Erich watched as his sister ran into the room, a look on her face that to everyone else would seem normal, stoic even. To Erich though, he knew she was panicked before she mentioned a dozen men.

"Sag ihr, wie viele und beobachte die Tür."

Erich looked around the room and made his way toward the window.

"Sie müssen möglicherweise mit ihr laufen. Ich werde zurückbleiben und Neil beobachten."

He slid the curtains open and looked outside. There was nobody out there other than the ordinary people. The dozen must have been the only men sent in. He looked toward the street and then spotted a man who he had been warned to keep a look out for when they were investigating the St. George. Robert Paulson.

"Scheisse. Paulson. Er sitzt draußen und wartet auf uns."

He shook his head and then made his way back to the door before either of the women had a chance to put themselves there.

"Keine Sorge, alles wird gut. Mach dir keine Sorgen, alles wird gut. Wenn ich du wäre, verstecke ich mich vielleicht hinter etwas."

"What the hell is going on?  What about Robert?" the Godmother exclaimed as she was now standing next to Neil's bed.

Adele turned her head to and fro looking around the room for something to hide behind.  When she found nothing she cursed in german before responding to the Dragon.  "Zere are a dozen or so Durdens in zee lobby andt Robert is outside zee window.  Zey are comink for you.  Please take cofer as best you can."

Adele literally took up a position between the door and her Godmother before making herself ready to shoot at anything that came through.

The young woman had snuck off once people were given their task, switching her clothes into that of a nurse, sliding behind the nurse’s station where a phone was at. She blended in as well as she could up until the sound of an explosion went off, ducking slightly before hearing Adele’s voice among the start of the chaos. Having memorized the numbers she needed to dial, Amaryllis went as fast as she could, ducked underneath of the front desk. She had most of her bright red hair hidden underneath the white cap that was upon her head, held up by a few pins.

She had called Hollowood, reaching out to Rat_Smiley, Linval, LordAlucard. She made sure to keep her words clear and straight to the point, not wanting to waste time on the phone as there were other things to get done. "Durdens attacking the hospital, Godmother needs you. Now."

Looking into the book where all of the people staying in the hospital were room, the young woman grabbed the page that listed where Neil was staying, carefully ripping it from the section and making the book look like nothing was missing from it as she folded the paper and slipped it into her bra. Carefully peeking out from behind the desk she took note of where everyone was. It looked like a lot of the men were busy fighting with the guards on this floor, there was blood and dead bodies on the ground, parts of the wall and floors blackened with the soot from the explosion.

It was a lot to take in if one were to have been thrown into the deep end of the mafia life, this was definitely it and Amaryllis could only feel that she was way in over her head. Glancing towards the back of the building, she did her best to sneak off into the staircase. She had no idea where it was going to leave her at on the floor but she was going to have to take her chances. 

Turning the corner, she noticed a man at the other end, startling herself as she flung herself back around the corner, her heart racing as she didn't know who said man was at the end of the hallway. She glanced around her hiding spot looking for something to defend herself with. Her hands shaking slightly as she grabbed part of the fire extinguisher, her fingers clenching around part of it so she could try to pull it and swing it at any danger that could come around the corner. Her adrenaline was coursing quickly through her veins as she could hear her heartbeat racing in her ears. This was something she never thought she'd find herself in, but here she was, terrified and way over her head.

"Away from the windows!"  She snapped at Erich despite not him not being able to understand her.  Bella cursed herself for leaving her guns at home.  She pulled her knife but knew she was living the cliche of bringing a knife to an actual gunfight.  In her defense though, a hitman coming for her should have been a little thing. This shouldn't have been a full-on assault by Durden's LHM against her and her crew.  She shouldn't have had to fight her way through a fucking army just to see her god-damned-bodyguard.

"I'm the target.  We're locking ourselves in and we don't have a gun between us... Neil will die this way and so will we.  We can't barricade ourselves in, we won't last.  We need to find a way out.  We need to escape before those men make it up to those stairs.  There must be a back way out or a fire escape.  ANYTHING!  If we stay in here, we're sitting ducks."

Bella made her way to Adele, thinking she had to explain herself further - to convince her.  Only then did it occur to her...

I'm the Godmother. 

I'm the one making the plans, the one responsible, the one who's in charge and this is my call

...oh shit.  

"Open the damn door.  We're getting the fuck out of here."

Eirch watched as the Gott Mutter moved around the room and yelled orders to the two of them. He, in turn looked to his sister who shouted, very simply, that they were leaving. Erich had no choice, so he shrugged, and pushed the cabinet out of the way barreling out into the hallway, he could still hear the gunfire coming from downstairs. It was getting further into the building. That meant the other men who were with the Gott Mutter were managing to hold them off, but not for long. He winced for a second at the thought of the poor redhead alone dealing with her own version of hell. He would miss Amy, he liked her, and her cat was cute. He shook that thought away as he made his way toward an exit sign at the back of the building.

Just as he was approaching the end of the hall, a man rounded the corner, a very large man, with a scar on his face matching the description of the person who had done this to Neil.

"Kommen Sie, um den Job zu beenden, richtig? Dann lass uns verdammt noch mal kämpfen, du riesiger Arsch."

A brave face might buy his sister and the Gott Mutter enough time to find another staircase.

When the door opened Will knew it was time to make his move. He tucked his hand into his jacket to the grip of his shotgun and began to walk forward only to be blocked by a man who rivaled his own size. The big guy seemed to take stock of him for a moment before speaking in another language and Will was about to pull his weapon, but something clicked and he hesitated. Somehow, in the back of his mind the words made a sort of sense.

The man recognized him and had said something about starting a fight. How the hell had he known that? The man wasn't even speaking English, it was...

German. It was German. Will had no idea why he knew that but somehow he did.

He must have heard about what happened with the guard back in the streets and now the man was challenging him to a fight, but if that was the case then why wasn't he swinging? Maybe the man didn't understand the scope of what he was coming to do. If so, then perhaps there was an easier way forward than telegraphing the gunfire to the people sure to follow.

The words bubbled up to the forefront of Will's mind even as he drew his empty hand back out of his jacket and held both hands up in a placating gesture. Some things escaped him but enough came to try to speak to the man.

"Die...um...guard...interessiert mich nicht, er hat, the uh, the fight, begonnen, als er mich mit einer...damn it...gun...bedroht hat, weil ich mit Connie zusammen war."

A moment more to gather his thoughts and he added one more thing. The most important one.

"Bewegung. Ich will nur den Drachen"

Adele- was following the Godmother out the door so that one twin was in front and one was behind.  As she was the covering their rear she immediately took note of Amy at the other end of the hallway.  Relief temporarily flooded her to see the young woman still alive.  The moment was short lived when the party came to an abrupt halt and she heard her brother talking in German to someone about fighting.  Pushing past the Godmother she made herself a human shield beside her brother.  She kept her gun at her side to try and not escalate things.  Obviously this man seemed to not want trouble if he could avoid it.

"I am afraidt we can not do zat.  Now please shtep aside andt let us pass."

Gavin and Aurora drove down the road toward the hospital just in time to see a large man driving away quickly. Aurora turned in her seat, squinting.

"Wait. Was that-"

"Yes. Yes it was."

Gavin accelerated, and they moved through the long road leading up to the entrance, where two black sedans were sitting with their doors ajar. Gavin always drove with his window down, and the sound of gunshots, the smattering of frightened people running in each direction, and Robert Paulson's involvement made the situation pretty clear. Gavin spoke to his daughter as he saw her loading her guns: a pair of M1911's with ivory handles. He couldn't see the fishes on them, but he knew they were there. He nodded at her as he loaded his own 1911. 

"I'm taking point on this one. I'm not going to lock you the car, because I know you'd just follow me anyway. But you are cautious. Agreed?"

There was no room in Gavin's eyes for disagreement. Aurora nodded. It was the best she was going to get.

The two Byrnes crouched down as they exited the car and made their way to the entrance. They could still hear the gunshots, and they could see bodies in the main lobby, which was covered in broken glass. Stepping over a file cabinet along the entrance, Gavin and Aurora made their way toward the gunshots with their guns at the ready. 

The random gunfire from the Durdens benefited them greatly, as Gavin and Aurora's own shooting blended in with it. In the first hallway, two men were standing guard; Gavin was around the corner first and he shot them before either could raise their guns. He took point as they moved through the halls; Aurora followed behind him at an angle, occasionally checking behind them, as they both swept their guns through their field of vision. Hearing rustling in a medical closet, Gavin went in first. He shot one before another charged him, knocking him back into a filing cabinet. As Gavin struggled in close quarters with that one, Aurora took down the man who was deepest inside. Gavin struggled to gain separation from the last one, unwilling to release his grip on the other man's gun. As they struggled, Aurora calmly lined up a shot and pulled the trigger, dropping the Durden and smiling at her father. Gavin just stared at her for a moment, breathing slightly heavy before nodding and continuing on.

The largest group of them, it seemed, had pushed their way through the hospital in the direction of the Intensive Care Unit- presumably where Neil, Bella, and anyone else would be. The seven Durdens walked down the highway in one wide line to avoid getting in each other's field of fire. None of them, however,  expected an attack from behind. Gavin glanced around the corner to see them, grimacing at the strange sensation in his left arm. Ignoring it, he scanned the hallway. He and Aurora were looking down the same hall from different corners, and he heard her speak quietly to him.

"I start left, you start right. We'll race for the one in the middle."

The next few seconds seemed to proceed in slow motion for Gavin. Ignoring the nagging pain in his arm, he looked at the Durdens. It was a fair plan, and shooting seven men in the back would be easy. Then he saw a Durden glance up at one of the mirrors that were so common in hospital hallways to ensure orderlies pushing patients didn't collide with each other. As one of the Durdens shouted and started to turn, Gavin was already moving toward his daughter.

He pushed her back away from the hall as gunfire exploded around them; moving awkwardly, unwilling to knock Aurora over or land with his full weight on her, Gavin crashed to the ground and got up slowly. Shaking it off, he led Aurora further down the hall. 

"Mirrors! Up top!"

Gavin pointed to them with his gun. Aurora nodded as her father kept speaking.

"I'm going to sneak around! When you hear me shoot, you take as many as you safely can! Then you're getting the fuck out! No discussion! Go get the sniper rifle in the trunk, but stay out of here! Too risky!"

He looked at her again and Aurora stared back for a moment before nodding. Gavin saw one of her guns subconsciously drop to rest near her stomach, but he didn't draw attention to it. He wasn't even sure if she knew. With a farewell nod, he headed off to the side to flank them. 

Aurora waited as the gunshots continued to strike the corner of her hallway. She waited patiently until she heard surprised shouting. Giving the Durdens a second to swing their guns around at the new threat her father presented, Aurora leaned into the hallway with both guns and emptied her clips. She saw at least three or four of them go down before she was empty. With one of them noticing her, Aurora moved back toward the way they'd come in, reloading as she went. She could hear the gunfire behind her as her father attacked once again, but all she could do now was hope. 

Hope... and set up somewhere with the sniper rifle.

Bella heard german responding to Erich and then Adele was rushing past her.  The voice tickled her memory but she could not understand the words.  For a moment she was frozen, holding her breath, and then as Adele told the man to step aside.  She passed behind Adele first catching only a brief glimpse of the man in the space before her and then again as she came to look at him from between Adele- and Erich.  The German twins towered above her creating a nearly perfect cover and she found it hard to see him at all... but see him she finally did.  

He was older.  That was the first thing that hit her and it hit her the hardest.  Such a strange thing to be bothered by, that time would change a man.  And yet, death had frozen him in her mind in a state of perfection.  He'd fallen at the peak of his prowess, at the height of his glory in life, and she'd never imagined him different... not even once.  In an instant, William Bowden was no longer young and strong - but older, shabby, rougher around the edges and not in the way that made girls eager to know him - but sent them running in fear.

That was the next thing that hit her was how he looked at her when their eyes met.  Hate.  Pure, absolute, all-consuming hatred was all that poured off of him in waves.  He hadn't spoken, but she could see it there and as long as she'd lived in this thing of theirs, Bella knew the look of murder in a man's eyes.  Whatever love they'd once shared, at least for Will's part, seemed to be long dead and forgotten.  Were it not for a healthy fear of a man with a gun wanting her dead, she might have allowed herself to acknowledge the ache in her chest at the total loss of him.  It was a very old ache, an old memory of a pain she'd shelved and tried to leave in the past - an ache caused by another man come back from the grave who came back different too.

Elias had hated her after coming back to find what had become of her life, of how she'd kept living without him.  Did William also come to hate her for living when he was thought dead?  What part had made him hate her so?  Gavin? 

No. 

He'd accepted that, even moved on with Tara.  The son she shared with him?  It seemed possible, but why after all he'd known her to have endured and how much she wanted to give Gavin sons.

No.

She had only ever let William down once, aside from being unable to give herself to two men in equal measure, and that had been the day he'd 'died.'  She stared at his scars, horrible things that hadn't been managed well by a doctor with good hands or talent.  She put them as near to the places that Gavin had vaguely described to her in hushed whispers at the hospital while Tara recovered from the burning of the pier.  The first and only time they'd ever discussed what a horror he'd come upon that dark winter day.  She could not make him speak of it again, and she could not bear to hear it if she was honest. 

Yet the worst revelation of them all, more than his hatred of her, was the soft barely noticeable blue hue to his skin and lips.  She'd seen that look many times before.  She was well acquainted with what it meant & what he was doing to himself & the agony he was clearly in.  It could have been the reason for this, for all of it, Durden plying him with drugs and forcing him to do this thing.

She swallowed the lump in her throat.  Instinct told her to flee, but this was William Bowden and he hadn't gone to Heaven when he died as she thought - instead he'd gone straight to Hell.  And just as she'd done for Elias, she was willing to jump into that shit show to pull him out, heedless to the danger it put her into.  The Durdens would be on them in minutes, she could hear them still shooting downstairs.  Every instant spent talking was one less she had to run for her life.  She might well be damning them all... but she could not walk away from him again.  She'd promised him she'd come back and while 10 years later than she meant to be, she was here now.

She took a deep breath, her voice wavering with contradictory emotions that had nearly destroyed a younger Isabella Luciano when faced with them, "Hello, Will."

Will looked at the woman who had pushed her way alongside the muscled thug in front. If not for the gun she'd hardly seem to be a threat, however taken together with the other German they'd be a dangerous pair. She hadn't raised her weapon yet which was good, but hadn't put it away either.

"I'm not moving unless it's with the Dragon. So we can either work something out or we can wait for the fellas from the other side of the building. They don't sound like they'll be as friendly as me though."

Will's hands gestured as he spoke and once he stopped he crossed his arms across his chest. Under his arms, his right hand toyed with the clasp holding his gun inside his jacket. Somehow he suspected this would go south quickly and when it did he had to be ready to draw first. The woman would have to be the first target, as much as he would have preferred the opposite. A handgun was far more dangerous in a brawl than a big German fellow. He'd be on the defensive and need to turn around the big man's momentum, and plans started formulating for how it might go.

Then everything changed.

Between the twins Will locked his gaze onto eyes filled with fire and death, fearlessness and determination, and briefly felt his heart flutter. If he didn't know the kind of creature he was dealing with he would have sworn that in that moment those eyes softened just a bit, but if they did it was almost certainly a trap for him to fall into. All his work and training led up to this moment when the Dragon stood before him and he wasn't about to let sentimentalism raise doubt and jeopardize his mission.

His face screwed up into a snarl to hear his name on her lips in that trembling tone of voice. Did she really think that he would crumble in pity after what he'd been through? After what she'd put him through?

"Hello Dragon. I'm surprised you even remember me. Most people don't think much of the things they leave floating in the river."

Will broke from the eyes he'd locked on to and turned his attention back to the two Germans.

"You ought to know what kind of woman you're working for. Maybe if you ask nice she'll tell you about her Christmas present to me, though you might just get a clue by looking at me. It might make you reconsider where you're standing."

Once more he forced himself to look into the Devil's eyes and stand strong. His own anger was bubbling up and threatening to break his composure. He felt the clasp on his gun snapping free and the smooth wood of the stock in his palm cried out to be put the use it was built for. Instead a cruel smile spread across his face as he looked at the woman he knew was to blame for his suffering. The woman who'd taken away everything he was and left him with a hollow hole filled with drugs, and blood, and the hunt.

"How exactly do you want this to go down, Dragon?"

Bella thought about the sound of guns closing in. 

She thought more about William and the memories of the past were unkind at that moment.  Her guilt, like that which she felt when Elias had fallen into Garret's hands, was immense but unlike in her youth - she would not succumb to it.  She would not be broken by things which were NOT of her doing. 

Will clearly thought she'd abandoned him, but no... she hadn't.  She did not know he was alive and they had searched for his body, they had!  She would not allow herself to be torn apart by things she did not know, could NOT have known or realistically anticipated, not even by people stronger and smarter than her.  To do otherwise was an exercise in the worst sort of ego and it always resulted in pain for those she loved.  

Gavin & Will had taught her that.

"I go with you,"  she said dropping Tara's gift back into Adele's pocket, hoping the other woman wouldn't give away her action.  That knife would be proof to Gavin it was Bowden.  She wouldn't just go willingly with anyone and the knife would confirm it.  That knife that should have been at the bottom of Delaware.  

"I die where I choose.  You give me that small concession and the lives of my people, and we'll go straight to the airport.  We'll fly out of this city before my or Mezzo's people can be rallied.  We just... go and we never look back."

She shook her head.

"I'm an old woman now, William.  My children are grown.  They'll be okay.  My best things I have to give this ugly world were given long ago."

She meant that part.  If Will was this mad at her, if he really meant to kill her, and she couldn't change his mind, or buy Gavin time to get to her; the kids would be okay.  They were the best things she had given to this world and now, everything she did now, was purely for her own ego and to leave something of a legacy.  The young people of this crew meant more to her than she could possibly mean to them - they did not see the world as she did.  Gavin was right... they were, after a fashion, her children too.  She'd accepted that burden and she had to protect them. 

She took her hand back out of Adele's pocket slowly, the other woman seemed to not have noticed her actions.

"Unlike me, you've never broken your word, so far as I know, so if you give it to me now I'll tell these young people to stand down.  We'll leave without anyone needing to get hurt.  They can go out the fire escape and you have three fewer souls to justify to St. Peter, but I require your word.  You don't give it... and you'll end up having to shoot me.  The worst part is you take the chance I get the best medical care my money can buy just moments later and I survive in spite of all your efforts.  Regardless of how my fate plays out... we both know what happens to you the moment you squeeze that trigger."

She lifted her chin.

"Your friends are getting closer.  It's your call, Golden Boy.  You want to roll the dice I don't have it in these old bones to survive just one more bullet with doctors right here on hand to save me... or you want to have your revenge even if it is on my terms?"

She was glancing around, noticing the mirror that was hanging up in the corner. A mirror that, she realized, was showing where she was standing. Well fuck. She had thought she was hidden around this corner, but that was definitely not the case. Her grip was still tight on the fire extinguisher, she had thought about trying to knock out the man that was standing by the Godmother. She was supposed to help protect this woman, but this was definitely way out of her comfort zone.

That's when she heard the shouts coming up the stairs, something she had just about forgotten. Not taking time to wait and see who exactly was coming up the stairs before she used all the strength she had to pick up the heavy object and chuck it with as much effort as she could down the steps, hearing a few people call out as the sounds of them falling back down the stairs. Hurrying up and closing the door, Amaryllis looked for anything that could block the door off, calling out in a somewhat panicked voice.

"You guys might want to hurry up! We have company!!!" She wasn't even really sure what to do in a situation like this besides using what was in this hallway to block the door, trying to stay away from the windows still.

Damn her and damn that smug ultimatum. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place with death coming from all sides and even now she was trying to assert control. Did she not see how much damage he could cause in an instant to these kids? Or if he were to let loose towards the room they'd come from? Still, he hadn't ever had a reason to lash out at any of the others. They were just doing what they were told like good soldiers. It was never the soldiers who really decided the crimes they'd commit but their general.

Thoughts and doubts raced through Will's head as he tried to decide. It could be a ploy to buy time for a rescue or to lure him into a vulnerable position where she could turn the tables. The airports would almost certainly have people on her payroll waiting and willing to sacrifice for her and that could be a problem. But again, it wouldn't be hard for him to just pull the trigger and take her with him. At this point it would be a good trade.

"I keep you in my sights the whole way. You try anything tricky, I shoot. You make any sudden moves, I shoot. Any of your folks try anything stupid, I shoot."

To reinforce his point, Will brought his shotgun into clearer view. With a nod he continued.

"You agree to that, and I'll give you my word I won't hurt your soldiers. I've got no grudge against them anyhow. But don't you think for a moment that I don't smell a trap in this whole thing. And don't think for a moment that I've got anything left to lose that I'd trade for what I'm going to get from this. Whatever brats you got may be grown, but any chance I had for a family and a future went out the window with the front of my skull. I never planned on walking away from this."

Will took a deep breath and waited. The last thing he wanted was for the others to arrive and steal away his opportunity to have his revenge. If the Dragon kept her word he'd keep his. It was the least he could do for this trade. He just wished he knew why he felt so hollow the moment he'd heard her call him Golden Boy...

Adele turned her head slightly so that she could see both Will and Erich, softly she translated for her brother what was being said.  She knew this man could speak there language so he would know everything she said.  Carefully she chose her words, "Die Patin hat uns befohlen. Sie willigt ein, mit ihm zu gehen, weil er keinen von uns getötet hat. Er hat diesem Austausch zugestimmt, droht jedoch, die Patin zu erschießen, sollte es irgendwelche Tricks geben oder die Vereinbarung sonst gebrochen werden."

The connection between brother and sister was an intimate one that could only be explained by the fact they were twins.  They knew each other and often times could even sense what the other was thinking.  The war was raging hard within Adele.  On one hand here was yet another mother figure exchanging her life for those of her children.  The parallel with what Adele had experienced in Germany was playing out again before her.  Could she live through that again should the unthinkable happen to the Godmother?

Yet on the other side, she had been given an order by her Godmother.  The Godmother knew this man apparently which is something she did not.  Sometimes a soldier had to just follow orders because they did not have the information to see the whole picture.  It was very likely that the Dragon had a plan.  She always had a plan.  If Adele acted she might unintentionally disrupt her plan without meaning too.

Erich slightly shrugged his shoulders.  The action was a feather that tipped the scales for Adele.  

Her eyes connected with Will and she nodded once.  'We won't do anythink stupidt."

At first, Bella heard Will's words and found herself thinking of Aurelio.  He knew?  How could he know?  How long had he been here and if he knew... why not come out to speak to the young man who had been everything a father would be proud of?  He sounded hurt by not having a child in his life so... maybe he didn't know about Aurelio?  Maybe he...

Whatever brats you got may be grown, 

William Jackson Byrne wasn't born or conceived before William's 'death' on Race Street Pier... but he did know Aurora.  He loved her, dearly.  That girl was as much his pride and joy as Gavin's.  He, Gavin, Tara, and she had been raising her to be the best parts of all of themselves and when Aurora lost Will, and Tara slowly detached from their lives, Aurora had changed.  Bella had seen it and she wept as much for herself as Aurora's pain.

How could he call her a brat?  How could he speak of her as if he didn't know who she was or ...

Just then, her eyes locked on the head wound.

He doesn't remember.

Bella put a hand on Adele's arm, she met her associate's eyes as she passed between her and Erich.  The Godmother's head facing away from Will, she hoped the girl would see the serious expression on her face as meaning the words were more than just platitudes or sappy goodbyes.  That she would understand there was no way in hell that a Godfather walked willingly into death's open arms without a plan to try and survive, no matter how much she loved her people.  She would claw, fight, and kill to prevent her demise if she had to... but first, she had to see to the business of leading and protecting her family. 

"When you next see my husband,"  she paused, considering how to get her meaning across to her Wolf without Will understanding any of it.

"You'll tell him these exact words so he'll know they were mine:  Thanks for the memories. I love you."

She patted the girl's arm, her eyes softening only a moment as she worried for the young woman who had been through so much already coming to the states and now with the crew.  "Now go, get them out the fire escape, and find someplace to lay low." 

She prayed Gavin would hear the messages and clues hidden within what would probably sound like a final farewell to anyone but a member of the Byrne Family. Turning to face William Bowden for the first time in nearly twelve long years, she felt a knot tighten in her gut.

I Love You, was always the same.  It was goodbye.  It was a reminder she did love Gavin, and it was a warning.  If she didn't find her way back to him, if he came for her, he would be suitably warned that this wasn't their William.  He was dangerous.  No.  Not dangerous, he was deadly.  If she didn't come home to him and Gavin came hunting him, then shouldn't come looking for a brother - but a fellow hunter with nothing left to lose.

Thanks for the memories though... he might take that a number of ways.  He might solve the riddle that, combined with the plane's destination of Detroit, pointed to her house in Port Huron, that location full of trinkets and memories of her life.  Of course, just as likely he might mistake it to mean a memory of a place they shared in common like Garret's home or The Ivory Tower. 

He might think it part of a farewell if he didn't know her well enough to surmise she wouldn't waste her words on something like that.  If she was saying a genuine goodbye she'd at least have the decency to quip at him something to make him smile.  This was... dull.  But purposeful.  His instincts were good.  He might get it.  He MIGHT also puzzle out what she'd only realized now.  Will had lost some of his memories and now what had first been decidedly a trip to take him and revisit good times and talk him out of this madness... was now to serve a much more powerful purpose.  

Was it the morphine that had addled his mind?  Or the injury?  Or both?  Bella couldn't know for sure but as dangerous as it might be to help him stumbling down memory lane... she knew it might be her best/last resort with him.  She'd talk to him every step of the way but... if they made it all the way to their destination the revelations in the room at the top left of the stairs MIGHT be enough to buy her real time to find a way to survive this... or to save William from himself as he'd once helped to save her.

Certain her people had a shot, something they wouldn't have had otherwise, she stepped forward three steps, and paused just in arms reach of the man she thought she'd never see again.  Staring at his gun she found herself in a strange position of being afraid of a man whom she'd always felt completely and utterly safe before.  

"Alright, Mr. Bowden,"  she said coolly, looking up to meet his eyes.  "It seems I'm finally all yours."

There was something strange in the silence after prolonged gunfire, as one's ears recovered from the trauma and fought to return to normal. As Gavin looked down at the body of the last of the seven Durdens, he couldn't hear shooting anywhere else in the hospital. Assuming that Neil would be in the ICU or its recovery area, he followed the signs as quickly as he could. 

Will felt joy bubble up through him at the Dragon's acceptance. He'd never expected the capture to go so well, particularly with a crowd like this. Perhaps they would proceed on her terms but he was the one who would determine the ending if it was the last thing he did.

At her words, his heart raced and he felt the flutter again. This time he was certain that something else was at play here. Certainly there was a deep satisfaction at the sense of imminent retribution here, but that wasn't enough to explain the feeling. Had there once been something more between the two of them? If so, it certainly could explain the disappearance of a man in the river when another man wore her ring.

Even then, it would only be a more keenly felt betrayal for what might have once been shared. Turning on a business partner was bad enough, but if it was deeper then she'd deserve everything he would have in store for her and more. The thought almost made him wish he could see the look on the Wolf's face in this moment.

Regardless, the path was set. Will took hold of the Dragon's shoulder with his free hand and turned her to face the associates and act as a barrier between them and himself. Then he placed the sawed off end of the shotgun to her torso.

"Let's make the best of it then. Move."

He began to back her away from them with his prisoner in tow, intending to build space before he turned and fled in honest. He had no intention of allowing the big German to repeat the mistakes of the man lying in a hospital bed on the other side of the wall. They'd given their word not to interfere, but truth be told he had long ago learned that the word of a mafioso was a flexible thing. Soon enough they'd all learn that lesson just as much as he had. In a way he pitied them for that.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry the rest of you got caught up in this."

Once they'd backed up to the stairs, Will turned his captive and moved to follow her down, his weapon still close at her back.

"Let's go find out the last place you want to visit, shall we?"

Then they'd make sure it was the last. And then...

What would he do then? Revenge had been all that he had left and now he was on the precipice of success. Once it was gone what was there for him in this world?

Will took a steadying breath and shook away the thought. First thing was first. The future could wait its turn. For now he followed the Dragon of Race St. one step at a time down the stairs and out of view of the associates.

At the bottom of the stairs the hallway stretched out before them devoid of movement. The other Durdens must be making their way up to the associates even now. The young folks seemed like a smart bunch though. They'd take cover and probably only face minimal casualties dealing with the morons from the front assault.

"Will your plane be fueled up and ready to fly or do I need to get you to a phone first?"

The words carried a bitter tone, but the concern was a real one. If the plane would take time then it could cause problems he wasn't eager to deal with. He kept Isabella walking towards the front exit even as he waited for an answer.

But the answer was cut off by a sudden flash of white light and pain as he felt something smash into his head and his balance was momentarily scrambled.

Someone was doing something stupid after all.

Adele waited a brief moment once she lost the visual on Will.  She had every intention of following, but she could not afford to let him see her doing so.  Chaos was ensuing and in chaos things had a way of changing.  She wanted to be as near to the Godmother as she possibly could be should the situation evolve to something more favorable for them. 

She realized that the shooting had stopped down stairs and she called out to Amy, "Gather what is left of the bodyguards and get out of here."  She wanted to tell the woman more.  Like call ahead to the airport. Or call to some of their corrupt agents to create traffic jams.  Anything to slow down their ability to move.  Though without the cover of the gun fire she was afraid that Will might hear those things.  Instead she spoke softly to her brother.

"Ich folge. Kommst du?"

She would not hide this time.  This time she planned to fight for what was hers.  She refused to let anyone take away another person she cared for in this life.  Without waiting for her brother's reply, for she knew what it was going to be, she quickly started for the stairwell.

Gavin moved like a shadow through the hallways of the hospital; reaching a stairwell, he froze as he heard voices and the closing of a door above him. He retreated to one of the patient rooms, turning off the lights and hiding against the wall, placing himself in a position where he'd be impossible to spot from the direction the voices would be approaching from. 

He saw Bella walking first and relaxed momentarily before he saw the gun pointed at her. His ice blue eyes narrowed as he studied his opponent, then widened in shock as he saw the side of the man's face flash by for only a moment. 

It- that- no. 

Not a ghost. Someone was fucking with the Byrnes. It wasn't him. Will died. He'd seen the body, and Tara wasn't prone to overreaction. No, someone was using Will's memory to fuck with Bella. And it had to be Durden; all the other enemies were dead.

Gavin's face was a snarl as he exited the room, silently stalking the man who held his wife at gunpoint. 

"Will your plane be fueled up and ready to fly or do I need to get you to a phone first?"

It even sounded a bit like Will. Gavin forcibly controlled his breathing; "Will" and Bella were close to the front exit. For a moment, Gavin wondered if Aurora was set up with her rifle outside. This was where their car was, after all. 

Still, in his surprise, Gavin had nearly allowed his target to exit. Giving himself entirely over to the fight, Gavin moved like a cat through the debris and scattered bodies. When he was within range, he leaped, approaching over his target's right shoulder.

His first priority was the gun, of course; his right arm grabbed it and pointed it toward the ceiling as his left fist impacted the back of his opponent's head. The shotgun roared an instant after Gavin redirected it, either through intention or reflex; Gavin suspected that if he'd only punched the man without worrying about the shotgun, the blast would have hit Bella's back. 

With a rage that served as an anesthetic for his accumulated minor injuries, Gavin pointed his gun at his opponent's face and kicked him backwards to get a clear shot.

Two between the eyes, and this business would be over.

Propelled backwards from Gavin, the larger man reached out as he stumbled back and managed to grab the barrel of the gun, twisting it away from Gavin and trying to turn use it himself. A flurry of blows disarmed the man again, but in the process of doing so Gavin took a hard cross to the jaw.

Separated by a few paces and with no gun in sight, both men breathed heavily. Gavin had a strange sense of deja vu as it seemed like Bella was about to say something, but the snarl emerged on his face again.

"Gavin, wait-"

Already in motion, even Bella's voice couldn't stop him. He launched himself at "William Bowden", and the collision drove them both outside into the parking lot. 

Glaring, the two men faced each other. For a fleeting moment, Gavin hoped Bella would remember to pick up his gun, but as the larger man moved toward him, Gavin found himself too busy for anything other than survival. 

Dead Durdens.  Lots of them.  So many more than she expected.  Who could do this?  She examined the handy work as she passed them by.  Whoever it was, they were professionals. None of them appeared to be gangsters she knew from Philly.  Had some of her crew arrived?  Was this Mezzo's people?  Apple?  

Bella felt the gun come off her gut and she rolled away instantly.  She'd not put in the time with Gavin that Aurora had, but she damn well knew an opening when she felt one and she wasn't going to hesitate to seize it.  Looking back she expected to see Erich, the girls or maybe even Linval back from Hollowood already... but instead, her brain missed a step as she processed the sight of her husband fresh back from Iceland.  He'd come for her!  Bella's heart lept only to instantly plummet through the floorboards.

Gavin?  Oh God!  OH SHIT!

She winced as the rifle shot the ceiling.  Bella shielded her head from falling debris and pulled away from the fray.

Gavin had his gun out and pointed at William so fast that Bella hadn't had even a heartbeat to think of what to say.  He kicked Will away and, instead of words, the sound emitted from her was just a sound.  It was a strangled scream of anguish and terror if it could be called anything human at all.  The wolf didn't make mistakes, he didn't miss his mark and in that instant, she was sure Gavin was about to well and truly end the man he called brother, a man she prayed a thousand times would come back to her.

Will had ahold of Gavin's gun then.  Bella couldn't think, she couldn't move.  She was in New York again, twenty-some years ago.  Men and women - animals, screaming for blood and flesh, gnashing their teeth and screaming their drunken gluttonous yearning for pain.  She could no more rush in to stop this than she could stop Durden from beating Will that night.  Helpless she watched as they struggled and Gavin's gun went flying off to the side.

Bella did the only thing she could think to do, she sprinted for the gun.

They began exchanging crushing blows that shook Bella's skeleton inside her skin.  She could feel each one as if both men were hitting her and it was suddenly as if no time had passed at all.  She was a young girl again.  Stupid.  Suicidal.  All her life ahead of her and feeling like the world was burning all around her.  The dead were walking again, her heart was torn in pieces.  She watched the man who was her breath and reason for living give everything he had in an effort to kill William Bowden a man whom she'd come to accept she'd once loved - her best friend in all the world, EVERYTHING about this was wrong!  As she watched them, gun held tight in her trembling hands, she was carried away on the hopeless wreckage of her heart.

As they separated and silence reigned a moment, she dared to hope to stop them, she started to speak, "Gavin, wait,"  but neither man was having it.  Gavin charged Will.  That had only been Round One of the greatest rematch in history that no one knew they'd ever see:  Bowden v. Byrne.  The memory of a bell ringing called them back into their bloodsport and she could almost imagine Jack Mezzo's voice above the roaring crowd in Purgatory as she chased after them out the front doors still trying to make her husband hear and understand.

Aurora narrowed her eyes and lowered her face to the rifle which rested comfortably in her grip, propped up by her elbow.  She tried to keep her breathing steady as she watched her father and another man fall through the front doors locked in combat.  Carefully she adjusted herself and tried to put the other man into her crosshairs.  

Behind them, she could see her mother come running out the doors screaming something she couldn't make out at this distance.  Aurora watched her mother wince as her father took a nasty punch to the gut, a solid body blow by a man who clearly knew how the fuck to square himself for maximum impact power.  She was impressed.  She hadn't seen a man throw a punch like that in years.  Damn shame she was going to paint the parking lot with this guys brains... he might have made her a bit of money in the ring. 

Aurora took a breath and whispered, "Just get him still for me, Dad... I only need a moment."

Her mom danced on the edge of her shot and she kept screaming about something.  Aurora tried to ignore her, but something tugged on her, maybe it was the tone of those screams?  She couldn't make out the words but there was something about how she was saying whatever it was she needed to say and it called out to a part of her she couldn't ignore.  For a moment she looked to her mother.

Bella was frantic.  The Dragon wasn't a force of fury as she had expected she might be with her husband engaged in a battle for his life, she looked more lost than she'd ever seen the woman.  She had a gun in her hand but it might as well have been a towel for all the agency it seemed to afford the Godmother.

Aurora turned her rifle on her mother and looked down the scope at her.  Able to see her mother's mouth now, she listened to the distant screams and suddenly the unintelligible became understandable.

Neither man had the advantage and all Bella felt she could do was scream at them, terrified one or the other would win.  There was no scenerio where one was victorious that ended with her happy.  No matter who won, she lost something.  "IT'S HIM!  PLEASE GAVIN!  WILL I'M BEGGING YOU STOP, YOU'LL KILL HIM... GOD NO!"

Aurora pulled back from the scope stunned.

Did she say ... Will?

Aurora turned the gun on her father's attacker again.  And this time, as they turned she found herself looking closer, to know this person.  Looking for the impossible and finding it.  Her breath caught.  All discipline her father had pounded in her for years slipped as her mind rejected what she saw.  Uncle Will was dead and yet...

"YOU'LL KILL HIM PLEASE!  STOP!!!  GAVIN!!!  WILL!!!"

Aurora counted in her head, trying to slow her heart.  If she squeezed this trigger in her current state she could kill any one of them.  She warred inwardly.  If that WAS William Bowden... could she shoot him?  She looked down the scope and watched blood flowing from a cut on her father's face and tensed.

Yes.  She could.  She would.  If it came to it.  

God, if you're really there... if you exist at all... you owe me a solid you stupid fuck.  Don't make it come to that.  Don't make me kill, Uncle Will.