Piotr's Legacy

Fourteen-year-old Piotr Pryde sat at the kitchen table as his mother made dinner. Having already completed his homework for the night, he had nothing better to do that evening since "Friends" had ended. His homework was always rather easy for him for he had inherited his mother's intelligence. He also had his father's strength and name. Sadly, he had never known his father, as he had died before he was born. His father, Piotr Rasputin, had helped in the creation of the cure for the mutant-killing disease, the Legacy Virus, an act that had cost him his life.

Piotr's mother had been very sad about that ever since, but she made sure that she never showed it to her son. Her name was Katherine, but she insisted that everyone called her nickname Kitty. Jean Grey, one of his mother's old friends, had told him that she couldn't handle the loss for months. Then she found out she was pregnant, and she began to cheer up, because part of her beloved had lived on. Still, she was still somewhat sorrowful, because her son would never know his father. Young Piotr had brought hope and joy to his mother's life where she had once been barren. That's why he couldn't bring himself to tell her.

Some weeks ago, on one of their trips back to his mother's old school, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, Piotr had been asked to come into Dr. Hank McCoy's lab. Hank always took every chance he could to study anything, even people, so it wasn't something new to Piotr. During the routine examination, Hank had discovered something horrible. In addition to his strength, Piotr had also inherited something else from his father: the disease that had killed him, the Legacy Virus. According to Hank's tests, Piotr didn't have much time left on this mortal earth; he would probably not live to see his next birthday. Piotr was devastated. But even more so, he was worried that his mother would take it far worse.

So, he just sat there that night, marinating in his worriment and guilt. He wondered what would become of his mother when . . . "it" happened. He knew it would be earth shattering for her to have to go through the same horrific experience twice in the same lifetime. Another person close to her heart would be taken away from her, and by the same killer at that. It was too terrible for any one person to bear. Piotr reserved that he would no longer think about it. He would soon die, and he needed to accept that, but he knew in the back of his mind that his loving mother never could. He couldn't tell her; it would break her heart, again. So, he decided that he would do whatever he could to make his mother happy in the little time they had left together. He got up from his seat at the table, went over to his mother, and gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He helped her finish preparing their dinner and they had an enjoyable meal together, as a family. It was a small, but meaningful night for Piotr. After all, who knew how many more they would have?