A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I know, I suck at updating quicker than a week. Can't help much you guys. The only free time I get on my hands is on the weekends. Spare me please? You guys rock! Really. Thank you for all the reviews.
P.S I know you probably don't wanna know, but hey? I will babble about it anyway :D I LOVE TVD! :D I started watching it just now, through with a season and a half in 2 days :p obsessed :) I might do a fanfic :)
Anyways, on to the story. Enjoy!

"Lets Get Fake Married?"

Zack, Cody and Bailey were all seated in Cody's car, they were on their way back to the office to discuss about the newly developed problem. The drive back was filled with silence. Each of them were thinking as per their capacity to get out the situation. As they reached Cody's office, they all consumed their separate seats and fell back. Zack laid back on the couch, Bailey sat down on the chair in front of the table while Cody took her on seat on his boss chair. The room still echoed silence.

"You know what? We're worrying for nothing. You can just fake marry her..." Zack was the first one to speak up. And for Cody, it really didn't give him much. As usual, his idea was stupid...

"Zack, there's no such thing as 'fake' marriage. You either get married or you don't. There's nothing in between, okay?" Cody explained. Zack just rolled his eyes, his brother didn't know anything. He could get him out of it in no time if he'd just listen...

"Well, I for one don't have to be here..." Before Zack could even open his mouth to speak, Bailey began to stand up..."I made a deal to date you, not marry you. So technically, I'm no more bound with commitment..." She smiled off half relief and half teasingly..."Good luck to you guys." She remarked as she took her steps towards the door to leave...

"BAILEY WAIT!" It was Zack who shouted and he was by her side in an instant. Bailey tried to hold in her grin. She didn't know why, but she enjoyed making them beg...

"Oh don't stop her, Zack." Cody shot before Zack could even try to convince Bailey to stay. Cody was now on the other side of Bailey. He stared at her..."Who needs you anyway?" Cody's one liner left Bailey wanting to make it more difficult for the Richie Rich. She took a step closer to him and was about to say something when Zack shouted again..."YOU do. Idiot."

Zack held his head and moved away from the couple as he paced back and forth..."You already told mom you love her. You can't just take another girl and tell her that you somehow magically decided to marry someone else and not the girl you love." Out of all three of them, Zack was the only one who was talking rationally at that time. Cody was just in denial of the fact that he really did need Bailey and his pride was not letting him ask or plead for help. On the other hand, Bailey was wanting the exact thing, she wanted Cody to literally beg.

"Forget it, Zack..." Bailey exclaimed..."Mr. Richie Rich here is too much in his own to accept that he needs me. Besides, I would not marry him even if he was the last man of the planet..." She shot.

"Oh yeah?" Cody got angrier than he already was. Bailey's remark had clearly made his decision of not taking any help from her more concrete..."As if I'm dying to marry you right?" He said sarcastically..."Marry? You? Please...I'd rather marry a donkey. At least he'd be better looking..." Cody insulted and on that Bailey's jaw dropped. If Cody was now more firm on his idea of not taking her help, she was firmer to not help him.

"AND I'D RATHER DIE!" She shouted angrily..."Because dying by any mean would be a lot less painful than to be called YOUR wife."

"Oh I'll show pain..." Cody stepped closer to her in a way that showed she was about to hit her or something. But Bailey didn't budge, she stared directly in his eyes..."You take back what you said right now..." Cody tried to threaten her but to no avail. She was far from scared...

"Or what? You'll hit me?" Bailey questioned confidently. A sarcastic smile spread on her face, "You look like you can't even lift a weight. And expect me to be scared of you? Oh please..." She laughed...

As the duo argued back and forth, Zack just couldn't help but feel that his previous judgement about them was wrong. He thought that they had something between them. But witnessing them like that left him with a conclusion that they both hated each other to the core. They couldn't even talk for 2 minutes without exchanging insults, how would they ever agree on his idea? Zack thought it was impossible for them to be in the same room and not argue. But he just had to convince them. It was for their own sake. They both needed each other. Cody needed his Company, while Bailey needed money. Zack sighed. He looked back at them and they were still staring them right in the eye with pure anger. They were inches away from tackling the other on the floor. Zack put a hand on both of their shoulder and tore them apart...

"Believe me, guys...I'm throughly enjoying this. Its like watching Riesling, except its more dramatic and the punches are your comeback lines..."Zack sarcastically stated..."But, I'd have to break your beautiful fight. We have bigger issues here people..."

"I don't have any issue, I am out of here..." Bailey again stepped to leave but Zack grabbed her by the shoulder and stopped her...

"Bailey, please. Just listen to me once. You'll actually like my idea. And you can agree to it on your terms. Please Bailey?" Zack looked for her response and she sighed and nodded. He exhaled off relief and continued..."Now, I know you guys can't even stand eachother but we have to do this. You guys have to get married..."

Zack plainly stated and he was answered by their stares. He grinned..."Its not going to be a real marriage. Its only going to be a contact marriage."

They both looked at him again confused and clueless. He gestured them both to sit down and they did. Cody was in the middle and Zack and Bailey sat on either sides of him. As they all got comfortable, he began..."I was with London the other day and I learned about a contractual marriage for the first time. Mr Tipton once did that for some business purposes. Its not fake, its very much a real traditional wedding but with a contract attached to it..." Zack paused to observe them if they were catching up to him, they still looked as surprised as before. He obviously needed to do more explaining..."The couple gets married in the church or anywhere for that matter. They exchange vows and everything is real. But with the marriage certificate, a legal contract is attached. Which could last a particular time as per your wish. After the contact expires, the marriage does too..." Zack finished.

"So what you're saying is, we get married like its real but secretly have a contract involved in it?" Cody asked. He was not sure where this would lead, but somehow he liked the idea.

"Exactly." Zack grinned..."Mom would never suspect anything. The wedding will be as real as one can be. But I'll get London's lawyer to device up a contract. It will last a particular time, which could be..,"

"A month..." Cody immediately spoke up...

"A week." It was now Bailey to add in the idea...

"A day would be best." Cody smirked at Bailey.

Zack just held his head and sighed. Those two were clearly very hard to deal with..."How about an hour guys?" Zack shot babk at them...

"PERFECT!" They both uttered simultaneously. Zack just looked at them, did they really hate each other that much? "Look guys..." Zack continued..."I know this could be hard for you both, but trust me, it'll do us all some good. And for your convenience, I'll make it two months. I mean, it could be one month but that is a little too soon and mom might suspect something is up right?"

They both looked at Zack and then at each other. They had to agree on this, it was not like they had a choice. They nodded in agreement and Zack exhaled off relief...

"Oh thank goodness. So, I'll just give a call to the lawyer and get the necessary details. Then we'll arrange a meeting and get the contract finalised. Are we all on the same page?"

Cody and Bailey nodded again. They both felt it'd be best if they won't say much. Every time either of them said anything, they ended up in another argument. They both waited as Zack busied himself on the phone. All they could hear was Zack's "ahans". After a few minutes, the conversation was over and Zack made his way towards the couch they were sitting on.

"I have a good new and a bad new." He stated...

"What's the bad news?" Cody asked. As if he already had not enough of them.

"The bad news is that the minimum time for a contractual marriage has to be one year at least."

"WHAT?" They both shouted. Bailey stood up unbelievingly..."There is no way in hell I'm spending a year with...with HIM."

"Oh really?" Cody stood up too and looked her in the eye..."You think this would be any better for me? Please Bailey, we both hate each other, all of us know that. But do we have a choice?"

"Yes. I do." Bailey stared back..."its you who doesn't have a choice, sir." She gave him an evil eye which said blackmail in capitals...

"Are you threatening me that you would leave?" Cody asked and a huge grin formed his face..."I think we have learned beforehand what I'm capable of doing. I've been playing nice but this really is getting out of my control. Things that you thought I did, I could do that and more in split seconds. So you better play along with all of this..."

Even though his threat was way scarier than hers, she was not about to show that it had gotten to her..."Not with that attitude I won't." She turned around to leave but she was stopped by a hand grabbing her arm. She assumed it would be Zack stopping her once again but when she turned around it was Cody.

"I am sorry..." He said sincerely..."I didn't mean to threaten you or anything. Look I need you, Bailey. I know its hard but just do this. Please?"

Bailey didn't know why but it felt like she was compelled to say yes. She slightly nodded and smiled. Cody sighed in relief and turned back to Zack. He clearly was not amused by their constant arguments..."What's the good news? Tell me that first so we could figure out what could be done about the other part."

"Right!" Zack tried to shake off the feeling of annoyance he had developed during their bickering..."The good new is that the only way to break the marriage before one year is that if the couple starts having way too many issues, and it becomes hard for other people to handle them. Only in that case, they could get divorced before the year ends."

Both Cody and Bailey looked at him confused. Zack grinned..."All you have to do to get out of your contractual marriage is fight endlessly." He paused and smiled..."Just like now."

Cody and Bailey looked at each other and smiled despite of themselves. Maybe it would be not so bad after all.

Meanwhile back at the Pickett's residence, Eunice Pickett was pacing around. She had a phone in her hand and she was constantly trying to dial a number. Her husband, Clyde Pickett was seated firmly on the couch watching TV.

"Clyde, her phone is still off." She came closer to him and stated. He didn't respond. His attention was completely fixed on the TV screen.

"She left in such a hurry. She was both angry and depressed on that Cody boy. Clyde, I'm really worried. Where could she be?" She said again to get his attention but still he didn't budge. It was now getting on Eunice's nerve.

"What is so important on the TV that you can not even respond to me?" She irritatedly asked and made her way to the couch and sat next to him. When he still didn't respond, Eunice turned her own attention to the TV screen and the moment she spotted the underlined news, her face turned pale. She froze in her tracks and it became hard for her to breath. She turned towards Clyde and he had the same look.

"I know..." Clyde finally spoke. But it seemed like that was all that he could say. She turned her attention to the TV again to make sure she was not having a nightmare. But it was true. It really was. The under line read...

"Natalia's strikes again. has she retuned to town?"

To be continued...

A/N: I'm open to ideas. PM me. (: