Hey there! This is just a small message for you, who read this story. It took me a lot of thinking before making this decision… Which actor would portray Mark's dad, Stephen Stevenson? Well, I've decided that the only actor who could portray him would be Gary Sinise (you guys know him from his most recent part as Mac Taylor from CSI: NY). So, try to imagine him as a novelist in this story. Anyway, on with the show!

Chapter 9: Essential

While Zack grabbed the transmitter and ran back to the suite, Maddie was having a hard time with the amount of customers that wanted to buy something from the candy counter. She tried to stay focused on what she was doing, but all she could think about that moment was London. In her mind, she pictured the Asian-brunette in her room, dressed in one of her silk pyjamas, probably reading a fashion magazine. She also imagined herself, entering in her suite, as London called her name; telling her to sit with her in the bed. As soon as she sat by her side, the beautiful heiress would look at her in the eyes, then slowly leaning in and capturing Maddie's lips in the sweetest of soft kisses. Maddie sighed as she thought about it, when a kid made her snap out of her day-dream, back into reality, by shouting at her.

"I want a candy bar!"

Maddie cursed her luck for the umpteenth time in her life. She needed to get out of there, and find out if the love of her life loved her or not.

A little earlier, Mark entered in his suite, when he heard music. He knew that if there was music that could only mean one thing; his father had decided to come home earlier, and was listening to his favourite songs. He looked around, trying to see if he could see him, when he appeared from beneath the kitchen counter. He was wearing a blue and white Hawaiian shirt, a pair of jeans and blue monkey-slippers.

Out here in the fields
I fight for my meals
I get my back into my living.

"So, what's shaken, sport?" –Steven asked his son, as he grabbed a can.

I don't need to fight
To prove I'm right
I don't need to be forgiven.
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

"Troubles, as always, dad… and if you're going to ask me why I'm wet, let's just say that I jumped into a pool, and well, you can see the result." –Mark answered dryly.

Don't cry
Don't raise your eye
It's only teenage wasteland

"Well, tell me, does it have something to do with a girl?" –Steven asked him.

Sally, take my hand
We'll travel south cross land
Put out the fire
And don't look past my shoulder.

"Not in the way you're thinking… it has to do with a girl, but, it's complicated, and I have zero chances of having something with her." –Mark said. –"Just give me a minute to change clothes, and you can continue to question me, coronel…" –he said, making his father chuckle.

The exodus is here
The happy ones are near
Let's get together
Before we get much older.

"Okay, hotshot… Go on and change clothes. The last thing I want is for you to catch a cold." –Steve said, as Mark entered in his room, and closed the door behind him.

Teenage wasteland
It's only teenage wasteland.
Teenage wasteland
Oh, yeah
Its only teenage wasteland
They're all wasted!

A couple of minutes later, Mark came out of his room. He sensed the smell of something good coming from the kitchen.

"Roast beef, grilled potatoes and peanut butter and jelly muffins… Not to mention the fact that you were listening to The Who playing Baba O'Riley… You only do that when you're either out of ideas, or, right after you finished a new novel. And I bet it's the second one." –Mark said.

"Touché, hotshot. It took me forever to finish that one. My publisher was already thinking that I would not be able to finish this one on time. But, I finished it and I believe it's going to be my best work yet." –Steven stated.

"You sound just like Billy Ray Cyrus, every time he composes a new song for Miley."

"Which reminds me; we got to text him to confirm that we will be going to Miley's birthday party next month. But tell me; who's the girl that's messing with your head right now, Mark?"

"Like I said, dad, it's not what you're thinking. I admit that there's a girl in this, but I'm working as Cupid, nothing else… and if you're going to ask it, the girl is London." –Mark answered, as he grabbed one of the muffins.

"You mean, London, as in London Tipton?"

"The one and only." –he said, as he threw himself onto the couch.

"I see… well, and who's the guy that she's in love with, huh?"

"That's just it! It's not a guy… it's a girl. I promised her that I wouldn't tell anyone, but I know I can trust you, so there you have it, miss London Tipton came out of the closet, and she's in love with a girl."

"So?"

"So? So, the girl she's in love with is Maddie… you know, the girl from the candy counter who happens to be your biggest fan in this hotel, and we don't even know if by any chance she loves her too." –Mark said, as e took a bite from the muffin.

"I see. Well, you got yourself in a tight jam, Mark. As your father, I would tell you to stop with those shenanigans and focus on your own life, but as your friend, I would tell you that you should do anything in you power to help your friend." –Steven said. –"Besides you, who else knows about this?"

"Just Cody, one of the Martin twins. He's also helping London… and God, do I need a plan to help her. Come on, dad, give me a hand here. You're always writing about all kinds of romantic relationships, you probably know a way for me to get out of this jam…"

Steven looked at his son for a couple of seconds, and then asked him:

"Well, have you tried to "read" both girls, and see if you could find out their true feelings?"

"Been there, done that, dad. It was really easy with London, but Maddie… Maddie is really good, when it comes to hiding her feelings. I observed her for nearly two hours, and nothing."

"Okay, then, maybe you should adopt a more direct approach… steal her MP3 player."

"What? Steal it?" –Mark exclaimed, rather shocked by what he heard his father telling him.

"Not steal it, steal it… more like, borrowing it for a little bit. And you know why?" –Steve asked, to which Mark waved no with his head. –"Because, music can tell you a lot of thing about the person who hears it... What kind of person it is, what are their dreams, their hopes, and sometimes, it also can reveal a person's most intimate feelings."

"You know, it might just be the best idea that I heard so far. I got to go and tell those two about it. Thanks, dad… oh, and you better not wait for me, because I'll probably won't have dinner tonight. I got a lot of thinking to do. See ya!" –Mark said, a he grabbed another muffin and walked out the door.

In her suite, London paced quickly, wondering what to do. Cody had decided to go back to his room, letting her alone with her thoughts. She had her silk bathrobe around her body and paced from one side to the other. Her slippers made a strange yet funny squishing noise every time she stepped on the floor. She listened to them, trying to match her steps with her heart beat. Finally, she grew tired of that, and sat on a chair by the window. Looking outside, she looked at everyone that passed in the street below, sighing. Looking up she saw the advertising of a new perfume. The Ad had the image of a bottle shaped like a red heart. This made London sigh even louder than before. Still looking at it, she started to sing a song that came to her mind that moment.

If I had to live without you near me
The days would all be empty
The nights would seem so long
With you I see forever oh, so clearly
I might have been in
love before
But it never felt this strong

Our dreams are young and we both know
Theyll take us where we want to go
Hold me now, touch me now
I dont want to live without you.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You oughta know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
Ill never ask for more than your love.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but nothings gonna change my
love for you.

If the road ahead is not so easy
Our love will lead the way for us like a guiding star
Ill be there for you if you should neeed me
You dont have to change a thing
I love you just the way you are.

So come with me and share this view
Ill help you see forever too
Hold me now, touch me now
I dont want to live without you.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You oughta know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
Ill never ask for more than your love.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but nothings gonna change my
love for you.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You oughta know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
Ill never ask for more than your love.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but nothings gonna change my
love for you.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You oughta know by now how much I love you
One thing you can be sure of
Ill never ask for more than your love.

Nothings gonna change my love for you
You ought to know by now how much I love you
The world may change my whole life through but nothings gonna change my
love for you.

London did not know why she had started to sing that particular song. She thought that it was probably because that song made her think about Maddie, and everything that she loved about her. A small tear rolled down her face, as she remembered jus how beautiful and magical Maddie's smile was. Trying to think of something else, London went to her humongous wardrobe, so she could pick something beautiful to wear. Her wardrobe was so huge that a person needed a map just to get around it, without getting lost. Another thing about it was the fact that once inside it, you could shout as much as you want that nobody else would hear you, which was a good thing, because as soon London entered in it, her entrance door opened, gently letting out a click. Looking inside, Zack tried to see if there was anyone inside, before entering. Since he did not see a soul, he entered, closing the door behind him.

"Okay, now… there's got to be a good place for me to hide this thing… But, where?" –Zack looked around, looking for the ideal spot to hide the radio transmitter. After a couple of minutes, he found the ideal spot, beneath one of the suite's couches. Gently placing it, he turned it on. –"From all the things that I did for Maddie, this is probably the most dangerous one ever. If London finds me here…" –he said, as he made sure that no one was really there, fearing that he might be caught. –"Let's just hope that this works, or else, I'm doomed."

Carefully, Zack headed towards the door, when he accidently kicked something with his right foot. He looked down and saw that it was a MP3 player, probably London's. Not resisting he turned it on, and look at London's musical selection.

"Interesting… Madonna, Aqua, Chipz, Ashley Tisdale, Beyoncé, Ricki Martin, Beethoven, Marilyn Manson, Daft Punk, Backstreet Boys, Mozart… Man, London's musical taste sure is strange. She listens to 80's, 90's and 2000's music, but she also likes classic music. I never took her for a girl who enjoys hearing music that only old people and Cody like to hear." –Zack thought, as he looked at the musical list.

All of a sudden, he heard someone approaching from where he was, so he quickly dropped the MP3 player and ran as fast as he could to the door, fearing that it was London. He got out just in time, but if e had stayed behind, he would have seen that in fact, it was London's dog, Ivanna, who came out from the wardrobe.

At the same time Zack took the elevator back to the 23rd floor, Maddie was able to once again close the candy counter. As soon as Moseby entered in his office, she quickly sneaked into the stairs, heading to the first floor at full speed, almost tripping on a step. From there, she took the elevator back to the Martin suite. As she waited for the elevator, she remembered one of her favourite songs, and started to sing it.

Hey
if we can't solve any problems
and why do we lose so many tears?
Oh
so you go again when the leading man appears.
Always the same theme
can't you see
We've got ev'rything going on and on and on.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.

Go on and go free
maybe you're too close to see.
I can feel your body move
does it mean that much to me.
I can't go on singing the same theme
'cause can't you see
We've got ev'rything
baby
even though you know:
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.

Can't go on singing the same theme
'cause baby
can't you see
We've got ev'rything going on and on and on.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time you go away you take a piece of me with you.
Ev'ry time
ev'ry time you go away - but I don't care -
You take a piece of me with you. Ev'ry time you go away -
Ev'ry time you go away - don't leave me all alone

And breakin' up a piece of me. Ey'ry time you go away.

Singing that song made her weep a little, because the lyrics made her think about London and just how much she loved her. Still, she quickly wiped the tears before the elevator doors opened. At the same time, Mark was trying to get into the employees locker room. He had to wait for someone to open the door for him. He cursed the fact that from all of his many talents, one of them was not being able to open locks with a lock pick. Finally, luck smiled to him. Millicent had just entered in the locker room to change into her uniform, so she could start her shift. A couple of minutes went by, and when she finally came out through the door, Mark made his move.

"Hey Millicent, how's it going?" –he asked her, as she was closing the door behind her.

"Hi there, Mark, more or less, what about you?" –Millicent answered him.

"Same old, same old... You're going to start our shift now?" –Mark asked her, showing her his biggest smile.

"Yeah, and if I don't hurry, Moseby will have my head on a silver plate… He's completely pissed with everyone today, and God knows when he will calm down. See ya later!" –she said, as she quickly headed to the lobby, waving him goodbye.

Unknown to her, he had managed to keep the door opened, by leaving it ajar, without letting Millicent close it completely. He looked around to see if someone was coming down the corridor, and after being sure that he would not be seen, he entered the room. It took him a couple of seconds to find the light switch, but when he finally turned on the lights, he knew that he had very little time to find what he was looking for. Finding Maddie's locker was easy to find, but now came the tricky part; he had to open the lock.

"Hmmm… it's one of these locks that you can personalize your own lock combination. Now, if I was Maddie, what would my combination be?" –Mark asked himself, as he thought about it. Lucky for him he had photographic memory. –"Maybe, her birthday…"

Remembering Maddie's birthday date, he tried it, but it did not work, so he thought about other dates that would be important to her. He knew that he had to find out the combination, in order to open the locker, and see what songs she had in her MP3 player, even if it took him the rest of the day, which he did not have.

"Okay… maybe her parents wedding date?" –he asked himself, as he tried that combination. –"No, not this one either… it's got be something that is special to her… but what exactly?"

That's when it hit him. What if the date was something that no one in their right mind would ever think of or remember?

"Let's suppose that Maddie chose a date that on one would ever think about… London's birthday date." –he said, as he tried it. As if it was magic, the lock opened itself, allowing him to open the locker. –"Now, what do you know?"

There he saw Maddie's clothes, which consisted on a pair of baby-blue jeans, a red sweater, and a pair of black and white tennis shoes. He also saw her school back pack, a Gucci's back pack; no doubt that it had been a present form London. He opened Maddie's back pack, looking for her MP3 player, when he finally saw it.

"Okay, Miss Madelyn Fitzpatrick, what kind of music are you listening right now, hmmm?" –He asked, pushing the buttons –"Interesting... Nelly Furtado, Danny Elfman, Michael Jackson, Brenda Song, Rossini, Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, Backstreet Boys, Queen, Verdi, Miley Cyrus... most of the songs are love songs. Well, at least this gives me something to go on with my investigation... Hey, what is this?" –he said as he grabbed a violet book with golden letter on its cover. –"It's Maddie's diary, what luck! I know I shouldn't do this, but I promised London that I would try and find everything I could about Maddie... and besides, what Maddie doesn't know, won't hurt her." –Mark said, as opened it.