AND THE ANGEL WAS REBORN

Most people would tell her if she valued her life, even as a prostitute, Tessa Smith wouldn't be walking down a dark alley by herself in the middle of the night. Her heels, that are pointy enough to be a weapon (read: have been used as a weapon), clacked against the trash littered pavement nonetheless. The leather pants that were more of a second skin than anything and her corset crop top told everyone what area of town she's coming from.

Call girl, prostitute, whore, hooker, tramp… she's been called it all and will be called it all again. She has done it all and will do it all again. Tessa knows what she is, who she is, and what she won't ever be. She's known from a young age she was good at sex. Tess may have started at the bottom, but she's now at the top, and she won't relinquish that title to anyone.

But some of her fellow girls haven't been so lucky.

Tessa pulled out her phone and glanced at the clock. She has time to put on many costumes before the sun breaks over the horizon, but she has a feeling she'll be spending the rest of the night in one particular.

When she first told her manager she wanted the late night off, he laughed in her face. And then Tessa put in his mind the lonely at home mothers with secret fantasies she could indulge, and suddenly it wasn't so funny anymore.

Back at her apartment, Tess slipped into her alter-ego's costume. A white corset with lace sleeves and hood, hiding her pale blonde hair, matching leather pants that she chose for the threaded angel wings that wrapped around her legs, only visible if you're close enough to pull them off, and the simple, swirling mask following the color theme of the rest of the outfit, with slightly pointed tips as another nod for the name simultaneously Tessa chose for herself as a symbol from her past and all the people she's encountered have called her for the miraculous powers she possesses. White gloves completed her assemble.

Angel was ready to take on the night, to pull the bastards murdering her girls into the light.


It was earlier in the day that Matt Murdock ran into Father Lantom, the priest of The Cathedral of St. Patrick. He hadn't intended on seeing him, but found it was good to see him nonetheless. Although, it was Matt normally asking Lantom something, the questions were coming from him today.

"Rather frequently in the past couple of weeks, I've been asked numerous questions about angels on Earth. Been told of an angelic being saving people from attacks, which I thought was your job, and visiting hospital rooms, and seemingly healing patients with a touch," the Father began.

Matt turned his ear to Lantom, his head slightly swirling at mention of angels on earth. Though he didn't know why it did, considering it's been established there was life on other planets. But it wasn't suppose to be happening here. Not in Hell's Kitchen.

He paused a moment, slightly rolling his eyes. "Now, before you ask, yes, I believe there are angels in this world; however, they don't tend to manifest themselves in this sort of way. And, though I'm not entirely sure what to think of it, there is a new string of superhuman beings that are nothing short of magical. Not to open my opinion on that can of worms, I was wondering if you'd come across this Angel during one of your nightly activities."

Matt went quiet before he answered. He didn't want to admit it, but in the past three weeks since the death of his friend Elektra and the People vs Frank Castle trial that went so horribly wrong… and the deterioration of his friendship with Foggy Nelson and the distance his semi-girlfriend, Karen Page, was giving him after he admitted to her who he was… he hadn't been too into his nightly responsibilities.

One of his fingers tapped against his cane as he spoke, "I, uh, I actually haven't, Father."

Matt felt the weight of his gaze before Lantom asked, "Have you been out at night recently?"

The look of guilt that crossed Matt's face and tensed his body worked just as well as a verbal answer. He hung his head, turning his gaze to the ground.

"Not that I entirely condone what you do, but I feel like what has come to light by your doing is only the tip of the iceberg. The Angel has seemingly picked up where you left off, but I think she's onto something that's way over her head, especially when the police bring me in for questioning," the Father continued and Matt returned his listening ear, his trapped Daredevil finally escaping.

It was time for him to get his head out of his ass. Just because Matt Murdock's life was falling apart, doesn't mean Hell's Kitchen should too. He didn't know anything about Angel, but Daredevil was soon going to.

"Why? Did they think someone had confessed something to you?" Matt asked, slightly incredulous.

There was a pause, where Matt assumed Lantom shook his head for then he verbally answered "no." Another pause and a deep breath. He was thinking about what he was going to say.

"There have been a string of murders the past three months. You've probably been too caught up with that whole Fisk situation and that Punisher trial to notice. They're starting to look for a serial killer when one of my congregation was found last week. She was the third." Father Lantom's voice turned sorrowful and he heaved a sigh.

Matt took a deep, anguished breath. "I'm so sorry. I haven't-" He shook his head, not finishing that thought, "I have been watching the news, though. It's hasn't made news."

"In the midst of Fisk being a fraud and the mass murders of Frank Castle, how could two murders a month apart make the news? Even how horrific the M.O.'s have been."

"The M.O.'s the thing connecting the murders?" Matt asked, trying to get as much information before he puts the suit back on.

"That, and the fact all they've all been prostitutes," Father Lantom answered.

Matt momentarily chewed his lip, wondering if the killer was just a sick bastard with a need to take a life away or if these girls had something more in common than their profession.

"Well, trust me when I say, Daredevil is on it."


Angel has a particular sense of feeling the broken around her. Her healing can only heal the physical pains of the body, but emotional and physical pain are often heavily intertwine.

She felt Daredevil's inner turmoil the moment he came within range. Tessa was watching from a deserted building hall, leaning against cracked window's pane. Cars drive slowly down the street and girls disappeared into them. From the outside, it seemed like an ordinary night. Tess sighed, she needed to be on the inside.

The arrival of Daredevil made Angel decide to leave her perch. She'd been anxious to meet him, but she supposed the murder of two lone call girls wasn't worth his time, but of course the prospect of a serial killing piped his interest. Though the mass murdering that Frank Castle could have taken quite a bit of his time.

The vigilante was located at the tallest building on the block, closest to the pickup area. He hid in the dark corner, his eyes intent on the floor before him. Daredevil wouldn't admit it, but he didn't hear her arrival, but through her conflicting childhood, she knew how to inflict pain and heal it all at once, which included being not seen or heard till it benefited her.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," Angel began, allowing her feet to pad softly against the roof to announce her coming. He stiffened, but didn't turn. "Well, actually, 'were' was starting to become 'if'. It's nice to finally meet you, Daredevil."

"You must be Angel," he said in a low voice. He faced her then, and through his red mask, she could feel his unwavering gaze.

This close, Tessa could distinguish physical pain from emotional pain. She could just feel there was something important he was missing, but whatever it was she couldn't fix it… most likely an injury that has already healed but left him impaired in some sort of way. Tessa gave his leather cladded body a once over. Whatever it was must be internal.

Angel shrugged. "That's what they call me." Even before coming to Hell's Kitchen, they preferred to call her that over her given name. She's always been an angel in living in hell… just at some point it was unclear if the word 'fallen' was included in that title.

"Well, frequenting hospital rooms with supposed healing powers would cause that name to come to mind," He said, taking another step closer. They stood an arms length

"It's a name I've actually answered to for a while, though I'm technically everything but."

"Technically?" Daredevil asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Comes with the stigma of my profession. Angel isn't the same on my birth certificate, but it might as well be," She said, chuckling internally. There weren't birth certificates where she was from. The things that give her kicks...

"So, by night you're an angel and by day a-" He began, but Tessa cut him off.

"I know I'm new to the scene and all, but maybe I can give you my life story at a later time." If they continued this friendly batter, she might forget herself and slip up. "The murder of the girls what brought you here?"

"Recently came to my attention. Why has this brought you to the vigilante side of things?"

"My friend works in this side of town," Angel said cautiously. "I was fine sneaking around hospital rooms till it hit home. And you clearly weren't around. Was it too much on the wrong side of town for you?" Her voice unexpectedly turned bitter.

His lips pursed. "I've been kinda busy with this guy named Frank Castle. You probably haven't heard of him, but he's a mass murderer. Took a bit of my time."

"If I do remember correctly, he went underground weeks ago," She replied, but her tone went soft. An emotional wave of pain flooded her, hitting her profoundly in the heart. Regret. Longing. Loneliness. He wasn't on vacation the past three weeks.

Daredevil opened his mouth to defend himself, but he abruptly clamped his mouth shut. He turned his head toward the direction of the street. His body was so taut it looked like it would snap.

"The building over. This isn't… isn't roleplaying. Her heart is beating too fast." Daredevil took off in the direction behind Angel. She followed at his heels. They reached the edge of the building and he took some sort of weapon from a holder on his hip and snapped it in half. A wire connected the two pieces and he threw one end of it, connecting it to balcony of the apartment building.


Daredevil barely glanced at Angel before her arms were around his neck and without a second thought, his arms gripped her. They flew through the gap between buildings till their feet hit a window, shattering it. She wasn't sure how they landed, but there was no hesitation from that to running after him.

Matt heard the girl's last heartbeat. He heard her muffled screams, inaudible to the common ear. When the grinding of a saw begin, he heard her last agonized scream before she passed out. Not normally one to be squirmish, but bile built at the back of the throat.

He heard… thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Silence.

They were too late.

Daredevil couldn't tell you the way the room was decorated, but he could tell you that it was recently painted. Red. When he rammed into the door of the room he tracked the girl's screams to, breaking it open, he smell of blood burned his nose and throat and he momentarily lost control, losing whatever that had filled his stomach earlier.

Matt swallowed and pulled himself together when a ragged gasp escaped Angel. "Tiffany!" Her voice came out in a whisper, but the force behind the name made him think it was suppose to be a scream.

"Oh my God, oh my God..." was all Angel could get out for a moment, and Matt tried to hear past her. To possibility hear what way the killer went, but all he shuffled through was the common noises of the night. No running footsteps, no pounding hearts (other than what fell into common noises of the night).

The trail was dead.

Just like this girl. This might not be a part of the city he frequented, but it was part of his city nonetheless. And this bastard was going to pay.


AN: well, I'm in a new section of the site! I'm still very much into my Flash fanfiction 'Wallflower', but since my hours have been cut at my second job I thought I'd begin this story that's been running through my head. It's not like anything I've ever written, so I'm pushing my comfort zone, and I truly hope you'll let me know how I'm doing. - Anna :)