Disclaimer: I don't own the Suite Life on Deck or Wacky Races. They belong to Disney and Hanna-Barbera, respectively. This was inspired after reading KristelJem's story "Around the World with the Wacky Racers." She has granted me permission to use her original characters of Christopher Scott, Nurse Bridget Swan, Arista Labrador Retriever, Vanessa London, and Crystal Cat. Thanks a bunch, KristelJem! Now, on with the story!

THE SUITE LIFE AT THE WACKY RACES

Chapter 1: London, Here We Come!

The S. S. Tipton was sailing along the ocean on a Friday afternoon. Cody Martin and his girlfriend Bailey Pickett were in the crow's nest looking at the stars while enjoying a romantic picnic dinner together. Holding her boyfriend's hand with a smile on her face, Bailey said, "Oh, Cody, aren't the stars just beautiful tonight?"

Returning the smile, Cody agreed, "Yeah, they are. But their beauty pales in comparison to you." This caused Bailey to giggle. Cody loved that laugh so much. He had missed that terribly after their nasty break-up in Paris. But now that they were back together, Cody was determined never to let her go again. "And I'll be excited when we dock in London tomorrow."

"Me too," said Bailey. "I can't wait to see the sights and sounds that jolly old England has to offer. Unlike the last time we were there. . ." She was interrupted by a beeping. This surprised both Bailey and Cody. Realizing that it was her cell phone, Bailey pulled it out, asking, "Wonder who that could be?" There was a text message. After a quick read, Bailey began screaming in excitement.

Cody jumped back in surprise. "Nice to know I have that effect on you," said Cody with a nervous smile.

Bailey looked at him in confusion. "What?" It didn't take long, however, for her to realize what he was talking about. Composing herself, Bailey said, "Oh, no, it's not you. At least not this time. I just got a text from my Aunt Bridget. She's going to be in London tomorrow and she was wondering if we could meet her and her friends there."

"I remember you telling me about her," said Cody. "She's a nurse, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not all she is. You know how we watch the Wacky Races every weekend, right?"

"Yeah, but what's that got to do with. . .?" He trailed off as realization dawned on him. "No way! You mean. . . Nurse Bridget Swan. . . the Wacky Racer . . . is your aunt?"

"That's right," said Bailey with a nod. "The reason I didn't tell you before is because she asked me not to. But since we're both going to be in London tomorrow, she said it was okay for me to tell you now. She was wondering if we'd be interested in going to the race tomorrow. They'll be racing from London to Dublin, Ireland."

"That'd be great!" said Cody excitedly. "Want to go tell the others? Maybe they'll be interested in going, too."

"Yeah, Aunt Bridget offered to pay for us to be there," said Bailey. "She's starting to make some decent money, so she can afford it. Come on, let's go!" Bailey and Cody smiled as they stood up. After gathering everything into their picnic basket, they headed down to the deck.

Zack Martin was working at the smoothie bar while his girlfriend Maya Bennett waited tables. They both had thirty minutes before their shifts were over. Woody Fink sat at the bar sipping on a smoothie. Maya had just joined them when Cody and Bailey approached. Smiling, Bailey asked, "Hey, guys, guess what?"

"You just came up with another boring educational idea?" asked Zack sarcastically.

"No," said Cody. "We were just wondering if you'd like to join us as we go through London tomorrow."

"Cody, we don't care about what you and Bailey plan to do," said Woody. "Weekends are supposed to be fun, not educational."

Bailey's smile grew as she said, "Fine, if you don't want to come to the Wacky Race with us, Cody and I will just go by ourselves." Zack, Woody, and Maya's jaws dropped.

As Cody and Bailey started walking away, Maya was the first to find her voice as she said, "Wait a minute! How can you two be going to the Wacky Race? We don't have enough money to go!"

"Maybe we don't," said Bailey as she took out her phone. "But I know someone who does." She then showed them the text. It didn't take long for Zack, Maya, and Woody to put things together. Even Zack and Woody were smart enough to realize who Bailey's aunt was.

Finally, Zack asked, "Okay, Bailey, how is Bridget Swan your aunt?"

"Easy, she's one of my mom's younger sisters," answered Bailey as if stating the obvious. "Like me, she had several siblings growing up. So, are you guys interested or not?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but that actually sounds like fun," said Zack. "I'm in. How about you, Maya?"

"Yeah, I'm interested," answered Maya with a nod and a smile. "Woody?"

"Yeah, I want to go too!" said Woody jumping up and down. "I've always wanted to meet Penelope Pitstop! London, here we come!"

"Someone mention me?" came a familiar voice. Everyone turned to see London Tipton approaching. "I heard my name."

"Sorry, London, we weren't talking about you," said Cody. "We were talking about the city of London."

"There's a city named after me?" asked London excitedly. "Yay, me! I got my own city!" She then skipped merrily along.

When she was gone, Maya said, "Is it just me, or does London get dumber by the day?"

"That's London for you," said Zack with a shrug as he cleaned a cup. "But we're used to it."

"Come on, Bails," said Cody as he took Bailey's hand. "We'll have to tell Mr. Moseby about this." They then went to see if Mr. Moseby was at the front desk.

At the front desk, Marion Moseby, the Tipton's manager, asked, "You want to go to the Wacky Race in London tomorrow?"

"Yes, sir," said Bailey. "One of the drivers is my aunt and she said she'd pay for everything."

"I don't know," said Moseby. "Races are so dangerous."

"Oh, come on, Mr. Moseby," said Cody. He then smiled and said, "I thought for sure you'd jump at the chance of not having me and Zack around to cause trouble for one day."

This caused Moseby to perk up. He grinned broadly and exclaimed, "Well, in that case, enjoy the race tomorrow!"

Cody and Bailey smiled. Bailey said, "Thank you, Mr. Moseby. Good night." Cody and Bailey then walked out hand-in-hand.

When they were gone, Moseby walked out from behind the counter, looking up at the heavens. Finally, he cried, "Hallelujah, there is a God! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, I am free at last!" But soon, the realization dawned on him that his respite would be brief. "If only for one day," he added before getting back behind the desk.

The next day, Cody, Bailey, Zack, Maya, and Woody were walking through London looking around as they tried to find the place where they were supposed to meet Bridget. Maya asked, "So, Bailey, what made your aunt decide to get into racing?"

"Well, obviously, her first dream was to become a nurse," answered Bailey. "But after working at the hospital for two years, she decided she wanted a little more excitement in her life. So, she managed to get a loan from the bank, built her own race car, and now, she's a part of the Wacky Race circuit. She's already won several races, and has finished in the top three many times."

"Right now, I just want to find this restaurant we're supposed to meet her at," complained Woody. "I'm starved!"

Cody looked at his roommate and asked, "Woody, when are you ever NOT starved?"

Bailey soon looked up and said, "Here it is! Come on, let's go in. I can't wait to see Aunt Bridget again!" Taking Cody's hand, she pulled him into the restaurant.

Taking Maya's hand, Zack said, "Come on, Maya, let's get us some grub. I'm hungry, too."

Smiling at her boyfriend, Maya teased, "Are you sure you don't want to just go in there and meet the female drivers."

Zack stuttered, "Well, um,. . ."

"I know I want to," said Woody, which basically saved Zack's behind. "I wonder if Penelope Pitstop is here?" He then went inside, Zack and Maya following close behind.

Sitting at multiple tables, most of the Wacky Racers were eating together in different groups. The three female drivers on the circuit were at one table sipping tea while they waited for lunch. One of them had blonde hair and was dressed in a pink coat over a pink turtleneck with pink gloves, a pink helmet with goggles, red pants, and white boots. There was another blonde, this one wearing a royal blue blouse, blue gloves, white pants, white shoes, and a white cap. The third female had raven hair tied into pigtails with lavender bands. She wore a purple tank top, lavender rose shorts, and short boots. Lying on the floor was a black Labrador Retriever wearing a blue collar with a diamond identification tag gnawing on a bone. Close by was a white cat with a pink collar lapping some milk. With a heavy Southern accent, the blonde in pink asked the blonde in blue, "So, Bridget, when is your niece supposed to be here with her friends?"

"She should be here soon, Penelope," answered Nurse Bridget Swan. "She sent me a text saying she'd be here with her boyfriend and three of her friends."

"Is that the same boy that broke up with her in Paris? What was his name? Cody?" asked the raven-haired woman.

"That's right, Vanessa," answered Bridget. "He claimed that he 'practiced their date.' It pretty much went downhill from there."

"Practiced their date?" scoffed Penelope Pitstop. "And they call us stupid in the South."

"If I ever had a boyfriend that practiced our date, I'd drop him like that," said Vanessa London, snapping her fingers. A small burst of lightning came from her fingertips.

"Well, apparently, they were miserable without each other," continued Bridget. "They finally got back together after a twister hit Kettlecorn. Cody and Moose both wanted her back and eventually she chose Cody. To be honest, I'm glad she did. Moose never treated her right. He always treated her like a piece of property. But up until their break-up, Cody went out of his way to make Bailey happy. If you ask me, that warrants a second chance." Penelope and Vanessa thought about it before nodding in agreement.

Vanessa looked up to see five teenagers walk into the restaurant. She asked, "Hey, is that them?" Bridget and Penelope turned to see what she was talking about.

Bailey and Cody walked into the restaurant, followed by Woody, Zack, and Maya. The maitre'd saw them and said, "I'm sorry, but the restaurant is reserved for the Wacky Racers only. You'll have to come back in another hour."

"Actually, we're with them," said Bailey, who had quickly spotted Bridget close by.

The maitre'd turned to where Bailey was pointing. Bridget motioned him to let them in. Upon entering, both Bailey and Bridget smiled as Bridget stood up while Bailey ran over to her aunt. "Aunt Bridget!" she cried happily as she threw her arms around Bridget.

Bridget returned the hug, saying, "Bailey, it's so good to see you again! How are things on the boat?"

"Great," said Bailey with a smile. She then said, "Oh, Aunt Bridget, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Cody Martin. This is his twin brother Zack, his girlfriend Maya Bennett, and Woody Fink."

"It's good to finally meet all of you," said Bridget. "Bailey's told me a lot about you guys, especially you, Cody. She's been especially happy since you two got back together."

"Um, thanks?" asked Cody nervously. His relationship with Bailey's father was shaky at best, and he was worried about getting off on the wrong foot with Bridget.

Suddenly, the dog that had been lying by the table jumped towards Bailey, knocking her down and licking her face. Laughing, Bailey said, "Okay, okay, it's good to see you again, too, Arista! Cut it out!" When Arista finally stopped licking Bailey, she started rubbing the dog's temples before getting back to her feet.

When her own laughter died down, Bridget said, "Kids, I'd like you to meet my two best friends on the circuit: Vanessa London and . . ."

"Penelope Pitstop!" interrupted Woody. He then went over to Penelope, planting kisses on her hand.

Penelope giggled and said, "Always nice to meet a fan of little old me."

Bridget spoke up again, saying, "Oh, and this is Vanessa's cat and racing partner, Crystal."

Looking up from her milk bowl, Crystal spoke up. "Hi, how are you all doing?"

This surprised the five teens. Maya asked in shock, "You. . . you talk?"

"Of course," said Crystal, as if stating the obvious. "I'm a very smart cat."

"I've seen and heard you talk on TV," said Maya. "But it still surprises me to see it for myself."

"Why don't you guys sit down and join us for lunch?" asked Vanessa. "Isn't that what you're here for, anyway?" The teens did so, and soon everyone proceeded to order.

As they waited for lunch, Zack said, "Hey, I noticed a few of the Wacky Racers are missing."

"Yeah, Dick Dastardly and Muttley are always doing everything by themselves," said Vanessa. "Knowing those two, they're probably plotting to put the rest of us out of the race even as we speak. As I'm sure you know, they hold a grudge against Crystal and I."

"They're such sore losers," said Crystal. "Dastardly always throws a hissy every time he loses a race, or one of his schemes gets foiled."

"They are so ungentlemanly," said Penelope as she shook her head.

"Dastardly, yes," agreed Bridget. "But Muttley's not so bad. He often laughs whenever something bad happens to Dick. Not to mention, he'll occasionally do something really sweet for me." She paused and seemed to be in thought as she added, "Although I'm not sure why."

Penelope continued, "And as I'm sure ya'll noticed, the Ant Hill Mob ain't with us, either. The poor old fellows are always wanted by the police every which way they go."

"While we're waiting for lunch, would it be okay if we tried to talk to the other drivers?" asked Cody.

"I don't see the harm in that," said Bridget. Penelope and Vanessa nodded in agreement. Four of the five teens then proceeded to introduce themselves to the other drivers. Woody, however, decided he wanted to stay seated and soak in Penelope's beauty.

Cody and Bailey, being the nerds that they were, immediately approached Professor Pat Pending. Zack and Maya wanted to meet Peter Perfect first. After making their introductions and having some short conversations with the other drivers, the foursome made their way back to their table just as their food arrived. And once everyone was done eating, it was time to prepare for the race!

To Be Continued