Title: Me and My Shadow
Author: doc_sock/doc_socktopus
Fandom: Daredevil, New Avengers, while Jessica is 8 months pregnant.
Rating: G
Warnings: stalking played for lolz
Characters: Jessica Jones, Danny Rand, Matt Murdock
Words: 666
Summary: Jessica Jones was going crazy.
Notes: For the "Pregnancy" square on my cliche_bingo card.


Jessica Jones was going crazy.

The feeling had been persistent in the last few days. No matter where she went, it felt like someone was following her, like someone was focusing on her with intense concentration. If the feeling hadn't been so persistent, she would be positive that she was being followed. Being a superhero taught you quick to know when something was wrong.

As it was, she was pretty sure she was just cracking up. The strain of being eight months pregnant was finally getting to her, and she was losing it. It just wasn't possible for someone to be following her all the time. Not when she was using her best evasive maneuvers meant to lose any possible stalkers.

So she was hesitant to bring it up with Luke. She didn't want him knowing that she might be going crazy, not when her crazy was still something she could handle. The feeling of paranoia wasn't stopping her from going on, much. She still had to go to work, after all.

And then she started catching flashes of red out of the corner of her eye and the feeling of being watched grew stronger. So she added visual hallucinations to the paranoia and considered telling Luke. It was probably just her hormones, anyway, even though she was pretty sure hallucinations weren't part of being pregnant.

She didn't put two and two together until she happened to look up one night, directly into where the eye holes of Daredevil's mask should be.

Matthew fucking Murdock was stalking her.

She was about to shout up to him when he disappeared over the edge of the building. That was no matter, she could follow him on foot, pregnant or not. It only took a couple turns down alleyways -- she was beginning to regret deciding to try to follow him, this wasn't exactly the best neighborhood -- before she heard raised voices.

"You call this sneaky?" She recognized the voice. It was Danny Rand. "I've been following you for blocks and you couldn't hear me over the pounding of your feet. You sound like a herd of elephants!"

"I knew you were following me. Besides, Jess hasn't noticed, so all in all I think it's a success."

She almost stepped around the corner then, "Jess hasn't noticed you stalking her" on her lips, but Danny continued before she could.

"Please, I could sneak up on you with both legs tied together. Blindfolded. And drunk."

"You could not," Matt muttered.

"I could, and you know what? I'll be able to watch over Jess better than you. Go home and get some sleep."

"Neither of you are stealthy," she said, stepping around the corner, hands on her hips. She was tired from following them, her ankles hurt, and walking was seriously awkward with her huge belly. She just wanted to go home, and for them to stop stalking her. "I could hear you arguing from half a block away. What the hell are you doing?"

"Um," Danny said.

"It's not what it looks like," Matt said.

"Oh, I think it is what it looks like. Friends do not stalk friends, Matthew Murdock. I can take care of myself. I don't need you hovering over me like a mother hen."

"I'm going to leave now," Danny said, turning tail and running before she could rip into him.

"I was just trying to help," Matt said in a small voice, frowning. "I thought-"

"I don't need your help," she said. "If you really want to help, you can make sure Luke isn't held up by anyone on his way home. Go stalk him for a while. I'm going home."

She turned around and left him there in the alley, shoulders slumped, face downcast. She still had a long walk home ahead of her, and her righteous anger wasn't going to sustain her for that much longer.

At least she wasn't crazy.

THE END