Chapter 24

Again, I don't own any of these characters

As the sun slowly streamed in through the window, he found himself stretching and opening his eyes. He slowly got out of bed and made his way into the kitchen where he found his Bailey sitting, drinking a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. He began to walk over to her when he saw her look up and smile. Looking behind him, he saw Cody coming into the kitchen behind him with a smile on his face. He just looked up at Cody and oinked.

Porkers immediately trotted over to Cody and reached up so Cody would rub his head. And that's exactly what Cody did. He dropped to one knee and began to scratch Porkers behind his ears, and all Porkers could do was oink in contentment. Porkers had to think to himself that a few years ago, this sight would never would have happened. Because at first, he didn't really like Cody.

It had all started years ago back on Parrot Island. Porkers had grown up there and had a pretty carefree life. He had his parents and his brother and sisters around. Life was good. From the beginning, Porkers was always the smart one in the family. He wasn't the best at finding truffles or able to make the fiercest snort, but he was always the cleanest of the family. While others were constantly searching for food, Porkers had a desire to explore and keep learning new things.

Things began to change when more and more parrots began leaving the island. With fewer parrots, there were fewer tourists. With fewer tourists, there was less money brought to the island. And with less money on the island, the human residents had to look elsewhere for cheaper food. But Porkers was no dummy. He knew what that meant. He had tried to warn his family of the potential danger. His father scoffed at him and told him he worried too much. And his brother was too busy sniffing around some of the female pigs on the island to care.

But Porkers wasn't going to be deterred. He began to try to do things to keep his family safe, and he thought he had been successful. Well, he did until the day that his father disappeared. Search parties were formed to find him, but no trace was ever found. Porkers had a bad feeling he knew what happened, but wouldn't let himself actually think about it. Instead, he focused on the fact that he had to strive even harder to protect his family.

Alas, that was not meant to be either. Soon, more of his family began to disappear. First his brother, then his sisters and finally his dear mother. Porkers soon found that he was on his own. He missed his family dearly, but he knew there was nothing he could do. So, he focused on taking care of himself. And he had done a pretty good job of it. After all, he was a very smart pig. However, that all changed one day.

He had ventured into the town trying to find any kind of scraps of food he could. Trying to be a discreet as possible, he kept in the shadows as much as possible. However, that was to be his undoing. His back hoof got caught on something and he couldn't move. He began to initially panic and began oinking without realizing it. The next thing he knew, he was looking up a human girl leaning down next to him. Porkers could only think that this was finally it for him. But, instead, the girl helped released him and began to talk to him. Porkers could only look into her brown eyes and see the warmth and compassion in them. And, for some reason, he knew she would not hurt him. In fact, he didn't mind at all that she put a rope around his neck to use as a leash.

On instinct, he trusted this girl and knew he would be better off with her than on his own. It was then he was able to see the other three people with the girl. One was a big guy with crazy hair. He wasn't sure what to make of him, but he looked harmless enough. The other two looked like carbon copies of each other. He would later learn that their physical appearances were about the only real similarities between them.

After deciding to stay with the kind girl, the next thing he knew he was in a human jail cell. Not the most ideal place to be, but he was able to get to know more about the young girl. He found out her name was Bailey and that she had grown up on a farm. Porkers immediately seemed to bond with her and became very protective of her.

Since he was small and able to fit through the bars, it had been decided to attach a note to him to see if he could get help. Porkers wasn't sure why he was thinking about doing it, but one look from Bailey and he knew he was going to. After escaping the jail cell, he found his way back outside and began to look around for help. After a bit, he saw two people he recognized – the two blond boys who looked like each other. He immediately ran up to them and one seemed to recognize him. After hearing them talk, he learned their names were Zack and Cody. The one named Cody dropped to his knee and immediately saw the note attached to him. He looked up at the one called Zack and explained everyone else was in the jail cell. Even Porkers had to look at Zack when he asked if Porkers had told Cody that.

Well, Cody and Zack hadn't necessarily been helpful and ended up in the jail cell with everyone else. Porkers just sat next to Bailey as she held him and talked to him. It was a little while, but they all did eventually get out of jail, and it seemed Bailey was intent on taking Porkers with her. As his family was gone and the odds were he too could find himself gone soon, Porkers had nothing keeping him on Parrot Island. Of course, he did have one complaint thought – the quarantine. He didn't particularly care to be locked up in his own in solitude and his blood drawn for tests. But soon enough, he was out of there and reunited with Bailey.

Of course, that was when he met Ivana. From the start, they did not get along at all. Porkers was the smart, tough pig and Ivana was the pampered, spoiled dog. They had absolutely nothing in common, but were forced to co-exist as their humans London and Bailey shared a cabin. Almost from the beginning, there was a competition between the two. After what Bailey had done to save his life, Porkers didn't want to let her down. And soon, he learned the judge in their competition was going to be Cody.

From the very beginning of the competition, Porkers knew he was blowing Ivana out of the water. But, in the midst of the competition, Porkers couldn't help noticing something else. Whenever she wasn't looking, Cody was always looking and smiling at Bailey. At first, Porkers saw it as another way he knew the competition was in the bag. However, something happened at the very end that angered Porkers – Cody called it a draw! Porkers couldn't understand how he could have done that. Was he watching the same competition that everyone else was?

From that moment on, Porkers didn't really care for Cody. Anyone that blind had to have something seriously wrong with him. But, that wasn't to be the last Porkers heard the name Cody Martin. Throughout the next couple of months, Bailey was always talking to him about something Cody had done. Sometimes, it was good, and sometimes, it had made her down right angry. But, Porkers wasn't dumb. He couldn't help but notice that Bailey always talked to him about Cody way more than anyone else on the ship.

And then there was that one night. Bailey had finally come back to the cabin dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt. She just laid back on the bed, and Porkers could tell that she had the biggest smile on her face. He made his way up onto the bed next to her and began oinking. She looked up and smiled at him and began telling him how wonderful Cody was. She told him about the mulch festival Cody had recreated for her and how much it had meant to her. Porkers just sat there listening to her. While he still wasn't crazy about Cody, he had to admit that he couldn't be all that bad if he done all of that for Bailey. And then she told him something that almost made his curly tail straighten out in surprise. Bailey told him that she had fallen for Cody.

It wasn't long after that that Bailey came home another night and immediately told Porkers about her first real date with Cody. She told him about everything Cody had done to get her tickets to a concert she wanted to see and about the butterflies and electric jolt she got when she had kissed him. Porkers knew then that maybe it was time for him to rethink Cody and give him a second chance. He was very protective of Bailey, but it really seemed like this Cody cared about her a great deal.

After that night, he would be told stories of their dates, and he could always see how happy Bailey was afterwards. But soon enough, Porkers knew something was happening when he noticed Bailey beginning to pack her things. He soon realized that it was summer break and she was going home to the farm. That sounded good to Porkers, a chance to be on solid ground and be around other animals. Of course, he could have done without being stuck in a cage on the plane, but he slept through most of it.

Being on the farm had been great. He could run around and be around his own kind again. And of course, Bailey was there to take care of him everyday. He could tell she was happy to be home, but he also knew something was missing. However, on days Cody would send a letter or an e-mail, she always lit up when she read them to him. That's when he knew what was missing from her – Cody. At the end of the summer, Bailey had decided that the farm was a better place for him to be than on a cruise ship. He was very sad to see her leave him, but he also knew she was going back to Cody and that would make her happy.

With Bailey gone, her two younger sisters picked up the slack in taking care of him. And every so often, they would stop by and ready him a postcard that Bailey had sent him. She would tell him tales of life at sea and of her relationship with Cody. In one, she told him of meeting her new cousin for the first time and what that was like. And in another, she kept going on and on about how she and Cody had finally told each other that they loved each other. Porkers was happy that Bailey seemed so happy. And then get one one from her telling him all about their anniversary in Tokyo and another about meeting Cody's mother in Australia. About the time he knew she should be coming back to the farm, he received another postcard telling him that Bailey wasn't coming back for the summer but rather she was going to be in Boston with Cody.

That news had bummed him out, but she had promised to come see him over the summer. And she kept that promise. Towards the end of the summer, there she was one day. And she wasn't alone. She had Cody with her. He remembered Bailey saying that Cody had missed him too and wanted to say hello. Well, while Bailey was checking on some of the other animals, Cody dropped to his knee and talked to Porkers. Cody told him that he hoped there weren't any hard feelings from the contest with Ivana and went on to explain how he had to call it a tie after Ivana had cleared his brother's name. Porkers couldn't help but think back to his own brother, and he knew he understood now why Cody did what he did. Porkers decided that if Bailey loved him, he should give Cody another chance. The entire time they were at the farm, Cody was always with Bailey when she came to visit him. And one day, she was very excited when she told Porkers that they were going to find out if it would be okay for him to live with them at college.

Soon enough, Bailey was gone again back to school. However, her postcards kept coming. And most of the time, there would be a small message to him from Cody. Soon, winter was approaching and again, there was Bailey and Cody again. This time, she hugged Porkers and told him that everything was set and that he would be joining them in New Haven. Porkers could tell that she was very excited about it, and watched as Cody smiled at Bailey's happiness. It was then he knew it was true...Cody did in fact truly love his Bailey.

Life went on and postcards kept coming until it was summer again. The next thing he knew was Bailey's parents coming out to the barn with that carrier he had been in on the plane. And soon enough, he found himself on an airplane for the second time in his life. Several hours later, he could see through his cage that he was in the back of an SUV headed somewhere. When it finally stopped, he cage was lifted out and carried to a door. Once inside, he saw her...he saw his Bailey and he was so excited to see her. It took him a while to get out of that carrier, but once he did, he pretty much just followed Bailey around wherever she went. Well, except for that time when she asked him to keep Zack out of trouble.

Before long, Bailey showed him his bed in a room with a big desk. He found it very comfortable and got used to it immediately. And soon after, he found himself alone in the place with just Cody and Bailey. He soon learned that he was not just a college pig now, but an ivy league pig. During the day, Cody or Bailey one would leave him food and water and the other would take him out for his morning constitution, and then he would have the house to himself. At night, Cody would feed him while Bailey took him out in the backyard to run around and play with him. Once inside, Cody usually had dinner made for he and Bailey.

The one thing that did confuse Porkers was that Cody and Bailey would often have the door to their bedroom closed so he couldn't go in there. He never knew what was going on inside, but he often heard strange noises he had never heard before. At first, he feared Bailey was being hurt, but every time she came out of the room afterwards, she always had a huge smile and a glow to her. And Cody did as well. He figured whatever they were doing in there must be good for them if it caused them to look like that.

And several mornings, Cody would slip out of the bedroom and ask Porkers if he wanted to help fix Bailey breakfast. Porkers was always game for taking care of Bailey, and he was learning to accept that Cody was now a package deal with Bailey. So, Porkers just shrugged and tried to accept it. One morning, Porkers thought he was going to have to hurt Cody. He saw Cody cooking and began oinking at him. But Cody just turned to him, smiled and promised it was turkey bacon.

Porkers was growing very comfortable with his life. He would often spend hours watching them study together or curled up together on the couch. He was happy to be back with Bailey again. She still talked to him every time she took him outside, and that's when he learned that Cody had asked her to marry him. And Porkers was surprised that he was happy about that. That's when he realized he was no longer just Bailey's pig anymore. He had become Bailey and Cody's pig.

To be Continued...