"if i could melt your heart
we'd never be apart."
- Frozen, Madonna

╳

Frank hasn't spoken to me for a couple days now. He's been ignorant, dismissive and hostile.

I'm not sure if it's because of what I said about his family, or if it's because of my claws, or perhaps a combination of the two.

But he hasn't run, and he hasn't asked me to leave. So that's something.

He just doesn't want anything to do with me. Which is understandable.

I only wish I didn't crave him so much. Even with his new avoidant attitude towards me, he's fucking sexy as sin.

An angry lust swims through my veins, praying for a chance to pounce. But I painfully keep my distance. And denying myself of him makes me more and more frustrated each day.

I wish this was the reason Frank was so hostile towards me. Pure lust and longing to cross a line he feels he shouldn't.. But unfortunately, I'm just no longer his type. Can't say I blame him.

And mentioning his family the other day obviously didn't help.. But I was honestly just trying to express gratitude. Because even though he's mad at me, and he himself has pissed me off on occasion, I genuinely enjoy his company.

And his silent treatment has given me time to reflect.

Thinking back to the bar, the motel in Larkville, and the warehouse the other day.. we fight well together, he and I. We complement each other. But at the bar, I was fearful and filled with serum, unable to fight to the full degree. In Larkville, I was serum free but holding back, still hiding my secret from him. At the warehouse, I stopped holding back, but Frank was left a little shocked.

I can only imagine what we'd achieve together when we're both on the same page. I'm also slightly concerned at how exhilarating I find the idea.

Only, now he wants nothing to do with me.

And Frank keeping his distance makes me realise just how much I want him closer.

To me, Frank is very much 'what you see is what you get.' It's just, no one ever truly sees him.

I appreciate his candour and his straightforwardness. He is intelligent and straight to the point. After my time with Stryker, that's something I appreciate more than ever.
Frank's honest demeanour lends way to openness. I feel free to be myself around him. He's someone I can trust in. And that is a very special quality to me.

Not to mention he's sexy as hell. And charming as fuck when he lets his guard down.

If meeting Frank was the reward for my pain and suffering under Stryker's capture, I would suffer it all again.

"I'll be back." Frank grumbles, heading for the door of the trailer.

"Where are you going?" I query softly.

"Curtis wants to see me." he answers, hovering by the door.

"Would you like some company?"

"No." he states, meeting my eyes for the first time in days.

"..I can be your bodyguard?" I offer lightly.

Being cooped up in this trailer, I haven't seen anything regarding Stryker, nor has Frank regarding Billy. But that might change when he steps outside.

Frank sends me a look that says you really think I need a fucking bodyguard?

It almost makes me laugh.

"You can stay here." he dismisses, and then exits the trailer.

I peek out the window, watching him head down the street on foot.

Grabbing my jacket, I throw it on and pull the hood up over my head as I slip outside into the evening air.

Yes, I can stay here.

But I'm not going to.

╳

Frank makes it to Curtis's building safely, showing no indication he knew he was being followed. Just like the last time I stalked him.

I enter the quiet building and follow his trail down a hall. Dinah's voice becomes audible as I head towards the room Frank's disappeared into.

"I thought I told you to leave town."

"I had shit to do." Frank replies.

"Yeah? Well, your shit ended up on my shoe today." Dinah retorts. "I've had Mahoney up my ass, and who the hell is William Stryker, huh?"

My stomach drops at the mention of his name.

"He came at you?" Frank asks.

"Yeah, he came at me. So why don't you tell me what-"

A loud whistle echoes out of the room, silencing them both.

"Whatever it is you two are talking about, you do it on your own time. Take a seat." a deep voice instructs.

Curtis, I presume.

They sit down and I quietly settle by the door frame, keeping myself hidden.

"I found Billy. He's rolling with some vets. A couple of them go to my group." Curtis informs Frank and Dinah. "He rolled up on me yesterday. He's crazy, you can see it. He said he's never going back inside. So, if a couple of cops go to try arrest him, people are gonna die."

A shiver of anger rolls over my body at Curtis's words, but I close my eyes and collect myself.

Billy is sure causing an awful lot of trouble for them all.. My killer instinct wants to take action.

"As far as Stryker, that's my problem and I'll deal with it. I give you my word." Frank declares, and my eyes snap back open.

No..

I can't let him.

Not with this Billy situation, that sounds to be getting out of hand. He has enough to worry about without my shit interfering.

"No, Frank. No. You can't fight a war on two fronts." Curtis says, my respect for the man growing instantly. "We deal with Billy Russo first, and everything else comes after."

"You want your lives back. I get it. So I'm gonna find Bill and I'm gonna end it." Frank states. "I'm gonna do it my way. And you gotta be right with that."

"It's that easy for you, huh?" Dinah asks him.

"Easy's got nothing to do with it-"

"You decide someone deserves to be gone, and bang, they're gone. No second thoughts, no qualms, no conscience." she scolds him. "And then on you go, happy and safe on your borderline psychopathic, merry way."

A different kind of anger comes over me, and I'm ready to jump up and scream in Frank's defence.

"Listen, Madani, you're right. I can do it. I can kill him and just walk away. But that doesn't mean it's easy." Frank states firmly, defending himself just fine. "I can live with it, yeah. I can live with anything. There's no peace up here. There's no happy medium that I'm looking for. War.. war's not easy."

"War? War?!" Dinah comments and her heels clack on the timber floor as she stands up from her seat. "Listen to yourself! This isn't some foreign country with guys you never met shooting at you. This is home, it's different."

"Is that right?" Frank rasps. I can tell he's getting sick of her shit.

"It has to be different!" Dinah says, almost pleadingly.

"TELL THAT TO MY WIFE AND KIDS!" Frank yells, his booming voice echoing throughout the room and into the hall.

My heart aches at the pain laced heavily within his tone.

Dinah sits back down and the feet of Frank's chair scrape audibly across the timber floor as he scoots his chair forward.

"Madani, you went into that hospital, you sat with him every day and every night. What did you want? Why were you there? Just be honest." he says to her. "You thought about it, didn't you? You were tempted to just put him down."

"Never." she states firmly.

She may not have wanted to put Billy down herself, but I doubt she wants him alive.

"Why are we meeting like this, then?" Frank asks. "Why don't you have Curtis in some interview room with a bunch of your lackeys around you? It's because you know it. You realise this only ends with Billy dead. That's why I'm here, right?"

"No." Dinah states.

"Okay.." Frank whispers, letting out a sigh. "How about you?"

"Oh, I wanna go home." Curtis replies. "I want this over with."

"You want him dead, Curt?" Frank asks.

"How else does this end?" Curtis replies, and I realise just how tired the man sounds. He probably hasn't slept since Billy confronted him yesterday.

I chew at my fingernails while I recall Frank's words from the other night. 'You can do things other people can't.. Make sure the right people go down. This is what you can do. So do it. Own it.'

"You know where he is?" Frank asks Curtis.

"I know a guy who does." he answers.

"Then go home." Frank states. "Just get me the address and stay out of the way."

"..And what about this other guy? This Stryker? You can't do this on your own, man." Curtis says.

I know Frank's not going to be happy about my being here. And eavesdropping. But fuck it. He already hates me. Own it.

I move myself into the doorway and drop my hand from my mouth.

"He won't have to." I state and all three heads turn to me.

Frank wears a look of angry recognition. Dinah, puzzled recognition. And Curtis, well, he just looks puzzled.

"Jesus Christ.." Frank mumbles under his breath. "The hell are you doin' here? I told you to stay."

"Stryker is my problem to figure out, Frank. Not yours." I tell him. He looks away from me, so I turn my attention to Dinah and Curtis. "I can help with your problem, though.." I say, looking between them. "If anybody has anything of Billy Russo's, I can help you find him."

Dinah looks me up and down. "What are you, psychic?"

"No." I reply. "..Something else."

Frank scoffs quietly, shaking his head as he continues to look at the ground.

"Just who the hell are you?" Dinah asks me. "I didn't care to know before, but now.."

"I thought it was too dangerous to let you know about me, but now Stryker's approached you.. I think it's more dangerous to not know what you're working with here."

"How do you know the man?" Dinah asks.

"She's his little science experiment." Frank answers harshly.

Ouch.

He meets my eyes as he flexes his nearly healed hand.

"I was." I specify, staring back at Frank until he drops his gaze back to the floor. "I met him while I was serving in Afghanistan. Stryker trained me up and wanted me to work for him. I didn't want to, so I left. But he wants me back, and he's not going to stop." I say, telling her the basics.

"You served?" Curtis asks.

I nod and give him a polite smile.

"My name is Jenavieve Howlett. If you search my name, Dinah, my file will probably say I was killed in action. But obviously, that's not the case. The date of my death is the date Stryker got me. Me and my unit."

"Got you?"

"He took us away and experimented on us all. I was the only one to survive his work." Dinah and Curtis both look shocked by my revelation. "I need to stop him. Before anyone else gets hurt."

"You think you can do this on your own?" Frank asks condescendingly, eyes still downcast.

"What, you're gonna help me?" I ask, sarcasm lacing my tone momentarily. "You can barely look at me anymore."

"What do you want from me? I've never come across a mutant before." he scathes, frowning up at me, defying my last words.

Double ouch..

I nod my head at him. "..That's a good word for it. Mutant."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dinah asks us.

"Stryker's experiments.. He wanted to turn me into a weapon. His personal, mindless weapon. And not for anything good." I explain. "He's already achieved the weapon part. He just needs to complete the mindless part."

"What do you mean, weapon?" she questions.

"Well, like Frank so aptly put it.. I'm a mutant, now. Stryker messed with my body, gave me retractable blades that come out of my knuckles and-"

"I'm sorry, what?" Dinah questions with a little shake of her head, clearly not believing a word. "How is any of that possible?"

"Stryker's a smart man. He figured out a way to make it possible. He altered my DNA so my body can rapidly regenerate from any injury I sustain. I also possess animal keen senses. Which is why I can help you locate Billy Russo." I explain, trying not to cringe at just how insane I sound.

"What?" Dinah scoffs, thinking I'm pulling her leg.

Frank sighs heavily. "Just go back to the trailer, Jen. And stay there."

I look at him with pleading eyes. "But I can help you all. I can find Billy. I can track him-"

"Just go!" he snaps.

"You said 'own it'. I'm trying to own it. I know I can help-"

"Well, we don't want your help." Frank says, raising his voice to speak overtop of me. "Leave this to the humans."

And there we have a triple ouch.

"Oh, because you've been doing so well." I retort, my words dripping with sarcasm.

I look Frank up and down, narrowing my eyes at him as I step backward towards the door.

"Clearly, I'm not the only one who can't accept what I am." I remark, before turning and leaving the room.

A/N

The next chapter will include Frank's POV! Which I'm a little excited for.

references: the conversation between Frank, Curtis and Dinah is taken from "Nakazat," episode 6, and "One Bad Day," episode 7, of The Punisher, season 2.

I wish you all a beautiful day/ night! 🤍

- K