Title: It's Time
Rating: G
Summary: Life isn't measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.
Type of fic: Story
Disclaimer: Miranda, Gordo, and all Lizzie McGuire related stuff belongs to Disney and…whoever else has rights to them.
Author's notes: I was listening to Michael Buble's It's Time, and I've always wanted to try writing a story based around an album, and straight away I knew this was the album. And that it was to be Miranda/Gordo. As for the summary, I was going to go with "Gordo falls in love, but is it too late?" – but it seemed too trite. Instead, I went with the quote. :)

-

Somehow this feeling
Just grows and grows
With every sigh
I become more mad about you
More lost without you
And so it goes
- "The More I See You"

Miranda picked up the phone, answering with a distracted 'Hello?'

'Tell me, Isabelle, why is it that I'm the last to find out about you and Gordon?'

She sat up immediately. Only one person ever called her by her middle name. 'Hey!'

'Don't "hey" me,' Ethan Craft admonished over the line. 'I'm so not happy with you right now. I go to London to surprise you only find out from an angry ex-boyfriend that you're back in Hillridge. And that you're with Gordon.'

Miranda closed her eyes at the mention of Connor, her good mood evaporating slightly. 'I'm not with Gordo,' she said. 'It's just- I'm not with him, okay? Where are you, anyway? Still in London?'

'Changing the subject?'

'No,' she lied. She and Ethan had dated briefly in high school, until he was lured away by the thrill and fame of extreme sports. Somehow, they had managed to keep in touch throughout the years. He sent her postcards and little mementos of places he visited around the world, while she kept him informed of all the happenings of Hillridge and of old friends (though he acted interested, she doubted that he really cared). Miranda knew that she was the only one he spoke to from their school days. 'By the way, how was Australia?'

'Tell me more about this Gordon thing,' he countered, openly ignoring her attempts of changing the subject. 'You got together at Lizzie's wedding, right?'

'We're not together,' she replied, exasperated. 'And, no, it wasn't at Lizzie's wedding.'

'You left a job you loved, a wicked apartment, and you broke this poor guy's heart to go back to Gordon,' Ethan said. 'Come on, Isabelle, even I'm not that stupid.'

Miranda shook her head. 'Ethan, you know I hate it when you say stuff like that. You're not stupid.'

'Yo, dude, time to roll!' a muffled shout sounded from Ethan's end. 'Hold your horsies!' Ethan shouted back, causing Miranda to pull the phone away from her ear. 'Hey, Izzy? I gotta go,' Ethan said, his voice returning to normal volume. 'Listen, we're gonna be in Cali next month. I'll see you then, okay?'

'Take care of yourself, Ethan,' she said, her tone firm. 'And I will see you next month.'

'Say hello to Gordon!' Ethan's warm laughter sounded clearly down the line. 'And don't get married without me!'

-

Gordo checked his appearance once more in the mirror, wanting to make sure that everything was just as it should be. Though it was impossible to look bad in evening wear, he still felt that his suit was not up to scratch. Not for his first formal dinner date with Miranda.

He breathed out, rolling his shoulders to ease his nerves. It was going to be fine. Like all the other times they've been together, just the two of them.

At the shrill ringing of the phone, Gordo instantly grew tense. What if it was Miranda? What if she was cancelling on him, deciding that maybe she saw no future for them together?

With his heart picking up speed, he reached out and answered with a cautious 'Hello?'

'David? It's Valla. Your assistant. Remember me? I'm the one who looks after all of your business when you go MIA.'

Gordo breathed out with relief. 'Valla, it's just you.'

'Well, I love you, too,' Valla Travis replied wryly. 'I've been trying to get in touch for the past few days. You've turned off your cell phone, and you're not answering your pager.'

'I gave you my parents' number, didn't I?'

'Yes, but I lost it. Took me forever to find it again. Were you ever going to let me know that you'd dropped off the face of the planet?'

Gordo glimpsed the time out of the corner of his eye. If he didn't leave now, he was going to be late. 'Damn! Sorry, Valla, but I need to go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?'

'Wait!' Valla's frantic voice called out, stopping him from hanging up. 'I have some great news for you!'

'What is it?'

'You got the job.'

He frowned, both at her cryptic comment and at the passing time. 'What job?'

'The untitled Bloom/Knightley project.'

And for just the briefest moment, Miranda was driven out of Gordo's mind. 'No way…'

'They both specifically asked for you because of "Unaffected", which they can't seem to stop raving about,' Valla replied as way of confirmation. 'So, I expect you back here tomorrow morning.'

'I'll…I'll get back to you.'

'What? David, are you insane? This is your big break, your-'

'Valla, I'll talk to you later,' Gordo interrupted, hurriedly placing the receiver back on its cradle before his assistant could say anything else. For a moment, he let the news sink in. Then, once more, his eyes caught sight of the time. He had a date with Miranda.

-

'Miranda?'

'Hmm?'

'Are you okay?'

Miranda looked up, and smiled. 'I'm fine.'

But the look of concern on Gordo's face did not fade. 'Something's on your mind.'

She placed down her menu on the table, sighing softly. Miranda knew it was useless attempting to distract him with "It's nothing, let's order". Gordo would know that she was lying. 'I received my last pay check today.'

'Oh.' The frown lines on his forehead deepened ever so slightly.

'A little reminder that…' She shook her head. 'These past couple of weeks, with you, they've been really wonderful, Gordo. You've been so sweet, so romantic.' Miranda could feel the warmth blossoming over her cheeks. 'You've been a true gentleman. But I can't live in this fairy tale for the rest of my life. I want a career. I want­-' She broke off.

'Your old life back,' Gordo finished. He smiled at her. 'I got a similar call from my assistant just before I left home.'

'Big must-see?'

'The Bloom/Knightley project.'

Miranda's eyes widened. 'As in Orlando Bloom?'

'And Keira Knightley,' he replied as way of confirmation.

'Gordo, you have to take it! This is huge!'

Gordo laughed. 'I know, Mir, but-'

'There are no buts,' she interrupted. 'Gordo, this is the big break you've been talking about for, like, forever. I know how much you want this.'

'It means leaving Hillridge,' he said. 'It means filming on location in Europe.'

'Gordo, this is an incredible opportunity for you. You can't pass it up.'

'It means leaving you, Mir.'

At the consideration that Gordo would no longer be with her, Miranda felt her heart drop. In the few short weeks since his declaration she had taken his attentions for granted. She had entertained thoughts, doubts, imaginations, fears of what a future with him would mean. But in her overconfidence she had never wondered what it would be like if Gordo gave up on her.

She contemplated it now, and it was a shattering thought.

-

'Mom?'

Her mother looked up, and smiled. 'Hi, sweetheart. How was your date?'

Miranda smiled. 'It was great, Mom. Gordo is just… He just seems too good to be true, really. Ever since I've come back, I don't see him as the boy who's been my bestfriend since third grade. He's so much more than that. Is it sad that it's taken me this long to realise that he's not just my guy bestfriend, but that he's this incredibly generous and thoughtful man? And he's actually, kinda…really…' She trailed off, suddenly realising what it was that she was saying.

'Good looking?'

'Mom!'

Her mother laughed. 'Aren't they the words you were looking for? Or maybe "really cute"? Or "gorgeous"?'

An image of a smiling Gordo holding up a plastic bag of American hotdogs flitted through her mind. Of Gordo laughing. Of Gordo frowning thoughtfully. Of Gordo offering his heart and his soul to her, asking if there could ever be a chance between them.

Miranda felt all of the air leave her lungs, and she dropped heavily on the sofa. 'Oh, no no no no…'

'Miranda, honey-'

'I love him.' The words were breathed out, almost inaudible. She closed her eyes, the depth of her feelings surprising even herself.

In David Gordon she recognised the man who completed her.

'I was wondering when you were going to admit it to yourself,' her mother said.

Miranda opened her eyes. 'How did you know?'

Smiling softly, her mother reached out and framed her face. 'I have been watching over you ever since you came into this world, my girl, and since you've come home I've noticed something different about you. You're…lighter. The smile comes to your face much quicker, more often. Especially when David is around.'

And then she remembered. 'He's leaving tomorrow. I said that- I told him to go.'

end part seven.