ELENA'S HEAD FELT like it was about to explode. She was exhausted to say the least. Of course, she understood why she'd been kept out of the investigations of this new threat to Hell's Kitchen, she'd only been working there a few months. They needed to test the waters with her first. But for Samantha Reyes to expect her to catch up on all their files in one night? It was insanity. Elena had slept at her office, she couldn't drive home, even with the five vending machine coffees she'd downed.
It was all too much to take in, but Blake Tower had tried his best to explain things in a way that Elena could understand. So as she pulled up with her colleagues to the Fifteenth Precinct, she went through the information again in her head.
There was someone, not an army, not a group of people, one man going around Hell's Kitchen. It had been happening for a while now, and with every attack the man brought with him, no one survived. He appeared to be targeting crime groups and mobs, the latest hit on the Kitchen Irish just confirming this. But going into a hospital to finish his job? This was new, apparently.
Elena was still trying to wrap her head around it, so when Samantha Reyes had asked her to come along to the precinct, she had really wanted to say no. But apparently, somehow, Nelson and Murdock had gotten themselves involved in this. Elena felt like she shouldn't be able to believe it, but for some reason she really wasn't surprised. If she had to take a guess on which of the hundreds of lawyers in New York were involved, it would be them.
The car pulled up outside the precinct and Samantha Reyes left the car almost immediately. She was all business tonight, no time for messing about. Elena swallowed hard. She wanted to impress her, she wanted her to know that she was a good addition to the office and this was her opportunity. She bit her lip and undid her seatbelt. Blake caught her eye, a small smile crossing his lips.
"You alright?" he asked. Elena looked at him and nodded, although it wasn't all that convincing.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright," she murmured, "just... this is clearly a big thing. Right?"
Blake let out a dry chuckle and left the car, holding the door open for Elena. "Yeah. Definitely," he said. He seemed to be pretty at ease, but that might've just been due to the experience he'd had working in the DA's office. Although Elena had racked up a few months, she was still used to the defence attorney ways of Landman and Zack. It had been a slight culture shock at first.
"You'll be alright, though," Blake said, noticing her wary expression. He put his hand on her shoulder and nodded, "just... follow my lead?" he asked, smile twitching at his lips.
Elena chuckled quietly, "sure. Rather you than me," she teased. Blake shook his head with a smile, then the two lawyers began to make their way into the precinct, catching up with Samantha. Elena had no idea how the formidable woman could be so alert at half nine in the morning. It had been a long night for all of them and Elena was well aware at how dishevelled she looked. Her evening with Marci had been cut short, having to race to the office with nothing but a bag of clothes in the morning and a reusable coffee cup (which had proven itself to be very useful over the following hours).
Reyes led Blake and Elena into the precinct, and Elena quickly sorted her hair out after seeing how messy it was in a glass door. She had a strange feeling about her as she entered the building. The last time she had been to this specific place was after the attempted attack, after the Devil of Hell's Kitchen came to her rescue. She swallowed, trying not to let the memories of that night get to her. She could still smell the alcohol on that man, feel the grabs of his hands. She would rather forget it, but she couldn't control her night terrors.
Elena squared her shoulders and carried on walking, then caught sight of Karen and Foggy by the desk. There was no sign of Matthew, Elena noticed. Reyes halted in front of them, turning to Blake.
"Are they the ones that brought in Grote?" she asked. Grote, Elena thought to herself, who was he again? Right, Elliot Grote, the only man who'd escaped from the murderous rampage at the hospital. Elena repressed a grimace. Was there really so much riding on this one man?
"Um, Franklin Nelson, of Nelson and Murdock," Foggy said, holding his hand out for Reyes to shake. She didn't take it. Foggy's eyes flicked to Elena for a moment, before quickly moving on. "This is my associate, Karen Page."
Reyes made no move to acknowledge that she cared or had even heard what Foggy had said and turned to look at the two detectives who had been following them in since their arrival. She assumed those were the ones that Reyes was talking to on the phone.
"Officers, I want you to prepare Mr. Grote for transport," she said, firmly. The officers nodded and took their leave, and Elena raised an eyebrow. That was fast. She'd never gotten the chance to work with Reyes on an actual case before, it was somewhat thrilling to see her in action. She exchanged a glance with Blake, who looked similarly impressed, albeit slightly subdued.
"Excuse me," Foggy started, a frown crossing his generally happy features, "but, transport where, exactly?"
"Once he's in our custody, I want you to personally handle all the arrangements," Reyes said, ignoring Foggy's question. She was talking to Blake now, and he had her full attention. Blake nodded, opening his mouth to speak before Foggy interrupted. Elena noticed now just how confused and slightly frustrated Foggy and Karen were.
"Just to put it out there," Foggy started, "our client's already given us a list of his conditions."
Elena glanced at Reyes, and she relaxed into a polite smile as she regarded the two. "Mr Nelson, have you ever negotiated a witness protection agreement?"
Elena pressed her lips together, glancing downwards. As much as she liked Karen and Foggy, she had a feeling that something of this scale? Yeah, they might be a little inexperienced. She understood the need to continue with it, but sometimes you had to pick your battles.
"Well... speaking for my firm, I can attest that we're all very fast learners."
Elena bit the inside of her cheek, Reyes did not look impressed. The older woman tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips. She let out a quiet sigh, looking over at Blake to respond for her.
"The District Attorney appreciates your efforts, but our office will be handling the case from here," he said, as politely and professionally as ever. Elena caught Foggy's eye and shrugged discreetly. She couldn't do anything, she was here because Reyes had asked her to, not because she wanted to. If she got what she wanted, she would've gotten a full eight hours of sleep tonight. But not everything was so perfect.
Karen scoffed in disbelief. "Excuse me, Grotto is our client-"
"And it would be in Mr Grote's best interest for you to recuse yourselves, so he can bring in a legal team with more expertise," Blake said, a little more firmly than before. Elena couldn't argue with that. It wasn't that Matt and Foggy weren't skilled, they clearly were (as much as Elena hated to admit it), it was just that this really wasn't their area.
"You mean someone you can push around," Karen muttered under her breath with a scoff. Elena raised an eyebrow. They were just here to do their jobs, after all.
"We had enough expertise to handle Wilson Fisk," Foggy said, his tone tight and hiding a thinly veiled layer of frustration.
"I'll say this once, Mr Nelson," Reyes started. Elena noticed the condescending tone and bit on her tongue. If Matt was here, she might've been more forgiving of it. "If, God willing, your firm doesn't collapse under the weight of chickens and the fruit baskets you've been collecting from your indigent clientele..."
Elena swallowed as Karen and Foggy exchanged a look of disbelief. Whoops. Probably shouldn't have mentioned that around the office. Elena hoped that they wouldn't pick up on the fact that it was indirectly her who had made Reyes aware of their financial situation, but after the lighthearted banter yesterday... she really doubted it.
"...There will come a time when you need to ask a favour of the District Attorney's office," Reyes continued, gesturing to Elena with a poised smile. Elena hoped that under the cool lights of the police station her blushing wasn't visible.
"And depending on how this situation resolves, that favour will either be forthcoming or permanently withheld. Am I making myself clear?" Reyes asked. Elena raised an eyebrow. She reminded her of Elizabeth in a way, although crossed with a school teacher who had a power trip. Nevertheless, she really was thrilling to watch in action.
"Of course," Foggy said, surprisingly calm about the situation. Elena doubted that he was. He was just good at hiding his emotions, unlike Matt.
"Now," Reyes said, brushing past him closely followed by Blake, "if we're through?"
Elena walked after them, shooting a vaguely apologetic look in Foggy and Karen's direction. She couldn't be too sympathetic towards them, this was business after all. The legal profession wasn't renowned for its warm hugs. The blonde caught up with her colleague, exchanging a glance with Blake. His lips pulled into a tight smile in response, one that Elena knew well. She was glad to have made a work friend, at least.
"I'm sorry. Just one sec."
Elena heard the agitated sigh from Reyes' lips as Foggy opened his mouth again. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at Blake. She too was at the point where she just wanted to get on with the job. She wasn't even sure why in particular she'd been brought along for this. It must've been a pretty good reason in order for her to catch up on the case all through the night, though.
"About that favour, you wouldn't happen to have the number for the U.S. Attorney's office?" Foggy asked, pulling his phone out. Reyes scoffed in disbelief, and Elena could swear there was a smile tugging at Blake's lips.
"Oh, never mind, I got it. Uh, U.S. Department of Justice... Office of Enforcement Operations..."
"What the hell are you doing?" Reyes demanded. She looked fed up. Elena bit her lip, she remembered the way that he'd spoken to her and Marci back at Landman and Zack during the tenancy case. If this was the same route, Elena had a feeling he'd come back with some crazy rebuttal.
"Zealously protecting my client's rights," Foggy said, allowing the phone to ring. "Local DA's don't have jurisdiction over the witness protection program. That's solely determined by the U.S. Attorney's office, aka, the Feds, who are probably just as douchey as you are, but at least they can deliver on their promises... and their threats. Since this really isn't working out between us, maybe I should just deal with them directly," he paused, "kudos, by the way. The cell service in here is awesome."
Elena coughed, disguising a slight laugh. She cleared her throat and looked down at her shoes, hoping and praying that Reyes didn't catch that. Blake looked at her with a repressed smirk, and Elena flushed slightly. She watched as Reyes stepped forwards, perhaps a little surprised by Foggy's action.
"Hang up," she said.
"One second," Foggy said, raising his phone to his ear, "yes, hi, uh... This is Franklin Nelson. Uh, yes, uh... N-E-L-"
"Hang up."
Foggy did as she said that time, albeit with a satisfied smirk on his face.
"What do you want?" Reyes asked, a tightness in her voice that Elena hadn't heard before. Maybe she needed to give Foggy more credit.
"As I see it, the District Attorney's office would like to receive credit for any arrests that arise from Mr Grote's testimony. And my client, on the other hand, could definitely use the enthusiastic endorsement of the New York DA when entering in his witpro agreement. In either case, he'll be requiring legal representation, which will be provided by the law firm of Nelson and Murdock. To put it in layman's terms... cut the shit, lady. You're dealing with us."
Reyes scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Let's find out if their low-life client is even worth it."
Reyes and Blake turned to go to the interrogation room, whilst Elena stared at Foggy and Karen in shock.
"Couldn't have let us have that one?" she teased, raising an eyebrow as they followed after Elena's boss and colleague.
"Hey," Karen whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder with a satisfied smirk, "you win some, you lose some."
"I'LL KEEP IT simple. Give me a deal, put up a camera, I'll tell you everything about those Irish pricks. Names, dates, their favourite titty-bars..."
Elena raised an eyebrow as the man dressed in the orange jumpsuit chuckled. Titty-bars? Really? She tapped her pen against the notebook, watching Elliot Grote with a mixture of disbelief and curiosity.
"That's not good enough," Reyes said, narrowing her eyes slightly as she regarded Foggy.
"That's what he's got," Foggy said, speaking slowly as if he was slightly confused by Reyes' words. Elena didn't empathise with him on this one, it was a huge deal they were making. Mr. Grote would need more than titty-bars to secure his witness protection agreement.
"Most of Mr. Grote's mob friends are either dead or fleeing the country," Reyes said matter-of-factly. It was true, after all. "If you want this office's endorsement, you'll have to give us someone who's still breathing."
Elena drew a sharp line under the words 'Elliot Grote' on her notebook, glancing at him as he steadily looked more nervous. Elena kept her mouth shut. Perhaps there was a time where she'd input a few witty remarks, but for now? She was a little too scared of Reyes.
"What- So how does my client manage that?" Foggy asked. He seemed nervous now.
"We would like Mr. Grote to wear a wire to meet one of his old associates," Blake said. Elena glanced down at her notebook, she'd already written the name Edgar Brass. The name vaguely rang a bell from the hordes of files Reyes had dropped on her desk earlier.
"Our files show your organisation has had dealings with one Edgar Brass," Blake said. Grote did not look happy at that. He stood up, and Elena was certain that she could see a slight sheen of sweat over his forehead.
"Brass. You're out of your goddamn mind!" Grote snapped, proceeding to pace the small room with a few bursts of anxious laughter.
"Grotto, calm down," Karen said, placing her hand on the table. Elena watched, trying to remember what was in the files about Edgar Brass. Clearly it wasn't great stuff.
"We need a second with our client," Foggy said, focusing on Reyes.
"Fine," Reyes shrugged as Foggy and Karen approached Grote. Reyes turned to Blake and Elena, looking fairly impressed. Or at least Elena thought she did, she couldn't read her yet.
"Elena," Reyes said, turning her attention to the blonde. Elena nodded, a little nervous that she was addressing her directly. It was still pretty surreal to Elena, that she was working with the DA. She just hoped she wouldn't embarrass herself.
"You've been taking notes?" she asked, to which Elena nodded quickly.
"Y-yeah," she said, an uncharacteristic stammer on her tongue, "I got it all down."
"Good," Reyes said, a rare smile gracing her lips, "I want you working this case now too with Blake. You've got an in with Nelson and Murdock, and they seem to be... stubborn on this Grote case. We can't let that become a problem," she said.
Elena nodded, a little stunned. What was she saying? Was she a genuine help to the case? Or had she just been brought on because she knew Foggy, Matt and Karen? She swallowed, she hoped it wasn't the latter reason. She wanted to be here because of her skill, not because of the people she knew. That was exactly how it had been at Landman and Zack, thanks to her father.
"Of course," Elena said, her voice a squeak compared to how it usually was. Blake seemed to notice her discomfort, and as soon as Reyes returned to the files in front of her, he offered her a small smile.
"You alright?" he asked quietly. Elena nodded.
"Yeah, just... it's a lot," Elena shrugged. It wasn't exactly a lie. It was a lot.
"You'll get used to it," Blake said with a small smile. Elena nodded, hoping that he was right.
Blake opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as Foggy turned around again. Elena cleared her throat, she'd think about what Reyes had said later. She was sure that she was overreacting anyway, reading into some hidden undertones that weren't at all there.
"Why Grotto?" Foggy asked, and Grote began pacing again.
"Because we know your client has worked with Brass before," Reyes said, raising her eyebrows at Grote, "you got an in."
"If he could get Brass to talk, he would be instrumental in taking down a major drug ring," Blake said. Elena nodded in agreement, she just hoped that her input would sway Karen and Foggy slightly. Besides, she had an in with them.
"If I don't?" Grote asked, arms crossed over his chest. That sheen of sweat Elena had seen earlier was most definitely there.
Reyes pursed her lips, "then you're free to walk away."
She gestured to Blake and the man bent down, pulling out some files from his briefcase. Elena looked at them, recognising them instantly. She grimaced, knowing what was inside. Even if she'd only spent a few minutes looking at them in the middle of the night, they were fully ingrained in her memory.
"But don't expect to get very far," Blake said, placing the files on the table. He opened them up and Karen wandered closer, eyebrows drawing down into a frown.
"Oh, God."
Oh, God was correct.
"What the hell is that?" Foggy asked. Elena's dark eyes followed Karen as she looked over the files, Elena recognised the ones she was looking at. The ones with the bullet wounds, the ones that came from one man.
"You could call it "work product"," Reyes said, almost smugly, "morgue reports generated by the shooter who attacked you in the hospital."
"And all of those people were... were killed by the same man?" Karen questioned.
"He's tracking gangs to their home turf and taking them out with military precision," Blake explained, "but it doesn't stop there."
"What do you mean, "doesn't stop"?" Grote asked, the fear evident in his voice. Elena tapped her pen against the notebook, focusing her eyes on the fluffy pom pom at the end of it so she didn't have to see the photographs again. They'd be sure to make her throw up.
"His targets aren't random, Mr. Grote," Reyes said, "he knows exactly who he wants to hit. And if any of his intended marks are lucky enough to escape..." she trailed off.
"Say they're off buying a sandwich, or in bed with the flu...recuperating under an assumed name at Metro General..." Blake said, meaningfully. Elena watched Grote, visibly seeing him gulp.
"Sooner or later, he gets to them too," Reyes said, throwing down another file in front of Grote. Elena almost felt sorry for the man as he looked through the gory and violent photos displayed in front of him. She noticed that Karen had gone pale, so she gently nudged her knee with the toe of her heels, offering her a small smile, one that was not returned.
"Jesus Christ," Grote muttered.
"My office is offering you a chance to save yourself," Reyes said firmly, whether you take it, is up to you. And your, uh... legal team," she said, condescendingly, followed by a smirk in Foggy's direction. There was a brief silence around the room, before Reyes' phone began vibrating. Elena glanced at Blake, his hands clasped together over the table. Reyes got up and left, answering her phone without a second glance back at the remaining five in the room.
Elena swallowed, looking at Foggy and Karen with the most apologetic look that she could muster. "I think you should take it," she said softly, "I mean, it's the best option," she shrugged.
"Who let blondie speak?" Grote scowled, looking at Elena with a displeased expression to say the least. Elena rolled her eyes.
"Blondie is a qualified lawyer who got her degree at Harvard, so I'd retry that if I were you," she spat, narrowing her eyes at the man. Grote just mumbled something indiscernible under his breath.
Karen sighed, turning her attention to Blake. "And the police have no idea who's doing this?" she asked.
"It's an ongoing investigation," Blake said, "but our intelligence people are close to completing a profile."
"A profile?" Foggy asked.
"Even got a code name," Blake said. Elena shifted slightly in her seat, glancing at Grote and Karen. The latter looked nervous, she supposed that she would be too if she'd almost been killed by this madman.
"Like what? "Killdozer", or "Dumbass With A Gun"?" Foggy scoffed, raising his eyebrows.
"Not quite. They're calling this one...The Punisher."
author's note:
frank is coming 🙏
this chapter was SOOOOO dialogue and canon heavy i'm so sorry. writing directly from the episodes without much room to put my own stuff is my #leastfavourite so i hope elena still shone through 🫶 i can't lie though her little inner dialogue is fun to write
if you hadn't noticed... there will defo be some tension in this act between elena & foggy and karen 🫣 matt isn't included because he always has tension and he never shows up for his job
but it is okay. they've all got a lot on their plates so who can blame them. plus elena has king blake and queen marci 💪 and maybe some new characters later on 😳🙈
anyway!! i hope u all enjoyed. i've decided i'm just gonna write for legally blonde for now so i can get it finished!! that does mean in the defenders act there will be some ocs u guys won't know because their fics won't be up but i'll post them in the guide on my page and i'll let u know when that is updated so ur not totally lost 🫡
tysm for reading!!! mwah 💋
— cheryl 💖