To kataract52: Yep! That's the same Gayle Edgerton. I really wanted to include her in this story in some way. Nope, Brightwind is actually Dani's horse in the Marvel comics when she becomes a Valkyrie of Asgard.

Thanks for the review; it means the world to me! To one and all, please keep reading and reviewing!

The X-Men belong to Marvel.

-Maria

Episode 10: After Bedtime

Bedtime used to be Nick's favorite time of the day. Now it was his least-favorite time of the day. Before his mum became very ill, she would allow the boy to sit up in bed for about thirty minutes to look at his favorite DuckTales comics. Then she would turn on his Tiger Prince bed-lamp and he would drift off snuggled under his polar bear blanket, secure and happy with all the world.

Now, everything was wrong. So very wrong. And his idiot father didn't understand that Nick wanted – needed – this time at the end of the day to himself to decompress and process the events that had occurred in the past 24 hours. No, Jono insisted on sitting up with his son until the boy closed his eyes. Nick, of course, was too polite to tell his dad not to; furthermore, it annoyed him that Jono simply didn't understand that Nick needed his space. A parent shouldn't have to be told these things. They should just know … the same way Nick's mother had.

Nick's new room at X-Force Daycare made matters a little better. At first, when Miri's mum had explained it to the children, he had completely freaked out at the idea of going to school inside a creepy sentient tree, let alone sleeping there at night. Now, however, he felt a little better about the situation. After all, all the things that had been in his old room at Jono's apartment (and before that in his mum's house) were here now in a new room inside the treehouse where Miri and Nick would sleep.

The other kids had gotten similar new rooms with their things piled inside.

Nick gazed around his new room with some satisfaction. Yes, the walls here were the rough bark of the rose tree and he could hear owls hooting outside his window as they roosted in the giant tree's branches, but all the things Nick loved best were here. There was his Pet Sounds poster that showed the Beach Boys feeding some hungry goats and his poster of Bob Ross that read: "There are no mistakes, just happy little accidents."

There were his Monsters Inc. figurines that were lined up in a cheerful row along his nightstand. His favorite books – The Little Prince, Goodnight Moon and Lord of the Flies – were stacked neatly in a shelf cut into the wall along with his DuckTales comics and Tiger Prince night-light.

These things made Nick feel better. He was a simple soul and these simple things made him happy. Also, there was the niggling thought in the back of his mind – the same one that seemed to talk so mean to him during his panic attack – that he didn't really even have a home now. His home was with his mum, Gayle, and she wasn't here or back at Jono's apartment. So that meant "home" to Nick was a motley collection of artifacts that reminded him of his life with Gayle Edgerton.

That very thought made Nick's brain feel like it was about to close in on itself, so even though he was a bit annoyed that he had to share a room with Miri, he was very grateful for that novel distraction.

He had been inside Miri's room at Dani's house, of course, and all of his friend's things were on her side of their new shared room including all her weird Lisa Frank posters that showed multi-colored pandas and golden retrievers leaping into rainbow waterfalls.

Miri was reading from the Red Monkey Book with her index finger following each big black bold word on the page with her face screwed up in concentration.

"T-The Red Muun-key br-br-" Miri stammered as she struggled to read the words.

"Brushed," said Dani as she brushed her daughter's long shimmering straight auburn hair.

"Maw! I'm doing this," Miri hissed at her mother through clenched teeth.

God, how Nick hated the Red Monkey Book. The only thing he hated more was how stutteringly bad Miri was at reading it. He knew it was cruel of him to think so because Miri was his friend and he really liked her, but Nick couldn't help but regard her with an air of contempt. He could read the Red Monkey Book in three heartbeats and many other more difficult books beside and he was two years younger than Miri.

"The Red Mun-key brushed his tee-teeth, put on his … p-p-panamas?"

"Pajamas," said Dani.

"Why are the words so hard?!" Miri cried out in frustration, flinging the book across the room in a temper. "Nick can read them just like that!"

Nick's brown eyes grew wide. Had he made Miri feel self-conscious about her reading aptitude? He'd never pointed it out to her or been disdainful or mean about it.

As Nick cringed for another fight between the mother and daughter, to his surprise, Jono cut in. Miri, gel, it's OK that you don't read as well as Nick here.

"But he reads so much better than me – and he's so little!" Miri pouted.

Little?! thought Nick in indignation. I'm three-and-a-half feet tall! Little, indeed.

Jono exuded warm thoughts towards Miri. He was very fond of the girl and he was extremely grateful to her mother for helping him so much with his new role of fatherhood.

Well, Nick's a precocious reader. He reads better than you, but then he reads better than most kids – even those older than him. You're a sight better at some things than other kids are, Jono said to her.

Miri's eyes lit up. "Like horseback riding!"

Nick shivered. That was true. Miri could ride Brightwind almost as well as her mother could. Nick was afraid to even pet the horse.

You aren't as keen on reading now, but you'll get there, Jono continued.

"But what if I don't?!" Miri wailed.

Well, said Jono thoughtfully. There are going to be some things you just aren't as good at as other people are. You might be good at them someday or you might not, but either way it's OK. Trust me, I know.

Nick was very surprised. Not only did he consider his dad bumbling and incompetent in all things, but Jono had said the exactly right thing to stubborn strong-willed Miri to put her mind at ease. Nick nervously half-expected hot-tempered Danielle to snap at Jono, but instead the beautiful women gave Jono a grateful expression. It gave Nick a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. Nick neither liked nor respected his father, but he suddenly realized Dani Moonstar (whom Nick set quite a store by) respected Jono a great deal.

"Let's go to bed," Dani suggested, pulling Miri's coverlet with the lurid-colored unicorns on it back so the girl could snuggle down between the warm quilts and the cool sheets.

It was a delightfully luxurious feeling, especially after so long and eventful a day, and the girl sighed: "Aaaah!" as she wiggled her toes in bliss. Dani tucked the covers under her daughter's chin and pressed her forehead against Miri's. This was their thing - an affectionate gesture similar to two cats bumping foreheads.

It was so strange watching them. The mother and daughter seemed to argue constantly. Nick found it odd that they could reconcile so easily.

He watched them wistfully out of the corner of his eye; then there was a sharp clutching pain in his chest because he remembered abruptly how his mum would gently tap his cheek with her index finger when she was very pleased about something he had done. That was their thing.

Jono reached over to tuck his small son into bed, but Nick had already burrowed down under his polar bear blanket. The boy turned to face the wall and his back was to his dad - Nick could not watch Miri and her mum for another second.

G'night, son, Jono said to him.

"Night," Nick muttered, not turning towards him. The boy's eyes hurt because he was trying hard not to blink.

If you need anything at all ... his father murmured.

"I don't. I'm OK." Nicked replied. Go away, he added silently. You're not her. You're not Mum. Just LEAVE.

Jono hovered over Nick's bed for a moment before the man sighed inwardly and turned away to trudge morosely out of the children's room.

Outside the open window, the rose tree blossoms rustled in a soft night breeze and a barred owl called: "WhoOoo cooks for you? WhoOoo cooks for you all?"

Nick blinked and tears slithered down his cheeks.

Next time: Sweet dreams are made of this ...