Hey guys! This is my first english story I publish, I normally just write german fanfiction as it is my first language. So please be aware of that while reading, but don't hesitate to correct me if anything seems wrong to you. You learn from your mistakes, right?

This is obviously a story about The Defenders, there aren't enough of them in my opinion. It takes place two years after the Midland Circle incident, and as we all know, unfortunately all shows have been cancelled by now. So I made some things up. For example Danny and Colleen have opened the Dojo again, it's up to you if they're back together or not, it won't matter in that story. Tbh I haven't seen much of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, but I hope I know enough to get the characters right. If you find any mistakes, again, please correct me. I have seen everything of Daredevil and Iron Fist though and of course The Defenders.

Now, I hope you enjoy my little story!

Moment of Silence

It's been two years since the Midland Circle incident. Two years since Matt Murdock, Luke Cage, Danny Rand and Jessica Jones were on a mission together. Their one and only mission. Everybody was eventually aware that Matt made it out alive and of course they texted and Luke even met up with him briefly, but they never got back together and worked as a team. Hell, they didn't even want to work together in the first place, but everybody, even Jessica, had to admit that they did a good thing and it was actually a lot of fun. Well, minus Matt being crushed by a building of course. Nobody would've guessed that all four of them would sit together again and discuss a case. It was all pretty terrifying, despite all the shit that they've seen and no one even thought about going after that villain on their own. Okay, who are we kidding? Of course they did go after him eventually, but after Claire stitched up all four of them on different occasions, she decided to force them together and think clearly about a plan before someone loses their life. This bastard new exactly who was after him, he even used Judas bullets to intentionally harm Luke.

„Okay, so what's his deal exactly?" Danny asked, after they all got comfortable on the couch in Matt's apartment, except for Matt himself. Apparently he was too nervous to sit.

„I think what we know by now, is that he mostly goes after children. The parents or bystanders that got killed were just in his way, I think." Jessica started and rested her elbows on her knees.

„Every single one got kidnapped and was killed exactly 15 hours later. Stabbed in the heart." Not even the usually cold hearted PI could say these words without hesitating for a second to pull herself back together.

„They were all boys, between six and eight years old. Seems that he doesn't care what they look like, they basically couldn't look more different from each other. Eight hours ago, another boy was taken on his way back from school. Just outside Matt's apartment." Jessica looked at him, then leaned back against the leather couch. Her indication that she didn't have more to add. She was surprised that Matt was even standing straight. He just received 12 stitches from Claire on his abdomen and five on his right upper arm. ´He's used to it´, she thought sadly.

„So we have exactly seven hours before the boy gets killed." Matt stated and winced slightly as he began to pace.

„What about the killer? I mean everybody got involved with him by now. Let's put together what we know." Luke suggested and asked Matt for a piece of paper.

„I don't have one right now, take my computer." Luke looked away slightly embarrassed and searched for the computer.

„It's on the kitchen table." the lawyer added and continued pacing. Sometimes he just forgot that Matt was blind. I mean it's easily to forget with the way he walks and does things.

Luke got the computer and sat back on the couch.

„Alright, let's start with Danny. Tell us exactly what happened and what you saw." The millionaire sighed, as if the memory was painful to recall.

„I was at the Dojo, meditating, when I heard a scream. I looked outside the window and saw a man grabbing a young boy. I instantly ran downstairs to stop him, when I heard another scream. I ran faster, but when I got outside, he had already stabbed the mother, who was obviously trying to save her child. He had to hear me coming because he knocked the kid unconscious and turned around to face me. We started fighting, he was definitely trained. He used a technique called Baguazhang, it's a Kung Fu style. What surprised me was the use of the knife. That style is performed without weapons." Danny seemed to be deeply in thought while fidgeting with his hands.

„We fought for a while, when he caught me off-guard and stabbed me. Just about missed my left kidney." he added, unconsciously scratching at the almost healed wound on his side. Clearly furious with himself that he couldn't save the boy.

„Okay, so he is trained in some kind of Kung Fu style, but is not really honorable because he uses weapons what he isn't supposed to do. Can you describe him a bit?" asked Luke and typed the few things he got from Danny's story in the computer.

„He was about 6"1, pretty muscular and had a cloth over his eyes. It had holes for the eyes though, so it didn't look like the one Matt was using before he got the suit. He looked more like one of the ninja turtles." Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jessica could not suppress a laugh.

„Really? That's how you would describe him?" she teased and nudged his shoulder.

„Well, I'm not wrong, am I?" Jessica stopped laughing, then shrugged her shoulders.

„I guess not."

„Good, anything more to add?" Luke asked and waited for an answer. Danny just shook his head and took a sip of his tea.

„Who's next? Jess?" The PI sighed and leaned forward again.

„Alright, so it's basically a similar story to Danny's. I was at home, working on some case when I heard a noise outside. I didn't give it much of a thought, I was pretty distracted." she looked around and could tell that everybody knew that her „case" was actually a bottle of bourbon but she decided not to care.

„But then I heard it again and again and I couldn't ignore it anymore. It sounded like one hell of an argument after all. So I stood up and looked outside when I saw the man grabbing a boy, went downstairs, yada yada yada, the man knocked the kid unconscious and fought me. I can't really recall how he got me, but he did eventually. I guess I wasn't exactly sober." Luke sighed and had actually nothing to add to his notes.

„Well, nothing new to be honest." he scratched his head and looked to Matt, who abruptly stopped pacing.

„What is it?" Luke frowned.

„Matt?" he added, when the lawyer didn't respond.

All of a sudden, Matt turned to Luke and pointed a finger at him.

„Where were you when the boy was taken?" Luke was surprised by his outburst, but went along with it.

„At… home… why?" Matt turned around again and almost pulled his hair out, ignoring the stabbing pain on his lower abdomen.

„Damn it! How could we miss that?" at that point everyone was confused and looked at each other.

„Spit it out, Murdock! What is it?" Jessica was clearly annoyed.

„I don't think he is after those kids." Jess chuckled slightly, he was driving her crazy.

„You serious? This lunatic basically kills everyone in his way to get to those children and you want to tell me that this is not his pla—" suddenly it clicked for the PI and she just sat there for a minute, mouth agape.

„Do you want to enlighten us?" Danny asked, then looked to Luke who was equally clueless.

„Don't you get it? He's tricking us! Or do you think it's a coincidence that some of the boys were taken exactly in front of our faces?" Finally it also clicked for Luke and Danny, who were ready to punch themselves for their naivety.

„Jesus, he's using them to get to us."