(A/N): Well hello there! How are you all doing right now? Hopefully better than me because honestly, things have been a bit rough. I got into a minor car accident recently (I'm fine, don't worry) but my car was not so I had to get a new one. I had been planning on getting a new vehicle next year but this accelerated those plans and I ended up having to take out a rather substantial loan- which is an awful feeling. I know that it's fine and it's what people have to do but I feel like a bit of a failure. I'm hoping that feeling goes away sooner rather than later though and that I'm able to pay the loan down reasonably quick. Maybe.
I really do hope things are going better for you all. If things have to be crappy for me then they should at least be spectacular for you. That's the law according to me.
That being said, I hope you all are still staying safe out there. If you're in America, then I'm sure you're well-aware of how... wild things are right now. It sucks that our leaders are being so inconsistent and that it feels like no one is listening to reason, but I have hope that things will get better. To all the teachers and healthcare people out there, I'm sorry. I know you're tired and scared and feel like no ones listening to you and I wish I could help you more. Please stay safe and do what's best for YOU.
Thanks to Adonisx, stars-for-dreams, roon0, General Mac, ssera, shesunn, Glorificus26, Stille und regen, Aeris Lux, Freyja-Njorda, Sora Loves Rain, Adharablack85-2, mirabellec, DOAWOTA, alexaguamenti, NothernLights25, pwrmom2, Catzandbookz8, awkwardwriter98, Stephanie MRV, CassiopeiaKnight, sailorxbloom, and Guests for reviewing! Your words are worth more to me than you'll ever know.
This chapter was betaed by sailorxbloom because she is the best and deserves all the good vibes! I even managed to get this to her early enough that she didn't have to rush to edit so it would seem that I'm finally learning. xD
Sorry this took so long to get to you all. This chapter is almost twice the length of a normal chapter and I didn't even get to all that I wanted to include. Do you all prefer long chapters or short ones? Someone was telling me that readers prefer shorter chapters because they get bored halfway through so I wanted to hear your thoughts. Are we cool with long chapters?
This chapter has characters from Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and The Punisher. If you read my character-study piece for Hermione under The Collection, then you will be seeing one scene from that piece here so you'll be getting some answers about which character is which. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to working on my Hermione/Legends of Tomorrow piece that I swore I wasn't going to write. I tried my best but I just could not resist the idea of a Hermione/Leonard Snart story.
Thank you all for reading! Enjoy!
When Harry had been summoned to Kingsley's office, he'd thought that the Minster just wanted to see if they had any updates on the Dumbledore case. Instead, he was being questioned about his well-being by a 'friend'.
Harry knew about the dangers of having had Voldemort in his mind for so many years. He'd heard the concerns from the few trusted healers in Britain that he'd been taken to after the war. They hadn't been quiet when discussing just what side effects he might experience after having his mind and soul saturated in Dark Magic for most of his life.
There was a difference between knowing and caring though. Harry hadn't cared about their concerns before- hadn't cared about much at all really- and the potion regimen they put him on ensured that he continued not to care afterward.
"I know that Hermione's return has been difficult, to say the least," Kingsley said, giving Harry a sympathetic look. "You thought she was dead and then you come to find out that, not only is she alive, but she's also-"
"Angry?" Harry interrupted, tone even. "Enraged at seeing just how thoroughly we failed her?" When Kingsley just sat there, looking uncomfortable, he sighed. "Honestly, I think I would have been more suspicious if she hadn't been pissed. Hermione should be angry- she has the right to be angry. Though, I will say that I didn't expect her anger to include basically telling all of us to bugger off because she'd rather watch us burn than help but I can't really say I blame her. We made our beds. Now we have to lie in them."
Kingsley clearly didn't agree. "We've made many improvements in the years since the war. I know it's not enough, but it's unreasonable to expect that centuries of prejudices are done away with in a matter of days."
'Did you know, you were thought to be the symbol of the future, a symbol of hope here in Britain?' Hermione had asked him. 'You were supposed to bring a new era to Wizarding Britain, a better one. Instead, Wizarding Britain is on the verge of collapse. What a disappointing future you've brought.'
"I just wanted to check-in and make sure you're alright," Kingsley continued. "I know losing Hermione affected you very deeply and I'm sure her return has done much the same. I want to make sure that you're still looking after yourself."
'I can't say for sure how Lily Evans would feel if she was here now, but I can say this: I am disappointed in you. I am disappointed to see the kind of man you became from the boy I knew. I am disappointed in how you've chosen to live your life- at all the pain and grief you have either knowingly or ignorantly caused.'
"Are you still taking your potions?" he prodded, studying Harry intently when he remained silent.
'I am ashamed. I am ashamed of the fact that I spent years calling you my friend. I am ashamed that I wasted my time defending you when you weren't worth it. I am ashamed that I ever thought you were someone deserving of my loyalty. I am ashamed that I sacrificed everything to help you and in return, you spat on everything I believe in. And most of all, I am ashamed to know that my name will be forever linked with yours.'
Harry's mind drifted to the box full of unopened potion vials in his bathroom. "Of course, Kingsley. Every day."
"Why can't any of your requests be normal?" Jessica complained.
Mia hummed, scanning over each aisle as she walked past. "Because you would leave me in a heartbeat if they were?"
"Ugh. You make it sound like we're committed."
"Now, now," Mia laughed. "You know you're the only one for me." Her eyes lit up as she spotted what she was looking for.
Hurrying down the aisle, Mia came to a stop in front of the many shelves of sweets.
Growing up, she had been taught to avoid sugary treats since they caused cavities and poisoned the body. However, a lovely perk of being the daughter and having the powers of Carol Danvers meant that Mia expended far more calories than the average being. Tony and Pepper had been trying to keep her away from sugar- and caffeine- for months as though that would help with her lack of sleeping and it took Mia an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that she was an adult and could just go and buy her own food.
She debated for a moment before shrugging and picking up a family-size bag of Reese's and another of mini Hershey bars. Then, just for fun, Mia grabbed a few other bags of candy she hadn't tried yet.
"Guess this a bad time then to tell you that I'm seeing other people," the PI retorted, voice bland.
"In that case, I'll have to see about penciling in a fit of jealous rage tomorrow so I can drop by your apartment and loudly argue about how you can't just leave me because our bond is eternal."
Jessica snorted. "If you do that, I swear to God I'll take you out myself."
Mia headed up to the checkout. "A lovers quarrel that ends in a murder-suicide? The press will love it."
"But what about Billy?" she gasped.
"Alright, alright, I'll stop," Mia gave in, unwilling to go down that road. "Look, you're still helping me with Sam," she pointed out, carefully using a previously agreed upon nickname for Reyes in case someone nearby was eavesdropping. "I need to know what happens tonight, but I can't go and see myself. You, however, can do so without it appearing strange as it makes sense that your work would take you there."
"Whatever you say," Jessica retorted dryly, and Mia knew that she was smirking.
Dropping her bags on the counter, Mia peeked at the cashier to see if they had realized who she was. If the teenager had, she apparently didn't care. Mia honestly didn't understand why adults complained so much about the 'youths of today' being apathetic. All it really seemed to be was the younger generation cared less about names and status and more about actions.
She honestly wished the people she had grown up with had been more like today's youth; it was unlikely a single one of these people would have cared in the slightest about going to school with someone dubbed 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' or tolerated even half the things Hermione had while at Hogwarts.
"If you really don't want to do this, then just tell me," Mia told Jessica. "You know I can find another way to do this." You know your comfort comes first.
Jessica was quiet for a moment, long enough for Mia's bags to be scanned and placed into the reusable bag that she had nabbed. "It's fine. Besides, with JARVIS' help, it won't even be that hard."
"If you're sure…" she drawled out, suddenly feeling unsure herself. Was she asking too much of Jessica? In addition to the business side of their relationship, Mia knew that they were slowly building a friendship of sorts between them. Well, as much of a friendship as either of them were emotionally capable of having.
"Wouldn't say it if I wasn't."
"We both know that's not true," Mia murmured and then heard a click as Jessica hung up.
She shouldn't have pushed. Gods knew she hated it whenever someone did it to her, but Mia also knew that it was the only way to get Jessica to speak sometimes. Knowing what she did about her background, it was easy to understand why Jessica kept silent, why she felt that her voice wouldn't be heard. And while things had been better since Kilgrave's death, Jessica still had her triggers that pushed her back into bad habits.
If it were anyone else, Mia would be telling them to stand down if they were beginning to spiral. But Jessica was similar to her in that working would be the thing to help keep her head above water long enough for her to find her footing again.
"Your total is $17.59," the cashier told her, and Mia handed her a twenty. Tony would be able to find out what she'd purchased if he wanted to, but Mia didn't intend to make it any easier for him by using her card.
"You sure you've got enough candy there?" someone asked behind her, audibly amused.
Snapping her head around, Mia's eyes widened in surprise at seeing Billy standing a few feet away from her. "What are you doing here?" she questioned, genuinely confused. Billy had struck her as someone who only enjoyed the finer things in life. Even now, standing in a tiny shop, he stood out in his designer suit. Glancing pointedly at it, Mia added, "After all, this clearly isn't your usual scene."
"You're right, it's not," he agreed easily, stepping forward to grab the bags full of candy and ushering Mia out of the way once she'd collected her change. "However, I was nearby and saw you come in here. Thought I'd drop by and say hello."
"How creepy," she commented, stepping out of the store and, once Billy had joined her, snatched her bags back from him.
"It's called being aware of your surroundings."
"You could also call it stalking."
Billy laughed. "Considering the fact that we're still in the running for being your new security team, you could also call it guarding."
"Didn't I deal with that?" Mia wondered, thinking back. She thought she had, but it was possible that she had forgotten to what with the Frank situation. "I thought I had."
"Well, we haven't gotten a no yet."
"Keyword there is yet." She dug into one of the sacks and ripped open the bag of Reese's. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans to eat all of this candy and then litter the floors of Tony's lab with the wrappers so that he'll know I won't be deprived anymore."
"Sounds like an interesting story. Can I give you a ride while you tell me all about it?" His tone caught her off-guard and Mia gave him a closer look.
Billy didn't appear to be nervous or stressed but there was a strange tightness in his eyes. Clearly, he wished to speak with her about something that was, at the very least, important to him and most likely not for public ears.
"Alright," she agreed, mildly curious. "Though, I should point out, I don't think I'm the one who's supposed to be supplying the candy if you're the one luring me into a strange vehicle."
Billy relaxed slightly. "I'll work on that." He escorted her to his car and held the passenger door open for her before slipping in behind the wheel.
"I know you've been meeting with Curtis Hoyle."
Mia's eyes snapped over to his. This wasn't what she was expecting. "I have," she started cautiously. "I hadn't realized how good of friends the two of you were until I met with him the first time. He told me that he was a friend of yours."
"What do you want with him?"
"That is none of your business," Mia warned.
"It is when it involves my friend! I don't know what exactly it is you're interested in him for but I'm sure you can understand why I'd be concerned."
Her eyes narrowed. While Mia could, in fact, understand why someone would be concerned about her speaking with someone they knew, that really only applied to someone who knew what exactly she got up to her in free time. And Billy wasn't part of that group.
"Again, it's none of your business," she repeated. "All I will say is that, when I spoke with him, it was after one of his support meetings. And it was in that capacity that we were speaking."
Billy froze, eyes wide for just a moment in genuine surprise before his expression evened out again. "You went to see him because of the meetings he runs for veterans?"
"I went to speak to him because of his experience in supporting people with profound trauma and severe PTSD," Mia slowly told him, picking her words carefully. "I didn't even know you knew each other until he mentioned it; he thought I was visiting because of you. Which you apparently thought too, for some reason you haven't explained."
"Ah." He sat back in his seat, running a hand through his hair. "I guess that was pretty arrogant of me. Just… Curtis is one of my oldest friends. He's one of the few genuinely good people in the world. I've asked him to come work with me several times, but he's happy where he is- helping people the best way he can. And I've done my best to respect that by keeping the things and people in my life as separate from him as I can manage. So, when I found out you were meeting with him, my mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario."
Mia frowned. "How would my meeting with him because of you be a worst-case scenario? And how exactly did you find out? Are you following him, or me?"
"Him. Which I know sounds bad but it's coming from a genuinely good place." Billy snorted at the look that was filled to the brim with doubt aimed at him. "Well, as good a place as I can manage. We lost a really close friend a while ago and I couldn't help worrying about Curtis. I just need to make sure that he's safe. I guess… I'm scared of losing him too and am not going about it in the best way. Guess I should be trying to find the time to attend his meetings," he attempted to joke, but it fell flat.
They sat in silence for a moment before Mia admitted, "I know that feeling. I understand. I won't tell you that what you're doing is alright, but it would be hypocritical of me to judge you for something I'm just as guilty of."
Billy studied her. "Your brother?" he guessed.
"That's one. But I do happen to associate with multiple individuals who all have hero complexes and less than stellar self-preservation instincts. Sometimes I'm not sure a single one of them would care if they died as long as they could justify it as being for a 'worthy' cause."
"Is it that you don't trust them, or you don't trust others with them?"
Mia's lips pulled up into a twisted, bitter grin. "Don't you know? Trust is a careless pursuit at best. And at worst, it's a good way to get yourself killed."
Leaning in slightly closer, Billy was about to say something when Mia's phone beeped. Hurriedly pulling it out of her pocket, she saw it was a text from Jessica.
SOS. Moments later, an address popped onto the screen.
"I have to go," she announced, fumbling for the door handle and hopping out.
"What about your candy?" Billy called.
For some reason she didn't quite understand, Mia told him, "If you can find a way to get these to me later, I'll owe you a favor," before closing the door and racing for the closest alleyway.
"It would be unwise for you to announce your presence here," JARVIS warned into the comm she'd slipped into her ear, sounding so disapproving that Mia couldn't help the small smile playing on her lips. "There is no acceptable reason for you to be in the area."
"I know, JARVIS. I promise that I won't say anything, but I would like to know what is going on. Jessica wouldn't have texted me unless it was important."
"You have heard that curiosity killed the cat, haven't you?" the AI sighed.
"I have," she told him brightly. "Just as I'm sure you've heard that satisfaction brought it back."
Though Mia could tell how unhappy JARVIS was with the idea, he directed her two blocks over and to the right. Using just enough magic to slip unnoticed by the numerous officers and agents milling about without frying her earpiece, Mia's attention was caught by Reyes going toe-to-toe with a petite blond woman.
There were two men hovering behind the women and she recognized one of them as Grotto's lawyer- Foggy Nelson- eyeing them warily. Walking over to them, Mia heard Reyes sneering, "Just one word? Can I get that in writing?'
"Oh, because written agreements suddenly mean something to you?" the blond spat, almost shaking with anger.
"You wanted your client in witness protection, right? Well, my offer's still valid for," Reyes looked at her wristwatch, "Twenty-three minutes."
"Grotto's gone."
"Too bad."
"You used our client for bait!" the blond shouted.
Reyes chuckled. "That's a pretty big allegation."
"Allegation? Look around! This was a shit show! He could have died!"
"Let's be honest here- no bullshit. Your firm is small-time," Reyes sneered. "Your fifteen minutes were up after Union Allied. Right now, you are way out of your league. Won't take much to sell that you're the ones who compromised this operation."
The blond stared at her in shock as Nelson asked, "What?"
"JARVIS," Mia whispered, too softly for anyone but the AI to hear. "Access all footage and records that are connected to what happened here. And find out the name of the blond" She knew that AI recorded everything that filtered through the earpiece, so she needn't worry about making sure that this conversation was being recorded.
"Miss Jones already instructed me to do so," he informed her.
The D.A. shrugged. "Say that story goes public. The story that your incompetence endangered the life of your client, neighborhood civilians, and the brave officers of the NYPD."
"You're saying that you would blame us for this?" the blond cried.
"I never said that," the dark-haired woman said, turning back to look at the suited man behind her. "Did I say that?"
Her companion shook his head and quickly answered, "I didn't hear it."
Taking a step closer to the blond woman, Reyes warned, "Stay away from this case."
Mia stared at the blond as Reyes and her henchman walked to their car. Reyes wouldn't have made a threat like that unless she thought that the blond could be a potential thorn in her side. And the woman did look oddly familiar…
The blond turned to Foggy. "Nothing? Hmm? Not even a little support?"
"All the legal kung fu in the world wouldn't have won that fight. Her office could bury us," Foggy tried to defend himself. "We shouldn't have pushed it."
"Yeah, well, you didn't push anything," she told him, stepping past him.
Stepping away, Mia softly asked JARVIS, "What happened?"
"Miss Reyes attempted to lure Mr. Castle out using Mr. Grotto as bait. Mr. Castle caused a distraction using a member of the Dogs of Hell gang and a semi-truck, allowing him to access the area undetected. Unfortunately for him, the vigilante Daredevil followed him and attacked him, causing enough of a scene for the police to spot them. Miss Reyes ordered them both to be killed on sight, but Mr. Castle managed to escape unseen, taking Daredevil with him."
"Was Frank injured?"
"Miss Jones reported that he seemed to have taken a single bullet to his left arm."
Mia sighed. "Alright, JARVIS. I'm going to stay here for a bit longer and see if I can find out anything else before returning to the tower to grab some supplies and heading out to meet Frank."
The comm clicked off.
Once she was finished, Mia apparated back to her apartment in order to gather some extra medical supplies and make a thermos of coffee for Frank. When she appeared in her living room, Mia was surprised to find someone already inside waiting for her.
"Tony?"
Her brother didn't look up from his phone. "Mia," he greeted.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, walking away from him and into her kitchen. "Are you hiding from Happy again?"
"Nope. I was just waiting for you."
Turning on the coffee machine, Mia rummaged around in her cupboards for a moment before finally finding a stainless-steel thermos. Setting it down on the counter, she headed back into the living room. "Have you been waiting long? Why didn't you call me or have JARVIS alert me?"
"You've been gone a lot lately," Tony commented, and his avoidance of answering her questions directly instantly set Mia on edge. "I have been concerned and I've gotta tell you, it's not a feeling I like. You've been doing a good job of covering your tracks too, which makes me even more curious. So, today, after you left, I asked JARVIS where you were and what you were up to. And do you want to know what he said?"
No. "What?"
Tony finally met her gaze. "Nothing. He said absolutely nothing."
Mia stared at him. Nothing? JARVIS hadn't told him about Frank? Or about Reyes? Or even about HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D.? "I don't understand," she admitted.
"Neither do I." Tony stood up. "I know JARVIS knows exactly what you're doing but he's somehow found a way to ignore a direct order from me. Not even my override code was enough to get him to explain. Which means that either you've done something to JARVIS- which is unlikely but not impossible- or JARVIS has found a mind of his own and is no longer working primarily for me. And I know I make a lot of jokes, but an AI spontaneously being able to think and exist independently from its creator generally isn't a good thing."
JARVIS hadn't said anything this entire time, not even to greet Mia upon her arrival.
"It was me," Mia blurted. "I… I didn't mean to do anything wrong- I didn't fully understand what it was I did."
His gaze was hard and even- this wasn't a version of Tony she had seen very often, and it unsettled her. "What did you do?"
Her mind was racing, scrambling for an explanation. "I know your override codes- the ones you use so JARVIS will ignore previously devised protocols. All I wanted was to try and keep him from blurting out what I was looking up unless he was directly ordered by you to tell him. I didn't realize that using your code would tamper with JARVIS' core directives."
Core directives? Was that even the proper term? How does JARVIS work?
"And what exactly were your instructions to JARVIS?"
"That he wasn't to inform you about what I was working on unless you specifically referenced details to my project in your questions."
Tony's shoulders relaxed. "So, basically, you told him not to answer my questions about what you are working on unless I prove that I already know what it is you're doing. And you used my code when issuing your instructions, which caused them to become part of JARVIS' core functions and not just a protocol JARVIS oversees."
Mia hesitated. "That does sound accurate."
"So, I guess all that's left for me to ask is what are you doing and why don't you want to know about it."
"I don't want to answer that," she told him. "And I had thought that the fact that I did what I did to JARVIS in order to hide things from you would have shown you that."
"You know what the funnest thing about JARVIS is?"
"That you have someone around to constantly remind you that you need less coffee and more sleep?"
Shaking his head, he told her, "It's the fact that, the more you use him, the more dependent on him you become. I'm guessing that JARVIS has been a real asset to your work, and it would be a real shame if he weren't available to you anymore."
Staring directly into his eyes, Mia slowly told him, "If you think you can bully me into doing what you want then you are gravely mistaken. You know my history, Tony. Has anyone, even once, been able to bully me into doing something I don't want to do? Persuade, yes. Bully? No. And the fact that you're even considering trying it is-"
He seemed to deflate before her eyes. "I'm worried about you, Mia. And yeah, I'm being an asshole about it but I don't do this. I don't ask. I don't need to. You won't tell me what's going on, so what else am I supposed to do?"
"You're supposed to respect me enough that you either outright ask me what's going on, or you wait until I'm ready to tell you. I have asked you for time. I have asked you for space. If you can't give me that, then I'll be forced to do what I have to in order to get it myself."
"So," Mia started as she pulled out a salve and several potions that Frank would need to take. "What exactly made you decide that knocking out Daredevil and dragging his unconscious body all the way here was a good idea? Did the image of forcing him to watch as you blew up a Dogs of Hell's bar sound like a good time to you?"
"Are you here to help, kid, or are you just here to judge?" Frank grunted.
"I came with the intention to help you. The fact that you gave me the perfect opening to cast judgement is just an added bonus." She sat down next to Frank and passed him a bottle as she rolled his sleeve up and studied the wound. "I suppose we should just be grateful that the bullet only grazed you since I've never had to remove one before and I doubt a good time would have been had by either of us should I have needed to attempt it today."
"I can do this myself," he told her. "You should just head back."
Mia carefully poured a few drops of a potion that would clean the wound onto his arm. "Yes, you've said that several times and as I've said before, I'm not leaving. You don't scare me, Frank," she reassured him softly. "This doesn't scare me. Besides, someone needs to make sure you don't do anything reckless and stupid during this… discussion." She glanced over at Daredevil. "I must say, he's really not what I thought he'd be."
"Yeah? What were you expecting?"
"To be honest, a less ridiculous outfit and a more impressive weapon than a baton." Frank gave a short bark of laughter and Mia smiled, pleased with herself, as she whispered a spell to knit his skin back together. Her smiled faded quickly though as she cast another worried glance at the unconscious and chained vigilante. "What do you plan on doing with him?"
Frank rolled his eyes. "I'm not gonna kill him, if that's what you're getting at."
"I know you're not going to kill him," she snapped. "That goes against your code. I am concerned that you're going to do something foolish, though. You're frustrated by Daredevil and how he chooses to help people. Right now, I can't tell if you just want to speak with him or if you want to try and change him so that he acts more like you."
"That idea concerns you?" he questioned, wiping off the blood on his arm and running his fingers over the skin where his wound used to be.
"It's more that I'm concerned about your... communication methods."
Instead of answering, Frank finally opened the bottle she had handed him and quickly downed it.
The chains started clinking softly as Daredevil began to wake up. Mia hurriedly threw up a Silencing Charm around her and set up a simple barrier so that the vigilante wouldn't be able to see, hear, or even sense anything happening from her corner of the room. She could openly speak with Frank and he wouldn't be able to hear a thing. As she was finishing up, Daredevil jerked awake.
"Morning sunshine." Frank greeted cheerfully as Daredevil began shifting around. Mia rolled her eyes at the drama of it all as she poured a cup of coffee for Frank from the thermos she'd brought and passed it over.
"They say you don't hear the bullet that gets you," Frank continued and sipped from the cup. "Always thought that sounded like a bunch of bullshit to me. How 'bout you, Red? When I cracked off your forehead the other night, did you hear that?"
Daredevil continued to struggle against his bonds and finally started shouting.
"You can bash against the chains all night," Frank told him. "The only way you get out of here- only way you walk free- is if I want you to. Know that."
Slumping back against the bricks, Daredevil asked, "Why didn't you take my mask off?"
"Don't give a shit about who you are." Glancing over at Mia, Frank's lips quirked upwards. If he really wanted to know who Daredevil actually was, he would have found out long before then. It would have only taken him a few days to figure it out on his own and it'd have taken Mia even less time.
"You killed everyone else. Why am I still alive? Huh? I got in your way twice now and you don't strike me as someone who just lets that happen." Frank ignored him, standing up and walking over to pull the tarp off his many crates of weapons. Mia stayed where she was, studying the red-suited vigilante closely.
"Military-grade hardware," Daredevil continued, his head cocked to the side as if he was able to tell what Frank was doing simply through sound. Which had to be the case, since he wasn't able to see a thing from where he was chained.
But how the hell can someone hear crates of weapons? Unless Daredevil could read minds? But that ability wouldn't fit with his previous actions.
"You seem to know your way around it. And you sure carry yourself like a soldier. What are you gonna do with all this?"
Unlike Mia, Frank didn't even seem slightly bothered by Daredevil's words. "I'll do what's required."
Sitting back down beside Mia, Frank drained the last of his coffee and Mia automatically poured him another cup. She was almost positive that Frank hadn't slept in over 24 hours and she planned on grabbing Max and then dragging them back to the tower after this in order to make sure he actually rested.
"This another one of your missions?" Daredevil asked. "That's why we're here, isn't it? How many will this make? I'm guessing you've done this, what, maybe ten, twenty times? How long's it been?"
"My gods," Mia murmured. "Does he ever stop talking? Or is that part of how he's able to take down so many criminals- nags them so much they willingly surrender to the police just to escape the noise."
Frank gave a huff of laughter, which made Daredevil tilt his again in what she guessed was confusion, before soldiering on. "Six months? A year? Or your whole life? Something tells me you don't take breaks. You know, no one else has to die. You can stop now. Walk away."
That finally got a response out of Frank. "Walk away?" he repeated, putting the gun he had just finished putting together off to the side. "Could you do that? Could you walk away?" When Daredevil remained silent, Frank just gave a soft huff and a small, bitter grin. "Yeah."
Church bells started toiling then, and Mia glanced over her shoulder at the direction they were coming from.
"What is that?" Daredevil asked. "Midnight?"
"St. Matthew's," Frank told him absently, making his way back across the roof again with his gun. Mia shook her head in reproach, but Frank just ignored her.
"You a Catholic?" he prodded, tone a strange, soft mixture of surprise and something like hope.
Frank glanced over at him for a moment before looking back down. "Once."
"From New York?"
"Once."
Daredevil gave a soft laugh. "You still go to Mass?"
"Stop now, Red," Frank quietly warned him.
"Stop?"
"Stop digging."
Mia could see that Frank was doing his best to remain calm, but he clearly didn't like even the slightest mention of things that were in his past. Once upon a time, he was a good, Christian husband and father. But once upon a times never did end well.
"Ah," Daredevil huffed and smiled. "You know, a funny thing about New York. Few people are actually from here. The ones who are, they don't leave. They can't- they feel like the city's a part of them, you know? Until one day, something changes. Maybe they get older. And then they have to leave, they have to get out. See the world maybe. Maybe they enlist." He went quiet again for a moment, seemingly able to hear something in Frank's silence that Mia couldn't. "Where'd they send you?"
Frank didn't seem bothered now that they'd moved from Christian to soldier. "You a shrink, Red?" Daredevil looked down and didn't answer. "Now, come on, you must be something when you're not wearing the long johns, right?"
Daredevil smirked slightly and shook his head. "I'm just a guy."
"Yeah? You ever been to war?" Frank asked.
Mia knew he hadn't- it was obvious in the way he spoke and in the code Daredevil lived by. Such naivety didn't last long after watching blood fall on the battlefield.
"No."
"Then don't talk about it."
"I've seen some fights," Daredevil offered, still trying to find common ground with Frank.
"Sure you have."
"Well, I almost had you beat."
"You talk about trading hands on a rooftop, Red. I'm talking about shit, okay? Shit that you ain't been in."
"I know one thing."
"What's that?"
"War changes people. Sometimes they see things they can't unsee. Come home to find home's not there anymore. It changed. Or maybe they did."
Daredevil made it sound like one or the other. Either home changed, or they did.
But, in Mia's experience, it was both. When you're gone, the world doesn't stop turning. Your friends and family don't stop living their lives simply because you're gone. That change just always felt so much more dramatic than it actually was because the person who was gone was also changing- and those changes made them view their home differently.
"Fair enough," Frank agreed, voice so quietly she could barely hear it.
"I'm just saying- I know it can be hard."
Mia couldn't stop the harsh laugh that escaped her.
Frank seemed to feel the same way. "Do you? You know it can be hard? You run around this city in a pair of little boy's pajamas and a mask. You go home at night, right? Take that mask off, maybe you think, it wasn't you who did those things, maybe it was somebody else. But you see soldiers, we don't wear masks, yeah? We don't get that privilege."
"Unless you're Steve," Mia couldn't help quietly adding. "But he wasn't very good at hiding his identity. Not that the government helped with that since they really viewed him as nothing more than their show-pony."
He hummed in agreement, causing Daredevil to cock his head to the side in confusion before continuing on. "You know what I think?"
"What's that?"
"You're still at war."
"For crying out loud," Frank groaned, walking back over to take a seat beside Mia. "So, you charge by the hour, doc, or what?"
"If he does, I want my money back," she told Frank.
"Why am I here?" Daredevil finally asked.
"Everything you do out there in the streets, Red, it doesn't work. Did you know that?"
"A better question would be does he care," Mia muttered, ignoring Frank's glare.
"Oh," Daredevil scoffed. "And what you do is better?"
"What I do, I just do. It's out of necessity."
"C'mon. You know you're not the only one, right? Who did you lose, huh?" he taunted. "Was it someone you loved?" Mia visibly flinched at Daredevil's mocking tone and Frank shot her a concerned look. "Well, boo-hoo. Let me tell you something, buddy: everybody's lost someone. Doesn't mean you have to do this."
Who did you lose? Was it someone you loved?
Mia didn't know why those words- that tone- pierced through her so painfully. Didn't know why those words fell like daggers.
Who did you lose?
Who did she lose? Who was she mourning? Enough time had passed that Mia could finally admit the truth if only to herself.
In the beginning, it wasn't about who she had lost, but who she was going to lose. The moment the Time Stone showed her the possibilities that were laid out in her future, everything changed for her. Her every fear had become real.
Tony dead. Steve broken. Her father lifeless. Her mother mourning.
Was it someone you loved?
No.
It wasn't someone she loved. It was everyone.
She had to protect them though, whatever it took. Whatever it cost. Because everything had a price. And Mia knew what the price would be to save her loved ones.
Even the last resort had a last resort. A plan Hermione Granger had put in place before running with Harry and Ron. A plan that Mia Lokisdottir had perfected. A plan that Mia Stark was willing to pay the price for.
And all it would cost was her life. It was a small, insignificant price to pay in her mind.
As much as she hated to admit it, Dumbledore had it right all along. He had seen her for exactly what she was: expendable. An acceptable loss. All those years helping Harry, desperately trying to keep him alive, had whittled her sense of self down to the bare minimum.
And even her years with Loki and Carol hadn't been enough to help her unlearn that lesson.
Who did you lose? Was it someone you loved?
Just myself, Mia silently answered, finally realizing the answer now. But it's okay- I never loved her anyway.
A hand squeezed her shoulder for a moment, pulling her back into herself. "Well, loss doesn't work the same for everybody, Red," Frank told Daredevil.
"Yeah, that's right," he scoffed. "It's clearly not working for you."
"Maybe not." Frank looked down at her, speaking to her even though he was technically responding to Daredevil. "We don't get to pick the things that fix us. Make us whole. Make us feel purpose. My moment of clarity? It came from the strangest of places."
When had her moment of clarity happened?
Was it when she had finally begun to piece together what had happened to Bucky? The knowledge that it was time to stop focusing on herself and start focusing on helping those she could?
Or was it when she'd declared to Yon-Ragg that she was not her mother? That she wasn't a hero concerned with saving the lives of the innocent, but instead concerned with saving the lives of her loved ones?
That sounded about right. After all, didn't moments of clarity happen right before one hit the ground? Before it happens, there's a general sense of wrongness, like the world doesn't quite make sense anymore. As though the facts being presented aren't following the previously agreed-upon rules of logic. And then a moment of clarity strikes- finally all the puzzle pieces fit together into a recognizable shape. That's when the pain hits. When understanding finally settles in about what happened and why there's no going back.
Realizing she wasn't a hero was her moment of clarity. Everything that happened afterward was just her adjusting to the new world order.
Was that what it was like for Frank? Had he too originally thought that maybe he was the hero before his family died and he realized that he wasn't the hero in their story but instead their villain?
Did Frank know what really happened to his family? If he didn't, what would happen once he did? Would it change anything? Or would it just provide him with another moment of clarity?
Could either of them survive any more clarity? Mia honestly wasn't sure she could. In order to do what needed to be done and be prepared for what was coming, she needed to be focused. She needed to be balanced. And nothing ruined a careful balance more than honesty.
"You know, most people who come looking for me generally have something nefarious in mind."
Gamora whirled around. Despite her training- her torture- and her enhancements, she hadn't even heard the other woman enter the room let alone come up behind her.
Shoulder length blond hair, pale skin, hard brown eyes, blue, yellow, and red outfit- this had to be her.
"Captain," she greeted respectfully.
The other woman looked at her coldly. "Gamora," she returned, and Gamora couldn't help flinching.
"How-"
"You don't really think I wouldn't find out all there is to know about Thanos' favorite daughter, did you?"
Straightening her spine, Gamora spat, "I'm not his."
Other than a single brow lifting slightly, Captain Marvel's expression remained unchanged. "Is that why you've been searching for me? So I can help you find a way out?"
"No," Gamora shook her head. "I don't want help escaping Thanos- I want help ending him."
The Captain leaned back slightly, eyes narrowing. "Why would you- Thanos' most favored and supposedly-loyal child- want him dead?"
Gamora's jaw clenched. "Do you know how he finds his children? When he attacks a planet, he chooses a child to spare and then takes them with him when he leaves. He lies and says it's because they showed potential and are destined for more, but the truth is that it's just one more way he can inflict pain. He kills the majority of a race, and then forces the few survivors to watch as one of their own becomes another one of his weapons.
"He murdered my mother, and expected me to be fine with it because I gained a father in return. But I had a father. I had a family. I had a home and a life and a future and all of that was ripped away from me."
Finally, emotion bled into Captain Marvel's expression. "The first time I heard of Thanos was when I saw what remained of your planet," she told Gamora, sounding tired and sad. "I saw what he did and I couldn't understand why. The Kree committed so many atrocities because they truly believed themselves to be superior. But they at least were efficient in their kills because their goal was simply to exterminate enemy races. But what happened there was different. It looked like he killed them because-"
"It was fun," Gamora finished bitterly. "Because he's courting Death, and what better way to gain Death's attention than to revel in it?"
Captain Marvel's eyes closed for a brief moment before her expression turned neutral again. "How do I know this isn't a trap? Why should I believe you?"
Gamora had been waiting for that question. "Because I can help you find the Power Stone." The Captain's eyes widened and she smirked. "I have spent years watching and waiting for my moment to avenge my people. I know I can't defeat Thanos myself. But I can help you do it. You can defeat him and in return, you'll help me and my sister, Nebula." She hesitated for a moment. "We have both done things that we're not proud of. We were children when Thanos took us and were forced to… we didn't have a choice. She didn't have a choice. Nebula. Thanos was harsher with her than with the rest of us. But I know that, deep down, she's still a good person. She just needs a chance to be that again. And if I help you, then maybe she'll get that. Maybe we'll both get that."
It was silent for a moment and then, suddenly, Captain Marvel smiled. "If we're going to be working together, then we should probably be less formal. My name is Carol."
Please leave a review on your way out!