A year later...

JESSICA

She's starting to think this guy she's following around these days is not having any affair after all, when she takes some pictures of him accepting a pizza and watching a basketball game alone in a crappy hotel. Maybe he just wants some time with his favorite team while his wife takes care of the baby, thinking that he's working. It's nothing to get divorced over, but if you think you have to lie about something as silly as a hobby - unless said hobby is something like killing people - it can't be worth it. Jessica only recently started seeing Luke again and there's still a ton of issues they need to get over, but if she found him with a secret stamp collection, she wouldn't even bother trying...

Suddenly she notices a shadow next to the hotel moving suspiciously, as if someone was hiding there. The alley looks spooky in the light of the streetlamps, with fog clouding her sight a little bit, so it could have just been a cat looking for her prey in the dark. But since it doesn't seem like she's gonna catch anyone cheat today anyway, she might as well investigate what's going on there.

After checking on her still busy target once more, Jessica silently jumps on the next roof and looks down through her camera lense where she spots two very strange figures that bring back some surreal memories. Luke had teased her relentlessly about her embarrassing time on a stupid dating show that she only put up with to help a certain blind lawyer / vigilante (That part she kept to herself, because it wasn't his business.) who got tangled up in a fight against these guys. Men - or even boys - who were after some ninja messiah to save their freaky zombie cult. If they're back some weird shit is probably about to go down.

When the two deadly swordsmen raise their weapons she realises that they are slowly approaching a dumpster below her and from a little chat with a friend she apparently shares with Matt Murdock, Jessica knows that this is a place he might hide in when he's half dead already. So she quickly throws a couple of stones in another direction, making the shadows look up and hurry down the alley to chase after a phantom.

Since they don't come back after a minute she swiftly drops down in front of the dumpster to take a peak inside and she's surprised to find a sai to her throat, held by a heavily bleeding Elektra.

Crap.

When her head is still attached to the rest of her body after a few seconds, Jessica reminds herself that they did actually get along before and maybe if those ninjas were after her she's not on their side...? Yet? "Seemed like you needed some help," she mutters to defend her curiosity. Well, she thought devil boy needed some help, but the injured "black sky" or whatever doesn't need to know that.

Elektra immediately lowers her weapon and drops back down into the garbage, twisting her face in pain and probably disgust. Obviously, she could still be very dangerous, but she also won't make it much longer if she doesn't get medical attention. Soon. While Jessica contemplates her options Elektra hisses urgently: "Please... call Matt...!"

Maybe that's not such a good idea. Jessica saw that guy around his ex. He's not reasonable when it comes to her and he's destructive enough on his own. Before second-guessing herself however, she offers her hand to get the other woman out of this mess. "Let's talk about that later..." They need to get away from this place as fast as possible.

Elektra accepts her help to get out of the dumpster, but she still has enough energy to protest. "No, listen...! They'll go straight to HIM-"

Not bothering to let her finish that sentence Jessica grabs her around the waist and jumps up onto the roof with a bewildered sai-swinging woman stuck to her side. Up there they tear apart glaring at each other, before they both check if anyone has seen that less than elegant stunt. Jessica raises her eyebrows with a wordless question and Elektra replies with a grunt and a begrudging nod in another direction.

When she's confident that they've put enough distance between them and the two followers of the Hand Jessica sighs and takes out her phone. Fixing Elektra with a scrutinising stare she calls Matt's number. While waiting for him to pick up she sees his deadly ex lover close her eyes and lean back against a wall in relief.

"Jessica...?" She can't blame him for being surprised, since they didn't talk to each other for months. They've both been busy with their own shit and she wanted to forget about him for a while. But hearing his voice again now is kind of nice, despite the circumstances.

"I can't explain right now, but someone may be coming to attack you. You should lay low somewhere for a while." When he doesn't react immediately she adds that it's serious, sharing a look with Elektra. "I can't force you to not be an asshole, but I thought you should know."

She can hear him sigh on the other end which means that he's at least aware that she's very serious. Hopefully. "Should I be warning Foggy and Karen?"

Elektra is pressing her hand against one of her many wounds, obviously grateful that her devil is at least informed about the threat. "Might be a good idea to get them somewhere safe, too." Plus: they are not gonna be thrilled about hearing who just returned to Hell's Kitchen...

Matt finishes the call with a mumbled "thanks" and Jessica decides that she needs to give someone else a call if she doesn't want Elektra to bleed to death tonight: "Hey, I'm gonna need some medical help... It's not for me."

Obviously her friend isn't thrilled to be pulled out of her slumber for more vigilante bullshit, but her protest is a little half hearted. Pulling Elektra's arm around her shoulder Jessica drags the injured woman to Claire Temple's apartment. She's almost unconscious when they reach the place, where they are greeted by an exasperated nurse. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nice to meet you, too," mumbles Elektra, giving her a weak smile that would even look creepy if she didn't have her face covered in blood. Jessica pushes past a tired Claire and places her new patient on the couch.

Being used to that kind of madness she immediately starts to get to work and throws some commands at Jessica every now and then, not wasting any breath on pleasantries or even sarcasm. After a stressful hour of stitching and stopping the flow of blood, Claire decides they did everything they could for the potentially biggest weapon of the Hand. So they move to the kitchen to let her get some rest and clean themselves up.

"That is who I think it is, right?", Claire finally asks after pouring Jessica a drink.

"Matt's ex, yeah... The one who left with all those ninjas before they could turn the finale of a crappy dating show into more of a massacre." She raises her glass and finishes it in one go.

The nurse raises her eyebrows. "You mean the one who brought the Hand to him in the first place, because they were looking for HER." He told her about all that, huh?

"It's not her fault that some clan of zombie ninjas believes that she's their messiah."

"Yeah... maybe not." Claire shoves her hair behind her ear in frustration. "Doesn't make me any more excited that she's crashing on my couch right now."

"Right..." Jessica fumbles with her scarf nervously. "It's not for long. I just need to figure out what to do with her." She doesn't want to put anyone in danger either, not if she can help it. But right now, she has nowhere else to go.

"Alright, it's not like they'll look for her here, I guess..." Claire sits down at the table next to her guest. "Does he know that she's back?"

Jessica shakes her head.

"Are you gonna tell him?"

And that's the question isn't it? She's been thinking about it ever since she heard his voice over the phone. No, ever since Elektra begged her to call him. She did not care that Jessica decided not to mention her name. All she cared about was his safety. Still, those two were explosive together on a good day. "I'm not sure if it would be such a good idea to do so. But I haven't seen him in a while. How is he?" Maybe she just got to know him in a diffcult time and Murdock was usually not such a mess trying to pass as a human being.

Claire looks like thinking about that even frustrates her. "I don't know. It seemed like he was getting better, but the last couple of times he came by even his jokes got worse..." Seriously? That's her clue? "I know. Matt was always broody, but he used to make me smile, while I was saving his life and I miss that."

Okay fine, Jessica remembers his sense of humour, too. Especially the stupid blind jokes that she does not miss. However she can imagine that him not making them would be so much worse...

MATT

How can anyone even try to be happy? You either are or you aren't and there's nothing Matt can do about it. What he can do is save lives, which probably makes him a little less unhappy. But then again, he has to hurt people to do it and while he personally doesn't feel bad for what he does to criminals (most of the time), he also knows that he keeps hurting his friends as well with the things he does - lying to them, pushing them away or getting them in trouble. And wouldn't it be selfish to think that his own happiness had any place in all this anyway?

Still, she asked him to try and find it, while she intended to have some fun taking down the Hand from the inside. Maybe it was the least he could do? Elektra's last words to him found their way back into Matt's head ever since Jessica texted him that the Hand has returned, that whatever was happening had to do with them. Could she be back, too? Elektra can't still think that her taking on an entire army without him would make it possible for him to just... live his life?

Any minute now the phone will ring and someone will tell him what's going on. Any minute, Matt thinks, listening to the news on the radio, the weather forecast, traffic news and then a chat show goes live on air. Ten more minutes of nonsensical conversation that doesn't help calm his nerves and still nothing. He puts on the Daredevil suit to go out and of course he will start searching for Jessica to get some answers. But where would he even start looking?

His first concern was getting Foggy and Karen somewhere safe, which wasn't easy. They finally agreed to visit the Nelson family when he promised them that he also wouldn't go home, but stay at the gym instead. However, he barely got any sleep last night, because he got lost in nostalgic memories and worries keeping him awake. It's only a day after Jessica called him with a cryptic warning and he is already losing his patience. He calls her back again, fully prepared to leave a rant on her voice mail and annoy Malcom some more when she actually, finally picks up with an almost understanding tone in her voice. "Alright, Murdock..."

Thrown for a second, Matt almost forgets what he wanted to yell at her. "Um..."

She sighs as if she's the one who's been patient with him. "Yeah, yeah I know. You want to be involved. But just give me one more day, okay? Trust me. It's better that way." Half way through her trying to get him to listen, Matt got distracted by that sound. A church bell with a very familiar echo. It's not his church, but he's still heard it a million times. And there's something else...

"I trust you. It's just... let me do something," Matt pleads with her, barely listening to her answer, because there it is again! That's a ship, isn't it? They are close to the docks and suddenly he knows which church she must be standing close to.

"...okay, I gotta go. Just wait till I text you. Okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Matt is already running in their direction while finishing that call. He will not let her do this alone. It is his fight. Elektra's and his fight. Why the hell would they keep this from him?! How is this better than Stick's way of thinking? Why is everyone else so sure that they would know what's good for him?! Even Rachel, who is probably the last person that should give anyone life advice, visited him after she got out of the hospital and tried to lecture him about isolationg himself emotionally...

So what? What if he was happier alone? What is so wrong about that? He's running faster and faster, while even a twenty minute distance seems to stretch forever. Until suddenly he senses it. A trace of HER.

He hadn't heard from her since that fateful night of the live finale on that dreadful reality show. Nothing. He had occasionally worried that they truly got to her and turned her into the Hand's biggest weapon like Stick scathingly warned him they would when he returned the suit... Other times he feared that she could have already died fighting them. Would his mentor even tell him if she did? If it turned out that his trust in her wasn't misplaced after all? After she lied to him, manipulated him and killed someone in front of him without hesitation?

He's close now, close enough to hear the sounds of a fight and he runs to get there on time. He runs to get to them and for the first time in months he's actually looking forward to a fight with someone by his side. Someone unpredictable and dangerous, someone like him.

A few moments later he reaches a construction site, but he quickly realises that he has no way to jump onto the framework where Elektra seems to be crawling away from five figures holding their swords drawn to end her once and for all.

He's too late, damn it!

He could rush down and climb up at the unfinished side of the building, but there was just no way he could reach her before-

He hears her yell a curse at her attacker when it's cut off by a sword slicing into her flesh. It's too far away for him to smell copper with the wind coming from another direction, but with the way she's dropping her weapons and holding her stomach when she turns around there's no doubt in his mind that her fight is over. She's dying.

Elektra is stumbling towards the edge and he would swear that he can hear her say his name. Without thinking about it, his body decides to tune her voice out. There's no way he can live on with only her last words keeping him company. But Matt quickly realises his mistake when he sees her fall and he jumps into action immediately. He needs to get to her, even if he couldn't save her. He can't see her, so he has toat least touch her once more, no matter what - even if they'll be able to see him, even if it will be the last thing he does.

Running as fast as he can Matt reaches the floor within seconds and runs towards the body lying on the ground when suddenly a huge explosion slams him back onto the ground, while throwing his senses in complete turmoil.

He's disoriented for a long moment, his whole body aching everywhere, when he lifts his face up and the heat of the flames makes him back away as quickly as he can. There is no way to get there now, even if he was stupid enough to risk his life for this there's just no way to find her in that fire. For a second he tries to trace the men who killed her, but they are probably long gone.

All he's able to do is pray. So that's what he does, ignoring the sirens as they approach as well as the flames threatening to get closer to where he's kneeling. He prays for her soul, for his strength to get back up to fight these bastards and promises to never ask for anything for himself again. It's high time he became the soldier that he's obviously meant to be after all.

Matt drags himself back home, defeated. It's not like it matters anymore. He'll tell Foggy and Karen tomorrow that they can come back. Father Lantom once reminded him that he has to love himself to love others. So, maybe he did. The pride he takes in what he does sure must have been something like love. Because otherwise it wouldn't hurt so much, right? Losing her after all this time. Her scent still seemingly in the air everywhere after he sensed her fall to her death and his entire world came crumbling down with that.

He loved her so much and now she's gone. The only one who truly understood all of him, even the parts that he was ashamed of… How could he love himself after he failed her? How could he love anyone?

ELEKTRA

Jessica brought her to Claire straight away, because the wound could not be faked, at least not entirely. Elektra really was falling, but she never hit the ground, because Jessica caught her in time. They had an identically dressed puppet double her on the ground and quickly set the construction site on fire, so the remaining members of the Hand couldn't look for a body to revive and dance to their tunes.

Elektra knew they were able to do that. She'd seen it once. She's seen a lot of crazy shit while trying to take over the organisation. She's also done some things Matthew wouldn't approve of. But it worked. They trusted her and they never saw it coming when she and a few of her followers who were more loyal to the Black Sky than they were to the Hand were starting to take out a lot of their leaders one by one. Elektra even got to some of the original five, before they realised what was happening and decided to go after HIM.

"He saw me die…", Elektra mumbles while Jessica tries to assist Claire in fixing her again. Their eyes lock in concern, because that sure wasn't part of the plan.

"I'll call him," her former reality show rival assures her and immediately grabs her phone when Claire insists that she has this under control.

Seeing him back there had almost made her panic, but there was just no way to let him know that most of this was an act. That the guy putting his sword into her was actually careful not to hit any vital organs. It had to be believable and the good thing is that now it really was. With Matt reacting the way that he did it was clear that he believed it, too.

But that's also why she was worried about him. She hadn't expected to see him this desperate and it broke her heart to do this to him. Again. Last time he understood why she had to go, but the first time she left him without any explanation or closure. This time it was supposed to be different.

"He's not picking up." Elektra closes her eyes and listens to Jessica leaving a message for him and explaining that it's not what he thinks and that he needs to call her back urgently.

She can imagine him throwing the phone against the wall when he hears it ring after they ignored his calls the last couple of hours. She loses consciousness when Claire curses and yells at Jessica to quickly hold something...

When Elektra opens her eyes again she sees Jessica sit on a chair next to her and stare at her phone. "Did he call you back?"

The tired woman looks startled for a second, but then shakes her head. "I think maybe we should have told him."

Yeah, maybe they should have. Elektra groans as she sits up feeling the stitches in her side and Jessica immediately throws her a warning look. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"You need to get me to him."

Jessica quickly shoves her battered torso back onto the bed. "Nope. Not gonna happen."

"Jess, come on! I need to tell him that I'm fine!", Elektra challenges her friend. "What if he does something to himself...?"

"He wouldn't," Jessica says, but even she doesn't sound too convinced. "And you're not fine..."

Elektra chuckles. "Oh please, this is nothing. In two days I'll be good as new."

"Fine. I'll go." Jessica rolls her eyes swearing at her stubborn vigilante friends which almost makes Elektra laugh.

But Jessica going is not enough, so Elektra catches her hand with determination. "We'll go together."

"Ugh, I hate you." But she doesn't protest anymore.

Jessica scribbles a note for Claire who probably had to go to the hospital and takes a huge gulp from her bottle of bourbon, before offering it to a smirking Elektra. "Love you, too, babe." She grabs the bottle before the other woman can change her mind and then they slowly start making their way to Matt's apartment.

It takes forever and two torn stitches to reach the place. When he doesn't even open the front door after they ring his doorbell she starts to hope that maybe he didn't go home after all. Because, if he did he should surely be able to sense her from up there, right? Otherwise...

"Let's check..." And before she could ask what that means, Jessica again jumps up onto the roof with Elektra dangling by her side and losing way more blood than necessary. Just like the strong woman did after finding her in that dumpster.

It always makes her a bit dizzy, but before Elektra could complain about it her eyes fall on him lying on his couch without even noticing that they are there staring at him. That itself is again slightly worrying, because it really shouldn't be possible. But he doesn't look hurt, while his phone is - as expected - lying in pieces in the corner of the room.

Jessica's knock on the window pulls both her and Matt back to the present however. She sees him jump to his feet with lightning speed and a hand grabbing his chest as if he was experiencing a heart attack. Elektra gives him a weak little wave and a smile. "Hello, Matthew..."

He tilts his head in that way Elektra finds way too adorable and now she also notices his bloodshot eyes and the tears now freely running down his cheeks. As if he had been holding it all back until this very moment. She's about to say sorry for making him believe he lost her again when Jessica suddenly drags her up to the door of his roof access. Right. They could just go inside. Or someone could carry her, because right as the door opens she feels the stupid bloodloss finally catching up with her and ruining their heartfelt reunion. The last thing she sees is Matthew again rushing towards her, but this time it wouldn't be in vain.

Waking up to his smell, to him lying next to her and his arm around her, Elektra can't believe her luck. A year ago, the last time she saw him she killed someone. Viciously. A child. Sure, it was maybe the only way to save him and also make him understand that she had to leave, but still the disgusted expression on his face haunted her. The whole time that she was away from him this was how she remembered him. She didn't think he'd actually mourn her like that after seeing firsthand what she's capable of. After seeing the killer in her. And after all this time.

But Matt Murdock still appears to believe in her. And there he is. Dark eyes looking nowhere, but somehow still staring right into her very dark soul. She's never seen him cry like this either and it was over almost losing her of all things. His hand slowly reaches out to her, tracing her features and cupping her face as if he's still afraid that it was all a dream, that she's really dead. His touch is so soft it almost hurts and she leans into it just as gently. When she covers his hand with hers she can feel him move closer, careful not to touch her injuries.

His lips brush against her other cheek and for a moment she thinks this is all way too sweet for them, but at the same time it feels just right. "Jessica explained it all to me. I was furious with her for not including me in this. And people keep telling me that I'm the reckless one."

"Sorry, it was my decision. I didn't want to drag you into this." She didn't want to disrupt his life again, even after Jess and Claire hinted that there wasn't a lot left to disrupt.

"You should have asked me what I want."

"What you want and what you need can be two completely different things. You taught me that." And right now all she wants is just to be lying here with him until the end of the world.

And as if he was reading her mind he then asks her the one question even she has never asked herself: "And what is it you need?"

It doesn't take long for her to find the right answer. "To be here with you."

Note: This is the time we can indulge in fan fiction and even feel like we're doing a good thing. ;) So, if you enjoyed this, please check out my other stories or find me on tumblr. I don't have a lot of time to write anymore, but I can still reply to comments and any feedback totally cheers me up. We'll get through this together! :)

Please stay home if you can and if you see anyone wearing a selfmade mask, don't think they're afraid of an infection. They're probably just trying to protect you. Kinda like this guy...