Pete wasn't quite sure how she'd gotten to where she was at this particular point in time. The Genoshan mission could've gone better, but it also could've gone worse. Scicluna had insisted that Pete stay with Excalibur a little while longer as an observer for Black Air, and she had reluctantly agreed. Then she'd found out an old friend of hers had been killed by Black Air, and she'd gone back to London, avenged his death, and turned in her resignation to Black Air—in the form of blowing up one of their bases.

So how that had led to her waking up next to that tosser Kit Pryde was beyond her. But she had. The first rays of morning sunshine were coming in through the window, falling on Kit's face. Pete reached out, brushing a stray piece of hair away from his eyes. Somewhere among the gun fights and extraterrestrial threats, she'd fallen for him. He was stronger than she'd originally given him credit for, already living more in his eighteen years than most people did in a lifetime. But he still managed to maintain a bit of innocence, and Pete knew that was something she needed in her life.

Kit opened his eyes, blinking a bit when he saw Pete. Pete held her breath. Here it was, the moment of truth. Would he still want her, or would he see last night as nothing more than a mistake?

Kit smiled at Pete, stroking her face with his thumb. "Good morning."

Pete smiled, relief washing over her. "Good morning."

"Y'know, Wisdom, you're really rather pretty when you're not angry."

Pete laughed. "Thanks, Pryde. You're not so bad yerself." She looked down. "Did you mean wot you said last night—about me stayin' on Muir to be with you?"

"Yeah. Did you mean it when you said you want to?"

"Yeah."

Kit leaned down and kissed her. "Good. I've grown a bit attached to you."

Pete kissed Kit lightly before pulling back. "I want to warn you now, though, life with me ain't goin' to be all moonlight an' roses. I've got some demons in me past, luv. Done some pretty ugly things."

Kit pulled her against his chest, running his hand through her hair. "I don't care about any of that, Pete. I want to be with you, no matter what. I'll be here for you, give you someone to lean on, all right?" He tilted her head up, wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "I won't let anything hurt you ever again."

Pete's eyes were wide and full of hope. "You really do want to be with me, Kit?"

"More than anything." He kissed her quickly, then pulled away. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." he said, getting up and going to the bathroom.

Pete lay in the bed, thinking how lucky she was. She'd never thought she'd find a man like Kit—so open and caring. Sure, she was five years his senior, but it didn't matter. What they had was real all the same.

Suddenly, Pete felt something bite her foot. "Ow! Bloody 'ell!" she yelled, sitting up to see a small, purple dragon glaring at her. "Wot the 'ell did you do that for?"

"I don't like yoo."

Pete glared at her. "Well I don't like you either, you ugly little bugger. Wot you go an' bite me foot for?"

"I'll kill yoo. I'll burn your clothes and your cigarettes, an' I'll kill yoo."

Kit walked out of the bathroom, and Lockheed flew over to him, perching on his shoulder. "Pete, are you okay? I heard you scream."

"That winged rat bloody bit me!"

"Lockheed bit you?" Kit gave Lockheed a look. "Bad, dragon." Lockheed gave him puppydog eyes. "Are you all right?" he asked Pete.

"I think so. Didn't draw blood. That bloody thing doesn't have rabies, does it?"

Kit smirked. "No. And I don't think he meant it maliciously."

"'e did, too! Said 'e was gonna take me clothes an' me fags, an' then 'e's gonna kill me."

Kit blinked. "Pete, honey, Lockheed can't talk."

"Yes 'e can! I 'eard him. He sat right there down at the end of the bed and threatened me life, 'e did."

Kit looked over at Lockheed. "Can you talk, dragon?" Lockheed cooed, looking innocent. "See, Pete, he didn't talk to you. I don't think he even has the right kind of vocal cords…"

"But 'e did! Kit, I'm not lying!"

Kit sat down on the bed next to Pete. "Maybe you thought you heard him talk, sweetie, but he didn't. You're probably just overly tired. It's been a long few days, and well, you didn't exactly get a lot of sleep last night." Kit gave Pete a look that made her blush.

"I'm not crazy," she said quietly.

"I know," Kit said, kissing her forehead. He moved his lips down, kissing her jawline and behind her ear. Pete moaned, tangling her fingers in his hair. She glanced to the side and saw that Lockheed was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching them. She pushed Kit up. Kit blinked. "What's wrong, baby?"

"Your 'pet' is watching us."

Lockheed quickly curled up in a ball, feigning sleep. "No he's not," Kit said.

"Yes, he is. An' I'm not shaggin' you with it in the room."

Kit sighed. "Fine." He picked Lockheed up and carried him towards the door. "Sorry, buddy, but the lady insists."

Lockheed snorted as Kit set him outside the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Kit looked back at Pete. "Better?"

"Much." Pete crooked her finger at him. "C'mere, luv."

Kit wasted no time rejoining her in the bed.

xxx xxx xxx

Pete wrapped her arms tightly around Kit as he kissed her, feeling as if everything in her life was finally going right. They'd just gotten back from the pub with the rest of Excalibur, and Pete had been relieved to discover that the team was going to accept her—and her relationship with Kit. Now she was feeling lightheaded from the ale and her lover's kisses.

That was until she looked up to see a very tall, very shiny man standing over them. Pete jumped back, letting out a quick scream. "Am I smashed, or are you the bloody Terminator?"

"Who is this?" the large metal man demanded to know.

"Um, this is Pete Wisdom. Pete, this is an old friend of mine, Piotr Rasputin."

"This is your friend?" Pete asked. "He doesn't look happy to see you."

"My sister is barely dead and buried and you have already found someone else?" Pitor bellowed. "How dare you dishonor her memory in such a way?"

Pete looked over at Kit. "Who's his sister?"

"Illyana. We…we were in love."

Piotr glared. "Were? So soon you forget your pledge to love her forever!" He charged at Kit, who quickly phased out of the way. Pete cried out as the blow hit her instead.

Pete reached up, wiping blood away from her mouth. "That soddin' hurt, you bleedin' loony!"

"Piotr, don't do this," Kit said, running to Pete's side. "Yana wouldn't want me to be miserable."

"She would not want you to soil her memory with this…this woman either."

"All right, I really don't like the way you said that," Pete snapped.

"Piotr, please. Pete's a nice girl. And I haven't forgotten Illyana. I've just…moved on."

Piotr's shoulders slumped and he changed back into his normal form. Kit helped Pete to her feet, wrapping an arm around her. "She loved you," Piotr said softly.

"I know. I loved her, too." Kit looked over at Pete. "Come on. Let's get you in and have Moira take a look at your cut."

Normally Pete would protest profusely at the thought of having to see Moira, but at the moment she wanted to get away from the angry Russian man with the ability to become metal. She nodded. "Yeah."

"I'll let Kurt know you're out here," Kit said to Piotr before taking Pete inside.

xxx xxx xxx

"Och, I've seen worse," Moira said, dabbing roughly at Pete's lip with a cotton ball.

"Yeah, well, I've had worse, too," Pete muttered.

"You're gonna need a stitch or two, though," Moira said. "I'll be right back."

"Are you goin' to be nice an' numb it first?" Pete called after her.

"Maybe," Moira said as she disappeared into another part of her lab.

Kit came over at sat next to Pete on the examining table. "I'm really sorry about this. Piotr's usually not like this, it's just, well, he was always so protective of his sister. He trusted me with her heart, and I guess he felt like I betrayed that."

Pete dabbed at the blood on her lip. "Why didn't you tell me about her, Kit?"

Kit looked down at his tennis shoes. "It still hurts…to talk about her. It really wasn't that long ago."

"I'm not some sort of rebound, am I?" Pete asked.

Kit looked up, startled that she'd ask that. "No!" he said. "Pete, loosing Illyana made me feel like I could never love again. But then I met you, and well, I did."

"Kit, are you saying…"

"Yes. I love you, Pete Wisdom."

"I love you, too, Kit Pryde."

Kit leaned down, kissing her. "Ow!" Pete exclaimed, pulling back.

Kit blushed. "Sorry. I forgot about your lip there for a moment."

Pete chuckled. "That's all right. So did I."

Moira came back into the room with a needle to stitch Pete's lip. "All right, Wisdom. This won't hurt a bit."

"How come I get the feeling you're lying?" Pete muttered.

Kit took her hand. "It's all right. I'm here."

"Avenge me if she's poisoning me?" Pete asked.

"Shut up, Wisdom, and let me do my job," Moira said.

Pete sighed, gripping Kit's hand tightly.