A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing so far!

I'm going on holiday in a few hours, and I will be away until the 24th August (seaside and Rome are waiting for me :)), so I think chapter 12 will be online on 25th or 26th, I have no idea if it is a monday/tuesday but I'll do that anyway… so… for the ones going on holiday, have fun and… see you soon!

PS: As usual, I don't eat people who write reviews. :)

PPS: Thank you so much InsertImaginativeNameHere :)

Chapter 11: Foggy Nelson, avocado at law.

Once the decision was made, little time had passed before they had all got into Claire's car, on the road to New York.

None of them had any baggage, even if Claire had taken some medicines and the thermometer with her. Both insisted on making Matt lay down on the back seat, with ice on his forehead, hoping that would help keep his fever under control.

Foggy was glad to see him falling asleep, eventually. It would not be a long trip, but he had seen first-hand how harsh Stick could be and he was sure Matt would need all the strength he could pick up to survive his mentor's anger.

-Is he sleeping?- Claire asked

-Yes.- Foggy was trying to speak as low as possible in order to not disturb his friend, but he wished he could shout or punch or whatever would help him to feel better. He was nervous and when he got nervous he usually also got very noisy, in a very annoying way. Now, all he could do to take it out was to tap repeatedly the floor of the car with his heel.

-Are you ok?- Foggy didn't respond, biting his lips to force himself to be quiet. It wasn't the right time to ask him if he was ok. He jumped when he felt Claire's hand taking his, in a sympathetic gesture. He looked at her and saw a sad smile. -I know. I'm scared too-

-He's not going to survive all this. You know that?- he managed to whisper, his hands closed in fist. He was fighting to hold back his tears.

-He is strong, Foggy. I know he isn't in the best shape, but he is strong-

-I'm not worried about his body. Stick is going to make him kill someone to punish him. And that son of a bitch is going to use us to force him to obey.-

-You can't know that. Maybe… maybe he is just going to beat him…-

-... to death. That's not better- his words sounded more bitter that he had intended. With that he threw his tears away, repressing his sobbing.

Suddenly Claire stopped the car and opened the door. She walked all around the vehicle and reached for his too, inviting him to get out with a resolute movement of her hand. He obeyed and she locked it with his friend still inside, windows closed to protect him from the cold.

-Foggy- she begged taking his hands -Please. Stay strong. Cry now if you have to, but Matt needs us. He needs you. Now more than ever-

-I… I can't do that, Claire. I… just… he is the stronger one. He always has been. I'm just supposed to be… the funny one-

-I know Foggy. I know, trust me. But I also know how important you are to him. He can't survive this if you aren't there to give him the strength he needs. He was with him for a month without you, and you've seen the results, and trust me, you didn't see the worst part of it. So, please. I am begging you. Do whatever you need to calm down, then be Matt's Daredevil-

Foggy held her hands tight, then tried to find something to say, to convince her he wasn't that kind of man. He wasn't strong, and he certainly wasn't a man without fear. He hadn't kept Karen safe and he was taking his best friend right into the hands of a man who could tear his soul apart for good this time, who could kill the angel inside Matt leaving only the devil in charge, and he couldn't do a damn thing to stop all this. -Foggy- Claire insisted - You can do this. You have to try, at least. Matt's worth a try.-

She was right. Matt had done so much for him since the day they met. He had made of him the lawyer he had become. He had deserted him once, there would be not a second time.

Finally, he nodded.

-I'm sorry, Claire. Thank you-

She smiled again, patting his cheek. Foggy could fully understand now why Matt had fallen in love with her. She was strong and resolute, but at the same time sweet, and absolutely beautiful. She reminded him of that greek girl, Elektra, but while at that time he could feel something wrong, Claire was pure light, as if she were the other side of the coin.

-Are you ok?- she asked softly.

-I will be. Let's go. Matt is going to freak out if he wakes up and discovers we have stopped-

-We are still stopping. We all need to eat something, including Matt-

It took them 5 hours to cover the 212 miles that separated Boston from Hell's Kitchen, one and half hours more than the time estimated by the GPS on their smartphone, but Claire and Foggy had taken any chance to stop and gain some time for Matt. Soon they had to replace the ice with Claire's spare t-shirt. That meant that the had to stop a lot of times to soak it in order to keep his forehead fresh.

The blind guy had slept for most of the trip, waking up only to eat and drink, basically. He had told them to not stop so frequently because of him, but they had simply ignored him.

-Where should I go?- Claire asked Foggy the moment they entered finally in Hell's Kitchen

-My… my place- A still half-asleep Matt answered her, putting himself in a sitting position. -I… have to change my clothes… we have to… leave Claire-

-No way, Matt! I'm com…-

-This time he's right, Claire. We can't put you in danger, plus, we are going to need you-

The nurse sighed, and Foggy knew they had won this time. She drove to Matt's apartment and they let Matt have a shower.

Foggy hugged her one more time.

-Thank you, Claire. For everything.-

-Keep an eye on him, please. And if you need help, find a way to call me, ok?-

-I will. You stay out of trouble, ok?-

-That's why I left- she smiled at him.

She didn't want to leave them like this. She had wanted to go with them and stay with Matt, to make sure he would keep taking his medication and that there would be someone (her) able to stitch him up.

Stop lying to yourself. You just want to stay with him because you feel something for him!

She silenced her inner voice the moment Matt came out from his bedroom. He was wearing again his black suit, and the contrast with the dark outfit was making him appear even paler than he already was.

-I arranged my bed for you, and I left some money so you can buy some food-

She hugged him too, and she felt his arms around her chest holding her tight, his face against her head. She allowed herself to rest hers against his torso for a while, listening to his heart. She barely noticed Foggy had left the house, leaving them alone. -Thanks, Claire-

-Promise you won't get yourself killed, Matt-

-I'll try. I promise.-

And he meant it, with all his heart.

-I'll be there for you, ok? You just have to call me-

Her arms were soft, strong and warm at the same time, and he felt he wasn't ready to leave, yet. But he had to think about Karen, too, and as long as time passed, the more the probability of Stick's finishing his patience rose. Matt forced himself to let her go.

-You can stay here as long as you want- he said -but I don't blame you if you want to go back to Boston-

His words made her take the craziest (and possibly worst) decision she had ever made in her life. She said it out loud before her brain could elaborate it and try to talk some sense into her.

-I am not leaving you, Matt. As soon as possible you buy a phone and text me where you are. Understood?-

-It's too dangero…-

-Shut up, Little Horn. You'd better do that, or I swear I will offer myself to this Stick as an hostage-

Ok, maybe that one was the worst idea of her life.

Her heart was steady. God, she wasn't lying about that. He sighed and heard her smile. She knew she had won that battle. He held her again.

-I am not going to put you in danger- he answered. Her heartbeat changed, so he tried to negotiate to prevent her objection -I'll let you know if I am all right, but I don't want you in the firing line. I know I can't stop Foggy, probably I don't want to either…but you...-

-Matt. I'm begging you… I don't care what you have to do, but don't cut me out, please.-

Only God knew how much he had wanted to kiss her in that moment. Instead, he released her from his embrace.

-I… have to go now-

He heard the air moving, making him perceive her small nod. She took his hand and placed something in it. He could feel the plastic and the typical form of a blister pack.

-Take them- she ordered, and her tone made him smile. To him it was funny to hear it: a small, innocent pretty girl giving order to Daredevil. He didn't reply to that. Medicine and the world on fire weren't exactly best friends, and his head was the ring of their fight. -Matt. I am serious-

-I know, Claire. I'll take them when Stick lets me rest, ok?-

Definitely not ok to her, he felt it, but she sighed and nodded.

-It's still better than a no, I guess-

Matt understood her concern, he truly could. He had felt the same way every time Foggy had got sick, but he couldn't take medicine before going out on a mission. He wasn't even really sure his mind would be clear if he had taken drugs after the mission and then slept all the day long, but she was right: he had to take fever low somehow. He had to take that risk.

He smiled, again, making his best puppy-eyes for her to make her laugh...and punch him on his arm, then made his way to the door.

Foggy was waiting for him on the sidewalk, and Matt could feel his disappointment. He was going to say something and the blind guy was afraid to know what...

-No good-bye sex?- Exactly. He wasn't in the mood for that. Now now. Not when he really was regretting to not have kissed her.

-Shut up and lead the way-

Karen jumped awake when she heard Matt and Foggy's voices. She didn't know exactly how much time had passed since the last time she heard the blond speaking to her, but after the phone call they let her go to the bathroom and didn't tie her up again, which was a great improvement.

The cell was so small she couldn't do much more, anyway, but at least she could find a better position to lay on that damn bed and have some real rest.

You were dreaming, Karen. She told herself, but the surge of adrenaline had threw away the sleep completely. Then she heard that again:

-Stick, I'm here. Leave Karen and Foggy alone-

Matt. No.

But what really scared her to death was the sudden noise that followed his friend's voice, like if something had been smashed against the window. Than came Foggy's voice, loud, and terrified.

-MATT!-

God bless dumpsters and whoever had invented them.

Matt had never been so happy to have his mouth and nose overwhelmed by the stink of the trash who had just softened his fall from the second floor of that damn building.

He had just discovered that his body needed some time to work off paracetamol. A lot of it, actually.

He didn't hear Stick's kick until it had hit his chest and, a second later, his back was smashing the window. The lawyer had just the time to hear Foggy shout and let a scream out of his mouth before the harsh landing. Stick had literally thrown him outside the building.

If this was the prologue, that could be his last day on this Earth.

A tumble next to him and the rising of the smell told him Stick had just land… A second cry from Foggy and he found himself hitting the asphalt. He cried when broken glass coming from the window got their way more deep into his skin and muscles.

-Matty!-

His best friend voice coming from the now opened window covered Stick's steps toward him, and he found himself rolling and then falling on the asphalt after one more kick. He was too slow, too weak. He couldn't fight. He let Stick give him one of the greatest beatings of his life.

-Matt! Matty! Come on, Wake up-

Foggy. Pain.

There was a war inside in head. He wanted to open his eyes, reassuring his friends he was ok, in pain but, still ok. He had gone through worse. His back was begging him to fall back into the oblivion of the unconsciousness. There was so much pain.

-Matty…-

His best friend was kind of freaking out, so he forced himself to open his eyes. To him it was useless, but he knew that could be helpful to Foggy. To him, nothing had changed. The world on fire was a chaos of pain, fever and fear. He could feel pieces of glass into his back, the sorrow coming from them so high it shielded everything else.

-Matt?- there was a hand caressing his hair. That was the first thing he noticed. He knew that hand and, even if it wasn't the hand of a young nurse capable of calm him down only with her presence, he still was relieved to recognize Karen. He started from that contact to regain control of his mind and body.

All his muscles were tensed; he forced them to relax, and, when he managed to do that, pain began to mitigate, leaving him sweat and tired as if he had got hit by a truck. He couldn't get a clear image of what was around them. He could hear no one else beside them was in the room. There were other heartbeats, many of them, but they were far away. Everything else was confused, and he didn't even try to process all the info his senses were providing to him. He was to tired and probably he wouldn't find anything useful. He focused on the basic.

He was lying with his belly on the floor, and someone had covered him with a blanket or a jacket. Foggy's heartbeat was at his left, while Karen on the opposite side.

-Are you with us, buddy?-

-Yeah.- he tried to lift beyond the pain, but Foggy's hand forced him to stay down, pushing him gently to the ground. He hissed in pain. The pressure disappeared instantaneously.

-Sorry, man- his friend apologized -But you'd better hold down... And still-

- It... Hurts- he tried to speak, but every breath felt like if someone were playing darts using his back as a bull's eye, and speaking was nearly impossible. He tried to focus on the agony's hot spots. God. They totally resembled like big darts, or some kind of blades. He raised a hand, trying to reach for the one he felt in his shoulder, pain spreading in all his body.

-No, no, no. Matt. Still. Hold still. Matty. Please.- his hand was forced by Foggy's to go back to its place, away from its aim.

-What...- first... - In...- second...- Back?- and the third dart hit his bull's back. -What...- a second player joined the first. -happened?-...two -Where...- three.

-Matt. Please. Stop... Stop talking- Karen's voice was shaking, all he could hear from her were panic and concern.

-Stick threw you out of the window- Foggy's seemed to be quite calm, but if he focused, he could hear his heartbeat clipping along. -then jumped after you... And...God. I thought you were dead. He kept hitting you, but you weren't fighting him back... You have glass in your back, so please. Hold still.-

Foggy was probably right, but he couldn't stay with those things inside.

-Take... out...pl...- he could feel the third dart. Everything was black and oblivion again.

Take them out? That Murdock should have taken a bad kick on his head. How in the hell were they suppose to treat those kind of injuries without…. well anything.

Foggy was glad had lost his senses, hear his attempt to talk had been a real agony. He looked at Karen without leaving Matt's hand.

-He needs help- she said shyly, perfectly knowing she was pointing out the obvious, but, seriously, what else could she say or do, except killing him (or them) for not telling her the truth since from the beginning?

-I know. I know, Karen- His voice came out low and exhausted, but, still, they had to do something.

Be Matt's Daredevil. Claire's words echoed in his head. He was almost wetting his pants with fear, but an idea had just come into his mind, and he decided to move on with that before his brain could turn on. -Karen. Stay with him and whatever happens, protect him. Promise me-

-What?- But he wasn't listening to her anymore, he hadn't even waited for her to answer. He stood and started punching the door with both his hands, crying Stick's name at the same time. Eventually, after a while, the man opened the door. Foggy knew he was blind, since birth, not like Matt, but he could swear that freaking man was staring at him, his face… well he had never seen him before with a different expression. He was angry, and all in his posture had the aim to making people feel uncomfortable (and reaching it, for the record). The man was standing right in front of him, silent, as still as a statue.

It's just a tirade. You can do that. And Foggy Nelson, avocado at law, started talking. And it was just like the first time he went to Landman and Zack for Mrs. Cardenas. It was perfect, and amazing. Words simply made their way straight from his brain to his mouth without hesitating or taking wrong roads in their journey.

-Now, listen to me. I can't even imagine how in the Hell's name you could do that such a thing. Beating him is terrible, but if I make a big effort I can almost understand it. But you threw him out of a fucking window. This is insane. Now, you can have a charge for attempted murder and kidnapping, or you can listen to me and make a deal-

Or you can just dismiss me in the same way and let me die in that dumpster. He finished the line in his mind.

He looked at the man, the dread long gone. He waited.

-You really are a pain in the ass- Stick eventually fumed -What do you want?-

-Two weeks for Matt to recover. To be treated properly. And Karen will stay with him- Foggy didn't hesitate -I will stay here as a warranty-

-One week-

-He has fucking glass in all his back!-

-One week or he stays here and you will watch him die in front of you. And when he comes back, I'll punish him again. That's the deal.-

-When he comes back- Foggy bargained over -You'll beat me instead of him-

Stick didn't reply in a short time. He was considering the proposal. Eventually, he arrived at the conclusion that Foggy had hoped he would reach: it might be a worse punishment for Matt hearing his best friend being beaten than be the victim.

-Deal- Stick left the room and the lawyer heard him call for his ninja guys and tell them to prepare Matt's transfer.

Foggy turned toward Karen. She was looking him as if he had gone mad, but he ignored her gaze and her attempt to say something. He cut her off even before words could came out of her already open mouth. They didn't have so much time, and he wanted say all he could.

-Karen. Take him to his place, ok? And promise me you will stay with him.-

-He needs a hosp…-

-Karen. Trust me ok? I know you don't right now, but I need to know you'll do as I say. For Matt-

She was still looking at him, then her gaze shifted to their friend's back. The skin visible through the cuts in his shirt was turning red, and Matt's breath was accompanied by low but frequent unconscious moans of sorrow. Finally, she nodded, the moment the ninjas came in.

She was forced to stand and exit the room, the warriors with Matt followed suits, leaving him alone.

He sighed in relief.

I did it, Claire. He thought. Now it's up to you.

Only after a while he realized he had just offered himself as a hostage for an entire week while Matt and Karen would go home and get him back on his feet.

Oh well, the deal was already made by now.

He just hoped they would feed him properly.

Thanks for reading!