Author's Note: Happy Holidays! Sorry for the slightly belated post but I hope you like this update regardless. :) A look at Christmas Day in Westchester in 1962, 1967 and 1970. The 1970 section takes place a couple of months after the most recent chapter of My Name is Max (chapter 17).
Chapter 4: Christmas Past and Present
December 25, 1962
They carry the trays carefully up the grand staircase, arms loaded with their group attempt at Christmas dinner. Out of the three of them, Sean's the only one with any cooking experience having spent time as a child helping his mother prepare meals for their large family. It's a passable effort - if not exactly a perfect holiday feast - though he's not sure it matters all that much to the Professor.
Nothing much has mattered to Charles for couple of months now.
As always, Alex is the one who takes the lead as they head to the Professor's room. Sean has to admire his friend's persistence and determination to break through the walls their mentor has put up since their return from Cuba.
"Professor? Charles? Can we come in?"
They wait for an interminable amount of time outside his bedroom door before Charles finally answers, his voice barely audible, "Yes, come in."
The room is dark though it's only late afternoon and the Professor is laying in bed still dressed in his pyjamas. He's staring at the ceiling above him and seems to barely notice the three of them as they make their way inside.
Hank moves closer and sits on one side of the bed, reaching over to take Charles' wrist in hand. The Professor doesn't move; doesn't even acknowledge the touch as Hank takes his pulse and then gently helps him into a sitting position.
"Merry Christmas Prof," Alex crosses to the other side of the bed and places a hand on Charles' shoulder. "Since you haven't been coming down for meals we decided to bring Christmas dinner to you."
Sean smiles, his arms still holding the tray with the main course. "I made a ham, Charles. I'm sorry it's not a traditional turkey dinner but...well it's the best we could do with our distinct lack of culinary skill."
The Professor finally looks up at them in turn, his gaze taking in the food and shakes his head. "Thank you, all three of you for thinking of me and for making this wonderful dinner but I'm afraid I'm not really up for a celebration...I'm not hungry."
"Charles," Hank says, his tone wavering between stern admonishment and desperation, "You need to eat to keep up your strength. Not only is your body still healing from your injury but the baby needs the nutrients to be healthy."
The Professor sighs and closes his eyes, leaning his head back against the pillows. "Right...the baby."
He doesn't say anything else so the three of them get to work, divvying up the ham and mashed potatoes and the rest of the fixings. When they're done, all three sit on the bed around the Professor, watching and waiting for the man to do something other than stare at the tray on his lap.
"I'm sorry," Charles rubs his face and tries hard to put on a bright smile that only makes him look pained and wretched instead. "This isn't the first Christmas together that I had envisioned for us...I...I wanted...you don't need to be here..."
"Prof," Alex cuts in and stabs a carrot with his fork before shoving it into Charles' hand. "Try the food. Sean's been up since eight this morning slaving in the kitchen. And we've had to listen to him complaining about it for the last seven hours."
That pulls a chuckle from the Professor and is enough to get him to start eating. For the next three hours they sit on the bed and laugh while Sean tells stories about his family and their past Christmas misadventures and even manage to get Charles to talk about his Christmases at Oxford with Raven. By the end of it the Prof. has a genuine smile on his face and looks more like the happy, confident man they met just a few months ago.
Sean knows the good mood probably won't last beyond the evening but he's never been more proud of the three of them for pulling together as a team. As a family.
December 25, 1967
If you had asked Emma Frost a year ago if she could imagine herself at the Xavier Mansion at Christmas time, opening presents with Charles Xavier and his brood she would have insisted on the sheer lunacy of the very idea.
And yet here she is, a resident now at the mansion for three months, teaching the occasional class and enjoying the company of the Professor more than she thought possible.
She has always admired (envied) Xavier's abilities and his immense power, even if she finds his views on coexistence with humans hopelessly optimistic and ultimately futile. In this she is more closely aligned to Magneto's ideals and if he wasn't such an insufferable hypocrite she would probably still be a part of the Brotherhood. But almost four years following a man who still doesn't trust her; who wears a helmet designed specifically to keep her in check has made her weary and not a little bitter.
She deserves better. Even Sebastian Shaw didn't wear the damned thing around her all the time.
Leaving the Brotherhood wasn't a difficult decision though Emma doesn't quite know what she wants to do next. A chance encounter with the Professor and an invitation to visit the School had netted her a temporary haven to rest in a place where her gift isn't shunned. The subsequent telepathic sessions with Charles has enhanced both of their abilities and given her a new ally...and friend.
"Thank you for the book Emma this will make a lovely addition to my collection."
She smiles and actually means it when she answers, "You're welcome Charles. And thank you for my new coat."
"Miss Frost can you teach me how to be a diamond too?"
If anything she finds herself smiling even more at the blue eyes looking up at her with awe. "Max, my diamond form is a secondary mutation. Unfortunately it's who I am and not something I can teach, my darling."
The four year old pouts at that and maybe whines just a little. "But your diamond form is so groovy."
This sends the entire room into a fit of laughter and she watches as Charles' X-Men all lightly tease the boy and call Max "Mini-Prof". With the eight foot Christmas tree, the roaring fire and the hot cider it's the picture perfect holiday scene.
A part of her wonders what her former team mates are doing right now. Though she isn't particularly close to any of them beyond Mystique she finds herself missing their presence. The affection and easy camaraderie between Charles and his students and teachers is lovely but doesn't really extend to her and she's quite aware that McCoy, Cassidy and Summers especially are still wary of her intentions, assuming she's here to spy for the Brotherhood.
She watches Charles read to Magneto's son and his students, the children all sitting in a semi circle in front of his chair, eyes wide as they listen to a Christmas story.
She watches Summers watch the Professor, his feelings for this mentor obvious enough even without the use of her telepathy.
She watches that wild man Logan take a swig of his beer and reads his memories of the previous night in Charles' bed, an affair still exciting and new.
If she were here to spy for the Brotherhood there would be more than enough interesting tidbits to send back. And there's a part of her that thinks it's a shame – that maybe she should tell Magneto so that Max doesn't have to miss having his other father in his life because of a misunderstanding between his parents.
But then she thinks about the family that Charles has built here at the School, for the mutants young and old who don't want to fight a war. Who live without fear and without hatred in this tiny oasis in Westchester. She knows it won't last.
But she finds herself wanting to help preserve it for as long as she can.
And so she sits and she watches.
There is no message to the Brotherhood from Emma Frost.
December 25, 1970
When he wakes up on Christmas morning, the first thing Max does is run into his Daddy's room next door and climbs onto the bed. He jumps up and down and yells 'MerryChristmasDaddywakeupwak eupwakeup!' like he does every year and is pulled into a giant bear hug that makes him squirm and giggle.
The second thing he usually does is run to Hank's room to do the same, followed by Alex and Sean and Ororo.
This year, he runs across the hall to Vati's room and has to remember to lightly knock on the door instead of just flinging it open.
"Vati? Can I come in?"
Instead of getting an answer, Max finds himself looking up at his very tall Vati when he opens the door.
"Good morning Max. You're up very early today."
He likes it when his Vati smiles, his whole face lights up and he doesn't look so serious and sad. Max has been seeing that smile more and more lately and he's pleased that it's happening most often when Vati is spending time with Daddy.
"It's Christmas morning Vati! I know you're Jewish and I'm part Jewish too but I still have a present for you...is that okay?"
They've been showing Vati the Hanukkah traditions that Mrs. Abrams taught him and Daddy and that they've been following for as long as he can remember. But he also wants to share Christmas with him too because it's Max's most favorite day of the year.
He didn't think it was possible but the smile on Vati's face goes even bigger and his eyes get all crinkled at the edges. "Of course it's okay. I want to know everything about yours and Charles' Christmas traditions."
This makes Max very happy and he reaches to take his Vati's hand. "Can you wait for me in Daddy's room while I go get something? It's for the both of you and I want to give it to you right away before we all open gifts downstairs."
He turns and runs across the hall and grabs the stuff he's hidden under his bed before making his way next door. His Vati is already there and is sitting side by side with Daddy on the couch. Max catches his Vati holding his Daddy's hand but he lets go as soon as they see him.
He grins.
Dropping the bag at his feet he hands the only package he's managed to wrap over to his parents. The edges are a little bunched up and he had to use a lot of tape to keep it closed but he thinks he did a pretty good job with the red and green paper.
"Merry Christmas! This is something for the both of you!"
The two men look at each other and then Daddy tries to give the gift to Vati to open. Max knows they're talking in Daddy's head but he chooses not to listen in because he wants them to be comfortable and not to stop talking to each other when he's around.
Finally his Daddy huffs softly and unwraps the package, his eyes getting all wide and wet and really blue when he sees the painting while his Vati gets a funny look on his face like he wants to cry and laugh at the same time.
"I painted this a while ago in Logan's art class. See this is you Daddy sitting by the Blackbird keeping innocent people away and this is Vati and me saving the mutants trapped in the building." He looks up when neither of his parents say anything for a few moments. "Do you...like it?"
His Daddy pulls him onto his lap and gives him a big kiss that's a little wet. He's glad it's only him and Daddy and Vati in the room because he's a big boy now and doesn't want the others to know just how much he still likes it when his Daddy hugs and kisses him.
"Max...this is so wonderful. We'll put it in a frame and find a place for it downstairs where everyone can see it."
His Vati reaches over to ruffle his hair and give him a kiss too on the forehead. "I've never seen anything more perfect. Let's put it in the study so we can see it every night during chess."
He beams at his parents and then moves the bag from the floor to his lap using only his telekinesis. Vati's smile goes even bigger and he can feel how proud his father is of the progress he's made controlling his powers.
"Vati...this is for you." Max pushes the bag and its contents into his father's lap before snuggling closer to his Daddy.
Max watches as his Vati peers into the bag and pulls out the small journal he's been writing in and then the picture of him and Daddy from his birthday two years ago before he asks, "What is all this Max?"
"I made you a present every Christmas since I was three. Daddy said you couldn't be here with us but that it was okay if I wanted to make you something anyway because I could always give them to you when I saw you in person."
"You...," his Vati looks so surprised and happy and sad at the same time it's actually a little confusing. "Thank you. I love every one of these gifts so very, very much Max. I can't tell you what it means to me to know you were thinking of me all these years..."
He sees his Daddy watching them quietly, a soft smile on his face and his eyes bright and warm. Tugging at his Vati's arm he pulls him closer until the three of them are all wrapped around one another and grins, "I'm glad you like them Vati and you should say thanks to Daddy too because he helped me decide what to get you and then we made all the gifts together."
Then Vati takes Daddy's hand and kisses the fleshy part above the wrist and says in a deep, low voice, "Thank you Charles."
It doesn't look like much of a kiss to Max but his Daddy's cheeks turn pink so maybe it's just something only adults understand?
Daddy clears his throat and then turns to Max. "Shall we go downstairs now and open presents with the others? You must be anxious to know if you got everything you asked for, love."
He looks up at his Daddy and his Vati and smiles. "I did."