This is a sequel to Wake Me Up.

tormented soul – Thanks for editing this.

Disclaimer – Disney owns Lizzie McGuire

A/N – "Thoughts", Set in October of their senior year

It was Saturday and also a week before Kate's 19th birthday; Miranda and Gordo were sitting in the food court of Hill Ridge Mall. Gordo had dragged her out to help him find Kate's birthday present. Normally, she loved shopping but Gordo was driving her crazy. They had been shopping for about two hours and had found nothing that he had liked.

Finally, she had grown frustrated and made Gordo take a break and buy her lunch. As she sipped her soda, she watched Gordo stare off into space. "You can almost see the gears spinning in his head."

Ever since one of Danny Kessler's parties last spring, Kate had begun to change. A few days after the party, Kate had come up to Lizzie and her and apologized for being a bitch to them and said that she wanted to make it up to them for the way she treated them. While she didn't exactly ask for a second chance, it was more implied.

Much to the surprise of Lizzie and Miranda, Kate started spending less time with the popular crowd and more time with Gordo. Since Gordo spent a lot of time hanging out with Lizzie and Miranda, so did Kate. After awhile, Lizzie started opening up to her and they started becoming friends again. Miranda was still a little wary of her but she had to admit that she did see a change in Kate and that it almost seemed permanent.

While Kate said that she was changing because Gordo helped her see the light, so to speak; Lizzie and Miranda were starting to think that at least part of the reason was for Gordo and not just because. While not as obvious as Gordo and Lizzie back in 8th grade, if you knew to look, the attraction growing between the two was becoming obvious.

Miranda smirked as she watched Gordo. "Any ideas?"

Gordo snapped back to reality at the sound of her voice. "Nothin. I just don't know what to get her."

"Not easy shopping for your girlfriend is it?" she teased and snickered as she watched Gordo's face heat up.

"Right now, we're just friends," he said, trying to defend himself.

Miranda took another sip of her soda and then, "For now but I bet by senior prom you two are clawing at each other." She loved teasing Gordo, especially about girls. "Why didn't you ask Lizzie to help you?"

"Yea, I really want my ex-girlfriend helping me shop for a birthday present for my,"

"Future girlfriend," Miranda finished for him.

"Will you stop that? I'm trying to be serious," Gordo snapped at her, trying to not show his emotions. He knew Miranda was teasing him and he couldn't help but react to it.

Miranda laughed a little, "Sorry. Ok, ok, I'll help." Looking away for a moment, she tried to think up possible ideas.

"Well, I don't think you're ready for lingerie," she said with a smirk and held her hands up in defense as Gordo glared at her. "Jewelry is too much right now and I wouldn't trust you to pick out clothes, although, you prolly have her measurements memorized," she joked with a laugh. She couldn't help it; she was enjoying this way too much.

"Ok, seriously. Why don't we go to the Bath Shop? You know Kate as always loved that spa stuff." Miranda told him. "You can get her some bath beads and scented candles."

Gordo groaned, "I hate that store. All those scents give me a headache."

"Look Gordo, do you want to get a gift Kate'll just like or one she'll appreciate and could lead to something?"

"Fine," he mumbled under his breath. "But one more stupid comment and you're walking home."

Laughing, "Me?" she said innocently.

Gordo just rolled his eyes as they got up, threw away their garbage, and headed for the store.

A week later, Kate's birthday, Lizzie was sitting on Kate's bed as she watched Kate, dressed in a robe, tearing her closet apart.

"Will you pick something? They're gonna be here in less then an hour," Lizzie said as she checked her watch.

"I hate my clothes," Kate groaned as she walked out of her walk-in closet.

Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Who cares what you wear? We're gonna watch movies and have pizza, how dressed up do you have to get?" She then grinned a little as she noticed Kate not listening to her and starring at a black windbreaker hanging off the back of her desk chair. "Oh, I get it now. I know why you want to find the perfect outfit." Kate turned and looked at her. Lizzie's grin widened into a smile. "Its cause Gordo's coming over." She then laughed as Kate got flustered and her face turned bright red.

"What…what do you mean?" Kate stuttered.

"Its obvious you like him. You two have been flirting non-stop since Homecoming," she said and continued to smile as Kate looked down at the ground.

"The light red top that's falls off your shoulders and the black pants," Lizzie told her.

"Uh?" Kate asked as her head snapped up and met Lizzie's gaze.

"Your outfit," Lizzie said with a snicker as she pointed to the two pieces of clothes on the ground.

"Oh."

Shaking her head, Lizzie tried not to laugh, "You've got it bad."

Picking up the clothes, Kate shrugged. "Can I ask you something?" she asked while holding her clothes and making her way towards her bathroom.

"Sure."

Looking down at the ground for a moment, she paused in the bathroom doorway and slowly looked back up at her. "I'll be straight with you. I really like Gordo and I…want to go out with him. I'll do it without your consent but I don't want to. I want to be friends but David means a lot to me and for once in my life, I have the chance to be really happy."

"Kate," Lizzie said interrupting her. "You have my consent, blessing, whatever. If Gordo asks you out, you can say yes."

Kate let out a nervous laugh, "Thanks."

The doorbell ringing interrupted their conversation.

"Damn it, he's here!" Kate shrieked as she jumped into her bathroom.

Lizzie laughed at her outburst as she got up off the bed. "You change and I'll get the door," she called as she started to head downstairs.

A few minutes later, Lizzie was letting Gordo and Miranda inside.

"Where's Kate?" Gordo asked.

Lizzie glanced at Miranda and the two girls shared a sarcastic smile. "She's upstairs changing. Kate's a little behind schedule," Lizzie told them and noticed the small bag Gordo was carrying. "So what's in the bag Gordo?" she teased, knowing that it was Kate's present. Lizzie had given Kate her gift when she arrived and Miranda was carrying a small package with her that was her gift.

"Kate's present," Gordo told them. Before the girls could tease him, Kate came walking down the stairs.

Gordo watched her descend the stairs and tried his best to not openly gawk at her. But he was probably sure his mouth was hanging open or he had a goof grin plastered on his face.

"Hey," Miranda said as Kate walked up to them. "Happy Birthday," she said as she handed her her gift. It was a box of various makeup; eye shadow, blush, etc.

"Thanks," she said. After opening the gift, they walked into the living room. Putting the box down on the coffee table, Kate turned to Gordo.

"Happy Birthday," Gordo said as he handed her the bag. For a brief moment, when they looked each other in the eye, her blue eyes almost sparkled a little.

As Kate opened the bag and looked inside, she smiled as she took one of the two candles out. Putting it back in the bag, she picked out the bath beads. "I love it Gordo. Thanks."

Gordo saw Miranda, standing behind Kate, mouthed to him, "Told you so." She then smirked at him.

"We should use these later," Kate said as she looked at Gordo.

Lizzie and Miranda watched in amusement as Gordo's face pale a little. "Uh?" he mumbled.

The girls laughed at his reaction. "She meant the candles Romeo," Lizzie teased.

Kate blushed a little, "Candles, yea."

While Kate put the presents up in her room, Lizzie set up the DVD player, and Miranda and Gordo brought the pizza, soda, and the rest of the junk food from the kitchen into the living room. When they all gathered back in living room, Lizzie grinned as she noticed Kate curled up on the couch next to Gordo.

Lizzie was sitting in one of the armchairs and next to her in an identical armchair was Miranda. Reaching over an end table that was partially in between them, she tapped Miranda's arm and pointed at the couch.

When both girls started giggling, Gordo looked over at them and they gave him sheepish grins. To which he just rolled his eyes.

Each girl had picked a movie and after watching Lizzie's first. Miranda's movie was second and she had picked a slasher movie. For the past few years, at least once a month, Miranda and Gordo would rent a slasher movie and make fun of it. It was sort of their bonding time.

Miranda's movie had no effect on her or Gordo but Lizzie and Kate were getting queasy.

When one of the characters was killed suddenly and the music blasted, it didn't bother Gordo or Miranda who saw it coming a mile away. Lizzie jumped a little but more from getting startled from the loud music. Kate, on the other hand, got freaked and dove into Gordo's side. Trying to keep the smile off his face, he wrapped one arm around Kate's waist and rubbed her back a little with his other hand.

Quickly glancing at the girls, he glared at them as he watched them trying to hold back their laughter. Which was more difficult by the fact that they were watching the corners of his mouth twitching upward as Gordo tried to fight back the smile.

After the movie ended and Kate had calmed down a little, Gordo and Miranda went to get her birthday cake. As Gordo carried it in, they sang Happy Birthday to her. Putting the cake down on the coffee table, "Make a wish," he said stepping back. Kate instantly closed her eyes and blew out her candles.

When they went to cut the cake, Miranda realized they forgot the knife to cut it with. While she went to get it, Gordo looked at Kate with an evil grin. "He's up to something?" she thought as soon as she saw the grin.

"Who needs the knife, we're just going to shove Kate's face in it," he joked, bringing back memories of her 15th birthday party.

"You little brat," Kate said as she started hitting Gordo. As he easily blocked her attacks, he was laughing hysterically. Quickly, Kate started laughing and Gordo caught her arms and pinned them to her sides.

Lizzie held her breath, as she watched them staring intently at each other. Just as their heads started moving towards each other, Miranda came back in to the room. "Got it."

"Damn it. Miranda always did have horrible timing," Lizzie joked to herself as she watched Gordo reluctantly let go of Kate.

After cake and cleaning up a little, Miranda and Lizzie decided to head home. When Gordo offered to help finish cleaning up, Miranda grinned at him. "Just try and not make a bigger mess you two." she joked as they walked outside.

Gordo rolled his eyes and shut the door before Lizzie could add anything. "One of these days, I'm gonna get them back."

For the next few minutes, they cleaned up the rest of their junk in a relative silence.

"That it?" Gordo asked walking back inside the house after putting the final garbage bag into the garbage container in the garage.

"Yea," Kate said. She watched Gordo walk up to the other side of the island she was leaning up against. "Umm, I still have another movie. You wanna watch it?"

Gordo leaned forward against the counter and smiled at her. "You just don't want me to go home," he teased, half joking.

Kate smirked back at him, "I just can't help it, your so cute," she shot back. "The DVD is in the living room, go set it up. I wanna go grab something from my room."

Gordo arched an eyebrow and Kate snickered, "Get your mind out of the gutter." He watched her leave before moving; Gordo could feel the goofy, lopsided grin that was on his face as he watched her walk away.

After putting the DVD into the DVD player, he walked back to the couch and dropped down on it. "Kate?" Gordo called out after a minute, wonder where she was.

Kate came back into the room carrying a large blanket. Pulling the back pillows off of the couch and tossing them aside, she settled next to him, and draped it over them. She shrugged when he saw his arched eyebrows.

A few minutes into the movie, Gordo felt Kate lean into him. Looking over, he grinned as he saw Kate's sleepy face. Lifting his arm, Kate snuggled into his side and let out a content whimper when Gordo wrapped his arm around her.

"David," Kate whispered softly.

"Yea?"

"Do you wanna know what my birthday wish was?"

Gordo's forehead wrinkled a little, "Where is she going?" "But if you tell me, it won't come true."

She lifted her head and looked at him with a grin. "Oh, I think it will."

"Ok Kate. What was your," His words were cut off by Kate's lips on his. It was a short kiss but it meant a lot. "Wow." Gordo mumbled with a dazed expression but with a huge smile.

Nuzzling his neck a little, Kate smiled and wrapped her arms around his chest.

"You know that Harvest Dance you guys have been planning?" Gordo asked as he gently rubbed her forearm that was over his chest. "Do you want to go together?"

"We are going together," Kate mumbled sleepily. Her brain was too tired and on other things to understand what he meant.

"No, not as a group, but together. As in the two of us."

Kate's smile widened. "I'd liked that." Barely being able to keep her eyes open, "Will you lay down with me?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," he said trying to ignore how turned on he was getting.

"I'm too tired for that," she said with a laugh. "I just wanna lay in your arms. At least until I fall asleep."

"When does your mom get home?"

Kate kissed his neck, "Don't know, don't care. She's at some weekend retreat somewhere in the mountains." She started to lie down and was pulling Gordo with her. "Until I fall asleep, please." Letting out a defeated groan, he laid down with her. For most of the remainder of the movie, they laid on the couch, underneath the blanket, with Kate's back against Gordo's chest.

With his arms around her sides, Gordo could feel Kate's breathing slow until she was asleep. Carefully he reached out and grabbing the remote control, shut the player and TV off when the movie ended.

The logical side of his brain told him to get up and go home but the emotional side of him, didn't want to let her go. His decision was made up when Kate rolled over and snuggled into his chest.

"I love you," Kate mumbled into his chest while she was still half asleep.

Gordo rolled his eyes, knowing he was defeated and there was almost nothing that was going to get him off this coach. "I love you too," Gordo whispered into her ear. He wasn't sure if she heard him or not but it didn't matter, he was positive he'd be saying it again, a lot.

Gently kissing the nape of her neck, Gordo put his head down and watched Kate sleep until he himself drifted off to sleep.