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Nicole watched Waverly nervously pace back and forth in front of the kitchen table from where she was perched on the counter-top. A smile was tugging itself up the left side of her face, causing her dimple to show, and she couldn’t stop the look of adoring bemusement from her eyes if she could have helped it. Nicole marveled at how beautiful Waverly was and how, if it was possible, she seemed to get more and more beautiful with each passing day. Or even each passing step. Despite clearly being a bundle of nerves, in Nicole’s eyes Waverly glowed.
“Baby,” Nicole said softly, “it’s going to be ok.”
Waverly shook her head from side to side in a dramatic sway, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “She’s going to freak out.”
“She’s not going to freak out,” Nicole assured her.
“She’s going to freak out,” Waverly repeated emphatically. “You freaked out and it wasn’t even a surprise for you.”
“I did not freak out,” defended Nicole. “And, for the record, it was a surprise. We knew it was coming, but we didn’t know when. Ergo, surprise.”
“But we still had advanced warning, Nicole,” Waverly huffed. “Wynonna won’t have had that.”
Nicole slipped down to the floor from the countertop and walked over to Waverly, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her to her chest. “It’ll be fine,” she soothed. “It’ll be good. You’ll see.”
Waverly relaxed into the soft warmth enveloping her for only a moment before letting out an exaggerated sigh, followed by a huff, and pulling away to begin her pacing anew. “Where is she? She should have been here by now.”
“I’m sure she’s–” Nicole found herself being cut off by the sound of the homestead door opening with a bang.
“Waverly!” Wynonna’s voice bounced off the interior walls. “I’m here!” The sound of boots being kicked off, along with Peacemaker landing with a thud on a side table and the rustling of the divesting of coat and scarves followed. “I don’t know what is so important that I had to come all the way home, so this had better be good because I left a pretty exciting dart game at Shorty’s….” Wynonna drifted off as she walked into the kitchen and saw her sister and Nicole staring at her expectantly. “Oh shit, who died?”
Waverly’s forehead wrinkled. “What? Died? Why would you think someone had died?”
“Well, adding up your ‘How fast can you get home, it’s important’ text and the looks you’re both giving me right now, I’d say it’s a fair shake to guess that someone we know has effed off the planet.”
“Nobody died,” Nicole sighed and sat against the kitchen table, knowing it was best Waverly take the lead.
Waverly stepped over and took her sister’s hands in her own. “Wynonna, I… I don’t want to scare you.”
“Wow, you got me, you’re so scary,” Wynonna rolled her eyes.
Tugging on her hands, Waverly tried to pull Wynonna to a chair. “Maybe you should sit down.”
At that, Wynonna pulled her hands from her sister’s grasp and whapped at them to keep them away. “I am not going to sit down. And I wasn’t before, but now I am starting to freak out a little because you’re both acting weirder than usual. Especially you,” she said giving Waverly a pointed glare. When neither of the other women said anything Wynonna threw her hands up in frustration. “Jesus, look, you wanted me here, you got me here - now what’s the important thing you have to spill?”
Standing back up, Nicole stepped over to Waverly’s side and put her arm around her. “Well, you see, Wynonna…,” she coasted off at the end, looking to Waverly for a cue.
“You see, Nicole and I,” Waverly started, “we’re–”
“Sleeping together,” Wynonna finished for her. “Yeah, I know. Kind of figured it out when I gave you away at your wedding. I figured if you hadn’t been doing it already, then all bets were off for the honeymoon.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Waverly deflated. Nicole’s expression turned stoney.
“I’m joking, jeez,” Wynonna huffed; but then her expression turned pale. “Oh shit… you’re not getting divorced are you?”
“Oh my ACTUAL GOD, NO!” Waverly yelled. “That would NEVER happen!”
“NEVER, Wynonna,” Nicole echoed, holding Waverly more tightly to her.
“Well, what is it then? I mean… it’s not like you could be pregnant, because how would that work?” Wynonna made scissor fingers with her hands and started pushing them together as if to demonstrate her point.
“Please stop doing that,” muttered Nicole, pressing her hand over her eyes in frustration.
Waverly stepped forward and rested her hands on Wynonna’s, stilling the perverse action. “Actually…,” she said, capturing her sister’s gaze and holding it, “I am.”
Wynonna blinked. She shook her head quickly as if trying to clear her ears. “Wh… what?” She watched as Waverly nodded. She looked over her sister’s shoulder at Nicole and found her nodding and smiling sheepishly. “No way,” she said softly, and then more loudly, “no WAY!” She pulled Waverly into a violent hug. “This is AWESOME!” Grinning hugely, Wynonna gave Nicole a wink. “Guess you’re packing heat I didn’t know about, eh, Haughtstuff?”
“Um, no?” answered Nicole, not wanting that idea to get any sort of traction. “Not at all. Just good old medical science at work.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” said Wynonna, still holding Waverly in a crushing hug, “all I know is you knocked up my sister. So you’d better make an honest woman of her.”
Nicole’s brow quirked. “I already did?”
“Wynonna, I can’t breathe,” Waverly squeaked.
Wynonna immediately let go and took a step back. “Sorry, sorry,” she said, still beaming. “You ok? Little you ok?” She tickled at Waverly’s stomach.
Waverly giggled and shooed her hand away. “I’m… we’re… fine,” she said shyly. “But, you’re ok with this? I mean… we’d originally planned on waiting until Alice was able to come home, but–”
“Baby-girl, it’s fine,” replied Wynonna, “it’s great. It’s perfect! All the joys and none of the responsibilities - just the way I like it.” She swallowed and nodded and it was clear she was trying to keep tears at bay. “Besides, Alice will be home soon. We’re close. I know we are.” She swiped a couple of stubborn drops as they rolled over her cheeks. “And then watch out, because my kid is going to corrupt your kid so bad.”
Waverly laughed, even as her own happy tears spilled down her face. “I can’t wait.”
“Neither can I,” said Nicole, once again placing her arm across Waverly’s shoulders.
Wynonna threw her arms around both of them in a group hug. “Auntie Wynonna,” she said, “I like the sound of that.” Pulling back she clapped them both on the shoulder, “We gotta celebrate! Let’s head back to Shorty’s!”
“Um, Wynonna, I’m not drinking,” said Waverly, gesturing toward her belly.
“Of course you’re not. But Haught here has plenty of experience drinking for two!”
“Oh, no… not again,” replied Nicole, shaking her head. “Last time I had a hangover for a week.”
Wynonna’s expression was pinched. “Well… I’ll drink for all three of you, then,” she concluded, turning on her heel and heading back for the front door.
Waverly and Nicole looked at each other.
“We should probably go keep an eye on her,” said Waverly.
“Yeah,” sighed Nicole, “But at least it’s good training for when we’re chasing around our actual kid.”
“True,” smiled Waverly. She grasped the collar of Nicole’s shirt and pulled her down for a kiss. “I love you, baby.”
“I love you,” Nicole grinned. “Told you she wasn’t going to freak out.”
Waverly stepped away, heading after her sister. “She sort of freaked out.”
“She did not!”
“A little bit,” Waverly called back.
Nicole rolled her eyes and sighed happily. She wasn’t going to argue, she knew she’d never win.
She’d already won in the most important way, anyhow.