The first week in Philidelphia had come and gone as fast as the tide.  Where life in Detroit had been a monotonous procession of endless paperwork, ass-kissing, and negotiations since Elias' alleged death; life in Philidelphia was completely the opposite.  The paperwork she had (and there had been some) was of her own making.  Her hands hadn't been this dirty with light work in some time, and so her days were unyieldingly full. 

Her nights, nearly every night this week - if only the latest hours, belonged to Gavin.  More than once she'd fallen asleep alone to wake up to him sliding into bed, at some ungodly hour, smelling freshly showered as if he'd washed off whatever sins he was up to before coming to be with her once more.  Then, sometimes before the sun, he was up again and on the move. 

For most of the week, she'd assumed he was secretly taking jobs to make up for the cash he'd lost in bringing her to Philadelphia.  Thursday, with the uprising in South Philly now being common knowledge, her opinion changed.  Gavin had, most likely, been hard at work cracking skulls and putting bullets into men and women on the command of Don Mezzo.  He was Made, it was the sort of thing you asked of Made Men before Associates even got word that it was happening.  Isabella wasn't offended, it was how things had to be, at least Gavin was making an effort to rest a few hours in her arms before returning to the thick of it.

After he fell asleep on Friday night, she quietly slipped out of their bed and put together something in an effort to make sure that he knew she was aware of what was going on and that she was thinking of him.  She left the small 'care package' on the nightstand on his side of the bed.  A small brown sack bearing a slip of paper pinned to it.  On the paper, his name clearly printed with a small heart under it in red ink.  She guessed that he knew the appearance of his own name at least. 

Inside the sack, he would find that she'd prepared a peanut butter sandwich for him to eat, included a small flask of whiskey to enjoy at some point during his day, and a wallet-sized photo she'd paid to have taken the moment she'd figured out where he'd been these last few days.  Her father would have killed her if he knew such a photo existed... but in this case, it was for her husband's enjoyment so it was no longer Salvatore's concern. 

The photo was of Isabella in what could only be called a red' burlesque costume.'  She knew it would take him some time to figure out what she wrote on the back but she couldn't help herself:  "Come home safe & soon my big bad Wolf - I'm waiting."  Needless to say, Saturday morning he took the time to wake her up in a fashion to which she hoped to become quite accustomed.

Saturday night she waited up.  She need to talk to him in something more than moans and lusty bedroom whispers.  She made herself some popcorn and uncorked some wine and took a book to the couch.  Once there, she pulled up the bookmark which was a short letter from Jack Mezzo.  The letter was, of course, unsigned but the boy who ran it by earlier was one of Jack's, so she knew it was legit.  Seeing the boy had caused her a bit of stress, but when she saw that the letter didn't mention Gavin, she breathed a sigh of relief and had tucked it into her book committing herself to review the instructions later.  A task she was doing now.

A handful of buttered and salted popcorn went into her mouth as she reviewed the carefully printed words and waited for Gavin to return.

Gavin walked up the stairs slowly, like a wounded animal. When his work for the last couple days had finished, due to Jack ordering him to sleep, Gavin had headed back to his old, run down apartment. He'd gotten halfway there before he remembered he didn't live there anymore. For a little while, he'd considered not telling the cab driver anything and just breaking back in... but it had been too long since he'd seen Bella. With a sigh, he ordered the man to turn around. 

They'd both been busy recently, stealing moments with each other whenever they could. They weren't as much as he would have liked, but at least they were something. Reaching into his jacket pocket, he took the photo out. As the intermittent streetlights illuminated the photo every dozen seconds or so, he savored the sight of Bella in red- and not much else. In the darkness between streetlights, he closed his eyes and fought against sleep. 

When he finally arrived home, he forced himself up the stairs and through the door, locking it behind him. 

He saw Isabella on the couch, legs curled under her, and grinned despite his exhaustion as he sank down next to her. 

"Hey."

Isabella lit up at the sight of Gavin and then, as he came down beside her she noticed how exhausted he was.  "Poor baby."  She said turning towards him, hiking up her nightgown, and straddling him in his seated position.  Kissing him gently she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Long day at the office?"  She joked between kisses.  "If you want I can cook you something to eat - I've got a lovely New York Strip in the fridge that would fry up faster than you can say - honey, I'm home."

She began helping him out of his shoulder holster.  "I hope you don't mind I waited up?"

Gavin grinned, leaned back, and closed his eyes. There were changes he had to get used to... but his new life did have some perks.

"Not hungry, just tired mostly. Might have a good twenty minutes in me before I'm out."

He sighed, releasing the tension from his body as she removed his shoulder holster. 

"New crew banded together in South Philly. Trying to make a powerplay. We're going to clear them out... eventually. There's just a lot of them. And they've got a lot of people working for 'em too."

"I got my orders from Jack just a bit ago."  She stopped undressing him long enough to reach for the note and began reading.  "Time to see what you got Dragon.  Come to work with your fiancee on Monday.  We've got things tomorrow.  Tell the Wolf I need him rested for a big push at the start of the week."  

She put the note down.  

"So... seems I get to come out and play too."  She winced ever so slightly as Gavin's hand passed over her side, but she said nothing about it instead she continued on, "Must be pretty rough out there if Jack's calling an all hands on deck.  And you must be working your ass off if he's ordering you to take a day off." 

She looked at the bags under his eyes and she gave him a sympathetic look, "You wanna talk about it?"

Gavin grinned and cracked an eye open.

"I just did. Tired from killing these South Philly shitheads. What else is there to talk about?"

He yawned, but his eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Glad you can come help out as well. So... how would you like to spend my last twenty minutes of consciousness, before we both have to get back to work?"

Isabella sighed.  "Well, I guess talking would feel like something of a waste when we have all day tomorrow..."  She leaned down and kissed Gavin passionately while unbuttoning buttons on his shirt.  Once his shirt came open she reached down and pulled up her nightshirt, revealing a long slender rectangular bruise across her rib cage no wider than two inches as well as very clearly defined large hand-shaped bruise on her upper arm.  

Nearly naked, Isabella wrapped her arms around Gavin, "Shall we stay here or take this to the bed?"  

Without another word, Gavin stood up and scooped up Bella in the fashion which husbands were depicted as carrying their new wives across thresholds.  If he had twenty minutes or less to keep his eyes open... he was going to make sure she remembered them.

Isabella felt the rays of the sun coming in through the windows onto her face and she turned into Gavin's chest to hide her eyes.  She didn't want to be awake now.  Her head was pounding slightly - she'd not drank enough water to compensate for the very large amount of alcohol she'd put away yesterday and to make matters worse her body was sore.  Two fights and then rolling in the hay with Gavin - while fun - had taken their toll and the last time she hurt this much waking up she was in a Jamaican hell-hole prison barely having slept on a hard patch of insect-infested dirt.

She moaned and nuzzled Gavin's scarred flesh, she kissed him softly wherever her lips happened to fall.  "Make the sun stop screaming at me."  She pouted.  "I loved these fucking windows until this exact moment... my god we need some blinds."

Gavin growled at the annoyance of the sun.

"At least we're on the top floor. Else the neighbors would also call them the Fucking Windows. They'd probably sell tickets."

He rolled on his side, studying the bruises he'd noticed the previous evening.

"So... going to tell me about those now?"

"Not much to tell... just a stupid bar fight."  She muttered.  "Some asshole, I don't even know the guy, he was giving a female business acquaintance of mine some trouble.  We let him know his advances were unwanted, he broke his pool cue across my ribs... I broke his face on my fist."  She held up her right hand so Gavin could see her scabbed up knuckles and then she shrugged. 

"The bouncer had a real-time pulling me off the guy, and he had to get a little rough cause... well, I don't go anywhere unless I damn well want to."  She chortled slightly at the memory of the fight.  "But ... I doubt the offender will be trying anything like that for a while, at least not until medically cleared to do so.  So, totally worth it in my opinion."

She looked up at Gavin's face and she gave a dreamy smile.  "You've missed quite a bit this week while you were out cleaning up the streets, Mr. Byrne."  She propped herself up on her elbow, now that the sun didn't hurt quite so bad.  "I've been renting out lofts left and right, meeting with your sister and Jack who has me working as a face of the operation out on the streets ... bringing in new associates.  Says he feels my situation is 'unique' and so he means to make the best use of me possible."  She shook her head.

"Planning the wedding... and I have so much to tell you about that... we could talk about it all day really.  OH!  And, before it gets back to you from some other source, I've been working on planning a job.  Of course, I need the right team for the job so... I've been scouting talent.  That's how I ended up in a bar fighting some asshole.  I was trying to keep things under wraps from you and the rest of Race Street.  I didn't want to ask Jack or your sister for anything more than I already have, so, I thought I'd ask around and build a team on my own."

She sighed, "Though, my plans for this heist may need to change depending on how things go in South Philly.  The timeline might prove to be too tight for it now - damn shame though... that money could have set us up for a long time to come even with the lifestyle we've been used to living."  

She paused, seeming to think about this for a moment before leaning down to kiss his lips gently. "You know what I think?  Steaks go great with eggs.  I know I bought it for dinner, but I could make us one whiz-bang breakfast... after I down some aspirin and hair of the dog to chase off the last of this headache that is.  And while I cook, you can dig into anything I just mentioned.  Want to talk wedding?  Let's start there... or maybe you want to ask more about this job?  I'll tell you the details of that if you really want, but I'll be honest, I hadn't planned to bother you with it.  You've got enough on your plate & you've already done so much - it seems right I step up to the plate a little bit."

Gavin nodded, but didn't say anything, as he listened about the fight. Bella, he knew, could take care of herself. If she couldn't handle a particular situation, he trusted her to call him. 

"Smart call by Jack. Glad the lofts are going fast. Tara mentioned about 'cleaning up the neighborhood' a bit."

He stood, stretching, as he moved toward the kitchen area.

"Tell me about this job of yours. I think it's good you're getting to know some other contacts in Philly, but I've gotta say I'm curious- but yea, I'll let you handle it on your own, if that's what you want."

Although, depending on the size of the job, I may make sure I'm in the general area. Just in case. He skipped over the bit about wedding planning; he was quite content to be told where to stand and what to say- to get the day over with in a way that would make everyone involved happy, and then get back to normal. Smirking, he slid into  a kitchen chair.

"And a wiz-bang breakfast sounds pretty good to me."

Isabella pecked his lips fast and hopped out of bed, throwing on her nightshirt with no panties.  She ran on tiptoes over to her dresser and threw on socks to warm her feet.  "Oh god, that's better!"  She sighed.

Then she ran and slid her way into the kitchen space.  Her headache was still pounding but she was as happy as she could remember being in some time.  This was their FIRST morning together like this as a couple!  She was going to show him how good she could cook and he'd be absolutely convinced he'd made the right choice in proposing!  Her mother always said the way to a man's heart was right through his stomach, and so Isabella had taken a few home economics classes during her time at school.  Combined with her mother's traditional Italian recipes - Gavin was in for a REAL treat!

But first, she first snagged the aspirin off the counter and downed a few, chasing it with a small bit of water.  Then she began pulling out the ingredients for her breakfast starting with a beautiful steak that the butcher had picked out for her.  She looked towards Gavin sitting in the kitchen chair and admired him for a long moment before chuckling to herself. 

How lucky am I?

"Alright, well, back before things got real serious with us I had run out to Atlantic City with William."  She said, setting up the 'how' and 'why' she picked her target.  "During our trip we checked out a place there called The Forum because it was going to be one of our closest business competitors ... it's basically a similar set up to what we did at Purgatory, but it's got a lot of credibility built up over the years.  Because of this they offer MASSIVE prize pots to their fighters and have a very well established legal gambling racket."

"Well, these assholes did a solid for Tyler Durden that day and had cornered and threatened William & I.  I've always wanted a chance to make them squirm for that ... and I think I've found it."  She pointed to the folder on the table.  "Open the yellow folder on the table."  Inside Gavin would find the building plans, including plans to the vault room in the basement of the building.

"They've got a massive title fight coming up and they are offering a huge prize pot for its winners... not to mention the amount of cash they're keeping on hand for their gambling business & for their illegal operations... rough estimates put what's in the vault's contents somewhere in the ballpark of 100 Million."  She smirked as she began warming up the pan with a pat of butter and some freshly chopped onion.

"With that kind of take I could bring a full team with me and everyone walks away comfortable for their troubles."

Gavin sat at the table, splitting his attention between looking Bella and listening to what she was saying. 

"A vault, eh? Tricky to pull off... but if you've got the right team, probably do-able. You ever hit a vault like this before?"

"Um... no.  BUT, that being said," she grabbed two potatoes and began dicing them into tiny cubes with expert ease as the steak began to sizzle.  "I did eventually force myself to go see William this week and he has."

She paused her chopping and looked up to Gavin, "It was a good visit."  She thought about telling him how the bar was full of people and they weren't alone in his office but she didn't want Gavin to think she didn't think he didn't trust her.  That was a bad foot to start on.  If he asked, she'd throw out the detail.

"We talked about the job and if he had any guys who could help, as it turns out, he claims to be the best cracker in the damn state.  Said he put a lot of focus into learning the art after some job involving marinara went left, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean."  She shook her head and finished up dicing the potatoes.

"Will has his concerns about the target, but he's also keen for some payback on our business rivals.  And honestly, the only way this goes south is if we get caught, so my plan is quite simple..."  She picked up an egg and cracked it into a bowl with one hand, "Don't get caught." 

She chuckled, "I offered him a spot in the team and he said he'd keep an eye out for the people I needed to ensure the job is a success.  I figure we need a fair amount of muscle for carrying cash out and to potentially silence any security that might appear, look out, I'm a good get-a-way driver and would normally save that spot on the team for me... but considering that this isn't your run of the mill target I'm not going to feel good about sitting outside while I send people in to do all the footwork."

In a second pan she began the eggs and as the steak turned, she flipped on the oven to it's lowest setting and pulled out a baking sheet.  "I'm also going to employ a professional diversion, in case things take a turn for the worst.  Assuming I'm able to find someone who meets my criteria in time.  It stinks to think of splitting that kind of cash with a person who I might not use, but their talents on site could be the difference between success and failure... assuming I can find the right person."

Gavin rubbed his jaw subconsciously.

"Not getting caught sounds like quite the plan. And how is William doing? Were things... okay?"

"Well... we talked about a lot of things.  He complimented my ring, even had some insight into the diamond's origins, seems he knows more about it than I do even."  She chuckled.  "Hell, yesterday after we spoke I went out and bought him a gift.  That's how nice the conversation was - and he seems to be doing great.  I can't tell you how good it felt to be able to talk to him like a normal human."  She actually thought the conversation went so well, it had given her hope they might be friends after all. 

"So, I sent the gift and a note along with it for three reasons.  One, I felt I owed him an apology for our argument but I couldn't bring it up when we were sitting there together.  All the other stuff aside, it turns out that after giving it some thought, I figured he might have been right about me ... at least a little.  In truth I hadn't thought much about what he said until one of my old Associates, Charlie, showed up the other day to buy a loft."  Isabella pauses, thinking for a moment, remembering Charlie's reaction.

"It's a bit of a story on its own but needless to say there was a moment where I had a choice in how I wanted to deal with Charlie... and after I made my choice I could see Will's point to be true - clear as day." She shrugged.  "So, I wanted to be the bigger man and admit I was wrong. Now, if he's not a complete idiot, he'll eventually accept that I'm right about him too."  She pauses.  "I also spelled out for him what I didn't get the chance to say that day." 

A part of her would like to tell Gavin what the note had said in its entirety, but she realized it was a conversation that would take them perilously close to things she had agreed not to speak about ever again.  So, she let that part of the topic die.  It was enough that she'd spelled out for William, very clearly, that her feelings for him were something entirely different than her love for Gavin.  That their aforementioned and argued about 'healing each other' had certainly caused them to cling to each other in a way that might not have otherwise - that their gratitude and debt to one another was so deep, that it had been very easy to confuse it for something more than it was. 

If not for their deep wounds (and the fantasy they'd both attached to their relationship) they might have been more like siblings than lovers all along.  Both she and he had tried to build something from nothing and all the emotional baggage they'd both been carried with them from past hurts, only made it more difficult to see for what it really had been.  Had she not fallen in love with Gavin, perhaps they never would have.  Isabella shuddered at the thought of how time might have warped their 'love' and what it might have turned her and William into. 

One could not build a long-term relationship on a foundation of debt and gratitude & a desire to tick off boxes on a list of things to make a life perfect... and that was exactly what she and he had been doing since the first night they met in New York.  Both were trying to fill a void and make the other person fit perfectly into that empty space... only, neither of them was truly what the other person thought they were and only now that she was with Gavin, could she really see it.

"Anyway... I bought him this white Fedora."  she said in a brighter tone.  "In those dime store westerns the good cowboys always wear white hats, so I'm forever telling William that his hat is more white than he's willing to acknowledge.  On this fedora, I had the haberdasher accent it with small ebony and crimson feathers, a small concession on my part that yes, he can be a fucking asshole just like he thinks.  But I'm just happy he chooses not to be on most days, especially when you consider the second reason I sent him the gift & the note."

She stopped scrambling the eggs and looked very seriously at Gavin, "I'm convinced that William fancies Elie.  I mean, the way he spoke about her, that look in his eyes... it's undeniable, Gavin... I know it sounds mad, but wouldn't it be just fitting that William is blindsided by something when he wasn't looking?"

She shook her head and went back to cooking, "I don't know how far things have gotten but I couldn't help but wonder if he was testing the waters by dropping the little comment into our conversation.  So, the second half of the note was to tell him that I didn't want him being an idiot, worrying over whether or not it's going to piss me off, that if he would like to see Elie I not only support it... but I do so enthusiastically.  He's one of the few men I would trust her in the company of and I already know my father likes him so... hardly a worry there."

She watched Gavin to see how he reacted to the news that Will was at least smitten with Ellie.

Gavin listened carefully as she talked about Will.

"Glad to hear things were normal, after what had happened before the fight... give it time, and I hope it'll get even better. And it's hard to see Will as a cowboy, but... well, I've been surprised before."

His eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Elie. With most other men, Gavin would have assumed that Will was doing it for revenge... but he didn't seem the type.

"Will and Elie... interesting. That really wouldn't be hard for you? I supposed it'd be doable, since you ended things with Will and not the other way around. Still... would make for interesting family gatherings..."

"No harder than him being with your sister would be I suppose."  She said as if the idea of will and Tara was something obvious to the entire world.  She pulled the steak from the pan and put it on a platter, continuing to talk, not looking at Gavin as she did so.  "I honestly half expected to learn that William had been seeing Tara while he and I were together.  I mean she's gorgeous and powerful... lazer-focused on promoting Philly.  When I first met her about opening Purgatory, a small part of me wondered if her and Will... I mean, they lived and worked so close, how could I not wonder?"

"I nearly found myself jealous of her."  She looked up to Gavin and smiled, "But then we had a girl's day out, and we chatted endlessly about you and not at all about Will and I ..." 

She paused. 

"You know... I suppose that should have been my first big indicator of who I had stronger feelings for.  I had just had a great weekend with William, and not ONCE did I mention it while drunk off my ass with your sister talking about the men in our lives."  Isabella chuckled as she put the fried potatoes onto the plate next to the steak.

"Of course," She paused, her eyes drifting up and to the left of her eye sockets, her mouth coming open slightly.  "Looking back it does seem a bit odd she didn't ask about Atlantic City - though perhaps that was just her being polite cause I was seeing you at the time too... but maybe she didn't ask for other reasons.  It's not like she didn't know we went away together for a weekend... and we were drunk as hell gossiping about other men she'd definitely not thank for for naming names of so why would she hesitate to ask about Will?" 

A smirk grew on her face and she began putting the eggs onto the platter, lost in her mischievous thoughts.  "Well... I guess my seating chart for the reception just got a lot more complex."  She picked up the platter and brought it to the table before heading back for plates and silverware.

"Speaking of which... we need to talk about your groomsmen or at least a best man.  I don't expect you want much to do with all the planning, you've done a fine job of sidestepping the talk but I'm just not comfortable picking your groomsmen for you.  So... that's my line.  You have two things to do for this wedding - one: be there.  Because if you leave me waiting at the alter in Paris surrounded by every single important person in this thing of ours... I will hunt you down and put a bullet in your damn head."  She smiled, clearly joking, as she sat down.

"The other is to pick at least a best man... if not a couple of groomsmen.  So, no need for names this second, but it has to be done within the week.  I need to start planning for travel arrangements and knowing any male friend of yours... he'll probably want to throw you a stag night.  About which we NEVER have to speak."  She offered the steak knife to Gavin.  

"Alright, cut into that bad boy and tell me what you think.  I hope you're okay with how done I made it.  I prefer my steaks medium but some folks think that's overdone."

"Well, if Will's so into Elie, Tara might have missed the boat on that one. I know she's been busy too... too bad for her, maybe."

He paused.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about with the seating chart. Tara's a big girl. Knowing her, she either didn't ask because she already knew or because she didn't care. Or maybe I'm just that much more interesting?"

"And yes... sidestepping the planning- except for this, I suppose."

Gavin smirked.

"Tara's my best man. She can wear a black dress or something..."

"... and I don't really have too many male friends. Lots of people I'm friendly with... mostly women..."

"... Jack. Will. RogerConiglio. How many more do you need?"

He sliced into the steak, showing his approval with a thumbs up as he continued to eat.

Isabella blew a kiss in response to Gavin's thumbs up.  "Glad you like it." 

She watched him chewing a moment before adding, "I guess it's good I hadn't asked Tara to be one of my maids of honor."  Isabella took a bite of the steak, pausing the conversation to enjoy some of the breakfast for a short while. 

"Your list is fine.  Heck, maybe we should just stick with our sisters.  I mean, a smaller group means that the ask is all the more important and I know your sister is as close with you as anyone could be... and Elie and I have some pretty big history too.  I mean, no one else comes close." 

Isabella looked at her plate for a moment and thought about why this moment seemed so odd.  Did she really have so few people in her life who meant that much to her?  She had a huge list of people she'd been ready to ask to stand up with her, impossibly large really, but picking the top three of those other names... well, one was almost interchangeable with the next.  Of all her friends only Elie stood out as 'special' and then there was a sea of people who weren't Elie. 

Anyone who had ever been close to her more than Elie had been men... two of them were dead and the other ... well, he was on Gavin's list if she really wanted him there.  Though, even she had to admit it was a little strange to think of wanting him in the wedding party.  What would it make William feel like to be asked?  It was probably best to stick with just Elie and Tara... small parties weren't unheard of even in big weddings, but what did that say about her personal life?

Scars.  I'm still protecting old wounds & trying to fill holes in everything I do...

She looked at Gavin gobbling down his food.  Gavin with his 'lots of people I'm friendly with... mostly women...' and she picked at her eggs silently. 

WE are still protecting old wounds & trying to fill holes in everything WE do...

She said quietly, a smile tugging on the corner of her lip as she took up another bite of steak. 

We really are perfect for each other.

Looking into his beautiful eyes, she reached over and put a hand on his leg and rubbed it.  

"I've got a confession to make."  She said, her face melting into a look of absolute love and adoration.  She put down her fork and turned towards him.  "I know what you did for us to be together like this and if you haven't figured it out yet, it's the single most generous, kind, and perfect gift anyone has ever given me." 

She slid to the edge of her chair, inching closer towards him, "While I don't know how much was you, your sister, Jack or the Godfather... it doesn't matter, I know you didn't do it for me alone and I know you wanted me here too, but thank you none the less.  Thank you for always seeing what I need, when no one else in the world was looking."

She leaned in and kissed his lips gently and in parting, she told him, "And while I know it's utterly impossible, as soon as I get that big score from the forum, I mean to give us an equally enjoyable gift for our post-wedding enjoyment."  She laughed.  "Maybe it'll be for our first Christmas.  It's gonna knock you right out of your socks."