Acceptance

By: Cece Williams

((Disclaimer: I don't own XME at all, so you can't sue.))

((AN: Sorry for all of the LONG waiting. I had other fanfics to write and I had a lot of school to boot. I know this is a little late for Christmas, but just bear with me. In case anyone forgot, this is an AU.))

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Melanie watched some of the younger students pile into a van, eager to see their parents for Christmas. She took a sip of cocoa and looked out the window, waiting for her father to arrive. It had been a good long while since her father had shown up at the Institute, and she was hoping he'd arrive with her mother and her baby sister, Bianca. A small smile played across her lips as she watched the van pull away from the front doors; she waved at some of the students who had waved back at her.

A hand on her shoulder stunned her and she turned around. "Oh, hi, Rogue," she said, her mood trying to keep cheerful.

Rogue sat next to her on the window seat, wearing a black cardigan, black pants and black gloves. "Mel, what are you doing in here?"

"I'm waiting for my father," she answered, turning her eyes back out the window. "He promised me he'd be here."

"Well, do you mind if someone waited with you?"

Melanie nodded her head. "Sure," she answered, and they stayed silent for a while.

Rogue broke it. "So, is your dad bringing anyone else?"

"Well, I hope he brings my mum and my little sister."

Rogue's eyes widened. "You have a sister?"

"Yes, her name's Bianca, and she's about 5 months old now."

"Bet she's cute," Rogue said to her, looking out the window.

"I've never seen her," Melanie answered her. She stood up and looked at her. "Well, I guess I better put on something better than this." She pointed to her blue pajamas.

Rogue nodded and Melanie bounded up the stairs. Several minutes went by and she walked down the stairs, wearing a green cardigan, black pants, and black boots. Her hair was styled in a wavy manner. Rogue nodded her head in approval.

Melanie's hand went to the snowflake earrings on her ears. They were relatively new, since she had bought them only a month ago. The white snowflakes on her ears contrasted off of her reddish-brown hair. "I hope I'm not going overboard with this."

"Mel, everything'll be fine," Rogue told her.

Melanie nodded her head. "I'm sure it will be," she answered her. She was about to continue until she saw a taxi pull up to the front steps. Thinking that it was probably for someone else, she sat down in a chair not far from the door, sipping her now semi-warm chocolate.

Rogue raked a hand through her dark red/white hair. Melanie wanted to see her father, who worked for an important business in London, her hometown. He was usually away anyway, but he wanted Christmas off to see his oldest daughter, although he already knew she was a mutant. In a way, Rogue shared in the excitement with Melanie but inwardly felt down.

"Rogue? What's the matter?"

Rogue looked at Melanie, pulling on a brave face for her. "Nothing," she answered. She looked out the window. "Looks like whoever's here have a suitcase."

Melanie immediately jumped up. Setting her mug on a coaster, she went to the door. She was about twenty feet from the door when Rogue opened it. A man stood in the doorway and smiled at Melanie.

"Hello, Melanie," the man at the door said, opening his arms.

Melanie's green eyes lit up as she ran to her father's arms as if she were ten years old. "Father!" she shouted, hugging her father. "Oh, it's good to see you again, Father!"

Mr. Portman looked at Rogue. "Rogue, I see you and the others have been keeping an eye on Melanie," he said to her.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Rogue said to her. "Melanie's a big girl now."

"I say she is," he answered.

Melanie literally pulled her father inside the mansion. As she did, he picked up a car seat with a little girl of about five months. The little girl had blue eyes like her mother and reddish-brown hair like her. "Is this Bianca?" As her father nodded, she picked the little girl up out of the car seat. "Hey, there, Bianca."

Bianca only blinked at her. "Melly?"

Melanie knew that she was trying to say her name. "Yes, that's my name," she answered as she tickled the little girl, who giggled. Melanie set Bianca back in the car seat and was about to say something until she saw another figure walked in behind her father and closed the door. That was when Melanie's happy demeanor turned downward. "Father, who is this?"

The figure walked to the other side of her father. She was a slender woman with a white coat. Her blond hair seemed to make her look like an angel, along with her blue eyes. Melanie did not like this one bit.

"Father, who is this woman?" she asked her father.

"Melanie, sweetheart, there's something I have to tell you," her father said to her. He put his hands on Melanie's shoulders and took a deep breath. "Your mother died in a car accident two months ago."

The girl didn't know whether to cry or stand still. "Why wasn't I informed of her death?" she asked, keeping her voice calm.

"I didn't want to interfere with your studies," he answered. He looked to the blond haired woman. "Melanie, this is Emma, your new step-mother."

This time, Melanie was upset. "Step-mother?!" she said, her voice raising a few octaves. "When did you decide this? When my mother was buried?" Her father hung his head, which made Melanie even angrier. "You cheated on my mother, didn't you?" Angry tears fell from her green eyes and slid down her cheeks. "Answer me!"

"Melanie, honey, your mother and I were having problems…"

"And I bet you killed her, didn't you?" Her eyes no longer shone with joy; now they were filled with hatred and betrayal. "To get out of a divorce!"

From the sidelines, Rogue was shocked. She had heard from Melanie that her father was an upstanding man, but now she was talking to him as if he were a dog.

"Melanie, dear, please listen to me…" Before he could continue, he was met with a slap across his face. He brought his hand to where Melanie had slapped him. His own daughter.

"I don't have to listen to you!" Melanie almost shouted. "Take this trash you call my step-mother and leave!"

"Melanie, don't you dare call her such names!"

"I'll call her anything I so please!" Melanie had now reached her anger point. "Leave here, and never come back! I don't ever want to see you again! You're not my father anymore!" With that, Melanie raced up the stairs and went to her room, slamming the door behind her. Locking the door behind her, she fell onto her bed. Hurt, betrayal, anger, and resentment… all four emotions battled within her as she buried her face in a pillow.

Meanwhile, in the study, the Professor closed his eyes and set his mug of cocoa down.

Logan looked at him. "Anything wrong, Chuck?"

The Professor opened his eyes, more shocked of what he had heard through his telepathy. "It's Melanie," he said. "She's furious with her father. She even wants to disown him."

Logan raised an eyebrow in confusion. This didn't sound like Melanie, the young whippersnapper who had grown a lot during her training, a very loyal member of the X-Men. "I'm sure Duchess wouldn't mean something like that."

"Still, she has to think of her sister's well-being as well."

Hanging upside down on a light fixture in the hallway, Kurt had seen and heard everything happen. In a way, he felt sorry for Melanie, but mainly for the little girl in the car seat. When Melanie had run past him, he literally felt all the anger inside her. He jumped from the light fixture to the floor, walked to her bedroom door, and knocked on it. "Melanie? Are you all right in there?"

From behind the door, Melanie was still upset. "Please, go away," she answered. "I don't want to be bothered."

Knowing that something was definitely wrong, Kurt teleported into her room, hanging on the chandelier in the room. He was about to cut a joke until he saw her. Her green eyes were bloodshot from crying, her fists were clenched to the point that her knuckles were turning white, and her normally styled hair was now in a mess. "Melanie?"

She jerked herself upright and almost went into a fighting pose until she saw a pair of yellow eyes looking at her. "Kurt? How did you…" She looked at the still locked door. "Oh, never mind."

Kurt landed on her bed. "I heard everything you said," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I know your father kept your mother's death a secret from you."

Melanie only blinked in response.

"I also know he cheated on your mother," Kurt continued, leaning her head against him. "But the most important person to worry about isn't who is married to your father or even your father."

Melanie wanted to open her mouth to answer, but she found that she couldn't. After drying her eyes for a second, she looked down at the carpet. "My little sister," she answered in a very low voice. She then bowed her head lower, trying to stop the oncoming tears from flooding her eyes. "I can't believe I let my little sister hear that." She pulled a hand over her eyes and mentally punched herself. "I'm a poor excuse for a sister."

"You were just angry," he answered her. "But, with all that came out, I think that maybe you forgot your sister heard everything."

"Who should I apologize to first?" Melanie asked him.

"It might be best to do it all at once," Kurt answered her, patting her shoulder with his three-fingered hand. "I know it's hard to take back what you said, but you should be grateful you have a family. Some of us don't really have one."

"Speaking of families, Kurt, why aren't you with yours?" Melanie asked her boyfriend.

"My image inducer's not working really well," Kurt answered her. "And believe me, getting on a plane, looking like this…" He pointed to his blue fuzzy self while his tail swished. "It just wouldn't look right on a plane."

Melanie laughed a little. "That's true," she answered. "But where is my sister, anyway?"

"Oh, Jamie's playing with her in the living room," Kurt answered. He wrapped his arms around her and 'ported to the living room, where Jamie and her sister were playing "Patty Cake." Kurt prodded her forward with his hand.

Melanie felt the push and looked at them. "Hi, there," she said to them, smiling. "Are you having fun?"

Bianca nodded her head, giggling. "He funny."

"I'm sure he is, sweetheart," Melanie answered. "Um, Jamie, would you be a doll and bring my father and my step-mother in here, please?" When she turned around, she saw five Jamies. "Um, all five of you."

The five Jamies nodded and left the living room, reforming into one.

Melanie looked back at Bianca. "Bianca, honey, they're something I need to tell you," she said to her. As Bianca looked at her with the blue eyes of her mother, the pressure increased twice as much. "Bianca, I'm sorry for what I said about Father and Emma. I really didn't mean it; everything had…" She stopped, only to see Bianca look up at her, holding her sister's hand.

"I know," Bianca said. "Melly didn't mean it. She was just upset."

Melanie felt like crying all over again. "You're willing to forgive me?" she asked her. "After what I've said about Father…" She stopped again as she saw her sister's arms out in front of her.

"Me wanna give Melly a huggie," Bianca said to her.

Melanie picked up her little sister and gave her a good strong hug, which wasn't much, but she felt a little better. "It won't happen again; I swear to you," she said to her. She heard the door open and turned her head, seeing her father and Emma.

"Melanie, dear," Emma said before Melanie's father could say anything. "The Professor told us what you said to Bianca."

Melanie looked at her in shock. She knew the Professor knew about it because of his telepathy, but how did she know?

"I know because I'm also a telepath," Emma said to her, once again leaving Melanie in pure shock. "I'm also a mutant, like you, Melanie, and sometimes your emotions cause you to say things you don't mean."

Bianca pulled on Melanie's cardigan. "Emma, don't make Melly cwy," she said to her.

Melanie dried her eyes. "Um, Emma? Would you like to play "Patty Cake" with Bianca while I talk to Father?"

Emma nodded, walking over to her. "Of course," she said, picking up Bianca. "Come on, let's leave your sister and father alone for a few minutes." She stopped when she saw Kurt. "Don't worry; I forgave her a long time ago."

Kurt looked stunned. How did she know? Instead of asking her how she knew, he felt a small hand tug on his tail.

Bianca was giggling as the tail tried to get out of her hold.

"Kurt, stop picking on my sister," he heard Melanie's voice and stopped.

Emma and Bianca, who was still tugging on Kurt's tail, walked into the kitchen.

Melanie got up and looked at her father. Of all the people she'd have to apologize to, her father was the hardest. "Father?" Melanie tried not to break down again. "I'm really sorry for how I acted…" Her father, who had wrapped her in a hug, stopped her.

"It's all right, Melanie," he answered her. "I forgive you, and so do Emma and Bianca. We both know you never meant to say that."

Melanie hugged her father back, fresh tears falling from her eyes and falling onto his suit. "I'm so sorry."

Her father stroked her hair and patted her back. "Shh, everything's all right now, sweetheart."

Melanie swallowed a lump in her throat. "Father?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"If Emma makes you very happy," Melanie said, taking a deep breath, "then I'll be happy as well."

Her father continued to hold her. "Thank you, Melanie. That's the best Christmas present I could ever ask of you."

"Merry Christmas, Father," Melanie said to him.

"And you, too."

She suddenly felt a lot better. But then, she'd have to apologize to her Uncle Logan and the Professor, so she tried thinking the words. In the back of her mind, she heard the Professor and Logan tell her that it was all right and that they forgave her. Melanie smiled slightly. That is, until she saw Kurt come into the living room, on his hands and knees with Bianca on his back, holding onto his clothes, giggling. "Kurt, what are you doing?"

"Playing horsey with your sister," Kurt answered.

Bianca smiled happily. "Gidd-yap!"

Melanie smiled, for the first time that day, truly happy. Sure, she'd have to accept Emma into the family, but she knew it was an acceptation that she would love to have.

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((Well, this is another chapter done. Maybe now I can work on it a little more now. Anyway, don't forget to review.))