Author: Jade Unicorn

Email:

Website: .com/jade_unikorn

Title: Imperfection - a Lizzie McGuire fic part of the "Photograph" series

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, Disney does. Only the story is mine.

Footsteps were approaching quickly as Miranda looked up through her window. Liz locked eyes with her for just a moment and then fell to her knees overwhelmed with pain. With hands clutched tightly over her beating heart, she called out again. "Please don't go Miranda."

Quickly Miranda jumped from her car to be at Liz's side. She wrapped her arms around the crying woman's body, forgetting the moments before where all she had wanted was to run far away from Liz and this house. Rubbing her palms firmly against Liz's back she whispered, "I'm here now."

"You just left without even trying to talk to me. Without saying anything…is it really that difficult to be around me?" Her sobs came out heavy and with each word broke Miranda's heart a little more.

"Liz…"

"Lizzie…" She stated, slowly lifting her head up to meet with Miranda's eyes. "I never was Liz. That was David's idea of me. Liz never existed but in his eyes."

Miranda nodded to show she understood. "Lizzie…" She began again. "I wanted to talk to you. Yeah it is not that easy. It's been so many years." She whispered the last three words out of pain and shame. "The more time that passed by the harder it was to speak up. David told me how angry you were with me. How you didn't want to see me whenever I was in town."

The blonde-haired woman began shaking her head. "No…well, at first I wanted to hate you so much but it never lasted. I tried to leave David at one point. I was so unhappy." Lizzie watched as the shock began to appear on Miranda's face. "David and I talked and instead of leaving I got pregnant. He convinced me that all I needed was another child and then things would be better."

"He was jealous." Miranda whispered the realization.

"He knew that I was still in love with you." She stated so simply that it threw Miranda for a moment. "I have hated myself every single day since we broke up. But I hated you so much for being drunk all the time and the night that Kate kissed you just drove me over the edge."

Miranda tightened her grip on Lizzie hoping that maybe she could wait out the pain. If she held on long enough, this moment would not end but the pain would. This is the moment she had waited for and she was not about to let it go without a fight.

Inside of the house, Jo stared out the kitchen window watching the scene unfold there on her lawn. Anger seared behind her eyes. I knew that she would come when Elizabeth is at her most vulnerable and try to take advantage of her! How dare that tramp! Her thoughts raged on as she quickly shut the curtains.

However, Miranda easily noticed the movement. "Look, why don't we go out for dinner tonight and talk more? You have a lot to do. I want to catch up on what we've missed."

She nodded in agreement, as they both began to stand up. Dusting the grass off her skirt Lizzie spoke quietly, "I hope that you realize that just because I'm going to dinner with you don't mean that things are going to be fixed between us."

Though subconsciously Miranda already knew that, hearing it spoken aloud hurt her deeply. "I know," was all she managed to say. "I'll pick you at 7." She turned to get into her car once again.

Lizzie turned around and said, "No. I will meet you in town. I do not want my mother to know that I am going out to eat with you. I have enough going on. I don't need her bitching on top of it all."

Miranda nodded and cranked up the car. Lizzie stood at the front door watching intently as Miranda slowly backed out and left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Lizzie's POV

They lowered his casket into the ground silently. I turned and buried my head the crook my mother's neck. Tears were unwilling to flow freely, though my heart was pounding heavily in my ears. When it was all finished I looked up at my mother and asked, "Will you and Dad watch the kids for a while. I need to get out and clear my head."

"Well of course sweetie. We'll wait and have dinner when you come home."

I hated the way she still called it 'home' when I have not lived there for years. Nevertheless, it was the closest thing to a home that I had now. There was no way that I could go back to our apartment and live with David's memory everywhere. It hurt too much.

"Don't do that." I slid out of her embrace. "Go ahead and eat and probably put the kids to bed for me please. I am going to be gone for a long while. I may not even come back tonight. However, let the kids know that I will be there in the morning by the time they wake up. I just need to be alone right now." I crossed my arms over my chest trying to defend the cool breezes and shivers of pain that was coming by.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her nod and start backing away. "Oh David." I whispered when everyone had left. "I will always love you in some ways. That has never changed. You stood by me even when I stopped whole-heartedly loving you. I stayed because you never stopped loving me. What do I do now David?"

Even though I knew he couldn't answer I waited half hoping he'd walk up behind and wrap his arms around my waist and lay his head upon my shoulder and say, "Follow your heart love." Because I knew that would be his response. David was not the type to tell me what to do. He wanted me to figure it out myself. He would also never tell me what he thought out of fear that I would just do what he wanted.

When I tried to leave him the second time after Sandi was just a few months old, he just simply stated, "Follow your heart love." Nevertheless, I knew he wanted me to stay. He truly loved me. Still as caring as he was about my heart, at the same time he was vindictive enough to do things against Miranda to keep her away. He was also using her as an advantage to make me feel bad enough to stay with him. He would have been ok if I left him for another man, but the fact that my heart reached out for Miranda drove him insane.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Miranda's POV

Taking my time walking down each individual aisle, my mind retraced my past footsteps from the years before. I thought this store was so big back then. It seemed to take longer to get from one side to the other. Aisle 8 is where we spent most of our time though. Three adolescences sitting in a circle on the floor flipping through magazines because it was the cool thing to do then and it made us happy. For years, that was our thing. Until high school when David and I went our separate ways. He remained close with Lizzie then.

Turning the corner I seen an all too familiar face that made me really wish I would have stayed in my own town. She raised her head inquiringly from her piece of paper. The slow smile crept upon her face as she began to form ideas about me. "Hello." Simply stated enough yet meant so much more than just that.

"Katherine." Long ago, she had outgrown being called 'Kate' by anyone. To her 'Kate' was a childish name from a time when she herself was just a child. "It's been nice seeing you again." My concern was not with idle chitchat. As I was in an attempt to turn around and head in the other direction, she asked:

"Did you go to the funeral?"

My heart sank. I was not ready to discuss seeing Lizzie and David's kids. Or how I was watching from afar, as they lowered my once best friend down into the ground knowing that my last conversation with him was about how he wished I would get some therapy. Katherine Sanders was something I was not ready for all together. Yet my voice betrayed my mind as the sound resonated in my ears, "Yes, did you?"

She nodded. "I went to the McGuire's home and spoke with Liz this morning." There was a pause as if she expected me to have something to say about it. A sigh escaped her lips along with the words of "I'm sorry for back then Miranda."

Shock covered my face, which was noticed by her. Katherine proceeded to apologize about the night that ruined Lizzie's relationship and mine. Treading easily upon the broken glass that once was my heart she spoke quietly. An unjust anger grew steadily inside of me. How dare she stand there with sullen eyes and claim that she did everything out of a love for me. One that she was too scared to admit she had.