Dan T –While she may not appear in all of them, Lizzie will be talked about, especially when I get to Lizzie and Gordo dating. As for the Gordo nickname, from the show, I don't think Miranda at thirteen or fourteen knows/knew a lot of Spanish, maybe enough to get by. So I don't think a four-year-old Miranda would even know more than a few words and maybe not even know exactly what all those words meant. Basically, at that time, she doesn't realize that gordo means fat. She just thinks it's a cool way to shorten his name. Also, that's why I had Mr. Sanchez question her about what she said his name was.

A/N – "Thoughts"

Chapter 2 – Misadventures In Bowling

Sitting in the living room, Samantha watched in amusement as her parents were still going back and forth.

"I wanna hear the bowling story!" Samantha said interrupting them. Miranda smirked at Gordo and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine," Gordo muttered.

Sitting down next to her, Miranda started the story, "The first time your father ever went bowling, his fingers swelled up and the ball got stuck to his hand. He had to go to the hospital to have it sawed off." She paused as Samantha giggled at her father. Gordo, who was sitting next to her on the other side of the couch, took one of the pillows and gently plopped it on top of her head. This just caused her to giggle harder.

"So a few years later, you know our friend Ethan?" Miranda paused, so Samantha could nod. "He invited me, your father, and your Aunt Lizzie to go bowling with him. Your father was so freaked out about it."

Gordo interrupted her, "I was not freaked out. I just didn't want to have another bowling ball removed from my hand. Or to watch you two drool over Ethan."

"Whatever," Miranda said as she smirked at him. "Anyway, since your father is so uptight, I knew all he had to do was relax to have a good time. So I became his life coach and taught him how to relax."

"How?" Samantha asked curiously.

"I made him realize he doesn't have to be perfect in everything. That he can mess up every once in awhile." Looking at him, she smirked, "And when he messes up, he messes up big." she teased.

"Excuse me?" Gordo asked sarcastically.

Miranda's smirk got wider, "Correct me if I'm wrong but aren't you the one who blew up a brain?"

Samantha's head snapped around and she looked up at her father in awe, "You blew up a brain?"

Gordo snickered, "It wasn't a real brain. It was a science project. I built a model of the brain. I overheated it and it blew up in my face." Samantha laughed at the image of the brain exploding all over him.

"Back to the point," Miranda said. "I taught Gordo a way to relax and not freak out."

"Bowling is good, bowling is fun, bowling will not make my fingers swell," Gordo recited, remembering the phrase Miranda used to help him relax.

Snickering, Miranda reached over and patted his head. "Good boy."

He grinned back at her, "Where's my cookie?"

-----

Mr. McGuire sat at the scorer's table totaling everyone's scores. "I have a 198, Lizzie has a 110, Miranda has 120, and Gordo 73."

"Alright!" Gordo celebrated.

Miranda smiled and high fived him, "Great job!" Lizzie smirked at her friends and laughed softly as she shook her head at their goofiness.

"Dude, you lost." Ethan said looking at Gordo confused.

"You're right. Gordo got killed," Miranda said sarcastically. "He went down in flames."

"I got blown out of the water," Gordo added and the two started laughing. Ethan shook his head and walked back to his lane.

"We playing another game?" Lizzie asked.

"Sounds good," Miranda said, "You up for it Gutter King?" Miranda teased.

"I think I can handle a few more gutter balls," Gordo shot back sarcastically. The two looked at each other and smirked. "Who's up first?" he asked Mr. McGuire.

"Well, if we reverse the order," he paused for a moment as he looked at the score sheet, "You're up Gordo."

After picking up his ball, he walked up to the line. Miranda walked up behind him, "Ready?"

"Yup." Taking a deep breath, Gordo drew back and launched the ball down the lane. Taking a few steps back, he watched the ball slowly wavering back and forth down the lane. As the ball struck the pins, Gordo watched in awe as all of the pins slowly fell down.

"You got a strike," Miranda said in disbelief. Then letting out an excited shriek, wrapped Gordo in a bear hug from behind.

Gordo stared down the lane in disbelief. "Alright!" he celebrated after the surprise wore off. Spinning around, he hugged Miranda. "I got a strike!"

"Alright Gordo!" Lizzie said as she high fived Gordo.

A little while later, after Mr. McGuire drove them back to McGuires and they said goodnight to Lizzie, Gordo was walking Miranda home. "So how does it feel to not be incredibly horrible at bowling anymore?" Miranda teased.

Lifting his arm and flexing his right hand in front of them, "Nice, plus no trip to the emergency room." They both snickered. "I actually had fun, even though you two spent most of the night drooling over Ethan."

Miranda playfully shoved him, "I was not drooling," she then smirked, "I was just admiring," she said sarcastically. When Gordo rolled his eyes, Miranda elbowed him in the ribs.

"Just remember that next time I look at Kate."

Looking at him with a smirk and arched eyebrow, "We just look, you stare open mouthed, panting like a dog," she joked.

Gordo raised his hand, pretending he was going backhand her. Miranda glared at him with a smirk and an arm cocked back in a fist. Laughing at each other, they reached the Sanchez driveway.

"Thanks for making me go bowling," Gordo told her.

"You're welcome," Miranda said with a smirk. "I told you'd have fun. You should listen to me more often."

"I wouldn't go that far," he said dryly.

"Sure, make fun of your life coach," she said laughing softly.

Gordo smirked, "Why stop now?"

"I gotta get inside, talk to ya later?" Miranda asked the rhetorical question as she started to walk up the driveway.

"Of course," Gordo said. "Miranda." She stopped and looked at him. Walking over to her, "Thanks," Gordo said and then hugged her.

"Anytime," Miranda said hugging him back. "Night," she said as she started back up the driveway.

"Night." Gordo said as he started towards his own house.

-----

"See, I taught Daddy how to bowl," Miranda told Samantha and Gordo rolled his eyes.

Samantha looked at her father and gave him a smirk, almost identical to Miranda's. She then stood up on the couch and playfully patted his head, "Good boy."

Miranda started laughing and Gordo looked at his daughter as she started laughing too. Quickly grabbing her, he pulled her into his lap and started tickling her. Samantha started hiccupping, she was laughing so hard, as she tried to wiggle free of her father's grasp.

Miranda smiled as she watched them. Checking her watch, "I gotta go finish dinner," she said standing up.

Gasping for breath, Samantha looked at her, "I want another story."

Smiling, "Ok. Let me finish dinner and I'll tell you another story."

"No. I'll tell her another story and it'll be the truth this time," Gordo said. Miranda pretended to give him a wounded look and Gordo smirked at her.

"How about you just get Samantha ready for dinner," Miranda shot back.

Rolling his eyes, "Come on Sammy," he said scooping up his daughter. "We gotta give your mom some time to create her next story."

As they passed her, Miranda swatted his butt playfully and Gordo grinned at her over his shoulder as they walked out of the room.