Author's Note: Here's chapter fourteen! Sorry for the late update! I had
a little writer's block with this story, but I think I'm "unblocked" now,
and I've come up with a twist that you'll hopefully find interesting and
provocative. The twist will come in either the next or following chapter.
We're almost there! Please read and review. Thanks -- HM
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David slowly opened his eyes and gazed at his surroundings. Everything was white, and he couldn't tell if he was inside a room or just floating in a sea of whiteness.
Where am I? Am I dreaming?
The last thing he remembered was being rendered unconscious when a stray vampire bat flew into his house and knocked him to the floor. And now, he was here in an unknown place, unsure about exactly what was going on.
Or, maybe . . . maybe this is heaven . . . .
"Well, it's sort of like heaven, David, you're right," said a voice from behind. The voice sounded awfully familiar . . . .
He turned around to see Lizzie standing just a few feet away from him. "Lizzie???!? Is that really you?"
"Who else would it be, Mr. Gordon?" She smiled.
He stood there, transfixed, gazing in awe at the sight of his friend, *alive!* He took a step towards her, and he intently examined her face and body, slowly noticing that it was indeed his friend, Lizzie McGuire, but she was . . . older, she looked like as if she was in her late forties or early fifties. Still, he thought, still . . . she still is unbelievably beautiful, oh my god . . . .
She blushed, smiled, and said, "Thanks, David. That's awfully sweet of you to say, thank you."
He inched another step closer to her. "You-you can read my mind?"
She nodded in affirmance.
"I must be dreaming, right?"
"No, David, you're not dreaming. Yes, you're unconscious, and this is all happening in your mind, but, this is all real, this is really happening."
"Are you - are you, really -"
"Lizzie? Yes and no, Gordo, yes and no. It's so very hard to explain, but, hmmm, I'll give a try . . . I'm really you're own vision of me, you're projection of what I would be like if I had lived and grown older. Does that make any sense?"
"Not really, no."
She laughed. "I totally understand your confusion, David, I really do. But, it doesn't have to make sense for you to accept me, to be here with me." She leaned into him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him softly on his lips.
As she kissed him, he closed his eyes, shivering from the warmth and tenderness flowing from the touch of her lips.
He opened his eyes to see a much younger Lizzie this time, a Lizzie who looked like she was in her late twenties. Instinctively, he whispered to her, "You're so beautiful, Lizzie."
She giggled, buried her face in his chest, and responded softly, "I love you, David, I love you so much Just believe in me, David, believe in me."
"I - I-I'm not sure that I can, Lizzie, I --I'm sorry," he responded. He broke off contact and backed away from her.
She stood there and gave him a somber look. "I know, I know, and that's why you didn't wake up in time to talk to Gordo, that's why you didn't save me, that's in part the reason that I die."
"No! I don't want to hear that! You can't blame me for your death, you can't! It's not my fault, it's not my fault that Jimmy went insane and killed you!" He cried.
"Oh, David, of course not! I'm not blaming you at all," she responded. She cautiously stepped towards him and embraced him. "No, it's not about that at all."
He started to break down in tears. "I-I'm so sorry Lizzie, I'm so sorry . . . ."
She peered directly into his eyes, smiled, and whispered, "There's nothing to be sorry about, okay? Believe in me, David, but more importantly, believe in yourself."
"It's just so hard, you know?"
"Mm-hmm. I know, sweetie, I know. But, you must understand, David, this is not about saving me, this is really about saving yourself, this is really about saving your soul, your beautiful, wonderful, amazing soul."
"I - I don't know . . . ."
"Yes, yes, you do, you do, David, deep in your heart, you do. The question is, are you going to choose to believe in yourself, or are you going to choose to believe in your doubts and fears?"
With his head spinning, he held on tightly to her, feeling the confidence and love within her seep and flow into his very being. "I - I want to believe in myself, I do, I really do, Lizzie."
"Then, you have to wake up, David! Wake up!" She urged.
"You're right, you're right, I've gotta get up, I've gotta talk to Gordo!"
She smiled, kissed him, and then said, "Just remember, I love you, okay? No matter what happens, I'll always love you."
"I will, Lizzie, I will," he replied, with a renewed confidence and vigor.
"And, Gordo? I'll see you soon, okay? I'll see you soon . . . ."
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"Ohhhh, man, my head," he groaned as he picked himself up from the floor. He carefully rubbed the tender spot where his head violently met the rock- hard tiled floor. "Ow!!" Okay, okay, lesson number one, don't touch the spot where it hurts.
Dazed, groggy, and confused, he stood up, regained a hold of his senses, then slowly began making his way to the living room alcove, to the ham radio.
Come on, come on, man, you gotta get there, you gotta get there for Gordo . . . .
As he neared the ham radio, he could hear Gordo's voice trying to reach out to him.
"David, are you there? Alright, looks like I missed you. I'm gonna head back to Lizzie's, I'll try to contact you tomorrow."
Hold on, hold on, don't go yet!
Even though it seemed like it took an eternity, he finally reached the ham radio. He grabbed the microphone and yelled, "Gordo! It's me! Don't go yet!"
"David? Is that you? Wow, I was just about to sign off! I just want to tell you that we did it! Lizzie's alive!"
"I know, Gordo, and I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks, David. Man, it was such an intense night, though, I gotta tell you -"
"Gordo! Stop, you've got to listen to me. It's not over yet, we haven't saved Lizzie yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm going to have to tell you this quickly, because you need to get back to Lizzie as soon as you can."
"Okay, tell me, David, please."
"We saved Lizzie for now, but she dies again when she's 23. She ended up marrying Jimmy and one day Jimmy just lost it and killed her and himself. She's still dead, Gordo, she's still dead!"
"Oh my god, oh no, oh no, oh geez, oh geez . . . ."
"Gordo, listen to me, we can do something about this, you can do something about this."
"What David? What can I do? I mean, do you want me to wait seven years and then try to stop Jimmy?"
"No, no, you can stop that from happening tonight. Here's what you've have to do . . . . "
"What? What? Tell me and I'll do it, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Gordo, you have to tell Lizzie how you feel about her. You have to tell her you love her, that we love her."
"What???? I can't do that, David! Especially not tonight, she hates me, she truly hates me. Oh man, David, I said such awful things to her, I couldn't control myself, I didn't know what was happening to me, I was such an awful friend, I'm sorry, man, I almost blew it."
"No, no, no! That's exactly the attitude that drove her to Jimmy! Trust me, Gordo, trust me . . . you have to tell her that you love her, you got that?"
David's question was met with silence.
"Gordo? You still there?"
"Yeah, David, I'm just thinking, and I've gotta tell you, the thought of telling Lizzie how I feel about her is absolutely terrifying to me."
David laughed, smiled, and then said, "Gordo, you're talking to me, remember? Of course I know how you feel!"
"Oh, yeah, duh! I keep forgetting that I'm really talking to myself sometimes. Sorry, David!"
"No problem, Gordo. This is all so strange, isn't it? Anyway, like I said, you have to trust me and tell her the truth. Don't be afraid of her, don't let her anger and hurt make you distant and cold. She needs you, she needs us. Believe in me, believe in yourself."
"I-I don't know . . . ."
David was beginning to feel frustrated with Gordo's resistance.
Calm down, calm down, you're only getting mad at yourself, you know that? Be supportive, be supportive, that's what he needs from you right now.
"Gordo, I know you can do it. Yeah, it's scary, but, you need to do it for us, for Lizzie, and for Jimmy. Lizzie and Jimmy were never meant to be together, they were never meant to die before their lives truly began. You got that?"
"Yeah, I guess . . . ."
"Listen to me, Gordo. Here's the god's honest truth."
"Yeah?"
"You're meant to be with Lizzie, I'm meant to be with Lizzie. We love her, she loves us. It's the absolute truth, I know it."
"Re-really? You think? That, you know, she could . . . truly love me, too?"
"Yes! She's meant for us, Gordo, believe in that, okay? And believe in yourself. And I know you, you'll figure out a way to tell her, I know you will. Now, you've got to go, get back there right now!"
"Alright, David, I'm off. And thanks for everything."
"You're welcome, Gordo. And look, if I don't get a chance to talk to you again, you take care of yourself, alright? And take care of Lizzie for me, too."
"I will. I'll try to contact you tomorrow and tell you what happened. Bye David, over and out."
Goodbye Gordo, he muttered to himself, and good luck . . . .
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10:25 p.m. - TWELVE YEARS EARLIER
Gordo turned off the ham radio, gathered his belongings, and began to walk out the door. Just as he had one foot out the door, he stopped, turned around, looked at the ham radio, and then thought to himself, waitaminute, why not take the radio with me to Lizzie's? That way if something happens or something starts to go wrong, I could contact David on the radio and get some advice . . . .
He stood there for a few more seconds then he decided to act on his idea. Luckily, his ham radio was small and portable and easy to set up. He carefully unplugged the radio, put it in a laundry bag, and then carried it with him to the car.
A few minutes later, he was back at Lizzie's house. He set the ham radio in Sam's office next to the kitchen and then went upstairs to tell Lizzie that he was back. He walked towards the bathroom, and he could hear her inside, using a hairblower to dry her hair. The door was slightly ajar, so he gently knocked, and said, "Lizzie? It's me, Gordo, I'm back."
She turned off the hairblower and opened the door. She was in a bathrobe, with her hair wrapped in a towel. She did not have a pleasant look on her face. "Great, you're here," she said in a sharp, monotone voice.
Uh-oh, he thought. Guess she's still upset with me. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Terrible, Gordo, terrible. How would you feel after you've been tackled and pummeled by someone in the pouring rain?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry, you know -"
"Whatever, Gordo. Did you bring me the medicine?"
"Yeah, it's downstairs. You want me to bring it up to you?"
"Don't bother. I'll be down in a second."
"Oh, sure, sure, Lizzie, sure. I'll, ah, be waiting downstairs and -"
SLAM!
Before he could finish his sentence, she whipped the bathroom door in his face.
Oh geez, this is not going well. He looked up at the ceiling and muttered, David, how am I going to tell her I love her when she looks like she wants to have me for lunch right now?
As he trudged down the stairs, he suddenly smiled to himself as he remembered what David kept telling him just a few minutes ago . . . believe in yourself, trust yourself, you'll figure out a way . . . .
And with that thought, he sprinted down the stairs and headed towards Sam's office and to his ham radio . . . .
I've got an idea, and it just might work, it actually just might work . . . .
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David slowly opened his eyes and gazed at his surroundings. Everything was white, and he couldn't tell if he was inside a room or just floating in a sea of whiteness.
Where am I? Am I dreaming?
The last thing he remembered was being rendered unconscious when a stray vampire bat flew into his house and knocked him to the floor. And now, he was here in an unknown place, unsure about exactly what was going on.
Or, maybe . . . maybe this is heaven . . . .
"Well, it's sort of like heaven, David, you're right," said a voice from behind. The voice sounded awfully familiar . . . .
He turned around to see Lizzie standing just a few feet away from him. "Lizzie???!? Is that really you?"
"Who else would it be, Mr. Gordon?" She smiled.
He stood there, transfixed, gazing in awe at the sight of his friend, *alive!* He took a step towards her, and he intently examined her face and body, slowly noticing that it was indeed his friend, Lizzie McGuire, but she was . . . older, she looked like as if she was in her late forties or early fifties. Still, he thought, still . . . she still is unbelievably beautiful, oh my god . . . .
She blushed, smiled, and said, "Thanks, David. That's awfully sweet of you to say, thank you."
He inched another step closer to her. "You-you can read my mind?"
She nodded in affirmance.
"I must be dreaming, right?"
"No, David, you're not dreaming. Yes, you're unconscious, and this is all happening in your mind, but, this is all real, this is really happening."
"Are you - are you, really -"
"Lizzie? Yes and no, Gordo, yes and no. It's so very hard to explain, but, hmmm, I'll give a try . . . I'm really you're own vision of me, you're projection of what I would be like if I had lived and grown older. Does that make any sense?"
"Not really, no."
She laughed. "I totally understand your confusion, David, I really do. But, it doesn't have to make sense for you to accept me, to be here with me." She leaned into him, wrapped her arms around him and kissed him softly on his lips.
As she kissed him, he closed his eyes, shivering from the warmth and tenderness flowing from the touch of her lips.
He opened his eyes to see a much younger Lizzie this time, a Lizzie who looked like she was in her late twenties. Instinctively, he whispered to her, "You're so beautiful, Lizzie."
She giggled, buried her face in his chest, and responded softly, "I love you, David, I love you so much Just believe in me, David, believe in me."
"I - I-I'm not sure that I can, Lizzie, I --I'm sorry," he responded. He broke off contact and backed away from her.
She stood there and gave him a somber look. "I know, I know, and that's why you didn't wake up in time to talk to Gordo, that's why you didn't save me, that's in part the reason that I die."
"No! I don't want to hear that! You can't blame me for your death, you can't! It's not my fault, it's not my fault that Jimmy went insane and killed you!" He cried.
"Oh, David, of course not! I'm not blaming you at all," she responded. She cautiously stepped towards him and embraced him. "No, it's not about that at all."
He started to break down in tears. "I-I'm so sorry Lizzie, I'm so sorry . . . ."
She peered directly into his eyes, smiled, and whispered, "There's nothing to be sorry about, okay? Believe in me, David, but more importantly, believe in yourself."
"It's just so hard, you know?"
"Mm-hmm. I know, sweetie, I know. But, you must understand, David, this is not about saving me, this is really about saving yourself, this is really about saving your soul, your beautiful, wonderful, amazing soul."
"I - I don't know . . . ."
"Yes, yes, you do, you do, David, deep in your heart, you do. The question is, are you going to choose to believe in yourself, or are you going to choose to believe in your doubts and fears?"
With his head spinning, he held on tightly to her, feeling the confidence and love within her seep and flow into his very being. "I - I want to believe in myself, I do, I really do, Lizzie."
"Then, you have to wake up, David! Wake up!" She urged.
"You're right, you're right, I've gotta get up, I've gotta talk to Gordo!"
She smiled, kissed him, and then said, "Just remember, I love you, okay? No matter what happens, I'll always love you."
"I will, Lizzie, I will," he replied, with a renewed confidence and vigor.
"And, Gordo? I'll see you soon, okay? I'll see you soon . . . ."
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"Ohhhh, man, my head," he groaned as he picked himself up from the floor. He carefully rubbed the tender spot where his head violently met the rock- hard tiled floor. "Ow!!" Okay, okay, lesson number one, don't touch the spot where it hurts.
Dazed, groggy, and confused, he stood up, regained a hold of his senses, then slowly began making his way to the living room alcove, to the ham radio.
Come on, come on, man, you gotta get there, you gotta get there for Gordo . . . .
As he neared the ham radio, he could hear Gordo's voice trying to reach out to him.
"David, are you there? Alright, looks like I missed you. I'm gonna head back to Lizzie's, I'll try to contact you tomorrow."
Hold on, hold on, don't go yet!
Even though it seemed like it took an eternity, he finally reached the ham radio. He grabbed the microphone and yelled, "Gordo! It's me! Don't go yet!"
"David? Is that you? Wow, I was just about to sign off! I just want to tell you that we did it! Lizzie's alive!"
"I know, Gordo, and I'm really proud of you."
"Thanks, David. Man, it was such an intense night, though, I gotta tell you -"
"Gordo! Stop, you've got to listen to me. It's not over yet, we haven't saved Lizzie yet."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I'm going to have to tell you this quickly, because you need to get back to Lizzie as soon as you can."
"Okay, tell me, David, please."
"We saved Lizzie for now, but she dies again when she's 23. She ended up marrying Jimmy and one day Jimmy just lost it and killed her and himself. She's still dead, Gordo, she's still dead!"
"Oh my god, oh no, oh no, oh geez, oh geez . . . ."
"Gordo, listen to me, we can do something about this, you can do something about this."
"What David? What can I do? I mean, do you want me to wait seven years and then try to stop Jimmy?"
"No, no, you can stop that from happening tonight. Here's what you've have to do . . . . "
"What? What? Tell me and I'll do it, I'll do whatever it takes."
"Gordo, you have to tell Lizzie how you feel about her. You have to tell her you love her, that we love her."
"What???? I can't do that, David! Especially not tonight, she hates me, she truly hates me. Oh man, David, I said such awful things to her, I couldn't control myself, I didn't know what was happening to me, I was such an awful friend, I'm sorry, man, I almost blew it."
"No, no, no! That's exactly the attitude that drove her to Jimmy! Trust me, Gordo, trust me . . . you have to tell her that you love her, you got that?"
David's question was met with silence.
"Gordo? You still there?"
"Yeah, David, I'm just thinking, and I've gotta tell you, the thought of telling Lizzie how I feel about her is absolutely terrifying to me."
David laughed, smiled, and then said, "Gordo, you're talking to me, remember? Of course I know how you feel!"
"Oh, yeah, duh! I keep forgetting that I'm really talking to myself sometimes. Sorry, David!"
"No problem, Gordo. This is all so strange, isn't it? Anyway, like I said, you have to trust me and tell her the truth. Don't be afraid of her, don't let her anger and hurt make you distant and cold. She needs you, she needs us. Believe in me, believe in yourself."
"I-I don't know . . . ."
David was beginning to feel frustrated with Gordo's resistance.
Calm down, calm down, you're only getting mad at yourself, you know that? Be supportive, be supportive, that's what he needs from you right now.
"Gordo, I know you can do it. Yeah, it's scary, but, you need to do it for us, for Lizzie, and for Jimmy. Lizzie and Jimmy were never meant to be together, they were never meant to die before their lives truly began. You got that?"
"Yeah, I guess . . . ."
"Listen to me, Gordo. Here's the god's honest truth."
"Yeah?"
"You're meant to be with Lizzie, I'm meant to be with Lizzie. We love her, she loves us. It's the absolute truth, I know it."
"Re-really? You think? That, you know, she could . . . truly love me, too?"
"Yes! She's meant for us, Gordo, believe in that, okay? And believe in yourself. And I know you, you'll figure out a way to tell her, I know you will. Now, you've got to go, get back there right now!"
"Alright, David, I'm off. And thanks for everything."
"You're welcome, Gordo. And look, if I don't get a chance to talk to you again, you take care of yourself, alright? And take care of Lizzie for me, too."
"I will. I'll try to contact you tomorrow and tell you what happened. Bye David, over and out."
Goodbye Gordo, he muttered to himself, and good luck . . . .
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10:25 p.m. - TWELVE YEARS EARLIER
Gordo turned off the ham radio, gathered his belongings, and began to walk out the door. Just as he had one foot out the door, he stopped, turned around, looked at the ham radio, and then thought to himself, waitaminute, why not take the radio with me to Lizzie's? That way if something happens or something starts to go wrong, I could contact David on the radio and get some advice . . . .
He stood there for a few more seconds then he decided to act on his idea. Luckily, his ham radio was small and portable and easy to set up. He carefully unplugged the radio, put it in a laundry bag, and then carried it with him to the car.
A few minutes later, he was back at Lizzie's house. He set the ham radio in Sam's office next to the kitchen and then went upstairs to tell Lizzie that he was back. He walked towards the bathroom, and he could hear her inside, using a hairblower to dry her hair. The door was slightly ajar, so he gently knocked, and said, "Lizzie? It's me, Gordo, I'm back."
She turned off the hairblower and opened the door. She was in a bathrobe, with her hair wrapped in a towel. She did not have a pleasant look on her face. "Great, you're here," she said in a sharp, monotone voice.
Uh-oh, he thought. Guess she's still upset with me. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Terrible, Gordo, terrible. How would you feel after you've been tackled and pummeled by someone in the pouring rain?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry, you know -"
"Whatever, Gordo. Did you bring me the medicine?"
"Yeah, it's downstairs. You want me to bring it up to you?"
"Don't bother. I'll be down in a second."
"Oh, sure, sure, Lizzie, sure. I'll, ah, be waiting downstairs and -"
SLAM!
Before he could finish his sentence, she whipped the bathroom door in his face.
Oh geez, this is not going well. He looked up at the ceiling and muttered, David, how am I going to tell her I love her when she looks like she wants to have me for lunch right now?
As he trudged down the stairs, he suddenly smiled to himself as he remembered what David kept telling him just a few minutes ago . . . believe in yourself, trust yourself, you'll figure out a way . . . .
And with that thought, he sprinted down the stairs and headed towards Sam's office and to his ham radio . . . .
I've got an idea, and it just might work, it actually just might work . . . .