Miyumi
Crumble
A LXG fic
Disclaimer: I own nothing but James, Eleanor, and the opening lines/plot.
~*~
You enjoyed seeing me cringe with pain,
You loved to see me crumble.
~*~
London, late 1800s
"Mother?"
"Mother?"
Twenty-three year old Mina Murray touched her mother's shoulder, so cold to the touch, trying to wake her. Lady Eleanor Murray, wife of Sir James Murray, was dying, and Mina soon realized it.
Her face was pasty white, her eyes open and wide. She was only forty, but looked seventy; her face lined in wrinkles, her hands withering, and her hair a shocking white.
Mina had known that her father had hated her mother, and that's Eleanor lay dying alone. Their marriage was one of social importance. James was the lord of a vast amount of land. Eleanor was the most prominent young woman of high society in England. It was only natural they should marry.
Even if they weren't in love.
Eleanor was once beautiful. The dreams Mina had at night were of her mother before this change, when she was young and pretty, pampering Mina to her heart's content. There she had shining hair that looked like dark fire. Her dark eyes sparkled with a charm that made her confident and bold.
Because she was so bold, Eleanor allowed Mina's education to be liberal, because she vowed that no daughter of hers would be illiterate and dull. She vowed her daughter would be as smart, athletic, and brave as any boy. She would be as beautiful, graceful, and kind as any girl. Mina sometimes felt those expectations were so high. Sometimes failure of meeting these goals troubled her deeply.
Mina stared at her mother numbly. Eleanor's chest no longer rose and fell with laboring breaths. Her arms were clasped loosely on her chest, and her eyes were closed. But her face was more peaceful than it had been for years. She was dead, but in death, happy.
Mina knelt beside the bed, touching her lips to her mother's forehead. Hot tears fell from her face as she silently wept. Her fiery auburn hair glistened in the fading sunlight, and her green eyes were wet these tears.
"Be safe, Mother," she whispered, tucking a white strand away from her face.
Mina's heart ached. There was so much she wanted to tell her mother that she would never be able to now. How her marriage to the wealthy banker Jonathon Harker was nothing but a nightmare. How the bruises and cuts on her body were not a result of clumsiness, but of pain she took every night from her husband. How she had lost her only child, a son, because she had been unconscious when he died in his cradle.
Mina hugged herself, thinking of how her mother, the only person who had ever loved her, was gone. Mina felt she had nothing left in life to live for.
Especially not her father.
"Wilhelmina."
A cold voice came from the doorway startled her. Mina tightened, hearing her father walk briskly towards the bed. He shoved her away, and scrutinized Eleanor. He scoffed, slapping her dead hand away from Mina's. With a start, Mina cringed, gazing up at her father. His hard face, covered in stern lines, stared at her broken face with loathing and hatred.
"Your mother is dead. Do not cry for her." His voice was cruel. Mina knew he had no feelings, but still. To not cry over his wife? Her mother? Wasn't he human?
Mina tried to stop her tears, just so he would cease talking. But no matter what she did, they just kept coming-Eleanor loved her, was it so wrong to cry for a loved one?
"Stop your crying, Wilhelmina. Stop it, I say. Stop!"
Mina stopped. Her now-red eyes looked up at her father, who stood towering above her. James Murray was not a man to be tangled with, as she learned from an early age. Until now, Eleanor had protected her from his wrath. But now she was alone in the world, unprotected from her father's fury.
"We need to talk, Wilhelmina," he said sternly, pulling her away from Eleanor's lifeless figure.
"No," said Mina, yanking her arm away. "Mother is dead. It is only right that I grieve for her. You should be crying too-she was your wife."
James glared, his eyes becoming the narrowest of slits. "I have not the time for your stupid games, Wilhelmina, now come along."
"My name is Mina," she said, glaring right back at him.
"Wilhelmina is your name, and you shall listen when commanded." He grabbed her arm. "You shall learn a woman's place in this world, whether you like it or not." He dragged her from the floor, away from the bed.
"No!" she cried, struggling against his strong grasp. "Mother! Mother!"
"Stop being so foolish!" snapped James. "No daughter of mine will fight against my wishes. Now-come-along!"
"Stop this," wailed Mina, twisting as he shut the door. They were alone in the hallway, where shadows lurked around them. Large paintings of James' ancestors adorned the walls, frightening Mina. As a small child, she never went down here past twilight. At night, the pictures seemed to come alive, filling her with a fear of ghosts and phantoms that rose from portraits.
James pushed her against a wall, where she cowered, putting her head on her knees. Her fountain of auburn hair fell over her, creating a veil to hide her sobs.
He stuck the side of her face hard. "Stop this childish crying. You are twenty-three, and a married woman. I am surprised Jonathon even puts up with you, a spineless speck of a woman, who can't even bear him a son. I am ashamed of you."
"Not as much as I am of you," she whispered.
"What did you say?" he said angrily. "How dare you talk back to your father."
Mina pulled herself up, leaning against the wall for support. "I said, I am ashamed to have a father such as you. Not even crying for his wife, a woman who gave so much in return for little. Who raised me right and loved me." She touched her stomach. "And I had a son. Who died because his father beat me, leaving me faint to this world, to hear his crying, even screaming for his mother, and to his cradle death."
"You are weak, Wilhelmina," he said acidly. "Love is for fools, Wilhelmina." He held his arms out. "Did love supply all these riches? Did love give you comforting life you led? I think not. And for your son, you should have stronger. Making excuses is so commonplace for women. I am only sorry that my only grandson was born to such a weak mother."
"I would have rather had a poor, kind father than you, a rich, cruel man," she said hotly. "And my son was not born to a weak mother. He was born to an abusive father."
"You are the only mistake he was born to."
"I am your only child, and you dare to talk to me like that?" growled Mina.
"I would and will," he said, standing straight up. For a moment they just stared at each other.
Mina could feel a hot swelling of anger bubbling within her. How she wanted to pounce on her father, clawing and screaming like a madwoman for all the things he had done to her and Eleanor. She wanted vengeance.
Quick as lightning, he raised his hand and slapped her. She cried out and fell, clutching her face as she crumbled to the floor.
"You will do as I say, Wilhelmina, even if you don't like it." He turned on his heel and left, leaving Mina holding her face tenderly, a large bruise appearing on the side he had struck. "You are as weak as your mother, both failing to bear healthy sons. You are vixens, witches, who deserve to die in Hell. I shame her in death and you in life." He spat on the ground beside her. "Get away from my sight."
"Yes, Father," she said softly, curling away from his voice. She covered her ears, rocking back and forth, letting her tears soak her dress.
Heavier footsteps soon replaced James' fading ones. Mina recognized the sounds as Jonathon's boots, coming closer and closer. When he reached her, she heard him grunt in disgust at the sight of his wife.
"What are you doing on the floor like that?" he demanded. "Get up, we're leaving."
"For heaven's sake be kind," snapped Mina, rising painfully. "My mother is dead. I am not leaving until I see that she is buried properly."
Jonathon yanked her arm. An image of James flashed before Mina's eyes. She saw that angry, distorted look of her father's in Jonathon's eyes.
He was just like him.
He twisted her arm mercilessly. "What is like, Mina? What is it like to be the weakling that a woman is? Does it hurt?"
"Stop hurting me," she said, gritting her teeth.
"Oh, am I hurting you?" he asked, fake concern dripping from his voice.
"Let me go, you monster!" she cried.
"Fine," he said, pushing her into the wall. A shriek of pain came from her mouth, as her arm burned raw from Jonathon's grip.
"You are nothing but a weak fool, Mina. Remember that."
He turned and walked away. He was so much like James, that it frightened Mina. The face, the voice, and the way he hit her. It was all so much like her father.
It scared her, thinking she too would live the painful life of her mother.
She had a husband who loved to hurt her.
Who loved to see her crumble.
~*~
A/N: I don't know, I wrote this on a whim, but I hope it's as good as the regular little Mina/Jekyll thing. I suppose this is a warm-up to Part IV: Perfect, because much of James and Jonathon's abuse in mentioned there. This is a really sad piece, capturing Mina's pain from before the League journey. I hope I wrote it all right. Please review and tell me what you think.
Crumble
A LXG fic
Disclaimer: I own nothing but James, Eleanor, and the opening lines/plot.
~*~
You enjoyed seeing me cringe with pain,
You loved to see me crumble.
~*~
London, late 1800s
"Mother?"
"Mother?"
Twenty-three year old Mina Murray touched her mother's shoulder, so cold to the touch, trying to wake her. Lady Eleanor Murray, wife of Sir James Murray, was dying, and Mina soon realized it.
Her face was pasty white, her eyes open and wide. She was only forty, but looked seventy; her face lined in wrinkles, her hands withering, and her hair a shocking white.
Mina had known that her father had hated her mother, and that's Eleanor lay dying alone. Their marriage was one of social importance. James was the lord of a vast amount of land. Eleanor was the most prominent young woman of high society in England. It was only natural they should marry.
Even if they weren't in love.
Eleanor was once beautiful. The dreams Mina had at night were of her mother before this change, when she was young and pretty, pampering Mina to her heart's content. There she had shining hair that looked like dark fire. Her dark eyes sparkled with a charm that made her confident and bold.
Because she was so bold, Eleanor allowed Mina's education to be liberal, because she vowed that no daughter of hers would be illiterate and dull. She vowed her daughter would be as smart, athletic, and brave as any boy. She would be as beautiful, graceful, and kind as any girl. Mina sometimes felt those expectations were so high. Sometimes failure of meeting these goals troubled her deeply.
Mina stared at her mother numbly. Eleanor's chest no longer rose and fell with laboring breaths. Her arms were clasped loosely on her chest, and her eyes were closed. But her face was more peaceful than it had been for years. She was dead, but in death, happy.
Mina knelt beside the bed, touching her lips to her mother's forehead. Hot tears fell from her face as she silently wept. Her fiery auburn hair glistened in the fading sunlight, and her green eyes were wet these tears.
"Be safe, Mother," she whispered, tucking a white strand away from her face.
Mina's heart ached. There was so much she wanted to tell her mother that she would never be able to now. How her marriage to the wealthy banker Jonathon Harker was nothing but a nightmare. How the bruises and cuts on her body were not a result of clumsiness, but of pain she took every night from her husband. How she had lost her only child, a son, because she had been unconscious when he died in his cradle.
Mina hugged herself, thinking of how her mother, the only person who had ever loved her, was gone. Mina felt she had nothing left in life to live for.
Especially not her father.
"Wilhelmina."
A cold voice came from the doorway startled her. Mina tightened, hearing her father walk briskly towards the bed. He shoved her away, and scrutinized Eleanor. He scoffed, slapping her dead hand away from Mina's. With a start, Mina cringed, gazing up at her father. His hard face, covered in stern lines, stared at her broken face with loathing and hatred.
"Your mother is dead. Do not cry for her." His voice was cruel. Mina knew he had no feelings, but still. To not cry over his wife? Her mother? Wasn't he human?
Mina tried to stop her tears, just so he would cease talking. But no matter what she did, they just kept coming-Eleanor loved her, was it so wrong to cry for a loved one?
"Stop your crying, Wilhelmina. Stop it, I say. Stop!"
Mina stopped. Her now-red eyes looked up at her father, who stood towering above her. James Murray was not a man to be tangled with, as she learned from an early age. Until now, Eleanor had protected her from his wrath. But now she was alone in the world, unprotected from her father's fury.
"We need to talk, Wilhelmina," he said sternly, pulling her away from Eleanor's lifeless figure.
"No," said Mina, yanking her arm away. "Mother is dead. It is only right that I grieve for her. You should be crying too-she was your wife."
James glared, his eyes becoming the narrowest of slits. "I have not the time for your stupid games, Wilhelmina, now come along."
"My name is Mina," she said, glaring right back at him.
"Wilhelmina is your name, and you shall listen when commanded." He grabbed her arm. "You shall learn a woman's place in this world, whether you like it or not." He dragged her from the floor, away from the bed.
"No!" she cried, struggling against his strong grasp. "Mother! Mother!"
"Stop being so foolish!" snapped James. "No daughter of mine will fight against my wishes. Now-come-along!"
"Stop this," wailed Mina, twisting as he shut the door. They were alone in the hallway, where shadows lurked around them. Large paintings of James' ancestors adorned the walls, frightening Mina. As a small child, she never went down here past twilight. At night, the pictures seemed to come alive, filling her with a fear of ghosts and phantoms that rose from portraits.
James pushed her against a wall, where she cowered, putting her head on her knees. Her fountain of auburn hair fell over her, creating a veil to hide her sobs.
He stuck the side of her face hard. "Stop this childish crying. You are twenty-three, and a married woman. I am surprised Jonathon even puts up with you, a spineless speck of a woman, who can't even bear him a son. I am ashamed of you."
"Not as much as I am of you," she whispered.
"What did you say?" he said angrily. "How dare you talk back to your father."
Mina pulled herself up, leaning against the wall for support. "I said, I am ashamed to have a father such as you. Not even crying for his wife, a woman who gave so much in return for little. Who raised me right and loved me." She touched her stomach. "And I had a son. Who died because his father beat me, leaving me faint to this world, to hear his crying, even screaming for his mother, and to his cradle death."
"You are weak, Wilhelmina," he said acidly. "Love is for fools, Wilhelmina." He held his arms out. "Did love supply all these riches? Did love give you comforting life you led? I think not. And for your son, you should have stronger. Making excuses is so commonplace for women. I am only sorry that my only grandson was born to such a weak mother."
"I would have rather had a poor, kind father than you, a rich, cruel man," she said hotly. "And my son was not born to a weak mother. He was born to an abusive father."
"You are the only mistake he was born to."
"I am your only child, and you dare to talk to me like that?" growled Mina.
"I would and will," he said, standing straight up. For a moment they just stared at each other.
Mina could feel a hot swelling of anger bubbling within her. How she wanted to pounce on her father, clawing and screaming like a madwoman for all the things he had done to her and Eleanor. She wanted vengeance.
Quick as lightning, he raised his hand and slapped her. She cried out and fell, clutching her face as she crumbled to the floor.
"You will do as I say, Wilhelmina, even if you don't like it." He turned on his heel and left, leaving Mina holding her face tenderly, a large bruise appearing on the side he had struck. "You are as weak as your mother, both failing to bear healthy sons. You are vixens, witches, who deserve to die in Hell. I shame her in death and you in life." He spat on the ground beside her. "Get away from my sight."
"Yes, Father," she said softly, curling away from his voice. She covered her ears, rocking back and forth, letting her tears soak her dress.
Heavier footsteps soon replaced James' fading ones. Mina recognized the sounds as Jonathon's boots, coming closer and closer. When he reached her, she heard him grunt in disgust at the sight of his wife.
"What are you doing on the floor like that?" he demanded. "Get up, we're leaving."
"For heaven's sake be kind," snapped Mina, rising painfully. "My mother is dead. I am not leaving until I see that she is buried properly."
Jonathon yanked her arm. An image of James flashed before Mina's eyes. She saw that angry, distorted look of her father's in Jonathon's eyes.
He was just like him.
He twisted her arm mercilessly. "What is like, Mina? What is it like to be the weakling that a woman is? Does it hurt?"
"Stop hurting me," she said, gritting her teeth.
"Oh, am I hurting you?" he asked, fake concern dripping from his voice.
"Let me go, you monster!" she cried.
"Fine," he said, pushing her into the wall. A shriek of pain came from her mouth, as her arm burned raw from Jonathon's grip.
"You are nothing but a weak fool, Mina. Remember that."
He turned and walked away. He was so much like James, that it frightened Mina. The face, the voice, and the way he hit her. It was all so much like her father.
It scared her, thinking she too would live the painful life of her mother.
She had a husband who loved to hurt her.
Who loved to see her crumble.
~*~
A/N: I don't know, I wrote this on a whim, but I hope it's as good as the regular little Mina/Jekyll thing. I suppose this is a warm-up to Part IV: Perfect, because much of James and Jonathon's abuse in mentioned there. This is a really sad piece, capturing Mina's pain from before the League journey. I hope I wrote it all right. Please review and tell me what you think.