Hailey smiled and rang the doorbell, cringing when screaming came from the other side of the door. "Indoor voice!" Jack called as he opened it.

"Aunt Hailey!" screamed Hope, bouncing up and down excitedly.

Hailey beamed at the five year old. "There's my little girl! Are you ready for our big day out?"

"I am!" Hope continued bouncing up and down, vibrating with excitement.

Jack smirked at his sister. "Enjoy the sugar rush, Hails."

Hailey stuck out her tongue and rocked on her heels. "Oh, honey, I plan to feed her more sugar right before I drop her off at home. Enjoy being up all night!"

"I will kill you," Lucy teasingly threatened as she walked past. She gasped when Hope ran to her for a hug.

Hope grabbed Hailey's hand and waved goodbye to her parents. Their first stop was at their favorite diner for breakfast since they were both starving. Hailey sipped her water and grinned at her niece. "So, what do you think of our plans for today?"

Hope cheered and beamed back at her aunt. "The zoo!" she cried excitedly. She too took a sip of her milk and clapped her hands together.

"You're the best, Hope." Hailey was so thankful she could spoil her niece rotten and always looked forward to their days together. They were always enjoyable.

"You too, Aunt Hailey!" Some milk dribbled down Hope's chin and she wiped it off with a napkin.

The waitress arrived with their food about three minutes later, and the two happily dug into their pancakes and toast - one of their favorite breakfasts. Hailey drank a little more of her water and leaned back in the booth, content to watch her niece eat as she nibbled on her toast. After they finished and she paid the bill, the two of them headed out to her car. "Where we going first?" Hailey asked, already knowing the answer.

"The zoo!" Hope screamed, yelling so loud that Hailey's eardrums nearly burst. She rubbed at them, wincing.

"Quiet voice, Hope," she reminded her, chuckling as she started the car. About fifteen minutes later, they made their way to the zoo. She paid their admission and the two walked in, hand in hand. "Where do you want to go first?"

Hope squealed excitedly and clapped her hands. "Eat?"

Hailey gaped at her. "We just ate," she reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. You pick, Aunt Hailey!"

"Sounds good to me." They headed off towards their first exhibit. By the time they made their way around the whole zoo, Hope couldn't stop whining that she was tired and her feet hurt.

"I wanna go!" the five year old complained, stomping her feet.

"We're going - can you please calm down? We're making a quick stop at the store to get you a present and then we're eating dinner before I drop you off at home, remember?"

Hope's eyes lit up. "Present!"

"Yes, present. But you can pick one thing from the gift shop first." Fortunately, they only spent five minutes in the gift shop before she found something, and they made their way to the store. After Hope needled her way into two toys, Hailey paid for them and she drove to one of their favorite restaurants for dinner. They ordered pizza and sat back to wait, Hope coloring in her welcome mat.

"This was fun," she murmured to her aunt. "Thank you, Aunt Hailey."

Hailey grinned at her. "You're welcome, Miss Hope. Can't wait for our day out next month. You looking forward to it?"

Hope nodded, continuing to focus on her coloring.

The two of them downed their pizza quickly, Hailey paid again, and they finally headed back to Jack and Lucy's apartment.

Hope ran straight into Lucy's arms once the door was opened. "Thanks for taking her today," Lucy told her sister-in-law.

"Eh, it's no issue - you know how much I love it and her." She groaned when Jack and Lucy exchanged a quick kiss.

Lucy ran her hands through Hope's hair. "Almost time for a bath, little one."

"I don't wanna bath," she whined.

"Tough luck, Hope Rebecca Damon. Go!" she encouraged.

"She wear you out?" Jack asked his sister knowingly.

"I'm fucking exhausted," Hailey admitted.

Jack laughed at her misfortune. "I'd feel bad but we deal with this every day so sorry about your luck."

She glared daggers at him, even knowing he couldn't see it. "I hate you," she teased.

"I hate you too, Hailey," he teased back. He ruffled his sister's hair and kissed her temple.

Hailey and Hope had many more days out ahead of them, and they looked forward to each and every one of them.