A/N: I don't own Lizzie, if I did, you'd be watchin' this on TV and not reading it for free. (Plus I'd be rich! At least I'd know Adam Lamburg, which is rich enough for me!)
With an hour till the wedding everyone was rushing about trying to get everything ready; all but one. In the back room of the church, sat Gordo in a tux, holding a leather bound photo album.
Slowly he opened it to the first page, there among many shots, one caught his attention. It was a picture of him with his arms around Miranda over twenty three years ago. That was the day she told him she was pregnant.
He flipped to the page and came to a picture of Miranda in a hospital bed holding a baby in a pink blanket. Next to that picture was one of Gordo holding the baby with a huge grin on his face. He'd been so happy when he found out it was a girl, they'd named her Crystal Gordon.
Letting his mind drift, he recalled Crystal's first word.
Miranda was out and he was watching the baby. He and Crystal were on the floor. She was playing with her toys and he had let his mind wonder to the bad day he'd had. When all of a sudden he felt something hit his head and he heard Crystal yell, "Daddy!" at the top of her little lungs. When he turned to face her, there she was looking pissed off armed with another one of her toys to throw at him.
Now he chuckled at the memory, ever since then she'd had that Spanish temper, and he couldn't have loved her more for it.
He thought back to her first day of school she'd been so excited about going to school, Miranda had taken her to the store and let her pick out her own outfit for the occasion, instead of choosing a nice dress like all the other girls, she'd wanted a pair of overalls and a Superman t-shirt from the boy's department.
A few hours into the first school day he'd gotten a call at work informing him that his daughter had gotten in trouble for fighting and needed to be sent home.
When he got to the school there was Crystal in her new outfit with her black curly hair all messed up, and looking down.
Gordo extended a hand and said, "Come on Crys, we'll talk in the car."
"So, what happened?" he asked once they were safe inside the car.
"It was Anthony's fault! He said I couldn't do any thing because I was a yucky girl, and even if I dressed like a boy I was still a girl, and boys are better than girls! Then I told him that I could do anything better than him, so he told me to prove it and I hit him! Then he went crying to the teacher and I got in trouble. I'm sorry daddy, are you mad?" She said in a rushed voice, looking at Gordo with pleading eye's that matched her tone.
"Okay, calm down" he said trying to suppress a chuckle, "I'll tell you what; if you promise not to fight any more I won't tell your mom, deal?"
"Okay I promise, but that Anthony Kraft better stop bugging me!"
"If he doesn't you tell me, okay?"
"Okay"
Gordo flipped a few more pages until he finally came to a picture of Crystal beaming holding up a first place trophy, which was taken at the fifth grade talent show.
He recalled how upset she'd been at first when she discovered that she'd tied with Anthony Kraft for first place. It had taken Miranda and him quite a while to talk her into being happy for him.
She always was the competitive type, once she set her eye on something there was no keeping it from her, whether it was something she had to achieve, something she was looking to own, or a boy.
He smirked in remembrance of how much Anthony and Crys used to bicker, they were major rivals in every thing from academics, to music, yet they always looked out for each other.
There had been one time in particular when Crystal was struggling with a song she wanted to perform and she was a at the point where she decided to drop out of that years talent show. Well Anthony wouldn't stand for it, he coached her and encouraged her until she nailed it, and was confident enough to perform it at the show. Soon after he claimed it was merely because he needed good competition and she was the closest thing to it, but even then Gordo and Miranda knew that his affection was finally starting to show.
He flipped the page to a picture of Crystal and Anthony at the prom, Anthony had been the one to break first, but Crys was right behind him. Apparently she had overheard, knowing Crystal, she was eavesdropping) Anthony asking Cindy Tudgemen to the prom and getting rejected, so Crystal went up to him right in front of Cindy and asked 'him' to go to the prom with her.
The prom, he remembered that night so well.
When Anthony came to the door, Gordo grilled him just like a father should while Miranda went up to get Crys. He'd made sure to make the boy sweet, at least a bit. He couldn't send his little girl out with just 'anyone'.
But as Crystal stepped into the room he realized she wasn't all that little any more, but he was still going to deck this guy if he hurt her.
"You look beautiful" both Gordo and Anthony exclaimed in unison.
"Thank you" she said blushing as she looked at Anthony; then she locked eyes with Gordo and smiled.
"Okay, well we won't keep you long I just want three pictures" Miranda said holding up a camera.
"Okay Mami," Crystal said with a small chuckle "but only three." She said posing with Anthony for the first.
"That was great now get with your father," Miranda directed, "hold that." She said snapping the picture.
"Okay now hija come over here and Gordo you take the shot." Gordo did as directed. "Okay ya'll can go now and enjoy your selves." she said kissing Crystal on the cheek and hugging Anthony.
"I love you sweetie" Gordo whispered as he hugging Crystal.
"Love you too daddy." She said kissing him on the cheek.
"Take care of my little girl son" Gordo called out to Anthony just before he walked out the door.
"I wouldn't dream of doing any thing else" he said then gave Gordo a warm smile.
Gordo now chuckled at how much like Miranda Crystal had turned out to be; in fact he was surprised she'd let Anthony propose.
Married, his little girl was getting married. A single tear escaped his eye as he closed the photo album, it seemed like only yesterday she had been sent home for beating Anthony up, and now they were ready to tie the knot.
"Daddy?" Crystal called putting a hand on his shoulder, he hadn't even notice her come in. He simply looked at her, she really was beautiful, and all grown up.
"What?" she asked
"Nothing you're just all grown up, you look beautiful"
She looked at him with matching blue eyes and smiled "I'll always be my daddy's girl" she said kissing him on the cheek and giving him a hug.
Gordo smiled and held out his arm to walk her down the isle. His daughter was all grown up, but she would always be his little girl.