Joe sighed with a smile, wincing a bit after as Sonya tended to a small bruise on his arm

He had been performing significantly better in these past few days than he had in most of his matches. He had won a few this past week! He wasn't sure how much of an accomplishment it was winning against the lakes of Gabby Jay or Piston Hurricane, but he was proud regardless.

Even if he'd lost he'd still be proud. If he had learnt anything from his interactions with past champions, just having the strength to get in the ring was something to be proud of. Even with loss after loss, being strong enough to keep going forward was a big accomplishment. Cheesy as it was, it warmed Joe's heart remembering all those losses. How he never let himself be pulled down after each smack against the canvas, or hospital visit.

Maybe it was some weird stubbornness he has built up within himself. Maybe it was his arrogance that allowed him to get back in every time. Or maybe it was...no...no it wasn't that.

"Merci beaucoup," The man said as he watched the medic do her work. Sonya simply hummed in response, as she finished placing the ice pack on the swollen spot on Joe's face. "Тримай це там," she said bluntly. Joe tilted his head in confusion.

"She wants you to hold it there"

Joe turned his gaze upwards to the large man standing in the doorway. He smiled as Sandman gave a tired smirk in return and made his way over to the bench. "You did well out there," The champion said, standing over the man. Joe couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated by his posture and gave an awkward laugh. Even if he was complimenting him, it still felt so weird seeing him be so...calm

Still, Joe put on a smile and nodded at the man, " Merci, Mason" he said, "I feel like I've improved!" He shot up and tried to flex a muscle, only to wince once again in pain and slunk back into a comfortable position, putting the ice pack on his bruise. He gave an awkward smile as he turned his gaze to the right side of the room. Sandy gave a light chuckle, "You have" he said, "Hurricane didn't stand a chance"

Joe gave a small pout, "Oh, well that's a bit rude, is it not?"

"No I don't think so, it's the truth, you're in Branch A for a reason" Sandman scoffed.

"Branch A isn't different from us...they're ranked the same"

"We're still ranked higher than them in the worldwide ranking"

"Well, even so, thank you," Joe said, pushing himself slowly off the bench. He shook himself off and tried to slowly walk towards the door. "Hey, uh, I think Desire wanted to speak with you about something" Sandman added as he watched the Frenchman break for the door. Joe turned his head to look at the younger boxer with curious and confused eyes. "What does he want?" He asked.

Sandman only shrugged in response. "Dunno," he said bluntly, "Said he was going to meet you in the rec room, or something," The champion said as he shuffled onto the medical bench.

"Alright, have at it Doc," he said, gesturing his arm. Sonya muttered something under her that made the large man laugh. Joe cocked an eyebrow before shrugging with a hum and exiting the Med bay. He waved goodbye to the two as he proceeded down the hallway to the Locker room, where he slipped on a comfortable shirt and nice slippers before proceeding towards the stairwell, leaving only his boxing shoes unchanged. He'd change out of it when he got back to the apartments and put it back in the morning.

As he climbed to the third floor, he couldn't help thinking about what Desire could want from him. In most cases, if the boss wanted to talk to you directly it wasn't always good. However, if Desire wanted to talk to you, it was usually an equal amount of both. You COULD get bad news or you COULD get the most life-changing news of your life! A promotion! Shifting you up a rank! He optimistically hoped it was one of those two.

Something in the back of his head, however, told him that it wouldn't be good. As optimistic as he tried to be, a nagging voice told him he was going to hate whatever he was about to be told. Demoting to the other Branch? As much as he respected him, he wasn't sure how he felt about sharing a locker room with the brother of the man he knocked into retirement.

Qui ne Vaux rien

"Wh...what?" He said to himself, looking around. He couldn't see anyone, but he could feel his hairs standing on end as he ascended.

Qui ne Vaux rien

He quickly turned his head around again. "H-Hello?" He asked, holding his elbows tightly. The voice was the faint whisper of a female, and as it spoke more and more, the culprit became easier and easier to decipher.

"Oh merde" he whispered, grabbing the back of his neck and letting out a loud groan as he continued up the stairs.

Qui ne Vaux rien

"Go away, Mother"

Qui ne Vaux rien

"I said Go away!"

Qui ne Vaux rien

Qui ne Vaux rien

Qui ne Vaux rien

"LEAVE ME BE YOU VILE-"

"JOEY!!"

Joe turned to the top of the stairwell. A door was open, with Disco Kid standing in the frame. "You ok?" The younger man asked, looking at his friend in concern. Joe took a while to process as he looked around frantically, "Oh...I...oui oui" he said softly as he continued up the stairs to the door.

He said nothing as he gently pushed past Disco and onto the third floor of the building, were to his left, was the recreational room. Joe made his way towards the door and pushed it open, inside he was greeted by the clamouring crowd of Boxers and WVBA staff playing games like Ping Pong, Air Hockey, Pool, you name it, it was there. There were couches in the corners, complete with a TV, a gaming area with a WES (Wentendo Entertainment System) and an S-Box, complete with a gorgeous view of New York City at night.

Joe took a deep breath in and sighed with a smile. Entering this room gave him such a content feeling, where he was surrounded by welcoming folks, friends, brothers...family. HIS Family...there was a lot of talk around family lately it seemed. Just a month ago, he was welcoming back the son of an old friend, and now it was as if he was a part of their family all this time.

He had to smile as he saw the younger of Jordan's sons acing his brother in a game of cards, Mac cheering him on the entire time. He looked around the room until he saw, what he called "The Red Squad" (a group composed of all the WVBA's Red-Haired boxers) sitting in the corner of the room. Joe could hear the laughter of Bear Hugger echo throughout the room, followed by light chuckling and Aran acting...cute...

"Bonjour," he greeted, "How are we?"

"Ah, Joseph! Hallo!" Kaiser said, waving and gesturing to the larger man, "Elliot is just on zhe phone to Sophie" he explained. Hugger soon let out another giggle as he looked at his phone. His young daughter, Sophie, was on the other end of the phone, telling her dad about her day at school, and seeing how much he was laughing, it must've been a pretty funny experience.

"...and then, he came up to me and said "I bet my dad could beat your dad," she said. Aran and Hugger both laughed, the former leaning over Kaiser's shoulder and shouting at the phone. "DID'JA TELL 'EM WHO 'E WAS!?" He screamed.

The little girl nodded vigorously, "UH-HUH!"

"Ooh! Vhat did he say?" Kaiser asked. The phone quickly changed from Sophie to an older girl, with short, curly hair and a blue, sleeveless top on. Her face was drawn with a smile as she tried to regain her breath from laughing. "His dad turned bright red and the boy was left babblin' out the door!" She laughed "Ain't that right baby girl?"

"Yes, Aunty Nola!" Sophie said with a singsong voice. Hugger let out a hearty laugh and smiled, "That's my girl!!" He said, proudly.

Joe sighed and rolled his eyes. He didn't mind the talk to family, it wasn't uncommon and honestly, he did find it sweet how each boxer interacted differently with their siblings or children, but hearing comments like that never failed to leave a sour taste in his mouth. Perhaps it was the envious burn he had, always hearing that over "Well done, my boy!", which was such a rare sentence spoken during his youth, it might as well have not existed in the first place. He hated to admit it but he envied the young ones who were still praised by their parents, the ones who were praised by...well anyone!

Parental figures who had come into their lives, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, all of the like...he hadn't gotten that very often. He could recall exactly ONE time where he was told this. It was after his debut match against Bailey Blues. He could vividly remember when the older boxers came around and shook him proudly after, cheered him on, and hugged him. Yes, the match was the first of what was now 100 losses, but that was the motivation he needed to help push him through the many matches to come. It was what pushed him to try so hard in his recent matches.

And yet now and again that little nagging voice returned to remind him he wasn't worth a dime in this industry. As Pathetic as it was to give in to those voices, he did often wonder if they were true...

"Oh! Hey Joe!" Hugger called, finally catching a glimpse of the Frenchman, "Come say Hi to Sophie!" He turned the phone around so the camera was on Joe. The slandering gave a smile and wave as the little girl waved vigorously back, "Hey Uncle Jojo!!" She called. Joe gave a weak smile, "Bonjour mon Cheri" he replied, monotonously.

Just then a murmur was heard on the other side of the phone, followed by Nola making her way to take the phone off of Sophie. "Sorry bro, we gotta scoot" she explained, "Harriet needs my help with something, and y'know how she gets" she joked.

"Hey, cut her some slack, eh?" Hugger said, a little sternly, "She is a mother AND a Lumberjack, she's gonna be sore and tired almost every day"

"Oh it was just a joke, don't get yer skivvies in a twist"

"Not a very funny one"

"What's a funny joke meant to be? Like yer face?"

"Oi, Watch it, young lady"

Aran had to laugh at the back-and-forth banter between the two. Sibling squabbles were always fun to listen in on. Kaiser couldn't relate, but he couldn't help himself and snicker behind a closed palm. "Ah, 'tis the magic of Family, hm?" Aran asked with a smile, Kaiser gave a firm nod and laughed in response. Joe only scoffed at the comment, " Il n'y a pas de magie dans ce mot... ça n'a jamais été" he mumbled under his breath, though not very well as all three men managed to catch it.

As Hugger said goodbye and set his phone down, the attention soon turned to the Frenchman. "What do ya mean there's no magic in that word?" Hugger asked, "And why do ya look so...what's the word...?"

"Fecked in the head?"

"Uh...not exactly but I suppose it'll do..."

"Yeah, the feck is yer problem, lad?" Aran asked, narrowing his eyes at the Frenchman in suspicion. Kaiser looked at his friend in concern, he didn't usually get crabby...well it WAS late so that was probably a factor, but he couldn't help but feel there was more behind it. "Are you okay?" Kaiser asked softly. Joe looked at him with wide eyes before he sighed and turned his gaze to the floor, "I-I'm sorry...it's just...I've been thinking about her again..." He explained.

"Ah," Kaiser and Hugger said in unison, sharing a sympathetic look between each other. Aran on the other hand looked at him in confusion, "Her? Who tha' feck is her?" He asked bluntly. "Ugh, My Mother" Joe groaned, "She's an absolute bitch, no other word for it" he began walking around and flinging his hands. "She treated me as though I was a burden on her! Because I wasn't her precious baby girl, like the rest of them!" He continued, infuriated by the mere mention of her, "I did everything I could to please her, I succeeded in my classes and I helped my family be seen by higher class socialites because that is what she wanted! I did EVERYTHING I could for her and it STILL wasn't enough for her ungrateful...fucking...rrRRAAAGH!! JE LA DETESTE TELLEMENT!!"

As Joe took a few gasps of air, he then noticed the room had dropped dead silent. He turned around to see most of the boxers had turned their attention to him. The Frenchman hurriedly straightened himself up and put his hands, one on top of the other in front of him, giving an awkward laugh before returning his attention to Aran.

"In short...I don't like her anymore...that's why I left" Joe explained, "Cut off all contact with her the second I came to America" Aran nodded slowly as he tried to process the information, "So...what? Ye just stopped talking to yer mum altogether?" He asked. Joe held his elbows and brought his left hand up, cupping his cheek, "I stopped talking to ALL of them" he said bluntly.

"Wait, what?" Hugger asked, tilting his head in confusion, "You never told us that! Y-you only ever said you stopped talking to yer mom-"

"Well, I stopped talking to all of them, ok? It's not that big a deal" Joe said grumpily, "I couldn't take any of them with me so I had to leave them...and I knew if I kept in touch with them I'd have to risk hearing my mother berate the entire time!"

''So ye let them get berated by yer mum instead?" Aran asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaiser shook his head, "I vill admit zhat's pretty low" he said in a low tone. "Oh, shut up!" Joe yelled, "You had a great upbringing, with parents wh-who LOVED you! My father was shunned into silence and my mother couldn't have given two rats' asses if I died in a GAS EXPLOSION!! I had to get out there! I didn't belong there!"

"Oh, zhats your excuse for EVERYTHING!" Kaiser retorted, " Oh mon dieu! I don't belong here! Oh, I don't belong zhere! Mi mi mi mi!"

"Oh, please don't start up again, we dealt with enough of this last month" Hugger groaned, bringing his hands to his head in annoyance. Joe simply scowled in response, "You shut it! You had great parents, you still HAVE great parents! You have no right to be annoyed!"

"We weren't even talkin' about yer parents! We're talking about the fact ye left yer feckin' sisters behind with a banshee! And ye didn't even try to keep in touch with 'em!" Aran yelled, standing up from the couch.

"What I do with my family is NONE of your business!"

"But ye didn't at least TRY to check in with them? Ye immediately just hide away from 'em because yer scared of yer mum!"

"Well...w-well maybe I am! So what!? As I said, what I choose to do with my family is none of your business, Ryan!"

"Oye, Cabron"

The two men turned to see a crowd had formed behind them, it wasn't a big one, but each of the faces was either filled with concern, shock, or, in the case of the teenagers, the excitement of an upstairs brawl.

"WORLDSTAAAR!"

"Shut up, Dean," Disco said as he called to the boy behind him. "What exactly is going on?" Don asked. Joe went to speak, but was sharply cut off by Aran, "This man is a shite brother that's what!"

"I would've taken them with me in a heartbeat!" Joe said, throwing his hands up defensively, "And why are YOU so pissed? You've only just heard about this! You know NOTHING about what went on that day!"

"Vell maybe ve could learn about it later?" Kaiser suggested, "Cause I zhink all of zhis can be explained better of a coffee razher zhen over...vell nozhing" he said, standing in between the two.

Aran snarled at Kaiser in annoyance, before pointing an accusing finger in Joe's face "SHOVE OFF YE FECKIN' TOOL!" HE'S GONNA TELL US 'ERE AND NOW!"

"I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU ANYTHING YOU SALOPE" Joe yelled, straightening himself up to match the Rat's height, his brows furrowed and his teeth grit.

"BOTH OF YOU STOP!" Bull shouted, "You're upsetting Popinsky!!" He said, gesturing to a very uncomfortable Soda, grabbing his elbows tightly. Both men immediately slunk back, and looked at the crowd in worry but also embarrassment. "Mon Dieu... I-I'm sorry, Nicky...I don't mean to start anything..." Joe said before turning to Aran, "And...I don't mean to snap at you, really I don't...it's a sensitive subject for me to talk about-"

"What is?"

The crowd all turned and parted to reveal Desire (pronounced Dez-err-ray) standing behind him, arms behind his back and one eyebrow raised. Joe felt himself freeze as he quickly tried to recollect himself, "Monsieur Desire" he greeted. Desire simply tilted his head in concern, "Is...everything okay? Should I come back later-"

"NO, NO! I-It's okay!" Joe spluttered, 'We can...we can talk now" he leaned backwards to Aran and whispered into his ear, "Look, I'll tell you the rest of what happened later, d'accord?" Aran groaned and nodded, "So long as I don't get hit into a bunch o' ropes again, I'm fine...just don't take ferever" he whispered back.

"Bien" Joe said, frustrated. He quickly dashed through the crowd and made his way alongside Desire. As soon as he left, the crowd slowly dispersed, with Don making his way to Aran with a cocky smile. "Pushing Glass Joe to the edge, Ay Amigo?" he teased. Aran stuck his tongue out in response and growled "I dunno what 'is feckin' problem is, but 'e better tell me when he gets back or we're gonna 'ave an issue" he said, crossing his arms as he watched the Frenchman and Desire make their way to a more private part of the Rec room.

The room had a nice cornered-off section which a corner couch and probably the best view of the entire room, complete with a look at Lady Liberty herself not too far away. It was a nice quiet spot, though Joe would admit it felt a bit eerie. However, he ignored the eerieness and sat down on the couch, hands in front of him, clenched together and placed on his knees. Desire sat down just a few inches away from him, it was only then Joe noticed a small piece of folded paper in Desire's jacket pocket. He couldn't quite make out the words through the paper, but on an exposed corner he could see the Initials "WVBA-LFB" which was short for the World Video Boxing Association-Ligue française de boxe" or the French Boxing League.

This was a direct letter from his home branch, whatever could it mean?

"Joe..." Desire started, "When I started here I read that you specifically requested any mail or contact made from your family was to be disposed of...is this correct?" Joe furrowed his eyebrows in concern, his fists gripped tightly at his boxing shorts, his face drawn in worry. "O-oui...this is true," he said, "I-I can explain why, but I'd rather not-"

"Well, it's not really why I wanted to talk to you," Desire interrupted, leaving the Frenchman confused. Desire then reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the paper, unfolding it to reveal the rest of what was written on it. The man sighed, "You see, Commissioner Jean-Claude got in touch with me regarding this whole family situation and wasn't sure what to do with the information he got just a few days ago...he knew you wanted NOTHING to do with your family but...well just listen,"

He flicked the paper a bit to straighten it out and then proceeded to read what was written, "This is roughly translated by me so pardon if it sounds a bit...off, it was faxed to me not long after your match started," he cleared his throat and began reading.

"To Mr. Joseph Amaury Durand

First of all, congratulations on your successful series of matches, you are the pride of our country-

Blah blah blah, not relevant, blah blah blah- Ah! here we are...

I only wish the rest of this letter carries the same optimism. Last week, on Thursday, your youngest sister, Amélie, aged 32, and her daughter, Belle, aged 16, were caught up in a house fire at the "Villa de Prestige" at La Campagne à Paris. Earlier today, Amélie was pronounced dead, after her burns prevented her from recovering properly. The estate and the assets it contains are now assigned to you. Additionally, a personal statement from Amélie, according to doctors before her death

"May my big brother Joseph be the one who takes care of my Dear Beauty... and keep her safe"

Very sorry for your loss Mr Durand

Have a nice rest of the season

Jean Claude Dupont

Commissaire du WVBA-LFB

Paris, France"

Desire pulled the letter down and looked at the man with a sad expression on his face. Joe simply stared in shock at those words, unable to mutter any words. Tears pricked his eyes as he clasped a hand on his mouth. Desire sighed, "I am...so sorry Joey...I know this is hard for you"

"I just...I can't believe..." Joe stammered in disbelief, he gripped at his hair and turned his gaze to the floor, "No...no she can't... Ce n'est pas bien, ce n'est pas juste ! Elle ne peut pas être... ELLE NE PEUT PAS PARTIR !!" he yelled, his voice coming out choked in the end. He was soon catching the attention of most of the room, in particular, a concerned Gabby Jay who rushed to the man's side and comforted him as Joe sat upright, shaking and confused, tears falling down his cheeks. "Joseph, what happened?" he asked, taking the boy's hand, "Dis-Moi, fils"

Joe ignored the question as he stood up and looked at Desire, 'How could they not tell me this sooner!? I should've been there for her!"

"Ye didn't want ta feckin' talk to 'em, that's why! Ya eejit!" Aran said, crossing his arms with a smug look on his face. He seemed quite amused with himself, though no one else seemed to be. Joe simply shot a glare at Aran and snarled, "Oh shut your mouth!" he said, "And what is this about her daughter?" he asked, turning back to Desire.

Desire flicked the page upwards and read it to him once again.

"May my big brother Joseph be the one who takes care of my Dear Beauty... and keep her safe"

Big brother...that name played in his head over and over again.

It was the one thing he hadn't been for 19 years...It was the one thing he had forgotten to be...as much as he hated to admit it, Aran was right...this was his fault...but what could he do? What was he going to say now?

...

Nothing...

He said nothing.

He simply pushed through the crowd and out of the room. Despite the endless calls of his fellow boxers asking 'where he was going or 'what was he doing', he simply ignored them as he entered the stairwell and descended the stairs to the bottom floor, where he hastily rushed to the Locker room, grabbed his bag, jacket and keys and proceeded to the front entrance. It was late so thankfully there was no one really in his way, but it didn't prevent him from accidentally bumping into Sandman on the way out.

'Joe?" Sandman asked, watching the Frenchman's body become tense as he tried to run for the door. A strong hand quickly grabbed his shoulder in an attempt to get him to stop, "Hey! Slow down, what's wro-" he said, but Joe turned around and flung his hand off in a huff, pointing an accusing finger in the younger man's face, "NE MET PAS TES MAINS SUR MOI, IMPULSE!!" he screamed. In a rare moment, Sandman stumbled backwards, startled. Joe stared before recoiling his hand and turning to leave once again. Once he was out the front doors, he hurriedly descended the steps and made his way to his car. He clicked a button on his keys and unlocked the doors before sliding himself into the driver's seat, starting the engine and backing out of the parking spot and driving out of the lot towards the main apartments.

His hands were gripped tightly on the wheel, as he mumbled words to himself, trying to lodge those haunting words from his mind as the voice of his mother began tormenting him once again.

Qui ne vaux rien

Qui ne vaux rien

Qui ne vaux rien

Quel petit garçon sans valeur