Do I own Lizzie McGuire? Yeah, along with the Eiffel Tower and Disney World. Oh, wait, that's in my other life. In this life, I own only this psychotic life-sucking box that I wrote this story on.



One minute, Lizzie and Gordo were having a private, romantic moment ~ and the next they were surrounded by family and friends, all eager to see Lizzie and see for themselves that she was awake and doing well. First, Matt and Sam came in, and then Jo with a feast in a large basket. Next came Miranda, without Danny because he had to work. Gordo's parents showed up, and Matt had apparently kept his promise, because Kate soon joined the crowd along with her parents. Luckily, Jo had packed enough food to feed a small army (or Gordo and Matt). It was quite a happy party ~ one which would never have been allowed in any other hospital room. But apparently when you have a VIP suite, you can do pretty much anything you want to do.

Kate's mom cried and hugged Lizzie, so grateful to her for saving "her baby." Mr. Saunders gave her a firm handshake, and told her that if she ever needed anything, she should come to him. Kate just stood by and looked nervous until it was her turn. Finally her parents joined the other adults. She looked at Lizzie, not sure what to say. "Thank you" just didn't seem to cover it.

Finally, Lizzie broke the silence, "So, Kate, how are you doing? You're looking pretty good."

"Thanks. Lots of make-up." She paused for a minute. "Ummm, I could do yours for you when you go back to school. If you want. You know, just cover some of the bruising and scrapes."

For the first time, Lizzie looked at her battered arms and realized she must be a mess. "Oh, wow, I hadn't even thought of that! I must look horrible."

Kate said, "No, no, not too…Ok, yeah. You look pretty scary. But it'll go away soon, and I can help you until then. It's the least I can do." She paused again, and then blurted, "Lizzie, I don't know how to say thank you for what you did. And I'm so glad you're ok! You risked your life to save me! And I was so scared when you fell over that cliff ~ I thought you were dead! I've been so bitchy to you for so many years, but you still…"

"Kate, it's ok. I didn't really consider that I was risking anything. I just did what I had to do ~ and I couldn't just leave you there."

"Yes, you could have. I think my so-called friends would have." Kate said bitterly.

"How did you get there, anyway?"

Kate covered her face with her hands, and said "Oh, god, stupid, stupid, stupid! You'd think I would have learned my lesson about guys, huh?" She shook her head, and then went on, "Well, you probably heard that Claire got spooked by a snake and ran off. Bimbo! It was a harmless snake, which she would have known if she had listened to the ranger, instead of gossiping about Maria's trip Europe. Anyway, I tried to look for her, but of course, she didn't run down the path. No, she had to go off into the woods."

"What about Maria's trip to Europe?" Miranda wanted to know.

"Hmm? Oh, someone said she really went to "take care of" an unwanted pregnancy. But I know she went to Europe, because she showed me the pictures."

"Anyway…." Lizzie motioned with her needle and tube free hand. She was getting impatient.

"Sorry. Ok, I was looking for Claire, and dropping stuff of mine so we could find our way back to the trail, when I saw this guy chopping wood. He was really hot, and he had this tank top on, so all his muscles showed. I asked him if he had seen a hysterical girl run by. He smiled and told me she was in his cabin with his friend, getting a drink of water. Well, I had already dropped my water bottle, and I was thirsty, so I followed him back there. Of course, Claire wasn't there, and when I tried to leave…" She faltered there, not wanting to recall the horror.

"It's ok, Kate. That's enough."

"You know, if you hadn't come to get me, I'd be dead by now. The guy who was in the cabin got really mad at the guy who brought me there. He said that he shouldn't have taken anyone from so close to the cabin, because the rangers were sure to comb the woods now, and they would surely come around asking questions. He said some guy named Anthony was going to be really angry. The guy who brought me: Bruce, I think, said they were leaving tomorrow anyway, and that he'd have fun with me until then." She closed her eyes, trying to squeeze back the tears, "He said, "What's one more body in the back yard?"

Lizzie reached out for Kate, who fell into her arms for a hug. "It's ok now, Kate." She added to herself, "I hope." It occurred to her that those guys might have gotten away, and after all, Kate had seen their faces. She pulled back, and said, "So, do you know what happened to them?"

Kate sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Well, that's where Miranda comes in."

Miranda took her turn. "Well, when I went back to the trail, I radioed to the ranger, but he was busy with another emergency. He said to stay where I was, and he'd be there ASAP. Well, he finally got there, and I told him what had happened. He called for back up, and then we tried to find the way back, but by then the fog was so thick that it was hard to see or find anything. I got on my hands and knees to look for the stuff Kate dropped, but I still think we must have gotten lost about 5 times. Then there was a huge explosion and then the fire. By that time, back up arrived. Man, there were sirens and flashing lights and people running everywhere. The guy with the big gun tried to run back inside for something, probably Anna, but his clothes caught fire. He's not dead, but he's in the burn unit with 70% of his body covered with burns. They don't think he'll make it, but they want him to because they want to find out if he's the head of this gang, or if there is someone else they should be going after. The other two are dead. The guy named Jack turned his gun on the cops, and they shot him. The other guy got smashed by a flaming tree trunk, and brought new meaning to the word "toast."

"Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy!" murmured Lizzie.

Miranda scolded Lizzie, " I was so scared when I got there! I told you not to be a hero!"

"Miranda, I had to. I heard screaming from inside. Anyway, aren't you glad I did?"

Miranda, who still didn't know about the conversation Lizzie and Kate had shared on the bus, looked dubiously at Kate, and said, "Yeah, I guess so. But I don't know how glad I would have been if you had died from falling over that cliff."

"But I didn't. Why do you think that guy was going to get Anna?"

"Haven't you heard? She was his meal-ticket! Her family is loaded, and he was bleeding them to keep her alive."

As if on cue, a family Lizzie had never seen before knocked on the door, and was admitted. There was a man, obviously the head of the family, in a tasteful Hawaiian print shirt and khaki's, flanked on both sides by very large men in dark suits and dark glasses. Just behind the men was a lovely dark haired woman in a linen sheath and low pumps. She had diamond studs in her ears and carefully manicured fingernails polished with pale pink. Beside the woman was a pretty girl, about Lizzie's age, who looked vaguely familiar. Like her mother, she had dark hair, but was dressed in blue capris pants and a matching top.

They approached the bed, and the man spoke in a rich Mediterranean accent, "I am Ambrose Giuliani, and I and my family are forever in your debt. You are the angel who has restored our beloved daughter to us."

Lizzie started, "Your dau…"

The girl stepped forward and said softly, accent even more apparent than her father's, "Hello. I am Anna. I am the girl you rescued from that awful place. You are a…a hero!" Lizzie saw it now. Her hair was washed and combed, her face washed and accented with a small amount of make-up, and she had clothes on, but this was definitely the unknown girl from that night.

Lizzie shook her head, "No, I'm not a hero. I did what I had to do. I only wish…I just wish I could have taken all those girls." Lizzie bowed her head, now remembering the lifeless bodies of the drugged girls slumped against the furniture and walls. "Oh, god, if I had only known…"

Kate spoke up, "Lizzie, none of us would have made it out alive. We would have had to carry them, and the place would have blown up before we ever got out. I've thought about this, too. I thought that if I had been brave enough, maybe I could have done something before you got there. But they bound my wrists, and took my clothes. They just gave me that t-shirt because I whined that I was cold."

Lizzie turned to Anna, "Was that you I heard screaming?"

Anna nodded, "Yes. Up till that night, they pretty much left me alone, because I told them Papa wouldn't pay if I didn't remain a virgin. But that disgusting, filthy man, Bruce, finally decided he would have me. I tried to remind him about the money, but he just laughed and said, "Who's gonna tell? You? By the time he finds out, if we ever give you back, we'll have our money! So he hit me and tried to molest me. Luckily he is too stupid, and too much of a drunk. He kept falling over, and…missing. I kept squeezing my legs together. He called me a "bitch" and told me he'd shoot me if I didn't cooperate. I didn't care. I'd rather be dead than be with that…that…" She swallowed hard. "Finally, he beat me really hard with his belt, and threw me back into that room with Kate. That is why I didn't have anything on but my bra and a torn shirt." She had given her recitation bravely, but she finally broke down into sobs. Her mother hugged her and stroked her hair, cooing softly to her.

When Anna finally had her grief under control, her mother turned to Lizzie. "You are a very brave and wonderful young woman. We could never repay you for what you have done for us, but we hope you will allow us to try. If you ever need anything, you must ask us. You are as family to us now!" Anna looked up from her mother's shoulder, and she and her father nodded in agreement. "Family."

Lizzie wasn't sure how to react to this. She was sure this was good news, but being so adored was making her kind of uncomfortable. Also, something else was bothering her. "Anna, what were they doing with all those girls there? Were they all being held for ransom?"

Anna looked gravely at Lizzie, "No, my friend. You don't know? They made films there ~ child pornography. Most of the girls were runaways, and the youngest was 12. Most were about 14 or 15. But they were all underage, except for your friend here. And none of them wanted to be there."