Vanessa, Annie, and Wade | Late Wednesday Night

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Vanessa stops by to check on Libertine's daughter and gets roped into staying longer than she anticipated.


Vanessa hadn’t been by to check up on Annie in person yet, a bit consumed with the investigation and focused on getting Laura out as soon as possible. She’d been in touch with Wade since dropping the little girl off Monday night, possibly to an obnoxious degree. The guy could only endure so many text messages when overcome with the general misery that he landed in after immunotherapy, right? Nevertheless, she had made a promise to the girl’s mother.

He knew to be expecting the metamorph, but it was later than anticipated when Vanessa got there. She was happy to find his suite door locked for once, since she would prefer not just anyone be allowed to wander in and out with Annie about. Charles had been told what she was up to in terms of stashing her there to keep her safe. He hadn’t asked for more details and she hadn’t offered them. Disclosure beyond the Professor had been left to Wade.

Outside your door, she typed into a text and sent it off to Wade. The kid should be asleep at this hour and if she was a light sleeper Vanessa didn’t want to risk waking her by knocking on the door.

Wade looked over at Annie where she was all curled up on the end of the couch and then glanced toward the door. The kid didn’t want to sleep in the spare room because she’d been having nightmares, so he’d made up the couch for her and slept in the chair just in case, but he’d gotten a crick in his neck after two nights of doing that, so he’d decided a pallet on the floor would work better.

Which was why, once he’d opened the door, he looked at Vanessa and seemed even more tired than he had when she’d dropped the kid off on Monday night. “Hey,” he said. “She’s not asleep at the moment. She was for a while, but she had another nightmare, so we’re just chilling. I was thinking I’d put a movie on Netflix or something until she got tired again.”

Vanessa frowned, partly at the look of her friend and partly at the fact the kid was doing so poorly away from her mother. She gave Wade a one-armed hug as she wandered through the door. “Sorry, mate. Have I mentioned lately how immensely I owe you for doing this for me?” She meant that sincerely. Vanessa had told Wade Monday that any favor he needed pulled in by her in recompense was his. She hadn’t stuck any limits on that favor, either, which was indication enough of what him doing this meant to her. Especially when he was sick.

Crouching down by the arm of the couch, the woman folded her arms atop it and set her chin down so she could look at Annie more on eye level. “Nightmares still, huh? You like the couch, at least?” She didn’t think the couch could possibly be that uncomfortable. She’d fallen asleep on it plenty of times herself. Well, she’d fallen asleep on Wade on the couch, maybe that made a difference.

Wade relocked the door, then sat on the floor, his back braced against the couch, and tipped his head to the side so he could see the ladies.

Annie nodded, though she didn’t speak immediately. She had her arms wrapped around her pillow and a blanket pulled up around her shoulders. “Is Momma alright?”

An arm slid out from under Vanessa’s chin so she could run her fingers through the little girl’s hair gently. “Aye, momma’s fine, little bit. I talked to her today. She said she misses you and she’ll see you soon as she can, okay? And I’m gonna try to get you back to her soon as I can, alright?” Her voice was gentler with the child than it was normally. Vanessa’s tone tended toward the harsher edge of blunt a lot of the time, but there was a softness when she dealt with the little girl rarely seen otherwise.

“Promise?” Annie didn’t know much about what was going on, only that some men had picked her up from school and her momma hadn’t liked it. Then they’d gone to stay with Macie, one of her momma’s friends, but now she was here instead. Her momma had said it was to keep her safe, but that meant that her momma wasn’t safe, since she wasn’t here, too. And Annie was trying to be brave, but she missed her momma and she liked Wade but he didn’t like eating his vegetables and that was one of the things Miss Nessa had told her to make sure he was doing.

“Promise. I could let you talk to her. Would you like that?” Vanessa’s pre-paid was disposable enough and she’d given Libertine a new pre-pay phone to use so she could keep in contact with Vanessa during the investigation. No one would have the number to trace unless they got to either her or Libertine. If that happened they were in bigger trouble than a traced call anyway. “I bet she’s still awake and she’d like to talk to you. Maybe it’d help you sleep?”

Annie nodded, her chin rubbing against her pillow. Leaning in a little, she whispered, “Wade didn’t eat his vegetables today. I tried to make him, but he said he wasn’t hungry. Can I still talk to momma?”

Vanessa laughed and cast a suspicious, narrow-eyed look in Wade’s direction. “Aye, you can still talk to momma. He’s quite unruly. Raised by wolves, I’ll have you know. Getting him to behave proper is a right struggle. Did you get him to eat them yesterday?” Even as she asked Vanessa was calling Libertine and waiting for her to pick up.

“He ate a little,” Annie said, casting a concerned look in Wade’s direction. “But not a lot. He promised he’d do better tomorrow.”

In truth, Wade hadn’t been eating much of anything lately, but he didn’t feel like the kid needed to know why. They had a nice little cave sort of thing going on here, what with the blinds and curtains always drawn and all the pillows in the living room, so at least they were mostly comfortable.

“I bet he will. If he promises he keeps to it. Even the wolves taught him you don’t go breaking promises.” She was smiling, it was hard not to with the look Annie was giving Wade.

When Libertine answered Vanessa gave the little girl quite the mischievous grin. “Hey, I’ve someone who’d like to chat with you. Nothing’s the matter, she’s just having nightmares and wants to check on you.” Vanessa offered the phone to Annie with nothing more than a grin.

“Momma?” Annie took the phone and cradled it in her hands, cheek and ear pressed close to it as she listened to her mother, speaking softly.

Wade motioned for Vanessa to come sit next to him while Annie and her mother spoke, letting his temple rest against the arm of the couch. “How’re things going?” He asked, eyes heavy-lidded from exhaustion. He had a headache, the dull kind that throbbed more than pounded, but he wasn’t letting on about that, since he was pretty sure it’d just make her squint at him more.

After shifting over to sit by Wade Vanessa ended up with her hand stroking his hair much in the same manner she had been with Annie. He looked like hell. “They’re going. We’ve got something to go on but now we’ve got to dig up real info,” she told him very quietly so Annie wouldn’t hear. “You look like hell, love. You sure you’re up for this?” She was frowning, of course. Vanessa didn’t doubt Wade would look after and protect Annie; she just worried he would do it at the cost of his health which was precarious enough as it stood already.

“I’m good,” Wade said, raising his hand and giving her the Boy Scout hand sign. “Boy Scout’s honor. I’ll get better as the week goes on. Then tank again on Monday after immunotherapy, but for now, I’m good. Promise.” He might be able to put off immunotherapy if he was still looking after Annie at that point, but he’d have to talk about it with Hot Doc Jean. It might not come down to that, but he wanted to know what his options were. His hairy cancer hadn’t killed him yet and, despite OJ’s concerns, he doubted it’d kill him in the next couple weeks.

Which he also wasn’t going to mention to Vanessa, what with her frowning at him now and everything. Reaching over, he put the tip of his finger at the corner of her lips and tugged it upward. “Turn that frown upside down, buttercup.”

Her nose wrinkled and Vanessa snapped lightly at his finger, catching it between her teeth for a moment and growling before releasing it. “I know you’ll get better over the week. I just...I don’t want you to get worse doing me a favor. And I don’t want you to tell me you’re good if you’re not. I can and will find other ways to keep her safe if you’re not up to it.” In the end, though, Vanessa was left with two options. One, assume he was lying and find somewhere else for the kid. Two, trust him. She’d told Libertine she would trust Wade with her life and Vanessa supposed that meant she should trust him in general. It was a lot easier to trust him to protect someone and keep them alive, though. What did that say about her?

“If I didn’t think I was up for it, you’d be the first person I’d tell,” Wade said. “This is a kid’s life on the line, Nessa. I’m not gonna fuck it up because of pride or something.”

Sighing, her fingers rubbed little circles into the sides of the bridge of her nose. “Sorry. I’m just...stressed. And worried. ‘Bout you, ‘bout her, ‘bout bits of the investigation.” It was the first time the stress had started to show since she’d turned up at the door. It was there in the slouched shoulders and the tension of them. Tension was etched around her eyes and in the stiffness of her neck. It was a lot easier to focus on other stuff but when there was nothing else to focus on Vanessa came right back to where Laura was and the position she’d gotten them all into with this. The worst of it was Laura but she wouldn’t bring that up to Wade, with or without the kid present.

Reaching over again, Wade slid his arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his side. “Stuff... it’ll work itself out,” he said, knowing that wasn’t really what she needed to hear. He didn’t have the specifics, though, so he couldn’t even offer logistical or tactical advice. He was running protection for her and that was all he was good for at the moment, anyway, but he wished he could do more. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve been toddling along for... decades longer than I oughta, I’d guess, so I figure I’ve still got a few more turns in me. And the kid’ll be okay. Her and me, we’re good. We’ll look after one another - I mean, you even told her to make sure I ate those vegetables. Any more Brussels sprouts and I might pop purely on principle.”

That left Vanessa giggling into his shoulder, red eyes looking up at him as innocently as possible. Wade was good for cuddling up with so it was no surprise that she put up no fight at all when he pulled her in closer. Her arms settled comfortably around his waist and she tried to let go of some of her worries for the moment. “I’ll tell her to favor the broccoli, aye? I hate brussel sprouts, they’re always dripping in butter and slimy.” Vanessa made a yick noise and wore a face to go along with it. “Aye, and you better have a few more turns in you. I’d be terribly upset if you went and expired on me already, you know. But things will work out, you’re right. I’ll be sure of it.” And she would put a bullet in that bastard Barry’s head herself if it was what it came down to.

“I told her she was to take care of you because you were sick but you were going to take care of her, too, and that if you ate vegetables and good meat you’d get strong again,” she admitted quietly.

“Better than an endless supply of grilled cheese and bologna,” Wade said, nodding sagely. “Which is what I was living on before you decided to put some meat on my bones.” He grinned, though, obviously joking. “Anyway, we’ve been camped out on the couch - or she has, at least. I’ve made do with the chair and the floor to keep her company. And Netflix has an impressive number of Disney movies available for instant viewing. So we’ve been alright. Kyle comes by, too, and keeps us company. But really, it’s me and Bea. Glad I haven’t had to do anything with her, to be honest. This job’s a hell of a lot easier than that debutant I had to protect in Georgia.”

“Nine year olds tend to be easier than any female that’s hit puberty or is at any point beyond it.” Vanessa was crazy enough on her own and most women were downright psychotic compared to her most of the time. Well, unless you considered Vanessa’s morals and ethics about killing on the job. She was probably the psychotic looking one there. Oops? “You’d’ve withered and died without me is what you’re really saying, then?” She shot him a grin and then glanced over her shoulder to check on Annie who had mostly been silent since getting on the phone with her mom. Vanessa had heard her telling Libertine about how Wade wouldn’t eat his veggies but he was nice anyway.

“Right, I’d’ve withered away to nothing,” Wade said. “Probably wouldn’t even be strong enough to hold Bea. And that’d be a real tragedy there.” He grinned, though, because apparently every female on the face of the planet was going to start trying to shove vegetables down his throat. He lowered his voice again, just a bit, and said, “She’s not a whiny brat, which is nice. I was working a job with a seven year old who literally thought the world revolved around her. She was sweet enough, unless you didn’t give her what she wanted.”

Vanessa’s nose wrinkled. “I’m not very good with kids.” Her statement obviously wasn’t as accurate as she made it sound considering she was pretty good with Annie. “I haven’t the patience for them, really. If they trained as well as dogs that would be a different story. Aye, but people in general don’t train well, do they? And spoiled brats? They’re practically feral. I’d smack them more likely than endure them.”

“I dunno, you seem pretty good with the kids at the mansion,” Wade said, quirking a brow. “Most of ‘em seem to like you, anyway. And Annie likes you.”

“Uh huh,” Annie said, her conversation having finally come to an end. “Momma says I should try to sleep in...” She paused to stifle a yawn in her pillow. “In a real bed,” she finished, resting her cheek against the pillow, too, as she looked over at Wade and Vanessa with tired eyes.

Vanessa turned, though she didn’t pull away from where she was cuddled up against Wade so much as turn further into him until her chin could rest on the edge of the couch. “I think momma’s right. And you look tired, little bit. What say you to relocation, hm?”

“Mkay,” Annie said, nodding even as she cuddled her pillow a little tighter. She held the phone out to Vanessa, though. “Do I have to sleep by myself?” It was obvious she didn’t really want to.

Vanessa took the phone and slipped it into her back pocket. As she did that she quirked an eyebrow at Wade. It was his suite, if anyone was sleeping with her girl he was obviously the one who would be stuck on cuddle duty.

“How about we’ll stick around until you fall asleep, how’s that?” Wade asked, raising his brows.

Annie seemed to consider that for a little while, then asked, “Both of you?”

Wade looked toward Vanessa, not quite sure how long she’d intended to stay. “It’s an hour’s drive back to the city and it’s late already. You’re welcome to stay.”

There was stuff to do in the morning. Hell, there was technically stuff to be done right now but Vanessa had prioritized checking on the kid in person over it for the night. Vanessa had really been planning on getting back to her own bed tonight. She looked back at Annie and with an obviously hopeful note in her voice asked, “How ‘bout I stay just until you fall asleep, little bit?”

Uncurling her feet from the blanket, Annie nodded and then slid off the couch, carrying her pillow and her blanket with her. Then she shuffled over toward the guest bedroom Wade had set up for her.

Wade pushed himself up, off the floor, and then offered a hand to Vanessa. “Looks like duty calls.”

Vanessa took his hand, but she didn’t let him pull her up. While she knew that he was likely more than strong enough to do it despite his exhaustion she still got herself up under her own power. “Duty always calls for some of us,” she murmured as she stole her spot at his side back and followed the little girl. “You’re just on vacation lately.” Vanessa actually stuck her tongue out at him.

Making pincer fingers, Wade pretended he was trying to get ahold of her tongue, then chuckled. “Hey, if this is vacation for you, you probably don’t wanna know what my real job’s like, huh?” He waggled his eyebrows.

“How does this not count as you on vacation, oh unemployed one?” She quirked an eyebrow up at him. “You get to sleep whenever you want, work out, lounge around, woo the ladies...what about this suggests you are not on vacation? Meanwhile, I keep all sorts of stupid hours and work more days and hours of the week than not half the time. I’ve adjusted to sleeping less because eight hours of sleep is basically unheard of. And I remember what your job is like. I’ve done it. Thus, crappy or not, you are on vacation.”

“I don’t think immunotherapy should count as vacation,” Wade said. “More like sick leave. And the sleeping and the wooing, well... those are just nice distractions from the sick part of the sick leave.”

She waved a hand dismissively. “You’re only really sick for like half the week and you haven’t been on immunotherapy the whole time you’ve been here. Sure, you’re going to ditch out once you’re done with it and fixed or what have you.” You didn’t cure cancer so she supposed going into remission or something like that was what would count as him being fixed. “But until then there is wooing and sleeping and lounging when you’re not sick.”

“Valid enough,” Wade agreed, pausing to let her through the door before him. “So I’m on vacation. You should join me, buttercup.” He turned out the light but left the door open so the light from the living room would come through. “The wooing and the sleeping, they’re pretty good.”

“I just got back from vacation,” she reminded him while she waited for Annie to get comfy in bed. “When would I possibly find the time to woo ladies with you? You’re lucky I’ve got the time for my mates as it is.” Which was why her friendship with Warren worked out so well for her, really. “Besides, I’m no good at wooing. You should know that. And what if we ended up competing for the same lady?”

Annie seemed to have settled smack dab in the center of the bed. Vanessa pulled her boots off and slid onto the bed behind the little girl so her back was cradled against Vanessa’s stomach and chest. She figured if you were going to bury your face in someone Wade was the one you would want. He was the one she would have chosen.

Wade padded over to the other side of the bed, unable to come up with an answer for the question of what they’d do if they wound up wooing the same woman. He laid down in front of Annie, though, and let out a quiet sigh because, all things considered, he was very, very tired. “Night, kid.”

“Night,” came the soft reply, though he could see the little girl’s eyes blinking at him in the half-light.

The pair of them curled around a tiny person. Wasn’t this a sight for anyone to wander in on? Vanessa was comforted by the fact that the door to the suite was locked, at least. Her fingers went back to stroking through the little girl’s hair. It had been something that had always soothed and relaxed Vanessa as a kid. She figured if it had worked for her once then it would probably work for Annie as well. “Night, little bit.”

“Night, Miss Nessa,” Annie murmured, curling up a little tighter and pressing her nose against Wade’s shoulder.

She drifted off a little while later, her breathing evening out.

Vanessa laid there as the little girl stilled, her fingers gradually slowing as they worked their way through Annie’s hair. Eventually they stopped and her hand settled on her own thigh so the only contact with the girl was where her back and feet pressed against Vanessa.

Deciding to make her exit, the metamorph cast an eye toward her friend. Wade hadn’t fallen asleep quite yet, but his eyes were closed and he had relaxed quite a bit - or at least as much as he ever seemed to relax before being completely asleep. A brief brush of her fingertips to his hair was all the indication she gave him before very carefully extricating herself from the bed so she could make her way home. Vanessa managed to do it without disturbing the bed much at all.

Annie’s eyes popped open and she turned a little so she could look muzzily at Vanessa, her fingers finding the older woman’s wrist and tugging her back to where she’d been before. “Don’ go yet,” she whispered.

Never having had to put a child to sleep before, Vanessa had not been expecting the girl to have such ninja-like reflexes. She sighed despite herself and murmured, “Alright. I won’t go yet.” But she would go. She just needed to wait longer before trying to slip out apparently. Vanessa laid back down, resuming her position but keeping all her hands to herself. Maybe if there was less contact the girl wouldn’t notice as much when she tried to leave.

Wade maintained that partial awareness for most of the night, which is how he noticed every single time Vanessa tried to get up so she could head home, Annie woke up. He wasn’t sure if that was normal, necessarily, but it was definitely... something. The stretches of time that Vanessa waited before trying kept getting longer, but that didn’t really seem to make a difference. Every time she shifted like she was going to get off the bed, Annie’d wake up just enough to ask her not to leave.

Vanessa simply gave up after the third or fourth time. She was more and more tired each time she tried to leave and in the end she was simply too tired to make the drive back to the city from the mansion safely. She eventually took her knife off her belt and removed the knives that would be uncomfortable to sleep with. They all got stashed on the side table as Vanessa murmured something to Annie about not going near the table because they were sharp and she didn’t want the kid getting hurt.

By time Vanessa was divested of most of her weapons and settled back down she was beyond exhausted. Her arm curled over the little girl’s waist and pulled her into the curve of Vanessa’s body tightly. A finger from that hand also hooked into Wade’s shirt, making sure he couldn’t go anywhere either. If she was stuck he was stuck. Besides, he was always so warm at night.