Note about Continuity: I realize that after Operation Zero Tolerance, everyone needed time to heal. This funeral takes place after that. Some of these characters still would not be able to make the funeral, but I’m changing that. I’m also assuming that certain people (especially the X-Men) probably had to really stretch to make ends meet to even make it to Muir Island, but that they all managed to do so nonetheless.

Disclaimer: The X-Men, X-Factor, Excalibur, X-Force, Generation X, and assorted X-characters are not mine. Welcome to my world and my version of them.

Chapter One

The assorted 41 guests mumbled and coughed when Kurt Wagner, better known as Nightcrawler, walked up to the podium. By the time he stood in front of the microphone, the room was silent, and all teary eyes were on him. "Hello, everyone. It’s wonderful to have you all here, in the Piotr Nikolotevitch Rasputin room, which was built specifically for this occasion," Kurt greeted. "Um, well, I’ll just begin at the beginning.

"Peter Rasputin, as we called him, since that’s easier than saying his real name, was also known as Colossus, the name he used to defend the world against, well, any threat at all. Years ago, Professor Charles Xavier approached many of us and recruited us for his dream. Peter Rasputin was one of those people, even although he had lived at home in his collective his whole life, who gave up his life to defend the world. Despite constantly missing his family, despite feeling utterly out of place, despite feeling useless, Peter fought onward. He made friends, helped save the world from time to time, and was overall a wonderful person. Some of my fondest memories of him are from this time.

"I can tell you that Peter was very important to me, ever since then and to this day. He is a wonderful person, who’s love and devotion were unlimitedly loyal. His innocence and naivete shown for his whole life. Peter was one of those people who was always nice, always compassionate, and always had time for his friends. That is how I will remember him." Kurt nodded, waved, and stepped off the podium, and sat in the front row with his fellow Excalibur teammates. The room echoed from applause.

Kitty Pryde swiftly walked up to the podium.

"Hi," she began. "I’m Kitty Pryde, or Katya, as Peter loved to call me. And, of course, I want to extend my gratitude for you all showing. Well, I’d like to start off by saying that Peter is immortal. In every way possible, he will be remembered by us as a wonderful person, and that, in the end, is the most we can do.

"I first met Colossus when he, Professor Xavier, and some other X-Men came to my house personally to recruit me to their ‘school.’ I thought that the people who had come to my house were creepy and different, but I distinctly remember seeing Peter and thinking, ‘Wow, what a hunk.’" Kitty laughed.

"After that, I became an X-Man. As most of you know, Peter and I became ‘involved.’ We dated, I guess you could call it, for a long time. It was a school girl’s crush for me, and for Peter, he loved me more like a little sister than he did as a woman. Nonetheless, Peter was always very nice to me. He trusted me, he helped me, he loved me. He was the nicest person in the whole world to me. I’ll always remember that. Even though I may have been mature for my age, I was still young, thirteen, and then fourteen, and then fifteen, and there was an ocean of difference between Peter’s and my age. No matter what, he was nice to me. That is what I choose to remember. Thank you."

Again, the room echoed with applause, and a few snifflings joined in this time, too.

Meggan slowly and nervously walked up to the podium. "Hi," she started. "I’m Meggan. I know most of you, but some of you I don’t. Anyways, it’s still nice for you to be here, and thanks.

"I-um, I’m not really used to speaking on front of large groups of people, but I felt that I, well, had to get up here and talk about Peter.

"After he came back to Earth in the big crash from the big space station thingy, Peter came to visit us. At, uh, at first, t-t-things were a bit, oh, uncomfortable. After a while, not long, really, Peter fit right in, like he’d been here all along. Those of us who’d never met him before, like me, where really....surprised. He was a g-g-great person, and s-so nice, and everything.

"I can’t say enough good things about Peter, but most of them have already been said. I’m going to repeat them anyways, because I-I want to. Peter was really, really nice. He was a great person, very loyal, always concerned about other people. He was very warm and kind, and radiated happiness. He was a great guy. I’ll miss him, but he’s gone now, and when people leave, we should hold them close to our hearts and our thoughts, so we will remember them forever. I will. Lastly, Peter wouldn't want us to be sad. He would want us to laugh, like he made me do. I believe that a lot." Meggan looked down and walked back to her seat, realizing once she sat down that the room was filled with applause, and there was definitely someone crying.

Finally, the last person walked up to the podium and took a breath. Many eyebrows in the room arched and some gasps could clearly be heard. "Hello. Many of you know me, I’ve been told, and I don’t know any of you, or not the real you. I’m Illyana Rasputin," Illyana said.

"I was brought from a harsh, cold universe ruled by Apocalypse by a demon named Belasco from Limbo. I watched over this one, and found some links to my world, namely in the people I knew. Piotr was one of those people.

"In my world, the Piotr I knew I loved very, very much. But he was a harsher, more cruel man than this world’s Piotr, just as the world was more harsh and cruel.

"I haven’t been here long in this world, and I don’t know it that well, but I know there is nowhere else I’d rather live, and I will live here for forever. I will make friends and loves, like my brother.

"But first, before I could get where I am today, and even dream the dreams I dream, I had to be freed. Piotr helped free me from Belasco, and fought very hard for me to be free. He helped me once he was free, and even though I didn’t know him that well, I loved my older brother. He was kind, loving, and wonderful. He helped give me hope and reason to live in this beautiful, lonely world.

"Piotr gave his life for mine, and I will devote part of my life to honoring him for that. I now have hope, I now have friends, I now live in this beautiful new world. The reason I am here today is because of my older brother. I may be from a different world, but I can tell you I love this Piotr as much as I loved mine." A tear formed in Illyana’s eye, and started to fall down her cheek.

"That’s all I have to say."

Instinctively, people got up from their chairs, clapping, smiling, crying, showing their support for this girl that they knew and had just met.

Kitty stood up from her seat, and hugged her fiercely. "I would be your friend, too, Illyana," she told her.

"I-I would like that," Illyana replied.

"So would I," Kitty grinned.