A/N: Hi everyone... I'm really, really sorry this has taken so long, but at long last "Two Hearts" is finally finished! For those of you who have been following this story for a while, you should know I made some big changes to Chapter 31, and the final four chapters (which I've posted simultaneously) pick up the story from there. I hope everyone likes how the story turned out. I've had a great time writing it, although I never expected it to take more than three years! A big thank you to everyone who read, reviewed and gave my some great suggestions. I hope to see everyone around Liley-land again soon :)
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
EPILOGUE
- Ten Years Later -
The warm Southern California sunshine shone down on the Stewart family as they finally began their long awaited vacation together. Miley's hugely successful career as Hannah Montana was nearly finished, and with her farewell concert just a few weeks away, she was finally ready to settle down with her family and live a nice, quiet life in Tennessee.
Lilly had since become a teacher at their old high school, and a successful writer as well; although she was extremely proud of her wife, and all the incredible things she'd accomplished in her career, Lilly was looking forward to finally having Miley all to herself… and to raising their two precocious daughters together.
"I'm so glad we finally got to bring the girls here," Lilly said happily as she and Miley watched their girls getting their hair done. Actually, they were having two very special princess makeovers, as part of a long-awaited family trip to Disneyland. Miley & Lilly still fondly remembered their trip to the Happiest Place on Earth years ago, when they were still teenagers, and were anxious to make more memories with their children.
"Me too, Lils," Miley agreed warmly. "I've really been looking forward to this." She looked over her & Lilly's two daughters, sitting patiently in two of the salon's huge chairs while their hair was being worked on. A kind of sparkly makeup was being put on their faces as well. The girls were giggling excitedly with each other and holding each other's outstretched hands. Miley's heart swelled as she watched them. Everything she had ever wanted – someone special to love, a family of her own, and a home they could all share together – she finally had, and it was all thanks to Lilly.
"Watcha thinking about?" Lilly asked her beloved wife.
"Us," Miley replied softly. "Our girls. Just… everything."
"We did pretty good, didn't we?" Lilly said with a smile.
"More than good," Miley whispered. "I'm just sorry it's taken so long… I shouldn't have let Hannah take up so much of my time…"
"Stop," Lilly said, and she gently kissed her wife on the lips. "That's all behind us now… we're here, together, and you're stuck with us for the rest of your life."
"Promise?" Miley asked with a watery grin. Lilly chuckled.
"Just wait 'til tonight," she whispered in a sultry voice. "I'll show you how serious I am…"
"Are you guys kissing again?" another voice called out. "Come on, people can see you!" Ten year-old Susan stood in front of them, her arms crossed in front of her chest while giving them her best 'disapproving glare'. Miley & Lilly just shook their heads and laughed.
"We'll try to behave ourselves," Lilly promised with a smile.
"Good," Susan quipped. "Now how we do we look momma?" She & Lailha did a quick spin to show off their flowing princess gowns and tiaras.
Ten year-old Susan Lillian Truscott-Stewart was wearing a pale golden gown in the style of Belle, from "Beauty and the Beast", and her long reddish-brown hair had been pulled up into a bun adorned with a small sparkling tiara. It seemed to match the ever-present sparkling in her deep blue eyes, and the freckles on her nose & cheeks made her look more adorable than ever.
Eight year-old Laihla Marie Truscott-Stewart, on the other hand, was wearing a shimmering blue gown like Cinderella's. Her short blonde hair had been put up in a bun much like her older sister, and she wore a matching tiara as well. She had blue eyes like her sister's, and her excited grin showed off her still chubby cheeks. Laihla wasn't quite as tall as her older sister, but she was easily twice as feisty.
"You look like perfect little princesses," Miley said with a grin. The girls smiled as well.
"Our little princesses," Lilly corrected warmly. The two girls grinned and
hugged their mothers fiercely.
"Love you, momma," Susan whispered.
"I love you too, baby girl," Miley said softly.
"What about me, momma?" little Laihla called out. Chuckling, Miley pulled her youngest daughter into a hug as well.
"I'll always love you too, doodlebug!" Miley exclaimed, tickling Laihla as she did so. After a few moments, Laihla managed to pull herself away from her mother's tickling fingers. She paused for a few moments to smooth out her dress and straighten her tiara, then she did her best to look serious.
"Now you and mommy need your tiaras!" she announced.
"That's okay, sweetie," Miley replied gently. "Mommy and I don't need…"
"Aw, c'mon Miles," Lilly said sweetly. "I think we'd look cute… and you don't want to disappoint our little princesses, do you?" Miley shook her head and laughed.
"No, we can't have that," she managed. "Okay, I guess we can all play princess together!" A few minutes later, the four Stewarts walked out of the "Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique" in Fantasyland, all wearing little matching tiaras.
"All right my princesses, what do you wanna ride first?" Miley asked with a radiant smile.
"Small World, Small World!" Laihla shouted eagerly. Her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Can I wear earplugs?" Lilly joked. Miley laughed.
"You love that ride and you know it," she teasingly reminded her wife. Lilly just smiled and shrugged.
"All right, all right… Small World' it is," she said with a grin. "Let's go!" They joined hands – Miley & Lilly in the middle, with the girls on either side of them – and began to make their way towards "It's A Small World", in another part of Fantasyland. It was a busy day at the park, and there were crowds everywhere, but it made little difference to the four Stewarts; they were already having too much fun together to let the crowds bother them.
"Momma look!" Susan suddenly exclaimed. "It's Ariel!" Miley looked up to see one of the park's cast members dressed as Ariel the Little Mermaid (in her wedding dress), posing for pictures and signing autographs.
"Whaddaya say, Laihla?" Lilly asked her youngest daughter. "Wanna go get your picture taken with Ariel?"
"Can we?" Laihla asked excitedly. "You and mommy too?"
"Sure, angel," Miley said warmly. They waited patiently for their turn, then walked up to the waiting princess.
"Oh, don't you two look cute!" 'Ariel' greeted them.
"You too, Ariel!" Susan gushed. "I love your dress!"
"Oh, thank you," 'Ariel' replied. "Eric had it made for me for our wedding!"
"Can you take a picture of us with my camera?" Lilly asked a nearby cast member.
"Certainly," the cast member replied warmly. He took Lilly's camera and waited until the four Stewarts were posing alongside Ariel. Little Laihla wrapped her arms around Ariel's waist in a hug, grinning happily. A moment later, the cast member snapped the picture, and the four Stewarts eagerly rushed over to see how it had turned out.
"Aw, it's adorable!" Lilly exclaimed.
"Goin' on the wall at home for sure," Miley agreed with a grin. They thanked 'Ariel' and the other cast member and continued on their way.
A few moments later, as they walked past the "Dumbo the Flying Elephant" ride, Miley noticed two young girls – one with fiery red hair, the other almost black – run hand-in-hand up to the ride. They seemed very excited, and there was something undeniably adorable about the two of them.
"How did I let you talk me into getting on this, CeCe?" the dark-haired girl asked.
"C'mon, it'll be fun, Rocks!" the red-haired girl responded with a smile. "Besides, I can make it worth your while…!" She whispered something to the other girl, who immediately turned a shade to red to rival her friend's hair.
"CeCe!" she squeaked, and she slapped her friend's arm playfully. The redhead just smiled and leaned in to capture the other girl's lips in a kiss. Miley blushed and quickly turned away, but she couldn't help smiling.
"What?" Lilly asked her, noticing her smile.
"Nothin'," Miley insisted.
"Yeah, right," Lilly retorted. "I know that look, Miles… what're you thinking about now?" She looked over her shoulder for a moment.
"Those two girls?" she asked carefully.
"I guess seeing them made me think about us, when we were their age," Miley said softly.
"We've come a long way, haven't we?" Lilly said with a smile. Miley nodded, her smile matching her wife's.
"Yeah we have," she replied. "Still hard to believe it all started when I helped you at school all those years ago…"
"I like to think we helped each other," Lilly quipped.
"Seriously though, Lils… did you ever think we'd up together, all those years ago?" Miley asked the woman she loved. Lilly looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Well… there was always something about you that made me smile," she admitted, smiling shyly. "From the moment I first met you… I just wanted to be around you."
"Really?" Miley asked her, almost shyly. Lilly smiled and nodded.
"What about you, Miles?" she asked her wife. "What made you want to be with me?"
"Honestly, I think I knew I wanted to be with you the first time we ever held hands," Miley replied softly. "You remember…?"
"Riding horses at your parents' farm?" Lilly finished for her. "Of course I do… and I felt it too, Miles." She smiled.
"That's probably why I wanted to win you that stuffed pink elephant at the Harvest Fair," the blonde tomboy added with a grin. "I wanted to show you how much I liked you…"
"Well, it worked," Miley said with a smile. She smirked. "And if I had any doubts, I sure didn't after you kissed me the first time." Lilly blushed politely.
"I didn't hear you complaining," she pointed out.
"Nope," Miley said proudly.
"I don't think that night could've been any more perfect,' Lilly said happily. "First you and your family threw me an incredible surprise birthday party, and you gave me Sadie as my present… and then I finally got to kiss you!"
"I think I'd been wantin' to kiss you for a while too, I just didn't realize it," Miley admitted.
"We've always been close," Lilly replied thoughtfully. "I think it just took us a little while to hear what our hearts were trying to tell us."
"And what's your heart tellin' you?" Miley asked her with a smile.
"That it always wants to be right here beside yours," Lilly replied warmly.
"That's us… two hearts, beating like one," Miley said in a hoarse voice full of emotion, and she reached up to gently stroke her wife's warm cheek.
"I think momma & mommy are gonna kiss again," Laihla whispered to her big sister.
"Do they ever stop?" Susan asked teasingly.
"But they're sa'posed to kiss each other, cuz they love each other!" Laihla said proudly. Susan grinned.
"Yeah, I guess…" She looked up at their beloved mothers again and smiled. "I just wish they didn't have ta do it in front of us all the time!" The two sisters giggled together, but their mothers didn't notice; at the moment, Miley & Lilly only had eyes for each other.
"Think Mickey would mind if I kissed my wife now?" Miley asked teasingly. "After all, we are kinda in his home…" Lilly laughed.
"I think he'd be fine with it," she replied sweetly. "Now get those sweet lips over here and kiss me!"
"Wouldn't wanna upset my beautiful wife, now would I?" Miley quipped.
"Got that right," Lilly agreed happily, and, as their two little girls pretended to groan in annoyance, she pulled Miley to her and kissed her passionately, once again thanking anyone who might be listening for bringing her the other half of her soul…