Title: "A St. Patty's Day Wish"
Author: Pirate Turner
Rating: PG-13
Summary: They're going to have their St. Patrick's Day wish come true, one way or another.
Warnings: Het
Word Count: 2,634
Disclaimer: Emma "White Queen" Frost, Sean "Banshee" Cassidy, Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee, Angelo "Skin" Espinosa, Monet "M" St. Croix, all things Xavier's, all other characters mentioned within, X-Men, and Generation X are ﾩ & TM Marvel comics and Disney, not the author, and are used without permission. Everything else is ﾩ & TM the author. The author makes absolutely no profit off of this work of fan fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Running her delicate fingers in careful circles so as to not mar her mascara, Emma rubbed her eyes. She stifled a yawn and reached again for her cup of cappuccino. Last night had been an especially late night, and it seemed that she and her team had arrived home just in time to come to the classroom. She glanced, above the rim of her mug, to the clock on the opposing wall and grimaced. She had barely gotten three hours' of sleep last night, and that certainly was not enough for her beauty sleep.

She sighed inwardly. Perhaps she should have allowed the children the day off, but if they were going to be the heroes of tomorrow, they had to learn to balance the crazy hours that a superhero's life required with the daily duties of dull, modern life. She sipped her cappuccino and wished instantly that it was wine today for she could certainly use something considerably stronger.

Emma's eyes drifted closed over her mug, and she was about to lay the cup down when Sean strolled into the classroom. "Top o' th' green tae ye, Em," he called cheerily.

She looked up at him in a mixture of surprise and aggravation. How could the Irish man manage to be so cheerful on such little sleep? How could he look so dapper and handsome so early in the morning, and besides, wasn't his usual greeting "top o' th' morn", not "top o' th' green"? Perhaps it was something to do with his beloved Saint Patrick's Day holiday? "I thought you were taking the day off?" she mused aloud.

"I 'twas," he admitted, his emerald eyes sparkling as he came to stand directly before her, "an' I still am." He grinned widely down at her as he placed his hands on either side of her desk and leaned closer in to her. She was suddenly aware of how large his body was and remained, too, quite accurately aware of how sensual, masculine, and handsome he was. She forced down the ball that tried to rise in her throat and kept her hands carefully steady as she lowered her Xavier's mug back onto her desk.

"I was half way out th' door when it dawned on me what I was doin' an' I remembered what all I'd be passin' up by nae takin' ye wit' me."

She watched him warily. "Some one has to stay here to shape our students' minds."

"Ack, let 'em have th' day off, Em. Ye can be such a tight ass sometimes." He leaned closer in to her, and suddenly, their lips were but a breath apart. She gazed into his emerald orbs, her own baby blue eyes full of suspicion. "I di like tha' 'bout ye, Em, but ye need tae learn tae lighten up. Here. P'rhaps this'll di th' trick fer ye."

Before Emma knew what was happening, Sean was kissing her. His large lips covered her thin, painted ones, and his tongue pressed against her upturned lips. Her mouth opened at his request; a soft moan escaped her lips as he slid his tongue into her mouth. She reached up and caressed his handsome face very carefully, almost afraid to touch him lest this, too, prove to be just another one of her dreams.

It was pathetic, really, she told herself yet again, that a woman as skilled, strong, beautiful, and world-renowned as herself, a woman who could have any other man in all the world, should allowed her thoughts, dreams, and heart to be so consumed by a foolish, if handsome, man who did not want her as she had allowed Sean to occupy her own every wishful thought and forbidden dream and sink more deeply into her normally well-protected heart than any one else ever had. Yet, as Sean continued to kiss her, and she responded in like kind, slowly growing the unspoken passion that had been building between them for years, Emma realized that he did feel every bit as real as she herself. This was truly happening, and her heart started to soar.

Then he spoke again, calling her name, though his lips were covered with hers, and Emma began to reluctantly pull out of her daze. "Em? Em? Em, lass, are ye in there?"

Her blue eyes snapped open. She almost spilled her cappuccino as she really set it down this time. Her angry orbs cut up at the tempting Irish man who had caused her to have another daydream. "Ah, there ye are, lass." Sean grinned down at her, and in that moment, she wanted nothing more strongly than to wipe that stupid grin off of his handsome, but arrogant, face. "See? I knew ye could use th' day off. Go ahead, an' take it fer yerself. Th' kids will nae be hurtin' by missin' one day. The regular schools ha'e what they call snow days; take this 'un fer a superhero day."

Emma's icy glare could have cut straight through Sean. "They must learn to balance their lives as heroes with their ordinary, mundane lives."

""Tis nae as if they're giing tae have tae be holdin' down a job when they become X-Men."

"If they become X-Men," she challenged, "and besides, what if something happens to your beloved money bags, Charles or Warren? Then they will have to work."

"We have our ways, Em, o' makin' sure th' team stays financed."

"I'm sure you do, Cassidy. However, - "

A loud yawn penetrated Emma's retort. "Tell me ya guys ain't at it already," Jubilee moaned and popped her gum as she slouched into the room.

Angelo was right beside her. "Ya kiddin', chica? They're always at it, and less sleep is just going to make Emma bitchier."

"Angelo Espinosa, I - "

"Ack, give th' lad a break, Em. He did nae mean anythin' by it. We're all on edge this morn', after what we went through last night. Come on; take a day off."

"Sean Cassidy, it is crucial that we continue our daily regiment, regardless of whatever else with which we may have to contend."

She continued her tirade on why it was so important they not take the day off, but Sean was no longer listening. His emerald eyes had been caught, instead, by a green sparkle hanging between Emma's perky breasts. His eyes narrowed as he peered closer at it, and then he smiled his first true smile of the morning. She was wearing the shamrock necklace he'd bought her the last time they'd gone to Ireland! "Ye're wearin' me necklace," he murmured in surprise.

He had bought the necklace for her on a whim. They'd stopped into a shop on the way to the airport, and he had caught her looking at it. Emma possessed far more than enough money to buy the little shopkeeper entirely out, but Sean had bought the necklace for her any way. Then, while the students had been busy stuffing their faces with airport food before boarding their flight, Sean had pulled Emma to the side and given her the necklace as a way of saying thanks. She'd expressed her gratitude. He'd enjoyed seeing her beautiful eyes actually light up with true happiness for a change, but he still hadn't thought she'd really wear the necklace.

Emma stopped her tirade in mid-sentence and looked again at Sean. "Yes, well, I could hardly allow green to interfere with my actual outfit."

"But ye are wearin' green."

"Yes. Oh, wipe that silly grin off of your face, Sean. Just because I'm an American doesn't mean I can't celebrate your Irish holiday."

"Ye ne'er ha'e before."

"I have," she answered. "You've just never known me to do so."

"It looks quite becomin' on ye, Em," he commented, his husky, Irish voice almost a whisper. She shivered inside, crooning secretly to his accent. Sean lowered closer to her, and this time, she knew it truly was for real as he came even nearer to her. He stopped however, with one large hand pressing slightly on the back of her chair, just before he could kiss her.

They gazed longingly at each other, Emma desperately fighting the temptation to wipe Moira forever from his mind and Sean yearning desperately for the courage to take a leap of faith and seal the unspoken deal between them. He knew she wanted him, but he wasn't sure if she could ever love him or was even capable of loving. Moira, however, did love and need him, and she was dying. The least he could do was bring her some joy in her last days whereas, to Emma, he was rather certain that he was merely a temptation. She wanted him, more than any other reason, because she believed she could not have him. If she knew for even a moment how one look from her baby blues ignited his very blood on fire, or that he dreamed of her and proclaiming his love for her every night, or that she was truly the only woman to completely warm the cockles of his heart since Maeve, or, and especially, that he loved her even more than he'd thought he'd loved the mother of his child, Sean feared Emma would no longer want him.

His cheeks darkened. The Irish man leaned up and away, and Emma felt a pain in her heart as he moved away. "Ack, well, I tried tae get ye tae take th' day off, Em, but 'tis yer prerogative, I suppose. We could celebrate th' holiday together, though, if ye wanted, have a green beer or tae over at O' Charley's." He nervously scratched the back of his head. "'Course ye probably di nae even drink th' stuff. Din't knae what green champagne would taste like."

"Sean," Emma cut in, forcing herself to be stern and reminding herself that his heart belonged to Moira, not her, "you're babbling, and I have a class to begin."

He looked back down at her, and she melted inside at the warmth of his broad, Irish smile. "It does look good on ye, Em."

She lowered her gaze a little, not wanting him to know how much she burned inside underneath his smiling eyes. "Thank you," she whispered, "but really I - "

Really. You two must stop playing this game.

"Em?"

"Yes, Sean?"

"Celebrate St. Patty's wit' me." Before she could respond, Sean swept Emma up out of her chair, pulled her against his strong chest, and finally, truly pressed his lips to hers. Both tingled from head to foot. They started to pull away, but Sean kissed her again. He started again to force himself to let her go, but something was keeping his arms from releasing her. Then, out of his mouth, came the truth he'd been fighting for years: "I love ye, Em!"

Whoops and hollers went up from almost the entire body of Generation X. Only one student still sat calmly in her seat, a thin smile curving her patient lips. Emma caressed Sean's handsome face with a touch more loving and gentle than she'd ever given any one else. She watched his startlement pass through his green eyes as he realized what he had said. Then, she asked him, "Do you really?"

He blushed the brightest shade of red she'd ever seen. "A-Aye," he stammered and raised his hand to cup her face, "I di. I din't knae how I finally said th' words, Em, but aye, I love ye! I've been tryin' tae make things work wit' Moira, but I ne'er loved her. I just thought I did, an' now I din't want tae break th' woman's heart. She's dyin', after all, but I love ye, Em. Truly, I di!"

She sensed the truth in his words as well as the naughty thoughts of the one who had made him finally speak them aloud. "Set her up with Charles," she informed him. "They still have feelings for each other, and she loves you no more than you love her."

"Are ye sure?"

"Yes."

"But what o' ye?" His fingers trailed over her smooth cheek in touches as light as a baby bird's downy feathers.

She smiled brilliantly up at him. "What of me?" she teased.

"Ack, Em, din't di that tea me! Here I am, bleedin' me heart out an' - "

"Sean Cassidy," Emma spoke, and then her grin grew even huger, "shut up. I love you!" Cupping his handsome face in both her hands, Emma kissed him with all the passion and love she'd been fighting against since he and Charles had first saved her and gave her life renewed purpose. Their tongues swept deeply into each other's mouths. Their hands traveled over one another's bodies in sweeping, passionate caresses, and Sean held no more doubt in his heart or mind over rather or not Emma could love. His beloved truly loved him, and he was in Heaven on Earth!

Their students screamed their delight for them. "HOT DANG!" Jubilee yelled as Paige breathed over how romantic it all was. "I GUESS WE HAVE TODAY OFF, AFTER ALL!"

The students started to run out of the classroom, but Emma lifted her lips from Sean's as the last one began to leave. "Monet?"

M turned slowly around to face her teachers, a guilty look clouding her usually calm face. "Yes, Miss Frost?"

Emma's fingers were still curled up into Sean's air as she informed the younger telepath, "If you ever invade his mind, or the mind of any one else here, again, I will personally destroy your mind forever more. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Monet nodded glumly, knowing she was lucky that Emma would not do worse to her and that she should have known better than to think she could force Mister Cassidy to act on the feelings he'd been persisting in keeping bottled all these years without the White Queen becoming wise to her actions.

Sean looked swiftly back and forth between the two telepaths. "Ye mean - ? She - ?"

"Yes, Sean, darling, our little Miss Perfect, Monet Saint Croix, invaded your mind and caused you to speak the truth." She looked back to him, a smile again pulling at her lips. "Although I suppose we owe her a debt of thanks for doing so as otherwise we might well have kept our love secret until our graves."

"Ye're right on tha'," he conceded, although he still hated the fact that his mind had been invaded, and especially by a student whom he would have trusted with his life.

"I will never do it again," Monet vowed, "but you two needed help."

"Go now," Emma instructed, "before I change my mind and decide to punish you despite your benevolent motives."

Monet gulped. "Yes, ma'am." She flew out of the room.

"We really must teach her better," Sean commented, gazing back at Emma.

"Yes, we must," she agreed.

"But fer now," he spoke, lifting her up again and spinning her around, "I believe a celebration is in order."

"I couldn't agree more. And, Sean?"

"Aye, Em?" he breathed as he brought her down against him.

It wasn't just their hearts flying with their happiness, Emma realized without looking down. Sean really had lifted them off of the floor. She stroked his handsome, smiling face lovingly as every inch of her heart, body, mind, and soul continued to thrill at the forced revelation that would give them both endless happiness for all their days and beyond. "I do love you!" They kissed again and again, and together, they celebrated St. Patrick's Day and every day thereafter far more happily, bolder, and more wonderfully with their love that far eclipsed any joy they could have ever had otherwise. They were in love, had been for years, and from this day forward, thanks to their impetuous, foolish student's childish ways, they would never hide that love ever again!

The End