The Secret
Chapter Twelve: Cooper's Heroes
Xavier closed his mind to all distractions and looked with his astral eyes over his entire estate.
He saw them all, coming from all sides of the mansion, toward the great house.
Jean was awake and showering upstairs, blissfully unaware that she had ever dreamt anything at all. Kurt, Rahne, and Wolverine were walking in together from the hammock on the far side of the yard. They were talking about Logan's first Thanksgiving at the mansion.
It made Xavier smile.
Scott and Beast were laughing together, in the infirmary.
He paused for a moment but their jovial attitude told him – nothing was really wrong.
Jubilee was asleep on a lounge chair on the back porch. She was dreaming about Twinkies. Jamie was upstairs, combing his hair. And Bobby was already waiting outside the dining room – but the caterers wouldn't let him in yet.
Storm had just arrived from visiting her family – this would be her second dinner today – luckily, flying builds up an appetite.
And then, there was Rogue. She was upstairs, on one of the computers, burning a c.d.
He slowed down the image of her in his mind so that he could see, in the astral light she radiated, all the scenes of her thoughts and memories as she experienced them.
He saw her falling off the last step of the plane, laughing at him as Cain, and watching Scott, as he prowled the library – looking at the photographs on the walls.
He would never have understood. She thought. Too big a boy scout.
Xavier smiled. She was probably right.
The scene changed. He was seeing Jean as Rogue saw her. It was a dark view. Rogue seemed to see something vain and hollow about Jean that most others did not. But it escaped Xavier's notice as he heard her adding thoughts to the memory.
He was right to hide it from her too. Rogue seemed to sneer mentally. Too impressed with herself.
And Xavier wondered, briefly, if that was true. After all, Rogue has proved herself to be quite observant.
The mental landscape changed again. This time she was thinking of Xavier. She was imagining him sitting, in the classic pose of The Thinker, on the back stairs of the airplane, with the storm raging outside.
Professor Charles Xavier. She thought to herself. An American folk hero. She seemed to beam with pride. Whose been looking out for me since before Ah was born …
And Xavier pulled back his mind, to leave her with her thoughts, regretting – all the while – that he even had to check – to see that she truly wished to keep his secret.
Xavier rolled his chair over the fine decorative rug. Beast opened the door as he approached. "Charles? Dinner."
Xavier looked up in to Beasts face. His left eye was bruised and swollen shut. "Hank, what happened."
"Found some trouble." He grinned, and stepped aside to that the Professor could pass.
"Ah, who had it?" Xavier coasted in to the next room.
"Scott of all people." Hank smiled. "He kept it with his basketball deficiency."
"Street rules?" Xavier smiled.
"Naturally." He showed off his eye.
"How's Scott?"
"All taped, and stitched back together."
"Stitched?" Xavier smiled. "Really?"
"Me too." Beast showed him a round shaved spot on his elbow with three stitches.
Xavier smiled. "So I suppose all my children will sleep well tonight?" He prodded.
"Like a baby, I promise." Beast took hold of his chair and rolled it through to the dining room.
Xavier gasped as he entered.
The table was perfect. The fine china was laid out with gold tone silverware and crystal glasses. The centerpieces were traditional Thanksgiving displays – surrounded with gold and blue candles, all of which were already burning. Covered dishes of food steamed at their edges as they sat about the table. In the middle, three great birds sat separately, each under it's own large silver hood.
The door at the far end of the room opened. It was Logan Rahne, and Kurt.
"Incredible." Kurt breathed.
"Fantastic." Rahne agreed, breathless.
Xavier and Logan exchanged smiles at the kids reactions.
Rogue eased in to the room right behind Scott and Jean, who were walking hand in hand. She eased down toward Xavier.
"Something for later." She said, slipping the c.d. she carried in to the pocket on the side of his chair. She then took a seat, directly to his right.
"Kurt." She smiled at him and pushed out the chair to her right.
He smiled softly, as though he was afraid he might wake up. He sat down, dreamily letting his eyes dance over the table and it's many treasures.
Rogue was unfolding her napkin and laying it in her lap. When she looked up, Hank had taken the seat opposite her, and Logan was seated at the far end of the table, facing Xavier.
And one by one, the chairs filled with students, until there were none left.
The Professor cleared his throat and everyone turned his attention to his end of the table.
"I know it would be truly inhumane to ask you to wait much longer for this fine meal before us." He smiled. "But we have a few traditions here at the mansion – and this is one of them." He smiled. "However, it's not mandatory that you participate, as some of us are rather shy."
Almost everyone seemed to be looking at Jamie, and he shrunk down in to his chair.
"What are you most Thankful for Hank?" Xavier asked.
Hank smiled, looking beaten and swollen. "I've still got game." He chuckled to himself.
"You wish." Scott huffed, unfolding his napkin. Xavier noticed for the first time that Scott had eight or more stitches running along his cheek.
"What was that Scott?" Hank singled him out.
"What was the score?" Scott asked him flippantly. "Thirty two to what?"
"It was Twenty Three Scott. Twenty Three to Twenty Seven. You've got a concussion. Cope." Beast said absently as he peeked under a dish at some corn on the cob. Xavier smacked his hand lightly and everyone laughed.
"Oh." Scott said from down the table. "Then I'm Thankful that next time I'll know what I'm getting in to."
"Show's he's learning." Hank said to Xavier.
"He's got a coach now." Jean told Beast. "Someone who knows the game."
"Maybe they could give you some pointers while they're at it Red." Beast clicked his finger, like a gun at Jean.
Jean in turn began to shake with frustration. (She had obviously meant that She would coach Scott.) Scott smiled dreamily and laid his hand on her wrist. "He's trying to rile you." He whispered. "Calm down."
Bobby and Rogue exchanged amused glances.
"Well, I for one am Thankful for you Charles." Storm said slowly, still not in a rush to eat. "And for everything I see you do for everyone around you."
Logan raised his eyes to meet Storms, and he raised his water glass to her. "Here's to that." He said, and everyone took their glasses and drank to the idea.
"Kurt?" Logan looked down the table at him.
"You all know." He said bashfully. "For my life, here, as an X-Man."
And half the faces at the table lit up in agreement.
"Rogue?" Kurt spun his head and looked at her.
She could feel all the eyes of the room upon her. "Ah can't say fur sure." She hesitated. "Ah think sometimes, that Ah'm Thankful to be trusted and accepted." She looked focused yet relaxed.
"And today I was thinking about all the good things that happen – that we just never see or know about – You know? – Like all the sacrifices and victories that go unsung?" She looked like she might tear up – she obviously meant it. "Because Ah find mahself Thankful for that stuff sometimes." She smiled, looking over the wall of understanding and familiar faces.
"But today," She said, "Today I was most Thankful for all of it – The whole narrative of mah life." She smiled at them all. "Because it brought me here." And she was sure of it as she said the words "And I wouldn't change a minute of any of it, good or bad, because it brought me here."
And somehow they all seemed to know that she had said enough for everyone. And the lids departed their dishes and platters, and the room began to overflow with the scent, sounds, and warmth of Thanksgiving.
