It Takes 5 Rogues To Raise A Piper
Chapter 11: First Blackout
When he woke up it was dark. Digger looked at the clock, yawned and was about to roll over when he realized that the clock wasn't working. Reluctantly he got up and flicked the light switch a couple of times but nothing happened. Must be a blackout, he decided and was about to go back to bed when it suddenly occurred to him that if all of the electricity was out then that probably meant Hartley's radio wasn't working either. Groaning, he found a flashlight and stumbled toward Hartley's room. Digger hesitated just outside of the door then pushed it open. "Hartley?" he whispered, shining his flashlight in the general direction of the bed. The beam illuminated an empty bed and he frowned. He looked around the room and finally caught sight of the boy huddled in the corner, his face pale as he wrapped his arms around himself. "Hartley?" Digger stepped forward, not liking the look on his face. "It's me, Digger, are you okay?"
"Digger?" Hartley whispered, raising his head and meeting the Rogue's eyes. "I don't like the dark or the quiet."
"I can see that," Digger chuckled. "Do you want to go to the living room? I'm pretty sure Mick left the fireplace on."
"Okay," Hartley stretched out his small hand and Digger grabbed hold of it, easily lifting him to his feet. Hartley stopped long enough to grab his blanket and pillow then they went into the living room where they found Mick sitting in front of the fireplace, a dreamy look on his face.
"Mick?" Digger questioned.
"Digger?" Mick spun around and smiled when he caught sight of Hartley. "So what are you two doing in here?"
"It was too dark," Hartley answered as he sat down next to Mick, wrapping his blanket around himself.
"Understandable," Mick said wisely.
Digger just shook his head but did sit down on the other side of Hartley. They sat in silence for a few minutes before they heard a banging sound and a loud stream of curses.
"Language!" Mick scolded.
"Sorry," Sam called apologetically as he stepped into the light. "We were looking for Hartley."
"We?" Digger raised an eyebrow.
"Why can't I use my wand to summon some lightning?" Mark could be heard whining. "That way we'll be able to see."
"And we'll get electrocuted to, you idiot," Len snarled as they also appeared. "And you can explain to Lisa why she has to watch Hartley while we're all in the hospital."
"No thanks," Mark said quickly.
"Sam, go get us some more light," Len ordered.
"What am I, the butler?" Sam demanded but he did leap through the mantel on the fireplace and returned a minute later with two spotlights and several board games.
"What're those for?" Digger demanded as he found himself holding four brightly colored boxes with names such as 'Monopoly' and 'Sorry.'
"Well I figured that since none of us were probably going to be going back to sleep for a while we might as well play some games," Sam explained.
Len threw him a pained look but Mark and Mick were already looking at the boxes with childish expressions of glee.
"Look at this one, Hart," Mark said excitedly.
"It looks cool," Hartley breathed, his green eyes drinking in the pretty pictures that appealed to all seven-year-olds (and some adults too by the look of it) on the Monopoly box.
"We're going to play this one," Mick decided as he immediately started opening it.
"A little help please?" Sam pleaded as he tried to set up one of the spotlights.
"I'll help," Digger sighed as he went over to assist Sam.
"This isn't the Rogues Gallery anymore; it's the Kids Gallery," Len grumbled but he did put dibs on being the banker.
An hour later Len found himself locked in an argument with Mark about, of all things, how much money he owed Len for landing on a property with three houses. He had really had sunk low he reflected but upon hearing Hartley's happy laugh he reluctantly conceded that it just might be worth degrading himself if only to make Hartley happy.
"You owe me four million," Digger informed Hartley.
"I don't have that much," Hartley replied, looking sadly at his pile of fives and ones.
"Then I'm afraid I'll just have to unleash the monster," Digger shook his head in dismay.
"W-what monster?" Hartley stammered.
"Digger," Len said warningly. If that idiot scared Hartley and gave him nightmares then Len was going to kill him.
"The tickle monster!" Digger shouted and lunged at Hartley who shrieked with laughter as Digger's fingers found his ribcage.
Mick and Mark took advantage of the distraction to clean out the bank while Sam grabbed a camera and began snapping photos. Len ordered himself not to smile but found his lips perking anyway as Hartley accidentally kicked Digger in the groin.
"Sorry," Hartley apologized, his face flushed as he struggled not to laugh.
"It's ok," Digger wheezed as he curled up in a fetal position.
"I got some awesome pictures," Sam laughed, holding up the camera.
"We should send some to Lisa," Mick suggested.
"Definitely," Mark agreed. "I believe that both she and Roscoe would get some enjoyment from these."
"I know I did," Len muttered.
"I really didn't mean to kick you," Hartley was looking worried now, a little scared even.
"I know you didn't," Digger groaned, sitting up. "Just convince those guys over there to hand over the camera and we'll call it even."
"That's not playing fair," Sam pouted even as Hartley turned to look at him. "You can't just send in the cute kid with the puppy dog eyes to do your dirty work for you."
"We're Rogues," Mick snorted. "Since when do we play fair?"
"He's got a point, Sam," Len pointed out. "Just develop the prints and then we'll destroy the negatives, okay?"
"Fine," Digger grumbled, still glaring at Sam.
"I won!" Mark yelled excitedly.
"How could you win?" Digger demanded, his injury forgotten. "We weren't even playing!"
"No fair," Hartley chimed in, crossing his arms.
"I'm a Rogue; we don't play fair," Mark winked.
"Len, he's throwing my words back at me!" Mick protested.
"Maybe I could go stay with Lisa for a few days?" Len sighed heavily. "Anything to get away from this nuthouse."
After the game of Monopoly was over (but only because Mick set the board on fire and Len had been forced to freeze half of the room) Hartley had decided that he was hungry so Sam took him to go find a grocery store that they could rob.
"Is it just me or does Hartley seem to be trying to avoid going to sleep?" Mark asked as he swept up some of the ice on the floor.
"It's not just you," Mick agreed. "Len, do I have to pick up the ice?"
"You're the one who set the room on fire," Len reminded him.
"'e said 'e was scared of the dark," Digger commented. "And 'e didn't like the quiet."
"Maybe it reminds him of his…father," Mark said hesitantly.
Len growled. "Just another reason to kill that bastard."
"Well we've got to do somethin'," Digger decided. "I don't really like seein' the kid so scared."
"None of us do," Mick said quietly.
"I'm not an expert but the best we can do is prove to Hartley that we're always going to protect him, no matter what," Len said.
"That shouldn't be too hard to do," Mark threw the last of the ice into the crackling fire then began drying the floor off with a towel.
"But do we have to keep the rats?" Mick whined.
Digger looked at the glowing red eyes that were watching them from the doorway and said, "I don't think that we can ever get rid of 'em."
"Probably not," Len agreed. "Unless one of you wants to explain that to Hartley."
"It's just freaky how they follow him around all the time," Mick continued. "It's like he's a miniature Pied Piper or something."
"That could be a code name," Mark suggested.
"But no polka dots," Digger added.
"Says the man who wears little boomerangs on his scarf," Len smirked.
"Well at least I don't look like an Eskimo," the Australian hissed. "Besides, I used to get paid to wear that outfit."
"You were advertising toys," Len snapped. "I never degraded myself that much."
There's no telling how long the argument would have lasted if it wasn't for Sam and Hartley's timely arrival.
"We brought cookies," Hartley informed them cheerfully as he presented the snacks.
"Yay!" Mick cheered as he grabbed a box.
Len just shook his head in amusement but that didn't stop him from claiming the tub of ice cream for himself.
A/N: Hope you guys liked! Please read and review!