Chapter 1

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

I'm setting this story after A London Carol with a slight twist.

It was late January, and Christmas break had officially been over for several weeks now. Everyone was back in class, and they were beginning their final semesters at Seven Seas High. And as such, everyone's lives were getting back to normal. So, it was with that a group of seniors were hanging out on the skydeck. Zack was working his shift at the smoothie bar while his girlfriend Maya was in between waiting tables. Cody was finishing up the end of his shift as towel boy, while London, Bailey, Woody and Addison were sitting around the smoothie bar with drinks in their hands. As Cody finished his shift, he came over to the smoothie bar to get a drink himself.

As Zack was fixing his drink, he looked at his brother. "Hey, Codester...I need to ask you a favor..."

Cody sighed. "This should be good..."

Zack grinned. "This time it will be a something you'll actually enjoy..."

"I have no idea why I'm about to say this, but let's hear it..."

"Well, one of Maya's friends is coming on board this weekend to visit her..."

"And that has what to do with me?"

Zack grinned again. "Well, this weekend is the Winter Ball...I need you to be her date for the evening."

Cody shook his head. "Nope."

"Why not?"

Cody laughed. "Zack, I would have thought by now you would know better than ask me to be your wing man...It never works out well for you."

Zack smirked. "Ha ha...Seriously though, I really need a huge favor here. Maya promised her we'd find her a date for the dance, and with Woodchuck going with Addison and Marcus gone, you're all I've got..."

Cody smirked back. "I can just feel the brotherly love...But, once again, Zack, I'm not interested. I'm not planning on going to the Winter Ball..."

"Why not?"

Cody sighed. "If you must know, there is supposed to be a meteor shower that night I was planning on watching."

Zack shook his head. "You know, sometimes I wonder if we're actually brothers..."

"Sometimes? I ask myself the same thing everyday..." Cody checked his watch. "Anyways, my shift is over and I'm heading to the library to do some homework...Later..." And with that, Cody headed off.

Zack turned to his friends. "What is wrong with him?"

Woody shrugged. "Don't look at me. I set him with my sister, and he broke her heart..."

Addison spoke up. "Didn't she also break wind in front of him?"

"What's your point?"

Meanwhile, Cody went back to his cabin, changed, and headed to the library. Finding a secluded table, he pulled out his laptop and began working on a paper. Well, he did until he found two hands cover his eyes.

"Guess who?"

Cody smiled. "Hmmm. Let me think...Reina?"

One of the hands smacked him upside the back of his head. "Not funny!"

Cody turned and smiled even brighter. "I was hoping it was you..."

"Yeah?"

"Uh huh...So, I can do this..." Cody leaned in and placed a hungry, passionate kiss on her lips. When they broke apart, he heard the sweetest sound in the world – that laugh. "You have any idea how much I missed hearing that?"

Bailey smiled. "I'm happy I have a reason to do it again..."

"Me too..."

"I can't believe its already been a month, and no one has figured out we're back together..."

"Except Kirby...He did catch us again..."

Bailey grinned. "Fortunately, he was so happy for us that he promised not to say anything..."

Cody smiled. "Well, most of the time, we meet here in the library. Who else do we know who actually comes in here let alone knows where it is?"

"Very true...Though, I'm pretty sure I've sent you back to your cabin with lipstick smudges a few times...How did Woody not notice?"

Cody laughed. "Easy...I tell him I was having a cherry popsicle. He gets upset I didn't bring him one or begins dreaming of one himself, and he forgets I'm there. Though, I would have thought he would have recognized that my nightmares of a life without you have been replaced with pleasant dreams of having you back..."

Bailey giggled again. "Good. And I'm sure London hasn't noticed either, but I'm still grateful to her..."

"Me too. If she hadn't told us about seeing her Christmas Future where we were married, we might not have laughed about it and then actually had that heart to heart talk..."

"I'm so glad we did. I hated life without you. I'm still sorry for being so stubborn and stupid..."

"I'm sorry too. Bails, I promise you I will never be that stubborn or stupid again. I hope you know that I'm never letting you go ever again..."

Bailey leaned in and kissed him again. "Good, because I never going to let you go ever again either..."

Cody smiled. "It has been kind of nice having it just be the two of us for the past month. No one else intruding in our business, getting on our case for showing you how much I love you..."

"I know...But, its getting harder and harder to see you out on the boat and not run up to you and kiss you and tell you that I love you..."

"I feel the exact same way...But, it will all be over this weekend when we show up to the Winter Ball as a couple once again..."

Bailey smiled. "Nice save by the way with the meteor shower comment..."

Cody smiled back. "I didn't lie. Remember, we are going to have a picnic while we watch it before we head off to the dance..."

"I can't wait!"

"Me either. Remember, I'll meet you at One of a Kind, and we'll leave from there."

"8 o'clock sharp..." Bailey paused. "What did you mean about you being Zack's wing man never worked out for him?"

Cody blushed. "Well, the first time he tried it was with the twins, Jessica and Janice. We ended the evening with them sitting on either side of me and Zack by himself. Later, we went to a movie with them, and the next thing I knew, I had two heads laying on my shoulders..."

Bailey laughed. "Really?"

"Yeah. And then when you were away visiting London's grandmother, he tricked me into to it again. He got mad when I wouldn't cooperate with his plan. He even tried to blackmail me. But it turns out the girl he liked was being a wing woman for her friend who wanted to get to know me better..."

Bailey was shocked. "He did that?"

Cody nodded. "Yeah..."

"What a jerk! Did he not care how that would make me feel?"

"Zack care about someone other than himself?" Cody shook his head. "Anyways, it blew up in both of their faces. The other girl and I went away and she talked about her boyfriend while I talked about you the whole time. We just talked about how much we loved our paramours..."

Bailey sighed. "I knew I should have trusted you. Cody, I'm sorry. I promise I will never doubt you again..."

Cody took her hands in his. "All I ask is that if you have concerns, you come talk to me immediately. But Bails, I promise I will never do anything to hurt you. I love you. You are the only woman to ever have my heart..."

Bailey smiled. "I promise you that I will. But I have no doubts that you are mine and mine alone. Just like I am yours and yours alone. I love you too. And Cody, you are the only one to ever have my heart too...I'd like to thank you for showing me what it really meant to love someone."

Cody smiled back and kissed her. "I can't wait until Saturday night when I can profess my love for you for all the world to hear...And then, in a few weeks, we can spend a romantic Valentine's Day together..."

"I can't wait either..." Bailey checked her watch and sighed. "We only have an hour before curfew..."

Cody grinned. "Then I better get as many of these while I can..." And with that, he leaned in and kissed her once again.

Meanwhile, Back in Kettlecorn

Moose was over for Grammy Pickett's 90th birthday. He had hoped Bailey would have come home for it, and he was disappointed that she hadn't. Clyde had to explain to him that times were tough, and they didn't have the money to fly her back.

Moose paused. "How has she been doing lately?"

Clyde finished shucking an ear of corn. "Well, its kinda strange. When we talked to her on Christmas night, she seemed different. It was almost like I could hear the smile in her voice. She was so upset about breaking up with that boy for so long, I didn't ask questions. I was just so happy she seemed happy..."

Moose shook his head. "I should have told her not to trust the Little Feller. You know as well as I do that you can trust city folk..."

Clyde shrugged. "You're probably right, but for a year, that Cody boy made her happy. I'd never seen her so happy before. She even mentioned that had talked about wedding plans..."

Moose looked at Clyde incredulously. "And you were going to let that happen?"

Clyde laughed. "Like I have any say in the matter. Bailey has always been different from my other girls. She had her own dreams she wanted to pursue. She loves the farm, but I knew from an early age that Kettlecorn would never hold her..."

Moose shook his head. "You should never have let her go on that boat in the first place! Its changed her! I saw it when I went there. She's around people who are putting foolish ideas in her head. She needs to come back to the farm where she belongs!"

Clyde sighed. "That ain't ever going to happen. She has her eyes set on going to college and being a doctor for kids. Moose, I ain't one to get in the way of my little girl's dreams. I just want her to be happy..."

"And she'd be a lot happier back here in Kettlecorn!"

"Well, I'd love to have her back, but I don't think its going to happen..." Clyde stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go give Momma her pills..."

Moose nodded, but continued to sit their stewing. "Bailey, you may think you know what you want, but you're wrong. I know what's best for you..." He continued to think while he continued to shuck. "That settles it! I'm going to that boat and bringing her back here where she belongs!"

To be Continued...