The X-men: The Giving Tree

Author:  Lady Shalott

Disclaimer:  Any recognizable characters belong to Marvel. All original characters are my creation.

Part 1

It was just a small, plastic tree. Sad, really, when one thought about it. Sandy didn't think about it, though. She just sat at her table, by the tree, and watched the holiday shoppers go by. They were to busy checking thier lists to notice the small tree or the teen girl who sat beside it.

Sandy looked at the small stack of paper angels. Some were boys, some were girls. Her name was in there, as well as her sister's. They were just two of the fifteen children living in the Salem Center Children's Home. The orphanage. She sighed. No one had picked out a paper angel, and hung it on the tree. That meant that none of the others at the Home would be getting gifts this Christmas. Sandy didn't care so much, but for her sister Beth, and the other children, it would
be a lonely Christmas.

    * * *

Rogue checked her list. She had finally found the perfect gift to give the Professor, the next to last name on her list. The last... Well, she did not even know if she was going to get him something yet. Rogue was fairly certain that Remy wasn't going to be giving her anything this year. Not after the way it had ended between them. Heading toward the revolving doors that would let her back into the cold December wind, she almost missed the small tree and skinny girl next to
it. Almost, but not quite. Pausing, she looked at it. She just about moved on, but a spark of hope in the girl's eyes prompted her to ask, "What's this foh, sugah?"

Sandy smiled, elated. "For the Salem Center Children's Home! Y'see, you pick one of these angels, here, and it tells you about one of the kids in the Home. It will also say what they want for Christmas, and you hang up the angel and go buy the gift. Then you come by the Home sometime and give it to them!"

Rogue felt a tug on her heart listening to the girl.
"Are you from the home, sugah?"

Sandy looked down. "Well, yeah. Me'n my little sister, Beth, we got dumped there by our last foster family."

Rogue smiled in sympathy. "Which angel is yoah sistah's?"

Sandy handed her one. It read

Beth

Age: 9

A pair of rollerskates.

Rogue grinned. "Ah will take this one."

Sandy's smile was blinding as Rogue hung up the small angel. "We're giving out gifts Christmas Eve!" She called as Rogue went off to get the skates. As Rogue was cutting through the department store, she noticed a holiday special on Issey Miyake's Homme cologne. That was Remy's favorite.

<Well...maybe...> Rogue paused to speak to the saleswoman. As she was leaving the mall, she was not one, but two bags heavier.

Part 2

All the names were up... Exept one. Beth kept looking at Sandy's angel. No one wanted to buy a gift for a seventeen year old girl. She wasn't young, and cute. She was almost an adult. But Beth felt bad. Sandy was so good to her and all the other kids! It wasn't fair!

Miss Lowe put her hand on Beth's shoulder. "Don't worry dear. Someone will hang up your sister's angel."

Beth sighed. She wasn't sure. "But what if they don't? Tomorrow's Christmas Eve! She may not get anything!"

Miss Lowe tried to reassure Beth, but in her own heart, she wondered, too.

    * * *

Remy whistled cheerfully. He had finally found something for Scott, the next to last person on his list. The last person... Well, he didn't know. He didn't think Rogue would be getting him anything. Heading toward the exit, he noticed a small table set up next to a tree with paper angels hanging from it. Sitting at the table was a matronly woman and a small
girl.

He went over, curious. "Happy Holidays, mes amies. What is all dis for?"

The woman smiled at him. "Beth and myself are from the Salem Center Children's Home. We are asking people to
pick a child and donate a gift for them. By choosing one of the children, and purchasing the gift mentioned on thier angel, you are helping make thier Christmas a little brighter." "Except everyone's been chose but my sister!" The girl wailed.

"Hush, Beth." The woman tried to shush her, but Remy bent down and looked the girl in the eye. "Why hasn't
anyone chosen votre soeur, Petite?"

"Cause she's older than the rest of us, and no one cares about old kids." Beth had a tear shimmering in her eye. "But mister, she's so wonderful! She took care of me when my mom left, and never let my dad beat on me, and..."

"That's enough Beth." Miss Lowe told her sternly.

Remy straightened up. "I agree, dat does sound like a puissante bonne soeur." He picked up the remaining angel. All the girl wanted was a CD. "You know, Petite, I think I 'ave some Christmas money left over. Perhaps Sandy wouldn't mind me gettin' her somet'ing?"

Beth beamed at him. "Oh yes! We are giving out gifts tomorrow night. Come then!" She told Remy as he hung up the angel. "Thank you so much!" She called after him.

Passing by the jewellery story on his way to Sam Goody, Remy noticed a ring with a small star sapphire sitting
in it's center, displayed in the case. He remembered Rogue mentioning how pretty she thought star sapphires were. Asking about the price, he found that it wasn't cheap, yet was not so expensive that one friend might not give it to another. He thought about it on his way to the music store.

As Remy left the mall, he was not one bag heavier, but two.

Part 3

Sandy looked around the room. Most of the people who had bought gifts for the kids had just come by the Home and dropped them off. A few had stayed to chat for a moment or two. Beth and herself were the only two children who had yet to receive a visitor and a gift. Suddenly, the door swung open, and the best looking man she had even seen came inside.

"Merry Christmas, mon petit choux! And you mus' be Sandy." The man held a wrapped gift out to her.

"Th...thanks." She stammered. Opening the gift she found a new portable CD player and a gift certificate for one hundred dollars at Sam Goody. "Wow. I mean, WOW! Thanks!"

"Doan worry. I 'ave things for all of you!" Remy grinned at the kids and began handing out gifts. Beth beamed. She was just opening a gift from Remy when someone else came in the door. Action stopped as a beautiful woman glanced around. "Am Ah to late?"

"No, no!" Miss Lowe hurried to assure her. "We were just enjoying some time with our new Santa!"

"Well, In that case..." Rogue began, but stopped as the "Santa" turned around. "Remy?"

"'Allo Rogue." Remy smiled at her, some what shyly.

She stared at him a moment, then shook her head. Glancing at the kids she smiled. "Which one'o y'all is
Beth?"

Beth raised her hand, and Rogue went over to her. "Here ya go. Yoah sister seems to think mighty highly of you." Rogue winked at the girl, as she opened a box not only to find skates, but a complete set of protective gear, and passes to the local skating rink.

"Ah brought stuff foah all'o y'all, but it seems like Remy beat me to it." She winked at him as the kids started clamoring for more gifts.

Later that night, they left the home, telling the kids goodbye and promising to visit again soon. Outside, they stood, unsure, each waiting for the other to say the first thing. Finally Rogue took the plunge.

"That was really sweet o'yah to get all those kids presents, sugah."

"I wasn't de only one, Chere." Remy grinned at her.

"Well, yeah." She smiled. Looking at Remy, she wanted to say more, tell him just how miserable she had been since they broke up. She wished he would hold her and tell her that they could be together, but she knew it was futile. Finally, she had to say something. "Ah...ah got you something, too, Remy."

Remy, who had been imagining taking her in his arms and telling her how much he loved and missed her, was
startled. "You did, Chere?"

"Yeah. Well, Ah saw it, and though o'ya. And well, it just seemed lahk a nice thing ta do. It is Christmas and all." She ended lamely.

He smiled. "I got you somet'in', too."

Rogue was surprised. "Ya did? Ya didn't have ta do that."

Remy shrugged. "I know chere. But I wan'ed to."

"Ya did?" Rogue mentally kicked herself. She sounded like an idiot.

"Yeah." Remy felt dumb. He pulled out a small wrapped box. "Merry Christmas, Rogue."

Rogue dug in her coat pocket and retrieved her gift for him. "Merry Christmas Remy."

    * * *

Rogue was the first to open her gift. "Oh sugah! This is beautiful! Ya remembered I like star sapphires!"

"And you remembered my favorite cologne." Remy said, pleased.

"Well... Remy, I remember a lot 'o things. Like... Like the way you used to hold me when we watched the stars."

Gambit was floored. "Roguey...I didn't... I mean, I thought..." He felt like singing and dancing. "Do you 'member de way I used to tell you I loved you?"

Rogue blushed. "Every night, sugah." She whispered.

Remy pulled her to him. Whispering, he said in her ear, "I love you, Roguie. I always have."

She began to cry. Twining her arms around his neck she murmered in reply, "I love you, too, Rem. And I always
will."

Above, two girls peeked out a bedroom window. Then with a smile, Sandy and Beth returned to thier heavenly home, taking a sad little tree with them, and leaving behind two happy hearts.