Chapter 43

Again, I don't own any of these characters

After the snowmen were done, it was decided a snowball fight was in order. Each couple had a half hour to build up their ammunition and fortifications, but after that, it was on. Cody and Bailey decided to build up their fort between two trees in the back yard for extra cover. When they finally got it to where they wanted it, they began packing as many snowballs as they could. They soon realized the thirty minutes were over when they saw a snowball fly over their head.

Cody turns to Bailey. "Why do I feel like we're in Fort Sumter?"

Bailey smiles. "Just remember how the well that turned out..."

Cody grinned at her. "I'm going to peek around the tree and see what we are dealing with..."

Cody laid down in the snow and peered around the tree. Max and Tapeworm had made their fort into a semicircle shape. Cody smirked. He should have known Tapeworm's mathematical brilliance would come into play. So, there was no way to hope to attack from the side. He crawled back to Bailey.

"Their fort is well designed...We need a plan!"

Bailey paused. "How about a diversion?"

Cody nodded. "Good idea. What do you have in mind exactly?"

"One of us throws a decoy snowball from one side, and when they focus on that direction, the other attacks from the other end of the fort..."

"Sounds good. Since you are actually good at baseball, I'll be the diversion..."

Bailey smiled. "Sounds good..."

Cody smiled back at her. "I'm heading off to war. I promise, I'll survive and come back to you, Sweetie..."

Bailey leaned in and kissed him. "Good luck, Private Martin..."

Cody crawled back over to the edge and quickly lobbed two snowballs at the other fort. And like expected, more snowballs were coming back his direction. The next thing he knew he heard cries from the other fort that they were being attacked from the other side. Cody quickly crawled back to the middle where he met Bailey.

"I think you got them, Bails!"

Just then, a whole slew of new snowballs come flying overhead.

Bailey laughed. "Maybe not..."

Cody paused to think. "We need a new plan..."

"Any ideas?"

Cody looked around as he thought. "Maybe I do...Here's my idea..." Cody quickly explained his idea to Bailey and she agreed to it.

Fifteen minutes later, Cody stood up with his hands raised in the air. Max and Tapeworm were about to unload on him when Cody shouted out.

"My hands are up!"

Max and Tapeworm stood with their snowballs ready to be unleashed.

"Where's Bailey?"

Cody smiled. "Right behind you!"

Max and Tapeworm turn and both are immediately pelted with a snowball. Cody comes over and high fives Bailey.

Max just looks at them. "No fair!"

"How so?"

"You surrendered!"

Cody smiled. "No I didn't. I just said my hands were up..."

Max huffs. "How did Bailey get behind us anyways?"

Bailey smiled. "Easy, I went around the duplex and snuck up from behind..."

Max just shakes her head.

Tapeworm finally speaks. "Alright, we are all wet and cold. I say we all head inside now..."

Cody nodded. "Good idea..."

Everyone returned inside to warm up. Cody and Bailey returned to their bedroom to change into warmer, drier clothes while Max and Tapeworm changed in the home office and bathroom respectively. Once changed, Bailey put all of their wet clothes in the dryer. Everyone returned to the living room, and Max had to smile again.

"Do you two have an unending supply of pajama pants?"

Cody and Bailey look down and notice Cody has on the Yale pair Bailey got him for his birthday two years ago while Bailey has on a matching pair except hers are navy blue and pink plaid.

Bailey shrugged. "More gifts from the other..."

Cody turned to everyone. "So, what sounds like fun? More Wii? TV? a movie? a board game?"

"What games do you have?"

Bailey paused. "Let's see...Monopoly, Life, Taboo, Trivial Pursuit..."

Max interrupted. "Yeah, Zack and Cassie say to never play that one with you two..."

Tapeworm shrugs. "How about Monopoly then? Its a classic..."

So, before long, they were all sitting around the coffee table playing Monopoly. After a while, everyone had defined which areas of the board they were trying to control.

Tapeworm turned to Cody. "You know, for someone who grew up in a luxury hotel, you seem to enjoy being a slumlord..."

Cody grinned. "All part of my strategy..."

Bailey just rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to him..."

Max laughed. "As opposed to you who has tried to corner the greens and yellows..."

"I don't have them all..."

"Yeah, I know...Cody is holding North Carolina Avenue..."

Cody smiles. "That's true, Bails..."

Bailey turned and gave Cody her best puppy dog eyes. "Codykins...I'll love you forever if you sell that to me..."

Cody smiled. "You've already said you'd love me forever regardless..."

Tapeworm spoke up. "Wait a minute here! No trying to butter up another player to get what you want!"

Bailey sighed. "I was going to pay him a fair price for it..."

Tapeworm pauses. "Cody...I'll give you St. Charles Place and Oriental Avenue to make sure Bailey doesn't get her corner from hell..."

Max was about to say something when Cody spoke up first. "Deal!"

Max just looked at Tapeworm. "What did you just do?"

Bailey turned to Cody. "Codykins!"

Cody just smiled. "Bails...You know any place of mine you are welcome..."

"Well...alright..."

Cody grinned. "It just may cost you!"

Bailey just shook her head and playfully slapped Cody's shoulder.

Well, as the game went on, people hadn't noticed Max had quietly built her own trap. She now owned the orange properties and the red properties as well as all four railroads. In the end, it didn't matter how much of a slumlord Cody was, he couldn't afford the hotel on Kentucky Avenue.

With Max victorious, they decided to just watch some TV the rest of the afternoon. Flipping through the channels, the came upon an old episode of Friends.

"Hey, its the episode where Rachel teaches Ross's son to play practical jokes..."

Bailey paused. "Is it just me or does Ross's son Ben look awfully familiar?"

Tapeworm shrugged. "A little, but I don't know from where..."

Max paused to think. "Its that kid who played the kid in Big Daddy..."

Bailey nodded. "That's right. For some reason, Cody loves that movie. But, he looks so familiar. I feel like I should know this..." She pauses. "I've got it! He kind of sort of looks like the pictures of Cody did when he was younger!"

Max and Tapeworm look back at the TV and then at Cody. "Maybe because they were both blonde, but I don't see it..."

Bailey shrugs. "Maybe I was wrong..."

Cody just shakes his head and laughs. Again, he turns towards your computer screen and winks.

To be Continued...