There was a there was a zig zag trail of blood from where Gaius sat, down the hall and into the operating room where only minutes before Will Hayes had entered on a gurney, surrounded by ashen faced doctors. The blood pooled in places where movement had halted and Gaius tried not to think about just how much Will had lost. No matter what he tried to think about, he found himself replaying the last hour in his head, doubting his actions and wondering if Will would live.

It was an unearthly beautiful day in New York, the frigid cold that gripped the city had lessened somewhat and the sun had shone all day, sparkling off of the snow and making even the dirtiest streets gleam with purity. Gaius had spent the entire day running errands, relishing the chance to get out of the office. At lunch he had received a telegram from Don Hayes, asking for a face to face meeting over dinner. Gauis accepted the unexpected invite and finished his work early, making sure to stop by the tailor's on the way to the restaurant.

The meal he and Don Hayes ate was exquisite, but the conversation and chance to pick Will's brain on business matters was what Gaius had truly enjoyed. He was grateful for the opportunities to glean wisdom from his Don and this evening was no exception. The two of them left together, agreeing to meet up again later that evening for drinks and cigars. Will never made it off of the last step. Gunshots exploded around Gaius and Will and as Gaius ducked, he reached for his revolver, hidden in his jacket. Adrenalin pumping through his body, he fired off several rounds at the car the shots had come from. Once it had turned the corner he dropped to one knee, reaching to take Will's pulse. A beefy hand landed on his shoulder but he shook it off. Turning to the bodyguard he waved his gun.

"Don't fuck with me, if you want him to live." The bodyguard backed away and Gaius saw Will's eyes flicker open.

"G-ginger Ale." Bloody flecks spattered across Will's chin as he tried to speak.

"Don't worry about her sir, I'll make sure she's safe." Gaius looked up at the driver of Will's car and nodded. The driver and another bodyguard helped Gaius move Will into the back of his car, then Gaius got in, pressing his dinner jacket to the wound in Will's abdomen. "Get us to the hospital as fast as you can. Drive like the devil is after you."

On the nerve shattering drive, Gaius found himself doing something he had avoided since childhood. He prayed. Even though he knew the driver was pushing the car beyond it's limits, he still bellowed at the man. "Move it God dammit!" The driver never said a word, merely ramming his foot down harder on the accelerator.

When the car stopped, there was already a team of doctors ready with a gurney and a glass bottle of blood prepped for an IV. Gaius helped the orderlies get Will onto the gurney and then let his hands drop helplessly to his sides as the doctors began their work. Even the trip into the operating room was unnerving, due to the stops they made to clear Will's airway of blood. Once the the doors to the surgical suite swung shut in front of him, Gaius knew there was nothing left to do but wait.

Now he sat and stared at the blood drops, waiting for news, any news. He was dimly aware of others doors opening and closing, footsteps coming and going and vaguely recognized a few of the voices he heard. But nothing took his attention from the double doors he hoped would open soon.

When the doors did open, he leapt to his feet, not waiting for the doctor to talk to him. He pushed past the man, and walked towards the surgical suite. The doctor protested, but Gaius couldn't wait another minute. What he saw through the chicken wire inlaid window made him feel like someone had punched a hole through his chest. Bloody gauze and wads of cotton littered the floor and on the table, covered in a stained green sheet was the man Gaius owed his life to.

"No." He whispered in a choked voice. "God dammit! NO!" He punched the wall next to the door and didn't even feel the pain of his knuckles and wrist breaking.

"I'm sorry son." The doctor reached to touch Gaius but the younger man pushed him away. he knew if he didn't get away from the doctor immediately, he would injure the man. With a bellow of rage, he turned and ran back out the double doors, down the hall and outside, finally stopping when he tripped, falling to his knees, his broken wrist buckling under his weight. He crumpled to the icy ground and screamed.





Warmth, darkness, quiet. Gaius opened his eyes slowly, but everything remained dark. As his eyes adjusted to the low light he made out shapes around the room and fumbled to the right, bumping his hand against a lamp. He would have turned the light on but a shock of pain zipped up his arm and into his shoulder, causing him to sit up. The room swirled and he took a shuddering breath, trying to calm his head and his stomach. Reaching over with his left hand he clicked on the lamp and winced, the brightness hurting his eyes. He looked down at his arm and saw a cast that extended below his elbow and over his hand. His fingers were a reddish purple and looked swollen. What the hell had happened? And where the hell was he?

A suit his size was hanging on the back of the door and he took it down, cursing the fact that it took him nearly three times as long to get dressed in just his pants and shirt. The pain in his arm was so bad he decided not to try putting on socks or a belt, finally opening the door to the hall. He stared down the long marble walk way and cursed.

"Madon. I'm in the Godfather's house." Looking both ways he stepped out into the hallway and carefully made his way down the stairs. The smell of fresh coffee made his stomach growl, so he followed the smell into a well stocked kitchen. A bowl of scrambled eggs, a plate of sliced fruit and a pan of cinnamon rolls all looked incredibly inviting to him, but he was called up short by the sight of the Godfather sitting in a bathrobe, reading the early edition of the newspaper.

"Gaius, glad to see you're awake. Come on in son, sit down and eat. The doctor said I was to make sure you ate as soon as you came to." Deimne smiled warmly and reached to pour a cup of coffee. The surreality of the entire situation caught Gaius off guard and his knees buckled. Deimne looked up sharply and motioned for Gaius to sit. "You need to get your strengt-"

"Why aren't you out there?" The words barely made it out of Gaius' mouth, his throat was so constricted in rage. "Why aren't you avenging Will?" Furious tears blurred his vision as he stumbled over to the table. The pain in his arm had been overtaken by another in his leg. Strong arms wrapped around Gauis' shoulders and guided him into a chair.

"Will has been avenged Gaius. That was the first thing I did. Then I came to the hospital to see how you were doing. Good thing I did, or you would have bled to death out in the parking lot."

Gaius looked down at his wrist, dimly remembering hitting the wall.

"You can't bleed to death from a broken wrist Godfather." While Gaius was hardly one to offer correction to Deimne, this seemed like an obviously enough fact to recite. Gaius was shocked when Deimne laughed. The puzzled expression on his face sobered Deimne up however and the Godfather looked concerned.

"You must have not known." He said softy.

"Known what?" Gaius felt another stab of pain, followed by a rumbling of hunger and willingly accepted the plate of food Deimne offered him.

"You were shot in the leg. The bodyguards think it happened when you went to push Will out of the way. The entire time you were waiting for Will to come out of surgery, you were bleeding. You were wearing dark pants, shoes and socks, so it wasn't apparent until you stood up and left a puddle of blood in the chair. The doctors tried to stop you from seeing Will, afraid you'd go into shock. That's exactly what happened. You ran out of the hospital, dripping blood on the way out. When you got outside your leg buckled and you fell. I found you face down in the parking lot." Deimne shook his head. "I was afraid I might have lost both of you."

Gaius nodded, unsure what to say. Finally he took a swig of coffee to wash down the last bite of cinnamon roll and looked up at Deimne.

"How's Ginger Ale?"

Deimne's smile was sad.

"She's been taken out of the country for her own protection. While I feel that we were able to avenge Will properly, I didn't want to take any risks."

"And Sekrit?"

"I gave her auth and she is going to help carry on Will's legacy in New York."

"And me? What do I do? How do I fit in now?"

"You go on as you always have. As a fire that burns bright and hot, fed by the sparks of those around you. Will was one of your inspirations right?"

Gaius nodded, a surge of pride suddenly sweeping through him.

"Then live for his memory, carry on his ideals and make them your own. That's what you need to do. That is how you fit in." Deimne drained his coffee cup and folded the paper. "I need to get ready for the day. You're welcome to stay here or leave if you wish, either way I will have my own personal physician come to check on you. I want you to take it easy. I need you, New York needs you, just as Will needed you."

Gaius gave the Godfather a small smile and a wave, turning over everything he had been told. Even though Don Hayes was dead, Gaius carried with him all of the knowledge Will had imparted. And that alone was enough to make him want to do whatever he could to make Don Haye's legacy a lasting one.