Melody couldn't sleep. And tonight she was actually trying to. She was tossing and turning in the king sized bed, trying to find a comfortable position. When she managed to doze off, her memories would haunt her in nightmares causing her to wake up suddenly in shock. Staring up at the dark ceiling, Melody laid in silence, wrapped the comforter around herself, and listened to Dick's soft snores. Surprisingly, she didn't feel like smothering him with a pillow tonight. She knew what he had coming was far worse than him being murdered by his wife while he slept. Oh no. Soon he'd be a lot worse than her.

But for now, her dilemma was not being able to settle, not even a little bit. Her head was spinning and her stomach was churning. She finally rested on her side for a few seconds. But it was seconds that were short lived. Melody's eyes shifted to the clock on the nightstand. "1:10 am". She groaned to herself. She hated when she actually tried to go to sleep. It seemed that the only time she really had a decent night's sleep was when she was with Wade. She would now if she could. But Wade got another contract and she wasn't sure when he would be back.

Melody groaned. Frustrated, she sat up out of bed and prayed to some god that Dick didn't wake up. Her light pink silk camisole hugged tight on her body and match the silk pajama bottoms that hung low on her hips. It was seasonable warm that night, so she didn't bother to put on a robe before she left the bedroom. Melody felt a warm breeze coming from the opened patio doors. The white curtains blew in the wind. Melody walked through the main room, past the open windows and doors, and into the kitchen. The night maids were finishing up their work when she walked in. They all tried to get her something all at once. They could barely speak English and Melody was too tired to translate anything. So she waved them off and told them to go home for the night.

She was alone again. Melody rubbed the back of her neck and tried to relax her tense muscles. She knew it wouldn't help her sleep, but she made herself a cup of coffee anyways. While the coffee maker mixed her drink, she flipped the television on and watched the last few hours of the late night news. Melody's eyes were glued to the screen as she reached to grab her novelty cat mug. She placed her mug on the island and watched the news cover a story about the Avengers. Something going on in Russia, nuclear war threat. Melody considered stealing Dick's Blackberry, getting into his contacts, and telling Putin to go fuck himself for making her job harder.

She absentmindedly drug a sugar spoon through the dark liquid, mixing in creamer and sweetener to transform the bitter drink into a soft caramel brown. As she took the first sip, she heard the front door slam open and closed. She could hear Wade grumping to himself as he walking through the foyer and put his duffle in the hidden weapon closet. Melody grinned and cupped her mug in her hands. Wade sauntered into the kitchen. He pulled his mask to reveal his old scarred face. When he finally looked up, he smiled at Melody.

"Hey, gorgeous," He cooed as he put his hands loosely on her hips, hugging her from behind, and pecking a kiss on her cheek. "What are you doing up so early? More nightmares? Clowns or midgets?"

"Midget clowns," Melody said matter-of-factly. Wade cringed and released her from his grip. "Kidding. No nightmares. I just couldn't sleep."

Wade made his way around the island and sat on the barstool across from Melody. He took his ring out of one of his belt pouches and slipped it on his now bare left hand. His appearance changed back to his smooth skin and dirty blonde hair. Wade stole her mug and took a sip. Wincing at the sudden bitter taste, he took her cup out of her reach and dumped the contents down the drain. Melody pouted but didn't stop him.

"Well, you're not going to get any sleep if you're drinking that," Wade said as he reached for a package of hot white chocolate mix in the cabinet. She observed as he made his way around the kitchen and start heating up a pot of milk.

"Hot Chocolate? Seriously? That's supposed to make me feel better?" Melody whined in a skeptical tone.

"You've never had Canadian hot chocolate. It's superior to other hot chocolates," Wade said as he added the white chocolate powder into the warmed milk.

"A superior hot chocolate? You seem pretty proud of it."

Wade chuckled as he poured the sweet drink into a Hello Kitty mug. He topped it with whipped cream and slid it to Melody as he sprayed some of the cream into his own mouth. She chuckled at his actions as she took her first sip. The sweet chocolate drink danced across her taste buds. She closed her eyes in satisfaction as her tongue ran over her top lip licking off some excess whipped cream. Melody opened her eyes to see Wade smirking at her from across the island raising his own mug up to his lips. Melody glared at him playfully.

"You damn Canadians and your superior hot chocolate," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

"Told you," Wade said with pride in his voice.

Melody chuckled at him as she took another sip. She had to admit, Canadian hot chocolate was starting to become a guilty pleasure. But she would never tell Wade, the extremist of Canadian pride, that. Ever. But the drink was missing something. She turned to the cabinets behind her and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. She added a generous amount to her mug before offering it to Wade.

He beamed and took the alcohol from the woman. He toasted with the large bottle before adding it to his own drink. Melody downed a huge gulp, feeling it burn slightly on the way down.

"Now, it's perfect."

Wade put a hand over his chest. "Woman after my own heart."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Wade spoke up once again. "Any reason you can't sleep? You nervous about tomorrow?"

Dick planned an annual party at the house. Melody didn't remember what for exactly. Like Dick needed a reason to throw a party. It was going to be an elegant black tie event. He hired the finest staff and a string quartet. He even ordered her a new dress from New York. But Melody wasn't concerned about the party. She contacted S.H.I.E.L.D. yesterday about the investigation and told them that the arrest raid was going down in two days. The night of the party. Dick's associates that played parts in his investment would be there. It would be a chance to get all of them at once instead of cutting deals with someone to get information.

Melody sighed. "A little. It's just been a long ride."

"Well, you're not alone on this one, Mel." Wade cradled her hand in his and stroked his thumb along her soft skin. Melody smiled at him; her cheeks flushed a light pink color that spread across her lightly freckled nose.

"Thanks, Wade."

The separated quickly when they heard light steps coming from the main staircase. Wade looked at the kitchen entrance with concern but made no attempt to move. He turned to look at Melody who simply put a finger to her lips, signaling to be quiet. They both looked out to the foyer from their place at the island. Dick was stumbling down the far staircase, eagerly pulling a jacket onto his shoulders. He didn't notice the couple that watched him. His eyes continued to dart up the staircase to the master bedroom as if he thought Melody was still up there somewhere. Dick looked through the key box for the various sports cars and vehicles that they had in the garage. Settling on a certain car, he rushed out through the garage door on the far side of the foyer.

Melody glanced over her shoulder at the clock on the counter, "2:00 a.m.". She hummed and turned back to her hot chocolate as if nothing had happened. However, Wade was confused about the whole event.

"A couple of questions," Wade started. "First, what the hell? Second, why?"

"I know. Usually, he doesn't do it this early. Most of the time he waits until 3:00."

"Does what?"

"Meet his whore."

"Wow, Mel. Tell me how you really feel," Wade said jokingly. "That doesn't bother you?"

"Why would it? He's a bastard. And if she wants to get screwed over, that's her problem. It's probably the last time she's ever going to see him anyways. Might as well let them have some fun before solitary confinement."

"How thoughtful of you. Are you sure you're ready for this to be over?"

"It's not like I'm losing must of a husband. The houses and assists will go into my name. And there are no kids I have to help through this mess. Only a sister-in-law and two nephews but they won't be a problem once S.H.I.E.L.D. gets involved."

"I guess not having kids does make the job easier."

Melody perched her lips. "Yeah."

"You ever thought about having any? Kids, I mean."

She sighed, "Not for a while. I…." Melody hesitated. Like she was concerned about what she was about to say. "I was pregnant the first year undercover here. I was terrified. That first year was hell and I didn't want to bring a child into this anyways. But after about half year, I miscarried. Two different times… I didn't plan on it…but it was for the best." Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes. She tried to wipe them away before Wade noticed. But that failed. He held her hand while trying to control his own temper.

"What about you?" Melody asked when she controlled her emotions. "Any kids?"

"Yeah, actually."

Melody wasn't sure what answer she was expecting. But she was happy, surprisingly. Thinking that Wade could actually be a fatherly type made her feel warm inside. It's not like she thought far into the future into the idea of starting a real family. Usually, no one in her line of work actually lived long enough to have steady relationships. Could she even consider Wade a steady relationship?

Wade reached into one of his leather pouches on his belt. He pulled out a small rectangle of paper. He looked at it before smiling and showing it to Melody. It was a small picture of a girl. She looked no older than ten. She had dark skin and dark brown hair. Her eyes were full of joy and dark like chocolate. Melody took the photo from Wade's hand. She smiled as she examined the girl's features.

"Her name is Ellie. She lives in Queens with a friend that agreed to be her foster mom until I could find a way to keep her safe and give her a good life."

"She's beautiful, Wade."

"Yeah, almost thought she wasn't mine at first."

"She has your eyes."

Wade took the picture back and put it back in the pouch. Melody honestly felt a little sad. Wade had a daughter that he couldn't be with or raise. He must have been in her life somehow for him to get a picture of her. He even put her in a good foster home. Maybe one day they could be together again, be a real family.

"What are you going to do after tomorrow?" Wade's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

Melody shrugged. "Never really thought that far. I'll get both of the houses and all the money in the accounts. I don't really know where I'll be after this…" she trailed off and bit her lip.

"Would you…. Want to stay with me?"

She looked up at Wade to see that his head was down but his eyes looked up at her. She'd be lying if she said she never thought about it. But she was poison for people that got personal. Wade didn't even know who she really was, and he asked to stay with her when this was over. Melody hoped something like this wouldn't happen. There's always casualties in her line of work. And she didn't want one of them to be Wade. If she was going to be with him, she had to come clean about herself. About everything she'd done in the past.

Melody just couldn't do that yet.

"Wade," she sighed as she turned her back to him. That didn't stop Wade. He got up from his spot at the island and made his way around to her side. He stood in front of her, took her mug from her hands, and put it on the counter behind her.

"You don't know who I really am," Melody whispered softly, almost like she was saying it to herself. But Wade heard it anyways.

"I don't need to right now to know how I feel about you," Wade said as he lifted her chin up to get her to look him in the eyes. He wasn't going to tell her that he loved her. That would just freak her out. Especially if she didn't love him back. His inner voices were arguing with each other constantly about the emotional dilemma, but he tried to focus on Melody. "I probably won't get to hear about your background for a while, or at all. But no one here is a saint. We've both done some shit that was fucked up at the time. But Mel, whatever you did in the past that's so horrible, you don't have to worry about that chasing me away. But you can always tell me when you're ready."

"Some secrets are meant to be kept, Wade. Even from people we care about."

"I know," he breathed. She didn't realize how close they had gotten during their conversation. Their lips brushed against each other. Wade held her cheek with one hand and wrapped the other around her waist, moving the silk top raise slightly. Her hands gripped his leather covered shoulders pulling him into her. She moved against him; her hands raked through his dirty blond hair, trying to capture his lips. She sighed as he moved with her. Wade broke away from her lips and rested his forehead against hers.

"What are we doing, Mel?" He whispered.

Melody closed her eyes and let her head fall back. Wade's face fell to her neck. He gently kissed her neck, feeling her chest rise and fall with her thick breaths. "I don't know," she said softly. Her voice was shaking. Wade looked back to her face, holding her as he kissed her once again.

"It's late. You should try to get some sleep before tomorrow."

"Come with me?"

Wade smiled, "Of course."

Melody laid on her stomach with her face in a heap of pillows. She turned to face Wade who had rolled on his side to face her. Her clothes and his suit were scattered around her bedroom floor. Wade's lower half was covered by the golden sheets. Wade was fast asleep but his arms were wrapped loosely around her hip. His face was nuzzled into her hair. Melody hoped that she could finally get a good night sleep if she was with Wade, but that wasn't the case.

Nightmares came like a second nature. Almost every night she had either recurring nightmares or a dreamless sleep. Though neither scenario gave her much luck. Tonight it was nightmares. It started out as a simple memory from her childhood. A house on a hill next to a vineyard that overlooked a valley held a small family. Three small children chased each other through the rows of grape vines while a man worked around them and a woman sat on the porch behind a loom. Two of the children were boys with dark olive skin and curly black hair. They looked like the man in the vineyard, so he was presumably their father. The third child ran off by herself to a nearby hill that was home to an old olive tree. Its branches moved slightly with the summer breeze. The girl sat under the tree and watched her brothers tackle each other to the ground. She giggled at them when their father scolded them for getting in the way of his work.

She turned back to look at the far sun descend toward the horizon line, coating the neighboring fields in low golden rays. The little girl sat up on her knees as the warm summer breeze made the poppies in the meadow dance together in an imaginary harmony that only they could hear. The meadow was painted for miles with bright red petals, but there were a few drops of blue here and there. The girl looked back at the woman on the porch to see that she was also scolding the two young boys, paying no attention to the child on the hill. The little girl quickly rushed down the small hill into the meadow. The poppies grew up to the short girl's waist. She laughed at the wind continued to make the flowers sway in different directions. She trotted over to the edge of the meadow and sat next to a small patch of dark blue poppies. She recalled her mother saying that their color was reflected in the young girl's bright eyes. She knew she wasn't allowed to do it, but she reached out to touch the soft petals.

The small bud receded away from her and coiled into itself. The petals wrinkled and the blue shades faded into gray all the way from the stem to the crest of the blossom and continued to get darker. The girl recoiled and scurried away from the rotting flower. The bud began to welt and an inky black pool seeped into the grass. The land started to decay under her feet, leaving nothing but dead, gray grass and dirt in its wake. The girl started to panic as the dying flower soon turned to ash, but the shadow grew towards the larger patches of blossoms in the meadow. Tears formed in the corner of the eyes and she shot up to her feet. With all the fear forming in her chest she could only utter one word to stop the destruction.

"Stop it!" her small voice bellowed over the field.

The low black cloud stopped just inches away from the edge of the field. The girl's eye went wide and she stared at the dark gray spot that used to be a blotch of blue poppies but was now scattered piles of ash. She could hear a soft yell coming from the other side of the hill. But she stood frozen in place. She knew she had to leave, or someone would come looking for her. She quickly ran up the hill to the other side to see the woman on the porch had stood up at her loom and was looking in the girl's direction. The girl looked over at the decay and damage she had done, but ignored it as best she could so the woman wouldn't ask any questions.

"Helena!" the woman called at the small girl again.

Helena scampered down the hill, thought the small vineyard, and hopped onto the porch steps. She stood in front of the woman with her head down and her hands behind her back. The two boys sat on the opposite side of the porch. They were playing cards and laughing, paying no mind to anyone else. The woman rubbed her thumb over Helena's blushing cheeks. She knelt down to look the small child in the eyes and smiled at her. She spoke in Greek but it translated perfectly in the girl's mind.

"My child, where did you go?" the woman asked.

Helena continued to look at the floor. "Nowhere, Mama…. I just wanted to see the flowers again."

"Helena, you know it's dangerous to go off by yourself."

Her mother picked her up and carried her to the rocking chair. She sat in the chair and placed Helena on the floor next to her feet. The girl sat with her feet tucked up under her bottom. Her mother raked her hands through Helena's thick golden waves of hair. The young girl looked out past the rows of grape vines towards the warm colored sky. Her mother hummed as she separated Helena's hair into sections. Helena sat quietly sat as her mother braiding a string of flowers into her blonde hair.

"Will you sing that again song for me, my dear?" the woman asked as she placed a dark blue flower through two wavy strands.

"Kame nana na koimitheis," Helena sang softly as her mother hummed the melody for her.

"Beautiful, my little Lullaby."

The sky shifted from soft pinks and orange to dark clouds of black and navy blue. The wind blew through the vines. A storm climbed up from the mountains and threatened to send a frozen rain. The porch creaked in the wind. Helena was alone outside. The house was dark and it was too dark to see past her own hand. There seemed to be a skip in time because Helena was no longer a little girl, but a teenager. A long braid blew into the air. She started to panic. The storm was getting closer, and she swore she could hear voices coming up from behind the hill.

The wind pushed against the hinges of the door. It blew open and slammed against the paneling of the house. The force knocked the door off one of the metal hinges and it hung halfway on the wall. Helena ran into the dark house to escape from the coming storm and the mob that was coming for her. She panted heavily as tears started to run down her cheeks. When she calmed down, she could hear another person in the house. The sounds of sobs came from the back bedrooms. Helena made her way to find the source of the noise. Her bare feet made the old floor creak and the wood cut her feet. A dim light shined under the bedroom door. The sobs got louder as Helena came closer to the room.

She cracked the door open to see a candle on the bedside table, lighting the center of the room but it kept the walls in shadows. Two figures sat in the middle of the room. A woman rocked back and forth on the floor holding a body in her arms. Helena came closer to the pair. The woman's back was facing the girl. Through her sobs, she was humming a song. The woman finally realized that the young girl was behind her. Helena saw the face of her brother in the woman's arms. His eyes were closed and blood stained his chest. She noticed her father and other brother laying motionless on the bed. Her mother's eyes went wide when she saw Helena. She started thrashing and cursing in Greek. Dragging her son's body with her, the woman backed up to the bed, trying to get as far away from her daughter.

Helena's face turned from confused to sad. She looked down at the body of her sibling. Her mother had closed his eyes, but she knew they were open moments before. His shirt was stained black with dark blood that oozed out from a hole in his chest. It looked like an animal mauled him and left a void where his heart should be. Helena's heart dropped at the scene of carnage. Her mother's sobs stopped as the anger took over. She cursed and screamed at the girl.

"Na xefýgei, Téras."

Get away, Monster.

Her heart stopped. The mother that once looked at her with so much love was calling her a monster, an abomination. A mistake. Helena hid her face in her hands. They felt hot and wet. She pulled her hands away when the blood made her cheek start to sting. An "X" shaped cut was carved into her right cheek. Her hands were covered in thick dark red liquid from her hands all the way to her elbow. Large blots of blood colored her white sundress in red. She looked back up at her mother. They both had fear in their eyes, but her mother's eyes were behind a pistol.

"You've destroyed our family. Killed everyone I love…. And," she placed the barrel of the gun against her temple. "Now you've killed me."

Helena screamed over the loud gunfire. Her mother fell to the ground on top of her brother's body. She was alone, scared, and hurt. Everything around her felt like fire. The heat surrounded her and consumed every fiber of her sanity. Then there was nothing. The walls of the room blew way, exposing it to the outside world. She was hysterical. She didn't move. She couldn't. Her muscles wouldn't work. Where would she go anyways? She had no one left and nowhere to go.

The mob finally came. By the time they came, it was too late. Everything was gone. Two men took her arms and held them behind her back. She was still crying, a river of tears flowed down her cheeks. All she could do was apologize over and over again. Half of the mob dragged her off of the concrete slab that was once the foundation of the house while the other half stayed with the bodies to clean up the mess. They were yelling, throwing things at her, abusing her as they took her away from her home. Helena struggled against the men. She was nearly free until someone in the mob hit her with the butt of his gun. She was knocked out.

The memory faded away into darkness, leaving the past along with it. However, reality was harsher than her alternate nightmare.

Melody didn't wake up. The images played in her head and haunted her subconscious. Her back arched up off the bed. Then her legs followed. Her arms hung at her sides and her head fell back. She levitated off the mattress. The raw emotion she felt in her dream escaped into actuality and the control that she built around her power was breaking. The power took over her body. Her muscles seized and tensed up around her neck and arms. Her breathing was shallow. But she still couldn't wake herself up.

Wade woke up though. He felt the bed shift and he thought Melody had woken up from another nightmare. He knew it wasn't daybreak yet. They had only gone to sleep a few hours ago. He was facing away from her, towards the clear window to see that the sun hadn't even peeked into the early morning sky. He groaned as he lifted himself into a sitting position. The sheets pooled around his hips as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes. Wade traced a hand where he thought Melody was. But instead be felt cold sheets. His head snapped into her direction. He went into a panic when he saw the sight that was unfolding.

He quickly got out of bed and ran over to Melody's side of the bed. He knelt down beside the bed. Wade wasn't sure what to do. But he was certain that this wasn't good.

"Baby?" he said softly but urgently. Even though inside he was freaking out, he didn't want to risk the consequences of waking her up so suddenly. Wade gently brushed away a stray curl from her face before caressing her cheek. "Mel?"

She finally woke up. But her eyes weren't the dark blue crystals that Wade fell for. They were white. Two pure pools of white. All color had disappeared from her face. Her skin was white as snow. Melody seized again. Her mouth fell ajar and her eyes went wide. Wade took the opportunity to check her airway to see if it was clear. He was somewhat relieved so know that she wasn't choking. But the relief was short-lived. Melody's power escalated to a level that Wade had never seen before.

Wade placed the back of his hand on Melody's forehead. He retracted it when the heat nearly singed the skin off his hand. "Oh my God."

Before he could react, Wade was hurled against the wall. Shards of broken glass from a picture frame dug into his back. He tried to scream but there was a pressure against his throat. Melody's whole body lifted into the air. In any other circumstance, Wade would be ogling the fact that she was completely naked. But the lack of air was making him lightheaded. Melody had a psychic hold on him. The only way he knew to explain it was Darth Vader's force hold. He didn't expect it to be so painful. She floated towards him. She hauled Wade up the wall as she got closer. The glass in his back dug deeper and scrapped against the wall. Melody's grip on his neck tightened. He clawed at his throat as if her hand was actually on it. There was no emotion in her white eyes. Not a shred of sentiment.

Wade choked out a few sounds that seemed to want to come out as words. He garroted in a few gasps of air. He tried not to look scared just in case the Melody that he knew was still inside of her somewhere. He knew she was be devastated if she knew she actually hurt him. The look in her eyes just got crazier even if her pupils weren't there. Her hair hovered around her face like it was defying gravity. Her head tilted and an evil smirk spread across her face. The look made her face made Wade's stomach churn.

"Hey, babe." He struggled with the words. "One hell of a wake-up call."

He chuckled slightly, then Melody tightened the hold on his neck, even more, making his chuckle turn into croaks. She pressed her lips roughly against his. Under normal circumstances, Wade would have welcomed her affections. But this felt different. This wasn't her. This wasn't his Melody.

"Pánta tóso asteío, agápi mou. Allá den tha sas sósei."

His breath was fading. And blood started to stream down his back.

"Melody…Please…"

Then, suddenly, the force around his neck was gone. He sucked in quick breaths of air. The power that kept him against the wall was gone and he dropped to the floor on his knees. Melody grabbed her face and shook her head violently. Her power lowered her in front of Wade. He was coughing aggressively, desperately trying to catch his breath. Wade looked up at Melody's face. Tears flooded from her now closed eyes. And she couldn't stop apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Wade heaved himself to his feet. He tried to place his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she flinched and immediately retreated. Melody was still pale. She had broken into a sweat and she looked sick to her stomach. She pushed him away. She ran into the bathroom, holding her sides as she ran. Wade followed quickly when he heard her vomiting. He found her sitting on the edge of the tub, crouched over, hugging herself, and rocking back and forth. He sat by Melody. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She hid her face in his neck and sobbed.

Wade pulled Melody into his lap and rubbed her back to comfort her. His back started to heal and the glass fell into the tub. Once the wounds closed, he picked her up bridal style and carried her to the shower. She held on tight to his neck as he turned the water on and stepped into the chamber. Wade kept her close. He swayed gently as he hummed an unfamiliar song just to try giving his Melody some peace.

The hot water relaxed her muscles. She leaned in closer as her legs started to give out from under her. Wade sat on the tile floor and continued to hold her. Her sobs quieted but she was still crying. Wade buried his face into her wet mane. He kissed her forehead and kept his lips there as long as he could. And they stayed there until daybreak.