Missy's high-heels pounded the sidewalk.

She could barely make out where she was going through her tears, as they slipped down her cheeks.

Her hands were wrapped tightly around Emily as she ran, wanting to keep her close. No, needing to keep her close.

She loved her so dearly. With all her heart. To her, she was the most perfect little thing she'd ever seen…

Missy turned a corner sharply. This street was unfamiliar to her and yet she kept on walking.

She didn't know where to…

Home?

Someplace else?

Right now she didn't care…

She just wanted to get as far away from them as possible.

After eighteen months of struggle….of pushing herself….of getting herself back onto her feet….she felt like seeing them had been like a sharp kick to the stomach…

All she wanted was to keep Emily safe…

To hold her in her arms…

To protect her…with her life…

But unfortunately for Missy, those hopes were currently crumbling around her, as she wiped at her eyes, stopping in her tacks and gazing around.

She found herself in a dingy looking alleyway. Dark and gloomy with an upturned trash can littering the path before them.

She hadn't even realised where she had been walking to…

Missy stopped, shaking herself and made to turn around, clutching her daughter tightly, but as she did so, a sudden figure stepped out of the shadows.

It was a man….or rather a kid, barely older than nineteen…with a pale, gaunt skin; beady eyes; and a black hood thrown over his shaved head.

He took a step closer to them as Missy backed up, stumbling slightly on her heels.

Fuck…

The kid didn't say anything, his, almost black, eyes locked onto her, but Missy suddenly paled in horror as he pulled a knife from his pocket, brandishing it towards her.

"Gimmee your fucking purse," he said in a hoarse voice, advancing on her menacingly.

Missy took another step backwards as Emily suddenly stirred in her arms, giving a yawn. "Mommy, wher we?"

But Missy didn't answer, her heart hammering inside her ribcage.

The kid scowled.

"Fucking hurry up and give me your purse," he snarled viciously. "Now. Or I'll fuck up you and your fucking kid."

He inched towards her, holding the knife out in front of him, it's steely blade, glinting in the dim light of the alleyway.

Missy gave a hard gulp.

Oh god…what had she done? She was so stupid.

This was all her fault!

Shifting Emily in her arms, Missy trying to free her shoulder from her handbag, the toddler suddenly turned around, her little eyes landing on the kid….and his knife.

"Hurry the fuck up!" said the man, twitching uneasily. Missy could hear in his voice that he was getting impatient and very angry. "And shut her up while you're at it. Or I will!"

Missy trembled, dropping her purse to the ground with a thud and taking a couple of swift steps away.

"It's ok, it's ok, everything will be alright…" she whispered comfortingly into her daughters tiny ear, praying to god that she was right.

But the man instantly grasped at the bag and emptied the contents out onto the ground.

He rifled through the pile of fruit roll ups, baby wipes, spare pull-up diaper, leggings with giraffes on…his face twisting into an angry scowl as he snatched up Missy's cell phone and pulled open her wallet.

Missy had no cash, she never did. At the moment everything she paid for, went on credit cards.

But this was not what the man wanted to see.

He got to his feet, standing up tall, as Emily wailed loudly, her cries echoing through the dark alleyway.

"Where's your cash?" he yelled loudly over the screaming toddler.

But Missy stood still, frozen like a rabbit in the headlights.

"Where's your fucking cash you stupid fucking bitch!" he said jabbing the knife towards her.

But before the blade could reach either her, or Emily, the man was thrown backwards by a sudden hand grabbing his throat.

The knife fell to the ground with a clatter and Missy sprung back a few steps, terrified.

Emily continued to wail as Missy gave a blink, looking up to see the furious figure of Wade Wilson, stalking out of the shadows.

He looked tall, frightening and more intimidating than Missy had ever seen him. And it was now that she could finally see him as a mercenary.

Up until this point, she had found it hard to believe that a lovable, funny guy like Wade could ever do a job like that.

But right now she could…oh, most definitely…

His jaw was tensed and his eyes black and angry.

In Missy's arms Emily gave a sudden whine of fright, and at this, Wade let out an instinctive growl.

His grip seemed to tighten on the kid's neck as he shoved him hard against the wall behind him.

Missy heard the impact of his thin body against the hard brick.

But Wade was unrelenting and pressed himself up against the boy, his shoulders broad and looming.

"Oh, I never thought I'd ever quote Crocodile Dundee," said the merc, baring his teeth, his lips lingering close to the kid's face as he retracted Missy's cell phone from his tight white knuckles. "But I guess there's a time and a place for everything…..Ok, here goes…..'You think THAT's a knife'?"

Wade glanced over his shoulder to where the man's steel blade lay across the cold ground a few feet away from them.

"No. THIS is a kni- well, actually…," he continued, turning his long face back towards the thug. "...this is a gun."

And with that, the merc pulled out a large, menacing gun from the back of his pants.

Had he been carrying that the entire time?

"Now this," said Wade proudly, clicking off the safety and staring straight across the barrel of his gun. "...is a Para-Ordnance P14. 45 , nice and weighty if you like that sort of thing. Served me well for….ooooh a good few years now….but poor thing hasn't really seen much action lately…"

The kid let out a whimper as Wade casually pointed the gun at his cheek.

"…you think we should change that?"

The weedy guy, shook his head.

"N-No, no Sir," he said with a stutter.

But Wade's jaw was set, his playful demeanor disappearing as he grabbed the kid roughly by the face.

Right now Wade was terrifying.

"You fucking EVER, go near these two gorgeous fucking angels, or in fact, anyone else again, and I will make sure there is not a fucking piece of you left in existence, by the time I'm finished with you. You understand me?" uttered Wade, his voice dark and deadly.

The man let out a cry as Wade drew his face nearer, shoving the gun harder into the man's cheek.

"Yes, YES, I do…I understand!" said the kid, tears streaming down his face, his legs visibly shaking beneath him.

Wade, seemingly satisfied with his response, let him slip from his grasp for just a second, before changing his mind and making one more grab for the kid's lapels, tugging him back around to face him.

The man gave a sharp shout of fear, petrified, as Wade let out a growl.

"On second thoughts, you fucking threatened the two people I care about most in the entire world" he said, his jaw tensing once more. "And if that doesn't deserve at least a fucking knee-capping, I don't know what does-"

And with that, Wade lowered his gun, pointing it down towards the man's legs…

"Stop!" cried Missy suddenly from behind him, her heart thundering in her chest and her eyes wide.

Wade turned his head to look at her, his chocolate eyes meeting with her own.

She stood there for a second, stroking the top of the still-wailing Emily's head, and titled her own face pleadingly.

He didn't have to do this.

Not for them.

And within that look, Wade instantly understood.

He turned back to the kid and shoved him away forcefully, and before they could blink, the kid had run off, as fast as his legs could possibly carry him, leaving the blade still lying on the ground.

Wade stopped for a moment or two, facing away, before finally, after what felt like an age, turning back around.

Emily was still sobbing quietly into Missy's arms but Missy was staring directly ahead at the merc.

At this man…who she loved…oh so much…

She blinked up at him a couple of times as he stood there, guilt plastering itself across his features.

Wade tucked his gun swiftly back down his pants, his brown eyes softening as he gazed back at her.

Missy, right now could think of nothing she wanted more, than for him to grab them both and hold them in his strong arms….

"Wade…" she murmured, her heart pounding. She longed for him right now."…can you take us home?"

The merc before her, instantly nodded and approached them carefully, the expression on his face nervous.

But before he could say anything, Missy had reached out and grasped his arm tightly.

She threw him a look and the three of them began to walk swiftly home, her hand slipping down his arm, until their fingers met, interlocking…..as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

There was something Missy needed to explain to him…


Thanks so much to Welisarne, Guest (sorry you feel that way!), jonstar1034, Legolas Girl 31, petite-yoyo, RangingRaven, Smaug The Golden, Momochan77, tallon2692, MissHomes and Carlypso for reviewing the last chapter.

So…was that ok? More will *hopefully* follow soon…

Please review :)