"Are you sure you're okay?" Steve said through the computer screen. "I mean I know it was years ago, but the last time this happened— "

"I know, Steve," Melody interrupted. "And I got it under control."

She turned away from the laptop that sat on the vanity. Her hair was braided into a bun with a few ringlets framing her face. A light shadow painted her eyes and made their natural pigment appear brighter and vibrant. Her lips where a soft, natural pink that matched a tint in her cheeks. Melody's body was hidden with a light grey silk robe. She glanced over her shoulder at her evening gown that hung in plastic on the open door. She faced the screen once again to see Steve and Tony sitting next to each other. Natasha was in the background, sitting in the pilot seat of the jet. Melody smirked slightly at the pout on Tony's face.

"I know, Mel," Steve chimed in. "You know I'm just looking out for you."

"Thanks, Dad," Melody said sarcastically.

"I was looking out for you too, kid. Until I was betrayed," Tony said in a passive-aggressive tone.

"I didn't tell you about the mission because you have the tendency to leak secrets, Tony," she mocked in the same tone.

"You couldn't trust me to keep a secret?"

Natasha laughed acerbically from her seat in the cockpit. Tony glared her from the corner of his eye. Steve rolled his eyes at the pair and continued the conversation with Melody.

"You ready for this, Mel?"

"I just want to get this over with, Cap. This has been going on long enough. I just want it to end."

A knock at the door caught Melody's attention. She quickly asked for the subject on the opposite end to wait a moment before turning back to the computer. "I have to go. I'll see you guys soon."

"Stay safe, kid," Tony said before the picture cut out.

Melody closed the laptop as she sighed. "Come in," she called out, her back still turned towards the doorway. She heard the door open but not close. She glanced over her shoulder to see a sight she wasn't prepared to see. Wade stood in the doorway. His left hand was hiding something behind his back while his other hand straightened the bowtie around his neck. Melody never thought that she would ever see Wade in a tuxedo. And she could honestly say she liked the look of it. His hair was combed and tamed. His white dress shirt and black suit jacket fit well on his torso, matching his slacks. Slick, black Calvin Klein's graced his feet. He leaned against the door frame with his ankles crossed over each other and one of his feet supporting his wait. Melody turned to face him as her eyes scanned all the way to the smirk on his face.

"Take a picture, sweetheart. It'll last longer," Wade mocked.

"Is it my fault that you clean up well?"

He smiled at her. Noticing her attire, he pushed off the doorframe and took her dress off the door opposite of himself. Wade slung the fabric over his shoulder and sauntered across the room. Melody crossed her arms over her chest. His eyes glanced down to skim the length of her tan legs and back up to her smug face.

"I could say the same to you," he chuckled. "You should wear that instead. It looks good on you."

"Oh, shut up," Melody proclaimed, lightly pushing him on her shoulder.

She took the dress out of his hands and examined it. She groaned and shook her head. Rubbing her temples, she threw the gown on the vanity and slumped against the duvet. Ever since the early morning, a mild migraine has been forming and it wasn't letting up. Melody's had headaches after power flare ups all the time, but those are usually gone within a few hours. She closed her eyes, hoping that covering the bright light would help her. She felt a warm hand on her back, rubbing small circles in a constant pattern. Melody leaned her head on Wade's shoulder when he sat next to her.

"Mel, are you okay?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Melody's head shot up. She breathed out a halfhearted chuckle that didn't sound like there was any humor hidden within it. She pushed him away as she heaved up off the duvet. Her arms were crossed over her chest but her back was still turned to him. The throbbing in her head was still pounding against her skull.

"Yes, Wade. I'm fine," she snapped. "First Steve. Now you. I swear to God, if someone else asks me if I'm okay, I'm going to start throwing punches."

"I'm sorry," Wade said as he stood up from his seat and dropped a velvet necklace box on the cushioned couch. "You know Steve and I care about you, Melody." He placed his hand on her shoulder, slowly sliding it down her back to rest in between her shoulder blades. "If this is about last night…"

"Don't." Melody interrupted. "Please. Don't remind me of what I did. It'll only make it worse."

"How about I try to help you forget?"

She felt him move away. She glanced over her shoulder to see him back at the duvet. He picked something up off the furniture. Wade ambled over to Melody, holding the box out in front of him.

"In my experience," he said cracking the box open slightly. "You can always make someone forget something bad with an amazing gift."

Melody smiled as he opened the box fully. Inside, laying on a bed of black velvet, was a rose gold chain with peach pearls arranged in various patches and patterns on the edge of the necklace. She took the piece of jewelry in her hands. Her fingers gently ran over the small gems. Wade smiled at the glow of joy that spread over her face. The pearls reflected in her eyes, making them shine and sparkle.

"Thank you, Wade."

"Well, you know. When it comes to hidden cameras, S.H.I.E.L.D. really has it figured out."

Wade seized the rose chain from her hands and pushed the robe away from her upper shoulder to expose her neckline. He clipped the chain, letting the metal fall on her skin. His thumb ran over her collarbone as she leaned her head against his chest. Wade wrapped his arms around Melody's waist and kissed her temple.

"I should get dressed."

Wade released her from his grip. Walking backward out of the room, he watched Melody slip the negligee from her shoulders and expose the bare, olive skin of her back. The long gold chain of her necklace dropped down to her mid-back. A grin formed on his lips as she nonchalantly stripped in front of him, like it wasn't a surprise what was under the thin fabric of her silk wrap. He stopped at the door frame, leaning his weight on the doorknob. Wade licked his lower lip as she held the dress up to cover her chest from his view.

"I was wrong, baby. You shouldn't wear anything at all."

"And give anyone else that pleasure? Mr. Wilson, I didn't know you were so generous," Melody teased as she ushered for him to finally leave.

"Good call," he yelled as he sauntered back to the door of her bedroom. "Wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea about me and my generosity."

Melody twittered as she heard the door close a few minutes later. A glimmer of light reflected off the diamond on her finger. Her stomach churned when the reality of her situation came flooding back to her. The only thing that kept her from going on a rampage was the fact that if she punched the mirror into hundreds of pieces, it would take at least a day or two for her to heal from it. Melody sighed to calm herself down. Then, she slid the soft silk garment onto her body and prepared for the night.

"So, I just got off the phone with Fury," Pierce said straightening his long suit tie. "The backup is on its way, and they'll be on standby until Mel gives the signal. She's running the show around here."

"That's not news." Wade clipped small communicators in place of his cufflinks and adjusted his earpiece. "Why don't you have to wear a bowtie? This is bullshit."

The men conversed with themselves as the guests started to file into the house. The foyer and main room were cleared for the party. Wade and Pierce stood against the wall. Their arms were crossed behind their backs as they watched a crowd from quickly. A small jazz band set up next to the grand piano. Two or three musicians plus a pianist began to play soft jazz and classical music that was slightly buried under the growing chatter of the party guests.

"Do you have eyes on Johnson?"

Pierce scanned the room until he saw the familiar face of their target. Dick was smiling with three men as they drank cocktails. The men had various women on their arms that seemed to pretend that they were interested in the conversation. Dick's eyes would occasionally glance up the stairs as he took a sip of his scotch. Soon, the women in the group broke off to make conversation with other guests. At that point, Dick gestured for the men to follow him.

"Subject is moving, in pursuit. Please standby," Pierce stated through the communicator as he made his way toward the group of men that left the main crowd of people.

"Stay on him, Pierce. Proceed with caution," Melody's voice rang from the earpieces.

Wade's focus stayed on Pierce until he saw him disappear into the crowd completely. Then, he turned back to the stairs. The sight that he saw at the top of the grand staircase made his knees weak and nearly collapse from under him. The dress hugged her curves. It was low cut and had a slit in the long skirt that exposed her tan legs. The thin straps were split and fell over her shoulders. The back was open, exposing her olive tan and the rose gold chain of her necklace. He gripped the banister at the bottom of the staircase. His mouth was agape as he watched Melody descend the steps and she smiled at him. Her dress flowed behind her as she walked, giving a glance of her strapped golden stilettos.

"Wow," Wade said to himself. Though Melody heard it anyways. She blushed as she took his hand. "You're beautiful."

"Thank you, dear. But you should close your mouth." She gently pushed his chin up and pressed his lips together. "You'll catch flies."

"And you'll catch everyone's eye."

They looped their arms together and disappeared into the crowd of party guests. Melody scanned the crowd of faces she knew she should have recognized but she couldn't be bothered to care. Both men and women turned their attention towards the couple. Normally, the attention wouldn't bother her. But this time it was different. She suddenly felt awkward and unsophisticated. Wade squeezed her hand that he, unknowing to her, had laced with his own. Melody sighed; feeling her anxiety melt away.

"You'll do great," he whispered to her. She managed to smile slightly. The faces in the crowd seemed to become more unrecognizable as they went on. Smiles faded into the lights and the judgmental eyes became colors. Eventually, a face appeared out of the sea of people. A woman with a pale complexion and dark hair with a man that had ashy blond hair and a freckled nose. Melody's headache seemed like the better option over the woman that found her in the crowd. Carol and George were the last people that she would want to see right now; besides her husband.

The hope that she would somehow turn invisible left quickly when she heard Carol squeal from across the room. Melody squeezed Wade's arm as a warning of what she was about to put him through. Wade turned to Melody with a questionable look in his eyes. He saw the look on her face, then saw the woman that was pushing her way through groups of people to get to them, dragging a man by the arm behind her. She didn't seem to be aware of what operation was going on with Dick, but Wade could see a resemblance between the two. As the woman got closer, Melody's face got more and more sickly looking. He quickly put his arm around her waist to reassure her that she wasn't alone.

"Mel!" Carol screeched in an annoying high pitched voice with her Long Island accent. "Oh my God. And here I thought you were never gonna join the party."

Melody felt physically sick. She needed a drink. And Wade could sense that. Melody only had a flute filled with golden champagne. He knew she would need something a lot stronger than that. A waiter walked by and Wade gave him Melody's empty glass as he asked for a tumbler of whiskey. The waiter nodded and rushed back from the bar with a glass of golden-brown liquor and ice. Wade thanked him as he gave the drink to Melody.

"Thank you so much," she mumbled. She drank half before she was able to face Carol.

Carol wore a honey-colored lace A-line evening dress. Her dark hair was done up in a classic bun. Her husband was dressed in a simple black tuxedo, like most of the men at the party. Carol drug him through the crowd until they came to a stop in front of Melody and Wade. A smile spread across her face as soon as she saw Melody. Overcome with excitement, Carol threw herself on top of Melody in a tight embrace. She smelt like she'd been drinking before the party started. Melody knew she had to be drunk. She wouldn't act like this if she wasn't.

Melody faked a smile as she pulled her sister-in-law off of her shoulders. "Carol. George. It's so nice to see you again."

"Oh, come on now. It's only been a few months." Carol's eyes shifted to Wade. "Mel, you never said you were bringing a gentleman friend."

"I don't remember mentioning anything about that, Carol."

Carol's forehead wrinkled and she knit her eyebrows together in confusion. "I was sure…"

"My wife is just confused," George interrupted. He reached a hand out to share a handshake with Wade. "George Cawford. A pleasure to meet you."

"Wade Wilson. Likewise."

"Melody," Carol chimed in again. "I thought you would be with my brother tonight. Where is Dicky anyways? It's his party and he's missing the whole thing."

"I'm sure he would love to join us. But I believe he's in his office…dealing with some work with his associates," Melody said as she tucked a loose curl behind her hear to disguise the fact that she tapped her earpiece twice to contact Pierce.

Carol kept complaining about Dick as Pierce's voice came in silently through Melody's earpiece. "Subject is in his office. No visual. Stand by. I'll alert when movement is confirmed."

"Anyways, it doesn't matter about Dick. You seem like you've found a companion for the evening," Carol said pulling her back to the conversation. Wade and George seemed to be having their own side conversation. She heard parts of it. George was asking about the best teams to bet on in this season of hockey playoffs and Wade was given the lineup he thought was most successful.

"Just remember what you do in marriages like this, Mel," Carol continued. In her drunken state, she probably didn't know what she was saying. She watched the wine in her goblet spin against the glass. "Men like my brother can't be satisfied. I'm glad he has you. Loyal, faithful, everything a good wife should be. So, tell me? Is Richard satisfied?" Her tone changed dramatically. Before it was cheery and easygoing, now it was demanding and threatening. With every word she said, Melody felt her stomach drop.

"Will you please excuse me, for one moment?"

Melody quickly made her way away from the group, not even bothering to tell Wade where she was going. She didn't even know where she was going. She just knew she needed to get away from Carol. Carol knew something about her brother's business, if she did, she wasn't going to say anything about it to Melody. Anything to not shatter the perfect illusion that was the Johnson family and what they stood for. Melody could hear Wade's voice calling after her, but she ignored it. His voice faded into the crowd as she went further and further. She clinched the tumbler glass in her hands so hard that her knuckles turned white. The early autumn breeze blew her shirt behind her as she walked out on the balcony off the ballroom. Melody finally heard something that she didn't know she needed until now; silence.

The soft sound of the band drifted out into the night air but the voices of the crowd faded into muffled hums behind the walls. Melody's hand was still tense around the glass. A headache throbbed as a dull numb in the back of her head and in her temples. Even when she was away from everyone and the party, she felt like she still couldn't breathe. The air caught in her chest and swelled around her heart. She was choking on nothing, but she was still alive. Small cracks formed down the rim of the glass as Melody released a shaky breath to calm herself. She rested her hands on the stone railing of the balcony. The terrace hung high over the back lawn of the house and overlooked the darkened valley.

Soft footsteps came up behind her. A familiar feeling came over Melody. She glanced over her shoulder to see concerned brown eyes looking back at her. She turned away, hiding from the man once again. She hoped she could ignore the world she was in for a few more minutes before being dragged back in. Looking out into the distance of the rolling hills, the thoughts of running away crossed her mind. The thought of just saying "Fuck it", jumping off the balcony, landing on the ground, running away, and never looking back. Leaving everything there. Wade, S.H.I.E.L.D, everything. No matter how much it hurt her to leave Wade, the idea still lingered in her brain. The knowledge that his life would possibly be less complicated without her dragging him into her problems. And S.H.I.E.L.D.? She wouldn't be able to hide from them. They would find her. They would always find her.

"Mel?" A concerned voice pulled her out of her thoughts. Wade walked up beside her and leaned against the railing. Melody wouldn't look at him. She continued to glare out at the dark horizon. Her lips were perched in a fine line like she was in deep thought. The glass in her hand cracked in a thin line along the edge. Her fist tightened around the glass until the pressure was too much. The tumbler shattered into pieces. Jagged glass cut Melody's hand causing Wade to panic when he saw blood. But she didn't seem phased by her own actions. "Melody? What the hell?"

Wade took the white pocket square from his breast pocket. He grabbed her hand and started to take pieces of glass out of her palm. Then he wrapped the cloth around the area that had the most damage. She held onto his hand suddenly. He soon felt weaker. Not a dramatic change, but enough to recognize the feeling. Melody was using her power on him once more. He thought she must be confused and didn't know she was even using it. But she too looked strained, like she was concentrating. The feeling stopped as soon as it started. The cloth around her hand was splattered with blood on the center of her palm but there didn't seem to be any additional stain. The cuts on her hand were gone completely.

"I'm sorry," she muttered.

"Dammit," Wade said as he stuffed the material back into his pocket out of sight. "What is it with you and scaring the hell out of me?"

A smile graced his lips, hoping it would prompt Melody to do the same. The corners of her mouth twitched up in a slight smirk, but she couldn't bring herself to make a full smile. A few small tears appeared in the corner of her eyes. She blinked them away fast. Her makeup was too expensive to waste on crying. But the ache on emotion that settled in her chest throbbed dully in her heart and crept its way into her throat to choke her.

"Why do we do this, Wade?" Melody said shaking her head.

Wade didn't respond, so she continued.

"We risk our lives, our sanity, the only things we can actually control, and we give them away to people that just want a job done. What's even the point? Huh? Whatever we do isn't going to save anyone. S.H.I.E.L.D. is fucked up to think that this is going to make any difference in the world. Honestly, who are we kidding?"

"Mel?"

She continued, not even hearing Wade's interlude. She started to pace, in short, rapid patterns. What she normally did with she was having small anxiety attacks. "You know what we should do? We should just run away. Forget everything that we did in the past. Hell, change our names if we must. If S.H.I.E.L.D finds us, we'll just fight our way out."

Melody took Wade's hands in hers. "What do you say, agápi mou?"

Wade knew she was about to break down. Whenever she was sad, angry, or out of control, she spoke in her native language. He learned that the hard way the night before. But he also knew if he didn't calm her down soon, she would become irrational.

"Mel," he said gently. "You know I would do anything for you. And I'd follow you anywhere. But you've come too far to back out of this now. You're going to get through this. You're gonna take this prick down. And you are going to be a hero."

Wade tucked a loose curl behind her ear and rested his hand on her cheek. She melted into him and relaxed. She blinked her eyes at him like she had been taken out of a trance.

"That's more than I will ever be."

Melody smiled lightly as Wade caressed his thumb across her smooth skin. He felt a slight bump on the side of her face next to her jawline as if she had a healed cut across the surface that lined her cheek. But it was invisible to Wade. She sighed and took his hand away from her face, and held it with her own. Wade kissed her knuckles.

"You're right," Melody breathed. "I guess the stress has just been a little much for me. I've never acted like this before."

"You ever try nonconventional stress relief? I believe masturbation is a good one."

Melody punched him in the shoulder, but her small act of fierceness wouldn't stop the twinkle of laughter that escaped past her lips. "Nice job killing the mood, Wilson. Why don't you go tell some orphans that Santa's not real too?"

Wade gasped. "Santa's not real?!"

Melody broke out in a full-on smile. "You're an idiot."

"There's the Mel I'm used to," Wade said taking her in his arms once more. She rested her head against his shoulder and supported herself on his chest. The sound of a soft piano flowed out of the ballroom and fell on their ears. Melody hid her face in his neck, a small laugh huffed through her nose as the harmony of a harmonica paired along with the ivories. His hands drifted to her waist, right above her hips. Wade rested his cheek against her head. He kissed her curls as she started to sway with her to the music. She took one of his hands and cupped it with hers while her other hand embraced his shoulder.

A smile crept to her lips as the vocalist began to sing. "I can't believe you requested Piano Man. Could you be more cliché?"

Wade chuckled. "You know I could." He hummed along with the song.

He swung Melody around and twirled her under his arm. Her twinkle of laughter lifted into the night air. The sound warmed his chest and caused his smile to widen. She pulled herself closer to him. Coiling in each other's arms. Their laughter nearly drowned out the music. They held each other close as the song started to increase in volume gradually. Her nose rubbed softly against his. His lips grazed along her cheek. Wade was overcome with sudden joy and he lifted Melody in his arms. The glimmer in her eyes as he spun around the balcony caused his heart to swell with emotion. The intensity of the music faded away, leaving them with a dull hum of the grand piano. Melody gripped her hands on his shoulders as Wade lowered her to the ground once more. She trailed up to his neck and pulled him close.

Wade smiled. No words were shared between them. Melody laced her hands together behind his neck. His skin was warm against her fingers. She gently tickled the nape of his neck, interweaving her fingers in his hair causing a shiver to trail down his spine. She could've thrown him head first off the balcony, into the garden, and he would've apologized to her. Melody had complete control. Wade wouldn't want to have it any other way. He brought her hand up to his lips and placed a tender kiss on her bent fingers.

"I worship you," he whispered. The tone of his voice made Melody curtain that he meant to say that to himself. The pit in her stomach only got deeper. Why did he have to be like this? Especially to someone like her. He may have put up a sarcastic, nonchalant, couldn't-care-less attitude. But she saw a broken, sad, and damaged man that might love her, or at least cared for her. Just the thought of the possibility that someone could, in fact, love her, made her feel hollow. She was poison, a virus without a cure, cancer with no treatment. If Melody didn't know any better, she would say that she would be the death of him.

Before she could protest, Wade captured her lips to pull her out of her thoughts. The pit in Melody's stomach disappeared as soon as they touched. Every shred of self-doubt that she once felt left her body in the form of a sigh against his lips. Melody deepened their embrace, trying to get as close to Wade as possible. As if he would be seized from her grasp at any moment and she would never see him again. She would go so far as to say that she loved him. Melody did care about him dearly, but love wasn't an emotion that came to people like her. At least not easily. And what if he didn't love her back? Would he even be here if he didn't?

Wade pulled her closer, as if he could hear her inner thoughts and was trying to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere. His hands were tight on her hips. He was afraid if he didn't hold onto her tight, she would run away in her confused state. And lord only knows what could happen to him without her. He already lost so much, Wade couldn't lose Melody too.

But of course, good things can't last forever.

Melody found herself on the cold marble of the balcony. Her cheek throbbed, and her nose was bloody and numb. The metallic taste of iron lingered on her tongue. The lips that were safely against Wade's were now stained red. Melody's vision blurred. She was sure she was punched; hard. If she didn't have enhanced abilities, the force alone would have killed her.

The event happened so fast that she didn't notice who hit her, but she had a hunch of who it could have been. She remembers the feeling of Wade being forcibly pulled away from her. But then all she felt was the numbing pain that was dulled against by the confusion in her skull. As her vision began to clear, Melody could make out the stars in the night sky, and the sound of Wade's gruff voice cursing into the chilled air.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Wade yelled at the two men that held his arms, restraining him away from helping Melody.

"I could say the same thing to you. Can't I Melody?" A cold, yet familiar voice cut through the thick autumn air. Melody's heart turned to stone and sank toward the ground. Above her was the face of the unrecognizable man that was her husband. Though his expressions had always been cold, there was a heat of white-hot rage behind his eyes. Dick's voice remained calm and intimidating. He rubbed his right hand at the knuckles and shook his head with disappointment. Melody looked past him to see Wade's continued to struggle against the other two men. Wade had to be keeping up appearances because he could've handled Dick's goons on any given day.

"Oh, Melody," Dick said frigidly. He knelt to be face to face with her. "What am going to do with you?"

His voice was cold and harsh, like a sharp knife that cut straight through her chest and twisted in a motion that mixed her blood with ice. Dick continued, "I took you from that awful place. I brought you into my home. Gave you everything you could possibly want. And what do you do to thank me?"

Melody looked into the wild bloodshot eyes of the animal that held her bruised jaw. Pupils blown wide like the eyes of an addict. That must have been it. Dick must've been doing coke. A faint trail of blood trickled out of his right nostril toward his lip. He nonchalantly cleaned it with the sleeve of his suit jacket.

"You betray me," he snarled through gritted teeth. "Just like the no-good whore before you."

"Salta gamisou, esý kommáti skatá," Melody gasped through the pain in her jaw.

"Tsk, tsk," Dick clicked his teeth. "Such a beautiful face, and such a foul mouth."

She spat the blood in her mouth out at him. He smirked, almost laughing at her actions.

"I guess you already know about Rachel, hmm? I'm sure your special friend, Wade, must've told you about it. But I'd like to give you the details. It might make your decisions easier in the future."

Melody shifted uncomfortably, trying hard to get away from Dick. But to no avail. He kept her close, holding her chin tightly in his hand. "Rachel was like you, Mel. But not as uncontrollable. She knew her place, up to a point. But then, she got a little too nosey. She got cocky. Incorrigible. Disobedient. She had to be dealt with. Do you want to know what happened to her?"

Melody shook her head furiously, her eyes clouded with tears and her chest tight with emotion.

Dick ignored her. "First, she tried to run away. But that just made her situation worse. By the time I was done with her, she couldn't run anymore. You should have seen her. So weak and pathetic. But she's always been that way. She was so passive when I had her. If she would've just minded her own business, I wouldn't have to act the way I did. You know what I did to her?" He leaned in close. "I slit her throat while she screamed for mercy. Watched the blood gush and flow down her neck. The sound of her gargling, choking on her own blood, it was music to my ears."

His voice got low and serious. "Do you want to know what that was like, Melody."

Her breath strained as she tried to stop the tears from escaping her eyes and showing weakness to Dick. But she was frightened. She'd seen a lot of frightening things in her life, but this was a life and death situation and it was staring her straight on. But before Dick could do anything to hurt her physically, a broken chuckle was heard behind them.

Dick snarled and turned toward the mercenary that was being held back by the other men. An insane cackle escaped Wade's mouth and got more erratic and creepy. His face turned dark and unreadable. Dick grabbed a fist full of Melody's hair, causing her braid to come loose and topple over her shoulders.

"You sadistic, fuck," Wade growled in a low, hoarse voice that he only used when he was pissed off to no end. "What makes you think you could actually get away with this?"

Melody gave Wade pleading eyes like she was silently warning him to be cautious. His deep brown iris' reassured her that he knew what he was doing. It took every nerve in his body not to break free and blow there cover by beating Dick to a bloody pulp. But it wasn't the time for that; that wasn't what was going to happen tonight. They needed more time. S.H.I.E.L.D. should've been there by now. Wade needed to distract Dick until backup came.

Dick chuckled darkly. "I don't see how I couldn't? Once I get rid of you two," he tightened his grip on Melody's hair causing her to shriek slightly. "No one will be left to stop me."

"You think we're the only people investigating you?" Wade resumed. "You thought killing Rachel would stop it, didn't you? And how did that work out? You're paranoid. Panicked. Looking anywhere for a way out, but running into a brick wall of evidence against you. You have nowhere left to go, so now you're cleaning house."

Dick waved the men away. The two assailants holding Wade back by his arms backed to the entryway of the balcony and disappeared by into the party. Wade huffed out a breath as he climbed back to his feet from his knees. The two men were face to face. Their eyes trying hard to cut through the other, but failing to do so. Dick's cold blue eyes were filled with the only thing that Wade could use against him, fear. He was afraid. Afraid of losing everything in a matter of seconds by the one person that he thought he had complete control over. His entire world was falling apart, and Wade was going to use that against him.

Dick was the first to avert his eyes away from the mercenary, his first mistake when he heard Melody whimper slightly from the pain. He scoffed at her and threw her against the stone. Her hands were bloody from the rock and the force. Her dress was torn from the beating and her hair was a wild mess. Dick backed away from her, clinging to the railing in a paranoid manner. His eyes shifted between Wade and Melody. Wade kept his gaze on him as he helped Melody to his feet. The young couple shared a few words of comfort before they continued to acknowledge the other man with them. Wade offered his arm to support Melody, but she denied. She stood up strong, but a weight was still on her shoulders as she glared daggers at her husband.

Wade continued his monologue. "I've seen that look before, Johnson. Fear. Panic. Maybe some regret. Feelings you haven't felt before. Those won't go away by killing up. They'll just get worse. They'll eat you alive for as long as you live. You may not feel guilt right now. But I guarantee you, as the years go by, that pit in your stomach is just going to grow and eat you alive. And you'll want to eat a gun. As much as I would love to hear that the devil finally dragged your ass to Hell, I would be sad that it wasn't one of us that helped you there. So, I suggest that you give up now. Because no matter where you go, or what you do, for the rest of your miserable life you will never be free again. You will always be looking over your shoulder thinking, 'have they found me?' 'is this going to be the end?'. Do you really want to live a life like that?"

"Why are you telling me all this?" Dick questioned.

Wade smirked, "I like to call it a distraction."

The music in the main room stopped suddenly. Shouts of the party guests echoed through the halls of the house. The front door crashed open and a S.W.A.T. team came rushing inside. The people in the main foyer put their hands up in the air and lowered to the ground. Before mass panic could start, the crowd saw a familiar face of a hero emerge from the black tactical gear the wall of men was wearing. The face of Captain America stepped into view, and the crowd settled from unorganized panic to suspicious mumbles amongst themselves. Behind him entered Iron-man and Natashia guns at the ready with the team.

Dick looked back at Melody. His cold blue eyes stared deep into her soul, but this time she could look back without fear. The glare on his face was nothing compared to the things he was about to go through. Her chest swelled with confidence that she hadn't felt since she started this mission. She could hear the footsteps of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and her colleagues come rushing down the hallway towards the balcony.

"Richard Johnson," Melody announced as two men from the S.W.A.T. team grabbed Dick's arms and cuffed his hands behind his back.

"You fucking bitch!" Dick screamed as the S.W.A.T men restrained him.

She continued, "You are hereby under arrest by The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division, the Department of Homeland security, and the United States government for eighty-five counts of human trafficking, sexual assault, and the rape and murder of government agent, Rachael Mores."

"You're a cop?"

Steve and Tony stood behind Melody as she stood staring at the man on his knees in front of her. She paraded over to Dick, a serious expression darkened her face leaving no room for emotion. The men on the balcony surrounded her with silence. Natasha was at the entryway, facing the crowd inside. She glanced over her shoulder at the scene that was unfolding behind her. Melody knelt face to face with Dick. Wade was concerned about Melody's state of mind; hoping that she was stable enough to control her power, especially now.

"Special Agent Melody Russo, of S.H.I.E.L.D." She finally said breaking the uneasy silence. The look on Dick's face was more rewarding than anything she could've asked for. His face went pale and sickly. He was done. There was nothing he could say or do to get out of this situation. The S.W.A.T. men dragged him to his feet, his wrist straining against the cuffs.

Melody looked him straight in the eye without fear for the first time in a long time. Her eyes were unreadable to him, something that he had never experienced in his life.

"Who's the bitch now?"

Dick's face turned back to a hard expression. He snarled at Melody and tried to pull his arms out of the grasp of the S.W.A.T. men. But they held him tight and hauled Dick into the ballroom as he screamed the worst obscenities at the woman that took him down. The frightened people sat on the marble floors avoiding the hate-filled eyes of their host as he was pushed through the crowd. The S.W.A.T. team took Dick out of the house and into a black van that had his associates already in the back. Five other men sat with their wrists locked to the railing above their heads with handcuffs. Dick sat on the end of the bench. His hands cuffed to the railing like the others, he looked out the small window of the back door. He looked at Melody one last time. The look in his eyes gave her the message. She was sure he was trying to say, "This isn't over." And Melody knew it wasn't the end of any of this. But she held her head high and watched as the van sped away with the felons.

A weight was lifted off Melody's shoulders, finally. She felt like crying, yelling, and celebrating all at once. But the lingering feeling of doubt would creep up any moment now, and she knew she would come crashing down from this high too fast if she let her guard down at any moment. And on her list of things to deal with, an angry sister-in-law was the last thing Melody wanted to handle at this moment.

Carol stormed up to Melody, a fire in her eyes of pure rage. Without warning, Carol struck a hard blow across Melody's face. Wade, Steve, and Tony came rushing to her aid, but she waved them off. She wanted to hear what the woman had to say about what happened with her brother. George pushed through the crowd, looking disheveled as he chased his wife. Carol's nostrils flared with anger and her face was red. Bitter, angry tears stained her cheeks and ruined her eye makeup. She was too upset to care about how crazy she looked to the others around her.

"How could you do this to us?" Carol cried hysterically. "We took you into our family when you came from nothing. All you had to do was be a good wife and keep your mouth shut about all of this."

"Carol," Melody snapped. "I suggest that you keep your mouth shut or I'll arrest you too for conspiracy and being an accomplice to human trafficking." She signaled to two men in suits before Carol could object. "Gentlemen, please take Mr. and Mrs. Cawford to our facilities with the other guests and make sure they are taken care of."

George grabbed Carol's arms to stop her from lashing out again. He made sure that she walked down the hall and out of the foyers; it was just a matter of time before she started kicking and screaming. Carol screaming bloody murder currently wouldn't help Melody's headache and the face that came up to her didn't either. She dreaded this moment the most. How was she going to explain this clusterfuck to her supervisor, who just so happened to be walking up to her.

A man with faded blond hair and a smug face swaggered in Melody's direction. She desperately tried to avoid eye contact; look anywhere except for in front of her. She looked for Wade. Her eyes searched through the crowds of confused people. She saw him across the foyer talking to Pierce, who was being checked by the S.H.I.E.L.D. medical team for a head wound. They found him in the hallway with his head split open from a blow with a lamp. She never got a warning message from him when Dick left his office; that must've been why.

But Melody was still in her own crisis now. She couldn't signal to Wade to help her, and it would be too obvious that she was avoiding her superior officer. But it was too late to ignore him any longer. The man wore a pinstriped suit and a thin black tie. His dull blond hair was greying on the sides. His face was wrinkled with lines from smug smiles and scowls of disapproval. But now, his face was a smug smile, like he planned the whole ordeal. There was no surprise what Melody felt about him. If the glares she shot his way was any indicator.

"Agent Russo." His voice rang thick in Melody's ears. She turned to face him as he continued. "I see everything went according to plan."

Melody scoffed, "'According to plan'? Tell me, Alexander. How is your brother almost bleeding out in the hallway and my psychopath husband threatening to kill me, part of the 'plan'?"

Alexander chuckled darkly, causing Melody's glare to intensify.

"I didn't authorize a freelance agent to join in on this mission."

Melody glanced over his shoulder at Wade. "I needed help. And it's not like this mission was high on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar."

He interrupted her abruptly. "Get rid of him."

Melody was stunned. Her heart dropped into her stomach. And a lump formed in her throat. Her heart pounded in her chest with anger. "Excuse me?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't need any looser ends. The department definitely doesn't need another loose cannon mercenary on permanent payroll." His backhanded words stung. "I'm sure he knows your story, Melody."

Her face fell as she avoided his eyes.

"Ah. Of course, he doesn't." Alexander lifted her chin so that she looked him in the eyes. "We both know you don't want your S.H.I.E.L.D. file to go public. And I've done my best to keep it safe and secure. I'd hate to see what Wade would do if he knew about everything you did that led you to your particular skill set and your line of work."

Melody could fell the order that she was regretting coming up at any minute. She couldn't do that to Wade. He's already lost so much; she couldn't take away the one thing that kept him grounded in normal society. Melody jerked away from Alexander. A glare permanently plastered on her face for the remainder of their conversation.

But the orders came, and they stung like a knife in the back.

"Erase his memory."

Alexander squeezed her forearm as he walked away to handle the commotion of the people. As he left her alone, Wade crossed from the opposite end of the foyer. The room was nearly emptied, with only a few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the forensics team documenting the scene. The smile on Wade's face faded when he saw Melody. She was almost a sickly pale color. She looked like someone had punched her in the gut again and she couldn't breathe.

"Mel, are you okay?" Wade asked as he attempted to hold her in his arm. She flinched. He pulled away, thinking that he had hurt her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

She looked up at him. A small smile crept on her face. His warm brown eyes were full of compassion and understanding, two things that she hadn't known she needed to see.

"You didn't. I'm fine…. I'm fine," she hoped she didn't sound as unsure as she felt. "It just doesn't feel like it's actually over."

"Don't worry, babe." Wade pushed her bangs out of her eyes and caressed her cheek. "I'm here for you."

He pulled her into a tight embrace and she melted into him. She felt like they fit so perfectly together. Like they were both missing each other and had to find each other to feel whole again. After months of going through all this together, she couldn't see anyone else she could possibly spend her life with. But would she go as far as to say she loved him? Even she couldn't answer that question. There were so many thoughts going through her mind all at once.

And Alexander's orders were still ringing in her head. Silent tears fell from her eyes and onto Wade's shoulder. She wished he didn't notice.

'Erase his memory.'