A/N: Welcome to my Christmas story. All others are put on hold whilst I bash this one out as quickly as possible and I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana or any of the lyrics from songs that I will use in this story.
Chapter 1
Sunday 20th December 2009
The morning was so dark that Lilly Truscott wondered for a moment where she was, until she remembered and hurriedly slid out of bed and ran to the place where long curtains gathered in thick folds at the windows. She drew back the heavy velvet and cast her eyes excitedly out to the view – and what a view it was. Great towering statues of mountains rose up to meet the clouds, spectacular against a soft pink sky in the early morning sun. A white blanket of snow blessed and fell beautiful over everything in her vision. Trees were treated to cold poufs of sticky flakes whist the cliffs were painted over in creamy tones. There was a little movement on the slopes as keen skiers traversed the extra smooth snow which had been expertly tamped into place by the snow movers in the night. The cable cars ran steadily up and down the mountain, taking the first of their passengers to some of the highest places on earth.
Lilly blinked and smiled, for this was not a dream and the reality of her first skiing trip in the Christmas holidays began to set in for real when it didn't have the chance to only a few dark hours ago, as their bus pitched its way up the terrifying roads in the blackness of night. She dressed quickly into her new ski gear that her parents had "ummed" and "aaahed" over in the shops before hurrying down the hotel's corridor and banging on their door.
"Alright Lilly, alright." Her father greeted her as he heaved on a pair of ski socks whilst opening the door and almost losing his footing.
"Darling, have you seen my spare pair of gloves?" Lilly's mother called from further inside the room.
"Why does she need another…" Lilly began, but was quickly cut off.
"Don't worry, I've found them." Heather Truscott suddenly appeared, bright eyed and red cheeked alongside Lilly's father in the doorway. "Oh good Lilly, you decided to opt for the blue ski suit. I am ever so glad; it really does bring out your eyes."
Lilly rolled her eyes, but answered good naturedly, "Mother, this is a ski holiday, not some fashion parade."
Lilly's father merely chuckled, "Are we all ready then? Matt and Sarah will be waiting for us at breakfast."
"Yes, yes, I'm just getting my goggles." Lilly's mother replied from where she had retreated back into the room.
"Is she going to be like this all holiday?" Lilly asked her father tentatively.
Michael Truscott merely turned a pair of patient blue eyes back to his daughter as he nodded, "I'm afraid so Lillypad. Just be glad you weren't born during our ski trip of '88. She tried to fit her whole purse down the front of her jacket, but soon regretted it once she fell on her face and everything went everywhere. Lipsticks, cash, spare gloves, spare hat, spare goggles, spare pants… Spare everything. But luckily that was when we had just left the locker rooms! We hadn't even touched snow yet." Lilly's father lost himself in quiet laughter at his memories whilst Lilly smile along with him, she had a feeling already that this was going to be a very good holiday.
x-x-x-x-x
"So how'd you sleep squirt?" Matt, Lilly's older brother addressed her over her European breakfast of toast, ham and cheese.
"Matt, there's no need to call me that," Lilly replied imperiously, "I am a young lady now."
"She's still the same little weirdo to me." Matt answered and flashed his fiancé a winning smile. Sarah just rolled her eyes before tucking into her cereal, she loved becoming a part of this new family but staying out of the arguments was still an important personal rule which she wished to maintain.
"So, how are you enjoying your ham Lilly?" Sarah asked.
Lilly shrugged her shoulders, "I'm not sure whether cold, processed meat is something I would normally go for first thing in the morning, but I guess it is European."
"Yeah, much like that massive pile of croissants they have on that table round the corner." Matt stated, before gesturing his head in the direction of the buffet.
"Annoying older brother say what?" Lilly's eyes goggled as her head twisted round. She was quickly to her feet and practically running to the table loaded down with sweet pastries, aware of nothing but her own rumbling stomach and the first small mountain which she was determined to conquer that morning.
"Woah!" A voice in close proximity quickly drew Lilly's attention and she pulled up her march quickly. "Gees woman, you almost had me over."
A sharp twang of Southern accent flew through the air and Lilly swung round to face the owner of the voice, which definitely sounded familiar. She was met with a pair of oceanic eyes, partly hidden among a tussling bundle of brunette curls that fell and bounced around the other girl's shoulders and face as she animatedly regarded the blonde, almost bombshell, before her.
"M-Miley Stewart?" Lilly managed to stutter out a blustering format of recognition.
The other girl frowned as confusion crowded her piercing eyes, "Lilly Truscott…" Miley mumbled softly, quirking an eyebrow to interrogate her properly, "What the heck are you doing in the Alps?"
Lilly laughed at the other girl, with her pouting lips and bewildered expression, it really was a comical reaction to a chance meeting in a hotel in Western Europe. "Well, I'm not here for the surfing, that's for sure."
"Ha ha. Well, I guess you're here for skiing then?"
Lilly nodded, "Yup, that's about right."
Miley bobbed her head along with her, as a sign of approval, "Me too. My dad and brother dragged me up here. They seemed to think it would do us good to get away into the mountains and take in the air, and hit the slopes…" Miley trailed off and subtly shuddered.
"I take it you've never skied before then?" Lilly asked and a grin flickered across Miley's face.
"Only on the dry ski slope just outside of Nashville, and that was one huge mistake. I spent most of the time on my butt. But you know I heard that snow is better than that rough stuff you slide down, so maybe I'll come out of this holiday less bruised?"
Lilly laughed, "I hope so. It's my first time too," she quietly confessed to Miley, "but I can't wait to get out there."
"Yeah…" Miley turned her gaze to the long windows across the room, and Lilly's eyes followed after hers. A few short moments passed in which Miley paused and Lilly mimicked her silence. The sky had turned in colour and now the sun burned brightly above the mountains, adding more sparkle to the snow and enticing the girls outward. The sun looked almost the same as it did in Malibu at this time of year, with its strength, yet it seemed whiter in this winter sky.
"Anyway…" Miley's voice broke through their quiet and Lilly blinked before turning back to the other girl, whose fascinating eyes were glimmering, "Perhaps I'll see you out on the slopes?" Miley asked softly, and offered Lilly a friendly smile.
"Yeah, that'll be really nice." Lilly grinned back, perhaps a little over-brightly for Miley smirked and looked away for a moment.
Her response was coy when she turned back to Lilly, her eyes slowly rising up to meet the blonde's, analysing Lilly for a moment before saying "Catch ya later." Then Miley winked and shared Lilly's smile before taking her croissant-loaded plate to the other side of the room.
"…Later." Lilly repeated slowly following Miley's retreat with interested eyes. It was most peculiar that Miley Stewart should be spending the Christmas holidays in the same holiday resort as Lilly's family.
"God Lilly, what took you so long?" Matt interrogated once the blonde returned to the table. Lilly merely glanced at him before tucking into her preferred pastry breakfast. "Or do I not want to know?" Matt continued, "I don't think I want to go back through the hotel. I reckon there's a pile of bodies of all the other people Lilly had to kill to claim her trophy; the mountain of croissants. I hope the climb was worth it."
"Shut up Matt." Lilly reproached from behind a mouthful of food.
Heather threw a mildly scolding look at her son before looking thoughtfully at Lilly from over the top of her coffee cup, "What did take you so long, honey?"
Lilly swallowed, "Actually it's quite funny, Miley Stewart is here." Heather looked puzzled and Lilly knew her cue to continue, "She's this girl in my year, she moved to our school and started in September. She's from Tennessee originally but came to Malibu over the summer with her dad and brother, and that's about all I know about her."
"What a coincidence…" Heather wondered, "Is she one of your friends?"
Lilly grinned; her mother always had to ask such strange questions, "No. Well, I would call her more of someone that I would nod to in the corridors and say 'hi'. I don't really know her that well."
"Hmm." This, unfortunately for Lilly, was not enough to deter Heather Truscott, "Who is she friends with?"
Lilly thought for a moment before replying, "She doesn't seem to be friends with anyone really. I mean, she gets along with people just fine but she hasn't settled into any of the clicks or anything. She doesn't get on with Amber and Ashley so she's not a 'Popular'… but she's also not taken any interest in cheerleading or sports… or even band or geeky things. She's much too cool to be geeky actually; she's got this kind of aloof edge to her that no one really gets. I think that's why she hasn't been accepted really, even though she seems normal enough."
"Well that's sad." Heather jumped in, as expected, to defend the girl who she had never met before and had only heard of a few minutes ago, "What about you and Oliver? Have you ever asked her to do anything with you guys?"
Lilly laughed, "No. I don't think she's into skating or surfing. I don't think she even wanted to come skiing. I've heard her house is on the beach but that's about as close to the sea as she probably gets. No one knows what she does in her spare time."
"This holiday could be the perfect opportunity for you two to become friends." Heather suddenly stated, putting down her empty coffee cup with authority and staring Lilly down with a defiant look.
"Yeah, sure, if we get on." Lilly began her mumbled reply, "But you can't just be friends with someone like that. What if we don't click? She might be a total psycho?"
"If you don't get on then why did you spend the best part of ten minutes with her?" Matt intruded.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that you were paying any attention to our conversation." Lilly returned.
"Lilly," Matt feigned shock, "enough of the attitude, please." Matt replied in a frighteningly accurate impersonation of their mother.
"He does have a point." Heather mused, whilst her daughter looked on in horror. "Maybe the two of you being here on this holiday happened for a reason."
"Oh mum, not that fate mumbo-jumbo again." Lilly whined.
"I don't care what you say Lillian," Lilly winced at the name, "everything happens for a reason, and for some reason the two of you are in the Alps, in the same hotel over Christmas. The poor girl has no friends so perhaps you have an important role to play in her life."
"Yeah, yeah…" Lilly rolled her eyes and began her third croissant, but she couldn't help the grin that spread across her face at her mother's strange ideas.
"On the other hand," Heather smiled, "the caffeine in this coffee has gone straight to my head and I'm spouting a load of rubbish like normal. So do, please, ignore me. I'm just your mother after all, what would I know?"
x-x-x-x-x
Lilly crossed the square, following in the crunchy footsteps of her parents as they took off to find their lockers now that they had all their ski gear. She was clinging onto a pair of long skis and poles with great difficulty as they were cumbersome and swung dangerously with every step she took across the frozen ground.
To her right there was a fenced off area which housed the outdoor ice-rink and behind her trailed a long row of ski shops and restaurants which had held her excited attention just a few minutes before. The structure of the hotel loomed up ahead of her and they were walking towards a slight downhill that marked the way to the special changing rooms which were set aside for those wanting to hit the slopes.
Suddenly something caught her attention from the corner of her eye and Lilly stopped to see that a young woman, about her age, with long brunette curls was waving in her direction. Lilly was a good few yards away from her, but she could discern the striking blue eyes from underneath the other girl's hat as she stood and continued waving. Lilly shifted her ski poles into her left arm along with her skis in order to raise a free hand and wave back. On doing so she swore she heard the other girl laugh, before Miley Stewart turned to say something to the man she was with, who nodded in her direction. Lilly grinned before re-focusing on getting her ski equipment back into a safe position for carrying and then set off towards the changing rooms.
The ski holiday had only just begun, but there was something electric in the air that tingled more than the snowflakes on her skin, or the thrill of the slopes that surrounded her. Christmas was only around the corner Lilly reminded herself; it had to be that.
They say that things just cannot grow
Beneath the winter snow…
Or so I have been told.
Sarah Bareilles