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" Right. Cause I would never lie to you, Holly Nelson."

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When a person passes out, they have a time frame of between thirty seconds and a minute to wake up before they are considered to be at the black point. The black point is a time frame of which you aren't alive nor dead, just breathing. It's considered to be close enough to a comma, or even death. 

At this very moment, Holly wished she had stayed in the black point. In the black point, Holly was sheltered, unable to be harmed by the men in front of her, or at least she wouldn't know she was being harmed. Instead though, Holly is wide awake, staring the man down in front of her who is holding a baseball bat in one hand as his other hand flies to her cheek. 

"How many fucking times do I have to ask you, bitch?" The sting remained on Holly's cheek as he placed the end of the bat up to Holly's chin, lifting it up enough so she could stare at him through glossy tinted eyes. "Who is he?"

Holly's words where trapped behind bubbled breaths and streaming tears stained with blood. "I'm telling you, I don't know." Holly cried, her hands tangled together behind the seat as they where being tied by a line of rope. "If I did I would tell you."

The Russian holding the bat turned back to the men behind him, earning a nod from all of them. He lifted the bat up, swinging straight for Holly's head as she let out a petrified scream. The bat barely missed her head, swinging straight into the taxi window behind her as shattered glass fell onto her shoulders like icicles on top of snow. 

Holly cried with absolute panic as he lowered the bat. His voice was irritated, hinted with exhaustion. "Tell me his name and I stop hitting you."

She couldn't even manage to get words out of her mouth as she looked back up at him. Her face was bloodied and bruised, small cuts lining her lips and cheeks. "I'm telling you, he never told me his name." 

Her breath hitched as he lifted the bat again, hitting the taxi behind her as she let out a hysterical scream. He hit it three times before being stopped by a man coming up behind him and placing his hand on the bat. 

He spoke, "Vladimir told us to keep her alive until she talks." 

The Russian cursed under his breath as he took small steps back, shaking his head as it lowered with disappointment. "It brings me no pleasure to do this, Holly." He faced her again. "You seem like a nice girl. One who cares for those around her." He placed his hands on his knees, lowering to Holly's level. "If you cared for your brothers, your mother, your father, anyone who you have in your life, I suggest you fucking speak before I do much worse to them." 

Holly peered at him, her breathing rising her chest with every fast motion. Her look was small and weak, while her words where the exact opposite.

"Fuck you." She spat, the most aggressive tone she had ever used in her entire 24 years of living. If Anna heard her now, she would just about have a heart attack.  

The man just stood there, shaking his head with an irritated smirk. "Okay bitch, you want to play tough with me? Let's see how tough you are with this-" He reached his hand back into his pocket, pulling out a knife. 

Holly leaned back as far as she could, immediately regretting her choice of words. He brought the blade up to the back of her neck, cutting a small sliver of skin that made Holly wince. More tears streamed down her face as she moved her head away from him while blood fell down to her white shirt.

"Not so tough anymore." He let out a small burst of laughter. "Let's see how many cuts it takes for you to talk." 

Just as he moved towards Holly, the lights went out inside the entire building. Holly looked around, knowing exactly who it was. It was the first time that she had felt some sort of relief in the past twenty minutes. Without even realizing it , Holly let out a small chuckle, one that turned into a full on burst of laughter.

The Russian turned back to Holly, absolutely confused by the woman who sounded crazy laughing in the chair, still tied up. 

"If you want to know his name, ask him yourself. " Holly sunk down into her chair as sounds of chains clicking together filled the silence of the room. 

As Holly turned her head and watched the rest of the men lift their guns in fear, the noises finally drew to an end, leaving the room completely silent besides breathing and curses under breaths. 

Within seconds, gunfire reigned over the entire warehouse. Holly ducked her head down as far as she could, knocking the chair over so she was lying on her side on the concrete floor. She shut her eyes hard, praying that if a bullet was to come near her, somehow she would be able to dodge it. 

Her worrying stopped when she opened her eyes, seeing Matt fighting with the same Russian that had been beating her shitless before. Matt's fist slammed into his face, leaving a trail of blood and teeth on the floor below him. Holly's stomach churned just at the sight of it. 

When Matt finished, he rushed over to Holly, ducking down on his knees as gunfire continued pouring over them. He blocked Holly with his body, untying her hands from behind her as quick as he could. His bloodied hands ran across Holly's, giving her shaky palms a light squeeze as if to say that she was safe now.

As Matt stood, a man came from behind him and pulled him down by the neck. Holly quickly stood up, watching as the Russian beat Matt with a club before reaching over for the gun next to him. 

Without even a second thought, Holly reached over for the bat the man used on her, lifting it into the palm of her hand as she faced forward at the man who was now pointing a gun directly at Matt. 

Her arm raised up as she hit the man in the back of the head, watching as blood splattered across her clothing and even onto her face. Her body tensed up as she continued hitting him, over and over again, until finally he dropped to the floor with blood smeared across his head and face. 

Matt could hear Holly's terrified heart beating against her body. She was ashamed, scared, and worst of all, guilty for what she had just done. Her eyes couldn't leave the figure in front of her, knowing she was responsible for how this man looked. 

Holly held the bat in her hands, her entire body shaking uncontrollably as Matt's head faced in the direction of her deep breaths. He stood slowly, keeping his hands out as he edged towards her.

Matt stepped in the direction of Holly, listening as her heartbeat pounded against her chest.

Dropping the bat on the floor, Holly's hand flew to her mouth as she let out a terror-struck cry. Holly's fear drove her emotions into action as Matt reached forward, pulling Holly close to his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her body. Her figure fit between his arms and his chest, absorbing every tear Holly had running down her cheeks.

Her head pressed to his chest as his hand combed through her matted hair that had hints of blood dripping onto her coat. Holly's eyes fluttered shut with his motions, trying to find some sort of ground in order to calm herself. 

"It's okay." Matt reassured her, pressing his chin to the top of her head. "I'm right here, your okay."

Holly's fists pressed into Matt's chest as she continued crying. Her voice was being blocked by hiccupped breaths that made her body feel as if it would give out and shatter at any moment. Matt's words sunk deep into her ears as he continued telling her that she was okay, stroking her hair with his hands as he kept her close to his chest. 

Matt didn't let go of Holly. After tonight, he wasn't sure if he would ever let go again.

People say that when you spend enough time with someone, that person starts to reflect their actions on you. Holly never believed that statement. Sure she had her emo phase when she was fifteen because her friend Jessica decided to convince her that black eyeliner, dark clothing, and black eyeshadow was a good idea; but that was a completely different story. 

Now though, as Holly sits on Matt's couch with her bloodied body staining the cold leather, she starts to question if that statement is really all that erroneous. 

Holly winces ever so slightly as Matt finishes stitching up a cut on the back of her neck, just under her hair. He tries to be careful, but with every movement he makes, he can't help but feel culpable about the fact that Holly lied to the men about knowing who he was. He was distracted with his thoughts, making stitching someone up the last thing he should have been doing.

"I'm guessing short hair is off the table now?" Holly questioned as Matt finished up the last of the stitches. 

Matt's lips formed into a faint smile. "You could always just tell people you where kidnapped." He moved back, placing his tools back in the first aid kit after cleaning them up. "Say that you where a badass who fought them off." 

Holly let out a small chuckle. "I feel like I was anything but a badass." She fumbled with her hands in her lap as she sat up against the arm rest of the couch, "I don't think badass people cry."

Matt scoffed. "You kept a secret about me despite the fact you had a knife up to your face." He moved toward Holly, placing his hand on the back of her neck as he gently moved his fingers over the stitching. His voice became low as it rasped against his skin. "If you ask me, your much more badass then I'll ever be, Holly Nelson." 

Holly couldn't help but feel her heartrate speed up by the small motion of Matt's finger swiping against her skin. Her voice was small and weak, barley audible as a sound. "Your just saying that." 

Matt ran his free hand to hers, grabbing it as he gently placed it against his chest, the feeling of his pounding heart moving against her palm. "Is this the sound of a lying man's heart?"

If you asked Holly in that very moment for her name, she wouldn't even be able to collect herself long enough to be able to speak. The more she thought, the more her heartrate sped up. The more her heartrate sped up, the more Matt's heartrate sped up. Despite the fast actions their bodies where taking, everything around Holly felt slow. 

"No." She shook her head. "It sounds like someone who's telling the truth."

"Right." Matt took her hand from his heart, moving it to her lap as he kept their fingers intertwined with each others. "Cause I would never lie to you."

You could say the way she was feeling was scared, because hell she was. She had been kidnapped, threatened, and even cut with a knife all in the same night. But, as she sat in front of Matt with his fingers wrapped with hers, she felt every bit of worry transfer from her hands into Matt's. It was as if a weight had ben lifted from her shoulders, and she was no longer carrying fear around as her personal companion. 

"I'm...I'm so sorry." Faltered words, ones that where said to Holly more in the past week then in years.

Matt couldn't get the words out of his mouth without feeling that same gut wrenching pain fill his chest and heart. He lowered his head, feeling the tension of his body move into his cheeks and up into his eyes. It took everything in him to keep his composer, because with Holly he needed to be strong. He needed to be someone she felt safe with, someone who she could rely on to be unbreakable. 

Holly moved her free hand to Matt's face, gently bringing his head up to face her direction. His brown buttery eyes glimmered in the blue, pink, and purple lighting that shone into his apartment. Dark rays fanned out around the iris of his eyes while she spoke. 

"You helped me." She gave a weak smile. "You did all you could, and I am so grateful for that."

"You got hurt, and you-" He took a deep breath. "You got hurt because of me. I did this to you."

"You didn't do this, that wack-job with the knife did this to me." Holly spoke. Her eyebrows furrowed as she slightly shook her head. "You don't see yourself as a hero, Matt. You blame yourself for everything that goes wrong despite the fact that your the only reason this city isn't sinking into quicksand." She halted, "That night you broke through my window I helped you because-"

"You helped me because your a good person." He cut in. 

"No, I did it because your a good person." She countered back. She paused as she watched the expression on Matt's face change. "I could have called the cops that night you broke into my apartment, but I didn't. Why? Because I see what you do to people, I see how you scare the biggest and maddest people of Hell's Kitchen shitless while keeping people like us safe." 

He paused to think about her words. During the period of him being known as The Devil Of Hell's Kitchen, reassurance was hard to come by. The news portrayed him as just another vigilante who would tear the city down with him, never showing the side that Holly knew.

 She believed he was good, that he was a hero who was just trying to make his city a better place. That was all Matt needed, one person telling him that he was good despite the rest of the world throwing a death plea on his name. She was his sunlight, and her truth. 

Matt's hand found Holly's as he intertwined his fingers with hers, bringing the back of her hand up to his lips as he placed a gentle kiss to the top of it. His voice was low and soft. "You need sleep. Take my bed and I'll take the couch." 

Holly hesitated as her words came out. "Oh no that's too much, I'm fine I can just go home-"

"Your staying here." He argued, not realizing how harsh his tone was until he felt Holly stammer back as her heartrate sped up. "For the next few days I need you to stay here at all times, okay? Just until I know your safe and that they won't come after you."

Holly paused, keeping her eyes on Matt. She could see the fear written on his face, just by the way his mouth moved and his eyes darted from one object on the floor to the other. "Just for a couple days. After that I need to get back to work."

Matt nodded. "Understood." 

Holly stared at her reflection through Matt's mirror. 

Every cut, bruise, and blood stain reflected right back at her as her hands moved across her face and over each and every wound. She had a cut on her lip, one that hurt with every small smile she gave to herself, trying to bring the sunlight back into her expression.

The night before, Holly had slept in Matt's bed. Sure, it wasn't the way Holly thought she would be spending the night at Matt's place for the first time, but that's what her life was for right? Full of surprises. 

The entire night Matt had remained awake, listening out to the city for any signs of the Russians. Most of all though, he listened for Holly's heartbeat that was longing for sleep and safety. 

So now, here she was. Wrapped in Matt's clothing with her wet hair hanging down her body as she padded into the living room where Matt was moving from one pan to another, all while the smell of bacon and eggs fueled her nostrils. There was one item that smelt familiar though. Sweet, hinted with a tad bit of butter-

She looked over, sure enough, four cherry tarts where piled on top of a plate in the middle of the table. 

Matt heard as Holly's heartbeat became a bit lighter, filled with the smallest bit of joy. It made him smile faintly to himself, knowing he had done something right after a night full of wrongs. 

"I figured I would make you breakfast before I head off to work for the day." Matt said, plating the eggs just beside the two plates he had lined up next to the stove. He turned back, holding both plates in his hand. He wore a white button up and black trousers, his tie somewhere around the apartment. 

"Wow." Holly said more to herself then him. "This is great, thank you." She offered a small smile as she walked over to the kitchen table, sitting down next to his seat as he placed her plate and cup of coffee down on the wooden table. 

Matt sat down next to Holly, his ears listening as much as they could without getting distracted by the beating of her now calm heart. "How do you feel?"

"A bit sore." Holly loosely shrugged before reaching forward and grabbing a cherry tart. "But I'll be okay. All the cuts I have are staying clean so I don't really think I have much to worry about besides keeping them from getting infected."

Matt nodded his head, pointing to her body. "Do you mind?"

Holly shook her head, "No, go ahead." She said, watching as Matt stood and moved behind her. He gently moved the fabric of her shirt down her shoulders, his cold fingers lacing over her dewy skin. He could hear the rapid increase in her heartbeat, making him smile softly to himself. His hands made their way to her neck, moving her wet hair out of the way and over her shoulder. 

"Does it seem okay?" She questioned. "You can hear more then I can."

"Just a small fracture in your ribs. Hairline so it's not bad." He said. With his words though, his grasp didn't move from Holly's skin. His fingers still danced across her shoulders and her neck, barley missing her jaw. 

Holly took a deep breath, "Y-yeah." Matt moved his hands back, somewhat pleased by the reaction he got from her. "Yeah, I saw that last night. It's just a bit bruised so I'll give it a couple days before it's fully healed."

Matt nodded, listening as she placed the fabric over her shoulders again. "I forget your a nurse. You know much more about this stuff then I do." He offered a faint smile before walking over and taking a seat next to her at the kitchen table. 

"No, it's okay." Holly shook her head, watching as Matt began digging into his food. "It's nice having a second pair of eyes." She quickly corrected herself. "Er- ears." 

The pair both let out chuckles before going back to their meals. They let out occasional conversations, Holly going into detail about her childhood while Matt listened attentively, occasionally laughing at the stories she would tell about her and Foggy beating each other up as kids. 

Calming down from a laughing burst, Holly watched as Matt stood up, taking both his plate and Holly's over to the sink. 

He turned back in her direction, his vacant eyes looking forward as if he could see her. He crossed his arms over his chest as Holly stood up, her eyes moving in his direction. 

"You gonna be okay here while I'm gone?" He questioned nervously. He was more worried about himself not being able to get work done then he was Holly. He knew she could handle herself, but he didn't know if his guilty mind would take a break long enough for him to get Holly off his mind. 

"I'll be okay." Holly said, clearing her throat. "Do you uh, do you mind stopping by this afternoon? Just to make sure-"

"I'll come check on you." Matt finished her sentence. He felt terribly guilty and it was showing in his expression. His shoulders slouched at the sound of her fast beating heart, along with the panic that laced her throat like cough syrup. "Just call me if you need anything, okay?"

"Got it." Holly gave a thumbs up as Matt moved closer. 

His hands moved gently to her face, lifting her head in the direction of his. Within seconds their lips locked together as he pulled softly at her bottom lip. They stayed that way momentarily before Matt pulled back, leaving their foreheads pressed together. 

Holly felt a warm afterglow rush to her face, and within seconds she knew her cheeks where as red as cherry's. She offered a small smile up at him as he released the smile that had been hidden at bay since he thought about the idea of kissing her. 

Matt walked back, grabbing his coat and tossing his arms inside it. "I'll be back in a few hours to check on you." He headed towards the door, grabbing his briefcase. "And like I said if you need anything or just want me to come back-"

"Call you." Holly nodded. 

"Exactly." He opened the door, turning back he offered Holly the same drunken smile he had been wearing since he kissed her before closing the door behind him, leaving Holly alone in the large apartment. 

Holly turned on her heel, her eyes grazing over the room as she made contact with a record player in the corner of the room. 

Quickly padding over, she found her way to a box full of records, her eyes landing on a 'The Mama's and The Papa's' greatest hit's vinyl before taking the record out and placing it on the platter. As soon as the needle touched on the record, the sweet serenade of 'California Dreamin' ' crackled throughout the entire apartment. 

If you had told Holly Nelson a week ago that she would be staying in Matt Murdock's apartment after being beaten and kidnapped, she would have told you that you where absolutely mad. 

Yet, now that she was standing in Matt's apartment, things that where deemed deranged before started to feel more normal. 

A/N- Hey everyone! First off I just want to say thank you all for reading this story, because I know you are going to really start enjoying it soon. <3

Next, how did we like this? It was a bit of a slower chapter considering quite a bit happened in chapter 7 so I wanted to give them some time to reflect on all of that. I like how we're starting to see a heavier relationship between Matt and Holly, especially since Matt is head over heels for this girl. 

I will have the next chapter up as soon as possible! Thank you all for reading and leaving comments as well as votes, it helps me stay motivated to write and I love you all for what you do. 

Have a great day/night and say safe <3

Daisy <3