Hellcat

Chapter 73

3rd Person POV

Matt spent much of the next day watching Allison from a distance. She spent the whole day in her condo. She was quiet – too quiet. The TV was on, but Matt could tell she wasn't really watching it. She was too lost in her thoughts.

Eventually, he heard her move from her spot on the couch into the bedroom. The rustling of a box caught his attention. The sound of springs compressing quietly caught his attention. She must be sitting on the bed. The rustling of blankets was followed by the sound of the box opening. And then there was papers shuffling. Every few seconds, he heard one move away from the rest.

After a few minutes, Allison stopped. He heard her heartbeat rise. He heard her breathing hitch. He heard the shuddering breaths that escaped her as she tried to fight back tears. But that didn't work. "What do I do, dad?" he heard her whisper softly. He heard skin on paper and he finally figured out what she was doing. She was looking at an old photo. It had to be old if she was mentioning her father.

He listened as she began to sob quietly. He knew he should stop listening. He knew he should leave her be. But knowing how badly she was hurting made it impossible for him to leave. So he sat on a neighboring rooftop, listening to her cry. He sat there, feeling his heart breaking even more as every second passed. He sat there, listening to the woman he loved break down – and he knew he caused it.

Matt stayed near Allison's up until he had to go back and change. As he did so, he kept playing it over in his head. Her soft sobs slowly fading away into sniffles before leveling out into the even breathing of sleep. He was so lost in those thoughts that he didn't notice when Sister Maggie came down the stairs, entering the room with folded clothes in hand.

"Halleluiah," she called out teasingly. "So you can dress like a normal human being." Matt didn't respond as he adjusted his suit jacket. "Clean socks," she added, taking them off the pile of clothes in her arms and tossing them his way. He sensed them flying towards him, catching them easily. "Thank you," he muttered, shifting to the edge of the bed so he could sit and put them on.

"Well it warms my heart to see you going out to do something other than beat someone up," Maggie continued to tease lightly. "How do you know? Could just be adding style to my beatings," Matt responded, voice flat, but words hiding humor. "Did you... did you just make a joke?" Maggie asked, almost not believing her own ears. The corner of Matt's lips ghosted upwards.

"You look ready to smile, which I'm sure in your case means..." Maggie trailed off, coming closer as Matt smirked at her. "...well, I don't know what that could mean, as I've never actually seen one," she continued to tease. "This have something to do with a certain blonde who came to visit me yesterday?" Maggie asked, treading lightly as she spoke. Matt froze for a moment, realizing who she was talking about.

"Allison," he sighed her name, chest aching at the memory of her crying herself to sleep earlier. He couldn't help but reach up and touch his tie. She always did it for him whenever she would stay over after a long night of patrolling. He'd gotten used to it, then didn't after she died. Then she did it before Midland Circle, and he was instantly used to it again. Now, doing it himself felt strange.

"No, she, uh... she doesn't want anything to do with me," Matt sighed as he put on his shoes, hoping that answer would get the nun to stop asking questions. Maggie sighed to herself, shaking her head at this boy. Was he really that stubborn? Was Allison equally as stubborn? "She's hurting, Matthew. Has been for a long time," Maggie offered gently. "I know," Matt snapped, getting to his feet. "I'm the one who hurt her." The edge to his voice was enough for Maggie to know he was done talking about Allison – for now.

"So, then where are you going?" she asked him. "I'm meeting some friends," he replied without really thinking. "Well, it's nice to hear you use the F-word," she teased gently, chuckling lightly. "And to see you reconnecting," she added as Matt turned to her. She took his tie in her hands, straightening it for him. His chest ached at the action. He wished it were Allison who was fixing his tie. Even if she probably wanted to strangle him with it.