Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Frank sat at the table, handcuffed to it, and waited. Not like he could do much else. He thought about what he’d say to Matty to see if he’d remembered their time together at Saint Agnes orphanage. Start with what’s brought them back together then add a touch of history. Yeah, that should work. He sat a little straighter when he saw his preferred lawyer being led in.

“Mr. Castle.” Professional, clean. God, he was a different person in the daytime.

“Murdock.” He nodded as he spoke. Not sure how the kid’s senses tracked him, just knowing that they could. Maybe he’d finally get the full story all these years later.

“They said you’d only speak with me. We have a few things we’d like to run by you in preparation for this trial.

“Mr. Castle. I understand that your military record is classified. You have received a Purple Heart. We’re going to need to find a character witness to help show that you were… Whole, for lack of a better term, before the bullet in your head at the park. Someone who can speak to the nature of your service.”

“You trying to go for PTSD, huh? That’s an insult to the veterans who are actually going through it.” He couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him as he shook his head. “You wanna parade me around like just another crazy-ass combat vet who lost his mind, huh? Trying to appeal to some shitbag jury in some shitbag court.

“I thought your people said you were after the truth. My life didn’t go to shit on a battlefield. My family. We were at the carousel. It was tradition when I came back from a tour. Everyone knew it.”

“With all due respect, you’re on trial for multiple homicides and we currently have no defense strategy. What does the truth matter if you’re not able to see justice for it by rotting behind bars for the rest of your life? Help us help you, Mr. Castle.”

“Heard of a scout sniper?” Matty shook his head. “Nah, didn’t think so. My class at Quantico, we had a motto. A saying. It was, ‘one shot, one kill.’ Violence becomes its own ritual, ya know. I was already very good friends with violence before joining the Marines. Colonel Ray Schoonover is the guy you wanna track down. My old CO.” Frank could have suggested David or Sarah but he’d rather not put them through the public eye. He shouldn’t finish what he started out to do. Not two days before this trial. When would he get another chance? Screw the cameras. It’s not like they had audio in here anyway.

“See, I don’t think any of those files ya got mentioned my life before the military. Not so long ago someone asked me if I was a Catholic and I told them I was, once. I wanted ta be a, heh, a preacher. Ya believe that? But me and the whole forgiveness thing weren’t working out. That was my first real career choice all because of the first person I kissed. See, he was, uh, real, ya know, into his faith. Yeah? Thought everything that happened to him was some test from God.

“Yeah. There was an accident when he was younger, before I met him. Changed his life forever. I met him after the second major change in his life. The one that led him to where I was.” Frank watched the blind lawyer’s tongue as it wet his lips. Maybe he had sparked a memory. He absently noted that they were both tapping now. Not quite in sync but they’d get back there. Didn’t pay attention to who started it and who mirrored it. Like times gone by.

“He was always complaining about the sounds being too loud or the garbage being too ripe even if it’d already been emptied. Nobody knew what to do for a while. They’d get him to calm down at some point, only for him to get back to it. One day, they found someone to take him. Not exactly an adoption but he left with someone. Real miracle, that. Thought that’d be the last I’d see of him. Not that we hung out or anything.

“‘Bout a year or so later, he comes back. Completely changed. Heh, he was this little ball of rage when the nuns weren’t looking. Super polite in the face of the adults but, oh man, could he knock around kids bigger ‘an him.”

Matt straightened up, fingers stilling. Frank knew he had him. This was his Matty. How many other blind, red-headed fighters with anger issues could there really be running around New York being polite in the day time and letting his fists fly at night? Hopefully, not more than his one.

“The nuns, see, they thought the other kids were harassing him for being brought back on account of him being a blind autistic kid and not adjusting to the real world or some shit. How could this sweet, blind boy be causing fights? He was clearly only defending himself as best he could.” Castle clocked the moment Murdock knew who he was as they were tapping in sync. Might as well bring it home. “Kid never stayed in bed after the nuns did their nightly check. I managed to follow him one night. More like, he let me follow ‘im since it took me a few tries. He was like a little ninja.

”We ended up below the church next to the orphanage. Got a little gym set up somehow. Don’t think anyone else went down there. I almost let my guard down taking the place in. Had a little cot in the corner an’ everything. I turned around...”

”But you managed to block his fist.” Matt had a lopsided smile across his face. “Caught him off guard not connecting that first hit.”

”Uh huh.” Murdock could probably hear the smile in Castle’s words. “Musta realized I wasn’t as stupid as those other kids.”

Matt chuckled, shaking his head slightly. “We sparred.”

”You kicked my ass.”

”I went easy on you.”

”And then I kissed ya.”

”Frank Castle.” Matt scoffed. “Francis Castiglione.” His smile softened. “I used to think about you constantly,” he murmured softly. Probably not even consciously.

”Lawyer by day, pajama-wearing-vigilante by night. Helluva alibi, Red, bein’ blind and all.”

Murdock’s posture changed immediately. Gone was the seemingly harmless, blind lawyer. Here stood the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, clutching his fists. “What did you just say?” If he had sat down across the table when he first entered, would his chair have scrapped the floor when he hastily stood up or would he slam his hand down between them? The world may never know.

”Ya heard me.” It was his turn to scoff. Frank looked towards the windows where the guards were keeping watch in case something happened to the Altar Boy. “I didn’t realize it was you when I shot ya, you know. Nah, that was back in the hospital when you waltzed in to convince me to get better counsel. You and the blonds. They say you never forget your first love.” His gaze returned to the bespeckled redhead. “It’s easy putting the pieces together when you know what ta look for. ”

Red either forgot the cameras existed in this room or he was too angry that someone called out his double life. Hands gripped the walking stick hard enough to make his knuckles change color. His head was tilted in such a way that his glasses didn’t quite block his eyes from Frank. The eye contact wasn’t exact but it was close enough. Slightly too far up.

“And what pieces would those be, Frankie?”

“Well, Matty,” Castle tilted his head back, “a self-sacrificing little ball of righteous fury, thinking he’s doing the Lord’s work, with no regard to his own self-preservation and a mean left hook. Jumping in front of bullets like he’s invincible like he used to find his way in front of chairs wielded by bullies when nuns had their backs turned. Little head tilts like he was recalculating the world around him as fights dragged on or far away sounds were trying to distract him. Probably wondering why God put the Devil in them Murdock boys as your grandma used to say.”

Silence. He’d been met with silence that bled from angry to incredulous.

Said silence was suddenly disrupted by laughter. The guards looked into the room with concern but were waved off by the blind lawyer. Frank couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped himself at witnessing Matt break character. He couldn’t imagine the Devil making that kind of carefree sound. It would scare more criminals if he did.

As the laughter trailed off, Murdock returned to his relaxed posture. The Devil wasn’t needed for this conversation after all. “I gotta be honest with you. Karen and I put our necks on the line getting Foggy to agree to take your case. I will try to be here as much as I can but we have,” Matt finally took the seat across from Frank. “I have a private client. A paying client. I can’t give any details but she might have me distracted from being perfectly present for your case.”

“Sounds rich.”

Red nodded with a sad smile. There was a story there. “Foggy doesn’t trust her but we do occasionally have to take paying clients to be able to keep doing our pro bono work.”

”You don’t get many payin’ clients, Red?”

”Most of our clients pay us in food which we greatly appreciate. Being perpetually broke as we are.”

”Yeah, fuckin’ Altar Boy. Pro bono work when you can’t afford to buy your own food. Sounds about right.” Frank took in Matt’s relaxed state now that they’d left polite strangers doing business territory. The lawyer still had an air of professionalism about him but it wasn’t as stuffy as before. “Why doesn’t your boy trust this client? He can smell her bullshit from across the Kitchen? Oh, wait. That’s you.”

”Lawyer-client confidentiality, Frank.”

”Don’t need fancy senses to call you on your shit, Murdock. That golden retriever of a man doesn’t have a mean bone in his body and I’ve only really spoken to the guy once. He’s flat out scared of me. For him to not like someone is sayin’ something.”

For a solid minute, Frank thought he wasn’t going to get an answer. He was almost ready to change the subject. But there was something in the air around them, something about how Matt was holding himself during this conversation, that made him hold out.

Finally, “She’s my ex. From college. Foggy, he, the reason he doesn’t trust her is because she, well, she left me when I refused to kill someone.”

Castle whistled low but said nothing.

”My grades were slipping because I was spending all my time with her instead of studying or going to class. She somehow knew, or maybe found out, about my abilities and we sparred. A lot.”

”If she’s anything like me, I bet those sparring sessions turned into something else.”

”Oh, yeah.” He suddenly groaned and tipped forward as though he were going to lay his head on the table between them. “I’m just now connecting so many dots. Foggy’s going to have a field day if he ever finds out about us.”

”Yeah? Your college girlfriend reminded you of your teenage boyfriend or something?”

”Something like that. The violence. The passion. The ‘not exactly sneaking around but totally sneaking around for my protection against being found out’. The possessiveness. The violence. I can’t believe I never realized why I fell for her so fast.”

”Well,” Frank leaned back as much as he could, “good to know I left my mark.”

”Corruption more like.”

”Hey! I’m not the one with the Devil in him.” Castle’s hands were palms up on the table.

”Yes, you were.” He chuckled. “More often than you being in the Devil.” Matty’s mischievous smirk sent a shiver down Frank’s spine as a spike of arousal ran through him which only widened the smirk.

”I wonder what it is about you that makes people keep trying to get ya ta off someone. Maybe we can sense how much you’d bloom if your faith didn’t hold you hostage. Calm down. I’m not gonna tell you to put criminals down permanently now that I know who you are under the red.”

”Three people. Three who knew about what I could do. And all three, at one point or another, have tried to get me to cross that line.”

”So, a boyfriend and a girlfriend. What was the other one: a theyfriend?”

Matty’s nose scrunched up in disgust at the suggestion. It was cute. “My old, blind mentor. Stick. The one who took me from the orphanage, helped me to hone my abilities, taught me to fight, then abandoned me when I proved too soft to kill someone. Just like Elektra dumped me when I refused to kill the man who killed my dad.” That sad smile returned. “You all kill so easily. I’ve been… tempted… a time or two but I couldn’t go through with it.”

“Knowing you, Matty, you’d instantly regret it. Probably spiral into a psychotic breakdown and try to find ways for someone to kill you so your death wouldn’t be ruled suicide. Suicide’s one of the greatest sins, yeah?”

One, two, three, four, three, two, one, two.

“Yeah.”

Chapter Text

Judge cleared the gallery. Karen checked in with him but Frank had his eyes on Murdock’s posture, confused. They whispered amongst themselves wondering what was the cause for the ME’s outburst shortly after Matt started questioning him before Frank was eventually escorted out as well. He’d try to talk with Matt or Karen later for some insights.

Apparently, the guy falsified the autopsy findings on Frank’s family for fear of what strange men would do to his own family if he didn’t. This was fucking bigger than he thought. Fixed up Castle’s records and another who was probably the key to everything that day. Great. More research for another time. Have David look into it while Amy worked on a new identity for him to use now that Frank Castle would be forever tied to The Punisher.

“I’m sorry about, well, everything? I guess.” Matt rubbed his forehead. “We really needed Tepper’s testimony to drag Reyes down. Somehow Elektra overheard Karen and I talking strategy and got it into her head to ‘help’ persuade Tepper to help your defense.”

”Let me get this straight, Counselor.” Frank shifted in his seat. “Your rich, ninja, ex-girlfriend from college was eavesdropping on you and your current girlfriend discussing my case to bring you up to speed since you keep hanging out with said ex in your red pajamas to bring down a rival ninja gang, and this is causing a rift in your partnership with Nelson.”

”Karen’s not,” Murdock paused, “I mean, I don’t think we’re really labeling what we are. I don’t know if that’s for Foggy’s benefit or if we’re still testing the waters.”

”Right.”

”She’s not my girlfriend is what I’m saying.”

”I got that, Red. Karen doesn’t know what you do at night.” Matt shook his head. “Does Nelson?”

“He’s the one who found me after you shot me in the head.” His grimace, accompanying that, was more than enough of an answer. “I’m not sure why he’s still my friend. I keep lying to him. Been doing it for most of our friendship.”

”Deep down he probably knows it’s your way of protecting him. Don’t gotta be happy about it, ‘specially since he knows.” Frank watched his blind lawyer. The guy was beating himself up more so about his relationships than the trial. Understandably given what a bleeding heart the guy was.

”Ya know, Karen was comparing Daredevil and Punisher. She, uh, she thinks there’s not much difference in what we do. I protect lives. You prevent them from needing my protection.” He tipped his head back, eyes closed, not like it made a difference for him.

“Claire couldn’t handle the Devil’s side of me. Elektra doesn’t care for the lawyer’s side of me. Foggy keeps worrying about finding me dead or dying in the suit. Karen praises the Devil now but if she finds out… when she finds out… I don’t know. Maybe I should end things before they start.”

”Save yourself further heartbreak.” He got that. He really did. Shame Frank lost his shot with the Altar Boy. He’d easily accept both sides of Matty. Even help him out be it as the Devil or the lawyer. The Liebermans were great at hunting down information. A miniature spy family. Perfect for the work Frank often did. Would be a great addition to Red’s work, too.

”Yeah, maybe.” They sat in silence for a moment. “Shit, Frank, I’m sorry. I’m just here talking about my problems and not trying to figure out something to do with your case.” He had to know how fucking adorable he was when he got flustered over stupid shit.

The marine chuckled. “It’s fine, Matt. This case.” He gestured to himself as much as he could with his hands cuffed to the table. “Would winning help you and your firm even if we don’t get more answers for me?”

Matt frowned. “Why wouldn’t it get you answers?”

”Jesus.” Frank shook his head. “There’s… someone got a message to me sayin’ they can get me answers inside. Their requirement means throwing the case. You, uh, you and Karen are kinda important to me. Helping to keep me human, ya know?”

”Frank.” The Devil was peeking behind the curtain. “I know I…” He took a breath. “I don’t know if we’d be able to win this but don’t throw us under the bus. When this trail is over, regardless of the outcome, Karen and I will use our resources to find out anything that didn’t come to light in the trial.

”I don’t condone murder. You know I can’t. But I won’t stop you from doing what you need to to get peace of mind. We’ll figure out a compromise. Just,” Matt groaned like it physically pained him to continue, “work with us.”

”Yeah. I can do that.”

———————————

It was looking like Frank should expect to see his favorite lawyer only every other day. Maybe he was running late again. Glancing at Nelson, Castle got the impression that whatever happened yesterday was more than Murdock let on. That boy really needed to learn to share properly.

Frank subtly nodded at his old CO when he took the stand. He couldn’t help but wonder what Matt was doing instead of being there. Could he be injured? Christ, Frank would have to pay attention so he could talk to Matty since Nelson and Murdock were clearly at odds and Karen was unfortunately caught in the crossfire.

Left hand on the book and the right in the air, “Colonel Ray Schoonover, United States Marine Corps.” The defense’s witness today. Frank’s character witness. Speaking on his character for the judge and jury. Christ.

”Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”

”I do.” The older marine sat down.

”Counsel?” Judge Batzer addressed Nelson.

”Colonel, how long have you known the defendant?”

”I’d say the better part of a decade. Most of his career in the Marine Corps.”

”So you’re familiar with his service in the Middle East? Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran?”

”Yes, very familiar.”

”I wonder if you could tell us how Lieutenant Frank Castle won the Navy Cross?”

”Due to the nature of that mission, you'll have to understand that the precise circumstances are classified.”

”How ‘bout the parts that’s not?”

”Lieutenant Frank Castle was part of a small team. He was conducting a close target reconnaissance in the vicinity of the Hindu Kush.” Schoonover focused more of his attention on the ladies and gentlemen of the jury. “The mission became compromised, taking enemy contact on three sides. Lieutenant Castle wanted to abort. Said the mission was a bust, pulling the plug would save lives.”

Frank stared off into the distance as Schoonover explained what little he could. He filled in the gaps in his own mind. Feeling the sweat pouring down his face and back. The dust and dirt threatening to clog his lungs. His injured brethren nearby, thinking they were all about to die, wishing they’d never been a part of that mission to begin with. If only he and Billy had tried harder to prevent them from going. Should have done better.

”Officer in charge said ‘no’.”

”And why was that?”

”Maybe he wanted more medals on his chest.” That comment, pulled right out of Frank that day, brought him back to the present. “Doesn’t matter. Either way, Frank was right. They were cut off, boxed into a canyon.”

”And what happened next?”

“Within the first hour, the officer in charge of that mission got his arm blown off. So Lieutenant Castle assumed command. His only goal was to get his men out alive. The enemy had set up an ambush at the only LZ that would accommodate one of our birds.”

”Sorry, Colonel.” Nelson didn’t even need to finish his question. It was the only obvious one for non-military folks.

”LZ is a landing zone that can accommodate a helicopter. So the enemy, they block this landing zone,” he held eye contact with Castle, “knowing it was the only shot the team had to get out alive. All they had to do was wait. They knew that Frank’s team had to come to them.”

”Fish in a barrel.”

”So to speak.” Schoonover turned his eyes away from the other marine. “Fish don’t know they’re going to die. These men did. Frank went to the LZ all by himself to draw the bastards away.”

Frank glanced at Karen when she gasped softly at that proclamation. If only she knew all the details. The parts that were classified. The bits that fewer than half a dozen knew. His own men didn’t know the full story. They may have seen the aftermath of the carnage, but they weren’t aware of just what he’d accomplished to bring them all home.

”Why didn’t he order one of his men to do it? He certainly could have.”

Schoonover shook his head, looking in Castle’s direction again. “Not his style.” Focus shifted to Nelson. “So the men hear the fire fight break out. All hell breaks loose. Frank against God knows how many. And then there was silence. The team thinks, ‘that’s it. Frank’s dead, and we’re next.’ Next sound they hear is the helos, the helicopters.

”They get to the landing zone, you know what they see? Frank Castle, standing there, grinning. Thirty-two muj surrounding him, all dead. Son of a gun cleared that entire LZ all by himself.”

”How?” Nelson sounded genuinely curious. During the testimony, he seemed to gain a bit of respect for his client. Hopefully the jury felt the same.

”By being Frank Castle.”

”And his men survived?”

”All of ‘em. Including the idiot officer that got ‘em trapped in the first place.”

”If you had to sum up Frank Castle, how would you do it?”

”I would say Frank Castle is a man who would gladly give his life to keep others safe.”

”And the crimes he’s accused of today. Could the man you knew have committed them?”

”Absolutely not. Lieutenant Frank Castle that I know is a hero.” Know, not knew. That was telling. “A man who deserves our respect and our gratitude. Not the same man.”

“Thank you, sir. No more questions, Your Honor.” Nelson took his seat.

”People?”

Reyes walked up to the stand. “Thank you for your service, Colonel. My father served in Vietnam. Know what he told me about medals?”

”No, ma’am.”

“He said the only people who truly know what happened are the ones that were there. You told a nice story, Colonel,” she looked towards the jury as if to get them on her side, “but how can we know that it happened the way you described?”

Frank chuckled, earning a quiet shush from Karen and a concerned look from Nelson. Idiot. Reyes was an idiot. No way she’d win the next election if he had anything to say about it.

”Well, perhaps I wasn’t clear. I was there, ma’am. That officer that didn’t listen to Frank, got his men trapped? You’re looking at him.” Schoonover nodded. “And believe me when I tell you I thank God every day that I only lost my arm. That man saved my life, the lives of his entire team. If it was up to me, he’d have a Medal of Honor hanging around his neck.”

”No further questions at this time, Your Honor.”

That went well for their side. Still no Murdock, though. New expert doctor explained how the bullet that was in his head caused him to be in a constant heightened emotional state making any perceived premeditated acts of violence count as crimes of passion. Almost surprised there wasn't any mention of his autism diagnosis. Kid, who couldn't have been more than 16, yelled out that he didn’t care what Castle had been through since the Punisher killed his dad.

———————————

Karen assured Frank that they were not going for PTSD. He spoke with her, alone, later. Same room he’d been speaking with Red.

”That was hard for you, today, huh?”

She had a far off look in her eyes while she nodded. Wondered if she was thinking about their mutual friend, Frank’s case in general, or the other family members of those he’d killed. “I can’t judge you, Frank, if that’s what you’re looking for. I need you to do something for me. Take the stand.”

“Why? Why would I do that?”

”The jury has to know what happened to you, what you go through every single day. After this afternoon? I don’t think we have any other shot.”

She couldn’t be serious. “We’re not gonna win this thing.”

”No, but we can still reduce the charges. Look, that may not be important to you, but it is important to me.” Karen was just as much of a bleeding heart as Red. Damn. “All of them, they all think that you’re a monster. But I know that you’re not. You’re not!”

”You sure about that?” Frank thought about the discussion he’d had with Matt the day before. Red was willing to help Frank hunt down the scumbags who gunned down Maria and the kids. “What if I find these men that did that to my family? What if nothing changes? What if this is just me now?” Castle could accept all of Murdock. Murdock claimed he could curb his own desire to prevent justified murder while Castle got his revenge. Would the Punisher corrupt Daredevil beyond recognition and truly turn him into the real Devil of Hell’s Kitchen?

”Then don’t you deserve to know that too? Please, take the stand.”

”Yeah. I can do that.” Felt like he was repeating himself. Maybe he’d accept Curtis’s not-so-gentle nudges at joining group when he got out. Let him find a shrink that Frank could talk to. Nah, that was unlikely. Karen and Matt were easy to talk to about his life. They had a darkness in them that responded to the shit he’d been through.

They talked a little longer about potential questions for him to contemplate. He needed to be prepared for tomorrow's ordeal. With the way things were going, Matty should be there. He’d need to be at his best even if Red couldn’t see him.

Chapter Text

Frank was led into the room, as usual, with a guard on each side. This time he was deposited at the witness stand rather than the Defense’s table. There were people in the audience with signs both for and against him.

One of the guard’s whispered to him just before walking away, “Think about what you want, Frank.”

Frank looked at his table, most of his attention was on Red. The blondes were whispering to each other but Matt was half turned following the guard. No doubt, he’d heard the comment.

“Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” The bailiff did his duty without hesitation.

“Yeah.” He told Murdock he’d work with his firm. Wouldn’t throw them under the bus.

”Please state your name for the record.”

”Frank Castle.” He’d promised Karen he’d tell his side of the story. He watched Matt unfold his cane and approach.

”Mr. Castle, you’ve been charged with multiple capital crimes. Been called a killer incapable of empathy or remorse.” Kid had a new visible bruise. He’d definitely been out of court yesterday nursing bigger injuries.

“Yeah. So I hear.” Not from Matty. Nor from Karen.

”Frank,” he paused, “may I call you Frank?” How did a grown man look so much like a damn puppy while firmly holding a walking aid with both hands? Frank couldn’t help but notice how Red’s knuckles looked. Barely scabbed abraissions, red but not raw. He might have been a little distracted if the head tilt was anything to go by.

”Yeah.” Frank tried not to also be distracted by the tongue that peeked out. Tried. Failed. Again. He had to look away. Tap, tap, tap went his fingers. At least they were out of sight. Murdock could still hear them, though. One, two, three, four, three, two, one, two.

”Frank, we’ve heard a lot about neuro-chemistry, and psychology,” one hand rest on Matt’s hip, “and all things unfolding, scientifically and otherwise, inside your brian. But I just have one question I want to ask. What happened that day? The day your family was so tragically killed.”

Red already knew. Frank had told him in the cemetery before knowing exactly with whom he was talking. He looked at the guard who’d reminded him of the message, got a slight nod, looked over at the jury, they looked back, expectant. He hesitated. He’d promised but could he go through with it?

“It’s okay. I understand it’s difficult.”

That got him. Frank scoffed. “Do you? Do you understand?” They’d talked, years ago, about what it was like for Matt finding his father in the alley and running his hands over the body. Hearing the shot, blocks away, was in no way the same as being in the thick of it. “‘Cause I don’t think you understand shit.” Holding your little girl watching as meat spilled out of the hole where her face was mere seconds before. Having seen your wife and son blown away feet from you was worlds away from a pre-teen stumbling across a cooling, if not already cold, body.

Murdock nodded, folded his cane and placed it on the table, before addressing the judge. “I’d like permission to treat the witness as hostile, Your Honor?”

”Granted.”

Both hands free, Murdock placed them on his hips. “All right, Frank. You don't want to tell us? I’ll tell you. I’m gonna tell you exactly what kind of man you are.

”You’re the kind of man this city needs. Because, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, we all know this city needs help. Needs it now.” He gestured with a hand. “Not tomorrow, not next week, not when the day comes, when the corruption that Wilson Fisk left in his wake is flushed out for good, and the police force is finally back on its feet.

”We need it now. ‘Cause this city’s been sick.” Matt really knew how to work the room. Nelson was good but Murdock was better. Frank could have been biased. “And the cops, they can’t fix it alone, they need. No. We all need men and women who are willing to take the fight themselves. The kind of people who risk their lives so that we can walk safe at night in our own neighborhoods. The ones our esteemed District Attorney here is trying so hard to destroy.

”New York needs these people. We need,” he paused, be it to take in the room and how people were responding to his message or just to emphasize his next word, “heroes.”

The gallery applauded. Judge called for order.

”The help they offer and the hope they provide. Frank Castle wanted to help, but he took it too far.” Something told the Punisher that this had been one of the issues Nelson had had with the case. Vigilante justice and heroes. The look Nelson was giving Murdock was too pained to be anything other than personal between them. “He shot people. He killed people. It’s against the law. And he broke that law many, many times.

“Now, I don’t like him any more than you do,” lying was a sin, “but here’s the thing, he’s not a common criminal. He’s not malicious in intent. Frank Castle is actually a good man. He just, he doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong anymore.” That was a croc of shit. Even before figuring out their previous connection, they’d spoken of right and wrong. Matt was really milking it for his audience. Doing one hell of a job of it, too. The Devil in those Murdock boys wasn’t only about their anger issues. They could turn a phrase.

“And he doesn’t need punishment for that. He needs help. Our help. That’s the kind of man Frank Castle is. And now you have to decide what kind of jury you want to be. No further questions, You Honor.” Matt walked back towards the defendant’s table.

Regardless of people’s opinion of him before, the atmosphere was surprisingly positive after Red’s speech. He had the option of ruining it, and seeing what information was to be had inside prison, or he could keep his promise to Matt and Karen thus helping Nelson and Murdock. Castle knew which route he was taking. With their added help, Micro and him could probably get the information from inside the jail at a later date.

Reyes whispered to Tower for a moment. She stood up and glanced at the defense table before smiling at the jury. “Mr. Castle. Do you think, as my opponent seems to believe, that you are a hero?”

“Nah, I’m just a guy.”

”Just a guy who went on a one man killing spree causing fear across New York. Many people have lost their families, Mr. Castle. And they’re not going around killing anybody they want just because they have access to military grade weapons.”

”Objection! Is there a question there?”

”I’m getting there.”

”Hurry up, Counselor.”

”Mr. Castle, you avoided the question earlier so I’m asking it again: What happened the day your family was lost?”

”Lost? They weren’t lost, lady. They were stolen from me. They were gunned down in cold blood! Lost is like you walk around a half hour and reunite with them at a gate. They’re not lost. They’re dead! You wanna know what happened?” One, two, three, four, three, two, one. Shaky. “You want to, what, understand what makes a guy go after three gangs of bastards with single-minded, obsessive, hyperfocus until either the ones responsible are all dead or you’re dead and reunited with your family?

“It was tradition. Yeah. It's always the same, ya know?” One, two, three, four, three, two, one, two, three. Faster. “We loved going to that carousel. The day they died, I told Maria that I was done, that I wasn't going back overseas for another tour. I’d just got home the night before. When I woke up, I saw her face. It just came at me. But, like, the second it did, I knew… It was right. It was like this,” sniffling and head shaking, “this weight got lifted off my shoulders, you know? For both of us. She knew it was right. The kids, too. I was just ready, ya know?

“It was time. I just- I wanted to be with them. But that day, we went to that park, and the kids are too old for that stupid carousel, but that day they just laughed. They were laughing.” Frank quickly wiped a tear away as it started down his face. “Hell, we were all laughing like idiots. And that laughter, ya know, it stuck with me. After I lost them as you say, it would just- it would echo. It was over and over. And I just I wanted to hold onto it.

“I wanted to live in it and just hear that laughter, but thing is that I can’t hear it anymore. It's all I had. It’s gone.” One, two, three, four, three, two, one, two. “It's gone. And all I have is the looks on their faces after the bullets ripped through their bodies. The thing is, see, they had time. They didn't die straight away. They had time.

“My son, Frankie, you know, he tried to be brave, he tried to fight, but… My daughter, too. They just looked at me like, like, ‘why, daddy?’ They didn't understand.” It was obvious he wasn’t in the courtroom with the rest of them anymore. The scene playing out in his mind was too loud, too raw, too all encompassing and it just spewed out of his mouth without his consent. One, two, three, four, three, two, one. Constant.

“The next bullet hit. Maria’s scream was cut short. I didn’t. I couldn't hear the gunfire anymore. No, no, no. There was no sound. Frankie twisted back at an unnatural angle before he hit the ground. Just blood forced out of his neck and chest as he fell. He just. He didn’t have a chance. So small. Too young. Those bastards couldn’t spare even him?

”And Lisa.” Frank had stopped wiping the tears that fell from his eyes. A steady stream now rather than one or two drops. Hell, he probably didn’t even realize he was fully crying or rocking for that matter. “I felt heat and pressure around me as I crawled to her body. If I wanted to, I could fit my entire fist in the hole where her face used to be. It was barely a head anymore. Just meat, blood, and bone. Blood and meat poured out of the hole where my baby girl’s smiling face had been.

“She asked me to read One Batch, Two Batch to her the night before but I was tired. Too tired. I told her I would read to her after the trip to the carousel. I was going to read her every story she wanted. I just needed the one night to decompress. I wasn’t going to go overseas again unless it was a family vacation. I was home to stay. We were going to…” He was interrupted by his own shuddering sob. “We were going to be a proper family.”

Silence permeated the courtroom. Blinking the remaining tears out of his eyes and halting all other movement, Frank forced himself back to the present. He risked a glance around the room. Damn. He’d given away more of himself than he wanted. He could keep it together long enough to get back to his cell. He had to. He refused to give more to these people. Tap, tap, tap. Slower than before. One, two, three, four, three, two, one, two, three, four… grounding. Slower. Slower but steady. Only for him and Matt.

”Uh,” Reyes, like Karen and a few others, looked unwell. “No further questions, Your Honor.”

The jury didn’t take long to decide.

—————————

A few years after that first trial, half the universe dusted away. A lot of good people no longer existed including, but not limited to, the likes of Foggy Nelson, Matthew Murdock, Karen Page, Ben Urich, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, and David, Sarah, and Zach Lieberman. Those left behind were forced to adapt to a new, harsher world. At first glance, those who vanished were random. To the few heroes and vigilantes still around, however, more good people were gone than bad.

The bad ones thought they had a better chance at winning.

This prompted a change in the hero scene. New vigilantes stepped in! Older vigilantes rethought their stances on if it was okay to take a life.

Only six months after the Avengers lost their fight with a purple alien, criminals learned to be afraid of the new world order when Wilson and Vanessa Fisk were found brutally beaten to death after they’d interfered with one of Daredevil’s attempts at bringing down a human trafficking ring. There’d been no evidence of a gunshot, so no Punisher, nor was there anything pointing to the use of swords, so no Ronin.

To the criminal community, the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen had finally snapped. Only the truly deranged risked committing crime at night in Hell’s Kitchen. The Devil never strayed from his zone after all. Moon Knight, Punisher, Ronin, White Tiger, Swordsman, and Hawkeye have been known to prowl around New York City at various times of the day.

“Something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Frank.” Daredevil’s feet dangled over the edge of the roof one mostly quiet night. He’d figure out how to land more or less safely if he somehow fell off. Or needed to get down quick enough to warrant just jumping.

The Punisher grunted in response as he took a drink from his coffee. The two had always had a strange, easy understanding of one another. No reason to change that now with actual words when even a small puff of breath would get the message across.

”Do you remember your first kill?”

”Yeah.” Frank took a moment to dig up the memory. It almost surprised him how much of his childhood he could remember after the events of the last two decades. “Yeah, I do. Happened a lil after I was sent to Saint Agnes.”

“What?” Matt would detect no lie in the Punisher’s heartbeat.

Humming softly more to himself than anything while he got his words in order. “See, there was this mobster. He, uh, was known for terrorizing people in Queens. Ya try to keep your head down, hope he doesn’t turn his attention to your family, and just live life. Yeah?

”One day, my family’s not so lucky. My folks were a little older and didn’t deserve a punk like me, but they definitely didn’t deserve what he did to them.” Something in his voice… it’s not quite a crack but it wavered a bit before he swallowed. Matt remained silent. Letting Frank continue at his own pace, no prompting. “He was the reason I got sent to Saint Agnes in the first place. I got lucky. My ma pushed me out of the way, shielding me with her body. I swore I’d make him pay.

“Thought the bastard would finish the job right there. Nah. He decided to taunt me. Said if I was more of a man then my family would be alive.” The marine chuckled without humor. It was a thought he’d had after waking up in a hospital and finding out his wife and kids had been killed. “God. I stalked him. Learned his routine. Figured out which restaurants he did business in and which ones he patroned. Found a pattern that I guess the cops either didn’t notice and were too deep in his pockets to care about.

”Before I could go through with my plan, folks found out I’d been living on the street. They sent me to Saint Agnes. It didn’t take much for me to give the nuns the slip long enough to confirm his routine hadn’t changed in the month I’d been away.” Frank’s face shifted into a cruel smile as he felt himself get immersed into the memory.

Closing his eyes, he could see his younger self travel the alleys and streets, leading to a building that had been marked for demolition but never carried out. Watched his unscarred hands shift wooden crates around to reveal a jug safely nestled in a bucket. “I retrieved the batch of napalm I’d made before I was sent away, doused the fucker with it when he was heading home one night, reminded him that I said I’d make him pay, and lit his ass on fire. He screamed a lot longer than I thought.

“Felt good getting revenge like that. Careful planning. Patience.” A skill he didn’t have to learn in the Marines. Something he’d brought with him. Something that made their rekindled relationship work. “Waiting for the perfect moment to loose the mixture. Watched him sputter in disbelief before flicking his own lighter at him. I’d nicked the thing in a previous interaction, yeah? Even told him to catch! He didn’t recognize some punk kid on the street. Idiot.”

”How old were you?”

”Ten.” Frank had been at the orphanage at least two years before Matt got sent there himself. He was still violent, especially with bullies. Never enough to warrant a police visit. Not back then. If he saw some injustice being done, he’d found a way to make it right without it getting back to him.

Daredevil hummed.

Maybe something was just so irrevocably broken in the universe that it often chose kids to wield their anger like weapons. Violence and blood always seemed to find them. Hell, maybe that was why over a year ago half of the population dusted into nothingness. To right some wrong by bringing more blood and violence into the streets.

It was inevitable.