Justine Ch. 15

He tried to remember how long he had been back and then the stench of blood mixed with his body odor hit him. He cried out in pain when he sat up and plopped back down when the cell began to spin. As was his habit, he raised his hand to untangle his hair and stopped when he touched skin.

"What the fuck?" he muttered, and the he remembered Mimi shaving his body and then finally his head as she raped him. For the first time since he had started his long and lucrative, he was beginning to understand something but it was far too late. If Justine were to ask him again about regrets, he could now honestly say that he was beginning to have them.

Finally, someone, a guard came into his cell, helped him up and led him to the shower. As he left the cell, he looked over to see who was blubbering in the cell next to his.

"Albert? What are you doing here?"

Albert stopped blubbering and looked up surprised that someone knew his name.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

Jeremiah realized how different he must have looked and introduced himself.

"Albert, it's me Jeremiah Mathers."

Albert peered at him from the corner of his cell and finally got up to get a closer look.

"Dear lord! What happened to you?"

"Mimi happened to me." Jeremiah replied. "Why in the fuck did you disfigure her like that?"

"Mimi?" Albert asked no longer crying but angry, "where is the little bitch?"

"Somewhere safe but I would worry about you." Jeremiah advised him. "The queen took a special interest in her; she gave her three days with me. Albert, you drove her insane... I'm lucky that I still have my cock. Did you really make it so that she couldn't feel pleasure?"

"None of your business!" Albert snapped, "She was mine to do with as I pleased and what do you mean somewhere safe?"

It was obvious to Jeremiah that Albert had no idea of where he was or who he was about to deal with and took it upon himself to try to warn him.

"Albert..."

"When are they going to let me make a phone call?" Albert asked.

Jeremiah had forgotten that Albert was almost a recluse. He came out only for very special occasions and more than likely didn't know or didn't care that there was a new queen. More than likely it was the latter. Like him, Alfred though that he was invincible and he was going to find out that he wasn't.

"Albert, there won't be any phone calls; you won't be leaving here and neither will I."

"What are you talking about?" Albert asked indignantly.

Before Jeremiah could reply, the guard interrupted him.

"Enough talk, let's go."

Jeremiah nodded at the guard and began to head toward the shower that would hurt like hell but would also feel good. He also hoped that the foul smelling shampoo would be gone not that he needed shampoo anymore. He ran his hand over his baldhead missing the feel of the thick hair that had once graced his head. He hadn't seen himself yet and wasn't sure that he wanted to.

As he expected, the shower was painful but felt good at the same time and thankfully, the foul smelling shampoo wasn't there, his usual shampoo sat in its place. When he asked Mimi about it, she told him that it was what Albert made her use on a daily basis. As he gingerly washed his still very painful cock, he wondered if there were any more like Mimi out there and if there were... he pushed the thought out of his mind, he didn't want to think about it. His session with Mimi was far too fresh in his mind and on his body to want to entertain the idea of another one like her.

He finished the shower and put on the sweat suit that he would never complain about again and went back to his cell feeling a little better.

"What did you mean by we're not ever leaving? Of course we are! At least I am. I just need to call my attorney."

Jeremiah couldn't help it; he burst into laughter that must have sounded hysterical to Albert.

"We... you really don't know where you are do you?" He asked between fits of laughter. "We're at the home of the new queen and neither of us is leaving it alive."

"You're not making sense! Violet is the queen and she hasn't cared about anything for centuries." Albert replied.

"If that's true, then why am I here? Why would she allow Mimi to have three days with me?" Jeremiah asked. "Have you tried to leave from your cell yet?"

Albert's silence told him that he had.

"And who found you?" he asked.

"Mikhail but that doesn't mean anything." Albert protested.

Jeremiah gave up and told Albert the blatant truth about why he was there and why Mimi had been allowed to have her way with him.

"An eternity of this?" Albert asked looking around the cell. "Will she do the same to me?" he asked now beginning to panic. "I don't think that I could survive!"

"You couldn't survive what you put others through?" a voice asked from behind Albert. "Turn around and look at me."

Albert turned around and looked into the angry eyes of Josephine.

"I must apologize but do I know you that you would speak to me like this?" he asked, his voice taking on the condescending tone that he took with all women and those he deemed beneath him.

Justine's eyes flashed, suddenly, she was in the cell with Albert staring into his face. Albert took a step back and looked over at Jeremiah who returned the look with one of pity mixed with envy. Albert was going to die.

"I gave Mimi the chance to spend some time with you but she didn't want to see you." Justine said as she stepped closer to Albert. "You fucked her up to the point of insanity, you are here in one of my prisons and yet you still act as though your shit don't stink. You took so much from her some of which I was able to give back, she will feel again if she chooses to and her body looks as it did before you got your hands on her."

"Then no harm done!" Albert exclaimed, "If you let me make my phone call, we can get this unpleasantness over with."

"Up until now," Justine said, "I haven't interfered in the administrations of justice that the women choose other than to make sure that a death doesn't occur because of it. Since Mimi has opted to pass on seeing you, I'm going to pass judgment on you myself."

"Just who are you to be speaking to me in this manner?" Albert demanded now angry. "No bitch speaks to me like this!"

He raised a hand to slap her and gasped when he couldn't move. He finally did what he should have done from the first time that he saw her; he took a good look at her and felt a sharp pain behind his eyes and in his head. Just as suddenly, it was over.

"My name is Justine Graves O'Dell. I am your queen your king is Quinn O'Dell and on the behalf of Mimi Scott I have just passed sentence and it will begin immediately."

Justine turned toward a guard, "Is his room ready?"

"Yes my queen."

"Take him there and I want him guarded at all times." she replied and began to walk away.

"What did you do to me?" Albert whispered as what Justine told him sunk in.

"I gave you Mimi's memories; you will suffer the nightmares and terror for her. As of this moment, you no longer exist to her and she has the chance for a happy and normal life if she wants it. If we happen upon any more of your victims, their memories will be added to hers and if you think for one damned minute that you're going to go insane, you won't, I won't allow it. You can ask Jeremiah. And if you think that you'll be able to will yourself to die, forget it, you will live until I decide otherwise."

Albert still didn't believe her until the first memory hit him, he gasped in surprise and began to moan as the memory filled his brain.

"Take him." Justine commanded.

*********

Many miles away, Mimi lay in bed with tears running down her face and soaking the pillow. While a part of her was whole, what she considered the most important part of her wasn't... her mind. She now believed Justine when she said that she was safe but she wouldn't feel that way as long as Albert could look for her.

"I understand." Justine told her, "So I would like to do something to help."

Justine explained her sentence for Albert to her and waited for her response.

"You can do that?" Mimi asked.

"If you want me to but I have to have your permission. In effect, I'm tampering with your memories...'

"Do it."

"Don't you want to know the rest of it?" Justine asked.

"The only thing that I want to know is this, how soon can you do it?"

"As soon as possible, can you manage for a day or so?"

"I can and I will." Mimi replied. "How will I know?" she asked.

"You'll just know, and if Albert's name is mentioned, you won't know who he is. In essence, you'll have a clean slate."

Unsure of what to say, Mimi hugged Justine and then abruptly pulled back.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that!"

"No worries." Justine said with a smile, "Even queens like hugs... Mimi, I'm not going to take away all of your suspicion about men. I don't want you to be caught by another Jeremiah Mathers. All I will do is leave just a little memory of what he was like, is that alright with you?"

"That's perfect! And if you ever need anything from me, and I mean anything please let me know."

That conversation had taken place early that morning and Mimi spent the day anxiously waiting to feel the change. Finally, unable to stay awake anymore, she went to bed and the dreams started as soon as she closed her eyes. Sometime during the night, the dreams stopped and Mimi had the first dreamless sleep she had since she met Jeremiah Mathers over fifty years ago.

When she woke up, she felt refreshed. She looked out of the window and heard the sounds of the ocean; her nightmare was really over.

**********

Justine found Quinn working on the indoor garden. She stood back, watched him consult a drawing and then look at his work, and realized that he was a perfectionist, even more of one than she was.

"I know you're there." he said not looking up from the drawing but she could hear the amusement in his voice.

Justine walked up and stood beside him, "This looks great!" she said as she looked around the huge room.

"I'm glad that you like it." Quinn replied as she put an arm around her, "any preference as to what kind of flowers or plants?"

"I don't care as long as I don't have to take care of them, I killed a cactus once." Justine replied.

"Sweetheart, how in the hell do you kill a cactus?" Quinn asked laughing.

"I don't know but I managed." Justine replied. "Quinn, before we met, I was experimenting with the idea of finding out if I could be out during the day."

"And?"

"I was able to tolerate some sunlight... an hour or two but I'm wondering if I could tolerate more."

"To be honest with you, I was kind of wondering the same thing. I mean, you have all of this power so why not that one? And besides, I want to know if I can go out too."

Justine looked at Quinn and remembered that he said that there was something that they needed to talk about and now was a good a time as any.

"A few days ago you said that we needed to talk, so what's up?"

"Let's sit down." Quinn said leading her to one of the park benches that would be placed around the garden.

An hour later, she knew everything that he did.

"Forever?" she asked.

"That's what Eddie said." Quinn said watching her carefully.

"Wow... I mean Quinn are you alright with this?"

"I am if you are." Quinn replied. "Eddie also said that deep down you already knew, is that true?"

"Are you asking if I was keeping something from you?" Justine asked.

"Not at all and I would know if you were, I was just asking are you surprised by this?"

"No." Justine said after several minutes, "And I'm good with it as long as you're with me and you're ok with it."

They sat in silence holding hands each of them adjusting to the knowledge that they would rule forever.

*********

Mikhail and Zoe arrived in England, checked into their hotel room and quickly made love.

"Zoe, I promise you that when this is over...."

Zoe shushed him with a kiss, "Get going." she said and gently pushed him away from her.

"I love you Zoe."

"I love you too now get moving."

An hour later, Mikhail was sitting across from an obviously nervous and frightened Josh Archer, he was about to begin questioning him when his cell phone rang. He almost ignored it but didn't. It would do the prisoner good to sweat for a few more minutes.

"Stark? What's happening? Yes, I'm in London, why? Who called?