Chapter 2. Brown, not Blue

Rubbing the last remnants of sleep out of his eyes, Cody exited the elevator and made his way over to the candy counter where Maddie was just finishing setting up the displays before she removed the "closed" sign. Cody sighed before he walked up to the counter.

"Hi Maddie." he said pretending to yawn to cover his sadness.

"Hi Cody." she replied favoring him with a warm grin which turned into a look of concern when she looked at him up close for the first time. "You ok?"

"Yeah," Cody replied forcing a tired smile, "just didn't sleep too well. Can I get a chocolate bar?"

"Sure." she said handing him the bar then waving her hand as he reached into his pocket. "it's ok, Cody I've got it."

"Thanks." he said and started to eat. As he was eating, Cody looked up at Maddie and was shocked to see her looking at him with bright blue eyes. His chocolate bar hung from his mouth as his eyes widened in surprise. Maddie cocked her head to one side seeing the look on the boy's face.

"Are you sure you're ok, Cody?" she asked reaching over the counter and placing a hand on his forehead. Cody shook his head to clear it and looked back at Maddie's face. The blue eyes had changed to the brown ones that he had become used to. Again he sighed.

"Yeah I'm ok." he said. Of course Maddie didn't believe that for a second but she knew that Cody would open up in due time. She just had to be patient.

"Ok, but if there's anything bothering you, you know you can always talk to me, right?"

"I know" Cody said offering her his first real smile of the day. "Thanks, Maddie."

"No problem." she said lightly ruffling his hair "By the way, where's your evil half?" Cody chuckled slightly at that.

"He's still asleep." Maddie looked up at the ceiling and mouthed 'Thank you' silently which got another chuckle out of Cody. This time the smile actually stayed on his face, which was of course exactly what she had intended. Cody checked his watch and finished the rest of the chocolate in one big gulp.

"Guess I should go check on my 'evil half'." he said with a sideways grin. He waved goodbye to Maddie and headed back to the elevator. Maddie watched him go with a smile. She adored both boys as little brothers and was flattered to be Zack's first real crush but if she were to be truly honest about it, Cody was her favorite. Zack could be extremely sweet and attentive when he wanted to but Cody just naturally was. She sometimes even wished that it was Cody with the crush on her but then she would shake herself remembering what he had gone through when he had met that beauty pagent contestant. Besides, he seemed perfectly content having a "big sister". She was still chuckling at the memory of Cody in a dress and heels when she noticed that she had a customer.

"Sorry, lost in thought, may I help..." she froze unable to finish her sentence. There she stood face to face with, as near as she could tell, herself. The girl that stood in front of her counter had all the same looks, she was even the same height and weight as Maddie. The only difference Maddie could see was her eyes which were a bright blue like what Zack and Cody's eyes were when they became angry.

The other girl seemed initially as surprised as Maddie was then her expression softened into a smile.

"You must be Maddie." she said. "The boys talked about you all the time when they visited me." seeing this only confused Maddie more she extended her hand "Sorry, I'm Angela McMahon. I'm looking for Zack, Cody and Carey Martin." Maddie shook the girl's hand but still seemed confused. None of the Martin family had ever mentioned the young woman before. As she was pondering this Zack came off the elevator and strolled up to the counter.

"Hey Maddie could I have a kiss for breakfast." Zack said with a hopeful grin. Maddie was broken out of her suprise and a devilish smile spread across her face.

"Suuuuuuure." she replied. Zack got excited until Maddie reached under the counter and pulled out a small candy wrapped in foil. He cocked his head quizzically.

"What's this?" he asked.

"You said you wanted a kiss." Zack face fell for an instant but then he shrugged, unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth.

"Hi, Sweet Pea." the woman standing beside him said with a chuckle. Zack froze. The voice sounded very much like Maddie's but she was right in front of him. Plus, he only knew one person who had ever called him that. With wide eyes he turned and looked at her for the first time. He saw Maddie's face with bright blue eyes. Zack felt like his brain exploded. He knew that face because he saw it every time he shut his eyes. The last time he had seen it, the young woman was lying in a coma in a hospital bed.

"Angela." he whispered in wonder. Angela smiled at him and held her arms open. Zack recovered his senses and threw himself into Angela's arms. Angela scooped him off the ground and held the boy close. Zack got the kiss he was looking for after all but in a way he could never have imagined.