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 47
Never share the stage with . . .
`
Life in the McGuire, Sanchez, and Gordon households seemed to be trying to return to normal. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all uneventful. When that let the people involved catch a breath, nobody was willing to step in the limb to say that they were in the clear yet. Still, it was a pleasant change. The one event of note was a bit of comedy that happened on Wednesday.
Reggie had gone to see Matt at the McGuire home, but Matt had already left for the weekly conference between he, Miranda, and Mr. Gordon. However, Lizzie only told him that Matt wasn't there, so Reggie decided to try Miranda's, hoping that the instructions Matt had given him earlier would get him there. He got there without problems, and knocked on the door.
Mrs. Sanchez answered. "Hello?" She didn't recognize him for a split-second, then remembered. "You're Matt's friend. We met at the park."
"Yes, ma'am, I'm Reggie. Is Matt here?"
"I'm sorry, no. He and Miranda had an appointment." His disappointment clearly showed. Daniella saw this, and smiled. She remembered how nice he had been to Lily that day in the park. "You're welcome to wait on the living room for him. They'll both be coming here when they're done."
"When do you expect that to be?"
"They should be back by quarter past five."
Reggie grimaced. "That's awful close to dinner time. I think I'll just try to catch him later."
"At least have something to drink before you leave, it's warm out today."
He thought about declining, but she had a point. It was the first 90-degree day of the summer. Besides, he reasoned that if Matt was going to be spending a lot of time here, it would be a good idea to be nice to the lady of the house. "Alright."
She led him to the kitchen and got him a glass of water. They chatted a little while he drank, just small talk. The sound of their voices, however, floated upstairs to a pair of ever-attentive ears, and they were soon interrupted by Lily as she came running into the room. "Are they back already?" She asked her mother hopefully.
"I'm sorry, Lily. You must have heard Reggie and I talking."
Reggie had been leaning on the counter, out of her direct line-of-sight. She turned to where her mother's nod indicated, and saw him. "Hi. Why you here?"
He smiled at the little girl. "I was hoping to find Matt here."
Lily scowled. "Matt and Randa are gone again." There was a bit in her voice that her mother recognized.
"Lily." Her mother said gently. "We've talked about this."
"Randa never has time for me anymore." The girl interrupted, clearly preparing for a pout.
"Matt hasn't had a lot of time for his friends, either." Reggie pointed out.
"But Randa's my sister. Matt's not your brother."
"At least you have a sister. I wish I did."
"Whadda you mean?"
He looked at her for a moment, wondering how much to tell her. But then he thought, 'Who would she tell? Matt knows. Miranda doesn't know by now, she will soon. Besides, she tried to cheer me up after Angela. It's time to return the favor.' He decided that the benefits outweighed the risks. "Every time I see Matt and Lizzie, even when they're fighting, part of me wants what he has. No matter how bad they fight, they help each other when they need it most. I'm sure it's the same with you and your sister."
"Weeeeell, kinda." She was hesitant to agree, but she knew he was right.
"I don't have that. I don't have a brother or a sister."
"Wow, really?"
"Yup. Your sister may be a little busy right now, but you're still lucky. You've got a sister to miss."
"Yeah, I guess. And Matt is nice to me."
"See. I'll bet Lizzie's nice to you, too."
That brought a little giggle from the girl. "She plays my games with me." That sparked an idea in the little girl. She looked up at him. "Will you play with me?"
Not being used to little kids, Reggie wasn't expecting that. It was definitely more than he had bargained for when he began talking to the girl. Still, her mom was watching all this. And now, while he thought about how to handle this, she turned on those eyes only little kids can use to get their way. Reggie was just too much of a nice guy to not fall pray to them. "I wanted to see Matt, anyway" he mumbled. "Alright."
"I'll be right back." She yelled back to them as she ran for her room and her games.
Her mother couldn't help but smile. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"
"No, but I don't think I could have said no to those eyes."
"Welcome to the club."
Faster than he thought possible, Lily was in the living room with an armful of games. "We can play in here."
He looked at the load of games in amazement, then looked at her mother with a 'What DID I get myself into?' look. However, he had agreed, and feeling it was too late to back out, he joined her. He only hoped he could pretend to enjoy himself enough to not disappoint the girl.
As it turned out, he wasn't pretending for long. Lily's enthusiasm was infectious, and he soon found himself laughing right along with her. Daniella had joined them at first, but left when she realized Reggie was enjoying himself. He managed to loss track of time until, as he was laughing at another Lily victory dance, a familiar voice came from the living room doorway. "Reggie?!?"
He turned to see Matt, who looked as surprised he'd sounded. Miranda was behind him, trying to bury her laughter.
~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Matt asked.
Miranda was visibly nervous. "I have to do this, Matt. I have to try."
It was Friday afternoon, and Matt, Miranda, and Mr. Gordon were in Gordo's car in the almost empty high school parking lot. There were a total of three cars in the lot. The car they were in, which brought Gordo and his father. The Sanchez family car, which had brought Miranda and her mother. And the McGuire family car, which had brought Jo, Lizzie, and Matt. They were using Gordo's car for this at his insistence. Miranda had just finish driving around the light poles and parking lines of the parking lot. It took a good half-hour of this before her mother could be convinced that she should be let onto back and side streets. Even then, she'd only be on a route they had planned, and the others would follow about a minute behind.
And so, it was with a sarcastic "wagon's ho" that Miranda made the right turn out of the parking lot that started the caravan on their way.
~
About fifteen minutes into the drive, Miranda was starting to feel better about herself. While traffic had been as light as they had hoped for with this route, there had still been some cars for her to face. At the first one, she nearly pulled over, but she had herself together and kept driving. She did better with the next one. Now, she felt like she was doing okay.
Matt liked the look on her face now. It was a definite improvement from how see looked when that first car came along. He knew how close it had to have been for her, as he had felt a light buzz from their connection. He didn't say anything, hoping she'd pull through. When she did, he saw her relief, and thought she'd be okay. If he was honest with himself about it, that was the first time today his worries didn't overshadow his hopes.
While Mr. Gordon was pleased that this was going so well, he had another concern. This was all light stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. What was going to happen the first time she got cut off, or had somebody in front of her slow down unexpectedly, or any of the other of semi-emergency things that all drivers have to deal with, more often than they realize? Still, she was getting her confidence back, and that would likely help when the time came.
When they came over the next hill, they all saw the dog in the road well before it saw them.
~
When the rest of the caravan got there, Jo's habit of slowing as she crested a hill made her stop when she saw the car stopped in the road relatively easy. It also made it easier for Daniella, who was driving behind her, and thus had to slow when Jo had. Thinking quickly, Jo circled her car around to park it just before the crest of the hill, so oncoming cars could see it far sooner. Setting her hazzard lights on, she helped Lizzie and Gordo out of the car, then began walking to where Gordo's car was.
Daniella had pulled up to Gordo's car. She was very worried about what she was likely to see. Although the car didn't look damaged from this angle, that didn't mean the front couldn't be bad. Even if nothing happened, what condition might Miranda be in if the whatever had been too close? Dreading this, yet needing to know and try to help, she got out of her car at walked to the front of Gordo's car.
The scene that greeted her was one of the last things she expected. Miranda was crouched down, talking gently to a dog. Her hand was out slightly, but she was being careful not to touch it. The dog looked hurt, but wasn't pulling way. If anything, the dog almost looked like it was asking for help with its eyes. "Be careful," she cautioned gently, "you don't know him."
"That's what I said." Matt grumbled. He sounded annoyed, but his face was glowing. "But she insisted on trying to make friends."
"I thought you liked dogs." Miranda said sweetly, trying not to spook the animal.
"I do, but I also know that a hurt animal is the animal most likely to attack, out of fear." She gave him a sideways look. "Gordo has PBS, I have Animal Planet."
"I'm inclined to agree with Matt." Mr. Gordon added. "But this fellow seems to like you."
"What happened?" Jo had just reached them.
"We came over the hill, and this guy was in the middle of our lane." Miranda answered. "Gordo's brakes must be in top shape, because I couldn't believe it when I managed to stop the car without hitting him."
"The dog didn't move. He looks hurt, but she didn't touch him. I think he just wasn't able to react with this hip like it is."
When she moved for a better look at the hip in question, she had to agree. Even to her inexperienced eyes, it looked bad.
Lizzie and Gordo finally hobbled up, and were as surprised as the rest. "Are you okay?" Lizzie asked.
They told them what happened. Gordo's reaction was to say what, if not for the dog, would have been obvious. "Congratulations, Miranda."
It took a moment for what he was getting at to register with her what he meant. As it hit her, Matt told him, in a slightly annoyed voice. "Thanks. I was going to wait for her to realize it." When she looked up at him, though, he didn't look upset. He looked relieved . . . and proud.
She turned back when she felt something on her hand. Apparently, the dog had decided she could be trusted, because he was pressing his nose against her palm.
~~~~~~~~
"How're you doing?" Matt asked her yet again. They were in the Sanchez game room, winding down from the day's events.
Miranda rolled her eyes, but understood his concern. He had admitted that he had felt her reaction to the first incoming car. But she suspected his concern now was something else. "I'm fine, Matt. I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting that." 'That' involved their trip to the animal hospital. After a through exam, the veterinarian determined that the dog's injuries were too severe. In fact, they suspected that's why he didn't move to get out of the car's way, because he was simply too hurt to react. Even if he survived surgery, which was doubtful, he'd be in pain the rest of his life. The only real option was to humanely put him down. While she knew it could happen, she'd grown attached to the dog, and had allowed her hope he'd be saved override her reasoning. While she didn't break down at the news, it was obvious to everyone she was upset. "As nice as he was, he must have been someone's pet, not so long ago."
That's when the light dawned. "You were hoping you could make him be a pet again, weren't you?" He'd been so concerned over her reaction, he hadn't made that connection until just now. "I thought I was the only one who wanted a dog."
"I hadn't thought about it much, but do you remember finding that mother dog and her pups under your back patio?"
He had to laugh. "I remember. Lanny, Melina, and I thought the house was haunted, but it was just the pups whining. I asked for one, but mom and dad said I wasn't mature enough for it."
"I'd asked my folks for one of those pups. But Lily was still so small, they didn't want to take a chance. I guess I just put it out of my mind."
"Until today."
"Yeah."
Matt didn't know how to answer the sound in her voice. She obviously wanted a dog, but he wasn't exactly in a position to do that himself. On the other hand, there would be any harm in his asking her parents. Deciding to do that when she wasn't around, he changed the subject. "Do you realize how long it's been since either of us had a rough night?"
She turned to him, surprised both by the question, and the fact that she had to think about the answer. When she finally answered, she looked surprised. "About ten days."
"Remember what the doctor send a couple Wednesdays ago about separate rooms?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't he saw anything about trying it tonight?"
"I don't know, unless he thinks I might have a problem over the dog."
Matt looked at her with the face she'd seen a lot since the crash. She knew the question before he asked it. "Do you like you'll have a problem?"
"I doubt it. But, I think we'll wait to ask about it until tomorrow. Another night next to you is always a good thing."
She'd have been annoyed that he didn't blush at that remark, except for the fact that she found how he did react quite pleasurable.
~~~~~~~~
Next chapter: The next big test for Matt and Miranda.
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 47
Never share the stage with . . .
`
Life in the McGuire, Sanchez, and Gordon households seemed to be trying to return to normal. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday were all uneventful. When that let the people involved catch a breath, nobody was willing to step in the limb to say that they were in the clear yet. Still, it was a pleasant change. The one event of note was a bit of comedy that happened on Wednesday.
Reggie had gone to see Matt at the McGuire home, but Matt had already left for the weekly conference between he, Miranda, and Mr. Gordon. However, Lizzie only told him that Matt wasn't there, so Reggie decided to try Miranda's, hoping that the instructions Matt had given him earlier would get him there. He got there without problems, and knocked on the door.
Mrs. Sanchez answered. "Hello?" She didn't recognize him for a split-second, then remembered. "You're Matt's friend. We met at the park."
"Yes, ma'am, I'm Reggie. Is Matt here?"
"I'm sorry, no. He and Miranda had an appointment." His disappointment clearly showed. Daniella saw this, and smiled. She remembered how nice he had been to Lily that day in the park. "You're welcome to wait on the living room for him. They'll both be coming here when they're done."
"When do you expect that to be?"
"They should be back by quarter past five."
Reggie grimaced. "That's awful close to dinner time. I think I'll just try to catch him later."
"At least have something to drink before you leave, it's warm out today."
He thought about declining, but she had a point. It was the first 90-degree day of the summer. Besides, he reasoned that if Matt was going to be spending a lot of time here, it would be a good idea to be nice to the lady of the house. "Alright."
She led him to the kitchen and got him a glass of water. They chatted a little while he drank, just small talk. The sound of their voices, however, floated upstairs to a pair of ever-attentive ears, and they were soon interrupted by Lily as she came running into the room. "Are they back already?" She asked her mother hopefully.
"I'm sorry, Lily. You must have heard Reggie and I talking."
Reggie had been leaning on the counter, out of her direct line-of-sight. She turned to where her mother's nod indicated, and saw him. "Hi. Why you here?"
He smiled at the little girl. "I was hoping to find Matt here."
Lily scowled. "Matt and Randa are gone again." There was a bit in her voice that her mother recognized.
"Lily." Her mother said gently. "We've talked about this."
"Randa never has time for me anymore." The girl interrupted, clearly preparing for a pout.
"Matt hasn't had a lot of time for his friends, either." Reggie pointed out.
"But Randa's my sister. Matt's not your brother."
"At least you have a sister. I wish I did."
"Whadda you mean?"
He looked at her for a moment, wondering how much to tell her. But then he thought, 'Who would she tell? Matt knows. Miranda doesn't know by now, she will soon. Besides, she tried to cheer me up after Angela. It's time to return the favor.' He decided that the benefits outweighed the risks. "Every time I see Matt and Lizzie, even when they're fighting, part of me wants what he has. No matter how bad they fight, they help each other when they need it most. I'm sure it's the same with you and your sister."
"Weeeeell, kinda." She was hesitant to agree, but she knew he was right.
"I don't have that. I don't have a brother or a sister."
"Wow, really?"
"Yup. Your sister may be a little busy right now, but you're still lucky. You've got a sister to miss."
"Yeah, I guess. And Matt is nice to me."
"See. I'll bet Lizzie's nice to you, too."
That brought a little giggle from the girl. "She plays my games with me." That sparked an idea in the little girl. She looked up at him. "Will you play with me?"
Not being used to little kids, Reggie wasn't expecting that. It was definitely more than he had bargained for when he began talking to the girl. Still, her mom was watching all this. And now, while he thought about how to handle this, she turned on those eyes only little kids can use to get their way. Reggie was just too much of a nice guy to not fall pray to them. "I wanted to see Matt, anyway" he mumbled. "Alright."
"I'll be right back." She yelled back to them as she ran for her room and her games.
Her mother couldn't help but smile. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"
"No, but I don't think I could have said no to those eyes."
"Welcome to the club."
Faster than he thought possible, Lily was in the living room with an armful of games. "We can play in here."
He looked at the load of games in amazement, then looked at her mother with a 'What DID I get myself into?' look. However, he had agreed, and feeling it was too late to back out, he joined her. He only hoped he could pretend to enjoy himself enough to not disappoint the girl.
As it turned out, he wasn't pretending for long. Lily's enthusiasm was infectious, and he soon found himself laughing right along with her. Daniella had joined them at first, but left when she realized Reggie was enjoying himself. He managed to loss track of time until, as he was laughing at another Lily victory dance, a familiar voice came from the living room doorway. "Reggie?!?"
He turned to see Matt, who looked as surprised he'd sounded. Miranda was behind him, trying to bury her laughter.
~~~~~~~~
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Matt asked.
Miranda was visibly nervous. "I have to do this, Matt. I have to try."
It was Friday afternoon, and Matt, Miranda, and Mr. Gordon were in Gordo's car in the almost empty high school parking lot. There were a total of three cars in the lot. The car they were in, which brought Gordo and his father. The Sanchez family car, which had brought Miranda and her mother. And the McGuire family car, which had brought Jo, Lizzie, and Matt. They were using Gordo's car for this at his insistence. Miranda had just finish driving around the light poles and parking lines of the parking lot. It took a good half-hour of this before her mother could be convinced that she should be let onto back and side streets. Even then, she'd only be on a route they had planned, and the others would follow about a minute behind.
And so, it was with a sarcastic "wagon's ho" that Miranda made the right turn out of the parking lot that started the caravan on their way.
~
About fifteen minutes into the drive, Miranda was starting to feel better about herself. While traffic had been as light as they had hoped for with this route, there had still been some cars for her to face. At the first one, she nearly pulled over, but she had herself together and kept driving. She did better with the next one. Now, she felt like she was doing okay.
Matt liked the look on her face now. It was a definite improvement from how see looked when that first car came along. He knew how close it had to have been for her, as he had felt a light buzz from their connection. He didn't say anything, hoping she'd pull through. When she did, he saw her relief, and thought she'd be okay. If he was honest with himself about it, that was the first time today his worries didn't overshadow his hopes.
While Mr. Gordon was pleased that this was going so well, he had another concern. This was all light stuff, nothing out of the ordinary. What was going to happen the first time she got cut off, or had somebody in front of her slow down unexpectedly, or any of the other of semi-emergency things that all drivers have to deal with, more often than they realize? Still, she was getting her confidence back, and that would likely help when the time came.
When they came over the next hill, they all saw the dog in the road well before it saw them.
~
When the rest of the caravan got there, Jo's habit of slowing as she crested a hill made her stop when she saw the car stopped in the road relatively easy. It also made it easier for Daniella, who was driving behind her, and thus had to slow when Jo had. Thinking quickly, Jo circled her car around to park it just before the crest of the hill, so oncoming cars could see it far sooner. Setting her hazzard lights on, she helped Lizzie and Gordo out of the car, then began walking to where Gordo's car was.
Daniella had pulled up to Gordo's car. She was very worried about what she was likely to see. Although the car didn't look damaged from this angle, that didn't mean the front couldn't be bad. Even if nothing happened, what condition might Miranda be in if the whatever had been too close? Dreading this, yet needing to know and try to help, she got out of her car at walked to the front of Gordo's car.
The scene that greeted her was one of the last things she expected. Miranda was crouched down, talking gently to a dog. Her hand was out slightly, but she was being careful not to touch it. The dog looked hurt, but wasn't pulling way. If anything, the dog almost looked like it was asking for help with its eyes. "Be careful," she cautioned gently, "you don't know him."
"That's what I said." Matt grumbled. He sounded annoyed, but his face was glowing. "But she insisted on trying to make friends."
"I thought you liked dogs." Miranda said sweetly, trying not to spook the animal.
"I do, but I also know that a hurt animal is the animal most likely to attack, out of fear." She gave him a sideways look. "Gordo has PBS, I have Animal Planet."
"I'm inclined to agree with Matt." Mr. Gordon added. "But this fellow seems to like you."
"What happened?" Jo had just reached them.
"We came over the hill, and this guy was in the middle of our lane." Miranda answered. "Gordo's brakes must be in top shape, because I couldn't believe it when I managed to stop the car without hitting him."
"The dog didn't move. He looks hurt, but she didn't touch him. I think he just wasn't able to react with this hip like it is."
When she moved for a better look at the hip in question, she had to agree. Even to her inexperienced eyes, it looked bad.
Lizzie and Gordo finally hobbled up, and were as surprised as the rest. "Are you okay?" Lizzie asked.
They told them what happened. Gordo's reaction was to say what, if not for the dog, would have been obvious. "Congratulations, Miranda."
It took a moment for what he was getting at to register with her what he meant. As it hit her, Matt told him, in a slightly annoyed voice. "Thanks. I was going to wait for her to realize it." When she looked up at him, though, he didn't look upset. He looked relieved . . . and proud.
She turned back when she felt something on her hand. Apparently, the dog had decided she could be trusted, because he was pressing his nose against her palm.
~~~~~~~~
"How're you doing?" Matt asked her yet again. They were in the Sanchez game room, winding down from the day's events.
Miranda rolled her eyes, but understood his concern. He had admitted that he had felt her reaction to the first incoming car. But she suspected his concern now was something else. "I'm fine, Matt. I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting that." 'That' involved their trip to the animal hospital. After a through exam, the veterinarian determined that the dog's injuries were too severe. In fact, they suspected that's why he didn't move to get out of the car's way, because he was simply too hurt to react. Even if he survived surgery, which was doubtful, he'd be in pain the rest of his life. The only real option was to humanely put him down. While she knew it could happen, she'd grown attached to the dog, and had allowed her hope he'd be saved override her reasoning. While she didn't break down at the news, it was obvious to everyone she was upset. "As nice as he was, he must have been someone's pet, not so long ago."
That's when the light dawned. "You were hoping you could make him be a pet again, weren't you?" He'd been so concerned over her reaction, he hadn't made that connection until just now. "I thought I was the only one who wanted a dog."
"I hadn't thought about it much, but do you remember finding that mother dog and her pups under your back patio?"
He had to laugh. "I remember. Lanny, Melina, and I thought the house was haunted, but it was just the pups whining. I asked for one, but mom and dad said I wasn't mature enough for it."
"I'd asked my folks for one of those pups. But Lily was still so small, they didn't want to take a chance. I guess I just put it out of my mind."
"Until today."
"Yeah."
Matt didn't know how to answer the sound in her voice. She obviously wanted a dog, but he wasn't exactly in a position to do that himself. On the other hand, there would be any harm in his asking her parents. Deciding to do that when she wasn't around, he changed the subject. "Do you realize how long it's been since either of us had a rough night?"
She turned to him, surprised both by the question, and the fact that she had to think about the answer. When she finally answered, she looked surprised. "About ten days."
"Remember what the doctor send a couple Wednesdays ago about separate rooms?"
"Yeah."
"Why didn't he saw anything about trying it tonight?"
"I don't know, unless he thinks I might have a problem over the dog."
Matt looked at her with the face she'd seen a lot since the crash. She knew the question before he asked it. "Do you like you'll have a problem?"
"I doubt it. But, I think we'll wait to ask about it until tomorrow. Another night next to you is always a good thing."
She'd have been annoyed that he didn't blush at that remark, except for the fact that she found how he did react quite pleasurable.
~~~~~~~~
Next chapter: The next big test for Matt and Miranda.