Chapter Twenty-Seven

Lizzie and Gordo wondered what was going on with this evening. Lizzie thought about it during dinner, when they were sitting there chatting, and it dawned on her that Miranda had to have been involved somehow. She hadn't made perfect sense of the situation yet, but bringing people like Ethan and Parker meant that someone that knew them well enough to go that far into the past. She couldn't say that she was disappointed to see Ethan, though, as it had been years since she saw him and she'd often wondered how he coped during college. To see Parker and Ethan at the same time, however, was like some weird blast from the past that she was just about ready to get over. Maybe this was a chance to straighten things out. Miranda was the only person who knew something about these cases, so she had to have had some involvement. That also meant that Miranda knew that Lizzie and Gordo were both there. Weird...

This bothered Gordo more than he expected. He never really cared all that much for Parker, and he didn't exactly end on good terms with Ethan. He had no idea what the producers wanted to do with all of them, but wondered if reuniting everyone was a great idea. He said very little during the conversation, and surprisingly, as much as he thought about it, it never crossed his mind that there could be more going on here than a coincidence. He was too busy thinking about how much this situation sucked to be too logical. Of course, he hadn't talked to Miranda in years, so to make the connection wouldn't have been as obvious as it was to Lizzie. Also, in the back of his mind, he wasn't fully convinced that Lizzie and Ethan never did have something after he left, if not before. He was a little pissed and this was admittedly ruining his evening.

The cameras prevented them to talk too much about the past, although they were able to catch up on what everyone had been doing lately. It was set up so Lizzie and Gordo were sitting across from each other and Ethan and Parker were set up across from each other at a table set for four. Parker wound up arguably being the most successful, as she worked for her father's company, and would take over once her father retired, which was going to be soon. Ethan was in his fifth and final year of college and was working on a degree for communications. They talked a little, but since they had to pretend that they didn't know each other and they knew Lizzie and Gordo as Tory and Daniel, it was almost easier to not talk at all and let Lizzie and Gordo talk, or, just Lizzie.

For dinner, they were served grilled salmon with a side of vegetables and for dessert; there was a chocolate cake. After dinner, they were lead to the lawn where they were explained how the remainder of the evening would go. Ryan explained what was about to go down, "Ladies and gentlemen, now that you have all met, we have set up a lovely challenge for you. Now, for those of you who have been here for the past week or so, know that we love to give you scavenger hunts and to send you out places. We do this so you can spend more time together. However, this time, it's different. Instead of having three teams with only one team winning, we are having six teams, and three teams have the opportunity to win. James, Daniel, and George? Take a nice look at her ex-boyfriend. This is your teammate. Elizabeth, Tory, and Mary? His ex-girlfriend is your new teammate for the evening. Don't panic, yet, though, because tomorrow morning, your ex-significant other will be your partner."

Lizzie glanced at Parker and then looked at Gordo, wondering what was going on in his head. While Lizzie wasn't thrilled that she would be working with Parker, but had a feeling that Gordo was a little less excited to be working with Ethan. She couldn't explain why she wasn't really worried about this, really, but she was kind of glad to look at Gordo and see that he was not happy about this at all. It was another reason she liked him.

"Anyway, tonight, after I hand you flashlights, you will go to the tree behind the trailer and read your first question. Eventually, these questions will lead you to a surprise. Good luck and I will see you at the finish line."

Within a few minutes they were off and once they were safely separated from everyone else, it was their chance to talk. The first question for Lizzie and Parker was "What's the name of the school where Daniel went to high school?" The multiple choices were what could lead them to the next question. This was pretty easy, though, as they both went to high school with him.

"Listen," Parker started tapping her mike so it would be hard for the camera to pick up as they headed off into the wood area, "First of all, I think its weird how you and him just happened to be here together, but the fact that you are, I just have to say something. Gordo and I...we never went out. When the guy called me and asked if I would be here on his behalf, I didn't know what to say. The only ex-girlfriend he ever had to my knowledge was you. I only agreed because I was going to Hawaii in a few days on business anyway."

Lizzie sighed, "I know."

Parker seemed surprised, "Y-you do? Did he tell you or something?"

Lizzie shrugged, "Sort of. I mean, everything happened so long ago, that I think the main issue was that Ethan and me, and you were a convenient argument."

Parker sighed, "Well, that's a relief. I was so surprised when I saw Ethan earlier. He explained to me what happened, and Lizzie, I must say, you are a great friend. If I knew what was going on, I would have convinced Gordo to trust you. I feel guilty for letting everything happen the way it did."

"Well, thank you for saying something, but it's not your fault. I think we needed a break from each other to realize how we felt about each other."

Parker nodded, "Okay," she said, "so, what do you think of him?"

Lizzie smiled, but it was too dark for Parker to notice this, "He's nice. It's nice seeing him again. I was surprised when I noticed it was him."

"Yeah, I had no idea you two actually knew each other before I saw Ethan. This is crazy."

Lizzie wondered if Parker was telling the truth. She didn't want to challenge Parker, but she was suspicious that something was up. "Yeah, I know."

They reached the next clue and they talked a little more, overall, making the best of this situation and having some friendly conversation with each other. When they were getting ready to finish, Parker even said, "You know, Liz, I didn't know what to expect before I came here, mostly because I imagine that when you and he broke up it was pretty nasty and I was sort of in the middle, but I do hope that things work out for you and I am glad that I came."

Lizzie was about to graciously accept what she said when she stopped in her tracks. They were nearly twenty yards from the finish line.

Parker looked back at her, "You coming, Tory?"

"Um, yeah," Lizzie said, smiling a little, "I'm coming." Parker had just confirmed Lizzie's suspicions. Something else WAS going on here and someone else WAS involved with this all. Lizzie generally hated surprises, but she liked hearing this, for it proved that she wasn't going insane, after all. She carried the life-size cut out of Gordo across the finish line happier than she had been in a while.

While Lizzie and Parker were separated, Ethan and Gordo barely even talked. Ethan tried to say stuff, but it seemed as if Gordo didn't really want to hear it. He decided right after dinner that he still couldn't stand Ethan. This was how it was until about halfway through the search, where Ethan finally stopped in his tracks, turned to Gordo and said, "Yo, man, if there is something you need to say to me, say it now because L...Tory is a really good friend of mine and if this is how you act all the time, she deserves better. I know you, man, and I always though of you as a great guy, but it seems like you have some unresolved issues man, and you need to let them out."

Gordo rolled his eyes, even if Ethan was right. He was mad at the past.

Once Ethan realized that Gordo was not willing to talk about the past, he spoke up again, "All right, I'll talk. I hope I hit on the right stuff, and stop me if you feel the need to say something."

Gordo crossed his arms and looked directly at Ethan, "Listen, I don't think there is much you can say at this point. You and Lizzie have a past and call me immature, but I've never and will never be comfortable with your past. I thought I could before you came, but you being here reminds me how I felt a long time ago."

Gordo squinted, "Dude, you need a reality check. Lizzie and I are friends. We've never been anything more than friends. She was there for me when I needed a friend the most and I'll always be her friend for that. I always liked you too, though, man. Before all that shit happened, I thought you and I had a special friendship and that you would understand."

"Yeah, but Lizzie was my girlfriend. She didn't dance with me once during prom and what about that party? She liked you more than she liked me. I saw her tonight. She was thrilled to see you. How do you think that made me feel?"

After a minute of silence, Ethan spoke again, "Lizzie never told you, did she?"

Gordo glared at Ethan, "Told me what?"

Ethan nodded, "Well how about that. I made her promise not to tell anyone, and she kept her promise."

"What are you talking about?"

"Gordo, Lizzie is possibly the best friend I will ever have because of all the things she did for me."

"How's that supposed to make me feel better?"

"She was there for me when my father was sick weeks before school ended and she was there for me when my father died and for that I will never forget her."

Gordo froze. How could he have forgotten that Lizzie had told him this days before? Damn. He couldn't say anything to make this better. It was as if he knew this before he came, but as soon as he came, all these old feelings of resentment came back and it was as if this was five years ago. "I'm sorry, Ethan," he said his head looking down, "I'm sorry for your loss, I'm sorry for what happened, and I'm sorry for the way I behaved tonight. I guess I'm so used to hating you that I've forgotten what it's like to have you as a friend...I promised myself earlier that the next time I saw you I would try and start over, but I guess seeing you brought the worst in me because of all this stress."

Ethan nodded, "It's understandable. I know I'd be really jealous of you if this was switched and I was with Lizzie and you were the ex-boyfriend. Now, are we finished or do we need to talk about anything else?"

No, we're finished. Well, you and Lizzie never...kissed... did you?"

"Oh, lots of times," he said, and he looked at Gordo and smiled, "on the cheek, of course."

Gordo laughed. He felt like a jerk. This time with Ethan proved to be quite a learning experience, though, as he realized that maybe having him here wouldn't be such a bad thing after all.

They went on to find the life-size cutout of Lizzie and lost the race, but at least Gordo was sure that there was more to the war.

When they were back together, Gordo greeted Parker and Lizzie with a hug and kissed Lizzie on the cheek. She then looked over at Ethan who winked at her. She winked back and smiled, knowing that things were cleared up and discoveries were made. Lizzie didn't know everything, but she had time to learn more...she ultimately decided that this would be her little secret until the end...

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A/N: Two chapters in one day? What was Queen Duckie thinking? Oh well, if for some reason you have questions or comments, leave a review and my subjects will read them and get back to you if necessary. Queen Duckie will update as soon as possible. Quack

By the way, if you are wondering how Gordo could have forgotten such a vital detail, like the death of Ethan's father, the Queen felt like Gordo had a lot of anger and frustration recently, (cuz he ain't getting' no duck lovin) and since he didn't really know who to point the anger towards, when he saw Ethan, it was an easy outlet because it worked so well before when he thought he hated Ethan.

Also, obviously, Lizzie now knows something is up and I know that was not the popular opinion of my loyal and faithful kingdom, but in the interest of the story and considering people's opinions, I felt it was easier for Gordo to work his frustrations out in the future along with his suspicions and for Lizzie to accept it as a truth and hope it works to her benefit. This wasn't the plan all along, but when I heard it mentioned a few times, it worked. I had my subjects analyze the outcome possibilities, and this seemed to make more sense.

Ducks are humans, too!

P.S. If after reading this note, you are concerned about this author's well being, fear no more! She lives in her own little world most times and likes it there. Don't bother her and she won't bite.

Be kind to your web-footed friends!