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earpdearp · 7 years ago

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not just best friends

Wherein Nicole and Waverly spend an afternoon deep in discussion about what to do about the latest addition: Willa Earp, back from the dead. Phonecalls, texts and flirts galore. Plus, they kind of sleep together. It’s a long day.

Takes place in early 1x11. Utilizes Road to Purgatory content for flavor. Domestic as all get-out.

Also on AO3. Approximately 7620 words.

Other WayHaught “not just friends” fics in this series: not just any first date | not just a secret | not just heavenly | not just a long day

Nicole Haught woke up smiling.

While she was exhausted from all that extra overtime last night (and into the morning), Nicole still felt a warm sense of accomplishment all the way down to her toes.

It had been one of those defining moments of becoming a cop. The chaos of so many people, staying calm in that chaos, while working together to get statements down and families found… it was a magical thing.

“A hidden forest cult of runaway women rescued from the hands of a charismatic lunatic.”

It was one of those things you heard about on TV and couldn’t believe existed. Except in Purgatory: anything seemed to be possible. Good and bad (oftentimes bad).

All Nicole’s emergency management training had finally paid off, too. All those binders of situational procedure she’d brought with her to Purgatory from the Academy put to use. For once, Nicole had been the one teaching Lonnie, Nedley and Phillips how to properly engage with a sudden influx of victims at the station (and not just pack them into the drunk tank to deal with like a rowdy bar fight).

No, those women needed blankets, they needed coffee, they needed a sense of community and support. Favors were called in, mostly from the other cops’ significant others.

Lonnie’s wife, Marlene, helped keep their little coffee pot humming long into the early morning (or with hot chocolate to those who asked). Maggie Nedley and Chrissy threw their weight at the volunteer fire department to make sure they had plenty of blankets, plus cots for the women whose families couldn’t arrive til the morning. They also made trips to the 24-hour truck stop for bags and bags of trashy burgers and sandwiches when everyone got hungry around 10PM.

Phillips’ girlfriend Sasha was a little too dense to help do anything, but boy could the woman talk. And, if Nicole was being honest, she was probably the most useful of all. Sasha flitted around those girls like a hummingbird, catching them up on reality TV plots, some current events, the best clubs and bars in the city, and who the hottest movie actors were. Nicole had to keep redirecting Sasha away from Phillips so he would stay on task making those family calls/arrangements, but otherwise the woman was the perfect conversational butterfly to put those rescued women at ease.

Nicole had texted Waverly that she’d seen Wynonna there, hovering in the background like a grumpy guardian angel. The answering [“Thank you <3”] was all Nicole needed. A small part of Nicole wanted to ask Waverly to come down to help, but she knew Waverly was dead on her feet from the past few days.

Plus… they hadn’t really talked about outing their relationship like that. It would be a pretty big dick move just to show off “her girlfriend Waverly” when they hadn’t even used the word with each other, yet.

But… something to talk about nonetheless. There were a lot of empty checkboxes in their relationship status yet. Title, how serious or exclusive, who all could/would/should they tell… Still plenty of time to figure that out, though. And the right time probably wasn’t “late at night in the middle of the sheriff’s department.”

The number of victims winnowed down to less than three. Even Wynonna had signed a custody release on one woman who went by the name “Eve.”

“Just until someone steps forward to claim her,” Wynonna had said with a stern look. “No one should have to spend the night in this shithole.” Her expression switched to one of mock-sweetness with a few rapid, insincere blinks.

Nedley had cleared it with a gruff nod, though he promised the elder Earp that he was going to attend to Eve’s missing persons report personally. “If I have to assign a caseworker, I will.”

Wynonna drawled back with a smirk. “Oooo, threatening me with bureaucracy. …Relax, Randy. I’ll keep her safe.” Nicole had thought she heard the woman mutter under her breath, “…or she’ll keep me safe.”

Around midnight, Sheriff Nedley had taken Nicole aside. The bags under the man’s eyes were more pronounced than usual, his mouth a hard line under his light moustache. At first, Nicole thought she had done something wrong when he closed his office door behind her.

Instead, he offered her a seat. And a drink from the decanter of whiskey on his side table.

“You did good today, Haught,” Nedley said after clinking the lowball glass in his hand against hers on the desk. He drained his glass of the amber liquid in one deep swallow before Nicole had the chance to even raise hers to her lips.

Following suit, Nicole resisted the urge to cough against the burning bourbon. It puffed out her cheeks from the sheer amount of booze, but she swallowed it down with a weak smile.

“Th—thank you, sir,” Nicole stuttered out with a small, throat clearing cough. She felt herself squinting against the burn rolling down her throat. She also stifled a yawn that started in her jaw and shivered its way down her shoulders and into her chest. Sitting down just made Nicole realize how dog-ass tired she was after such a long day.

Nedley poured himself another and studied the sloshing liquid in his glass a moment. “I know you’ve had a long night, and you’re due some comp time. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer…”

Tilting her head, Nicole asked, “Offer what?”

“We’ve got a big poker tournament going on tomorrow night. Lot of old money and friends of the Judge come in and throw chips around. Big well-to-do to raise some funds… usually for the Judge’s re-election.” Nedley rolled his eyes slightly.

“But it’s good side pay,” he continued after downing his glass of bourbon. “Lonnie worked it last year and Phillips worked the year before, though I’m offerin’ it to you first this time. Usually around five hours of work, mostly involves standing around and making sure no one gets too rowdy. Standard gig. What do you say?”

“I’m game, sir,” Nicole said, then cringed at the accidental pun.

The Sheriff’s gaze was withering, but he nodded and drummed his fingers on his desk. ��Good. I’ll email you the details. Proper protocol, all the standard operating procedure, all that. Pretty easy stuff.” He stood up and Nicole followed suit (taking the hint that this conversation was over). “Represent us well and you’ll get asked back to do more side jobs. Homecoming at the school is another big one, some hockey events, weddings, stuff like that.”

Nicole returned the lowball glass to Nedley’s desk and adjusted her belt. “Looking forward to it, sir.”

Leaning forward, Nedley offered his hand to shake. “Just a small thank-you for all your hard work. You’ve been in Purgatory long enough. Time for you to see some of what it has to offer. You’re part of this community now, Haught.”

“Yes, sir.”

Despite the fact it meant piling more work on her shoulders, Nicole was oddly touched by the gesture… at being included in the town’s outer-workings, at the very least. Integrating into the normal part of Purgatory would be nice for a change.

And maybe one day, I’ll be included in the inner-workings, Nicole thought with a scowl as Dolls and Wynonna came to mind.

She made a mental note to ask Waverly about the poker tournament later.

Nedley glanced across the station to his wife, Maggie. “And try not to get cornered by any of the Judge’s out-of-towner friends. Or the Mayor’s wife, Vicky. You’ll never escape. They can talk.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Standing up, Nedley gestured for the door. “Anyway, great work tonight. Get home, get some sleep, Haught.”

“Yes, sir.”

Stretching in her bed, Nicole stared at the ceiling. She stroked the ginger cat that was curled in her lap, while her other hand reached subconsciously for the cell phone on her nightstand. Her thumb hovered over her home screen wallpaper: a smiling Waverly with Nicole kissing her cheek. Their first date outside the movie theater. Just a little over a week ago and it still felt like yesterday.

With a wistful sigh, Nicole swiped over to the first starred contact in her list. It connected after a couple of rings. “Hey, good morning you,” Nicole said warmly, her other hand rubbing at Calamity Jane’s cheek.

[“Hey, how’d it go last night?”] Waverly sounded tired still, which made Nicole reflexively frown in sympathy.

“Good. Almost all the women’s families were local and drove in pretty much straightaway. A couple had to catch flights from out of state and should be there in the morning.”

[“That’s awesome, Nicole.”]

“Yea, it was a pretty early morning, though,” Nicole yawned almost on command. “How are you doing? I saw Wynonna took one of the women home? Did she crash with y’all last night? How was that?”

[“Uh… yea… yea, Wynonna made a… friend. A woman named Eve. She’s…”] Waverly trailed off.

Sensing something was off, Nicole sat up in bed. Calamity Jane meowed in irritation and left Nicole’s lap in a huff. “Waverly? What’s wrong?”

[“I don’t even know how to say this, because I didn’t think it was possible…”]

“What is it, baby?”

[“It’s Eve… there’s a good chance that she’s—she’s really our big sister, Willa…”]

Nicole felt her eyes widen and her hand went to her mouth.

She remembered the news article she’d found when she was looking up Wynonna Earp (and, admittedly, Waverly). That Willa Earp was taken during at attack on the Homestead, the same night Wynonna accidentally shot their father. A six-month search kicked off, but no trace of the girl was ever found other than some bloody clothes and Willa was presumed dead. For 15 years.

“Oh my God, Waves…”

[“Yea, she—she started to freak out when we brought her home. Luckily, Dolls was there and gave her some medication to help her sleep. He’s doing a rush job on a DNA test right now, so we should know soon for certain. I just—I don’t know…”]

Leaning over, Nicole cradled her phone to her ear. “How are you doing?” she asked softly.

There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by a brief sniff. [“I don’t—I don’t know. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Not with—just… not right now.”]

Nicole took the hint. Maybe Wynonna or Gus or “Willa” was nearby and Waverly wasn’t free to talk. Nicole decided to change the subject to (hopefully) happier news as she switched to speaker phone.

“Okay, we can talk about it later. But hey, can I ask you something?”

[“Anything.”] Waverly said, her tone enthusiastic.

Opening her email, Nicole studied all the notes from Nedley again. “Are you familiar with the ‘Purgatory Poker Spectacular?’”

[“Oh! Yea! Big, glitzy affair that Judge Cryderman throws every year.”]

“Have you ever gone?”

[“Uh, no. That’s where the rich d-bags from the city come into town and throw money around. Then they usually went to Shorty’s after and drank us dry. Super rude. And handsy. Not a fan.”]

Nicole scowled at the thought as she switched back to the normal phone setting. “…do you remember any names? Or what they looked like?”

A chirp of a laugh at the other end of the phone. [“Aw, are you gonna defend my honor? That’s so sweet! …don’t worry about it, Nicole. It’s so not worth it. Frankly, I’d pay money to see what happens when those jerks stroll into Shorty’s-now-Bobo’s and try to act like dicks to his gang. Won’t they be surprised.”]

“Fair point,” Nicole agreed.

[“Why do you ask?”]

“Oh, I’m on duty for it tonight. Extra security. Nedley put me up to it. And it’ll give me a chance to earn some extra cash… to take out pretty girls… That sort of thing,” Nicole said airily.

[“Great! Anyone I know?”]

“I think you do. She’s pretty amazing.” Sighing with relief, Nicole leaned back against her headboard. “Are you free at all today? I have some time to kill before the poker thing tonight.”

I’m really racking up the overtime. Next paycheck should be incredible.

Nicole paused before rushing into a semi-apology. “Of course, I totally understand if you need to spend time with your sister—sisters. I just—I’m here if you need me, Wave.”

[“Oh God, I’d love to come over. It’s been a weird vibe in the house since Eve—Willa?—showed up. Frankly, I could use the break. What time?”]

“I’m off til around five, so any time before then would be great.”

[“Okay, let’s plan for lunch then! I’ll text you when I’m on my way over. I’m pretty sure you still owe me a meal from yesterday.”] Her voice a teasing warning, Waverly was starting to sound like her old self again.

With a light laugh, Nicole agreed, “You got it. I’ll get that Chinese I promised and failed to deliver on. Text me what you like and I’ll have it waiting. See you in a bit.”

They trailed off with fond goodbyes before hanging up.

As Nicole was finishing getting ready to pick up lunch, her phone pinged with a text.

[Waverly says: “It’s official. She’s Willa”]

Chewing her cheek, Nicole tapped out a response.

[Nicole says: “How are you holding up?”]

[Waverly says: “It’s a lot to process”]

[Nicole says: “I know”]

[Waverly says: “She’s been gone almost my whole life, as far as I remember”]

[Nicole says: “I can’t even imagine”]

There was a long pause. Nicole was uncertain what to say next. Then the trademark “…” held her attention as Waverly replied.

[Waverly says: “In other news, Wynonna asked me if we’re ‘best friends’”]

[Nicole says: “…whaaaa?”]

They exchanged a pair of unicorn emojis. Nicole chuckled under her breath.

“Best friends.” I would think so.

…”Girlfriends?” …Oh God, I hope so.

[Waverly says: “I’m heading over”]

[Nicole says: “Okay, I’m heading out to pick up the food. See you at my place <3”]

[Waverly says: “Okay <3”]

When Nicole returned with a plastic bag bulging with Chinese food containers, she saw a familiar red Jeep already sitting in her driveway. Parking her cruiser next to that Jeep, Nicole hopped out and scanned the front porch. Waverly Earp stood at the far side, leaning against the banister and looking out at the small swath of land behind the house.

“Hey you,” Nicole greeted Waverly warmly, which turned the woman’s head.

Dropping the bag of food lightly on the porch near the door, Nicole strode straight up to Waverly and pulled her into a tight hug. The smaller woman’s arms snaked through Nicole’s open coat to wrap around her waist, and her head fit perfectly into the space below Nicole’s chin against her collarbone and breasts.

They held there for several minutes, not saying anything.

It was Waverly who started to pull back, so Nicole loosened her grip around Waverly’s shoulders. Nicole ran one hand along the back of Waverly’s neck to her cheek and held it there.

Waverly wasn’t crying, but there was a pensive line in her brow and her eyes were glazed. On the verge, but she was holding fast. Waverly stood still as Nicole leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead, which caused a smile to curl her lips.

“Hey, best friend,” Waverly said, her voice cracking slightly with the joke. She cleared her throat.

“Hey, best friend,” Nicole echoed back as she stepped aside, leaving one arm around Waverly’s shoulders. “It’s cold. Let’s get you inside.”

A thought crossed Nicole’s mind that she should get Waverly a spare key to her house. But… she wasn’t sure if that was Too Soon. She smiled to herself that she was already thinking like that. Like… long-term.

…Whoa there. Still plenty of time.

Scooping up the bag of take-out, Nicole ushered Waverly in after unlocking the door. She helped the woman take off her leopard-print coat and beckoned her into the kitchen to sit at the table. Nicole pulled the chair out and waited for Waverly to sit down.

Waverly balked at the attention. “I’m okay, Nicole. I could help you set the table, or—?”

With an emphatic shake of her head, Nicole gestured to the chair again. Waverly obliged with a small smile. When she sat down, Nicole pushed the chair in and kissed the top of Waverly’s head.

Then Nicole went to work.

Her motions were smooth and deliberate. Turning on the oven with a beep, Nicole set the temperature to low and stuffed the bag of Chinese food in before closing the heavy door with a thud. Then she swept over to the pantry for the open bottle of zinfandel. She filled a wide-brimmed wine glass—a jingling unicorn charm at the stem—with dark red liquid (as well as another glass nearby, this time with a cowboy hat charm).

Nicole set the glasses down on the kitchen table then made her way over to the refrigerator. She pulled two small pints out of the freezer, claimed two spoons from the cutlery drawer nearby and brought them to the table as well.

A chuckle caught in Nicole’s throat when she saw Waverly downing her glass of wine, clearly the stress of the last few days getting to her. Without a word, Nicole fetched the bottle of zinfandel and brought it over to the table. She waited for Waverly to finish before emptying the rest of the bottle into her glass.

“Okay. Now we can talk if you want,” Nicole said simply as she settled into the chair across from Waverly at the table. Nicole popped the top off the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough and motioned with her spoon for Waverly to do the same with her mint chocolate chip.

Her smile slanted, Waverly dug in with a large spoonful. She rolled the cream around her mouth for a moment, savoring the taste. It was a few more bites in before Waverly finally spoke.

“I don’t know what to say, really. She was taken when I was just a kid… and she’s been gone all this time, brainwashed and probably worse…” Waverly’s face contorted with profound sadness. But also, something resembling… guilt?

What could Waverly have possibly done to be guilty about?

Nicole reached out and stroked Waverly’s wrist. “I can’t even imagine what she’s been through, Waves. It’ll be a hard adjustment phase. For everyone.”

“Yea… Wynonna is trying to ease her into what all’s happened. Which… I don’t know. I remember… Daddy was hardest on Willa. Which made Willa… she—she wasn’t a very good sister.” Waverly stopped herself, her eyes widening. She took a deep breath and started to ramble. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say that… she was taken and—and God Knows what she’s had to deal with all these years and just because she was… that’s probably not who she even is and here I am—“

Nicole tried to interrupt. “Waverly.”

“—here I am holding on to grudges from when I was six and how childish is that? She’s our sister and of course I love her… even though she was kind of a bully… even though she and Wynonna were always closer and Wynonna is nothing like how she was when we were kids and—and now Willa can be the Earp she was meant to be and—and—I—“

Gripping the woman’s wrist more firmly, Nicole tried again. “Waverly…”

Waverly finally looked back up at Nicole from where she had been talking to her pint of mint chocolate chip.

“It’s okay. I understand.”

“You do?” Waverly chewed her bottom lip.

Nicole rolled her thumb over the back of Waverly’s hand. “I think so. I get the feeling you bottled up all the resentment you had as a kid after Willa was taken and never felt like you were allowed to be mad. And now that she’s back, the bottle’s open. Does that sound about right?”

Waverly gave a weak nod. Her voice was just above a whisper. “Does that… make me a bad person, Nicole?”

It broke Nicole’s heart. “Waverly… you are the kindest, sweetest person I’ve ever met. Hands down.” She smiled softly as her fingers stroked along Waverly’s hand before she threaded their fingers together. “Family is… complicated. It feels like it shouldn’t be, because it’s Family and you’re supposed to just love each other, but… it doesn’t always work that way. I know.”

Nicole’s advice was supposed to be directed at Waverly, but it was more to convince herself.

Waverly seemed to notice, her head tilting curiously. “How do you know?”

“I don’t… speak to my family—to my parents. They’re just… not a part of my life and I’m—I’m better for it. We had a falling out before I went away to college and I’ve been on my own since. And it just—it just is,” Nicole trailed off with a shrug. She didn’t want to elaborate, partly because Nicole didn’t want to make this about her and partly because she didn’t want to dredge up the pain.

Squeezing her hand back, Waverly offered a slanted smile. “I’m sorry… I didn’t want to dump this on you. I mean, I could be making a big deal about nothing. It’s just… rough, you know? On the bright side, I think Gus might try to stay a little longer.” Waverly chewed her cheek. “Though I think she feels guilty, too. Since she was the one who became our guardian after Daddy died and had to be the one to call off the search.”

“Y’all didn’t do anything wrong, Waverly,” Nicole consoled. “How could any of you have known?”

Waverly sighed with a nod before taking another deep sip of wine. They ate their ice cream in companionable silence for a few minutes, accompanied only by the sound of clinking wine glasses and the scraping of spoons.

“Thanks—thanks for listening, Nicole,” Waverly said finally, her smile soft and sweet.

“Of course,” Nicole replied as she drained the last of her wine. She offered a teasing smile. “What are best friends for?”

“Just the best,” Waverly agreed as she beckoned Nicole forward with a finger. They leaned across the table to share a soft kiss.

Nicole stood to replace the lids on the pints and tuck them back in the freezer. “You hungry?” Waverly’s wicked smile actually made Nicole laugh. “…I meant for food?”

“Actually, yes. Being an emotional wreck leaves you with an appetite.”

Fetching their food from the oven, Nicole doled out warm cartons across the table along with chopsticks and plastic spoons. Vegetarian potstickers, lo mein, and hot and sour soup for Waverly, while Nicole had General Tsao’s chicken and wonton soup.

Waverly asked Nicole if she had any peanut butter. Her cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment.

When Nicole headed into the pantry, she stopped, turned and demanded, “What’s the best kind of peanut butter?”

An eyebrow quirked. “You’re testing me?”

Nicole nodded back.

“Uh, smooth. Obviously,” Waverly said with a dismissive hand-wave.

“Correct. I also would have accepted: ‘Nutella is the best.’”

Retrieving the plastic jar, Nicole handed it over to Waverly with a raised eyebrow of her own. With a guilty smile, Waverly grabbed a spoonful and dumped it into her hot and sour soup.

“Not… what I was expecting…” Nicole said as she watched the hot liquid dissolve the dollop of peanut butter.

“It’s super good. …Don’t tell Wynonna I still do that, though. She’ll never stop making fun of me.” Waverly scowled, her nose wrinkling.

Nicole raised three fingers in a Girl Scout sign as she stabbed another forkful of chicken. “Won’t say a word. Is that, like, a Purgatory thing? Or just a Waverly Earp thing?” She smiled endearingly before taking a bite.

“Just me!” Waverly chirped with a smile as she swirled her spoon in her soup almost like a whisk. “Though I agree: Nutella is the best.”

With a light laugh, Nicole went back to her pantry and pulled out what amounted to a small drum of Nutella. Her smile was skewed with embarrassment. “I might have a small problem. …I won’t tell if you won’t.”

Waverly repeated back Nicole’s Girl Scout sign with a laugh. “Deal!” Her fingertips found their way to Nicole’s wrist and errantly stroked along the back of her hand. A familiar wide, crinkling smile remained on Waverly’s face for the rest of lunch.

Nicole was not able to convince Waverly to take it easy this time; she insisted on helping clean up, going so far as to shoo Nicole out of her own kitchen.

“You’ve done enough! And I waitressed a rowdy bar for three years, Nicole. I think I can handle cleaning up some Chinese food,” Waverly announced as she draped a dish towel on the opposite shoulder as her side braid. Wiping her hands on her colorful, floral-print skirt, Waverly shot a pair of finger-guns. “Plus, it’ll help take my mind off things for a little longer… and give me a chance to go through all your drawers.” Her smile was toothy with mock-sweetness.

All Nicole could do was laugh and hold up her hands in surrender. “Well, let me know if you find anything good while you’re looking for skeletons. Or this purple mouse-slash-catnip toy of Calamity Jane’s that she probably stuck somewhere weird.” She made a measuring motion with her thumb and forefinger. “About yay big.”

Another pair of finger-guns. “You got it, Haught!”

“Thanks, Earp.”

Settling onto the couch, Nicole left a spot open for Waverly. A multitude of blankets were already at the ready, as was the DVR remote. She checked her watch. Still a few hours yet before she needed to head off to the poker tournament. They had time.

Nicole couldn’t help craning her neck to watch the woman work behind her. Waverly was humming a nonsensical tune under her breath as she swept the cartons into the trash bin and wiped down the table. She poked around the lower cabinets and a few of the higher ones, but gave up after a few stretches on her tip-toes yielded no results on the out-of-reach shelves.

She did dig around under the sink for a few minutes longer than necessary, but just as Nicole was about to ask, Waverly stood up. Her arm shot up over her head in triumph.

“Ha! Challenge accepted!” Waving in Waverly’s hand, like a Golden Snitch from Harry Potter, was a lumpy purple mouse toy.

Oh God… It was… so nice. She was a vision. Graceful and sweet and just so—

Before Nicole could finish that thought, Waverly chucked the mouse at Nicole where it bounced off her forehead. The woman’s laugh was pure music as Waverly covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh shit! Sorry! I was just trying to throw it to you, not at you.”

Still too awestruck to be offended, Nicole smirked before grabbing the toy where it landed on the couch back. She tossed it over to the side closet where the door was open a crack. A ginger paw stretched out, felt around, then snagged the toy and pulled it inside.

“You’re welcome, you little gremlin,” Nicole muttered under her breath. She was too amused to be annoyed by Calamity Jane’s antisocial behavior.

A moment later, Waverly swept in re-serving their wine glasses (freshened with moscato this time). Her small smile was apologetic. “A peace offering. I didn’t mean to bean you in the face.”

“I can check and see if there are any more openings on the PSD softball team. Put that deadly aim to use,” Nicole teased as she accepted the glass. They clinked them together before Nicole pulled back a blanket to welcome Waverly next to her.

They snuggled together for a few minutes, Nicole’s arm draped lazily around Waverly’s shoulders.

A text message ping broke the quiet. Waverly sighed and slipped her hand under the blanket to pull out her phone. Hazel eyes skimming the bright screen for a moment, Waverly chewed her cheek as she put the phone away.

“Something wrong?” Nicole asked, tilting her head.

“I don’t think so? Wynonna took …Willa…” Waverly still stumbled over the unfamiliar word, her brow creasing. “…out on the Homestead… to tell her what happened to her. Who she is. I guess she started to remember some things.”

“That’s good, right?”

“I guess? She remembered Daddy, which…” Glancing over, Waverly hesitated and took a deep sip of her wine. She offered a fake smile as she held up her glass. “This is, uh, pretty good. No zinfandel, but I really like the—“

“Waverly,” Nicole interrupted with a soft smile. She rocked her arm against Waverly’s shoulders in reassurance. “…You don’t have to tell me. But, I would like to know if and when you do. And yea, the moscato’s pretty good, if sweeter.”

“I’m sorry, I just… Daddy was… tough. Especially after Momma left. He drank a lot. He was really hard on Willa. And Wynonna, too.”

Nicole felt herself tense in anger at this man she’d never met. Her imagination was filling in what Waverly wasn’t saying. “What about you?”

A bitter laugh. “Daddy barely knew I existed. He was so focused on Willa. Wynonna was the one who took care of me, got me ready for school or helped me brush my teeth or packed my lunch. She was the one who kept the family together in spite of everything.” Waverly had gone back to chewing her cheek. She glanced at Nicole out of the corner of her eye.

Police training started to creep into Nicole’s mind, particularly: risk assessment for domestic abuse victims. But Nicole managed to stop herself before her anger spiked further… especially considering she knew that Ward Earp had been the Purgatory Sheriff back in the day.

That son of a bitch! …This was 15 years ago, this explains a lot and… this is not what Waverly needs right now.

“I’m so sorry, Waverly,” Nicole said instead, leaning over to rest her forehead against Waverly’s temple. She saw Waverly’s eyes close at the touch and stay closed while a sad smile tugged at her cheek.

Only the sound of soft breathing carried through the room as Nicole held against Waverly. Rubbing small circles on Waverly’s shoulder with her thumb, Nicole felt a hand give a similar, soothing stroke along her thigh.

Nicole traced her lips over Waverly’s cheek before taking a sip of her wine. “Anything you want to do? A movie or something? Take your mind off things?”

A slanted smile as Waverly followed suit with a sip of her own moscato. Her tongue flicked out to lick traces of wine off her lips. She blinked blearily. “God, I’m so tired from the last few days, I’d probably just fall asleep.” That slanted smiled crinkled with apology.

“A nap, then?” Nicole suggested as she checked her watch. “I could probably use one before the poker tournament.” She gave a playful wink. “Wouldn’t do for Purgatory’s Finest to pass out while rubbing shoulders with Purgatory’s Elite.”

Eyes widening, Waverly took an unusually large swallow of wine. She gave a small, nervous cough after draining the rest of her glass. “You mean… together? …Are you—are you sure? I mean, I don’t—I’m not really…” Waverly trailed off with a fretful drumming of fingernails on the glass.

Nicole chuckled and pulled away slightly. “Not like that. …plenty of time, remember?” She tilted her head and gave a small yawn. “If you’d rather I stay here and you take my room, or vice versa, I’m fine either way. Or if you’re okay with my room, I have some—“

“Okay,” Waverly interrupted.

“Okay what?”

“Er… I’m… okay with… your room. …Together.”

“Are you sure? Cuz I can take the couch. I don’t mind, Waver—”

Waverly jumped in again, her smile shy. “No, it’s—it’s fine. I’d… like that.” The shyness pushed outward into small confidence. “As long as I can bring some extra blankets.” Her gaze hardened, stern negotiation written on her face.

“How can I say no to that?” With an airy laugh, Nicole nodded as she finished her wine. The cowboy charm made a tinkling sound as it jangled against the stem. She set it, and Waverly’s glass, on the coffee table and started to push herself upright.

A hand held at Nicole’s thigh. “Wait!”

Sliding back onto the sofa, Nicole’s eyes focused on the small plastic-wrapped cookie that was thrust in front of her face. Waverly demanded, “You have to read your fortune.” In the woman’s other hand was a second fortune cookie.

They both unwrapped the crinkling plastic and, at Waverly’s pensive nod, snapped their small brown cookies in half together. Nicole popped one half of the crispy treat in her mouth as she unfolded the thin white paper inside.

“Advancement will come with hard work.” Don’t I know it.

“What’s yours say?” Waverly asked, leaning over to try and read over Nicole’s shoulder.

Smiling to herself, Nicole hid the paper in her fist. “It says ‘You will totally platonically sleep with a pretty girl today.’ Weird, huh?” She grinned wider and crunched loudly on the rest of the cookie.

“Really weird,” Waverly agreed with a smirk. “What’s weirder is mine said the same thing.” Her cheeks reddened slightly, but then her cheeks bulged as she crammed both cookie halves into her mouth with a muffled laugh.

Nicole leaned over and kissed Waverly. She tasted so, so sweet as the wine and the wafer mixed together on her lips. Nicole’s hand at the woman’s shoulder ran back along Waverly’s neck and held her cheek. A hand returned to Nicole’s thigh and gripped against her jeans as they held fast for a few moments.

Reluctantly pulling away, Nicole gave Waverly one last peck before standing up. She helped Waverly carry a couple of blankets up the stairs and down the hall to her room.

There was a brief moment of panic as Nicole struggled to remember if her room was clean. Cracking the door open, she was relieved to find she hadn’t left any dirty clothes or underwear strewn about. And the bed was crisply made, as it always was. Old habits die hard.

Nicole offered some spare clothes for Waverly to sleep in, which the woman shyly declined. It only took a moment for Nicole to slip into her bathroom and pull on a pair of sweatpants and a camisole. By the time she’d returned, Waverly had already reassembled her blanket nest on the right half of the bed.

Part of Nicole wanted to tease, but there was something fragile and sweet about this moment that she suddenly felt awkward about ruining. Maybe because it felt… big. Significant. Another small but important step forward.

Instead, Nicole settled under the covers on the left half of the bed. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket and set a timer for a couple of hours from now. Enough time for her to shower and get ready for the Poker Spectacular.

Waverly fiddled with her side braid before laying down facing Nicole. Her hazel eyes seemed to be taking in the room from that perspective. Nicole prayed she liked what she saw. After a moment, those eyes settled on a Nicole peering back at her.

“Is this weird?” Waverly’s brow and nose crinkled with worry.

“A little,” Nicole agreed as she shifted on the pillow against her cheek. “You okay? Or do I need to get a few dozen more blankets?”

The worry changed to narrow-eyed insult. “No,” Waverly scowled back, her eyes twinkling. “And I’m in a skirt, thank you. It’s chilly.”

“I noticed,” Nicole said, more seriously than she’d intended. It did make Waverly smile, but also made the air heavier again. More awkward.

God. Damn. It.

Clearing her throat, Nicole rolled over to her back. “I’ve got an alarm set. Sleep tight, Waves.”

“You too, Nicole.”

Nicole closed her eyes when she felt a soft hand trace along her temple and cheek. She smiled in response at the tender gesture, mostly because there was something… possessive about it. Promising.

Oh God, how am I supposed to go to sleep now?

It had been a long time since Nicole had slept in the same bed as another person. She felt hyper-aware of every stir and shift Waverly made. Her eyes shut so tight didn’t help at all, because the after-image burned into Nicole’s mind was Waverly in the kitchen, laughing as she wiped her hands on her skirt, the side braid bouncing on her shoulder.

She listened for Waverly’s breathing to slow before Nicole hazarded opening an eye. Under a trio of blankets, Waverly lay still on her side, a braid of hair tangled at her neck. Her lips were softly parted as she took in steady breaths, her brow smooth of worry for the first time in awhile.

Smiling, Nicole settled back in and closed her eyes. She mentally ran through the security procedures Nedley had emailed over. Eventually, she felt light pressure across her shins as Calamity Jane climbed across the bed. She heard the cat sniff disdainfully at Waverly before deciding to settle into a familiar spot on Nicole’s stomach.

A chiming alarm woke Nicole, a slight snoring breath rumbling in her throat. She glanced over to Waverly, who blinked languidly as she gave a quiet yawn.

When Waverly caught sight of Nicole over her pillow, her lips curled in a warm smile. “Hey, you.”

“Hey back,” Nicole replied with an answering smile before yawning, too. Some of Waverly’s hair had come loose from her braid, her bangs in loose wisps at her temple. Nicole reached over and tucked the errant hairs behind the woman’s ear. “…you sleep okay?”

With a lazy stretch, Waverly inhaled deeply through her nose. “Actually, yea. And I made a friend.” She made a small pointing motion down to the foot of the bed.

Pushing herself up with her elbows, Nicole craned her neck over the covers. Sure enough, in the valley of space between Waverly’s ankles, was a ball of ginger fur. Calamity Jane was fast asleep.

“You little traitor,” Nicole muttered insincerely.

“You leave my foot-warmer alone,” Waverly warned with a mock-frown, her eyebrow quirking in challenge.

The alarm on Nicole’s phone pinged again, the snooze reset. She turned it off and made a motion to get up when she felt a hand on her arm.

Waverly didn’t say anything, just chewed her lower lip and stared back. Her eyes alternated between crinkling and smoothing, evidence of something going on in that head of hers.

Leaning over, Nicole gave a deep, lingering kiss. She whispered, “I have to shower and get ready. …You can stay if you want.”

Please stay. Forever.

Waverly squinted one eye upward as she considered it. “We could probably use some coffee, huh?” Nicole felt her eyes widen and she involuntarily nodded, which made Waverly chuckle, “Okay, I’ll go pick us up some. Since you did get lunch, after all.” She reached out and tugged at the front of Nicole’s top, pulling her down in another kiss with a sighing gasp.

All that shifting woke up Calamity Jane, who shot them both a baleful glare before hopping off the bed in a huff. Waverly blew a sarcastic kiss in CJ’s direction, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

Nicole was reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed (and Waverly), but she didn’t want to run late to her first security job. As she made her way to the bathroom to turn on the hot water in the shower, she heard the shifting of blankets behind her as Waverly got up, too.

In the reflection of the bathroom mirror, Nicole could have sworn she saw Waverly pause at the bedroom door and look at her back, a gleeful, lip-biting smile on her face. But then Waverly turned and left, her footsteps disappearing down the stairwell.

A half hour later, Nicole met Waverly in the kitchen as she pulled a hairbrush through red strands and adjusted the heavy belt at her waist. There was a nervous flutter in Nicole’s chest, that familiar excitement for a new situation. She had studied Nedley’s emails a dozen times already.

“You’re part of this community now, Haught.”

Waverly presented a tall travel cup of coffee to Nicole, who accepted with a grateful thank-you. The woman had taken the time to re-braid her loose hair and smooth out the wrinkles in her top and skirt. Waverly leaned awkwardly against the kitchen counter, an anxious smile on her face.

“Whatcha thinking about?” Nicole asked after taking a long sip.

“Oh, I just—I don’t want to go home. And I feel terrible about feeling that way,” Waverly said with a sigh. She fiddled with a bracelet on her wrist.

“Waverly,” Nicole started with a soft smile. She put a hand on Waverly’s waist in reassurance. “Try talking to Willa. Get to know her, maybe? Or at least let her know you?”

I know she’d love you. Anyone who’s met you loves you. Why wouldn’t they?

Another sigh as Waverly chewed her lip. She nodded and leaned against Nicole’s chest, pressing their foreheads together. After a moment, Nicole kissed Waverly’s nose before reaching up to start braiding her own hair.

A different sort of lip chewing as Waverly asked, “May I?” Her gaze skimmed Nicole’s half-wet strands, a small smile pulling her cheek. “…Not my first rodeo.”

“Absolutely.”

Nicole almost—almost—laughed when Waverly shot her a withering glare before motioning to a chair. She was tempted to make a joke about Waverly’s height, but sitting down and feeling fingertips on her neck froze Nicole in place.

It reminded her of the shooting range, so many weeks ago. She’d been the one to braid Waverly’s hair when the woman’s healing hand wouldn’t cooperate. At the time, it’d been the closest Nicole had ever been to the young Earp. And a “friendly” gesture it most certainly was not.

She’d accidentally touched Waverly’s cheek and ear as she threaded fingers through those thick waves. It was a simple, practiced motion of over-and-under for each section. Easy. Except Nicole remembered the heat of her blush, how lost she’d been just touching Waverly’s hair.

God, I was such a sap.

…”was.” Still am.

The warm breath on her ear and the back of her neck was not lost on Nicole. Nor was what seemed like a lot of unnecessary fingernail-scratching on her scalp. She just smiled and stay still, spying a lurking cat around the kitchen corner while she waited. The coffee went rather quickly.

After a few minutes, there was a flourishing of jazz-hands in Nicole’s peripheral vision accompanying a triumphant “Ta-da!” A second later, Nicole felt a kiss pressed to her cheek.

Turning in her seat, Nicole saw Waverly raise her coffee cup in salute as she winked. “Go get ‘em, best friend.”

“You too, best friend.” She drew Waverly in with a soft kiss.

Nicole led Waverly out of the house by the hand, refusing to let go as she locked her front door with one hand. The afternoon sun was already half-set on the horizon, a blob of orange diffusing against a heavy gray sky.

They said goodbye with a tight hug this time, foreheads pressed together.

“Let me know how it goes with Willa.”

“I will.”

The Poker Spectacular was anything but. There was an awkward pall to the evening, mostly from Judge Cryderman himself. While a lot of the guests seemed content to gamble boisterously and drink, the Judge kept to himself at one of the craps tables.

Otherwise, it was rather uneventful evening. Nicole introduced herself to people and smiled politely while keeping a close eye out. She had to resist the urge to check her watch.

Late in the evening, Nicole took a short break to text Waverly.

[Nicole says: “Did you talk to her?”]

[Waverly says: “Ugh, yes. It went terribly. Said all the wrong things”]

[Waverly says: “She tried to touch me and I accidentally flinched. She freaked out and ran”]

[Nicole says: “I’m so sorry, Waverly”]

A hollow frustration gripped Nicole’s chest. She wanted to call, to be there, to help. But… she had a job to do. She’d made a promise to the Sheriff. This was supposed to be the start of Officer Nicole Haught, Pillar of the Community. Maybe… maybe she could be Sheriff someday herself.

How weak was she, that she was willing to drop everything—everything—and go running off only because Waverly might need it?

The rest of the evening passed with guilt gnawing at Nicole’s chest. She knew her expression had turned hard and manic by the way poker patrons started to avoid her. Nicole made a point not to be rude, but she knew wasn’t being approachable by any means.

Around 1AM, Nicole called Waverly’s cell a few times after the event ended and the hotel cleared out. Voicemail every time. It took every fiber of Nicole’s being to keep her cruiser steady towards her house.

“Best friends” don’t show up at the other’s house in the middle of the night, she had to remind herself through gritted teeth.

When Nicole got home, she attempted another text and call, but they went unanswered.

She crawled into bed next to that empty pile of blankets, that hollow feeling remaining. She slept restlessly, tossing and turning every few hours (and once connecting a foot with a very unhappy Calamity Jane).

The next morning, her phone finally pinged.

[Waverly says: “Oh God, I lost Willa”]