Chapter Text
Of course nobody believed her.
Nobody in Purgatory believed an Earp, and especially not Wynonna. The look on Nedley’s face when she explained told the twenty two year old everything she needed to know. The heavy tapping of rain against the window of her pickup as she stared out across the landscape seemed to reflect her melancholy mood. She sat in silence, wondering when anybody would look past her ‘cursed’ last name. She softly shook her head and spoke, not that anybody was there to listen, but just to feel heard. “Pull yourself together Earp, you can’t go all soft now.”
Wynonna had always cursed the long drive to homestead from town, but as she got older she found that it was one of the only true places of peace. The long, winding country roads that led her to her childhood home, where she would never encounter another soul, let her break from her tough-girl exterior and allowed herself to be free. Free from Purgatory, free from college and most importantly, free from the prejudice judgement of others. It was at times like these, when she wondered exactly why Waverly didn’t get out of this shittown like she did, and why she even came back.
College had never really been an option for Wynonna, sure her grades were decent, but it wasn’t the person she was. Wynonna had always dreamed of travelling the world, exploring everything she could, meeting people who didn’t judge her for something she couldn’t control. That’s when she finally allowed somebody in for the first time in her life... big mistake.
The thought alone sparked both rage and pain simultaneously in Wynonna’s chest and caused her to accelerate far past the legal limit until she reached the Homestead. She parked her pickup in the driveway, slammed the door to try to rid herself of that deep, burning sensation of rage, and entered her childhood home that she had tried so hard to reclaim for herself.
*****
Nicole turned up the radio as she navigated herself through the winding roads to Purgatory. Straight out of the academy she had applied, and then accepted to the position in Purgatory as the Sheriff’s Deputy. Nicole hadn’t expected her application to be accepted yet she felt pulled to the position, something about the quaint town and its questionable name intrigued her. When she’d met with Sheriff Nedley and even Lonnie she felt that she could fit into their system whilst bringing something new.
This is where she was born to serve.
Distracted for a moment, checking the map on her passenger seat because she refuses to use any technology when she could just figure it out for herself, she notices a dash of blue parked in a driveway. She’d taken this exact route twice when she visited and departed Purgatory but never noticed the strikingly blue pickup truck that resided there. As she continued down the road, she wondered who would live this far from town. This wonder kept her mind occupied as she travelled down the lonely, silent road towards the next stage or her life. Towards Purgatory.
*****
Stupid cops. Wynonna knew better than to have put even the slightest inch of trust into them, believing they could help her. Ever since the accident with Daddy and Willa that resulted in their deaths, Wynonna felt especially the police department, as well as the whole town, were against her. She saw the side eye glances, the nasty stares, and snide comments on her return to Purgatory after almost four years. All but Waverly - of course. Waverly has always been her favourite person, the one she would protect until the end, yet Wynonna couldn’t help but be jealous of her younger sister from time to time. The town adored her, felt sorry for her loss. She wondered why they would never treat her like that, shed a tear of empathy for the girl who had to watch her Father and Sister die right before her eyes.
Why can’t they understand that she was only sixteen?
Fighting back the tears that pricked her eyes, Wynonna grabbed the closet bottle of whiskey and drank. It’d long been her way of coping, along with sleeping with whoever she damn wanted. Maybe she’d venture out to Shorty’s later, why not? But for now; home, whiskey and pizza seemed like the best bet.
*****
Nicole smiled as she parks her car right in-front of the entrance to the Police Station. She quickly checks her braid has kept neat after the long drive before opening - and carefully closing - her car door and heading inside the Station. She flashed her trademark dimpled smile to a fellow Officer and approached Nedley’s office. She hesitates as she raises her hand to knock on the door and takes a deep, nervous breath. Pull it together Haught, you’ve got this. Nicole knocks, hoping the Sheriff is actually in there. Though, judging by the distinct two voices she only now picks up on, coming from inside the room she feels like she may have interrupted an important discussion. The expeditious opening of the door and a girl that Nicole presumed to be a maximum of twenty years old stormed out, clearly distressed. Feeling way out of her depth, Nicole stared between the Sheriff and the retreating form of the girl, before watching her sheepishly turn around and jog back towards Nicole.
“I’m so sorry, that was really rude of me to almost push you out of the way like that! My head’s just somewhere else.” The girl pauses, “I don’t think we’ve met before so... Hi! I’m Waverly... Earp,” she adds, wondering if it meant anything to the newcomer.
“I’m Nicole. Nicole Haught.” Nicole smiles and politely shakes her hand. To Nicole, Waverly seemed to be immensely passionate about something, to the extent she would storm out of the Sheriff’s office, yet she seemed so calm and sweet simultaneously. She figured that something the Sheriff had done clearly had Waverly’s feathers ruffled - and Nicole was intrigued to discover what that could be.
Waverly smiles back at her, “Nice to meet you, Nicole! Are you sticking around or just here for a visit?”
“Well I just got the job as Sheriff’s deputy, so sticking around... hopefully.” Nicole chuckles nervously.
“In that case, I hope to see you around! Hey, maybe I could be your first friend here and show you around if you’d like?”
“I would really like that, thanks Waverly.”
The younger girl smiled at Nicole before her attention was drawn to the sound of incoming text on her phone. “Oh fudgenuggets, I really have to go see my sister, see you around!” She beamed before turning and quickly making her way out of the station.
Nicole smiled to herself at the prospect of a friend already, before turning to face Sheriff Randy Nedley.
“She’s a good kid, Haught. Nicest person in Purgatory, wish the same could be said for her troublemaker of a sister.” The way he spoke fondly of Waverly confirmed Nicole’s suspicions that there was no true animosity between the two - merely frustration. Though, it did make the redhead wonder what Waverly’s sister was like. Nedley continued, “Come on in Haught, I’ll get you sorted with your uniform and briefed on the Earp case.”
Nicole jerked herself out of her reverie and replied with a simple, “Yes, Sir.”
*****
Waverly gently pushed open the front door to the Homestead and walks inside, glancing around for any sign of her sister. “Wynonna? Where are you?” She called, making her way to the living room, suspecting that’s where she would be.
“In here, babygirl.” she replied, taking another swig from her bottle of whiskey. “Come to see the crazy chick who nobody believes again?”
Waverly sighs and sits next to her sister. “I talked to Nedley, tried to get him to reconsider. What she did to you, Wynonna, was so wrong and we won’t let her get away with it, I swear.”
“Waves, you know how much the entire town hates me, there’s no way those motherfuckering narcs are going to take my side. No matter how much evidence I have against her.”
Waverly sighs in defeat and carefully puts her arms around her sister, changing the subject slightly. “I met a new officer today, she seems nice from what I can tell so far, and you know I’m an excellent judge of character.” This indeed was a fact Waverly prided herself on.
Rolling her eyes, Wynonna takes another sip. “They’re all the same. What makes you think this one is any different? Daddy, Nedley, even Lonnie, they’re all hypocrites. They don’t give a damn about anybody, just stupidly written laws.”
“Don’t judge before you meet somebody. I have a good feeling about this one, so just trust me on this.” Waverly gently strokes her hand over Wynonna’s in an effort to somehow help her reason.
“I trust you babygirl, I just don’t trust cops. Not a single one of them.”
It was Waverly’s turn to roll her eyes, “Wynonna, I love you and you know I just went and confronted Nedley for you but you need to at least consider what I’m saying.”
Wynonna merely nods and drinks yet another mouthful of whiskey - hoping it’ll numb the pain of having everything stolen from beneath her.