Chapter 4- Baby's First Christmas Prt. II
The dinner was big. There was turkey, ham, and roast beef. Erik was the only one there who never touched ham, but he didn't mind roast beef and mashed potatoes with cranberry sauce and a piece of pumpkin pie. Moira smiled at Charles as Raven handed Amanda to him, This was Moira's second Christmas with Charles and she loved him every day, And even though they were surprised by this second baby, Moira didn't regret having another baby as long as both of her children were gifts from the man she loved. Charles looked at her, his blue eyes full of love. When Charles had told her that he had erased her memories of him, Moira had been hurt and angry, but when he had explained the reason, Moira had forgiven him, realizing the love behind his actions.
Moira looked at the sweet potatoes on her plate. Normally she loved them, but tonight they caused her stomach to flip. Moira raised her hand to her mouth, willing her traitorous stomach to stay inside. It was then that she noticed someone stroking her face gently. "Moira, love, are you all right?" Charles's voice broke through her concentration. Moira smiled at Charles and Amanda, who had snuggled contentedly in the crook of her father's arm.
"I'm fine, Charles. I love sweet potatoes and I cooked them, but tonight they just don't look good," Moira said, taking a drink of water and smiling faintly at her husband.
"That is all right, my love. Just eat what you can. You don't have to force it," Charles said.
"I just feel awful when I was the one who made them. I used my mother's recipe for heaven's sake," Moira said, feeling terrible for saying that.
"It happens to the best of people, Moira. When my wife was pregnant with Nina, she once cooked potato latkes for me and she got sick at the sight of them, even though it was her mother's recipe," Erik said helpfully.
"Thank you, old friend. See. If it happened to Erik's wife, it's not that strange," Charles said.
"I guess it also proves that mutant or human all mothers get morning sickness," Hank said dryly
"I guess so. I do feel terrible that I put you in this position, love," Charles said, tracing her face gently. Moira gripped his wrist and kissed the palm gently.
" I don't mind. It is worth it to have Amanda and this new baby. People like Stryker can think what they want and call me a traitor to humans for loving a mutant and having his children, but don't think that is how I feel," Moira said.
Charles woke up early the next morning. After slipping out of bed quietly, so as not to wake Moira, Charles went to Raven's room where she had kept Amanda last night. Sometimes when Charles and Moira wanted some time to themselves Raven, Jean, or Ororo would volunteer to watch the baby. Raven answered the door at Charles's knock, Amanda in her arms. Amanda chirped and smiled as soon as her eyes saw Charles. Everyone had expressed amazement at how Amanda Xavier could recognize her father at such a young age. Charles chalked it up to her being the youngest mutant in the school.
"Charles, she just woke up. I think she knows when you are near as she slept through the night and only woke up five minutes ago," Raven said, handing Amanda to him and Amanda gripped his fingers and started her routine of sucking them.
"It has been that way since she was born. It would break my heart if she didn't recognize me," Charles said, kissing his daughter's forehead, earning a happy chirp around the fingers in her mouth.
"Charles, Hank told me that you won't use Cerebro to find out what powers Amanda has. Don't you want to know?" Raven asked.
"Yes, I do, but I want my girl to tell me when she has a new power and I want to be surprised as if her powers are like Christmas gifts," Charles said, stroking Amanda's face with the fingers that weren't in her mouth.
"All right. I won't say anything else about it," Raven said as she followed Charles's chair to the parlor. Hank and Erik were standing there and turned to Charles and Raven.
"So, what do you want us to do, Charles?" Erik asked.
"I want to hang stockings for the children and, since I can't stand up, I want you and Erik to do it," Charles said.
"The boxes are over there and we had better get started before the kids wake up," Hank said, going over to two boxes that just said 'Christmas Decorations."
Charles couldn't hang the stockings like Hank, Raven, and Erik. All he could do was sit there with Amanda in his arms, listening to her as she chirped and sucked his fingers and made baby noises that almost sounded like words in baby talk. Hank had said she might pick up talking quicker than a human baby with the X gene in her body.
Charles was not paying much attention to his daughter's babbling when all of a sudden he sat up in shock and looked down at his girl. "Amanda, what did you say?" Charles asked, holding Amanda up, just so he could look in her blue eyes.
"Charles, what's wrong?" Raven asked with concern as she, Hank, and Erik came over to him.
"Nothing, I don't think. But Amanda. I just heard her say something clearly. Come on, love. Repeat it for Daddy," Charles said, pressing a kiss to her forehead as he pulled his fingers from her mouth.
"Daddy," Amanda said in a light airy voice and reached for his hand.