A/N: Written as a Christmas present for a friend of mine...who seems to already have posted hers up here, I've noticed. Hm. Please ignore how much this fic sucks.
The room was cold; that was why he'd chosen it. The cold helped to preserve his specimens. Meredianna kept easier, which was always good since the idea of rot didn't appeal to either of them, and while he knew the formaldehyde was good enough on its own, he also believed that there was never too much he could do for his mother and sister. And he could always get a blanket for himself if he needed.
As he watched Meredianna accommodate her body to its new organs, his mind wandered to thoughts of the Cardmaster. His father. Would this beautiful flesh doll be the final piece that would win him the love and acceptance he so deeply wanted, no, needed to receive from the only figure left in his life?
No.
Alexis Hargreaves would only ever care about one person and one person alone: his dear son Cain. That boy would receive all his father's attention, be tortured and taunted and hurt, both emotionally and physically until the day he died; which, unfortunately, was also a date chosen by the Cardmaster. Until then, Jizabel knew, he'd be nothing but another one of his father's servants, someone to ignore unless they were doing something relevant to his interests.
It doesn't matter though, he thought as he helped Meredianna down from the horrific amalgamation of tubes and wires and helped her into her clothes. Cain would die someday; until then, he'd have to learn to be content with his work and the occasional traumatic visit to his dear brother.
After all, his visits always left the boy worse off than he had been before, and that always managed to cheer him up.
