Matt had hoped that he hadn't woken Charlotte up and he hadn't. She was still sleeping when he got back home. He ached, his entire body covered in bruises. He was amazed that was as bad as it was. The guys he had fought had been skilled and much more than an average crook. Matt had done what he'd had to do, but he hadn't killed anyone. He'd broken some bones and had left bruises on the other guys. Karen had gone back to the apartment for a memory stick that no doubt contained files that outed Union Allied.
He had taken it for himself and had left it, along with one of the assassins, to the New York Bulletin offices. Everyone would know about Union Allied Constructions corruption and Karen would be free. The scandal would be front page news. Matt wasn't entirely certain if Charlotte's ex-husband was involved in Union Allied, but he wouldn't be surprised. There were things going on that Matt didn't entirely know, but what he did know was that Jonathan was into something deep.
Coming back into the apartment, Matt took hold of his side and limped forwards. He locked the door behind him, well aware that Karen wasn't going to be coming back. She was going to be safe, wherever she went, but a part of him hoped that she might show up at Nelson and Murdock the following day just so that he could check she was fine. Matt moved quietly through the apartment, standing at the bedroom door that was still ajar.
He heard Charlotte's soft breathing and he skulked into the bathroom. He had to get out of his wet clothes. He stripped out of them and finished getting dressed into his grey tee and loose blue shorts that he wore to bed. Towel drying his hair, he heard something from the living room. Frowning, he dropped the towel back onto the rack and headed out to the living room.
"Lottie?" he questioned.
"I didn't mean to fall asleep," Charlotte muttered from the kitchen.
She was pouring a glass of water. Her footsteps grew louder as she walked on over to Matt. He shook his head and met her in the middle of the living room. Holding his hand out, she took hold of it as her other hand moved to cup his cheek gently.
"Are you hurt?" she asked him.
"Just some bruises…nothing I can't handle," Matt assured her and Charlotte shook her head, hand slipping down his cheek to his neck and resting against his chest. "I didn't want to wake you."
"I wish you did," Charlotte retorted. "I tried to stay awake for as long as I could."
"I told you I didn't want you to come with me," he responded. "Anyway, it's all sorted. There were assassins waiting for Karen and a memory stick she went for. It contained all the information…and it's now at the New York Bulletin."
Charlotte's brows arched. "You're going public?" she checked with him.
"We're going public," Matt said with a firm nod of his head. "That means the charges against Karen will be dropped. She will be free and, more importantly, she'll be safe."
Nodding her head, Charlotte was glad for that. She had spoken to Karen for a brief moment, but she could tell that she was no killer and didn't deserve what had happened to her. Matt headed over to the sofa and sat down on the sofa. Charlotte watched him wince slightly and she went to kneel down by the side of the sofa, peering up at him.
"Matty, let me check that you're okay…please?" she urged from him.
"You want to play nurse?" He asked and his lips quirked up slightly at the sides at hearing her. She swatted him on the thigh gently and Matt chuckled. "I'm not opposed to you being my nurse."
"Yeah?" she asked from him. "Well, I am, so please can you stop getting yourself injured?"
She helped Matt peel his shirt over his head and Charlotte looked over his pale skin, drinking in some of the bruises and then spotting some of the cuts there. He had washed them in the shower, but Charlotte sighed at the sight of them. Tilting his head back on the sofa, he let his sightless gaze settle on the ceiling.
"That bad, huh?" he asked from her when he heard her sigh.
"Matty," she whispered his name gently and Matt felt a lurch in his stomach at her tone.
"Lottie, I'm alright," he promised her. "They're worse than they look, trust me."
"Either way, I'm getting a plaster for one of the cuts…it seems to be bleeding again," Charlotte told him and she stood up, holding onto his thighs to help her push herself to her feet. Matt listened to her rummage around the bathroom and in the medicine kit until she came back out. She sat down next to him on the side of the sofa.
"This might sting," she warned him.
She took a wipe out and ran it over the cut on his stomach. He inhaled sharply for a moment and Charlotte looked at his face.
"You okay?" she checked.
"Fine," Matt promised her.
She hummed a grunt and continued to rub at the wound gently, cleaning it as best as she could. She tossed the wipe onto the coffee table when she was finished and then took a plaster from the packet. Opening it up, she rested it on his skin, making sure it was secure. Matt tried not to let himself get carried away at the feeling of her hands on his bare stomach or the way she was leaning down, her warm breath hitting his chest. Matt moved a hand to rest on top of hers just by his plaster.
"I meant what I said earlier," Matt told her and Charlotte looked up to him and she glanced into his eyes that were unknowingly flitting around her face. Matt swallowed hard and Charlotte wondered just what was going on in his mind. There were times when he seemed like an open book and then there were times when Charlotte wondered what he was thinking. A part of her, she supposed, didn't entirely understand why he would want to spend the rest of his life with her. She knew he did, but after being told so many times that he would never want her, she had started to believe that.
"You don't need to jump into anything, Matt," Charlotte assured him.
He frowned. "Are you saying you wouldn't want to marry me?"
"That's not what I'm saying," she said, quickly shaking her head as Matt slipped his fingers inside of hers, holding onto them loosely. "I just…I am just saying that I don't want you to do anything hastily or say something you might regret."
"You think I'd regret wanting to spend the rest of my life with you?" Matt checked with her and she exhaled a sharp breath once more. Shrugging her shoulders, she wasn't sure what to say on that point. She knew that he wouldn't, but there was still doubt in her and she knew where that came from. And so did Matt. "Lottie, I told you I loved you."
"I know," Charlotte said to him and squeezed his hand. "And I know that this isn't what you want to deal with right now because…honestly…I'm feeling better…but there's something inside of me…this little voice…that tells me that this can't last. It tells me that I'm not destined to be happy. It tells me that no one can love me, not really. And that's what happened when I was with Jonathan. I spent years being told that. I spent years thinking I would never be good enough and I know that you're going to tell me he was wrong. You're going to tell me that what he said was bullshit…and I know that. Logically, I know. I want to get married to you. I want to live with you for the rest of my life. I want all of that. I just want that voice to go away."
Matt wished that he could see her. He wished that he could see what she looked like and that he could take that pain away. Instead, all he could do was lean forwards and wrap his arms around her. He drew her against him, feeling her awkwardly shift over his lap. His hand cupped the back of her head and she rested her cheek against his shoulder.
"I didn't mean to feel like I was pressuring you into anything," Matt assured her.
"I know you're not," she promised him and kissed him on his naked shoulder. "And I do want to marry you. I just think…maybe there are some things I need to do first. Maybe I need to talk to someone…"
"A therapist?" Matt checked with her.
"Maybe," Charlotte simply said with a nod.
She wasn't sure if she wanted to, but she wondered if it would help. She wanted to feel normal. She wanted to enjoy her relationship with Matt.
"You know, you're stronger than you think," Matt said to her. "What happened with Jonathan would break anyone. You…the strength you had to leave him and walk away…never underestimate that and never underestimate yourself. If you want to talk to someone…then you should. You should do whatever you feel you need to do and know that I will support you unconditionally, no matter what."
Charlotte nodded her head thoughtfully and moved a hand to run along Matt's arm, stroking it softly as she remained perched in his lap, trying not to think about how she was nestled against his naked chest. Closing her eyes for a moment, there was a rare second of peace that she let take hold of her. She bit down on her bottom lip and knew that she wanted to try. She wanted to talk to a therapist.
"Thank you," she said.
"You never need to thank me," Matt retorted, shaking his head and dropping his lips down to press a kiss against her crown. "It's all going to turn out fine, I promise."
"I hope so," Charlotte said. She wasn't entirely sure, but she hoped it would. "Anyway, you need to get to bed and get some sleep. I'll run out a grab a copy of the paper in the morning and see what damage has been done."
"Might just let you do that."
….
Charlotte had done as she'd said. She had picked up a copy of the morning newspaper that had exposed Union Allied Construction as a corrupt organisation acting as a façade for illegal activities. Charlotte had suspected that her husband knew all about it. He was involved with some dangerous characters and had been giving out favourable contracts to help rebuild Hell's Kitchen from what she could tell. She didn't know who the mastermind in charge of everything was, but the man who had come to her that time was definitely involved and she knew that much.
"I have to go to work," Charlotte said to Matt after she had finished reading the article out to him. "No doubt I have some shipping to do this morning after the event last night. What time will you be back tonight?"
"I'm not sure," Matt replied. "We both know that this Union Allied business is just the tip of the iceberg. There's been trafficking…money laundering…there's something going on in Hell's Kitchen and I know that you would prefer for me not to get involved, but I have to. I have to find out how deep this thing goes."
Charlotte sighed and climbed out of bed. Matt was sat up, newspaper open to the side of him. His hair was mussed up and he was wearing his grey Columbia Law School tee, but the slogan was slightly faded. Charlotte looked to him before she reached for a bobble from her bedside table and tied her hair into a ponytail.
"I know that you're not going to stop this and I…I can't say I'm okay with it, but I know who you are," Charlotte said. "I just don't want to see you hurt. I'm worried about how deep this all goes and that guy who threatened me…I mean, I suspect he might be involved. Let's be honest here, Jonathan is likely to be involved too."
"I'm not sure how deep your ex is involved. I think he might just be a pawn," Matt said to her. "A useful pawn, but a pawn nonetheless. Either way, no one will find out it's me looking into this and no one will ever link you to any of this. I promise you, Lottie, I'll always find a way to keep you safe. Nothing will ever hurt you."
"You can't make promises like that, Matt," Charlotte replied. "Just…call me, okay? Please? I don't like the idea of sitting up late at night and worrying where you are."
"I promise I'll call you," Matt assured her and she simply nodded her head.
Before she could move for the bathroom, Matt reached over the side of the bed, his fingers wrapping around her wrist and hauling her back onto the bed until her head was in his lap and he had an arm securely around her waist. She laughed loudly as Matt bent down to kiss her, his lips pressing against hers tenderly. Charlotte moved a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently before she tried to sit up and escape his grip, but he hauled her back against him.
"Matty, I need to go to work," she laughed at him.
"You can be ten minutes late," he promised her. "Just ten minutes."
"No, I can't," she responded. "I'm not the boss of my own company."
"But you do know a good lawyer who could get you out of any trouble," he reminded her. "So I must insist, Ms Daniels, that you stay here with your boyfriend for ten minutes."
Charlotte continued giggling as she slipped around, straddling his lap and kissing him happily.
…
Finishing work early, Charlotte had intended on grabbing some groceries and returning home. Matt had told her that he was going to work late and then head to the gym before going out that night. Charlotte had just told him to keep her updated, but she doubted she'd get any sleep before he came home. She wondered just how long this new routine of theirs was going to go on for. She hoped not long. She hoped that whatever was going on in Hell's Kitchen, Matt could figure it out sooner rather than later.
Charlotte wandered along the aisles of the grocery store, filling her basket with fresh fruit and vegetables, but adding in a few bags of chips and dips. She paid for the food and dropped them into her tote bag before leaving the store. She walked back to the apartment and unpacked everything, adding groceries into the fridge and cleaning out food that had gone out of date. It had only just gone six and she doubted Matt had left work just yet.
Charlotte didn't want to sit in and so she found herself wandering the streets of Hell's Kitchen. She wasn't entirely sure how she found herself back at Clinton Church, but she ended up there. She moved down the aisle and sat near the front of the church. It was empty except for one nun mopping the floor by the altar. Charlotte looked up to the statue of the Virgin Mary and she remembered all of the times they'd prayed in church while in the orphanage.
"You know, you have a habit of coming here when we're trying to clean."
Charlotte looked to the side and saw Father Lantom moving towards her. She smiled to him and he returned it. He was carrying two mugs in his hands and he sat down on the pew besides her. He handed her the cup of coffee and Charlotte accepted it gratefully.
"Sorry," she said to him.
"You don't need to apologise. Our doors are always open, you know that," Lantom said to her and Charlotte let her hands wrap around the mug, keeping her fingertips warm.
"I just don't know if I'm welcome through them after everything I've done," Charlotte confessed to him and Lantom observed her, noticing how she looked straight ahead and towards the altar. Lantom's lips arched for a moment and he watched her intently.
"You know, I remember you driving Sister Dora mad whenever you played that song…that Billy Joel one?" he asked her.
"Only the Good Die Young?" she checked with him.
"That's the one," he confirmed. "You know how the church complained about that song, but you never cared. You always did enjoy testing the nun's patience. Trust me, we always knew you were going to be a handful, but I don't think faith is that simple. I don't think things are always black and white."
"No, but there are some things that you just don't do, aren't there?" Charlotte checked with him.
"Well, there are some things that shouldn't be done, but we both know that the Lord forgives and that humans aren't always able to do things that they should. That doesn't make them bad people…and you…I can sit here and play ignorant, Charlotte, but I know what's been in the news."
"I should've done more sooner," Charlotte whispered and Lantom watched her close her eyes tightly. "He got away with hurting those girls and I don't know how to change that because the corruption in this city runs so deep…but maybe if I'd have spoken up sooner…left him…then maybe those girls would've been safe."
"You can't blame yourself for the actions of others," Lantom replied.
"Perhaps not, but I do," Charlotte said. "I blame myself and maybe I don't deserve to be happy because of that? Maybe I'm a coward, just like Jonathan said I was?"
"You know what I see when I look at you?" Lantom wondered from her and she took a sip of her coffee. "I see a woman who was brave enough to leave her powerful husband and that's no coward. You're no coward, Charlotte, and you do deserve to be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy."
"Even people who have sinned?"
"Everyone is capable of being granted forgiveness and, as far as I can tell, you're not a bad person."
"I am," Charlotte said and he saw the tears forming in her eyes. Charlotte wondered why she'd come here. What was it about the Church that made her open up? She guessed it was her childhood. She guessed it was the fact that she'd grown up around nuns who had told her that this was the one place where she could tell the truth and her secrets would be safe. "I…I just didn't know what to do, Father. I didn't know who to turn to and I was so scared because if he'd found out then I didn't know what he would do to me. I didn't know if he'd hurt me…and I couldn't…I couldn't bring another life into that environment. I couldn't do it because I was so scared."
He understood then what she was saying to him. Nodding his head once, he placed his cup down on the floor by his feet. "I see," he said to her with a nod of his head.
"And I know what the Vatican says. I know that abortion is considered an abominable crime, but I…I spent so many nights with Jonathan…laying there…being raped…and I just couldn't let a child be brought into that world. I couldn't see a way out. I couldn't see how I could escape him and I was scared. I was scared to have his baby."
"I know what the church teaches," Father Lantom assured her. "I know what the Vatican says as well…but I also know that things are not always as simple as they think. I know that and I can see that what you did is causing you pain."
"I think about it every day," Charlotte said. "I think about whether it would have been a boy or a girl. I think about how I laid there…by myself…and just cried for my unborn baby because I couldn't be a good mother. I couldn't look after that baby. I couldn't protect it."
"I don't think that makes you a bad person," Lantom said to her. "I think you've been through more than enough in your short life and you don't deserve to be punished for it for the rest of your life. You deserve to be able to move on and I think you should be able to do that."
Charlotte wiped her eyes and placed her mug down on the pew besides her. She sniffed and folded her arms over her lap. She leant forwards and Lantom observed her as her hair fell into her face. She inhaled a sharp breath and tried to calm herself down. "You know, I told Matt that I was going to see a therapist?" she said to him. "I guess maybe this counts, right?"
Lantom chuckled. "I don't claim to be a professional therapist, but I am able to listen to you in confidence and offer you some advice…not that it will always be helpful, but I can but try," he said to her and he saw her lips arch at that and he felt his chest ache for the girl. "And I take it you're talking about Matt Murdock?"
"How did you guess?"
"The two of you were practically inseparable when you were here. We thought you might end up together. The nuns practically had to drag you two apart when you were teenagers," Lantom said and Charlotte laughed at that, remembering all of the talks she'd had about her virginity was a precious thing and she shouldn't give it away until she was married. She'd failed there again. "Are you back with Matt?"
"Well…kind of," Charlotte said. "We're dating and he…I guess I've always loved him and he says that he loves me too."
"I'm happy for both of you," Lantom said. "The two of you worked well together. You both deserve to be happy."
"I hope we can be, Father. I just hope we can be."
…
Charlotte had made dinner and there was still no sign of Matt. She was growing increasingly worried considering that the clock had gone eleven. He shouldn't be out this late. She reached for her cell and called him, but he didn't pick up. She tried several more times, pacing the apartment and raking her hands through her hair out of fear. She kept on trying to call him, but every time the call went to voicemail. She left two messages, but she figured he wasn't going to pick up. After her fifteenth call, someone did answer.
"Hello?" it was a woman's voice.
"Hello…who is this?" Charlotte asked. "Where's Matt?"
"That's his name?" the woman checked and Charlotte had to admit that she had no idea what was going on. "Listen, I don't know who this guy is but he's pretty banged and he's refusing to go to a hospital. I think he's been stabbed and I don't know what to do, but he…he's in and out of consciousness."
"Where is he?"
"Look, I don't know if you should be coming here-"
"-Please," Charlotte interrupted. "He's my boyfriend and I need to get him home if he's been injured. Please."
The woman seemed hesitant to tell her any further details and Charlotte could understand that. She'd found a bruised man and had taken him. Knowing Matt, he probably hadn't told her what was going on either. Charlotte waited patiently for her to reply.
"Please," Charlotte tried again.
The woman relented and gave her the address.
…
Charlotte climbed the staircase in the apartment block after catching a cab there. She ran up the steps until she was out of breath, cheeks puffing and red, heart racing and sweat beading on her forehead. She had slipped on a pair of white sneakers with her work outfit, not caring that she looked ridiculous in them with her thick, black tights and form fitting grey dress with her brown mac on top of it. She knocked on the door to reveal a woman stood there. She had dark hair and brown eyes with plump lips and defining cheekbones. She looked exhausted and was dressed in a white shirt that had blood splattering on it.
"You're Charlotte?" she checked.
"Yeah," Charlotte said with a nod. "How is he?"
"He's stable, but he had air in his chest that was collapsing his lung," she said and Charlotte moved into the apartment as the woman closed the door behind her. Charlotte saw him then. He was on the sofa in the living room, the cushion beneath him covered in blood. He was wearing his dark clothes but there was dried blood on his neck and his breathing seemed uneven. Charlotte collapsed to her knees next to him, her hands going to his arm and clinging onto him.
"Matty," she whispered his name and he turned his sightless gaze in her direction.
"Lottie," he whispered her name.
"What the hell happened? We need to get you to a hospital. Please."
"No," Matt said with a shake of his head. "It's too dangerous because that's where they'll be expecting me. I can't go there."
"You need medical attention," Charlotte said.
"Claire is a nurse," Matt said and Charlotte was about to ask who the hell Claire was, but she didn't get a chance. It was obvious when the woman spoke and Charlotte realised she'd been rude by not even asking Claire's name. "She's been taking good care of me."
"You saved him?" Charlotte checked, looking to Claire.
"I did what I had to," Claire said.
"Thank you," Charlotte said to her, voice grateful and shaky. She clung onto Matt's hand tightly and she looked back to him, fear rising in her stomach as to what he'd gotten involved with. "What happened, Matt?" she asked him and Matt knew that Claire knew his name now. He didn't want to drag her into this, but it looked like she was going to be involved somewhere down the line.
"That's what I keep trying to get out of him," Claire said.
Matt took a deep breath and Charlotte brushed his hair on the top of his head, trying to calm him considering that he still sounded out of breath.
"They kidnapped a boy," Matt said.
"Who did?" Claire asked from him.
"The Russians. They've been running a human trafficking ring in Hell's Kitchen since the Italians folded up. They pulled a kid out of a van and beat his father while he watched."
"Jesus," Claire whispered, standing back with her arms folded over her chest.
"I knew the kid would still be alive. At least until they took him out of the city. I tracked the Russians to a warehouse not far from here. Thought I was being smart how fast I found them, but it turns out I wasn't," Matt confessed and scratched his chin with his free hand as he found his other hand gripping Charlotte's tightly, his thumb running over her knuckles slowly as he heard her pulse race.
"They were waiting for you, weren't they?" Charlotte checked with him.
"I walked right into it," Matt confirmed.
"So they took this kid just to get to you?" Claire asked him.
"I've been making their lives difficult," Matt replied.
"But you're blind," Claire said.
"There's other ways to see."
"And this is what you do? You make life difficult for bad men?" she checked with him.
"And his girlfriend," Charlotte tacked on. "And he's not exactly the best at it."
"I'm already wounded, sweetheart, don't need to add insult to injury," Matt urged from Charlotte and she glared at him for a moment. "But we need to get going. I couldn't find the boy and I don't doubt that the men will come looking for me sometime soon and I shouldn't be here when they come knocking on doors."
"Right, well, I still think it's a hospital that you need and perhaps a psych evaluation too," Claire said and Matt's lips arched despite himself and he tried to force himself to sit up. Charlotte sat behind him, arm going around his waist and helping him to move. He grunted in pain and then she felt him stiffen in her grip. She looked to his face and saw that he was concentrating on something.
"They're here already, aren't they?" she checked with him, knowing that look on his face.
"They're going door-to-door and are already on the third floor. I can smell his cologne and cigarettes," Matt confirmed.
Claire's brow furrowed. "You can smell someone?"
"Trust me, you'll smell him soon. He loves that cologne," Matt said and Charlotte got him to his feet, arm still wrapped around him as he moved an arm over her shoulders, using her as a crutch. Charlotte suspected he'd got blood on her coat, but she didn't exactly care about that. "Is she looking at me like I'm mad?"
"I'd say that sums it up right," Charlotte confirmed with a nod.
"I'd say it's the appropriate way to look at him," Claire retorted.
"You're not wrong," Charlotte assured her on that point.
Matt hobbled into the kitchen with Charlotte holding him, hearing him grunt. He moved his arm from around her and reached for his mask from the side, slipping it onto the top of his head before opening a drawer and grabbing a knife. Charlotte's eyes widened and she shook her head. She stood in front of Matt before he could move to the door.
"Are you insane? You can barely stand up," Charlotte snapped at him.
"They're coming, Lottie," Matt said. "And you need to stay hidden. If they see who you are then they're going to link us together. You can't be seen."
"And you can't fight them."
"She's right," Claire said. "You think they're not going to recognise Senator Jonas' ex-wife? I recognised her within two minutes of seeing her. Both of you need to hide and I can get rid of him, okay?"
The bang on the door echoed in the apartment and Charlotte pushed at Matt's shoulders as he tried to move by her, but he soon relented. He just nodded once and Charlotte helped him move into the corner of the apartment. Standing by him, she felt him move an arm around her waist, clearly trying to protect her as she pressed her face to his neck, hoping that it would stop her from breathing hysterically.
"It's alright, sweetheart," Matt whispered to her as Claire spoke to the man on the other side of the door. He soon left after Claire said she hadn't heard anything and she shut the door. She flapped her arms by her side.
"Told you there was nothing to worry about," she said, "but boy you were right about that cologne. Does he dip himself in that crap?"
But Matt was already on the move, limping towards the door. "He didn't believe you," he said and any moment of respite Charlotte had longed for disappeared. Matt pulled the door open, grabbing a fire extinguisher on his way and hanging it over the railing of the flights of stairs. Charlotte followed him with Claire and watched as he dropped it, letting it hit the man on the way down.
"What do we do now?" Charlotte asked, peering over the railing and seeing the man in a heap on the floor.
"You need to go," Matt said to her. "Get out of here, Lottie."
"I'm not leaving you," Charlotte said forcefully.
"Well…in that case you're not going to like where this is going."
…
Matt had been right about that. Charlotte had helped carrying the Detective's body up to the roof and tie him up there, keeping him there. Charlotte had tried to get into his phone, but it was all smashed. Claire was on the rooftop with them and Charlotte wondered why she was still there. The Detective was still unconscious and Matt was talking with Claire, asking her why she was still there and helping them. Charlotte didn't get involved in that conversation. She just listened before she felt her phone begin to vibrate in her pocket. Pulling it from her coat, she looked at the caller ID and frowned. Jonathan.
She knew Matt would be able to hear her conversation and she was well aware he wouldn't want her to answer the call, but the intrigue was too much for her.
"Jonathan," she said, placing her phone to her ear.
"Charlotte, where are you?" Jonathan asked from her.
"I'm out," Charlotte replied. "Why? What do you want?"
"I…I just…I just don't know where to turn to. I don't know what to do," Jonathan said and his voice was shaking. Charlotte frowned, moving over the rooftop and standing by the edge, peering out over the lights of Hell's Kitchen. She wrapped an arm around her waist, trying to keep herself warm. "And I know that I have no right to ask anything of you, Lottie. I know that I don't…but I am doing. I just…I need you…please."
Charlotte's stomach flipped. She wasn't entirely certain what was going on, but she gathered it wasn't good.
"Jonathan, we're divorced. We're finished."
"Please…I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate," Jonathan said to her. "Please, baby. Please."
She suspected that he'd been drinking and she knew what he was like after he'd had a few drinks. She knew what he could be like. She was quiet until she felt a hand on her back. She looked up to see Matt's eyes flickering over her face. He shook his head once and Charlotte gripped the phone tighter in her fingertips.
"I can't, Jonathan," Charlotte said to him and she ended the call. She put her phone back in her pocket and glanced back to Matt. "I don't know what that was about," she whispered.
"Whatever it was, I don't want you near him," Matt said decisively to her. "You don't owe him anything."
"I know, but maybe…maybe he wants to do the right thing."
"Chances are that he's drunk and feeling some kind of regret. Give it another hour and he'll be back to his usual self," Matt assured her. "Lottie, trust me on this. Please, just trust me on this."
"I want to trust you, Matt. Of course, I want to trust you…but you…tonight…do you not see how close you've come to dying…I had to drive over her and I was so scared. I was so scared that things had gone too far and I just need you to get out of this mess. We can keep digging, but if we keep digging…if you end up dead because of it then what? What happens then? I can't lose you. And if Jonathan is willing to speak. If he's wavering then maybe this can end sooner rather than later. Maybe we can get out of this mess."
"He's not going to talk."
"And if he will?"
"But he won't."
"What is it?" Charlotte hissed at Matt, acutely aware that Claire was still there. "Do you enjoy getting beaten up? Is it good old Catholicism?"
"It's called trying to do the right thing," Matt said. "It's called trying to save this city and you know that. You know why I'm doing this and we've discussed this numerous times. We've talked about it. I'm not going to stop until I get answers and I know that's not what you want to hear, but I have to do this. I'm trying to do this and I'm trying to protect you. That's why I need you to go, Lottie. I need you to go home because if anyone sees you here then I don't know what will happen to you and you…you are my everything. Do you understand me?"
He took hold of her cheeks in his hands, thumbs tracing her cheekbones gently. Charlotte looked to his face, her eyes watering with tears.
"You are everything to me, Charlotte."
"And you're everything to me," Charlotte whispered back. "That's why it's killing me to see you like this."
"I know, sweetheart," he said. "But I just need you to go home. Please. Go home and I'll be there as soon as I'm done with him. Lottie…love…please."
And Charlotte relented. She nodded her head at him and he felt it under the touch of his palms. He bent down, kissing her tenderly for a moment before brushing his forehead against hers. "I love you," he whispered, warm breath hitting her cheek.
"I love you too," Charlotte replied. "Just hurry up and come home."
"I'm going to do my best," he said and he kissed her once more before letting her go.
…
Charlotte knew that Matt would kill her if he found out that she hadn't gone home. She'd walked to the nearest main street and had hailed a cab. She gave the address of her old home in Manhattan. Crawling along the streets lined with townhouses, Charlotte felt a strange sense of familiarity and apprehension. She paid the driver as soon as they were outside number one-two-five-six and she climbed up the stone steps to the white, wooden double door. Charlotte knocked twice and waited for security to open the door.
"Daniel," she greeted the man who was her husband's security detail. He went everywhere with them, but he was also conspicuously absent whenever Jonathan closed doors and raised his voice at her. "Is Jonathan in?"
"Wait here," Daniel said and Charlotte did as she was told.
She stood in the marble floor hallway, looking at the fresh flowers on the sideboard and the golden framed mirror that hung there. How many times had Charlotte checked her reflection, making sure her bruises were hidden, before they went out for an event? She then heard footsteps moving down the staircase and she saw Jonathan walking towards her with a glass of scotch in his fingertips. His shirt buttons were undone and his cuffs rolled up his forearms. Charlotte watched him, seeing how there were bags under his eyes and his face seemed thinner than usual, his chin covered in stubble.
"Charlotte," he whispered her name.
"You wanted to talk," she reminded him, tone terse. She wasn't going to be pleasant to him, but she was going to hear him out.
"Come upstairs," he urged from her and she walked by Daniel on the staircase, following her husband to one of the reception rooms after slipping her sneakers from her feet. She sunk into the plush beige carpets as she moved upstairs and walked to take a seat on the l-shaped sofa. She perched on the edge of it and Jonathan sat down on the other end of it. He sat back, sinking into the cushions and tossing his alcohol down his throat.
"What did you want to talk about?" Charlotte enquired from him. "You sounded distressed."
"I didn't think you'd come. I wasn't sure if he'd let you."
"If he'd let me?" Charlotte asked. "I don't need permission. Granted, he did warn me against coming and I don't think he'd be too happy to find me here."
"You're still with him then?" Jonathan checked.
"Yeah," Charlotte said with a nod. "We're still together."
Jonathan leant forwards and reached for the bottle of scotch. He refilled his glass and swirled the liquid in the glass. "And you're happy with him?"
"I am," Charlotte confirmed for him. She didn't entirely want to get into a long discussion about hers and Matt's relationship with her ex-husband. "Look, Jonathan, I don't think you phoned me to ask about my relationship with Matt. Why did you want me here?"
"Honestly…I…I probably shouldn't have called," Jonathan said. "They'd kill me if they found out that I asked you here and I…I don't want to see you hurt."
Charlotte bit her tongue. She wanted to ask him if he was being ironic. He was the one who had hurt her more than she could comprehend. She just sat there silently, waiting for him to say something. She checked the clock on the wall. It was now gone two in the morning. She was exhausted, but she guessed that she wasn't getting any sleep anytime soon.
"Whatever you're involved in, you can try to get out of it."
"I can't," Jonathan said with a firm shake of his head. "You don't get it, baby. You don't get that there is no getting out of this mess that I'm in. I'm stuck. I'm trapped. If I try to escape then he'll kill me. He's got his fingers in all of the pies and he won't stop until he runs this entire city. I can either help him or I can die going against him…but helping him…there's people who are onto me. There's do-gooders who are onto me."
"Doing what, Jonathan?" Charlotte asked from her husband. "Listen, I know that things are bad. I can see it in your face, but you…you've done things in the past that are indefensible and you won't apologise for them, but you can try to change. You can try to set things right and do the right thing. You have the ability to do that."
"You're not wearing the cross around your neck, baby. You don't need to preach to me," Jonathan said.
"You think I'm a good Catholic? I'm not. I know I'm not, but I know that people can try and do the right thing," Charlotte said. "And I think you called me because you want to do that. You want to do the right thing. I think you're desperate."
"I just…I just want it to end," Jonathan admitted to her. "But no one goes against Fisk. I'm not stupid enough to go against him."
"Who is Fisk?" Charlotte questioned.
"Someone you don't mess with," Jonathan replied.
"No one should be above the law, Jonathan. If you can take a stand…if you can try and get this to stop then other people might not get hurt. Please," Charlotte said, trying to plead with him. She stood up and moved to crouch down in front of her ex-husband, a hand going to his wrist to help her balance. "I know that things aren't great between us, Jonathan. I'm aware of that…but it doesn't need to be this way. We don't need to let things be like this. You can use your voice…you can stand up against them and there will be ways to protect you. I can help."
His eyes widened then as he watched her. The feeling of her hand on his wrist warmed his skin. He'd missed this. He'd missed her touch. He moved his hand to sit on top of hers and ran his hand down her arm, seeing the goosebumps on her bare skin form. Charlotte remained where she was, spine stiffening as she remained crouched down before him.
"I miss you," Jonathan said, breath warm as he leant forwards and whispered. He smelt of alcohol and sweat. "I miss you so much, baby."
"Jonathan, no-"
"-We were good together," he interrupted her. "When things were good then they were good. I loved you. I just wanted you to love me like you always loved him."
"I did love you, Jonathan," Charlotte promised him of that. "But you did things that no husband should do. You made my life a living hell. I was scared of you. I was scared of what mood I'd find you in. I was scared of how you'd react if I did something you thought was wrong. I should've left you a long time ago. I hate that it came to that, but it did. You gave me no other option."
Charlotte stood up then, sensing that this wasn't going to go the way she wanted it to. She wanted to leave. Jonathan placed his glass down onto the coffee table and followed her movements, standing up and watching her as she tugged her coat tight around her body.
"I need to go. If you don't want help then I won't help you, but you can try to make things right."
"You always were a sanctimonious little whore," Jonathan spat at her and she knew where this was going and she wasn't going to stick around for it. She just shook her head once and turned on her heel, moving to the door. Jonathan lunged for her wrist, grabbing hold of her and turning her around. "Do you think I'm not good enough for you, is that it?" he demanded to know from her. "Is it him? You really think he's better than I am?"
"Let go of me," Charlotte warned him as she tried to push him from her.
"I don't think so," Jonathan snapped. "You're mine, baby. You're never going to be his. Turn around."
"No!" Charlotte snapped, fighting him as he turned her around and pushed her over the back of the sofa. She tried to buck him off of her with her hips as he reached for the bottom of her dress, tugging it up her thighs. "Jonathan!"
"Have you let him fuck you yet?" he demanded to know from her and she heard him tug at his belt buckle. "Or are you too damaged for the good Catholic boy?"
Charlotte moved her foot and she somehow managed to kick him in the shin enough to make him move from her only slightly. She stood up then, dress still bunched around her waist before she turned on her heel and punched him in the nose without thinking. He grunted in pain, hands cupping his face as he stumbled back and Charlotte took that opportunity to run. She rushed out of the reception room to the hallway, but she didn't get too far as she saw Matt at the bottom of the steps, arguing with security.
"Matt," Charlotte breathed out his name.
"Charlotte! Get back here you slut!" Jonathan roared and Charlotte ran down the stairs and towards Matt. He reached for her instantly, tugging her body behind his and she pulled her dress down her thighs. Jonathan came to the top of the stairs and clapped slowly. "And there he is: the knight in shining armour."
"Did he hurt you?" Matt asked from her.
"Can we just go?" Charlotte pleaded, managing to tug her sneakers onto her feet as she stood behind Matt. Listening intently, Matt heard Jonathan move down the stairs, but then he heard the click of his belt buckle and he instantly let the rage boil up inside of him.
Storming up the stairs, Matt met Jonathan halfway and reached for him, slamming him up against the wall, arm against his throat.
"Matt!" Charlotte shouted his name as Daniel ran up the stairs, but Matt kicked him off to the side, winding him on the banister. "Matt, please."
"You haven't touched her, have you, Murdock?" Jonathan taunted him. "You love her but you can't get in between her thighs. That must drive you mad."
"You ever lay a hand on her again, I will kill you," Matt snapped, spit flying out of the corner of his mouth. "You never go anywhere near her again. Is that understood?"
"Matty, please," Charlotte begged him again and she just stood on the bottom step and watched him slam Jonathan against the wall one more time before running down the steps. He took Charlotte by the hand and she looked at the sight they'd left behind on the staircase before she let him drag her out of the house.
Racing down the stone steps, the pavement was wet underfoot from the rain and the night was cold. Matt rushed ahead, making sure they were down the street and out of sight before he turned to face her, hands moving to her cheeks and feeling the tears that had stained her cheeks. "Did he hurt you?" he questioned from her. "Lottie, sweetheart, did he hurt you?"
"I…I got away before he could," Charlotte promised him.
"Come here," Matt urged from her and he reached for her, arms wrapping around her. He felt her own arms go around his waist, hands on his back as she clung to him, face pressing to his neck. "I've got you, Lottie. I've got you."
…
Charlotte had gone to shower and it was just gone four by the time they crawled into bed. Matt had let her shower in peace and he'd stripped out of his dark clothes and into a grey tee with shorts. He laid in bed silently and felt her slip into the space next to him. He didn't say anything. He just held his arm out to her and she moved to nestle against him. He felt his sweatshirt under his fingertips and her bare leg flung over one of his, an arm going over his waist.
"Are you mad with me?" she dared to ask him.
The bedroom was dark and cold. Charlotte had left her clothes in a pile by the dresser and her hair was damp after washing it. Matt rubbed his thumb over her shoulder.
"No," he said to her and that was the truth. "I can't be mad with you when I'm just relieved that you're alright."
"How did you know I'd be there?"
"I knew you'd be there when I came home and you weren't here. I found the kid and came back here as soon as I could," Matt said and Charlotte didn't comment on the bruise forming on his face. "I didn't want you near him, but I knew you'd go. Deep down I knew."
"I just thought that if he was wavering then maybe this would end quicker. Maybe you wouldn't spend your nights getting beaten up on the streets," Charlotte said and she let her fingertips dance over where the wound was on his side. "I was just trying to help, Matty."
"I know you were, sweetheart," he assured her of that much. "But just don't go to him again, alright? Promise me that you won't go to him again?"
"I promise," Charlotte said.
"Alright," Matt said, happy with her reply. "I think we can just count today as a write off. I don't particularly want to go to work tomorrow, but I need to."
"I think you mean in about four hours," she replied. "Vanessa has asked me to open up so I need to be out at eight. I just don't know how we can go to work after what happened tonight. It's like we have to pretend everything is normal when it isn't."
"We'll get through it," Matt said. "I promise you that we'll get through it."
Charlotte wasn't entirely sure of that, but she didn't argue with him. Instead, she lapsed into silence and closed her eyes. She started to drift off, but Matt was still wide awake. She felt him kiss her forehead before she spoke.
"I went to see Father Lantom today," she said. "I told him everything. I don't know why…it just felt right. It felt like I needed to tell him because there are times when I struggle with reconciling what I've done with what I was taught growing up."
"You told him everything?" Matt checked with her.
"Yeah," Charlotte said. "I told him and I don't know if I felt any better for doing it."
"What you did doesn't make you a bad person. You did what you had to do," Matt said. "You can't spend your life beating yourself up, Lottie. I don't want that for you. I want you to be happy. I want you to be able to move on and I know it's going to take time, but it will happen."
Charlotte nodded against him and stifled a yawn. "I love you, Matt."
He held her tighter and forced his own eyes shut. "I love you too."
...
A/N: So I am not sure if anyone is still interested or reading this fic, but if you are, would love to know your thoughts!