𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝. The waiting area which was usually full of empty chairs was now full to the brim, the flag was being covered by groups of people who had paperwork in their hands, talking to the people next to them about what they had seen. Phones buzzed endlessly as people reassured their loved ones that they were okay. The station was in complete shambles. 

"I can't get a hold of him," Holly breathed into the line, letting her hands rush to her hair. Her voice was low, and quiet compared to the others around her. "But Foggy, he was there. I saw him, right next to the guy that shot at Grotto." She closed her eyes. "Please, please tell me you saw him after all of that."

Foggy sighed, "Last I saw him was when he left the office." Holly felt like she was going to vomit as fear overtook her shaken body. The sounds of heavy traffic behind Foggy overtook Holly's hearing. "Just stay there, watch over Grotto, and don't let anyone talk to him until either Matt or I get there, okay? I'll go find him and I'll call you when I get him."

Holly nodded. "Okay, I will." Holly looked over to the officer who was motioning for her to go in the back. "Just please find him."

With that, the line grew silent as Holly hung up the payphone.

Holly sat in front of Grotto, but unlike him, her hands weren't being cuffed to the bottom of the table. The heat from the hallway was pouring into the interrogation room as the fluorescent lights above them reflected off every bead of sweat that was forming on their foreheads. Holly was exhausted, letting the lukewarm cup of coffee in front of her bring back some form of vitality into her body.

"That window bulletproof?" Grotto peaked his head past Holly.

Holly rotated back, her scrubs now stained a crimson color after having to help Grotto into the station because of his bleeding wound. "There are twenty cops just outside of this room. Nobody's coming in. Your safe." She gave him a faint smile before she glanced back down, filling out the paperwork before her.

"What about your boyfriend?" He probed, again. "Where the hell is he at?"

"I told you ten minutes ago, he's on his way. He and Foggy had some...things to take care of." Holly looked back down at her papers. Grotto kept staring, not taking his eyes off the blonde before him. "Okay, any relatives that we should place into witness protection with you?" She examined.

He shook his head. "All dead. I got nobody."

Holly looked up momentarily, pondering over his answer before lowering her head back down again. "You don't seem phased by this." He said. "If anything you seem completely normal for someone who just got shot at and stole a car. Speaking of that, how the hell do you know how to haywire a car?"

"My first car wasn't the best." Holly barely smiled as she continued writing. "I had to haywire my car at least once a week. I refused to get a new one because I liked the color of it."

Grotto let out a small chuckle. "Y'know, I don't know you well, but it seems like there's more to you than you lead on." Holly continued writing as she left the faint smile on her lips. "What you did back there, You could have left me but you didn't. That was not only badass of you but kind...so thank you."

Holly still had the impending feeling that she was going to vomit. Although it didn't look like it on the outside, she couldn't stop thinking of when she made eye contact with the shooter. The way his face softened and his entire body grew still. Almost like he was in as much shock as she was. And most of all, she couldn't stop thinking about Matt and if he was okay or worse if he was even alive.

"Your welcome," Holly said softly. She hesitated momentarily before she sat up fully, placing her elbows on the table. "I have a question. That guy who shot at us, do you know if he had-"

Buzz!

Holly's words were cut off by the sound of the door behind her opening, Foggy, Matt, and Karen both following suit. Instantly, Holly stood and rushed over to Matt whose hands were already reaching out to hold her. His grasp was the only thing keeping her together as he pressed his lips to her head, his arms wrapping around her body in the most comforting way possible.

"Are you okay?" She questioned against his skin. She could see the small sliver of blood on his neck, freshly washed as the crimson color stained his skin like red wine on a white carpet. It was large enough for her to notice, but she wasn't sure if Grotto would.

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart." He pressed his lips against her head, his arms still holding to her body. "As long as you're okay, I'm okay."

Holly turned to Foggy who put his arms out, pulling his sister into a hug. His breathing was heavy, almost as if he was as scared as Holly was. He pulled back quickly, turning to Grotto as he hurried towards him, placing his hands on the table as he stared him down.

"You told us the Irish were hit by an army," Foggy was anything but happy right now, and Holly could see that. Maybe it was just that older brother's instinct, but seeing Holly completely shaken was enough motivation for him to get this guy as far away from her as possible. "You wanna tell me why I'm now hearing this was done by one man?"

"I- I don't know." Grotto shook his head timidly.

"What do you know?" Matt rasped, his arms crossed over his chest.

Grotto let an exasperated sigh leave his lips as he dropped his gaze to the floor, then to Holly soon after. She nodded at him, edging for him to continue.

Grotto's breathing was heavy. "He's some guy that we got involved with a while back. I don't know what we did to him but whatever it was, it was enough to make him flip his shit. I thought it was an army at first I swear. This guy, whatever he does, he's trained. This isn't no side job for him this is him."

Foggy turned to look at Matt. The exact words that left Grotto's mouth were enough to confirm that Matt was in more danger than they had thought.

Holly knew that all of this was deeper than Grotto thought. She didn't just think it--she knew it. The look the man had on his face when he saw Holly, and the eyes he wore showed he wasn't going after her. If she even tried to explain that to them right now they would all look at her as if she was ridiculous, which they would have good reason to believe of course. It would only open another floodgate that couldn't be shut.

A knock appeared on the door before the same buzz as before filled the room.

As all heads turned back, a man and woman walked into the room. Their stern expressions were enough to cut through glass, not wasting any time to get to the point. Holly swallowed, just as the woman began to speak.

"Are you the ones who brought Mr. Grott in?" She questioned, turning to face everyone in the room.

Instantly, Foggy shot up from his spot and ran his hands down his shirt. Holly didn't know if he was doing that to wipe the nervous sweat, or if he was doing it to get rid of the very obvious wrinkle marks that had been left on his light blue button-up.

"Yes, we are." He put his hand out, but the woman just looked down at it, then back up at him without acknowledging it. Foggy's brows slightly furrowed before shaking it off, "I uh, I'm Foggy Nelson, and this is Matt Murdock and Karen Page." He pointed down to Holly. "And my sister Holly Nelson."

The woman eyed Holly for a moment before turning back to Foggy, not saying a word. "We're here for Grotto. We need to transport him."

Matt stood up, scoffing. "Transport him?" He placed his hands on his hips. "Our client has already written out a list of conditions, all of which have been reviewed by his lawyers."

The woman turned to Matt, "And who exactly filled out this paperwork? Because last I checked, I just saw you three walking in here just minutes before I arrived."

Holly peaked her head up, raising her hand slightly. Matt moved out of the way, allowing Holly to be able to see the pair. "Uh, me." She offered a faint smile to the stern woman. "I've been here since-"

She cut Holly off, "Are you a lawyer?"

Holly paused, taken back by her tone. "No. No, I'm not, but I was with Grotto when all this happened. I was just helping to fill out some of the paperwork until they arrived, just the basics."

"So your not a lawyer, yet your still here." She gave Holly a very insincere smile. "You see where the problem arises, Ms. Nelson?" She turned to Foggy. "She needs to leave. This is lawyers only."

"She's staying," Matt spoke up.

The woman turned to Matt. "Mr. Murdock, I say this very insincerely. Your girlfriend, or whatever she is to you, is not a lawyer. Now, I understand your concern about her safety but there are about twenty policemen outside who would be happy to watch over her." She took a breath. "So I will say this once and I will not say it again. I need you to comply with me and have Ms. Nelson leave the room."

Holly began to push back from her seat, but as she did so, Matt's hand moved back and pressed against her shoulder and stopped her from moving.

"Holly, how many security guards were at the hospital tonight?" Matt questioned.

Holly hesitated before speaking. "Uh, around forty-five. Usually it's between forty to fifty on each shift."

"Forty-five," He turned back to the woman. "Forty-five security guards yet somehow each one of them wasn't able to stop the man who was targeting Grotto." He pointed to the door. "Twenty policemen stand outside that door, yet I know that you aren't stupid enough to believe that they could stop this guy. Holly is staying whether you want it or not. So Ms..."

"Reyes." She sneered.

"Ms. Reyes," Matt nodded. "Unless you would like me to make a very quick call to the US attorney's office about our chat and how you seem to believe that local DAs have jurisdiction over the witness protection program despite the fact it's clearly stated that it's solely up to the US attorneys office, AKA the feds. And not only that but you are also stating that you are willing to put a very valuable witness at risk for her safety, which also seems to be a kick in the ass for you considering that's yet again not up to you to decide if she should leave, but the feds and-" he pointed up. "The other witnesses' lawyers. Rather known as, us."

The room grew silent as Holly turned to Foggy, who looked just as surprised as she did.

Reyes stepped forward, "What do you want, Mr. Murdock?"

"As we see it, the district attorney's office would like to receive any credit from Mr. Grotts's arrest or Ms. Nelson's testimony. Now, my client, on the other hand, clients --plural, if we want to go there, could use the lovely endorsement of the DA's office when he enters his witness protection agreement." He nodded back to Holly. "Plus, getting protection on a less severe level for Ms. Nelson would also be something that I would enjoy working with you to get." Matt paused. "To put it in simple terms, cut the shit, you're dealing with us no matter if you want to or not."

As both Reyes and the man next to her turned to each other, Holly held her breath. She didn't do it on purpose, it was just that her breathing would somehow be louder than the heavy silence that filled the room at this moment.

"Fine," Reyes said as she looked back to Matt, stepping forward. "But let me just tell you, Mr. Murdock, you walking on very thin ice right now."

"As are you, Ms. Reyes." Matt gave a very insincere smile before turning to Grotto soon after.

The fluorescent haze that reflected from the lights above created a shadow of the group's figure onto the floor below them. Holly faced forward at Reyes and her assistant, who went by the name Blake Towers. From the look of it, he was as big of a fan of Holly as Reyes was. As if the glare she was receiving from them both wasn't enough, the look of pure hatred that she would occasionally throw at Holly was enough to make her vomit.

"I'll make this easy," Grotto said, sitting at the edge of the table as he turned his head in both directions. "I'll give you everything about those Irish pricks if you make me a deal. I'm talking about every club they go to, name, and date."

"That's not enough," Reyes complained.

"Well, that's all he can give." Karen pointed out.

"Most of Grotto's mob friends are either dead or completely off the grid after what happened." Reyes cleared her throat, leaning forward. "If you want this deal, I need you to give me someone who is still breathing."

Holly cocked her head, turning in Foggy's direction as he spoke.

"What do you mean by that?" Foggy questioned. "Because from the look on your face, I have a strong feeling you already have an idea of who you want."

"We would like Mr. Grott to wear a wire to meet one of his old partners," Blake said, turning to face Grotto. "Our files state that you've had recent dealings with Edgar Brass."

"Brass?" Grotto questioned, shaking his head as he pointed. "You're out of your God damn mind. Brass? Fucking Brass?"

"Grotto," Holly looked at him, giving him a comforting nod. "Just hear them out, okay?" Holly faced Reyes, "Why Grotto?"

Reyes turned to Holly, scoffing. "Ms. Nelson, like I said before, it doesn't seem that you are a lawyer or anything strong in the law field." She continued, throwing bombs at Holly. "So maybe it's best if you stay quiet while the adults talk."

"Why Grotto?" Matt questioned, placing his hand in Holly's lap as he took her hand in his. He could hear by the sound of her breathing that she was either one step away from crying or one step away from snapping. It's hard to tell sometimes. "Now that I asked will you answer the question? Or do I need to ask again?"

Blake faced Matt, "We have records stating he worked with him in the past. It's an easy in."

"Yeah," Grotto nodded as he scoffed. "One that's gonna get my fucking head blown to shit." He shook his head. "That's ridiculous. I'm not doing that, let enough alone."

"I'll go," Holly spoke up, making all heads turn in her direction. "I can stay in the building with you guys while you watch over him. Not only do you get someone who can calm Grotto down but you also get a nurse in case shit hits the fan. Two birds with one stone."

Matt started, "Holly maybe we should-"

"It's obvious if Grotto says no to this he has a very low chance of surviving. That shooter or whatever he is, he's going after one gang at a time and it doesn't look like he's willing to stop anytime soon." Holly said. "So if he needs me there, I'll go. If I'm of no use," she shook her head. "That's fine too. I just want to help him get out of here."

Reyes had a small smile line her lips, "She's right." Turning to face Grotto, she voiced. "You have no other choice but to do this unless you would like to end up on the deceased victim list."

Grotto eyed Holly for a moment, "I want her there." He looked at Reyes. "I want Holly there, but I want her inside, away from this mess. You'll keep her safe, right?"

Reyes nodded. "Of course. But, It's up to your legal team to decide this. Like Ms. Nelson mentioned though, The Punisher doesn't seem like he's stopping anytime soon."

"The Punisher?" Matt questioned.

"The code name the department has given him," Blake spoke up. "We're close to completing a profile for him."

Holly looked at Grotto, watching as his entire world collapsed before him. He had the same look of a person who knew their time was near, and the same look of someone who also feared the idea of death. Holly felt terrible as she watched him, feeling as the pit of her stomach grew larger and more hollow.

"I would like a word with Ms. Nelson," Matt spoke up. "It won't take long."

"No." Matt shook his head as his voice remained quiet in the halls of the station. "No, you're not doing that. Holly, do you realize how insane that sounds?"

"So was going out and getting shot in the head," Holly countered. Matt couldn't even respond, mainly because he knew she had a good point. "Matt, this is the only way that Grotto will even consider this. I'll be safe, and who knows, maybe you can draw The Punisher, or whatever the hell their calling him, to the scene and figure out what his deal is."

Matt nodded. "Yeah, great idea. Let's bring the psychotic shooter who went after you once back into the scene so he can go after you again."

"Matt."

"Holly."

The pair both remained silent as an officer walked by, both of them turning their heads in the direction of his footsteps before facing each other again.

"That guy," Holly shook her head. "Matt I know it sounds ridiculous but I don't think" She stumbled over her words, pausing momentarily," I don't think he was going after me. He stopped once he saw me."

Matt paused. "The shooter stopped when he saw you? Holly, he shot in your direction." Holly tried to speak but he continued. "And you're trying to stand up for this guy? Holly, I love your optimism but don't you think this is a bit far-fetched? I mean for God's sake whoever this guy is managed to take out forty-five guards, yet he stopped at the nurse?"

Holly paused. "You think I'm crazy."

"I don't think you're crazy," He said. "I just think that sometimes you see the good in people who have no good to give. Holly, you need to face the fact that whoever this guy is was targeting you and Grotto. Unless you can give me some sort of real evidence that he wasn't, I'm sorry, but I just don't think your right about this."

"Everyone has some form of good in them," Holly said. "Even this guy, I know he does."

"How do you know?" Matt questioned, earning a silent pause from Holly. Matt's hands found their way to Holly's arms, lowering down so his head was level with hers. "Holly. I love you more than anything the world can give me, and because of that, I need you to promise me that if you do this, you'll start thinking of this guy as a threat rather than someone who can be changed. Please."

Holly remained silent, nodding.

Matt felt the pit of his stomach grow more hollow at her response. He hated being the one to do this, being seen as the bad guy was something that he wasn't a fan of, especially in Holly's eyes. But the truth is, he would rather be seen as the bad guy if it meant keeping her safe. She was his world and the only thing that truly mattered to him.

"Thank you," Matt said, standing up fully as he brought Holly to his chest. His lips pressed gently against the top of her head as he kept her close to him, feeling as her arms snaked around his back. His fingers smooth down her back and move back up in comforting sweeps. "I just want to keep you safe. You're my everything."

Through small, yet strong words, Holly spoke. "And your my always."

Holly usually finds this comforting. She usually feels safe in the grasp of Matt, almost as if she's floating atop a cloud. Yet right now, this hug brought her nothing. This hug just felt like she was being held, not like it gave her any sort of comfort to the situation around her. Maybe it was because she hadn't slept in a while, or because she was still shaken up from that night.

Or maybe it was because she knew she was right about the man having some form of good in him, yet had to act like she wasn't.

Whatever it was, Holly Nelson knew one thing for sure. The look on the man's face when he saw Holly wasn't the look of someone who was planning on going after her or the look of someone ready to target her with a gun.

It was the look of something familiar. Something that brought back memories that were once forgotten.

Standing by the desk filled with microphones, computers, and scrap papers, Holly turned in the direction of Grotto who was as nervous as she was, probably more. His forehead was sweating bullets as the officer attached the wire to his shirt, hiding it with a light button-up.

Holly took a deep breath as she stepped closer to Grotto. "This won't take long, and when you're done with this you'll be able to go to wherever the hell they send you, and live a semi-normal life."

By the expression he wore, despite the fact he nodded, Holly knew he wasn't comforted.

"Look," Holly helped him button up his shirt, taking the material from his hands. "Your worth saving, and I wanna help you. I do hope that after all of this, you find some peace. I can tell that you're a good guy, despite what the rest of these dickheads say." She nodded back.

Grotto looked at Holly, "Thank you. Really. You are probably the first person in a long time that has said that to me."

Holly gave him a faint smile as she buttoned up the final section of his shirt, "Anytime."

"We're ready," Reyes's voice boomed, making Holly's head turn back. "Where's Murdock?"

Holly looked at Foggy who looked just as confused as to what to say. It was interesting how Both Holly and Foggy were now working together to find excuses for Matt's other life. Sure it was stressful for them both, but Holly found some peace in knowing it wasn't all up to her to decide what to say.

"He's finishing some stuff for Grotto's case. We figured we didn't need everyone here until after everything was set." Foggy said quickly. He was as bad of a liar as Holly was, possibly even worse. "You said we're ready?"

"She may be ready, but I'm having a heart attack about this," Grotto said, making Holly turn back to him.

"Should I be worried?" Reyes said absolute irritation hinted in her words.

"No," Holly spoke up before lowering her voice to Grotto. "I'm gonna be right here. All you need is for him to admit that he's been dealing drugs, and then we'll be out of here. He only needs to confess that one thing and then you're done."

"What if something happens?" Grotto questioned. "What if he tries to kill me, huh?"

"There are officers in every inch of this place."

Grotto remained silent.

"This is your golden ticket." Foggy held his witness protection papers up. "Legally binding until midnight. So make like Cinderella and uh-" Foggy paused as Grotto gave him a confused expression. "Forget it, just act natural and we'll do the rest."

Grotto nodded, taking a deep breath he turned to Holly. "Thank you, again. I can't thank you enough." He gave her a short-lived smile as she gave him one back. "Kiss for good luck, honey?"

Holly chuckled. "How about this? You get out of there, I'll kiss you on the cheek. Deal?"

Grotto nodded, a now beaming smile covering his lips. "Now that is the motivation for me." Before he knew it, Reyes and Blake were calling him back, and his smile faded. "I guess I'll see you guys on the other side."

Holly gave him a touch on the shoulder, and just like that, he walked away.

Foggy's head was still turned in the direction of Grotto as he walked away. Even as he spoke, he didn't take his gaze from the hallway. "Where's Matt?"

Holly took a deep breath as she crossed her arms over her chest, turning towards Foggy. "Went to go investigate for himself. He said he would be here just watching over Grotto in case something went wrong."

Foggy scoffed, turning towards Holly. "By if something went wrong he means if that shit-for-brains Punisher guy shows up."

Holly furrowed her brows, "Don't you think the name is a bit much? I mean, we don't even know who this guy is yet we've deemed him as The Punisher."

Foggy gave Holly a bewildered look. "You can't be serious."

"What?"

"You're defending this guy," Foggy exclaimed. "Someone who shot at you tried to kill you and scared the living shit out of you. You're defending him?" Holly gave him a defensive look as she tried to speak, soon getting cut off by Foggy. "Listen, I'm not usually on Matt's side when he says people have no form of good in them. Yet right now, I'm on his side. I think it's time you listen to him too."

"You don't know the full story-"

"And you do?" Foggy questioned. Holly just remained silent as he continued. "Holly, I say this in the most sincere way possible. You can't be stupid with this guy. There is no defending whatever wack job lives behind the name Punisher. Just...let Matt handle it, okay?"

Holly paused before nodding.

"Thank you," He breathed. "Now, I wanted to"

"Guys," Karen came running from the other room. A frantic look covered her face as she spoke. "There's a problem. A very big problem. Foggy, I need you here, now."

Holly furrowed her brows as both she and Foggy headed toward the other room. Computers, scrap papers, and com's covered the entirety of the large table, along with a person at every seat around it. Holly's eyes went to one man specifically though, one who was calling out orders.

"Overwatch positions, check in by the number."

Holly spoke up, "Overwatch position? What the hell is an overwatch position?"

"Let the police do their job, Ms. Nelson," Reyes sneered. "Stay out of it."

Karen rolled her eyes, reaching forward as she pressed down on the COMs in front of her, allowing everyone in the room to hear what was going through everyone's headsets. Everyone in the room turned towards Karen with looks of not only disapproval but anger as well.

"Clear fields of fire. We're ready when you are-"

Reyes reached forward quickly, pressing the mute button.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Reyes questioned Karen.

"She isn't the one who should be getting questioned right now," Holly leaned forward. "Your the one who was planning an entire shoot out. Do you understand how fucking dangerous that is? You putting Grotto's safety at risk!"

"Holly," Reyes sneered as she stood up, standing eye to-eye with her. "You need to leave. Now."

"I'm not going anywhere," Holly spoke back. "Whether you want me here or not you will have to drag me out if you want me to leave because I am staying. Now, get eyes on Grotto again or I swear to God I will run out there and you will have another lawsuit on your hands."

Reyes scoffed. "Lawsuit? Sweetheart, you know nothing about-"

"Last I checked, going behind a lawyer's back to make their client bait for The Punisher wasn't necessarily ethical." Holly cut through. "Now I say this once, and I will not say it again. Find Grotto and get him out or I will go find him myself. And if you have the stupidity to think I'm lying about going out there, then prepare yourself for one hell of a lawsuit coming your way."

"Ma'am," Blake stood up. "We have eyes on the target."

Reyes turned back to Holly, "You wanna go out there? Go right ahead."

Holly turned on her heel, walking in the direction of the door as Foggy tried to grab onto her hand. Pulling back, Holly continued out the door and down the staircase.

"Holly-" Foggy called out, panicked breaths leaving his mouth. "God damnit, Reyes! Get him out of there!"

"We have the target, there is no way in hell-"

"He's not there." Blake's voice hinted at fear. "The semi he drove in, it's some dead guy. It's not him. It's a diversion, he's still out there."

"Go find Holly," Karen turned to Foggy. "Get her inside. The Punisher's here."

Foggy nodded as he turned in the same direction Holly did, running out the door and down the staircase as fast as he possibly could.

Holly stood behind the wall leading into the field of fire, her head peaking behind the fence as more gunshots reined behind her. Holly looked up near the water tower, and sure enough, there the man was. The same outfit as before at the hospital with a sniper pointed down in the direction of the police.

Foggy ran out the door, yelling out her name as loudly as he could as he ran toward her.

"Holly!" He shouted. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Shhhh," She voiced as he grew closer. She continued to watch the man as he reined fire down on the group of men below him. She quickly turned away from him, "Matt's somewhere near. If he distracts him I can run in and grab Grotto."

Foggy looked even more confused. "Your joking? This is all a joke. Holly, you can't be fucking serious?!"

"I am." Holly nodded. "Grotto is in there and right now he is the only person the shooter is going after. We get him out of there then we can get his papers ready and get him the hell out of here." Another load of gunfire reined over them, causing both of them to duck down. "I just need to get Grotto out of there."

"Holly-"

"No, just let me do this." Holly snapped. "Grotto is alone out there being held like a worm on a line, I'm not just gonna leave him. We get him out of there, grab the papers, and we get him as far away from New York as possible."

Foggy shook his head, and just as he did so, his eyes made contact with the riffle pointed down straight at them. Instantly, fear rushed over his entire body, causing a line of goosebumps to appear on his arms. He quickly grabbed Holly, lowering her down as he moved them both out of the way.

"Fucking shit-" He groaned, hitting the floor just as a line of bullets flew in the spot that Foggy was standing in before. Bullets continued to fly down onto the floor next to them as Holly squinted her eyes shut and covered her ears with her hands. Then, after what felt like an eternity, there was silence. "Holly? Holly, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Holly said, pushing herself up from the ground by the pebble-filled palms of her hands. "It stopped. Why did it stop?" She moved over to the spot she was in before, ignoring Foggy calling out her name with panic riding his tone.

Holly peaked around the corner, making eye contact with the man with the rifle pointed down straight in her direction. Within seconds, Holly's stomach dropped to the pit of her stomach and bile rose in the back of her throat. His finger was on the trigger, it was one step away from sending a bullet straight through Holly's skull.

But she knew he wouldn't do it.

Within seconds, everything in her vision changed. Matt moved behind Frank, sending the gun shooting up behind them into a water tower. Small bullet holes pierced through the tank, sending spews of water down onto them and the officers below them.

"Holly," Foggy grabbed onto her arm, making her head turn towards him. "Grotto is safe with the officers, we need to get inside, now."

Holly pulled back, "Foggy I'm not leaving him. Do you think that they're going to protect him?!" She questioned. Her expression was almost as frantic as Foggy's was, yet the only difference between them was that she was able to read him--and from the look of it, her words were doing nothing in the matter of convincing him.

"Holly, I care more about you than I do him." Foggy blurted. "So I will say this one more time before I drag you inside, we need to go. Now."

Holly turned back, watching as gunfire reigned over Matt and The Punisher. All Holly could think about was the fact that Grotto was alone--and most likely scared shitless about what was going on around him. Right now, she had a clear shot at him, all she needed to do was a bolt.

"I'm not leaving him," Holly said, breaking free from Foggy's grasp. "You wanna go inside, go inside. I'm not leaving Grotto behind."

Holly ran into the line that bullets were rushing through before, finding herself constantly looking up in the direction of Matt and The Punisher until they were no longer in sight. At this moment, she didn't know who she was more concerned for, Matt or Grotto. Still, she knew she didn't have enough time to think, she only had enough time to act.

As Holly made it to the shipping container Grotto was thrown into, she turned the corner swiftly, hearing the calling of Foggy's voice behind her as he yelled her name in an attempt to get her to fall back in his direction.

The container was full of S.W.A.T officers, all of which were staring into the spot Grotto was.

Or better, where Grotto was supposed to be.

"Where is he?" Holly questioned, making all heads turn in her direction. "Where's Grotto?"

The officers all turned to each other, trying to find the words to say. Before they could even speak, Holly listened as their radios went off, echoing their words off the steel walls around them.

"We've lost sight of both suspects. There's an entryway through the window--we're going in."

Holly paused momentarily, unable to speak. It was at that moment that it hit her--Matt was the other suspect. Matt was gone. Her breathing hitched as she turned back, already finding Foggy running towards the building where the rest of the S.W.A.T team was located at. Tears pooled in the ducts of her eyes as she mumbled curses to herself, hoping that by some miracle he had made it out.

Feet running faster than ever before, Holly pushed through the crowd that was surrounding the window that had been broken through. She didn't even bother to say 'excuse me' or acknowledge the presence of the others around her. The only two things she could focus on was the pit before her and the fact that there was a fresh maroon stain on the bottom of it.

And most of all, the fact that Matt's Billy Club was left at the bottom of it.

A/N- Cue the playlist 'Holly Nelson Needs A Hug' because honestly right now she could really use one. 

How did we all like this chapter? I know it was a lot to take in and it was hella long but there was no way for me to separate it into two parts lol. What about Matt standing up for his girl? God, I love being an author sometimes, mainly because I'm able to have him do that. 

I did want to pop on here and discuss something with you all. I've recently been extremely busy with both my college work and my regular job, so you may begin to notice that the chapters are being posted at more random times. This may be a once a week post and some may be every other week that I post. As much as I love writing for you all, I do have to prioritize my education and job due to the fact my apartment is fucking expensive. Thank you all for your ongoing support for this book!