Hell's Angel: Devil's Backbone (BK 2)

Drained

Dani's POV
(Nightwing27th)

I can't believe I agreed to this. And, yet...here I am. I should be at home, making funeral arrangements or finding Ward or trying to figure out how to get Chase back. I tried applying to be his foster parent and it was a no go. Someone doesn't want that boy here with us. I just hope he's in the right hands. I don't know what I'd do if Ward found him. Anyway, back to this stupid thing I decided to do...

I walked through the dark hall, making my way toward the others. Daredevil had a hold of the lead Japanese guy by the throat. Another one jumped up with a gun, swinging it around like a drunken pelican. I crept up behind him and smacked him over the back of the head. He collapsed and then I stepped over him.

Okay, so here's the back story, because I'm not even sure how I got here: I was Alison's on the couch with Clint when my phone rang. I saw it was Matt and didn't answer. Then he called back. After repeating this process for a half hour I decided to answer. "What do you want? My new kid's trying to sleep." A lie but I thought I'd throw it in there anyway.

"Can I talk to you...in person?" he asked hesitantly. I sighed, glancing at Clint.

"Yeah," I grumbled.

"Thank you. Down stairs."

"Wait, now?" and then the line went dead. I grunted and then stood, giving Clint a lame excuse. Of course, 'I'm out of wine' isn't an excuse...it's a tragedy. So I went down the stairs and found Daredevil standing in the middle of the room. I sat the empty wine bottle on the counter and then went into the back for another. I came out and then grabbed the cork screw. "What?"

He took off his mask and sat it on one of the tables. "I wanted to apologize...for everything that's happened since Elektra showed up. I know that it was wrong and I should've been there for you, with you." I popped the cork and it went flying, hitting the ceiling before crashing into the cash register. The till drawer flew open with such force, that when it couldn't go anymore, all the coins flew out and on the ground.

"Hmm," I looked at the mess and poured a glass, deciding to ignore it. And Matt. I took a drink and then walked around the counter, abandoning the bottle. "You realize...even if I forgave you, things wouldn't be the same. I can't go back."

"I know," he said. "But...I'd like to try to fix this."

"There is no 'fixing it', Matt. Only growing up and moving on. Which I'm doing, right now, with that bottle of wine," I pointed. He didn't look impressed. I don't know what he thought would happen. "You know, I didn't want this, to be in love." He looked at me. "My life has been about survival, love was...just a crazy dream, something 'normal' people had. So when Andy fell in love...I thought he was crazy, that it'd never last. And then, before I knew it, there were rings and a white dress and a baby. And then he was living somewhere else, with someone else.

"And then, I had his new wife, whom I didn't like at the time, down my throat about finding someone." I slightly chuckled at the memory. "But I told her, 'no, I'm not ready'. I wanted to be done with war, done with politics, and saving people. I wanted to be done with all of it, before I settled down. That's what Andy did. He was with S.H.I.E.L.D., a biochemist, and then met Mary and retired. He found her and knew his days at S.H.I.E.L.D. were done. That he was going to be normal...for her." I twirled my glass in my hand. "And look how that turned out."

I drank what was in my glass and then sat it on the counter, pouring another. "Don't mind me...I'm half drunk. Or maybe I'm just now thinking clearly, who knows," I shrugged. I took a drink and then faced him. "But, Matt...I'm not a princess, this ain't a fairy tale. I'm not the one who gets swept off her feet, the leader of the stairwell. I'm the girl who always gets knocked down, the one who's first to be shot at. I've lost everything and yet still have stuff. I have nothing worth living for and yet..." I took a drink. "I have Lizzie, and Clint. Oh, and my idiot father and his knew family."