Daddy's little devil .

a father's love.

"Matthew?" A familiar voice shook Matt from his thoughts. He heard the footsteps of Father Lanthom approaching him. "Father," he greeted warmly. In the pew a head of him, the man who was the Sheppard of the flock for the church and the community in general, leaned over the edge of the wooden pew, making a creaking sound which echoed around the building.
"I should have known that I would find you here," Lanthom said. "Everything ok?"

Matt sighed. "I keep wondering how much longer I can keep Anya safe," he admitted. In the recent weeks, he had found himself worrying about his daughter's safety more and more. He had been fighting to keep his secret identity a secret. He wanted her to only know him as her Daddy. Not the devil of Hells Kitchen. If that secret ever got out, there would be a huge risk on her life. And he had already lost enough people for one lifetime. Including Elektra, her mother when the hand killed her on top of that damned rooftop. And his own father, at the hands of hired thugs as a result of Jack Murdock not throwing a fight so Matt would know that his father wasn't a loser.

When Anya was born, Matt had sworn that she would have a normal childhood. But he knew that she would put two and two together eventually. She was able to pick up on clues very quickly. Matt had the feeling that she would grow up to work in the justice system. He'd hoped as either a lawyer or a judge. She had the capacity to do a lot of good for the community.
In his own pew, Lanthom let out a thoughtful sigh. "Matthew," he said softly, "You are one of the best father's that I know.  You keep that young one with in ear shot of you almost everytime I see the two of you together. She adores you and you clearly adore her," he said.

"I love her more than anything in this world," Matt said. "I already lost her mother. I can't.." Matt stopped mid-sentence. He could feel a lump in his throat start to form as he pushed all the bad thoughts that were threatening to invade his over thinking mind away. He brought a hand up to his eyes as tears fell from them. "I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to her," he said as he sniffed.