Chapter 1 Return to Hell's Kitchen

As soon as she steps off the bus, Claire knew that not much had changed since the last time she was here. Though it seem that the streets were less messy and didn't smell like shit (to Claire they did) she took a deep breath before securing her bag and hauling a taxi. She gave the driver the address and they were off. Claire took out her phone and scrolled through her contacts until she found who she was looking for: Matt. Sweet Christmas how long has it been since she had last seen him? Was he well? Shit. He better be with that fancy suit of his. She shakes her head. Her driver pulls up at her stop. Matt's apartment, after paying her driver she closes the door and makes her way inside. While climbing the steps to his place she dials his number.

Matt Claire

Claire? Her breath hitches.

Claire, are you alright? Can you hear me? She hears him grunt.

I can call you back it's clearly not a good time.

Claire, what's wrong? Never mind I'll come to you.

Guess I'll see you at your place then.

Just go in, there's a spare key under the floor board.

Should you really be telling me that when you're fighting a bunch of shithead thugs?

They can't hear me. Claire rolls her eyes hearing his smug response. She gets his key unlocking his door before she puts it back in place.

Right how could I forget about your heighten senses. She hangs up with a sigh. She walks into his living/ kitchen setting her bag on the couch. She looks around, nothing has changed except for his sofa chair which was grey is now black. Clarie shakes her head she walks over to his refrigerator and pulls out a beer taking a big swing.

"Rough day?" She jumps back when she hears his gruffly soft voice, she looks over at him dressed in his Daredevil suit. As he removes his mask and Claire sees that he shaved. He looks better. Then she notices the blood dripping from his arm.

"Jesus, Matt, can't you go through one fight without getting stabbed somewhere?" She says as she grabs her medical kit.

"If it's just one then yes."

"Bullshit. I've see you take on ninja's with katana's and not even get a scratch." Claire rolls her eyes. "Can you remove the armor so I can see how deep it is?"

Matt does so, he winces ad he slides the top half of his armor off taking a seat on his couch. Claire gets her alcohol cleaning his wound. Matt hisses at the pain. "Hmm, well it's not that deep you just need a few stitches." She then grabs her needle and thread. With skilled hands she stitches his arm up. He holds the cloth in place as she grabs some tap once in place she removes her bloody gloves and puts her unused medical supplies away.

"I would tell you to rest and not open that wound back up, but this is you were talking about."

Matt smiles, "Thank you, Claire."

Claire smiles. Matt gets up and goes to grab a beer. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" Claire looks at him she remembers the real reason for her visit.

"I met another person who wanted to make their city a better place. He is not like you at all. No mask, bulletproof with unbreakable skin. He was trying to make Harlem a better place, and he did." She pauses. "But, before he could really celebrate with the people he was taken back to Seagate Prison for a crime he did not commit. He needs a lawyer and a damn good one at that to get him out of there." She looks over at Matt he looks calm, but it's hard to tell.

"Who is he? I mean what's his story? I have to know before I can do anything." Claire nods.

"He now goes by Luke Cage, before it was Carl Lucas he was a cop before all of this he has a half-brother who is in the hospital now named Willis Stryker he was mad at Luke for reasons that weren't his fault. Anyway he became a drug lord called himself Diamond Back. He framed Luke and got him sent to Seagate prison where the guards wanted the inmates to engage in underground fights within the prison to lower their sentence. Luke was beaten in his cell by some inmates on the verge of death when Reba a psychologist who was working there begged the Doctor to help save him, many of the men in the fights were subjects for a cell regeneration project. Conducted at the prison by Dr. Noah Burstein, but most of them died. He got his power when he was placed in an electrical tube it was only meant to heal his wounds, but one of the guards who ran the fights wanted him dead so he compromised the tube and there was an explosion from what Luke told me and he escaped, because everyone thought he was dead, until now."

Matt chuckles, then goes into lawyer mode "Do you have proof that he was framed? That's only way that I can help get him out of this along with his testimony." Claire thinks back to the night when she last saw Luke, before Diamond Back came. Her eyes widen and she stands. "There were documents, his documents that proved that he was innocent, but they were lost in the explosion that happened in the barber shop." She rakes a hand through her hair.

"Dammit, if only we were able to have those documents." Matt stands and places his good arm on her shoulder. "Claire it's not your fault, you did the best you could, as for the documents there has to be another copy. Nobody just makes one file anymore." Claire nods.

"Claire you need to rest. You can stay here for the night, I'll take the couch you take the bed." Claire snorts, "The only way that I'll get any rest is when you get some yourself. Remember former nurse I'm used to having less sleep than badass vigilantes in red suits." He gives a slight smile.

"Claire-"

She shakes her head. "No, Matt I'm good you go and rest you need it way more than I do." Claire knows that he wants to fight her on this, but he really doesn't have the energy. "Fine, I will." She smiles removing her stuff from the couch and taking it to his room.

"Claire." She stop and whips around.

"Yeah?"

Matt smiles, "It's really good to see you again."

She smiles and her heartbeat picks up a bit.

"You too." She walks away after that. Throwing her stuff on the floor she throws herself on his bed. She sighs it smells like him. Shaking her head she realizes she forgot to tell Matt about the hand in Manhattan and about Danny Rand. Rolling onto her side she mumbles "I'll tell him tomorrow." Before exhaustion overcomes her.