X-Men Evolution: Rogue Evolution

Christmas Morning 12.1

A fire crackled in the hearth, large enough to warm the entire library. After bringing the tree inside, putting it in place, and getting a ladder tall enough to reach the top, Anna was sweltering in her wool sweater.

"How many lights are we going to stick on this fucking thing?" Anna wove yet another strand of fat, gaudy lights around the giant tree.

"I guess as many as will fit?" Anna could see Scott's head bobbing on the other side of the tree. It was easy to spot with the half cocked Santa hat on. "You can pass me that end of the lights you're holding, Anna, and I can loop it across my side and back to you if it'd be easier."

"I don't need your help, Scott."

"If you're sure. I know I wouldn't be super comfortable with that many branches in my face, is all."

"I said, I - got - it," Anna had to hold her breath to stretch far enough to reach the cable from the other side of the tree. "See! There, it was that easy."

"You're right. You got me, Anna."

"One more string of lights," Evan said, sitting on the floor cross-legged with one knee bouncing rhythmically. His face was buried in his laptop with a cable connecting it to the lights.

Kurt reclined on the couch nearest Evan with his head resting near his shoulder. "Watchya doin'?'"

"You'll see." Evan took a baby carrot from the coffee table loaded with snacks, soaked it in ranch, and mouthed the whole thing.

"You sure you don't want help with this last string of lights, Ann?"

"I told you I'm not a wiener, Scott! Now stop trying to take this from me!"

Scott held his palms up to shoulder height, "Won't find any wiener talk over here."

"Good," Though from this height, Anna had to admit she was feeling at least a cousin to the hot dog family. At the top of the ladder and having to reach across the tree at another weird angle was starting to make her palms sweat inside her gloves. "Now sit there and watch how a professional does it."

Anna took the string of lights and tried to drape them gently across the branches, but the other side was just too far out of reach. She could feel her center of gravity tipping dangerously over the edge of the ladder, but there was something very important on the line... pride. She stretched her arm and body as far as it would go, then something miraculous happened.

Suddenly, the string of lights started floating from her hand and wrapped around the opposite end of the tree as if the spirit of Christmas itself was giving her an assist. Even more importantly, it happened out of the view of everyone else. Like a she was a running back catching a football for a touchdown, Anna grabbed the flying cord and plugged it into the top where the star would be mounted. Like the hero she was, she pumped her fist.

Scott clapped, "And here I thought you were going to take the whole tree down with you."

"Shows what you know, Summers!"

"Nicely done, Anna." Jean joined the group from where Anna then realized she'd been standing at the threshold of the library. "The tree looks great!" She gave a little wink to Anna.

"Whose doing the star on top?" Evan said through a mouth full of carrots.

"I know Kitty would have wanted to." Anna got off the ladder, a little more grateful to be on terra firma than before.

Scott plopped down on the free couch and sipped his cooling cocoa that had been waiting for him on the coffee table.

"Because it's the part that gets the most praise and has the least amount of work." Anna pulled out her phone. "Maybe I can FaceTime her so she'll at least be here in spirit."