Chapter One

Again, I don't own these characters except the ones I create.

Early July brought the 4th of July and the tickets Ellie had given the four to the Yankees and Red Sox game. In addition to being a down right vicious rivalry, the 4th of July was a big deal in Boston. The game was very hotly contested and the benches did clear once. However, no punches were thrown, and no one was ejected. In the end, the Sox did manage to pull out a win after the Yankee's closer blew a lead in the ninth. They were really missing Mariano Rivera after he finally retired the previous off season.

The next weekend was Zack and Cassie's freshman advising conference in Storrs. As it was less than a two hour drive away, there wasn't a need to make it an overnight trip. But, it was a chance to test out the new wheels and see what it could do on the open road. They arrived in Storrs early as Zack had driven a tad bit fast. So, when they got there, they decided to check out the dorm they had requested. They had chosen one that was co-ed and had suites that shared bathrooms. The hope was to have Cassie and Addison on one side and Zack and Woody on the other, but with frequent room swapping.

Fortunately, they were able to get a tour of the dorm that morning and both were pleased by it. The building itself was fairly modern (meaning it had been built since 1985), and had air conditioning, heat, and a mostly working laundry room. It even had a small gym inside with free weights and a treadmill. Both were satisfied that the rooms weren't all that much different in size from the cabins on the S.S. Tipton, and thought they could deal with it for at least a year.

Realizing they were going to be late, they left the dorm and had to hurry across campus to the administration building. Both had to laugh that it would probably be a sprint that would happen again. They did make it on time, and both asked if it was okay for them to schedule together. The adviser didn't mind as it could give him a break once they were done. He pulled up their records on his computer and noted that they had both done well enough on the AP tests to get out of those classes with B's. So, the adviser told them they might want to get as many college prerequisites out of the way as soon as possible. Zack and Cassie both shrugged and figured why not.

UCONN had four areas they required students to take classes: Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science & Technology and Diversity & Multiculturalism. The adviser said their American History scores would take care of the Arts & Humanities requirement and suggested they take one class in each of the other three areas. They ended up choosing classes in sociology, oceanography (they had went to high school on a boat, and both figured that had to count for something), and an anthropology course. Rounding out their schedules were a math class and and basic French (UCONN requires a foreign language). Once their classes had been chosen, they had to work them into a schedule with available openings.

It took a little while, but by the time they left Storrs, Zack and Cassie had their first semester schedules. Both had three classes on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and two on Tuesday and Thursday. They were able to space them so that they didn't start before 9:45 AM any day and didn't end past 2:15 any day. Both were satisfied with that. Not too early and not too late. Before they left Storrs, both drove around for a little bit to get used to the town. And it was a town. The population was only about 10,000 not including students. But, as it was a university town, it seemed to have a lot to do that was geared towards students. Once they were satisfied with what they saw, the began the trip back to Boston.

The next weekend, it was Cody and Bailey's turn. However, their advising conference was set for 9:00 in the morning. As full scholarship winners, they were allowed to schedule ahead of the rest of the incoming freshman class, and as Albright Award winners, they were allowed to schedule first of the full scholarship winners. So, since their appointment was so early, they decided to make a weekend of it. They had called ahead to Jo Thomas to see if there was anything else they needed to bring her while in town. She said everything was taken care of, but she would love to meet them for lunch after their appointment. Right before the headed out, London handed them two business cards. One was for a furniture store in Milford, and the other was for an electronics store in North Haven. She said to just hand the cards to the managers and they would be taken care of.

So, after they both got off work on that Friday, they both changed clothes, packed a bag, and headed on down the road. While on the road, they were able to talk about what classes they are looking at.

"So, Cody, I know they encourage us to choose our course of study early. Have you thought more about what you are going to choose?"

Cody paused. "Remember when I told you that my dream as a kid was to be the first doctor lawyer in space?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, I do...Still aiming for that?"

"Nah...I've dropped the space part, but I'm still going back and forth between doctor and lawyer..."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I know this my sound crazy, but I think I'm going to double major in Economics and Pre-Med. That way, I can decide later whether to take the LSAT or the MCAT. Am I crazy?"

Bailey rubbed his arm soothingly. "No, not at all. I think you would be great at either..."

Cody smiled and briefly turned to her. "What about you? What are you looking at? The Environmental Sciences?"

Bailey paused. "I loved the class and I love my summer internship. But I just don't know if that's what I want to do for the rest of my life..."

"What else do you have in mind?"

"I was also thinking about maybe veterinary school..."

Cody was surprised. "Really? You never said anything about it..."

"Well, it was an idea that popped into my mind after you said that's what Rebecca was saving up money for..."

"Bails, I know you'd be a wonderful vet..."

"You think so?"

Cody smiled. "Of course. I saw how you were with all the animals on the farm and with Porkers..." He paused. "But would you be happy doing that?"

Bailey paused to think. "I think so...I do love animals, and I've always loved helping them."

"Well, if that's what makes you happy, you have my complete and total support..."

Bailey smiled. "Thank you, Sweetie. And you have my complete and total support too..."

Cody smiled. "Who knows, maybe one day we will be Dr. and Dr. Martin..."

Bailey laughed. "I like the sound of that..."

Cody laughed too. "We can open our practices in the same building and have a sign out front that says people to the left, animals to the right..."

"I can see it now..."

"Of course, we'll have to find a place that has both of our grad programs we want..."

Bailey nods. "That's true. I don't think there are that many vet schools around the country though. What if I don't get into one that also has a good law school or medical school?"

"You know what they call the person who graduates from the worst law school or med school?"

"What's that?"

Cody smiled. "A lawyer or a doctor. Besides, I will do what ever it takes to make you happy. Even if that means we go to grad school in Alaska..."

Bailey smiled back. "And I would do the same for you."

"You know, I do hear Yale has good Pre-Med and Pre-Vet programs..."

"Yeah..." Bailey paused. "You know, it might be a good idea to have a double major too to fall back on..."

"It couldn't hurt. What are you thinking of?"

"Well, if I do decide to go back to Tipton, an Economics degree would be good too. That, and we would for sure have classes we could take together..."

"I'd be for that..." Cody smiled. "I would love to have my favorite study partner..."

Bailey smiled. "Me too..."

"You know, I can think of another benefit if I went to med school and you to vet school..."

Bailey turned to him. "Yeah, what's that?"

Cody laughed. "We could both come home reeking of formaldehyde and the other wouldn't notice or care..."

Bailey laughed. "Very true..." Then she grinned. "And both take our time helping each other scrub the smell away..."

Cody turned to her briefly and grinned. "Do you remember the last time we made this trip?"

"Yeah, I do...If I remember correctly, we were both thinking about the same thing the whole way down..."

"Can you believe that its been a whole year?"

"I know. But I will never forget that trip for as long as I live..."

Cody reached over to take her hand in his. "Me either..." Cody smiled. "I do have another surprise for you..."

Bailey smiled. "Does it involve a certain bed and breakfast we stayed at the last time?"

"Yeah, it does..."

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could get our old room back?"

"Well, I requested it and they said they would see what they could do..."

"Maybe we could even go for a walk on the beach tonight too?"

"I had the exact same thought..." Cody noticed a sign that they New Haven was fast approaching. "We're almost there. You want to stop and get something to eat before we get there?"

"Yeah, I am kind of hungry..."

And with that, Cody and Bailey pulled in to New Haven to begin their weekend there.

To be Continued...