A very kind guest reviewer who reviewed my other story "Sugar And Sparks" asked me to do this one. Here you go, Amigo! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Rachel, Sasha, Charles, Joseph, Russell (the girl's three uncles), and Sparkle. All other characters belong to their respective owners. Also part of this was inspired by the Disney Movie "The Jungle Book" where Bagheera is trying to get Mowgli to come with him to the village before he comically falls into the water and gives up on Mowgli. :)

Mistakes Don't Make You A Bad Person

Rachel was busy taking care of some paperwork for her uncles for their upcoming seminars at a college in Ohio. Because of their successes, many college deans begged them to come speak to the young minds who were pursuing science. Her uncles always made time for doing so, as they loved teaching young minds.

It made her smile as she remembered how they had taught her and Sasha so much about science that you couldn't read from books, mysteries that were still mysteries to this day. Even now, with a few aliens very well-spoken in the science fields, not all mysteries were solved.

She had just finished putting together the schedule Uncle Charlie had asked for about the solar system when a knock sounded at the office door, making her jump a bit before she lightly laughed at herself. Living at the Grant Mansion, interruptions were a daily thing, not that she minded.

"Who is it?" she asked, standing up to stretch.

"Aunty Rach?" called the voice of her four-year-old niece Sparkle.

Smiling, she opened the door and stepped out to see the little Conductoid looking up at her. "Hey, sweetie," Rachel said, scooping up her niece in a hug. "Aunty was just doing some paperwork."

Sparkle giggled. "Daddy wanted to know if you would come with us to Undertown. There's a new movie theater there," she said, looking up at Rachel with a hopeful look.

The young woman froze and it took her a moment to regain her composure. "I wish I could, honey. But your great-uncles have seminars coming up and I need to make sure the paperwork and everything else is ready for them," she said gently.

Sparkle looked sad. "Please, Aunty?" she begged.

Normally, Rachel would have caved at her niece's begging, but she gently shook her head. "I'm afraid I can't, sweetie. Everything must be ready for the seminars," she said in a gentle voice so that her niece wouldn't take it wrong. "But you go with your father and have fun and you can tell me all about it when you get back."

"Okay," the four year old said, still a little saddened as she walked away. Rachel felt guilty for making her niece sad, but while she had been telling the truth about doing the paperwork for the seminars, she didn't tell Sparkle the real truth as to why she declined.

Even though it had been two months since the cotton candy at the carnival incident, Rachel had taken care to not be in Feedback's way. She had been avoiding him while making sure Sparkle didn't catch on her uneasiness.

The reason was, she still felt terrible that she had not used her better judgment at the carnival and let Sparkle eat the cotton candy and end up with a nasty stomachache and headache that evening. She again told herself she should have known and should have been more careful.

Now, she turned back to the paperwork and realized she was almost done. Her guilt now really eating at her, she tried to concentrate, but Sparkle's sad face made her feel even more guilty as she then rested her head on the desk, feeling tears come to her eyes.

Another knock sounded and she jumped in alarm. "Rachel, it's Feedback. Can I come in?" came the all-too-familiar voice of the black and green Conductoid.

Rachel glanced at the papers, but knew Feedback wouldn't buy the 'I'm busy' story she had told Sparkle. As the door opened when she didn't answer, she jumped so hard that the files she had just organized went scattered to the floor, along with the rough-draft papers her uncles had given her to finalize. She dropped down to the floor just before the door opened all the way and Feedback came in, eye widening in surprise at the mess. "Rachel?" he called out again.

For the third time that hour, she jumped and hit her head on the under part of the desk. "Ow!" she said sharply, going still for a bit.

Feedback, hearing the thump and worried that Rachel was hurt, sprang over the desk to find her underneath it, rubbing her head as the papers in her hand scattered to the floor again. He helped her up and into the chair while he quickly gathered the papers and files and put them on the desk to be sorted later and got an icepack for Rachel's head.

The cold pack finally helped her headache to stop and she saw Feedback looking at her with concern as she then glanced at the desk and saw the files and papers were in an unorganized heap. She was about to leap up when Feedback caught her in his dreadlocks, which tied around her to keep her from moving as he placed her in the chair again, untying her, but keeping his dreadlocks wrapped firmly, but gently around her wrists.

"I gathered them all and you can sort them later," he said. "We need to talk."

"About what?" she asked. "I wasn't lying to Sparkle when I told her I had to finish paperwork."

Feedback shook his head with a sigh. "Rachel, Sparkle is more perspective than that. She came down and asked me if you didn't want to be around us because of her asking you to join us to go to Undertown," he said.

Rachel gasped. "Of course not!" she said. "You know I'd wouldn't hurt her like that."

"Well, that's what she felt when you said you were busy."

"What did you say to her?"

The Conductoid looked at the human girl. "I told her that you would always want to be around her and would never not want to be around us because of her bothering you," he said.

"Feedback, you know she's never a bother to me," said Rachel.

"Then why did you tell her you were too busy to join us?" he asked, looking at her with a look that said he knew there was more than what she was saying.

"Because I was, and still am, busy getting these files and papers together for when my uncles speak at the seminar in Ohio," she said.

Feedback looked at her. "That's not all of it," he said, making her flinch and she went to move, but his dreadlocks tightened on her wrists.

"Feedback, let go," she said, getting a little annoyed.

"Not until you tell me the real reason."

"There is no other reason."

The Conductoid's eye narrowed and he raised a hand to his face, letting out a frustrated sigh. To his surprise, Rachel flinched as if expecting him to slap her for lying to him. Her blue eyes were a bit fearful. With another sigh, he gently pulled her to him.

"Rachel, please tell me what is really wrong. I've noticed how you don't join Sparkle and I unless there is another one of the aliens nearby and you leave whenever I come in a room," he said, making her flinch again and look down. Feedback gently tilted her face up to look at him as the backs his plugged fingers gently rubbed her cheek.

Rachel sighed again. "Feedback, do you think I'm a bad aunt to Sparkle?" she asked him.

He looked confused. "Of course not," he said. "Why would you ask that?"

She glanced down again and realization struck him. "It's because of the cotton candy incident, isn't it?" he asked her and she nodded, looking up at him.

"Feedback, I should have known what would happen. Do you know how guilty I felt that I caused my own niece to be sick because of my lack of judgment?" she asked, a tear falling down her face.

The Conductoid realized that Rachel was really torn up about that and he let go of her wrists and pulled her into a warm hug. The gesture brought more tears as Rachel cried into his shoulder and he continued hugging her, gently shushing her. She finally stopped crying and rested her head on his shoulder as he rubbed her back.

"Rachel, it's okay. I know you didn't do it on purpose," he said. "It was an honest mistake."

"One I could have avoided," she said.

Feedback gently pushed her back a little so that his hands rested on her shoulders and he looked at her. "Mistakes happen. Just because we make them, doesn't mean we're bad people," he said.

She looked at him with a questioning face and he smiled a little. "Mistakes don't make you a bad person," he said. "If anything, they make you a better person because you learn from them."

Rachel didn't look all convinced, making Feedback gently squeeze her shoulders in brotherly affection. "I couldn't ask for a better person in the world than you, your sister, and adopted sisters to be Sparkle's aunts," he said.

That meant a lot coming from him and she sighed. "I'm sorry I've been avoiding you, Feedback. I didn't think Sparkle would be hurt in my doing so," she admitted.

He smiled and forgave her. "Now, how about you leave this paperwork behind and take care of it later while you, me, and Sparkle go to the movies?" he said.

Rachel glanced at the paperwork and was surprised to see Grey Matter on the desk. "Atomix and I can get everything together for your uncles," he said with a smile. "You need some relaxation and enjoyment."

"I agree with him, little one," said Atomix.

Reassured that the two would see things were set, Rachel couldn't come up with another excuse. "I don't know," she said, still feeling a bit unsure.

Feedback raised his dreadlocks and tail and got ready to stretch them. "You're coming if I have to tie you up and drag you there," he said in a half-serious, half-teasing voice.

Rachel looked at the mischievous Conductoid and backed away. "Feedback, don't you dare!" she exclaimed, but her smile made it hard to sound stern.

"Get her, Feedback!" said Grey Matter and the black and green alien took off after Rachel, who laughed as she ran down the stairs and in the hallways.

Sparkle was doing a puzzle in the rec room when Rachel burst in, out of breath, but laughing. She then spotted Sparkle and scooped up her surprised niece. "What was I hearing that you felt the reason I had declined what because you felt you were bothering me?" she asked with a smile.

Sparkle looked at her aunt, confused. "But, isn't that why you said no?" she asked.

Rachel shook her head with a smile. "Of course not, sweetie," she said. "And don't you ever think that again, or I'll have to tickle you silly. In fact, that's a good idea."

Sparkle didn't have time to react when she felt her aunt's hand begin tickling her stomach and she giggled and laughed as she squirmed, but Rachel didn't let go of her as she tickled Sparkle's sides and feet, even blowing raspberries into the small Conductoid's sides and stomach, making her squeal with giggles and laughter.

"Aunty Rachel, that tickles!" she giggled out.

Rachel was about to playfully tease her niece about how she couldn't escape the tickles when she felt something tickle her sides unexpectedly and she jumped, laughing as she and Sparkle were tied up in Feedback's dreadlocks, his hands tickling Rachel while his tail tickled Sparkle. The girls laughed before the young woman got one hand free and tickled Feedback's stomach, making him laugh in surprise as he let them go, but was still tickling them.

They were soon rolling on the floor, unable to stop laughing for a good ten minutes before they finally stopped as exhaustion set in. Feedback then looked at the time. "If we want to catch that movie, we should go now," he said, standing up with Sparkle in his arms. Rachel also stood up and found Sparkle looking at her pleadingly.

"Please join us, Aunty Rachel," she asked, pulling off an absolutely cute 'puppy pout'.

Rachel chuckled in amusement at her niece's face but nodded. "I think that can be done," she said.

Later on, after they had come back from the movies, Rachel helped Feedback put Sparkle to bed. The little Conductoid was tuckered out and fell asleep immediately, making her father and her aunt smile as they quietly left the room.

Rachel then hugged Feedback, who returned her hug. "Thanks, Feedback. You're one of the best. I'm proud to call you 'brother'."

"And I'm proud to call you 'sister'," he said to her.

As Feedback then went in his room to go to sleep, Rachel checked the office and saw Grey Matter and Atomix had everything ready. Smiling, she reminded herself to thank them in the morning as she then went to bed herself, guilt no longer troubling her mind.

Mistakes aren't always bad. They often help you to grow into a better person.

Please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418