Kilgrave's Joy

1- Aka It's Over

"Smile" Jessica pulled the sides of Kilgrave's mouth, turning his neck sharply to the left.

Crack.

And with that, it was over. Trish looked at Jessica, her eyes were filled with relief; Kilgrave was dead.
"Jessica." Trish ran over to Jessica
, embracing her in a loving hug.
"It's over." Jessica managed to get the words out, the words she had been waiting over a year to say. Her arms wrapped around her best friend, a tear leaving her eye and falling down her cheek.

---------------1 year later-------------

3 knocks. As usual, Alias Investigations was open in the same apartment block. Jessica stumbled out of bed, swiftly jumping into her charcoal coloured jeans and trudging to the glass door. She could tell from the rippled silhouette that it was Malcolm.

Ever since Kilgrave's death, Malcolm has healed. He and the other Kilgrave victims that Jessica had helped Hogarth form had disbanded after they learnt of his death, although from what Malcolm had said they met up on occasion. He and Robyn had gotten quite close because of what had happened to Ruben, and despite the fact she still thought Jessica was a "cougar", she was now at least civil when they met in the hall or lift of the apartment block.

Jessica opened the door, letting Malcolm into her trashy New York apartment.
"How you doing?" He said, walking into her 'office'. It had been repaired since the fight with Simpson, who Trish still hadn't heard from. Since Kilgrave's demise, Trish had gotten stuck into trying to find out who this IGH organisation is, but from Jessica's knowledge all she had dug up was a bunch of dead Nazi's that we're apart what were called Hydra. Nothing but dead ends. She was still doing her talk show daily, which recent numbers showed that the show had spiked in ratings; Patsy was more famous than ever, but Jessica was worried that Trish was looking too deep into this. Simpson was nowhere to be found and Kilgrave was dead. The past was behind her and that's where she wanted it left.
"Not too bad. Did you bring the bourbon?" Unfortunately, Kilgrave hasn't solved Jessica's alcoholism. Her PTSD came back from time to time, something at the back of her mind still niggled away at the fact that Kilgrave might not be dead.
"Yeah, last one on the shelf." Malcolm tossed the bottle over to Jessica, who immediately broke the seal and swigged a large mouthful.
"Thanks." Jessica nodded, sitting down in her office chair, putting both feet onto her wooden desk. Her current case of the missing girl had just been started but files were still spread across her table, she didn't know why but this girl was good at covering her tracks.

"Is this the Amanda Rickman case?" Malcolm looked over the open files on Jessica's desk. She was the best P.I this side of New York, but she couldn't get on her trail. After landing in JFK airport from London, her trail goes cold. Not even CCTV footage that she persuaded the Police to loan her shows her figure.
"I just don't get it." Jessica removed her feet from the desk, flicking through the open files once more. "How does an English girl just disappear in New York. She's never even been abroad before–according to her parents– not even out of England."
"And now she's on the run in New York?" Malcolm replied. Jessica's brows furrowed as she took another mouthful of the bourbon Malcolm had brought with him.
Jessica nodded, stumped. Her parents had called from England after being referred from another English woman that she had solved a case for a few months back regarding her cheating husband; turns out those business credit card charges to the Hilton involved his secretary and a lot of handcuffs in his car.
"What if she hasn't left New York? What if she is working somewhere where they don't bother asking for ID to work?" Malcolm speculated.
"You don't think I've thought about that? I've run through this city a thousand times looking for her. The only place I can think of that I haven't looked is the Morgue. She's been gone for over a year now. She's either dead or moved onto another state." Something clicked in Jessica's brain. Rummaging through the paperwork, she found Claire's hospital card. Dialling the number, she replied within a few rings.
"Claire Temple."
"Claire. It's Jessica Jones."
"Jessica." Claire replied, she sounded busy but she needed to know.
"Have you had anyone come into the morgue under a Jane Doe?" Jessica was onto something, she needed to know.
"No, I've just finished my rounds there. Why's that?" Claire asked.
"It's a case I've got. An English girl went missing over a year ago and her parents have contacted me. I told them that since she's now 21 she's not technically a missing person but they insisted I look for her." Jessica didn't normally disclose case information, but this was important, and the feeling that she had wasn't normally wrong."
"Right. The only English girl we've had come in is a new nurse named Joy. She's currently working on rotation in the emergency department, but lately she seems off; on edge even."
Claire knew about the gifted people, and Jessica's suspicions were starting to pay off, unless this was just another casual drug use case, but she didn't think so.
"Where does she live?" Jessica asked.
"I'm not sure, although I've seen her leave the apartment block next to mine whilst on my walk to work." That was a good a place as any to start.
"Ok, thanks. Keep me updated if you find anything or she saves anymore lives."
"One more thing, about a year ago- when the students started their rotation in the hospital, a few bodies went missing, male and female. I didn't think anything of it then but you said that she went missing a year ago, could there be a slim chance that they're connected?" That would explain why she hadn't been seen on CCTV, is she was dead and kidnapped?
"Thanks for letting me know." Jessica hung up, time to get moving. "I gotta go." Jessica grabbed her coat from her desk chair, rushing out the door.
"You gotta lead?" Malcolm followed her out the door, heading down the hallway towards the elevator.
"Not sure, possibly. I'm going to go and check it out. I'll catch you later." Jessica caught the lift, leaving Malcolm alone in the apartment.

----------

Joy. My name is... Joy.
I couldn't get use to this name. This new life that I had been given. It all started a year ago when a man approached me, he wasn't like anyone else, he was a heartbroken man that I had foolishly taken into my home. He turned out to be a man that Jessica Jones was after, a man named Kilgrave.
The news said that Jessica had killed Kilgrave, but something at the back of my mind, especially of late, told me he wasn't dead.
Walking the same route I always did from work, this uneasy feeling got worse. I shrugged it off putting it down to the double shift I had just pulled, but that didn't stop it from making me feel worse.
As my key turned and entered the door, a warm, gentle sound entered my ears. Someone was here.
"Amanda? Thank god you're home, come here!" Putting my bag down, I followed the sound of his mesmerising voice. My heart was beating like a small rodent who had just been caught in a trap. Why was I walking towards this man, and why did he know my real name?
"Did you have a good day?" I paused, stopping when I saw a man with light stubble and a grey t-shirt and joggers sitting in my reading chair.
"Who- who are you?" I stuttered. He seemed to know who I was, but who the hell was he?
"Oh, your memory. Amanda, you remember everything about me, everything except that one item we discussed." As if my brain's receptors sparked, I remembered everything about this man. The fact that I was hiding him in my flat, and the fact that I was doing this because he gave me my new life. A surge of anger boiled inside me, remembering everything about him wasn't something I wanted to do.
My feet took off and I ran for the door, wanting to escape.
"Amanda, come on now, don't leave. Come to me." He didn't even raise his voice, but my feet betrayed me and I stopped, turning around and walking back to this monstrous man. "We do this everyday, come on love it's getting a bit boring now."
Gritting my teeth, I halted as his hand grabbed mine. "If you stopped wiping my memory-"
"Oh shut up." He retorted. "Come, sit." He patted his knee, his hand guiding me as I sat on his lap.
"You've got to be kidding me." I snarled, feeling like a little girl. An instant later, I was on the floor, a hand against my throbbing cheek.
"How dare you talk back to me." He stood up, pacing back and forth in my living room. Tears threatened to spill, but I wouldn't dare cry in front of this man. "Are you crying?"
"No" I looked away in shame, a tear falling down my cheek.
I felt him kneel down in front of me. "Come on, tell the truth." His hand guided my chin to look at him straight in the eyes.
"...Yes" I sobbed, not being able to move.
For a mere moment, his satanic eyes softened. "Go and clear yourself up, I need you to run an errand for me." He left me on the floor, and like his slave I stood up and walked into the bathroom. I decided to have a shower, the hot water would run his touch off of me, even for a moment of peace.

I stood there for what seemed like eternity, before I heard the bathroom door open. Through the frosted glass I saw his silhouette, taking his shirt and trousers off before knocking on the shower door.
"I'm coming in." I turned to the corner of the shower, trying to hide everything I could. The door opened and I looked to the wall before seeing anything more than his long fingers. I shivered when  his hands touched my shoulders, trying to cower away. "Shhh, don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you." And just like that, I wasn't afraid, or at least my body wasn't. It relaxed as a glass case surrounded my subconscious self- I couldn't escape, it was like I could see myself from the outside, I knew what was about to happen but I couldn't hear myself. His voice yet again held power over me, and it was going to happen to me again. "Now, be good and turn around." I couldn't fight his compulsion, no matter how hard I tried his voice was like hot tar in my thoughts, sticky and too tough for me to get rid off.
"Yes, Kilgrave."