Author's Note: Thank you for reading this chapter! I know it's been a while now, most of you've probably already given up on me. But now I eventually found the time to write more. Sadly my English skills havent't improved a bit so you have to deal with that.

Please let me know what you think (on the plot, on the characterization, on the writing, anything), your reviews and feedbacks make me keep going!

Chapter Five: Sorrow and redemption

Early in the morning Abbie was walking down the streets, fighting with her unpleasant emotions and rather dark thoughts. First it was rage – she felt unspeakable hatred toward her own abilities and also toward the guy life had flowed into her way. She left the hotel room at dawn, carefully and silently as a ghost in order to not waking Aaron up. She never wanted to face him again. Of course it had been the idea from the very start – having good sex with a stranger without consequences. Just feeling good for a really short amount of time, feeling the softness and warmth of somebody else's skin. It was something she had been lacking for a tremendous time now. Usually she had avoided human interactions, intimate touches – yesterday evening Abbie had hoped making contact with someone again would made her feel whole and warm in the inside eventually. And of course she was in need of some really good sex as well. Neither of them had happened. And why is that? The blame was all on her. These abilities, gifts as some people would refer to them. Abbie grunted in anger and shook her head as she turned right on the corner and almost knocked a woman over. Deep in her thoughts she didn't even bother to apologize, just blindly marched forward. Is it too much to ask? Being able to walk and live among people? Having a normal life? Aaron's behaviour was utterly unacceptable, he didn't have the right to be like this. Of course Abbie would never know anything about his private thoughts if it wasn't for the unwanted mind-reading she loathed. It would have been a nice one night stand, satisfactory and light-minded, in the morning they would have said goodbye and Abbie'd stayed with nothing but nice memories. But that would mean she had been kept in the dark all along. The liar would have been able to conceal everything from her, the fact that he was married and also that on his business trips he regulary looked for easy whores to make his pathetic sexual fantasies come true. For yesterday evening she was one of them. Was this a potential part of every one night stands? Probably yes, but no one except Abbie would have known any of this. And she was utterly upset being able to reach these deeply buried facts and thoughts of her former partner.

As she crossed the street all of her anger suddenly turned into mere sadness. Hot tears were burning her eyes as she fought against them breaking out and falling down her cheeks. She positively didn't want to cry over this. Well, it may had seen to be a good idea, but turned out to be a terribly wrong one – apparently it seems like I'm not someone to love and to be loved or touched or anything. Only if the sex had been good, but… yeah, well, I should join some order of nuns, she thought to herself bitterly. Speaking of nuns.

In the hope of being able to get rid of the thoughts preying on her she decided to drop in the church she was frequented from time to time. Abbie was not the most diligent member of the church but she was a member of the church, nevertheless. Seeking for redemption she entered the door, the early morning service had already begun. She found a seat at the back and turned her head down onto her folded hands in front of her. The familiar sound of the chorals and the never changing words of holy texts eased a little bit of her pain. Maybe being alone is not that bad at all… God, you must have had a reason to gift me with this thing. Who knows? Maybe I have some significance after all.

The hot tears found their way out now. Silently crying Abbie was finally felt a little bit relieved. She made mistakes – engaging into a sexual relationship with Aaron was clearly one – but her desperate need for touch and the feeling of being hold was understandable. Now she know better and the pain is going to fade. Everyone makes mistakes the point is we need to learn the lesson of them. The service was over, people slowly started to stand up and leave the church. Father Lanthom had already returned to the vestry in the side of the building. That was the moment when Abbie glimpsed up and noticed a familiar figure approaching. She blinked back her tears as she recognized the blind man from yesterday. The Devil of Hell's Kitchen. She decided to stay calm and shut her mouth up in order to be unnoticed. As the man reached the row Abbie was sitting in, an older woman crossed his way, making him stop.

"Oh I'm sorry, young man, sorry, I left my Bible in the bench. I didn't mean to…" the lady realised she had almost collided with a blind man and that made her even more distracted and jolted. "I am terribly sorry, young man. Can I offer my help to you?"

Matt who sensed the woman beforehand and managed to stop way before any accident could have been occurred, stand there, smiling politely and assured the old lady that he was fine and didn't need any assistance. Then he noticed something strange. Apart from the old lady's loud and rather quick heartbeat there was another one quite close. And this one was way younger and stronger, yet thudding in an also increased speed. He tilted his head a bit toward the sound and immediately could sense someone sitting in the bench he and the lady was standing next to. With the ever so light and feathery-like sound of moving a long, cascading hair the scent reached his nostrils. Woman. Young. Familiar. It didn't take a mere second to recognize it, jaw clenched as he recalled the memory of last evening. The silk scarf had the same vanilla scent. The woman Jessica had introduced to them.

"Abigail?"

Abbie jolted in surprise as her mouth fell open. How in the hell…?

"Hey" she said lamely. "How… how do you know I was sitting here?"

The man frowned behind his glasses. "Sorry, you intended to be unnoticed, right?"

Abbie didn't answer, the situation was already too awkward for her taste. "Uhm… how are you? How was… the meeting yesterday?" Why am I doing this?, the little inner voice of sanity yelled in her head. Now, for a change, it was her own. He tilted her head and for a second remained silent. After that he gestured toward Abbie. "May I sit down?"

She drew aside to give him space, even though she didn't expect this reaction. The question came from mere politeness and she didn't have anything else in mind to say. "Sure", she nodded anyway.

The man took a seat next to her and extended his hand. "I am Matthew Murdock. Now it has no sense to deny it."

"Matthew," she shook his hand. It was warm and dry, surprisingly good to touch at. "I am Abbie Pond."

"How long do you come here?" he nodded, referring to the church.

Abbie shrugged. "For like eternity."

A moment of silence fell on them again. Matt could sense the tension in the woman's body and also felt some reminiscence of saltiness which was assumably the indication of former tears. And something else too. In this closeness he could clearly sense a scent of a man as well. "Yes, this is a place of peace," he managed to say.

Abbie nodded tensely. "I needed peace. Haven't had any lately with this newly growing ability of you know what."

"Everything is okay? You left rather abruptly yesterday."

No. Nothing is okay, she thought to herself. "Well, I haven't come in terms with this… mind-reading yet," she whispered, looking around carefully in the silence of the empty church. "I'm just… clueless what to do. Did you guys find out anything with… your… erm, mission?"

Matt shook his head. "No, nothing. We cannot do anything, only watching as he is going to be released by Tuesday."

Abbie stared her still folded hands in her lap. She'd tried and tried so hard not to bother with this whole thing. But it turned out to be super-hard. Yesterday night was the last drop. Maybe she couldn't live a normal life with normal people. At least she could do something good for once. Only for once.

"I… well, I was thinking," she stopped and turned to the man next to him. Gosh, he has a great scent. And his warmth is radiant. Oh thank God, he's not the one with mind-reading skills, Abbie thought to herself and rolled her eyes. Matt was still facing her and calmly waiting for her to continue. So Abbie sighed deeply. "If you think it's worth to give it a try I can do everything I can to help."

Matt seemed to be surprised and clenched onto his cane. "Would you, really?"

"I can not promise anything, though" she claimed. "But I can try, yes. I don't know if it will work or not, but if you can get me in there with him, why should I not try?"

Matt beamed a smile to her which made Abbie's heart sank – in a good way, for the first time in a week.

As it had been discussed on Monday morning Abbie waited for Matt and his partner near to the NYPD station. She was about to do something really good, at least that was what she told herself. As insanse as the whole thing was, she still trusted Matt Murdock. Nothing seemed to be too crazy now, that she was a fucking mind-reader. Why the hell not?

She noticed Matt approaching with a blond haired man who held file folders in his arm. He said something to Matt, who nodded and the blond one – to Abbie's utter surprise – waved his hand cheerfully.

"Hi, Abigail! I'm Foggy Nelson. It's nice to meet you."

They shook hands and Abbie said hi to Matt as well, who returned it with a warm smile. As they climbed the stairs to the entrance together, Foggy quietly feed her with the details of their upcoming action.

"I'm representing the counsel of the prosecutor the state has on this case. We introduce you as my legal assistant – I'm aware that you are not qualified," he added quickly as Abbie wanted to interject. "But no one will tell. You'll just have to make notes while I'm questioning the man in there, okay?"

Abbie nodded.

"Good luck guys, I'm waiting for you here," Matt said, standing next to the door Foggy already entered.

"What?" Abbie said sharply. "You won't be there?"

Foggy immediately looked at Matt and stood still in-between his motion as he sensed her alarmed state. "Didn't you tell her?"

"No," Matt shook his head. "I'm not on the case and Foggy and I, we are not partners anymore, so I'm not allowed in there. You should do it alone. But everything is going to be just fine. The man won't suspect anything, it's the usual boring legal procedure for him."

The reassuring tone of his voice couldn't entirely erase Abbie's sudden anxiety but she decided to leave it there. She faced Foggy and nodded, so they entered the room together. A quite good looking, middle-aged man sat in there in hand-cuffs. He wore a severe and somehow bored expression and didn't even look up at them. Next to him a police officer stood firmly, who immediately nodded toward Foggy as they stepped in. Foggy answered his greeting and put down his files on the desk, one of them slided on the side, waiting for Abbie to take her notes.

"Officer Wallis, I'm Foggy Nelson representing Miss Hogarth. This is my assistant, Miss Pond. Shall we start?"