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Chapter 20- A man without fear

The arrests of Wilson Fisk and Bolivar Trask had both made the front page headlines. Ray's dying declaration had been considered admissible in court. And some of the soldiers to attack the city had not been killed and they had confessed that he had hired them so Fisk had been charged on that too.

Bolivar Trask too had been charged with illegally developing weapons of mass destruction and for the loss of life and property caused by Nuke.

All of the FBI Agents that had worked for Fisk and Chase had been arrested. The public had demanded that Nadeem not be arrested as his testimony had helped get them convicted and they all considered him a hero. Many even thought he should be the head of the FBI.

It had been proven that Fisk's resources had been used to make the IRS freeze his assets and the bank foreclose his apartment. So all of that was undone and Matt's financial plight was over.

Matt walked into the Clinton Church. Maggie turned to face him. Both of them were silent for a few moments.

After taking a deep breath, Matt finally broke the silence, "Last time we spoke, I confronted Father Lantom. I was angry. I'd change that if I could."

"If God allowed that, there'd be no future", Maggie pointed out, "Just people endlessly rewriting the past."

"Yeah", Matt said with a sigh, "Believe it or not, I have a friend who can actually do that. But back on point, I think he was trying to tell me that for a long time. His last words were, "Forgive us.""

Turning to him, Maggie asked, "Do you think that's possible?"

There were a few more moments of silence before Matt said, "He told me something, years ago, when this happened", he gestured to his eyes, "That I never forgot. See, I was pretty angry at God and bitter towards his world. How could a loving God blind me?"

After some silence, Matt muttered, "Why?"

"Anyway", Matt started doing gestures with his hand, "He told me God's plan is like a beautiful tapestry. And the tragedy of being human is that we only get to see it from the back. With all the ragged threads and the muddy colors. And we only get a hint at the true beauty that would be revealed if we could see the whole pattern on the other side….. as God does."

There was some silence again as Mat smiled slightly, remembering that day, before speaking again, "Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about it recently, 'cause I realize I've made some bad choices and hurt people that I love without meaning to."

"You don't always know when you start down a false path", Maggie said.

"No, you don't", Matt said, "And that's my point. I realize that if my life had turned out any differently, that I would never have become Daredevil. And although people have died on my watch, people who shouldn't have, there are countless others that have lived. So… maybe it is all part of God's plan."

As Maggie turned to him, he said, "Maybe my life has been exactly as it had to be."

"You have a generous heart, Matthew", Maggie said with a sniff, "To see the good in so much pain."

"Not always", Matt said with a slight smile, "In fact, Father Lantom used to help me with that. Help me see the errors of my ways. I could…. use someone else to help me with that now", Maggie turned to look at him, "Once in a while."

Maggie knew what Matt was implying.

Turning to him, she took a deep breath and said, "I'm a nun, Matthew. Helping is what I was called to do."

Then the two just stood silently as Matt gave a deep sigh of relief, letting out everything he had been holding in for the past few weeks.

Father Lantom's coffin was laid out in front of the church. Many people were gathered to attend his funeral. All of the clergy was there- the priests and the nuns, Maggie included. Matt, Foggy, Karen, Ellison and Marci were there. Along with them were Oliver, Elektra, Slade, Roy, Frank. And on Matt's and Oliver's requests- Jessica, Luke and Colleen had attended too.

Matt walked up to the podium and turned to face all the mourners who had gathered. He stood silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath.

"Feels like half of Hell's Kitchen is here today to say goodbye to Father Paul Lantom", Matt said with a smile, "Seems fair. He certainly welcomed everyone here, Catholic or not. And he expected those of us who were to, uh, look for ways to do good in our community. Not even the kids got out of that requirement. I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers his "suggestion" that we give some of our First Communion money to the poor box."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"And that was his way", Matt continued with a pleasant smile, "To think of the community, and the, uh and the individuals in it. To think in terms of, "What can I give?""

Gesturing to the floor of the church, he said, "He gave his life, right here in this church, protecting others. Standing up to men who used fear as a tool to set neighbors against one another. If Father Lantom had an enemy, I would say it was fear."

Everyone had thoughtful expressions by now due to Matt's eulogy.

Matt continued, "For me, personally, he spent many years trying to get me to face my own fears.

To understand how they enslaved me, how they divided me from the people that I love. He counseled me to transcend my fears, to be brave enough to forgive and see the possibilities of being a man without fear. That was his legacy. And now it's up to all of us to, uh, live up to it."

Later- Matt, Oliver, Elektra, Slade, Roy, Frank, Jessica, Luke, Colleen, Foggy and Karen walked out from the Church.

"That was nice, what you said", Karen told Matt.

"Yeah, it wasn't just him, you know", Matt said, "It was for all of you, too."

He then said to Oliver, Slade, Roy and Karen, "You all helped me see the truth about myself."

"Ouch", Roy commented.

"How much did that hurt?" Oliver asked jokingly.

"Well, maybe one of these days, I'll forgive you all, too", Matt said, which made everyone chuckle.

"Before my funeral, I hope", Karen joked.

"I'm glad you told me, Karen", Matt said, "About Wesley and your brother."

"Yeah", Karen said, "Well, uh I couldn't live with that lie forever.

"We're all just trying to do more good than harm", Matt said, "And I'd say you're ahead on that score."

"Thank you", Karen said, "All of you."

"No problem, Karen", Frank said.

"Well, guys", Matt said to Jessica, Luke and Colleen, "Thank you for coming to help on such short notice."

"To teach assholes some manners", Jessica commented, "I'll always be around."

"I'll be around too", Luke said, "To help the neighborhood."

"Same", Colleen said.

"So Colleen", Matt asked, "How are you?"

"I am good", Colleen said.

"You know", Luke said, "For some weird reason, I find your glowing sword less creepy than Danny's glowing fist."

"Well, maybe that's because no dragons were involved", Colleen joked, making everyone chuckle.

"What about you, Slade?" Oliver asked.

"Well", Slade said, "I think I will go back and look for Grant first."

"Whatever you do, if you need help, you can call us", Elektra said.

"Yeah, Slade", Roy said, a little surprised at himself, "We will help you if we need."

"Thank you", Slade said sincerely, "I appreciate it."

"And if we find any info on Joe here, we will inform you", Frank said.

Matt nodded firmly at that.

Foggy walked past them and to Marci.

"I was starting to like the idea of being married to the DA", Marci said cheekily with a smirk.

"Pretty sure Blake Tower's not married", Foggy said.

"Yeah, he'll have to get by without me", Marci said jokingly, "You, on the other hand, are in luck. The firm will be thrilled to have you back."

"The thing is, Marci I'm not sure I want that anymore", Foggy said regretfully.

"I was afraid you were going to say something like that", Marci said with a smile.

"You're not mad?" Foggy asked, a little surprised.

"We'll talk about it later", Marci said, "But do I really have to watch you drive your campaign off a cliff?"

"Nah", Foggy said as he walked towards where Tower was giving his speech, "I got that part covered."

Tower was saying, "-That Wilson Fisk is a malignant tumor. Well, the State of New York isn't going to make the same mistake. Everyone knows his game now. Fisk won't manipulate the system again."

"Excuse me, Mr. Tower", Foggy said, getting his attention.

"Mr. Nelson", Tower greeted back.

Foggy walked towards Tower and said, "I wanted you to be the first to hear that I'm officially dropping out of the race for district attorney. The way you stood up to Wilson Fisk was an inspiration to us all."

Holding out his hand, he said, "I'm gonna be voting for you."

Tower shook his hand and said gratefully, "Thank you."

Later, a small feast was held at the diner owned by Foggy's father. Matt, Oliver, Elektra, Slade, Roy, Frank, Jessica, Luke, Colleen and Karen were all there with Foggy.

"Is that a whiskey neat?" Karen asked Matt as she sat down among them.

"For medicinal purposes", Matt said.

"Mmm-hmm."

"They have some good medicinal properties", Elektra said.

"Well, better than ginger ale", Oliver said.

"Ginger ale?" Roy asked.

"Someone I know drinks that and pretends its alcohol", Oliver said.

"Ew", Jessica commented as she took a swig from her bottle, "What a shitty life the dude must be living? I don't want to be him."

"No you don't", Oliver said.

"Sounds like an interesting fellow", Slade said.

"Sounds like an idiot actually", Frank said, "Unless he cares too much about his diet."

"Sounds to me like he does", Luke said.

"Well, good for him", Colleen said.

Karen then took Matt's drink and sipped it as he asked, "You want me to get you your own?"

"Oh, this one tastes fine", Karen commented.

"Give Matthew his drink back", Elektra said in a mock threatening tone.

"Yeah", Foggy said as he arrived, "Give Matt his drink back."

"Yes", Karen said as she returned it to him and Foggy sat down with them.

"So, I guess you guys heard, Special Agent in Charge Hattley flipped", Karen said, "She corroborated Ray's dying declaration. And on top of that, the mercenaries who survived have confessed to being paid by Fisk."

"We did hear", Matt said.

"It's pretty good", Frank said.

"Hmm", Foggy said, "So, the FBI is getting an enema, Chase is dead, and Fisk is - still breathing."

"Yep", Matt said with a smile, "Still breathing."

"Headed to prison", Karen added, "Again."

"Not exactly what I had in mind", Matt said.

"You trust that he'll keep his word?" Foggy asked.

"I mean, I trust that he loves Vanessa", Matt said, "Long as she's free, he should stay away."

"I saw Fisk only once, which was last night", Oliver said, "But one thing I understood was that while he's a monster, he's an honorable one. So he'll keep the deal intact."

"And if she gets hit by a bus tomorrow?" Karen asked jokingly.

"Yeah", Matt said, "Well, then we'll cross that bridge."

"Why so negative, Karen?" Frank asked jokingly.

"Look who's talking about negativity?" Elektra joked, earning her a mock death glare.

"He's not me", Jessica commented.

"So, how long you gonna stick around?" Foggy asked Matt.

"Actually, I was thinking about moving back into my apartment after I get it renovated", Matt revealed.

"Really?" Karen asked.

"Well", Matt said, "Seeing as it is not being mortgaged, I might as well."

"Okay, so hold on", Elektra said, "You're going to move - back into Matt Murdock's apartment?"

"No, no", Matt said, confusing everyone, "I am going to move into Matt Murdock's and Elektra Natchios' apartment."

"Oh!" Elektra said.

"What do you say?" he asked.

"I say", Elektra said, "Yes!"

"Sweet Christmas", Luke commented on seeing the little display of love.

"I just figured the two together have a healthier life-work balance", Matt said, "And actual friends."

"He's kind of a mooch, though", Karen said.

"Semi-decent lawyer", Foggy said.

"Ooh "Semi-decent"?" Matt asked, "Ouch."

"You do break the law", Karen said, "A lot. And often."

"I am the Mayor and I break the law", Oliver said, "Not a big deal."

"Objection", Matt said to Foggy.

"Sustained", Foggy said before revealing, "I have a crazy idea. I need a new napkin."

"Okay", Roy said as he handed him one.

"Well, he's writing something", Matt said.

"Apparently", Karen said.

"I think I can see what he's writing", Slade said.

Foggy then showed what he had written to them.

He had written- 'Nelson, Murdock and Page.'

Karen looked at it, a happy tear in her eye. Everyone else too smiled on looking at it. It just seemed- right.

"What?" Matt asked, pretending to be oblivious, before saying, "Oh, he just wrote all of our names, didn't he?"

"How can you know that?" Foggy asked.

"'Cause I was thinking the same thing", Matt said.

"Okay", Karen said, "Okay, guys, I'm not a lawyer."

"You're one hell of an investigator", Foggy said.

"Hey!" Jessica said as she waved her hand at Foggy's face, "Hello! I am here."

"Yeah, and way more stable than Jessica Jones", Matt joked, making Jessica glare at him.

"He's got a point", Luke said.

Jessica just went back to sipping her bottle, muttering, "Just wait till we get out of here, Murdock."

"It looks right to me", Oliver said, referring the names on the napkin.

"All right, so what? What does that mean?" Karen asked, "We go back to helping people out of a crappy office, getting paid in chickens?"

"I think Theo would let us work out of here, to start", Foggy said.

"At least we'd have a place to sell the chickens", Matt joked, making everyone laugh.

"So what do you think?" Foggy asked.

"Why the hell not?" Matt said.

Everyone raised their glasses as Matt toasted, "To Nelson, Murdock & Page."

"Page, Murdock & Nelson", Karen joked and laughed.

"Hang on a minute", Foggy said.

"That actually sounds better", Frank said.

"Yeah", Matt agreed, "It actually has a nice ring to it."

"Poor Foggy", Roy joked, making everyone laughed.

That moment, they saw a man and a woman wearing caps walking to them. They took chairs and sat down with them. They took off their caps, revealing themselves to be Bucky Barnes and Natasha Romanoff.

"Captain", Matt said to Bucky before turning to Natasha, "Miss Romanoff."

"Mr. Murdock", both acknowledged simultaneously.

"So what are you both doing here?" Frank asked.

"I guess they want to experience the joys of alcohol", Jessica commented.

"Actually", Bucky said, "We are here to make a proposal."

"What kind of proposal?" Luke asked.

"Would you all like to join the Avengers?" Natasha asked, "It would be good."

"Well", Matt said, "I am figuring out my life right now. And I need to help the neighborhood right now."

"I drink, investigate and sleep", Jessica said, "So no thanks."

"I have to run a nightclub", Luke said.

"I'll think about it", Colleen said.

"I work better alone", Frank said.

"So I guess all are nos", Bucky commented, "No problem."

"Yeah, but if you need us", Matt said, "We will help."

"Good to know", Natasha said.

"Captain Barnes", Oliver said, attracting his attention, "Do you still have that man with the shield and the woman with the silencing device as your captives?"

"Yes", Bucky said, "Why?"

"I have no idea how to explain this", Roy said.

"Let's just say the Multiverse theory is true", Oliver said to them.

"You mean the one that says there are many Earths?" Natasha asked.

"Yes", Slade said, "Seriously."

"So what does that have to do with them?" Bucky asked.

"They are from our world", Oliver said, "They worked for a crime-lord. I think I would need them to come with me and confess to anything he did so the required people can be put in prison."

"Sounds fair", Natasha said.

"Will do", Bucky said, "And if we need you, we will call."

The two then got up and walked off.

"You know?" Oliver said to Matt, "Thanksgiving is close. You want to come with us to our Earth?"

"To celebrate?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, well", Oliver said, "Last year, me and Barry agreed that we all should hang out even if there are no world-ending threats. So we decided Thanksgiving would be a good time. You all can come."

"We will", Matt said, "Would be good."

Two days later.

Ray's eyes opened. He put his hand to his forehead and felt a bandage there.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine", Matt said.

"You're lucky to be alive", Oliver said.

Ray adjusted his eyes and then saw the two standing there.

"You both?" he asked.

"Yeah", Matt said.

"What happened?" Ray asked.

"Well, when you didn't reach the safehouse, Seema told Brett", Oliver explained, "Brett told Foggy, who told us. We all together figured out where you'd have gone. So I quickly went there and saved you."

"Thank you", Ray said gratefully.

"You saved our friends", Matt said, "Consider it repayment."

"So what's gonna happen now?" Ray asked.

"Well", Matt said, "Your dying declaration worked. So most of the agents are in jail. Including Hattley. And-"

"And what?" Ray asked.

"Well", Oliver said, "It's good news for you."

"What?" Ray asked again.

"Due to public demand", Matt said, "You have been promoted to head of FBI as soon as you're released from the hospital."

"Don't tell me", Ray said, unable to believe the news.

There was a silence after which Ray said gratefully, "I can't thank you all enough for what you did for me and my family. But I will try my best to right all my wrongs by heading the FBI."

"Good", Matt said as he and Oliver started walking away, "There's someone here to see you."

The two walked out as Seema and Sami walked in. The family's happy, tearful reunion nearly brought happy tears into Matt's and Oliver's eyes.

So one more chapter now and it is done.

Please review. I always appreciate your feedback.