Chapter Text
Jessica had woken up the morning of the invasion hungover and sore. Had she known what was going to happen that day she would have gotten drunk again and gone right back to sleep. But she didn't and dragged herself out of her mostly comfy bed to start her morning, or early afternoon if you believed the alarm clock on her nightstand. She groaned as sunlight shone in her eyes as she stood up, aggravating the massive headache she almost constantly had from always being in between drunk and hungover.
She pulled on her jeans from yesterday from where she dropped them last night, or was it this morning, she didn't care anyways. She was still wearing her tank top from last night and probably the night before. Her stomach grumbled loudly, having digested the whiskey from yesterday. Now she had a mission, food, solid or liquid it didn't matter, but she needed something in her stomach, so she didn't dry heave when she eventually vomited. She stumbled into her living room/office, using a hand on the wall to guide her with her eyes still mostly shut.
"Shit!" She exclaimed as she stubbed her pinky toe on the edge of her couch. The pain and adrenaline waking her up quickly. She limped into the small barely used kitchen to scrounge up something to quickly devour. She slowly raised her arms to open the cabinets, her muscles sore and stiff from the fights she got into last night.
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She was working a case for some rich prick. She was supposed to follow the dude’s business partner and find some dirt on him so her client can use it to force him to sell his share in the company. She didn't care about the job itself, but the pay was good, and she was still relatively new to being a private detective and needed every job she could get.
The only information her client gave her was the name Hogarth. She had been expecting to follow some old fart to his mistress, but instead found a much younger woman. She got over her initial shock and continued to follow the stern woman.
She followed her for several blocks though the crowded streets of New York. She had to hide a few times when she thought the dark-haired woman had noticed she was being followed but the woman gave nothing away if she noticed Jessica. Hogarth made a quick turn into an abandoned building after Jessica was starting to think she had gotten lost.
Jessica went around the side of the worn-down building and quickly checked her surroundings before jumping up to the second story fire escape. She landed with a loud rattle as the rusting metal under her feet shook and groaned at the sudden change. She winced at the sound but quickly made her way to one of the windows and forced it open with ease, breaking the lock, and made her way inside.
She carefully crawled through the window and landing with a small thud. She scolded herself for wearing her boots on a stealth mission. She listened for a moment to make sure she didn't attract any unwanted attention. Hearing nothing, she pulled her camera out from its case, lopping the lanyard around her neck and crept quietly to the hallway outside the office she had found herself in.
She found herself in a hallway of empty apartments that reminded her much of her own. She stepped lightly down the hallway towards the stairs, not wanting the floors to creak like they did in her building. She reached the stairs without any signs of trouble. She slowly opened the heavy metal door that led to the stairwell. The rusting door gave a loud squeak as the hinges that had gone unmoving for years were forced open. Jessica froze at the sound, listening in the stairwell, but it seemed she was in the clear for now.
She squeezed through the gap she had already made, not wanting to open the door further in case someone heard the second squeak. Gently shutting the door behind her, she made her way down the stairwell to the first floor. She made it to the first-floor door when she heard soft voices. She peered through the small window in the door her camera-ready hoping to get a peek at who was talking.
The first-floor layout was the the exact same as her building as the second floor had also been. She mentally scoffed at her building owners at being cheap and not even using a different floor plan. She also thanked them, because it meant that she knew where she wouldn't be seen. The only think she was worried about now was if this door would squeak like the last door.
She checked the hinges and found them rusting be not as severe as the last ones were. She took a deep breath before twisting the door knob and slowly opening the door. She almost sighed when the door opened without a sound but stopped herself. She used her camera bag as a door stop, so the door didn't make any sound when it was closed. She crept to the corner of the short corridor that led to the main lobby her camera in hand and ready. She peaked around the corner and spotted Hogarth talking to a group of tough looking Latinos.
"Your boss Hector hired me to defend him, and I did but if you think making threats against me or my wife will make me keep my mouth shut your dead wrong. We won, and my debt is settled, our transaction should have been finished but you had to prove yourself in what, a dick measuring contest and gave the DA more evidence to work with." Hogarth said in a calm fury towards the heavily tattooed man in front of her.
"Now the case is being reopened and I will not be there defending him again. I am done with this bullshit, I did what was needed of me, I paid my price, it's your fault if it doesn't stick." Hogarth scolded before turning to leave. The leader caught her arm in a tight grip causing her to turn and face him.
"Your done when I say you’re done, not Hector. Your deal may have been with him, but he is, let's say, retired." Jessica couldn't see his face from where she was crouched but could feel the wicked smile he had on his face radiate out.
"Jessica." The voice and man that haunted her every waking and non-waking moment whispered to her. Her breath caught in her throat when she caught a flash of purple out of the corner of her eye. She backed away from the corner as she tried to regain her ability to breathe. She knew she couldn't speak aloud unless she wanted to get caught, so mentally recited the mantra she had started to become accustom to saying. The names of the streets around her childhood home.
She almost finished her second time repeated it when the sound of a woman yelling quickly brought her back to reality. She quickly returned to the position she had been moments before. The lead man still had a grasp on Hogarth and the rest of his crew had started to circle them like hungry sharks.
Jessica knew where this was headed, she had had her fair share of experience with pig headed men in the past. Another flash of purple, but she pushed it away, she knew she had to help the person who she was hired to follow. Jessica set her camera down and rounded the corner.
"Hey, George Lopez! Quit being a dick and pick on someone your own size." They all jumped at the sound of her voice, she felt smug at her stealth skills but that feeling changed when she saw Hogarth who gave her a look that said 'Really? Is that the best you can do.'
'George Lopez' released Hogarth as he turned to look at Jessica. The wicked smile remained on his face. He was now holding a large and wickedly sharp looking knife.
"And who might you be? Come to join the party?"
"I'm the person who's going to kick your punk ass if you don't let the angry lady leave unharmed."
"I would like to see you try."
Jessica sighed as she said, "Why do they never choose the easy route?"
'George' came charging towards her, his knife angled to stab her in her stomach. She side stepped him and grabbed his arm that was holding the knife and twisted it around his back and forced him to the ground. The knife clattered to the ground has he yelled in pain. She had her knee pinning his hand to his back, with just enough pressure to not break his wrist.
She picked up his knife and examined it as she looked at the rest of 'George's' crew, making eye contact with each of them. She griped the blade between her index and thumb with both hands and snapped the blade cleanly in half and let the two pieces clatter to the ground. Everyone in the room stared at her trying to process what they just witnessed. It seemed the smartest of the group had the right idea as he ran out of there as fast as possible, the rest soon followed.
Hogarth and 'George' were the only ones remaining. Hogarth had a blank expressionless stare, if Jessica hadn't been following her all day and was starting to understand the older woman she would have been slightly unnerved by the expression. George groaned under her knee and Jessica stood up and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.
"Get out of here." She growled at the now terrified man. He ran out of the building clutching his injured arm.
"You're the person that's been following me all day." Jessica shrugged in response, slightly miffed that she had been spotted so easily. "Why?"
"Your partner hired me, I'm a P.I."
"Not a very good one." Hogarth mumbled.
"I saved your ass, at least you could be a little grateful." Jessica snapped.
"Says the woman who has been hired to get dirt on me so my partner can force me out." Jessica just crossed her arms and turned away from her slightly. Hogarth was right that was what she had been hired to do, it didn't mean that she was a bad person.
"You do have potential though. I've met several private investigators in my years working as a lawyer, and I must say I've never seen one that can break a knife with their bare hands." Hogarth paused thinking for a moment. "You know I think I could use someone with your, talents, in other cases."
"Like what saving your ass from gangsters that you owe money too?"
"I borrowed money from them to pay for law school. I paid my debt to them twice over," Hogarth said with a scowl, "Javier was looking to take over after Hector was arrested and wanted to black mail me into defending them on all their cases. And you look like you might need someone who can get you work." Hogarth said looking her up and down. "And an AA meeting and shower."
"I could literally break you in half you know that right." Jessica was starting to respect this hard ass of a woman.
"Honey, we both know you need the connections and the money. This is an offer you can't refuse." Hogarth extended a hand. "Jeri Hogarth of Hogarth, Chao, Benowitz, and Smith, soon to be Hogarth, Chao, and Benowitz."
Jessica looked at the hand for a moments before accepting it. "Jessica Jones, of Alias Investigations." She gave Hogarth a hand shake she soon wouldn't forget and the bruises to match.
---
Hogarth had paid her double what she had been originally offered to do the same to the soon to be ex-partner. Jessica had taken the bonus check and blew half of it on alcohol at three different bars. She had to switch bars because she had gotten into fights at the first two, leaving several handys men with broken fingers. Any other night she might have accepted their offers of going back to their place with no strings attached, but she had a bad feeling that something bad was coming.
Now Jessica was sitting in a diner around the corner from her apartment building drinking terrible black coffee waiting for her waiter to bring her some overly salted hash-browns and probably fake eggs. She had given up on her kitchen when the only food she could find was some oats she didn't remember buying, a half-eaten jar of peanut butter, and several empty bottles of whiskey. She blamed the peanut butter on her stoner neighbor Malcolm, who seems to like breaking into her apartment. She almost killed him the first time he broke in, and the seconds and third time, but now she was accustomed to the druggie.
The diner's overhead radio was advertising Trish Talk, she put her head in her hands at the thought of Trish her adoptive sister. She hadn't told her she was back in town and wasn't planning on it anytime soon. The advertisement was abruptly cut off, Jessica raised her head at the odd sound that was now coming though the speaker. A robotic voice said in broken English, "This is not a drill, please stay inside and off the streets," the radio crackled, and the power went out before the voice could continue. The ground started to rumble, and Jessica slowly stood from the booth she was sitting at and made her way towards the large glass windows.
Everything looked fine but off, it took a moment before she realized that the people outside weren't moving at their normal fast pace and general noise, but full on sprinting and screaming. She looked on in horror as a giant flying worm flew down the street, the fin's raking the sides of building, raining rubble down on the people below. It opened it's mouth full of giant and sharp teeth and let out a screech that shattered the nearby windows, adding glass shards to the rubble as they fell. Suddenly the beasts head slammed into the street below, it's body following after it, crushing everything beneath it. She could have sworn that there was a green man standing on it's head.
She would have continued watching if not for a squad of smaller and more humanoid aliens made their way down the street, shooting and screeching as they went. She didn't think, she just reacted, her body moved with out concious thought. The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of the street tipping cars on to their sides and ushering people off the streets.
For the first time in a long time she didn't feel like she needed to hide her powers. For the first time people thanked her for them and didn't shun her for them. She loved it and hated it. She loved the way people were appreciating her and fighting aliens was a lot of fun. She hated the duality of it though, once they stopped loving her they would go back to fearing and hating her.
She kept fighting though the punches and blasts she'd taken. She at least had a broken rib or two and some rather nasty bruises, but she kept fighting. She wasn't fighting for the people around her, no these people would stop caring who she was in a few days or so.
She was fighting for Malcolm, the annoying junkie who had forced his way into her life. She was fighting for Trish, the sister she had pushed away so she could keep her innocence about the dangers of the world. She was fighting for Hogarth, the bitchy lawyer she'd known for less than a day, but stood up to a gang leader to protect herself and her wife.
She flew back against the side of a car after a particularly nasty blow from one of the aliens. She struggled to catch her breath as she sagged against the damaged car. She slid against the crumpled metal, she energy spent, she was bleeding and exhausted. She managed to take a shaky breath as the alien that threw her against the car slowly approached her, its rifle raised.
"What are you waiting for? Just do it already you fugly shit head!" She spat at the creature looming over her. She could hear the wine of the energy cells charging and the alien prepared to fire and finally finish what she had been so slowly working herself towards. She closed her eyes as she slumped against the car and waited.
There was a bang, but she didn't feel any pain. She was scared to open her eyes. What would she see? Heaven? Hell? Something in between?
A hand on her right shoulder startled her, she jumped and blindly threw a left hook at what ever was there. She felt the metal of the car crumple even further under her fist, she could feel the skin on her knuckles split. Her eyes snapped open, she wasn't dead.
"Easy there." She heard someone say, her brain had been so focused on not being dead that she failed to remember that aliens were invading. Her eyes searched around her and quickly found a gorgeous red head in a tight black body suit crouched next to her.
She had never thought of herself as gay or bi, not caring for the weight they held, but she could definitely see the appeal of the female form. She had tried dating women before but found their need for Jessica to open up too much or any relationship for that matter. So she mainly stuck with guys for the lack of talking and emotions and need for relationships. But right in front of her was a woman who made her reconsider her entire stance on the subject.
She was hotter than hell, anyone could see that, but it was her eyes that drew Jessica in. She could see the pain and agony in them behind the cold wall she had up. It was the same thing she saw every time she looked in the mirror. This woman who had shown up out of the blue in the middle of an alien invasion had instantly captivated her.
"Hey!" The mystery woman shouted at her, bringing her back to reality. Jessica blinked shaking her head trying to clear her head of the invasive thoughts she was having about this woman.
"I need to get you out of here it's still not safe. You've done enough here, so now it's time to rest." The red head said as she draped one of Jessica's arms across her shoulders and gripped her waist with her other hand.
"At least buy me dinner first." Jessica quipped. The mystery woman just rolled her eyes, but Jessica was close enough to see the faint blush that appeared on her cheeks. She was glad her flirtations weren't falling on deaf ears.
"Then a drink, scratch that, make that lots of drinks Red." Jessica groaned as the mystery woman pulled them both to their feet. She wrapped her free hand around her broken ribs, which were screaming in pain at the sudden movement.
"Natasha."
"What?"
"My name's Natasha not Red."
"Oh, well I'm Jessica."
Natasha help drag/carry her to one of the nearby buildings where several people were huddled together. Jessica was sure she would have been able to walk on her own, but she wasn't going to refuse the red head that appeared out of nowhere and saved her life. There had been only a few aliens left on the street Jessica had been fighting on, but it seemed that Natasha had taken care of them with ease.
Natasha set her on one of the nearby lobby chairs. She looked like she was about to say something but instead turned slightly away listening to something. Jessica assumed she had an ear piece and that someone was feeding her information.
From the way Natasha held herself she normally would have guessed military but that didn't feel quite right to Jessica. Her next guess would be government agency with an acronym that probably stood for something inspiring or heroic sounding. The strange body suit she was wearing with an odd bird symbol on the shoulder and the advanced tech on her wrists reinforced her theory.
"Copy that Tony. I'll regroup with Cap on the bridge." Natasha said with cold professionalism. "And Tony, don't bring any more parties this time." She added and Jessica could see a small smirk on the edge of her lips.
Turning back towards Jessica, Natasha gave her an apologetic look. "Sorry to cut and run, but you know there's an alien invasion going on that I need to go help stop." Natasha paused stunned at her own words. "Wow, I never expected to ever say that." There was a small chuckle in her voice as she spoke.
"Go, go be some superhero badass or what ever it is you do. I can handle things from here." Jessica said standing from the chair, trying and failing not to wince at the pain coming from her ribs and the pounding coming from her head.
"Besides you still owe me those drinks." Jessica said flashing her a smug look as she tucked one of the business cards, she had just had made into one of the many pockets that seemed to be on Natasha's suit.
Natasha flashed her a quick smile as she left the building, giving Jessica one last glance as she took off down the street.