Falcone assessed Hestia's face. There were a few bruises and shallow cuts that would more than likely not scar. "Hands?" Hestia rose them to show that they were bruised and that one of her fingernails was completely missing. "Those animals. Hestia, I am very sorry that you had to be brought into this little spat between Maroni and I."

"Have we found out who messaged Victor about me yet?" Hestia questioned as she retracted her hands.

"I have an idea, yes, but I am still looking into that." Falcone assured as he looked over towards Zsasz. "Would you mind giving Hestia and I a few moments alone?" Zsasz seemed conflicted as he looked between Hestia and Falcone, but a reassuring smile from Hestia quelled his nerves as he left the room. "I never would have imagined the two of you becoming so involved." Hestia's cheeks took on a light pink hue as heat built up in her face. She glanced towards the door, and a faint smile pulled at her lips. "I'm a little surprised that it wasn't you that told me about your relationship."

She shifted a bit before clearing her throat. "I haven't had much time to speak to you with everything going on. Is my relationship with Victor a problem?"

"Does he make you happy, my dear? Treat you right?" Falcone asked, as he took one of her hands. He patted it in a fatherly manner, his eyes looked her over carefully. Hestia nodded vehemently. "Even though you know what he is?"

"I know what he does, but he knows what I am, too, Carmine." Her eyes lowered a bit. "But we're not here to speak about Victor and I, now are we?"

"Always business with you, Hestia." He looked her over with a hidden sense of regret. "Victor will look after you when I'm gone."

"Gone? Is everything alright?"

Falcone paced a bit, his hands tucking behind his back. "Someone very dear to me has been taken."

Hestia exhaled slowly as she rubbed her palms together. "You can't let them push you out."

He gave a bit of a dry chuckle before he turned his attention back towards her. "You and Victor are of like minds, hm?" He mused aloud. "He tried to talk me out of it as well, but I have decided it's time for me to leave Gotham, and I look forward to my life with Liza in th-"

"Liza? Your housekeeper?" Hestia tightened her jaw. "She isn't who you think she is, Carmine."

"No?" His hand tightened. "And how would you know?"

Hestia straightened herself out, her face taking on a much more serious expression as she stepped towards him. "I didn't say anything at that brunch you invited me to, the one where you made me tell Victor about my parents…" She lowered her gaze a bit. "But I know Liza. She was a good friend of mine, and I warned her about Fish."

"And you didn't warn me?"

"I had no idea how important she was to you. I just thought Fish had gotten her hired on as a simple housemaid." She exhaled again sharply.

Before she could continue, there was a sharp jolt to her frame as Falcone pulled her forward by her collar. "So the Penguin was right?"

"I should have said something before, Carmine. She's a kind girl, but she is naive and Fish is capable of eating her whole."

Falcone let her go, and Hestia straightened herself out. "I am sorry that you had to turn your friend over, this is an unfortunate situation for all those involved.." He glanced towards the door. "Victor, you can come back in now. We have work to do."

-{X}-

Hestia shuffled nervously next to Zsasz, and he placed one of his hands on her lower back, his nose brushing against her ear. "He's decided to spare you, but you need to suffer through some punishment for your omittance, Hestia."

The redhead nodded as she inhaled slowly. "I know, Victor. I just didn't realize how involved Liza was."

He placed a careful kiss against her temple before checking his watch. "We have to go in now. I'll have a few errands to handle for Don Falcone, and then I will meet you at your place later. Just remember that Falcone is giving Liza release from her prison of lies."

She followed Zsasz closely into Fish's club, and even though she had been there so many times before, she found herself almost unable to recognize it. She also didn't recognize the shell that Fish had turned her friend into, and she started to wonder if she was mistaken in who this 'Liza' was. Zsasz let out a whistle to gain attention from Fish and Butch as his free hand gently pushed Hestia past Fish and towards Liza. Falcone gestured for Hestia to join his side, and she did so carefully.

Her gaze met with Liza's momentarily, and the words rolling from her boss' tongue failed to meet her ears. Her mind raced through prom dress shopping with the woman in front of her, they were of course just girls then. Trips to ice cream parlors and late night pizzas played through her mind. The time the two of them had gotten caught shoplifting because they simply had to have that one new lipstick, but neither of them had the money for it. Liza's family had lost their money to her own father's embezzlement charges.

The gasp coming from Liza was foreign, and she glanced over at Zsasz. He simply directed her to return her attention to her friend, and Hestia steeled her stomach as the life slowly flitted from Liza's eyes. Liza fell to the ground, and Hestia's mind travelled off to their first camping trip as a group. It had been an absolute flop. They had even forgotten marshmallows for s'mores, and Hestia had rolled her ankle rather nastily. Her eyes moved towards Fish, and the club owner gave her a strange look. Zsasz caught the exchange, and he recognized the look.

He wasn't sure if Hestia was truly aware of the darkness she had in her, but he did. It was one of his favorite parts of her, even if he loved her as a whole. Falcone placed a hand gently on the doctor's shoulder to guide her out of the club with him, and her dark glare only broke from the club owner when her shoulder bumped roughly against Oswald's on the way out. Falcone guided her to his vehicle, and she slid into the backseat. He came around and sat on the other side, a heavy sigh leaving him.

"Have you learned your lesson, Hestia?"

Hestia nodded slowly. "She did as well." Falcone rested a hand on her hand as a sign of comfort, and she patted it with her other hand. She knew it wasn't an easy decision for him, but he had to show that he wasn't the weak man that Fish and the others had started to believe. The ride was quiet, and they shared a quiet goodbye via a sharp nod of each of their heads before Hestia left the vehicle to head up to her home. Once she was behind the confines of her front door, her back rested against it, the tears trailing down her cheeks by the time she had sunk to the ground. Her knees pushed up against her chest and she allowed herself to grieve the Liza she had once known, and once that moment of grief past, she wiped her face clean with her sleeve and she moved to the bathroom to get cleaned up before laying down to take a nap.