A cold, crimson cushion softened the fall of the old man.

Against the bitter winds and the crackle of flame, he lay face up, enveloped within the glistening heaps of stained snow. There was a tranquility in the moment, he found. Gazing up into the blackened sky, Mezzo was occupied by the hypnotic spiraling of descending flakes, a peaceful distraction from his failing body.

The heat from the fires raging in the East Cat Cellars began to force the snow to retreat, leaving defeated puddles which seeped through the decking across the pier. It now dribbled into the river below, accompanied by flaming droplets of liquor.

A spluttering cough broke the otherwise serene scene. The blaze that ripped through the bar made brief appearances in the reflection of the snowfall while casting wild shadows in all directions. Figures began to emerge from the other businesses nearby, summoned by the recent report of gunfire.

Jack could feel the warmth, though at this point he was unsure what the source was. He would be extremely irritated if he had pissed himself.

Sometime Earlier.

The meeting was still standoffish. Expectation of family coming together would be that of warmth and love, care and respect. Dig deep enough, you'd probably find it was with Jack's capacity, though. The old Don sank the last of his whiskey and slammed the book closed. Louis was startled, however wasn't entirely surprised. 

"I need you to understand this stuff. Not just read it and nod, capisci?"

Louis nodded, Jack found himself shaking his head, though slightly amused at his gaffe.

He filed away the last of the business records that maintained the smooth running of all of Race Street's affairs across the country. It was undoubtedly a boring lesson, however one the young grandson would need to take in if he ever had hope of being part of the family business one day. Mezzo senior had heard of his involvement in the activities he had tasked him with across the company, and heard only good things about him. He would never admit that though, there was greater benefits from a man still looking prove himself, than one who thought the race was won.

He looked out of the window next to his bookshelf. A white haze, cascading in waves and enticed into an erratic dance by the slightest breeze was billowing through Philadelphia. The pier was almost empty, the Cellars was closed, too. Only Jack and Louis remained in the office over the bar. There were lights further down the boardwalk, Purgatory had visitors, though he couldn't make out much else. Looking back toward the city, a pair of headlights reached out into the darkness, though clouded by the snow.

"Best lesson I've got for you, kid? Be prepared for anything. Even if you're not completely committed to the idea, at least let the consideration cross your mind, because that way you're not going to get caught with your dick in your hand."

No sooner had he spoken, than a shattering of glass came from downstairs. Jack hobbled across the room as fast as his legs would allow, forcing Louis to back away from the door. The young man had instinctively sought to investigate, however his grandfather had other ideas. 

Smoke seeped under the door. Time began to slow, though it would all be over in a moment. 

A Molotov Cocktail broke the office window, instantly igniting the room in a sweeping wave of flame. Jack shouted, his typical roar.

"Move! Go!"

Louis was first down the spiral wooden stairwell, opening up into the East Cat's bar. The room was already alight, pluming black clouds threatening to suffocate them. Then the assault came. Louis was tackled and Jack shoved aside. Once recovered, the old man fell into his old ways. He moved with disciplined speed and rehearsed moves, immediately assuming a boxing stance and clobbering the thug that dared to try his luck. 

The Goomba fell to a right hook. Short, sharp and powerful. Jack wheezed. There was an exchange unfolding deeper into the bar. He attempted to witness it, though only heard voices.

"You didn't think we'd catch up with you, Bucco? Or is it Mezzo?"

The voice was vicious, young and ambitious. The pair brawled, crashing between chairs and tables.

"You'll watch the old man die... ...And it'll be all. Your... Fault."

A roar of objection followed, Jack turned in time to see Louis break the neck of his assailant. He caught his eye, there was a pained, regretful sorrow to his gaze. Jack shook his head firmly and reassured him.

"Don't worry... ...we're family...we deal with this shit together."

A moment of pride and relief welled through him as Louis nodded, though it suddenly turned to horror. 

"Lou-!"

Too late. A cask of hard liquor, engulfed in flame, erupted on the shelf behind the young Mezzo and he was tossed through a window and out into the night. Jack was fortunate enough to land by the door, though he was feeling his age more than anything as he pulled himself to his feet. 

Out into the night. The winds raged, reducing visibility substantially. He could make out a few figures, two or three, standing over another, illuminated by the headlights of the car. He limped closer. The sound of a pistol chamber closing sent a chill down his spine, he surged forwards.

Bang.

Jack's arm wavered as he felt the force of the shot recoil through his bones. One of the figures fell, gore splashing out across the crisp white snow. The other ran toward the car, the engine struggled to life. Jack forced himself over to the scene, his breaths deep and desperate. Louis was on his feet and after the second man, Jack stood over the body of the first.

Gunshots rang out. 

There was a sudden pressure to the old mans chest. He fell, landing next to the corpse of the first man.

The car left.

Louis was soon at his side, the old man simply signed, labored and guttural.

The wind tore his breath away into the night. 

Louis stood up, the shock of the cold and the snow was tempered by the heat coming from the fire, the ringing in his ears and the pain in his shoulders.  His gut feeling was that he had broken something…again, but the adrenaline was keeping a lid on the discomfort at the moment.  As he surveyed the scene there were silhouettes in the distance that he struggled to focus on.  Louis stood dazed and confused as to what was actually going on.  He reached up to his temple and felt blood seeping from a cut…would he even know if it was something to be concerned about?

The smoke swirled around the buildings and finally he saw that Jack was lying pretty much motionless on the ground. Louis staggered over and knelt beside him.  Jack was still alive, thankfully.  For how much longer it was impossible to tell but without some assistance Louis was going to be as much use as the proverbial teapot at the moment.

“Give me a minute Jack, I’ll try to get someone.  Just hold on…please….do as you are told for once you obstinate old man!”

Louis stood up and glanced at the East Cat, almost consumed in flames.  Those fucking bastards he thought.  The voices had seemed familiar; the assailant in the bar had been somebody who was part of the Los Angeles “gang” he had found on his travels. 

If Bruno was here, it stood to reason the rest of them were and who the fuck else was in tow.  None of those numbskulls alone had the wherewithal to attempt this by themselves but if word had got out that Jack was alive would they come back?

He stood banging on the door to Purgatory…he hoped William_Bowden or GavinandTaraByrne were still around.

“Will!  Gavin!  Are you there?”

"Mama!"  Aurora came running into the room with Neil just behind her.  On her hands, small red boxing gloves were laced up and she held them up high.  "I socked Uncle Will in the nose for real!"  She squealed.

Bella looked up from the bank statements.  "You did?"  She said somewhat skeptically.

"Yes!  Just ask Neil he saw!  Daddy was talking about Aunt Tara and Uncle Will looked away and I did, I popped him one as hard as I could!"

Bella laughed imagining Gavin causing a distraction for the little girl to get a cheap shot on William_Bowden. 

"Well, I'm almost sorry I missed that, is Uncle Will..."

The windows rattled.  

"What the..."

Bella stood up.  A noise of that sort wasn't uncommon.  A crane dropping something on the docks had been known to cause a rattle of the windows but the blizzard had left the pier empty tonight.  Nothing of the sort should have been going on. 

Bella looked out the window.  Outside the blizzard continued, snow fell softly to the earth creating a thick white blanket laid heavy upon the earth.  There was almost no one on the streets tonight, only one lone set of parking breaks could be seen even now just up the street leaving East Cat Cellars which was...

Her breath caught.  A hand clamped over her lips a moment as her brain struggled to take in the sight.  It came to her all at once that she was the Left-Hand Man and it fell to her to raise an alarm and find out what the fuck was happening.  

"LINVAL!"  She called out grabbing her coat.  Her bodyguard was already coming into the room, curious as to the noise which had caused the windows to shake.

"Call the fire department and then you and Neil get Rory somewhere safe."

"What's happening Mama?!?"  

Bella knelt down and kissed her daughter.  "Grandpa Jack's bar is on fire.  Mama has to get the firemen there to put it out.  You don't need to worry about a thing.  I'm sure everything will be fine, but a fire is no place for a little girl." 

She looked at Linval, "Out the back.  Just in case."

He nodded.

"I love you, Pumpkin."  Bella said to the little girl and with that, she headed out the office door and noticed Gavin and William already on the move. 

As Bella came down the stairs she could hear Tara explaining the sight out the windows to the two men who were already getting dressed to head out into the snow.  They were moving as fast as she'd ever seen either of them move.  

When the frantic pounding on the door began, Bella lept the last two steps and reached under her coat for her gun.  

“Will!  Gavin!  Are you there?” called out the voice of LouisMezzo through the door. Bella pulled it open letting in a blast of winter weather and a young man who was very clearly just involved in something.

"Louis!"  

Bella could hear GavinAndTaraByrne as well as William_Bowden coming up behind her quickly.

"What's happened?!?"

Louis slumped back against the door and tried to catch his breath; his soaking wet head dripping little bloody puddles on the floor.

“Quick, Jack’s lying outside the bar and he’s in a pretty bad way.  There’s been a break in, we were upstairs and they’ve torched the place…”

He paused wondering just how much to divulge to Isabella-Luciano…

“It’s people looking to get at me.  Get at me through Jack…they’ll be back but we need to move Jack.  I’ve broken something and can’t do it alone”

Gavin and Tara were both running, with Tara shouting at Gavin as they ran. Once she was finished, her brother quickly outpaced her and rushed toward the scene. Gavin didn't spare a second look at Jack, Louis, or Bella as he sprinted past them and into a burning building. Following behind, Tara saw the situation with the dead man and Jack, then  fell to her knees next to Jack, whose hand rested at his chest. He was still talking, but she couldn't understand what he was mumbling. Her eyes were wide, but her face was otherwise emotionless and calm. 

She noticed the blood on the ground from the attacker and quickly ran her hands over Jack's chest, sides, and as far around him as possible. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she tried to process, coming to the same conclusion as Will when she couldn't find the bullet wound; Tara and Will spoke simultaneously.

"Heart attack."

They glanced at each other before Tara kept speaking.

"We need to get him to the hospital. Now."

"Bella, get the car in the garage at the lower level. You're driving to the hospital. Key is in the ignition. Will, when she gets here I need you to lift Jack into the car."

As Bella ran to get the car, glancing back at the burning building with her husband inside, Tara stared as she frantically tried to retrieve information from her mind. Shit. She wished Ilaria was here... but they'd talked last week about...

"aspirin. Where's-?"

Landing and rolling on the ground to put the fire on his jacket out, Gavin held a folder and a bottle of alcohol. Seeing the bottle, Tara wanted to scream at him... but there wasn't time.

"Gavin. Aspirin! Now!"

"But I don't have-"

"Hangover pills."

"Oh."

Handing them over, Tara used the cap and the bottom of the bottle to crush four of the pills and pour them into Jack's mouth. Will helped Jack sit up to take them. He was still conscious. Barely. 

Bella pulled the car up, eyes immediately falling on Gavin. Tara shouted to be heard.

"Will, Louis- get him in the car! Backseat... ride with him!"

It would be cramped as hell, but she wanted them both to be there to help carry him out.

"Bella- drive. Fast! But safe. Gavin, go with them and make sure whoever did this doesn't come by to try again. I'll stay here and coordinate with the firefighters..."

The sirens were heard over the sound of the fire.

"GO!"

"Stay safe."  Bella called out to Tara after Jack was safely put into the backseat of the car.

The sisters met eyes and smiled at one another.  They had come a very long way since that afternoon sharing Mary Pickfords, but they trusted each other to know what they were about and get the job done.  Bella would get Jack to the hospital and if anything on the Pier could be saved, Tara would be sure it was done.

Will and Louis were in the back with Jack, Gavin hopped into the passenger seat.  She half expected him to crack wise, but he was serious, so serious.  Jack was like a father to him and there was no room for jokes where his life was concerned.

The moment Gavin's door closed Bella put the car into gear and began driving down the road at the fastest speed she dared to go.  She was experienced on snowy roads, living in Michigan, Chicago, and New York had all helped with that, but this was different.  She had precious cargo in the car - it wasn't just a group of mobsters wanting to outpace cops... failing there landed one in jail and a good lawyer would end that sort of trouble fast.  

Failing here would mean the death Race Street's Patriarch.  

"How is he?"  Bella asked after a few minutes.

"Still breathing."  Will responded.  He couldn't really know more than that though.  He wasn't a doctor and even if they had a doctor here who could say they'd be useful without their tools.  This was a car and not an ambulance.

Gavin, she noted, was watching out the windows like a damn hawk... gun ready.  If Gavin spotted anyone, they'd all know it.

Looking up into the rear view mirror she caught sight of LouisMezzo.  The look on his face was absolute guilt.  He was blaming himself for the old man - what he'd said back at the gym had told her that - but what if he was wrong?  

"Louis?"  She said turning a corner.  "Do you know what these bastards are driving?  What or who Gavin should be watching for?  I'd rather Gavin get the first shot at these fuckers than the other way around, especially while I'm driving this monstrosity down these shit-excuse-for-roads.  Anything you can share might be helpful now."

Louis’ shoulder pain was excruciating from helping Jack into the car, for an old man he was in probably in better shape than Louis.  He sat thinking hard about what was going on and the trouble he had caused; this was not part of the plan.  The plan was not for Gavin to be leaping into a burning building or Isabella-Luciano to be driving briskly along the snowy roads.  What a mess.

His head perked up when Bella spoke…and he racked his brain.  It had all happened in a flash, literally.

“Umm…it looked like…red?”

This was embarrassing.  Louis replayed the scene; the explosion, the blinding pain, the gunshots and the shocking pain and cold…there were some cars…was it more than one used…no, he was 80% sure only one had sped away.  He held his head in his hands…and then suddenly it came to him.

“It’s to do with Tambini garage.  Over in Port Richmond or at least it was…”

The red car was old man Tambini’s pride and joy, a 1927 Cadillac V-63.  He’d been in it a few times while he was dating Angela Tambini but the Tambinis would or at least should have had nothing to do with the now dead Bruno from Los Angeles.

“I have no idea how these guys are connected.  Except that they know me.”

He looked at GavinAndTaraByrne.

“Gavin, I think these guys are going to come back to the Pier if they think there’s a hope of getting to me through Jack and his businesses.  Tara is still in danger there.  The guy in the bar, he’s someone I used to hang out with in LA.  We pulled some scams and Bruno’s brother got pinched but I didn’t.”

Louis cast his mind over anyone else that may have a grudge against him.

“Bella, please take me to the police station once we get Jack to hospital.  I need to get some information from my guys there and Georgie Mitchell.”

"Son of a ..."  The wheels weren't obeying her and for a moment the car seemed to float across and around the street before coming under Bella's control again.

"Thank God almost no one is out in this shit!"  She said in a still tense tone.

Glancing at Louis in the rearview, "You're not going anywhere but the hospital.  You're wounded and to top it off these bastards clearly want a piece of you.  Tara would have my ass if I let you go anywhere except under the skillful hands of a doctor.  Leave rounding up the troops to me.  You can call your guys from the hospital, I'll head to the cop shop myself as soon as you're all safely inside... I know a few guys downtown who will want to lend a hand as well."

She looked to Gavin quickly and said, "I'll make sure Tara's back is being watched.  I want you to call in some Soldato and keep those goons from finishing the job.  Normally I'd trust you to handle the job on your own but let's not take chances today.  If our people hold whatever floor they got the Godfather on we should be okay.  No one is dumb enough to lay siege to a fucking hospital."  

It was then she remembered William_Bowden, the man who had been seeing Tara, the one guy in this car who probably took hearing Tara was in danger worse than Gavin.

"William."  She said flatly.  "You're with me.  I'll need you to watch Tara's back while I make calls and get extra Soldato to hunt these fuckers down.  No one comes into our home and does this and lives to tell the tale." 

She met Will's eyes in the rearview mirror and nodded in response to his silent 'thank you.' 

From the rattle of the windows it had all been a blur. One moment his nose had been stinging from the completely unexpected hit from the adorable little angel he'd been helping to practice her fighting, the next he'd run to exchange his warm-up gear for the tools for war. His weapon ready he'd followed the Byrne twins' lead and found one of his nightmares painted in blood and snow.

The Cat was burning and Jack was lying in a pool of blood and gore.

Tara's investigation had at least put one of the fears to bed, but in its place was an enemy he didn't know how to fight. He'd have much preferred a man with a gun to a heart attack as he could at least fight a shooter. Instead he nodded along with the instruction he'd been given and tried not to think about the risk Gavin had taken in running back into the building. Bella's face before she'd left for the car had cemented exactly how much danger was present, not just for Jack, but all of them.

First things first though, he had to prop the man up to take medication that Tara seemed to think would help. He wasn't about to argue. Anything was better than just watching and praying for the best. That task done he looked to Louis and the injuries he'd sustained.

"I can take most of the weight, no problem. You just focus on keeping him steady so we don't aggravate any injuries we can't see. If he got banged up the way you seem to have he might have bleeding or breaks we can see and the last thing he needs is more pain and damage."

To Louis's credit, he didn't shirk any of the work even with Will's blessing. It didn't take much insight to see some of what the young man had inherited from his family. Soon enough Gavin had popped out of the inferno in true dramatic fashion and they were loaded up and sent hurtling into the night under the quick, but expert control of Bella's driving.

When Bella asked him how Jack was doing a part of him wanted to shout that he wasn't a doctor and was out of his league with heart trouble, but he knew she had to be just as edgy about this as he was. Instead he made do with a simple, "Still breathing." It was true and honest to the full extent of his experience and made clear that anything further would be for someone else to figure out. He'd make do with holding Jack steady until he had a better way to put his hands to use.

Louis's explanation had given precious little to direct towards such a cause though. At least until he mentioned them coming back to the Pier. His thoughts immediately jolted to Tara who they'd left alone and the danger she'd be in. She was better than she used to be in a scrap but if a serious attack showed up before she had support then they'd left her to die. Panic started to rise and for the briefest moment Will wished he had pushed to stay behind. There would be no getting back now until they'd gotten Jack to safety, and while the patriarch of Race Street was the first and foremost concern losing Tara would be a blow just as unfathomable. A crazier man might have considered bailing out of the car and running back right this moment.

Even if he'd been the sort to jump out of perfectly good vehicles in these kinds of situations though, Isabella's driving made such a thing impossible without breaking your neck. He'd simply have one more thing to hope for the best about. The big man's foot began to tap unconsciously from the pent up frustration at so many problems being just out of his reach, but Isabella seemed to anticipate his reaction and addressed him directly. Some bit of relief came from the knowledge that he'd be able to make haste back to where he could most directly make a difference, and not for the first time he thanked his good fortune that he had a friend so able to understand his thoughts.

Trying to distract himself a touch as they continued on, he turned to Louis and gave a grim smile.

"I'm glad you two got a bullet into one of them at least. I'd hate to think what could've happened if they didn't have a reminder what's coming to them after they pulled this shit. By the time it's done that guy'll be the lucky one."

Will's expression softened a bit in realization that as much as they all loved Jack Louis was a man trying to hold onto not only a friend, but a grandfather. He'd be worried, and hurting, and angry. That sort of thing led to dangerous choices in this kind of spot. On top of that, he was in a rough way himself and unlikely to take good care of his injuries. Isabella was in the right to tell him to stay put, but youth often disregards wisdom.

"If I were you, I'd be thinking some impulsive thoughts about getting payback and not wanting to sit on the sidelines. Just promise me that before you do anything reckless, you'll get backup. I've got a guy I can call on that used to be a combat medic. Name's Mercutio. I think he'd be a good sort to have at your back."

He hoped the younger man would consider the offer. He wouldn't judge the man either way though as he would've been hard pressed to slow down and think rationally at that point in his life under such pressure. Either way, the sight of the hospital looming into view ahead of them changed his focus rapidly.

He'd get Jack into the hands of a doctor as carefully as he could, then may God himself have mercy on any of the bastards that showed their face on the Pier again. Especially if any of them tried to lay a hand on Tara Byrne.

Somewhere in the back of Tara's head, her subconscious was thinking about the times she'd joked that her "life was on fire". Her eyes grew wide as she saw the East Cat engulfed in flames, and she was frozen for a moment as she saw the fire start to spread to the other buildings. The firefighters were still assembled, shouting to each other about trying to contain the blaze. A man touched her shoulder and started to yell at her to evacuate, but she stuck her gun in his face to silence him. She marched stubbornly into the huddle of firefighters, brandishing her gun to demand their attention.

She shouted over the roar of the fire and her own burning soul.

"SAVE EVERY BUILDING YOU CAN! SAVE THEM ALL AND YOU'LL BE MILLIONAIRES! EACH BUILDING GETS YOU TEN THOUSAND EACH! GO!"

The men, looking confused and skeptical, leaped into action. The man in charge remained behind, watching Tara closely.

The next fifteen minutes felt like an eternity. Watching the East Cat slowly collapse... and the fire lit the Pier itself, spreading through the walkway to the other businesses.

Tara kept clenching and unclenching her hands subconsciously. Realizing she was doing it, she raised a hand to her face and wiped away a tear. The voice behind her startled her.

"Lady... you can threaten to shoot us all you want... there's nothing we can do here. This whole place is goin' up like kindling... give me the gun?"

She just glared at him.

"Fine. Keep it. But we tried... now we're just containing. Between the river on the far side and the concrete here, we can keep it from spreading to the rest of the city. But this whole place... it's going to go. There's nothing you can do."

Tara briskly nodded to him. When he turned away, she ran into the flames toward the far end of what was still, for a moment, the Race Street Pier.

The car slipped and slid around corners but Isabella-Luciano firm grip on the steering wheel kept it out of ditches and hedgerows. He glanced up at the mirror as Bella looked back.  The circles they all moved in was understandably punctuated by violent and bloody endings but when that focus was on Louis and the people he served, that the actions were carried out by former associates of his, the guilt Louis felt was as real and tangible as the seat he was sitting on.

“I’m sure I can be patched up easily enough….”

He stopped short of commenting that he didn’t need their help in sorting out his own mess but in reality his mess was now everyone’s mess because they had targeted Jack and the Pier.

“There are three names I can think of people that I have especially pissed off; the Tambini family.  Don’t worry they’re not a family in this thing of ours, it’s just a family…like brothers and sisters and stuff.  I was dating their daughter Angela when I fell out with Jack.  I think they thought we were going to get married or that and had started doing whatever it is that families do in that situation.  Anyway, Angela’s brother Joey now has a problem with me because I left without saying anything.”

Louis shifted position a little;

“The guy Bruno in the Cat, his brother Benny was pinched for something we both did.  I got away with it.  Benny is a big, tall and memorable fucker who stands out.  That’s why he was pinched not because of anything else but him and Bruno were obviously mad enough at me to get involved.  The last guy is the one I’m worried about though…”

The pain in his shoulder was making it difficult to concentrate,

“I doubt it made it as a story over here but when I went back to Seattle there was a guy called Tony Tempara who was the Union guy at Vesuvio.  He was skimming dues of his guys and I called him on it.  He'd been doing it for years, there was a big thing, he lost his job and threatened to get me killed.  I know he did stuff for the Tamburello gang but when he said he wanted me dead, I didn’t think he wanted me dead dead.  I just thought it was more of an ‘I’m gonna get you’ shake of the fist sort of thing…”

The embarrassment of his naivete was bright enough to melt any of the snow on the road.

“That’s why I want to go to the police.  See if they know whether Tony is still in Seattle or if he’s come out here.  If he’s there, we’re dealing with a few wannabe hard guys.  If he’s here, then they have put a lot of planning into this and I doubt they will stop voluntarily.”

Louis looked at William_Bowden.

“I’m happy to get Mercutio to help, thank you.  It’s up to you guys what you want to do.  That’s all I can think about the guys behind this”

Isabella snapped,  "Don Bowden, I'm less than a foot away from you!  If you're going to offer my associate the means to ignore my instructions, could you at least pretend you're doing it secretly!"  

She looked up into the rearview mirror, "I wasn't making suggestions, Louis.  Your Grandfather would want you safe, God damn it, so you're getting patched up and if you do ignore me then had you better pray you're wildly successful while doing it, because it's going to take a lot to come back from disobeying both your Grandfather's right and left-hand men during a crisis."

She sighed.  She knew there was little hope of him listening.  The kid's grandfather was likely dying in his arms and he blamed himself.  William was probably right to make sure he didn't go half-cocked and with no help.  And so she relented, slightly.

"Fix the arm first Louis.  Then check with Gavin to see if he needs your help protecting Jack."  She gave a brief glance to Gavin and then continued, "We'll take this one step at a time.  If your arm is good, and Gavin doesn't need you, then you can take up William's previously offered assistance and HE..."

She looked at William in the rearview as they pulled up to the hospital, "...can explain to Jack Mezzo why it is we're attending his Grandson's funeral if you don't come back.  Or... maybe you can listen to some sound advice and just make a damn phone call or two.  Bring the cops down to the hospital if you must, but stay the hell out of harm's way if you know what's good for you and all of us too."

She stopped the car outside of the emergency entrance and two nurses came out with a wheelchair.  She leaned over and quickly kissed her husband and spoke quietly as Will and Louis helped Jack out of the car.  "Try to talk the kid out of anything stupid or make sure he has help.  Tara will lose her shit utterly if he goes out unprotected while he's still a target." She kissed him once more.  "For luck."  

Once Gavin had exited and William had gotten back inside, sitting in Gavin's passenger spot, she gave him a scolding look but it quickly melted into one of understanding.  She shook her head and put the car into drive and tried to make light of things, "Will and Bella off another zany adventure... just like old times, eh?"

The car fishtailed out of the parking lot and Bella watched through the rearview mirror as Gavin disappeared into the hospital just behind Jack and Louis.  

Louis started to struggle with the weight of Jack as they took him out of the car.  It was great to see the wheelchair arrive and once the weight of the old man was taken off him Louis thought over Isabella-Luciano’s words and figured he best not anger her too much more and maybe find a telephone somewhere. 

A nurse came over and asked him to sit down, to which he did not need a second invitation.  He flopped into a chair opposite the main desk briefly forgetting his shoulder but immediately remembering as his back hit the chair.

“FU…..”, Louis stopped himself and looked back up at the nurse.  “Excuse me ma’am, could someone take a look at my shoulder?”

The nurse told him to follow her to a doctor’s office.  Louis lifted himself gingerly up off the seat, wincing as he had to let his arm go to push himself with his good arm.  The doctor took less than five minutes to diagnose nothing more than a broken collarbone but it was more than a little inconvenient.  The doctor did have a telephone in his office.

“Excuse me sir, I realise you know who has come in tonight.  Would it be possible to use it privately for several minutes?”

The doctor thought for a moment and relented, leaving his office while saying to Louis that he would be waiting just outside.  Louis picked up the receiver and found a switchboard woman on the other end, her voice took him by surprise.

“Oh, hello.  Would it be possible to put me through to Dale Ford at the main police precinct please…”

Louis thought what to say next, not wanting to spill too many beans…

“…could you tell him that there is a development in his…latest John Doe case here please.  And that his South Philly partner needs his help as soon as possible.”

Louis put the receiver down and left the office thanking the doctor.

“Mr Mezzo, we need to put your arm in a sling before you go, this will take about a month to heal properly”

Louis went back and had his arm put in a sling.  The relief as the pain subsided just due to the additional support was almost a joy.

Louis walked out and found GavinAndTaraByrne.

“How is Jack looking?”

Gavin nodded, still holding the bottle of whiskey in his hand. 

"Seems... okay. Out of it, but I overheard a doctor saying that he should be fine, long term."

He glanced down at the bottle before looking back up at LouisMezzo.

"If it was really bad, I was going to give him some of this. Not sure how many bottles of this Gato stuff are still around... figured he deserved one last shot if it wasn't looking good. How's the arm?

“Broken collarbone.  It’ll be fine, it just hurts like hell at the moment.”

Louis felt a small wave of relief that Jack would be ok, “I can still hold a gun though, I might be as effective as holding a little flag but it could still look menacing-ish!”

Louis was interrupted by the arrival of Dale Ford.

“Louis, what the hell is going on?  We’ve been dealing with the reports of suspicious activity down at the pier; gunshots and fires.  I’ve kept out of it just now but Rico and Melvin are heading down there.”

Louis looked at GavinandTaraByrne who nodded that it was ok to talk.  They all sat down.

“A group of guys attacked East Cat, we got some of them but Jack’s had a heart attack.  He’s in a pretty bad way but should live.  I know some of who were involved; they are linked to the Tambini garage and some guys I know from Los Angeles.  Could you check with your guy in Seattle to find out if Tony Tempara has been seen around recently.  I think he’s here with some of his guys but I hope to god he’s still in Seattle and I’m wrong about this.”

“I take it this information is needed yesterday?”

“Pretty much.  There’s a phone in the doctor’s office.”

“I’ll find out what I can Louis.  I take it you’ll still be here?”

Louis nodded.  The cop walked quickly away and Louis stood up.  He paced about like an expectant father.  After half an hour Dale returned with a sombre look on his face.

“He’s not been around for about ten days.  He’s got several of the Tamburellos with him.  The word on the street is that you, your family and/or all the businesses are fair game.  Did they see godfather Mezzo have a heart attack?”

Louis tried to replay the events as he remembered them.

“I don’t know, I don’t think so.  I think they drove off after he shot at them.”

Dale looked around.

“My guess is they don’t know you’re here but if everything is fair game then I reckon they’ll keep going until they get everything they can, you guys included.  I can get a couple of uniform guys on the doorway if you need them.”

Louis shrugged and looked at Gavin.

“Are we staying here or can we trust the police and help Bella and the rest out?  I kind of feel like a spare part if I can’t help.”

Gavin frowned. Will and Bella were heading back to help... but he also needed to make sure Jack and Louis were both safe.

"Let me make a couple of phone calls."

Within twenty minutes, Linval, Neil, Kassandra, and Tara's team of rotating bodyguards had blanketed the area around Jack's room; no one was getting through there, and they had more people outside with orders to call if anything looked suspicious.

As they were waiting, Gavin paced like a caged wolf. He wanted to be in motion... but there was no way he was leaving Jack with a couple of cops; these bodyguards had already established themselves as elite.

When the defensive team was in peace, Gavin handed Louis a .38 revolver with a warning to watch where he was pointing it and to keep the safety on. Within minutes, they were pulling out of the hospital in a borrowed car, looking to intercept their targets before more damage was done.

Will sat and quietly bore Bella's anger. He knew he'd stepped on toes, but truth be told they were working towards the same goal: Keeping Louis Mezzo safe. He couldn't help but feel that he was simply being a realist about the whole thing and working off his own experiences of being a young man trying to protect those he cared about. Once they had dropped off the Mezzos at the hospital and got turned around he took a deep breath and tried to focus.

"Yeah, just like old times. Except this time it's not us that's getting saved. That and we don't seem to be getting away with it quite as clean as we used to."

He had to remind himself that their old adventures weren't without their scares too, particularly with Gavin. Somehow though even that didn't have the same punch as seeing Jack laid out and the Cat in flames. At least Gavin had been able to face his trial head-on. This had come by surprise and damn near tore apart families in its opening salvo. 

"I apologize for stepping on toes with Louis. Under other circumstances I'd have been a little more discrete but with what's going on, I didn't want to take the chance of him doing some stupid, noble thing and getting in worse trouble before we got another chance to catch him. You know, like the old days."

One edge of his mouth quirked up in a small, sad grin. He'd nearly died several times over from stupid, seemingly noble choices and while he'd been lucky he knew that wasn't usually how the world worked. He didn't regret his choices, far from it in fact, but he wouldn't want to watch folks make those same sorts of choices alone. Especially not the grandson of Godfather Mezzo.

All those thoughts probably would have felt a little more solid though if he weren't restlessly flying down the street towards danger to try to protect a woman. Just like old times.

"Speaking of trouble, be ready to move when we get to the Pier. If these people are half as organized as Louis seems to think they might have had eyes on us leaving the Pier without one of our own. I wouldn't be surprised if we're heading head first into a fight. I just hope Tara's still alright."

Will tried to sit back and stop fidgeting as he wished that the storm wasn't slowing them down now of all times. He knew Bella was moving them as quick as they could go, but somehow it just didn't feel fast enough in this moment.

Bella nodded to the statements made by William_Bowden about LouisMezzo.  She knew he was right and so didn't think that much more had to be said on the matter.  As he continued to talk about his worries about their enemies, Bella found her hand crossing the space between them and taking hold of Will's. 

Years ago, on a perfect summer day, they had cruised down this very road together, moving in the opposite direction toward Atlantic City.  the weather had been warm then.  Wind and sunshine flew through his hair, they were leaving Philly & their troubles behind that day and not racing to it's still beating heart, Race Street Pier.  It seemed to Bella that the world had flipped and turned full opposite since then... she wanted to live and not die anymore.  She loved Gavin, not Will, Gavin who had been a confirmed bachelor and now was an ideal father and husband.  

The weather was frigid and no longer warm.  Gone were the long sunny days of certainty.  She and Will weren't driving away from Race Street Pier and trouble... instead, they were racing towards it.  They weren't together as lovers anymore, but instead as friends who knew one another as well as any person could know another.  She felt older now, oh *SO* much older than they'd been back then. 

She'd been silent on the day of their drive to Atlantic City, lost in thoughts of her life - the daughter of the twin pillars of the great peace Salvatore and Marie had created ... but that too was long gone.  Perhaps, today another face of that great peace would be joining them in the fires of hell... JackMezzo.  For surely none of them could hope for the pearly gates to open before them, no matter what lies they told themselves to sleep at night.  

She squeezed Will's hand and glanced at him to find him staring at her.  His expression mirrored her own. 

No.  She did not need to say she was as nervous as he was that perhaps they were getting too old for this shit and should get out before mundane things like heart attacks could catch up with them... that she feared what would come if Jack died or Race Street failed to escape the inferno that had begun (perhaps appropriately) at the East Cat.  She didn't need to spell out that she wished him luck as they came around the corner and the seemingly mile-high flames came into sight or that she worried about how she would handle possibly losing more in this crisis than just property. 

"God help us..."  She whispered at the sight of the red-gold tongues lashing the sky like the devil laughing up through the ground at all of them.  How arrogant they were to think themselves untouchable.  You'd think Bella would have learned that with her own father shooting his beloved wife, the mother of his child.  But she hadn't.  Not until this moment as the one place that felt like home to her was devoured while firefighters stood by and helplessly watched it happening.

"Get ready."  Will's voice cracked as he took back his hand and checked his gun.

Bella found a place to park.  The two of them stepped out into the melting snow.  You could feel the heat so strong that it nearly knocked you down blocks away.  Will came around the front of the car to stand by her side.  She didn't know for sure, but she suspected that he was looking at the same thing her eyes had fixed upon.

"Well,"  She said through tears.  "I guess we're finally free of Purgatory."

Will gave a dry chuckle as thick gray flakes of soot fell upon them, tainting every bit of pure white snow it touched.  They stood only a few beats of their hearts watching the dream of two stupid kids dying before Will managed to speak, "I don't see Tara."

Bella looked around and noted the presence of the fire marshall and policemen... but no Tara amongst them and instinct pushed her feet forward through the blackened slush until they reached the police line where officers came to stop them.

"Sorry folks!"  One of the officers said. 

"You don't understand, I need to get down there!"  Bella insisted.

"No one else gets onto this pier.  Orders of the Fire Marshall."

"We're looking for Tara Byrne, you know her?  Is she down there?!?"  Will demanded.

"I don't care if Santa himself is down there,"  The officer was talking to William now.

Bella's eyes locked on someone she thought she recognized. 

"No one is getting past this line,"  Another cop continued.   

"Listen if Tara Byrne is down there and anything happens to her..."  Will threatened.

She took a chanced and yelled out, "KACEY!!!!"  When the cop turned and looked at her through the smoke-filled are she waved at him desperately, hoping he'd walk towards them, that he might be able to help.

"The whole damn pier is going to fall into the ocean before this is done!"  The threw back in Will's face as Kacey came towards them.

"Mrs. Byrne," He began before coming alongside the two officers who were stopping she and Will.

"They won't tell us if Tara is still down there!" Bella didn't preface her worst fears, hoping the man still loved her and when she saw the fear in his eyes she knew that nothing had changed at all for Kacey.  She had her man on the inside to help!

Kacey held up a finger indicating Bella should wait a moment.  Then he waved down another officer with many more decorations on his uniform.  While Bella didn't know what rank he was, she knew he had to be someone far above Kacey's pay grade - someone who probably knew Tara.  Her eyes locked on two officers as beside her William tried unsuccessfully to bribe the cops holding them back behind the line.  As the high ranking man nodded grimly, Bella found herself holding her breath. A thousand scenarios went through her mind at that moment and all of them came down to a funeral with a closed casket and Gavin NEVER the same again.  

"No."  Bella whispered as Kacey walked towards her.  He was taking long aggressive steps to the place where cops held she and William behind their line.  The tone of her voice, the single word, made Will's head snap to Bella so hard that she swore she could hear it.  

In a flurry of actions that she'd have to reflect upon later, Bella found herself running out onto the burning pier.  Kacey must have taken the arm of one officer and Will had knocked cold another.  Presumably, he had taken off running a moment later.  Behind them, she could hear cops and firemen yelling for them to stop, but she didn't dare look back.  Like a child racing to her bed, hoping to outrun the shadows in her closet, she simply feared that if she spared a moment to look then they'd catch her for sure.  And, for Tara or anyone else still on Race Street, it would be too late.

The sounds of firemen and police officers died out behind them as the roar of flames became louder.  East Cat was a total loss as was every building between there and Purgatory which was well on it's way to gone, as was the attached Dante's.

"TARA!?!"  Bella screamed out for her sister.  "TARA!?!"

The wooden pier beneath her feet had been far more flexible than it normally was and as her foot broke through one of the boards she was pulled back just in time not to descend into the icy waters below. 

"CAREFUL!" Will scolded.  

She nodded numbly and looked around at the buildings complaining loudly - the wood popping, and unseen items exploding within.  "She could be anywhere."  She exclaimed hopelessly.  "Will, where is she?"

"Where she always is."  Will said taking Bella's arm with one hand, holding his gun in the other, and leading her toward the building that housed Tara's office.

"The fire is going crazy down that way!"  

"They must have doubled back and kept going."  Will growled.

"TARA!?!"  Bella called out in desperation as they stood outside the building that looked like a total loss.  The snow and soot were falling so heavily and fast here that their shoes were standing in nearly two-inch deep slush despite the heat and the cracks between the boards.

Will paused only a moment before he untucked his shirt and ripped off a decent amount of the lower half and began tying it around his nose and mouth.  

"Will ..."  Bella wanted to tell him he couldn't, that he'd die, that if Tara was in there she was dead, but she'd been thinking of doing the same damn thing!

"There's a half-dozen other businesses with vital things in it to our operations, she could be in any of them."  Will told her.  

"I should go with you, you won't be able to see a thing in there.  Will I ..."

He grabbed her by her shoulders and while she couldn't see the smile, she saw how it touched his eyes.  "If I lose both you and Tara in that building ... I don't think I'd even have the heart to try and stop Gavin from killing me.  So, do as I want just this one time, Bella, just once... stay put."

Thinking of Aurora, and of her own fear of burning alive - a fate she'd condemned others to endure, she found herself nodding.

"I'll be right back."  He said so confidently that it nearly chased off her doubts that it could be done.  She watched his muscled form disappear through the doorway, and his shadow darting this way and that inside through the windows until he couldn't be seen any longer.  Had he gone to the second floor?  Did he get trapped?  Had something blocked his way?  

Bella squinted and tried her damnedest to see inside and quietly prayed for not just Tara, but also for the man who was willing to run into a burning building to save her.

If running onto the Pier and seeing everything that had been a part of the best days of his life enveloped in flames had been a heartbreak then forcing his way into the inferno of the East Cat was like entering the mouth of hell itself. The heat was oppressive and his flesh felt as though it were roasting on the bone while the smoke left the world a hazy mess of unfamiliar shapes. He stumbled through the bar, calling out Tara's name and looking for anything that would guide him through the mess.

But it wasn't that easy. With the fire completely out of control and the whole place filled with a thick black smoke carrying God knows what from the wood, alcohol, and various elicit products smuggled through the place it was near impossible to recognize anything. Will stumbled through the place, his breath caught in coughing fits in spite of the makeshift mask across his face. All he could do was push forward wherever the flames or debris didn't block the path, which was a fairly narrow set of choices.

He passed broken bottles and fragments of tables and chairs reduced to so much kindling and trash which marked the places he'd worked, laughed, and even loved among his fellows of the Race Street Company. A quick glance at one point showed a place where he and Gavin Byrne had once sat before they'd nearly torn each other apart. From here he found a path to a wall that used to show the faces of the men and women at the heart of the business, but now was blackened and crumbling with no sign of the photos.

Another weave and he'd nearly tripped across something soft. His mind lurched and he felt his stomach quiver as he looked down and saw a barely recognizable corpse at his feet. For a moment his only thought was that he'd been too late. That Race Street might end the night without either of the two that made up its soul. That he'd end the night having lost Tara forever. But a closer look around the bits of ceiling that had fallen on the poor bastard showed it to be too large. It must have been one of the men who'd attacked and set this into motion. A terrible death, but a deserved one as far as Will was concerned.

As the dead man seemed to be alone within his reach on the first floor, the only place left to look was Tara's upstairs office so Bowden made his way to the staircase. The tightness in his chest was threatening to stifle his breathing but until he was sure whether Tara was here he couldn't stop. He pushed his way up the stairs, pausing only for a few moments to shoulder aside a fallen beam to make a path. He'd almost certainly have a burn from the effort and a god awful ache from the bruising, but right now his adrenaline ensured that it was a secondary concern.

Being upstairs, the office was even more choked with smoke than the first floor. William doubled over as he entered, his lungs protesting fiercely and nearly stopping him once again with hacking coughs. He composed himself as best he could and continued into the room, thankful that the fire had not yet devastated it even as his eyes fell on legs sticking out from behind the desk. He rushed to find Tara sprawled out unconscious, paperwork scattered around her.

"Tara! Tara, please wake up. We've got to get out of here!" Nothing. Her rough, shallow breathing showed how great a toll the smoke was taking on her and all Will could do was mutter in prayer. "God, please don't let her die."

Will moved to gather her up, giving no mind to the papers. Work that had tried to steal her life so many times before was now almost succeeding. To hell with that. As far as he was concerned nothing here was worth the risk of losing her. They could rebuild every bit of it if they both survived this and he'd make damn sure they'd have a chance. Will strained to lift her and carry her to the door. His exertion and shortness of breath was slowly sapping his strength away from him but in spite of it he managed to get them moving. He rushed down the stairs with a singular purpose, ignoring a rumble from the office and the structure around him that seemed to pervade everything and signal that a far worse fate was near for this place that had been home for so many.

---

Outside, the East Cat had seemed to give a shudder and the roof began to shift before sliding down into the second floor. The bottom of the building rattled, but held through the initial impact. If Will was going to make it out alive he was down to a precious few seconds to make his appearance.

A second dreadful rumble began and it was clear that the building was coming down now. Even as the building began to shift though, two soot blackened figures resolved out of the haze and stumbled out into the air, getting a precious few feet from the building and dropping into the slush as the building gave one final groan and collapsed in on itself, once more hiding the two from sight in a rush of dust and smoke.

As the new cloud dissipated, the figures once again appeared in the snow. Will was draped over Tara's still form, covered in soot, burns, and fragments of the once proud bar, protecting her from further harm in the only way he could. A hoarse yell rose up from him between coughs even before he slowly unfolded himself.

"Bella...she needs help! Too much smoke. We need a doctor."

Wheezing, he slowly took hold of her again and rose. Though his steps were slow and heavy, he trudged on unwilling to give up and fall. It was obvious that he was in rough shape himself after his mad rush through the building, but it was also obvious that anyone who would try would have a hard time prying him from his charge.

Tara wasn't thinking as she moved from business to business, grabbing the records out of each safe that would help relaunch the Pier easily. She stopped thinking about how many places there were and just focused on the next one. And the next one. And the next one. By the time she processed that she was moving slower, she found herself in too deep.

She fought to get out of the building she was in, but tripped over an upturned chair and hit the ground hard.

Laying on the ground, lacking the ability to stand, she had a few short moments of consciousness to think about how she was dying in the middle of her greatest achievement: Race Street and the Pier were supposed to be her legacy after she died. Now, there'd be nothing left.

Not nothing. Gavin. Isabella. Aurora. Jack. Will.

Thinking about Will, she tried one last time to rise to her feet. She made it to her knees and tried to push herself up using the desk next to her. Falling again, the papers she'd risked- lost- her life for were scattered. Then, only darkness.

***

The world didn't come rushing back to Tara, but came back piecemeal. First she felt heard the roar of a fire. Then she smelled the smoke, tasting it on her breath- in her lungs. She felt that she was being carried, and wasn't surprised as she looked up to see Will. She gazed up at him and smiled, trying to think of something clever to say but ruing the fact that her brain wasn't working properly. Will seemed to be doing the same. He looked down at her with a smile, and they both seemed content to share the silence. 

The Pier was gone. Jack was in the hospital- dead or alive. But for the moment in Will's arms, she believed everything would be okay. 

She ignored the sound of the car when it pulled up, but she couldn't ignore the sudden look of concern on Will's face- then... fear? anger? 

No.

Tara tried to move, helping him get his gun, or even just dropping to the ground so he could focus more, but she could feel Will turning to shield her with his body. She wanted to scream, but he was holding her too tight. Above the roar of the fire, she heard the bullets strike Will's body. He lowered her to the ground and she looked up at him; she was in shock. For once in her life, her brain had simply shut down. She looked up at him as he smiled down on her again, nodding.

He was wearing the same sad smile when the next gunshot blew off the top of his skull- and the scream that had been caught in her throat suddenly burst into the world like a hurricane. 

She vaguely remembered picking up Will's gun and shooting at the retreating car... but mostly, she remembered Gavin running up half an hour later. 

Her throat was raw from screaming, her hands were covered in Will's blood; when she saw Gavin, she promptly lost consciousness.

***

Even Gavin's poker face had cracked when he arrived at The Pier. He'd arrived to find Tara screaming over Will's body, with her hands covered in blood and some other things he didn't even want to think about. She was half-covered in smoky soot, and when she'd collapsed Gavin was convinced she'd died as well.

He had left Will's body, trying not to think about it, and focused on driving Tara to the hospital. 

Once Tara was with the doctors, Gavin traveled to Jack's room, where he expected to see the old man resting with LouisMezzo. Instead, they were both gone. One of the bodyguards mentioned something about a rogue, and Gavin hit the ground running- but not before he grabbed the bottle of whisky that had rested at the bedside of JackMezzo.

***

South Philly was in a state of emergency. So many gunshots were going off around the city that Gavin didn't even know where to start looking. Will was dead. Arturo was dead. Charlie was dead. Gavin saw bodyguards huddling for safety, and everyone he saw, he asked for Jack. After an hour, he managed to track the old man down. He caught up with him on the far side of the Ben Franklin Bridge; the old man was sitting on a bench, very still. Gavin blinked as he saw the blood pooling underneath where Jack was sitting, and he saw another body a few feet away. Not knowing if he'd find his friend or another corpse, Gavin- with his gun in one hand and the bottle in the other- walked over and sat next to Jack.

The old man turned his head slowly and looked at Gavin before chuckling. Gavin smirked back at him.

"Sorry it's me and not Tara. She's alive. But she's in the hospital. Will is-"

"Yea. I know."

The two men were silent for a moment, and Gavin holstered his gun to focus on the bottle. He poured a small shot for himself in the cap before passing the bottle to Jack. Jack winced as he moved, and Gavin could see the blood flowing from Jack's side. The way he was moving, there wasn't much time left for the old man. But the Jack closed his eyes and took a hit of the whiskey just like old times. They sat there looking at the sunset, passing the bottle between them. Gavin spoke first.

"Tara will keep things running, as best she can. We'll keep following you, Jack. Even after you're gone."

Jack nodded, but they were both interrupted by a car screeching to a halt; Gavin turned, gun in his hand, but he relaxed slightly when he saw that it was LouisMezzo. He approached the younger man quickly.

"Louis... he doesn't have long. Go share some of that Gato whiskey with your grandfather. We'll talk after."

Gavin stood vigilant at a respectful distance as Louis sat down next to Jack on the bench.