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 7th episode of 'Unsung', with katie out of the picture (for the moment) Lilly and Miley spend the day working on a science project (building a maze) and try still to adjust to being friends in the post-Miley gay era. Later, Miley recieves a startling phone call involving her girlfriend (Katie). Finally, that night the girls settle into enjoy a meteor shower when a second phone call comes in that changes Miley's life forever. How will Lilly react?"

Original Airdate: Wednesday, March 18, 2009 @ 9:30 p.m.
(following an ALL NEW 'My First Time')

Story Codes: no sex

At nine o'clock in the morning on Sunday, Lilly woke again, this time to someone pounding loudly on Miley's door. She groaned softly - the dream and several others like it had been constant companions during her rest and she did not appreciate them.

The brunette in question sat up, rubbing a fist over her eyes. She spotted Lilly at the other end of the bed and tilted her head. Her tired and confused look lapsed into a yawn. She snagged a pillow and chucked it at her door.

"Stop it Jackson!" she hollered loudly, hoping it would be enough to get the pounding to cease.

"Get up, you two! Dad's finished making pancakes!" he hollered back, just as loudly, but stopped pounding. "And if you don't hurry up, I'm eating yours, too!"

Lilly stumbled to her feet, hoping Miley wouldn't ask what she was doing at the foot of the bed. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to tame it. Miley followed suit, though her hair was slightly wilder than Lilly's. Together they tottered downstairs and into the waiting chairs around the table.

Lilly was extremely uncomfortable. Just looking at the kitchen made her think about the Dream - yes, with a capital letter. It just needed one. The Dream made her feel very... aroused, to her embarrassment.

Fortunately, nobody paid much attention to her as they feasted. Robby Ray was busy arguing with Jackson over Jackson's household chores, and how they never seemed to get done. Miley was too tired to talk much and her face was nearly in her pancakes.

After breakfast was eaten by Lilly and Robby Ray, inhaled by Jackson, and absorbed via osmosis by Miley, the two girls returned upstairs to clean up. Miley hit the shower first and Lilly occupied herself by rooting around Miley's room idly. She straightened the bed, pushed in a few drawers that were jutting out and finally crashed on Miley's desk chair.

Half an hour later, Miley emerged from the bathroom and reentered her bedroom, towel wrapped tightly around her body. Lilly gulped slightly, eyes fixed momentarily on the curves the towel so nicely revealed. She grabbed her change of clothing and ran for the bathroom, silently reprimanding herself for gazing at Miley's barely clad body in any way shape or form. That was not how best friends looked at each other.

Miley watched Lilly hurry away with a puzzled smile. She waited until the door to the bathroom was secure before pulling on the day's clothing. Casting a few secretive glances around, she opened a desk drawer and pulled out a slim black journal. She opened it to a fresh page, dated it, and set the tip of her pen down on the first line.

After jotting down the events of the past few days and her wildly spinning emotions regarding Lilly and Katie, Miley snapped the journal shut, feeling a little better. Just getting it off her chest and out of her head was a relief. She slid the slim book back into the drawer and proceeded to wait patiently.

Eleven minutes later a clean and redressed Lilly appeared in her doorway, smiling. In the shower, Lilly had taken a few moments to clear her mind and bury the Dream deeply in her memories. She had tried to focus her mind as she showered, with minimal success.

Miley was still just her best friend, right? What she was feeling was how she'd always felt, but seeing Miley with Katie had probably caused her to be hyper-aware of what she thought. It made sense to her and she accepted the reasoning. But that only brought up further worries - Had she really felt this way about Miley the whole time?

Rather than worry herself to pieces and waste water, Lilly had hurried up and rinsed off. She shut the water off and reached for her towel. As she wrapped it around her body and began rubbing herself dry, she was hit by another thought. Why was she so against feeling something for Miley? Lilly had to admit that Miley was the prettiest girl she knew. Not to mention loyal. Miley had stuck by her through a lot, even their teenage angst-ridden spats. She'd never had someone so devoted to her before. These past few days were definite proof of that.

So if it wasn't Miley that she was afraid of, what was it? Lilly gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully. Sure, she was afraid of what other people would say. It was almost like a nightmare and her overactive imagination would undoubtedly make it ten times worse than it would be. Of course, people had been whispering about her sexuality since freshman year. She'd blown that off, knowing that teenagers will talk about anything different. It was bound to be around since she skateboarded and wasn't as in to fashion as the girls around her. Most people considered her ‘one of the guys.' It didn't help that her handful of boyfriends didn't seem to stick.

As she slid her shorts on, she made a decision. They had been assigned a project in science, so she and Miley would be working close quarters all day. She was going to take the opportunity to watch Miley and see how the other girl truly made her feel. That meant she was going to have to maintain a low level of contact and constant conversation. Then, at the end of the day, she'd have her answer - hopefully. Then, she'd know what was bothering her most about this whole situation.

So when she appeared in Miley's doorway, her smile was genuine. She was ready to grab the bull by the horns and take control of her wayward feelings.

"Ready to do some science?" she asked.

"When you are, captain," Miley said with a mock salute. "I figured we could start with the maze before getting a rodent."

"Sounds good," Lilly responded as her face screwed up slightly. "Er, where are we going to get a rodent?"

"My piano."

"That's right!" Lilly giggled. "I forgot about Linda, the wonder mouse."

Miley nodded. "I thought we could use some shoeboxes for the maze. Maybe one for the start and one for the finish? And tons of cardboard for the rest."

"Sounds like a plan, Stan." Lilly walked over, laying a hand on Miley's arm. Miley tilted her head and looked at her strangely, but said nothing.

They set to work. Hours drifted by as they constructed their project; it wasn't a lengthy process, but they made it that way by chattering occasionally. Lilly kept trying to put her hands on Miley, and Miley, while not exactly pulling away, was curious as to her friend's behavior and tried to keep her distance.

Lunchtime came and went. Miley left Lilly working on the almost-finished maze to go and fix them a few sandwiches, a big bowl of popcorn, and grab a couple sodas. She was gone for a total of twelve minutes. In that time, Lilly had managed to wreck half the project.

Miley stared at the mayhem that was once her hard work and sighed. "Sweet nibblets, Lilly... what did you do?"

Lilly gulped and shifted from foot to foot, hands clasped in front of her. She jerked them unsuccessfully - they were stuck together. "I leaned in some super glue... and... then panicked..."

Miley chuckled. "Should I get you to the emergency room?"

"No!" Lilly cried. "I bought the cheap stuff. I just need to put it under water."

Still giggling madly, Miley helped Lilly to the bathroom, turning on the sink water. While Lilly washed her hands free Miley drummed her fingers on the porcelain, thinking. Lilly eyed her cautiously; they were standing less than half a foot apart, the closest they'd been since breakfast.

"Are you mad at me?" Lilly asked meekly, scrubbing her hands vigorously.

"No?" Miley replied, surprised. "Why would you think that?"

And even before she answered, the reason was clear. Of course Lilly would notice that every time they touched, Miley would shy away. Miley felt very foolish.

"You don't let me touch you," Lilly's eyes widened slightly as she realized what she said - and how it had sounded. Then she realized the reason behind Miley's behavior. Miley was trying to get away because it was torture. Touching Lilly was touching the forbidden fruit. "You know what, just forget I said anything. It's okay. I'm okay, you're okay, we're all okay. I should write a book about being okay, that's how okay I am."

"Lilly..." Miley slid one eyebrow up, waiting for Lilly to snap her mouth shut.

"Yeah?"

"It's fine. I'm just being silly."

"Well, okay." Lilly relented, drying her hands. They returned to the world of maze building in relatively uncomfortable silence. The quiet lasted a total of two minutes before Lilly's dam burst and she began chattering as if nothing had happened. After that, it was easy enough for Miley to relax, too.

The damage Lilly had caused was rectified and the maze was completed. Together they lifted it downstairs, careful so as not to ruin it, and settled it next to the piano. Lilly went to the fridge and selected a few wedges of cheese, while Miley opened the top of the piano and, cautiously, lifted Linda out.

Several runs later, they had collected enough data to create a lab-write up and small essay. Linda was resettled into her piano-home and Lilly leaped upon the maze, jumping on it. She'd been dying to do that.

"Do you always have to be so destructive?" Miley joked, watching as Lilly went on to kick the cardboard monster.

"Only most of the time," Lilly grunted.

Miley grinned and turned away. "Well when you're done, we can watch some television."

In an instant, the maze was discarded and Lilly had thrown herself over the back of the couch, nestling down between the cushions. "Woo!"

"Y'know, I get the feeling that Oliver isn't the only doughnut I know." Miley settled down near Lilly's feet, hitting the power button on the remote. They watched the ending of a sitcom, since it was near the end of the hour, before flipping through the channels. Miley paused a moment on the news channel.

"Our meteorologist, Phil Metcalf, will tell us about the coming meteor shower," The anchor fiddled with the papers in front of him, trying to look important and interested.

"Tonight is a great night to get outside, John," Phil responded, tapping the wall behind him. "Shooting stars everywhere. Just grab a blanket and some hot chocolate and look up to the sky. It should start around ten o'clock, and last an hour, at least."

Lilly jumped to her feet, excited. Miley watched her, deeply amused - the blonde was so easily keyed up.

"Miley! We should watch!" Lilly nearly yelled. "Come on! You know you want to! I'll bring the blanket, you bring the hot chocolate, Nature brings the entertainment..."

"Sure," Miley got up as well. It was nearly five, so there was plenty of time to clean up the mess they had made while making the maze and get ready for some star-gazing.

Lilly ran for the door, nearly outside before she yelled back. "I'll meet you in your backyard in at nine-thirty, okay?"

"Okay!" Miley hollered, though she knew Lilly was already gone. She shook her head knowingly and began cleaning the living room. Turning the television off, she fumbled with the remote a moment.

If this was anyone else, she might consider this a prime excuse for date material. But Lilly was still insistent that she wasn't feeling a relationship - despite the mixed signals Miley was picking up. It was frustrating, but for now all Miley could do was hope and wait. Maybe she'd wish on a star and suddenly Lilly would love her back. She grinned at the thought. Maybe those touches earlier were Lilly's way of saying she was interested. As she thought this, her phone rang.

Pulling it out of her pocket, she smiled. "Hey, you."

"Who is this?"

Miley froze at the angry male voice on the other end. "I'm sorry? You called me," she said, checking the caller ID again. "Who are you, and why are you calling me from Katie's phone?"

"This is her father. Are you the one our daughter has been seeing?"

Miley immediately fell onto the couch, her legs weak with nerves. "I... I don't know what you mean," she stammered, stalling for inspiration.

"It doesn't matter. You will not see her again. We're sending her to St. Mary's Academy. Don't try to contact her," he virtually yelled into the phone, and before he hung up, Miley heard Katie in the background yelling for her.

Staring at the ‘Call Ended' on her screen, she wasn't surprised when the tears began to fall.

Time slipped past quickly and soon enough Miley was wiping away her tears and getting ready for Lilly. She dumped some hot chocolate into a thermos, grabbing two large coffee mugs, and hurried to the backyard. Lilly was already there, spreading a relatively small blanket. There was enough room for two, but a very close two.

Miley tucked the thermos into the sand, settling the cups down beside it. She helped Lilly flatten the blanket out; their fingers brushed for a millisecond at one corner and Miley tried to ignore the tremors it caused. She wanted nothing more than to run her fingers over Lilly's. She fought off the shiver of excitement before plopping down onto the blanket, lying with her arms propped against her stomach. This was going to be a platonic evening as long as she could manage to keep her hands to herself. Lilly mimicked her position to her right. Just before ten the first few shooting stars appeared, rushing across the darkened sky.

"Make a wish, Mile." Lilly whispered quietly.

"I wish..." Miley trailed off, staring at the streaking stars. She couldn't help thinking of Katie, and how much she felt like she was betraying her by enjoying herself with Lilly while she was being shipped off to Catholic school. "...for nothing. There's not much more I could ask for," she sighed, knowing it was a lie as she said it.

Lilly giggled softly. "I wish for happiness for us both."

Miley nudged Lilly with an elbow. "Nice thought. Have you thought about writing greeting cards?"

"Nope. But I have thought about working at Hallmark as a cashier." Lilly joked. She hoped she sounded at ease. Internally she was screaming. Just that small brush of Miley's elbow on her side was reawakening memories of the Dream. She was thankful that the darkness hid the blush that threatened to overwhelm her face.

They fell into silence, content to watch the stars shooting overhead. Lilly didn't want to stay quiet for long, though, but rather than talk, she moved her arm so that her hand was on Miley's stomach. A little more motion got her fingers laced with Miley's, much to the surprise of the other girl. Perhaps, she reasoned, if she liked the activity in the Dream, she'd like it as much while awake.

Miley didn't speak. It was almost too good to be true. That Lilly would do something like that had to be a good sign. But, ever cautious, she neither moved her arm to or from Lilly. Letting Lilly take the reins was safe. Then, maybe, it wouldn't be her fault.

And so for a while, they held hands. The world around them was peaceful and quiet. There was nobody else in Miley's backyard, though some rowdier people were a short ways down the beach. They could hear the gentle crash of the waves against the shore as the ocean lapped the sand. They could hear the low chirp of nightly insects going about their insect business. And each could hear the thudding of their heart, growing constantly louder.

Finally Lilly rolled onto her side, freeing her hand. She leaned on an elbow, staring at Miley's face. Before Miley could speak, Lilly leaned forward, and their lips met. Miley was shocked; this was more than she would have even wished for. It was innocent enough, chaste to say the most, but it was enough to sate Miley's desire. When Lilly drew away, Miley placed a fingertip to her lips, silent. Lilly withdrew, blushing.

"I'm sorry... I know you have a girlfriend and..." Lilly murmured. "I just had to know..."

Miley swallowed roughly, trying to find the right words. That kiss was so much more than what she got with Jake, or even Katie. It was filled with feeling, tenderness. Jake was rough and boisterous with his kisses, much like his personality. And with Katie... there had been so much there, but nothing like the spark she had just felt. Lilly was shy and soft, quite the opposite of her personality, and Miley's whole body felt electric after just that brief touch of their lips.

"It's okay," Miley returned. "And I don't have a girlfriend. Her parents caught up with her," she frowned. "They're shipping her off to Catholic school."

"Well, that's not very smart of them, now is it?"

Miley turned to the blonde, confused.

"Well, think about it," Lilly explained. "What is one of guys' biggest fantasies? The innocent Catholic school girl. Now tell me, you, as a declared liker-of-girls, would you say that is one of your fantasies?"

Miley's eyes glazed over as she thought of Lilly in a Catholic school uniform. She nodded absently. "Uh-huh."

"Point proven," Lilly waved, dismissing the idea. "So Katie will be fine, and enjoying herself, I'm sure." When she didn't receive a response, she waved a hand in front of the brunette's eyes, startling her out of her daydream. "You alright there?" she asked, noticing the blush on Miley's cheeks.

Miley nodded, and jumped again as her phone rang. Pulling it out, she frowned at the caller ID before opening it. "Hello? Katie!" she jumped up in surprise and walked a short distance away. Lilly felt her confidence drop from cloud nine to land six feet under in a split second. "No, don't. Look, I know it's hard. God Katie, I don't... Maybe... maybe it's for the best, you know? I mean, you'll be surrounded by all those corruptible Catholic school girls, for one." Lilly heard loud laughter from the speaker and smiled. "I'm going to miss you, too. Yeah... Oh. Really... No, don't. I didn't... okay maybe at first, but it became so much more and completely separate. Yeah... Okay. Take care of yourself. I'll talk to you later. Yeah, I will. I want to know how you are, and where you are. Nah, me and Lilly will bust you out if undead nuns attack you with rulers. But only if they're metal! No, the rulers, not the nuns. I'll miss you. Yeah. Bye," Miley hung up and held the phone to her chest looking out over the ocean, tears in her eyes.

Standing, Lilly moved behind her, but refrained from touching her. "What did she say?"

Miley was silent for a moment before turning back to face Lilly. The tears were flowing steadily, but she was smiling. "She said that she knew we weren't going to last anyway, because she could tell from the start that I was in love with someone else."

"Oh," Lilly stood there, dumbfounded and uncomfortable for a minute, before asking, "Who?"

Miley pushed her playfully. "You, duh."

"Oh." Lilly blushed and let her gaze wander Miley's body, mentally kicking herself for not seeing it earlier. Thinking about it now, she couldn't guess as to how she missed the beauty of her best friend, how she missed the feelings that were obviously there. She realized now that even back when Miley confessed, she had wanted Miley's attention. It just took a lot of pushing to get those feelings into the spotlight.

"I'm sorry, Miley," Lilly started again. "For turning you down before. I think... I think I was scared. That things would change, you know? But I'm, uhh... ready. That is... you know... if you still want me..."

Miley stared blankly at her. If you still want me. A few seconds passed and Lilly was growing anxious. Lilly reached a hand towards Miley's face, intent on waving it vigorously to get Miley's attention, but it wasn't needed. Miley grabbed the hand with surprising strength and jerked Lilly forward, throwing the blonde off balance and into another kiss.

"Of course I want you," Miley smiled when they broke the much longer kiss.

They retook their places on the blanket, with Lilly much closer, resting her head on Miley's shoulder. They sat there awkwardly a moment. Lilly wasn't sure if she was doing this right. She'd never been too touchy feely with boys and she had no idea if she was supposed to act the same in a situation like this. Was one of them supposed to take over the boy's role and be dominant? Who was supposed to hold whom?

"So does this mean that I'm your girlfriend?" Lilly murmured quietly. "And does that make you my boyfriend?"

Miley chuckled. Lilly's humor was a good tension breaker. "I'm pretty sure that we're mutual girlfriends."

Lilly sighed. "Alright, Ms. I-Have-More-Experience-So-I-Must-Be-Right. Well, if you ever decide that we need gender roles, I totally call being the girl. You can do all the boy-work like buying me flowers and chocolate," she said, her tone serious.

Shoulders shaking with mirth, Miley shook her head slowly. "Let's not be hasty here. I'll buy chocolate for you, if you buy me flowers?"

"Well what if I want flowers?"

"Then I'll buy you flowers," Miley tilted her head down and kissed Lilly's temple. It was exciting to have Lilly so close and so willing. Katie had been right. This is what she truly wanted.

"See, you're so much better at the boy-work than I'd ever be."

Miley laughed out loud and the two fell into a brief, if comfortable, silence.

Lilly wriggled slightly after a moment, readjusting so she could see Miley's face. "Are we going to tell people?"

"We have to tell Oliver," Miley reasoned. "And I think we should tell our families."

Lilly let her eyes slide shut. She felt entirely too tired. Telling her parents was going to be interesting, to say the least. Her mom was accepting, if she judged their conversation yesterday as anything. She had no idea about her brother or father, considering she saw them so little with them living in Sacramento. She held their opinions in very high regard, and if they had a problem with it, Lilly didn't know what she'd do.

"Do I have to?"

Miley ran a hand through Lilly's hair. "I'd like you to. I'm not going to force you, or anything. And I know this is newer for you than it is for me."

Lilly sighed deeply. It was new for her, but she couldn't deny that it felt right. Her eyes reopened. "I'll try, okay? No promises, though."

"No promises," Miley repeated, agreeing. The fact that Lilly was even willing to think about it was a start.

"Look!" Lilly's attention was suddenly diverted as a particularly bright star rocketed through the sky.

Miley watched it thoughtfully. "It's getting late, Lils."

"Yeah," Lilly sat up slowly, stretching her arms out. A glance down at Miley reaffirmed that the butterflies in her stomach were caused by the other girl. That was all the reassurance she needed that this relationship wasn't going to be a mistake.

"We didn't even touch the hot chocolate," Miley gestured to the now cold beverage.

"I'm sure Jackson'll drink it." Lilly tossed her hand flippantly. Her grin grew wickedly. "You should slip some hot sauce in before you give it to him. Make it real hot chocolate."

"Lilly, if I prank Jackson, do you know what'll happen? I'll wake up with a toilet seat glued to my forehead, or bright blue hair, or my eyebrows shaved off. You don't mess with Jackson unless you're prepared to deal with his consequences."

Lilly's grin only grew. "That sounds like fun..."

Miley didn't like where this was going. "Lilly..."

"I've got to plan," Lilly announced. She was on her feet in a heartbeat.

Reluctantly standing, Miley eyed Lilly for a moment. Was it too soon to give Lilly another kiss? Was she trying to move this too fast? Lilly seemed to be thinking about the same thing. They stared at each other for a few tense moments before Lilly stepped forward.

Her hands found their way to Miley's hips, pulling the taller girl towards her. Easing onto the balls of her feet, Lilly leaned up, kissing Miley hesitantly. Miley's hands flew to cup Lilly's jaw line. It was brief, though, because at that moment the back door opened.

"Oh. Umm..."

The two girls stepped apart a little, and looked at an utterly stunned and speechless Jackson.

"Jackson, umm..." Miley started, only to be cut off by her brother waving his hands frantically.

"All I want to know is did you take the last of the hot chocolate?"

The two girls looked at each other before Lilly broke out in giggles, and Miley wasn't much better as she answered. "Yeah, sorry."

Jackson glared for a moment before turning and going back into the house, grumbling about annoying sisters who took the last bits of everything good.

After Jackson had disappeared, Lilly stepped up to Miley and gave her another soft kiss. "I should get going," she smiled.

"Yeah, you should," Miley replied, stealing a kiss in return.

Fifteen minutes later, as Lilly waved good bye, she was dancing on the inside. Saying yes to Miley was quite possibly the best decision she ever made, if those short kisses were anything to judge by.

Miley collected the hot chocolate and considered Lilly's suggestion a moment. It was looking better and better as the seconds ticked by, she had to admit. Logically speaking, though, pulling a prank on Jackson was like bleeding profusely in front of a great white shark - ill-advised and bound to end badly.

In the end, she dumped the excess liquid down the drain. She wasn't ready to play with fire and she really didn't want to get burned. Lilly, however, was already deep in thought, deciding the best way to anonymously prank Jackson. It had to be big, it had to be great, and it had to be something the older boy wouldn't expect in a million years. Her musings allowed her to avoid thinking about telling her parents about her and Miley.