Title: My Favorite Mistake

Author: Britannia Eitwards

Summary: Madeline "Maddie" Fitzpatrick, and Lance the pool guy we're an item, then broke up, then London spread a rumor they got back together, which wasn't true, but Maddie's senior year she changed her mind about Lance, and later ended up with Natalie. She never told Lance Nat was his, she insisted she didn't know who it was. Eleven years later, after Maddie fled Boston, word of London's engagement, to someone surprising, sends Maddie and Natalie back to Boston for a week of wedding plans, reunions, and of course, insured Tipton chaos.

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own The Suite Life Of Zack and Cody, though I wish I did. The title comes from the song: 'My Favorite Mistake,' by Sheryl Crow.

"I found myself today."

"So this is Boston…" Natalie says as she surveys the area.

"Yup, this is it." Maddie says, suddenly forgetting why she came back, nothing had changed, it was the same superficial judgmental city it had always been.

"It's gorgeous," Natalie says.

"It's alright…"

Suddenly Natalie spotted a green building top above everything else that had a gigantic "T" on it, she gasps, "Mom! Is that it!"

"Yeah."

"I can't believe this! I get to meet everyone!" She jumps up and down, "This is SO exciting!"
"If you insist…"

The two headed around building and across streets getting to the Green roofed building known as the Tipton Hotel. Maddie was nervous. Very nervous. She knew something bad might happen, but the one person she went to to talk her out of such notions, was the one she was trying so hard not to disappoint. Natalie had imagined her grandmother a super sweet great lady, and Lila Fitzpatrick just wasn't. She didn't want to break it to her, and she didn't want her to find out for herself, it was just a bad position to be in.

She also anticipated what seeing Lance again would be like, horrible. She just knew the connection between Lance and Natalie would be established and nothing good could come from that.

Natalie, however, was just about bursting with excitement. She wanted to see everyone and everything, and more importantly, she wanted everyone to like her. These were the people Maddie had left because they judged her, and now they were just going to meet her! This was almost overwhelming, but yet, exciting at the same time.

"This is it…" Maddie says, as they walk up the steps.

"I'm so excited!" Natalie says

"Please, please don't set yourself up too much, I don't want this to disappoint you,"

"I won't. And it won't,"

"Okay. Here it goes…" Maddie says, holding her breath as she pushed on the revolving door.

"Welcome to the Tipton," a door man said.

"Hi, thanks." Maddie answered quickly.

She looked around, everything looked pretty much the same. She glanced to the front desk, and of course, still filling in reservations in the big book after all these years, was Mr. Moseby. Before she even has the chance to say hi, a familiar voice pipes up, "Maddie?"

Maddie snaps her head to the left to see an old friend, Cody.

Cody looked almost exactly the same, same blonde hair, same smile, same face, accept he's a little taller. Nothing had changed.

"Cody! Oh my God, hi!" She said as Cody walked up the steps to give her hug.

It was odd, though. Cody was fifteen and still smaller than her the last time she'd seen him, so being able to hug him at eye level was a bit of a change.

"So, how are you? What's been going on?" Maddie asks as they hug.

"Well, I'm engaged, and…that's about it. What about with you?"

They pull apart as Maddie says, "Well, remember when I left eleven years ago…?"

"Yeah, unexpectedly, what the heck happened?"

"Nat," Maddie says, as she takes Natalie by the shoulders and positions her in front of her.

"She happened? That's why you left? It wasn't Zack was it? I'll kill 'im!"

"No, no, it wasn't Zack." she laughs, "Nat this is my friend Cody, the one who's getting married. Cody, the light of my life, Natalie."

"It's nice to meet you," Cody says, sticking out his hand.

Natalie takes it and shakes, "You too. And congratulations."
"Thanks." He lets go of her hand and jerks his head to the side.

"Nat, could you excuse us for a second?"

"Sure." Natalie says going to sit on her suitcase.

Zack and Maddie walk a few steps over.

"It seems a congrats is in order for you as well! Who was it? Oh my GOD! I can't believe it Maddie! Why didn't you stay?"
"Because! He wasn't the type!"
"Oh my God it WAS Zack!"
"No! No it wasn't!"
"The who was it? Did he abandon you? Maddie, I swear to God— "

"Cody, I know you would never want anything bad to happen to me, but he didn't leave me, he didn't even know! No one did. The only people I told were my parents, after they flipped out, I decided to just leave. After I'd y'know shamed them so much, I figured why bother."

"Maddie…"

Natalie suddenly hated her grandparents, how could they have been so mean to Maddie? Maddie was always the nicest ever, they best friend a person could have, and in general just the best Mom. Maybe if they had known that…they would have been nicer.

"I still think it was Zack…she has his nose!

"Okay, stop it! In Zack's dreams! He was someone my own age."

"Chuck?"

Maddie shook her head.

"Trevor…?"
She shook her head again.

"Well, who else could there be, I mean there was Chuck, Trevor, and La— ." he pauses and stares wide eyed, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" he gasps, "Oh my LANTA! Zack is gonna flip."

"NO! You can't tell him!" Maddie says.

"Why?"

"Because! He'll…well I don't know what he'll do, but it won't be pretty!"

"Maddie…"

"Look, Cody, just don't— "

"Maddie?" Another voice piped up.

"London?" Maddie said peering around Cody.

"Maddie! It's been forever!"

"Hey! I know! Congratulations on the engagement! I'm so happy for you guys!" She says as they hug.

"Thanks! So, what's been going on?"

Maddie sticks out her hand behind her, Natalie takes it, and Maddie pulls her gently in front of her to show her to London.

"London, this my angel, Natalie."

"Oh…so that's what's been going on."
"Congratulations, London." Natalie says.

"Thank-you, darling. Oh my you're gorgeous! You look just like Maddie! And a little like someone else…but I can't put my finger on it…"

"Um…Nat, why don't you get someone from the candy counter."

"Okaaaay…"

Natalie heads over to the counter where no one's standing behind. Natalie peers over the counter, then looks left to right, she shrugs then sets a five on the counter and takes a Butterfinger from the shelf.

She turns to see her mom facing the other way while London and Cody are staring at her intently, she tilts her head, and looks around. He eyes land on a dark haired guy dragging a cart with pool cleaning supplies on it, and carrying a full water jug.

Natalie stared as he attempted to open the elevator then dropped the water jug, and knocked all the cleaning supplies off the cart.

Natalie cringes, "Let me help you with that," she says.

"Oh, thanks. But be careful, that has toxic chemicals in it." the guys says.

"Oh…oh well, I'll wash my hands." she says setting it on the cart, "So, do you work here?"

"Yeah."

She takes another cleaner bottle and sets it on the cart, "Let me guess…you're the pool cleaner?" she says with a laugh.

"You got it,"

Natalie smiles.

"Oh. So are you visiting someone?"

"Yeah, my m…aunt's friends are getting engaged."

"Oh that's cool. The heiress of this hotel is also getting engaged."

"London?"

"Yeah…"

"Yeah that's her."
"She was friends with this girl that I…fell in love with, and she just disappeared. I was hoping she'd come here for the engagement, but I don't think she will…"

"You never know…"

"True…" the guy smiles as he pulls the cart into the elevator, "Thanks for the help by the way."
"No problem, and good luck with meeting that lady."

"Thanks." he smiles as the doors shut.

Natalie didn't know why, but she felt a weird connection to that guy…maybe it was because he was kind of handsome…she didn't feel like thinking about it, she wanted to meet her Dad.

"Hey Mom."

"Hey…" Maddie says.

"We'll see you later." Cody says grabbing London's arm and toting her away.

Maddie grabbed the handle of her suitcase and Natalie did the same as they headed to the elevator.

"So, you make friends quickly…"
Natalie crinkles her face in confusion, "What's up Mom…?" she asks.

"Oh, nothing."

"Is this about me calling London an airhead under my breath, 'cause I seriously didn't think anyone could hear me!"

"No. And nice touch by the way."

"Then what! What did I do?"
"You didn't do anything."
"Okay, then why are you acting weird?"

"I'm not." She says as they walk into the elevator.

"Yeah you are."

"Look, Natalie being near all these people I left for the first time in eleven years is a little overwhelming so can you just chill please."

"Yeah, alright."

Maddie and Natalie don't talk the rest of the way up to the twenty third floor.

"Here we are." Maddie says as they walk to their suite.

"This is a swanky hotel…"

"Yeah, you're just realizing this…?"
"No." Natalie laughs

Maddie smiles as she puts the key card in the slot and opens the door.

The room opened right to a bedroom, with one huge bed. And beyond that was another door, which could be seen was a bathroom. Even though it was small, it was still a gorgeous suite.

"I couldn't get a two bedroom, but I could get a view and since you're a Boston first timer…" Maddie says.

"Wow…" was all Natalie could say.

Maddie sets her suitcase in the corner and looks out the window, "I never thought I'd miss this place…"

"Speaking of missing, this dude was trying to get into an elevator, and he had like a thousand pool cleaner thingies and I went to help him and he said he fell in love with this girl who left— "

"Wait…a pool cleaner…?"

"Yeah…"

"And the girl he loved left?"

"Yeah…"

"Oh my God…"

"What?"

"He didn't tell you his name, did he?"

"No…"

"Good."

"What's going on…?"

"Natalie…you…he…"

"What…?"

"I…need some fresh air."

"Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

"No! I mean…no, that's okay."

"Okaaaay…" Natalie says as she sits down on the bed, as Maddie darts out the door.

Maddie's fighting back tears as she smacks the button of the elevator. She couldn't believe it. He loved her. He loved her and he didn't know about Natalie. He loved her and wouldn't have left her. Not only did he love her, he still did.

The elevator dinged and donged, as it stopped. Which was odd, because Maddie wasn't on her designated floor yet.

The doors opened.
"Oh my God…" Maddie says.

A/N: Cliff hanger! Sorry, but it isn't who you think it is…or unless you know me oh too well, Dayna! You'll know…lol