Lips That Need No Introduction

"Sea World!"

"Sea Wor!"

"Sea WorLD"

"Sea Wor!"

Zacky sighed dejectedly as his attempt to get Tevan to pronounce the L and D in Sea World was shattered. It was no use but he had put up a good fight for the last ten minutes in the car.

Today was looking to be a pretty busy day if I was being honest. We were spending the entire day at Sea World and then were going out to a late dinner afterwards at one of my favorite burger joints in Ocean Beach. The busyness came when the list of things to see and do at Sea World had been brought up by the boys. Everyone was anxious to see something different. I personally wanted to see the polar bears. Zack on the other hand was all about the shark encounter. Jimmy had so kindly taught Tevan the name of Shamu… but she could really only say Mu and therefore called it that.

"See? Tevan's taking my side and wants to see Shamu the most." Jimmy boasted as he folded his arms over his chest confidently.

"That's because she doesn’t know what else is there idiot." Matt said as he elbowed Jimmy in the ribs.

"We're here." Brian sang from the driver's seat as we pulled into the parking lot after paying. The words registered in Tevan's mind and her head lifted up as she looked frantically out the windows. Her eyes were wide as she giggled and clapped her hands. "Ere! Ere!" She chanted as she began to bounce in her car seat. Zacky just chuckled and flicked her strawberry-blonde fountain pony tail that was situated on the top of her head thanks to Val.

Once we were parked next to the car that held Johnny and the girls we all climbed out. Brian got Tev's stroller from the back end and got it set up while Zack retrieved the still bouncing girl from her seat. She wrapped her small arms around his neck and held on as he lifted her out.

I chuckled lightly as her small fingers rubbed the Angels logo that was behind his ear. Tevan loved Zack's tattoos and she spent a lot of her time poking at them and trying to rub them off. It was adorable how she would try and rub them off and then get this frustrated look on her face when she realized it wasn't working. I think her favorite tattoo of his was the decapitated Mickey Mouse because she had a stuffed Mickey that she loved. It would be interesting to see how Zack would explain why Mickey's head was off of his body when she got a little older.

Zack smiled as he let out a light laugh as Tevan continued to rub the spot behind his ear. It just so happened that that was one of his sensitive spots and also happened to be a weakness point I had discovered in bed. A few kisses in the spot made him completely melt and often gave me an advantage. She eventually gave up and settled for placing a very wet and sloppy kiss on his cheek making his grin increase in size. He returned the kiss and reached down to set her in the stroller. Jimmy was standing behind it and kept rolling it away from Zacky every time he would try and buckle her in. Zacky finally glared at Jimmy who was laughing along with Tevan and the stroller held still so he could fasten the buckle. I placed her diaper bag underneath the stroller and just as I stood back up Jimmy took off running with the stroller in front of him, Tevan just squealing away in joy. The first time Jimmy had done this I pitched a fit and was convinced he was going to run into something or tip the stroller over but he had proved me wrong and this was now a common occurrence.

Zacky wrapped his arm firmly around my shoulders and we followed the other couples (minus Jimmy and Tevan who were already way ahead of us) toward the gates. We met up with Jimmy who was already at the customer service window where he was showing them the letter we had received. The girl saw the rest of us approaching and began crossing names off of a list before she handed us the stack of tickets and told us to have a nice time. Jimmy passed them all out and before we knew it we were at the gates going through the turn stiles after our tickets had been scanned. Matt had already pulled out the maps we had been given as well and was trying to plan out the show times so that we could hit the ones we wanted to.

Shamu was obviously a must and we were probably going for that one in the early evening when we were tired and would want to sit down. The dolphin show was also a popular one as was the sea lion and otter show.

"Alright, so stick together or split up?" Johnny asked as he pulled a yawning Lacey into his side gently.

"Split up. I'm going to the fucking penguins." Jimmy said as he passed the stroller off to Zacky.

"Alright. Split up it is. Meet at the dolphin show around noon then?" Brian said as Jimmy nodded and took off pulling Leana behind him. Everyone else figured out where they were going and it was soon just Zack, myself and Tevan.

"Want to go to the dolphin encounter?" He asked me after studying the map for a minute.

"Sure. Tevan will like that." I wrapped my arm around his waist as he pushed the stroller in the direction of the dolphin cove. Tevan's little head looked like it was on a swivel the entire time. She was sitting up and was trying to take everything in at once. When we arrived Tevan was practically leaning all of the way out of her stroller to get closer to everything. I spotted Matt and Val both leaning over the edge petting a dolphin that had come up for them. I leaned down and pointed them out to Tevan who's eyes lit up happily.

"Unkie! Annie!" She yelled loudly. Where she got her set of lungs from I will never know. Probably Zack's side of the family. I personally thought she got them from Leana but that was physically impossible.

Both Matt and Val turned around at the mention of their names and they grinned as Tevan waved at them from her place in my arms now. Zacky had jogged over to them and was waving me over. I grinned as I squatted down some so Tev could see the dolphin that had surfaced where we were all standing. Her green eyes widened and her mouth opened as she stared at the dolphin that Zack was petting. Matt snapped a picture with his camera as I bent down and let Tevan's hands rub the smooth flesh of the animal.

She squealed as the dolphin let out one of it's noises. The trainer that was in the water came over and stood by us before calling the dolphin up higher so we didn’t have to lean over so far. I think she saw the death grip I had on my daughter and figured it would be easier to have the dolphin come to us.

"And what might this little cutie's name be?" She asked as Tevan continued to giggle as the dolphin now blew out some air and sprayed a bit of mist on her.

"This would be Tevan. She's almost one." I replied as I smiled at the interaction between her and the dolphin who also seemed to like her in return.

"She's adorable. Are you the father?" She asked as she turned to face Zacky who was fighting over a dolphin with Matt. Zack stopped and turned to face us, allowing Matt to place both of his hands on the dolphin that had swam up.

"Yeah I am." He said proudly.

"She's clearly got your eyes. You three are a cute family."

"Thank you." Zack said as he flashed a smile.

Tevan eventually pulled her small arms away from the animal and went to wrap them around my neck but I held her away. "Oh no you don’t little one. We're washing those hands before you touch me with them." Her lips puckered up and her eyes got wide. I carried her over to the available sink and Val helped me wash her small hands with soap.

"I don't think our boys are ever going to grow up are they?" She asked as we returned to see that both Matt and Zack were fighting over a dolphin again. Letting out a sigh I put Tevan back in her stroller and let a whistle out which caught the attention of both grown men.

"Are you finished yet?" I asked as I placed my hands on my hips. The looked at eachother and then nodded sheepishly. They went to wash their hands and then the five of us decided to go see the manta rays that you could feed as well. Zack and Matt had taken over stroller duty so that Val and I could walk and talk at the same time. We were discussing our girls night out that we had planned for tomorrow. We were going to hit up some bar and just chill for the night. The guys had something planned as well and that left Tevan with Papa Gates and Suzy who had offered to come down for the night to give us some time with the group.

Overall it seemed like it was going to be a fun night tomorrow.

"Dude. How the fuck did they get here? The penguins are on the other side of the damn park." Matt chuckled as we saw everyone else already at the manta ray pool.

Johnny was on the clear opposite side of the pool as Jimmy and it was easy to figure out why. There was a lovely wet mark on his t-shirt that was the precise size as the squid that he was feeding the rays. A scowl was on his face and he kept looked at Jimmy skeptically. Lacey had an amused look on her face as she stood beside Johnny and had a hand placed on his non-tatted arm.

Brian came over and took Tevan from us so that he could take her to watch Michelle feed the rays. Zack parked the stroller and then went to buy some squid with Matt.

They came back and we went to an unoccupied portion of the pool so that we could have our own space. Zacky grabbed me around the waist and dangled a squid in my face. I shrunk back against him in surprise and let out a yelp. He laughed as did Matt who was back to snapping photos with Val protectively pulled into his side. Zacky placed a kiss on my cheek before leaning us both forward and sticking the squid under the water. My stomach was pressed against the edge of the pool and Zacky had forced one of my hands under as well. I shut my eyes and squealed as one of the rays started sucking on my hand.

"Ewww! That's so gross!" I laughed as did Zack.

"That's not gross. It's fucking cool." He chuckled. His language earned him a foul look from an older woman who was quick to usher her son away while covering his ears. Zacky just glared back.

"Just you wait. That kid's going to grow up and have a fouler mouth than me since he's got a mom like that."

"Zack." I chuckled as he continued to rant on and on about how he was fed up with parents giving them weird looks. "Zacky." I tried again but he just kept going on as he grabbed another squid and squished it in his fist before shoving it in the water.

"Zachary." I scolded finally gaining his attention.

"Yeah babe?" He asked as if nothing was wrong.

"Zack you've been going on and on. I've said your name three times. Just let it go." I chuckled as I grabbed the last piece of squid and placed it under the water.

"Oh. My bad babe." He laughed.

"Ahh! Brian stop!" We heard Michelle shriek. Upon first glance it appeared that Brian was chasing Michelle with a squid. Upon second glance however, it was clear that Brian didn't have the squid; Tevan did and Brian was running her around as she waved it toward her aunt.

"Oh my gosh. She is going to be a little terror. And it's all going to be Syn's fault." I told Zack as the three of them gained attention from everyone around the pool. Jimmy and Leana were laughing their asses off clearly while Johnny and Lacey were nearly knocked over from the three that were running. They passed both Zacky and I and almost continued on until Brian seemed to realize just who he had passed. He turned heel and Tevan swung the squid around rapidly not expecting the change in direction.

Brian gave me a smirk and whispered something in Tevan's ear. She giggled and before I knew it they were headed straight for me. I let out a yell and hid behind Zacky who looked like a deer in headlights at the change in target.

Brian skidded to a stop and Tevan swung the squid. It seemed to happen in slow motion as the slimy object came smacking down right on Zacky's cheek.

My jaw dropped and I blinked. Everything was silent except for Tev's little giggles that she was emitting. "Dada!" She giggled. I stood up straight and peered around Zack to see a very slimy mark on his cheek. His eyes were wide and he was looking at Brian with disbelief.
I lost all self control as I started laughing at the situation. The squid was now hanging limply in Tevan's hand and Brian looked on the verge of laughter.

"Fucking hell. I've been smacked with a fucking squid by my own daughter." Zacky huffed as everyone began laughing when they realized he wasn't mad. Zacky took Tevan from Brian who was now barely standing up and took her over to the water.

"Alright Tev. Give the squid to the rays." Her small arm came back over her shoulder and she sent the squid flying into the water where it was snatched up by one of the animals. She clapped her gooey hands together and then placed them on Zacky's cheeks making him scowl even more. He growled under his breath playfully at Tevan and then took her over to the sink before he washed them both off.

"You're dead Syn." He said as they returned.

"Aw come on man." Brian tried to take Tevan back but Zacky wasn't about to let her go after that stunt.

"You're corrupting my daughter." Zacky told him as he dug a pacifier out of the bag and stuck it in Tevan's awaiting mouth. She sucked away happily and allowed herself to be stuck back in the stroller so we could continue on to the dolphin show that was starting in twenty minutes.

"I say Brian, Tevan, and Jimmy should be banned from touching squid ever again." Johnny said as we walked as a group. He was still feeling sort of sour that Jimmy had gotten squid goodness on his shirt even though he had washed it off.

"Sounds good to me." Zacky agreed through a grumble.

Matt and Val had been oddly quite through the whole squid encounter but I think they were taking the time to enjoy a couple moment. They had been seen whispering things to each other and Val was often spotted giggling. I swear they had only gotten worse since being married. And here I thought Zack and I were bad enough. We were almost nothing compared to those two.

***

"I'm so exhausted!" I said as we plopped down in the stadium to watch the Shamu show later that evening.

So far it had been quite the eventful day. Zacky, Tevan and I had gotten chosen to go up on the stage for the dolphin show. That in itself was pretty cool except for the fact that Zacky slipped and nearly fell into the pool. It was easy to pick out our friends in the crowd because they were laughing harder than anyone else, not to mention they were also the most tatted group of people. The lady who was in charge of the show just so happened to be the girl we had met at the dolphin encounter so she remembered us. Tevan got to pet the dolphin as it was fully out of the water and we also got a family photo taken with Dolly the dolphin.

After the dolphin show the group stayed together instead of splitting up. It was just easier to all stay together and it added to the fun.

Zacky was practically bouncing in place as we waited in line to get into the shark encounter. He loved this attraction so much and was anxious to show Tevan that "Arks" as she called them.

The cutest thing was seeing Zack hold her as we walked through. He was pointing out the ones he knew the names to and was explaining all about them to her even though she couldn’t comprehend it. It really was an adorable sight to see.

Jimmy had picked up Johnny and had threatened to throw him over the edge at the entrance. We all knew he wouldn’t because that would mean they would need to find a new bassist as well as deal with Lacey's wrath but it was still funny and Johnny wasn't convinced that Jimmy would hold onto him.

Zack was still on cloud nine after the sharks and continued to talk my ear off the entire way to the polar bear exhibit. I finally had heard enough and was forced to pinch his cheeks together to get him to stop talking.

Tevan enjoyed the Arctic exhibit as did I. Zacky took my picture beside the glass as the polar bear sat beside me. It was amazing being so close to them. Brian nearly scared the crap out of Michelle here when he popped out of a fake polar bear cave they had for people to see. He literally came jumping out in front of her and she fell flat on her ass as she screamed.

Lunch was eventful as well. It almost turned into a food fight but Val was quick to put it to a stop before it got out of hand. We learned that Tevan loved watermelon after we had mashed up a few pieces and fed them to her. I guess her taste buds took after mine.

After lunch we had hit the penguins, again for Jimmy, and the roller coaster ride they had. By this point Tevan had decided she was tired of being carried or riding in the stroller. Zacky had pulled out her little monkey backpack that had the strap on it so she could walk and yet we could make sure she stayed beside us. She loved it since it was a monkey. We were starting to discover that she absolutely loved them. She loved watching the Angel's games with us just so she could see the rally monkey that came out in the 7th inning. It was too cute.

That brought us to where we were now, the Shamu show. We were all ready to sit down for a bit and rest our feet.

The only thing that concerned me was that the guys insisted on sitting the splash zone. Me, being the protective mother, told them it would be alright if we sat in the higher up sections of the zone since I didn’t want Tevan to get completely soaked. I honestly didn’t know how that would go over.

Brian and Matt had gone off to find some snacks for us all and Zacky had decided to take Tevan along with them since she was itching to walk around.

"You look tired." Val commented as I slouched down in the bleacher.

"I am. Not only do I have to keep up with my baby but I've got the husband I've been chasing after too." I sighed. "I swear Zack is such a kid sometimes." All of the girls nodded in agreement.

"Speaking of kids…" Lacey trailed off as she motioned toward the bottom of the stadium where Tevan came toddling into, pulling Zacky behind her. In her hands was a Shamu shaped popsicle that she was sucking on. Matt and Brian weren't far behind and had a cardboard box in each of their hands.

Zacky scooped up Tev as she reached the stairs and she giggled as he carried her up to where we were sitting.

"Mu Mama! Mu!" She squealed as Zacky sat down beside me and placed her in his lap. She waved the popsicle for a moment before it returned to her mouth.

"Ooo did daddy get you that?" I asked her as she nodded frantically while she sucked on the treat.

"Oh you are my hero." I told Brian as he handed me an ice cream sandwich in the wrapper.

"Damn straight." He chuckled as he passed out the rest of what he had to everyone else. Matt had a few sodas that we all would be sharing.

"Damn it. I want what Tevan has!" Jimmy whined as he held up the ice cream sandwich and pouted.

"Then you should have come with us dipshit." Matt chuckled as Jimmy sighed, defeated. Tevan heard her name and turned to look at Jimmy with wide eyes.

"Wow there Tevs. It looks like you're really enjoying that." He chuckled at the sight of the little girl who now had a face covered in black and white popsicle. She just blinked at him and then returned to her snack.

The show started just a few minutes later and thankfully we had enough time to get Tevan cleaned off and finish our own food so it wouldn't be water logged.

Tev let out a gasp as the whales swam out and she clapped as they swam by the glass.

She was loving this.

"Oh no." I said partway through when the dramatic music started to play. I knew what was coming as did everyone else and I could only pray that we were high enough not to get wet.
Zacky handed Tevan to me so that he could shield us if need be. I was secretly hoping the whale would swim past us and hit a different section but I hadn't been known for my luck lately.

It stopped right in front of us and raised it's tail. I gasped as I watched the water come splashing at is in a giant wave. I tried to shield Tevan but it was no use. We had all gotten wet and Tevan didn't like that. She let out a mouthful of salt water and then started to cry.

Now that would have been alright. I could deal with a crying baby girl. What I couldn't handle was the fact that we didn't get splashed just once. Oh no. The waves continued. The trainers were running up to the glass frantically trying to call off the whale's tail assault but it really was no use.

"Zacky!" I screamed above the noise as I tried to pick Tevan up. Everyone else in our section was trying to get up and head to higher ground away from the water. Zacky picked up Tevan who was still screaming and started to frantically climb over the bleachers behind us that had already been evacuated. Brian picked up the diaper bag and I grabbed my purse before following Zacky and the others to higher ground.

Once we were in a safe zone the trainers were finally able to get the whale to stop the water but the damage had already been done.

Everyone was drenched from head to toe. Tevan was still crying and Zacky was trying so hard to get her to calm down.

"Oh my. Ladies and gentlemen I am incredibly sorry about what just happened. We've never had that happen before. I know you guys probably didn’t expect to get that wet and for that we here apologize." The head female trainer spoke from the front of the stage.

Taking a look around it was clear that everyone was rather frustrated. Brian's usually spiked up hair was now hanging limp around his face and his eyeliner was running down his cheeks. Jimmy was trying to dry his glasses off while Johnny tried to fix his mohawk to no avail. The girls weren't so much upset other than Val who had poorly chosen to wear a white shirt under which you could now see her light pink bra through. Zacky's hair was destroyed as was my own and Tevan's little fountain pony tail was now flopping down to the right side of her head.

"Tevan look at Uncle Brian. He looks like he's crying too!" Zacky tried to lighten the mood as he turned Tev so she could see Brian who was looking rather distraught still. She sniffed and wiped at her eyes before looking at her uncle. She let a small giggle pass through her lips as she reached out and wiped under Brian's eye to get his eyeliner off.

I reached down and into the diaper bag to pull out a small towel we had brought with us so I could wipe the water off of her. She had calmed down for the most part now but was still sniffling and rubbing at her face.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Johnny said angrily as he tried to squeeze the salt water out of his jeans.

"Fuck if I know." Matt groaned.

"That was some shit that thing pulled." Zacky said as he continued to comfort Tevan who was clinging to his neck and facing away from the rest of the show as she moped. "I'm so sorry baby." He apologized to her in her ear.

Deciding that we were all pretty miserable, we decided to leave the show and go search out some beach towels to buy. Zacky carried Tevan the whole way as out shoes squished their way through the park to the front gates where the souvenir shops were.

The guys found some towels and they bought them. Johnny took Tevan from Zacky so he could dry off. I grinned as I saw Johnny take her over to a rack of stuffed animals.

"Pick one out baby girl and I'll buy it for you." He urged her. She looked around for a moment before pointing to the dolphin. Apparently Shamu wasn't a favorite anymore after that incident. Johnny grabbed the biggest one he could find, yet one that would still fit in Tevan's arms, and took it to the register.

They returned shortly and Tevan was hugging the dolphin to her tiny chest tightly.

"Well I don’t know about you guys but I think after that I've had just about enough fun here for the day." Matt said as he took his shoe off only to have a ton of water drip out of it.

Everyone agreed in some form and Tevan even replied by letting out a yawn as she rested her head on Johnny's wet shoulder.

"I say we head back to the hotel and enjoy the giant jacuzzi tub." Zacky whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

"And what about the little one?" I asked.

"We'll take care of her." Matt volunteered suavely as he acted as if he hadn't heard us talking.
I groaned as I turned around to face Zacky's still wet face. "It seems I can never get out of this no matter where we go."

"Not with the amazing friends I have, no." He smirked as he pressed a kiss to my lips.

"Mama!" Tevan interrupted us as she reached for me. I sighed and pulled away before taking her and the dolphin into my arms.

"I'm so wet. I hate this." Michelle whined as we walked to the car.

"Babe, you're always wet. This is nothing new." Brian snickered. Chelle gasped and went chasing after him seeing as he took off running after his comment. I chuckled seeing the two of them chase after each other.

"I know someone else who is wet a lot." Zacky whispered in my ear. I rolled my eyes at his statement knowing it wasn't true.

"And how would you know? You're not always in my pants Zack." I smirked.

"But I damn well would like to be." He huffed earning a smack on his arm causing him to start laughing.

I chuckled and shook my head as he wrapped his arm around my waist. Tevan leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek as she smiled at him.

"I'm proud to know I have the best two girls in the world." He smiled.

"You better believe it Baker." I said in a cocky tone. "And I hate to break it to you but you're stuck with us forever.

"I think I can handle that." He said as Tevan poked his cheek as the three of us laughed together.