DISCLAIMER!!!!!! Gen X don't belong to me. If they belonged to me then I'd be rich, and I wouldn't do many things that have been done to them. But I'm not rich and thy have done all those things to them so . . . I guess that means they don't belong to me. :::grin:::

"How 'bout this one?" Jubilee popped her gum and looked up at the tree, hoping against hope that everyone would say it was okay. After three hours searching for the right Christmas tree she was cold, tired, and she thought maybe her feet were going numb. If only Cassidy had told her they were going into the mountains to get the stupid thing.

"Naw, that one's too yellow, Jube."

She snapped her gum loudly and glared at Everett.

"This one's green."

"And short," Monet snorted.

"What about this one over here?"

"It's got a great big hole in the middle, chica!"

"We can put that side by the wall."

"No way! The tree's going in the middle of the room."

"Side!"

"Midd--"

"CHILDREN!" All heads turned to the tall man with red hair who was impatiently tapping his foot. "Iffin we could please jist pick a tree? I didnae mean t' be here all day."

Feet shuffled as they dispersed back into the large tree lot, where quickly you could hear "This one?"

"Naw, that one's short."

"No it's not! It's taller than you are!"

"Guys, let's not fight. What about this one?"

"Was not short."

"Jubilee!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh."

"This is tall."

"I could set that thing on fire using only smoke, Ange."

"Oooh! This one's great!"

It's leaning.

"So? you guys and Mr. Cassidy can fix that."

"Oh yeah? Why us?"

"'Cause you're big and strong. (And gullible enough to be talked into it.)"

"Guys, I just found the best tree here!" Paige smiled as she tried to catch her breath, gesturing as she did so behind her.

"Lead on, hayseed." Jubilee smiled as Paige threatened to turn her into bug food, but she lead them to the Christmas tree anyway.

A beam of sunlight shone down on the twelve foot tree, glistening off of the needles.

"Wow," was the only sound heard.

XXX

"Mr. Cassidy! We found the tree!" Jubilee shouted, skipping ahead of the others happily.

He almost choked at the sight of it as they came out of the mini-forest, Monet holding the giant thing on her shoulder.

"How much?" He finally managed to gasp out.

"Only ninety-nine dollars and sixty four cents!" Leech called happily.

"Ninety nine . . ." He stared vacantly into space, wondering at which point they forgot the fifty dollar price limit.

"Should I put it on the roof of the van?" Monet asked, struggling to push pine needles out of her eyes.

"Yeah, I'll get some rope to tie it on there." Angelo started digging around in the back of the car, oblivious to the trunk of the tree swinging over his head.

Monet tossed the tree up, then watched as it rolled off the van and fell to the ground on the other side. "Oh! Woops. Um, someone is going to have to stand on there and make sure it doesn't fall again." Once more, M hefted it into her arms, tossing it up on the roof of the van as Skin stood up, triumphantly holding the rope.

THUNK

XXX

"I think he's coming around. Ange? Can you hear me?" Jubilee peered into his face worriedly.

"RuBbEr DuCkY, YoU'Re ThE OnE. YoU MakE BaThTimE So MuCh FuN . . ."

Paige looked at the others doubtfully. "I think we better let him rest a little more."

"Um . . . the tree is falling again," Leech pointed out.

The crash as it fell from the car was astounding, the only noise after the crash the sound of Angelo moaning from beneath the tree.

"Oops. Ev, help me lift it off him." With M lifting the trunk, and Synch lifting the tip, they were able to pull it off Skin without stepping on him and lift it back onto the van while Banshee moved Angelo and made sure he was okay.

"Someone tie it up!" Monet shouted, her arms starting to hurt.

Jubilee scratched her head, holding the rope limply. "How?"

"I think we could put the rope through the windows . . ." Paige said, biting her lip.

"And drive back down the mountain with the windows down? Are you nuts?"

"I can't hold on much longer, M!" Everett said as it tried to roll down his side.

"You can do it Ev! Just a little bit more!" Paige shouted helpfully. He glared at her.

"I can't get the rope over the tree," Jubilee complained from her short vantage point.

"Just throw it," Paige said, trying to help.

Jubilee glared. "I was."

"Oh. Right."

Here, open th' door, yer might be able to step up and toss the end of the rope from there.

"Heads up! Here it comes!" Jubilee shouted, taking Jono's advice.

"Groan . . ."

Jubilee whipped around, throwing the rope and causing it to go wide. "Is Angelo okay?"

"Jubilee you dolt! You missed!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you're a lousy catch," Jubes shrugged.

"You turned around!"

"Uh, girls? If you could get this thing tied?" Ev croaked from under the weight of the tree.

"Oh, right."

"What if we tied it to these bars up here?" Monet offered, tapping them with one hand and holding the tree with the other.

"Nae Monet. Those arenae made to hold something as heavy as a tree."

"Humph."

"I'm telling you, just tie it through the windows!" Paige insisted.

"We'll freeze!" Jubilee snapped back.

"The tree is about to fall!" Everett called, trying to stop it.

"Ey. My head hurts. Feels like a house was dropped on it." Skin sat up slowly, rubbing his cranium.

"Timmmmmbbberrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Oof!"

"Oops."

"I thought you moved Angelo, Mr. Cassidy!" Paige said, her hand to her mouth as she looked at the scene before her.

"A did."

"Oh."

"Is he okay?" Jubilee asked, trying to see him underneath all the pine needles.

"Let's get th' tree off him and find out," Sean said, moving closer.

Jono took the other side and counted it off, One two three lift!

"Ange? Are you okay?" Paige asked, patting his hand gently.

"It's A cOnSpiRaCy ScuLLy. . . "

"Hmm." She frowned.

"A think A'll jist move 'im tae the front o' th' van," Sean said as he came back up, Monet and Jono holding the tree. He bent and picked the boy up, then walked around to where it was less likely he'd get hit.

Mr. Cassidy? You think you could hold this instead of me?

Sean stared at the Englishman, then moved to where he stood. "Sigh. M, ye take that side, A'll take this side. And . . . Lift!"

Jubilee grabbed the rope from Paige, sliding it along the girl's side as she shouted. "Tie it quick!"

"Everett! Stop pushing on it!" Jubilee said as she tried to tie the tree.

"I'm not, Jube! You're the one pushing!"

"Liar!" "Am NOT!" She pushed harder, just to show him what she meant. "Oops."

"EEK!"

"Ack!"

THUMP.

"That looks painful," Jubilee noted.

"Is Angelo okay?" Everett asked.

"How in the world did you manage to push it off the FRONT of the van?!" Monet shouted, pine needles stuck in her hair.

"It was an accident!" Jubilee said, her hands up as if to ward off any attacks.

"Ange?"

"He looks bad."

"KnOw WhaT TimE It Is? ToOl TiMe . . ."

Paige looked up at Ev. "I think he watches too much TV."

XXX

"Geez, how long does it take to put a Christmas tree up?" Jubilee asked as Jono came into the room, trying to pull needles out of his bandages. He glared at her.

You blokes cut it wrong. We 'ave to re-cut it now.

"Gripe gripe gripe," she muttered, taking a drink of egg nog before trying to see what was under the wrapping paper of this present. Jono frowned and took the gift away.

If yer think yer could do it so much better, then you put it up!

"Well, we could at least do it faster!" Jubilee snapped, reaching to get the gift back.

Oh yeah? Yer put it up with only three people an' Artie an' Leech runnin' under yer legs!

Jubilee stopped and looked up at him. "What happened to Angelo?"

'e won't go near it. 'e says it's out to get 'im.

"Oh."

"Tis up!" Banshee called from the living room.

Sean stepped away from the tree, admiring his handiwork as the kids came in from the kitchen.

"It looks great!" Paige exclaimed.

"It's leaning," Jubilee said, her head tipped to one side.

"Only a little," Paige said in defense.

"And little more, and more . . . and more . . . watch out! It's coming down!"

"SKIN! GET OUT OF THE-- way."

"Ouch."

"Someone call Monet with the first aid kit," Everett called.

"Hmm. A guess we need a bigger stand."

XXX

"Oooh! This one's painted like snow!"

"I like this one with the pretend presents."

"That's so childish."

"You should know."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Cassidy, could we get this one?"

"No."

"Party pooper."

"Here 'tis. Industrial strength tree stand."

"That's ugly."

"I want the one with the Santa hats on it!"

"I want the babes one!"

"Santa hats!"

"Babes!"

"We're gettin' this one."

"Spoil sport."

XXX

"Did you find one?" The White Queen asked as she lounged on the couch, a glass of white wine in her hand.

"Aye, Emma. Did ye know that this thing cost almost two hundred dollars?" Sean said, shaking the box.

"Ooh." She frowned.

"How's Ange?"

"Well," she took a sip from her glass and hid her smile, then kept going. "First he was reciting lines from "A Christmas Carol" and now he refuses to come out of his room."

"Smart man," Everett said, rolling his eyes.

"Jono, help me get the tree off th' floor. Monet, hold it up while we put it in the stand. Paige, get the stand out o' the box. Jubilee, move."

As the tree ever so slowly got back up into it's standing position, and into it's new stand, everyone stood back once again to admire it.

"Sweet!"

"Um, Mr. Cassidy?"

"Jist a minute Paige."

"Mr. Cassidy!"

"Jist a minute."

"BANSHEE! It's falling!"

"Ack."

XXX

"So, how did you guys finally get it to stay standing?" Angelo asked over dinner.

We nailed it ta a six foot by six foot plywood board.

"Paige, you got needles in your hair," Skin pointed with his fork, laughing. She glared at him.

"Pass the salt," Jubilee called.

"What do you want salt for?" Everett asked, looking at dinner doubtfully. It didn't look very good, and there wasn't much you could salt.

"Duh! Everyone knows you can put salt on anything!"

The whole group watched in disgust as she poured salt all over her plate.

"Eew."

"Please don't eat that, Jubilee," Everett begged.

"I don't believe she just ate that," Ange said quietly, unable to take his eyes away. It was like watching some horrible wreck, you didn't want to, but you couldn't look away.

"Hey! Guys!" Jubilee said, brightening suddenly, "Tomorrow we get to put the decorations on the tree!"

The sudden silence in the room was overwhelming.

XXX

"Here's one for you, and one for you, and one for you . . . hey, where's Ange?" Jubilee asked, looking around.

"Hiding in his room," Everett muttered.

"Oh. Jono, you don't have a Santa hat on!" Jubilee walked over and pulled a red thing out of the box she held, then tried to throw it on top of the Englishman's head.

I don't want one, he said as he dodged.

Jubilee followed him. "Yes you do."

No I don't. He started backing up, ducking every time she tried to get a hat on him.

"Yes you do." She stood up on her toes, grabbing his leather jacket and trying to pull herself up so she could get it on his head.

No, I don't, he insisted, trying to get her off.

"Yes--"

"Um, Jube? Not everyone wants Santa hats," Everett said.

"Don't stick your tongue out at him," Paige said in shock. "Don't stick your tongue out at me either! Stop it!"

"Make me," Jubilee said snottily.

"Why you little . . ." Paige started to advance.

"Hey, M, you think you could put this one up there?" Ev asked, holing out a glass ornament that would probably be best kept out of the reach of Artie and Leech. And probably Jubilee.

"Of course," She said, taking it and flying up.

"Ow! That hurt!" One of the girls shouted from where they were fighting on the floor.

Ah yes, the spirit of Christmas.

"Careful Everett! Don't pull on the tree!" M said, frowning at him.

He rolled his eyes. "I think I know that!"

"Stop biting!"

"Girls!" Banshee said as he walked into the room. They broke apart, climbing unsteadily to their feet.

"Sorry, Mr. Cassidy," Paige said quietly, mortified to be caught fighting like that.

"Yeah. Sorry," Jubilee said off handedly as she stuck her tongue out at Paige.

"Hey, what's that sound?" Ev asked, stepping back to listen. His eyes started to widen as he identified it. "Someone catch the tree!"

"Ange's got it!" M called.

"What?" Skin said as he turned.

Paige winced. "Ouch."

"Poor guy," Jubilee said, shaking her head slowly.

"Pull the thing off him!" Everett said, tugging at branches.

"Angelo? How many fingers am I holding up?" the White Queen asked, bending over him.

"FliNtSTonEs, MeEt ThE FLiNtStoNeS . . ."

She shrugged. "He's okay."

Yeah, right. He looks great.

"Someone tighten the stand, even I can't hold this forever." Monet said as she worked at keeping the tree upright.

"I'm tightening it now, Monet," Sean said, bending underneath the low hanging limbs.

"Ange, move back. You're a jinx," Jubilee quipped as she pushed him away.

"Ugh . . ." he groaned.

"Got it?" M asked, trying to see Banshee between the branches.

"Aye, ye can let it gae now," he said, standing and brushing his knees off.

"Whew."

"Who picked this stupid tree anyway?" Paige asked with a scowl.

"You did."

She glared at Jubilee. "Only because you guys kept fighting about it!"

Jubes rolled her eyes. "Yeah right."

"Someone turn on the Christmas carols," Everett said quickly, trying to diffuse the situation.

"How 'bout Amy Grant?" Jubilee asked, buried in the cupboard already.

"Amy Grant does Christmas carols?" Paige asked, picking up ornaments.

Jubilee came out of the cupboard to roll her eyes. "Duh."

"No, some real Christmas carols. Like Bing Crosby," Ev interrupted again.

"Bing Crosby? Who's that?" Jubilee asked, frowning.

"That's the comedy guy," Leech said helpfully. Jubilee shrugged. Sounded good to her.

Someone else, Jono said, cringing.

"Um. Howza 'bout "The Big Christmas Carol C.D."?"

Ev shrugged. "Okay."

"Don't put that ornament there! That goes with the rest of the train." Paige said, stopping M's hand.

"What? Fine, this one got unhitched," she said and put it where she wanted to.

Paige frowned and moved it. "It can't get unhitched!"

"Why not?" M grabbed it and put it back.

"Egg Nog anyone?" Banshee asked, coming out with a tray.

"Me!" Jubilee said, almost pushing Artie over in the fight to get to the drinks.

"It can too be unhitched!" M snapped, moving the car back again.

"I want some!" Ev said, moving as far away from the girls as he could before they toppled the tree again.

"No, it's not unhitched, now put it over there with the rest of the train," Paige insisted, trying to take the caboose away from M.

"Ooh! Look at the pretty lace ornaments!" Jubilee said, taking them out of the box.

"With the rest of the train!" Paige screamed, her face turning red.

"I'm gonna put all of these ones together," Jubilee announced.

Paige whipped around and M took the ornament back. "You can't do that!"

Jubilee blinked at her. "What?"

"Put them all together. Scatter them all over the tree so that it looks nice," Paige said, her hair falling in her face as she quickly turned back to move the caboose with the rest of the train.

"This does look nice!" Jubilee said, doing what she wanted.

"No, like this!" Paige snapped, taking the things and starting to scatter them, only to have to turn back and put the caboose with the rest of the train--again. Jubilee snickered and started putting all the lace ornaments together, while M kept moving the piece of train away from the thing. Paige was going nuts.

"Tinsel fight!" Leech shouted, grabbing a handful and throwing it at Emma, who sat reading and drinking her wine, completely unfazed.

"Ack!" Paige said as she started to loose it, Leech throwing tinsel at her.

"Not down my shirt! Not down my shirt!" Ev called, jumping around and trying to get it out.

"NO ICE CUBES!" Monet screeched as Artie used his lethal weapon against her. Jubilee grinned and ran into the kitchen, only to fun back out and dump ice down Paige's shirt.

"Eek! Jube, we just said no ice cubes!"

"I called it off!" she cackled.

"You are dead!" Paige called, picking up the tiny fireplace shovel.

I got the can of fake snow! Everyone just better back off the bandages! Jono "shouted", holding the bottle like a gun and keeping his back to the tree.

"How appropriate. Chamber with fake snow," Jubilee said, advancing.

"What is going on in here?!" Sean shouted, coming into the room already knowing full well what was going on.

"LET'S GET MR. CASSIDY!" Ev shouted, picking up a ton of tinsel and running after the man. Emma grinned then, the shout snapping her out of her reading. She reached for the bottle of wine, and plugging the top she started to shake it.

"Emma, daenae do it!" Banshee said, backing up slowly as she advanced.

"AAAGGGGHHHH!" She screamed suddenly, drenched in water.

"RETREAT! HE'S GOT THE HOSE!" Jubilee shouted, her hands over her head. Banshee laughed as the water sprayed out, soaking the room and small group.

"Not fair! Not fair!" Ev cried.

"And all o' ye attackin' me is?" Banshee asked laughingly, turning the hose off.

"YES!" they shouted in unison.

"Okay, who put the t-rex eating the little snowman?" Paige asked, just looking back at the tree.

"Thank you, thank you, no applause, just throw money!" Angelo, until now hiding, cried bowing.

"Yeah right!" Jubilee said with a snort as she tried to wrestle the hose away from Sean. "Ange, you can't make the t-rex eating the snowman!" Paige said, moving it.

"Why not?" he asked, moving it back.

"Yeah, why not?" Jubilee parroted. The water sprayed out again and she screeched, then managed to turn it on Banshee while Ev laughed and the littleuns cheered her on, jumping up and down excitedly.

"Just because! What do we have a t-rex Christmas ornament for anyway? It's not very Christmasy." Paige pitched it in the trash, scowling

"I got it in a happy meal." Skin said, pulling it back out and busting it off before putting it back up.

"Yuck, what is this song?" M asked, sniffing.

"I like it!" Jubilee said, wringing out her shirt. Banshee had declared truce and gone to put the hose away.

"Turn it off!" M said again, going to the stereo system herself.

"Don't touch it!" Jubilee snarled, jumping to the doors before M could get there.

"Someone kill the poor moose already!" Monet said sarcastically.

"Very funny!" Jubilee returned.

"Yum! Gingerbread cookies!" Leech said as Sean carried those out.

"You know how much fat those things have?" Paige asked disdainfully.

"Who cares?" Everett replied, taking three of them and stuffing them all in his mouth.

"Eew."

"Don't even think about putting salt on them!" Ange said to Jube as she went to checkout the cookies.

"I wasn't! I wasn't'!"

"There! The tree's done!" Paige said, standing back.

"It looks great!" Sean said, giving everyone another glass of egg nog.

"Now for the rest of the house!" Jubilee said happily.

"Groan."

XXX

"What in the-- Who put the Santa on the toilet?!" Paige shouted, looking down at the thing.

"Pretty cool huh?" Angelo asked, grinning.

"Get it off!"

"Geez." He sulked into the room and pretended to take it off until she left.

"Can someone put this wreath up there?" Jubilee asked, trying to jump up high enough to reach.

"Why there? Why not over here?" M asked.

"It looks better here."

M eyed it. "No it doesn't."

"Ha!" Ev said, taking it from both and hanging it where he wanted.

"Give it back!" Jubilee said laughingly while trying to jump up on him and get it.

"Who moved the stockings?" Paige asked.

"I did. They were about to catch on fire." Emma said, never looking up from her book.

"But they looked so good!"

"Whoa, Ange just kissed M!" Ev said, grinning.

SMACK

Jono shook his head slowly. Nasty hand print, mate.

"She was under the mistletoe!" Angelo said, trying to defend himself while grinning from ear to ear.

"And who's idea was it to put that there?" Paige asked.

"Angelo's."

"Ow. Ow. OW. OW! GET OFF MY FOOT!" Everett said, pushing Paige away.

"Touchy touchy."

"Ooh, it's the Grinch That Stole Christmas!" Jubilee plopped down in front of the TV, turning the volume way up.

The what?

"Poor deprived child. The Grinch That Stole Christmas!" Jubilee said as if everyone should know of this. Jono came and sat beside her.

"Oh brother," M sighed.

"The Charlie Brown Christmas special's on!" Paige said, changing the channel with the remote.

"Hey, change it back!" Jubilee snapped, reaching over and taking the remote.

"Get off me!" Paige said, trying to push her away. Emma glared at them as they jostled her.

"Change it back!" Jubilee shouted.

"No!" Paige said, bumping into Emma again.

"An' here A thought th' spirit o' Christmas was suppaesed to be peaceful," Sean said with a sigh before turning away to go back into the kitchen.

"Just goes to show what you learn around a family." Everett laughed.

"Ooh--I'm late for the mall!" Jubilee said as she glanced at her watch.

"Jubilee--wait! Oh well. Looks like it's just us to finish, huh guys?" Paige said, turning around to look as the other girl ran out of the room.

"Um. . . just you, Paige. M left and I'm going to town," Angelo said quickly, dumping the rest of the decorations on the floor.

"Oh. Well, I have to study . . . ."

Emma looked up as the room was suddenly quiet. "Hey, where did they all go? And they just left the boxes here for me to pick up?! Grrrrrr . . ."

XXX

"Th' house looks great, kids," Banshee said, tactfully not mentioning that they didn't help clean it up.

"Of course Banshee! After all, I did it," Jubilee said grinning.

"You did it? Gee, and here I thought we all helped." Paige rolled her eyes.

"Pass the salt," Jubilee said, reaching across the table for it as Ange pulled it away.

"NO!"

"This looks good," Paige said, munching happily.

"This is sick," M countered.

"Jubilee!" Ev cried as she grabbed the salt. "I just lost my appetite."

"Mr. Cassidy, do you think we could go Christmas shopping tomorrow? After all, we need to get presents," the girl asked, oblivious to Everett.

Sean looked distressed. "Emma? Could ye take them? I have some catching up tae do with me work."

"You work?" Jube said, looking up.

"Of course I'll take them." Emma said, thinking of all the things she could get.

"All right! Shopping!"

"Christmas shopping, Jubes," Everett interceded quickly.

"Uh, right."

XXX

"Ooh, I just have to have this," Jubilee declared, holding up a jacket.

"Jube, we're Christmas shopping, you know, where you shop for gifts?"

"Save it, Ev. She's gone," Paige said, shaking her head as the smaller girl took off down the mall hall.

"Where did Ange go?" Everett asked, looking around at the suddenly small group.

"To Hot Topics," Paige responded.

"But we're supposed to be shopping for friends!"

"Give it up. Maybe they won't completely forget to get us things."

XXX

"Look at this awesome hat I got!" Jubilee said quite chipperly. "And I got this shirt, and this one, and these pants to go with it, and this cute little skirt, these overalls, this pair of shoes, these knee highs, another pair of shoes, oh, aren't these earrings adorable? And they were on sale for only fifteen ninety five. I got this jacket for eighty nine dollars, which is really a rip-off because I saw it the other day for only sixty four, but I just couldn't stand it I had to have it right away. But it's okay because I got these watches for half off, and I know that I have a watch, but these ones were so cute I just had to buy them, I'm sure I could find something to go with them and--"

Finally getting tired of waiting for her to take a breath, Everett interrupted. "Jubilee!"

"What?" she said, blinking.

"Didn't you buy anything for anyone else?"

She looked at him blankly. "Why would I do that? You can do your own shopping."

Everett just looked at her for a minute. "We were Christmas shopping, remember?"

"No we--oh. Oh well, I'll just have to go again. Anyway, look at this pin, isn't it adorable?" she said happily.

Everett sighed, shaking his head sadly.

So this is what Christmas is like with you x-types . . .

Back to the X-Mansion
Back to the living room