DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN LIZZIE MCGUIRE.
This alternate ending thing turned out to be more than I bargained for. This thing has gone through so many changes it's not even funny. It was hard because I had to dig into the second to last chapter and start from there so I guess if this were posted this would be chapter 24. The beginning may look familiar because, well, it starts off like the beginning of chapter twenty-four, with Gordo being there, but it changes after that because it just did.
Also, there are a couple of reasons I finally decided to post it on fanfiction. One was that I realized that two years from now, someone might read this and want the alternate ending, and I don't know where it will be, so I decided to post it. Then, I was going to add an author's note with a web address to where it could be found, but then I saw that note the said author notes could not be separate chapters.
Anyway, this will seem a wee bit complicated because it doesn't start off where the second to last chapter ends, but it does leave off where the third to last chapter ends (chapter twenty-three) Anyway, sorry it took me so long and happy belated holidays.
Wrapped Up in You
~Lizzie~
Boston Airport, that night, at eight, outside of gate.
Lizzie nervously paced the airport, "Where is he?"
Miranda, who was with her, was trying to calm her down, "He called from Atlanta over two hours ago. It is only eight. The plane is probably going to be running late. You never know. Give it time."
Lizzie tried to sit down, "Okay," she said and she closed her eyes, "I just hope nothing happened to them."
Miranda sat down next to Lizzie, "Nothing happened to them."
Lizzie nodded her head, somewhat distantly. She knew that Miranda was probably right, but she couldn't help but worry about her daughter and other best-friend, especially now that that she and Gordo were in a sort of uncomfortable position with each other.
"I know, I just love Gordo and Sarah so much," Lizzie said, and a tear fell down her face as she remembered the first time Gordo told her that he loved her. It was the whole reason that "je t'aime" was "their" phrase.
~*~Flashback~*~
End of freshman year of high school, in Lizzie's house, in Lizzie's room. Lizzie and Gordo had been dating for a few months at this point
Gordo and Lizzie were at Lizzie's house to study for their exams. Lizzie had her French and English exam while Gordo had his English and history exam. They were studying for English together.
"Who was Lady Mac Beth?" Gordo asked Lizzie, reading off the study sheet.
Lizzie pretended to think about this and smiled, "Um, Mac Beth's wife?"
Gordo rolled his eyes, "Really? Could have fooled me there. No! I mean, what is her significance in the play?"
"What play?" Lizzie said.
Gordo laughed, as he looked very annoyed. Lizzie noticed this, "What?? I was only kidding. I know that Lady Mac Beth is in Julius Caesar."
"Lizzie!" Gordo exclaimed, "Are you really that dense?"
Lizzie laughed in amusement, "No! I am just trying to annoy you. I know all of this. She is in Mac Beth. I really do know all of this stuff, Gordo. I don't really need to study for English. It is French I am worried about."
Gordo looked at Lizzie, "French? Lizzie, you know I take Latin. How am I supposed to help you with your French?"
Lizzie sighed as she got out some note cards from her desk, "Easy. Just read the expression and I will tell you what it translates to in English."
Gordo sighed, "Fine."
Gordo got into a more comfortable position on her chair by taking his shoes off and putting them up on the chair and looked at the expressions. "Okay. What does 'J'ai soif' mean?" He didn't know how to pronounce it, so he pronounced it incorrectly.
"I am thirsty. Next," Lizzie said.
"Okay, J'ai chaud?" Gordo said, still struggling with pronunciation.
"I am hot," Lizzie said.
Gordo looked Lizzie over and said, "I definitely agree." He nodded his head, "Tres hot."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Continue."
"J'ai faim," he said, still struggling. Lizzie laughed.
"I'm hungry."
Gordo nodded his head, "So am I. Let's take a break and get a snack."
"Gordo! Hold on! I really need help, here!"
Gordo sighed, "Fine, but as soon as we are done, I want to eat. I need some brain food."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Fine. Continue."
"Je suis desolé," he said, reading the card.
"Well, you should be sorry," Lizzie said.
Gordo looked at her confused and Lizzie laughed, "It means 'I am sorry.'"
"Oh," Gordo said, and he moved on to the next card, "Je t'aime." This time, though, he pronounced the expression correctly.
"I love you," Lizzie said.
"I love you too," Gordo said, without thinking. Lizzie looked at him, and Gordo soon realized what why she said that when he looked at the other side of the card at the translation. He looked at Lizzie and blushed, "Um, I mean . . ."
Lizzie smiled, "Actually, Gordo. I love you, too."
"You do?" Gordo asked, trying to keep himself from smiling.
Lizzie blushed and nodded her head, "Yeah. Je t'aime."
Lizzie reached over and kissed Gordo, and when he pulled back, Gordo said, "If it's okay with you, I am keeping this card," He took the card and put it in his pocket.
Lizzie laughed and nodded her head, "Yeah, you can keep it forever and frame it."
"Oh, believe me, I will," Gordo said.
~*~End Flashback~*~
Gordo did keep that card. When he went home that day, he put it on the wall and admired it, and from then on, Lizzie and Gordo started saying 'je t'aime' for the fun of it. It became their signature phrase. Gordo kept the note card in his wallet, for good luck and a reminder of how much he loved Lizzie.
Lizzie smiled at the memory. She wondered where the card was at this point and whether Gordo still had it.
She didn't have time to wonder long, because before she knew it, a voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Lizzie," the deep voice said. Lizzie looked up to see Gordo standing there with Sarah in his arms. Lizzie found herself speechless.
Miranda broke the tension by getting up to hug Gordo, "Gordo! It's been so long since I've seen you. You look so good!"
He certainly did look good, Lizzie couldn't help but note. She must have overlooked his subtle changes the first time she saw him, but he did look different. He looked a little older, and his face showed it. He also looked a little thinner than he used to be two years earlier.
Miranda took Sarah in her arms and held her, "So this is the famous Sarah! Hey, Sarah! I have been dying to meet you."
Sarah smiled in reaction. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't care. She wasn't even two. She liked the attention from new people.
Gordo's glance crept over to Lizzie who looked stressed. Lizzie watched Miranda and Sarah and then looked at Gordo and smiled.
Gordo held out his arms as if to offer a hug. Lizzie smiled and walked over to Gordo and gave him the hug he offered. She hugged him tightly and let herself release more tears, "I am glad you are here." She said, finally.
Gordo smiled and put his arm around her, "So am I. We have a lot to talk about."
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, we do."
The four of them walked out of the airport, Lizzie and Gordo still holding each other.
~~~
~Hilda~
The Next Day, Valentine's Day
The next afternoon, Hilda drove back to Lucy's apartment. She had been trying to call her since the day before about her parent's anniversary party. Every time she tried calling her, she got no answer and wanted to know what was going on. The hospital couldn't tell her anything and none of the other teachers knew anything, so Hilda decided to go on a mission to find out what was going on.
She parked her car and walked up to Lizzie's door. She knocked and no one answered. "This is strange," she thought. Lucy always told Hilda where she was. She thought for a minute about what to do because the party was tonight. Hilda turned the knob to Lucy's door and to her surprise she found it was unlocked. She struggled to decide whether to open the door all the way and go inside, and finally decided that it would be a good idea.
Hilda let herself in the apartment and turned on the light, "Lucy?" She called. No response, "Lucy? Are you here?" She closed the door to the apartment and started to look around.
After searching all the rooms, and finding no one, she didn't know what to do. This had never been a problem before with Lucy, and now she couldn't be found.
Hilda finally decided to make a call, and she called her parents, "Mom, dad? It's Hillary. I am afraid we might have a problem. I can't find Lizzie McGuire."
~~~
~Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda~
Still Valentine's Day
Ever since Gordo had arrived in Boston, Lizzie and Gordo had spent most of their time together, talking about everything they missed. Gordo told Lizzie and Miranda about his time in the Turkish prison and telling strange stories about what happened while Lizzie told everyone about living life as Lucy Nelson. It all seemed so weird talking about it as if it were over, but truthfully, Lizzie had no idea if it was over at all.
Gordo decided to let Lizzie oversleep the next day, and Lizzie finally decided to roll out of her bed at around noon.
"Up so soon?" Miranda asked, sarcastically. Miranda was cleaning up the kitchen.
Lizzie shook her head and looked around, "Where are Sarah and Gordo?"
"Sarah is taking a nap and Gordo is still sleeping believe it or not."
"What time is it?"
"Noon," Miranda said, looking at Lizzie who was pouring herself some coffee, "Are you ever going to call your parents?"
Lizzie yawned as she shook her head, "I don't know. I don't know if it is safe."
Miranda nodded her head, "Yeah. I would probably wait a few days."
Lizzie nodded her head, "So, what's for lunch?"
Miranda laughed, "Oh? What am I? Your cook? A couple of days ago, I only had to worry about myself. Now, I have a whole family to feed. What is this??"
Lizzie smiled, "I love you too, Miranda."
Miranda rolled her eyes, "Ah, go fix yourself a sandwich, Lucy."
"If I never hear that name again it will be too soon," Lizzie said.
"Yeah. I was always more partial to Lizzie myself," a voice said. Lizzie turned around to see Gordo standing there, smiling, with a bed head.
Lizzie smiled and walked over to Gordo and hugged him. Gordo hugged her back and they stood there for a few seconds, "Happy Valentine's Day, Lizzie," he said.
Lizzie grinned and was about to wish him the same, when suddenly she remembered something and she pulled away, "Hilda! Her parent's party!"
~~~
~Hilda/Hillary~
After Hillary hung up the phone, she did what they told her and went to Lizzie's bedroom. While she was looking for something, she heard the door open. Slowly, Hillary got up from the floor and walked out of the room to see who it was.
Standing there were two men and a young woman. All of them were looking around. One of the men had a gun. None of them saw Hillary standing there.
"Lizzie?" the man with the gun said, "Lizzie? I know who you are and I know you are here. Where are you?"
After a few moments with no answer, the girl spoke up, "Todd, maybe she isn't here."
"But maybe she is damnit! Go check the bedroom. I'll check the closets."
Hillary watched as the girl did what she was told and walked over toward the bedroom, where Hilda was. Hillary stepped back and waited for her to come in. She pulled into her bag and reached for her gun. As soon as Wren walked in, Hillary pointed the gun at her and whispered, "Don't move! I know who you are."
Wren looked Hillary over, "Are you Lizzie?"
Hillary rolled her eyes, "No, but I am with the police department. Now, come with me so I can talk to all three of you."
"But you aren't Lizzie?"
"No," Hillary said.
"Okay," Wren said, and she went back into the hallway and back near the entrance of the apartment, "Todd! Finn! Can you come here for a second?" she yelled.
Finn and Todd appeared, looked at Hillary and smiled, "Is this precious little Lizzie?" Todd asked.
Hillary held up her gun to Todd's face, "Not quite."
Todd stepped back a little, confused, "Who are you?"
"I am Officer Hillary Flint of the police department. All three of you are under arrest for stealing government property and attempting murder," Hillary said as she read them their Miranda Rights. While she was doing this, police sirens were heard.
Before anyone was able to reach the scene however, four shots were heard.
Police officers ran inside to find two dead men and a third wounded girl, who was shot in the left arm. The police called an ambulance for the girl and investigated the apartment.
In the mean time, Hillary, who left unscratched, went to the police station and explained what was going on.
"One of the men tried to shoot me, and I fired back at all three of them in defense. The man missed me, but I didn't miss him."
~~~
~Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda~
That afternoon, when Lizzie and Gordo were hanging around the living room, Gordo remembered he had something for and went to go get it.
When he came back, he handed her the letter he wrote a few days earlier. While Lizzie started to unfold it, Gordo went away, saying he wanted to go check on Sarah.
As Lizzie sat there, reading the letter, she started to cry. She was so touched by the letter because it was so sweet.
Lizzie was still crying when Gordo reappeared.
"Don't cry," he said as he walked over to her and sat down next to her again.
Lizzie pulled Gordo into a hug and cried even harder, "Oh, Gordo! I love you so much! I don't think I could ever stop loving you."
Gordo pulled back from the hug and looked at Lizzie, "Do you really mean that?"
Lizzie nodded through her tears, "Of course I do."
Gordo pulled her in and kissed her, tasting the tears that were streaming down her face. He pulled away, "I love you so much. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."
"Oh, Gordo!" Lizzie cried, pulling him into a deeper kiss, and then hugging him.
"Be my Valentine," Gordo whispered into her ear.
"Of course," Lizzie whispered back.
At that moment, the phone rang. Neither Lizzie or Gordo got up to get the phone. After three rings, Miranda entered the room, looked at her two friends and shook her head, "Can't you two get a room or something?"
Miranda picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"This is the LAPD. May I speak to Lizzie McGuire?"
"Sure," Miranda said, getting serious, she cupped her hand over the receiver, "Lizzie, it's the police."
Lizzie looked at Gordo and then looked at Miranda and took the phone. She figured the police would have to call eventually. She figured she would get in trouble and have to get a new identity, "Hello?"
"Lizzie," Officer Goodman said, "First of all, I am glad you made it to Boston safely. Second of all, I have some good news for you. You are officially released from the Witness Protection Program and are hereby ordered to report to the Los Angeles Police Department as soon as possible to sign some papers."
Lizzie didn't know what to say. She had been waiting for this to happen for the past two years, but why was it happening so suddenly? Wasn't she in a lot of trouble 24 hours ago? "I'm released?" she said and she looked at Gordo and Miranda, "Why?"
"Well, Miss. McGuire, apparently you have a lot of people on your side. After your landlord turned himself in and gave us some information, we arrested everyone involved. I think its about time you know that Hilda, your friend from Stuttgart, was an undercover cop working for the FBI. Her real name is Hillary and she went to your apartment to check on you and the people involved came in and she ended up killing two of them on the spot and the third one is in the hospital. Now, we will tell you that for the next year or so, you will be under extreme watch, but we've also heard that you're boyfriend has risen from the dead, so this could be a good thing afterall," Officer Goodman said.
Lizzie looked at Gordo and smiled, "Yeah, he's back and he is here to stay."
"Well, congratulations! On both your freedom and your boyfriend. I will see you in a few days."
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, I'll see you as soon as I can."
Lizzie hung up the phone. Miranda and Gordo were waiting for an explanation, "What is going on?" Miranda asked, "What are you released from?"
Lizzie smiled, "I'm released from the witness protection program. I can go back to my normal life, Gordo. You and I can live together and live as Lizzie and Gordo. I officially no longer have to be Lucy!"
Gordo smiled and hugged Lizzie, "That's amazing! How did this happen?"
"It's a long story, but I think someone is watching over me."
"So now we can get married?"
Lizzie was taken aback by this question, "Who said anything about marriage?"
"I did. Lizzie, please marry me," he said and he kneeled down and took her hand, "I thought I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again. I love you, and when I saw you in that hospital a few days ago, I knew I had to marry you. Now, Lizzie, if you will have me, will you marry me?"
Lizzie's heart was racing as she thought through this in her head. When everything was going down in her life, she didn't know how it could possibly get better, and here she was, with her life getting better and better by the minute. Now she was free, she could marry Gordo and live happily ever after. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded her head, "Gordo, of course I'll marry you. I love you too!" Lizzie said and Gordo stood up and together they shared the most beautiful and passionate kiss ever.
A few days later, when they were back in Hill Ridge, family and friends gathered as Lizzie and Gordo quietly married each other in Lizzie's backyard. They exchanged their own written vows and everyone watched.
"How long have I loved thee? A decade? Maybe Two? Maybe for all of my life I have loved you. The best part about being with you is that you make everyday a brighter day. We've been through bad days, good days, days of doubt and days of confusion, but in the end I know that our love can only grow stronger. I look forward to our future together as we become the family we have always dreamed of. Je t'aime." Gordo said. Lizzie started crying and she had tears in her eyes as she read hers.
"Well, Gordo, we've made it. We have gotten this far. The road hasn't been easy, but its been well worth the ride. I am so glad that you are here with me today and you have no idea how long I have waited for this. You and I will be together for the rest of our lives, and I can't wait. I now know that this truly is what dreams are made of. I feel like the luckiest girl alive and when I think about it long enough, I realize I am the luckiest girl alive, all because I have you to love and be mine forever. Je t'aime," Lizzie said.
And, from that day on, they lived life as best they could. It didn't look like a fairytale romance to an outsider, but to them, it was a fairytale. They loved each other, and through love, they conquered the world. They knew that they were going to make it as long as they were together.
This alternate ending thing turned out to be more than I bargained for. This thing has gone through so many changes it's not even funny. It was hard because I had to dig into the second to last chapter and start from there so I guess if this were posted this would be chapter 24. The beginning may look familiar because, well, it starts off like the beginning of chapter twenty-four, with Gordo being there, but it changes after that because it just did.
Also, there are a couple of reasons I finally decided to post it on fanfiction. One was that I realized that two years from now, someone might read this and want the alternate ending, and I don't know where it will be, so I decided to post it. Then, I was going to add an author's note with a web address to where it could be found, but then I saw that note the said author notes could not be separate chapters.
Anyway, this will seem a wee bit complicated because it doesn't start off where the second to last chapter ends, but it does leave off where the third to last chapter ends (chapter twenty-three) Anyway, sorry it took me so long and happy belated holidays.
Wrapped Up in You
~Lizzie~
Boston Airport, that night, at eight, outside of gate.
Lizzie nervously paced the airport, "Where is he?"
Miranda, who was with her, was trying to calm her down, "He called from Atlanta over two hours ago. It is only eight. The plane is probably going to be running late. You never know. Give it time."
Lizzie tried to sit down, "Okay," she said and she closed her eyes, "I just hope nothing happened to them."
Miranda sat down next to Lizzie, "Nothing happened to them."
Lizzie nodded her head, somewhat distantly. She knew that Miranda was probably right, but she couldn't help but worry about her daughter and other best-friend, especially now that that she and Gordo were in a sort of uncomfortable position with each other.
"I know, I just love Gordo and Sarah so much," Lizzie said, and a tear fell down her face as she remembered the first time Gordo told her that he loved her. It was the whole reason that "je t'aime" was "their" phrase.
~*~Flashback~*~
End of freshman year of high school, in Lizzie's house, in Lizzie's room. Lizzie and Gordo had been dating for a few months at this point
Gordo and Lizzie were at Lizzie's house to study for their exams. Lizzie had her French and English exam while Gordo had his English and history exam. They were studying for English together.
"Who was Lady Mac Beth?" Gordo asked Lizzie, reading off the study sheet.
Lizzie pretended to think about this and smiled, "Um, Mac Beth's wife?"
Gordo rolled his eyes, "Really? Could have fooled me there. No! I mean, what is her significance in the play?"
"What play?" Lizzie said.
Gordo laughed, as he looked very annoyed. Lizzie noticed this, "What?? I was only kidding. I know that Lady Mac Beth is in Julius Caesar."
"Lizzie!" Gordo exclaimed, "Are you really that dense?"
Lizzie laughed in amusement, "No! I am just trying to annoy you. I know all of this. She is in Mac Beth. I really do know all of this stuff, Gordo. I don't really need to study for English. It is French I am worried about."
Gordo looked at Lizzie, "French? Lizzie, you know I take Latin. How am I supposed to help you with your French?"
Lizzie sighed as she got out some note cards from her desk, "Easy. Just read the expression and I will tell you what it translates to in English."
Gordo sighed, "Fine."
Gordo got into a more comfortable position on her chair by taking his shoes off and putting them up on the chair and looked at the expressions. "Okay. What does 'J'ai soif' mean?" He didn't know how to pronounce it, so he pronounced it incorrectly.
"I am thirsty. Next," Lizzie said.
"Okay, J'ai chaud?" Gordo said, still struggling with pronunciation.
"I am hot," Lizzie said.
Gordo looked Lizzie over and said, "I definitely agree." He nodded his head, "Tres hot."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Continue."
"J'ai faim," he said, still struggling. Lizzie laughed.
"I'm hungry."
Gordo nodded his head, "So am I. Let's take a break and get a snack."
"Gordo! Hold on! I really need help, here!"
Gordo sighed, "Fine, but as soon as we are done, I want to eat. I need some brain food."
Lizzie rolled her eyes, "Fine. Continue."
"Je suis desolé," he said, reading the card.
"Well, you should be sorry," Lizzie said.
Gordo looked at her confused and Lizzie laughed, "It means 'I am sorry.'"
"Oh," Gordo said, and he moved on to the next card, "Je t'aime." This time, though, he pronounced the expression correctly.
"I love you," Lizzie said.
"I love you too," Gordo said, without thinking. Lizzie looked at him, and Gordo soon realized what why she said that when he looked at the other side of the card at the translation. He looked at Lizzie and blushed, "Um, I mean . . ."
Lizzie smiled, "Actually, Gordo. I love you, too."
"You do?" Gordo asked, trying to keep himself from smiling.
Lizzie blushed and nodded her head, "Yeah. Je t'aime."
Lizzie reached over and kissed Gordo, and when he pulled back, Gordo said, "If it's okay with you, I am keeping this card," He took the card and put it in his pocket.
Lizzie laughed and nodded her head, "Yeah, you can keep it forever and frame it."
"Oh, believe me, I will," Gordo said.
~*~End Flashback~*~
Gordo did keep that card. When he went home that day, he put it on the wall and admired it, and from then on, Lizzie and Gordo started saying 'je t'aime' for the fun of it. It became their signature phrase. Gordo kept the note card in his wallet, for good luck and a reminder of how much he loved Lizzie.
Lizzie smiled at the memory. She wondered where the card was at this point and whether Gordo still had it.
She didn't have time to wonder long, because before she knew it, a voice interrupted her train of thought.
"Lizzie," the deep voice said. Lizzie looked up to see Gordo standing there with Sarah in his arms. Lizzie found herself speechless.
Miranda broke the tension by getting up to hug Gordo, "Gordo! It's been so long since I've seen you. You look so good!"
He certainly did look good, Lizzie couldn't help but note. She must have overlooked his subtle changes the first time she saw him, but he did look different. He looked a little older, and his face showed it. He also looked a little thinner than he used to be two years earlier.
Miranda took Sarah in her arms and held her, "So this is the famous Sarah! Hey, Sarah! I have been dying to meet you."
Sarah smiled in reaction. She didn't know what was going on, but she didn't care. She wasn't even two. She liked the attention from new people.
Gordo's glance crept over to Lizzie who looked stressed. Lizzie watched Miranda and Sarah and then looked at Gordo and smiled.
Gordo held out his arms as if to offer a hug. Lizzie smiled and walked over to Gordo and gave him the hug he offered. She hugged him tightly and let herself release more tears, "I am glad you are here." She said, finally.
Gordo smiled and put his arm around her, "So am I. We have a lot to talk about."
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, we do."
The four of them walked out of the airport, Lizzie and Gordo still holding each other.
~~~
~Hilda~
The Next Day, Valentine's Day
The next afternoon, Hilda drove back to Lucy's apartment. She had been trying to call her since the day before about her parent's anniversary party. Every time she tried calling her, she got no answer and wanted to know what was going on. The hospital couldn't tell her anything and none of the other teachers knew anything, so Hilda decided to go on a mission to find out what was going on.
She parked her car and walked up to Lizzie's door. She knocked and no one answered. "This is strange," she thought. Lucy always told Hilda where she was. She thought for a minute about what to do because the party was tonight. Hilda turned the knob to Lucy's door and to her surprise she found it was unlocked. She struggled to decide whether to open the door all the way and go inside, and finally decided that it would be a good idea.
Hilda let herself in the apartment and turned on the light, "Lucy?" She called. No response, "Lucy? Are you here?" She closed the door to the apartment and started to look around.
After searching all the rooms, and finding no one, she didn't know what to do. This had never been a problem before with Lucy, and now she couldn't be found.
Hilda finally decided to make a call, and she called her parents, "Mom, dad? It's Hillary. I am afraid we might have a problem. I can't find Lizzie McGuire."
~~~
~Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda~
Still Valentine's Day
Ever since Gordo had arrived in Boston, Lizzie and Gordo had spent most of their time together, talking about everything they missed. Gordo told Lizzie and Miranda about his time in the Turkish prison and telling strange stories about what happened while Lizzie told everyone about living life as Lucy Nelson. It all seemed so weird talking about it as if it were over, but truthfully, Lizzie had no idea if it was over at all.
Gordo decided to let Lizzie oversleep the next day, and Lizzie finally decided to roll out of her bed at around noon.
"Up so soon?" Miranda asked, sarcastically. Miranda was cleaning up the kitchen.
Lizzie shook her head and looked around, "Where are Sarah and Gordo?"
"Sarah is taking a nap and Gordo is still sleeping believe it or not."
"What time is it?"
"Noon," Miranda said, looking at Lizzie who was pouring herself some coffee, "Are you ever going to call your parents?"
Lizzie yawned as she shook her head, "I don't know. I don't know if it is safe."
Miranda nodded her head, "Yeah. I would probably wait a few days."
Lizzie nodded her head, "So, what's for lunch?"
Miranda laughed, "Oh? What am I? Your cook? A couple of days ago, I only had to worry about myself. Now, I have a whole family to feed. What is this??"
Lizzie smiled, "I love you too, Miranda."
Miranda rolled her eyes, "Ah, go fix yourself a sandwich, Lucy."
"If I never hear that name again it will be too soon," Lizzie said.
"Yeah. I was always more partial to Lizzie myself," a voice said. Lizzie turned around to see Gordo standing there, smiling, with a bed head.
Lizzie smiled and walked over to Gordo and hugged him. Gordo hugged her back and they stood there for a few seconds, "Happy Valentine's Day, Lizzie," he said.
Lizzie grinned and was about to wish him the same, when suddenly she remembered something and she pulled away, "Hilda! Her parent's party!"
~~~
~Hilda/Hillary~
After Hillary hung up the phone, she did what they told her and went to Lizzie's bedroom. While she was looking for something, she heard the door open. Slowly, Hillary got up from the floor and walked out of the room to see who it was.
Standing there were two men and a young woman. All of them were looking around. One of the men had a gun. None of them saw Hillary standing there.
"Lizzie?" the man with the gun said, "Lizzie? I know who you are and I know you are here. Where are you?"
After a few moments with no answer, the girl spoke up, "Todd, maybe she isn't here."
"But maybe she is damnit! Go check the bedroom. I'll check the closets."
Hillary watched as the girl did what she was told and walked over toward the bedroom, where Hilda was. Hillary stepped back and waited for her to come in. She pulled into her bag and reached for her gun. As soon as Wren walked in, Hillary pointed the gun at her and whispered, "Don't move! I know who you are."
Wren looked Hillary over, "Are you Lizzie?"
Hillary rolled her eyes, "No, but I am with the police department. Now, come with me so I can talk to all three of you."
"But you aren't Lizzie?"
"No," Hillary said.
"Okay," Wren said, and she went back into the hallway and back near the entrance of the apartment, "Todd! Finn! Can you come here for a second?" she yelled.
Finn and Todd appeared, looked at Hillary and smiled, "Is this precious little Lizzie?" Todd asked.
Hillary held up her gun to Todd's face, "Not quite."
Todd stepped back a little, confused, "Who are you?"
"I am Officer Hillary Flint of the police department. All three of you are under arrest for stealing government property and attempting murder," Hillary said as she read them their Miranda Rights. While she was doing this, police sirens were heard.
Before anyone was able to reach the scene however, four shots were heard.
Police officers ran inside to find two dead men and a third wounded girl, who was shot in the left arm. The police called an ambulance for the girl and investigated the apartment.
In the mean time, Hillary, who left unscratched, went to the police station and explained what was going on.
"One of the men tried to shoot me, and I fired back at all three of them in defense. The man missed me, but I didn't miss him."
~~~
~Lizzie, Gordo, and Miranda~
That afternoon, when Lizzie and Gordo were hanging around the living room, Gordo remembered he had something for and went to go get it.
When he came back, he handed her the letter he wrote a few days earlier. While Lizzie started to unfold it, Gordo went away, saying he wanted to go check on Sarah.
As Lizzie sat there, reading the letter, she started to cry. She was so touched by the letter because it was so sweet.
Lizzie was still crying when Gordo reappeared.
"Don't cry," he said as he walked over to her and sat down next to her again.
Lizzie pulled Gordo into a hug and cried even harder, "Oh, Gordo! I love you so much! I don't think I could ever stop loving you."
Gordo pulled back from the hug and looked at Lizzie, "Do you really mean that?"
Lizzie nodded through her tears, "Of course I do."
Gordo pulled her in and kissed her, tasting the tears that were streaming down her face. He pulled away, "I love you so much. I don't know what I would have done if I lost you."
"Oh, Gordo!" Lizzie cried, pulling him into a deeper kiss, and then hugging him.
"Be my Valentine," Gordo whispered into her ear.
"Of course," Lizzie whispered back.
At that moment, the phone rang. Neither Lizzie or Gordo got up to get the phone. After three rings, Miranda entered the room, looked at her two friends and shook her head, "Can't you two get a room or something?"
Miranda picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"This is the LAPD. May I speak to Lizzie McGuire?"
"Sure," Miranda said, getting serious, she cupped her hand over the receiver, "Lizzie, it's the police."
Lizzie looked at Gordo and then looked at Miranda and took the phone. She figured the police would have to call eventually. She figured she would get in trouble and have to get a new identity, "Hello?"
"Lizzie," Officer Goodman said, "First of all, I am glad you made it to Boston safely. Second of all, I have some good news for you. You are officially released from the Witness Protection Program and are hereby ordered to report to the Los Angeles Police Department as soon as possible to sign some papers."
Lizzie didn't know what to say. She had been waiting for this to happen for the past two years, but why was it happening so suddenly? Wasn't she in a lot of trouble 24 hours ago? "I'm released?" she said and she looked at Gordo and Miranda, "Why?"
"Well, Miss. McGuire, apparently you have a lot of people on your side. After your landlord turned himself in and gave us some information, we arrested everyone involved. I think its about time you know that Hilda, your friend from Stuttgart, was an undercover cop working for the FBI. Her real name is Hillary and she went to your apartment to check on you and the people involved came in and she ended up killing two of them on the spot and the third one is in the hospital. Now, we will tell you that for the next year or so, you will be under extreme watch, but we've also heard that you're boyfriend has risen from the dead, so this could be a good thing afterall," Officer Goodman said.
Lizzie looked at Gordo and smiled, "Yeah, he's back and he is here to stay."
"Well, congratulations! On both your freedom and your boyfriend. I will see you in a few days."
Lizzie nodded her head, "Yeah, I'll see you as soon as I can."
Lizzie hung up the phone. Miranda and Gordo were waiting for an explanation, "What is going on?" Miranda asked, "What are you released from?"
Lizzie smiled, "I'm released from the witness protection program. I can go back to my normal life, Gordo. You and I can live together and live as Lizzie and Gordo. I officially no longer have to be Lucy!"
Gordo smiled and hugged Lizzie, "That's amazing! How did this happen?"
"It's a long story, but I think someone is watching over me."
"So now we can get married?"
Lizzie was taken aback by this question, "Who said anything about marriage?"
"I did. Lizzie, please marry me," he said and he kneeled down and took her hand, "I thought I lost you once, and I never want to lose you again. I love you, and when I saw you in that hospital a few days ago, I knew I had to marry you. Now, Lizzie, if you will have me, will you marry me?"
Lizzie's heart was racing as she thought through this in her head. When everything was going down in her life, she didn't know how it could possibly get better, and here she was, with her life getting better and better by the minute. Now she was free, she could marry Gordo and live happily ever after. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded her head, "Gordo, of course I'll marry you. I love you too!" Lizzie said and Gordo stood up and together they shared the most beautiful and passionate kiss ever.
A few days later, when they were back in Hill Ridge, family and friends gathered as Lizzie and Gordo quietly married each other in Lizzie's backyard. They exchanged their own written vows and everyone watched.
"How long have I loved thee? A decade? Maybe Two? Maybe for all of my life I have loved you. The best part about being with you is that you make everyday a brighter day. We've been through bad days, good days, days of doubt and days of confusion, but in the end I know that our love can only grow stronger. I look forward to our future together as we become the family we have always dreamed of. Je t'aime." Gordo said. Lizzie started crying and she had tears in her eyes as she read hers.
"Well, Gordo, we've made it. We have gotten this far. The road hasn't been easy, but its been well worth the ride. I am so glad that you are here with me today and you have no idea how long I have waited for this. You and I will be together for the rest of our lives, and I can't wait. I now know that this truly is what dreams are made of. I feel like the luckiest girl alive and when I think about it long enough, I realize I am the luckiest girl alive, all because I have you to love and be mine forever. Je t'aime," Lizzie said.
And, from that day on, they lived life as best they could. It didn't look like a fairytale romance to an outsider, but to them, it was a fairytale. They loved each other, and through love, they conquered the world. They knew that they were going to make it as long as they were together.