Madeline
A/N - A Few months ago I walked away from fan fiction, determined to focus solely on other projects that needed my attention. But I have to say that there is something about writing and receiving immediate reviews that kept calling me back. There is some magic twisted within the stories I thought I could do without, but now have spent days rereading and catching up on the updates I missed while away. So, I am reposting this story and taking a new look at my others. The Road To Where We Are still seems much more of a daunting task than I am prepared to handle at the moment, but who knows. . .Hope some of you enjoy this again, and that new readers stumble upon it.
Chapter One - Out My Window
Gordo
I was standing in the aisle of the grocery store staring at the back of the cereal box trying to figure out if I should go with my standard box of Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, or try something new for a really cool looking toy surprise. It was not an easy decision so I just gave up and bought them both. I laughed to myself as both boxes dropped into the cart thinking of how I could make huge decisions all day as a director, but when it came to choosing cereal I was always brought to a stand still. I was about to turn around and head back down the way I'd come in the aisle when I caught a glimpse of curly blonde hair walking past the other end of the aisle as my head came up. Everything in me said to let it go, it never ended up being her and I usually embarrassed myself in front of some random beautiful stranger, but that argument had never stopped me before and soon I was walking quickly in the direction she had headed in. I went around the corner without even looking and found myself colliding with another cart being directed by a familiar looking guy.
"Gordo! No way, man! How random, I never thought you'd still be around Hillridge after all these years. How ya been?" It took a while before I could place the younger man standing in front of me but recognition came flooding in soon enough.
"Wow, Matt! This is random. I've been good, how are you. . .and Lizzie?" I was trying to get myself out of the shock my body was slowly slipping into and held tightly to the cart in front of me. "Is she here too?"
Matt smiled at me before answering. "Yeah, she's here too. We're both good and we've moved back to town." That was the answer to the question I wanted to ask and was thankful he hadn't made me ask it. They were back, she was back in town, back in my life. At least I hoped that was what this meant. Then my heart reminded me the last time I had been so excited about her being in my life and the pain that followed. "So, um. . .hey Gordo, look I know that the way everything was left all those years ago wasn't exactly something out of a happy ending, but I can tell you that she has regretted it ever since. I can't count the amount of times she would cry to me all night, phone in her hand trying to call you."
"Matt, don't. . .That was a long time ago, let's not relive it here in a grocery store." I really didn't want to hear anyone defending her, not while I was being reminded just how wrecked my life had been. She wasn't the only one who had spent nights crying over the last years. "Five years ago is a long time to start hashing up all that happened again."
"Actually it's been six, well almost." My heart froze at the sound of her voice with a combination of anger and lost love. I slowly turned to look at her and found that besides being six years older, Elizabeth Brooke McGuire looked just the same as her memory. Her blonde hair was longer than it had ever been and much curlier than I remembered her liking it in school. But her smile and face still warmed me all over and nearly caused me to melt where I stood when she flashed a nervous smile my way. "It's good to see you."
"Same." I berated myself internally, I have six years of reunion fantasies to draw off of and all I can come up with is 'same'? Yep, she still had that effect of speechlessness over me. Not much had changed it seemed. I returned the smile she sent me this time when I saw the way her shoulders relaxed. She must have been nervous with how I'd react, apparently she'd been ready for the worst.
"Look, Gordo." She took a deep breath, whatever she was trying to say was obviously not an easy thing to get out. I was slightly surprised with myself at how well I could still read her body language, but then again I had loved this girl all my life. "There's a lot I have to explain to you, a lot you deserved to know six years ago before I left your life without a goodbye."
"Lizzie, it's like I was telling Matt, the past is the past, let's just let it go and move on." That was not at all what I had told my mouth to say. Hell yeah I deserved to know and still do! Now that was more like it, too bad that hadn't been out loud.
"No, Gordo. I owe you at least an explanation." She sighed again, looking down to her hands. "I'd ask you over tonight to our house for some dinner, but we've only just got here today and still haven't unpacked a thing."
For some reason unknown to me, my mouth opened and seized the opportunity presenting itself before me. "Then why don't you guys come over to Gordon Manor for dinner, of course, by Manor I mean the same old house I grew up in and have lived all my life." I added a slight comical bow, hoping to ease the mood and make it easier for both to accept the invitation.
"Hey, I know I'd love to! No offense, Liz, but I can't take another night of something from a microwave." Well, there was one. Now I waited for the one I was really hoping for and stared hopefully into her eyes.
"Yeah, okay. Sounds good. What time do you want us over?" Despite the lack of complete excitement in her tone, I could feel the same hope from years ago rising inside of me, despite my heart's best tries to warn me against it.
"Well, it's five now and Gabriel usually likes to have dinner ready by seven, so is two hours from now good?" I saw a slight drop in her eyes, almost looking like disappointment for a second, then she recovered.
"Seven it is then, I still have the way to your house memorized. We'll see you then." She turned to leave, Matt giving her a pity filled smile when she was facing him, before she turned around quickly and added, "Oh, I almost forgot! Is it okay if we bring along a third person? We have a uh. . .room mate."
There was something in the way she had searched for the words room mate to describe this third person that made me reenact her disappointed eye drop. "No problem, but I'd better get home and let Gabriel know we'll have company besides the usual three." I flashed them a smile and turned my cart toward the checkout lines and rushed home. Gabriel, my mother's care giver and all around great house keeper slash cook slash maid, really wasn't big on surprise dinner guests. Even though it happened far too often with some producer or studio exec needing to be talked around to some idea we weren't seeing eye to eye on, I still tried not to drop changes on her with such short notice.
As I was driving home I began to think about all that actually had changed in my life over the last nearly six years. Then I had been seventeen and half way through my senior year when my life had crashed. Now I was twenty three, a graduate from film school with a some what already established career thanks to some very successful independent films I made while still in college. I wondered the rest of the drive home if Lizzie had seen any of the mainstream movies I had directed over the last two years, or if she'd been watching the AFI awards last year when I won the only award that actually carried some credibility. As I walked in through the front door I was relieved to see Gabriel hadn't started preparing anything as she was still helping my mother with her daily jumble puzzle in the paper.
"Gab, I have a huge favor to ask." Gabriel, who stood no taller than five foot five looked up to me with her round wrinkled face and smiled. She was a very strong woman for someone who had just turned fifty two the week before and she wore her graying brunette hair beautifully.
"Let me guess David, you've invited someone over for dinner and you need me to pull out all the stops and win them over with good food so they'll agree to whatever crazy stunt you've got brewing in your head." I returned the warm smile to the woman. She really was someone I had come to hold dear to my heart, almost like a grandmother or second mother.
"Close, it's just some very old friends who have just moved back into town. But, there's three of them, I hope that's okay." I gave her my best pleading look and received a small chuckle as she gave in.
"You know I can't say no to those eyes. Help your mother with her puzzle and I'll get dinner started, David."
"Thanks, Gab. You really are the best, you know that right?"
"Don't lay it on too think, save some of that charm for your friends. I haven't seen you this excited to have someone coming over since that nice gentlemen with the sexy gray beard." I smiled and shook my head.
"His name was George Lucas, only my all time hero. Although, if I remember, I wasn't the only one hanging on his every word. . ." I ducked to avoid the dishtowel that sailed through the air at my head. I gave into the giddy feelings overcoming me the closer it came time for Lizzie to arrive and started laughing harder than I had in years. I walked over to the seat Gabriel had vacated next to my mother. "Mom, guess who's coming to dinner, Lizzie and Matt. Remember them from down the street?"
My mother looked up at me and smiled big then nodded. "She's the girl that always came around with that dear Miranda. Is Miranda coming over too? It's been a while since she dropped by, she's such a sweet girl." I massaged my mother's shoulder and kissed her cheek.
"No mom, Miranda had to go away on business for a few weeks remember? She came and told you the other day and brought you those pretty flowers you liked so much?" I watched with a little sadness as my mom slightly tilted her head and found the memories before smiling her big smile and nodding again.
"Those really are some pretty flowers. I wonder what Gabby's done with them. . ." She returned to looking at the words before her and I let my mind drift to remembering the last six years again.
flashback
"Mr. Gordon, I'm afraid there's little good news to deliver." The doctor's thin face held the grief of the words he was probably all to familiar with delivering. "Your father wasn't able to pull through, he was just too seriously injured, and your mother has suffered some permanent brain damage from the trauma to her head in the accident. There's still no way to know how severe it is, but she will make a full physical recovery at least. I am sorry, son." The only other thing I remember from that night was being held by Miranda in my mother's hospital room, wishing Lizzie was there too.
end flashback
I was startled out of memories of that night by the doorbell sounding loudly through the house. I stood up, wiped my eyesand walked to the door, wondering how I could have been lost in those painful thoughts for over an hour. Matt was standing alone on the porch when I opened the door.
"Hey, Gordo. Lizzie's coming, she just had a little trouble with getting. . .our room mate out of the car. She said she'll be right up." He walked past me and into the house after I waved him in with a nod and I left the door open as I followed him in through to the Living room. "Hello, Mrs. Gordon. How are you?" Matt sat down on the couch across from her favorite chair, the chair that had been my father's favorite. She looked up at him and gave him her big smile.
"I'm doing fine, dear. I'm sorry, but do I know you?" I could see Matt shift uncomfortably and remembered that they couldn't have known about what happened two years ago, they had know idea about the car accident.
"Oh, sorry." I sat down next to Matt on the couch. "Mom, this is Matt McGuire, remember I told you he and Lizzie were coming over to dinner?" She nodded and smiled again before I turned to Matt and lowered my voice. "Sorry, I forgot you guys wouldn't know about this. My parents were in an accident a little over two years ago driving back from Los Angeles. They were hit by a drunk driver. My dad didn't make it and mom suffered some brain damage, but she's still all there, just has to let things work out a bit first."
"Oh, Gordo, I'm so sorry I wasn't here, I had no idea. That's awful!" Lizzie was standing in the entry way of the family room. She walked over to my mother and knelt down in front of her. "Mrs. Gordon? Hi, remember me, Lizzie?"
"Of course dear! Gordo's girlfriend. You were always such a sweet girl." I could feel the blush rising to my cheeks, but couldn't help the smile that was spreading across my face. "Have you seen Miranda? I think she forgot to come over tonight on her way home from work. We always watch the news together on Wednesdays, but she wasn't here when it came on."
"Mom, I told you Miranda's gone on business for a few weeks remember?" I saw the sad smile on Lizzie's face when my mom nodded her head and flashed her smile as she remembered. I decided to change the subject before anyone got too sad. "So, didn't you have someone else coming along?"
I watched Lizzie tense slightly as she stood up from in front of my mother and walked over to stand in the door way again. "Um. . .yeah we did." She took a few steadying breathes before continuing. "Gordo, I'd like you to meet someone who means the world to me. Someone who is my entire life." I felt my heart breaking as it screamed out an 'I told you so'. I watched her hand reach behind her and start to pull someone around in front of her. To say I was surprised would not do any justice to the shock that froze my body in place.