Disclaimer: I do not own the Suite Life of Zack and Cody or any of its characters.

Author's Note: Here is my Christmas fic! Yay for Christmas!

Chapter One

The Finding of the Gift

"Sleigh bells ring are you listening, in the lane snow is glistening," the carolers sang as Zack and Cody entered the Tipton hotel about a week before Christmas.

"So, what are you going to get Bonnie for Christmas?" Zack inquired of Cody as the two began to make their way towards the candy counter to say their daily hello to their friend Maddie.

"I don't really know," Cody frowned, "Bonnie hasn't really requested anything this year. She just told me to get her something good. She is a very hard person to shop for."

"You just have to know what girls want," Zack confidently told his brother, "See, like me, I plan on buying Maddie the best Christmas gift ever."

Maddie suddenly stood up from behind the candy counter, clearing her throat loudly to indicate to the twins that she had heard all of Zack's words while the two had been standing at the counter waiting for her to show up. Maddie noticed that Zack turned a deep shade of red.

"Zack, I thought we talked about this," she sighed, "I don't like you the same way you like me."

"That doesn't mean I can't get you the best gift ever," Zack insisted with a shrug as he bought a candy bar, "You just wait and see."

"Good luck beating the gift that my boyfriend is going to give me," Maddie smiled sweetly at him.

"If Danny beats the gift I give you, I will not eat chocolate for a whole week," Zack challenged her.

"You are so on," Maddie smiled, shaking his hand across the counter, "now you two better go check in with your mother before she freaks out."

The two boys ran onto the elevator. When they were going up, Cody turned to his brother.

"What are you going to get Maddie that is going to be so much better than Danny's?" Cody asked out of curiosity.

"That's why we're going shopping today," Zack explained to him, "I'll help you find a gift for Bonnie if you help me find a gift for Maddie."

Cody thought about his brother's offer for a moment. While Bonnie and Zack were totally different and had none of the same taste what-so-ever, maybe it would be good for Cody to have an extra opinion on the gift that he would end up buying. And besides, Cody reasoned, he could just always go in the exact opposite direction of what his brother said was a good present.

"Okay," Cody said steadily, "let's go check in with mom and see if it is okay if we go ahead and go."

"Sweet!" Zack smiled, punching his fist into the air, "I already have so many ideas for Maddie."

"Can't wait," Cody said dryly, wondering if this trip to the mall with Zack was going to be worse than a trip with London.

00000

"What about this?" Cody asked, holding up a book that he knew Bonnie would love. Zack looked at him with a disgusting expression on his face.

"You are supposed to be the one who understands women," Zack pointed out to him, "The sensitive one. No girl wants a book from her boyfriend on Christmas."

Cody frowned, but put the book down. He knew that he shouldn't go with what Zack had said basically because Bonnie and Zack were polar opposites and going with Zack's suggestions was probably not a good idea.

"So, basically, no clothes, no books, no scientific instruments, what should I get her then?" Cody exasperatedly asked his brother.

"Jewelry," Zack simply stated, "or, if you want, something you know about her that will make her realize just how well you know her and how much you really do listen to her."

"You've been giving a lot of thought to this," Cody stared in amazement at his brother.

"Well, I've been trying to figure out what to get Maddie for a long time, and since I can't really afford jewelry, I thought maybe something more personal would suffice," Zack shrugged.

"What if I get her a blue journal with her name and a quote from Thoreau on it because she loves to write poetry, loves Thoreau, and loves the color blue," Cody contemplatively said. Zack smiled at him.

"Now you're talking," Zack congratulated him, "I'm trying to find Maddie something within my price range that is good enough for her."

"Get her a gift card," Cody shrugged as he grabbed a blue notebook off the nearby shelf. Zack turned and stared at him.

"And I thought you were learning," Zack shook his head, "It's always the smart ones."

"Shut up," Cody scolded his brother, but laughed along anyways, "What is the one thing that Maddie loves?"

"Her family … her school work … her boyfriend," Zack sighed, "Maybe I should just give this up."

"Dude," Cody said, "You have this amazing ability to see Maddie for who she really is. You have also somehow developed this amazing ability for buying gifts that I didn't know you possessed, and I'm sure you will find the perfect gift."

"Actually, I have an idea," Zack smiled, "A good idea too."

"Where are we going?" Cody asked as they made their way to the front of the store.

"Pay," Zack demanded of his brother, "And I'll meet you in the next store."

Cody quickly paid, wondering what his brother was thinking considering the next store over was a flea market type thing. He walked in and found his brother holding up a tea set with an intricate design on the front. Cody looked at his brother questioningly.

"Maddie once told me that the one thing she wanted more than anything else when she was a little girl was her very own china tea set with a special design on it," Zack explained, "but, her parents could never afford a brand new one and thought she was incapable of handling it, so she never got one. She still misses not having one."

"That is a perfect gift," Cody congratulated his brother.