Work Text:
The holiday madness is in full swing at the mall outside of Purgatory.
Christmas lights twinkle on the boughs of silver strands that hang over the escalators. Plastic reindeer perch just outside the elevator as Nicole and Waverly make their way out of the tiny metal box.
Nicole holds the door open as Waverly pushes the stroller out of the elevator.
“You okay, baby?” Nicole rests her hand on Waverly’s lower back.
Waverly hands Nicole three bags from the Disney store that are shoved in the compartment at the top of the stroller.
“Better now that I can see, my love.”
Nicole shakes her head and pushes up the sleeves of her sweater so she can carry the bags comfortably.
“You’re so short, I’m surprised you can see over the stroller.”
Waverly glares at Nicole, and the festive music fills their ears as they make their way toward the food court.
“You’re so tall, I’m surprised you haven’t got back problems from leaning down to kiss me.”
Nicole snorts and adjusts Waverly’s reindeer ears headband so it’s sitting straight on her head.
“We suck at dissing each other, Waves.”
Waverly raises her eyebrows and shrugs.
“We like each other too much,” she says. “We’re boring.”
“I can’t believe she smiled for a photo with Santa. I’m shocked,” Nicole says, taking Waverly’s hand in her own.
Waverly pushes the stroller with one hand, and leans into Nicole as they walk.
“I’m thinking that might have had something to do with the fact that we were in the picture, too.”
Nicole giggles, “ and the fact that she was on my lap, not his.” She lifts Ariel out of her stroller as they grab a table in the busy food court.
“I’m going to get in line at Beet Box, okay? Do you want me to take the stroller or are you gonna carry her?” Waverly picks a loose thread off of Nicole’s Christmas Elf sweater.
“You take it. Put the shopping bags in her seat to make it easier, Baby.”
“Okay. I’ll come find you once I’ve got my food.” Waverly stands on her tiptoes and gives Nicole a kiss on the cheek.
“Good thing I’m tall, you’ll be able to spot me in the crowd.”
Their little girl is oblivious to her foster mothers teasing one another as she clutches her newly purchased Rapunzel Animator’s Doll to her chest.
CoCo and Wavy are the coolest. The doll is an early Christmas present and Ariel thinks that she’s the most beautiful doll she’s ever had the pleasure to own in her entire five years on the planet.
“Princess, Mama went in line to get Beet Box. Do you want to eat Wendy’s or something else?” Sound flows through Ariel’s ears as Nicole removes the noise-canceling headphones from her head.
She screws up her face in disgust because she can’t focus on her CoCo’s voice. There are too many people. She hates noisy places. She puts her hands over her ears, and her CoCo pops the headphones back on her head.
“Sorry baby. Can you hear?”
Ariel gives Nicole a thumbs up and points to the giant picture of Colonel Sanders on a sign with three letters she can’t quite make out because her brain likes to make them wiggle and flip around.
Her CoCo puts her thumb between her index and middle finger.
K
She puts her thumb and pointer together in a tiny O, her other three fingers upright.
F
She makes a C with her thumb and remaining fingers.
C
“KFC?”
Ariel nods and takes Nicole’s hands in her own. She doesn’t always know how to say it, but she loves spending time with her CoCo and Wavy.
Nicole squeezes Ariel’s hands together as she searches her daughter’s face. The little girl looks terrified and keeps glancing around to all the new faces that come into her line of vision.
“You’re okay, Ariel. I’m right here. I’m not gonna let anything happen.”
Ariel seeming relaxes a little. Nicole picks her up, and she immediately rests her head on her CoCo’s chest, as if by instinct. They enter the KFC line, which is thankfully empty, save for one man in front of them.
“You’re doing so well, today Princess. It’s okay, we’re done shopping. Once we eat lunch we can go home and you can play with Alice and show her your new doll.”
“Don’t tell her about her doll though?” Ariel asks, running her fingers through Nicole’s curls.
Nicole grins at her baby as she adjusts Ariel’s position on her hip.
“Yup. Her doll is a super secret surprise for Christmas.”
“I never got a surprise before,” Ariel says, wrapping her tiny legs around Nicole’s body. “Except you and Wavy wanting to keep me forever.”
“Excuse me, Princess, you are the best surprise we ever got.”
Ariel nuzzles her cheek to her CoCo’s.
A lot of foster moms say nice things, but she can tell that CoCo means it.
The man in front of them has finished placing his order and moves down the counter.
Nicole places their order and silently wishes that the world was more accommodating for her kid. She wishes she didn’t have to be afraid of people trampling over Ariel in her tiny, pink, walker.
Her arms are aching, and she sees the Holy Grail of empty counter space where she can plop her kid down for a few minutes.
“Gonna put you down here, Ari? Okay?” Nicole waits for Ariel to nod before placing the little girl at the edge of the counter.
Nicole realizes she forgot to ask the cashier for extra napkins. Waverly loves extra napkins.
It takes two seconds.
Two seconds away from her kid. Two seconds for Ariel to kick her legs up and down , up and down against the edge of the counter.
Two seconds for the man to step in her kicking pathway.
Ariel has accidentally kicked the gentlemen who was standing in front of them in line in the groin.
(In a few minutes, this response will seem appropriate, and Nicole will be proud of her little lady.)
Right now her face turns as red as the beets in the lunch that Waverly is probably ordering at this very second.
“Oh sir, I’m so sorry!” Extra napkins forgotten, Nicole rushes over to the end of the counter to help the gentleman stand up.
She claps her hand over her mouth. As the man stands up, his soda tips over, and spills on top of Nicole’s brand new Vans.
“ Shit,” the man jerks his head toward Nicole and smiles sheepishly. “I just spilled soda all over you... and cursed in front of your daughter.” He motions toward Ariel, who stares in his direction.
“She kicked you, and you cursed in front of her. I think we’re even.” Nicole bends down and picks up the styrofoam soda cup.
“Thank you,” he says, discarding the cup in the trash can on the counter. His piercing blue eyes follow Nicole’s as he gives her a once over.
“Ariel, can you please say you’re sorry for kicking the man?” Nicole silently pleads that Ariel will do it.
Ariel makes a fist and rubs her chest in a clockwise motion.
Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.
“Good job using your words, baby.” Nicole presses a kiss to Ariel’s temple.
“It’s okay” , says the man.
“She’s pretty cute, just like you. I forgive her.” The man’s cheeks go red, and Nicole raises her eyebrows.
Oh.
A man is flirting with her, and Waverly would get a kick out of this.
Nicole can’t hide the smirk that gathers at the edge of her lips and moves outward.
“Uh….um….” Nicole purses her lips together and glances at Ariel who furrows her tiny eyebrows.
“My Mama is cute, too!” The tiny girl exclaims from the corner of the counter.
“She can speak? ” The man runs his hands through his hair. “I just saw her use sign language.”
This is too much.
“The two aren’t mutually exclusive,” Nicole says, with the fakest smile on her face.
“She speaks the truth, her mama is cute.”
Nicole thinks that she’s going to pass out if this man doesn’t stop talking to her.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
“She’s a Veggie ,” Ariel says, out of nowhere.
Part of Nicole is fascinated and proud that Ariel feels confident enough to speak to someone outside of their close circle of family and friends. The other half of her is terrified because this conversation needs to end.
“Y-you mean Vegan , Princess.” Nicole places a protective arm around Ariel in case the man tries to come any closer.
“ Veggies don’t eat animals,” Ariel says, looking in the man’s direction. “I read books about animals at school….Well…. Mama reads them to me in the Library.”
“What are you doing at KFC?” The man asks, moving closer to Nicole. His breath stinks of alcohol .
No wonder.
“You know what, that doesn’t matter. I’ve always had a thing for redheads. You’re wild.”
Nicole is mortified, and Waverly’s going to kill her. Where the hell is the food?
“ Your husband must be lucky.”
“She doesn’t have one,” Ariel says. Ariel has Mommy CoCo and Mama Wavy. They’re going to get married to each other, not a man.
The color drains from her CoCo’s face as she lifts her off of the counter and bounces her up and down.
The man leans in and whispers in Nicole’s ear. “Well, maybe you’d like to take a closer look at where your daughter kicked me sometime. I could use a-”
Nicole spins around and shields Ariel’s head with her hand.
“You’re vulgar. Please...just...leave us alone.”
The man holds up his hands in defense.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds...I was just trying to make a joke….Like your little girl said, her mama is beautiful. ”
Ariel narrows her eyes and throws her arms around her CoCo’s neck. “She’s my Mommy,” she says. “ That’s my Mama.” Ariel points behind Nicole and waves.
“She’s also taken. ”
Nicole doesn’t know if she believes in God, but she believes in her guardian angel who is named Waverly Earp.
As Nicole spins around, she sees her gorgeous fiancee wearing an Ugly Christmas Sweater with reindeer ears perched above her curls. Her arms are crossed and she looks pissed.
Ariel places her thumb against her chin repeatedly, as if to tell the man, I told you my Mama was pretty. It’s the sign for Mama.
Waverly presses a kiss to Ariel’s cheek and slinks her arm around Nicole’s waist as the man’s face flushes red.
“You’re in big trouble mister ,” Ariel whispers. Nicole doesn’t know if she means the man, or herself.
Waverly holds up her Beet Box meal for the man to see.
“What are you staring at? She told you I’m a Veggie. ” Nicole collapses with laughter into Waverly’s arms as the man scampers away, food forgotten.
“You saw that whole thing, baby?” Waverly licks her lips and rolls her eyes.
“So...you’re totally sleeping on the couch tonight...unless you’d rather sleep with him. Also... I was waiting for you to kick him in the hiney.” Waverly brushes a strand of Nicole’s hair behind her ear.
“ Baby ,” the panic rises in Nicole’s voice. “I was about to call Wynonna for backup. Besides...he’s not my type.”
Waverly tries to hide her smile but ends up bursting out into giggles. “I didn’t know you had a type, Nicole.”
Nicole grabs the food from the counter and rolls her eyes.
Finally.
“What can I say? I indeed have a type. I like one short girl...and apparently old crusty dudes like me, but...I guess I still got it, huh? In a Christmas sweater of all things.”
Waverly pokes Nicole in the ribs as they walk back to the table, Ariel comfortably back in her stroller.
“Yeah...I guess you still got it. You know I’ll have to let you back into the bedroom...I can’t sleep without you.”
Ariel looks at her Mama and Mommy. She loves them more than anything in the world, but she has to make sure of one thing.
“We stay together, right?”
Nicole nods at her daughter and feeds her a bite of Mac and Cheese.
“Always.”