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JIGSAW

'for those who can't find love. Fuck love, find crazy, your kind of crazy, and run with it.'

Deadpool Copyright by Marvel (Obviously)

Jigsaw Copyright (not really) by Iland Girl

Chapter 3

Jenna saw a lot while working at the bar. Some stuff was shocking while other things slowly felt like another Tuesday afternoon. She'd watch Buck pull a sawed-off shotgun from his waistband and plop it on the bar casually while adjusting his junk, only to casually tuck it back in when he went to leave. She watched hookers swing around the room hunting down cash to bump fuzzies. Some were frequently around, others very casual.

The only other waitresses that worked were Kandy and Kelly. Kandy ignored Jenna's existence while Kelly was actually a sweetheart. Kelly was taller than Jenna by a few inches, but she was a lot calmer than the rest of the patrons. She was a single mom of two teen boys, and this bar gave stupidly good tips when people were feeling generous. This was something Jenna learned early on. If she was quick, which she almost always was, the tips flowed nicely.

Since they were paid just in cash every night, Jenna quickly found a new problem that she had never had before. She didn't have a bank account, or a phone, or even a purse to keep all her money in. Most of her clothing she had lifted from shops or simply walked out wearing the items after removing tags. She literally just had the clothing on her back, so holding huge wads of cash was quickly becoming a problem, especially as the shifts progressed.

As much as she didn't want to, she ended up spending some money on a handbag. It was cheap, black, looked almost like an ugly fanny pack but larger. She stuffed the wads of cash in there and wore it across her chest under her heavy denim jacket.

Her time at the bar had gotten her in a rhythm, in just five days she had her system in place. She would go to the bar at about six in the afternoon to clock in, which meant she got free food on shift, but her actual job rarely started before eight. She usually just did the prep for Kelly and Kandy considering she had nothing else to do. Her shift would last until three in the morning, then she would offer to clean up, then be set free. The main reason she offered to do the cleaning was because it meant another few hours in a warm building.

At five in the morning, she usually made her way to the park to grab a coffee from the local vendor- which was so bizarre since she could buy food now- and relax in the park as the sun rose. She would then head off to the NYCP to get a free shower and to relax for a bit. Then she'd head to the local library, pretend to grab a book, maybe sometimes actually read, but mostly she just slept. Then at five she would start heading back to Sister Margaret's.

However, on the sixth day, her schedule was interrupted. Weasel told Jenna to 'go do kid shit or whatever' for a night. It was a specific night that was supposed to be extra rowdy at the bar, something about the Deadpool being won and a party happening. Which was fine for the most part, since Jenna didn't really like the noise and the music hurt her ears after so many nights in a row. The problem was that Jenna didn't have anywhere to go.

Normally, she would avoid this end of town like the plague at night, but since she had made her way to the bar and was then turned away, she was a bit stuck on this end with the sun going down, frost on her breath reminding her she was about to freeze her ass off.

What was worse was the huge wads of cash still stuffed underneath her jacket, and the male gazes following her as she tried to make her ways away from the bar.

Sister Margarets was not a particularly easy place to find at night, it had been a complete accident the first time she ran through the doors of the bar. She had been avoiding leery eyes when she booked it inside praying for salvation. Weaving out of the alleys and to the main streets took some effort, especially to avoid the shady groups hanging around.

Jenna kept her eyes ahead of her, not making eye contact with anyone, walking like she had a purpose.

"Damn, what's a pretty thing like you doing by yourself?"

She heard the voice and ignored him, walking a little quicker.

"Hey now, no need to rush, we just wanted to get acquainted." Another voice sniggered, followed by a holler. Jenna tried to go around the corner, but another body stopped her. She spun and tried walking in a different direction, but two other men circled her. She stood still, shrugging off a hand that touched her shoulder as they came closer. Finally, Jenna looked up at the first one to holler at her, eyes piercing. He gave her a leery look.

"Awe, you're a pretty little thing ain't'chu?" He tried to pet her cheek; she moved her head away though.

"Don't touch me." She lowered her voice an octave. The men laughed, the first tried to touch her again. This time she whipped her head around and bit down on his hand so hard she drew blood. He yanked it back, her teeth making drag marks as he flinched away from her. She spun and punched the second guy in the face, but the third grabbed her and spun her to punch her face. She reeled at the attack, but recovered before trying to punch him back. He caught her arm, but was now leaning close enough for her to headbutt his nose. He dropped her, stunned and she took off at an uncoordinated sprint.

"Get back here you bitch!" She heard one yell, and gunshots were going off from where they had been. Jenna ran for her fucking life like the mob was on her tail. She dove through other alley ways and across busy streets with zero self-preservation until she was miles away from where she had been. It was only when she jumped over the fence and into someone's backyard that she finally stopped to assess herself.

Her head was ringing, her right eye felt puffy and tender to the touch. She wiped her mouth of blood, unsure whether it was hers from being punched or from biting the guy. Her forehead hurt from the headbutt as well, the center tender to the touch as well. She sighed, resting her head against the fence and allowing herself a moment of peace.

Much to her dismay, the wounds turned black and purple the next day. She had bruised herself quite a bit running away too, and decided she needed to buy a weapon next to defend herself. Her right eye's swelling went down after she iced it periodically and bought some advil to numb the pain, but the coloring stayed. Jenna didn't have the will to buy makeup to cover the bruises though, so she just tried to get back to her routine and came to the bar early as per the norm.

"Holy shit! What happened to your face hun?!" Kelly exclaimed as she came into the bar. Jenna pursed her lips as she continued to prep limes and lemons for the night.

"Eh, some assholes chased me down. Which reminds me, who can I talk to around her to buy a good knife?" She filled a large bowl with the lemon and lime wedges before cleaning the cutting board. Kelly helped her out, but then gently turned her face to look closer.

"I'm fine Kelly." Jenna assured. Kelly scoffed at her.

"My ass you're fine! Get some ice on that!" She handed her some ice chips and waited until Jenna gently brought some to her face.

"I iced it all day." She assured, though the mother didn't look convinced at all.

"Sure sure, anyway, you can probably talk to Wade about getting some steel. He's got a soft spot for you, so he won't rip you off in the process." She began to go about her routine, missing Jenna's frown.

"Soft spot? What do you mean?" Jenna asked, only partially playing dumb. It was true Wade had been very kind to her, going out of his way to help her out to get the job, but she hadn't had many conversations with him save for a snarky throw back here and there with him since. Kelly laughed at her question.

"Oh please hun, you've been here- what? Five days? Old Wadey boy hasn't been to this bar this often in months. Now he suddenly comes every day?"

"Isn't he dating Kandy? Or, bumping fuzzies with her at least?" Jenna felt bizarre asking that. It wasn't like any of it was her business.

"Eh, don't let that slow you down hun, Wade's got the attention span of a golden retriever. Though, I would tread carefully. He didn't become a mercenary without a good reason. Man humps trouble wherever he can."

Jenna didn't have to heart to correct Kelly's comments about her and Wade, which she still chalked partially to coincidence. Besides, the man was so much older than her. She wasn't blind, he was stupidly fucking attractive, but he had to be around his early thirties, which was almost twice her age.

Their convos died for the time being as patrons began to enter the bar. Some asked her how she was wounded, others like Jones, ordered a shot and bought it for her.

"If someone managed to knock you once, I'm sure he ain't breathing." He told her. She gave a cheers before downing the drink, much to Weasel's dismay. However, he couldn't stop her lest he reveal her secret.

It was a few hours deeper into the night that the bar's resident asshole showed up.

"Wade fucking Wilson. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Weasel asked as the merc sidled up to the bar.

"Oh you know, I was in the neighborhood after shaking down a few thugs and thought I had better wet my whistle. Nothing like a good pint of overpriced beer after pissing all over a corpse." He tossed a twenty on the bar and Weasel pulled the bill before grabbing him his usual.

"Yeah I saw your Instagram update. Nice song choice for your story." Weasel said as he slid the drink over. Wade hummed a reply, looking out over the crowd. "She's here, relax. Just working like usual."

Wade looked back at Weasel with the most disgustingly sweet expression on his face. The smaller man considered telling Wade about Jenna's face before they met but didn't get a chance as the blonde emerged from the crowds and stepped behind the bar. The merc's gaze went a little softer, then hardened as soon as he laid eyes on the bruises.

"What the actual fuck happened to you?" His voice never lost that preppy lilt as Jenna looked up at him. She had a real shiner, and another bruise on her forehead. Much to his surprise, she smirked.

"Should see the other guys." She continued mixing drinks.

"I thought you'd just be joining as a waitress, not hopping in on the deadpool. You really have no self-preservation do you kid?" Wade watched her work, peaking at the bruises visible on her arms too.

"Pfft, and serve drinks for the rest of my life? What do I look like? A fucking amateur? I'll get my own fur coat and everything. Reminds me, where do you find the good weapons?" She quipped back. Wade sipped his drink, though Weasel could see the tension in his shoulders.

"I told you, I was born with it. Unless your momma sheared the sheep when you were born, I doubt you'll ever earn your own wool jacket. Some are just born for fame." Wade saw a small cheeky grin slip onto her face then. "But seriously, who the fuck did you piss off enough to get smacked?"

Jenna licked her lips, then looked over to the living fossil and raised a brow.

"What's it to you?"

"I just wanna have a talk with them is all." Wade defended. Jenna raised a brow.

"Is this some part where you go big brother mode on me and get all protective?" She was taunting him, but he shrugged it off.

"You're a big girl, aren't you? I'm sure you can take care of yourself." He paused, then reached for his belt and pulled out a switchblade before placing it on the counter in front of her. She paused in her work and looked from it to him.

"I don't have the goods you're looking for, but until I do, this will be better than those tiny blobs you call fists." Jenna scoffed.

"I can punch pretty good." She defended.

"Oh I'm sure, all the preschoolers tremble when you get on the yard." He continued to drink his beer. In a fit of rage and with speed Wade was surprised by, Jenna grabbed the switch blade, opened it, and stabbed the bar top next to his sleeve. Barely an inched between his wrist and the blade. He paused, then looked up at her eyes.

And god fucking dammit was it not the hottest thing to watch her lean over him like that.

"I've gone up a step. The middle school yard's my new playground." She spoke calmly, in a low octave. Wade stared at her face, the purple bruises weirdly pronouncing the green of her eyes even more. She smirked, then pulled the blade out of the wood. It was then that she inspected it more carefully.

"Well, at least you know which end to poke them with." Wade conceded, finishing his drink. They made eye contact again as Wade rushed to get away from her. Jenna frowned slightly as he quickly excused himself. Wade on the other hand, was desperately trying to find Kandy to deal with his onset of urges for the night.

Jenna went back to work, pocketing the switchblade properly before carrying on like nothing had happened. Wade vanished with Kandy for a while during the night, much to Weasel's displeasure, only to reappear and shit disturb until closing time.

However, instead of sidling out at closing, Wade hung around waiting for her. Jenna was a bit confused, especially since almost everyone else was gone.

"Hey, Babyface, come here." Wade called her over to the table. As much as she didn't like the titles he came up with, she didn't have the will to argue with him right now. She walked over to where he was nursing his last drink of the evening. Slowly, he slid a glass of water over to her, then took the lemon from his drink and dropped it into the glass. She slid into the chair and stared at the water.

"Oh don't worry, if it was poisoned, I wouldn't wait until the bar was empty like a fucking moron." He kept a fake smile until she slowly drank it. "So, I just wanted you to run something by me. Where do you live exactly?"

"What?"

"Where do you hunker down? What's your spot? God what do the kids call it? Your crib? Daddy doesn't rock you to sleep anymore, does he?"

She looked away from him, not sure how to answer that.

"Nowhere." It was the most straightforward answer. Jenna looked back at him, expecting either mockery or pity, but there just seemed to be an understanding. Like a piece of a puzzle was finally in place.

"And how long has nowhere been your residence?" He asked slowly. She licked her lips, Wade pretended not to notice.

"In six weeks, it'll be two years."

"Well fuck me, you're a seasoned veteran, aren't you?" Wade was a bit surprised by the number. She didn't look rough enough for the streets, granted her sticky fingers probably helped a lot. She was very skinny for her size and needed a good twenty pounds on her frame to look healthy.

Jenna was not so thrilled about admitting the truth to him despite Wade's enthusiasm.

He suddenly got up, chugged his drink, and motioned for the door.

"C'mon, I got a little surprise for you." He ushered her to get up and abandoned her half drank water. She followed him out the door, confused as Weasel and Kelly just waved at her while she left.

Jenna decided to put a bit of faith in the old man, sticking close to his back as he walked. When they neared the location to where she had been cornered, she grabbed his jacket and pulled herself a bit closer out of reflex. He looked down at her, then glanced around, before putting a hand between her shoulder blades and gently guiding her to walk beside him.

"Stay close, it's always a hassle leaving through this part," he glanced down at her. "But you figured that one out, didn't you?"

His gaze grazed over her face once more before ultimately looking ahead to guide them.

Jenna had been through this part of town but was confused when she was tugged towards shambled apartment building. It wasn't a sophisticated locking system to the apartment, just simple keys and codes for entry. Jenna followed, confused where he was leading her until they got to the fifth floor. There were only two apartments on each floor, right across the hall from each other. The hallway was an off-white with little paint chips visible along with cracks in the walls and ceiling, but the building looked sturdy.

"Here, come see." It was strange to Jenna that Wade sounded like a kid in a candy shop. Jenna watched him pull out a key and open the apartment door. Inside was pretty empty. There was a fridge, a tiny stove, a turned over plastic lawn chair, and at the far side she could see a broken looking desk.

"This is... nice." She said slowly. The entire place was empty, but the walls were sturdy and the view out the views wasn't too bad. Wade stood beside her as she looked out the window.

"So this building has a hard time renting out apartments. Something about a local mercenary living on the fifth floor and resident's freaking out at blood stains sometimes left in the elevator." He said it so happily that Jenna almost didn't cotton on to what he was saying.

"Wait, do you live here?" She asked, looking up to him. He nodded.

"Across the hall. Anywho, so I mentioned to the tenant that maybe if they eased up on their agreements maybe they could find some more people. I also mentioned a very young peppy girl that would literally rather sleep in a park all day if it meant not paying the New York price for apartments and he seemed to consider lowering the price."

Wade watched with delight as the cogs got to work in Jenna's brain.

"Wh-….. I-…. You mean...?" Her chest was on fire with emotion. Wade dangled the keys in front of her.

"I may have paid the first month's rent already, so you owe me. I promise not to be a shitty neighbor and won't track blood in the halls... too often."

Jenna was fighting back tears now, wanting to keep herself in check but failing to do so at this sheer act of kindness.

"You knew? You- why? Why would you do this?" She said in the softest whimper. This couldn't be real, could it? Wade settled down, softly depositing the key in one of her waiting hands. He'd seen her sleeping in the park during the day, walking out of the NYCP on more than one occasion.

"You said Daddy's a dick, means you chose to leave. So, if something was that bad that you'd choose this life? Means you've got big kahunas. And you might need a bit of help starting over is all. Hey don't cry, this is still all your responsibility-"

He stopped talking when she leaned into him and gave a hesitant hug. Wade froze, not sure what level of reaction was an appropriate response. But at the single sniffle she gave off he had her swaddled in a bear hug. His arms were massive compared to her tiny frame, and she relished the warmth of that embrace.

It had been the first gentle contact she had had in over two years, and while it felt foreign, she committed it to her memories.

Oh hey there. It's been a hot fucking minute hasn't it? So sorry. Honestly It's been a wild ride. Basically,I had the entire 20 chapters written out, on my phone...my phone literally died the daty I intended to continue writing. I took a fit, then got distracted, but I'm on a god damn role today. Updated two fics in one day!

Listen, I understand people have probably moved on from this story, but I would also like to say that I have never seen someone more born for a role than Reynolds is for Deadpool. God that man is amazing.

Anywho, I'm hoping the characterization wasn't too rough. Wade is just such an odd duck. Also apologies if the ending seems rough. I need a new keyboard. Mine keeps randomly cutting out at odd intervals so I've been spastically weriting in between and given up on editing.

Anyway, until next time!

Cheers!

Iland Girl