22. from the past

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I helped Matt get ready for Grotto's funeral, and I was surprised that they made him one after the few days they have met. Matt asked if I could go but I declined, I had something to do, well more like Red Widow.

"Can you help me please?" Matt comes up to me with his tie. I chuckled and started to tie it.

"Am I going to tie these for the rest of your life?"

"If you want to stay in my life forever."

"Is that even an option? I would never leave you." I wrapped my arms around his neck, smiling at him. His soft brown eyes, tiny smirk are my favorite about him. How did i get so lucky? A man like Matt, who cares about me. "Matt?" He hums. "If I did something horrible, like i was under controlled, forced to do it, would you still want me?" He frowns and placed his hand on the side of my neck.

"Of course. Whats this about?" He tilts his head, getting closer to me. "Sweetheart..."

"Just a thought." I whispered back to him. "Now, you have to go, they're waiting on you." We kissed and touched foreheads for a bit.

"I can stay with you. You dont have to be alone."

"No, go. Ill see you later."

"I wont be late, I promise." I fixed his collar and places my hands on his chest. "You're good at this."

"Well, i used to watch my mom tie my dads ties everyday. And when i got older, I was with someone who wasn't very handy with fancy clothes." I chuckled to myself.

"You never said you were in a relationship before."

"Jealous now?" I picked up his glasses and and put them on for him. "He isn't what you can call a boyfriend."

"Did he do something to you?" He frowns. I played with his collar, trying to put it in words.

"He left me." I sighed as I remembered him. "I was in a bad place, we both were. And one day he just left. Never saw him again. Its better that way. I don't know what would happen to me if I was still with him, dead or..." my words faded. I coughed and smiled as if nothing bothered me. "You have to go, for real." I placed a kiss on his cheek and helped him out, get him a cab.

🕸

The Widow comes out and heard that the Daredevil was looking for her. She waited at a abandoned building were they first met. He steps out and she bites her lip.

"I need your help." He told her. She placed her hand on her hip and looks around.

"For?"

"Find Castle. You're good at finding people. I can only do so much." Mike walks up to her and stands close. She thinks about it for a minute.

"Word is, Irish was looking for him. Which they did." She found out because the trail the Irish left, the bar, the pet shop, it was easy and she knew they were looking for him. "I heard on the radio that shots were fired at 65th Street by the carousel. Shall we go before the cops make it first?"

"Lets go." They both walked out and headed there. The scene was bloody. There was 4 dead bodies, mostly Castle didn't go down without a fight. The vigilantes stood and looked the bodies until their heads snap back at the carousel, someone was back there and alive. He grabs her before she does something. "Dont."

"No killing, i got it." They secretly walked up to the crawling man Rory. The Widow stomps on his leg, pushing him against the wall. Rory pulls got his gun and fires but she grabbed his wrist and twisted it. He yells in pain and drops the gun. "Want to give it a go?" The Widow looked at the Devil.

"Who did this?" He asked Rory.

"People you dont mess with." She bends down to the bleeding man and smiles.

"Your club doesn't scare me. You're bleeding and we got all night." Dani whispered to him.

"Go to hell!" Dani twisted his wrist and he yells again.

"Thats no way to speak to a woman, Rory."

"Who did it?" He repeated the question.

"The one they call Punisher."

"Where is he?" Rory laughs at their faces.

"It doesn't matter cause when we're done with him, hes as good as dead."

"Thats helpful." She cracks his wrist, making it fully turn. "But its not what I asked." The police sirens were coming, probably 5 minutes in.

"Let me." The Widow picks the man off the floor by his neck and tossed him. "I count two legs, two arms and one wrist, where is he?" He stilled didnt comply. So she pulls out her gun and shoots below his legs. "I got 7 left."

"Fine! They're underground, in a building on the Irish territory." She shoots one more bullet and went over his head. "Okay lady! 83! Its on 83!"

"Thank you for your cooperation." They both left the man on the ground and head over there before it was too late. "Quiet like the Devil." She whispers to the masked man as they got in and saw the armed Irish members.

"Sneaky like a spider." She grabs her batons from her back and bangs on the pipe for a distraction as she walked to the other side of the hall. The men whispered and were now on high alert. She watched the man walk up and she cartwheels back and kicks him to the other side. The devil got the next guy, he walked up to see where his partner went and the Devil throws his baton at his face and knocks him out cold. Two more came and it brought a smile to her face. The two came out from the halls and started to fight. The widow jumps onto the wall and punches the guy in the face and grabs his gun and well hits him with it. "Come on." He grabs her arm and pulls her to the hallway.

The two fought more men when they got closer to where they were holding Castle. A man had the widow in a head lock and the Devil kicks him, flips and knocks him out cold.

"You listened. You got better." She compliments his stance. They heard shots and they ran closer, fighting more men on the way. Castle shot the men outside the door and they fought them. Castle throws the wood off of him and stands up when he saw the two vigilantes. Dani closes the door to give them some time to plan on getting out. The two men stared at each other, Frank limping.

"They're gonna pay. Every single goddamn one of em." Frank groans.

"They will. But not tonight. Move." The two followed the Daredevil, waiting for men to come down. They hid and as one of them spotted the woman, she jumps down, on top of the mans shoulders and kept hitting him. "Dani!" She looks up to see the suited man that needed help.

"Hang on!" She pointed her arm up and one at the man under her and tased them. They both went down and she somersaulted on the ground and jumps up.

"No killing." He grabs a crowbar from Castles hands before he was going to smash it in the mans face.

"Alter boy."

"He gave me the same speech, its not just you." She lifted her arm again and tased a man on the ground, the devil throwing a baton at the same man. "Lets go, now. I have plans tonight and I dont want to be late." The two carried Castle out and they limped their way to the cemetery. "You are heavy, are you sure you are lifting?" They finally made it and gently placed him down.

"Hey. Not bad." Castle looks at us.

"Thanks."

"It was easy mission, easy one I ever had."

"Guess I uh, I guess I was wrong."

"About?"

"About you being a pussy." The woman laughs and hides it as the masked man looks back at her.

"Dont get all sweet on me now Frank." The three of them laughed.

"And you sweetheart, you got more balls than him."

"No, I know. I just dont like comparing." They laughed again. Castle coughs, making Dani take a step back, no longer smiling. "Police is on their way."

"You both should go. Im past saving. At least Id have company right?" The devil kneels down, listening to the man and the Widow stands there, back turned, but still listening. "i think i might cash out. You'd have made a hell of a marine Red."

"That rhyme. Whats it mean?" Her head moved a bit to see them.

"Whatd you say?"

"Thing you say. Right before you pull the trigger."

"What do you..." castle words stuttered. "You heard that?"

"Yeah I heard it." Castle takes a deep breath.

"I gotta say, sometimes...sometimes I think you really just might be the devil."

"Sometimes I think I might be too." No, this one actually cares, the one she knows, Dreykov, hes the real one.

"Its uh...one batch, two batch, penny and dime, you know. It was her favorite book." The assassin looks down,  wiping off the smirk she had earlier. Was. The past tense. "You know, you...you gotta cross the ocean, and go fight. You see, whole tome you're thinking youre gonna be scared right? But then, youre not. See that part of it was always easy for me. Killing. Even watching my buddies did... it just it didn't mean nothing." She holds her stomach and realized that she thought the same thing as Frank. Killing was all she knew and killing someone, she didn't care, no emotion. Thats what made it easy.

"The first time I got scared... was on a plane on the way home. I kept thinking God was gonna pull the rug out from under us, you know? Shit thats his kind of funny, you know. But the plane landed safe and we were home. Driving through traffic, yeah you pass fast food and donut shops and all that... that greasy shit. Its the shit you fought to protect and then the car stops. We were outside her school. I get to her classroom right. Shes in there... but shes got no idea. Shes got no idea that daddys home. I walk in these kids, they're not even studying, theyre doing some kind of yoga. Yeah. You know? Shes there. Shes doing her poses, shes bending and shes moving. She looks like a flower. And you cant even understand it. How does something like that have... how does something that beautiful...how does that... does that come from me? And she looks up and she sees me. I see her. By god, thats real. Thats real Red. Boom.  In an instant shes across that classroom floor, shes in my arms. Shes squeezing me so tight I swear I was gonna bust a rib." The Widows lip shakes, looking up, trying not to cry. She cant have that. She'll never experience that. They took that away from her. The boys noticed the sniffs and the eye drying. Daredevil stands up and places his hand on her shoulder and she jumps.

"I have to go, good luck." Was all she said and left.

🕸

Devon waited for Matt down at her mothers apartment building. She was early, and Matt was probably coming. The doorman stands there. Matt runs with flowers and pants.

"Im here! Im here!"I smiled at him and kissed him. "Im early."

"You are." I take his hand and we get on the elevator to go up. "How was your day?"

"It was fine. Uh, Grottos funeral was fine. Karen left, she thinks Castles a good guy." I looked down.

"You guys going to defend him?"

"Karen wants to. She got files from Reyes's assistant, got all of the information about him." I froze and thought about for a second but shook my head as we made it to the floor. "Do i look okay? Was the suit too much?" It was the same suit he had when he left. I just fixed his hair.

"You look fine." River and my mom come up and smiled.

"Hey Matt." River says.

"Hey River." My mom saw me smile as I looked at him.

"Hi, Im Giana. Nice to meet you. Devon has told me a lot about you."

"Has she?" I playfully rolled my eyes. "Uh these are for you." He hands my mom the flowers. "Devon said that you like tulips." She was impressed.

"Well thank you. Dinner is ready by the way, Matt I hope you like caviar and Spanakopita and for dessert Clafoutis." Matts face drops, he had no idea what she just said. "Im kidding, i made chicken and pasta, you like it?"

"Of course!"

"Who did you hire this time?" I hung up Matts jacket and my bag and we walked to the table. He sat next to me and held my hand and my brother and mom talked. "Usually mom hires cooks, she can't cook."

"I cooked, for real."

"Okay so, Matt, how do you feel about pizza?" My mom pushes Rivers arm. "Kidding." We had a nice dinner, laughing and talking about Rivers job and Matts.

"IT for New York, that's impressive." Matt smiles. "I bet all the ladies are over you."

"Oh no, River cant even talk to a woman." I laughed. "He gets red and stutters."

"Once! That happened once!"

"So Matt, what do you want in the future?" My mom asked him. Matt puts down his glass and clears his throat.

"With Devon?" She hums. "Well, we settle down, get married." I rubbed my thumb over his his on the table as he spoke. "Maybe a family." My heart sunk. Matt noticed the pause and my reaction when he said a family. "But we still have time. As long im with her, thats all I want."

"Good." Dinner ended shortly has Matt and River got a call from work. So we said goodbye and walked out.

"Are you sure you can walk alone back home?"

"Yes, I can call you."

"Fine." We kissed goodbye and i dialed his number as we walked away. "Hello again. Im sorry I had to cut our night short. Looks like work isn't done."

"Its fine. You seem stressed. Maybe we can take a day off and just relax." I smirked as I was getting near the apartment.

"How about I take you out for dinner. On a date."

"Are you asking me out? Our first date?"

"We haven't officially gone on a date so yeah, im asking you out. Next week, Friday."

"Well, looks like im free." I said as I kicked off my heels and threw my keys in the bowl. There was a breeze coming in and someone was here. I slowly stood up and turned. "Shit."

"Devon?" I lowered my phone and it slips off my hand. My heartbeat paced faster, i felt all the pain come back again. Dreykov... he whistles and Taskmaster runs up to me, i tried to beat them but they advanced, it knew all my moves. It gripped my neck, my feet kicking in the air.

"Gah!" I kept hitting its arm, wanting to let go. "No." Dreykov steps out of the shadows, he hasn't changed. How was he alive? Natasha said she killed him.

"Hello Devon." He looks around the apartment, looking at the photos I had, the life I've made after I left.

"Dreykov..." i choked out. He smashes my phone and puts his hands behind his back, walking away again.

"Its nice to see you again." He looks up at me. That same stench, that same cologne still lingers. "You haven't changed I see." I couldn't say anything as Taskmaster literally was about to break my windpipe. "You remember Taskmaster, you trained and helped kill." He pats its shoulder. "You really think you were going to leave that easy?"

"Screw you!" In my head, all I can think is hoping Matt wasn't going to come through that door.

"Where's Natasha."

"I dont know!" I spit in his face and he wipes it off. He smacks me. "Why would I tell you anything!"

"Because you're still mine." He turns away, facing the large window. "Finish her." Taskmaster clawed my throat. I held my bleeding neck until they tossed me across the room and I hit the island. I struggled to get up, blocking her kicks but they already knew my next move. They kept hitting me. Dreykov was already gone. My face was all bloody, my vision was blurry. I crawled to my phone and try to call for help but Taskmaster twisted my leg and grabbed its sword and stabs me. I laid there as it left and realized that Dreykov is back in my life again and hes going to have me killed. He cant know about Matt.

Devon closes her eyes and laid face down, her blood spreading onto her floor. For that moment she felt free. The door gets kicked down and Matt runs in. He yells for her and no reply. He scented her blood, he kneeled down and touched her. He quickly grabs her in his arms and cried for help, her body was limp. Her heartbeat was slow. He felt her face and it was unrecognizable.

"Devon? Come on sweetheart, wake up!" He pulls out his phone and calls on person that can help. "Claire, I need your help. My girlfriend, I think shes dying."