A/N: I really didn't like writing this chapter.
The day finally came when the Professor told me he'd gotten in contact with my brother about a month after the CNN footage had been broadcasted. He let me know Otto was willing to see me and a meeting had been set up for the next day. The reunion would take place at a diner in New York City, only a few hours from where we were. The Professor insisted that someone come with me. I wasn't crazy about the idea of an escort; especially when I found out Logan would be it. Rogue volunteered to go and I felt a little better, but I still didn't think I needed them just to see my brother.
The ride there I sat in the backseat, happy to let Rogue take shotgun to Logan. It didn't take me long to pick up on Logan and Rogue being friends, close ones at that. Something I found amazing, since I hadn't seen the man be anything but unfriendly to even the Professor. I thought maybe the sun was going to fall out of the sky when he smiled at something she had said.
I'd never been to New York City before and I was fascinated with what I was seeing. Don't get me wrong I've been in big cities plenty before; Atlanta of course, New Orleans my forever favorite, even Miami a couple of times, but there's something I've learn and that is each city has its own character and New York defiantly stood apart from the other places I'd been.
"Nervous?" Rogue asked when we found a parking spot a block away from the diner.
"A little." I admitted as I unbuckled.
"Stay where I can see you, got it? Don't wander off." Logan looked at me over his shoulder from the front seat.
I wanted to tell him I wasn't some little kid, and didn't need a babysitter, but yea, I'm not that brave. "Okay."
"What Logan is trying to say," Rogue shot him a look, "is we don't really know what to expect and we don't want anything to happen to you."
He just kind of grunted 'something like that', before getting out the car.
The walk didn't take long and they let me go in first, so it wasn't obvious that they were with me. Before I saw my brother I spotted the guy that had been with Magneto in the CNN footage, Pyro. I guess Otto needed back? I was suddenly very thankful that Logan had come. He made eye contact with me and smiled in a way that scared the hell out of me. I looked away quickly and found Otto across the diner watching me.
I smiled, so glad to finally see him. His face stayed neutral as I approached.
"Have a seat." He indicated the chair in front of him with a jerk of his chin.
"I can't believe I finally found you." I said with a stupid grin as I sat down, wanting to hug him.
Otto glared at me and I realized this wasn't going to be the happy reunion I'd thought it would be. "I only came today to tell you to go home."
"What?" I asked stupidly, not sure I'd heard him right.
"Go. Home." He said slowly, like he was speaking to someone who didn't understand English very well.
"Are you serious?" I said.
"As the grave."
"Why?"
"Why?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because whatever trick Xavier's trying to pull isn't going to work."
"Trick?" I frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Xavier trying to break up the Brotherhood, and he's using you to get to me."
Um. What? "Who told you that? No one's using me. The Professor was helping me find you."
"Bell, I know you better than that. I'm not naïve enough to believe that you took it upon yourself to come all the way up here to find me. Not with the way you hate mutants." He was leaning close, looking angry with that same hard expression on his face that he'd had at on during the CNN footage.
I resented that. "I did come. On my own too."
"I'm supposed to believe that?" He leaned back in his chair. "I'm supposed to believe that you took an interest outside of your current boyfriend and friends and parting to come find a mutant? Your too self absorbed."
"Things have changed."Obviously for both of us. I glared at him. He wasn't acting like the protective brother who'd always made time for me.
He shook his head. "Not like that."
We stared at each other for a moment. He was wearing an expensive looking suit; the only time I'd ever seen him in one before was at Uncle Ernie's funeral. I wasn't sure because he was sitting down, but he looked like he was taller. His hazel eyes were sharper, his face leaner, he'd grown up a lot and didn't look a thing like the small town boy who'd run away from home more than a year ago. Dr. McCoy and the Professor had been right, I didn't know this man. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"And risk you exposing me?"
I shook my head. "I wouldn't have done that." I may not have handled it well but I knew I wouldn't have told anyone.
"Yea, you're probably right about that. You wouldn't have wanted everyone to know you were related to a mutant."
"I'm not ashamed of you."
"I am of you." Matter of fact like was the way he said it.
I sat back, hurt and stunned. "What the hell have I done that's been so bad, huh?"
"You're a Homo sapien. That's enough." He smirked bitterly at me. "Doesn't feel too good to be hated for something you can't help, does it?" I got the feeling he was referring to the night he'd left.
I swallowed. "You didn't give me a chance, so you can't blame me for something I didn't do." I said.
Otto shrugged. "Just go back to Mama and Daddy and forget all about this. I don't want you around."
"I can't. They won't let me." I couldn't stop the helpless/frustrated/hurt tears that pricked my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I'd bet it all on Otto and now even he didn't want me.
"Why not?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Because they don't want a daughter who's friends with mutants anymore than they want a son who is a mutant." I said. "All we have left is each other."
"No." He answered. "I've got the Brotherhood."
"Are you serious?" I snapped, eyes clearing up. "You'd choose that terrorist group over your own sister?"
"Magneto took me in and helped me when no one else would, including you. So yes." The icy calm he had worried.
"I didn't know where you were. And that man is insane."
"No, he sees things as they really are. Not like that weak Xavier that thinks our kinds can live together."
"He walks around wearing a bucket for a hat! That's crazy if you ask me--"
"No one asked you." Otto cut in.
"--And he doesn't care who he hurts. He's killed people."
"It's us against them." He replied simply.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You against me is what that boils down to. Would you kill me?"
We stared hard at each other then very quietly Otto said, and in his expression was the first glimpse of the person I knew. "That's why you need to go, so we don't ever have to find out."
"No. I'm not." I shook my head slowly. "I don't have anywhere else to go."
"Please Bell." The same quite tone; at that moment he was Otto again.
I lept at it. "If he's forcing you, I'll help you get away. We'll go somewhere, they won't find us…" I stopped as he started shaking his head.
"I'm not doing anything I don't want to do, but if you stay I'm going to have to." The brother I knew was gone from his eyes.
"You won't hurt me." I knew that as a truth.
"You don't know me very well Bell."
I made a very unlady like snort.
"I'm sure that if you go home to Mama and Daddy they'll take you back; they know how helpless you are on your own. You can go back to your friends and parties and marry yourself the ex-quarter back. The two of you can have a couple of kids and you can live out your life never worrying about anything that you weren't given the chance to do or not do." The tone was mocking and I wanted to kick him. "Your kids can grow up just as afraid and ignorant of mutants as you."
I raised my chin up a notch. "You can sit there all high and mighty because you're a mutant and can do things I can't but you were raised the same way as I was. Before you were a mutant you hated them too. And that defiantly makes you something I'm not. A hypocrite."
"Careful Bell, you don't want to use words you can't spell."
"Oh, fuck you." I snapped fed up. "You've changed and I don't like it one bit. You're smarter than this; following around some lunatic who wears a helmet and cape everywhere he goes." I was really stuck on Magneto's helmet he wore.
Otto narrowed his eyes on me. "I'm where I belong."
"Me too, so stop telling me to go home." Maybe I wasn't but Xavier's school was my only option.
"And just where the hell is that?" He asked.
"At Xavier's school for the gifted." I answered.
"You were supposed to graduate last year. Did you fail? Going to school with mutants is pretty desperate of you." He smirked at me.
"No I did not fail. I work there."
"Doing what? Giving manicures?"
"I'm the librarian."
He erupted in laughter and my face went red. "Now I know your lying. You've never read a book in your life and you don't work if you can get out of it."
"I didn't come here to fight with you. I came because what happen wasn't right."
"So what?" He sobered "You came to say sorry? Like that's going to make it better?"
"When did you become like this? This isn't you."
"It is. You don't like then leave."
"No, I'm not going anywhere. And I hope I make you miserable by being here." What a childish thing to say.
"You're going to get yourself hurt." He said in all seriousness.
"Don't worry about it. I can handle myself." I snatched up my purse, and stood up. "And by the way, Professor Xavier isn't wrong about normal people and mutants living in peace, but both sides have to try." I'd learned that, I realized as I stomped away.
A/N: Wow. That was kind of long. Leave me a review telling me what you think.