"FISK!" Frank roared, storming into the warehouse with guns blazing. "Where is she?"
His voice echoed off the bare cement walls. There was no answer other than his heavy breathing.
"Dammit! She didn't do anything," Frank shouted, his voice raw and gravelly. "Give her back to me!"
"Ah, ah, Mr. Castle," the voice was disembodied, but recognizable. "Ms. Page knows too much."
"Your issue is with me," he raged. "Come for me, you bastard!"
"Oh, but I am." Fisk responded, glee evident in his voice. "Coming for you means attacking those you love the most."
Frank's heartbeat pounded in his chest, pounded in his ears. The thought of Karen and their baby in danger was more than enough to make him reckless. He needed her back - needed to feel her alive in his arms. He couldn't – wouldn't - let it happen again.
"Fight me like a man!" Frank stalked around the warehouse, looking for Fisk's hiding space. His footsteps were heavy, echoing.
"Shall we see what Ms. Page thinks?"
"Frank? Stop, it's okay! I'm okay!" her voice was weak, but insistent.
Frank's heart stuttered when he heard Karen's voice.
"Karen, I'm comin' for you," he promised.
"Will she be here when you do?" Fisk taunted. Frank growled and punched the nearest wall. This is why - he should've pushed Karen away harder.
"I swear to God, Fisk, if one hair on her head is hurt," Frank threatened, shouting his throat raw. He wasn't even sure if Fisk was listening anymore, but he continued to shout. All the while, Frank explored the warehouse. They had to be here somewhere. Karen had to be okay.
"I'm comin' Karen. I'm comin', I swear," her muttered, fear clenching at his heart. He scrubbed at his face with the back of his forearm. His mind went to Matilda, staying with the Liebermans for a few days. He needed to bring Karen home for their little girl, for the new baby, for himself.
"Gimme a sign, Karen, anything," he mumbled, scanning the floor in case she had dropped something.
"Fuck shit fuck," he cursed loudly when he spotted the drops of blood on the floor. If they were Karen's, he'd make Fisk pay for every single drop spilled. The blood drops were the start of a trail and Frank braced himself as he followed them. The trail led to a door hidden away and Frank cautiously opened it, not wanting to set off any traps that may have been placed. He followed the stairs and held his gun in front of him.
The stairs led to another door and Frank burst into what he assumed was an office space. His heart skipped a few beats when he saw her.
Karen was tied to a chair in the middle of the room; blonde hair tinged pink and matted with blood. Her head dangled forward and Frank prayed she was just knocked out.
"I'm gonna kill you, Fisk," Frank promised. "Come out and fight me like a man. Took a woman as a hostage like a fuckin' coward. Don't even have the balls to face me."
He had taken a cautious step towards Karen when the voice spoke again.
"Sending your little girlfriend snooping around again?" Fisk emerged from the shadows in the corner of the office. "Not very manly, Frank."
"Bullshit," Frank cursed. He lifted his gun and shot, a sudden grunt telling Frank he had hit his target. Walking forward, Frank stepped down on the bullet hole in Wilson Fisk's thigh. Fisk howled in pain.
"Shoulda done this a long time ago. Takin' Karen was one step too far," he growled.
"You're nothing," Fisk spit on Frank's shoes, voice hoarse with pain. He grit his teeth. "A stupid thug. Kill me then."
Frank grinned - a scary sight - and said nothing as he put three bullets into Fisk's skull. As soon as he was sure the New York kingpin was no longer a threat, he holstered his gun and ran to Karen.
"Hey, hey, Karen. Answer me. You okay?" He cut through the plastic binding her wrists and she slumped forward, her head lolling onto his shoulder.
Fear spiked through Frank and he cupped Karen's face, gently trying to shake her awake. "C'mon, Karen. I need to see those blues of yours."
Karen moaned and Frank let out a relieved breath when her eyelids fluttered open. "Fr'nk?" her voice was slurred and barely audible.
"Yeah, yeah," Frank said, voice catching. "I'm here. You're okay."
She moaned again and gasped in panic, "The baby, Frank, he...he hit me in the face and I fell." Her eyes went wide and she gripped at Frank's forearms. "I tried…I …"
"It's okay. Stay calm, ma'am," Frank's voice caught on the term of endearment and he cut the plastic ties on her ankles. "We're gonna get you checked."
He stood and gathered Karen into his arms. Her head rested against his heart and her arms were weak as she clutched his shirt.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, tears falling down her cheeks and making trails in the blood.
"Shh shh shh," he soothed her. "You're alive, that's all that matters."
"The baby," she whispered. The blood from her head smeared against the white skull on his vest and Frank swallowed back bile. He would not let this happen to his family again.
"What's takin' them so long?" Frank muttered, pacing the floor of the hospital room. Karen's gaze tracked him as he moved, her head pounding.
"I don't know," she whispered, both hands resting on top of her stomach. She was barely five months, so the curve was still small.
"You'd think you'd be a priority," he grumbled.
"They did check on my concussion and stitch up my head," Karen pointed out. She lifted one hand to run her fingers over the neat line of stitches at her hairline. Hopefully it wouldn't leave an obvious scar.
Frank shot her A Look and she shrugged.
They both sat silently for a while, anxiety building in both of them. Karen's hands stroked up and down on her stomach and she chewed at her lower lip hard enough to draw blood. Frank saw and shook his head, "Jesus, Karen. Haven't you been through enough?"
"Hmm?" She looked up, startled. Frank handed her a tissue and pointed at her lip. "Oh," she took the tissue and dabbed lightly at the blood. "Thanks."
Karen crumpled the tissue in her hand and inhaled sharply before starting to cry. Frank was at her side in an instant, sitting on the edge of the bed and stroking her hair.
"Shh shh, it's okay. Tell me what you're thinkin'," he said.
"It's all my fault. If the baby - if something -" she sobbed, choking on emotion. Her hand fisted the material of his shirt and she buried her face in his chest. "I shouldn't have - I -"
She broke off, breathing hard and crying. Frank closed his eyes, trying to sort his own emotions.
"I don't - Karen. Everything's gonna be fine. The baby's gonna be fine," he said it with force, conviction that he barely believed. There was a bruise on Karen's cheekbone from where Fisk had punched her and the sight of it sickened him. He knew there was a matching bruise on her side from where she had fallen to the concrete.
Karen wailed, "She's not moving. I've been feeling her moving and I haven't since - since -" she broke off again and Frank's heart dropped into his stomach.
"That doesn't - it could -" Frank didn't really know what to say. There wasn't anything to say. He just held Karen closer and tighter and tried to make her feel safe. She cried against his chest until her sobs turned into hiccuping coughs.
"I shouldn't have been investigating," she whispered. "I wasn't thinking about Mattie or the baby. Or you." She paused, "you never told me to stop, why?"
Frank stroked her hair. "Investigatin' is in your nature, Karen. Who'm I to tell ya to stop doin' what makes you happy - what you're good at?"
Karen gave him a small smile. "You know me so well, Frank Castle." She frowned then, "I should've stopped when I found out I was pregnant again. I put the baby in danger to chase a story."
"Never said you were smart about your investigations," Frank teased. He kissed her forehead as Karen lightly smacked his chest. Frank didn't mind - his only goal had been to calm Karen down and get her mind off of her misplaced guilt. Any other reaction was better than her hyperventilating.
Karen leaned against his side and wrapped her arms around his waist, anchoring herself. "I'm terrified, Frank," she admitted.
He paused before being honest, "Yeah, me too."
She pushed away from him and looked up at his face, a stunned expression in her eyes. "What? I thought you were okay?"
Frank snorted, "Karen, you're out of your damn mind if you thought I wasn't terrified about losing you and the baby. Fuck, even just adding a new baby. I don't know what I'm doin' here."
"Oh," Karen replied in a small voice. "I was so - so -"
"It's okay," Frank laughed. "I put a lot on ya. You're basically raisin' Mattie on your own. Addin' this second one is a burden on you."
"It's not!" Karen protested. "I want this baby. I want it so badly, Frank. Mattie is just - she reminds me so much of you - it makes missing you a little easier."
"I'm gonna be better, Karen," he promised. "We're gonna take this baby home and Mattie's gonna be a little brat about sharing and I'm gonna be there."
Karen sniffled and leaned into his side. She closed her eyes and tried to not think about the fact that she hadn't felt the baby move since before Fisk took her. She couldn't think like the other shoe was always about to drop - she had Mattie to think about. That precious little girl - half her and half Frank - needed her parents, both of them.
That was when she felt it.
"Oh!" she gasped, startling herself and Frank.
"What - " Frank started, but Karen cut him off.
"The baby - it kicked!" Karen sobbed, running her hands over her stomach. She beamed wider as she felt a few more kicks. "Oh my god, Frank. Thank god - I - " she was speechless, tears and emotion blocking her throat.
"Jesus," Frank rasped, his hands covering Karen's. It was still a little too early for him to feel the baby's kicks, but he just needed Karen's word that they were there. He rested his cheek against the top of her head, not bothering to stem the flow of tears from his own eyes. He closed his eyes against the emotion and said a silent prayer of thanks - he was a long ago lapsed Catholic, his own brand of justice not exactly meshing with Christian teachings, but he figured there had to be a higher power up there protecting this baby, despite all the horrible things he had done. A small, sad little part of his heart wondered if Maria was up there, pulling strings to make sure his After had a better ending than his Before. The idea of Maria still looking out for him - and for Karen - was comforting.
"I've never been so happy to feel a little foot nudging my ribs," Karen gave a watery laugh.
"Hell of a time for the kid to take a nap," Frank shook his head. He tapped his thumb against Karen's stomach and spoke to the baby, "this better not be a preview for the shit you're gonna pull when you're here, kid."
Karen laughed and rested her cheek against Frank's shoulder. "We are so in for it with this one."
"Yeah," Frank agreed, smiling. He dipped his head and kissed Karen softly - reassuring himself that she was okay. His heart lurched in his chest at how close he had come to losing her. He held her closer and his hand came to rest on the swell of her stomach. He ran his thumb in a lazy arc over the hospital gown.
"Mmm," Karen hummed. "Keep doing that. Your touch wakes the baby and makes it kick around. I just need to feel it kick."
"Whatever you need, ma'am," he said, continuing to run at her stomach.
"I just need to get out of here with a clean bill of health," Karen grumbled, much more relaxed now that she had felt the baby move. Frank was glad to see some of the spark return to her eyes.
Karen was released twenty minutes later with strict instructions to take it easy.
"Can I just pick up my notebook from the office?" Karen asked as Frank led her out to the car.
Frank snorted and gave her a look. He raised his eyebrow - as if to ask "are you serious?"
Karen wrinkled her nose. "Okay, yeah, stupid question. Can we pick up dim sum?"
"Yeah," Frank nodded. "We'll grab some food and then swing by and pick up Mattie, sound good?"
"Yeah," Karen said tiredly. "I just want to snuggle my baby." Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, Karen was feeling sore and tired. She yawned and leaned her head against the headrest. She closed her eyes and mumbled, "Just resting my eyes, 'm not sleeping."
"Yes, ma'am," Frank said, a small, affectionate smile on his lips.
He drove quietly - stealing glances at Karen whenever he could. Despite the bruising and stitching on her face, she had a glow about her. Frank sighed. Jesus, they'd gotten so lucky today. His earlier thought - Maria as their guardian angel - popped back into his head.
"I miss ya, Maria," he whispered. "Thank you."
Frank looked over at Karen again and chuckled silently. She was passed out - eyes shut and mouth hanging open. Her head rested against the window and both hands were loosely draped over her stomach.
He switched lanes and headed for the highway; dinner could wait. It was time to pick up Mattie and be together as a family at home.
A/N: Hi there Kastle Fam! Been a while, but I've been a crazy lady finishing up my second year of law school. Now that I'm on summer break, I should have more time to write (which includes the boxer/ballerina au that I've been thinking about for literal months!)
Anyway, drop me a review and let me know what you think of this one :)