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Frank Castle; The Punisher ([info]waragainstcrime) wrote in [info]avengers_logs,
@ 2018-01-31 06:48:00

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Entry tags:frank castle, karen page

Who: Frank Castle & Karen Page
What: Meeting up
When: January 30, 2018
Rating/Warnings: Green



As far as Frank was concerned it was over. His fight was done, those who had anything remotely to do with the deaths of his family were slain, and now the hardest thing he had anticipated was figuring out the rest of his life. Of course that was before he realized that things had become inexplicably messed up and that despite his best intentions he had somehow become entangled with the larger world again. And not just the world, but the caped crusader world. Dealing with Red had been bad enough and he had been fortunate not to attract the attention of the Avengers but now? He could hardly make heads or tails of what was going on with the world.

Part of him didn't care. The world was still spinning, the nation was still divided, and there was plenty of the same old crap to go around. By himself he might have continued to just fade into the background and ignore the little 'welcome package' he had received along with any recognition that he was part of something larger. With that route he could have just dealt with any trouble if it came his way and otherwise simply been in the wind.

And he likely would have done just that if he had not taken a cursory look on the network and found that Karen had been inquiring about him. The woman was better off in direct proportion to the distance he kept between himself and her but she seemed worried and a little troubled and that was not something that he could ignore. Even if she might be better off in the long run if he did that very thing.

Exhaling he adjusted his hood and looked out over the water at the setting sun. The last time he had been here with Karen she had helped lead him to Micro. Maybe this time she would have some answers or better understanding as to what was going on with everything. Either way, and though he would be loathe to admit it out loud, it would be nice to see her.



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[info]notthefirst
2018-01-31 12:38 pm UTC (link)
Things for Karen were a little different. She'd been plucked up and set here just after the bomb had gone off, after Frank had made his escape in the elevator. And right then, he'd been pretty hurt. Of course she was worried. Truth be told, she would be worried no matter what part of time they had come from. Now that he'd popped back up into her life again, she was going to try and hold onto that. It wasn't like she had anyone left, especially not here.

She'd gone to where her apartment building had been, and found it thankfully still in tact which was a relief. The last thing she wanted was to try and get some housing from Tony Stark. Ugh. The other mystical guy hadn't seemed so bad. At least he seemed to be genuinely sorry about the mess that they were in. And she'd seen Jessica on the comms, but hadn't said anything to her. She knew she was more likely to get punched there, than get an answer from her or any kind of commiseration.

When she'd gotten Frank's message, relief washed over her. That he was okay enough to answer, that he was here in this mess. Not that she wanted him in the mess at all, but at least she had someone she knew. She put on her coat and headed out to the same place she'd met him before. This time as she wandered up, it was him waiting for her and not the other way around.

She turned to get a good look at him. "You don't look like you just went through a bomb.." she offered.

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-01 06:35 am UTC (link)
The sound of her footfalls had become unmistakable to him, so that Frank heard Karen moments before he saw her. Already rising and turning to meet her as she spoke, his expression immediately becoming grim as he surveyed her. It was impossible for him to know or to realize in that initial moment that on top of everything else they had been plucked from different points in time and so as he took her in it was fairly clear by his expression that he meant harm toward whoever had hurt her. The look on his face not beginning to soften and give way to mild confusion until he considered her own words coupled with the way that she looked.

"What in the Hell..."

It was not anger or malice in his voice but concern as he took one step forward, his arms resting lightly upon Karen's shoulders as he took a better, closer look at her and when he did there was no mistaking it. She bore the same injuries she had had the last time he had seen her before climbing up and out of the elevator. Injuries that ought to have healed had she come from the same point in time. "You just came from the elevator, didn't you?" He knew the answer but couldn't help the words as he breathed in, giving his head a shake.

"I can't make sense of this. Any of it. One moment I'm in the clear with everyone responsible for my families death in the ground and the next I'm here." There was a lot more to it, of course. The bout of torture, the clean slate by the CIA. But right now he was more concerned about Karen than elaborating further.

Carefully taking her arm, Frank moved to sit on the bed with her, hand never straying far as he spoke. "What do you know?" He missed her, he was even happy to see her, but he said none of that as he instead reached to part her hair to one side as he continued to assess her injuries.

Looking at them made him want to kill Wilson all over again.

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-01 12:36 pm UTC (link)
Well maybe it wasn't that bad. Maybe they hadn't missed a whole lot of time together. She was glad though that he wasn't injured, or at least he didn't seem like it outwardly. Maybe some faded bruises, but he looked intact, which made her extremely happy to see. All she wanted was for him to come out of the other side in one piece. After that, she didn't know what would happen.

"Yeah," she agreed with a nod of her head. "You're.. done?" That had surprised her. He did it apparently. "How long ago was the elevator for you then?" If he was going to say that was years ago, she might actually freak out about this whole time thing. She had been trying not to think about it too much.

Karen let him lead her to sit down next to him. "About the same as everyone else. They came to me and explained everything. But I guess I just don't get why it's just us.. I've been watching everything, keeping an eye on things. If time is so messed up, you would think that really weird things would happen. Not just a bunch of people at the same time. I mean.. can you imagine if dinosaurs just popped up?" She babbled as he brushed her hair out of her face, trying to keep from blushing too much.

"I'm fine, Frank. Just a busted shoulder and some cuts and bruises. Really."

She appreciated him looking after her. All the time. "You saved my life.. again. You keep having to do that, and I'm sorry."

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-02 12:03 pm UTC (link)
He glanced down in an unconscious reaction to her query about him being done. Not long ago she had asked him what what come after his vengeance, had tried to draw out of him what he would do with his life when it was all over. In the heat of those moments it had been impossible to see past the punishment he meant to inflict upon those responsible for the deaths of his family. Now sitting next to Karen as he was the future may have seemed a little bit brighter if not for the confusion that lead them here in the first place. "Finished...yeah. It's done." No more war to fight, at least for the moment. Even he tried to be optimistic from time to time but he knew in the back of his mind that it wouldn't last.

"Couple of months." Which explained why he looked so much more healed than she did and though she tried to brush off her injuries he kept a mindful eye on her regardless. Only slowly lowering his hand from the silk like touch of her hair when he realized it was still there against the side of her head.

Frank exhaled, long and slow as he listened to her. It sounded even more messed up than he had suspected. Like the whole wide world had gone on some kind of acid trip though, as Karen pointed out, it seemed like things could be much worse. In light of that consideration he hoped there was not more they had yet to see or learn about whatever world they were in now.

"No", he said, closing a hand on Karen's knee as he shook his head. "You don't apologize to me for looking after you. You're..." Frank trailed off, glanced out over the water, and chose not to finish his sentence.

"I think we should stick together until we figure this out."

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-03 02:55 am UTC (link)
Karen looked more relieved to hear that then probably he was about the whole thing. She wanted him to be safe above anything else. And she wanted him to have some peace after everything. She would always hope that one day he would find it. But she understood that he might know what the hell to do now, especially since they had found themselves in this weird place. She wanted to ask what happened, but wasn't sure how to say it. "I'm glad. I'm.. here.. if you want to talk."

Months were bad enough. She wondered what she'd been doing in that time. Had she tried to meet up with him? Make sure he had been okay? Perhaps learning about her future wasn't a good thing. "I'm really glad you're okay, Frank." She gave him a small smile, though it was a little sad. Whether it was because he wasn't touching her any more, or because she could only imagine how he felt now, remained to be seen.

She put her hand on top of his hand on her knee. "I do though. I keep .. doing this. Getting myself into these situations because I don't know when to leave things alone. And I can't always rely on you to be here, I know that." Even her gun hadn't kept her safe.

"Yeah? Do you have a place to stay? My place is still here.. you can stay with me. There's room.. if you want."

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-03 11:38 am UTC (link)
The absolute last thing Frank wanted to do was talk about what happened after the elevator. Enduring it had been enough, waiting for the opportunity to make it all happen had been enough. The amount of blood he had shed and the various other injuries he had taken all just to get a crack at Agent Orange were not things that he cared to reflect on, particularly now that he had a whole new set of problems that happened to involve someone else he cared about. Only this time, that person was among the living and he intended to keep her that way. Whatever the cost.

"Being a good person isn't a fault, Karen." She was a little foolhardy at times and he had known as soon as she baited Wilson how it would go but he could not fault her for always trying to do the right thing, even for people who did not deserve her compassion. Especially since he had first met her while she was showing it to him while most others had written him off as a psychopathic killer. "I don't want to see you hurt but that doesn't mean you stop fighting for what you believe." Of course if he was going to spend more time with her, he left it unsaid that he planned to work on her self defense skills.

"I.. had a van. I'm not sure if it's where I left it now." It was hard to be sure of anything anymore aside from the woman next to him. "Either your place or we find a rock to crawl under." He turned his hand over so that he could squeeze her own.

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-04 12:18 am UTC (link)
She knew she wouldn't really like the answers. Who was behind it all, what had happened, all of that probably didn't matter. She'd find out sooner or later. But she just wanted him to know that if he wanted to talk about it, he could tell her anything. She liked to listen to him. While she didn't know how long they had until the next big crisis, she was glad for this calmness. Funny how a weird mix up with time could do that. She imagined the big wigs were busy running around, trying to figure out how to fix it, instead of worrying about enemies.

"I could try to be a little more careful," she countered. They both knew that she could. Yeah she'd baited Wilson. It had been hard for her not to. She kept doing it. To Wilson. To Fisk. And all it left was more blood on her hands. They had made their choices, and she'd made hers. "Thanks.. for not telling me to cut it out, or being an asshole about it like some people would." Karen didn't particularly need a lecture, but she wouldn't say no to defense skills. She knew she needed to be better at defending herself that wasn't just shooting people.

His hands were warm, despite the fact that it was cold outside. Hers were probably freezing. She laced her fingers through his. A little unexpected, but nice. "I think my place is nicer. And it hasn't been shot up yet, so that's always a bonus. Are you hungry? We could get food and take it back home."

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-04 06:09 am UTC (link)
A little more careful was not much but he would take it. Even if Karen was a little more mindful as to whom she pissed off, that would be a good start. In the mean time Frank planned to use his unexpected time with her to help hone whatever skills she did have so that when trouble came for her next as it inevitably would she would have a chance of getting out of it by herself. For now though he just focused on the present as he nodded at her suggestion, standing from the bench hand in hand with Karen. Initially he simply did it for appearances sake, for anyone who happened to be looking for him would likely look over what appeared to be a couple from a distance. But even as the continued he found that he held on even when the risk of being identified became slim.

There were a lot of options here in New York but Frank opted for a picking up a couple burgers at a small family owned business on the way to Karen's apartment. His hand rarely leaving her own as he carried their food in his other, mindful of their surroundings through his peripheral vision while on the surface looking rather carefree. He even managed the occasional smile as they walked and talked on their way to her apartment, though it was questionable whether the expression was genuine or not.

When they reached Karen's door he stood back to give her a moment to open it. He hadn't seen or felt anyone pay them any mind on their way but still gave a casual glance down the hall regardless, never quite letting his guard down. "Quiet here", Frank commented. "I like it."

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-04 03:27 pm UTC (link)
Okay so a lot more careful. She hoped that he would know that she wasn't trying to do these things on purpose. And if she was taught properly to know how to avoid things, then maybe she wouldn't be so headstrong about going right up and calling people out, then things like that wouldn't happen. Not just to defend herself if someone were to try to come after her, but to know when she was in trouble, to be more aware of her surroundings. That was a good place to start. As it was, she had held onto his hand because she wanted to, not because she thought it would be good as passing in front of other people.

It was nice though, she could even admit that. Even if they had just been pretending at first, holding onto him meant that he was real and there in front of her. That he was okay, and none of this was some kind of weird dream. She was trying to being mindful of her surroundings too, but she didn't really know what to look for like he did. She was observant of course, she had to be in her job but not quite like that. She grabbed her keys and let them both inside, before locking the door behind them.

"I don't have a lot of neighbors this time. I made sure this time." Considering how many times she'd had to move because someone had messed up her home, she knew that putting other people in danger was even worse than being in trouble herself. She shrugged off her coat. The flowers that he'd given her were still in a vase by the window. Then she went to the kitchen to get them plates and things. "What do you want to drink? I've got beer."

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-07 11:58 am UTC (link)
Frank gave a thoughtful nod. Particularly since he had been present during the destruction of one of her apartments he knew exactly what she was talking about. It was the first time he had saved her life and the moment she had really begun to trust him instead of pulling that trigger as she might have-justifiably-right before things really hit the fan. "Good thinking." It probably went without saying that his presence here could potentially send things south as well.

"Water is fine." He would have preferred coffee but did not want her to have to go through the trouble. As he moved to her dining area after taking a moment to remove his boots, he noticed the flowers he had intended to give her only as a means of contacting him still present. Physical evidence to go along with the way he had recognized her holding his hand, thoughts which made him breathe in and out slowly as he considered the implications.

He set them aside by pulling out a chair for Karen and then himself as he set the food on the table, waiting to take it out until she had some plates. "Been a while since I've had a meal with anyone."

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-08 02:06 am UTC (link)
That memory was firmly planted in her brain, from nearly shooting him to nearly getting shot herself. It wasn't her favorite memory, but he'd proved himself not to be just a guy who was hell bent on destroying everything for no reason. While she didn't always agree with how he did things, the truth was that she recognized those feelings a lot more than she should have. It was all a little too familiar, which was why she fought so hard not to have him go off the deep end. She knew where that would lead, and it wasn't anywhere good. If something happened while he was here, she would deal with it. He mattered more than her apartment.

She got some bottled water out of the fridge and handed him one, though she would have made coffee. He was staying here and they weren't leaving so she might as well. And for once, she didn't grab a beer. Instead she grabbed a bottle for herself. Maybe she drank too much. Then she grabbed plates and anything else they would need, before sitting it on the table.

"I don't usually have company either, especially not here. So make yourself at home. My place is your place. You and Micro didn't do dinner together?" she asked, though she was kind of teasing him. "Don't feel like you have to mind your manners or anything." More teasing. "Just sit and eat."

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-09 11:42 am UTC (link)
Frank leveled Karen with a raised brow and what might have been the barest hint of a smirk at her question. While it was true that Micro was the second person out of Karen herself that he had really opened up to and begun to trust since being back state side he would hardly call the space he had shared with the man while gnawing on a ration as having dinner with him. Given what he had seen of how the other man ate it was a miracle he had lived as long as he had from the men hunting him.

"Not quite. No." When Karen went to seat herself, he was right there pushing her chair in for her. It just couldn't be helped. This may have been just about the most informal meal they could have come up with but he still stuck to his habits, even if it had been a long time since he had to exercise them in any fashion. As he removed his hand from the back of Karen's chair and started to round her his fingers grazed her shoulder briefly, which may or may not have been coincidence.

"Burger for you, burger for me." He divided them out and gave a shrug as he moved around to the other side of the table and took a seat. "And at least for the moment no one trying to kill either one of us. That I know of, at least." He touched his food but waited until Karen took a bite of her own before taking some himself.

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-10 05:30 am UTC (link)
The thought of them alone at the dinner table together was pretty amusing. Not that she really knew Micro, but from what she gathered it wasn't like the two were cooking dinners for each other. She smiled though, in an amused sort of way. Having her seat pushed in for her was new. No one would believe that The Punisher was a gentleman. Except her. Karen wasn't all that surprised, considering he called her ma'am for most of their relationship. It was nice. Other words too, but none she'd ever call him to his face.

"Thanks," she said before she started to dig in. He might have been waiting for her, but she was starving. This wasn't their first meal together, even if it was the first one alone in private. "I don't think so. I've been looking. A lot of looking. Everything is pretty quiet. I mean unless you count just time being weird. But I heard.." she said in between bites of food. "That people that are dead are.. coming back? So.. um.. just a .. warning, I guess." Maybe she shouldn't have said that right at the moment. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything.

She'd been thinking about Matt while saying it, but she realized that maybe.. it could have meant his family too. And that was way too hard for her to think about. It might mean her brother.. that was hard too. Karen was trying not to think about it at all. So she swallowed, and wondered if she shouldn't have had that beer after all. "No mention of the Hand. Or Fisk.. in case you were wondering."

Way to ruin a very nice, sort-of sweet moment, Karen.

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-10 06:00 am UTC (link)
Frank's eyes narrowed at the mention of the resurrections. Not toward Karen herself, but at the idea of it. The thought that even a handful of the scumbags he had put down could be walking the streets again. If that had happened he was fairly certain he would have known about it by now through one means or another. Agent Orange in particular would likely have come right after him to say nothing of the various others he had put down along the way. When it occurred to him only as a secondary thought that his family might be alive again he felt a hint of shame before dismissing it outright. They were gone and he was not about to allow himself any glimmer of hope otherwise. Especially now when he was more at peace with it than he had ever been since their loss.

"I told Fisk he was a dead man when I saw him next", Frank said as his way of curtailing around his other thoughts. "No way he got out without it making the press even with all this other crap going on." He supposed if the man known as the 'Kingpin' did ever get out from behind bars that it would give him something to set his sights on. Literally.

Frank mostly ate in silence, glancing up at Karen now and then. Like so many other things he was not all that accustomed to small talk. Once they were both finished he rose, took their plates, and immediately retreated to the kitchen where he began to wash the dishes by hand.

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-11 01:39 am UTC (link)
They could both agree about that. After all this time, the thought of their families coming back was just wrong. There couldn't be any hope for either one of them. She couldn't compare losing her brother to an entire family, but her brother had meant the world to her. She really hoped that the dead stayed dead. She couldn't imagine seeing Matt again. Or Ben. Or any of the other number of people that she's had taken from her life. There had been an awful lot in the past couple of years, and she was only just now trying to get around it. They both had that in common.

She nodded her head a bit, and bringing it up, bringing him up only caused her to fidget in her seat. "No, you're right. He's definitely not out, but that doesn't mean he's not dangerous." And after all this time, she was still looking over her shoulder, waiting for him to come after her. She only had the nightmares about him on rare occasions now. Clearly he hadn't found out that Karen had killed Wesley, or else he would have been after her by now. She also was surprised he hadn't tried something now that Daredevil was gone.

Karen wasn't going to make him make small talk, so she ate in silence too. She handed over the plate and let him wash the dishes. While he did that, she went to get blankets and sheets and things. "My couch pulls out to a bed. It's not great, but it's better than sleeping on the actual couch part. Do you need anything?"

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[info]waragainstcrime
2018-02-13 10:54 am UTC (link)
Frank had given little more than a knowing nod when Karen mentioned that Fisk was still dangerous. In some ways he had found that the man might actually be more dangerous behind bars, what with the way he virtually ran the prison and literally had the power to get him out on a whim. Fisk had made sport of him, had used him to his own ends and as such Frank had promised to settle the score. Someday. But right now he tried not to dwell on such matters as he and Karen had enough to worry about as it was without that threat looming in the background.

"Already have more than my usual accommodations", Frank replied as he surveyed the pull out couch. It wasn't a literal hole in the ground or a bed that could crawl out from beneath him in the night so it would more than suit his needs. "Thanks."

It would take a little getting used to, sleeping here beneath the same roof as Karen but given the circumstances there was no chance he was letting her out of his sight or proximity for too long with everything that was going on. Only when he knew things were safe or at least as safe as they could be would he give her space and only then.. perhaps.. reluctantly.

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[info]notthefirst
2018-02-15 04:18 am UTC (link)
Karen would agree with that assessment about Fisk. He was definitely more dangerous, because he didn't have a whole lot to lose with being in prison. He was still running things, that didn't stop. Nothing would stop until he was dead. And even then, someone else would just take his place. That was the thing about shitty people. There was always someone else. Hopefully they wouldn't have to deal with that for a long while, even if she knew eventually they would have to.

"I can only imagine the kind of place you were holed up in with Micro," she said, wrinkling her nose. Guys who did the computer thing usually stayed in the basement. Not that she was judging or anything. She knew they had to be on the low. "I'm happy to have you here," she said honestly. Not just because then she would know where he was and wouldn't worry about him, but because she actually enjoyed his company.

She glanced over at the television. "Want to watch? Or are you tired? I can let you go to bed if you want or.. we could.. I have board games." She shrugged. "I don't have a lot of company usually."

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