Hey guys! After a slight writing hiatus, I am back! I know I have a lot of stories that need to be worked on and finished, and I promise I will eventually get to them. I write when I get the muse and when I know what I want to write (so, who knows when they'll get updated). I watched the 1998 version of Parent Trap the other night and instantly knew I needed to write a PT fanfic!


It was nearing the middle of the afternoon when Liz heard the Jeep pull up to the house, signaling the arrival of her daughters, ex-husband, and his fiancée. However, when she came outside to greet them, Liz noticed that Meredith hadn't returned from the camping trip with them. This was kind of shocking, considering the fact that Nick and his fiancée seemed to be glued at the hip. The thought of Nick with another woman made Liz shudder and if she was being honest with herself, she wished she was in Meredith's spot as his significant other.

"Where's your fiancée, Nick?"

"Oh, Meredith," he trailed off rubbing the back of his neck, "she is on her way back to San Francisco. After the latest, and if I'm honest, greatest prank Hallie and Annie pulled on her, she sort of freaked out. In other words, it was the last straw. The look on her face was filled with hatred as she got in my face and yelled, and I quote, "If we get married, I am sending those damn brats off to boarding school, whether they like it or not. Get the picture? It's me or it's them, take your pick."

Liz looked at her ex-husband with a frown. It made her upset to think that someone could have so much dislike for her daughters. "What was your response?"

"Them. Get the picture? Then she threw the engagement ring at my head."

"You know, since the first time I met that she-devil, I knew she was no good for you. She's much too uptight, self-centered and thinks she can get whatever she wants, when she wants it. Honestly, she just wanted you for your money and to have a nice piece of eye candy to show off."

Nick gave her a sly grin, "Oh, so I'm eye candy?"

"Seriously, Nicholas, that's what you got out of that?"

"Maybe," he chuckled, "but in all honesty, I suppose I should thank Hallie and Annie."

Liz raised an eyebrow at his statement. Why should he be thanking their daughters for driving his fiancée away? Shouldn't Nick be upset that Meredith left him? Why isn't he upset? "And why should you be thanking the girls?"

Nick took a few steps closer to Liz, until he was standing in front of her. He glanced at her lips before looking into her eyes, "Because…" he paused, framing her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks with his thumbs and kissing his ex-wife deeply, "Something has become very clear to me after everything that has happened in the past few days. She isn't you, Liz." Then he walked away from her into the house and leaving her very shocked and confused.

How should she be feeling after his confession? What did it mean? Liz didn't know what to think and that bothered her a little.

"Oh, bloody hell. What am I going to do?"

Hearing a throat being cleared, she turned around to see Chessy standing in the door way. "You okay?"

"No, Chessy," she said with tears starting to well up in her eyes, "I'm not okay. My ex-husband just told me that his fiancée, ex-fiancée, whatever the hell she is, isn't me. I don't know what to think, or how to feel about it. I am truly and utterly confused."

"I know what might make you feel better. At the west end of the vineyard, at the very back of the property, is a huge weeping willow. Follow the staircase up to the tree house. I'll pack you a small basket with some snacks and some strong whiskey to help loosen you up and relax you."

"And what, pray tell, am I supposed to do in a children's tree house?"

"It isn't a child's tree house. Nick had it built just after what should have been your first anniversary; he told me it would have been his gift to you. It's his favorite place to sit and think. As a place to get away from everything. That place is almost like his home away from home."

"Oh, God," Liz sobbed.

"Listen, I didn't tell you that to make you feel bad. I'm just explaining why the girls know nothing about it."

"It makes me feel worse than I already do."

"I'm sorry, Liz. Look, I'm not saying you have to go. It might just help to be alone while trying to figure this whole situation out; how you feel, what to think, and what it all means. Maybe it will help, maybe it won't. Who knows? Anyway, the tree house has a fully stocked kitchen, a master bedroom on the third floor with a Jacuzzi, and a rooftop balcony, the second floor holds two bedrooms and a bathroom. The first floor holds the kitchen, the game room and a large living room with a nice size flat screen tv, and a deck overlooking a small meadow. Very picturesque, in my opinion."

This made Liz take it into consideration. Maybe it would help to have some time alone, to think things through. She decided that it would be a good thing to do, "I'll take you up on the offer."

Chessy smiled as she reached to the table that was just inside the door to grab the picnic basket, "I thought you might say that, so I took the liberty of getting out the basket that is usually packed for Nick."

Liz was glad that Chessy had become her friend over the past couple of days. Chessy was hired a few weeks before she left and, she and Nick were divorced, so she never really got to know the nanny. It was nice to have someone that she could trust, and it was rare to find that type of person nowadays. "Thank you, Chessy," she said as she gave her friend a hug. "Promise you won't tell him where I am?"

"You have my word. Walking there will take too long, so go to the stables and take Nick's horse. Midnight is the most familiar with that area and can handle the terrain better than the other horses."

Liz took the basket and headed off to find the tree house hideaway.


This story might contain a few Easter eggies from different fandoms (my version of a hidden Mickey, if you know what I mean). Bonus points to whoever figures them out. Keep in mind that I thrive on feedback, so please leave a review if you'd like.

This is for my two Parent Trap loving friends, I appreciate that you listen and put up with my Ducky and Abby size rambles about various fandoms.

Stay tuned for Chapter Two!