Chapter 2
“Frank? Are you there, Frank?”
Frank’s heart raced as he answered the phone. Matt sounded upset, angry, scared and worried. It made Frank’s stomach turn. He hated hearing Matt like that.
“’M right here, sunshine, right here. I’m okay, I’m all good. What’s goin’ on?”
The small speaker in the phone crackled as Matt sighed with relief.
“I just... There was...a guy. He said some stuff. And I... I got worried.”
Frank sat down on the foot of his motel bed. The room was quiet around him.
“I’m okay. I’m in Jersey. Down in Princeton.” he said. “Sittin’ in a fuckin’ motel room, and you’re out there, riskin’ your ass...”
“Frank, listen to me. Do not come back. You hear me?”
“Matt-“
“You made a promise to me, Frank Castle, and you better goddamn keep it.”
Fuck, the tears stung Frank’s eyes. He felt so fucking useless like this, just sitting around and waiting while Matt was out there, fighting for his fucking life.
“I might’ve broken my promise and put on the mask again, but please. Please, Frank. Please... Just do what I’m telling you. I couldn’t... I couldn’t live with myself if I- if you-... If you got hurt, or killed, fighting my fights.”
Frank sighed. He rubbed at his eyes, drying away unshed tears.
“I’m on my way to the Bulletin offices to get Karen somewhere safe too, and I’m gonna talk to Foggy. Everyone I know needs to be as far away from me as possible. Okay? You can’t be here. You can’t.”
Again, Frank fought down his every instinct, which were all yelling at him to grab his shit, steal a car, and get back to the city as fast as he could.
But he loved Matt too much. Matt was asking him, pleading with him, to stay away.
So Frank would stay away.
“Okay. I won’t. I’ll... I’ll stay away.”
Matt sighed again, the relief so audible.
“I... I have to tell you. There’s... You remember Elektra? The woman I told you about?”
“Yeah? She... She died, didn’t she?”
“Yeah. But she’s... I don’t know how, and don’t ask me to explain it because I can’t, but she’s back. She’s alive. Somehow. But she’s different. It’s her body, but...her mind. It’s not her mind.”
“I’m sorry, sunshine...”
Frank knew how much Matt had loved Elektra, and still loved her, like Frank still loved Maria. It was the kind of love that always lingered, even if they thought they had managed to move on.
Hearing that this Elektra woman was back, even if just in body but not in mind... Frank couldn’t imagine how difficult that was for Matt.
“It hurts, Frank.” Matt whispered into the phone.
Frank’s eyes fell closed, sympathy pains aching through his chest.
“I know, sunshine.”
*
“God, we had to... We had to fight Danny. One of the guys I’m workin’ with, you remember?”
“Yeah. The rich kid.”
“Everything just...turned on its head in no time and we had to fight Danny, and... Fuck. Stick... Stick died.”
“I know you didn’t like that old fuck, but... ‘M sorry you had to go through all that. Right in the middle o’ this shit and all.”
“Yeah... We thought we had some semblance of control over the situation and then... Everything went to shit again. I woke up in a police station and they have Danny, and I’m just so... I’m so confused. And scared. I-... Frank, I don’t know what the hell I’m doin’ here. I’m lost. Feels like I’m wearing earplugs and soundproof headphones, or something. I’m just...stumbling through a maze and I don’t know where I am or where I’m going.”
“I don’t know what to say, sunshine. But I’m here. If you’re lost, you know I’ll guide ya.”