AN: Ok guys, here's another chapter for you all. This one is a major tear jerker, so be prepared to have some tissues at the end of it. Please review as you read the story, I really would appreciate it. Again, I do not own anything that is copyrighted.

Sky Deck

Marion Moseby was furious as he stomped towards the four teens followed gently by Emma Tutweiller. The look on his face was a mixture of shock, disappointment, anger, and if one looked closely, hatred while she tried to put on a serene look to help her students, hopefully try to calm any worries before the storm. It wasn't working. All four teens were frozen in place by his face, all fearing for what the usually annoyed, but still caring manager of the S.S. Tipton would do once he got to them. None of the four have seen him like this before, even Zack with his history of pranks that irritated Moseby like none other. London was terrified. She had never seen her surrogate father so angry and she had no idea what was going on in his mind. She decided that out of all of them, she was the only one that could speak without worrying about any dire consequences.

"Moseby…" London said before she was cut off by Moseby's hand in front of her face as he stopped in front of the four teens.

"London! I don't want to hear it from you," he said with his eyes focused on Zack.

"Now Mr. Martin," Moseby began, which terrified Zack even more. Never in his life had Moseby ever called him Mr. Martin and it felt like Moseby was a leopard waiting to pounce on his terrified prey. "Please explain to me the scene that both Ms. Tutweiller and I have both just witnessed as we entered the Sky Deck."

Zack was too scared to even say anything. The usually smart-aleck and cocky teen was at a loss for words at Moseby's behavior and could only reply with, "Umm….."

"What Zack means to say is that…" Cody tried to intervene, even though he feared for his life.

"Cody…," Moseby said sternly as he turned to give him a warning glare, "Let your brother explain himself. For once, you can't help him talk his way out of it. You and Ms. Pickett would not want to lose the special privileges that Ms. Tutweiller and I had approved for the two of you and put further restrictions on your interactions with one another, would you?" Moseby threatened and then turn his eyes back on Zack.

As Moseby made the threat to Cody, both Bailey and Tutweiller were stunned at his declaration. Was the possibility of London and Zack kissing and cementing a relationship that much of a nightmare for the S.S. Tipton manager that he would threaten to restrict a relationship that had his full approval of in Cody and Bailey?

"Mr. Moseby, that's not fair…" Bailey injected before Tutweiller put a hand on Bailey's shoulder to silence her before she infuriated him even further.

"Marion, perhaps you should calm down. This may be a lot for you to take in and you should think about things before making any regrettable decisions," Emma said as she walked over to her boyfriend and put a hand on his shoulder to placate his anger.

Although Marion was still seething, the gentle touch from Emma did help him calm down a bit as he look at the four teens. Sensing that Marion was calming down, Emma looked at the scared, confused, and stunned faces of the four students whom she had a special place in her heart for and gently advised, "It's getting late. Perhaps it would be best if the four of you turn in for the night."

The four teens took heed of the advice, all giving her a look of gratitude before heading towards the student cabins. Cody and Bailey stopped when she called out to them. They turned and look at her as Tutweiller said, "It would be wise if you two don't take advantage of the 'no interference' policy this weekend."

Both nodded, understanding what she meant as the two turned back around and walked somberly towards Bailey's cabin, with Cody's arm around Bailey's waist as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. Emma could only look upon the four with sympathy as she turns her gaze back to her boyfriend. Marion's face had changed. Instead of the scowl and fiery eyes that he had used on the teens, Marion now had a look of sadness on his face with a lost look in his eyes as tears were threatening to spill out of them. Emma was heartbroken at the image she saw before her and could only hug Marion as he began to let it all out.

The Next Day

London/Bailey's Cabin

As Bailey's chicken clock alarm began clucking, it stopped within two seconds of it sounding. Not by Bailey's hand shutting off the alarm, but by one of London's diamonds as she hurled it with deadly accuracy at the chicken clock. The clock fell off of Bailey's nightstand and onto the floor right next to Porker's bed, startling the pig out of his slumber and squealing, causing everyone else in the cabin to wake up.

London groaned from her plan failing and irritably said to Porkers, "Stop squealing other white meat or else I'm not going to regret having you for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner."

"LONDON! Stop threatening Porkers. I was going to turn off the alarm before you threw a diamond at it. Plus, you don't see me threatening to eat Ivana do you?" Bailey said as she slowly sat up. She was as irritable as London sounded after last night's encounter with Mr. Moseby. It didn't help that she wasn't waking up in her boyfriend's arms like she was accustomed to doing so on a Saturday morning, but she refrain from mentioning that to London.

"Do farm people actually eat dogs?" London wondered curiously.

"Not in the U.S. from what I know. In certain countries in Asia, dogs are actually considered a prime source of food." Bailey said with a look of disgust. After understanding what Bailey had said, Ivana whimpered and leaped onto London's bed to run into the comforting arms of her master.

"Aww…Ivana, don't be frightened. Auntie Bailey would never eat you," London said hugging Ivana. She then looked down at Porkers and apologized, "Sorry Porkers. Auntie London is just in a bad mood this morning. I would never eat my favorite little piggy."

Before Porkers could respond, the bell rang, signaling an announcement was going to come on. "Attention ladies and gentlemen, would the following students please see me and Ms. Tutweiller in my office immediately; Zack and Cody Martin, Bailey Pickett, and London Tipton. That is all."

London and Bailey looked at each other with a confused look after Mr. Moseby's announcement. Yet, just before they could say anything, someone was knocking on their door. Bailey slipped on her duck slippers and walked over to open the door, revealing the Martin twins already dressed and waiting.

"That was pretty fast of you guys. Moseby just made the announcement," London said seeing who it was.

"We were already on our way here to see if you girls wanted to get breakfast before the announcement came on. Looks like we have to first make a detour to Moseby's office," Zack explained.

"Okay, wait outside the hallway while London and I change before we head over to Moseby's office. Wait, why aren't Woody and Marcus with you two?" Bailey asked.

"Well, Woody didn't come back to the cabin last night. I have a sneaking suspicion that he's in Addison's cabin, but I'm not going to knock and open up that can of worms. As for Marcus, he's still passed out from the party last night with the passengers and crew." Cody clarified.

"Alright, we'll be right out," Bailey said as she gave Cody a quick kiss on the lips before closing the door. Ten minutes later, both girls came out of their cabin and walked with the boys to Moseby's office, uncertain what lies within.

Moseby's Office

When the four teens arrived at the door of his office, Zack decided to get things over with and knocked on the door. "Come in" came the reply of Marion Moseby from the other side. Zack opened the door and the four went inside Moseby's office and Zack closed the door behind them. Moseby was sitting in his chair with Ms. Tutweiller sitting on the seat next to them. He motioned the teens to sit in the four chairs directly in front of him, with Zack and London in the middle and Cody and Bailey sitting on the sides. Moseby looked at them and was contemplating on how to start. Tutweiller eventually sensing the hesitation nudged Moseby along. He finally shook out of his train of thought and began to speak.

"Now, before I begin, I feel that I must apologize to each of you for my behavior last night. It was discourteous, inappropriate, and unintentionally intimidating. Cody and Bailey, I must apologize for the threat that I laid upon the two of you. Please be assured that Ms. Tutweiller and I have always given full support to your relationship and we will continue to do so in the future. I am sorry that I caused any distressed in what I said last night to the two of you," Moseby finished while looking at Cody and Bailey, whose faces were lighten up by the revelation.

Moseby then turned towards Zack, "Zackary, I must apologize for intimidating you last night. I know full well what the scene between you and London was last night, but I had wanted to hear you voice it out because my mind would not register what my eyes were seeing. Please try and remember that even with everything you put me through since you were 12 years old, I have an emotionally vested interest in not only London, but both you and your brother, as well as Ms. Pickett."

Finally, Moseby turned to the one he considered not only his charge, but surrogate daughter as well. "Young lady, I must apologize to you as well. I should not have been so abrupt last night in cutting you off. You were just trying to speak up for your friends and I never gave any of you a chance to explain. Yet, like I said, there doesn't need to be an explanation for I realize what is going on," Moseby explained.

The four breathed a sign of relief. It seemed as if last night had just come to such a shock for Moseby that he reacted in the wrong way. At least now Moseby will give his approval and blessing to Zack and London's new relationship. Yet, as they all looked up at Ms. Tutweiller, expecting a smile to come from their romantically inclined instructor, they were only met with a sad and sympathetic look. Before they could process anything, Mr. Moseby began to speak once again.

"However, because I do realize what is going on, I must say that after a very long debate with Ms. Tutweiller, I cannot and will not give you two my blessing and approval to date one another."

There it was. Moseby's declaration was the reason why Tutweiller had given all of them a sad look and would not share in their short-lived happiness. It was obvious that she had tried to appeal to Moseby to reconsider his decision, but had failed. As the foursome felt defeated from that statement, London and Zack knew that they were not going to take it lying down.

"Well, I'm going to call daddy and have him change your mind. Unless you want to start that job as a goat herder, I would kindly suggest you change your mind before I call him," London threatened with a heavy heart as she pulled out her cell phone. She's done the threatening spoiled brat act before, but she always hated to do it to Moseby of all people. He was the one she always looked up to as a real daddy, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"London," Ms Tutweiller began sadly, "I wouldn't bother calling your father. I had already pulled that bluff with Marion. He called your father and he approved of Marion's decision. Unfortunately Zack, your reputation as a womanizer, hooligan, and lack of potential in becoming a valuable member of society didn't connect well to Mr. Tipton's idea of a boyfriend for his daughter," she finished a heartbreaking look on her face.

Unlike Wilfred and Marion, Emma had seen the atypical interaction between Zack and London the past couple of months as clearly as Cody had. Although she didn't have the experience that Cody did with the two individuals, they were still her students whom she saw and interact with every day. There was a change in London, one that was for the better and she had suspected that London's affection for Zack had triggered that change. It never struck Emma that London was as dumb as Marion had made her out to be because she had seen the potential that was hidden beneath the exterior of the spoiled heiress. The only reason she never reached that potential was because her father never recognize her for anything she had achieved. While it was great to earn praises from Marion, London wanted nothing more than to feel actual pride and acceptance from her usually absent father.

As for Zack, Emma felt that like London, he acted out for the attention and approval that he could not get thanks to his smarter twin Cody. It was true that while Zack got the athleticism and charms of the family, the rewards were fleeting at best and could never measure up to the proud looks his parents probably bestowed upon Cody for his academic achievements.

In the end, you had two kids vying for the attention they both craved from their families; London in wanting her father to see that she was more important than any business deal he struck or companies he owned. As for Zack, he wanted his family to feel proud of his achievements in things other than sports or finding the right woman. Yet, he was never going to measure up to his brother and instead of using his brother as a measuring stick; he had used it as an anchor to weigh himself down.

Emma had tried to convince both Wilfred and Marion on both points, but the two hard-headed men would not listen to her theory, convinced that Zack was absolutely no good for London. As Emma's mind drifted back to the present matter at hand, she had just realized that Zack had left and London was bawling into Bailey's shoulder as she and Cody tried to comfort their distressed friend. She turned her eyes to her boyfriend for an explanation. Marion obliged his girlfriend's wishes.

"After your explanation about Mr. Tipton's decision, London looked more defeated than the time she and Todd St. Mark weren't allowed to date," Marion had said with sadness in his voice that matched the look on his face, "After a couple moments of silence, London declared that she was going to date Zack no matter what her father or I decide. It was her life and she was old enough to make the decision on her own and that she loved him." Emma could see that Marion was struggling to continue. She put a hand on his shoulder to encourage him to continue.

"That was when Zack jumped in. He told London that her father and I were correct in our concerns about him and that he wasn't exactly one to argue about the mistakes in his past. He told her that he loved her too, but that until Mr. Tipton and I approve, he cannot go behind our backs and date her. London tried to plead with Zack to change his mind, but Zack was steadfast about it. He said that he didn't want their relationship to come between the relationship that London already had with me and Mr. Tipton. Before Zack left the room, he said that he would await the day we both changed our minds and that until then, the only thing he can do is to show us how important London's love and happiness meant to him" Marion finished as he started to break down.

Emma held him tight in her embrace, rubbing his back to calm him down. As she did this, she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Now do you see what I was talking about last night?"

"Emma, what have I done?" Marion asked as he took his eyes off of his girlfriend's and look towards the door that Zack had just left through moments earlier, then to the sobbing figure in the arms of her friends. "What have I done?" he repeated.


Moseby has realized his mistake, but will that convince him of everything? What about Mr. Tipton? How are they going to get over that hurdle?