Chapter 6

Again, I don't own any of these characters

As they toured Alcatraz, Mr. Moseby made sure he kept a watchful eye on his group of students. Sometimes he wished he had a solitary confinement "hole" of his own he could lock some of them in. He sighed. They really weren't that bad. Most of the time. Well, maybe except for Zack. He glanced over and noticed Zack and Marcus were deep in conversation. He sincerely hoped they weren't plotting something nefarious. This was federal government property after all. Then again, a scare from the feds might do them some good. As much as he got on Zack's case, it certainly didn't mean he didn't care about Zack. If he was honest with himself, he had a great deal of affection for the boy or rather young man that he was becoming. Zack had a world of potential in him if he would ever just let it come out. He wished he could still be around when it did.

Looking over, he could see Woody walking with Addison. If they weren't an odd couple, he didn't know who else would qualify. Woody was actually a good kid...if you could get past his flatulence. Mr. Moseby secretly wished he would see the ship's doctor about that. But, he had become one of the group from the very beginning. Despite being total opposites, Woody and Cody seemed to work as roommates and had become close friends. And he and Zack...Zack had found his new prank partner. Woody was now the one Zack roped into his plans now that his brother's interests were elsewhere. And then there is Addison. She seems like a sweet girl, but every time Mr. Moseby sees her, it feels like Flight of the Bumblebees should be playing. Her sugar intake really does need to be monitored.

Walking past Mr. Moseby, London had refused to wear the head phones for the audio tour. Something about it covering up her diamond earrings. At least it looked like she actually had an interest in what she was seeing. He sighed. He was very proud of London. She was the closest thing to a daughter that he had. While in Boston, he constantly worried about her. But, at sea, it seemed like she was flourishing...in her own way. He was so proud of her for getting a C+ on a quiz, and he about broke down in tears when she got a B+. Even her asking how much we paid the merman holding up the ship didn't fazed him them. And to his delight, her grades did keep improving. Sure, there were still the occasional D, but more and more Cs were the norm with a splash of Bs. He was sincerely looking forward to her first A.

Over along the another row of empty cells, were Cody and Bailey. Halfway through the tour, Bailey's cassette deck stopped working. Instead of going back for a new one, Cody simply took one of his earphones and gave it to Bailey. As a result, they had to walk very close to each other and hold hands. If it had been any other young couple, this might have bothered Mr. Moseby. Instead, he actually found it rather sweet. He had an opportunity to watch those two from the beginning. Bailey was sweet, kind, caring and genuine. And she had done something he thought was impossible...she had tamed one of the twins. Well, he wasn't really surprised. He always knew Cody was the lessor of two evils. He wondered what Cody would have been like without having Zack's influence around. Either way, now, he saw a young man he knew was going places. And he knew Bailey would be going with him if Cody (or Bailey) had any say in the matter. He knew their current schedules didn't leave them a whole lot of time with each other, but he knew they made every moment they had count. Moseby just wished there was something he could do to help them. Thinking, he had an idea. He would need to run it past Miss Tutweiler, but he felt he could trust those two. He hoped he could anyways.

Backstage of the Golden Gate Theater, San Francisco

After an entertaining concert, Zack, Cody and Bailey are waiting backstage for Kurt Martin. Everyone else had continued on to their explorations of San Francisco but had asked the trio to pass on their thanks for the tickets and appreciation for the wonderful concert.

Kurt Martin has slipped into the back of the room and sees the three teens talking. His boys...Wow, they sure have grown. He realized they were almost as tall as he was now. Talking with them is a very beautiful young woman with her fingers intertwined with those of his youngest son. That has to be Bailey he thought. Cody had sent him pictures, but he was right, they really didn't do her justice. He was proud of his son and the thought "That's my boy!" crossed his mind. A smile turned up on Kurt's face. After everything that Cody had told him about Bailey, he was glad that he was finally going to meet her. His son had even used the word love when talking about her. Looking at his youngest son, he could see that love radiate off of him every time he looked at Bailey. Even more comforting, he could sense the same thing from her every time she looked back at him. His sons really were growing up. He only hoped Zack had matured as much as Cody seemed to have. Oh well, no time like the present to find out. Kurt stepped behind his sons and wrapped his arms around their shoulders and pulled them into a hug.

"There you two are!"

"Dad!"

"So good to finally see you two again. You two keep growing and you are going to tower over me soon. (turning to Bailey). And you must be Bailey. I've heard so much about you, and I'm glad to finally meet the young lady my son goes on and on about."

"(blushing) It's a pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Martin. Cody has told me so much about you as well."

"Well, let's all catch up and get to know each other over dinner. I'm starved!"

The four walked down the street chatting about anything and everything. The conversation was flowing very smoothly. Cody was relieved that it appeared that his Dad approved of Bailey. Not that it mattered if he didn't at first. Cody would have done whatever it took to get his Dad to see that Bailey was perfect for him. And Bailey was smiling as she got to know Kurt Martin. She could definitely see where Cody got some of his traits. It did strike her that Zack seemed to be the one most like Kurt though. This only strengthened her resolve to finally meet Cody's mother. She was almost positive that Cody was the twin more like her. But that wasn't to say that she didn't enjoy finally meeting Kurt. He had a very laid back attitude and a twinkle of mischief in his eye that both of his sons appeared to have inherited. Finally, they reached the restaurant. Walking in, they are greeted by the Maitre d'.

"Can I help you, Sir?"

"Yes, we have reservations, under Kurt Martin."

After searching his book, "Ah yes, here we are...Martin, party of 6"

Zack and Cody look at their Dad and ask simultaneously "Party of 6?"

Kurt smiled and sighed "Surprise..."

To be Continued...