Hard Bargain

This was supposed to be up months ago. When the photos came up for the scene on the rooftop. I recently discovered this little thing unfinished. Expect more soon. This ship js something else. I can't get enough. Hope you enjoy it. - Day

Nearly a year passes between the last time she sees Frank Castle. The morning following him sleeping in her bed to recover from a battle that he didn't inclined to discuss, nor did she ask about sprung with her seeing him when she got up to get ready for the day but finding little trace of him after she stepped out of the bathroom fully dressed. She had shrugged at first, hoping that he got where he needed to go. She didn't think it was the last she'd be seeing of him but she wasn't going to seek him out. That wasn't what she needed to do.

She had work to worry about. Her eyes looked for him in crime scenes but she didn't find it necessary to reach out. He seemed to do that part just fine on his own. If he needed her he'd contact her himself. Though by the time he did she had moved to a place less bullet ridden and closer to the precinct.

She found an envelope just inside her door tucked between what little mail she got – mostly bills and the occasional invite through her press associates who were merely being polite; usually the whole department got them so there wasn't much there.

Usually she wouldn't open something that wasn't marked at all. No stamps or even her name but something in the back of her mind was telling her that perhaps she should. She decide to wait until she had gotten out of her clothes and cleansed herself of the day. It had been a hard one but what was new really? She was looking for something refreshing.

She found it the second she let the small piece of paper slip from the envelope. It was a dirty piece of paper – maybe it's the only one he had on hand – in quick broad strokes were just a few lines that were leading her back into his sights. She had been right, he did need her for something.

There was an address near The Hudson River and a messy signature that only made the letter F legible out of the entire thing. Karen didn't want to inspect it too much. She was pretty tired and she still needed to figure out when she'd have time to meet him. There was no date or time. Was he just asking her to show up out of what? The kindness of her heart or faith? She highly doubted the latter. She didn't think Frank Castle believed in much anymore. Then again she hadn't seen him in quite a while. Something could be different. Only a meeting would set her mind at ease.

That night she spent tossing and turning at the idea that maybe it just wasn't worked related. A part of her wanted that even though her whole mind was screaming at her that she was being silly. Being silly is what got her heart broken in the first place by Matt Murdock. The truth of the matter was that they were not the same people and yet she found herself thinking kindly about the one that slammed a door in her face but found limp reasons to seek her out.

In the end she fell into a slumber with confusing thoughts. She didn't know what she was about to get into again but maybe it would be something better than her life right now. She had been in a slump for the past couple weeks. The nights out with Foggy had helped but there was only so much he could do.

It took about three days before she could properly sort out a good day to take the trip. Her only day off at that. She wanted to curse at him for that but how could he know?

The address Frank had sent her was to a building that stood towering over the river itself. She had turned over the page itself the day before and found that the word ROOF had been written as small as possible. She rolled her eyes as she approached it.

The building itself looked to be vacant which served the man she was here to meet just perfectly. No one would go near it unless they needed a place to squat or sell drugs. Two very high possibilities. She had her gun with her if she needed to use it, stowed away in her bag. She held it tightly towards her as she pushed the door open with very little effort at all.

Yep, Frank had certainly picked the place.

She didn't spend too much time looking around the place. It wasn't a pretty sight. That was all she needed to know. It kept her moving and she soon found the doorway to the roof access. She slipped through it with vigor and found an nearly welcoming sight.

Graffiti littered the area to the left of the benches that were welded to the concrete. A faded billboard sat just above it.

If someone wasn't careful that thing could probably come down but she shook her head of it as she took to sitting on one of the wooden benches. There was no sign of Frank which almost relieved her. She wasn't sure what she was going to say to him. Hi?

She first needed to find out what she was doing here. It was much colder up here. The altitude probably.

She sat there for a few minutes before the sound of the door opening broke her from her gaze looking over the waters. She didn't watch him as he moved just towards the back of the bench that she was sitting at. He didn't say anything either. He too was biding him time.

When he spoke she had to tell herself to breathe. "Ma'am." He sounded very much the same.

"Frank." She replied although she kept her face forward. It was strange she hadn't felt as pissed at him as she suddenly felt at first. Not even when she had realized that it was him who had sent her the message with a single address. She had torn it up in the car knowing that she would no longer need it after today.

He circled around the bench after a few beats of silence and sat down close enough that they could speak but not close enough for him to touch. It was a barrier that Karen didn't mind.

Words escaped her as she turned the slightest bit to look at him. He had more hair on his head than she had even seen on him, same with his face. He was sporting quite a lot of it. It didn't look too bad on him. It did make her wonder what he had been up to that made it easy for him to not take care of himself; at least not grooming wise.

He flickered his eyes towards her, his head tilted slightly. "You look good, Page."

She had to relax her jaw in order to not say anything brash. A part of her was still miffed with him. Instead she nodded, "You look terrible. Why am I here?"

He snorted before leaning forward and setting his chin on his hands. "Thanks." He paused. "For coming out here." He's awkward about this but there's something about it that makes her alert enough to realize that something has happened to him. Or else she wouldn't be here.

He hadn't tried to contact her before.

"What's happened?"

"My past. I need some information to move forward." He looks like he wants to say something else but stops himself.

His family was enough for him to trust her with it. She had helped him before. Now he wanted it again. But she couldn't say yes, she needed something too.

"Before I say yes...or no." She noticed how tense he is. It took a lot for him to ask for help. He always does things by himself. She's known that. It's how he plays it safe. No one to care about anymore. Just him and a gun, and whomever is in his path. "How south do you think this is gonna go?"

He looked at her and he looked like he wanted to laugh but he held it back for a grin. "Page, you've seen some shit. But this might get worse. Fuck that, it will. This is more than my family. It involves power players. The government."

Frank had missed that short glimmer the blonde got when she wanted answers to something. He had intrigued her. If anyone still cared about his shit it was her. And that was half the battle of starting this up again.

"You know I never say no to a story. A good one. I have a question, Frank."

He grunted. Go ahead.

"It's really a condition but we both know I'll do it anyways. I got too invested before and I know that might not change but I want you to let me do my thing when it's the end."

He had to reign in the part of him that was trying not to walk away again. He knew what she meant. She wanted the full story. She had put most of the pieces together the first time but she never printed it. She turned the experience into an albeit fluff piece that seemed to inspire the idiots of the world.

He couldn't blame them. He had read almost all of her articles. She was good at it.

It's what made it easier for him to get to his feet before answering. "Why do you think I called you?"

He's gone before she can give him a sarcastic remark.

When it's all said and done she does more than a puff piece. Frank Castle has always deserved more than what he's even been given.

She has a few battle scars but the framed article she finds in her apartment already hung up near the window makes her smile, as does the coffee and the folded note.

Don't think I'll make a habit of this. It's frame worthy.

Friday. Behind Josie's. 8pm.

- Castle

Karen smiles. After everything that had happened to her - to them she isn't as pissed as before. If anything she gets it. She could have lost her life in the past week, sure as hell in the last month. But he was there. He had her back, and if anyone had read that new piece they knew she was tied to him.

One way or another.