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The first time that the idea came to Shelly was simply a really unfortunate one. She was right in the middle of a show, dammit , and was trying to crack a safe literally on the spot when she happened to glance over at Piper and… the fuzzy warm in her heart was almost too much to bear on the spot like that.
Piper smiled at her, and Shelly blushed and smiled and back and suddenly the thoughts of her robbery-in-progress were being replaced by the idea of… taking Piper’s soft hands in her own, pulling her close… kissing -
It ate into her consciousness like something unbelievable. Piper was looking at her now, too, seeming puzzled, and Shelly’s heart was pounding like a drumbeat.
“Mommy?” a child said in the background. “What are they doing?”
Shelly started from the trance, remembering at the child’s voice what she was supposed to be doing, yes. She shook her head, and gave up trying to pick the safe to simply pound it with a fist on top, letting the door pop open.
She was going to need a cold shower when she got home if she couldn’t get her head on straight.
Nothing else happened that day. The show must go on - and after Shelly left the shop, she didn’t see Piper again, as usual. Prison was dreary that day.
Every day, after darkening hours meant the end of the day, there was a little bit of free time to go and fetch food from the various businesses that had busy all day - they usually had plenty of leftover food anyway. Shelly didn’t usually linger long, but tonight felt different somehow.
She saw Piper sitting by herself eating pancakes, and felt an irresistible draw to go and join her. She wasn’t sure why, exactly - there was only a vague knowledge that Piper was the one who spent the most time with her every day probably, aside from Colt, who was annoying, and Spike, who never moved nor spoke.
Piper was kind, though, and chatty, and gave Shelly muffins and… she was very pretty, too.
Shelly walked towards her. “Do you mind if I sit next to you?”
“Oh, Shelly!” Piper smiled. “Please, do!”
So she did. Piper laughed and talked and Shelly felt herself falling - trying desperately to reason with herself why she shouldn’t … ask if she and this woman, who was probably one of the single most important presences in her life, shouldn’t try to see if they could do just a little more.
“Piper-” she said slowly. “I was wondering if you-”
crash!
A scream, a shout, a sudden stench - both Shelly and Piper were abruptly drenched in foul-smelling fluid, dark and inky and clinging to their skin and hair like some kind of slime.
“Oh my god,” Amber said. “Oh my god. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” she picked herself up from the ground, almost in tears. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean -”
“Oh, it’s quite alright, dear,” Piper assured her, rising from the table. “But we really should go get cleaned up lest we set ourselves on fire.”
Shelly looked down at herself and sighed, glumly agreeing. “Yeah.”
Piper was right.
Sometimes Shelly grew lonely, and Colt was not always the best comforter in those times - he was funny and silly and the children loved him - and Shelly did enjoy his company, certainly, but… sometimes she wanted someone who wouldn’t try to cheer up - but just sit and listen to her.
In one such morning, she decided to go to Piper’s early - very early in the morning, long before she was normally scheduled to, just to… say hi, see what she was up to. See if she wanted to talk.
So she trudged into town, gun slung loosely across her back, hands jammed in her pockets, all the way until Piper’s front door. ‘CLOSED’, the sign on the bakery door read. But when Shelly tried to knock, it swung open instead.
Shelly raised her eyebrows slightly. “Piper?”
There was no response, so she entered. But though she climbed the stairs to the little space above the bakery, there was … no one there either. Where was Piper?
Down below, she heard the door open again, so she turned about and hurried back down.
“Oh, Piper? Where were you?” Shelly greeted. “Are you, uh, busy?”
Piper smiled at her, coughing slightly. “Oh, who are you?”
“What?”
“Oh, wait, it’s you, Shelly. The bandit.” Piper frowned. “It’s too early for your stop here, Shelly.”
“Yeah, I know, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to-”
Piper shook her head, coughing again, wisps of smoke from inside her mouth dissipating into the air. “I have much work to do. Perhaps we can meet again tonight at dinner.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I guess.” Shelly’s shoulders fell. “Sorry.”
Shelly left as quietly as she’d come.
There was a place that Shelly liked to sit sometimes and just… think. She didn’t get a chance to go there often, but every now and then she’d get a chance to watch the sun set and sit under the tree she liked - it was farther away from home, near where buildings became taller and more glass and metal than Shelly was used to. But it had a wonderful view of the western horizon, too.
One time she invited Piper there. They sat in the grass together, watching the sky light in fiery colors all above them as the sun slowly down towards the horizon.
Piper gave her her hand, and Shelly took and held it and they set together in a warm, pleasant silence. Shelly was trying to gather her courage to ask something that she hadn’t dared for a while, but she could bear it no longer, not when the moment was so perfect.
“Piper, is it okay if-
A sudden rustling in the trees above them distracted her attention - a short, sharp yelp as a branch snapped violently and a crashing sound. A shower of leaves and branches rained down upon the both of them - along with a whole person, who landed squarely on Shelly, knocking the wind out of her.
“Oh - oh - s-sorry,” Colette muttered. “Am I interrupting? D-don’t let me interrupt. Piper.” Her eyes sparkled and she smiled. “Are you doing okay?” She extended a cloaked hand.
“Oh, goodness, honey, you’re bleeding,” Piper pointed out.
Colette looked down at her hand and started. “Oh - oh - I better get - uh - I’m sorry. I have to clean that up. I can’t s-stain my work uniform.” She stood up and blushed darkly. “Don’t forget me, please. I won’t forget you. I - I c-can’t.”
Her eyes were wide and glassy, intense distress suddenly flickering through them for a second. “I’ve tried. I’ve tried.”
Turning around, she scampered away, holding her hands to her head and muttering to herself. and Shelly groaned, picking herself up again and brushing herself off.
Piper smiled at her. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Shelly replied. “I was just trying to ask- oh.”
The sun was gone, vanished. It was dark. Shelly needed to go home. So did Piper - and everyone. What was she going to ask? She had forgotten.
Maybe it wasn’t important, then. She felt empty inside as she went home, though.
Snow didn’t often come through these parts, the desert, but sometimes it did, and when it did, Shelly… didn’t mind. It would mean no guests, no work… she still went to Piper’s, but it was out of force of habit, a warm fire and mug of hot cocoa and thick blanket as the storm howled and the wind raged outside.
Piper sat next to Shelly on the couch, leaning into her shoulder, staring into the fire, and Shelly’s heart was all aflutter at the touch - the warmth - the comfort.
“Piper,” she said slowly. “I, ah, I really enjoy your company.”
“Aw, thank you, sweetie.” Piper smiled.
“Yeah.” Shelly sighed. “But I want to be honest with you - I think that I might want you to be more than just-”
A sudden sharp rapping came at the door. Shelly stopped mid sentence as Piper looked over at the door.
“One moment,” she said, jumping up and moving away from Shelly. “It’s probably important with that kind of weather.”
It was important. It was Gale.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “The storm is worsening. You all need to return to your own homes just in case some parts of the park are snowed in. I’ve been having to go around and escort people - it’s really bad here.”
And it was. The snow was so thick and heavy that Shelly could barely see her hand in front of her face as she went home.
Her own living room, her own drinks, her own fireplace.
It all seemed considerably less warm.
It was late on the very last time. Shelly was bidding Piper goodnight, because she had to return home for the darkness… but there were a few minutes left, and so she lingered, wistfully.
Piper made her a fantastic dinner, invited her and everything, and it was all so… perfect. Shelly’s face was red as she stood on Piper’s doorstep. Piper was smiling gently at her, as if waiting.
“Can I kiss you?” she asked.
Piper laughed softly. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Shelly leaned forward and-
“Miss? Miss?” It was a tearful child’s voice that interrupted her motion. “I - I can’t find my mommy and daddy.”
There were not supposed to be children here, not this late.
Shelly shuddered - Piper stiffened in her embrace and all of Shelly’s hair stood on end as she wheeled on end, forgetting entirely whatever had been happening before. It was as if some deep and hidden part of her brain had taken over her entirely, pushing every other part out before it. She smiled. “Well, hello there, little man. Let’s see if I can get you right helped, okay?”
The sobbing child nodded.
Piper went back into her house silently.
Shelly’s memories of the evening past that point were hazy.
They were finally alone, properly - in Shelly’s home, far away from bothers and distractions. Piper’s presence in the little bedroom Shelly called her own just felt right . The warm embrace felt like she belonged there.
She could only hope that Piper felt the same way.
“I - I think I love you,” she said slowly.
Piper nodded. “I... yes.” She smiled, a smile that lit the room like the noonday sun in Shelly’s eyes. “I love you too.”
“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” Shelly whispered. “I want to - can we-”
“-kiss?”
Shelly and Piper embraced, leaning into each other once more. The fireworks in Shelly’s brain in that moment were joined by a backing track of faint hissing elsewhere. Their lips met and Shelly melted like putty into Piper’s arms, as if she could feel her heart pounding its way out of her chest.
She never wanted to let this woman go.
The hug tightened.
Green gas swirled around their legs, slowly rising - but Shelly didn’t even notice, didn’t even care. She had only eyes for one single person - only wanted to see Piper happy, only wanted her to know how much she loved her.
Smoke filled the room as they pressed farther on each other.
It was okay - all Shelly could smell was Piper anyway.