Everything went pitch black and cold as if she had jumped straight into the jaws of something dark and terrible. Disoriented, Kate lost her balance, the sounds of bubbles muting the sirens and shouting about water. Everything felt so confusing as she wondered what was bellow and what was above. It was too dark to tell. But Matt held onto her like a lifeline.

Kate needed to become his.

With a loud gasp, her head emerged out of the water and Kate had to fight not to cough as loud as her lungs demanded it. It was bad enough that they needed to keep talking, but she'd never betray that request. She could still hear the desperation in Matt's voice.

"Okay. Okay. Let's move."

The sirens didn't stop but the coast guard came closer. "We need to - We need to stop, Matt. We need. A minute." Luckily, they were a few feet away from a pier. "Here. Here, we can stop. A second." She guided him towards the very back, behind some wooden posts and wrapped an arm tightly around it.

She still remembered their argument from this afternoon. How well aware she was of the lines she had crossed in the past. But she had no choice, Matt could barely stay afloat. Shifting to sit against his hip, she wrapped her legs around his waist and her free arm around his shoulders, anchoring him to their hiding spot.

It was still safe. She was sitting against his side. It wasn't terribly innappropiate.

It was better than watching him struggle to keep his head above the water.

Gripping tightly otly the edges of one of the layers of his suit, Kate's grip was iron. Sure, the water was a passive challenger, each gentle wave making their bodies rock together as they fought not to swallow any.

Matt was having a harder time, she could tell before he confessed it. Had he lost a tooth? Is that why he kept spitting out blood? She couldn't see much, even if her eyes were little by little getting used to the darkness.

Jerking her head, she tried to get her bangs off as they stubborly tried to stick to her face. "Okay, got it. Here's the - Here's the situation. There's a coast guard boat near," she spat out some water after taking a mouthful. "But I don't think they're looking for us in the water." Her arm was growing tired and the post was slippery, but Kate stubbornly changed her hold. "It's almost gone. You're ready to move again?"

It was hard to tell if he was ready, but they had no other choice.

Hoping she had made the right call, Kate let go of the post and Matt's waist, but kept holding onto his suit as they figured a rythm while they swam together. For a while, only their panting interrupted their silence as little by little they got closer to shore.

She hesitated. But the lights were well away, darkness protected them. They had taken an unexpected route and that had protected them.

Water poured off her as Kate gave heavy steps out of the water, her boots making horrid squelching sounds that felt even worse to her cold feet. She was shivering, but tried to ignore it. Still holding onto Matt, she encouraged him to remind her of the address, of the directions as she guided them both through the shadows.

"Is it a warehouse?" God, please tell her she didn't guide them the wrong way. Because they weren't exactly very inconspicuous right now.

An innocent.

Kate couldn't help the frown she aimed at his back. Is that what Matt always saw in her? She had it easier than he did. She wasn't as drained or hurt. She wasn't bleeding like he did and, even thought she was tired and cold, her step was firmer than Matt's. And yet, this wasn't the first time that he pleaded for an ally to help her, as if he was some accessory. As if he wasn't worthy of people's kindness.

But Kate bit her tongue. Matt hadn't mentioned anything about things going sour between him and the guy who made his suits. Neither he did about Claire, who took none of his shit but was still incredibly kind to them both. If they were to really build an army Matt needed to start trusting more the people that surrounded him.

Still, the second that door was unlocked for them, Kate realized she had been holding her breath. She noticed how Matt had his weapons at the ready and made a mental note to reach for her bow if the both of them had been wrong about this Melvin guy.But, as soon as he revealed himself? His face showed nothing but genuine worry, his tone far more gentle than expected for a guy of his size.

Suddenly, she had a feeling that the arrows she had left wouldn't leave her quiver.

"I'm--" She couldn't lie to this Melvin guy. "A little, yes. And kinda freezing," she breath out a chuckle. Kate turned towards Matt. "D won't admit it, but he has it worse than I do. I beg you, can you give us a hand? Just a quiet and warm corner, maybe a towel. I'll pay you for your trouble, Melvin."

Confused, Kate watched the exchange between both men. Clearly, they had far more history between them that Matt had mentioned whenever he spoke about one of the guys who did his suits. But as Melvin started hitting himself, Kate wanted to reach out, stop him. Just as much as she wanted to protest as soon as Matt pleaded for Melvin to just give shelter to his partner.

"Hey, no..." She started to argue. But they were both lost in a sharp conversation of their own. Kate barely followed, but it seemed that they had cracked some code and that had been enough for Melvin to change his mind.

"I really did, yeah." She confessed. Kate's arm came around Matt again in a silent invitation for him to lean his weight against her if needed. Besides, the place was stuffed. He was going to need help to navigate it if he didn't want to walk into tables and hardware. "D has told me that you made a few of his suits." Kate's tone, even if her teeth were a little chattery, had recovered a little of her usual and optimistic cadence. "I'm a big fan of your work, Melvin."

At first, Kate wanted to quietly call Matt out for speaking in her behalf and focusing on something as stupid as how cold she was feeling. Because honestly? The man could barely stand on his feet. And only now, as they finally had lightbulbs above their heads and she had good light to assess the damage, she could finally understand the real damage to his helmet. That was no regular dent. That was a gunshot.

"His suits are incredible. You are very talented, your works is very impressive," she told Melvin, trying to speak as clearly as the shivering would allow her. At the offering of the dry clothes, she simply nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, that would be gerat."

The more she watched both men interact, the better she understood Melvin and what Matt was trying to do. She quietly thanked their host again as he walked away and then came down to Matt, kneeling by his side and taking his face in her hands. "Let me see." Except, how much could she do without taking his helmet off? Did Melvin know about Matt's secret identity. "I should probably call Claire."

There was no messing around, no time to play dumb. Matt had been holding onto her this entire time because the shot, while it wasn't fatal, had messed up his senses. But the cough, the weariness? There was no way all of that wasn't catching up with him.

As Melvin returned, Kate quickly got up on her feet, meeting him half-way to take the clothes. "Nothing to be sorry about, these are perfect. Can I...?" She looked back down at Matt, considering things. "Do you think you could lend my friend some clothes? He is hurt and cold too."

"You're going to have to. Even if I check you out under a damn towel," Kate said firmly, a little irritation finally peeking out as Matt continued being his stubborn self. Surely he trusted his suit guy! Besides, its not like his most mortal enemy and Mayor doesn't know who he really is.

With Melvin's return, Matt's sudden touch and apology softened something in Kate. She wanted to say something, to remind him that as her partner he had nothing to be thankful about or to apologize for. But Melvin took priority as she asked for extra clothes.

With him out of the room, Kate glanced around and found a stool. She took a seat, her whole body complaining as she undid the zipper at the side of her Dr. Martens and took them off. She peeled her soaked socks, a little relieved of being on her bare feet even if the cleanliness of the floor of the warehouse would be something Matt would pull a face at.

As Melvin returned, it didn't even cross her mind that Matt wouldn't notice the offered clothes. She was too used to him being aware of things most people couldn't notice. She rushed, getting off the seat and taking the clothes off Melvin's hands. "He does. He really wants them. He's just tired and--" Turning her head to look at Matt, Kate tried to come up with an excuse. "Probably dozed off a minute. We've had a really long day, Melvin."

God, they were really terrible guests, but she needed to keep on asking the guys some favors. "Can you give us a minute while we get changed?"

It was hard to understand what was going on between both men and why Melvin seemed so wary of them when he was supposed to be an ally. Maybe he wasn't too happy about Matt having found a celebrity designer to take care of his suits? It was probably the wrong time to ask.

"I promise we'll behave." Kate added after Matt assured him they would't touch anything that wasn't offered. Realizing that maybe Melvin wanted a little more proof of trust, Kate disattached her bow and quiver from her back and, after taking her phone out of its secret pocket, she offered Melvin the weapons. "Here. These are super important to me. You can hold onto them while we are here. I trust you with them, Melvin."

Things could still go south and Matt was in no position to defend himself. This was a hard bet. But Kate genuinelly wanted to trust in this guy and not have to fight him with her bare hands.

As Melvin finally let them on their own, Kate started pulling on her jacket's zipper, peeling the soaked piece off herself. There was goosebumps on her now bare arms as the clothes fell like a heavy wet lump on the floor.

"What about you? And don't bullshit me, Matt. Do you need help?" She already knows he'll refuse. "I know you can handle it, but I don't want you to handle everything."

"Of course not. Just saved your mortal enemy from getting assassinated, started a rebellion, you fight crime on a daily basis, got beaten a couple of times, helped people out of a fire and then you got shot on the head tonight," Kate started listing. "Oh, and you also have a full time job."

Even though Matt couldn't see her, Kate hesitated for a second and reminded herself that it wouldn't be appropiate to get changed in front of him. As much as she wanted to keep her eyes on him at all times to make sure he was okay, she headed to the small bathroom, carrying Betsy's dry clothes with her.

"Yeah, I kinda figured that things were a little tense," she admited, the door left slightly ajar so that they would both hear each other better.

What was the deal then? Had Matt sent him to prison? There had to be a reason why Melvin resented him and was so careful around them both.

"I like him, though. He strikes me as a good guy."

Kate had to force herself to keep her distance as she heard clearly how Matt was struggling in the other room, his body passing on the toll on how he was sure reaching his limit. There was only so much he could keep on taking, staying up without sleep and following that stupidy family motto before that rule was broken.

"You wouldn't have done the same thing in his position?"

It was a fair question at maybe an unfair moment. Both of them were too tired and doing everything they could to keep the city protected. They were pushing things to its limit to try and take Fisk down. And Kate was well aware that, even if Matt had moved in with Heather, things were not always easy between them.

Soon, wearing some joggers and a t-shirt that were a couple of sizes too big on her, Kate emerged from the bathroom. She had to admit something.

"You look so weird wearing those clothes with the mask on."

At least, her voice was softer now.

Coming to him with Betsy's lumberjack shirt in hand, Kate gently encourgaed him to take a seat down again. "I have something to cover you," she told him as her hands found his helmet. "Can I take this off?"

With a much more abstract idea of that imposibble decision, Kate kept quiet, unsure of what to answer. Would she let New York burn to keep Matt safe? Would she had let Fisk murder her mother if that had kept citizens safe? It felt like a wrong choice.

"I don't wanna sacrifice anyone."

It's probably an easy way out of a much more complicated question, but Kate sounds firm. Maybe, because in days like this one that seems like the reality they're heading to. Just look at him. She can't help it, hissing in empathy as she notices how Matt's head is swelling after the beating he's taken tonight.

She is not gonna let Matt sacrifice himself.

"Yeah, I... I kinda got the hint that something was wrong."

Cupping his face gently, Kate leaned in to have a closer look at his injuries, a careful thumb inspecting just how fresh was the blood that kept pouring from his injuries and nose. What is she supposed to say? A gentle, white and very positive lie to help him relax, promising that everything will be fine? Call him out for being this suicidal? The latter would feel wrong, specially now when they don't know what the hell is going with his powers. Would he get them back? This was probably just the stress.

Taking a deep, stuttering breath, Kate tries to prioritize in her mind the steps she needs to follow.

"Okay, I'm -- I'm gonna have to buy Betsy a new shirt." Grabbing it, she carefully started wiping the blood off Matt's face, the gears in her brain still turning, setting up a plan. "I'm gonna call Claire, okay? As her for tips, because we can't really leave this place yet."

They were still too close to the harbor and they had heard the sirens a little too close a couple of times while they headed to Melvin's place. Getting Matt to a hospital was off the table, any car crossing this area during curfew would catch attention. Getting to Claire's place wasn't much more of an option either. Maybe she could come instead somehow? But how?

"You can't keep going like this, Matt." His body itself was letting him know. Would losing his powers save his life? But what about the others? Losing Daredevil but saving Matt Murdock would be a tough blow for their rebellion. No, Kate couldn't pick an answer to that impossible question, sacrifice one for the other or for the good of the people. "This whole deal about not killing? That needs to include yourself too." Kate's voice had a slight cadence of a plea as she encouraged him to hold the shirt to his swollen injury while she grabbed her phone. "You can't keep going like this."

It was like a painful squeeze to the heart, hearing that Foggy had shared them same concerns. That Matt had always been this reckless and the people in his life kept witnessing it. But at the same time? It felt as if the most important person in Matt's life was backing her up on this.

For a moment, she simply looked at him. His eyes lost in a spot beyond her, almost zoned out but focused at the same time. A weariness, like she could almost feel the heavy burden he had willingly taken. All the bruises Matt had collected, way before they even met.

"Because... He really didn't want to lose you. You're too important in his life."

She doesn't want to lose him either.

At his sudden request, it was almost as if Matt had shaken her awake. "Right! Sorry, yeah, I'll - I'll ask Melving. Hang on, yeah? And hold the shirt to your head, you're still bleeding."

Getting on her feet again, Kate headed in the direction Melvin had disappeared, knocking at the door of his office before peeking in. "Hey. Hey, Melvin. Sorry to keep on bothering you. Could I have a glass of water? And -- You don't happen to have any ice, do you? I'm really so, so very sorry I keep asking for stuff."

With Kate kneeling by Matt's side, she helped directing his hand to the glass of water. She was all business, taking the shirt from his hand to wrap it around a good handful of ice. Warning him, she placed the cold bundle against his swollen face.

A smile of her own reached her lips as Melvin shared the conditions to their deal. She looked over her shoulder at the big guy. "I'll make sure he keeps his promise, Melvin." And Kate herself would probably send Betsy a fancy scratching post for Thor. "Betsy and her cat are lucky to have you."

Just like Matt was lucky to have Claire and his friends.

Satisfied with how his immediate needs were covered and after Melvin gave them privacy again, Kate stepped away to call Claire. She paced around the workshop, her attention hopping from each little thing, the saws an heavy machinery, the pieces of cloth and the chains. All while she muttered under her breath an eager plea: Please, please, please. Pick up, Claire.

Temple's tone wasn't exactly peachy. It had taken a few attempts before Claire called back, the nurse's phone buzzing non-stop on her pocket and distracting her from her work at the E.R. This better be a real emergency, Claire warned. It clearly was, she realized as Kate explained what had happened, to which Claire had responded with a frustrated sigh. Soon, she was giving very clear instructions.

"No, he... He looks awake enough. We're already applying ice." As Claire kept listing what Kate could do to help, the young archer nodded. "I'll try and get something. He is sitting down now. No... Okay. I'll keep an eye on him, don't worry."

But there was a far bigger worry now. One she could get away with if she lowered her voice and walked at the other corner of the workshop. Out of Matt's current hearing range.

"He's... Blinder than usual. Know what I mean?"

Claire had been at the loss too, suddenly quieter, caught up in her own worries. It could be due to brain damage but they couldn't rule our stress. For now, until they could get out of there and get somewhere safe, the best Matt could do was rest. But Kate needed to keep an eye on him for any new symptoms. Claire would be waiting for updates.

Thanking her, Kate found herself feeling helpless. Hiding her face in her hands for a moment, she held a breath, squeezed her eyes tighly as she fought the need to let out a scream.

Calm down, Kate. Everything is on your hands now. You have this.

"I have this. I have this."

Aware of her own wet ponytail, she grabbed the end of it and pulled it up in a tight bun. That would keep her borrowed clothes a little drier, at least. She grabbed the towel Melvin had handed them and, kneeling by Matt's side, carefully stroked his hair dry.

"Claire says that you might have a concussion. But, since you haven't passed out or vomited or anything, you're probably safe." With her free hand, she started rubbing at his arm. "I need to keep you comfortable and warm." Was going to the hospital even an option for them now? Fisk had pulled a murder attempt the last time Matt had been bed-ridden. Kate didn't exactly feel safe taking him to one.

"My mom is friends with a couple of really big names in medicine. I'm not saying I don't trust Claire," she clarified. "But they might know someone that specialized on hearing issues. I'll check with them today, okay? See if they have private practices. Order freaking equipment if they need it and have it sent home if I have to."