It was the same nightmare the Delightful Children had had ever since their little experience with the Recommissioning Module. They still dreamed of them...

It was always the Moonbase. They were being chased down a series of narrow steel corridors running from what started out as their own shadows and eventually turned into full-fledged people. Five people to be exact, each very much like David, Bruce, Lenny, Ashley and Constance only more horrifying.

"GIVE US BACK!" The people who used to be the Delightful Children's shadows would scream at them. They would be able to outrun the shadows at first, but it always ended the same way.

First Lenny would drop his football helmet and in a panic they would make the wrong turn and end up cornered on the bridge instead of in the Escape Pod Launch. They would be trapped. Then the figures would emerge from the dark deserted corridors of the Moon Base.

They were horrible, gigantic, snarling green and black monsters with red horns, each one branded in a brilliant gold with a Z.

"GIVE US BACK!!!" the five ghastly children would shriek before advancing on them once again. The Delightful Children cowered in fear again, only this time something was different.

A bright light stood flickering in the corridor behind the Delightful Children and their nightmare shadows turned people.

"Father!" They all said in tears. Almost instantly the at the mentioned of his name the Nightmares dispersed. They were terrified of Father. Always terrified of Father.

But then as the dark figure came closer, the Delightful Children were puzzled to find it wasn't Father at all.

Sure, the figure had Father's black silhouette suit, but it wasn't Father. It was a familiar shapely figure of a woman...

Roberta...

"Mother?..."

She shot a blast of fire at them and they burned as she smiled sweetly at them. It was terrible pain, but the worst part was that the bond that held the Delightful Children together began to slowly melt away. Roberta laughed as the Delightful Children split apart. The pain was horrible and the prim laughter ringing in their ears was even worse and then... and then the Delightful Children woke up...

"AAAAAAAH!" They all screamed together, desperately checking themselves to make sure they weren't still dreaming, then they checked each other to make sure they were all still there. They hugged each other tightly while they cried in each other's embrace.

Their crying woke up Jenkins, who tried to calm the Delightful Children down. "I can get you all some nice glasses of warm milk if you'd like." he offered, not thrilled to be at his bratty master's service at 3:00 in the morning.

"We want Father!" The Delightful Children cried out in unison.

"Oh no you all don't. You are not going to wake Father up and have me in the hot seat for your—"

"Father!"

The Delightful Children screamed, knocking over Jenkins and running into the hall(which still smelled a little like Bradley). They ran down the hallway and began banging on his bedroom door. Roberta answered them, sending a rush of terror through the hive mind. "It's three o clock in the morning, what are you five doing up at this hour?"

"Where's Father?" the Delightful Children demanded, bursting into the master bedroom.

"He's right in here…"

Roberta turned around to see Father's side of the bedroom standing empty. That really sent the Delightful Children screaming and they ran away from Father's room downstairs.

"What are you kids doing up this late?" They heard the voice they were searching for coming from the kitchen eating a bowl of Rainbow Munchies in his fuzzy robe and slippers.

"Father!" They ran to him, giving him a group hug for the first time anyone could remember. This display of affection was a surprise for Father. After he had come home to a mansion ruined by Skunk stink and discovered that his study had been broken in to and The Steve mercy killed (that was what made him the most angry; he was enjoying seeing the insolent boy being unwound bit by bit) Father was very displeased. To say he blew up was a understatement. Now he was so startled by the hug he could barely get a word out.

"Are you kids alright?" Father asked, partly in shock.

"Bad dream." they all said in unison.

"I can help!" Roberta's voice sounded from the living room. The Delightful Children cowered behind Father and Roberta began to fill up her eyes with great big crocodile tears.

"Why don't the Children like me?" Roberta sobbed, leaning on Father's shoulder. Flames started to rise around him.

"What did you say to her?!" he said, turning on the Delightful Children.

"Nothing, Father... nothing." All of them were shaking like dry leaves. Roberta turned down the waterworks.

"I'm sorry, it's just… I guess they woke up from a bad dream and came looking for you. When they couldn't find you, I answered the door and they went running."

Father tapped her on the shoulder. "It's okay Doll, when The Delightful Children have nightmares I'm usually the one who calms them down, they're really bad nightmares. You love Roberta, don't you kids?"

The Delightful Children nodded. They hated Roberta and knew she was faking, but who was going to tell Father then?

"Kiss your Mother goodnight, Children. Father will put you back to bed."

The Delightful Children almost vomited having to kiss Roberta and having to say "good night Mother."

But soon enough the Delightful Children were tucked in bed nice and cozy with glasses of milk heated by Father's fire powers.

"Father… do you love us?"

The question came as a shock to Father. "Yeah ... Of course, why wouldn't I?"

The Delightful Children looked at Father with their big blue eyes. "If you loved us then why would you have us tithed?"

Father said nothing for a long time, staring down at the white robes as if he had forgotten they were there. Then he was looking at some part of their room pondering. He finally turned back to his Delightful Children and said, "Look, I know it's a scary thought but give it some time."

"Father, you're evil! Why do you want to give anything back to the world?"

But Father said nothing. He didn't even blow up. He just gave each of his Delightful Children a kiss goodnight and walked out the door. "You five will accept it, don't worry. You will. Goodnight, my Delightful Children."

The Delightful Children said good night and they went to sleep. It was dreamless, but right after Father left they thought they could hear him laughing maniacally.

When The Delightful Children woke up the next day, Father was nowhere to be found. Jenkins told them Roberta was at the retreat and that something had happened. What exactly, he could not or would not say. When they asked him about Father the response was far more straightforward. "He had to take a trip to Japan. He's picking up your cousins for the party."

Their tithing party was in three days.