Christmas came and went in a flash, and before anyone knew it, it was January. Cold and wet and dreary…

Missy stared out of the window at the darkening sky, clutching a hot mug of tea, but her eyes were out of focus….glazed over…..

She should be happy. She had only this morning, finally gotten a call back from SHIELD telling her that she had been successful in her interview and that if she was willing, could she start in two weeks' time.

It was just an admin position. But it was certainly better than nothing. And in any other circumstances she would have been jumping for joy.

But not today.

It had been two weeks since she had seen or heard from Wade. Not since that fateful night that Emily had gone missing.

She had heard his front door opening and closing a few times across the hallway, but that was about it, no calls to messages….nothing…

It was all her fault…and she knew it.

She remembered the look on his face when she had told him to stay away…

She regretted those words, she really did….but it was done now.

Emily had been let out of hospital late on Christmas eve, but when they had gotten back to their apartment there had been no sign of the merc.

But Missy had been too stubborn to call him…too frightened, perhaps.

She was sure she would have seen him on Christmas Day but there came no signs from across the hallway that she had even come home at all.

She dreaded to think where he could be.

Drowning his sorrow at a bar perhaps….or even in someone else's bed.

That day, she had pushed thoughts like that from her head, but as the weeks drifted by, she presumed that something like that may be truer than she'd hoped.

She loved him…desperately. And for him to not even call over to see how Emily was….

Missy lifted the mug of steaming tea to her lips and glanced over her shoulder at the little girl sat on the couch playing with a teddy bear.

Emily had been quiet since she had come home from the hospital.

Whether it was the events of before or after her running off that had gotten to her, Missy wasn't sure.

Missy had tried as well as she could to try and prise information from the toddler, but it was no use.

Emily had not even mentioned Wade since or asked where he was, which was a worry.

But perhaps she was confused.

With Scott walking into their lives like that and giving the tiny two year old the shocking information that he was her father, there was no wonder she was a little out of sorts. Something like that was life-changing…even to a kid her age.

And it most certainly showed….

Since her return, Emily had been moody and had taken to throwing temper tantrums, hurling toys and objects across the room, in what looked like frustration.

Missy had a feeling it was partly because of Scott and partly because she was having trouble hearing.

The doctors were right….Emily's hearing was deteriorating rapidly.

Missy had tried her best over the last few days to try and coax Emily to start wearing the new hearing aids she had been given at the hospital, but Emily, once again, had flat-out refused.

She had burst into tears, kicking and screaming until Missy had been forced to stop and remove them, packing them away once more.

Missy had never seen Emily like it. Not even during her 'terrible-twos'.

"You ok, baby?" Missy asked gently, strutting over to where the little girl was sat playing, lowering the mug and placing it down onto the coffee table.

Emily didn't answer, her eyes fixed on the fluffy bunny's large ears.

Missy gave a frown, worriedly reaching over and stroking the little girl's head…

But that was a mistake….

Instantly Emily gave a jump of fright, almost leaping out of her seat, and in the process, knocking Missy's mug of tea from the coffee table….

The mug instantly shattered sending hot liquid and broken china across the wooden floorboards.

At the noise, Emily burst into tears.

Missy felt her heart sink.

She was so stupid. All this was her fault…

"Shhhh, sweetie," said Missy crouching down in front of Emily and placing her arms around her. "It's ok, it was Mommy's fault."

The little girl pressed herself into Missy, continuing to wail.

She was still so tiny and defenceless and Missy thought about how much she had gone through in such a short time.

So so much…

Pulling back slightly, Missy placed a hand gently to the toddler's cheek, swiping away falling tears with her thumb.

"It's ok," she said reassuringly once again. "Shhhh."

But Emily peered up at her with wet green eyes, her bottom lip jutting out sadly.

"I wan Waydee," uttered the little girl suddenly, causing Missy's breath to catch sharply in her throat.

It was her first time mentioning the merc in weeks and judging by her face, she was deadly serious.

Missy let out a long, steadying breath.

"Wade's not here right now, baby," she murmured. The words almost killing her.

But at this, Emily began to cry even harder.

Then, as if on cue, there came a sudden noise of the jangling of keys across the hallway, hurried footsteps and the slamming of a door.

It was him…

Wade…

Missy missed him like crazy, but he wouldn't want to see her…not now…

But he might want to see Emily.

She stared at the little girl who was currently wailing, her head tossed back, her bunny now lying abandoned.

It was worth a shot.

Butterflies filled Missy's stomach as she got to her feet.

"Ok then," she breathed. "Shall we go and see if Wadey's around?"

Instantly, Emily stopped crying.

The two-year old sobbed a little, but her green eyes gazed skywards towards her Mom.

Missy pursed her lips together.

She needed to do this…..to apologise to him for the things she had said on that night.

She loved him…

So, taking Emily by the hand , and brushing down her own pretty dress, Missy headed over to the door, her heart pounding.


Wade Wilson flung down his keys onto the side before stopping still and closing his eyes, as a dizzy spell washed over him.

He had just returned from yet another hospital appointment…despite the doctors telling him only last week that all this….well, it was pointless.

Wade had terminal cancer.

At first he had made a joke, tried to laugh it off, putting on his usual swagger to try and deflect the pain and the fear that was coursing through him.

He was dying….they'd given him two…maybe three months tops.

Three months left on this earth.

And yet here he was alone, stuck with his thoughts and nothing or no one else.

After the night that he had collapsed, cold and alone on the snowy street, blocks away from his house, he hadn't seen nor heard from Missy or Emily.

They probably wouldn't want anything more to do with him anyway.

As soon as the doctors had confirmed it….as soon as they had given him the news that he was dying, he knew that he could never see them again.

For how could he?

It wouldn't be fair to inflict that sort of pain on them….to let them love him…and then for him to disappear from their lives just like that.

So he would stay away…keep his distance…even though it pained him so, so much to do so.

Wade opened his eyes, making to slip off his jacket.

Every part of him seemed to ache these days. Had it ached before? He wasn't sure.

Perhaps the entire thing was just psychosomatic, but either way, pain meds didn't seem to do much….

He winced as he made to slip the sheepskin jacket from his shoulders….but before he could move, there came a sudden knock on the front door behind him….and the sudden whispering of voices.

Voices he recognised very well….

The merc gave a gulp, knowing what he had to do…

Even though it would break his heart to do so….

He took a long steadying breath, stepping forward and hurling open the door.

But his heart seemed to stop for a second, as he took in the two beautiful figures standing there.

Missy was stood as gorgeous as ever, today in a blue, long sleeved dress and tights, and stood beside her, clasping her hand was Emily already in her pink onesie, despite it only being five o clock.

"Hey," said Missy in a quiet voice.

She wasn't smiling, but she wasn't scowling either, merely looking at him with those large green eyes of hers.

God, he loved her….

He loved everything about her….both of them, in fact!

Wade gave a gulp, coughing, and tearing his eyes from hers, not saying a word.

The merc was suddenly very aware of how pale and gaunt his face looked nowadays, as he felt Missy's kind eyes on him.

"Um…" said Missy sounding nervous. "Em-Emily just wanted to come over and say hi."

Hi breath caught in his throat.

Wade chanced a glance down at the tiny little girl he loved so very much who smiled up at him, holding out her tiny paw and clutching at the knee of his jeans.

"Daddy, I wan cwuddle," she said with a tiny pout.

The merc's stomach twisted into knots.

Right now he wanted nothing more than to sweep the tiny girl up into his arms and hold her, hold both of them, forever.

But he couldn't. He couldn't do this to them.

Force them to endure this shit-show that he called terminal cancer.

So hurting them now would spare their feelings in the long run….he knew that. But that didn't mean it would hurt any less…

He opened his mouth and closed it again, before giving a gulp and scratching the back of his head.

"Look….I'm pretty busy, right now, so…" he said giving a short, fake sigh of indifference.

That killed him to say.

He was a jerk. A big fucking piece of shit jerk.

But all of this was for them.

He just wanted them to be happy….to live happy lives…..even if that meant he would never get to see them again.

He saw Missy gaze at him suddenly, looking shocked.

She flushed bright red, tugging Emily by the hand, away from Wade.

"Right…." she said sounding embarrassed and hurt. "Of course…..sorry..."

Oh god, this was killing him worse than the cancer….tearing him apart from the inside.

He was pushing them away so that he didn't hurt them.

But this felt so wrong….

So fucking wrong.

These were the two people he was meant to be with. His family.

And it broke his heart to see Emily staring at him like that, and Missy so upset, unable to now meet his eye.

"Come on, sweetie," said the caramel-haired women after a moment or two, bowing her head. "W-We should go."

With that, she turned Emily around and tugged her back across the hallway towards the open door to their apartment, the tiny toddler staring back at Wade looking confused.

Her big green eyes meeting his questioningly….perhaps pondering why Wade didn't want to cuddle her.

Wade felt tears now prick at his own eyes.

He quickly closed them, running a hand down his long, tired face.

He desperately wanted to call out to them and tell them this was all a big mistake…

But before the, normally mouthy, merc could look up and even pluck up the courage to utter the words, Missy and Emily had disappeared back into their apartment, and closed the door shut behind them with a gentle snap.

Leaving Wade Wilson all alone…


Thanks to Queenbeee222,Legolas Girl 31, TheHappyKitty, Guest, CaptainWilliamsN7, jeffhardyluvsme, Guest, AngiMK, petite yoyo and Guest for reviewing the last chapter.

This was a sad one. I am so sorry. Hope it was ok though? Let me know what you thought.

Have a great weekend!

Please review :)