Episode 24

"Aloha"

I don't own these characters, but it would be nice if I did.

Wait...In this story, I created some of the characters, so I will actually own them.

Anyways, I do promise to keep them true to themselves.

And as to the ones I create, who they are is up to me, so...

Los Angeles International Airport

Soon after meeting the new manager of the Tipton and her twin sons, the shuttle to the airport finally arrived out front, and everyone began cramming all of their bags into its storage areas. And once it was loaded, everyone climbed on board before they began the drive over to Logan International Airport. But instead of going to the regular passenger departure terminal, they were all dropped off at the general aviation one. There waiting on them was one of the largest and nicest private jets anyone had ever seen - well, except for London. And even though there were more than thirty of them, there would be ample room for everyone to fly across the country in first class style. Once everyone took their seats and was buckled in, the plane moved towards the runway and took off towards the west a little before ten o'clock that morning.

Approximately six hours later, the plane touched ground at LAX. Even though it was close to four o'clock back in Boston, it was only about one o'clock in Los Angeles. And when they walked into the terminal, Cody and Bailey saw all of their families and friends who hadn't flown in with them there waiting on them. For Cody, there was a whole plethora of new members of the Pickett family he had never met before, and he tried his best to learn and remember all of their names. Fortunately for him, Grammy immediately came to his aid to help with the introductions. Likewise for Bailey, this was the first time she had met some of Cody's family that still lived in the Seattle area, and they all immediately wanted to talk to and get to know her. And fortunately for her, Mimi was there with her and helped prevent it from becoming an onslaught. So, for the hour layover they were going to have, neither of the soon to be newlyweds really got a chance to rest as they were constantly chatting with soon to be new relatives. After a while, both made excuses that they had to head to the restrooms so they could get away for a few minutes. But when they finally returned, they saw an interesting site before them. It seems that Grammy and Mimi were now sitting next to each other and laughing together like they were old friends.

"Should we be worried about that?"

Bailey paused before shrugging. "You know, I'm not sure. But knowing how sneaky those two can be, I wouldn't put anything past them..."

And as they were standing there wondering what their grandmothers might be up to, Zack and Maya walked up to them and handed each of them a frozen lemonade.

"Here. We figured you two could use these right now. If they are as sour the sign claims they are, they will give you an excuse to beg off from talking to anymore people. And, we're glad its you two having to deal with this and not us..."

"Thanks guys, we appreciate it. All I know is I'm more than ready to board our next plane and get on our way to Maui."

Zack nodded and yawned. "Me too. My first nap is beginning to wear off, and I feel another one coming on soon..."

And just as he had said that, Zack and Cody both felt an arm go around their necks and pull them into a big hugs that both jolted them awake. For their part, Maya and Bailey could only look on in shock and were about to do something when the twins' assailant began laughing.

"Zack and Cody! I almost didn't recognize you two! You both had to go and grow up on me!"

Zack and Cody both turned their heads as much as they could, and their eyes went wide when the saw who it was that had them in headlocks.

"NIA!"

She let them go and just grinned at them. "What? You were expecting someone else?"

Cody was stunned. "Actually, yeah. You said in your last e-mail that you wouldn't be able to join us..."

Nia laughed again. "Well, I thought I wasn't going to be able to until Friday night. I was supposed to have had a job lined up for this week, but it fell through at the last minute. So, I called Uncle Marion who gave me London's number. And just like that, here I am!"

Zack just looked at her. "Had a job lined up? What are you doing nowadays?"

"Security..."

He nodded. "Yeah, I can definitely see that. I do remember that you are a pretty good bodyguard..." He laughed. "But its good to see you again. You look exactly like I remember you, Nia."

"Maybe so, but like I said earlier, I hardly recognized the two of you. I remember these two short blonde boys, and now you're both men and college graduates. I can't believe how much you two have grown up on me..." Nia shook her head. "And for God's sake, we're all here because Cody is getting married!"

Cody smiled. "I sure am." He turned to Bailey. "Nia, I'd like to introduce you to my soon to be wife, Bailey Pickett. Bails, this is Nia Moseby. I'm pretty sure I've told you all about her."

Bailey smiled and stuck out her hand. "Its a pleasure to finally meet you, Nia. Cody has told me all kinds of stories about you, including one about some kind of clock that made french fries. And back on the boat, Moseby told us all about you as well. He kept saying he was going to get you to come visit us then, but you could never get a time worked out."

Nia smiled too as she shook her hand. "Yeah, I really wanted to go and see everyone again, but I've heard all about you, Bailey. Cody would e-mail me and tell me about how he had met the girl of his dreams. At first, I was worried that you were a figment of his imagination, but he finally sent me a picture of the two of you together. But when he told me that he was engaged, I realized I needed to find out more about you. So, I grilled Uncle Marion with questions and then had a friend of mine run a background check on you..."

Bailey was surprised. "You ran a background check on me?"

She laughed. "Yeah, but don't worry, you passed with flying colors. I just wanted to make sure you were good enough for my boy here." Nia paused and looked over at Maya. "And unless I'm mistaken, you must be Maya Bennett..."

Maya just nodded. "Yeah, that's me."

"And once I heard you and Zack were back together again and getting pretty serious, I had one run on you as well..."

She gulped. "You did?"

Nia laughed again. "Don't worry, you passed too." She turned to Zack and Cody. "You'd be surprised how many people who have absolutely nothing to hide get freaked out when they found out that you've run a back ground check on them. Heck, you should have seen how much Aunt Emma freaked out when I told her I had run one on her too..."

"Well, to be fair, its not everyday you hear that someone has run one on you."

"Yeah, I guess that's true, but when it comes to the people I care about, I don't take any chances." She turned back to the ladies. "No offense to either of you, but these two and I go way back. We've been through a lot together, and I just want to make sure no one was going to hurt them..."

Bailey nodded. "I completely understand. I very protective of Cody myself."

Maya nodded too. "And I with Zack..."

Nia grinned. "Good. Now, the way I figure it, we have about a five and half hour flight before we land in Kahului. You can all catch me up with what's going on in your lives once we're in the air."

Kahului, Maui, Hawaii

About five o'clock that evening local time (and close to eleven PM Boston time), the plane finally touched down in the Hawaiian Islands. All in all, everyone from Boston had been traveling for over thirteen hours that day, and they were thrilled to finally be back on solid ground once again. As the plane taxied to its gate, one of the flight attendants gave Cody and Bailey the intercom so they could address all of their friends and family.

"Welcome to Kahului, Maui. We've been told that the local time is 5:04 PM, and its a balmy 87 degrees outside right now. Cody and I appreciate you all flying Tipton Air and hope you all have a good time here during your stay in Maui."

Upon noticing the looks everyone was giving her, Bailey couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, I can see I should stick with medical school as a career as a flight attendant appears to be out. Anyways, Cody and I would like to thank you all for coming to our wedding. We are both honored by and appreciative of everyone taking time out of your busy lives to come help us celebrate us finally and officially becoming man and wife."

Cody took his turn on the horn. "Now, from what London has told us, there should be a couple of buses waiting outside of our baggage claim that will take us all to the Tipton Grand Hawaiian Resort. Once you get there, I ask everyone to be patient and courteous as you wait in line to get the keys to your rooms. Fortunately, London has also asked me to inform you that our group will have full complimentary use of the all of the resort's facilities and amenities including all tour packages. So, for the next week, Bailey and I want everyone to have fun, but please, remember to use plenty of sunscreen. We don't want anyone to be red as lobsters at the ceremony next Saturday afternoon."

Bailey took back over for him. "Now, I know that we've all been cramped together for several hours now on this plane, so the good news is that if you're tired of seeing our faces, you don't have to see us again until Friday evening. Then, everyone is cordially invited to our rehearsal dinner which will be an authentic Hawaiian luau out on the beach. Until them, like Cody said, have fun!"

He took back over once again. "For those who haven't been here before, Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places in the world." He smiled at his fiancee. "In my opinion, its still the second most beautiful thing these two eyes have ever seen..."

Almost as if on cue, the plane suddenly came to a stop then, and the pilot came on the intercom too to tell everyone they could unfasten their seat belts and begin to move about the cabin. Immediately, everyone stood up to begin gathering their carry on bags before forming a line to exit. And once the doors open, it was a stampede to get off the plane. Cody and Bailey just stood by their seats to let everyone else exit first. And besides them, the last two people on the plane were Brother Bob from the Pickett's church in Kettlecorn and his wife.

Bailey smiled. "Brother Bob, thank you again so much for agreeing to come and officiate our wedding."

He smiled. "Its my pleasure, Bailey. Its always a thrill for me to see one of the people I've known since they were a baby finally get married. I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

His wife laughed. "Don't let him lie to you! He's also been looking forward to a week in Hawaii ever since you asked him to do this!"

Brother Bob shook his head and sighed. "Well, that may be true. But now that I think about it, I always like to sit down with a couple I am about to preside over their wedding and have a little talk with them. You know, a meeting so I can marry them in good conscious. Normally, this would have been done well before now, but with you two living halfway across the country..."

Cody nodded. "Of course, Sir. We'd be happy to sit down with you."

"Cody's right. We're supposed to have our final fittings on Tuesday morning. How about we meet for lunch afterwards?"

Brother Bob smiled. "Sounds good to me. We'll see you then."

The minister and his wife proceeded to exit the plane. And after they did, Cody and Bailey just turned to look at each other. "This should be fun..."

Even though it was only a little after six o'clock when everyone finally got to the Tipton Grand Hawaiian, everyone was flat out exhausted. Most everyone had been on a plane at least ten hours that day and the ones from Boston had been on one for over twelve. Add that to the fact that six o'clock in Maui was the same as midnight back in the eastern time zone. Some people crashed immediately once they got to their rooms while others managed to stay up till ten o'clock. They figured by then, it would be dark outside and make it easier on themselves to acclimate to to the time change.

Monday was spent just taking it easy. Some headed to the beach while others hung around the pool area. Everyone was still fighting off jet lag, and decided to wait to go on tours such as visiting an active volcano on the big island or to the Pearl Harbor memorial on Oahu until later in the week. By Tuesday morning, everyone was feeling much more like their usual selves. And that morning brought with it the final fittings for everyone in the wedding party, and when Arturo was finished with all of them, most everyone else went off to enjoy the beautiful day. On the other hand, Cody and Bailey headed off to the resort's outdoor cafe to have lunch and their talk with Brother Bob and his wife. And once they finished eating, the preacher just looked at Cody and Bailey for a few moments.

"Alright. I just want to make sure you both know what you two are getting into when you say 'I do' on Saturday. For a lot of people, marriage brings with it some things they aren't prepared for. For one, actually living together with someone can often take quite a bit of time to get used to. And while they are adjusting, it can often lead to silly and petty arguments."

Cody and Bailey just looked at each other quickly before Bailey turned back to Brother Bob. Slowly, she began to answer a little nervously. "Ummm...We won't have any problems there. Cody and I have actually already lived together before. Every summer during college, we stayed together in his suite in Boston, and this past year, we had our own dorm room together at Yale..."

Brother Bob just gave them a look. "Oh...is that so?"

His wife rolled her eyes at him. "Oh please! Bob, this isn't 1965 anymore. Couples living together these days is actually quite common." She looked at Cody and Bailey and smiled. "To be honest, I actually think its a good thing. By doing that, you are already subjected to each other's little quirks and such. You learn from the beginning whether its a deal breaker or not..."

Cody smiled. "Definitely not one here. In fact, all of Bailey's little quirks only endear her to me even more. I think she is absolutely adorable when her hair is in every which direction first thing in the morning."

Bailey smiled too and nodded. "Same here. While some of Cody's idiosyncrasies are a little out there, I fully accept they are just part of who he is. Most of them I don't even notice anymore..." She laughed. "...well, except his snoring, but I find that to be one of the most comforting sounds in the world."

Cody continued. "Plus, its allowed us several other perks. By living together, we just couldn't just walk away if we had a fight or a disagreement about something. Instead, its caused to actually have to deal with what was bothering us. And, it allowed us to come up with a rule that we've both found to be a really good one. We've promised each other that any conflict we have must be resolved before we go to bed. That way, we never go to bed angry with the other..."

Brother Bob sighed. "Very well. While I might not personally agree with it, I do know it does happen. Lets move on to my next point. When I perform a wedding, I do it with the intention that it be for life – you know, until death do us part. But I also know that the divorce rate is around 50% in the USA right now. Why do you think you two will be among the half that will be able to make it?"

Bailey and Cody looked at each other again before Bailey nodded. "Well, to be honest, Brother Bob, the only marriage we'll have any say in will be our own. What others do will have no bearing on us. But I like to think we have a lot of advantages over others. Not only is Cody the man I love, but he is also my best friend. So, our marriage will be based on love, trust, and respect as well as friendship."

Cody spoke up. "Plus, I've had the misfortune of being raised in a broken home. Personally, I know that's not something I ever want to experience ever again or something I would want to subject any of our future children to. I guess some marriages just don't work out, but I will refuse to let that happen to us. I can't imagine my life without Bailey in it, and I will never do anything that could ever cause me to lose her again. I did once because of my own stupidity, but I've definitely learned my lesson."

She nodded. "So have I. We learned that relationships require constant maintenance and attention. You can't take them for granted, and we haven't since we've been back together for almost four and a half years now. Like Cody said, I refuse to do anything that could cause me to lose him again." Bailey paused before smiling. "Besides, we already know that we are still going to be just as happy and in love fifty years from now."

The minister just gave her a look. "You seem pretty confident of that."

She kept smiling. "I am, Brother Bob. I have faith in Cody and I. I know we're going to make it. Some may say we're young, but when you've met your soulmate, why should you have to wait?"

"Well, I've definitely married couples younger than you both..." He shrugged. "Alright, you've convinced me." He smiled. "You two have my blessing. I look forward to joining you both in the bonds of holy matrimony on Saturday."

Meanwhile, Out on the Beach

That morning, while Zack was off getting the final fitting for his suit, Maya joined the rest of their friends and headed down to the beach. With so many of them there, they had a spirited game of beach volleyball, and several of them used it as practice to keep them in game shape during their bye week. A little after noon, everyone else was starting to get hungry. So, she told them to go ahead and grab something, and she would catch up to them in a little while once Zack finally got back. So, when they headed off, Maya returned back to her lounge chair and decided to get some sun while she waited for Zack to return. So, she lied down on her stomach and sighed as she was just enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her back. About ten minutes later, she sensed someone was now sitting on the chair next to her.

Without looking up, she smiled. "Is that you, Zack?"

When she heard a grunting 'uh huh', she laughed. "Oh, don't whine. I'm sure the final fitting wasn't as bad as the first one was. Now, before we go meet everyone for lunch, would you mind rubbing some sun tan lotion on my back? Like Cody said, I want to make sure I don't turn into a lobster."

A few seconds later, she felt hands rubbing her shoulders, and she just sighed in contentment. "Thanks, Babe. I know I have to get up early tomorrow for my class, but I'm so glad you'll have the rest of the week off to..." But at that moment, she turned to look over at him. And when she saw it wasn't Zack, she shrieked and jumped back. Instead, she saw an eleven or twelve year old boy with the biggest grin on his face.

"You're not Zack!"

He just kept smiling. "Yes, I am! My name happens to be Zack. You asked if it was Zack, and it was..."

Maya shook her head. "Well, that maybe so, but you're not my Zack!"

About that time, a woman in her early forties came running over to them. "There you are, Zack, Jr.!" She grabbed his shoulders and sighed. "I hope you weren't bothering this nice, young lady..."

He just kept smiling. "But, Mom...she asked if my name was Zack, and I said it was..."

Maya's eyes went wide. "Because I thought he was my boyfriend, also named Zack coming down to join me! If I had known that..."

The woman shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Actually, it should be me apologizing. It seems my son here has just a little too much of his father in him. He's only eleven and already thinks he's a ladies man..."

Maya had to laugh. "That's completely understandable. In fact, I just think I got a good glimpse of what my boyfriend Zack was like at that age..."

The woman laughed too. "Must be something about the name Zack then, huh? I'm Kelly Morris..."

"Maya Bennett. My boyfriend is Zack Martin."

"My husband is Zack Morris. And like I said, the acorn doesn't seem to have fallen far from the tree with this little guy here."

"If you say so, but I'm now kind of worried what any potential sons my boyfriend and I might have some day..."

Kelly laughed again. "Don't be. Fortunately, my husband, Zack finally did mature and grow up when we were in college, and I'm sure this young one here will too...eventually." She paused and shook her head. "Although, he does think it was karma that our first three children were all daughters..."

Maya laughed. "Same with mine. My Zack really grew in the past four years in college. Back in high school, I wondered what the future would hold for him. Now, he just graduated from Boston University a couple of months ago and will be going to Harvard Business School next month..."

Kelly smiled. "I guess that is another thing they have in common. Both have a brain underneath their exteriors, but will only use them when they see fit to. My Zack smoked the SATs and actually got accepted to Yale."

"Well, my boyfriend's twin brother and his fiancee just graduated from Yale. And their going to Harvard Medical School next month. Actually, we're here in Hawaii for their wedding on Saturday."

"Good for them. We actually come her every year. My grandfather owned a hotel just down the beach, and when he passed, he left it to me and my siblings. In fact, my husband is now a business man himself and is taking care of some things for the Hawaiian Hideaway as we speak. This year, its just us, but usually, we have at least one of our close friends come out with us with their families."

"Same here, all of our old gang from high school is here too. With all of us so spread out now, I realize how lucky we are to be able to hang out with them when we can."

Kelly just nodded and sighed. "Enjoy it while you can. As much as you try to keep those relationships going, sometimes they just fade away. I haven't talked to my friend Jesse in several years. Last I heard, she had moved to Las Vegas to try to become a dancer. I never saw that coming. And then there is our friend, Screech..."

Maya looked at her funny. "Screech?"

"Long story. Anyways, he seems to have lost his mind and now resents the rest of us for some crazy reason. He won't have anything to do with us anymore..."

"I'm sorry to hear that..."

Kelly shrugged. "It is what it is. Just means you have to really work to maintain your friendships. Anyways, we've interrupted your time here enough. Have fun while you're here in Hawaii and enjoy your time with your friends."

And with that, she began leading her son away with her. As she did, Zack walked up next to Maya.

"Hey, Babe...I'm back." He nodded after the woman and her son. "Who was that?"

Maya paused. "Quite possible me in about twenty or so years..."

He just looked at her. "Huh?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Nevermind. You all done for the day now?"

"Yeah, I'm all free until Friday evening now."

"Good. Come on, if we hurry, we can catch everyone else and grab some lunch."

"Sounds good to me. I'm kind of starved."

"Lets go..." After gathering her things, they began walking towards the outdoor cafe. "Oh yeah, Zack?"

"Yeah, Babe?"

"I know I once told you that Zackerina was off the table, but I think I'm going to add the name Zack, Jr. to the banned list as well..."

In Another Part of the Resort

After their meeting with Brother Bob and his wife, Cody and Bailey headed up to their room to change. As they had been trying to make a good impression with the minister, they had dresser rather conservatively for lunch. But now, having the rest of the afternoon off, they wanted to hit the beach and get some sun. And that thought made them both laugh. They realized how absurd it would be to try to explain to people back Boston how they could manage to be in Hawaii for a week and not get a tan. So, they headed back up to their room to change into their swimsuits and coat each other in sunscreen. And as they were walking through the lobby to head out to the beach to meet everyone, Cody happened to glance up at the large clock on the wall.

"Hey...almost exactly five days from now will be showtime. How about we go check out the site of the ceremony and see what the sun and shadow situations are?"

Bailey smiled. "Good idea. I want to make sure the sun isn't in either of our eyes for the important parts."

"Tell me about it..." He paused. "You know what, maybe we should take video of it so we can add it to your video scrapbook for the week?"

Her eyes went wide. "I love it!" She paused and sighed. "But I left my camera up in our room..."

Cody smiled. "I'll go get it and meet you down there. And since its so warm, I'll grab us some bottles of water from the little refrigerator in our room to help us cool off. Fortunately, they're free for us instead of normally being five bucks a piece."

Bailey leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You're the absolute best, Sweetie. I'll see you out there in a few minutes."

While Cody headed back to the elevators, Bailey headed on outside. Instead of going to the main part of the beach, she headed over to the secluded area where the wedding would actually take place. And when she got there, she was surprised to see a woman in her mid thirties standing there looking out over the ocean. And when the woman realized she wasn't alone anymore, she smiled at Bailey.

"Sorry. I know this area is supposed to be off limits, but when I heard there was going to be a wedding here this weekend, I couldn't help myself. I just wanted to see what it would look like in person."

Bailey smiled. "No worries. I came here to do the exact same thing except I'm happen to be the bride for said wedding..."

The woman smiled wider. "Well, congratulations to you then! I'm Topanga Matthews, its nice to meet you."

"Bailey Pickett soon to be Martin here. Nice to meet you as well..."

Topanga nodded at the view. "You're very lucky. This place is absolutely gorgeous. But, it always has been. Hawaii will always hold a special place in my heart because its where my husband and I came for our honeymoon." She smiled. "Actually, my husband actually surprised me with a second honeymoon here this week for our 15th anniversary last fall (This is actually accurate. According to Wikipedia, the wedding of Cory and Topanga aired in November, 1999, and this takes place in July 2015)."

"Well, Hawaii holds a special place in my heart too. Its where Cody and I had our first ever date..."

Topanga's eyes went wide. "You're fiance's name is Cody?" She paused and began laughing. "My husband's name is Cory. Small world..."

Bailey laughed too. "Yeah, I guess it is..." She paused as well. "So, since you've been married for fifteen years, do you have any advice for someone getting married this weekend?"

She laughed. "Yeah, if you use his toothbrush or his razor, don't ever tell him! I learned that one the hard way. My husband is peculiar like that, and it freaked him out..."

"Oh, I know all about that. Fortunately, Cody uses a water pick, so we each have out own attachment. I've used his before accidentally, but I knew better than to tell him about it. Cody was kind of germaphobe, but he's gotten much better..."

"Know that feeling all too well myself. "Topanga paused again. "Actually, if I may though, I'd like to offer you some real advice. Never forget just how much you love your husband. Some days, you'll feel like wringing his neck because he drives you so crazy, but always remember those days are few and far between. Of course, you have to understand - my husband is a little different from most – he can tend to be a little...neurotic at times too."

Bailey laughed again. "Trust me, I know all about that too. Cody is the same way."

"But I also know there is nothing Cory wouldn't do to make me happy. Never forget just how well you both know each other. There was this one time when we were newlyweds ourselves that he painted our first apartment road paint yellow and was going overboard with cork. I hated it, but I tried to make the best of the situation knowing how hard he had worked on it. Well, turns out, he could tell I hated it and completely redid everything so I wouldn't. And it was perfect..."

"Cody is the exact same way. There was once he could tell how homesick I was, and he went out of his way to throw a festival like we had back in my hometown just to make me feel better. It was then I knew just how special he was."

Topanga paused. "And fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, my career has helped me realize how truly lucky I am too..."

"How so?"

"Well, I was an attorney for several years before running for and being elected to a family court judgeship in New York City. Since then, I've seen so many heartbreaking cases come before me that I wish there was more I could do to help. Whether it be people who are abusive or just plain stupid, I come home every night thankful that my Cory is nothing like them."

Bailey nodded. "I can definitely see that..."

"Plus, I've seen so many people who made mistakes they wish they could take back, but they can't. It shocks me sometimes how many people think what their spouse don't know won't hurt them. But, the truth always finds a way of coming out, and when it does, lives can be ruined. There are so many people who take their spouses for granted or think they will forgive them for anything. Unfortunately for them, they learn the error of their ways the hard way. Plus, it seems I see more and more people who have been the victims of players or con men or others who have no respect for the sanctity of marriage..."

"Trust me, I'm familiar with people like that. At college, we had to bring down a few people who tried to mess with us. I hate people like that..."

"So do I. But, on the flip side, knowing there are people out there like that, it makes you appreciate more and more what you do have. My Cory may be neurotic, but I know he's all mine and I'm all his."

Bailey smiled. "I'm the same way with my Cody..."

Topanga checked her watch. "Well, I unfortunately need to get going. Cory was going searching for coconuts to ship back to our house for him to carve..." When she saw the look on Bailey's face, she shook her head. "Don't ask. And I need to call home and check on our kids. Somehow, Cory convinced me they would be just fine staying with their Uncle Eric while we were gone." She sighed. "Another bit of advice. You may be marrying one person, but you are marrying into an entire family. I have a brother-in-law who used to think he was a real ladies man before he went crazy. He's gotten better over the years, but still..."

Bailey laughed again. "I know what you mean. Sounds just like my soon to be brother-in-law though he hasn't gone crazy yet."

Topanga smiled. "Well, Bailey, I wish you and Cody the best of luck with your wedding and marriage. I hope you two will have a long and happy one."

"Thank you, Topanga, and thank you for your advice and warnings..."

As Topanga walked off, Cody returned with the camera and bottles of water. And when he got there, he nodded over his head.

"Was that someone with the resort?"

Bailey shook her head. "Nah. Just a wife giving some advice to a soon to be one. You know, I think if she and I were the same age, we would have been really good friends."

"You think so?"

She smiled and teased him. "Yeah. Seems we both have a thing for neurotic guys whose names start with 'C', end in 'Y', and have an 'O' in the middle..." She leaned in and kissed him. "I'm glad your back now. Lets check this place out..."

Wednesday and Thursday were spent just enjoying the resort, but they knew Friday evening was when the real fun began. At one point, everyone saw there was a zip line adventure tour nearby that they wanted to go on. But when they asked Zack and Cody, both politely told them to go without them. Both still had memories of the last time they were on one of those at the Gemini Project and had no desire to do anything to further bring back those memories. So, instead, Zack and Maya took surf lessons while Cody and Bailey took scuba diving lessons. Finally, Friday arrived, and while everyone else not in the wedding party had almost all that day off, the wedding party had to all meet at the site of the wedding for a rehearsal. The wedding coordinator went through everything a few times with them to make sure everyone knew what they were supposed to do the next day. And once that was done, they went through the whole ceremony (well, everything but the actual vows) a couple of times to make sure everyone had it down pat. When everything was to the coordinator's and Bailey's satisfaction, she gave everyone their final instructions before releasing them to the rehearsal dinner.

And from the beginning, everyone could tell it was going to be a large party. Everyone dined on an authentic Hawaiian feast while there was entertainment with actual hula and fire dancers. After a while, their were catcalls for Cody and Bailey to get up there and join them on stage. Shrugging and laughing, they donned grass skirts themselves and joined in as best they could. Of course, they had their revenge when they had all of their families and friends join in too. And after a while, they saw Grammy Pickett was laughing hysterically.

"What is it, Grammy?"

She just smiled and patted her camera. "I told you guys I was going to get a picture of Clyde in a grass skirt, and I did! I'm going to have so much fun with that later on. Heck, I might use it in my Christmas cards this year..."

They just shook their heads and laughed too. But as the night went on, it was time to cut the groom's cake. Originally, Cody had wanted it in the shape of the large hadron collider, but, Chef Paulo just looked at him in confusion when he had mentioned it. So, instead, Cody asked for it to be made in the shape of S.S. Tipton, and that's what it ended up looking like. And as everyone ate their cake, it was time for a couple of toasts.

First up was Clyde and Eunice. "We'd like to thank everyone for coming all the way here for the wedding of our daughter, Bailey and our newest son-in-law, Cody." Eunice just smiled. "But, I do have to ask everyone here - how long have we all know this day was going to come? I mean, I can still remember the letters Bailey first sent home to us from the S.S. Tipton. She mentioned all of the new friends she was making, but I couldn't help but notice how more and more of them mentioned this young feller from Boston named Cody. Then one day, I got this letter from her after he had put on a mulch festival for her on the ship. I could tell right then from the way she talked in that letter that my daughter was smitten. And then I got another one not long afterwards telling me that Cody was now her new boyfriend, and I could easily tell how happy she was."

Clyde took over. "Of course, I wanted to meet this young man my daughter had seemed to have fallen for. Unfortunately, I didn't get to do that until they were both in their...how do they refer to it...bouts of stupidity. I wish I could say things went smoothly the first time I met Cody, but there were a few bumps early on. That was when the twister hit Kettlecorn, and everything was a complete mess. So, it was just all around bad timing the first time I met him. And even though we did get off to a slow start with each other, I could still see how much my daughter meant to him. Cody did everything he could to save our family farm. And while it didn't quite turn out the way he hoped it would, it did all turn out for the best."

Eunice continued. "Since that time, we've gotten to know Cody even better and better. He's proven himself to be a fine young man with a good head on his shoulders and an even better heart..." She laughed. "In fact, the only part of him that we've found to be lacking was his appendix..." Everyone laughed at that. "But more importantly, he's proven over and over his level of dedication to our daughter and to our family. Around the farm, he may not always know what he's doing, but he's always there willing to help out in any way he can..." She smiled. "Of course, to the chickens on the farm, he is their new grim reaper. Which brings up the really interesting thing about these two. My daughter and soon to be son-in-law kind of have things kind of reversed. Bailey is more handy with a saw or a hammer while Cody is more handy with a butcher's knife or a spatula. But to them, that makes perfect sense. Where one of them is lacking, the other is strong and vice versa." Eunice laughed again. "But to all of us who know them, we know that wasn't good enough for them. They've been teaching the other how to improve in the areas they are weak on in the past several years..."

Clyde laughed too. "Tell me about it. If you had told me four years ago that Cody would actually be useful around the farm, I would have thought you had lost your mind. But he is now. Thanks to him, I now have over five hundred channels on my TV. I know he'll never be a farmer, but that's not what he was meant to be. And last month when they came back to Kettlecorn, Bailey actually fixed breakfast for us all by herself one morning, and it was delicious! Never thought I'd ever see that day either..." He paused. "Which in all has taught me a very valuable lesson. Sometimes a father thinks he knows who or what is best for his daughter. But often, especially with a daughter like Bailey, turns out she is the one who knows what is best for her. And in her opinion, Cody is what's best for her. I might not have agreed at first, but now, I do completely. I once said I couldn't imagine anyone better to be a boyfriend for my Bailey..." He held up his glass. "Now I know there is no one better to be a husband to her. I wish nothing but the best for them and hope they have a long and happy life together. Bailey, I am so proud of you, and Cody, welcome to the family...Son."

And with that, everyone raised there classes and toasted the couple. Once they did, Carey and Kurt stood up to take their turn to toast Cody and Bailey.

"For those that don't know me, I'm Kurt Martin, and I'm Cody's Dad. I can still remember watching him grow up as a bright, idealistic child who has now become a man. While both my boys were growing up, I always hoped they would find what would make each of them happy. Well, I think its safe to say that they have. Clyde and Eunice were just mentioning the first times they heard about Cody. Well, I can still remember the first time I head about Bailey. I'm sure most people here know that my son can tend to be...verbose. Well, not long after my sons had left for Seven Seas High, Cody sent me this extremely long e-mail telling me all about this girl he had just met. Like Eunice said earlier, I could tell my son was smitten. He even went on to tell me about his six month plan to win her over..." Kurt smiled. "The fact that we're all here means it worked. And like the Picketts, I couldn't wait to finally meet Bailey to see what she was like myself. I'm happy to say that she was everything that Cody said she was and more. She's sweet, kind, intelligent, driven, and most importantly, she makes Cody happier than I've ever seen him. I guess Cody knew what he was talking about when he sent me an e-mail back in high school saying he was going to marry her..."

Carey spoke up. "I also got similar e-mails from Cody, but my reaction was a little different. Ever since my boys have been young, they've both been my babies. Well, even though they are both now 21, college graduates and Cody is about to married, they will always be my babies. So, I wanted to make sure this girl I had never met was good enough for my baby boy." She smiled. "And I'm happy to say that Bailey is everything I could have ever asked for for my son."

"Agreed. Ever since Bailey came into his life, Cody is almost a different person. He now has a self confidence about him that we know comes from her. He has someone who accepts him totally for himself and makes him feel like its okay to be himself." Kurt laughed again. "And he finally has someone he can carry on those conversations with that leave the rest of us completely lost and baffled..."

Clyde laughed too. "You can double that for Bailey..."

"But most of all, Cody has finally met his match. Like Carey said, Bailey is everything I could have ever hoped for for Cody. I couldn't be more proud of them than I am. And I have to admit that Cody and Bailey have had an impact on the rest of us Martin men. The rest of us thought we knew what we were doing with the opposite sex, but Cody showed us how its really supposed to be done. He had a relationship based on love, respect, trust and friendship. He showed Zack and I what we both should have been looking for too." Kurt smiled. "I like to think he's rubbed off on to us..."

Carey laughed. "Which is a miracle unto itself. But getting back to what were here for, I wanted to say one more thing. While I knew Bailey was everything I could want for Cody, as a mother, I still found it tough to let go. You would think with my boys going to high school on a cruise ship or Cody going off to Yale, that would have made it easier, but it didn't. I still worried about him, but I did know that he had Bailey there with him to take care of him. He was still my baby boy though, and it was hard to fully let go. Well, two years ago, I realized I could and everything would be alright. When I heard that Cody had been rushed to the hospital for his appendectomy, I was beside myself. I knew Cody needed me, and I was bent on taking care of him myself..." She smiled. "It didn't quite work out that way though. He already had Bailey there to do all of that, and she let me know she had everything taken care of. I realized then that Cody's well being was now her responsibility. I didn't like having to admit that, but its true. But it was also comforting too. I've accepted that my baby boy is now foremost Bailey's man...or feller as it would seem. And I'm happy about that. So, I'd like to offer my son and new daughter a toast. Just keep doing what you've been doing and you two should be just fine." She paused and laughed. "But I'm still not ready to be a grandmother yet..."

Eventually, the rehearsal luau began to wind down. And as it did, Cody and Bailey had to bid each other goodnight as they were going to follow the tradition of the groom not seeing the bride on the day of the wedding until she walked down the aisle.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, huh?"

Bailey smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you at the altar. I'll be the one in the white dress..."

Cody smiled back. "I know you'll look beautiful."

She leaned in and kissed him. "Thanks, Sweetie. I know you'll look handsome too. Will you be okay tonight with Zack looking after you?"

"I think so. There seems to be the tradition of the night before poker game that the guys have planned..." He paused. "I wonder if they'll have a panda that gives out hugs again.."

Bailey laughed and gave him a hug herself. "Well, there's one for you just in case you need it."

"I prefer ones like that anyways. Good luck to you staying with London tonight."

"I'll be fine, and I'm thinking of going to bed early anyways. The earlier I fall asleep, the sooner tomorrow will get here."

He smiled again. "Just think. This time tomorrow, we'll be husband and wife."

She grinned. "I know. I can't wait. And a full five and a half years earlier than London's magic mirror said we would..." At that moment, they heard someone clearing their throat. Looking to the side, they saw Zack glaring at them.

"Time to get moving, Broseph. I have one last night of you as a single man, and I'm not going to waist another minute of it!"

Cody shrugged. "Alright." He leaned in and kissed Bailey again. "See you tomorrow at the alter, Mrs. Martin..."

To be Continued...