Chapter One
"All right, so," seventeen year old Lizzie McGuire was pacing back and forth in the front of the private room of the library, checking things off on her clipboard as she spoke. "We only have this room for," she looked at her watch, and scowled, "two hours. After that you're splitting up for the internet research. The computers in the back, use google, you all know the drill. Miranda and Danny, you two will team up, Gordo," she smiled at her boyfriend. "You'll be with Ethan if he ever graces us with his presence, and Parker, you'll be alone. That ok?" Lizzie, Gordo, Ethan, Danny, Miranda, and Parker were all members of the Hillridge High Science Olympiad team, and were preparing for the California State Science Olympiad Competition.
"Ethan will be here, baby, relax," Gordo said softly. Lizzie was a walking fireball, which he truly loved about her, but at times, it very much got on his nerves. Like right now. It was 10 am, it wasn't even logical for her to be awake, much less looking completely put together and full of energy.
"Just drink your coffee, Gordo," she shot back. "Now, after the papers, we need to write a segment for the documentary, we're borrowing the library camera. You'll have lunch after that, then it's to Gordo's for editing. All clear?"
"Morning," Ethan blew into the room, flopping into a chair in the corner.
"So nice for you to join us, Craft," Lizzie glared at Ethan, her eyes narrowed. "Would you like me to go over everything you just missed?"
"No thanks, I think doing this every day for the last twelve fucking years of my life gives me some idea of what to expect," he shot back without looking at her. He turned to Danny, "am I with you?"
"You're with me," Gordo told Ethan, his own expression grim. "And exactly what got up your ass this morning?"
Ethan scowled, "nothing."
"Then you'll listen to Lizzie?"
"Yes, sir," Ethan said sarcastically. "So?" He looked at Lizzie with an eyebrow raised. "What great wisdom do you have to share with me today?"
Lizzie shot Gordo a death look before turning her head to face Ethan. "Nothing that could make a dent in that thick skull of yours, Ethan darling. Except, um," she leaned forward to look at him, smirking. "If I were you? I'd get my ass some Stridex now. Looks like you got a pimple, teen beat."
Ethan's face flushed an angry red as he got up, glaring angrily at her. Lizzie had pegged him with the nickname years ago, and god, he hated it. "Thanks, ice queen," he shot back, stomping out of the room.
"Lizzie," Gordo stood up, and touched her elbow lightly.
"Don't you start with me too," she yanked her arm out of his grasp, whirling around to look at him. "Dammit Gordo, how many times do I have to tell you to let me fight my own battles? I defended myself before I started dating you, and I don't need your help!"
"But, Ethan…"
"Ethan is a spoiled little brat who just gets off on you trying to defend me!" Lizzie said angrily. "One of these days, he's gonna get an evil dose of the reality you try so hard to shelter him from, I swear to god…"
"Relax, baby." Ignoring her protests, Gordo cupped Lizzie's face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, laughing when she continued to try to rant against his lips. "You're making this kiss very difficult," he murmured.
"You need to get into doing research," Lizzie said weakly, looking up into his blue green eyes.
"I need to calm my girl down first," he replied, sliding his hands down to her waist and pulling her body against his. He captured her lips with his for a searing kiss, only pulling away when he finally felt her relax, and heard a soft moan leave her throat. "Better?"
"Better," she whispered, leaning her head against his chest. "Just that kid…"
"Shhhh," Gordo interrupted, pulling away to look into her eyes. "You'll make it work. You always do."
"Yeah," Lizzie smiled at him. "Now will you go get to work?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good."
"I love you," Gordo said, smiling at her before walking away.
"Love you too."
****************************************************************
Lizzie fought back a yawn as she looked at her laptop. She just had to finish this press release, then she could sleep… "You still awake?" She turned around, laughing when she saw Gordo was doing much of the same as her, yawning widely as he lay under the covers in bed, reading a sheaf of papers.
"Barely," he smiled at her, and threw the papers onto the nightstand. "Come here," he pulled back the covers and extended a hand to her. "Whatever that is can wait until tomorrow."
"If we get up before your mom does," Lizzie said, closing her laptop with a bang. "If they catch us again, we're dead." She crawled onto the bed, taking Gordo's hand.
"They didn't kill us last time," Gordo replied evenly, pulling her down on top of him. "One more time couldn't hurt."
"Yeah, I saw the way that my dad was looking at you last time," Lizzie laughed, looping her arms around his neck and stretching out her body on top of his. She sighed happily when she felt his hands run over her back, and rested her head on his chest, "this is nice."
"You're all tense," Gordo remarked, his fingers kneading into the muscles of her lower back. He felt her squirm, and frowned, "Lizzie, school's just started, don't start getting all worked up now."
"I don't mean to, just, jesus, that kid…"
"Lizzie," Gordo pushed her off of him, and rolled over to turn out the light. "How many years have you known Ethan?"
Lizzie shrugged, and slid under the covers, getting comfortable. "I don't know, what, twelve years now?" She'd attended kindergarten all the way up through high school with him, and while he was hot in junior high, he was just an annoying brat in high school. Gordo, however, was a different story. They'd grown up together as best friends, until one summer in Italy, between eighth and ninth grade. "How many years have you known me?"
"That's easy, seventeen," she smiled, and kissed him. "I will never forget the first time we went to kindergarten. Imagine, my protector sitting in the corner crying…"
"Ok, ok, you can forget that part," Gordo laughed, and ran a hand over Lizzie's cheek. "You met Ethan for the first time that day too."
"But I only had eyes for…"
"Yes, I know," he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "My point is, you've known him for this long, and you still let him get to you."
"It's gotten worse, Gordo, don't tell me you don't see it," Ethan argued. "It started when we were dating…"
"…because he hated us sneaking around…"
"..which we HAD to do," Lizzie insisted. "Nobody would have accepted the idea of us dating very well. Hiding it from everyone was a necessary fact."
"I still say, seeing as we told them anyway when we got engaged, we could have told them from the beginning."
"Even then you didn't understand how important it was for me to remain Lizzie McGuire, and NOT David Gordon's girlfriend," Lizzie sighed.
"You are STILL Lizzie McGuire, I don't see how you dating me would have effected that."
"It was just better off the way we did it, waiting until we got caught and spilled it out," Lizzie said firmly. "Anyway, that was when Ethan started becoming truly horrible, and you know it. He knows you'll stick up for me, regardless of who's around, and deliberately provokes me, to provoke YOU."
"I don't like the way he talks to you, that's all," Gordo said, slipping an arm around Lizzie's shoulders and pulling her in to his body. "I wish you'd let me really talk to him about it."
"If it ever starts to seriously interfere with work, I'LL have that talk with him," Lizzie smiled at Gordo. "He's all talk and no play, I'm sure I can get him to crumple if I really try."
Gordo sighed, and nodded. "Fine." He absentmindedly played with the strands of Taylor's hair, watching the way the blonde strands glistened in the near-dark of the room.
"Now go to sleep," Lizzie snuggled into his chest, and kissed his skin. "Ok?"
"Ok," Gordo agreed, but he couldn't quite get his mind off of Ethan. He continued to twist Lizzie's hair around his fingers, thinking. Finally, he said softly, "everyone thought you'd end up with him, you know."
Lizzie opened one eye to peer up at him. "What?"
"Ethan. You two are a lot alike, it's why you never get along. Years ago, long before you and I started seeing each other, Miranda said she was sure you'd hook up with him," Gordo said, a strange expression crossing his face.
"Sure, I'm interested in an obnoxious little brat who's, what, six years behind me in IQ?" Lizzie said sarcastically. "Not a chance in hell."
"All I'm saying is…"
"You think too much, Gordo," Lizzie interrupted, reaching up and putting her hand over his mouth. "I love you dearly, and never, EVER, looked twice at Ethan Craft."
Gordo grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his mouth. "I know you didn't. I'm just saying that we all thought you would."
"That hate turns into love thing only really happens in movies," she replied, twisting around to kiss him. "You are the perfect man for me, and I knew it the first time I laid eyes on you."
"Who else would put up with your insanity, is that it?" Gordo joked, laughing when she smacked his chest lightly. "Deny it, babe."
"Hey, I'm here to stop you from thinking yourself to death."
"Little miss impulsive."
"Mr. obsessive over thinker."
"Opposites attract."
"That they do," Lizzie kissed him again, before returning to her previous position with her head on his chest. "Now go to sleep. No more talk about little kiddie Craft."
"One more thing. You know how we have that never go to bed angry rule?"
"Yeah…"
"I'm adding a new one, ok? No talking about Ethan, or anything school related, in bed."
Lizzie chuckled softly, and nodded. "No problem here. There are things I'd much rather talk about." The no going to bed angry rule carried over from their days dating, and adding one more was fine with her. So they tended to bicker a lot. And so those bickerings tended to have something to do with Ethan Craft more often than not. It all worked out by the time they went to bed, and that was all that mattered.
"Talk about, or do?"
"Do in the morning," she yawned, and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closing. "Sleep now."
"Maybe I should make that wakeup call a little earlier, then?" Gordo asked suggestively.
"Romeo, if you're awake enough to do anything in the morning, I'll probably be too stunned to react anyway," Lizzie said with a soft giggle.
"I'm not a morning person."
"Yes, I know."
"You love me anyway."
"Yes, I do." Lizzie felt his lips brush her forehead, and smiled. "Goodnight Gordo."
"Night Lizzie. Love you."
"Love you more."
"All right, so," seventeen year old Lizzie McGuire was pacing back and forth in the front of the private room of the library, checking things off on her clipboard as she spoke. "We only have this room for," she looked at her watch, and scowled, "two hours. After that you're splitting up for the internet research. The computers in the back, use google, you all know the drill. Miranda and Danny, you two will team up, Gordo," she smiled at her boyfriend. "You'll be with Ethan if he ever graces us with his presence, and Parker, you'll be alone. That ok?" Lizzie, Gordo, Ethan, Danny, Miranda, and Parker were all members of the Hillridge High Science Olympiad team, and were preparing for the California State Science Olympiad Competition.
"Ethan will be here, baby, relax," Gordo said softly. Lizzie was a walking fireball, which he truly loved about her, but at times, it very much got on his nerves. Like right now. It was 10 am, it wasn't even logical for her to be awake, much less looking completely put together and full of energy.
"Just drink your coffee, Gordo," she shot back. "Now, after the papers, we need to write a segment for the documentary, we're borrowing the library camera. You'll have lunch after that, then it's to Gordo's for editing. All clear?"
"Morning," Ethan blew into the room, flopping into a chair in the corner.
"So nice for you to join us, Craft," Lizzie glared at Ethan, her eyes narrowed. "Would you like me to go over everything you just missed?"
"No thanks, I think doing this every day for the last twelve fucking years of my life gives me some idea of what to expect," he shot back without looking at her. He turned to Danny, "am I with you?"
"You're with me," Gordo told Ethan, his own expression grim. "And exactly what got up your ass this morning?"
Ethan scowled, "nothing."
"Then you'll listen to Lizzie?"
"Yes, sir," Ethan said sarcastically. "So?" He looked at Lizzie with an eyebrow raised. "What great wisdom do you have to share with me today?"
Lizzie shot Gordo a death look before turning her head to face Ethan. "Nothing that could make a dent in that thick skull of yours, Ethan darling. Except, um," she leaned forward to look at him, smirking. "If I were you? I'd get my ass some Stridex now. Looks like you got a pimple, teen beat."
Ethan's face flushed an angry red as he got up, glaring angrily at her. Lizzie had pegged him with the nickname years ago, and god, he hated it. "Thanks, ice queen," he shot back, stomping out of the room.
"Lizzie," Gordo stood up, and touched her elbow lightly.
"Don't you start with me too," she yanked her arm out of his grasp, whirling around to look at him. "Dammit Gordo, how many times do I have to tell you to let me fight my own battles? I defended myself before I started dating you, and I don't need your help!"
"But, Ethan…"
"Ethan is a spoiled little brat who just gets off on you trying to defend me!" Lizzie said angrily. "One of these days, he's gonna get an evil dose of the reality you try so hard to shelter him from, I swear to god…"
"Relax, baby." Ignoring her protests, Gordo cupped Lizzie's face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, laughing when she continued to try to rant against his lips. "You're making this kiss very difficult," he murmured.
"You need to get into doing research," Lizzie said weakly, looking up into his blue green eyes.
"I need to calm my girl down first," he replied, sliding his hands down to her waist and pulling her body against his. He captured her lips with his for a searing kiss, only pulling away when he finally felt her relax, and heard a soft moan leave her throat. "Better?"
"Better," she whispered, leaning her head against his chest. "Just that kid…"
"Shhhh," Gordo interrupted, pulling away to look into her eyes. "You'll make it work. You always do."
"Yeah," Lizzie smiled at him. "Now will you go get to work?"
"Yes, I will."
"Good."
"I love you," Gordo said, smiling at her before walking away.
"Love you too."
****************************************************************
Lizzie fought back a yawn as she looked at her laptop. She just had to finish this press release, then she could sleep… "You still awake?" She turned around, laughing when she saw Gordo was doing much of the same as her, yawning widely as he lay under the covers in bed, reading a sheaf of papers.
"Barely," he smiled at her, and threw the papers onto the nightstand. "Come here," he pulled back the covers and extended a hand to her. "Whatever that is can wait until tomorrow."
"If we get up before your mom does," Lizzie said, closing her laptop with a bang. "If they catch us again, we're dead." She crawled onto the bed, taking Gordo's hand.
"They didn't kill us last time," Gordo replied evenly, pulling her down on top of him. "One more time couldn't hurt."
"Yeah, I saw the way that my dad was looking at you last time," Lizzie laughed, looping her arms around his neck and stretching out her body on top of his. She sighed happily when she felt his hands run over her back, and rested her head on his chest, "this is nice."
"You're all tense," Gordo remarked, his fingers kneading into the muscles of her lower back. He felt her squirm, and frowned, "Lizzie, school's just started, don't start getting all worked up now."
"I don't mean to, just, jesus, that kid…"
"Lizzie," Gordo pushed her off of him, and rolled over to turn out the light. "How many years have you known Ethan?"
Lizzie shrugged, and slid under the covers, getting comfortable. "I don't know, what, twelve years now?" She'd attended kindergarten all the way up through high school with him, and while he was hot in junior high, he was just an annoying brat in high school. Gordo, however, was a different story. They'd grown up together as best friends, until one summer in Italy, between eighth and ninth grade. "How many years have you known me?"
"That's easy, seventeen," she smiled, and kissed him. "I will never forget the first time we went to kindergarten. Imagine, my protector sitting in the corner crying…"
"Ok, ok, you can forget that part," Gordo laughed, and ran a hand over Lizzie's cheek. "You met Ethan for the first time that day too."
"But I only had eyes for…"
"Yes, I know," he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "My point is, you've known him for this long, and you still let him get to you."
"It's gotten worse, Gordo, don't tell me you don't see it," Ethan argued. "It started when we were dating…"
"…because he hated us sneaking around…"
"..which we HAD to do," Lizzie insisted. "Nobody would have accepted the idea of us dating very well. Hiding it from everyone was a necessary fact."
"I still say, seeing as we told them anyway when we got engaged, we could have told them from the beginning."
"Even then you didn't understand how important it was for me to remain Lizzie McGuire, and NOT David Gordon's girlfriend," Lizzie sighed.
"You are STILL Lizzie McGuire, I don't see how you dating me would have effected that."
"It was just better off the way we did it, waiting until we got caught and spilled it out," Lizzie said firmly. "Anyway, that was when Ethan started becoming truly horrible, and you know it. He knows you'll stick up for me, regardless of who's around, and deliberately provokes me, to provoke YOU."
"I don't like the way he talks to you, that's all," Gordo said, slipping an arm around Lizzie's shoulders and pulling her in to his body. "I wish you'd let me really talk to him about it."
"If it ever starts to seriously interfere with work, I'LL have that talk with him," Lizzie smiled at Gordo. "He's all talk and no play, I'm sure I can get him to crumple if I really try."
Gordo sighed, and nodded. "Fine." He absentmindedly played with the strands of Taylor's hair, watching the way the blonde strands glistened in the near-dark of the room.
"Now go to sleep," Lizzie snuggled into his chest, and kissed his skin. "Ok?"
"Ok," Gordo agreed, but he couldn't quite get his mind off of Ethan. He continued to twist Lizzie's hair around his fingers, thinking. Finally, he said softly, "everyone thought you'd end up with him, you know."
Lizzie opened one eye to peer up at him. "What?"
"Ethan. You two are a lot alike, it's why you never get along. Years ago, long before you and I started seeing each other, Miranda said she was sure you'd hook up with him," Gordo said, a strange expression crossing his face.
"Sure, I'm interested in an obnoxious little brat who's, what, six years behind me in IQ?" Lizzie said sarcastically. "Not a chance in hell."
"All I'm saying is…"
"You think too much, Gordo," Lizzie interrupted, reaching up and putting her hand over his mouth. "I love you dearly, and never, EVER, looked twice at Ethan Craft."
Gordo grabbed her hand, pulling it away from his mouth. "I know you didn't. I'm just saying that we all thought you would."
"That hate turns into love thing only really happens in movies," she replied, twisting around to kiss him. "You are the perfect man for me, and I knew it the first time I laid eyes on you."
"Who else would put up with your insanity, is that it?" Gordo joked, laughing when she smacked his chest lightly. "Deny it, babe."
"Hey, I'm here to stop you from thinking yourself to death."
"Little miss impulsive."
"Mr. obsessive over thinker."
"Opposites attract."
"That they do," Lizzie kissed him again, before returning to her previous position with her head on his chest. "Now go to sleep. No more talk about little kiddie Craft."
"One more thing. You know how we have that never go to bed angry rule?"
"Yeah…"
"I'm adding a new one, ok? No talking about Ethan, or anything school related, in bed."
Lizzie chuckled softly, and nodded. "No problem here. There are things I'd much rather talk about." The no going to bed angry rule carried over from their days dating, and adding one more was fine with her. So they tended to bicker a lot. And so those bickerings tended to have something to do with Ethan Craft more often than not. It all worked out by the time they went to bed, and that was all that mattered.
"Talk about, or do?"
"Do in the morning," she yawned, and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closing. "Sleep now."
"Maybe I should make that wakeup call a little earlier, then?" Gordo asked suggestively.
"Romeo, if you're awake enough to do anything in the morning, I'll probably be too stunned to react anyway," Lizzie said with a soft giggle.
"I'm not a morning person."
"Yes, I know."
"You love me anyway."
"Yes, I do." Lizzie felt his lips brush her forehead, and smiled. "Goodnight Gordo."
"Night Lizzie. Love you."
"Love you more."