"Matt!" Danny exclaimed with joy as he entered Claire Temple's apartment, finding Matt sitting on the nurse's couch.
Luke and Jessica had stopped on the way, sharing the good news of Matt Murdock's seemingly miraculous resurrection with Danny. Suddenly the old gang was back together again.
But Jessica had flinched at the use of the word resurrection. People coming back from the dead never seemed to work out for anyone.
Luke hadn't told her much on the ride over. He didn't seem to know much. The previous night Matt had appeared at Claire's door, wearing a suit and tie, like nothing had happened. Luke told her he seemed fine, Matt seemed in control. Luke told her Matt might have quashed his demons once and for all.
But Jessica knew that was crap. No one, not even the best man she'd ever met, could uproot demons as big as his.
Danny rushed to Matt's side, and as he stood, Jessica noticed he had a new cane in his hand, a new pair of red glasses covering his unseeing eyes.
As he and Danny hugged, Jessica took him in. He was limping and sore. His left leg heavy, his right hand still bandaged months after his "death." His head was cocked to one side like an animal trying to regain his equilibrium. She wondered if the collapse of Midland Circle had crushed more than his bones.
"Good to see you again," Danny said.
"Good to be seen," Matt replied. Jessica noticed his voice was coarser than before. Or maybe it was her skewed perception, caused by all the alcohol swirling in her veins.
Claire stood to join them. She had been seated next to Matt. They had looked deep in conversation when the fractured remnants of the team had arrived.
"I think maybe I should give you all a minute and go pack our things," Claire said.
"Why are you packing?" Danny asked.
Claire sheepishly smiled, squeezing Matt's good hand before leaving for the other room.
Danny turned to Luke. "Why are you packing?"
Before Luke could reply, Matt began, the familiar even tone of his voice returning. "I've asked them to. And now I need to ask you both the same. Colleen as well."
"What?" Danny questioned.
Luke sighed and shook his head. "Hear him out Danny. I don't like it, but I think we might have to take a pass on this fight."
Jessica knew Luke hadn't told her the whole story. She could smell the hypocrisy of Matt's crisp navy suit from across the room. Even without any heightened senses she knew he was oozing guilt.
"What fight? I don't understand," Danny replied.
Matt placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "The people who found me, who saved me, they didn't do a very good job of keeping my secrets safe. There are people coming who I think know about me and the Daredevil. I don't want anyone associated with me to get hurt."
"Who are they?" Danny asked.
"The less you know the better," Matt told him, as the frantic pace of Claire's packing filtered into the living room.
"Claire and I are thinking of going upstate for a day or two," Luke explained.
"I don't know," Danny began. "We just got you back, Matt."
Matt smiled. "I know, Danny. And from what Claire told me you've been protecting the city just as I asked. But right now I need to know that you're all safe and-"
"Is anyone else having deja vu?" Jessica snorted, her arms defiantly crossed.
"Jessica, I-" Matt began, but she ignored him.
"No, no, really. Because this seems pretty damn familiar, doesn't it? Except this time you want to head upstate, Luke? And Danny, what the hell? You barely flinched when they suggested you sit out this fight. A fight, I might add that we really know nothing about."
"Jess, if Matt thinks we should-" Danny interjected, but Jessica was just getting started.
"Fuck Matt!" she spat out. "We just fought The Hand. We saved the city by hiding our friends, by hiding ourselves. And all that time the good counselor here was lying to us."
"Not the whole time," Matt shyly offered.
"What was that, Murdock? Your stand is that you weren't lying to us the whole time? Well fuck, you must be a damn good lawyer with a defense like that." Jessica felt the her breathing quicken. She knew Matt felt it too. "You died. You stayed down there on purpose and you died and now in less than two minutes you have these idiots convinced to do it all over again, only this time on your terms? Has everyone lost their damn minds?"
Matt moved towards her and she recoiled. It startled him. Her whole aura startled him. The quickened breath, the racing heart, the wild gestures and pacing feet. He couldn't get a hold of her image in his mind. He didn't understand.
"I will explain everything. I won't lie to you guys, not ever again. But I need to explain it somewhere else."
He inched closer to her slowly, closing the cavernous divide.
"Jessica, I know you must feel confused and hurt and-"
"Don't tell me how I feel, Murdock. That's not a heightened sense you're ever going to master."
Matt moved away from her, sensing anger like fire. She was burning out of control.
"You want Luke and Claire to just say goodbye to this place? For how long? Long enough to destroy the new clinic Claire set up? Or just long enough to send the kids Luke is mentoring back into the arms of the gangs starting up again; the ones filling a void left by the Daredevil?"
Luke was surprised. Jessica had been working a case. She had been keeping tabs on them.
"And what about Danny?" She asked Matt. "He took up your mantle, he did what you asked and spread his stupid chi or whatever all over the city."
"And you?" Matt asked.
"You guys do what you want. Hide or run or keeping hugging it out. But I'm done."
Jessica turned to leave. She wasn't sure what made her so mad. Was it that Matt wanted them all to repeat the mistakes of the past? Or was it that he wasn't nearly as injured as she thought he'd be? Or that he came to Claire first?
She had longed to have one of her nightmares turn into a dream worth having and now Matt Murdock was alive. But she had expected that if he were ever found he'd be in a coma far from danger and never on Claire's couch. He should have been in a nice, chaste coma.
Jessica felt a rush of whiskey jump up her throat. She was going to be sick. She reached out for support and found Matt's arm.
"I've got you," he said, but she jerked herself from his gentle grasp.
"No, you don't," she told him before storming out.