Part 1 = Here Comes Santa Claus?

Packages had been piling up under the tree at Xavier's School for the Gifted, because most of its students lived there year-round. Guards had also, reluctantly, been posted over the gifts after someone opened up a SuperSoaker early and effectively ended the pyrokinesis class.

There were only five more days until Christmas, and classes had been cancelled this afternoon due to snow. Bobby Drake watched it fall, sending flakes into peoples' eyes, and creating more, until a well-bred voice caused him to turn around.

"Santa Claus is a mutant, of course," said Beast to one of the children, lowering his large blue head to hers. "How else could he survive at the North Pole?"

Bobby grinned and decided to take part. He cleared his throat and looked very serious. "That's right. I couldn't survive at the North Pole unless I was a mutant."

The girl turned from one to the other, with a skeptical look on her face that would make Susan Walker, the daughter in Miracle on 34th Street, proud. "Bobby, you're not Santa," she said smugly. "You don't have white hair or reindeer, or anything."

Bobby smiled. "Every December 24, I age about 60 years, start sagging, and become amazingly attractive to reindeer."

"And, of course," Beast rejoined, "you see his elf all the time." He gestured to the window, where Kurt was helping some of the others build some strange structure out of snow.

Bobby let out a snicker at that one, and the girl nodded. "See, I knew you weren't Santa."

He struggled for control, but couldn't help letting out laughs between words. "No, I really am. Trust me. Ho ho ho. See?"

She rolled her eyes. Bobby couldn't contain his laughter any more, and even Beast finally broke up. "Come on," the girl said impatiently to the two mutants rolling on the floor, tears in their eyes from laughing so hard. "I want a good snowball fight with you." They finally got up and ran out the door to play at last.