Chapter Text
After a few months of research, Nicole was ready to get a service dog. She and Waverly happily made their way to the nearest center to find one that Nicole would be compatible with.
So far, she had met ten different dogs, and didn’t like a single one.
The first three were too rambunctious.
The next four were too furry.
The next two weren’t energetic enough.
And the last one was once again, too rambunctious.
“Alright, this little guy is named Jonah. He’s very sweet, very calm, but not too calm,” the trainer laughed as she brought the next dog forward.
Nicole sat with him for no more than ten seconds before making her decision.
“He’s not furry enough.”
Waverly rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Okay, honey,” Waverly said, kneeling down next to Nicole on the floor, “I know that you’re still having a hard time with the idea of getting a pet, but don’t you think this is getting a little ridiculous?”
“No. Not at all,” Nicole responded, “Don’t you think that I should be absolutely sure that I get the right one?”
“She is actually right…to an extent,” the trainer said, “It is extremely important that the guide dog and the owner are compatible. That being said, there are only three more dogs.”
“Bring on the next one,” Waverly said, sitting down next to Nicole.
The trainer didn’t even get the chance to say the name of the next dog before it had charged forward and began licking Nicole’s face.
“Nope,” Nicole said, gently pushing the dog away.
Waverly gave it a sympathetic scratch behind the ears before it was taken away.
The next dog seemed perfect on the energy scale, however, it began shedding so quickly that Nicole and Waverly began sneezing uncontrollably.
“I guess that one’s a no,” the trainer said, quickly taking the dog away.
“How do you not have worse allergies working here?” Waverly asked.
“I guess you just get used to it after a while.”
The next dog was, once again, not energetic enough.
“Okay, honey, let me ask you something,” Waverly said, “You have only been able to come up with three reasons why you don’t like each dog. They’re either too energetic, not energetic enough, or too furry. Why are these reasons so important to you?”
“Well, if they’re too energetic I’m worried they’d hurt Alice.”
“Okay.”
“And if they’re not energetic enough…well that’d be no fun.”
“Alright.”
“And I don’t want to get really bad allergies from all the fur!”
“Okay…okay fine,” Waverly said with a sigh.
“So, unfortunately, we only have one dog left from the group that’s ready and finished with training,” the trainer said, fully expecting this dog to not be a match, “However, the next group will be ready in two months so I absolutely encourage you to come back then.”
“Well, let’s hope this one’s got the magic touch,” Waverly said.
“Alright, this next one is named Annie Oakley, but she’ll also answer to Annie.”
“A-Annie Oakley?” Nicole asked.
“Yep,” the trainer replied.
“Like um…like the gunslinger?”
“Was that the name of a gunslinger? I guess so then,” the trainer said.
Annie Oakley calmly approached Nicole. She sniffed her hand and her arm before sniffing her face, and calmly licking her cheek.
“Hi there Annie,” Nicole said with a large smile on her face. A smile Waverly wasn’t sure she’d ever get to see again.
When Nicole reached forward to pet Annie, she immediately gasped.
“What?” Waverly asked.
“Pet her,” Nicole responded.
“Oh my god,” Waverly said when she began petting the dog.
“See? I told you there was a difference between too furry and not furry enough!”
“She’s so soft!” Waverly said in awe.
“But her fur isn’t too long!” Nicole said with a laugh.
Seeing that she seemed to have found a match, the trainer smiled before speaking.
“I’ll give you all a minute to get acquainted,” she said before stepping out.
“Thanks,” Nicole said.
Annie Oakley seemed quite content to simply sit and let Nicole and Waverly pet her. Eventually, she lied down and rested her head on Nicole’s lap, allowing Nicole to continue petting her.
“Tell me what she looks like,” Nicole said.
“Well, she’s a golden retriever, I’d say she’s medium sized, not very big or small, she’s got some beautiful brown eyes, like someone else I know,” Waverly said.
“Shut up,” Nicole said with a blush, lightly nudging Waverly’s side.
Waverly laughed before continuing.
“I’d say her fur is more red than white. It's so beautiful. It looks like a mane.”
Before Waverly could continue talking, Annie Oakley rolled onto her back, with her head still in Nicole's lap, and now it looked like she was smiling up at Nicole.
“Did she just roll over?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah,” Waverly said with a laugh, “It looks like she’s smiling at you…I think she likes you.”
“Cool…’cause I like her too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m so glad sweetie,” Waverly said, kissing Nicole on the cheek.
“How’s it going in here?” the trainer asked, walking back into the room.
“I think she’s the one,” Nicole responded with a smile.
“I’m so glad,” the trainer said, “Now let’s get to work on making her yours permanently!”
And before the pair knew it, they were driving home with Annie Oakley in the back seat.
The moment the trio walked through the door of the homestead, they were met with a chorus of “aww” and “so cute!”
“What’s her name?” Rachel asked as she pet her on the floor along with Alice.
“Annie Oakley,” Nicole responded with a smile.
“Quite a perfect name for such a beautiful creature,” Doc said as he gently scratched Annie Oakley behind the ears.
“She’s so fluffy, Mama!” Alice said happily.
“She sure is,” Wynonna said with a laugh.
“Before we all get comfortable here, the trainer told us that we should walk her around on the property so she can get comfortable with it, so we’re gonna go do that,” Waverly said.
“No!”
“Come on!”
“I wanna pet her some more!”
“Calm down, she’ll be back with us!” Waverly said, laughing at her family’s antics.
With that, Waverly took Nicole’s arm, Nicole picked up Annie Oakley’s harness, and the pair made their way outside, calmly and slowly walking around the homestead.
“How are you feeling?” Waverly asked after a few minutes.
“I feel good,” Nicole said confidently, “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time.”
“I’m so glad,” Waverly said.
“I thought I’d be…I don’t know…I guess extra sad about Calamity Jane today. Like I thought I’d miss her even more. And I still do miss her…a lot. But…but I feel ready. Ready to move on. I really do think she’d want me to.”
“I’m so proud of you honey,” Waverly started, “You’ve been through so much these past few months and I’ve seen you grow and persevere through all of it. You’re so amazing. I hope you know that.”
“I guess,” Nicole said with a blush.
“No, I mean it! You’ve come a long way and you should give yourself some more credit. I’m serious.”
“I believe you!”
“Then say it.”
“Say what?” Nicole asked.
“Say that you’ve come a long way and that you’re proud of yourself.”
“Waverly-”
“Say it!”
Nicole sighed dramatically before speaking.
“I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of myself.”
“Yay!” Waverly said before kissing Nicole on the cheek, earning a small chuckle from Nicole, “So how did that feel?”
“I don’t know…I guess it felt pretty good to be able to say that I’m proud of myself.”
“Good,” Waverly said, smiling softly, “Then you should say it more often.”
“I’ll try to remember that,” Nicole said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll remind you,” Waverly said, laughing along with Nicole.
The pair remained silent for a moment before Nicole spoke again.
“Listen, I um…”
“What is it?” Waverly asked.
“I’m sorry…that I shut you out for so long. You didn’t deserve that.”
“Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay?”
“But I shouldn’t have done it. You were so caring and I didn’t do enough to show how grateful I was.”
“Don’t do that to yourself, okay? You needed space, and it wouldn’t have been fair of me if I hadn’t given it to you.”
“Even though I kept on going to Wynonna for advice?”
“I won’t deny that Wynonna being your best friend does create a slight conflict of interest, but you shouldn’t feel guilty about talking to her.”
“I just hope you know that I will always trust you and want to talk to you…I guess I just…I feel guilty sometimes. About asking for help. I feel like I should be strong and figure out the problem for myself, but that’s not how it works. I married you because I want to be there for you when you’re going through shit, and I should’ve realized that you want to be there for me.”
“Listen,” Waverly started before she stopped, turning Nicole so the two were talking face to face, “I won’t deny that it made me a little sad that you haven’t asked for my help more, but we’re always learning, and we’re always growing, okay? I have no intention of holding any of it against you, and you shouldn’t hold it against yourself. Just…the next time you’re feeling sad, and you don’t want to burden me, remember that I’m always here for you, because I want to be, okay?”
“Yeah okay,” Nicole said with a soft smile.
“Good. Now come here,” Waverly said, pulling Nicole in for a soft kiss on the lips.
The trio explored outside for an hour longer before taking Annie Oakley inside to explore. They made a plan to take her around town over the weekend.
“Annie Oakley’s my favorite dog in the whole wide world!” Alice happily said once the whole family was gathered in the living room, laughing and talking.
“Well that’s good, because she’s here to stay,” Nicole responded.
“Yay!” Alice said, getting up and hugging Nicole.
As Nicole sat and happily talked with her family, she basked in the feeling of contentedness, something she hadn’t felt in a long time.
But something still felt off.