I thought I'd write a oneshot for Thanksgiving, I've done little stories before about Thanksgiving at Xaviers School For Gifted Youngsters on Twitter. I think I'll set it in the 1980s, then I'll be able to have all the Apocalypse characters in it.

It will nice just seeing what goes on in the school, it will be about family and laughter. I'm English and I don't celebrate Thanksgiving, but it's nice learning about it. I'm looking into Storm's heritage too, it's turning out to be kind of Christmas like instead of Thanksgiving lol

-Forgive me if I get anything wrong about Thanksgiving.

-There could be spelling mistakes, I have to write on my phone now since my laptop's charger died on me.

-Happly Thanksgiving!

-Thank you for the faves, reviews and alerts.

Prologue

The year was 1983, it was Peter's first Thanksgiving at Xaviers School For Gifted Youngsters. He was looking forward to spending the day with his new friends and the students, it was a family occasion.

Enjoy and take care!


Thanksgiving For Mutants

Peter stepped back and crossed his arms while he admired the Dinner Hall, he had been busy this morning with preparations for Thanksgiving with Jubilee. They had been planning this event since the beginning of November, they wanted to make sure everything was just right for the day. Jubilee did most of the planning though, she loved arranging events and parties.

Some of the students went home to visit their families for Thanksgiving, but for some of the students it didn't work out that way. The students who didn't have anybody for the holidays stayed at the school with Charles and the Team Leaders. Charles always made sure all of the students enjoyed the day, it's how they roll in the mansion.

The tables had already been set with plates and cutlery, fancy paper turkeys place in the middle of each table. The chairs had fancy looking chair covers and the fireplace of the hall had already been lit by Raven, the roaring fire was giving off a pine kind of scent. Multicoloured paper hoops hung down from the hall's ceiling and floral wreaths replaced old portraits for the day, it looked pretty good.

Jubilee had insisted on putting the Christmas tree up in the corner of the Dinner Hall, she said it would give the place a more festive feel even if it was Thanksgiving. Jean and Scott were busy putting decorations on the Christmas tree, Jean was using her mutant ability to float baubles from the box. She allowed the baubles to float towards the branches of the tree, she then carefully hooked them into place.

" Do you think we need anything else?" Jubilee asked.

" I think we've done enough." Peter replied, he looked at his friend. " It's festive, I mean we could keep them up throughout December."

" That's my plan, pretty smart huh?" Jubilee asked.

" It saves time I guess." Peter replied.

" Totally." Jubilee said.

" So, have you packed yet?" Peter asked, he was now watching Jean and Scott. " You're visiting you're parents after Thanksgiving, right?"

" Change of plans, they're going to Hawii for the holidays." Jubilee replied, she tilted her head to one side and tucked her hands into her jacket's pockets" I don't mind, I'll be visiting them for Christmas anyway. Thanksgiving at my house is all about fancy napkins and Grandma's special popcorn, it's very dull. It's more exciting at the school, it blows up sometimes."

" Popcorn sounds better than microwavable meals." Peter said.

" Doesn't your Mom cook Thanksgiving dinner?" Jubilee asked.

" Not since the cherry bomb Turkey incident back in 1970." Peter replied.

" Wait, what?!" Jubilee asked.

" Hey Jubes, a little help here!" Scott said, he waved some tangled fairy lights in her direction. " We've got a technical issue here, they're tangled."

" Surely you can untangle some lights, Scott." Jubilee said.

" Scott isn't that great with his hands." Jean said.

" Eww, gross!" Jubilee said.

" Double gross..." Peter said.

" It was a joke." Jean smiled.

" Guys..." Scott sighed.

" Okay, fine!" Jubilee said, she looked at Peter and smiled at him. " We'll talk later, I want to hear about the cherry bomb Turkey incident."

" Okay." Peter said.

Jubilee joined Scott and Jean at the Christmas tree, she began helping Scott with the tangled lights. Peter decided to go to see what else was going on around the mansion, he was curious since this was his first Thanksgiving at the school. He left the Dinner Hall and made his way down the corridor, the school was quiet this morning since most of the students were visiting family for the holidays.

Peter noticed Storm and Kurt near the main staircase of the school, they were helping some of the students with Christmas decorations. He waved to his friends while he walked passed them, he would see them later when dinner was being served. He kept on walking until he reached the corridor that lead to the Professor's office, he could see Charles in his office.

Charles was sitting at his desk, he was going through some paperwork and enjoying a cheeky tipple of brandy. It wasn't long until Charles noticed Peter, he gave him smile and moved his wheelchair away from his desk. He maneuvered himself out his office and made his way along the corridor, he stopped not far away from Peter.

" Hello Peter, how are the preparations going in the Dinner Hall?" Charles asked.

" They're going good, I think Jubilee has over done it though." Peter replied.

" Jubilee is a vibrant and creative student, I expect nothing less from her." Charles said with smile. " I'm looking forward to seeing her take on Thanksgiving this year, but why are you still here? I thought you were going home for Thanksgiving, have your plans changed?"

" We never eat until late at my Mom's house, it's a family tradition." Peter replied while he tucked his hands into his trouser pockets. " I thought I'd hang around here until then, you know have something to eat and celebrate some of the day with the students."

" You're a thoughtful man, Peter." Charles smiled. " I know the students will appreciate your company, I've heard their thoughts about you. It seems likes you've made quite the impression on their young minds."

" Not in a bad way I hope..." Peter said.

" No, it's been positive thoughts my friend." Charles said.

" Thank god for that." Peter said, a dorky laugh escaped his lips. " I thought I was going to have to move out of the school for a minute there."

" You're fitting in nicely here, but if you would please excuse me." Charles said, he moved his wheelchair forward and passed Peter in the corridor." I have somewhere to be, but I will see you at dinner."

" Okay, sure." Peter said.

Peter watched the Professor leave before he walked along the corridor, he was going to check out the teacher's kitchen next. Peter knew all of the school's kitchens would be in use today, the cooks of the school had made a router between them. It made sense to share the load, they had a lot of food to prepare for the students and staff of the mansion.

Stopping in the teacher's kitchens doorway Peter saw Raven and a group of students, they were gathered around a table. They were peeling and chopping vegetables, there was four big cooking pots of boiling water on the stove. Peter could smell sweet potatoes topped with marshmallows cooking in the oven, it wasn't long until Raven noticed him standing in the doorway.

" I'm surprised to see you here." Raven said.

" I'm just checking up on you." Peter said with a smile. " You know in case you burn anything, I've seen the way you cook."

" I can chop vegetables, it's not rocket science." Raven said.

Peter entered the kitchen and said hey to the students, he couldn't help but steal a couple of chopped carrots from a bowl. He walked around the kitchen and helped himself to anything that was already cooked, he was hungry. The students soon began to move some of the cooked foods to the main school's kitchen, they told Raven they would be back soon.

" Why are you here, Peter?" Raven asked, she continued to chop some vegetables. " If you're here to help I wouldn't say no..."

" I'd have everything sliced and diced in seconds, where would the fun in that be?" Peter asked, he crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter. " There would be nothing left for you to do, I'm just going to be a spectator."

Raven shook her head at Peter and threw a piece of carrot at him without any warning, but he caught it with his hand. He smiled at Raven before he popped it into his mouth, he then continued to speak with her while she chopped the vegetables. She asked him why he wasn't going home for Thanksgiving yet and if he had thought about finding Erik, he quickly avoided the Erik question.

" I'm going to visit my Mom later, we have dinner around 5pm." Peter said. " We have microwavable meals in front of the television and watch a few game shows, then we eat ice cream with peanut m&ms. It's pretty quiet, but I like it that way."

" That does sound nice." Raven said.

" Yeah, I wouldn't change it for the world." Peter said.

Peter and Raven made small talk, they spoke about past Thanksgivings. Peter had many stories to share with Raven about his childhood Thanksgivings and Christmases, he made her laugh over a story about an exploding Turkey. Raven told Peter that she hadn't really celebrated Thanksgiving for over a decade, this would be her first one since she moved back to the school.

" When me and Charles were young we never really celebrated Thanksgivings, his Mother was British. His Step Father wasn't around much." Raven replied with a slight smile. " But Thanksgivinrg is a lot like Christmas with the food side of things, but there's no religious reason behind it. It's a day of giving thanks and sacrifice for the blessing of the harvest, I don't want to bore you with a history lesson."

" I give thanks for pumpkin pie and whipped cream, that's my religion." Peter chuckled.

" I should have known!" Raven smiled.

" What are you thankful for?" Peter asked.

" I guess I'm thankful for Charles, he never gave up on me after all of these years." Raven replied, she looked over at Peter and smiled at him. " Also the new family and friends I've gained."

" One big dysfunctional family, I'm digging it." Peter said.

They continued to chat until the students returned to the kitchen, they had turned up with Hank. He was here to help out in the kitchen, he told them Charles had insisted that he helped Raven with the cooking. Peter could help but laugh over that little bit of information, the Professor knew that Raven couldn't cook to save her life.

" Where do you want me?" Hank asked.

" There's some potatoes that need peeling." Raven replied, she pointed her knife towards the oven. " Also I need someone to check on the sweet potatoes, oh shit! I forgot about the roast potatoes!"

" I've got it, just calm down." Hank said.

" I am calm!" Raven said.

" I'll leave you guys to it." Peter said.

Peter left Hank and Raven in the kitchen with the students, he was going to check on the rest of his friends. He made his way through the school until he reached the main staircase of the school, he saw Kurt and Storm wrapping some green tinsel up the staircase's banisters. He grabbed three baubles from a box and walked over to the bottom of the staircase, he told Kurt to watch this before he began to juggle them.

" Be careful you don't break them!" Kurt said.

" It's cool, I use to do this all the time with my little Sister." Peter said, he caught each one of the baubles and smiled at his friends. " See, it's fine."

" Why don't you come and help us." Storm said, she slightly shook her head at him. " We've got plenty of decorations that still need putting up."

" Sure, I can do that." Peter said.

Peter zoomed over to the tinsel and hung the baubles from the festive string, he then took the tinsel from Storm's hand before he quickly wrapped it up the rest of the banister. He went and repeated his method on the other side of the staircase where Kurt was sitting, he then returned to the box full of baubles at the bottom of the staircase.

Storm and Kurt looked puzzled when time returned to its normal pace, they both knew Peter had used his mutant ability to help them with the decorating. Peter picked the box up and carried it to the staircase, he then asked them where else in the school needed decorating. Storm told him she didn't have a clue, this was her first Thanksgiving at the school and that went for Kurt too.

" Maybe Jubilee and Jean know, I mean they've been here longer than us." Peter said.

" I think we've not finished here yet." Storm said while she joined him at the bottom of the staircase. " We need more baubles hanging from the tinsel on the banister."

Peter agreed with Storm, he had only put three baubles on the banister decorations. Kurt joined them and took some baubles from the box, he told his friends that he would do it. He bamfed up the staircase and hung the baubles with care on the tinsel, he looked happy with his decorating skills when he had finished. After that they began making there way to the Dinner Hall, they spoke to each other while they walked down the corridor together.

" I have never celebrated Thanksgiving before, is it like Christmas?" Kurt asked.

" Kind of, I mean there's food and presents." Peter replied.

" We dont celebrate Thanksgiving in Cairo, but in Egypt our Christmas is very different than the American version." Storm said, she crossed her arms and smiled to herself. " We ate Fata and waited for Baba Noel to leave us presents, that's what it was like when I was a kid."

" What is Fata?" Kurt asked.

" It's lamb soup which contains bread, rice, garlic and boiled lamb meat." Storm replied.

" It sounds good to me, you should make some Christmas day." Peter said.

" Maybe I will." Storm smiled.

Peter and his friends continued to talk together, it turned out that Peter had a lot to learn about his friends. Their lives were different than his own, it turned out that they didn't have the childhood he had when he was growing up. Storm had been living on the streets in Cairo and Kurt had spent most of his life in the Circus, this was a fresh start for them both at the school.

" When I was preforming with the Munich circus I travelled the world, but I never got the chance to celebrate Thanksgiving." Kurt said with a smile. " I look forward to learning about your culture."

" You will, buddy." Peter smiled.

They entered the Dinner Hall and Peter zoomed over to Jubilee, he made her jump with his unannounced appearance. He laughed when she playfully punched his arm, Scott even found it amusing and Jean just rolled her eyes at them. Peter asked Jubilee and Jean where the rest of the decorations go in the school, Jean told him that they could use the rest of the baubles on the Christmas tree.

" Why don't you help us, this tree is bigger than the girl's restroom." Jubilee said.

" You're over exaggerating, it's not that big." Scott said.

" And how do you know, Scott?" Jubilee asked, she smiled at her friend. " Have you been using the girl's restroom or something?"

" Have you?" Kurt asked.

" No..." Scott replied.

" I'm joking, you're so easy to wind up." Jubilee smiled before she looked at her other friends. " Do you guys want to help us? Six pairs of hands are better than three, also it could be fun..."

" Sure, we can help." Peter said.

" It would be an honour to help!" Kurt said.

Peter held the box while his friends decorated the Christmas tree, he watched them laughing and talking to each other about today's plans. Kurt had many questions about the day, he was a curious about the American tradition. Jean and Jubilee gave Kurt a quick history lesson, it wouldn't be long until the Thanksgiving celebrations began.


A Few Hours Later

The Dinner Hall was busy and the smell of Turkey wafted through the school, everyone was ready for their dinner. Peter was sitting with Storm and Kurt, there was three students sitting at the table with them. There was about twenty students at the Thanksgiving dinner this year, it was sad how most of the student's families rejected them because they were diffetent.

Jean and Scott were sitting with Jubilee at another table, they were chatting with some of their fellow classmates. The main facility were sitting at one table, the hall was filled with laughter and joy. It wasn't long until the cooks of the school wheeled in trolleys of food, they had plated up bowls of vegetables and other delicious foods.

There was three large turkeys on one food trolley, they had been roasted to perfection. Golden brown roast potatoes and juicy cranberry sauce. Mashed potatoes and stuffing balls, creamy macaroni and cheese. The school's cooks placed bowls of food on each of the tables, they planned to carve the turkeys and serve them before everyone began eating their dinner.

It was time for Thanksgiving at Xaviers School For Gifted Youngsters to begin, but their headmaster had a few words to say before they started to eat. Charles moved his wheelchair away from the table where Raven and Hank were sitting, he stopped near the fireplace. His gaze lingered on the flickering flames of the fireplace, he looked lost in his own thoughts.

Peter looked around the hall, he could see all of the students watching their headmaster. Jean and Scott were whispering to each other, but Jubilee hushed them which caught the Professor's attention. He smiled at his students, it seemed like he had prepared a speech for the day. He cleared his throat and looked around the hall, his voice soon broke the silence.

" Today is not just for celebrations, it's a day for each and every single one of us to be thankful for what we have." Charles said, his gaze lingered on Raven for a brief moment. " We have gained new friends and family, we have lost old friends along the way..."

Peter listened to the Professor's speech, the old friends part stood out to him though. He thought about Alex Summers, he had been too close to the blast. He looked over at Scott, he noticed Jean's hand on his arm. Scott looked upset, he missed his Brother and his family didn't want to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Alex's death had hit Scott's parents hard, they were still grieving for their lost Son.

Peter still felt guilty about not seeing Alex when he was rescuing the students and teachers from the exploding mansion, but there was nothing he could do about it. He was going to have to live with his guilt, but he would be there for Scott if he ever needed him. His attention was soon drawn back to the Professor, he was still making his speech.

" I don't want to bore everyone with my speeches, I was once told I always have a speech by a very old friend of mine..." Charles said with a slight laugh. " But I want to wish each and every single one of you a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day, you all deserve it."

The students began chatting and clapping the minute Charles finished his speech, he then returned to his table. The cooks of the school began to carve the turkeys while the students helped themselves to the bowls of vegetables at their tables, the celebrations were in full swing now. The hall was filled with laughter, it was nice seeing everyone happy after this year's events.

Kurt was trying each dish he was offered, he was in his element. But he was soon distracted by some Christmas crackers, he was questioning some students about why they had crackers at Thanksgiving. Storm sat quietly and ate her dinner, she smiled at Kurt each time he laughed. Peter watched the students and his friends enjoying themselves, he had finally found somewhere he could belong in this crazy world.