Loving GraceREVISED

by EclipsedbytheSon

It's Christmas at the Xavier institute, and Kurt's feeling a little depressed. Will the new student Alexia relieve his pain, or just create more? MY FIRST FANFIC. PLEASE R&R!!!

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pDisclaimer: I don't own the X-men or any related characters (Except for my OCs)

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pSynopsis: It's Christmas time at the Xavier Institute, and Kurt is in need of some cheering up. 

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p"Kurt! Are you listening?  This has to be done right!" Kitty stood in the middle of the front hall, looking up at the chandelier from which Kurt was dangling by his tail.  He had been up there for twenty minutes, trying to arrange the tinsel to Kitty's liking, but all he had managed to do was get dizzy from all the blood rushing to his head.

p "I'm vorking on it, Kitty!" he cried, pulling himself back up on to the chandelier to try to untangle the tinsel once more.  "Sheesh, there's only so much even I can do!"

pKitty ignored the annoyed comment from Kurt.  Why was it that he, of all people, had to be the only one that could do this kind of job.  Surely there had to be someone else...  "Okay, that piece goes over that light right there...Not that one Kurt! The other one! No, THAT ONE! Can't you do anything right?" She finally demanded in frustration.  Jean came into the room, unnoticed but the two, to see what Kitty was yelling about this time.  She nearly died laughing when she saw Kurt perched up on the chandelier all wrapped up with tinsel...he looked like a blue Christmas tree, minus the star.

p "I can vatch movies, does that count?" Kurt shouted back at Kitty, thinking about Indiana Jones.

p "No..." Kitty snapped.  "Wait! Kurt! Right there! Let the tinsel down slowly! There you go! I knew you could do it!"

pKurt rolled his eyes thankfully towards the heavens as he finally appeased Kitty.  Now he could get back to his Indiana Jones movie...

pHe teleported to the floor, shoved the wads of unused tinsel into Kitty's arms and turned for the rec room.  "Where do you think you're going?" Kitty inquired.  "We still have five more to do!"

p "Vhat?" Kurt whirled to face her.  "You asked for help vith vun chandelier, not a herd of them.  There is a movie on that I vant to vatch!"

p "Don't you want the mansion to look pretty for Christmas?" Kitty asked handing him the tinsel back.

pKurt paused for a moment then dropped the stuff on the ground.  "Nein.  I don't care, no vun but me unt Rouge vill be here anyvay.  You're going home, so vhy should you care either?"

pWith that, he teleported out of the room, leaving Kitty fuming.  IHow selfish, she thought.  As if he's the only one in this house! /I"What am I going to do now?" she moaned to the seemingly empty room.

p "Well, you know Kitty, Scott keeps his mountain-climbing gear in his closet," Jean said, finally making her presence known in the room.  "That's better than the fuzzy elf -- it at least doesn't have a mind of it's own, right?"

p**********

pProfessor Xavier rolled his wheelchair out onto the front steps to greet the new student just arriving.  As she stepped out of the car, he could see that she was medium height, with long brown hair plaited into a braid, and vibrant green eyes looking out from under her newsie-style hat.  She shifted her backpack over her shoulder, then walked up the steps and held out her hand to the Professor.  "Good afternoon, Professor Xavier.  I'm Alexia Tambor, the new student...well, I guess you figured that out already, since you sent Ororo to get me, huh?" She grinned as the professor took her hand and gave it a firm shake.

p "Welcome to the Institute, Miss Tambor.  We are very glad for you to be joining us, especially with the holidays right around the corner.  Now, Ororo will get your bags and take them to your room.  Allow me to show you around the Mansion."

pAlexia's grin grew, if that was possible.  "I get my own room???  SWEET! I had to share one back home with--"

p "--With three younger sisters.  Yes, I know," Xavier finished her sentence for her.

p "Whoa, you really are psychic! That's so neat...I guess that means I can't get away with anything here, huh?" She cast a sly glance about the facade of the mansion.  It was too bad; she would have had fun livening this place up.

p "Only if you want extra kitchen duty.  Now, we'll start in the kitchen.  You look like you could use some hot chocolate."

p**********

pIt felt good to finally get away from Kitty and her stupid decorating ideas.  Kurt plopped onto the couch with his bowl of popcorn and turned on the TV just in time to see Indiana Jones being chased by a big boulder.  INow this...this is true art.../I  he thought as he zoned-out from everything but the TV.  This movie gave him such a rush, and his tail twitched a little every once in a while when the real exciting parts came on.

pAbout half-way through the first gun-chase scene, the doors flew open, and in came a huge herd of other students, laughing and talking...Jean was discussing gift shopping with Scott, some kids were trying to make plans for ice skating, Evan was trying to remember the order that the 12 days of Christmas came in, and Rouge was constantly telling him he was wrong. 

p "It so says nine maids-a-milking and ten swans-a-swimming!" Evan insisted.

p "Nah, they're switched.  Nine swans-a-swimming, and ten maids-a-milking," Rouge replied. 

pKurt turned up the TV and shoved a hand full of popcorn into his mouth.  This was one of the best parts.

p "I say we hit the mall, then the boutiques downtown," Jean said to Scott, who was looking for something on top of the TV, blocking Kurt's view.  "It's over there, Scott." She pointed at a bookshelf across the room and a book levitated over to Scott, who didn't move. 

p "Thanks Jean. Listen, would you be heartbroken if I didn't go shopping?  I don't really feel like going out today..."

pKurt sat there, drumming his fingers against the bowl.  This was the only time this movie would be on for the next month, and he was missing it.  He was about to move over on the couch so he could see around Scott when Evan collapsed on one side of Kurt and Rouge on the other.  "No!  There are nine maids and ten swans!" Evan was almost yelling.  Kurt lost track of what the TV was saying.  Rouge answered Evan in a heartbeat.  "No, they are switched!" Kurt was about to go deaf.

pKurt reached for the remote to turn up the TV, but it was too late.  Bobby had picked it up and was using it.  "Let's see how the weather is in the city today," he was saying as Indiana Jones disappeared from the screen and was replaced by a weather map of the country. 

p "GAR!" Kurt growled, and glared at Evan who was reaching his hand into the bowl of popcorn.  "All I vant is to vatch a movie!" He cried out of frustration.  "I'll go vatch it in the kitchen!" He smacked the popcorn bowl at Evan and teleported out of the room, leaving a seemingly more acrid smell then normal behind him.

pAll the students looked at each other, kind of confused.  "What's his problem?" Rouge asked after a moment.  They all shrugged at each other, and went back to their conversations and problems.

p**********

pWhen Kurt teleported into the kitchen, he was expecting to find Logan in there perhaps, but no one else, since Ororo had gone to get a new student.  So when he decided to appear on top of the island in the middle of the room, he did not expect to materialize on top of someone's food.

pThe Professor and Alexia had been enjoying some hot chocolate and jelly doughnuts in the kitchen when Kurt poofed into the room.  It rather alarmed Alexia to suddenly have a person that looked like a blue furry demon, complete with pointy ears and a tail materialize in the air and drop onto the counter top, spraying her face with raspberry jelly filling. 

p "ACK!" Alexia cried, jumping form the stool and wiping herself off. 

pKurt was just as alarmed.  He did not have his image inducer on, meaning she saw the real him, instead of the hologram human version of him.  He quickly jumped off the counter and ducked behind it out of the girl's sight until she calmed down, and until he remembered where he had left the stupid inducer this morning to begin with.  The girl was probably scared now, scared out of her wits by the blue freak that he was.  That was everyone's first reaction when they saw him.

pSuddenly, Kurt noticed the girl's face peering down at him from over the counter.  "Sweet!" she exclaimed in awe.  "You are the coolest looking person I have ever met.  The Professor said you looked kinda different, but he forgot to say cool." Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds in her raspberry covered face.  Even upside down, from Kurt's view, and covered with jelly, she was beautiful.  Kurt was at a loss of words. 

p "Kurt, this is Alexia Tambor, the new student.  Alexia, this is our resident demon, Kurt Wagner," the Professor said from the other side.

p "How d'ya do?" Alexia asked, holding out her hand to him.

pKurt hesitated, then took her hand in his three-fingered one.  She didn't even flinch.

pKurt then stood up to find that Alexia had been kneeling on the island.  That was kind of odd--none of the other girls at the Institute would do that, especially Kitty.  This girl was very different form them indeed.

p "What can we do for you, Mr. Wagner?" Professor Xavier asked Kurt after a moment.

p "Ach," Kurt grumbled, snapping out of his enthralled state and back to real life.  "I vas vatching a movie, unt the others came in and I could not vatch the movie anymore, so I came in here for it."

p "What movie?" Alexia asked, wiping jelly off her face with a finger and eating it.  Kurt told her.  "Really?  Indiana Jones rocks! Mind if I watch with you? That is..." She looked over at Xavier.  "Can you show me around later?  Or would you rather do that now?"

p "Go ahead and watch the movie.  Kurt likes to watch movies with others.  The Mansion is pretty self-explanatory; you'll figure it out quick enough.  We'll discuss your training later." The Professor left the room as Kurt turned on the TV and settled into the booth at the breakfast table to watch it.  Alexia pulled up a chair and finished eating her doughnut's filling off her face and drank her hot cocoa.  She watched the movie with the same intensity he did. 

pLogan came in after a while and grumbled about there being no beer in the fridge, but didn't bother the two. 

pAfter the movie ended, Kurt stood and stretched.  "That is vun of my favorites," he said to Alexia.

p "Yeah, me too.  Way better than that James Bond movie they showed on the plane." She grimaced.

pBefore Kurt could say anything, Kitty phased through the door from the hallway.  "Hey, Kurt, could you help me with the..." she trailed off when she spotted Alexia.  "Hi, you must be the new student."

p "Yeppers," Alexia said, her eyes flashing.  "I'm Alexia."

pKitty introduced herself, and then turned her attention back to Kurt.  "Do you know anything about electricity?  The stupid lights won't turn on..."

pKurt shook his head, annoyed that Kitty once again wanted his help, but Alexia shot up like a rocket.  "I can help!" she cried.  "Electricity...energy of any kind...is my specialty!"

p**********

pAlexia examined the string of Christmas lights Kitty had handed her.  They looked pretty good, like they shouldn't be messing up at all.  She figured they were a cheap-o string of lights, the kind where if there was one light out, then all the rest would be out.  All she needed to do was figure out where the break in the circuit was.

pSlowly, Alexia plugged in the lights, feeling the tempting energy snap at her fingers from the socket.  She could absorb some of it, and get into one of her weird hyper moods from it, like when she drained batteries at home.  But, no, she couldn't get hyper now; she had to help Kitty with this.  Maybe later, though, when she talked to Professor Xavier about her powers.  The lights did not turn on.  Placing her hand at the base of the string, next to the plug, Alexia allowed herself to slip into the current that was running through the wires just beneath the thin plastic coating.  The energy was vibrating slightly, sending chills up her spine.  She ran her hand up the cord slowly until she reached a light where the current came to an abrupt end.  She looked up at Kitty and grinned.  "This light right here is blown.  Put in another one, and they should work just fine."

p "Really?" Kitty said, amazed at the new girl.  "Wow, that's great! It saves a lot of time when you get help from someone who knows what they're doing." She shot Kurt a look. 

pKurt grimaced at the look.  He hated it when Kitty did that.  It wasn't like he tried to frustrate her.  She was just so impatient with people, especially him.  Always with him and no one else, it seemed.

p "Well, you know, sometimes people have other gifts, right?" Alexia said, catching a whiff of the tension between the two.  "If we were all the same, then we wouldn't be here, right?"

pIWrong thing to say, Alexia,/I she thought to herself as she watched Kurt's face fall even more.  Considering his appearance, his presence at the Institute was probably just as much for protection as for education, if not more.  The reminder that they were there because they were different hit Kurt more than it seemed Kitty.  Or at least differently.  Kitty huffed a little, but didn't look at all as downcast as her blue counterpart.  Alexia shrugged inwardly.  She didn't understand why either of them was upset.  She liked the fact she was different.  It meant God had a special purpose for her. 

pKurt sighed.  "If I'm not needed, I'm going to my room to vork on homevork..." He teleported out of sight, leaving behind a cloud of foul smelling smoke.

pKitty sighed as she unplugged the lights and began to change the bulb.  "I don't know what his problem is.  He's moody to begin with, you can never get him to do anything...but lately he's been really bad.  Apparently a little while ago he yelled at everyone else for making a little noise while he was watching some stupid movie."

p "Indiana Jones is not stupid," Alexia said, slightly indignant.  "Next to Dare Devil, he's the coolest hero ever."

p "Whatever," Kitty said, rolling her eyes.  "I just know that Kurt is pretty hopeless...He spends all his time brooding nowadays it seems like."

p "Maybe he likes to brood.  Brooding is a good thing to do, you know, it helps you think over stuff." Alexia placed her finger near the wall socket and had fun making the energy flowing out of it snap and crackle like little lightning bolts.  As soon as Kitty was done putting in the new light, Alexia grabbed the plug with her hand and called on all the free energy just floating around the room.  The energy rushed to her, and she channeled it down her arm to her hand, through the plug, and into the string of lights.  The little white lights glowed and then turned on.  Simply by willing the energy to fluctuate, Alexia could make the lights blink on or off.  She grinned at Kitty, who wasn't very amused.  "I need those, so whenever you're done playing around..."

pAlexia let go of the cord and the lights fell dead.  "All right, there you go.  I'm gonna go find a phone and call my family."

p**********

pKurt sat on his bed staring intently at his French book, but not absorbing any of the verbs on the page.  Instead he was trying to figure out what he was to do for the holidays.  Had he been back in Germany, he would have gone to Mass with his foster family at midnight on Christmas Eve.  But he wasn't in Germany, and he doubted anyone in the Bayville congregation would be willing to accept him, even with his image inducer on, since the children in the church would know he went to the "freak school".  He wished he could go back Germany for the holidays, but that wasn't possible this year.  He had to stay, and it would just be him, Rouge, Logan, and the Professor.  More like just him and the Professor, since Rouge wasn't very social, and Logan didn't even seem to know that it was winter, much less almost Christmas.

pHe glanced at the calendar on the wall.  It was December 10th.  Everyone would be leaving within the next week and a half for home, and before they left they were going to have a party where they all would exchange gifts.  He hadn't bought anything yet.  Maybe he wouldn't bother with it at all, he thought.  It didn't seem like anyone had really noticed him in the past week, except for Kitty when she wanted him to do something. 

pHe heard laughter outside and he peered out his window to see Scott, Jean, Rouge and Evan chucking snowballs at each other.  Jean levitated a whole bunch of the projectiles and hurled them all simultaneously at Scott's back.  Scott shouted in surprise as one hit him square in the back of the neck.  He whirled and scooped up some snow and chucked the ball at Jean.  She stopped it in mid flight with her powers and sent it flying back at him, smacking him directly in the face.  Scott laughed and wrapped his arms around her and hugged her...and shoved a snowball that had been in his other hand against the back of her head.  Jean screeched in glee and shoved him down in the snow, where he began to make a snow angel.

pKurt watched the scene with both amusement at the couple's playful attitude, but also a deep sadness.  Scott was so lucky.  His mutation could be hidden simply by wearing a pair of sunglasses.  Kurt had to wear a hologram if wanted to go into public.  He didn't see how anyone would be willing to have a relationship with a monster like him.  He wasn't totally accepted anywhere, not at the circus, nor here at the Institute.  Kitty still acted like he was hideous.  All he wanted to do was be her friend, but she treated him like an animal or something.  He was starting to doubt if anyone would be able to see him as anything else other than a monster or animal.

pA thump in the hall, followed by an "Ouch!", a crash, and then a "Drat it all!" pulled Kurt out of his stupor.  He teleported into the hall and found the new girl Alexia standing over a broken vase.  "Are you all right?" Kurt asked her.

p "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just a klutz sometimes.  I ran into the stand thingy--" she pointed to a stand thingy that looked like a pedestal "--and this fell off.  I'm real sorry."

p "Ach, don't vorry about it.  That gets broken vunce every three veeks it seems like." He smiled half-heartedly.  "It's right on time."

pKurt helped her clean up the pieces of the vase.  "So, vhat are you up to?"

p "Oh, I'm looking for a phone.  I wanna call my family."

p "There's vun down the hall.  Don't vorry about it being long distance, I call Germany from it every veek."

p "Thanks, Kurt."

pShe walked down the hall, and Kurt watched her until she turned the corner.  It had seemed to him that her eyes had been more sparkling than earlier, like she had little light bulbs in the back of them.  He heard her pick up the phone, and he inadvertently eavesdropped on the conversation as he examined the rug for any last pieces of glass.

p "Hey, Devan," Alexia's said.  "It's Alex...  Yeah, I'm here.... I'm fine, how're you?...You did! Wow! That's great I guess...  Listen, is mom there?...  She's out?  Ok...  yeah, I'll talk to Luke..." She was quiet for a minute, then: "Hey Luke! I'm here at the School; I got here a few hours ago...  I woulda called then, Luke, but an Indiana Jones movie sidetracked me...  Yea, I know, Harrison Ford is such a bad influence...ha ha, very funny...  Listen, I'm calling to see if you guys have all the info about the school, like the address, and the phone number...  Ok, I'll wait...Yeah, I'm still here Luke...  Ok, so you do already have the information?  Good...  Hey, has mom figured out what to do for Christmas?  Like when I'm coming back?...  Not yet?...  Ok, I guess...  I'll call you again in a few days to find out, 'Kay bro?...  All right...  Tell mom I say hi and tell her I love her when she gets back...  Well, Devan said that she had just gone out...  Oh, well, he musta been mistaken....  Anyway...  yeah....  yeah...  Love you too, Bro...  Don't worry, I won't....  Tell Zydane I said hi...  Yep...  Ok, bye." She hung up the phone and Kurt heard her let out a deep breath, like she wasn't very happy about something.

pNot wanting to intrude, Kurt teleported back into his room and pulled out his list of people he had to buy gifts for.  At the bottom, he wrote "Alexia".  Then as a side thought, he added, "Make it special" after her name, but he wasn't sure how to make a gift special, especially for a girl he didn't even know.  He then thought a little while about what to get everyone else.  The only person he could think of anything for was Logan, and that was a Bible.  But for some reason, he didn't know how well that would be accepted.

pHe leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.  He knew that his French homework was due the next day, but for the past few weeks, he hadn't really cared about his schoolwork.  All he could think about was how terribly miserable he was.  He needed to go to church, just to think.  He glanced down at the French book, sighed, and picked it up.  If there was time after he finished his homework and before dinner, he would go check out the local parish, he decided, but he knew that there most likely wouldn't be any time.

p**********

pAlexia sat across the desk from Professor Xavier.  He had been inquiring about her family and her friends.  Right now they were on the subject of her father, something Alexia wasn't sure she wanted to discuss.

p "Your father died when you were thirteen, you said?" the professor asked, pouring Alexia another cup of tea.

pShe shifted uncomfortably in her seat.  "Yeah."

p "Do you mind me inquiring as to how?  Or would you rather not say?"

pAlexia didn't want to say anything, but if she kept the cause of her father's death from the Professor, then she knew she would just be hurting herself in the long run, for he wouldn't know the extent of her powers.

p "I...I killed him..." She said slowly, choking out the words.

pThe Professor looked shocked, but not disturbed.  He no doubt knew it was an accident by reading her mind.  "How?" he asked again.

pAlexia pushed her bangs out of her face and slumped a little in the seat.  "He was making me mad...Me and Zydane, we had gone out riding, and Zydane crashed.  He wasn't wearing a helmet.  He was all right, but our parents were pretty mad.  My dad was working on our furnace when I went down and told him.  He got pretty upset and started yelling at me about not being careful and pulling stupid stunts like that all the time.  It wasn't my fault Zydane wasn't wearing a helmet, or that he crashed, and I was scared half to death that my best friend had even crashed, you know?  And all of a sudden, I felt all these little things around me, like waves, or little tornadoes, bouncing off each other.  And my dad just kept talking and yelling, and fiddling with the furnace, and I kept thinking that if something went wrong with the furnace, then he wouldn't be able to keep yelling at me..."

pProfessor Xavier listened intently, a light slowly going off in the back of his head.  He knew where this was going, and he didn't like it anymore than Alexia seemed to.

p "...I started to feel something --now I think it's energy-- flow into me, and I asked my dad to stop yelling and to wait for a minute, but I didn't tell him why, that he should be real scared.  And he started yelling at me about my attitude.  And then, I don't remember much except that the energy just shot out of my hands and hit the furnace, and then I woke up in the emergency room, with bandages all over my hands, and everyone saying it was a miracle that I survived the blast," she took a breath.  "But I was hyper.  Like I had eaten too much sugar or something.  I think I survived the blast because...this sounds kinda weird, but my body absorbed the energy." Alexia looked up at the professor for the first time since she had started talking about her father's death.  "My dad didn't make it.  They blamed it on him lighting the flame without letting the gas dissipate.  My family and Zydane know different, but only them.  They're the only ones I've told."

pThe Professor nodded.  She held herself together quite well while she told him and now as well.  She had obviously come to terms with reality and had accepted the fact of what she had done.  "You say your body absorbed the energy, like it's a fact you know for certain.  I assume that means you have become very familiar with your powers."

pAlexia nodded.  "Instead of sugar, all I need is a battery to get hyper.  I used to drain packs of them pulling all-nighters to get ready for final exams.  I can sense current too, like in wires...and fire...I can control fire, but not very well..."

p "Where did the energy come from when you destroyed the furnace?"

p "Like I said, all around...there's free energy in the air.  Zydane complains that when I get agitated, it gets cold in the room..."

p "Which is you absorbing the heat energy from the air.  Fascinating." Professor Xavier was astounded.  He had never heard of such a power.  "We will have to train you to hone your skills, and make sure you don't blow up anything else.  Now, tell me about this Zydane, whom you keep mentioning."

pAlexia perked right up.  "Oh, he's my best friend.  It's kinda weird, cause he's almost four years older than me, but we grew up together.  He's the coolest person ever..."

pProfessor Xavier settled back and listened to the young girl's tales of her romping through the Catskills with her best friend, and realized that this was a topic she truly cared about.

p**********

pThe week passed slowly for Kurt.  He went along with the others to the mall and into the city to do shopping, and bought a few things, but wasn't really into it.  School was the same thing.  He didn't talk too much in class, even though, in Public Speaking, participation was weighed very heavily.  By the time Friday afternoon rolled around, Kurt was feeling pretty depressed and homesick, longing for the holidays to be over.  He still hadn't "found" the time to go to the church, even though it was within teleportation distance and he often passed it with Scott and Jean on the way to school. 

pHe was sitting in the kitchen, once again staring at his French book without absorbing anything and stirring a cup of hot chocolate that had long since gone cold, trying not to listen to Kitty chat happily with her mother on the phone.  Kitty was checking last minute plans about leaving in four days, so she could arrive home on the first day of Hanukkah.  The door swung open and a cheery voice sounded.

p "Hey, Kit, when you're done, can I have the phone?  No rush." Kurt looked up, and watched Alexia cross the kitchen to the refrigerator.  She didn't see the glaring look Kitty threw at her back as she searched for something to eat.  Not finding anything in the fridge that satisfied her, Alexia started searching the cupboards.

p "All right mom, see you Tuesday." Kitty hung up the phone and put it into Alexia's out-stretched hand.  "My name's not Kit, Alexia.  It's Kitty."

p "And my name's not Alexia, it's Alex," Alexia replied without even batting an eye.  She dialed the phone number and grinned as she watched Kitty huff out of the room.  "Hi, Luke! It's Ale--Yeah.  Great.  School's so much fun...  Uh-huh...  Heh, right, I know, I know, don't you give me the Clean Slate spiel mom gave me five times...  Ha-ha, yeah...  Hey, is mom there?  ...  No, Luke, I've been trying to talk to her for the past week.  I don't care....  I was saying, I don't care if she's having dinner with the President or out shopping to throw his Inaugural Ball.  I know she's there, and I need to talk to her NOW...  Yes, I would appreciate that very much...  Yeah, I'll hold."

pShe slammed the cupboard door closed and flung another open.  "Hey mom...I'm fine...Yeah, it's great here...  Um, when am I coming back for Christmas?  ...  What?  ...  What do you mean there's no room?  ...  But we had ten kids in that house before John moved out.  There should be enough room for...  Aunt Sherrie?  Aunt Sherrie?  She's coming up?  I thought you hated her."

pShe slammed another cupboard and Kurt realized that the temperature in the room seemed to be dropping.  "...Well mom, this is a fine time for you to decide to make amends with her...  Of all the Godforsaken -- Sorry mom...  But still, if she does come up, my bed will still be free, she can sleep in John's bed...  What do you mean I don't have a bed now?  ...You took it out?  What the heck for?  ...  Yes I'm upset mom...  That's not...Mom...  Gar, yes I know I said I like it here...  It's not the same though...  So, I'm not coming up I take it?  Yeah...  no, I understand...Yes, I do mom...  All your presents are in the bottom drawer of the chest in the front hall...  Yeah, ok...  I'll call you guys sometime next week.  All right...  Tell everyone I love them and miss them...  Ok mom, you too.  Yep.  Bye." She hung up the phone, leaned her back against a cupboard, and tried not to cry.

pKurt understood how she felt.  He looked at her with sympathy.  He was shivering slightly now, the room was so cold, but as Alexia took a few deep breaths, the heat began to return.  She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.  "You're staying here for the holidays, right Kurt?"

p "Ja," he answered.  "Rouge is staying too.  Ve can all hang out together."

pAlexia nodded thoughtfully.  "Maybe Zydane will be able to come down at least.  He probably can take a day or two off..." She dialed another number on the phone and perked right up when it was answered at the other end.  "Hey kiddo, long time no talk...  Yeah, have you talked to Luke recently?  ...Yeah, my mom's being a real brat.  She says I can't come up for the holidays...  I know, really...  But I was wondering if you wanted to come down and visit?  ...  Why can't you?  ...  Really?  You got the promotion!?!?! That is so great Zy...  But you sure you can't come down?  The people here are real cool...  Yeah, in fact, there's this one guy, his name's Kurt Wagner, he's from Germany...  Yeah, ha-ha, he has an accent...  Yes, in fact it does...  you're such a dork sometimes Zy...  Yeah, but he's CUTE!"  She looked up at Kurt and grinned at him, then laughed at something her friend said.  "Yes, even cuter than you...ha-ha, yeah...  Oh, really?  ...  Ok, have a good time at work Zy...  You can call me here too, you know.  Yeah, you too.  See ya later kiddo.  Bye." She hung up, this time with a much more favorable reaction: she was grinning from ear to ear.

pKurt blushed into his French book and was thankful for his blue fur.  She had been talking about him as though she was serious.  "Vas that your brother?" he asked politely.

pShe laughed.  "Nah, that was my best friend.  I would never talk to my brothers about guys." She walked over.  "Hey, Kurt?  What's wrong?  You seem kinda down today."

pHe looked up from his book.  "Vhat ever made you think I vas down?"

pAlexia stuck her finger in the mug next to him.  "Your hot chocolate is freezing, and I know I didn't make it THAT cold in here."

pHe raised his eyebrows.  She was pretty smart.  He was about to tell her that nothing was wrong, but he had a feeling she would see right through that as well.  "I can't go back to Germany for the holidays, unt I can't go to church on Christmas Eve."

pAlexia took the mug from Kurt and placed one hand on it, stirring the spoon around in it with the other.  "Why can't you go to church?" she asked.

pKurt sighed.  "Many of the children at the church are my classmates.  They have only seen me with my image inducer on, but they know I live here, vhich means I am a 'freak'.  They vould tell their parents unt they vould not accept me."

p "Why do you say they won't accept you?  What kind of church do you go to?"

p "Catholic."

p "Oh," Alexia said.  "That explains it." Kurt looked up at her disapprovingly, and she laughed.  "I'm kidding, I'm kidding.  But that's kind of stupid.  I mean, them not accepting you on the basis of where you live.  I'm sure they wouldn't judge you before they got to know you."

pKurt sighed.  He had heard that several times, but he had learned differently from experience.  If people found out about him, they would hate him.  "I don't think I'm really ready to go back to church...my English is not good enough yet," he lied.

p "Oh, I can see that reasoning." She handed him the mug back, its contents now steaming.  "Careful, it's hot."

pKurt nodded and took a sip, searching for a way to make the conversation go in a different direction.  "So," he said after a moment.  "Vhat vould you like for Christmas?"

pAlexia shrugged.  "A new Motocross helmet would be nice." Seeing Kurt's confused look, she laughed.  "Ok, well, if you can't manage that, I dunno...A book or something.  A new Bible, maybe.  I lost mine in the packing to come here."

pKurt's heart leaped.  Not only was she pretty, but she believed in God.  "Vell, vhat do you vant most?"

pAlexia's face fell.  "Zydane."

pKurt's heart stopped in mid-leap and plummeted through his stomach.  She had a boyfriend.  Of course.  How could a girl like her not have a boyfriend?  And even if she hadn't, did he even assume he had stood a chance?  "Veren't you just talking to him?"

p "Yeah, but he said he probably won't be able to get off work to come visit.  It's too bad.  I've been away for a week, and I already miss him more than my family."

p "I miss church, you miss Zydane...ve both miss important things in our inner selves."

pShe nodded.  "Yeah.  Well, you know, a miracle happened this time of year two thousand years ago.  Why not now?"

pKurt rolled his eyes at the line that sounded like it came from one of those Sunday night movies.  "I don't know, vhy not now?"

pAlexia shrugged and glanced at the clock.  "I have to go to training now, and I haven't eaten anything! Oh well, I'll just have to run by Logan's motorcycle to get some energy.  See ya later Kurt."

p "Ja, see you later." He went back to his French book, this time with an even heavier heart, realizing that there was one more thing he could add to his list of unattainable goals.

p**********

pKitty could not believe what she was seeing.  Clothes.  Everywhere.  On her bed, on the floor, on Rouge's bed, on Alexia's bed, on the desks.  Not that it would have normally bothered her--she was well known to lay out all her clothes at least once every two weeks to figure out what to wear.  However, that was different.  They were HER clothes.  These, however, were not.  She would never be caught dead in a million years wearing this stuff.  Tee shirts and long sleeved shirts and cargo pants and flannel shirts that looked like they belonged in a thrift store.  It looked like the Salvation Army had exploded in their room.  And in the middle of it all was Alexia.

p "Hey, Kit, which of these shirts would be more appropriate to wear when you go to meet a priest?" She held up two long sleeved shirts; one was dark blue and had a decal of a person on a motorcycle on the front and read "Speed racer" up on arm; the other was red and said "My Honda can beat up your Suzuki". 

pKitty looked at the shirts, not believing what she was seeing.  Those were so not in fashion it wasn't funny.  Alexia had dressed pretty decently the first few days, but lately her clothes were getting more and more boyish.

p "Well, um...don't you have anything...nicer?" Kitty asked.

p "Nicer?" Alexia thought a moment.  "What do you mean by that?"

p "Like a skirt or something."

p "Oh.  No.  I don't wear skirts or dresses.  You can't wear those when you ride dirt bikes," Alexia said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

p "Of course not," Kitty agreed, not having a clue as to what she was talking about.  "Then the blue one.  It's not as aggressive."

p "Ok, thanks." Alexia chucked the blue shirt in a chair with a pair of khakis and threw the red shirt right on Kitty's pillow.

p "Is this all yours?" Kitty asked, trying to hide her disgust.

p "Umm...most of it, yeah...Some of it I'm borrowing from people." Alexia pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in and began to braid it.

p "Well, do you mind getting it off my bed?  I kinda would like to have SOME free space around here."

pAlexia raised her eyebrows at the comment.  She rarely got such a reaction from anyone.  "Sure, I'll move it.  Gimme a minute."

p "How about now?" Kitty urged.  Then she thought for a moment and said, "No, here, I'll do it." She scooped the clothes off her bed and chucked them at Alexia.

pWHUMP! Alexia staggered from the blow.  "What the heck was that for, Kit?"

p "For not being very considerate of my space.  This is my room, too.  And my name's not Kit.  It's KITTY.  Who do you think you are, calling me whatever you feel like..."

pAlexia rolled her eyes and tried to hide her temper.  "I like saving time.  If it bothers you THAT much, I'll just not call you anything.  Would you like that?" No comment from the fuming girl.  "All right then.  Now, if you must know, I was going to take care of all my clothes in a minute, as soon as I was done with my hair.  I have a way of doing things.  And you're not the only one in this room, you know.  The first day I came here, I had to wait for you to get around clearing off my bed--nearly 2 hours! ...  By the way, I'm looking for my video camera.  You haven't seen it lately, have you?"

p "I wouldn't tell you in this mood, even if I had," Kitty snapped, annoyed at being lectured.

pAlexia shrugged.  "That's fine.  Maybe you'd tell me after I get back from the church." She changed into the khakis and the shirt, and redid her braid, not paying any more attention to Kitty.

pKitty watched her, still fuming.  She really was not fond Alexia.  She acted as if everything was okay, and that everyone was supposed to love her.  And Kitty had to admit, most of them did.  The other girls were very friendly with Alexia, and all the guys were at least a little smitten over her, including Kurt.  Especially Kurt.  Ever since Alexia had come to the Institute, Kurt spent every moment possible hanging around Alexia.  Or maybe it was the other way around.  No matter, Kurt was still fawning over the girl, and she seemed to feel the same way about him. 

pNot that Kitty iliked/I Kurt.  He was too weird for her, too moody.  But she knew he used to have a crush on her.  Lately, though, those feelings seemed to have disappeared from him, making Kitty slightly jealous.  Now to have her position taken over by some tomboy who was just shy of arrogant really riled her nerves. 

pOnce she was done changing, Alexia picked up all her clothes and threw them on her bed and then left.

pKitty fumed on the bed for a while until the phone outside the room rang.  She got up and phased through the wall and answered the phone.

p "Hello?" Kitty answered in a sweet voice.

p "Umm...Hi..." The voice on the other end was a boy's...well, more like a young man's.  Kitty wasn't really sure.  "Is this the Xavier Institute?"

pKitty rolled her eyes.  "Yes it is.  How may I help you?"

pThe boy sounded relieved.  "Good, I didn't screw up the number.  Can I speak with Alexia Tambor?  This is Zydane."

pGood God, even when the girl wasn't around, she still plagued Kitty.  "No, I'm sorry, she just stepped out.  I dunno when she'll be back," Kitty added, a little pointedly.

p "Oh, well then...uh...  can you tell her I called?  And tell her that her ring hasn't come in yet, but I'll fix her up with it when it does.  She can call me tonight if she wants.  I'll be at the bungalow.  She knows the number."

pKitty scribbled down the message.  "Ok, I'll make sure she gets that."

p "Thanks...Oh, and can you tell her I said I miss her?"

p "Sure thing."

p "Ok, thanks again."

p "Yep."

p "Bye."

p "Bye." Kitty hung up the phone.

pIWhat a trip,/I she thought as she stared down at the messages.  Ring?  Were they engaged?  Alexia certainly talked about him enough to allow that impression.  Engaged and flirting with every boy at the school.  Yeah, real becoming. 

pKitty went back into the room and put the list of messages on Alexia's pillow, next to the stuffed tiger she slept with.  If they were engaged, Kurt would be heart broken...and no one would like Alexia for leading him on.  A wicked thought played at the back of Kitty's mind for a moment, but she pushed it away.  She didn't hate the girl Ithat/I much...yet...

p**********

pThe Catholic Church, St. Andrew's, was far different from any church Alexia had ever been in.  There were stained glass windows, wooden pews, and statues and candles everywhere.  There was what looked like a stall of some sort at one side of the sanctuary, set off a little from the rest of the church.  She had seen enough movies to know that these were where people went to Confession.  There were people kneeling at an altar that didn't look like the altar they had back at her church at home.  It had a huge table on it, and a statue of a woman.  Alexia assumed it was Mary.  Hanging above the altar was a rendition of a crucifix; so realistic looking she nearly started crying.  Other people were lighting candles and murmuring prayers; an old woman and a boy that looked like he was in college sat in the pews near the confession boxes, no doubt waiting for their turn.

pEverything was quiet and serene.  Alexia decided she liked her church at home better.  There, instead of pews they had folding chairs, and instead of a table on the altar, there were tearstains from people taking their confessions and worries straight to God, bypassing the Pastor.  And they didn't have a huge, ugly organ in the corner.  They had guitars and a drum set and a piano. Then again, her church was the only one she had ever known, and she knew that probably tainted her views.

p "Catholicism and Pentecostalism are at the opposite ends of the spectrum," Alexia once heard her grandmother say.  So, the old woman was right about something... But then again, she had also said that as long as someone believed in God and lived for Him then they had a ticket to heaven. /I Maybe I don't give her the credit she deserves, even if she is crazy…/I

pAlexia must have looked pretty lost, for soon a young man approached her.  "Excuse me miss.  Can I help you with something?"

p "Yes, actually.  I am Alexia Tambor.  I made an appointment to meet with Father Francis, but I've never been here before..." She trailed off not knowing what else to say.

p "His study is through that door over there and down at the end of the hall."

p "Thanks," Alexia nodded to him went through the doors.

pThe door at the end of the hall was had a smaller Crucifix on the door, below which read "Father Francis Jackson".  Alexia knocked on the door, slightly nervous, and a voice sounded from the other side, "Please come in."

pShe opened the door to find a man in his early forties wearing a priest's collar, sitting at a large desk in a small but comfortable office.  The walls were lined with books, and there was yet another crucifix, this one golden, standing on the desk. 

p "Hi, Father Jackson?  I'm Alexia Tambor.  We spoke on the phone..."

pHe stood and extended a hand to her, and she took it.  "Yes, I remember.  Charles said you are a very good student." He motioned for her to sit down in a comfortable chair in front of the desk.

pIt took a moment for Alexia to realize that when Father Jackson said Charles, he was referring to Professor Xavier.  "You asked the Professor about me?"

pFather Francis smiled.  "He and I are very good friends.  He calls me every time he gets a new student, so that I can keep them in my prayers."

p "Well, then you know a little about Kurt Wagner, right?" Alexia jumped right into the topic, and tried not to stare at the horrific statue on the desk.

p "Yes, his name seems to be coming up quite a bit recently.  Did you come to talk about him?"

p "Sorta..." Alexia paused, not sure how to put it.  "Kurt's...Kurt's really shy, and he doesn't know if he's ready to come to church yet, cause he...cause he goes to the Institute.  But he really wants to go to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.  And don't really know him very well, but I can tell he's real torn up about this..."

pFather Francis nodded, silently requesting to hear more.  He noticed with a little amusement that she wasn't used to seeing a crucifix and she was rather unnerved by its appearance.

p "Well," she continued.  "I don't know very much about Catholicism, but I was hoping you'd be willing to do a Midnight Mass at the Institute for him, and the rest of us that'll be there."

p "I would, but I couldn't do it at midnight.  I have the Mass here."

pAlexia grinned.  "Who ever said it had to be midnight in I this/I time zone?"

pThe priest smiled.  He already liked this girl.  "What do you have in mind, if I may ask?"

pShe raised her eyebrows.  "So you're in?  It has to be secret, you know.  Kurt can't find out about it."

p "I won't tell a soul, I promise, except the Professor maybe" he replied very seriously.

p "Sure you can tell him. All right, here's what I was thinking..."

p**********

pKurt fumbled with the scissors, once again cursing his fate to live with three fingers on each hand for his entire life.  It was if companies didn't plan on their products being used by furry blue elves.  He sighed as he finally cut the wrapping paper off the roll.  Jean was just going to have to live with the sloppy cutting job on her gift-wrap.  He doubted she would care.  He just hoped the sweater would fit her.  The color would be perfect on her. 

pHe carefully taped the package closed and sighed with relief that he was done with wrapping presents.  He glanced at the clock.  It was almost time for the party.  He scooped the huge pile of presents off the bed (at Alexia's prodding, he had gone shopping with her, wearing his image inducer) and teleported to the rec room, where the tree had been set up. 

pKurt put the presents in a chair and headed toward the snacks, hoping to get a cookie before everyone else could eat them all.  He took one and bit into it, reveling in the chocolate goodness.  In an after-thought, he grabbed three more and stuck them into his pocket.

pRouge put on a few CDs of Christmas music, and almost instantly Evan was over next to her, resuming their ongoing argument of what order the gifts came in in "The Twelve Days of Christmas".  Jean hummed along with the music as she made some final adjustments to the tree's angle.  The trees were pretty tall, at least twelve feet high, and people had already started to put presents under it.  Kitty was sitting on a beanbag chair, watching Jean.  She had seemed to be more aloof with Kurt the past few days than normal, and it bothered him slightly.

pSuddenly, Alexia burst through the doors saying "Hasn't Ianyone/I seen my video camera?  I coulda sworn I had it with me when Zydane dropped me off at the bus station two weeks ago!"

pEveryone answered the regular "No, I haven't" that had become habit ever since she realized it was missing a week ago.

pAlexia shrugged and plopped down in a chair and listened to Rouge and Evan fight.  Finally, unable to stand it anymore she silenced with them with a whistle and said, "Ok, here's the list, starting at one and going up: One partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese-a-laying, seven swans-a-swimming, eight maids-a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords-a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming....  Can you stop arguing now?"

pEvan and Rouge blinked at Alexia and were quiet for a few minutes.  Then Evan turned to Rouge and grinned.  "I Itold/I you that there were seven swans!"

pRouge rose to the new debate and Kurt groaned.

pSoon, Scott and Ororo appeared, each carrying a box of tree ornaments and lights, and the next hour was filled with the commotion of everyone hanging ornaments on the tree and on each other.  Alexia found some very cute little snowmen ornaments that looked very good on Kurt when she hung them from his ears.  She grinned at him and said he should model ornaments for a living.

pWhen the tree was decorated, Professor Xavier presented a beautiful gold star to Kurt.  It was an eight-pointed star, and carefully etched into it was the Nativity scene.  "If you would do the honors, Mr. Wagner."

pKurt nodded and teleported to the chandelier just above the tree.  Hanging from the chandelier, Kurt carefully slipped the star onto the top branch.  Everyone ooh'd and aahh'd at the beautiful sight and for a brief moment, Kurt felt important.  Then everyone rushed to get the presents under the tree, and he was all but forgotten.

pExcept by one person.  When he teleported back to the floor, Alexia was still there, staring up at the star.  She smiled at Kurt.  "Not even Jean could have done it more gracefully," she whispered to him, her eyes shining.  "I doubt even an angel could beat you."

pKurt stood there, at a loss for words.  No one had ever told him he was more graceful than Jean, or had placed him at the same level as an angel.  He blushed.

pOnce all the presents were under the tree, they began exchanging gifts.  Jean and Rouge loved the sweaters from Kurt, and Scott grinned when he opened his gift to find a book on the evolution of motorcycles, complete with pictures and everything.  Only Kitty didn't have the expected reaction to her gift.  As she pulled out the slippers in the shape of kittens, she just smiled distantly at Kurt and said nothing.  From Jean and Scott, Kurt received the Indiana Jones Trilogy, and Rouge presented him with a poster from the Star Wars movies.  Professor Xavier gave him a book of German literature.  Even Logan gave the "blue elf" something.  He handed Kurt the present wrapped messily in newsprint and mumbled something about it not being that great.  It turned out to be a collection of Beatles music.  Kurt could have hugged Logan, he was so touched to be remembered, but the man had already retreated to the corner, watching the scene with expressionless eyes.

p "Umm...Kurt?" Alexia's voice came with a tug on his sleeve.  Kurt turned to the emerald-eyed girl. 

p "Ah! Alexia! There you are.  Here, this it for you." He handed her his last package from under the tree. 

pAlexia took it with a gracious smile and carefully unwrapped it.  "Oh, Kurt! It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, barely above a whisper as she ran her hand over the dark hard cover and the gilded pages of the Bible, finally stopping over her name carefully engraved in the bottom corner of the front cover.

p "I did not know vhich translation to get.  So I decided on NIV, since it is the easiest to read," he explained sheepishly.

p "It's perfect." Alexia's eyes were big with wonder and joy and she carefully opened the Bible and read the first verse she saw.  "Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done, and your thoughts toward us are more than can be numbered." She grinned.  "That's the verse that always seems to come up whenever I need comfort."

pKurt was ecstatic that she loved her gift so much, so much so that when she said she had a gift for him, he had to think a moment before he remembered that it was Christmas. 

pShe handed him a long box that was not wrapped, but said "Merry Christmas" across the top in a fancy script.  He lifted the lid and moved the white tissue paper out of the way to reveal a single red rose.  The edges of its petals had been carefully painted with gold, making it look like a porcelain replica.  His eyes went wide, and he carefully took it out.  Everyone in the room went quiet at the sight of it. 

p "Th--Thank you," he choked out, deeply moved by the gesture.  He had never owned anything so beautiful.

p "That's not your entire present.  The rest won't be around for another few days, so I thought this would tide you over till then." She seemed to be on the edge of some huge decision, and then suddenly she moved in and planted a kiss in Kurt's cheek.

pKurt was speechless.  Such a bold act from her.  And the entire room had seen it.  His blush deepened.

pKitty, however did not feel the sentiment of surprise.  She suddenly was at Alexia's side and was tugging forcibly on Alexia's arm, pulling her away from Kurt.  "You and I need to have a little talk." She practically dragged Alexia out of the room.  Dismayed, Kurt followed, along with Rouge and Scott.

p**********

pKitty phased through the rec room door into the hall, bringing Alexia along through with her.  Alexia had never gone through something solid before, and the feeling gave her chills.

pKitty was ticked about something.  Very ticked.  Like, ready to kill someone ticked.

pAlexia hoped she had recently updated her will.

p "All right, I'll lay it out straight.  What kind of hussy are you?" Kitty demanded once they had entered the hall.

pAlexia blinked.  "Excuse me?"

p "You heard me," Kitty snapped.  "Just what do you think you're doing?"

p "Umm...  What are you talking about Kitty?"

pKitty gritted her teeth.  "You know exactly what I'm talking about.  Leading Kurt on like he's a little puppy."

p "Leading Kurt on?  What the heck are you talking about?"

p "The constant attention, talking him into going shopping, the flirting, giving him a rose, and the kiss on the cheek like a school girl."

p "That's what you call leading someone on?" Alexia leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, trying to figure out what Kitty was talking about.

p "It is when the person doing it has no intention in following through on it," Kitty replied curtly.

p "Who says I have no intention in following through with it?" Alexia demanded.

p "You do, in everything you say and do, you're always talking about Zydane.  You're constantly on the phone with him or talking about him or writing him an e-mail.  I mean, heck, you two are engaged for God sakes! He told me over the phone the other day.  When were you planning on telling Kurt that?  Or were you just going to let him figure it out?"

pAlexia went quiet, amazed at what Kitty had just said.  What in the world would give her the idea she was engaged to Zydane, of all people.  Why would Zydane tell her something like that?  "Where did you hear that?" she asked quietly.

p "So you are engaged then," Kitty said, more of a statement than a question.

pAlexia started to speak, but was interrupted by a gasp behind her.  She turned her head to find Kurt standing in the doorway, with Rouge and Scott standing behind him.  Kurt looked like he had just been shot and as Alexia stood there and stared at him, he looked at her with the most pained expression she had ever seen.  Then, the pained look turned to one of immense anger.  He threw down the rose in a fury and with a loud *BAMF* he disappeared in a cloud of smoke. 

p "Kurt, wait!" Alexia called after him, but it was too late.  Something seemed to stab her in the heart and then drop to her stomach as the smoke cleared away.  She wondered how much of the misguided conversation Kurt had heard.  She looked to Scott and Rouge, confused, but she found no comfort in their expressions.  She turned back to Kitty. 

p "I am not engaged to Zydane."

p "Right.  You're probably just saying that to save your reputation.  He told me over the phone."

p "He did no such thing.  He has no reason to," Alexia said calmly, knowing this had to be a misunderstanding.

p "Then why did he tell me that your ring wasn't in yet, but he'd get it to you as soon as it did?" Kitty asked.

pNow that stumped Alexia.  Ring?  What ring?  Why would he be getting a ring for her?  She already had her Purity ring.  Zydane and Luke had shared the cost and gave it to her on her sixteenth birthday.  "You sure he said 'ring'?  Not something else?" She inquired desperately, trying to figure this out.

p "Listen, Aleixa, Kitty doesn't lie about things like this, especially when it could hurt someone else," Scott said, stepping forward.  "She's not that kind of person."

p "Yeah, I don't use people like toys," Kitty added.

pAlexia tried to stay calm.  "Right, you use them as slaves, and treat them like dirt when they don't work the way you want them to." She turned to Scott.  "This has to be a misunderstanding, it really does.  I don't know anything about a ring."

p "Why don't I believe you?" Scott asked, his voice suddenly cold.  He turned and went back into the room.

p "Ah think you should just go back to the room, Alexia.  Ah don't think you belong here right now," Rouge said, glaring coldly at the distraught girl.  Then she too turned back into the rec room.

pKitty said nothing more, and followed Rouge through the door and closed it, leaving Alexia alone in the dark hallway, still leaning against the wall.

pIAh don't think you belong here.../IRouge's words echoed in Alexia's mind.  Just like her mother's words had echoed that awful day three years before: IWhat have you done Alexia..../I  They had spoken with the same rejecting tone to their voices.

pConfused and hurt by everyone's readiness to believe Kitty over her, Alexia turned and ran to her room, slamming the door behind her and throwing herself onto the bed.  Zydane had never proposed.  In fact, they weren't even dating.  They had dated for a while when she was a freshman.  That had kind of dissipated, but they had always been real close, before that time as a couple, and after.  She would have called Zydane right then and there and poured out her sorrow to him over the phone, but she didn't this time.  That would just add weight to Kitty's untrue accusation.  Besides, if Zydane had said something about a ring, she wasn't sure how she would respond.  A ring?  What the heck did she need a ring for?  Maybe he was getting her a friendship ring for Christmas?  No...he wouldn't do something like that.  It wasn't his style. 

pAnd Zydane had known about her feelings for Kurt.  Sure, Kurt was blue and furry and kind of demonic looking, but he had a great sense of humor and a good heart...that was now smashed to bits...How was she going to fix this?  She needed to tell Kurt the truth, but she didn't know what the truth was since she was in the dark about the ring.

p "God, I know you're up there, watching this situation with sorrow.  Just give me some way to fix this," she prayed through her sobs.  "Please, one little realization on my part, or on Kurt's or Kitty's.  Something.  Anything.  Please Lord..."

pShe heard the door open, and someone step into the room.

p "It's freezing in here.  Did you open the window or something?" Alexia looked up to see Logan standing in the doorway.

pShe sat up quickly and brushed her tears away, suddenly realizing that she had absorbed much of the heat in the room while crying.  "What do you need?" she asked him, trying not to sound too miserable.

p "The professor wanted to know if you needed anything." Logan didn't seem too happy about playing messenger boy.

pAlexia shook her head.  "Just to be left alone.  And if anyone calls for me, tell them I'll call them back."

p "Whatever," Logan said, shrugging.  He closed the door, and Alexia lay back down onto her pillow and tried to calm down, tried to give the energy back to the air.  She knew God had heard her prayer, and that he would take care of it, but she was still worried about how everyone would treat her.  She sighed and closed her eyes, and the image of Kurt throwing the rose to the floor replayed itself in her mind without her asking.  She shuttered and rolled over, trying to get the picture out of her head.  Eventually, she managed to get it to leave, but it was just replaced by depressing dreams and an uneasy sleep.

p**********

pKurt stood in front of his mirror, staring at himself through eyes blurred by tears. 

pOf course she wasn't really interested in him.  How could she be?  No girl wants to date someone who looks like a demon.  He would never win an award for Best Looking or Most Handsome, which had always been something he knew.

pHow could he have been so foolish?  She talked enough about Zydane, spoken of him like he was the greatest person in the world.  How could he have been so blind?  She was interested in Zydane; she loved him.  Kurt hadn't seen it; he hadn't wanted to see it.  He remembered her commenting on his own grace with the star only few hours earlier.  Had he actually thought she was saying that as a way to get him to like her?  She had probably just said it out of pity, and Kurt had misread it.

pHe brushed his tears away angrily.  He had never felt like this before.  He had so much wanted to be seen as something more than a friend by a girl.  More than a monster.  Alexia had seemed to finally fulfill that wish.

pIWhy didn't she tell us about being engaged?/I  He thought.  From the way Kitty had presented the facts, and the fact that Alexia hadn't really argued against anything that Kitty accused her of, Kurt had no choice but to believe that Alexia had been using him, leading him on.

pBut she hadn't seemed like that kind of girl.  She had an innocence about her that gave him the impression she wouldn't be able to use anyone like that.

pIShe did though, Kurt.  She did use you.  You can't always rely on what you first see./I

pHe collapsed on the bed and tried to keep from choking out a sob.  He had wanted her for himself, but she was already taken.  He hadn't realized it until just then, but he was beyond crushing on Alexia.  He desperately wanted her to be his.  All his.  No one else's.

pHe hated Zydane.  Kurt had never met the boy, but he knew he hated him.  It wasn't fair what he had done, taking Alexia away.  Just not fair...

pThere was a knock on the door, and Kurt said, "Come in."

pThe door opened, and Ororo asked form the threshold "Do you need anything Kurt?"

p "Nien.  Just leave me alone."

p "All right." Ororo left.

pKurt squeezed his eyes shut and tried to think of something else.  But nothing came to him, except how he shouldn't hate Zydane, that God had said to love everyone in the world.

p "What am I to do, God?" Kurt whispered in German.  "I had such great hopes..."

p**********

pKitty left early the next morning, before Alexia woke up.  By the time she did wake up at 9, Rouge was no longer in the room, and she heard a lot of scuffling downstairs, like a swarm of huge bees were in some sort of confusion.  She remembered that most of the students were leaving in a few hours.  She decided that in light of recent events, it would be best for her to hide out in the room until most of the others were gone.

pShe climbed out of bed and searched through her clothes, trying to find a subdued outfit that wouldn't draw too much attention to her.  IThe only problem with riding dirt bikes, she thought, is that there's no such thing as subdued./I  She finally grabbed the shirt she normally wore when her worship band played -- one that said "Eclipsed by the Son" on it. 

pShe pulled on her clothes without taking a shower.  She would wash up later.

pShe then sat on her bed and waited.  She was very used to waiting quietly in her room, not making a peep, when she waited for her parents to come up and yell at her for pulling "another stupid stunt."  That was when she was little.  She hadn't been told to sit like this in years – at least 3, not since her had dad died.  Her mother had never been able to discipline Alexia like her father could.  After her father died, Alexia had just cut loose.  She never cut classes or skipped out on church – even though up until a year and half ago she and Zydane didn't really have God or church all that high up on their priority list.  And she had never done anything illegal...well...  anything TOO illegal.  She had just been kind of doing her own thing, going and coming as she pleased, lying about little things, doing what ever she wanted.  Looking back, she could see that she had been doing a lot of stupid things.

pAnd here was just another thing to add to that list.  She was sitting in her room, like a bad little girl, when she hadn't done anything wrong.  She felt that she should go and try to explain herself to Kurt.  Or at least apologize.  But for what?  For not defending herself to the end?  For not denying everything Kitty had said?  She had learned over the past year and a half that if people thought something about you, you should let them think it and not try to change their mind.  Either they'd realize they were wrong, or they didn't have enough brains to matter.

pShe stood up and left the room.  The hall was filled with bags and suitcases, and a few kids.  When they caught sight of Alexia, they turned their heads away from her, or went into their rooms.  Alexia ignored it, and went downstairs, where she got the same reaction from everyone, including Logan.  So the story had gotten to him, as well as everyone else in the school.  She wondered if the Professor believed the rumors or not.

pAlexia walked to the Professor's office, and reached up to knock.  Before she even touched the door, Professor Xavier's voice called from the other side.  "Come in Alexia."

pShe opened the door and walked in, taking her usual seat in the leather chair across the desk from him, where he had been writing something.  He placed the pen on the desk and gave her a silent request to tell him what the problem was.

p "I think I'm being shunned.  Like what the Amish do," she said, using her abrupt approach.

pThe Professor wore a look of concern.  He sighed and placed down his pen.  "What do you think is their reason to shun you?"

pAlexia bit her lip, then told him exactly what had happened the night before, including the fact that she had no idea what the "ring" was referring to.

pThe Professor nodded.  "Well, Scott is right, Kitty normally doesn't lie about such things.  However..." He paused.  "Why haven't you talked to Kurt about this?"

pAlexia looked down at her hands.  "Well...it's cause I don't know what to tell him.  It sounds kinda weak to say 'I don't know what Zydane means by ring, so I can't really tell you if he is planning to propose or not'.  I mean, that's kinda pathetic, huh?  Like I'm lying cause I don't wanna apologize for doing something wrong."

p "Pathetic or not, it's still the truth.  But you are right, that does sound very much like a lie."

p "Well, you know I'm not lying.  Can't you tell him?" Alexia tried one of her persuasive half-grins.  No luck.

p "I'm afraid you're going to have to handle this yourself, Alexia.  When you came here to this school, I did not plan on cushioning you entirely through your training.  You wouldn't grow that way.  It is the same with this situation."

pAlexia frowned.  "I've never been in a spot like this.  No one's ever mad at me except my mom."

p "Not everyone is Zydane and Luke, Alex," the Professor said, reaching for his pen.

p "I wish they were." Alexia didn't get up.

p "There's nothing more I can do for you, Alexia.  You have more control over this than I do.  I'm sorry." He watched as Alexia slowly stood to her feet.  "Oh, and Miss Tambor, Father Francis telephoned early this morning and told me your idea--very creative.  I'm sure Kurt will love it."

pAlexia just sighed.  "That is, if I can talk him into coming now."

p**********

pAfter her meeting with Professor Xavier, Alexia still felt confused.  She decided to approach Kurt, to see if he'd at least look at her.

pAfter searching for a while, she finally found him in the library.  He was sitting by a window, just staring outside.  She followed his eyes to Jean and Scott embracing warmly in the driveway, a woman in a nearby car honking and shouting for Jean to hurry up.  Alexia looked at Kurt's face and found it a pitifully depressing sight, a lone tear trickling down his cheek.

pShe took another few steps towards him, her eyes on his face, and not on the floor. 

p*BANG*.  Alexia winced as her shin met the corner of an end table.  Kurt's head jerked up at the sound.  Seeing Alexia standing there, his face screwed into an expression of hope, pain and betrayal.  After a few moments of silence, Kurt teleported out of the room, leaving behind his signature sulfurous smoke. 

pAlexia sank into a chair and watched the smoke dissipate.  Great, now her presence caused him to leave.  Yesterday her coming onto a room would have been enough reason for him to stay.

p "Stop pitying yourself," Logan's gruff voice snarled from somewhere behind Alexia.  "You're stinking up this place, and it's getting on my nerves."

p "I never asked you to evaluate my scent, so don't expect to be paid for your analysis," Alexia replied, annoyed that he wasn't minding his own business.

p "Aren't we the little smart aleck..." Logan walked around Alexia's chair and sat in one across from her, placing his feet on the table, on top of a copy of a National Geographic.  He lit a cigar, and began to smoke it, watching Alexia coolly. 

pAlexia spent the time of silence examining Logan's hands.  She had been told that metal claws slid out of his knuckles, but she had yet to see it.  She wasn't scared of him, even though she had been told several times that she should be.  He wasn't much more of a threat than she was when she got mad.

pFinally, Logan spoke, as Alexia figured he would.  "You have a lot nerve, showing your face while most of the students are still here.  I'm surprised you haven't been turned inside out a half dozen times by now."

pAlexia could sense the heat coming off the end of the cigar.  She smiled inwardly.  This would be fun.

p "And you have a lot of nerve smoking around me." She sapped the heat energy from the burning cancer stick, causing the thing to go cold and her eyes to sparkle a little.

pLogan glared at her and relit the cigar.  Alexia grinned in return.  She liked pushing her luck.  "So, Mr. Logan.  If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"

pHe narrowed her eyes and blew a stream of smoke in her direction.  "I'd leave and not come back."

p "And that's why you're not in my shoes," she replied and stood up.  She wasn't going to hang around the smoking fool.  She grinned at him, the way she did at the preps at school when she didn't want them to know if she was mocking them or just being friendly.  He growled threateningly at her while she turned and left the library.

p**********

pThe next few days seemed to crawl by.  Alexia realized that Kurt avoided her at all costs, and Rouge barely made eye contact with her.  Only Ms. Munroe and Professor Xavier were friendly towards her, but she longed for someone her age to talk to. 

pZydane wasn't calling, nor was her family.  In fact, the only person that did call the mansion was Kurt's foster mother, the day before Christmas Eve. 

pAlexia tried desperately to keep her mind off the problems with her social life, so she spent most of her time in the music room, playing songs on the piano and singing along.  Father Francis had given her a large selection of music for the service, so that she could learn it to help lead everyone else.  She wasn't sure if she could do it, but she tried anyway, figuring that by attempting it she could somehow show Kurt she hadn't been using him and that she thought of him as a close friend, as she had stated with the rose.  That was another thing that bothered Alexia – the rose had disappeared.  No one had seen it after Kurt had thrown it down.  Maybe someone had taken it...but they all shared rooms with other people, except Kurt.  And she had a feeling Kurt didn't have it.

pShe leaned her head on the piano.  Thinking like this made her head hurt.  Why did everything in her life have to be so confusing?  She needed a good reason to give Kurt for Kitty's misunderstanding, but what?  She hadn't been able to get a hold of Zydane in the past few days.  Well, it was the holiday season, snow mobile season, so there was probably a lot of work at the shop.  Whatever the reason, it was a big pain to be in the dark about her own life.

pShe moved her fingers over the keyboard undecidedly, trying to figure out what to play.  How did that song go that Luke wrote?  The one for David to tell him what dad was like?  IGood Lord, I can't even remember my favorite song, she thought annoyed./I  She stared at the keys, and tried one of her calming techniques.  IWhite and black.  White and black together make grey.  Grey like the clouds when it's gloomy.  Gloomy is how I'm feeling.  Feeling really down cause of Kurt.  Kurt hates me./I

p "Let's stop there," she told herself out loud and slammed her forehead against the keys.  The loud disconcerted notes rang in her ears, and in the pain of the impact the sadness of her situation was forgotten for a moment.  She used this second technique just as much as the first: when your heart hurts, make something else hurt harder.

pThe sound brought Ms. Munroe to the door.  She looked alarmed for a moment at Alexia's seemingly limp form draped over the piano, but then she saw the girl's emerald eyes open and her head turn to see who was in the doorway.  "Are you All right Alexia?"

pAlexia replied by lifting her head a little ways off the piano keys and then allowing it to drop again, repeating the noise.

p "If that piano goes out of tune before it's next scheduled tuning, you're paying for it."

pAlexia sat up, her eyes glazed slightly with a look that reminded Ororo of James Dean.  There was a red mark on her forehead from the piano, but other than that, she just looked depressed.  "You think you could strike me with lightning here and now and put me out of my misery?" She looked down at the keys and for a second Ororo feared she would bang her head against them again.  Instead she just played a simple chord, and then started humming Taps, playing along on the piano.

p "I'm sorry, but the Professor would be very upset if I did that.  So would everyone else," Ororo said gently, walking into the room, and realizing it was slightly chilly closer to Alexia.

pAlexia nodded and kept playing, changing to a song Ororo wasn't familiar with.

p "What time will Father Francis be here this afternoon, Alexia?" she asked, trying not to loose the girl's attention.  She had noticed Alexia never seemed to be able to concentrate on one thing for very long.

p "Three.  He and I have to set up the room so it'll look a little like a church," Alexia said looking up from the keys, but continuing to play.

p "Which room?"

p "The one on the west end of the house, with the big stained-glass window, you know?  Above the little alcove?"

pOroro nodded.  "That is where I like to go if I need to be by myself."

pAlexia said nothing.  She was staring back down at the keys, and slowly she stopped playing.

pAs Ororo turned to go, Alexia called her back.  "Did anyone get the mail yesterday?" she asked, as if she had no idea why she was asking.

p "I don't know.  I'll check and see," Ororo answered.  "If there's anything for you, I'll bring it back here."

pAlexia nodded, and turned her face up to the ceiling, as if waiting for something. 

pWhen Ororo returned twenty minutes later, Alexia was still sitting at the piano, playing some sort of song and just singing along with "la la"s.  She had a surprisingly good voice, and Ororo was impressed.

p "You do have some mail," Ororo said, placing the two envelopes on the piano.  Alexia looked at them, slightly awed. 

p "So, I was right," she whispered, slowly extending her hand to the envelopes.

p "Right about what?"

pAlexia looked at Ororo.  "I was asking God what to do about Kurt and everything.  And he told me to get the mail."

pOroro blinked.  This girl was as religious as Kurt.  "Well, I hope he put the answer in there.  I'm going to go work on dinner.  If you need me, just come and get me."

pAlexia nodded, not really hearing Ororo.  She opened the letter from her family first.

p~~IAlexia,

Merry Christmas.  We all miss you and hope this card finds you well.  David misses you the most.  Every day he wakes up the first thing he says is "Exia?"

We found the presents.  We can't wait to open them Christmas morning.

I'm sorry you aren't able to come home for Christmas.  I hope you understand that.  (Anyway, from what Zydane tells us, it sounds like you're too busy with schoolwork and new friends to really be able to take time to come up.)

Speaking of Zydane, he has a surprise for you.  You're going to love it, you'll never guess what it is.

Well, I have to go make cookies.  (If David isn't asking about you, he's asking about cookies.)

Lots of love,

Mama, Luke, Zach, Katie, Amanda, Josh, Ruth, Isaiah, and David/I~~

pAlexia sighed.  Mama should have let Luke or Amanda right the letter; they would have been more friendly, less formal and apologetic.

pThe other letter was from Zydane.  It wasn't a card, since it was just in a regular sized envelope, but it was kind of bulky.  Alexia opened it, curious as to what Zydane had to say.

pShe nearly died from relief and joy as she examined the papers Zydane had sent along with a quick note about owing him thirty dollars – plus labor.

p**********

pKurt was in his room at four thirty on Christmas Eve reading when Professor Xavier called him telepathically.

p I Kurt, Ororo and the others have been working hard on a project after noon, including a very nice dinner.  So, if you don't mind, please dress nicely and make your way down to the doors of the West Conference Room.  /I

p  I Yes, Professor, /I Kurt answered, though he wasn't thrilled with the fact that he would have to spend time in Alexia's presence.  He so desperately wanted Kitty to be mistaken somehow, but the fact that Alexia hadn't even put up a fight to deny that she was engaged seemed to prove that it was true.  She had also been avoiding him the past two days, ever since she approached him in the library.  He did not hate her-- he was just confused.

pHe stood and changed into some nice clothes, like what he would wear to a fancy restaurant.  He glanced at the rose in the vase on his desk, its gold gilding reflecting the last rays of afternoon light.  The sun would be down in about an hour.  No wonder they decided to have dinner in the west conference room, the windows would be incredible to look at.

pHe teleported down to the Conference Room doors, where he found himself alone with Alexia.  She was wearing a very nice black velvet skirt and dark blue top, and looked kind of fidgety. 

pThey stared at each other for a moment, and then Alexia spoke.  "Hi, Kurt." There was an excited tone to her voice.

p "Guten Tag," he replied, looking down at the floor.  Where was everyone else?

p "Listen, Kurt, I know the past few days haven't been the greatest for you, and they haven't been the greatest for me, either.  You see, when Kitty just suddenly told me I was engaged, I was surprised and kind of caught of guard.  But then you were there, and that threw me even more off the rocker.  I had no clue what she was talking about, or why Zydane had mentioned a ring.  I couldn't very well defend myself when I don't know if he was going to propose to me or not."

pKurt took a deep breath.  So, if Zydane did propose to her, it wouldn't be totally unexpected.  She acted as though it was almost a given that he might.  "Even if you did not know, you should not have led me to believe you are interested in me since you have a boyfriend."

pAlexia's eyebrows screwed up on her forehead in a puzzled look.  "Zydane isn't my boyfriend – friend yes, but not boyfriend." A light seemed to go on in the back of her head.  "No, Kurt, I'm not cheating on anybody by liking you.  I'm not like that, I don't use people.  But I had no idea what the ring was, and Zydane is known for pulling crazy stunts...No, but today, I figured out what Kitty was hearing about the ring."

pShe pulled a piece of folded paper out of her pocket and handed it to Kurt.  He unfolded it and read it.  Up at the top it said 'INVOICE' and below that, it said "MotoXers Suppliers".  On the actual invoice part, there was one item listed: "O-Ring Chain" followed by some model number.  The addressee of the letter was "Alexia Tambor, c/o Zydane Maylor".

p "You see?" Alexia asked.  "Zydane, like me, shortens words when the other should know what we're talking about.  That's a specific type of chain for a dirt bike.  My chain broke last fall, so I ordered a new one and had it sent to Zydane so he could put it on my bike.  He's a mechanic.  I forgot about it 'cause I ordered it so long ago, and I haven't ridden my bike since October.  When I got this in the mail, I remembered it.  That's what Zydane was talking about she he said ring."

p "A chain for a motorbike?" Kurt asked, surprised.  Kitty had been mistaken.

p "A Idirt/Ibike," she corrected him, with mock sharpness to her voice.  "That's the only way we get can get around up there, really, since we don't have cars.  Listen, Kurt, I'm really sorry if this caused you any grief…"

pKurt cut her off.  "Nien, Alexia, don't be sorry.  It is my fault.  I have been so self-conscious about myself, unt vhen I thought you had a boyfriend, I just found another reason to pity myself.  No girl vould ever like a blue freak..."

p "You're not a freak, Kurt.  I hate how you seem to think you are.  You are quite possibly the most human person I know." Alexia reached out and fixed Kurt's collar.  "And you know that God loves you no matter what, so what does it matter what you look like?" She glanced down at her watch.  "Hey, Kurt, Germany's time is what, 6 hours ahead of our time, right?"

p "Yes.  Vhy do you ask?"

pAlexia grinned.  "You don't wanna miss Mass do you?" She took Kurt's hand and opened the door to the room. 

pThe room had been changed drastically.  There was a make-shift line of chairs with a long cover over them all giving them a joined look – similar to a church pew – facing the alcove above in which the stained glass was burning with the setting sun's light.  In the alcove was a table, covered with a cloth, and on it were a small golden crucifix, a goblet, and a covered plate. Beside it stood a statue of Mary with candles placed before her. Everywhere in the room were lit candles, burning eagerly, as though waiting for the sun to go down so they could show off in the gloom.  Next to the table stood a priest, his hands folded in front of him, smiling warmly at Kurt as Alexia led him into the room.

p "Vhat…Vhat is this?" Kurt breathed, unable to take his eyes off the setting.

p "You wanted to go to Midnight Mass.  Well, It's almost midnight in Germany, you know?" Alexia explained.  "I didn't think you should miss out on something this important because of your English."  Kurt blushed. Either she had bought his excuse for not going to church, or she was truly gullible. She led him to the 'pew' and motioned for him to sit.  Rouge, Ororo, and the Professor were already there.

p "Is everyone here?" The priest asked as Kurt and Alexia sat.

p "No," Professor Xavier said.  "Logan will be here in a few seconds."

pTrue to his word, Logan walked in as the Professor finished speaking.  He was wearing a clean shirt and clean jeans, which was the most you could ask of him.  "Sorry I'm late," he mumbled and took the seat at the end of the pew, next to Kurt.

pThe priest nodded and smiled at everyone.  "Good evening.  It is good to see you all here together to help celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ...."

p**********

pKurt sat spellbound through the service.  It was more beautiful than he had ever imagined.  The service was simplified, no mystery plays acting out the Nativity, but plenty of music about the Birth.  Father Francis spoke with gentle authority as he led the prayers.  The others stumbled through them, having to read them from the programs someone (Alexia probably) had typed up for them all.  It didn't matter though.  He was once again at a church service, and he had never felt happier.

pAs Father Francis said his homily, Kurt looked about with his eyes.  The sun had completely set, and now the candles were the only source of light in the room, casting gentle, flickering shadows across everything.  Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Alexia, her eyes fixed intently on the priest.  The light made her profile glow, as though she were an angel. 

pKurt felt a tear roll down his cheek, and he had no idea why.  He was happy, this was the first time he hadn't been miserable for weeks.  He had no reason to cry.  He glanced at Logan to his right, and realized exactly how lost the man looked.  He too was listening to the priest, and Kurt hoped it was because Logan was interested in what he was hearing, and not because it was the polite thing to do.  The sight of Logan made another tear roll down Kurt's cheek, and he quickly tried to brush it away, but he couldn't keep them gone.  Everything was so beautiful.  It didn't matter to him that the altar was simply decorated, or that the pew wasn't really a pew.  There was still a priest, still prayers, still God.  And Alexia had taken the time to put it together.  That was the most beautiful thing of all.  She had cared enough to get this service together, so that he would not have to miss something that was important to him. 

pThe tears came silently and steadily, pouring down his face and blurring his vision so much that it all just looked like candlelight and nothing else.

pHe felt something press against his hand, and he looked down to see Alexia holding out a handkerchief to him.  He took it and wiped the tears from his face.  She smiled at him and turned back to the priest.  Kurt smiled back, even though she couldn't see it and turned his attention back to Father Francis, who was drawing the homily to a close.  He carefully folded the handkerchief, not wanting to wrinkle it.  He would laugh at himself later for doing so, since it was only a handkerchief, but at that moment it was a symbol of loving grace.

p**********

pAfter the service was over, and Father Francis had left to get to his congregation, Kurt was still on the verge of tears.  They were tears of joy, he realized.  They weren't signs of pain, but of relief.

pAs the others headed to the dining room to eat the dinner Ororo had been working so hard on preparing, Kurt hung back.  The candles were still burning, and Kurt wished he could keep that light in his pocket and carry it wherever he wanted.

p "I never knew you needed that many candles to light a space this big enough to see anything," Alexia murmured in his ear.

pKurt smiled.  "It's beautiful.  I thank you for doing this.  You have no idea how happy I am."

p "I think I do," Alexia said.  "It takes a lot to move people to cry for joy, and I've been there."

pKurt turned to her.  "Would you have still done this even if I was upset with you?"

p "Of course.  When I decide I'm going to do something for someone, I do it, no matter how they act towards me.  I figured it would be some form of apology anyway." She held her hand out to a near by candle, and the flame started to dim, and her eyes shone.  She closed her hand into a fist and held it in front of Kurt's face.  When she opened it, there was a ball of light, about the size of a marble, floating just above her palm.

p "If it makes you feel any better, you're forgiven for being falsely accused," Kurt said quietly, a smile on his lips.  He stared down at the ball of light, amazed by it.

pAlexia smirked a little.  "I thank you so much for your pardon.  Now, let's go eat." She clapped her hands together and the ball of light broke into a million sparkling pieces, and then disappeared.

Kurt nodded.  "I can get us there in no time flat." He grabbed Alexia's hands and envisioned the dining room.  With a quick *BAMF *, they were there.

pEveryone else was just sitting the table, and the loud entrance surprised them.  Alexia and Kurt both grinned at them all and took their seats at the table, side by side. 

pProfessor Xavier smiled.  "It seems the problem has been cleared," he commented lightly, passing Alexia the bowl of baked potatoes.

pAlexia nodded.  "Yeah, I got a letter from Zydane today.  Here."  She handed him the letter and invoice, and started serving herself peas as he and Logan examined them.

p "So, Kitty was wrong," Logan mumbled.  "Well, it wouldn't be the first time." He didn't say anything directly to Alexia, but he looked at her and put out the cigar he had just lit.  She figured that would be the closest he would come to apologizing, and she had no problem with it.

pThe dinner was delicious, with roast beef with the works, and pastries and pies for dessert.  Everyone ate well beyond their reasonable means, and decided that bed would be the best way to remedy their full stomachs. 

pKurt walked Alexia to her room, surprised by the fact that she had grabbed another slice of cheesecake on the way out of the dining room, and was now chomping down on it like she hadn't eaten in days.

p "How do you manage being able to eat so much and not gain an ounce?" He asked her.

p "I don't know.  The Professor says it probably has something to do with the way I can control energy.  Like, my body has a third sense, taking in energy from the environment or giving it back depending on how I'm acting.  Like, I can eat a ton, and if I don't need it all, my body just gives off the calories as heat or something.  When my power first developed, I actually lost a lot of weight.  I used to be chubby when I was twelve or so."

p "Ah.  It must be great, being able to eat vhatever you vant," Kurt said, watching her shove the rest of the cake into her mouth.

p "Not really, I need to have a lot of self control, or else I effect the environment too much.  Like, tonight, if I sleep with too many covers on, I'll wake up in the middle of the night soaking wet from sweat cause I'll make myself too warm." She rolled her eyes.  "It can be a pain."

pThey reached Alexia's room and stood quiet for a moment at the door, not saying anything. 

p "Umm, Alexia," Kurt said finally.  "I thank you so much for the service.  It vas incredible.  Especially that you planned it, even vhen I vas upset with you."

pAlexia shrugged.  "I figured it would be a way to show you I wasn't using you.  I like you Kurt.  You're a great guy.  I wouldn't have bothered to search for a flower shop that would make a rose like that if I didn't mean it."

pKurt grinned.  "It is still as beautiful as it vas vhen you gave it to me." Seeing her surprised look, Kurt explained.  "Vhen I teleported back to my room that night, I found that I had stepped on the rose stem vhen I prepared to teleport, unt it came vith me.  I did not have the heart to throw it out, so I kept it.  It is in a vase on my desk."

p "Really?  I was wondering where it went to," Alexia told him.  She opened the door.  "Goodnight Kurt.  See you tomorrow."

p "Ja.  Good night, mein Fruend."

pKurt went to his own room and slowly pulled on his pajamas, all the while thinking over the service.  It had been simple, and he was the only one who had taken Communion, but it still had made him feel more at home in this strange country.

pHe climbed into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin.  Snow was falling softly outside, piling slowly on the windowsill.  Kurt watched it float in the moonlight until his eyes could stay open no longer, and fell asleep thinking of the angel that had brought him to that evening with God without making him leave his sanctuary.