A/N: December 3rd! Chapter three! Enjoy! By the way, thanks for all the reviews, guys! I don't have time to do shout outs right now, but please know that I really enjoy reading all your comments!

33 year old Lizzie McGuire sat on her windowsill, staring out into the backyard of her house. She was in Phoenix, Arizona, divorced with custody of all 3 kids. Not exactly how she wanted her life to be; although she never expected to be a school teacher, either. Lizzie had always dreamed of having a loving husband and settling down in a city she loved. Don't misunderstand, Lizzie thought that Phoenix was just fine… if you liked the desert. But Lizzie herself needed snow. Her family had always driven up to a ski resort for Christmas break when she was younger, and Lizzie loved the snow. She ventured over to her dresser and picked up the snow globe she had gotten as a Christmas Present one year. She gave it a shake and watched as the glittery morsels fell onto the tiny, glass children and man. Lizzie had always imagined this as her husband and kids. Now she knew that she couldn't trust her husband, the evil bastard.

A squeal emitted from outside, and Lizzie turned to see her youngest, Maria, stuck in a pricker bush. Lizzie jogged down the stairs and outside to her kids. Jake, the oldest, was pulling on Maria's corduroy pants, trying to unstick her. "Jake," Lizzie said gently, taking the 9 year old's hand off and putting it by his side, "Don't pull. You'll rip her pants." Four year old Maria sat there whimpering while her mother carefully unwound her pants. Lizzie scooped Maria up just as the doorbell rang. My life as a busy mom, Lizzie thought, racing back inside and to the front door.

"Noah." Lizzie said, clearly surprised to see her ex-husband by the door. "Go play," she told Maria, putting her down. The child scampered off. "What are you doing here, Noah?" Lizzie and the kids hadn't seen Noah in nearly two years, due to the full-time custody Lizzie won over the kids, (for reasons she wouldn't like to get into) and they were all slowly adjusting to their nice, quiet new life. He had no right to come back and stir it all up again.

"I came to drop off the kids' Christmas presents." Seeing the confused look on Lizzie's face, Noah continued, "They are my kids, too, remember?"

"You have court orders not to see them. How did you even find my house? I'm unlisted." Lizzie said, stepping out onto the porch as her curious children tried to peek around her legs. She closed the door behind her and folded her arms.

"God damn it, Lizzie! I try to be considerate and all you give me is crap!"

"I didn't give you any crap, Noah! Just get the hell outta here! We're just getting used to you being gone…damn it, Noah, you can't come crawling back here with gifts and act like you've never hurt us, like you've been the best husband and dad in the world! I have the scars to prove the pain I've been through!" Lizzie rolled up her sleeves to reveal several gash marks on her arms. "There're more," she added bitterly.

"Screw you, Lizzie McGuire. Screw you." Noah slammed the gift bags down on the porch and stalked off to his car. Lizzie took a moment to calm herself and then hid the gifts behind a large planter. She'd get rid of them when the kids were asleep later. She opened the door only to see all three of her kids, ears to the door.

"How long have you been there?" Lizzie asked.

"Only a minute, Mom," Ellie (the middle child) said, always the responsible one. Especially so for a six year old.

"Go play, kids, please." Lizzie whispered, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Mom, are you okay?" Jake asked, holding onto his mother's hand. She ruffled his hair.

"I'm fine, kiddo."

"Was that dad out there?" Jake was really the only one who could truly remember what his father had done.

"Jake!" Lizzie hissed, "Don't start with that, now! Go play." She gave him a little shove towards the door. He grabbed his sisters' hands and they took off to the backyard.

Lizzie slowly made her way back upstairs. Shaking the snow globe, she made a wish. Please let there be snow this Christmas. Please give me peace of mind and…help Noah. He doesn't mean what he does. Can we please just have a snow-globe kind of Christmas?

The doorbell rang again. Lizzie snuck down the stairs. Unfortunately, Jake had beaten her to the door. "Jake, honey, you're not supposed to answer the door, you know that." Lizzie said, peeking around the edge of the door. "Gordo," she breathed, tears instantly coming to her eyes. Gordo had disappeared out of everyone's lives for a few years, but had come back to go to Lizzie's wedding. After learning that it was an abusive relationship, Gordo had quietly slipped out of Lizzie's life, just like she had asked. After the divorce, Lizzie had hired a nanny to care for the children while she went job-hunting. She and Gordo would have secret meetings after Lizzie's job interviews. He had started coming to the house everyday a few months ago when he moved back to town permanently. But he and Lizzie always managed to sneak away from the children to the front yard to talk in private. Lizzie hadn't introduced the kids to Gordo yet; she thought they weren't ready for a man to be in their lives again, yet.

"Who's that, Mommy?" Jake tugged on Lizzie's shirt.

"I'll be back, honey. Go back out." Lizzie closed the door and followed Gordo down the path. They sat in the grass, Gordo patiently waiting for Lizzie to tell him what had happened to make her so shaken up. "Noah came to visit," Lizzie said, letting the tears fall silently. Gordo didn't reach out to touch her; she had been so skittish after Noah had started hurting her. He just sat there, offering a silent sympathy. However, when Lizzie forced herself into his arms, soaking his shirt with salty tear-drops, he didn't object. He held her tight, rocking back and forth slightly. "Gordo, I'm sorry. This isn't your problem, it's mine. How does he always manage to find me?"

Gordo cupped her face with his hand, speaking for the first time since he had arrived that day. "You know I'll always protect you and the kids, right? You know I'd never hurt you?" Lizzie nodded. "Liz, I want to be in their lives this Christmas. I need to meet them."

"Gordo-'' she started, only to be cut off.

"No, listen. I'll love and protect them like they're my own. You know you can't hide them from every man forever. They don't remember what their father did to you all. They can learn to trust me like they trust you."

"Jake. Jake remembers what happened. He has scars, too." Gordo touched her sleeve almost instinctively; he knew where the scars were. They had been there for a long time, and he hated them with a passion. He didn't know how anyone could hurt someone like Lizzie and her kids. "I believe that Noah loves his children, I really do, Gordo. He doesn't know what to do with them though."

"I'm sure he loved you too, Liz."

"Maybe he just didn't know what to do with me either."

"Lizzie, let me meet them. Please. I can't go on hiding behind their backs like this anymore. They know we're out here. They know that I'm your friend. They want to know who I am."

"No, Gordo, no. I can't do it, not yet."

"Look at how far you've come. When we first met up again, you wouldn't let me touch you. Now I'm holding you. You wouldn't tell me about anything that happened. Now I know it all. You told me everything. You can take this next step. Let me be their dad for a Christmas."

Lizzie glanced up and down the street, purposely avoiding her friend's eyes. The colorful holiday lights were breaking through the cloudy day, haunting Lizzie. She wanted so desperately to let Gordo into her children's lives, but she was scared. She knew that Gordo wouldn't hurt them, but the images of Noah beating all of them up and being completely helpless kept coming back into her mind. She had tried so hard to stop Noah, pushed him, threw things at him, punched him, and even fled to the police multiple times. Noah was always gone by the time she could get all the kids to the police office and come back with an officer. It was like he could turn invisible; no one could ever find him. Lizzie hated feeling so used and helpless. So weak.

"You're strong, Lizzie." Gordo said, as if reading her mind. Lizzie nodded and got up. It was December 24, and here some guardian angel was trying to offer her some magic, what was she doing avoiding it? The wind tossed their hair around as they walked to the door. "It might snow tonight. It's been chilly all day."

"Oh, come on, Gordo. It hasn't snowed in years here." She opened the front door.

"Just repeating what the weathermen said."

"Never trust your local weathermen."

"A word for the wise, I suppose. I'll remember that…if it doesn't snow tonight."

Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Jake, Ellie, Maria. Come meet someone."

The kids came in from the backyard and met Lizzie and Gordo in the foyer. Lizzie gently slipped her hand into Gordo's. "Kids, this is Gordo. He's my best friend."

"I thought I was your best friend, Mommy." Ellie said.

"I can have more than one. And it's Christmas, the season to make everyone feel special."

"Hi, Jake. I heard you like Hot Wheels cars?" Gordo dug around in his pocket and pulled out a mini racecar. "For you," he handed it to the boy.

"Whoa, thanks!" Jake said, running off with the car.

"Ellie, Maria. I also heard that you two like finger puppets." He handed each girl a small animal puppet. "Maybe you can put on a puppet show for me and your mom to watch?"

"Yes, sir!" Maria said, she and her older sibling going upstairs to their room.

"Where'd you get all those?" Lizzie asked.

"Santa's workshop." He announced, in case any kids were in ear-shot. He turned to look around the house, his eyes lingering on the sliding glass doors leading out to the backyard. "Lizzie, look outside."

"Snow?" Lizzie said, unbelieving. She stepped outside and scooped a thin layer of white off the dead grass. "Snow! Kids, get your coats! Come out here!" The kids came racing out. Gordo showed them how to make little snowballs and mini snowmen while Lizzie headed inside to make hot-chocolate. She secretly went down to the basement and took out extra Christmas decorations. She hung a sprig of mistletoe in the doorway. No way was she going to miss out on this chance.

After dinner and opening presents, Lizzie and Gordo put Ellie, Jake, and Maria to bed so Santa could come. "Gordo, would you light a fire?" Lizzie asked, plugging in the lights on the Christmas tree.

"Sure." Gordo threw in some firewood, crumpled wrapping paper, and lit it all. He then fell back onto the couch, tired from running around that afternoon.

Lizzie dimmed the lights and brought out two glasses of egg-nog. She handed one to Gordo and curled up next to him. "I can't believe I was going to let the kids miss out on this afternoon."

"Selfish you," Gordo joked. That earned him a punch on the arm.

"Do you believe in Christmas miracles?"

"Yes," he pulled Lizzie into his arms.

"Gordo?"

"Mhmm?"

"Is that mistletoe over there?" Lizzie gestured to the door.

"Do you want it to be?"

"That doesn't matter. If it is mistletoe, and we just so happen to stand under it, we have to kiss, right?"

"Right."

"Maybe we should go turn off the Christmas lights outside?"

"I like your plan, McGuire." Gordo said, standing up and taking Lizzie's hand. On the way to unplug the lights, they lingered in the doorway. Gordo slowly bent down and let their lips touch. Gently at first, but with more passion a moment later. Lizzie pulled away after a few seconds. "You know I've always had feelings for you, right?" Gordo asked.

"Now I know. Did you know that you have made my 'snow-globe' Christmas complete?"

"Now I know…whatever a snow globe Christmas is." He pulled her out to the yard. They stood in the glow of the Christmas lights, having their own snowball fight in the still falling snow. They both somehow knew that nothing would ever be the same; that they had changed each other's lives in that one day. But they decided not to contemplate it much. After all, you never know what's coming along down the road.