No Time to Waste
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
Chapter 19
Too Close
`
After his mother left, Matt thought about his friends, and wondered how they would handle his new relationship. He didn't think either would be too big of a problem, but just in case, he wanted to do this without Miranda. 'She's got enough to worry about.'
Two awkward phone calls later, Matt was left to wait for his friends, and try to figure out how to drop this bomb on them.
~~~~~~~~
At the Sanchez home, Miranda was having a 'discussion' about her leaving the house.
"Please, mom, I can walk fine on my own. I haven't stumbled in two days."
"But you haven't tried anything that far since you got home. Do you really want to take that chance?"
"Mom, how am I going to get stronger if I don't push a little? If I get tired on the way, I can just sit and rest for a bit."
"I don't know."
"I've made the walk to Lizzie's house more times than I'll ever remember. I'll be fine. Trust me."
"At least let me call Matt so he knows you're coming."
"Then it wouldn't be a surprise. Besides," she looked quizzically at her mother, "how did you know he'd be home most of the day?"
"Mothers' talk." She was conflicted between her wish to help the couple, and her desire to protect her daughter. Finally, she decided that this was something Miranda needed to do. "Alright, but not before I get some food in you."
"I guess I can wait. Thanks, mom."
~~~~~~~~
(A/N: Don't get ahead of me!)
~~~~~~~~
An hour later, both Lanny and Melina arrived. As he got everyone some water, Matt felt almost as nervous as when he was walking to Miranda's room that fateful Wednesday. These were his two best friends, have been for a long time. He suddenly understood what Miranda had told Lizzie about being afraid of losing her friendship. He thanked his dad for having the sense to 'take a walk' as they arrived. He didn't think either would cause a problem, but he didn't want his dad trying to jump in. 'If there's going to be a shouting match, we'd better just get it all out.'
He came back to the living room and sat the glasses of water on the table. Both of his friends were on the couch. Lanny had started he's adolescent growth spurt before Matt, and now stood a good 5'6" compared to Matt's 5'3", and was still climbing. Melina, while she had some undeniable feminine development, had grown not just to a respectable 5'4", but was even more solidly built than before. Not over muscular, but clearly strong for her age. The boys that weren't too afraid of how pretty she was to ask her out were afraid of what she might do to them as her way of saying no. These were not idle fears, as at least one broken nose can attest to. Matt had earlier placed a chair across the table from the couch, and now sat heavily in it. When he looked up at his friends, he thought he saw something he hadn't seen before. Something in Lanny's body language toward . . . 'Bloody hell, how long has that been there?!? I wonder if he knows?' He shook off that thought. "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I've been rather preoccupied."
"Of course, Matt, we understand" Melina said. Lanny nodded his agreement. "How's Lizzie? And her friends, of course."
Matt heard the edge on the word friends, but let it go. "She's much better." He gave them a quick run-down of Lizzie's condition. When he was though, both of his friends looked relieved.
"So, she could come home today? That's great."
"Yeah, it is. But you asked about the others. Well, Ethan came around the same day Lizzie did, only . . . he only had one real injury, but complications from it have caused him to go blind."
Both of them looked shocked by that. "Blind?!? Oh, man, that's awful!"
"Actually, he seems to be handling it very well. Of course, he has his family and Kate to help."
"KATE! As in the same Kate who you've told us is causing your sister no end of grief. Wasn't Ethan Lizzie's boyfriend?"
"Sorry, I forgot how long I've been away from you two. Ethan broke up with Lizzie after he came to, and returned to Kate. Actually, he seems to be helping her. And yes, Lanny, Lizzie was hurt by the break up. So was Ethan, after I decked him."
"You hit a blind man?"
"I know I shouldn't have! Besides, if all goes well, Lizzie will finally be with her true love before the day is out."
"Who? Wait, the Gordon boy, is that who you mean?"
"Gordo, yes. He was in the crash, too. In fact, he nearly died in an operation Friday."
"WHAT?!?"
"Yeah. I think that was what Lizzie needed to finally admit her feelings for him."
"Wait a minute, Matt. Since when were you such an expert on romantic feelings? What aren't you telling us?"
'Here goes everything.' "I'm not an expert, but I've gotten a better understanding of those feeling since I was forced to realize mine. It's a long story, but you, my friends, need to hear this. I need to ask both of you not to interrupt me. Okay?" They looked at each other, and nodded. Matt then began his story.
~~~~~~~~
Miranda was proud of herself. She took the walk at a slow, leisurely pace. Not one stumble, although she had to admit she was a little winded by the time she came to Matt's front door. 'This is still so weird sometimes. I've always thought of this as Lizzie's house, Lizzie's door. Now its Matt's house, he and Lizzie. It's like coming here for the first time.' With an uncertainty that surprised her she knocked on the door. Nobody answered. 'Strange, mom said he'd be home.' She next did what had become natural for her over the years, she checked the doorknob. It turned, so she slow entered. Before she had the chance to call out, she heard a definitely female screeching voice. Then she heard a cry for help that she knew instantly was Matt, and she ran for the sound.
~~
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! YOU TWO-TIMING LOW LIFE SLIME!" Melina was pounding on Matt, who had gone totally defensive in the chair, arms up at his head, legs up.
"HELP! Don't just sit there, Lanny, Help!" He didn't want to fight her. He doubted he could do much, anyway.
"HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR HELP?! YOU WORTHLESS BASTARD! I LOVE YOU AND YOU DO THIS TO ME!"
"You WHAT?!?" Matt could believe what he had just heard. 'How did I miss that? I though that was long over with.'
"GET OFF OF HIM!" Miranda stormed into the room, grabbed the younger but stockier girl around the waist, and managed to use a leveraging, twisting move to pry her off him. That was when Lanny finally came in, placing himself between Melina and Miranda. His posture left no doubt who he was more worried about.
Finally able to stand, Matt stood next to Miranda and addressed Melina. "What in the hell are you talking about! We quit playing boyfriend/girlfriend a year ago! We both said it was pointless, remember? That we needed to grow up! Well, I have! I found someone! I'm sorry if that hurts you, but I can't change and won't change the fact that I love Miranda!"
Melina was having none of it. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?! I'VE NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU!" She turned her glare toward Miranda. "AND YOU! WHAT, COULDN'T GET OVER BEING DUMPED FOR ME, SO YOU HAD TO TRY AGAIN? WHAT DID IT TAKE? SOME SKIN, A LITTLE STROKING, PERHAPS?"
"How DARE you talk to me like that, you foul-mouth little hussy!"
"I told you how this happened, Melina. I found out first. I made the first move."
"LIAR! SHE DID THIS!" Before anybody could stop her, she launched herself at Miranda, landing a right cross to her jaw.
`
THAT was a mistake.
`
Nobody was ever completely sure of exactly how, but the next thing anyone knew, Melina was sent flying across the room, landing hard on her left shoulder near the door. Lanny rushed to her side. When they looked up, they were both paralyzed with fear. Matt, who was clearly the one who had launched her, was slowly stalking toward them. But this was nobody they had ever known. The person glaring at them was somebody they had no doubt was willing to hurt, no, to kill them.
Miranda couldn't see his face, but even from the back, his body language spoke volumes. The thought of what he had said days before came to her, and it terrified her. "MATT, PLEASE, DON'T! I'M OKAY! PLEASE STOP THIS!"
The panic in her voice broke through his rage, and he managed enough control to stop. But only just. When he spoke, he voice was so cold, it was lethal. "Never touch her again if you value your life." His voice softened some. "I'm sorry if you can't accept this, but I love her. If you're looking for someone, you might want to notice who has been trying to protect you during this. Lanny, I hope I haven't lost you as well, but I'll understand, whatever you do. Now, both of you leave, before I do something you might not be able to regret."
Slowly, they got up. Backing away from him, they made their way to the front door. Letting Melina leave first, Lanny stopped and turned. In one of their silent conversations, he made it clear that, while he understood, this might be the last time he and Matt saw each other out of school. Matt nodded, and they left.
Matt watched the door close. He was visibly shaking. He realized how close that had been. One of his greatest fears was almost realized. 'My god, I could have killed her.' He remembered the sound of Miranda's voice, and knew that she knew how closed it had been. "Miranda, I'm sorry that happened." His voice was now so shaky, it was barely understandable.
She slowly came up to him. "I was so scared for you." She was just above a whisper. "I'm glad you were able to stop." She wrapped her arms around him.
He melted into her. Turning, he buried his face in her shoulder and started to cry. "Do you realize how close I came to . . . they're my best friends, and I could have. I really could have."
"I know. But I also know that you stopped." She managed to maneuver them to the couch, were they sat and held each other until Sam came home. He didn't ask for details, just if they needed Dr. Gordon. The call was made.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Short chapter by my standards, but I think the intensity made up for that.
by TheRealXenocide
`
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, settings, or anything else you recognize from the show Lizzie McGuire. The plot, at it's base, has been around since Homer, and this variant since Henry Ford. However, this is the first I've seen it applied to Lizzie.
`
Chapter 19
Too Close
`
After his mother left, Matt thought about his friends, and wondered how they would handle his new relationship. He didn't think either would be too big of a problem, but just in case, he wanted to do this without Miranda. 'She's got enough to worry about.'
Two awkward phone calls later, Matt was left to wait for his friends, and try to figure out how to drop this bomb on them.
~~~~~~~~
At the Sanchez home, Miranda was having a 'discussion' about her leaving the house.
"Please, mom, I can walk fine on my own. I haven't stumbled in two days."
"But you haven't tried anything that far since you got home. Do you really want to take that chance?"
"Mom, how am I going to get stronger if I don't push a little? If I get tired on the way, I can just sit and rest for a bit."
"I don't know."
"I've made the walk to Lizzie's house more times than I'll ever remember. I'll be fine. Trust me."
"At least let me call Matt so he knows you're coming."
"Then it wouldn't be a surprise. Besides," she looked quizzically at her mother, "how did you know he'd be home most of the day?"
"Mothers' talk." She was conflicted between her wish to help the couple, and her desire to protect her daughter. Finally, she decided that this was something Miranda needed to do. "Alright, but not before I get some food in you."
"I guess I can wait. Thanks, mom."
~~~~~~~~
(A/N: Don't get ahead of me!)
~~~~~~~~
An hour later, both Lanny and Melina arrived. As he got everyone some water, Matt felt almost as nervous as when he was walking to Miranda's room that fateful Wednesday. These were his two best friends, have been for a long time. He suddenly understood what Miranda had told Lizzie about being afraid of losing her friendship. He thanked his dad for having the sense to 'take a walk' as they arrived. He didn't think either would cause a problem, but he didn't want his dad trying to jump in. 'If there's going to be a shouting match, we'd better just get it all out.'
He came back to the living room and sat the glasses of water on the table. Both of his friends were on the couch. Lanny had started he's adolescent growth spurt before Matt, and now stood a good 5'6" compared to Matt's 5'3", and was still climbing. Melina, while she had some undeniable feminine development, had grown not just to a respectable 5'4", but was even more solidly built than before. Not over muscular, but clearly strong for her age. The boys that weren't too afraid of how pretty she was to ask her out were afraid of what she might do to them as her way of saying no. These were not idle fears, as at least one broken nose can attest to. Matt had earlier placed a chair across the table from the couch, and now sat heavily in it. When he looked up at his friends, he thought he saw something he hadn't seen before. Something in Lanny's body language toward . . . 'Bloody hell, how long has that been there?!? I wonder if he knows?' He shook off that thought. "Hi, guys. Thanks for coming. I'm sorry I haven't been around, but I've been rather preoccupied."
"Of course, Matt, we understand" Melina said. Lanny nodded his agreement. "How's Lizzie? And her friends, of course."
Matt heard the edge on the word friends, but let it go. "She's much better." He gave them a quick run-down of Lizzie's condition. When he was though, both of his friends looked relieved.
"So, she could come home today? That's great."
"Yeah, it is. But you asked about the others. Well, Ethan came around the same day Lizzie did, only . . . he only had one real injury, but complications from it have caused him to go blind."
Both of them looked shocked by that. "Blind?!? Oh, man, that's awful!"
"Actually, he seems to be handling it very well. Of course, he has his family and Kate to help."
"KATE! As in the same Kate who you've told us is causing your sister no end of grief. Wasn't Ethan Lizzie's boyfriend?"
"Sorry, I forgot how long I've been away from you two. Ethan broke up with Lizzie after he came to, and returned to Kate. Actually, he seems to be helping her. And yes, Lanny, Lizzie was hurt by the break up. So was Ethan, after I decked him."
"You hit a blind man?"
"I know I shouldn't have! Besides, if all goes well, Lizzie will finally be with her true love before the day is out."
"Who? Wait, the Gordon boy, is that who you mean?"
"Gordo, yes. He was in the crash, too. In fact, he nearly died in an operation Friday."
"WHAT?!?"
"Yeah. I think that was what Lizzie needed to finally admit her feelings for him."
"Wait a minute, Matt. Since when were you such an expert on romantic feelings? What aren't you telling us?"
'Here goes everything.' "I'm not an expert, but I've gotten a better understanding of those feeling since I was forced to realize mine. It's a long story, but you, my friends, need to hear this. I need to ask both of you not to interrupt me. Okay?" They looked at each other, and nodded. Matt then began his story.
~~~~~~~~
Miranda was proud of herself. She took the walk at a slow, leisurely pace. Not one stumble, although she had to admit she was a little winded by the time she came to Matt's front door. 'This is still so weird sometimes. I've always thought of this as Lizzie's house, Lizzie's door. Now its Matt's house, he and Lizzie. It's like coming here for the first time.' With an uncertainty that surprised her she knocked on the door. Nobody answered. 'Strange, mom said he'd be home.' She next did what had become natural for her over the years, she checked the doorknob. It turned, so she slow entered. Before she had the chance to call out, she heard a definitely female screeching voice. Then she heard a cry for help that she knew instantly was Matt, and she ran for the sound.
~~
"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! YOU TWO-TIMING LOW LIFE SLIME!" Melina was pounding on Matt, who had gone totally defensive in the chair, arms up at his head, legs up.
"HELP! Don't just sit there, Lanny, Help!" He didn't want to fight her. He doubted he could do much, anyway.
"HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR HELP?! YOU WORTHLESS BASTARD! I LOVE YOU AND YOU DO THIS TO ME!"
"You WHAT?!?" Matt could believe what he had just heard. 'How did I miss that? I though that was long over with.'
"GET OFF OF HIM!" Miranda stormed into the room, grabbed the younger but stockier girl around the waist, and managed to use a leveraging, twisting move to pry her off him. That was when Lanny finally came in, placing himself between Melina and Miranda. His posture left no doubt who he was more worried about.
Finally able to stand, Matt stood next to Miranda and addressed Melina. "What in the hell are you talking about! We quit playing boyfriend/girlfriend a year ago! We both said it was pointless, remember? That we needed to grow up! Well, I have! I found someone! I'm sorry if that hurts you, but I can't change and won't change the fact that I love Miranda!"
Melina was having none of it. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?! I'VE NEVER STOPPED LOVING YOU!" She turned her glare toward Miranda. "AND YOU! WHAT, COULDN'T GET OVER BEING DUMPED FOR ME, SO YOU HAD TO TRY AGAIN? WHAT DID IT TAKE? SOME SKIN, A LITTLE STROKING, PERHAPS?"
"How DARE you talk to me like that, you foul-mouth little hussy!"
"I told you how this happened, Melina. I found out first. I made the first move."
"LIAR! SHE DID THIS!" Before anybody could stop her, she launched herself at Miranda, landing a right cross to her jaw.
`
THAT was a mistake.
`
Nobody was ever completely sure of exactly how, but the next thing anyone knew, Melina was sent flying across the room, landing hard on her left shoulder near the door. Lanny rushed to her side. When they looked up, they were both paralyzed with fear. Matt, who was clearly the one who had launched her, was slowly stalking toward them. But this was nobody they had ever known. The person glaring at them was somebody they had no doubt was willing to hurt, no, to kill them.
Miranda couldn't see his face, but even from the back, his body language spoke volumes. The thought of what he had said days before came to her, and it terrified her. "MATT, PLEASE, DON'T! I'M OKAY! PLEASE STOP THIS!"
The panic in her voice broke through his rage, and he managed enough control to stop. But only just. When he spoke, he voice was so cold, it was lethal. "Never touch her again if you value your life." His voice softened some. "I'm sorry if you can't accept this, but I love her. If you're looking for someone, you might want to notice who has been trying to protect you during this. Lanny, I hope I haven't lost you as well, but I'll understand, whatever you do. Now, both of you leave, before I do something you might not be able to regret."
Slowly, they got up. Backing away from him, they made their way to the front door. Letting Melina leave first, Lanny stopped and turned. In one of their silent conversations, he made it clear that, while he understood, this might be the last time he and Matt saw each other out of school. Matt nodded, and they left.
Matt watched the door close. He was visibly shaking. He realized how close that had been. One of his greatest fears was almost realized. 'My god, I could have killed her.' He remembered the sound of Miranda's voice, and knew that she knew how closed it had been. "Miranda, I'm sorry that happened." His voice was now so shaky, it was barely understandable.
She slowly came up to him. "I was so scared for you." She was just above a whisper. "I'm glad you were able to stop." She wrapped her arms around him.
He melted into her. Turning, he buried his face in her shoulder and started to cry. "Do you realize how close I came to . . . they're my best friends, and I could have. I really could have."
"I know. But I also know that you stopped." She managed to maneuver them to the couch, were they sat and held each other until Sam came home. He didn't ask for details, just if they needed Dr. Gordon. The call was made.
~~~~~~~~
A/N: Short chapter by my standards, but I think the intensity made up for that.