Well, we have come to the end of our second story...but like I promised...the Shop ain't finished just yet....

Chapter 17 - The Game is Over

Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 10, 2009

Once Miley had passed out from exhaustion, it was up to Lilly to get them out of the mountains. They had no keys to the van, so they couldn't drive it anywhere. Miley probably could have gotten the van to run, but she was down for the count.

So Lilly, ever the little mastermind had Jackson put the van in neutral and steer while the surfer ran along the outside of the sliding door, pushing the van.

After about ten minutes, they found Robbie's Tahoe parked on the side of the road. After a tearful reunion and heartbreaking revelations, the three couples managed to pile in the Tahoe holding one another, while Roxy drove them home. They left the van there with Oliver and Joannie's bodies in it and called 911 after they had driven away to report an abandoned vehicle up in the mountains.

By the time they got home, it was after eleven. Everyone decided that since two of them were asleep anyway, that the other four might as well join them. After everything that had happened, Roxy felt it best to spend the night on the couch. She knew that they could protect themselves better than she could, but the bodyguard just didn't feel right leaving them after everything they had been through.

***************

Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California; June 11, 2009

As the General flew in a helicopter high above the disaster zone, he was shocked by the complete and total devastation he saw beneath him. The installation that had been built into the base of a mountain was now nothing more than a memory. The mountain which used to have a relatively high peak, now barely stood half as high as any of the surrounding mountains.

Ground detail had notified him that anyone left inside the facility was most surely dead. There were a few smart people that had gotten themselves out before the mountain collapsed, but not very many. Following the inspection, it was determined that it was a futile effort to try and dig out the installation. Anyone that was buried was either already dead, or close to it. Rescue efforts would cost millions. Thus it was determined that those few remaining survivors that may exist would never be worth the cost of their rescue, and were left for dead.

The same was thought of all equipment and systems that were kept inside the installation. Everything would most likely be completely crushed or damaged beyond repair, rendering it virtually useless.

The General was finally forced to close his eyes and shake his head. "How did this happen?" the General whispered as he surveyed the damage to The Shop's former base of operations.

An African American Congressman from the Homeland Security Committee was sitting to his right. He was an older gentleman in his mid-fifties, who had almost two decades in Congress under his belt. He was the Democratic chairman of the committee from Mississippi. His name was Bernie Thompson.

Congressman Thompson turned his head from the view out his own window and glared at the General. "I think its safe to say that this operation was a complete and total failure." he remarked critically.

The General sat up a little straighter in his seat after hearing the Congressman's degrading words. "We can get them back." he firmly reassured the Congressman.

The Congressman shook his head and pointed out the window at the destruction below them. "Do you have any idea what those two little girls cost us? Billions. We lost the entire installation and everything in it. It would take years to dig everything out and I highly doubt there would be anything worth uncovering by the time we were done." he explained to the General. "Except a hell of a lot of bodies." he added.

The General couldn't believe that the Congressman was acting like he wanted to give up on the project. One battle does not win a war. "This is exactly my point Congressman. Look what they are capable of!" he insisted.

The Congressman narrowed his eyes at the General. "I have eyes general." he said in an irritated tone. "Clearly, we have absolutely no means of controlling them at this time." he commented, glancing back out the window and crossing his arms over his chest. "If in the future, a more effective way is created to control them, then we can maybe revisit the possibility of studying them with the hopes of recreating their abilities." the Congressman explained. "But right now, we can not afford to waste the money or personnel it would require to restart the program at this time."

The General shook his head in disbelief. The federal government was going to wipe this under the rug and just walk away. The General wracked his brain for anything else he could use to change the Congressman's mind. "We know who they are and what they can do." he began. "We could arrest them. Crimes against Homeland Security." He argued. "They killed at least a hundred soldiers." he yelled angrily.

The Congressman remained impassive by the General's emotional display. "If I read my reports correctly this morning, they only did that after your men executed two of their friends in cold blood." he fired back at the military officer. "And what proof do we have anyway? There will be no blood, no DNA, and no fingerprints. Are you willing to stand before a judge and tell him they used their super powers to kill everyone?" he commented snidely. Then chuckled as he thought of something else. "Wait, better yet, maybe you would suggest we try and assassinate the rest of their family and see if they'll cooperate then?" he commented sarcastically. "And what kind of jail cell do you suggest for a girl that can walk through walls and one that can knock them down with her mind?" he demanded. "Enlighten me."

The General sat back in his seat, taking in everything that the Congressman had said. He was right, but it just didn't seem like the right way to deal with the situation. Finally after a moment of quiet contemplation, the General spoke again. "You plan to let them get away with this?" he asked.

The Congressman shook his head. "Certainly not, but at this time, we have no recourse. We need to go lick our wounds and come up with a different strategy." he regretfully informed the General, then reached over and patted the man's shoulder. "Despite everything, we gained valuable knowledge. When the time is right, we'll try again." he promised the general.

The General looked back over the damage one last time. "Very well Congressman. But I'll be damned if I won't cause them at least some grief over what they've done." he vowed threateningly.

***************

Malibu, California; June 11, 2009

It was almost noon when Miley Stewart finally began to stir. As she slowly fought her way back to consciousness, the first thing she noticed was the warm naked body spooned tightly against her back.

Miley's heart soared to be wrapped in her lover's arms in their own bed. The singer reached down and lifted the hand that was resting on her abdomen and pulled to up to her chest and held it snugly between her breasts.

Within seconds, the hand slowly began to stroke the skin beneath its fingertips. The fingers began getting bolder, moving towards the breast and softly stroked the nipple.

Miley moaned in appreciation as her nipple hardened and she felt wetness begin pooling between her legs.

Lilly leaned forward and nuzzled her nose against the singer's shoulder, then slowly and sensuously licked the back of the singer's neck. "Good morning love." the blonde whispered into the singer's ear as she tweaked the nipple under her fingertips.

Miley turned on her back so that she could see her lover. The singer tucked a few stray blonde hairs behind the surfer's ear then slowly ran her index finger down her lower neck to the valley between her breasts. "Is everyone alright?" she asked softly.

Lilly smiled happily. "Everyone's just fine thanks to you." she said as her hand slipped down to stroke the singer's tight abs.

Miley moaned softly as another wave of warmth settled between her legs. "Good. Now can we make love?" she asked in a husky southern twang.

The surfer softly chuckled at her girlfriend's insatiable appetite as her hand slipped further down the singer's body to massage her inner thigh. "I certainly think that could be arranged." the blonde said as she leaned in to capture the brunette's mouth in a passionate kiss.

****************

The Stewart-Truscott clan was sitting around the dining room table having a late brunch together. Everyone had slept late and then each couple had amorous activities they wished to attend to before concerning themselves with nutrition.

When Roxy awoke at 8 A.M. she figured no one would be up and moving anytime soon, so after checking the pantry, she headed off to the market to get supplies so she could prepare a small feast for the family.

Jordan sat straight up in her chair as she just kept looking around the table. They had been telling her various stories for the past ten minutes and to say that the hockey player was overwhelmed would be an understatement.

Jordan set down her fork then held up both of her hands. "So let me get this straight." she said, then turned to Heather. "You and Susan took part in an experiment, and each had kids with these crazy powers." The hockey watched Heather nod then she turned to Miley. "And you're really Hannah Montana?"

Miley shrugged, unable to do much else in the face of Jordan's shock. "Surprise?" she said hesitantly.

Jackson nodded his head also. "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up."

Jordan lowered her head and covered her eyes with her hand. "This is like a bad science fiction movie." she mumbled.

Lilly couldn't pass up the chance to comment on that statement. "No one's been to outer space and we do not know any aliens." she remarked. "In case you were wondering." the surfer then added.

Jordan looked up at Lilly. They were all so…fine with this. It was like it was just ordinary everyday stuff here in the Stewart household. And maybe it was. "So what does this mean for me?" she asked carefully.

Now it was Heather's turn to join the conversation. "Well, if you love Jackson and respect his family, you'll keep all this a secret." she said softly.

Jordan looked at Heather and then shook her head. "Who the hell would believe me?" she asked incredulously. And honestly, she didn't think anyone ever would. Not even the part about Miley being Hannah Montana.

Lilly giggled at Jordan's comment. "Yeah, it's a little crazy, just ask Jake Ryan." she said, while trying to contain her laughter. She felt bad for Jake, she really did, but he did it to himself.

Miley turned to Lilly and raised a questioning eyebrow at her lover. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Lilly bit her lip, trying desperately to keep the smile off her face. It was mean to be happy about his current situation, but the boy had certainly caused a lot of grief for them in the past few weeks. The surfer couldn't deny that a small part of her thought he was getting what he deserved. "He's currently taking a rest at an Institution." she managed to say with a straight face.

Miley's eyes went wide at Lilly's revelation. The singer slammed her hand on the table. "Super girl say what?" she demanded.

Lilly couldn't quite tell if Miley was simply surprised by Jake's location or if she was truly upset about it. "I saw it on television yesterday before we left." the surfer explained with a shrug of her shoulders.

Jordan turned back to Jackson. She didn't know Jake Ryan, so she really wasn't too concerned about him. "So I guess the cross country family trip is really…"

Jackson nodded. "My sister's concert tour." he replied, trying to be as apologetic as possible for lying to her originally.

Miley quickly interjected after watching Jackson's face fall. He never wanted to lie to her in the first place. "You're welcome to join us if you want." she said with a smile. Jordan knew her secret, so it really didn't matter anymore.

Jordan noticed that all the teenagers at the table had eager faces, waiting for her response to Miley's question. "But my parents think I have school…" she said, trying to talk things through.

Jackson looked over at his sister with pleading eyes. Isn't there something you can do? He mentally begged, hoping his sister would hear him.

I'll try. Miley promised him, then she turned back to Jordan again. "I can reimburse them the money if that's what you're worried about."

Jordan once again looked around the table. These people were eccentric to say the least, but not in a crazy way. It was more like the Beverly Hillbillies. But the love they shared with one another was so honest and true, it was mind boggling. And they were making it pretty clear that they were willing to welcome her into their crazy world with arms wide open.

Jordan couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up inside her chest. "How the hell did life get so utterly insane in the span of forty eight hours?" she asked with a shake of her head.

Robbie Ray chuckled loudly right along with her and clapped the girl on the shoulder. He had asked himself the same thing a time or two. "Welcome to the family Jordan." he said lightheartedly.

As the rest of the family joined in on the laughter, they were all slightly surprised to hear the doorbell ring. "Now y'all relax and let me take care of whoever it is." Roxy said as she stood up to head over to the door.

As soon as Roxy opened the door, she stared wide-eyed at dozens of reporters and photographers, snapping pictures and shoving microphones and tape recorders in her face. The voices yelled out over top of one another. "Is it true that Miley Stewart is Hannah Montana?" "Is Hannah a lesbian?" "Why did Hannah try to hide who she was?"

It took less than two seconds for Roxy to slam the door in their faces.

Miley dropped her head to the table with a thud. "You've got to be kidding me!" she groaned, knowing that the reporters were there because of her.

Roxy turned back towards the rest of the Stewart family and pointed to the door. "Tell me someone else just saw dozens of reporters and paparazzi on the porch and it wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me." she asked.

Miley closed her eyes as she considered what this would mean for her life and her family. "Tell me they didn't." she whispered softly.

Jackson stood up from the dining room table and headed over to the living room to turn on the entertainment network.

The rest of the family made their way to the living room to join him.

A picture of Hannah flashed on the screen and underneath it read 'breaking news'. A pretty blonde anchor started talking. "And the hottest buzz around town is Hannah Montana being outed, in more ways than one. Several sources have indicated that the pop sensation's real name is Miley Stewart, but more shockingly, Miley is a lesbian."

Miley slapped her forehead. "Sweet niblets." she whined as she closed her eyes tightly.

The blonde anchor continued. "Several students from Seaview High, the school that Miley attends, confirmed that she has been in a very open relationship with another woman, Lilly Truscott, for well over a year now. Surfing fans might recognize that name. Miss Truscott is the reigning Southern Californian amateur surfing champion."

"Local businessman and classmate, Rico Suave had this to say about Miley. 'Yeah, Miley's a totally lesbian. She's down on the beach with her girlfriend constantly. They never take their hands off each other.'" he told reporters with a huge grin.

Lilly's knuckles cracked as she tightened her fists. "That little slime ball." she growled at the television.

Now a picture of Jake flashed up on the screen. "Some people are questioning whether Miss Stewart's outing had anything to do with Jake Ryan's recent breakdown. Ryan and Stewart dated for a brief period two years ago."

Jordan had heard Jake's name spoken in passing several times, but no one had ever mentioned that he was Miley's ex-boyfriend. "Wow." she muttered to herself.

Miley stood up from her seat on the couch and began pacing the floor. "Great, now I'm the lesbian pop star Hannah Montana aka Miley Stewart who put the Zombie Slayer in the nuthouse. That's just PERFECT." she whined.

Robbie thumbed his finger towards the front door. "Guess that would definitely explain the porch." he said.

Miley stopped in front of the chair Jordan and Jackson were sitting on together. "Well then, Jordan, if you decide not to come with us, you can expect THAT to follow you around here for quite some time." she said bitterly. Miley had tried so hard to keep her private life private. And now in the blink of an eye, it was gone.

Jordan stared up curiously at the singer. "Why would they follow me?" she wondered.

Miley sighed and she tried to explain how the paparazzi works. "It won't take them long to find out you're dating Hannah Montana's brother. Therefore, they will think you would have to know something about me or Lilly or our relationship or something." she said as she plopped back down on the couch next to her girlfriend.

Lilly could tell Miley was extremely unhappy with what's happened, but the surfer couldn't guess what she wanted to do about it. "Do you still want to do the tour?" she asked softly, putting her arm around the singer's shoulders.

Miley had a momentary flare of insecurity at the surfer's question, thinking Lilly wouldn't want to be seen with her anymore. "I'm not ashamed of us. Are you?" she said hesitantly. Lilly had never once actually given her that impression, but it was one thing to be out in a small community, it was something else to have your love life broadcast to the entire nation.

Lilly grinned at the singer and then pulled the brunette onto her lap and wrapped her in a big hug. "Of course not. We're out, remember?" she said. Truthfully, Lilly never cared who knew about them. It was always Miley that concerned herself with what other people thought. The surfer just didn't give a damn.

Robbie Ray watched as Miley snuggled into her lover's chest. "But they may not be so nice to Hannah." he pointed out sadly. Trying to make Lilly understand that if the press wanted to, they could destroy Miley's career with this.

Miley looked up at her father and furrowed her brow. "If it ends up that way, I'll finish the tour, do the last album on my contract and be done with it all." she stated.

Lilly couldn't believe what she had just heard her girlfriend say. "Miley, you'd wanna give up Hannah?" she asked quietly. The surfer knew how important singing was to her girlfriend. It wasn't about the money or the fame. It was about performing and making people happy.

Miley pointed towards the front door. "I certainly don't want to deal with THAT on our doorstep everyday." She said, then started counting off on her fingers. "And down at the beach and the mall and school…oh god, school." she moaned.

Lilly cringed at the thought of what the kids at school would think. "I bet Amber's pissed to high hell right now. She could have been Hannah Montana's best friend, if she weren't such a bitch." the surfer giggled.

"Too bad. Position's filled." Miley said as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Lilly smiled. "Damn right it is." she said as she ran a comforting hand up and down the singer's back, then she turned back to look at Jordan. "So Jordan, would you like to come join our crazy lives?" she asked with a smirk.

Once more Jordan looked around the room. Robbie and Heather were the coolest parents she had ever met in her life. Jackson's sisters were fun to be around and two of the kindest, most giving people in the world. And if the hockey player had her way, she would marry the man who's lap she was currently sitting on. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity. How could she possibly say no? "Why the hell not? I can make up the classes." she told everyone.

Everyone was thrilled with Jordan's decision, particularly because it made Jackson happy. "What are you going to tell your family?" Heather inquired.

Jordan shrugged. "The truth…that I'm going on tour with Hannah Montana." she said honestly.

"Will they be mad?" the older blonde asked, not wanting Jackson's girlfriend to harm her relationship with her own family over this decision.

Jordan tipped her head to the side and smiled at the older blonde woman. "Honestly? I've feel closer to your family than I ever did to my own, so I really don't care." she said as she snuggled into Jackson's shoulder.

Suddenly, the conversation was interrupted by Lilly's phone ringing. As the surfer reached into her pocket to retrieve the phone, she gasped as she read the caller ID. "Oh shit." she swore.

Miley was immediately concerned. "What is it baby?" she asked gently.

Lilly turned watery eyes to the singer's face. "Mrs. Oken." she whispered.

Robbie noticed his daughter's slight confusion. "They must have found the van." he explained gently.

Lilly opened her phone. "H-hello?" she managed to choke out, knowing this would not be a pleasant conversation.

"Oh Lilly." the woman on the other end of the line moaned.

Lilly tried to swallow the lump forming in her throat. "Mrs. Oken." she sighed softly, knowing what she had to be calling about.

"They found Oliver and Joannie." the older woman managed to say between sobs.

Lilly closed her eyes. "Oh my god."

"They're…"

Lilly knew she had to pretend she didn't know what had happened. "They're what?" she inquired, but already knowing the answer to her question.

"Dead." Oliver's mother whispered, then let out a heart wrenching moan.

Lilly's tears fell freely at the pain in the older woman's voice. She had just lost her only son. "No." the surfer whispered.

After a few seconds, Oliver's mother was able to explain the situation to Lilly. "They found them in an abandoned truck up in the mountains. Joannie was shot and Oliver was stabbed."

Lilly shut her eyes against the images of her friends dead bodies. "Mrs. Oken, we're so sorry. Miley and I will be happy to do anything we can to help you." she assured the older woman.

"You're both such good girls. Oliver loved you both so much." she said quietly.

Mrs. Oken's heartfelt words caused even more tears to fall from Lilly's eyes. "Thank you Mrs. Oken."

"Bless you Lilly." the older woman sighed, then hung up the phone.

Lilly closed her phone and wrapped her arms tightly around her girlfriend and buried her head into the singer's neck and cried for the lose of her best friend.

The mood in the room became quiet and somber, except for the sniffles and sobs coming from the various inhabitants of the room. Everyone was sad for what they had lost, but slightly that Oliver and Joannie were the only loses they sustained.

Finally, Lilly had calmed herself enough to lift her head from Miley's neck. "Miles, do you think that maybe we could take care of Oliver and Joannie's families?" she asked, searching her lover's eyes for understanding. "You know, with the expenses and stuff?" she said, feeling guilty for asking, but knowing that the singer would understand what the gesture would mean to her.

Miley leaned in a softly kissed the surfer on the lips. "Of course we will." she promised, then turned to her father. "Daddy, could you make it happen?" she asked.

Robbie Ray nodded his head with a sad smile. His girls compassion and selfishness made him proud beyond words. "I will darlin."

Miley turned back to her lover and gently stroked the long blonde hair. "It feels like they've taken just about everything from us." she sighed softly.

Lilly glanced around the room. "We still have our family." she reminded the singer. "And each other." the surfer added.

Miley nodded with a sad smile on her face. "I know, It's just…Things will never be the same again."

So, Hannah has been outed...hmmm, that could lead to so many possibilities...how will everyone deal with that? Time will tell and my third and final story in the trilogy will answer that and many more questions. Not sure when the next story will start appearing...but thank you all so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed this installment. Love to read your thoughts and comments. Peace and Love. -Jess

Here's a list of the songs that inspired the chapters:

Chapter 1 - Everything - Lifehouse

Chapter 2 - Everybody's Fool - Evanescence

Chapter 3 - Somebody's Watching Me - Rockwell

Chapter 4 - Somebody Help Me - Full Blown Rose

Chapter 5 - Keep Holdin On - Avril Lavigne

Chapter 6 - Stricken - Disturbed

Chapter 7 - Battlefield - Jordin Sparks

Chapter 8 - Think Twice - Eve 6

Chapter 9 - Fly Away - The Cheetah Girls

Chapter 10 - Waking Up in Vegas - Katy Perry

Chapter 11 - If Looks Could Kill - Heart

Chapter 12 - Do It For You - Ballas Hough Band

Chapter 13 - Coming Undone - Korn

Chapter 14 - No Air - Chris Brown & Jordin Sparks

Chapter 15 - I Can't Do This - Plumb

Chapter 16 - Time - Anastacia

Chapter 17 - Invincible - Pat Benetar

Chapter 18 - The Animal I Have Become - Three Days Grace

Chapter 19 - The Game is Over - N'Sync