them to make sure no stray hairs clung visibly to the fabric. She had never been so glad that her dad didn't let them own a dog. She grabbed some ace bandages and gritted her teeth. She pushed the air from her lungs to make sure she didn't put it on too loosely and started binding her chest down. The mild pain that accompanied it was nothing like she expected and gradually she grew used to the pressure on her chest. After finishing off the roll of bandages she threw on a light white under shirt followed by a formal white blouse. Before putting the jacket on, she went to her bathroom and messed with her hair for a while, trying to get it to stay out of sight.

Pretty soon she realized her solution – a hat would cover it nicely. Luckily she had a formal black top hat from a Hannah charity performance. She settled it onto her head and smiled at her image in the mirror; she looked sharp. More importantly, though, she looked like a boy. A pretty boy, but a boy nonetheless. She fixed a sky blue tie around her neck and draped the jacket over her arm. She squared her shoulders in an attempt to appear manlier.

She went to her room and retrieved the two tickets she had bought. Tucking them into the inner pocket of the suit jacket she hid them away for later. She pulled a pair of high heels for Lilly out of Hannah's closet and found herself a pair of nice black flat shoes. She headed downstairs where Robby was waiting with the camera. At the bottom of the stairs, a flash went off, leaving her nearly blinded by the light.

"Daddy!" Miley rubbed her hands over her eyes.

"You look nice, bud. You'd look good in a dress, too…" he hinted. Over the past few days he'd been trying to convince her through the means of small verbal hints and suggestions that she should at least discuss coming out with Lilly. He knew that hiding their relationship was probably a strain at times.

"Lilly's the girl this time." Miley sighed. She couldn't wait for Lilly to arrive in that lovely blue dress.

He shrugged, not willing to say more. "I'd ask you to pose with Jackson, but the darn boy already left. He didn't look half as gentlemanly as you."

Miley chuckled, "I think I'm a better boy than he is."

Dolly entered the room, smirking, "Miles, you're a girl… Of course you're better at bein' a man."

"Aunt Dolly, how do I look?" Miley flaunted her suit in a feminine way completely unbefitting her new gender role.

"Very fine, sweet pea." Dolly clapped her hands in approval. "I can't wait to see Lilly next to you."

They didn't have to wait long; Lilly knocked on the front door. Miley rushed to open it, eager to lay eyes on her date. The door wouldn't open quickly enough for her, but when it did, Miley could only gape. The reaction, though, seemed to be mutual.

Lilly's jaw dropped open, "Miley… is that you?"