Disclaimer: Several people own the rights to Marvel comic characters such as Rogue…I am not them unless my rampant split personalities are hiding something.

Undreamt of

A Day of Rest

          It was a beautiful Sunday morning…at least she was sure it would be when the sun came up. She looked at the clock and groaned. Five o'clock sharp…and the screaming had begun. From the sounds of it, Kurt had snuck into Dreeny's bedroom again. The child's high pitched shrieks could be heard through the walls as well as the thick down covers on Rogue's bed.

          She sighed and threw back the covers, her breathe hissing out as her feet sank into her slippers…there was something cold…and gooey in her leather house shoes. She picked one up to examine, pouring a thick, brown substance out on the floor…they were full of pudding. Kurt…again. "At least it betta be Kurt…ah don't think ah can handle two trickstas…"

          She hopped down the children's hall…wiping goop from her foot as she went. "Hold on Dreeny honey…Ah'm comin…" She reached the elfin child's door and it swung open of it's own volition. The little girl was standing on her bed, screeching, as a large spider skittered around and around her floor. The then the spider did a cart wheel. It was roughly the size of a six year old child.

          Rogue grabbed it's leg and shook it hard "Kurt, yah better switch back now and apologize tah Dreeny…" The spider's legs shrunk make into the body…the whole twitching and melting until it looked like her little Kurt. A very annoyed little Kurt.

          "Mamma! You spoiled it!"

          She tucked the child under her arm and smacked his bottom…he gave a surprised yelp and wiggled…but sometimes super strength came in handy. Dreeny had stepped off the bed and was beginning to work herself into a fine fit of rage "Look what he did!" Her little finger pointed to a poster on her wall. The familiar faces of the child's favorite movie "Labyrinth" stared back at her…but each now wore a very ineptly drawn mustache…

          Rogue glared at Kurt "You get to buy her a new one…"

          "But mamma…it's not like it's real or anything…it's just a movie…"

          "It's your sistah's property Kurt, an your gonna replace it…Now, you are gonna sit in a corner until my alarm goes off" She traomped out of the room, carting the boy along. She glanced at Dreeny one last time before closing the door "You get yahself back tah sleep shugah"

          Dreeny watched the door close, tears still in her eyes "It is real Kurt…you'll see. I'm going to ask the goblins to get you…"

*   *   *   *   *

Rogue left Kurt sitting in a corner of her room while she went out to get the morning paper. It was the same old depressing news…the leading presidential candidate was smiling up from the front page, a "Humans First" pin sitting on his expensive suit jacket. The popular polls put him ahead at 78% of polled citizens. She snorted as she fixed herself a cup of coffee and sat at the kitchen table. "Momma Raven would have shot him already…"

          She flipped the page, skipping the political section entirely. The sun rose, spreading rose tinted fingers among the trees outside the window…birds chirped…and three sets of feet pounded down the stairs…

          "I bet we catch a whale today!"

          "There's no whales in our crick!"

          "You wanna bet?"

          "Oh good morning Momma…can you pack us a lunch so we can go fishing down at the crick today?"

          Rogue set the paper down and rose to comply while Johnny, Maggie, and Justin raced to fetch their fishing poles. They came racing back in as she wrapped sandwiches in wax paper, poles bobbing and thwacking around. She caught a particularly hard blow across the back of her neck…the fishing line tangling in her hair. "Ow..ow ow ow ow…don't pull!!!"

"Umm…that looks pretty stuck…"

"Should we get scissors?"

"NO! No scissors…Ah can get it…" She reached up to gingerly work the fishing line free…a few minutes and pulled hair later, she was no longer and extension of the fishing equipment.

Rubbing her head gingerly, she sent them out with a cooler of sandwiches and juice and watched them walk down the wooded path. She turned back to her cooling coffee and grimaced "Those little punks stole my comic page!"

*   *   *   *   *

          Rogue's morning alarm finally went off at nine thirty; releasing Kurt from his four hour punishment…The small boy patted his growling stomach and trotted off to the kitchen. It was empty…a cup of coffee sitting on the table…the paper in disarray…he shrugged to himself and snagged some cereal.

          Half way through the bowl he heard the oddest sound…it was like rain…or breaking glass…curious, he followed the sound to it's source. Raven was sitting in the hallway, her face twisted in toddler fury, pitching crystals at a group of furry…things…they were carrying a limp form with purple wings down the hall.

          Kurt gasped, fruit loops falling from his mouth. "What are those things?"

          Beside him, Raven howled as the things yipped and darted…carrying Justin around the corner. Her eyes started to glow an eerie yellow…and the small child floated down the hall, following the creatures.

          Kurt blinked "Those weren't…She didn't…I fell asleep in the corner. That's it, I'm asleep…" He wound up his fist and punched himself… "Ouch…guess not…where were those things taking Justin?" He started to sneak down the hall, following in the wake of the floating toddler.

*   *   *   *   *

          Rogue blinked her eyes open and wished she hadn't…the most grotesque little creature she had ever seen was staring at her…and beyond him she could see the walls of Dreeny's room "This the one boss?"

          Dreeny pulled the goblin away with a sigh "No, this is momma…go try again."

          "Okay boss" The goblin trotted off as another group dragged Justin in. Rogue blinked "Dreeny? What's goin on?"

          "I'm sorry momma…I just wanted to show Kurt that they were real…"

          "Honey…they aren't real…it's just your mutant magic shugah…"

          She stomped her foot "They are real…I asked them to come and they're here…"

          "And you're feeling tired aren't you shugah?"

          Dreeny pouted "No…hey…be careful…that's not him either…Ooo…don't step on his wings…"

          Justin whimpered as a goblin treaded on his pinions, but didn't wake up. Rogue licked her lips, thinking. "Shugah, ah already dealt with Kurt…yah need tah send the goblins home and let us go…"

          Dreeny wavered over to her bed; sinking down…great bags under her eyes…then the goblins trouped back in with a very annoyed Sarah "Put…Me…Down…" Three little goblins suddenly burst into flame. They dropped Sarah and ran around in circles…colliding with one another and screaming. Sarah dusted herself off and turned to the door, a look of fear on her face.

          Raven floated in on a wave of pure power, searching for Justin. "Jus'in…Jus'in…momma!" She waved her chubby arms in the air and growled at the goblins…silvery crystals began to grow around the magical constructs, leaving them cocooned in a frozen scene of fear. Then the goblins melted away, Dreeny collapsing on the bed in exhaustion.

          Raven floated down next to Justin and patted his cheek, smiling happily…her anger forgotten…while Rogue rushed to the bed. "Dreeny, Dreeny…wake up…"

The child blinked her slit pupiled eyes open and started to cry. "I'm sorry momma…"

          "I know…but ah'm gonna have to take your movie away anyway…as punishment…and yah get to clean up this mess…and apologize…"

          The child nodded and went to fetch her beloved video.

*   *   *   *   *

          It was five o'clock in the evening when Rogue finally changed out of her night gown. She was sitting in the kitchen again when three very muddy children came in…proudly slinging a string of fish into her lap. She jumped, pushing the slimy, twitching things onto the kitchen floor "What the…?"

          "We caught them momma!"

          "Can we eat them?"

          Rogue eyed the pile of fish "Go get cleaned up…ah'll…work with these…" The children stomped upstairs to the showers…leaving a pile of fish staring at her "What ahm ah supposed to do with these?"

          The fish just twitched some more…staring at her pleadingly…she got a knife and tried to figure out the best way to get through the slick looking scales…but she just couldn't do it "I wish yah was here swamp rat…yah'd know how tah do this…" She gathered the flopping fish in her arms and swiftly flew them to the creek, releasing them all.

          When she came back in…she fished a package of fish sticks out of the freezer and popped them in the oven…crossing her fingers.

*   *   *   *   *

Dear Diary,

          It's been a long day…and I've never had t hand out so many punishments in one day…

          The page began to blur and her head dropped to the desk.

*   *   *   *   *

          Bobby paid the grim looking man and took the photos from the envelope he had slid across the table. The large, glossy photos showed Rogue…a year older tan he had last seen her…but still looking good…and assorted children. A small piece of paper fell out with a Mississippi address on it. He grinned. Emma's private eye had really paid off…it was time to go see what the professor was hiding…