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Summary: The spirit of Thanksgiving hits the X-Men as they consider what they have in their lives to be thankful for.

"Tomorrow's Thanksgiving, you guys." Cyclops said, coming into the kitched on blustery late November morning. "Should we go get a turkey?"

"What's the point?" Wolverine replied shortly. "Ain't like we got somethin' to be thankful for."

Cyclops frowned. "What do you mean?"

Wolverine scowled right back at him. "I mean what I say, Slim. What do we have to be thankful for?"

"I agree with ya, sugah, I don't think we have anything either." Rogue stood up for Wolverine, knowing Cyclops wasn't exactly happy with the stocky man at the moment.

"Me neither." Gambit's Cajun accent floated through their group. The tall man with intriguing red and black eyes stood in the doorway, flipping a deck of cards between his hands with ease. "What's de point of celebratin' somet'ing if dere's nothin' to celebrate?"

Storm sighed. "You are all impossible. Do you not see what we have to be thankful for every day of our lives?" She asked them all sharply. Cyclops nodded in agreement.

"We all have a lot to be thankful for. Just because we're mutants and have it a little worse than everyone else, doesn't mean we have nothing." He said.

"Okay, so, what can ya honestly say you have ta be thankful for, Slim?" Wolverine asked, raising an eyebrow at their leader and giving a wry grin. "Betcha can't come up with more than two things." He challenged. He always did love taunting Cyclops, and never missed an opportunity to do so.

Cyclops took the challenge. "I bet I can." He returned. "I am thankful every day of my life for Jean, and the time we have together. I am thankful for this team and for having all of you in my life. I am thankful for the fact that the Professor opened his doors to mutants all those years ago. And I may have a mutation that prohibits me from looking at the things around me normally, but I am thankful that I am alive and well and that I can see."

"It is the things like those which Cyclops mentioned that we celebrate Thanksgiving." Storm told them. "I am sure we can all come up with a few things like that to be thankful for."

"Like..." Rogue started.

Storm thought for a second, then came up with her own list. "I, like Cyclops, am thankful for Professor Xavier opening his doors to us, and for the team. I am also thankful that Gambit found me while I was relegated back to childhood and took care of me. I am also thankful to get to see as much of the world and the space beyond that I have."

"Dose are all good reasons." Gambit smiled at Storm. The two had a special relationship. "I t'ink I can come up wit some too. I am t'ankful for you, Stormy, and all de rest of you. I'm also t'ankful for getting a second chance after you found out my part in de Morlock massacre. And much as I don' like 'im much, I'm also t'ankful for Jean-Luc takin' me in when I was a kid an' giving me a home. Are does good reasons too?"

Beast smiled as he entered the room. "Thinking of reasons to celebrate Thanksgiving, are we, my esteemed colleagues? Very appropriate for this time of the season. And yes, Gambit, those are all very good reasons, in my humble opinion. Wolverine, what about you?"

Wolverine growled. He had hoped to be overlooked in this soul-bearing crap. Too bad Beast never missed anything. "If I have ta be thankful for anythin' I suppose I can. People: Silver Fox, Mariko, Kitty and Jubilee. And all o' the rest o' ya too." He added quickly, seeing the mock hurt looks that came on his teammates faces. "And things: well it might not make any sense t' ya but I am thankful for my healin' factor...I'd have been dead a long time ago without it. And for the claws, 'cause they're pretty darned useful. And that's it."

Rogue looked around the room, realizing it was her turn to come up with a few things. "Ah'm not sure where to start." She said. "Ah guess Ah'm thankful for y'all, and for the Professor, and for all the things Ah've seen in mah life, and for getting the chance to be here and be part of this team. It means more t' me than Ah ever really say."

Cyclops smiled at his team. "Looks like we all have a few things to be thankful for. Do we all think we know what the spirit of Thanksgiving is now?"

The others nodded their heads. The idea of Thanksgiving had been lost on them until they realized they each had some things to be thankful for, and it was those reasons they should celebrate the holiday upon them.

"Good. Now, the question was, should we go buy a turkey and do some serious celebrating tomorrow?" Cyclops asked again.

"Sweet potatoes!" Rogue exclaimed. "We need those too."

"And cranberry sauce, corn, dinner rolls, and perhaps some of those quaint pumpkin tarts for dessert." Storm added. Then Gambit took up the case.

"I don' s'pose we could fit some nice gumbo in de meal anywhere?"

Wolverine rolled his eyes. "Cajun, if we get all the food we're talking about, we won't be needin' the gumbo. And if you put cayenne pepper in Rogue's sweet potatoes..." he warned.

Beast looked at Cyclops, who was silently listening to the exchange going on in front of him. "My friend, I believe we need to get a piece of paper and write all this down, or else we'll never remember it all."

"I think you might be right, Beast." Cyclops replied.

THE END