After the last few days it was clear that William had earned a drink. Or two. Or twelve. In this case he could even write it off as working.

He'd done his due diligence of checking back in with his family and making up for lost time and now he had a chance to do follow up on a personal project. Isabella had mentioned interest in a prize fighting gym in Philly when last he'd seen her and he intended to make sure he had something to offer when she made her way back. At least, something besides what he was planning to say next time he saw her.

A little research had turned up a group of street toughs that held bare knuckle brawls for cash not far from the East Cat Cellars. Several of them liked to work up their courage and bravado with a few rounds before the event kicked off in earnest, so he had joined them. He had bought the first two rounds for the group and they were slowly warming up to him.

Waiting on the third round of whiskey on the rocks, he'd started telling a slightly exaggerated story about how he got the fading bumps and bruises still barely visible across his face. This version didn't include godfathers, women, or a concussion, but it did put on a plausible enough front for the men not to call him out as a liar. At least not while he was buying.

As the third round was served he started to ask about the night's festivities, but he was interrupted by a welcome sight at the door. It was a face he'd seen around the pier but never had a chance to properly meet and one that was steeped in enough tall tales to keep them drinking for the rest of the night.

When Gavin returned from Montreal he was... bored. He'd been riding a high, and now he needed some excitement to fill his day- or t least his evening. When he heard there was a boxing ring? Well, he was already out the door.

He ambled into the cellar confidently, wearing a suit and a dress shirt open at the neck. Shit, he used to do this sort of thing all the time when he was first starting out. He'd kept in practice, but a workout never hurt. 

The party had already started by the time he arrived; time for some catching up. He approached the bartender with a wide grin.

"A round for the boys- and two for me. Hope you lot don't mind some competition, huh?"

He scanned the crowd with an affable grin before noticing William.

"William? Willy? Bill? Billy? Which one- I recognize your mug from the HQ, sure enough, whatcha doing here? Getting a few shots in?"

He was certainly friendly enough. That much matched the stories anyway. 

"William or Billy either way. Probably Billy since you're buying next couple rounds. Anybody who's buying is a friend." He held up his half-emptied glass in a salute to Gavin. "As far as what I'm doing here, I figured I'd get in a few drinks and see what these gentlemen can do with their fists, maybe make a few new friends. Sounds like I'm not the only one. You don't think there'd be trouble if we both got involved do you?"

He really hadn't counted on Gavin being involved in the fight, but it would certainly spice up the night. It would be good to face someone who knew what they were doing. Especially if they weren't trying to actively kill him. Still, he was a little more than curious about the why. One Boss in this sort of thing was an oddity. Two was almost never a coincidence. Billy threw back his drink and excused himself from the table to belly up to the bar for a refill. Once there he dropped his voice so that only Gavin heard.

"In all truth I'm here to make connections for a gym. A...friend...has offered a chance to be partners and I've been thinking it over. These guys seem to have a sort of regular thing going that might be a good way to get started. I figured on sharing some drinks, making a good showing and earning some respect with them before planting a seed of the idea in case they might hire on."

Looking Gavin over up close he couldn't help but think that he expected him to be bigger. It almost made the stories more impressive that he was almost the same size as his sister. "I gotta say I wouldn't have guessed you for the street boxing sort. From what I hear I figured you'd be out chasing fame, fortune, or fillies. Maybe even all three at once."

"Billy boy, the next couple rounds are the best couple rounds."

Gavin tossed back an impractical amount of whiskey as he listened to William explain his plans. Then he slapped his crewmate on the shoulder.

"What trouble can there be? From what I've heard, you and I have been in more scraps than the rest of the crew put together. We're professionals. Besides, these assholes won't match us up too early. Want to save us for the title round."

He winked as he removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.

"This'll be fun. Get the blood flowing a bit. I'm fucking bored, to tell you the truth. Been riding a high for the last few days and I'd rather avoid crashing down. And I'll help out with your plan, no problem. Do anything you'd like, other than take a fall."

With another whiskey in his hand, Gavin heard the comments about him chasing fame, fortune, or fillies.

"It's bullshit. You know what I'm chasing. The fucking thrill. Win a million bucks in poker... who gives a shit? I have enough money to last me for the rest of my probably short life. Make a fortune pulling off a job?"

He shrugged.

"And the fillies, as you say?"

He grinned.

"I don't kiss and tell. But that moment when you've got a woman screaming? The right woman? That's the thrill."

Gavin shrugged again.

"And sometimes it feels good to dodge a punch and lay some fucker out. So here I am."

This was something he could understand. The thrill of putting flesh to flesh in passion, whether beating a man within an inch of his life or showing a woman the night of her life, that was was something worth pursuing. If that was his angle then maybe some of the stories hadn't been crazy after all. William threw back a long pull of his next glass and slammed it down on the counter with a laugh.

"You ain't wrong there. Nothing in the world like a woman. The right woman though, that's a trick. Something I'm not sure I've found til recent. I've been doing stupid things lately for a woman and I'm still trying to sort myself out, but at this point I've risked my life twice. The second time was even on purpose."

A warm, soft chuckle whispered out of William as he continued and thought about all the bruises he was hiding under his suit from the Detroit Godfather and his goons. He couldn't regret it though as he continued, "She's actually the reason I'm doing this. That and like you say, for the thrill. I've been hitting above my league in the last couple of fights and it's time I got one I can win again."

Looking over at Gavin with a smug smirk, William shrugged and nudged him with his elbow. "It'll be interesting when we do get to the final. I've heard you have a tendency to punch out of your weight class pretty often and I'm wondering if I might pick something up. Used to be I had a lot of trouble with you little guys dodging punches like you said. Learned a few tricks for it out in Los Angeles from a friend, but it's still my least favorite sort of fight."

William took a deep breath, finished off the glass in front of him and stood up. "So, you want the guys on the right or the ones on the left?"

Gavin smirked.

"Doing stupid things for a woman is the story of human history. And yea, I can take a punch, but I'd prefer not to. Gotta catch me first."

He shot a quick glance at the assembled fighters.

"And you can pick. Personally, I'd let you take on whoever seems to be the leader; he'll be the one you'll deal with in any negotiations."

William knew better than to let people encourage him into getting into trouble. He really did. It didn't stop him in any way, shape, or form because he didn't care. It was an excuse to let loose and not worry about responsibility for a while. He'd have to get over it eventually to live up to the expectations on him now, but for tonight he was home and he was damn well going to get payback on his pain with fun.

"Hell with it then. I'll just ask to fight him first and let the others fall where they may. Should be good for shock value. You can do you, but fair warning I'm going to talk you down a little so you get the other guys."

He walked confidently across the room to where the fighters were drinking through their round of liquor while pointing and talking about himself and Gavin at the bar. He'd picked up enough from his time telling stories to know who he was after. Fritz was a stocky German that had warmed up a little slower than the men around him. Every now and again Billy had seen them throw a glance to see how he reacted to a story before they laughed or jeered. It had shown the respect they all had for him. So, he walked up to where the man was sitting with a group of the fighters and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Fritz, what do you say we get this party going? My buddy over there is looking to get in on this too and we probably ought to get going before the little guy drinks himself under the table. Since I'm the new man to the ring it's only fair I take the toughest seed and fight you first. I'd let my buddy take it, but I don't think I'd feel right watching you tear him up."

The man's look suggested that he thought something was up with William's offer but William knew he had the advantage of reputation. Not his own but that of Fritz. It would look bad if he backed out of a challenge, especially from someone new to the circle, and endanger his place among his men. After a moment Fritz nodded and stood up, gesturing for the other men to clear out the tables and make room for the fight. It took a few minutes, but both men took off their jackets and squared up to the cheers of the other fighters.

Fritz took a defensive approach, keeping up a guard and waiting to see what William would do. William obliged him wholeheartedly, launching in with a fury that only a half-drunk fool could raise. William didn't so much put up a guard as a wave of punches that probed and prodded and finally bust through the German's guard. His own over reliance on offense meant that the German was able to score several good hits, but even then William was able to turn most of the worst away through his positioning and movement. When they hit the ring of men surrounding them and had to break off to return to the center, Fritz was obviously heading towards the losing end of the exchange.

The remainder of the fight followed the same trajectory with Fritz increasingly becoming more offensive to make a good showing against the surprise favorite and opening himself to more and more hits which he was taking admirably well. William kept the upper hand but at times found himself wincing as the German's body blows found home on the more recent injuries he was hiding. He realized that he might have been in trouble if the German could have seen his injuries, but he'd kept a solid enough face that the shots were few and far between.

William eventually reigned in his initial eagerness and it wasn't long before his opponent began to run out of steam leaving an opening to finish the round. With one last big hook, William put the man to the ground and a cheer went up from the circle. After a few moments of panting to catch his breath, William saw Fritz tap out. He reached out a hand to help up the German, respectful of how many shots it had taken to accomplish the job. For now, Fritz looked to be in no mood to talk so William stepped back to where he had left his companion and ordered another drink. Still working to even out his breath and taking gulps of air every few words he gave Gavin a pat on the back.

"Your turn buddy. They're all warmed up for you."

Gavin shrugged at the mention of being talked down; that'd get settled eventually, he supposed. William had figured out who the boss was, showing he could read a room. Gavin turned his back to the conversation, throwing back another whiskey to finish catching up. At "little guy", he just smirked. When the fight between William and Fritz was settled, Gavin turned and leaned with one elbow against the bar. 

For once, he barely touched the drink in his hand. Instead, he was focused on William. He fought like a man who was late for his own wedding, not bothering to worry about defense initially. But shit, he could take a punch. And deliver one, as his hook laid out his opponent.

"Your turn buddy. They're all warmed up for you."

Gavin, polishing off his final drink, slapped Will on the back.

"Well, you handled the big fish and left me the small fries. Should be easy."

He let his eyes wander over the other fighters. None of them seemed as physically imposing as Fritz, which made sense. If there was someone in the group that could kick the leader's ass, that person usually became the new leader pretty damn quick. He could hear them chattering about the most recent fight; William had certainly made a good impression. But there also seemed to be an undercurrent of getting payback in the ring. Sure, maybe William was great... but they weren't planning on losing two in a row. 

Gavin grinned at the group.

"So. Who's up?"

The youngest member of the group- a young man three inches shorter than Gavin- stepped forward, but a taller man put his hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. Another German, thinner than Fritz, but also taller. He seemed to be a little taller than William, either, although he was too thin to be as imposing. Still, he seemed to be in good shape. 

Cracking his neck, Gavin shrugged off his jacket and rested it on a bar stool. He heard a couple of the fighters laugh as he stepped out of his shoes and remove his socks. The floor didn't seem to have any hazards, and he always felt like his reactions were just a little quicker when it was just himself and the floor. His nimble fingers quickly unbuttoned his dress shirt, and as he pulled it off to toss it on his jacket, he heard the murmured reaction. His entire upper chest, upper arms, and back were covered with crisscrossed scars. Most appeared old, but some were new. As for Gavin himself, he seemed in good shape. With a grin toward his tall opponent, whose name was quickly revealed to be "George", Gavin entered the 'ring'.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet, Gavin seemed like he was allergic to fighting for the first two minutes. In fact, he didn't throw a single punch. Instead, he dodged the majority of them, using his speed to stay out of the way. The ones he couldn't dodge, he parried with lightning fast hands. George seemed to be aiming exclusively for Gavin's head, lured in by the way Gavin left his gloves down and his face defenseless. With increasing jeers from the crowd at his inability to land a punch, George's punches became wilder and wilder. The combination of frustration and punching himself out left his defenses more and more open... and as Gavin failed to attack, George only paid cursory attention to defense.

After that first two minutes, Gavin flipped the switch. Every ponderous haymaker thrown by George was answered by two or three counterpunches. Gavin quickly slid inside the taller man's reach and delivered multiple shots to the body, followed by an uppercut to the chin as the taller man looked down. 

The fight, at that point, seemed clear. George was a fatally wounded animal, and the predator continued to slide in, make an attack, and move out of danger before a response could happen. Near the end, George started targeting the body and landed a few punches, but it was far too little, too late. 

Soon, George was down. Gavin smiled.

"Not bad, fellas. Anyone else? Or is time for the main event?"

Gavin was a sight to see. William slowed to sipping his whiskey and watched the man work his magic on poor George. It was like watching a marionette show in a way, seeing as nearly everything the tall man did was planned, controlled, and ultimately used against him by the smaller. Even his size and reach had been turned into a liability by moving in to where he couldn't leverage a good punch when Gavin finally did turn on the gas and start bringing down his prey. William felt a begrudging respect as he realized that what he was seeing was similar to nothing so much as the way that he'd seen wolves hunt out west. Slow, methodical, and making sure that once the attack began it was already too late.

William stood up and walked over to where Gavin waited for any who might come to challenge him. "That was some damn impressive dancing you did. Nice little bit of fighting too at the end there. Maybe we let the rest of these fellas get a fight or two in edgewise before we see which one of us goes home with more bruises. No sense rushing to finish too quick or it won't be as satisfying." With a quick gesture back to the bar, William walked back and bought two more glasses, sliding one over to Gavin as he came back.

"Takes a smart man to fight like that. Either that or one who's been raised by wolves, but who's counting." A cheer rose up behind them as the next two lads laid into one another in a much more even match that looked more like boxing than the two wild displays that had proceeded it. "I wouldn't half mind taking the time to learn a few new tricks if you'd be willing. I haven't had a sparring partner in a while and it'd be a good habit to get back into, especially if this gym gets up and running. Hell, if you'd be interested you could probably work with my business partner and I on the project. She's fronting the cash and having me help with running the joint. I'd be happy to introduce you to Isabella Luciano if you'd be interested in working under her."

Gavin didn't put his shoes or his jacket back on, but he did put on his dress shirt. 

"I'm fine letting these guys have a go at each other. Not that I need a rest, mind you."

He winked as he accepted the glass.

"I'll spar with you anytime. I don't need to use hand to hand as much as I used to, but it's never good to be rusty."

Gavin was drinking from the glass when he heard "Isabella Luciano"; he avoided choking, but he couldn't avoid grinning. He wasn't usually the type to kiss and tell, but the adrenaline of the fight, the whiskey, and the pleasure of making a new acquaintance that he got on with so well had Gavin on an exuberant high.

"You know Bella? What a woman. I've done some of my best work under her. And on top of her. And behind her. And-"

The world would never know where else Gavin and Isabella had excelled together, because William suddenly grabbed his shirt and snarled at him. Gavin looked up with a shit eating grin, but his were cold and curious. He also tensed up, ready to break William's hold and fight if he needed to.

"... well, you're certainly protective of your business partners..."

The joy of finding a new sparring partner and another friend in the family was immediately cut short. The words felt like little daggers stabbing into him with each syllable and he almost immediately couldn't stand them. He grabbed onto Gavin's shirt and growled as he tried to force himself to speak, but the smug bastard's attitude wasn't making it easy.

"What the FUCK?!" William's shout caused a few of the closest men to turn and notice the standoff starting at the bar. Curiosity left their attention divided between the fighters even now engaged in savage blows against one another and prospective of another less controlled battle. 

"How dare you talk about her like that." William dropped his voice to a quiet snarl, "I didn't suffer through Tyler Durden and Salvatore Luciano to get a chance with her just for you to pull some shit like this and treat her like a toy." Some part of himself tried as he spoke to find reasons not to just throttle the man he held in his grip before he could get away. Maybe he was lying to talk himself up. No, he wouldn't have a need to do that with all the stories already flying and besides, something about his manner this evening didn't make him seem like that sort. Maybe it was in the long past? No, if that were the case then either Salvatore Luciano or the now departed man in the picture Isabella kept would have had something to say about it. He wanted badly not to think that the man in front of him had jeopardized all that he had suffered for, but the fire building in William fed on a fuel of whiskey and jealousy wasn't going to let him believe anything of the sort.

Gavin's eyes narrowed, even as he gave an exasperated sigh.

"She's not a toy. She's a woman. A woman seemingly plagued by possessive men. With more coming out of the woodwork all the time."

William seemed like he was on the verge of growling, processing his anger in his head, and Gavin strongly preferred to be out of the range of William's arms whenever the larger man decided what to do. With a quick upward move, Gavin broke the hold and pushed himself backwards. A couple of his buttons hit the floor, and William was stuck holding a piece of his shirt... but at least now he was out of range. Gavin rested his hands on his hips and smirked.

"Well... are we going to have a drink and talk about... no? Well alright then."

William tossed aside the scrap of cloth and gave an inarticulate shout of anger when Gavin asked about a drink. That bastard wanted to be smug and try to claim some kind of moral high ground after what he'd said? Fuck him. It just made William want to knock that smile off his face even more. Especially because he was at least partially right.

Knowing that Gavin would be nigh impossible to catch in his own element, William decided to bring him down to earth. While he was still only a few steps away William lunged forward and ducked a shoulder, trying to bowl Gavin over and pin him to the floor where it would turn into a battle of brute force. He knew if he could pin him down it was only a matter of time before he'd overpower the smaller man.

Gavin once again showed his speed and started to pivot out of the way. William slowed enough to turn his momentum slightly and still get a solid impact, but when Gavin went down it was off to one side and not hard enough the keep him there. Gavin popped up from the floor almost immediately, and it was all William could do to snap off a quick jab to Gavin's body before he made distance between them again.

As they squared off against one another, the circle had begun reshape, taking them into it again in place of the confused boxers who looked through bruised and battered faces at the spectacle that had outshone them. William's snarl turned to a menacing grin as he spat out provocation at his opponent.

"You're right, she's a woman not just a conquest for an arrogant prick. As for the possessive men, she's the one that told me to go see them."

Gavin weaved, speaking while dodging a couple punches.

"She's not... a conquest... ass."

He raised a hand to parry a particularly heavy blow and danced back out of range, where he chuffed and tilted his head.

"I think you have a very simplistic view of women that we need to-"

He was cut off as William reared back and threw a blow in the direction of Gavin's mouth. This time, the smaller man slid forward as William's arm was extended, ducking under it to deliver a series of body shots- trying to hit a few different places to find any week points. The body shots landed hard, and he was planning on following it up with an uppercut, just as he'd done to the tall man he'd fought before. However, William had seen that fight and had begun closing his arms like a trap.

Not wanting to be trapped like a wolf in a henhouse, Gavin kicked his own feet out from under him and landed on his ass with a thud. As William recovered from stumbling after grabbing nothing, Gavin rolled quickly out of the way and back to his feet. He winked at William.

"Close one... if you're not one of these same possessive men, then why are you trying to bash my face in just because I had fun with her?"

Gavin paused.

"I do feel like I need to be clear here that she had fun with me as well. I'll spare you the details, of course, but-"

Then he was dodging again.

The hits he took before he missed his grab had slowed him down as a couple landed in areas still softened up from his other recent beatings. Gavin was just too damn fast. William had to get a hand on him or it would be like trying to punch a lightning strike, already gone before you even thought to move. The way he dropped and rolled out was something William could never have even attempted without splaying himself out 

"I know better than to think that way about her. She's too good for either of us. I just know how assholes with egos tend to look at things. Your statement fit that bill." At the last word he lunged at Gavin and started throwing quick jabs. He knew from the earlier fight that the smaller man would mix up dodges and parries to keep ahead which was fine by him. He hadn't intended to land the jabs in the first place. Once Gavin started parrying, he made his next jab a half-punch feint and opened his hand to grab Gavin's parrying arm.

Unfortunately for William, Gavin once again proved to be one step faster and even as William's hand closed Gavin slid his own arm out of the grab. Fortunately for William, this meant his attention was drawn away from the follow up straight arm he had thrown along with the feint. William felt a good solid thud as he connected and his foe dropped back too fast to continue the assault.

"Maybe because you haven't put in the time to do right by her. Maybe it's because I'm jealous you got to her first. Or maybe it's because you're so damn SMUG about it." At this point, William was beginning to wonder himself. He knew that a part of him worried he would miss out on a chance to actually be with the right woman as Gavin had put it earlier, though perhaps not by the same definition. A part of him saw the skill and suave near carelessness that Gavin exuded and worried about matching up to it. 

His anger told him it was the smugness though.

Gavin snorted as he danced backwards out of range again, rubbing his jaw from where William had just landed a good hit.

"William, you're really starting to try my patience here. I'm not trying to do right by her."

Although I did try to do her right. Probably not wise to mention that at the moment, though.

"She doesn't need that. Your jealousy, though? That's honesty right there. Now we're making some real progress!"

They traded punches for a minute or so as Gavin maneuvered around the ring that had formed. Utilizing his best poker face, Gavin's eyes flicked over William's shoulder twice before remaining there- soon joined by his pointing figure.

"Stay out of this, Fritz! You had your turn!"

Hoping to lure William into looking away, when Gavin saw the taller man's eyes moved two things happened.

First, he smirked. Second, he readied a hook to connect with William's head. It was after he'd taken his second step that he knew he was fucked, as William's eyes remained locked in on him. But there wasn't time to avoid walking into the thunderous haymaker that William had readied for him.

It crashed into the side of his face like a Mac truck, throwing him sideways so hard that he dropped to a knee, shaken. He instinctively rolled out of William's range to avoid any follow up, but fell to a knee again when he tried to stand. He blinked, feeling blood run down the side of his face.

It was a miracle. He'd finally shut Gavin up for more than a few seconds. The fact that he also seemed unable to keep his feet was an added bonus. He'd almost believed Gavin's bluff for a moment when he though of the look on Fritz's face when he'd walked away, but everything he'd heard about these men made him trust their sportsmanship a little more than the guy that was trying to dent his face in.

"What's wrong Gavin? I thought we were making progress and now you're just trying to sit this out on me?" He stalked over to where Gavin was trying to gather his focus back and saw him reach out a hand as if to get help up. For a moment, William wondered how much damage he'd done and started to worry he'd overdone it. Gavin's rush at him alongside William's own windup might have really got him hurt and as much as William wanted to beat him down he didn't want to kill the guy. He reached down and took Gavin's hand.

"You alright? I didn't me-" The uppercut to his gut knocked the rest of the sentence out of his lungs along with all the other air he had. The shooting pain from the bottom of his rib cage reminded him of the boot that had been planted there only a couple days ago and if he'd been able to think straight he'd have realized that the rib was at least bruised, possibly worse. Gavin found his feet and all William could do was block and stumble back away. The little bastard had either recovered awfully quick or his acting was far better than the last attempt. Either way William found himself back on the defensive.

They were both obviously hurt, both slightly unsteady on their feet, when they eyed each other from across the ring. 

Gavin was silent- a victory in and of itself.

Gavin wiped the blood away from the side of his face, while William couldn't help but press a hand against his wounded side. 

Wordlessly, they approached each other. Gavin was still dodging, but not moving nearly as fast. William's punches were more infrequent, but still had bite. The wounded wolf circled the bear- and then suddenly he found his opening. Gavin lunged forward, feinting towards William's head before putting everything he had into a body shot where William's hand had been a moment before. As he threw up, William's desperate jab caught Gavin in the chin.

To the cheers of the spectators, and then a hushed silence, both men dropped to the ground. Gavin and William each fell to their knees, but only William continued falling forward to slump against the floor. Gavin smiled, then sighed as he realized there was blood in his mouth. 

"Well, that was a productive discussion."

He laughed quietly to himself before realizing that laughing hurt. Reaching over, he slapped William a couple times on the cheek until he saw the other man's eyes open. William looked up to see Gavin grinning, albeit with some blood in between his teeth.

"Hell of a fight, big guy. Can I buy you a drink?"

The darkness was getting to be familiar. It was better than the pain that usually came before and after it, but this time was unmercifully short and then he was looking into that smug smile again. Damn it all.

William let out a soft groan of exasperation as it dawned on him that he'd let Gavin best him. Everything hurt, but again this was familiar territory and far less damaging than the current state of his pride. That part was at least assuaged a bit by the blood between Gavin's teeth giving a reassurance that the man had paid for his victory. Physically, William took solace in that his side had finally progressed to a sort of comfortable numbness and allowed him to start to roll to his side and...nope. A loud gasp and a thump back into place were the signs to the outside world of the blinding pain that nearly blacked out his vision a second time. The rib was definitely broken now and standing was going to be an absolute hell. He decided he was comfortable on the floor for the moment and gathered his breath to respond to Gavin.

"Sure. Two conditions. I need help standing up. Two, we don't tell anyone about this. Deal?"

Gavin stood, helping William to his feet as well. They both moved gingerly to the bar, ignoring the cheers of the other fighters. Gavin signaled for a whiskey. 

"You know, you're one of the best I've ever seen at taking a punch. I've slugged a moose in the face and had more of a reaction than hitting you..."