Chapter 1

"I'm home!" Travis called, entering the kitchen where his wife was cooking. "How are my four favorite girls?"

"Well, two of them are fighting, and this one," Miley wrapped her hands around her ponderous belly, before continuing on, "that we don't even know is a girl, has been giving me backaches all day."

"Only two months left." He smiled, pressing his lips against hers. "What are they fighting about?"

"I don't know. Izzie snapped and Meredith didn't want to take it and before you know it, all hell breaks lose. I don't know what's with her lately. All she does is snap."

"She gets it from her Mother." Travis laughed, even though he could tell her hormone levels were high. "I'm joking, babe."

"At least I have an excuse. This baby feels like a hundred pounds."

"Another chubby one?" He laughed, feeling her glare go right through his skin.

"You have know idea."

"I wish I could take the pain for you." He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder, as she shook her head.

"You wouldn't last being pregnant for one day."

"I would too."

"Okay, tomorrow I'm buying a pregnant belly and you are going to wear it. Let's see how long you can last." She placed a big bowl of pasta on the table, before calling up to her daughters. "Dinner!"

"Fine." He laughed, sliding into a chair. "Hey girls."

"Hi Daddy." Meredith hugged her Father, before sitting down.

"Hi." Izzie forced a smile, before she too sat down.

"How are you two?"

"I'm fine, but obviously Izzie has some issues."

"Would you shut your..."

"Girls! Enough! I'm tired of you two fighting today! Just end it! Meredith, don't bring it up, and Izzie stop with the attitude!" Miley yelled, as she scooped pasta into her husband's plate. "How was work, babe?"

"Okay, but everyone's getting excited for school to end. Especially today, since it's the last full day and finals are starting tomorrow."

"I have a doctor appointment at noon tomorrow."

"I wish I could come, but I don't get out till one."

"That's..." Miley suddenly pushed her plate away, dashing into the nearest bathroom.

"Miley, you alright?" He got up, following her to the bathroom. "Babe?"

Miley pulled her hair back, spilling the contents of her stomach into the toilet. She wiped her mouth, before pulling away from the toilet. Her limbs began to shake, but she was able to keep her balance. She clutched her stomach, as she began to vomit again. She threw up one last time, before planting her feet on the rug beneath her. "Yeah, just pregnancy sickness."

"I thought that was suppose to end in the second trimester?"

"Yeah, for most people. But if you haven't realized yet, we don't fit into the category, most people." She stood up, opening to door to her husband. She let her hair loose, her dark curls falling onto her shoulders.

"Would you just leave me alone! You have no idea what I'm going through!" Came Isabella's yells, causing Miley to sigh.

"I'll handle it." Travis said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"No, because you don't yell at them." She walked back to the dining room, shaking her head at her daughters screaming at one another. "Girls! Enough already! I've had enough of you two! If you don't stop it, you're both going to be grounded!"

"Meredith started it, again."

"I don't care who started, both of you better stop!" Miley yelled, as Isabella slipped her plate into the dishwasher, before storming up to her room. "Izzie!"

"You should go talk to her, something's wrong with her. I heard her crying last night and she's been so moody." Meredith scooped another forkful of pasta into her mouth as her parents exchanged looks.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Travis offered, but Miley shook her head.

"I'll go. You finish eating, I'm done." She wobbled upstairs, knocking on her daughter's door. There was no answer, so she knocked again. "Iz?" Miley slowly opened the door, to find her daughter sobbing on her bed. "Can I talk to you?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm your Mother and it's my job." She sat beside her, resting a hand on her back.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Then why have you been crying and snapping? And you also told your sister that she had no idea what you were going through."

"I'm fine." She glanced away, avoiding eye contact. She lifted her shorts up a bit to relieve an itch, but she accidentally revealed a deep gash.

"What's on your leg?" Miley gently ran a hand over the gash, looking up at her daughter.

"Nothing, I accidentally cut myself shaving." Her eyes wandered to the leg, pulling her shorts down.

"Izzie, that's not something you do shaving. Where'd you get that?"

"No where."

"Are...are you cutting?" Miley didn't want to think of her daugher doing so, but it appeared that way.

"No, I'm fine. Just...just leave me alone." She pushed her Mother's hand away, lying down on her bed. She looked away, but soon glanced back at her Mother, who didn't seem to be moving. "Mom, you can go now."

"I'm not leaving until I get an answer."

"Well then I guess you're not leaving." She sighed, turning the TV on.

"Fine, I'll just call Kevin and see if he has any answers."

"He's not going to give you any answers, because he's the one doing this to me!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face.

"He's...he's abusing you?" She wanted to deny it. She wanted to deny it so bad, but she knew it was true. She took a deep breath, struggling to hold back the tears that were pushing to explode. "How...how long has this been...happening?"

"Only a month and a half." She choked down her tears, leaning against her Mother's shoulders.

"When did he do this?"

"Two days ago. He was trying to...get me to...you know."

"He didn't rape you, did he?" Miley hated to bring it up, but she had to know.

"No, he tried to get me to...do it, but I wouldn't, so he hurt me...again. I don't know what's with him lately. He was so sweet when started going out with him, but lately it's like a monster took over." She lifted her head up, wiping her tears away. "I'm sorry."

"No, sweetie, it's okay. What has he been doing?"

"He pushes me and slaps and punches me and he cuts me and he tries to get me to...do...it. And every time I threaten to break up with his, he threatens to kill me." She leaned against her Mother's shoulder again. Miley folded her arms around her daughter, wishing this were all just a nightmare. She closed her eyes, but when she opened them, her daughter was still sobbing on her lap. She felt this was her fault. How could she let her baby go through something like this? Why didn't she realize something was wrong? Mother's are always suppose to know what's going on. And she was so oblivious that her daughter was suffering. And Izzie was only seventeen. She shouldn't be going through something like this. She was so young. Miley missed the usual bubbly smile on Izzie's face. Because now, the smile was lost and what replaced it, was the continuous tears flowing down her depressed face.

"It's okay. We're...we're going to get you help. And he's never going to lay a hand on you again or even look at you." Miley couldn't handle it any longer. The tears all came down at once, forming a puddle around the two. She gently stroked through her daughters dark curls, feeling her stomach turn, again. She closed her eyes, praying not to vomit again, but the nausea wouldn't subside. And a few seconds later, Miley dashed to her daughter's trash can, letting the substance lose.

"Mom, are you alright?"

Miley put one finger in the air, indicating one minute. She gagged again, pulling her hair back. She then stood up straight, resting her hands on her stomach. "I'm fine."

"Do you want me to get Dad?"

"No, I'm okay. Just my pregnancy sickness." She wiped her dampened cheeks, sitting back down beside her daughter.

"Isn't that suppose to end by now. You had it when pregnant woman usually have it, but then it stopped and since yesterday you've been vomiting a lot."

"Sweetie, I'm fine. It's normal. I've been pregnant before, how do you think you got here?"

"I'm just saying." She looked down at her hands, another tear slipping from her eye.

"Can I tell you something?"

"What?" Izzie looked up at Miley, gazing into her blue eyes.

"Well there was this guy, Jake Ryans. He used to be famous, you might have heard of him, but he's not famous anymore, he's actually jail. He was one of those actors who got into everything bad."

"Your point?"

"I'm getting there." Miley smirked, before continuing. "Well when I was seven months pregnant with you girls, he came to my house. He called me some names and punched my stomach. Luckily, you two were all right, but he had also told my secret of being Hannah Montana and being pregnant. He was quiet for a while, but then he came back after you two were born. You two were sleeping and I answered the door. I didn't think he'd do anything, but he pushed his way inside and started to harass me."

"Mommy, I just don't know what to do. I've tried breaking up with him and then he tried to hurt me." She rested her head against her Mother's shoulder again.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."