#foundoutthehardway

It was still difficult for Jessica to really personify the baby growing inside of her.  Luke had no problem with it, on the other hand, making Jess secretly worry she was already failing as a mother. Was she not loving the kid enough? Luke had all of the sweetest words and the most gentle touches for the child, and by proxy, Jessica, when all she had was profanity and the occasional prodding at her swollen midsection. Mother of the year award, right there.

Jessica blinked at the glowing numbers on the clock. It was ass o’clock as far as she was concerned- she’d rather be asleep with Luke, making it awkward to try to spoon comfortably. But here she was. Should she be making an attempt to bond with the kid?

She left the lemonade open in the kitchen as she shuffled out to the couch. Her laptop was on the coffee table, so she lowered herself carefully and grabbed the device.  Jess swung the screen open and winced at the brightness of it. After a moment to readjust, she moused around on her desktop for a bit, opening and closing her internet browser several times with disinterest. “Bonding time, right. Can’t wake Luke,” she mumbled, reluctantly opening her webcam app.

Jess dug her fingernails into the tape covering the laptop’s camera- a precaution she’d taken the day she brought the device home- and pulled off the paper covering protecting her from unwarranted hackers peeping through. She frowned almost immediately at her digitized reflection.  “Ugh, Christ.”  She ran her fingers through her hair but quickly gave up the effort. She turned on the dim lamp nearby and that was about as good as it was going to get.

Putting the laptop back on the table, she leaned forward and pressed the red recording circle, waiting for the timer to tick upwards while she stared blankly at the camera. Jessica opened her mouth, paused, and then closed her mouth again.  “Ah, fuck,” she finally muttered.  “Great start, huh? You’re not getting this video until you’re much older.”

She cleared her throat and tried to make eye contact with the small lens of the web camera. It was difficult- she looked like shit and honestly, Jessica didn’t know why she was doing this.

“Okay, clearly it’s late, and I’m not doing my best thinking,” she explained. Jessica defensively put her hands on her stomach.  “But yeah, that’s you.  In there- in here. Being an absolute little shit-kicker and keeping me up til three in the morning. But you’re up too, so I figure... this is our time together.  Luke- your dad- is still asleep. So we’ll give him that.”

Jess didn’t know why she felt so stupid- maybe it was because she was talking to her laptop in hopes that she’d say something profound for her baby when they eventually saw this video in 10+ years? Oh yeah, that’s why she felt stupid. But once she started talking, she couldn’t stop.

“I am... not ready to be your mom. Not in the slightest. But your dad? He’s been ready since the day we met. You know, he swears you’re a girl. Won’t let the doctors tell us, because he knows he’s right. Would put money down in Vegas on it,” she said, cracking a meek smile. “I know it sounds stupid, but... I had a dream the other night and I saw you. You’re definitely our little girl. Don’t know if that was you reaching out to me, or just another ridiculous pregnancy dream. My hormones are outta control, so it could honestly be either. I mean, in fairness, I had a really crazy dream about Daniel Dae Kim the other night...”

She shook her head.

“Never mind. Anyways. A daughter. That’s... well, it’s terrifying. The world isn’t a nice place to little girls, but if Luke and I do our jobs right, you’ll never know it. You’ve got the two toughest parents on this planet. Your daddy’s a superhero, and I’m... Well, your momma’s doing what she can. To put things back in their place, make sure it’s safe.”

Jess shifted somewhat, compensating for a twinge in her back.  “Look. I’ve been a lot of things, done a lot of things with my life. Lots of that was mistakes. Hell, I’m still going to make mistakes, I think that’s a given. But if you never have to know the things I’ve been through, then maybe I’m doing something right,” she explained.

“But you.. we don’t have a name for you yet, so I’m doing my best here. You, above anything else in my life... You were my choice. And trust me, I had a choice. Quite a few. Being a coward sounded like the easiest one. But you are the first thing in my life I got to choose for myself. I mean, I chose your dad too, but that whole situation was a bit of a mess there... We’re good now, though. Don’t worry. Obviously we are, or else I wouldn’t be here doing this.”

Jessica cleared her throat. This would have been much easier with a drink to loosen her tongue. But that was another choice she was making, to make this thing work. “Anyways. You. My daughter. My special choice. It still doesn’t feel real yet- I mean, you feel real. Right on top of my bladder, that’s definitely real, and if you kick me and we have an accident then I’m just deleting this whole tape right now, so just give me this,” she warned. “I’ve always said that knowing something is real means you gotta make a decision. One, keep denying it. Or two... do something about it. That’s you. You’re that something.”

She leaned back a bit and lifted her shirt to expose her stomach. Jessica hoped that the low, rolling kicks across her abdomen could be picked up in the dim light. “Look, baby girl. It’s pretty obvious I’m not good at this whole talking thing, and I’m tired as hell and kinda losing this wave of focus. Just another joy of this choice I made. But I don’t regret it, not for a moment. You’re the choice I made and I’m sticking with it. I promise, I’m going to do everything I can to protect you. To give you the good things you deserve. Not everyone gets that, but I’m going to try. And so’s your dad. And your aunts, Carol and Trish. My best friends. And then there’s uncle Danny and uncle Matt- I didn’t run that one by them, but I can’t imagine they’d say no,” she shrugged.

“All I can say is that you’re loved, baby girl. And you’re not alone, ‘kay? I will drop everything for you, always. Because above anything and anyone else, you’re my choice.”

Jessica paused, trying to process those last words. They felt like the right thing to say- because they were true. But at 3am, it felt a little weird to say those things out loud in the dark. Jess wished someone had said those things to her, y’know, before she got left alone and orphaned. But now... she wasn’t alone either.

“Ah, fuck,” she said, wiping her nose with the back of her hand as she turned off the recording. Jess could feel salty tears pricking up in the corners of her eyes. “This is your fault,” she hissed down at her stomach. The woman dimmed the lamp again and the waddled back into the kitchen for more lemonade for her dry, warm throat. In one of the kitchen drawers, she found a roll of tape and a thumb drive.

Before returning to bed, Jessica downloaded the video, put it in an envelope that she marked “Baby Girl” and stuffed in the back of the utility drawer. She then taped back over the webcam and hastily deleted the file from her laptop. Luke’s voice came from the bedroom softly at first, then again louder.

“Babe? Did you fall in?”

“Shut up,” she mumbled back. “I’ll be back in a minute. It’s not like I’m the one who chose to be awake at this ungodly hour.”  Jess rubbed a gentle circle around her stomach.

Luke’s footsteps could be heard down the hall as he emerged in the doorway.  He paused there for a moment, looking at Jess hunched over her work.  “Jessie, your side of the bed is cold,” he chided in a low, rumbling voice.  “C’mon, this can’t wait ‘til morning?”

“I’m getting close.  He’s... he’s desperate, or testing something.  He keeps compelling more people for longer, if these reports have all their numbers correct,” she muttered, not bothering to peel her eyes from the screen.  Jessica took a sip of her cold tea, frowned, and put the mug down quickly.  “I just have to find out what he’s going to try next, what stunt-”

A harsh buzz on the granite was quickly followed by Jessica’s phone screen lighting up.  One message from Trish.  Buzz.  Two messages from Trish.

>> Hey Jess

>> Check the news.

Jessica’s brows drew together in confusion.  Taking her phone in one hand, laptop in the other, she pushed past Luke towards the den.  She put her appliances down on the coffee table and picked up the remote, flipping for the news channel.  She was still learning the numbers of the channels, not having had a proper television for quite a few years until now.  “Wait, wait, there,” she muttered as she saw the feed of helicopters over Morningside Park.  

It was late, far later than anyone should be gathered in a public park.  Through the searchlights she could see crowds of people amassed in one spot.  But around what?

“Oh no, no,” Jessica said, clapping a hand over her mouth.  Luke stood beside her, watching the screen but not catching what had surprised her.  Weakly, Jess pointed a finger at the jostling footage to a very small, but very distinct purple figure standing apart from the crowds.

The marquee at the bottom of the screen offered very little explanation, as the reporters couldn’t exactly tell what was going on.  But Jessica knew.  This was it- this was what he’d been testing himself for.  From what she could see, a crowd of about two or maybe three hundred people- civilians mostly- standing in haphazard rows, waiting for his command.  God knows what he’d already told them to do.  Maybe they would kill each other.  Maybe they would cause a riot.  And worse, maybe they would come for her.  Even those stupid fucking news crews were in danger the longer they stayed around.

Absolutely chilled, Jessica stood transfixed in horror as the scene played out- or rather, didn’t.  What were they waiting for?

Just then, her phone rang.  Again from Trish’s number.  Jessica picked it up hastily.  “Trish, I’m watching and he’s-”

“Hello, Jessica.”  The voice on the other end of the line wasn’t Trish, but it was all too familiar.  And if the call came from her sister’s phone...

“What the fuck have you done to Trish?” Jessica demanded harshly, her heart beating fiercely.

“Now, now,” Kilgrave chided.  “There’s no need to take that tone with me.  I have your sister here, and she’s fine.  In fact, she’s better than fine.  Much more obedient than you ever were, Jessica.  Perhaps I chose the wrong sister?”

Jessica’s mind began racing- how fast could she be out of here and get to the park?  Was this all a trap?  How did he get Trish, and how did he get so many people under control at once?  Clearly, whatever he’d been trying to do to improve his influence was paying off.  But it didn’t matter- every second she left Trish with that monster was a moment of life that the other woman would never get back.  And Jess had learned lately that every second was precious.

“What do you want?”

“Oh, come now.  If you have to ask, you haven’t been paying attention.”  He paused and Jess thought the line might have gone dead, but then he spoke again, accent cloying in her ear.  “We’ll be waiting for you to make your choice.  You’ve got an hour, Jessica.”

An hour was far too long to leave those people standing there, in the harsh, late night.  And Jessica had already made her decision long ago.  She hung up the phone without another word and threw the thing down on the couch, pushing past Luke to grab her jacket and boots from the bedroom.

“He has Trish,” she panted, tugging up her boots frantically.  Luke followed her, giving her space as she bent at the waist, only slightly impeded by her burgeoning stomach.  “This is it, Luke.  I... I don’t have a choice.  This has to be it.”

“Then let me come with you.  Lemme call Danny, you call Matt, we’ll get the gang together and we’ll stop him,” he offered, already knowing what stubborn Jessica Jones would say.

“No, I can’t risk him getting any of us,” she said, shaking her head.  “Besides, I want to believe whatever psychic bullshit Jean Grey put into my brain... it’ll be enough.”  She grabbed her jacket and tugged the sleeves on.  Jessica ran back to the front room, grabbing her phone from the couch, fingers trembling as she stuffed it in her back pocket.  This had to be it, but what was it?  So many variables she couldn’t know.  And she was fucking terrified.

Jessica stopped at the front door, looking back to Luke in his boxers.  God, she wanted to curl up in bed with him.  To act like this wasn’t the very possible end of everything she’d worked so hard to build for herself.  To go to sleep, curled at his side, loved and safe and warm and only waking up occasionally to pee because pregnancy was stupid.  No night terrors, no thoughts of failing to face her greatest fears, her greatest foe.

“Luke, if something... if something happens to me, call Murdock and tell him to come to Morningside Park.  No matter what, you need to stay out of his reach, okay?”  Jessica could tell that Luke’s heart was in two places on this one.  He so badly wanted to come with her- not for his own heroics, but to protect her.  Support her.  But he also knew the terror of losing control, and if Kilgrave had that many hundreds of people in his thrall, there was no way Luke Cage was going to be able to stand apart.  And Jess couldn’t risk Kilgrave using him against her.  Or worse.

She shook her head and without another word, slipped out into the night, leaping up to a nearby fire escape to make her way across the rooftops.

---

It took Jessica about eighteen minutes running and leaping at top speed across the rooftops to make it into range of the park.  The news helicopters still circled, and it was a wonder they hadn’t been threatened off.  At least, if they were safe in the air, it was one less thing for Jess to worry about.  The last thing she needed was a kamikaze pilot under Kilgrave’s influence.

As she drew near enough, she lowered herself to the street and stood there, hands on her thighs, panting.  She quickly checked her phone- no breaking updates in the report, so that seemed good.  But nothing with Kilgrave was ever as it seemed.  Putting her phone back into her pocket, Jessica put a hand on her stomach, which fluttered as she caught her breath.  She couldn’t sense the baby’s movements yet but she had to trust everything was okay in there.  A little cardio never hurt, did it?

She was well within her hour, but Jessica knew Kilgrave would grow impatient waiting for his latest plaything to arrive.  The woman steeled herself in the cold night air and proceeded on foot at ground level.

Approaching the edge of the park, she was met by a throng of bodies, standing soldier-like at attention, facing the base of the Charles Schurz Memorial.  Jessica couldn’t see over the sea of heads, but if she was a betting woman her money would have been on Kilgrave- and Trish- waiting there.  And that would be the worst if she was lucky.

At the sound of her footsteps, one of the heads closest to her- a blonde young woman she didn’t recognize- turned and clued in to her arrival.  Like clockwork, the hundreds of other bodies spun around to face her down, and Jessica had to step backwards at the oppressive weight of their collective stares.  She didn’t know what Kilgrave had told them to do, but watching her seemed as good a guess as any.  The silence was deafening, save for the rotary hum of the helicopters above.

“Jesus, fuck,” Jess muttered as she dared to step forward, fists clenched.  She moved slowly, fearing that they may have been told to attack her, or attack one another.  No one seemed to be holding any weapons- that, again, seemed like a good sign.  Too many good signs in this nightmare scenario.

Silently, she weighed the exact amount of force she would have to use to knock out any of these civilians if they attacked her.  Jessica knew where to hit and just how hard to put them on the ground in the least concussive, least damaging way.  She always knew that much, but now she was preparing to exercise it.

As she approached, the people parted just enough for her to pass through.  The crowd was still trained on her, their eyes following every step.  She stepped into the cleared path, and the bodies moved in behind her to close her in.  “Really?  The theatrics,” she muttered, trying to get any one of them to react.  How long had they been here before she’d turned on the news?  She was met with nothing but laser focus.  Jess shuddered, remembering what it was like to be inside of that, watching the world, trapped in your own mind.

Kilgrave’s command had never been strong enough to work on more than a small handful of people at a time.  How did he have this many minds under such strict control all at once?

Walking further into the sea of bodies, Jessica began to double take, seeing what she imagined were familiar faces.  Just beyond the cold stare of a beautiful Native woman whose features were sharp with focus, Jess spotted Peter Quill.  There was no recognition or familiarity in his stare, just icy determination.  She so badly wanted to bring herself to smile, just to assure him things would be okay.  But she would be lying to herself and to him, and she couldn’t shake the abject terror that gripped her completely. So she kept walking, slowly at first, then with more determination.

She could see Kilgrave’s head over the legions of people, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of acknowledgement.  Jessica moved forward, noticing another familiar gaze in the throng of people parting to let her through.  Her eyes widened, and Jess threw out a hand.

“Kate!  Kate, no,” she shouted, reaching for the girl and shoulder-checking an older gentleman to move him out of the way.  Claw-like hands gripped Jessica’s jacket, pulling the neck and restraining her.  “Fucking get off of me!”

“No,” a stranger’s voice said.  The tone was robotic, practiced.  “You’re wasting time, Jessica.  Leave her.”

Jessica struggled, wresting hands off her jacket as the crowd backed off and returned to their positions.  “Oh, so you freaks do speak.”  She knew better than to test them again, but...

Her heart sank.  Jessica would personally take on every one of these people if it meant getting Kate to safety.  Taking her away from all of this- the girl must have been breaking inside.  Standing in a park, late at night.  Assaulted by the mind manipulations of the sick and twisted man they both hoped would die.  Well, Kate might have to watch it happen, if Jess got her way tonight.

As she passed, she turned, not touching, to speak to the girl.  “Kate, I’m sorry.  I’m going to make this right.  I’m so sorry.”  There was no assurance in her stare.  No confirmation of understanding, no acknowledgement that she heard or even believed Jessica.  Just blank focus.

The investigator practically shoved the rest of the crowd out of the way as she marched to Kilgrave standing at the base of the memorial with Trish kneeling beside him.  To the opposite side of her sister, Jess spotted that strange eye-shaped sculpture the Bugle had written about months prior.  It had been reported stolen on New Year’s Day, just after their fight with the ninjas and Typhoid Mary.  So why did he have it?

“You depraved, maniacal bastard,” Jessica barked as she stormed up the steps, stopping short at the closer sight of her sister.  Trish’s eyes were glistening, piqued pink in the corners as if she’d maybe been crying.  Kilgrave wouldn’t have let her, but it was just so cold out that maybe the stinging night air had that effect on her anyways.  Jess only turned her head briefly to see the army of bodies behind her all take a few steps closer in unison- the only way out of here was up in the air now.

Speaking of, the floodlights of the helicopters were obnoxiously bright, illuminating the scene.  Kilgrave’s teeth shone as he cracked a large grin at Jessica’s arrival.  “Well, Jessica,” he crooned, patting Trish’s hair like she was a housecat.  “Your sister and I were beginning to think you wouldn’t show.  Well, I had my doubts but she... she seemed so sure you would rush in and save the day, hm?”

His laughter curdled Jessica’s blood and she had the urge to rip off the hand that was touching her sister.  The Purple Man was uncomfortably confident now that the investigator had stepped into his game.  Jess balled her fists at her sides and tried to slow her breathing before she flew off at the handle.  She had to figure out his angle first, or else any ‘kill yourself’ or ‘kill each other’ fail-safe commands could turn the night into even more of a shitshow than it was already shaping up to be.

“So, Jessica, why did you come here?  To be a hero to dear, sweet Patsy and all of these innocent bystanders?  Or did you have some other delusions?”

His grand, sweeping gesture at the crowd made her shoulders tighten.  Something inside of Jessica tugged, from her chest towards Kilgrave.  She wanted to tell him her plan, just so he could know what he had coming to him.  So she could wipe that stupid, smug grin off his face.

In the back of her mind, the flaming words ‘Fuck You’ appeared.  Oh god, that was Jean Grey’s psychic trigger going off.  There was no way his powers were getting to her now, unless... That sculpture at his feet worried her.

“I’m waiting, Jessica.”

She swallowed.  Over the distant din of the helicopter, she raised her voice from a whisper.  “I’m here to kill you.”

Kilgrave paused a moment, brows knitting together.  Then he shook his head.  “Oh, well then.  I could have guessed that!”  He looked more amused than she would have liked.  His next words were painfully deliberate, testing the bounds of his persuasion.  “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Here Jessica grew confused.  She hated the superheroic monologuing of so many other crimefighters- Captain America and his speeches, She-Hulk’s quipping, even Daredevil’s self-righteous shit.  But now, she felt like this was her moment.  Her moment to exact revenge for everything he ever did.  To her.  To Luke.  To Kate and Peter and everyone standing behind her.  To Trish, the one person she always thought she could keep safe.

But was she telling him these things because it was what she wanted to hear? Or it was what he had told her to do?  Jessica’s heart beat even faster with fear.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“I’m pregnant,” she admitted.  “And it’s Luke Cage’s.  And I’m more loved than I ever have been, and killing you is the last step to ensuring that I have a future that I can look forward to.”  Saying the words felt good, whether it was what she wanted to tell him or not.

At that, Kilgrave looked visibly crestfallen.  Only just slightly.  He stuffed both hands in his suit jacket pockets and sniffed.  “Well, that explains the bit of a gut you’ve got going on right there.  I didn’t want to be rude and say something, but, seriously.  Jessica.”  He tutted and looked around at the scene he’d created here.  He looked past the investigator into the crowd, drawing out the moment.  Why didn’t she just kill him now?

“Jessica, it is... so sad that you have to lie to yourself like that,” the Purple Man continued.  “You really are so damaged.  Which is a shame, because you’re such a lovely jewel.”  He sighed and Jessica took a step forward, which she regretted instantly.  Kilgrave straightened, putting a foot to the eye sculpture.  Was it going to shoot lasers?  What the fuck was it doing here anyway?

“But you always were a bit of a daft bitch,” the British man spat quickly.  “You just don’t get it, do you?  I’ve hardly had to use any power to get you here, Jessica.  Just wait until you see what I’m prepared to do.  This beautiful little piece here- and I don’t mean your sister- is a very powerful relic.  That controls minds.  With it, there’s not a soul alive that could resist my commands.  Not even you, my jewel.”

Jessica wanted to believe he was bluffing, but that confidence, that ego.  That was more than she’d ever seen from him.  He didn’t know about what help she’d received from Jean Grey, but up against that relic, she wasn’t sure it would matter much here.

“All I ever wanted was you,” Kilgrave continued.  Trish shivered by his side in the cold air, and Jess so badly wanted to give the woman her leather jacket.  “I gave you everything I could, and it still wasn’t enough.  And then that damned Luke Cage couldn’t even get a job done right and then what?  He takes you from me?  And you’re having a fucking baby with him.  Augh!  You know you’ll never really be happy.  I know you, and you’ve never had it in you to love anyone.  Not even yourself.  Certainly not a baby, disgusting little thing.  Maybe you care about your darling Trish here, but you couldn’t even protect her now.”

“I’m going to make you regret touching her,” Jess practically growled.  “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done.”

The Purple Man compelled Trish to stand, which she obeyed.  Jessica stood rooted to the spot simply out of fear.  She had to gauge the right moment to make her move without ruining everything.  Why wasn’t he using the eye on her?  Was he afraid it wouldn’t work?  Or was he scared it would be too easy?  Kilgrave bent down and picked up the relic, which was sizable in his arms.  “If I can’t have you, then I will be damned sure you never forget me,” he threatened.

Jessica steeled herself against whatever unimaginable horror he could speak into existence next.  Her heart was practically in her throat by now.

“Go on then, Jessica,” he said, the bright lights glinting off the sculpture mystically.  “If you’re going to kill me, then get on with it.  Be the big sodding hero you always think you can be.  But remember, killing one person is an accident.  Killing two people makes a habit.”

Kilgrave stood, staring at her relentlessly.  Jessica could feel the eyes of three hundred strangers boring into her back.  He was going to make her do this in front of an audience.  Make her ruin her own life by doing exactly what she wanted to do.  And a small part of her didn’t want to go through with it any longer, but she felt that she had to.  Was he really compelling her, even now?  With the use of that artifact?  Or was Jessica finally taking her chance to do what she knew she had to?

How was it that she had all the power, but he still had complete control?

Numbly, she walked forward.  The crowd walked with her.  They closed in until there was only a small perimeter of space between her, her sister, and the suited Englishman.  Jessica shoved Trish back gently, keeping her out of the way.

As Jessica approached, she could see the disappointment in Kilgrave’s glance.  The sadness in his eyes.  This was a losing battle- but why was he giving up the fight?  The man was heartbroken, knowing he’d lost his chance with Jessica for good.  It made her even more furious.

“Hey, asshole,” she said, squaring her shoulders.  Before he could respond, she gripped him by the jaw and lifted him up, just as he’d made her do unto others dozens of times before.  Jessica could almost recall the smell of the burning oil on the grill at the teppanyaki restaurant in the cold night air.  Her fingers squeezed tightly on his neck, the veins in his face turning...purple.

“Smile.”

With her off hand, Jessica quickly grabbed his skull and snapped his neck with determination, dropping his body to the pavement in a muffled thud of purple suit fabric.  The eye sculpture fell from his arms and clattered as the metal hit concrete.  A massive shudder ran through the gathered crowd as three hundred people suddenly, slowly regained their faculties.  It was like a great sigh was exhaled as people began to come to clarity, seeing themselves in the park, gathered around a dead man’s body.

To be sure he was truly dead, Jess knelt down and checked for a pulse.  Nothing.  For a moment, she imagined this was one of his mind games, maybe a trick he was playing now that she was under his control.  But it felt real.  Horrifyingly real.

Sirens howled all around the park perimeter as law enforcement arrived, as if they too had been waiting for the spell to break.  Jessica wanted so badly to check on Trish, but a gruff voice urged her to stay down.  She slowly lifted her hands away from the body, putting them over her head.  There was no fight left in her.

She’d done exactly what she set out to do.  So why was she still so afraid?

“You have the right to remain silent.”

Her arms were twisted into cuffs and Jessica was pulled upright, led to a police car with flashing lights.  She didn’t resist.  

She saw detective Knight arrive with another squad, and the woman gave her a disdainful but confused look as Jess was more or less pushed into the back of a vehicle.  The dark-haired woman tried to search the crowd for a sign of Kate, Trish, or Peter.  Anyone familiar, anyone who could provide a friendly embrace, a reassuring word.  Nothing.  Just cops moving in to mark the perimeter of the crime scene.  There was no way they could reasonably question all these witnesses.  And they practically had Jessica dead to rights.

break the slience, damn the dark, damn the light

Jessica snapped a few pictures quickly- his backside, thick coat, beanie on.  A woman at his hip.  She tried to ignore it.  Her.  Ignore her.  Ignore her, that’s a command, Jessica.  JESSICA.

She twitched again, back straightening away from the metal paneling.  “Ah, shit,” she panted, taking a deep pull of her alcohol.  Jessica kept her mouth pressed to the flask lip.  “Main Street.... Birch Street....”  She breathed low and mouthed the rest of her mantra as she pulled the camera back over her eyes.

Jessica zoomed the lens in and got a good shot of Luke’s profile.  Dark.  Gorgeous.  Cut well against the street lights that attracted moths and other pests.  Like herself.  He was headed upstairs with that woman, back to his apartment.  One of those windows across the street.

The cat was gone from its perch on the sill.  Jessica gazed across trying to remember which window was his.  The light went on.  The blinds went down, but the brightness within filtered through, just enough that she could imagine what was happening.  He didn’t always close the blinds first, but tonight he did.  Maybe the asshole cat downstairs warned him that Jessica was watching.  She took one snapshot of the window, slatted strips of light against the dull, dark, brick building.

Jessica finished off her whiskey and looked through the viewfinder of her camera to see the shots she had managed to take.

She thumbed back too far, into the last set of pictures she took, about four days ago.  Dark.  Gorgeous.  Cut well against the street lights, with another woman at his hip.  Same jacket.  Same beanie.  New woman.  Or, old woman, by today’s proceedings.  Jessica sighed, turned off the camera, and sat in the dark of the rooftop until the chill returned and cut through her jacket and her drunken stupor.

and if you don’t love me now, then you’ll never love me again

The police arrived shortly after the mess had ended- while Jess was certainly not the biggest fan of the cops, especially not of Mercedes Knight, there wasn’t much more the heroes could do.  Not on Christmas Eve.  They all ducked out the back, hoping the papers would pin this ‘Christmas miracle’ on the Devil or something.

“Goodwill to all, and all that shit,” Jess spat, wiping her mouth with the back of her glove.  “I never went to Sunday school, but I definitely don’t remember ninjas in the nativity.  God, I can’t believe it’s Christmas in a few hours.”  Not that she particularly cared.  She never celebrated, but with Luke around… maybe they could have tried.  Jess had actually bought him what she imagined was a good gift, but she’d never given a good gift in her life.  Why start now?  She could give it to him later, when they got home.

To the apartment that had been set on fire.  Jess was going to have to do something about that, especially in light of this ninja business.

“Anyways, kicking ass worked up my appetite and honestly after not eating all day I’d like to take advantage of that,” she muttered, looking down the street to see if any neon signs were still on anywhere. Matt sighed, wiping the blood from his mouth on the back of his gloved hand. Ninjas weren’t going to be the death of him, but Jessica quite possibly was. “I was raised by nuns, and for once, you’re right about that. Merry Christmas, for what it’s worth.” Ah, shit, Christmas. Foggy. He wasn’t going to be able to hang around. Just as well. He didn’t want anyone else knowing his identity. “Look, there’s about a billion real noisy signs buzzing around here, but would you serve Daredevil?” He had to admit, he was hungry as well. He didn’t exactly eat well before he went out either. At least he wasn’t as bad as Jessica. “C’mon, you have to eat, when you’re - never mind.” Matt knew about the Hand, and he knew that it wasn’t going to go well if they got involved without him, but at the same time - he barely knew Luke and this new guy. Up until recently, his interactions with Jessica had been almost solely (somewhat) professional. Leaving the camera incident aside. “Look. I gotta go. But you have fun.”

“Oh, No, you don’t,” Luke said, grinning. “No way, man, you do all that parkour business, beatin’ bad folks up without even being able to see -- you eat with us. I know a Chinese restaurant owes me about a dozen favors, and we should be looking to hole up for a while. Don’t worry about the warehouse, Misty’s got our backs.”

And their numbers. And probably a whole lot of community service hours for Luke. But that was tomorrow’s problem. Luke slung an arm around Jessica’s shoulder, and another around Matt’s.

“Mushu pork! Szechuan beef. Enough dumplings to sink the Titanic. Come on, it’s Christmas Eve, I’m gonna be a daddy, and we opened a dozen cans of whup on those fake ninjas. We should be celebrating. … and probably hiding.”

After the fight came to its seemingly inevitable conclusion, Danny wasn’t sure what to…. do. Of course, he already had notions of a lean, mean, fighting team spinning around in his head, but he did his best to tamp down such expectations. Jessica and the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen weren’t exactly the joining type. 

Luke seemed nice, though.

“You’re going to be a dad?” Danny couldn’t help but splutter. His eyes moved back and forth between Luke and Jessica several times. He pulled off his crappy ski mask to squint more meaningfully at them. 

Was Jessica….?

In any case, Chinese - especially off-brand American Chinese - sounded much better than Lean Cuisine. “Luke can pick the place, but dinner’s on me.”

Jessica saw the way the masked stranger was eyeing her after Luke’s excited blabbering.  She kept her hands stuffed in her jacket pockets and shrugged.  “Yeah, yeah.  But don’t go making a big deal about it, okay?”  Despite herself, she managed a smile and gave Luke a quick peck as he threw his arm around her.

When Danny removed his mask, she just about spluttered in surprise.  “Wait, Danny fucking Rand?  Are you serious with the- the… the dragon punching stuff back there?  I thought I told you not to worry about it on the phone.”  Jess paused.  “But at least you held your own in there.  Jesus, what an ass-backwards group we’ve got here.”

She shook her head, not wanting to fret about it.  And if Danny was paying for dinner, she wasn’t going to complain.  “Alright, alright.  Fine, let’s hash this out on the way to food.  Luke, Danny, Devil, you’re coming with.  I’m starved.”  Jess broke from her boyfriend’s grasp and made a move to find a restaurant.

“Look, yes, Chinese food is great and we need to lay low for a while but whatever this is, I -” His train of thought was interrupted by Luke’s casual arm-slinging. He sighed. “I’ve been down this route before, and these guys do not mess around. This isn’t the kind of decision you take lightly.” He also shrugged off Luke’s grasp, and moved in the same direction as Jessica. “You bring Misty into this, you’re putting her in danger.” Matt crossed his arms. “You’re really, really risking getting dead here. Just so you can make an informed decision. I’ll come with, because it’s Christmas, but this isn’t a movie and we’re not all one big merry band of vigilantes.”

Actually, Luke was pretty sure they were, at this point, most definitely a merry band of vigilantes. All the evidence pointed that was, what with the not having police jobs or uniforms and still kicking a pile of ninja booty. But Matt looked like… actually, just then, he looked like Jessica before her tenth cup of coffee in the morning. A little sour. Luke decided nodding sagely was a good way to go. 

Also.

“Misty is a cop in New York City. She’s in danger every day. We got a chance here to make things a little bit safer for her and all the rest of them. In a not-band of vigilantes way, obviously.” He winked at Danny. Danny looked on board with the whole merry band of vigilantes thing. They were going to need a name. 

“Here we are,” he said, pushing the door open. “We’ll close the blinds, order food, and Danny can tell us about the dragons.”

Was Danny the only one still caught on the whole ‘Dad’ thing? And the fact Jessica was pregnant? He decided to file that away for later.

“Surprise?” Danny said tentatively, fixing Jessica with an awkwardly apologetic smile. “Sorry, I would’ve told you earlier, but I’m-- trying to keep a low profile. Hence the whole mask situation.” He raised the cloth in his hand as if in explanation, though his gaze strayed momentarily to Daredevil. “...Think I might be due for an upgrade, though, especially looking at this guy.”

Luke was nodding sagely at the whole ‘we’re not a team’ speech, so Danny decided copying him would be the best course of action. He caught the wink at the tail end, and figured he didn’t do too bad. 

Although he was really starting to see the benefits, though. Of a team. 

“I’m actually thinking Daredevil should tell us what he meant when he said he’s ‘been down this road before’. And I can order.” He greeted the older woman behind the counter in Chinese, extending a hand and offering a charming smile.

“Yeah, the glowing fist just screams ‘low profile’,” Jess muttered as she slipped inside the restaurant, pretending she didn’t see that wink that Luke gave to Danny.  It smelled a bit like frying oil and chili spices in here, but it would do.  Empty on a Christmas Eve, surprisingly, but Jess checked a clock on the wall and realized how late it actually was.  And a grumble in her gut reminded her that she hadn’t really eaten anything that day to begin with.

She stood back as Danny began speaking Chinese, earning a grin from the older woman.  Jess rolled her eyes somewhat, grabbing a menu and finding a table in the center of the room for them.  She sat down and put one foot up on the chair next to her, flipping open the laminate pages to take a look at the food available.

“God,” she groaned.  “I think I took a few good hits to the face- that’s gonna bruise tomorrow.  At least those ninjas had the decency not to make any low blows.” “I can sense you winking, Luke.” Matt sighed, following Jessica’s lead to move towards the table. He chose the chair opposite her, as not to engage in a ridiculous power play over the seat she had her foot resting on. Luke and Danny could contend with that issue. He was actually hungry, and for once he wouldn’t have to defrost something or attempt to contend with inaccessible websites when he’d been hit in the head multiple times. That was a good enough reason to stay. It smelt like...pork dumplings, if he guessed right. “Look, the Hand? They’re immortal fanatics, but they’re secretive and everywhere - imagine if conspiracy theories were real, essentially. Low blows? Kidnapped about 20 innocent people purely to lure me into a fight. Doesn’t matter if you’re a cop, you got super strength, bulletproof skin, you’re a...dragon guy. The Hand will still Ruin. Your. Day.”

“You know what, I don’t even think you’re blind. Ain’t no one can sense a man winking. And even if they could, you’re being creepy about it. Lighten up, Matt. We can deal with The Hand, but not on an empty stomach.”

He listed Jess’s feet and put them in his lap, patting her ankles. And looked at her stomach as if any second the first of the bump might appear. Nothing yet, but he gave her a grin. Adrenalin still coursing through his veins, and pissed off or not he was feeling pretty good. 

Matt looked deeply, deeply unimpressed by that statement.

“They’re bad guys. Very bad guys. Bad guys trip ‘emselves up eventually, one way or another. And when they do, we’ll be there. We beat them, remember? We can do it again. Is that the sesame prawn toast?”

Danny gave the owner’s small, wrinkled hand one last squeeze before returning to the table, just in time to catch Matt’s comment about The Hand. Luke was pretty blasé about the whole thing, but Danny knew a thing or two about secret ninja cults. They were way old and way dangerous, stuff nobody in their right mind ought to fuck with casually. 

(Though he supposed ‘right mind’ would not be...  precisely applicable to the people sitting around this table.)

“Immortal fanatics?” Danny probed, turning one of the chairs around and taking a seat between Matt and Luke. He’d seen magic happen firsthand - literally - but nothing like immortality. “What exactly is their objective? World domination, or something?”

Connie - the old woman who owned the restaurant - set several plates of still steaming food onto the table in front of them. Danny offered her a smile and a brief thanks. 

“Luke’s right, obviously, I just think-- it’s important to know what we’re up against,” he loaded a couple onto his plate and handed Luke the sesame prawns. “Especially if we’re talking conspiracy theory levels of crazy.”

“Tch,” Jess hissed, frowning at Matt. “I meant ‘low blows’ in the sense that no one tried to punch me in the stomach. Because that could have ended badly. But yeah, sure, they’re bastards.”  She was so not here for the talks of crazy ninja cults and apocalyptic doom to Hell’s Kitchen.

Jess put one arm over the back of her chair as Luke pulled her legs into his lap. She gave him a little wink of her own- sense that, Matt. She then heaved a tortured sigh as if this was a massive inconvenience for her as the boys talked circles around this immortal fanatic situation. It made the days she complained about dealing with cheating spouses seem like a treat.

“Up against? We? I’m not exactly making these guys a passion project of mine.” Nor was she planning to make this ‘team up’ any more than a convenient and coincidental gathering of adjacently-familiar powered people.

The investigator straightened in her seat as several steaming plates of food were set down at the table. Jess reached for her pair of chopsticks, separating the flimsy wood sticks and quickly stabbing a few fried gyoza, shaking them off onto her plate. “Luke, pass the soy sauce?”

“At the risk of having this held against me for the rest of my life, I agree with Jessica.” For a quiet life, he chose not to comment on her wink. Matt’s reticence to commit to this was warring with his desire for sesame prawn toast. He settled for grabbing some - and maybe some of those pork dumplings - and sighing deeply at the same time. “You don’t want stopping the Hand to be your New Year’s Resolution.” He also got the sense that he was going to end up on this ride anyway. He’d not known the man long, but Danny gave off a sense of being far too interested in the concept of fighting immortal ninjas. 

“That’s just about it. They’ve built crime empires over centuries, and are willing to do just about anything to keep themselves going. I’m not being creepy about it. You’re being overly lax about it. When the suit’s on, you call me Daredevil. That’s it. Not all of us can afford to be so casual with our identities.” He wanted to cross his arms, to make the point, but that would have made it somewhat difficult to eat, so he settled for sullenly squeezing a gyoza between chopsticks harder than was strictly necessary.

---

[AND THEY ALL HAD DINNER AND BECAME BEST FRIENDS AND JESS AND LUKE HAD NOTHING BUT CUTE TIMES BEFORE THEIR BABY CAME AND ALSO SOMEHOW DANNY GOT THE BABY NAMED AFTER HIM, AND MATT WAS THERE TOO BECAUSE THEY’RE ALL BEST BUDDIES FOR LIFE. XOXO THE END]