The year had whipped by before Missy and Wade's eyes, and before they knew it, they had crept past Summer, Halloween (with Emily going out 'trick or treating' for only the second time in her life), and had slipped into late Fall.
The nights were growing colder, and a chilly wind whipped around the city. Missy had made sure that every day Wade remembered to dress Emily in her warmest little boots, scarf and mittens if they went out anywhere.
But as the nights drew in, it seemed as though a bell was tolling for Missy, getting louder and louder with every day that passed.
It would soon be December, and Missy still had not found a job.
She had one more interview at the end of the week for an admin position in the newly-built Stark Towers, working for a government agency called SHIELD.
She highly doubted she'd even get through to the interviews, but after much thought, she had decided to apply. What was the worst that could happen? She'd get rejected? And well, that was nothing new.
Missy gave a sigh as she turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door to her apartment.
The place was empty, and flicking on the light, she saw that there was no sign of either her three year old daughter or her mercenary boyfriend.
After having just the most perfect ten months together, both Missy and Wade were more in love than ever before. There was no denying it. She had fallen for him completely…. and so had Emily. The toddler was besotted with Wade…..just absolutely.
He was now such a constant in her life she barely remembered a world in which he wasn't there.
Missy placed her keys back into her purse and closed the front door behind her, strutting through the empty room, almost tripping over a pair of Wade's crocs as she did so.
"Ugh," she said, kicking the blue monstrosities aside with her patent high-heeled foot.
Despite Wade still keeping his old apartment across the hallway, his presence in Missy's life, in her home, had also become a constant. He practically lived here with them. He had a spare key and only really slept at his place when he returned battered and bloody from a late-night job.
For that at least, Missy was grateful.
Blood was a bitch to get out of white sheets.
Missy tugged off her beige trench coat and flung it over the back of the couch, before heading into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge door.
She had leftovers she could knock up for dinner tonight and that would save her cooking at least.
The caramel-blonde woman, grabbing a carton of orange juice and a glass from the drainer, poured herself a drink, just as she heard the front door swing open.
Suddenly there was a loud rustling and the sound of something (Wade most likely) bashing into her hallway side-table, knocking what sounded like a stack of magazines and a pillar candle or two, to the floor.
Missy gave a frown, placing down her glass, and padding back into the living room.
"What the-?"
Missy gaped at the sight that met her eyes, for piling through the door was Emily, followed by Wade, who was currently carrying a ginormous Christmas tree over his shoulder.
The merc looked up at her suddenly, flashing her an award-winning grin.
"Hey there, Yummy-Mommy," he said in playful tone, giving the tree behind him a tug, trying to squeeze it through the front door. "Thought we'd bring you back a Christmas surprise."
Emily approached her Mom, waddling up to her on chubby legs and giving Missy a charming smile, remarkably similar to Wade's.
"Chwishmash twee!" she uttered happily, the slightest of slurs to her voice, which wasn't unusual for her.
But Missy glanced back over at Wade, shooting him an unimpressed look.
"Its November, Wade…" she said shaking her head incredulously.
But the merc gave an easy shrug, giving the tree one last tug, pulling it through the open doorway, but covering Missy's cream carpet in pine needles in the process.
"Yeah, but I remember how much of a Scrooge you were last year, not even having a tree until I gave you mine," he said in a teasing tone. "So I thought, what better to get you into the festive spirit than the smell of fresh pine and a fucking shitload of pine needles for you to clean up!"
But Missy tutted, folding her arms across her chest.
"This thing'll be dead before Christmas," she said scolding as Wade dragged the enormous tree past her. "And where will we even put it? It's huge!"
Wade looked over at her. "Definitely not the first time you've said that, right? Right?" he nudged her in the ribs as he moved past her, but Missy shucked away from his advances.
"Don't even mess with me, Wade Wilson!" she said pointing a finger at him and giving a huff. She bent down and lifted Emily up into her arms, giving her a cuddle. "Remind me why I'm with you again?"
Wade flashed her another smile, finally dropping the heavy tree to the floor with a crash. "Because I'm adorable, fiendishly sexy, I've got a fucking amazing personality…I could go on-"
"Please don't," snapped Missy, rolling her eyes at him once again.
"…I surprise you with romantic gifts like this one," said the merc continuing anyway and gesturing at the gigantic Christmas tree.
"What? Bringing an enormous shrub into my apartment? I'm supposed to be swept off my feet by that am I?" said Missy turning away from Wade and carrying Emily off into the kitchen. Not giving the merc the satisfaction of sticking around to wait for his response.
But she heard Wade following close behind her, ready to reply anyway.
Missy picked up her glass of juice, ready to take a sip, before Emily reached out for it, making grabby hands. Missy offered the juice to the toddler instead, watching her carefully as she took a big gulp.
Wade, meanwhile leant up against the doorframe, arms now folded over his broad chest, beaming.
"Baby….Sweetheart….moon of my life…" he murmured in a goading voice as Missy cocked an eyebrow up towards him warningly. "I was just trying to bring a bit of the festive spirit into this place a smidge early this year."
Missy gave a sigh and paused for a second.
"Before we can't afford it next month, you mean?" she said quietly.
She was right of course. She would be out of a job by this time next month by the looks of it, and money was already pretty tight.
But Wade looked nonplussed.
"Naaah," he said waving a hand at her comment dismissively. "You underestimate the amount of jobs I've been taking on lately. The ol' Wade Wilson pay- pal account is looking pretty padded out at the moment, so Christmas will be on me this year."
Missy stared at the merc for a long moment, blinking.
He really was amazing, and as much as he teased her and drove her crazy, like aaaaall the time, he really did care for the pair of them, more than she realised sometimes.
"Thanks, Wade," she said, tilting her head to the side, letting her long blonde hair trail down her shoulder, where Emily instantly grabbed for it with her sticky hands.
Wade smiled back and pushed himself away from the doorframe and strolled over towards the pair of them slowly.
"Don't mention it," he said in an easy tone. "You can thank me in my favourite extra-special way later…."
He shot her a wink, wrapping his arms around Missy's waist, Emily between the pair, sucking on Missy's long hair.
Missy smirked, feeling his fingers dance along the hem of her blouse, making for her bare skin beneath.
"But you know what this means, don't you?" he said in a playful tone, raising his eyebrows towards her.
Missy glanced up into Wade's long face questioningly, as he grinned back at her.
Suddenly, the merc lifted a large tacky-looking Christmas bauble with the words 'Happy Holidays from Madam Misty's Busty Babes,' emblazoned across it, seemingly from nowhere, holding it in front of Missy's nose.
"We get to use my shockingly terrible decorations again this year," he said in a cheerful voice, giving a nod. "Excited?"
But Missy merely gave a sigh, ignoring his comment and strolled past him, giving his shoulder a bump with her own as she did so.
She looked at Emily, pulling her hair out of the toddler's mouth and holding her face close her own.
"I think this year we should invest in some proper Christmas decorations, shouldn't we, baby?" said Missy in carrying voice, shooting Wade a look over her shoulder as she did so. "Seeing as Wadey has got so much disposable income…."
The merc turned, still grinning, and watched them go.
"But in the meantime….maybe someone can get this tree off my living room floor!" yelled Missy loudly as she turned the corner and almost went toppling over the ginormous spruce, taking up her entire apartment.
"Like, now, Wilson!"
Wade gave a gulp, his grin disappearing, before reluctantly following the pair of them into the living room, and doing as he was told….
But what neither Missy nor Wade noticed, on that darkening Monday evening in mid-November, was a figure standing in the shadows across the street, watching the front door to Missy's and Wade's apartment building….
In fact, he had been watching since Missy had gone inside, fifteen long minutes ago…
Happy New Year all. Hope you enjoyed the holidays!
Thanks to Legolas Girl 31, TheHappyKitty, smaug the golden, Guest, RomansBride, srosal1, dancindonna, petite yoyo, AngiMK, jonstar1034, Raging Raven, XxxXCherriesXxxX, QueenBeee222 and Guest for reviewing the last chapter.
This one was a bit of a filler I know, but more to come soon.
Please review :)
