1 A Very Merry X-Mas
1.1 Author's note-
The X-Men are the property of Fox and Marvel Comics. If they were mine, I'd be very rich and making this into a movie or a comic. ;)
This story takes place after the Season Two episode "Joyride". There is some implied romance, but nothing too sappy. There are also a few bad words sprinkled throughout, so turn back if that offends you.
It was nearly 7:00 p.m. Most people would be settling down in front of the TV, or starting the next chapter in their book. But for Ryan Wharton, it was time for bed. As he slid under his covers, he prepared himself for what he considered to be more important than going to work, than living what the awake called "life". His life was to begin now, once his eyes closed and he entered the blissful process of REM sleep.
As he drifted away, he considered who he would visit this time. The girl at the coffee shop? Yes, she was pretty and he enjoyed their morning banter. Yes, tonight she would be his.
The alarm clock had been going off for a good 15 minutes before a blue forked tail slithered out from beneath the covers and hit the snooze button. A three-fingered hand reached up and pulled down the covers, while the other rubbed the sleep out of Kurt Wagner's eyes. He peered at the clock, and realized that he was late.again.
"Oh, geez.I don't vant to get up." He felt as though he had just gone through a three-hour session in the Danger Room, not like he had slept through the night soundly.
He sighed as he grabbed his towels and a change of clothes before he BAMFed out of his room.
Most of the X-men sat around the table eating breakfast. Jean was skimming over her history book, her half-eaten piece of toast levitating next to her. Scott and Evan were talking about Christmas break as Kitty walked in and began to spread cream cheese on her bagel.
"Where's Kurt?" She asked before her first bite.
"I dunno. I knocked on his door before I came down. Probably still sleeping." Evan answered. He began to blow bubbles in his milk with his straw, much to Scott's annoyance.
"You'd think he'd be up on time for once. Like, it's the last day of school before break. That'd get me out of bed." Kitty said. She turned to Logan. "Mr. Logan, have you started your Christmas shopping yet?"
He grunted from behind his newspaper. Kitty shrugged. She figured that Kurt wasn't the only person around here who wasn't a morning person.
"I'm going to have to leave. We're already 5 minutes behind schedule."
"Scott, we wait for him. He's probably on his way now." Rogue said from the passenger seat. "Anyway, one tardy isn't goin' to mar you sterling record that much."
Kurt finally teleported into the car next to Kitty, just before Scott pulled away.
"Glad you decided to make it." Kitty said.
"I was wondering when you'd show up". Scott said as they drove off.
"Ja, Sorry. I had a hard time getting up. I feel like I haven't slept all at." Kurt yawned. "Thanks for vaiting up."
Rogue was shifted in her seat to talk to them. "Mmmm, ah know what you mean. Maybe it's because we're excited about the holidays."
"Yeah, Kurt'll use any excuse he can get." Kitty smiled at Kurt, who yawned again. He looked like he was about to fall asleep right next to her.
Scott drove on, and Kitty noticed Rogue sneaking looks at him throughout the whole ride. She smiled to herself, and then poked Kurt in the side.
"Kurt. Kurt, wake up!"
His eyes popped open, and he looked surprised. "Oh, sorry Kitty."
Kurt could hardly stay awake during his classes. Every minute seemed longer than the last, and all he could think about was going back to sleep. Mein Gott, I must have slept for 9 hours last night. Why am I so tired?
He looked at the clock again, and then dug around in his pocket for a piece of gum. He shifted to a more upright position, and then tried to concentrate on chewing his gum. Anything to stay awake.
Rogue was having the same problem as Kurt. It was bad enough to have sit through algebra fully rested, but now? She really wanted to skip out, but with her luck Principal Kelly would be making his rounds and she'd get another detention. Professor Xavier had already had her in his office last week over detention, and she didn't want to risk his ire again. She doubted if the Christmas spirit would keep her off of probation, and the last thing she wanted to do was have to clean out the Danger Room.
So she opened her notebook to a blank page and began doodling. Her thoughts drifted to Scott, and she couldn't help but to smile. But then she thought of Jean, and her face returned to its usual dour expression. Everyone loves Jean.especially Scott.
"Hey Kitty."
Kitty looked up from her locker.
"Oh, hi Lance. What's up?"
He shifted nervously. "So, what're you doing for Christmas?"
"Oh, well, my parents have to go to Indiana to see my grandparents, so they're going to stop by on the way on the 23rd probably. Then, like, all of us at the Institute are going to have our own Christmas. Beast.uh, Dr. McCoy wants us to have this formal dinner, so I gotta go to that too." She flipped her ponytail. "So what're you doing?"
"Oh, well, most of us are sticking around the house. Mystique comes and goes, so Fred and I are going to try to make Christmas dinner ourselves."
Kitty raised an eyebrow at this. "You guys can cook?"
Lance smiled, putting on his best "I'm lying to you, but I'll be damned if you know it" smile. "Sure! We're going all out for Christmas."
He paused for a minute. "You ought to stop by, you know, if you want to."
Kitty thought about it for a moment. "Are you having mashed potatoes?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess."
"Great- I don't believe in eating ham. It's bad for you and even worse for the pig. I'll stop by for a bite, okay? But I have to save some room for our dinner at the Institute."
Lance smiled, genuinely this time. "Well great. I'll see you then."
After school, while the others went to the kitchen to celebrate their freedom, both Kurt and Rogue made a beeline for their rooms. Rogue went straight to bed, while Kurt futilely tried to clean his room. His laundry was half sorted when he had to go to bed. Just a little nap before dinner.
Rogue was almost asleep when she heard a soft knocking at the door.
"Come in." She mumbled. Kitty phased through the door, not bothering to open it.
"Hi Rogue. What's up?"
Rogue sat up and ran her hands through her hair. "I was just goin' to take a nap before dinner. Why?"
Kitty pulled the chair out from Rogue's desk and settled into it. "Oh, I don't know. It's just."
"Just what?"
"Well, Lance asked me to stop by on Christmas. That's okay, isn't it? I mean, he was going to be an X-Man." She flipped her ponytail as she looked at the floor.
Rogue sighed. Men. "Well, I guess so. As long as you're back for dinner- Mr. McCoy is plannin' on some kinda formal do'. He even wants us to dress up an' stuff."
"Oh, I will be." Kitty sat there, deep in thought.
Rogue knew what she was here to talk about. "You know Lance likes you, don't ya?"
Kitty nodded. "Yeah, I know. I mean, it was like so cool how he stopped the new guys from taking the Blackbird out and all, and he did mean well when he joined up with us."
Rouge smirked. "He joined us to be close to you. Don't be goin' over there for Christmas and givin' him the wrong idea. He needs to know how you feel."
"Well that's just it. I don't know how I feel about him. Just like with Kurt." Kitty knew that Kurt was crazy about her. And even though she had gotten over his demon-like appearance, she wasn't sure if she could return his feelings. But that was what was so great about Kurt- he had never been pushy about things; he was always there for her, and had become one of her closest friends.
"Well we all know how Kurt feels for ya. And if you're holdin' back for him, then don't. It'll be hard for him, but we.adjust." Her thoughts drifted back to Scott again, and his obvious feelings for the oh-so-perfect Jean Grey.
"We?" Kitty had picked up on Rogue's slip. "You know, Scott may feel something for you too. You never know- I could ask if you want?"
Rogue yawned. "Oh Kitty, that's so junior high." She yawned again. "Anyway, no need to find out what I already know."
"Well, okay. You uh, get some rest." Kitty got up to leave as Rogue slipped back under the covers.
"I'll tell you what- we'll talk more about it after dinner, okay?" Rogue asked. Kitty nodded, and then left, turning out the lights before she phased back through the door.
Rogue quickly fell asleep.
They were running through the forest together, many yards ahead of the cursing crowd behind them.
"Come on, ve have to go faster!"
"I'm runnin' as fast as I can! We been goin' on for ages!"
"Ve have to keep going. If they catch us, they'll kill us!"
The temperature increased quickly as they stepped into the clearing, the night becoming day. The earth was red beneath them, and the shouting had stopped.
"Vere are ve?"
"Ah don't know Kurt- I just don't know."
There were two empty seats at the table at the meal.
"Where's Rogue and the elf?" Logan asked between bites of lasagna.
Evan took a long drink of milk, and then replied, "I don't know. Should we check on them?"
"I'll go and look." Kitty excused herself from the table and went upstairs. She had announced her Christmas plans at the table, and got mixed reactions. The Professor, trusting as he was, thought it was a wonderful idea. Scott and Logan both wondered if it could be some sort of trap. But Storm, always the voice of reason, noted that Kitty was quite able to defend herself, and that the Professor could always use Cerebro to monitor her if he needed to. Still, Rogue's advice rang through her mind- Don't be goin' over there for Christmas and givin' him the wrong idea. Damn it, she just didn't know!
Kitty rounded the corner of the hall and tapped on Rogue's door. When there was no reply, she knocked harder. "Rogue? Are you okay?"
When there was no reply, she finally decided to phase through her door. The lights were still off, and since night had fallen the room was almost completely dark. She leaned over the form in the bed, and lightly tapped Rogue's shoulder.
"Rogue, wake up. Rogue, wake up!" There was no response, so she ran down the hall to Kurt's room, and walked in without knocking. Kurt was curled up in fetal position, his tail wrapped around his waist.
"Kurt? Like Kurt, you need to wake up!" She shook him, and then grabbed his wrist to take his pulse. She finally found one under his velvety fur, and it seemed normal enough to her. She reached for the cup on his nightstand tried one last time.
"Kurt!" She yelled, throwing the contents of the cup on his face. There was no response.
"Professor! Mr. Logan!" She shouted. "I can't wake them up!"
1.1 Author's note-
The X-Men are the property of Fox and Marvel Comics. If they were mine, I'd be very rich and making this into a movie or a comic. ;)
This story takes place after the Season Two episode "Joyride". There is some implied romance, but nothing too sappy. There are also a few bad words sprinkled throughout, so turn back if that offends you.
It was nearly 7:00 p.m. Most people would be settling down in front of the TV, or starting the next chapter in their book. But for Ryan Wharton, it was time for bed. As he slid under his covers, he prepared himself for what he considered to be more important than going to work, than living what the awake called "life". His life was to begin now, once his eyes closed and he entered the blissful process of REM sleep.
As he drifted away, he considered who he would visit this time. The girl at the coffee shop? Yes, she was pretty and he enjoyed their morning banter. Yes, tonight she would be his.
The alarm clock had been going off for a good 15 minutes before a blue forked tail slithered out from beneath the covers and hit the snooze button. A three-fingered hand reached up and pulled down the covers, while the other rubbed the sleep out of Kurt Wagner's eyes. He peered at the clock, and realized that he was late.again.
"Oh, geez.I don't vant to get up." He felt as though he had just gone through a three-hour session in the Danger Room, not like he had slept through the night soundly.
He sighed as he grabbed his towels and a change of clothes before he BAMFed out of his room.
Most of the X-men sat around the table eating breakfast. Jean was skimming over her history book, her half-eaten piece of toast levitating next to her. Scott and Evan were talking about Christmas break as Kitty walked in and began to spread cream cheese on her bagel.
"Where's Kurt?" She asked before her first bite.
"I dunno. I knocked on his door before I came down. Probably still sleeping." Evan answered. He began to blow bubbles in his milk with his straw, much to Scott's annoyance.
"You'd think he'd be up on time for once. Like, it's the last day of school before break. That'd get me out of bed." Kitty said. She turned to Logan. "Mr. Logan, have you started your Christmas shopping yet?"
He grunted from behind his newspaper. Kitty shrugged. She figured that Kurt wasn't the only person around here who wasn't a morning person.
"I'm going to have to leave. We're already 5 minutes behind schedule."
"Scott, we wait for him. He's probably on his way now." Rogue said from the passenger seat. "Anyway, one tardy isn't goin' to mar you sterling record that much."
Kurt finally teleported into the car next to Kitty, just before Scott pulled away.
"Glad you decided to make it." Kitty said.
"I was wondering when you'd show up". Scott said as they drove off.
"Ja, Sorry. I had a hard time getting up. I feel like I haven't slept all at." Kurt yawned. "Thanks for vaiting up."
Rogue was shifted in her seat to talk to them. "Mmmm, ah know what you mean. Maybe it's because we're excited about the holidays."
"Yeah, Kurt'll use any excuse he can get." Kitty smiled at Kurt, who yawned again. He looked like he was about to fall asleep right next to her.
Scott drove on, and Kitty noticed Rogue sneaking looks at him throughout the whole ride. She smiled to herself, and then poked Kurt in the side.
"Kurt. Kurt, wake up!"
His eyes popped open, and he looked surprised. "Oh, sorry Kitty."
Kurt could hardly stay awake during his classes. Every minute seemed longer than the last, and all he could think about was going back to sleep. Mein Gott, I must have slept for 9 hours last night. Why am I so tired?
He looked at the clock again, and then dug around in his pocket for a piece of gum. He shifted to a more upright position, and then tried to concentrate on chewing his gum. Anything to stay awake.
Rogue was having the same problem as Kurt. It was bad enough to have sit through algebra fully rested, but now? She really wanted to skip out, but with her luck Principal Kelly would be making his rounds and she'd get another detention. Professor Xavier had already had her in his office last week over detention, and she didn't want to risk his ire again. She doubted if the Christmas spirit would keep her off of probation, and the last thing she wanted to do was have to clean out the Danger Room.
So she opened her notebook to a blank page and began doodling. Her thoughts drifted to Scott, and she couldn't help but to smile. But then she thought of Jean, and her face returned to its usual dour expression. Everyone loves Jean.especially Scott.
"Hey Kitty."
Kitty looked up from her locker.
"Oh, hi Lance. What's up?"
He shifted nervously. "So, what're you doing for Christmas?"
"Oh, well, my parents have to go to Indiana to see my grandparents, so they're going to stop by on the way on the 23rd probably. Then, like, all of us at the Institute are going to have our own Christmas. Beast.uh, Dr. McCoy wants us to have this formal dinner, so I gotta go to that too." She flipped her ponytail. "So what're you doing?"
"Oh, well, most of us are sticking around the house. Mystique comes and goes, so Fred and I are going to try to make Christmas dinner ourselves."
Kitty raised an eyebrow at this. "You guys can cook?"
Lance smiled, putting on his best "I'm lying to you, but I'll be damned if you know it" smile. "Sure! We're going all out for Christmas."
He paused for a minute. "You ought to stop by, you know, if you want to."
Kitty thought about it for a moment. "Are you having mashed potatoes?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess."
"Great- I don't believe in eating ham. It's bad for you and even worse for the pig. I'll stop by for a bite, okay? But I have to save some room for our dinner at the Institute."
Lance smiled, genuinely this time. "Well great. I'll see you then."
After school, while the others went to the kitchen to celebrate their freedom, both Kurt and Rogue made a beeline for their rooms. Rogue went straight to bed, while Kurt futilely tried to clean his room. His laundry was half sorted when he had to go to bed. Just a little nap before dinner.
Rogue was almost asleep when she heard a soft knocking at the door.
"Come in." She mumbled. Kitty phased through the door, not bothering to open it.
"Hi Rogue. What's up?"
Rogue sat up and ran her hands through her hair. "I was just goin' to take a nap before dinner. Why?"
Kitty pulled the chair out from Rogue's desk and settled into it. "Oh, I don't know. It's just."
"Just what?"
"Well, Lance asked me to stop by on Christmas. That's okay, isn't it? I mean, he was going to be an X-Man." She flipped her ponytail as she looked at the floor.
Rogue sighed. Men. "Well, I guess so. As long as you're back for dinner- Mr. McCoy is plannin' on some kinda formal do'. He even wants us to dress up an' stuff."
"Oh, I will be." Kitty sat there, deep in thought.
Rogue knew what she was here to talk about. "You know Lance likes you, don't ya?"
Kitty nodded. "Yeah, I know. I mean, it was like so cool how he stopped the new guys from taking the Blackbird out and all, and he did mean well when he joined up with us."
Rouge smirked. "He joined us to be close to you. Don't be goin' over there for Christmas and givin' him the wrong idea. He needs to know how you feel."
"Well that's just it. I don't know how I feel about him. Just like with Kurt." Kitty knew that Kurt was crazy about her. And even though she had gotten over his demon-like appearance, she wasn't sure if she could return his feelings. But that was what was so great about Kurt- he had never been pushy about things; he was always there for her, and had become one of her closest friends.
"Well we all know how Kurt feels for ya. And if you're holdin' back for him, then don't. It'll be hard for him, but we.adjust." Her thoughts drifted back to Scott again, and his obvious feelings for the oh-so-perfect Jean Grey.
"We?" Kitty had picked up on Rogue's slip. "You know, Scott may feel something for you too. You never know- I could ask if you want?"
Rogue yawned. "Oh Kitty, that's so junior high." She yawned again. "Anyway, no need to find out what I already know."
"Well, okay. You uh, get some rest." Kitty got up to leave as Rogue slipped back under the covers.
"I'll tell you what- we'll talk more about it after dinner, okay?" Rogue asked. Kitty nodded, and then left, turning out the lights before she phased back through the door.
Rogue quickly fell asleep.
They were running through the forest together, many yards ahead of the cursing crowd behind them.
"Come on, ve have to go faster!"
"I'm runnin' as fast as I can! We been goin' on for ages!"
"Ve have to keep going. If they catch us, they'll kill us!"
The temperature increased quickly as they stepped into the clearing, the night becoming day. The earth was red beneath them, and the shouting had stopped.
"Vere are ve?"
"Ah don't know Kurt- I just don't know."
There were two empty seats at the table at the meal.
"Where's Rogue and the elf?" Logan asked between bites of lasagna.
Evan took a long drink of milk, and then replied, "I don't know. Should we check on them?"
"I'll go and look." Kitty excused herself from the table and went upstairs. She had announced her Christmas plans at the table, and got mixed reactions. The Professor, trusting as he was, thought it was a wonderful idea. Scott and Logan both wondered if it could be some sort of trap. But Storm, always the voice of reason, noted that Kitty was quite able to defend herself, and that the Professor could always use Cerebro to monitor her if he needed to. Still, Rogue's advice rang through her mind- Don't be goin' over there for Christmas and givin' him the wrong idea. Damn it, she just didn't know!
Kitty rounded the corner of the hall and tapped on Rogue's door. When there was no reply, she knocked harder. "Rogue? Are you okay?"
When there was no reply, she finally decided to phase through her door. The lights were still off, and since night had fallen the room was almost completely dark. She leaned over the form in the bed, and lightly tapped Rogue's shoulder.
"Rogue, wake up. Rogue, wake up!" There was no response, so she ran down the hall to Kurt's room, and walked in without knocking. Kurt was curled up in fetal position, his tail wrapped around his waist.
"Kurt? Like Kurt, you need to wake up!" She shook him, and then grabbed his wrist to take his pulse. She finally found one under his velvety fur, and it seemed normal enough to her. She reached for the cup on his nightstand tried one last time.
"Kurt!" She yelled, throwing the contents of the cup on his face. There was no response.
"Professor! Mr. Logan!" She shouted. "I can't wake them up!"
