"AAAHHH! Mommy Hayden's throwing fire balls at me again" My three year old son Dylan yelled out from the living room.
I sighed heavily and picked up another plate to wash as I yelled over my shoulder to my six year old. "Hayden what did I tell you about using your powers in the house."
"But mom, you and daddy use your powers in the house all the time." Hayden came sulking in the kitchen and climbed on a bar stool.
"Daddy and I are adults Hayden. We've gone to school to learn how to use our powers properly, and we don't use them in the house that much either."
"Nuh uh, not true. You put an ice wall up in front of daddy the other day and he melted it."
"Hayden what did I tell you, mommy and daddy are allowed to use our powers, and until you are fourteen, you're not, unless it's during lesson time."
"Fine then." Hayden climbed off of the stool and stomped out of the kitchen. I went back to washing the dishes and staring out the window into the back yard. I lived in perfect suburbia with my perfect husband Warren Peace. It was the perfect life; we had two boys, a dog and great neighbors. The community we lived in was a gated community, and the amount of crime here was less than it was anywhere else. But crime rates have gone down since I graduated high school. That's because almost every day since graduation, my husband and I have been out fighting crime. If you haven't noticed yet, my husband and I are superheroes. We went to Sky High when we were kids, and that's where our sons will go when they turn fourteen. That is, if they don't kill each other before then.
Just as I was washing the last dish, Dylan and Hayden came running into the kitchen screaming at one another with Rory, our dog, right behind them barking. Before I could turn, Hayden threw another fireball at Dylan. However Dylan disappeared and reappeared on the other side of Hayden and the fireball went right for the wall. A loud crash was heard and I dropped the dish and quickly froze the kitchen wall before it was fully engulfed in flames.
Rory quit barking and lay on the floor with a whine. Dylan and Hayden froze where they were and stared wide eyed and open mouthed at the wall. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I turned towards my boys. Before I opened my eyes, I told myself that they were just little boys.
I opened my eyes and stared at my two boys. They both looked guilty, and Dylan looked like he was about to cry. I calmly opened my mouth to speak. "I thought I told you two not to use your powers in the house and outside of lessons." They both lowered their eyes and Dylan started sniffling. "Now, I want you two too go up to your room and think about what you've done. We'll deal with this when your father gets home." At that Dylan burst out crying, and being the sensitive parent that I am, I couldn't stand to see him standing there in the middle of the floor, crying and nose running. I walked over to him and picked him up, taking the towel to wipe his eyes. "Now don't cry Dylan, it'll be alright. I'm sure your daddy won't be too hard on you since this is your first accident, and besides, it's not that bad." I looked at the wall and the black hole and grimaced. Beside meHayden rolled his eyes and stomped up to his room muttering something that sounded like 'big baby'. I gave Dylan a hug and set him back down on the floor. "Now you see why I told you not to use your powers in the house. Now, go on up to your room and think about what you have done. I'll be up when your father gets home."
"Alright mommy," Dylan said sniffling. "I love you."
"I love you too Dyl. Now go on." Dylan headed up to his room with Rory right behind him. I turned and looked at the wall. The hole really wasn't that bad, but it was worse then what I let Dylan think. I grimaced at the thought of how much it would cost to repair it and knelt down to pick up the broken plate. As I stood up to throw the plate away, I heard the back door open and Warren say "Charity, I'm home." When he came into the kitchen, he froze when he saw the wall.
"What happened here?" I walked over to greet Warren with a kiss on the cheek and I took the grocery bags from him.
"Oh, just your sons trying to kill one another again."
"You mean one of our sons did this?" He asked pointing at the wall. I nodded my head at him and started taking the contents of the bag out. "I can't believe that they have enough power already to do this."
"Well what do you expect Warren. You're one of the greatest superheroes since The Commander and Jet Stream."
"Yeah I know, but they're only three and six. They shouldn't even be showing signs of their powers yet." Warren came over and started putting the groceries away.
"Well, it wasHayden who done it, and I was close to his age when I first got my powers."
"Yeah, me too, but I was lucky if I could make a pile of sticks smoke when I first got mine."
"Well, you know people are different when it comes to their powers. I could freeze a whole tray of ice not even two months after I developed my powers. Oh, leave the chicken out, that's what I'm making tonight." Warren handed me the chicken and turned to look at the hole once again as I placed the chicken on the counter.
"I just can't believe that they did this. Where are they now?"
"I sent them to their room. I told them that we'd deal with this when you got home."
"Well I'm going to give them a little more time to think about what they have done before I…we go talk to them."
"Ok, but I must warn you, I don't know how well I'll stand my ground when I get in there."
"Oh, you'll do just fine. Just don't look them straight in the eyes."
"Heh, you know it's kind of funny. I can fight evil all day, but when it comes to those two boys, I'm like putty."
"That's because they are your sons, and to see them hurt hurts you too." Warren came over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Well that's why I have you. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you. Those boys would never be punished." I gave Warren a peck on the tip of his nose.
"Oh sure, make me the bad guy."
"No, you're not the bad guy. You've already proved that." With that I gave him a passionate kiss. We were interrupted by Rory barking at the door because he wanted out. So I went to start dinner as Warren let the dog out.
A few minutes later after I had got the food ready to start cooking, Warren and I made our way upstairs to the boys' room. As we approached the door I could hear the boys talking inside. I heard Hayden speak first.
"Go away Dylan. Quit bothering me."
"But Hayden, why won't you play with me. I want to play."
"Leave me alone Dylan. Gosh I swear sometimes you're such a baby."
Dylan's voice started sounding shaky. "I'm not a baby." Warren and I looked at each other, and we knew we had to get in there before another fight broke out.
Warren slowly opened the door and stuck his head in. Dylan quickly ran to his bed and Hayden rolled his eyes and looked out the window. "Hey guys, we need to talk." We made our way over to the two chairs beside Hayden's bed and sat in them. Hayden continued to stare out the window, and Dylan came over to set on Hayden's bed when his father motioned for him.
"Guys, I know your mother has told you many times that you are not to use your powers in the house. Today you broke your mother and my rule about not using your powers, and you left a big hole in the wall. Now do you care to explain why you chose to break the rules and use your powers even though you're not supposed to?"
Both the boys started speaking at once, and I could only pick up a few words of what they were saying.
"I just wanted to play and Hayden got all mean…"
"Dylan is such a big baby; he wouldn't leave me alone even though I told him I didn't want to play…"
"He started throwing fireballs at me and I had to use a force field on him…"
"And then he started using his stupid force field and wouldn't let me out of it…"
"Boys, boys please, one at a time. I can't understand you when you both are speaking at once." Warren yelled over the two boys who seemed to get louder as they told more of their stories. "Now, please, one of you tell me what happened today."
"Fine," Hayden spoke first. "I was in the living room watching television when Dylan came in and started bothering me. He wanted to play, but I was watching my television show and I didn't want to play. Then he took the remote and changed the channel. When I told him to give it back he wouldn't. So when I went for it he disappeared and reappeared on the other side of me. He kept doing that and I told him if he didn't I would throw a fireball at him. But before I could he put a force field around me."
"That's not true." Dylan wined.
"Yes it is you big baby."
"No it's not."
"Boys, now quit your arguing." Warren gave the boys a stern look and they quit talking. "Dylan, tell me what happened."
"Well all I wanted to do was play with Hayden, but he called me a big baby and said that he didn't play with babies. So I took the remote from him and accidentally changed the channel. Then he started calling me worse names and then began throwing fireballs at me. I disappeared right as one came at my head. I appeared right behind Hayden and put a force field around him. Then I yelled at mom and she told him not to use his powers. So I let him go. When he got out, he pushed me down and left the room."
"Hayden, did you push your brother down?" I asked Hayden. He refused to look at me and mumbled 'yes'. I looked at Warren. I didn't like the fighting going on between my two babies. Lately they had been fighting more often, and it seemed that no matter what I said they refused to stop.
"Neither of you told me why there is a hole in our kitchen wall." Warren said calmly.
"Well after I went back into the living room Dylan still refused to give me the remote back. Then we started arguing again and he put another force field around me and ran out of the room. Since he left the force field went away and I went after him. When we got into the kitchen, he was about to put me in another force field, so I threw a fireball at him; because it's not fair that he can use his force field and he can disappear and reappear and I can't even use my power. But Dylan disappeared right as the fireball was going to hit him and it hit the wall." Hayden looked at his father for a minute, anger in his eyes, and then he looked back down at his bed spread and started picking lint off of it.
Warren looked at Dylan and asked him if what Hayden said was true and Dylan said yes. Then he sighed heavily and put his head in his hands. Dylan looked like he would start crying soon and Hayden looked like he was angry.
"Well boys, I don't know what has gotten into you two lately. You're disobeying your mother, and you're fighting all the time. I just don't know what to do with you two."
"Well Dylan is such a big baby. He's always whining and crying all the time. He always gets his way, and mommy babies him all the time."
"Hayden, why do you say that?" I asked Hayden.
"Because you're always being nicer to him than to me. Like last week when he threw the ball at me you told me to quit being mean to my brother, and didn't do anything to him."
"Hayden, your brother threw that on accident and you hit him for it. He was crying and I was trying to comfort him."
"Well how about the fact that he's always putting me in that stupid force field, and you never say anything to him about it, but when I use my powers I get in trouble."
"I didn't know he was always putting you in the force field. You have to tell me when he does, and I'll punish him. Neither of you are supposed to be using your powers in the house outside of lesson time; even if it isn't a destructive power." I looked at Dylan and he looked down at his lap.
"That's not fair; you and dad both use your powers."
"Hayden, your mother and I went to school to learn how to use our powers properly, and we are both the adults here. We've told you this over and over. You're not to use your powers until you are fourteen."
"This sucks."
"Hayden." Warren let out a frustrated sigh. "You both are grounded for one week. That means no TV for the both of you, and you both have to go to bed a half an hour early."
"But dad!"
"No daddy!"
Warren silenced both the boys with a look as Dylan started crying and Hayden looked out the window angry. I yearned to hold both of my boys and tell them everything would be alright, but I stood my ground and looked away too.
"Now, I want you both to stay in your room until your mother comes to get you for dinner. No fighting." Dylan nodded his head, but Hayden didn't say anything, he just continued to stare out the window. Warren and I got up and quietly exited the room. Outside in the hallway I turned to Warren and hugged him.
"I just wanted to hold both of them close to me and tell them it would be alright."
"I know honey, but you have to be strong towards them. You can't baby them forever you know. They need to know discipline."
"I know, but when I look at their little faces, I just can't stand to see them hurt."
"Don't worry, it'll get better, I promise." Warren began stroking my hair.
"I hope so. Hayden sure does have a temper doesn't he?"
"Yeah he does."
"He kind of reminds me of you when you were younger."
"Heh, yeah I guess he does." I pulled away and looked at Warren. Once when I looked into his eyes, all I could see was anger and coldness, but now all I saw was love and worry for his family. He had grown up quite a bit over the years, but then again so have I.
"Well I guess I better get downstairs and start supper."
"Yeah, I'm going to go take a shower, I'll be down in a few minutes."
"Alright; check on the boys before you come down alright."
"I will." I turned to leave, but Warren grabbed me by the arm and pulled me back to him. "I love you Charity Peace."
"I love you too Warren Peace." I gave him a kiss then left him to go fix supper.
A/N: Okay, I hope you liked it. This is a story I thought up some time ago, so I'm still trying to work a few things out on it, but I hope you like it. So review and let me know what you think ok. The rating for now is going to be T, because I don't know if anything is going to happen yet or not, but I want to put it there just in case. If it does get worse than a T, I'll let you know, and I'll change it to an M. So…REVIEW!
7/30/06-This isn't an update, i just had to change a couple things...i had the name 'Tyler' in here when i first posted it, but at first Hayden's name was Tyler then i changed it. I guess i forgot to get a couple Tylers out of there. Sorry for the confusion and thanks to smokeydog for pointing that out for me. Thanks!