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Karen’s almost ashamed at how long it takes her to realise her ‘good samaritan’ lawyers are witches. She’s good at picking witches damn it, it should not have taken her walking into the spells protecting their office to notice.
Though she doubts any witch could walk into this office and not notice the magic. It’s a very strong protection spell. ‘Oh,’ she breathes at the feel of it and both Murdock and Nelson - no, Matt and Foggy they’d said - turn to look at her.
‘Are you okay Miss Page?’ Foggy asks as he leads her to a chair. He sounds confused. She frowns at him, just as confused. Surely he realises how much of a blow their protective spells are… unless… do they not know? Maybe they’re not their spells?
‘I’m fine,’ Karen says and glances at the sign on the door. She’s not sure but that is probably where the magic is coming from. Written magic then? Identifying the different types of magic was never her strong suit but this seems a foregone conclusion.
Foggy follows her gaze. ‘Yeah, our sign’s a bit makeshift. We’re still setting things up sorry.’
‘Oh no. It’s… it’s fine.’ She looks at the sign again, fear at being caught looking spiking through her. ‘It’s a nice sign. Very good sign.’ Cursing the adrenaline flooding her that’s making her ramble, she bites her lip to shut up.
But it’s too late. Foggy gives her an examining look. ‘...And you can feel the magic on it, can’t you?’ She jerks at the casual way he just mentions magic, her eyes wide at his daring.
‘Wait, what?’ Matt says as he drags a chair in front of her, making her jump. He moves so silently! Especially for a blind man. ‘Have I missed something?’
Foggy facepalms. ‘Oh man, sorry. Miss Page-’
‘Karen, please.’
‘-Karen has been looking at our sign. Like, majorly looking. Because of the magic on it.’
‘Ah,’ Matt nods, a soft smile on his face and it clicks for Karen.
They both have magic. Holy shit. ‘You’re both witches,’ she whispers.
Matt flinches, like her words have slapped him. ‘We’re magical, yes. Will that be a problem?’
She shakes her head. ‘No. God no. I’m not that much of a hypocrite.’ Karen laughs and ignores how broken and dead it sounds to her ears. ‘I just haven’t met any other witches in New York yet. Guess I started to think there weren’t any.’ She’d been scared she was alone really; the only witch in a city of mundanes.
Foggy gives her a tight smile. ‘Well, now you have.’ The silence is awkward for a long moment before Foggy goes for some tea and Matt starts to question her about who’s trying to kill her. Neither ask her about her magic but they also don’t offer anything about theirs.
At least not until Foggy pulls her aside as Matt is grabbing his bag before taking her home. ‘Mis - Karen. Can I ask a favour?’
‘I don’t think I’m really in a position to say no to my lawyers.’ She’s not really in a position right now to say no at all and it’s terrifying.
He sighs and shakes his head. ‘Okay, firstly? You can say no. We can take it. And this isn’t a favour related to your case. Just. Could you not call Matt a witch? Ever?’
She blinks in confusion. ‘Okay, sure. Why?’
But he just smiles. ‘Thank you.’
He leaves at the same time they do and never explains his request.
********
Karen’s still wondering about it hours later, when she’s creeping out of Matt’s bed to return to her apartment for the files she saved. Is there a reason her handsome, blind lawyer dislikes the label she’s lived with for all her life? She’s surprised to realise she’ll be disappointed in him if he hates the label because it’s typically a female one. She shouldn’t care this much about him yet.
But he - and Foggy - helped her in a moment she thought herself alone in a hopeless situation. It’s for this reason she pauses in front of him. He’s asleep on the lounge and she considers, for a moment, a sleeping spell to make sure he stays that way. Stop him following her if he wakes and risking his life more than he already has.
But no. Spells take time to set up and he’s a witch - no matter how much he seems to dislike the label. He might wake up and then she’ll be in a duel with a witch of unknown strength. Best to leave it to fate. No matter how much it grates at her to not be able to keep this kind, helpful and defenceless man safe.
Quietly, she sneaks out and is relieved when there’s no sound of movement behind her.
********
When the man grabs her in her apartment she’s too startled to reach for her magic. After that, she hurts too much to focus and gather her magic for a proper spell. She’s going to die here, at an ordinary man’s hands and it’s because of her o-
The door slams open and a figure in black and wearing a mask attacks. He doesn’t use magic but he’s moving so fast and calculated that it takes her a minute to realise it. By the time they fall out the window together, Karen realises she’s been witness to a fight between two mundanes capable of killing her. It’s a sobering thought, even for a girl who’d nearly died at a mundane’s hands the day before.
For the first time since leaving her past behind her, she remembers her grandmother’s last words - Magic won’t save you Karen . Maybe they weren’t a doomsday prophecy… but a warning.
So she’s careful when she limps outside to see who’s won. There’s no surprise in her at the sight of the man in a mask standing in front of her chained up almost murderer, only shock at the whole situation. ‘Who… what the hell?’
He holds up the usb. ‘I’ll get this into the right hands.’
Panic races through her and she pulls her magic up, ready to stop him. ‘No you can’t! You can’t take it to the police. You can’t trust anyone.’
He looks at her for a long moment. ‘Then we tell everyone.’ Carefully he limps over to where the man is chained and feels around in the building supplies. A second later he pulls out a length of rope. ‘Can you write a note to the New York Bulletin? Tell them what we’re delivering.’
It takes her a second to realise he’s addressing her. ‘Oh. Umm. Sure?’ As he starts to bind the man’s hands, she runs up to her apartment. For a moment Karen can’t force herself through the door but she takes a deep breath and pushes past the fear. Quickly she locates a pen and paper before scribbling down as much as she can.
There’s a tap at the door and she jumps as she spins round, her magic already rising. The man in a mask raises his hands. ‘Sorry. You almost done?’
‘Oh yeah. One sec.’ A quick search through her desk lets her find an envelope and she writes the newspaper’s name in big, back letters on the front. Her hands are shaking as she rapidly seals the note in the envelope and hands it to the masked man.
He takes it gently. ‘Get yourself some dry clothes and then get out of here.’ He pauses in the doorway. ‘You have somewhere to stay?’
She nods. ‘I do. I… I should really get back there.’
‘Yes.’ With that, he leaves and she scrambles to pack a bag.
********
Matt’s opening his door before she’s managed more than one knock. His clothes are soaked too and his glasses are askew, as if he put them on in a great hurry. Did… did he go looking for her. ‘Karen?’ he asks after a moment of silence and she realises that he has no way of recognising her.
‘Yes, sorry. Can… Can I come in?’ He steps aside as answer and she moves past him, dropping her bag beside the sofa. ‘I… think I did something stupid.’
‘Well I can help with that.’ He moves into the room and promptly trips on her bag. Only a quick twist and his half controlled fall onto the sofa stop him hitting the ground.
Karen jumps. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry.’ She grabs the bag and puts it on the coffee table.
‘It’s okay. I woke up and you were gone. Did… did you go home for a bag?’ He sounds reproachful.
She shakes her head and sighs. ‘No. I... I went back for the files. The ones I saved.’
He sits up. ‘Oh. So you did save them.’ The lack of judgement in his voice is almost as awful as anger would be.
It spurs Karen to explain herself. ‘I’m sorry but… but I didn’t know if I could trust you and if I could I didn’t want you to risk your life…’ she bites her lip and blinks back tears. ‘I don’t want anyone else to die for me.’
Matt rises and moves towards her, hands out stretched. She grabs onto one and he instantly uses that to grab onto her shoulder, guiding her to the sofa. He takes the seat beside her. ‘No one is going to need to die for you-’
‘I know,’ she cuts in and he cocks his head. ‘I think this will be over tomorrow.’
He examines her with the same loo- no, not look but that same intense kind of stare he’d used earlier that seems to allow him to gaze into the depths of her soul and judge her. But of course he can’t; she’s just being paranoid. ‘What happened Karen?’ he asks gently.
‘I was attacked. In my apartment.’ He tenses and she hurriedly adds, ‘I’m okay! A man… a man in a mask saved me.’
With a raised eyebrow he asks, ‘A man in a mask?’
Karen laughs. ‘I know, it’s crazy. But he stopped this… this monster from killing me and then decided to take the files to the papers. Tell everyone since we can’t trust anyone.’
Matt hums. ‘Seems like a clever move. At least it’ll stop you being the focus of attention.’ She nods. ‘So best if you stay here, where I can actually protect you.’
Shame runs through her. ‘I… am sorry.’
He sighs, ‘I’m not mad Karen. I do understand.’
She runs a hand along his wet sweater. ‘Still. You offered me a place to stay, came looking for me and-’
Matt cuts her off. ‘It’s okay Karen. I’m just glad you’re safe.’ He nods his head at the side of the sofa. ‘Why don’t you change your clothes, get dry?’ She stares at him in confusion until it dawns on her that he still thinks her bag is beside the sofa.
‘Oh. Why… why don’t we just use a drying spell?’ She hadn’t bothered earlier half because of her lack of trust but also because she’d not liked the shirt. Now though… now she realises this man might be genuine and she feels awful not trusting him.
‘I’m afraid I don’t know any,’ he shrugs. ‘And my magic can be ah, over enthusiastic sometimes. Best to leave drying to the expert. By which I mean my dryer.’ He laughs.
Karen doesn’t, still caught up on the fact he can’t do a drying spell. ‘But… didn’t your mother teach you any household spells?’
Something in Matt visibly shuts down. ‘No,’ he says shortly and tries to get up.
Alarmed, Karen manages to get her hands on him and stop him moving. ‘I’m sorry! I didn’t mean… I’m sorry.’
He settles down. ‘Okay.’ She notices he doesn’t offer anything else and decides to drop the subject.
‘I… I could show you? If you want.’
‘If you can. I’m told I’m difficult to teach magic to.’ Raising an eyebrow at his cryptic statement, she takes his hands and slowly recites the familiar latin. It’s a relief when her clothes dry, their warmness helping leech some of the chill out of her bones. ‘Your turn.’
With a smile, Matt parrots her latin back at her but she can instantly feel how wrong it is. His clothes don’t dry and from the way he’s shifting, she thinks they might’ve gotten wetter. Which, what?
‘Well that failed,’ she laughs.
He joins in. ‘I did say, I’m difficult to teach magic to. But maybe...’ He bites at his lips, as if he’s focusing but he doesn’t speak a spell or trace a rune or do any other method of channeling magic. So it’s a surprise when he wriggles his fingers and releases his magic, drying his clothes.
‘How’d you do that?’ The hand gesture channeled his magic. Karen didn’t think that was possible.
‘I did magic?’ he shrugs. ‘I’m told my methods are unusual but I don’t know any other. I do do better though, when I know how a spell feels. So… thank you.’
‘You’re… you’re welcome.’ Matt might be the most unusual witch Karen’s ever met and she’s intrigued. ‘I should let you get some sleep.’
Matt nods. ‘You should sleep too. I’ll keep watch.’ She blinks and he smirks, making her realise it was a joke.
‘That was awful,’ she laughs.
‘I know,’ he says unapologetically. ‘But it was funny anyway.’
Karen loses the battle with her laughter but quickly realises she’s not going to be able to stop. It’s just too much; everything that’s happened. She has to laugh or she’s going to cry.
Somehow, Matt seems to realise what’s happening. He throws his blanket over her in an instant before sliding off the sofa to kneel before her. Gently he takes her hands in his and begins to massage them. ‘Breathe Karen. It’s okay.’
Slowly, she manages to stop the hysterical laughter and get her breathing under control. The pressure in her chest eases and the room stops being as dark and spinning as it was. ‘I’m okay,’ she finally manages to say.
‘Yes, you will be,’ he replies, before helping her up. Slowly he leads her into the bedroom and helps her into his bed. ‘I’ll be right back.’ She frowns but before she can think much on it, he’s back with a pillow and blanket.
He throws them on the floor. ‘No, you can’t sleep on the floor,’ she protests.
But Matt just smiles. ‘I’ve slept in far worse places. Now, go to sleep. Anyone wants you, they’ll have to get past me.’ He stops and considers for a moment, ‘Like I said, I’m keeping watch.’
This time her laugh is short and soft. She closes her eyes and feels sleep coming so much faster than it has before, with the sounds of Matt shuffling around to get his ‘bed’ ready a quiet lullaby. A soft thump has her open her eyes briefly. For a moment, in the dark and with her half asleep state, she could swear she can see her masked rescuer standing by the bed but before she can drag herself to full awareness, he turns and in the light from the window she can see it’s just Matt.
Still, it’s reassuring to know she has two protectors tonight. Suddenly certain she’ll live to see dawn; Karen lets herself relax and fall asleep.