Christmas At Xavier Mansion

A/N: This is my first Marvel story. Its a Christmas story. This is co-written with a friend of mine.
Disclaimer: Don't own X-Men and Spider-Man characters. I only own my own character Chris.

It was the end of a normal year, well, it was the end of a year that was a normal as one could be at Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. The children were decorating the place for the holidays and staying out of trouble surprisingly well. Logan was even helping out after a few puppy dog looks from Rogue, and he grumbled all the way.

The Institute also had allies visiting and they could be found helping with the decorating. Spider-Man was seen crawling across the walls to deck the halls in a not so traditional way, Captain America was flying around giving a few orders here and there, trying to keep everything going smoothly, and Black Cat had managed to climb to the top of the tree so she could place the Angel on the tip. Beast was in the kitchen concocting a hot substance of edible chemistry for everyone that wanted something to drink and Nightcrawler was bamfing into random places in an attempt to help.

True to the holiday spirit, Christmas music was playing through the halls, though a few of the students protested the sound of the Classics Scott insisted be played 24/7. All things were calm or so they seemed.

Outside a large snowball fight ensued. Those who participated were having the time of their lives. Bobby was currently arguing with Kitty about whether or not he should be allowed to use his powers for a snowball fight, but he easily pointed out that she didn't have so much as a snowflake on her person because she kept phasing through the snowballs. Rogue, taking advantage of their inattention to her, took the opportunity to direct an army of Jamies to make a large pile of snowballs before launching an all out attack on the Iceman and Shadow Cat. Needless to say, chaos ensued.

It wouldn't be long before Christmas would sneak upon them, though no one was afraid of this creeping adversary. Professor Xavier, sitting in his chair in his office, was watching the snowball fight, a smile on his face. It was nice to see the children acting their age for once. He for one, loved what Christmas did to the students. Little did the small school know, danger lurked not too far from their happy little selves.

Remy sat in his room watching the snow fall outside. The Christmas season was in full swing, and he still couldn't think of anything to get his Queen of Hearts. A book sat forgotten in his lap, the pages not even worn with a moment of reading.

"Something the matter, Swamp Thing?" a blue and red clad human spider asked after surveying his friend. The two got a long well due to their similar senses of humor and disregard for rules.

"Huh?" the Cajun grunted absently, not even looking up to acknowledge Spidey who was hanging from the ceiling looking down at him yoyo fashion.

"I asked if something was wrong," Spider-Man repeated as he lowered himself enough to be eyelevel with Gambit.

Not paying any attention, Remy stared back out into the falling whiteness. An annoying spider was the least of his concerns.

"HELLO?" Spidey cooed as he landed on the bed right in front of Remy, waving his hand back and forth over the Cajun's eyes. "Do you have swamp muck in your ears or something?"

"Gambit be hearin' y' jus' fine," the thief said quietly, still deep within his thoughts. "I was just t'inkin'."

"Still trying to figure out something to get Rogue?"

Gambit turned to face the web-slinger for the first time, the look in his black and red eyes bespeaking the truth. "Thought so."

"Stop actin' all knowin', Pa'ker," Remy growled as he stood up and started for the door. "De Gambit bet y' haven't gotten dat femme o' your's a t'ing yet, non?"

"But I," Peter began, trying to think of a corny retort, but truth be told, he had almost forgotten too.

"Hah!" Gambit shouted triumphantly, happy that he wasn't the only one in a fix this Christmas. "Y' have no room ta' talk!"

Spidey grumbled under his breath. "So Mr. Suave and giftless," he began, "what do you suggest?"

"Well, da Gambit not so sure 'bout dat."

"Why not give Rogue a new pair of gloves or something?" Spidie suggested. At Remy's vicious look, he raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm on your side Swamp Thing. We just need to figure something out quick."

"Oui, Remy agree wit' dat, home," Gambit said with a nod as he let Spider-Man's unintentioned insult to slide. Rogue got enough reminders from everyone else about her lethal skin. Remy wasn't about to hurt her that way.

"You two would have to go shopping first," someone muttered from the doorway, effectively catching the attention of both men.

The guys jerked their heads up to see a girl standing in Gambit's doorway. Gambit had to had it to her. She had managed to sneak by without him noticing. The problem was, who was she?
The young men racked their brains trying to remember who the girl was. Ever the charmer, Remy remembered her name was Christina and gave her a smile. He also remembered she hated the name and liked being called Chris, though why she would forgo such a pretty name he didn't know. She was the newest addition to the school, arriving late in the year. He never actually found out what her powers were.

"Bonjour mon petite, Chris," Gambit greeted as he turned on his charm and bowed slightly for the girl. Gently, he took her hand and kissed the top of it, meeting her eyes with his own.

"You guys are pathetic," she laughed as she pulled her hand back, but the scowl was gone and Remy considered that a victory. She may not have been his Rogue, but a girl was a girl and he hated seeing them unhappy.

"What would you want, Chris?" Spidie asked, seeing a slight glimmer of hope. Though he was loath to admit it, he had no idea what to get Mary Jane.

Chris only shrugged as she leaned against the doorframe, knowing she wouldn't get anything anyway. She was the new girl in town and therefore didn't know anybody well. Though the other students had welcomed her kindly enough, there was no one she considered a friend.

"Oh come on," Peter persisted, "You're a girl. Maybe you'll be able to help us out."

"There are major differences between them and me," she said, not even needing to know the girls to know they were too different for her to help.

"So?" Spidey asked, missing her point.

"Leave da' fille 'lone, Remy said as he cuffed the back of Peter's head. He didn't need his empathy to tell the girl was unhappy or annoyed with what the spider had to say.

"Never mind," she grumbled as she left the room and walked down the hall. What she wanted most was her black wolf Shadow Dancer back, but she wouldn't tell anyone that.

Gambit and Spider-Man shrugged and focused on their gift dilemma once more.

Later...

A bunch of girls from the school were in town shopping. Chris followed the group at a slow pace, only there because Rogue had insisted on dragging her along. The mall was crowded with last minute shoppers as the girls split up to search for gifts for all their friends. It was safe to say, the new girl wasn't happy at all. She hated crowds and most people in general. Every time someone touched her she growled softly.

"Something wrong, Chris?" Rogue asked gently as she walked beside her new companion. Being who she was, Rogue could understand a dislike for crowds, but Chris seemed down right agitated.

"Nothing," the girl growled back as she let Rogue lead the way into a nearly empty store. The black walls, odd assortment of merchandise, and hard music playing over the radio scared most people away from the gothic store. Chris was just glad the place was almost empty.

"What's the problem, Sugar?" Rogue asked in a concerned tone as she nonchalantly flipped through the posters hanging in a display. "This is suppose to be a good time for all of us."

"Crowds aren't my thing." Chris admitted as she glanced at a few of the posters. A dark poster with elegant dragons caught the young girl's attention and Rogue paused an extra moment for her to appreciate the art. "I'd rather be in the middle of the woods," she continued, not really knowing why she was bothering to tell the glove-wearing girl so much about herself. Then Rogue heard something about the noise and smells. She had known Logan long enough to slightly understand what the girl meant, but it really only served to confused Rogue more about the strange girl. Maybe her power had something to do with heightened senses.

After hours at the mall, everyone was tired and weighted down with bags and boxes. They were still happy and chipper after a good day of shopping and most felt accomplished. Weary form the day of hard shopping, they returned to the mansion.

Chris stormed into the woods as soon as she was free. She just needed a few minutes back in the forest where she belonged. Her retreat didn't go unnoticed, however, by the friends or foes alike.

A threatening growl made Chris stop in her tracks. Raising her head to the wind she sensed it before it came. Whipping around she came face to face with Saber Tooth and King Pin, an odd couple to say the least.

"Great!" she muttered to herself darkly, annoyance evident in her stance.

Saber Tooth growled at her dangerously, his rank breath washing over her. It was all she could do not to gag.

"Am I suppose to be afraid, ugly?" she snarled back, honestly more angry than frightened.

"You'll pay for that little girl," Saber Tooth promised as he prepared to lunge at the girl. He could almost taste her blood on his lips.

"I'd like you to see you try," Chris shot back as she slid into a fighting stance.
"With pleasure," the creature who masqueraded as a man growled.

"Now, now Victor," King Pin soothed easily as he rubbed his fat belly. "They want her alive. You won't get paid if you kill her."

"I don't see nothin' special about her," Saber Tooth growled. He seemed incapable of regular speech. "And her blood will be payment enough."

Before Saber Tooth could make a move towards her, Spidie, Rogue and Remy appeared before her in a protective manner. Rogue already had her gloves off, Remy held a charged card in one hand and his bow staff in the other while Spidie stood, ready to trap Saber Tooth in his webbing.

"King Pin," Spidie hissed, moving his focus from the mutant to the crime lord. "I didn't know you were trying to hike off the pounds tubby."

Logan chose that moment to join them, claws at the ready. He had seen Rogue grab Remy by the back of his coat in order to follow the girl into the woods and then Saber Tooth's rank scent has hailed his nose.

"I see you've come back for a rematch," the Wolverine snarled as he stepped between the students and the threat.

"You flatter yourself, runt," Saber Tooth retorted.

"I think a retreat would be good Saber Tooth," King Pin said as he began to walk away. "Another day, Christina," the fat man promised. After a moment of growling at Logan, Saber Tooth finally followed King Pin.

Chris growled softly and fought the urges coursing through her at the moment. She was so deep in her thoughts she didn't notice that everyone was staring at her. Once she did she turned and paced back towards the mansion. The four of them stood there looking at each other in turn. Rogue finally sighed as broke the spell as she put her gloves back on. Logan decided to talk to Professor Xavier about the newest addition to the school.

A sharp knock brought Professor Xavier out of his musing about the newest student.

"Come in Logan," he called as the X-Man entered the office.

"I assume you know why I'm here," Logan said gruffly, standing in front of Professor X's desk.

"Yes," Xavier affirmed with a nod. "You want to know more about Christina."

"Tell me," Logan ordered. He was known for taking the outsiders under his wing, and Xavier noted that Chris was no exception.

"I am not permitted to speak with you about her," Charles said as soothingly as he could. He couldn't blame Logan for wanting to know after the incident in the woods, but it was up to Chris to trust the others with her secrets.

"She was just attacked by King Pin and Saber Tooth," Logan pointed out, echoing Xavier's earlier thought.

"I know this," Xavier said gently.

"Why are they after her?" Logan would have put his claws through the Professor's desk if he hadn't know it would do no good.

"Their intentions are not clear to me," Charles admitted somberly. "I'll get Jean and Scott on the case immediately. Until we find out what they were up to, I can not tell you more."

While those two tried to work out what was going on the three thought of an evil way to get her to talk. Some of the teens gathered in the living room to play a game of truth or dare. Chris reluctantly joined in on the game, hoping against hope they wouldn't ask her about what happened earlier.

The group consisted of Spidie, Rogue, Remy, Jean Grey, Storm, Kitty, Bobby, Kurt and then Chris. Scott stood on the side lines, refusing to take part in such a childish game, but he stayed to watch anyway. The group had found one of Logan's empty beer bottles and Spidie started off by spinning it to land on Rogue.

"Okay, Rogue," Peter asked, his glee barely masked, "truth or dare?"

"Truth," Rogue said without pausing to consider her options. When she heard his question, she wished she had taken the dare.

"Do you like Remy?" he demanded is a quick breath.

"I um…." Rogue stuttered as she searched her suddenly clear mind for an excuse or a clever retort. Unfortunately, non would come fast enough.

"Mon chere scared t' admit da truth?" Remy prodded from his position across from her. Though he knew in his heart that she cared for him, it would be a sweet victory to hear her admit the truth aloud, especially with witnesses.

"No," she sang sweetly as she met his eyes, a smile on her lips. "I just don't want to hurt you're feelings, Sugar."

"Remy still want t' hear da truth either way," he said, easily blocking her verbal barb.

After a few moments of staring at him she sat back and glanced at her lap to mumble something that was inaudible to the rest.

"You have to repeat that," Spidie told her happily. "I didn't quite here what you said."

"Yes," Rogue grumbled to her lap. She was a few shades pinker after answering and she refused to look at anyone, especially Remy, who was beaming. Finally once blush fest was over, Rogue spun the bottle. This time the bottle landed on Storm.

"Truth or Dare Storm?" Rogue asked, her voice still edgy and her eyes still avoiding Remy's.

"Dare," the older woman said bravely. Despite her years, she still enjoyed a good game on occasion.

"Ok," Rogue said and thought a moment. She did need revenge on Spidie so, "I dare you to kiss Spidey."

Smiling, Storm leaned over and placed a small kiss on Spidie's cheek. They had been sitting beside one another so it was easy to reach him.

"Awe," Rogue complained as she tugged on the cuff of her glove. "That wasn't a kiss."

"You didn't specify where the kiss had to be," Storm pointed out cheerfully.

"Awe, no fair," Rogue pouted, pressing her lips together unhappily. "Anyway, your turn."

Orroro spun the bottle and after it spun around the circle a few times, it landed on Chris. The girl immediately tensed in preparation.

"So, my friend," Storm began gently, "truth or dare?"

"Truth," Chris decided. She figured she could be screwed either way so she may as well choose the easiest one to accomplish.

"What's you most treasured thing in the world?" Storm asked, getting straight to the point.

"My black wolf Shadow Dancer," Chris answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Interesting," Storm murmured thoughtfully as she mused over the answer.

Three members of the group were itching to ask her more serious questions than that but kept quiet. They could wait until it was their turn to spin to bottle and ask.

Spinning the bottle, it landed on Rogue again.

"Truth or dare, Rogue?" Chris asked.

"Truth," Rogue said, figuring the girl couldn't ask her anything more damaging that Spider-Man had.

"Are you going to hound me until you know what my capabilities are?" Chris asked. Rogue had been more gentle in her prodding's than some of the others, but she had investigated nether the less.

"Yes," Rogue admitted in an almost ashamed tone.

Everyone turned to stare at Chris wondering what brought this up. Snarling something incomprehensible she stood up and left the ring. Sighing guiltily, Rogue got up and followed the upset girl. The others knew it was best to leave figuring the problem out to Rogue. She did have a knack for such things.

Once Chris reached her room she sat down heavily at her desk. Rubbing her forehead she tried to rid herself of the migraine that was coming on. Before she could even think about finding some medication, a strange scent hit her nose and darkness took over.