Kevin sat on the window seat in his room and looked out at the city, an old worn teddy bear clenched tightly to his chest. It was always so pretty at night, with all the lights in other buildings on. It almost made him forget why he was here. Almost, but not quite. No matter how much anyone tried to make him forget, the reason was always lingering in the back of his mind.

But it was almost Christmas, he shouldn't be lingering on something like that. He should, like any other ten-year-old boy, be thinking about presents and gifts, and what he should ask Santa Clause for when Mrs. Jackson takes all the kids to the mall tomorrow.

He'd been thinking about it for the past week, ever since Mrs. Jackson had announced that they'd be seeing Santa soon. He knew what most of the kids wanted, Matt wanted a toy train that had stem come out when the whistle blew; Margie wanted a Christmas tree ten-feet tall with popcorn garlands around it; Lane wanted a computer; Carrie wanted books; and on the lest went. But Kevin knew two others who wanted something more then material things. Amanda wanted her mom back, and TJ wanted to get better. Kevin though both of those hopes to be sillier than any of the others'. He didn't want his parents back, and he knew that Santa couldn't cure his illness, or any of the illnesses the other kids had.

As he sat on his window seat and looked out at the city's twinkling lights, he knew what he wanted. He didn't want toys, he didn't want parents who would leave him again. He wanted a friend, and he knew just who that friend was.

He held his old teddy out in fount of him so he could look it in it's one plastic eye, the corners of his lips lifting ever so slightly. "Come on, Gambit. We got to go to bed so we can see Santa in the morning. I know what we want for Christmas."

"Is there something you want for Christmas?" Santa asked again. Kevin hugged his bear against his chest, and nodded slowly, not looking at the fat man. "Well, do you want to tell me?" Again, all he did was nod. Santa sighed, he had had kids cry when they'd been sat on his lap, he'd been peed on, screamed at, had his beard yanked, and had been kicked in the crotch one to many times. But he never got angry, especially with these last few kids he had see, knowing that they were special. "Okay, why don't you whisper what you want into ol' Santa's ear. Then it'll be just between you and me." Kevin nodded again and leaned up to whisper into his ear. Santa's eyes grew large and round as he heard what the boy had to say.

"I know it sounds strange, but that's what he said he wanted. What was I supposed to tell him?"

"No, for starters. God! It would have been better if he'd asked for world peace. I love to give the kids exactly what they want every Christmas, but this ... it's impossible!" He plopped down in one of the little plastic chairs in the food court and placed his hands to his head.

The dark skinned April Jackson stepped up beside her lighter husband and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it's not so impossible."

"What?" Michael quickly lifted his head up to stare at his wife, but before she could say anything, she had to move off before two of the kids started a food fight.

"It was Leroy, th' redneck reindeer, hitched up to th' fount of th' sla-"

"Bobby, if you sing that song again, I'm going to strangle you with this tinsel."

"Ah come on Jean! Where's your Christmas spirit?"

"It flew off after the fifth time you sang that song."

"Well okay, how about this one: Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid-"

"Shut up." Wolverine stepped in, his bone claws popping out of the back of his hand, the points just touching Bobby's chest. He clamped his mouth shut and continued putting real ice sickles on the Christmas tree, in silence.

"I don't know, April. A child, here?" Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men, hovered into the room, a dark beauty walked beside him. "Do you think it's wise?"

April shrugged and looked down at the floor. It was the second time she had been in the X-Mansion, the first time being when Xavier had asked her to become one of his students. Although she had turned him down, her first responsibility being to the children, she and Charles had kept up a good friendly relationship. "Kevin is... a very special case. He was abandoned only a few months ago. He's lost faith in a lot of things, but he sees your X-Men on the TV and he looks up to you. You know me, I try to give each child exactly what they want for Christmas, and this is what he wants."

"Who wants what?" Jean asked hanging the last bit on tinsel on the tree and standing back to admire her handy work. Scott tried to straighten a piece, and she slapped his hand away.

"It seems that a little boy has asked Santa for a very special gift. Us." Everyone in the room turned to look at Xavier in stunted silence. "He's asked to meet the X-Men for Christmas."

"A child here?"

"He actually asked for us?"

"Yes." April moved slightly away from Xavier. "His name is Kevin, he's alone, no friends, no family. The one thing he asked for was to meet you... well one of you actually. Gambit."

The only one who had yet to receive his present was Kevin. It was a dumb thought anyway. Why would the X-Men want to meet him? He was just a little kid who was too serious, who hardly ever smiled, who carried a raged old teddy bear with him wherever he went. The X-Men were probably too busy stopping bad guys to want to see him anyway. It was a dumb wish.

So then why did it hurt to watch everyone else get what they wanted, while he sat staring out the window with nothing to show that it was Christmas Day? Tears welded up behind his eyes, but he wouldn't let them come out. Why give anyone the satisfaction? He hadn't cried when his parents abandoned him, and he hadn't cried when he was taken here, so why cry now?

"Kev?" a hand came to his shoulder as Mrs. Jackson's kind voice came from behind him. "Kev? I hate to do this, but you have an appointment with the doctor today. We've got to go."

Kevin nodded and pulled his teddy bear close to him as Mrs. Jackson maneuvered him toward the coat room, and then out the door.

His teddy was the only friend he had. The only one he needed. Why did he think he could meet his teddy's namesake? It was a silly wish. A dumb hope. Just like he hoped in the back of his mind that his parents would come back. Just like he hoped in the back of his head that he would get well again. It was a silly dream. A stupid kid's hope. So then why did it hurt so much?

"Hello, Kevin. My name is Professor Xavier. Welcome to my home." The bald man in the funny looking chair said, and Kevin pressed closer to Mrs. Jackson, and hugged his teddy closer to his chest.

April smiled down at him gently. "I don't think I've ever seen you shy before Kev." She said softly. He just moved closer.

Gambit came toward them and knelt in front of him holding out his hand. "Hi der Kevin. My name Remy LeBeau." When Kevin didn't take his hand, he just moved it over to wiggle one of the bear's worn legs. "Dis an ol' friend, non?" Kevin nodded. "What his name?"

Kevin looked up at Mrs. Jackson, only to see her smiling back at him. He looked again at Remy. "G-gambit." he stuttered out the name.

Everyone laughed. "Ain't that cute, Remy? He named his bear afta ya."

Remy and Kevin both turned three shades of red.

They had eaten in a room larger then all of the kitchen and dining room at the Home put together. And there was enough food to feed an army on the long table. Kevin ate so much, he was sure he would be sick in the morning, but Aunts Jean and Rogue then brought out more sweets then he'd ever seen in his whole life, and he'd stuffed his belly full of those too.

When everyone was finished eating, they went into a huge room with the biggest and prettiest Christmas tree he had ever seen. It put Margie's seven-foot tree to shame, but he knew he wouldn't tell her that. He knew he wouldn't ever tell anyone about this day.

Under the tree were presents for him, one from every X-Man. He got more candy and toys then he'd ever hoped to have. And for the first time sense he'd been taken to the Home, he smiled and laughed, he even left his teddy on the floor to crawl up into Uncle Remy's lap when they started telling him stories after all the gifts had been undone, and the paper picked up But he was asleep before they finished story telling, and was back at the Home before he knew it, Mrs. Jackson tucking him into his bed.

He opened his eyes to look up at her. "Thank you." He whispered with a smile before rolling over and pretending to go back to sleep. Mrs. Jackson kissed his head and turned out the lights. Kevin rolled over again and looked out his window at the city beyond, and hugged his teddy closer. He knew that no matter what he hoped for, what he dreamed, or wished, that is wasn't silly or dumb.

He wouldn't tell anyone here about his trip to the "Doctor," wouldn't tell anyone about this day for as long as he lived. He had been given lots of things by the X-Men, but the best one of all was a very special gift: Hope.

He rolled over again and closed his eyes, a Christmas dream in his head, and a ray of sunshine in his heart.

Authors note: This was for Ty Sanders. Where ever you are, whether you're on this world or the next, I hope you know I'm still thinking about you, and I still set a "rock" under the Christmas tree just for you. Marry Christmas all.