Title: Ties that bind
Autor: Leya
Fandom: Der Hexer von Salem
Pairing: Mary, Howard
Disclaimer: All the characters, except of H. P. Lovecraft of course, are the sole property of Wolfgang Hohlbein.
Word Count: 347
Rating: PG
Warnings: none

A companion piece to 'Nothing else matters'.


Every time Mary entered the luxurious room at the end of the hallway it nearly broke her heart to see the pain Robert's selfish actions had caused Howard.

The dark-haired man was sitting in the chair at the window, motionless staring outside at the life he no longer was part of.

He never moved, never spoke a single word and Mary knew that Robert's attempt to protect his only friend from harm had had the opposite effect – Howard was nothing more than an empty shell, thoroughly and irrevocably broken.

His eyes, once sparkling with life and intelligence, now only showed brooding darkness and Mary often feared to find him dead the moment she entered the room even if Robert had told her that this was impossible.

As long as Andara House was standing, Howard would live. He was part of the house now, protected by the same magic Robert's father had used to turn the building into a living being – not able to leave but forced to stay alive for eternity.

Mary blinked furiously and tried to suppress the tears stinging in her eyes whenever she thought about the terrible future Howard was facing. Condemned to live for centuries, he would watch his friends die one by one, until there was nothing left but loneliness. One day he would be alone in this dismal house and still the ties Robert bound him with would keep him here. Abandoned. Alone. Unable to escape the living hell his best friend had thrown him into.

"You need to eat something. I brought you chicken soup."

She received no answer but Mary never expected one. Howard didn't need to eat. At least not anymore. But Mary still hoped to bring him back a little bit of the normality he lost, although she knew that it was hopeless.

Some things were impossible to fix.

With an inaudible sigh she placed the plate on the table and turned to leave, knowing all too well that when she came back in half an hour the food would still be untouched.

END