Disclaimer: Characters are owned and produced by The Disney Channel and It's A Laugh Productions. I am just borrowing them for these stories. Original characters are owned by the author of this story.

REQUITED

Chapter 2

Sweet Madeline

Maddie looked out of the 27th floor window of her office in the Deval Patrick Tower, named after the first African-American governor in Massachusetts history, onto the street below. It was a little past nine in the morning on Monday. C.J.'s wedding was six days away. Maddie knew the time was coming soon. She knew that at some point in the near future, she would have to see her. Why did she have to get sick that afternoon seven years ago? Maddie thought to herself over the years. I only needed a minute to tell her that I loved her. I only needed a minute to look her in the eyes and tell her I would be waiting for her when she returned.

Talking to her on the phone is one thing. Emailing and instant messaging is another. Seeing her is something totally different. When Maddie became an associate at Collier, Beckett and Associates, a video conferencing system was installed in her office. When London called a month later to tell her that she got video conferencing capability in her office, she asked Maddie if she had it. Maddie lied. It was too painful to look at her.

In seven years, she never so much as exchanged a picture with London. What was the point? She knew what London looked like. London knew what she looked like. They didn't have kids. They had no significant others. She was Maddie and London was London, period, end of story. In the back of her mind, however, she so desperately wanted to know if London's look had changed. She knew that certain aspects of her personality had changed and wondered if London's internal makeover moved to the exterior as well. Maddie pondered this as she stared out the window. Just then the phone rang. After several seconds, it rang again. Maddie assumed that her secretary, Chloe, had stepped away from her desk. On the third ring, Maddie walked over to her desk and answered as she slid into her leather chair.

"Collier, Beckett and Associates. Madeline Fitzpatrick." Maddie answered as she waited for the response on the other end. "Oh, hey Barry." She responded. Barry Levesque was another first-year associate that was assisting Maddie on the case of a client she was defending. "He offered what? Murder Two?" Maddie snapped. "Hell no! Duffy is out of his fucking mind! The max for a case like this is Man 1, seven to fifteen!" She heard a knock on her office door. "COME IN!" She called out. "If he thinks he can find a judge that is gonna let him go after murder two, then he's a bigger fucking idiot than I thought!" Her eyes lit up as she looked at the figure standing in her office doorway. It was Cody James "C.J." Martin.

Maddie started bouncing up and down silently in the seat and grinning from ear-to-ear as she motioned for him to come in and take a seat. She put her index finger, indicating that she would be another minute on the phone. "NO WAY! You call that prick… you know what? To hell with it. I'm gonna call that prick and tell him exactly what he can do with that deal." Maddie spat. "Murder two. It'll be a cold day in hell before I hand him a murder two conviction!" She waited for Barry's response. "Okay… Okay… Federal Plaza, one o'clock. Right. Bye."

Maddie hung up the phone and shot straight up out of her chair. "CODY… I MEAN… C.J!" She ran over to embrace him.

"That's okay Maddie. I get that all the time." C.J. answered.

"Let me look at you! My god you look good!" Maddie exclaimed. Seven years changes a lot. The soon-to-be 24-year old had grown to a physically imposing 6-foot-2. After years of teasing from his twin brother, he began hitting the gym and packed a solid 190 pounds on his frame. "You look great!" Maddie said.

"You act like you haven't seen me in years. It's just been a couple of months." C.J. said. His voice had also gained some bass over the years.

"I know. But still… you look great!" Maddie said. "Sit!" Maddie gestured to the guest chair. C.J. took a seat. Maddie sat on the edge of her desk.

"Maddie, I'm getting married on Saturday. Flirting with me won't work." C.J. joked.

"I see studying for the GMAT hasn't dulled that Martin wit of yours." Maddie said. "Speaking of the Martin's… when are your parents coming in?"

"Well… Mom said that she's coming in this afternoon. Dad's flying in from San Francisco tomorrow." C.J. said.

"Not that I am not happy to see you here, because I am, but with everything you have to do… what are you doing here?" Maddie asked.

"Well… I haven't had a chance to talk to you in a while, and considering the fact that all these people are coming into town, I figured I would get some face time in with you before they get here. Especially before a certain someone from Paris, France gets here."

Maddie's soft brown eyes locked with C.J. for a moment before dropping to the floor. C.J. was the one person she confided in with regard to her feelings for London. Just before her undergrad graduation, in a conversation with her, he commented on how it would have been nice for London to be there. Maddie broke down in front of him and, after being consoled for several minutes, she admitted that her feelings for London ran deeper than mere friendship. It is a subject between them that is not brought up very often. It had been more than two years since it had been spoken of. However, given the circumstances, C.J. knew the subject had to be revisited.

"She's here." Maddie said softly. It had been a rarity over that last year to see the softer side of Maddie Fitzpatrick. The intense nature of her work has caused her to set softness aside in favor of the hard exterior needed to be a successful defense attorney in Boston.

"Did she call you?" C.J. asked.

"No. I can just feel it. She's here." Maddie said.

"After all these years, you're still in love her." C.J.'s statement was also part-question.

"More than the day she left." Maddie replied.

"So are you going to continue pining away for her from afar or are you going to open your mouth and tell her how you feel?" C.J. challenged her.

"What's the point?" Maddie pondered aloud. "She lives in Paris. I live in Boston. Even if I tell her, and even if she feels the same way, and even if we started a relationship, at the end of the day, she still lives in Paris and I live in Boston."

"If... if. Ven die bubbah halla tsehen qulishkes, het gehaya zadeh." C.J. said, taking a line from the movie The Distinguished Gentleman.

"Hello! Irish Catholic here! I don't speak Yiddish!" Maddie said. C.J. looked at her surprised, not expecting her to correctly identify the language. "I saw Distinguished Gentleman on TNT last night, too! And for the record, no one has been able to prove that my grandmother has balls."

"Touché." C.J. said. "My point is, with that attitude, you are going to 'if' yourself right out of the one thing that you want in your life… a chance to love London. Don't you owe it to yourself to leave yourself open to every opportunity you get this week? You don't know when, or even if it will come around again."

Maddie thought about C.J.'s words. But her mind wasn't ready to embrace the idea just yet.

"But what about the distance thing?" Maddie asked. "It's 3,440 miles to Paris from here. That's 5,536 kilometers." C.J. looked incredulously at Maddie after her precise calculations. "What? I looked it up."

"Maddie. Have you read Forbes magazine? London Tipton is worth $26 billion dollars. She is the second richest woman on the planet behind Oprah. You combine that with the 75 grand a year you pull down and I think the two of you could swing a trans-continental relationship." C.J. commented.

"For the record, I make $95,000 a year, thank you very much and you know that money is not the point. Our schedules…"

"Don't give me that 'Our schedules are so hectic' bullshit." C.J. said without raising his voice. "Let me tell you something. My…" Just then his cell phone rang. "Mom." He said to Maddie. "Hi Mom… What do you mean you're at the airport? I thought you were coming in this afternoon… Yes, of course I'm glad you got an earlier flight… I'm at Maddie's office right now… (to Maddie) Mom says hello… No… No, don't catch a cab. It's too expensive. I can be there in 25 minutes… Okay Mom… I love you too." C.J. hung up the phone. "I've got to run. But please call me so we can finish this."

"No need. I think I get your point." Maddie said. "It's time to take the bull by the horns, hit the ground running, saddle up and ride."

"Wow! Three clichés in a row. You've either got it real bad for her or you're finally living up to the dumb blonde stereotype." C.J. joked.

"You're lucky I love you or I'd sue you for slander." Maddie shot back.

C.J. laughed. "I call you." He said as he embraced Maddie and kissed her on the cheek before heading to the door.

"Thanks for the talk." Maddie said. "You're quite a young man, C.J. Martin."

"Little Cody always looks out for his girls." C.J. said.

"Give your Mom my love."

"I will. Bye." C.J. said as he turned and left Maddie's office.

Maddie sighed as she went around behind her desk. Of course C.J was right. Maddie thought to herself. This is your chance to tell her exactly how you feel. You've waited seven years for this. Maddie picked up the phone and dialed.

"It's a great day at the Tipton Boston. Gretchen speaking. How may I connect your call?"

"Esteban Ramirez, please." Maddie said.

"One moment while I transfer you." Gretchen said before background music began playing through the phone.

"Esteban Ramirez."

"Esteban. It's Maddie."

"Maddie! How are you? Long time, no hear."

"I know. I am sorry. I've been really busy with cases and all. I hate to get info and run but tell me… when is London checking in?"

"Miss London? She checked in yesterday afternoon. She didn't call you?"

"No." Maddie felt her heart sink. She knew if it were the other way around the first thing she would have done was to call London. "I guess I was in a meeting and missed her call."

"Do you want me to connect you to her room? I think she is still here…"

"No, Esteban. That's okay. I'm sure she's gonna call me when she gets settled. She's probably exhausted from the flight."

"I'm sure that's it."

"I've got to run, but we've got to do lunch one day soon."

"I will clear my calendar for you. I will see you later this week then?"

"Count on it. Thanks Esteban."

"You're welcome."

Without a chance to consider her conversation with Esteban, her intercom chirped.

"Maddie?" It was the voice of Raymond Collier, senior partner of the law firm.

"Yes, Raymond?"

"Can I see you in the main conference room, please?"

"Right away." Maddie answered. She had never been summoned to the main conference room before. She was wondering if she was in trouble. She turned to corner and entered the conference room to find Raymond Collier alone.

"Good Morning Raymond."

"Good Morning Maddie. Please sit." Raymond Collier was an imposing presence both inside the courtroom and out. He was a handsome man in his mid-fifties. He stood 6-foot-3 and approached 220 pounds. His salt and pepper gray hair was perfectly coiffed. His clothing was always impeccably tailored. He had a rich, soothing voice that could easily narrate one of the programs one would see on the History channel.

"Is everything all right?" Maddie asked apprehensively.

"Everything is fine." Collier assured her. "I brought you in here because I want you to meet our new client. He is an ex-football player that is going to be doing some serious investing and I would like you to assist me in working with him."

"But you have me working in the criminal division right now." Maddie said.

"That's true. But we both know that's not where you want to be. You said in your interview that you wanted to be involved with more white-collar clientele. I threw you into Criminal to see if you were a team player. And just like I expected, you jumped right in with both feet. Although I'm sure you called me a few names along the way." Collier said.

Maddie chuckled. "I plead the fifth on that one." "So tell me about this client."

"Well… Oh, here he is now." Collier said to Maddie before standing to greet the new client. A very thickly built African-American man standing a shade less than six feet tall and close to 250 pounds strode through the door in a tailored Italian suit. "Mr. Fletcher, it's a pleasure to see you again. Madeline Fitzpatrick, this is London Fletcher-Baker." You've got to be fucking kidding me! His name is London? Maddie's mind spat. "London… may I call you London…" Would you stop with the London already?

"London is fine." The ex-Ram, Bill and Redskin said.

"London, this is Madeline Fitzpatrick." Collier continued with the introduction. "She is one of our newest and brightest attorneys and she will be working with us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you… London." Maddie eked out as she shook this London's hand. This is gonna be a long day. She thought.

Collier spoke up. "Now that the intros are out of the way, let's get down to business."

During the course of the hour-long meeting, Maddie felt like Raymond Collier said the name "London" about 500 times. Each time was like a little pinprick on her skin. She found it difficult to concentrate during the meeting because each utterance of the name London brought to mind memories of the past; getting trapped in one of London's walk-in closets, dressing as nuns after a failed escape from detention, working in London's boutique, and her personal favorite, sharing parenting duties with London. That one still made Maddie laugh at the mere thought of it.

London Tipton sat in her hotel room staring out into the city. In actuality, she was staring out at one particular building in the city, the Deval Patrick Tower. She is in there. London thought. She sat contemplating whether or not to visit her. That was exactly what Marion had in mind when he pointed out Maddie's building to her in the car the day before. Then she remembered that she hadn't even called Maddie when she arrived. Call Maddie. That is what she would do. Don't think about it, just do it, before you lose your nerve. She said.

"Hello, front desk? Could you please get me the number for Collier, Beckett and Associates, please?" She received the number from the desk and dialed without hesitation. After reaching the main receptionist, she was transferred to Maddie's office.

"Collier, Beckett and Associates. Madeline Fitzpatrick's office." Chloe said.

"Madeline Fitzpatrick, please."

"Miss Fitzpatrick is in a meeting right now. May I take a message or connect you with her voicemail?"

Damnit, Maddie! London thought to herself. "Do you know how long she will be in her meeting?"

"I'm sorry I don't."

"Well, could you please tell her that London Tipton called?"

"I certainly will, Miss Tipton."

"Thank you." London hung up the phone. In a meeting. But at least she's there. "Mohammed… it's time to go to the mountain." With that, London stood up and straightened herself before heading out the door. She was headed to the Deval Patrick Tower. She was headed to see her Maddie.

After her meeting was over, Maddie's head was spinning. It wasn't the meeting that caused it. It was the name London that rang in her ears. She made a beeline back to her office. Chloe tried to get her attention on the way in, but to no avail. Maddie grabbed her purse and her car keys. Chloe nearly ran into her outside the door to her office.

"You had several messages while you were in your meeting." Chloe said.

"They can keep until I get back. I have an errand to run." Maddie said. "Anyone other than Barry Levesque can wait."

"But one of the messages was…"

"Barry Levesque. That's it." Maddie said over her shoulder on her way to the elevator.

"Where are you going? In case Mr. Collier or Mr. Beckett needs you?" Chloe called out. The elevator doors chimed.

Maddie answered as she was getting on the elevator. "I'm going to see a client at the Tipton." Just then the doors closed.

Chloe dropped the message pad back onto her desk. "That's… who… just called you. London Tipton."

I think you can see where this is headed. Are they gonna run into each other? Are they gonna miss each other? Are they gonna miss each other then run into each other? When am I gonna see everybody else from The Suite Life? The answers to those questions are maybe, maybe, maybe and in the next chapter. That chapter, chapter three, is next. PLEASE REVIEW.