Meeting Karen was not as complicated as Hayley thought it would be. Matt and Karen had history, but they managed to remain friends above anything else. Hayley was nervous the first time the two women met, but Karen quickly made her feel comfortable. She showed great concern for her friend and proved to be extremely supportive of him. Surprisingly so, the women bonded over their vision regarding the broken justice system and how criminals were to be dealt with. They both went through immeasurable loss, and both carried an invisible pain that manifested itself in anger. Karen was angry; she wanted the world to change for the better, and it wasn't changing fast enough. Fisk was trampling on everything she held dear, and as a journalist, a native of New-York, she simply could not let him get away with this.
Branded a fugitive, the redhead welcomed the extra help Hayley could bring. She welcomed her to the resistance, put *Widomaker" in contact with the network, and devised plans with her that could help stop this madness. Yet, in the middle of this, Karen and Hayley became "friends". In the middle of this, they managed to make time for each other and cultivate their bond. It was a bond made of trust and mutual understanding of the unfairness of life. The innocent always suffered to benefit the corrupted and crooked. The innocent always died first, cruel and unjust deaths that justice could not compensate. A life lost was already too much, and no amount of jail could eventually bring it back. No walls were strong enough to hold the likes of Kingpin locked inside. No walls were strong enough to stop Bullseye from breaking out of prison. So Karen stopped believing in Justice. At least for the time being. Matt saw and chose to ignore it as long as Karen did not act on her impulses, but it was only a matter of time.
"As cliché as it sounds, Karen, I was terrified of meeting you." -She said, drinking from a bottle of beer.-
"Afraid? Wait... what?" -Karen chuckled and grabbed a beer she uncapped before chugging down a couple of sips.-
"Don't make me repeat myself. You heard it fine the first time." -She blushed and dropped her head a little to avoid looking at the redhead's blue eyes. Karen lifted a brow, and her grin grew wider.-
"Don't tell me you thought I was going full psycho ex-girlfriend on you? Come on, we're adults here."
Hayley took a sip of her beer and chewed at her bottom lip. How could she even begin to tell the redhead that Matt was what she considered her first serious relationship? Unlike that short-lived romance she had with an innocent civilian, Matt knew the truth about her. He knew what she did, what she was forced to do, and still remained by her side. The last thing she wanted was to piss off one of his friends and create drama. The last thing she wanted was to make Matt feel that he had to choose between her and his friends. They weren't official, per se, because Matt still needed time to clean things up between him and Heather, but there was no denying their desire to be together. There was no denying the connection between them. There was no denying the need for the other. Still, how to tell Karen?
"I've never been in a situation like this. So I don't know what's proper or not. I didn't want to cause a rift between you and Matt."
"Based on what? Of you two bumping uglies? I would need a lot more than just you two having sex to be upset. We had a nice thing going on with Matt, a long time ago. I have moved on from that. We both have. We're friends now who don't really see eye to eye about what to do with Bullseye." -Karen furrowed her brows and took another sip of her beer.-
"Is that why we became friends?" -She grinned, clearly joking.-
"Ah! You betcha! But in all seriousness. I was actually surprised Matt found someone new. He rarely talked about Heather, you know? I mean, he did, when they first started dating. I didn't really feel him in that relationship. I mean, he cared for Heather, but he was trying hard to love her."
"I'm not going to ask you what that means..." She chewed at her bottom lip and stiffened. " I mean... When we started to see each other, he told me that he was still in love with Heather. I can't expect him to--"
"Hayley, he would never admit it, but when he came to your office after you met, he was already smitten over you." -That made Hayley blush, and she shook her head- "I'm serious. I think he was falling for you but could not say goodbye to his old relationship when they clearly were over. I knew the first time he said your name. I knew it was different, and now seeing that you're also a vigilante.. I am not surprised. You understand him."
".... Mmmphhh, you certainly know how to play with words, Karen. Here we are talking about Matt again. All I can say is that I know what you lose when you start to take lives. I don't want Matt to lose his humanity."
"See? This... This is why I think that you two can do good things together. I trust you with him. However... It brings me back to what I was saying. You and I both understand that we have to kill these bastards if we want them to stop hurting our people. Officer Powell... Bullseye... I can't take the chance to let him live and kill again. I want Foggy to be the last victim."
Karen's eyes were wide open and filled with fury. She was unable to cope with Foggy's death. The redhead first tried to leave Hell's Kitchen (and she did leave, but she came back) because every corner of that neighborhood reminded her of her friend. She had PTSD from the night Foggy died, and every time she came close to the street he was killed at, Karen would freak out. She had to go. She had to go to protect herself. She had to go and find herself, and for a while it helped with her grief.
But her tears turned into a dry anger. Karen simply could not forgive Bullseye. She was obsessed with finding and killing him. He had to pay for what he did, so she trained to become stronger. She did not want to be prey anymore. She wanted to become a predator. She wanted to be the one to track down Bullseye and to watch him cower in fear and be bested by her. She returned to Hell's Kitchen with a hunger for revenge, but Matt was trying his best to stop her. Anytime she wanted to cross the line, here came Matt, eager to stop her and lecture her about morals, her soul, and guilt. Every time he did that, Karen gave up on her idea but only temporarily.
« I am not Matt, so I would see no problem with letting Bullseye kill Fisk. However, I do not want Fisk to become a martyr. It's easier to take out smaller fish like Officer Powell, and I am more than willing to do so. Matt wants to save my soul, and I think that it is cute. However, I don't believe in redemption. At least for me.... »
Her face turned somber, and she furrowed her brows. Karen was not a killer. Hayley noticed it the first time they met. Karen was heartbroken, angry, and vengeful, but she did not lose her humanity. She could not allow the redhead to become like her and lose her humanity. She could not become a broken husk of a human; Hayley would never allow it. Yet, she could not completely deny Karen her revenge.
« Lee.... »
« I don't want you to take that path. It's destructive, and you will suffer from it. You might not come back from it, and I don't want you to lose your humanity. Not for scums like Fisk and Bullseye. Killing him would not bring Foggy back, you know it. It will instead take away from you. »
« I can’t…. You don’t get to… you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do! No! » - She pointed her index at Hayley and stood up in a hurry. Upset. Anxious.-
« That’s not what you wanted me to say, uh? But hear me out, Karen. I might not want you to kill Bullseye but I will do it for you. I know that Matt might try to stop me… I… can’t guarantee I will succeed in killing that man, but I will try my hardest to get to him. I can promise you that. »
Karen put her hand over her lips, and muffled a groan. She hated that condescending and hopeful stare they all share when looking at her. Matt, Hayley, Frank, Cherry…. Even Foggy when he was still alive. They all wanted to protect her heart and save her soul from damnation. She furrowed her brows and let out a pitiful moan into her palm before she moved her hand off her mouth and placed it on her hip. Hayley watched her pace around, visibly debating whether or not to give in to the former assassin’s supplications. What the hell? Hayley then moved her gaze from Karen to her hands.
« You don’t have to say anything right now. Just… consider my offer. I have been to Hell, damnit, I still am in Hell. I do not want you to be like me. An empty shell of a human being.. a wraith among men… a sad and pathetic excuse of a woman. Don’t throw a life away because you want revenge. »
« So what? I let you kill again? Didn’t you seek redemption? If you go down that road again for me, how do you think I am going to feel? Uh? Have you thought about it? No! Yet here you are lecturing me about saving my soul. How /annoying/ you and Matt can be sometimes. »
« Karen…. Okay. We were having a nice banter literally moments away. I don’t want you to be angry. »
« I’m not angry. I’m…. Upset. I can’t even cry anymore. I feel like I have cried all the tears I had for Foggy and now… All that is left is…. A void. And rage. I need a way to release that rage, Lee. I need a way.. »
« You have one. You are a journalist, Karen. You are the voice of the people and you have the ability to attack Fisk where he is the most vulnerable. Don’t ruin it with blood. Let me handle that for you.”
Karen pinched her lips together and slowly nodded. She didn’t say anything and Hayley knew that it meant nothing except the acknowledgment of her offer. The former assassin nodded and resumed drinking her beer. Karen sighed and sat back on her chair and grabbed the beer she left. They will have to come back to that conversation later but right now, all she wanted to do was to share a nice moment with a friend.
-TBC-
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