"You can help me by taking your ass home."
"This has been going on for what feels like decades." Joelle sighed, slumping further into the sofa in her mother's home.
After the heated argument with Hakim, she fled her house. She couldn't bear it any longer. What she had became. Her sister Nadia rubbed her back, holding her hand.
"I'm sorry Joelle."
"So how was that man? The one who my daughter has ran off with."
"Oh he is fine. Doesn't talk much though." Nadia grinned, and trailed off when she saw the expression on her sisters face. "I mean, Tamara told me he saved her life Joelle. He's not the bad person here."
"And you believed her?" She asked, in complete disbelief.
"You don't? Honestly, Joelle wake up! She isn't 15 anymore. If she wants to run off with an older man, who are we to judge? We were literally crackwhores at one point."
"Speak for yourself." Joelle muttered under her breath.
It was a surreal experience for her to be back in her family's home. She hadn't been there since Tamara was a toddler. She was apprehensive at first, but she really had no other alternatives.
"You haven't talked to us in years." She sighed.
"I know. Hakim wanted me by-"
"You don't need to explain. Joelle I missed you." She said, pulling her sister close.
"She told me she was fine. But what if she wasn't?"
"Look Joelle, I'm gonna say this for the last time. Tamara is okay."
"When Tamara was younger, she used to tell me she felt ugly. And I was so confused, I'm not being biased because she was my child. She was always beautiful to me."
"She grew, from a child to a teenager right before my very eyes. And she asked me, how could she be eighteen and not have all the things in the movies. Like a first kiss...holding hands, dating. And I told her it was normal, and she didn't need to feel like that was apart of growing up. She told me she thought it was because of her skin tone."
"I know. I couldn't believe it at first. Maybe it was because I grew up with hate but now there's a possibility she's not safe, I regret it so much."
"She was in pain. And I know I sound awful, and I shouldn't kick you when you're down. But you weren't there for her. Especially what you and Hakim did. Removing her from that school...and then berating her for what she did. She didn't grow up to her full potential. When I saw her, I saw she was still feeling guilty. She's had to live with Lola's suicide and she thinks she's responsible." Nadia said.
•••
"Why couldn't he just stayed dead, huh?" Isabella said, under her breath.
She had two of Frank's neighbours in the meatpacking district.
Now, the problem Dave was facing is that he had a majority of his face pierced. A lip ring, a septum, the one above his brows. You name it, he had it. So as he was sitting there, in front of these burly men he couldn't help but sweat.
Especially considering the tray behind them had hardware tools. Joan, on the other hand, was a middle-aged woman. She sat there, remembering the events of earlier.
She was tidying the living room. As much as she liked Tamara, she was a sloppy teenager in her eyes, despite Tamara constantly reminding her she was 24 in a month or so. She heard an urgent knock at the door.
Maybe it was Frank she had thought. So she opened it, and there stood a slender woman, quite aged. Her skin was tanned, and she had her jet black hair scraped into a high ponytail, which reached her waist.
She looked quite ridiculous to Joan. Especially with the knee high boots, leather trench coat and poorly done Botox. If anything, it made her look much older.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes you can. Have you seen a John Smith anywhere?"
Joan's brow furrowed, then she remembered that was Frank's name he had rented the apartment in. She wondered why he had picked that name.
"Nope. Sorry. Take care now." Joan said, closing the door. Without a second to spare, Isabella wedged her foot in the door frame and grinned. "I'm with the FBI ma'am." She said, taking out a badge. "You mind if we come in and check around? I'm sure a woman like you doesn't have anything to hide."
She smiled. Baring her teeth. Joan grimaced, as she spotted the traces of red lipstick on her front teeth.
"Sure." She said, exasperated. Stepping aside, as the three walked in. Immediately, Isabella began to pull apart the belongings scattered around the apartment, as Joan watched arms folded.
She watched her go from calm, to agitated. She started yanking on the curtains.
"Do you mind?" Joan asked, circling on Isabella.
She felt something solid and minuscule press up against her stomach.
"I know you smuggled Castle and that girl." She hissed. "You better tell me before I plant this bullet inside of you."
Undeterred, Joan stared down Isabella.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. And I'm pretty sure FBI agents don't do whatever this is." She said, agitated as she gestured to the guards behind her.
"I really thought we could've got along there." Isabella sighed. "But I guess you want to play the hard way."
She hammered the butt of the pistol onto her head, causing a single spike of pain.
"You're going to call her right now."
"Call who?"
"You know exactly who I'm talking about." She seethed.
And with that, Joan felt her legs give away. She collapsed onto the ground.
•••
"I have no idea how this is gonna pan out." Frank said, one hand on the wheel.
"That's reassuring." Tamara replied, putting her feet up on the dashboard.
"Hey, don't do that." Frank snapped.
"Huh?"
"You heard me, get your feet off the dashboard."
Tamara stared at him for a second, not believing his tone but the look on his face said it all. So she did what she was told, making a big huff about it. Kissing her teeth and shoving her hands into her pockets.
She rooted around the fanny pack and pulled out a stick of gum. She took one for herself, and offered one to him without a word.
His eyes darted towards it, and he stared at it. Then took it. It was an extremely long journey.
"I got one question for you." He said, breaking the silence.
Tamara sat up straighter and glanced at him.
"Shoot." She said.
"You've never really had a question about...what I do. You sorta just accepted it. Most people woulda ran away screaming. Well I gotta ask...why?"
Tamara studied him for a moment.
"I've never seen you hurt somebody who didn't deserve it. You never mugged someone weak or vulnerable. You hurt people who tried to hurt me." She shrugged.
"That...makes sense." He said slowly, eyes turning back on the road.
"But I know who you are." She responded. "I know what happened to your family."
Frank froze. A single moment and he wasn't in the van with her, he was back at the carousel and could hear the distant echoing of his children's laughter.
"So I understand Frank. I'm not gonna root around your business but I get it." Tamara said, but he was in such a daze, her voice was warbled against his flashbacks.
With a start, he was back to the reality. Back in his van. Soon enough, Frank parked the van and took a moment to survey the area before he got out.
But without a second to spare as he got out, somebody spun on him and Tamara heard a bullet ricochet off the van.
"Frank!" Tamara called out, he didn't notice one of the goons heading towards him, but it was too late. He was pushed off balance so Tamara quickly reached for the hand gun from the glove compartment, halfway in the van and aimed it right for the man's chest.
The bullet went off, and Tamara's eyes widened at the man's body crumpling to the ground as blood spilled. Even Frank looked at her, surprised. Her hands were shaking from the rush of adrenaline.
"Good going kid!" He said. He crouched down to check for any signs if he was alive. "Don't waste any bullets."
She furrowed her brow, and handed it to Frank. She didn't have time for questions.
"You seriously killed a man?!" Matt said, voice almost frantic. Tamara looked over at him.
"Where did you come from?" Frank asked. "Always flip flopping around."
Matt was waiting in the shadows, as ominous as that sounded.
"You wouldn't? He was going to kill us!" Tamara argued.
"Don't bother with this clown kid." Frank began. "He seems to think these dirtbags have some sort of morality in them."
"We're not doing this again." Matt said, voice firm.
"Come on you two. Get a room." Tamara scoffed, earning a glare from Frank.
Besides himself, Matt let out a chuckle.
"That wouldn't be so bad. Frankie isn't bad looking." He said, with a grin.
"And you know this how?" Tamara asked.
"You learn a lot when somebody pummels you into next week." Matt shrugged.
"You're on thin ice kid. You and Red." Frank grunted.
They followed after him.
"So the plan is...?" Matt asked.
Frank was already miles ahead, leaving the two crouched and surveying their surroundings.
"Kill 'em all." Tamara said, and made a finger gun gesture.
"No come on. Seriously, what's the plan?" Matt said.
"That's the plan!" Tamara responded.
"If you two don't shut up back there!" Frank called out, irritated.
He made his way over to Tamara and Matt when the coast was clear. She headed off because she noticed how heated the tension between the two were.
"Why you pulling that face, Red?" Frank asked.
"Why is she okay with killing people?" Matt responded.
"Okay the 14th disciple. What do you want me to do about it?" Frank asked.
"It's wrong Frank! You talk about how it's just yourself, but look...somebody is following your exact footsteps. She's not cut out for this, but WE are." Matt said.
Frank slammed the van door.
"It's your call Castle." Matt said, making his way away from him. He turned to see Tamara watching the pier, their eyes met and she gave him a small smile.
He let out a sigh, and gestured for her to come over.
"Get in." He said bluntly.
"What's up?" She asked, noticing how tense he was. Well, more than usual.
"I'm finishing this shit myself, what would you even do? Take your ass home, it's finished. It's done." Frank said, looking straight into her eyes.
"Frank why? I want to help-"
"Help with what exactly? You can help me by taking your ass home." He said. "I can't keep dragging you around New York City like a psycho."
"I thought you said we were in this together-" Tamara said, stumbling over her words.
"Jesus Christ. I got enough on my mind, you think I need another guilt trip because you want to play Bonnie and Clyde? Go. HOME."
"So that's what you're gonna do?" She asked, staring at him with her arms folded.
"...What?" Frank asked, confused as to where she was going.
"You're just going to fuck me and leave...?!" She shouted.
Frank flinched at the harshness of her tone and what she was insinuating. He had never meant it like that.
"Don't say it like that." He said lowly.
He shook his head.
"You act like you're some kind of good guy and but underneath that whole Marine bullshit, you're no better than those assholes." Tamara seethed.
"Why don't you just shut up, okay? Shut your mouth before you say something stupid and piss me off." Frank snapped.
"Or what? You're going to hurt me?" She hurled back, trying to provoke him.
"What do you want from me Tamara? You want me to hurt you?" Frank asked. "Is that what you want?"
She stared at him, unflinchingly.
"I'm not one of your little conquests. I'm not some game you play with because you're so used to your whole routine and you wanna have some fun with something new. This is real life. And this is the wrong fucking time to wear my nerve thin."
Tamara had no words, she stood unwavering with her arms folded. Just staring back at him with her lips pursed.
The tension between the two reached a boiling point. He had no other alternative at this point. It was wrong, but what's wrong and right had gone out of the window a long time ago.
"I'm sorry Tamara. You know I care about you. Honest to God." He sighed. And he knew she was going to fall for this. And he was right, as she let him gather her up in his arms.
His own large, calloused hand trailed down her neck, she left his thumb press onto something.
"Frank...?"
"It's for the best." He said.
Her eyes rolled to back of her head and she felt her body lose consciousness. Frank had one arm around her to support her another on her head, he felt her go limp.
•••
One hand on the wheel, Frank headed towards the address Curtis had scrawled in his pocketbook. Tamara was passed out next to him. She wasn't going to wake up any time soon.
The fact she was so desensitised to the killings had disturbed him. Yes, it was rash and poorly done. Frank was a killing machine. Every death had always been done without sloppy mistakes.
But something about this girl made everything haywire.
"I wouldn't have done this unless I didn't care about you. I care Tamara. It's for the best." He repeated, knowing she wasn't awake. It was almost like a mantra.
"It's for the best."
•••
The house was still. So silent you could hear a pin drop. A lot of the staff had been laid off, Hakim felt as if there was no use anymore. He was ghosting around the hallways, when he finally saw Tamara's room.
It was also as if she died, the way the bed was made and everything was neat and tidy.
"This your place kid?" Frank asked, to nobody in particular since Tamara was unconscious and splayed over the seat next to him.
"Jesus, I did not think this through." He muttered to himself. Outside the grand estate, if he pressed the buzzer what would he even say? The moment anybody heard his voice there would be a whole SWAT team ready.
He sighed, and got out of the van. He hoisted her up into his arms, almost bridal style and placed her against the gates of the home.
"You are such an idiot, Frank." He mumbled. She would be safer here, than any run down hovel they were hiding out at. That's what he kept telling himself. He had to believe so. But he was wrong.
author's note:
This was basically Frank and Tamara this whole chapter 😭 I'm sorry y'all. THIS WAS SO RUSHED, I'M SORRY!
Thank you for not running away and leaving me I can't thank everybody enough, I basically went on a four month break from this what the hell. Anyways, I finished season 2.
no tea no shade no pink lemonade it wasn't exactly the best thing 💀 I mean I was excited for all my favourite characters but like something about it just didn't hit like season one and Frank's arc in season two of daredevil.
Also I'm sorry for making Tamara annoying and kind of just soggy (that's the only word I can use to describe her). I just feel like it would be pointless for me personally to write a character that had Frank's expertise and all that. I wanted them to be contrasting.
And in my story, Tamara's naive nature contrasts with Frank's been there done that thing. Okay I'm done waffling SKSKDJD