Blood, Bullets, Tears, and all
I kept my foot on the gas, trying to get my bearings as I zoomed through a maze of buildings and shipping containers. I heard a loud “boom” from behind me and could see flames in the rearview mirror. Ignoring the tears that started to slide down my face again, I kept one hand on the wheel and used the other to plug in the address that Matt had given me into the car’s GPS system. I silently thanked whoever had left the car for making sure there was one because my phone was God knows where and I had no clue where I was.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of a nondescript house in Queens and screeched to a halt, putting the car in park. I caught sight of myself in the side mirror as I opened the door and gasped. My face was covered in blood and I had a black eye, which I touched gingerly. Turning away from my ghastly reflection, I stepped out of the car, crying out when the shards of glass in my feet met the pavement. I stumbled up to the front door of the house and knocked, hearing the unmistakable sound of Lola’s bark from within. I started crying, this time out of relief and sagged against the doorframe as I waited for someone to open the door.
“Holy shit.” The door flew open and none other than Karen Page was framed in the doorway, dressed in a hoodie with her hair wild.
“Hey.” I said weakly. She took my arms and pulled me inside, casting a glance outside before closing and dead-bolting the door.
“Any chance you were followed?” She asked, letting me lean on her as we walked down a hallway.
“No.” I licked my lips, tasting blood. “Can I get some water? And where’s Lola?”
“Right here.” A deep voice said as we rounded the corner of the hallway into the kitchen. I looked up and saw a man who I knew to be Curtis from photos on Frank’s phone holding Lola’s collar so that she wouldn’t jump on me.
“No, let her go.” I dropped onto the floor and Curtis let Lola come to me. She nuzzled my hands and face, panting heavily. “Hi girl, hi, I’m okay.” I whispered against her fur.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Curtis helped me into a chair and Karen returned with a First Aid kit and bowl of warm water. She started cleaning my head wound and wiping the blood off my face as Curtis bent over my leg.
“Electric drill.” I sighed, letting my head lean against Karen’s hand. Curtis winced and reached for a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
“This is gonna hurt.” He warned.
“I know.” I said through gritted teeth, already anticipating the sting. I tried to distract myself by telling them about what had happened down at the docks.
“Frank called me the minute he got back to your house and figured out what happened.” Curtis frowned. “He had me and Karen go pick up your dog then drive out there and leave my car for you.”
“Thank you for getting Lola.” I said earnestly and Curtis nodded.
“Was Matt out there too?” Karen’s hands stilled momentarily on my head.
“Yeah.” I mumbled, the painkillers that she had put into my hand a few moments ago starting to make my tongue heavy. I looked up at her and she pressed her lips together in a thin line and I could see the worry in her eyes.
With my leg cleaned and dressed, head stitched, and feet soaked, I collapsed onto Curtis’s couch in a pair of Karen’s sweatpants and one of Curtis’s sweatshirts. Karen draped a blanket over me, then hesitated by my head.
“What?” I asked, barely able to keep my eyes open. Lola jumped up on the couch and curled herself around my feet.
“Frank loves you.” Karen said quietly. “I’ve never heard him sound so… anguished before. I just thought you should know that.”
I nodded and slurred, “love ‘im too,” before closing my eyes and succumbing to sleep.
“Where is she?” I woke to the sound of Frank’s voice and a door slamming open.
“Hey, hey, calm down.” With difficulty, I lifted one of my eyelids and saw David backing into the room, one hand against Frank’s chest. Frank was heaving, eyes wild, and I saw that the white skull on his chest was smeared with blood. He made a choking sound when he saw me and closed the distance between us with two strides.
“Hey, sweetheart.” He lifted one hand to my cheek, but after seeing that it was covered in dust and ash, didn’t touch me.
“Hi.” I whispered sleepily, reaching for him.
“Don’t want to get you all dirty.” He resisted.
“Don’t care.” I wrapped one of my hands behind his neck and pulled his head to mine. He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on my temple, breathing hard.
“Are you okay?” I asked and he chuckled darkly, dropping a kiss on my cheekbone.
“Never better. What did they do to you?” There was a muscle jumping in his jaw and I could feel his trigger finger tapping against my hip.
“Not much, I swear.” I shook my head. “Looks worse than it is.”
“They drilled into her leg, Frank.” Karen spoke shakily from the corner and I shot her a look. Matt was in a chair, head resting in his hands and she had a hand on his shoulder. When he sensed I was looking at him, he shot me a wan smile.
“Just a little bit!” I insisted, but Frank was already peeling back the blanket and gently pushing Karen’s sweats up my leg. His eyes went black when he saw the bandage, which was stained red.
“Frank, come back to me.” I called gently, putting a hand on his face and turning him to me.
“I wish I could kill ‘em twice.” He growled.
“Did you get them all?” I couldn’t help asking.
“Every fuckin’ one. Put ‘em down like the roaches they were.”
“Not to mention you blew the whole place up, which I thought was a bit overkill.” David chimed in.
“Less evidence!” I chirped and then yawned. Frank half-smiled and Matt chuckled from the corner.
“Smart lady.” He took my hand in his and rubbed circles with his thumb in my palm.
“Can we go home?” I asked quietly.
“Not tonight.” My face fell. “Your place is kinda busted up, sweetheart. But I got us a room somewhere I think you’ll like.” Frank winked and I brightened.
“Let’s go.”
----
“Frank, this is amazing.” I looked around the room, my mouth gaping open.
“You like it, huh?” Frank sounded pleased and I turned to face him.
“Like it?” I gestured to the suite behind me. “I love it!”
“Figured we deserved something nice for the night, had David set it up. And Karen was all too happy to take Lola for the night at her place. She’s trying to convince Red to get a dog.” Frank put our bags down in the corner and pulled me into his arms.
“A night in the Presidential Suite at the Ritz definitely counts as ‘something nice.’” I laughed and kissed him.
“How are you feeling?” Frank guided me to the massive bed in the center of the room and I sat heavily.
“Not great, not awful.” I said honestly, dragging myself up the bed so that I was laying back on the impossibly fluffy pillows. Frank chuckled.
“Those painkillers are pretty strong.” He joined me on the bed, careful not to jostle me when he sat.
“Good stuff.” I agreed, feeling the hazy effects of the second dose start to drift into my head.
“I think we both need a good night’s sleep.” Frank whispered. “But first, I, uh, I need to tell you something.” He turned to face me, one leg off the side of the bed and the other folded and cleared his throat.
“What’s up?” I asked softly, reaching out to smooth the worry lines in his forehead.
“Tonight when I got back to your place and saw that you were gone I…” Frank swallowed. “I couldn’t help but think, ‘not again.’ I was so scared,” He took a deep breath before continuing and I felt a lump rise in my throat. “So scared that I’d lost you, just like I lost Maria and the kids. I couldn’t survive that.” He raised his head and looked at me, his eyes wet. Tears pricked at the back of my eyelids and I took his hand.
“All I wanted was to get back to you, no matter what stood in my way.” Frank choked out.
“I knew you’d come.” I whispered. “You said you’d always protect me. I knew you’d come. I wasn’t afraid.”
Frank nodded and I saw some of the pain disappear from his eyes.
“What I’m trying to say Ella is that I love you.” He reached up and fitted his hand to the base of my skull, thumb running along my cheekbone. “And I didn’t think, I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever be able to love someone again the way that I loved my wife. But I do. You’ve seen me, you’ve seen all of me and for some reason, you want me. And I don’t want to question that anymore. So if you’ll still have me, I’m all yours.”
I was full-on crying at this point and he wiped away my tears.
“I love you too, Frank. So much it hurts. And all I want is you. Pete Castiglione, Frank Castle, The Punisher, whoever you are, I know you and I love you.”
Frank’s face broke into the biggest smile I’d ever seen and he leaned in, capturing my lips with his. I kissed him back hard, tasting salt and something that was uniquely Frank and knew that I’d found my happy ending, blood, bullets, tears, and all.