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Chapter Text

6 Years Ago

It's finals week at Purgatory University. Students are running in and out of nearby coffee shops to fuel up for their late night study sessions; textbooks litter the tables and floors of dorm rooms and libraries as everyone crams for their impending exams. 

Everyone except for one drunk Nicole Haught, that is. 

Nicole uncaps her third beer of the hour and takes a long swig from the bottle, smiling as she feels the alcohol rush through her system. Nicole's girlfriend, Waverly Earp, is seated behind her, leaning back against the wall and reading from a textbook. Loud, heavy metal-like music plays from a speaker on Nicole's desk and she starts to sing along, air drumming to the beat.

"Haught, can you please turn that music down?!" Wynonna, Nicole's roommate, and Waverly's sister, yells from the other room of their dorm. "Some of us are trying to study!"

"Oh, come off it, Wynonna!" Nicole replies, taking another long sip from her beer. "You need to loosen up. Come have a beer, you won't regret it."

"Yeah, but that's not going to happen today because finals. How is it you don't have to study?"

"I major in music. They're like practical exams," Nicole gestures with her hands as if to prove a point that Wynonna can't see. "I'll probably have to play part of an old song or some shit. It's not like I'm studying criminal judiciaries."

Wynonna rolls her eyes and corrects Nicole, "Criminal justice."

"Right sorry," Nicole takes a sip of her beer and her words begin to slur more than before. "Since when do you study anyway? I thought that was against your toughness code or whatever the shit is that you came up with."

"Yeah well this semester determines my future," Wynonna shakes her head. "I don't think I can spend another year in this godforsaken hellhole they call a university. Everybody here sucks. Except for you baby girl," Wynonna quickly added which elicited a small smile from the girl's sister. The room became quiet again, the only sounds coming from the speaker and the tapping of Nicole's feet on the concrete floors.

"Hey, Nicole?" Waverly looks up from her book and at Nicole, breaking the silence. "What am I taking?"

"Is this a trick question?" Nicole asks stealing a glance behind her at her girlfriend.

"No," Waverly sets her textbook down and leans forward, inching her way towards the redhead. "Nicole, what am I taking?"

"Um..." Nicole trails off, taking yet another sip of her beer.

"Seriously, Nic, what am I taking?" Waverly smiles and takes the bottle from her tipsy girlfriend's hands, setting it aside. "Tell me," she begins to poke Nicole and tickle her, not stopping until she gets an answer. "I'll stop if you tell me," she adds when Nicole begins to squirm in her grasp.

"Tell you what? Tell you what!" Nicole laughs.

"What am I taking?" Waverly keeps poking her.

"I don't know," Nicole says between breaths of laughter and manages to get out of Waverly's grasp. "I don't know!" Waverly laughs and stops, wrapping her arms around Nicole from behind.

"How can you not know what your girlfriend is studying in college?" Wynonna says from the other room. Waverly tilts her head to the side, looking at Nicole.

"I'm in a very mellow place," Nicole says, her words slurring. When Wynonna doesn't answer, Nicole adds, "I think we all need to just chill the hell out." Wynonna rolls her eyes and gets up from her desk, walking to Nicole's room, stopping at the open door.

"Sure," she says leaning against the doorframe, "let's just all 'chill the hell out.' Until the RA comes by. Maybe this time she won't guess where the smell of alcohol is coming from," Wynonna shoots Nicole a look to which the ginger responds with a confused glance. "I can't keep buying alcohol for you if you're going to keep getting shit-faced wasted in our dorm, Haught Pocket."

Nicole laughs and shakes her head, reaching behind her to grab the bottle of beer that Waverly had picked up and taken a few small sips out of. Waverly giggles and looks at Wynonna who seems anything but amused by the dunk girl in front of her.

"Yeah, well the RA can kiss my ass," Nicole slurs and chugs the remaining beer in the bottle, tossing it into a nearby trashcan.

"Hey," Waverly stops Nicole from grabbing another beer and glances at Wynonna. "Why don't we let Wyn study? Let's go hit up the library."

Wynonna flashes her sister an appreciative smile. The brunette returns the smile and stands up, walking over to the small, metal trashcan near Nicole's desk, and retrieves the three bottles that Nicole had tossed in. "And maybe on our way there, we can learn how to recycle," she sits the bottles in Nicole's lap and kisses her forehead. "We've gotta protect the planet, Nic." Nicole stands up, the bottles falling to her feet which elicited an audible groan from her girlfriend.

"We'll have plenty of time to study when we're older," she says looking between Waverly and Wynonna. "I say right now, we live in the moment."

"And how do you suppose we do that exactly?" Wynonna spoke as she took the bridge of her nose between her fingers, applying light pressure in an attempt to relieve stress.

"We let loose. Go party," Nicole smiled. "We get drunk off our asses! Isn't that what you Earps are known for?"

Waverly sits back down and wraps an arm around her girlfriend. "Look, Wynonna...you have to learn how to manage your time around Nicole. She eats...she goes to the gym...and then she gets tired so she takes a nap. That'll be the best time to get your studying done," Nicole laughs and Wynonna stares at Waverly.

"Is this some kind of joke to you, Waverly?" Wynonna stands up straight. "My future is on the line, our futures are on the line, and my baby sister is telling me that I suddenly need to schedule my life around her drunk girlfriend?"

"Hey, it's your future on the line. Being a musician is easy as shit," Nicole laughs and leans into Waverly. "I can find a gig at anytime and anyplace."

"This is bull shit!" Wynonna yells. "You need to get your ass together, Haught," Wynonna gruffly points a finger in Nicole's direction. "Just because you major music and apparently never need to study for any sort of God damn test or exam doesn't mean you can sit on your ass and get drunk off of the beer that I buy for you. Either get your ass together, or get out and find a new roommate. And be warned. If you leave this dorm or fail to change your lazy ass ways, you can kiss your sweet relationship goodbye. Say adios to beer and Wayhaught shall live on."

Waverly kept her eyes on Wynonna, knowing just how serious she was being. She managed to move her glance to Nicole who seemed to be more focused on the pile of bottles at her feet than the threat she just received. The three girls were quite for a few minutes, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. Wynonna was done putting up with Nicole's shitty-ass attitude and was not about to sit around waiting for her to break her sister's heart. Three short knocks on the door brought three pairs of eyes to look in the direction from which the sound came.

"It's open!" Nicole yells as she stands up from the bed.

Chrissy Nedley and two other girls Nicole didn't know walked into the dorm. "Nic, Brian is having a kegger tonight at his fraternity. There's going to be booze and food, live music, lots of cute girls," she winks at Nicole.

"Um, hi. Sitting right here," Waverly says waving her arms.

Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly and plants small kisses all around her face. "No girl will ever have my attention except for you, Waves," she says, voice dripping with seriousness. If Waverly hadn't known her girlfriend had been drinking, she might have thought she was actually sober.

Chrissy shakes her head and smiles, "You guys are so cute! So, Nicole," she clasps her hands together, "are you in or not?"

Nicole looks at Waverly then at Chrissy. She smiles and stands up, "Hell yeah I am!"

Chrissy squeals and takes her phone out, "We have thirty minutes to get there. Feel free to bring Waverly. And Wynonna," the blonde looks at the eldest Earp sister, "I would invite you, but we don't need to run out of alcohol before the first hour of the party passes."

Nicole turns around, meeting Waverly's eyes. "You want to come? It'll be fun," she smiles as she pulls the girl to her feet. "Lot's of dancing, lots of drinking."

"Lot's of making out," Chrissy adds with a wink to which Waverly responds with a blush.

"I would love to go," Waverly says, her hands sliding up to Nicole's upper arms and squeezing lightly, "but, baby, I really should get going. I need to study."

"Are you sure? I won't go if you don't want me to."

Waverly shakes her head and smiles, "No. Go. Go have fun. Just don't do anything too stupid, okay?"

Nicole smiles and places a quick peck on Waverly's lips. "I'll try, but I can't promise you anything."

"You better promise, or you'll be in some major trouble," Waverly playfully hits Nicole's arm and smiles. "Now go. Text me later."

Nicole nods and smiles again. "I will!" She yells as she leaves the room with Chrissy and her posy of sorority girls, kicking the bottles to the side in the process.

"Love you too!" Waverly sighs quietly after the door shuts and bends down to retrieve the bottles. "She'll grow out of this," Waverly says as she stands up, meeting her sister's eyes, "right?"

Wynonna shakes her head, a playful grin growing on her face. "Only time can tell, baby girl. Only time can tell," she kisses Waverly's forehead and goes back into her room. "Lock the door on the way out, would you?"

Waverly grabs her books and car keys, throwing her bag over her shoulders. "Why, so you can lock Nicole out again?"

Wynonna pokes her head out of her room, "I love Haught Stuff, but I can't deal with her drunk at three in the morning."

"So you lock her out, knowing she'll call me and have me come get her," Waverly pauses for a moment before continuing. "Smart. Mean, and quite possibly the most annoying thing you could ever do to me, but smart nonetheless."

Wynonna smiles, "Love you."

"Sure you do, Wyn," Waverly smiles as she opens the door. "Sure you do." The Brunette walks out of the room, closing and locking the door behind her. "Oh please just let this be a stupid college phase."

Waverly walks out of the building and tosses Nicole's empty beer bottles into a nearby recycle bin, hoping and praying that someday soon all of this would change for the better.

Chapter Text

Present Day

It's a chilly Friday morning in December. Snow is falling from the sky, landing silently on the ground. Cars rush by on their way to work, but the sound isn't a bother to the residents of apartment B, room 215. No, in fact the sound is soothing; meditative almost. Yellow taxis and black Uber SUV's honking their horns are nothing more than white noise to the girl snoring softly in her bed. The sun shines brightly through the apartment window casting an angelic glow over a sleeping Waverly Earp who is wrapped up in her blankets and bonus blankets under the covers of the King sized bed. Her chest rises and falls steadily, peaceful dreams filling her head.

Waverly is a heavy sleeper and some days, like today, it comes in handy. Waverly's boyfriend, Champ Hardy, typically works early morning shifts on Fridays. When he isn't working at Shorty's bar at night, he works as a real estate agent for Gardner Real Estate; started and owed by one Mercedes Gardner. As the top seller in Purgatory one could guess that Champ's ego has gotten even bigger than anyone ever thought possible and everyone despises him; except for Waverly that is. She thinks his pride is attractive and she makes that known to Champ at every possible moment. Today is the day that Champ Hardy knows he is going to make his biggest deal yet. He has one of the richest families hooked into purchasing the old Earp Homestead property and he has a very good feeling about it. As he gets dressed in his usual shirt and tie, he glances over at Waverly, with her back to him, before looking at himself in the mirror.

"Today's the day," he says with a smile. "And no matter what happens, just know that I love you."

"Awe," Waverly begins to stir and smile upon hearing Champ's voice, "I love you too, Champ."

Champ tears his eyes from the mirror to look at Waverly again with what seems to be a slightly annoyed expression on his face. He clears his throat and shoves his hands into his pockets before turning and walking to the foot of the bed.

"Rise and shine, hun," he says facing the bed, and Waverly.

"What time is it?" The brunette asks, her eyes still closed.

"It's six forty-five and my driver is picking me up at seven," Champ opens the closet door to retrieve a black blazer that matches his pants.

"Six forty-five?" Waverly opens her eyes slightly, squinting at the sunlight coming through the window. "In the morning?"

Sliding his coat over his shoulders, Champ gives a quiet chuckle, "That's funny," he says.

"I don't have to be at work until ten," Waverly turns onto her back and pulls the covers over her head. "Why did you wake me up so early?"

"I didn't wake you up. You woke yourself up," Champ grabs his scarf and drapes it over his neck. "Anyway, it must be nice to work at a later time. But I've already showered, eaten breakfast, read all of today's headlines. I left you some toast in the kitchen and there's coffee in the pot if you want any. And don't forget that we're having dinner together tonight at nine o'clock."

"Oh crap," Waverly sits up and looks at Champ. "I told Chrissy and Rosita I would hang out with them tonight," her face turns into a pout but changes into a hopeful smile in seconds. "Can they come with us?"

"Absolutely not," Champ replies lifting his right hand to adjust his cufflink. "We're going to Gusto's."

"Gusto's?" Waverly smiles and bites her bottom lip as she runs a hand through her messy hair.

Champ nods, "That's right. And Rosita won't fit in on account of her dressing like a..." he trails off, looking down to button the center button of his coat.

"Dressing like a...?" Waverly looks at him, waiting for his answer.

"Well, to be frank, because she dresses like a hooker."

"Hey," Waverly narrows her eyebrows slightly. "Rosie's my friend."

"That's why we make new friends, Waverly. You don't see me hanging out with any of the losers I grew up with. I would like to think that a smart girl as pretty as you would know that," Waverly gives her boyfriend a blank stare, looking at him as if he had just kicked a puppy. "Besides," Champ continues, "I want it to be just you and me tonight."

"Ooh, so no investors? No checking emails or phone calls from clients?" Waverly leans forward on her hands, lifting her eyes to meet Champ's. "To what do I owe the privilege?"

"Let's just say that it'll be a night you'll never forget."

"I can't wait," Waverly whispers, smiling.

"Great," Champ forces a smile, though Waverly doesn't catch it. "I'll have Curtis pick you up at eight," he leans down and gently cups Waverly's face with his left hand. The girl leans in and closes her eyes awaiting her goodbye kiss, but it never comes. "I have to get going. Newton is waiting at the front of the building. I'll see you tonight," Champ releases Waverly's face and bends down to retrieve his briefcase. "Don't be late tonight," he says as he walks out of the bedroom.

"Okay," Waverly smiles. "I-I love you!" She calls after him, staring at the door now both confused and nervous.

A night you'll never forget. What does that even mean? Waverly doesn't  know what those five words mean, but she has a feeling that tonight is going to be a turning point for her relationship with Champ.

XXX

"He's taking you to Gusto's? The Gusto's?" Chrissy Nedley, one of Waverly's friends from college, nearly chokes on her tea at the mention of the five star, super high class restaurant. People sitting around them at the café turn to stare at the blonde.

"Dude!" Rosita yells and stares at Waverly with wide eyes and a gaping mouth. "He's gonna propose to you," she grips Waverly's arm and shakes it violently.

"Oh I don't know about that," Waverly shrugs her shoulders. "I mean, I think it's just dinner. Right?"

Chrissy raises her teacup to her lips with a sly smirk on her face. "I think that you've been committing crimes against him in bed for two years and now he wants to sentence you for life," she nods her head in Waverly's direction as she takes a sip of her drink.

"Really, Chrissy?" Waverly's face displays an expression of embarrassment and disgust. "You're so disgusting. You seriously should have been born a boy."

"Two words," Chrissy says with that smirk on her face again. "Life experience."

"You? Life experience?" Rosita snorts into her coffee and looks at the blonde sitting across the table from her.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Chrissy sets her cup down and crosses her arms.

"Oh please!" Rosita sets her cup down and leans forward with her elbows on the table. "So you mean to tell me that little miss sheriff's daughter has really had life experience? Nedley, your dad made you be home by seven every night in high school and he called you every single night during college to make sure you weren't out partying. Don't sit here and tell me that you've had life experience. Waves has had more life experience and all she ever does is grade papers and write lesson plans for her stupid online history classes."

"Hey," Waverly crosses her arms. "They aren't stupid. You try to make a living as an online history and ancient languages professor."

Chrissy rolls her eyes and smiles. "Okay fine. I admit that I don't have nearly as much experience as I act like I do, and I have no evidence to prove you wrong about Waverly, but that isn't the point right now."

"Right. The point is that if Champ really does ask you to marry him tonight," Rosita looks at her friend, "what will you say?"

"Well...I guess...I'd...say yes," Waverly smiles as Rosita grabs her arm again, squeezing lightly.

"That's good, Waves," Chrissy smiles. "I know you've wanted to settle down for a while now."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Waverly cocks her head to the side.

"Well," Chrissy continues, "I just mean that after Nicole...you've been looking for that person. The one you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"Hey, I liked Nicole," Rosita comments, but is heard by no one except herself.

"Wait wait, what do you mean "that person"?" Waverly questions her friend, drawing air quotes.

"You know," Chrissy shrugs. "Has their shit together. Mature–"

"Okay wait my dad has his shit together," Rosita interrupts. "And he likes to play chess," she turns her gaze to Waverly and raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you want for the rest of your life?" Waverly opens her mouth to respond but Chrissy cuts her off.

"Nobody likes to play chess."

"No seriously, my dad called me yesterday asking if I wanted to be his partner for some stupid chess competition in–"

Waverly shakes her head. "Guys can you two just shut up and help me?" Both girls turn their attention to Waverly. "Do you guys like...for real think he's going to propose?"

Chrissy smiles and nods. "Oh yeah. I think your chances of Champ Hardy proposing are about as good as Nicole Haught being a college dropout while majoring in music." She laughs and Waverly laughs along with her and Rosita, but for some reason the laugh is a bit forced. 

She doesn't think Nicole would have dropped out. She only took a year off. But by the time that year had passed, Waverly had graduated and had been long since broken up with Nicole. Sometimes she wonders what her former ginger lover is up to these days. Before she can get too lost in her thoughts, Rosita's voice pulls Waverly back to reality.

"If he does propose, Waves, just promise that you won't go and ditch us girls."

"Oh no. definitely not," Waverly smiles. "I could never ditch you guys. You've gotten me though literally everything. I love you guys."

Chrissy smiles and raises her cup, proposing a toast. "Call us later and tell us every detail, baby."

"You already know I will," Waverly smiles and clinks her cup against Chrissy's and Rosita's.

XXX

8:45 PM

Curtis pulls up to Gusto's Restaurant and gets out of the car to let Waverly out. She graciously thanks him and tips him even after he denies. As she walks into the restaurant, Curtis tips his hat and drives off. 

Waverly walks into the building and finds Champ at a table set for two in the middle of the large dining area. She smiles and walks over to the table, pulling the empty chair out enough for her to sit down. Waverly picks up the napkin that is folded neatly on top of her menu and places it in her lap. Her eyes find Champ's and she smiles at him to which he responds with a slight nod of his head as he gazes down at his menu.

"You made it on time," he says.

"Well, Curtis was early. And I know how you are. How "on time" for you is ten minutes early." Champ nods keeping his eyes on his menu. After a few brief minutes of silence, Waverly speaks again. "This is a really nice restaurant, Champ," she smiles again.

"Yeah," Champ nods. "The best," silence hangs over the couple again, and Waverly begins to get nervous. She fidgets in her seat and fixes her dress before breaking the silence.

Again.

"So..." she trails off looking at Champ.

"So?" he repeats.

"What's the special occasion?" Waverly gestures to the area around them. "It's not our anniversary or anything. And it isn't my birthday. Or yours."

"I just thought you'd like it," Champ shrugs as he picks up his wine glass.

"I do like it," Waverly looks around. "I mean, I haven't tried the food yet, but I bet it's amazing."

"Trust me, the food is excellent," Champ examines his glass and sets it back down.

"Oh, so you've been here before," Waverly says with a hint of disappointment and suspicion in her voice.

Champ nods. "Just once."

"But not with me," Waverly stares at him.

"No," he shakes his head. "Not with you." Before Waverly can speak again, their waiter walks up to their table.

"Good evening and welcome to Gusto's," the man says with a warm smile. "It's a pleasure to serve you. My name is Charlie and we are glad to have you here dining with us," his eyes land on Champ, "again."

Champ nods. "Great to be here again," he says unenthusiastically.

Charlie nods and continues on. "Are we celebrating anything special tonight?"

"No, Charles, we are not celebrating anything special," Waverly's smile diminishes from her face at Champ's comment.

"It's Charlie," the waiter turns his gaze to Waverly. "Would you like to start with some sparkling water?"

"I would love some–" she begins before being cut off by Champ.

"We'll have a bottle of the rosé," he says. "nineteen forty..." Champ trails off looking up at Charlie who mouths the last number to him. "Six. Nineteen forty-six. Thank you, Charles."

"Charlie," the waiter says as he leaves the table.

The duo grows quiet again as they study their menus. Waverly glances at Champ and sets her menu down. "Okay, I can't take this anymore," she smiles. "The suspense is killing me."

"What are you talking about?" Champ looks at her, setting his own menu down.

"I know you brought me here for a reason, Champ and I just," Waverly takes a deep breath, "I can't go the whole dinner waiting for you to say it. I can't."

"Wow, your intuition is really amazing," Champ says as Charlie comes back with their rosé, filling his glass until Champ waves him off. "How did you guess?"

"I...well, it's a little obvious don't you think?" Waverly says in a hushed tone.

"Is it?" Champ picks up his glass to taste the wine. "How so?"

"Well I mean," Waverly shrugs, "fancy restaurant, middle of the week, just the two of us..."

"Is this a new bottle?" Champ asks looking up at Charlie.

"Yes, sir it's a new bottle."

"Well, it doesn't taste like a new bottle."

"It is a new bottle, sir."

Champ sighs and waves to the glasses. "Pour," Waverly's expression slowly falls when Champ ignores her. "That's enough. Thank you, Charles."

"Charlie," he says through gritted teeth as he walks away.

"What, did you get into some sort of trouble the last time you were here?" Waverly asks as she watches their waiter walk away.

"Actually," Champ clears his throat, "the last time I was here, I broke up with my ex."

"Oh, that's...pretty horrible, Champ. I mean–" the brunette gets cut off by Champ.

"Actually I brought you here, Waverly, because I'm breaking up with you."

"You're breaking...you're breaking up with me..." Waverly's face contorts into a mixture of confusion and just downright hurt. "Why?"

"Because I don't love you anymore. And because I've found somebody else; somebody that I've been seeing."

"Oh, well um, that's...that's very nice...for you," Waverly can't bring herself to look at Champ as her voice begins to crack, tears forming in her eyes. "After two years."

"Look, Waves, for what it's worth I'm sorry. Okay? I really am."

"You're s-sorry?" Waverly looks at Champ, her sadness quickly turning into anger.

"Yes," he nods.

"That's bull shit!" Waverly yells and slams her hands against the table, gathering the attention of surrounding guests.

"Waverly, could you please lower your voice? You're embarrassing me."

"Am I?" Waverly tilts her head to the side. "Am I embarrassing you? Am I embarrassing him?" She yells as she looks around the restaurant. "I gave you two years, and this is how you end it."

"This is how things work sometimes, Waves."

"Do not call me Waves."

"As you wish," Champ shakes his head and opens his menu again. "Now come on. Let's just have a nice dinner and we'll leave it at that."

"You want me to have a nice dinner, Champ?"

"Yes," he nods. "The grilled and stuffed geoduck is fantastic."

"Yeah? The geoduck is good?" Waverly stares at him in disbelief.

"Yeah. It's a type of...duck."

"I'm a freaking vegan, Champ!" Waverly yells and stands up from her chair, banging her hands against the table once more.

 "Okay," Champ takes a deep breath and looks around. "Please sit down."

Waverly laughs quietly and shakes her head. "You know what?" She picks up her glass of rosé and empties its contents on Champ from across the table. "Go screw yourself." Waverly storms out of the restaurant without a second thought.

Charlie comes to Champ's aid with a napkin to dry himself with. "Give me that," he says and angrily takes it from him.

"Okay so this one time when we were having sex, he was pretending to be a bull rider, and it made me really really uncomfortable. And I needed to tell someone else other than my therapist,"  Waverly says storming back in. She grabs her purse which she forgot on her chair and looks around. "So enjoy your dinner. You all look...really nice and...very happy," she runs out again with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Never happened," Champ says to the people staring at him after Waverly leaves. "I have no idea what she's talking about."

Charlie comes back to the table and sets the bill in front of Champ before walking away again.

Chapter Text

Waverly throws the door to the restaurant open and runs outside, wiping her eyes and trying hard to keep herself together. She looks around, turning in a full circle, before realizing she had no way of getting home.

Home. She though. I don’t have a home anymore. Waverly had decided it best to move out of the Homestead and move in with Champ. There was no reason for the two of them to not live together. Her plan was to get married to Champ and then move out of their small apartment and into a house. But things are not going the way she had planned them to go and now she has no emergency plan. All of her things are at Champ’s apartment and she doesn’t want to be there when he gets back. Wynonna put the Homestead up for sale and moved into an apartment years ago and Champ had sold it that morning. She has no where to go.

Waverly wraps her arms tightly around herself and clutches her purse close to her chest as a large gust of wind sends shivers down her spine. Waverly Earp was cold and she was alone. Two of the worst feelings in the world when experienced at the same time. The brunette runs through her list of friends over and over in her head, trying to think of who will let her crash with them for the night. Or at least until she is able to find a new place.

She considers calling Rosita but decides against it when she remembers that she already has a roommate. Chrissy won’t let her stay either since her whole theory is that tough love is the best love. The only person left was someone Waverly thinks would never want to talk to her again; someone she knows wouldn’t come get her.

“Well, it’s worth a shot...” Waverly mumbles to herself as she retrieves her phone out of her purse. “What’s the worst that could happen? She says no?” Dialing the number, Waverly holds the phone up to her ear and counts her blessings, because she really needs a miracle right now.

“Hello?” The groggy voice rings in the girl’s ears and she immediately feels her breath catch in her chest, her eyes welling with tears.

“Wynonna...I need your help,” Waverly manages before breaking down on the phone.

XXX

“That pathetic excuse for a real estate agent has another thing coming if he thinks he can get away with shit like this,” the eldest Earp walks into the living room, from the kitchen, holding two cups of tea. Wynonna sits down on the couch next to her sister and hands her one of the cups.

“I don’t know,” Waverly shrugs and looks down at the cup in her hands. “I should have seen it coming. It was foolish to get my hopes up like that.”

“Waverly Earp,” Wynonna declares sternly looking at her sister whose eyes remain on her cup, “don’t sit on my couch, in my apartment, drinking my tea and blame yourself for what he did. How could you have possibly known that he was going to break up with you? I wouldn’t have thought that. This isn’t something you will beat yourself up over. I won’t allow it.”

Waverly stays quiet for a few minutes before looking up and meeting Wynonna’s eyes. “Thank you, Wynonna,” she says quietly, tears in her eyes again, “for coming to get me. I know I haven’t been the best sister these past few years and then I go and call you out of nowhere asking you to come get me at ten o’clock at night when I knew you were probably long asleep but I just–“

“Baby girl,” Wynonna cuts her off, placing a gentle hand on her arm, “it’s my fault that we don’t talk anymore. Ever since you got together with Chump, I distanced myself from you. I left you. Again. And I feel like shit for it. I didn’t like him, and I didn’t want to hang around waiting for him to hurt you. So I pulled the stick out of my ass and gave you the space you needed. If you were happy, I didn’t have a problem. But he broke your heart in the middle of one of the fanciest places to eat in this town, thinking that buying you dinner afterwards would just magically make up for it.”

Waverly gives her sister a weak smile. “Are you sure that this hate you have towards Champ has less to do with him being an arrogant prick, and more to do with it being because he isn’t Nicole?”

“What?” Wynonna feigns a shocked expression. “You really think I’d rather you be with that stupid college dropout that did nothing but drink my beer and break your heart?”

“Wyn,” Waverly shakes her head, “I don’t hate Nicole. You don’t have to act like you do just because we broke up. I follow you on Twitter. I know you two still talk and hang out. And I’m okay with that,” she nods to prove her point and takes a few small sips from her tea. “Just don’t tell me you’re still rooming together. Because I don’t think I can handle being around her again,” Waverly glances at her sister before quietly adding, “At least not yet.”

Wynonna shrugs, “She’s a lot to handle. I don’t know how you put up with dating her for so long.”

“I loved her. That’s how,” Waverly states with a hint of pain in her voice.

“Crap, Waves no…I’m sorry,” Wynonna knows she struck a nerve and immediately regrets it. “I didn’t mean that. I shouldn’t have brought it up. It was a joke.”

“Wynonna, it’s okay. Really,” Waverly offers her a weak smile. “I just really don’t want to think about her right now. I don’t want to think about Champ either.”

“Well, what do you want to think about?”

“I don’t know,” Waverly shakes her head. “I don’t know what to do anymore. I have nowhere to go. No one to go anywhere with. I’m alone. Again,” she dips her head low and pulls the blanket tighter around her shoulders.

“Hey,” Wynonna places a finger under Waverly’s chin and tilts her head up, “you’re welcome to stay with me for as long as you want to. You’ve got me until the end of time, okay? And you still have Rosita and Chrissy. Don’t act like everyone has abandoned you just because your asshole boyfriend dumped you.”

“Thank you, Wynonna. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Waverly smiles at her sister and leans into her side.

Things grow quiet for a while and the two girls take in every second of it. The muffled sounds of cars passing by on the street, the quiet hum of the AC unit in the window across the living room, the muted episode of Friends playing on the TV. Waverly closes her eyes and buries herself deeper into Wynonna’s side, focusing on the steady rise and fall of her sister’s chest; the sound of her heartbeat bringing immediate comfort to the smaller girl. These are the things that Waverly misses the most, the things that she took advantage of during her childhood but has now been robbed of her during her early adulthood. Waverly has become full of guilt and remorse over the past three years since she met Champ. It’s her fault that Wynonna left again. No matter how many how many times Wynonna will tell her otherwise, Waverly will always know deep down in her heart that it’s her fault.

“Did you at least make a scene when you left?” Wynonna’s voice brings Waverly out of her thoughts. The smaller girl lightly smacks Wynonna’s arm, eliciting a laugh from the elder girl. “What? Too soon?”

“What kind of person do you think I am?” Waverly looks up at her sister.

“You’re my sister. I shouldn’t even have to ask this question, but knowing you, you probably just stood up and left.”

“Wynonna, please,” Waverly rolls her eyes dramatically, leaving Wynonna wondering what actually went down. The smaller girl moves and places her head in Wynonna’s lap, looking up at her. “I threw a glass of rosé in his face and exposed his sexual fantasies.”

“What?” Wynonna looks down at her sister in disbelief. “No, come on Waves. Tell me what really happened.”

“I just told you. I don’t know what came over me but when he told me to calm down and eat dinner with him after he broke it off, I got so mad and didn’t know how to handle it. So I picked up my glass and threw the wine at him. I stormed out but then realized I forgot my purse at the table, so I ran back in and grabbed it then exposed his creepy fantasies before running out again.”

Wynonna snorts, “Okay, Waverly. Whatever you say. I just find all of this to be a bit theatrical. That’s not the kind of person you are.”

“She’s telling the truth,” the new voice gives both Wynonna and Waverly a scare. The girls were so engrossed in their conversation that they failed to hear the door open and close. “I saw the whole thing,” the person walks into the living room, revealing herself to be none other than Nicole Haught.

Waverly sits up and sees the girl.

She nearly passes out.

“Wynonna,” Waverly manages out as she slowly rises to her feet, “you s-said that you weren’t living with her.”

“Actually, I never actually said that,” Wynonna says.

“Well hello to you too, Waverly,” Nicole looks at the girl. Waverly stares at her with parted lips and fearful eyes, finding herself to be at a loss for words. “That was really impressive, what you did. He was pissed when he left.”

“I…” Waverly starts, immediately gaining Nicole’s full attention. “I feel like I’m going to pass out,” Waverly takes a step back trying to lean herself against the nearby table, but sinks to the ground when her knees give out. The last thing she remembers before her world went black is feeling a pair of arms wrap around her body to soften her fall to the floor.

Nicole’s arms around her body to soften her fall to the floor.

Chapter Text

“Why are you so mad?”

“Because you always text me when you get off of work."

“You always get annoyed with me when I do that.”

“Yeah well this time it would have been important to know!”

The argument continues as Waverly begins to regain consciousness. She grimaces quietly to herself as she tries to sit up feeling a throbbing pain in her head. The last thing she remembers is seeing Nicole walk into the living room and then her world went dark. Wynonna was right, she never actually said that she didn’t live with Nicole.

But why would she lie to me?  Waverly thinks to herself. It isn’t like I control her life.

A thousand questions begin to form in the brunette’s head as she takes all of this in. Her head is swimming with confusion and disappointment, but there’s just a tiny part of Waverly that is somewhat relieved to know that her sister and Nicole are still so close; to know that Nicole isn’t wasting her life away like Chrissy has convinced her that she is. Her mind keeps racing, making her headache even worse. She tries to sit up again and manages to make it to her feet this time before falling back down, sitting on the couch with a huff.

“Fudgenuggets,” Waverly grumbles to herself, taking her head in her hands.

“Oh good, you’re awake. How’s your head, Waves?” The voice rings in Waverly’s ears, slightly startling her.

“I’m fine, Wynonna. I just need some air,” Waverly stands up before her sister can argue and grabs a blanket from the couch, heading out to the small balcony overlooking the street.

Despite it being long past midnight, the streets are oddly quiet. Waverly finds it unsettling and shivers. She wraps the blanket around her shoulders, pulling it tight to keep her warm. Waverly closes her eyes and takes a deep breath trying to calm herself. The cold December air reminds her of when she was younger and spent most of her time with Wynonna. They would have snowball fights in the front yard of the homestead and would build forts in the snow, spending as much time as they could out there. Together. The thought immediately calms Waverly and she takes another deep breath, letting her shoulders fall, causing her body to visibly relax.

“It’s okay,” she tells herself. “Your college ex and your sister live together, and she’s in there right now probably talking about you. There’s nothing wrong with that,” she shakes her head, keeping her eyes closed, and hopes that she can convince herself that there really is nothing wrong with it.

“You can say that you’re fine with it,” Nicole steps out onto the balcony and closes the door behind her, “but I know your voice. I know when something is bothering you,” Waverly doesn’t respond, but instead just shrugs her shoulders. “Can we talk?” The question is asked timidly.

“There’s nothing to talk about, Nicole,” Waverly shrugs again. The mention of her name sends chills down the redhead’s spine. “You and Wynonna have always been friends. I’m not upset about you guys living together or whatever you think I am. I’m fine.”

“Right,” Nicole nods before continuing, “well if you’re so fine with all of this then why won’t you look at me?”

She takes Waverly’s silence as an invitation to keep talking.

“Or is this anxious and aggravated attitude that is so unlike Waverly Earp about something else?” Nicole knows she’s treading in deep water as she speaks, but she pushes past the though and places a gentle hand on Waverly’s shoulder. “Is all of this about Champ?”

Nicole knows it’s a dumb question but she’s been apart from this girl for so long that she has no idea what else could be going on in her life. Wynonna never really talks about her either claiming that it’s because she rarely ever speaks to her sister. There comes no comment from the smaller girl for a few painstakingly long minutes, but when a response does come, Nicole regrets ever opening her mouth.

“I said that I’m fine, Nicole,” Waverly states a little too harshly and shrugs her shoulder, causing Nicole’s hand to fall back to her side. “And I don’t want to talk about it. Especially not to you,” the words are like daggers dipped in poison thrown right at Nicole’s heart.

Nicole nods her head in the slightest of motions, trying to keep herself from saying anything else that may get her head ripped off. “That’s understandable,” she moves next to Waverly and leans against the railing.

The two girls remain silent, watching the few cars that drive past the building every few minutes, their breath visible in the cold air as small puffs of vapor passing through their lips with every exhale. Nicole steals a quick glance to her left at the girl next to her. Relieved that Waverly was focusing on the cars and didn’t catch her staring, Nicole turns her gaze back to the street.

Feeling the ginger’s eyes on her, Waverly does the same thing when Nicole’s eyes leave her, stealing a glance at the girl.

Nicole can feel Waverly’s eyes on her now and begins to feel anxious. Coming home and seeing Waverly in her living room was the last thing she expected. Walking in on a party Wynonna decided to throw while she was at work, sure. Wynonna and Doc hooking up in her bedroom, of course. But her ex-girlfriend? Never in a million years. She looks down and takes immediate interest in the top two buttons of her while, long sleeve work shirt. To distract herself, Nicole allows her frigid, numb fingers fumble with the buttons in a fruitless attempt to button them. Waverly notices this and turns to face her.

“Let me,” Waverly moves Nicole’s hands away from her shirt before she could argue and buttons the shirt effortlessly. “You really shouldn’t be here without a coat. It’s below freezing,” their eyes meet for the briefest of seconds and Waverly swears that she can hear her heart beating in her ears.

Waverly offers Nicole the blanket around her shoulders and the redhead nicely declines. “I’m okay,” she says. “You need it more than I do.” Waverly nods and somehow manages to turn away from Nicole. A silence falls over the two as both girls try to process what just happened. While Waverly is worried about Nicole being able to hear her heart beating out of her chest, Nicole is stuck on the feeling she felt when their hands touched.

The same feeling she felt on their first date.

“I’m sorry,” Waverly says after a few minutes, “about what I said before. That was rude and uncalled for.”

“No, hey it’s totally understandable, Waves-” Nicole stops herself and shakes her head, “Waverly. It’s okay, Waverly,” she corrects herself. “But if you don’t mind me asking…Why are you so defensive about it? From what Wynonna was saying before I came out here, it seemed like you were almost...relieved that he left you.”

Waverly takes a deep breath, “I am. But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it,” she falls quiet for a brief moment before bringing her eyes to meet Nicole’s as she continues, “I really thought he was going to propose tonight, Nicole. Not smash my heart into a million tiny pieces in front of at least sixty other people.”

Nicole holds Waverly’s gaze as she racks her brain for the right thing to say. She decides that showing her surprise about how Waverly thought Champ the Chump was actually going to propose to her would be a bad idea.

So instead Nicole replies with, “Sixty other people? You we’re in a fancy restaurant, with the man of your dreams at the time, thinking you were going to get engaged, and all you paid attention to was the amount of people sitting around you?” Waverly nods looking at her hands to hide her blush and Nicole lets out a quiet chuckle. “I guess some things never do change.”

When Nicole and Waverly were together, Nicole made mental notes of every small thing Waverly did. The faces she makes when concentrating, the way her eyes crinkle when she smiles, her hyper attentiveness to her surroundings when she’s nervous. These are the things, Nicole thought, that made up the girl she fell in love with six years ago; that still make up the girl that she fell in love with. Nicole catches herself staring at Waverly a lot longer than she meant to, and quickly turns her head to look out at the street.

“So um,” Waverly starts. Her train of though it lost when she glances at Nicole, noticing how beautiful she looks in the moonlight. Waverly shakes the thought from her head and takes a deep breath before continuing. “How long have you been at Gusto’s?”

“Hm? Oh, only a few weeks,” Nicole responds. “It’s just a temporary thing. I had to pick up a second job to make up for my end of the rent.

“Second job?” Waverly looks at Nicole with an almost shocked expression. “Nicole, do you even have a life? If you’re still working at Perry's music store from college and at Gusto’s then when do you have time to eat? Sleep?”

Nicole laughs, putting her dimples on full display. “I don’t work both jobs every day, Waverly. I work at Perry’s store in the mornings and early afternoons, and I work at Gusto’s at night. I have plenty of time to keep myself alive and well. But I’m glad to see you still wish to mother me, even after four years of not seeing me.”

Waverly blushes fiercely and hides her face in her hands. “Sorry,” she mutters, her voice muffled by her hands.

“No,” Nicole shakes her head. “Don’t be sorry. I’m relieved to see that you don’t hate my guts,” Nicole can’t stop the words from spilling out of her mouth. “You just wanted to put yourself first and focus on school, and I got mad and yelled at you. Threw things. Punched things,” her words falter slightly, “almost hurt you.”

“Nicole–” Waverly tries but is interrupted as Nicole continues.

“I was dead weight added to your life and yet you loved me anyway. So you let me go to save us both. That gave me no right to act the way I did. I am so, so, sorry Waverly,” Nicole finishes and her eyes land on Waverly. “I have thought about that night every day since you left. I have thought about you every day since you left.”

Waverly remains quiet, afraid that if she opens her mouth she’ll lose it completely. Nicole had gotten violent the night things ended between them. Waverly made the mistake of breaking up with Nicole the day before their three year anniversary, and she has regretted it every day since. But she never expected things to go the way that they did. Things were thrown, profanities shouted. And despite all of the things that happened, Waverly still could not blame Nicole for her actions to this day. What she did was worth the anger. Waverly is so caught up in her thoughts that she almost didn’t hear the next thing that Nicole said to her. The five words that passed by the ginger’s lips nearly made Waverly pass out again.

“I miss you, Waverly Earp.”

Waverly stares at her blankly, tears threatening to well in her eyes. She opens her mouth to say something, but Wynonna pokes her head out of the door.

“Hey, Tater Haught, Shae is on the phone,” Wynonna waves her hand in the air, holding Nicole’s phone.

“Okay Wynonna, I’m coming. Just give me a minute,” Nicole snaps at her, mentally slapping herself since she knows what’s about to come.

“Shae?” Waverly looks at Nicole when Wynonna goes back inside. “Who is Shae?”

Nicole takes a deep breath and looks at Waverly, bracing herself for the blow.

“Shae is my fiancé.”

Chapter Text

It has now been a week since Champ broke Waverly's heart, and a week since Nicole verbally slapped her across the face by dropping the news about her fiancé on her. When Wynonna had told Nicole that her wife-to-be was on the phone, Waverly's world shattered into a million more pieces than Champ had left it only hours before. Before she ran from the apartment, Waverly had yelled something at Nicole about leading her on or about being loyal; she couldn't remember. Waverly is upset that Nicole knew she was in a vulnerable place, and yet she still took advantage of the situation. The secret girlfriend (well, secret in the sense that Waverly has no idea who this woman is) is the last thing that's keeping Waverly trapped in her hotel room bed, surrounded by piles of tissues and empty bottles of an assortment of wine and beer.

If she is to be completely honest with herself, her sulking has nothing to do with Nicole at all like she has nearly convinced herself that it does. Champ was cheating on her while they were together for God knows how long and he had the audacity to dump her in the middle of the nicest food establishment in town. And because of this, all Waverly has been able to do is watch an array of comedy movies on repeat in hopes of making her laugh until the pain is gone.

The brunette awakens to the sound of the alarm on her phone going off. Groaning in frustration, Waverly turns it off and throws the phone on the other side of the bed.

"I'm not going to work today stupid phone," she grumbles. "no papers to grade. No students. Winter break."

Rolling onto her back, Waverly finds herself not crying for the first time since she checked into the hotel. Her mind is clear of anything involving Champ or Nicole and she almost smiles, until her mind registers where she is and why. Waverly sits up and looks around her, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. She picks up a half empty bottle of beer and chugs the remaining contents, letting the bottle fall from her hands to the floor. Grabbing the remote and turning the TV on, Waverly lets out a quiet sob when she sees that one of her favorite movies, Mamma Mia, is on; and she just so happens to turn it on right as the girls break out into the notorious song.

"I was cheated by you, and I think you know when." The song starts.

"I don't think he knows when. Stupid bastard," Waverly stares at the screen as her tears begin to fall.

"So I've made up my mind, it must come to an end."

Waverly shakes her head, "But I don't want it to end."

The song continues and Waverly keeps her eyes on the screen, trying to make herself laugh. She loves this movie. It always makes her smile, especially when she's sad. But now it's as if this movie is mocking her; taunting her almost. Waverly uses her shirt to wipe her nose and to wipe her tears away but is immediately hit with a stench so rancid that she isn't sure her nose is functioning properly. She hasn't showered in days.

Waverly lets out an exasperated sigh as she falls onto her back, her head hitting the pillows. Her hands cover her face and she tries to hold her tears in which is proving to be a very difficult task. She can't really explain why she's still crying about Champ, but she can't figure out how to stop. Waverly knew it was a risk to let herself fall so hard for that boy-man, but she pushed those thoughts aside on their first date. Maybe Chrissy was right when she said that Waverly had been searching for "that person" ever since things ended with Nicole.

Maybe Waverly just forced herself to believe that Champ Hardy really was the one that she was destined to be with. She had pushed her bisexuality aside for the past three years in an attempt to forget about Nicole, but all she did was invalidate and confuse herself even more.

Waverly is so caught up in her thoughts (yet again) that she almost doesn't hear her phone ringing from beside her on the bed. Whining and cursing under her breath, Waverly answers the call and holds the phone to her ear.

"Oh, good you're awake," Chrissy's voice rings in the brunette's ears before she can speak. "Rosie and I are here and we're coming up to see you."

Waverly sits up so fast that she feels the rush go straight to her head. She wipes her eyes and takes in the mess around her as she speaks. "What? How did you know where I was? What room I'm in?"

"Wynonna told us, dummy," Rosita's voice comes from the other end of the call. "And Chrissy knows the manager of this place. So she got a room key."

"Oh great," Waverly forces a smile on her face and tries to sound happy.

"Waves," Chrissy speaks again, "are you still crying over Champ?"

"What?" Waverly sniffles and wipes her nose for good measure. "No I'm just watching the Notepad," She mentally slaps herself and lets a small sigh of defeat slip past her lips. "The Notebook. I'm watching the Notebook."

"Well it sure doesn't sound like you're watching the Notebook to me, Waverly," Chrissy replies as she opens the door to the room. "Are you bawling to Mamma Mia?" Chrissy and Rosita walk into the room, closing the door behind them.

"Geez, Waves, for a hot girl you really look like shit," Rosita stares at Waverly and winces when Chrissy hits her arm.

"But we love you anyway," Chrissy shoots Rosita daggers with her eyes. Boy, if looks could kill...

The two girls walk over to the bed and sit on either side of Waverly. They take in the appearance of their best friend and give each other a knowing look. They've seen Waverly go through breakups before, but none have ever had the effect on her that this one seems to be having.

"We haven't heard from you in days," Rosita says and places her hand on Waverly's knee. "We started getting worried."

"I'm fine, you guys. Really," Waverly sniffles and attempts to fix her hair.

"Waves," Chrissy starts softly and tosses Waverly a pair of worried eyes.

"I'm not," Waverly shakes her head, tears coming to her eyes again. "I'm not okay," she breaks down leaning into Chrissy, resting her head on Chrissy's shoulder.

Rosita wraps her arms tightly around her best friend. "We've got you, Waves. You know that."

Waverly lets a quiet sob escape her mouth as she tries to pull herself together. Chrissy rubs smoothing circles into Waverly's back and her eyes find Rosita, the smaller girl's hand resting on Waverly's chest in a very compromising spot.

"Um, Rosie?" Chrissy speaks up. She continues when Rosita's eyes meet hers. "Do you have something you'd like to tell us?" She motions to Rosita's hand with her eyes.

"What?" Rosita's eyes go wide and she quickly sits up, dropping her hand into her lap. "No," she shakes her head.

"Are you sure?" Waverly looks at Rosita. "Because I'm in a very open place right now, and we can talk about these things," her eyes water as the words leave her mouth.

"Guys, there's nothing I'm hiding from you," Rosita defends herself and fixes her shirt. "It's not important right now either. What's important is that Champ is–" The very mention of his name sends Waverly back into a pile of sobs and tears.

"Champ," she cries and buries her head in Chrissy's shoulder again. "He's...and I..."

"He's an asshole," Chrissy says. "And I think you're just tired of letting him shit on you, even if you want to deny it."

"Yeah, you deserve way better than that dirtbag, bull riding wannabe," Rosita says firmly. Waverly continues to cry and moves her head to Rosita's shoulder. "We have something that might help though," Rosita smiles hopefully and pulls a piece of folded paper out of her pocket. She unfolds it and hands it to Waverly.

"'Big Nose Kate's palm readings'," Waverly reads aloud. "'Here to fix all of your problems and then some.' Wow, sounds real reliable." Chrissy looks at Rosita and raises her eyebrows.

"Look, I know you're down and all that, but Rose has been going on and on about this psychic all week," Chrissy starts, "so can you set your skepticism aside and just let us take you so she can feel helpful?"

"I know it's a stupid idea," Rosita says. "But I thought it could help. Besides, you really need to get out of this place."

Waverly nods, moving her head to Rosita's shoulder now. "Okay," she says finally. "You guys are the best," Waverly says between sobs.

Rosita places a hand on Waverly head and gently strokes her hair. She meets Chrissy's eyes and mouths 'she smells so bad' to her, making a face.

"How about we get you in the shower, and then we can get going? Does that sound good?" Chrissy's voice is soft in Waverly's ears, which is very odd, but Waverly brushes it off and nods.

"Okay," her voice comes out strained.

Xxx

Nicole plops down onto the couch next to Wynonna, a beer in her hand, and groans. She kicks her feet up onto the table and lets out a loud breath as if it's the cure to all of her problems.

"Bad day?" Wynonna says not looking up from her magazine.

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it," Nicole huffs and takes a long swig from her bottle.

"Shae still giving you the cold shoulder?" Wynonna asks nonchalantly, flipping through the pages of her magazine and skipping over the ads for various face cleaners and makeup. She hears Nicole sigh and skims over one last page before speaking again, "Is Waverly?"

Staring down at the bottle in her hands, Nicole chews on her bottom lip. "No, Shae is talking to me, but she's not happy with me," she says, purposefully not mentioning Waverly.

"Well I don't blame her," Wynonna scoffs. "I'd be pretty ticked off too if I found out that my fiancé was getting handsy with her college ex."

"Who's side are you on, Wynonna?" Nicole fires back. "You're the one who brought her back here and didn't tell me."

"You have a point there, Haught stuff," Wynonna closes the magazine and tosses it onto the coffee table. "But I'm not the one who was making googly eyes at my heartbroken and vulnerable baby sister. While I'm engaged," she adds as an afterthought.

"I wasn't making googly eyes at her. I wasn't getting handsy with her. I was worried about her," Nicole defends herself.

"Because you still have feelings for her," Wynonna finally brings her eyes to Nicole. "Because you still love her."

Nicole's hands tighten around the bottle until her knuckles turn white. Wynonna wonders how the bottle doesn't break under the pressure. Nicole opens her mouth as if she were about to say something, but snaps it shut before words come out. She can't seem to string words together and form a proper response.

"Nicole, you're engaged," Wynonna speaks again, her voice softer this time.

"Yes," Nicole says slowly. "Tell me something I don't know."

"You're engaged to Shae which means that you can't throw away that relationship just because Waverly comes back into your life."

"I'm not throwing any relationship away because of Waverly," Nicole stands up. "I'm going to marry Shae and live happily ever after."

"You forget how much of a terrible lier you are, Red," Wynonna's eyes follow Nicole as she stands up. "Look, all I'm saying is that it's okay to still feel things for your ex. She's your college sweetheart for crying out loud! But I refuse to let you start questioning your love for Shae all because I brought Waverly back here. You two were in love, I get that. But it's in the past. Don't let her distract you from your future," Wynonna stands up and claps a firm hand on Nicole's shoulder. "And to be clear, your future is with Shae. Not Waverly," she keeps her eyes on Nicole for a few seconds before nodding and walking out of the living room.

'Your future is with Shae' Wynonna's voice echoes in Nicole's head. 'Not with Waverly.' Nicole stays where she is, beer bottle clenched tightly between her hands. She stares out the window to the balcony and she is immediately transported back to the other night, standing out on that balcony with Waverly, telling her that it was all going to be okay.

Their hands brushed and Nicole knew at that very moment that the missing puzzle piece to her life was Waverly. Her missing link is her college ex. She has been looking in all of the wrong places to find what has been missing. She thought it was her old cassette tapes that her father had left behind when he left, or her leather jacket that she gave to Waverly back in college; the one that Waverly had told her would make her look like a real rock star at every concert she'd put on in the future.

Nicole thinks back to her first date with Waverly. She took her to that fancy bar downtown and let Waverly order anything she wanted. Waverly had ordered a margarita while Nicole stuck to a good old fashioned gin and tonic. When the bill came and it was time to close their tab for the night, Nicole reached for the bill at the same time Waverly did, their hands brushing together. Waverly smiled at her and took Nicole's hand in her own.

'Let me take care of it. Please?'  Waverly had practically begged.

'No, this is our first date. I want to do things right.' Nicole insisted on paying and, after a few minutes of pointless arguing, Waverly caved and let Nicole cover the bill and their tab.

Waverly took hold of Nicole's hand after Nicole slid her card back into her wallet, retiring her wallet to her back pocket. It sent chills through Nicole's entire body, shaking her to the core. In that moment, Nicole knew that she never wanted to let Waverly Earp go. Ever.

Nicole is brought back to reality at the sound of Wynonna's voice. Her head snaps around in the direction of the eldest Earp. "Huh?" She let the word slip past her lips. "I'm sorry, I didn't year you."

"I said that just because you're engaged to Shae, doesn't mean you can't at least talk to Waverly about this," Wynonna shakes her head slightly. "All I'm saying is to keep your pants on around my sister and keep that ring on your finger. You've made a promise to her."

Nicole nods, "Yeah," she breathes out as Wynonna disappears from the room again. Her words continue to echo in Nicole's head.

Your future is with Shae. Not with Waverly. And Wynonna is right. Her future is with Shae. And that's what she wants.

"But is it really?" Nicole asks herself as she pours the rest of her beer down the drain of the kitchen sink. "Is that really what you want?" She tosses the bottle into their recycling bin and stares at the container for a while, her mind racing and her heart aching for the closure she so desperate craves from Waverly Earp.

Chapter Text

“Why does it matter what I wear?” Waverly huffs in front of the mirror and runs a hand through her hair.

“Because,” Chrissy says from behind the brunette, “you never know who you could run into while we’re out. Could be Champ, maybe Perry.”

“Maybe Nicole,” Waverly hears Rosita mumble, though she knows her comment was not meant to be heard.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Waverly bites her lower lip and takes a step back, looking at herself in the mirror. She’s wearing a deep red colored crop top with sleeves that come down and hang loosely around her wrists, and black skinny jeans that hug her hips in every right way possible. She looks down at her feet, at the pair of brown lace up boots that she’s had since college (boots that Nicole convinced her to buy) and sighs.

“You look great Waves,” Rosita says coming to stand next to her. “Well I mean, anything makes you look better than that old Rush t-shirt you’ve been living in for the past week.” Waverly feels her face flush instantly and takes interest in her hair, throwing it up into a messy yet neat looking bun.

“That shirt was Nicole’s,” Waverly admits, knowing Chrissy is in the bathroom and can’t hear her. “I took it from her when we were together, and I never gave it back.”

Rosita offers a soft smile to her friend in the mirror. “Is there any specific reason why you were wearing it again after so long? I haven’t seen that shirt in years.”

Waverly sags her shoulders, thinking. “Because it was the first thing I could find, and it was comfortable?” She says trying to convince herself more than Rosita. Waverly brings her eyes to meet Rosita’s reflection in the mirror and the other girl places a hand on her shoulder.

“Because maybe you aren’t actually mad at Nicole? And that maybe you’re just forcing yourself to be because it makes sense with everything else going on right now?” She pauses for a moment, taking in the slight change of Waverly’s expression; as if something just clicked in her head.

Rosita’s grip on Waverly’s shoulder tightens. “Waves, I don’t know the exact details of what happened that night, but I do know that Nicole did not, and would never, take advantage of you. Especially when you were that broken and vulnerable. I would know. I’ve seen her with you when you were blackout drunk and completely out of it.”

Waverly dips her head to hide the redness in her cheeks, remembering that night vividly. “I just,” she sighs looking up once she composes herself, “out of all the other times I could have run into her, it was that night. Of all the times I chose to be the bigger person and call Wynonna, she brought me back to their place and didn’t tell me. Why then? Why that night?”

“Maybe because it’s what’s meant to happen,” Chrissy’s voice causes Waverly and Rosita to turn around. Waverly opens her mouth to say something but snaps it shut when Chrissy holds a hand up to stop her and continues. “I don’t like Nicole anymore, she hurt my best friend, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to be any less supportive than I would be if this were anyone else.”

“Chrissy – ” Waverly tries to speak again.

“But,” Chrissy continues, “she’s engaged, and you want to be with Champ. Which is why we’re taking you to Big Nose Kate,” she crosses her arms when Waverly rolls her eyes.

“What Chrissy means,” Rosita shoots a deathly glare at the other girl, “is that we both understand how big of a deal it is to have run into Nicole like that,” Rosita keeps her eyes on Chrissy as she speaks. “We know that you two aren’t completely over each other, and that you probably never will be, but that doesn’t mean we don’t think you should talk to her; let her back into your life in some way.”

“Let’s save that for another day. When you’re out of this slump and back together with Champ,” Chrissy smiles and grabs her purse. “Now, let’s get going. I told that psychic we’d be there within the hour,” she exits the room leaving Rosita and Waverly standing in front of the mirror again.

“You know Chrissy means well, right?” Rosita asks her.

Waverly nods, “Yeah, she’s blunt. Like her dad. Not much has changed since college,” Rosita looks at her with questioning eyes. “You know,” Waverly leans against the wall, “telling me what I can and can’t do, who I should and shouldn’t talk to.”

Rosita nods knowingly, “She’s just assuming that you’re ready to jump back into Champ’s arms at the first chance you get,” Waverly opens her mouth to argue but Rosita beats her to it. “I know you want him back, Waverly. But we both know that you want more time to figure all of this out before you go running back to him when the opportunity presents itself. You call Nicole if that’s really what you want to do. Get her number from Wynonna if you have to.”

Waverly shrugs but nods. “Thanks, Rosie. You’ve always been supportive of everything I do.”

Rosita pulls Waverly into a tight hug. “I’ll always support you no matter what. Though, I can’t speak for Chrissy,” she offers a smile and Waverly finds herself letting a quiet laugh escape her mouth. “Now, come on. Grab your coat and let’s go meet Chrissy in the lobby before she loses her shit.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Waverly turns back to the mirror when Rosita leaves. The white Rush ’94 Tour shirt catches her eye in the mirror, laying on the bed. Waverly bites her lip hard and keeps her eyes on the shirt as she speaks, “I don’t need to ask Wynonna for Nicole’s number, Rosita,” she pulls her phone out of her pocket, “because I never got rid of it in the first place.”

XXX

Nicole slips out from underneath the covers, careful to not wake Shae. She grabs some clothes and locks herself in the bathroom. Staring at herself in the mirror, Nicole can’t help but sigh. She doesn’t know why, but it feels like she’s keeping something from Shae. Nicole has nothing to hide; she’s an open book when it comes to her fiancé. She knows about Waverly and she knows about their relationship in the past.

“Maybe it’s that you come home to find your college ex standing in your living room, crying, while still managing to look more beautiful than ever,” Nicole splashes some water in her face, ridding her features of sleep. “Maybe it’s that you suddenly feel like you made a major mistake by not fighting for her,” She dries her face and stares at her reflection, forcing herself to rid her mind of all thoughts containing Waverly and her suddenly very tentative relationship with Shae.

Nicole changes into a tank top and a pair of black sweatpants and laces her shoes before pulling her hair out of her face. Walking out of the bathroom, she glances over at Shae asleep in her bed. Nicole sighs and makes a mental note to let Wynonna know that Shae is there so she doesn’t flip out when she wakes up. Nicole grabs her phone and starts to walk towards the door but when Shae calls her name.

“Yes?” Nicole replies keeping her back to Shae.

“Where are you going?” Shae sits up and stretches, her curious eyes burning holes into Nicole’s back.

“For a run. Like I always do.”

“In that? Nic, you’ll freeze. It’s nearly below twenty. Grab a jacket, and a scarf, and then you can go.”

“I’ll be fine, Shae. I’ve been running like this for the past three years and I haven’t died yet,” Nicole replies flatly

She stands up and makes her way over to Nicole, wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist from behind her. “Just be careful. And text me when you’re on your way back. Maybe we can go get breakfast somewhere?”

“I can’t,” Nicole steps forward, causing Shae’s hands to drop from her waist. “Busy day. Be out of here by ten or Wynonna will kill you before killing me.”

“Alright well,” Shae sighs, “why don’t you let me know if you can do lunch today?” She’s quiet for a moment, waiting for a reply. No reply comes and she speaks again, “Have a good run, baby. I love you.”

Nicole nods and grabs her keys as she walks out the door, leaving Shae confused and just a little bit angry.

XXX

Waverly, Rosita, and Chrissy walk through the narrow door leading into Kate’s small shop. The room is tiny and very elaborately decorated. Tapestries hang from the walls and are draped over the round table that sits in the middle of the room. Waverly looks around and sees a number of statues and other totems with things inscribed on them that she could only assume to be phrases written in Latin. She leans down to take a closer look but jumps back when a voice startles her.

“Ladies,” Kate smiles at the three girls. “I’ve been expecting you.”

“Oh I get it,” Rosita smiles, “Because you can see the future.”

“No, because I heard you arguing from outside of my door,” Kate states with a smile. “Now, which one of you has come in need of my help?”

 “Shouldn’t you know that since you’re the psychic?” Chrissy crosses her arms.

“You,” Kate’s eyes shift to Waverly and she extends her hand towards the brunette, “come to me with apprehension and doubt. You don’t trust me or my practice,” Waverly remains quiet while keeping her eyes on Kate.

“You’ve come for help about a breakup,” the psychic continues. “A recent one,”

“That’s…true. How did you know that?” Waverly’s eyes narrow both out of curiosity and skepticism.

“It’s what I do for a living, darling. I’ve been doing this since I opened my eyes. Come, come. Have a seat and let me read your palms,” Kate turns and makes her way over to the small table Waverly had noticed upon her entry. She sits in a chair and stares at the three girls, waiting for them to follow suit.

Waverly is the last to take her seat, still not completely sold on the idea of this so-called psychic. She stares at the stack of tarot cards in front of her, their backs facing up. The cards are gold with intricate designs running across the back. Waverly lets her eyes meet Kates and waits for her instructions.

“Waverly,” Kate begins, “I want you to think about your ex. Think about your last interaction, your first date, anything that will keep them in your mind,” she pauses for a moment, allowing Waverly to collect her thoughts. Kate continues once Waverly gives her a slight nod. “Now I want you to split the deck, keeping that ex in your head.”

Waverly takes half of the cards in her hand and places them next to the now split deck of cards. The stacks are identical in height and Waverly smiles to herself for splitting the cards so evenly. She takes a deep breath and selects a card from the stack on the right, flipping it over; the card is facing Waverly.

“Ah,” Kate smiles, “The World card. That is good. It means that you will see fulfillment and completion come to your life very soon.”

Wavery shrugs but nods as she takes another card from the right deck, flipping it over. This time the card is facing away from her.

“The Star card reveals to me that you have become discouraged and very insecure about yourself. This will only worsen as things progress. But,” Kate continues as Waverly reveals her next card, “the Tower card reveals that all disaster will be avoided from said discouragement.”

“That’s amazing,” Rosita smiles at Waverly.

“The Wheel of Fortune card is always one of the best and the worst cards to choose. Lucky for you, the card is in your favor. Your fate is inevitable, Waverly Earp. With two positive energy cards, and two negative energy cards, the stars will align for you and you will be reunited with your ex in no time.”

“You really think so? Do you really believe that?” Waverly asks, slightly leaning forward over the table.

“I’ve been doing this for over a decade and I have never once been wrong,” Kate smiles.

Waverly sits back in her seat and nods, thinking things over in her head. “I guess there’s no harm in believing you. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” She smiles.

“Great,” Kate folds her hands on top of the table. “That’ll be fifty dollars, cash only.”

Waverly rolls her eyes and sighs dramatically as she digs through her wallet and hands Kate the money. The three girls stand and leave the building, Waverly being the last one out. The walk back to the car consists of Rosita and Chrissy talking about the dress Chrissy saw at the mall and Waverly staying behind them, with her head low, and chewing on her lower lip.

Nicole was the only thing her mind could focus on. Waverly didn’t know why, but she did know that she had to find her.

And she had to find her now.

Chapter Text

Nicole takes her time on her run this morning. She takes the long route through the park and stops to chat with some of the locals she has become familiar with. She talks to Sheriff Nedley about the slight increase in crime, asking if there was anything she could do. Ever since Nicole had started volunteering at the police station, she and Nedley have grown very close and Nicole is extremely thankful for the change of company it brings her every now and then.

After saying their goodbyes Nicole carried on with her run, passing by Shorty’s bar. She sticks her head through the door of Crofte’s Music Inc., waving to her boss before continuing on. Nicole slows her pace and checks the time. Upon seeing that she has been out for almost an hour now, she decides that it’s time she stop and grab some coffee before walking around the small shopping center. As she approaches the counter, her eyes fall on the tall brunette standing at the register and Nicole has to do a double take. The girl looks like Waverly upon first glance, but when Nicole composes herself and orders, the redhead realizes that the barista looks nothing like the youngest Earp. She pays and walks to the end of the bar waiting for her drink. Grabbing her drink from the counter, Nicole puts her headphones back into her ears and quickly exits the coffee shop.

XXX

Waverly suggested that she, Chrissy, and Rosita head into town instead of going their separate ways since she has been alone for the past week. The two other girls sighed but agreed and they set off to the nearest coffee shop.

“It’s only fair,” Waverly says, finally able to clear all thoughts of Nicole from her mind. “You guys made me go to that stupid psychic. The least you can do for me is get coffee with me and walk around in a few stores.”

Rosita nods and nudges Chrissy. “She makes a valid point.”

“Just to be clear, the psychic was Rosita’s idea. Not mine,” Chrissy huffs. “But I have missed you. So I don’t mind spending some time with my best friend,” she adds with a smile.

“Hey, I thought I was your best friend,” Rosita frowns at the girl.

“A girl can have more than one best friend, Rose. Isn’t that right, Waverly?” Chrissy looks to her right where the brunette had been walking next to her just mere seconds before, but she wasn’t there. “Waves?” Chrissy stops walking and turns around, her eyes landing on Waverly standing in the middle of the sidewalk with her eyes glued to an unknown focal point.

Waverly blinks once. Twice. “Hm? What?” She says finally.

“Are you okay?” Rosita asks.

“Yeah,” the brunette nods. “I just uh…I have to go see something in that music shop over there. Can you order my usual? I’ll pay you back, I promise.” Rosita opens her mouth to respond and Waverly speaks again before the other girl can get any words out. “Thanks Rosie, I owe you one,” and with that she’s off towards the record shop.

“What was that about?” Chrissy looks between Rosita and where Waverly was just standing.

“I have no idea,” Rosita shrugs.

XXX

Nicole walks into the record shop with her coffee in one hand and her phone in the other. She was searching through her music trying to find the right song for how she was feeling. It was a simple task that proved to be extremely hard considering she wasn’t even aware of how she truly felt at this moment. Confused, maybe. Or even lost. But she doesn’t know why she feels lost. And then it hit her.

Literally hit her.

Waverly Earp ran into her, knocking Nicole’s phone from her hand and spilling coffee over her. All over Waverly, that is. Not Nicole.

“Oh shit!” Waverly hissed as the hot liquid seeped through her clothes and to her chest and stomach areas. “That’s hot!” Waverly’s eyes then landed on the other victim of the situation and immediately felt her face flush.

“Are you okay?” Nicole asked as she bends to retrieve her phone from the floor of the store. “No, of course you aren’t okay. I just spilled hot coffee all over you in the middle of – ” Nicole stops speaking when her eyes find Waverly’s. “Oh shit,” Nicole breathes out. “Oh shit. Waverly I’m so sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Waverly tilts her head to the side like a puppy and Nicole nearly faints at the sight.

“I-I spilled coffee all over you. Hot coffee,” Nicole stammers.

“Well I did run into you. I was kind of asking for it,” Waverly lets out a breathy laugh and Nicole starts to feel a little more at ease. “It’s okay. Really. I’ve had worse substances spilled on me at Shorty’s.”

“Oh,” Nicole says. “Oh,” she repeats, realization dawning on her. She makes a face and shakes her head. “I swear, Waverly. You need to quit that job and just start teaching fulltime. You’re better than that.”

Waverly shrugs. “Yeah well I need the extra money and – Wait, how do you know that I teach part time?”

“Ah,” Nicole flushes and brings a hand to the back of her neck, rubbing it lightly. “Wynonna told me. She talks very highly of you.”

“Wynonna talks about me?” Waverly says more so to herself than to Nicole.

“All the time,” Nicole says with a small smile.

They stand in silence for what feels like forever before Waverly remembers that she’s drenched in coffee, and that people are starting to stare at her. She looks down at her shirt and sighs knowing that it’s probably ruined. She’ll just have to go buy another one when she can afford it.

“I really am sorry,” Nicole says sheepishly. “About that,” she gestures to Waverly’s shirt.

“It’s fine,” Waverly smiles at her. “Really. I just need to go clean as much of it off of my shirt as I can before it dries. I guess I’ll just be going home after this,” she says with a hint of laughter in her tone. She starts towards the bathroom and pushes the door open, Nicole following behind her.

Nicole sighs and shoves her phone back into her pocket. “At least let me help you, Waverly. Afterall, it’s my coffee that’s all over you.”

“I’ve got it, Nicole. Really,” Waverly looks at Nicole through the mirror and nods. Nicole returns the nod and turns her back to the brunette, giving her privacy.

Waverly grabs a couple of towels and begins to wet them and dab at the spots of coffee covering her shirt. She sighs, defeated, and grabs the hem of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. She pulls her head out of the shirt but it suddenly gets caught on her earrings. She tries to pull it off once more but winces at the pain.

“Oh crap…” Waverly mutters to herself. “Um, Nicole?” Waverly turns her head to look back at the redhead. “Nicole, I’m stuck,” she says, panic lacing her voice.

Nicole turns around and immediately steps around the smaller girl to help her. She reaches over Waverly and gently tugs the shirt free. Nicole hands Waverly the shirt, keeping her eyes locked with Waverly’s. They stand still for a moment, brown eyes staring into hazel ones. Nicole doesn’t know what to do. The last time she saw Waverly was on her balcony, telling her that she was engaged to someone else just after telling the girl in front of her that she missed her. Nicole wanted to reach out to Waverly, to call, but she was afraid that Waverly wasn’t going to accept it. She didn’t know if Waverly wanted Nicole back in her life and she wasn’t going to push it; especially with Wynonna around. Does Waverly want to start over with things? Was she waiting for Nicole to contact her? Did she miss her chance? Nicole doesn’t know, but what she does know is that she’s going to try her hardest to keep Waverly Earp in her life for good this time no matter how hard it may be.

“You can’t walk out of here with just a sweater like that on,” Nicole says suddenly. “Especially not after everyone in this store saw us come in here together. They may get the wrong idea,” before either woman could comprehend what was happening, Nicole is taking her shirt off and is handing it to Waverly. “Put this on.”

“Nicole, I’m not taking your shirt. It’s freezing outside.”

Nicole shakes her head and smiles that dimpled smile Waverly fell in love with years ago. “I knew I wore two shirts today for a reason. Put it on.”

Waverly decides against arguing and sighs as she takes the shirt from Nicole. Pulling the shirt over her head, Waverly’s eyes catch Nicole staring at her stomach (at her abs, really) and she can’t help but blush slightly. Waverly pulls the shirt down and bites her lip, taking a step back to look Nicole up a down. Her eyes linger on the redhead’s arms for a second longer than they should have but she didn’t care. Nicole has put on some muscle since college, and Waverly wasn’t going to lie to herself. Their eyes meet again but something is different this time. This time Waverly can read deeper into the brown eyes tracing over her body like she used to be able to in college. The cloudiness that years of being apart brought upon the two women has suddenly vanished and Waverly surges forward, taking Nicole’s face in her hands.

Nicole closes her eyes as their lips meet in a chaste kiss. Everything around them vanishes and the only thing Nicole can think about is pulling Waverly as close to her body as possible. So that’s exactly what she does. Nicole’s arms find their way around the smaller girl’s waist and pull her as close as she can. Waverly slides a hand back into Nicole’s hair, gripping it lightly and driving Nicole crazy. Nicole grips Waverly’s waist tighter and flips their positions, trapping the smaller girl between her and the bathroom counter.

They pull away for air and Nicole keeps her eyes closed. Waverly leans her head against Nicole’s shoulder and suppresses a groan.

“I’m sorry,” the smaller girl says through short breaths.

“I’m not,” Nicole replies simply. They stay quiet for a minute, trying to register what has just happened in their minds. When Nicole catches her breath, she opens her eyes and stares at her reflection in the mirror, her arms still around Waverly.

“Come to a party with me tonight,” the redhead says.

“What?” Waverly asks in a barely audible whisper. She lifts her head and brings her eyes to meet Nicole’s.

Nicole nods. “I have a small gig tonight at a club near the edge of town. Come with me. Come listen to me play. Let me show you that I’m not a complete failure.”

“I know you aren’t a complete failure,” Waverly says as a small smile finds its way across her lips. The smile fades, though, just as quickly as it comes. “But what about Shae? Don’t you think she’ll find it weird to see me just randomly show up there?”

“Don’t worry about Shae, okay?” Nicole says and brushes some hair out of Waverly’s face, searching her eyes for whatever question Waverly wants to ask, but can’t seem to vocalize. “I know what I’m doing,” Nicole adds in a whisper.

Waverly nods and leans into Nicole’s touch. “Okay,” she says quietly. “I’ll come.”

“Good,” Nicole replies just as quietly.

“Hey, Waves? You in there?” Rosita’s muffled voice brings them out of their daze and the two girls try to separate from each other before it’s too late, both cursing under their breath as the door swung open.

They were too late.

Chapter Text

The bathroom door swings open and Nicole and Waverly just barely manage to put enough space between them to not raise any suspicion, both girls holding their breath and praying they weren’t caught. And if the lack of space between them isn’t a dead giveaway, then their appearances definitely are. Wrinkled and untucked shirts, messy hair, flushed faces; Nicole knows that they’re done for.

Waverly lets out a deep breath when she sees Rosita standing in the doorway, two coffees in her hands and a shit eating grin on her face. Waverly visibly relaxes, though only slightly, and Nicole takes notice to the stare Rosita is giving her. The ginger opens her mouth as if to explain how this isn’t what it seems, but she closes it knowing it won’t do them any good. She glances at Waverly with panicked eyes and sees the relief that floods the smaller girl’s features. Nicole looks back to Rosita and takes a deep breath.

“I have your coffee,” is all the second brunette says as she lets the door swing shut behind her. “I got your favorite,” she smiles and extends a hand to Waverly. Waverly takes the cup, keeping her eyes locked with Rosita’s.

“Rosita I can – ” the smaller girl starts but is interrupted by Rosita holding her hand up.

“There’s no need to explain, Waverly,” Rosita smiles. “Like I said earlier, I’ve got you. I’m with you,” she directs the last part at Nicole. “These are confusing times for you. You’re an adult and are totally capable of making your own decisions. Just don’t let Chrissy find out or she might actually have a heart attack,”

Nicole finds herself laughing louder than she intends to and that gains her a curious look from both Waverly and Rosita. The redhead stops and immediately feels her face flush, knowing damn well that her cheeks now resemble the fiery mop of hair on her head.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole says. “It’s just that Chrissy never really liked me to begin with. If she found out what just happened, I’d go to jail for unintentional homicide.”

“Well she won’t find out,” Waverly assures her. “Rosie won’t tell her, and I sure as hell am not having this conversation with her right now.”

Rosita nods and looks between the two girls. “Right, well I’ll uh…let you guys fix yourselves up and keep Chrissy distracted so you can sneak out one at a time and not raise any suspicion.”

Nicole and Waverly watch Rosita exit the bathroom and watch the door slowly close, leaving them alone again. They turn and face each other, not knowing what to do. Neither of them anticipated what just happened, and they are both at a complete loss for where to go from here. Nicole watches Waverly, watching her facial expressions change as she thinks. They stand there in silence for what felt like an hour before Waverly finally spoke up.

“Coffee?” She looks at Nicole and offers the redhead her cup. “I think I at least owe you that.”

Nicole shakes her head and catches a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror. She runs a hand through her hair and meets Waverly’s eyes once more.

“No, you keep it. You drink it,” Nicole protests. “I lost my coffee, but it spilled all over you. I at least owe you that,” she looks at her reflection again and runs another hand through her hair, groaning when it still doesn’t look right.

“Here, let me help you,” Waverly giggles and sets the cup down. She reaches up, standing on her toes, and gently runs her fingers through Nicole’s hair, parting it the way she likes it.

Nicole holds her breath and glances between her reflection and Waverly, not trusting to let her eyes linger on the brunette for more than a few seconds. Waverly slowly extracts her hands from Nicole’s hair and lets them wander down the taller woman’s face. She lightly traces Nicole’s jaw with her fingers and smiles when Nicole shivers slightly.

“There,” Waverly breathes out. “Perfect.”

“Yeah,” Nicole breathes out just as quietly. She gently grabs Waverly’s wrist when she goes to step back, keeping her in place. “Perfect.”

“Nicole,” Waverly whispers as the space between them begins to disappear. “I can’t…” She stops herself and looks into Nicole’s eyes. “We can’t…”

Nicole groans and steps back. “I know, but that doesn’t make this any easier,” her eyes meet Waverly’s. “I’ve really missed you, though, Waves…”

Waverly smiles small and dips her head low. “I agree that it’s been too long since last time,” the brunette lifts her head. “I should have called you. Leaving you like that…it was just…a bitch move.”

Nicole raises her eyebrows at the smaller girl. “Waverly Earp, did I just hear the word bitch come out of your mouth?” She laughs and shakes her head. “There is so much that I don’t know about you anymore.”

“Yeah well four years is a long time. And being with Champ was…eye-opening to say the least,” Waverly shrugs. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know tonight,” she says as a small smile plays across her lips.

“Yes,” Nicole nods. “Tonight.”

“And you,” Waverly grabs her coffee and points a finger at Nicole’s chest, “are telling me everything about what you’ve been up to over the last few years. About school. About Shae.”

Nicole leans against the counter and folds her arms over her chest. “I’m gonna need more than one or two drinks to tell you all of that,” she smirks.

“Drinks are on me then,” Waverly grins and hands Nicole the cup of coffee in her hand. “Starting with this one.”

“Fine,” Nicole rolls her eyes and take the cup from Waverly. “But only because I don’t trust that you won’t take revenge and spill this on me.”

Waverly rolls her eyes and laughs before grabbing Nicole’s arm. “Come on, let’s get out of here before someone else walks in.”

XXX

Waverly exists the bathroom first, with Nicole following suit after a minute passes. Waverly catches Rosita’s eye and mouths a silent thank you to her friend for keeping Chrissy distracted. Waverly and Nicole put as much distance between themselves as the store will allow, pretending to look through the records. Waverly can feel the redhead’s eyes on her from the other side of the store, and she can’t help but smile. When the brunette lifts her head to meet Nicole’s gaze, she’s met with Chrissy standing in front of her.

“What’s got you so smiley?” The sheriff’s daughter inquires. “You bolted in here earlier as if something was wrong, and now you’re all giddy.”

“What?” Waverly shakes her head. “I was just really excited. I forgot this store existed.”

It wasn’t a lie. She really had forgotten about the record shop. The one she erased from her memory as it was the very place she and Nicole spent a good deal of their time together. And of course they’d run into each other there after four years.

“Right well that still doesn’t explain why you’re so happy.”

“I found something!” Waverly exclaims and holds up a record.

“Pink Floyd? Waves, you’ve never listened to Pink Floyd a singe day of your life,” Chrissy crosses her arms.

“It’s Champ’s favorite band,” she lies.

It’s actually one of Nicole’s favorites, she thinks.

“Ah,” Chrissy smirks. “Trying to buy your man back with his favorite music. I like the way you think.”

Waverly forces a smile and makes her way towards the side of the store where Nicole still stands. She walks past the redhead purposefully bumping into her. Waverly drops the record in her hand and stumbles forward.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” Waverly exclaims, shooting Nicole a look that tells her to play along. “I should really pay attention to where I’m going.

“It’s quite alright,” Nicole chuckles and bends over to retrieve the fallen record. “I believe you dropped this. Pink Floyd, eh? Pretty great band,” she flashes Waverly a dimpled smile which makes the brunette’s heart flutter.

“Thank you,” Waverly takes the record from Nicole and stares at her silently for a moment. “Oh my gosh,” she feigns shock. “Nicole…”

Nicole catches Chrissy looking in their direction at the mention of the ginger’s name and her smile widens. Nicole knows damn well that she is the last person that Chrissy Nedley wants to see right now, and that makes all of it even better.

“Waverly,” She nods her head. “It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a week,” Chrissy stalks over to the two women with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.

“Chrissy,” Nicole keeps her smile. “Glad to see that you’re still a bitch.”

Waverly’s eyes widen as she tries to refrain from laughing. Chrissy’s mouth falls open and she clenches her hands into fists.

“Screw you, Nicole Haught,” Chrissy snaps and storms out of the store.

“That was a little harsh,” Waverly looks at Nicole. “It was true, but harsh.”

“Sorry,” Nicole sighs. “I can’t help it. I know she hates me after what I did to you when we broke up.”

“She doesn’t hate you, Nicole. She’s just…protective.”

“And I respect that,” Nicole nods. “Now, I think her storming out of here was your cue to go. Go find her before she does something stupid.”

Waverly nods and smiles slightly. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Totally,” Nicole smiles. “Come by the apartment and we can go together. Wynonna works a double today and will be out pretty late. She said that she might be staying with Doc for the night, too.”

“I’ll be there for five.”

“Good.”

“I’ll see you then,” Waverly smiles and bites her lip. She purchases the record out of impulse before following Rosita out of the store. All Nicole can do is watch as the love of her life runs after her best friend.

Nicole realizes that she has made a huge mistake with her life and curses under her breath.

“I still love Waverly,” she whispers to herself. “Oh shit.”

XXX

Waverly somehow finds herself wandering back towards Big Nose Kate’s shop after she split from Chrissy and Rosita. There is a question that has been burning at the back of her throat since she ran into Nicole at the record shop. A question that she needs an answer to. And fast. Waverly pushes the door open and the bell rings. The dark-skinned woman appears from behind a hanging tapestry, a playful smirk dancing across her face.

“Back so soon, Ms. Earp?” Kate inquires.

“Um, yes…” Waverly feels her cheeks head up. “I just -…there’s something I need to ask you; something I need to know.”

“Ask and you shall receive,” Kate holds her hand out for her payment. Waverly rolls her eyes and digs around in her purse, slapping the money down onto the table. Kate smiles and motions for Waverly to sit. “What is it that you seek, child?”

“When I came in here earlier with my friends,” Waverly sits down, “you told me that I was going to reconnect with my ex, and very soon. Well I did.”

“Oh good,” Kate nods. “See? Nothing to be skeptical about.”

“Except that it was the wrong ex,” Waverly continues. “I ran into my ex ex.”

“Your who?”

“My college ex…Nicole…I ran into her again, not Champ.”

“Were you think about Nicole during your reading when I asked for you to think of your ex?”

“Well…” Waverly hesitates. “I-I don’t know. There was a lot going on in my mind. But this…this can’t be right. I’m not supposed to be with Nicole. I’m supposed to be with Champ…I think.”

“Well, the cards never lie, darling.”

“So what do I do? I can’t just avoid her.”

“And why is that?” Kate tilts her head to the side.

“Well, for one, she lives with my sister. And I also…kind of…agreed to go to a party with her tonight,” Waverly admits sheepishly.

“So I say go,” Kate shrugs. “There’s no harm in giving her the benefit of the doubt. If you are truly meant to be with Champ, then it will happen. But fate always has surprises in store for us. I guess all I’m trying to say is to not be narrow minded about this situation. Just let it happen,” she smiles at the brunette.

“Yeah,” Waverly nods. “I guess you’re right. Thank you,” she begins to gather her things when Kate places a hand over Waverly’s on the table, handing the girl her money back.

“Keep this,” she says. “You’ll need it.”

Waverly nods and thanks Kate before leaving. And as if it were meant to be, just as Waverly rounds the corner, she sees Champ walking her way. He’s holding hands with Samantha “Perky Tits” Baker from high school. Waverly rolls her eyes and sighs.

This is the girl he’s in love with now? Seems like a downgrade to me.

“Waverly!” Champ smiles at the girl as they approach her.

“Oh, Champ,” Waverly forces a smile. “Samantha,” she nods her head at the other girl.

“What are you doing out here?” Champ asks.

“Oh, you know…just shopping.”

“Right,” he nods, “well it was nice catching up.”

“Catching up? We’ve barely spoken.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,” Samantha says.

“Babe, be nice,” Champ says. “We were just headed back to my place to have some mind blowing sex,” he smirks. “Care to join us?” He winks at Waverly. “It’s always fun with a girl who isn’t straight thrown into the mix. Feel free to bring your girlfriend.”

“First of all, I don’t have a girlfriend,” Waverly stares Champ down. “And second of all, I would never want to have sex with you and some other girl just because you ask me to. Sex with you was my least favorite thing in this world, and I have a feeling that it’ll stay that way.”

“Your loss then,” Champ shrugs. “Good luck finding someone else to bang, then. No one else in this town would want to date an Earp. Not even one as hot as you,” Samantha nodded her agreement and the two walked away, leaving Waverly with an open mouth and a made up mind.

She was definitely done with Champ.

And she was definitely okay with getting drunk with Nicole Haught tonight.

Chapter Text

Nicole sits on her usual barstool at Shorty’s nursing her third beer of the hour. Music is playing faintly from the jukebox in the corner and the sound of pool balls knocking against each other mixes with the conversations of the other bar patrons, causing the bar to sound rowdier than it actually is. Wynonna is working the first hour of her double shift and is currently wiping down the countertop near the redhead. Another one of Purgatory’s most popular redheads sits next to Nicole sipping on a vodka tonic and scrolling through the emails on her phone.

“So she agreed to go with you tonight?” Wynonna asks leaning her elbows against the bar top.

“Surprisingly,” Nicole nods before taking another sip of her beer.

“Why?” The other redhead quips, looking up from her phone for the first time since sitting down. “Aren’t you guys, like, still hopelessly in love with each other?”

“Mercedes please,” Nicole scoffs. “She’s still in love with Champ,” she’s interrupted by Wynonna’s fake gagging noises.

“Don’t go getting all college romance on me here, Red,” Wynonna starts, locking eyes with Nicole. “You know damn well that I don’t want you fooling around with my baby sister while you’re engaged to Shae,” Nicole opens her mouth to argue but Wynonna continues, “but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want you to give her a good time and keep her away from seven seconds over there,” she nods with her head in the direction of the tattooed rodeo clown across the room.

“I thought it was eight seconds,” Mercedes replies without looking up from her phone.

“That’s not what Waverly says,” Nicole and Wynonna say simultaneously.

“Look, Wynonna,” Nicole starts as the raven haired woman fixes a drink for another customer, “I don’t plan on doing anything I shouldn’t do with Waverly. I asked you if I could invite her to come with me tonight because I want to start over with her. To be friends with her again.”

“Alright,” Wynonna nods upon hearing the sincerity behind Nicole’s words. “If letting you hang with Waves will get you to shut up, and if it means that she’ll be more willing to come and visit me at the apartment more often, then so be it.”

“Thank you, Wynonna,” Nicole smiles at her roommate and places a few bills on the counter to cover her tab as well as a decent tip for the eldest Earp. Wynonna nods and walks to the other side of the bar to attend to other customers.

“You’re hiding something,” Mercedes says after a few moments of awkward silence. “There’s something you aren’t telling Wynonna,” she sets her phone down and turns to face Nicole. “Spill it.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Mercedes,” Nicole absentmindedly plays with the bottle in her hands.

“Oh you’re definitely keeping something from her,” Mercedes smirks. “But if you don’t want to say anything to me, I can respect that. Just know that Tucker will be at your little shindig tonight. Keep a closer eye on Waverly than you were originally planning to. If there is anyone in this world that Wynonna loathes more than Champ Hardy, it’s my pathetic excuse of a brother.”

“Tucker?” Nicole’s breath catches in her throat at the mention of the name.

“Yeah, you know…the one who – ”

“YES!” Nicole shouts. “Yes,” she repeats lowering her voice. “Trust me. I remember. I was the one Waverly called to pick her up.”

“Right,” Mercedes trails off. “I’m still really sorry about that. And I will never forgive him for what he did to either of you. Just know that she trusts you, Nicole. Despite the past you two have with each other,” and with that, the real estate agent gets up and walks out of the bar.

“Well tonight just got a lot more interesting,” Nicole sighs.

XXX

Looking herself over in the mirror, Nicole can’t help but feel a little nervous about tonight. Not because of her upcoming performance, but because of a certain petite brunette that will be in attendance of said performance. Ever since she left the record shop that morning, all Nicole can think about is Waverly and the kiss they shared in the bathroom. Nicole knows that the way Waverly’s lips felt against hers and the smaller girl’s hands in her hair shouldn’t make her smile to herself like an idiot.

But it does.

Nicole took a deep breath and smoothed out her blue and black flannel after buttoning it, leaving the top two buttons undone and revealing the white t-shirt beneath it. Her dark-washed jeans are cuffed at the bottom and rest over her brown Doc Martin boots. She wasn’t trying to impress Waverly, or dress in something she thinks the brunette will like, but the thought is definitely in the back of her mind. She knows she shouldn’t be fighting for this girl’s attention.

But she is.

Grabbing a hair tie, Nicole throws her longer than usual hair up into a messy (yet oddly perfect looking) bun. She makes a mental note to get a haircut soon and sighs. She takes a step back and gives herself one final look in the mirror before nodding and leaving her room, anxiously awaiting Waverly’s arrival.

XXX

Waverly parks her car in the parking lot of the apartment and closes her eyes. The nerves she has been hoping would stay away have finally made their appearance and all Waverly can do is talk herself through it. The kiss she shared with Nicole in the record store bathroom should not have happened, and it especially should not have been instigated by herself. The kiss shouldn’t have meant anything to her.

But it does.

Waverly knows that Nicole is engaged to someone she loves and that she needs to take a major step back before something else like that happens again. Tonight is just a good old fashioned hang out. The two are going to catch up and chat about what their lives have been like over the past few years over a couple of drinks. Waverly is going to watch Nicole sing and prove to the brunette that she has not failed at her life, and Waverly is going to be supportive of her ex-girlfriend no matter how good or bad she sounds. Waverly nods to herself and looks at herself in the rearview mirror.

“You’ve got this, Waverly,” she tells herself. “You’re an Earp. Nothing should scare you. You’re just hanging out. Like friends do,” Waverly nods to herself and exits the car, making her way to the apartment.

XXX

Nicole opens the door after Waverly knocks once, catching the smaller woman off guard. Nicole curses under her breath about seeming too eager and takes a step back to take in the vision that is Waverly standing in front of her. Brown eyes meet hazel and Nicole’s breath catches in her chest. Waverly bites her lip and pushes some hair behind her ear.

“Hi,” the smaller girl almost whispers.

“Hey,” Nicole breathes out. “You look amazing.”

“You don’t look too bad yourself,” Waverly grins and takes in the taller woman’s appearance. “Can I come in?”

“Actually um,” Nicole looks at her watch, “we should get going. I have to be there early to make sure everything is set up correctly. It’s just me so it shouldn’t take too long. I’ll treat you to a drink while you wait. If that’s what you want, of course. Because if not then that’s okay too. I just…want you to feel comfortable…not awkward,” her rambling slowly fades as her face heats up.

“Nicole,” Waverly giggles and places a hand on the redhead’s arm, “I’m okay. A drink would be wonderful, thank you.”

Nicole nods and grabs her car keys, the anxiety starting to flee from her body.

“Let’s get going then,” she smiles.

XXX

They drive to the edge of town, five miles from the Ghost River Triangle boundary line, and park in front of a building similar in appearance to Shorty’s. The neon sign resting atop the building illuminates the parking lot with blue and green light and Nicole can’t help but notice how beautiful Waverly looks. They get out of the car and Waverly looks up at the sign.

“So this is the Silver Bullet,” she sighs. “Shorty’s biggest competition within a fifty mile radius.”

“They do make a mean martini,” Nicole nods. “Come on, I think you’ll like it here.”

The two enter the bar and the smell of alcohol immediately fills their nostrils. Waverly looks around and is shocked upon seeing how upscale the inside looks. The exterior resembles something that looks like it would be Shorty’s distant cousin and gives false pretense to a western-looking interior. Men and women of all ages litter the room, nursing various drinks and laughing at stories. The atmosphere is definitely different from that of Shorty’s, but Waverly still prefers her sister’s bar to this place. The decorations are subtle, but everything pops. Pictures of famous cowboys from the Old West litter the walls and various guns – pistols, shotguns, revolvers – are encased in glass boxes and hang on the walls as well as other western apparel.

Nicole smiles at how Waverly, of course, takes immediate interest to the plaques under each picture, reading about who is in the photo and who they were (or are) to society; famous gunslingers or a relative of the owner. Nicole gently places a hand on Waverly’s back to gain her attention and guides them to the bar, motioning for Waverly to sit.

“You stay here and order whatever you’d like, and put it on my tab. I’ll only be a few minutes,” Nicole smiles and disappears behind the small stage that sits a few feet from Waverly’s seat.

Shortly after Waverly orders herself a drink and has consumes half of it, Nicole reappears and takes the seat next to her. Waverly smiles at Nicole as she orders herself a drink and checks the time.

“I’ve got about thirty minutes until I have to go on,” she says after thanking the bartender. “So I’m all yours until then,” the ends of Waverly’s mouth curl up into a smile and Nicole’s eyes widen at the realization of what she said. “I-I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant…Like, I – ”

“I know what you meant, Nicole,” Waverly giggles. “But I’d rather wait until after your performance to start talking, really. I’m sure you have a lot to say.”

“That’s debatable,” Nicole shrugs and takes a sip from her beer. “Just tell me, though…Your job. Do you enjoy what you do? I know it was always your goal to become a professor for ah,” she stops and closes her eyes for a brief moment trying to recall what Waverly studied in college. “Oh!” She snaps and points her index finger at the brunette. “Ancient languages. And history. Right?”

“Yes,” Waverly smiles and nods. “I teach a few times a week down at Ghost River University. I have two classes of ancient languages and one class with history. And, to answer your question, I love it. It isn’t the best job in the world, but it pays well and it’s kept me here.”

“You know, Waves,” Nicole takes another sip of her beer, “I never pegged you for the kind of girl who wanted to stay in Purgatory.”

“Oh?” Waverly raises an eyebrow.

“You’re too good to stay here. It’s almost as if this shitty town doesn’t appreciate intelligent people like yourself, you know?” Nicole shrugs and looks at Waverly. “I had always expected you to go visit the states, maybe find a job at some really upscale museum.”

“I’m really not that smart, Nicole,” Waverly protests.

“Like hell you aren’t. You, Waverly Earp, are the smartest girl I have ever had the privilege of knowing.”

“You think so?” Waverly asks quietly, almost in a whisper. “You really think I’m that smart?” She leans forward in her seat, resting her elbow on the bar and placing her chin in her hand.

“Yeah,” Nicole nods as she, too, leans forward. “I really do.”

Waverly bites her lip and glances down at Nicole’s lips quickly before bringing her eyes back up to the brown ones staring at her intensely. She doesn’t know if it’s the alcohol in her system or the rush of adrenaline she gets from being around Nicole, but Waverly’s morals all fly out of the window as she slowly begins to close the distance between the two of them. Nicole’s eyes flutter closed as Waverly’s lips ghost upon hers, awaiting the thing she longs for the most.

“Haught, you’re on in five!” Someone shouts from the stage causing the two women to abruptly pull apart.

“I guess that, uh,” Nicole clears her throat, “I guess that’s my cue,” Waverly nods as she tries to hide her flushed face. Nicole stands and walks backstage to get ready for her performance.

A few minutes pass and the lights in the bar dim, causing Waverly to look in the direction of the stage. People begin to clap as Nicole walks out on stage. The taller woman picks up an acoustic guitar and sits on the stool sitting near the front of the stage with a microphone in front of it. Her eyes scan the bar for Waverly and she flashes the smaller woman a dimpled smile. Waverly returns the smile and finds herself leaning forward in her seat, anxiously awaiting for the show to begin.

“It’s good to be back here at the Silver Bullet,” Nicole begins. “I hope all of you are glad that I’m back as well,” she chuckles and smiles when the crowd claps and cheers. “For the next hour, I want all of you to just sit back and relax. Leave all of your worries at the door and just have a good time. I’m going to start tonight off with a cover of one of my favorite songs at the moment,” Nicole brings the guitar to rest on her lap as she takes the pick in her fingers.

She begins to play an acoustic version of Dua Lipa’s No Goodbyes. Waverly is familiar with the artist, but has never actually listened to her music unless it was on the radio which leads her to believe that the song Nicole is singing is one of the lesser known songs of the artist.

Maybe one day I can see you, we can smile and wave

And it’ll be okay

Maybe one day it’ll be cool, we could just be friends

Without the complications that it brings when we start saying things

Yeah, I hurt you, and you hurt me

Yeah, we did some things that we can never take back

And we tried hard to just fix it, but we broke it more

And so I guess some things are not meant to last

Is it too much to ask

Waverly’s eyes stay trained on the redhead as she sings, taking in every word of the song. It can’t just be a coincidence that Nicole is singing a song like this. Waverly feels as if she decided to sing this song because of her; because she wants to try to stay in Waverly’s life. Waverly bites her lip and closes her eyes, taking in the beautiful sound of Nicole’s voice.

For tonight, let’s love like there’s no goodbyes

Just for tonight, pretend that it’s all alright

Why don’t we hold each other, use each other

Whisper pretty lies, just for tonight

Let’s love like there’s no goodbyes

It’s almost as if Waverly can sense Nicole’s eyes on her from the stage. The brunette opens her eyes and finds that she was correct; Nicole’s eyes are on her, trying to convey every word to her. Waverly feels her face flush again and turns to the side, trying her best to hide her face. Nicole continues to sing and Waverly’s mind keeps drifting back to their kiss from earlier, and how they had almost kissed only a few minutes prior to the start of the performance. Her heart flutters at the thought and she can’t keep the smile off of her face. Waverly keeps her eyes on Nicole as she sings, getting lost in her words and the sound of her voice. Memories begin to flood back to her all at once. Memories from college, from when they first met and became best friends, from their first date and the many others they would go on after that. She feels her eyes begin to well with tears at the amount of good memories she and Nicole had together which she chose to forget about while with Champ.

Getting lost in time, Waverly let her mind wander to thoughts about what might be happening between she and Nicole. Shae is Nicole’s fiancé, and Waverly would never get in the middle of something so serious, but for some reason Nicole is approaching her and flirting with her like she isn’t engaged to be married to some gorgeous lady doctor. But the more she thinks the more Waverly’s mind keeps going back to Kate’s words.

“Fate always has surprises in store for us,” the psychic had told her. “Don’t be so narrowminded about the situation. Just let it happen.”

Waverly smiles at the words, thinking about what fate might have in store for her tonight. Granted, she knows nothing will come of this, but all she really wants is to spend some quality time alone with Nicole. Nicole says she knows what she’s doing, so Waverly is going to let Nicole dictate where what they have goes, if what they have is anything at all.

“Just let it happen,” Waverly repeats Kate’s words to herself aloud. “Oh, I’m gonna let it happen alright,” she smiles as she turns back to Nicole who has now begun what Waverly can assume to be one of her last songs of the night.

“Make what happen?” The foreign voice shakes Waverly from her thoughts and causes her to jump.

“Tucker Garner,” Waverly forces a smile as she turns to face the lanky boy.

“Were you planning to sleep with her?” Tucker asks, implying Nicole.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean,” Waverly tilts her head to the side, tossing Tucker a confused stare.

“Nicole,” he motions to the singer on stage with his chin. “Were you planning to sleep with her?”

“Tucker, I don’t think that’s information that you have the right to know.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, then that’s fine,” he holds up his cellphone. “I have all the answers I need right here.”

“W-What?” Waverly stammers, hoping he isn’t talking about what she thinks he is.

“You’re confused, Waverly. Just like you were in college,” Tucker turns his phone towards Waverly, showing her a picture of she and Nicole from earlier that evening, from when they almost kissed. “You can’t be with her. It’s just wrong.”

“That isn’t what it looks like, Tucker,” Waverly crosses her arms. “Delete it.”

“You need to be with someone who will treat you right. A man who will treat you right.”

“Oh and I suppose that this man you are referring to is yourself?”

“Pretty and smart,” Tucker smiles. “Just like I remember.”

“You drugged me at a party and then tried to sleep with me against my will,” Waverly stands up to look Tucker in the eye. “And now you’re standing here saying that me hanging out with Nicole, as friends, is wrong? Tucker, have you no life?”

“You’re confused,” Tucker repeats as he grabs Waverly’s wrist.

“Tucker,” Waverly winces at the tight grasp, “let go of me.”

“Come with me,” he says pulling her towards the bathrooms. “Let me show you what it’s like to be with a real man.”

“She said to let go,” Waverly’s head snaps in the direction of the familiar voice, relief flooding her body. “So let her go. Or I’ll make you.”

“I’d listen to her if I were you,” Waverly winces again when Tucker’s grip on her wrist tightens. “She’ll definitely kick your ass.”

“You can’t hurt me. Sheriff Nedley will have you locked up if he hears that you’ve punched one of Purgatory’s richest residents.”

“Sheriff Nedley and I are pretty close,” Nicole grips Tucker’s shoulder and pulls him away from Waverly, causing his grip to loosen on her wrist. “So I suggest you listen to me. You’re talking to a future sheriff’s deputy,” she punctuates her words by pulling Tucker’s arms behind his back.

“You’ll regret touching me like this, dyke,” Tucker almost growls as Nicole pushes him towards the door.

“And you’ll regret touching Waverly like that if you ever do it again,” Nicole growls back and shoves the youngest Gardner out of the bar.

Waverly keeps her eyes on her wrist, rubbing it in an attempt to alleviate the pain. She blinks back the tears that begin to form in her eyes before feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around her tightly.

“I’ve got you, Waves,” Nicole whispers as she holds the smaller girl in her arms in an attempt to calm her. “I’ve always got you.”

Chapter Text

Nicole stands with her arms around Waverly, keeping the smaller woman in a tight embrace until her breathing slows. Nicole is having an internal argument with herself about the situation. Mercedes told her that Tucker was going to be at the bar, and she had promised herself that she wouldn’t let him get anywhere near Waverly. But she did and she was too slow to get to Waverly before he laid his hands on her. She knows that she should probably step back, offer Waverly comfort in a more platonic way, but she can’t bear to move for fear of Waverly falling apart. Just as Nicole begins to relax into the brunette, she’s pulled from her thoughts by Waverly’s panicked voice.

“Oh God Nicole,” she squeaks. “The picture. H-He has a picture. Of us”

“Doing what exactly?” Nicole asks even though she already has a pretty good guess.

“Almost…almost kissing…What if he shows it to Shae? Does he even know Shae? What if he puts it on the internet and she sees it? What if Wynonna sees it? You’re gonna get killed. I’m gonna get killed.”

“Hey,” Nicole coos gently, “no one is going to get killed. If Shae somehow sees the picture then I’ll explain what happened. The same goes for Wynonna.”

“You’re going to explain that we almost kissed to my overly protective sister and your fiancé?” Waverly extracts herself from Nicole’s arms and looks at her with raised eyebrows. “Nicole that’s literally asking to be murdered!”

Nicole reaches out and plants her hands firmly on Waverly’s shoulders. “Do you trust me?” She asks and gently squeezes her hands. “Do you trust me when I say that I know what I’m doing?”

Waverly nods and bites her lip, closing her eyes and melting under Nicole’s touch. “Yes.”

“So let me get us through this. Wynonna knows what’s up; that we’re trying to make things work as friends again. And she knows that it might come with some moments like this. If anything, she’ll be on our side if Shae finds out.”

Waverly opens her eyes slowly and meets Nicole concerned ones. In that moment, Waverly feels all of the anxiety flee from her body; the panic being replaced with something else. There’s an unspoken chemistry between the two women and Waverly doesn’t know why. It’s been years since they last spent time alone together, things should be awkward. They shouldn’t be this easy and they most certainly shouldn’t feel this right. Waverly notices that she’s been staring for far too long and ducks her head.

Nicole thinks it’s the cutest thing in the world.

“How about I order us another round of drinks and we settle down in one of those booths in the corner? I think it’s time I owe you an explanation about everything,” Nicole breaks the silence.

Waverly nods and cracks a genuine smile. Waverly considers it to be less of an explanation and more of just updating her on Nicole’s life, she’s done nothing wrong, but she decides to not say anything and head over to a booth on the far side of the building.

- - - - -

Nicole walks back to the bar and orders a drink for herself and Waverly. She pulls a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and sets it on the bar top deciding it better to pay for the drinks now before her tab starts racking up. The bartender, a burly dark-skinned man who gives off an ex-Navy Seal vibe, returns with her drinks and stares down at the bill.

“I can’t accept this,” he says to Nicole.

“Pardon?” Nicole cocks an eyebrow and looks up at the man. “I believe that this is enough to cover these drinks and a tip.”

“I can’t accept this,” he says again, “because heroes drink free, Nicole.”

“Heroes?” Nicole furrows her brows now, tilting her head to the side. “Dolls, I’m far from a hero.”

“Explain that to everyone who witnessed you tossing Tucker Gardner out of my establishment and rescuing that damsel in distress then,” Dolls grins.

“She’s not a damsel,” Nicole steals a glance back at Waverly and smiles. “She’s perfectly capable of handling herself on her own.”

“Oh I get it now,” Dolls breaks out into a contagious smile when Nicole turns back around, “this is that girl. The one you’ve been talking about for the past week.”

“Waverly Earp,” Nicole nods and picks up their drinks. “Also known as the girl who stole my heart, who may still have my heart, and who will be the death of me.”

Dolls watches as Nicole makes her way towards Waverly and shakes his head. “You’ve got it bad, Haught. Pressman better watch her back, she may have some competition.”

- - - - -

Two hours and ten drinks down, Nicole and Waverly are sitting in their spacious booth facing each other. They ditched their shoes and are sitting with their legs crossed and their eyes intently trained on the other’s. Waverly never drinks more than two drinks when she goes out, but Nicole has always made her do things outside of her comfort zone. When she’s with Nicole Haught, five drinks feels like nothing.

They’re deeply engrossed in a conversation about Waverly’s job and the exciting life of grading papers and outlining lectures that comes with it. Nicole hangs onto every word that comes out of the brunette’s mouth and she finds herself moving closer to Waverly. She’s always loved it when Waverly talks about her passions, and hearing her go on about how happy she is with the position she was offered makes Nicole smile in a way that nobody ever makes her smile; a smile reserved only for Waverly Earp.

She asks Nicole about her life after college; how things have been for her since they broke up. Nicole admits to Waverly (mostly because of the amount of liquid courage she has coursing through her veins) that life has next to sucked without her. She tells Waverly stories of Wynonna becoming reckless after the two cut ties, about how she and Wynonna would sometimes go out clubbing and not come home until three in the morning, how they would cry and hold each other when the realization sank in the Waverly was out of their lives for good.

Waverly also discovers that music isn’t Nicole’s only passion. Not only does she have a passion for guitar, but she also has her heart set on going to the police academy when she’s able to afford it. It dawns on Waverly, then, that she didn’t pick up her job at Gusto’s to help with paying rent. No. She got a second job to help set money aside for the academy. Waverly isn’t sure why, but she finds Nicole’s determination extremely attractive.

“You never talked about wanting to become a cop in college,” Waverly says resting her head on her knees after pulling them against her chest.

“It wasn’t really something I had thought about in college,” Nicole shrugs. “At that time, I was convinced that I was going to be a billionaire with ten Grammy’s and three multi-platinum albums by the time I reached thirty. And here I am now, nearing twenty-nine and stuck with two crummy jobs and low paying gigs every now and then.”

“So you not following your dream to its full potential made you want to become a cop?” Waverly inquired.

“What do you mean not following my dream to its full potential?”

Waverly shrugs. “You have the potential to become a billionaire, Nicole. You have real talent. Hell, I never knew you could sing like that. You were amazing. I think you just…gave up too soon,” her eyes meet Nicole’s and there’s a silent I’m sorry passed from hazel eyes to brown eyes. Waverly knows she is part of the reason why Nicole never pursued her dreams.

“I think part of the reason why I never really followed through with this whole music thing is because it would tear me away from Purgatory,” Nicole looks down at her hands. “And leaving Purgatory meant giving up on you. On us.”

“Nicole,” Waverly reaches and takes one of Nicole’s hands in her own. “I’m sorry…I’m sorry for holding you back and keeping you from doing what you love.”

“No,” Nicole squeezes Waverly’s hand. “That’s not what I meant. God this is all coming out so wrong. I just meant that if I left town, I wouldn’t be able to look for you anymore. I wouldn’t be able to say all of the things I’ve been dying to tell you for the past three years. If I had left, we wouldn’t be sitting here right now,” she lifts her head and meets Waverly’s eyes and notices how close their faces are.

“Breaking up with you was the worst decision of my life,” Waverly whispers, their faces mere inches apart now. “It was such a stupid thing to do.”

“Yeah,” Nicole whispers and pulls Waverly closer, “yeah it was.”

At that very moment the pieces click together. Waverly lets her guards down and surrenders herself completely to Nicole. She knows this is wrong, and she knows Nicole knows that too, but neither woman seems to care as their lips finally meet in a kiss so passionate that Waverly thinks she might pass out. Nicole releases Waverly’s hand and moves her hand to the side of Waverly’s face, resting on her cheek. Their eyes flutter closed and suddenly the music around them fades, the other bar patrons disappear and all that remains is Waverly and Nicole.

Waverly has spent the past two years with Champ building up her walls and creating a new Waverly Earp to be in order to fit in. The barrier that she has built has made her forget who she truly is, and has made her feel numb inside and out. Being with Champ has ruined Waverly and it’s as bright as day to her now. All it took was for her ex-girlfriend to spill coffee on her in their college date spot, and a concert in a bar at the edge of town for Waverly to realize just how much she was denying herself of happiness. But here she sits, Nicole’s lips gliding against her own in an old dance, and her heart beating out of her chest. Nicole Rayleigh Haught is her person; her forever person. The only problem is that her person is engaged to someone else. The other problem is that the aforementioned fiancé has walked into the bar just in time to see the redhead and the brunette locking lips.

Chapter Text

Shae stands with her feet planted firmly on the ground, staring at her fiancé making out with some other girl. She isn’t able to tell if she knows the other person but she knows that Nicole is connecting with her on a different level than she does with herself. There are numerous empty glasses on their table so Shae can only assume that they’re drunk. This thought tames some of the fire burning within her chest, though not much. She contemplates approaching Nicole and making her presence known, but something inside of her pulls her to stay where she is. So she does. Hiding behind an artificial tree near the door of the bar, Shae keeps her eyes on her girlfriend and this other girl as they continue to kiss. When they finally pull apart for air Shae finally realizes who the mystery girl is. 

Waverly Earp.

Of fucking course.

Anger and confusion take hold of her body and she isn’t able to completely comprehend what her eyes are seeing. Waverly Earp, Nicole’s college ex who smashed her heart into a million pieces, is sitting in a booth making out with her fiancé. The first genuine feeling that Shae experiences is relief. Yeah, okay, so Nicole kissing her ex-girlfriend isn’t the best look on the redhead, but Shae knows that Nicole would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. Which only made their interaction even more complex to dissect. They’re drunk, that’s all. Drunk kisses are a thing. Nicole and Waverly go back in for another kiss and Shae decides that she has to put an end to whatever is happening before it actually begins. She marches toward the table and stops inches away from the booth, folding her arms across her chest.

“Nicole,” Shae clears her throat. Nicole looks up at the darker skinned woman with a deer-in-headlights look with dilated pupils, she is definitely inebriated.

“Shae!” Nicole smiles. “What are you doing here?”

“I decided to come surprise you. I got off early tonight. I know I missed your set so I was hoping to have a couple of drinks together. Though I see that you’ve already done so with someone else,” she directs the last part at Waverly.

“I told you not to come,” Nicole slurs her words. “Tonight was a shit show, a shit gig.”

“It doesn’t seem like that to me,” She crosses her arms. “I’m starting to think that you didn’t want me to come because you invited Waverly.”

“Shae, wait – ” Waverly tries to speak up but Shae continues.

“Nicole, can we talk? Alone?”

“I don’t think that’s the best idea right now,” the redhead slurs.

“It’ll only take a minute.”

“Go, Nicole,” Waverly looks at the older woman and nods. “You’re sober enough to talk to your fiancé.”

“Fine,” she huffs and stands up.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Waverly was going to be here tonight?” Shae asks after leading them near the bathrooms.

“Because you hate Waverly,” Nicole stares at her.

“I don’t hate her,” Shae crosses her arms defensively. “I don’t like that she broke your heart and left you without second thought.”

“I hurt her first,” Nicole defends Waverly. “I hurt – almost hurt her. Because I was drunk and angry.”

“That didn’t give her a right to leave you, Nicole. You could have worked it out.”

“No, that’s the thing, Shae,” Nicole shakes her head. “We couldn’t have. I was no good for her. I was a deadbeat college failure with a degree in music, trying to pave a path for myself in one of the hardest industries to make it big in with nothing but a guitar and three hundred dollars. Waverly deserved better. She still does.”

“Yet you were kissing her not even five minutes ago.”

“That was the alcohol talking."

“Right. So you’re telling me that you haven’t been drooling over Waverly ever since you came home to her in your apartment a few weeks ago?” Nicole stays quiet. “I knew there was a reason you didn’t want to move in together. You’re still hung up over her. You still love her.”

“Shae – ”

“No, Nicole. You know I’m right. I’m not mad. I knew you still loved her from the beginning of this relationship. Why do you think I was so eager to get engaged? So I wouldn’t lose you. But that was when I thought she was gone for good. Clearly she’s not, and clearly she isn’t going anywhere.”

“What are you saying?” Nicole looks at Shae, instantly sobering up.

What I’m saying,” Shae looks down at the engagement ring on her finger and slides it off, “is to go back to her. And give this to someone who deserves it,” she hands the ring to Nicole.

“Shae wait…” Nicole tries but can’t find the words to say.

“Call me in a few days if you change your mind. I’ll wait for you, Nicole, but only if you want me to. Though I don’t think it’ll be much of a hard decision for you to make.”

Nicole looks down at the ring in her palm and closes her hand around it. “I’m sorry, Shae,” she whispers.

“Don’t apologize,” Shae smiles. “You two deserve each other,” she hugs Nicole and turns on her heel, heading back to their table. She stops in front of Waverly and leans down to level her eyes with the younger woman. “Take good care of her. She’s more vulnerable than she was before. She needs you. And she really loves you, Waverly Earp.”

Waverly watches as Shae exits the building and looks around for Nicole. Seeing the redhead walking her way, she stands up. Nicole looks both relieved and heartbroken. Waverly doesn’t know if she should be happy or upset.

“She ended things,” Nicole says, opening her hand to reveal the ring. “Says she knew I wanted you all along.”

“You did?”

“Always,” Nicole whispers.

“So she just left? That was it?”

“She told me to call her in a few days after I’ve made up my mind,” Nicole looks at Waverly. “I don’t think I can make a decision like this in just a few days.”

“I understand that,” Waverly nods. “What is it that you want?” She asks softly.

“Well Shae wants me to – ” Waverly places a hand on Nicole’s arm to stop her.

“I didn’t ask what Shae wanted. I asked what you want. What does Nicole want?”

“Nicole wants…” She peers into Waverly’s eyes, wanting to confess her love for the smaller woman right there, but she knew she couldn’t. “Nicole wants more than a few days to sort things out.”

Waverly’s heart drops. She thought for sure that Nicole wants her as much as she was leading her believe she did all night. Waverly wants Nicole; she wants Nicole badly. But this isn’t about what Waverly wants. It’s about what Nicole wants. If Nicole wants time, Waverly will give her time.

No matter how much it might pain her to do so.

- - - - -

Waverly drives home that night with a new sense of emptiness in her chest. A hollow hole where her heart used to be. She didn’t expect anything to happen tonight, but things happened and she felt a mixture of emotion. Nicole kissed her, she’s happy about that. Nicole’s engagement got broken off because of her, she’s not too proud of that one. Nicole said she needed time and space to figure out what she wanted, that’s what devastates Waverly the most.

She stumbles up to her hotel room and locks the door. The room is still a mess with food wrappers, tissues and empty bottles strewn across the floor and bed. She shakes her head and sets her keys down next to the TV before changing into a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. She grabs a trash can and starts tossing things into it, clearing the room of anything left over from her sob-fest over Champ. After gathering her clothes into a clean and dirty pile, and making the bed, Waverly sits down at the desk near the window and opens her laptop. She checks her email in hopes of hearing back from at least one of the apartment ads she responded to. Hope flickers in her chest when her inbox has one message in it. Clicking on it, she skims through the email before her eyes landed on the sender’s name.

“Mercedes Gardner,” she reads aloud. “Huh. I never emailed you. How did you know…” She begins to read the message over again.

Good afternoon,

Waverly, I come to you with fantastic news! A little birdie (a birdie with red hair) has told me that you are in the need of a new living space! Lucky for you, I have a place that just opened up. You’ll find it familiar as it is in the same building as where your sister is currently residing. The rent is cheap, and I will hold it for you as long as I can. Contact me ASAP so we can schedule a viewing!

Mercedes Gardner, CEO of Gardner Real Estate

“Of course Nicole told her,” Waverly smiles softly at the screen. “And of course it’d be the same complex as her own.”

Waverly bites her lip as she grabs her phone and dials Mercedes’ number. “Mercedes? Yes, it’s Waverly. Sorry for the late call, but I was responding to your email. How does tomorrow afternoon sound?”

Chapter Text

Waverly is sitting in her car in the parking lot of Wynonna and Nicole’s apartment complex with Rosita, more nervous than she should be. She checks the time for the third time within the hour and sighs when she realizes that she still isn’t set to meet with Mercedes for another thirty minutes. She’s nervous and on edge and she blames Nicole. Nicole is the one who told Mercedes that she’s in need of a new place. And of course, knowing Mercedes, she picked this complex for a reason. Mercedes has always been one to meddle in other people’s relationships because her own kept falling apart; that and the fact that she’s Wynonna’s best friend, and Wynonna tells her everything.

“Waves, it’s okay,” Rosita says from the passenger seat. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“Yes I do,” Waverly looks at her friend. “What if things get awkward?” She says insinuating things with Nicole. “If I’m living here and things go to shit, I won’t be able to escape her.”

“So don’t chose this place, then.”

“But the rent is cheap. And it’s a nice place,” Waverly sighs. “Rosita, did I make a mistake last night?”

“What, you mean making out with your ex-girlfriend and then being caught by her fiancé?”

“Very specific, but yes. What if I just screwed everything up?”

“Waverly,” Rosita places a hand on Waverly’s knee, “I don’t think you messed up. If Nicole really kissed you the way you said she did, then she wants to make things work with you as much as you want to with her.”

“I don’t know. She said she needed a few days to think things over. I thought for sure she’d give her answer right away.”

“Cut the girl some slack,” Rosita squeezes Waverly’s knee reassuringly. “Breaking off an engagement, even to someone you might not want to marry, is a huge deal. I can guarantee that even if she knew what she wanted, Nicole would still need time to sort everything out.”

“Okay,” Waverly takes a deep breath and exhales though her nose, “you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Rosita smiles. “Now let’s go meet with Mercedes and find you a new place to live.”

- - - - -

“Haught!” Wynonna yells as she kicks Nicole’s bedroom door open. “Get your ass out of bed and tell me why Dolls just told me that he saw you locking lips with Waverly.”

Shit. Nicole pulls the covers over her head and groans, feeling a hangover coming on. “Define ‘locking lips’.”

“You know damn well what it means, smart ass,” Wynonna pulls the comforter off of the bed which elicits another groan from the taller woman.

“Wynonna, coming from you, that could mean many things.”

“Don’t beat around the bush and tell me the truth.”

Nicole slowly sits up and faces her roommate. Surprisingly, the look on her face isn’t one of anger. It’s more of an amused smirk than anything. “Fine,” Nicole says. “Yes, I kissed Waverly. In my defense, though, she started it. She leaned in first. I was too drunk to stop myself.”

“But not drunk enough to forget that it happened,” Wynonna raises an eyebrow.

“No,” Nicole sighs. “I remember it all.”

“So how was it?” Wynonna asks after a moment of silence. “Good? Bad? Just as you remember it?”

“I don’t…I’m not,” Nicole shakes her head. “Hold on, you’re not mad?”

“Haught-Pants, I think it’s time that I come clean to you about something,” Wynonna sits on the edge of the bed and Nicole casts her a confused glance. “I never liked Shae. I always felt that you were too good for her.”

“But you told me not to do anything crazy with Waverly last night because of Shae. That’s exactly what I did. Shouldn’t you be, like, ripping my head off?”

“I only said those things because I knew you were committed to Pressman,” Wynonna clamps a firm hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “And I also knew that you weren’t over my baby sister. So I was trying to keep your head above the water. Even if I wanted this to happen.”

“You wanted me to kiss your sister?” Nicole’s eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

“For a future cop, you’re pretty dumb sometimes. Yes I wanted you to kiss her! Both of you have been acting so weird ever since the night Chump broke her heart. It’s been annoying as hell having to deal with both of you moping around.”

“It’s been that obvious, huh?” Nicole looks down at her hands.

“More obvious than when you tried to lie about you and Shae having – ”

“Okay!” Nicole yells and lurches forward to slap her hand over Wynonna’s mouth.

“Alright, alright, shutting up,” Wynonna snorts and stands up. “Now get up and get dressed. Our new neighbor will be arriving any second now,” she wiggles her eyebrows before turning to walk out of the room.

“I’m going to regret ever telling you that,” Nicole rolls her eyes, but smiles, and throws a pillow at her roommate before she leaves the room.

“Just keep your banging at a minimum volume and we’ll be fine!” Wynonna tosses over her shoulder.

- - - - -

Waverly stares at the door to the third floor apartment door with her mouth slightly agape. She can’t seem to wrap her head around the situation because she refuses to. Rosita lightly elbows her and bites back a laugh.

“You okay, Waves?” She asks.

“This is…” Waverly looks at the door next to the one she stands before. “This is next to Wynonna and Nicole’s apartment.”

“What else would you expect from Nicole?” Mercedes grins. “She contacted me as soon as the York brothers moved out.”

“Of course she did,” Waverly sighs. “Can we go inside?”

“Of course you can,” Mercedes hands Waverly a key. “Everything inside is what is staying. It’s fully furnished and has two bedrooms.”

Waverly takes the key from Mercedes and unlocks the door. She steps inside and looks around, Rosita following behind her. The apartment looks almost identical to Wynonna and Nicole’s place aside from the difference in furniture. Waverly walks into the kitchen and looks around, impressed with its size, and then makes her way towards the bedrooms.

“This is actually really nice,” Waverly smiles. “How much did you say it was per month?”

“Four hundred a month. But I highly suggest you find yourself a roommate to split the cost with.”

“Fantastic, except I have no friends that are looking to move,” Waverly sighs.

“I’ll be your roommate,” Rosita shrugs. “Eliza and I have been trying to move out for a while now. Our landlady is a real bitch. She’s moving into her parent’s old house, and I don’t want to live there, so she’s been waiting for me to find a place.”

“Are you sure?” Waverly looks over at her friend who just smiles and nods. “Well then,” Waverly smiles, “I think you just sold yourself another client, Mercedes.”

“Fantastic!” Mercedes clasps her hands together. “Let’s get you to sign these papers and you’ll be good to go.”

- - - - -

Nicole stands behind Wynonna as the raven haired woman knocks on the door to apartment 3C. The wait feels like hours (when in reality it’s only about a minute) and Nicole suddenly regrets her choice of clothing. Clad in a tank top that is loosely tucked into her jeans, creating a messy French tuck, the redhead stands amidst a pool of her own emotion, threatening to drown her. She looks like a mess, she is a mess, and the girl who holds the key to her heart is about to open that door, quite possibly as her new neighbor. Nicole’s head snaps up when the doorknob turns, the door swinging open, and she finds herself slightly disappointed that it isn’t Waverly who answers the door.

“Did she say yes? Did she sign the papers?” Wynonna is practically vibrating with excitement and Nicole can’t help but bite back a laugh. She has never seen her roommate this excited over something, well…ever.

“Say hello to your new neighbors!” Mercedes grins and steps aside.

“Wait, neighbors?” Nicole peers inside and her eyes land on Waverly and then Rosita. Her heart sinks just a little bit in her chest.

“Well hello there,” Wynonna grins and walks over to the two other women. “Name’s Wynonna. Wynonna Earp,” she sticks her hand out toward Rosita who graciously shakes it.

“Ah, so I can finally put the beautiful face that goes with the infamous name,” Rosita smiles. “Rosita Bustillos. Friend of Waverly’s since a few years ago.”

“Sister,” Wynonna points at Waverly, “if you didn’t catch on.”

“I’m not as dumb as I look, you know,” Rosita folds her arms across her chest.

“Oh I know,” Wynonna quirks an eyebrow. “You don’t look dumb. You look hot as hell.”

“WYNONNA!” Waverly yells.

“No, Waves, it’s okay. I don’t mind it,” Rosita replies keeping her eyes on Wynonna. “You don’t look so bad yourself, Earp.”

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Nicole grimaces and looks at Waverly. “Can we talk?”

“Anything to get away from whatever is happening here,” Waverly grabs Nicole’s hand and pulls her into one of the bedrooms.

“I want to apologize about last night,” Nicole starts, her eyes trained on her hands. “About running off like that and most likely ruining everything we’ve been building up.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, Nicole,” Waverly assures her with a gentle hand on her arm. “I was just..confused is all. I’m glad it happened, I really am. It answered a lot of questions I had, actually.”

“You’ve had questions?” Nicole’s face softens, finally realizing just how confused Waverly must have been lately.

“Yeah,” the brunette replies softly. “I was…I was so hung up over Champ and was trying everything in my power to get him back that I was shutting every other possible outcome down. Kissing you, spending time with you like that, made me realize that I had actually forgotten what it was like to be happy.

“I was reminded of all the things we used to do together,” Waverly continues. “The good things. I forgot how much fun we used to have. All of the crazy dates we’d go on. Champ only ever took me out on his birthday, or when he made a big accomplishment at work. You took me out every chance you got. Running into you at the record shop yesterday afternoon…it flipped a switch in my head.”

“What kind of switch?” Nicole asks.

“It made me realize that the only reason I ever thought I was happy with Champ was because I wasn’t sulking over you. Because I wasn’t thinking about you or how happy you probably were without me. I guess the easiest way to explain it is like…” Waverly pauses, choosing her words carefully. “It’s like putting on one of those VR headsets, distorting your reality and replacing what’s real with something fake. Kind of like – ” Nicole cuts her off.

“Like seeing things through rose colored glasses; better than they really are,” Nicole meets Waverly’s gaze and continues, “That’s how I was with Shae. What she and I had was fun, it was nice, but it wasn’t real. And I’m sorry if me having to take a few more days to really sort everything out is upsetting you. It’s just that this is a huge deal for me, Waverly.”

“No, hey, I get that. I really do,” Waverly offers Nicole a warm smile. “Take all the time you need to figure this out. I’ll be here, no matter what the outcome.”

Nicole smiles softly and pulls the brunette into a tight embrace. Both women know that things are complicated at the moment, and that things will most likely get worse before they get better, but they know that they have each other now. No matter what happens, whatever Nicole decides, they will still remain in each other’s lives.

- - - - -

Waverly and Rosita are sitting on the floor of their new kitchen, sharing a pizza and drinking some beer they stole from their new neighbors. The apartment, like Mercedes has said, is fully furnished which means that they have a table to sit at to eat, but it’s custom when you move that you have to have your first meal on the floor. It’s basically the law.

“So you got my sister’s number while I was talking to Nicole earlier?” Waverly glances at her friend before shoving a bite of vegan pizza into her mouth.

“Mhm,” Rosita nods. “And we’re going out on Friday.”

“A date? With my lone wolf sister? Already?” Waverly laughs and whistles. “Man, Rosie, you must be good with the ladies.”

Rosita shrugs. “She’d be my first.”

“Really?” Waverly raises her eyebrows.

“Yeah. I mean, as a closeted bisexual, it’s kind of hard to play for both sides. You’re the only one who knows really.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell Chrissy?”

“I was scared. It’s stupid, I know, because she supports you, but it’s hard to tell someone something that you’ve kept to yourself basically your whole life,” Rosita took a long swig of her beer.

“Don’t I know it,” Waverly mumbles. “But things are good now. You’ll come out to Chrissy, right?” She looks at her roommate with hopeful eyes. “I mean you’ll have to eventually if things with Wynonna somehow turn serious.”

“Well yeah,” Rosita nods. “I just have to figure out how to tell her.”

“I’ll be there with you,” Waverly smiles.

“Thanks Waves. You’re really the best,” Rosita hugs Waverly from the side.

After a brief moment of silence, Waverly speaks. “To new beginnings, and bright futures,” she raises her beer bottle and Rosita clinks their bottles together.

- - - - -

“Move your gross feet,” Wynonna smacks Nicole’s legs with a pillow and plops down on the couch next to her. “What’s your deal now? Waverly is our new neighbor. Shouldn’t you be bouncing off the walls?”

“What do I do about Shae?” Nicole says, voice muffled by her arm which covers her face.

“Tell her the truth, numbnuts,” Wynonna rolls her eyes.

“I’m being serious, Wyn,” Nicole replies and moves her arm away from her face. “How am I supposed to tell her that our entire relationship has basically been a lie?”

“I don’t think it’s been a lie, Haught,” Wynonna looks down at Nicole, who had a pained expression on her face. “I know for a fact that you genuinely cared about her from the start, and that you still do. It’s just that now things are different. Things change. People come and go from our lives, and our lives change with that. Shae Pressman, of all the girl’s you’ve been with, seems to understand that the most.”

“Who are you and what have you done with Wynonna?” Nicole asks and sits up.

“I’m trying to be serious for once, Nicole,” Wynonna replies. Nicole quiets down, seeing as her roommate barely ever uses her first name. “Shae told you to follow your heart. You and I both know what that big, stupid heart of yours wants, so stop denying yourself of that happiness. I’m tired of seeing you miserable. I miss seeing you happy.”

“Softie,” Nicole grins and lightly elbows Wynonna.

“Shut it or I’ll shove my foot up your ass,” Wynonna bites, but there’s a smile on her face.

The two fall into a comfortable silence, both thinking about different things. Nicole plans to call Shae in the morning to set up a meeting to talk things out with her. Wynonna is right, she’s tired of denying herself happiness, she needs to make things right. Speaking of happiness, a light goes off in Nicole’s head and she glances at Wynonna.

“So you and Rosita,” she says with a wink.

“Nope,” Wynonna shakes her head. “NOPE!” She gets up and struts back to her bedroom. “We don’t talk about my relationships in this apartment, Haught!” She slams her door.

Nicole laughs and shakes her head. Yep. There’s the Wynonna she knows and loves.

Chapter Text

The week goes on at an agonizingly slow pace as everyone tries to start adjusting to the changes that have taken place. Rosita and Eliza move out of their old apartment and move Rosita’s stuff into her and Waverly’s new place. Things run smoothly with next to no trouble from anyone or anything. The only problem is the lack of company from a certain tall redhead that Waverly has become very accustomed to lately. Days pass and Waverly and Rosita begin to slowly move Waverly’s things into their new apartment from her hotel room. Nicole and Wynonna finally stop by briefly to help with things, Nicole supplying the actual help they need and Wynonna supplying the booze.

It’s been a long few days for Waverly, to say the least. Waiting for your college ex to permanently break off an engagement with a gorgeous lady doctor, or not, and potentially getting back together with the aforementioned college ex is kind of anxiety-inducing. Waverly is beginning to feel selfish for the things she keeps thinking, about how she keeps saying that she knows Nicole wants to be with her. She keeps making up reasons why Nicole should choose her over Shae, and some of them she knows aren’t true or aren’t fair.

The deep-rooted past she has with Nicole, for example. That isn’t something that Shae can control, that she came into Nicole’s life after Waverly had already left it. They are college exes, they were in love, and they had a falling out. Those are the facts that Waverly has to stick to in order for her to not go crazy over the whole situation. She wants Nicole, she wants whatever they had back in college. She knows things will be different if they try again, but she also knows that things will be better. Both women have grown and matured in their time apart and Waverly just knows that that Nicole has become the person Waverly had hoped she would become. Three short knocks on the door bring Waverly out of her thoughts and she jumps, startled by the sudden noise.

“Coming!” She calls from her room as she makes her way to the door. Waverly opens the door and is surprised to see Nicole standing before her, a brown paper bag in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, dressed in her work clothes; she came straight from Gusto’s.

“Hey,” Nicole breathes out.

“Hi,” Waverly replies and leans against the doorframe.

“Can I come in?” Nicole asks. “I brought leftovers from the kitchen at work,” she holds up the bag, “and some wine that they were going to get rid of,” she lifts the bottle.

“You came here straight from work?” Waverly can’t help the smile that forms on her face. “You don’t want to go change first?”

“Too much trouble,” the redhead shrugs.

“Nicole, you live next door.”

“I know, but I really need to talk to you,” Nicole meets Waverly’s eyes. “And it can’t wait.”

“Then, by all means, come in,” Waverly steps to the side, allowing Nicole to enter. She closes and locks the door behind them before facing Nicole again. “Is everything alright?”

Nicole doesn’t answer right away, her nerves taking ahold of her. She sets the food and wine on the counter before she wrings her hands together tightly and starts pacing back and forth. Waverly assumes that Nicole is about to drop a major bomb on her, crushing every ounce of hope in her body like a truck crushing an empty can of soda on the ground. Waverly keeps her eyes glued to Nicole, preparing herself for what she knows is about to come and trying to give Nicole the time and space she needs to gather her courage to speak.

“I gave the ring back to Shae,” Nicole finally says and she stops pacing, keeping her back to Waverly.

“Oh,” Waverly breathes out, leaning back against the door. “I understand,” she nods. “She’s been there for you when I haven’t been, and has grown with you after I up and left.”

“I gave the ring back to Shae,” Nicole repeats, “because she was the one who proposed to me. It was her ring,” she slowly starts to turn toward Waverly.

Waverly tilts her head to the side, casting a confused glance at the woman across from her. “You don’t need to explain your choices to me, Nicole. I just hope we can continue to be friends.”

“What?” Nicole shakes her head. “Waverly, it’s over. It’s done. Things with Shae are over. For good.”

“But you just…” Waverly trails off as things begin to click in her mind. Her eyebrows shoot up and she stares at Nicole. “Oh! Wow I’m stupid.”

“You are many things, Waverly Earp,” Nicole runs a nervous hand through her hair. “You’re funny, you’re insanely smart, you’re capable of making even the simplest of outfits look amazing,” she gestures to Waverly’s old t-shirt and sweatpants, “but you aren’t stupid. You never are.”

Waverly bites her lip and tries to hide her smile. “I’m assuming this means you’ve made your decision, then?” She asks with a twinge of hope in her voice.

“Yeah,” Nicole nods and takes a step closer to Waverly, “I have.”

“And?” Waverly looks up at Nicole through long lashes. “What’s the verdict?”

“Is Rosita here?” Nicole asks.

“No,” Waverly shakes her head, “she and Wynonna are out…on their date,” she grins slightly. “Why?”

“Because I don’t want to be interrupted,” Nicole gently cradles Waverly’s face in her hands. “I choose you, Waverly. I want to be with you. I need to be with you. Ever since you came back into my life, I’ve felt complete. I feel like I can’t breathe when I’m without you now. Kissing you the other night, though as inebriated as we were, was the best decision I’ve made in a very long time. I’ve missed you so much, Waverly,” she concludes by resting her forehead against Waverly’s and closing her eyes.

“I’ve missed you too,” Waverly sighs and closes her eyes as well. “God, I’ve missed you too, Nicole,” she takes a fistful of Nicole’s shirt in her hand.

Nicole’s voice is soft, almost timid, when she speaks again. “I want to try again.”

“Wait,” Waverly bites her lip and takes a small step away from Nicole, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She shoots a quick text to her sister and Rosita, letting them know not to enter the apartment when they get back.

“What are you doing?” Nicole looks at her quizzically.

“Taking care of something before it even becomes an issue,” Waverly states simply and sets her phone on the counter. Nicole grins as Waverly steps up to her again, resuming their previous position.

“So what do you say?” Nicole asks, her voice softer than a whisper. “Would you be willing to give us another try?”

Instead of using her words to answer, Waverly connects their lips in a chaste kiss. Nicole wastes no time before kissing Waverly back, wrapping her arms firmly around the smaller woman’s waist. Nicole starts walking them in the direction of the couch, the food and wine long forgotten, as Waverly’s nimble fingers feverishly attempt to unbutton Nicole’s shirt. Nicole chuckles quietly against Waverly’s lips at the slight grumble that comes from failing to be able to undo the buttons.

“Here,” Nicole says after pulling away slightly, “let me.”

“No,” Waverly lightly slaps Nicole’s hands away from her shirt, “I want to.”

“Good luck with that, then,” Nicole smirks slightly and pulls Waverly back in, kissing her way down from Waverly’s cheek to her neck.

“Oh,” Waverly sucks in a sharp breath and tries to undo the buttons. “You’re such a tease.”

After a few minutes of intense struggling, Waverly finally manages to undo the buttons of Nicole’s shirt and tug it free from her pants. Nicole gently tugs on the bottom of Waverly’s shirt, a silent beg for her to take it off. There’s a sense of hesitation coming from the smaller woman that Nicole catches onto as Waverly momentarily slows her movements. Before she can ask any questions, though, Waverly is taking a small step back and pulling her shirt up over her head, dropping it on the floor next to them.

Immediately, Nicole’s eyes trail along Waverly’s body. She takes in the beauty before her with defined abs, firm legs, and toned arms before her eyes catch the faint remnants of scars that are scattered around her stomach and arms. Their eyes meet and Nicole sees fear in Waverly’s eyes, fear that comes from someone that Nicole wasn’t able to protect her from.

Champ.

Waverly notices Nicole’s body tensing and immediately reaches out to her. Waverly’s hand grasps onto Nicole’s arm firmly and she shakes her head, a silent message to Nicole that she doesn’t need to worry. There’s a fire burning in Nicole’s eyes that screams anger and revenge, something that both terrifies Waverly and turns her on.

“It was a long time ago,” Waverly says, reading Nicole’s mind. “He was drunk and horny and I wasn’t in the mood.”

“What did he do?” Nicole asks as she lightly brushes her fingers along the length of a scar on Waverly’s stomach.

“He would hit me sometimes,” Waverly sighs and looks down at where Nicole’s hand is. “When I wouldn’t do what he wanted, he would get really angry and…” she trails off and closes her eyes tightly, remembering the pain.

“Hey,” Nicole says softly and places a hand on the side of Waverly’s face, gaining her attention. “He’s not worth your time, or your tears,” she gently wipes away some stray tears with her thumb. “You’re safe here, with me. I promise. We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to, okay?”

Waverly nods and grips Nicole’s shirt tightly in her hands. “The only thing that I don’t want to do right now is talk about Champ.”

Nicole nods and brushes her knuckles against Waverly’s cheek. “What do you want to do, then?”

Waverly bites her lip and plays with one of the buttons on Nicole’s shirt before replying, “You.”

Nicole wastes no time before pulling Waverly close to her, their foreheads touching and their noses brushing together. One hand rests on the small of Waverly’s back while the other stays against her cheek. Waverly closes her eyes and leans into Nicole’s touch, letting the gentle touch and soft skin calm her. Nicole waits, letting Waverly be the one to make the first move. She has no idea what it’s like to experience physical abuse in any way, therefore Nicole wants Waverly to know that she has total control of what they do and where things go. Sensing the redhead’s trepidation, Waverly threads her fingers through Nicole’s hair and brings their lips together. It’s a delicate dance, the kiss, one that send a heat shooting tough both women’s bodies.

Waverly’s hands trail down Nicole’s sides, sliding underneath the white shirt that now hangs loosely around Nicole’s abdomen. With fumbling fingers, Waverly attempts to undo Nicole’s belt without breaking away from the kiss. Her nerves are in overdrive and her mind is spinning a thousand miles a minute, but there is one thing that she knows for sure: she knows that this is what she wants, and that this is something that she has been longing for since college. Waverly pulls Nicole’s belt off and discards it on the floor with her shirt and slides Nicole’s shirt down her arms as she pushes the redhead onto the couch gently. Nicole lands with a soft oof! and pulls Waverly down with her, the brunette sitting in her lap. They pull apart for air, keeping their foreheads together, and stare into each other’s lust-filled eyes awaiting what they have been yearning for since they ran into each other again.

- - - - -

Dates are not Wynonna’s thing. Being with another female is not Wynonna’s thing either. Something about Rosita just pulls her in, though, and she’s willing to let it happen if it’ll make her forget about stupid Doc and his stupid flakiness. Of course, for their date, Rosita and Wynonna go to Shorty’s. It is Wynonna’s day off, and she would never be caught dead in the establishment when she doesn’t have to be, but Rosita had asked and Wynonna found herself to be putty in her hands. Things are going well after discovering how much they have in common, and Wynonna feels genuinely happy for the first time in several months. She asks Rosita things about how she and Waverly met and how long she has been in Purgatory, drinking as much whiskey as she can so the liquid courage can help keep her cool.

“We met during her last year of college,” Rosita says, “right before she and Nicole broke up. She and Chrissy showed up to a party I was throwing and someone, Nicole, was drunk off her ass and spilled beer all over me. Waves was the first one to notice and helped me.”

“Always the attentive one, Waverly,” Wynonna smiles and shakes her head.

“So tell me about yourself, Earp,” Rosita smiles and takes a sip of her drink. “Why weren’t you and Waverly talking for all these years?”

“Two words,” Wynonna rolls her eyes. “Champ Hardy. When she left Haught and got together with him, we had a falling out. Mostly my fault,” she holds her hands up when Rosita gives her a look. “Alright, totally my fault. I took a step back from her life because I didn’t want to ruin it. I liked Nicole, and Champ was a major step down from her. So instead of being a bitchy older sister, I let her live her life,” Wynonna shrugs.

“So you cut ties with your sister because of her boyfriend and, in turn, started living with her ex?” Rosita quirks an eyebrow as Wynonna sheepishly nods. “I like your style,” she smirks.

Wynonna opens her mouth to respond but before she can get a word out both her phone and Rosita’s ding, indicating a text. Wynonna looks down at her phone to see a message from Waverly to the both of them and grins when she reads it.

“Looks like things are starting to go back to normal,” Wynonna says as she locks her phone. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this to happen. And you definitely won’t want to go back in there tonight.”

“So, your place, then?” Rosita grins.

- - - - -

Quiet moans escape Waverly’s mouth as she grinds down on Nicole’s lap, tangling her fingers in the redhead’s hair. Nicole leaves a trail of open mouth kisses down Waverly’s neck, kissing her way to the brunette’s collarbone. Their hands roam freely over exposed skin, relishing in the touch that once was so familiar but has since grown foreign. In the few weeks that have passed since Waverly showed up to Nicole and Wynonna’s apartment, heartbroken and vulnerable, both women have had a revelation of sorts: that the love they once felt still burns fiercely within them, and it always has no matter how deep down it might have been buried.

Nicole caresses Waverly’s body gently as she pulls her impossibly closer, their bodies as close together as humanly possible. Nicole runs her hands along Waverly’s sides before moving them to Waverly’s stomach, on their way down to the elastic waistband of her sweatpants. Nicole’s hand brushes past a sensitive part of Waverly’s abdomen and the smaller woman abruptly pulls away, jumping at the feeling. Waverly looks down at her stomach, where Nicole’s hand rests, and closes her eyes tightly.

“Waves,” Nicole breathes out as she looks down at the scar, “this…this is a knife wound.”

Waverly shakes her head. “Glass,” she squeaks.

“What happened? Who did this to you?” Nicole asks, voice firm, even though she already knows the answer.

“He wanted to have sex, but I didn’t want to,” Waverly shakes her head, not bothering to even say Champ’s name. “Things got really heated. He threw things and shoved me into the kitchen table. I tripped, a vase of flowers fell to the ground and the next thing I knew, I was bleeding. He didn’t…he didn’t actually do it to me, but I wouldn’t have fallen if he wasn’t such a jackass.”

“Baby,” the word rolls right off of Nicole’s tongue, “why did you stay with him for so long if he hurt you so much?”

“Because,” Waverly takes a deep breath and wraps her arms around Nicole’s neck, “he was a distraction. Purgatory has very limited dating options,” she pauses when Nicole cracks a small smile, “and he was the next best thing to you.”

“I must’ve been a shit girlfriend, then, if he was the next best thing,” Nicole jokes, trying to make the brunette smile.

“No,” Waverly shakes her head and kisses Nicole gently. “No, you were the best girlfriend anyone could ever ask for. It’s just that Champ was…” she trails off in search of the right words.

“He was there for you, when I wasn’t?” Nicole suggests. “Much like how Shae was there for me?”

“Yes,” Waverly nods. “He offered me support in the forms of sex and alcohol and, although it helped at first, it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to break up with him, but that’s when he started getting hostile. He wouldn’t let me leave. So, eventually, I forced myself to believe that I truly loved him. That’s why I was a complete mess the week following the breakup. I had been living a lie for three years, and had lost all sense of my true love and happiness,” she concludes by running her hands through Nicole’s hair. “You.”

“So, I’m still your knight in leather jacket, yeah?” Nicole whispers and starts to close the space between them.

“Just with less heavy metal music and more book smarts,” Waverly grins and brings her lips down to meet Nicole’s.

- - - - -

They somehow manage to make it to Waverly’s room, stumbling blindly down the hall and fumbling for the doorknob, discarding the clothes that still remain on their bodies as they go. Waverly throws the door open and pulls Nicole inside the room, squealing when the redhead picks her up bridal style and carries her over to the bed. Waverly clings to Nicole, hands clasped firmly on her shoulders, and begins to kiss down her neck. Instead of pulling away when her back hits the mattress, Waverly pulls Nicole down on top of her and Nicole eagerly follows her lead. Nicole moves away from Waverly, hovering over her so she can look at her and there’s a mixture of pain and sadness in Waverly’s eyes at the loss of contact from the taller woman. Nicole gently presses a kiss to Waverly’s forehead, silently conveying that nothing is wrong.

“I just want to make sure,” Nicole says. “I want you to know that this is all on you, the ball is in your court.”

“I wouldn’t have let you touch me if this wasn’t what I wanted,” Waverly replies.

Nicole nods and smiles, dipping her head low again and kissing Waverly once more. Nicole trails a hand between their bodies, down Waverly’s abdomen and to her center, and moans softly when she feels her heat. Nicole enters Waverly slowly, gently pushing two fingers inside of her. A small gasp falls from Waverly’s lips and her eyes slowly close, relishing in the new sensation. Nicole finds a steady rhythm and moves her hand in a delicate dance that causes the woman beneath her to writhe in pleasure. Waverly matches Nicole’s movements with her hips and crashes their lips together. It’s nothing pretty, teeth knocking against teeth, small laughs and giggles escaping their mouths, but it is nothing short of perfect to either woman.

Nicole keeps her pace, gradually picking up speed, and begins grinding down on Waverly’s leg for her own pleasure. Both women are completely helpless against the pleasure coming from their movements. It is such a foreign feeling, almost as if the touch were forbidden, yet it is also one that makes both of them feel at home and at peace. The experience is like riding a bike; it doesn’t matter how long you go without doing it, because you will always know what to do, even if you’re afraid of falling.

The build up to her climax had become anything but enjoyable during Waverly’s time with Champ, and she is suddenly becoming overrun with emotion when she really takes a moment to process her current situation. Nicole’s touches are soft and gentle, she is being handled like a fragile piece of art and Waverly doesn’t know how to comprehend the amount of love she feels for the woman on top of her. It has been years since she has felt Nicole’s touch, years since she last felt this way in bed; since she last felt wanted and needed. Tears spring to Waverly’s eyes as she digs her nails into Nicole’s back, the older woman’s name stumbling from her mouth with a breathless moan into Nicole’s ear. The room becomes full of nothing but pants and loud sounds of pleasure as both women reach their climax together, releasing years of pent up sexual frustration in a matter of seconds.

Coming down from their high, Nicole removes her hand from between their bodies and collapses on the bed next to Waverly. Instinctively, she drapes her arm over the smaller woman and pulls her close; a protective gesture that warms Waverly’s heart. Waverly reaches down and takes Nicole’s hand in her own, intertwining their fingers. Nicole pulls the covers over their bodies and Waverly curls into her side before turning over to face Nicole. The redhead’s eyes are closed and Waverly smiles before kissing the tip of Nicole’s nose and then her forehead.

“Waves?” Nicole hums and smiles, keeping her eyes closed.

“Yeah?” Waverly asks as she runs a hand through Nicole’s hair, damp with sweat.

“Please don’t leave,” Nicole mutters, burying her head in Waverly’s shoulder.

“This is my apartment, Nic. Why would I leave?” Waverly laughs softly.

Nicole shakes her head. “Don’t leave me. I just got you back,” she says, placing a few kisses to Waverly’s neck. “I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Hey,” Waverly tilts Nicole’s head up and meets her eyes, “I’m not going anywhere, baby,” she says firmly. “I’ve been lost for the last four years of my life. I’ve just found my home, and I’m never leaving again.”

That night, Waverly and Nicole fall asleep tangled in each other’s embrace, with thoughts of their future together on their minds. Things have only just begun for the two. They have a lot to talk about, and that they have a lot to figure out, but there is one thing that both women know at that very moment:

Nothing is worth losing each other over again.

Chapter Text

The sound of incessant banging on the door to Waverly and Rosita’s apartment wakes Nicole. She slowly opens her eyes and immediately feels the warmth wrapped up in her arms. Waverly is still asleep, snoring softly, and is curled into Nicole’s chest. They’re facing each other, faces close, and Nicole can’t help but smile as the previous night’s events come flooding back to her memory. One of Nicole’s arms is draped loosely over Waverly’s hip while the other is being clung to by the brunette. Nicole lets her mind drift away from reality for a second as she takes in the full beauty that is Waverly. Hair is splayed on her pillow, bangs falling into her face, and her chest rises and falls ever so gently with each breath. The covers are pulled up just enough to cover her chest, leaving her collarbone and shoulders exposed.

Mornings with Shae were never this way, they were never so perfect. Lying there, with Waverly in her arms, made her realize just how dumb she had been for the past four years. Letting the girl wrapped in her embrace walk away without so much as a plead for another chance was the worst decision Nicole had made, and it will always be the worst decision she will ever make. Nicole is determined to right every wrong she ever made with Waverly, to try three times as hard as she did in college. Many things in life are negotiable, but Waverly Earp’s love and affection is not. More knocking brings Nicole back to reality and forces her to extract herself from Waverly. She stands, silently praying that Waverly doesn’t wake. Much to her dismay, the brunette stirs.

“Mmm, Nicole?” Waverly mumbles, sleep filling her voice.

“Shh, go back to sleep,” Nicole whispers and leans down to kiss Waverly’s forehead. “Someone’s just at the door. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, okay,” Waverly moves her head slightly, a sleep-filled indication that she understands, and she falls back into her slumber.

Nicole covers Waverly with an extra blanket and places another gentle kiss to the top of her head before finding her bra and underwear, stealing a pair of shorts from Waverly’s dresser in the process. Nicole quickly makes her way to the door, running a hand through her hair in an attempt to rid it of sleep. She unlocks the door and opens it, ready to yell at whomever is behind it, but freezes when she sees Chrissy standing on the other side.

“Chrissy?” Nicole says, eyebrows raised. “What are you doing here?”

“I should be asking you the same thing,” the blonde crosses her arms. “Don’t you live next door?”

“Yes,” Nicole nods, “but I stayed here last night.”

“Right,” Chrissy nods slowly, “and do you always sleep in your bra and shorts?”

“Well, I usually sleep naked, but,” Nicole trails off and leans against the door frame.

“Do you ever stop?” Nicole smirks which causes Chrissy to scoff and roll her eyes. “You are insufferable, Nicole.”

“Is there something I can help you with?” Nicole tilts her head. “Because if not, then I’d like to get back to sleep.”

“I came to get my coat,” Chrissy states flatly. “I left it here the other night,” she points over Nicole’s shoulder to the kitchen table behind her.

“Why so early? You, of all people, should know how much Waverly loves her sleep, that she wouldn’t be awake at this early hour.”

“My dad is the sheriff,” Chrissy responds flatly. “I’m an early riser. Can I please just have my jacket?”

Nicole rolls her eyes and walks over to the table, grabbing the jacket with an overly dramatic sigh. “Is that all?” She asks after handing the article to Chrissy.

“Yeah,” Chrissy stands up tall and moves her face close to the redhead’s. “If you hurt her again, I swear to God, Nicole Haught, I will make your life a living hell. My dad might be the sheriff, but that doesn’t mean I’m afraid of going to jail.”

“Goodbye, Chrissy,” Nicole says, neither denying nor confirming the relationship between herself and Waverly. “Enjoy your Friday,” she tosses the blonde a fake smile and closes the door.

Nicole sighs and rubs her face before turning around and walking back to Waverly’s bedroom. She slowly pushes the door open, wincing slightly at the brief squeaking noise it makes. Soft light flits into the room from the window, casting an eerie glow onto the bed, but the room is remains mostly dark since the curtains are drawn; it’s too early for any sane person to want to be awake on their day off. After closing the door behind her, Nicole turns around to face the bed and is taken by surprise when she sees Waverly sitting up with her back leaning against the pillows. She holds the covers up to her chest, an attempt to keep herself warm, and dons a look of tedium so cute that even puppies would melt at the sight.

“Who was it?” She asks, her voice still raspy with sleep.

“Chrissy,” Nicole replies and runs a hand through her hair.

“What did she want?” Waverly stretches, letting the covers fall to her mid-abdomen. “Were you nice to her?”

“I – ” Nicole sighs.

“Nicole,” Waverly now wears a stern look on her face, “what did we talk about with Chrissy?”

“I know, I know,” the redhead rubs her face and looks back at Waverly. “I’m trying. It’s just that I know how much she despises me. And it’s too fun to mess with her sometimes.”

“I know, but I don’t want her to hate me.”

“I didn’t tell her that we were back together,” Nicole holds her hands up.

“Yeah, but when you answer the door to my apartment dressed like that, it’s kind of hard to lie about it. She’s not as stupid as you think she is.”

“Oh, I know,” Nicole rolls her eyes.

“I should call her,” Waverly sighs, “and apologize for not being awake.”

“You could call her now,” Nicole nods and pushes herself off of the wall, starting towards the bed, “or you could call her later.”

“I should really call her now, though,” Waverly bites her lip and starts reaching for her phone as Nicole crawls onto the end of the bed.

“Or you could call her later,” Nicole repeats and slowly inches her way toward the brunette, a smirk forming on her face when Waverly retracts her hand from her phone.

“Later,” Waverly nods, slowly lowering herself onto her back as Nicole moves on top of her. “Later is good.”

“Good answer,” Nicole smiles and drops her head, kissing Waverly gently.

Waverly throws the covers over them and pulls Nicole down closer to her.

- - - - -

Chrissy storms out of the apartment complex, roughly throwing the door open, and angrily struts to her car. If there is anyone who knows how to push Chrissy’s buttons, it’s Nicole Haught. The arrogant prick of a redhead has always had it out for her, and so she fought back as hard as she could. Nicole had taken Waverly from her in college, sweeping her off of her feet and stealing her heart, and now she has taken her once again. Being friends since childhood, it is safe to say that Chrissy knows everything there is to know about Waverly, one of those things being that her heart has always belonged to Nicole, even before they met.

Chrissy has always seen sexuality as something that is not fluid; you’re either straight or you’re not, there’s no in between. The only problem with her belief is that, lately, she has felt as if she falls into that middle margin, the place of limbo that didn’t exist in her so-called logic. Her encounter with Nicole, just minutes before, only confirmed her suspicions and her greatest fears. Chrissy Nedley feels attracted to both males and females.

Chrissy Nedley feels attracted to men and, more specifically, to her best friend.

It makes sense now, all of the jealousy of Nicole and the relief that came with Waverly being with Champ. Champ was a major step down from Nicole and Chrissy felt relieved to know that she was going to spend the rest of her days with some washed up rodeo clown instead of the all-perfect Nicole Haught. Not hearing the redhead’s name uttered for the past three years had been the best years of Chrissy’s life; Waverly had finally been getting over Nicole and Chrissy couldn’t be happier. All it took for it all to go to shit, though, was Champ Hardy breaking her best friend’s heart, sending her spiraling into oblivion.

Champ breaking up with Waverly had caused her to call Wynonna, and Wynonna bringing her back to the apartment caused the two to run into each other. So, in retrospect, all of this is Champ’s fault. The worst part of the entire encounter she just had with the redhead is that Nicole lied right to her face. The revelation would have stung less if Nicole had just been upfront with it and told her. If her chances with Waverly are gone for good, she at least wants to know. Nicole answering the door in nothing but a bra and a pair of shorts and looking her dead in the eyes, telling her that she and Waverly aren’t back together, is the biggest bullshit of the year.

To Chrissy, Nicole is just one, big asshole musician who thinks that she can have any girl of her choosing any time she pops a dimple and whips out her guitar. She doesn’t care how much her father adores the redhead, she doesn’t deserve Waverly’s love any more than Champ did. All of this anger comes out of nowhere, hitting Chrissy in the chest like a ton of bricks, and she looses track of time as she drives around town. Deciding it best to remain parked while angry, Chrissy pulls into the nearest parking lot she drives by. Looking out the window of her car, her eyes land on a sign advertising half-priced palm readings.

“Of course I’d park here,” Chrissy huffed. “Of course I’d stumble upon this stupid psychic again.”

After a few minutes of internal argument with herself, Chrissy decides that it won’t hurt to pay the psychic another visit. She gets out of her car and sighs before walking through the door.

- - - - -

“Waverly!” Wynonna bangs on the door to her sister’s apartment. “Stop screwing Haught, put some clothes on, and open the door!”

“Wynonna, I have a key,” Rosita says, patting the taller woman’s shoulder and inserting her key into the lock.

“Rosie, wait,” Wynonna places her hand over Rosita’s, stilling her movements. “I wouldn’t want to open that door, if I were you. You have no idea what they’re doing in there, or where they’re doing it.”

“Oh, you’re cute,” Rosita smiles and kisses Wynonna’s cheek before unlocking the door. “I’ve lived through the ‘honeymoon phase’ of Waverly and Champ’s relationship,” she pauses and looks at Wynonna to prove her point, “I think I can handle Nicole.”

Wynonna makes a face and nods. “You’ve been to war and back, I get it. Open the door.”

“Having seen that is like having gone to multiple wars,” Rosita shudders at the memories and pushes the door open.

The two women enter the apartment with apprehensive steps, stopping just past the threshold of the door to cautiously look around. They are met with silence and Wynonna raises an eyebrow as they advance further into the room, sighing when they don’t see the naked forms of their friends lying about the living room and kitchen areas. Wynonna opens her mouth to speak but stops herself when she picks up on the sound of running water.

“They’re showering,” she states, “most likely together.”

“So what you’re saying is that we’ve got at least a few minutes alone?” Rosita looks over at Wynonna and grins.

“Waves likes to take long showers, and Haught will stay in there as long as Waverly will want to, so yes,” Wynonna nods. “Come here,” she grins.

Rosita wraps her arms around Wynonna’s neck and smiles as Wynonna’s arms wrap around her waist. Wynonna leans down, inching their faces closer together, and both women close their eyes. Their lips meet in a very soft kiss, but it is interrupted shortly after is begins by the sound of a closing door.

“Shut up!” Waverly squeals. “You’re together? For real?”

“We’re, uh,” Rosita looks to Wynonna for an answer.

“We’re in the early stages of what you could call a relationship,” Wynonna nods. “Don’t get your hopes up, though, baby girl. You know relationships aren’t really my thing. Especially now after what Doc did.”

“Yeah, yeah, but you just kissed her. That’s something,” Waverly smiles. “All I want is for my best friend and my sister to be happy. Express it however you want.”

“What’s going on out here?” Nicole asks walking up behind Waverly. “I didn’t know we were expecting company,” she wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist and gives Wynonna a knowing look before resting her chin on Waverly’s shoulder.

“It’s Friday,” Wynonna says. “It’s our day off. Fridays are our brunch days.”

“Awe you guys do brunch together every week?” Waverly smiles and turns her head back to look up at Nicole.

The redhead shrugs but nods before responding. “We always have Friday off, so we get up a little later and go out for food. We’ve been doing it since we moved in together. It was Wyn’s idea.”

“That’s cute,” Rosita smiles and nudges Wynonna with her elbow. “You’re a lot softer than you make yourself seem.”

“Haught, you’ve exposed me in front of the one person I’m trying to impress,” Wynonna rolls her eyes and groans. “I’m not soft.”

“You’re a little soft,” Nicole holds a hand up, pinching her index finger and thumb close together.

“Look, are you coming for brunch or not?” Wynonna crosses her arms.

“Do you want to go?” Nicole looks down at Waverly.

“Brunch with three of my favorite people? Of course I do,” Waverly smiles and gives Nicole a quick peck on the cheek before retreating to her room to get dressed.

“You’re positively glowing this morning,” Wynonna faces Nicole with a smug grin on her face.

“I am,” Nicole returns the same smugness.

“You and Waverly talk things out?”

“Oh, we talked things out,” Nicole leans against the wall and smirks. “We talked things out all night long.”

“That’s something I didn’t want to hear, nor something I wanted an image of in my mind. Thanks, Haught,” Wynonna groans and punches Nicole in the arm.

“Hey,” Waverly says as she walks out of her room, “be nice to each other.”

“Sorry, babe,” Nicole smiles sheepishly at the brunette.

“Just try not to make anymore enemies today, okay?” Waverly says before giving Nicole a quick kiss on the lips.

Wynonna makes a fake gagging sound and laughs when Rosita slaps her arm. “So, brunch?”

“Yes, please, I’m starving,” Waverly says.

“Oh, I bet you are,” Wynonna winks at her sister before following everyone out the door.

Chapter Text

Chrissy stares up at the sign hanging above the door. Big Nose Kate – Psychic That Can Solve All of Your Problems it reads. Chrissy shakes her head and huffs out a laugh. She never thought she would ever be returning to the psychic after their visit for Waverly. Chrissy sees it all as fake and doesn’t trust when someone claims to be able to see into her future, but anything is possible now that she seems to be a bisexual. Taking a deep breath and fixing her hair, Chrissy pushes the door open and strides inside, trying to exude some sort of confidence.

“Back again so soon?” Kate says as she appears from behind the curtain separating the front half of the room from the back.

“It’s almost been a month,” Chrissy said, annoyance evident in her tone.

“Most people don’t come back for twice as long,” Kate smirks. “Something important brings you here today, and it has not to do with your friend.”

“Wow,” Chrissy crosses her arms, “how amazing. You can tell that I’m here alone.”

“You’ve just had a revelation, a new feeling you have never truly felt before,” Kate stands behind the table in the middle of the room, beckoning for Chrissy to sit. “You have lost someone, a friend perhaps, to someone you loath.”

“I…” Chrissy trails off and sighs, taking a seat across from Kate. “Yeah, actually.”

“It was the one you came here for in the past, was it?” Kate takes her own seat and casts her gaze upon Chrissy. “She has reconnected with her ex, her “ex-ex” as she calls it, and that has left you feeling a bit…” She trails off looking for the right word.

“Jealous,” Chrissy offers, “angry, sad, annoyed. Just to name a few.”

“Miss Nedley,” Kate starts, “you feel deep emotion over this situation, because you feel deep emotion for your friend.”

“How am I supposed to get over it when I wasn’t even aware of it until an hour ago?” Chrissy groans and rests her head in her hands. “I want to be happy for her, I want to be supportive.”

“But you are stuck on these feelings,” Kate finishes. “May I suggest something?”

“It can’t hurt at this point.”

“Let me read your palms,” Kate places her hands on the table, palms up. Chrissy looks down at Kate’s hands with curious eyes. She takes a deep breath and places her hands on top of Kate’s, jumping slightly at the sensation that shoots through her body.

“What the…” Chrissy mutters to herself. “Did you feel that?” She looks up at Kate.

“That’s the power of the psychic, darling,” Kate smirks.

- - - - -

“So I saw a certain blonde storming down the hall earlier this morning,” Wynonna starts after taking a sip from her cup of coffee. “You two break the news to Baby Nedley or?”

“We didn’t,” Waverly fixes her gaze on Nicole, “but I’m pretty sure she knows.”

“Hey, don’t look at me,” Nicole holds her hands up in surrender. “I only answered the door because I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Whipped,” Wynonna snorts quietly into her coffee.

“Look,” Nicole glares at Wynonna before turning back to Waverly, “I told you that I would talk to Chrissy. I’m sorry if I upset you by answering the door, and giving away information that you weren’t ready to give her yet. I was just trying to let you sleep.”

“I know,” Waverly’s face softens and she reaches out to take Nicole’s hand. “Chrissy is just…a fiery one. It worries me, now, that she’ll be mad at more than just you.”

“If she’s mad at you for getting back with Nicole, then she needs to reevaluate her relationship with you,” Rosita states. “It isn’t fair for her to preach about how happy she was for you and Champ, but then say you shouldn’t be with Nicole.”

“In her defense,” Nicole says, “I did hurt Waverly before. There was a time when Chrissy Nedley didn’t hate me, but I blew it.”

“Well she’s going to have to get used to you being around more often now,” Waverly squeezes Nicole’s hand. “This is only beginning, and I don’t see it ending anytime soon.”

- - - - -

“We have to let you go, Mr. Hardy,” Mercedes straightens the stack of papers sitting on her desk as she fixes her eyes on the man across from her.

“What do you mean you have to let me go?” Champ scoffs. “I’m one of your best sales reps.”

“You were one of our best sales representatives,” Mercedes corrects him, “but you seem to have fallen behind on your listings, and you haven’t had a successful showing in over a week.”

“This is a load of crap,” Champs says, shaking his head. “You need me here, Mercedes.”

“It’s Miss Gardener, to you. And no, quite frankly, we don’t. What, with Beth stepping up and taking over the clients you seem to have neglected after your breakup with Miss Earp, we have no need for your services any longer.”

“I don’t see how Waverly has anything to do with this. I’m happier without her – ”

“As she is happier without you,” Mercedes interjects.

“ – and I’m with someone far better for me.”

“As is she,” Mercedes nods. “I don’t see your point in explaining. After you ended things with Waverly, your sales have plummeted. I’ll give you the rest of the hour to pack up what you have in your office.”

“Mercedes – ” Champ stops himself and grunts. “Miss Gardener, I refuse to leave until you give me a legit reason why – wait. Did you say that Waverly is in another relationship?” He glares at Mercedes’ silence in response. “She’s back with that dyke redhead, isn’t she.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Mercedes rolls her eyes. “Goodbye, Mr. Hardy, and thank you for your time spent here at Gardener Real Estate. Have a fantastic day,” she shoots Champ a big, fake smile before shooing him out of her office.

“Take that smile and shove it up your ass,” Champ grumbles to himself as he leaves the room. “Fucking Waverly would go back to that ginger guitar player,” he walks back to his office and pulls out his phone, calling Stephanie.

“Hello?” Comes the voice from the other line.

“Hey babe,” Champ says in a false cheery tone. “Meet me at Gusto’s for lunch?”

- - - - -

Since she entered the building, Chrissy had found herself unable to take her eyes off of the psychic. The way she talks, the way she moves her hands as she speaks, is absolutely mesmerizing and Chrissy is beginning to see why so many people fall for her tricks. It is easy to lose yourself in the haze of false hope and gorgeous palm readers, even for someone as stubborn as Chrissy Nedley. What started out as a brief trip to blow off some steam soon turned into a two hour long session between Kate and Chrissy. With the topic of Waverly and Nicole long past them, Chrissy starts to feel the weight lift from her shoulders and soon comes to realize that if her friends are happy, no matter how that happiness may come, then so is she.

“I’ve seen you around town quite often, Chrissy,” Kate says when their conversation falls into a lull. “I’ve seen you pass by my shop many times, each time with a skeptical look on your face. Why have you never come in?”

“I don’t really believe in all of this stuff,” Chrissy motions around them. “I don’t believe in superstitions like talking to the dead or seeing ones future.”

Kate smiles. “Do you believe in fate? Luck? Wickedly good advice?” Chrissy nods. “Well, that’s what my practice is based upon. Good advice, reading people’s emotions, and hope for the best outcome of events for them.”

“Really?” Chrissy raises an eyebrow. “You aren’t going to sit here and tell me that you’re somehow magically connected to all of my deceased ancestors, or that you could sense my problem with Waverly when I walked through the door because you can read my mind?”

“I would normally say that, yes,” Kate nods and shrugs, “but I would never fill your head with such bull shit.”

“You continue to confuse me, Miss Kate,” Chrissy grins. “First, you act all high and mighty saying that you can solve all of my problems after only looking at me for a second. And now you’re sitting here, basically telling me that your whole profession is a lie?” She crosses her arms and leans back in her chair. “Why the sudden trust when you know that I could easily expose you and ruin your career?”

“Because I know you won’t. And what can I say?” Kate shrugs. “I have a soft spot for beautiful women,” she leans forward, resting her elbows on the table, resting her chin in her hands. “And it’s just Kate, to you.”

“Are you always such a charmer?” Chrissy smiles, attempting to hide her blushing cheeks behind her hands.

“Only when I’m in good company,” Kate smiles.

- - - - -

Rosita pulls Waverly into the bathroom while Nicole and Wynonna are covering the bill for their food, and locks the door behind them. Waverly spins around and faces her friend, meeting her excited smile with a confused frown. Before Waverly can ask any questions, Rosita throws her arms around her best friend, hugging her tightly. Waverly, still confused and a little bit worried, hesitantly wraps her arms around Rosita, returning the hug.

“Rosie?” The brunette finally manages out. “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

“I’m just…really happy,” Rosita beams up at Waverly.

“This is because of Wynonna, isn’t it?” Waverly smirks.

“Well, yes, but that isn’t what I was talking about. It’s about you and Nicole,” Rosita grasps Waverly’s shoulders firmly. “I haven’t seen you this happy since you found out that the campus café had vegan doughnuts.”

Waverly bites back a smile. “That isn’t true. You’ve seen me happy many times. Like when I got together with Champ – ”

“Oh please!” Rosita waves a dismissive hand. “That was Champ happy. This is Nicole happy. There is a huge difference there. With Champ you were just,” she shrugs, “well, you were alright. With Nicole, though? Waves, you’re glowing! I could see the smile on your face before we even walked in the apartment this morning!”

“Is it that obvious?” Waverly turns to look in the long mirror that hangs above the line of sinks.

“Extremely obvious,” Rosita steps up behind Waverly, and wraps her arms around her waist, “but that isn’t a bad thing. This is the result of a healthy relationship. Dare I say it, but you look even happier than you did with her back in college.”

“She’s changed,” Waverly smiles. “I’ve changed. We’ve both grown up. That, and,” she meets Rosita’s eyes in the mirror, “I told her about Champ.”

“All of it?” Rosita’s arms tighten around Waverly’s waist instinctively.

Waverly shakes her head. “Most of it. She saw the scars, the hesitation,” she sighs. “I’m going to tell her eventually, though. All of it. Everything.”

“You know she wont look at you any differently, right? You two may not be in love right now like you used to be, but she’s crazy about you. She hates Champ as much as I do, if not more.”

Waverly chuckles quietly. “She threatened to go over to his apartment and kill him last night.”

“Oh now I really like Nicole.”

Waverly giggles and turns around, causing Rosita to drop her arms back down to her sides. “What about you? You haven’t wiped that smile off your face since we sat down at the table.”

“All I’m going to say is that I’m really glad you and Wynonna are talking again. Otherwise this whole thing would be very awkward. Also because if you weren’t, none of this would be happening.”

“Oh, so there is something happening there,” Waverly quirks an eyebrow.

“Honey, you clearly don’t know your sister the way I do,” both women laugh. “I’ve had my eyes on her for a while now. I only acted like I didn’t know who she was because you two weren’t on the best terms, and she was with John Henry.”

“So you’ve been secretly crushing on my sister since…?”

“Since you and Nicole broke up.”

“Shut up!” Waverly laughs. “That’s insane. You’re a good liar then, Rosie. I suspected nothing. So you guys are, what, dating? Friends with benefits? Drunk hookups?”

“Yes, Waverly,” Rosita laughs. “We’re dating. You know how she is about labels, though. That’s why I panicked this morning when you asked.”

“Well, if it helps at all, she seems happier now than she was with Doc.”

Rosita smiles and hugs Waverly again. “Look at us,” she pulled away. “Happy and carefree, in relationships with two pretty hot ladies.”

“Okay ew, no, we don’t talk about Wynonna like that in front of me,” Waverly laughs, “but yes. Yes we are.”

“Wave? Rosita?” Nicole’s voice comes from the other side of the door and is followed by three knocks. “You guys alright in there?”

“Coming!” Waverly shouts. “Come on, let’s go,” she smiles at Rosita and unlocks the door.

“There you guys are,” Wynonna appears next to Nicole. “I was worried that my sister kidnapped you and you two ran off together.”

“Oh, please, Wynonna,” Waverly rolls her eyes. “Nicole is the only one I want to be with.”

“Haught, your girlfriend is whipped for you,” Wynonna smirks and smacks Nicole’s lower back.

“I think I’m the one who is whipped for her,” Nicole states and pulls Waverly close to her. “She could convince me to do anything.”

“Even get a blazing phoenix tattoo all up your butt?” Wynonna tries.

“I mean, yeah,” Nicole looks down at Waverly who is nestled into her side, “if that’s what she really wanted in her beautiful heart.”

“I won’t make you do that,” Waverly pats Nicole’s chest. “Don’t worry.”

“If she ever does ask you, though,” Wynonna looks at Nicole, “you better do it, or you’ll disappear without a trace.”

“Hey,” Nicole holds her hands up, “I said she could convince me to do anything.”

“Good to know,” Wynonna nods. “Now, let’s go get some good coffee. The shit they serve here sucks.”

- - - - -

“I’m sure she’s fine, Waverly,” Nicole says as the two stroll down the sidewalk, hand in hand. “She might be busy.”

“Chrissy always answers her phone. The only times she doesn’t is when she’s upset.”

“I’m sorry,” Nicole sighs, “this is my fault. I shouldn’t have been so rude to her.”

“No, you shouldn’t have, but it’s okay. I understand why you were. It’s just that Chrissy is my best friend, and I don’t want to lose her because of you, or lose you because of her.”

Nicole nods and squeezes Waverly’s hand. She knows it’s her fault that Chrissy is upset, and she knows that she should have handled the situation better, but something about Chrissy Nedley just always seemed to rub her the wrong way. She doesn’t know why, but she sees Chrissy as a threat. It’s a foolish thing to think, Chrissy is Waverly’s best friend, but that didn’t put any ease to Nicole’s anxious mind. She has always felt second best for Waverly, sometimes even lower than that, and Chrissy hasn’t really ever approved of her either so it only makes sense for her to get defensive and territorial over Waverly, right?

Right?

The couple continues their walk in silence, passing by stores and coffee shops alike. They had opted out of riding back to the apartment with Wynonna and Rosita, wanting to walk back instead. Wynonna had made some comment about them going off someplace to make out, and Rosita had slapped her, but she didn’t put up a fight about it; she would never admit it, but time alone with Rosita is all she wanted. Waverly looks around as they pass by the record shop where all of this began, waking by the café where the coffee Nicole had spilled on her came from. Across the street and three buildings over, Waverly spots the familiar white Volkswagen Jetta parked in the lot next to Kate’s shop.

“Hey, isn’t that Chrissy’s car?” Nicole asks and points across the street.

“I think so, yeah,” Waverly nods.

“At a…” Nicole squints to try and get a clearer image of the sign, “a psychic?”

“Unfortunately,” Waverly sighs and mumbles. “Come on, let’s go see if she’s in there.”

Waverly and Nicole cross the street and reach the shop, pushing the door open and walking inside. Waverly nearly groans at the thought of being back in that building and takes Nicole’s hand in hers again, pulling her further inside. Before they reach the vast room in which the brunette sat just a few weeks prior to that day, Waverly stops walking and faces Nicole.

“Before we go in there, there’s something that I need to tell you,” Waverly bites her lip.

“Alright?” Nicole nods slowly.

Waverly takes a deep breath and lets it out before speaking. “Chrissy and Rosita brought me in here a few weeks ago, right after Champ broke up with me. It was their idea, not mine, but I came here to seek…spiritual guidance on how to get Champ back. The problem, though, was that I wasn’t thinking about him when she was reading my cards. I was thinking about you. And then I ran into you again that same day in the record shop, and you asked me to go see you play at the Silver Bullet so I came back here again to ask for help about what to do and – ”

“Whoa, hey,” Nicole cups Waverly’s face in her hands. “Breathe, baby.”

“ – and she told me to go and see where it took us,” Waverly continues after taking another deep breath. “I didn’t know what to do, I panicked, so I went. I didn’t expect anything to happen that night, but Kate said that life has surprises in store for us, to just let it happen.”

“Baby,” Nicole repeats, a comforting firmness lacing her tone, “look at me. I don’t care what you did, or why you came here. That isn’t important. What’s important is that we’re here now. Together.”

Waverly nods and sighs. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Okay,” she nods, “let’s go get Chrissy.”

Nicole nods and takes a step toward the closed curtain, but stops when Chrissy’s voice fills their ears from the other side.

“She’s just such an egomaniac sometimes. I honestly don’t know what Waverly sees in her. She’s a stuck up music store employee who plays shit gigs.”

“Chrissy,” came Kate’s voice, “you need to let those feelings go. Your friends are happy together. Don’t be the one who ruins it. You don’t want to lose Waverly, do you?”

“No,” Chrissy sighs, “but I don’t want her to be with Nicole either.”

“Why?” Nicole asks, drawing the curtain. “Why do you hate me so much, Chrissy? What have I ever done to you?”

Kate looks up and narrows her eyes. “This is a private session – ”

“Because you came in and took her from me,” Chrissy cuts Kate off and stands up, pointing a finger at Waverly.

“I what?”

“You came here looking like that, with your perfect hair, and your gorgeous smile, and your fucking charm and took Waverly from me. We’ve barely spoke since you two started talking again.”

“Chris, I’m sorry,” Waverly says. “That’s my fault, not Nicole’s.”

“I’m sorry that I’ve been trying to make up for years of shitty actions,” Nicole snaps. “She matters to me in more ways than just being a partner. I messed up, I know I did. And I’m sorry if I ‘took Waverly’ from you, but she doesn’t belong to anyone but herself, Chrissy.”

“You know damn well what I meant,” Chrissy takes a step closer to Nicole. “I really don’t like you.”

“You don’t like me? Or don’t like the fact that I have someone you don’t?” Nicole glares down at the blonde.

“I was her friend first!” Chrissy shouts.

“What does friendship have anything to do with this?”

“Enough!” Waverly shouts. “I’m sick of this!” Both Nicole and Chrissy grow quiet and turn their attention to Waverly. “I’m tired of the arguments, of the constant fighting. I’m tired of you two always trying to one up each other and trying to make the other jealous. You’ve been this way since college and I never thought that it could get worse than it was, but it has.”

“Waverly – ” Nicole and Chrissy try simultaneously.

“It’s getting to be a bit ridiculous, if I’m being honest,” Waverly crosses her arms. “We’re grown women, why can’t we act like it?” She sighs. “I love both of you more than anything else in this world, which means that I’m not going to stand here and choose between you. You are my best friend,” she looks at Chrissy. “You are my girlfriend,” she looks at Nicole. “Why should it have to be a contest for who gets to be in my life? It doesn’t have to be, and it won’t be, because I’m giving you both an ultimatum. Either both of you grow up and learn to love each other, or I’ll choose to not be a part of either one of your lives.”

Nicole and Chrissy stand at a loss for words as they watch Waverly walk out of the building.

Chapter Text

Waverly throws the door to Kate’s shop open and storms out, her hands balling into fists. Her breathing is unsteady and her mind racing. She has always known about Chrissy and Nicole’s distaste for each other, she’s seen them argue over pointless things that didn’t matter, but she never thought that it would become such a problem. Before, it was arguments over the seats of a movie theatre, or where to go for dinner. Now, it has turned into an all-out war over Waverly’s love and affection. They argue over who deserves to have her in their life more, when she can be in both of their lives equally, when they know how much she values both of their relationships.

“Well, at least I thought they knew how much I value both of them,” Waverly grumbles to herself as she walks down the sidewalk, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

The revelation of Chrissy having feelings for Waverly hit the brunette like a tidal wave, drowning her in her own shock. It all made sense then, though. Chrissy is a very possessive person, so when she acted that way about Nicole, Waverly had just assumed that she was acting the way she normally did. Any time someone had made a move on Waverly, or had even just tried to become her friend, Chrissy had jumped on them and advanced before they had the chance to. Chrissy considered Waverly to be her sister, so of course she would be so strict about who she wanted Waverly to be friends with, to date. When Waverly met Nicole, though, Chrissy seemed to be more hostile than she had been with anyone else before.

With Champ, Chrissy had always seemed oddly content and at peace with the way things were going. She never once made a threat to his life, only when he and Waverly had first started dating. No matter how shitty Champ had acted around her with Waverly, Chrissy just turned a blind eye and lifted Champ up on a pedestal as if he were the most amazing man in the world. That was because, Waverly noticed now, he wasn’t Nicole and he would never be Nicole. Waverly isn’t mad at Chrissy for being so strict and possessive, she’s upset with the way she has been handling the whole situation with Nicole. Chrissy knows how much Nicole means to her, and the fact that she is still acting the way that she is angers Waverly beyond belief.

Nicole is disappointing her, as well. Nicole knows how Chrissy is, how much she despises the redhead, yet Nicole still plays games with her and tantalizes her about it. Waverly is more disappointed in Nicole than anything because of how immature she had been acting just five minutes ago. Everything seems to be a contest with her and Chrissy, and Waverly is not about to let herself become the center of their next competition to see who can win her over first. She needs space, and she needs time. As she slowly makes her way back to the apartment, Waverly starts to hope that Rosita and Wynonna aren’t together anymore, that she can just go back to their apartment and rant to her friend.

Waverly looks up as she walks by Gusto’s and stops to stare up at the sign for a moment. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, thinking back to the night that changed her life forever. She stares at the sign, bottom lip pulled between her teeth, and thinks about where she would be right then and there if Champ hadn’t brought her there to end their relationship. She thinks of the way her relationship had been going at the time, how things seemed to be so perfect and happy. She thinks of the good times and the bad times they shared because, despite the abuse and the fear he instilled in her, Champ did love her. Waverly loved him, too, at some point. She had grown so accustomed to the aggressive ways that Champ used to show his affection to someone that she had completely forgotten what it was like to feel truly wanted by someone.

By Nicole.

Nicole came back into her life and saved her from the monster of a boyfriend she was trapped in a relationship with. Nicole treats her the way that anyone should treat their partner, but a million times better. Nicole takes into consideration how Waverly is feeling and never forces her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do. Nicole sees her and hears her and doesn’t make her feel like she shouldn’t be hesitant because of her past. But Nicole also has the tendency to act childish over things and overreact when she doesn’t need to. Take the entire Chrissy situation, for example. Nicole should be the bigger person and let the feud die; give into the hate and just smother Chrissy with kindness until it passes. She does the complete opposite, though, and that’s partially because of how she was raised and partially because of her competitive nature that comes from playing hockey in high school and college.

Champ had been competitive, what with being the star football player of Ghost River University’s all-star team, but when Waverly would run into an old ex or reconnect with an old friend he never went to the extremes that Nicole, or Chrissy for that matter, goes to in order to keep them away. Champ tried to become their friend, mostly because he thought himself to be better than everyone, but he still tried nonetheless. Waverly let out a breathy laugh at the thought of Champ. He hasn’t crossed her mind much at all in the past few weeks until that moment, and Waverly doesn’t know how she feels about it. She doesn’t miss him, but she misses what they had before it all went south. Champ is a dick, there is no denying that, but he deserves more credit than people give him. Part of Waverly feels as if she can still feel his presence in her life; that she can still smell his extremely potent cologne and hear the gruffness of his voice calling her name.

Shaking her head and looking around, Waverly realizes that someone was calling her name. She turns around and sees that she has strayed away from the restaurant in the midst of her thinking, and searches for the person calling her name, hoping to see Nicole or Chrissy running her way, but sighs when she sees the tall figure of a man in a suit flagging her down from the entrance of the establishment.

“Waverly!” The voice calls again.

Waverly gasps at the realization of the voice, and starts to take a few steps back as he starts to advance toward her.

“Champ?”

- - - - -

“What do you mean you don’t know where she is?” Wynonna’s voice comes from the other side of Nicole phone.

“She just stormed out of here, I don’t know!” Nicole groans.

“And you didn’t follow her because…?”

“Because we were too busy staring at her in disbelief,” Chrissy says, grabbing the phone from Nicole and holding it close to her face.

“What could she have possibly done that made you too shocked to chase after her!” Wynonna shouts, annoyance evident in her voice.

“She yelled at us,” Nicole says, wincing at how pathetic the excuse sounds.

“She told them to get their heads out of their asses and be friends,” Kate speaks up from her seat at the table, “and then stormed out of here in a fiery, yet still somehow sexy, rage.”

Nicole raises an eyebrow in Kate’s direction, her eyes conveying a message she shouldn’t have to speak. Chrissy lightly kicks Kate under the table and shoots her a look that could instill fear in even the most frightful of creatures.

“Uh, who was that?” Wynonna asks.

“Yeah, either one of you just went through major vocal changes, or you’re with someone we don’t know,” Rosita’s voice came through the phone.

“A friend,” Chrissy rushes out. “She’s, uh, she was here when it happened.”

“Right, well I don’t care who she is,” Wynonna says. “No offence, stranger.”

“None taken,” Kate shrugs and looks at Chrissy.

“What I care about is you two dumbasses finding my sister. When she’s upset, she has the tendency to wander around.”

“I’ll find her, Wynonna,” Nicole sighs and runs a hand through her now messy hair. “We will find her,” she corrects herself and looks at Chrissy.

“You better,” Wynonna says through gritted teeth, “or you’re both dead.”

Nicole and Chrissy lock eyes, their expressions mirroring each other. Wynonna is serious, and both women knew that. Waverly is the light of Wynonna’s life and she won’t hesitate to hurt anyone who hurts her. Nicole clears her throat and nods, Chrissy doing the same.

“We’ll get right on it,” Nicole says. “She’ll be back at the apartment before nightfall.”

Ending the call before Wynonna can threaten them anymore, Nicole sighs and rests her head on the table. She groans and closes her eyes before sitting back up and taking a deep breath.

“Let’s go find our girl,” she says and stands up with Chrissy.

- - - - -

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Champ says when he catches up to the brunette. “How have you been?”

“Good,” Waverly says taking a few steps back, “great, actually.”

“I’m really sorry about what happened, Waverly,” Champ sighs. “I never meant to hurt you.”

“God, Champ, that’s such bull shit and you know it,” Waverly lets out a humorless laugh and continues to back up, biting her lip when she feels herself back up against a wall.

“Look, I was going through some of my own stuff, you know?” Champ runs a hand through his hair and continues when he gets no response from the brunette. “Work was getting to me and to be honest, I was worried that I didn’t deserve you. Things were going so well and I guess that scared me.”

“You were scared that things were going so well,” Waverly raises an eyebrow. “You actually think that things were going well?”

“You’re not a guy,” Champ says, disregarding the last part of Waverly’s response. “You don’t understand how we think. We think that if things are perfect, then there’s got to be something wrong.”

Waverly takes a deep breath before she speaks. “Champ – ”

“Stephanie and I are done,” Champ interrupts. “We’re history.”

“I…what?” Waverly stammers. “That isn’t…that’s not…”

“You’re adorable,” Champ laughs and frames Waverly against the brick wall by placing his hands on either side of her. “You’re my soulmate, Waverly. Sometimes it takes a guy to realize who he’s meant to be with. I love you, I’ve always loved you. So I made some mistakes,” he stops when Waverly glares at him. “Okay, I’ve made some huge mistakes.”

“You’ve made some colossal mistakes,” Waverly states.

“But, I want to spend forever making up for it.”

Waverly’s face softens at the admission and, for a second, she feels like she’s back to where they were when their relationship first began. Champ hurt her, but Waverly knows that he also loved her at some point. Maybe he still does, maybe Champ is telling the truth. She always found it hard to say no to him, even if she really wanted to. Was moving on from Champ so soon the best decision? Was getting back together with Nicole the most logical thing to do? Standing there now, their bodies close and their faces even closer, Waverly starts to feel as if she’s made a huge mistake.

That mistake being that she shouldn’t have run away from Nicole.

Waverly sighs, though, defeated, and gives into her resolve, silently cursing herself for always giving people second chances and beyond. Champ has hurt her beyond compare, there’s no denying it or taking it back. So maybe he really has changed, maybe going back to him will be easier than being with Nicole and worrying about her relationship with Chrissy falling apart, but that doesn’t mean it’s what she wants. Biting her lip and staring into Champ’s eyes, Waverly wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly, hoping that she can distract him long enough to get out of his grasp. Lifting her eyes to see if anyone is around, though, she found two figures running in her direction.

One with blonde hair, and the other with red.

- - - - -

Chrissy and Nicole run out of Kate’s shop and take off down the sidewalk in the direction that they hope Waverly went. Chrissy had scribbled her number down onto a small piece of paper with a note that said ‘call me sometime?’ and left it on the table before she followed Nicole out the door. They run down the street, looking around and calling the brunette’s name, in hopes of finding her quicker. Their lives were on the line, after all. Rapidly approaching the front of Gusto’s Restaurant, Chrissy and Nicole skid to a stop when they see the frame of a man and the smaller frame of a woman pressed up against a wall. Chrissy curses under breath and runs a hand through her now windblown and messy hair. Her breath catches in her chest when she realizes that the two people their eyes have landed upon are Champ and Waverly.

“Oh fuck,” Chrissy mumbles, “we’re too late.”

“What do you mean too late?” Nicole asks slowly, keeping her eyes trained on Waverly.

“I might have called Champ earlier, and I might have told him that Waverly was in this general area,” Chrissy admits and bites her lip.

“You what?” Nicole abruptly turns to face the blonde woman next to her, fire igniting in her eyes.

“I gave Champ a tip – ”

“Yeah, no shit, Chrissy,” Nicole snaps. “Why the hell did you do that?”

“Because I didn’t want her to be with you?” The blonde manages out, her voice rising in pitch.

“You are absolutely unbelievable, Chrissy,” Nicole says through gritted teeth. “You were willing to sabotage our relationship so badly that you called her abusive ex back into the picture?”

“Abusive?” Chrissy asks, her eyes finding Waverly again.

“Yeah, Chrissy, he hurt her. Badly. Don’t you know that?” Nicole asks, keeping her eyes on Chrissy.

“No,” Chrissy whispers. “She…she’s only said that he was rough with her sometimes, but that I shouldn’t worry about it,” she grows silent for a moment. “Why didn’t she tell me? Did you tell her not to?” Chrissy’s head snaps in Nicole’s direction.

“What? Why would I say that to her?” Nicole furrows her brows. “I was only just informed of this last night. Look,” Nicole shakes her head, “that isn’t the point. The point is that you called that asshole and how he’s got his arms and hands all over Waverly.”

“I wouldn’t have called him if it weren’t for you two sneaking around behind my back and screwing each other,” Chrissy folds her arms.

“We slept together once! Last night! We just got back together, Chrissy!”

“Then why didn’t you tell me that this morning when I stopped by your apartment?”

“Because I was leaving it up to Waverly to tell you!” Nicole throws her hands in the air, exasperated. “That’s for her to tell, not me!”

“I don’t care!” Chrissy throws her hands in the air and steps up to Nicole, bringing their faces close. “If you would have told me right then and there, none of this would be happening!”

“Oh, no?” Nicole steps back. “You wouldn’t have stormed off? You wouldn’t have judged me and told Waverly that she shouldn’t be with me?”

“She should know that! You’re a lowlife who is wasting her life doing nothing! How will you be able to afford to give Waverly a good life with your shitty job?”

“Wow,” Nicole narrows her eyes and takes another step back, carefully choosing her words. She shakes her head and runs a hand over her face, eyes filling with tears.

Chrissy recoils immediately, regretting the words that just left her mouth. “Nicole – ”

“No,” Nicole shakes her head, “No, Chrissy, you’re right. How will I be able to afford to give Waverly the life she deserves with the two shitty jobs I’ve been working? The jobs I’ve been working so I can afford to go to the Academy and become a cop. To become what Waverly has always wanted me to be.”

“Nicole, I didn’t – ”

“Of course you didn’t. How could you? All you ever cared about was ruining my life, and trying everything in your power to keep me from being with Waverly. Now the woman I love has run off after yelling at me, and because of you, has run into her abusive ex-boyfriend,” Nicole tears her tear-filled eyes away from the blond and look back in the direction of Waverly.

Nicole feels her knees go weak at the sight she saw. Champ is gone.

And so is Waverly.

“Shit,” Nicole whispers.

Chapter Text

Waverly is gone and Nicole is freaking out. Champ has her, and God knows where he took her. It would be an understatement to say that Nicole is mad at Chrissy, the blonde basically just handed Waverly over to the worst person possible. Okay, so Chrissy didn’t know that Champ was abusive, but that doesn’t give her the right to defend herself against what she did. Champ is a terrible person, end of story. Chrissy should have known that it was a bad idea to call him.

“I don’t care what your reason was, Chrissy. He’s a horrible person, who has done horrible things to her. And now she’s trapped with him again,” Nicole huffs from the back seat of Chrissy’s car. She, Chrissy, and Kate are all on their way back to the apartment complex.

After looking for Waverly for an additional thirty minutes after she had disappeared, the two women decided to give up looking alone and headed back to Kate’s. When they had gotten back, the psychic had asked what was wrong, other than the obvious, and they laid it all out for her. After five more brief minutes of arguing, the three thought it best to go formulate a plan of action with Wynonna and Rosita. The only thing they know for sure is that she’s with Champ. They don’t know where he could have taken her. Nobody knows where his apartment is. Except for Waverly.

“Nicole, I’ve told you a thousand times now that I’m sorry!” Chrissy yells. “It was a stupid idea, and a moment of weakness! What else do you want me to say?”

“I don’t know,” Nicole snaps. “Because of you, we now have no idea where Waverly is.”

“Let’s not point too many fingers right now,” Kate speaks up from the passenger seat. “We must focus on the task at hand. Get back to your other friends, make a plan, and find Waverly.”

“Why are you here, exactly?” Nicole grumbles from her seat.

“Because she can help,” Chrissy bites. “She crossed Waverly’s palm once, and was right about her predictions. Are you willing to pass up any opportunity of help we can get?”

“No,” Nicole sighs and rubs her face.

“Have you tried calling her?” Kate asks, catching the redhead’s eye in the rearview mirror.

“She didn’t answer. I called five times,” Nicole answers. “I’ve texted her, too. I don’t know what else to do or why she isn’t answering.”

“We’ll find her, Nicole,” Chrissy says, voice soft and gentle as if the past ten minutes hadn’t happened. “I promise.”

- - - - -

“I never thought you could be this dumb, Nedley,” Wynonna shoves a finger in Chrissy’s face. “You’re supposed to be her best friend! Not the asshole who gets her kidnapped!”

“I honestly thought you couldn’t get any pettier than you already were,” Rosita adds, “but you’ve clearly proven me wrong.”

“Hey!” Nicole yells over the arguing group of women. “Chrissy fucked up, we get it,” she continues when everyone quiets down. “But we can’t dwell on it, because Waverly is still out there. With him. Get your anger out now. I refuse to go find my girlfriend with a bunch of blubbering babies.”

“Geez, Nicole, who suddenly put you in charge?” Wynonna scoffs. “This is just as much your fault as it is Chrissy’s.”

“Look, Wynonna,” Nicole says through gritted teeth, “I understand that you’re pissed off at both of us, but I’ve chosen to table the guilt until after we find her. And to answer your question, the law. The law has put me in charge.”

“What are you talking about?” Rosita crosses her arms. “What do you mean the law put you in charge?”

Nicole sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “This was news I was hoping to tell everyone tonight over a nice dinner, but I guess I have no choice now. The other day, when I bailed on our plans,” she looks at Wynonna, “I wasn’t going to work out, or the store for food. I wasn’t at work, like I told you.”

“Where were you, then?” Wynonna asks.

“I was down in the city, completing a physical exam and interview,” Nicole says slowly.

“For what?” Rosita asks.

“To become a cop,” Nicole shoves her hands into her pockets. “And I made it. They passed me through, and told me that I’d made it. So, sometime within the next couple of days, I should be getting an official letter in the mail.”

“Whoa, Haught’s a cop now?” Wynonna’s eyes widened. “My sister is shtupping a cop?” Nicole nods, and Wynonna breaks out in a wide grin. “So you can, like, break the law to save my sister, right?”

“No, Wynonna,” Nicole rolls her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I wont push the brink of the law to get to her. We just…need to figure out where she is first.”

The group falls into a painful silence as everyone tries to recall where Champ’s apartment is. Waverly had to have told at least one of them at some point, so they sit and think until three sharp knocks at the door brings them back to reality. They all look up at each other and shrug, not knowing who it could be.

“Did you call Mercedes?” Nicole asks, directing her question at Wynonna. The raven haired woman shakes her head and Nicole scratches the back of her neck. “I guess I’ll go see who it is, then.”

Standing up, Nicole slowly makes her way to the door. Three more knocks come from the other side just as she reaches the threshold and Nicole looks back at the group. Wynonna gives her a slight head nod telling her to open the door and Nicole takes a deep breath before unlocking the door, pulling it open. The person standing before Nicole nearly made her break down into tears.

“Waverly,” she says softly.

“I um,” the brunette replies just as softly, her eyes not meeting Nicole’s. “I-I’m sorry…for running off.”

“Hey, look at me,” Nicole whispers and places a hand under Waverly’s chin, lifting her head so their eyes finally meet. Nicole’s heart breaks upon seeing the tear stains running down the smaller woman’s cheeks, the redness of her eyes.

“Nicole, I…” Waverly trails off before tearing up again.

“No,” Nicole shakes her head and pulls Waverly into a tight embrace, “it’s okay, baby. I’ve got you.”

“Haught, who is it?” Wynonna asks from the living room.

“It’s her,” Nicole says, her voice too soft for anyone but Waverly to hear. “She’s safe,” she tightens her arms around the brunette.

“Haught!” Wynonna yells as she makes her way to the door. “Holy shit, baby girl! You’re safe!”

Waverly merely nods and buries herself deeper within Nicole’s embrace. Nicole runs her fingers through Waverly’s hair, placing gentle kisses to the top of her head. Wynonna places a gentle hand on Nicole’s shoulder and gives it a light squeeze.

“Take her to her apartment,” she says softly. “You two deserve the time alone. You need to talk about this right now.”

Nicole nods and shoots Wynonna a grateful look with her eyes before leaning down and whispering in Waverly’s ear. A few moments later, Waverly is pulling herself away from Nicole and walking next door. Nicole turns to face Wynonna and takes a deep breath.

“We won’t be long. I’ll bring her back her in a few minutes. I just feel like this is the best way to get information from her. She’s clearly…not okay.”

“Find out what you can,” Wynonna nods. “And while you’re doing that, I have a few choice words for fake best friend Chrissy in here.”

“Wynonna, go easy on her. She feels horrible for what she did. Just tone back the threats, okay?” Nicole gives her best friend a knowing look.

“Alright, alright,” Wynonna holds her hands up in surrender. “I promise I’ll be nice, Haughtstuff. Now, go do what you do best, Nicole,” she adds softly. “Go fix my sister.”

Nicole nods and quickly exits the apartment, closing the door behind her. By the time she turns around to face the neighboring door, she finds that Waverly is already inside since her door has been left ajar. Slowly pushing the door open, Nicole enters the apartment and scans the room for her girlfriend. When she doesn’t find her in the living room, she checks the kitchen and then again in Waverly’s bedroom.

“Wave?” She calls out. “Baby, where are you?”

“Bathroom,” Nicole hears Waverly’s faint voice.

Nicole makes her way to the ensuite bathroom connected to Waverly’s room and opens the door. There Waverly sits, on the edge of the bathtub, with her head in her hands. Nicole slowly walks over to the small form of the woman and kneels before her. She takes Waverly’s hands in her own and gently moves them away from her face.

“Talk to me,” Nicole says softly.

Waverly lifts her head to meet Nicole’s eyes. “I know Chrissy called him,” she sighs. “He told me she told him that we were in the area.”

“Yeah,” Nicole nods, “she and I are going to have a talk about that later.”

“Nicole, I’m so sorry,” Waverly shakes her head. “I shouldn’t have run off like that.”

“No, baby, I’m sorry,” Nicole drops Waverly’s hands and cups her face. “I should have been more mature about the whole Chrissy situation.”

“You were just being a supportive girlfriend,” Waverly sniffles. “You were trying to stand up for yourself and I can’t be mad at that.”

“But you should be,” Nicole keeps Waverly’s face cradled in her hands and brings her thumbs under Waverly’s eyes, wiping away her fresh tears. “I’m so sorry, Waves. I made a huge mistake,” she whispers and connects their foreheads. “Did he hurt you?”

“No,” Nicole feels Waverly shake her head. “But can we not talk about it right now? I don’t really want to talk about him. Or any of this.”

“Then we won’t,” Nicole states firmly, “but can you at least tell me how you got away from him?”

“I kicked him where it counts when he tried to bring me into his apartment.”

“You did what now?” Nicole leans back slightly, an eyebrow raised. “Who are you, and what have you done with Waverly Earp?”

“I’m serious, Nic,” the brunette lets a small giggle escape her throat. “I remembered what you taught me in college. I never thought I’d have to use it on Champ, though.”

“I never hope you have to use it again,” Nicole says softly and punctuates her sentence with a kiss to Waverly’s forehead. “But boy am I glad I taught you self-defense.”

“Nicole?” Waverly asks, eyes still closed.

“Yeah, Waverly?” Nicole responds, voice quiet.

“Can we go out tonight? Just you and me?” Waverly opens her eyes and looks at Nicole through long lashes. “I want to take you to The Lexington.”

“A fancy place, eh? What’s the special occasion?” Nicole stands and holds a hand out for Waverly to take. She pulls the brunette to her feet and their bodies fit perfectly together like two pieces of a puzzle. “The Lexington is pretty fancy. More expensive than Gusto’s.”

“I just want to spend some time alone with you…talk about some things,” Waverly says.

“The only question I have,” Nicole says leaning down and bringing her face closer to Waverly’s, “is what time would you want to get there for?”

“Whenever the time allows itself,” Waverly nods before connecting their lips in a soft, yet passionate kiss.

Nicole wraps her arms around Waverly’s waist and leans down to pick her up. Waverly keeps her arms wrapped firmly around Nicole’s neck as her legs wrap around the taller woman’s torso, her ankles locking around Nicole’s waist. Without breaking their kiss, Nicole slowly turns around and makes her way out of the bathroom and towards Waverly’s bed.

- - - - -

A few quick texts and one abridged explanation later, Nicole and Waverly find themselves dressed in their best attire, sitting in one of Purgatory’s finest eating establishments. Thy are seated at a small table for two in the middle of a crowded restaurant in downtown Purgatory. The Lexington is home to the richest and most prestigious townspeople of Purgatory and, although the town may not seem to be the type to hold such people, it made Nicole and Waverly stick out among the crowd.

As Waverly looks over the menu, Nicole finds herself unable to focus on anything but the woman in front of her. Waverly is dressed in a tight-fitting black dress that hugs her curves in all of the right places, and her hair and make up are done in such ways that makes Nicole feel as if she’s falling for the brunette all over again. Her brows are knitted in concentration as her eyes graze over the entrée options, and Nicole knows that this woman is who she is meant to spend forever with.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Waverly asks with an eyebrow raised, her eyes still on the menu.

“What?” Nicole shakes her head and feels her face begin to flush. “I wasn’t, I was just – ”

“Creepily staring at me from across the table as I try to figure out what I’d like to eat?” Waverly lifts her eyes to meet Nicole’s and smiles.

“Well, who could blame me?” Nicole shrugs. “That’s quite the smile you’ve got there.”

Waverly giggles quietly and hides her face behind her menu. Nicole smiles proudly but it falters slightly when she notices Waverly’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes. It’s apparent that something is bothering the girl across from her, something big, but Nicole doesn’t want to ask. Waverly made it clear that she doesn’t want to talk about Champ or what happened. So instead of pushing her, Nicole decides to try and lighten the mood by dropping her big news.

“So, I know you said you wanted to go out tonight to talk about some stuff,” Waverly nods when Nicole’s eyes meet hers. “I actually something of my own to share with you, if you don’t mind?”

“Of course I don’t mind, Nicole,” Waverly reaches her hand across the table and covers Nicole’s hand with her own. “What is it?”

You know how I’ve been working two jobs to help pay for the Academy?” Waverly nods, a small smile growing on her face. “Well, I haven’t been completely honest with you about that.”

“What do you mean?” Waverly tilts her head, her eyes glancing over Nicole’s shoulder every few seconds.

“I’ve had that money saved for a while now,” Nicole continues. “I only picked up the second job because I knew Wynonna needed help paying rent, and that she isn’t really able to pick up a second job right now since Shorty’s takes up most of her time.”

“Nicole,” Waverly bites her lip, her eyes fixed over Nicole’s shoulder for a moment longer than before, “that’s really sweet. Wynonna is really lucky to have you with her,” she squeezes the redhead’s hand.

“Well, I’m lucky to have her. But that’s not the point of all this,” Nicole shakes her head, trying to rid her mind of the uneasy feeling that has settled over her. “I applied to the Academy about two months ago.”

“And?” Waverly’s eyes flit back to Nicole.

“And I got in. I found out maybe the week before we ran into each other for the first time.”

“That’s amazing, Nic,” Waverly smiles brighter and brings Nicole’s hands to her lips, ghosting a kiss over her knuckles. “So what does that mean?”

“Last week, the day before you came to the Silver Bullet with me, I had gone into the city for my physical exam and interview. An entrance exam of sorts.”

“And you made it?”

“I made it,” Nicole smiles softly. “Waves, I’m going to be a cop. I’ve been volunteering down at the station and I’ve grown really close to Sheriff Nedley. He said that he wants me here, as one of his deputies.”

“I’m so, so proud of you, Nicole,” Waverly smiles, her eyes filling with tears. Her grip on Nicole’s hand tightens when she sees the person who has been staring her down the entire night narrow his eyes.

“Oh, baby, don’t cry,” Nicole reaches across the table to swipe away Waverly’s tears. What Nicole doesn’t know is that Waverly isn’t crying tears of joy.

They’re tears of fear.

“I’m just so proud of you, Nicole. So proud of what you’ve become,” Waverly wipes her eyes. “Which is going to make this so much harder.”

“Make what harder?” Nicole feels all of the air leave her lungs.

“Nicole, I have really really enjoyed spending time with you again,” Waverly takes a deep breath and ducks her head. Nicole opens her mouth to respond but stops when she sees Waverly tap on the table four short times with her pointer finger.

H

“I have too,” Nicole nods slightly. “It’s kind of like old times, but better.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about,” Waverly swallows hard and her eyes immediately land on Champ’s across the room. “I-I don’t think this is going to work out, Nicole. You’re just…You’re too…” she sighs.

“I’m just what?” Nicole leans forward. “Just too what?” She feels the anger rising inside of her. Again, her eyes drift down to Waverly’s hand and see her tapping her finger again. This time it’s only one short tap.

E

She’s communicating using Morse Code.

“Champ said that he messed up, that he made a huge mistake,” Waverly bites her lip and tries to keep new tears from forming in her eyes. “I…I think he really means it, Nicole. I think he really loves me.”

“He dumped your ass cold after three years, Waverly. How could you possibly say that?” Nicole’s eyes burn holes into Waverly’s, a fire of anger and disappointment igniting within them. “How can you believe that?”

“Because he…because he gave me this,” Waverly lifts her left hand up from under the table, revealing a silver engagement band on her ring finger. Nicole’s eyes narrow immediately and Waverly begs with her eyes, glancing down to her right hand resting on the table.

Waverly’s finger taps four times this time. One short tap followed by a long one and then two short ones.

L

“That’s…that’s on your finger,” Nicole says slowly, as she somehow manages to bring her eyes back to Waverly’s.

“We’re going to get married, settle down together,” Waverly forces a smile. “The things we’ve always wanted to do together,” one short tap, two long taps, one short tap.

P

“You can’t be serious,” Nicole shakes her head. “You’re seriously going to go back to him? Give up what we have for that asshole?”

“Nicole, please – ” Waverly whispers, giving up on trying to prevent the tears from coming. “You can’t be mad at me.”

“Wow,” Nicole gives a humorless chuckle. “I didn’t think that this could happen, but you broke my heart again,” Her hands ball into fists under the table.

“Nicole, I never meant to hurt you.”

“You know, there’s a difference in saying that and doing it,” Nicole grits through her teeth.

“You don’t understand,” Waverly tries to explain. “This is what’s best for us.”

“How? How could you say that? How do you know that!”

“Because,” Waverly pauses, trying to carefully choose her words, “you can’t control fate. You are designed to love who you love, and to find your soulmate,” she lightly kicks Nicole under the table, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Sometimes it’s just a trial and error before we find the right one.”

“Waverly, please don’t do this,” Nicole whispers and reaches over to grab Waverly’s hand. The brunette stares down at their hands, not moving. “I need you.”

“And I…” Waverly trails off and looks up, immediately yanking her hand away. “I have to go.”

“Yes, I believe that’s what’s best for us, babe,” Champ’s voice comes from behind Nicole’s chair and the redhead tenses immediately.

“You’re going to regret all of this,” Nicole grumbles.

“What was that, dyke?” Champ says, leaning down next to Nicole.

“You are a sick, twisted bastard, Champ,” she spits.

“Yeah, I might be,” Champ shrugs. “But Waverly is mine, and she will be forever. And the best part? You’ll never know when it’ll happen, because you aren’t invited to the wedding.”

“You think that’ll stop me?” Nicole laughs. “You really are dumber than a fucking sack of rocks.”

“Come on, Waves,” Champ smirks and grabs Waverly’s wrist. “I have needs that need to be met.”

“Goodbye, Nicole,” Waverly whispers and grabs the redhead’s hand, giving is one last squeeze, before being pulled out of the restaurant by Champ.

“I’m not saying goodbye,” Nicole wipes her eyes and looks down at her hand.

Resting in her palm is a small balled up piece of paper. Nicole unfolds it and smooths it out on the table. Scribbled on the paper, in Waverly’s handwriting, is a date, a time, and a location.

December 23rd

10:00 AM

St. Mark’s Chapel

“Shit,” Nicole breathes out. “Oh shit. That’s Friday. That’s this Friday,” she quickly gets up and runs out of the restaurant.

Chapter Text

Nicole throws the door to her apartment open and hurries inside, mumbling under her breath, the piece of paper that Waverly placed in her hand clutched tightly in her fist, more crumpled than before. Nicole locks the door and walks into the living room only to find that the lights are off, the only source of light coming from the muted TV showing reruns of a show with some demon-killer and a magic gun. Nicole shakes her head and sighs quietly when she notices that Wynonna is asleep on the couch, and Chrissy and Kate are asleep on the floor near the coffee table. Deciding to formulate as much of a plan as she can by herself before waking anyone, Nicole glances down at her phone and the Google Maps app open before frantically looking around for a pen and paper.

Nicole quickly makes her way into the kitchen in search of the things she so desperately needs at the moment. She has time, she can still save Waverly. The drive back to the apartment was quiet, with Nicole stuck in her head and arguing with herself for not noticing how nervous Waverly had been. Instead of getting angry at her for breaking her heart again, she should have picked up on the signs and been more proactive about the situation. It started clicking together in Nicole’s mind, then, in the car. Her relationship with the love of her life didn’t end because Waverly wanted it to; she ended things because Champ made her. Waverly avoiding any questions involving Champ, the intimate moments they had shared before they left for the restaurant…those were all Waverly’s way of trying to convey a silent message to Nicole. She couldn’t have said anything without Champ hurting her again.

Nicole sighs and leans heavily against the counter, setting the piece of paper down on the cool surface. She sighs and rubs her face, trying to figure out where to go from there, how to break the news to everyone. Staring back down at her phone, Nicole groans when she notices that the battery is almost dead. She has been frantically searching for the chapel Waverly had written down onto the paper, but she has gotten no answers. This place is hidden and she knows Champ did that on purpose.

“Come on you stupid thing. Work,” Nicole sighs again when the battery dies, setting the phone down on the counter. She turns around and looks down at the paper, staring at the words written on it. She flattens it out with her hands, squinting her eyes and willing her mind to think of where this damn place is.

“St. Mark’s,” she mutters. “Where the hell is St. Marks?”

“It’s on the corner of Revenant Road and Homestead Avenue,” Rosita says as she enters the kitchen. Nicole jumps and turns around, startled by the sudden noise. “Why do you ask? And where’s Waverly?”

“Rosita, something horrible has happened. Waverly is in trouble.”

“What do we need to do?”

- - - - -

“I hope you’re happy,” Waverly mutters after Champ closes the door to his apartment.

“Oh, I am. With that lesbian out of the picture, I have nothing to worry about anymore,” Champ smiles proudly.

“She has a name, you know,” Waverly folds her arms across her chest.

“Yeah, I know,” Champ rolls his eyes. “Nicole what’s-her-name.”

“It’s Haught,” Waverly snaps.

“Well,” Champ shrugs, “she’s more of a five than a ten, but I’ll agree with you for your sake.”

“No, you asshole, her last name is H-A-U-G-H-T. God, you are just so inconsiderate and stupid.”

“Don’t act like you don’t find it charming,” Champ smiles. “You thought I was irresistible when we were together before.”

“You know I’m a good actor, right?” Waverly scoffs. “It might have taken me three years and a breakup in a fancy restaurant way above my paygrade, but I got the wake up call that don’t love you anymore. Come to think of it, I don’t think I ever really did. You were just a placeholder for Nicole.”

“Don’t say her name in my presence,” Champ grabs Waverly arm. “You aren’t to speak of her, or to her, ever again. Don’t even think about her.”

“You can’t control what I think,” Waverly rolls her eyes. “It’s my mind. I can think about whoever, or whatever, I want.”

“Not if I can help it,” Champ grumbles. “Bedroom, now.”

“What? No,” Waverly steps back and tries to free her arm from Champ’s grasp. “I’m not sleeping with you.”

“Oh, you’re not sleeping in there,” Champ shakes his head and pulls Waverly into the bedroom, “you sleep in the guest room. I just have needs. Needs that need to be met now.”

“I said I’m not sleeping with you,” Waverly takes a large step back, yanking her arm free. “When a lady says no, she means no.”

“Well, hey, it isn’t my fault that you look super-hot in that dress,” Champ holds his hands up. “If you don’t want anything to happen, then maybe don’t dress that way. You’re basically asking for it.”

“You made me wear this dress!” Waverly yells. “And instead of telling me how to dress so as to not turn you on, why don’t you take a step back and just think about taming your crazy sex-drive for once in your goddamn life.”

“Geez, Waverly, I’m sorry. Don’t know why you’re so ticked off, though.”

“Are you serious right now?” Waverly takes a step closer to Champ, getting in his face. “You made me throw away a relationship with someone I love, someone I never thought I would get the chance to be with ever again, because you got jealous,” she lifts her left hand and takes the ring from her finger. “This won’t be on my hand, even after this forced wedding.”

“You kind of have to wear the ring, Waves,” Champ says. “It’s a vital part of the ceremony.”

“Don’t treat this like it’s going to be some nice celebration when all it really is going to be is you and me in a shitty chapel with some random guy who got his marriage license off of a sketchy website. I will never wear this ring, or any other ring you give to me,” she shoves it into the palm of his hand. “Besides, the service won’t happen. Nicole is going to find me. Soon. And when she does, you’re done for.”

“You really think that dyke is going to come for you?” Champs says to Waverly’s retreating form.

“No, Champ, I don’t think she will,” Waverly says as she reaches the door to the guest room. “Because I know she will,” she enters the room and slams the door shut, locking it.

- - - - -

“Thank you for helping with this, Sheriff,” Nicole says as she and the rest of their group enter the station behind Nedley.

“Abduction is nothing to take lightly,” the older man says, voice gruff. “Waverly is one of Purgatory’s most favored citizens, and I won’t stand by while Hardy is hurting her.”

“Well we still appreciate it, dad,” Chrissy says from beside Nicole. “I know it’s late, like super late, and I know you were asleep.”

“Chrissy, you did the right thing,” Nedley turns to face his daughter. “Being a cop means doing whatever it takes to protect people. Even if it means sacrificing sleep for the ones you hold close to your heart,” his eyes shift to Nicole for a brief moment before he turns to the computer at his desk. “What do I need to do?”

“Waverly’s phone is shut off, so we can’t track it,” Wynonna explains. “That’s where you come in.”

“We want to try and tack Champ’s phone. Legally,” Chrissy holds her phone up, Champ’s contact displayed on the screen. “Hopefully this will be the last time I ever have to use his number, because I’ll be deleting it after we find Waverly.”

“For once I am so glad you have that douchebag’s number,” Wynonna gives a firm slap to the blonde’s back. “Load those digits up, Nedley, and let’s go catch us a wild man child.”

“We have a few days to make a plan once we find out where he is,” Nicole nods, trying to reassure herself that everything is fine and that Waverly is going to be okay.

“Didn’t you say that the ‘wedding’ is Friday?” Kate asks drawing air quotes around the word, and Nicole nods. “As in this coming Friday?” Nicole nods again. “Nicole, tomorrow is Friday.”

“Come on, Haught Pants, even I knew that! I thought you had all of this under control,” Wynonna crosses her arms.

“I do!” Nicole tries to defend herself.

“Babe, be nice,” Rosita says softly before leaning up and placing a quick kiss to the raven haired woman’s cheek. “She’s under a lot of stress right now. We all are.”

“Thank you, Rosita,” Nicole says while glaring at Wynonna. “Any luck, Sheriff?” She turns her attention to the man behind his desk.

Nedley just grunts in reply and turns the computer screen to face the group of women. The screen displays a 2-D map with ladled roads and buildings. It’s a basic GPS program that allows an officer to track down stolen cars or, in this case, a Waverly Earp-stealing asshole.

“He’s at his apartment,” Nicole says after studying the map. “That’s got to be his place, because Waverly lives in our complex now.”

“Ivory Heights?” Kate raises an eyebrow. “He lives in one of the most expensive gated communities in Purgatory? I thought you said that he worked for a real estate company?”

“He’s the top agent working under Mercedes,” Chrissy explains. “He makes a lot of money. Which is why he tried to convince Waverly to quit her job at Purgatory University.”

“This was probably his plan all along, the disgusting bastard,” Wynonna mutters.

“Well,” Kate studies the map again, “lucky for you, I happen to know someone working for the Heights. He’s a…former friend of mine.”

“Friend?” Chrissy looks up at Kate. “Or friend?”

“It’s a very long and complicated story. One I will tell you over a nice dinner after all of this is resolved,” she concludes by placing a kiss to the side of Chrissy’s head, and a small smile breaks out across the blonde’s face.

“So who is this guy?” Nicole asks. “Can we rely on your…friend to help us out?”

“We can,” Kate takes a deep breath before continuing. “His name is John Henry Holliday, he’s the owner of Ivory Heights, and he’s…he’s my ex-husband.”

“John Henry…” Wynonna’s head snaps in Kate’s direction. “You mean John Henry…like Doc Holliday?”

“Who else would I be referring to?” Kate tilts her head. “He’s the only John Henry in this city.”

“Hey, don’t freak out,” Rosita whispers in Wynonna’s ear. “He’s past you, and beneath you. He didn’t deserve you.”

“I’m aware of that, Kate,” Wynonna grits, her grasp on Rosita’s hand tightening. “Just making sure. He seems to make his way around. Quite frequently, might I add.”

“Wait, you two…” Kate trails off and Wynonna nods.

“Not that I don’t love talking about your sex lives, and the former lover both of you have shared,” Nicole smiles sarcastically at the group, “but we’re running out of time before the love of my life is going to be forced to marry a boy-man she is being held hostage by.”

“Right,” Kate nods. “Sorry,” she adds looking at Wynonna. “He can help us. He’ll lead us straight to Champ.”

“He better,” Wynonna says as she makes her way to the front doors of the station, pushing past Kate in the process, “otherwise you’re both dead.”

“She’s not kidding,” Chrissy says. “She’s got a big ass gun.”

“Wynonna, you can’t just go around threatening people,” Nedley says to which Wynonna replies with a silently raised middle finger.

“She’s protective of her sister,” Nicole explains. “You don’t want to be on the wrong side of a situation like this.”

“Feisty,” Kate nods. “I like it.”

“Come on, ladies,” Rosita ushers them to the doors. “Save the touchy feely shit for after we get Waverly back.”

“Thank you again, Sheriff,” Nicole turns to look back at Nedley.

“Call me Randy, Nicole,” he says. “Now go save Waverly, and I’ll see you here bright and early Tuesday morning?”

“Make it Wednesday, and I’ll show up two hours earlier with my khakis pressed and Stetson whiter than white, sir.”

Nedley only smiles and nods his head before motioning to the door. Nicole returns the smile and takes a few steps backwards, her eyes trained on her future boss, before turning on her heel and running out the station doors.

“We’re coming for you, baby,” she whispers to herself as she reaches her car. “The Calvary is coming for you.”

Chapter Text

“Open the door, Waverly,” Champ commands as he bangs on the guest room door. “We need to leave.”

“And go where exactly?” Comes the brunette’s muffled reply. “It’s nearly one in the morning.”

“The dyke and her posy of gays are on their way here,” Champ grumbles. “We need to leave. Now. Put on some nice clothes and hurry up. We’re moving this thing up a few hours.”

“You can’t just move a wedding to an earlier time, Champ,” Waverly says as she throws the door open. “You can’t demand to get married whenever you want just because you’re horny and angry,” she fixes him with an annoyed look.

“If I say we move the wedding up,” Champ grabs Waverly’s arm, yanking her out of the room, “we move the wedding up.”

“So this is how you plan to make up for all of the shitty things you’ve done in the past?” Waverly asks, trying to resist Champ’s motions. “By forcing me to marry you?”

“I lost my job because of you. The lest you can do to make it up to me is marry me.”

“How would me marrying you make up for you getting fired?” Waverly glares at Champ. “That’s a copout excuse and you know it. What about Stephanie? Weren’t you two on the marriage train from day one? You know, since you left me for her in the first place.”

“Stephanie was hot, but you’re hotter. She wasn’t wife material. You are.”

“Oh, so you calling me hot and saying that I have wife potential just automatically makes up for three years of terrible actions. Got it,” Waverly nods.

“You listen to me, and you listen well,” Champ says, voice gruff, and pushes Waverly against the wall. He gets in her face and points a finger at her. “My life was perfect with you in it. I had the perfect job, a high paycheck, and the envy of all the other girls. When you left, it all went to shit.”

“You left me,” Waverly tries to push Champ off of her. “Get your facts straight.”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” Champ raises a hand and brings it down, hitting Waverly across the face. She lets out a pained cry and cowers away from him. “Now go get dressed. We’re wasting time.”

“W-why do you get to wear a suit?” Waverly winces at Champ’s touch and gently cradles her cheek. “Why don’t I get a dress? You’ve always said that looks are key.”

“Yes, my looks are key. My outward appearance is key,” Champ shakes his head. “All you need to bring with you is that body.”

“So then why does it matter what I wear? You really are unbelievable.”

“I’m also your future husband, so you better learn to give me some respect.”

“You won’t win, you know,” Waverly says as Champ drags them to the door, holding back her tears. “She’ll find you. And when she does, she’ll kill you.”

“You really think I’m afraid of your girlfriend?” Champ laughs. “Please, she couldn’t hurt me even if she tried. She’s too weak to hurt anyone.”

“I’m not talking about Nicole, Champ,” Waverly pulls her wrist free from Champ’s grasp and cowers away from him slightly when he nearly growls at her. “I’m talking about Wynonna.”

Champ’s hand freezes on the doorknob at the mention of the older Earp and Waverly quickly finds herself to be smiling, genuinely smiling, for the first time in the past twenty-four hours. She’s found Champ’s weakness.

Wynonna.

- - - - -

“Come on, Nicole, pass this asshole up!” Wynonna shouts from the passenger seat.

“I can’t, Wynonna! There’s no way to get around them without killing us!” Nicole shouts back.

“Collateral damage, Red,” Wynonna grits through her teeth and reaches over to grab the steering wheel.

“If we die, we won’t be able to save Waverly,” Chrissy’s panicked voice comes from the back seat. “Please don’t kill us, I’d like to go on at least one date with the sexy fortune teller, thanks.”

“No time for matchmaking!” Wynonna yells. “We need to save my sister!”

“We’re getting there!” Nicole shouts and merges lanes after checking her mirrors.

“You’re going to make such a lame cop,” Wynonna snorts as she releases the steering wheel. “We’re in the middle of an emergency and you’re just barely pushing the speed limit.”

“Well, it’s not my fault that all of Purgatory decided to be on the road at four in the morning,” Nicole grips the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turn white.

“So pass them up, dipshit!” Wynonna punctuates each word by banging on the dashboard.

“Wynonna, be nice to her,” Rosita says from the seat behind her girlfriend. “Like I said back at the station, we’re all under a lot of stress right now. Let’s channel the anger and put it towards saving Waves.”

“I would, but Haught drives slower than Nedley moves after he’s consumed a dozen doughnuts!” Wynonna turns around in her seat. “No offense, though,” she looks at Chrissy.

“We’re here,” Nicole says before Chrissy has a chance to respond.

“Great, so what’s our plan of action?” Rosita asks.

“Wynonna said she had a plan,” Kate says and looks at the eldest Earp.

“You’re the one who said you could get us into this damn place,” Wynonna retorts. “So get us in, and we’ll go from there. That’s my plan.”

“That…that’s your plan?” Nicole looks at her incredulously. “Your plan, to save your sister from this monster of a man, is to wing it?”

“How do you think I passed my finals in college?” Wynonna looks at Nicole.

“Uh, by studying? You nearly kicked me and Waverly out of our dorm room that semester.”

“Oh, you actually…you believed I was studying?” Wynonna laughs and slaps a hand on Nicole’s thigh. “Haught, you crack me up.”

“Well, what were you doing then?” Nicole raises an eyebrow.

“I was engaging in…online activities with someone who shall remain nameless.”

“She was sending nudes to Charlie, her boy…whatever at the time,” Rosita interjects before the conversation can go any further. “Now someone please get out of the car and get us inside of that damn building.”

“I guess this is where I come in,” Kate sighs and opens her door. “We need some people staying here, in the car, keeping watch for Champ and Waverly out here while the others go in.”

“Kate’s right,” Chrissy nods. “It’s better if we disperse around the vicinity. Champ may be stupid, but he isn’t blind.”

“I’ll go with Kate,” Nicole says and looks around at Wynonna, Rosita, and Chrissy. “You three stay here and text us if you see anything. Got it?”

“Aye, aye Captain Haught,” Wynonna mock salutes which gains her an annoyed eyeroll from the redhead.

“Come on, Kate,” Nicole says as she exits the car. “Let’s go talk to Doc.”

- - - - -

Champ pushes Waverly out of the apartment and turns around to lock the door. In the three seconds his back is to her, Waverly considers taking off and running. Champ is slower than he looks, she can definitely out run him if she takes the stairs. Mercedes lives near the building, so she could run there and hide until Nicole is able to get to her.

Nicole.

Nicole probably hates her guts. Nicole probably doesn’t care anymore. Nicole probably isn’t even on her way to save her. Champ just wants to push the marriage now so she’ll really be stuck with him. She knows once that ring is on her finger, it’ll be too long before she’ll be able to escape him. He’s instilled a fear in her, a fear so great that it makes even just looking at him scary at times. Would running off be the best decision, or would it only make matters worse? Waverly will never find out, though, because before she has the chance to do anything, Champ is turning around and grabbing her arm again.

“Pete is waiting in the car out back,” Champ says, pushing Waverly toward the elevator. “He’s going to take us to the chapel.”

“Pete? You got Pete York to help you with this?” Waverly looks up at the man towering over her. “Or are you forcing him against his will, too?”

“Pete is my buddy,” Champ rolls his eyes and stabs at the down button of the elevator, “he’d do anything for me. We’re ride or die.”

“You’re disgusting,” Waverly snaps. “Both of you.”

“Sometimes you do crazy things for love, baby,” Champ shrugs and lens down, giving Waverly a sloppy kiss. Waverly pushes him away and opens her mouth to respond, but the clearing of a throat brings both of their attention to somewhere over Champ’s shoulder.

“Mr. Hardy,” Comes the thick, southern drawl of a man, “I do hate to interrupt you and your…” He trails off, eyes locked on Waverly. He shakes his head and brings his eyes back to Champ. “But your rent is overdue by a week now, and I’m going to need you to pay it within the next twenty-four hours, or I will have to ask you to vacate your apartment.”

“What are you talking about, Holliday?” Champ turns around. “I paid you for the next three months rent last month.”

“Yes, but your check fell through,” Doc glances at Waverly again before continuing. “And I was not informed that you were going to be living with somebody. That violates your contract.”

“Fuck your stupid contract,” Champ mutters. “I paid you!”

“You lost your job, Mr. Hardy. Your check bounced and was not processed. I need your rent for this month.”

The elevator dinging broke the silent standoff that began to occur between Champ and Doc, and Waverly starts to feel the panic flare up within her once again. Champ’s grip on her arm tightens as he tries to shove her into the elevator.

“You’ll get your money, Holliday,” he says and steps into the elevator.

“Now, that’s no way to teat a lady,” Doc says, taking notice of Waverly’s panicked features. “I suggest you release your grip on Miss Waverly before someone gets hurt.”

“I don’t need your suggestions on how to live my life, cowboy,” Champ snaps.

“My sincere apologies,” Doc places the hat held in his hands on his head and steps forward, stopping the elevator doors from closing. “What I meant to say was that you better release your grip on Miss Waverly before someone gets hurt. And by someone, I mean you.”

“Step off, old man,” Champ releases Waverly and surges forward, decking Doc in the face with a punch that knocks him to the ground, unconscious. Waverly, now breathing unsteadily, backs up against the wall of the elevator.

“Doc!” Kate yells and runs out from behind the corner she and Nicole have been hiding behind.

“Waverly!” The brunette hears her name called and tears her eyes away from the unresponsive Doc, looking up to lock eyes with the tall redhead running her way.

“Nic…” Is all Waverly is able to choke out. The elevator starts buzzing from having its doors open too long and Waverly runs out, meeting Nicole halfway.

“Get back in the elevator!” Champ yells. “We need to leave. Now.”

“She doesn’t have to do a God damn thing you tell her to do,” Kate slowly stands up after making sure Doc is okay. She steps over the unconscious man and gets in Champ’s face. “That woman is not your property.”

“She’s my wife. She’s mine.”

“Waverly doesn’t belong to anyone but herself,” Nicole says, her eyes locked on Waverly as the brunette falls into her embrace.

“Nicole,” Waverly chokes out, holding back her sobs.

“Shh…I know, baby,” Nicole whispers and presses a soft kiss to Waverly’s forehead. “I’ve got you now. I promise.”

“He’s…he’s ruthless, Nicole,” Waverly squeaks out. “He’s not going to stop.”

“Oh he will,” Nicole nods and tightens her arms around the smaller woman. “Nedley is going to arrest him. I’m going to get Champ behind bars.”

“No one is doing anything until a ring is on her finger and she is legally my wife,” Champ pushes past Kate and heads straight for Waverly.

“Nicole,” Waverly cries, “please…Please don’t let him take me again. Please!” She grips Nicole’s hands tightly as Champ reaches for her arm.

“I’m sorry, Waverly,” Nicole whispers and pulls the brunette to her, kissing her hard. “I’m coming for you. Give us ten minutes. Promise.”

“W-what? No! Nicole please!” Waverly yells as Champ pulls her away.

“I can’t take you,” Nicole says, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You’re…you’re not worth it, Waverly,” she lies. Nicole asks Waverly to trust her, using her eyes to convey the silent message. “He’ll only hurt me more if I tried. I can’t risk that.”

“But Wynonna – ”

“Wynonna will forgive me,” Nicole takes a deep breath. “She’s yours Champ,” Nicole chokes out.

Kate stares at Nicole, mouth hanging open in shock, as Waverly bites back her tears and disappears into the elevator with Champ. The second the doors close, Nicole looks down at Doc before grabbing Kate’s arm.

“He’ll be fine,” Nicole says and pulls the psychic into the stairwell. “We need to move. Now. We have to beat them there.”

“I don’t know if I should yell at you or kill you first,” Kate says as she and Nicole hastily make their way down the stairs.

“That wasn’t real,” Nicole explains. “I needed him to get to the chapel. Nedley and a few other officers are already waiting, surrounding the place. If Waverly listens to him, and does as he says, he won’t hurt her more than he already has. I had to do it, Kate.”

“You know Wynonna is most likely going to kick your ass for letting her go, right?”

“I’m willing to take that risk,” Nicole shrugs and pushes the door to the building open. She and Kate run to the car and Nicole throws Rosita’s side door open. “I need you to drive,” Nicole pants, out of breath. “You know where St. Marks is. Get us there as quickly as possible, speed limit be dammed,” she pulls Rosita out of the car and tosses her the keys.

“What happened?” Rosita asks, fear flashing across her features.

“No time to explain,” Nicole shakes her head and gets in the back of the car. “Just drive.”

Rosita gets behind the wheel and sticks the key into the ignition, tuning it. The engine sputters, comes to life, and dies. The Latina narrows her eyes and turns the key again, getting the same response from the engine as before, and groans when the car won’t start.

“I think the battery is dead,” Rosita says. “Car won’t start.”

“So what the hell are we supposed to do?” Wynonna rubs at her temples. “If you guys didn’t see them in there, then they’re probably already there.”

“We did see her,” Nicole admits, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“You what?” Chrissy looks over at Nicole.

“We saw Waverly and Champ,” Nicole confirms and opens the map app on her phone, typing in the chapel’s address.

“Okay, and you didn’t, oh I don’t know, grab her?” Wynonna gapes at Nicole’s shaking head.

“Too dangerous,” she says, fingers flying across the digital keyboard. “Not far…” She mutters.

“Speak up, asshole. We can’t hear you,” Wynonna bites.

“St. Marks, it isn’t too far from here.”

“Nicole, you’re being awfully calm for the shit storm of a situation we seem to have found ourselves in,” Wynonna says. “Please, do enlighten us on what the hell you’re thinking.”

“Waverly,” Nicole looks up from her phone, meeting Wynonna’s stare. “That’s what I’m thinking about. Waverly, and how to get her back.”

“And how do you plan to do that, exactly?” Chrissy asks. “The car is dead and they’re well on their way there already.”

“I hope you brought your running shoes,” Nicole says and opens the door. “Because we’ve got at least a ten minute run ahead of us.”

She jumps out of the car and closes the door, taking off down the street without hesitation or second thought. She hears her friends calling after her, but ignores them and runs as fast as her long legs can carry her; she can’t afford to waste anymore time than she already has. Her boots slap against the concrete and her heart is pounding in her ears, nothing but pure adrenaline coursing through her veins. Running down the streets of Purgatory at the crack of dawn, dressed in a suit, is defiantly not the easiest thing Nicole has ever done, but she isn’t going to let that stop her from saving her love. She wears her heart on her sleeve for Waverly Earp, and she isn’t about to let some man child take that away from her.

Nicole glances around, taking in her surroundings and familiarizing herself with wherever she has ended up. The sun is just beginning to rise, and the sky is shrouded in dark clouds, casting an eerie orange-yellow glow across the town. The smell of lighting in the air combines with the smell of rain that has yet to start falling and Nicole curses under her breath for the bad luck she has had over the past twenty-four hours. Losing the absolute love of her life to the man who hurt her for three solid years was bad enough, but the universe has to go and throw in a dead car battery, and now rain, on her as well.

“Could things get any worse?” Nicole pants as her strides quicken. As if on cue, large raindrops began falling from the sky, coating the asphalt beneath her feet in water, pelting her body like bullets. “Really? It was a rhetorical question!”

Her clothes become heavy and drenched from the rain, but Nicole pushes on. There’s no time to waste; she needs to get to Waverly. Rounding the corner of Homestead Avenue, Nicole finds herself wearing a hopeful smile as St. Mark’s chapel falls into her line of vision. She sees a number of police cruisers and SUV’s parked around the perimeter of the chapel with their lights flashing, and a copious amount of officers with their weapons drawn standing at the ready for their target to arrive. Nicole’s movements faulter slightly, though, when she sees a black Ford truck pull up to the front of the chapel. Out comes Champ, holding Waverly by the arm. Nicole skids to a stop when she sees Nedley and his deputies raise their guns. Their movements waver, however, upon noticing that Champ has not come unarmed.

He has a knife pulled and held against Waverly’s throat.

Nicole chokes back a sob and forces herself to start running again.

- - - - -

“Back up or she gets sliced!” Champ yells, showcasing the shiny, silver blade he has pressed against the column of Waverly’s neck.

“You’ve just made this whole situation a lot harder for yourself, Champ,” Nedley says, gun still trained on the man. “You need help, son.”

“What I need is to get inside of this chapel without any of you stopping me, and to marry Waverly so no one can take her from me.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Waverly whimpers against Champ’s grasp. “You’re going to be locked up for a very, very, long time.”

“But you being the good wife you are will come and bail me out,” Champ says and tightens his grip around Waverly’s arm.

Champs motions elicit a quiet whimper from Waverly and he pushes her forward towards the doors of the chapel. Lonnie, one of the officers standing by, steps forward with his gun trained on Champ and prevents him from ascending the chapel’s steps.

“Drop the knife and put your hands above your head,” he orders. “I won’t hesitate to shoot.”

“Lonnie,” Nedley’s gruff voice comes from behind them, “back away.”

“Listen to your boss,” Champ laughs. “Don’t want to get fired, now do you?”

Lonnie huffs and lowers his firearm, taking a step back.

Champ pushes Waverly forward, causing her to walk up the steps and into the building. He releases his grip on her arm when they enter, keeping the knife pointed at her, and turns around to lock the door. Looking around, Champ picks up one of the long, metal candle holders standing tall by the entrance and slides its slender frame through the handles of the large, brown doors. He grunts in approval when he tries to pull one of the doors open and it doesn’t budge.

“Perfect. Now no one will interrupt the ceremony. Let’s get this thing started, shall we, Waves?” Champ says as he turns back around. His brows furrow when he doesn’t see the brunette in front of him. “Waverly?” He looks around.

Making his way further into the chapel, Champ looks around for any sign of Waverly. He listens for any noises, any form of movement that will give away where she is hiding. It’s eerily quiet in the chapel, the only sounds coming from nearby cars whizzing past on the street outside. There aren’t many places to hide in the small area, so Champ takes his time. Creeping down the center aisle, Champ locks eyes with the online ordained minister he hired and mouths for him to look around as well.

“Waverly, sweetheart please come out,” Champ tries sweetly. “I would really like to marry you now.”

“Too bad I don’t want to marry you,” Waverly’s voice comes from somewhere behind Champ.

“The hell…? Where are you, Wave?” Champ turns around, looking for Waverly, spinning in a full circle before facing the altar again.

The chapel falls silent, again, and Champ has barely any time to think before he hears Waverly’s war cry. He turns around in time to come face-to-face with a ball of fiery rage in the form of Waverly Earp. She charges at him, hands outstretched and balled into fists. She attacks him, then, forcing all of her unbridled rage upon her abuser. Champ, though, as ever quick and agile as he is, manages to catch Waverly’s fists before they make contact with his body.

Stupid high school football reflexes.

“Nice try, babe,” Champ says as he pulls Waverly flush against his body, “but you’re a little too weak to take me on like that.”

“Maybe she is,” the new voice comes from behind them, startling both Champ and Waverly, “but I’m not.”

There’s a pause and then Champ is falling to the ground, Waverly tumbling down with him. Her head hits the marble floor, hard, and she sees stars. The edges of her vision are momentarily clouded with darkness, everything becoming blurry. The fall takes her by surprise, shocking her senses into a retreating motion. She doesn’t feel or see or hear, she only thinks. Well, tries to think. A raging headache begins to form at the back of her head, pounding against her skull like a sledgehammer. She hears noises, muffled noises, that seem to resemble screams. But they aren’t fearful screams, no. They’re more angered, more pained. She tries to sit up, but the impact from her fall as rendered her a motionless pile of flesh and bone, unable to sit up without tipping back over. She sees something shiny out the corner of her eye, then, and reaches a blind hand out to feel it. Her fingers ghost over the blade of what she immediately recognizes to be the knife Champ had pressed against her throat. A strangled sob escapes her mouth and she can’t tell if it’s from fear or relief; most likely both.

A hand on her shoulder jolts Waverly’s senses into overdrive, pure adrenaline coursing through her veins, and her hand wraps around the hilt of the knife. She screams in fear and lifts her hand to bring the knife forward, ready to attack Champ at whatever means necessary, but her motions are cut short. Before Waverly can fully comprehend what is happening, the knife is being torn from her grasp and discarded somewhere along the aisle she lies in the middle of, and she’s being hoisted to her feet by two strong arms lifting her up. Those same arms then wrap around her middle, hugging her close and securing her on her feet. She sees flashes of raven hair out the corner of her eye, and the familiar scent of whiskey and leather fills her lungs. The floodgates that are Waverly’s tear ducts open in that instant, and drops of salty water begin to run down her cheeks at the realization.

“It’s okay, baby girl,” her sister whispers into her hair. “We’ve got you.”

“Wy…” Waverly tries to say, but the word gets lost in her sobs that she has lost control over.

“Save your strength, kid,” Wynonna holds Waverly close, rubbing soothing circles on her back. “Let us handle it.”

“Us?” Waverly chokes out through deep breaths.

“Yeah,” Wynonna says, a hint of laughter in her voice. “Your girlfriend is beating the shit out of Hardy right now.”

“N-Nic?” Waverly gasps quietly and turns around in her sister’s embrace, the older Earp’s arms remining firmly around her abdomen.

Sure enough, Nicole and Champ are brawling before them, Nicole seeming to have the upper hand at the moment. Her height plays in her favor since she has a good few inches on him, and her swings come from the left and the right simultaneously. She has a cut just above her right eye, blood dripping past her eyebrow and down her cheek. There’s blood on her shirt, but one swift kick to Champ’s legs causes him to crumple to the ground and Waverly realizes that the blood on Nicole’s shirt isn’t hers. It’s his. The chapel grows quiet, Champ now passed out on the floor, the only sounds coming from Nicole’s heavy breathing and Waverly’s attempts at calming herself down.

The doors are kicked open, Champ’s candle holder contraption failing its mission, and Nedley and his deputies file into the area. Wynonna is saying something to Waverly, pressing a kiss to her temple, but she doesn’t hear what it is. The warmth of her sister’s arms around her body leaves and is replaced with the cold fear that still grips her tightly. She sees Nedley stalk past her and bend over to retrieve Champ’s limp form, Wynonna assisting him, but her eyes are locked on Nicole. She hears the officer’s barrage of questions pass from one ear to the other but she can’t seem to formulate any answers. All she is able to focus on, all she is able to think about, is Nicole.

Nicole.

The redhead with a passion for protecting others that burns brightly in her chest.

Nicole.

The wild child with a heart of gold and a set of morals so true and so pure that she might just give any saint a run for their money.

Nicole.

The woman who stole her heart all those years ago with her annoying charm and entrancing smile, with her eyes that bore into Waverly’s soul and saw her. Truly saw her.

Nicole.

The annoyingly noble and extremely loyal friend of her sister and the keeper of her heart.

Her Nicole.

Waverly, despite every bone in her body screaming for her not to, takes off in Nicole’s direction and runs into her open arms. It’s a short distance, but it’s enough to drain the brunette of what little strength she has left. She nearly collapses into Nicole’s embrace, clinging to her like her life depends on it.

Because it kind of does depend on it.

“I’m here,” Nicole whispers into Waverly’s ear. “He’s not going to hurt you, or anyone, ever again.”

“You came,” Waverly sniffles into Nicole’s chest. “I-I thought…I thought you’d given up…You said ten minutes and it’s…it’s been a lot longer than ten minutes…”

“I know,” Nicole sighs, “and I’m so sorry, baby. My car battery died on us right as we were trying to leave the apartment. I had to run here and got caught in the rain.”

“You ran here, in the rain, in a suit and,” Waverly takes a small step back, but stays an arms-length away, from Nicole and looks at her shoes, “combat boots? You didn’t even change from dinner?”

“Baby,” Nicole laughs quietly and frames Waverly’s jaw in her hands, “I got back to my apartment from dinner and we jumped right into all of this. I couldn’t waste any time changing.”

“I’m kind of glad you didn’t change,” Waverly admits, chewing on her lower lip, eyes tracing over Nicole’s body. “I never got to tell you how good you looked at dinner.”

“We’ll have plenty of time to make up for all of the things we didn’t get to say at dinner when we get back home,” Nicole nods in affirmation.

Home.

The word makes Waverly’s heart swell and her face turn a light shade of pink.

Home.

“He got you,” Waverly says softly, stepping back up into Nicole’s space. She gently runs her thumb along the cut above Nicole’s eye. The blood has dried and the cut seems a lot less worse than it did before.

“Ah,” Nicole shakes her head and waves a dismissive hand, “it’s nothing. I dodged the worst of it.”

“My hero,” Waverly whispers, as if it’s a confession of sorts that she means to keep to herself.

“Waverly,” Nedley clears his throat from behind her and she hears him sigh quietly before continuing, “I really hate to break this up, but I need to collect a statement from you about Hardy. It’ll only take a minute.”

“Go,” Nicole nods and gently kisses Waverly’s forehead. “I’ll go check on Wynonna and the rest of our gay squad, as Champ called us,” she rolls her eyes and smiles when Waverly giggles. She plants one last kiss to Waverly’s cheek and turns around, making her way to Wynonna.

“I need you to tell me everything, Waverly,” Nedley guides Waverly over to a small group of officers, a comforting hand placed gently on her back. “Or at least, the things that you feel comfortable with telling me.”

Waverly nods and takes a deep breath before launching into the story of the past day’s events, beginning with her run-in with Champ after brunch. She purposefully neglects to mention that Chrissy called Champ to let him know where they were, instead opting to tell Nedley that it was just a coincidence they ran into each other. She recounts their encounter, when Champ had cornered her against the wall outside of a restaurant, filling her head with lies about wanting to make up for all bad he had done. She goes into detail about how she tried to get away from him, using all of her experience with self defense she has, and starts getting angry when she tells the officers of how her attempts at escape failed.

She explains how Champ had taken her phone, cutting her off from the outside world completely. She wasn’t able to get in touch with anyone to inform them of the situation. She gives a brief summary of the dinner Champ had set up for her and Nicole, how she was forced to end things with Nicole because he was going to force her to marry him. She tears up at the next part, recounting a certain string of events that occurred where Champ had tried to get Waverly to sleep with him. She tells the officers of how he touched her, how he had been extremely rough with her, and how he didn’t care about how she felt because he had needs that he wanted to be met at that very moment.

She gets Nedley and his deputies up to date with the story by telling them everything up until the moment Nicole had tackled him to the ground, knocking her off of her feet. She feels Nedley’s fingers flex against her back, his paternal instincts toward the Earps starting to come out. When she finishes, there are tears in her eyes and her breath is shaky again, her heart racing. Nedley waits until the three officers around them have finished writing down Waverly’s statement before he speaks.

“Thank you, Waverly,” he says and turns to face her fully, hand falling back to his side. “I can assure you that Champ is going away for a very long time. We’ll get everything in order and then we can talk about a possible restraining order. If that’s what you would like.”

“Yes,” Waverly nods slightly. “Please.”

There’s a brief moment of silence, Nedley’s eyes trained on Waverly’s.

“I’m really happy you’re okay, kid,” he says finally and pulls her into a hug. “She’s got good instinct,” he continues, not needing to say Nicole’s name.

“She’s going to make one hell of a cop,” Waverly says hugging Nedley back.

“You aren’t wrong about that,” Nedley smiles and steps out of the hug before his khakis crease too much. “You’ll be safe with her.”

“I know,” Waverly smiles softly. She feels a hand on her shoulder and turns her head to see Wynonna standing behind her, Chrissy, Rosita and Kate next to her. In an instant, all five girls are embracing each other in a group hug. The fear of the past day finally wearing off, Waverly stands in the middle of three of her favorite people (plus a new addition to their team), absorbing their love and gentle embrace like a sponge. They risked their lives to save her, they ran in the rain to stop Champ, they did everything they could to ensure her safety.

A year ago at this time, Waverly would have never thought she would be standing in the middle of a group hug that included a psychic and her sister. It is safe to say that Waverly’s life has drastically changed over the past few months, and most of it is all thanks to a certain redhead. Waverly’s eyes open and she looks around, searching for her love, but Nicole is nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Nicole?” She asks.

“She’s over by the prayer candles,” Wynonna shrugs. “Said she had something to take care of.”

“Come on,” Chrissy smiles at Waverly after glancing around at her other friends, “let’s go meet her over there.”

The five women give their finals thanks to Nedley and the other officers still inside the chapel and make their way over to the dimly lit corner of the building. Dozens of candles adorn the walls, some being held by metal stands, others resting on old wooden tables. It gives Waverly a medieval feeling, almost as if she’s been transported in time to an eighteenth century castle in England. The brick walls reflect some of the light across the small area, casting a yellow glow along the pews and the floor. Regaining her focus, Waverly squints in the darkness in search of Nicole and freezes when her eyes land on the tall red head.

Nicole stands on the other end of the small area, her back to the group, with her head tilted upward and staring at the ceiling. There are candles glowing brightly in front of Nicole which cast a heavy silhouette across her form, an angelic glow outlining her frame from Waverly’s point of view. Nicole’s hair is still wet, but she has it pulled back into a half-up-half-down style. Her dress shirt and slacks stick to her skin in the most uncomfortable of ways, but she still manages to pull the look off. Slowly, Waverly advances toward Nicole, afraid of disturbing her. She notices she isn’t being followed, the others staying put near the altar.

“You know what my grandpa used to tell me when I was too scared to do something he knew I really wanted to do?” Nicole says as Waverly stops only a few steps away from her, nearly sensing her presence. “He told me ‘Nicky, you’ve gotta stop lettin’ those fears keep you away from what you love.’ His words still ring in my ears, clear as day, even though he left us all those years ago.”

“He gave me some of the best advice,” Nicole continues, reaching into her pocket to retrieve something that Waverly can’t make out in the poor lighting. “Better advice than my own father ever gave me. And, you know Waverly, I think his words are more important for me to listen to now more than ever. But there’s one other thing he always used to say to me. Something that has resonated with me ever since my high school hockey days.”

“What’s that?” Waverly asks, voice barely above a whisper. She’s not even sure Nicole can hear her.

“He said,” Nicole slowly turns around to face Waverly, eyes flitting over her shoulder and to Wynonna who gives a slight nod in reply, “’There ain’t no time like the present.’ And he was right. There isn’t any time like the present. I need to quit letting these fears, these anxieties keep me from this. After tonight’s events, though, I know for sure that this is what I want. That you are what I need,” Nicole keeps her eyes locked on Waverly’s as she slowly drops to one knee, revealing a small, velvet box sitting in the palm of her hand. She opens the box with her other hand, revealing a simple silver engagement band.

“Will you set your fears aside with me, and let me show you how you deserve to be treated, allowing me to give you the life you so rightfully deserve?” She pauses for a brief moment, studying Waverly’s features. Brown eyes meet hazel and it’s in that moment Nicole knows her answer. “Waverly Earp, will you marry me?”

Waverly stares down at Nicole, eyes moving between the ring and Nicole’s eyes. Her hair is a mess and her clothes are messy and mismatched, her vision is blurred with tears and her emotions suddenly kick into overdrive. Her heart soars at the question she has spent forever waiting to hear. For three years, Waverly thought she yearned to be in this very situation with Champ down on one knee and asking for her hand in marriage. It occurs to her, now, that what she so desperately craved was for this situation, for Nicole to be down on one knee with a ring in her hand and her heart on her sleeve. The decision is simple.

Yes.

But words seem to be failing her now more than ever, so Waverly leans down and cups Nicole’s face in her hands. Smoothing the crease between Nicole’s eyebrows, Waverly pulls Nicole up to her feet and throws herself at her, capturing her lips in a searing kiss. It’s messy, that kiss. It’s all teeth and tongue and raw emotion, but it’s perfect in every way possible. Waverly pours her heart and soul into that kiss, giving Nicole the answer she’s looking for.

“Yes,” Waverly whispers after pulling away, finally able to find her voice. Their foreheads are pressed together as Nicole removes the ring from the box and slides it onto her finger. It’s a perfect fit.

“A thousand times yes,” Waverly confirms again, eyes closing and nose brushing against Nicole’s before they kiss again.

Grandpa Haught truly was one wise, old man.

Chapter Text

One Year Later

Waverly rushes back and forth between the mirror in the bathroom and the mirror near the window of the dressing room. She mumbles something about the lighting in one area making her look better than the lighting in the other, and can’t decide if she really does look good or if she’s got it all wrong.

“Wave,” Wynonna says, “you need to calm down. You look fine.”

“Fine?” Waverly halts and abruptly turns to face her sister, who is currently seated on a couch across the room. “I look fine ? Wynonna, I can’t look just fine! It’s my wedding day!”

“Baby girl,” Wynonna stands and crosses the distance of the dressing room, stopping a few steps away from her sister, “you look amazing. Haught is going to lose her mind when she sees you walking down that aisle. Take my word for it.”

“The last time I took your word for something, I found out you were lying to me about living with my ex ex,” Waverly states flatly.

“Okay, yes, but you two are getting married now, so in a way,” Wynonna shrugs, “you should be thanking me.”

“You’re insufferable sometimes, you know that right?” Waverly rolls her eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile on her face.

“You know I’m right, though,” Wynonna grins and raises her almost empty whiskey glass to her lips.

“Shut up,” Waverly shoves her sister playfully. Her eyes move down to Wynonna’s left hand, where a simple, silver engagement band now sits on her ring finger.

“It’s still weird, you know,” Wynonna says, taking notice of where her sister’s attention is.

“What is?” Waverly brings her eyes back to Wynonna’s. “That you’re engaged to one of my best friends?”

“Just being engaged in general,” Wynonna huffs out a low chuckle and stares at the ring on her finger. “I never thought I’d be tied down in the future, let alone to another woman…let alone, your best friend.”

“It’s exciting though, isn’t it?” Waverly asks, her eyes lighting up. “The planning, the waiting, the dress shopping and venue searching. It’s all so exhilarating, and it’s a process that you’ll come to find brings you closer to the one you’re going to spend forever with. This entire wedding planning experience has been eye-opening for Nicole and I, to say the least.”

“Why, because you fought over what kind of cake you wanted? Or that Haught prefers the lighter shade of blue napkins out of all the other shades which look like the same shade of blue?” Wynonna snorts, recalling the quarrels the couple had over the process of planning their big day.

“ No ,” Waverly rolls her eyes. “It brought us closer together, and made me realize that this is really what I want. That marrying Nicole is the right choice. That leaving her in college was the worst decision I’ve ever made.”

“I’d like to think the three years you spent with Champ the Boy-Man Hardy takes the vegan cake for dumbest decision Waverly Earp has ever made,” Wynonna points out. “But what you said is a close second. She never stopped loving you.”

“But she was with Shae for, what, two and half years? Engaged to her?”

“Yes, but I knew where her heart truly belonged, who it truly belonged with. I knew this, because the void she felt in her heart was the same void I felt in mine. There was a Waverly-shaped hole in our hearts and we had been longing for you to come back. And you did. And we’re both so fucking glad for that,” Wynonna smiles.

“I just wish the circumstances were different,” Waverly bites her lip. “Maybe if Champ weren’t in the picture, we’d have done this sooner.”

“If Champ weren’t in the picture, I don’t think you’d have come back into our lives any sooner,” Wynonna says. “I hate to say it but, because of him, this is all happening.”

“You’re right,” Waverly takes a deep breath and nods. “I’d be a fool not to marry her, right?” She adds after a moment of silence.

“Nicole loves you with every fiber of her being, baby girl, and I wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your days with anyone else.”

“If this is all so right, and if it’s really what I want to do, then why the fudge am I so nervous?” Waverly looks to her sister for support.

“Because, Wave, this is a huge commitment. Just because you know this is what you both want, doesn’t mean it won’t cause you to be nervous. I don’t know what it’s like, yet, but I know for a fact that all the fears, all of the nerves you feel right now, will vanish as soon as you walk down the aisle and see your girl standing at the altar, waiting to call you her wife.”

“You’re oddly calm about all of this,” Waverly raises an eyebrow. “Before, you were all over Nicole. Threatening her and whatnot.”

“Yeah, well, that was before she saved your life and sent Champ to jail. Before she became a cop,” Wynonna says, her eyes lingering on her now empty whiskey glass, her voice soft.

“Thank you,” Waverly says after a minute of silence and pulls Wynonna into a hug.

“For what?” Wynonna asks, her arms wrapping tightly around her sister’s body.

“For staying in touch with Nicole after college. For living with her. For lying to me about living with her. For pushing her to go after me.”

“You know about that?” Wynonna leans her head back enough to look Waverly in the eye. “She told you?”

“No,” Waverly shakes her head. “I figured it out on my own. Nicole would have never invited me to go watch her play at that club if she didn’t have someone talking in her ear. She was still with Shae. She’s too loyal to do that on her own accord.”

“Well sometimes the loyalty we have toward someone isn’t with the right person. Her loyalty belonged to you, not Pressman,” Wynonna nods and groans quietly when Waverly hugs her again. “Alright, Wave, one hug is enough. I can’t look too soft, I’ve got a reputation to uphold around you people.”

Waverly just laughs and shakes her head, keeping her hold on Wynonna. Her eyes move to the door across the room where she spots her two best friends standing, watching on in silent glee as the two sisters share their moment.

“Hey, maybe you should go check on Nicole, yeah?” Waverly suggests and pulls away from the embrace, looking at Wynonna. “She might already be in her angry-anxious mode.”

“Good call, baby girl,” Wynonna nods and pats her sister on the shoulder. “Anxious Haught isn’t a fun one, let me tell you. I’ll see you out there,” she smiles before turning and exiting the room after nodding to Chrissy and kissing Rosita’s cheek.

“I’m surprised she’s not drunk right now,” Rosita says. “She was rambling on and on last night about how nervous she was.”

“ She’s nervous?” Waverly raises an eyebrow. “Miss whiskey soaked and reckless, screams in the face of danger, and rides with motorcycle gangs, is nervous about my wedding?”

“I don’t blame her,” Chrissy shrugs and shuts the door. “You’re her little sister, Waves. You’re marrying her best friend.”

“And…it’s been a year, to the day, since that whole Champ situation,” Rosita adds. “Don’t tell her I told you this, but she got zero sleep last night. She was too busy worrying about Champ, worrying about him coming back and ruining today for you. For Nicole.”

“He’s still locked up though, right?” Chrissy asks, eyes on Waverly.

Waverly shakes her head and bites her lower lip. “He got out about a week ago,” she says softly. “Well, he got bailed out, I should say.”

“But the restraining order,” Rosita says. “He can’t come anywhere near you.”

“And if he does, Dad will be the first to tase him and lock him back up,” Chrissy adds.

“Right,” Waverly nods. “I’m not going to think about him. I refuse to let him ruin today. That’s what he wants and I’m not giving it to him.”

“You chose to have your wedding on this day for a reason,” Chrissy says. “Both you and Nicole know the significance and negative connotation it holds in your mind. Let today erase those memories and replace them with some of the happiest ones you’ll ever have.”

“Champ doesn’t deserve thesatisfaction of getting to you, of getting inside your head and ruining your big day. Chris is right,” Rosita shakes her head. “Now, please tell us how we can help you walk out of this room in ten minutes feeling like the most beautiful woman in all of Purgatory.”

Waverly smiles and the three women finish getting ready.

- - - - -

“Haught?” Wynonna opens the door to Nicole’s room after knocking three times. “Haught, you in here?”

Closing the door and looking around, Wynonna doesn’t see the redhead anywhere. She sees some discarded shirts and shoes on the floor, but nowhere is their owner. Wynonna decides that Nicole has started second guessing her choice of outfit and is currently trying to fix it…again. Making her way further into the room, Wynonna spots Kate on the couch.

“She in the bathroom?” Wynonna asks. Kate looks up and nods.

“She started having a panic attack. I tried to calm her down but she said she wanted to be alone.”

“Do you know what caused it? I mean,” Wynonna waves her hand around, “other than the obvious.”

“Well it started when she was looking at herself in the mirror. She was mumbling something about the wrong shade of red and that her shirt wasn’t white enough. I think she was just getting to herself,” Kate shrugs. “Not seeing Waverly for nearly two days has made her go crazy.”

“I don’t blame her,” Wynonna sighs. “Haught Pocket likes to pretend she’s all big and strong, even more so now that she’s a cop, but she’s really not sometimes. Especially when it comes to Waverly.”

“I can tell,” Kate gives a small smile in Wynonna’s direction. “Your sister tends to have a strong grip on people. It’s amazing she’s lasted this long without seeing her.”

“Ha, you’re telling me. Waves nearly threw herself out the window earlier because she missed Nicole,” Wynonna laughs quietly. “I’m going to go check on her. You’re free to go and find Chrissy. She and Rosie are with Waverly right now.”

“I’ll see you out there,” Kate smiles and places a hand on Wynonna’s shoulder as she passes her and exits the room.

Wynonna sighs and faces the bathroom door. She starts in that direction, trying to conjure up some sort of pep-talk to give her friend. It’s hard at first, her conversation with Waverly nearly exhausting all of her words of encouragement, but she pushes her mind harder. Nicole is her best friend. She deserves a little kick in the right direction more than anyone. Making her way to the small bathroom, Wynonna notices the door open and peers inside, where she spots Nicole, shirt untucked and unbuttoned and tie hanging loosely around her neck, standing in front of the small mirror above the sink. Wynonna is about to say something, when Nicole beats her to it.

“What if she changes her mind?” Nicole says. “What if this isn’t what she wants?”

“Oh, so we’re doing this again?” Wynonna nods and steps into the bathroom, standing behind her friend. “Haught, Waverly loves you. Okay? She wants this, wants to be with you.”

“How do you know that for sure, though?” Nicole stares at herself in the mirror, her gaze empty.

“Is this about what happened with Champ?” Wynonna meets Nicole’s stare in the mirror and the redhead nods. “Nicole, I know my sister better than anyone. She wants to marry you. Chrissy said she was so nervous last night, that she didn’t shut up about you.”

“Really?”

“I know I fuck around and mess with you a lot, but I’m being serious for once. Today is important to you and to her, so take my word for it. Why do you think she wanted to wait a year to get married? You proposed right after you beat the shit out of her abuser. She wanted to make sure that this is what she wanted, that she didn’t just say yes because of the heat of that moment.”

“You’re right,” Nicole sighs and turns around to face the older Earp. “I know you’re right. We’ve talked about it before, why she insisted we wait.”

“See? You’ve got absolutely nothing to worry about.”

“I guess I’m just nervous. I mean, I never thought I’d be marrying her. I always thought I’d be married to Shae by now.”

“Well, you’re not married to Shae, and you’re marrying my sister in less than ten minutes,” Wynonna nods and fixes Nicole with a stern look. “You know what your problem is?”

“What?” Nicole cocks an eyebrow.

“You dwell too much on the past. The present is a gift, Haught. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. And today, of all days, that metaphor is true, because once you put that ring on Waverly’s finger you’ll be with her forever.”

“That’s a pretty great gift…” Nicole ponders on the thought. “You’re right. I’m just…jittery because I miss her. I haven’t seen her in two days now.”

“Yeah, she’s out of her mind right now, too. Worrying that the lighting in her room is ruining her look or something,” Wynonna waves a dismissive hand. “You’re going to shit your pants when you see her, regardless, so I’m not worried,” she pats Nicole on the chest and walks out of the bathroom. “Come on, Red. Finish getting ready. You have five minutes.”

“What about my tie? What color?”

“Purple,” Wynonna sticks her head back into the bathroom, “it brings out your eyes, according to Waverly, and you look really good in it,” she pauses. “Also according to Waverly,” nodding, Wynonna disappears again.

“Okay,” Nicole takes a deep breath and buttons her shirt, “I guess it’s time for a wedding.”

- - - - -

Three Years Later

Waverly opens the brown, wooden door letting it slowly swing open, its doorknob clinking softly against the wall as it softly makes contact with it. She steps in and stops just past the threshold before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in. She releases a content sigh and opens her eyes, looking around and taking in the room before her. There isn’t much to look at; there’s no furniture, dust and other debris litter the floor, and the walls definitely need a paint job, but it doesn’t matter. It’s their home, and Waverly can’t be happier.

Getting lost in her own little bubble, Waverly fails to hear Nicole enter the house behind her. The redhead quietly shuts the door and turns to face her wife. Smiling, Nicole loosens black tie hanging around her neck and frees the top two buttons of her shirt. She takes another handful of seconds to admire the woman standing before her, the smile never leaving her face. Two years, they’ve been married now. Two years of first times and second chances, two years of making new memories.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Waverly asks. “It’s empty, and messy, but it’s beautiful.”

“And it’s ours ,” Nicole nods and takes a few small steps forward, effectively closing the gap between her and Waverly by wrapping her arms around the smaller woman. “It is empty, and it is messy, but it’s ours .”

“Are you positive this is the house you want?” Waverly turn her head to look back at Nicole. “You know we don’t have to live here just because I want to. Your opinions matter, too.”

“Baby, I just want to be with you,” Nicole chuckles softly. “I don’t care where that may be. A shitty apartment next to your sister and her wife, or a house in the quiet part of town, I don’t care. If I get to wake up next to you every day, I’m happy.”

“You’d think after all these years, she’d learn to not be so cheesy,” Rosita’s voice comes from behind the couple.

“You don’t need to flirt with her to get in her pants, Haught,” Wynonna says from next to Rosita. “You’re married, you guys can bone whenever you want now.”

”You act like we didn’t do that before we were married,” Waverly deadpans. She moves her hands on top of Nicole’s around her waist and tightens the redhead’s arms around her.

“She acts like we weren’t having sex every night before now,” Nicole says to Waverly, shaking her head and smiling proudly at the disgruntled noise coming from Wynonna. “She’s got no idea just how much I’ve made you–”

“ Okay !” Rosita holds her hands up. “Moving on!”

“Keep in mind that you guys are in our house now,” Waverly says as she turns around in Nicole’s arms. “If you don’t want to hear what she has to say, or watch me kiss my wife after the long day she’s had at work, then you can leave,” she smiles and looks up at the redhead.

“You guys are gross,” Wynonna rolls her eyes.

“They’re in love and celebrating the fact that they now own a house together,” Rosita gently smacks Wynonna on the back of the head. “Be nice.”

“Fine, fine, we’ll leave. Just know that if you’re even a minute late for our reservations with Chrissy and Kate tonight I won’t let you live it down. Enjoy fucking on the floor since this place has absolutely no furniture in it,” Wynonna says as she opens the door.

“Well, there’s a counter in the kitchen…” Waverly trails off.

“Screw off, Waverly!” Wynonna yells over her shoulder as she and Rosita leave, hearing Nicole and Waverly laughing as she shuts the door.

“You two really love messing with each other, huh?” Waverly giggles.

“We wouldn’t be us if we didn’t give each other a hard time,” Nicole shrugs and smiles.

Waverly smiles and shakes her head, looking around the room again. It still hasn’t fully set in that this is their house now, that they are finally doing the one thing they have always dreamed of doing. It’s a small house on the corner of the street in an old neighborhood. It’s nothing special, but it’s something they both agreed on. They loved living so close to Wynonna and Rosita, but it’s gotten to the point now where they need more space. Especially now with the thought of expanding their family planted in Waverly’s mind, a house of their own is a necessity. Waverly catches herself sighing again and feels Nicole’s arms tighten around her. She turns her head back to Nicole and looks up at her, smile on her face, gleam in her eyes.

“Hey,” Nicole whispers.

“Hi,” Waverly whispers back.

“Welcome home, Professor Earp,” Nicole smiles and kisses the tip of Waverly’s nose.

“Welcome home, Sheriff Haught,” Waverly smiles.

“Is it weird that we don’t use our married name for our jobs?” Nicole asks.

“I think it’s professional,” Waverly shrugs. “Plus, Sheriff Haught sounds a lot better than Sheriff Earp-Haught.”

“Does it sound better, or sexier ?” Nicole quirks an eyebrow.

“Both,” Waverly grins.

“So, Mrs. Earp-Haught, how does it feel to be living with your low-life college ex for the rest of your life? How does it feel to be married to your ex?”

“I’m married to my ex ex,” Waverly corrects with a raised pointer finger and a smile. “And it’s the best feeling in the whole world.”