My Muse

by Starsinger

Hi, my name is Kylie. I'm the one who really who wrote this story, I'm just letting Starsinger think she wrote it. I'm five years old and her favorite niece. Shhh, it's a secret. Oh, I don't own this either.

Peter sat in the infirmary. Emma had gone up to his room and gotten his sketchpad after his return, his will to draw had returned, his muse had returned. She lay in the bed next to him, sleeping quietly. Kitty was still very weak, but he wasn't leaving her side. Whatever Dr. Doom had done to bring her back to him he would always be very grateful. He reached over and stroked her hair as she stirred beneath his fingers.

"Peter," she murmured.

He sighed, and sat back. He had been sketching her since he discovered her. Scott and the others had looked guiltily around, but a mysterious note had shown up in Siberia while he and Logan and Kurt were there. "Return home, you'll find what you thought you lost."

He had felt so lost. Everything that he loved had been taken from him one-by-one. He had watched the bullet slide through the Earth without destroying it, and he knew who had made it possible. He felt his heart break with Scott's cold, uncaring words. So, now, in the quiet infirmary, he sketched her. She lay asleep, with her mouth partially open.

"Wow," he heard a soft voice say, "I wish I had someone who could sketch me like that." He looked up and saw Emma standing there. He hadn't even noticed her entrance, "I wonder if she'll stay after she regains her strength." Peter gave a start, it hadn't even occurred to him that Katya wouldn't want to stay. "She won't leave you, Peter, she loves you way too much."

Peter looked at the older woman slyly and started flipping pages. Most of them were of Kitty, but one stunned the blonde into silence. She was dressed in one of her favorite suits. It was professional and still managed to hug her curves. The short gloves she wore with it did nothing to hide her posture. She was leaning against a desk, listening attentively to her class. Even Kitty had to admit that Emma was nothing if not devoted to her "children". It was an unguarded moment that made her gasp, "Surprised? I did this before we left for the Breakworld," his hand reached out a trembling hand for the brunette in the bed next to him.

Brand wandered in and noticed the sketchbook. She had been surprised when Peter hadn't blamed her for what happened to Kitty. She had, after all, been the one to grab the X-Men and take off with them for the Breakworld. In her own blunt way she had been sorry for what happened to Kitty, and satisfied that she had returned. Peter had even managed a sketch of her. It was soon after she had become involved with Hank, she was standing on the shores of Breakstone Lake, staring over the water. The wind seemed to be playing with her green hair.

None of them noticed when Hank and Scott wandered into the area. They both were looking for the women in their lives, or, in Hank's case, his space. True to her word Brand had been extremely patient and not pushed him into anything. They watched them for a couple of minutes before Hank turned to Scott, "Should we be worried?"

"No, I'm glad he's drawing again, and if he's done something to make Emma happy, I'm good," Scott murmured.

Hank silently agreed.

All right, blame the five year old! lol She's cute. As always enjoy!