𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 - the new napkin

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𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄 it. Fisk was imprisoned and Poindexter was getting the surgery of a lifetime before he too, would be sent off to live the remainder of his days rotting in a cell for everything he had helped Fisk do. The atrocities shook Hell's Kitchen; but even within mere hours after the truth was revealed, after Nadeem's testimony was leaked, people understood.

They realized the crimes that had been committed, the crimes that had stolen friends and family from them, were because of Fisk and his own, fake Daredevil.

The newspapers... or more accurately, Karen, documented the night. The ink on the pages described Fisk as something akin to the scum of the earth, something Olivia praised for being well beyond accurate. The paper went into detail about Nadeem's death, though the real truth about that was kept away from the public eye, Matthew and Fisk had made a deal.

Poindexter received a rather large amount of the page all for himself; the fake daredevil, the one that harmed people rather than saved them. And, right at the end of the report, Olivia and Matthew received their own section. The words praised them, the saviors of the city, the real Daredevil back in action with a Hellhound by his side. Yes, Karen, against her better judgment, chose to name Olivia as 'Hellhound.' The woman found herself hilarious, as did Foggy and Peter when Olivia had confronted her about it, complaining that it sounded stupid.

But, like the loyal followers they were, the readers and supporters of The Bulletin newspaper stuck by that name and sung her praise alongside Matthew's.

Even Matt himself had found the name amusing, especially when the woman went on a rant about how 'Hellhounds are real, I'm a wolf, not a damn hellhound, do I look on fire to you? Wait, no, don't answer that.'

Of course, there was a lot of healing for the city and its occupants to go through. They needed to recover and grieve the deaths Fisk and Dex had caused.

⋆⋆⋆

The day that followed after the wolf and the devil had ended Fisk's reign in Hell's Kitchen were nothing short of a rush. Olivia, unbeknownst to anyone but herself, had a rather busy morning. The church she and Matthew had stayed at where holding Father Lantom's funeral. She and Matthew had stayed up all night working on the vigilante's speech.

He needed to say his peace, he needed to forgive and Olivia sat beside him, jotting down everything the man had spouted about the Father that had guided him through life. Eventually, his sentences and quotes seemed to have slotted themselves together almost perfectly; it was heartfelt and inspiring, it was an apology and an acknowledgment.

The funeral was to take place at eleven in the morning, giving Olivia just a small amount of time to rush off to a quick meeting with someone. She had something special planned for Matthew, Foggy and Karen. Something she had put a lot of thought and time into for just under a week and yet she had managed to make it happen, she was a Hale after all.

The wolf's meeting lasted forty-five minutes, fifteen minutes longer than what she had been promised, so with a huff she hopped in a cab and paid the poor man double to put his foot down. She wasn't about to be late for a funeral.

When she stepped out of the car and paid the man, she pulled down her black dress, rubbing her thighs as the cold bit at her. Her eyes swiftly latched onto Matthew's form and she hurried over, joining her boyfriend, her family, and Foggy and Karen.

She greeted them all with a smile before pecking Matthew on the cheek, her eyes catching sight of his cane as she fondly remembered him telling stories of how he would literally just... throw them away and proceed to climb up buildings.

"And where pray tell, were you?" Peter questioned; his eyes narrowed.

Olivia rolled her eyes at the questioning. "Had a meeting."

"A meeting."

"Yes, Peter." She drawled out as if she were speaking to a child, "That's what tends to occur when you're handling business. You wouldn't know, you still live with your nephew."

"You're hilarious."

Matthew chuckled at the pairs seemingly ever-present bickering, his face turning towards Olivia, "What business?"

Her eyes stared at the red glasses that were perched on his nose, a small grin appearing on her lips as she reached out to straighten his tie, "Nothing to worry your pretty little head about."

The vigilante's eyes narrowed at her honeyed voice; she was being remarkably secretive. She had rushed out before he had even gotten the chance to kiss her goodbye, even Foggy had come into the living room that he let the couple stay in to question Matt about her speedy actions.

Olivia clocked on to the look and simply strolled past the group and inside the building, forcing them to follow behind.

⋆⋆⋆

The ceremony was beautiful. The church was filled to the brim of people who were committed to the church, part of the community, and Father Lantom's friends. The words people had shared about the Father were respectful and kind, not that Olivia had expected otherwise; he was a good man.

Finally, it was Matthew's turn. Olivia squeezed his hand as he rose from his seat next to her. "I love you." She whispered beneath her breath, bringing a fond smile to his lips.

Foggy, who was sat on the other side of the wolf, felt his lips pull up at the look of happiness that those three words had brought to his best friend's face. It was unlike anything he had seen, the two of them could be so damn dangerous and sarcastic and yet, around each other, at certain times; especially in each other's times of need, they both melted like butter.

The attorney patted the wolf's knee, directing a smile her way. They had met because she had saved both himself and Karen, and they were brought closer because she helped save Matthew.

The tapping of Matthew's cane drew their attention back to the man they both loved. He carefully made his way towards the front of the nave and stepped up to the podium, his bruised face on show for everyone to see.

Olivia bit her lip at the sight, he looked so nervous and sad, his fingers were shaking and his mouth opened and closed a few times before he took a deep breath and the words he wanted to say finally rolled off his tongue, "Feel's like half of Hell's kitchen is here today to say goodbye to Father Paul Lantom. 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."

The crowd gathered around laughed, some nodding as they remembered Lantom's 'suggestion' as Matthew so nicely put it.

"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."

⋆⋆⋆

Olivia and Matthew stayed inside the church as the others made their way out. Olivia knew just how hard it was for Matthew to speak his mind for Father Lantom, but the things he said were true and everyone in the crowd had listened so intently to the gracious words the man spoke.

Her head was resting on the man's shoulder as his rested atop her head; both sitting in a comfortable silence, that is, until their heads turned at the sound of footsteps behind them.

Sister Maggie was slowly approaching them, the two that were sat on the pew hadn't seen her since they had found out she was his mother. The Sister's steps didn't come to a stop, she went to proceed past them, unable to reach their eyes until Matthew called out. "Sister?"

Olivia offered Sister Maggie a smile in the hopes to calm her speeding heart. The poor woman was terrified of what the conversation would become; would he scream and yell at her for abandoning him? She silently joined the two, taking a seat next to the man.

Matthew squeezed Olivia's hand that was intertwined with his own, swallowing his nerves as the wolf placed her head back on his shoulder. The nun's dark eyes caught the movement and her eyes trailed down to their hands, a small smile paining her lips as she realized that once again, her intuitions were correct. The two were together, as she expected them to eventually be.

"The last time we spoke, I confronted Father Lantom." Matthew began, his voice rumbling in his chest. "I was angry. I'd change that if I could."

"If God allowed that, there'd be no future." The woman softly replied, "Just people endlessly rewriting the past."

"Yeah. I think he was trying to tell me that for a long time. His last words were, 'Forgive us.'"

The woman was silent for a moment and Olivia could smell the intense anxiety that radiated off of her; the fear that her son would never forgive her, "Do you think that's possible?"

He didn't speak, instead he chewed the inside of his cheek, his thumb subconsciously swiping across Olivia's knuckles. "He told me something, years ago, when this happened-" He used his free hand to gesture towards his eyes, taking the moment to shift his glasses slightly, "-that I never forgot. See, I was pretty angry at God and bitter towards his world. How could a loving God blind me? Why? Anyway, he told me... God's plan is like a beautiful tapestry. And the tragedy of being a human is that we only get to see it from the back.

With all the ragged threads and the muddy colors. And we only get a hint at the true beauty that would be revealed if we could see the whole pattern on the other side... as God does. Anyway, I've been thinking a lot about it recently, 'cause... I realize I made some bad choices," his head tilted towards Olivia who lifted her head in question, "and hurt people that I love without meaning to."

Sister Maggie shook her head, her loose brunette curls bouncing slightly, "You don't always know when you start down a false path."

"No, you don't. And that's my point. I realize that if my life had turned out differently, that I would never have become Daredevil. And although people have died on my watch, people who shouldn't have, there are countless others that have lived." His words had a double meaning, not only was he talking about himself but the short-tempered wolf beside him. People had died on her watch back in Beacon Hills, people who definitely didn't deserve to, but she had saved so many others.

His voice became softer as he untangled his fingers from Olivia's, using his hand to wrap around her and bring her closer so that he could place a small kiss to the side of her head, "I'd never have met Olivia. So, maybe it is all part of God's plan, Maybe my life had been exactly as it had to be."

It was odd, sure the two had spoken of each other in such a fond way before, but that had always been to one another, not somebody else... and certainly not his mother. Olivia inhaled deeply as she leaned back against the pew, her mind focused on the words he had uttered, the way he believed that his life had played out just as it should have.

Sister Maggie smiled at his words, the fact that the man had once been so lost and angry at everything, and yet, he had found his way back to his faith, his friends, and himself. He had opened his heart to another, allowed himself to love somebody without the fear that they would leave him. In all honesty, the Sister couldn't have been happier that it was Olivia who had helped them man on his journey of rediscovering himself. It had done her some good too.

"You have a generous heart Matthew," The sister whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she listened to her son speak, "to see the good in so much pain."

"Not always. In fact, Father Lantom used to help me with that. Help me see the error of my ways... I could use someone else to help me with that now... once in a while."

"I'm a nun, Matthew. Helping is what I was called to do."

Matthew released a deep breath, everything was returning to how it should be, everything was aligning itself. He had Karen and Foggy back. He had someone to guide him through his faith and his troubles; he had his mother. And he had Olivia, of course. The woman who had been with him for months on end, fighting by his side, dealing with his aggression and brooding and yet, still accepting him, staying with him and, quicker than either of them had expected, learning to love him. Just as he did with her.

He could see just how much being with him had changed her too. She was brave, confident, and sarcastic when they met and she was still all of those things, that was who she was and nobody would ever change that. But slowly, she had learned to accept that she was good. She saved people and she deserved to be loved.

It sounded sappy, but it was truly as if the two were meant to find each other; she helped him stay true to himself when he was confused in which direction he should go, and he brought out a side of her that had been buried in the Hale fire; a kinder, loving side. It had always been there, just beneath the surface, but she had never met somebody who had ever tried to reach it.

Sister Maggie stood and Olivia could see the redness in her eyes, the happiness that glinted amongst the unshed tears. The nun gave the wolf a knowing smile and placed a hand on Matthew's shoulder as she spoke, "I'm happy for the two of you, for finding each other."

⋆⋆⋆

Olivia and Matthew walked together hand in hand, his cane still tapping on the ground as he played his role. The two followed close behind Foggy, Karen, Peter and Derek, the sound of chuckles being emitted from Foggy and Olivia's uncle as the two somehow still managed to get along.

"Foggy Nelson, attorney at law, friends with Peter Hale, former psycho. What a headline that could be." Olivia chuckled, the rest of the group joining in whilst Peter looked over his shoulder, narrowing his eyes at his niece before his gaze landed on Karen.

"Hm, if you ever want to make that a headline, put some extra emphasis on the 'former' part of the 'former psycho'."

Karen simply shook her head, amused at the man as they entered 'Nelson's meats' the butcher shop Foggy's family-owned.

Everyone exchanged greeting and Olivia honestly couldn't remember how many times people approached herself and Matthew, congratulating the couple. They each smiled and were polite, but the minute they could, they separated from the crowd and collapsed onto some chairs, shortly joined by Peter and Derek who had brought over drinks for the duo.

Olivia happily reached out for the bottle of beer her brother held out and Matthew thanked Peter as he grasped the glass of whiskey. Olivia leaned against Matthew as she closed her eyes and took a large gulp of the chilled alcoholic beverage.

"God, I missed beer." She muttered with a lazy smile as she placed the bottle on the table.

Matthew chuckled after swallowing his sip of whiskey, "If I recall correctly, you and Foggy had a drinking session not too long ago."

Olivia blinked, "Your point?"

"Ever since coming here and becoming friends with Jessica, she doesn't drink much else," Derek spoke with a laugh, swirling his own glass of whiskey.

"Okay, but the difference between me and Jess is that alcohol doesn't affect me, so it's okay."

"You keep telling yourself that, Liv," Derek spoke, his eyes darting to the watch on his arm. "Well, we'll see the two of you later, eight o'clock right?"

"Yep, Josie's bar, eight o'clock. Prepare yourselves, a drunk Foggy is a messy Foggy."

Matthew cleared his throat in amusement as he leaned back in his chair, "She is not wrong."

The quartet said their quick goodbyes, knowing that later that evening, the lot of them would be drinking and knowing Olivia, dancing. Moments after Derek and Peter left, Karen joined the pair, taking a seat opposite them, "Ugh, I needed a beer."

Olivia pointed at the woman with a grin before sliding her beer over and nudging Matt in his side, "See, it's not just me."

The vigilante hummed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as he pressed a kiss to the side of her head, "Of course it's not."

"Liar."

"Give Olivia her beer back, she'll scratch out someone's eyes, you know she could," Foggy spoke as he too joined the trio.

Olivia and Karen shared a look, the pair chuckling as Karen slide the bottle back. Olivia caught it and swiftly brought the cool bottle back to her lips.

"So, I guess you guys heard, Special Agent in Charge Hattley flipped. She corroborated Ray's dying declaration." Karen announced to the three.

Olivia nodded as she placed her elbow on the table, her head resting in her hand as Matthew's finger drew circles on the bare skin of her arm.

Matt hummed with a small nod, "I did hear."

Foggy swallowed a mouthful of his drink, his other hand raising up to slightly loosen his tie, "So, the FBI is getting an enema, and Fisk is... still breathing."

"Yep. Still breathing."

Olivia groaned lightly, "I like the sound of 'Rotting in prison' more"

"Not exactly what I had in mind..." His head tilted towards his girlfriend, "Especially at first." He couldn't exactly dismiss the fact that the entire time, his mind was divided, there was never a point where he was one hundred percent sure of what the outcome would have been.

Inside that penthouse, when Fisk's blood ran down his knuckles, his mind was definitely drifting towards ending him, for good. But the second Olivia had stepped into that room and whispered his name, he couldn't. The conversation they had about Deucalion came back to his mind and so did the conversation he had with Karen.

"You trust that he'll keep his word?" Foggy questioned the pair opposite him.

"I trust that he loves Vanessa. Long as she's free, he should stay away."

"Yeah, let's just keep our fingers crossed that she doesn't get hit by a car or, I don't know, fall down a flight of stairs," Olivia added. She had thought that back in the penthouse. Their deal only applied if Vanessa was safe. If something happened and she died, well, there was nothing keeping Fisk away.

"So," Foggy spoke, ready to change the subject. His eyes flickered between his friends opposite him and the way Matthew's hand continued to draw shapes into her skin. "How long are you gonna stick around?"

"Actually, I'm moving back into my apartment." Matthew responded, a small smile growing on his face, "Especially since the bills have been paid." He chuckled before he cleared his throat, "And the fact that I asked Olivia to move in with me."

Olivia smiled up at the man before her head tilted towards the pair opposite who looked mildly stunned, especially Foggy. It didn't surprise her, after all, Olivia knew that Matthew had never quite had anything other than one-night stands, let alone a woman, a girlfriend, living with him.

"Wow." Foggy breathed, a genuine smile pushing away the wide-eyed look, "I'm happy for you guys."

Karen chuckled, "So, you are moving back into Matthew Murdock's apartment with Olivia Hale?"

Matthew ducked his head as he laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I just figured he has a healthier life-work balance... and actual friends."

Olivia hummed lightly as she pulled away, pretending to look around, "So... where are they?"

Matthew's eyes narrowed behind his glasses at her teasing, "Is that any way to treat your boyfriend whom you now live with?"

Olivia glanced towards Foggy and Karen, seeing the two holding back their laughter. The wolf leaned closer to him and quickly pecked his lips before seating herself back in her chair, "Absolutely."

Karen pointed towards the vigilante with her beer bottle, shaking her head mockingly, "Doesn't have a job, though. He's kind of a mooch."

"Semi-decent lawyer, though." Foggy grinned.

"Semi-decent, ouch." Matt hissed mockingly, a chuckle following soon after. He lightly nudged Olivia who had snorted at the comment.

"What? He's right. You literally beat people up in alley's, Matty. I don't think that's abiding by the law now, is it?"

"I have a crazy idea." Fogy spoke as he swallowed a gulp of beer and patted himself down, "I need a new napkin."

Olivia watched on in confusion, just as Karen did. The two shared a small glace, Olivia shrugging lightly as her eyes fell back to Foggy who had just finished scribbling away. Once he held up the napkin Olivia felt some relief. The words 'Nelson, Murdock & Page' were written in black ink.

Foggy grinned as Karen brought a hand to her mouth, touched by the gesture.

"What?" Matthew questioned, and after a small moment of silence he pulled Olivia back to his side, "Oh, he wrote our names, didn't he?"

"How can you know that?" Foggy questioned in exasperation.

"'Cause I was thinking the same thing."

"Guys, I'm not a lawyer," Karen spoke, her gaze shifting between Foggy and Matthew.

"You're one hell of an investigator." Foggy praised. He was right, Olivia had to commend the woman. Her skills were very much on par with hers and Jessica's.

"Yeah," Matthew agreed as he squeezed Olivia's arm, "and way more stable than Jessica Jones."

Olivia's mouth opened, ready to defend her friend, she pointed a finger towards him, before slowly curling it back in, "You are absolutely right, actually. I love her, but wow..."

The group erupted in chuckles. The atmosphere was so carefree and happy. It was all Olivia had wanted for Matt, for herself. She could help but add to the happiness, well, at least she hoped it would add to it.

"I- uh- " Olivia stammered, "I have a little present for the three of you."

Their heads snapped towards her, Foggy taking the lead, "You do?"

"Mhm." She pulled out her phone, it was still early and they had more than enough time to go and see the present before heading their separate ways to get ready for their night at Josie's. "We have time to go and see it now."

Matthew shifted in his chair; his head tilted. They had been together for almost every second of the past few months, how on earth did he not know about whatever she was talking about. "Well, I'm intrigued."

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22-09-2020