To the Zoo!

[Mia]

Shane took a bite of his hotdog, shaking his head a bit. This kid liked everything apparently. He took a sip of his drink. "You want a raccoon?" Shane rose an eyebrow. "Don't you think a raccoon would be a little hard to take care of?"

[Mimi]

Skye giggled and sipped his milk. "Of course not!" he shouted, taking a bite out of his hotdog. "I like raccoons! They're cute." he said, licking his lips. "I can take care of one--can I have a raccoon, momma?" he asked, looking at Regan. The girl smiled, and shook her head. "Sorry, Skye." she told him.

[Mia]

"I dunno if you could handle a raccoon buddy." Shane commented, shaking his head and taking a sip of his drink. "I hear they're tricky creatures." He took another bite of his almost gone hotdog, glancing up at Regan before saying, "Maybe you'll have a better shot with a dog or a rabbit."

[Mimi]

Skye nodded, hanging his head for a moment. "Aw...but raccoons are soooo cute!" he said with a small giggle. Regan laughed at her son, giving him a small kiss on the cheek. She looked at Shane and nodded. "Skye, maybe a rabbit or a gerbil." Regan told him, not wanting Skye to own a bigger pet. Skye nodded, "I like gerbils, they're cute, too." he licked his lips. The little boy picked up his hotdog, finishing it, and took a sip of his milk. "Ooo!" Skye giggled, "Shane!" he said, "I'm going to name my gerbil Shane!" Regan smiled gently. It seemed like Skye liked being around Shane. Regan thought it was probably because he didn't have a father. Skye smiled.

[Mia]

Shane nearly chocked on his drink at Skye's next words. "Wha..." He coughed, shaking his head. "Why would you name your gerbil Shane?" He shook his head again, giving a small smile. "I dunno whether to take that as an insult or a compliment."

[Mimi]

Skye licked his lips. "It's not an insult!" he squealed, taking a slurp of his milk. "It's a compliment! And because you are so nice to me!" he said with a giggle. Regan looked down at her son, a small smile appearing on her face. She looked back up at Shane, hoping he wouldn't get mad at Skye. He hadn't meant to insult him if he did. "Shane, you are sooo nice to me!" he said, licking his lips. He finished his milk, clinging onto his mother's arm. The little boy's dark chocolate eyes were filled only with happiness. He had a huge smile on his face.

[Mia]

Shane didn't respond right away, still going over the kids words in his head. He gave a soft sigh, he had to admit he had taken a liking to the kid. He had no idea when it had happened though, the boy had just managed to wedge his way into his existence. Shane stood, grabbing his drink. "What animal do you want to go see next?" He finally asked.

[Mimi]

Regan noticed that Shane didn't say anything for moments after Skye had said he was naming his gerbil Shane. Skye just shrugged it off, "Bears!" he licked his lips. "My favorite animal," he grinned. "They're scary and tough!" he said, a small smile appearing on his face. Regan took a sip out of her Pepsi, smiling at the two boys. It seemed like Skye really enjoyed being around Shane. Regan was enjoying the zoo with Shane and Skye herself.

[Mia]

Shane couldn't help but chuckle. "You're favorite animal is a bear? Somehow, I would not expect that of you." Considering he'd just gone on about how cute raccoons were. He would never understand this child. "We shall head off to see the bears then." He said. "You guys ready to head out?" He glanced over to Regan, who didn't seem to be saying much of anything. Or, not to him at least. He wondered if she didn't like him, or if she just wasn't a very big talker.

[Mimi]

"How?" Skye asked, licking his lips and getting off of the chair. "I'm ready!" Skye squealed eagerly. He loved how bears were so scary and rough and tough. Despite that they scared him quite a lot, Skye thought that they were cool. Regan smiled at Shane, sipping her Pepsi and wiping her mouth with a napkin before standing up. "I'm ready," she told him, taking her son's hand. A small smile appeared on her face as she looked at Shane, but her gaze went back to her son.

[Mia]

"I dunno. You were going on and on about how much raccoons were cute." He shrugged. "You don't seem like the bear type to me. Though I could be wrong." He started towards the door when the two stood. "Alright then." He noticed Regan smile when she looked at him, and he frowned a bit. What did that look mean? Maybe he was wrong about her not liking him?

[Mimi]

"Uh, o-okay." Skye said with a small shrug. "So? I can like bears and think raccoons are cute!" he said with a small giggle. He grabbed his mother's hand, tugging on it gently. Regan hadn't noticed Shane's frown. She hadn't really meant anything by the smile, she was just happy that Skye was getting along with Shane and being so eager.

[Mia]

"Sure you can kid." Just like he could still pretend to be the tough guy he'd always been and have a soft spot for Skye. "Which bear is your favorite? Brown? Black? Polar?" He led them to a directory, looking to see where the bears were in the zoo. "So far away." He muttered when he found them, running a hand through his hair. He stuck his hand in his pocket, feeling his lighter there. Oh well, it wasn't like he didn't walk everywhere anyway.

[Mimi]

Skye smiled. "I like black bears." he said. The little boy shrugged after a moment, "Naw, I like all bears!" he squealed, holding his mother's hand. "They're furry and roar loudly." he smiled. The bears were away from the cafeteria they had eaten in, it was quite a long walk, but Skye didn't mind it. Regan smiled at her son. She wished she had brought her camera along, she could have taken some pictures of Skye and Shane with the animals.

[Mia]

Shane stuck his other hand in his pocket and smiled a bit. "What about a panda bear? I don't think they roar loudly." He thought for a moment, and then said, "Have you ever seen a koala bear? They're cute and they're bears. I think that's a double bonus right there."