Authors notes:

Considering the past I have established for Sikudhani and her world, this story never could have happened. As far as I know, this story never could have happened in the Experiment #173 world either, although that's really up to Lori to decide. :-) Either way, this is an idea I had while thinking of a children's story and I decided to bring to to light to see if others would enjoy it too.

This story is dedicated to Lori McDonald. You wanted to see Siku with Experiment #713, I hope this story fits your expectations.

This story (if it were "really" part of Lori's world) would take place during Keeping A Distance and after, The Gift.

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There was someone living in the tunnels under the mansion.

It was a double-damnation, because it held two interesting, want-to-explore things. The first were simply the tunnels themselves. She'd always been curious about them, ever since she first saw the door and asked her daddy about them, only to be told, "Those are tunnels, Sunshine. They are very dark, dangerous, and dirty and you are not allowed to go into them." She wanted to obey her father, so she did her best to forget them.

Now though, with someone living there, it was getting harder and harder. She didn't know who this person was, she just knew that he "stowed away on the ship during a mission." Stowed away meant to hide where no one could see you. The stranger had hidden where no one could see him, then crept off the Blackbird and into the tunnels.

Now, normally, Sikudhani wasn't sure of strangers. They often reacted... oddly to her. But this stranger had to be different. Her uncles and aunts fed him, brought him things, and talked about him, talked about having him someday live in the mansion, which meant that someday, he would become an uncle to her. This tripled her curiosity. Someone, living right now, where she was not allowed to go, who would become an uncle. He must be a wonderful person. She wanted to meet him, at least see him. But every time she asked, she was turned down flat. "He's not very well," they would tell her. "He's had a rough time of things, and it might be awhile before he's ready to meet you."

She couldn't understand why he wouldn't want to meet her. If he was a potential uncle, it should be very high on his list of things to do.

It wasn't easy being four. Sometimes it seemed that all adults were out to make sure you didn't get to do anything you really wanted to, anything that was really fun.

She didn't want to be disobedient, but she had to see this stranger for herself. And she knew, that as soon as the opportunity presented itself, she would.

It wasn't until after Christmas passed that she got her chance. Hank and Charles had to fly to Washington to testify on a committee hearing for mutant rights, and the X-men were on a mission. Siku was left in the care of Dr. Kimber Lee, who was visiting Hank and offered to baby-sit.

At first, Siku didn't even realize it was an opportunity, because Aunt Kimber kept a pretty good eye on her. It wasn't until she fell asleep watching The Lion King, that Siku got the idea.

"Aunty Kimber?" Siku called softly.

No response. Siku frowned. How anyone could fall asleep during The Lion King was beyond her. But apparently, Aunty Kimber could. Siku shrugged and climbed off the couch, heading right for the basement.

The door leading to the tunnels was heavy, but Siku wasn't going to come this far, only to have the goal taken from her. She found that if she really grabbed the handle and pulled, she could open the door a crack. She took off her sneaker, put it on the floor, and pulled hard on the door. She just managed to shove the shoe into the crack before her strength gave out. She let go of the door, which swung to close, but was stopped by the shoe. Progress!

Delighted, she ran around trying to find something else to wedge into the door.

He was heading back to his "area" when he heard the noises by the door. Ducking into the shadows, he crept closer to see what was happening. Who was coming down? He hoped it was someone bringing food, no one had since this morning and he was getting rather hungry.

He saw the crack of light coming from the door, which made him wonder. Usually, if someone was coming down, they would just open the door and come. Maybe there was something wrong with the door. Still being careful to keep to the shadows, he moved closer, listening.

"There has got to be something 'round here," a very young voice was saying. "Got to get the door open."

He heard the sounds of scurrying around, objects being picked up, while the child talked, obviously to herself, but out loud. "Somethin that's heavy... but not too heavy. I gotta be able t'lift it. Something to put in the door, to keep it open. Gotta be something."

He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard a child's voice. Sinister hadn't kept many children in his lab and the few that he did, didn't last long and were too frightened to talk. He'd forgotten children could speak so freely. Despite his instincts, which told him to avoid anyone new, curiosity got the best of him and he stayed to see what the child would do.

"I need more stuff!" Siku cried out, exasperated. "Why isn't there more stuff down here? I need a... a... something!" Mostly what was down here was either too small or too heavy.

Finally, she managed to find a board, just long enough, just wide enough, and just thick enough. "Perfect!" Siku exclaimed, delighted with her find. She dragged it over to the door and managed to slide it in the crack, over the sneaker. It just fit. Then, she sat on the board, using her weight to push it, so the door was open the width of the board. "I did it!" She jumped up and wiggled through the door.

In the dim light from the open door, he watched as the child wiggled in, obviously thrilled with her own ingenuity. She looked around, not moving for a minute or so, as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

With her blue fur, she looked very much like Dr. McCoy, one of the ones he didn't like at all. That immediately put him on edge. However, being so young, she didn't seem like much of a threat. He waited to see what she would do, now that she was here.

Siku was disappointed to find out her father was right, the tunnels were dark and dirty. Somehow, in her mind she'd always pictured them being beautiful, like some sort of fairy kingdom. It didn't seem fair. For a moment she was tempted to go back, but then she remembered, there was a future uncle down here to meet. "Hello?" she called out.

No one answered.

Well, this was puzzling, he wasn't answering her. Siku had half-expected him to be waiting at the door when she came through. Didn't he want to meet her? Of course he did. Maybe he didn't hear her. "Hello?" she called again, louder this time. "Hello?"

She realized she didn't know his name. Well, that made things confusing. If she didn't know his name, what should she call him? She couldn't just call him uncle, he had to be uncle somebody.

"Hello? Uncle... uncle... uncle Mr.?" No, that didn't sound right. "Mr. Uncle?" Yes, that was better. "Mr. Uncle? Mr. Uncle, please come out. I want to meet you. I'm Siku McCoy!"

Still no answer. Very peculiar indeed. Maybe he was further in the tunnels and couldn't hear her. She started along her way to find him.

He watched the child as she started through the tunnels. Where was she going? And who was she calling for? Mr. Uncle? That was a strange name.

He was half-tempted to just return to his room and hope she didn't find him, but he was worried about her. Obviously she was related to Dr. McCoy, and probably very important to the X-Men. The tunnels were very hard to maneuver, if one didn't know their way around them, and it was obvious this "Siku" didn't. He'd better keep an eye on her, to make sure she would be able to get out of here.

"Hello? Mr. Uncle? Won't you please come out and talk to me?" Siku called out, as she walked through the tunnels. The walls had some sort of glow-y stuff on them, which enabled her to see a tiny bit, but not much. She walked carefully, shuffling one foot in front of the other, to make sure she didn't trip. She sure wished Mr. Uncle would come out and say hello.

"Please, Mr. Uncle? Pretty, please, come talk to me?" She continued walking, not really knowing where she was going, looking for this person.

It took him awhile to realize, she was looking for him. Why she called him Mr. Uncle, he had no idea, but who else could she be looking for down here? Most important though, why did she want to find him? Why were these people so curious about him? He was nobody.

With a heaving sigh, Siku finally gave up. Her throat was starting to feel sore from calling out, and her feet were tired from walking. Maybe there really was no one down here, or maybe he went to the park to play on the swings, but he definitely wasn't here. Maybe she should head back before Aunty Kimber woke up.

She turned around and tried to head back, then quickly realized she was lost. At first she tried to just keep walking, hoping it would take her back to the doorway, but it didn't. Instead, she seemed to be walking further and further into this messy place. She tried to be brave, knowing it wouldn't do her any good to cry, but she was so tired, and so scared. "Mr. Uncle?" she called out, hoping that maybe he had returned from wherever he had gone. "Mr. Uncle, if you can hear me, please help me. I don't know how to get out of here."

He couldn't let the child wander lost in these tunnels. She'd never figure out how to get back. He stepped out of the shadows, making sure his feet made enough noise.

She heard footsteps behind her. Whirling around, she saw a figure, looking at her. It was him, it had to be! "Oh!" she cried, running towards him. "It's you! You finally-"

The words were cut off as he moved back, the closer she got, until he'd melted into the shadows again. "Mr. Uncle?" she asked. "Mr. Uncle, please don't run away. Please? I'm tired an' I'm scared, an' I'm losted. I have to get home."

He walked out of the shadows. Again, Siku wanted to run and give him a hug, but she was more careful this time. She took a couple cautious steps in his direction. "Please don't disappear, Mr. Uncle. Please, help me get back, okay? Aunty Kimber's gonna wake up soon, an' if I'm not there, she'll worry."

He turned and started to walk away. Not into the shadows, but up the tunnel. She could still see him. He stopped, as if waiting.

He wants me to follow! she thought. He's going to help me get out of here. But why won't he talk to me?

Well, getting out of here, was better than nothing. She started walking, following him. "Why don't you talk?" she asked.

Nothing. He just kept walking. Siku put on a burst of speed to catch up to him. Why wouldn't he at least take her hand to help her along?

Every time she moved too close, he seemed to disappear into the shadows, and wouldn't come back until she backed off.

It finally hit her, he didn't want to talk to her, he didn't want her to touch him, which really confused her. "Don't you like me, Mr. Uncle?" she asked. "Don't you want to be my friend?"

He didn't even shake his head, or nod, just kept walking. Siku wanted to cry. Why didn't he like her? All her uncles and aunts liked her, why was he so different?

He lead her to the passage back to the mansion and quickly disappeared, afraid she would try to touch him again. She didn't. She scampered through the door, not looking back. When she was out of sight, he took the board and the sneaker out of the doorway, putting them on the side leading to the mansion.

She both charmed and annoyed him and the strange thing was that the reasons both the positive and the negative were the same. Her constant babbling and wanting to touch him. He didn't want to listen to babble, he didn't want to be touched, yet it was fascinating to see someone so open and free with her speech and affection. Was there ever a time when he'd been like her? Was he ever a child? He didn't think so. Would there ever come a time when he wouldn't be afraid of everyone? Where he would be excited about meeting someone new? He didn't know for sure, but he was afraid the answer was no.

"Siku? Sikudhani?" Kimber tore through the mansion, going from room to room, looking for the child. She'd woken up two hours ago to find her gone, and had been frantic to find her. "Siku, where are you?"

"Aunty Kimber?"

She turned around and saw Siku running towards her, her clothes filthy, her face streaked with tears and dirt. "Siku!"

The child ran and threw her arms around her, bursting into tears. "I'm sorry, Aunty Kimber, I'm sorry."

Kimber hugged Siku tightly. "It's okay, honey, it's okay. You're safe, it's all right."

Siku continued to cry. When Kimber finally drew away, she looked at her. "Siku, where were you? What happened?"

"I-I was bad," Siku admitted, adverting her eyes from her aunt.

"Why?" Kimber asked. "What did you do?"

Through her tears, Siku managed to tell her story. Kimber listened, not saying anything until she was finished.

"An' he wouldn't talk to me, he wouldn't hug me," Siku sobbed. "Aunty Kimber, I know I wasn't 'pose to go down there, but why did he hate me?"

"Oh, honey, he didn't hate you!" Kimber said, stroking her hair, trying to comfort her.

"Yes he did!" Siku disagreed. "He hated me, that's why he didn't talk to me, or touch me, cause he hates me!"

"No, honey. He doesn't hate you. He hates himself."

Siku's crying stopped abruptly at these words. How could that be? "Hates himself?" she asked, bewildered. "Why?"

Kimber sighed. This wasn't going to be easy. "Siku, you have to understand... the visitor in the tunnels has been through an awful lot..." She paused, trying to think of the right way to put this, in terms a four year old would understand. She moved over to a chair, sitting down and holding Siku in her lap.

"Siku, the man in the tunnels-"

"Mr. Uncle?" Siku supplied for her.

Why not? Kimber thought. It will do for the sake of this discussion. "Mr. Uncle has been through a very bad time. We don't know exactly what happened to him, but we do know he was in a place where no one ever talked to him, no one ever hugged him, or kissed him, or told him how special he was. And he lived in this place for a very long time."

"How long is long?"

"We don't know for sure, maybe longer than you've been alive."

Siku's eyes widened. That was forever! "So? Why wouldn't he want to talk? Why wouldn't he want me to hug him? He must miss it!"

"I'm sure, in a way, he does miss it," Kimber agreed. "But he doesn't know he misses it. It's been so long for him, he's forgotten what it's like to be... to be a person. To love and be loved. So it frightens him."

This was a puzzling one for Siku. She couldn't imagine what it would be like not to want to love people or to be hugged and cuddled. She wanted to understand so she wracked her brains trying to come up with something that made sense. Then she remembered something... something about love and what it could do and what not having it could do. "Mr. Uncle doesn't feel real does he?"

Kimber was stunned for a moment, thinking about what the child said, then slowly nodded. "That's a good way of putting it, Siku. He doesn't feel very real."

"So, how do we make him feel real?" Siku asked.

"We have to give him time," Kimber said, gently. "Time and space. Respect his right to be alone, but be here, when he's ready not to be."

"I guess that means I'm not 'pose t'go down there again, huh?"

"Yes." Kimber tried to look stern, but didn't succeed very well. "You shouldn't have been down there today, little one."

"I know." Siku looked away again. "Are you going to tell, Daddy?"

Kimber pretended to debate this for a moment, then shook her head. "Not if you promise not to go back there again."

"I promise," Siku agreed.

"Then let's go get you cleaned up and we'll never mention it again."

Kimber wasn't being completely honest. She knew she had to tell Hank what happened. But hopefully, she'd be able to convince Hank not to make a big deal out of it.

Siku really wanted to keep her promise and not go back, but a few days later, she realized she couldn't. Mr. Uncle was weighing too heavily on her mind. She felt bad for him, and she wanted to help. She understood what Aunty Kimber said, about leaving him alone, but Siku had already made the mistake of going to him in the first place. She had to tell him she was sorry for trying to push him, and most important, she had to tell him something else. Something that might help him get better.

She would return, but this time, she would be smarter. This time she would bring a flashlight.

He was lying in bed, not sleeping, when he heard the footsteps in the tunnels. Although it was hard to tell time in these tunnels, he knew it had been a few hours since his dinner, so the noise surprised him. For a moment he was suspicious, then it occurred to him, it might be the special one, the one who made the chicken he liked so much, the one who called herself Rogue. She had come down late at night before, to check on him, make sure he had enough blankets, or to bring him a midnight snack.

He rose from the bed and started towards the footsteps. Coming from around the corner that lead to his section was a beam of light, from a flashlight. He ducked in the shadows and waited.

"Mr. Uncle?"

Her again! Siku McCoy, who wouldn't stop talking. It had been over a week since she'd been here, he thought she would have forgotten about him by now. Why should she want to remember him?

He debated if he should just leave her to get lost again, but decided that wouldn't be fair. Besides, there was a part of him that was curious. Why would she want to come here again? What would she want from him?

"Mr. Uncle, I don' mean t'bother you. But I juss wanted t'tell you somethin. You don't have t'talk, honest. I just want to tell you something, an' read you something, then I'll leave, I promise. An' I'll never come back. Cross my heart, hope to die."

He stepped out of the shadows, making sure he made enough noise for her to hear. She swept the flashlight over in his direction, shining it on his legs. "Oh, there you are!" she said, obviously pleased.

He waited, to see what she would do. She held something in her hands, a book from the looks of it. She put the flashlight down on the ground. It was one of those lantern type flashlights and it lit up a small section of the hall rather well. She clutched the book to her chest and looked at him.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry," she said. "I should have listened t'daddy and not come down here. But I didn't know that... you'd been some place... bad. Now I know, you want to be left alone. But I already was here, so I wanted to come down and tell you that I'm sorry and I won't ever come here again. I won't try to hug you either, cause Aunty Kimber tole me, you're not ready for that."

He was rather surprised at this apology, but he nodded, accepting it. It seemed like the thing to do. Obviously it was, because she smiled.

"Before I go though, can I read somethin' to you?" She held up the book. It looked like a very old children's book, the cover so old and faded, he couldn't read the title. "This was my daddy's book, when he was little, and he gave it to me. It's always been my favorite. I want to read it to you, cause it reminds me of you." She sat down on the tunnel floor, crossing her legs, and opening the book.

Now she had him curious. What could any children's book say that would remind her of him?

She adjusted the flashlight so she could see the book, cleared her throat and began reading.

He listened. It became painfully apparent she had not been reading for long, because she stumbled over many of the words, and had to stop and sound out others carefully. It was difficult, at first, to listen to it, and he couldn't figure out why it reminded her of him; it was about a stuffed animal. But as she continued, he started to really listen. Vague, childhood memories of someone, he didn't know who, reading to him, reading him this very story started flashing in his mind. Good, safer, happier, times.

Slowly, he moved closer, not too close, just close enough to hear her better. He sat down on the floor and listened.

Carrying a plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies, Rogue opened the door into the tunnels. Hank had warned her not to feed the stranger too many sweets, in his malnourished state, they weren't good for him, but she couldn't resist bringing him a treat once in awhile. They'd been feeding him good food for awhile now, he already looked much improved, so what harm could a few cookies do?

She started toward "his" area, when she heard a voice. It startled her at first, she wasn't used to hearing any voice but hers down here, then she realized it was Siku's voice.

That little minx! she thought. When her daddy finds out she's down here, he's gonna want to tan her hide!

She was about to go and find her, and drag her back to the mansion, when she heard the words the child was reading and stopped.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become.It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Ah haven't heard that since Ah was a little tiny girl! Rogue thought, as she slowly crept towards them, changing her mind about barging in and dragging Siku off.

She peered around the corner, to see the two of them, sitting on the floor. They weren't within touching distance, but he was closer to Siku than he'd been to anyone else, except for her. She could make out his face in the light from the flashlight. He was listening intently as Siku struggled to read the story.

Rogue stopped, watched, and listened. She had no idea why the child was down here and she knew Siku hadn't gotten her father's permission for this little adventure, but she wasn't going to stop it.

"-that the Boy thought to himself:

"Why, he looks just like my old Bunny that was lost when I had scarlet fever!"

But he never knew that it really was his own Bunny, come back to look at the child who had first helped him to be Real.

The end.

The child closed the book and looked at him. "That's all there is. The bunny is real now, because he was loved."

He nodded, not knowing what else to do.

"Siku!"

He looked realizing it was her voice. She was standing behind Siku, holding a plate. He hoped she wasn't mad because he'd let the child stay and read to him.

The child leaped to her feet, turning around. "I'm sorry, Aunty Rogue," she said, quickly. "I -I know I shouldn't be here, and I'm going to leave, I just wanted.. I just wanted to read the story to him. That's all. I didn't hurt him."

"It's all raght," she said, her voice soft. "Ah'm not mad at ya."

The child breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're father, on the other hand, is another matter," she continued.

The child nodded. "Yeah, I know."

She looked over at him and smiled. "Ah brought you some cookies, ah thought you might like them." Even if they were nothing but burnt cinders, he would love them, because she made them for him. She brought the plate over, placing it on a rock, near him, but not too near. "Uh... let me just get Siku, here, back to her room an' Ah'll come back and have some of those with you, if you want."

He hesitated, then nodded again. They would taste even better if she was with him.

She walked over to Siku and stretched her gloved hand out to the child. "C'mon, Darlin. Let's get you home."

"Wait!" Siku turned and scurried over to him, stopping a safe distance though. She held out the book. "I want you to have it."

Startled, he shook his head, remembering the book was one of her favorites, passed on to her by her father. It was a treasure, and he wasn't worthy.

"Yes!" She continued holding it out to him. "Please, take it. I want you to have it."

He stared at the book again, then slowly, stretched out his hand and accepted it.

He watched as the both of them left the tunnels, saddened to see her leave, but comforted by the knowledge she would be back. And perhaps, there was even a part of him that was sorry to see the Siku leave too. He knew he wouldn't see her for a long time.

When they were out of sight, he clutched the book to his chest, hugging it.

Maybe, with her help, it was time to become real.