A/N: This is for Agent Chuck who threatened to quit SC. The rest of you better not get any ideas.

Chapter 8:

"Jelly!" Charlotte squeals and points to the giant aquarium glass in front of them. In the dim room, the illuminated jelly-fish seemed to float across the dark liquid sky like colourful balloons.

"You like them, Tigger?" Casey asked. To be honest they creeped him out; the little pink sacks of who-knows-what just sitting there. Where were their eyes? Where were their mouths? Not to mention that one time he'd been stung by that damn Portuguese Man O'War.

Oops. He caught himself. No swearing. Not even in his head lest he let one slip. He had to be extra vigilant now if he was going to make sure Charlotte forgot what she'd been taught this morning.

"Go! Go!" she urged as she tugged on Casey's arm, eager to get to the glass and press her face right up against them. Casey released her hand and let the little girl with all her wild energy make a dash for it.

He loses sight of her for a second in the dark room as the figure obstructing his view brushes past him; one moment he doesn't see her and in the one after, she's flat on the ground, sobbing.

Casey runs forward and grabs the person closest to Charlotte, his hands dangerously close to the man's neck.

"Watch where you're going!" he snarls, and raises his fist, threatening to pummel the twerp into a pulp. "There's kids here!"

"Yeah? Well maybe you should watch yours!" the man retorts, pushing Casey off of him.

Casey growled and his hand itched for the concealed firearm but the whimpering got to him first. Letting the useless bag of meat go, he bends down and scoops Charlotte into his arms. She's as light as a fistful of feathers and the fact only makes Casey all the more concerned.

"You okay, Tigger?" he whispers. Carefully examining all the little girl's limbs, he determines that it's not anything life threatening.

The realization does little for his nerves though. He doesn't know what scares him more; the fact she might have been hurt or what Sarah would have done to him if Charlotte were.

Casey plants a kiss on her scraped knee. "How's that, Tigger?"

Charlotte shakes her head, sniffing back pitiful tears. "I'm Piglet!" she reminds. Despite everything, it's still the first thing she complains about.

"I think your Daddy was wrong about you being a Piglet. I think deep down you're a big ol' donkey like your Mommy."

Charlotte laughs. She has no idea what a donkey is but it sounds funny.

"Do you like popsicles?" he coaxed, wiping her tears with his palm.

Charlotte nodded solemnly and buried her face against the man's neck. When Casey felt the cold wet sensation against his skin, it tore him clean down the middle. A part of him boiled with rage and the other turned embarrassingly soft and mushy like the consistency of chicken and rice for babies.

"Love pops-stickles," she murmured.

Casey patted the babe on the back, rocking her slowly back and forth. "Okay, let's go get some then." They'd already exceeded her daily allowance for sugar times ten, but he didn't see the harm. He'll tell Sarah it was a rough day; she'd understand.

"We-ally?" she asked, looking so woeful she was more Eeyore than Piglet or Tigger.

"Really," Casey confirmed. His heart ached for her and he realized he'd do just about anything to see those cherry-stained lips break into a smile again.

"Did you hear that man say 'sorry', Tigger?"

Charlotte shook her head slowly. It was just the excuse he needed.

"I didn't think so either," he replied. "And that's not very polite now, is it?"

With the little girl safe in his arms, Casey approached the accused and pushed him as hard as he could into the banisters behind him.

The man flew into the metal bars and bounced back, landing flat on his face with a groan.

Charlotte giggled at the sight.

"Hey! What the hell!" the man complained.

Casey gave the man a swift swipe on the head. "No swearing!" he reminded as they headed for the exit.

Charlotte giggled again, all tears forgotten.

"That was fun, right?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her baby blues bright with mischief. "Again?" she asked.

Casey laughed nervously and it suddenly occurred to him this was another one of those things Sarah wouldn't approve of. It was certainly not something zoo security would approve of.

"So...how about that popsicle?"

_

Ellie doesn't ask about Charlotte's sniffles when they meet up again by the gorilla exhibit but she nods with approval when she sees the popsicle in Charlotte's sticky paws.

"Nothing like candy to make things better," she says with a smile.

Casey nods. He has no idea how Sarah manages to limit her daughter to just one popsicle a day; how else were you supposed to subdue them?

Suddenly Ellie's pager goes off. She yanks it from her bag and growls.

"Shoot. I have to go. It's an emergency."

Will's astute hearing picks up on the words and he shakes his head. "No! You promised!" he whines, threatening to sit on the ground and throw a tantrum.

Ellie bends down to her son's level and holds his hand. "Sweetie, if Mommy doesn't go to the hospital, sick people are going to die."

It doesn't look like the boy understands though. The real tragedy is not that someone's been in an accident but that he won't be able to see the lions and tigers.

"I can take them both," Casey offers, in a lapse of goodwill.

"Really? Are you sure?" Ellie asks.

Casey cocked his head to one side. Why did everyone ask him that?

"Yeah, of course." Charlotte was starting to look drowsy. The sugar in six popsicles ought to be an adult's equivalent of five cups of coffee but it seems nothing will stave off the nap the little girl's avoided all afternoon.

"Lions and tigers!" Will reminds, jumping up and down.

Ellie looks hesitant but her son's over-eager demeanor makes it hard for her to decline. She ruffles the little boy's hair and thanks Casey.

"If you need anything, anything, you call," she told him. "Seriously. Anything."

Casey wrinkled his brows. Sarah had said that too.

"Hey, I've handled one just fine. What's two?"