The Mélusine's Filtered Cage

Better Late Than Dead

Heisenberg was quiet as he sat, his arms resting on his thighs as he stared at the bottle of whiskey on his workbench. The images of each of the Lords on his wall were staring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns, their eyes seemingly following his every move. Lord Moreau's photo felt like it was glaring daggers at Heisenberg, pissed that he wasn't able to protect his only living family member. Lady Dimitrescu still had her usual haughty look, but it was like she was looking down on Heisenberg as if to say she could have done better protecting you. Some part of Heisenberg didn't doubt that she could have, God knew that Castle was like a fortress to keep everyone in. Lady Beneviento and Angie both had sad looks in their eyes, wondering how Heisenberg could have let it happen. Finally, Miranda was grinning down at him from behind her mask, seemingly like she believed she had won.

In a way, Miranda won that battle. She completely ripped out the hope and happiness you gave all of the Lords the moment she took you away. Evan Alcina was affected by your death. It may not have been a huge difference but Alcina did become more respectful to Salvatore when you died. That change only seemed to grow when Cassandra disappeared, making Alcina less responding to Miranda and more closed off. For once in his life, Heisenberg felt an inkling of sympathy for Alcina. He knew Cassandra was okay, but Alcina had felt at least a fraction of what Salvatore did when you first went missing. 

Heisenberg missed you more than anything, his work ethic only proved how much he missed you. When it was first revealed that you were dead, all of Heisenberg's work stopped in its tracks. He wore only black for almost a year and still continued to wear the sombre colour after his full year of grieving was over. Heisenberg also kept a photo of you in either his pocket or in his hat, making sure that you were still close to him in one way or another while his work slowly started to be completed again. It was a long process and he certainly wasn't as fast as he was before, but he vowed to kill Miranda not only for his freedom but to avenge you as well.

"Heisenberg?"  Salvatore's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in, Sal," Heisenberg said, manually pushing the button to open his garage. "I'm just down the hall on the right.

Heisenberg waited patiently for Salvatore to walk into his home, his eyes shifting back and forth from the bottle of whiskey and the photo of you he held gently in his hand. It was the very first photo he took of you after your lineage was announced to the Lords. The photo was nowhere near flattering nor was it the best resolution but it showed you, acting just as you normally would. There were pictures of you that Miranda had taken, but they felt fake and staged. It was as if a Changeling was in your stead. 

"What did you need, Karl?" Salvatore asked as he walked into the workshop.

"It's the last one," Karl said, staring at the bottle. "That's the last bottle she's ever made for me."

Salvatore stood next to Heisenberg and sighed, a soft smile on his face as he looked at the bottle. "I remember the day she made it," Salvatore hummed. "She was so proud that she didn't need any help making it."

"According to her, she never needed it," Karl snorted, leaning back. "God knows she wouldn't ask for any."

"...why am I here, Karl?" Salvatore asked gently.

"I want to split it with you," Karl said bluntly, making a metal chair drop behind Salvatore. "I've been rationing all of the whiskey I had left that she made for the last three years, I had my fill. You raised her as best as you could since she was twelve, you should have some of her whiskey."

"I think that's a great idea," Salvatore said, sitting down in the chair Heisenburg pulled up for him. "It's been a while since I've had something of hers."