Hellcat

Chapter 39

It wasn't long after when the silence that cloaked the apartment was broken by the front door opening. It wasn't loud, the room was just that quiet. Just like the slow, steady footsteps that moved into the space. I stayed where I was, curled up with the pillow. "How is she?" Matt's voice came in a soft whisper. "Asleep, I think," Elektra responded, her voice just as low. "I'm awake," I mumbled loud enough for both of them to hear.

There was silence in the living room before footsteps started towards the slider. Matt appeared in the doorway, red glasses still in place and cane in his hand. "Where's Stick?" he asked me softly. "Elektra made her choice. He didn't like it, so I told him to get lost," I explained, forcing a small smirk onto my lips even though I knew he couldn't see it. Matt shifted his attention back towards the living room as if to glance at Elektra before he turned and came to sit on the edge of the bed.

"She wants to be on our team, Matt. She wants to be good," I muttered as he rested a hand on my shoulder. "Are you two friends now?" he asked me teasingly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I understand her now. I was just like her for a long time, and you helped me change. What kind of person would I be if I didn't give her the same chance you gave me?" I asked him. Matt offered a small smile before leaning forward. His lips were feather-like against my temple before he sat back again.

I watched him as his lips pressed together in a stern line. Removing his glasses, he set them on the night stand next to my empty glass of water. He looked tired. A different kind of tired than when he was scared that I would die. "We lost today," I muttered, realizing what happened. My lips pulled down into a frown, eyebrows crinkling in sympathy. "It doesn't matter," he muttered to me. "You lost more than the case today, didn't you?" I whispered, seeing how his frown lines seemed deeper than I would have thought.

He let out a sigh that turned into a defeated chuckle. When he reached for my hand, I didn't hesitate to give it to him. "I didn't lose you," he said as if that was enough to make up for losing the rest. "Do you think Foggy will ever understand?" I asked him. He sighed and shook his head in thought. "It's not just Foggy," he told me. My eyebrows raised at his statement. "Karen? What happened with her?" I questioned as my thumb started smoothing over the back of his hand.

"She came here last night. Frank decided to testify, and she said Foggy wanted me to question him," Matt started. I sighed, realizing what must have happened. "Frank sabotaged the case," I guessed. He gave a small nod before continuing. "When Karen came to tell me about Frank testifying, she saw Elektra and assumed I was with her," he sighed. His hand shifted from my shoulder, sliding up to brush his thumb against my cheek.

"So, she thinks you're cheating on me with a foreign beauty?" I asked, earning a laugh in response. I wasn't sure if he truly thought it was funny or if he was just shocked by my statement. "Uh, she didn't actually say, but that was my guess, yeah," he confirmed. I let out a soft hum before letting my eyes close for a few seconds. "I'll have to set her straight on that," I muttered. Matt sighed. "It doesn't matter right now," he said, hand shifting once more to play with my hair. I couldn't help but smile at the gentle way he touched me – like a thousand tiny kisses.

"So, how does this work? Us and Elektra?" I asked him. This time, he sighed deeply, as if dreading the question. "I don't know. But we're gonna figure it out. Not now, though," he said before leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to my temple. "Right now, you need to rest," he continued as he sat back. Even though I was tired of sleep, it pulled me under. Matt stayed where he was, gently stroking my hair until I drifted off into the land of dreams.

I was barely asleep when I was startled awake by the sounds of fighting in the living room. At first, I thought it was Matt and Elektra. But why would they be fighting? When I heard glass shattering, I decided I had to get up. There was no way they were fighting each other, or even sparring if things were getting broken. Something was wrong.