Author's Chapter Notes:
Merry Christmas! Does this scene make this a 'Holiday' fic now...? jk
He had set up a full easel for one of the few times he had created an image. Usually things were drawn spur of the moment, inspiration hit, and he drew. This image had been extensively planned, in fact, he had already been working on it for a couple of days, in advance of the whole family being together for Christmas Day.

Recent events had thrown everyone for a bit of a loop, and had reminded Logan that he had never done a portrait of the whole family. Though, with the size of their ‘family’ now, this was being done in landscape.

He still shuddered as he recalled the sound of twisting metal, the smell of over heated flesh, and blood, that signalled the almost loss of one of their family members. Sure it was an extension he wouldn’t have personally cared about losing... if not for the fact of having to listen to Rosalie’s heart wrenching sobs. His oldest baby, now a momma herself, had cried almost non-stop for three weeks, until Nathan had finally woken from his semi-induced coma.

As Logan drew in each member of his family, starting with the huddle of children on the floor squealing over presents, he grumbled half heartedly as Rosie fussed over and waited on her husband. Sure, he was still mostly cast up, and reliant on a wheelchair for most of his moving around, but it was his job to wait on his wife, not the other way around. A moment later a fresh beer was placed on the side table beside him, as his wife leaned in close and kissed his whiskered cheek affectionately.

“It’s nice to be waited on sometimes, isn’t it?” she posed, knowingly, as he took a swing from his bottle. Logan just growled grumpily in response, to which she replied with a giggle.

After he had drawn Audra, he and Marie’s new youngest child, Clara, now two, and their little nephew, Noah, Rosalie and Nathan’s child, also two, Logan moved on to add Oliver and Caitlin. The pair had rebuilt their fractured relationship, and done it so well three month old twins, Theo and Penny, now rounded out the ranks of the children where they snoozed in their parents arms.

Rosalie and Nathan were drawn next, though Logan, almost grudgingly, opted to draw Nathan ‘whole’ as he had been before the fateful mission, rather than with his new accessories.

“Thank you daddy,” Rosalie whispered to him, as she pecked him on his whiskered cheek, much like her mommy had done earlier, when she saw this addition.

He still had to make clear the kid was an incompetent pansy though... so the bruises stayed.

Finally, in pride of place, it was time for his own beautiful bride, and the reason most of the people in the photo existed; his gorgeous Marie. He couldn’t draw her alone though. So, in the cosy armchair, where she was currently sitting watching the children excitedly fawn over their presents, he drew himself. Patriarch of their little family, and cocooned protectively in his arms, he drew her.

Still as young, radiant, sexy, and just plain beautiful as she had been the first time he laid eyes on her.

Marie.

Forever the love of his life.

Sometimes he couldn’t believe it had been forty years since he first laid eyes on her. Some of their original friends from the mansion, most notably the Professor, had passed on. Scott had finally given in to Jean’s nagging and retired from actively participating in X-Men missions, he was the last of the original team to do so. Children, and grandchildren of mutants abounded in the halls of the mansion. The schools roles were now primarily filled by children whose families placed them voluntarily, less and less runaways needed picking up every year. Slowly, the Professor’s dream was becoming a reality. Not that Logan really cared, he had his family, and at the end of the day that was all that mattered.

“You finished Michelangelo?” Marie teased, as he slid into the seat some time later, sliding her onto his lap as he did, exactly how his picture depicted.

“I prefer da Vinci personally, with my beautiful Mona Lisa,” he teased in return. “The other one always makes me think of that stupid turtle,” he added, just because he enjoyed hearing her laugh.

“I will never be done,” he murmured softly into her hair moments later, “You my beautiful muse, I shall draw until we are both old and grey.”

“I’m starting to think that’s never going to happen,” Marie returned wistfully, though she didn’t sound upset about that.

“I know, guess we better make room for a lot more pictures then,” Logan replied with a grin, even as little Clara toddled up and threw herself into their laps requesting cuddles.

And thus life went on, brightened by the beauty around them, and the beauty that was captured in the pages left as the legacy of life lived to its fullest.
Chapter End Notes:
The End

Yes, for real this time, I told the muse no more.
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