Bella stared in horror at the smoke covered William who stumbled out of the building carrying an unconscious Tara.

"Oh God no!"  Bella screamed running up to Will as he explained that they both needed a doctor - fast.  She wanted to tell him he was wrong, that they just had to get up the hill to the ambulance, but he was trembling so hard and coughing.  He could barely hold Tara now.  The smoke would be the death of them both soon if she didn't get them out of here.

Bella nodded to Will's words.  "I'll be right back.  Stay here.  I'm coming back for you."

Will nodded.

Bella broke into a run, stumbling a few times as planks on the pier bent and moaned in protest of her weight and the impact of her sprinting feet.  Close and closer the line of cops and firemen came - if she could just get to them fast enough everything would be okay.  Will and Tara would be fine. 

"HELP!!!!"  She cried out, knowing the cops didn't want to come, but not caring.  She was going to get someone down here no matter what!  She was relieved to see a uniform coming down to meet her.  Even more relieved to see that it was Kacey Adams!  How had he managed to stay out of trouble after helping Will and she cross the line?

"Keep your head down."  He said tossing a blanket over her so that she looked like one of dozens of fire and smoke inhalation victims.

"She's alive!  She needs a doctor!"

"If they see you, you're all in cuffs damn it!"  He scowled softly.  "You think you got away because you outran them?"

It occurred to her then what he was saying. 

"The people who want you dead and gone aren't just criminals, so shut up!"  Kacey rushed Bella past the lines towards an ambulance, but as soon as they were out of immediate sight of the cops, he removed the blanket pushing her away from him and the authorities. "Find a car, get her to the hospital.  We'll be down here all night at this rate.  The whole damn pier is going up."

"Thank you."  Bella said abruptly, but sincerely.

"Let's not make this a thing."  He quipped as Bella began sprinting down the street and around the corner to where her car was parked.  Unfortunately, her car was no longer an option. 

Goons, men with hands on weapons, were waiting.  Skidding to a stop, her mind raced.  She could go in gun blazing, maybe get the best of them but then the cops, just a block away, would be all over her.  No, she needed another car.

Stealing a car was a cake walk, under normal circumstances... but the streets were empty in the middle of the night, in the middle of a relentless snowstorm and most importantly in the middle of a crisis with cops and gunmen around every damn corner.  Every second passing could be the one that took Will and Tara from them all - she knew this and it made her feet move faster up one street and then another until at last, she found what she was looking for.

Muttering thanks to God she tried to open the door, but then ... it was locked.  "FUCK!"  She cried out absolutely overcome with emotions, dreading what was happening every moment she was delayed in returning to Will and Tara.

Distant gunfire caught her attention.  Her head snapped back in the direction she'd come from, the fire that was Race Street Pier.  If the smoke and fire wasn't killing them then their attackers would.  She didn't have time for this shit! 

Taking out her gun she used it as a tool to help her smash in the passenger side window.  Glass sprayed across the seat.  Bella got inside.  She put her gun down.  She pulled out the knife Gavin had given her years ago and as fast as her half-frozen fingers could work stopping only once the engine roared to life.

Siding into the driver's spot she tried to turn on the wipers to push away the snow but ice froze them fast.  Bella put her arm out the window.  She pushed the snow away as best she could and decided she'd drive as best as was possible with a frozen sheet of ice covering her view.  What other choice did she have?  

Her driver's side window down she used what she could see outside to navigate the best she could, trying to plot a course that could get her down to William and Tara safely and quickly.  There were two main entrances to the pier but there were alleyways and side streets that cut onto those roads.  Bella would have to take her chances with one of those and so she had to drive away from the pier to get onto a route that would take her back to it and not through the wall of authorities.

One alley.  

Two.

The third blockade wasn't going to force her away.  These hoods were using the fire on the pier like the flames to lure moths... or worse, to shoot fish trying to escape the burning barrel... but by the size of the ever-growing flames, Bella knew their time was up.  She couldn't delay a moment more.  

Bella turned into the alley.

The hoods raised their guns.

Bella got low in the seat.

She hit the gas.

The sound of flesh and bone impacting steel at high rates of speed was sickening, but the images in her mind of her friends dead, were far worse.  How long had she left them there now?  A half hour?  Could they still be alive?  She could hear gunfire behind her, one of them must have survived, but she didn't care.  She had to get to Race Street.  She had to get back to Tara and Will!

The car fishtailed furiously as she went down the hill towards Race Street and as she finally connected with the road that had been a symbol for the world and home to so many - the legacy of Jack Mezzo cried out one final time before it began to fall into the sea.

Bella slammed on her breaks just short of the entrance to the pier staring in horror.  Flames and black icy waters was claiming it all. 

Maybe someone got to them?  Maybe Kacey or Gavin & Louis or someone else ...

Bella got out of the car, black ash rained down upon her as she walked towards the sinking inferno, aghast.  

"Tara!"  She cried out. 

"Will?!?" But only the sounds of fire, the howling wind, and debris hitting the water answered back.  Bella stood there for what seemed an eternity before deciding to get back into her car and head for the hospital.  Praying that her worst nightmares couldn't possibly have come to pass.

The first anyone became aware of anything going on was a couple of cars screeching to a halt at the entrance to the hospital; Gavin appearing with Tara, Kassandra arriving with some more of Gavin’s entourage.  Louis presumed Tara’s presence was the result of the fire and that Will and Bella would probably arrive shortly but it was GavinandTaraByrne’s response to word of a rogue that set Louis off down the snowy roads back to South Philly.  Why would he rush out if the immediate threat had been nullified?  Whatever it was, Louis would be no use in the hospital but he hadn’t even thought to make sure Jack remained in the hospital; surely some things were a given.

There were people everywhere at the Pier; some dead, most picking through the bodies for identification and some just standing in shock but as he started to slow Louis could see that Gavin wasn’t among them.  He stopped by what had been one of the small shops as he recognised one of the guys from the hospital…

“Gavin…?”

The guy pointed to a bridge in the distance still illuminated by the last of the flames where Louis could see a couple of people.  He jumped in to the car and sped along the street pulling up sharply and wincing in pain as he hauled on the handbrake.

“How the…”

Louis couldn’t get a sentence out before Gavin approached.

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

Louis took the bottle of whisky from Gavin and sat on the bench.  Jack leaned over and wheezed…

“That’s too good for you kid.”

Louis took the cap off the bottle, filled it and gave the rest of the bottle to Jack before sitting down and draping his coat over Jack’s shoulders.  He helped Jack lift the bottle to his lips.

“Take it easy Jack, don’t say anything.  I just want to say thank you….for all of this…why the fuck couldn’t you have just stayed in the hospital?”

Jack coughed as he drank, the sun almost slipping below the horizon and the snow starting to fall again.

“That’s the one thing I should never need to teach you…”

Jack’s head slumped down and his breathing got slower and more raspy as he ebbed away.  Louis glanced around at Gavin and lifted Jack’s head to make him more comfortable, giving him another drink before Louis took one...

“…Tara…she’s the one…she’ll….she’ll keep you honest…”

Louis put his arm round Jack’s shoulder as his breathing stopped and Louis’ own head slumped forward.  He laid Jack onto the bench taking a second to gather his thoughts as Gavin approached discreetly.

“I’m sorry Louis…”

Louis stood up and took a deep breath.

“Don’t think he’d have wanted it any other way.”