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There's No Place Like Home
DISCLAIMER: The
characters belong to Marvel, and are
used without permission for entertainment purposes only.
"Scott stop being stubborn about this." Hank McCoy
stated looking at leader with quite a bit of exasperation.
"Don't tell me that our Fearless Leader is scared of a little cough
medicine?" Scott Summers just continued to glare at his friend and
doctor as he tipped a bottle that looked like it contained a red tinted
tar around, "Not cough medicine, I know." He croaked out
barely through a very swollen sore throat. All the while he
continued to inspect the contents of the bottle. He had a very bad
feeling the medicine probably tasted as bad as it looked. "Will you
please just take it. If you continue to purist on fighting me on
this I will go get Jeannie and if I remembered correctly you promised
her you would be good and follow my orders." That remark just
got him another glare from the man sitting in the sickbay bed.
Hank just sighed and tried another approach. "I will not be
able to release you for tree trimming duties if you do not take all the
medicines prescribed. Jeannie is looking forward to this you don't
want to wreck it for her do you? Besides do really want to spend
Christmas down here in sickbay?" Scott just sighed and took
the shot of cough medicine, proceeding to make a grimace, followed by
gagging sounds. Hank just smiled at him, "Excellent. I will
go get Jeannie and we will get you out of here. Stop worrying
Scott all that is planned tonight is tree trimming what could possibly
go wrong?" Scott in response just gave Hank another glare.
He was stretched out on the couch when Logan and Storm walked in
fighting. Jean had just gone up stairs to finish her wrapping.
"You are going to take that horrible Christmas display down before
our guest come! It is bad enough that you and Robert put the whole
display up with duct tape, but add to the fact that you MISSPELLED the
Christmas message, and the lights on one side of the house blink and the
lights on the opposite side of the mansion do not, the whole display
looks tacky and horrible. We have guest coming in little under
four hours, and you are going to take that display down." "Oh
come on Ro, the display give the house character." Logan just
gave her a mischievous look as he stuck a cigar in his mouth and lit it
up. "Oh it gives the mansion something alright, but character is
not it. " Storm fired back, "You are not to hang up your beer
can wreath either. I don't care how many cases you had to drink to
make it." "You are just trying to take all the fun out of my
holidays aren't ya, Ro." Logan grumbled. "I could
start on the plastic elf on the front yard." Storm added
glaring down at Logan again. "The elf ain't my fault Ro. He
was on the front lawn minding his own business when a flaming turkey
flew out of no where and accosted my poor elf. I had to throw him
in the lake before he melted too badly. He still works, it just
looks like he's got a leer on his face where the plastic melted a
little. I sorta like him that way gives him character."
Looking out the window and seeing the elf himself Scott personally
thought it looked about has friendly as 'Chucky' and the expression on
his partially melted face would have given him nightmares as a child.
"I will make you a deal Logan. You can keep the display if
you fix the misspelling, either have all the lights blinking or not
blinking and sturdy the lights up with something more than duct
tape. The display as it is a flying hazard. Do we have a
deal?" Logan broke in to a big grin right them. "Deal
Ro, the blinking lights are already down. Maybe I'll use them to
light up an Angel somewhere. What do you think?" Scott turned
his head to see what Logan was trying so hard not to look at behind
Storm's back. When Scott finally saw it all he could do was
blink. There was Warren dangling in front of the living room
window, wrapped up in the blinking lights, dangling from the roof,
upside down. He was mouthing the words "I am going to kill
you" right at Logan. Right then Scott decided he better go
find the wire cutters.
He was in the kitchen trying to find the wire cutters when Rogue and
Gambit started round two. "I thought you were a civilized
Southerner, Gambit. I don't care what you French people have for
Christmas. People from the civilized parts of the South have
turkey or duck for Christmas, not some form of meat pie that we can't
even be sure has meat in it." "If I remember where you're from
Rouge what does Mississippi know about being civilized? It is a
FRENCH tradition to have the meat pie for Christmas. Brings good
luck. With you doing all the cooking the X-men need all the luck
they can get. Besides you're just mad because everyone likes my
cookies better than yours." Rogue just glared at him, "How
about I show you what I could do with that meat pie of yours and while
I'm at it the cookies too? Besides the only reason that people
loved your cookies is because I added some nutmeg to your gingerbread
recipe." "You know you really are a barbarian."
Gambit threw back. Scott must have made a noise looking through
the drawer because that was the moment they turned his attention on to
him. "Cyke what are you doing? Your spose to be on the couch
taking it easy doctors orders remember?" Rouge said gently.
Scott just smiled at her sweetly and croaked out "Need to find
something." Rogue just scowled at him.
"Listen to me, Cyke. If Jean comes down and not finds you on the
couch she will have both ours heads on a platter. You for getting
up off the couch and me for letting you. Why don't you get back on
the couch and I will bring you some hot cider and cookies out and Jean
won't be any wiser." The thought of cookies and cider, mixing with
the horrible aftertaste of the cough medicine that Hank had given him
earlier, even the thought made his stomach churn. Despite of his
best efforts, the thought must have shown on his face. He just
shook his head and trying to find a way not to hurt Rogue's feelings.
"Really need to find something. Can't shallow cookies right
now. Take some cider though." Scott croaked out really
wishing that his voice was working a little better. "Really Roguee,"
Gambit grumbled "As green as the poor man is. He is
either planning on playing the Grinch, or he just ate some of your
cooking." "Okay, that does it! You and
your meat pie is going out that window. I owe you for the turkey
Cajun." "Scott Summers I am giving FIVE seconds to get back on
the couch!" Jean voice roared out from Living Room.
Scott knew he was in trouble when Jean came marching in to the kitchen
and just glared at him. "What was so important that you
needed to come back here? You could have just asked someone to get
what you wanted instead of breaking doctors orders." Nathan
who had walked in with her just gave him the "You're in trouble
now" smirk. Scott just glared at Nate and continued to
shuffle through the drawer until he finally found the wire cutters. Jean
just gave him a strange look and asked very calmly "Why do you need
those?" That's when Galen's voice rang out from the living
room. "Aunt Jean you gotta come see this! Someone made a
piņata of Uncle Warren and hung it outside in front of the living
room! It is just so cool! They strung lights around him and
everything! Come quick!" "I told you Ro, the blinking
lights were already down. Lighting up an Angel too."
"YOU are about to face the wrath of the gods little man!" Jean
took the wire cutter from his hands and said as she was running out the
kitchen door. "Get back on the couch right now!"
Scott was back on the couch sipping his cider when Professor Xaiver made
the announcement. "Since the individual responsible has not
come forward and admitted to his or her crime of stealing a box of sour
cherry candy canes before the tree is up. The 'no canes off the
tree' rule is going to be strictly enforced. The sour cherry
candy canes are now under look and key. Until such time, the
tree is up and trimmed. Do I make myself clear?" There
was a collective "Yes Professor." from around the room Nathan
who was sitting next to him on the couch just kept looking out the
window, glaring at the elf on the front lawn. "That damned thing is
going to come to life when we're all asleep and butcher us all.
Just looking at the damned thing is giving me nightmares, and I don't
scare to easy." Scott just nodded agreeing with him.
The elf did look like it was watching them. Some of Kurt's more
morbid tales of elves jumping out of the forest and killing little
children came to mind. "The Hankster and I got the tree we need
some help getting it inside." Bobby called from the doorway.
"You ain't never gona get it in through the door, Drake. The
tree's too wide." Logan added cheerfully from the doorway.
Bobby's response was to stick his tongue out at him and responded
,"Just wait and see we'll get it through the door." It took
about half-hour to get the tree through the doorway and they got away
with a minimum amount of damage. It took the whole team to get the
tree through the door. "Okay everyone on three!" Bobby
Drake shouted. "One, Two.."
"Three!" Everyone shouted as they yanked on the tree
through the door. Scott was sitting on the couch during the whole
procedure. As the tree, came through the door way with a loud
'crack'. Scott was wondering how many branches the whole procedure
broke. When out of the corner of his eye he caught Jubes stick
back on, one hundred-year-old door molding back on with her bubble
gum. Scott prayed that the professor didn't watch her do that, and
added 'fix molding' to his 'to do' list.
"Why am I getting stuck doing this?" Bobby Drake called from
where he was standing tottering on Hanks shoulders as he tried to adjust
the star on top of the tree. "Because," Hank grasped out from
underneath him, "You WERE the lightest around here. Put some
weight on Drake?" "Very funny." Bobby sneered
looking down at Hank from where he was standing on his shoulders.
"Is the star straight yet?" "Nope!" Logan called
from across the room "I think we're going to have to get the duct
tape for this one!" "My offer to kill him and bury him
in the snow bank out front, still stands Storm." Warren added
in from across the living room. "How about this, is it straight
yet?" Bobby shouted before Storm could comment on Warren's
offer. "A little to the right." One voice called out.
"Now a little to the left." Someone else called out
"Perfect!" Everyone called at once. "Yes! Now
I can get down now. Oh no!" "Drake!" Was the
last thing Scott heard as Bobby, Hank and a twelve-foot Christmas tree
came timbering towards his direction where he was sitting on the couch.
"Scott Look Out!" He heard someone shout right before
his whole world turned green.
"Robert put that Candy Cane back on the tree!" "Aunt
Jean, Aunt Storm, Uncle Logan is leaving a cold beer out for Santa
instead of milk and cookies." Galen called from where she was
glaring at Logan. "You are supposed to leave milk and cookies
out for Santa Clause." "Not if Uncle Logan wants the forty
pages of Ho Ho Ho's he asked for Kiddo. That's why Uncle
Logan is leaving Santa a beer." Galen just gave Logan a strange
look with that comment, "How can Santa give you Ho Ho Ho's?"
"Well," "Logan!" Jean and Storm shouted from
two opposite ends of the house.
"The lights are up and ready. So everyone come on out and
take a look as we fire them up for the first time. Coming Jeannie?"
Jean just shook her head no. "I am staying in here with
Scott. He can't go out in to the cold yet. So I figure I
would sit on the couch with him and sit this one out.
Thanks." Jean just put her feet up on the coffee table.
Scott's head was in her lap. "You don't have to stay. Can go
out to see the lights." Scott croaked out. "Don't have
to stay in with me." Jean just smiled down at him. "I am
quite happy were I am Thank you. Besides if my hunch is
right I am going to get the best view right here on the couch with
you. Is everyone outside yet?" Scott nodded.
"Good." Jean reached under the couch and pulled a
blanket out from underneath the coach along with a box of sour cherry
candy canes, with one missing from the box. Finally the last thing
she pulled out from under the couch was a candle and some matches.
She wrapped the blanket around the two of them and handed Scott a candy
cane. "Think the show is just about to get started, just
wait." Right then is when Gambit came running out of the kitchen
chasing Rouge with a pie that was on fire? "I am going to
show you what I am going to do with my pie, you southern
barbarian!" They both ignored Scott and Jean on the couch and
ran out the front door. There was a loud explosion from out on the front
lawn. As Jean and Scott watched a flaming elf head fly across the
sky. "God damn it! The elf is on fire again." "I'll teach
you to insult my cooking!" "Don't let him put the
flogging thing out!" "Put that snowball down Bobby or your
going to get hurt!" "I say we bury him in the snow drift up to
his ankles!"
"Okay everyone the switch get thrown on three."
"One"
"Two"
"THREE!"
"Logan!"
Inside the house went completely black. Jean lit the candle she
had put on the coffee table right next to them and looked down at her
husband, "There's no place like home for the holidays."
Scott just nodded and snuggled a little closer. "I don't know
about you I can't wait for New Years." "We have a date under
the mistletoe at midnight." Scott muttered softly as he snuggled a
little closer and started drifting to sleep.
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