Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution or anything related to it, the only thing I own are my OCs. This is an AGU fic but I'm not sure if it will be canon or not, given the timeline it does take place after Back to School but this is just for fun really.

X-Men Christmas

Chapter 1: Deck the Halls

It was December at this moment, a week before Christmas as the snow fell lightly in the early morning in Bayville. At Xavier's the place was decorated all over in lights and other seasonal decorations. A few snowmen were around, some ice statues thanks to Iceman, and several snow forts. Many that looked to have just survived a war as they were falling apart.

Given the few snowball fights at the mansion it was a wonder a few still stood, everyone was gearing up for the season as they had time off of school and so far there was no real trouble on the horizon. It seemed that even the Hellions, Magneto and all the others were taking the time off and the mutants at Xavier's weren't complaining.

In the early morning a buzzing sound was heard, Jean Grey the red headed mutant telepath moaned as she reached out and shut off her alarm it was too early and she wanted to sleep in a bit more. Then she felt a form shift in her bed behind her and a familiar arm wrap around her waist, this gave her a small smile knowing who it was.

She turned around and started to snuggle up against Scott who was right next to her. The week they had off had been great, there wasn't any missions, no world threatening disasters or villains, and she had caught up an all school work. Just one week of relaxing and given how hectic their lives were and how college was she needed it.

The stress of finals had been getting to her but that was all behind her at least for a few weeks. She moaned happily as she felt one of Scott's hands on the small of her back caressing her there. "So what time is your flight home?" He asked her gently.

She sighed, she wanted to enjoy the moment not wanting to think about this. Jean had hoped that Scott would be able to have Christmas with her and her family but he was going with Alex this year. She didn't mind, he was after all his brother and they had years to catch up on.

"Later today, I got to leave just after six if I want to get there with enough time," She groaned as she started to wake up a bit more. Last night they had decided to enjoy the last night together since they wouldn't see each other for about a week, they hated being apart for that long but they would see each other again.

It was also good that their whole relationship wasn't a secret, since as long as they were responsible the adults didn't mind them sharing a room now and then, after all they were adults now themselves. "I'm going to miss you." Scott simply told her giving her a small hug.

She smiled and nodded, "So will I…Well now that I'm awake we might as well get dressed and I need a shower." She sighed as she broke the hold lightly. She reached for a robe by her bed and went to her bathroom, another thing she liked about the new renovations. No more sharing a few bathrooms with over twenty other people.

She stopped for a moment as she looked over her shoulder, "You coming or not?" She gave him a playful smile as she went into the doorway. Scott grinned, he didn't need to be told twice.

Later that day others were already getting up, at least those not sleeping in, in the kitchen there was Ororo, Blink, and Vincent helping to make breakfast. Blink was really getting the hang of cooking under her adopted mother's teaching and she found she liked it. "So when are you two leaving for New York?" Vince asked Clarice.

The lavender skinned girl was next to him cooking some eggs, "Later today after everyone else goes. It will be nice to see them and I hope Evan at least visits." She told him, she was looking forward to seeing her new aunt and uncle again. And to see how far along Vivian was in her pregnancy, she had to be a few months along by now.

Ororo listened in and she too hoped that Evan would at least show up, ever since the Morlocks went underground after the Spears thing they hadn't been seen that often. A few letters from Evan made their way to her and her sister but not much else. It was a sad thing that Evan was distancing himself like this and she hoped it wouldn't get any worse.

Logan was there reading his paper a hot cup of black coffee was next to him. Ororo gave him a look, normally he would just go off on his own at this time but with a daughter of his own he had to stick it out for her sake. It was Sarah's first Christmas after all, being a clone growing up with Hydra she had never heard of Christmas.

She still smiled when Sarah first saw all the decorations and just walked around the mansion looking at everything, there was a wonder in her eyes and for a moment Ororo thought she saw a hint of something in the young girl's eyes. Something long lost to her, a sense of child like wonder about Christmas.

"Better get the grub on, Hayseed and the Kid are coming," Logan suddenly said not looking up from his paper. By now they knew what he was talking about as Vince got the plate of food as Sarah "X23" Logan and her friend Paige "Husk" Guthrie came in. As usual they had their morning runs together it was just something they liked to do, although Paige kept wondering how a girl with metal claws in her body could run so fast.

"Good run girls?" Vince asked them as X23 dug into her food, she only had slightly better table manners then her 'father' Logan, Paige at least nodded to him.

"Oh yeah and ah'm glad we got that new indoor gym. Runnin' in snow is a bit hard. Plus ah never liked how the air in ya lungs get, 'cause of the cold." The young blond said in her southern accent as she started to eat.

Vince had to smirk as the two ate, they looked like night and day sitting there but they really seemed to work well with each other. And they liked to eat at the same speed as well. Sarah just liked the food here, it was heavenly compared to that stuff she grew up on, it tasted like cardboard and stale. Here food had flavour and smelled good.

She would miss having Paige around for a week, she and her brother were going home to visit their families like many others were. In fact Rahne was going to see her mother, Jubilee, Bobby, Roberto, Alex were all going to their families. Ray was staying of course since the last he saw his parents was when they kicked him out.

Kai was still here since he had no home to go to, Amara's people didn't celebrate Christmas and even though she would have liked to have gone home she was staying. Sarah thought it was because that Kai was still here and she had a crush on him. Mostly everyone knew of it now, she knew because of the smells Amara gave off when she was near him.

She looked at Vincent and knew he was staying, he wanted to go home but he thought it would be best not to at this time. He missed his home but given how things were when he left he didn't want to cause any trouble, especially at this time of year. She sensed how this hurt him and she didn't like that.

He had been a supportive person for her here, and one of the few that could understand her given he too, like her father was treated cruelly by men and women of science. Her thoughts were broken when Kurt suddenly teleported in, she jerked and just managed to control her claws coming out.

She really hated it when he surprised her like that, it wasn't healthy to suddenly startle a living weapon.

Kurt took no notice giving that his back was to her, he was too excited as he was all smiles. "Good morning evervone," He smiled as he went to gather up a large plate of food. "How is evervone this morning?"

Clarice grinned at his mood, "Kurt you've been smiling and acting like you're Paige on a sugar high."

"Hey!" Paige said hearing that, "ah'm not that bad."

"Yeah Sarah is worse," Vince smirked hearing a small growl from Sarah but knew she was just playing along. Everyone remembered when Paige got Sarah a lot of sugar. Logan had to take her into the Danger Room for four hours before she burned it off, and Forge and Beast spent the rest of the day repairing the system.

Kurt laughed at the interplay, "You know full vell zhat zhis year mien family is actually coming here! I mean not only vill I get to see zhem but zhey vanted to come here to meet both Amanda and Rogue."

"Yeah she's a little nervous about that," Vincent nodded as he went back to work. Rogue had been a little on edge about meeting Kurt's foster parents and how they would react to her. He of course had been helping out as much as he could to relieve that of course.

There was a yawn as a purpled haired teen that looked a lot like Mystique's 'Risty' persona came in. "Oh god that smells great," Betsy Braddock said in her typical British voice. "You know the food here really helps take the edge off all the other bloody things that go on here at times."

"It's not that bad here," Paige told the other girl as she sat down with them on the table.

Betsy shrugged, "Okay no it's not, just the early training and the bigotry and the evil villain now and then. But at least here I feel at home and not a freak or an outcast."

"On that note you're flight is tonight isn't it?" Vince asked as he got himself a plate and sat down.

The telepath nodded her head, "Oh yes, I'm sharing a flight with Rahne since we're heading the same way. She just gets off at the transfer point in Scotland, then I go home and my family will pick me up." She was really looking forward to it as well. She missed her family and her twin brother as well, she couldn't wait to see Brian again.

"So I know a few of the others are going, but is it true Kitty managed to convince Piotr to visit with her and her family?"

"Yes she did and Illyana is going too, in fact I think she's teleporting them all the way there," Blink said sitting down with her own meal. She then noticed the looks she was getting from her statement, even Logan looked up from his paper.

"Tin man's little sister is teleporting them?" Logan asked Blink like she was nuts. "Ya do remember what happened the last few times she tried that while visiting right?"

Everyone knew that Illyana's teleportation skills weren't the best. Last couple of visits she missed her mark, once she landed on the other side of Bayville, another time she landed in the bathroom while one of the boys using it. That had been a nightmare when she freaked and her magic destroyed the room.

It took a week to make Ray to take another shower after that, he had been refusing on the grounds that he didn't want anymore crazy blond Russian girls with magic swords jumping in on him again.

They had to literally pick him up and throw him into a tub of water to get him to clean up. Even his girlfriend Pam couldn't stand to be around him after four days, he was so smelly that Logan and Sarah could smell him coming from a mile away.

"Well that will be interesting," Vince said eating his bacon, "Meeting the parents, I'm glad I don't have to worry about that."

"Well technically ya did already meet her mother," Paige told him and he groaned remembering that. She had infiltrated the mansion and set off an EMP, that was when he learned that an EMP shuts him down and leaves him aching all over.

"Yeah well at least she's not visiting, no offence Kurt but your mother is…well…" He tried to be polite about it but that was kind of hard to do with her. Kurt sighed and nodded his head he completely understood. It was hard knowing what his biological mother was after all this time but he was dealing with it.

At least his foster parents were coming and it would be great to have them here with everyone. He felt that this Christmas would be the best one yet.

Else where in the mansion Tabitha was packing in her room while Amara helped out, she wanted to make sure she had everything ready to go and she wondered how the hell Sam talked her into joining her with his family. Sure with her father in jail and her mom was kind of still in rehab for her drinking she had planned on just staying at the mansion.

But boy Sam could really be convincing when he had to be, she had only met his family once when they went to collect his little sister, but they had been very nice to her. Amara picked up a pair of pants for her, "You sure you're going to need all of this?" She pointed at the three cases.

"I have no idea, never been on a farm in winter so I'm going prepared," She shrugged throwing her Ipod into a travel bag. "I wish I had done this earlier."

"That's what you get when you procrastinate," Amara said with a smirk closing one of the cases.

Tabitha roller her eyes, "Yeah, yeah I know. I just can't help being me, anyways before I forget here." She reached into her dresser and pulled out a present and handed it to her. "Just don't open it until later tonight."

"Aw thanks, I got you something too," The princess smiled as she went to get hers and gave it to her. Tabitha shook it but couldn't tell what it was, she hated not knowing a secret. Maybe why she wanted to rip it open at that moment and find out what it was.

"Thanks girlfriend," She hugged her as the two best friends hugged for a moment. "Man I am really going to miss this place, I'm surprised you didn't want to go home though."

Amara shrugged, "I didn't want to make them fly me out there, you know only the Blackbird can get there since if I went to Brazil I would have to travel for over a week there on foot." It was a lame excuse but truth was she liked this place too, Nova Roma seemed boring in comparison although it would always be home to her.

Although there was one more reason behind her choice as well and Tabitha had a sly grin on her face. "Un-huh and it has nothing to do with a certain Japanese boy that you've had a crush on for all this time?"

Amara blushed looking away, she had been patient with letting Kai get over the loss of his girlfriend but lately she was getting a bit impatient. Tabitha grinned as she started to look through her dresser again, "You know there is something you can use to help you along. It will guarantee you a kiss from him and he will have nothing to do about it."

Amara wanted to say something against it but she was wondering just what she had in mind, she tried to think of what on Earth Tabitha was talking about when the taller blond turned around all smiles. She walked over to her and placed something in her hand.

Amara looked down and suddenly she understood and she got a smile on her face as well. She looked up at a grinning Amara with a curious look, "Tabby…what were you doing with mistletoe?"

Tabby just shrugged, "Hey you never know when it could come in handy ya know."

Amara looked over the small green plant again and just maybe she would use it, after all it was definitely one tradition in this holiday that she was going to enjoy. She remembered when Kurt had tried it on Kitty. Sure that hadn't gone well but maybe she could make it work for her. That is maybe after she spent a few hours on herself making herself more pretty.

A plan and a smile worked itself onto her and Tabitha could see her work was done here and hoped her for the best.

NEXT UP CHAPTER 2: GIFTS AND GOODBYES