Fourteen year old Sikudhani McCoy crossed her arms over her chest and looked out over the living room, where the residents of the mansion sat or sprawled, looking at her expectantly. "I am sure you’re all wondering why I called you here."

"I must admit I, for one, am curious," her father, Hank McCoy said. Various other people nodded, echoing Beast’s words with gestures.

"I wanted all of you to hear this at once. I have a date tonight."

There was stunned silence for a moment, as her words sunk in, then suddenly there was a great rush of talk.

"Date?"

"Dat’s what she said."

"How come we haven’t hear of this before. It’s Saturday afternoon!"

"She hasn’t a young man she was interested in in this way before, at least not to me and I am her father."

"I wonder if it’s someone from school?"

"Siku has a boyfriend!"

This last came from eight-year-old Rachel Summers, who grinned wildly and started singing:

Siku and her boyfriend
Sittin' in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G!

Siku scowled. "Would all of you mind? I am here, you don’t have to discuss me in the third person."

"Hush, Rachel," Jean put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder to silence her singing.

Hank looked at her. "Siku, I’m sorry, but even you must admit this is a surprise. You never mentioned anything about a date before now and it’s…" he glanced at his watch, "four o’clock."

"That’s because I didn’t know about this until half an hour ago." She drew in a deep breath, knowing this wasn’t going to be easy. "Maybe you’d all better let me explain."

"That might be wise." Hank agreed.

"You see, Cierra has a date with Bruce Newcomer tonight-"

"That creep?" Cameron interrupted, his eyes narrowing to steely slits. "Better her than you."

"Will you let me finish?" Siku asked, glaring at him.

"God, let a woman get asked on a date and she becomes a total bitch," Cameron muttered, then yelped. "Ow, Mom! I’m too old for you to pinch me!"

"Not as long as you have a mouth like that!" Kelsey said, smiling sugar-sweet to her son. "Shut up."

"Thank you." Siku drew in a deep breath. "As I was saying, Cierra has a date with Bruce tonight. He asked her out Monday and she’s been looking forward to it. The problem is that her cousin Ted is visiting from Boston. She didn’t even know he was coming until this morning. Now she’s got a problem, because her mother is busy tonight and thought Cierra could entertain him. So, Cierra thought I could go out with her cousin, so she could go on her date."

"So you and Cierra will be double-dating?" Hank asked, obvious relief in his voice. Some how a date for four seemed so much safer than a date for two.

Err, not exactly," Siku said. "Uhm… Bruce asked her over to dinner at his house, so it wouldn’t be fair to his family to bring along Ted and me. So, Cierra thought that I could go out with Ted tonight, then he’ll have something to do and she can go on her date."

"And you agreed to this?" Hank asked, his head tipped to one side. "You have never even met this young man."

"Of course I did!" Siku said, surprised he would even ask. "Cierra’s my best friend, I would do anything to help her. Besides, she says Ted is real cute."

"Dey always say dat." Gambit said, rolling his eyes.

"Cierra wouldn’t lie to me," Siku retorted. "She’d just say something else, nice about him, like he has a good personality, but she didn't, she said he was cute. In fact, she said it several times. I trust her. And actually, she said both, he's cute and nice."

"Famous last words." Remy shook his head.

"Sunshine, I don't want to throw a damper on your evening plans for festivities, but I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Siku looked at her father. "Daddy, I know this is kinda sudden, but Cierra's in a bind. It's really not that big a deal. It's not like an official date, more like two high school kids hanging together. He's taking me out for pizza and to a movie."

"Where do you plan on sitting when you are at the movies?" Hank asked, remembering his high school dating days and some, interesting times in the back row.

"Center of the theater, of course," Siku promptly answered. She had overheard a few of these stories herself. "Really, Daddy, it's no big deal. Just a little date; more of a friendship date than a date-date."

Hank frowned. "What about transportation for this 'friendship date?' Is Cierra's mother offering her services as chauffeur, or did you volunteer mine?"

"Neither. Ted has his license and Paula is lending him the car," Siku said, rather proud of having a date with a driving man.

Hank was not nearly as pleased with this bit of information as his daughter was. "He can drive? How old is this Ted?"

Siku's eyes rolled. "Sixteen, Daddy. That's all. Just two measly years older than me."

"I'm not sure about this…" Hank mused.

"A guy with a car can spell trouble," Cameron cheerfully informed Hank, ignoring the blazing inferno in Siku's eyes. "I wouldn't let her do it if I were you, Uncle Hank."

"I'll remember that the next time you want to borrow the car," Kelsey said, kicking her son in the ankles. "Stay out of this, Cameron, you're not her father."

"Mmm…" Hank rubbed his chin, thinking. "Siku, does this Ted know who you are?"

"Of course he does," Siku's eyes rolled again, showing her disdain for what she thought to be the obvious. "Cierra had to tell him something about me."

"I do not mean your name or your address, Sunshine," Hank said. "I mean who you are."

"That I'm a blue, furry, mutant?" Siku finished for him. "Yeah, Cierra showed him a picture of me. He didn't mind at all, so I don't even have to take an image inducer tonight."

"I really wish you had spoken to me, first about this," Hank said.

"I didn't think it was a big deal," Siku admitted.

"Oh yeah, it was such a little deal that you had to call us all together to tell us about it," Cameron muttered, which earned him another kick on the ankles. "Ow, Mom, cut it out! I'm your kid, you're suppose to be on my side."

"We women have to stick together," Kelsey said. She looked at Hank "I don't mean to stick my nose into your business, Hank, but in my opinion, I can't see what harm can happen. Cierra is a nice kid; she wouldn't fix Siku up with a creep. And even if this guy is a creep, Siku can take care of herself."

Siku looked over at Kelsey, her eyes flashing messages of gratitude. "Aunt Kelsey's right. Fourteen years of training from Uncle Logan is definitely a match for anyone."

"For what it is worth, I agree with Kelsey," Storm said. "Sikudhani is getting older, I think that this would be a good experience for her. A chance to meet and associate with young adults outside of the community."

"Ah'm with Storm an' Kelsey too." Rogue spoke up.

"I am too," Jean said. "This could turn out to be a very special evening. I know Ted won't be in the area very long, but this could be a chance for Siku to make a good friend. Who knows? They might hit it off and write each other, or exchange e-mail."

Siku looked from aunt to aunt and smiled. It was nice living in a house where there were so many women to stick up for her now that she was getting older. If the men had their way, she would still be in pigtails and coveralls, playing with dolls, for pete's sake.

Hank hesitated, then finally smiled. "All right. You can go on this date. But I expect to meet this young man first, and I expect him to get you home at a decent hour. You have to get up early for church tomorrow morning."

"He'll have me home by midnight, I promise," Siku said, realizing she had won. "And you'll get the chance to meet him. He's picking me up at six-thirty, as long as we're at the pizza place by seven, we'll have enough time to eat and catch the movie."

"Six-thirty?" Logan frowned. "That doesn't exactly give us a lot of time to meet this… Ted."

"Exactly." Siku's arms crossed over her chest again. "He's not Sinister or Pocket-lips, he's a normal teen-age boy. I don't want you guys giving him the third degree. Ten minutes or so should give Dad plenty of time to talk to him." She looked at her wristwatch. "Speaking of time, I'd better go. I've got to get ready."

She ran over to her father, throwing her arms around him in a spontaneous hug of happiness. "Thank you, Daddy. You're the best!" She danced out of the room and up the stairs, wondering what she would wear tonight.

Hank watched her run off and smiled ruefully. "Well, I must face the facts," he murmured, more to himself than the group. "My little girl is growing up." He rose from his chair and left the room. He had a couple things to take care of.

After Hank was gone, the group began to disburse until only Logan, Gambit, Bobby, Cameron, and Joseph remained. "I think Hank caved in awful easy t'this date," Logan said. "I know Cierra's a nice enough kid, but we don't know who this Ted Miles is from Adam."

"Oui," Remy agreed, looking at Bobby and Joseph to see if they agreed.

"I know, Hank wants Siku to live a normal life, and most of the time, she does, but I still think it pays to be careful." Bobby looked over at Joseph, to get his reaction.

"I think we should adhere to her fathers wishes," Joseph said. "I'm sure this Ted is a nice enough young man."

Logan stared at him. "Joesph?"

"What?"

"Get the hell out o' here."

Joseph rose, scowling. "I care for Siku too, but I don't carry that caring to the point where I want to make her miserable. She wants to go out tonight, I think we should do our best to make certain she has a good time."

"Point noted," Gambit said, waving. "Bye. Don' let the door hit your ass on de way out."

Joseph left in a bit of a huff. When he was gone, Logan stood up and walked over to the telephone.

"What are you doing?" Cameron asked.

"You'll see." Logan dialed the telephone. "Hello, Paula Miles? This is Logan. Siku's uncle. We met that day when Siku and Cierra decided t'try t'take Siku's skin off her body? Yeah, I remember that too. So, how are you?"

A slight pause as Paula filled him in on her current conditions, and then Logan spoke again. "Glad t'hear it. Hey, Siku tells me Cierra has fixed her up with her cousin, Ted, t'go out tonight."

Another pause. "Oh, I'm sure he's a nice kid. "

Pause. "Handsome? Well, I'm sure it matters t'Siku. I know how teenagers are."

Pause. "Well, the reason why I was callin' is cause Hank was wonderin' if Ted could pick her up at five-thirty, rather than Six-thirty."

Pause. "Well, Hank wants the chance t'talk t'him, and t'make sure the two of them have plenty o'time t'get to the pizza place and have dinner before the movie. You know how Hank worries about Siku getting enough t'eat, what with her metabolism an' all."

Cameron watched this exchange with wide eyes. "He's good!" he whispered to Bobby.

"He's the best at what he does," Bobby whispered back.

Pause. "Yeah, he's a bit overly concerned, but what do you expect? He's a doctor and a father. So, you think you can get Ted over here earlier?"

Pause. "You can. Great. Oh, and Hank's sorry he couldn't call you himself, but he's in the middle o'some tricky research, so he asked me t'call instead."

Pause. "Well, we're lookin' forward t'meeting your nephew, you tell him that too. Okay Paula. Take care, I'll see ya 'round."

He hung up the telephone and looked at the three men. "This should give us enough time t'scope the boy out and make sure he really is a nice kid."

"And if he isn't?" Cameron asked.

"We make him wish he were never born," Logan responded.

Cameron smiled. "I've always liked you, Uncle Logan. You're too cool for words."

At exactly 5:30, Ted Miles knocked on the door to the X-Mansion. He was wearing a pair of black chinos and a red long sleeved shirt. He thought he looked pretty good for someone going on a mercy date with a furball mutant.

Ted Miles was not athletic. He wasn't on the football team, the baseball team, or any other teams for that matter. His only experience with organized sports was a T-Ball league when he was eight. He was not a brain either. He did not belong to the Chess club, the debate club, or any of the more cerebral school activities. In fact, he wasn't a member of any of the school activities. He looked at school activities with a certain amount of scorn and disdain, although he tried to keep this opinion to himself.

Ted Miles had only two things going for him, that kept him from being considered a total ass. The first were his looks. He was just shy of six feet tall, taller than most of the girls his age. His hair was silver blond, his eyes the color of Kentucky blue grass. His features looked so classic that if he had been alive; Michelangelo surely would have wanted to carve his likeness in marble. Although he was not athletic, he had a nice body and kept in shape.

His second savior from being a resident of looserville was a certain shallow charisma. He had a way of smiling, of looking a person I the eyes with an expression of total (although false) sincerity that made many people take to him instantly. What they usually didn't know that beneath that fluoridated smile, that perfect face, Ted Miles was covering up a great deal of contempt and disdain for humanity and all those remotely related to humanity. The fact that he was human himself did not figure into this; after all, he was special. He was good looking and charming, so why should he consider himself part of the huddled masses?

The door opened and Ted found himself looking down at a very short, yet powerful looking man with a very unusual hairstyle. "Yeah?"

Ted hid his surprise behind a bright smile and a layer of charm. "Good evening, I'm Ted Miles. I'm here to pick up Sikudhana."

"See-Ko-Th-o-NEE." the man said, over emphasizing the correct pronunciation of the name. "Her name is Sikudhani. If ya gonna take a girl out, ya ought t'be able to pronounce her name. Si-ku-dha-NEE. Say it."

Ted gulped. "Sikudhani," he repeated.

"Better." He nodded and held the door open wide. "I'm Siku's Uncle Logan. C'mon in."

Ted walked inside, wondering what sort of situation he had gotten himself into. He might be taller than Siku's Uncle Logan, but he had the feeling old Uncle Logan could wipe the floor with his sorry butt. Still, he smiled warmly, trying to turn his charisma up a couple notches. It hadn't failed him yet. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

"Save it, for when you 've gotten t' know me a little better," Logan advised, leading him into the living room. "You might change your mind."

Ted laughed, briefly and what he hoped was politely. "Very amusing, Sir."

Logan rolled his eyes. "Have a seat, Ted." Ted chose the couch; Logan chose the chair diagonal to the couch. "So, Ted, tell me a little about yourself."

"Well, I'm Cierra's cousin," Ted began.

"Already knew that. Tell me something I don't know. Like what your intentions are with my niece tonight." Logan's eyes narrowed into feral slits of brown.

Ted gulped, but managed to keep the smile on his face. Cierra had warned him that Siku had a rather large family, who loved her dearly and looked at her as their child as well as Dr. McCoy's, but she'd also told him that they were real nice people. This Logan looked about two miles away from "nice." This was going to be harder work than he thought. He thought that her family would be so thrilled that Siku had a date with such a handsome, charming, normal guy like himself that they would worry more about impressing him. Well, he'd just have to change tactics. It was okay; he had played these games before. And it wasn't like anyone here could read his mind. "My plans are to take her out for pizza, then to a movie, and back home again."

"Oh yeah?" Logan's head tipped to the side, studying Ted carefully, giving the boy a feeling similar to that of a mouse that realizes the cat just spotted him nibbling at the cheese. "What movie are you going to see?"

"Batman, the Geritol years," Ted said, still managing to smile. His actual intent was to take her to see the latest slash and hack film, but he did not think "Uncle Logan" would like that idea at all.

"Sure you are," Logan snorted. "I'll bet you're goin' t'see Twilight of the Living Brain Dead."

Ted's eyes widened for just a moment, and then he regained his composure. "That wasn't my intention, unless, of course, Sikudhani wishes to see it. And, if that is the case, I would want to ask her father first."

Logan didn't know if he should just punch the kid's lights out or laugh. This little punk oozed of insincerity worse than he reeked of Brut Cologne. He opened his mouth to tell "Ted" exactly what he thought of him, but was interrupted by Bobby walking into the room.

"Oh, Hi!" Bobby called out, cheerfully. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Nah, I'm just scoping out Siku's date," Logan said, staring at Ted.

Ted looked at Bobby, with an expression of obvious relief. This clean cut looking guy was more along the lines of what he was used to. "Good evening, Sir, I'm Ted Miles."

"Hi, I'm Bob Drake, Siku's uncle. Please, call me Mr. Drake, all right?" He held out his hand, walking over and sitting down next to him on the couch.

Ted took the offered hand and shook it. "All right, uh, Mr. Drake."

"Oh, please, don't mind Logan." Bobby smiled warmly, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's a little overprotective of Siku. We all are. She's a very special girl."

Ted nodded, suddenly feeling a chill going through him. "Cierra says she's very smart."

"Oh, she's a lot more than smart," Bobby said, pressing the hand into Ted's shoulder a bit harder than necessary. "She's brilliant. But, more than that, she's a sweet, wonderful, kid."

"A sweet, wonderful, innocent kid." Logan chimed in.

"Ah, Logan, dere you are. I heard de growling," Remy came into the room.

"Hi Remy. This is Ted!" Bobby said, brightly, keeping his hand on Ted's shoulder. "Siku's date for tonight. Isn't he a good looking guy?"

Ted shivered. That chill he'd felt from the moment Bobby shook his hand was getting worse. "P-pleasure t-to meet you, S-sir."

Remy squinted, sizing this boy up. "Nice t'meet you too, Ted."

Ted gulped, his veneer thin layer of false charm beginning to feel more than a little strain. To the right of him he had Grizzly Adams looking like he wanted to take his face off, to the left of him, he had one of the Hardy boys and in front of him was a guy who made him feel positively average in the looks department. He did not know which of the three was worse. Grizzly kept staring at him like he was trying to decide if Ted was big enough game for dinner. Hardy-Drake seemed pleasant, but there was something very… cold about him. And this Remy… he was obviously familiar with people like Ted… too familiar. In fact, he had a feeling that Remy had enough experiences using charm and good looks to make Ted look like a rank amateur. "Uh… do you know if Siku is ready yet?" he managed to ask.

"Non, she's still getting' dressed." Gambit sat down on the coffee table, right across from Ted, giving Ted the distinct feeling he was completely cornered. "I'm sure she'll be down soon. He looked from Bobby to Logan. "Anyone seen Cujo?"

"C-Cujo?" Ted asked.

"Siku's dog," Bobby lied cheerfully. "His real name is Blizzard, but we call him Cujo. It's just a pet name." He looked at Gambit. "I think Hank locked him in the basement. You remember what he did to Siku's last date… we wanted to make sure nothing happened, this time."

Logan grinned. "I'll bet that boy is still singin' Soprano."

"Oh, don' be so hard on de poor animal," Remy said. "He was only tryin' t'protect Siku." He smiled to Ted. "He's very protective of his mistress."

"A little overprotective at times," Bobby agreed. "And how was he to know that guy was just giving Siku a good night kiss? Poor Cujo thought he was trying to choke her."

Despite the chill, Ted felt a sudden rush of heat to his face. He swallowed nervously but said nothing. His thoughts shifted between wanting Siku to get downstairs now, so they could just leave; or wondering how bad it would be to really see the latest Batman movie.

Rogue paused in the hallway and frowned as she listened in on what was going on in the living room. What in the world are they doing to that poor boy! she thought. They're torturing him! It ain't fair.

She drew in a deep breath and walked into the living room, ready to put a stop to this immedietly. "Hi, what are y'all up to?" she called out cheerfully.

"Oh, Hi, Rogue. We were jus' getting' t'know Siku's date," Remy said.

"Meeting, or badgering the poor boy?" She frowned, her displeasure obvious in her face. What a handsome boy this, Ted is! They're probably jealous because likely none of them been this good looking when they were sixteen. Honestly, men can be such children at times.

"Rogue, I'd like you to meet Sikudhani's date and Cierra's cousin, Ted Miles," Bobby said gravely. "Ted, this is Siku's Aunt Rogue."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young man." Rogue smiled warmly.

Ted looked at "Aunt Rogue," his eyes widening impossibly large. He had met many girls mothers and even a few aunts before, but none of them looked like this exotic creature. For a moment he forgot about Grizzly, Hardy, and Mr. Charm and focused his entire attention on Rogue. He rose from the sofa and extended his hand. "No, I assure you, the pleasure is all mine."

Rogue ignored his outstretched hand, although she was wearing gloves and frowned. The way this boy was looking at her made her feel positively… like a peanut butter sandwich in a famine. What a little creep! She looked at the three men. "Uh… Ah hate t' interrupt, but can Ah speak to y'all, in the kitchen?"

The all nodded. "You wait right here, Ted," Bobby said, patting him on the shoulder. "We'll be right back. Probably before Siku's ready."

Ted did not look happy with that idea at all.

"He's trouble!" Rogue hissed the moment the door to the kitchen shut behind the four of them.

"You're tellin' me," Logan growled. "I knew it the moment I opened the door. He's a slick little weasel an' I think the only reason he agreed t'this date is cause he wanted t'see what it would be like to go out with a freak."

"Do you really think it's that bad?" Bobby asked.

"It is."

They turned, for the first time noticing Jean was in the room, making a pitcher of iced tea. "He's a totally self centered, shallow, jerk."

"How do you know?" Bobby asked, although he already suspected how she did know.

"His mind isn't trained so he's projecting his thoughts all over the place," Jean said calmly. "At first I tried to filter him out, but some of them were so strong I couldn't stop them fast enough." She stirred the liquid in the pitcher. "To put it in a nutshell, friends, Ted Miles thinks he ought to get a medal for dating Siku and we should just be so eternally grateful he'd be willing to take out someone like our Siku, that we won't care what he does."

Logan, Gambit, and Rogue's fists clenched in unison. "That… that-" Rogue began, trying to come up with a word that would properly fit Ted Miles.

"Shithead." Gambit finished.

"No, worse!" Rogue fumed.

"Well, one things for certain. He ain't takin' Siku out tonight." Logan said. "But the question is, how do we get rid of him without hurtin' Siku."

"Who cares?" Bobby said. "Better she gets hurt by us than hurt by that jerk."

"Why don' we jus' tell him t'leave?" Gambit suggested.

"Why don't we let Bishop use him for target practice," Rogue snapped. "After I give him a good wet kiss." She shuddered. "The way he looked at me, Ah felt positively violated."

"You don't want to do that, Rogue," Jean said. "Of all memories to absorb, you don't want his."

"Do you have any suggestions, Red?" Logan asked.

"No. There is no need to worry. She's not going out with him," Jean said calmly as she put the pitcher into the refrigerator.

"Why do you say dat?" Remy asked.

"Because there is a member of this 'family' that our boy Ted hasn't met yet. And unlike all of us, he's got one distinct advantage." Jean said.

"What's that?" Logan asked.

"He's not an adult. He doesn't have to be nice to the little jerk."

Ted barely had time to collect his thoughts when the others left, before Cameron Drake came into the living room, holding his basketball. Ted breathed a sigh of relief when he saw him. This must be Cameron. Cierra told me about him. He's my age; he'll be cool. He and Siku aren't really even related. I'll bet he even thinks she's a freak, too. "Hi."

Cameron looked at him, head tipped to one side. "Hi. Who are you?"

"Ted Miles, Siku's date."

"Oh," Cameron nodded, looking like he just remembered Ted was supposed to come over. "Nice t'meetcha. I'm Cameron Drake."

"I believe I met your father." Ted said.

"Probably." Cameron started spinning the basketball on his finger, looking almost bored with this conversation.

"Uh… you wouldn't happen to know if Siku's almost ready?" Ted asked.

"Nah, she's still fussing with her hair," Cameron said, rolling his eyes. "Like it's gonna help her any."

Ted grinned. Finally, someone in this crazy house he could feel relaxed with. "No kidding. If that’s the case, I'm going to be waiting forever, aren't I?"

Cameron stopped spinning the basketball, clutched it with both hands, and looked at Ted sharply. "What's that suppose to mean?" he asked.

"N-Nothing." Ted stammered, instantly wary.

"Look, Teddy," Cameron began.

"It's Ted."

"Teddy," Cameron repeated, ignoring him. "There is something you've got to understand. I'm one of Siku's best friends. She's almost like a sister to me. So that means, I'm allowed to tease her. I'm allowed to rag on how she looks or how she dresses. Do you understand?"

"I-I think so-."

"No, I don't think you do, Teddy." Cameron moved closer, and began bouncing the ball off the wall behind him, on either side of his head. First the left, then the right. Whack! "What it means, Whack! is that I, Whack can say stuff, but you, W A C K can't."

Ted tried to watch the basketball whizzing by his head and keep an eye on Cameron. "Uh… I didn't mean anything, honest."

"Sure you didn't." Whack! Whack! "Look, Teddy, I don't know what you were expecting here, but let me clue you in on a couple of things. Those three uncles you met earlier? They can't really do much to you, because they're adults and you're a kid. All sorts of legal trouble. So, as long as you didn't try to push things too far with Siku, you were cool. But, now listen carefully, Teddy, cause your future is at stake here. I don't have to be nice to you, I don't have to be cool. So let me put this into brass tacks. If you do anything to Siku, and I mean anything, she disapproves of in the slightest way, I mean if you accidentally brush her hand when you're reaching for a napkin and she tells me later that it bothered her, I will go to Cierra's house and beat the ever lovin' shit out of you. Do you understand, Teddy?" Whack! Whack! Whack!

"Yes," Ted whispered, afraid to move for fear of getting hit by the ball.

"Are you sure?" Cameron stopped bouncing the ball and tucked it under his arm, staring at him. "Cause I want to make this real clear to you Teddy. If Siku says you even looked at her funny, or said anything that bothers her, you are going to be one hurting puppy. I won't kill you Teddy boy, cause that could get me in trouble. But I will happily make you wish you were dead. And I will get away with it too, because if you try to complain about it, after you're out of the hospital, I'll just say I was defending my friend's honor. People frown on guys taking advantage of young girls, you know that, don't you, Teddy?"

"Y-yes."

Cameron frowned. "I really want to make sure of this, Teddy. Cause I get the feeling you're used to getting what you want and you think Siku, cause she's different, will be a pushover. Maybe I should mess up your face a little, right now, just so you understand. Give you a little taste of what I can do." He started moving closer.

This was the breaking point for Ted Miles. He rose from the couch. "Screw this, it's not worth it!" he shouted, dodging Cameron and hitting his shin on the coffee table. "This is some sorta nut house. One date with a mutie freak ain't worth this!" He ran for the door, opened it, and ran out, slamming it behind him. "You're all crazy!" he screamed.

That is when he heard a very feminine voice in his head. And you are just some poor slob who wanted to get to third base! Don't think we didn't figure it out!

It would take years of therapy before Ted Miles would be able to think of this night without breaking into a cold sweat.

Cameron grinned as he watched Ted through the window, fumbling with getting the car started, and finally pealing out of the driveway like the devil himself was on his tail. Well, that takes care of that looser.

"C-Cam?"

He turned to see Siku walking slowly down the stairs. She was wearing a black denim skirt and a light pink blouse. Her freshly washed hair was fluffed out around her head like the mane of a lion. Even he had to admit, she looked good, except for the tears in her eyes.

He frowned. "You heard, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Not all of it, but I heard him refer to me as a mutie freak."

He dropped the basketball into a chair and walked over to her. "I'm sorry, Siku."

"It-it's okay," Siku said, trying to hide her pain.

"No, it's not okay, Si. You deserved better than him." He put his hand on her shoulder.

"Such is life." A bitter grin twisted her lips. "I-I'm just glad you found out what he was all about before… before I went out with him. It-It would have been worse if I'd liked him."

Cameron shrugged, not knowing what to say.

"So, was he really good looking?" she asked.

"Nah, he was ugly; had a face like a pig."

She snorted. "I think you're lying through your teeth, Cam. And I think it's really sweet of you to do." She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Well, I suppose I should go upstairs and change."

An inspiration hit him. "No, don't. I've got an idea."

"What's that?"

"Why don't you and I go out tonight? I'm sure Dad'll let me use the car. I know, it isn't a real date, but we can do pizza and a movie."

"Gee, my first pity date."

"No, it isn't a pity date," Cameron protested. "I really want to go out with you tonight. Just friends, you know. I'll even buy. What do you say?"

"All right." Siku allowed herself a genuine smile this time.

"So what happened?" Hank asked, shaking his head. He'd come upstairs at 6:30, prepared to meet this Ted Miles, only to find out from Logan, Bobby, Remy, Jean, and Rogue that Ted wasn't going to be able to take her out tonight, and instead his daughter was out with Cameron.

"Let's just say his motives for datin' your daughter weren't exactly pure," Logan said. "So, Cameron had a little chat with him, and he decided it would be best to leave."

"How did Siku take it?" Hank asked. He was puzzled by this sudden change of plans, but also, secretly relieved. Pizza and a movie with Cameron Drake would be nothing more than that, an evening with two friends.

"She was hurt, but she'll get over it," Bobby said. "Cameron will cheer her up. He's good at that."

"Yes, he is," Hank agreed. "Well, so much for the big date. I might as well return to the lab." He turned to leave.

"Hank," Remy said, "B'fore you go, can I ask you some'tin?"

Hank stopped. "What is that?"

"How come you took this whole date idea so well?" Remy asked, tipping his head to one side and studying Hank. "I mean, you de champ at de overprotective father role. You were nervous 'bout lettin' Siku go on her first sleepover at Cierra's, yet you took dis whole blind date t'ing without dat much fuss. Why?"

Hank sighed. "I know there are times when I might be considered a little too… suffocating with Sikudhani. But, as she is maturing, I am realizing that I must encourage her to be independent, to become mature and responsible. She will most likely leave the mansion some day, and try to find her place in the world. If I don't give her some freedom now, how will she be able to handle complete freedom when she is an adult? I do admit, I was a bit apprehensive about this date, I didn't know the young man. But, I just thought that this would be a good step for Siku to take, and a good chance for me to get used to the idea that she won't always here."

"That's a very good attitude, Hank," Logan said, nodding in agreement. "You're really getting the hang of this parent thing."

"Yes I am," Hank said, smiling brightly. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I must go de-activate the tracer I hid in my daughter's pocket."

This story is dedicated to a whole buch of people. Lestat, (Hey, I did it!) Krista, a certain group who know who they are, Da Wolfie Gal (WRITE ME, please! I want to use your story now, and I can't remember your address.) Suzene, my husband (cause he chuckled at parts of this) Jim, (You doing okay, bud?) Leary, (Hope you're not stuck in Liefield land.) Iian, (Art's son, who is the inspiration behind "Pocket-Lips" and countless others who wanted to see a story about Siku's date having to "meet the gang." But mostly to Ms. Marvel who was the first to suggest Hank hiding a tracer on Siku's person.

One other thing, I know they seem to be drawing Wolvering with blue eyes lately and I mentioned his eyes being brown, but when I started reading X-Men, his eyes were brown. I swear! Anyone else remember it?