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1.
It’s six in the morning and Officer Nicole Haught feels exhausted. She has an early shift at the station that starts soon, and she’s only now getting into her car. As her truck pulls out onto the main street of Purgatory, she reaches for her thermos of tea. Only when her hand grasps at nothing does she realize that she left it steeping on the counter. The office only shells out enough money for a disgusting brand of instant coffee and just the thought of it makes her groan. Even what friends assure her is “good coffee” triggers her gag reflex. So she’s confident she wants nothing to do with the sludge provided for the police in this town. She checks the time and sighs; there is no way she has time to go back for the tea. There also isn't time to stop at a coffee shop of some sort. The thought of being late prompts her to go a little faster. Sheriff Nedley is always on edge these days, and she's sure he's only waiting for an excuse to throw a real fit.
Her truck pulls into the station parking lot with a squeal, and she jogs into the building. She arrives at her desk with seconds to spare before she’s late for her shift. Officer Wells is already at her desk, looking all together too chipper for the early hour. Haught almost glares at the woman across from her, but decides to take the high road. Or maybe she decides that glaring takes far too much energy. Either way, Wells gets spared.
Focusing on her tiredness, or on the tea going cold on her kitchen counter, is useless. Instead, she pulls a neat stack of paperwork towards her. At least she will force this morning to be productive even if not enjoyable. The paperwork is boring, but at least if she’s doing something she won’t fall asleep at her desk. She hopes.
“Well, you look about dead in your seat there, Officer Haught.” Nicole jumps at the sound, having somehow missed Waverly coming into the station. She lets out a startled squeak, which she tries valiantly to turn into a less embarrassing cough. If Waverly’s smug smile is anything to go by, it was less than successful.
“I guess you could say I had a crazy night.” Nicole jokes, leaning forward in her seat as she talks to Waverly.
“Oh? Is that so, Officer?” Waverly is a hair too close to flirtatious territory for someone with a boy-man. But at the moment, Haught can't bring herself to care.
Nicole lets out a light chuckle “No, not quite so interesting. Unless you think unpacking is fun, I suppose I lost track of time.”
Waverly nods bobs her head in agreement, smiling in empathy. During this slight lull in the conversation, Nicole searches for something else to say. Her eyes land on the tray of to-go coffee cups that Waverly is holding.
“You stuck on coffee duty for the Black Badge?” Nicole asks, meeting Waverly's eyes again.
“Oh, yeah!” Waverly looks to have forgotten the coffee in her hand until Nicole mentioned it. There’s a light blush on her cheeks that’s becoming one of Nicole’s favorite things. “Wynonna and Deputy Dolls asked me to pick it up on my way here. They had a late night.” Waverly takes a deep, nervous breath here. “And I figured since you didn’t get your cappuccino last time, I could pick one up for you now. I don’t know if you would want sugar or anything, so I brought you a few packets. I wasn’t sure if you liked real sugar or not, so I brought an assortment. So, yes. Here you go. One cappuccino, as ordered.”
Nicole can feel her sense of dread building with every word that comes out of Waverly’s mouth. She had recognized the mistake she made the minute she asked Waverly for a cappuccino. There had been a slight silence in her introduction to Waverly. An unplanned silence. Nicole had practiced her introduction to Waverly many times. She wouldn't admit it to just anyone but she had even acted the whole scene out in the shower. She hadn't done that since she was fourteen and still too shy to talk to girls at all. The only issue was that in all her practicing she had forgotten to factor in one element. She forgot just how awestruck and tongue-tied it was possible to get in the presence Waverly Earp. So as soon as the conversation stalled, Nicole blurted the first thing that occurred to her. Much to her chagrin, the result was her ordering a drink she hates. All things considered, Nicole has no one to blame but herself. Herself and her weakness for beautiful women. That had a history of getting her into trouble, and today seems to be no exception.
“You couldn't have chosen a better day to bring me coffee. Thank you,” Nicole says with sincerity. She might not like coffee but her heart warms with the gesture. Besides it’s too late to back down now, she’s got her pride on the line. Waverly is so earnest in her desire to do something nice, it's one of her most endearing qualities. Nicole isn’t sure how she would break the news anyway, there's no way it wouldn't end in awkwardness. So she takes the damn coffee and takes a long sip without breaking eye contact with Waverly once. It's one of the hardest things she's ever done.
“Well, I’m glad you enjoy it!” Waverly beams and Nicole almost chokes on the coffee for reasons unrelated to taste this time. Guilt at the white lie builds in the pit of her stomach, but she swallows it down with the coffee. “I’d love to stick around and chat. But Wynonna can be a real grump without her coffee, so I better go rescue Deputy Dolls. And everyone else in the station.”
Waverly waves a cheery goodbye and walks deeper into the station. She's got a pep in her step that Nicole knows just natural sunniness. And if Nicole gets distracted by Waverly’s legs as she leaves, it’s because she’s tired. Also Waverly is the most beautiful woman Nicole has ever seen. It's getting distracting now, living in this town so close to someone who outshines Helen of Troy. Nicole almost wishes she had her notebook on her, but it seems unprofessional to write poetry at work.
Nicole finds herself distracted by thoughts of Waverly Earp, not an uncommon predicament. She doesn’t even notice when Officer Wells gets out of her desk and sits herself on the edge of Nicole’s desk. Well, she doesn't notice until the woman clears her throat.
“So. Waverly Earp, huh?” The brunette woman starts, a mischievous twinkle in her dark eyes.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Nicole sits up straighter in her chair. She sets the coffee cup aside and neatens her already tidy pile of paperwork.
“Haught. The entire station knows what I mean. You’re not known for being subtle.” Wells leans forward with a smile, trying to catch Nicole’s eye.
“You’re making things up again, Wells. Go back to work.” Nicole responds, picking up a pen to continue her paperwork. She hopes the other woman will pick up on this cue to leave the conversation alone.
“Oh, I am, am I?” Wells snatches the pen out of Nicole’s hand and tosses at a passing Officer. “Officer Laughlin, what do you think is happening with Haught and Waverly?”
“They’re flirting. They're always flirting. And I’d love it if Haught asks Waverly out the week of the twentieth. I've got a use or two for that prize money.” He jokes as he makes his way out of the room.
Nicole's face burns. If she could see herself she's sure it would be redder than her hair. She’s not even positive she’s ever had a full conversation with Officer Laughlin. Let alone let anything slip about her crush. Her tiny, minuscule, almost non-existent crush. Okay, so Nicole has to admit how ridiculous that sounds. Even in her head.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Laughlin! Haught is far too stubborn to ask Waverly out so soon. You took a fool’s bet.” Wells calls after the man, cackling.
“Wait, you guys have a betting pool on when I will ask Waverly out?” Nicole would feel much more offended on a normal day. Today, though, she prays that the floor will swallow her whole.
“No, that would be silly. It’s a betting pool on when you two will be dating. Some people are positive that Waverly will ask you, anyway.” Wells informs her, waving a hand through the air in dismissal of the concept.
“You started a betting pool on your co-worker’s hypothetical love life. And you don’t find that somewhat invasive?” Nicole asks
Wells just shrugs with indifference, “Not so hypothetical, is it?” She asks, picking up the almost full coffee cup from Nicole’s desk and waving it in front of her.
“It’s coffee. There's no ulterior motive for Waverly getting me a coffee.” Nicole defends herself, grabbing the coffee back and taking a defiant sip. A defiant sip she regrets in an instant.
“I mean, sure Waverly can get you a platonic coffee. Though that was not platonic eye contact you two were sharing. The important thing to address is that I could have sworn you hated the stuff. I know you. You're not the type to keep quiet about your preferences. At least, not for just anyone. I’m sure that has nothing to do with being under the full force of Waverly Earp’s smile though?” With that, Wells slips off of Haught’s desk, and saunters back to her own.
Haught is a little too flustered at getting caught and a little too focused on how red her cheeks are. It leaves her without the ability to form a response. Over at her own desk Wells has started on her own stack of paperwork, only to pause for a second.
“Haught, if you don’t mind too much, I’d love it if you asked Waverly out in June. Sometime between June sixth and June twelfth, to be exact. I can think of a few uses for that prize money.”
“Shut up, Wells.” Is all Haught has to say in response, the tips of her ears burning bright. “And don’t bring this up around Waverly. She doesn’t need this weird pressure.”
2
It’s been a quiet morning so far. Nicole knows she’s still got paperwork to do. Yet, doing just about anything else seems like a more appealing concept. A majority of the officers are working on cases outside the precinct. This leaves Nicole almost alone at her desk. Laughlin is around somewhere. He’s stuck on desk duty for a few weeks after an accident on the job resulted in a broken leg. He had been bringing his son to work the past few days. His wife is away on a business trip and the sitter is on vacation this week. So until the sitter gets back, the Laughlin boys are spending time together in the office. Much to Nedley's chagrin, as the two have a penchant for causing trouble. They are most likely in an empty room misusing office supplies even now.
The quiet of the station means that any noise is easier to notice. That and her complete inability to focus on this paperwork. That’s why, when Nicole hears the sound of footsteps at the door she sits up straighter. She’s not hoping for someone to be in danger, that would be wrong. What she hopes instead is for something interesting. Anything to provide a legitimate reason for her to not be filling out paperwork. When she looks up she sees Waverly coming around the corner, holding two coffee cups and lugging a bag as big as she is.
“Why hello there, Ms. Earp,” She calls across the room. At Waverly's small jump of surprise, she finds herself smothering a grin.
“God, don’t call me Ms. Earp. I’m sure no one has ever called me ‘Miss’ anything.” Waverly shoots back with a small grimace.
“In that case, Waverly, you should be sure to call me Nicole. No more of this ‘Officer Haught’ nonsense. You'll end up convincing me that things needed to be more formal.” Nicole jokes.
“You drive a hard bargain, Nicole.” Waverly responds with a smile. Nicole isn’t sure if it’s the smile or the use of her first name but her heart skips a beat.
"I can't survive on charm and good looks alone, you know." Nicole says, holding eye contact with Waverly. She's always been a flirt. It only gets worse when she's talking to a beautiful woman. And she's downright terrible when the woman in question is Waverly Earp.
"I'm sure you'd find a way. You have both in spades, and you're smart enough to know how to use them." Waverly flirts back.
"That's quite the compliment coming from you." Nicole
"That's how you know it's true." Waverly says with a cheeky smile, before her eyes widen and she holds out one of the coffee cups. "I brought you a cappuccino."
"Thank you." Nicole says, unable to think of something more clever to say. She can feel her heart in her throat again as she continues to pretend she enjoys coffee. Taking a drink, the bitterness makes her flinch.
"Too hot, huh? Wynonna does the same thing." Waverly smiles, misinterpreting Nicole's reaction. "Anyway, I figured if you were in the office as early as I am then you would need a pick-me-up." Waverly continues, smiling at Nicole.
"You're working without Wynonna or Deputy Dolls?" Nicole asks
"Yeah, I just had some research I wanted to get done early today." Waverly says with a shrug, indicating the bulging bag on her shoulder.
"Why am I not surprised that you're putting in the long hours?" Nicole jokes.
"What's that mean?" Waverly seems confused, and it throws Nicole for a moment.
"I only meant," Nicole starts, swallowing hard before she continues. "I meant that you're always working so hard. I'm sure that the others wouldn't know what to do without that big brain of yours."
"You noticed that?" Waverly says in a low voice.
"You're hard not to notice." Nicole responds with equal reverence, reaching out a hand to grasp Waverly's.
The moment grows between them as they stare in equal awe. Tension seems to fill the room and neither one wants to be the first to break eye contact. Waverly's eyes flit down for a second, and Nicole could swear that Waverly is looking at her lips. But it's over almost as soon as it happens, and Waverly is looking away and biting her lip. Nicole realizes with a start that she's still got her hand on Waverly's and snatches it back. She swears that she feels Waverly grasp at her hand as she removes it. But this wouldn't be the first time her over-eager heart played tricks on her.
Nicole clears her throat, searching for something to fill the silence between them. She's saved from forcing her vocal chords to work by the patter of little footsteps down the hallway. Waverly turns her head at the noise, like she is just as eager for a distraction. From around the corner a three foot hurricane in a spiderman shirt skids into the room. Steven Laughlin is a force of nature already, even as a five year old. He's clutching a piece of paper in his hand and looking around the room for something. She figures out what when he sees her and starts running full tilt in her direction.
"Officer Nicole!" He yells, and Nicole has to stand up in a rush before he jumps on her.
"Hello there, Peter Parker." Nicole laughs as she hoists him higher into the air before setting him down.
"No. I'm not Peter Parker, I'm Steven." He protests, and from the corner of her eye Nicole can see Waverly laughing.
"I'm so sorry, Steven." Nicole says, putting on her most convincing serious face.
"It's okay." Steven replies with the utmost seriousness that only a child can achieve in such a situation.
"So, what brings you to my desk, Steven." Nicole asks, sitting back down and letting Steven clamber onto her lap.
"I made you a picture." He says, holding out a creased sheet of fax paper.
Nicole takes it from him, holding it out so the both of them can look at it. She looks it over, nodding with gravity as she tries to decipher the picture. Two stick figures of different sizes fight what looks like a monster on one side of the paper. On the other side, behind the other stick figures, there's another stick figure in a yellow dress. She's about to ask him what she's looking at, only with more tact, when he launches into an explanation.
"It's me and you. We're fighting a dinosaur and helping the wizard princess. Like the story you told me yesterday! We've got swords and everything." He chatters on, pointing at the different parts of the picture. Now that he's pointed it out, she can see what he's saying.
"A wizard princess?" Waverly chooses this moment to insert herself back into the conversation. Her voice laced with amusement and an undertone that Nicole can't place.
"Yeah, a wizard princess. Officer Nicole told me all about how princesses can save themselves too. And in the story her princess was the most beautiful lady in the world, and she knew magic. But even super strong, magic princesses need help sometimes. So that's when Officer Nicole helps." He says, excited to share
"She told you that, did she?" Waverly says, addressing Steven but locking eyes with Nicole.
"Yeah." Steven says.
"Steven, you should go show Waverly your picture, it's great." Nicole encourages him.
Steven nods, jumping to his feet and running to where Waverly is leaning against the desk. He brandishes his picture at her. Waverly takes the picture and inspects it with a smile.
"This is great, Steven. I love Officer Nicole's cape." Waverly says, turning to smile at the boy.
"Well she's gotta have a cape, she's a hero. Heroes always wear capes." Steven says with utmost seriousness.
"Of course, how could I have forgotten." Waverly says, raising her eyebrows in mock shock.
Steven pauses before speaking again. "You're pretty. Are you a princess?"
"She's not just any princess. She's a wizard princess. The smartest, nicest wizard princess in all of Purgatory." Nicole cuts in before Waverly can answer, using her storytelling voice.
"Wow! Just like in the story? Does that mean you saved her from a dinosaur too?" Steven asks.
"Not quite. I did help her free herself from a dastardly trap the other day." Nicole says, looking up at Waverly.
"I wouldn't call that trap dastardly. More like inconvenient. I can handle myself." Waverly protests.
"Of course you can. But even wizard princesses need help sometimes. And from where I was standing it looked pretty, uh, dastardly." Nicole says, unable to resist the chance to tease Waverly.
"See! Officer Nicole is a real hero, like in all the stories. Did you kiss her?" Steven cuts in, and Nicole can feel the tables turn as it becomes her turn to get embarrassed.
"What? No, I. I just talked to her." Nicole can feel her cheeks start burning as she stutters through a response.
"Look you guys I know what heroes and princesses do. You don't have to pretend. I'm five, not two." Steven rolls his eyes, and Nicole wonders where a five year old learned to do that.
"And heroes and princesses have to kiss?" Waverly asks, a blush high on her cheeks.
"Yes! So you gotta kiss Officer Nicole." Steven instructs them with wide eyes.
"Not all princesses kiss their heroes, kiddo." Nicole tries to break the news, but Steven is not having it.
"Yeah but Officer Nicole likes princesses, she told me so. So it's okay. Sometimes princesses like lady heroes. Dad explained it to me. So you two can kiss. It's allowed." Steven says
"It's allowed, is it?" Nicole says with mock seriousness.
"Of course. Dad said only dumb people have a problem with it. Officer Nicole said you're the smartest princess so you gotta already know that. Girls can kiss princesses or boy can kiss princes. And sometimes people wanna kiss both." Steven says, intent on educating them.
"You're right, bud." Nicole says.
"Do you want to kiss any princes or princesses?" Waverly asks, latching onto any subject that doesn't involve herself and Nicole kissing.
"Hmm. Not right now I think. I'm gonna be a first grader soon, and that's a lot of 'sponsibility. I don't have time to kiss people." Steven says after some thought.
"That seems like a reasonable plan, Steven. You've got plenty of time if you decide you want to kiss people later." Waverly says with a nod.
"So, Steven. Can I hang this picture up on my desk? I think it will make all the other Officers will be jealous." Nicole says. She hopes to divert his attention before he can refocus on kissing.
"It's not nice to make other people jealous." Steven informs her with a solemn look on his face.
"Sometimes it just happens. Just don't do it on purpose." Nicole says.
"Okay then!" Steven says, accepting Nicole's word as law with ease.
Nicole reaches around Waverly to grab the tape off of her desk. They end up in each others space again, and the world freezes for a moment. The moment ends as Nicole steps around Waverly to get to the front of her desk. She crouches down to next to Steven, handing him a piece of tape. He sticks the picture to the front of Nicole's desk, turning to smile at the older two women.
"Steven, we're going out to lunch. Say goodbye to Officer Nicole and Waverly." Officer Laughlin calls, walking into the room. When he makes eye contact with Nicole he winks and nods at Waverly. Nicole can't respond like she wants to considering her younger audience. She settles instead for a more mature response. She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue out at him.
"Bye Officer Nicole. Bye Waverly." Steven says, rushing over to hug Nicole, who is still crouched by her desk. He hesitates for a moment, then walks over to Waverly, giving her a much quicker hug. Then he runs over to his father, asking about getting ice cream for lunch.
The room is quiet once more. Nicole stands up, her knees popping. She turns around, facing Waverly, who is just watching her. Trying for casual, she leans her hip against her desk. It misses casual. Instead she knocks over a cup of pens, which feels a lot like a betrayal. She has to restrain a sigh, but at least Waverly seems amused.
"He seems to like you. Steven, I mean. Not that he wouldn't. You're great. More than great. You're amazing. I mean. Uh." Waverly says, cutting herself off mid-sentence with a grimace.
"I've had some practice. I was well trained by my niece and nephew." Nicole says with a shrug, choosing to let Waverly's ramble go. Well, maybe not let it go. She's definitely going to be thinking about Waverly calling her amazing for awhile.
"Trained?" Waverly asks, quirking an eyebrow.
"They know what they want. And they aren't shy about telling you." Nicole has more than enough memories of all the trouble they're gotten her into to confirm that as a fact.
"From what I can tell that's a family trait." Waverly says.
"About that, I didn't plan the princess thing. I swear. I was just trying to be honest when I said I liked princesses. I didn't think he'd connect it to you being a princess, or that he'd." Nicole trails off, not sure how to address this potential awkwardness.
"No I get it. I'll just have to keep in mind that you've got a thing for princesses." Waverly says, bordering on flirtatious yet again.
"But only the smartest wizard princesses." Nicole says.
"Right."Waverly says shortly, but not without warmth. There's a brief pause before she continues. "I've. Uh, I've got to go. There's a lot of research I need to be doing right now, sorry."
"Yeah. No, I get it. I don't want to keep you or anything." Nicole says, fiddling with a pen on her desk and avoiding eye contact.
"Don't forget about your coffee, you don't want it getting cold." Waverly says as she walks out of the room. When she reaches the door she stops, smiling over her shoulder. "I guess I'll see you around, Hero."
Nicole snatches up her coffee, taking a large gulp to try and cure the dry mouth she's just developed. Grimacing she glares at the coffee cup. It hasn't gotten any less disgusting, even with Waverly's positive influence. She decides that if this going to be a regular thing she should start keeping mouthwash in her desk drawer. With a hopeful heart she adds it to her shopping list.
3
The next person who looks over at her and laughs is going to get shot. Nicole isn't sure what has gotten into everyone this morning. It seems like the entire station is in on some joke and Nicole is the unwitting victim. Even Sheriff Nedley cracked a smile when he passed by earlier. That alone was enough to make Nicole go to check her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Nothing stuck out, she had even checked her back for some sort of 'kick me' sign.
She's starting to feel paranoid. Officer Wells takes this moment to glance up at Nicole and laugh. Nicole tightens her grip on her pen and glares back. Wells appears unbothered by this, returning to her paperwork in her own sweet time. Nicole gave up even pretending to do her paperwork ten minutes ago. Instead she fills her time with glaring at anyone who laughs and trying to figure out who's fault this is. Right now she's betting on Wells, Laughlin, or some unholy team-up between the two of them.
She's watching the entire room with a sharp eye, so she's unable to miss the entrance of Wynonna Earp. Though there weren't many circumstances, outside of death, that she could miss Wynonna. The woman is not someone anyone could describe as quiet. Wynonna walks through the room. She greets the officers, toeing the line between friendliness and antagonism with them. When she reaches Nicole's desk, her smile grows even wider.
"Good morning, Officer. I suppose congratulations are in order?" Wynonna asks.
"What?" Nicole responds, confused.
"All I mean is welcome to the family, Officer Haught." Wynonna says, apropos of nothing.
With that perplexing statement Wynonna takes a few steps away. She turns around, continuing to walk backwards towards the exit.
"Or should I say Officer Earp now?" Wynonna continues, though her smile drops when she runs back first into the door frame. She mutters something that sounds like a curse before ducking out of the room.
Nicole tries to piece together what just happened. She doesn't even pay Wells and Laughlin any attention. They're losing it at their desks, but she doesn't want to give them any satisfaction by glaring. A thought occurs to her, and she grabs her nameplate, turning it around to read.
Oh. It seems someone, or someones, replaced her nameplate. Before the plate had read a professional "Officer Nicole Haught". Today there's a new nameplate. It reads "Officer Nicole Earp". She feels her cheeks burn. She's positive that they're a deeper red than she's turned since she was sixteen. The door opens again, and Nicole panics. If the past week and a half are anything to go by, that'll be Waverly with coffee. Instead of doing anything useful, she freezes with the nameplate in hand as Waverly walks in.
"Nicole, how are you doing today?" Waverly asks as she walks up to Nicole's desk.
"I'm," Nicole starts, laughing nervously and slamming the nameplate into a random drawer. "I'm better now." She tries for casual, but she's sure it comes out more than a little strained.
"Are you sure? You look a little red." Waverly says, looking concerned.
"What? No." Nicole says "I'm fine. Just a little distracted this morning."
"If that's all." Waverly says, letting the sentence hang as if to give Nicole the chance to fess up. Nicole says nothing. "In that case, what are you trying to hide from me?"
"Nothing." Nicole says, and even to her own ears she sounds unconvincing.
"Right. Of course. Well, I guess I'll just have to withhold this coffee. If I don't know what's up with you it could pose a serious health risk." Waverly says. The idea of not having coffee is the opposite of a problem in Nicole's eyes. And yet Nicole finds herself rising to the bait. Waverly has Nicole wrapped around her little finger and she has no idea. Or maybe she has some idea, if the mischievous look in her eye is anything to go off of.
"I mean. If these are the conversation topics I think we should go back to discussing my health." Nicole says "I have this awful cramp in my hand from doing paperwork. We can talk about that instead."
Waverly raises a doubtful eyebrow in response. She says nothing and Nicole shifts around in the face of the inquisitive look she's getting. Unwilling to be the first to give up she raises her chin and meets Waverly's eyes in challenge.
"She hasn't done a page of paperwork all morning." Wells calls from her desk. Waverly looks over with a grateful smile before returning her stare to Nicole.
"You don't have to worry, Waverly. Nicole's got more endurance than that anyway. It takes more than some paperwork to tire out her hands." Laughlin joins in from his desk. Waverly doesn't respond to him in any way. Though her cheeks do seem a little more red, and Nicole resembles a tomato, she's sure.
"Shut up, Laughlin, or I'll tell your wife on you." Nicole says, before caving to Waverly's stare. "Fine. It's just a dumb office prank, no big deal."
"An office prank has got you this flustered? I thought you were more cool and collected than that." Waverly says, and Nicole shrugs, avoiding eye contact again. "I'm disappointed. Here I thought my ability to fluster you so much made me special."
Nicole is sure that her cheeks and ears will never go back to their normal color at this point. Waverly sees Nicole's flush darken and decides, as far as Nicole can tell, to dig Nicole's grave. She winks and hands the coffee over. And when Nicole grabs it, their hands definitely brush far more than is necessary.
"You're definitely special." Is all that Nicole can manage to say. Her voice comes out strangled, and almost cracks on the last syllable. She feels like a ten year old all over again, crushing on her older brother's girlfriend.
Waverly doesn't respond. Nicole feels awkward all over again, she shifts in her seat again and winces at the squeak the chair makes. Searching for something to do to try and seem less ruffled she takes a sip of the still-too-hot coffee. This time when she winces it's a combination of burnt tongue and taste that causes it. Her discomfort breaks the tension and Waverly giggles.
"You are always too eager to drink that coffee. If you're not careful you're going to end up burning off all your taste buds. Then how are you supposed to enjoy your drink?" Waverly jokes, but Nicole considers the idea. It has its benefits. For one, she would never have to taste coffee again. She takes another long drink from the cup.
"I'll enjoy it because of the company." Nicole says, regaining some measure of her composure.
"I bet you flirt like this with all the girls." Waverly says, smiling wider.
"Only the pretty ones that bring me coffee."Nicole says with mock seriousness. "Or food. Or the ones I pull over for speeding. Or that one girl at the auto shop. Or Mrs. Libert at the pharmacy. Or-" Waverly narrows her eyes a little more with every addition to Nicole's list. She cuts Nicole off.
"I get it. You're a serial flirt." Waverly says,not quite managing to sound annoyed.
"I have to practice somewhere. How else will I woo Ms. Right?" Nicole jokes.
"I find that coffee is a good opener." Waverly says, and Nicole's heart stutters to a stop in her chest.
"Oh really?" Nicole asks, aiming for nonchalant and missing.
"Yep." Waverly says, popping the 'p'. "Everything has to start somewhere, right?"
"I suppose it does. And as far as beginnings go, I'd say it's a pretty good one."
"Even if it's just coffee and a beginning? Nothing else?" Waverly says, and Nicole is sure she hears an unsaid 'for now' implied at the end of the sentence.
"Hey, things take time. It's not like I'm in any hurry." Nicole reassures her before taking the opportunity to break up the rising tension. "And if things don't work out with coffee, I've always got flirting with Mrs. Libert to fall back on." She's rewarded with Waverly's laughter.
"In all honesty, I would pay good money to see you flirt with her. She's so-" Waverly trails off.
"Uptight?" Nicole supplies. "Come with me some time, we can see how it goes. I think she'd be open to it."
"Yeah?" Waverly asks.
"Oh definitely. I'll start out by telling her that her constant scowl brings out the blue in her eyes." Nicole says, winking at Waverly.
"It does, doesn't it?" Waverly says, playing along.
"For sure. Then I'd continue by telling her that I have a medical condition that I need her help with." Nicole says.
"And what medical condition do you have that will make her swoon?" Waverly asks.
"I'm lovesick." Nicole says, sending Waverly into another fit of laughter. "I'm serious! I can't tell you how many hours I've spent in the cold and flu aisle, pining over her."
"And what about Mr. Libert? Won't that hurt your chances?" Waverly asks through her giggles.
"No relationship is perfect." Nicole shrugs, feigning disappointment. "It might even appeal to her. I bet she's dreamed of a spontaneous love affair with a young, beautiful police officer. Like Romeo and Juliet or something." Nicole continues, trying to keep herself from laughing as well.
"Are you saying you're Romeo?" Waverly asks.
"Maybe I'm more of a Juliet. I think Mrs. Libert would like the chance to woo me. She strikes me as a closet romantic." Nicole says.
"I don't think she's ever had a romantic bone in her body." Waverly says, unable to continue the ridiculous conversation any longer.
"I guess we'll see." Nicole shrugs.
"Well, while I'm eager to learn more about your love affair with the seventy year old pharmacist, I do have to go. Dolls will be sending Wynonna out to fetch me at any moment." Waverly says, with genuine regret.
"I'd hate to inconvenience Wynonna. Or Dolls. I have no desire to get convicted of treason today." Nicole says.
"Just today?" Waverly asks.
"Treason strikes me as more of a weekend activity." Nicole jokes, and Waverly laughs a little.
"See you later, then?" Waverly asks.
"I'm not going anywhere." Nicole says, gesturing to the pile of paperwork on her desk.
She watches as Waverly leaves the room. She doesn't even try to hide it at this point. The office is already convinced that they're going to get married. Nothing she does or doesn't do will convince them otherwise. At least her coworkers have the decency to wait until Waverly is gone before teasing her.
"So. Coffee." Wells starts the minute Waverly disappears around the corner.
"Yes. Coffee. She's been bringing me coffee for awhile now.." Nicole says, playing dumb.
"But that coffee was never confirmed as romantically charged coffee before today. It's an important development." Laughlin chimes in.
"You guys both know she's dating Champ, right?" Nicole asks. There's a collective groan around the entire office. Nicole hadn't been aware that anyone else was paying this conversation any attention.
"Still. She was definitely flirting back with you. And she confirmed that she's interested. Not in so many words, but still." Laughlin argues.
"I doubt Champ will be around for much longer. The real question is what he has to offer that made Waverly keep him around for so long. I can understand before. But now that there are more Haught options? I don't know how well I understand that girl after all." Wells says, now talking around Nicole instead of to her.
"Right? If I was Waverly I would have dumped Champ the first time Haught flirted with me." Laughlin says, laughing.
"I'm telling your wife on you for sure." Nicole says, trying to put herself back into the conversation.
"She agrees with me. We've talked about it." Laughlin pauses for a moment. "She also threatened to leave me for you if this Waverly thing doesn't work out. So I'm invested now. Though maybe that was because I gave Steven caffeine ten minutes before bedtime."
"Oh, I'd leave you too if you did that." Wells says. "That boy should never have caffeine. No matter the time of day."
"Not my finest moment, I'll admit." Laughlin says with a grimace. "But we were talking about the future Mrs. Officer Haught, not my bad decision making skills."
"I thought you and I agreed that Haught would be taking the Earp name. You traitor." Wells counters, pretending to feel betrayed.
"I haven't forgotten your little prank, you know." Nicole interrupts again. "And I'll have you know that I was reigning prank queen at my old station."
"We had nothing to do with that." Wells says, convincing no one.
"Sure. But if, hypothetically, you did. Where would I find my actual nameplate?" Nicole asks.
"Hypothetically?" Wells asks, waiting until Nicole nods to continue. "Well in that scenario I think you should check the supply room."
Nicole nods again, opening her desk drawer to remove the fake nameplate. She stands, crossing over to Wells' desk to hand the plate back.
"No, keep it." Wells says, confusing Nicole.
"No doubt it'll be useful before long." Laughlin explains.
Nicole rolls her eyes. She's not sure why she befriended those jerks. On her back to the supply room, she stops by her desk to tuck the nameplate away. Not because she liked it. She just appreciates the effort that went into the joke. Of course.She sighs. Denying anything at this point gets a little pathetic. She keeps the nameplate because she's more than a little in love with Waverly Earp. She keeps the nameplate because she wouldn't mind having Waverly's last name. And she’s a sap.
4
It's been almost three weeks since "the Nameplate Incident" as Nicole has come to call it in her head. Waverly has continued to show up every day with coffee. They continue to talk every morning over said coffee. Nicole has had to give up her morning tea because a cup of tea followed by a cup of coffee was making her jittery. Under normal circumstances she would have given up the coffee. But these aren't normal circumstances. If she gave up the coffee she would also be giving up the chance to talk to Waverly every morning. And that made it the clear winner for worst option.
In other good news, Nicole is single-handedly supporting the local mouthwash economy. Or she thinks she is. If a mouthwash economy existed, she'd be single-handedly supporting it. For every cup of coffee she's used an almost equal amount of mouthwash. The owner of the convenience store is getting concerned. He hasn't said anything, but she's seen the odd looks he's been giving her. At least she's proven her father wrong. He has always told her that coffee is an acquired taste. She always found that suspicious, though she never had proof he is wrong before now. Nicole figures that if she was going to "acquire" a taste for coffee she would have by now. She makes a mental note to call her father to gloat later today.
Nicole glances at the clock once again, ignoring the eye roll from Wells. Waverly is late. Not that they have a set time that they meet, but Waverly is usually here by now. Nicole taps her pen on her desk. She finished her paperwork yesterday. On top of that, for once it seems that nothing interesting is happening in Purgatory. So she has nothing else to do, which only contributes more to her impatience to see Waverly again.
The door opens and Nicole's head shoots up. It's Wynonna, and Nicole hopes that that means Waverly is not far behind. Not that Wynonna isn't interesting to talk to in her own right, but it's not Wynonna that Nicole has a crush on. She’s carrying a large box and looks exhausted.
"Don't worry, Officer Red Haught, Waverly is on her way. I know you aren't that excited for me." Wynonna says when she sees Nicole.
"Don't worry, Wynonna. I still have a torch for you, but I know now that our love was never meant to be." Nicole jokes.
"I know that I can be too much awesome to handle. It breaks my heart, but you've got to protect yourself. I understand." Wynonna smiles at Nicole before gesturing over her shoulder with her head. "You might want to help Waverly out, though. If I know her, she's trying to carry way too much at once."
"Thanks for the tip. Remember me fondly. You'll always have a place in my heart, Wynonna." Nicole says as she gets up and heads out of the station.
"Yeah I have a place. Second place, maybe." She hears Wynonna mutter as she passes.
Outside the station she finds it easy to spot Waverly by Wynonna's truck. Sure enough, Waverly is trying to balance two large boxes and a stack of paper. It looks like it's going to topple any second, and Nicole jogs the rest of the way over to her. She stops just a few feet away. To be more accurate, she gets thrown to a stop just a few feet away. In her own defense, she hadn't realized how nice Waverly's arms were before that moment.
Waverly turns around, focusing on balancing the boxes. She looks up and notices Nicole, the sight surprises her enough to make her drop everything. Nicole jumps forward, but only manages to grab one of the boxes as they fall. The rest hit the ground, sending papers everywhere. The two women drop to the ground and start gathering up the loose papers before the wind gets them. They both start apologizing at the same time.
"Sorry, I didn't-"
"No, that was my fault-"
"I thought you could see-"
"I should have paid more attention-"
"Well I should have said-"
"It's just been a crazy day-"
The apologies die down after a few moments, and Nicole hands Waverly a final folder. Between the two of them they've managed to clean up the mess, though not organize it. Nicole smiles at Waverly over the boxes.
"I came out here to help you carry some of this stuff. Great job I've done so far, right?" Nicole says with a self-deprecating smile.
"At least you're pretty." Waverly jokes with a smile.
"It's my best asset, in all honesty." Nicole says "Sometimes they send me in to smile at difficult suspects. I have a ninety percent success rate."
"I can believe it. You have a smile that makes people want to confide in you." Waverly laughs.
"Oh yeah?" Nicole asks, putting on her most blinding smile "Got anything you want to tell me?"
"Yes. I feel the need to confess." Waverly says, pausing for dramatic effect "Nicole Haught is a huge dork. I'm sorry. I couldn't keep it to myself anymore."
"That was a low blow, Earp. Below the belt." Nicole says, raising a hand to her chest in mock offense.
"Yeah, yeah. You're a sensitive flower. Now are you going to help me with these boxes or not?" Waverly asks, hoisting the boxes up as she stands.
"Wow, a dirty fighter and callous about my pain. I'm not sure I like this new side of you." Nicole says, picking up the top box from the pile.
"I'll reward you with coffee for putting up with me." Waverly says as she sets off towards the door of the station.
"Your presence is reward enough." Nicole insists, trailing after the woman.
The two of them take the boxes into the back room where Deputy Dolls has set up shop. Wynonna is lounging in one of the chairs, eating a doughnut. She smirks at the two of them when they walk in.
"What took you two so long?" Wynonna asks, and it's clear what she's implying.
"We had to clean up." Waverly says, only half paying attention as she tries to neaten up the box she's holding.
"Wow, you two move fast." Wynonna jokes.
"What? No, Wynonna. We weren't. God, Wynonna." Waverly stutters.
"I knocked all the boxes out of her hands." Nicole cuts in, the tips of her ears red.
"Right, sure. If that's what the kids are calling it these days." Wynonna says with an exaggerated wink. She then shrugs, letting them off the hook. "You forgot the coffees in the car, Waves."
Waverly nods stiffly, doing an about face to walk out of the door with Nicole trailing behind her. They both hear Wynonna's laugh behind them. The walk back to the truck is awkward and silent. And soon enough they're sitting opposite to each other at Nicole's desk.
"So," Waverly starts, clearing her throat. "Look, I'm sorry about Wynonna. She like to tease, and-"
"No, I understand what it's like to have an older sibling, remember?" Nicole says, cutting Waverly off.
"Of course, you have an older brother, right?" Waverly asks.
"Caleb, yeah." Nicole nods. "He likes to tease me as much as Wynonna enjoys teasing you. It's an older sibling thing. I mean, I tease my younger brother as well. It's pretty much older sibling tradition."
"You're the middle sibling of your family? How did I not know that?" Waverly asks.
"I don't know. Are you sure I never mentioned my little brother before?" Nicole asks, just as confused.
"No, I'm sure I'd remember something you told me." Waverly says, furrowing her brow.
“In that case, I suppose the mystery remains unsolved.” Nicole responds, unable to think of a better response to a comment like that.
“Yeah.” Waverly says, trailing off and lost in thought.
“Earth to Waverly. Come in, space cadet. Don’t get too caught up in that. I’m sure it just never came up. We’ve got more important things to talk about.” Nicole tries to move the conversation forward.
“We do?” Waverly asks, her brow furrowing even more.
“Definitely.” Nicole bobs her head once. “For example, I don’t believe we addressed your ‘sensitive flower’ comment back there.”
“I don’t know. What else is there to address about it? You’re sensitive. That’s okay. Girls like sensitive.” Waverly responds relaxing a bit and smiling.
“What else is there to address?”Nicole asks, incredulous. Then she repeats herself with more emphasis. “What else is there to address ?”
“I heard you the first time. Like I said, it’s a good thing. An attractive quality, even.” Waverly says, equal parts dismissive and teasing.
“Have you seen my muscles?” Nicole protests
“I’m not sure what your muscles have to do with your sensitivity.” Wavelry says
“Nothing. But sensitive flower makes me sound, I don’t know, dainty. I’m not dainty.” Nicole says, her voice turning into a whine at the end.
“I never said you were dainty. Though methinks the lady doth protest too much.” Waverly jokes, affecting a truly terrible British
“You’re wrong. I just wanted,” Nicole realizes that she hadn’t thought through her argument much. “I’m just not much of a flower.”
“I’m sorry.” Waverly rolls her eyes. “I know you’re not a flower. You’re much more like a puppy.”
“I-” Nicole pauses, considering. “I’m not sure that’s better.” Nicole says, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s all you’re getting. Take it or leave it.” Waverly says
“I guess I’ll take it, if those are the options.” Nicole says, resigned.
Waverly nods in approval. The moment quiets down, and Nicole and Waverly smile at each other over their coffees. They’re content to sit next to each other in silence. It’s a feeling that Nicole’s not used to, having grown up surrounded by loud people. But she’s finding that she enjoys these moments of quiet with another person. Though only so long as the other person is Waverly.
Sheriff Nedley breaks the moment by storming out of his office. He looks to be in a bad mood, more so than usual, even. He looks around the room, searching for a target. His eyes land on Nicole, and she feels her heart drop.
“Officer Haught! Time to stop making goo-goo eyes at your girlfriend and get some actual work done today.” He snaps. “Go with Officer Wells and check in with the witnesses from the Bauer case.”
He turns and disappears into his office, not caring about the embarrassment he caused. Or maybe just unaware of it. Nicole stands up, rapping her knuckles on the desk. She’s not sure how to address what her boss said, and Waverly looks just as awkward as she feels.
“I guess I’ll have to see you around. Thanks for the coffee.” Nicole says, beating a hasty retreat with her coffee cup. She doesn’t wait for a response from Waverly, taking the coward’s way out. She meets Wells by the door. The woman doesn’t look appropriately sympathetic in the slightest.
“You know, he’s just bitter.” Wells says as they walk out of the building towards a squad car.
“Bitter? About what?” Nicole asks, not sure she cares at the moment.
“He just lost some money in a bet.” Wells says from the driver’s seat. “If you had asked Waverly out last week like he had predicted, we might have avoided this.” She slams the door to the car, keeping Nicole from responding.
She walks around to the passenger's seat and drops into it. She slams the door after herself. Looking straight out the window, she avoids eye contact with Wells.
“Just drive.” Nicole says.
They peel out of the lot to the sound of Wells’s laughter.
5
Nicole is early to work. She was early yesterday too. It's a bit stressful, in all honesty. She hasn't seen Waverly since Nedley had embarrassed them both the other day. With full hindsight, she can admit that she might not have handled the situation with grace. Wells agrees. And takes great pleasure in reminding her. Laughlin has been much more sympathetic, though he's implied that it's on behalf of his wife. Nicole wants to meet the woman. Anyone who can be a positive influence on Laughlin and not put up with his antics is someone worth meeting.
Though yesterday may have been a fluke. She was on call all morning, and was in the office with less regularity than usual. Maybe she missed Waverly. Bad timing rather than avoidance. The worst part, apart from not seeing Waverly, is that she almost fell asleep at her desk. She may hate it, but the coffee has become a habit to keep her awake. So today, she's brought her tea. Just in case Waverly is, in fact, avoiding her.
When she walks into the station, she's not paying any attention to her surroundings. Her phone is blowing up with texts. Her brother is trying to give her dating advice. He acts as though his marriage makes him a relationship expert. If she recalls correctly, his wife was with him in spite of his romantic prowess, not because of it. She gets all the way to her desk before she notices that there is someone in her chair.
“Good morning, Officer Haught.” Waverly says, and Nicole's head snaps up to look at her.
“Good morning, Ms. Earp.” Nicole says back causing Waverly to grimace.
“Again with the 'Ms. Earp' thing?” She asks, rolling her eyes.
“Again with the 'Officer Haught' thing?” Nicole asks in kind.
“You make a fair point.” Waverly responds.
There's a silence bordering just on the wrong edge of awkward. Nicole clears her throat and shifts on her feet, removing her hat. Waverly taps her fingers in impatience.
“So-”
“Look, about-”
They both start talking at the same time, cutting themselves off. It's enough to make Waverly smile a little, and Nicole lets her shoulders relax. She sets her hat down on the desk before giving her full attention to the conversation.
“Sorry I ran out the other day. I just wasn't sure what to say and decided to say nothing. Not the best strategy now that I think about it.” Nicole admits.
“That's okay. I'm sorry I avoided you yesterday. I needed time to think, or something. I don't know exactly.” Waverly says with a shrug. “Wynonna kicked some sense into me. Told me I was being mopey. And when Wynonna is telling you need to address your feelings, you know you've messed up.”
Nicole lets out a laugh. “Well, I suppose we both needed that kick in the pants, then.”
“I guess we did.” Waverly replies.
“For the record, I'm sorry Nedley made you uncomfortable. He's not the most sensitive soul.” Nicole says.
“How diplomatic. You can just call him grumpy. We all know the truth.”Waverly says with a small smile. “Besides, that wasn't the issue. I mean, it was. But not the way that you think. Or the way I think you think.”
“Okay.” Nicole says slowly, trying to figure out what Waverly is saying. “May I ask what the problem was?”
“He called me your girlfriend.” Waverly says.
“Yes. Sorry about that, I'm not like telling people we're dating or anything. He got that all on his-” Nicole apologizes again.
“No, see that's not the problem. The problem is that it didn't feel untrue. It didn't feel untrue and I wasn't expecting that. I don't know if you know this but I'm a planner.” Waverly says, trying to explain herself better.
“It may have come up.” Nicole jokes.
“Funny. But this wasn't planned. Not really. It just sort of happened and I realized at the end what it had become.” Waverly admits.
"Is it so bad to not have a plan?" Nicole asks.
"No. No, this is not bad at all. I just don't always deal well when I don't-" Waverly says, trailing off.
"Have control?" Nicole supplies.
"Well. When you put it like that it sounds bad." Waverly says with a grimace.
"I don't mean it in a bad way. I can see where you're coming from. Not knowing can be unnerving." Nicole jumps in to reassure Waverly.
"Exactly." Waverly says, nodding.
Nicole feels her heart soar in her chest. She lets it sit for a moment, before she tamps it back down again. She's not letting herself hope yet. Waverly still has her boy-man. Nicole isn't going to be the other woman, even for Waverly.
“And Champ?” Nicole asks.
“Champ isn't an issue. We broke up a week ago.” Waverly says, waving a hand through the air. Nicole's heart thuds in her chest. She tries not to feel happy about this, she tries not to rejoice over a friend's break-up.
“I didn't know.” Nicole says, taking a deep breath and trying to keep her voice even. “I'm- I'm so sorry.”
“Don't be. I didn't bring it up because it didn't feel like a change. Nothing felt different. Except maybe that I felt like I'd made it official.” Waverly says, dismissing Nicole's apology.
“Oh.” Nicole says, at a loss for words.
“Yeah.” Waverly responds in kind. The silence falls around them, but it feels less awkward and more like a promise.
Nicole leans against the desk, her eyes meeting Waverly's. She smiles. Waverly is fidgeting with Nicole's hat, searching for the words to say. Or maybe trying to summon the courage to say them. Nicole doesn't know. Either way she plans to wait for Waverly to make this next move. Patience isn't her virtue, but for Waverly she can wait.
"I, uh, I brought your coffee. I know you've already got a drink, but I figured it couldn't hurt. In the name of tradition. Or something." Waverly says. She picks up a cup, and Nicole hadn't noticed them either. She tends to have tunnel-vision around Waverly.
Waverly holds the cup out and Nicole grabs it. She takes a drink, and the coffee has already cooled somewhat. Waverly has been waiting for her for awhile. Nicole even manages to cover her grimace at the taste this time. It's a somewhat of an accomplishment.
Waverly is watching Nicole's every move. She looks impatient. Like she's waiting for Nicole to do or say something. Finally she sighs.
"I thought that you were observant." Waverly says with a sigh.
"What?" Nicole asks.
"You're a cop. You're supposed to notice things. Wynonna even mentioned in particular that you have an eye for detail." Waverly says.
"I am. Observant, that is. I'm amazing at my job." Nicole protests. She’s not sure what’s going on, but she takes pride in her work.
"I'm sure you're good-" Waverly says, but Nicole cuts her off.
"Amazing." Nicole corrects.
"Fine. I'm sure you're amazing at your job. That doesn't mean you can' still miss the obvious." Waverly says, exerting great effort to keep from rolling her eyes.
"Okay, I'll bite. What am I missing?" Nicole asks, giving up on figuring out what Waverly is talking about.
"Save the biting for later. And look at your cup." Waverly says, gesturing at the cup.
Nicole swallows, her mouth dry all of the sudden. She stares open-mouthed at Waverly for a few seconds. Waverly rolls her eyes, snatching the cup out of Nicole's unresponsive hand. She turns the cup around and puts it in front of Nicole's eyes. A little too close to her face. Nicole goes cross-eyed trying to focus.
When cup stops being a blur, she can make out writing on the side. Confused, she grabs the cup back from Waverly, moving it far enough away from her face to read. In neat, flowing writing it reads 'Will you go out for coffee with me some time? (ps i mean on an actual date)'. Following that there's a little heart. It's adorable and sweet and it makes Nicole's heart skip a beat or three.
"So?" Waverly asks nervously.
"You're asking me out?" Nicole responds, still reeling.
"Yes." Waverly reaches out to fiddle with Nicole’s hat again, nervous energy bubbling over.
Nicole thinks it over for less than a millisecond. "Okay, so I assume this is my three days notice? I should be free Friday afternoon. I don't want to mess with your plans."
"Oh haha. If you're going to make fun of me I can just give someone else this cup. Maybe Wells. She won't mock me." Waverly says, but her shoulders loosen up and she starts smiling again.
"I think you should try Mrs. Libert." Nicole jokes, before continuing in a more serious voice. "But I would love to go out to coffee with you."
"Mirabile!" Waverly says with a huge smile, doing a little dance in her seat.
"I-" Nicole pauses, considering. "I have no idea what you just said? What language was that?"
"It was Latin. Latin for amazing." Waverly says, her cheeks dusted with red.
"You're pretty amazing yourself." Nicole responds, trying to catch Waverly’s eyes.
"For the record, if anyone is going to be messing with my plans, I'd rather it be you."
"I'll make a note of that." Nicole says. She makes brief eye contact with Waverly before turning away with a blush.
"Did I hear that you two are going on a coffee date?" Wells asks, and it's impossible to miss the teasing tone of voice she uses.
"Yes. Wells. Yes, we are." Nicole says, trying to communicate to Wells to stop. Wells, however, could care less about Nicole's silent pleading.
"That's weird-" Wells starts with a smirk.
"No. It's not. Is it weird, Waverly?" Nicole says, answering Wells before she can saying anything incriminating.
"Um-" Waverly hesitates, thrown by Nicole’s eagerness to change the subject.
"I'm just confused, Haught. I thought you said you-" Wells starts again, her smile widening. She looks like the cat that got the cream.
"Had plans? Canceled. I'm free now." Nicole interrupts again, glaring at Wells.
"No, I thought you hated coffee?" Wells says, rushing through the sentence so Nicole can’t cut her off again.
"What?" "No. I don't hate coffee. I drink coffee like every day." Nicole laughs, and she knows she sounds insincere. She’s never lied well.
"That's funny. Just last Wednesday you said something that made me think you hated it. What'd she say again, Laughlin?" Wells continues, driving yet another nail into Nicole’s coffin.
"I believe she said, and I quote 'All the mouthwash in the world isn't going to get rid of the taste of coffee in my mouth'." Laughlin says, unperturbed by Nicole’s glare and unsubtle head shake.
"That doesn't mean-" Nicole tries to explain, but she’s cut off by Wells. A taste of her own medicine.
"And the Monday before that?" Wells asks, feigning a faulty memory.
"Who invented coffee, and did they hate people with functioning taste buds?" Laughlin says, trying to contain his laughter.
"That was-" Nicole says quickly, clearing her throat when she realizes she's shouting. She continues, her voice at a reasonable level. "Taken out of- context?"
"You don't like coffee, Nicole?" Waverly asks, finally re-inserting herself into the conversation. Her brows are furrowed.
"I-" Nicole starts.
"And don't lie to spare my feelings." Waverly cuts her off, raising a finger in warning.
"No, I don't like coffee." Nicole admits, her shoulders slumping in defeat. When she looks up Waverly looks disappointed, and Nicole feels even worse. She tries to cover this situation with a flirty comment. "But, uh, your company is sweet enough that I never notice?"
The words hang in the air for a long moment. Nicole can see the exact second each person in the room registered what exactly she just said. Her family had all told her when she was younger that her mouth would get her in trouble. She had always assumed that meant she’d sass the wrong person. She never thought that she’d fail so spectacularly at flirting. Hubris was her downfall. Wells is the first to laugh, followed by Laughlin. They’re bent over their respective desks, trying to catch their breath. Waverly tries her best to keep a straight face. It’s almost more embarrassing to see Waverly try to spare her pride. Nicole would love it if she could melt away in this moment. Instead she’s left standing in front of her desk with a red face and nowhere to hide.
"That was the worst line I've ever heard you use, Haught." Wells manages to say between her laughter.
"Shut up, Wells." Nicole mumbles, covering her face with her hands.
She hears rather than sees Waverly stand up. Nicole doesn’t remove her hands from her face. If she doesn’t see anything maybe the moment will just go away.
Waverly puts a hand on Nicole’s arm, pulling her hands away from her face. "I thought it was, er, sweet. I appreciate the thought." The comment would be much more reassuring if it was said without a grin.
"Oh great. Pity. That makes this so much better." Nicole says, rolling her eyes and putting her hands down.
"Come on, even you have to admit that was terrible." Waverly says, dropping the sympathetic act.
"I don't have to admit any such thing." Nicole pouts, putting her hands into her pockets. And, okay, she might be acting like a petulant child. But she’s a grown woman, and if she wants to act like a child it’s her right to do so. The moment seems to call for it anyway.
She hears Waverly snort. Her pout deepens, and then disappears entirely when Waverly reaches out and rubs a hand down her arm. Nicole turns her head to meet Waverly’s eyes. When their eyes meet, Nicole’s breath catches and Waverly’s hand freezes on her arm. The world has narrowed down to the two of them and the space between them.
"Why didn't you tell me you didn't like coffee? Hell, why did you even order a cappuccino in the first place?" Waverly asks, breaking the silence and the eye contact at the same time.
"I panicked talking to you that first time." Nicole sighs, glancing up at the ceiling.
"Because she's so smitten." Wells chimes in.
"You're too pretty for her. Messes with her head." Laughlin says in agreement.
"Wells, Laughlin, you're not a part of this talk." Waverly doesn’t take her eyes off of Nicole when she scolds the other two officers. Even more surprising to Nicole is that it works. Immediately.
"You got them in line faster than anyone I've ever seen." Nicole says,
"It's a skill. Now, I believe you were telling me why you never mentioned that you hate coffee?" Waverly prompts, refusing to let the topic drop.
"I didn't know how to tell you at first. Not without being awkward. Then you kept bringing coffee and it kept getting more awkward to bring it up." Nicole says with an awkward shrug, not bothering to beat around the bush any longer.
"You need to work on talking through awkward situations more." Is all Waverly says in response, and Nicole can only bob her head in agreement.
"I won't lie, a big part of it was that drinking coffee meant I could see you every day." Nicole adds, flashing her signature charming smile.
"You could have just asked." Waverly insists.
"We've talked about this. I'm not great at confronting awkward situations. Especially awkward situations with beautiful women." Nicole says, flirting a little at the end to try and lighten the mood.
"Next time be honest with me. I don't want you doing anything you're uncomfortable with just because you think I want you to." Waverly speaks with such sincerity that Nicole finds herself at a loss.
"I will." Nicole says with breathless promise. They both let the moment sit until Wells coughs at her desk. The cough sounds fake, but Nicole doesn’t have it in her to glare at Wells right now.
"So. Awkward situations with beautiful women? Women plural? Do I have competition?" Waverly jokes.
"You've forgotten about Mrs. Libert already?" Nicole asks with a wink.
"Of course, how could that have slipped my mind?" Waverly responds in kind, smacking a hand against her forehead.
"I don't know. We have such an epic love story. Yesterday she didn't even glare at me when I came into the pharmacy." Nicole says, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Awe-inspiring. Truly." Waverly deadpans. "So I take it that this means that that coffee date is off the table?"
"No, I'd love to get coffee with you." Nicole says immediately.
"You hate coffee. We just finished talking about that." Waverly reminds her, her tone of voice verging on patronizing.
"I hate coffee but I l-" Nicole takes a deep breath. "I like you an awful lot."
"That’s nice, but there are other options you know. Purgatory may be small, but coffee is not the only thing to do around here. I'm sure we can find something we'd both enjoy." Waverly teases, leaning up to kiss Nicole on the cheek.
"I'd love that."
+1
Nicole is hard at work on paperwork. She’s ignoring the rest of the room. She’s got a lot of work to do this morning, she was late into work and she wants to get back onto Nedley’s good side. If such a side exists. It’s harder than usual to drown out the rest of the office. Wells and Laughlin both are trying to get information about the date she went on last night. She’s busy and therefore can’t talk much. Or maybe she wants to torture them a bit for being insufferable and therefore is busy. It’s such a fine line.
Hands come out of nowhere to cover her eyes and she jumps. The movement causes her to drag her pen across the file and ruin the paper she's working on. The hands on her face drop down and Nicole spins her chair around to see Waverly Earp looking apologetic.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think that through.” Waverly says, holding her hands up in a defensive position.
“That’s alright. I’m already on the Sheriff’s bad side so messy paperwork is hardly going to make things worse.” Nicole says, waving away the concern. She reaches out and rests her hands on Waverly’s waist. Letting her thumbs brush the exposed skin there.
“What’d you do to the Sheriff?” Waverly asks, brushing a loose hair out of Nicole’s face.
“Hm?” Nicole asks, distracted by Waverly yet again. “I, uh- I was late to work. Late night last night.”
“Sorry about that.” Waverly says, sounding anything but apologetic.
“Don’t be. Worth it.” Nicole says, smiling up at Waverly.
Waverly smiles back and ducks down to place a quick kiss against Nicole’s lips. Nicole’s world stutters to a stop, the same way it did the first time. She thinks that there’s something addictive in Waverly’s lips. She would be more than happy to spend a day- or night- finding out. The entire office cheers, and Nicole does a wonderful job of pretending that none of them exist.
“Good morning.” Waverly says as she pulls away, just outside of Nicole’s space.
“Best morning.” Nicole counters breathlessly.
“Okay, you two, we get it. You’re gross.” Wynonna calls as she walks into the room. She takes a bite of doughnut before continuing, mouth full. “This is a professional work environment. Keep it in your pants.”
Waverly blushes bright red and steps back from Nicole. Nicole instead considers for a moment how satisfying it would be to punch Wynonna. Only for a moment. She is Waverly’s sister and, for some reason, Nicole’s friend. It would be a bad idea. And Wynonna’s not entirely wrong.
“Waves, I brought the coffee inside. You forgot to grab them in your excitement to see your girlfriend.” Wynonna says, dropping a cardboard cup holder on Nicole’s desk. She rolls her eyes. “In all seriousness though, you two are gonna make me lose my breakfast at this rate.” Waverly sticks her tongue out at her sister’s retreating back.
“Who’s the second coffee for?” Nicole asks, noticing the second cup in the holder.
“It’s for you. I asked around and, as it turns out, the coffee shop I always go to also serves teas. So I got you a cup.” Waverly explains, plucking one of the cups out of the holder to present to Nicole.
“You bought me tea?” Nicole asks.
“That is what I just said.” Waverly says, putting a hand on her hip.
Nicole takes a sip of the tea, and is pleasantly surprised to find it’s her favorite blend. There’s no way that the coffee shop just happened to have that in stock. So it was clearly more than just a happy coincidence on Waverly’s part. Nicole is once again awestruck by Waverly Earp. The woman who clearly did her research to make sure that she got Nicole a tea she likes in the morning. Nicole can’t remember the last time someone did something like that for her.
“This is amazing, thank you.”
“See what happens when you just tell me what you want?” Waverly says with a pleased smile.
“So far telling you what I like has been rewarding.” Nicole says, flirting the edge of innuendo.
“Speaking of rewards.” Waverly says cheerily, distracted by a new topic of conversation. She turns to Wells. “Who won the pool?” Nicole chokes on her spit.
“What?” Wells asks, alarmed. This is the first time that Nicole has seen Wells startled. It’s reassuring to know she’s capable of the emotion. Or it would be more reassuring if Nicole wasn’t having a much similar reaction.
“About when Officer Haught and I would start dating? Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” Waverly says, enjoying the panic she’s causing the entire office.
“How did you know?” Nicole asks, blurting the first question that comes to mind.
“Was I not supposed to know?” Waverly asks, feigning confusion. “If I wasn’t, you did a terrible job of hiding it.”
“So you knew there was a pool the entire time? And you didn’t say anything?” Laughlin questions.
“Oh yeah, I’ve known for awhile now. You guys can’t keep a secret for the life of you. It was pretty funny watching you guys try to hide it from me though.” Waverly laughs.
“Funny?” Laughlin asks, incredulous.
“Mmhm. I mean, I don’t know why you were so worried I’d find out. It’s just a bet, right? No harm, no foul.” Waverly continues.
“That’s what I said. But, no, Officer Haught was certain you’d be uncomfortable.” Wells says, her air of nonchalance back in full force.
“I didn’t want to pressure you.” Nicole says, still feeling off-kilter and three steps behind.
“Haught, it would take more than a betting pool to pressure me to do something, or someone, that I don’t want to do.” Waverly says with a wink. Nicole is left feeling even more off-balance, and not for the same reasons as before.
“Um.” Is all Nicole can come up with to say in response. She feels it sums up her emotions in this moment fairly well.
“I can see why you like her so much, Waverly. She’s so good with words.” Wells teases.
Waverly leans down, pressing a kiss to the corner of Nicole’s mouth. She lingers a moment in Nicole's space before sauntering away towards the back rooms. Before she leaves the room, she stops at the doorway.
“Fortunately she has other redeeming qualities.” Waverly says with a smug smile as she leaves the room.
Nicole sits in her desk chair, watching the empty doorway, speechless. She’s not sure that any other work is going to get done today. Nedley is going to be so angry. She wonders if she could cite Waverly Earp as a reasonable excuse. Any person who has met the woman must understand the debilitating effect she can have on the human mind.
“So,” Wells drawls from across the room, “when’s the wedding?”