Chapter Twenty-Two: Back to the Brotherhood

A/N: Thanks to those who have been reviewing, you're amazing :) What did you guys think of the Days of Futures Past trailer? Are you all excited as well?

"You're not going to get it, you know."

Bishop had been sitting in Charles's library, sprawled across a couch reading an old novel. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the hostile female voice, before he placed the book down and glowered across at Tobi, who stood watching him with her hands on her hips. Her green eyes were blazing.

"How did you get out of your room?" Bishop demanded of her.

"They won't bring you the file," Tobi continued, her voice harsh and angry yet filled with a glimmer of hope. "They're not that stupid. You just wait and see."

Bishop stood up, folding his arms across his chest. Tobi both irritated and intrigued him. He loved the power he held over her, how he was the only person who was able to make her afraid. Indeed, as he paced closer to her, Tobi's eyes dropped to glare at the carpet. Bishop grinned and reached out, grabbing her chin and tilting her face up.

"They will – unless Alex wants you dead."

Tobi grimaced as Bishop's grip tightened. "What did you do to him?"

Bishop didn't answer. He took a step away from Tobi, releasing her, and she folded her arms protectively around herself. With Ghost present, she couldn't use her powers. The cold steel pressed against her skin beckoned her, tempting her to use it. Tobi's fingers stroked over the metal, but she couldn't – not yet. Her friends would certainly pay the price.

"You know, Tobi. You know what I've done, because you've experienced the same sort of thing. The only difference is, he's not as tough as you are. He screamed when I broke his bones."

Bishop's lips curved into a disdainful smile at the thought and Tobi's blood burned within her. She ground her teeth and it took every bit of her self-control not to attack Bishop then and there – because that was clearly what he was counting on.

"Just like you'll scream when I break yours," Tobi countered with quiet venom. When Bishop whirled around to face her, there was hatred shining in her green eyes – but it was different. It wasn't the sudden, hot anger that drove her to act impulsively. This rage ran deeper and it nearly scared him. Nearly, but not quite.

"You won't get the chance," Bishop shot at her, sneering.

Tobi's smile was like ice. "Oh, I will. You'll have a fit of rage when they don't bring back the file…and then I'll have my revenge. I'm sorry. Didn't I make myself clear enough? You're not getting the file."

Bishop bared his teeth in savage fury and suddenly, he was the one whose temper was unleashed. His hand flew out, striking Tobi across the face with enough force to knock her to the ground. She collided with the floor with quite some force and rolled, before Bishop whipped a wicked knife out from his pocket and pressed it to Tobi's cheek.

She laughed breathlessly. "You think I'm afraid of you, Bishop?"

"No." He pressed the knife down harder, silencing her and causing her to wince. "I know you are."

"Get off me," Tobi exclaimed, pushing at Bishop as he straddled her, pinning her wrists above her head.

"Listen to me," Bishop hissed in her ear, keeping the pressure on the knife in case Tobi got any ideas, "I am sick of your attitude. I'm in charge of things around here, which means what I say goes. Got that? So that means if you keep playing this little game of yours, trying to piss me off, I'll slice that pretty face of yours open."

Tobi's breathing was ragged. She knew Bishop was violent, yet even she hadn't anticipated this. She didn't dare struggle beneath him, for fear that such movement would cut open the face. She could still feel the stinging, icy metal pressed to her skin.

"Let me go." When Bishop didn't move, she started to panic. "LET ME GO!"

"Stop your screaming," Bishop growled in irritation, then lowered his voice, "Do you want me to kill your pathetic boyfriend? Because if you don't stop what you're doing, I'll make you watch as I cut his throat…"

Tobi found herself crying, actual tears running down her face. She didn't remember the last time she'd been so frightened. She was shaking with fear and Bishop grinned down at her, relishing in her terror. This was the sort of reaction he'd been counting on – the sort of reaction only he, as her childhood nightmare, could coax from her.

"Please," Tobi sobbed, her voice coming out in choked sobs. She didn't think she'd ever been so ashamed of herself. "Please, don't."

She grimaced as Bishop grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling back cruelly so that she was forced to look up at him. His normally dead grey eyes sparkled with mirth as he observed her. She remained in sullen silence. How tired she was of playing the scared little girl to his bully – yet she couldn't help it.

"I'll do what I want. You know, you always thought you were the best. So did Fiddler. I was so jealous of you…but you're just a little girl. There's nothing special about you. Without your mutation, you're nothing."

Tobi found the strength to offer him a mocking smile. "Then why were you jealous? Back then, you had no idea what I was. So why were you threatened by me?"

Sean was passing by the library when he heard the commotion. There was the sound of a harsh slap that made him grimace, followed by someone colliding heavily with the ground. Unable to move by without sating his curiosity, Sean ventured closer, so that his ear was nearly pressed against the door.

"Get off me!" It was a girl's cry. Sean stiffened. Shit, it sounded like Tobi. He frowned as he heard a boy's voice…Bishop. Clamping a hand over his mouth so that there was no chance they could even hear him breathing, Sean continued to listen in. This definitely didn't sound good.

"Let me go. LET ME GO!" It was Tobi again, and she sounded terrified.

"Stop your screaming," Bishop replied coldly, before his voice became inaudible again as he muttered something under her breath. As Sean found his heart hammering a horrified beat in his chest, he heard Tobi start to cry. Tobi, who barely ever cried.

"Please. Please, don't." Tobi was begging now…Sean started to think about what he was hearing and piece together the puzzle.

"I'll do what I want," Bishop replied callously as Tobi kept sobbing.

Of course, Sean added two and two and ended up with five hundred and sixty-three. Bishop was raping Tobi, he was certain of it. What the hell else could possibly be going on? Feeling sick to the stomach, Sean stumbled away from the library and down towards the bathroom where he'd been headed. No one else could know about this…especially not Alex.

Sean's face paled as he heard a sound like a punch, followed by a girl's piercing scream. He staggered into the bathroom, shaking and pale, and barely made it to the toilet bowl before he vomited. Nope, he definitely couldn't tell anyone.

"Give you the file?" Magneto's tone was condescending as he inspected the young mutants who stood before him. The hint of a smirk curled the corner of his lip. Danni placed a restraining hand on Hank's shoulder, just in case he tried anything stupid. "Why would I do that? You really think the world needs another Shaw?"

"This isn't about Shaw," Hank interjected, his piercing eyes fixed on Mystique, who was doing her best to avoid his gaze. "It's about Charles. You do remember Charles, don't you? Because he, Sean, Tobi and all of the others are in danger, Magneto. The youngest is thirteen years old."

"Then fight them," Magneto replied dismissively. The issue was no concern of his. Yes, Charles had been his friend once – but no longer. Things had changed. "Look, this is not my responsibility. Goodbye."

Hank couldn't believe what he was hearing. Magneto was willing to let Charles and the others die? He didn't understand how the man could be so ruthless. He growled deep in his throat and shrugged free of Danni's restraining hand.

"Innocent people are going to die!" Hank bellowed at Magneto, "You can't just turn your back on them. Now's the time to think about the sort of person you are. You once said you were the better man. Well, prove it."

"Your problems don't concern me," Magneto threw his hands up in the air. "I belong to the Brotherhood, not your X-Men. If you can't defend yourselves, it's hardly my fault."

"It's your fault for taking Shaw's file!" Hank responded hotly. Danni watched him in shock. She didn't think she had ever seen the young scientist so worked up before. "Aren't you sick of living like a coward, Erik? The truth is, you're hiding. What are you so afraid of? Is it Bishop? Is it…Charles?"

The sudden rage on Magneto's face alerted Hank to the fact that he was right. The man was afraid of how Charles would react. After all, Magneto had deflected a bullet into his spine and then left him, not even knowing what his former friend's fate had been.

"Don't you dare bring Charles into this," Mystique's tone was icy.

"They're all going to die, because of you!" Hank bellowed, paying no need to the shapeshifter girl.

"No, they're not."

Everyone looked astonished as Alex stepped forward. Although the physical injuries inflicted by the Rogues had disappeared, the grimness in his blue eyes couldn't be erased. His jaw was set as he observed Magneto.

"What?" Danni sounded confused. "Alex, what are you talking about?"

"They're not going to die," Alex enunciated slowly, "Not at first, at least. They're going to be pretty glad when they do."

A chill ran down Danni's spine, her mouth open in a gape as Alex stepped forward. His hands were clenched into tight fists and there was a resolute expression on his face. Magneto was looking at the blond boy, his lips pressed into a firm line.

"Do you want to know what Bishop will do to the mutants? I'll tell you. First of all, he's going to have them whipped until their skin is barely intact and they're a mess of blood and pain. Then he'll have the bones in their arms and legs broken, probably some ribs too if they're especially defiant. Then he'll get his knife and carve into their faces like they're chopping boards. After that, he'll have them healed…and it'll start all over again, until he gets bored."

It wasn't Alex's words that frightened Danni so much as the flat tone in which he spoke. There was no emotion, nothing that indicated he'd experienced all that agony…yet she knew he had. She reached across and placed a soft hand on his arm, but Alex shrugged her off. Mystique was staring at Alex with shock written all over her face and Danni knew she understood, because a single tear slid down her blue cheek as she continued to observe her former friend.

"How would you know?" Magneto demanded, but he looked a little uncomfortable with what Alex had just said. "You're not a psychic."

Alex's smile was grim. "I'd know because he's done all of that to me. So maybe you'd like to have a think, Erik Lehnsherr. Now you know what you're condemning them to. Charles. Sean. Tobi. All the other kids. I promise you, they're going to endure all of that…and for Tobi especially, it will be worse, just because Bishop hates her."

Alex wasn't working on trying to become a pity vote. He wasn't trying to be a tragic hero. All he wanted was to make Magneto understand the pain that those he'd abandoned would experience. His words must have worked…because despite Magneto's dispassionate expression, Alex could clearly see the shock in his eyes.