The weeks slipped by, and soon, the holidays were over.
Christmas and New Year for Missy and Emily had been a quiet one. Just the two of them, alone in the apartment with just the TV for company.
Missy had tried to make their time off as nice as possible, they had gone for short walks and watched movies and painted together. But every now and again, Emily would look over at Missy with wide eyes, and ask "wher' Waydee?"
To which Missy could give no answer.
Neither of them had seen nor heard from Wade since Christmas morning.
Not that Missy could blame him from keeping a distance from them. The way Missy had thrown him out…..to say she regretted it, would be an understatement….she knew just how she felt about him…but asking him to leave….well, it had to have been the right thing to do. How could she trust anyone else? Eventually Wade would leave, just like the rest of them…They always did…
But that didn't stop it hurting.
It was cold January evening, and despite it only being 4pm, the sky was already dark, and a bitter chill cut through the air.
Emily and Missy were walking home from work and day-care, wrapped up in coats, scarves and mittens, hand-in-hand.
Missy wanted to get Emily in as soon as possible, for it was far too cold out here, for both of them, in fact.
But there had been a store robbery on the street that they normally walked home, meaning that the police had cordoned off the entire area. So, the pair of them were forced to take a detour down a small side alley instead. Missy wasn't really very familiar with this part of town, but knew that they were headed in kind of the right direction for home.
It was quiet here.
The alleyway was gloomy and full of shadows and Missy clutched Emily's hand tightly as they walked.
They could barely see anything, but their own cold breath in front of them.
Emily only had tiny legs, so walking fast wasn't really an option. But Missy wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. This place gave her the creeps…
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a trashcan tipped in front of them, causing them both to jump backwards in fright.
A black cat streaked out ahead of them, giving a loud meow.
Emily let out a terrified wail, clutching her tiny paws to Missy's coat, trembling with fear.
"I-It's ok, baby….i-it was just a cat," uttered Missy, stroking the top of Emily's head with her gloved hand.
But Missy was, herself, thoroughly freaked out.
They hurriedly side-stepped the spilt garbage that now littered the asphalt, Emily still crying.
But they had barely gone a few paces when there was a sudden sound of movement behind them…
…Footsteps…
Missy's face paled, but she could do nothing but give a gulp and tug her trembling daughter quickly down the alley.
Nearby, they could hear a bassy music coming from what she presumed was some sort of bar. This definitely wasn't where they wanted to be. Not out in the dark and the gloom like this.
"Mommy," murmured Emily giving a small sob. "I scawed…"
Missy reached down to comfort the weeping toddler, but didn't say anything. Not wanting to admit it to her two-year old daughter that she was scared too.
This did NOT look like a good neighbourhood. And Missy knew they needed to get out of here…. and fast.
Behind them, the heavy footfalls seemed to draw ever closer….
Missy's heart thudded in her chest.
Up ahead, she could just make out the warm orange glow of a streetlamp…if they could just reach that-
But before either of them could walk another step, a hand had grasped Missy's shoulder tightly.
She gave a yelp, flinching away immediately, her eyes widening, as Emily gave a cry of fright, pushing herself closer to her mother.
But as Missy spun around on the spot, she looked up…
….only to see the face of Wale Wilson staring back at her.
"W-Wade?" questioned Missy, giving a sudden blink.
The merc was stood there, hands shoved into the pockets of his sheepskin jacket, his face as rugged and as handsome as ever.
It was such a relief to see him, that Missy felt her shoulders un-tense, and she let out a long steadying breath.
Wade's face broke into warm smile. "Hey….I thought it was you two. Kinda recognised the legs…"
He grinned pointing down towards Emily's navy leggings, that were covered in bright yellow giraffes.
The teeny toddler looked up at him from behind Missy's coat for the first time, her mouth suddenly dropping open.
"Hiya, Em-bear…" he said gently, crouching down, coming face-to-face with the little girl.
It was less than second later, that Emily almost threw herself into Wade's arms.
"Waydee!" she said, forgetting about her tears. "I was scawed…then I wasn'."
Wade gave a chuckle, hugging her close and rubbing little circles on her back.
"Scared?!" he asked, giving a faux-gasp. "Well Waydey's here now…don't you worry about that."
Missy stared down at the pair of them, her face immediately reddening.
This was the first time she had seen the merc in weeks….and the last time…what they had done the night before…bodies tangled in sheets…
She gave a gulp, as Emily wriggled away from him giggling, and Wade got to his feet.
He looked up at Missy, his chocolate eyes meeting hers, and his calloused hand reaching for her arm.
"You alright?" he asked, his voice full of concern, reading the worried look that lingered over her features. He gave her forearm a gentle squeeze.
But Missy gave a nod, her cheeks pink, her gaze slipping from his.
Part of her wanted to scream at him, to tell him how much she missed him….but she merely gave another gulp…mouthing at the air…trying to find the words.
"Mommy, I need to go potty," came a sudden voice from down at Missy's feet, cutting through the silence.
Emily tugged at Missy's coat, staring up at her with wide eyes.
They weren't far from home, but Missy knew that when Emily had to go, she had to go.
She bit her lip looking up and down the gloomy side-street. Perhaps there was a café nearby they could call into… but judging by this neighbourhood, that was unlikely…
"Can you hold it, sweetie?" asked Missy, wincing slightly, knowing what the answer would be.
As predicted, Emily gave her head the tiniest of shakes.
"Uhhh, if you want, I know a place you could use…" said Wade suddenly, looking at Missy, his dark eyes honest. His hand was still on her arm.
He gestured toward a small red door, just a little way further down the alleyway.
"A buddy of mine…..owns that bar over there…Sister Margaret's School for Wayward Girls," he continued. "That's where I was on my way to actually, when I bumped into you guys."
Missy recognised the name. It was the bar he had asked her to come with him to, just a few weeks ago.
She glanced down at Emily.
"I don't know…" uttered Missy a little apprehensively.
It definitely wasn't right to take a minor into a bar, especially one as young as Emily!
But Wade grinned.
"Nah…it'll be fine," he said finally letting go of Missy's forearm, and nodding over towards the red door.
But Missy stood firm, biting her lip.
"I'm really not sure this is a good idea…won't we get into trouble…a-and the owner too? She's only two….I'm pretty sure there's laws against it…"
But Wade gave a chuckle.
"Believe me," he said smiling over at them both. "If you knew half the stuff that went on in that place, letting in a kid is the least of Weasel's worries."
Missy stared worriedly down at her daughter, who was currently doing a little jig on the spot.
"Mommy, I need potty," said Emily once again, giving a small noise of worry.
Right now…what choice did Missy have?
Taking one last look back down the street, she turned to Wade, giving a slow nod.
"Alright….but just in and out…" she said firmly.
Wade smiled back at her warmly.
"In and out," he replied, giving a small, mock-bow, before leading the way over towards the crimson door.
Pushing it open, he stood back and allowed them to enter.
"After you, my gorgeous Mademoiselles."
Missy glanced up at him momentarily, her lips twitching up into a ghost of a smile before she could stop herself, before ushering Emily swiftly inside. In from the cold and dark night...
Hope this chapter was ok? Next one coming soon….
Thanks to dancindonna, Momochan77, Legolas Girl 31, Imaginationcreationeer, jonstar1034, Lilly, AngiMK, starrat, Raging Raven, Nipps04 and Smaug the Golden for reviewing the last chapter. I'm so glad to hear you're all big Wade/Missy fans! Eek!
Did you like this chapter? Weasel's bar coming soon….
Please review! :)
