Disclaimer: I do not own Suite Life series (Disney does) or the Honor Harrington series (Baen and David Weber own that).

I like to thank darkelements10 for betaing this chapter.

Zack's mind rose from the fog and darkness of sleep and opened his eyes. He quickly remembered he was in a hospital after the car accident. His eyes went into focus and suddenly he spied another set of unfamiliar green eyes looking directly into him. But these eyes were surrounded by fur…

"Ahhh!"

Pandemonium shattered the quietness of the room as a crash was heard in addition to Zack's scream. Panicked footsteps found their way into the room to see a brown haired man on the floor stunned, a boy tangled up in blankets and a six limbed treecat with flattened ears at the end of the bed.

"Well I walk away for five minutes and the world blows up." Trisha Cunningham comments with a smile. She walked over Zack's bed to calm him down.

"Zack calm down. It's alright." Trisha's compassionate voice was soothed to him while she touched his arm. The boy turned his head toward his social worker and calmed down.

"What was that?" Zack's voice was full of nervousness as he pointed a slightly trembling finger towards Alexander, who still lay crouched on the bed.

"Wow, what a wakeup call. His name is Alexander and he is a Sphinxian treecat." Zack's head whirled around at the sound of the man's voice. The man was getting off the ground and shaking his head and found toward the creature at the end of his bed, next to his casted up leg.

Zack subdued a flinch as he almost touched the injured limb.

"Well Zack, I am pleased to meet you. My name is Ken Philip Mitchell, Captain in Her Majesty's Manticoran Royal Navy. I am going to be your foster father until further notice. "

Zack saw the man crack a smile and put out his hand. The child ignored it for a time and the man frowned and withdrew the hand.

"Anyway, Alexander was laying his head down on your stomach as he has done for the past two days. I guessed he figured you would not be scared by him. He was wrong, obviously." As Ken said this, the treecat made his way slowly up the bed again.

Zack was hesitant to make any move toward the animal. The creature slowly slouched his way up the bed. It stopped at Zack's waist and stared at the nervous child. Zack stared at the treecat's eyes, practically lost in them. He saw no threat in them at all, just a sense of warmth, intelligence, and compassion. Time practically stopped as Zack's hand made its ways incrementally towards the head of the cream and gray beast. Alexander leisured at Zack's touch and slowly made his way to Zack chest where he laid down and let the boy continue to stroke his fur with an audible purr.

"Well I see one introduction is not needed." Ken said with a smile lurking on his face. He flickered his eyes over to Trisha, noticeably relaxed.

"How is my patient?" Nurse Cathy gentle tone reached Zack's ears.

"OK, just a little sore besides the leg" said Zack with a shrug of his shoulders while eyes focused on Ken and his hands caressed Alexander pelt.

"Why don't we get your physical exam done now?" Cathy asked with an air of patience.

Zack's fingers stopped moving, prompting Alexander's head to turn around and look at Zack questioningly.

Zack's eyes darted to Trisha, who smiled and said "Don't worry about it. You'll be out of there before you know it."

A corner of Zack's mouth moved as he uncovered himself and was taken to get checked out. Alexander stayed with him against the grumblings of the medical personal.

"Hopefully we will get told everything about his injuries and the time it would take to heal them." Trisha said.

"He will told all the necessary information. They happen to be very through." Ken reminded her.

"At least I can use the treecat as the opening wave of an invasion to assault, I mean, to assist in helping change his sadness into something positive." commented Ken.

"I am surprised he reacted in such an encouraging way to the treecat." Trisha reacted to Ken's comment with an amazed look.

"I'm not. Alexander has been good with kids. It must be his charming personality" Ken replied, which Trisha shaked her head in resignation.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" The social worker asked the captain, who nodded to the request.

Do you have a girlfriend? I mean you look like a Greek Adonis in terms of male beauty. I say you do not have a problem getting one?

Ken's eyes darkened slightly at this and sighed before he answered.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend. We have been dating for over 2 years now. I love her very much. Unfortunately she unable to come to Pegasus, which the name we gave to this planet, due to personal obligations. However, when she does, you can meet and talk to her."

"I intend to" Trisha answered with a shadow of sadness.

Zack was followed into the room a short time by a doctor and settled back onto the bed while the doctor introduced himself.

"My name is Surgeon Lieutenant Commander Mauricio Neukirch. I am the head of Zack's medical team. I am assisting the medical establishment in the process of streamlining Manticoran medical technology in local areas and their use and access to everyone. However we are to talk about Zack's situation. I have some good news."

Trisha introduced herself than pointed out Ken to Neukirch, who shook his hand.

"I presume the arboreal is yours, sir" asked the doctor.

"Yes the furry troublemaker lying on Zack's lap is mine. By the way, your name sounds familiar. Do you happen to serve with a Commander Honor Harrington a few years back by chance?" Ken asked with extreme curiosity.

"Why yes I did, how do you know?" Nuekirch countered.

"She's an old friend of mine and I thought your name came up once by accident that's all and I wanted to be sure. So what's the good news, Doc?

"It turns out Zack's recovery is moving faster than expected. He should be able to leave the hospital by tomorrow on crutches. The bone is almost practically healed, so he will have to stay the crunches for about a week. After that if everything goes well, he will be good to go."

"Well that's surprising but glorious at same time. I thought it would take him longer to heal. I guess youth has its privileges" Ken said with a smile. He turned his head toward Zack who was looking at the group and asked what he thought about it.

"It's terrific. I can't wait to get out of these stupid hospital clothes and out of this bed and able to walk again. I'm bored by being here." The boy answered with a resigned expression knowing he would annoyed by it all.

"I don't blame you. I hated being not able to run around and cause problems when I was your age. It drove me crazy. Oh well, it'll just be a week before you gain freedom, Zack."

"Humph" Zack responded. Maybe this Ken guy is not so bad after all. No, part of his mind savagely cut off the thought, you can't trust him.

The hospital released Zack the next day, after the taught to use the crutches. Stubbornly Zack refused anybody's help. Ken, Trisha, Zack (and Alexander) made their way back to Ken's hotel. When Zack stepped out of the car, Zack's jaw dropped to the floor and his eyes were the size of hot air balloons.

"You you live at the Tipton Hotel!" Zack stammered out while trying on to his crutches.

"Yes I do. I have been here for almost 6 months. I work for the Manticoran embassy in NYC as part of the diplomatic core. I live in Boston to get away from the ragging headaches known as negotiations. Besides with our intraplanetary cutters, pinnaces and other small craft to provide transportation, I'm less than an hour away from the Big Apple."

Zack was not paying much to Ken's words. He was distracted by the colossal size of the building, but the last sentence caught his interest. He looked at Ken with a shocked and questioning look on his face, who saw the look and chuckled.

"Our craft can travel several hundred miles per hour at top speed. So I am just a hop, skip and a jump away from them if needed. Shall we go inside?"

After saying hello to Norman the doorman, the group went inside into a bustling lobby with elevators on his right and a wall full of candy with a counter in front of the area in the back right corner of the room.

Zack listened as Ken further described what he called the lobby of the iconic hotel.

"In the middle of the lobby as you can see are two couches with a coffee and to your left is the front desk with the hotel manager behind it. Of course you have to go down these walkways in the center to get to them and avoid the oddly placed table with the vase in the middle. I am surprised no one has broken the vase yet."

Zack slightly struggled with the crutches as the group makes it to ken's suite, number 2430. Zack opens the door and grasps at the size of the suite.

"How could afford something this size?" Trisha rose from Zack's right as she looked around with dazzled eyes.

"Well the Foreign Office pays for the daily rate, while I pay for any room service any other extras that come up. I guess the Star Kingdom wants personnel to live comfortably." Ken replied with raised eyebrows that almost reached his hair. "I requested an upgrade while Zack was in the hospital because I was not sure if the room I originally had would be too small for us to live in, but I am shocked they upgraded me to this much."

"Alexander looks like he's made himself at home" said Trisha with a smile as the treecat flew from Ken's shoulder where he was carried and dashed to the huge sofa bed in the suite and laid down with his head on one of the pillows.

Zach mood lifted slightly at the action of the creature and looked around his new home. The sofa bed was front of a hanging flat screen TV and a coffee table. There were sectionals and armchairs paired with end tables scattered in living room portion of the suite.

"I actually like having huge windows on either side of the TV. It puts more light into the room, but at least there are curtains in front of them" commented Ken.

The captain turned around and saw the curved cherry desk on top of a raised section of floor.

"Its looks beautiful, almost similar to the American President's Resolute Desk and there's a matching four shelved cherry bookcase behind it."

The surface of the desk had a keypad, a razor thin wireless keyboard laying on it along with a razor thin computer screen built into the desk. The screen had the ability to rise into an up position when operated. Other accessories included the expensive spring ink pens, pencils and a book copy of the Manticoran constitution. Otherwise it was a very clean efficient desk.

Zack circled around from the couches and his eyes widened.

"The kitchen is titanic. I am never leaving it" The kitchen was separated from the desk by a small wall

"I would have to agree" Ken agreed. "Between the metallic refrigerator, the wooden cabinets and the marble countertops, the kitchen looks pleasant. Once you add in the island in the middle and the hard wood kitchen floors, its well designed. The thick carpet sells it for me. I also like there's a window next to the kitchen."

"Don't forget the pantry," Zack said quietly as he continued to open doors in the suite.

"Just like a boy, always thinking with his stomach, Trisha commented. "The table for 6 to 8 in between the sofa bed and the kitchen fits well along with the ferns in the corners and the ivy hanging down above the island."

Zack hopped past the adults continuing his investigation of the suite. Several feet away from the kitchen window which opened to what he assumed was the master bedroom with a king sized bed and a full scale bathroom. Along the far wall and across from the door into the suite were two doors. One was an empty room which could double as storage or a second bedroom.

The last unseen door was in between a wooden chest and a second book case on its left side closer toward the TV. Zack opened it and went it.

"Wow, a balcony window" Zack said out loud as he opened the doors which connected to a balcony located in the back of the room. There was an emergency fire escape connected to it allowing an escape down to the alleyway below. Empty blue walls signified a new beginning toward him.

Zack noticed the two queen sized beds and their matching dressers.

"Why would anyone put an extra bed in here with me?

"It's for your twin."

Zack whirled around (as fast as one could on crutches) and stared at Ken, who leaning on the doorframe. Trisha was right behind him. Zack clutched his fists defensively at his sides. Ken did not move a muscle, ignoring Zack's subtle movements.

"You told him about Cody?" Zack asked Trisha pointedly.

"Of course, I had too. You know that. Your situation might deter others from bringing you in. "

"That did not stop me. Anyways I have every intention of expanding the search in finding your brother as I told your social worker. I know this because I have more resources at my disposal than before due to my naval connections. As a matter of fact, I have already assembled a unit that has already started a search for your brother. Hopefully, we will yield positive results soon. Lastly we need to go shopping tomorrow because starting Monday morning, you are going to school."

Zack groaned loudly when Ken said school. For some reason, he just could not get his head to stay focused in the act of listening to teachers and doing homework. It was so hard to concentrate. Trisha left soon after saying she would come back to check on them soon and wished them good luck.

Both man and child were quiet as things were unpacked. Zack hated being helped especially with his private stuff but his limitations gave him no choice. Efforts to start talking were wasted as Zack contemplated his thoughts of school as clothes and underwear were put in their rightful place. As Zack slept in his bed that night he wondered what life would bring next, a new hope or a new painful addition to a repulsive life?

Sorry for the boring section about the suite, I was wanted to give you an idea on how I thought it could be. Things will pick up with the next chapter. Anyway read and review please. Any questions or comments, you can PM me.