A/N- I swear these chapters just keep getting longer and longer. Settle in and grab yourself a cup of coffee or a snack because this is a long one today! This chapter is crucial and will be going hand in hand with the rest of the chapters as we continue, so please do not skip! 

Warnings: Couple of descriptive scenes talking about murder. If you are sensitive to that topic, please proceed with caution.

 Word count: 9686

Song recommendations: 

I really like this playlist on YouTube. Its completely daredevil inspired and all of the tracks are from the show. Here's the link! 

Wesley watched as the twins step foot into the warehouse. The entire building smelt of spray-paint and gasoline from the cars, creating a horrendous headache that was running through Wesley's head that seemed to keep growing. He had been waiting for a while for the men to show up, his anger finally dying down when he saw the pair walk into the room, bloodied and vanquished. 

"Yikes." He said, crossing his arms and pointing one hand at Vladimir's face. "Now I get in your country you delight in pain and extolling how much they can endure, but maybe next time you could try ducking." 

"We did." His brother, Anatoly scowled. "They where working in a pair and came at both of us at once." 

Wesley scoffed, "Your telling me you can't take down a girl who follows her boyfriend around in a t-shirt and jeans?" He shook his head as he spoke in a sharp tone, "Maybe we do need to look into hiring other men. Perhaps ones that can take a female down." 

"She was a good fighter." Vladimir said, "She's experienced. Almost as experienced as the man." 

Wesley sighed, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter," he said brushing off the matter and handing the man an envelope. "Your paperwork was finalized." 

The men looked down at the envelope, then back up at Wesley who was speaking, cutting him off. "This is only half of what we requested."

"Well I only got half of what I asked for." Wesley sneered, placing his hands together in front of him. "You see, my employer isn't really the happiest with the most recent request we sent out for you both." He inhaled, "The boy was to be held as a ransom, and he's gone." Wesley stepped forward, testing the waters between the angry men. "All because of your dumbasses." 

"There was a complication." Vladimir said, getting cut off by Wesley shortly after.

"One that you assured me would be taken care of." 

"Do you know what they where asking the boys father when they found him?" He rapidly spoke.

"I don't personally care." 

"Well you should," Anatoly asked, "Because it was about your employer." He paused, "They where asking for him . . . By name."

 Wesley had a tremulous voice while he spoke , still having to keep the calm and sophisticated manner he was sworn to always wear. "More of a reason to settle this matter." Wesley stood up straight. "Manmade Gao and Mr. Nobu have expressed their disappointment about you both."

Vladimir's expression changed, "I have not heard of this." 

Wesley shrugged, "Well that's because we've been talking behind your back." He used his hands as he spoke, "About how the Russians can't seem to deal with a man and a woman running around Hell's Kitchen in a mask." He paused, "Now maybe if he had an iron suit, or a magic hammer, that would be a bit different and would possibly explain why you keep getting your asses handed to-"

"We're done here." Vladimir said as he walked off. Wesley smirked as he watched them walk off, flashing a devilish grin. "The pair, they've turned you both weak." 

Vladimir turned around as his brother stopped in his tracks. 

"Excuse me?" Anatoly asked. 

Wesley took a deep breath, "It's just business, boys." He squinted his eyes, his face looking as if he had just tasted something sour. "But I will say this, If you both don't improve your work tactics in the next few weeks," Wesley paused, stepping closer. "We will be looking for different options. And I can ensure you that Madame Gao will not be happy about this. She already isn't pleased about her distribution getting affected by two men who can't seem to throw a punch."  

"You tell Mr. Fisk-"

Wesley interrupted him, almost at the point of shouting with how quickly his voice rose. "We don't say his name." He boomed.

"Tell Mr. Fisk." Vladimir said, drawing out his name as Wesley's jaw twitched. "That if he want's those two dead, for him to come carve the skin himself." 

Wesley scoffed. "What where asking is a simple order. You get to choose if we handle this the nice way," he paused, tilting his head, "or the hard way. Which I can gladly assure you is something you would want to avoid at all cost's."

The room became silent, right before Wesley spoke. 

"We'll be in touch." 

He walked out of the building, into the broad daylight as he headed into his car and was driven off. 

The two men lingered in their same spots, talking with one another in Russian. 

"This man and woman...they've thrown everything off for us." Anatoly said, whispering as his Russian accent spat. His hands where shaking and his jaw was clenched in irritation. 

"What do we know about them?" Vladimir asked. 

"Nothing." Anatoly shrugged, "Nobody does."

The pair was silent for a moment. "Perhaps Semyon knows something." Vladimir suggested suggested. 

"You know he sleeps like the dead." His brother argued. 

"And Jesus rose on the third day." He said, clenching his fists. "We won't get exactly what we need until they are both dead and handed to Fisk." He looked over to the door, "Semyon has slept long enough." He said, walking off as his brother waited to follow. 

˜"*°•.˜"*°• The Devils Angel •°*"˜.•°*"˜

5|| Agathokakological People

Jess rolled over on her back, feeling every muscle in her body ache as she did so.  Random sharp stings danced across her back as she moved ever so slightly.

"Fuck." She whined, throwing her legs out of bed as she hit the hardwood floor headfirst. Her body had completely given up on her, most likely because she was one of those people who ever so rarely took a rest day when God knew she needed it.

"Jess?" Lily called from the kitchen which was right outside her room after hearing a large thud. "Everything okay?" She questioned, knocking on her door. 

Jess placed her elbows down on the floor as she attempted to gain some form of ground, "Uh, yeah." She called back, thinking of an excuse, "Just dropped my laptop." She was able to sit herself on her knees, back resting against her bed as she did so. She lifted the back of her shirt, looking in the mirror that rested in the corner of her room. Hughes of black, blue, and purple nestled into her skin from the night before, creating a large patch in her back. She squirmed at the sight of it, realizing exactly why she was in so much pain. 

"Dear God." She said, dropping her shirt back down her back as she used the bed to stand up straight. Her back popped with every movement. "I knew I should have stretched." She whimpered, walking over to her closet and picking her outfit out for the day. 

Walking out of her room, Jess made her way into the kitchen and living room where Lily was sitting on a barstool taking a bite of scrambled eggs as she scrolled through her phone. 

"Good Morning," Lily said suspiciously, watching the girl in front of her dump endless amounts of coffee into a mug decorated with the words 'Nelson and Murdock', a gift from Foggy on her first day of work. "Didn't sleep again?" She questioned, watching Jess frantically rush around the kitchen and grab a piece of bread from a plastic bag, popping it into the toaster. 

"You know you should really go to a doctor for that." She said after getting no response, taking another bite of her breakfast, "You practically never sleep, and your always just groggy and mad." Lily put her fork down, picking up her plate and walking past Jess to the sink. "I mean, really. What happened to 18 year old Jess who could stay out till 3am and wake up at six for a lecture." She questioned, washing her plate with a soapy rag. 

"Believe me, I ask myself the same thing everyday." She took the piece of toast from the toaster, spreading butter and jam on the surface of it, "But, I am not going to a doctor." Lily scoffed at the comment as her head turned.

"Don't scoff at me," Jess said, turning around and leaning against the counter as she took a bite, "All their going to tell me is that I have extreme childhood trauma, which I already know I have, and try and send me to a therapist which I have already tried." 

"Then try a different one." Lily said, resting against the counter in front of Jess. 

"Trust me I have tried probably every therapist Hell's Kitchen can provide, and none of them work." She said, chomping down on her toast and putting the knife in the sink, lingering the touch she had on it. She turned around at Lily who was shaking her head and crossing her arms. 

"What?" Jess asked, brushing past her and grabbing her bag, tossing it over her shoulder. "You've gone with me to a couple sessions so you can't even deny the fact that they all do the exact same thing." Jess argued, raising her eyebrows. "Right?"

Lily took a deep breath in, shaking her head. "Your a mess Jessie Grace-Philips." 

"I consider myself more of an entertaining burden." She said, strolling towards the door and holding her coffee cup up in the air. "I'll text you when I'm on my way back from work." She said, closing the door behind her. 

Jesse's stroll to work was usually pretty short depending on which route she took. If she took the shortcut through 59th street, her commute was typically only about a 15 minute walk. If she didn't take the shortcut, it was about 25 minutes at the most. The difference was today's walk felt longer. Jess didn't know if it was the aching in her muscles, or the dark gloomy winter weather showing signs of snow soon to come, but either way she was in a funk.

Twisting the handle, she walked into the office of Nelson and Murdock. She closed the door quickly behind her, having to kick it shut since Matt refused to have someone come fix it for them saying that he could do it himself. Albeit, Matt was quite the handy man despite being blind, but with this task he kept putting it off saying that he would do it the next day. Jess looked down at her watch as she walked further into the office.  

"I would say sorry I'm late but-" Jess looked up, being met by not only the usual group, but one more man. Everyone's heads looked towards Jess, Matt finding it hard not to laugh at the situation while Foggy looked at her with wide eyes.

Jess cocked her head, smiling awkwardly. "I am very sorry, sir. I didn't realize we had clients with us this morning." She walked over, taking a seat next to Matt and placing her bag down on the floor. 

The man wore large glasses and a dark blue suit, his hands resting in front of him. His smile was nice, giving off a warm feeling in the room. "Oh don't worry about that, I was just about to start speaking before you walked in." He paused, smiling at the woman. "James Wesley." He said, putting his hand out across the table for her to shake.

"Jessie Grace-Phillips." She said, shaking his hand back, having to lean across the table to do so.

Wesley's head turned at her name. "As in Michelle Grace-Phillips?" He asked. 

Jess was taken abruptly by his response. "Uh yes." She said pausing, "That's my mother, or was my mother." She said, correcting herself. "Did you know her?" 

Wesley smiled, feeling dirtily accomplished. "Only by stories." 

Jess nodded slowly, looking over at Matt who looked rather unamused by the interaction between the pair. From the moment the man walked in Matt had a bad feeling. He didn't necessarily know why, but he just did.

The man began speaking, "I represent a consortium with diversified interest in the private sector. From time to time we scout the landscape for promising talent to put on retainer-"

"Retainer?" Jess asked, sitting up and placing her arms on the table.

"Why are you approaching us, why not a larger firm? Mr. uh-" Matt chimed in, scoffing at the mans comment.  

"Confederated global investments is my employer." 

"That's not what he was asking." Jess said, making the man chuckle. 

"It's the only name relevant to this discussion Mr. Murdock and Ms. Grace-Phillips." 

Matt was taken aback by the response. He was listening for the mans heartbeat, any signs of fear or distress that may have come from it. He knew something was up, he just couldn't put a finger on what it was.

"Oh." Matt said rather aggressively as he provided the man with a small smile, "So why us?"

Foggy chimed in, "Obviously the larger firms aren't able to provide the same hands on treatment as we take pride in at Nelson and Murdock, Matt." He said, sneering the last word. 

Jess scoffed to herself quietly, still earning the attention of the man sitting in front of her. 

"Don't worry, Mr. Nelson, It's a fair question. I can see you and your partners take their jobs very seriously and wouldn't want to stumble them."

Jess angled her head at his comment, looking over at Karen who had the same expression as her. 

"I'm here because my employer does extensive business in Hell's Kitchen, and who knows it better then two local boys who graduated from Columbia university," he paused looking over at Jess creating a line straight smile on his face, "and a local female of course who graduated from Fordwill University." 

He looked over at the two men, "Despite your troubling circumstances and offer's given you managed to set up shop in your own backyard."

"You've done your homework." Matt said, sitting up straight.

"I take pride in knowing about my clients." He said, looking over at Jess. "One thing that struck me was that I couldn't seem to find much on you Ms. Grace-Phillips. I don't assume you've ever gone by another name?"

Jess felt her heartrate speed up. Sitting up, she began to speak. "I'm sorry, who was your employer again?" She questioned. 

"That doesn't matter at the moment, Ms-"

"It does to me." She smiled spitefully. "As not only a lawyer but a business professional I find it hard to make deals with those who don't share everything needed. I understand confidentiality is a big part of your work considering you seem to have no business cards, no title of business, or any employers with you, but-" she paused, clasping her hands on the table, "It doesn't sit well with me knowing this is possibly wasting my time."  she smiled. 

"My employer would be pleased to know you take your work seriously." He spat, almost aggressively. "But his name doesn't matter in this at the moment."

"Forgive me for being blunt-" Matt said before getting cut off by Foggy.

"Blunt is a strong word." Foggy reassured him as he stammered, putting his hands up and trying to get Matt to calm down. 

"In my line of work I find it refreshing."

"What exactly is that line of work?" Matt asked, tilting his head. 

The man lifted his head and opened his mouth, as if he was about to speak, surprised by the mans words. 

"What my partner is trying to say is we're still building a practice, so we're rather particular about our cliental." Foggy said, speaking as he faced the man.

Matt reached over and grabbed Jesse's hand, placing it under the table as he drew a large x on it with his index finger. His head peered up for a moment, 'looking' over at Jess who's heartrate was showing she was uncomfortable with the man in front of her. She used his hand almost as a sheet of paper, using her finger to write words on his hand. 

'Seems sketchy' she wrote on his hand, followed by a nod from Matt who pulled his hand away slightly, placing it on her thigh. 

"I assure you all my employer wants is for you to continue being ethical and decent men and women." he said, nodding to Jess, "good lawyers." He paused, letting the silence in the room take over. "And for that," Wesley said, reaching in his coat pocket, "for nothing more then you being wonderful and ethical lawyers who care about the city of Hell's Kitchen, and of course your discretion," He placed an envelope on the table in front of him, making everyone's eyes look in that direction. "You will be fairly compensated." 

Foggy took the envelope, opening it as his eyebrows raised pleasingly. He passed the paper around, showing it to Jess who took a deep inhale as her eyes widened, staring down at the paper. 

The man chuckled across the table, followed by Foggy speaking. "That- that's fair...that's very fair." 

"Your partners don't seem convinced." He said, nodding to Jess and Matt. 

"Like Foggy stated, we're particular about our cliental." Matt said seriously, slightly clenching his hand tighter around her thigh.

The man took a deep breath, scoffing. "I'm curious about your...clientele." he used his hands as he spoke, "do they all come work for you after you manage to keep them from rotting in a cell? Or is it just the pretty ones?"

"Do you go around Hell's Kitchen bribing law firms in desperate attempt to cover your employers ass?" Jess titled her head, "Or is it just us? 

The man crooked his head slightly, his eyes slightly squinting as he looked at the girl. 

"Do you mind giving us a moment, Karen?" Matt asked kindly. Karen nodded, standing up and walking out of the room as she shut the door behind her.

The man titled his glasses back up, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset anyone." 

"How did you know about Ms. Paige's situation?" Matt asked. "She was never charged, there was nothing in the papers or in the media. This was only a recent event that took place about a month ago." 

"I have friends on the force." The man said, followed by a quick remark from Foggy. 

"I think we might be veering off the subject." Foggy stated. 

"I understand your concerns Mr. Murdock and Ms. Grace-Philips. Perhaps, you should review one of our cases together before you make a decision." He paused, "Peace of mind or whatnot." 

"That sounds like a fantastic idea." Foggy said, looking over at Jess who looked pissed to her core. "Matthew, Jess?"

"Yeah. . . what harm could it do?" Jess smiled, holding back the pure fire that was raging through her veins. 

"Great." The man smiled, "you have 38 minutes to get to prescient fifteen." 

"What? Now? What's the case?" Foggy asked, getting handed a file. 

"Everything you need is in that file," he stated, standing up.

Matt stood up, buttoning his jacket up. "Thank you, sir." he said, sounding anything but sincere. The man walked out, closing the door behind him. Foggy looked over at Matt and Jess who looked anything but excited about the case.

"What is your deals?" He asked the pair.

"Oh are we just going to completely ignore the fact that guy is one of the sketchiest people I have ever met in my entire life?" Jess questioned, "Or did the check he offered us make up for it?"

"He wouldn't even give us his employers name, Foggy." Matt said, placing his hands on his hips. "Does nothing about that seem weird to you?" He asked. 

"You wouldn't care if you could see this check, Matt." 

"I can see it and I still care." Jess argued, standing up and walking to the side of the table. "That guy was practically a walking red flag, and believe me I have met many in my lifetime." 

Matt began walking towards the door, pure intent lustering in his eyes. 

"We're running out of time." Foggy called out, throwing his hands up in plead for the man to listen. 

"I'll meet you guys there." Matt said, walking out and closing the door behind him.

"Meet us?" Foggy stammered. "The hell are you going?"

"Matt!" Jess called out, putting her head down and looking up for a moment at Foggy who's facial expressions matched Jesse's, only they where agitated with different people. 

"It was a good deal." Foggy said, standing up and walking to the other side of the table. 

"Jesus Foggy." Jess said, throwing her hands out, "We where talking to the same guy right? The same one who knew exactly what happened to Karen when even I didn't know?"

"I get that maybe you never had to worry about not getting paid at your old job and that you may be set, "he pointed to himself, "but I have to worry about a paycheck, Jess. That was a shit ton of money. You don't understand what we can do with that!"

"I'm not even talking about the cash here Foggy," he groaned when she began speaking, "I'm talking about the fact that this just doesn't sound right." she said, placing her finger on the table, letting the silence waver over them. "You can't tell me there isn't the slightest bit of you that thinks something was off." 

Foggy remained silent. Him and Jess kept staring at each other, their eyes fighting the argument for themselves. 

"So, what exactly happened Mr. Healey?" Foggy paused, turning the page over in his notebook. "In your own words, please."

Foggy and Jess where sitting next to each other in the interrogation room. The dark lights shined over everyone's faces, creating dark hues under each of their eyes. Jess had a yellow notepad in front of her, flicking  a pen from side to side, bouncing it off each of her fingers.

"All I wanted was to throw a few balls. It was late I know, but I was bored after work and just felt like doing it." The man with cuts on his face said, looking at the pair and stopping his eye movement when he saw Jess, keeping his gaze on her. "The lady at the shoe counter will tell you the same."

Jess looked down at her note sheet as she lifted a page up, "She also said that," Jess paused swallowing uncomfortably, "you crushed the skull with a bowling ball." 

"Self defense." 

Jess nodded softly, looking over at Foggy who also seemed disturbed.

The man remained silent for a moment, looking over at Foggy. "The man and whoever he was with, they threatened my life." 

"How exactly?" Jess asked in a feebly tone. "Verbally, physically?"

The man leaned forward, a slight smirk forming on his face. 

"Which one sounds better, sweetheart?"

Jess cocked her head, "the truth." she snapped, "the truth sounds better for your case, Mr. Healey." She waited a moment, "And don't call me sweetheart. I'm your lawyer, not a booty call."

The man looked back over at Foggy, "They threatened me both verbally and physically." The man said, looking more sincere. It was almost as if a switch had flipped in his head, making him go from cocky and arrogant to faint and scared. 

Foggy side eyed Jess confused, averting his gaze back at the man. Foggy cleared his throat as Jess wrote.

"So. . . you say you never met Mr. Prohaszka before?" Foggy asked. 

"No," he shook his head, "But I do regret any injurious consequences my actions may have caused." 

Jess looked puzzled at the man, "You seem to have quite the legal vocabulary." She acknowledged. "Am I right to assume this isn't the first time you've been in this situation?" 

"I had issues." the man said softly smiling, "I'm better now."

Silence crept into the room, making both Jess and Foggy uncomfortable. Jess squirmed in her chair, sitting up straight. She looked over at Foggy who's face read the same expression as her, thoughts disjoined and mind racing at a hundred miles an hour trying to figure out the man in front of them. She nodded, making Foggy continue. 

"On second thought, Mr. Healey. Perhaps our firm isn't the-"

A buzz came from the door, and Matt entered. He looked like he had ran a mile, walking in and breathing heavily as he quickly closed the door behind him. 

"Sorry I'm late." Matt said. 

"Oh no It's fine." Foggy said, clearing his throat in a frizzle, "We where just telling Mr. Healey that our caseload at the moment is-"

"We would be happy to represent you, Mr. Healey." Matt said, taking a seat and scooting his chair into the table. He was sitting next to Foggy, leaving Jess looking at him and gazing at Foggy who looked rather confused. 

"What?" Jess mumbled, loud enough for only Matt and Foggy to hear.

"We're taking the case." Matt mumbled back, still facing the man.

Everyone faced forward towards Mr. Healey, listening as he spoke to Matt about his case. 

Time had passed, leaving Matt, Foggy, and Jess exhausted from not only listening but asking the man questions. Jesse's legs where numb from not moving them enough, making her switch which leg was resting on top of the other. What he said only got weirder and weirder, leaving Jess and Foggy confused as to why Matt was so eager to take on this case when before he was on the side of not even discussing the matter at all. 

"You seem like a very important man." Matt stated. 

"Is that a question?" The man asked, almost irritated.

"Statement." Matt said, letting a slight friendly smile slip. "It's not every day a global investment firm picks up the tab for a murder case."

"Self-defense." The man said somberly.

"Murder." Jess smiled, aggravated with the man in front of her. She would do anything, and she meant anything to set him off at this point. 

Matt looked over at Jess, proud of her in a way. He knew she was Irritated with all of this, making it that much funnier when she would say things, knowing that she was wanting to provoke him as much as she could., and it was working. Every smart-ass comment that came from her mouth would cause the man's heartrate to increase, showing he didn't appreciate the comments she would make.

"I was wondering if you could shed some light on the man that hired us to represent you?" Matt asked, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. 

"I don't think I can."

"Can't or won't?" Foggy asked, bringing Matt and Jess to surprise considering before he was on board with this idea. 

The man in front looked at the group confused. His jaw clenched as he spoke. "Why does this matter?"

"We just want to build a solid case between you and the man that came in asking for us to represent you." Jess said, clasping her hands in front of her. "I assume that since this is a crucial part to your case that you wouldn't mind us asking." She smiled, "You know, for your sake." 

"How?" The man questioned, leaning forward on the table so he was only a few inches away from her face. 

"You know, character witness." She shrugged, "Comes in handy for someone getting charged with murder." 

Matt slightly smirked. This girl was fired up, not willing to back down and he loved it. 

"Or maybe you where in his employment at the time of the incident." Matt suggested. "Either way, it can help you out." 

"I just wanted to throw a few balls, that's what I've kept saying." The man said, his face reading innocent but his tone reading guilty. 

"Why at 12:30 at night?" Foggy questioned.

"Are we breaking for lunch anytime soon?" the man asked bothered, "Because I'm getting a bit hungry." He said, his hands balled up in a fist together on the table. Jess noticed, looking at them then back up at the man who was already staring at her. 

"If we loose this case, do you know what happens to you?" Jess asked, followed by Foggy placing his arm on hers to try and get her to stop, but she just pushed it away. 

"Oh honey," he shrugged, grinning. "I don't really care." 

Jess sat back, looking over at Matt. 

"A word please, Matt?"

Matt and Jess stood up, walking to the edge of the room. Jess was standing in the corner, looking over at the man in the chair as he waved to her, trying to get her to break. She shook her head at him, having Matt stand in front of her soon after. 

"We shouldn't be doing this." Jess whispered. 

"Doing what?" Matt asked. 

"You know what." She snapped, "What happened when you left? What changed in that mind of yours to want to defend a professional criminal."

"Professional criminal? How do you know?" Matt asked.

"Well I can for sure tell you that isn't his first rodeo." She took a deep inhale, "You should have heard what he said to be and Foggy before you got here. This guy is one bad day away from a mental hospital." 

"Foggy said we need real clients." 

"Matt this isn't what he meant." She said stepping closer and crossing her arms, "You can't tell me that this guy doesn't creep you out a bit." She said. "You said it back at the office before, something is off here."

"We agreed to represent him Jess." He pleaded. "We're going to try this case and let the jury take it from there." He put his arm on Jesse's, sliding it down the back of her bicep. "He won't do anything to you. I promise that."

Jess looked up at Matt, "I'm not worried about what he will do to me, Matt. I'm worried about what I'll do to him." She pulled away, walking over to her seat. 

"Mr. Healey." Matt said, sitting down. The man was focused on Jess, making Matt cough and gain his attention towards him. "I suggest we wave criminal procedure law 180.80" He paused, adjusting in his seat. "Give the DA more time to explore our plea." 

"In the meantime the best thing you can do is be forthcoming with us." Jess said, nicer this time as she was tired of arguing with a brick wall of a coward. "We will do everything in our power to get you passed this in sight of the court, law, and federal authority regulations." She paused, "Does that sound good to you?"

The man sighed and uttered bluntly, "No." 

"No?" Foggy questioned. 

"I want the 180.80 date." He paused, "And if I'm indicted which we all know I will be we will forget all hearings and discovery and go straight to trial." The man smiled, looking at Jess and tilting his head. 

"Not my first rodeo, remember?" He said cockily. 

Jess shook her head and took a deep breath. The room was still, the only noise being Matt rubbing his hand against his scruff. 

"You'll need to testify." 

"Matt." Foggy exclaimed. 

"Its his choice, not ours." Matt said, looking forward at the man. 

"I'm gonna have some good fucking faith in our judicial system." The man said. "Have some truth in the law." He looked at all of them, "and you all are going to do your jobs the right way."

The group of lawyers sat back in their chairs, unable to move from his comment. Jess was about to speak when Foggy placed his hand on her shoulder, looking over at her as his eyes spoke words of 'please don't.' She sat back slowly, listening as Matt spoke.

"That simple?" Matt asked. 

"That simple." He said, noticing the girl resting back into the seat. "And uh, as for the man that hired you, all you need to know is his check is gonna clear." 

That was all, the last words of the beginning of a dumpster fire of a trial that everyone knew would turn out badly.

Jess stormed into the office, Matt following suit as Foggy walked further back, knowing Jess would handle the yelling portion of the argument. 

"Jess." Matt pleaded, closing the door behind him. "Can we please talk about this?" 

"First you agree with me and say that this seems like a bad idea, then you take a walk that seemed to shape your mind a different way and come back accepting the case." She said, standing at her desk with her arms crossed. "I mean what exactly happened on that walk of yours?"

"Jess-"

She put her finger up, "I'm not finished." she said, making Matt close his mouth. "You didn't even discuss this with us, Matt." 

"If we want to keep the lights on in this place then we have to take some cases, Jess." He argued, his hands on his hips. "Even if its ones like these."

"You can't even see, why does it matter to you if we have lights or not?" She asked, making Matt form a smile on his lips. Jess pointed a finger at him, "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" He questioned softly, putting his hands out like he was guilty. 

"You always give me that look when I'm in the middle of a serious conversation." She pointed seriously.

"Look? What look? Jess I'm blind I can't look." 

"Just don't smile when I'm trying to tell you off." She said, failing miserably at keeping her laugh at bay. 

"You made a blind joke in the middle of your argument, how am I not supposed to laugh?" He said defending himself. 

Jess shook her head and smiled lightly, "I didn't mean for the joke to come out," she shrugged, beginning to laugh as she failed to keep the chortle at bay. The pair laughed together, small chuckles filling the silence in the room.

Jess took a deep inhale as Matt walked closer to her. He placed his hand on her cheek, brushing his callused hands softly against it. 

"This can't be what we do, Matt." She said crossing her arms as his hand still rested on her cheek, "We can't take cases just because we need money, we need cases that we believe in."

"And we'll do that." He said, lifting her face up to look at him. His finger rested below her chin, "I promise. You just have to trust me on this one."

"You've made a lot of promises today, you know." She pointed out.

"And I intend to keep them."

The tenson between the pair became futile. Matt leaned down, kissing Jess softly on the lips as his tongue made it's way into her mouth, overlapping with hers. She placed her hands behind his neck, sitting up on her desk and wrapping her legs around his waist. 

They continued kissing for a moment, feeling free for the first time in a while. No secret identity, no worrying about will come next, just peace in the company of one another. Jess pulled away slightly, placing her hand on his chest as her head fell into it.

"Please don't tell me we can't do this." Matt pleaded.

"We can't." She smiled sorrily as she sat up, "Foggy's coming up the stairs and you know if he saw us he would murder both of us." 

Matt threw his head back, helping Jess of the desk as he held her hips. She wiped a lipstick mark from his face, looking up further towards his glasses. A slash rested near his glasses, red and purple surrounding a small cut. 

"What happened here?" She asked, feeling it and making him wince. 

"Just fell down last night." He lied, "Happens a lot." 

"Well you better start being more careful." She said, swiping her finger over it, "I'm not at good as nursing as I am being a lawyer." She smiled. 

Matt chuckled, "I'll try not to get hurt anymore." He smiled, "Just for you."

"Thank you." She said, hearing the door open and Foggy walk in. 

Foggy looked at the pair, then directing his eyes to Matt. 

"I'm guessing she already lectured you?" Foggy asked, closing the door behind him and walking further into the room. 

"Harshly, yes." Matt said, making Foggy shake his head and smile. 

"Good," Foggy said, dropping his bag on the floor and pointing at Matt. "You deserve it for being an asshole today." 

Matt shrugged, "I'm not disagreeing with anything your saying." He crossed his arms, "Your completely right, I should have talked with you about it."

Foggy looked at Matt confused, then over at Jess who just shrugged. "Okay, your making it really hard for me to argue when you keep agreeing with everything I'm saying."

"Like I said, Jess lectured the hell out of me." 

Foggy pointed at Jess, "See! This is exactly why we keep her around." He paused a moment, looking over at her. "And I wanted to say I'm sorry to for today Jess, I shouldn't have-"

"Don't apologize, Foggy." She said, using her hands to mimic brushing the comment off, "Really its okay."

The room was  soundless for a moment before Foggy looked around at everyone who was standing awkwardly. 

"So. . . we're all good?" Foggy asked. 

Jess smiled, "We're all good." 

Matt chuckled, "Of course we're good."

Foggy, Jess and Matt all fist bumped together, making the room become filled with small laughter. 

The night came along quick, casting shadows on the ground inside and outside the office, and setting fire ablaze to the sun. Jess, Foggy, and Matt where all sitting inside Foggy's office, going over the case as they each prepared their own portions for the trial. 

Karen walked up to the door, knocking lightly on it. 

"Hey uh, the internet isn't working again." She said, making Jesse's head pop up. 

"Just bang on it a few times," She said, running her hands through her hair tiredly. "I did that the other night and it seemed to work." 

"She's worth much more then just her pretty looks and amazing attorney skills," Foggy said in an announcer voice, "She's also a router engineer." 

Matt and Jess laughed at the joke as they all went back to typing at their computers. 

"Kind of had to learn how to when I moved in by myself." She typed up evidence reports, "Didn't have anyone to call unless I wanted Lily cussing the router out at three in the morning." 

"Doesn't your dad live somewhere near you? Your from Manhattan right? Isn't that only about two miles away?" Foggy questioned.

Jess felt instant discomfort, "Uh yeah, but me and him aren't really close. I don't really keep in touch with him." She tried to add a lighthearted joke, "Not sure he would want me calling him up in the middle of the night trying to fix a router when I won't return his calls in general."

Foggy looked over at Matt who could sense her feelings where touchy towards the subject of her parents. Matt would ask questions here and there, little things that didn't involve much conversation about her childhood unless it involved Lily. Matt gave Foggy a look that read 'speak now or forever hold your peace.'

"Oh," Foggy shrugged, "Well you have us now so if you ever have an issue-" he pointed to himself and Matt, "you have two strong men to come help you out."

Jess joked, "Oh two strong men huh? You know some?"

Foggy rolled his eyes and Matt chuckled at the comment. "Fuck you," Foggy said, waving his hand up to try and ignore the comment as they all worked and laughed. Matt took a bite of chicken from the Chinese box in front of him, passing it over to Jess who gladly took a bite as well. 

A ping noise came from Foggy's laptop as he raised his hands in delight, "Alright! Practice insights for New York State Penal Law 35.15." From there they continued the conversation about the case, trying to remain calm knowing this case wouldn't be an easy win.

The next day came in a flash, sending nervous energy rushing through everyone's body as they sat in the courtroom. 

Jess had been up almost all night preparing her statement. She didn't exactly know how to defend someone she knew was most certainly guilty considering her entire career in the law industry was based solely on getting people proven guilty, not innocent. 

The other part of this case that she didn't think to worry about was the prosecution. Michael sat next to Joseph who was staring Jess down almost the entire time, side eyeing the woman in every way possible. Matt could hear the mans heartbeat increasing, showing that he wasn't so excited to see her sitting in the defense section. 

Matt and Jess where seated next to each other, listening as Foggy spoke to the jury. 

"-And in the state of New York may I remind you, that my client is not required to prove that he was justified in his actions." He said, pointing as he spoke and using his hands as props to his statement. "Instead, it's up to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he was not justified in defending his life." He raised his finger up, "And! They will come nowhere close to meeting that burden. At the end of this case, the only verdict that you can render will be not guilty." 

Foggy began walking back to Matt and Jess, sitting down besides Jess. Matt gave him a 'nice' symbol with his hands as he took a seat.

"Did I do good?" He asked Jess and Matt who where leaning in together trying to listen to Foggy who looked like he was about to burst.

"Absolutely amazing." Jess said, placing her hand on his arm. "You did wonderful." 

John Healey looked over at the trio who where speaking amongst one another. He was sitting on the side of Matt who was ensuring that he would get nowhere near Jess considering he had a bad feeling about him. John rolled his eyes, putting his head in the circle.

"You better not have messed this up." He said, making Matt turn his head swiftly and whisper towards the man. 

"You should be lucky we even chose to represent you." Matt whispered, turning back and facing forward. Jess was looking over at Matt, noticing that his head was turned towards the jury with a rather unpleasant look. 

Matt was listening to the sound of a woman's heartbeat in the stand. As James Wesley walked in her rate increased, showing that she was nervous. Matt immediately got an uneasy feeling in his stomach as he heard this, getting his attention taken by the girl sitting next to him.

"Hey," She whispered, making his head turn towards her, "You okay?" 

"Yeah," he gave a weak smile, "everything's fine." 

After a brief recess which consisted of Jess reassuring Foggy that he did amazing while Matt practiced his closing statement in the other room where it was more quiet, it was finally time for the end of the trial. 

Everyone was seated as the grand juror began speaking, making the courtrooms attention go towards her. 

"The court grants the motion to excuse juror number eight from service due to extenuating personal circumstances." A woman stood from the stand, walking towards the gate where she was escorted out. Everyone's eyes where on her, making the room grow with speculation. "She will be replaced-"

"That's weird" Jess whispered to Matt who sensed the nervous energy coursing through her veins. He clasped his hand with hers under the table, squeezing it barely to try and calm her. 

"Happens sometimes." He commented, making her look up at him. "Don't worry about it, everything's gonna be fine." 

"That's what I'm most nervous about." She said, taking her hand from Matt's as she went to listen to the Judge again.

Jess proceeded to turn her head before she saw James Wesley staring at her from behind. Her gaze stuck on his for a moment, before she was taken back by Matt standing up and walking to the front of the courtroom to give his closing statement. 

Matt was standing in front of the jury, not saying a single word. Jess cocked her head in confusion, getting looked at by John. 

"What the fuck is he doing?" He sneered. "Why isn't he talking?"

"Just give him a second." Foggy snapped defensively, "He's just trying to think." 

"Mr. Murdock, we're waiting." The judge finally said, looking as if she had pulled Matt from a thought. 

"Sorry your honor." Matt said, facing the Jury once again. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury forgive me if I seem distracted. I've been preoccupied of late with uh, questions of morality. Of right and wrong, good and evil." 

A slight smile formed on Jesse's lips, turning over to see Foggy doing the same towards her. 

"Sometimes the delineation between the two lines is a sharp line, other times it's hard to find." He shrugged, "And often its like pornography. You just know when you see it."

Jess smiled at what he said, looking over at Foggy who was smiling wider at Matt. A light chortle came from those in the courtroom. Well, those besides Joseph who was still intently staring Jess down from the other side, no longer being blocked of view from Matt.

"A man is dead." Matt stated bluntly, "I don't mean to make light of that but these questions are vital ones. They tether us to each other, to humanity. Not everyone feels this way, not everyone sees that sharp line, only the blur. A man is dead," Matt paused, "A man is dead." He looked back towards Jess and the rest of the group, "And my client, John Healey, took his life."

"This isn't a matter of dispute, this is a matter of record. . . of fact. . . and facts have mortal judgement." Matt continued, "They don't state anything besides of merely what is. What was in my clients heart when he took a mans life, whether he is a good man or something entirely different is irrelevant. These questions of good and evil, as important as they are have no place in a court of law."

Jess looked over at John who was sitting next to her with a chair separating them. His mouth was for once shut, focusing on Matt who was speaking. 

"My client stated he acted in self-defense. Mr. Prohaszyky's associates have refused to make a statement regarding this terrible incident, the only other witness, a frightened young woman who works to pay for her two children's meals every day, has stated my client was nice and friendly and she only saw the struggle with Mr. Prohaszyky after it had started, those are the facts." Matt paused, "Based on these and these alone, the prosecution has failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that my client was not acting only in self defense." He shook his head, "and those ladies and gentlemen of the jury, are the facts."

Matt walked back over to the table where the defense sat, taking a seat next to Jess who looked rather proud of his closing statement. She smiled at him, placing her mouth up to his hear and whispering, "you did good." She praised. 

He looked over at her his mouth formed into a smile, "It's all apart of the job." He whispered, mocking what she usually stated.

The court had been sent out for recess again, leaving only the judge and the jurors in the room. 

When everyone finally returned, anxiety rushed through the courtroom, leaving not only the prosecution nervous, but the defense as well. Jess looked over at Foggy and smiled, giving him a reassuring nod right before she looked over at Matt who's gaze was averted towards the jury stand again. Matt squirmed in his seat as he looked over, making Jess place a hand on his leg, causing him to look over at her. 

"Hey," She said softly, tapping at his leg  "What's going on?" She questioned, seeing his chest rise with every breath he took.

"They're hung." Matt said quickly before he was cut off by the judge. 

"Madam Foreperson, it is my understanding that from this note that you have been unable to reach a verdict." 

The old woman in the stand nodded quickly, looking as if she was a house of cards in a large windstorm. Weak and scared, about to break.

Jess looked back, seeing Wesley was in the room and was watching the old woman intently. Jess immediately felt a rough feeling in her stomach as she practically felt her organs drop. Her mind raced and her face began to sweat, making her look forward again towards the judge. 

"We have not your honor." The old woman said, standing. 

Foggy leaned in, "Allen charge, she's sending them back in." He whispered to everyone at the table, including John.

"It's still split, the DA will retry." Jess said, nodding to Foggy before her words where continued by Matt. 

"No they won't." Matt rasped, his voice sounding troubled and irate. "Will they Mr. Healey?"

"What do you mean they won't retry?" Jess snapped, turning her head towards John who was smiling slightly. Jess felt her heart drop to the floor when she saw that look, making her fists ball up and her feet clench her shoes. 

"That was a hell of a speech you gave, Murdock." He said looking over at Matt, "Hell of a speech."

"You son of a bitch, you set us up." Jess whisper yelled, feeling her chest rise with each heavy breath she took. "Why the fuck would you do that? We where trying to help you, God damnit."

"You did great too. . ." the man whispered back, turning his head and cocking it towards Jess. "I still think prosecution suits you best but defense is your next best thing, sweetheart." 

The Judge spoke, sounding like muffled voices in Jesse's ears as her entire body and mind shook altogether. Her gaze stuck on John, seeing him nod almost as if it was in slow motion. "The trial has been expensive, for time, effort, money, and emotional strain." 

Matt took his glasses off, folding them into his lap, defeated.

"-to both the prosecution and defense." 

Foggy and Jess both sat still, listening as the Jury stated her final words. 

The entire group was anything but happy, finding it hard to not break in the middle of court. If there was something Jess did know is that this man was guilty,

And she would get him to say it himself.

Jess kneeled on the roof, lifting her mask up to her face as she peered down at John who was walking to his car with a duffle bag in hand. 

He whistled as he walked, opening the trunk of his car and placing the bag in the back effortlessly. When he closed the back, Jess jumped down from the roof, making him take a breath in shock as she hit the window of his car. The man came over, punching her in the ribs as she kicked him straight in the face. The man grabbed Jess, sending her flying onto the floor as he placed his foot on her stomach as she groaned in pain.

His motions where cut short by a flying figure sending him across the floor and into the car door. The masked man looked down at Jess for a moment with a confused look, before getting kicked by John. Jess stood up, flip kicking him into the van behind him and punching him clear in the nose. The man didn't back down, coming right back at her and punching her in the gut. He sent an uppercut to her face, making her jaw ache as she kept fighting. 

Behind him the man in the mask came up, putting him in a chokehold as Jess swooped his legs from under him. He went back into a pile of boxes, lying flat on his back and staring up at the pair who was walking towards him. 

He reached down for a metal pipe, swinging it up at the masked man and fighting him with it. Jess managed to kick it from his hands as they made their way past the car, continuing to fight him. 

The masked man jumped on the hood of the car, flipping his legs around and hitting John in the cheek with his foot. The masked man got the pipe, then threw it back to Jess as she ran up to him, vaulting off the wall and striked him right in the jaw with it as he fell back in pain. He stood up quickly, grabbing Jess by the head and slamming her into the car. 

Everything went black around Jess. Noises of fighting and punching became muffled as she watched the blurry figures fight one another. The masked man was on the ground as he came for her, grabbing her by the neck and placing her in front of a sharp piece of metal. 

Jess could feel the coldness radiating off the metal, making her gasp as she looked at it, face to face. 

The masked man came up behind him, kicking him to the ground. Jess got on the mans chest, holding a knife to his throat. 

"The man who hired your lawyers, who does he work for?" She asked angrily, holding the knife closer to his neck. 

The man in the mask stood back and watched, confused as to why she was asking the man these questions.

Why does she need to know who hired them? And how does she know about the lawyers?

"You think I'm afraid of you?" John asked breathlessly.

Jess shook her head, sending the knife into the side of his chest, making him scream. Gushes of blood came flying from his chest and onto Jesse's shirt.

She placed the knife up to his throat, "Tell. Me. Now."

The masked man kneeled down, grabbing the knife from Jesse's hand and stabbing him clear in the throat. 

"Who does he work for!" The masked man questioned loudly as Jess sunk her knees further into the mans chest.

"I can't!" The man screamed, "I can't do it!"

"I'm not leaving until I get a fucking name." Jess sneered, her Russian accent coming out like bullets in a gun. 

The man grunted loudly as the masked man pressed the knife further into his chest. "Oh! God! Fisk!" He yelled, "It's Fisk!"

Jess felt her body root in place, unable to move when he said that.

"As in Wilson Fisk?" She questioned, trying to keep her cool. 

"Yes! Yes! Wilson Fisk!" The man shouted, feeling the knife hit a bone on his chest. The man took the knife out swiftly, listening to the guy on the floor as he breathed heavily. Jess stood up, staring down at him. The man coughed as he turned over, the masked man leaning down to speak with him. 

"You get in your car, and you drive away as far as possible." He grunted, "If I ever see you in Hells Kitchen again I'll make sure you never make it out alive-"

"No." The man groaned. 

"I'm not sure you want to be saying no to what he is offering. He's giving you a chance to leave before I slice your throat open myself." She said, crossing her arms and looking down at him. 

"You think this is still about you?" The man questioned, sitting up on his knees and looking at the pair. "I gave up his name. You don't do that, not to Wilson Fisk." 

Jess took a deep breath, knowing that he wasn't wrong. She was mad at the man yes, but she also couldn't imagine the fear that rushed through his mind knowing that if Fisk knew he would be a dead man.

"He'll find me and make an example." The man said, looking around nervous and breathlessly. "Then he'll find everyone I have ever cared about, and do the same to them." He cried, his breath beginning to stammer. 

He stood from the ground, looking at the two vigilantes who where standing next to one another. 

"You should have just killed me." He said, looking at Jess. "You fucking coward." He sneered. 

Before she could even respond he sprinted over to the metal pole, sending his head through it as blood shot onto the pole and onto the floor. A giant poll was sticking through his head, leaving the two vigilante's gasping. 

Matt continued forward, "John?" He asked, breath hitched.

Jess had her hands covering her mouth, watching as blood continued to trickle onto the floor below the man. She took her hands from her face, running them through her hair in panic. 

"What do we do?" The masked man muttered, looking towards Jess. This was the first time she had ever heard him sound so troubled, finding it hard to come up with words.

She took a deep breath, "We find Fisk." she paused, "And we prove he's responsible for everything. The kidnappings, the deaths, everything." 

Jess turned her head towards the man who gave a nod of approval, looking back at the body in front of them. 

If Jess knew one thing, it was that Fisk wouldn't stop until he got exactly what he wanted. He was a lion going after a lamb, a boulder crushing a small flower, unwilling to stop at any time no matter what. 

Funny how much a daughter can be like her father.

A/N-  I'm so proud of that last line. I did that little hand raise of excitement when I wrote that lol.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter despite it being a long one! I am so excited for the next few chapters because I have so many ideas flowing through my mind. Thank you all for reading, I really appreciate you all, especially those who leave feedback and favorite my chapters. It means the world to me <3

Stay safe and healthy, and I'll see you all next week.