December 1997

Revised: September 2002

Note: I never realized how much Kevin resembles Squee…scary thought actually. I'm *really* glad I didn't know what JTHM was when I started writing this or else Kevin's bear would be telling him to kill people…Anyway, on *that* note, despite what I told a couple flamers (and yes, that *was* a flame you Bi-…yeah) I guess I will keep posting stuff on OTL. Hell, I was one of the first people on this list and I don't see myself leaving anytime soon, so ::shrugs:: I'm not letting anyone run me off G. However, I wasn't so sure about posting this here. I mean, I *did* post it here a while ago (God, it's almost been five years). Because so many people kept asking me when I would get the slight revision done and when I would have it posted on my web site, ::takes a breath:: I thought it would be a good idea to just go ahead and post it here since there's no telling when I'll be able to actually get it onto my webpage (damn school, damn work, taking up all my time ::grumbles::. I'm thinking about starting a fire in the kitchen in class. Bet Chef Stacks would have a kitten VEG JJ) Anyway, If I stepped over the lines by posting the revisions, just let me know and I won't post the ones for all the other MWK stories and "The Sun Will Shine Again". BTW, for those who are wondering, I didn't change much. A few lines here and there and a lot, I mean a *lot*, of spelling mistakes. . Of course…since I didn't want to change too much…there are still a few *really* bad lines in here. Sorry G The story is basically the same, though, and I'm still just as happy with it now as I was back in '97.

A Very Special Gift

Raven Lee

FullMoonRapture@aol.com

Disclaimer: Kevin and the Jacksons pretty much belong to me. Most everyone else belongs to Marvel.

Kevin sat on the window-seat in his room, looking out the window at the city lights, an old worn teddy bear clenched tightly to his chest. The city was always so pretty at night…So clean. It almost made him forget why he was here. Almost. But not quite. No matter how much he tried to forget, the reason always remained in the back of his mind.

Yet, it was almost Christmas, a "happy" time of the year, and he shouldn't be lingering on something like that. He should, like any other ten-year-old boy, be thinking about presents, gifts, and what he should ask Santa Clause for when Ms. Jackson took everyone to the mall in the morning.

He'd been thinking about it for the past week, ever since Ms. Jackson had announced that they'd be seeing Santa soon. He knew what most of the kids wanted; toys, a huge Christmas tree with popcorn garlands, new books for their little library, a newer, more updated computer. Amanda wanted her mother back. Her wish was a little more selfish in his opinion. There was a reason, after all, why her mother had left her. And T.J. wanted to get better. He was sick a lot and all he ever wanted was to get better. Kevin thought both of those hopes to be really stupid. Santa wasn't like God or something, although some of the little kids seemed to think so, he couldn't cure all of them of their illnesses. Couldn't make their parents love them when it was so obvious that they never would.

As he sat on his window-seat and looked out at the city's twinkling lights, he knew what he wanted. He didn't want toys; he didn't want parents who would leave him again, hell he didn't even care if he got better or not. He wanted to meet his hero. That's all. Just to see him, if only for a few moments…

He held his old teddy out in fount of him so he could look it in its one plastic eye, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly. "Come on, Gambit. We got to go to bed so we can see Santa in the morning. I know what we want for Christmas."

* * *

"And what do you want, little boy?" It had been a long time since Kevin had *really* believed in Santa Clause, a long time since he'd believed in most things children are known to believed in. However, this Santa…he could actually passed as the real one. He even had a real beard, which Kevin just had to tug on, and a mass of snow while curls under his floppy red Santa hat.

Kevin almost smiled when the "Santa" winked at him and asked if he wanted to tug on his hair to make sure that was real too. Almost.

"Is there something you want for Christmas?" Santa asked again. Kevin hugged his bear against his chest, nodding slowly, not looking at the jolly fat man. "Well, do you want to tell me?" Again, all he did was nod. Santa sighed; he'd had kids cry when they'd been sat on his lap, he'd been peed on, screamed at, and had his beard yanked one too many times today. But he never got angry, especially with these last few kids he had see, knowing that they were special. "Okay, why don't you whisper what you want into ol' Santa's ear? Then it'll be just between you and me." Kevin nodded again and leaned up to whisper into his ear. Santa's eyes grew large and round as he heard what the boy had to say.

* * *

"He wants *what?*" Michael Jackson stared at Richard Brown, the mall's Santa, in disbelief.

"I know it sounds strange, but that's what he said he wanted. What was I supposed to tell him?"

"'No', for starters. Damn! It would have been easier if he'd asked to meet the president, or, better yet, for world peace. I'm sure we would have had a better chance at giving him either of those but this…this is imposable." He plopped down in one of the little plastic chairs in the food court and placed his hands to his head.

April Jackson stepped up beside her husband and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it's not so impossible."

"What?" Michael lifted his head up to stare at his wife, but before she could say anything she had to move off before two of the kids started a food fight.

* * *

~"It was Leroy, th' red-neck reindeer, hitched up to th' fount of th' sla-"~

"Bobby, if you sing that song again, I'm going to strangle you with this tinsel."

"Ah come on Jean! Where's your Christmas spirit?"

"It flew off after the fifth time you sang that song."

"Well okay, how about this one: ~Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid-"~

"Shut. Up." Wolverine stepped in, his bone claws popping out of the back of his hand, the points just touching Bobby's chest. He clamped his mouth shut and continued putting real ice sickles on the Christmas tree, in silence.

"I don't know, April. A child? Here?" Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, hovered into the room, a dark beauty walked beside him. "Do you think it's wise?"

April shrugged and looked down at the floor. It was the second time she had been in the X-Mansion, the first time being when Xavier had asked her to become one of his students. Although she had turned him down, her first responsibility being to the children, she and Charles had kept up a good friendly relationship. "Kevin is... a very special case. He was abandoned only a few months ago. He's lost faith in a lot of things, but he sees your X-Men on the TV and he looks up to you. You know me, I try to give each child exactly what they want for Christmas, and…*this* is what he wants."

"Who wants what?" Jean asked hanging the last bit on tinsel on the tree and standing back to admire her handy work. Scott tried to straighten a piece and she slapped his hand away, mock glaring at him.

"It seems that a little boy has asked Santa for a very special gift. Us." Everyone in the room turned to look at Xavier in stunted silence. "He's asked to meet the X-Men for Christmas."

"A child here?"

"He actually asked for us?"

"Yes." April moved slightly away from Xavier. "His name is Kevin, he's alone, no friends, no family. The one thing he asked for was to meet you... well one of you actually. Gambit."

* * *

The Christmas tree was so tall is touched the ceiling and the pretty little white and gold Angel wouldn't fit on top of it. It sat, instead, on the table next to it, guarding the opened boxes and piles of wrapping paper that lay there waiting to be picked up and tossed in the trash, another reminder of Christmas gone.

There was a new computer in the Game Room. It came with high-speed internet access. There were also two new video game systems and a dozen games for each. Half the boys in the Home sat on the floor around the TV, taking turns playing some racing game. The other half of the boys, and some of the girls, sat around a huge landscape where a train puffing real smoke ran in circles through a tunnel, over a bridge, and through a tiny village complete with little people waiting at the train station. There was a pile of not so new books waiting to be placed on shelves in the library. Used though they were, they were new here, and several of the children who loved to read were already picking through them to get the ones they wanted to read right away. Several new dolls lined the wall where one little girl lay on her stomach, feet up on the air, green plastic army men surrounding her equally plastic Barbies in some kind of odd munchkin war.

T.J., who had been brought out to the game room in his wheelchair, but now lay stretched out on one of the two line green sofas, had a new kitten to play with. Its bright green eyes looked at him with amusement as he wiggled a little feather over her nose. Santa couldn't cure him but, at that moment, he didn't seem to care so much. Amanda was up in the room she shared with four other girls, packing her few things. Santa hadn't brought back her mother, but the Home had been able to locate her grandmother. She had family somewhere and soon she'd have a real home. Santa wasn't God, but sometimes it seemed he could perform miracle.

For everyone but Kevin, that is. He pulled a chair over to the window beside the Christmas tree, not really looking out it so much as to keep himself from looking at the other kids who were so happy with what they got. It was a dumb thought anyway. Why would the X-Men want to meet him? He was just a little kid who was too serious, who hardly ever smiled, and who carried a raged old teddy bear with him wherever he went. The X-Men were probably too busy stopping bad guys to want to see him anyway. It was a dumb wish.

So then why did it hurt to watch everyone else get what they wanted while he sat staring out the window with nothing to show that it was Christmas Day? Tears welled up behind his eyes, but he wouldn't let them come out. Why give anyone the satisfaction? He hadn't cried when his parents abandoned him, so why cry now?

"Kev?" a hand came to his shoulder as Ms. Jackson's kind voice came from behind him. "Kev? I hate to do this, but you have an appointment with the doctor today. We've got to go."

Kevin nodded and pulled his teddy bear close to him as Mrs. Jackson maneuvered him toward the coat room and then out the door.

His teddy was the only friend he had. The only one he needed. Why did he think he could meet his teddy's namesake? It was a silly wish. A dumb hope. Just like the hope he kept in his heart that his parents would come back soon. Just like he hoped in the back of his mind that he would get well again.

It was a silly dream.

A stupid kid's hope.

So then why did it hurt so much?

* * *

The X-Men were waiting outside when the white mini-van pulled up in the drive. April Jackson jumped out of the driver's side and walked around to let out her young charge who stared wide eyed at the mutants in front of him. April offered him her hand which he gladly took as he got out of the van. He pressed close to her, suddenly too shy to do anything more then stare.

"Hello, Kevin. My name is Professor Xavier. Welcome to my home." The bald man in the funny looking chair said and Kevin pressed closer to Mrs. Jackson, hugging his bear close to his chest.

April smiled down at him gently. "I don't think I've ever seen you shy before Kev," she said softly. He just moved closer.

Gambit came toward them and knelt in front of him holding out his hand. "Hi der Kevin. My name Remy LeBeau." When Kevin didn't take his hand, he just moved it over to wiggle one of the bear's worn legs. "Dis an ol' friend, non?" Kevin nodded. "What his name?"

Kevin looked up at Mrs. Jackson, only to see her smiling back at him. He looked again at Remy. "G-gambit." he shuddered out the name.

Everyone laughed. "Ain't that cute, Remy? He named his bear afta ya."

Remy and Kevin both turned three shades of red.

* * *

Kevin slept the whole way back to the Home. He'd had a very busy day, staying near Remy most of the day, although he liked the others as well. He had never been in such a big place before; it looked like the hallways would go on and on forever and never end.

They had eaten in a room larger than the kitchen and dining room at the Home put together. And there was enough food to feed an army on the long table. Kevin ate so much he was sure he would be sick in the morning, but Jean and Rogue then brought out more desserts and candies then he'd ever seen in his whole life and he'd ended up stuffing his belly full of those too.

When everyone was finished eating they went into a huge room with the biggest and prettiest Christmas tree he had ever seen. It put the Home's tree to shame, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. He wouldn't ever tell anyone about this day. He didn't want to make anyone jealous because he knew he'd gotten the best gift of all.

Under the tree were presents for him, one from every X-Man. He got more candy and toys then he'd ever hoped to have. And for the first time since he'd been taken to the Home, he smiled and laughed, he even left his teddy on the floor to crawl up into Remy's lap when they started telling him stories after all the gifts had been undone and the paper picked up. But he was asleep before they finished story telling and was back at the Home before he knew it, Mrs. Jackson tucking him into his bed.

He opened his eyes to look up at her. "Thank you," he whispered with a smile before rolling over and pretending to go back to sleep. Mrs. Jackson kissed his head and turned out the lights. Kevin rolled over again and looked out his window at the city beyond, hugging his teddy closer. He knew that no matter what he hoped for, what he dreamed, or wished, that is wasn't silly or dumb.

He wouldn't tell anyone here about his trip to the "Doctor", wouldn't tell anyone about this day for as long as he lived. He had been given lots of things by the X-Men, but the best one of all was a very special gift: Hope.

He rolled over again and closed his eyes, dreaming of tables lined with food, friends, toys piled to the ceiling and, best of all, the warm feeling of family.

Marry Christmas All!

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