𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝. Sunlight poured into their bedroom as Holly's head rested against Matt's warm chest, her hands wrapped fully around his body as if he was some sort of body pillow. She felt safe when she was like this, knowing that she was solely in the security of his arms. As she held her body close to his, the heat of their bodies radiated off each others skin.

She took time to admire him, her head peaking up and falling on the sun that was hitting his face just right. The faint dimples that rested on his face made Holly smile ever so slightly, letting joy bloom in her chest like a flower in spring. And just like that, she closed her eyes again, hoping that maybe if she fell back asleep, she would never have to leave his grasp. 

"Morning," Matt smiled, his eyes fluttering open. 

She groaned, "I woke you, didn't I?"

"No," He shook his head. "I've been awake for hours. I was just waiting for you to wake up." His hands moved up her back and to her hair, brushing his hands through her dirty-blonde strands as her head fell further onto his chest. "Today's Saturday."

"Mhm," Holly held back her grin, her eyes still shut. 

"You know what that means?" 

"That Saturdays are for sleeping in." She smiled against his chest, failing to keep her smile at bay. "And for eating cherry tarts, of course."

"Oh of course," Matt said as if that was obvious, making Holly chuckle. "But you know what else it means?" He moved his hands down to Holly's waist, flipping her onto her back as he hovered over her. His lips barley ghosted over hers as her hands found way to his shoulders. "It means we have all the time in the world. Just you and I." His lips pressed against her collarbone, making her smile. "In our apartment," She began to chuckle as he continued, moving his lips to her neck. "Just Holly and Matt."

"Well I mean it is Saturday, so I kinda feel like we have to spend time together." She said as his lips ran up her neck, and to her cheek, finally stopping at her lips. His hands--calloused and marked with tiny scars that never seem to heal fully--caress her sides as her hands roam his upper back. As he pulled back, letting their lips remain close, she spoke again. "Whatever you have in mind Matt Murdock, please continue."

Holly feels Matt's forehead press against hers as he releases a small laugh, "Anything I have in mind?"

"Anything."

"Well in that case," His hands move from her sides, down to her legs as he draws circles over the inside of her thigh. Slowly, he presses one final kiss to her lips before lowering down her body, his hands pushing her thighs apart as his lips find way to the inside of her legs. Soft butterfly like kisses press against her skin, making her back slightly arch as his left hand presses against her hip to keep her down.

Slightly dropping her jaw, Holly furrowed her brows and placed her hands on his cheeks. His mouth found way in between her legs, making gasps and moans fill the still air of the room. His tongue moved inside of her, making her chest rise and fall with every sharp breath she took. 

"Oh my God-" Holly whimpered, feeling as Matt's grasp on her hips became tighter. She was absolutely desperate at this point. Her hands roamed from his cheeks to his hair, gripping the brown fluff that rested a top of head. Occasionally, she would see iris's of brown sugar appear from in between her legs, showing that he was enjoying this almost as much as she was. 

This is absolutely perfect. 

This was absolutely perfect.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

"Nononononononono...." Holly groaned. No matter how hard she tried to convince herself that the sound was all in her head, she knew it wasn't. Of fucking course someone would decide to call her now. Matt chuckled against her, making her entire body shutter instantly. 

"You gonna get that, sweetheart?" He questioned, a sly smirk mirroring off his glistening lips.  

She shook her head, waving her hand. "Just let it ring, it's fine. Whoever it is, they'll get the hint." With that, absolute silence fell through the room again, making a smile of relief cover Holly's lips. Both Matt and Holly were thankful for that.  "Okay, back to what you were doing before-"

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! 

"Damnit." Holly mumbled. Matt moved from the inside of her legs, sitting up on his knees as he listened to Holly fumble with her phone, bringing it back to her spot in the bed. It's much harder to pick up a call when your entire body is shaking uncontrollably. "Someone better be dying," She paused. "Okay actually, I hope not, or else that would be terrible that I just said that-" 

Matt chuckled at how shaken up she was, listening as she pressed accept and lifted her phone up to her ear. 

"Hello?"

"Hey, It's Joe Mama." Holly let out a sigh, rubbing her hands over her face. Of course it was Jolene. "You know, you owe me 50 cents. The hospitals payphone is not cheap." 

"Why are you calling me from the hospitals payphone?" Holly questioned. 

"Well long story short my phone died and this was the only way I could contact you." Joe loosely shrugged. "I could have come to your place but not only is that a long walk but I assume you and blind boy are up to some kinky shit and I didn't wanna walk in on that." 

Holly looked at Matt who was shaking his head. Instantly, she began laughing. 

"Oh God you we're up to some kinky shit. Getting it on with a blind guy, go Holly Nelson." Joe fist bumped the air, looking around at the confused patients that lined the walls of the waiting room. "I do have a question about that. How does he find the-" 

"Why'd you call me Joe?" Holly questioned, quickly cutting off the thoughts of the rather blunt redhead. Joe's questions where like the equivalent to pringles, because once she pops, she doesn't stop. 

"Oh right," She continued. "Your freakbeat patient is awake, and he's kinda wigging out." 

Shit. Holly flipped her legs out of bed, grabbing her pants that were next to her as she slipped them over her legs, speaking as she did so. "By wigging out, what exactly do you mean?" She pinned her phone between her shoulder and ear, walking towards her closet to grab a pair of jeans. 

"Well for starters he's yelling at the nurses and refusing to cooperate with anyone. He also keeps going on about some people coming to get him? I don't know, he seems like a wack job and I'm very close to throwing him in the psych ward." Joe could hear Holly mumbling to Matt behind the line. "Tell blind boy he can spread your legs another time. For now, I need you down here before I end up on the news for killing someone."

"How long have you been down there?" Holly questioned, placing the phone on speaker as she began to undress. 

"Who you talking to? Me or Matt?" Joe questioned with a sarcastic grin.

"You, Carrot-Top." Matt sneered into the line, lying on his side with his elbows propping him up. Holly knew he couldn't see her, but she still gave him a look that could cut through glass. 

Jolene and Matt weren't necessarily...sympatico. Having a best friend who is constantly encouraging you to join the single life while single handingly creating the most fucked up blind jokes she can comes with a price, especially when your boyfriend is the one who get's the fire that Jolene seems to create every time Matt comes up in a conversation. And I know what your thinking, poor Matt, right?

Wrong. Matt is even worse.

Carrot-top, Fire crotch, Satan's wife, Strawberry Short-tempered bitch. Those are a few of the many insults that leave Matt's mouth when he's around Jolene. He didn't understand how both Holly and Foggy could be so fond of such a...well...a bitch. I mean really, that's the nicest way to say it, Jolene Haynes was an absolute bitch. 

"He speaks!" Joe said with shock. "Morning Blind Boy, glad to know I've had the honor of gracing your presence. Anyway, back on topic, I've been down here since last night. I was supposed to leave at ten last night but It's eight in the morning and somehow I'm still here."

"Yikes," Holly said as she threw her shirt on. "Well, just don't kill anyone yet. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"I'll try not to," Joe's voice became quiet. "But as Taylor Swift once said, No Body No Crime am I right?"

"Joe." 

"I'm kidding, Holl's." Joe paused, "Okay, maybe not. Just hurry up and get down here."

Holly raced across the room, grabbing her bag before making way back to her phone. "I'm already on my way."

It becomes glaringly apparent that Holly is going need to figure everything out quickly. Sure keeping Grotto here at first was fine, but it's obvious he's drawing some attention from those around him. Not only has Holly gotten a couple scowls from those in the hallway outside of Grotto's room, but the security officers in the hallway are eyeing her like a hawk until she flashes her ID badge high enough for them to see. 

With a sigh, Holly pushes through the door and drags her feet along with her. Grotto instantly sits up in the bed, staring her down with a look that shows he didn't get much sleep despite being knocked out for the past eight hours, and that he is just as panicked--and possibly more--then he was before. 

"Holly," Grotto abruptly jolts from his spot in the bed, and in a haze of panic, he begins to speak quickly as she closes the door . "Fucking shit, Holly. You need to go, you shouldn't be here."

She hurries towards him, trying to stop him from taking the nasal cannula from the inside of his nostrils. Grabbing his hand and pulling it down, she practically hushes him like a child. "Shhhh, just stay calm for one second please-" She slowly pushed him back down so he was fully lying down. "You have multiple lacerations and the doctor said-"

"No doctors!" His voice was almost at a shout. "I need to get out of here-"

"The cut is deep, alright?" Holly's tone is much less friendly now as she keeps her hands on his shoulders, continuing to keep him down. "It's nothing a few weeks of physical therapy can't cure, so In order to keep it that way, I need to you stay down."

"No," He sat up quickly. "No, you sent me to a fucking hospital with a target on my ass-" Holly tried to speak over him, "What do you want me to do? Stick my ass in the window and wave it around and wait for someone to come kill me, huh?" They were both fighting for their words as both of them continued, their voices growing louder as they spoke. "I need to get out of here-"

"Would you just stay down, I am trying to help you, Michael-"

"Who the hell is Michael!?"

"If you would let me speak, God Damnit, I could tell you!" Holly was breathing heavily, her eyes gazing into Grotto's which where wide and concerned. "Okay. First off, I'm sorry for my tone, but frankly you are being a pain in my ass right now so I need you to listen to me very carefully. Your name in the system is Michael Smith. You got shot after a bar fight defending my honor because you saw some dickhead who couldn't catch a hint." 

Grotto seemed to have calmed down as Holly continued. 

"Nobody is coming after you. I made sure of that," She said. "But I need you to calm yourself down. I have four nurses who are scared shitless of you and are this close," Holly pinched her fingers close to each other, barley allowing any space between them. "To sending you to the psych ward, whether you have an evaluation or not. So please, calm yourself and do us both a favor and keep your head down. Can you do that for me, Michael?"

He nodded, slowly lowering himself back down into the bed fully. 

"Holly," He shook his head. "Trust me, I'm happy to see you, but you can't be here, you need to go. Your not prepared for whatever hell comes raining down next."

Holly sat next to him on his bed, "I'm not leaving because I am your best shot in the world right now to getting out of here while keeping your head down." She paused, "So, I need you to stop thinking of me as some sort of threat, and start thinking of me as an asset. Please."

Grotto stared Holly down, letting his body slide back down fully into the bed. 

"Good," Holly took a deep breath. She didn't know what she would have done if he said that he wasn't going to cooperate. "Listen, I'm going to get changed and I'll be back to take draw some blood. Just for now, watch some TV, order some Jello, do something that will keep your head low and won't draw attention." She pointed to the button next to him. "You press that and I'll come to you as quick as possible, okay? Only use that if you absolutely need to."

Grotto nodded, still not saying a word.

Holly turned on her heel, walking towards the door. As she pushed down on the handle, Grotto's voice calling out her name made her stop and turn back to face him. 

"Holly," Grotto paused. "I uh...thank you, for staying with me."

Holly let a small closed mouth smile line her lips, "No problem." 

Turning back again, Holly left the room.

As Holly walked to the locker room, she couldn't help but feel a small bit of pain go through her leg--the same spot that had been shot months back. Albeit, the spot had been sensitive ever sense, and the main reason was because of the trauma it had left on her body. But right now, it burned. Almost like a reminder of what had happened last time.

Holly wanted to help, she really did. But she also liked how everything in her life was right now. She liked how when she would go home at night she wasn't worried if Matt was bleeding to death on the floor. She liked how they would go on normal dates, not having to worry about those around them being a potential threat. She liked how a little part of her had gone back to the way she was before, completely pure and innocent, only focusing on the good in life.

But as she opened the door to her locker and grabbed her scrubs, she knew more then anything, she was in too deep to back out now.

Most of all, she cared too much to back out now.

Hours later when the sky started to fall into a thick summer haze of a sunset, Holly was still in the room with Grotto as promised before. Turns out, patients who are as panicked as Grotto was are just like children. For starters, they need to know someone is there with them at all times or else they'll scream, and most of all, they're easily distracted by games. Holly wasn't good with panicked adults, but after her externship at 'Hell's Kitchen's Children's Hospital,' she had some experience or two with scared children. 

So, she did what she did best. She distracted Grotto like a nine year old. 

"Two jacks," Holly slapped down her card on the pile next to him. Grotto looked up, eyeing her as he shook his head. "What?" She chuckled. "You think I'm lying?" 

"Yeah, actually, I do think your lying. Bullshit," Grotto he called out as he reached forward  pulling the first two cards from the pile. As he looked down, he let out a groan of defeat as he threw his head back. "God Fucking Damnit. Every time that I think your lying, your telling the truth. I hate this game."

Holly organized her cards, "Well maybe one of these days you'll be as good as me," She looked up at Grotto who looked anything but amused. Holly scoffed before she smiled, "Oh c'mon, lighten up a bit. It's a game."

"A game that you can't stop winning at," He countered as he placed one card down, calling out 'One queen' before continuing, "Next round, I'm shuffling."

"Well you have about half of the deck in your hands, why don't you start practicing your shuffling skills now." Grotto couldn't hold back the small smile that curled the corner of his lips. "You think that's funny?" She chuckled. 

"Yeah, I do." Grotto nodded. "Your as funny as you are beautiful, Holly Nelson."

Holly placed her hand over her heart, "Awh, don't butter me up now." She placed down her final three cards, "3 kings. I win." She began to stand, watching as the gravity of Grotto's lost hit him like a ton of bricks, causing him to slam down his cards and mumble 'Fuck!' Holly couldn't help but smile as she collected the cards in the middle and handed them over to Grotto. "You up for another round? Or are you gonna throw a pity party?"

Grotto took the cards, "You were much nicer at the bar."

"Well, I had about four beers in my system then." Holly loosely shrugged. "Plus, I'm terribly competitive."

"Yeah," Grotto scoffed. "No shit."

"You should see how I am with my brothers," Holly raised her eyebrows. "Growing up it was like the hunger games when we would have family game nights." Her phone began to buzz in her pocket as Grotto flashed her a light chipped tooth smile. Pulling her phone from her pocket, Matt's name flashed in bright white letters on the top of the screen. "While you shuffle, I'm gonna go take this real quick," She pointed at him. "I'm trusting you to not cheat."

Grotto rolled his eyes, just as Holly turned on her heel and headed back for the door behind her. 

As Holly shut the door behind her, she pressed accept and lifted the phone up to her ear. 

"Hey," Holly spoke through a smile of relief. 

"Hey," The busy street behind him echoed into the line, "From the sounds behind you I don't assume your home yet?"

Holly took a deep breath, "No, not yet." She turned to face Grotto's room. "I took Joe's shift for the rest of the night. Grotto was flipping out before and I finally just got him to calm down, so I think I'm gonna stay here the rest of the night just to make sure he keeps his head low." Holly continued, facing forward again. "Have you guys figured any of this out? Or better, have you figured any of this out?"

Matt lowered his voice, "On the scene Brett's guys were talking about this happening at 'The Dog's Of Hell' on the same night. He said there's been something up with the gangs around here recently, they're riled up. Nervous." He paused. "You haven't had anyone come in that could possibly help us with all this? Maybe someone from 'Dogs Of Hell.'"

Holly furrowed her brows. "Matt, every person this army has gone after doesn't make it to the hospital. The fact that Grotto doesn't have a bullet straight through his head is a miracle to me." She ran her hands over her face, "But, I can check the ER in a minute, see if any other guys have somehow beat the odds."

"Thank you, Holly." As Matt crossed the street he continued, "What about you? How're you doing with all this?"

"Just peachy."

"That good, huh?" Matt listened as Holly chuckled behind the line, making a small smile curl the edges of his lips. "Well how about this, when you get back I'll order Chinese from downstairs and we can have a semi-normal date night. Pajamas and all, no effort needed, all you need to bring is yourself."

Holly grinned. "I can't deny it, that does sound great." Holly's smile grew wider as she lowered her voice. "And by any chance could you maybe pick up on what you were doing this morning?"

"Oh sweetheart," Matt continued. "Whatever you need, I'm all yours."

Holly smiled even wider, "Thank you." She turned to face Grotto's room, seeing that he was holding the deck of cards up in the air, edging her to come back. "I should get going, I have another game of 'Bullshit' to win against Grotto before I gotta do bloodwork. I'll call you when I get off, okay?"

"Alright, sounds good." Matt voiced. "I love you, Holly."

"I love you too, talk to you later." Holly said, just before the line cut off and the room around her grew silent. 

The darkness peaking through the windows reflected off the moon, casting a long shadow on the floor in front of her. Turning her head back to face Grotto, she could see he was still edging for her to come back, mumbling the words 'C'mon!'  as he held the cards up. Holly rolled her eyes with a faint smile as she walked back towards the room, pushing the door open slightly. 

"You know, raising your cards up in the air isn't going to make me come back quicker." She said, closing the door behind her. "If anything a nice 'Please' would really help."

"Fine," Grotto sighed. "Please come back so I can kick your ass."

Holly chuckled. "Oh your such a gentlemen, Grotto." Moving across the room, she sat down at the seat next to his bed, grabbing her pile of cards. She pulled out a few, tossing them down between the pair. "Alright, three two's. Your up."

Another hour passed, and a heavy feel of exhaustion wore over Holly's mind and body. The sickness of barley drinking enough water while trying to get past a hangover from the night before was still itching at her skin, and the warm darkness that peaked through the windows of the room was enough to make her want to fall asleep in the chair she was in. 

"Your loosing your fire," Grotto said as he put his cards down and called out 'One seven.' "From the way it looks, I may be stealing the winning title."

Holly shook her head, "Y'know, you may be right. I guess we'll see about that." She placed down her cards, calling 'Two eights.' as she shrugged. "Can I ask you something?"

Grotto's eyes shot up in the direction of Holly's voice. "Uh...yeah sure, I guess." 

He placed another set of cards down as he called out 'Three nines.' Something about Holly made him feel comfortable. He didn't know what it was, but in the short span of time he was with her he was convinced that he had shared more then he had shared with anyone in the past fifteen years. She just had the type of smile that could make you fall weak at the knees, and the type of compassion that would make you put everything out on the table.

"Why'd you do it?" She questioned. "Join the Irish Mob."

Grotto took a deep breath as he stopped playing his cards, "Good money, protection against guys who do shit like this." He pointed to his wound. "I didn't wanna do it in the first place, it just...happened. One day I was working a normal job, the next I was smuggling drugs across state lines. It's not the type of thing you think about before doing, it just happens to a person."

Holly paused. "You know who the guy is, don't you?"

Grotto looked up. "What?"

"The guy who did all of this," She clarified. "When I refer to him as an army, you keep saying he's one guy." She leaned forward, "I've played bullshit with you long enough, I'll know if your lying to me. If you know who he is, I need you to tell me. Please, Grotto."

Grotto panicked, shaking his head as he muttered to himself, his hands close to shaking. "I don't know. I swear I don't know."

"Your lying to me."

"Holly I'm doing it for your protection." Grotto said, sitting up in the bed. "I'm a good guy, I swear, whatever this guy is going after us for I was not apart of it. It was them, not me."

"What is he going after you for?" Holly questioned, her voice more stern now. "Grotto, I need the truth, who is this guy? I am trying to help you-"

When those words left Holly's mouth, a loud scream left another woman's throat.

Holly turned her head back, looking straight out the window that was leading to Grotto's room. Groups of people we're running as fast as they could towards the exit as flashes of lights started filling the darkness of the hallway. Without any hesitation, Holly stood up and ran towards the window, pulling the blinds shut as more screams erupted within the hospital. 

"Shitshitshitshitshit," Grotto mumbled quickly. "Holly you gotta get out of here. Someone's coming to finish the job."

"Just stay here," Holly put her hand out towards him before turning back to walk towards the door. 

As Holly slowly edged towards the door, she could hear footsteps running past the room. Slowly opening the door, Holly peaked her eyes through the small crack, looking into the abys of the hallway as more people ran towards the exit was scared faces and tears streaming down their faces. None of them looked like they had been shot, but all of them feared they would. 

Then, she saw him. A large figure dressed in all black headed down the hallway, a riffle in one hand and the other wrapped completely in a white bandage. Blood accessorized the edge of his skull as it dripped down from his buzzed head. Holly without a second thought turned back, grabbing Grotto from his bed as she pulled him towards the door. 

"C'mon," Holly called out, pulling him and running as fast as she could out the door, letting it hit the wall behind it. 

Behind them, gunshots started reining as glass next to them shattered completely. Holly let out a scream, keeping her head low as she continued to run as fast as she possibly could out of the hospital. Her grip on Grotto's hand was as tight as it could possibly be, guiding him past groups of people while also trying to keep the stitching on his stomach closed. 

Holly pushed the doors open to the hospital, the warm air of summer beating over her sweating skin as she made a beeline for the group of cars near the edge of the street. Pulling Grotto as hard as she could, she dragged him with her. 

Holly and Grotto both checked every door to every car, praying they would find one that was unlocked. 

"Come on, come on, come on," Holly panicked, her breathing heavy as she pulled at every handle. "God, come on!" 

Then at the last car, the door opened. 

Holly made a quick effort to jump in, listening as the door in the passenger seat slammed shut behind Grotto. He looked down, watching as Holly pulled down at the panel blocking the wires. His head faced the direction of the hospital, watching as cars got shot at. The more bullets that reined down, the closer they got to their car. 

"Christ, Holly!" Grotto yelled. "What the fuck are you doing!?"

"Just shut up!" She shouted, pulling down at the wires and sparking two of them together. She tried multiple times, and it didn't work. "Nonononononono, come on! Fucking shit, come on!" She yelled at the car, listening as the bullets grew closer to her. 

As she sparked the wires together one final time, the radio turned on, and the headlights of the car shone onto the one in front of her. Quickly, Holly jumped in the car, shutting the door behind her as she reversed out of the spot. As she did so, Grotto spoke, but she couldn't hear a word he said. Her entire mind was frazzled, only focused on getting her the hell out of there. 

Then, as she drove forward, the man walked into the middle of the street, pointing the loaded gun in their direction. Holly's expression quickly softened as she got a closer look at the man, her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak. 

Behind him came a figure in a red suit, one that Holly knew all too well. Her breathing hitched as she watched the man with the riffle press down on the trigger. 

"You won the red dog." The little girl looked over, "I tried winning him, but my brother said I wasn't committed enough at the ring toss station. In reality though, it's just because he sucks at the game."

Holly chuckled, "Well know what, I think you deserve this more than I do." She handed over the plush dog. "Because I am obviously not as committed as you are. Plus, I think he would like a home in which he would see the outside of a storage closet more often."

The little girl smiled, "really?" She held the dog close to her, "thank you so much, ma'am."

"Please, just call me Holly." She said to her, "and you are?"

"Holly!" Grotto slammed his hand on the steering-wheel. "Drive, damnit!" 

Without a word, Holly put the car in reverse and turned her head back. Pressing down as hard as she could on the gas, the car raced out of the street as bullets flew through the window and towards the direction of Grotto's head. Grotto ducked down as Holly continued driving, mumbling quick curses to herself as she did so. 

When they finally made their way out of the street, Holly drove as fast as she could away from the hospital, not looking back once. Panicked breaths left her body as she stopped behind a building. Grotto started cursing to himself, holding down on the open wound on his stomach, the stitching barley holding on anymore.

Holly wanted to speak, but she couldn't. Holly wanted to cry, but she couldn't. She wanted to show some form of emotion, but she couldn't. All she could do was stare forward at the building in front of her. 

She was completely paralyzed with fear.

A/N- hmmm....something seems off between Holly and the shooter...I wonder what it could be.

How did we enjoy this chapter? Did we like seeing Holly interact with Grotto? And what about the beginning of this chapter? Don't hate me for making it short, I can tell you for a fact there will be some more of that coming soon.

Do you have any speculation as to why Holly got so nervous when she saw the shooter? Give me all your thoughts here!

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this part of 'Impiety.' Make sure to stay safe and healthy and have a great day/night 

With a virtual hug, 

Daisy