I've decided that I don't have the patients to write all the steps Wally took to be able to adopt Stevie, so I'm just going to skip straight to the last step, which is the trial with witnesses. So, clearly, Wally passed the evaluation. Sorry if this comfuses anyone! LOL Thankyou, for reviewing.

Chapter Three

Wally was so relieved when he got the news about passing the evaluation. But, he had no clue what to do at the trial! So, he went to… THE INTERNET!

So, with Stevie over his shoulder, he looked it up and they read it together. "There it is, Uncle Wally! 'What happens at a guardianship hearing?'"

They both read the article through multiple times before Stevie said, "So, you go to the hearing with a magistrate, and if nobody objects to you being my guardian, you get a letter of guardianship."

Wally seemed a little nervous. "Or, if someone does object, it's a trial, not a hearing, and all of the witnesses get examined and cross-examined…"

"Uncle Wally that is NOT going to happen! Okay, it says that the proposed ward, me, has the right to object to having a guardian appointed to them, and other rights like being present at the hearing, having an attorney to represent me, if I don't have money for an attorney the court appoints one to me, the right to not have my physician/ an other party from testifying against me and the right to have an independent evaluation."

"Great. You get to watch me make a fool of myself…"

"You will NOT make a fool out of yourself!"

The next few days were spent with Linda, Wally's not-quiet-girlfriend. Stevie thought it was hilarious how flustered Wally got around her. Linda took Stevie dress shopping so that she'd 'look nice for the hearing.'

The morning of the hearing Wally told Stevie to go get the dress and change into it.

"I am NOT wearing that thing."

"But you need to look nice."

"I don't care! Being your girlfriend's Barbie doll for three days was enough embarrassment for the century, thank you very much!"

"It's not that bad…"

"…"

"Yeah, okay, it's bad. But you have no choice! We have to be there in an hour!"

"…" Stevie slouched and went up to her room. When she got there, however, she wasn't looking at the big, pink mess that Linda got her, but a really cute, black dress with white dressy jacket and black flats.

She didn't ask questions, because, at that point, she didn't care.

Wally didn't seem to even notice, as she got into the car.

"We have come to our decision. Wallace Rudolph West, we find you… completely capable of raising Miss Stevie."

Wally hadn't been that relived since the day he graduated high school. 'It's a miracle…' he thought to himself.

Stevie and Wally walked out of that room feeling like they'd just won the lottery. But, as they walked toward their car, something caught Stevie's eye: a black cat.

A few weeks had passed, and soon, it was the day of Stevie's fourteenth birthday.

"Are you sure you don't want a party?" Wally had asked Stevie. She had said no, but he bought a cake anyway.

After they shared the cake Wally went upstairs and reappeared with the book wrapped with cloth. "Stevie, your mom told me to give this to you today. I don't know if it will open, though. The latch seems a tad… rusty."

Stevie unwrapped the book and stared at it. "… I don't get it. I can't read this at all." She then tried to open it. "It's stuck."

Stevie sat there and starred at the book in agony. This was the very last gift she'd ever get from her mom, and she couldn't even under stand it. Sure, Wally had gotten her a new bike and Aunt Iris got her a laptop, but she needed this. In a way, it was her mom's presence.

Stevie had always been smart. She could figure out collage level math equations. Her mom loved to tease her with little games… games? Maybe it was a game…

Stevie tweaked the latch over and over. She worked on it for an hour, trying not to lose patients. Why wouldn't it open? What was wrong with it? Why couldn't she-

The clock struck eleven p.m. and suddenly, the latch slipped open! She gasped and jumped away from it, as it started to glow. A blue beam of light shot into the air and the room started to light up.

The next day, Stevie awoke with a start, sitting up rigidly in her bed. She looked around the room and slipped out of bed and into her bathroom. She got ready for the day: putting on a black shirt with a panda holding a rose on it, a pair of loose jeans and pulling her long, light red hair into a ponytail.

Stevie peeked through the door and saw Wally eating a slice of pizza. She entered the room as Wally said, "Morning, Stevie."

Stevie said the same then added: "It's weird… last night I was in the kitchen, and I remember opening the book, but I don't remember going to bed."

Wally shrugged. "Last night, I came in here and found you asleep at the table. But the book was closed. I guess you fell asleep, and didn't realize it." Wally told her. Stevie nodded slowly, thinking it might be possible.

The doorbell rang, and Stevie looked up to see it was nine forty-six. She grabbed some pizza and went to answer the door. Linda was standing at the door, but Stevie never would have guessed it was her if she'd been across the road; Linda was wearing a pink shirt and jeans, with sneakers.

"Whoa, Miss Linda! Why aren't you wearing work clothes?" Stevie inquired, letting her in.

"You don't need to call me 'Miss' Stevie. I'm not heading to work today. I took the day off, so that I could take you shopping. I heard it was your birthday yesterday and I thought you might like to get something nice."

Stevie showed Linda in and called to Wally that she was visiting. Wally walked in, slowly as Linda doesn't know he's the Flash, and smiled at Linda. "Hey, Linda. What do you have planned?"

Linda just grinned and told him they'd have to wait and see. Stevie got into Linda's car was a pink convertible with tinted side windows. Stevie visually flinched. She hissed at Wally, "I am NOT getting in that… Barbie doll car." Wally grimaced but they both climbed in the car anyway.

They'd been driving for an hour and a half, and Stevie was dreading the destination that was yet to be revealed. She prayed that it wasn't the Mall… It was. Stevie, Wally and Linda wandered around the Mall aimlessly until Linda stopped in her tracks. She was staring at a cute little shop with cages, toys and bedding. A pet store. Linda grabbed Stevie's hand and drug her into the shop.

Wally followed behind them. "Oh, Stevie look how cute they are!" Linda burst. They were standing in front of a pin full to the rim with puppies. There was also a pin with kittens. Linda was gushing about the dogs and Wally and Stevie waited patiently. Linda showed Stevie several puppies, each of them adorable.

Linda kept telling Wally that this was what Stevie needed. The only people Stevie had been bothered with since her mother passed away were Wally, Aunt Iris and Linda. She needed something to get her mind off of her mom. She needed a pet. "Oh, Stevie! Look at that kitten! Isn't she cute? Do you want a kitten?"

Stevie shook her head. She had always loved animals, cats, dogs, hamsters; but she didn't take an interest in of the animals there. She was about to say she didn't need a pet when a fluff ball caught her eye. It was a small, little thing. It had black, brown and white fur in the distinct fashion of a collie. The puppy was hiding in a corner, under the wooden ramp that lead to the dog houses.

Stevie didn't realize she was moving until she was standing at the door of the pin, looking at the dog. A man walked over and said, "Do you want to take a look?" Stevie nodded and he opened the gate for her. She went over to the ramp, the man at her heels. He nodded at the puppy.

"She's a shy one. No one wanted her, because she was so skittish." he told her. Stevie nodded, but kept walking until she was standing in front of the puppy. "She's about to be two months old. If she doesn't get a home soon, she'll be sent to a kennel."

The puppy walked out slowly and looked up at Stevie. She put her paw on Stevie's shoe and whimpered. Stevie bent over and rubbed the puppy's head. "You're so sweet… Uncle Wally." Stevie called as Wally and Linda approached. "They're gunna send her to the kennel." Wally looked down at the small thing and sighed. Linda smiled brightly as Wally reached for his wallet.

Stevie was sitting in the back of Linda's car, petting the small pup. There was something about this dog. The thing is, Stevie wasn't sure why she got the dog. Just that when she heard how old the dog was, she crumbled. It was almost two months ago that Wednesday died. And the dag was born that day. It was as if the dog was meant to be hers.

The dog wasn't skittish. Not as far as Stevie could see. She was trying to work out a name for the dog. When they pulled up to the house, Stevie was the first one up the steps and the door was open when she turned the knob. Linda asked Wally, "Did you forget to lock the door?"

Wally told her that he was positive he had. Linda rolled her eyes at him. They walked into the house and when they settled down in the living room, Stevie opened the carrier door and the little dog shot out of it and into the room. She did a lap around the room before running back to Stevie and licking her face.

"That's one fast dog," Wally commented. "Maybe we could call her Flash." Stevie laughed at his joke. Linda didn't find it funny.

"You'd name that cute thing after that jerk?" Stevie shot Wally a look. "What about Molly?" The puppy huffed.

"I don't think so." Stevie said. Wally tried.

"Teddy?"

"Lassie?"

"Minnie?"

"Gracie?"

Stevie didn't like any of them. Linda groaned and said, "We're getting no where! You keep shooting down all of our ideas!" The puppy yipped.

"Shoot?" Stevie inquired.

"Yes, shoot. You know, like you shoot a gun." Linda responded. The puppy yipped.

"Shoot… what about Bullet?" The puppy yipped louder. Stevie laughed. "Okay, Bullet it is!" Linda sighed but Wally nodded.

"Well, she certainly shot out of that carrier like a bullet." he agreed.

Well, there was the third chapter! I took a break on writing it because my birthday was the 18th. By this point, I honestly wanted the fourth chapter to be up, but I got writer's block. Sorry, y'all!

Sorry, y'all. I changed it a bit.