darker_london | Farewell, Werner (Werner, Abby)

Having said his goodbyes to the one person that mattered to Werner anymore, he said a quick goodbye on his journal as well. Just so people would know. He knew what he had done. He accepted his fault. He didn't see a single response to what he said. He hadn't lingered.

Werner had crawled into his hospital bed and when Abby entered the room, he gave her a sad almost-smile. "You'll tell them I did this?"

Abby nodded. "They know I'm allowing it. I think they do. But this'll be the official line anyway. There will probably be an inquiry. The Powers That Be will want to know why there was a syringe missing and how you got it, but that stuff always goes away soon after. You're not exactly helping Johan's court case though. You know they'll use your 'tragic grief-induced suicide' against him, don't you?"

Werner looked down at his hands, guilt settling deep in his stomach where it had made quite a home of late. "Abby, the only thing I could offer him is telling them the truth and you know I can't do that. I don't think the crown has a 'werewolf clause'." How did you convince a jury of logical peers that you did in fact turn into a wolf on occasion and, due to a degeneration in health, occasionally you attacked loved ones and ate them, causing your husband to have to shoot them to spare them a long and agonising death. It sounded outrageous just thinking about it, and he had been a werewolf for over twenty years.

"Yeah." Abby pointed at him to lie down. She could see that she was doing the right thing, but that didn't make it any easier. Until today Werner had had to be strapped to his bed, and incoherent in his lament. Now he knew he was minutes away from seeing his son again. From being away from the pain and guilt. Minutes away from peace. And strangely, he could function through everything with that decision made. "Did you see Azura?"

"I kissed her goodbye. The poor girl will probably join us soon." He said, his face straight. "Abby. Please."

"Alright." She snapped, stressed. "Sorry. Werner...I'm going to miss you." She produced the syringe with enough morphine to knock out an elephant. She didn't know if it took more for werewolves... The syringe was wrapped in a tissue, so her fingerprints couldn't be lifted from it. "I wish you'd reconsider."

Werner shook his head. "No. There's nothing. I have nothing left." And if he stayed, he would only die the slow and horrible death of a degenerating werewolf anyway. He would be in pain and he would be there alone without his son or his husband.

Abby sighed and she handed the syringe to him. She talked him through how to inject it and then she told him to wait until she was elsewhere so she would have a witness to her alibi. "If you see Thomas..."

"I'll tell him you all have mounted an incredible search for him, Abby. I'll tell him everything."

Abby nodded once. "Thank you. I..." Abby shook her head and then she left him alone, unable to handle it anymore.

Werner watched her leave and he waited for the longest fifteen minutes of his life. When he was sure she would be elsewhere and safe, he injected the morphine exactly as she told him to.

The world faded gently and without pain. Shapes turned to blurs and then just shades of colour and nothing. His mind was a comforting hum of emptiness and his heart didn't feel broken anymore. The colours greyed and turned to charcoal and then deep obsidian. Werner's eyes fluttered closed and for a moment he thought he was flying.

When he opened his eyes again, Alastair stood in front of him, one hand reaching out for Werner's own. And there was a smile on his face, which Werner did not hesitate to match.