THE MOST MAGICAL TIME OF THE YEAR by Crescent Dreamweaver email: catz4dog1@aol.com Disclaimer: I don't own Mutant X. Those rights belong to Marvel Studios and Tribune Entertainment. I make no money from this fic, but I wish that I owned the men of Mutant X--the team, not all the men on the show. I wouldn't own the character Mason Eckhart if he was handed to me on a platter. Oh, yeah, and I don't own the song "Song For A Winter's Night". I don't know who originally wrote it, but the version in this fic is the version performed by Sarah McLachlan. Synopsis: Romantic Mutant X Christmas fic. Adam/Emma. Notes: I know that there's more than a thirty year difference in their ages (the guy that plays Adam is fifty-two, and the lady that plays Emma is only twenty-one), but love has no age limits. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that there's some definite chemistry between the two characters. * *= indicates emphasized words -- --= indicates a person's thoughts ~ ~= indicates a song Let the story begin! * * * It was Christmas Eve. The moon was full, and the stars were bright. All across the world, young children were being read The Night Before Christmas by their parents, and were eagerly awaiting the arrival of Christmas morning, when they would wake up and open their presents that had been delivered by Santa Claus in the middle of the night while they slept. And at the penthouse apartment where Mutant X was temporarily located due to the fact that Sanctuary had been damaged by a New Mutant with the ability to create earthquakes (that never happened in the show; I just wanted an excuse to make it more Christmas-ey), the air was filled with the same excitement. "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!" sang Emma deLauro. She was dancing around and singing various Christmas songs. Shalimar Fox laughed, and joined in with the next line. "Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh! Hey!" she sang. Adam laughed from where he was leaning against the wall. Emma was wearing a knee-length red leather skirt with black shoes, and a red t-shirt that read "Merry Christmas!" in green letters across the front. Her short brown hair fell into her pale blue-grey eyes, giving her a playful look. --She looks like a Christmas elf-- he thought. Adam smiled as he thought about what he'd gotten her for Christmas. He'd gotten her a t-shirt that was the exact same color as the one she was wearing, but instead of saying "Merry Christmas!" across the front, it had a picture of Santa Claus holding a gun, with the words "Hand over the milk and cookies, and noboby gets hurt" underneath. He grinned. He knew Emma would get a kick out of it. He'd also gotten her the latest Stephanie Plum novel Seven Up. Adam knew for a fact that she absolutely loved the Stephanie Plum books, and had them all, with the exception of Seven Up. Brennan Mulwray made a face, and went over to the boom box, carrying a CD case. "We need some decent music around here," he complained. "Listening to those two singing is like listening to a couple of cats caterwauling." The two girls gave him dirty looks. "If you don't like our singing, then you don't have to listen," Emma retorted. Brennan gave her a hopeful look. "You mean I don't have to suffer anymore?" He pulled a package of earplugs out of his pocket, and stuck one in each ear. "There, I feel better already." Emma made a face at him, and Shalimar whapped him on the side of his head. Jesse Kilmartin laughed as he came into the room, carrying a tray with five mugs of steaming eggnog on it. "Do you guys think you can quit bickering long enough to enjoy some nice hot eggnog?" he asked, smiling. "Yes!" Emma, Shalimar, and Brennan all chorused, running over to him. Adam followed close behind them, smiling at the way they were acting. They were excited about Christmas, and he couldn't really blame them. --I love this holiday-- Adam thought. --Not just because of the eggnog and the presents, but because it's so peaceful. It's like all the anger in the world is shut off for these two days in the year.-- He glanced at the younger members of the team, his gaze traveling over each of them. But when his gaze landed on Emma, it lingered there. She was standing a few feet away from the fireplace, and the light of the flames was making her hair appear auburn. Adam finally tore his gaze away from her, and stared intently into the fire. ~Lamp is burning low upon my table top Snow softly falling The air is still in the silence of my room I hear your voice softly calling~ "Adam?" Adam blinked and tore his gaze away from the fireplace. Emma was standing in front of him, holding two mugs of eggnog. "Here," she said, handing him one of the mugs. "Thanks." He sipped it, and stared into the fireplace again. He could feel Emma's gaze boring into his back. "Adam, are you okay?" she asked, sitting down next to him. "I'm fine," he replied. ~If I could only have you near To breathe a sigh or two I would be happy just to hold the hands I love On this winter's night with you~ "Okay." Emma got up and went to join the others. Adam sighed. --I hate lying. I wish I could just tell her how I feel. That I love her. Three little words: I love you. How hard could it be?-- He sighed again. -- Ah, who am I kidding? It's the hardest thing in the world. I'm scared she'll turn me down, or worse. Besides, what could she possibly see in me? I'm old enough to be her father!-- ~The smoke is rising in the shadows overhead My glass is almost empty I read again between the lines upon each page The words of love you send me~ Adam stood up, and walked over to the window, staring outside. Clouds were now covering the starry sky. --Huh-- he thought. --Maybe we'll have a white Christmas this year after all. Everyone's been predicting a huge snowfall for the past three weeks.-- He opened the door to the deck and walked outside, breathing in the crisp, cool air. Suddenly, he became aware of another presence on the deck, and he turned around. Emma was standing behind him. "Adam, are you all right?" she asked worriedly. "Come on back inside. It's freezing out here." He shook his head. "I think I'll stay out here for a little longer. It's peaceful." Then he changed the subject. "Emma, do you believe that magical things happen on Christmas Eve?" Emma blinked, obviously startled by the question. Then she replied, "I don't really know. But I guess it's possible." Suddenly, she gasped. "What is it?" Adam asked, concerned. "A shooting star!" Emma replied excitedly. "Quick, make a wish!" She closed her eyes tightly, obviously making a wish. Adam smiled and closed his eyes. --I wish that I could tell Emma that I love her.-- ~If I could know within my heart You were lonely, too I would be happy just to hold the hands I love On this winter's night with you~ A moment later, he opened his eyes, and saw that the shooting star was just disappearing over the horizon. He looked over at Emma, and saw that her eyes were still tightly closed. He reached out and shook her gently. "Emma, we'd better head back inside before we freeze to death." She opened her eyes. "All right." They turned to go inside, when suddenly, Adam felt something cold and wet land on the back of his neck. He looked up, and saw that it had started snowing. "Looks like we might have a white Christmas this year," he told Emma. She turned around, confused. Adam grinned. "It's snowing." Emma's face lit up. "Hey, guys!" she yelled. "We're gonna have a white Christmas this year!" The rest of Mutant X ran outside. "All right!" Brennan yelled. "Snowball fight; guys versus girls! And guess who's gonna win?" He and Jesse gave each other a high-five. The girls made a face. "Only in your dreams, tough guys," Emma retorted, sticking her tongue out at them. Adam laughed. The members of Mutant X, all of whom were in their twenties, were acting like kids. He shook his head slightly. --And to think they're usually so mature.-- "All right, you four," he called. "I suggest that you all go to bed." A chorus of groans was the only response he received. "Unless you'd rather we not get up early and open presents tomorrow." He barely managed to get out of the way as the four younger members of Mutant X stampeded through the doorway, heading upstairs so that they could get ready for bed. "Night, Adam!" they yelled over their shoulders. Adam smothered a grin. He stayed where he was, watching the snow fall gently to the ground, which was turning white in small patches. He grinned. --Something tells me there's going to be a huge snowball fight immediately after everyone opens their presents tomorrow morning.-- Suddenly, Adam's train of thoughts was interrupted by a horrible screech upstairs. --What the hell?-- A moment later, he realized that the screech was made by an absolutely livid Emma. "Brennan, you jerk! Get the hell out of here!" "What? I have to pee!" "You and Jesse have your own bathroom!" "But Jesse's in there taking a shower!" Adam sighed, and walked to the bottom of the steps that led upstairs. "Brennan, just use my bathroom," he called up. "Okay." A few moments later, he heard the toilet in his bathroom flush, and then he heard the door to his bathroom close. "Night, all! See you in the morning!" "Night, Brennan," called Shalimar. "Don't keep everyone up all night with your snoring!" "Bite me, Shalimar." "Don't tempt me." Adam heard Jesse turn the shower off and yell, "Would you two quit bitching at each other already?" "She started it!" "Did not, you jerk!" "Both of you shut up and go to bed!" yelled Emma from the bathroom that she and Shalimar shared. "Night, Em," Shalimar called. Adam shook his head and chuckled. Then he went upstairs to his room, and passed Jesse in the hallway, who was walking to his room, towel-drying his hair. "Night, Adam," he said, his voice slightly muffled by the towel. "Good night, Jesse." He walked into his bedroom, closing the door behind him, and turned on the light. He undressed and quickly pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. He went downstairs to make sure all the lights were turned off. While he was down there, he went over to the window and looked outside. The snow was falling harder and thicker than ever, and the ground had become solid white. ~The fire is dying, the lamp is growing dim The shades of night are lifting The morning light steals across my window pane Where webs of snow are drifting~ Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him, and he turned around. Emma was standing behind him, wearing a long flannel nightgown. "Adam, are you all right?" she asked. She looked concerned. "You've been acting weird all evening. Is something wrong?" Adam shook his head. "No, nothing's wrong. I've just been thinking a lot, that's all." He went to the window, staring outside. "Looks like you guys are gonna be able to have an all-out snowball fight tomorrow." Emma smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." She turned to leave. "Hey, Adam?" He looked over at her. "What?" Emma walked over to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Adam stared at her, startled. "What was that for?" She smiled at him. "You were under the mistletoe." Adam blinked, and looked up. Sure enough, there was mistletoe hanging overhead. He looked back at her, the surprise evident in his face. Emma turned to leave and went back upstairs, calling over her shoulder, "Night, Adam." "Good night, Emma." When he was certain that Emma was out of hearing range, Adam lifted a hand to his cheek, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I love you," he whispered softly. Adam stood at the window for a few more minutes, staring out at the snow, and then finally went upstairs to go to bed. * * * An hour later, Adam lay in his bed, unable to fall asleep. Finally, he stood up and left his bedroom. He went down the hallway to Emma's bedroom, and stood outside, listening to the gentle sound of her breathing. Her door was open slightly, and he opened it the rest of the way. She was lying on her back, sound asleep. Adam walked over to her bed and stood there, gazing down at her face. --She looks like an angel-- he thought. Adam didn't dare clear his throat while he was standing next to her bed, for fear that she would wake up. "I wasn't sure if I could tell you this while you were awake, so I figured I'd better tell you while you were asleep. Earlier this evening, when you asked me what was wrong, I told you that everything was fine. Well, I lied." He took a deep breath. "I love you. That's what's wrong. I'm not saying that my being in love with you is wrong, but that's why I kept acting strange all evening. When you told me to make a wish earlier when we saw that shooting star, the thing that I wished for was a way to tell you that I love you." Adam sighed. "That's all I wanted to tell you. That I love you." As he turned to walk out the door and go back to his room, he thought he heard her murmur, "I love you too, Adam." He spun back around, but saw that she was still asleep. "Guess it's still my secret," he muttered, and went back to his room, suddenly exhausted. He flopped down on his bed. --I guess all I needed was to tell her how I felt, even though she was asleep-- he thought drowsily. He fell asleep a moment later, a smile on his face. * * * Emma kept her eyes closed and her breathing even, waiting until she heard Adam close her bedroom door behind him, heading back to his room. A moment later, her bedroom door closed, and she opened her eyes. Adam had obviously thought that she was sound asleep, and hadn't wanted to wake her up. --But what Adam doesn't know about me is that I'm a very light sleeper. I woke up the minute he opened my bedroom door the rest of the way.-- She hadn't expected him to reveal that he loved her, though. She'd thought that he was just going around checking on everyone, but then he'd told her how he felt about her. She'd had to pretend to be asleep in order to save both their dignities, and had nearly given herself away when she'd murmured that she loved him, too. He thought that he had imagined her replying, and it had nearly broken her heart when he said aloud that how he felt was still his secret. --He sounded so sad when he said that.-- ~If I could only have you near To breathe a sigh or two I would be happy just to hold the hands I love On this winter's night with you And to be once again with you~ Emma smiled. "Don't worry, Adam," she murmured. "It's not just your secret anymore. Now it's my secret, too." With that, Emma fell asleep. * * * The next morning, Emma awoke to find someone shaking her gently. She opened her eyes, and found herself staring up into Adam's face. "What is it?" she asked worriedly, yawning. Adam smiled. "It's Christmas morning, Emma," he replied. "Aren't you gonna come down and open presents with the rest of us?" Emma grinned. "Of course I'm gonna come down and open presents with the rest of you guys!" She jumped out of bed, grabbed her robe, and practically flew down to the living room, where she saw that the rest of the team was gathered around the huge Christmas tree. There were tons of presents underneath it. Brennan had picked up one of the presents and was shaking it. "Wonder what's in this one?" he asked thoughtfully. Shalimar yanked it out of his hands. "Sorry, Brennan, but you can only open *your* presents. This one has Jesse's name on it, not yours." Brennan made a face. "Curses! Foiled again!" he joked. Emma laughed as she joined the rest of the team. "Don't worry, Brennan," she said. "I'm certain that there are plenty of presents for you." "God, I hope so," he replied jokingly. He picked up a rectangular box and looked at the tag. "Hey, Emma, this one's yours." Emma stretched her arm out to receive the box. "Thanks, Brennan." She checked to see who it was from, and saw that it was from Adam. Her heart began pounding in her ears, and she quickly tore off the wrapping paper. -- I wonder what it could be?-- she thought excitedly. When she opened the box, she gasped. The latest Stephanie Plum book, Seven Up, lay on top of a red t-shirt. Emma pulled the book out of the box, and then pulled out the t-shirt. When she saw what it said, she started laughing like crazy. It had a picture of Santa Claus holding a gun, and underneath it were the words, "Hand over the milk and cookies, and nobody gets hurt." "Adam, thank you so much!" she said happily. He grinned at her. "You're welcome, Emma." Emma spotted the present that she'd gotten for Adam, and grabbed it, tossing it to him. He caught it, looking surprised, and then opened it. Inside was a plain black t-shirt with red letters on the front. Adam lifted it out and unfolded it. He chuckled at what it said. "'What are my weaknesses?'" he read aloud. Then he turned it over and read the other side. "'None of your damn business, that's what they are!'" Shalimar, Jesse, and Brennan started laughing. Emma just grinned at him. "Get the joke, Adam?" she asked, a mischievous glint in her eye. Adam stared at the words on the shirt, and then looked back over at Emma. Suddenly, it dawned on him what she meant by that. "Yeah," he replied, and grinned, remembering. **flashback** Adam walked over to Emma, who was still hunched over the chessboard, studying the pieces. She moved one of the pieces to where it had been during their previous game, staring intently at the board. "Are you trying to figure out where you went wrong?" Adam asked softly. Emma looked up at him, and nodded. "I figured a little study of your playbook might give me a leg up next time," she replied. "Understanding your opponent's weaknesses is important," he agreed, leaning over to study the chess pieces. "For everything in life." Emma looked up at him and gave him a hopeful grin. "So what are your weaknesses?" she asked. Adam lifted his head, and cocked an eyebrow at her. "None of your damn business," he said, smiling. **flashback** Adam laughed. "You still remember that?" Emma grinned. "Of course I still remember that!" Then she gave him a hopeful smile. "Will you tell me your weaknesses now?" Adam laughed again, but this time, it was a forced laugh. At the moment, he had only two weaknesses. One of those weaknesses was his niece, Adrianne, who went to a private school in England. His other weakness was Emma. "Emma, I've said it before: None of your damn business." Adam grinned at her, and Emma pouted. "Well, it was worth a try," she said, sounding resigned. She and the others turned back to the presents, and Adam smiled, relieved that she hadn't pressed the matter further. And at the same time, his heart yearned to tell her the truth. To tell her what he had told her last night, when she had been asleep. --Damn it, why can't I just look her in the eyes and tell her that I love her?-- he thought, feeling utterly helpless. Emma felt Adam's emotions, and hesitantly looked into his mind. She saw how confused he was, and her heart went out to him. She sighed. She didn't want to tell him that she knew how he felt just yet, but she couldn't just ignore his suffering. She closed her eyes. **flash** Adam stared at his surroundings. --What the hell?-- He was in a large room with nothing in it. Suddenly, he realized that Emma was standing next to him. She wore nothing but a plain white dress with long, billowing sleeves. She looked up at him, and gave him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Adam," she said softly. "You don't have to bear your cross alone. What you thought was your secret is not just your secret anymore. Now it's my secret, too." Then she placed a gentle kiss upon his lips, and disappeared into thin air. **flash** Adam blinked several times, and found himself back in the living room of the penthouse apartment. The younger members hadn't noticed anything; they were still busy opening their presents. Suddenly, Emma looked up at him. "Now it's our secret," she mouthed, and then winked at him, smiling. Adam's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. Just knowing that Emma knew how he felt made him feel as though a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. He smiled back at her. Now he knew why Christmas was known as the most magical time of the year. THE END * * *