Chapter Forty-Nine: Pull the Trigger

Day Eighty-One:

"Get up." Jessica shakes Kilgrave awake today instead of the other way around.

"Bloody…" He whines immediately and starts squinting at her as he sits up on the sofa.

"It's past one." She smirks, handing him a cup of coffee this time.

"In the afternoon?!" The volume of his own voice makes him wince. He was clearly appalled by how he didn't wake up on schedule.

"Yep."

Sighing, he mutters a quiet, "Thank you," for the coffee, his head pounding.

Most likely, he had no recollection of what happened last night in its entirety. Though she could have told him about how difficult it was to drag his ass home and get him off the roof, she doesn't bother. It would be a waste of time to try and explain his ridiculous, drunken behavior.

"While you were sleeping, we got a new client."

"Really?" Rubbing his eyes, he starts to drink from the cup in his hand.

"She's dropping by in an hour or so. Thinks her husband is cheating on her. She's probably right." Jessica sits, glancing at him. "We're having another class today, so you have to get up."

The idea of 'class' made his headache worse. Mumbling a response, he sets down the coffee and lays back again.

She rolls her eyes and goes to the live conference that she was going to watch on the BBC website. Waking up Kilgrave, she had missed the beginning, but it didn't matter all that much. This was just something that caught her eye and could be used to fill time as they wait for their new client.

Elijah Glitch had talked for a short moment about his technology and when it was going to be available for public use. Now, he was taking questions from various reporters, who were all looking for more on the story.

As she watches, she turns up the volume.

"How do you plan to use this technology for deaf-aid?" A reporter asks, louder than all the other questions, holding a microphone to Elijah's mouth.

After watching his interpreter, who appeared to be out of the shot, he smiles and looks at the woman who asked the question. "We can take specific parts of the body and clone a healthy, functioning version. That means that with time, we'll be able to take a sample of an operational eardrum and replicate it exactly to give deaf people around the world a chance to hear. Again, we're not in a mass production stage quite yet, but we're getting closer. In the future, there will no longer be a need for organ donors or waiting lists. The perfect world I'm trying to create would -"

Kilgrave grumbles and rolls over on the couch. "Is that the rich boy again?! Why are you listening to him?" His voice is whiny and he doesn't bother sitting up to look at her.

"I'm trying to listen anyway." She states, wishing he wouldn't interrupt again.

Elijah continues to answer, "- optic nerve replacement will be available for the blind as well."

A different reporter jumps in just as soon as he finishes talking. "Mr. Glitch! Do you think you will use this technology to get your own hearing back?"

Waiting to see the entire question, he laughs a little. "Oh no. I don't plan on getting my hearing back." There's a sea of people asking why, but he was already in the middle of answering. "I understand people who think deafness is a handicap. And I want to help the deaf who believe that. But I, myself, take the mute world as an everyday reminder that there are people out there who are less fortunate than me. I plan to help the rest of humanity before I help myself. Starting with the people of London."

"Bloody fucking hell." Kilgrave gripes, and stands up abruptly. "You're going to keep watching that rubbish?!" His teeth grind as he presses his fingers to his temple.

"Maybe I should make you take notes on what he says. You should try and be more like him." She snaps back, irritated by his shitty attitude.

"I bet you'd like that." Showing the same irritation, he heads for the bathroom.

"I would!" Growling back, she turns up the volume as loud as it goes on her laptop.

She listens to the rest of the interview while he was in the shower. When it's over, she does some prep for their new customer.

Upon re-entering the room with her again, Kilgrave clears his throat. With a pair of pants on and nothing more, he opens his fist to show her what he was holding. "This fell out of your jeans…"

Instantly getting up, she snatches the condoms from his hand and snarls, "Why the fuck are you going through my shit?!"

"You left them on the bathroom floor." He responds casually, watching her reaction to try and decipher what she was thinking. "Are we going to talk about this?"

"There's nothing to goddamn talk about."

The more defensive she became, the more relaxed he appeared. Tilting his head, he says, "If it involves me, then I beg to differ."

Glaring at him, she shoves the foil packets back into her pocket.

Before she says anything, he sighs, "Can we just cut past the part where you pretend that nothing is happening?"

Her eyes darken at the question. Growling, she slams her fist down on the table, both of them hearing the wood creak. "The next time I have sex with you, it'll be on my terms. Because if you try and seduce me again, I will rip your dick off."

Despite the rather threatening ending, he scans her up and down with a lascivious look in his eyes. "So there will be a next time of -"

"If there's a next time, I won't be caught off guard again." Keeping her fists clenched, she looks down at the crack she put in the desk. "Go get dressed before our client gets here."

*****PULL THE TRIGGER*****

After a new contract was filed for a case they were sure to actually get paid for, Jessica had moved on past the condom incident.

The idea still bounced around in Kilgrave's mind, however, and every free moment he had was spent on thinking about her intentions with his body.

"Have you been listening at all?" She snaps at him, annoyed that he hadn't written anything down and had just been staring blankly at the paper.

"Uh…" He stalls, not wanting to directly answer that.

"Surveillance." She repeats with a harsh tone, causing him to pick up his pen. "I was -"

"Wait. Didn't we already talk about this?" He asks, showing his lack of interest in his body language and not his voice.

"Surveillance is different than observation. In the private eye world, it means you have to be able to watch other people and make observations, undetected." After she watches him write that down, she stands up. "Let's go get some pictures."

"I've done this with you before, remember?" He tries not to frown, thinking about the time he and Ruby tagged along with her on a case.

This makes her scoff. "Yeah, but I did all the work."

Heading out, the two of them followed their subject around during his lunch break, causing them to arrive across the street from a motel.

"Jessica -"

"Taking pictures doesn't require talking." She scolds.

Getting the incriminating images of the man and his mistress was easy enough and now Jessica was letting Kilgrave take a turn with the camera. The hope was that once he got good enough at this, he would be able to go out on cases on his own and it wouldn't require anything of her.

That was the hope anyway. He still had a lot to learn, and that was evident. But at least he was trying. It was obvious he was trying, and it made it that much harder to hate him.

Kilgrave lets out a breath but stays where he is and doesn't turn to give her a sideways glance like he wanted to.

Today seemed like a good day to keep busy. Something about yesterday made her feel restless with the need to stay involved. Whether it was being on a case or just saving people, sitting still wasn't an option.

As he works the camera, she puts her headphones in and listens to the police scanner. Kilgrave was likely to vocalize his boredom sooner rather than later, and they would need something to run out on immediately. No gaps in time.

There were a couple of small crimes that come over the radio first that she ignored until something more intriguing gets her attention.

"653M, there's been a gun violence threat pertaining to Woodside High School."

"I'll go check it out after I respond to this domestic. Over."

"10-4."

Jessica peers at Kilgrave, sliding her phone in her pocket. Raising her eyebrows, she asks, "Are you done?"

"I don't know. How many pictures am I supposed to take?" His voice was heavy to portray his complaints.

Even though he couldn't see her, she shrugs. "Come on. We have a threat to respond to."

Clearly relieved that there was a mission to go on, he stands up, dusting off his knees. "What threat?" He asks, holding in a smile.

Taking the camera from him, she puts it around her neck. "School shooting. The cops are probably gonna take their time with this one."

"What are the chances that this is a legitimate threat?"

"Well, if we were in America, the chances would probably be higher. I don't know where a teen is gonna get a gun in this country, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't investigate."

Getting down from the roof they were on and into a cab, he asks next, "What's the plan?"

Once again, she shrugs. "Finding out if this is real will probably be the hard part. I'm not sure how to go about doing that."

Arriving, Jessica stops Kilgrave from walking up to the front entrance.

"It's better that we don't draw attention to ourselves." Making their way to the side, they find an alternative entrance.

Luckily, they managed to come right during passing time. The hallways were full of students who don't seem to care that there were two adult strangers at one of the doors. The outside was locked during the day, but students who passed between different parts of the building all let each other in, so Kilgrave didn't have to order anyone to open it for them and Jessica didn't have to break anything down.

There were close to 1,500 teens at Woodside, so being able to pick out one, potential shooter from the crowd was going to be impossible.

Trying to think, Jessica glances around.

"Should we wait it out?" Kilgrave asks, wishing he could follow her thought process.

The school had two stories and was fairly large. It might be too big for what Jessica was planning.

Instead of answering, she asks, "If you got over the P.A. system, could you control everyone in the building?"

Judging by how he could control an entire hospital over the P.A. before, he nods. "Most likely."

"I think you need to make an announcement then." Dragging him along, she starts a hunt to find the main office. All he would have to do would be to call for anyone with a gun to peacefully turn themselves into the police and it would be over before it even started.

It was the best plan they were going to get. And it probably would have worked too. Unfortunately, before they can find the office, panic erupts.

There were five, sharp, consistent gunshots that sounded as though they occurred on the second floor.

The sound of bullets makes Kilgrave flinch once and he unintentionally squeezes Jessica's hand. From above them, there are instant screams, and when the shots can be registered by the rest of the school, there are more screams from uninvolved areas of the building.

Students sprint to the nearest classroom they can find and vacate the halls in a flash.

Only seconds later, a voice comes over the speaker that plays in every room and hall. "Staff and students, we are in an emergency lockdown. This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill."

If people hadn't gotten into a room already, teachers were pulling them inside. Including Jessica and Kilgrave.

"Fuck." Jessica growls, watching as the classroom door slams shut and the blinds in the windows are closed simultaneously.

Since they weren't holding weapons, no one in the room seemed afraid of them, but as no one recognized them, the room full of people looks at them in confusion and concern.

The first person that says something to them is the man who appeared to be the teacher. "Who are you two?" He whispers, protectively standing in front of the kids.

Completely ignoring everyone else, Kilgrave looks at Jessica. "What do we do?"

Ripping her camera off, she lays it on the table next to her as she says, "We need to split up! I'll go upstairs. You need to find the office."

"Are you sure I shouldn't come with you?!" He asks her as she was already leaving the class.

"No! Just get there and get into the speaker!" Just like that, she disappears into the hallway and up the stairwell.

"Bugger…" Kilgrave mutters, exiting after her.

The second floor was eerily quiet. There was no sign of anyone at all, as that was the intention of a lockdown. After scanning the first area, she turns the corner to find a light trail of blood leading into a room.

If the shooter managed to get into a classroom before the door was closed and locked, there was a good chance that this is where they went.

Without a second thought, she cranks the handle and breaks the lock. From inside, there's no audible reaction even as the room was full of students. Everyone was sitting up against the wall, including the teacher. A guy who had been shot in the leg was covering his mouth with his hand, silently sobbing. There were a few other students who were also in tears as the teacher tries to tend to the injured one.

When the door is opened, there are several different reactions. All had to do with survival instinct. Seeing the woman that came in didn't have a gun, there were more looks of confusion, but no one says anything.

With the information that the shooter wasn't in the room, Jessica leaves in a hurry, closing the door behind her. Since she had broken the lock that was protecting them, she rips the outside knob off so no one else could get in.

Finding multiple other trails of blood mopped over the floor, she follows them into a different hall. But which room?

Before she picks one to start with, a girl shouting breaks through the silence on her left side. In one, swift motion, she kicks the door open.

One student had been shot in the shoulder, and standing in the middle of the room was a girl, no older than sixteen, who looked like any other ordinary student in the school. The only difference was that she was holding a gun, and her clothes were stained with other people's blood. Her hands were shaking and she frantically points the gun all around the room, a different person every second. Her index finger was twitching against the trigger.

"I swear to god if you move, I'll do it!" She was in the middle of yelling as Jessica bursts in. The moment she's in the room, the gun is pointed at her.

This being an unusually large classroom, there was too much distance between the two of them for Jessica to be confident that she could disarm the girl before she can pull the trigger. She had already shot people in here and by the delusional look in her eyes, she was unpredictable.

Jessica freezes.

"Who the hell are you?!" The girl shouts, her voice trembling just as much as her hands.

Negotiation and talking down hostile people was not Jessica's strong suit. While she could roll the dice and take five long strides towards the shooter, the girl was too on edge to test that. All she could really do besides that was hope that Kilgrave would hurry the fuck up.

The last time they went out on a rescue mission together, a building collapsed on Jessica and she emerged with nothing more than a vulnerable old wound. Worrying that she would get shot by a mentally unstable teen was a waste of energy. Sure, Kilgrave was always concerned about her safety, but not to a crippling extent today.

In that case, he saunters to the front office where, of course, the door was locked. Even though the blinds were closed, he knew for a fact that there were people in there.

Banging on the solid wood, he calls just loud enough, "Open the door!"

Moments later, it clicks unlocked and swings slightly agape. An office of startled, scared employees stare back at him, to which he rolls his eyes.

"All of you, get out." He says in a mellow tone, moving inside as they vacate.

Finding the P.A., he smiles to himself. As he sits behind the desk, he clears his throat.

Back upstairs, Jessica grinds her teeth. "You need to put the gun down."

"Get on the ground!" The shooter nearly screams, starting to hyperventilate.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking!" Kilgrave's wry, lighthearted voice comes over the speaker system. "If you are holding a weapon of any kind, gently put it down on the floor. Please proceed to the front lawn and wait for the police to come and escort you off the premises."

The girl submissively sets down the gun and takes herself out of the classroom.

The tone of his voice makes Jessica shake her head.

"If you are injured in any way, go ahead and heal yourselves now. When you're ready everyone, exit the building calmly and quietly. Do not engage the shooter outside and wait for the police to give further instructions."

When Jessica is alone in the classroom, she laughs in a saturnine way. "Son of a bitch."

"Thank you all so very much for your cooperation." Kilgrave concludes with his dry humor, shutting off the P.A.

Just as they were told, the entire school exits in an orderly fashion. The adrenaline of it all still pumps through Jessica's veins as she makes her way back down the steps and into the office where Kilgrave was.

He had his feet kicked up on the desk and was leaning back in the chair with a smug look on his face. "Well? How'd I do?"

Just as she needed to stay busy before, she felt the need to stay active now. With her heart thumping in her ears, her fists clench.

Her horribly energetic imagination envisions herself grabbing him and slamming him onto the desk in front of her. All she could think about was fucking him in the principal's office, like a teenager's wet dream. This was about unrolling the rubber she was carrying in her jeans. Why not just get it over with now?

Goddamn libi… safety net.

It would be so easy to tear him apart right here…

"Took you long enough." Jessica manages to grumble, trying to get out of her head.

The notion that he took his time didn't bother him and he shrugs. Still, something was weird about the way she was looking at him. It doesn't stop him from grinning, however.

"Let's get out of here." Her voice reflects her inner struggle and she fiddles with the foil her pocket. On the way out, she grabs her camera from the classroom she left it in.

*****PULL THE TRIGGER*****

Hours had passed and night had fallen.

Since Kilgrave had slept through the entire morning, he was still wide awake. Because she was tired and he was bored, she allowed him to use her computer while she got in bed.

However, when she was alone in the bedroom, her thoughts from the office still bounced around in her head.

No, don't think about him.

She thinks to herself, kicking off her pants under the covers. Taking her underwear off next, she glances at the closed door. Like or not, she needed to get this out of her system.

No, not Sterling. I'll just start crying.

Nope. Not Luke either. More crying…

Just… some random hot guy. Yeah, that'll work.

Closing her eyes, she bites down on the blanket and moves her hand between her legs.

The sensation lessens her need to think about someone attractive and the closer she brings herself to climax, the more she wants it.

Groaning as quietly as she can, she rocks her hips and pulls at the cloth with her teeth. Her eyes flicker open, starting to roll back, just before she comes to an abrupt halt.

Leaning against the open door frame, Kilgrave stood with his hands in his pockets. He was watching in silence with a solemn but curious gaze. When she stops, he tilts his head as if he didn't see the problem with him being there.

How long had he been watching her?!

Her heart races in her chest as she stares at him in ferocity to hide her chagrin and slight malaise. "Get out." She growls in a hushed tone.

He doesn't seem intimidated by this and keeps the same expression as he replies, "You didn't finish."

"What?!" Now it was just fury.

"You. Didn't. Finish." He repeats calmly but in a staccato way to show his lack of care for invading her privacy. "I can help you."

For a single millisecond, her mind plays with the idea of letting him come in and 'help' her. But just as she said this morning, she refused to be caught off guard again.

"Get. The fuck. Out!" She yells this time, looking around for something to throw at him.

Before she can get the notebook off the nightstand, or the nightstand itself, he leaves as silently as he came. She catches a glimpse of him smirking and raising his eyebrow just before the door is closed.

Taking her hands out from under the covers, she buries her red face in the pillow next to her. Being cut off before release makes her groan for a completely different reason.

In this position, maybe she would be better off having fucked him at the school.


Author's note:

Hey fam!

Kilgrave over the P.A. was my favorite :D

And hmm, Jessica's getting a bit moody lately!

Fair warning, we are going to skip a few days coming up to really get into the meat of the story! Hope you're still enjoying!