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Matt Murdock put on his flannel, black and white glen check suit. His shirt was 100 percent cotton and red tie was silk. Slipping on his black cashmere overcoat, he grabbed his cane, which was folded up, and unfolded it. Now he was ready to greet the day as a lawyer and not a vigilante. Cocking his head to the side, he listened to the noises of the city for a few moments. For a while it seemed as if New York was getting better, becoming less violent and uncaring, but lately the crime rate was skyrocketing again. He took in the sounds of the city for a few minutes, sounds of laughter mixed with sounds of sadness, pain, and violence. For a moment he had the urge to deal with the sounds of violence, but it was daylight and that had to wait until night, so he left his apartment to deal with his day job and leaving his nighttime vocation for later.Once he was outside on the street corner of his building in Hell’s Kitchen, or the Clinton neighborhood as some tried to call it lately, he hailed a taxi. A yellow cab stopped by the curb and the driver rolled down his window and called to him.“Open for business, buddy,” he called.Acting like a blind man without extraordinary senses and sonar, he smiled at the driver and made his way to the door of the cab using his cane then he folded it up and carefully got into it.“Where to, buddy?” the driver asked.“The Criminal Courthouse, 100 Centre Street,” he told him.The driver took off at a reckless speed. He made two left turns until he was headed downtown and the courthouse. One of the clients of Nelson, Murdock, and Page was accused of violent assault. Matt volunteered to defend him. His heart and breathing told him he was innocent, so Matt had no problem letting Foggy and Karen prep for the meeting of their larger case, while he handled this one in the morning. The larger case was a young girl, who was blinded by cleaning chemicals that were left out in a public area in her school. They were suing for the parents. It wasn’t going to be a Pro Bono case like Matt wanted it to be but they expected to win and they were asking for twenty million dollars against a two million dollar fee for them. Today, the city lawyers were going to try and make a settlement offer of ten million dollars. Anyone who knew Matt’s reputation knew that he wouldn’t settle for that amount, so he was treating the afternoon meeting like a negotiation and Foggy and Karen were prepping for it.With the money from the larger case, they’d be able to reopen their Law Offices in the building that housed Nelson and Murdock instead have their offices out of Foggy’s family deli, plus buy new furniture and computers for it and still have money left over to pay themselves decently. After his morning at the courthouse, Matt was supposed to meet with Foggy and Karen. He didn’t have high expectations for the meeting with the city lawyers, but this was one of the ways a lawyer worked for his client, though Matt preferred going to trial.“Hey, buddy, do I know you?” asked the driver.“I don’t know,” replied Matt.“You’re a lawyer, aren’t you?” he asked.“Yes, I am,” Matt answered.“Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer,” he stated.“I prefer Matt Murdock, Attorney at Law,” smiled Matt.“You got my brother-in-law out of some trouble a few years ago. He said you were a great lawyer and that you preferred to work for regular people rather than big money scumbags,” said the driver.“I like to keep my practice in Hell’s Kitchen,” said Matt.“Good man,” said the driver. “Matt Murdock. If I’m ever in trouble I’ll have to go to you.”“We have a website on the internet,” said Matt. “Nelson, Murdock, and Page.”“I’ll remember that.” DD Jessica Jones hated police precincts. It usually meant she screwed up and got herself into trouble and needed a lawyer. This time was her client that had screwed up and needed the lawyer. She came down to the precinct to get the story, so she was now waiting in the interview room for her client. A uniformed cop escorted her client into the interview room.“You have ten minutes and that’s all,” he told her.“Tell Detective Mahoney thanks,” Jessica said.“Sure,” said the cop then he left them alone.“Katherine, what happened?” Jessica asked her client.Katherine Simpson was an attractive brunette who was considered an up and coming chef. She opened a small café in Hell’s Kitchen called Kate’s. Someone burned it down and framed her for it.“The police think I burned my own café down, Jessica. I need your help. They said that I’m going to be charged with arson and that a judge would set my bail,” she told Jessica.“Listen, Kate, I can prove that you’re innocent but I can’t help you with bail and legal shit,” she said.“How much is bail usually?” she asked.“Ten percent of whatever the judge decides. If it’s a million dollars then you need to come up with 100 thousand dollar bond,” she told her.“Let’s hope it’s not a million dollars,” sighed Katherine. “I need a lawyer.”There was a time Jessica would go to Jeri Hogarth when she had legal problems, but those days were over. Hogarth had her own private practice now and she used assholes like Cheng Consulting Management, who Malcolm worked for now.“I know some people. I’ll ask around for a good one who is cheap,” said Jessica.“Is there such a thing as a good lawyer who is cheap?” asked Katherine.“I used to know one who did more Pro Bono work then work for money,” she sighed. “But I’ve lost contact with him.”She thought he died when the building in Midland Circle fell on him, but somehow Matt Murdock returned from the dead.“I hope you can find someone like him,” she replied.“Don’t worry, Kate, I’ll find you a lawyer and he’ll get you out of this jail,” she said.“I hope so,” Katherine sighed.It was at times like this that Jessica wished that she didn’t hate Matt Murdock for his disappearing act. He was not only a good lawyer but he was a good man. And she liked him. But he came back from the dead and didn’t even let her, Luke, or Danny know that he somehow survived. She really didn’t want to deal with him, or the fact it looked like she had to call Oscar Arocho to let him know she might not make it for dinner. She was supposed to have dinner with him and his son Vido, but she needed to get started on helping Katherine. Jessica wasn’t used to domesticity, but it did cut down on her drinking and she was eating better because of it. DD When Jessica got back to her apartment she searched it for Luke Cage’s cellphone number. She still had deep feelings for Luke, yet, even though, she knew Claire had left him for taking ownership of Harlem’s Paradise. Instead of re-entering Luke’s life Jessica decided to give him space, especially since Harlem’s Paradise was a noted hot spot for deal making of the illegal kind. From drugs to weapons, plans to buy and sell them were made in the nightclub and, usually, the owner of the joint had a piece of the action.She found Luke’s number not in her smartphone but written on a piece of paper and placed in the top drawer of her desk. Jessica dialed the number.“Luke Cage,” he answered his cellphone with a hard voice.“Luke, it’s Jessica Jones,” she said with apprehension in her voice.“Anything wrong, Jess?” he asked in a soft voice. “Are you in trouble?”“No, shit, no,” she said. “For once I’m not in trouble but I have a client who is and I remember you recommended that lawyer friend of Murdock’s. What was his name again?”“Franklin Nelson. He called himself Foggy,” Luke said. “He’s an excellent lawyer, maybe as good as Murdock is, though I heard that son of gun is real good.”“You got his cellphone number?” she asked not wanting to talk about Murdock.“Maybe. Hold on,” he said then he must have put his cellphone down because she heard muffled sounds in the background. After a few minutes he picked his cellphone back up.“I found his business card. He wrote his cell number on the back of his card,” Luke said. “212-555-3214.”He rattled off the number then there was a moment of silence.“How are you doing, Jess?” he asked.“I’m fine, Luke. How about you?” she asked.“Life’s a little complicated right now, a bit confusing, but I’m trying to deal with it the best I can,” he said. “You hear about Danny Rand?”“What’s Iron Brain up to?” she asked.“He’s somewhere in Asia searching for a way to K’un-Lun or something like that. I haven’t heard from him for a year or so now. I don’t even know if he’s back in town or not,” Luke told her.“Sounds like Iron Brain is on an adventure. What happened to his relationship with Colleen?” she asked.“Well, it seems he transferred his Iron Fist power to her, except she makes her katana light up. She and Misty Knight are working together now,” he told her. “How about you, Luke?” she asked.“Yeah, you might say that I’m on a bit of an adventure myself,” he said. “I just noticed the time. I’ve got to go, Jess. I’m having dinner with someone. If you ever want a free drink or two come up to Harlem’s Paradise. I’ll let you run a tab that you won’t have to pay.”“Thanks, Luke,” she hung up.She wondered if she should go visit him, check up on him, and see just how much trouble he was into because her instincts told her that he was in trouble. Just because she wanted nothing to do with Murdock didn’t mean that she couldn’t have a friendship with Luke. DD The taxi let Matt off at Patsy’s Italian Restaurant on West 56 Street. He stopped at the hostess’ podium and told her he had a reservation then he gave her his name. She assisted him to a table then she even assisted him with his overcoat, which she placed on an empty chair. Matt thanked her then she left him. He sat there for several minutes listening to the sounds and conversations of the restaurant. It wasn’t that he wanted to snoop but he was bored so he listened then he picked up a familiar heartbeat and scent and knew his dinner guest was coming.Thank you for showing me to the table,” a familiar voice stated.“My pleasure, Sister,” said the hostess then she left them.“I could have corrected her. I run the orphanage so I’m Mother Superior now,” said Maggie Grace, Matt’s long estranged mother.“I think you’ll find this better Italian food then what Sister Francine used to make at the orphanage,” he smirked.“Very funny, Matthew. Sister Francine tried. We have a better cook now. Her name is Sister Mariam,” said Maggie. “Do you have any suggestions?”“We could share a fried calamari appetizer then I like the veal rollatine marsala but I recommend the chicken cacciatora for you,” he said.“Please, Matthew, order for us,” she said.“Do you mind a glass of house red wine?” he asked.“That’s fine,” she said.A waiter came over and Matt ordered their dinner then he left them to talk.“Thanksgiving is coming soon,” Maggie said. “I am organizing a Christmas bake sale and raffle to raise money for the orphanage. Do you have any suggestions on what I could raffle off?”He smiled then asked, “Do you want suggestions or do you want something to raffle off?”“Either one would do? We need to raise the money. The Church is hurting from lawsuits from child abuse cases, so we are not getting as much money this year from the archdiocese,” stated Maggie.He could hear a mix of pain and sadness in her voice.“There was a time with nuns lived near parish priest. It was our job to keep an eye on them and make sure that they towed the line, but there are less nuns and less priests now. Nuns and priests barely keep in contact with each other these days,” she sighed. “It was better when we were the watch dogs keeping them in line.”“You managed to keep me in line when I was a kid until you couldn’t,” smirked Matt.“You were also a difficult kid to deal with, Matthew. You were so much smarter than most of the other kids and also so self-contained. You acted as if you didn’t need anyone,” Maggie told him.“My enhanced senses scared me. After Stick left me, it was up to me to finish my own training. He had opened a door for me and I couldn’t close it. I managed to train myself pretty good but at a cost. I was a difficult child, as you said,” he told his mother.She heard the hurt in his voice. But she chose to ignore it.“Well, you’ve turned out alright, if not different from most. Are you still going out at night?” she asked him.“Yes, Maggie, I am still going out at night as a vigilante,” he said.“Did you at least get your red Daredevil repaired, the one we cut off you?” she asked.“I got a new one from Melvin that he made me. This one is black and red,” smiled Matt.Maggie noticed it wasn’t his usual pleasant smile or his smirk, but his Devil of Hell’s Kitchen smile. This smile sent a chill down her spine.“I hope you are careful,” she stated.“With my own safety or with those I deal with?” he asked.“Both, Matthew,” she answered. “I expect you to be careful with both. Let us not forget that you have chosen a difficult path but that doesn’t mean that you are free from moral bonds. Murder is a sin.”“I know it is, Maggie. So far, it’s a sin I have avoided, though barely,” he stated.“God has given you gifts, Matthew, I expect you to use them well and wisely,” she said.The calamari came, as well as the glasses of red wine. Matt allowed Maggie to place some on a small plate for him, as if he needed the assistance then tell him where the dipping sauce was located. He smiled at her the whole time, as she knew how little assistance he needed in these matters. His so-called gifts allowed him a mapped out table top, plus he knew how many people sat behind him and behind them and around him. But pretenses had to be kept up. Matt sampled the calamari.“Delicious,” he said.“Next time we have dinner I will provide it,” said Maggie.“In other words, I’ll be eating at the orphanage,” smiled Matt.“Maybe. Or maybe we can have a slice of pizza in Hell’s Kitchen,” she said.He chuckled and said, “I choose the pizza shop.”“Why?”“Because I can tell which are sanitary and which sanitary and taste good,” he smiled. “All I have to do is get a whiff of the place.”“Matthew, you are extraordinary,” she smiled.“Not really. My gifts were caused by some chemical spilling on me. I’m just a normal person that an accident gave him abilities,” he said.“Matthew, there is nothing normal or ordinary about you. And you have other gifts given to you by God not a chemical accident,” Maggie told him.“I’m not sure about that,” sighed Matt.“Trust me. I know better than you,” she said with a smile.Though, Matt knew she smiled he found himself wondering what it looked like. To him, she was a detailed outline in which sounds and information coming from her body filled in what was missing.“So, Matthew, do you have any suggestions for a raffle?” Maggie asked him straight forward.“You could always cajole a local merchant to offer a computer, laptop, or television as the raffle prize,” said Matt.“Excellent idea,” nodded Maggie. “I expect either a high-end laptop or television.”“You expect me to get it for you,” he smirked.“Yes, Matthew,” she smiled sweetly then she added. “Father Lantom would have expected it, too.”Matt thought of his now dead friend and father confessor. Father Lantom would have expected it of him. For a moment Matt thought about Benjamin Poindexter and his hatred for the man started to boil.“I’ll do it,” he said softly.For a few moments there was silence between them then Matt spoke up.“How is the new parish priest? Father Banaszak,” inquired Matt.“Aleksander. He’s young and with little experience but he is a good man. He speaks five languages, including Spanish which comes in handy. He told me that he intends on having a Latin Mass once a month on Saturdays,” she smiled. “I expect that you start going to Mass and confession again.”“We’ll see,” Matt replied. DD It was three A.M. when Matt got back to his apartment. He stopped two muggings and a robbery of an all-night bodega. Crime was rising in Hell’s Kitchen. Peeling off his new protective Daredevil suit, he walked over to his armoire where he used to keep his suit. After pressing a hidden lever, he pushed it easily aside and exposed a closet that wasn’t there before. Melvin came to his apartment and built him this hidden storage closet. He opened the door and hung up his suit beside two other Daredevil suits.In lieu of constant repairs, Melvin gave him a repair kit and two extra suits. This way Matt could handle his own repairs. As the suit hung there, Matt closed up the closet and put the armoire back in place. Although the suit didn’t need repairs, he had bruised ribs, as well as a bruise on his coccsyx bone. The best way for him to deal with this was a hot bath.Matt walked into his bathroom, he turned on the hot water and barely turned on the cold water then he put the plug in his old, large bath tub. Once it was filled halfway, he slipped into the hot water then he turned off the cold water and set the hot water down to almost a trickle. Putting his head back, he closed his eyes and put on a pair of headphones then turned on the music, which was Mozart Requiem Mass.With the music playing in his ears, he allowed the it to overwhelm his senses and he fell asleep in the bathtub.Matt woke up after two and half hours in the bathtub. He was thankful he put the hot water to a trickle allowing happy it didn’t overflow onto the floor. Since it was five-thirty A.M. he decided to meditate for an hour or two. After putting on his grey sweat pants, a black t shirt, and thick black wool socks, he sat in the lotus position on the floor of his living area and meditated. After two hours, he opened his eyes and felt better. He still was sore but the pain wasn’t as bad as before.Suddenly, his smartphone rang. He got up the floor and checked the time by touching his wrist watch. It was almost eight in the morning. Matt answered his smartphone. There was no identifying ring, so it was a call coming from either a client or someone else he felt he wouldn’t be getting calls often from.“Murdock,” he answered.“Ah, Mr. Murdock, it’s Burgess Preston. I called to talk about the offer we made yesterday afternoon.”“I’m listening. Mr. Preston,” smirked Matt.The call lasted a half hour. Moments after Matt hung up he heard familiar footfalls in the hallway of his building. Next, he heard this person walk to the elevator and take it up to the fourth floor. The steps exited the elevator and walked to his door. There was a knock on his door. Matt knew it was Foggy. How could he have missed Foggy taking the elevator carrying a bag with two egg, sausage, and cheese on Kaiser roll breakfast sandwiches. Matt went to the door and opened it.“Moring, Foggy. I thought we were supposed to meet at the deli today and Theo was going to have breakfast waiting for us,” he said.Foggy took off his overcoat and placed the bag with two coffees and two breakfast sandwiches and two coffees on the Matt’s dining table in his large living area.“I told my brother that our days at the deli are numbered and I’d get breakfast for you and me,” smiled Foggy.“Coffee and food smells good,” Matt said.“I have some news, buddy, we have a new client. I got a call from a blast from the past and I took a case without you,” said Foggy. “Plus, I wanted to check on it went in court yesterday morning. We didn’t talk about it after our meeting with the city lawyers.”They both sat down at the table. Foggy took the items out of the bag. He was about to take out the coffee when Matt spoke up.“That’s light with three sugars. It’s your coffee,” he smelled the air. “And mine is the dark with one sugar.”Foggy handed him the other coffee. Matt took off the top and sipped it. It was a cheap French Roast and it wasn’t made in a French press. He preferred to make his own coffee, though he had gotten used to Karen’s machine-made coffee. She, at least, learned to buy more expensive, organic coffee the way he preferred it.“So, court, how did it go?” Foggy asked.“The DA and I disagreed about their offer. I said an innocent man doesn’t take deals meant to pad a DA’s statistics,” said Matt.“You’re going to trial,” sighed Foggy.“Yes,” smirked Matt.“Okay, trial it is,” Foggy grinned. “You like to do things the hard way, buddy, don’t you?.”“It was almost as insulting as the city lawyers offering ten million dollar settlement for Shana’s blindness. The Sanders deserve more money for what happened to their daughter,” scowled Matt.“Ten million is a lot of money, Matt. It’s a great deal in some ways for us,” said Foggy, who was desperate to get out of his family’s deli.“Minus our two million dollar fee, it isn’t that great a deal, Foggy,” said Matt.“Okay, we go to trial on both cases,” sighed Foggy.“Actually, I got a call this morning bright and early from one of the city’s lawyers and they made a new offer. The city lawyers made a counter offer of seventeen million. That’s fifteen million minus our fee. They save the city a few million. This money means that the Sanders Family can get away from New York and let them move to Texas like they want. Do you want to tell them about the offer?” smiled Matt.Foggy grinned. Matt was always full of surprises. Now it was time for him to surprise Matt.“Actually, you can tell them, Matt. I thought I’d deal with our new client after breakfast then check on our old offices and maybe sign a new lease,” Foggy grinned. “No more deli or Theo, joy oh joy.”“My trial for Mr. Madison doesn’t start until next week. I have time to help with the new client,” said Matt. “I was the one our new client asked for, Buddy, not you. They wanted me,” grinned Foggy. “Okay, who is this new client?” Matt asked.“Jessica Jones,” Foggy stated.“Jessica Jones,” he said quietly to himself. He remembered her well. For some reason he felt an attraction to her. Maybe it was because she was even more damaged than he was.“If I’m not mistaken she probably knows you’re alive because you made the news with the Wilson Fisk stuff, but I doubt she wants to deal with you,” said Foggy.Matt unwrapped his breakfast sandwich. He took a bite. It was better than the average breakfast sandwich he got when rushed.“Where did you go for this?” he asked.“Morales Bodega on Tenth Avenue. Why?”“He prepared the sandwich while wearing surgical gloves. I appreciate that. I’ll have to remember the name and go there when I want a quick breakfast sandwich,” Matt smiled. He then moved in his chair and grimaced with pain.“You’re in pain, Matt. What happened to you?” he asked.“Stopped an armed robbery at a bodega. It was going fine when I was distracted by a teenager, who should have been home in bed. Once I was distracted one of the robberies managed to push a whole shelving unit on top me. I have to admit that it was heavy,” growled Matt.“Did you break something?” asked Foggy with concern.“Nay. I bruised my tailbone. It’s a little sore,” he said.“Ouch, buddy. Should I pick up one of those cushioned donuts when I’m out and about?” smirked Foggy.Matt didn’t even want to acknowledge his friend’s sense of humor.“What is Jessica involved in?” he asked.“She has a client who is being accused of arson,” Foggy stated.“Arson? Really? What did she allegedly burn down?” he asked.“Kate’s Café. It’s her own place. Besides being owner she’s the primary cook. I read a review for it in the Times when it first opened and it got excellent reviews. She serves sort of America cuisine but done with a fresh style, if I remember the review. It’s the type of place you can get gourmet burgers, braised short ribs, and lobster mac and cheese,” grinned Foggy. “If this was the old days she’d pay for our fees with free meals.”“Well, it’s not the old days,” sighed Matt. “Maybe tonight I’ll stop by her place and check it out. My senses should be able to pick up accelerants and other evidence that might have been missed by the fire department.”“Let’s see if I take Miss Jones client on first before you do anything,” said Foggy.“You’ll take her,” said Matt. “I owe Jessica Jones, so take the client and we’ll deal with it.” “What do you owe her, Matt? You almost died at Midland Circle playing the hero. You don’t owe anyone anything,” Foggy said with a hint of anger in his voice.“Foggy, I came back from the dead and never even let them know. We were willing to make a last stand together against the Hand, but instead I told them to escape while I fought Elektra in the hopes of changing her one last time. I owe at least an apology,” Matt told his friend and associate.“Why don’t I help her client first before you talk to her, huh, Buddy?” smiled Foggy.“Okay,” said Matt. “But if you need my help then I expect you to ask for it.”“Matt, I’m not a bad lawyer, even though you showed off your skills yesterday. The city made a new offer to the Sanders because of your pounding their lawyers yeasterday,” grinned Foggy.“I’m talking about with the arson, Foggy, and other things. My senses would come in handy there. I’m probably more help as Daredevil than as a lawyer on this one,” emphasized Matt.“Let me talk to our ace detective first. I thought that she’d work this case with me and you stay out of it for now,” said Foggy.“So, you don’t want Daredevil or Matt Murdock, huh?” smirked Matt.“Karen and I can handle it right now,” grinned Foggy. “Have you noticed that Miss Page has grown even bolder in confidence since she got her PI license? She’s wanting concealed gun permit now. I’m thinking you shouldn’t we shouldn’t help her with that.”“Karen wanting a concealed gun permit is your problem for now, Foggy. I can only handle so many difficult female PIs at a time,” Matt smirked.“Thanks, buddy.”
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Matt arrived at Nelson Meats at two in the afternoon knowing that Foggy wouldn’t be there yet. Theo was behind the counter slicing up some prosciutto, coppa, and provolone cheese with a pepper relish with some olive oil on a horseshoe shaped roll for a patron. He sat down at a table and listened.“Your parents like living in Florida, Theo?” the older man asked him as he worked.“Mom does but Dad hates it. He misses the store, misses being busy. Mom is trying to get him to take up golf or something,” said Theo.“Tell him that we miss him. The whole neighborhood misses him, though you make a better sandwich than he does,” said the man.Theo wrapped up the sandwich in white paper and put it in a brown paper bag.“$5.95, Mr. Amare,” said Theo.“Here you go, Theo,” the man handed him six dollars. “Keep the change.”Mr. Amare laughed to himself as he left the deli. Theo rang up the sandwich and put the six dollars in the till then he poured a cup of coffee, Italian Roast, and fixed it like Matt liked and brought it to him.“Thanks, Theo,” he said as he sniffed the coffee before taking a sip. The Italian roast was of excellent quality.Theo sat down with him.“I heard that Nelson, Murdock and Page has some good news. You may be moving out soon and back to your old offices,” said Theo.Matt could hear the disappointed in his voice as well as pick up other body signs that Theo was going to miss their company.“I guess. Foggy seems to be handling getting us our old place back. I’m just waiting to hear when he signs the lease and show up wherever he tells me,” smiled Matt.“I know Foggy is dying to get back in a real office,” said Theo.“Trust me, Theo, our last office wasn’t luxury,” chuckled Matt. “Anyway, I kind of like working out of this place. The odors of the food are enticing.”Theo laughed then said, “You’re too much, Matt.”“And I’ll miss your coffee,” added Matt.“Still, Foggy seems excited to get it back,” said Theo.“When we were in law school together, I sold Foggy a vision of using the law to do good and he bought it. Yes, he had some success with Jeri Hogarth, made real good money, but that bill of goods I sold him stayed bought. If he wants to reopen our law offices in Hell’s Kitchen, it’s my fault,” smiled Matt.“Mom always said that we lost Foggy as part of this deli the day he met you. Dad didn’t believe her, but she was right. Foggy went to law school to avoid making up his mind about what to do with his life then he met you and you inspired him to become an avocado, as he likes to joke. He wanted to be a great lawyer after being your roommate,” said Theo.“Do you resent him being a lawyer?” asked Matt.“I used to but not any longer. You see, Matt, I intend on hiring some help here. The store does good business and it’s starting to do real good business on sandwiches, especially from eleven in the morning until one-thirty. Lunch was so busy on Thursday last week that Foggy had to jump behind the counter and help me. I’m going to make Nelson Meats into Nelson Meats and Sandwiches. I’ll add more sandwiches, some sides like macaroni salad, and hopefully sell even more sandwiches, including at dinner time,” grinned Theo.“With that attitude you’ll succeed, Theo, and if you need any help, just ask. Whatever and whenever you need help come to Foggy and me and we’ll help you as much as we can,” said Matt.“I guess you’re part of the Nelson family now, Matt.”Matt smiled and then said, “I couldn’t ask for a better family to be part of.” DD Foggy and Karen arrived at Jessica Jones Office/apartment in time to see her kissing Oscar. Seconds after the two visitors entered, they quickly moved apart from each other leaving Foggy and Karen feeling awkward. Oscar gave them a friendly smile.“I should be going,” he said then he looked at Jessica. “Will you make dinner tonight? Vido misses you.”“I’ll try,” she said.Oscar left then Jessica’s expression went from friendly to hard and annoyed.“Don’t you two know how to knock on a goddamn door for chrissake,” she growled then she walked over to her desk, sat down, opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a bottle of bourbon and a glass. She poured herself a stiff drink and then downed it in one gulp.Foggy and Karen walked further into the office/apartment and sat down in the wooden chairs in front of the desk.“Sorry to intrude, Miss Jones, but you did make an appointment to see me. You have to admit that you have a strange setup here with your apartment and officer being the same place,” said Foggy.“Jessica. Don’t call me, Miss Jones. You sound like Murdock calling me Miss Jones,” she said.“Call me Foggy then,” started Foggy.“Foggy. Didn’t your parents like you?” she smirked.“They named me Franklin. I rather be called Foggy. This is Karen. She’s our in-house PI,” he told her.“You bring a PI to see a PI that’s real fucking smart and kind of insulting,” she said dismissively. “I asked you here to talk about my client Katherine Simpson. She needs a lawyer to handle bail and law shit like that. I can handle proving she’s innocent.”“Karen will review whatever you find and let me know if it will work in court or can clear her legally. I know that you’re not a big fan of the law, Jessica,” said Foggy.“I thought you were a newspaper writer, Blondie,” said Jessica to Karen.“I was but I’m back working with Matt and Foggy doing what I believe in,” said Karen with a hint of defiance.“Matt,” growled Jessica. Just hearing his name annoyed the shit out of her, yet there was a part of her that wanted to know about him and what happened to him. “How is Devil Boy doing? Is he still playing Mr. Magoo by day and vigilante by night?”“I’m going to be honest with you, Jessica, I was apprehensive to take you and your client on but Matt said he owes you. He wants me to help you as much as Karen and I can help you,“ said Foggy.“Isn’t that special? I thought he was a pancake at the bottom of Midland Circle and he does an imitation of Jesus and rises from the dead but he never tells those who fought with him and mourned him,” she said. “How the fuck did he survive that anyhow?” Foggy exhaled slowly. He didn’t want to get angry like she was getting angry. Matt wanted him to help her, so he was going to help her.“All he can remember was water then being washed out of the New York City Sewer System. A cab driver on break noticed him struggling to move among the garbage and he recognized Matt’s Daredevil suit and brought him to Father Lantom instead of ER and the police,” said Foggy. “His body was broken bones and battered, and his senses screwed up, so it took months and months for him to recover and when he did recover, Wilson Fisk was free from prison under the protection of the Feds. Fisk wanted two people dead most in this world and they were Daredevil and Matt Murdock, so Matt decided to go after Fisk from the shadows. The papers tell you most of the rest of the story, mainly leaving out Daredevil’s role in Fisk going back to prison.”“Well, I’m glad he didn’t die, but I don’t want him involved in this,” said Jessica.“You have me and Karen,” said Foggy.“Yeah, sure,” exhaled Jessica.“Tell us about your client,” Foggy said.“Katherine Simpson. She been arrested for arson which is bullshit. Katherine’s Café had just got good reviews and was starting to do good business. Someone burned the place down and set her up for the fall,” said Jessica. “She needs legal representation and to start with she needs to get bail and bail she can afford.”“Do you have any suspects on who did it and why?” asked Karen.Jessica glared at her for a moment then said, “I’m working on it. I just got her as a client. She got my name from a former client I helped out of a jam.” “How much can she afford for bail?” asked Foggy.“Not much. If she got bail for 100 thousand, she probably could scrounge up ten grand,” answered Jessica.“Her first time in trouble?” asked Foggy.“Yeah,” sniffed Jessica.“I should be able to get her a reasonable bail,” Foggy told her.“Luke Cage said you were good,” nodded Jessica.“I need to meet her,” said Foggy.“So, you’re her lawyer?” Jessica asked.“Yup, I’m her lawyer,” said Foggy. DD Matt arrived at 49thStreet and Tenth Avenue where Katherine Simpson’s café was burned down. It was two in the morning and he had made his rounds and done his vigilante work, so now it was time to deal with the arson case. The streets were empty and only the occasional car drove by the area, so Matt made his way down to street level then he avoided the yellow police tape and entered the burned out café. For a moment he stood still and allowed his senses to take in the place. The flashpoint for the fire was in the kitchen, so he walked into the kitchen.Inhaling the scents of the fire, Matt knew that the fire was started with a propane canister, a small one, but there was more than that. Turpentine was used as an accelerant. The propane canister was used for a grill top. It was cheaper than putting in gas piping. Many restaurants used propane equipment. But the turpentine was a problem. Someone set up the canister to explode then soaked the area in turpentine to make sure there was a good fire. Whoever set the fire used what was handy, as the café still had a few paint cans in the storage area. The arsonist knew what they were doing. Matt doubted that Katherine Simpson did this unless she kept a career as an arsonist hidden over the years while learning to cook. But who did and why?As he moved around the burned out kitchen he took one of his billy clubs out and smacked the metal of a table in order to heighten his sonar with the sound waves reverberating off the metal. This exposed everything in the kitchen to him, including a metal object buried under some debris. He walked over to the debris and pushed it aside with his foot and found something of interest: a kunai knife. Matt knelt down and picked it up. A Kunai usually meant the Yakuza. Before the Hand, the Yakuza showed an interest in Hell’s Kitchen. Were they coming back?He held the perfectly weighted kunai in his hand when his hearing picked up the sound of a familiar heartbeat and footfall. Jessica Jones was on her way into the burned out café to check things out. Matt decided to just stand there and wait for her.“What the fuck are you doing here?” she growled.“Using my unique abilities to figure out who did this,” he answered.Jessica tried to control her temper. Her first instinct was to give him a piece of her mind for his behavior in not telling her he was alive then give him a smack he wouldn’t forget, but he did possess abilities she didn’t. He was probably useful.“You find anything?” she sniffed.Without turning to face her, he tossed the kunai over his shoulder. It stuck in the floor at her right foot. Jessica bent down and picked it up.“A kunai,” he said. “The Yakuza use them. Well, ninjas who work for the Yakuza use them. Assassination, arson, stealth, that’s the ninjas forte. Yakuza soldiers use automatic weapons and don’t care about stealth.”“The Yakuza. You think the Yakuza had this place burned down,” she growled.“Before the Hand came to Hell’s Kitchen, the Yakuza showed an interest it, as a place to setup a base of operations,” he told her. “Now that the Hand is gone, they are probably making a comeback.”“Why burn down her place and blame my client?” Jessica asked.“To lower the price of the building and avoid the glare of the police. They’ll send a third party to the owner of this building sometime soon and make an offer that appeals to them,” said Matt.“And what? Open up a sushi place instead of the café?” asked Jessica.“More than likely. Plus, being a Yakuza place they’ll be private rooms with hostesses and more. The Yakuza like someplace to hangout where they can be social but no one will bother them,” explained Matt.“How do you know this, Horn Head?” she sniffed.“This won’t be my first time up against the Yakuza,” he sighed.“What should I do with this fucking thing?” Jessica asked holding up the kunai.“Leave it where I found it,” he pointed to the debris. “The fire department and police will comb through this place for more evidence probably starting tomorrow. Finding the kunai will help your client. It’s a distinctive weapon.”Jessica huffed. Matt started to walk towards the back door exit of the building. He knew Jessica enough to know that there was a time and place to press her but now wasn’t the time or place.“Horn Head,” she called to him.Matt had his back to her. Her new nickname for him made him smile.“Yes, Miss Jones,” he said.“Stay out of this,” she stated.“I’ll leave you and your client alone, but if the Yakuza are making a move again in Hell’s Kitchen, I won’t be staying out of it,” said Matt. “I won’t let them do what they want. I’ll stop them.”“Your life, your death,” Jessica said sarcastically.“I’m sorry, Jessica,” he said softly then he moved with speed and grace exiting the building before Jessica could respond.“Pain in the ass,” she sighed.He did her a favor in finding the kunai. Yeah, he was a good guy still, but part of her still seethed at his not letting them, no, letting her know, that he survived. She felt comfortable with him and liked him in a way that did in few people. Hell, she was even attracted to him. But, he died at Midland Circle, or so she thought.Walking over to the debris, she wiped the kunai clean of her fingerprints and dropped it into the debris then she headed out of the café. Maybe if she was lucky, Katherine will get out on bail soon and she could spend some quality time with Oscar and Vido. DD Matt exited the courtroom knowing he had damaged the prosecution’s case. He was now sure he’d get his client off of the charge he didn’t commit. Touching his watch it was going on one o’clock in the afternoon. It was time for him to rush back to Hell’s Kitchen and meet Foggy, Marci, and Karen at their new office. Marci didn’t work for them, preferring larger better paying firms, but she still was attached to Foggy an odd pairing that appeared to work. As for Foggy, he signed the lease this morning and he was going to have painters in to give it a coat or two and then he, Marci, and Karen were going to pick up new furniture and office computers and such. For obvious reasons Matt was needed for this. Of course, Foggy wanted to show off a little and celebrate their getting back on their feet as a Law Partners.Hailing a yellow cab, Matt allowed a passer-by to help him into the cab. The ride took longer than he knew it should and his sonar told him that the driver took a long route, but finally they stopped in front of the law office.“Hey, Buddy, twelve dollars even,” said the driver.Matt took out his wallet. Each denomination was folded a certain way so he could tell which was which. He handed the driver a ten dollar bill and two singles.“If you want a tip then don’t take me on a joy ride. I’m blind not stupid. And I’m also a lawyer,” Matt snapped then got out of the cab and walked into the building.Taking the stairs instead of the small elevator to the third floor, he could hear Foggy, Marci, and Karen planning the colors to paint the walls and what furniture and office equipment they needed. He’d supply his own braille laptop and blind friendly equipment. With a smile on his face, he entered their Law Offices.“It sounds festive in here,” he said as he was greeted by“We have our offices back,” Foggy announced to him.“You’re becoming a real firm now,” smiled Marci. “If you get famous enough, maybe I’ll join you.”“Hey, Matt,” Karen greeted him.She moved over to him and gave him a gently hug. The deep feelings they had for each other were still there, but friendship appeared to be the default relationship that they had decided to take. Matt understood this. Foggy and Karen may accept him as Daredevil right now, yet it was still a heavy burden for them to know what he did at night.“So, what color are you painting the walls?” Matt asked.“Light gray. White is too stark,” said Foggy.“I know it blinds me,” Matt smiled.Marci actually laughed, which made Matt appreciate her. She didn’t care about his blindness.“Then we’ll get brand new office furniture, computers, equipment, and even posters or paintings for the walls,” said Karen.“I’d recommend we buy a painting from Vanessa Fisk, but I doubt she’d want to sell me anything,” smirked Matt.“Yeah, she’s not a big fan of yours,” added Foggy.“I thought Karen and I could handle the decorating of the office,” said Marci.“I agree,” added Karen.“Hey, Matt, I need to talk to you for a few minutes in your office, while they decide on things,” said Foggy.Matt allowed Foggy to usher him into his old office, since Marci was there. Once they were in the office, Foggy shut the door.“I got Jessica Jones’ client bail and she told me about running into you last night,” said Foggy. “I thought you said you’d stay out of this.”“I think it’s the Yakuza who burned down the café,” Matt stated.“She told me,” sighed Foggy. “Matt, stay out of this. Let the police handle it.”“If it’s the Yakuza, I’m not staying out of it, Foggy. They are too dangerous and I’m not going to let Hell’s Kitchen go backwards. Crime is up to begin with but the Yakuza would make that neighborhood truly Hell’s Kitchen again,” Matt told him in a rough voice.“Okay, well, I know not to argue with you when you are speaking in your Daredevil voice, but do me one favor and stay out of Jessica Jones’ way,” said Foggy.“Okay,” sighed Matt. “So, when can we move back in here?”“Next week,” smiled Foggy. DD “Vido, stop playing video games, wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Jessica is here and we are having chicken enchiladas, rice, and refried beans,” Oscar called to his son.Sans her usually leather jacket, Jessica set the table. Oscar came up behind her, put his arms around her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She smiled, though the smile was quickly replaced with a look of aspiration. Oscar and her sat down. He started to put the food on their plates, while Jessica continued to look pre-occupied.“What’s wrong, Jess?” he asked her.“Case I’m working on,” she said.Of course, Horn Head was on her mind even more than the case. He was going to get involved with the Yakuza, putting his life at risk once again. If Iron Pants was here, He’d probably join him in his crusade to keep Hell’s Kitchen safe. What a stupid bastard! And Matt Murdock was even crazier and stupider than Danny Rand. They were a couple of idealists willing who believed in themselves too much.Vido came running in and sat down. He showed his father his hands.“Clean. Good,” said Oscar. “Now, you say the prayer.”“Okay,” smiled Vido. “Thank you, God, for the food we are about to receive and for your son, Jesus, our savior.”Jessica snorted then looked apologetically at Oscar.“You’re not a Catholic so you don’t understand,” he said to her.“I know a guy who is real Catholic. He is so Catholic he’s willing to martyr himself,” said Jessica.“He must be a good man,” said Oscar.Jessica shrugged then she sampled her enchilada. Murdock was a good man, but that didn’t make him any less stupid in her opinion.“You should open a food truck or something,” she said.“Nay. Now my Madre. Now she can cook. Right Vido?” grinned Oscar.“Right, papa,” smiled Vido.“God, this is so Latino Norman Rockwell. I might be ill,” she joked.“Laugh at us but you are sitting here eating this meal with us,” chuckled Oscar.“Okay, good point,” Jessica smiled.“Hey, Jessica, do you want to go ice skating with me and papa?” asked Vido.“I promised to take him to Wollman Rink Saturday to ice skate and get hot dogs or hamburgers from the concession stand for lunch. You up for it?” asked Oscar.“I don’t skate, but I’ll have lunch with you and watch you skate,” she answered.“Yeah,” Vido reacted.“Good, Jess, very good.” DD It had been a long Friday night for Matt. Even though it was damned cold for early December Hell’s Kitchen was on fire Friday night. He broke up an attempted rape, a street brawl that spilled out of a bar in which three guys were going to kick one guy to death, an armed robbery, and attempted B and E. The hardest to deal with of the crimes was the street brawl. One of the guys broke a bottle of beer and tried to use it as a knife on him. Melvin had made him a new suit, which was stronger and better than the last, but even this one had vulnerable spots. The red sections were stronger than before, but they still weren’t as good as the black sections. He ended up with a cut up shoulder blade.Once he got home he mended his suit with a red liquid that Melvin gave him, which when it dried acted as a protective barrier. He put his suit away then showered, bandaged his shoulder blade with difficulty, meditated for an hour then went to bed.At eight in the morning, a luxury for him to get up at, he got up and made himself coffee and Irish oatmeal. After eating he got his laptop and got to work. By ten o’clock, he heard Foggy, Marci, and Karen outside of his building. They let themselves in and made their way to the top floor then knocked on his door. Matt put on his red tinted lenses glasses and cane getting into character as someone without his gifts for Marci and went to the door and answered it.“Hey, Buddy, we are headed to the Wollman Rink to skate and then have lunch somewhere and I insisted we get you out of your cubbyhole,” Foggy said happily.“Come on it. I have a fresh pot of coffee made,” he said.“I’d love a mug. It’s cold out,” complained Marci.“You’ll love Matt’s coffee. He only buys the best and he uses a French press,” Karen told her.They walked down the long hallway. Marci and Karen headed into the kitchen while Foggy and Matt continued towards his sofa and chairs.“You know I don’t skate,” said Matt.“Hey, you can suffer out in the cold with me. I haven’t skated since I was fourteen. I betting I break an ankle,” Foggy told him.“Oh, God, this is good coffee,” Marci announced from the kitchen.“I told you,” responded Karen.Marci and Karen walked over to the living area. Karen sat down on the sofa joining Foggy and Marci. Matt sat in the armchair.“You’re coming with us, Matt,” she warned him.“I take it the offices are painted and furniture and other items have been delivered,” Matt guessed.“Everything is ready for Monday,” smiled Foggy. “We are back in business for real now, Matt.”“Okay, I’ll come out with you,” he sighed. DD Jessica Jones stood by the boards and watched Oscar and Vido skate. The two of them were having a great time and she enjoyed watching them, when she noticed Foggy, Karen, and a light haired, probably leached, blonde skating and laughing, mainly at the fact that none of the could skate well. She scanned the boards and saw Matt standing there bundled up in an overcoat with his glasses on and holding his cane. He looked like a blind man but she knew better.As she started to turn her head away from staring at man, he turned his head and looked at her. Well, she knew that he didn’t really look at her, but he turned his face towards her. He knew she was there. She stared at him. Her heart started to beat a little quicker, which angered her. She still found him attractive.He turned away his face away from her and appeared to stare down at the ice. It was as if he didn’t want to interfere in her life. She had let him know in no certain terms that she didn’t want him involved her life or business and he was good to his word.Oscar skated over to where she stood and surprised her. Before she could say a word, he gave her a long kiss. Looking over her shoulder she noticed that Matt was gone.“I wish you’d rent some skates and join us,” he said.“I don’t like falling on my ass,” she told him.“Okay, okay,” he smiled then he skated back to Vido, who was having a wonderful time skating and falling.She looked for Matt but he was gone. Jessica didn’t want it to bother her that he was gone but it did.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Matt was in his Daredevil gear standing on the rooftop across from the destroyed Katherine’s Café. The building had damage on several floors, so that the renters didn’t hadn’t returned. Although, he was sure that she didn’t do it, discovering the kunai bothered him. The ninja that the Yakuza hired were usually more careful than that to leave behind any trace of themselves, unless they wanted it discovered, or they were being setup by another group. Who would do that?Matt engaged his mind. In some ways the Yakuza were the enemy of the Hand, just like the Triads were their enemy. What groups were left that were affiliated with the Hand and want to damage the Yakuza. One organization came to mind immediately and that was the Black Samurai. The Red Right Hand was another organization that was loyal to the Hand. The possibility of some organized group trying to setup the Yakuza was worth investigating.Suddenly, Matt cocked his head as he heard a police car careen out of control and crash because of gunfire. He could start his investigation some other time. The incident he just heard was only three blocks away, so he took out his billy clubs and fired the piton and high tensile strength wire that were hidden in them and swung from the rooftop he was on to one across the street. Once across the street Matt used his combination of parkour and gymnastics to run across the rooftops going and going until he fired the piton and wire and dropped down street level where two armed men were about to open fire on the two injured police officers in their crashed vehicles.Without hesitation he threw both his billy clubs at the same time. One hit one of the armed men in the base of the neck sending him to the cement. The other billy club ricocheted off the street pavement then off the police car and hit the armed man in the jaw acting like a powerful punch to the face. He stumbled back away from the two officers, who he was about to shoot in cold blood.Before either man could recover, Matt was on top of them. He delivered a series of punches and kicks sending both of the into unconsciousness and landing them on the pavement. Once they were down and out, he collected his billy clubs and then checked on the police officers. One of the was out cold from hitting his head on the dashboard, while the driver was awake and moaning with pain. Using his abilities, he listened and then checked the officers out moving from one side to the other.“You’re going to be fine, Officer,” he said to the driver. “The air bag saved you from any real damage. You have a bruised sternum from your seatbelt. Your fellow officer has a serious head injury and more than likely a first or second degree concussion.”“You’re Daredevil. You saved us from getting gunned down,” the driver exhaled in grunts of pain.“It was the least I could do, Officer,” he said. “Your assailants are out cold and will stay that way long enough for your backup to arrive.”Matt heard the sirens coming from other police cars. It was time for him to leave.“Remember tell whoever comes to help tell them that your partner has a serious head injury and a bad concussion,” said Matt then he took off. DD Oscar had fallen asleep after sex in Jessica’s bed. This was unusual for him because he never wanted to leave Vido alone in the apartment, but it had been a long day and the sex was good. When he woke up, the bed was empty and he could hear Jessica in the other room at her desk listening to the radio and working on her computer. He checked the clock and it was four in the morning, which meant he had enough time to get up, return to his apartment and make sure that Vido had breakfast by eight and was ready for the noon mass. Vido will never know he was alone most of the night. Getting out of bed, he dressed then joined Jessica.As he got closer to her he could hear the radio. There was an hourly update going on about Daredevil saving two police officers from two men who shot at their vehicle. Oscar wasn’t a big fan of Daredevil. He thought of him as a vigilante, but he was the he saved some cops. When Jessica noticed Oscar coming she turned off the radio.“Good morning, Carino,” he said to her.“Morning,” she mumbled then looked up at him.“Working so early?” he asked.“I have to clear my client and find more work. Rent doesn’t pay itself,” she said.“Well, I’m going back to my place,” he smiled. “Vido will be up soon and I have to make him breakfast. Will you join us to eat?”“No,” she sighed. “I really need to work, Oscar.”“Okay, I won’t push you,” he grinned then he took off.Once he was gone, Jessica sat back in her chair. Being with Oscar and Vido had been nice these past many months. It was stable and safe and it was like some normalcy in a life that had little normalcy in it. Some much if her life had fallen apart lately. Malcolm, her one-time friend and sometime associate, now worked for Pryce Cheng, a rival PI, whose firm Cheng Consulting Management hired Malcolm and used him against her. Then there was her sister, or step-sister, Trish Walker. She was a radio host who wanted to be a superhero and have powers like Jessica, powers that Jessica didn’t want. On top of that Trish ended up shooting and killing Jessica’s mother, who Jessica thought was dead. Alisa Jones wasn’t dead all these years but actually had been scarred and she and Jessica were both treated at IGH. Of course, IGH turned Jessica into super powered freak. A little normalcy was good in her life, yet she was feeling odd lately. Maybe normal wasn’t for her.How could Oscar really understand someone as fucked up as her? Luke sort of understood her, but she still carried some serious guilt when it came to Luke. Shit, Kilgrave made her kill his wife. Though, Luke being super powered, as well as her, the sex was great and she didn’t have to hold back, like she had to hold back with Oscar and other normal men. Definitely, Matt Murdock understood what it was to be fucked up. She closed her eyes for a moment and willed herself to change the topic. On Monday she was taking Katherine to Foggy Nelson’s office to discuss where they stood. Monday, she was going to have deal with seeing Mathew Murdock. DD Oscar and Vido sat in the pew listening to Father Banaszak give his homily. The priest was trying to explain how the Gospel reading was relevant for people today. Oscar thought he was doing a good job. After the mass, he and Vido had to speak to the new priest about Vido becoming an altar boy. Sitting in the pew in front of them was Matt Murdock. With his red tinted lenses dark glasses on, he sat there listening to the new priest and thinking of Father Lantom and how, in the end, he let the man down. He had stumbled in his friendship with Father Lantom because he knew about Sister Maggie Grace being his mother, yet he never told Matt. Matt couldn’t understand that Lantom was trying to protect both Maggie Grace and him.The homily ended and the mass continued. Finally, the mass ended and those who attended started to slowly file out of the church. Matt, like Oscar and Vido, stayed seated in the pew. He had heard Oscar’s heartbeat at Wollman Rink, so Matt knew that Oscar was Jessica Jones’ boyfriend. The fact that she had a boyfriend irritated for some reason, which he wasn’t willing to think about. If she had someone, it wasn’t a concern of his and it shouldn’t bother him. Instead Matt cleared his mind and sat and waited. Sister Maggie was going to come by the Clinton Church instead of him going to St. Agnes Orphanage.Sister Maggie and Father Banaszak came back into the church. Oscar and Vido stood up. Father Banaszak walked over to them, while Sister Maggie joined Matt, who stood up when she got near him. He and Maggie stood side by side and listened to Oscar talk to Father Banaszak.“Father, I’m Oscar Acho and this is my son Vido,” Oscar greeted him.“Oscar and Vido, good to see you. How can I help you?” asked Father Banaszak.“Vido wants to be an altar boy, Father. How to we go about making that happen?” smiled Oscar.“There’s something you failed at, Matthew,” Sister Maggie teased him.“A blind altar boy would have made the mass interesting, sister, especially when I had to hand things to the priest,” grinned Matt.Vido laughed at this and Oscar smiled. Father Banaszak placed his hand on Vido’s shoulder and looked down at him.“Well, Vido, if you have your father bring you here on Saturdays at ten, I start instruction for two boys and a girl to become altar boys and altar girl. You can join them and I’ll instruct you,” said Father Banaszak.“Does that sound good to you, Vido?” asked Oscar.“Yes, papa,” he answered.“I’ll have him here on Saturday,” said Oscar then he and Vido left strolling down the aisle.“Matthew, this is Father Banaszak,” Sister Maggie introduced the priest to Matt.Matt put out his hand and let the priest shake it. Unlike Father Lantom, Father Banaszak didn’t know that Matt was Daredevil or that Maggie was his mother. The priest was ignorant of many things and it would stay that way for now, maybe forever. If Maggie wanted him to know about him being her son, he’d let Maggie tell the priest, but Matt doubted he’d tell the young priest that he was Daredevil. Father Lantom seemed to understand him like no other priest.“Matthew is going to supply us with a high-end item to auction off for our Christmas Fedtival,” said Maggie with a smile.“Actually, a fifty inch HD smart TV and a expensive laptop are being delivered to the orphanage in a few days. You have two items to raffle out,” said Matt.“Thank you, Matthew,” Maggie said with fondness in her voice.“Yes, thank you,” said Father Banaszak excitedly. “With the Christmas Festival we just might make up for the shortfall the archdiocese is leaving St Agnes with. We’ll have bake sales, two big raffles for the items you donated, and smaller raffles for things like sandwiches from Nelson Meats, a meal for two at Carne Verde.”“Yes, Father, we should be able to make some much needed money for the orphanage,” smiled Maggie. She then looked at Matt. “Matthew, may I walk you out?”“Thank you, Sister,” smirked Matt.Maggie took Matt by the elbow and started walking him down the aisle, s if she was helping a blind man out of the church.“So, Matthew, I heard that you have reopened your law offices,” Maggie remarked.“Tomorrow is our first day in the offices,” he told her.“I also heard about Daredevil helping those two police officers,” said Maggie. “So, your nighttime job…”“I prefer vocation,” smiled Matt.“I have a vocation, Matthew. Being a vigilante is a choice, maybe even a choice inspired by God but still a choice,” said Maggie.“Having my senses tuned up so I can hear heartbeats blocks away, smell pheromones, and much more, plus even have a form of sonar, I think of as a gift from God given to me to do some good in the world, so I’m going to call what I do at night a vocation,” smirked Matt.“Matthew, I know you are doing good at night, but I still not sure it’s a vocation. Last time I checked I don’t beat criminals up,” said Maggie.“I’ll keep that in mind, Sister,” said Matt with a hint of sarcasm and good humor.They exited the church. Matt adjusted his scarf and buttoned up his overcoat.“I’m officially Mother Superior now, Matthew,” said Maggie.“Maybe I’ll just call you mother,” chuckled Matt.“Very funny, Matthew,” smiled Maggie.She let go of his elbow and he took his cane out of his overcoat’s pocket and unfolded.“I expect you at the Christmas Festival,” she said.“Maybe I’ll convince Foggy to come with me. We can buy raffle tickets to get sandwiches at his brother’s place,” smiled Matt.“I’ll expect you to bid on more than that,” said Maggie.“I don’t need or use a TV and my computer is braille friendly,” said Matt.“So, if you win you can donate them to the orphanage,” Maggie said with humor but meaning it.Matt used his cane to walk down the church’s front steps. Maggie walked beside him.“I’m glad you came to mass,” she said to him.“I’ll have to check out Father Banaszak’s Latin mass,” said Matt.Maggie smiled then she said, “Being a lawyer, you know a great deal of Latin to begin with. A Latin mass should be no problem for you to follow.” DD Jessica and Katherine Simpson arrived at Nelson, Murdock, and Page at nine in the morning. When they stepped into the office, Karen Page greeted them, as she was seated at what should be the secretary’s desk, which made Jessica smile to herself. She guessed that she was secretary and PI for Nelson and Murdock.“Hi,” smiled Karen, who greeted them.Foggy came out of his office. He walked over and offered his hand for them to shake. Katherine shook it but Jessica didn’t.“In the alcove is coffee and Danish from a local bakery. Help yourself,” he said. “We’ll meet in my office.”“I could use a coffee,” mumbled Jessica, who turned and noticed that Matt was in his office with the door closed. She could see him working through the office door’s window.He followed Katherine into the alcove. Katherine fixed herself a coffee and then grabbed a Danish. Jessica poured black coffee into a cup and then followed Katherine into Foggy’s office where Foggy and Karen waited for them.“Please, sit down and will get started,” said Foggy.They sat down in two comfortable chairs. Jessica expected old furniture and office equipment but everything appeared to brand new. They must have had a big court victory.“Let start by telling you, Miss Simpson, that we have some good news. The police found a kunai knife in the debris of the fire,” stated Foggy.“This indicates that maybe the Yakuza are involved in the fire. They are expanding their investigations,” explained Karen.“Does this mean I’m in the clear?” asked Simpson.“No,” smiled Foggy. “You are still part of the investigation, but it does mean that your chances of getting off have increased greatly. Now, you are out on bail, but there are some restrictions to being out on bail.”Jessica downed her coffee then she stood up.“I’m going to get myself some more coffee,” she said then exited the office and shut the door behind her.She wanted to talk to Murdock, even though she promised herself that she’d ignore him. But he’d have a better sense about the Yakuza than either of his associates. She walked up to his door and opened it.“Come on in Jessica,” he said without looking in her direction, as he worked on his braille laptop. “Have a seat.”As she sat down, she also noticed that he had a braille notetaker with a voice synthesizer. She wondered if he even needed these things to do his work considering his abilities.“The police are investigating the Yakuza now, too,” she said.“Yes,” he said.“Have you been doing anymore snooping?” she asked.“I started to but got distracted,” he said.She knew he meant that he saved two cops from getting shot in what turned out to be a gangland retaliation to a gang leader being arrested. If he wasn’t going to mention it then she wasn’t going to mention it.“So, you think it’s the Yakuza?” she asked him.“Actually, no,” sighed Matt. “Yakuza were the enemy of the Hand. Even though the Hand is gond, there are groups still loyal to them like The Right Red Hand and Black Samurai. My guess is that it is one of those groups.”“And you are going to take them on, and probably the Yakuza as well,” she sniffed.Matt shrugged.“Fucking idiot,” Jessica snapped.“Foggy and the police should be able to clear your client and soon. If my guess is right then either The Red Right Hand or Black Samurai will attack the Yakuza. They’ll want to start a war with them,” said Matt. “And Hell’s Kitchen will pay the price for it. I recommend you that you keep a close eye on your boyfriend and his son.”Hearing Matt mention Oscar and Vido annoyed Jessica for more than one reason. She didn’t want him involved in her life was one reason, but the other had to do with her own mixed up feelings about Matt.“If the Yakuza or any other stupid assed named group goes near them I’ll deal with them myself,” she growled.“I know you will, Miss Jones,” smirked Matt.She stood up. There was part of her that wanted to wipe the smirk off Matt’s face with a slap and another part that wanted to wipe it off with a kiss.“I’m going,” she said.“Are you still friendly with Luke Cage?” he asked.“Yeah, why?” she replied.“The Yakuza don’t use traditional weapons like The Red Right Hand and Black Samurai. They refer military grade weapons and Harlem’s Paradise would be one of the places that they would go to find a good arms dealer. You should let him know,” said Matt.“And if the Yakuza show up there to buy weapons, you want to know, right?” she asked him.“I’ll know soon enough, Jessica,” he said. “Just let him know in order to protect himself. I know he’s bullet proof and all, but Yakuza, just like the Hand, The Red Right Hand, and Black Samurai have ways, some call it magic, I think Danny would call it the ways of K’un-Lun.”“What a fucking mess,” sighed Jessica. “You’re going to need some help with this. If Danny was around he’d feel obligated to help you.”Matt smiled at this suggestion.The smile made Jessica’s heart race and against her will her body started to sexually respond to Matt. He knew this, but He didn’t want Jessica involved in what he assumed was going to be a bloody war, so he ignored it.“Be careful, Jessica,” she smiled softly.She stood up to leave. Jessica turned to leave but she hesitated for a moment. It was as if she was waiting for Matt to say something. He said nothing. She exited his office.Once she was gone, he stood up and walked to the window. He stood in front of it as if he was staring out it. A strong urge within wanted to go after Jessica but he fought it. He should have kept her out of the fight with the Hand, but he definitely was going to keep her out of this fight.DD Luke was dressed in a very expensive double-breasted suit. He was in his office at Harlem’s Paradise standing at the circular window looking out at Harlem. This was the neighborhood he wanted to save, to make great, but he was starting to wonder how the hell he was going to do while owning this club. There was a knock on his office door.“Come in,” he said.His secretary Monique came in.“There’s a pretty white boy named Danny Rand here to see you,” she said.Luke smiled to himself then turned and looked at her.“Let him in,” he said.Danny came in dressed in jeans, a gray loose-fitting hoodie, and a brown leather jacket. His bread was gone but his blonde hair was still shaggy.“Sweet Christmas, Danny,” he said.“Hey, Luke,” he smiled. “I got back into town a couple of days ago. Colleen and Misty told me that you owned this place now. I had to come by and see for myself.”Luke motioned for Danny to sit down, as he sat down behind his desk. Danny sat down in a comfortable armchair and smiled at Luke.“Where’s Meachum?” asked Luke.“Ward is getting us the executive suite of Rand Enterprises, so we have someplace to stay,” smiled Danny. “I’m still the majority stock owner.”“You gave Colleen your Iron Fist,” said Luke shaking his head in disappointment.Danny’s smile broadened, as both his fists lit up with a golden raw energy. Luke had seen Colleen light up her katana with white energy but Luke’s Iron Fist energy crackled with pure raw energy.“I still possess the energy of Shao-Loa, the undying,” grinned Danny.“And you’re back in town,” said Luke with a smile.“And you’re in here hidden away instead of out there doing something worthy,” Danny pushed him.“Danny, once I understand how to use this place, I can help Harlem for real,” said Luke.“You can’t do good through corruption, Luke,” said Danny. “You should know that. You do know that.”“Did you come here to give me a lecture?” asked Luke.“No. I came here to see my friend and make sure he was okay,” said Danny.Danny stood up and smiled at Luke again.“You know Murdock is alive. He somehow survived and is out there again as Daredevil,” Luke told him.“Good. I can look him up,” said Danny. “I’d like that.” DD Matt heard the police radio calling for backup from his apartment. He was getting into his Daredevil gear when the call went out. It appeared that two detectives, Brett Mahoney and his partner, decided to pay a visit to Hell’s Kitchen Yakuza spot, a private club, so to speak. During the interview violence broke out and Brett’s partner went down and Brett dragged him out of the club under fire. He then called for backup and four cars with uniformed police officers were on the way.Matt headed up to the roof and then started making his way to the club, which was on Tenth Avenue and Forty-Eightieth Street. Making his best time possible, he arrived just as the police cars showed up and the uniformed officers took up a defensive position and started to fire on the private club. Two of the officers helped Brett Mahoney, who looked to be shot in the shoulder and his partner. Matt concentrated his hearing. Brett’s partner had no heartbeat, but he did pick up two stray heartbeats across the street from the private club on the roof.Using a combination of his sonar and his other gifts, he made out two figures dressed in ninja gear. One had a high-powered sniper rifle and the other had the traditional weapons of a ninja. If his guess was correct, he was viewing two members of the The Red Right Hand. The sniper probably shot Brett’s partner starting the violence between Brett and the Yakuza.Matt had to make a choice. Either he could go after the members of the The Red Right Hand or he could help the police with the Yakuza. An Officer behind his police car went down with a gunshot injury. The Yakuza were unleashing everything they had. Matt decided to deal with the Yakuza first.Using his billy club, he fired the piton and swung across the street crashing through a widow of the building where the Yakuza’s private club was. As he crashed through the widow, he picked up four heartbeats, two adults and two children. Matt turned his head towards them.“Don’t be afraid. I’m going to end this violence,” he said. “Just stay down until the police are in charge.”“You’re Daredevil,” said the young boy.“Yes, I am,” he smiled then he took off.Matt had to get into the private club which had a separate entrance from the apartment building. He decided the best way to get into the club was to head into the apartment above the club and use the fire escape to jump down and enter the club. Matt kicked open the apartment’s door. There was a couple hiding in the backroom. He went to the window, opened it and stepped out onto the fires escape.Using his gifts, he got a sense of the pattern of the gunfire, so he could avoid it and also how many Yakuza where in the club. There were six of them. He jumped off the fire escape landing in front of the club’s door, kicked it open, as the police stopped fire for a moment because he surprised them, then he entered the club.From their vantage point the police heard gunfire and the sounds of broken furniture and more. Brett Mahoney, who was applying pressure to his shoulder, started to walk towards the club. The uniformed officers followed him with their weapons drawn. They entered the club to find six Yakuza unconscious and disarmed, but there was no sign of Daredevil.“That’s the second time he’s saved police officers asses,” said a uniformed cop.Mahoney looked at him and growled, “Get us a couple of ambo’s and a wagon to drag their asses to jail.”“Yes, sir,” said an officer.Matt arrived home and gently pulled off his Daredevil gear. He had lucked out and he’d taken two gunshots to the black of his suit, which was bullet proof. Instead of two gunshot wounds, he had two cracked ribs.“There has to be a better way, Murdock,” he said to himself, as he dragged his ass into a hot shower then followed it with several hours of meditation, which acted as healing and sleep for him. He had work in the morning. DD Foggy along with Karen entered their law offices after spending the morning with the police getting Katherine Simpson off of any arson charge. Matt heard Foggy tell Karen that he’d check on him then he opened the door and entered his office. Matt looked up at him.“Are you okay?” he asked.“I have two cracked ribs from being shot at close range and that’s all. I avoided the rest of the bullets and took out the Yakuza before they killed anymore cops,” he told Foggy. “Shit, Matt, a uniformed cop told me what happened last night. Brett’s partner is dead and uniformed cop is in the hospital with a bullet wound to the neck, but the rest of them are thankful for Daredevil taking out six, well-armed Yakuza,” Foggy told him. “Brett had his shoulder in a sling from a gunshot wound, but I could tell he is both pissed at you and thankful.”“Is Katherine Simpson getting off on the charges of arson?” he asked.“Yup. Her and Jessica Jones should be here in half hour, so we can discuss things,” said Foggy.“I’ll stay in my office,” smiled Matt.“Can I get you something, buddy?” asked Foggy.“I wrapped my ribs myself. I could probably use your help later to rewrap them a little tighter,” Matt said.“Jesus, Buddy, of course, I’ll do that,” sighed Foggy. “You took two bullets up close and only have cracked ribs?”“The black of my Daredevil gear is knife and bullet proof. The red can deflect a knife once, not twice, and is definitely not bullet proof,” he told Foggy.“Can you get your uniform all in black?” Foggy asked him.“I’ll think about it,” smirked Matt. DD Foggy and Karen took Katherine into Foggy’s office, while Jessica said that she was going to get some coffee. Once the office door was closed she walked into Matt’s office to check on him.“Are you hurt, Murdock?” she asked.“Just some sore ribs but I’m fine,” he said then took off his glasses and rubbed his face with his hands.“So, the police are blaming the Yakuza,” stated Jessica. “Are they wrong?”“Yes,” sighed Matt. “I had a choice of helping the police last night or going after who started the gunfight between the Yakuza and the police. There were two ninjas, one with a sniper’s rifle, which they used to kill the police detective, and one with traditional weapons. I thought about going after them, but…”“You chose to be the hero to cops who’d arrest you if they could,” she snorted.“Well, I have engendered some goodwill with the police,” smirked Matt.“You’re a fucking idiot,” she said.“You keep saying that,” he exhaled not wanting to get angry.“So, you’re going after this Red Right Hand, huh?” she asked him.“Yes, and the Yakuza. It should be interesting,” he smiled that Devil smile she saw only when he was fighting or in his Daredevil gear.Jessica wanted to grab him by his expensive shirt and either slap him or kiss him. She decided it was time to check Katherine Simpson.“Good luck, Devil Boy,” she said.“Protect yourself and Oscar and Vido,” he told her.“What do you care, Murdock?” she snapped, sounding more angry then she was.“I care about you, Jessica. You might not believe it but I do,” he told her.She exited. Matt put his glasses back on and started to work on his closing argument to get his client off.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Jessica congratulated Katherine when they left the law offices. Katherine gave her an uncomfortable hug in the sidewalk outside of Nelson, Murdock, and Page. Jessica told her that she’d send her a bill but it wouldn’t be much of one, since she didn’t do much. Katherine thanked her effusively and told her she wouldn’t gotten off without her help. They parted ways. Now, she sat at her desk going through the photos she downloaded of a cheating husband. It was her least favorite kind of work, but it paid and paid well and she needed the money. There was a light knock on the door then Oscar opened it and walked into her place. She looked up at him.“Vido is in school and I thought you and I could enjoy an hour or so together,” he smiled.The last thing Jessica was in the mood for was cuddly sex with Oscar. She’d preferred to be left alone.“I have to pick out a few good photos of a cheating husband, write up a report about it, and take it to my client to get paid. I really need the money, Oscar,” she droned.“Oh, well, I understand the importance of getting paid,” he grinned, though she could tell he was disappointed. “How did it go with Miss Simpson?”“All charges have been dropped. She is free and clear,” sighed Jessica.“So, you helped her out. That’s great,” he said.“The lawyers did more for her than me,” Jessica stated. Matt did more for her than she did by finding the kunai. And now he was going to fight a war against some serious fucked up people. She didn’t want to feel guilty but she did. That son of bitch brought the guilt out in her without trying.“Saturday is a Christmas Festival at St. Agnes Orphanage. It’s connected to my church, so I was hoping that you would come to it with Vido and me,” said Oscar. “He’d be thrilled if you did.”Jessica rolled her eyes then offered Oscar a smile. Again, this wasn’t something she wanted to do, but she suddenly felt obligated to do.“I’ll go.”“Great. I heard they are raffling off some great things, plus there is a giant bake sale. Vido is going to want a yule log if they have one. Maybe I’ll even buy one this year for Christmas dessert,” said Oscar.Jessica grinned. It sounded like an hour or two of hell to her but she’d do it for Oscar. And Vido.“What time on Saturday?” she asked him.“Eleven. We’ll knock on your door,” he said.“Okay, Oscar,” she said. DD Matt exited onto his rooftop ready for his nighttime vocation when he picked up the heartbeat of someone familiar. They were hidden behind a chimney, which brought a smile to Matt’s face.“Hello, Danny,” he said.Danny stepped out from behind the chimney. He was dressed in green karate pants, a green hoodie, and yellow cloth covering the lower part of his face. On his feet he wore Turf marital arts shoes. He was ready to keep up with Matt on his mission to deal with the Yakuza.“I heard that you taking on the Yakuza and The Red Right Hand, so I thought you might need help. We do work well together,” Danny said.“I heard you were out of town,” replied Matt.“Well, I’m back now,” Danny said then he pulled down his mask and smiled.“Do you still have your Iron Fist?” asked Matt.“Yeah,” he said then he lit up both his fists in the raw energy of Shou-Lao. Danny turned off his iron fists and pulled up his yellow mask.“Impressive,” smirked Matt. “Let’s go.”Matt took off across the rooftops with Danny in tow. DD Jessica dropped off the photos and picked up a nice check for her work. Instead of going home, though, she hailed a cab and headed uptown to Harlem and Harlem’s Paradise. As she sat in the back of the cab, her mind wandered to thoughts of Matt Murdock. He said he cared about her. What the fuck did that mean? He wanted her to stay safe this time and keep Oscar and Vido safe. The bastard didn’t show any jealousy, but he tried to show little in the way of emotions. He used his blindness and red lensed glasses as a mask to hide behind. She’d love to force him to react with raw emotion.The cab stopped in front of Harlem’s Paradise. Jessica paid the driver then got out. Before she entered the club, she unzipped her black leather jacket then she walked into the club. The music was loud and live and the crowd was filled with men and women dancing and sitting at tables enjoying drinks. Several large men in suits stared at Jessica. She assumed that they were bouncers who worked for Luke and that a white girl coming into the club drew their attention. One of them walked up to her.“You lost?” he asked her.“Where’s Luke?” she growled.“Why do you want to know?” he asked her.“Don’t be an asshole. Where is he?” she asked.“In his office. You know the boss?” he asked.“Yeah, I know your boss. He’s not my boss. Show me to his office. Believe me he’ll want to see me,” said Jessica.The man shrugged then he pointed at the stairs. They walked up them to the second level then he escorted her to a wooden door and knocked.“What?” responded Luke.The man opened the door and escorted Jessica into the office. Luke looked up from the work on his desk and smiled at Jessica. He motioned his man to go away then nodded towards a chair for Jessica to sit down. She did.Once the door was closed, Jessica spoke up.“Nice digs for a hoodlum,” said Jessica.Luke chuckled at her remark then asked, “You want a drink?”“When do I refuse a drink?” she smiled.Luke got up and walked over to a crystal decanter, grabbed two crystal glasses, and poured two Bowmore Scotches. He walked over and handed Jessica a glass then sat down behind his desk with his glass. Jessica sipped the scotch, like what she tasted, and then downed the rest of glass. She got up, went over to Luke’s bar, poured herself another drink, this time even more generpous, then returned to her chair.“Good to see you, Jess,” Luke said.“The Yakuza will be looking to purchase military grade weapons. I was told that Harlem’s Paradise is one of the places they might show up here to seek these weapons. It sounds like some of your patrons are the kind who’s sell them the weapons,” Jessica told him.“What do you expect me to do, Jess?” asked Luke.“I don’t know, Luke, considering they will probably be using them against the police, Murdock, and Rand; I thought you might give a shit. I thought you were friends with Rand,” she snapped. “Maybe you could tell someone when you hear about it.”Luke right hand over his bald head. He was getting lost running this damned club, so maybe it was time for him to do something.“I’ll keep my ears and eyes open. Should I call you?” he asked.“No. I’m just a concerned third party. Let your buddy Iron Pants know,” she said.Jessica downed her drink and put the glass on Luke’s table then stood up.“That’s good shit. Thanks for the drink,” she said.“Anytime, Jess,” he sighed. DD The police were pinned down from gunfire coming from a parking garage that was across the street from an outdoor parking lot on 10thAvenue. The Yakuza owned the parking garage. The police decided to send a force of uniformed and several detectives to it in order to put the fear of the NYPD into the Yakuza. There display of law turned into another gunfight.Matt and Danny arrived three rooftops over from the parking garage in time to see three ninjas, members of The Red Right Hand, taking off. They must have started another gunfight with the police that the Yakuza had to finish. One of the ninjas had a sniper rifle.“Two ninjas dressed in black and one in red,” said Danny.“Members of The Red Right Hand. We’ll have to worry about them later,” sighed Matt.Using his abilities Matt cocked his head and added up the number of Yakuza in the parking garage. There were twelve of them. Four on level four and eight on level three.“You take level four and take out the Yakuza there,” said Matt. “I’ll take level three.”“Sounds like a plan,” smiled Danny.Danny lit up both fists and he and Matt headed towards the parking garage.From his vantage point behind his unmarked car, Brett Mahoney couldn’t believe he was seeing Daredevil and some other costumed vigilante, this one with two flowing fists, on the roof of the parking garage. They both disappeared into the garage.Suddenly, the gunfire that had him and the uniformed police officers pinned down was redirected into the garage itself. Daredevil and his friend were now under fire and they weren’t. Taking advantage of the redirection of the gunfire, he pulled his sling off and took out his gun.“Let’s head into the garage quickly before whoever is distracting them is killed,” he yelled.The police ran across the street and entered the parking garage. When they got to level three there were eight Yakuza moaning and groaning in pain. There guns were scatted across the garage floor. Brett motioned for the some uniformed to head up another level.“Daredevil saved our asses again,” a uniformed sergeant said.“I don’t like it. He should stay out of police business,” replied Brett Mahoney.“I’ll take it. I get to go home to my wife and kids. If he wants to risk his life saving mine then I’ll shake his hand if I ever get to meet him,” stated the sergeant.Another level up the police officers found four unconscious Yakuza along with two cars that we seriously dented and appeared to be used as a batter ram into these Yakuza.Danny and Matt headed back to his place. Danny noticed that Matt was very quiet on the returned trip. When they got back to Matt’s rooftop, Danny finally spoke up.“How badly are you hurt?” he asked.“I had a couple of cracked ribs before which have become four broken ribs and I think I bruised my spine,” answered Matt.He could be honest with Danny. They had strangely bonded during the fight against The Hand. Stick even said that they could teach each other some things. He felt comfortable with him.“Okay, let’s get down into your place and I’ll use my chi to heal the broken ribs. They be sore for a couple days,” said Danny.“And my back?” he asked.“Depends on how much chi I have left,” he shrugged. DD Matt’s ribs were fixed, but in using his chi to check out his whole body, he found that an old knee injury had healed badly. It must be causing him pain when he ran and did his flips. Danny, who had taken off his hoodie and mask and was now just in a gray tee shirt and pants sans shoes, decided he had enough chi left to fix his knee.“Matt, you hurt your knee, didn’t you?” he asked.“About two months ago,” answered Matt.“I can heal it. Right now it causes you pain, but I can heal it properly with my chi,” stated Danny.“Danny, if you could I’d be grateful,” said Matt.“Well, do you have anything in to eat? I’m going to need food and rest after this,” said Danny.“Your choice: I can make you a steak or I can heat up some chow fun noodles I have left over from yesterday,” Matt replied.“How about the steak and chow fun noodles,” smiled Danny.“I can do that,” said Matt.“And I can fix your knee,” said Danny. “Now lay down flat on the floor.”Matt did as he was told.“Why didn’t you get the knee set properly?” asked Danny.“Claire is gone. She was my go to medical help,” answered Matt.“Luke drove her away?” Danny asked.“She didn’t like his owning Harlem’s Paradise,” Matt stated.“How did you find this all out considering everyone thought you were dead?” asked Danny.“Foggy was Luke’s lawyer. He made sure that the transfer from Mariah to Luke was legal,” said Matt. “Luke told him about Claire. I guess he was feeling lonely at the time to confide something personal to Foggy.”“Luke can be an idiot,” grinned Danny. “Claire was perfect for him.”“She was a good woman,” said Matt softly.“You had a relationship with her, too, didn’t you?” asked Danny.“She broke it off because of what I did as Daredevil. She told me I was a martyr who was going to get himself killed,” Matt told him.“But Luke…,” Danny started.“Luke is bullet proof and knife proof,” Matt interrupted.Danny realized it was time to change the subject as it was a little too painful for Matt.“Let me fix your knee,” said Danny.Ten minutes later Danny sat on the floor in the lotus position meditating, while Matt fixed them steak and heated up the chow fun noodles. Once the steaks were down, he placed some butter on top of them then transferred them to plates and added the noodles to the plates. He brought them over to his dining room table then went back and got two forks, two knives, and two beers from the kitchen and returned to the table.“Danny, food is on,” he called out.Danny opened his eyes and smiled. He got up and joined Matt at the table.“This food smells great. My body needs the energy,” he said.He cut into the steak and sampled it. A smile appeared on his face.“I have to admit that Ward and I ate a lot of streets foods, some of it was great, and whatever we could grab. It nice being back,” said Danny.“So, you can use both hands now. Your chi has increased,” stated Matt.“And I have better control over it. I can self heal, use chi augmentation to infuse the bullets of two special sidearms with chi making their bullets a serious weapon,” Danny smiled then shoveled some noodles into his mouth.“I’m just starting to get my skills back to their top level,” said Matt.“We should help each other, you know, spar and push each other,” said Danny.“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea,” Matt grinned.“Good, very good,” Danny said happily. DD Jessica was dressed in her jeans, plaid shirt, tee shirt, gray cashmere scarf, black leather jacket, and fingerless gloves. The knock came on her door. She opened it and Oscar and Vido dressed for a cold winter day were standing there.“You ready for the Christmas Festival?” he smiled.“Yeah,” added Vido.“Lead the way guys,” she said.As Jessica, Oscar, and Vido walked to St. Agnes Orphanage, Matt and Foggy were already there. Maggie and Father Banaszak stood among the gathering crowd of people talking to Matt and Foggy.“Have you bought raffle tickets yet, Matthew?” asked Maggie.“For the sandwiches and dinner out, or the health spa?” grinned Matt.“No. For the television and computer. I expect you to buy several tickets for those items,” said Maggie.“I have no use for a TV or a non-braille computer,” said Matt.“Then if God willing if you win, you can donate the items to the orphanage,” said Maggie.“You’re a hard salesman, Mother Superior,” said Father Banaszak.“I’m practical, Father. Those with more than enough blessings in their life can go the extra mile for others,” smiled Maggie.“Wow, your tough,” said Foggy.“I expect you to buy tickets also, Mr. Nelson, as well as tickets for the sandwiches from Nelson Meats,” Maggie said to him.“Yes, sister,” Foggy said quickly.Matt laughed.“You’re amused by this, Matthew,” she said.“Yes, Maggie, I am. Remember I was once one of your orphans,” said Matt.“I remember, Matthew,” Maggie smiled sadly at him, as she remembered how she failed him when he needed her the most, but she was overwhelmed by him being her son and his level of problems. The only one who seemed to be able to help him was that man Stick and he eventually deserted him. It appeared that everyone eventually deserted Matthew, a fact she was trying to change.“I guess we should go buy raffle tickets, lots of them,” said Foggy.“And what else, Foggy?” asked Matt of his friend.“I saw some delicious cupcakes that I’d be willing to buy and eat,” said Foggy.“Lead the way, Mr. Nelson,” smirked Matt.Foggy took him by the elbow as if he was a normal blind man and lead him into the crowd and the many tables.“So, Mr. Murdock was at the orphanage. I didn’t know that,” said Father Banaszak.“His father was a boxer, who won a fight that someone didn’t want him to win. Some local hoods killed him for it,” sighed Maggi. Jack Murdock was a flawed man, but in essence a very good one, who loved his son. “Matthew ended up at the orphanage afterwards.”“Was he born blind?” asked Father Banaszak.“No. He was born with sight, but at a young age he pushed an old man out of the way of a truck carrying hazardous chemicals. Matthew got splashed by the chemicals and lost his eyesight as of that day,” she told him. A feeling of great regret started to overwhelm.“Well, I heard he’s an amazing lawyer,” said Father Banaszak. “God has blessed him in some ways.”“Oh, God has blessed him in many ways,” stated Maggie.Jessica, Oscar, and Vido arrived. Immediately, Vido wanted to head over to all the tables with homemade baked goods. Oscar followed him with Jessica following behind him. As Vido looked for the right sweet to buy, Foggy, who was eating a cupcake, noticed Jessica. Matt knew she was there, just as he knew Oscar and Vido were there. Foggy decided to say hello to her.“Miss Jones, I’m surprised to see you here,” he said.“I can see why you’re here, Nelson,” she looked at the cupcake in his hand then she looked over at Matt, who merely held his cupcake. He hadn’t taken a bite yet.“What brings you here?” Foggy asked.“Me and my son,” Oscar interrupted as he returned to Jessica side.“Looking for excellent baked good to buy?” asked Nelson.“And maybe buy a raffle ticket or two,” said Oscar.Matt took ten ten dollar raffle tickets for the television and ten ten dollar raffle tickets for the computer out of his overcoat pocket and extended them towards Oscar’s voice, acting as if he didn’t know exactly where he stood, which was so close to Jessica that they were touching.“Please, take these tickets,” said Matt. “Sister Maggie forced me to buy them. I have no use for a television or a computer that is braille.”“Really?” said Oscar taken aback by his generosity.Jessica didn’t open her mouth, yet her heart started to race. Instead of thinking Matt kind, his actions pissed her off. Somehow, she knew it had something to do with her and her relationship with Oscar.Matt heard her heartbeat and wanted to smile, a real smile. She may not like him, but she did have feelings for him. Yet, he wasn’t going to get her involved in his life. It was too dangerous. Hell, it was hard enough to keep Foggy and Karen out of his nighttime life.“Please take them. I hope you win,” smiled Matt.Oscar took the tickets. Foggy reached into his overcoat pocket and handed him the raffle tickets for Nelson Meats.“Nelson Meats is run by my brother. If I won six ten sandwiches raffle, he wouldn’t even make them for me,” smiled Foggy.“Wow, thank you,” said Oscar.“Well, we should be going. It was a pleasure to meet you,” smiled Matt.Jessica could tell it was a fake smile, but she kept her mouth closed. Foggy led Matt away by the elbow. Once they were outside, Matt took out his cane and unfolded it.“Where to now?” Foggy asked.“How about lunch?” asked Matt.Foggy finished his cupcake then said, “Sure. I already had dessert, though.”“I know you did,” said Matt handing his own cupcake.“If these cupcakes weren’t so good and Marci didn’t have me om a diet denying me sweets then I’d be insulted by this, Matt,” said Foggy, as he bit into the new cupcake.“How about something simple. I was thinking hamburgers,” said Matt.“Sounds good.”As they walked away, Matt thought about Jessica’s heartbeat when she saw him. He liked having that effect on her, but he knew that wasn’t fair. Instead of acting on those signs that only he could pick up on, he needed to just react to what she gave him and that was indifference. But, damn it, if he didn’t want to have her. DDThe raffle came at the end of the day. Oscar convinced Jessica to go back to St Agnes with him and Vido because Vido was so excited. They won the Television and the sandwiches from Nelson Meats. Both Oscar and Vido were thrilled. They were so thrilled that neither one of them noticed Jessica whisper under her breath: “Fucking Matt Murdock.”She easily carried the television, which embarrassed Oscar. Since she agreed to bring the television to their place, Oscar and Vido went to pick up the sandwiches. Along with the yule log cake they bought, it turned out to be a great festival. Yet, neither one of them got to see the surly expression on Jessica’s face as she carried the television or hear the vitriol under her breath directed at Matt Murdock. If Oscar had heard it, it would have made him wonder what she felt for Matt Murdock, the blind lawyer. DD Luke sat in his office, just like he did every other night if the week. But tonight was slightly different for him. Luke had someone in the club acting as his eyes and ears. If there was going to be a sale of weapons then he was going to know about it.There was a knock on his door. Luke put down the book he was reading, Invisible Manby Ralph Ellison.“Come in,” he called.Dante, his eyes and ears, entered his office. He walked up to Luke’s desk and sat down.“You have something for me?” he asked Dante.“Yeah, yeah, I got quality, bruva,” said Dante. “Sounds like a mooga deal between Ike Jefferson and some Asian dude. Sounds like really big mooga.”Luke reached into his pocket and took out his wallet. Taking a fifty out of his wallet, he handed it to Dante, who immediately put the money in his pocket. Dante stood up.“I got go,” said Dante.“Go” said Luke.Once Dante was gone, he sat for a few minutes thinking about how to get this information to Danny. He didn’t have Danny’s phone number and Jessica asked not to be bothered, so he needed someone else to get the message to Danny. A smile broke Luke’s serious expression. Misty Knight was friendly with Colleen Wing and Colleen was still a friend to Danny.He took out his smartphone and looked up Misty number then dialed it.“Hello,” Misty answered after several rings.“Hey, Misty, it’s me, Luke. Can we talk?”“Talk away, Luke.” DD Danny had rented Fogwell’s Gym, so Matt and he could spar. They were in the ring attempting to throttle each other when Misty and Colleen came into the place. Once he saw Colleen Danny stopped. Matt had already sensed them coming and stopped.“Colleen,” smiled Danny.“I don’t get a smile,” said Misty.“How are you doing, Misty?” said Matt.“Better seeing you without a shirt on. Even with the scars you kind of sexy,” said Misty.Matt chuckled then walked over and grabbed a towel and put it over his shoulders.“We’re here because Luke said Ike Jefferson was going to sell weapons to the Yakuza,” said Misty. “He said you’d want to know, Danny.”“Danny, are you going out at night with Matt?” asked Colleen with concern.“Colleen, you don’t have to worry,” Danny smiled.“But, you no longer have your iron fist,” said Colleen.Danny looked over at Matt, who shrugged. He then lit up both his hands, causing Colleen to stare at him in surprise. Misty chuckled to herself.“Danny, both your fists?” asked Colleen.“My chi is stronger. The power of Shou-Lao still slows through me,” he said then unzipped his hoodie and showed her that his scar of Shou-Lao hadn’t faded.“How did this happen?” she asked.“I left with Ward to discover some things about myself and the iron and fist and I succeeded. I even met a former Iron Fist, Orson Randall,” he said.“Did Luke mention where this sale was going to take place?” Matt asked Misty.“All he knows is that they’ll be a sale. I did some snooping, though, and found out that It’ll be on Yakuza ground,” Misty told him.Matt nodded then he looked over at Colleen and Danny, who were staring at each other.“Do you two want to be alone?” he asked.“No, no. That’s not necessary,” said Danny.“Yeah, it’s not necessary,” agreed Colleen.“So, what are you two involved in?” Misty asked Matt.“It’s kind of complicated,” Matt answered.“Well, you two shower and dress then take us out for a cup of coffee and a burger then you can tell us all about it,” said Misty.“You sure you want to know?” Matt asked her.“Oh, I’m sure,” said Misty.
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Matt followed the three Red Right Hand Ninja to the rooftop of a warehouse in the Hell’s Kitchen area. The cold air through his nostril and taste of the air told him that it was going to snow soon. Suddenly, he was glad he had left Danny to oversee the most current standoff between the Yakuza and the police. When a detective car and four police cars with uniformed officers showed up at another Yakuza place to make arrests, Matt decided to try something different from the other encounters. Instead of waiting for another gunfight caused by The Red Right Hand, Matt chased them leaving Danny with the Yakuza and the police.The three ninjas were highly trained fighters and were expert in using traditional ninja weapons such as sai, kunai, shuriken, tanto, and kamas. All Matt had was his two billy clubs, which he used with an expertise all his own thanks to Stick and years of training by himself. Several shuriken came at him at once, but he blocked them easily away with his clubs batting them out of the air. Next, one of the came at him with a tanto. Matt blocked his swing with one billy club then punched him in the gut with the other club. As he bent over in pain, Matt kneed him in face knocking him out.The other two ninja attacked as a team thinking that there was no way he could avoid them both. One used the sai and the other used the kamas. Matt remembered how Nobu cut him up with a kamas. Nobu almost killed him, and though he survived he was left with educational scars that would never let him forget the lesson. Using all his abilities from hearing, smell, and sonar, he avoided them as best he could. The kamas did manage to rip his thigh upon one pass of the blade held by a chain. Matt grimaced in pain but kept moving until he knew he could attack when an opening came in their defenses.Many blocks away Danny watched as the police peacefully took five Yakuza out of the building in handcuffs. Squatting on a rooftop, he watched the scene unfold. Danny was thrilled that the Yakuza didn’t put up a fight. Police had taken two deaths and several hospitalized from their first two encounters with the Yakuza. This had put the police on edge and the NYPD on edge was not easy thin blue line to deal with.A police transport van arrived to pick up the five Yakuza in cuffs. They were led into it and the doors locked. Danny decided it was safe to leave now. Matt had told him to meet him back at his place, so Danny took off towards Matt’s apartment. DD Jessica had a simple dinner of burritos stuffed with chicken, rice, and refried beans along with Oscar and Vido then she and Oscar spent the evening on Oscar’s sofa making out while Vido did his homework then played games for an hour. Instead of staying the night, as he offered, Jessica told Oscar that she had work to do. There was some work for her to do, but nothing pressing. What she wanted to do was grab a drink or two then hang out in a rooftop in the cold. And it was cold.The sky looked gray, as if it was going to snow. Jessica dropped into a local bar. It was crowded with men and women, some with good jobs and some who made their money an illegal manner. Standing at the bar, she waved at the bartender, a big guy in a white dress shirt and black pants.“Yeah,” he said.“Jack on the rocks,” she said.He poured her a generous Jack on the rocks. She handed him money and he returned with change. Jessica left a tip for him then downed half her drink. Before she could finish the rest of her drink, a young man in a suit walked up to her.“Hey, you bringing the Goth look back?” he asked.“No. I prefer the vampire biker look,” she snarled.“What do you do for a living?” he asked her.“Not have to assholes like you,” she said then downed the rest of her drink and left the bar.Jessica thought about going to Josie’s, a rough bar that she heard about, but she also heard that it was Matt’s favorite place to have a drink.“Fuck it,” she mumbled to herself then she walked into an alleyway. Looking around to make sure that no one was there, she jumped, or was it flew, and landed on the roof of the four-story building.Once she was on top of the roof, Jessica started to listen to the sounds of the city at night. She had been missing them. Oscar and Vido took up more and more of her time lately, not that she didn’t like to spend time with them, but she liked her time alone. She also liked to explore the city, especially her part of the city. Her clients often gave her reason to check out neighborhoods and dives. She liked that. It made her feel free. Standing there on the rooftop in the cold right at this moment, she felt free.Instead of standing still, though, she started to run along the roof tops. When she got to the end of a block, she hurdled across the street and land on the next rooftop. Jessica kept this up for several blocks then stopped. She heard someone cry in pain. DD The ninja with the sai made a mistake as he tried to impale Matt with each sai. Thinking Matt couldn’t see him from behind, especially as all his attention was on the ninja with kamas, he’d left an opening that Matt quickly exploited. As he came up behind Matt ready to skew him, Matt did a backflip over him leaving the ninja exposed to his partner’s kamas, which sliced open his midsection. When matt landed awkwardly on his and leg, the one that was bleeding profusely from the kamas, he stumbled a little. In order to stay out of the way of the kamas, he did a tuck and roll and came up with his billy clubs in hand waiting for attack.What his senses gave him instead was an empty roof, as the other ninja had awakened and him and the one with the kamas grabbed the wounded one and handed into the warehouse via the rooftop entrance. Matt thought about going after them but his leg was throbbing his he’d lost a great deal of blood.From behind him he sensed someone coming, so he focused on them in case they were a danger. Jessica landed on the warehouse roof. Matt smiled. From her scent, her pheromones, and even her heartbeat he recognized her. He stood up straight and felt a little light headed.“You okay, Devil Boy?” she asked.“Better now that you’re hear,” he said then put his clubs back on their leg sheath.He turned to face then walked over to her quicker than she expected, grabbed her face with his gloved hands then kissed her hard and passionately on the mouth. At first, she responded to his passion and roughness, but then her temper kicked in and she pushed him back. He stumbled back a few feet then collapsed onto the rooftop. Just then it began to snow.She walked over to him and knelt beside him. It was then that she noticed the wound on his thigh and how much it was bleeding. Quickly, Jessica pulled her scarf off from around her neck and then tied it tightly above his wound.“I ruin more cashmere scarves because of you, Murdock,” she said.She then stood up and headed off in the direction of his home. DD Matt lay on the sofa in his apartment. He was in a pair of boxers and a tee shirt and his wound was healed, but his head ached and he could hear Danny and Jessica speaking.“My chi can heal the wound but not the blood loss. It could probably heal my blood loss, but I’m not good at enough with it yet to heal his,” Danny explained.“I have to go, Iron Brains. Take care of him,” she sniffed.“I will, Jess. I’m making us a healing broth with ginger, spinach, sliced mushrooms, and scallions,” Danny told her.“Just take care of him,” she said and left via his front door instead of the roof.Danny walked down the hallway and back towards the kitchen area when he heard Matt sit up. He rushed over to him.“Lay down, Matt. You need to rest and replenish the blood you lost,” Danny told him.“I heard you talk to Jessica,” Matt stated.“She brought you here in her arms. I healed your leg but…,” Danny started.“I know,” Matt sighed, “you couldn’t replenish my blood loss. Thanks, Danny, for helping me. I wish I could have thanked Jessica.”“She said she wanted no part of our hero shit, but she couldn’t leave you to bleed out, so she brought you here,” Danny told him. “I guess you caught up with the ninjas.”“Yeah. I got caught by a kamas, otherwise things were going in my favor,” Matt said.“Kamas. Nasty weapon,” snarled Danny.“I know. Nobu almost killed me with one,” said Matt.Danny started walking towards the kitchen.“I’m making a healing broth for both of us. You lost blood and I used up some chi,” Danny smiled. “Stay and rest and I’ll bring it to you when it’s done.”“Okay,” mumbled Matt, as his mind jumped to Jessica.He remembered kissing her on the rooftop and her responding, but not for long. When she pushed him back, not too hard since she had the strength to push him off the roof, he stumbled and then the world went black for him. He wished she had stayed so he could have apologized for his behavior and thanked for saving his life. Maybe later he’d find a way to do it properly.“My brother is almost done,” called out Danny. “Should I help you to the dining room table.”“No. No. I can manage,” Matt replied.He got up gingerly and walked slowly to the table where Danny was setting big bowls of his healing broth down for them to have.“This should help you,” said Danny.“Thanks,” Matt replied, as he picked up his spoon and sampled the soup. It was fresh and clean. Matt assumed that it probably would help him plus some time in a meditating in a healing trance. “It’s good.”“One of the few things I can make. I prefer takeout, though,” smiled Danny.“You have become a New Yorker in many ways, Rand,” said Matt.“I know,” chuckled Danny. DD Matt arrived a little late at the office. Foggy was already there seated in his office on the phone, as Karen was seatd at her desk on her computer. He walked into his office, took off his overcoat, hung it up, and then he walked back into the common area and poured himself a cup of coffee. Matt turned and faced Karen.“Are we supposed to have any clients coming in today?” matt asked.“Foggy has one this afternoon,” she answered.“Good paying one?” Matt smiled.“Are you saying that Foggy wants only good paying clients?” she chuckled.“Maybe,” shrugged Matt.“Let’s just say she the type who usually goes to big firms for her legal problems,” said Karen.“At least he’s on the phone with his brother now,” Matt told her.“Your hearing is frightening,” she smiled.Matt shook his head then he sipped the coffee. It was better than normal but still not the best coffee in the world. Karen noticed his reaction to the coffee.“I’m thinking of buying really expensive coffee but it’s not an expensive coffeemaker. It might not make a difference,” she defended her brew.“It’s fine, Karen. It’s not what I drink at home but it’s coffee and believe me I need coffee,” he told her.“Late night?” she asked.“A very late night,” answered then took another sip of coffee.“You know you need a personal life. Besides being a lawyer and vigilante, you need a personal life, Matt,” she stated.He offered her a lopsided grin and shrugged.“I mean it, Matt,” she said.“How is your personal life, Karen?” he asked.“Complicated,” she sighed. “I thought I was going to have something with Frank, but he went back to being The Punisher. He reminds me of you.”“I don’t kill, Karen,” Matt said in an even calm voice, although being compared to Frank angered him.“I mean that you are both addicted to being a vigilante, and you are willing to sacrifice a great deal for it,” she said.“Karen, Frank lost his family. That has scarred him for life. I’ll never defend what he does by killing but I understand it. And I know he understands why I do what I do,” said Matt.“He respects you,” she told him.“I wish I could support Frank, but killing the way he does just isn’t me,” Matt said.Karen smiled then said, “I noticed you got out of talking about having a personal life. Come on, Matt, there must be someone you are interested in.”“Let me see, I had a relationship with Elektra and we know how that went. Actually, almost all the relationships I’ve had with woman have ended with them either trying to kill me or never wanting to talk to me again. Look what happened to us,” he smiled sadly.“You lied and kept things from me, Matt,” Karen said.“Besides apologizing to you, I explained why I did to you many times,” he stated.“Matt, it hurt. I’m over it finally, but it hurt,” she said.“I really am sorry, Karen,” he said.Just then Foggy hung up the phone and joined them.“Morning, Matt,” he said then he walked and got himself a coffee. “I could go for a donut or a Danish.”“I thought Marci was keeping a close eye on your diet,” said Matt.“You have no idea, Buddy. You and I have to go to dinner one of these days soon so I can have a meal that actually fills me up. I don’t think Marci understands I need to eat enough food to function the whole day,” said Foggy.“I heard you have a new client,” Matt said.“Yeah,” he smiled. “She came to me instead of Jeri.”“What does she need?” asked Matt.“Don’t know yet. I’ll know after the meeting,” said Foggy then he smiled. “And knowing her she’ll probably put us on a retainer.”“Good. Maybe we’ll be able to do some pro bono work soon,” said Matt.“Soon as we can afford it,” said Foggy.Matt shook his head then smiled.“I have some work to do,” he said then went back into his office and closed the door.Foggy looked over at Karen and said, “He better get used to making money. It’s how we are going to pay for the pro bono work he likes so much.”“You know he can hear you,” said Karen with a grin.“I keep forgetting about his hearing,” sighed Foggy then he faced Matt’s closed door. “I mean what I say, Buddy. This time we are making money and doing good work.”In his office Matt chuckled to himself. He knew he owed Foggy that much to do it his way this time. DD Jessica was sitting at her desk working on her computer for a new case when Malcolm Ducasse walked into her place. She looked up at him and scowled which made him smile.“You belong to Pryce Cheng and his agency, so get out of mine,” she growled.“You mean Cheng Consulting Management,” Malcolm said then shut the door behind him. “That is why I’m here. Pryce is willing to pay you for information he thinks you have.”Jessica sat back and stared at him. She decided to let him talk before she kicked him out of her office.“Jeri Hogarth is no longer the lawyer for Danny Rand and Rand Enterprises. We are aware that you know Mr. Rand well and we just want to know who his new firm is,” said Malcolm. “You either know who it is or can get the answer.”“Fuck you, Malcolm,” Jessica smirked. “I want nothing to do with you, Cheng, or Jeri Hogarth.”“Jessica, I know you can hold a grudge, but I want where I was appreciated. You didn’t want my help or friendship,” Malcolm stated.Jessica knew he was partially right, but he also stabbed her in the back. She could have been a better friend, but he could have more integrity. Cheng was a snake and Jeri… Jeri was who she was.“Maybe so Malcolm, but what you and Cheng tried bullshit. I didn’t want to sell my business to Cheng so you tried to put me out of business,” she growled.“Yeah, that could have been handled better,” Malcolm admitted.“Fuck off, Malcolm. I don’t know who Danny has hired to replace Jeri and I don’t want to know. I guess Cheng will have to use his finely tuned investigative skills,” said Jessica.“Miss Hogarth merely wanted to keep things quiet and civil and try to convince Mr. Rand that her firm is the better one for her. But we can find out who he is getting to replace her now that he’s back,” said Malcolm.He turned to leave. As he opened the door, Jessica spoke to him.“I hope you find your soul again, Malcolm. I’m afraid you lost it when you joined up with the likes of Pryce Cheng and Jeri Hogarth,” she snapped.He exited and closed the door behind him. Jessica exhaled a long breath. Why did people keep trying to get her involved in Rand and Murdock’s lives? DD Matt had promised to have lunch with Danny. He arrived at the Golden Wok. The hostess politely escorted him to a private booth in the corner. He sat down and Danny greeted him.“Hey, Matt,” he said then he looked at the hostess. “We need more green tea for both of us. Tell Yen that you can start serving us in fifteen minutes.”“Yes, Mr. Rand,” said the hostess then she left.“Are you still paying this place rent?” asked Matt.“Actually, I own it,” smiled Danny. “It didn’t cost much and I like the idea of owning a restaurant and I like the food here.”Matt laughed. A waitress brought them a pot of green tea. Danny poured himself more and a cup for Matt.“I talked to Ward and he agreed with me. We fired Jeri Hogarth both as my lawyer and our corporate lawyer. I want to hire your firm to do both,” said Danny.“Danny, we don’t specialize in corporate law,” said Matt.“I’ll give you a generous retainer and You can hire another lawyer who does and can make Rand their only corporate client,” Danny told him. “Plus, I trust you and want you as my personal lawyer.”“Danny, why?” asked Matt.“Trust, Matt. Ward told me that I need people I trust in position of power. From board of directors, which Ward is now on, to lawyers and employees. I want Rand Enterprises to be the company my father built it to be,” said Danny. “Please, Matt. I know Foggy has corporate experience and believe me our retainer will be large enough to hire a corporate lawyer.”Danny gave him that innocent and sincere smile he had. Matt sighed.“Well, we should be able to do pro bono work now,” said Matt.“You’ll do it,” beamed Danny.“Let me talk to Foggy,” sighed Matt.“Excellent. I’m starved. I love the port dumplings here and orange chicken. Pork egg rolls and some chicken teriyaki. I also order pork chow fun noodles. If there are leftovers you can take them home,” said Danny.Matt chuckled. DD It was six o’clock in the evening. Karen had to leave early for personal reasons. Matt assumed she had a date and didn’t want to tell him. He arranged to have a drink in Foggy’s office and discuss some important firm business. Carrying two glasses and a bottle of MaCallan’s, which he kept in his desk bottom drawer, Matt entered Foggy’s office and sat down. He poured them each other a drink.“Okay, Matt, shall we talk business?” grinned Matt.“Danny Rand made me an offer today. He wants us to be the corporate lawyers for Rand Enterprises and me to be his personal lawyer. He said the retainer will be generous enough to hire another lawyer just to handle corporate business. I was thinking Marci might be open to the job,” Matt stated.Foggy choked on his scotch. He put down his glass and looked at Matt.“Do you mean that?” asked Foggy.“Yes. I think she’d be a good choice,” he said.“Eleanor Dane, a major shareholder of Dane, Miller, and Simon Enterprises wants us to be her lawyer to handle corporate law as well as all other legal matters for her. I said yes,” said Foggy.“I told Danny yes,” smiled Matt.“That’s two major clients, Matt. I’ll make Marci and officer,” said Foggy.“Tell her she’ll be a partner in this firm within a year. We just need to get things stable before taking her on as a partner,” said Matt.“These offices suddenly aren’t large enough,” sighed Foggy.“They dentists across the hall lease is up and he has decided to leave. We can take his offices, redo them, hire a real secretary, Marci, and maybe a paralegal or two,” said Matt.Foggy smile almost went from ear to ear.“Matt. We’ll be a real law firm,” said Foggy.“I’ll handle criminal and pro bono work. You can handle civil and corporate and pro bono, and Marci will handle corporate, while Karen will be our in-house PI,” said Matt. “What do you think?”“I think you have to do some civil and corporate when needed Matt. You’re the best lawyer we have,” said Foggy.“Foggy, you’re not a slouch, either,” said Matt. “But, I want to concentrate on criminal and pro bono. If that means I make less than the rest of us, I have no problem with it.”“You are a founding partner, Matt, and Rand is your client. Marci will work on it, but it’s your client,” smiled Foggy.“You think Marci will take the job?” asked Matt.“Yeah, she’ll take it. It’s a chance to be a partner and to interfere with my lunches and breakfasts,” sighed Foggy.Matt laughed. After a few seconds, Foggy joined him.“Now, you and I are going to go out and have a celebratory dinner. I’m thinking a nice steak,” said Foggy.“Sure,” nodded Matt.“If I stuff you enough maybe you won’t go out tonight,” said Foggy.“If I eat too much then I’ll need the exercise of running around on top of buildings,” smirked Matt.“You’re a pain in my ass, Murdock,” replied Foggy. “I’ll pick the steak place.”“And I’ll follow you,” said Matt. DD Malcolm’s visit put Jessica in a bad mood. She avoided Oscar and Vido and headed up to the rooftop of her building. Besides being a cold night, there was a light layer of snow that had fallen on the city. It looked like it was going to be a white Christmas.Getting a running start to leapt across the chasm that was the street landing on a rooftop across the street. She kept running leaping until she finally found herself on Matt’s rooftop. For some reason she wanted to talk to him, she needed to talk to him.Since it was only eight o’clock the chances were that he hadn’t left his place for the night to go do his vigilante work. Opening the roof door that led directly to his apartment, she started walking down the stairs.“Hello, Jessica,” he said to her.He was in the kitchen pouring himself a MaCallan’s scotch. Getting a glass out, he poured her a glass of scotch. Matt walked over to her and handed her a glass of scotch.“Thank you for saving my life tonight,” he said.“I’m not here about that,” she said.“Have a seat,” offered Matt.He walked over to his armchair and sat down. She sat down on his sofa. Against her will she knew her heartbeat was beating faster than it should and her body wanted him. But she decided to ignore it. She knew Matt was gentleman enough to do the same.“Why are you here?” he asked.“My former friend and employee Malcom is working for Pryce Cheng, a sleazy, wealthy PI. Jeri Hogarth hired him to find out who Danny Rand is hiring to replace her. They came to me to see if I knew because I know Danny,” she told him.“Nelson, Murdock, and Page is replacing them and I’m becoming Danny’s personal lawyer,” Matt told her.“I thought as much. Danny is predictable,” she said then drank down half the generous glass of scotch he gave her. “Be careful, Murdock, because both Cheng and Hogarth aren’t above dirty tricks to get what they want. Once they find out it’s you, they’ll put a trail on you. Imagine if they saw you in your red and black suit.”“You know that I’m difficult to trail, Jessica,” he smirked.“Difficult but not impossible,” she said.Matt sipped his scotch then said, “I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you, Jessica.”“I can’t stomach Cheng and I’m not too fond of Hogarth lately, either,” she said.She finished her scotch.“Do you want another scotch?” he asked her.“It’s good shit, real good shit,” she said.“Want me to get you more?” he asked.“I can get it myself. I’m not a cripple,” she said.She got up and went into his kitchen. After she poured herself a generous glass she returned to the sofa. For a few minutes Matt and Jessica sat in silence. Finally, Jessica downed her drink and put the glass on the floor.“Fuck it,” she growled.She got up and walked over to Matt, who looked up at her. She grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him to his feet and kissed him hard. Matt responded to her kiss and intensified it. This last for several minutes until they finally broke apart.“Fuck me, Devil Boy, fuck me hard and long,” she growled.“You sure, Jess?” he asked in a hoarse voice.She took off her leather jacket and her newest gray cashmere scarf and tossed them on the floor.“No questions, no talk, Murdock, just fuck me,” she stated.Matt’s Daredevil grin appeared on his face, which excited Jessica more.“I can’t refuse a lady,” he said.With those words, he grabbed her hand and led her into his bedroom. The time for words was over for now.
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Matt spent hours discovering all the in and outs of Jessica’s body and pushing her and him beyond their limits. He lost himself in her, which was something he didn’t do these days. For her part, Jessica had several full body orgasms that left her quivering in their aftermath. After five hours of intensity, they both collapsed and fell asleep. When Matt woke in the morning, Jessica was already in the shower. He laid there in bed and listened to the water pellets hit her body. By the time she came out of the bathroom dressed in her jeans, tee shirt, and shirt, he knew that what they shared the night before had been repressed by her.“I’ve got to go,” she stated plainly. Her tone alone let him know she didn’t want a conversation about it.“I know,” he said.She grabbed her boots then stopped and looked at him as he sat up in his bed. Even though she didn’t want a conversation, Jessica was more than a little irritated that he didn’t want one.“You don’t want to talk about last night?” she asked him.“You don’t want to talk about it, Jessica, so we won’t,” he said.He must have read her somehow, something about her adrenaline or heartbeat or some other shit. “Doing more of your weird shit and reading me and my reactions, Murdock?” she growled.“You belong with Oscar and Vido,” he said trying not to sound disappointed. “I’ve made my decision to fight the Yakuza and The Red Right Hand. You want nothing to do with it and I don’t blame you. Just stay safe, Jessica.”“You’re a fucking piece of work, Murdock,” she snapped. “I thought I was fucked up.”“You have no idea just how fucked up I am, Jessica Jones,” he smiled sadly at her.“I need to get out of here,” Jessica stated then exited his bedroom.He listened as she finished dressing then she stormed out of his place. Matt got out of his bed and headed into his bathroom to shower. The night before had been wonderful. He felt connected to Jessica in ways in couldn’t explain. Maybe it was because they were both so damaged that when it came to sex, they lost themselves. Or maybe it was something it else. It didn’t matter, though. She didn’t want to get involved in his screwed up world and he couldn’t blame her. Jessica Jones was trying to have a normal life, or as normal a life as she could manage.After he showered and dressed, he found his smartphone.“Dial, Maggie,” he commanded it.After four rings, Maggie answered her phone.“Hello,” she said.“I hope you are going to have a good Christmas because of the success of the festival,” Matt said to her.“It helped, Matthew. Plus, Father Banaszak is looking for a new angel for the orphanage. He’s a good priest,” she said.“He seems to be,” said Matt.“You should develop a relationship with him, Matthew. I think you’ll be surprised by his depth,” Maggie told him.“He’s not Father Lantom,” Matt stated.A wave of sadness washed over Matt. Pointdexter didn’t suffer enough for what he did to Father Lantom. Maybe one day, Matt could introduce him to true penance.“I miss him, too,” she said softly.“I just wanted to check up on you, Mother Superior,” smirked Matt.“I hear the sarcasm when you call me that, Matthew. You are not amusing,” she said with a smile.“Well, it’s a week before Christmas. Maybe the kids will get a surprise or two,” he said.“Matthew, if you want you can join us Christmas eve and day,” said Maggie.“I have things to do, Maggie, but thank you,” said Matt.He hung up. Next, he intended to call Foggy in order to tell him that he had some errands to do and would be in late. He wanted to buy two large Christmas trees and have them delivered to the orphanage. Later in the week he’d buy some toys and have them wrapped then a couple of hams and a couple of turkeys sent to the orphanage. He remembered how Christmas at the orphanage could be disappointing. The nuns tried but disappointment was something you grew used to at times at the orphanage. Expectations were always too large for what the nuns could handle. DD By the time Jessica got back to her apartment/office she had worked herself up into a fit over Matt Murdock. The man got under her skin like no other man. Part of her wanted to go back to his place and demand that he stopped being the martyr and tell her what he really wanted from her. And there was another part of her that wanted to kick his ass just for making her want him and risk her relationship with Oscar. Letting herself into her place, she tossed her biker bag onto the floor, took off her jacket, and sat down at her desk. Reaching for the bottom drawer she pulled out a bottle of Jim Beam and took a long swig from it. The liquid burned going down and enough of it drunk would stop control the fire inside of her. She was about to take another swig when she heard someone at her door, so she put the bottle back. Oscar entered her place.“Good morning, Jess,” he said carrying two large coffees, which he picked up at the bodega on the corner. Oscar wasn’t about to pay Starbuck prices for coffee.He walked up to her desk and placed one of the coffees in front of her. She ripped off the lid and drank some of the hot liquid down.“Thanks,” she said.“I thought you might need it,” he smiled. “Actually, you usually need it in the morning.”He sat down in a chair in front of the desk.“Vido is so excited about Christmas, I can’t wait for him to begin his Christmas vacation. He can’t concentrate on school,” he told her.“Not one of my favorite holidays,” she sniffed.“Do you have a favorite holiday, Jessica?” he asked her.“Flag Day,” she answered then she drank some more coffee.Oscar laughed then he sipped his own coffee.“You are expected to join the festivities we have planned for Christmas Eve, including Midnight Mass. As for Christmas Day, I’m renting a car and Oscar and I are driving into Queens to visit with my wife’s family. They love spoiling him,” said Oscar. “I’d invite you, but I know you’d hate it.”“Thanks for thinking of me,” she said.“We’ll be back late at night, maybe even the next day,” he said.“I’ll find some trouble to get into while you’re gone,” Jessica said.“Vido likes the idea of you at Midnight Mass with us,” smiled Oscar.“I’ll think about it,” she said.“You have to come with us. It’s not as bad as you think, Jess. The choir sings Christmas songs and the priest usually gives a homily that makes you feel good,” said Oscar.“Okay. I’ll go,” she agreed.“Thank you, Jess,” Oscar said. “Vido will be thrilled.”And she’ll probably see Murdock there which we make her feel things she doesn’t want to feel. She took another swig of her coffee and wondered why her life kept getting fucking complicated. DD “I bought Fogwell’s,” Danny stated, as he sat across from Matt in his office.They had arranged for this late afternoon meeting after Matt called Foggy. Matt wasn’t sure how he felt about Danny’s announcement, especially since he was thinking of buying Fogwell’s now that there was some money coming into the law firm.“I thought you could buy it from me, if you want it. Or I could own and you and I use it to spar,” said Danny.Finally, Danny found a use for his billions and that was buying things like a restaurant and an old boxing gym. He was putting together safe places for him and his friends and I was one of his friends.“How about I buy half of it from you and we co-own it?” offered Matt.“I’d like that,” smiled Danny.“We can make arrangements but first I have some news for you. Jessica Jones came by my place to tell me that Jeri Hogarth is interested in who is taking her firm’s place at Rand and has hired Cheng Consulting to dig up dirt on what in essence is Foggy, Karen and me. I know Foggy and Karen should pass the test,” smirked Matt. “She also said not to be surprised if Cheng starts tailing you, me, Foggy, and the rest of those Jeri thinks important looking for dirt. Of course, in our case, if we are sloppy what they will find out is that I am Daredevil and that you are the vigilante helping him.”“I was afraid Jeri would do something like this. I’ll ask Ward for his advice and help on how to handle her,” Danny told him.“I don’t intend on them catching me as Daredevil and I know that they’ll be unable to follow me if I put an effort into it,” smiled Matt.“I didn’t think so,” grinned Danny. “I may not have your abilities to sense people, but I don’t think they’ll be able to follow me, either.” “Good,” said Matt. “I’m sorry that Jeri is turning into a pain in the ass,” sighed Danny. “She never learned to lose.”“That makes her a great lawyer, Danny. I know. I refuse to lose, too. But the difference between her and I is that I also refuse to lose in my private life. I have a city to protect and she is not going to get into the way,” said Matt.He cocked his head for a moment then smiled.Foggy is here with Marci. She’s be our corporate lawyer along with Foggy. They’ll handle most of the Rand business,” said Matt. “Foggy wants you to meet her. He said it in a tone that let me know.”“It’s a good thing Foggy knows your Daredevil and I’m Iron Fist,” smiled Danny. “It makes thing easier.”“Yes and no,” sighed Matt. “He gets overprotective sometimes with me.”“I can’t blame him, Matt, we all thought you were dead for a while there,” said Danny.“I did, too,” nodded Matt. “Let’s meet Marci.”They got up and went into the common area/waiting room. Foggy offered Danny his hand. They shook hands.“Mr. Rand,” Foggy started.“Call me Danny,” smiled Danny.“I’d like to introduce you to the newest member of our firm Marci Stahl. She is going to handle corporate law. Our main clients are Rand Enterprises and Eleanor Dane. I’ll also be handling corporate law,” stated Foggy.“I guess we’ll be in great hands then,” said Danny.“We are going to take the office across from these, too,” said Marci. “Those will be our corporate offices.”“Or something like that,” smiled Foggy. “We are working that out.”“I intend on having you make an appointment with Ward Meachum. He’s on the board of directors and I’m going to be pushing for him to be the CEO again. He’ll want to discuss things with you,” said Danny.“I’ll call himself tomorrow if you give me his number,” said Foggy.“Sure,” grinned Danny. DD Luke wore a black hoodie to go along with the black pants. He had the hood up to hide his face. He’d followed Ike Jefferson’s van and the two cars that followed him to an abandoned lot where a van and two cars were waiting for him. Luke parked his car a couple of blocks away and now stood in the shadows and watched as Ike and the Yakuza exchanged money for weapons. And some of those weapons disturbed Luke for the damage they could do, like RPGs and grenade launchers.Luke had his ear to the ground enough to know that the Yakuza were taken a big hit from the police and Matt and Danny, and according to Misty a group called the Red Right hand, who were related to The Hand. For a second of interfering in the exchange but he wasn’t ready to return to the streets as Luke Cage would be hero. In the morning he’d call Misty and tell her about this. She can let Matt and Danny know for now. In time he’d join them, but just not yet. He wasn’t ready to give up Harlem’s Paradise. DD Maggie was in her office when one of her nuns came running into the office. She appeared overly excited, so Maggie calmed her with a raised eyebrow look.“What is wrong, Sister Marie?” she asked.“Two seven foot tall trees have been delivered to us,” she stated. “The children are excited to see them.”Maggie laughed to herself. She knew immediately that these trees came from Matthew. And she wouldn’t be surprised if more surprises showed up the closer they got to Christmas Eve.“And what do you intend to do about it?” asked Maggie.“Um…, well, Mother Superior, I’m not sure,” she said.“Decorate them. If we don’t have enough decorations for these trees then have the students make decorations. I think they might enjoy that,” said Maggie.“Yes, they would,” smiled Sister Marie. “What about tree lights?”“Go purchase some if you have to, sister. I think we can afford them,” smiled Maggie.“Yes, Mother,” she said then rushed off.“Oh, Matthew, you do try,” she said to herself. DD Misty and Colleen visited Matt’s apartment early enough to catch Matt and Danny before they changed into their nighttime gear. Danny answered the door, while Matt went into the kitchen and made some coffee.“I heard from Luke. He said an Ike Jefferson sold weapons to the Yakuza. These weapons included a couple RPGs and grenade launchers,” Misty told them.“Well, that is going to make this more dangerous, especially for the cops if they get in-between the Yakuza and the Red Right hand,” said Danny.Matt brought out half and half and sugar then got four mugs and poured the coffee into the mugs.“You’ll have to fix your coffee the way you like it,” said Matt.Colleen, Misty, and Danny came over to the kitchen counter and fixed their mugs of coffee then returned to the living room area. Matt joined them with his coffee.“How do you think we should handle this, Matt?” asked Danny.“I think we have to focus on the Yakuza first,” Matt said, “otherwise we risk getting police killed.”Matt turned his face towards Misty. Even though she knew he was Matt, she felt as if he was staring at her.“Did Luke mention when this transaction took place?” he asked.“Last night,” she answered.“So, the weapons should already be distributed by the Yakuza,” Matt said as much to himself as to them. “We need to find their current hiding spots.”“We should wait until around eleven then get going,” said Danny.“Until I keep my ears open in case the police find them first,” sighed Matt.“Do you need our help?” asked Misty.“Not tonight. We aren’t even sure where the remainder of the Yakuza are in this city,” said Matt.“We can help,” said Colleen.“No one doubts,” smiled Danny. “If we need your help we’ll call. I like working with teams.”Colleen and Misty stood up and headed towards the front door. Danny escorted them to the door. When Misty opened it to leave Colleen looked at him.“It really is good to see you, Danny. We should have tea someday,” she said.“I’d like that.” DD Two hours later Matt and Danny found themselves in the middle of the Yakuza and police again. This time the Yakuza had the superior weapons. Much to Matt’s surprise Danny unzipped his green hoodie and he had two .45 handguns in their holsters. The shirt he wore underneath his hoodie was a long sleeve green shirt with Shou-Lao on it. He pulled the handguns and lit up his hands lighting up the guns.“What are you doing?” asked Matt.“It something I learned on my journey,” smiled Danny.As an RPG was fired at the police cars, Danny fired at the fired RPG. Two golden energy infused bullets hit the RPG exploding it. Next, he took out the grenade launcher.“Impressive,” smiled Matt.“I think we need to kick some Yakuza ass,” stated Danny.Detective Brett Mahoney arrived in the aftermath of the battle. His arm was still in a sling from his bullet wound, but he had a new partner who drove. Getting out of their unmarked car, he walked up to a sergeant who was barking orders. Brett noticed the Yakuza were either being hustled into a transport van or ambulance.“Tough fight?” he asked.“Would have been a blood bath if it wasn’t for Daredevil and his new friend?” said the sergeant. “They had RPGs and grenade launcher, but his partner did this thing with his hands making them glow and used a couple of handguns to take out the RPGs and grenade launchers. Goddamn amazing.”“You should like admired them,” said Brett.“I’ve got four cops going to the hospital. Two are critical. They’d be more if headed to the hospital if it wasn’t for them,” stated the sergeant.“So, if I told you to arrest Daredevil and his partner then what would you do?” asked Brett.“Talk to my union rep,” smiled the sergeant.He walked away leaving Brett fuming. Part of him was glad that Daredevil and his partner saved cops, but they were still vigilantes. He didn’t want vigilantes in his city. DD Maggie was in the chapel kneeling in front of the altar saying a prayer. This was part of her after lunch routine. She had read about the shootout the night before and how Daredevil and partner saved the police. Her Matthew was doing what he though was his sacred duty and she admired that about him.The ever excitable Sister Marie came into the chapel. She rushed over to the kneeling Maggie.“Mother Superior,” she said in an excited tone.“What is it this time, Sister?” Maggie asked.“Two large hams and three large turkeys plus sweet potatoes, potatoes, and fresh beans and spinach were just delivered to the orphanage. Mother, there is enough for a feast for our Christmas meal,” she said.“Are there the makings for dressing or stuffing?” asked Maggie.“No.”“Then make sure you get the petty cash to purchase the makings,” said Maggie.“I shall, Mother,” she said then rushed out of the chapel.Maggie chuckled to herself then thought – Oh Matthew, you are as a good a man as your father was. DD Matt entered Foggy’s office and sat down. Foggy looked up from the paperwork he was going over and looked at Matt with curiosity.“I’m staring at you with a quizzical look, Matt, waiting for you to speak,” said Foggy.“I need your help later. I want to go shopping for toys for the kids at the orphanage. I thought you can help me. I’ve never been good with toys,” said Matt.“Let me finish up reviewing this paperwork and then we can go shopping,” smiled Foggy. “I this should be fun.”“Great,” said Matt.“Oh, how many kids, ages, and gender. These are necessary things to know when shopping for toys,” said Foggy.“I’m not sure. Maggie would know. Maybe I should call her and ask, though I wanted to keep this a surprise,” he said.“Ask Karen to call. I bet she can find out without even talking to Mother Superior Maggie Grace,” said Foggy.“Good idea,” grinned Matt.Matt stood up and started out of the office. He stopped when he got to the door.“Foggy, do you mind going to Midnight Mass in a couple of days?” Matt asked.“Sure, Buddy,” smiled Foggy. “If you’re going to Midnight Mass it means that you aren’t out doing other things. I like that. Maybe you can have Christmas dinner with me, Marci, Karen, and Theo. We are having it at Theo’s place, or I should say my parents old place.”“I’d like that,” said Matt.“Great. Now go ask Karen for that favor so we can go shopping,” said Foggy.“Okay.” DD It was reading hour for ten and younger, a time Maggie enjoyed. She had gathered the children in the library was picking a book, when she even heard a truck pull up in front of the orphanage. Walking over to the widow, she saw the driver and his assistant open up the back of the truck and start off loading boxes filled with wrapped presents. There was a rig of the front doorbell.“Children, come with me. I expect you to behave,” she said.The children followed her out of the library to the front hall, where Sister Marie, Sister Regis, and Sister Alyson, as well as many of the children had gathered.“Yeah, we got boxes full of wrapped presents and we were hired to deliver it here,” said the driver. “Where do you want them?”Sister Marie pointed towards the common area where one of the trees was. She grabbed a wrapped present from the box and looked at it with shock then she noticed Maggie standing there and ran over to her with it.“Mother, these wrapped presents have children’s names on them. They have been bought for individual children,” she said.“Well, Sister, make sure that they are placed neatly under the tree, and the children will be able to open them on Christmas Day,” said Maggie.“Yes, Mother,” she said then rushed over to make sure that the boxes were unpacked and the presents were neatly placed under the tree.Maggie watched as the children got excited watching this. First, trees then food, and presents for each individual child. Matthew had exceeded himself. He had also made his mother start to cry. Maggie Grace’s eyes burned with tears that she refused to shed in front of the children. Turning on her heal she headed to her office, so that she could have a moment alone to cry and thank God that her son turned out to be the man he became. DD Jessica, Oscar, and Vido arrived at Midnight Mass fifteen minutes early in order to make sure that they got seats in the pew together. Midnight Mass was one of those masses where those lapsed Catholics even attended. Unlike some churches, though, Father Banaszak, like Father Lantom, had Midnight Mass at midnight not earlier in the day because it was easier for people.Even though they were fifteen minutes early, the church was three quarters full. Oscar pulled her along and they sat down in a half empty pew.“See, we were smart to get here early,” he said to her.“Yeah, sure,” she said.Right about now Jessica wished she had filled her flask up with whiskey so that she could have a couple of swigs during this mass. Vido was waving at some of his friends from school. She could she he was almost ready to jump out of his skin.“Hey, they should have sold tickets for this so you were guaranteed a seat,” said Foggy, as he entered the church with Matt.Foggy guided Matt by the elbow. Jessica heard Foggy’s voice and looked over her shoulder at Matt and Foggy. As she did her heartbeat spiked. She just had to accept Matt Murdock had certain effect on her. Foggy and Matt ended up sitting the pew across from them. She noticed that Matt a bruise on the side of his face. Daredevil had been busy.“Jeeze, Matt, we should go a to diner and grab a bite to eat after this,” said Foggy.“It’s on me for forcing to come here with me,” said Matt.Jessica tried to ignore their conversation. She focused on listening to Oscar tell Vido for the fiftieth time that he couldn’t open his presents until the morning. Foggy looked over and nodded then offered Jessica a smile. She nodded at him.“Hey, Matt,” Foggy said, “how long does this mass last?”“Foggy, just sit back and enjoy it. You’ll like the choir and maybe even like the mass,” said Matt.“I’m glad Marci said no to coming to this,” sighed Foggy.“So did Karen,” added Matt.For some reason hearing Karen Page’s name annoyed Jessica. She couldn’t help but make a fist. Suddenly, the mass began. For the next fifty minutes, the mass unfolded. Jessica followed Oscar’s lead when to sit, stand and kneel. She also kept looking over at Matt and noticed a smirk would crack his lips when she looked at him. The son of a bitch knew she was looking at him.Finally, the mass ended and the priest walked down the main aisle and waited for his flock outside in the cold. Jessica noticed that Matt held Foggy back letting people go around them. She followed Oscar and Vido out of the church where father Banaszak greeted them.“Wonderful mass, father,” said Oscar.“Thank you,” smiled the priest then he looked at Vido. “Can’t wait to go home, get some sleep, and open presents?”“Yes, father,” said Vido.“Good.”They walked down the stairs and Oscar greeted some people he knew while Vido talked to a few friends. Jessica looked back to see Matt and Foggy finally exit. Matt shook the priest’s hand then she noticed that he cocked his head. He heard something that disturbed him. She noticed that Foggy grabbed his elbow and started to lead him down the stairs and away from those gathered outside of church.Jessica watched them walk down the street until they finally turned a corner and disappeared. She wanted to follow him. But she knew that was impossible. She had Oscar and Vido. Matt Murdock was an addiction, like whiskey and guilt. Yet, she made a mental note to maybe check the rooftops later tonight.