Disclaimer: "Lizzie McGuire" show related-ness is Disney's...all elsewhere
is mine.
Author's Note: Thanks to Baby Bunnie, lizzie-fan, I3itterSweet, Lara (oodles more thanks for saying such sweet things!), GordosGirlie, Kobe-Mac, karlydhutch, and RainbowPrincess for such wonderful reviews!
Another Way - Chapter Nine By: Taygeta
As Lizzie read through the script that Gary had e-mailed her, she found herself reading the action and dialogue word-for-word. It was a sad film that spoke of opportunities lost and chances that could never be.
The ending moved her to tears.
The girl never got the guy she sought. The girl never got her life to how she had dreamed it would always be. She didn't fail in her life, but she certainly didn't see her dreams come true.
Gary named the film well, "Dreams of Fog." When a person sees fog at a distance, it seems close enough to touch, but when a person's in it, the delusion of solidarity fades.
The script reminded Lizzie of so much of her life. She certain wasn't the seventy-year-old woman that one sees at the end, but life certainly was with dreams that had never come true.
She didn't have the guy she desired, and circumstances had it that she could never even try.
Lizzie put the script down with a sigh.
She let herself pout for a moment. She hated that she identified with the character so much. She could envision herself as the woman in the script and then she saw her life progress further. Her dramatic queen self saw her friends at attendance to her funeral.
She could just hear Gordo's voice in an older tone, "You know, she never did get married."
The 27-year-old exhaled loudly.
She always did have too active an imagination.
Lizzie grabbed the yellow legal pad that she had on her coffee table and pulled a pen from a drawer in the small table that held her lamp.
She supposed there was one good thing to identifying with the character. It might help her "job" be completed. She opened the pen camp and began to scribble.
~ * ~ * ~
Gretchen poured herself a glass of orange juice as she sat down beside Gordo who was going through his bills.
She had spent the night at his place, and he had cooked breakfast for her when they woke up. For all the talents that Gretchen knew about herself, she knew cooking wasn't one of them. She was glad to have her David for that.
Gordo made a face as he wrote checks, "I hate bills."
She smiled as she looked up from the magazine she was reading, "Don't we all?"
She glanced at a DirectTV bill, "I really don't know why you bother with this. You hardly watch tv nowadays. Whenever we sit down for a night-in, we go and rent something."
"It's one of those 'you never know' purchases. What if I really want to watch something next week? I'm not going to install cable just for that week."
Gretchen rolled her eyes and put the bill down. "Fine, the David Gordon logic never fails."
He smiled and continued through his bills.
He opened his phone carrier bill and blinked. As he signed the check, made a mental note to get a better long distance service...better being cheaper. It was either that or stop talking to Lizzie. The trouble of looking for a cheaper carrier won out.
"Well that's a sour expression if I ever saw one. What's this one?" she asked as he discarded the bill.
Gordo opened his mouth to speak before Gretchen exclaimed, "127.35? For your phone bill? David, honey, are you sure this isn't a mistake?"
Before he could stop her she proceeded to look through the numbers on the bill. Gordo's first thought after her probable inquiry about New York numbers was that he was glad he wasn't the type of guy to call 900-numbers.
"Well...quite a few of these calls are to New York..." she paused. Pursing her lips, she put the bill down, "No mistake, you've been talking to Lizzie, haven't you?" Hearing his silence she continued, "And for quite a long time."
"Gretchen, Lizzie lost her job two weeks ago," he began to explain.
The worried look in her eyes faded to sympathy, "She did? Oh my..."
"After the merger, the older employee everyone assumed would retire, was asked to stay on. So Lizzie had to go. She couldn't get a hold of Miranda that day and so she called me."
"But David, that doesn't explain why you've talked to her almost every day since."
He sighed, "You saw how she was. You even said she looked a bit frazzled when you met her, but she was worse before that. When I had to take her to the hospital? And I just get so mad at her company for putting her through all of that only to have her not even work for them anymore. But as I was saying, it's not something I would settle in one phone conversation. She's gotten better and I call to see how things are going with her. We've haven't talked in five years before this last month...I think we're trying to make up for lost time."
Gretchen exhaled, "Gordo...you don't have to explain yourself to me. I trust you. I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I know that you've got a big heart. I saw how easily you forgave her after all this time where you guys didn't talk. And I'm glad that you guys are talking again."
He smiled, "Thank you." He placed his hand over hears and leaned across the kitchen table to give her a kiss.
As he continued with the bills he added, " Lizzie's working on a song for Gary Lasco's movie. She was the one who recommended I look him up again."
"Really?" she said. "Will she be singing too?"
"We haven't decided on that. She's working on the song now. I sent her the script last week. So I'm hoping to hear that she has it done sometime soon...hopefully."
"I can't wait to hear it myself," said Gretchen.
The couple sat in silence. Gordo was still sorting through the bills. Gretchen glanced through her magazine. She wasn't really reading however. She was thinking about the telephone bill and the song...which of course involved a certain blonde named Lizzie McGuire. She wasn't sure how Lizzie managed to do it... in a matter of a month she had become Gordo's best friend again.
There was a part of Gretchen that wondered when Lizzie McGuire would find herself back into the role of being the love of David Gordon's life.
As she flipped through the pages, she found herself in a sad revelation. The love of his life was a role she would never obtain. Lizzie McGuire didn't need to find herself back into the role. She never left it.
Gordo glanced up at her, "Gretchen, honey, are you okay?"
She smiled, "I'm just...thinking, that's all."
He put down his pen and set aside the papers in front of him. He looked at her squarely, "Does my calling Lizzie really bother you that much?"
"It's not so much that, David. I don't have any say in who you call. It could be Miranda or Lizzie's mother for all that makes a difference. That's none of my business."
"But something is bothering you..."
"It really doesn't have much to do with Lizzie."
"Then what is it?"
She sighed, "It has more to do with me."
"What about you?"
She put her hand over his and leaned forward slightly, "David, do you love me?"
Author's Note: Thanks to Baby Bunnie, lizzie-fan, I3itterSweet, Lara (oodles more thanks for saying such sweet things!), GordosGirlie, Kobe-Mac, karlydhutch, and RainbowPrincess for such wonderful reviews!
Another Way - Chapter Nine By: Taygeta
As Lizzie read through the script that Gary had e-mailed her, she found herself reading the action and dialogue word-for-word. It was a sad film that spoke of opportunities lost and chances that could never be.
The ending moved her to tears.
The girl never got the guy she sought. The girl never got her life to how she had dreamed it would always be. She didn't fail in her life, but she certainly didn't see her dreams come true.
Gary named the film well, "Dreams of Fog." When a person sees fog at a distance, it seems close enough to touch, but when a person's in it, the delusion of solidarity fades.
The script reminded Lizzie of so much of her life. She certain wasn't the seventy-year-old woman that one sees at the end, but life certainly was with dreams that had never come true.
She didn't have the guy she desired, and circumstances had it that she could never even try.
Lizzie put the script down with a sigh.
She let herself pout for a moment. She hated that she identified with the character so much. She could envision herself as the woman in the script and then she saw her life progress further. Her dramatic queen self saw her friends at attendance to her funeral.
She could just hear Gordo's voice in an older tone, "You know, she never did get married."
The 27-year-old exhaled loudly.
She always did have too active an imagination.
Lizzie grabbed the yellow legal pad that she had on her coffee table and pulled a pen from a drawer in the small table that held her lamp.
She supposed there was one good thing to identifying with the character. It might help her "job" be completed. She opened the pen camp and began to scribble.
~ * ~ * ~
Gretchen poured herself a glass of orange juice as she sat down beside Gordo who was going through his bills.
She had spent the night at his place, and he had cooked breakfast for her when they woke up. For all the talents that Gretchen knew about herself, she knew cooking wasn't one of them. She was glad to have her David for that.
Gordo made a face as he wrote checks, "I hate bills."
She smiled as she looked up from the magazine she was reading, "Don't we all?"
She glanced at a DirectTV bill, "I really don't know why you bother with this. You hardly watch tv nowadays. Whenever we sit down for a night-in, we go and rent something."
"It's one of those 'you never know' purchases. What if I really want to watch something next week? I'm not going to install cable just for that week."
Gretchen rolled her eyes and put the bill down. "Fine, the David Gordon logic never fails."
He smiled and continued through his bills.
He opened his phone carrier bill and blinked. As he signed the check, made a mental note to get a better long distance service...better being cheaper. It was either that or stop talking to Lizzie. The trouble of looking for a cheaper carrier won out.
"Well that's a sour expression if I ever saw one. What's this one?" she asked as he discarded the bill.
Gordo opened his mouth to speak before Gretchen exclaimed, "127.35? For your phone bill? David, honey, are you sure this isn't a mistake?"
Before he could stop her she proceeded to look through the numbers on the bill. Gordo's first thought after her probable inquiry about New York numbers was that he was glad he wasn't the type of guy to call 900-numbers.
"Well...quite a few of these calls are to New York..." she paused. Pursing her lips, she put the bill down, "No mistake, you've been talking to Lizzie, haven't you?" Hearing his silence she continued, "And for quite a long time."
"Gretchen, Lizzie lost her job two weeks ago," he began to explain.
The worried look in her eyes faded to sympathy, "She did? Oh my..."
"After the merger, the older employee everyone assumed would retire, was asked to stay on. So Lizzie had to go. She couldn't get a hold of Miranda that day and so she called me."
"But David, that doesn't explain why you've talked to her almost every day since."
He sighed, "You saw how she was. You even said she looked a bit frazzled when you met her, but she was worse before that. When I had to take her to the hospital? And I just get so mad at her company for putting her through all of that only to have her not even work for them anymore. But as I was saying, it's not something I would settle in one phone conversation. She's gotten better and I call to see how things are going with her. We've haven't talked in five years before this last month...I think we're trying to make up for lost time."
Gretchen exhaled, "Gordo...you don't have to explain yourself to me. I trust you. I know that you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I know that you've got a big heart. I saw how easily you forgave her after all this time where you guys didn't talk. And I'm glad that you guys are talking again."
He smiled, "Thank you." He placed his hand over hears and leaned across the kitchen table to give her a kiss.
As he continued with the bills he added, " Lizzie's working on a song for Gary Lasco's movie. She was the one who recommended I look him up again."
"Really?" she said. "Will she be singing too?"
"We haven't decided on that. She's working on the song now. I sent her the script last week. So I'm hoping to hear that she has it done sometime soon...hopefully."
"I can't wait to hear it myself," said Gretchen.
The couple sat in silence. Gordo was still sorting through the bills. Gretchen glanced through her magazine. She wasn't really reading however. She was thinking about the telephone bill and the song...which of course involved a certain blonde named Lizzie McGuire. She wasn't sure how Lizzie managed to do it... in a matter of a month she had become Gordo's best friend again.
There was a part of Gretchen that wondered when Lizzie McGuire would find herself back into the role of being the love of David Gordon's life.
As she flipped through the pages, she found herself in a sad revelation. The love of his life was a role she would never obtain. Lizzie McGuire didn't need to find herself back into the role. She never left it.
Gordo glanced up at her, "Gretchen, honey, are you okay?"
She smiled, "I'm just...thinking, that's all."
He put down his pen and set aside the papers in front of him. He looked at her squarely, "Does my calling Lizzie really bother you that much?"
"It's not so much that, David. I don't have any say in who you call. It could be Miranda or Lizzie's mother for all that makes a difference. That's none of my business."
"But something is bothering you..."
"It really doesn't have much to do with Lizzie."
"Then what is it?"
She sighed, "It has more to do with me."
"What about you?"
She put her hand over his and leaned forward slightly, "David, do you love me?"