Siku is the creation of Darqstar, X-men Marvel, "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" C. S. Lewis, the version of "Little Red Riding Hood" is based on what my three year old cousin, Hunter told me. I've just combined the four.

"Unca Bishop?" said a cute little blue child. "It's my bedtime and I need to go to sleep." Siku was standing behind the red tape that served as a boundary marker for the armory room. If she were to step beyond it, the door would automatically shut.

Bishop looked up from his phaser rifle that he was repairing. "Where's your daddy?" Quickly, he activated the safety on the phaser. Everybody took extra pains to insure Siku's safety around the mansion.

"He had to see Auntie Moira, and the Professor went with him. Remember this is the night that Uncle Gambit had to do to that organic gardening lecture with Auntie Storm 'cause he got caught stealing from her garden?" Bishop nodded, fearing where this would lead. "Auntie Jean and Uncle Scott have a date tonight, and Warren and Betsy are in New York. Uncles Bobby and Joseph are at the movies and Aunt Rogue is still on her trip."

Mentally, Bishop ticked off the X-men as Siku listed them. "That means Sam or Logan is in charge of you." He felt relieved. Bishop was not, nor would ever be, a child-person.

Siku shook her head. "Uh-uh. His sister and Jubilee got in a fight and they are going to 'knock some sense into some hard heads.'"

That sounded like something that Logan would have said. "When did they leave?" Bishop got up, bracing himself for the unavoidable.

"Five minutes ago." Siku smiled. "You get to tell me a bedtime story."

Bishop, a former member of the XSE, the man who had faced down many enemies and not cracked a sweat, tried not to be afraid. What was there to be afraid of? He just had to get this small, three years old mutant to go to sleep. It wasn't like he had to take down the Brood. "Ok."

Siku started hopping in place. She was finally going to get Uncle Bishop to tell her a bedtime story. That had never, ever happened. Even Uncle Warren told her a night-night story once a month. She reached out and hugged him. "Hurray!"

Bishop, a former member of the XSE, the man who had faced down ten Emplates with only a razor as a weapon and didn't blink, stared at the child who was getting hyper. What was he getting himself into? Cautiously, he said, "Go get you nightclothes."

Siku nodded. She had taken her bath a long time ago, in order to give her fur time to dry, now it was time to start her night routine. "Need to brush my teeth."

Bishop looked down at the child, "Well, go do it."

Siku looked at the adult. "You have to do it." She couldn't get all her teeth yet and her daddy always brushed them for her. Bishop sighed and followed her in the bathroom.

After brushing her teeth, Siku told him, "Gotta go potty." Bishop started to leave the room when Siku called for him to "Wait!" Turning around he spotted the white gloves on top of the toilet. "Don't go!"

This wouldn't be so bad, Bishop told himself. He'd faced down Sinister, Phalanx, and Emma Frost's cooking. What could one child do to him? He had done worse things, like gutting an Emplate. He slipped on the gloves and reminded himself that it wasn't the child's fault that she was so young.

Siku looked up at the adult that fate had left in charge of her. She had faced worse - Brussel sprouts, sleeping without a nightlight, and Santa Claus. If she could survive Uncle Logan taping over her Barney tape, she could survive this. And Uncle Bishop still was gonna tell her a beddy- bye story!

On the way out of the bathroom, Bishop spotted a cup marked Siku's Night Water and filled it half way full. His Grandmother used to do the same thing for him. Siku hopped into bed and smiled as Bishop placed the cup down on the night stand.

"Night-night story!" she demanded. Bishop turned around to the collection of feminist fairy tales that Hank had collected for Siku. "Little Red Riding Hood!" she clarified. Bishop checked the book shelves for that one, but couldn't find it.

"It's not here," he told her.

"I know," she replied rolling her eyes, "Daddy says its demeaning, sexist and a Freudian nightmare. I want you to tell it to me." She sighed.

"I don't know it," Bishop told her. "Why don't you tell me it?" He breathed a sigh of relief as she started relaying the story.

"Once upon a time there was this girl who had a hat that was red and she never took it off. So people called her Little Red Riding Hood. One day her mommy told her to take this lunch to your granny who lived in the woods. Don't talk to strangers and don't go off the path, she said. Little Red Riding Hood said "Ok."

'Well, she goes into the woods and meets a mutant-" her eyes grew big as she whispered "A talking wolf-- but not like Rhane. Anyways the wolf asks "Where you going?" and Little Red Riding Hood says "To Granny's." and the wolf says "Why not take her some flowers?" and Little Red Riding Hood says "Okay." So she runs into the woods. She's a bad girl, you see, she doesn't do what she's told." Bishop nodded while Siku got her second wind. "So the wolf runs ahead and eats the Granny and waits for Little Red Riding Hood to come." Bishop shook his head. This was what passed for a bedtime story?

"So Little Red Riding Hood goes to Granny's and finds that her grandmother metamorphed into something UGLY. Trying to tell her that she needed to change her appearance, Little Red Riding Hood says "Why Grandmother, what big eyes you have!" And the Grandmother says "The better to see you with, my dear." "Why Grandmother, what big ears you have!" "The better to hear you with." "Why Grandmother, what big teeth you have!" "The better to eat you with!" Sos he eats Little Red Riding Hood and goes to sleep in Granny's bed. And then this woodman comes by and sees the wolf. He cuts open the wolf and sets the women free. And then they fill him up with a big ol' pot and sew him up. The wolf dies, the hunter gets the skin, and they all live happily ever after-- that is until 'The Wolf's Revenge.'"

Bishop sighed a sigh of relief. Maybe he could get out of telling Siku a bedtime story now. Quickly, he got up. "Unca Bishop, wait!" Siku called out. "It's your turn now."

Now, Bishop, the man that had been raised on the hard streets of Los Vegas, angered Rogue with a pie, and saved the day with nothing but chewing gum and paper clips, was afraid. He didn't know any decent fairy tales. The ones he did know would give Siku nightmares. "I don't know any," he admitted.

Siku rolled her eyes, "Well then, make one up!" Adults!

Bishop tried not to sweat, and dug deep into his memory. Finally, something The Witness told him came back. "Once upon a time, there was a beautiful woman named Evelyn who fell in love with this fellow- I can't remember his name. One day, the government told the group of people that they had to leave Canada and go to Louisiana-"

"That's were Uncle Remy's from! And Uncle Logan's from Canada. Was she related to them?"

"I don't think so."

"Too bad."

Bishop nodded. "And she lost her love."

"Lost, like when I lost Pooky?"

"Kindof. They couldn't find each other for a long time."

"Like me and Pooky! That guy's name was Pooky, wasn't it?"

Bishop though about disagreeing, but changed his mind. "Yes, I believe it was."

"So did she ever find Pooky?"

"After a long, long time she did."

"Did they get married?"

"No."

"What happened?"

"She died."

"That's not a good bedtime story! I want another one!" Bishop sighed and picked up 'The Lion, The Which, and The Wardrobe.' "Daddy reads me one chapter a night. After a good night-night story, which that wasn't."

Siku looked like she was going to pitch a fit, so Bishop opened the nearest book and started reading "Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful queen who wanted a child. One day, as she looked out across the freshly fallen snow, she---"

"Where's Pooky?!?" Bishop sighed as they started looking for the teddy bear. "I don't want to die without him!" They searched Siku's bedroom, her bathroom, the living room, and finally found the bear in the freeze. Siku had been playing that Pooky was Uncle Bobby.

This time, as he helped Siku back to bed, he was careful to tuck her in with the bear, her favorite dolls, dinosaurs, and blankets. Her bed was stuffed when he got done. He finished reading Snow White and started on 'The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" when it started storming outside.

"Auntie Storm is mad at Uncle Gambit!" Siku whispered. Bishop nodded and continued to read about the tea party when it started thundering. At the first clap, Siku recoiled, gasping a hold of Pooky.

"There's nothing to be afraid of," Bishop tried to reassure her.

"That's the monster under the bed screaming for me!" Siku whispered. Forge had made a special ‘Monster Remover' for Siku- something that looked speciously like a cross between a hair dryer and a flashlight. Quickly, Bishop scared away the monster. But as the storm grew worse, it was apparent that Siku wasn't calming down.

Sighing, he remembered a trick his Grandmother had taught him. "Boom back at it," he instructed.

"What?" Had he lost his mind?

Bishop stood in front of curtains and showed her. Waiting for the next clap of thunder, he shouted "Boom!" Siku giggled and joined him. After a few minutes of booming, Bishop picked her up and took her to the front steps.

"Don't wanna be here!" she protested and buried her face in his chest.

"Watch," he told her. A clasp of lighting danced across the stormy sky. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

Siku turned around and watched the lighting disappear. As the thunder rolled around her, she shouted "Boom!" It was as much a game here as it was in her room. Soon she learned to like the bolts of lighting that appeared.

They stood there, sheltered by the patio, watching the storm for about half an hour. Bishop sat down in the swing, and rocked Siku as the storm weakened.

"Unca Bishop?" came a sleepy voice. Bishop looked down at the child. "Didja daddy ever boom at the lighting with you?"

Bishop started gentling swinging in the swing. "I never knew my daddy."

"Who taught you to boom?" Siku turned around and used the muscle in his arm as a pillow.

"A kind woman took me in. My Grandmother," It was funny, how often he thought of her.

"Your Granny nice?" Bishop watched as her eyes closed.

"Very," Bishop whispered. Gentle breathing let Bishop know that Siku had drifted off to sleep. He didn't want to wake her, so he sat on the stayed on that swing, rocking back and forth until he fell asleep.

The End.