Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Waverly counted the bills, sighing at the low number, before putting them in a glass jar. It was filling up, sure, but she’d hoped it would have happened faster. If only Wynonna would let her get a job. They’d be able to leave so much quicker.

“You’re smart, baby girl, a job would put too much pressure on you with school. You graduating…going to school…making it, that’s our plan, okay. Let me do the working for now.”

Waverly jumped as the door slammed shut downstairs. Shit. She rushed to put the jar back in its hiding place, pulling back the loose floor board and dropping it inside. Footsteps on the stairs sent her scrambling to her desk. She opened one of her books and stared down at the page, her heart pounding in her chest. The door to her room flew open and she jumped.

“Where’s your sister?” Ward barked, a bottle of whiskey already in his hand.

“I don’t know.” Waverly replied, her voice not much more than a whisper.

“What? Speak up, damn it.”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her.”

“Bullshit. You tell her that if she touches my whiskey again, I’ll end her.” He growled before stalking into the room and looking around. “Why aren’t you with the Hardy boy?”

Waverly kept her eyes trained on the Sheriff standing in the middle of her bedroom, her body tense and ready to bolt at the slightest indication that his anger would shift in her direction.

“I have to study.” Waverly answered.

“Didn’t you study all weekend at Nedley’s. I can’t believe you hang out with that brown noser’s daughter. Makes me sick.” Ward spit out taking a large drink straight from the bottle.

“I…I did..but I’m not done.”

Ward snorted. “Guess you’re not as smart as your fucked up sister is always saying. You got thirty more minutes, then you better be on your way to that boy’s house. Got it?”

Waverly nodded.

“Good.” Ward turned around, slamming the door shut on his way out.

Waverly let out a shaky breath. She picked up her phone and quickly dialed her sister’s number.

“You okay? Whats wrong?” Wynonna asked immediately from the other end of the line.

“Don’t come home tonight. He thinks you’re stealing his whiskey again.” Waverly replied softly, nervously glancing at the closed door. She knew he’d already made his way back downstairs and was probably already half way through the bottle he’d been carrying, but she couldn’t help it.

“Are you serious? God what a dick. I’d never steal his cheap shit. What kind of alcoholic does he think I am?” Wynonna replied.

“Seriously, Wynonna, don’t come home.”

“I can’t leave you there by yourself, you know that.”

“I won’t be home. I’m going to Champ’s.”

Waverly heard Wynonna’s disbelieving groan on the other side of the phone. “I thought you were done with him.”

Waverly’s jaw clenched as she fought back tears. “You know I can’t be. It’s election season.”

“I hate him so much. This is sick, you know that, right?” Wynonna replied, the anger in her voice coming through loud and clear.

“There’s nothing I can do about it. It is what is. Being at Champ’s is better than being here, at least.”

“That’s not what it should be! You shouldn’t have to be with a guy you don’t like to avoid getting beat at home!” Wynonna yelled back. She sighed. “I’ll try to pick up more shifts. How close are we?”

Waverly swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn’t ever let herself describe her situation so bluntly, but Wynonna certainly had a way with words. She took a pause before replying, “We’re not. We want six months right? We’ve got at least a couple thousand more to save. Please, let me get a job. I can help.”

“No. We’ve gone over this, you are doing your part. Playing on the weekends and going to school. That’s all. You’ve already gotten into school, now you just have to make sure you get the scholarships. That’s your job.”

Waverly sighed, “Fine.” She looked at her watch. She needed to leave soon or else Ward would be back in her room and Wynonna wouldn’t be the target this time. “I’ve got to go. Promise me you’ll find somewhere to stay tonight?”

“I promise.”

Waverly hung up the phone and put on her head in her hands. She wanted to get in her bed and sleep for days. She was exhausted. She did not want to have to go entertain Champ for the rest of the evening. She hated every minute of it. If she’d had her choice, she would have turned him down four years ago when he asked her out at the local diner. Her stomach twisted at the memory.

Ward sat across from her, sober for once, smiling at her and Wynonna.

Waverly’s palms were sweaty, her nerves on high alert for any sudden shift in his seemingly happy mood. They both knew how quick he could lose his cool. As long as they stayed quiet, it all would be fine. At least, that’s what she told herself.

“What can I get for you?” The waitress asked, glancing between the three of them.

“I’ll have a milkshake and pancakes.” Wynonna answered immediately, not bothering to look at the menu.

“Steak. And a coke.” Ward answered.

Waverly could feel all of their eyes land on her, her heart picking up its pace. Indecision drove her father crazy. She hadn’t had enough time to look.

Wynonna answered for her, sensing the panic rising in her little sister. “She’ll have the bean burger, no cheese and fries. And a tea.”

The waitress looked at Waverly who nodded in agreement.

“Still can’t speak for yourself? Pathetic.” Ward muttered as the waitress walked away.

Waverly looked down at her hands, her cheeks flushing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wynonna’s grip tighten on the fork she’d been playing with. Waverly quickly tapped her with her foot under the table.

“Not…” Ward started but was interrupted by Champ Hardy appearing at their table.

“Hey, Waverly.” The boy greeted.

“Hi, Champ.” Waverly replied softly, her eyes leaving her hands for the first time that evening.

“So, I was, uhm, I was wondering if you’d want to, uhm, if you’d want to wear my jersey for the Homecoming game on Friday. And also, go with me to Homecoming.”

Waverly sighed, ready to turn him down but the look her father gave her stopped her in tracks. She hadn’t wanted to go at all. She’d already made a plan with Robin, one of her best friends, to wear his jersey. All of the cheerleaders had to.

Ward nodded, the tilt of his head imperceivable if Waverly hadn’t been looking. The look in his eye demanding that she say yes.

Waverly swallowed hard and nodded, unable to speak. She had a feeling that this wouldn’t just be a one-time thing with Champ Hardy, son of James Hardy, town councilman and one of the most influential men in town.

“Cool. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow and I’ll text you the details about the dance.” Champ replied, a grin taking over his entire face.

“I look forward to seeing you around more, son. Tell your Daddy I said hi and look forward to our meeting on Monday.” Ward said, holding out his hand.

“Yes, sir.” Champ replied, shaking Ward’s hand. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow, Waverly.”

Waverly watched her father’s hand return to the table, her throat tight with tears. A deal had been struck, whether Champ Hardy knew it or not.

“Well shit, you might be useful for something after all.” Ward said, watching the Hardy boy walk back to his own table and giving a small wave to James Hardy. “You best show that boy a good time.”

Waverly nodded and looked back down at the table. She felt Wynonna’s hand on her knee, giving it a comforting squeeze.

“I probably won’t be home tonight.” Waverly said, glancing at her father who was well on his way to being passed out on the couch, opening the front door.

“Like I give a damn.” Ward replied, his eyes never leaving the TV.

Waverly walked out of the front door, pulling it shut behind her.

Chapter Text

Nicole walked into the coffee shop, her eyes locked on her usual booth. She put her bookbag down before walking up to the counter, smiling at the barista. They’d become sort of friends over the past few weeks. The barista was crass and a smartass with zero customer service skills, but it made Nicole smile. She really hoped that the barista stayed around for a while and didn’t get herself fired for it. The coffee shop was a little Mom & Pop type deal that prided itself on being quirky, and the barista definitely fit that bill.

“Sup, Red. You look rough.” The barista said, already typing in Nicole’s order. “You want the same thing right? Vanilla chai latte?”

Nicole nodded. “I had a good night, but damn if I’m not feeling it this morning.”

The barista laughed. “I’ve had a few of those myself. Who did you in? Jack, Jose, or Jim?”

“Jack and Jim. It’s better for everyone if I stay away from Jose.” Nicole replied smiling. “What’s your name, by the way? You never wear a nametag.”

“Wynonna.” The barista replied, moving to get started on Nicole’s drink.

“Nicole.”

“I always see you studying. You over at GRTU?”

“Yeah it’s my second year. I’m studying criminal justice. You?”

Wynonna put Nicole’s drink on the counter. “School is my sister’s thing. I’m more of a “what the fuck are you doing with your life, kid?” kind of person. You know, the fun one.”

Nicole laughed and picked up her drink. “I don’t doubt that.” She waved and made her way back to her booth.

She reached into her bag for her laptop and headphones, suddenly noticing her headphones weren’t in their normal place.

“Shit.” Nicole muttered. She sighed as she opened her textbook, already getting annoyed with the sounds of the coffee shop. It was like they were amplified, mocking her for being so forgetful.

She’d read the same sentence for the fifth time when she finally decided to call it. She couldn’t do it without music to drown out the noise, no matter how good the drinks were. She packed up her stuff and put her mug into the dirty dishes.

“Leaving already, Red?” Wynonna called from the counter.

“Can’t get into the study mood. Might need to actually relax and put away the books this weekend.”

“Fuck yeah, man. See you later.”

Nicole chuckled, noticing the startled glances from some of the less regular customers at Wynonna’s choice of language, and waved goodbye. She stepped out of the coffee shop and started in the direction of her apartment. She’d just crossed the street when she noticed the woman standing on the corner, getting a guitar out of its case.

“You take requests?” Nicole asked, not quite sure where the question had come from.

Startled, the woman stood up quickly and turned around. Nicole all but felt her jaw drop. She’d never seen someone so beautiful.

“What do you have in mind?” The woman asked, recovering from her initial shock, before putting the guitar strap around her neck and running her fingers along the strings. Nicole was too awe-struck to notice them shaking, only stopping after the other woman managed to take a few deep breaths.

“Uhhh…..”

Nicole’s mind was blank. Completely empty. Crickets.

The woman smiled at her, seemingly oblivious to the fact that the redhead standing in front of her was currently short circuiting.

Nicole finally got herself together and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “The Golden Girl’s theme song?”

The woman laughed. “That’s the one that goes, ‘Thank you for being a friend. Traveled down the road and back again’, right?” The woman sang.

Fuck Nicole thought. Beautiful and an amazing voice. Bless whatever being had made her forget her headphones.

“Or is that not it?” The woman asked, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“No! You were right. That’s it.” Nicole replied quickly, realizing she’d taken longer than socially acceptable to answer. “Can you play it?”

The woman sighed in relief. “Maybe? Let me pull it up real quick.” The woman took out her phone, humming as she looked at whatever she’d found on her phone. “Looks easy enough. If I give you my phone, will you hold it and not run off with it? You look trustworthy.”

“I am studying Criminal Justice, you don’t have to worry about me, I promise.” Nicole replied holding out her hand.

The woman smile and handed Nicole her phone. “Hopefully you like it. I’ve never played it before.”

“I’m sure I will.” Nicole replied, mesmerized as the woman started to play. Nicole was pretty sure at this point the woman could play the ABCs and she’d be hooked.

When the woman finished the song she looked up at Nicole, waiting for her reaction.

“Wow that was amazing. You’re really good.” Nicole complimented, handing back the phone.

“It could’ve been better. I messed up on a few parts. I’ll practice for next time.” The woman said, a blush taking over her cheeks.

Next time? Nicole’s breath caught in her throat. She sure hoped there’d be a next time.

“Do you do this often?” Nicole asked, wondering if she had just missed the woman. It wouldn’t have been hard. She usually went straight to the coffee shop, studied all day, and then went to the gym which was the opposite direction, and took the bus home.

“Every weekend. It’s a fun way to make some extra cash.” The woman replied. “My sister works around here, she lets me tag along. We live a couple towns over.”

“Cool. I guess I’ll see you around then?” Nicole asked, not quite wanting to leave but also not wanting to be creepy and stare at the woman for the rest of the afternoon. She took some money out of her wallet and dropped it into the open guitar case.

“Thanks, and I promise, I’ll have that theme song down.” The woman said with a smile, her cheeks still covered with a light blush.

“I thought it was perfect already.” Nicole replied as she backed away from the beautiful woman, knowing full well her dimples were on full display. She waved and continued in the direction of her apartment.

Nicole forced herself to keep looking forward, even though she desperately wanted to take one last look at the woman. To remember every detail. The wavy brown hair. Intoxicating smile that lit up her whole face. Those sweet, but guarded hazel eyes. And that voice. Wow. Just…wow.

She usually didn’t go the coffee shop on Sundays. She normally ended up choosing to use the Lord’s day to day drink and hang out with her friends, but she had a feeling she’d be there again tomorrow morning. Bright and early.

***

Nicole laid in bed that night, her mind stuck on the woman from earlier in the day.

Did she really just play for fun?

Where had she learned to play?

Why was her voice so…..mesmerizing?

She wanted to know more about her.

Nicole groaned, mentally kicking herself. She hadn’t even asked her her name. What if she wasn’t there tomorrow? How would she find out who this mystery woman, who sent her heart into overdrive and made her mind go blank, was? She’d never met someone who had that power over her so instantaneously. She was hooked. Whether she liked it or not.

Chapter Text

“How’d today go?” Wynonna asked as Waverly walked into the coffee shop, guitar in hand.

“Not terrible, not great. I’m tired.” Waverly replied taking a seat at the small table closest to the counter.

“I’m almost done and then we’ll head back. I’ve got an interview tonight, if it goes well, I’ll be able to work there part-time too. What’s with all these places only hiring part time?”

“Where are you interviewing tonight?” Waverly asked, wrapping her hands appreciatively around the cup of hot tea her sister brought around to her, curious about what place would hold an interview so late in the evening. It’d be well past eight by the time they actually got back to Purgatory.

“Just some little place, I can’t remember the name. They need people to work the graveyard shift on weeknights. It’s supposed to pay pretty well, though.”

“So working almost full-time here and part-time with overnights. That seems like a lot. I could help, you know.” Waverly stated, trying yet again to get her sister to agree to letting her get a real job. Wynonna worked ten hour shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the coffee shop. Waverly knew she was also helping out at the garage whenever Shorty was able to give her some help, but that was few and far between. Her sister really was trying, but their dad, and Wynonna’s own past, made it impossible for her to find work in Purgatory. No one wanted to hire the Sheriff’s delinquent child.

Wynonna gave her a look that immediately told her that her efforts were in vain.

“School. Scholarships. Guitar.” Wynonna replied firmly.

“Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.”

Wynonna narrowed her eyes at Waverly and stuck out her tongue. “I’ll make you pay for that tea, smart ass.”

Waverly took a sip of the warm drink and grinned smugly, “No you won’t.”

Wynonna sighed and shook her head, “You’re right. But I may make you help me clean up. Go hit the sign.”

Waverly stood up and walked over to the front door, flipping the Open sign to Closed. She came back to the counter and grabbed a broom.

***

Waverly stared absentmindedly out of the truck window, her mind wandering to a certain redhead with a dimpled smile watching her play guitar. She closed her eyes. The redhead took a step closer, taking the guitar from Waverly and setting it down in the case. She took another step closer. Her hands moving in Waverly’s direction, hovering millimeters over the smaller woman’s hips, brown eyes begging permission to put them down, to pull her close. Waverly’s heart beat faster, eyes darting to the redhead’s lips and back up to the soft brown eyes. The redhead leaned in closer…

Her phone buzzed, startling her back into reality, her cheeks flushing bright as she realized what exactly she had been imagining. She was tired. The mind did weird things when you were tired.

“Champ?” Wynonna asked, taking her eyes off the road for longer than Waverly was comfortable with.

Waverly motioned for Wynonna to look forward again. Her sister scoffed and turned her attention back to the road. Waverly took a couple deep breaths, desperately trying to cool the flush currently blazing on her cheeks. She looked down at her phone. Sure enough, Wynonna was right.

Champ: coming over tonight?

“Well?” Wynonna asked, keeping her eyes on the road this time.

“He wants me to come over.” Waverly replied, letting her phone drop into her lap. She leaned her head back against the head rest and closed her eyes. She wanted to go to Chrissy’s, curl up in her bed and sleep until Wynonna came to get her in the morning. Maybe talk about whatever that day dream had been. Chrissy would know what to say. That’s all she wanted. The peace and quiet of the Nedleys’ house to rest and be normal with her best friend, before she had to be back on the street corner outside of the coffee shop again.

Waverly was positive the Nedleys’ knew what was going on at her own house. Randy Nedley had been one of their father’s deputies for as long as she could remember. The animosity between Ward and Randy had been around just as long. Waverly had a sneaking suspicion that Nedley had tried in the past to do something about what was happening at the Earp Homestead, but Ward had a tight hold over the residents of Purgatory. Ward was the law. In the end, there wasn’t much Randy could do, except open up his home.

It was lucky Chrissy had taken a liking to Waverly back in grade school. She didn’t know what she would do without the respite Chrissy’s house provided. Hell, she didn’t know what she’d do without the respite that being with Champ provided, either.

Okay, that might be a lie.

She had a vague idea of what she would have done without those escapes. All she had to do was look over at her sister. Wynonna hadn’t had safe places to run off to, and Wynonna had lost her own protector when Willa disappeared. An event that had really thrown Ward over the edge. Willa had been his pride, his joy…and his main target. When she left, he’d lost any scrap of self-control he might have had towards the other two.

All bets were off.

Wynonna had gotten the worst of it to start. She’d make sure Waverly was hidden away when the bottles came out. Eventually, there weren’t any places left to hide. He always found them. Wynonna had responded by acting out, becoming a loner. An outsider. She became someone no one wanted to be around, while Waverly, on the other hand, became whoever anyone wanted her to be. Each had their way to cope.
Waverly’s phone buzzed again.

“Someone’s needy tonight.” Wynonna commented as Waverly picked it up and read the message.

Champ: My dad is having a benefit thing. We could sneak some booze and have a good time ;)

“Shit.” Waverly exhaled, defeated.

“What’d the manboy do now?” Wynonna asked, hands tightening on the steering wheel.

“He didn’t do anything. His dad is having a council thing or something like that. You know, Dad...”

“Ward.” Wynonna interrupted, spitting out the name.

“Fine. Ward. You know he’ll expect me to be there with Champ.” Waverly replied.

Wynonna’s jaw clenched and she smacked the steering wheel hard with her palm. Waverly jumped in the passenger seat.

“Fuck. Fuck!” Wynonna exclaimed, anger radiating off of her.

“Hey, it’s fine. I’ve told you, it’s honestly better for me to be there. At least Champ’s is…safe. They care about me. His whole family does.” Waverly said softly, reaching out to take one of Wynonna’s hands off of the wheel and giving it a tight squeeze.

“I’ll be there extra early tomorrow morning, okay? You won’t have to stay any longer than necessary.” Wynonna promised.

Waverly nodded and let go of her sister’s hand. She picked up her phone and texted Champ back.

Waverly: on my way, what do I need to wear?

Champ: nothing ;)

Champ: its casual moms wearing jeans and a nice shirt whatever you got is good if not you can raid mom or jenns closet

Waverly: ok be there in 5

Waverly let her phone drop back into her lap. She let her head fall back onto the head rest and closed her eyes again. She had five minutes of peace before the curtains opened on her next scene.

Champ’s loving girlfriend.

***

“Hey babe, you look so good.” Champ said, his eyes never quite reaching Waverly’s face as he looked her up and down before pulling her close and sloppily kissing her neck.

She gently pushed him off, smelling the alcohol on his breath. “I see you’ve already started.”

“Just a few. Come on, we’ll get you some too.” He replied grabbing her hand and leading her into the large house. Light, upbeat music filled the background space without drowning out conversation. It didn’t take long for Waverly to spot the rest of the Hardy crew. She waved politely to Mr. and Mrs. Hardy and gave a sweet smile to Jenn, Champ’s younger sister.

“Well if it isn’t the nicest girl in Purgatory. It’s always a pleasure to see you, Waverly.” Mr. Hardy greeted as they approached.

Mrs. Hardy pulled Waverly into a hug and asked, “What do you two have planned for the evening?”

“Just going to make the rounds real quick and then head upstairs to watch a movie.” Champ replied.

Waverly nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to be around the people in the room any longer than necessary. Every time she looked at all of them, anger flared deep inside her. They all knew. They all knew and did nothing about it. They turned away and pretended to be blind. Traitors. All of them.
The couple quickly made their way around the various rooms in the Hardy mini-mansion. Waverly doing her job of smiling and waving, holding back the venom as people asked about her father and her sister. She answered exactly how they wanted. “Both are doing great, Dad’s working hard like always.” They’d do their part and answer back with a promise to vote for him in the upcoming election, or remind her that he had their full support.

No one wanted to piss of Ward Earp.

It was a tired dance routine that Waverly wanted nothing more than to bow out of.

“Ready to head upstairs?” Champ asked, pulling her towards the stairway. It didn’t really matter what she would have answered anyway.

Waverly flopped onto Champ’s bed as soon as the door closed and looked up at the ceiling.

A new scene was about to start.

This one was just as familiar as the one downstairs. Champ would put on a movie. They’d watch for a few minutes before his hands would start to wander. Sure, she could tell him no and he would huff and stop. He’d roll over to his side of the bed, watch for a little bit longer before passing out.

It’d be that easy.

But a piece of her was afraid of how many time she could say no before he decided she wasn’t worth it anymore. How many times could she ask to just sleep before he decided to break up with her, and move on to one of the other girls in their school waiting for him to notice them? In Champ’s house, at least she had a small semblance of control over her life. She was making the choice to go along with what he wanted. A place where she perceived she had any control over what happened to her was definitely a happier place to be than being home and knowing she had none.

So, when Champ inevitably pulled her close and kissed her neck, his hand on her hip, she didn’t pull away. She let her mind run wild and think about brown eyes, red hair, and dimples.

Chapter Text

Nicole glanced at the clock on the microwave for the hundredth time that morning.

7:55 am.

Seriously? It’d only been one minute?

She grunted and looked back at the TV. She’d hardly slept the night before. Her mind had been consumed by Guitar Girl.

She’d imagined bumping into her at the grocery store, casually asking her out on a date after their hands accidentally touched reaching for a box of vanilla dipped donuts. Guitar girl would smile, hiding slightly behind her wavy brown hair and nod yes.

She’d imagined being out on the court shooting hoops, when she’d catch sight of Guitar girl approaching from out of the corner of here eye. She’d turn her head as she took a three pointer, sinking the ball into the basket with nothing but net and shooting a wink at her admirer. Guitar girl would smile and clap from the stands. The redhead would casually walk over to the bench, doing everything in her power to hide her pounding heart and sweaty palms, and lean against the metal.

“How’d you know it was me?” Guitar girl would ask.

“You’re hard to miss.” Nicole would reply with a charmingly cocky grin. “Come play with me.”

Nicole wasn’t exactly proud to admit she’d spiraled and gone full on queer girl stereotype. Just shy of planning their wedding.

She’d imagined their first date and walking Guitar girl home. She imagined kissing her on the fronts steps of a cookie cutter house, the lights flickering on as her sister, a bland woman, caught them. They’d laugh and spend another thirty minutes saying goodnight.

She’d imagined what it would be like to take her to meet her friends. To go out on a Tuesday night to a dive bar and watch as Guitar girl blew the patrons away as she stole the show after Dave from down the road butchered Friends in Low Places. Laughing as they drank and sang the rest of the night away.

The redhead let her gaze flick to the microwave, yet again.

8:00 am.

Good enough.

Nicole jumped off the couch and grabbed her backpack. The coffee shop wasn’t too far from her house, but the walk seemed never ending today. She should’ve just taken the bus. She’d be there by now if she had. Why hadn’t she taken the bus? Nicole glanced at her watch.

8:07.

She turned the corner. Her heart leapt into her throat and she stopped dead in her tracks.

Guitar girl.

To say the smile on the redhead’s face would put the Cheshire cat to shame was an understatement. She did her best to calm down the excited shaking in her hands as she approached the woman who had dominated her thoughts since the previous afternoon. This was the moment she’d been prepping for as the clock on her bedside table counted down the hours until the coffee shop opened. All she had to do was introduce herself, ask Guitar girl her name, and ask her to get a cup of coffee.

Nothing serious.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Nicole felt a surge of confidence as Guitar girl smiled at her and waved.

She remembers me.

“Hey, Golden girl. Ready to let me redeem myself?” Guitar girl asked.

“Are you kidding? It was the best version I’ve ever heard.” Nicole replied immediately. “And as much as I love being called Golden Girl, you can also call me Nicole.”

Guitar girl laughed and shyly tucked her hair behind her ear, breaking eye contact with Nicole.

“Waverly.”

Nicole almost missed her angel’s name. Her eyes following the smaller girl’s hand run through her hair, her eyes lingering on the smaller girl’s neck. Nicole’s breath caught in her throat, her shoulders slumping at the sight of a fresh mark on Waverly’s neck. A mark that could only come from one thing. The idea that this person, who she had felt such a strong instantaneous connection with, was with someone else felt like a kick to the stomach. She felt her chest tighten. The confidence she’d built up over the past twelve hours vanishing on the light breeze.

“Hey are you okay?” Waverly asked, her eyes narrowing. She took a step closer to the visibly upset redhead.

Nicole took a shaky breath.

Get it together! Of course she’d be with someone. She probably isn’t even into girls. God. How could I be so stupid!

“Yeah, yeah. I’m…I’m fine.” Nicole said, smiling at Waverly, desperately trying to regain her composure.

“You sure? You looked like someone just stole your birthday.”

Nicole snorted. If only she knew what really happened. She probably wouldn’t be so concerned.

Would she be horrified?

Disgusted?

Flattered?

Nicole would never know.

“No! Nothing like that. Your name. Waverly. It just reminded me I have an assignment due I forgot about for a class. Moons and tides. A paper on the tides. Ocean waves. A paper on the ocean and waves. For my Oceanography class. I actually really have to get started on it. I’ll catch you around?” Nicole rambled, backing away from the girl.

Waverly gave her skeptical look but didn’t challenge the redhead’s stuttering explanation. “Yeah, I’ll see you around. Maybe I’ll catch you next weekend and I can actually play that song for you.” Waverly said with a smile. “Good luck on your paper.”

Nicole nodded and hurried down the block in the direction of the coffee shop. Her face burned, her jaw clenched tight as she struggled to hold back tears. How could she have been so dumb? Better yet, why did she care so much? She’d struck out before. Why was this so much different?

Because you didn’t even get a chance to swing.

She took one more shaky, deep breath before opening the door to the coffee shop. She did have homework to do, she was here already, and a nice warm pick me up was definitely deserved after the rollercoaster of the last five minutes.

“Red?”

Nicole half-heartedly smiled at the familiar barista and made her way slowly up to the counter.

“You have it out with Jose?” Wynonna asked, “Need me to add a little sumthin sumthin to your latte this morning?”

“If you’re offering, I can’t say no to that.” Nicole replied with a weak laugh.

“That’s what I’m talking about.”

Nicole eyes widened as the barista quickly glanced left and right before taking out a flask from under the counter and pouring in a hefty dose of colored liquor.

“Holy shit. You really meant it.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and put the flask back. “Duh. You always gotta have whiskey on you. It’s like one of the Ten Commandments. Or Twelve steps. Something like that.”

“Something like that.” Nicole agreed grinning as she took the cup from Wynonna. The barista had a knack for cheering her up.

“Seriously though, you good, dude?”

Nicole sighed, her head falling as she stared at the coffee cup in her hands. “Nothing I’m not used to. Girl trouble, ya know?”

Wynonna nodded and leaned against the counter. “I feel ya. I mean, I’m into dudes, but like I feel ya. People suck, man. You’re a catch. From what I know, you’re like a lesbians dream. Tall, kinda smart, kinda funny. You’ll get the next one.”

Nicole raised her eyebrow at the barista’s. “Kind of smart? Kind of funny? I think I am definitely solidly both.”

“Thanks for reminding me to add overly confident. I heard that drives the gays wild.”

“And who gave you the inside scoop on the gays?”

Wynonna pushed herself back from leaning on the counter and wagged her finger. “Nope. I don’t reveal my sources. Now get to your booth and study. You’re moping is scaring away my happy customers.”

Nicole rolled her eyes but backed away from the counter and made her way to her study booth. Wynonna was right. She’d be fine. She’d meet someone else. Waverly wasn’t into her. She never would be. Nicole would just move on and life would be fine.

Right?

Chapter Text

Waverly watched the redhead practically sprint away from her down the street.

Had she done something wrong?

Should she have not called her Golden girl?

She wanted to race down the street after her and demand to know what she had done to cause such a look of despair on the other woman’s face. Instead, she picked up her guitar and strummed, her fingers moving through the chord progressions with little to no input from her brain. Honestly, did it matter why the other woman had gotten upset? Waverly barely knew her. They’d had one other interaction. It was not like this woman was special. She sang to hundreds of people a day.

Okay, well maybe that was an exaggeration. It was more like fifteen on a good day. But still, she wouldn’t have been able to pick them out of a crowd. What made this woman different?

Waverly stopped playing and set the guitar down into its case. She really wasn’t feeling playing today. Not after last night and now this encounter with Nicole.

Nicole.

She liked that name. She liked how it rolled off her tongue when she said it out loud. The way it conjured up an image of an adorable dimpled grin and kind brown eyes. Genuine and authentic. Trustworthy. Gentle.

She kicked a rock in front of her and flopped down onto her bench with a huff. She didn’t even know anything about this woman. Other than that she went to GRTU and that she was studying criminal justice. She could be a serial killer for all Waverly knew. Nicole could sell drugs and commit armed robbery on the weekends. Waverly leaned her head back and groaned as she slowly drug her hands down her face. She knew Nicole was none of those things. Sure, she couldn’t 100% know, but she knew deep down that Nicole was good. Everything about the woman screamed to Waverly that she was safe. Like a cellar in a storm.

The sad, defeated look on Nicole’s face replayed itself over and over as Waverly sat on the bench. She barely noticed the people starting to walk by, signs of the town coming to life. Normally, she’d have her guitar out and playing every crowd favorite she could think of. She pulled out her phone and sent a text to Chrissy.

Waverly: Hey, are you free and would you want to hang out in Ghost River? Or come pick me up and hang out at your house?

Chrissy: sure. I’m actually pretty close already. I’ll come get you and then wanna help me pick out a present for my dad?

Waverly: That sounds perfect

Spending the rest of the afternoon finding a present for Nedley sounded like the best thing she could think of. Two friends shopping for a parent’s birthday present. Normal best friend weekend activities.

***

“You’ve been really quiet. You okay?” Chrissy asked as they browsed the shelves of the sports collector’s store.

Waverly picked up a bobblehead moose wearing a Calgary Flames hockey jersey holding a beer in one hand and a hockey stick in the other. She turned it in Chrissy’s direction. The other woman shook her head and Waverly put it back on the shelf, silently mulling over Chrissy’s question.

Was she okay?

What even was okay?

Was she still in a relationship she didn’t want to be in because her father was making her? Yes.

Was she desperate to get as far away from the homestead as soon as possible? Yes.

Was she beating herself up over doing who the hell knows what to Nicole? Yes.

Was she completely confused as to why she even cared so much about the redhead? Yes.

Did all those things added up make her okay or not okay? Who knew.

Not Waverly.

“Earth to Waverly.”

“I heard you. I honestly don’t know anymore. Have I ever been okay?” Waverly asked, more to herself than anyone else.

Chrissy put back the signed hockey puck she’d picked up and turned her full attention to her friend. “Come on, let’s get out of here.” She grabbed Waverly’s hand and gently led the smaller woman out of the store and to one of the cafés.

Waverly registered that her friend had guided her to a chair out on the patio, but didn’t really pay too much attention, her thoughts still spiraling into a rabbit hole of what is okay. Chrissy, returning with a tea and giving her hand a small but firm squeeze, pulled her back to the present.

“Talk to me. What’s going on.”

Waverly shook her head. “I met this woman yesterday and I can’t stop thinking about her. I don’t even know why.”

“While you were singing?”

“Yeah, she requested a song and something about her… she seemed so…real. You know? Like she was genuinely happy and…I don’t know. Something about her made me start thinking about if I’m happy. Like actually happy. Or if I’ve ever been.” Waverly said, her eyes locking on her hands curled around her tea.

She knew the answer.

It was a loud, thundering no. She could remember bits and pieces of being happy. Those memories were bookended by sadness, or worse, terror. Yesterday with Nicole, the playful banter and genuine appreciation for her music, had been one of the few happy moments that hadn’t been tarnished by fear or despair. Today had ruined that.

“Waves…” Chrissy whispered, her voice trailing off. Waverly knew there wasn’t much her friend could say. They both knew the reality of her life. It wasn’t really something they talked about. Waverly would cry while Chrissy held her and they both knew why. But the words were never spoken. The truth was never named. Waverly shook her head and wiped a pesky, traitorous tear from her cheek.

“It is what it is. Wynonna and I are working to get out. It’ll all be better then. Right?”

Chrissy gave her a small smile and nodded.

What else could they do?

Chapter Text

Nicole dropped onto the bench next to Waverly and immediately started to dig through her backpack.

“Don’t laugh, but I attempted to make vegan brownies last night. For the sake of my fragile ego, lie to me if you hate them.” She said as she held out the dark brown square in Waverly’s direction.

“I’m sure it’ll be great.” Waverly assured as she set her guitar into the case and unwrapped the brownie.

Nicole quietly cracked her knuckles as Waverly took a bite of the hunk of chocolate. She hadn’t heard of half of the ingredients in the recipe and had trusted the internet to try to substitute things she had had no luck finding at the grocery store.

Waverly’s chewing slowed down and she swallowed hesitantly. The smaller woman tried to smile and nod but it was more of a grimace.

Oh no.

“There terrible aren’t they? You don’t have to finish it.” Nicole groaned letting her head fall into her hands. She peeked through her fingers and watched as Waverly politely spit the rest of the brownie back into the tin foil. “I’m sorry. Here have some water.” Nicole pulled her water bottle out of the pouch of her backpack. Waverly quickly took the bottle and took a large gulp.

“It really wasn’t that bad.” The younger woman said putting the water bottle down.

“You literally spit it back out!” Nicole exclaimed, “How could it not be absolutely terrible! Who screws up brownies?” She let her head fall back into her hands, desperately trying to cover her bright red cheeks. Why had she thought it was a good idea to try to make brownies? She couldn’t bake!

Waverly laughed and grabbed the redhead’s hands in her own. “Don’t be embarrassed. Vegan food is hard if you’re not used to it. I hardly ever get it right and I’ve had more practice than you. Thank you for trying. It was sweet. I really appreciate it.”

“You’re just trying to make me feel better.” Nicole grumbled, more than vaguely aware that Waverly still held her hands on her lap. That the younger girl’s thumbs were moving in slow circles, an action Nicole wasn’t even sure Waverly knew she was doing.

Did she know she was doing it?

Did she know that it was currently driving the redhead crazy?

She had to know.

But then again, straight girls never knew.

She’d done her best to stay away from the younger guitar player…for a week. Nicole had tucked away the information that Waverly was seeing someone, or at least had seen someone the night before their second encounter, and made the decision that she could live with that.

So what if the avenue for a romantic relationship was thoroughly blocked?

The guitar player still invaded Nicole’s thoughts. Nicole still wanted to know what her favorite color was. What she wanted to do with her life. What she did when she wasn’t on this corner playing guitar.

Why?

Who the hell knows, but she did. She was perfectly content to watch the guitar player double over with unchecked laughter when Nicole told a corny joke from her childhood. She was perfectly content to store away the moments when Waverly’s smile took over her face, her eyes crinkling and her eyes shining, when she saw a cute dog walk by. Nicole could sit forever and be mesmerized by Waverly getting lost in the lyrics of an old sad song. Nicole had learned that Waverly rarely played them, they usually weren’t crowd pleasers, but damn, when she did. Waverly would close her eyes, start to play, and Nicole could swear the whole world melted away. It was just them two on this bench, the music reverberating in their souls, each word finding its way to the broken bits inside both of them. Nicole lived for those moments.

“Hey. I’m serious. Thank you.” Waverly said softly, dropping one of Nicole’s hands to bring it up to the redhead’s chin. Nicole let her lift her head. Waverly’s hazel eyes captured hers and she felt herself smile. An unconscious response to the beautiful creature that was Waverly.

“There they are.” Waverly said grinning back, gently running the tip of her finger over one of Nicole’s dimples. Nicole’s breath caught. She swallowed hard, her eyes flicking to the guitar player’s lips. She could do it. She could say fuck it and see what happened.

No.

She was pretty sure Waverly was with someone. Until she knew for certain, she wouldn’t do that and compromise the relationship they’d built over the past few weeks. She was more than happy with being friends and continuing to learn more about the woman sitting next to her on the bench.

“What all do you have planned for today?” Waverly asked.

Had Nicole not been caught in an internal battle of morality, she might have noticed that Waverly’s face had flushed, her heart pounding in the pulse point on her neck, and her voice was definitely huskier than before.

“What?”

“What do you have planned for today?”

Nicole leaned back against the bench. She really didn’t have much except studying planned for the day. Her routine the past few weeks had been reading on the bench while Waverly played for passersby’s, talking when there was a lull in spectators and heading to the coffee shop when the need for caffeine became too strong. Did Waverly not want her to stay around today? She’d never asked her about her plans before.

“I was going to hang out here like I normally do if that’s okay with you.”

Nicole tensed, her hands clenched tight in her lap, the seconds between her answer and Waverly’s reply stretching for ages.

“I was hoping you’d say that. I was also hoping you’d want to take a break at lunch and check out this new place a couple blocks over. It’s supposed to be really good but I know my sister would never want to try it and it’s too far away for Chrissy to go and god knows Champ would never be caught dead in a vegan restaurant…”

“I would love to go.” Nicole said interrupting Waverly’s nervous rant. She missed what Waverly said next. Champ. That must be the boyfriend. He sounded like a tool if he wouldn’t even entertain the idea of taking his girlfriend to a restaurant she was dying to try. She hadn’t met him, but Nicole was already wondering what Waverly saw in this Champ character. And what kind of name was Champ? Was he a Labrador? Nicole snorted at the thought.

“What’s so funny?” Waverly asked, immediately backing away from Nicole, folding into herself, her arms crossing protectively over her chest.

Fuck

Whatever Waverly had been saying was definitely not something she should have snorted at.

“I’m sorry. You said vegan restaurant and it made me think of those awful brownies and it made me laugh how sweet you were about how terrible they are. I should’ve been paying better attention.” Nicole replied quickly, reaching out and gently taking Waverly’s hands in her own. “I’m listening. Can you tell me what you said?”

“I guess,” Waverly replied with a short laugh and a playful rolling of her eyes, “I was saying that the theme of this restaurant is frogs. I know it’s random and weird, but I love frogs. I saw online that they have this huge statue of a yoga frog. We are taking pictures with it. You have no choice.”

“I am so down to take pictures with a yoga frog. Yoga poses are my jam.”

“Really?” Waverly asked excited.

“Ehh, no…but I’ll do my best to copy whatever you do.” Nicole replied, rubbing the back of her neck with a sheepish grin.

“Good. That’s what I like to hear.” Waverly said as she pushed Nicole playfully before scooting closer to her on the bench. She grabbed her guitar from its case, leaned back against Nicole, and started to play.

Nicole smiled and took her book for her English class out of her backpack with her free hand. She opened to the chapter that’d been assigned for homework, content to listen to Waverly sing as she read.

Chapter Text

Waverly knocked on the coffee shop door, rubbing her arm with her free hand to try to warm herself up. Wynonna glanced her way and made a motion towards the door. Waverly pointed at the door and mouthed ‘It’s locked’. Wynonna put her hand up to her ear and shook her head. Waverly rattled the door knob again and glared at her sister.

“It’s locked!” She called through the door.

Wynonna put her hand up to her ear again and yelled back, “I can’t hear you.”

Waverly set her guitar case down and wrapped her arms around herself. She really needed to start bringing a jacket. It was starting to get cold and Wynonna was notorious for being a jackass at the worst times possible.

“Let me in! I’m freezing!” Waverly yelled back.

Wynonna walked over to the door, undid the lock and opened the door.

“You are the worst, did you know that?” Waverly grumbled at her as she hustled into the warmth of the coffee shop.

“But you love me.” Wynonna replied with a playful grin. “Go make yourself some tea to warm up that cold attitude.”

Waverly set her guitar case down in front of the counter and flipped her sister off as she walked around to where they kept the tea.

“How’d it go today?” Wynonna asked picking up the broom and starting where she left off to let Waverly in.

“I think I made a solid $100. I was going to do a count when we got home tonight. You got paid today, didn’t you?”

Wynonna nodded and leaned the broom against the counter. She pulled out a wad of cash from her pocket. “I was able to go cash my check during lunch. I already took out what I need for the Demon Spawn and Bertha. The rest is for the jar.”

“Can you put it in my guitar case? That’s where the rest of it is. I really wish we could keep it somewhere else. I hate knowing he could find it. I know he won’t, but what if he does? What if he gets it in his mind to investigate around the house? All of our savings would be gone.”

“He’s a drunk, Waves. He barely stays sober enough to turn on the TV. We need to be able to get to it immediately if we need it.”

“I know. It just makes me nervous.” Waverly replied.

They were getting steadily closer to their goal. Wynonna’s warehouse job was making a drastic impact on their savings. Waverly had no idea that overnight shifts paid so well. They were on track with their plan to have enough to make it across the country by winter break. They’d already started getting their paperwork together and Waverly had been working hard to have enough credits to graduate at the end of this semester. They’d pack up their stuff on the last day of classes and drive as far as they could. They’d find somewhere cheap to live and work until University started in the fall. They were so close to leaving this hell behind.

“If it really bothers you, I can ask Shorty if I can hide it in the shop. I have a key to get in there. He gave it to me so I can drop off my payments for Bertha.”

“No, it’ll be okay. Do you think we’ll really have to run all the way across the country? What if I go to GRTU? I got accepted.”

“Waves, we’ve talked about this. The Demon Spawn might let me go, but you are way too valuable to him. If we don’t go as far away as possible, he’ll find us. You know he will.” Wynonna replied putting the broom away and taking off her apron.

Waverly sighed and took a sip of her tea. Wynonna wasn’t wrong. Ward would hunt them down if they stayed close. He’d made it clear that he wanted Waverly to marry Champ Hardy the minute they graduated. He’d been putting the thought into James Hardy’s head for over the past year. It was all but guaranteed. She was his secret weapon to keeping Purgatory under his control. Having his daughter marry James Hardy’s son was his ticket to never having to worry about an election ever again.

She wanted nothing more than to leave Purgatory in the rearview, but what would she tell Nicole?

There was no way she could tell the red head about her home life. Waverly had no doubt Nicole would take it upon herself to make it her mission to bring Ward to justice. No matter how dangerous it would be for herself.

No.

Waverly could never knowingly put Nicole in danger. They barely knew each other. She didn’t even know Nicole’s last name. They didn’t have each other’s phone numbers. She didn’t know where Nicole lived. They were surface level friends at best. Nicole would get over her disappearing. The redhead wouldn’t even think twice about it if she never showed back up on the street corner a few blocks over.

You know that’s not true.

Waverly groaned and let her head fall onto the countertop. Why had the redhead stumbled into her life now? Why couldn’t she have waited until after they’d made their escape? What had driven her to choose GRTU over any other school in the country?

And finally, the million dollar question: Why was her life so complicated?

Chapter Text

“Holy shit, Red, you exist during the week?” Wynonna asked surprised as Nicole walked into the coffee shop. Friday nights weren’t usually Nicole’s prime coffee drinking time, but midterms were approaching and projects were starting to pile up.

“Only for you.” Nicole replied back with a teasing smirk. “Damn, dude, for once you’re the one that looks rough. You got whole suitcases under your eyes.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and pushed herself off the counter with a groan. “I picked up a shift at my other job. I’m going to sleep so well tonight. You have no idea. You college kids aren’t the only ones who can pull all nighters.”

“How much longer do you have here before you can head out?” Nicole asked, leaning against the counter. The coffee shop was empty except for the two of them. She had planned on stopping in for a quick espresso with as many shots that she could talk a barista into putting into it, but her brain was on the verge of being fried and some friendly banter with Wynonna would do her good. She hadn’t anticipated Wynonna being on shift, she never really came in on Fridays, most days she opted for getting sub-par coffee on campus and saving this spot for the weekends. At least she knew she would get her fair share of espresso when she was ready to go. She had no doubt that Wynonna wouldn’t be stingy on the pick me up juice.

“Unfortunately, I’m here til close. Gotta make that money.” Wynonna replied stifling a yawn. “What can I get you, Red? Same ol’ same ol’?”

Nicole shook her head. “Not tonight, I’m going to need you to put as many energy shots as you can into something while still making it drinkable. I might have waited a little too long to start on a few papers that are due next week.”

“You trust me? I can make you something that’ll keep you up all night no problem.” Wynonna said turning away from Nicole and starting to dig through the mini-fridge behind the counter.

“Not gonna lie, everything in me is telling me to say no, but what the hell. Give me your best shot. Just no flask whiskey. I have to actually do work tonight.”

Wynonna grinned as she turned back around. She hid the contents of whatever she took out of the fridge behind her back before placing them out of Nicole’s view. “I knew there was a reason I liked you, Red.”

Wynonna turned slightly away from Nicole, shielding what she was creating from Nicole’s view. The sun coming in through the windows caught a patch of glitter on the back of Wynonna’s neck as the brunette tossed her head slightly to get the hair out of her face.

“Woah what’s with the glitter? Wynonna, are you moonlighting as a stripper?” Nicole teased, not taking the brunette, who always dressed in ripped up black jeans, combat boots and a band tee, as someone who would willingly put on glitter.

Nicole instantly regretted her comment. The brunette froze her, body visibly tensing.

“Dude, it’s totally cool if you do. Like we all have to live.” Nicole rambled, a desperate attempt to backtrack from putting her ginormous foot in her mouth.

“Here. This will keep you up.” Wynonna said, placing the drink in a to-go cup in front of the redhead, her eyes not meeting Nicole’s, before turning to the tablet and slamming her finger into the buttons.

Nicole laid the money down on the counter and grabbed her the cup. She wanted to say something, anything to get rid of the tension between herself and her favorite barista.

No. Her friend.

She considered Wynonna a friend at this point. A cloud blanketed her brain, smothering any coherent thoughts she might have had. She opened her mouth before closing it quickly, the barista not looking up from where she stood counting the money Nicole had laid on the counter. Nicole nodded and turned towards the door. She had one hand on the doorknob, a knot slowly tightening in her stomach. She hadn't meant to insult Wynonna, she honestly didn't care if the barista worked as a stripper. Like she had said, everyone has to do what they have to do to live. She'd done somethings she wasn't proud of to make ends meet. Nicole stood, contemplating turning around and word vomiting her past indiscretions to the barista when she heard Wynonna call after her.

“Don’t even think if you find out where I work you’ll be getting the friends and family discount. You’re not that charming, Red.”

Nicole turned back. The barista wore a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Nicole latched onto the olive branch being extended, a relieved smile forming quickly in response. “For a top shelf ass like that? It’d be a crime to pay anything less than top dollar.”

“You’re damn right. Go do your nerdshit. See you tomorrow?”

“Bright but definitely not early.” Nicole replied as she opened the door and disappeared out into the dark.

Chapter Text

“Hey….Stop…Champ! I said stop!” Waverly commanded, pushing as hard as she could against Champ’s shoulders and twisting her body to push him off balance.

“What the fuck, Waves?” Champ retorted, landing awkwardly on his side next to her on his bed.

“I told you to stop.” Waverly countered, re-doing the buttons Champ had made quick work of a few seconds earlier, glaring at him.

“This is such bullshit. We haven’t done anything in weeks.” Champ complained rolling over to the side of his bed and snatching his shirt from off of the floor. He yanked it over his head and turned on his Xbox, his back turned towards Waverly.

“So?” Waverly asked, her eyes boring holes into the back of the boy’s head.

“It’s annoying, Waverly. Like honestly what’s the point in having a girlfriend if…”

“If what? If you can’t have sex? Wow.” Waverly interrupted, getting off the bed and walking to stand between Champ and the TV. “Is that all you think our relationship is? Sex?”

“It’s definitely a big part, and you’re not doing it. Do you know how many girls are desperate to sleep with me? I could have any girl in that school, but I don’t. The least you could do is put out every once in a while.” Champ replied, standing up and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Are you kidding me? I should be grateful that you don’t cheat on me when I don’t sleep with you? Seriously?”

“Yeah, actually, you should be. Honestly, how many other guys at our school would touch you?” Champ asked scoffing, “No one wants to be with an Earp. You’re both damaged goods.”

Waverly’s fists clenched. Everything in her wanted to punch him right across is stupid, pretty boy face. She wanted to scream and yell at him that he was wrong.

Champ took a step back from her, his eyes widening at the rage emanating from her in waves.

“Fuck you, Champ.” Waverly spat out. She stormed in the direction of his bedroom door, blood pumping in her ears, blocking out the sounds of anything else. She needed to get as far away from this house as possible. To cool down and think.

“Babe, wait!” Champ called after her, jumping into action. He reached out and held the door shut as she tried to open it.

Waverly turned around, ready to glare at him when he moved forward and pinned her back to the door with his body. She struggled against him, furious that he could so easily be back in control of her body.

“I didn’t mean any of that. Let’s just kiss and make up. Please.” He begged looking down at her, before moving his head to start kissing her neck.

Fury burned through every pore of her body as she brought her knee up hard between Champ’s legs. The thrill of satisfaction coursed through her as Champ stumbled back from her, clutching at himself in pain.

“You will never touch me again, got it? We’re done.” Waverly stated, her voice cold with barely contained rage. She pulled open the door of his bedroom before slamming it shut behind her.

Waverly was almost back to the homestead, her anger fueling her furious pedaling, when the reality of what she had done slammed into her full force. She squeezed the brake on her bike and let it fall to the ground. She crouched next to it, her head in her hands.

“What have I done?”

She’d broken up with Champ Hardy. And not just broken up with him. She’d kneed him in the junk and left him on the floor of his bedroom. There was no going back from that. Her chest constricted as she rocked back and forth, gasping for breath to fill her shrinking lungs. She’d dumped Champ Hardy.

He’s going to kill me.

She had signed her death certificate.

She needed to call Wynonna.

No.

She needed to get home and get the money before Ward got home. They’d have to leave tonight. Wynonna would understand. She’d been wanting Waverly to dump Champ for months.

Get it together! You have to get home before he does..

Waverly stood up, counting her breaths to calm her racing heart. She felt sick. Her stomach rolled as she tried to keep from dry heaving into the grass. Now was not the time to lose it. She only had so much of a time window before Ward got home. She had a feeling the news of her and Champ’s split would travel like wildfire through the community. She had to be far far away by the time the news reached Ward.

Taking one last deep, shaky breath. Waverly grabbed her bike from off the ground and sped off towards the homestead.

Waverly slowed as she approached the fence, making sure she remained out of sight from any of the downstairs windows. She let out a breath of relief. The squad car wasn’t there. She wasn’t too late. She biked the rest of the way up to the homestead’s front porch, stashing her bike behind the stairs just in case Ward got home early. She could hide until he passed out, but the bike would be a dead giveaway that she was somewhere in the house. She ran up the stairs and into the house, mentally going through the list of things she had to get.

The jar.

Her go bag.

Food.

Her computer.

That’s all she needed. Nothing else mattered.

Her foot landed on the bottom stair when a cold, emotionless voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Don’t you dare take another step.”

Her heart leapt into her throat.

No.

He wasn’t supposed to be home. She’d checked for the cruiser.

He’d hidden it. He knew she’d run if she’d seen it.

How could she have been so stupid?

“Turn around.”

Her brain screamed at her to run, to put as much distance between Ward and herself as possible. Her body, ever the traitor, moved on its own, bending to Ward’s will turning to face him. His body blocked the front door, her only possible chance of escape. She knew from experience she couldn’t outrun him. The whiskey bottle hung limply in his left hand, already open, but nowhere near empty.

Sober, Waverly was positive she could have reasoned with him for a bit. Maybe enough to get away.

Blacked out, she stood a chance of pushing him off balance. He got sloppy when he blacked out.

This, this was danger the zone. The realm in which his whiskey fueled rage consumed his mind but left him in complete control of his body. Where the whiskey wielded him greater strength and stamina to keep pressing forward. This, this was death and destruction.

His cold, fury filled eyes trapped hers. His jaw clenched and his grip tightened on the bottle.

“Now tell me, what the fuck were you thinking?”

Chapter Text

Wynonna yawned as she drove down the dark road towards the homestead. She blinked hard and cranked up the radio. Rock music blared through the speakers, rattling them as she let herself yell along to the lyrics. She rolled down the driver side window, shivering slightly as the bold breeze whipped into the cab of the truck.

“You got this. Only a few more miles.” She muttered to herself as the radio announcers chattered back and forth between each other before the next song started.

An all nighter at Pussy Willows followed by a full shift at the coffee shop had been an experiment that she would not be re-doing. The money was great, yeah, but it would mean nothing if she crashed and died on her drive home. She couldn’t do that to Waverly. They were so close to getting out. So close to putting this all behind them and moving forward with their lives. Sure, she wasn’t happy with stripping the nights she didn’t have shifts the next day at the shop, but she was doing what had to be done for her sister. She would do anything for Waverly.

Wynonna slowed as she rolled down the dirt lane to the homestead. She narrowed her eyes. Where was the cruiser? He should have been home by now. She flipped on her brights. The lights caught a flash of metal peeking out from behind the barn. Her stomach dropped. He only hid the cruiser when he wanted them to think he wasn’t home. She pushed her foot onto the gas, tearing up the last little bit of the drive to the homestead. The truck slid to a stop as she slammed brake and leapt out of the truck. The homestead was dark as she ran up the porch steps, adrenaline coursing through her veins, the fog of exhaustion lifted by the shear panic coursing through her for her baby sister. She slowed at the front door, gently putting her hand on the door knob. She took a deep breath, preparing herself for whatever might be on the other side. She twisted the knob slowly, pushing the door open as silently as she could. She stepped inside the dark house, glancing towards the living room. The smell of whiskey mixed with the acrid scent of fear assaulted her nose. Ward lay on his stomach, his head hanging off the couch. Bottles collected on the ground next to him. Wynonna’s fists tightened. He was gone for the night. Nothing would wake him at this point.

“Waverly?” She called out.

Silence answered her as she cautiously stepped into the house. She took another few steps down the hall when she heard soft noises coming from the downstairs bathroom. She approached the closed door and called through the thin wood.

“Waverly? It’s me. I’m coming in.”

Wynonna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened the door. It took everything in her to keep from gasping as she caught sight of her baby sister on the bathroom floor. Waverly was slumped against the far wall, her head lolling to the side. Her right eye was almost swollen shut, her lip split and trickle of blood streaming down her chin onto her shirt. Her arm, with finger shaped bruises sharply contrasting against her skin, rested protectively across her ribs. Wynonna saw red. She’d kill him. All she had to do was walk back out the bathroom door, grab the shotgun from the kitchen and pull the trigger.

It’d be so easy.

“Wynonna?” Waverly whispered, wincing as she turned her head to look up at her sister standing in the doorway.

That was all it took to break the rage fueled spell that had descended on the older Earp. She crossed the space between herself and her baby sister in two steps, crouching down and gathering the younger Earp into her arms, careful not to cause any more damage.

“What happened, baby girl?” She asked softly stroking Waverly’s hair.

“I broke up with Champ. He wasn’t happy about that.”

Wynonna wanted to ask her why she hadn’t called her. Why had she come home? Why had she let herself even potentially come close to getting in this situation. But she held her tongue. That wouldn’t help Waverly. It’d do nothing but make it worse.

“We’re getting out of here. Tonight. I’m going to lift you up and get you into the truck. What do you need me to get?” Wynonna asked pulling back so she could look at Waverly’s face.

“Jar. Go bag. Food. Computer. Guitar.” Waverly answered between wincing breaths. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall.

“Do you need to go to the hospital?” Wynonna asked, gently lifting her baby sister’s shirt to see the extent of the damage. Waverly’s side was one large bruise that spread from her hip all the way up to her ribs.

“I don’t think so. Just sore. They’d call him.”

Wynonna nodded. Waverly was right, he’d find them if they went to the hospital in town. Or anywhere nearby. “I’m going to pick you up and get you to the truck, okay? Think you can do that.”

Waverly nodded. Wynonna put her shoulder under the arm not holding her ribs. She lifted her sister up slowly, each grimace and wince from the younger Earp, a stab to her heart. She should have been here to protect her.

It was slow going to the truck, but eventually Wynonna got Waverly into the passenger seat. She ran back into the house and collected their go-bags, their jar of cash, and as much stuff she as she could fit into the bags she found in her closet. She tossed Waverly’s bike into the bed of the truck.
“Wynonna, we need to go.” Waverly called softly from the passenger seat. They needed to be out of Purgatory and holed up somewhere safe before Ward woke up and noticed them gone. If there was any good luck left for them in the world, he wouldn’t think twice about their weekend absence until they didn’t come home Sunday night. They could get far away from Purgatory in that amount of time.

Wynonna picked up a rock, clenching it tight it, the sharp edges digging into the skin of her palm.

“Fuck you!” She spat, keeping her voice as low as she could before throwing it hit as hard as she could towards the homestead. She stormed to the driver’s side of the car and aggressively turned on the engine. She cranked the wheel hard and slammed her foot onto the gas pedal. The truck wheels spun in the gravel before catching and shooting forward down the lane.

Chapter Text

Waverly opened her eyes and rolled over onto her back. Her face throbbed, but thankfully she could see a lot better than she could the night before. Wynonna had made sure she’d iced everything before she had gone to sleep. She tentatively flicked her tongue against her lips, wincing as it landed on the busted portion of her lower lip. At least it wasn’t bleeding anymore. She gently ran her hands down her side, pressing her fingers into her side where he’d kicked. She took a deep breath. She’d broken ribs before and this didn’t feel like that. She was pretty certain they were just bruised. Nothing that a little rest wouldn’t fix. Overall, she figured she’d been lucky this time. He’d done worse. Much worse. She’d learned how to protect her body over the years, and he had been drunker than she’d originally thought. He’d run out of steam pretty quick, especially when she’d pretended to pass out. That was another thing she’d learned quick. He lost interest when they didn’t react.

“Hey baby girl, how you feeling?” Wynonna asked from where she sat at the tiny pub table. The motel room wasn’t pretty, but it had been cheap and the manager had, thankfully, let them get a room without giving a name.

“I’ve been worse.” Waverly replied. She propped herself up against the headboard. “Where are we?”

She knew they’d gotten out of Purgatory, she remembered seeing the sign in the rearview mirror, but she’d passed out shortly after that. Waverly hoped they had gotten far, but she couldn’t recall driving for all that long.

“We’re in Ghost River. I’d worked all night and then a shift at the shop. I couldn’t drive anymore. I’m sorry. I could barely stay awake. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Wynonna replied, her voice choked with tears.

“Wynonna, it’s okay. I’m okay. It’s not your fault.”

“I should have been there.”

“No, you were working. That’s what you were supposed to be doing. I screwed up. I shouldn’t have broken up with Champ. I should’ve done better about making sure he wasn’t home. This isn’t your fault.” Waverly replied, gingerly swinging her legs off the bed and standing up. She winced as the ache in her side flared from the movement, but she kept moving forward to sit down across from her sister. She gently took Wynonna’s hands in hers. “This isn’t your fault.”

Wynonna nodded, her eyes never leaving the cracks on the table. Waverly could tell her older sister didn’t quite buy into her words. All Waverly could do was keep repeating them over and over and pray they took hold. Wynonna had done nothing wrong. She’d been holding up her part of their plan, but Waverly knew from experience that she’d carry guilt around with her for a long time. She always did. No matter how hard Waverly tried to make her see that it wasn’t her fault, it was his. He was the sole person responsible for the what he did to them.

“I need to go to the shop today and get my paycheck. We can get back on the road afterwards.” Wynonna said, glancing up at Waverly before quickly looking away.

Waverly hadn’t looked in the mirror. She briefly wondered if her face looked as bad as it felt. “Do you think Sue will pay you for today if you work this last shift?”

Wynonna nodded slightly. Sue, the sweet old lady that owned the coffee shop, had grown up in Purgatory and still had family there. She might not know everything, but she knew enough about the Earps and the stories that went along with them. She’d been paying Wynonna under the table for the duration of her employment. There was no paper trail for Ward to find out where Wynonna was employed, and he had never cared enough to ask. As long as Wynonna paid rent on time and her portion of the bills, he barely acknowledged her presence in the house. Waverly was the one that was valuable to him. Honestly, Waverly wasn’t even sure if Ward cared about Wynonna other than to keep up appearances. She knew the only reason Wynonna stayed around was because of her.

“You should do that. I really don’t think he’ll start looking for us until Monday at least. We need all the money we can get and I doubt I’ll be able to make anything playing for a while.”

Wynonna nodded before gently tapping the table and standing up. “If you say so, babygirl. Get ready and let’s get packed up. I don’t want to be late.”

****

Waverly walked to the bench across the street from the coffee shop. Wynonna had explicitly told her to stay where she could see her today. She’d brought her guitar along, just in case, but really wasn’t expecting to get any money. Waverly had caked on her makeup as best as she could to hide the bruising around her eye and her lip, but she could do nothing about it them being swollen and the large split on her lip. She’d learned early in life that people like to ignore those kinds of things. She’d watched too many people quickly avert their eyes and quicken their pace to avoid having to do anything. It sting every time.

She sat down on the bench, setting her jacket next to her on the wooden slats and her guitar at her feet. She reached down and opened her guitar case. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her jack slip off the backside of the bench and land softly on the ground.

“Oh fudge.” She muttered turning gently, standing up and reaching her hand through the slats of the bench towards the object of her mild annoyance.

“Hey Wav…holy shit what happened?” A voice she knew all too well exclaimed.

Waverly whipped around, her shirt, which had crept up her side revealing the large purple bruising that covered her abdomen, falling back into place to hide the evidence of last night’s events. Waverly froze. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears, racing. Her mouth went dry as she struggled to think of something to say. What could she say? Panicked she watched Nicole’s eyes widen as they traveled from her swollen eye to her fat, split lip, taking in the layers of makeup hiding even more bruising, all the way down to the dark finger shaped markings on her forearm.

“Who did this to you?” Nicole asked, barely audible, reaching out to gently take Waverly’s hands in hers.

Chapter Text

Wynonna swept the pile of dirt into the dustpan and quickly dumped it into the trashcan. She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to look out the window of the coffee shop for the 100th time in under five minutes. Waverly was fine. She couldn’t let herself get too distracted. She needed to have a good last day of work. It was the least she could do to repay Sue’s kindness over the past few months. The old lady had taken one look at Waverly when they’d walked in this morning and given Wynonna a look. They’d walked into the back office after Wynonna had gotten Waverly her morning cup of tea. The old woman had sat gingerly in the chair at her desk and ran a hand slowly down her face.

“This is your last day, isn’t it?” She’d asked from where she sat at her desk.

“We’re leaving tonight.” Wynonna had replied, her eyes locked on her shoes. She couldn’t bring herself to look her boss in the eye.

“I figured as much. I’ll get you all squared up at the end of your shift. You’ve been a good barista. I’ll miss having you around.”

Wynonna nodded, cracking her knuckles and shifting her feet. She didn’t know what to say. She settled with the simplest thing she could think of.

“Thanks.” She mumbled before starting to turn towards the door. “I gotta get started.”

Sue nodded. Wynonna was almost out of the office door when Sue spoke again.

“Wynonna, what you’re running from doesn’t define you. You go and write your own story. You’re a good kid, no matter what others may have told you. You both are.”

Wynonna’s jaw clenched as she paused, her hand on the door knob, blinking back tears. She took a deep breath in through her nose and opened the door.

The brunette fought the urge to check on her sister as long as she could, but really what harm would it do to just take a quick peek at the angel across the street? She glanced out the window, her vision went red, her mind switching to auto-pilot at the terrified look on her sister’s face.

She’d tell you later that she doesn’t remember sprinting out of the coffee shop.

That she doesn’t remember snarling “Let go of my sister, you fucker!” as she lowered her shoulder and tackled her sister’s assailant onto the grass.

That she doesn’t remember straddling the person’s waist, pulling back her fist and slamming it hard into her victim’s face.

She doesn’t remember Waverly pulling her off of the redhead laying stunned on the grass, her sister pleading with her to stop and to leave other girl alone.

She doesn’t remember anything until the point where she was staring into her baby sister’s eyes, Waverly’s hands on either side of her face forcing her to look away from the redhead, as Waverly begged her to stop fighting. Blinking, the red flaring along her periphery waned as the throbbing in her hand started to take over.

“Shh…Shh… I’m okay..I’m okay…She didn’t do anything, she’s my…she’s my Nicole!” Waverly begged, frantically rubbing circles, which were meant to be calming, on Wynonna’s cheeks. “She wasn’t hurting me. She’s safe, Wynonna, she’s safe.”

Wynonna’s breathing slowed and her fists unclenched. The rational, decision making part of her brain slowly wrestling the reins from the primitive section that had demanded to be in charge.

“You’re okay?” She asked between shallow, quick breaths.

Waverly nodded, not removing her hands from her sister’s face. “I’m okay.”

Wynonna’s body relaxed as the adrenaline pumping through her veins slowed it’s course. She let her head fall forward, closing her eyes as her forehead rested against Waverly’s. She took a few more deep breaths. Finally feeling in control again, she pulled back from her sister and cleared her throat before glancing at the redhead who had remained on the grass during the ordeal. A trickle of blood flowed down the redhead’s chin from a small cut on her lip.

“Sorry, Red. I didn’t recognize you.” Wynonna mumbled, reaching out to help her up.

Nicole took Wynonna’s outstretched hand and let the barista help pull her to her feet.

“It’s cool, man. I get it.” Nicole replied, brushing herself off and wiping her face. “It’s all good.”

Wynonna looked between her sister and her friend. “You two know each other?”

“We’ve been hanging out most weekends. She keeps me company while I play.” Waverly mumbled, her cheeks flushing as she avoided looking in Nicole’s direction.

Wynonna raised an eyebrow at Waverly and her little sister flushed even more. Wynonna had noticed a change in her sister over the past few months, but she hadn’t had the energy to investigate. Wynonna knew from being friends with the redhead what a positive presence she could be. It made sense that her sister had been drawn to Nicole. They were similar, both genuinely good people trying to make it in the world. Optimists and all that bullshit.
“Sorry to butt in, but what’s happening? Who did this?” Nicole asked, her attention solely on Waverly.

Waverly shot a panicked look in Wynonna’s direction. Wynonna hesitated. What could they tell Nicole? How much did they actually trust this person? Did it really matter since they’d be clear across the country by the end of the weekend?

Wynonna sighed and gave Waverly a ‘tell her, what do we have to lose?’ look.

“Our dad.” Waverly said, her voice soft and choked with held back tears.

“We’re leaving after I finish my shift.”

“Leaving?” Nicole asked, confused.

“We can’t stay here. We’re getting as far away from Purgatory and the Ghost River Triangle as we can, while we can.” Wynonna said with a shrug.

“You can’t leave!” Nicole exclaimed. “Your dad can’t get away with this! If you go to the police, they’ll take care of it. One look at Waverly’s face and they’d have to do something!”

Wynonna scoffed. “You don’t know anything, Red. Our dad has…connections. They won’t help us. Just let it go.”

Wynonna could see the redhead struggling. She took a step towards the taller woman. “I said leave it alone.”

“Fine.” Nicole deflated and shook her head in resignation, before turning her attention back to Waverly. “If your dad is really that bad, it’s not a good idea for you to be sitting out on the corner like this. You can come back to my place and hang out until Wynonna is done with her shift.”

“Wynonna, is that okay?” Waverly asked, hesitantly looking at her older sister.

Wynonna had to admit it was the best idea for keeping her little sister safe for the next few hours. She could grudgingly admit to herself that she trusted the redhead but was hesitant to agree to letting Waverly out of her sight. What if something happened while she was away? What if Ward found out about Nicole and tracked her down? She’d already let too much happen to Waverly. She didn’t know what she’d do if something else happened to her.

“Wynonna, trust me.” Nicole said catching the brunette’s eye. The look on the redhead’s face was enough to convince Wynonna that Nicole would do whatever it took to make sure Waverly was protected at all costs.

“Fine.” Wynonna agreed with a sigh. “Make sure you text me every hour, got it?”

Waverly nodded, smiling.

“I’ve got to get back to work. Don’t make me regret this.” Wynonna said giving Nicole one last look before leaving the two on the corner and heading back into the coffee shop.

Chapter Text

Nicole opened the door to her apartment, cursing herself for not taking the time to pick up this morning before leaving the house. She’d woken up late and had rushed out the door to make it on time for Waverly’s arrival. She cherished the few uninterrupted minutes they had together when Waverly was preparing for the day ahead.

“Sorry it’s messy.” Nicole muttered, face reddening as she took more time to assess the damage. A coffee cup and an empty bowl of cereal sat on the small table in the corner, her shoes from the night lay carelessly tossed across the living space, her ‘fancy’ leather jacket strewn on the back of the couch. It wasn’t messy, per say, but definitely not how she pictured Waverly seeing her apartment for the first time.

Waverly entered into the apartment behind the redhead, taking in the space. The large, comfortable looking couch. The record player in the corner with a well-loved guitar on a stand next to it. The underlying scent she had come to associate with Nicole permeating the space when she inhaled. She exhaled, closing her eyes as she felt a sudden wave of exhaustion crash over her body. All she wanted was to take a shower, lay down and take a nap within the confines of Nicole’s cozy, safe apartment.

“Are you kidding? It’s perfect.” Waverly replied turning her attention back to Nicole with a small smile.

“Yeah?” Nicole asked perking up slightly. She had tried hard to make her place feel like home. Or what she assumed would be a home. Her parents hadn’t been ones to take sentimentality in creating inviting spaces. They preferred to just be…gone.

“Yeah. You never mentioned you play guitar.” Waverly said, gesturing towards the guitar and record player in the corner.

“Yeah, I generally don’t brag about being able to stumble my way through Wonder Wall when I’m standing next to Stevie Nicks.” Nicole replied with a small laugh.

Waverly blushed and hid her face from Nicole. She was attempting to formulate a witty, or at least intelligent, response when a sudden pressure against her ankles startled her. She jumped back with an “Oh!”, effectively offending the creature who had been showing her affection.

“That’s Calamity Jane. She’s normally not so quick to warm up to strangers.” Nicole said with a laugh, bending down to scoop up the ginger cat.

Waverly reached out and gently scratched the cat’s ears. “I’m sorry I jumped, Calamity Jane. I was not expecting you.” She apologized, smiling as the cat leaned its head into her hand and started to purr.

“She forgives you. She, thankfully, doesn’t seem to hold grudges.” Nicole replied, scratching the cat quickly herself before setting her lightly back onto the ground.
The cat continued her initial moves of rubbing itself against Waverly’s legs, her purring growing louder and louder.

“Here, let me take your coat. Do you want anything to drink or eat?” Nicole asked, holding out her hand for Waverly’s jacket.

“Not really. If it’s not too much trouble, what I’d really love is a shower and a nap.” Waverly answered, shrugging out of her jacket and handing it to Nicole.

“Yeah that’s no problem at all. Follow me.” Nicole said as she hung up Waverly a jacket on the rack near the door.

Nicole led her down the small hallway before opening a door which led to the bathroom. Waverly glanced in the opposite direction, to what she assumed was Nicole’a bedroom. She desperately wanted to open the door and peak inside, to see the inner sanctum that would be unabashedly Nicole.

“Would you like something comfier to change into?” Nicole offered, making sure her eyes did not linger too long on the tight jeans and top, tearing Waverly’s attention from her thoughts about Nicole’s room and bed.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.”

“You okay if I bring them in in a minute? I’ve got to make sure I have some clean.” Nicole said rubbing the back of her neck with an embarrassed laugh.

Waverly nodded and walked into the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her.

Nicole waited until she heard the sound of the shower starting before opening her bedroom door and groaning. It was a mess. Clothes from the night before were strewn about the room haphazardly, evidence of the drunken stupor she had returned home in the night before after giving up on writing the papers she’d complained to Wynonna about. Her comforter lay in a pile at the end of her bed, tossed off quickly when she’d realized how late she’d slept this morning. Her desk was covered in cups of half drank coffee and scattered notes from multiple different classes. When had she become such a slob?

Ignoring the disaster that was room, she made a beeline for her closet. She grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of running shorts. She had a feeling Waverly wasn’t exactly the basketball shorts type. She’d get these to Waverly, make the girl some tea and then tackle cleaning up the waste site that was her bedroom.

Nicole was pulling the comforter onto her bed when she heard a soft knock on the open door frame. She stood up and turned around quickly, her breath catching in her throat at the site of Waverly in her high school basketball team’s sweatshirt. Her heart fluttered knowing that her last name was proudly declared on Waverly’s back at this exact moment in time. Her happiness was quickly diminished when her eyes finally made it to Waverly’s face. The shower had washed off the makeup that had covered the purple black bruise that surrounded her right eye. Nicole’s jaw clenched and her hands balled into fists. Who could do something like that to someone so…good. Focusing on keeping herself calm, she took step towards Waverly with a forced smile. A few semesters worth of criminal justice classes flashed through her mind. They should document this in case Waverly wanted to pursue legal action. Nicole reached her hand into her pocket for her phone.

“Feel better?” She asked, taking the phone out of her pocket.

“Much.” Waverly sighed placing the clothes she’d been wearing earlier on the edge of the still messy desk.

“I know you said that it wouldn’t be a possibility, but if you’re okay with it, we should take pictures of your….” Nicole said vaguely gesturing to her own face before continuing, she couldn’t bring herself to say the words, “You know, just in case you want to do something later about it.”

Nicole held her breath as she watched the woman tense slightly before Waverly relaxed and gave a slight nod.

“That’s probably a good idea.” Waverly answered softly, not meeting Nicole’s eyes.

“Here I’ll take them and text them to you. Okay?”

Waverly nodded and Nicole took a step closer holding up her phone and taking a close up of Waverly’s eye and lip before moving to take a picture of the handshaped bruise on Waverly’s forearm. The redhead knew there was more on the younger woman’s side, but she wasn’t quite sure how to ask to her to lift up her shirt to capture the damage.

Waverly swallowed hard and met Nicole’s eyes before slowly lifting the hem of the sweatshirt up.

Anger quickly turned to fury as more and more of the dark bruising on Waverly’s side came into view. Nicole could feel the heat from her anger rushing across her face, her jaw clenching tighter and tighter. Her eyes stayed locked onto the younger woman’s as she fought not to let the rage take over completely. She’d find the bastard that did this and make him pay. That’s all there was to it. Her phone slipping from her tightening grasp and clattering to the floor broke the fury fueled spell that had descended between the two. Both of them jumped as the phone landed with a thud against the floor. Waverly quickly let the hem of the sweatshirt fall back to its normal place and stepped closer to Nicole.

“’Hey, it’s okay.” She said softly, her hands cupping either side of Nicole’s face in earnest. “It’s okay. It’s not that bad…”

I’ve had worse.

The implied second half to the statement. Nicole felt her heart shattering at the thought. How could someone do this to someone else? And often enough for it to be a normal thing.

“It’s not okay!” Nicole exclaimed. How could this ever be okay? “This is not okay!”

Waverly tensed at Nicole’s outburst but stayed where she was. She closed her eyes before nodding in agreement. Nicole was right. It wasn’t okay. It had never been okay.

“You’re right.” She whispered letting her hands fall from Nicole’s cheeks to rest on the taller woman’s shoulders on either side of her neck, her head falling slightly in defeat before looking up again. “I meant I’m okay. I’m here…safe…with you.” Waverly’s eyes trailed down Nicole’s face, landing on her lips.

Nicole felt the younger woman pull gently on the back of her neck, and was acutely aware of how close they had become. When had her hands moved to rest lightly on Waverly’s waist? She didn’t even remember doing that. Everything she had dreamed about since she’d met Waverly was in the process of happening. Nicole let her Waverly draw her closer, their lips so so close to meeting in the middle.

But Nicole stopped and let her forehead rest against Waverly’s instead, increasing the distance between their lips and the kiss that she so desperately wanted to give into. Nicole would be the first to admit she was a lot of things, but a cheater wasn’t one. She felt Waverly take a step closer and increase pressure on the back of her neck, begging her to continue on the path they’d started.

“What about your boyfriend?” Nicole whispered, breath heavy with barely contained desire.

“We broke…” Waverly started.

That was all Nicole needed to pull Waverly’s hips closer and finally let herself kiss the woman that had occupied every corner of her mind.

Their kiss was slow and gentle. Nicole making sure her hands stayed lightly on Waverly’s waist, not wanting to let them wander and unintentionally causing the younger woman pain. They broke apart and let their foreheads rest against each other.

“I’ve wanted to do that since the day I met you.” Nicole breathed.

Waverly smiled and laughed softly. “Honestly, I think I have too.”
“You think?” Nicole asked with a smirk.

Waverly blushed and kissed Nicole quickly. “I have, happy?”

Nicole lifted her head and nodded slightly. She took a slight step back from Waverly, instantly missing the feeling of the smaller woman pressed up against her. She cleared her throat and gestured towards the night stand. “You’re tired. I should let you get some sleep. I made you some tea and brought you some Advil, just in case.”

Waverly walked over to the nightstand and took a sip of the tea Nicole had made before smiling back at the redhead. “Thank you. This is really sweet.”

Nicole shrugged, rubbing the back of her neck. It was the least she could do. “Let me know if you need anything else. Just yell and I’ll be back in here.”

Waverly set the tea back down. She reached out and took Nicole’s hand in hers. “Will you stay with me?”

Nicole started to hesitate but one glance at the pleading look on Waverly’s face destroyed any ounce of resistance she might have had. She nodded and let the younger woman lead her to the bed. Waverly pulled back the covers and they laid down on Nicole’s bed. Nicole felt her heart race as the brunette rested her head on Nicole’s chest and snuggled her face into Nicole’s neck. The redhead held back a comment as she felt Waverly take a deep breath, breathing in the scent that was unmistakably Nicole. Waverly smiled and Nicole thought she heard something that sounded vaguely like vanilla and doughnuts. It wasn’t long before Waverly’s breathing slowed into the peaceful rhythm of someone sound asleep. Nicole smiled and kissed the top of head. She’d stay here a few minutes, that’s it, she told herself as her eyes closed and she held Waverly tighter.

***

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Nicole bolted upright in her bed, wincing as Waverly’s hands tightened like a vice on her arm. She glanced sideways, her heart breaking at the terrified panicked look on Waverly’s face.

“Hey, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Nicole whispered stroking her hair and kissing the side of her head.

Waverly took a deep, shaky breath and released her grip on Nicole’s arm.

“Stay here.” Nicole said getting out of her bed. She grabbed her cell phone from off the floor where it had landed before they had fallen asleep. The banging started up again louder and more persistent. She took a deep breath, tightening her grip on her phone. She unlocked the door and turned the doorknob. She’d barely had it twisted when the person on the other side of the door pushed it open. Nicole barely had time to register that it was Wynonna barreling towards her, grabbing her shirt and pushing her backwards into the couch.

“Where is my sister?” Wynonna snarled, her eyes wild.

“Easy, Wynonna. She’s…” Nicole started, reaching out and grabbing the couch to keep herself from falling over backwards.

“Wynonna?” Waverly interrupted, appearing in the common space.

“Waverly!” Wynonna called in relief, releasing Nicole and lunging at her sister and pulling the shorter girl into a tight embrace. Waverly squeaked out in pain. Wynonna quickly released her and took a step back from her sister, her relief shifting immediately back to the fierce anger that had fueled her barging through the door. “Why haven’t you been answering me? I was so worried about you. It’s been hours!”

“I’m sorry! We fell asleep. I wasn’t ignoring you. I swear!” Waverly replied grabbing her sister’s hands. “I’m here and safe. You don’t have to worry.”

Wynonna visibly deflated, slumping towards her younger sister and letting her head fall on Waverly’s shoulder. Waverly stroked her and put her arms around the older woman.

“You could have told me you were going to take a nap.” Wynonna said, her reply muffled in Waverly’s shoulder.

“We’re sorry Wynonna. We didn’t mean to make you worry.” Nicole added, making her way towards the sisters.

Wynonna lifted her head and nodded in Nicole’s direction before replying, “Sorry I almost tackled you again. At least I didn’t hit you this time.”

Nicole laughed, walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “It’s okay. I probably would’ve done the same thing. Here you look like you could use a pick me up.” She grabbed a soda out of the fridge and held it out to Wynonna.

“Got anything a little stronger to add to that?”

“Wynonna, you’re working.” Waverly chastised, wrapping her arms around herself and leaning against the wall.

“I’m making shit coffee for pampered college kids. I don’t need to be sober to do that.” Wynonna retorted with a scoff. “No offense, Red.”

“None taken.” Nicole answered holding up her hands. “But, I’m not giving you anything to add to that.”

“Square.” Wynonna retorted. “It’s fine. I always carry my own.” She took a flask out of her jacket pocket and poured some of it’s contents into the can. “Well. Now that I know you are safe and not dead on the side of the road somewhere,” her hollow laugh betraying the feigned attempt at light heartedness, “I have to get back to work. My lunch break is only so long.”

“We’ll be sure to keep you updated with what we are doing this time. I promise.” Waverly said walking Wynonna to the door. She gave her sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek before closing the door behind her and flipping the lock.

“Well that was…eventful.” Nicole commented moving from the kitchen to sit on couch.

“I can’t believe we fell asleep without telling her. We can’t do that again.” Waverly said as she made her way to the couch. She settled down next to Nicole, putting her feet up on the empty cushion, guiding the redhead’s arm around her shoulder, and cuddling into Nicole’s side.

“I know. Let’s find something to watch and try to stay awake this time.” Nicole said running her hand lazily up and down Waverly’s arm. “Also I’ve realized that you both now know where I live, you’ve slept in my bed, we’ve kissed and I still don’t know your last name.”

Waverly snuggled closer into Nicole’s side, and the redhead could feel the younger woman’s whole body relax as she inhaled another deep breath next to Nicole’s neck. The redhead wondered if the younger woman would reply, the silence stretching out. She knew the sisters were secretive, but she could at least know their last name. She sighed. Eventually, Waverly would trust her enough to let her in, to let her help.

“Earp.” Waverly whispered, her voice heavy with sleepiness, “My last name is Earp.”

Nicole nodded, smiled down at the woman drifting off to sleep, and kissed the top of her head. Waverly Earp. She finally knew her angel’s name. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d heard that name before. Nicole shook her head and flipped through the channels, waiting for something to catch her attention. She just landed on a show when the image of a smug, pompous looking man on a campaign banner popped into her head.

Vote Ward Earp for Purgatory Sheriff

“Holy shit.”

Chapter Text

Waverly opened her eyes as Nicole gently shook her awake.

“I’ve got to get up and unlock the door. Wynonna is on her way back with dinner.” The redhead said quietly slipping out from where she was being held captive by the younger woman and making her way to unlock the front door.

Waverly swung her legs around, stretching and yawning as she nodded. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept that well. Or that long. She leaned back against the couch and let her eyes shut again, enjoying the quiet serenity of Nicole’s apartment.

“Hey yo! Who’s hungry?” Wynonna asked as she threw open the front door, effectively ruining Waverly’s moment of calm. “Don’t you worry, little rabbit, I got you bunny food. Carrots and some lettuce, right?”

Waverly rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the excited grumble from her empty stomach. Whatever Wynonna had in the bag underneath the pizza box she was carrying was making Waverly’s mouth water.

“Just kidding, you know I love you.” Wynonna teased, handing Waverly the bag.

Waverly opened the bag and pulled out the Vegan chili from the vegetarian restaurant down the road. How in the world had Wynonna…? Nicole. Waverly smiled as she glanced in the direction of the redhead who was currently rolling her eyes at Wynonna as the older brunette asked, “So Red, I know you don’t eat meat in your personal life, but like you’ll eat this meat with me won’t ya?” before opening the pizza box and showing off the pie covered in every type of meat Waverly had ever seen put on a pizza.

“Jesus, Wynonna, did you save any for anyone else?” Nicole asked, reaching out to take a slice.

“Woah there, you heathen! We are respectable adults. We don’t just grab pizza all willy nilly, go sit at the table. You too Waves.” Wynonna ordered, shutting the lid of the pizza box before Nicole could get a slice.

Waverly laughed and made her way to the table with her bag. She had just sat down and taken her chili out of the bag when her phone started to ring. She pulled it out of her hoodie pocket.

“Who’s that?” Wynonna asked as she dropped into her own chair, followed by Nicole doing the same.

“It’s Chrissy. I’ll be right back, don’t wait for me.” Waverly said getting up from the table and making her way down the hallway towards the privacy of Nicole’s room. “Hey what’s up?”

“Are you at the homestead?” Chrissy demanded.

“No, I’m…” Waverly answered, confused at her friend’s tone. Chrissy was always quiet and mild mannered. A go with the flow kind of person.

“Actually, wait, don’t tell me. Are you in Purgatory?” Chrissy asked, quickly interrupting Waverly.

“No, I’m not. Chrissy what’s going on?”

Waverly heard Chrissy release a relived sigh. “Your dad just came by my house. He said he wanted to check in and see how Dad and I were doing, kept going on about how he hadn’t been by in forever, but he kept looking around the house. He was looking for you. Dad said Councilman Hardy came by the station today. Dad said he didn’t know exactly what they were saying, but your dad busted a chair against the wall after he left.”

Waverly sank onto Nicole’s bed, hope that their dad wouldn’t notice they were gone sinking into the mattress with her. He was already looking for them. It wouldn’t be long before he’d start branching out to neighboring towns and calling in favors gathered through years of crooked service.

“You still there?”

Waverly shook her head, clenching her phone tighter. “Yeah, I’m still here.” She managed, voice small and defeated.

“Waves, you know I love you, but I don’t think you should come back to Purgatory anytime soon. Is Wynonna…is she with you?”

Shit. Chrissy must be really scared. Her and Wynonna had never gotten along. Chrissy thought Wynonna was too much of a bad influence on Waverly and would lead her down the same path she had gone down. Wynonna thought Chrissy was a narc. It didn’t help that Wynonna was constantly having run ins with Randy Nedley and making his life hell. Chrissy loved her father more than anything, he was all that she had left after her mother ran off, and she didn’t appreciate the extra stress Wynonna put him through. Waverly and Chrissy used to joke that their mothers were probably hanging out together, enjoying life without the burden of having children. Misery loves company, right?

“She is.”

“Good…I don’t think she should come back either.”

Waverly nodded before remembering that her friend couldn’t see it. “Yeah, don’t worry. We aren’t.”

“I…Just….Be careful and stay safe, okay?” Chrissy whispered, a wetness to her voice that Waverly had heard enough times to know that she was crying. “I don’t think we should talk for a while. I can’t lie. You know that.”

Waverly felt her own tears slide down her cheeks as she nodded again. She had heard Chrissy cry about boys, she’d her heard cry about bad grades, and her Dad being ‘unfair’, never would she have guessed she’d hear her best friend crying as she said goodbye.

“I know. You’ve always been a terrible liar.” Waverly replied, holding the phone away from as she took gulped back her own tears. She should’ve seen this coming. Of course their dad would go after the Nedleys. Waverly spent more time there than anywhere else in town. Chrissy had been her best friend since grade school. Randy was more of a father than Ward had ever been. Of course they’d be the first ones that Ward started to hound for information. She was smart, how had she not seen that leaving would put her best friend at risk?

“Waves?”

“Yeah?” Waverly asked, bringing the phone back to her ear.

“Even if we don’t talk for a while, I want you to know you’re my best friend. I know you’ve been working hard to graduate this semester. Send me your assignments and I’ll make sure they get turned in, okay? I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you get away from…this.” Chrissy paused before continuing, her voice barely a tear filled whisper, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more.”

Waverly bit her lip hard, forcing her brain to focus on the physical pain rather than the building pressure in her chest of unshed tears. She needed to stay strong. She couldn’t break down just yet. If she did, she wasn’t completely sure she’d be able to put herself back together. Wynonna and Nicole were waiting for her to have a nice dinner. She was sure, once Wynonna heard about what had happened in Purgatory today, they’d have to leave bright and early. She owed it to Nicole, and frankly just wanted it for herself, to have a one night that had some resemblance to normality to it. Just three friends (were her and Nicole friends? What were they even?) enjoying each other’s company without the horrors of the world looming overhead. Was that too much to ask?

“Trust me, you’ve done more than enough. I’ve got go. Wynonna’s waiting on me for dinner. I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye, Waverly.”

Waverly heard the silence on the other end of the phone and a felt a few rebellious tears fall. She quickly wiped them away and stood up from the bed. She took a deep shaky breath, counting the seconds as she inhaled before releasing. She walked out of Nicole’s room and back towards the dining room, the sound of the bedroom door closing behind her echoing down the hall.

“What’d baby Nedley want?” Wynonna asked as Waverly sat back down in her chair.

“Apparently Champ’s dad paid Dad a visit today and it didn’t go so well. She suggested that we don’t come back to Purgatory.” Waverly replied softly, staring at her chili which no longer seemed to be as appealing as it had before.

Wynonna leaned back in her chair, and let out a big breath of air. “Shit. That didn’t take long, did it?”

Waverly shook her head.

“What does that mean?” Nicole asked, looking between the sisters.

“It means we gotta get the hell out of dodge, Red.” Wynonna replied running her hands down her face. “Ward’ll be on the war path. He doesn’t do forgive and forget all that well.”

“Where will you go?”

“As far away as we can, I guess.” Waverly answered, swallowing hard. She couldn’t face seeing the look on Nicole’s face. Whatever it was between them had just started, she didn’t want to give up on it so soon, but how could they stay together with a psycho ready to do anything in his power to find them? She’d just become collateral damage. Waverly couldn’t do that to her. A chance at a relationship with a good human, just another thing to add to the list of things Ward had destroyed.

Chapter Text

“It’s Chrissy. I’ll be right back, don’t wait for me.”

Nicole couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face as she watched Waverly walk down the hall towards her room, HAUGHT 15 big and bold across her back. Waverly Haught. It sounded so right. She wanted to say it outloud, to try it out for real, but one glance at the trash compactor stuffing her face next to her held her tongue. Wynonna would never let her live it down if she let it slip out.

“You gonna eat, Red?” Wynonna asked, her mouth full of food. “She really meant don’t wait. She’ll be pissed if we do.”

Nicole picked up her piece of pizza and took a bite. She had to admit, it was good. She hadn’t realized how hungry she’d been. She’d barely eaten breakfast. She’d planned on asking Waverly to get lunch with her, but the day hadn’t quite gone to plan. Not that she was exactly complaining about how it went. She could still feel the lingering pressure of Waverly’s lips on hers. She had a feeling that sensation would be forever seared into her brain. Yes, she would be the first to admit that the circumstances that led to the kiss were not anything she’d ever would want for Waverly, but the Earps were here now and safe.

Earp. Ward Earp

“Hey, is your dad Ward Earp? Like Purgatory Sheriff Ward Earp?” Nicole asked hesitantly.

Wynonna’s face drained, her eyes locking on the pizza frozen in halfway to her mouth. The reaction was all Nicole needed to confirm her realization from earlier. No wonder the sisters felt hopeless. Their father was the law Nicole had been telling them to seek refuge from.

“How’d you find out?” Wynonna asked, setting the pizza down, suddenly looking decades older than their shared twenty years.

“Waverly told me your last name is Earp. We’ve been studying the neighboring counties in some of my classes, especially with elections coming up. I’ve heard the name.”

“And made the connection. Guess college really is for you.” Wynonna joked softly.

“Is there anyone else you can go to for help?”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll just call up our deadbeat mom, you know if I had her number or knew where she was. Or maybe our big sister and her sleazy biker boyfriend. I’m sure she would love to come be our savior, especially since we haven’t heard from her since she peaced out at fifteen. Why hadn’t I thought of that before? Thanks, Red. I’ll get on that.” Wynonna retorted, angrily pushing back from the table and away from Nicole.
Nicole put up her hands, backing away from the angry energy radiating from the brunette, giving her space. “Hey, I’m sorry. I care about both of you and this is new. I want to help you. I want to help Waverly. I just don't know what to do.”

Nicole held her breath, waiting for Wynonna to work through whatever internal conflict was causing the muscles in her jaw to twitch and her arms to tighten across her chest. Finally, Wynonna closed her eyes and sighed. Her head fell forward, tired and defeated. She started to speak, her voice so soft Nicole had to strain to hear her.

“I’ve been the only one taking care of her for so long. Momma left when Waverly was six. She couldn’t take it anymore. Ward didn’t really go after us when Momma was around, but after she disappeared, Willa was his main target. She hated Waverly. I never understood why. I think it was because Waverly was always so happy. Every time Ward would go after Willa, she’d do something awful to Waverly in return. I tried to stop it. Willa liked me. But, sometimes it wasn’t enough. Then Willa left. She got in with this sleazy dude named Bobo who lived out in the trailer park at the edge of town. No one’s seen them since. Ward loved Willa, said everything he did was to make her the Earp Heir, whatever the fuck that meant. When she left, he blamed Waverly. He blamed her for a lot, always telling her she was useless and worth nothing. He went after her and I did what needed to be done to make sure he didn’t. When I started getting into fights at school, he used that to shift his focus to me. The bruises had explanations then. Everyone saw me fighting at school. I didn’t mind really, better me than Waverly.” Wynonna paused and swallowed hard. “Then Champ Hardy, Councilman Hardy’s son, asked Waverly out about four years ago. She finally had a use to Ward and he made sure she knew that was the only thing keeping her safe. Relatively speaking, I guess. She broke up with him yesterday. Ward didn’t like it. Do you know what it’s like knowing your little sister is basically getting pimped out and you can’t do anything about it? It fucking sucks.”

Nicole sat silent, taking in everything Wynonna had just told her. She didn’t know what to say. What could you say to that? She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She reached out and gently laid a hand on Wynonna’s shoulder. The brunette jerked her head up, turning away from Nicole and wiping her face, jaw resuming its clenching and unclenching.

“You don’t have to do it alone, anymore. I’m here for you. And for her. Let me help you.”

They sat together for a moment, Nicole squeezing Wynonna’s shoulder. Wynonna finally cleared her throat and turned her attention back to the pizza, shrugging off Nicole’s hand.

“You’re so cheesy, Red. I knew you were the knight in shining armor type.” Wynonna said with a weak smile.

“Whatever, Earp.” Nicole replied rolling her eyes with a smile. She picked up her pizza and took a bite.

They’d both just settled into a calm silence, processing the conversation that had taken place when they heard the door to the bedroom close. Waverly walked back into the common space, with a smile that Nicole instantly noticed didn’t quite reach her eyes. She looked sad. The redhead wanted to pull her into a hug and kiss away whatever was making her upset, but again, not in front of Wynonna. She wasn’t exactly sure how much Waverly wanted her older sister to know about whatever was happening between them.

“What’d baby Nedley want?” Wynonna asked.

Nicole turned her attention from Waverly to Wynonna. Nedley? Like Randy Nedley? Her ethics in criminal justice class assistant professor Randy Nedley? She knew he drove in from Purgatory, but damn wouldn’t that be a small world. She vaguely remembered him being overly passionate about corruption within the police force. They’d kind of made fun of him after class about it, but seeing behind the curtain with what he must have been dealing with, it all made sense now. Maybe he’d be someone who could help. He’d gone on and on about how sometimes it was all about playing the long game. Maybe he had one going already. The pictures she took could help.

“Apparently Champ’s dad paid Dad a visit today and it didn’t go so well. She suggested that we don’t come back to Purgatory.” Waverly replied softly.

Champ. Waverly's ex. Thinking about Waverly practically being forced to be with him, made Nicole physically sick. She set down her pizza, clearing her throat and swallowing down the nauseous feeling. Her hatred for Ward Earp growing exponentially as she thought about everything he had done to the two women sitting in her apartment. He had to pay. She’d make sure of it. She wasn’t sure how yet, but she was smart and determined to the point of recklessness her coaches used to say.

Wynonna leaned back in her chair, and let out a big breath of air. “Shit. That didn’t take long, did it?”

Waverly shook her head.

“What does that mean?” Nicole asked, looking between the sisters. Nicole had an idea, but she really hoped she was wrong. She didn’t want the Earps to leave. Her and Waverly had started something that she wanted to see through.

“It means we gotta get the hell out of dodge, Red.” Wynonna replied running her hands down her face. “Ward’ll be on the war path. He doesn’t do forgive and forget all that well.”

“Where will you go?”

“As far away as we can, I guess.” Waverly answered, swallowing hard.

Fuck

Nicole looked down at the pizza on the plate in front of her. She couldn’t let them disappear. She’d promised Wynonna that she would be someone in her corner. She’d promised Wavelry that she would do whatever it took to keep her safe. She was in this with them. A thought popped into her head and she grabbed it. She knew where they could go that Ward wouldn’t be able to find them and they’d be safe. She’d just have to make a quick, very very awkward phone call.

“I think I have an idea.”

Chapter Text

Nicole glanced around the living room, smiling at the sleeping Earps. They’d started watching a movie after dinner and it hadn’t taken long for both Wynonna and Waverly to pass out, Wynonna curled up on the recliner and Waverly tucked into Nicole’s side. She picked up the remote and paused the show. It wasn’t too late to make the call she needed to make. Slowly the redhead extracted herself from Waverly’s embrace, kissing the brunettes head as the smaller woman sleepily resettled herself on the couch.

She walked out of the apartment and leaned against the railing, pressing the call button.

“Hey, haven’t heard from you in a while. What’s up?” The woman on the other end of the line answered.

“I know right. It’s been a minute. I kind of have a really big favor to ask you,” Nicole replied.

“Anything. Lay it on me.”

“You know that girl that I’ve told you about?”

“The one who takes up all of your time and makes it impossible to get in touch with you? The one you talk about non-stop when you finally do answer? That one?” The woman on the other end of the line teased.

Nicole rubbed the back of her neck and sucked in a breath, “Yeahh…..that one.”

“You need help planning a date or something?”

“Not exactly. Her and her sister are kind of…on the run, I guess. They haven’t done anything wrong or anything, but...” Nicole sighed, she felt the wall holding back all of her emotions plummeting to the ground. “Look, they just need help and a safe place to crash. I don’t know what else to do.” She could hear the desperation in her own voice.

“Hey, hey, Nic, of course they can come stay here. I’m around all day tomorrow. I’ll help in any way I can.”

Nicole nodded, wiping away the tears that had managed to sneak out. “They want to get out of town early. I’ll text you when we leave here. Thank you, Shae, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

“Yeah, just let me know. You’re one of my best friends, Nic, of course I’d help you out. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’ve kind of got something I need to get back to you.”

“Are you with someone?” Nicole asked, thankful for the change of subject. “And you answered the phone?”

“Yea, you never call this late. But, I do need to get back…”

“Go! I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night,” Nicole laughed, hanging up the phone. She stood up, took a deep sigh and ran her hands down her face.

“There you are.”

Nicole opened her eyes, smiling at a still sleepy Waverly leaning against the door frame.

“I woke up and you were gone. Wynonna didn’t scare you out of your own apartment, did she?” Waverly teased crossing the space between them and wrapping her arms around Nicole and leaning her head against her chest.

“No, I just had to make a call. I’ve got a safe place for you guys to go tomorrow and stay for a little bit.” Nicole replied, wrapping her arms around Waverly and resting her chin on the top of her head.

“Thank you,” Waverly whispered. “For everything.”

They stood holding each other tighter until Nicole felt Waverly start to shiver. “We should go back inside.”

Waverly nodded, grabbing Nicole’s hand and leading her back into the apartment. Wynonna jumped in the chair as Nicole closed the front door closed louder than intended behind her. Nicole instantly felt the loss of Waverly’s hand in hers.

“You were sleeping! I wasn’t sleeping,” Wynonna called out.

“I didn’t think you were sleeping,” Nicole replied struggling to suppress a grin as her friend nodded and slumped back into the chair. “But I am tired. I was thinking you and Waverly could take my room. I just gotta grab a blanket and pillow and it’s all yours.”

Waverly narrowed her eyes at Nicole and opened her mouth, but Wynonna beat her to it.

“Oh hell no, Red. I’m not sleeping with Waverly. She kicks and snores. I am fine right here.”

Nicole smirked at the red flush that spread quickly across Waverly’s cheeks as she glared at her older sister.

“I do not! That was one time like six years ago!”

“Sure…still not chancing it," Wynonna scoffed, "I’m sleeping right here.”

“Whatever works for you. Guess my bed is all yours.” Nicole said to Waverly.

The smaller woman rolled her eyes and took Nicole’s hand again.

“Don’t be silly, you can sleep in your own bed. I don’t mind,” She said with a smirk.

Nicole swallowed hard. Waverly Earp was asking to sleep with her in her bed. She let out a shaky breath and nodded, not trusting herself to be able to make words.

Waverly started down the hallway, tossing a “Goodnight, Wynonna” over her shoulder. Nicole was more than willing to let the smaller woman lead her to her bed room. The door had barely shut behind them when she found herself being pushed back against it, Waverly’s hand behind on her neck, pulling Nicole’s head down to capture Nicole’s lips with her own.

Holy shit.

Nicole’s body reacted on its own, instincts taking over. She pushed off of the door, spinning Waverly around so the smaller woman was now the one with her back against it. Her hands moved to Waverly’s hips then down her legs, lifting the smaller woman up. She could feel Waverly’s smile and wrap her legs tight around Nicole’s waist. Nicole broke her lips away from Waverly’s letting them move to the smaller woman’s neck.

This.

This is what she’d dreamed since she’d met the other woman months ago.

“Your bed.” Waverly breathed.

Nicole smiled against Waverly’s neck. She carried the younger woman to her bed. Nicole hovered over top of the brunette, brown eyes meeting hazel.

“Do you want me to stop?”

Waverly put her hand on the back of Nicole’s neck, gently pulling her closer.

“No.”

Chapter Text

The sudden loss of her own personal furnace, aka Nicole, caused Waverly to open her eyes, suppressing the whine of indignation that threatened to escape. She watched Nicole’s back, all pale skin, muscle and black sports bra flex, as the redhead put her hair up in a messy bun. The older woman paused before starting to reach for the shirt that had been tossed carelessly off the side of the bed the nice before. Waverly reached out, her hand landing softly on the redhead’s forearm startling her slightly.

“Don’t. Come back and lay with me.”

Nicole turned back around with a smirk, leaning forward slowly, teasing. Waverly took in every inch of Nicole, already anticipating the feeling of Nicole’s on her own. Of the redhead’s hands slipping under her shirt, hands on her skin. She closed her eyes…

CRASH

“What the fuck!” Wynonna hollered from the living room.

Waverly jumped as Nicole groaned and flopped onto the bed, her face disappearing into her pillow before she sighed and pushed herself back up. Waverly pouted as the redhead quickly gathered the tshirt from the floor and pulled it over her head.

“I’m going to go make sure your sister isn’t dying.” Nicole said as she stood up and crossed the room to the door, turning back as she opened it. “Stay in bed as long as you’d like.”

Waverly smiled and snuggled deeper into the covers. What a night. She pulled Nicole’s pillow closer to her and breathed deep. Everything about the room was whole heartedly Nicole. The trophies on her desk. The pictures of friends hanging up on the wall. The basketball and basketball shoes tossed in the corner near the closet. Waverly wanted to stay in here, safe and cocooned in Nicole’s bed, forever. Wrapped in warmth, not just from the heavy down blanket that somehow had managed to maintain the redhead’s impressive heat even after she had left, but from the redhead herself. Since Waverly had met her, Nicole had been a steadying presence in her life. A person she knew deep down in her soul would do anything for her. How could she get out of bed, walk out the door and leave that behind?

Waverly swallowed hard, fighting back tears. She couldn’t let the dark cloud forming deep inside her take over. For all she knew, this could be the last time she would ever see Nicole. Her whole mental library was full of memories of hurt, anger, and fear. These memories were some of the few that weren’t tainted by Ward Earp. She wasn’t going to let him take them away from her now. Within the walls of Nicole’s apartment, she had only ever known peace and safety. She sighed and pushed the covers off of herself. She really shouldn’t leave Nicole alone with her sister for too long. Wynonna could be…a lot.

She paused at the end of the hallway, neither Nicole nor Wynonna noticing her presence. Nicole grunted at something Wynonna had said and threw a pillow in the older brunette’s direction. Wynonna laughed as she got it and flung it back at the redhead.

“Watch it! You’ll spill my coffee!” Nicole exclaimed with a laugh as she snagged the pillow out of the air before it managed to knock over her mug.

“You started it, Haught sauce. Don’t even.” Wynonna retorted, smirking and grabbing her own coffee from off the table.

Waverly smiled, leaning against the wall watching the woman she was currently…dating? And her sister banter back and forth. Such a nice change of pace compared to the way Wynonna had treated Champ. Granted, Champ deserved it, but was it too much to ask for her sister and the person she was with to get along? Wynonna had made it abundantly clear that she had hated Champ. Whenever he had come over, Wynonna would either leave or hover dangerously close to him while playing with her pocket knife. Though, she had to admit, it was funny to see him squirm when Wynonna would sometimes get a little too close.

“You’re awake! Forget how to open your suitcase? You look like Haught’s kid sibling in all her shit.”

Waverly started, immediately feeling a flush of embarrassment start across her cheeks. She had only slightly forgotten that she was indeed dressed head to toe in Nicole’s clothes.

“I think she looks great.” Nicole countered, her tone even and unassuming, but the look she gave Waverly when she turned around, brown eyes taking in every inch of the younger woman with a wink and oh so cocky smirk, made Waverly blush even redder. It took all of Waverly’s willpower to stop herself from rushing across the room and finishing what Wynonna had so rudely interrupted.

“Come sit down, I made you some tea.” Nicole said patting the spot next to her.

Waverly made her way to the couch, making sure to leave space between her and Nicole. She swallowed hard, wanting nothing more than for Nicole to put her arms around her and pull her close.

“Earth to Waverly. You good?” Wynonna called, waving her hand in front of her little sister’s face.

“Sorry, I’m still waking up. What’d you say?” Waverly asked, moving further away from Nicole. She could tell the redhead was struggling as much as she was, if the redhead clenching her hands and shoving them into her sweatpants pockets to physically keep them restrained was any indication.

“We should probably leave soon. I don’t want to be this close to Purgatory any longer than necessary. What’d you think?”

Waverly sighed. What did she think? She didn’t want to leave. She didn’t want to have to change out of Nicole’s clothes, load up her stuff and leave behind the first place she’d ever felt truly safe. She didn’t want to have to wonder about when she would see Nicole again. She didn’t want to have to keep running and letting Ward control her life. Was that really what Wynonna wanted to hear? The truth? No. Wynonna felt the same way, but what other choice did they really have?

“I think you’re right. We should go.”

“Okay, plan for skiddadling in 30? That cool with you, Red?”

Nicole nodded. Waverly was sure Wynonna didn’t notice the tiny slump in the redhead’s shoulders, but she sure did. She’d be lying if she said it didn’t break her heart.

***

“Where’s Wynonna?” Nicole asked as she dropped Waverly’s duffel bag into the bed of the truck. “I feel like the leader of this operation should be the one that’s on time.”

“Babe, you’ve been friends with her for a few months now, did you really think she’d be on time?” Waverly asked taking advantage of their time alone and wrapping her arms around the redhead’s waist and resting her head on Nicole’s chest.

Nicole kissed the top of her head before replying, “No, not really.”

They broke apart when the front door burst open and Wynonna yelled down, “Why aren’t you in the truck? It’s time to go!”

Waverly rolled her eyes and climbed into the single cab, resigning herself to the fact that she’d be stuck in the middle as both the youngest and the smallest out of the three. Nicole climbed into her, putting her arm on the back of the seat. Waverly leaned into her side, letting their fingers intertwine until Wynonna opened the driver’s side door.

“Ready to roll?” The elder earp asked through a mouthful of leftover pizza. She cranked up the truck, causing both Nicole and Waverly to flinch as heavy metal blasted through the speakers. Wynonna quickly turned down the volume. “My bad. Direct me, Haught pocket. Let’s get this circus on the road.”

The drive was mostly uneventful, a small bickering match after a missed turn, was the highlight of the trip. Waverly refused to take sides, but it was one hundred percent Wynonna’s fault.
The truck pulled up in front of your average cookie cutter suburban home, complete with a wraparound front porch and cozy chairs.

“This is it? Are we staying with Karen and Chad the accountant?” Wynonna asked staring at the house through the front windshield.

“They’re willing to help us, don’t be mean.” Waverly admonished smacking Wynonna’s arm.

“It’s Shae’s parents’ house. They’ve got a condo in Toronto and let Shae stay here. She’s on track to go to med school, so she’ll be here a while. ” Nicole said, directing Wynonna where to park. “She said you can leave the truck in the garage after we get you all set up.”

They parked the truck and made their way up to the front door. Nicole knocked. Waverly’s jaw dropped slightly. Shae was beautiful. A beautiful future lady doctor. She glanced over at Nicole. Her smile lit up her whole face. Who was this woman?

“Nic! It’s been too long.” Shae greeted pulling Nicole into a hug, that in Waverly’s opinion, was too long and way too close.

The pair broke apart and Shae turned her attention to both the Earps. “I’m Shae, Nicole and I go way back. Welcome to my home.” She introduced herself with a smile.

“Wynonna, nice to meet you. Your house is nice.”

“Waverly.” Short. Curt.

Waverly pointedly ignored the look Nicole quickly shot in her direction.

Shae’s smile faltered slightly, but she recovered and continued, “Come on in. I’ll show you around and then you can take some time to get settled.” Shae turned back into the house.

“Nice work, Red. She’s hot.” Wynonna whispered loud enough for Nicole and Waverly to hear smacking Nicole on the back.

Waverly bristled and glared at Wynonna.

“What? No! I’m..I’m not..it’s not like that. We’re friends! That’s it!” Nicole sputtered, desperately glancing in Waverly’s direction.

Waverly pushed past the two of them and followed Shae into the house. She wasn’t being paranoid that she’d picked up on something when they’d hugged. Even Wynonna, who was as oblivious as they come, noticed something. What was Nicole not telling her?

Waverly barely paid attention as Shae led them through the house showing off the obvious places: bathroom, kitchen, living room, etc. As if she wouldn’t have been able to find them herself. Finally, Shae led them upstairs to the two spare bedrooms.

“This one used to be my sister’s room and this one is the spare room. I’ll let you guys decide where you want to stay and start getting settled? Nic, would you want to head down to the kitchen for a drink?”

“Do you guys need any help settling in?” Nicole asked, her attention solely on Waverly.

Waverly crossed her arms and glared back at the redhead. “I think I’m fine.”

“Yeah I’m good.” Wynonna added.

Waverly almost backtracked her position at the crestfallen look on the redhead’s face but stayed firm. She’d had too many people in her life mess her around. There was more the story with Shae than Nicole had offered. She knew it.

“Okay, well just let me know if you need me.” Nicole offered, hesitating as Shae started down the stairs.

“Su…”

“We won’t.” Waverly interrupted her sister, giving Nicole one last scathing look before disappearing into one of the room.

“What crawled up her ass?” Waverly heard Wynonna ask through the closed door as Waverly slid down the door and let her head fall into her hands. With the full weight of the past 48 hours slamming into her at once, she sobbed into Nicole stupidface Haught’s sweatshirt sleeves, hating herself for feeling a small sense of comfort from the lingering smell of vanilla dipped donuts every time she breathed in.

Chapter Text

“Did something happen on the way over?” Shae asked as Nicole entered the kitchen and took a seat at the island.

Nicole groaned and let her head fall into her hands. “No! I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t even know what I did.”

“Okay, let’s back track and try to figure out where it went wrong. Want a drink?”

Shae made her way to the fridge opening and pulling out two sodas before sliding one in the redhead’s direction.

Nicole lifted her head back up and took a deep breath, “Okay. So, everything was fine on our way here. Wynonna was being Wynonna, but other than that it was great. We we’re jamming out and having a good time. Then, boom, we get here and she’s all…” Nicole waved her hand in the air. “Actually, you know what, it’s all Wynonna’s fault. She made some stupid comment about you and I being together and I panicked.”

“Why would you panic? That’s definitely suspicious. I mean yeah, we were together at one point, but that was a long time ago and she has to know it’s ancient history. Otherwise, why would you bring her to your exes place.”

Nicole looked down at her hands, pointedly avoiding meeting Shae’s eyes.

“Oh, no, Nic, you didn’t? You didn’t tell her that we used to date?” Shae asked shocked. “Why wouldn’t you?”

“I forgot! It was so long ago and everything was happening so quickly. I didn’t think about you as Shae my ex-girlfriend, you’re just Shae, my best friend. Then when Wynonna said something and it hit that you ARE my ex and I panicked and….ughhhh!” Nicole let her head fall back into her hands, “What do I do?”

“Let me go talk to her. I’ll sort it out.”

Nicole took a drink of her soda, skepticism pouring out of her in waves. Shae pushed herself off of the counter she was leaning and made her way over to the redhead.

“Trust me, I know what I’m doing.” Shae said, ruffling Nicole’s hair before turning and making her way out of the kitchen. She stopped by the hall closet, grabbing a couple towels to give herself and excuse to be back upstairs. Even if this didn’t go well Waverly wouldn’t be able to say Shae wasn’t a good hostess. She stopped outside of the room Waverly had chosen, her sister’s old room, and knocked softly.

“Be there in a second.” A watery voice called softly from the other side of the door.

Shae waited as footsteps approached from the other side of the door and did her best to put on a warm, welcoming smile when the younger woman opened the door. Waverly’s eyes were red from crying and Shae couldn’t help but notice the water marks on her sweatshirt sleeves. Damn it, Nicole.

Shae took a step into the room offering up the towels in her arms. “I brought these for you, mind if I put them on the dresser?”

Waverly stepped out of her way and Shae walked over to the dresser, putting the towels down neatly on top before turning around to face the younger woman. f

“Settling in alright?” She asked, noticing how the younger woman avoided looking her in the eye.

“Yea, thank you for letting us stay.” Waverly replied softly, fidgeting with the cuff of her sweatshirt.

Shae smiled. “Nicole is one of my best friends, you and your sister can stay here as long as you need. As far as I’m concerned, this is your home now.”

Waverly swallowed hard and nodded, but Shae could see the skepticism hovering just below the surface. She was sure the younger woman wanted to ask, to know the truth.

“That’s all we are, Waverly, friends. I promise.”

“It just feels like there is something she isn’t telling me.”

Shae closed the space between the two of them and took the younger woman’s hand in hers. Waverly looked up at her. “There is nothing between Nicole and I. Full disclosure, we dated a long long time ago, but we aren’t good for each other. I love her but I’m not in love with her. She’s someone I know I can call at 2am no matter what, but we would kill each other if we were ever in a romantic relationship. She only has eyes for you.”

Waverly looked away, her cheeks turning red. “Then why didn’t she just tell me?”

Shae sighed, “Nicole is a lot of things. She’s passionate. She’s brave. She’s funny and caring, BUT she can be a little naïve and forgetful sometimes. She didn’t mean to hurt you or intentionally keep it a secret. We dated so long ago and it was so, so bad, we both try to forget it even happened. To her, I’ll always be Shae -her best friend, in her mind, not Shae her ex girlfriend. I wish you could hear the way she’s talked about you the past few months. You mean the world to her.”

Waverly smiled and looked down at their hands. Shae gave Waverly’s one last comforting squeeze before letting them go and taking a step back. “I’m going to head back downstairs and comfort the panicking mess that is your, I assume, girlfriend. I know it’s fun to see her like this, but don’t make her suffer too long.”

Waverly laughed softly and nodded. Shae started towards the door, her hand reaching back to pull it closed behind her when Waverly asked, “Do you mind if I come down with you?”

Shae turned back to look at the younger woman and smiled, “Not at all.”

Waverly followed her out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen, which was now occupied by both Wynonna and Nicole.

Shae couldn’t help but smile as the redhead looked up and grinned when she saw Waverly walk into the kitchen behind her. The entire time they had dated, Shae had never seen Nicole look at her that way. Granted, like she said upstairs, their relationship was far from healthy. They really should never have tried dating, but hey, live and learn.

Waverly walked up to stand next to where Nicole sat, Shae watching Waverly subtly put her hand on Nicole’s thigh safely hidden under the island from Wynonna’s view. She couldn’t hear exactly what Waverly was saying to the redhead, but she didn’t miss the giddy smile take over Nicole’s face. Whatever it was, it seemed like trouble had been banished from paradise.

Chapter Text

Nicole stared at Ward Earp’s disgusting face smiling back at her from the campaign poster jammed into the garden bed outside of Purgatory Police Department, knuckles white as she gripped the wheel of her car.

“Fucking bastard.” She growled before slamming her car into park. How could the town consistently elect such a decrepit, loathsome man to public office? There is no way he would have been able to keep such a secret in a town so small. Weren’t small towns notorious for knowing everyone’s business? They were just as bad as he was. They all knew, or at least had a hunch, and did nothing about it.

Fuck them.

Fuck this whole town.

She leaned her head back against the headrest of her car and took a deep breath. Calm. That’s what she had to be going inside the department. She couldn’t let herself get riled up. If she saw Ward, she’d have to ignore him. She had a plan and confronting Ward Earp in his domain was not part of it. She let out one last calming breath before getting out of the car and walking into the station.

“Good afternoon, please sign in.” The officer, a young, bored looking man, greeted as she walked up to the desk. He handed her the check in sheet, waiting for her to start writing her name, address, phone number and reason for visiting before continuing, “What can I help you with?”

“I’m actually looking for Deputy Nedley, I’ve got some questions to ask him about an assignment.” Nicole replied, handing back the filled out visitors log.

“Nedley’s a teacher? God they must be hurting bad to hire his sorry ass. I’d ask for your money back, kid.” Ward Earp commented from the doorway of the Sheriff’s office.

Nicole clenched her jaw, at least she had a reason to glare now. “He’s actually a really good professor. One of my favorites, actually.”

Ward snorted and rolled his eyes. “Nedley! Get out here.” He ordered, shouting into the office.

“Yes?” Randy Nedley asked coming into the main portion of the office from the back, clearly annoyed with the Sheriff.

“You got a student looking for you, Professor. Take your lunch, get your shit squared away. Try not to take longer than your hour, I’d hate to have to write you down for being late to work.”

Nedley glared at Ward’s back as the Sheriff disappeared back into his office. Nicole could feel Ward’s eyes on her as he continued to watch her and Nedley’s interaction through the glass.
“What’re you doing here, Nicole?” Nedley asked coming around from behind the desk to the visitor’s side.

“I needed to talk to you about the assignment that’s due soon.”

“I didn’t assig…” Nedley started.

“The one about how nature can hide evidence? Like how Waves can hide tracks.” Nicole emphasized the word waves, hoping that Nedley would catch on to what she was telling him.

“Oh! That one. Sorry I got my classes mixed up. Yeah, let’s go grab some food and I’ll answer any questions you have.”

“Is she safe?” Nedley asked as soon as they were both safely in his cruiser.

“They both are.”

“Thank God.” Nedley sighed, running his hands down his face. “Chrissy and I have been worried sick about them. You have to understand, I’ve been trying to do everything I can. He….he controls everything in this town. In this county. Him and his band of good old boys.”

“So you’ve known? The whole town has known? How could he get away with this for so long?”

“I told you, him and his group run the whole county. People are terrified of him. Last time I tried to get him, he almost killed his wife. Had it done up to look like an accident. I helped her get out and get away, but he’s been after me ever since. He would’ve come after Chrissy. I couldn’t risk it, not until I had a fool proof plan. I swear, I’ve been doing everything I can to keep those girls as safe. He’s going to come looking for them, you know that, right? My guess, he’s already started.”

“I think I can help.” Nicole pulled out her phone and pulled up the pictures from the weekend.

Nedley’s jaw clenched as he looked away. Nicole couldn’t help but notice that he looked angry and disgusted, but not the least bit surprised. Fury. That was the feeling that coursed through her as she stared at the worn down deputy. She would never understand how someone in a position of trust and power could abuse it so thoroughly. Ward had to be taken care of.

“Send those to me. I have a notebook at home with every time Waverly came over to my house with some unexplainable injury. This will add to the case I’m building. I’ve been playing the long game for a while.”

“The long game needs to be done now! You know he won’t let them live if he finds them. This is it, Nedley. It’s now or never.” Nicole argued her hands curling into fists. How could he not see that the Earp sisters were in danger. If Ward was as connected and powerful as Nedley said, they weren’t safe anywhere in this part of the country.

“You’re not wrong, but I don’t know what to do. Nicole, you don’t understand how much control he has. If I don’t get him when I make my move, I never will. No one will. He’ll be free to go after them with no one to protect them.”

“I’ll protect them.”

Nedley sighed. He took Nicole’s clenched fist in his hands, “I know you want to believe that, kid, but I don’t think you understand how dangerous he is. You need to be careful. I can tell you care a lot about her, about them, but if you get yourself hurt or worse, you won’t be able to do anything for them. You have to be smart about this. Please, promise me you’ll take of yourself.”

Nicole deflated slightly, her anger dampened by the earnest, intense concern on Nedley’s face. She sighed. “I promise I’ll do what I need to to take care of myself, Waverly and Wynonna.”

Nedley relaxed and patted the hand he still held. “Good. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you as well. I’ve got to get back to the station. Give me your phone, I’ll give you my number and we’ll work on this together. It’s the long game. We’ve pretty much have to have him admitting what he’s done. Our case has to be bulletproof. Those pictures will help. I promise you, we will get the bastard and we will keep our girls safe.”

Nicole barely contained the disbelieving snort that threatened to erupt. Is safe what he’d been keeping them for the last 18 years? If that was his definition of safety, she didn’t dare believe he could keep them safe from Ward in the future. She’d have to do it on her own.

Chapter Text

Nicole could feel Ward staring at her through the glass front of the police station as she got in her car and turned it on. She could feel it in her bones that he knew she knew where the Earp sisters were, or at least suspected she could lead him close. Swallowing the small trickle of fear that started to bubble in her stomach, she looked up and met his stare with a glare full of disgust. She put the car in the reverse and backed away from the station, all the while repeating a challenge to the Purgatory sheriff over and and over again in her mind. I dare you to come for me.

***

Nicole sat in her apartment staring at the clock. If her suspicions were correct, she wouldn’t be alone long.

8:01

She checked her phone. Full battery – Check. Nedley on speed dial – Check. She glanced at the front door. Deadbolt locked – check. She was ready. Whenever he decided to show, which she knew he would, she was ready.

8:15

Nicole did her checks again, her palms sweaty, stifling a yawn. She’d been on high alert since she left the police station earlier that afternoon. She could feel herself fading, eyelids getting heavier and heavier. The waiting was exhausting. She stood up and did a few jumping jacks before walking into the kitchen and grabbing an energy drink from the fridge. She didn’t necessarily like them, but tonight was not the night to get caught sleeping. She’d dropped the bait, now all that was left was for the monster to spring the trap. Half the fun of hunting was the anticipation, right? Maybe that was why she’d never been much of a hunter.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Open up! Police.”

The can dropped out of her hand, crashing onto the linoleum floor and spilling everywhere. Heart racing, Nicole rushed over to the door, reaching for the handle as another round of aggressive pounding started.

“I said open up! Police!” The voice on the other side of the door barked again.

She knew who it was, but she peered through the peep hole to make sure he was alone. Ward Earp stood on the other side of the door dressed in his Sheriff’s uniform, fists clenched gearing up to pound on the door again. The trap had been sprung.

Nicole glanced around her apartment one more time and said a quick prayer to whatever supernatural forces would feel a kinship towards her and the situation she had landed herself in, before flipping the deadbolt and opening the door. Ward barreled into the apartment as soon as the door moved causing Nicole to stumble backwards away from the door. He slammed the door shut behind him, switching the deadbolt to lock in a quick, skilled motion before turning his attention back to the redhead.

“Where are my daughters?” He snarled, hand hovering above the service weapon in its holster at his side.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Nicole answered, her hands raised and eyes flitting between the Sheriff’s gun and his rage contorted face.

“Bullshit!” He roared. Nicole jumped when he flicked something in her direction. The object fluttered to the ground and landed face up inches in front of her. “You know her. And you know where she is. Tell me!”

It was the polaroid of her, Waverly and the yoga frog. The connection between the two of them clear as day. Nicole looked up from the picture on the ground and smirked, a feat that even she wasn’t sure how she pulled off.

“Fuck off and die in a hole, you bastard.”

Ward lunged forward, tackling Nicole to the ground. Her head slammed into the floor, her vision swimming.

“Where are they?” Ward demanded, his spit hitting Nicole’s cheeks from the force of his question, one hand slowly clenching around Nicole’s throat while the other raised in a fist, waiting to deliver a blow.

“Are you going to beat me too? Like you beat your daughters? You’re pathetic. Waverly deserves so much more than you as a father.” Nicole spit back, struggling against the increasing pressure on her windpipe.

Ward let his fist fly. Nicole’s head snapped sideways with a burst of pain.

“That bitch is going to cost me everything I’ve worked for!” Ward roared, hitting Nicole again. “She deserved everything she’s ever got.”

Punch.

“Every bruise, every broken bone.”

Punch.

“She asked for it.”

Punch.

“Just like you.”

Punch.

Nicole tasted blood. She coughed, desperately trying to stop it from flowing down the back of her throat. Was it coming from her nose? Her mouth? She didn’t know and she didn’t care. Her face throbbed. She struggled hard against the weight holding her down and the hand tightening around her throat. Was this how she was going to die?
“Tell me where she is!” Ward roared again. His demand punctuated by another punch to her face.

“Fuck,” Nicole managed to wheeze out, “off.” She spit a mouthful of blood at Ward’s already red face. His fist coming at her face for a final time was the last thing she saw before she passed out.

***

“Shhh. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

“Waverly?” Nicole mumbled, struggling to open her eyes.

“Welcome back to the land of living, moron with a death wish.” Another voice chimed in, with a soft slap to Nicole’s arm.

“Ow, fuck off, Wynonna.” Nicole mumbled, trying to reach up to rub the spot, but her arms wouldn’t listen. “What’s happening? Why I can’t I move?” Nicole asked panicked, eyes shooting open wide, finally taking in the fluorescent lights, beeping monitors and the sterile stench that only belonged to a hospital.

“Easy, easy, deep breaths, you’re okay.” Waverly ordered calmly, hovering over Nicole, taking over her entire field of view, taking Nicole’s hand in hers. “You were in surgery, you’re fine now and waking up from anesthesia. Do you remember what happened?”

Nicole shook her head, glancing quickly between the Earp sisters and instantly regretting it. Her head exploded with a burst of pain. What had happened?

“You tried to go all Batman on our sperm donor and he ended up kicking your ass.” Wynonna answered, not unkindly. “You look like hell. And he destroyed your arm. When they rushed you in, they had to put you under to fix it.”

“The doctors said you’re lucky Nedley arrived when he did.” Waverly added softly.

The memories started to flood back. Had it worked? Had she gotten him? Had she given Nedley what he needed to close out the long game?

“Did they get him?” Nicole asked quietly.

Waverly smiled and nodded. “They did. They have him in custody right now. Nedley found the camera and the video. Chrissy called and told us what happened and that they wanted us to come down to the station to give our statements. Nedley had a whole binder of years full of incidents to back it up. They said we’ll still have to go trial, but he won’t be getting out on bail anytime soon.”

Nicole smiled, grimacing at the pain. “Good.” She closed her eyes, fighting to stay awake and ignore the throbbing in her head.

“You need to rest, we’ll be back after you’ve slept for a little.”

Nicole’s eyes burst open, latching onto Waverly’s and grabbing the younger Earp’s hand tightly.

“Waves, no! Please, stay with me. Don’t go.”

“What am I? Chopped liver?” Wynonna mumbled from the other side of the bed.

Waverly shot a glare at her sister before returning to Nicole, she leaned her head down towards Nicole’s, letting her forehead gently connect with the redhead’s.

“I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

Nicole sighed and closed her eyes, content.

“This just got a little too…bleh…for me.” Wynonna said, pretending to vomit. “I’ll catch you later, Red.”

Waverly waited until Wynonna was firmly out of the room before climbing into the hospital bed to lay next to Nicole. “I hope the nurses don’t mind.”

“I’ll fight them too if they say anything.” Nicole joked, exhaustion permeating her voice.

“Please don’t.” Waverly replied softly. “Don’t ever do anything like this again. When they said what had happened, I thought you could die. And I think you could’ve if Nedley hadn’t arrived when he did. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” Waverly paused, swallowing hard, their eyes locked on one another. “I think I love you.” She whispered so low Nicole had to strain to hear.

“You think?”

Waverly swallowed hard and glanced away before turning back to Nicole. She brushed her fingers softly against Nicole’s busted lip. “No. I do. I love you.”

Nicole grinned, the dopamine high from hearing Waverly say those words annihilating any pain from the movement. She opened her mouth to say it back, but Waverly put a hand gently on her lips to stop her.

“I don’t want to ever have to think about losing you again. Can you promise me you won’t do any more vigilante work?”

“I promise.”

Waverly smiled and settled in next to the redhead.

Nicole gently kissed the top of her head and whispered, “I love you too.”