Jeanine Matthews- An Unlikely Love Story

Chapter 17- Real

Disclaimer: Karen belongs to the user megfly from her story The Love and the Lie, I do not own her in any way.
Mature Themes

I banged on her door with my oxygen tank and wait for someone to come and open the damn thing. The guards that stood outside her door were accustomed to me coming to her office, and didn't bother to help me. I gave them each glares, and continued to knock on the door, loudly. Jeanine finally came after I threatened to shoot the door with one of the guards' guns; they didn't make much of it, which made me sigh in annoyance.

"What is it?" She asked curtly; something seemed to need her attention more than I. I frowned at her and asked if I could come in; she agreed with a heavy sigh.

"What is it?" She asked again, more annoyed than the first time.

"Don't pull that crap with me, Jeanine," I said without thinking. She raised an eyebrow at my words.

"Excuse me?" She asked putting her hands on her hips.

"Who the hell was Rachel?" I asked, looking her straight in the eye. She faltered before speaking. "Who?"

"Oh come on, I read it in her journal, you know, the thing you gave me!" I said exasperated already.

"Fine. She was Winter's lover until the day of her death. She died mysteriously, and Winter became devastated; she wouldn't come into work for an entire month, and that's when she began drinking. Winter claimed I was the one who killed her, but there is no evidence that suggests so," She said plainly.

"Did you do it?" I asked, knowing the answer already that I would receive.

"No, it's ridiculous. It's the last page in the thing, if you're interested in reading it," She said.

"Why did you want to kill her?" I asked as she turned to her desk; we were standing during the slightly heated conversation.

"Who?" She asked, spinning on her heel.

"Winter," I said quietly. Her face softened at the mention of her name.

"She wanted to kill me, and you, and I couldn't live in my own faction with that sort of threat around," She replied, her gray-blue eyes full of truth for once.

"You're still going on about that?" I asked.

"I have the footage from when she was given the serum to relive lost memories," She said, turning to her desk and rummaging through one of the drawers. She finally found a tiny hard drive and plugged it into her computer. Jeanine motioned for me to come over and I obliged. She pressed a few different files, and then with one final click, opened a window where a video began to play, which had very high quality; it was impressive to say the least.

I saw it from Winter's point of view, of course, and saw that George was with her, too. They were running down the halls of Erudite and stopped by the corner before Jeanine's office, which was unguarded. I listened intently as George persuaded Winter into killing the one Jeanine loved.

"Let's do it," I heard her say, before it went black. Jeanine paused it quickly before it continued onto whatever memory she relived next. I knew very well that she could have just created that with some technology, but the worst part was, I believed what I had seen. Jeanine looked at me solemnly, and then pulled me into an embrace, one I gladly accepted.

I let the tears fall slowly as she held me close. I hadn't felt such comfort for some time.

It lasted for quite a while until I was ready to let go. I turned away and wiped away the tears; I didn't need her to see me like this.