Chapter Five: The Horror

A/N: As always, huge thanks to those who take the time to review! This chapter explores an aspect of Tori's past she feels incredibly guilty about - Ben's death.

"There was absolutely room for Jack on there too," Jillian said indignantly through a mouthful of popcorn, gesturing to the now-blank screen of the 65-inch TV screen they had set up in the lounge room. "Rose was just being a bitch. She could have moved over."

"I think it's meant to be romantic." Tori propped her feet, clad in fuzzy socks, up on the ottoman. "But I totally agree with you, it's bullshit."

An insistent hammering on the door made both women start. Tori dropped her feet off the ottoman, immediately tensing. Jillian was far more chill, getting up off the couch and gliding over to the front door. When she opened the door, Tori froze when she saw Diego standing there, looking a bit worse for wear.

"Um, hi." Jillian glanced over her shoulder at Tori, noticing that was where Diego's eyes were fixed.

"You can't be here." Tori marched over to the door, but Jillian caught her arm before she could shut the door.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Jillian's eyes lit up with something like excitement. Maybe she thought that this was about Tori getting action - and although she wouldn't strictly have been wrong, Tori knew that wasn't why Diego had rocked up looking like he'd had the shit beaten out of him.

"You could say that," Tori ground out. She was pissed. Why hadn't Diego texted? Was this some kind of petty way to get back at her for leaving him to get arrested by the cops? She folded her arms across her chest and wondered what other way there was to indicate her displeasure other than literally slapping him across the face.

Diego's dark eyes were solely on Tori. "I need your help."

"We need to talk somewhere private."

"I'll give you privacy!" Jillian was smirking like a schoolgirl who'd learned a dirty secret as she held up her hands, scurrying off to her room and closing the door. After a few moments, Tori heard her latest Spotify pop playlist start up. She wasn't even trying to eavesdrop. Tori was mildly impressed.

"Alright, Diego." Tori pushed the door closed behind him, leaning against it. "What do you want, and why do you look like someone smacked the shit out of you? Did you have a fight last night?"

"We were attacked." Diego opened the fridge and started going through the groceries that Jillian had just purchased the day before. "Pair of freaks in masks. Klaus has gone missing, too. They might have grabbed him."

"So who do you mean by we?" Tori asked, raking her fingers through her hair and watching as Diego helped himself to an apple. "You and your siblings?"

"They came to our house." Diego's eyes flared with anger, before it was quickly replaced with something more solemn. "My mum...she…"

Tori vaguely recalled him mentioning the programmed robot called Grace who had been more of a caregiver to the Hargreeves children than Reginald. Diego had been particularly close with her, because Tori remembered he'd always spoken about her with fondness. To Diego, she was as good as his flesh and blood mother.

"What happened to her?"

Diego swallowed the lump in his throat, his eyes downcast. "She's gone."

Gone. It was such a gentle word for such a violent thing. Tori remembered when Celine and Giulian had been 'gone'. It had torn through her like a knife, the wounds never having completely healed. She rested a tentative hand on Diego's shoulder, knowing he could easily choose to shrug her off.

"Who were they?" she asked.

"Don't know." There was a darkness in Diego's eyes, a tense set to his jaw. "But I intend to find out."

Tori wanted to offer her help, but she feared rejection. There was one man she could think of who knew the criminal network like the back of his hand, who could have orchestrated this from even behind bars. Perhaps he hadn't caused Reginald's death, but he could certainly have benefitted from it.

"Fabrizio," she murmured.

Diego tossed the apple core into the bin. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions?"

"What?" Tori spun to face him.

"I get that you hate your step-dad. I know what happened with Celine and Giulian...it wasn't easy. I know he's the person you blame for it all. I'm not saying you're wrong to. But you suspected he had Reginald killed and he didn't. What makes you think he's behind this?"

"He could know something," Tori said defensively. She hated the fact that Diego was right - she was looking too far into this. When Number Two had a goddamn point, she knew things were messed up.

"Or he could be innocent in this." Diego leaned against the kitchen bench. "He's problematic, but even Fabrizio isn't that good. He can't be involved in everything."

Tori picked up her coat from the rack and retrieved her handbag from the coffee table. She knew that Jillian would be curious as to what she was doing. Hopefully, her friend thought she was just out to get laid. She figured she'd flick a text to Jillian later. She dangled her keys from her fingers, raising her eyebrows expectantly at Diego.

"There's only one way to find out."

Ten years ago

It had been obvious to Tori for some time now that Giulian found her attractive. Her pheromone manipulation worked on him the same way it did on Diego - he wanted her. They'd kissed a few times as teenagers, but it had never gone beyond that. Since she'd had sex with Diego, Tori realised maybe she wanted it to go further with Giulian. After all, she couldn't exactly just go fucking her enemy...could she?

Anyway, so that was how she wound up on the couch in her apartment, squirming around in Giulian's lap with her shirt off and his hand up her skirt. Tori wasn't stupid. Giulian had wanted this for a while now. It had been on the cards since an ill-timed hook-up that had been her first kiss. But she wasn't a kid anymore. She was twenty, and he was three years older. She knew exactly what she was doing when she fisted her hands in his hair and left a hickey on his neck.

Giulian slipped a finger into her panties and tugged them down, and Tori's fingers nimbly worked at undoing his jeans, yanking them and his boxers down. She wasn't a patient person, and she wasn't in the mood for teasing. Fortunately Giulian felt likewise, his eyes dark with lust as he watched her settle herself over him and sink down onto his cock.

Tori bit down on her lip as Giulian's hands settled on her hips. She rocked her hips slowly, savouring the feeling of being on top. Giulian let his head fall back, groaning. He raised his hands to fondle her breasts.

Tori gripped the back of the couch for leverage as she rode Giulian, tilting her head back as pleasure buzzed through her body. Giulian's hands and lips were all over her, his hips rocking up to meet her movements.

"Tori…" His voice was low and hoarse. "Fuck."

Her moans increased in volume as she felt herself growing closer to climax. Giulian raked his fingers through her hair, his hand descending so his fingers settled around her neck. If she closed her eyes, she could almost pretend he was Diego - but that was a dangerous line of thought, so Tori kept her eyes open and focused on him.

Tori cried out as she reached her orgasm, her entire body shuddering as a buzz of warmth came over her. Giulian followed moments later with a grunt, his face in her hair and his lips brushing her neck. She could feel his hot breath on her skin. After a moment, Tori climbed off him, tugging her clothes back on. She was aware of Giulian's appreciative gaze on her.

"Was I your first?" he asked.

"No," she admitted with a scoff. Did he really think she'd ride him like that if it was her first time and she didn't know what she was doing?

"Who was?" Giulian questioned, curiosity colouring his tone. She couldn't blame him - they had always been the youngest of Fabrizio's gang. He'd have known if she'd had sex with one of the older guys. Maybe he thought it was one of Celine's trashy frat boy friends.

"It doesn't matter now." Tori knew that talking about Diego would completely shift the mood. She smoothed her hair back, and Giulian knew her well enough to drop the topic. He was convenient - he was there when she needed him, and she could count on him not to betray her. After all, he was starry-eyed over Fabrizio, so of course Giulian wouldn't turn on his benefactor's step-daughter.

Fabrizio was only permitted one visitor at a time, and Tori had made sure that Diego knew it would be her. He didn't appear pleased about lingering in the foyer, but Tori was certain he'd spent enough time at various police stations. She couldn't help but tremble as she sat across from Fabrizio, a thin plate of glass separating them. That was another reason she was glad Diego couldn't accompany her - she didn't want her sometimes-enemy to see how what she was reduced to in Fabrizio's presence.

The phone felt slippery against Tori's fingers as she picked it up and pressed it to her ear, probably slick with sweat from a previous visitor. She tried not to think about it as her step-father settled into the chair across from her.

"Another visit?" Fabrizio smiled. "I must be lucky."

"Save your breath," Tori snapped, "I'm here because last night, the Hargreeves kids were attacked by a pair of assassins in masks."

"Ah." Fabrizio leaned back in his chair, the plastic squeaking. "You think I had something to do with it."

The mere suggestion now made Tori's cheeks flare with heat. Diego was right - she'd been wrong to suspect that Fabrizio was behind everything. Her step-father had stopped trying to hurt her after Celine's death had backfired. Since then, all he had been doing was in an attempt to make it up to her. But what could? What could ever possibly replace the best friend that Tori's own fiance had killed?

"I don't know what to think."

"This is about Diego." Fabrizio assessed her critically, lips curving upward in triumph when she made no attempt to deny it. "Do you love him?"

"No," Tori said, a little too quickly.

"But you care about him. More than you ever cared about Giulian."

"Giulian was a piece of shit." Tori clutched the phone tighter in her hand. "I didn't see it back then, but he was."

Fabrizio didn't disagree with her. His expression was thoughtful, which gave Tori cause for concern. Her step-father thinking was always a dangerous thing. He tilted his head to the side and arched his eyebrow in the sort of disapproving expression that still made Tori squirm in her seat as an adult.

"So do you think he cares about you?"

"Maybe." Tori shrugged her shoulders, trying to seem nonchalant. " I don't know."

"Does he know the truth?" Fabrizio asked, leaning forward with dark, glittering eyes. "The whole truth?"

Tori's entire body went cold, the phone slipping from her fingers and clattering loudly against the side of the booth as she dropped it. Fabrizio meant The Incident. Any words of retaliation choked up in her throat as she was transported, vividly and violently, into a memory she wished more than anything she could forget.

Thirteen years ago

It was during a raid on one of Fabrizio's warehouses that Tori experienced her first kiss. It was also the day that Ben Hargreeves was killed.

The Umbrella Academy was constantly onto them, something that Tori had anticipated since her first run-in with them. In a way, their arrival filled her with a sense of excitement. They were her enemies, but they were the only people she knew who were like her. Unintended children with supernatural abilities, all born on the same date she was. Fabrizio took her eagerness as a hunger for violence, and he fuelled the fire.

Whilst the older members of the gang battled the teenage superheroes outside the warehouse, Giulian and Tori had been instructed to remain inside as the last line of defence. Fabrizio kept a lot of weapons in this warehouse, and he wasn't willing to give it up. Something Tori was always acutely aware of was that there were six of the Umbrella Academy, and only one of her. She was good, but she wasn't that good.

Tori remained on ground level among the crates, while Giulian had settled himself on a vantage point on the warehouse's upper level. A soft scraping caught Tori's attention, and she gripped her knife tightly and slipped behind one of the crates.

"I know someone's there," she cooed, "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

At least one of them was inside the warehouse. A girl with curly dark hair moved into view and Tori immediately recognised her as Allison. A sly smile played about the other girl's lips and Tori went cold as she realised she had seconds to deal with what was going to happen next.

"I heard…"

"None of the rumour shit." Tori punched her in the throat, making Allison stagger. She recovered quickly, managing to retaliate by slapping Tori across the face. The impact made Tori stumble, but she spun and kicked. Allison crashed backwards over one of the crates and hit the ground hard. When Tori leaped over and landed in a crouch, she noticed that Allison was unconscious. Good, one less obstacle to contend with.

A flicker of movement caught Tori's eye. It was Ben who stepped out from behind the crates, causing Tori's stomach to twist. She had witnessed Ben's horrifying powers many times, the tentacles that sprouted from him to wreak destruction. She bit her lip and took a few steps back, holding her hands up in surrender as she watched those freaky tentacles lash out in all directions. They'd grabbed a hold of her once and thrown her against a wall, and she never wanted them to touch her again.

Over Ben's shoulder, she caught a flicker of movement. Giulian had climbed onto the railing with a gun in his hand, and Tori realised what was going to happen as he raised it and pulled the trigger.

"No," she cried.

Too late. The sound of the gunshot ripped through the air and Ben hit the ground hard. Peering over him, Tori pressed her hands over her mouth to see a gaping bullet wound in his head. He'd died instantly. Scarlet liquid spread out across the concrete. In the dim light of the warehouse, his unseeing dark eyes glimmered. His last expression was frozen on his face - complete and utter shock.

A scream tore its way up from Tori's throat, and it wouldn't stop, resonating throughout the warehouse. Whatever she'd thought would happen, it wasn't this. Ben was just a kid like her. He was just a fucking kid, and now he was dead. She heard Giulian's footsteps thudding down the metal stairs, but she was too focused on what they'd done. The Umbrella Academy had always been her deadliest enemies. She'd never thought it might come down to this.

Tori knelt down beside Ben, looking him over as though there was some chance he could have survived. This couldn't be happening. When she stared down at her shaking hands, they were covered in blood. Giulian ran over to her and stood over Ben's corpse, his eyes wide as though even he hadn't expected his actions to have such a consequence.

When Tori looked up from Ben's body, she saw that Allison had risen from the ground, backing away with horror and grief etched across her face. Tori wanted to call out to her, but what the fuck was she going to say? Allison turned and fled the warehouse without another word. Tears blurred Tori's vision as she reached down to gently close Ben's eyes.

Tori rose to her feet, her entire body trembling and her hands stained with Ben's blood. Her body was wracked with sobs although she didn't really know why she was crying. She was constantly told that she was a villain. Shouldn't that make her heartless? Shouldn't that mean she was a monster?

"I saved you," Giulian insisted, kissing the top of Tori's head as she sobbed. "I saved you."

"He wasn't going to kill me," Tori choked out. She knew it was the last thing Giulian wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Ben had died for nothing. He had died because Giulian had been scared and hadn't known how to act.

Giulian took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers. She could taste the metallic tang of blood and the salt of her tears on his lips. She kissed back, wrapping her arms around Giulian, desperate to feel anything but devastation. Deep down, she knew Ben was the enemy, but that didn't matter. He hadn't deserved to die like that.

Giulian's lips trailed down her neck as he tugged her body flush against him. Tori supposed it was meant to feel good, but she didn't feel anything. Realising that she'd gone still in his arms, Giulian drew back to look at her, confusion contorting his face.

"Did you not want me to kiss you?"

"Oh, Giulian." Tori's voice broke, because the question was so ridiculous. She'd be a fool not to realise Giulian wanted her, but to him that was all this was about. Tori couldn't help but cry again and as Giulian held her close, she stared down at Ben's corpse, unable to tear her eyes away.

Ben's blood stained her hands. It was splattered across her face. Her shower later that afternoon lasted almost an hour, and despite scrubbing her skin raw, she could still feel it on her. She remembered Ben's wide, horrified eyes, forever still. He was her enemy, but it wasn't right. She wished she'd had the time to tell him that she was sorry, but it had all happened so fast.

Giulian had just been trying to protect her, as if she wasn't the one with powers, as if she was the one who needed protecting. He hadn't killed Ben out of malice. He'd done it out of self-preservation, out of a misguided need to save a girl who'd never needed him to save her.

It was only years later that Tori realised something - Allison had clearly never told anyone what she saw in that warehouse.