A/N: I've revised this one several times, but I think I like what I ended up with here. I definitely appreciate your reads, follows, and favorites. You're always welcome to tell me what you think - even if you don't like it.

Chapter 14

"Matt." Liz backed away from the door. "Come in."

He moved inside and folded the cane. "I meant to bring coffee."

"I'm not supposed to drink caffeine."

"Oh. Right." This wasn't starting off well.

Liz sighed. "You might as well sit."

"Or do you want to walk? It's nice out."

"Sure. Give me a minute." She disappeared down the hall to grab a coat and some shoes.

"Foggy's outside. Should I send him away?"

"It would be creepy if he followed us," she reasoned as she returned to the living room.

Matt pulled his phone from the pocket of his hoodie and let Foggy know to stand down before he took Liz's arm.

She leaned against his shoulder. "Strawberry Fields?" Matt nodded. The destination came as no surprise; they'd stopped by often during the afternoons and evenings they spent killing time during Matt's recovery.

They stopped for coffee down the street from Liz's apartment before they approached the park. When they arrived, Liz directed them to the benches near the mosaic where they sat facing the Dakota. She sipped her coffee. "I did a little research after you left last night."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "What kind of research?"

"I Googled her."

"Elektra?"

Liz nodded. "I wanted to know what I'm up against." Matt started to speak, but her hand on his wrist stopped him. "I don't mean that literally, but I wanted to see who she was and how whoever she was fit in your life."

"And what did you come up with?"

"Seems like it was complicated."

Matt scoffed. "That's maybe the understatement of the century."

Liz pushed forward. "But I can see some of why the two of you worked."

"Some things worked. Some didn't. Our philosophies on how to do what we do weren't always congruent. She hurt people – needlessly at times. She advocated vigilante justice; I don't agree with either of those things." Liz didn't respond, so Matt continued. "You know I believe in our justice system. I work within the law when at all possible. I defended Frank Castle and turned Wilson Fisk over to the police when I could have killed him in the street." He clenched his hands into fists to hide their shaking. "I've never wanted or tried to be judge, jury, and executioner. Never."

Liz spoke calmly, her hand still on his wrist. "You believe that violence is a solution to the problems our society faces, or at least a means to an end."

Matt struggled to keep his voice low and even. "With violent people intent on hurting and killing others? Yes. You're goddamned right that I do. It's the only solution these people I've come up against will ever understand. And if you or Foggy or Karen or Claire found yourselves the target of one of these people, I can't promise that I wouldn't overlook my rules – the ones that keep me sane, that keep me human."

"Matt."

"I know you're a healer. I know you patch these guys up so they can go back out there the next time, even when they're shooting at you."

"That's not fair."

"But it's true."

"I also believe in our justice system. Are you telling me I shouldn't?"

Matt sighed. "I'm telling you that not everyone play by the rules. I'm sure your boy Oliver understands that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I did some research last night, too. Only not on Google."

"Oh. I assumed you got drunk with Foggy last night. Hence his chaperoning your trip uptown this morning."

"I can multitask, but that's not the point. This guy is a shit magnet. Bad things happen to the people in his life. And I'm about 90% certain he's The Arrow."

Liz shook her head. "The Arrow is dead."

"He's calling himself the Green Arrow now. My sources say it's all the same thing."

"You look that up in the Vigilante Times?"

She sounded annoyed, but Matt didn't back down. "Something like that."

She released his hand. "I'll steer clear."

Matt turned toward Liz and reached for her hand, taking it back in his. "Do more than that. Stay here."

"With the vigilante I know?"

He tried to hide his grin at her snark, but he couldn't stifle a little scoff of a laugh. "Yeah. Something like that."

Liz felt herself softening. Her fingers caressed the edge of his face. "I don't know, Matt."

Her hesitation offered him hope. He jumped at this opportunity. "That means you've thought about it, that it could work. It could work."

He was right. She had considered a few options that would allow them to stay together. She leaned toward him. "There would have to be changes. You'd have to cut back."

"I'd be willing to try." He slid his arm along the back of the bench so that it wrapped casually around her as he considered all that would entail. He couldn't assure her that his other life wouldn't encroach on anything they'd be building together. "There are some people from my past who think I still owe them something. I can't promise that I won't have to settle up with them from time to time."

She expected as much. "I don't know, Matt. From what little bit I do know about you, I just don't think I could ever win out over that. I don't know that I even want to try to compete."

"Maybe just think about it a little longer."

"I have to go. I signed a contract."

"Break it. I can get you out of it."

She stood up and moved in front of him. "Just let me think."

"That's all I'm asking." He reached for her and she moved between his legs, his arms extended to encircle her waist.

"That's not all you've asked."

He pulled her onto his lap before he spoke. "I'll take it, though."

"Will you?"

"Of course."

Her head rested against his. "Would you consider coming with me?"

He pulled back from her, his response coming out a little more surprised than he had intended. "What?"

"It's another option."

"I can't just abandon this place."

"Maybe you could just consider the offer," she offered in an attempt at nonchalance, but her voice wavered on the edge of pleading.

"I don't see how…" He stopped. He'd basically asked the same of her. "Yeah. Okay. I'll think about it."

She slid off of his lap and back onto her own section of the bench. "I've agreed to start in three months, but my lease is up here in a couple of weeks. I'm going to move my things and bunk with friends for the remainder of my time here."

"Stay with me."

"I didn't tell you all of this for a housing offer."

"I know, but it would give us some time to at least try things out."

"You mean maybe it will help us decide what to do?"

"Yeah. It might."

She shook her head again. "I don't know."

"I've never let anyone this far in – not even Foggy, really. I'm trying to be as open as I can be here."

Her hand rested against his chest. "I see that, and I appreciate it." She stood. "Let's get some breakfast."

"My stomach's grumbling."

"Don't need superhuman hearing to know that."

He rose to stand beside her. "I'm a bit hungover."

"I figured that one out, too. But thanks for showering. You only smell faintly of Scotch."

He unfolded his cane. "Where to?"

"You pick. You think Foggy and Karen would want to join us?"

"I'll call and see."

Liz and Karen greeted one another with hugs when the foursome arrived at the diner. Liz slid into the booth and Matt joined her. They hadn't had the chance for many meals together since the first week of Matt's injury. Karen reached across and grabbed Liz's hand once they were settled into their seats.

"It's so good to see you!"

"It's been a while," Liz conceded. "How are things at the office?"

"Well, they could be better. The Castle case took a good bit of our time and resources," Karen admitted.

Matt's arm tightened around Liz's waist. "We'll be okay, though. Right Fog?"

Foggy cleared his throat and shot a quick glance at Karen but didn't say any more before the waitress stopped beside them and filled their coffee cups. "Are you guys ready to order?"

They paused a second to give their requests before Matt repeated the gist of his previous question. "What's going on at the office, Foggy?"

"Let's talk about it later." Foggy's tone sounded evasive to Matt, as did the sudden increase in his heart rate and outbreak of sweat on his forehead.

Matt pounced. "So you're saying we're in trouble."

Foggy wiped his face with his sleeve and fanned himself with the menu on the table, suddenly overheated. He knew that Matt knew how uncomfortable he'd suddenly become. "Not now, Matt. This isn't the time or place."

"Will anything change before Monday, Foggy?" Liz asked, trying to mitigate the argument before it really started.

"No. It won't. That's why I thought we'd go over all the numbers at the office then and make some decisions."

Matt blinked, focusing his energies on reading the biofeedback of the two people sitting across from him. "Are we going under?"

"Let's talk about it at the office, Matt." Karen reached across the table and touched his hand briefly. "On Monday."

Matt scooted toward the edge of the booth. "I'm not hungry."

Liz grabbed his arm. His initial instinct was to shake her off, but she held firm. "I am, and you brought me here. You don't have to eat, but you should stay."

"I want to know what's going on with my business, my livelihood."

Foggy scoffed. "If you can honestly tell me that that Nelson and Murdock is your 'livelihood,' then we'll head to the office as soon as we've finished here and discuss everything." Matt dropped his eyes to the table and relaxed his arm, gently brushing Liz's hand away. He didn't have anything else to say. Foggy stared across the table at the man who'd been his best friend for as long as he cared to remember. He nodded, punctuating his assertion that he and Karen had become more than an afterthought to Matt at this point. "That's what I thought."

TBC