I do not own Suite Life on Deck/of Zack and Cody or any of the characters! I also do not own The Parent Trap!
Quick one, I'm trying to do one chapter a day...
The limousine pulled up to an elegant town house on one of London's loveliest streets. The driver got out, opening the back door for Zack. He stepped out and looked up at the house.
"This is it, 18 Cumberland Square." Zack said to himself.
Martin helped the driver with the luggage as Zack rushed up the steps. He placed his hand on the big round knob and turned it. A beautiful, sun-filled house with a fantastic carved staircase. Zack stood in the foyer, feeling very small.
"Hello?" he peeked into the drawing room, didn't see anyone, headed around the stairs, counting the doorways and stopped at the library where he saw someone sitting in a leather chair, smoking a pipe, hidden behind The Financial Times. Zack spoke softly. "Grandfather, I'm home."
Zack's grandfather, Charles Sprouse, a small, dapper man, with a moustache who wore a Saville Row suit, rose up with a smile. "Is that my little grandson? That tall gangly thing?"
"Yes, it's me."
He took him in his arms. "Did you have a good time?"
"Uh-huh... Great..." he buried his face in his grandfathers jacket.
He smiled, amused. "What are you doing?"
"Just smelling."
"Smelling?"
"I'm making a memory. Years from now, when I'm all grown up, I'll remember my grandfather and how he always smelled of peppermint and pipe tobacco." He pulled him close, while Zack rested his head on his chest. Then, from the top of the stairs he heard a voice.
"Cody...!" Zack looked up to the balcony at the top of the stairs and saw his mother – for the first time in his life. Carey Sprouse was a natural beauty in her mid-thirties.
He walked trance-like to the bottom of the stairs. "Mother?"
"Honey, welcome home!" Carey rushed down the stairs as Zack flew up toward him...
Zack fell into his mother's arms, tears flooding his eyes. "I can't believe it's you."
"And I can't believe it's you and with short hair no less."
"A boy I met at camp cut it. Do you hate it?"
Martin entered with luggage. "I think it looks awesome."
"So do I. I absolutely love it. And you got your ear pierced?" Zack nodded.
"Looks very chic if you ask me, although nobody ever does." his grandfather said.
"Any other surprises – tattoos, tongue rings … ?" Zack laughed, shook his head, looked up at his mother with tears in his eyes. "What is it, sweetie?"
"I'm sorry, it's just... I've missed you so much."
Carey bent down and hugged her son. "Can you believe it? It seems like it's been forever."
"You have no idea."
Moments later, laughter came from Carey's room. The bedroom was beautiful, feminine and gracious. Tea had been laid on a corner table. Carey led Zack to a small love seat.
"So tell me about camp."
"It was great and I liked this one boy a real lot, I mean... in particular. He's from California, actually." he paused. "Have you ever been to California?" Carey began pouring tea. "Yes... Once. But that was a long time ago, before you were born."
Zack looked at Carey. "Man-o-Manichevitz … I didn't realize you were so beautiful."
"Man-o-Manichevitz … I love your new vocabulary."
Just then, Martin knocked on the open door with disdain, holding up a stuffed animal that belonged to Zack. "I found a stowaway in your suitcase."
"Oh my God, Cuppy." Carey turned to him. "It belongs to a boy in my bunk... I don't know how on earth he ended up in my suitcase. Gosh, whaddya know."
"Well, since he's not our 'Cuppy', shall we dispose of him?" Martin said.
Zack jumped up, grabbing it. "No! I mean, no. I'll mail it to him. He loves this thing a lot. A lot. It'd be like me losing, er, blankie... He's like slept with that thing his entire life and he could never be like in a foreign country without him. No, no, I'll take care of it, thank you, Martin." Right as Zack was through talking to Martin, the phone rang and his mother answered it.
"Hello? Hi... Really? Can't you manage without me? Cody just got home from camp... Well, what's the problem?" As she talked on the phone, Zack crossed to the dresser and ran his hand across her things until he came across a photo. The photo was of Carey as a little girl. Zack puts it back and looks at his mom. Carey made a face about the phone call, causing Zack to laugh as Carey continued on the phone. Zack noticed Carey's closet door was open and he entered, gazing at all of his mother's clothes and how they were all designer lables. "Cody!" Zack popped out of the closet, worried he'd been caught trespassing. "Would you mind very much running down to the studio with me?"
Through the long streets of London, through taxi cabs and traffic, Zack was walking the streets, happy as could be, with his arm locked with his mothers. They walked up to a store with mannequins wearing exquisite wedding gowns. Above the window the name of the store said Carey Sprouse Designs and Musical Styling.
"Wow, that's incredible." Zack smiled.
"Really? You don't think it's too over-the-top?"
"No. I love it. You know who would look really beautiful in that gown? I mean, beautiful." he corrected his accent.
"Who?"
"You."
"Me? I think the time change has made you a little loopy. Come on, let's see what all the fuss is about..."
A skylight filled the foyer of the converted town house with a splash of white light. A huge vase of white orchids sat on an antique table. Carey and Zack climbed a circular stairwell, passing a Bridal Boutique on the first floor.
"-You mean you never think about getting married again?"
"No, I like things exactly the way they are, thank you."
An Assistant hurries past them, carrying a veil. "Hi, Carey. Hey Cody, welcome home. Great haircut."
"Hi... Thanks ..." Zack shut his eyes, thinking hard. "Fiona! Yeah, I'm back. Thanks." he turned back to his mother. "But mom, seriously, doesn't designing all these wedding gowns ever make you think about marriage... or maybe just think about the 'F' word?"
Carey stopped. "The 'F' word?"
"My 'father'."
"Oh. That 'F' word. Well, no, actually it doesn't because I didn't even wear a wedding gown-when I married the 'F' word."
"You didn't? -Why not?"
"Hey, how did we get into this discussion anyway?" they arrived at a large loft filled with people. "Okay, here we are. Now let's see what disaster awaits us."
As they stepped into the loft, a photo-shoot was in progress. A model wore a beautiful wedding gown as a photographer shot away. Make-up, hair people and assistants scurried about. Music played in the background and Zack watched like a kid in a candy store, admiring the models.
The photographer spoke. "Okay, she's here. We're saved."
"Uh-huh, the pressure's on." she said mostly to Zack.
"We don't know what to do with the veil. if she wears it, it covers the back of the dress, if she doesn't the dress looks-"
"- incomplete. Right." she turned to the model. "Can you try standing sideways..? Head up, kind of an Audrey Hepburn type... that's it. That's perfect." she turned to the assistant. "Now slip the veil on and drape it back... not over her shoulders … straight back, there you go..." she turned back to the model. "Now lift the train in your arms like you're carrying it. Don't worry about the bouquet, you're married now, you gotta learn to juggle... Beautiful. And look happy, it's your wedding day!" The model laughed as the photographer reeled off shots.
"Mom is too cool..." Zack said to himself.
Carey and Zack made their way down the hall, passing a row of design offices. Two assistants carried a gown past them.
"So what did you wear to marry my Dad?"
"Why the sudden curiosity about your Dad?"
"Well, maybe because he's never mentioned and you can't blame a kid for wondering..."
Carey stuck her head in an office. "I'm going home, kids ... See you tomorrow." they headed back down the circular staircase.
"So, what was he like? Really."
"Who?"
Zack rolled his eyes. They stepped out onto the streets.
"Mother, you can't avoid the subject forever."
"Okay. He was quite lovely to tell you the truth. When we met, he was...actually entirely lovely. All right?"
Zack smiled. "All right."
It began to ran and Carey snapped open an umbrella, wrapping her arm around Zack. "Are you cold?"
"I'm fine." he looked up at her. "So, did you meet him here in London?"
Carey took Zack's hand as they dashed across the street. "We met on the QE 2."
"The QE what?"
"The Queen Elizabeth 2. It's an ocean liner that sails from London to New York. I was nervous about flying in those days, so was your father." she smiled, remembering back. "We met our very first night on board the ship, actually. We were seated next to each other at dinner. He's an American, you know."
"No kidding?"
Carey nodded. "We kind of hit it off immediately."
"Hey, I love Americans. I mean, if I wasn't British, I'd be an American. So, was it love at first sight?"
"I knew you were going to ask me all these questions one day." she waved her hand in the air, yelling. "Taxi!" a cab splashed to a stop and they hurried inside.
Carey and Zack sat side-by-side in the back seat of the cab. "So, did you see each other every single night?"
"You know, this part of your personality reminds me of you father. You'd think he raised you instead of me." she looked into Zack's eyes. "Yes, we saw each other every night, every morning and every hour in-between. Then one night, he popped the question, right there in the middle of the Atlantic."
"Cool."
"And since a ship's Captain can do all kinds of special things, like even marry people..."
"Oh my God, you mean, you got married on the QE 2?" his mother nodded. "That's beyond cool. So what happened? You didn't love each other when you weren't in the middle of the Atlantic?"
"I don't know, honey. These things are complicated. I'm very British and you father's very American. I tried living in California, he tried living in London but..."
"It just didn't work out."
"No, it didn't. Except for having you." Zack smiled as his mother wrapped her arm around him, causing him to sigh.
"Dear old dad. I wonder what he's doing at this very moment?"
Short one...sry not very exciting.