Chapter 1

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

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

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

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

Zack and Maya's Suite

Cody just stood in the doorway in complete and total shock with his mouth hanging agape in shock for what seemed like an eternity. Conversely, while he stood as motionless as a statue, Max and Gabby both turned to see Cody staring at them realizing that their secret had been discovered. And like him, neither one of the ladies could find any words let alone the right ones to say to attempt to break the awkward silence. The three twentysomethings could do nothing except keep standing there staring at each other. Even after a few minutes passed, none of them had reaquired the where with all or seeming ability to do anything else except. Cody even wished he could rewind time a little bit and knock first before entering the suite. But that wasn't the only notion that the trio was having. Rather, as they continued to stand there in silence, each one of them had a thousand thoughts run screaming through their minds.

For Gabby and Max, it was crushing reality that their secret relationship was no longer shared between just the two of them. Now that it was out, they immediately felt the need to explain to their friend what he had just seen, but neither one of them had any idea how to do that. So, they did the only thing that made any kind of sense to them at the moment – wait for Cody to say something first and respond to it.

As for Cody, the last thing he had expected to find when he opened the door was to see his old female friend from middle school and his new female friend from medical school making out with each other. First and foremost, he had no idea that either one of them was a lesbian or at the least bisexual. And from the look of what he had witnesses, he judged that this wasn't a one time thing or something brought on by drinking too much. But as he stood there a little longer, the nerve synapses in his mind began firing again a little bit, and he finally was able to get his mind and vocal cords to work in conjunction again. Well, it was another part of his body he had to give credit for that - his bladder. Unlike his mind, it began gently reminding him of why he had come downstairs in the first place. And to him, that seemed like a good way to avoid the situation for at least a little while.

"Ummm...I just came downstairs to use the bathroom. Once I do that, I'll just get out of your ways..." And with that, he practically sprinted towards the bathroom before either lady could utter a single word.

While he was in there, Gabby finally regained her tongue too and turned to Max. "What do we do now? There's no way he didn't just see us!"

She sighed and begain shaking her head. "Well, I guess its time for us to have the first of those conversations we've been dreading having for a while..."

Gabby sighed too before nodding her agreement. "Yeah, I guess you're right. How do you think Cody will take our relationship?"

"To be honest, I had kind of figured Cody would be the easiest person to break this too." She paused and frowned. "But after seeing his expression right now, I'm beginning to rething that..."

"Yeah, you can say that again. But, as Caesar once said, the die is cast. No going back now..."

Meanwhile, Cody took a few minutes to finish his business in the bathroom. As he washed and santized his hands, he steeled himself to head back out into the sute. The slogan 'don't ask, don't tell' entered his mind, and he figured his best course of attack was to try to act like nothing had happened. And fortunately for him, his ability to think clearly and rationally had returned to him, and he decided his best avenue was to grab the diaper bag, explain that it was needed ASAP and make a quick exit. Besides, he rationed that what he had just seen, while a shock to his system, was really none of his business, and he would treat it as such. So, once he took a deep breath, he immediately left the bathroom and made a beeline towards the grab the diaper bag. One that was now in his possession, he forced a smile on to his face and returned back to the living room. As he began striding across the suite, he began talking fast.

"Now that my bladder has been appeased, we have a toddler in need of a fresh diaper up on the roof. So I'm just going to head on back up there and..."

Before he could make his escape though, Max physically put herself between him and the door. "Uh uh. Not yet anyways. I'm sure Zoey can wait a few more minutes. First though, we need to talk to you about what you saw when you opened the door."

Cody held up his hands as if in surrender, but he wasn't done trying to make his escape. "No need. What I saw was none of my business. If you want or prefer, I'll pretend I never saw anything in the first place."

Max shook her head at him. "Nope. Now that our little secret is out of the bag, there is no putting it back in there again. Cody, we need to talk to you about this so that you don't get the wrong idea." She paused. "Strike that. It seems you mighty already have the right idea. But to set the record straight, Gabby is my girlfriend..." Seeing the look on his face, she continued. "...and yes, that does make us lesbians. So, now that our secret is now out of the closet, lets hear what you have to say about it."

But he wasn't ready to do that. "Look, I already told you – its none of my business. Its 2016 and all. Besides, what people do behind closed doors is...you know...none of my business."

She frowned at him. "Bullcrap! Cody, you're a close friend of both of ours, so of course its your business! So, no more trying to avoid the situation. Be our friend, Cody, and tell us what you're really thinking..."

He sighed realizing escape was no longer an option. "Well..." He paused as he looked back and forth between them. "Its just that I guess I had no clue or inclination to think that either one of you was a...you know...well..into other women." He paused realizing how that might sound and quickly added on. "Not that there is anything wrong with that, I just had no idea..."

Gabby nodded realizing her friend was flustered. "Well, I can't blame you there. I hadn't let on to anyone around here that I was one until Valentine's Day."

Cody frowned as that caught his attention. "Valentine's Day? What happened then?"

"Well, Max and I went out that night to have fun and blow off some steam. And, well...we might have had a little too much to drink that night, and these guys kept bothering us asking us to dance. We tried to be polite and gently turn them down, but they weren't buying a clue. So, finally, I'd had enough of them and just told them that I was a lesbian, and they were barking up the wrong tree. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to believe me at first, so to reinforce my point, I pulled in Max and gave her a kiss. That seemed to finally work and got them to back off."

He nodded. "Yeah, I would think so..."

She sighed. "The unintended consequence was that I kind of really liked doing that. But I just figured that I could laugh it off as something I had to do to get rid of some losers, and that Max would hopefully buy that. At the time, I had no idea that Max liked the kiss as much as I did."

Max nodded and spoke up again. "I really did, but I laughed it off too not wanting to make things uncomfortable between us. Unfortunately...or fortunately depending on how you look at it, we ended up drinking even more, and the alcohol in me emboldened me to dare it and to ask Gabby for another one..."

"And?"

Gabby just shook her head and laughed. "I'm pretty sure you just saw a repeat of it when you walked in. Like her, the alcohol in me gave me the courage to admit to her that I really was a lesbian."

"And likewise for me..."

Cody shook his head and began laughing too. "I guess in veritos vin strikes again."

Max frowned. "Huh?"

Gabby got the reference and laughed too. "Its Latin for there is truth in wine. Basically, it means that people are more truthful and forthcoming when they've been drinking."

"Oh..." She laughed as well. "I guess we're living proof of that!"

Cody paused as he really wanted to ask a question that he wasn't sure was any of his business. But, they seemed to want to talk it out, so he figured why not. "So, how long have you two known that you were...you know?"

Gabby smiled again. "I think I was about fifteen when I knew for sure. I was discovered to have talent when I was really young, so I didn't go through normal teenage years like everyone else. With having to practice so much and the lifestyle that went with it, I didn't have much time for socializing. But it was while I was training that I shared my first kiss with another female athlete, and I realized I liked it much better than the few times I'd kissed guys."

"Would I know this athlete?"

She smile. "Yeah, you most definitely would, so that's why I'm keeping her identity a secret. I think most people in this country would easily recognize her name, and it might cause problems between her and her new husband."

He nodded. "Gotcha..."

Max spoke up. "And I knew for sure when I was in middle school. I knew I'd been questioning my sexuality for a little while, so I gave myself a test to see one way or another if I was."

Cody frowned for a minute before he had a light bulb moment. "The kiss and date with Zack!"

She smiled. "You got it. I did that to see if I felt anything from the kiss. Well, like I thought, I didn't feel a thing. I was hoping to forget about it after that, but then Zack had to go and ask me out on a date afterwards. I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I tried to make him understand that I wasn't interested in being anything more than friends. Lucky for me, that's all he wanted too, and I was able to keep a good friend of mine."

He shook his head and began laughing again. "This all makes soooooooo much more sense to me now! The thought of you and Zack dating would have been kind of creepy!"

The two ladies looked at each other again before Max spoke up again. "Please say that us being a couple doesn't creep you out though..."

Cody smiled at them both. "No, not at all. I will freely admit that you are the first homosexuals that I've personally known..." He paused. "Well, there's Arturo, but I don't know him all that well. Anyways, I also admit that it shocked me to see you two kissing, but I'd like to think that was because I was totally not expecting to see you two doing th at. But, I do have to ask – are you two happy with each other?"

Both looked at each other again and smiled. "Yeah, we are."

"Excellent! That's all I want for my friends is for them to be happy. If its each other that makes you happy, so be it." He laughed. "I mean, who am I to say anything? I already found the woman of my dreams, so who am I to judge anyone else who does the exact same thing?"

Gabby sighed in relief at hearing that. "Well, you have no idea how much we appreciate hearing you say that. But, we've only just been dating on the down low for a few months now, so don't heap any added pressure on us too soon."

"Fair enough. But, if I may add something else, you two are in the perfect place geographically and politically for your relationship. All of New England has legalized same sex marriages now, so if the time comes that..."

Max rolled her eyes. "Cody! No pressure remember?"

He smiled. "I know. I couldn't help myself though. I just want you two to do what's best for yourselves, and I promise that this won't creep me out any. Now, admittedly, it may take me a little time to get used to you two being together, but I promise you that I eventually will. I mean, I look it akin to it taking time for me to get used to the fact that Zack was finally ready to settle down and be a one woman guy."

She laughed. "I still find that hard to believe at times."

"And it won't just be me either. I'm sure everyone else will feel the same way when you tell them too."

Gabby and Max looked at each other again and winced. "Yeah, about that...We're still not planning on telling anyone else about us any time soon."

Cody frowned. "Why not? Like you said, the cat is out of the bag...or out of the closet now."

Gabby sighed. "Unfortunately, I'm still a quasi celebrity in the country. If we did go public, I'm afraid, that paparazzi will begin following us everywhere and outrageous stories about us will appear in the tabloids. Plus, I don't want to distract from the upcoming Olympic games with a breaking story about me coming out. I don't want NBC to have to worry about a controversy when the attention should be on the competing athletes. My hope is someone else will become America's new sweetheart this summer to replace me, and I'll be able to slip further into anonymity. Hopefully, by then, it won't be a big deal if everyone finds out I'm a lesbian."

He nodded. "I guess I can understand that, and the more people that know, the better the odds of it accidentally slipping out." He paused. "Wait a minute...do your families know that you two are lesbians?"

Max shook her head. "Nope. You're actually the first person that's found out about us. We're both kind of afraid of how our families will react too, so want to keep everything a secret until we feel that the time is right." She paused. "Which means we need you to keep this a secret too. You can't tell anyone what you know – even Bailey."

Cody sighed. "Again, I can understand your thought process, and I'll respect your wishes..." He paused and began laughing again. "But you two better have my back or a couch for me to sleep on when Bailey finds out I knew and didn't tell her!"

Gabby laughed. "Deal!" She reached over to hug Cody. "Thanks for being a lot cooler about this that I had dared to hope."

"Don't worry about it. Its your lives to lead, and I'll support you or help out in any way I can. I'll be the Alfred to your Batman and Robin. Your secrets are safe with me."

Max hugged him too. "Thank you. I always knew you were one of the best guys around - even if you couldn't dance back then."

"Well, I try." He paused and smiled. "I do have one request though."

"Name it."

He couldn't help but to chuckle. "I want...no, I need to be there when you finally tell Zack. I want to see his expression when he thinks one kiss from him turned you into a lesbian!"

Her eyes went wide. "Cody! That's...that's..." Max began laughing too. "That will be priceless. I can't believe I didn't think of that first!"

Cody checked his watch. "Well, unless you two want questions to be asked, we should head on back up to the roof." He paused. "Actually, I have a better idea. We need a cover story for why you two took so long down here."

Max smiled. "I think I have just the thing."

The Park near Cody and Bailey's Place

By midnight, the reception had continued on for a few more hours, but like all good things, it had to finally come to a conclusion. Of course, the main reason for that was that several of those who were of age had reached the point where they or rather their bodies were ready to call it a night. Some of them were beginning to either see double or found themselves close to laying their heads down on a table. Those who were not of age took in the sight before them and stowed away those mental images for later. For those who lived at the hotel, it was a matter of simply taking the elevator down to their suites. And for those who didn't, it involved finding their way to the correct subway station and taking the proper train back to their respective homes. Fortunately, both C.J. and Amy were both sober and helped those who needed the help to get off at the right stops.

Once she got home though, Amy realized that she must have gained her second wind as she didn't feel tired in the least. So, in a moment of maturity, she decided to begin working on a paper for her summer class. The more she got done then, the less she would have to do later. Of course, she found herself shuddering as she realized she was beginning to think even more like her sister and brother-in-law. About a half hour later though, she realized she was in serious need of a caffeine break and decided to head down to the convenience store nearby. While the Starbucks was technically closer as the crow flies, she couldn't justify paying four times the amount for a cup of cappuccino. As she left the townhouse, she noticed Cody appeared to be daydreaming about something, so she decided not to interupt him. Once she made her purchase, she began walking back towards the townhouse when she spotted two familiar faces out for a late night/early morning walk. And in her view, Rufus was pulling C.J. along while he was seemingly engrossed in in a phone call on his cell. Amy walked towards them and waited for him to finish the call before surprising him.

"Something tells me walking Rufus while on your cell phone is a dangerous as driving while using it."

C.J. looked up and laughed when he saw who it was. "You're telling me. But, my sister called me out of the blue saying it was an emergency, so I felt like I had to take it."

She frowned. "Is everything okay back home? I mean, if she's calling this late at night."

He laughed again. "Well, its only a little after ten o'clock on the west coast, but it turned out to not be that big of a deal. Seems her definition of what an emergency is is rather broad and all encompassing."

"Oh? What did she want exactly?"

"She wants me to pick her up at Logan on not this Thursday but the following one."

"Busy day for that airport then. That's the day Bailey and I are heading back home. But did she really consider her coming for a visit an emergency?"

C.J. shook his head. "Not exactly. You see, she's doing her medical school interviews all that week. She thought she had them all planned out already, but she received a call from Harvard today to schedule an interview. She said she has an interview at the University of Chicago on Monday, at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore on Wednesday and now here in Boston on Friday. I guess she wants to get them all over with at once."

Amy laughed. "Uh oh! This could be the end of yours and Rufus' bachelor pad if she decides to come here. I mean, I assume she's live with you."

He shrugged. "Its a possibly, but my gut is telling me that she won't end up here in Boston."

"Why not?"

"I may just be spitballing here, but my guess is that she wouldn't want to go to a school where her younger brother would be an upperclassman to her. My bet is that she's interviewing here just to appease our Dad and get him off her back about it. But its not like she can't go wrong with any of the three. They're all top ten med schools."

She paused. "Did your Dad put pressure on you guys to follow in his footsteps?"

"A little, but he's finally accepted I won't be a cardiologist like him. He respects that I chose neurobiology because it fascinates me to no end. Now, my sister? I have no clue what she's interested in doing or specializing in. She's kind of always marched to the beat of her own drummer."

"Well, I wish I was going to be in town to actually meet her." She teased him. "I'd like to see if you're the oddball in your family or actually relatively normal..."

He rolled his eyes. "Gee...thanks." He smirked. "But from what I've been told, you and your sister are the oddballs of yours."

"Hey! I was just messing with you! Besides, like I said, I'll actually get to see my family that weekend as we're all heading back to Kettlecorn for our sister, Sophie's wedding."

"That sounds like fun, and congratulations to her. I'd tell you to send her my best wishes, but she probably has no clue who I am. Anyways, I bet you're actually looking forward to being back home for a couple of days."

Amy paused. "Yes and no..."

"Oh? What are you dreading?"

"Not so much dreading as..." She paused. "Well, okay, dreading. With Sophie getting married, that leaves just me and Daphne as the only Pickett daughters who aren't married yet. And Daph can at least say that she has a boyfriend. I get the feeling that all eyes will be on me wondering why I'm don't at least have one of those myself."

C.J. laughed. "Awww! Poor baby!"

"Hey!"

"If you can mess with me, I can mess with you right back. Besides, don't they realize you're still only 19? You have plenty of time. Bailey and Cody getting married when they were 21 is kind of an anomaly these days, but they have known each other since they were 15."

She sighed. "I know that and you know that. But while your point about Bailey and Cody makes complete sense to me, my family views it that age isn't that big of a deal. In their eyes, I may be the family spinster if I'm still single when I'm 25."

"Yeah, I guess I can see where you're coming from."

"I'm pretty sure that the only person who won't be busting my chops is my Grammy. Of course, she thinks that I..." She stopped in mid sentence remembering what her grandmother had said right before she had left Kettlecorn before returning to Boston in January.

"Thinks what?"

Amy shook her head. "Nevermind. Don't worry about it. And since I don't want to do anything to ruin Sophie's wedding, I'll just grin and bear it all weekend. It'll only be a few days, so I'm pretty sure I can handle it."

He laughed again. "Well, if you want, you can take Rufus with you as your date. That should turn some heads."

Amy laughed too. "Yeah, it probably would, but I'll be fine. Besides, Rufus tends to get overly affectionate with me. I wouldn't want to see him and my Dad get into a scuffle over little ol' me."

"Maybe so. I wouldn't want Rufus to get into any trouble or anything. I'm kind of attached to him."

She laughed again. "Oh, I think he'd easily get the best of my Dad. I'm more worried that he'd end up hurting Daddy."

"I doubt that as Rufus is more bark than bite, but he can be kind of imposing. Anyways, I should be getting him home. Its way past his bedtime, and he gets cranky if he doesn't get at least ten hours sleep."

"Him and me both. I should be getting back too. I was going to work on my paper for summer school, but I needed a caffeine boost before continuing. I figure the more I get done tonight, the less I'll have to do later." She cut him off. "And yes, before you say it, I realize that sounds like something you or Bailey or Cody would do."

C.J. grinned. "I wasn't going to say that. Have fun with your paper. I like school and all, but I'm glad for my summer breaks."

"Yeah, yeah...rub it in that I'm in summer school. See you two later."

And with that, they parted ways, and Amy made her way back home. And as she did, she once again heard the familiar tone of her phone indicating she had an email. Pulling it out and checking it, she shook her head and smiled.

"I know I should get back to work, but checking to see what Adam has to say right now shouldn't be too much of a distraction."

Zack and Maya's Suite

As they only lived a few floors below the roof where the reception had been held, Zack and Maya were grateful knowing they didn't have to worry about finding a designated driver or figuring out how they would get home. And unfortunately for them, that was pretty evident to everyone else. Now, to be fair, they weren't as bad off as they had been the night they celebrated their twenty-first birthdays. Both were still able to walk if staggeringly, and they were both able to speak and think relatively clearly. However, changing out of their formal wear into their pajamas and making it back to the couch did prove to be a major undertaking for them. And once they finally got there and collapsed on to it, both knew it would be quite a while before they would be able to move. Even though they were drunk, they still had their senses of humor.

"Its like I keep telling you, Babe - there's no party like a Martin family party!"

Maya just shook her head and closed her eyes. "Even though I may tend to agree, not all Martin family parties have this kind of effect on us. As I recall, we weren't like this after Cody and Bailey's wedding."

Zack laughed. "Well, yeah, but that's because it was those two. Even after all these years, they're still able to find ways to lame things up. Its just who they are. They can't help it."

"Zack!" She took a deep breath as that caused her head to spin. Once she regained her focus, she continued. "Besides, I think having over ten hours in an airplane looming over us may have played a big role in that too."

"That's true..." He grinned. "And as I recall, I think we did something else that night that I'm glad we were relatively sober for..."

"I remember..." She began laughing before hiccupping. "Just don't be expecting a repeat performance tonight. I'm calling the over under on how much longer I'm consicious at a half hour."

"Awww!" He paused before laughing again too. "Probably a good idea though. If we rocked each other's worlds, we both might end up throwing up again."

"Yeah, I'd prefer that not happen. After how beautiful the ceremony was, I wouldn't want to do anything to ruin my memories of it."

Zack nodded. "Yeah, it was. I'm glad Mom is happy and married now. Its been so much easier with her having her own relationship to focus on to keep her from sticking her nose into ours."

"And Cody and Bailey's."

"Not so much anymore. With them married off, Cody says all she really tells them is that she's not ready to be a grandmother yet."

"Speaking of being married off, who do you think will be next of the couples we know to tie the knot? I mean, it could be Woody and Addison or Marcus and Courtney or..."

He shook his head. "If that was a sly chance to get me to disclose what my plan is regarding proposing, you can keep on waiting! My lips are sealed."

Maya yawned. "Actually, it wasn't. I'm too tired or drunk to be that clever right now."

"You and me both, Babe." He paused. "You know, there was one small bummer about tonight though."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Well, I thought it was kind of strange when Max and Gabby were gone so long, but they explained they waited to come back up to the roof so Max could finish talking to her boyfriend on the phone. I guess they ended up talking for quite a while."

She gave him a look. "What's so bummer about that?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping she tell him to come on over and join us at the reception. It just sucks that he's working out of town this summer and couldn't make it."

"Why? I can see how that would bum Max out, but why does it bum you out?"

"Because it would be nice to have another real dude to hang around with nowadays. I mean, if Max is dating this guy, he got to be a real man's man. And ever since Bob moved to Providence to open up a new office of his uncle's insurance agency, I'm severely lacking in someone I can hang out with and just be dudes with."

"What about Cod..." Upon seeing the look Zack was giving her, Maya stopped. "Yeah, strike that one."

"And as cool as C.J. is, he's a lot like Cody in several departments. Marcus is in New York and Woody is in Pennsylvania, so those two are out except on special occasions. I just think it would be nice to have someone I can be a little crude with, make crass jokes and burp and fart around."

She gave him a look this time. "You do all of those around me!"

"Not as much as I do around the guys. I tone it down a notch or two around you. But, hey...if you want, I can..."

Maya shuddered thinking about that and cut him off. "NO! That's okay! Not necessary! I'll play video games with you, but I'll pass on the other stuff."

"So, what do you think I should do?"

She paused. "Lets hope for both of our sakes that you find someone soon that you can hang out with like that!"

Cody and Bailey's Place

Meanwhile, across town, Cody and Bailey had successfully returned back to their townhouse as well. But unlike other guests at the wedding, they weren't quite as inebriated as they still had the ability to make sure they caught the right subway home and get off at the right stop without the assistance of others. Of course, they did have a completely sober Amy and C.J. to help, but they could have made it on their own. But, like Zack and Maya, both were quite content to change out of their formal wear and into their pajamas before beginning the process of calling it a night. However, Bailey wanted to take a long soothing bath first. So, while she did that, Cody headed downstairs, plopped down on the couch and began channel surfing. Since it was Saturday night and SNL was in summer reruns, his mind began to wander off. And as it did, all he could think about was what he had discovered earlier that evening. While it was a shock to him, he really did hope his friends would have a successful relationship.

"I think they'll be really happy together, don't you?"

Hearing his wife's voice snapped Cody out of his thoughts and startled him. How did she know what he was thinking about? He was positive he hadn't said anything about them to her, and he seriously doubted either Gabby or Max had since they said they weren't broadcasting it. Shaking his head, he gave her a look of confusion. "Wh...what are you talking about, Bails?"

She returned his look of confusion. "Your Mom and Arwin? You know, the two people who got married at the wedding we just got back from?"

Cody sighed in relief before laughing. "Oh yeah...Yeah, I think they will be happy too."

But Bailey wasn't about to let it go at that. "Sweetie? Are you okay? I mean, when I came downstairs, it looked like you had totally spaced out on me. And after you got back from helping to get more liquor, you were awfully quiet for a little while too. Is everything alright with you?"

He just smiled at her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I might have inbibed more tonight than I originally thought. You know I can't handle my liquor very well..."

"That's true. Are you sure that's it though?"

"Positive." Deciding that a change of subject was in order, he offered out. "Hey, I think I saw your sister head out a little while ago, but I'm not 100% sure."

Bailey checked the clock on the wall and frowned. "Where was she going at this hour?"

Cody shrugged glad that his diversion seemed to have worked. "No clue. But, she is a big girl, and I'm pretty sure she can take care of herself."

At that, she sat down next to him. "Well, I know that, but still. She's our responsibility this summer."

He gave her a look. "Uh huh. I know, but she's 19. Its like like she's 5..."

She smirked back at him. "You going to tell my Dad that same thing when he asks if you've been watching out for her the past nine months?"

"Of course not! I'll tell him the truth - that she's doing fine in school, making friends, appears to be both mentally and physically healthy, and beyond that, I know nothing!"

"Cody!"

"Hey, the less I know, the less you're Dad can try to pry out of me. I think Amy would prefer it that way."

Bailey sighed. "True I guess. And it will be nice that we'll actually be back in Kettlecorn in less than two weeks."

"Oh, I know. We're both working next weekend so that we can take off to go. Yours and Amy's flight leaves early Thursday morning, and mine leaves soon after I get out of class on Friday."

"Working ten straight days won't be fun, but it'll be worth it to be able to head back home and be there for all of Sophie's wedding. I just wish you were able to fly back with us."

He smiled. "So do I, but with my summer course only having a total of 18 classes, I seriously doubt the teacher will be canceling any of them. But don't worry. We'll only be apart for one night."

"I know. I don't have to be happy about it, but I know."

"And it'll only last six weeks. Then our summers will be completely normal..." He paused. "...well, until we head to Rio to see the Olympics live."

"True. I'm really excited to see that. I..." But before she could finish, she was interrupted by her cell phone ringing. Frowning, she looked down to see that it was Addison calling her. "What the feathers could she be calling about at this time of night?"

Cody laughed. "Well, answer it and find out. Just be thankful she doesn't talk as fast as she used to. And while you do that, I'll head out and see if we got any mail today. We've been gone all day though I seriously doubt we missed anything important on a Saturday."

So, while Cody headed off to the mailbox, Bailey hit the answer button on her cell phone. And it was almost if the old Addison was back! It took nearly five minutes before Bailey could get a word in edgewise, and it took another five minutes after that to get Addison calmed down enough to end the call. Normally, Cody would have returned back into the house to hear the end of the call, but something they got in the mail caught his attention. He had to re-read the letter a few times to make sure he was seeing what was in front of him. When he finally returned back inside, he knew he had to tell Bailey what it said. But before he could, she cut him off.

"Well, that certainly was fun..."

"Oh yeah? What did Addison want?"

She sighed. "Well, it seems that tonight wasn't our last wedding of the year after all. Addison found out today that the church her parents got married in is being torn down the first of next year. And ever since she was a little girl, that's where she wanted to get married. So, we've been cordially invited to her and Woody's wedding the Saturday between Christmas and New Year's. I guess we'll have to make a pit stop between seing my parents over Christmas and your Dad and Maria over New Year's."

Cody paused before frowning. "Okay, weird since of Deja vu there. Having to get married before a church gets demolished seems vaguely familiar to me (Friends reference)." He shook his head. "Anyways, that's fine. But something tells me there's more to this."

Bailey nodded. "Oh yeah. While she's happy that she'll be able to get married there, she's freaking about about being able to pull a wedding off in about seven months."

"Gotcha." He paused before laughing. "Did you tell her that it'll be even worse once London gets involved?"

She laughed too. "I did. That's why I told her to get a good nights sleep before calling her tomorrow. I also told her that Zack and Maya might be too passed out by now to be taking phone calls. I did tell her to call back tomorrow and that I'd do everything I can to help out."

"Well, we are the ones who've been through a wedding before, so that makes sense."

"My thoughts exactly, but it will be good to have another married couple in our group."

Cody nodded. "True." He paused thought when he thought of something. "I guess this means I'll finally have to see Willa again. I hope she's gotten over me..."

Bailey began laughing. "Its been over five years now. Something tells me she has!"

He gave her a look. "You never did!"

She smiled at him. "Well, that's different. And if for some silly reason she hasn't, she'll have deal with me. I'm the only woman who's allowed to have a thing for you."

"Yes, Dear." He paused as he remembered the mail in his hands. "Not to change the subject, but we got an interesting letter in the mail today."

"Oh yeah? From who? I know its not a bill as we have all of ours on automatic bill pay."

"Its not. Its a letter from the New Haven District Attorney. Theo's trial date has been set."

That caused Bailey to pause too. "I guess we knew it was coming at some point. When is it?"

"The Monday after we take Step One of the USMLE next May."

She sighed. "Lovely. Well, at least it won't interfere with our classes or the exam. Still, I can't believe its going to take so long to start though."

"I know. I guess Law & Order is full of..."

She cut him off. "You've made that joke before."

"Still true. I guess I should call Tapeworm and Gertie tomorrow to see if they got one too and to see if we can crash with them when we head down."

"Yeah..." Bailey smiled. "But look at the bright side. This time next year, Theo will be locked away in jail for the rest of his life, and we'll never have to deal with him ever again."

At a Prison Somewhere in New Jersey

Even though it was a Saturday night, prisoner number 6673902 was sitting in a chair opposite a slap of sound proof glass holding a phone and waiting for his visitor to arrive. And before long, a young man in a suit that cost several thousand dollars sat down on the other side and picked up his phone too.

"Its about time you got here!"

The man laughed. "Hey! Take it easy! I'm here, aren't I? Besides, as your cousin, you're lucky I'm giving you the family discount in representing you."

The prisoner rolled his eyes. "Well, you're the only one in the family who hasn't turned their back on me! And without them financially supporting me, I'm having to rely on you, someone who's been out of law school less than a year. Now, tell me some good news in that you any closer to getting me out of here."

"Sorry, Cuz, I've actually got some bad news for you. Our appeal on your case here in Jersey won't be heard until next February at the earliest."

Prisoner 6673902 glared at him. "You're telling me I have to stay in here for at least ten more months?"

"Afraid so. But, there is some good news. You're trial in Connecticut has been set. It'll be in early May." He paused. "Unfortunately, I've seen some of the evidence they're going to use against you. You might be up a creek without a paddle there, Cuz."

He sighed and shook his head. "We've got to find a way for that one to go away! I can't stand prison any longer! There's already a group in here called the Sisters who keep winking and blowing kisses at me!"

"I'm doing everything I can, Theo..."

Theo glared at his cousin again. "Then do more! Get me results!"

"Like what?"

He paused to think before an idea came to him. "Simple. Get rid of the evidence they're going to use in that trial. Namely, make it so that the Geek and the Bitch will never be able to testify against me! With them gone, the other two will be too scared to dare testify..."

"Are you crazy? You don't seriously want to add murder charges against you. You'll never see the light of day again!"

Theo gave him a crazed look. "Just do it! And if you're as smart as you say are, you'll find a way to get this done without it being traced back to us..."

"And just how am I supposed to do that?"

He grinned. "Easy...make it look like an accident!"

To be Continued...

AN: Sorry it took so long to get this new story started, but life just kept getting in the way. I've got the whole story planned out in my mind, its just a matter of time of putting pen to paper. I'll try to be quicker in updating than four months though.