Author's Note: Here's Chapter Sixteen! Sorry about the cliffhangers, and
sorry to keep you all waiting. I've been very busy and then I got sick,
and I want to make sure the story finishes on a good note . . . . but,
enough yapping, here's the next chapter. Please read and review! HM
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Am I dreaming? He wondered.
He stared at the woman across from him, standing only a few feet away, a woman who looked and sounded a lot like his best friend, Lizzie McGuire.
But . . . but, it can't be her, that's impossible . . . .
He felt the whole hallway start to spin, as he was trying very hard but unsuccessfully to grapple with the unexpected turn in this remarkable, astonishing, and surprise-filled night.
Lizzie looked back at Gordo with a similar look of deep puzzlement and astonishment.
This can't be real, Gordo's not here, nu-uh, I was just chatting with him online and he's somewhere else very far away. I'm just having the most realistic dream I've ever had in my life . . . .
She stared intently at his familiar curly brown hair and at his comforting, amiable blue eyes.
It sure looks like him, though, and he even knows my name . . . .
Time stood still as they just gazed at each other from across the hallway, separated by only a few feet, but they might as well have been standing light years apart . . . .
He noticed that she was in her familiar red blouse and tattered blue jeans, with her blonde hair up. Even though she looked disheveled and tired, all he could think to himself was how amazingly beautiful she was.
Waitaminute, he thought, shouldn't I still be angry with her? Remember all those awful things she had just said about you?
But, it was no use, all those feelings of hurt, resentment, and embarassment were dissipating at a feverish pace. The completely unexpected sight of his friend standing just a few feet away from him was washing away his negative emotions and replacing them with the wonderful joy of being reunited with his best friend, with the woman he loved.
After another moment had passed, he finally gave into his nearly irresistible desire to give Lizzie a big, long, and heartfelt embrace.
'Lizzie!" He shouted as he rushed over to her and grabbed a hold of her with almost everything he had. "Lizzie! Lizzie McGuire! It's you, it's really you!"
He continued to hold on to her tightly, almost as if his life depended on it, twisting her affectionately from side to side, lifting her feet slightly off the floor.
"Oh!" She smiled as she felt herself being gently tugged around like a rag doll.
"Oh man, Lizzie, this is unbelievable, you are really here! Right now! With me! Un-freakin'- believable!" He shouted, shaking his head in joyful disbelief.
She was initially taken aback by his sudden embrace and her body instinctively stiffened up. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to be hugged by Gordo, because she still was in daze, not sure whether this was really happening, not sure whether this was all just a bizarre, surreal dream.
Dream or no dream, she could feel the sensations of Gordo's arms wrapped firmly around her body, and she could feel herself absorbing the joy and happiness radiating from his heart.
It felt absolutely wonderful . . . . it felt like she was coming home.
And with that thought, she let herself go, and as she curled her lips into a warm smile, she placed her head on his shoulders and finally returned his embrace with a gentle but firm tug.
"Oh, Gordo . . . ." She whispered into his ears. "Tell me, how in the world, I mean, what are you, why are you -- how did you end up here?"
He reluctantly broke his embrace, peered into her eyes, and said, "I was gonna ask you the same thing! Oh man, this is unbelievable, I just can't, I just can't get over it."
Once the pair began talking, they began talking again the way they always did. They chattered away like they had never been apart.
'I want to ask you the same thing! You . . . I was just chatting with you on the computer, and you're not supposed to be in San Francisco, you're supposed to be in Boston!"
"No, I'm here, you know, on an assignment, I just flew in tonight from Logan Airport . . ."
"Me, too! I mean, I didn't fly in from Logan, I just got in tonight from Washington, D.C., I'm here to work on my film . . . ."
"Your film? You mean, you got that film deal you've been working on forever?"
"Yeah! It's so awesome, Lizzie, I'm gonna make my first movie, it's such an unbelievable feeling!"
"Oh, Gordo, that's so amazing! I knew it would work out for you, I just knew it! I'm so happy for you!" She smiled, with a noticeable gleem in her eyes letting Gordo know just how proud she was of him.
"Aww, thanks, Lizzie, you've always had my back with my career. But, 'nuff about me, what about you? What are you doing in San Francisco?"
"I got an assignment in San Francisco to cover some big criminal trial. I'm staying in this hotel for at least the next couple of weeks, maybe a month. . . ."
"Me too! I'm staying here until I can find a cheap apartment to rent or sublet for the couple of months it's going to take to do the filming . . . ."
"Ohmigosh, that's so great Gordo! That means we get to hang out together!"
"Uh, yeah, that'll be awesome! We've always talked about visiting San Francisco together, remember?"
He felt his heart jumping and skipping around, enamored by all the possibilities the future seemed to offer. And as he kept muttering to himself, she is so beautiful, man, she is so beautiful, it took all his might to stop himself from leaping towards her, grabbing her face with both his hands and kissing her deeply with all the love in his heart.
She laughed, then said, "Of course I remember! I was the one who suggested it in the first place!"
Her eyes sparkled, anticipating the fun and joy of exploring the city by the bay with her best friend, with the man she was falling in love with . . . .
And with that thought, her heart immediately froze.
Waitaminute, did I just admit to myself that I'm falling in love with Gordo?
As all the painful, bittersweet memories of the night tumbled back into her mind, she instantly felt all the life and energy being sucked out of her. She was succumbing to her fatigue and emotions, and she started to feel dizzy and faint.
No, no, I can't be, I'm not falling in love with Gordo, I-I can't fall in love with him, I don't want to get hurt ever again . . . .
As her body began to shake, she closed her eyes and braced herself against the wall.
His smile disappeared as he saw the sudden change in her body language. "Are -- are you okay, Lizzie?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just really tired and hungry, it's been a long night, you know?" She replied, with a slight melancholy in her voice.
"Oh. Yeah. I guess, for me, too." He could tell that she was thinking about their fight, which seemed like it happened several thousand years ago, in a different place, in an altogether different world.
Try as hard as he might, he couldn't stop the memories of the fight from creeping back into his consciousness, as he began to replay the awful conversation word for word in his head.
For Lizzie, she had been briefly energized by the surprise of seeing Gordo in the hallway, but now, the fatigue and hunger was fighting back and starting to sap away her strength and focus. She was starting to feel delirious and drunk, just like the time in high school when she suffered a mild concussion in gym class.
And in this semi-conscious, delirious, dream-like state, she felt herself thinking and wanting to say whatever thought popped into her mind.
"Soooo, Gordo, you've been in love with me since the fourth grade, huh?" She smiled slyly.
He froze. He didn't respond.
What's she up to? He did *not* like the tone of her voice.
"But you're over me now, right? And you're in love with little Ms. Hilary Duff, hmmm?"
She said the name "Hilary Duff" as if she had just tasted some sour milk.
He furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled by her odd demeanor. "Uh, Lizzie, you sure you're okay? You don't sound right. To tell you the truth, you're sound a little flighty right now."
"I'm perfectly fine, Mr. Gordon. You haven't answered my question, though!" She said, struggling to keep her eyes opened as she talked.
"I don't think so, Lizzie, come on, you need some sleep, let's get you back into your room and we can talk about all of this tomorrow."
"No! I want to talk about this right now!! C'mon, tell me the truth, you're in love with Hilary, right?"
"Uh, Lizzie, please? Not now, you're not feeling right, let's talk about this after we both had a good night's sleep."
"I knew it! You are in love with her. Ugh. I hate her, you know that? And I hate you, "Gordo. You're just like Stewart, and I reeeeaalllly hate him."
"Lizzie, you are making absolutely no sense!"
"No! I'm making perfect sense! You love Hilary. I hate Hilary. And I hate Stewart. And I hate you, Gordo. Well, that's partial true. I love you, and that's why I hate you. Kapisch?"
"Not really, Lizzie, no," He responded nonchalantly.
Although he tried to make sure she wouldn't notice, but he felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her say that she loved him. He realized that she wasn't quite herself right now, and may not even remember anything she was saying, but hearing those words from her was making his heart quiver and shake something fierce.
Man, I am absolute puddy in her hands, he whispered to himself.
"And, Gordo?"
"Yes?"
"One more thing."
"What's that?"
"I think I'm going to faint . . . ."
With that last sentence, Lizzie's eyes closed themselves shut and she started to fall into Gordo's arms. . . . .
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A few moments later, Lizzie woke up to be surrounded by piercing darkness.
"Wha-what happened? What's happening?" She looked around the room but she couldn't see anything.
Wh- where am I?
Oh . . . I'm lying in a bed. But, wasn't I just out in the hallway with Gordo?
Very much confused, she reached over to the night-stand, groped for the night-lamp, found it, and turned the switch on.
The room was instantly bathed with a soft, yellow light. She put her hands over her eyes, shielding herself from the sharp sting of the lamp's glowing brightness.
Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she glanced around the room and quickly realized that she wasn't in her hotel room.
Instead, she was in a more familiar room . . . . it was her bedroom in her Boston apartment.
I'm . . . home . . . but, but, I was just in my hotel room, wasn't I?
Wasn't I?
She looked at the stuffed animals on her drawer, smiling at her warmly as they always do, took a deep breath, shook her head, and thought to herself, did I just dream everything that happened last night?
I guess I did . . . .
She hoped her stuffed animals would give her a definitive answer, but they were curiously silent about what was going on.
Wow, what an intense dream that was, it was so realistic and vivid . . . .
She paused for a moment, reflected back upon all that had occurred during her "dream," and then thought, I wonder if he really does loves me?
She looked at her stuffed animals again, seeking more reassuring smiles from them, then she reached over to the lamp to turn it off so that she could go back to sleep.
But, just before her hands could reach the light, she heard a loud, deep, voice say to her, "It's time for you to wake up, Lizzie McGuire!"
She looked around all over the room, but no one was there. "Is -- is that you, Miranda? Are you playing some kind of joke?"
Silence.
Okay, McGuire, now you're starting to hear things . . . . which just means it's really time for you to get back to sleep . . . .
Just as she was about to turn off the lamp again, suddenly, at the foot of the bed, she saw the gypsy fortune teller standing there, looking at her with eyes of piercing steel. With a crystal ball in her left hand, she pointed her long, gnarly, sinister looking finger at Lizzie and she boomed in a loud, menacing voice, "It's time for you to wake up, Lizzie McGuire, it's time for you to stop resisting your destiny!"
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"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs.
She jumped up from her bed and flailed her arms in a state of utter panic.
"Lizzie! Are you okay?"
She heard a concerned voice coming from her left side, then she felt a hand gently touch her on the arm.
She turned around to see Gordo, sitting next to her in a chair, with a look of concern in his eyes.
"Lizzie! Are you alright? Say something!"
"Wh-where am I?"
"We're in your hotel room. Don't you remember what happened?"
"Oh, yeah. Last thing I remember I was talking with you in the hallway," she said. "So, how did we end up here?"
"We were talking and all of sudden you fainted, and I just barely caught you and then brought you back into your room. Wait, let me get you some water."
As she watched Gordo get off his chair and head towards the bathroom, everything that had happened earlier this night starting sinking right back in.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
This has been some night, she whispered, as waited for Gordo to come back. And as she laid in her bed, she kept thinking about the dream she just had, and about what the gypsy woman had told her . . . it's time for you to stop resisting your destiny . . . .
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Am I dreaming? He wondered.
He stared at the woman across from him, standing only a few feet away, a woman who looked and sounded a lot like his best friend, Lizzie McGuire.
But . . . but, it can't be her, that's impossible . . . .
He felt the whole hallway start to spin, as he was trying very hard but unsuccessfully to grapple with the unexpected turn in this remarkable, astonishing, and surprise-filled night.
Lizzie looked back at Gordo with a similar look of deep puzzlement and astonishment.
This can't be real, Gordo's not here, nu-uh, I was just chatting with him online and he's somewhere else very far away. I'm just having the most realistic dream I've ever had in my life . . . .
She stared intently at his familiar curly brown hair and at his comforting, amiable blue eyes.
It sure looks like him, though, and he even knows my name . . . .
Time stood still as they just gazed at each other from across the hallway, separated by only a few feet, but they might as well have been standing light years apart . . . .
He noticed that she was in her familiar red blouse and tattered blue jeans, with her blonde hair up. Even though she looked disheveled and tired, all he could think to himself was how amazingly beautiful she was.
Waitaminute, he thought, shouldn't I still be angry with her? Remember all those awful things she had just said about you?
But, it was no use, all those feelings of hurt, resentment, and embarassment were dissipating at a feverish pace. The completely unexpected sight of his friend standing just a few feet away from him was washing away his negative emotions and replacing them with the wonderful joy of being reunited with his best friend, with the woman he loved.
After another moment had passed, he finally gave into his nearly irresistible desire to give Lizzie a big, long, and heartfelt embrace.
'Lizzie!" He shouted as he rushed over to her and grabbed a hold of her with almost everything he had. "Lizzie! Lizzie McGuire! It's you, it's really you!"
He continued to hold on to her tightly, almost as if his life depended on it, twisting her affectionately from side to side, lifting her feet slightly off the floor.
"Oh!" She smiled as she felt herself being gently tugged around like a rag doll.
"Oh man, Lizzie, this is unbelievable, you are really here! Right now! With me! Un-freakin'- believable!" He shouted, shaking his head in joyful disbelief.
She was initially taken aback by his sudden embrace and her body instinctively stiffened up. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to be hugged by Gordo, because she still was in daze, not sure whether this was really happening, not sure whether this was all just a bizarre, surreal dream.
Dream or no dream, she could feel the sensations of Gordo's arms wrapped firmly around her body, and she could feel herself absorbing the joy and happiness radiating from his heart.
It felt absolutely wonderful . . . . it felt like she was coming home.
And with that thought, she let herself go, and as she curled her lips into a warm smile, she placed her head on his shoulders and finally returned his embrace with a gentle but firm tug.
"Oh, Gordo . . . ." She whispered into his ears. "Tell me, how in the world, I mean, what are you, why are you -- how did you end up here?"
He reluctantly broke his embrace, peered into her eyes, and said, "I was gonna ask you the same thing! Oh man, this is unbelievable, I just can't, I just can't get over it."
Once the pair began talking, they began talking again the way they always did. They chattered away like they had never been apart.
'I want to ask you the same thing! You . . . I was just chatting with you on the computer, and you're not supposed to be in San Francisco, you're supposed to be in Boston!"
"No, I'm here, you know, on an assignment, I just flew in tonight from Logan Airport . . ."
"Me, too! I mean, I didn't fly in from Logan, I just got in tonight from Washington, D.C., I'm here to work on my film . . . ."
"Your film? You mean, you got that film deal you've been working on forever?"
"Yeah! It's so awesome, Lizzie, I'm gonna make my first movie, it's such an unbelievable feeling!"
"Oh, Gordo, that's so amazing! I knew it would work out for you, I just knew it! I'm so happy for you!" She smiled, with a noticeable gleem in her eyes letting Gordo know just how proud she was of him.
"Aww, thanks, Lizzie, you've always had my back with my career. But, 'nuff about me, what about you? What are you doing in San Francisco?"
"I got an assignment in San Francisco to cover some big criminal trial. I'm staying in this hotel for at least the next couple of weeks, maybe a month. . . ."
"Me too! I'm staying here until I can find a cheap apartment to rent or sublet for the couple of months it's going to take to do the filming . . . ."
"Ohmigosh, that's so great Gordo! That means we get to hang out together!"
"Uh, yeah, that'll be awesome! We've always talked about visiting San Francisco together, remember?"
He felt his heart jumping and skipping around, enamored by all the possibilities the future seemed to offer. And as he kept muttering to himself, she is so beautiful, man, she is so beautiful, it took all his might to stop himself from leaping towards her, grabbing her face with both his hands and kissing her deeply with all the love in his heart.
She laughed, then said, "Of course I remember! I was the one who suggested it in the first place!"
Her eyes sparkled, anticipating the fun and joy of exploring the city by the bay with her best friend, with the man she was falling in love with . . . .
And with that thought, her heart immediately froze.
Waitaminute, did I just admit to myself that I'm falling in love with Gordo?
As all the painful, bittersweet memories of the night tumbled back into her mind, she instantly felt all the life and energy being sucked out of her. She was succumbing to her fatigue and emotions, and she started to feel dizzy and faint.
No, no, I can't be, I'm not falling in love with Gordo, I-I can't fall in love with him, I don't want to get hurt ever again . . . .
As her body began to shake, she closed her eyes and braced herself against the wall.
His smile disappeared as he saw the sudden change in her body language. "Are -- are you okay, Lizzie?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just really tired and hungry, it's been a long night, you know?" She replied, with a slight melancholy in her voice.
"Oh. Yeah. I guess, for me, too." He could tell that she was thinking about their fight, which seemed like it happened several thousand years ago, in a different place, in an altogether different world.
Try as hard as he might, he couldn't stop the memories of the fight from creeping back into his consciousness, as he began to replay the awful conversation word for word in his head.
For Lizzie, she had been briefly energized by the surprise of seeing Gordo in the hallway, but now, the fatigue and hunger was fighting back and starting to sap away her strength and focus. She was starting to feel delirious and drunk, just like the time in high school when she suffered a mild concussion in gym class.
And in this semi-conscious, delirious, dream-like state, she felt herself thinking and wanting to say whatever thought popped into her mind.
"Soooo, Gordo, you've been in love with me since the fourth grade, huh?" She smiled slyly.
He froze. He didn't respond.
What's she up to? He did *not* like the tone of her voice.
"But you're over me now, right? And you're in love with little Ms. Hilary Duff, hmmm?"
She said the name "Hilary Duff" as if she had just tasted some sour milk.
He furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled by her odd demeanor. "Uh, Lizzie, you sure you're okay? You don't sound right. To tell you the truth, you're sound a little flighty right now."
"I'm perfectly fine, Mr. Gordon. You haven't answered my question, though!" She said, struggling to keep her eyes opened as she talked.
"I don't think so, Lizzie, come on, you need some sleep, let's get you back into your room and we can talk about all of this tomorrow."
"No! I want to talk about this right now!! C'mon, tell me the truth, you're in love with Hilary, right?"
"Uh, Lizzie, please? Not now, you're not feeling right, let's talk about this after we both had a good night's sleep."
"I knew it! You are in love with her. Ugh. I hate her, you know that? And I hate you, "Gordo. You're just like Stewart, and I reeeeaalllly hate him."
"Lizzie, you are making absolutely no sense!"
"No! I'm making perfect sense! You love Hilary. I hate Hilary. And I hate Stewart. And I hate you, Gordo. Well, that's partial true. I love you, and that's why I hate you. Kapisch?"
"Not really, Lizzie, no," He responded nonchalantly.
Although he tried to make sure she wouldn't notice, but he felt his heart skip a beat when he heard her say that she loved him. He realized that she wasn't quite herself right now, and may not even remember anything she was saying, but hearing those words from her was making his heart quiver and shake something fierce.
Man, I am absolute puddy in her hands, he whispered to himself.
"And, Gordo?"
"Yes?"
"One more thing."
"What's that?"
"I think I'm going to faint . . . ."
With that last sentence, Lizzie's eyes closed themselves shut and she started to fall into Gordo's arms. . . . .
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A few moments later, Lizzie woke up to be surrounded by piercing darkness.
"Wha-what happened? What's happening?" She looked around the room but she couldn't see anything.
Wh- where am I?
Oh . . . I'm lying in a bed. But, wasn't I just out in the hallway with Gordo?
Very much confused, she reached over to the night-stand, groped for the night-lamp, found it, and turned the switch on.
The room was instantly bathed with a soft, yellow light. She put her hands over her eyes, shielding herself from the sharp sting of the lamp's glowing brightness.
Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she glanced around the room and quickly realized that she wasn't in her hotel room.
Instead, she was in a more familiar room . . . . it was her bedroom in her Boston apartment.
I'm . . . home . . . but, but, I was just in my hotel room, wasn't I?
Wasn't I?
She looked at the stuffed animals on her drawer, smiling at her warmly as they always do, took a deep breath, shook her head, and thought to herself, did I just dream everything that happened last night?
I guess I did . . . .
She hoped her stuffed animals would give her a definitive answer, but they were curiously silent about what was going on.
Wow, what an intense dream that was, it was so realistic and vivid . . . .
She paused for a moment, reflected back upon all that had occurred during her "dream," and then thought, I wonder if he really does loves me?
She looked at her stuffed animals again, seeking more reassuring smiles from them, then she reached over to the lamp to turn it off so that she could go back to sleep.
But, just before her hands could reach the light, she heard a loud, deep, voice say to her, "It's time for you to wake up, Lizzie McGuire!"
She looked around all over the room, but no one was there. "Is -- is that you, Miranda? Are you playing some kind of joke?"
Silence.
Okay, McGuire, now you're starting to hear things . . . . which just means it's really time for you to get back to sleep . . . .
Just as she was about to turn off the lamp again, suddenly, at the foot of the bed, she saw the gypsy fortune teller standing there, looking at her with eyes of piercing steel. With a crystal ball in her left hand, she pointed her long, gnarly, sinister looking finger at Lizzie and she boomed in a loud, menacing voice, "It's time for you to wake up, Lizzie McGuire, it's time for you to stop resisting your destiny!"
*********************************************************
"Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs.
She jumped up from her bed and flailed her arms in a state of utter panic.
"Lizzie! Are you okay?"
She heard a concerned voice coming from her left side, then she felt a hand gently touch her on the arm.
She turned around to see Gordo, sitting next to her in a chair, with a look of concern in his eyes.
"Lizzie! Are you alright? Say something!"
"Wh-where am I?"
"We're in your hotel room. Don't you remember what happened?"
"Oh, yeah. Last thing I remember I was talking with you in the hallway," she said. "So, how did we end up here?"
"We were talking and all of sudden you fainted, and I just barely caught you and then brought you back into your room. Wait, let me get you some water."
As she watched Gordo get off his chair and head towards the bathroom, everything that had happened earlier this night starting sinking right back in.
Oh, wow.
Wow.
This has been some night, she whispered, as waited for Gordo to come back. And as she laid in her bed, she kept thinking about the dream she just had, and about what the gypsy woman had told her . . . it's time for you to stop resisting your destiny . . . .