If you'll notice, this chapter is significantly longer than usual. It was a bit of a struggle to write, but I think all the following chapters are going to be like this. Let's see, I had you hanging off a cliff, didn't I?

Slightly confused. That could describe Zack right now. No, actually, slightly confused was how Zack had felt when his longtime friend London disappeared and suddenly reappeared before his eyes at the exact time when he was visiting Paris. Confused was how he had felt when she had basically ignored him except for giving him her address. Very confused was how he had felt when he saw Daddy's little rich girl riding the public bus dressed in plain, colorless, average clothing, with little makeup and nothing sparkly in sight. And extremely confused was how he had felt when she had coldly remarked that Todd was no longer part of her life.

So Zack knew he had to get to London's as soon as possible. He was following her directions to the best of his ability, but he only knew a miniscule handout's worth of French, and these signs were giving him a killer headache.

He kept looking up at every turn, but there was no Tipton hotel in sight. No mansion or villa, or even a nice skyscraper that could possibly hold London's penthouse. In fact, he was wandering around the area of Paris that seemed far more suburban than anything else. Lines of sweet little homes, stuck together like condominiums, that all had a dainty and old feel to them. These kinds of houses were in all old cities; Washington, D.C., and Boston, to name a few.

Zack figured it was time for him to give up. He must have walked straight past London's hotel, and not noticed. And it was freezing. Maybe he could ask somebody? Zack listened around to the people walking by, hoping to catch some English. He soon heard some from two tall older men talking to each other. They both had heavy French accents, but they were speaking in English.

"Excuse me, I mean, excusez-moi, I mean, hey, do you speak English?" Zack called, rushing up to the two gentlemen.

"Yes." The first said.

"Oh, thank god. See, I'm looking for this address…" Zack said, holding out the slightly crushed paper London had given him.

The two men sneered at him. One said, "Monsieur, zee house you are looking for is..." He extended his long bony finger, "…right there."

He was pointing at one of the houses. It was brown brick, with ivy that would probably look a lot better if it wasn't winter. Well, it looked like he hadn't been lost after all. Zack was puzzled. That couldn't possibly be London's house. London Tipton's?

"Um, merci." He said to the men, as he headed towards the house.

Zack hesitantly rapped his knuckles against the door. The door opened up to just a sliver. Zack couldn't see who had opened it; they hadn't even undone the chain lock. "Is, um, London, home?"

"Who's asking?" a curious voice answered. It wasn't London's but it was a lady's.

"Um, it's Zack. Zack Martin. You see, I ran into London earlier, and she said I should stop by, but if this is a bad time…" Zack stopped speaking as the door opened all the way. A small pretty older Asian woman was squinting at him.

"Who are you again?" She asked.

"Zack Martin." He replied.

She tilted her head. "Are you one of those twins that London loved so much? Carey's boys?"

Zack quickly nodded. "That's me. Are you London's mom?" He had never met her before, but there were enough similarities between the two that he realized this was London's mother. "And, can I come in?"

He watched her face slowly turn into a warm smile. "Of course, come in. I'm Amy Tipton. It's freezing out there, isn't it? I'll get you some tea!"

Zack followed her into the house. He looked around. Despite the fact that the ceiling was a little low, the inside of the home was nice. All the furniture was high-class and modern. It definitely looked expensive, but not the ridiculously expensive "London" style he was used to. Nothing was pink or purple or fluffy or sparkly the way she had always done her suite and her cabin. It was mostly brown and black and smooth. Maybe she had only London-ified her bedroom.

"Here you go, darling!" Amy came rushing in with two cups of tea. "It's hot hot hot!"

Zack noticed she seemed especially eager to see him. "So, you know my mom?" He asked, while blowing on his cup.

"Yes, oh what a sweetheart she is! We had a lot in common personality-wise. And she went through the same thing I did, a messy divorce, and now, being a single parent."

"So, London does live here with you then?"

"Of course she does! Why else would she have given you this address?" said Amy. She wasn't grasping the fact that Zack knew absolutely nothing that had happened to London for a while now.

"Where did you meet my mom?" Zack asked.

"Oh, at the wedding." She replied. That triggered something in Zack's memory!

"Ms. Tipton, where's Todd?"

Amy's eyes turned cloudy. She turned away from Zack to gaze out the window. "London really didn't tell you anything, did she?"

Zack gulped. "Where's Todd? What happened?"

Amy sighed. "Life can seem so cruel sometimes. What wrong did Todd and London ever do? The only crime they ever committed was falling in love." She put down her cup, and began telling Zack the story. "It was just another ordinary day. Todd was just driving to his office, like always. Some teenagers jumped a red light, just for the fun of it. Neither party saw it coming. And in that moment, London's life changed forever."

Zack could only listen in shock. Todd was… dead?

Amy continued. "And it was far from over." She scowled bitterly. "Wilfred was ecstatic though. He thought that maybe he could acquire St. Mark's wealth because of Todd's will through London. St. Mark and Wilfred began this awful lawsuit. And, London, my poor baby, didn't even have a time to mourn before she was dragged into court." Amy was crying now. Zack felt like crying too. "London finally put her foot down, and told him off. And, and… he disowned her. Wrote her out of every will and testament. Destroyed every Tipton product she had ever helped with. And every part of London's life was shattered." Amy blew her nose loudly. "The Mosebys offered to let her stay with them, but I knew I couldn't sit back any longer. I immediately took London in. But I didn't even have a job; I just lived off of alimony checks. I could hardly offer London the luxury she was used to. But she came anyway. I finally had time with my only child." Amy took a sip of tea to soothe her. "But, she's really not the same girl. London used to demand attention and have all eyes on her the moment she stepped through the doorway. Now, there are times when she's so quiet, I don't even realize we're in the same room." Amy took a heavy breath.

Zack was horror-struck. Oh, London! His sweet and showy London had been destroyed by a tragic death and the corruption of her own family. "Ms. Tipton, where is London now?"

She smiled the faintest of smiles. "Well, once we moved to Paris, London decided she didn't want to live off anyone anymore. She runs a boutique a few blocks down the street."

Zack took a big breath. "I might need directions."

X

London locked the door to her store, and turned to walk home. But instead of leaving, she was stopped by a young blond man.

"Zack!" she gasped. "What, what are you doing here?"

"I talked to your mom." He said calmly.

"Oh." London replied.

"Walk with me?" He asked.

She just nodded her head and fell into step with him. She's so quiet, Zack thought. He knew he should say something to make her feel better, but he wasn't sure what to say.

"London," He began, "Sometimes, in life…" Nope, not good. "London, we all…" No. "Life can seem…" Wrong. "Everybody… you're really tough… I believe… I know…um…"

Zack stopped his punctuated sentences, as they both reached the brown brick house. "Oh, look. You're home. And you can't even comment on how interesting our conversation was." He joked.

"Zack." London said turning to him.

"London, I just wanna…" He began again, but was stopped by London kissing his cheek. He gently touched the spot where she had kissed him. He felt himself blushing a little, and he smiled.

"Thank you." She said, smiling softly back at him.

"For what?" He asked.

"For what you've been trying to say." She said, as she went inside.

X

"Dad, I can't stand it!" Zack said, while pacing the floor of his father's loft.

"Zack, it's not like you could've done anything." Kurt said from the couch.

"Yeah, I know!" Zack exclaimed. "But, I just want to make her feel better. How could this have happened to my poor sweet London?" Zack cried out, as he sat down on a leather chair and buried his face in his hands.

"Your London?" Kurt glanced at Zack, whose hands still covered his face. "Zack, the most you can do for her is just… try to be a good friend."

"How on Earth will that help?" Zack said.

"If there's anything that girl needs, it's a friend. You need to be uplifting. Maybe your friendship will help bring her back to normal."

Zack shrugged. "I guess I could give it a shot."

The next day, Zack headed back to London's boutique, but only after stopping to get them both some lunch.

"Ding-a-ling!" He shouted, as he entered the store. "It's Zack!"

London was at the register, straightening up. She was wearing a simple black dress with her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. "Zack, what are you doing here?"

"Well, since you don't seem to want to meet me for lunch, I'm bringing lunch to you!"

"Zack…"

He put the brown paper bags down on a small table London had near the register and the window. "It's Chinese. For the record, do you know how hard it is for an English speaker to order Chinese in France?"

"Zack…"

"I'll answer for you: very." He opened the bags and started dishing out the food. "I hope they have fortune cookies."

"Zack, what are you doing?" London asked, sounding tired.

He shrugged. "We're having lunch."

"Zack," London said, angry. "This is exactly why I couldn't stay at home, or with Moseby, or any of you guys! I'm not a baby! I can handle myself! I don't want your pi-"

Zack was ignoring her. "Oh, and here's your half of the bill." He said, handing it to her.

"-ty?" London finished, surprised. "My half of the bill?" She repeated. Ever since Todd's death, no one had let London pay for anything if they could help it.

Zack half-smiled at her. "What? You think I was going to pay for your food? Hey, you have a job, I don't. Come on, before it gets cold."

London smiled genuinely as she pulled up a chair across from him. "Zack…"

"Hey, if you don't start eating soon, that egg roll is going to end up in my mouth." He smiled back at her.

So London began eating. Suddenly, the door opened, and two young women, presumably tourists came in.

"Oh, we're sorry!" One said, in an Australian accent. "We didn't realize it was your lunch break."

London sighed, and put down her chopsticks. Customers always come at the wrong time, she thought. But then she noticed Zack across from her. He was chewing his last bite of food quickly, and he was standing up.

"Oh no, it's fine." He said, as he swallowed. "So what were you ladies interested in?"

"Zack…" London began yet again. He motioned for her to stay.

"I don't know." One of them said. "Shoes?"

"Ah, shoes." Zack nodded his head quickly. "We have a fabulous shoe selection here. London has impeccable taste. I'm sure you'll be impressed." And he began guiding the women to the shoe section of the store. Right before he was out of her view, Zack flashed London an A-Okay with his hand, and winked.

London sighed and smiled. Maybe trusting Zack with her customers wasn't the greatest idea, but it was so sweet of him to let her take a break and eat. Zack. The boy would always have that upbeat energy. Something London had been missing for a while now.

X

"Zack!" Kurt called. He peered into Zack's room. Zack was laying on his back, with a goofy smile on his face, clearly texting someone on his phone. "What are you doing? You look like a teenage girl."

Zack shot up. "Sorry, Dad," he said in an embarrassed voice. "I was just texting London."

Kurt made a pouty face. "London, London, London! That's all you even care about! You've been spending all your time with her!" He complained.

It was true. Zack hadn't realized it, but it was true. He hadn't looked at the Parisian sights, the Parisian girls, or his not-so-Parisian father this whole trip. He had been spending every day with London. One afternoon, they had gone to the park, and he had tried to count every single pigeon he saw, while London laughed at him. Another day, London had taken him to her favorite café, and they had some fancy French lattes. And another, they had gone down by the water where restless artists painted. Zack had purposely sneezed his coffee onto some guy's canvas to make London laugh. Sure, he had to buy it, but it was absolutely worth it. Yesterday, Zack and London had spent their whole time trying on berets and making funny faces in the boutique. And just now, Zack had been texting her.

Zack was actually thrilled. He was beginning to see bits and pieces of the old London coming through. But that wasn't enough. He was running out of time in Paris. And clearly his Dad was upset with him.

"I thought you came to Paris to see me." Kurt pouted.

"Dad, I did." Zack said.

"No, no, you continue to text your little girlfriend." Kurt said in a melodramatic voice. "Your old dad won't bother you anymore!"

"Dad, she's not my girlfriend. As if London and I could ever be more than friends. Ha!" Zack joked. "And don't be upset, dear old daddy. London's coming over for dinner, tonight."

"Really?" Kurt said, interested. "I don't even know her. Will I like her?"

"I don't see how anyone could not like her! She always manages to put on a brave face, for as long as I've known her, despite all the crap she's been through. She's got a great sense of humor. Her laugh, it's like music; glittering, tinkering music! I pride myself on being the master at getting her to laugh. And even without all the fancy clothes, she's still the most beautiful girl in the whole world! I mean, have you seen her? She's so…"

Zack was still going on about London, as Kurt watched him. There was just something about him when he talked about her. Zack seemed to light up at the mere mention of London. Did his son really only want to be her friend?

X

"London!" Zack's head shot up as he heard their doorbell ring. "Dad! Go get dressed!"

"Son, I am dressed."

Zack looked him up and down. "That's what you're wearing? London's going to hate it, and by default, hate you! And where's dinner?"

"It's almost done." Kurt replied.

"But what if she doesn't like it? Oh man, I should have asked her what she wanted!" Zack screeched.

"Son, just take a breath and relax. She's your friend. You don't need to be perfect."

Zack sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I just want to do something nice for her, you know?"

"I know. And Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"The door." Kurt pointed towards it.

"AAHH, right!" Zack zipped over and opened the door. "Hey, London."

"Hi, Zack." She said sweetly, as she walked inside, looking around.

This was the first time since he got here that Zack had seen London dress up a little. Her hair was curled in nice tight black loops. She was wearing a soft gray sweater with little black flowers sewn on the top, a simple black skirt, and some surprisingly sexy black high heels.

"Hello, Mr. Martin." She said to Kurt.

"Why hello to you, Miss London Tipton. Now that we have the formal introductions out-of-the-way, please call me Kurt." He said to her, smiling. She smiled back at him.

"Yeah, London, dinner isn't ready yet." Zack said nervously.

"That's okay." She shrugged. "Do you guys mind if I look around?"

"No, go ahead." The guys said.

London walked around the loft, and tentatively made her way upstairs. She paused to peek in each room. She could easily tell the messy one was Zack's. She stopped a little longer in what she assumed was Kurt's room. Her eyes floated to one picture on the night table. A happy pair of newlyweds; Kurt beaming with his arms around a blonde Carey, in a long white gown. London sighed.

"Pretty picture, isn't it?"

London jumped at the sound of Kurt's voice behind her. "I'm sorry, I was just…"

"It's fine." Kurt said. He stood next to her and stared at the picture too.

"Mr. Martin," London said, eyes flitting from him to the picture, "What ever happened between you and Carey? You always seem to get along."

Kurt sighed. "It's really my fault. I was always a wild, free wielding spirit. I did whatever I wanted on my own terms. And I didn't want to change for anybody, especially not a girl. Carey understood though. She felt the same way. We were the perfect duo. But, you know all about marriage," London nodded her head. "It's about give and take. And once we were stuck together legally, those little things we wanted to change about each other grew into big monsters. We fought a lot. The boys being born helped, but suddenly Carey turned into Mrs. Responsible, and I didn't want to step up and help her. We kept fighting, and finally I decided I couldn't handle marriage anymore." Kurt turned the photo so that it no longer faced him. "Cody took it really hard. I feel like he still hopes we'll fix all our problems. As for Zack, I don't even think it affected him."

"Oh, it affected him." London said. "Just because you have an 'every-man for themselves' exterior, doesn't mean your parents splitting up doesn't hurt. At least, it didn't with me."

"You're probably right, London. I know, if I could do it all again, I would have done it different. But then again, who knows? I don't even know why I'm telling you all this."

"Yeah. You never told me." Zack said.

London and Kurt flipped around to see Zack behind them. "Time for dinner." He said quietly.

Kurt walked out of the room silently, and London hurried after him, when Zack caught her arm. "Zack, I'm sorry if that was tough, or awkward, or…"

"Thank you." He said. "I, I could never bring myself to talk about the divorce with my dad. But you did. And you were right about me. Being affected. I guess it's important to have someone to relate to, huh?"

"Yeah." She slid her hand into his. "Come on. Time for dinner."

X

I'm leaving, thought Zack. I'm leaving Paris. And I'm actually sad.

He was standing right in front of the airport, all ready to go back to Boston. And two very important people had come to say goodbye to him.

"And you have everything?" Kurt asked him.

"Yes, Dad."

"Ok." Kurt looked to both sides. "Now quick, give me a hug before someone sees."

Zack laughed and hugged his dad. "Love you too, Dad. I'll call you when we land, ok?" Kurt nodded.

Zack turned towards the other person, London. She was sniffling.

"I think I'm actually going to miss you Zack." She said.

"Of course you are! I mean, look at me!" Zack flashed a smile.

London whacked his arm, but he could see a smile forming. "You're a jerk."

"Promise me you'll visit Boston." Zack said.

"Maybe."

"No," He grasped onto her shoulders. "You have to promise me, and then follow through. Don't go jumping off the grid and leaving my life ever again. Look me in the eyes and promise you're going to visit me."

London's eyes met his. "I promise. Maybe in a month or so?"

"Good." He pulled London into a warm hug. He didn't want to let go of her. Somehow, this felt right. And he didn't want London to ever vanish again.

"Um, Zack? Tick-tock." Kurt said.

"Sorry! Bye Dad, bye London! Say goodbye to your mom for me!"

"Just go, stupid!" London said, smiling.

"Ok, bye." Zack hustled to the airport doors. "U...S…A! U…S…A!" He chanted.

"What a goof." Said Kurt, as he and London began walking away together.

"Yeah." London said quietly, the smile still on her face.

I hope that wasn't too much for one chapter. Tell all your thoughts in a review.

Love, Silver