Changes Chapter 6, an avengers fanfic

MAY QUICKLY TURNED INTO JUNE WHICH JUST AS QUICK TURNED INTO A SWELTERING HOT JULY. Jackie sat in the back of a Hell's Kitchen courtrooms as Matt cross-examined his last witness. Sure he was a hero because he was- had been -Daredevil, but he was also a hero, Jackies to be exact, because he fought for the voiceless when the legal system and those money grabbing corporations thought they could just steamroll over those whose pockets were lined with hundreds.

"Mr. Berkowitz in your professional opinion was it good for Aaron James?" The witness, a bald man in an expensive suit and ugly tie leaned back in the witness stand and in a dull, boring voice that made Jackie have to continually repress a sigh, told Matt, and the jury, "Out sympathies go out to the family. The whole thing… It's very unfortunate."

Matt, without missing a beat asked the man, "Are you aware that the products used in your new station were hazardous to children?"

"Objection!" The man's attorney called out.

"I'll rephrase," Matt waved her off, "What's attractive about Endoprene?" Mr. Berkowitz shrugged.

"It's strong. Durable."

"And half the price?"

"Well I do run a business," Berkowitz scoffed. Matt turned to the jury.

"Is it worth endangering people in the interest of saving money?" Mr. Berkowitz cocked his head, offended.

"All materials are tested. The moment those findings were made public out company replaced that morder in all remaining stations." Matt Rested his hand on the Jury box and turned to the businessman.

"Made public," Matt echoed, Jackie smirked as her guardian wandered over to his and his clients' table, "What do you mean? Are you referring to a report released September 29th?"

"Your honor," Berkowitz red-headed lawyer called out, "He's asking my client to respond with unreadable specificity."

"Mr. Berkowitz if memory serves me right your office received a delivery from the safety commission June 3rd. Three months earlier." Matt handed a paper he'd picked up from the table and handed it to the overpaid lawyer. "I'm curious did it have anything to do with Neoprene?"

"I don't know anything about that," Berkowitz denied. Matt turned to the judge as the man's lawyer raised another objection.

"It's not about whether he received them it's about whether he willfully ignored them. Your honor, I ask this record of the delivery be admitted into evidence."

"I-I get a lot of those," Berkowitz studded, looking at the judge.

"What would you say is worse?" Matt asked, "Ignoring data in the interests of cutting costs or neglecting to supply the court with records that might prove you purposely put people in danger?"

"Including-" The redhead tried to cut Matt off, but he did what he does best and kept talking, "Including this young man Aaron James who might never walk again."

"Your honor we would like a recess!"

"No, need," Matt scoffed, "I'm done." Matt then sat next to his client as Jackie beamed at him from the back of the courtroom.

"Well then if that's all, you're excused Mr. Berkowitz, and the jury may leave to deliberate," The judge said. The twelve jurors stood up as the bailiff lead them into a side room. Jackie left her seat and crept up behind Matt while Mr. Berkowitz scuttled over to his worried-looking lawyer.

"Great closing Mr. Matt," Jackie said, she turned to Aaron James and clapped him on the shoulder, "Did I tell you he was good or what?" Aaron James smiled weakly at the girl who'd found his case.

"You weren't wrong."

Not even an hour later the jury returned back in favor of Aaron James and his family.

"Eleven million dollars!" Aarons mom gasped as the five of them walked out of the courtroom. The mother turned to Matt and smiled gratefully as happy tears queued up in her eyes.

"Thank you Mr. Murdock," She said weepily as she hugged Matt and then Jackie.

"I'm happy for you," Matt told as she walked towards the cameras and her husband, leaving Jackie and Matt alone with Aaron James.

"God," he moaned under his breath, staring blankly at the sea of reporters and flashing lights. Jackie and Matt turned to Aaron James.

"Hey," Matt asked worriedly, "You okay?" Jackie almost wanted to laugh at the 'cool-dad' tone Matt was using. If he was any type of dad- and he was in a way -he certainly was not the cool dad. He was the corny joke, movie and pizza night but only with shitty toppings kind of dad.

"Yeah," Aaron James nodded hopelessy.

"Mind if I tell you something?" Matt asked the boy. He turned to Jackie who took it as her queue to leave, "I'll go tell the world about Murdock and Logan."

"Get your law degree and then we'll change the name," Matt laughed. Jackie rolled her eyes as she walked away. Matt looked back at the wheelchair-bound boy.

"Sure."

"That money is really going to help your parents. But for you, from here on out it's only going to get harder, Aaron. You realize you're only at mile one of the marathon, right? Everyone is going to tell you how to feel. Doctors are going to tell you to stay positive, your family is going to tell you not to be hard on yourself and your therapist is going to tell you not to be angry-"

"I'm already angry!" The boy snapped quietly.

"At who?" Matt asked.

"Everyone," the boy said hopelessly, "I just want my life back."

"They can't give you that," Matt told him, with a shake of his head, "Maybe you'll walk again-I hope so, but maybe you won't. But your ability to get through this as this gets harder, this is a hundred times more powerful than slapping a smile on your face and pretending everything is just fine."

The boys quote for a moment. "Do you understand?" Aaron James looked up at Matt as the blind attorney grabbed his shoulder, "No one can give you your life back Aaron. You have to take it back." Aaron James nodded with a sigh and wheeled himself into the crowd of reporters, passing a smiling Jackie Logan.

"Good luck," she told the boy. He nodded.

"Thank you." Jackie bobbed her head and walked towards Matt, only to see him turn around to see Karen Paige.

"Congratulations Mr. Murdock," the blonde woman smiled as Jackie settled herself next to Matt.

"Thank you Miss. Paige," Matt said awkwardly, shifting his weight. Jackie rolled her eyes; she didn't like Karen Paige, she was a hypocrite and had a terrible fashion sense and her hair just looked wrong, but Matt, still for some reason, liked her.

"It's okay, you can be proud of yourself. I won't tell anyone."

"You here for a statement?" Matt smiled.

"Yeah," Karen looked down at the floor. Jackie wondered if throwing herself down a flight of stairs would be less painful than watching these two dances around each other.

"Do you maybe want to do that over a bite to eat- Jackie's more than welcome to come too, of course," Karen proposed.

"Sure-yeah," Matt stuttered.

"Actually I'm good, thanks though, but," Jackie held her hands up, "I have a date with my boyfriend," she turned to Matt, "Great win, love you, and be safe? Don't drink and walk?" Matt laughed and pulled Jackie into a hug.

"I love you too, and tell Parker I'll know if he tries anything." Jackie laughed at Matt's overprotective nature. He was such a dad. The best dad next to her original one.

Jackie pulled away from Matt and smiled at Karen before trying not to run in a courthouse. Once again she and Peter were trying Coney Island, this time for their seven month anniversary.

Peter and Jackie were walking home- her and Matt's apartment -laughing at a dumb science joke he'd retold for the millionth time when everything started to violently shake. Peter wrapped his arm around Jackie's waist and pulled her close to his chest as he pressed himself against a building.

Jackie's fingers dug into his tee-shirt as plants that hung from fire escapes fell to the ground, and people screamed and cars started to crash and swerve off the road, and police sirens started blaring. Peter shut his eyes tightly as a fire torch rushed past them, sirens blaring.

When the shaking stopped the stood against the building for a moment as they caught their breaths.

"What the fuck was that?" Jackie asked Peter with wide eyes.

"I don't know it couldn't have been an earthquake. New York isn't on a fault line." Suddenly both their phones started going off.

It was May and Matt respectively.

"Jackie are you okay?" Matt asked worriedly.

"Yeah are you?" Jackie wondered as Peter asked May of she and the friends she was out with were okay.

"I'm fine, you're on your way home right?"

"I'm on the corner of 42nd and 9th, Peter's with me." Matt hummed and muttered what sounded to me a thank god.

"Tell him to get home, I'll come and meet you, okay?" Jackie nodded on her end of the phone.

"Okay, be safe, don't trip over anything." Matt snorted, "I'll be fine." When he hung up Jackie turned to Peter who was pocketing his phone.

"Matt said to get home, he'll meet me here." Peter frowned uneasily at the suggestion to leave her alone after a natural disaster.

"I'll be fine, I know you're worried about May." Peter nodded and pulled Jackie into a firm kissed before leaning back.

"Be safe, I love you." Both he and Jackie froze; neither of them had ever said that before. Jackie felt her face heat up and a large smile stretched across her face.

"I love you too," she told him. So what if they were fourteen- he was almost fifteen and her birthday was three months away -if she would ever love anyone it would be the kindhearted, brave and caring Peter Parker.

Peter kissed her once more before running off into the night leaving Jackie only a few feet from an alleyway.