"Seabiscuit"

There were group exercises, the occasional international journey, a bit too much press exposure; but the first big battle that the Avengers faced after Ultron was on the coast, trying to stop Victor von Doom from entering the country illegally. The Maximoff twins had already been inducted, and training with their team-mates was a good way to focus on cohesion. However, it wasn't until today that they had a chance to put all that training into practise.

"What do you need me to do?" Pietro asked Steve.

"How quickly can you examine a Doombot on the move?"

"I don't know."

"Find out. They won't stay still long enough for Tony to do a reading."

Pietro's eyebrows shot up, but he said nothing. Instead, he raced off.

Battles against Avengers had the capacity to become extremely complicated, judging by footage the twins had seen of the Battle of New York. Still, it shouldn't have been entirely unexpected when Doom showed up himself; that was the point, after all. Pietro swung himself around a large Doombot, fingers and eyes moving rapidly as he examined it. The robot flung him off. He regained his footing, and made for another one on the opposite side of the field before those around could register his presence and attack.

"What secrets do you hide?" he asked the robot, searching further. This one almost fried him. He kept running, collecting arrows for Hawkeye and returning them, throwing Captain America's shield back after it got stuck in a building, and herding civilians away from the site. He returned to Wanda's side frequently.

"I'm fine, Pietro! Take a run!"

He dodged bullets and arrows as he knocked over robot after robot, never too many in an area at once. With glee, he saw Doom watching him. Maybe acting as a decoy would be best? While the creator was distracted, the creations would be easier to take out.

So… he taunted the dictator. Ran past him, tugging his jacket, poking his stomach, slapping his backside, tweaking his ear. Anything he could do to throw the man off-balance. He heard Steve praising him, but warning him to take care.

Wise advice, considering that he must have fallen into a pattern; because the next time he touched Doom, the man had his throat in an iron grip.

"You're a fast one, Seabiscuit, aren't you?" he said menacingly. Pietro's stomach dropped, and so did his heart.

"Oh, shit, not you," he muttered. He pushed against Doom's chest, and the man let him go in shock. Plenty of time to bolt to the other side of the field, possibly faster than he had ever moved in his life, and he hid behind a wall.

"Quicksilver, are you alright?" Hawkeye said.

"Doom is my soulmate."

"What?" half a dozen voices said.

"Not my fault! No one has ever called me 'Seabiscuit' before."

Wanda swore very creatively in their mother tongue. Pietro wondered how she came to know even half of those words. It certainly was not from him.

"Do you need a breather?" the captain asked.

"No." Pietro massaged his throat. "He did not strangle me long enough."

"And people wonder why he's still single," Iron Man remarked.

"Latveria is near Sokovia," Pietro said. His arms were trembling, but never his legs; they were fine. "He was so close. He could have come and rescued us at any time."

"You're definitely on time-out, Quicksilver."

"No, I am not."

He was pissed off.

First things first, he retrieved weapons again, returning them to their respective Avengers but jumping out of the way before they could grab him. Then he deliberately got himself surrounded with Doombots, hoping for—

There. The kill switch. Every robot went down, including the ones which had been off the ground.

"What if that gamble hadn't paid off?" Steve said, his voice tight.

"As Stark said, Doom is single," Pietro replied. "If he has been waiting for his soulmate, he will not let him die so soon."

"If you want to run, we'll take it from here."

"I am not a coward!"

"No one's suggesting you are," Wanda said.

"I will talk to him."

"Do you want me to…?"

"No." He waited where he was while Doom approached, not even a twitch from the surrounding Doombots. "This was meant to be. Let me talk to him."

"Pietro—"

"Leave it, Wanda. If I need to run, I will. He cannot catch up."

When Doom was only a few feet away, he stopped. Pietro just stared at him, waiting for the Latverian to make the first move. Doom smiled, and opened his mouth.

"Hell—"

Pietro's fist met his mouth. Doom covered it, swearing muffled. There was blood running under his hand, and Pietro shook his fist. A reflex action after his first few lessons in punching with the Black Widow.

"We were prisoners of von Strucker," he hissed. "Do you know how close Latveria is to Sokovia?" Doom glared at him over the top of his bloodied fingers. "Years there. I have heard of you, Victor von Doom, before today. You have dealt with von Strucker. Made deals with him. You have been his friend, all while knowing that he had innocents in his dungeon." Doom made some sound, an attempt at words, but it was garbled. "No, I will not hear anything you have to say. I wished my soulmate could rescue us, but you were happy to… further the experiments." He shook his head, backing up a few steps. "I hope I never see you again."

Then he ran from Doom, past still robots, past his sister and the Avengers, ran until he could run no more and the world became a blur around him. He staggered into a wall and sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands and swearing his way through three languages until he was no longer shaking.

"Aren't you an Avenger?"

Pietro looked up, and saw a couple of children in front of him. Slowly, he nodded. Their faces brightened.

"That's so cool!" the boy said. He and the girl sat on the ground in front of him. "Did you just fight someone?"

"Yes."

"Why are you here?" the girl asked. "Shouldn't you be with the others? Like your sister?"

"I needed to be alone," Pietro said.

"Why?"

"Because…" He couldn't tell them the truth of the matter, so he hedged. "I had a great shock. I wanted to get away, and… sometimes I forget my own speed." He looked around, frowning. "Where am I?"

"Richmond, Rhode Island."

He thought. "I was in Charlestown."

"Dude, don't you get blisters?" the boy said, his eyes wide. Pietro's stomach grumbled.

"Are you hungry?" the girl said. "Want takeaway? There's a place across the road."

"I will wait," he mumbled. His phone rang, and he sighed, fishing it out. He must have been out of range of the others if they could not get him on the comms. "Yes, Wanda?"

"Pietro, where are you? It's been nearly twenty minutes!"

"…Richmond."

"Richmond?"

"We're twins, like you," the boy chimed in. Pietro half-smiled at him.

"I will meet you in New York after I have renewed my energy stores," he told his sister.

"Stark will meet you—"

"It will be faster if I run—"

"Pietro. He will meet you."

There was that tone. Pietro sighed.

"Very well," he said. "There is food nearby. I will purchase some. Can Stark trace my phone?"

"Yes."

"Then we will meet somewhere. Until later, Wanda."

"You will not ask about your soulmate?"

He pursed his lips, and inhaled through his nose.

"There is nothing to say," he said, and he hung up. Then he scrunched his hair between his fingers. A small hand landed on his arm, and he peeked up into large green eyes.

"Want us to buy you lunch?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I can afford it," he said. A new concept, but Stark was giving them an allowance until they could find paying work. "But I may need you to help me get there."

"Can you tell us all about the Avengers?" the boy said, helping Pietro stand.

"Perhaps," he said, getting his balance. He nodded. "I will tell you what I can."

"Come this way, Mr. Quicksilver," the girl said. Each twin grabbed one of his hands, and helped him cross the street without getting run over. He ordered a large amount of food for himself, and snacks for the children. Then he hurried through half of his meal. They stared at him until he slowed down, and then began to describe the battle.

"But you should see Dr. Banner when he makes a curry," he said, having moved on to their personal lives. "I do not know where he learnt it, but the spices he uses are exotic and sharp. He has an apron – I think Stark must have bought it for him – which says that cooking is science for hungry people, or something like that. And then he makes his own bread, but it is not plain bread. He uses seeds, or dried vegetables, sometimes fruit, but my favourite is the herbed bread with the melted cheese on top. It makes the most wonderful toasted sandwiches. We have it in front of the television on movie nights."

"What kinda movies d'you watch?" the boy – Liam – said. The girl was named Holly.

"Many different kinds," Pietro replied. "I love the fantasy ones. I like the Harry Potter films, of course, but my favourites are the epic fantasies. But not ones where good people die, not like the Lord of the Rings films. However, I do like dragons. Real-people movies are my favourites, although there is much to be said for Disney."

"Wow, you're a fast eater," Holly remarked.

"Dr. Banner said that I burn off food four times faster than most people. If I am to run back to New York, I must restore my energy reserves."

"You're not gonna run straight after eating, are you?" Liam said. "I get sick when I do that, `specially if I eat fast like you."

Pietro grinned. "No one eats as fast as me." His phone rang again. "Excuse me a moment." He answered it. "Wanda, I am eating."

"Actually, it's Iron Man."

"Oh, Mr. Stark."

"Tony. Only two syllables, Pietro. Work with me, here."

He frowned slightly. "Can I help you?"

"You're still in one place."

"It is called a fast food restaurant. Just right for me."

"Bring me a cheeseburger, would you?"

"Just one cheeseburger?"

"I use a suit to get around, not super speed. Actually, no cheeseburger. You'd run so fast it'd go cold."

"No cheeseburger, then?"

"Definitely not."

"Very well. Once I am finished here, I will be on my way."

"You don't wanna hear about Doom?"

He groaned. "No, I do not wish to hear about him. I will ask when I get back, but no sooner." Then he jabbed the end call button and shoved the cell phone back into his pocket.

"Problems?" Holly asked.

"Have you…" 'Met your soulmate' was what he was going to say, but that would give away too much. "The time?"

"Yeah. It's nearly half past four."

He popped the last few fries into his mouth and swallowed them down. He finished his Coke, then threw out all his rubbish.

"I will return in a minute," he said, before heading to the bathroom.

In one of the stalls, he removed his right shoe, the sock made with material Stark and Banner had designed to reduce the impact of friction. His mark stood out, inky black contrasting the white of his skin, an indication of a non-platonic relationship. 'You're a fast one, Seabiscuit, aren't you?' He had researched everything he could on the racehorse, read the books, watched the films, listened to Steve's tales of hearing about the legend's surprise wins ("He beat Bing Crosby's horse!"). He even visited the statues.

Suffice it to say, he believed that it would be an affectionate comment from his soulmate, not a threat while he was being throttled. Pulling his sock and shoe back on, Pietro's shoulders slumped, and he almost forgot why he had come into the bathroom in the first place. He left the restaurant as soon as possible and began to run, even as his comm. unit began to pick up the signal again, following Stark's directions and ignoring remarks about breaking the sound barrier.

"Doom's in custody, by the way," Stark said conversationally. "Now that he's left medical. You really did a number on him. Romanov is proud of you."

"Quite a compliment," Pietro said. "Now be quiet."

Stark's version of being quiet was humming some song – no doubt heavy metal – instead of running his mouth off. Pietro gritted his teeth and kept running, trying to pay more attention to his surroundings than thoughts of his soulmate. Why Doom? Pietro and Wanda had sided with Ultron initially, but they were the good guys now. Why would he get Victor von Doom for a soulmate? Doom was born first, so why was Pietro created for him? What was he meant to do? If only he could ask his ancestors for the answer to this problem, but alas, no more.

He was nearly at the border when Iron Man landed in front of him. Pietro nearly ran into him, pulling up short just in time.

"Some warning?" he said.

"You wanted me to stop talking."

"About Doom!"

"He's in custody, like I said. Asking for you. He has to write it. Doesn't seem to bear a grudge, by the way, but then he did choke you, so I'd say breaking a few of his teeth makes you even. No one's sympathising with him. He'd better hope that Latveria's medical system is better than America's."

"Just take me home to Wanda," Pietro said wearily. "Please, Tony?"

Falling silent, the billionaire nodded, and helped Pietro step onto the suit's platform. He clung on tightly and tried to block the images from his mind, images of Doom in a hospital bed because of him, having to resort to writing, going back to Latveria…

No. Pietro could never go there. He would only ever think of von Strucker, and he and Wanda were trying to put that behind them. The 'scientist' was dead, they were free, and the labs were no more.

Free. He had to keep telling himself that.

"Doom won't get anywhere near you without your say-so," Stark said, just loud enough for Pietro to hear. The reception over the comms was perfectly clear now that they were in close proximity. "We'll make sure of that."

"I keep asking myself why I would be his soulmate."

"One day it'll make sense. Until then, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming…"

Pietro hit the back of the armour's head, and Stark chuckled.

"How long are we allowed to keep a dictator prisoner?" Clint asked, looking at Doom on the other side of the glass. He was chained to the hospital bed while dental surgeons worked on him.

"He has diplomatic immunity," Tony said. "That's the problem."

"Him being Quicksilver's soulmate is also a problem."

"At least there were no casualties this time," Pepper said, leaning against the glass with her arms crossed. "That's in his favour."

"Pietro's meditating," Bruce said, walking up to them.

"Why?" Tony asked.

"He's trying to work out why he was made to be Doom's soulmate."

"It's a hell of a lot to take in, when you think about it," Clint said. "I don't know how I'd handle it."

"You'd be on the range, shooting it out."

"…Yeah, probably."

Doom was writing something on the whiteboard he'd been given. Then he tottered over to the window and showed them the writing: 'Let me take him to Latveria for one month to change his mind'. Tony wrote 'Dream on' on his tablet, and held it up to show Doom, who pursed his lips. He wrote 'ASK' underneath his other message. Tony tapped his own message. Doom erased 'ASK' and wrote 'PLEASE'. Tony sighed, and looked at Bruce.

"JARVIS, could you please tell Pietro what Doom is asking?" the doctor said.

"I have already informed him of the conversation, Dr. Banner. He is on his way down here."

Pietro arrived quickly, having taken the stairs, and stood beside Tony in front of the window. Doom change 'him' and 'his' on his message to 'you' and 'your' respectively, and Pietro gave it some thought before shaking his head. Doom seemed to wilt. He erased some of the message, wrote something else, and held it up. 'One month' had been changed to 'two weeks'. Pietro looked away and shrugged. Doom changed the message again, and tapped on the glass to get Pietro's attention: 'Let me take you to Latveria for one week to change your mind'.

Pietro sighed, glanced at them, and then slowly nodded. Doom brightened, although he still couldn't smile.

"I'm screwed, aren't I?" Pietro said as they took the elevator back to the common area.

"If not you're careful, that may become literal," Tony said. Clint elbowed him sharply. Pietro looked slightly terrified by the thought.

"No!" he said.

"Well, you're fast enough to kick him in the balls ten times in five seconds if he touches you inappropriately. And he can't talk you around at the moment. Gonna have his work cut out, in fact." Tony smirked. "This'll be good."

Wanda begged to go with Pietro, but he insisted that she stay with the Avengers. If he was to be spending a great deal of time with Doom, Wanda would serve no purpose there, other than as an additional worry for Pietro. If she was in Stark Tower, he knew she would be safe.

"It is only for a week, and then I will return home to you," he said.

"What if you stay there?" she said, smiling slyly. "What if your soulmate grows on you?"

"In a week? That is unlikely."

"Be careful, Pietro."

"I will, Wanda."

"Use protection."

He scowled at the innocent look on her face.

The scowl disappeared when Doom gave him a hand out of the Quinjet at his home in Latveria. Natasha and Clint had accompanied him so that they could check out the castle before allowing Pietro to stay there.

"It looks very clean," Pietro remarked. Doom was still restricted to writing, and scrawled on a pad of paper: 'The past two days have been spent tidying for your stay'. "Thank you. It was unnecessary."

Doom arched an eyebrow, and wrote: 'Not for my soulmate'.

The first of his seven days there, he was given a guided tour of the castle and the grounds, and was even driven into town to admire the scenery. It was a very cold place, but it looked pleasant, and people were smiling and industrious. They waved enthusiastically at their ruler, and Pietro tried to sink back. Doom rested his hand beside Pietro's on the seat between them, fingers 'casually' brushing, but made no move to touch any more than that. Dinner was liquid for Doom, a lavish roast for Pietro, who couldn't eat all of it, not least because he felt slightly guilty that Doom couldn't enjoy the same. At his bedroom door – next to Doom, but the connecting door was locked, and only Pietro had the key – he paused, unsure of what to do. Doom wrote 'Good night'.

"Good night," Pietro replied. He thought he felt a finger run down the side of his arm, but when he looked down Doom's hand was by his side. Unnerved, he hurried into his bedroom and locked the door. He checked the one between their rooms, and that was locked as well. Thank goodness.

The second day, Doom took Pietro to the Latverian Museum, to learn more about their culture and history. Fortunately they were able to have a private tour with a knowledgeable guide, since Doom couldn't expound on the history at length without running out of paper and ink. He kept a respectful distance in public (most of the time), and then took him shopping after a light lunch in the car while driving around more of the countryside. Pietro objected to how much his soulmate was spending on him, when they met only a few days before, but Doom waved it off.

Pietro wasn't sure how he was supposed to take everything back to America with him, looking askance at the multitude of bags and boxes in his room.

The next day began with brunch (Pietro had never had that before) at the best viewpoint in all of Latveria. Doom's servants had prepared the food, and the guards were far enough away that it did not feel intrusive. Pietro almost wished it was, so it would feel less like a… date. On the other hand, Doom was supposed to be convincing Pietro to accept him as a bond partner. It… was not too bad, he supposed, although his experiences in dating came to nil.

Doom passed him a note: 'It's not too cold for you?'

"I am used to the cold," Pietro said. "…Thank you."

Doom nodded, and returned to admiring the view. Pietro did the same, privately agreeing that the land was stunning. If he was an artist like Steve, he would try to draw it, but his creative abilities did not lie in that direction.

After they returned to the castle, they spent the afternoon in the library, Pietro reading more of the history of Latveria and trying to ignore the looks he kept getting from his soulmate. Post-dinner, they watched the news, and Doom kept slipping notes to Pietro making quips about the items, the newsreaders, the adverts; things which made Pietro snort in suppressed laughter and made Doom's lips twitch.

Before bedtime, Pietro sang while he showered. It relaxed him, reminded him of when he was a child. When he returned to his bedroom, he found a note which had been pushed under the connecting door.

'I hope you'll sing for me one day, Pietro.'

On the fourth day, Pietro accompanied Doom to medical, where the ruler (He is a dictator, Pietro reminded himself) was having further dental surgery. Pietro felt somewhat responsible for it… very well, he was responsible for it, but he felt guilty when he really should not have. Doom was the bad guy. Something he couldn't afford to forget if he ever wanted to go home and not… bond with Latveria's monarch.

"You are his soulmate?" a doctor asked. Pietro nodded. "He has given you permission to remain in here while we keep him under heavy sedation."

"…Really?"

"And he asked me to give you this."

Pietro read the note: 'Sing for me?' He sighed, and then nodded.

"Very well," he said.

Doom still did not speak until the evening of their sixth night. Tomorrow was the last chance for him to convince Pietro to stay, and showing him scenery and books was one thing, but it was hardly the most romantic… not that Pietro wanted that. He was simply surprised that it took this long for Doom to make a move.

"I'd ask if I could kiss you, but I must be careful what I do with my mouth," Doom said, looking Pietro up and down while they lounged in front of the television, some Latverian soap opera playing in the background. Pietro noticed the way Doom's gaze lingered on certain parts of his body, and the thoughts of his mouth being on those places made Pietro blush.

"I apologise," he said, unable to look his soulmate in the eye.

"May I touch you?"

"W-what?"

Doom shifted closer, and Pietro noticed the hungry look on his face.

"May I touch you the way I would if we kissed?"

"I…"

"As soon as I do something you do not like, you must tell me. But may I…?"

Pietro's heart was thumping and there was an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach. Yet he moved closer until he was right beside Doom, and nodded.

"Gently," he whispered.

"I know I'm stronger than most. I'll be careful."

The first touch was to Pietro's left cheek, turning his head to face Doom. The man's gaze was focussed on Pietro's lips, making him lick them nervously under the attention. Doom moaned softly, and he leaned close enough to brush their noses together. Pietro closed his eyes. It was so much. He nearly jumped when Doom's other hand touched his waist. His hand was large and warm, and his thumb rubbed circles over the fabric of Pietro's shirt.

Doom's nose moved to Pietro's cheek, nuzzled him, and he tipped Pietro's head to the side to run his nose down Pietro's neck, so lightly it almost tickled, but in a different way. Pietro's breathing sped up as Doom sneaked his fingers into Pietro's hair and combed it softly. The hand on his waist pulled him closer until Pietro was resting in the crook of Doom's elbow, trembling as he felt lips on his neck. He shuddered, and Doom paused.

"Do you wish me to stop?" he murmured.

"N-no. Keep g-going."

"I can feel your pulse racing beneath my lips." Pietro felt teeth nip a spot on his neck that made him jerk where he sat.

"My God!" he hissed.

"Pietro…"

He reached out with his right hand and found a knee. He squeezed it. "Do not stop."

Doom dropped his right hand to Pietro's stomach, which contracted in surprise at the touch. Doom nuzzled down Pietro's throat to the V of his shirt while his hand strolled up under the fabric. Pietro whined, arching against his soulmate's hand. It held him in place, and he looked down at Doom, who met his eyes and gave him a small smile. Then he glanced down, his thumb teasing Pietro's navel.

"If I continue in this fashion, I'll end up taking you here," he said.

"Mmm."

"You must have time to decide whether this is what you truly want, Pietro," Doom said, raising his head.

"Victor…"

He smiled. "I like the way you say my name."

"I like the way you say mine."

"Tomorrow is your last full day in Latveria. This time tomorrow night, give me your answer. My car is at your disposal, but I'll stay away from you for the next twenty-four hours so you can keep a clear head." He removed his hands from Pietro and drew back.

"You will not kiss me?"

Doom shook his head, and stood up. "I'd never be unable to stop. Good night, Pietro."

He watched Doom leave the room. On the television, two characters discovered they were soulmates. They moved into each other's arms almost immediately, embraced passionately, and within a minute they were in bed, moving together in a way which made it obvious what they were doing. There was a warm light where their soulmarks met, and he wondered how the special effects people did that.

When he showered, Pietro realised that he was still tingling all over, concentrated where Doom had touched him. Merely thinking about it caused him to be overcome with pleasure and brought him to his knees. He knelt there, panting, reeling with amazement that such a thing was possible. He didn't even touch himself.

"My God," he whispered again.

On the seventh day, he called Wanda to catch up with what had been happening in America. She was more interested in what was happening in Latveria.

"Have you made a decision yet?" she asked.

"But… we already knew that I would—"

"We want you to be happy, brother. If you can only be happy with your soulmate—"

"No, Wanda, of course not. I could be happy with you. I… I am happy with you. You are my sister."

"But I am not your soulmate," she said. "Has he made clear his intentions?"

Pietro cleared his throat. "It would not be a platonic bond."

"He was devouring you with his eyes, Pietro. That is clear to all of us."

"I have until this evening to tell him."

"And what will you tell him?" she asked.

"That I…"

"Yes?"

He shook his head. "I do not know."

"Some part of you knows what you want. You must find that part, Pietro. Only then will you know."

After the conversation, he felt lonely again. Doom hadn't even spoken to him for most of the week. How could Pietro possibly be missing his presence? It was like something was eating away at him, leaving a growing hole in his sternum. He only felt better when he was closer to Doom, something he could sense walking through the castle. Secluding himself in his bedroom, he searched the internet for anything he could find on soulmates, anything to explain such a strong pull between soulmates who hadn't even bonded.

When he realised what it meant, he shut down the computer and retreated to his bed to meditate until the evening.

Doom looked up when Pietro entered the room. He was pale, and looked down at his hands while Pietro sat next to him.

"You know, don't you?" Pietro said.

"What your answer will be? I suspect."

"I was not referring to that. I was referring to the unnaturally strong pull."

Doom still wouldn't make eye contact with him. "Are you a virgin?"

Pietro flushed red. "Yes."

"You'll feel it more."

He frowned, and moved further away. He noticed the way Doom unconsciously swayed in his direction, and snorted softly.

"You do not feel it, then?" he asked. Doom frowned, and straightened up.

"I didn't say that," he said.

"Are you a virgin?"

"…No."

"It is possible," Pietro said. "There are other cases. Soulmates who only need to touch intimately, not even kiss, to feel as though they are bonded. Such soulmateships—"

"But it won't matter when you are in America," Doom said, standing. He strode to the other side of the room. Pietro stared at him.

"You are sending me away from you?" he asked. Doom looked back over his shoulder.

"Surely you prefer to return to your sister?" he said.

"I prefer…" Pietro hurried to Doom's side. "To stay." He slipped his hand into Doom's, twined their fingers together. "With you, Victor. Fate… isn't just telling us we belong with each other. She is screaming it at us."

"Pietro—"

"I hated you," he said. "Before I even knew who you were. It was unfair of me, but the person who came to rescue us was not my soulmate, or Wanda's, and we… were grateful for his… its help. And then to find that you were the man we were fighting…"

"I'm so sorry, Pietro."

He walked around in front of Doom and cupped the back of his neck.

"It is bad luck to fight Fate," he said.

"Do you really believe that?"

"I believe that you have the potential to be a good man, Victor."

"Pietro…"

"And I am fairly certain I will not survive another twenty-four hours without being bonded to you. So will you take me to bed?"

In answer, Doom swept Pietro into his arms.

Some trivia about Seabiscuit: his trainer's surname was Fitzsimmons, and he won his first races at Narragansett Park in Rhode Island. Yep. Didn't know that before I chose that state for the setting of the battle. Bearing in mind I know nothing about the geography of America. (Hell, I barely know the geography of my home town. What hope do I have with other countries?)

Pairing requested by MO-5431. I'm convinced that you people are strange, but I did my best, as usual.

Please review!