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“I swear, the human race has no brain.” Waverly shut the door to the apartment and fell down on the couch, as she had been doing a lot recently.
“What did the lovely human beings of Chicago do this time, Waves?” The redhead asked from the kitchen, Christmas music playing softly in the background.
“A dad climbed a ladder to his roof to put up Christmas decorations and he rolled off the damn roof. THEN, he got BACK ON the roof and tried again. This time, he fell off on top of his car and broke his hip.” Waverly yelled into the pillow.
Nicole chuckled from the kitchen as she closed the oven again after checking on the lasagna. “Well, did he get the lights up?”
Waverly gave her girlfriend an angered glare and replied, “That is not the point, Lieutenant.” Waverly looked away and rolled onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. “It was a nice display, though.”
“Well at least he has that going for him.” Nicole shook her head with a smile as she walked to her living room and picked up Waverly’s legs to sit down and placed the legs back down and on her lap. “How was your day? Despite the broken hip dad.”
“Well, I did get to see this really sexy firefighter washing a fire truck earlier today. Think I should get her number?” Waverly said with a glint in her eye as she sat up and moved to straddle the redhead’s lap.
“Oh most definitely.” Nicole replied as their lips ghosted each other’s. The two women connected together in a passionate kiss as hands found themselves on rolling hips and in short, silky hair. “I’m so glad you moved in with me. No more Wynonna Interuptes.” Nicole said as she connected their lips again.
But of course, the door slammed open and said interpreter waltzed in like she owned the place, which she didn’t.
“Ew, get a room.”
“We did! We got a whole apartment!” Waverly groaned as she leant her forehead on her girlfriend’s shoulder, sighing in disappointment.
“Well you guys are the ones that invited me over, so…”
Waverly sighed again before climbing off of the taller woman’s lap and getting up to pull the lasagna out of the oven. “Alright, who’s hungry?”
***
This was what she always feared. The waiting. Waiting on the couch for her girlfriend to come home so they could watch ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ together. They had it all planned out. Nicole would come home and then Waverly an hour later. They would eat a lovely dinner together and eat cookies and spiked eggnog as they watched their favorite Christmas movies on Christmas Eve. Yet here she sat, food in the oven, untouched. The movie was pulled up on the tv, not yet started. When Waverly had gotten home and Nicole’s truck wasn’t in the parking lot, she had not thought anything of it. Maybe last minute shopping for tomorrow. But now it has been three hours since she came home. Every minute passed by slower than the last. Her phone was now dead since she had called her so much. Had texted and left messages. Called the department, Captain Nedley, Chief Dolls.
None gave her a straight answer.
‘She’s working in the building’ and ‘She’s fine, don’t worry’.
That’s all the answers she got. She had called Wynonna, she was there too. She picked up the fourth call. “Babygirl, I can’t talk right now. This is big. I saw her an hour ago and she’s fine. I’m fine. Stay home.”
Then the dial tone.
***
She didn’t stay home. She couldn’t after the fifth hour passed. She threw on her shoes and jacket and raced out of the door. It really was bad when she arrived. Better than before, but still a blazing tower. 47 floors of it. She cried when she saw limp bodies of firefighters carried out. None of them being her though. She almost wished for that instead of the alternative of being left with nothing to even bury. Just a pile of ash and a ring. A promise to come back. Won't do her much good now.
When arms wrapped around her from behind, she almost left her skin, punching her sister in the arm for scaring her so badly. “Do yo-“
“No. I saw her when I first got here and she went in. Haven’t seen her since.” Wynonna cut her off to say. Waverly let out a pained sigh as she watched the building sway with unstableness, much like she was. She could hear screams and shouts for help. She just hoped they weren’t from her.
***
Standing here in the rain wasn’t where she wanted to be. She wanted to be anywhere else. But she had to be here. For her friend. Chrissy had been inconsolable after she found out her dad didn’t make it out. She collapsed when Nicole delivered the news to her after finding Waverly with Wynonna and telling her she was alright. Remembering the night again made her squeeze unconsciously on the hand in her grasp, receiving a squeeze back. She looked at the new Captain of Station 9 and despite the terrible weather and the event, she smiled, though it was a sad one. Because while, yes, she got to keep her love, another had to lose their own.
It was single-handedly the best and worst Christmas of her life