WARNING: Really intense situations right here. Read at your own risk. ;-)

Gordo paused for only a moment, words failing to come to his mind right away. He stared at the frazzled blonde before him, the one that looked so much like the child claiming to be his daughter, and shook his head slightly, shaking the thoughts away. As soon as she spoke the words, his mind started thinking of all the possible scenarios. Being a writer, he couldn't shake the horrible thoughts bombarding his mind at that possible moment. Did it hurt? Was she scared? Why didn't she tell him? Did she cry? All these thoughts he couldn't express, and yet his mouth moved anyway. "How do I know you're not lying?" Mentally, he could have kicked himself. Who asks that?

Lizzie looked down at the floor, staring at her hands, folded in her lap carefully. They'd been chewed down to the nub, skin broken and cracked around her nails. "Gordo, I loved you. I would have never left you. Not even if I was paid a million dollars. It wasn't my intention to hurt you, but when I found out about Abby, I wanted to tell you she was yours, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Why? Why not? Why lie to us both about everything, Lizzie?"

She brushed her long hair back and closed her eyes for a moment, green eyes opening to tears. "Because I wanted to raise Abby in a home where she'd have both parents, and let's face it, Gordo, you wouldn't have been home very much."

"I do a damn fine job without you, Elizabeth!"

Lizzie frowned. "So who's watching her right now?"

Gordo paused, blue eyes looking down in shame. "Miranda is for the time being. Don't think I'm shirking my responsibilities, if she's even mine."

"Oh, she's yours." Lizzie replied.

"And how in God's name would you know, Elizabeth? You don't even remember anything from that night." He leaned against the wall, bracing himself with his palms. "I'm tired of this fight with you. You want me to raise her, fine. Give me her paperwork, and sign your life away, you'll never see her again."

"She's my daughter!" Lizzie growled. "There's no doubt about that!"

The male folded his arms and sat back in the chair across from the bed. "Lizzie, you gave up any rights as a mother the day that child showed up on my doorstep."

Lizzie stood up harshly and looked him in the eye, green clashing with blue for a long time. "You don't even know if you're the father!"

"You just said I was her father, and by law, I have parental rights over her since you listed me on her birth certificate. Who is it, Lizzie? Was it me or Ethan?" Gordo waited patiently, his hands folded across his chest. She didn't answer after a few minutes and Gordo lost patience. "Exactly."

"It's yours." Lizzie thought about it long and hard, the feeling liberating. "I know for a fact that it's yours."

"Her name is Abigail!" Gordo shouted in anger. "Do not refer to her as an it!"

"It doesn't matter if her name is or isn't, Gordo, she's your daughter. I remember now." She started shaking as she fell to the bed, bringing her hands around her body for comfort. "It was a really cold day on December eleventh; I was sitting at work at the café, talking to Alyssa, when I heard the bell ringing to signal the end of my break. When I stood to go back, I was so dizzy I wasn't able to stand. Alyssa asked me if I was okay, and I said yes." She stared at her hands, willing for him to understand. Lizzie loved Gordo more than life; she could never have lied to him like that.

"And what has this got to do with anything, Lizzie?" Gordo inquired, pausing to listen to her speaking. He tried to think back, but nothing came to him. "Answer me."

"Alyssa told me to go home, so I did. I had remembered that she left some pregnancy tests there from when she had that scare a few months before, so I stole one and used it. It came up positive. So did the next five." Lizzie stared at Gordo looking for any sense of understanding in his eyes. He couldn't even look at her, his shame was evident. "Gordo, I was already pregnant for a month when Ethan raped me."

"Lizzie," He looked away. "I don't believe you."

Lizzie growled and stood to her feet. "She was conceived three days before your father's birthday, she was born on yours. What more proof do you need?"

Gordo stood to leave, shaking his head. "I expect her paperwork sent to my apartment in a week. If it isn't, I'll file for child support and put you in prison. Either you can send it, or you can have someone else send it, but I'm not going to take no for an answer. Weather she's mine or Ethan's is neither here nor there, she needs a family – and you're not going to give her it." He stared at the door for several moments before shaking his head clear of the tears threatening to fall. "It's your choice, Lizzie."

Lizzie went to speak when she heard a jingling in the room. Gordo reached into his pocket and retrieved his cell phone, flipping it so he could unlock it and read the number. He blinked several times when he saw Miranda's name flashing on the front screen. "Miranda?" He paused for a moment, taking a sharp breath. "Calm down, breathe, now what happened?"

Panic crossed his features, blue eyes wide with fright; he'd never had something of this magnitude come up before. He was always so calm and collected, but this wasn't something he'd ever needed to oversee. Fear clutched his heart as he ran through a list of possible responses to calm the woman down. "Explain it to me slower,"

"She's running a fever of a hundred and two, Gordo. She won't stop vomiting, and all she's been doing for the last three hours is crying. She says she wants to sleep, but she can't fall asleep. I don't know what to do, the same stuff that I do for James doesn't work on her." Miranda sniffled and bit her lip. "Should I take her to the hospital?"

"If she can't sleep—"

Lizzie grabbed the phone and stared at the man for a long time, speaking quickly, calmly, and efficiently. "Drive her around the block a few times. You're an hour away from the hospital, by the time she gets there; her fever will be one-oh-three, or just hitting that point. She'll be asleep when you get there, car rides always make her sleepy. It's already on her file, but she'll be okay. Is she in any pain or seizing?"

Miranda tried to figure out who the voice was for a long time, memories flashing to mind. Lizzie. "She said her feet hurt, but she's not seizing."

"Are her feet swollen?" Lizzie asked again, holding up a hand to silence Gordo from speaking.

Miranda checked and raised a brow. "Y-yes, they are. Pretty bad, too."

"Take her to the hospital; make sure she's well asleep before you go. It doesn't matter how sick she is or how much she cries, she'll fall asleep ten minutes after you get in the car. Feed her ice for now, so she doesn't dehydrate. If she can't eat ice, make her drink water, or better, pedialyte. She'll be okay." Lizzie calmed her breathing and smiled a little. "Tell her that mommy loves her, okay?"

Gordo snatched the phone from Lizzie again just as Miranda hung up. He flipped it shut in anger and stared at Lizzie, his eyes softening, voice calming. "You really do care about her, don't you?"

Lizzie fell on the bed trembling. "You never stop being a mother. I've raised her for five years. I know I may not seem like much of a mother, but I am. She has medical problems I can't even begin to explain. That's why I sent her to live with you. I couldn't afford the bills anymore, and she needed the medical attention. She wanted her daddy so badly; I couldn't keep her from going."

"Why couldn't you just say that?" Gordo asked, sitting with a sigh. He stared at Lizzie with sympathetic blue eyes, fear still overwhelming his thoughts. "Why couldn't you be honest with us about it?"

"You didn't want a family. I didn't want to ruin your dream. Abby was my dream. She was pretty much everything to me at one time. When I realized I couldn't afford to take care of her anymore…that's when I gave into my sins. I'm not proud of what I did. I'm certainly not proud of letting go of Abby. But at this point, she's much better off without me." Lizzie answered, locking eyes with Gordo as sadness frosted her eyes. She began to cry. "I miss her. I miss my baby."

Gordo felt sadness for Lizzie. He'd been spending time thinking she didn't care about her daughter, but it wasn't true. The woman never stopped caring about her child. She wasn't wrong to want a better life for her daughter, but the lying needed to stop. He stood sadly and moved to sit beside the girl, pulling her close so she could lie on his shoulder. Lizzie hiccupped and began to cry louder. "Lizzie…do you want Abby back?"

The blonde shook her head. "Losing Abby was the best thing for me. She drove me to fix my errors. She made me realize that my lifestyle wasn't healthy for any of us."

Gordo touched Lizzie's chin, tilting her head so she was looking at him. He kissed her gingerly on the lips. "She brought me back to you."

Lizzie's voice had a tremor to it when she spoke, her calm voice back. She moved away from him, her green eyes calculating. "Abby needs to be where she's loved. She never got that from me. Take care of her Gordo, okay?"

"I still love you, Lizzie. That hasn't changed. Not even in six years." He replied hearing the buzz that visitation was over. He moved towards the door. "Is there anything in this building that's considered contraband?"

"Weapons, that's about it."

Gordo dug into his pocket and handed Lizzie his personal cell phone. "That's my personal phone. I'll keep my work phone with me – the number is programmed into that under D.G. Enterprises. Call me if you ever feel like you need to talk to Abby. It's only a temporary fix."

She stared at the piece of equipment he handed her and brushed her hair back, thinking hard. "What's your password?"

"2214," He answered, smiling. Maybe, if she hadn't lost her memory, she'd remember the significance. "Until next time, Elizabeth."


Gordo landed in New York just as the message came through about Abby. Miranda needed a copy of his medical records, to verify something in her genetics. He wasn't sure if it was Miranda asking, or the doctor. He checked his watch to see that it was eleven in the morning, and not too late to call his doctor and have the information faxed to the hospital. Flipping the phone on its side, he texted to Miranda if she knew the number for the fax. She replied almost instantly, likely getting James ready for school. He didn't tell Miranda he was home yet.

Standing in the awning outside the airport, he called his doctor and passed along the information, and then waited for a moment before stepping into the parking lot to look for his car.

He arrived at his apartment an hour later, throwing his keys onto the table next to the door and sorting through mail. Letters upon letters, but nothing important. The letter at the bottom of the stack had him curious. Slipping a finger under the folded portion, he opened the envelope to spy at the contents. One birth certificate from the state, one from the hospital, immunization records, a social security card, and a note from his mother explaining that he would need to contact Doctor Morris for her medical file to be transferred.

He put the paperwork onto the counter and sat there for a moment, staring at the now silent apartment. Only a week had passed and already he was attached to her. If she wasn't his, he'd be devastated. That's when curiosity got the better of him. He picked up the hospital birth certificate and stared at it for a long time. Remembering something his lawyer had explained to him about Abby; he tossed the documents down and dialed up his lawyer's number.

"What's up, Gordon?" The man asked casually.

He growled something under his breath. "I've been paying child support for four and a half years now."

Cooper thought about this for two seconds and answered with a "So"

"What is the law in California about paternity?" Gordo inquired.

Cooper coughed, and then replied. "Well, if the father isn't present at the time of birth, then the mother has to leave the forms blank. The father has to sign, or it's not valid. Why?"

"My name is forged!" Gordo shouted. "She has my signature on here, and it looks nearly identical to mine, but it's not mine. I never signed these papers in my life."

"That means that you've been paying child support for four and a half years," Cooper answered facetiously. "What do you plan to do about it?"

"There's no point in fighting it now, I'm already better off, so I know I won't be getting anything from her and it would likely bankrupt her, but I don't know." He shook his head. "The bigger question is who signed the papers?"

"Does she have an older male friend or a brother who may have forged your name?" Cooper asked.

"No, I-" And then it dawned on him. His mother would have done it in a heartbeat, and if they weren't paying attention at the office, it could have very well been his mom. Perhaps they had Matt or Ethan go in to stand in as the "male", but his mother was the one who signed the documents. She's the only other person that knew his signature that well. "Son of a bitch, I'm going to kill my mother."

"Can I be your defense attorney? You're a great guy to work with, Gordon." Cooper asked with a mild laugh.

"I need to call my mother."


He was holding his jacket as he sat in the waiting room for Abby to wake up at four at night, on call-waiting with his mother's office. Nearly a half hour had passed before she picked up. "David."

"I can't believe you ruined my life." He mumbled. "What you did is illegal. You can go to jail."

Roberta stayed silent, clearly thinking of what he was talking about. "You would arrest me?"

"You forged my signature, mother. You used to cash my checks, with my permission, so I know you know how to do it. Why in God's name did you put my name down on the birth certificate? And better yet, who did you get to do it for you?"

"Her name is Nancy, she works at the office, and she did it for me." Roberta replied. "You're her father; you need to own up to it."

"I wasn't present, and that was highly illegal!" He took a deep breath, calming his fried nerves. "I thought Lizzie was bad, but she had nothing to do with it, did she? She gave the papers to you to take care of, thinking you would give them to me…didn't she?"

"You're a smart boy, David. The writer in you never ceases to amaze me. If you already knew, why did you call to ask me?" She smiled, and then laughed. "Your daughter needs you."

"Who was it, mom."

"Who?"

"The decoy father, who was it."

"Some nice blonde boy. Oh, he was so kind. I met him outside the building and asked if he would like to come up to the office with me, he agreed, and I paid him later. Isn't it wonderful? I think he said his name was Ronnie?"

Gordo couldn't take it anymore; he hung up the phone and threw it across the waiting room, patience finally running dry. He left the shattered phone on the floor as he exited the hospital without saying a word to Abby about ever having been there.

Larry passed by on the way out, watching Gordo with dark blue eyes. "What happened?"

"I'm not in the mood, Larry. I will murder every one of you if you don't leave me alone for a while." He answered unlocking the door to his car. "Watch Abby for me. I'm going to do something I should have done a long time ago."

"Strangle a cat? Because that's what it looks like you're about to do." Larry replied.

"Back off, or I'll fire you, and I'll ruin your life." Gordo replied as Larry backed up. "Make sure Abby is okay; take her home. I don't want her."

"Is this to spite Lizzie?"

"Lizzie? No. Not even close. I'm tired of the irony, the situations, and the mix ups. I'm tired of all of it. Let it die. You and Miranda can adopt her; just don't ever let me see her again." Gordo answered, pulling out of the parking lot.


Larry walked into Gordo's apartment at seven in the morning, seeing empty bottles strewn all over the place. Either he'd had a party, or he was hitting it hard. He waded through the mess and looked to the couch, where a woman lay asleep, presumably his date for the night. Larry continued through the small hall to Abby's room to see it undisturbed. At the end of the hall, in Gordo's room, was a rather hung over Gordo and a drowsy looking blonde curled up next to him.

"Is this the example you're setting for your daughter?" Larry asked, kicking Gordo in the side.

Gordo looked up at Larry with puffy red eyes, either from crying, or the wicked bad hangover he was likely nursing. "Forget Lizzie. I'm through. Abby can go home, she can go with you, and I don't really freaking care anymore. I don't ever want to see her again."

"Mind telling me what happened, Amigo?" Larry inquired, sitting on the dresser across from Gordo. "This is about Liz, isn't it?"

"No," He whispered, his voice wispy. "This is about my mother forging my signature on Abby's birth certificate. I know what she did was illegal. I know she can go to jail. I really don't care. What I care about is the fact that she used Ronnie Jacobs as the stand-in for me. I want to murder him right now, you know that?"

"I'm glad you got drunk and didn't do anything stupid," Larry replied sarcastically. "Refresh my memory, who is Ronnie Jacobs?"

"Lizzie's first kiss," Gordo answered, feeling sick suddenly. "I love her, Larry. I love Lizzie so much; I can't stop thinking about her. But the more I get twisted into this convoluted mess of a life she's lived, the more I want to stay away from her. I want to be free of her. I thought…Greta could help me forget but, so far I've been wrong…"

The blonde stirred beside him and looked up at Larry, pulling the blanket closer to her nude body in shock. "Lawrence!"

"Greta!" Larry shouted in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

"We're married," Greta answered, showing off the ring. "What are you doing here?"

Larry dropped to his feet and stood a few feet from his best friend. "You've crossed a line this time, Gordon. I'm not being nice anymore. I hope you and your harlot have a nice life." And with a turn of his foot to stare at Greta, he whispered the next few words with malice. "I came to tell my best friend that my wife is pregnant, but apparently he doesn't share the same joy."

He slammed the door on his way out, without thinking to look and see if his friend heard him.


Miranda sat at the kitchen table with Larry, rubbing his back softly. "It's okay, at least he knows now. I'm glad someone told him."

"Do you still want to adopt Abby?" Larry inquired carefully, taking his wife's hand and holding it tight. "Because I would be more than okay with taking care of her now."

"Give Gordo a chance. You know how he gets obsessed with things. Eventually he'll change, if not for himself, than for Abby. He loves her and her mother, but right now, he's caught up in the past. Give him credit for staying strong this long, given the circumstances." Miranda replied, kissing her husband's hand. "Be careful with him, and don't overstep your boundaries. He's crazy possessive about Abigail; if you take her away, even if he gave you permission, he'll fight you tooth and nail."

Larry sighed. "I know, but maybe that's what he needs."

Abby stood in the doorway, holding her frayed rabbit by its ear, her face watching Miranda and Larry. "Daddy doesn't want me?"


After doing research, I realized that California (where Lizzie McGuire takes place) law states that if the father isn't present at the time of birth, the certificate stays blank and gets filled out later. So, this was the only way I could think of to explain that error.

Meanwhile, I think Gordo handled it pretty well ;-)

A rewrite for Star of David is in progress as we speak, tweaked for less error in storyline. Since it came out really bad and mixed up before. That will be posted at a later time to be announced. I got kicked out of my home (see; Evicted), so now I'm on the hunt for somewhere else to go. Meanwhile, my room mate and I are at odds and not getting along. More on that later. Don't be in a hurry to grow up, people. It sucks. I'm working two jobs now to pay off a thousand dollar hospital bill. So not worth it. What does this whole mess get me? A lack of updates...and no reviews. T_T