Archive of Our Own

To say this was one of the worst winters Purgatory had ever seen was an understatement. The wind chill was far into the negatives, the sun had barely shown itself in the last week, and there were threats of an impending snow storm far worse than what the Ghost River Triangle had ever seen.

So of course, that meant Wynonna felt it was the perfect time for their whole group to have a secluded cabin getaway, despite some protests.

“Wynonna, is this really the best idea?” Waverly asked from her spot at the conference table in BBD. They were attempting to finalize their plans for the trip, but Waverly had been having doubts about the safety and practicality of it.

“Babygirl, it’ll be fine. Besides, doesn’t a cabin far out in the middle of nowhere sound so romantic?” Wynonna exaggerated with a wiggle of her eyebrows.

Brining her hand up to her forehead, Waverly sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Well that sounds great for you, Wy, but I’m flying solo this time, remember? I dumped Champ weeks ago.”

Wynonna scoffed, offering her sister an incredulous look. “Waverly. Come on. You and I both know you wouldn’t have to be going sexless right now if you would just tell deputy Haught-to-trot how you feel-“

“Wynonna,” Waverly warned, leaving no room for argument or her sister's two cents. Sure, she’d had a massive crush on the gorgeous redheaded cop, who also happened to be one of their closest friends, since she had met the woman, and sure, everyone claimed it was very obviously reciprocated, but still, she couldn’t risk what they had based on all of her friends’ ‘astute’ observation skills.

Especially when one of those people was Wynonna, her sister whom she loved dearly, but frankly couldn’t find her own ass with a map most of the time.

“Look, Waverly, all I’m asking is that you go up to the cabin an hour or so before the rest of us to set up. Dolls, Jeremy, and I have to finish this BBD shit, Doc and Rosita are busy at Shorty’s, and Mercedes and Chrissy aren’t answering their phones.” Wynonna paused and looked at her sister with pleading eyes. “Please Babygirl? You can even take Nicole with you-”

Waverly shook her head fervently, cutting the older brunette off. “No. No, I am not dragging Nicole into this.”

“Not dragging Nicole into what?” A voice spoke up from the doorway. Waverly’s eyes widened as she looked up, and Wynonna’s face lit up as she whipped around towards the figure leaning against the doorframe.

“Haught! We were just talking about you,” Wynonna lilted, glancing back at Waverly with a shit-eating grin. Waverly frowned, shooting her sister a glare.

Raising an eyebrow, Nicole looked on in confusion as she leaned further into the frame. “Yeahhh, I caught that. That’s why I said my name when repeating Waverly. Also, hi Waverly.” Nicole smiled bashfully with a small wave towards the younger woman, a light blush on her cheeks and her tone turning sugary sweet when addressing the smaller girl.

Waverly reciprocated the gesture, wiggling her fingers slightly at the redhead as her nerves kicked in. “Hi,” she said softly.

No matter how many times Waverly had been around the woman, her heart still lurched in her chest just at the sight of her, not to mention the sound of her voice. Everytime, it was enough to turn Waverly into a completely useless mess.

She really needed to learn how to do this whole ‘liking women’ thing.

Wynonna huffed out a breath. “Jesus,” she muttered to herself, although it was just loud enough for Waverly to hear. “I was just telling Waverly here that we needed someone to go down to the cabin early to set things up, and I told her that you wouldn’t mind going with her so she wouldn’t have to go alone.”

“Wynonna…” Waverly growled lowly in warning, her eyes narrowing as she casted her sister a side glance.

“Yeah of course, I don’t mind,” Nicole said simply, completely missing the tension in the room between the two sisters.

Whipping her head up, Waverly looked at Nicole, her eyes wide in surprise. “You- you don’t?” Waverly stuttered, her surprise evident in her voice.

Nicole shrugged. “Of course not. We would just have to wait about thirty minutes until I’m off, but I’d be more than happy to go with you, if that’s okay,” the officer said earnestly, her eyes warm and sincere.

A blush rose up Waverly’s neck at the kindness in the woman’s voice, and she had to look down at the ground in order to keep her composure. Her lips quirked in a small smile as she nodded her assent, and she could practically feel Wynonna gagging in disgust.

She kind of loved it.

“Okay, yeah, that works for me.” Waverly looked up at the redhead through her lashes just in time to see her smile back.

Wynonna clapped her hands in triumph. “Alright, great. I’ll tell everyone we’re set, and we’ll all meet you guys down there in a few hours or so.”

Nicole perked up, her body straightening when she pushed off the door frame. “Wait, isn’t this kind of a bad idea? I’ve heard that storm’s supposed to get really bad…” Nicole said hesitantly.

Waverly crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow at her older sister, daring her to challenge the officer. “See?” Waverly said smugly, in her most ‘I told you so’ voice.

Wynonna just rolled her eyes, unaffected. “It’ll be fine, Haught-shot. We’ll get up there before the storm sets in, and then we’ll be safe if shit hits the fan. Trust me.”

The redhead still seemed a little hesitant, her brow creased in concern and contemplation, which Waverly couldn’t blame her for. Hell, she felt the same way. Everything about this trip screamed ‘bad idea’, but when Wynonna was dead set on something, they all knew it was going to happen.

It was always best to just go along with it, and if all hell broke loose, give the older Earp shit for it later.

“Okay, Wy. We’ll go when Nicole gets off, just help me load the Jeep,” Waverly conceded with a sigh as she made her way over to the door, brushing her side against the redhead’s inadvertently as she passed. She felt goosebumps form where their bodies brushed together, and when she looked back she saw Nicole attempt to suppress a shiver.

It was kind of nice knowing that maybe, just maybe, Waverly had the same effect on Nicole as she did on her.

*****
After finishing packing up the jeep, Waverly waited outside in the car patiently, listening to music and sipping on her tea. She knew she could have gone back in to wait for Nicole, but all that would have resulted in would have been longing stares and drooling on her part.

At least now she was able to admit that to herself and not have a panic attack afterwards, that was progress.

Before her thoughts could spiral any further, the passenger door opened, startling her enough to spill some of her coffee onto her shirt.

“Oh, shit,” Waverly hissed as she immediately reached for the material to pull it away from her body. The stain wasn’t big enough to be very noticeable, but the drink was hot enough to burn.

Nicole’s eyes widened once she got situated in her seat and turned to Waverly, suddenly comprehending the woman’s muttered cursing. “Fuck, are you okay??” she asked frantically, her hands reaching out uselessly between them.

Waverly sighed and nodded, letting go of the fabric between her fingers just for it to cling back to her skin. “Yeah, I’m alright. I’ve got a shirt in the back somewhere, I can just change when we get there.”

She went to turn the key in the ignition to start her jeep until Nicole’s hand halted her movements.

She froze.

They had never really touched much, besides accidental brushes and lingering goodbye hugs. Waverly could feel the electricity coursing through her veins at just the simplest touch.

“Wave, we’ve got a two hour drive ahead of us. Do you really want to be uncomfortable in a soggy shirt the entire time?” Nicole reasoned. Her gaze flicked down to their hands as realization must have hit her.

Their hands might have been touching for too long. Too long to just be considered friendly.

Waverly noticed the shift as Nicole withdrew her hand and placed it back into her lap. Waverly nodded in agreement, her gay panic subsiding just long enough for her to gain her bearings over the situation.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she admitted. She unbuckled her seatbelt and reached into the backseat, rifling through her bag until she was able to find a sweater. “Okay, ah- maybe just… you know…” Waverly trailed off, bringing her hands up to her eyes to explain her point.

Nicole chuckled and nodded her head. “I think I know the drill by now, Waves.” The redhead turned to face the window the best she could in her position as she closed her eyes, giving the woman the privacy she needed. Waverly thought back to their first meeting, heat rushing to her cheeks as she smiled to herself bashfully.

Letting out a shaky breath, Waverly removed her soaked shirt. She instantly felt better when she threw the dry sweatshirt over her head, the warmth encompassing her petite frame.

“Okay, you can look now.”

Nicole turned back to her, a lopsided grin on her face as she looked Waverly up and down, taking in her new outfit. “Cute,” she said simply, her eyes shining earnestly before turning to look out the windshield. “I’ve got the directions pulled up, so I’ll be your personal mapquest if you be the DJ?”

Waverly giggled, shaking her head at the woman as she turned the key in the ignition and threw the car in reverse. “Sounds good to me,” she muttered to herself, even though she knew the redhead could hear her based on the smirk she was sporting.

Frankly, Waverly was still trying to keep her head from spinning after the simple, yet sweet compliment from the officer. She shook her head clear of any intruding thoughts revolving around Nicole, cranking the radio up as they set off to the cabin.

It was going to be a long drive if Nicole kept saying things like that to her.

*****
“God, I always forget how huge this place is,” Nicole breathed, her head swiveling as she took in the sight of the large entry area. Waverly trudged up behind her, lugging a suitcase that was practically as big as herself. Nicole had tried to convince Waverly to let her grab it, but dropped the offer when she saw the determined, steely gaze in hazel eyes.

Nicole must have known it was a hopeless battle, and decided to just let Waverly prove her Amazonian strength.

Waverly Earp knew she could be difficult sometimes. All five feet and four inches of her.

Waverly huffed once she was finally able to drag the bag over the threshold. “Right, I forgot you only started coming with us last year.”

Nicole nodded as she rolled her own bag over the finished hardwood floor. “Yep. I remember it very vividly. I remember Wynonna ‘accidentally’ shoving Champ in the hot tub after he made some incredibly sexist comment to you and basically insinuated you couldn’t be both pretty and smart.” Nicole rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth at the memory, and Waverly quirked an eyebrow questioningly at the unexpectedly passionate response. She hated having to be with Champ around Nicole, especially for something so intimate like one of their getaway trips.

Waverly let out an amused huff at the story as she followed Nicole into the open living room. “Oh, Champ Hardy. God he was a dick and three quarters back then.”

Turning her head to look over her shoulder, Nicole raised an eyebrow at the brunette incredulously. “Back then?” she challenged.

Waverly shrugged. “Okay, yeah, that’s pretty fair,” she conceded with a soft laugh. She thought back to Champ's childish behavior throughout their entire trip last year. How he couldn't seem to get along with a single person the whole weekend. How all he really wanted was alone time with Waverly, although it was really only to do one thing that Waverly really didn’t want to do with all of her closest friends and family in the neighboring rooms.

Also how Wynonna threw him into the hot tub for Waverly’s defense. That was pretty hilarious.

Even though Waverly had to hear Champ complain about it for the rest of the trip, it was easily the highlight for her.

“I still can’t believe she did that,” she laughed, shaking her head fondly as she thought about her sister.

Wynonna. Fierce, insanely protective, and surprisingly soft Wynonna.

Her best friend.

Nicole laughed with her while she started unpacking their bags. “Yeah, well, she mainly chose that because she decided it was… tamer… than what I wanted to do,” the redhead admitted.

Waverly noticed the slight blush rise up the woman’s cheeks at the admission, and she couldn’t help the smirk that crept onto her lips. “Oh really? And what did you want to do?” she asked in amusement, her eyes twinkling with a softness that was strictly reserved for Nicole.

Nicole. Passionate, incredibly loyal, and unmistakably brave Nicole.

The woman Waverly was pretty sure she was falling in love with.

The redhead didn't respond, instead she just shot Waverly a cheeky wink with her lopsided, dimpled, ridiculously attractive smirk before walking into the adjoining kitchen to put away some of the food Wynonna had packed.

Yep. She was falling in love alright. Despite her reservations.

It’s not that Waverly didn't trust Nicole with her heart. It was the complete opposite. The problem was she did, and it was so easy for her to.

Completely and utterly trusting someone without any hesitation was something Waverly had never really done. Even with Wynonna, she always had a fear that things wouldn’t work out this time. That Wynonna would leave her again, alone and scared like she had when she was eighteen years old.

Sure, Waverly had technically been an adult. Legally. But those were important years in her life, and she wanted her sister to be there with her during it.

But Nicole? Nicole had stayed with her for the last year and a half. Unwavering. With her constant support and care. It made Waverly’s heart seize in her chest when she thought back on all the times Nicole had just been there. From grabbing drinks at Shortys to get Waverly’s mind off of a long shift, right down to late nights at the station when Nicole would stay long past her shift, without dinner, and Waverly would come down just to sit with her. She even went as far as to start bringing the deputy any food she could scrap from the kitchen before close, just so she could take care of the woman and spend a little extra time with her.

Waverly knew, deep down, that there was a likely possibility that Nicole felt the same way she did. Even though she refused to admit it out loud, let alone to anyone else who tried to talk to her about it.

Apparently everyone in their group could see it except them, but Waverly refused to make the first move. She couldn’t.

Because what if they were all wrong?

Then what?

“Hey, Waves?” Nicole called from the kitchen where she was putting the last of the food away.

This was the first time Waverly had ever seen Wynonna only get things that didn’t need refrigeration, and Waverly had the sneaking suspicion that even Wynonna knew how bad the storm was actually supposed to get.

“Yeah?” Waverly responded back, making her way over to Nicole to stand in front of the kitchen window the redhead was staring out of. “Holy…”

“Shit,” Nicole finished in the same awed tone. The snow was heavy, already blanketing the ground and window sill despite just starting a few minutes prior.

If this was the beginning, Waverly was seriously worried about what the end would look like.

“I hope they’re almost here…” Waverly trailed off worriedly, rushing back towards the living room to grab her phone in case of an update. She didn’t like the idea of all of them driving in these conditions, especially if they were all just now leaving Purgatory.

Nicole continued to stare out the window, her hands bracing herself on the kitchen counter as she watched the entire sky reflect white.

It was beautiful, but in these conditions, it was terrifying.

“Uhh… Nicole?” Waverly called out, her voice shaking slightly as she read the text on her screen.

“Hmm?” Nicole hummed as she finally turned around. When she noticed the worry on Waverly’s face, she made her way over to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “What’s wrong?”

Waverly sighed, her body subconsciously leaning towards the comfort of Nicole’s presence as she read her most recent text from her sister back to Nicole. “‘Hey sis, change of plans. You and Haught shot were right, the weather’s way too bad for us to drive in. Can you believe it?’”

“Jesus… Wynon-“

“‘Since you guys are already down there, I would just stay put. There’s enough food up there for the both of you and it’s probably safest. If the weather’s better tomorrow, you can try to head back.’ She does realize this isn’t just going to be over in a day, right?” Waverly asked rhetorically in annoyance, not even giving Nicole the chance to speak before continuing. “‘You and Nicole have fun though-‘“

“Nicole…” the redhead repeated in confusion, her brow scrunching even as Waverly kept reading.

“‘Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do… or would. Love, your older, wiser sister.’” Waverly’s brow furrowed similarly to Nicole’s once she was finished, her confusion somehow worse than it had been in the beginning. “Why the fuck did she write that out like a letter?”

“And why did she call me Nicole? She never calls me Nicole.”

Waverly huffed before typing furiously on her keyboard. Nicole peaked over the brunette’s shoulder, reading the responding text Waverly was drafting before she hit send.

They both watched as the ‘sending’ logo buffered for a few seconds, until the inevitable ‘not delivered’ popped up under her message.

“Shit,” they hissed simultaneously. They whipped their heads towards each other, their faces millimeters apart as hazel eyes locked with brown.

Waverly could feel Nicole’s steady breathing against her lips, and for a fleeting second, her eyes dropped down to those soft, pink lips. She quickly looked back up, hoping to whatever god there was that Nicole hadn’t noticed, even though she knew it was unlikely with how focused Nicole was on her features.

Nicole’s breath hitched, her eyes widening slightly in surprise when she noticed the subtle move.

“Nic…”

Click

Their eyes widened, although despite their proximity, they couldn’t really see each other’s expressions in the now sudden darkness.

“Waverly…” Nicole trailed off calmly, her voice low as she attempted to soothe the nervous energy she could feel radiating from the brunette.

Waverly inhaled shakily as she dropped her phone, her hands coming out quickly to grasp for any part of Nicole she could reach. She gripped the redhead’s t-shirt tightly in her fists as she squeaked, “I’m afraid of the dark.”

She couldn’t help but be embarrassed. She was a grown, independent woman, who refused to let others do things for her, like carry a suitcase almost twice her size for her, and yet here she was, afraid of the fucking dark.

Nicole’s eyes softened, and Waverly could barely see the shift in the darkness that encompassed them. She slowly, in an obvious effort to not startle the woman, brought her hands up to Waverly’s that were clutching the fabric over her shoulders. She untangled Waverly’s fingers from the material and intertwined their fingers, running her thumbs over Waverly’s hands in a placating gesture.

Waverly’s shoulders relaxed and her breathing came out easier as she let her thoughts shift. She knew Nicole knew the reasons behind her irrational fears. They had spoken about them extensively one night, Nicole even eventually opening up and sharing her own fear of heights after a climbing excursion gone wrong.

Ever since that fateful night at the homestead, when the darkness had crept into Waverly’s life in more ways than one, she had been unable to function without at least one lamp or flashlight handy-

Wait…

Flashlight.

Waverly gasped, letting go of Nicole’s hands quickly to reach for her phone on the floor. She swiped through to her flashlight, and smiled in triumph when the room was illuminated in a soft glow.

“Oh thank god,” Waverly breathed, a light chuckle of relief escaping her lips.

Nicole laughed with her as she brought one of her hands up to reach for Waverly’s free one boldly. Waverly quirked an eyebrow in surprise at the action, but Nicole just shoved it off with a charming smirk. “Just in case.”

Waverly huffed out an amused laugh as she allowed herself to be led to the kitchen. Despite her confusion at the sudden change in location, she continued to just follow Nicole’s lead. It didn’t take long for Nicole to explain herself once they stopped in front of one of the bags.

The redhead searched through the suitcase, feeling around for the items in question. “I swore I saw some candles in here earlier… aha!” Nicole grinned in triumph when she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the candles Wynonna had stashed and turned to Waverly.

Waverly just looked on in amusement, the corners of her lips twitching softly, despite her slight confusion. “So you're telling me that my sister had the hindsight to pack candles, but not to just cancel the fucking trip?” she asked incredulously.

Nicole just giggled. An all out, girly giggle, and Waverly somehow fell harder when the noise escaped the woman’s lips. This trip was about to be the death of her, and she couldn’t figure out how she had gotten so screwed in this situation thanks to her sister, who seemed to have a much better foresight for the weather than Waverly had possibly given her credit for.

Honestly, Wynonna was such an enigma, and Waverly was pretty sure she was going to kill her when she got home.

*****
An hour later, they had managed to eat a small portion of their dinner in the dimly lit kitchen before they finally gave up and retreated to the living room. With no electricity, the cabin grew a lot colder than anticipated, leaving it hard for them to function during basic tasks like eating.

Waverly shivered while Nicole crouched in front of the fireplace, attempting to light the logs they had found on the deck. The wood had already soaked in some moisture due to the storm, which made lighting a fire a lot more difficult than Nicole had probably been prepared for.

Waverly sat with her knees against her chest as she leaned back against the couch, watching the redhead grow increasingly frustrated.

It was cute, really. How Nicole would get a little excited when she thought she had seen a spark, only to mutter and curse in annoyance when the flame was snuffed out.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity but was really only a few minutes, Waverly heard Nicole gasp; a hopeful sound at the prospect of success. The crackling of the fire was the second sound she heard, and she laughed happily when Nicole turned to her with a beaming grin and victory in her mocha eyes.

“You did it!” Waverly cheered, her excitement only rivaled by Nicole’s own. Nicole collapsed onto the floor, her smile never faltering as she curled up against the couch and faced Waverly.

“You’ve got yourself a lesbian that can start a fire here, Earp. Be careful, I’m slowly growing unstoppable,” the redhead joked.

Waverly rolled her eyes fondly as she snuggled further into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. “Should I be worried about you setting fire to the cabin while we’re sleeping now?” Waverly fired back, the gleam in her eye only growing more mischievous when she watched the smirk appear on Nicole’s face.

“I don't think that’ll be a problem,” Nicole chuckled. “My fingers are too frozen for me to even think about committing arson right now, but check back next trip and we’ll see” the redhead quipped.

Waverly giggled before attempting to suppress a shiver. The cold wasn’t as bad when she wasn’t focused on it, but Nicole drawing attention to it caused Waverly’s body to react viscerally.

Nicole’s face quickly shifted to concern when she noticed the brunette’s reaction. Waverly shrugged it off. “I mean hey, on the bright side, at least it would be warm.”

Nicole chuckled at the smaller girl’s attempt at humor, but her smile didn’t quite meet her eyes. Her worry still clouded the soft mocha as she inspected Waverly carefully, and without a second thought she was standing up and pulling off her hoodie.

“Wha- Nicole! What the hell are you doing?” Waverly asked incredulously, her eyes bulging out of her head as she not only watched Nicole give up her one source of warmth, but also watched the lean muscle under her white tank top strain against her movements.

God dammit. As much as Waverly really wanted Nicole to put her clothes back on for the woman’s own safety, she desperately needed her to take more off…

Nicole shrugged nonchalantly, draping her hoodie over one of the couch cushions as she took her seat again. She acted unaffected, even though Waverly could tell she was trying to keep a straight face as she tried to adapt to the sudden cold.

“I was getting hot,” Nicole lied, moving to face the fire more.

Waverly scoffed. “Nicole, it’s like negative twenty in here.”

Nicole shrugged again. “My kind of weather,” she replied easily without turning to look at Waverly.

“I can literally see the goosebumps on your arms,” Waverly argued.

“Maybe that’s just from being so close to you,” the redhead responded smoothly. Waverly sputtered, any attempt she was about to make to retort that comment was lost on her tongue. Nicole finally turned to her, a teasing smirk on her lips that didn’t quite match the softness in her eyes. “Waves, just put on the hoodie. Please?” she whispered softly in the space between them.

Waverly was lost for words. She never in a million years would have accepted the offer, except her attempts at fighting the woman were growing weaker and weaker.

“But… but you’ll get colder…” she tried.

Nicole just gave her an earnest smile. “I’ll be okay. I’m a natural heater,” she said softly. Waverly sighed, her will to fight the woman struggling against the freezing cold. “Please, just put it on before my body heat leaves it and you have to start at square one. Don’t let my sacrifice be in vain,” she joked playfully, even as her teeth started to lightly chatter.

Waverly had had enough. She knew what she had to do, even if it’s not exactly what she wanted to do in that moment. She stood up and shrugged off the blanket, reaching over the couch to throw the hoodie on over her sweatshirt. She saw Nicole smile gratefully, and she knew the arguing would be over.

But Waverly wasn’t done yet.

She grabbed the blanket from the floor and moved closer to the fire, taking a seat right in front of it and looking back at Nicole expectantly.

Nicole raised an eyebrow in confusion and amusement as she watched Waverly pat the spot beside her and shot the redhead a look, as if her intentions had been obvious.

Nicole huffed humorously as she scooted up towards the fireplace, her sweatpants dragging against the cold wooden floor until they were practically against the warm mantle. Waverly immediately leaned into Nicole, wrapping the blanket around both of their shoulders and throwing her other arm over the taller woman’s waist to bring her in closer.

The redhead froze for a solid minute, and Waverly was worried that she might have crossed a line. Waverly could feel Nicole’s curves against her own, and everything Nicole Haught flooded her senses. She had a feeling based on the woman’s body language, Nicole was struggling with the same issues.

This time, it was Nicole’s turn to stutter. “Wha- uh… what are you doing?” Nicole stammered, her mind clearly derailing and losing any and all kinds of sense.

Waverly shrugged noncommittally, secretly enjoying the sudden role reversal between them. It was refreshing.

“Cuddling. It’s cold,” she said simply as she worked to keep her poker face in check.

Nicole exhaled shakily, nodding quickly in what Waverly could only assume was gay panic. It made Waverly feel a lot more confident. A lot bolder.

She snaked her hand the rest of the way over Nicole’s hip, pulling them flush together as she buried her face in Nicole’s neck. She enjoyed watching the way the firelight danced against Nicole’s pale skin, the light yellow and orange tones contrasting with her natural skin tone.

It took a minute, Waverly noticed, not only for Nicole to warm up to the idea of being this close to Waverly, but also to truly feel comfortable with the idea of making a move, before she finally willed herself to wrap her arm around Waverly’s shoulders. Waverly sighed contentedly when she felt Nicole pull her impossibly closer, and she smiled softly as she melted into the taller woman’s side.

“Well I guess if we’re going to be here all night, we kind of have to do everything to stay warm, huh?” Nicole murmured, seemingly relenting under the pressure of Waverly’s body against her own.

Waverly hummed in agreement, somehow burying her face further into Nicole’s collarbone. She felt more than heard Nicole’s soft chuckle, and didn’t even protest when she felt herself being pushed back to lie on the ground.

She felt Nicole’s body press firmly against her back as she snuggled further back into the redhead’s warmth, the fire in front of her be damned. Nicole wrapped her arms firmly around Waverly’s waist, not allowing there to be an ounce of space between them.

Not that Waverly was complaining.

Not at all.

Waverly found herself growing more addicted to the warmth radiating from Nicole than the heat of the fire. There was something deep burning in her chest, a different kind of fire that couldn’t be put out by water or lack of oxygen.

The comfort she was feeling from just being in Nicole’s arms was enough to outweigh any feeling she had ever felt in her entire life. She hadn’t even noticed when her eyelids began to droop, her eyes staying closed for a lot longer than she had been anticipating.

She was on the brink of sleep when she heard it. The quiet, whispered, confession that was so soft she wasn’t even sure she hadn’t imagined it.

“The amount of times I’ve dreamt of doing something like this… you in my arms, cuddled against me- god, I really hope I’m not making this awkward-“ the redhead rambled into brown locks, the nervous energy seeping through the end of her words.

“Why haven’t you?” Waverly interrupted, her hand stroking softly at the arm wrapped around her waist.

“W- what do you mean?” Nicole breathed out.

Waverly suddenly felt wide awake now, her confidence soaring under Nicole’s uttered confession.

“I mean…” she trailed off as she slowly turned in Nicole’s arms, allowing them to now be face to face. Waverly wanted Nicole to see. See that she was in this too. See that Waverly had felt the same all along. That she had had the same dreams all along. “Why haven’t you done something like this yet?” she whispered.

Nicole’s lips quirked in a playful smile, her eyes shimmering with hope and adoration for the woman in front of her. “I’m doing it now, aren't I?” she teased lightly.

Waverly rolled her eyes affectionately. “Yeah, because I practically forced your arms around me,” she laughed.

Nicole had the audacity to at least look somewhat offended at that. “Wha-?! Okay, first off, you make it sound like this is not consensual, which, trust me, it most definitely is. And second, sure, maybe I was a little… reserved for a minute-

“For like, two years,” Waverly interjected with a teasing smirk.

Nicole squinted at the brunette in mock annoyance. “For a minute,” she reiterated pointedly.

Waverly bit her lip to stifle a giggle.

“But… maybe now I’ve finally realized that if you really want something, you should just go for it…” she trailed off suggestively before looking over Waverly’s shoulder at the fire. “Plus, you’ve made it abundantly clear tonight that my reservations this whole time were stupid,” she admitted bashfully.

Waverly brought her hand up to Nicole’s cheek, using her forefinger to tilt her face back so they could look each other in the eyes. “Not stupid…” she whispered confidently, using the same hand to push a loose strand of red hair behind the woman’s ear. “I had them too.”

Nicole smiled coyly. “So we were both blind?” she said bluntly.

Waverly laughed loudly.

“Apparently. You’re not even the first person to say that to me, actually. Why do you think you got conned into coming up here with me?”

Nicole’s eyes widened as the pieces finally started to fall into place. “Wow… and here I thought I just had luck on my side this morning,” she chortled.

“Yeah, if luck was in the form of a gun-toting, supernatural demon killer, then sure, luck was definitely on your side.”

Nicole smirked, using the arm wrapped around the smaller woman’s waist to pull her further into her body. “Say Wynonna wasn’t my luck… do you think I have any left that I could use tonight?”

The cheeky tone was instantly caught by Waverly, and her heart thudded in her chest at the implications of the woman’s words. She swallowed hard, chancing a glance at the redhead’s lips before looking back up into darkened mocha eyes. The fire reflected in those eyes, in more ways than one.

Waverly found herself nodding, not quite trusting her voice to properly portray just how much luck Nicole really had.

How much luck Waverly seemed to apparently have.

She honestly couldn’t even make a joke about the double meaning of ‘getting lucky’ at this point. Not when Nicole was looking at her like that.

Slowly, oh so slowly but surely, Nicole leaned into Waverly’s space, her lips ghosting over Waverly’s own for the briefest of moments. She let her lips linger, allowing Waverly time to pull away if she suddenly changed her mind.

Just in case she suddenly regretted this and wanted to pretend this entire conversation hadn’t taken place.

As if.

Waverly brought her hand to the back of Nicole’s neck, tugging her the last centimeter until their lips collided in a whirlwind of sensations. Waverly wasn’t sure what she was more aware of in this moment; the feeling of soft, persistent lips against her own, starting out hesitant before growing more sure in their efforts, or the feeling of a gentle yet rough hand gripping at her hip, nails digging into the waistband of her sweatpants.

If someone had told Waverly a year ago that she would be here right now, making out with Nicole Haught while the brunette’s tongue swiped across her bottom lip begging for entrance, she would have said they were insane. Hell, if someone had told her that this morning, she would have laughed in their face and walked away. But then again, here she was, darting her tongue into the redhead’s now opening mouth in response to Waverly’s persistent, silent pleas.

Their tongues danced together in tandem, Waverly’s growing bolder as she licked inside Nicole’s mouth and curled her tongue against the back of Nicole’s teeth in a filthy move that utterly shocked the redhead.

A groan escaped Nicole's lips, and Waverly couldn’t help but think back to all of the times she had started to lose hope. All the times she had started believing that there was no way Nicole had really felt the same.

Waverly had been with Champ, refusing to get her hopes up enough to completely change her life around. Waverly had been straight, or at least, that was as far as she had known. But now?

Well, Waverly didn’t feel very straight as she clawed at Nicole’s shoulder, pushing deeper into her mouth.

Nicole’s fingers on Waverly’s skin burned hot, hotter than the fire that currently sat only a few feet away from them, and it felt good. Nicole had been freezing all night, and Waverly could tell, the woman offering her only jacket up to the brunette who had a tendency to get much colder than she did.

Plus, Nicole cared a lot more about Waverly’s comfort than her own, that much was obvious.

Although, despite how badly Waverly wanted things to progress here, she knew it was a bad idea. It was too cold, and they were technically in a survival situation whether it really felt that way or not. The last thing they needed to be doing was shedding clothes, even if that was the first thing Waverly wanted to do.

That could always be saved for later.

When they weren’t in a cabin that was below zero, with no power for who knew how long.

Nicole moved to pull away as she slowed their kisses down; their hot and heavy make-out session turning more into a sweet and tender exchange of pecks and lingering touches. When she finally pulled away enough, she rested her forehead against Waverly’s, panting heavily as she fought to catch her breath.

Waverly’s hands were skimming the exposed skin of her collarbone, along her shoulders, down her arms, and Nicole began to shiver from what Waverly could assume was something other than the cold.

“Baby…” Nicole muttered. She brushed the tip of her nose along the bridge of Waverly’s, and Waverly could see the pride in Nicole’s eyes when she let out a deep sigh in contentment at the simple gesture.

“I know,” Waverly sighed, shaking her head slightly with a bashful smile on her face as she looked down at the redhead’s neck. Anywhere but her face, really. “It’s too cold for… anything more than that… right now. Even if that did make me feel all… Haught and bothered…” she teased, looking up again to meet the woman’s gaze.

Nicole laughed outwardly, pulling Waverly’s hips playfully towards her own. “No, stop, you have got to stop getting puns from your sister. You can’t start doing this too,” she pleaded, although it was clearly a fruitless attempt.

The seed had already been planted in Waverly’s mind. And if Waverly Earp was anything, it was determined.

“Look, I’m just saying, if I had known all I needed to warm up was that, I would have been shedding layers a long time ago,” Waverly winked.

Nicole slammed her eyes closed, and it was obvious the redhead was having some sort of internal struggle. Waverly could only hope the woman was also being plagued with images of that scenario, much like Waverly had been. Even if that was a little cruel...

“Waverly, we can’t-“

“Nicole… I know,” Waverly cut off, a little more serious this time. Despite the teasing banter between the two of them, Waverly knew what they both wanted would be highly impractical right now.

As much as Waverly wanted to start ripping off clothes, she really didn’t want to risk it tonight.

Not when they still had so much time ahead of them.

Nicole sighed in dejection. “I’m sorry.”

Waverly shook her head, attempting to convey her understanding to the redhead. “No, Nic, really, it’s alright. I know it wouldn’t be the best idea right now given the situation we’re in. Besides, we have plenty of time ahead of us for… that…” she trailed off, a blush rising to her cheeks when the thought of her and Nicole finally taking that step flashed through her mind.

They hadn’t even been on a proper date yet, and she was already imagining what it would be like for Nicole to be in between her-

“Maybe we should try going to sleep?” Nicole suggested, her body choosing that time to yawn as if to drive her point.

Waverly chuckled softly and nodded, shaking her head of the wildly inappropriate thoughts that were now plaguing her minds.

It’s not like she wasn’t going to dream about it tonight anyways, she would be fine holding the thoughts off for a little longer.

She went to turn around back in Nicole’s arms, but Nicole just wrapped her arm tighter around her midsection, holding her close, not allowing her to change positions. Waverly didn’t mind, she was perfectly comfortable where she was.

She nestled herself in the crook of Nicole’s neck, letting sleep overtake her tired body and mind as she pressed tighter into the redhead’s embrace.

Not only was it the best sleep Waverly had probably ever had, but it was also the most comfortable and warm she had ever felt in years.

*****
The first thing Waverly noticed when she stirred the next morning were the strong arms wrapped around her middle, holding her close much like they had been throughout the night. They hadn't shifted much in the night, the only change in their positions being Nicole was now on her back, and Waverly’s head was now pillowed on the woman’s chest.

The second thing was how warm she felt, despite the fact that they weren’t supposed to have any heat, and the fire had died down hours ago.

The third was once she cracked her eyes open, the blur of the digital numbers on the microwave in the kitchen intercepting her view. Her eyes opened fully as a smile made its way onto her lips. She moved slightly in an effort to get up and check her phone, only to be pulled back against the woman’s body underneath her.

Nicole groaned sleepily. “Mmm no.”

Waverly let out a hoarse chuckle, watching the small smile make its way onto Nicole’s lips. She laid back down fully, her head now resting in its place on the redhead’s chest.

“Hey, guess what?”

Nicole hummed in response as she cracked an eye open, wincing slightly as the light pierced her eyes. Waverly smirked, even though she knew Nicole could hardly see it.

“We have power…” she murmured, leaning up to press a soft, open-mouthed kiss to the underside of the woman’s chin.

Nicole shivered underneath her, her eyes fluttering closed at the sudden sensation. “Oh? Well, uh, I guess? I mean, I don’t know how much power we have, but-“

Waverly shook her head in amusement at the woman’s ramblings, enjoying how she obviously misunderstood Waverly’s point in her half asleep state. Waverly brought her hand up to Nicole’s chin, squeezing it as she tilted Nicole’s head towards the kitchen and silencing her babbling.

“No, I mean we have electricity. Not metaphorical human power you goof.”

Nicole perked up, a beaming grin on her lips. “Oh! No wonder I was so warm. I honestly just figured it was because of you,” she winked cheekily, but Waverly could see the earnest look in her eyes. The look that said that she really meant that. As flirty as the line had sounded, she truly meant every word.

Waverly smoothed her hand down Nicole’s neck and over her clavicle, stopping once it rested lightly over her collarbone. “You know… I think we got a little lucky no one else was able to make it…” Waverly trailed off suggestively as she fingered the material of Nicole’s tank top.

Nicole smirked down at her, her eyes shining with mischief as she brought her own hand up to card her fingers through brunette locks carefully. “And why’s that?” the redhead replied coyly as she pulled Waverly further towards her with the arm still wrapped around her waist.

Waverly hummed, her lips mere millimeters away from Nicole’s when she spoke. “Because if they were all here, I wouldn’t be able to do this…”

Before Waverly even had a chance to close the gap between them, Nicole was already pushing up to meet her, their lips meeting and beginning a passionate dance. Their tongues met instantly as they wasted no time in exploring each other, caressing softly against one another.

They had already wasted enough time as it was.

Waverly moaned into the soft feeling of Nicole’s tongue tracing the edge of her teeth, teasing the inside of her mouth. She had to bite back a groan when the woman pulled on her bottom lip, pulling away with a responding ‘pop’ and a smirk.

She felt Nicole’s hands trail over her back, her fingers toying with the hemline of the redhead’s hoodie she was still wearing from the night before. With the heat now on again, the warmth was stifling.

It was time for it to come off.

She sighed against the skin of Nicole’s cheek, savoring the feeling of the woman’s fingers tracing her exposed midriff. The sensation was only intensified when she felt Nicole’s mouth trailing hot kisses down her neck.

A gasp escaped from her lips when Nicole found a particularly sensitive spot over her pulse point. She nipped lightly over it, focusing extra attention to the area as she sucked a harsh bruise into the skin.

Waverly moaned as she found the hemline of Nicole’s tank top, smoothing her hand up under the fabric and scratching her nails lightly over the toned muscle she found there. Nicole held in the whimper that was threatening to escape from the back of her throat at the contact, but Waverly could still hear the small traces of it the woman tried to hold back.

Waverly smirked as she brought her other hand up to thread through red tresses, holding Nicole’s face against the crook of her neck as the woman continued her relentless assault on her skin with her teeth and tongue. Nicole only broke away when she grabbed the hem of the hoodie and pulled it up over Waverly’s head, leaving her in her sweatshirt underneath.

Before Waverly could move to take her sweatshirt off as well, her phone dinged from beside the couch. She whipped her head up in its direction, her brow furrowed as she tried to rationalize whether or not she should check it, or continue their… activity.

“Ignore it,” Nicole mumbled as she kissed along Waverly’s jaw, sensing Waverly’s inner struggle. It didn’t take much convincing on Nicole’s part.

Waverly brought her hands up to the sides of the woman’s face and brought their lips together again, kissing hungrily as they moaned into each other’s mouths. Nicole’s hand had just skirted up past her abs when Waverly’s phone dinged again, and the brunette knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer.

Waverly groaned as she pulled away, pushing up from her position of being practically on top of Nicole, much to the redhead’s protests. “Just a sec, I should probably make sure it’s not important now that we have service again,” Waverly explained as she picked up her phone.

She swiped through the numerous notifications that had finally come through throughout the night, eventually stumbling upon a few texts from Wynonna.

Sis: ‘Waverly, are you guys okay??’

Sis: ‘I haven’t heard from you in a while, I’m starting to worry.’

Sis: ‘Oh! Right! You probably don’t have service.’

Sis: ‘Well in that case, do I have a story for you…’

Sis: ‘I’ll just tell you now since you won’t get it till later, which means you can’t kill me for it yet.’

Sis: ‘Sooooo… this was kind of planned? Not like, planned as in I summoned some kind of supernatural storm- although that would have been cooler…’

Sis: ‘ok, anyways, we all knew the storm was too bad for any of us to make it down there, so we may have come up with a plan to get you and Haught alone for a while…’

Waverly balked, sneaking a quick glance over her shoulder at Nicole, who was staring at her intently. Nicole’s brow furrowed in concern when she noticed the look on the brunette’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked worriedly as she pushed herself up onto her elbows.

Waverly let out a breathy laugh in disbelief as she turned back to her phone. “They all planned this, just to get us together.”

Waverly shook her head, and Nicole’s eyebrows creased in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Crossing the room to the redhead, Waverly began reading the rest of the texts.

“‘We’ve known you two have had the… Haughts… for each other for a while now, and we all started plotting ways to get you two to finally woman up and say something to each other.’”

Nicole pushed up from her spot on the floor to meet Waverly halfway, standing behind the smaller woman and wrapping an arm around her waist as Waverly continued to read.

“‘So we figured what better time to get you two together than a snow storm, right? I packed enough food for you guys to get through it, and I even made sure you guys had candles. Aren’t I just the best sister?’”

Waverly scoffed in amusement.

“Jesus Christ, Wy…”

Nicole chuckled, the vibrations rumbling against Waverly’s back. “At least she was thoughtful?” Nicole tried.

Waverly just laughed and shook her head as she typed out her response and leaned further into the redhead’s front. Nicole laughed outright when she read ‘how do you know we even got together last night? Maybe we hate each other now and our friendship is ruined.’ over the brunette’s shoulder.

The response was almost instantaneous.

Sis: ‘Oh yeah fucking right. All I ask is for you to please just bone already while you’re down there. If I have to deal with your sexual tension one more time, I’m going to scream.’

Waverly smirked and bit her lip as she typed out her reply. She knew damn good and well Nicole was still watching her phone intently, and was most definitely going to see her reply to her sister.

She was banking on it.

Waverly: ‘it’s cute if you think us having sex once this weekend will be enough to get rid of that. I can tell you right now, I’m definitely going to need more than just one time. Oh, and I bet I’ll be screaming too… Have fun sis <3’

Waverly could feel Nicole’s sharp intake of breath against her, proving to her that the redhead did indeed read her message. She moved slightly as she powered her phone off and turned to set it down again. She then turned in Nicole’s arms and wrapped her own around the woman’s neck.

“So I was thinking…” Waverly started as she began to play with the fine hairs at the base of Nicole’s neck. Nicole hummed playfully in acknowledgment, tightening her hold on Waverly’s waist. “Even though the storm is over, the roads are still going to be too dangerous to leave…”

Nicole smirked as her eyes lit up, telling Waverly she had caught onto where she was going with her statement. “Mhmm, and I mean, we wouldn’t want to put ourselves in danger…” Nicole said in faux concern, going along with Waverly’s game.

Waverly began to take a few steps back, leading them aimlessly towards the hallway. “Of course not. Plus, we all rented out this cabin for the weekend, it would be a shame if we let it go to waste.”

Nicole nodded seriously, although her eyes betrayed any sense of seriousness as she spoke. “Oh, absolutely. Plus, I’m sure there has to be something we could do to pass the time…” Nicole trailed off as she toyed with the hemline of the brunette’s sweatshirt, slipping her hand under the material and to the small of the woman’s back.

Waverly shrugged half heartedly. “I seem to remember there being a few bedrooms in this house. We could maybe find some board games or something in there.” She squeaked as her back collided with a wall behind her, and Nicole’s lips instantly attached to her neck.

“Baby…” Nicole murmured against the skin over Waverly pulse point. Waverly hummed, the sound vibrating low in her throat and against the redhead’s mouth.

Nicole trailed her lips up to the shell of Waverly’s ear, the brunette not even attempting to suppress the shiver at the action, or at the woman’s low, husky murmur.

“It’s cute if you think we’re even going to make it to the bedroom.”