He sits alone, sobbing quietly by her closed casket. Everyone else is either gone or is at the wake, giving him a few last moments peace with his mother.

He thought the large viewing room would give him space to clear his head and think more clearly, but all it does is make him feel more alone than he's ever been, the vast empty space crushing him from every side.

A door opens lightly behind him. He doesn't turn, instead he hunches over further, leaning his forehead on the lightly coloured wood separating him from the woman he loves most. Soft footsteps approach him, cushioned by the plush carpets found throughout the funeral home.

"Son." His father's stoic voice cut through the silence, forcing Moriarty to sit up straight out of years of conditioning to his father's demands. An awkward cough escapes his father's lips as he shifts his weight, obviously uncomfortable. "Son." He starts again, setting his shoulders straighter "Everyone is waiting for you. You've spent quite enough of time in here already. Come on." He turns to leave, obviously expecting Moriarty to get up and follow him, like a good little soldier. But not today. Not when he's just lost the only person who ever showed him any true affection.

"Why?" He managed to say through the tears to his father's back. "Why did she have to leave us father?" His voice cracked "Why did she leave me?" he barely whispered. He was alone. His father, who barely tolerated him, was all he had left.

Their home was a mansion. Many described it as grand and luxurious, and he supposed he agreed in theory. But the thought of going back to all those rooms, all those memories, without his mother to chase away the loathing and venom in his father's eyes was terrifying. His home was not a mansion. It was a cage.

His father turned slightly, making it clear he was talking to him but refusing to hold eye-contact with his son. "Because, Son. That's what people do." And with that, he strode out of the room without another backwards glance.

That was the moment that Moriarty vowed to himself he'd never let anyone else into his heart. He'd never allow anyone in, and so he'd never be able to feel this pain ever again.