Baby-Sitting No-No

By: Malaizjan P.J. Shultz

It was date night, so Serenity and Dick had plans to go to an exclusive restaurant. Then Artemis and Wally tagged. And Areina and Orin. Then Conner and M'gann.

Since Kevin had a paper due and was at the library, Meygan volunteered to watch all the kids: Wesley, Iesha, Marik, Reiena, Jason, Bruce and her own kid, Rini.

Meygan waved at the parents leaving, and the kids all waved goodbye. As soon as they were out of sight, Iesha was off!

Meygan looked in her direction and a force field caught her. The bubble brought her back.

"Mey-Mey!" Iesha cried.

"You're not running away."

"Awww!"

"Ok. Let's get dinner going. In the playroom!"

The kids ran inside Meygan's home and to the large playroom.

"Wesley, can you keep an eye on Iesha for me please?"

"Sure."

"I want mashed potatoes." Jason cried out.

"Not a problem, Jay."

The kids were in the playroom, enjoying the toys, tech and virtual consoles that littered the room. Rini was a spoiled girl.

Meygan started on dinner, which included mashed potatoes.

Rini got into Jason's mind, and she saw what he wanted to do with the mashed potatoes. "Don't do it Jason."

"Oh come on, I want to start a food fight."

"NO! Not only will momma get onto you, but she'll tell Areina and you'll get in double trouble."

"Okay; at least I love eating them."

Meygan smiled; learning Soul-Search allowed her to listen in with ease. She popped the turkey into the oven and had a pot of mashed potatoes going too.

"You're a wuss," Reiena said to Rini.

"I know mommy won't be happy if we give her problems."

While all this was going on, Bruce was in the bathroom.

Well...more like staying in the tub full of water.

Bruce was using his miniature water bearers to move the water around him, to rain on him like a waterfall.

While this was happening, Marik made his way out to his sister's garden and started to play with the dirt around the potatoes growing.

Iesha was vibrating in place, bored as could be. She wanted to run.

"Hey Iesha! Here's a marathon virtual game! Wanna try it?" Wesley asked.

"Yes!" she cried.

Wesley helped set Iesha up. He looked to Reiena and Jason. "Cut the game off after an hour."

"Sure Wes!" Reiena said.

Jason nodded.

Wesley used his telekinesis to start the game.

"I need a flame," Jason announced.

"I can make a tiny one," Reiena offered.

"Sway! Thanks !"

Reiena closed her eyes and waited a few seconds.

A tiny flame the size of her fingernail appeared on the tip of her finger.

Jason transferred it to his finger. "Want to see the cool stuff I can do?" he asked Reiena.

"Sure!"

Jason smiled as he started showing off to his cousin. He made the fire a little bigger and was making shapes with it. Reiena's eyes grew wide as he started making the fire move in waves like an ocean. Here came the kicker; little Jason made the fire bigger and turned it into a fire bird, this was not a normal bird as it was huge. Reiena watched and then it was like the bird died. Soon enough it came back up and its wings were outstretched again.

"I didn't know you could do that. I know I can't," Reiena said wistfully.

"Your powers just came out what…last year? Mom and dad say mine came out when I was a week old," Jason said.

"I know...but mine isn't magical. I'm a...meta. That's the word. Meta?"

"A meta human?" Jason asked.

"Yeah!"

Jason shrugged his shoulders. "That's ok too.I can teach you, but once we're old enough...I'm going to be Phoenix…that's why the bird."

"That's ok."

"Is it an hour yet?" Jason asked.

"I don't...think so..." Reiena told him.

"Hey...where's Rini?" Jason asked.

"Better question...where are our brothers?" Reiena asked.

Jason shrugged his shoulders again.

"Well, if I know Marik, he's in the garden...as usual."

Bruce splashed Rini when she found him in her tub and she told him to get out.

"Bruce! I'm all wet!" Rini cried.

"At least you didn't tell Jason to get away from the fireplace."

Rini huffed. "Get out!"

"Why?"

"NO!" he cried.

Wesley felt like he was in the simulation for too long.

He watched Iesha win another race. So he reached out to shut the power off.

Which he did.

Both he and Iesha fell to the floor, startling Reiena and Jason.

Wesley looked around. "Where is everyone?!" he cried.

"Um..." Jason started.

A roar of water came into the playroom, knocking everyone off their feet.

"Bruce!" cried Jason.

"Mommy's going to be REALLY mad now," Rini said as she walked up to her cousin.

"BRUCE!" cried Meygan from downstairs.

"Oh oh..." said the kids.

"And here comes her demon wrath." Jason said, running to hid from Meygan.

Meygan stomped up the steps and walked into the room. "Oh...my...JASON!? WHY ARE THERE SCORCH MARKS ON MY CEILING!?"

"Oops," said Reiena.

"You gave him the fire to do this with?" Meygan asked.

Reiena nodded.

"Where's Marik!?" Meygan cried when she realized her brother was missing.

All of the kids looked nervous.

Then it dawned on her. "My garden!" Meygan ran down the stairs and out her kitchen door.

The kids followed.

Meygan saw that all of her plants were fully grown and ready to be picked. "Marik?!" she cried.

Marik poked his head out of a dirt fort he made. "Hi sis!" he said happily.

"Where did...all this dirt come from?" She asked.

"I made a hole!" Marik pointed by the shed.

When she looked, there was a 10ft wide hole in her back yard.

"MARIK!"

Marik ducked inside his fort.

Wesley then sniffed the air. "I smell smoke."

"OH SHIT!" Meygan screamed. "THE FOOD!" Meygan ran inside to save the kitchen.

The kids looked at each other.

"Mey-Mey said shit," Jason laughed.

"That's a bad word!" Rini cried. "Don't say it!"

"Then stop me!" Jason dared her.

Rini took a step back.

"C'mon! You can hit him!" Bruce added.

Rini shook her head.

Marik poked his head back out. "Who wants to play?"

"You know you're in trouble when MeyMey saves the kitchen right?"

Marik nodded but smiled. Everyone but Wesley and Rini ran to the dirt fort.

"This was crazy," Rini murmured.

"I don't think Mey Mey will volunteer to watch ALL of us at once again."

"I know." Rini shook her head.

Wesley headed for the dirt fort. "Well, I'm going to play. See ya!" Wesley flew off to play with the others.

Rini felt very sad. She got left behind again. She then saw the beach and went to walk on it, away from the others.

Wesley paused in his flight. He turned back but Rini was gone. He saw her footprints and followed them.

Rini made it to the beach before Wesley caught up with her. She turned around to see him land. "Hey."

"I'm sorry Rini. We forgot about you."

"It's ok."

"No, it's not."

Rini smiled. "You go play. I'm ok."

"Nope. I'll stay with you."

Rini started to walk along the beach. Wesley was right beside her.

Meygan came out of her kitchen. "I will never do this again!" she told herself.

The kids were laughing and giggling in the fort.

Meygan shook her head.

There was soon a problem as she didn't hear two distinct laughs.

"My princess?" Kevin came up the back porch.

"Kevin!" Meygan ran to her husband and hugged him.

Kevin Kent noticed the thin smoke from their kitchen.

"You'll have to rebuild the kitchen."

"I see. Where's Wesley and Rini?" he asked, using his x ray vision.

"I don't know."

Kevin then used his telepathy and found them both. "On the beach. You go get them. I got these kids."

"Thank you so much." Meygan kissed his cheek and flew off.

Kevin turned to the fort. "Ready or not, here I come!" he cried, flying to the small fort. He saw the hole. He murmured, "Oh well," and went to play with the kids.

Meygan caught up to the pair as they slowly walked. "Wesley? Rini?"

"Rini's sad. We all ran off to play and left her behind. She went to the beach and I didn't want her to be alone. So I stayed with her."

"Thanks, Wes. You go on back. Kevin's home."

Wesley flew back and Meygan sat on the beach in front of her standing daughter. "Rini?"

"I'll never be normal, will I?" Rini asked her mother.

Meygan sighed. "No hon. Neither of us are normal."

"Oh."

"Rini...You're my daughter. My amazingly strong daughter. I wouldn't trade you for anyone else."

"They...they left me behind to play. It's always like that."

"Your Uncle Wesley didn't."

"Because he sensed I was sad and came with."

Meygan pulled her daughter into her arms. "Don't judge them harshly. I felt that way growing up with the boys."

"Even Uncle Mathen?"

"Especially Uncle Mathen, but for a different reason."

"Oh."

"Rini...tomorrow, we'll go shopping. Just you and me. Ok?"

"What's daddy going to do?"

Meygan giggled. "Rebuild our kitchen."

The girls then laughed.

"That's ok. That means we're shopping all day. On daddy's dime."

Rini jumped up and down in her mother's arms. "Don't tell?"

"That's right."

Rini felt better as her mother carried her back.

Around 11pm...

Serenity, Dick, Conner, M'gann, Wally and Artemis came back looking refreshed and happy. They went to Meygan's house and heard a low voice and saw a glow.

All of the adults went to the back of her house.

There was a fire going and tents put up. All of the kids were treated to ghost stories by Kevin as Meygan held a sleeping Rini.

"What happened?" Areina asked.

"Never again." Meygan answered.

"Oh oh..." said Artemis.

"Oh, Iesha was fine; thank goodness Wes kept her occupied."

"Then why are the windows all open?" Dick asked.

"A fire in my kitchen, a flood out on the 2nd floor, and a 10 foot hole in my back yard."

Dick looked to his twins at the same time as Areina and Orin glared at their twins.

"Oh, not to mention that Jason scorched the ceiling of the playroom."

Areina was really mad at Jason.

"I didn't mean to mommy."

Areina sighed.

"How did you get a flame to play with anyway?" Orin asked.

"Reiena."

"Reiena!" Serenity cried.

"He wanted to play, and his fire magic is really strong." Reiena told her mother.

"But you know you're not supposed to use your powers inside the house, any house!" Serenity cried.

Reiena looked like she was about to cry.

"Mom, it's ok. But Marik dug up my back yard for a dirt fort."

"Really?" Dick asked. He was impressed.

"DICK!"

A chorus of 'ooohs' cane from the kids.

"Then they all left Rini out, forgetting that she needs to be flown everywhere. But Wesley kept her company."

"Meygan, we're sorry," Wally said. "In fact, I'll help rebuild your destroyed rooms and back yard."

"You will?" Artemis asked.

"Really Uncle Wally?" Meygan asked.

"Yeah."

"Good. Kevin needs the help."

"I'll help too," Conner said.

"Me too. In fact, we should take the kids home," Dick said.

"Oh don't!" Meygan cried. "Let them have this camp out. Then take them home in the morning." Meygan told her dad.

"Ok." Dick agreed.

Meygan stood up with a sleeping Rini. "Rini's out cold. So we're going to bed. Night." The two went to Dick and Serenity's home.

"You guys got this, right?" Kevin followed his wife's example and went with them.

The adults were shocked.

The remaining kids looked at their parents.

And smiled.