Gordo spotted Lizzie sitting on the banister of the back porch, looking out at the sunset. The beautiful blonde was staring idly into the clouds, watching for a change in mood. He stopped on the porch, his footsteps heavy, as he sat beside her. "It's a beautiful night…we're looking for something dumb to do…hey baby, I think I wanna marry you." He began to sing.

Lizzie laughed and turned to see her best friend sitting beside her. "Gordo, you're such a dufus sometimes."

"But I'm still lovable, right?" He jabbed her gently in the side, laughing with her. "I've been thinking about this whole…moving on after graduation thing. People grow apart, others grow together. But I don't want us to fall apart. I know we both have dreams that don't include each other, but maybe that doesn't have to be that way."

"What do you mean?" The blonde asked casually, brushing her hair behind her ears in the wind.

"To quote one of my favorite actors; Dreams don't die, we kill them." He leaned back on his palms and looked up at the gray clouds, threatening to rain on them any minute. "I guess what I'm saying is that our dreams don't have to be so far from reality. My dream includes you, Lizzie McGuire."

"Shut up, Gordo, this is serious. I don't want you joking about my feelings." She looked down again.

"Look, I know you're still hurting because of Alex breaking up with you last month, but that's in the past. It's old news. Meanwhile, there's someone out there that's falling in love with your smile at this very moment."

"I wish I knew who he was," Lizzie commented, plucking a flower from the grass. "Then I could tell him I was sorry for all the things I did."

"You already have told him," Gordo murmured, looking at his shoes. "Trust me, he knows."

Lizzie didn't seem to understand. "Is he a friend of yours? Have I met him?"

"Yeah, you've met him. And I guess you could say he's a friend of mine." He reached into his pocket to feel for the velvet box, then let go and looked back at Lizzie. "Have you ever loved your best friend?"

"Yeah," She looked down again. "I just wish I could have found the words to say it to him before he decided to move to New York."

Gordo smiled a little. "He hasn't left yet."

Lizzie dropped from the banister and moved to sit beside him on the steps. She smiled a little and lay her head against his shoulder. "I've always loved you, Gordo. But deep inside, I always felt you saw me differently…like a sister."

He gave a shocked gasp before turning to face her. "Like a sister? You must have lost your mind when he dumped you. Would I do this is I thought of you as a sister?" He leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. Lizzie's eyes widened in shock for a moment before she gave in and kissed back. When he pulled away, he looked at her with fearful eyes. What if he was too forward and she hated him for it? He closed his eyes and braced himself for the smack that never came. "Lizzie?"

"Gordo, how do you see me?"

"As the best friend I ever had," He knelt down in front of her. "Your shoe is untied."

She blinked several times as he tied her shoe. He then reached into his pocket and held out the tiny ring box. "Elizabeth Brooke McGuire…would you marry me? I'll make sure you never want again. And you'll always be happy. I promise you'll never cry another tear again."

Lizzie was quite for a long time. He was afraid she was going to say no. Finally she spoke up. "What if I say no?"


That was six years ago. David now sat in that same back yard with Gabrielle, watching her run around in circles with the new dog. He'd gotten the puppy for her for Valentine's day, knowing that she was much too young to understand the significance of the day. When Lizzie sat beside him, suddenly it felt like all was right in the world. "This is where you proposed to me," Lizzie commented.

"This is the same place you told me no," He reminded her, laughing when Gabrielle was tackled down by the puppy. "What changed your mind?"

"Some really dorky kid with a video camera," She replied, kissing his cheek. "You owe that boy quite a bit, David Gordon."

"As do you, Elizabeth McGuire." He went into the grass and picked up Gabby, swinging her into a bridal carry. "Dearest daughter of mine, how do you feel about some of daddy's famous peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch today?"

The child's eyes lit up with an unseen mystery. "Can you make me the dino-rawr ones?"

"Of course, snuggle button." He ruffled her hair and brought her into the house, setting her on the floor. "Lizzie!"

The blonde turned the corner to peer at her husband. "Yes, oh love of mine?"

"Happy Valentine's day."

She smiled and laughed. "Same to you, dorkwaffle."

"Now that was uncalled for!"

Gabby snickered and poked his leg. When he leaned down to see what she wanted, the girl gave a bright smile. "Dorkwaffle!" And ran away before he could hit her with a couch pillow.


Fluff. Meant for Valentine's day, but I wanted to post it early. :)