44 Chapter 44

"Hey Jen, you think this outfit works?"

Jen turns away from the hallway mirror where she was putting the last touches on her makeup, and looks me over. Taking her advice, I've gone for something a bit more formal than my usual fashion sense, but that isn't saying much, and it's mostly a copy of what I wore for my TV interview on Genosha. A black sweater under a grey suit jacket and khakis, which is about as far as I'm willing to stretch for anything that isn't a wedding or a funeral.

Jen, herself dressed in a long, flowing black dress with a white jacket over it, nods approvingly as she puts away her makeup in her purse and tugs it over her shoulder. "Sharp dressed, Mr Magnusson. Frankly, I'm still surprised every time I see you wear anything with sleeves."

I shudder comically "I hate sleeves, they're like arm prisons!" I offer my hand "Well, we're all dressed up, so ready whenever you are, Miss Walters" I offer my hand with a dramatic flourish. She just rolls her eyes with a smile, and takes it.

Both Brian Van Patrick and Sharon Carter nearly jump out of their seats when we appear in the Van Patrick home, the older man getting to his feet, but is quickly calmed when he sees who it is. "Jesus, does that guy ever go through the door like a normal person?"

Michael shakes his head "I've only known him for about a day, but I'm gonna guess no. You get used to it, Dad."

Brian sighs and tugs his jacket on "I'd rather not get used to people randomly appearing out of nowhere in my house, thanks. No offense, considering you've done me a pretty big damn favor, but-"

I wave him off "No, no, I get it, appearing out of nowhere like that must be startling. Maybe if I added a puff of smoke like Nightcrawler..?"

"I don't think the STYLE of how you show up is the issue, Johan" Jen says, patting my arm "Is everyone ready to head out?"

"As ready as we'll ever be" Sharon says "You sure teleporting with you is safe?" She doesn't voice her exact concern, but Steve brushes his hand over her stomach protectively. An understandable worry, I suppose.

"Don't worry, what I do isn't exactly teleportation, there's no sci-fi nonsense where you're broken down into molecules and reassembled somewhere else, which always seemed weird to me, since it's technically suicide, and-" Jen nudges me in the side "Okay, sorry, wrong time for that, like I was saying, you're not teleporting, I'm just using my powers to "shift" reality, so that you move from one place in it to the next. Nothing happens to YOU, I'm just manipulating reality AROUND you."

Sharon doesn't look convinced, but Steve takes her hand reassuringly and she seems to accept my explanation "...alright, how do we do this?"

"Well, technically, you don't have to do anything, but if it helps" I hold out my open hand "just touch the palm of my hand and get ready to warp!"

.....

"Well, yer a bit early for a Christmas miracle, bub"

It's a very uncharacteristically dressed Wolverine who answers the door at the Xavier mansion, having switched his usual "biker/trailer trash" style for a dress shirt and tie for the occasion, which is a rather odd look for him, though not quite as odd as the expression of shock currently on his face when he sees just who knocked on the door.

Steve smiles "It's good to see you again too, Logan. How have you been?"

"Ain't gonna lie, Rogers, it's been a rough few years. Though not as rough as yours, how the hell are you-" He looks past Steve and finally catches sight of me, and gives an annoyed huff. "Of course, forgot who was coming to dinner for a second. Ya know, most people just bring a bottle of wine."

"Well, I was going to, but then I thought, nah, I'll bring Captain America back from the dead instead, just to annoy Wolverine."

"Why you-"

Jen steps forward, cutting us off. "Boys, play nice and fight at the dinner table like everyone else does at Thanksgiving, I didn't squeeze into this dress just to freeze my butt off out on the porch and watch a dick-measuring contest."

Logan actually smiles at that "I know better than to piss you off, Walters. Fine, I'll cut your boyfriend some slack. Come on in, Charles is having everyone gather in the living room" He hesistates before stepping back into the house "Nice to have ya back, Rogers. This'll rattle some heads at the party."

He wasn't joking. The conversation in the living room dies to a murmur as the students, not to mention the various family members visiting for the holiday, sees just who stepped in. Steve opted for wearing his army uniform rather than his costume, but there's not really mistaking him for anyone else even without the red, white and blue mask. The rest of us barely get a glance as everyone is too distracted by Captain America, back from the dead. Finally Xavier breaks free from the group of X-Men and parents he was chatting with when we walked in and killed the conversation.

"Captain Rogers, it's a pleasure to see you healthy and whole once again. I must admit, when Ginnungagap told us who he was bringing as a guest, I'm afraid many of us thought it was a joke, even seeing his abilities with my own eyes more than once. I should have learned by now he hardly needs to make up claims like this."

Steve shakes his hand "I could say the same about you, Professor. I can guess the reason why you're walking again."

"As you say, we owe a great deal to Mr Magnusson. Speaking of whom" he walks over to me and shakes my hand as well "Wonderful to see you again, my boy. I hear you've been quite busy since we last met."

I'm not sure if he knows about Magneto yet, I don't know if he kept track of him or not, but either he doesn't know, or he's not upset about it. "What can I say, Professor? It's a mess out there."

He chuckles "Quite."

"I know you've met most of my guests already, but I'd like to introduce you to Michael Van Patrick, former Initiative cadet, and his father Brian Van Patrick." I step back, allowing Xavier to get a look at them. Brian steps forward first, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Professor. Thank you for having us."

"Don't mention it, Mr Van Patrick, any friend of Ginnungagap is a friend of the X-Men." He glances over at MVP, a flash of concern on his face. "Young man, I've heard reports of your experiences as part of the Initative, you have my condolences."

MVP looks away, rubbing the side of his head awkwardly "It's alright, not like it was your fault, sir..."

Xavier shakes his head sadly "Perhaps, but the younger generation of heroes bearing the brunt of our failures should weigh on all of us." He brightens up "But now, let us speak of happier things. All of you, please, come in and join the festivities. Miss Walters, Miss Carter, a delight to see both of you again. Come, come on in." He leads us back into the crowded room as the conversation starts up again, but holds me back for a second.

"Ginnungagap, I'm sorry for this, but could I please have I moment of your time?"

Oh, what now?

.....

Oh. Right. This.

Xavier leads me over to a group of people standing together away from the rest of the guests, most of them looking a mix of hopeful and despairing. It's not until I notice a tall, skinny, blonde man standing next to a middle-aged woman that it clicks for me. Sam Guthrie, Cannonball. And I'm assuming the woman with him is his mother. The reason for their visit is easy enough to guess.

Xavier is the first to speak "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sorry this took as long as it has. I'd like you to introduce you to Johan Magnusson, better known as Ginnungagap. Mr Magnusson, this is-"

"The parents of the kids who WEREN'T buried in your backyard, right?" Xavier nods solemnly. Sam walks up, followed closely by his mother. He's about to speak, but she cuts him off before he can get a word out.

"Is it true what they're saying? You can really bring Jay back to us? Professor Xavier called us, but I couldn't quite believe..." her voice breaks, and Sam puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry, losing Jay took a real toll on all of us, but it was especially hard on Ma. I know the Professor wouldn't play a cruel trick like this, but it's so hard to believe..."

"I mean" I point a thumb towards the various students milling around the room "I brought back a bunch of the people in here right now, I think that's a pretty good sign? The only reason your brother isn't already back is because he wasn't buried here when I did it."

"Let me tell you, it was a real shock when Melody's powers came back out of nowhere, and then they started to talk about you on the news... I've seen a lot in my time with the X-Men, but this..."

I shrug "I got some time before dinner anyway, let's wake 'em up! Professor?"

Xavier smiles "We have a room set aside."

.....

Joshua "Icarus" Guthrie is in a sorry state, even for someone who's been dead for over a year. Even before the Purifiers killed him, he had his wings cut off by the U-Men, which made M-Day rather academic as far as he was concerned. The bodies of the students have been laid out on hospital beds covered in plastic, with the exception of two who had been cremated. Restoring the bodies come first, and I hear a gasp behind me as the parents watch their children reform in front of them. Joshua is last, and the body shudders as his wings are restored as a finishing touch, a blur of red feathers spreading out over the side of the bed. There's a pulse of energy, reality forms to my whim, and Joshua Guthrie opens his eyes once again.

However, he is not the first to speak. Instead, the silence is broken by a much younger boy with orange scales and fins instead of hair.

Sammy Pare sits up in his bed, looking around in confusion "M-mom?"

"SAMMY!!" A woman breaks away from the group and pulls the surprised Squid-Boy into her arms. This seems to break the spell and the group scatters, parents reuniting with their lost children. Cannonball and his mother helps a dazed Joshua up from his bed, the woman sobbing into his shoulder.

"My boy, my boy, I can't believe it..."

Joshua blinks, his wings drooping "Mom? Sam? What the...heck happened?" He finally notices the weight on his back "...are my wings back?!"

I clap Xavier on the shoulder "Well Professor, if that's all the holiday work you have lined up for me, I'm going to head upstairs and steal some of Wolverines beer."