Several hours later:
Schuyler Van Alen lay on her borrowed bed and stared at the ceiling. It had been a day since she had informed Jack Force of her decision to let him go and she had not seen him since. A dull ache throbbed in her forehead and her eyes were sandy and tired from crying. Distantly she heard the front door bang and the low thrum of voices drifted up the stairs. Sighing, she stood up and headed for the door. Crossing the landing, she heard the voices grow more distinct, Mimi and Jack were downstairs. Half tempted to turn round and head back to her room, Schuyler kept going, reaching the top landing and a full view of the hallway beyond. Staring down into the plush hallway, she stopped dead, a numb feeling building in her chest and spreading throughout her body. Mimi and Jack stood in the hall and they were kissing. Jack's fingers were cupping Mimi's chin and her hands were on his shoulders. Mimi was wearing Jack's long jacket, it's voluminous folds concealed her frame.
Schuyler drew a pained breath and stepped back, causing the pair in the hallway to break apart and stare upwards.
"Schuyler.." Jack began to speak but Mimi cut him off.
"I'll deal with this." Mimi ascended the stairs and stood in front of Schuyler. "We need to talk Van Alen." She declared as she reached out a hand and caught hold of Schuyler's arm.
"There isn't anything for us to talk about." Schuyler tried to pull free, but Mimi's grip kept her in place.
"Of course there is." Mimi steered Schuyler down the hall and into Mimi's plush white and gold bedroom. Leaving Schuyler in the centre of the room, Mimi turned and shut the door.
"Let me out Mimi!" Schuyler's voice hissed through clenched teeth. "Jack and I are over."
"I know." Mimi pulled Jack's coat from her body and placed it on the chair before standing before Schuyler. The dark haired girl gasped, Mimi's blouse was ripped and through the long tears, Schuyler could see bruising, deep blue/black bruising that marred creamy skin.
"Mimi you're hurt."
"Well done for stating the obvious half blood." Mimi sighed as she reached for a long towelling robe. "I have these on my wrists as well. Care to note them?" She held up her left hand and Schuyler saw the red marks of someone's fingers encircling Mimi's delicate wrist.
"Mimi.. That's horrible." Schuyler never really had time for Mimi, but no one deserved to be treated like a punch bag. "Who did this?"
Mimi stared at her, a pitying look in her eyes. "You really don't know?" She removed her shredded blouse and threw it into the bin.
"No.. who would done this to you?" Schuyler was shocked, her eye unable to leave the bruising that ran across Mimi's side.
"Jack did this." Mimi's voice was calm and clear as she replied, pulling the soft robe over her body, hiding the marks.
"Jack wouldn't." Schuyler was angry now, how dare Mimi blame Jack for this. Hadn't they just been acting all lovey dovey in the hallway. "He wouldn't.. don't lie about stuff like that."
Mimi sighed and tied the robe closed. "You don't know anything." She picked up a silver hairbrush and dragged it through her hair. "Jack would do this and he did. He is the destroyer. This is the side of him that he doesn't let you see. The side that he only shows to me."
Schuyler stared, her words frozen on her lips as Mimi talked. Mimi sounded sincere and despite a couple of comments, she didn't sound like her usual self.
"This is why he can't be with you, because he cannot keep up that charade day in and day out. With me he can be himself and I can be myself with him. When you left him last night, he came to me, he took out the anger he had for you on me." She waved a lazy hand at her bruises. "If I wasn't there for him to find, you may have experienced it."
"But that's wrong Mimi, you shouldn't accept that."
"I'm the angel of death you stupid girl, I can handle myself and whatever he throws at me. This isn't an after school special about abusive boyfriends. We are volatile but we are united, despite his past infidelities."
Schuyler's head jerked up and Mimi gave a rueful smile.
"Yes dear you are not the first. In fact, it's only because you look like your mother that he even tried it on." Mimi returned the hairbrush to the nightstand and began to remove her makeup as Schuyler stood like a stone in the centre of the room. "My Abaddon has a hankering for the light and Gabrielle, your mother, is a bright as they come. She rejected him and he has tried every trick possible to get her." She shrugged and consigned the filthy wipe in her hand to the bin. "But this cycle he saw you." She turned back to face Schuyler and the other girl was surprised to see pity in her gaze. "and you are so innocent that you fell for him."
"But he said."
"Jack has said lots of things in the past but he can't run from what he is. He hankers after the light but he doesn't feel comfortable there. His place is here with me where he can be who he is." Mimi picked up a tub of moisturiser and smeared it across her face. "I suggest that you look elsewhere for your first boyfriend, possibly Hazard-Perry, it's clear you two are crazy about each other."
"Mimi.."
"Deal with this Van Alen in your own time. I'm bored of dispensing wisdom." Mimi stood and went to the door, opening it, she waved Schuyler out onto the landing. "Have a good evening." And she shut the door in Schuyler's face.