55. Only Hope

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Watching Matt doing this reminded me of myself back then. How all i saw was red, i mean i still do but this was different, i do it for revenge, for all who did me wrong. Matt was doing it because of his hatred towards Fisk.

"We need to get Fisks right hand man-"

"Felix Manning." Matt turns to me slowly. "I tried to kill him before Frank and River came to talk me out of it. Hes here, i saw him in an alley." I looked off to the city.

"Lets go." We jumped off the building and into the alley. We waited for him to come out. Whatever Fisk was planning, it was secured. Manning comes out, talking to men in suits, telling them to enjoy their night. Just as Matt was going to attack him, I stepped in front of Manning.

"You." He snarls at me.

"Me." I tased him, Matt quickly got to him, putting a bag over his head and we went back to the roof, waiting for him wake up. I leaned against the brick wall as Matt was going to do the talking.

"Kidnapping me will get you nothing." Manning spat.

"What is Fisk planning?"

"Planning?" He acted all dumb.

"I scouted his hotel. Extra security. Preparations for some big event. What is it?" Matt pulls him by the collar.

"What Fisk will do to me is infinitely worse..." matt punches Manning, nose already bleeding.

"Things are about to get very bad for you."

"He asked you. What is Fisk planning?" I strutted up to the men, hands on my hips. Then he said it.

"He's getting married to Vanessa Mariana." Anger was written on my face.

"Marriage?" How does he get that happy ending?

"He's been planning the ceremony for months. He's gonna charm the press and the public and make Hell's Kitchen love him again." Its not going to work, people already hate him, what will a wedding do to change their minds?

"You're gonna tell me everything. I wanna know where everyone is gonna be. Anyone who could stop me."

"Stop you?"

"From killing Fisk." Hearing that from Matt made my skin crawl. It was too cruel for him.

"He controls all of the FBI agents who are guarding him. The hotel is a fortress." Manning laughs in his face.

"Is that a no?"

"You'll never get to him." Matt looks at me.

"Sounds like a no to me." Matt grabs Felix, kicking him off the roof, but there was rope tied to his foot. Felix started screaming and wailing. We watched him dangle off, Matt kicking his legs off the ledge and I bent a knee to look over. "I can give you something better!" He screams.

"I'm listening."

"I witnessed Ms. Marianna order the murder of Agent Nadeem." My smile disappeared. Vanessa. "And Fisk ordered many. Agent Winn. Julie Barnes! I could testify!"

"I know about Winn and Nadeem."

"Who's Julie Barnes?" I said as I looked down at him.

🕸️

I got a call from Foggy, to meet him at the gym, it was important. I ran to the gym, thinking it was an emergency, someone got hurt, Matt did it, something, but as soon as I opened that door, Karen and Foggy were standing around the table. My stomach turned. This looks bad.

"Is it Matt? Did he do it?" They shook their heads. Good. "What is it then?" I managed to calm down.

"Look at Ray sent to his wife." He played me a video of Nadeem talking, telling everyone about Fisk, what he did, everything that has happened. I sat down as I watched it, talking to son. It made me feel so sorry, i can't imagine what his son is going through. "God. He knew he was gonna die." I gave Foggy his phone back. "Okay, so... maybe it won't hold up in court."

"But if we put this out there, it'll make Fisk's life a living hell." Karen sits down with me.

"Actually, a dying declaration is exempt from the hearsay rule." I frowned.

"What? Im not a lawyer Fogs, explain." Foggy pulls a chair and sits close to me.

"The court says that a person who believes that they're dying is... has less incentive to lie. Therefore, anything they say is..."

"You're telling me this is admissible in court?" I pointed at the phone.

"Every damn word. It's the silver bullet to take down Fisk." Got him.

"Shit. The world has to know."

"The world and Matt." This is our last chance to stop Matt from killing Fisk. "Devon, can you send River the video and have it linked to everyones phone tonight?"

"Yes." He started to send me the video, now sending it to River.

"You have to tell Matt this." I leaned back on my chair.

"About that..."

"Oh no." Foggy sighs.

"I cant find him, he ditched me after we had a chat with Manning." I pulled my hair back. "But if River sends this video out in time, Matt will hear it and it will change his mind. I know it."

🕸️

Everyone and the cops were standing in front of the building where Fisk was having his wedding. I walked up with Foggy, standing behind the rails. We heard that they are going to arrest Daredevil, agents were down, people were injured.

"Sure hope this wasn't Matt." We sighed. Matt wouldn't let anyone who was involved hurt. Its not like him, hes only there for Fisk.

"I have my suit." I showed him the crimson red suit under my coat. "I can sneak my way in, stop him."

"No yet." Foggy stops me. We stood outside for a moment, cops bringing out people, arresting some agents. Then Vanessa comes out, I made eye contact with her, but i caught Fisk walking out. "He's alive." Matt didn't do it.

"Thank God." I put my hand over my heart. We watched as they put Fisk in the cop car, yelling and screaming to see Vanessa, but they didn't let him.

"Matt should be here."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he is."

🕸️

Everyone came to Father Lantoms funeral. We sat as they prayed, talking about him. I asked for forgiveness from what happened, still holding that guilt with me. Matt walks up to the stage, ready to go and talk.

"Feels like half of Hell's Kitchen is here today to say goodbye to Father Paul Lantom." Matt goes on about him. "Seems fair. He certainly welcomed everyone here, Catholic or not. And he expected those of us who were to, uh, look for ways to do good in our community. Not even the kids got out of that requirement. I'm sure I'm not the only one who remembers his "suggestion" that we give some of our First Communion money to the poor box." Everyone laughed at the memory. "And that was his way. To think of the community, and the, uh... and the individuals in it. To think in terms of, "What can I give?" He gave his life, right here in this church, protecting others. Standing up to a man who used fear as a tool to set neighbors against one another. If Father Lantom had an enemy, I would say it was fear. For me, personally, he spent many years trying to get me to face my own fears. To understand how they enslaved me, how they divided me from the people that I love. He counseled me to transcend my fears, to be brave enough to forgive... and see the possibilities of being a man without fear. That was his legacy. And now it's up to all of us to, uh, live up to it."

As it ended, everyone went outside. I walked with Matt, holding his arm, and he latched on to me.

"That was nice, what you said." I told him as we walked down the steps.

"Yeah, it wasn't just him, you know. It was you, too. You helped me see the truth about myself."

"Ouch." We chuckled. "That had to hurt."

"Well, maybe one of these days, I'll forgive you, too." I nodded my head, looking away from him.

"Before my funeral, I hope." I squinted my eyes from the sun.

"I'm glad you told me, Devon. About your past, everything you went through."

"Yeah. Well, uh... I couldn't live with that lie forever." I sighed. "It was going to come out one way or the other. Im glad that you stuck around, saw me for me." I gently punched his arm.

"We're all just trying to do more good than harm. And I'd say you're ahead on that score." He reaches for my hand, gently playing with my fingers with his. "Devon..." he whispers.

"Its okay if you don't want to get back together." I finally said. I do love him, but if that's what he wants, ill grant him that.

"I never said I wanted to leave you." He smiles. "Maybe we can start all over?"

"How about we picked up where we left off?" I fixed his tie that was bugging me since the beginning. "I liked it how it was."

"So did i." We both leaned in and kissed each other. "Im sorry, and thank you for being by my side."

"I will never leave you, thats a promise." I smiled as he kissed me again. "You cant get rid of me that easy devil boy."