A/N: I do not own the song "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper.
NOTE: Well, here it is, after many a request, the final chapter of "Matters of the Heart: Lizzie & Gordo". Yes, it is the end of their strange love story… for now. As I am sure many readers know, I am writing a sequel, which is almost a totally separate story completely, but it does go by the events of this story. Before I continue, I would like to thank my many reviewers, especially those who were patient with me. Thanks to: bandgeek4ever, lizzieygordo4ever, Mrs. Gyllenhaal, JoJoLookAlike1220, jwismysunnyday, selliefan16, loopylou1, and anyone else who I forgot!!!
And now, the final chapter…
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Chapter Eighteen: Time After Time
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The night of Lizzie's first dress rehearsal was brisk and breezy, accented with the scent of sauces and spices floating on the wind. Lizzie sat in her room at her antique vanity table, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her balcony doors were wide open, letting in the peaceful, motherly glow of the full moon. It looked the setting of a romantic fairytale: the doors open, letting in the moonlight, breezes playfully blowing the velvet drapes around. And there sat Lizzie, looking like a princess. Her blonde hair hung in loose curls over her bare shoulders. She was wearing a strapless emerald-colored dress that had been made just for her by Isabella's personal designers. Her make-up was flawless; it looked very natural, but her eyes stood out, accentuated by forest green eyeshadow and dark, dark mascara. Lizzie stared at herself in the mirror, looking into her own deep, penetrating eyes, and being relieved that for once she could be by herself and not be crying. Ever since she got to Rome, the minute her body knew that no one else was around, she wept like a baby. How was Gordo having this effect on her? He was just… Gordo. Just Gordo! Why was she acting like this? Now staring at the dolled-up, dry-eyed girl in the mirror and wishing she could smash her face, Lizzie asked herself that question over and over again.
-Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you. Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new-
Feeling exhausted from all the tears of days past, Lizzie stood up slowly and walked across the vast, elegant room to her bedside table. On it was a notepad with some scribbled song lyrics on it. Lizzie sat down on her bed and stared blankly at the words – words that she had penned – and felt so empty. The song was called "My Apology" and she had written it with the help of Isabella's songwriters. She had just needed help with the music. The words had come automatically.
I'm sending out this S.O.S. Help me now; I'm in distress.
Drowning in your dark brown eyes, I never knew heartache came in such a beautiful disguise.
I always knew heaven sent its angels to meet up with poor young fools like me. But I never thought that I'd be so blessed to have an angel want to be with me. Now you're gone, babe, and now I know that heaven was smiling on me. But if you can hear me from wherever you are, I just want you to know that this is my apology.
Before Lizzie could go on reading, there was a knock at the door.
"Um, come in," Lizzie shouted.
Jo McGuire poked her head in the door. "You almost ready?" she asked, smiling.
Lizzie nodded. As soon as her mom was gone, she sighed and fell back on her bed. She felt too tired to go through a whole grueling dress rehearsal. The day after she arrived they had regular rehearsal, and that had worn her out. But this would be hell. Costume changes, lighting tests, making sure everything was perfect. The kick-off show of the tour was in three days here in Rome. Lizzie felt very rushed. Usually, tours took months of planning and rehearsing. This one was fast. People all across Italy were eager to see Lizzie and Isabella perform together.
But Lizzie wanted to see Gordo.
-Flashback – warm nights – almost left behind. Suitcases of memories, time after time-
A cold breeze swept through the large room. Lizzie shivered and ran to close the balcony doors. But as she went to do so, she was distracted by the sights outside. Rome glittered in the night, the city looking as if it was a mirror of the sky that was sprinkled with golden-yellow stars. Lizzie sighed. Even looking at this incredible view, all she could think of was Gordo.
'He would love this,' she thought. 'He would think this is amazing.'
-Sometimes you picture me. I'm walking too far ahead. You're calling to me. I can't hear what you've said-
Lizzie was startled at the sudden grip of a warm hand on her shoulder. She jumped.
"Calm down, sorella (A/N: "sister")," Isabella said. "It's just me."
Lizzie smiled at her. "Sorry. You scared me for a second."
Isabella rested her arms on the balcony railing and looked out over the same magnificent view.
"Esso mai cambiamenti," she whispered.
"Huh?" Lizzie said.
Isabella sighed. "It never changes." She turned to Lizzie, her face glowing against the scene behind her. "You know, Lizzie, wars can turn cities into dust, and time can turn buildings into stone, but the essence of the city stays the same. Rome has always been the same, no matter what you do to it on the outside." She paused for a moment and grinned at Lizzie all-knowingly. "Cities are like people that way."
Lizzie was silent for a moment. She waited for her Italian counterpart to say more, but she just stole one more glance at the view, sniffed the air, and turned to leave.
The air suddenly felt light. The silence was broken by the sound of an airplane piercing through the dark sky. Memories filtered into her mind all too quickly and she ran from the room, closing the doors behind her.
-What you've said, then you say, "Go slow." I fall behind. The second hand unwinds-
In the limo on the way to rehearsal, Lizzie was silent. Isabella was speaking Italian to her agent on her cell phone. The scenes of the city blurred past them. Lizzie thought she was maybe going crazy, but every blur looked like Gordo's face. The sound of cars honking inside her head was his absent laugh. She thought she might cry again, but she held it in.
'Maybe I'll call him tonight,' she thought. She rubbed her head miserably. 'He probably won't ever speak to me again.'
Lizzie didn't know it, but as that very thought ran through her brain, Gordo was getting off of an airplane.
-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-
"How can we find her, Grandma?" Gordo said to Ruth Gordon as they rushed through the airport.
"Think, honey," she said as she grabbed pamphlet after pamphlet from racks as they passed them. "Miranda said that she's staying at Isabella's villa."
"Yea, but we don't know where that is," said normal, logical Gordo. "Besides, even if we did, we couldn't walk right up to the front gates and say, 'Yes, we're here to see Lizzie McGuire.'"
Ruth patted her grandson's head. "Honey buns, calm down. We'll find her." She shuffled through her pamphlets. "I'm sure that there's something in here about the tour."
Gordo sighed. His patience was wearing thin. He wanted to see Lizzie now. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was and how much he loved her. Didn't that show? He came all the way to Rome to win her back. He looked up at the ceiling, praying to God for a sign.
"I cannot believe we're going to see Isabella's dress rehearsal!" an Australian girl standing next to Gordo suddenly squealed. "Seeing the concert is one thing, but the rehearsal will be so much more intimate! Maybe we'll get to talk to her! Or the other girl, Lizzie!"
Gordo's heart froze in his chest. He couldn't even believe his ears. He slowly turned to face the girl who had just said those life-saving words. She and a group of others were walking in the direction of the exit. Gordo ran to catch up with them, but not before mouthing "Thank you" up to the heavens.
-After my picture fades and the darkness has turned to gray, watching through windows, you're wondering if I'm okay-
Before the actual rehearsal began, Isabella had to go over a lot of things with stage crew and the dancers. And just when they were about to begin, Isabella's agent, Gianfranco Colloquio, showed up and they argued for another half hour. Lizzie just stood around, soaking in everything about the stage. Her mind really began to wander. She looked at the stage from all directiosn. From the back row, the stage seemed funny because when you think about it, the stage is just a big display case. Everyone is just watching what's going on on this big platform, specifically there to put people on display. Upon realizing this, Lizzie suddenly became very nervous. Her heart hummed and her palms began to sweat. She felt like she was going to throw up. She needed Gordo there to make her feel better, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She looked around for him, even though she knew he wasn't there. That only made her more nervous.
-Secrets stolen from deep inside. The drum beats out of time-
"Taxi!" Ruth Gordon shouted from the side of the road, waving her hands in the air. "Taxi! Taxi!" She turned to Gordo. "What's the Italian word for taxi?"
Gordo huffed. He pulled a crisp twenty out of his pocket and waved it up in the air. Within moments, one of the speeding cars going by quickly swerved to the side. The driver poked his head out of the window.
"Where can I take you nice people?"
Gordo threw his bags in the trunk and slid into the backseat of the cab, his grandma right behind him.
"The Centro di Intrattenimento," Gordo told the driver. "And step on it." (A/N: Not a real place. It means 'entertainment center'.)
"Ooh, this is so exciting," Ruth said as the cab sped off down the street. "This is much better than any roadside diner."
Gordo only nodded. His eyes were glued to the zooming lights of traffic in the dark night. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart in his ears.
-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-
Lizzie was peaking around the wings of the stage when Isabella suddenly popped through the stage door.
"Sorry about that," she said. "We are ready to begin. Are you?"
Lizzie nodded, still nervous.
"Good," Isabella said with a smile. "You're up first."
"What?" Lizzie shouted. "I thought my song was, like, one of the last ones!"
"It is," Isabella replied as she put a headset on Lizzie, "but they want to run through it once before we do the show from the top. Besides, I feel horrible. You've been standing around for almost an hour!"
Lizzie was about to protest when suddenly the stage manager said through a microphone, "Lizzie, you're up."
"Lizzie, go!" Isabella said, pushing her onto the stage. Lizzie suddenly found herself under one hot spotlight. The music began. It felt like graduation all over again.
-You said go, "Go slow." I fall behind. The second hand unwinds-
Gordo paid the taxi driver (even though all he had was American money) and hopped out of the cab the second they came to a stop in front of the gigantic hall.
"David, honey, I'll get the bags," his grandmother said to him. "You just go and find Lizzie."
Gordo smiled. "Thanks for everything, grandma."
She kissed his forehead. "Go get her."
Idiot Gordo in control of his mind and body once again, Gordo raced through the front door. The lobby was completely empty except for two huge security guards standing in front of the stage doors. They eyed him as he walked across the room.
'Uh oh,' Gordo thought. 'Didn't think of this.'
"Scusi," one of them said to Gordo. "What are you doing here?"
"Um, I'm just here to see Lizzie McGuire," Gordo replied. "I'm a friend of hers, David Gordon."
The other guy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't care if you're the Pope. No pass, no go."
'Damn it,' Gordo thought. 'What do I do now? King of Norway joke? God, who am I kidding?'
"What's going on here?" came a voice behind Gordo.
He spun around. It was the Australian girl from the airport with her friends. Around there necks were laminated passes with a picture of Lizzie and Isabella on them.
"Ah, Miss Walker," said the first guard. "We have been waiting for you." He opened the door slightly. "Come on in, you and your guests."
The girl ignored the guard. She sauntered over to Gordo.
"You're the boy from the airport," she said. "You're the one that asked me where the rehearsal was."
Gordo nodded.
"A.J.," one of her friends piped up, "that's the guy that's dating Lizzie McGuire. Remember? We read about him in all those magazines."
A.J. looked at Gordo and cocked her head to the side. "Oh, that's where I know your face from! You're David Gordon!"
Gordo could not believe his luck. "Yes!" he shouted. "I came here to see Lizzie!"
"And you can't get into the auditorium," she said.
"Not without one of those," he said, pointing to her pass.
"Huh," said A.J. "That is a problem." Suddenly, she grinned at him. "Why don't you come in with us?"
"What?" Gordo said.
"I won't take no for an answer," she said.
"Okay," said Gordo, feeling so happy. "But I'm with my grandma."
"No problem," said A.J. She turned to the guards. "Please let Mr. Gordon and his grandmother into the rehearsal."
"Yes, Miss Walker," the guards said in unison.
"Thanks!" Gordo shouted. "How do you have this type of power?"
"My dad is the Australian ambassador to Italy," A.J. answered. She and her friends began through the doors, whispering and giggling. "C'mon, David!" she said, pulling him into the room.
The moment Gordo stepped into the auditorium, music began playing. The room was dark except for one lone spotlight shining down on a figure on the stage. Gordo's mouth fell to the floor. It was Lizzie. He always knew she was an angel, but now she looked like one.
Lizzie stood on the stage, afraid to open her mouth. 'Okay, just count to five and sing. One, two, three, four, five…'
She began to sing. The words escaped her mind right before she opened her mouth, but then she remembered them. She closed her eyes and imagined that Gordo was there, watching her. It only made her feel better because this song was her apology to him. She wished he could hear her.
Just the sound of Lizzie's voice made Gordo's heart soar. He felt paralyzed. He felt like he was dying. Seeing her, hearing her beautiful voice (A/N: I personally don't think that Hilary Duff can sing for crap, but I'll lie on behalf of Gordo's conscience) made him want to shout at the top of his lungs how sorry he was.
Just as she was finishing up the chorus and getting ready to move on to the second verse, Lizzie thought she saw someone walking down the center aisle, but it was hard to tell because of the light in her eyes. She continued to sing as the figure came closer and closer.
"When you pull me close to dance, life's nothing but your undying romance. You taught me so many amazing things. When I couldn't fly, you gave me your wings."
Suddenly, Lizzie could see it. Gordo's face. She thought maybe she was just seeing things (after all, she missed him a lot), but he walked all the way up to the front row and sat down in a chair, his mouth gapping, just staring up at her.
Lizzie just froze. Isabella whispered to her from the wing, "Lizzie! Keep singing!" Her mouth hung open. She just stared at Gordo. So there they were, two idiots staring at each with open mouths.
The music stopped. "Lizzie, what are you doing?" the stage manager called.
She got back to reality long enough to say into her mic, "Gimme five, Antonio, okay?" Without waiting for his reply, shehopped down off of the stage and walked over to Gordo. He stood up. They were face-to-face. For what seemed like forever, they stood there as if they couldn't believe the other one was in front of them.
Suddenly, Lizzie burst into tears and threw her arms around Gordo. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed. Once Gordo got over the shock of the moment, he wrapped his arms around her as well. He patted her hair and held her tightly, almost as if to see if see was real. And she was. They stood there, locked in a long-awaited embrace, apologizing without saying anything.
-If you're lost, you can look at you will find me time after time. If you fall, I will catch you. I'll be waiting time after time-
Lizzie pulled her head back. "Oh Gordo, I missed you so much!"
He pushed her hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.
"I missed you, too," he whispered. He held her closer. "I just came all this way to tell you that I am so sorry. I was a total and complete jerk. I should have respected your feelings and –"
He was cut off as Lizzie pressed her lips to his.
'Just as I remember,' she thought happily.
-Time after time… time after time… time after time-