Cody was mulling over what approach he should take the next time he talked to Zack. He wanted all the conflict over Mikayla settled. Of course, he was unaware of current developments regarding his brother. If he had known all that had happened in the short time since Zack had left their suite, perhaps his mind would have been more at ease.

In any case, Cody continued to sit and ponder until his mother came in carrying bags of groceries. Being a dutiful son, he got up to help her put them away. But while she appreciated the help, it didn't take long for Carey to notice that Cody had something on his mind.

"Is something wrong honey?" she asked as they finished with the groceries.

"Zack and I had a little problem earlier," he admitted. "I'm hoping we can move past it soon."

"Can I help?"

Cody shook his head. "We need to work this out ourselves."

"Can you tell me what it's about?" Carey's tone was supportive, but also had that subtle note in it which indicated she wasn't about to take 'no' for an answer.

"Remember when I told you that Zack and I were both going to hold off on trying to date Mikayla?"

Carey nodded, though she could guess what direction this conversation was going to take.

"Mikayla had other ideas. She, uh...let me know that she...likes me." Cody made an effort to keep any nervousness out of his voice. He certainly wasn't going to give his mother any details about just how Mikayla had expressed her affections. "So we're sort of a couple now."

Carey frowned. She had grown extremely fond of Mikayla and wouldn't have minded either of her sons dating the girl under ordinary circumstances. But she was worried about any conflict that could affect their current situation.

"You do know this is a horrible time for any drama to start," she told Cody. "Mikayla needs to begin working soon. Mr. Moseby and I were just talking about this the other day. When she moved into the hotel neither of us realized it would take so long for her to get ready to start."

Cody's face went ashen. "He can't hold that against her. She's had a lot to deal with."

"He's not upset with her," Carey reassured him. "He's actually very concerned about her. The only reason he brought up when she's going to start work is because he's anxious to adjust the lounge show schedules. We're still trying to decide what would be the best number of shows for me to do each week. But we can't figure that out for sure until we see how Mikayla does in the lounge."

The topic of his mother's act reminded Cody of something he'd wanted to discuss with her for some time. "You know, your performances lately have been amazing."

"Thank you honey."

"I'm not just saying that. You've never been better." He paused. "Have you wondered why that is?"

Carey found this an odd question. As conversation continued, she was stunned when Cody finally told her what he thought was responsible for the changes in her performances.

"Wait a second, you think that my shows improved because you and your brother weren't here?"

"All the rave reviews seemed to start while Zack and I were gone," he replied. "It's a logical conclusion."

Carey let this idea drift through her mind as she thought back to what things had been like for her when the boys had gone off for their semester at sea. After awhile she let out a slightly surprised laugh. "You know what? You're right. But not in the way you think."

Cody gave his mother a puzzled look.

"Come here," she said as she patted a spot on the sofa next to her. When Cody sat down, she explained what things had been like for her living alone at the hotel. She told him how badly the loneliness had hit her at first. How there had been times that she'd just sat alone on the couch and wept, wishing that her sons would suddenly walk through the door. But she also told him about the pride she'd feel when she'd get one of Cody's regular emails and read about how well he was doing.

"And I don't mean just in school," she clarified. "You always get good grades, but now you were doing more than just going to classes. You were traveling the world, living on your own, and working onboard the ship too. And your brother was doing all that too...except for the good grades. The point is, you were both taking care of yourselves."

"Well, we're not kids anymore," Cody responded. "We're men."

Carey smiled. She wasn't ready to agree that her boys were adults yet, but she did know that they had matured in many ways. "There's a funny thing about being a parent. For years your entire life revolves around taking care of these needy and annoying little people who take up so much of your time and attention that you wonder how they're ever going to be able to do anything without you."

"Gee, thanks," Cody said in a deadpan tone.

Ignoring his sarcasm, Carey went on. "And then the time comes when you see your kids living on their own and doing just fine, and you realize that you've done good at the most important job you'll ever have in your life." She reached over and rested her arms on Cody's shoulders. "The feeling you get when you realize that...it's unbelievable."

Cody looked at his mother's expression. There was so much happiness in her eyes that he had to smile back at her.

"When I got over missing you guys and just thought about how proud I was of you, I felt so wonderful that it affected everything I did, including my singing. So, yes...technically the reason my act improved was because you and Zack were gone. But not because I was happy you weren't here. I was happy because I'm the mother of the two greatest boys anyone could ever have."

"So we weren't holding you back before we left?" Cody asked.

Carey shook her head. "You've never held me back. You and Zack are my life."

Cody leaned into his mother and hugged her. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, honey."

"And I love both you guys," an unexpected voice called out from the kitchen area.

Both Carey and Cody jumped slightly and turned to see Zack standing there. They'd been so engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't heard him come home.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," Zack said. "But I when came in I heard Mom talking about being proud of us and stuff. And...oh...to heck with it." Slightly embarrassed about being so emotional, Zack just went to the couch and drew his family into a group hug.

After all three had enjoyed their moment of bonding, Carey spoke up when she remembered how her conversation with Cody had begun.

"Now, since everyone's feeling so good, do you two think you can work out this problem you have?" she asked.

Zack wasn't sure what she was talking about. "What problem?"

"The problem you have with Mikayla and me," Cody said.

"Oh, that." Zack surprised both his family members by patting his brother on the shoulder and giving him a friendly grin. "Water under the bridge. No problem at all."

"Really?" Cody asked in disbelief. "You were so angry before."

"That was before I talked to Mikayla," the elder twin replied. "You know, she's really into you." He smirked before adding, "No accounting for taste."

Wanting to be sure that Zack wasn't up to something, Cody studied his brother's expression closely. "Seriously, you're cool with this?"

"Hey, I was ticked off before, but Mikayla made her choice. And if she's happy and my own brother is happy...then why shouldn't I be happy for both of you?" He paused and his grin became just a bit devilish. "Besides, I have some exciting new opportunities in the romance department."

A relieved smile spread across Cody's face. He could sense that Zack was being sincere. "This is great!"

Carey also felt a sense of relief. "I'm so glad you guys could resolve this. And Zack, you're being very mature. I'm proud of you."

"What can I say? I'm a great guy," he replied with a laugh. He was happy to get the praise, though in this particular instance it wasn't that hard for him to act maturely. His family didn't know yet about what was developing between London and himself, but now wasn't the time to talk about that. Now was the time to simply enjoy a heartwarming family moment.

And so they did.

To be continued...

author's note: Well, it seems that our four young heroes may be getting some stability in their romantic lives for the moment. But how are things going to work out for Mikayla and her new job? Well, you know how things are at the Tipton - interesting things happen. Oh...and please review.