I'm baack! So I've kinda been here like, 'It's okay, you updated last... month...'

So today I was like, 'You need to write.'

So yeah, thanks to everyone who's read, favorited, or followed!

Disclaimer: This is kinda pointless, as I obviously don't own YJ, but... I don't own YJ.

Ch. 9.

Wally

The winter had finally disappeared, giving way to spring.

Finally. Winter had lasted until about mid April, and let me tell you, I did not appreciate shoveling snow out of my driveway in April.

"Bart!" I holler.

I hear the pattering footsteps down the stairs.

"Yeah, daddy?"

"How do you feel about going to the zoo?"

Bart's eyes widen around three times their normal size, mouthing the word.

I smirk. "Is that a yes?"

He stares at me. "Yes!" He exclaims, as if wondering if I'd gone crazy. I mean, how could you say no to the zoo?

He runs up the stairs grabbing his prized crocs.

"No. Last time you wore those, I was locked out of the house. Those are bad luck." I cross my arms. No way.

"But-"

"Plus those aren't walking shoes. You'll get sore in minutes."

"I won't-"

"I absolutely refuse to carry you around more then I have to."

"Then what am I gonna wear?"

I raise his sneakers, eyebrow raised but otherwise expressionless.

He huffs and starts to go put them away.

"And change your shirt while you're at it!" I yell.

"Okay, daddy, I know."

I smile slightly and sit down on a stool, waiting for him.

"Come on, daddy!" Bart yells, pulling me towards the entrance.

I speed walk next to his running self. We stop at the entrance. The line was about a mile long. Well not really but... It seems that, even though there were about four ticket booths, they decided 'Hey, why not just make an overly long line instead of four shorter lines that will be easier on the employee's and people?'

I groan. I knew I should have gotten the fast pass when I had the chance. I turn to Bart.

"Well buddy, it's a good thing we wore sunscreen, we're going to be waiting for a while.

"You skipped!" Bart hisses at a little Asian girl with pink bows on her pig tails.

"No!" She protests. "I was just-"

"I saw you!" He accuses.

"I-ugh! Boys are so..."

"Cindy!" A woman who was probably her mother calls from behind us. "What are you doing skipping these nice people?"

"I was trying to see how much of the line there was, until he-" She points to Bart. "-Decides that I'm skipping." Cindy huffs.

"Cindy, just come back over here." The woman calls.

"Okay mommy." She walks around us and stands next to her mom.

"Sorry about that." She apologizes. "I'm Linda Park." She offers her hand.

"Wally West." I extend my arm and shake her hand. "And this bundle of joy is Bart." I motion towards my son.

He smiles at her, but then goes back to glaring at Cindy. I shake my head. For such a happy kid, he could hold a grudge.

The line had moved considerably and we quickly walk up to the rest of the line.

"Finally!" I exclaim as we approach the ticket booth. We pay and walk in, grabbing a map in the process.

"So what do you want to see first?"

"The cheetah!" He chirps, grabbing my hand.

"Cheetah it is." I mutter, following him.

I stare at the signs, trying to navigate, long having abandoned the map. It didn't help one bit.

After ending up in the tortoise exhibit ("Daddy, I said I wanted to see a fast animal, not a slow one!") and an ostrich showing we arrive at the long anticipated cheetah exhibit.

Bart runs ahead, and jumps up and down, trying to see.

I shake my head, grinning, and pick him up and put him on my shoulders.

He laughs happily.

"Daddy! That one looks like Simba!"

The comment got some wired looks, as Simba was clearly a lion, but then again, they didn't know Bart. His cheetah was dubbed 'Simba' and he refused to listen to any reason. He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

I point to another one.

"Is that Nala?"

He shakes his head so fast it looked like it would fall off. "No! That's..."He trails off. He bites his lip, thinking.

"I got it!" He grins. "Timone!"

"But Timones' a meerkat-"

"So? Simba is a lion."

"True..." I move my head side to side in an accepting manner.

I glance up to see Bart mesmerized by the cheetahs.

"Hey Bart?"

No response.

"Bart?" I shake his arm slightly.

He blinks, and looks down, smiling. "Yeah?"

"You wanna go see the other animals now?"

He stares reluctantly at the cheetah exhibit. "Okay."

We turn and head towards the right.

...

"Okay, these are American Crocodiles and Alligators. "

Bart looks down, scared but excited at the same time.

"Do you want to try to guess which is which?"

He looks at me for a second and turns to the exhibit. He points to the one with a wide snout and teeth jutting from the bottom.

"That's the alligator. And that's-" He points to the one with the narrow snout and teeth coming from the top. "-A crocodile." He finishes, looking at me with a smug smile.

I gap at him.

"Have you been spending time with Conner again?"

He shakes his head. "Nope. I watch Wild Kratts! Remember I tried to get you to watch with me but you said no?"

I think about the kids' nature/cartoon program. I shrug. Who knew Wild Kratts would be useful for something?

"Okay. You win. What do you want to see next?"

"The lions!" He exclaims.

"To the lions!" I exclaim, and brake out into a full run, everyone parting for us.

It took us about a minute to get there, with all the detours and getting lost while running.

We-I-Skid to a stop and walk to fence. Bart leans over my head to get a better view.

"Look! It's a baby!" He shrieks in my ear.

I wince. "That's awesome." But I could feel myself straining to see the baby cub.

It runs out, chasing a lioness. It trips over it's own front paws and face plants.

If Artemis was here she would've grinned slyly at me and say: 'He has your grace and poise.' Or something like that.

But she wasn't here. I frown. She never would be. I faintly feel Bart nudging me. I remain lost in thought, so Bart resorts to yanking at my hair.

"Yeow! Bart! What's that for?"

He shrugs. "You wouldn't move, pay attention, and your breathing was getting slower. I'm pretty sure that's bad."

My eyebrows climb up my forehead. "Oh?... Well... Okay then. Thanks?"

He grins again and pats my cheek. "No problem, daddy."

I roll my eyes and sling him off my shoulders and set him down.

"Hey!" He protests.

"I distinctly remember telling you that I wouldn't carry you more then I had to, Bart."

He smiles. "Oh well. I tried."

He turns to scamper off but I grab him.

"Oh no. You are not running off in a huge, over populated. We have enough animals to search for, not including you."

"I'm not an animal." He pouts.

"Sure you are, you're a little monkey."

"Nope. That's Gar. I'm the cheetah. Tim's the Robin."

"So you're all animal themed now?"

Bart glares. "Dick was Robin first, and their dad's a 'Bat'."

"Touche."

"Can we see the bat exhibit?"

I grin. "Sure."

...

"I can't see them!" Bart huffs, straining his eyes, trying to make out the bats in the dark. "Just hear them."

I chuckle. "That's probably as good as you're gonna get, buddy."

"If Tim's dad were here, would we be able to see the bats?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's a possibility. I mean, we don't call him the 'Bat' for nothing."

Bart takes this into consideration. He nods. "Okay."

He sticks each pointer finger above his head and says in his deepest (Squeaky!) voice, "I'm Batman!" He blinks twice, as if expecting to get night vision or some sort of sonar.

He squints, scrunching his nose.

"It didn't work." He sighs dejectedly.

I pat him of the back. "It's okay, Bart. I mean, you're really a cheetah. Maybe the bats just knew you were faking. I thought you were good." I console him.

"Thank you, daddy. I guess I don't sound enough like him."

A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. "I guess not."

"Next time we come, we have to ask Tim to come, with his dad."

"So we can see the bats?"

"Yeah." He stares at me with large eyes.

"Well, sorry to brake it to you, but Bats usually doesn't come to the zoo or stuff like that. Dick usually takes him. And if he's busy, then Alfred."

"Oh." He looks down, disappointed.

"But it's okay. We can see other animals." I jab at his side.

He grins. "Okay!"

We were waiting in line for lunch, it was 1:00, so the pavilion wasn't as full, and the lines were shorter.

I look down at Bart.

"Pizza?"

He nods. "And French fries!" He reminds me.

"..."

"-Please and thank you."

"Okay. Let's get some food!"

"Three slices-"

"Four."

"Okay. Four slices of cheese-?"

He nods.

"-Of cheese pizza and two medium fries."

Bart pokes me.

"And a large sprite (No caffeine)."

The man nods and soon returns with our orders.

"Okay, buddy, lets find somewhere to sit. You want to hold the drink."

I hand it to him, and we walk to a table on the edge of the overhang and sit down.

'Dig in!" As if on cue, we both begin eating our food, rather sloppily, but meh, who's to judge? We were hungry. Chasing a over energetic toddler around takes a lot out of you.

I finished my two slices of pizza, Those were huge! and fries by the time Bart had eaten one and a half and was now picking at it.

"Daddy, do you want the rest of my pizza?"

I sigh. "Okay, but eat your fries." Internally, I was overjoyed at the thought of more food, but didn't want to encourage him.

"All right." He dips one in ketchup and pops it in his mouth.

"Okay. That was the last of them." I mentally check off 'leopards' and pick up an exhausted Bart and we trudge back to the exit.

He shifts, hugging my neck, and I tighten my grip on him.

"Lets go." It was around five thirty,and I absolutely refused to stay and smell animal dung for another minute.

We trudge to the car and I ignite the engine and we drive home in silence, as Bart fell asleep.

No sooner had I opened the door, had Bart awakened, and instantly lept into my arms when I unbuckled him.

We walk to the house, and walk inside, and I set him in his high chair and begin working on dinner.

I was feeling like 'Chinese' so I cooked rice and made stir fry.

It was 6:30

I poured some in Bart's plate and in my own.

We ate the food and then I placed the dishes in the sink, I would wash them later, and pick up Bart.

I dress him in his pajamas and brush his teeth.

...

It's 8:45 when I put him to bed. He's already practically asleep when I put him to bed, so I just cover him with his blankets.

I kiss him on his forehead.

"Goodnight Bart."

With that I walk out, shutting the door behind me.

A/N: Sooo... Chapter 9. Took a while yes... and while I'm at it, I don't own Wild Kratts either! Its a kids nature show my little brother watches, and the crocodile/alligator indecent actually happened between us.

And since school's starting next week, (the 24th. Ugh.), updates probably will be a bit slower, but hey! I'm starting high school! Ima be a Freshman! Finally! No more middle school teachers who hate me and pass it to my new teachers that I'ma the 'special one' every. single. year.

BUT! I finally got my older sister to like Young Justice, granted a few years late. For years shes kind been like 'how do you watch'/stand this stuff?!' And I was like 'You don't understand.' Now we'll have like frikin YJ marathons together. Yeeeeah! Mission accomplished!

So feel free to review guys! Good chapter? Bad? So So? Thanks for reading!

~FanAdd