Chapter Nine: Lions, and Tigers and Munchkins

"Alright Munchkins, where to?" Molly asked, turned around in the front seat to face the three youngsters seated in the back. Sarah, Skyler and Brian had really hit it off and for that she was glad. "Movies? Park? Library?"

"Let's go to the zoo!" chirped Skyler. "I wanna see the monkeys!"

"Yeah!" Brian exclaimed. "Can we, Molly? Please! I wanna see the lions!"

"Yeah! Can we please?" Sarah asked.

Molly thought about it for a moment, "Sure," she smiled. "Why not?"

"YEAY!" all three cheered and Molly laughed as she started up the car.

The car ride was relatively amusing for Molly. The three children in the back of the car chattered away about one thing then another but when the conversation turned towards the subject of family that Molly's ears perked up.

"…My big brother is the strongest person in the world!" Sarah said.

"Nuh-uh!" Skyler defended. "My daddy is!"

"No way!" exclaimed Brian. "My daddy is! So is our Sensai!"

"Whats a 'sensai'?" Sarah asked.

"It's a Japanese word for teacher," Molly cut in.

"Oh."

"So what's your daddy like?" Brian asked Sarah.

Sarah shrugged, "He's ok, but Nick is the bestest in the world! He plays dolls with me!" Molly snorted a laugh and turned on her turning signal.

"Doesn't your mommy play dollies with you?" Skyler asked. "Mine does."

"Nah, I don't see her and daddy much," she said. "I think they went on a trip again cuz Uncle Ron came to visit."

"You don't know where your parents are?" Molly couldn't help but ask. She knew she could probably pump Sarah for information with out her realizing it but that might just be crossing a line of snooping and Nick would probably not be happy about it at all.

The little girl shook her head, "Nope, sometimes they just go away for awhile and Uncle Ron will come stay with us. Nick doesn't like 'im, I know, cuz he gets all grumpy and stuff when he comes over."

"Do you like him?"

"Not really, he's kinda weird," Sarah said. "Talks all funny on the phone and goes away sometimes and comes back hurt and gets mad when ya ask 'im stuff."

"Has he ever touched you?" Molly's eyes narrowed.

"He pushed me down once and Nick got real mad," Sarah shuddered for a minute. "I never saw Nick get mad before but when Uncle Ron pushed me he grabbed Uncle Ron and threw him into a wall."

Molly's eyes widened and she stared at the little girl through the rear view mirror. She was serious. Molly had a hard time imagining Nick putting anyone into a wall but something told her that if he would attack someone for any reason that reason would be Sarah. From the sounds of it there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"When do you're parents come back?" Molly asked.

Sarah shrugged, "Dunno."

"Ok."

Molly remained silent for the remainder of the car ride, allowing the three kids to talk. The minimal information rolled around in her mind and she tried to make sense of it with out jumping to conclusions. So while this uncle had never touched Sarah like that, from what she knew, but still there was something strange about him. By the time they rolled into the zoo parking lot, Molly decided that she was going ask Nick about everything.

"Just have to figure out how," she muttered under her breath. "Ok, guys, lets…go?"

Molly let out a frantic meep like sound when she saw that the kids had already jumped out of the car and were bolting for the zoo entrance.

"HEY!" Molly grabbed the keys, quickly locked the door and ran after them. "We have to pay first!" She caught up to the little ankle biters and paid for them to enter the park, "Maybe I should buy some leashes while I'm at it…"

Molly would soon found out how sorry she was that she didn't buy them…

"Brian! Get back here!" Molly chased after her young brother as the child took off through the crowd.

"Look! Monkeys!" he said running up to the edge of the monkey habitat.

"I'm gonna monkey you in a second!" Molly dragged Sarah and Skyler through the crowd. "Don't take off like that! Madison would kill me if anything happened to you."

"Awww, Molly, you worry too much," Brian said.

Molly gave a huge sigh of frustration. They had been there for over an hour and why she had thought that bringing three young kids to the zoo by her self was a good idea eluded her completely. She nearly had a heart attack when Sarah and Skyler suddenly disappeared, only to find that they had wondered off by themselves into the Reptile Exhibit. Maybe next time the kids wanted to play she should make Nick take them somewhere by himself.

"Hey, Moooolllly……"

Molly looked down at three overly innocent grins. She raised a very suspicious eyebrow, "Yes…"

"Can we have popsicles?" Sarah pointed over at a small ice cream cart. Molly gave them another suspicious glance but decided the indulge them. "Fine, but you all sit on this bench and don't even think of moving until I come back, or instead of eating the popsicles you'll be wearing them. Got it?"

The three children nodded and Molly walked over to the ice cream vendor, all the while mutter pray chants to herself that they would still be sitting on that bench when she came back.

"I like you, Sarah," Brian said. "Wanna be our friend?"

"Sure!" Sarah chirped. "I like having friends!"

"We've gots lotsa friends!" Skyler said. "There's Uncle Mikey, Uncle Leo, Uncle Donnie…"

"And my daddy!" Brian smiled. "Well…He's not my real daddy cuz Mommy said that my real daddy was mean but my new daddy isn't. He's the bestest ever!"

"How come your real daddy was mean?" Sarah asked.

"Dunno, just was," Brian said, swinging his feet over the edge of the bench. He watched his feet for a moment and frowned "I'm bored…"

"I want my popsicle," Skyler wined.

"If you're bored I know what we can do…" Sarah grinned mischievously as she reached into her pocket. She pulled something out but kept it hidden in her cupped hand.

"What's that?" Brian asked, leaning in to try and see.

Sarah opened her hands just slightly to let them peek at what sat in them. "Awww!" Skyler squealed. "Can I hold 'im!"

"I've got a better idea," Sarah grinned and nodded and a teenage couple nearby who were looking a little too friendly next to the giraffe cage. "Be right back." Sarah slid off the bench and running towards the couple. When she 'accidentally' bumped into them the couple glared at her.

"Watch where you're going, you little imp!" the girl practically shrieked. "You almost made me spill soda on my new outfit!"

"Sorry," Sarah stared up at them innocently. "I didn't mean too…"

"Well get out of here before I make you ever sorrier," the boy growled. Sarah squeaked and ran back to the bench.

"What'd you do?" Skyler asked as Sarah climbed back on the bench next to her.

"Just watch and wait," Sarah grinned. It was only a matter of seconds before all heads turned towards the couple whom were now shrieking as they danced around in a sort of panic. The girl screeching profanities at her boyfriend for making her spill her drink on herself while the boy looked as though he was frantically trying to get his shirt off. The three children rolled with laughter on the bench. Brian actually fell off the bench from laughing so hard.

"AHEM!" All three children looked up at the furious teenage towering over them, holding Sarah's pet mouse by the tail. "I believe this is yours."

"Oh thank you!" Sarah smirked. "You found him!"

"How dare you!" the girl snapped. "Do you have any idea how hard it is wash soda out of this fabric! It's completely ruined! And I HATE rats!"

"Charlie is not a rat, he's a mouse!" Sarah snapped.

"I don't care what he is, all I know is he just got added to the snake pen dinner menu!" the boy growled. "Say good bye to your little friend."

"You can't do that!" Sarah made a dive for her beloved pet but the boy kept it out of reach.

"Oh no?" he smirked sticking the mouse in his pocket. "My dad is assistant head zoo keeper here. I would have no problem 'accidentally' dropping the little vermin in there."

"Give him back now!" Sarah kicked the boy in the shins.

"Why you little…!" the boy grabbed Sarah by her jacket and shoved her down. Sarah sat there stunned as tear welled up in her eyes.

"Hey!" Brian jumped up and grabbed the boy's arm as Sarah began to cry. "You can't hurt my friend like that!"

"You want a piece of this too, Rug Rat!" he grabbed Brian's shirt and lifted him up just so that he was eye to eye with him. He reared back his fist but it was suddenly caught by an iron fist.

"Now maybe it's just the sun in my eyes but know I could have swore I just saw you shove that little girl down," Molly snarled, holding the boy's fist. "but of course you wouldn't do such a stupid thing like that because you of course know that behind every sniveling child there is a much bigger and much meaner friend."

The boy's face went pale at Molly's dark expression, "And might I add than no one, but NO ONE, beats on my little brother but me, GOT IT!" She threw the guy back and he landed on his butt. Brian scrambled back to the bench next to the two girls.

"They started it!" the boy shouted pointing at the kids. He pointed an accusing finger at the still crying Sarah who was now being comforted by Skyler. "SHE put a rat on me!"

"He's a MOUSE, Stupid!" Sarah retorted.

"Where is the mouse?" Molly asked.

"Psh…how the hell should I know?"

"He's got 'im in his pocket!" Skyler exclaimed.

Molly eyed the boy and his bimbo girlfriend, who at the moment looked more worried about the fact that she had Dr. Pepper stains all over her new clothes than the fact that her boyfriend was about to get his back side whipped by another girl.

"Give me the mouse," Molly held out her hand.

"Hell no!"

"Fork over the rodent, Jackass!"

"Give me one good reason why I should," he snapped.

Molly grabbed him by his Abercrombie and Finch shirt and hoisted him up, "Because you'll need that pocket to carry your spleen if you don't hand him over right now," she growled thrusting her hand in his face. "Mouse. Now!"

The boy dug into his pocket and practically threw the poor thing at Molly, "Fine! Take the damn rat, see if I care," he grabbed his girlfriend's arm and pulled her through the crowd. "Damn thing crapped in my pocket…!"

Molly looked over the poor creature. When she was satisfied that he was only very badly frightened and not dead from shock and being mishandled, she turned around and glared very sternly at the three kids, "I would ask…" she began. "But it would only make me want to tie you all to the roof and leave you there on the way home."

"Are you mad?" Sarah asked sheepishly.

"More like severely annoyed," Molly gently set Charlie in Sarah open hand. "Can't be too mad because the blonde chick is in my science class and I can't stand her. Girl has more shoes that brain cells."

"So you're not mad and you won't stop dating Nicky?" Sarah asked.

Molly blushed and coughed, "No… no of course not… but Charlie stays in your pocket for now on or bird of pray exhibit is gonna get a new friend, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Sarah nodded and nuzzled her little pet before gently tucking him back in her coat pocket.

"And by the way, your popsicles are on the bench," Molly said.

"Yey!" the kids dove at the treats and quickly began munching on them. Molly sighed and rubbed her temples. She had a sinking feeling that today was going to end up being a very long day.

A/N: Hey everyone I am SOOOO sorry that it has taken me forever to update but school has been a bear! But luckily Finals are this week and then I am free to write all summer! YEY! Anyway you know the drill. Read and Review and have a great day! Later

Chupip