Let's hope I can keep this up! I seem to have this habit of forgetting about my stories for a while, then suddenly getting inspired again… hehehe. But hey – I used to have like 10 stories going at one time, and never finished any of them. I'm getting much better about that!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, still!

ON THE WAY DOWN

Chapter 12

Lizzie slammed the front door as she walked into her house, an hour later than usual, on a Friday night. Gordo peered around the corner from the kitchen, startled by the door. He barely had time to jump out of the way before Lizzie blew through the doorway, mumbling angrily. He said nothing as she threw her purse down on the table, and caught her keys as they flew across the countertop. She ranted and raved incoherently for a moment, her back to him, then finally spun around and looked at him, her hands on her hips and an aggravated look on her face.

"You done yet?" Gordo asked.

Lizzie let out a sigh, then sank into a chair. "Yeah, I guess."

"Now, care to explain why you just flew in the door, yelling at a decibel rate that would put a jet engine to shame?" he countered.

"Nothing in particular, it's just… today was a crappy day. A bird decided to poop in the middle of my windshield on the way to work this morning, then some old man's rotten little dog bit the hand of a little girl waiting in the lobby with her mom. Another man brought in a cat that had been hit by a car, and I couldn't save her. In the midst of all this mess, my best assistant gets a phone call from her mother saying that her father's been in an accident and is in a coma, so she had to leave immediately and hop on a plane to Denver, and has no idea how long she'll be gone." She stopped for a second.

"Then I noticed in the parking lot that somehow, there's a dent in the side of my car. And on the way home, I got stuck in a massive traffic jam on the freeway. Then I turn onto my street, and the bloody neighbor's kid runs out in front of my car, I slam on the brakes, the kid runs off screaming, and her mother, who was out in the yard, starts screaming at ME because her stupid kid is out in the street!" Lizzie finally finished, and took a deep breath.

"Ouch. Listen, go park on the couch. I'll put something on for dinner, then I'll be out there in a minute and we can talk," Gordo said.

"That's too much trouble. Just order a pizza while I go pee, and then we can watch Law & Order," Lizzie said. Gordo acknowledged this, and made his way into the living room with the cordless phone.

When Lizzie came back to the living room, she noted Gordo relaxing on the couch, and promptly flopped down beside him, her head in his lap. "Gordoooo… massage my head?" she asked, giving him her best pouty face. He complied, and she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Gordo's attention was only partially focused on the television show as he delicately massaged Lizzie's scalp. He glanced down at her, only to note that her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping. His fingers trailed over to the side of her face and he traced lines on her cheek, but quickly stopped when she opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Sorry," he sputtered out. Lizzie smiled at him.

"No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to doze off on you," she said, sitting up. Suddenly, as if a firecracker had exploded beneath her, she jumped and grabbed his arm. "Gordo!"

Gordo looked at her in surprise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong! I just had a brilliant idea!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"And what's that?"

"Well, since you keep complaining that you're having trouble finding a job… and I'm short an assistant for who knows how long… why don't you come work with me?"

"At your clinic?" Gordo asked, in a doubtful tone.

Lizzie scoffed. "No, Gordo, on the moon." She rolled her eyes. "Of course at the clinic, you doof."

"But I know nothing about animals, or anything like that," Gordo responded. Lizzie shrugged.

"You probably know more than the other two girls that work for me. They have good intentions, but are about as bright as a dim bulb. Come on, Gordo. It's not like you've had luck with anything else," she said.

"If you were anyone else, I'd probably be upset at that comment. But since it's you, I'll ignore it. But I guess if you want someone whose college education was focused on moviemaking, working at your vet center… then sure!" Gordo smiled.

"That's settled, then. Make sure you're up early enough on Monday morning, I leave at 7:15." Just then, the doorbell rang. Gordo went to get the pizza, and Lizzie ran to the kitchen to grab some money out of her purse.

A little while later, they had finished stuffing their faces with pizza and were talking and relaxing in the living room again. Lizzie let out a yawn, and stretched out on the couch. Gordo laughed, looking at her from the smaller sofa where he was kicked back. "I'm stuffed!" Lizzie exclaimed.

"Me, too…" Gordo's statement was interrupted by a big yawn. Lizzie giggled. They talked for a little while longer, before her eyelids started to droop. 'Better get upstairs to bed,' she thought, pushing herself upward. She looked over at Gordo and smiled to herself. He was asleep, his head tilted slightly back and his mouth hanging open.

Lizzie grabbed a blanket from the nearby linen closet and covered him up. She stood over him for a moment, just looking at him, then leaned over and lightly kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Gordo. I love you," she whispered, then turned and made her way upstairs.

"I love you, too, McGuire," Gordo responded softly. Lizzie was already upstairs.