51. Chapter Fifty-one

Nicole ran. Heart pounding and roaring in her eardrums. Panting heavily as she tried to pull more air into burning lungs. Her boots sunk into a mixture of dirt and snow as they hit the ground and propled her forward. The equipment on her utility belt shook with every step, the butt of her sidearm bouncing against her hip with each jolt of impact from her boots hitting the ground repeatedly.

She ran. Even though the muscles in her legs screamed at her to stop, to take just a moment to rest.

She couldn’t stop, couldn’t rest. They were right behind her and she could feel them gaining ground on her, getting closer each time her steps faltered and she stumbled forward, slowing her momentum.

When she made it out of these woods, she was going to kick Wynonna’s ass for dragging her into this. Then she was going to make Wynonna buy her a shit ton of booze to make up for it.

The sounds of her pursuers grew, heavy footsteps and even heavier breathing coming from one of them. While the other was nearly silent, the only sound coming from them was the rustling of their clothing and the clanking of two metal objects hitting each other.

Nicole pushed herself harder, faster as the edge of the forest came into view and just beyond that, her squad car.

Safety .

She slid to a stop in the fresh layer of snow, grabbing onto her door handle to keep from falling over. She yanked the door open as her pursuers broke the clearing.

Dolls and Wynonna came in to full view, each out of breath as they jogged the rest of the way to her.

Nicole had the unfortunate luck of being at the homestead that morning when Dolls came to collect Wynonna for BBD training and was dragged along by the grumpy Earp Heir, who was mumbling something about being apart of BBD now, meaning she had to train right alongside them and something about being pay back for Wynonna walking in on her and Waverly the night before.

In Nicole’s defence, it really wasn’t her fault that Wynonna walked in on them while Nicole was in the middle of going down on Waverly. She made sure Wynonna wasn’t home when they went upstairs, made sure Waverly’s bedroom door was shut. It was Wynonna who barged into the room without knocking, scaring the hell out of Nicole and possibly scarring Waverly and Wynonna for life.

At first Nicole hadn’t mind being dragged into whatever kind of training Dolls had planned for Wynonna, but after sit ups and push ups followed by a five mile run through the woods a few miles from the homestead with the extra weight of her gear, Nicole was exhausted.

She made a mental note to get back to running every day or at the very least take advantage of the gym equipment in the basement of the station.

“Holy shit, Haught. You're fast.” Wynonna stumbled to a stop next to the car, snatching the bottle of water from Nicole's hand before she could get a sip.

“I like to run,” Nicole wheezed, reaching for her water but Wynonna took a step back and held up a finger. “Though admittedly it's been awhile since I've had to run in uniform.”

Nicole reached for her bottle of water again only to have Wynonna slap her hand away and take a few more steps away from her.

Nicole huffed in annoyance and began a futile search for another bottle of water.

Usually she was prepared for just about anything. She usually kept her cruiser stock with anything and everything she might need in any situation. A change of uniform, street clothes, enough granola bars to feed a small army, usually a case of water, and a first aid kit put together by Trent that is basically an ER on the go but apparently she forgot to restock her supply of water.

Nicole groaned and leaned her head against the cold, metal frame of her cruiser. Of course Wynonna would take her only bottle of water.

“Haught,” Dolls called out from behind her and she turned to face him as he opened up the trunk of his SUV and pulled out a Gatorade from a small cooler. He tossed it to Nicole before he grabbed one for himself. “You did good.”

Nicole nodded her thanks twisting the top off and raising the bottle to her lips, chugging the lemon-lime drink as Dolls turned his attention to Wynonna.

“Earp, you need some work. Even in full gear Nicole had a nearly 60 second lead on you.”

Wynonna simply rolled her eyes and flipped Nicole off. “First off, Nicole is like the jolly green giant and second, I don’t do running.”

It was Nicole who rolled her eyes this time at the eldest Earp and the comment on her height. She wasn't much taller than Wynonna, maybe an inch or so.

“Don't use my height as an excuse for your slowness.” Nicole turned to face Dolls, narrowly avoiding another slap from Wynonna. “Are we finished here? I need to shower and change before I meet Trent to check out a house.”

Dolls nodded, wiping the thin layer of sweat from his forehead with his t-shirt. He seemed unfazed by the cold, only wearing a thin long sleeve shirt while she and Wynonna were bundled up in warm jackets.

Nicole glanced over that Wynonna to find her staring unabashedly at the bit of skin Dolls exposed from pulling his shirt up.

“You're staring, Earp,” Nicole mumbled, sitting down in the front seat of her car and knocking her boots together, trying to dislodge the snow on them.

The snow had fallen unexpectedly through the night, blanketing the Homestead and the outskirts of Purgatory in a thin layer of white.

It was the first snowfall of the season and Nicole for one couldn't be more excited. She loved the snow. Loved cold nights spent cuddling in front of a fire with a mug of hot chocolate. Loved the way a town looked covered in a fresh layer of snow.

She loved snowball fights with Trent, building up snow forts as protection against incoming balls of snow. She loved having a steaming cup of coffee in the morning and looking out the window at the new layers of snow that fell the night before.

She couldn't wait to spend a night wrapped in a blanket with Waverly, in front of a roaring fire at the homestead.

Once Nicole was sure almost all the snow was off her boots, she slid fully into the car, pulling her keys from her jacket pocket and stuck the right key into the ignition and turn the engine over.

“I'll see you guys later,” she said reaching for the door to close it. She stopped short of closing it when Dolls called out to her, moving from his suv and towards her.

“Deputy Earp and I will be sparing later this evening at the station, if you want to join us.”

She worked this evening, but she was sure she could spare a few minutes to watch Wynonna get her ass handed to her by Dolls. She’d consider it sweet, sweet revenge for Wynonna interrupting her and Waverly the night before.

“Wouldn't miss it for the world,” Nicole smirked and winked at Wynonna before she shut the door and put her seatbelt on before she put the car in drive and sped off, leaving Wynonna and Dolls behind

Nicole parked her squad car in between Trent's Honda Civic and a old, beat up Ford pickup truck. She stared up at the white two story house in front of her, it's bluish gray shutters and trim a nice contrast against the stark white.

The roof and gutters looked brand new, like they had recently been replaced. The wrap around porch was a little worn and Nicole could make out a bit of weather damage from her spot in the car, but other than that, the exterior of the house looked well maintained and cared for.

She only hoped the inside was as well taken care of as the outside.

She could see herself and Trent making this place a home. Sending nights out on the porch with a couple of beers and just enjoying the cold crisp air, starry night sky and joking around. She could see herself and Waverly on a porch swing, snuggling under a thick blanket with glasses of wine. She could see their misfit family gathered for a barbecue and a night of drinking on the far side of the porch.

She could picture a life here. One she couldn’t quite picture in her current apartment. Without even seeing the inside, Nicole knew that she wanted this house, this home.

“You’re late.”

Trent’s words were muffled as he bounced down the porch steps, eyes narrowed as Nicole stepped out of the car.

Nicole met him halfway up the brick walkway, an apologetic smile making its way onto her face as he gave her a quick one arm hug and kiss on the cheek. Nicole made a face, though she really did not mind his affection.

“Yeah, I know. I got held up this morning.”

Trent’s face twisted in disgust and he bumped his shoulder into hers as they made their way up the walkway to the porch. “Tell Waverly she can’t keep taking up all your time. She’s gotta share you with the rest of us.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, shoving her brother away as she climbed up the three steps leading up on to the porch. They creaked and groaned under her and Trent’s combined weight and for a brief moment, Nicole wasn’t sure if they would hold.

“Wrong sister.”

Trent pulled another face, this one somehow more disgusted than the last as he shook his head. “I didn’t realize you were into sisters.”

Nicole shoved his shoulder again, this time nearly sending him toppling off the steps but grabbed his forearm at the last second and steading him.

Leave it to her brother to take her comment and twist it into something it wasn’t, into something sexual.

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Trent raised his hands in surrender, giving her a toothy grin that showed off his dimples. “Geeze, learned to take a joke, Nicky.”

Nicole raised her fist, ready to give him a well deserved punch to the shoulder when the front door opened and a older man with greying short hair stepped out, a too pleasant, fake smile on his wrinkled face.

She did not recognize this man, had never seen him around town before and in her experience lately anyone she didn’t instantly recognize usually turned out to be one of the seventy-seven.

Nicole tensed, angling herself in front of Trent and dropping her hand to her sidearm at her hip, only to feel the material khakis. She forgotten she left her pistol in the glove department before she gotten out of the car.

The man stepped forward, his hand outstretched towards Nicole, that too bright smile still plastered on his face in a way that made Nicole uneasy.

Trent stepped around her, clearing his throat and giving her a look that said ‘what the hell is wrong with you?’

“Nicole, this is Paul Sanders. He owns the house and has kindly driven a long way to give you a tour.” Trent gave a subtle nod towards Paul’s outstretched hand, but Nicole ignored her brother, focusing on the man in front of her through narrowed eyes.

Paul gave off a weird vibe. One that not only made Nicole uncomfortable, but also put her on edge.

She couldn’t quite explain it. Maybe it was the way he smiled at her. Or the way his eye raked over her as if sizing her up. Or maybe it was all in her head. Maybe she was seeing Revenants everywhere she goes, in everyone.

Maybe he was nothing more than an ordinary guy trying to rent out a house to two siblings.

Was this part of the curse? The inability to trust anyone within the Ghost River Triangle? Was this what Wynonna lived with day in and day out?

It was no way to live, to go through life and the Earps, Wynonna deserved better. Deserved more.

Nicole swallowed past the uneasiness in her stomach and took Paul’s hand, giving him a quick firm shake and a smile that felt as fake as it probably looked.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Sanders,” Nicole said using that same public service she used when on duty and dealing with the citizens of Purgatory. “We appreciate you driving out here to give us a tour. Do you live in Purgatory?”

Without Peacemaker, Wynonna, or Waverly, Nicole had no way of finding out if Paul Sanders was a Revenant or not but maybe, just maybe she could trick him into slipping up and revealing something, anything to help her figure of whether he was human or Revenant.

“No.” Paul stepped to the side and opened the front door, motioning them through. “I haven’t lived in Purgatory since I was a teenager.”

Nicole allowed Trent to step inside first before she stepped over the threshold, keeping her body angled so she could keep an eye on Paul.

When he stepped into entryway of the house that led into the decent size living room, Nicole finally took a look around her.

The living room walls were a light blue with several windows all around and a rustic fireplace on the far wall. There was plenty of room for Nicole’s bookcases, her couch and possibly a loveseat with her coffee table in the middle.

Nicole turned in a large circle, taking the whole room in. Like with the front porch, Nicole could see her and Trent living here. She could see their two different sense of styles coming together and making this room something they would both be happy with.

They could host game night or movie night in this room. All of them crowded around the coffee table or spread out on the couches and floor while some stupid movie played.

“I moved to The States to attend college. I only ever came back to visit my Uncle, who left the house to me when he died last year,” Paul supplied before Nicole could ask another question. He waved his hand at the birch wood floor. “I had the hardwood floors in every room replaced, the plumbing has been redone as well as the electrical.”

Nicole followed Trent into the kitchen. It’s yellow walls and white, out of date cabinets seemed almost too bright, but the large window over the deep sink and looking out over the front yard is what drew Nicole in and made her fall in love with the kitchen.

It was simple, large enough for a medium size table and maybe four to six chairs. There was an empty space in the far right corner next to the pantry that would be perfect for both McGonagall’s and Joel’s food and water bowls.

Nicole didn't even need to see the upstairs to know that she wanted this house, wanted to make it into a home for not just her another brother, but for the Earps, for their friends.

“What do you think?” Trent asked coming to stand next to Nicole at the sink. His eyes wide and bright like they would be first thing Christmas mornings when they were kids.

His tone was neutral, his face one of disinterest as if he didn't care one way or another. But those big brown eyes of his, with their swirls of gold gave him away.

He wanted this place just as much as she did. He saw the potential this house had in becoming a home, their home.

“I like it.”

Trent’s face stretched into a wide grin, his dimples more pronounced than usually as he grabbed her hand and practically dragged her out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

“Wait until you see the master bathroom.” Trent took the stairs two at a time. He looked over his shoulder back at her, grin never fading. “Waverly will love it.”

Nicole had her boots propped up in Dolls’ desk, unfinished and untouched report in her lap. Her eyes were glued on the scene in front of her.

Everything in the BDD office was pushed against the walls to free up most of the floor so that training mat could fit into the space.

Dolls threw Wynonna up against the red support in the middle of the room with a thud from the impact and a grunt from the Heir, stalking forward as Wynonna uselessly tried reaching for Peacemaker on the small end table next to her.

“C’mon, baby. Use the force,” Wynonna said, short of breath as Dolls reached her, grabbing her outstretched arm. “Crap.”

Dolls pulled her forward, using the momentum to flip her onto her back. “See, you’re dead. Again. And unlike Revenants, you can’t come back to life.”

With another grunt, Wynonna jumped up and to her feet, landing in a fighting stance. “Except as a ghost, I’ll haunt your ass sideways.”

Dolls tossed the thin grey jacket he took off and threw it at Wynonna, who caught it with ease and threw it at Nicole.

Her reflexes weren’t as quick as Wynonna’s and she ended up with a jacket in her face, the metal zipper catching her in the chin. She sat the jacket on the desk and rubbed at her chin, focusing her attention back on the pair in front of her.

Watching the two spar turned out to be much more entertaining than Nicole originally thought. It was fun watching Wynonna try and take down Dolls, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t want to step in everytime Wynonna hit the mat.

It was her need to protect Wynonna that had her tensing with every hit, shove, and hold. She had nearly jumped out of her chair when Dolls had backhanded Wynonna.

She stayed in her seat though nails digging into her palms, knowing that this training was necessary for Wynonna. She needed to be able to handle anything and everything the Revenants, Bobo would throw at her.

“Come on.” Dolls motioned for Wynonna to try and attack him.

Wynonna stepped forward, swinging at him but he side stepped, grabbed her arm and pushed her away.

“Nope.”

It went on like this for awhile, Wynonna kept trying to pin Dolls to the mat, each time being met with a block and a cocky no or dead from Dolls.

“The Revenants are going to win, you’re going to fail, and then we’re all gonna die.”

Nicole turned her full attention to Wynonna, watching her anger twist her face and her jaw clench as she glared at Dolls.

He hit a sore spot and Nicole wasn’t sure if it was on purpose, to make her angry or not. Either way, Nicole hoped he was prepared to face Wynonna’s wrath.

Dolls stomped forward, kicking at her, but Wynonna caught him in the gut then hit him across the chest hard enough to send him stumbling backwards onto his ass.

Wynonna stared wide eyed at him before throwing her hands in the air, tilting her head towards the ceiling and letting out a cheerful scream that had Nicole chuckling and clapping at the display.

“Say my name, bitch!” Wynonna stood over Dolls, pointing her fingers at his head like a gun, the biggest grin Nicole had ever seen on her face. “ No, I mean… Make your peace. That’s my new jam.”

Her and Wynonna shared a look, one of sadness knowing where the phrase originated from. It had been a little over a week since Wynonna put Fish to rest and Nicole thought of him often. An innocent man who deserved more than to rot in hell.

Dolls slapped Wynonna’s hand away and sat up while Wynonna did some weird ass dance. “Good job.”

“You think I don’t listen, but I do.” Wynonna nodded her head with a wide grin, showing a hint of her dimples.

Nicole grinned along with her. So unused to seeing Wynonna so happy.

“Yeah, you limbered up.”

“Yoga,” Wynonna said, her grin dropping in an instant and avoiding looking directly at Dolls.

She was clearly lying, but Nicole wouldn’t call her out on it. It wasn’t her place. If Wynonna got laid then good for her. Maybe this mystery guy would keep her busy and keep her from walking in on her and Waverly.

“No,” Dolls shook his head, eyeing Wynonna up and down. “It’s something else.”

“What?” Wynonna laughed nervously, turning her back on Dolls. “What makes you say that?”

Nicole didn’t miss the way Dolls’ eyes lingers on Wynonna’s ass in those yoga pants.

“Yoga fosters serenity and I see zero evidence of that.”

Nicole slapped her file shut, dropped her feet to the ground with a loud enough thud to draw Dolls’ attention and his questioning off Wynonna.

“I’m going to get some coffee, you guys want anything?” She asked smiling when Wynonna mouthed thank you .

“We’re good.” Dolls pushed himself up off the mat and headed for his bottle of water on top of one of the filing cabinets.

“Hey.” Wynonna picked up some paper from under Peacemaker and walked over to her. “You recognize these two men from around town?”

Wynonna handed over an old black and white photo of seven men standing next to the hanging body of Ward Earp. Five of the men had red X’s marked over their faces, signs that Wynonna had already taken care of them.

Nicole didn’t recognize the two men, most of their faces were covered. What caught Nicole’s eyes was Ward and his uniform. His Purgatory Sheriff's Department uniform. She stared at him and she saw herself.

Would she be another casualty of the Earp curse? Would Bobo and the rest of the Revenants come after her to get to the Earps?

Bobo had already threatened her once. A threat she had no doubt he’d make good on at some point.

She wasn't so much scared of dying as she was of leaving the people she loved behind. Leaving Waverly and Wynonna to fight the curse on their own.

“So,” Wynonna said pulling Nicole from her thoughts. “You recognize them?”

Nicole dragged her eyes from Ward and looked over the two men again before shaking her head and handing the photo back to Wynonna.

“Sorry. Leave a copy of it on my desk and I'll look through our files and see if I can find anyone matching their descriptions.” Nicole walked backwards towards the door, fully intending to get some coffee. “And ask Waverly. She's identified most of the Revenants, she'll probably know who they are.”

She didn't understand why Wynonna didn't ask Waverly first. Waverly spent years studying the curse, trying to id Revenants and to Nicole she was the oblivious choice to ask for help.

Wynonna nodded tossing the photo on Dolls’ desk. “You coming over tonight?”

Nicole walked backwards towards the door, “No, Trent and I are going to spend the night packing stuff up.”

“You got the house?” Wynonna asked taking a seat on the edge of the desk while Dolls worked to put everything back where it belonged.

“Signed the papers this afternoon.”

Nicole couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. It felt as if she and Trent were about to start a new chapter in their lives. As if moving into a new house where they could each have their own rooms and own space was clicking the final piece together in making Purgatory truly their home.

“That's great. You're off tomorrow, right?”

When Nicole nodded her head yes, Wynonna continued.

“Mind swinging by Gus’ in the morning and picking up some things Curtis left Waverly in his will?”

“Sure, Earp. No problem.”

The bell above the cafe’s door chimed signaling Nicole’s entrance. She gave the few people scattered among the tables and booths a polite smile as she pulled her stetson off and tucked it under her arm.

Most smiled back, offering small waves before turning back to whatever it was they were doing before she walked in.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole looked to the front counter to find Amy’s eyes on her, narrowed in the same way Hayley used to look at her when they were kids and she found Nicole playing with one of her toys without permission.

“Oh boy,” Nicole mumbled to herself, taking long, quick strides up to the counter, hoping to calm Amy before she worked herself up.

“Hey.” She sat her stetson on the counter and gave Amy her most charming smile, all dimples and soft eyes. She knew it was hard for people to stay mad when she smiled at them like that.

“ Hey? ” Amy arched a perfectly shaped eyebrow at her, hands on her hips. “You’ve been back in town for two weeks, two weeks and you are just now stopping by to see me? And all you have to say to me is hey?”

Nicole’s smile fell and looked down at her boots, ashamed.

It’s not like she meant to stay away for so long. She meant to stop by and see her friend, have lunch or dinner together, finally meet Amy’s girlfriend, but things kept coming up.

Between work and the Earp curse and all it entailed, between her own relationship with Waverly and growing friendship with Wynonna, Nicole had neglected Amy. She had been a shitty friend.

Amy stalked around the counter, the sound of her heels hitting the tile floor with each step making Nicole wince. Amy was not a violent person by any means - actually she was a total sweetheart once you got past the walls everyone in Purgatory seemed to have, but Nicole had never seen her vibrat with so much anger, had never seen her jaw clenched quite so hard before.

When Amy stopped in front of her, Nicole braced herself. For what she wasn’t quite sure.

“You asshole.” Amy shoved her shoulders and before she had a chance to react, she was being pulled in to a crushing hug. “You got hurt on the job and just took off before I had the chance to see that you were alright for myself.”

“You’re right, I am an asshole.” Nicole wrapped her arms around Amy pulling her friend into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, Amy. I should have came and seen you before I left, when I got back. I wasn’t thinking and I’m sorry.”

“You’re one of my best friends, Nicole and you can’t just go disappearing on me.” Amy stepped out of their embrace, her blue eyes meeting Nicole’s. She poked Nicole in the chest with her boney finger, tone harsh but those eyes of hers gave her away. “Not when far too many people disappear in this town without a word.”

Amy was worried about her and Nicole felt terrible for causing her so much worry, for not thinking about the people around her, the people that cared about her.

After her brush with David, she only thought about herself, how she was going to get through it, how she was going to live with herself, how she was going to do her job with the shooting hanging over her head.

She never once thought about how the people that cared about her, loved her felt after her brush with death.

“I’m not going anywhere, Amy,” Nicole promised her. “I won’t disappear on you again.”

Amy wiped at the moisture underneath her eyes and gave Nicole a smile for the first time since she entered the cafe.”Good. Want a coffee?”

“That’d be great.” Nicole leaned against the counter as Amy made her way around. “You want to do dinner tomorrow night? You can tell me all about this girlfriend of yours.”

“Sounds good. Seven?” Amy grabbed a styrofoam cup with the cafe’s logo printed on the side from a stack of them. She carefully poured the hot coffee into the cup before sliding it along the counter to Nicole, along with a sugar dispenser.

Nicole stirred a couple of spoonfuls of sugar into her cup then dug a five out of her pocket and placed it on the counter. “Seven.”

Nicole was just about to sit down with a beer and a videogame when someone knocked on the front door. She sighed, setting her controller and beer down on the coffee table and made her way to the door.

The apartment was cluttered with boxes, ones Trent couldn't unpack when he moved in and ones they packed up today.

Her and Trent spent the better part of the night packing up the stuff in the hall closest, most of the living room and all the unessentials from the kitchen.

She'd been surprised with how much they actually gotten done in the course of a couple hours. With Trent having the lights and everything else turned on tomorrow afternoon, she believed they could be moved in by the end of the week.

Nicole unlocked her safe and pulled her pistol out, checking to make sure there was a bullet in the chamber and the safety was off.

She really need to speak with Dolls about finding some way to protect the new place, to protect her brother.

By now word must have spread to all the Revenants that she was helping the Earps break the curse and that didn’t just make her a target. It made everyone she cared about a target as well. Trent was in danger and he didn’t even know it. She couldn’t tell him, no matter how much she wanted to.

She rested her finger against the trigger guard and looked through the peephole finding Waverly standing on the other side of her door, holding a styrofoam container with the diner’s logo on it and wearing the hoodie Nicole left at the homestead this morning when Wynonna rushed them out.

Nicole let out a sigh of relief and clicked the safety back on before setting her pistol back into the safe. She unlocked both the deadbolt and the doorknob, opening the door wide and grinning down at Waverly.

“Waves, hey.”

Waverly stepped into the apartment when NIcole stepped to the side to allow her the room and leaned up on her tippy toes to press a kiss to Nicole’s cheek in greeting. “I brought pie.”

“You’re too good to me.” Nicole kissed her on the forehead and took the container being held out to her before leading Waverly towards the kitchen to get a couple of forks and glass of milk to share.

Waverly rolled her eyes with a shake of her head and a slight smile as she hopped up onto the counter next to the kitchen sink. “It’s just pie, Nicky. Where’s Trent and Joel?”

“They met Chrissy for a walk around the park. Joel had way too much energy and Trent is hoping to wear him out.”

Nicole collected two forks from the dish drainer, handing them to Waverly as she grabbed a glass from the cabinet. “How was dinner with Wynonna?”

Waverly shrugged, picking up the container Nicole sat beside her and opening it up as Nicole got the milk from the fridge. “It was okay. I think I identified one of the Revenants in the photo.”

Nicole looked up from pouring the milk into a glass and smiled at Waverly. “I knew you could.”

They took the pie and their milk to the living room, avoiding the boxes in their way and sitting as close as they could on the couch, their shoulders brushing, thighs pressed together.

“You guys move fast.” Waverly waved her forkful of apple pie around at the boxes.

“Well, you know when I see something I like, I don’t want to wait.” Nicole shrugged one shoulder, taking a bite of the pie and finishing it before speaking again. “Plus, Trent is tired of sleeping on the couch and I can’t really blame him.”

She had offered more than once to take the couch for a couple of nights so he could get a decent night’s sleep in a bed, but each and every time he refused, unwilling to kick her out of her own bed for his comfort.

Which is one of the reasons she stayed at the homestead so much. If she was there or working nights he’d take her bed without any kind of objection.

His job was just as hard, as stressful as hers was and he deserved to be able to come home to a comfortable bed instead of a small leather couch that his feet hung off of.

“I’m gonna miss this apartment,” Waverly said placing her fork in the container and laying her head on Nicole’s shoulder. “I fell in love with you in this apartment, these four walls.”

Nicole leaned forward and set the container on the coffee table before setting back against the couch once more and wrapping her arm around Waverly’s shoulder, pulling her girlfriend into her side. She kissed the top of Waverly’s hair, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

Truth was for all her excitement of moving into an actual house, she was going to miss the place too.  

They had so many moments in this apartment, they opened up to each other within these walls. They danced for the first time in the corner of the living room with ‘Can’t help falling in love’ playing in the background. They slept next to each other for the first time in the bedroom, woke up the next morning wrapped in each others arms.

This apartment meant as much to their relationship as Shorty’s did and a part of Nicole was sad to see it go.

“Me too.”

Lips brushed the underside of her jaw, so lightly Nicole thought she imagined it at first until she felt it again, firmer this time.

Waverly shifted next to her, maneuvering until she was sitting in Nicole’s lap, pressing Nicole further into the couch and toying with the hairs at the base of her neck. “We’ll just have to make the most of the time we have left here.”

Waverly leaned in kissing her gently, lips tasting of apple pie as Nicole deepened the kiss. Her hand finding their place at Waverly’s hips, fingers slipping under the hoodie and meeting soft, smooth skin.

She had no objections to making the most of their time here, especially if it meant having Waverly in her lap, kissing her as if the world was ending and she was Waverly’s only solace.

Maybe this time they wouldn’t be interrupted by Wynonna.