Matt
Matt has been hanging around Sam for the past three days and he still can’t pinpoint where that slight sulfur and brimstone smell is coming from. Of course it’s not noticeable to anyone who doesn’t have Matt’s sense and it’s so faint that even Matt had trouble noticing it at first. But it’s still there and Matt doesn’t like having odd sensations around him that he can’t determine where they are originating from. It bothered him so much that he’d barely paid any attention to the opening Q & A session at the beginning of the internship.
But other than that, this week had been going great. For the first time in his life, Matt had left New York and he was doing better than he’d thought. Elle was so kind and always answered any questions that he or Sam had without making them feel stupid. In the few days that Matt had been shadowing Elle in between the other workshops the interns had, it was very clear that she was good at her job. Sam had found a video of Elle’s first case from where she hadn’t even graduated law school and had gotten Brooke Windham out of a murder case without even sharing Brooke’s alibi.
Sam had done even more research on Elle’s more well known cases and shared them with Matt, but that was the one that had stuck with Matt the most because she won the case and not betrayed her clients trust. Those were the kind of cases Matt wanted to take. He desperately wanted to defend those who couldn’t defend themselves. Matt was pretty sure that that was Sam’s end goal as well, but he could also tell that Sam was also hoping to get something else out of it. He didn’t exactly know what, but he guessed that Sam saw being a lawyer as a way out of something. Matt assumed that it was Sam’s way out of a bad family or simply little money, but since he got ridiculously edgy when either Elle or Matt tried to ask simple questions about before college, Matt could tell that it was something more. Matt really hoped that it wasn’t something to do with Stick because there were a few people that Stick took him to meet that smelled very odd. Not like Sam, but odd enough that he had first approached Sam because he was worried he was also trained by Stick.
However, by now Matt knew better. Sam clearly was trained by someone, but it very obviously nowhere close to Matt’s training. It was more of a modge-podge of street fighting and boxing that had a very heavy overtone of Marine training. Of course Matt hadn’t seen Sam fight, but he could tell by the way Sam stood and held himself when he was surprised or when he was confronted.
Another reason that Matt thought that Sam was trying to escape a bad family was the way that Sam only brought up his brother in a positive light. Whenever Elle had started a conversation about family members, in which they found out that she was married to Emmet but had kept her last name, Sam had cringed when he very briefly brought up his father. Matt was very impressed in how the large void in his sense, that was 6’4’’ heavily muscled teenager, managed to compact into such a small space when his father was mentioned. That was the exact moment that Matt decided to do his best to protect Sam. As well as vowing that, if he was ever given the chance he was going to punch John Winchester in the face, hard, with a patented Jack Murdock one hit KO.
Elle very much agreed with him. When Sam had left the two of them alone in the office to go to the bathroom she had clicked her tongue what Matt could tell was the direction of the door.
“If I never meet his father, I am going to show him exactly how Brooke’s “Whipped Into Shape” ™ jump rope can be used as an actual whip.” Elle said sniffing, and Matt choked out a surprised laugh, “Then Emmet will get me off with just a warning.”
Matt cackled, “I’d offer to post bail, but I’m broke.”
Matt could hear Elle turning toward him waving her hand that caused some of her tasteful perfume to waft in his direction, “Don’t worry about that Matt. You could help Emmet with the defense and my parents could post bail.”
Matt frowned, “They would help you out that quickly? Even though they’re back in California?”
Elle giggled and Matt heard the sound of a pen being twirled between fingers, “Yes, my parents love to brag about “their little Button” making it out on the “foreign east coast” with “no sun or film studios.”’
Matt blinked several times behind his glasses, “That’s umm…nice I guess.”
Elle hummed in agreement, “They always supported me, even if they didn’t quite understand why I wanted to be a lawyer at first. My dad originally wanted to have a film career so I think he has an account that was specifically for bail money, just in case.”
Matt huffed out a laugh as he heard the door open and Sam slinked back into the room.
“So what about you, Matt? Do you have any family back in New York?” Elle asked absentmindedly as she rustled the papers at her desk.
Matt paused in his reading to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, “Uh, it was just me and my dad for a little and then he died. I spent the rest of my childhood in an orphanage raised by nuns in Hell’s Kitchen.”
Matt could almost taste the silence from both Sam and Elle staring at him. He hunched his shoulders.
“It wasn't all that bad.” Matt said, trying to defend himself while fidgeting with his papers, “It made paying my way through college easier with the scholarships and donations they take at the church for it.”
Matt heard Elle whisper at what he definitely wasn’t meant to hear, “Oh you sweet summer children.” Then at a louder volume said, “Okay, that’s it. The two of you are having a goodbye dinner with me at the end of this week before you go back home.”
“Oh, you don’t have—” Sam began, but Elle cut him off.
“I am not taking no for an answer Sam! Vivian was already coming over and both she and Emmet have nothing but good things to say about the two of you. You’re both coming and that’s final! I know you two have nothing to do until the next day when your plane and bus are ready, you have no excuses!”
Matt really wanted to protest because Elle had been so kind to him already, but he did realize that her tone held no room for argument.
Elle nodded in satisfaction when there were no other objections, “Now get out of here you too. You’ve both skipped lunch, which means you have to go early. Get some food and rest. Now shoo!”
Matt stood up at the same time Sam and they started to pack their things.
“Bye Elle.” Matt said as he headed to the door.
“See you tomorrow, Elle.”
“Goodbye you two! Take a break! I mean it!” Elle exclaimed as the door shut behind them.
Matt and Sam began walking back to the door where the interns were staying. Matt could tell Sam wanted to ask him something because he could hear Sam fidgeting with the edge of his shirt.
Sam inhaled slightly before asking, “So, if you grew up in a place run by nuns does that mean you’re Catholic?”
Matt was pleasantly surprised he had expected more questions about his dad or if the nuns really were that strict.
“Yes, I am. I was actually going to ask Elle or one of the other coordinators if there’s a church nearby so that I could go this Sunday before I get on the bus to drive back.”
Sam fidgeted more and asked quietly, “Would you mind if I went with you?”
Matt’s eyebrows raised in surprise he wasn’t judging, but it was clear that this was a big deal for Sam, “Of course not. Are you Catholic as well?”
Sam coughed awkwardly, “Uh no, not exactly, but, well…my brother and dad always said that my mom believed that angels were watching over us and I want to see if, well it did anything for me.”
Matt nodded, “I understand. A lot of kids that were in the orphanage with me were practicing, but because of the circumstances of why they came they wanted to stop going to church. Some didn’t feel right in the church and just wanted to pray on their own every day. I just felt more at home in the church because it was so quiet.”
Matt could hear Sam biting his lip before saying, “Thank you, really. My brother wouldn’t understand and my dad definitely doesn’t want to talk about it. I just….with all the horrible things in this world, I really want to believe that there’s something good waiting for us afterward.”
Matt exhaled remembering everything that Stick had put him through and the gunshot that had ended his father’s life and put a hand softly on Sam’s shoulder, “I believe that there is.”
Sam nodded, “Thank you Matt.”
Matt smiled at the kid, who wasn’t really a kid because he was only two year younger than Matt, “It’s not a problem Sam.”
Matt swore to himself once again, that after this internship was over, he was going to keep tabs on Sam and try to help him. Even if he had to stalk him from the other side of the country.