Disclaimer: I do not own any Disney characters.

 

~Epilogue~

Lizzie ad Gordo rode peacefully together back from the airport, talking, enjoying each other's company as usual.

When they arrived back at the McGuire's, Miranda was waiting for them on the front step. She jumped up when she saw them coming up the walk.

She shrieked and hugged Lizzie. Lizzie shrieked, too, and hugger her back, dropping everything.

"Gordo!" Miranda cried, leaping towards him and hugging him, too, despite his attempts to jump out of the way.

"Hey, Miranda. Sorry if I don't shriek or something.

She laughed. "So, how was Rome?"

Lizzie and Gordo glance at each other quickly.

"We have most of it on film," Gordo said, holding up his camera.

"Great! Let's watch it."

They brought a TV up to Lizzie's room and watched the tape. Lizzie and Gordo narrated, explaining all that was happening.

They got to the part where Lizzie sung on stage.

"Wow, chica! I didn't know you could sing!"

Lizzie laughed. "Neither did I."

"How did you do it?"

Lizzie glanced at Gordo. Quickly. Quickly. But enough to make his heart swell. He had helped her. Him.

"I don't know, "Lizzie answered, smiling a little, mostly to herself.

Miranda and Lizzie chattered for a few minutes about details from the IMVAs and Gordo inserted comments here and there.

"Hey, the tape's still going," Miranda said, turning back to the TV.

They watched TV-Gordo rebuff Lizzie when she offered him water, and then saw Lizzie dump coffee on his lap.

"Lizzie!" Miranda was shocked. "Why'd you do that?"

They had explained the whole trip (excluding the kiss) but not the plane ride home.

"I—" Lizzie began.

"Trust me," Gordo interrupted. "I deserved it." Lizzie gave him a meaningful look.

The screen now showed Gordo coming back and slipping on the ice cubes. Dropping his CD played, being peppered.

"You two have got to tell me what happened," Miranda said seriously.

"Chill?!" said TV-Gordo.

"I didn't know it recorded this. Any of this…" Gordo muttered, blushing in shame and looking away. Lizzie took his hand and squeezed it. It's okay, her eyes said. Gordo forced himself to watch this. Everything sounded 100 times worse than if someone else had said them. Knowing he had said those hateful things made him sick. The tape skipped ahead to Gordo waking up and taking down the blanket, pulling Lizzie to him.

They saw TV-Gordo's eyes fill with tears, and he tried to brush them away.

"Gordo," Lizzie said to him. "Why were you crying?"

Gordo turned red and looked away. "It's nothing," he muttered.

"No, tell me." Her eyes pleaded, they were sympathetic, her hand soft, light on his arm.

"Maybe later."

Lizzie caught Miranda's eyes. She shook her head. Let it go. Drop it. He's ashamed.

Lizzie nodded, agreeing.

"Okay," she said softly. "Maybe later."

It seemed like the right moment for a hug. So she did.

Whatever he felt he had to be ashamed of, he had to know that she would forgive him. No matter what.

*  *  *

Miranda and Lizzie walked Gordo to the door.

"Gordo, I'm glad we made up," Lizzie said, stepping back from their hug. "We were both sort of confused for a while."

"Yeah, Gordo said. "Well, I guess I'm just a confused guy." And with that last remark, he left, leaving Lizzie and Miranda standing in the doorway, Lizzie open-mouthed staring from Gordo's retreating back to Miranda and back again.

"Gordo! Wait!" Lizzie called, running to the edge of the front step.

"Bye, Lizzie," he said, turning and waving.

Then he set off for his house.

**The End**