I've been very busy with my NaNo, but in the middle of it all, I got the idea to write a little something to usher in the holiday season, and so I've taken a short break from NaNo to dream up this one-shot LG.

I put in my customary nod to my favorite band, Better Than Ezra, and also include something about a new band I am enjoying, The Postal Service. Check them out!

So now as the holiday season is now upon us, hope this little story finds you all in the Yuletime spirit!

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Hillridge Mall was bustling with last minute holiday shoppers, among them Jo McGuire and her fifteen year old daughter Lizzie.

"Mom," Lizzie said, "is it okay if I go off on my own a little? I still have to find a present for Gordo."

"Lizzie! You haven't gotten anything for Gordo yet?" her mom exclaimed.

"I know!" Lizzie whined. "But he's so impossible!"

"Gordo's never been impossible before," Mrs. McGuire reasoned. "Last year didn't you get him that book about Alfred Hitchcock? And the year before wasn't it a lava lamp? And if memory serves me correctly---"

"Mom! We're wasting time! Only two more shopping days left till Christmas. And I'm really stumped. If I don't find something tonight, I don't know what I'm going to do!"

Jo McGuire leveled a lengthy glance at her teenage daughter. Something was going on here, something beyond the mere anxiety of not coming up with the perfect gift.

"All right," she said at last. "A half hour. And you have your cell phone on you, right? In case you run into any kind of trouble."

"Mom! Honestly! What kind of trouble do you think I'm going to run into?"

"A half hour," Jo McGuire repeated. "I'll call you five minutes before we're ready to leave, and we'll meet by the fountain."

"Okay, Mom!" Lizzie beamed. "Thanks!"

"Happy shopping, sweetheart!"

Lizzie grinned quickly, then turned to set off on her own. Happy shopping? She had been at this for weeks, and each trip seemed to leave her more baffled than the one before. And her mother's words only increased her confusion.

It was true that Gordo had never before been impossible to buy for. He and Lizzie had been exchanging "holiday gifts" since they were in kindergarten. Back in those days, of course, their parents would do the actual buying, but Lizzie always knew just what to tell them to get. Hot Wheels. Ninja Turtles. Transformers. Pokemon cards. And more recently, all kinds of books and music and movies. So why was this year any different?

Lizzie walked along the crowded throughway, gazing up at the myriad of lights hanging from the ceiling like icicles. The insistent drone of Christmas carols interfered with her vexing thoughts.

But everything was different now, wasn't it? And it had been, ever since last summer's trip to Rome. Lizzie's fifteen minutes of fame was quickly over, but the aftereffects of that rooftop kiss lingered into December. Gordo had never returned the kiss, had never even mentioned it again, but they both knew everything had changed between them after that kiss.

It had changed, but not necessarily for the better. For some time before the trip to Italy, Lizzie suspected that Gordo might have a crush on her, but after she kissed him and got no response other than his simple "Thanks," she began to wonder if perhaps she had been misreading him all along.

Lizzie glanced up at a huge sign in sparkly letters proclaiming "Happy New Year!" and she continued reviewing the year she had just been through.

She had been grounded for almost the entire summer after Rome, which gave her a long time to think. And during that time she began to think that perhaps she might have a crush on Gordo too. It was too strange, at first, to even consider having a crush on her very best friend, but as the weeks passed, she began to feel more comfortable with the possibility.

But then, before she was even let back out into society, Gordo went away on a family vacation, and she only got to see him one time for about two minutes before the first day of high school.

Starting high school was so hectic! In middle school Lizzie, Miranda and Gordo saw each other every day. In high school, however, the setting was not as intimate, and Lizzie found her path barely crossed at all with her best friends. She felt awkward, waiting to see if Gordo would make the first move to reestablish their friendship…and maybe more than a friendship.

He did not seek her out right away, and during those first weeks of high school, Lizzie felt her spirit deflating, as she wondered again if she might not have been mistaken about his feelings for her.

Eventually they reconnected, but both felt too uneasy to talk about what was silently hovering between them: that kiss. The longer they avoided talking about it, the less likely it seemed that they would, and finally they got to the point where they both knew there was something they were not talking about, but at any given moment they may or may not have been able to identify what it was that kept them at arm's length.

Lizzie sighed, thinking all this through. She passed by a Claire's Boutique and looked at herself in a mirror. She wore a bright red sweater, dangling candy cane earrings, and a smooth coat of peppermint flavored lip gloss. But the girl that stared back at her from the mirror did not appear to be in the holiday spirit. She appeared confiused and troubled.

Lizzie moved on. What to get Gordo? What to get Gordo? While seeking the perfect gift, she had already ruled out so many possibilities. A book was too impersonal, unless it was something he really, really wanted, and if he really, really wanted it, then he had probably already bought it for himself.

And nobody had more DVD's than Gordo! It was next to impossible to find something that was not already in his collection. This year, his parents were buying him the only eight DVD's his collection lacked, one for each night of Hanukkah. Lizzie would be hard pressed to compete with that.

Music? True, Gordo was becoming a voracious music hound, but he could get almost any songs he wanted off the internet.

Lizzie passed by Spencer's and looked in the window. Lava Lamp! Gordo loved lava lamps. Oh yeah, been there, done that. She didn't want to repeat herself.

This year her gift had to be extra special…

Lizzie wandered through the brightly lit Christmas trees, passing a line of children waiting to sit on Santa's lap, and soon found herself in the Food Court. She hadn't even begun to shop, and already she felt the need for her mid-shopping trip pick-me-up of chocolate chip cookies. She reached into her purse and found she had enough change to buy herself three small cookies at Mrs. Fields. The line was not long, and in a moment she was sitting down on a bench, eating and thinking.

She loved chocolate chip cookies. Everybody knew that. Whenever she, Gordo and Miranda came up to the Mall they made a point of splitting a bit chocolate chip cookie. On occasion, when Gordo would go to the Mall with his parents, he would buy a cookie for Lizzie and bring it over to her house on the way home. Oh, he was so sweet, wasn't he? What a good friend!

But what came to Lizzie's mind mostly, as she enjoyed her cookies now, was the time Gordo had found her practically crying in the school library, after she had been dumped by her first boyfriend, Ronnie Jacobs. "I brought you a big chocolate chip cookie," he had said, so tenderly.

When Lizzie lamented that Ronnie liked another girl who was "probably prettier and smarter and more fun to be with," Gordo had said, "No, that's not possible. Because there's nobody who's prettier or more fun to be with than you."

Now, as Lizzie watched a toddler screaming in terror after being forced to sit on the lap of the huge red-clad and hairy stranger, she licked the chocolate off her fingers, suddenly wondering "Gah! Was Gordo flirting with me?"

As she mulled the thought around in her mind, she stared straight ahead and realized she was looking into the storefront window of Pretty In Pink, where stick figured mannequins displayed gowns of silk and sequins in all the holiday colors. One accessorized with a feather boa, another with a long string of pearls. The outfits reminded Lizzie of the dress-up murder mystery party they had had at her house shortly before the trip to Rome. Kate had told her that Gordo had a crush on her, and at the end of the evening, while standing on the front porch, Lizzie and Gordo began a conversation which was cut short by the untimely appearance of her father.

But what had Gordo said? And what had he been about to say? It sounded like he had been about to ask her out on a date. Lizzie knew she was often clueless, but she not always completely clueless. Surely something had been about to happen between them. That much she knew!

Sighing again, she got off the bench and began to walk. Why did Gordo not pick up where he had left off? Was he only shy? Or perhaps he had changed his mind. Lizzie wished she knew. She wished she had the courage to ask him.

The Gap. Clothes! Clothes were a good gift, weren't they? Yeah, if Gordo was a girl. Lizzie didn't know anybody who cared less about clothes than Gordo. Next store, please!

Hot Topic. Lizzie laughed lightly to herself. No, not Gordo.

Next she saw the Hillridge Travel Agency, where a big poster in the window encouraged passers-by to experience the "Romance of Roma." At the moment, Lizzie could barely remember her short romantic interlude with singing star Paolo Valasari, but what she did remember about Rome was the way she cried when she heard that Gordo had stuck his neck out and lied in order to save her from getting sent back home before her big moment on stage at the award show.

Now if that wasn't love, what was?

Maybe he did love her after all. Maybe he only kept quiet because he was shy, afraid of being rejected. Lizzie wished she knew. She wished she had the courage to ask him.

Lizzie pushed through a gaggle of pre-teens and found herself in F.Y.E. Somehow she always found herself in this store. It was so much fun! So many movies, so much music! Yes, she had already decided movies and music were not going to work as a perfect gift for Gordo this year, but since she was already here, there was no harm in looking around. Maybe something would spark a new idea.

What Lizzie saw in that store did indeed spark some ideas, but they were not the ideas she was expecting.

First, for some odd reason, there was a display of Frank Sinatra CD's in the center aisle. Lizzie had to smile as she remembered Gordo's brief but intense fascination with The Rat Pack of the 1950's. His enthusiasm had unwittingly spread throughout the entire school, and a Rat Pack dance was held. Gordo had at first refused to attend, but he finally appeared, dressed to the hilt and boogying with the best of them.

Towards the end of the evening, the music slowed, and Lizzie remembered that Gordo came to her and asked if she wanted to dance. They went out on the floor, he put his arm around her waist, and they moved around, somewhat awkwardly, but dancing nonetheless. He seemed shy, looking everywhere but in her eyes, smiling nervously.

Lizzie had always assumed that at that moment Gordo felt nervous because he lacked confidence in his dancing abilities. Now, for the first time, it occurred to her that maybe he was nervous because he lacked confidence with her. He had been bold enough to start something, asking her to dance, but perhaps he had lost his nerve, overwhelmed by her closeness.

Could it be? Lizzie wondered.

Almost without thinking, Lizzie found herself looking at the rock and roll CD's. She had a habit of checking the Better Than Ezra tab, ever since Gordo had told her how much he liked their music, but one CD, Artifakt, was out of print, and not available anywhere, not even online. Lizzie knew if she could find this, it would be a wonderful gift. But the perfect gift? Hmmm….

It didn't matter, though, because Lizzie knew there was no chance she was going to find this CD so easily. Yet she always looked for it, hoping against hope, knowing how much it would please Gordo. Sure enough, it was not there, but as she rounded the corner and came down the next aisle, she saw the tab for that new group Gordo was so excited about, The Postal Service. He had discovered them over the summer, after Rome, while Lizzie was grounded, and had not been able to properly share his excitement with her until just before he left on his family vacation.

Apparently, as his family was leaving to begin their vacation, he persuaded them to make a quick stop at Lizzie's house, where he pleaded with her mother to ease up on the grounding and let Lizzie see him for just a few minutes---five minutes, no, three! No, only two! He only needed two minutes to give her this CD. Later on Lizzie's mom told her, "You're lucky Gordo is so cute, and so persuasive. I wouldn't have caved for just anyone, but he did this thing with his eyes, and I felt to sorry for him, I couldn't resist him."

Lizzie had been surprised then to see Gordo at her bedroom door, sheepishly saying "Hi…" After so many weeks of being grounded and not seeing anyone, Lizzie flew into his arms, nearly knocking him over. She hugged him so tight and for so long that eventually all either of them could do was laugh, and then somehow Lizzie actually had tears in her eyes.

"Gordo, I've missed you so much," she said, and she really meant it.

"Me too, Lizzie, and look, I really can't stay, my parents are downstairs, we're going on this 'family vacation,'" and here he rolled his eyes, "but before I left, I wanted you to have this. It's this new group, The Postal Service, and they're really good. Most of their music is kind of techno-y, yet in a really mellow way, so you might want to listen to them before you go to sleep. But I want you to especially listen to the second track, a song called Such Great Heights. I don't know why, but I really love that song, and I want to know if you love it too. So listen to it, okay? And tell me about it when I get back. I'll see you in a week---"

"In a week!" Lizzie exclaimed. "Another week! But my grounding will be over on Saturday---"

"I know, but I'll be away, and I won't see you until I come back in a week, and then school will be starting right away, so we might not get a chance to talk until then."

"Call me from wherever you're going!" Lizzie suggested. "Gordo, where are you going? Why are you leaving? Gordo---!"

"I have to go, Lizzie. I'm sorry. My parents are waiting in the car. But listen to the music, listen to that song. And tell me what you think. See you in a week."

After this heart-wrenching moment, as soon as Gordo was gone, Lizzie immediately put in the CD and listened to it, and she listened to it for the rest of the week, especially to the song Gordo had been so insistent she pay attention to. The lyrics were actually quite touching, and every time she heard them, she wondered if Gordo was trying to tell her something:

I am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images
and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned

And I have to speculate
that God himself did make us into corresponding shapes
like puzzle pieces from the clay

And true, it may seem like a stretch
but its thoughts like this that catch my troubled head when you're away
when I am missing you to death

Lizzie found herself missing Gordo to death whenever she listened to this song, and all that week she waited and waited for him to call her, but he never did. She began to wonder if maybe she had read too much into his words. Had she read too much into the lyrics of this song? Maybe it was just the music he wanted her to hear, not the lyrics. She didn't know. All she knew whas that wherever he was, it must be so much fun he couldn't even be bothered to think about her and call her as she had asked. So every night she listened to the music he had given her, and felt a heaviness in her heart as she drifted off to sleep.

Once school started and she finally got to see him again, she found out that he and his parents, aunts and uncles and cousins had rented a cabin in the mountains, and there were absolutely no towers for cell phone communications, that was why he had not called. But now they were so busy with their adjustments to high school, that discussing The Postal Service song was the last thing on either of their minds.

By the time Gordo finally got around to asking Lizzie if she had listened to the CD and what did she think of that song, she had fully convinced herself that she was a fool for thinking he might possibly ever return the affection she thought she had for him, which she herself was not even too sure of anymore. So she only said, "Yeah, it's good, I really like it." And then that music, like that kiss, was something they never spoke of again.

That difficult time had not continued, of course, and eventually they began to feel more comfortable with each other again. But even to this day, what they regained after they lost it during the summer never seemed the same. Somehow, they never seemed to be where they should be. As Lizzie wandered through the aisles of music and movies, she knew that what she needed to get Gordo was a gift that would tell him exactly where she thought they should be.

But where exactly was that? She herself was not even sure.

But somehow she felt like she was getting close.

Now she wandered into the movie section. She happened to see "A Walk to Remember," and had to smile. Not because it was a funny movie, it wasn't at all. It was an extremely sad movie, the ultimate tear-jerker. When it first came out in theatres, Lizzie and Miranda so much wanted to see it that they went without Gordo, who flatly refused, saying it was too much of a chick-flick.

Yet, two months ago, Gordo had not only given Lizzie the DVD for her birthday, but he also sat down on her living room couch with her and watched it, by the end complaining that Lizzie's mother must be a lousy housekeeper, because he kept getting so much dust in his eyes. At that point Lizzie laughed through her own tears and actually gave Gordo a hug.

He hugged her back, and they sat like that for a few moments, enjoying the closeness. Oh God! Lizzie thought, remembering it. That's right! She and Gordo hugging each other on the couch, his face pressing against her hair, his hands caressing her back, and it had felt…it had felt…

And then he pulled back a little and smiled at her, and the look on his face…

Oh God, she thought. I think he does. I think he really does like me. And I think I like him too.

Somehow, suddenly, everything seemed to be falling into place. All these memories swirled together in her mind, finally settling down into a clear pool, like the ice on top of a pond. Where should they be? Maybe Lizzie did know after all. She felt all warm and fuzzy inside, but still a little frantic. Yet it had nothing to do with the fact that she had no idea what would make the perfect gift for Gordo. It had everything to do with the fact that she had finally figured out exactly what would. And she had a plan.

She left F.Y.E and hurried across the fairway to the Hallmark store. She needed a card, a card that would say precisely the right thing. She looked at her watch and realized her mother would be calling at any moment. Damn!

Lizzie always found herself magnetically drawn to cards with pictures of cute animals, and as she quickly scanned the display, she knew what she wanted to say, so she forced herself to ignore all the cards with only a single animal on the front. There were plenty depicting couples, and at last she picked up one card that showed a kitty cat and puppy dog, cuddled up together, sleeping inside a furry red Santa hat. Inside it read, "May all your Christmas dreams come true."

Her heart was beating fast. Did she dare to give a card like this to Gordo? Would it say too much? Not enough? Did it matter that he was Jewish and did not celebrate Christmas? No, that would not matter. All that mattered was that he understand it was time for their dreams to come true.

As Lizzie mulled over this card, wanting to buy it for Gordo, yet somehow still afraid of all the events it could set off in her life, her cell phone suddenly rang and she jumped, diving to answer it.

"Hey, Mom!"

"Ready, Lizzie?"

"Five minutes, yeah. I'll be there. By the fountain."

Lizzie put her cell phone back in her purse and took a deep breath. Okay, she was going to do it. She got in line at the cash register.

Five minutes later she met her mom at the fountain. Mom had a bag from J.C. Penney's, but before Lizzie could ask, Mrs. McGuire was saying, "So, Lizzie, did you find something for Gordo?"

"Just a card."

Jo McGuire smiled. "Let me see!"

Lizzie gave her mom a strange look. She seemed unusually interested, not only before she saw the card, but especially afterwards. "Oh, Lizzie, that is so cute!" she exclaimed. "Gordo will love it!"

They had to walk about a quarter mile to find the car in the overcrowded parking lot, but at last they were on their way home. Now Jo McGuire babbled happily about the slippers she had found for Gammy McGuire, but how it was impossible to get anything for Aunt Helen who was so picky, so she just got her a gift certificate to Penney's. Then Jo looked at her daughter and said, "I guess you've decided to give Gordo a gift certificate too? And put it in the card?"

Lizzie tried a smile. "Well, sort of. But not exactly. The thing is…well, Mom, actually I wanted to ask you a favor."

"Sure, sweetie. But what does this have to do with Gordo?"

"The thing is…" Lizzie began nervously, having never verbalized anything like this before, "I think what I'd like to do is take Gordo to his favorite restaurant, you know, the Outback Steakhouse, where they have that great Bloomin'Onion thingy---"

"Oh sure, honey! That's a great place! Say! Why don't we make it a 'more the merrier' kind of thing? I'm sure Gordo and Miranda won't mind if---"

"No, Mom," Lizzie said, drawing in a deep breath. "No Miranda, no anyone else. Just me and Gordo. Like…like…"

Jo McGuire looked across the front seat and grinned knowingly at her daughter. "Like a date?" she suggested.

Lizzie nodded. It was easier to hear someone else say it, than to say it herself. "And anyway, " Lizzie went on, "I was just wondering if you wouldn't mind picking us up. I mean, we can get up there by bus, that's no problem, but later, on the way back, when it's dark, and I know how you and dad are about---"

"Oh, Lizzie. Oh, Lizzie. Going out on a date. With Gordo."

"Yeah, Mom, it's….well, it's…."

"Well, it's inevitable," Jo sighed. "It had to happen sooner or later."

"What do you mean?" Lizzie asked.

"Lizzie!" her mother exclaimed in exasperation. "Don't tell me you didn't know! Gordo has had the biggest crush on you for so long. That's why I couldn't resist him, that day he stopped by at the end of the summer, when you were still grounded, and he pleaded with me to see you for even only two minutes. He was so desperate to see you. And I knew you were missing him so much also. I just couldn't be that cruel."

"Mom…" Lizzie said, sinking down into the seat in embarrassment.

"Oh, honey, it's okay. I'm so happy for you. Really I am. Your dad and I love Gordo, you know that. You couldn't possibly go out with a nicer boy. Oh, I'm so excited for you! And by the way, yes, I can pick you up from the restaurant. And I can drive you there if you want---"

"That won't be necessary," Lizzie said, still embarrassed.

"And we can go shopping!" Jo suddenly exclaimed, reaching over and squeezing Lizzie's arm. "After Christmas, you and I are coming up here to the mall to buy you a new outfit for your first date with Gordo! My treat! Oh, come on! Let's do it!"

Lizzie smiled, slowly becoming more comfortable with her mother's enthusiasm. "Now that," she decided, "that may be completely necessary!"

When they got home that night, Lizzie's mother happily informed both Sam and Matt that Lizzie and Gordo were now a "hot item." Lizzie turned bright pink, reminding that Gordo had not yet said yes. Jo McGuire scolded her daughter, saying, "Oh, Lizzie! Do you really think there's any chance he's going to say no?"

Well, when her mother put it that way, it did seem pretty certain, didn't it? It was funny, but now that Lizzie had figured everything out this far, it was hard to remember why she had ever been confused in the first place.

Upon hearing the news, Matt stuck his fingers down his throat, making a gagging sound, but Lizzie's dad gave her a crooked, knowing smile, reminiscent of the face her mother had made upon hearing the news. It suddenly struck Lizzie that perhaps her months of Gordo confusion had been totally in vain, with the answers to her questions as close as a "Please pass the peas" over the family dinner table.

She really ought to start talking to her parents more.

After saying good night to everyone, Lizzie went up to her room and searched through her closet for her arts and crafts supplies. She pulled out some pretty pink paper and markers and began to fashion a "coupon" to go into the cute card she had gotten for Gordo. "This Coupon Good For One….Dinner…Date….At Outback Steakhouse."

Lizzie listened to The Postal Service CD Gordo had given her last summer and smiled as she colored her coupon, dotting every "I" with a plump red heart, and double outlining the word "Date." Gordo was pretty smart. She hoped he would get the hints. But just in case, she got a fine line black Pilot pen from her desk drawer and added the words, in little letters at the bottom, "This offer ONLY good for David Gordon, non-transferrable. No expiration date. Signed, Lizzie McGuire."

When the family had decorated the tree a few weeks ago, Lizzie had confiscated a string of Christmas lights to hang around her bedroom mirror. Before she went to sleep, she turned on those lights, and took Gordo's card, signed and sealed with dinner date coupon inside, slipping the edge of the envelope into the tiny space between the mirror and the frame, so that as she lay in bed she could clearly see it, her perfect gift, illuminated by the softly-cast colorful shadows of the Christmas lights.

And that night, as she snuggled contentedly into her bed, finally feeling so drowsy and content, she looked at her perfect gift, hoping it would ignite the magic that had almost but not quite taken flight last summer. She turned down her CD player to a comfortable "sleeping music" level and lay back, listening to the words of the song Gordo had so wanted her to hear.

I am thinking it's a sign
that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images
and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned…

It seemed like it had taken such a long time, but Lizzie now had every hope that she and Gordo might at last be perfectly aligned. As the words of his special song filled her ears, her head and her heart, she fell asleep with the certain knowledge that a small but significant Christmas miracle was taking place.