Author's Note: Thanks BroadwayWednesday again for the review on the last chapter :) You should all check out her fics, they're good!

This chapter just kept getting longer and longer. I almost considered making it a one shot, but it serves somewhat of a purpose towards the rest of this story.

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor do I claim to own, the Addams Family in any of it's forms

Wednesday stalked into the kitchen, head hung low, and thrust a piece of paper at her mother sullenly.

"What's this dear?" Morticia asked.

Wednesday raised her head, her large brown eyes brimming with tears, "We're going on an excursion to the zoo mother."

"An excursion?" Morticia looked at the paper. "Oh, I see, it's a permission form."

"And mother, they want you to come too," Wednesday added.

"To the zoo?" Morticia hesitated. "Why do they want me?"

"Because you and Jimmy's mother are the only mothers who haven't come and volunteered with our class," Wednesday replied.

"Alright darling, I'll come. Do you have a pen?"

Wednesday reached into her rucksack that was still slung over her shoulder and pulled out a pen, passing it to her mother. Morticia took the pen and, in swirling calligraphy, signed her name and checked the box indicating that she too would be in attendance. She handed the form back to Wednesday and the ink, not quite dry yet, began to drip down the page, mimicking blood very nicely.

"Thank you mother," Wednesday gave a little smile.

"You're welcome darling," Morticia looked around for a moment. "Where's your brother? Did he come home from school with you?"

Wednesday shook her head, "I think he said he was meeting Uncle Fester at the quarry. They're going to blow a hole in the side of it."

"That sounds like fun, why didn't you join them?"

Wednesday shrugged, "They didn't ask me to?"

"They didn't?" Morticia frowned. "I wonder why not."

"Doesn't matter," Wednesday replied. "I wouldn't have gone. I promised Homer I'd put some more dust in the closet for her to play in."

"Oh, well, run along then darling. There's no need to keep a spider waiting."

Wednesday ran out the room with a quick wave goodbye. Morticia stood up for her chair, gently brushing away the excess powder from her baking and heading for the library where she knew her husband was playing with his trains.

Morticia paused momentarily in the door to the library to watch her husband.

Gomez was wearing his conductor's hat, a cigar hanging aslant from his mouth. Thing was operating the controls, Gomez firing a set of small pistols at the trains, narrowly missing with each shot. Thing frantically accelerated the trains.

"Faster Thing, faster!" Gomez urged.

He fired once again at one of the trains. The bullet ricocheted off the metal of the tracks towards the door. Morticia only just managed to twist her petite frame out of the way of the oncoming lead.

"Tish!" Gomez cried on seeing his wife, immediately rushing to her. "Did I hit you?"

She shook her head daintily, "Alas, no, my love."

He shrugged, then led her towards the still speeding trains.

"Would you like to push the plunger Cara?" he offered.

"Oh no, Gomez, I know how much you love it," her eyes sparkled. "Besides, it's more fun for me to watch."

Gomez nodded, "Alright, Thing, send 'em rolling!"

Thing signaled 'okay', and then sped the trains up. Just as they were rumbling over the bridge Gomez set off the TNT he had loaded beneath. The trains went flying around the room. The couple ducked as the engine soared where their heads had previously been.

"Oh, darling, that was wonderful," Morticia sighed, elated.

"Yes!" Gomez agreed ecstatically, turning to his helper. "Thank you Thing."

Thing gave Gomez a thumbs up sign before disappearing into his box. Gomez turned back towards his wife, still delighted with his magnificent wreck.

"Querida," he smiled at her, taking her in him arms.

He began to kiss her, but stopped when he sensed something wasn't quite right, "Cara, are you alright?"

Morticia chewed her lower lip momentarily before she shook her head.

"What's wrong, Tish?"

He lead her to a nearby bench seat.

"I'm so worried Gomez," she confided. "Wednesday and Pugsley seem to be drifting apart lately, and she has to go to the zoo tomorrow. On top of that so do I."

"Cara Mia," Gomez stoked her hair lovingly. "Pugsley is almost fourteen, we can't expect him to want to spend all his time with his ten year old sister. And besides, we know how terribly other children get on with their siblings, at least our two little devils are still accomplices when it counts."

Morticia smiled and gave her husband a small peck on the cheek, "Thank you darling, you're so right."

"As for the zoo, you two will have to just be brave and resilient," Gomez leaned in closer to his love. "I know you're both strong, so you'll just have to show it while you're there."

Morticia nodded, "I'm glad we talked."

"Me too," Gomez said breathlessly.

There was barely a millimeter between the two of them now, but Morticia held back for a moment, teasing her husband with her lips so close.

"Tish..."

She relented.

Morticia stood calmly at the back of the fifth grade classroom, arms folded neatly across her chest, while her daughter went to inform the teacher of their arrival.

"Mother, this is Mrs White. Mrs White, this is my mother, Morticia Addams," Wednesday introduced them.

"Please to meet you Mrs Addams," Mrs White greeted with a chipper smile.

"Likewise," Morticia gave the woman a nod.

"Thank you for agreeing to chaperone for us today," Mrs White's smile grew. "Wednesday's always telling us how wonderful you are."

"Is she?"

"She's always talking about your cooking, and how you sew her clothes for her, and fix her hair," Mrs White grinned. "You sound like a wonderful mother."

"Thank you," Morticia offered the woman a small smile in return, but really was worried that Mrs White's teeth may fall out if she could possibly pull her lips back any further from them.

"We'll be getting on the bus as soon as the last of the children arrive," Mrs White informed her. "I'll sit up the front, and you can sit down at the back. I'll have Mrs Reeves sit in the middle."

Morticia nodded, then turned her attention to Wednesday who was tugging on the material hanging from her sleeves.

"Mother, Maria wanted me to ask if you're a witch. I answered her already, but she wanted me to check with you. She didn't believe me."

Morticia looked over at the small blonde haired child Wednesday had pointed out. She twitched her mouth curiously at the little girl, who quickly looked away.

"Alright!" Mrs White clapped her hands together. "We're all here now, it's time to leave. But first I'd like to introduce you Wednesday's mother, Mrs Addams, and Jimmy's mother, Mrs Reeves."

The children simply stared at Morticia, who offered them a smile. They blinked in return.

"Okay, everybody line up to get on the bus," Mrs White directed the children, single file, out of the classroom and onto the bus.

Morticia sat on the backseat, accompanied by three rowdy boys who were wrestling each other before they even boarded the bus. Wednesday sat on the seat just in front of her mother.

Wednesday could hear the boys chatting with her mother but chose to ignore them. She was angry because she'd wanted to sit next to her mother, but the boys had gotten there first. She started plotting her revenge. But first she needed something.

She climbed off her seat and wandered towards Mrs Reeves, tapping the woman on the shoulder.

"Mrs Reeves?" Wednesday cleared her throat.

The woman turned, "Yes?"

"I'm not feeling very well," Wednesday clutched her stomach and let out a little fake moan. "May I sit with you?"

Mrs Reeves shifted over in her seat, allowing the small girl to climb up. Wednesday peeked over the back of the chair after a few minutes to make sure her plan was working. Sure enough, Morticia was looking her way, a hurt expression on her face. There was only one phase left of Wednesday's plan. She concentrated hard on completing it, biting down hard on her tongue until tears welled in her eyes. She patted the shoulder of Mrs Reeves, gaining the woman's attention.

"Are you alright darling?"

Wednesday pouted and shook her head, letting the tears run down her cheeks, "No. I want my mother."

"We'll call her to come and get you when we get to the zoo if you really don't feel that well," Mrs Reeves suggested.

Wednesday shook her head again, wiping at the tears with her sleeve, "But my mother's just at the back of the bus."

"Oh, your mom is Mrs Addams! Why didn't you go to her when you felt sick then?" Mrs Reeves asked.

"She's sitting with the boys," Wednesday sobbed. "I didn't want to be sick in front of them."

"I understand," Mrs Reeves stood up. "How about I switch places with your mom then?"

The girl nodded. She smiled smugly to herself, wiping away the last of the tears as Mrs Reeves went to the back of the bus.

"Mrs Addams?"

Morticia looked up from her conversation with the boys, "Yes?"

"Your daughter's not feeling very well, she wants you to sit with her."

"Wednesday's not well?" Morticia looked concerned as she stood up so quickly she knocked one of the boys off his seat.

"Do you have to leave?" the biggest of the boys asked as Morticia slid into the aisle. "You were telling us such cool stories."

"Those weren't just stories," Morticia replied vaguely as she made her way to Wednesday.

She sat down in her new seat next to her small daughter, who offered her a smile.

"Are you feeling alright, Wednesday?" Morticia asked.

Wednesday nodded, "Yes, I just wanted to sit next to you. You were sitting with the boys though, so I tricked the other lady into switching seats with you."

Morticia raised an eyebrow, "That was very devious of you Wednesday."

The girl shrugged, "I just didn't want to be alone."

Morticia gave her daughter a small kiss on her forehead, "You know darling, I felt very hurt when you moved away to sit with that woman."

"I'm sorry," Wednesday apologised. "But I felt hurt when you sat with those boys."

"Touché," Morticia nodded.

It was strange for Wednesday to hear her mother speak French without her father leaping into view. She let out an uncomfortable laugh at the absurdity of it.

Morticia and Wednesday looked forlornly at the caged animals as they wandered through the zoo with the rest of the class. The pair were huddled beneath Morticia's black parasol to hide from the sun's harsh beams that could potentially ruin their beautiful pallor.

"Mother," Wednesday looked up. "I wish we could help the animals. Look at the lion. Doesn't he look so much like Kitty?"

Morticia nodded, "Yes, he should be snug in front of the hearth of someone's fireplace, not caged up like some kind of wild animal."

"We should let them free," Wednesday suggested.

To her surprise, her mother agreed, "Did your uncle ever teach you how to pick a lock?"

"No, but Pugsley did," Wednesday replied.

"Quick, I'll distract the zookeeper," Morticia shooed her daughter towards the lion's cage before sidling up to the zookeeper and beginning to use all of her wiles against him.

Wednesday was soon back at her mother's side, "I've finished mother, let's go."

Morticia bade the confused zookeeper goodbye and hurried her daughter back to the school group, which were just climbing back on the bus. Behind them they heard a loud roar of delight from the lion.

Morticia sighed euphorically as she lay beside her husband, bathed in afterglow. She rested her head on his chest as he began to stroke her hair. A low roar was heard from somewhere in the distance.

"Querida, did you hear about those lions leaving the zoo today? Was it while you were there?" Gomez asked, considering the animal sound.

"Oh yes darling," Morticia looked up at him and smiled. "Wednesday let them free."

"Really?"

She nodded, "I just wish I'd thought to bring one home as a mate for Kitty Cat."

"Everybody needs a mate," Gomez agreed, planting another kiss on his wife's shoulder.

She let out a yawn, and pulled herself closer to him, "Good night darling."

"Good night Tish," he shut his eyes. "Don't forget to let the bed bugs bite."