The Secret
Chapter Five: Beast
Hank McCoy pushed his glasses up, so they set properly on his nose, and opened his newspaper. A delicate china cup held a moderately sweet tea that often made him think of a woman he dated back in college.
Hank inhaled deeply and had to look around his paper toward the open door that led in to the hall. The great house was slowly filling with the enticing aroma of roast bird. Hank licked his lips distractedly. Thanksgiving in the Xavier house was always an elaborate and catered affair. Eventually, when everyone was awake and impatiently awaiting dinner, they would spill out on to the lawn.
Frisbees, footballs, fireworks and food promised to fill the evening with smiles, laughter and groans of gluttony
Suddenly, as he sipped his tea, the news and his memories were not enough. It was all filtered life. And he wanted the real thing.
He stood up and crossed over to the windows to look down on the lawn below. Rahne and Jubilee were playing Frisbee already.
Or to be more specific, Jubilee was throwing the Frisbee and Rahne, in her wolf form was chasing it down and bringing it back.
Hank felt himself smile. What a great way to spend a day of your youth. He thought as she took off across the lawn at a full and frightening speed, hanging just an inch behind the disk the entire way, until it slowed, ever so slightly, and she snatched it with a K-9 smile and a snort of satisfaction.
Yes! He laughed to himself. Nice catch!
Hank smiled again as Jubilee looked up toward the window and waved. He waved back and she turned her attention back to her wolfen friend.
"Come on Rahne, let's have it." He heard her say as she tried to snatch the disk from the playful little wolf girl. Rahne in response struck the classic 'playful puppy' pose that tempted Jubilee to try to snatch the disk back. She managed to get a hold of it, but Rahne refused to let go.
"Come on. Give it up.' Jubilee protested, but Rahne just thrashed her head and made Jubilee turn loose her grip.
"Oh, that's it." Jubilee laughed, making a fist and letting her plasma discharges erupt between her fingers as a warning. "You are so dead.' She told Rahne.
Rahne in turn growled lowly and made her eyebrows rise and fall tauntingly.
Hank turned away before the real game began. He had a feeling that what was to come next was best kept 'off the record' and therefor, away from the eyes of the staff.
But that's what I want to do with myself today. He realized. Live – out loud!
And he stopped short on his way out the door. He had to laugh at himself for a moment. It had been a long time since he went, in his own words, looking to get in to trouble.
He sauntered down the hall, casting his eyes over anyone he ran across, and then down the front staircase. A caterer was picking up a stack of boxes at the bottom of the stairs.
"Careful there. " Hank cautioned him, steadying the boxes in his arms.
"Thanks." He said distractedly and without looking.
And then he noticed what Hank looked like.
A slow and quiet calm seemed to envelope him as he looked Hank in the eye. "Really. Thanks." He said sincerely.
"Don't mention it." Hank smiled at the strange little man. "Are you alright?"
"Sure." The man answered quickly then paused. "I just don't know that I've ever met a real mutant before. I was just thinking this was a cool way to have finally gotten around to it." He shrugged. "Like I said, thanks again." And he began to lumber off toward the kitchen with his many packages.
"Cool indeed." Hank agreed softly to himself, watching him go.
"Hello Hank. Happy Thanksgiving." Xavier rolled up next to him.
"Oh, Professor. Good …" Hank checked his watch. "Afternoon . And, Happy Thanksgiving." He smiled and opened the front doors so they could look out across the lawn.
Jubilee was sprinting madly toward the side of the house, holding what looked like a half-melted, smoldering plastic triangle and laughing wildly. A moment behind her was a snapping, snarling, ferocious wolf, running with her tongue hanging out, clearly showing her exhaustion, but refusing to quit the game.
"I see everything's off to a good start." Xavier smiled as Rahne too passed out of view and in to the side yard. A moment later the air filled with the sounds of distant explosions and shrieks of laughter, followed by a loud splash.
"Pool or Lake?" Hank asked with a smirk.
"Lake." The Professor guessed. "There would have been more echo around the pool." He smiled. "From the explosions."
"Ah. Yes." Hank turned his attention back to the view.
"It's hard to believe sometimes." The Professors voice was soft, low and distant.
"What is?" Hank asked in an intimate tone.
"Everything, really." He smiled but remained distant. "Jubilee and Rahne, born on different continents, playing on my lawn." Beast could tell he was being metaphoric somehow but he couldn't catch it. "On a lawn I built so many years ago with my inheritance." He smiled as though a memory pained him. "How many good friends I am without because of our divided politics." Xavier set his jaw for a moment. "And how on some days, and at special moments, you can truly be grateful, thankful, and respectful for every moment of your life. Both good and Bad."
"That's a rare gift Charles." He whispered to his friend. "You're a very lucky man."
"Oh, I know." He smiled as the distant tree-line began to sway in a gentle breeze. "Believe me. I know."
And he spun his chair to face Hank directly. "And I also know that we make our own luck." He flashed a crafty grin "We have to. We use up our natural allotment too quickly at times."
"At times." Beast agreed. He leaned nonchalantly on the doorframe.
"So what are you planning on doing with the rest of your day?" Xavier asked, staring out the door again at the fine, manicured lawn.
"I was actually looking for trouble when you found me." Hank confessed. "I suspect I'll go find some as soon as you're out of sight again."
"Capital idea." Xavier smiled at him. "It's should probably be listed somewhere as the official Thanksgiving Day Tradition of the X-Men. Good luck, and, Happy hunting."
Hank chuckled despite his best efforts not to.
"And you Charles, got any plans?" He wondered.
"No." Xavier smiled, looking out across the lawn "I worked and planned away my last Thanksgiving a long time ago. That's why I hire the caterers." He sighed. "No. Now, my sole interest is in seeing this lawn fill up with children who will all sleep soundly tonight."
"God Bless you Charles." Beast said, almost without thinking.
"Oh, he has." Xavier assured him. "And I know he has."
