55. Chapter Fifty-Five

“Tilt it to the left, Trent,” Nicole grunted, arms shaking with the effort of holding the couch up as they tried to get it inside.

It wasn't so much that the couch itself was heavy that was making her arms shake, more so the fact they've been holding it up for going on ten minutes while they figured out how to fit it through the front door.

It was meant to be easy. Just walk the couch straight through the front door and into the living room, but Trent had his bluetooth shoved in his ear, talking to Chrissy and not paying attention to the task at hand.

He's been too busy making plans for an early dinner with Chrissy and Sheriff Nedley that he somehow managed to get his end of the couch wedged in the doorway at an awkward angle and caused Nicole to ram her knees into her side at the sudden stop.

Trent attempted to followed Nicole's order, but ended up tilting the couch to the right while nodding his head to whatever Chrissy was saying even though she couldn't see him.

“My left, Trent. My left.” Nicole gritted her teeth, sucking air in through them and trying not to yell at her brother.

She loved him and she loved the Nedleys - Sheriff Nedley was basically a father to her - but right  now was not the time to be making dinner plans. She only had a few hours before she had to show up for her shift and they still had a lot of things to unload from both hers and Gus’ truck, and she still needed to shower and try to get a quick dinner in.

They had way too much to do in a short amount of time and she needed to Trent to focus, to pay attention to the things happening around him, to the task at hand and not making plans for dinner.

“You guys want some help?” Amy called from her place at the bottom of the porch steps, carrying a box with Trent’s room written on it in clean, elegant handwriting that could only belong to Waverly.

Amy offered to come help them after Waverly and Wynonna had to leave not long after they unloaded the first load from both hers and Gus’ truck. Waverly left to work a shift at Shorty’s and Wynonna went off to find Dolls, which wasn't exactly a bad thing.

Wynonna and Trent spent the entire first truck load joking around and bickering about a whole mess of things from how boxes should be loaded in the beds of the trucks to get as much as possible in one go. To what doughnuts were the best and which place served the best coffee in town.

Their endless, pointless but highly amusing bickering ended up distracting them from the task at hand and wasting what little time Nicole had.

It had been nice though. Seeing how comfortable Wynonna was with Trent as if they had grown up together, as if they've been best friends their entire lives.

There was no distrust in Wynonna’s blue eyes when she looked at Trent. There was just a fondness in them that Nicole only ever saw when Wynonna looked at Waverly.

She treated Trent like the little brother she never had and Nicole would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of how quickly Wynonna took to Trent.

It took a lot to get Wynonna to warm up to her, to see her as more than just a rookie flatfoot.

It took her nearly being killed by a Revenant for Wynonna to let her past the walls she had up and fully open up to her, trust her.

She didn’t blame Wynonna for being closed off at first, distrusting. Wynonna had her reasons for being closed off to everyone, for distrusting every single person in Purgatory and Nicole understood those reasons.

Though she may have been jealous, she was also happy to see the two of them get along so well. Not just because she and Waverly were dating and she wanted their families to get along, but also because Wynonna deserved someone loyal like Trent as a friend, someone willing to stand up for her even when she's not around, someone willing to be there for her no matter what.

Wynonna deserved friends and a family who would love and care for her no matter what, who would be on her side when the whole town was against her, and Nicole wanted her and Trent to be those friends, that family for Wynonna, and for Waverly.

Nicole shook her head at Amy, turning to face her brother once more with a glare. “I want Trent to get off the phone and watch what he’s doing.”

Trent gave her an apologetic smile. “Uh, babe. I gotta go. I’ll see you later, I love you.”

Trent’s eyes widened at his words, nearly bugging out of his head as he stared at Nicole, mouth slightly agape.

The look was almost comical and Nicole would have probably cracked a joke at Trent’s expense if she wasn’t so frustrated.

“What’s your problem?” Amy asked before Nicole got the chance to. She sat the box she was holding down and leaded against the porch railing, watching Trent with an amused smile and reaching down to pet Joel behind the ears when he nudged at her leg.

Nicole sighed. “Trent, I know you can do two things at once. So talk while helping me get this couch inside.”

Usually she'd drop everything for Trent if something was wrong, if he gave her the wide eye panicked look he was giving her now, but at that moment she was frustrated - mainly with him - she was tired and hungry, and just wanted to finish, to be done with moving already.

“Sorry,” Trent mumbled, tilting to couch the way Nicole wanted and finally getting it unstuck and through the door easily with just a few steps.

As soon as her end of the couch was through the door, Nicole set it down, turning her back to the arm of the couch then falling backwards onto it and releasing a sigh.

Amy brought in the box she previously sat on the porch, stacking it by the stairs among the other boxes labeled Trent’s room. She took a seat next to Nicole on the couch, patting her thigh until Joel jumped up onto the couch, squeezing into the small space between them.

Nicole watched the two of them with a smile and a shake of her head. Joel would try and lick Amy’s cheek only to be playfully pushed away with a soft laugh. He'd wait a few seconds then try it again, only to be denied once more and start all over again, each time being rewarded with the sound of Amy’s laugh.

Trent leaned against the wall in front of them, grabbing the hem of his shirt and using it to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Are we done yet?”

“Not yet," Nicole said, swatting Joel’s tail away from her head where it was repeatedly hitting her as he and Amy continued their game. “But we can take a small break.”

She really didn't have time for a break, but Trent’s eyes were still nearly bugging out of his head and filled with panic, and Nicole couldn't ignore there being something suddenly wrong with him, something bothering him.

“And you can use that time to tell us what has you so freaked out,” Amy said. Her tone and expression mirroring Nicole’s as they both stared at him waiting for him to say something, anything.

Trent slid down the wall until he was sitting on the hardwood floor then wrapped his arms around his knees, looking every bit like he did when he was a kid and was troubled by something.

“I told Chrissy I loved her,” he mumbled. His words barely audible and Nicole probably wouldn't have caught them if she hadn’t shifted to sit on the edge of the couch, leaning towards him.

“Yeah, we heard,” Amy said softly, sharing a look of confusion with Nicole before turning their attention back to Trent.

“It was the first time I said it out loud,” he admitted just as quietly, resting his chin on his knees, managing to make himself look even younger than before.

Nicole’s heart clenched in her chest as she stared at him. She had seen this heartbroken look on his face before and the last time she seen that look on his face was when he was 16, and she was thinking about leaving for the academy.

She'd planned to join the academy the day she graduated to get a jump start on her future, to get as far away from their father as she could, but when she broke the news to Trent it devastated him.

They had been inseparable since they were kids and the thought of her leaving and possibly never coming back terrified Trent. The thought of being left alone in a town with their father and brothers terrified him.

And Nicole, she understood his fear. She understood that in many ways he was still a kid and she was more than a sister to him. She was a parent, a best friend, a protector and confidante.

She'd been everything to him growing up and that was one of the reasons why she pushed joining the academy back until he graduated high school. The other reason was that she was scared to go out on her own, scared she'd fail, scared of leaving behind the two people who were her rock, her grandpa and Trent.

Even though that place, that town never really felt like home leaving it and the few people she loved gave her pause.

Eventually Trent grew up and graduated high school at the top of his class, and Nicole grew the strength to leave with the support of both Trent and their grandpa.

All these years later the heartbroken look in his eyes still destroyed her, still made her want to drop everything and fix whatever was hurting him. But this time she wasn't sure she could fix it.

“Did she not say it back?” Nicole pressed gently, worried of upsetting him more.

Trent had a soft heart, one he wore on his sleeve and was open to the people he cared about. His kind heart was Nicole's favorite thing about her brother, but it often caused him a lot of heartache.

He loved with his whole heart and more often than not the girls he dated did not return the same sentiment.

Not that Nicole thought Chrissy was just like the girls Trent dated in high school but she often worried about Chrissy hurting him unintentionally.

She knew she couldn't save him from everything, couldn't protect him from all the pain life and love brought, but that didn't mean she still couldn't try.

She couldn't save him the pain of Chrissy potentially not saying I love you back, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the guilt of not being able to protect him from it.

“No. The line went dead.” He looked up at her. His brown eyes watery. “What if she feels pressured to say it back? What if she doesn’t believe I meant it?”

She shook her head at him with a small smile. Leave it to him to tell Chrissy he loves her for the first time and not be upset that she didn't say it back, but because he was worried she wouldn't believe him, that she would feel pressured to say it back.

Leave it to her selfless, caring brother to think about Chrissy and her feelings instead of his own.

Nicole pushed herself up from the couch, moving the few feet to her brother and sliding down the wall to sit next to him. She threw her arm around his shoulder and pulled him into her side.

Trent wrapped one of his arms around her back, leaning his head on her shoulder. “I don't want her to feel like she has to say it back just because I said it. Especially if she doesn't mean it.”

Nicole laid her head against his like they’d done a thousand times growing up. “I don’t think you have to worry about her feeling pressured. We both know Chrissy doesn’t let anyone pressure her into anything.”

She wanted to tell him she strongly believe Chrissy felt the same, but she knew it wasn’t her place. She spent a countless amount of time asking everyone to butt out and mind their own business when it came to her and Waverly’s relationship and she figured she owed everyone else the same kind of respect.

Amy leaned forward on the couch, giving Trent a gentle smile. “And I think she’ll know you meant it. I love yous don’t slip out so casually if you don’t mean it.”

“Yeah?” He asked, lifting his head up eyes still watery but filled with a glimmer of hope as he stared at Amy. “You really think she’ll know I meant it?”

“Did you mean it?” Nicole asked though she already knew the answer. He wore his love for Chrissy on his sleeve and in the way he looked at her.

His feelings for Chrissy were clear and out in the open for all to see. And deep down Nicole was sure Chrissy already knew how he felt.

“God, yes,” he breathed out, looking between both her and Amy.  “I’ve been wanting to say it for a while now, but I was scared. Scared she wouldn’t say it back. Scared it was too soon. Just scared.”

Nicole knew that feeling well. Being scared of revealing your true feelings for someone. She'd spent half her friendship with Waverly terrified of Waverly finding out how she really felt about her. Terrified of ruining their friendship.

“Even if she doesn’t say it back right away, doesn’t mean she does not feel the same way you do,” Nicole reminded him, words spoken softly as she rubbed his back.

“Yeah, not all of us are as open as you Haughts,” Amy teased with a grin, most of her attention on Joel. “And her father is Randy Nedley, not the most open person about their feelings.”

Amy wasn't lying about either thing. Both her and Trent were pretty honest and open about what they thought, about their feelings. Something they got from their grandpa.

And Sheriff Nedley, well he was about as open as Dolls was.

Trent wiped at his eyes with the heel of his hands, sniffling before pushing himself up off the floor. “Thanks guys.”

He wiped his hands on his blue jeans and held his hand out for Nicole, pulling her to her feet when she grasped ahold.

“Let's get the rest of this stuff moved inside, so you can get ready for work.” Trent didn't let go of her hand right away. Instead he pulled her into a quick but tight hug.

Nicole hugged him back just as tight before shoving him away lightly. “Just talk to her and be honest with her. No matter what happens, I'm here for you.”

“Thanks Nicky.”

Shorty’s was practically empty when Nicole and Eric walked in for an early dinner. Save for the few diehard drinkers Nicole would probably be putting in the drunk tank later on in her shift.

She had planned to make a grilled cheese for dinner, but while she was getting ready for work Eric had called and offered to buy her dinner as a thank you for covering his shift for him.

Nicole hadn’t mind covering for him. Night shifts on the weekend were predictable even in a place like Purgatory where demons and apparently witches walked about freely.

She would spend half the night going over paperwork, finishing the reports stacked on one side of her desk. And the other half of the night, she’d be driving back and forth from the station to Shorty’s, picking up people too inebriated to drive themselves home.

It wasn’t the most exciting job - dragging the dead weight of men bigger than her into the station. It wasn’t the most glamorous job - cleaning puke out of the backseat because no one could keep their liquor down for the three minute ride to the station.

It wasn’t Nicole’s favorite shift to work,  but in a place like Purgatory where Revenants lurked around every corner and the king of the Revenants had it out for her it was possibly the safest shift she’d work.

“The usual?” Nicole asked Eric, taking her stetson off and tucking it under her arm, eyes locked on Waverly.

Without waiting for his reply, Nicole walked down the steps, heading towards the bar where the Earp sisters were in deep conservation.

Wynonna sitting on a barstool, coffee mug in front of her in lieu of her usually glass of whiskey. Waverly was leaning on the top of the bar, her own coffee mug in hand speaking quietly to Wynonna before snatching the box holding the skull she and Waverly discovered yesterday away from Wynonna.

Nicole sighed and shook her head lightly. She thought her and Waverly agreed that the skull would stay at the homestead, but of course Waverly would bring the skull into Shorty’s, putting her and everyone else in Shorty’s at danger.

Waverly was proud of the skull and almost seemed reluctant to let it out of her sight. Nicole just wished having the skull around wasn’t so dangerous

She didn’t know who the Stone Witch was or if she was even coming for her son’s skull, coming for Waverly, but the fear in Mattie’s voice, in her eyes was enough for Nicole to want to take every precaution to keep Waverly safe and the skull out of the Stone Witch’s hands.

“Curtis left it to me. And if I give it to Black Badge, I might not ever seen it again,” Waverly said, smiling at Nicole in greeting and setting the box far from Wynonna. Her eyes never leaving Nicole.

Nicole stopped a few feet from the bar, heart pounding in her chest, butterflies fluttering around in her stomach and a grin making its way onto her face as she stared at Waverly and the gentle smile on her lips.

Waverly’s smile directed at her never failed to make her heart pound, never failed to set off the butterflies in her stomach, never failed to warm her to her core. There was just something about Waverly’s smile that made Nicole feel seen and loved.

It was just a smile. One reserved only for her and it set Nicole’s world ablaze.

“And they say I have trust issues.” Wynonna rolled her eyes, sliding off her stool and downing the rest of her coffee. “Haught, you the reason Waverly is asking if Dolls and I are gonna be working all night?”

Nicole finally pulled her eyes from Waverly, her goofy, lovestruck smile falling some as she turned to look at a Wynonna smirking. “Nope. I’m working all night.”

Wynonna looked back and forth between the two of them, face pinched in suspicion, blue eyes shining with her disbelief.

“Alright,” Wynonna said after a few seconds of silence. “Well, if you get lonely you call me.”

Wynonna hit the bar twice with the palm of her hand then started for the door, but not before hip checking Nicole. “Later, Red.”

“Stay out of trouble, Earp.” Nicole shoved her shoulder lightly nearly knocking her off balance.

She reached out and grabbed Wynonna’s forearm to steady her. “And maybe lay off the whiskey in your coffee.”

Wynonna flipped her off over her shoulder as she walked out the saloon, the door slamming shut behind her.

Nicole shook her head with a soft smile turning around to face the bar and Waverly once more.

“What do you have planned?” Nicole asked, taking Wynonna’s vacant seat and setting her stetson on top of the bar.

Waverly doesn't answer her right away. Instead Nicole watched Waverly scrub at the already spotless bar, avoiding eye contact.

“I’m throwing a bachelorette party for Steph at the homestead tonight,” Waverly mumbled, looking down at the bar and dragging her finger along the grain of the wood.

“How long have you been planning this?”

“Couple of weeks.”

Nicole frowned, eyebrows drawing together as she tried to remember if Waverly had mentioned anything about Steph or a party in the last couple of weeks.

Unable to recall Waverly ever saying anything, Nicole shifted her gaze back to Waverly.

“You didn’t say anything.”

“I didn’t think you would approve,” Waverly said, eyes still glued to the bar, fingers still drawing random patterns.

Nicole opened her mouth, ready to disagree with Waverly then promptly closed it.

She couldn’t disagree with Waverly because she was right. Nicole didn’t like Steph. She was a bitch who treated both Waverly and Chrissy like they were beneath her and it pissed Nicole off.

No one should be treated like that, especially Chrissy and Waverly. Whose hearts were too kind for a place like Purgatory, for the people of Purgatory, for people like Steph.

“You’re right. I don’t like Steph and I don’t approve because Steph does not deserve your kindness or friendship, but I love you and I would have supported you. Hell I would’ve even help you set everything up.”

Nicole reached across the bar grasping Waverly’s hand in her own and turning it over. She ran her fingers along the veins visible on Waverly’s wrist, waiting for her to look up.

She was in uniform and there were a few people scattered around the saloon watching their every move, but in that moment keeping Officer Haught and Nicole separate didn’t matter to her.

She needed Waverly to hear what she was about to say and really listen . She needed Waverly to know she meant what she was about to say.

“Waverly, it doesn't matter if I approve of something or not. I'm your girlfriend not your keeper. And I don’t ever want to be the thing holding you back from doing something because you fear I’ll disapprove. I will always support any decision you make.”

Waverly’s hand came up, fingers tracing along her cheek before dropping back down on the bar, a smile soft, enchanting smile slowly forming on her lips. “Can I kiss you?”

The words are spoken softly, barely above a whisper. The look of uncertainty in Waverly’s eyes faded away, a look of adoration taking its place.

Nicole was in awe of the look in Waverly’s eyes, the love and affection shining in them.

No matter how many times Waverly looked at her like that, Nicole was always blown away that someone like Waverly loved someone like her.

For some time after Jennifer, Nicole had a hard time believing she was worthy, deserving of someone else's love. Jennifer's betrayal mixed with the lack of love her family showed her growing up, Nicole was convinced she would never be loved.

Even now with all the love Waverly has showed her and made her feel, the way Waverly cared for her, sometimes self doubt creeped into the corners on her mind, whispering how she is unworthy of Waverly’s love.

It was the same self doubt that told her she wasn't a good cop, that she didn't deserve or earn the trust the Earps and Dolls placed in her to help break the curse, to help keep the town safe.

The self doubt whispered constantly sounded a lot like her father, putting her down and making her feel worthless.

It was her grandfather's voice that would break through, reminding her that she didn't need to be perfect at everything, that she only needed to try her best. It was all she or anyone else could ask of her.

Waverly squeezed her hand, gaining her attention once more.

Nicole blinked a few times until Waverly came into focus, still smiling softly at her, head tilted to the side and one eyebrow raised, waiting for Nicole to answer her question.

Nicole wanted to say yes, to give Waverly what she wanted, but it was one thing to touch Waverly’s hand while in uniform and a whole other to kiss her in the middle of Shorty’s while in uniform.

She shook her head gently. “Not here.”

Waverly nodded, her smile falling slightly as she stood up straight behind the bar, but there was a flash of understanding in her eyes.

Nicole watched as Waverly pulled her ticketpad out from her apron, flipping to a new ticket before looking back up at Nicole.

“The usual, Officer Haught?” Waverly asked with a wink. “And the same for Officer Mills?”

Nicole gave her a wide, toothy grin, happy that Waverly understood and respected her need to be professional when in uniform.  “Yes, Miss Earp.”

The bullpen was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the lamp on Nicole’s desk, where  Nicole was hunched over a report, pen in one hand and rubbing at the back of her neck with the other.

It was a little past ten o'clock, but Nicole was exhausted. Between the night shift the day before and moving everything from their apartment into their new house, Nicole was ready to pass out at her desk.

Nicole stared down at the report open in front of her, the words blurring together in an unreadable mess. Nicole dropped her pen onto the report, rubbing at her eyes with her free hand.

With a yawn, she reached for the coffee mug sitting on the corner on her desk. Her long, pale fingers wrapped around the white handle, lifting it up with a disappointed sigh when she realized it was empty.

Instead of getting up to make another cup of coffee, Nicole set the mug back down, turning in her chair and opened the bottom right drawer of her desk, pulling out one of the many energy drinks she kept in there.

She opened the can, downing half of it when there was a soft knock on the door leading out to the hall the BBD offices were held.

Nicole looked over to find Wynonna leaning against the door frame, bottle whiskey held in a tight grip and expression on her face Nicole can't quite get a read on.

“Saturday night,” Wynonna said bringing the bottle up and taking a drink. “I'm the town pariah with ten years of bad deeds and social suicides to make up for, what's your excuse?”

Nicole was sure that even if Wynonna wasn't the town pariah and didn't have so called social suicides to make up for that Wynonna would still be here on a Saturday night, still working on identifying the last of The Seven.

Wynonna may play the reluctant hero, may give off the vibe that she couldn't care less about Purgatory and the people in it, but Nicole knew Wynonna would still be here, still be fighting to break this curse just so the responsibility didn’t fall on Waverly.

“Nedley asked me to cover for Eric tonight.”

“Say no more. Bosses are the worst.” Wynonna took another swig from her bottle, staring off into the distance.

Nicole gave a soft shake of her head, a tiny smile making an appearance as she set her energy drink down and turned back to the file in front of her, expecting Wynonna to continue on her way back to BBD’s office or out of the station.

“Also I’m scared mine might be dead.”

The words from Wynonna caught her off guard, causing Nicole to whip her head around to look at Wynonna, eyes wide at the look of fear and worry barely concealed on Wynonna’s face as she hesitantly met Nicole’s eyes.

“Oh, kidding.” Wynonna brushed off Nicole’s worry with a scoff, taking another drink from the bottle.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nicole asked, momentarily forgetting her worry for Dolls. All her attention and worry shifting to Wynonna herself.

She really didn't expect an honest answer from Wynonna. Though they were friends, though Wynonna trusted her and had opened up to her a time or two in the past, there was no guarantee she'd do so again.

Wynonna kept her feelings close to her chest, hidden beneath layers of sarcasm and witty one liners. There were times when Nicole had been able to break through those layers, through the walls carefully constructed to keep everyone at arm's length, but everytime the moment had passed and Wynonna had said her piece, those walls would go right back up, albeit not as many as before.

Wynonna nodded, making a face that didn’t seem at all convincing and gave Nicole a thumbs up, the look in her eyes telling Nicole not to push.

“Well,” Nicole started, taking the time to close the case file she was working to try and think of a way to shift the topic to something Wynonna would be open to talking about. “At least I’m not the only one who wasn’t invited to the party. Makes me feel better.”

Nicole hadn’t meant to bring up the party, hadn’t really been thinking about it since she and Waverly talk about it, but she found the words tumbling out of her mouth anyways. And she was surprised to find the words true.

Despite her conversation with Waverly and knowing, and understanding the reason Waverly didn’t tell her about the party, didn’t think to invite her to it either, Nicole did still feel left out even though she knew that had not been Waverly’s intention.

“What party?” Wynonna asked, pushing off the door frame and coming to sit on the floor behind Nicole’s desk, motioning for Nicole to join her.

Nicole worried her bottom lip between her teeth, wondering if maybe she shouldn’t have mentioned the party to Wynonna as she pushed her chair away from the desk and joined Wynonna on the floor.

She didn’t think Wynonna would react well to knowing Waverly was throwing a party for a woman who treated her so terribly in high school and long after.

“The party Waverly is throwing,” Nicole finally said after a few moments of silence, deciding it was probably best not to say who the party was for.

“I bet I know exactly who she invited to that party,” Wynonna mumbled into the bottle of whiskey, taking a drink and holding it out to Nicole.

Nicole took the bottle but didn’t dare take a drink of it, instead she asked who Wynonna thought would be attending the party.

“Chrissy Nedley,” Wynonna said her name as if Nicole had no idea who she was and not knowing how drunk Wynonna was, Nicole decided to play along.

“What? Sheriff's daughter?” Nicole asked, letting surprise color her tone.

“Mhm,” Wynonna confirmed not noticing the amused smile on Nicole’s face when she reached to take the whiskey back. “And Stephanie Jones.”

Wynonna sat the bottle between them and Nicole grasped the bottle to keep it from tipping over from the lack of incoordination on Wynonna’s part.

“You know, one time Stephanie told me that I should think about getting a butt lift.” Wynonna’s head rolled against the back of Nicole’s desk as she looked over at her as if to gauge her reaction.

“What? Your ass is like..” Nicole trailed off trying to find the right word that wouldn’t make her come off as some sort of creep or wouldn’t make it sound like she spent a lot of time checking out her girlfriend’s sister’s ass. “It’s top shelf, man. It’s top shelf.”

“Thanks.” Wynonna shrugged and looked off, her brows furrowing and her expression shifting to something more serious as she looked back at Nicole. “Have I pulled Waves too close?

Nicole wasn’t sure where the sudden shift in conversation had come from, but she knew that this moment was important, not just to Nicole’s and Wynonna’s relationship but also Wynonna’s and Waverly’s.

She knew Waverly felt like Wynonna treated her too much like a child, tried to protect her when she felt she didn’t need her big sister’s protection all the time. She knew Waverly sometimes felt like Wynonna didn’t believe in her, didn’t trust her abilities, her research, her brain.

“You know, I think Waverly has spent her whole life tailoring who she is to the people she’s with. She’s only now just starting to figure out who she really is, what she really wants.”

Nicole was aware of the soft, affectionate tone her voice had taken on. Usually Wynonna would tease her about it, just like Trent would, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care if she was teased.

She knew everything she said to be true. She witnessed firsthand as Waverly cut and shaped herself to fit in with whoever she was around. She also witnessed firsthand when all those pieces fell away and Waverly could truly be herself without fear of being judged.

“Dude, you're like a walking bumper sticker, who's armed!” Wynonna slapped Nicole's thigh then seemed to sober up once more. “It's because of you.”

“What is?” Nicole asked, head tilted to the side as she watched Wynonna struggle with herself for a few moments before finally speaking, voice low and if Nicole hadn't been sitting shoulder to shoulder with her, she'd missed every word.

“It's because of you,” Wynonna repeated then stopped again, reaching for the whiskey and taking a long drink. “You're the reason Waverly has stopped tailoring herself to the people she's with. You're the reason she's brave enough to stand up for herself and the things she wants.”

“You're….” Wynonna waved her free hand around in front of her, seeming to be searching for the words just out of her reach. “You're the first person to truly see Waverly for who she really is.”

Wynonna turned to look her in the eyes, her eyes shining with unshed tears. Though Nicole wouldn't comment on them.

“Thank you for, for being here for Waverly.” Wynonna cleared her throat, reaching above their heads and pulling a few of the case files scattered along it off, flipping through them, signaling the end of their little heart-to-heart.

Nicole let the moment pass despite the fact that there was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to get off her chest, so much she wanted Wynonna to understand about Waverly.

Instead she bit her tongue and let Wynonna go through the files in silence

“Who's this?” Wynonna asked pointing to a photo of a woman in her early 20s with brunette hair and wide smile. The photo was a selfie taken on the night she disappeared. They'd been hoping to use it to help trace where she'd been that night and where she might have encountered her attacker with no luck. Everything in the background was too distorted to get a clear idea of where she might have been. It was just another lead down to a dead end.

“That is victim number 3.”

“Same guy killed all the three women?” Wynonna asked, briefly lifting her eyes from the photo to look at Nicole.

“Yeah,” Nicole sighed, resisting the urge to pick up the bottle of whiskey and take a drink. “Killing them was only the start.”

Nicole took the file from Wynonna, looking through it until she found what she was looking for and handed it back over to Wynonna.

“Joyce Arbour. She's 22. We found her Wednesday morning and cause of death appears to be multiple lacerations, but of course the autopsy report is practically illegible.” Nicole sighed, looking over said report and barely making out the messy handwriting.

“Dolls picked a great time to go AWOL.” Wynonna stated, staring down at a close up photo of one of Joyce’s wounds, three long slashes evenly spaced across her cheek.

The wound almost looked like claw marks to Nicole, but she couldn’t confirm that theory with the current state of the autopsy report. She’d been planning on a trip to the morgue to study the wounds up close, but hadn’t had the chance to go down there yet.

Nicole watched as two fat drops of blood dripped from Wynonna’s nose and dropped onto the photo she was studying.

She jerked her gaze up from the drops of blood to Wynonna, concern and confusion showing on her face.

“Uh,” Wynonna wiped at her nose, blood smearing across the back of her hand, standing out against her tan skin. “I need to see the body.”

After stopping Wynonna’s sudden nose bleed and checking to make sure she was okay, Nicole lead Wynonna into the dimly lit morgue, reaching out for the light switch, flipping it on and off a few times before realizing that it wasn’t coming on. The only light in the room came from a surgical light shining down on the furthest autopsy table in the small room.

With a sigh, Nicole walked further into the room, stopping suddenly when she saw a body covered in a bloodied white sheet on the first autopsy table, causing Wynonna to run into her back with a soft ‘oof’ .

While Nicole expected to find the morgue full with the spike in crime and murders lately, she hadn’t expected to see a body carelessly covered with a bloody sheet as if the medical examiner or his assistant hadn’t cared enough to treat the victim with an ounce of respect.

“Oh, ew,” Wynonna said, covering her nose with her forearm, looking around Nicole’s shoulder but staying behind her.

Nicole walked further into the room, checking the number on the case file she was holding before checking the number on the toe tag of the body on the first table, deciding not to comment on the state of said body. “Yeah, they say you get used to the smell.”

It’s what both Eric and Nedley had told her during her first autopsy, but she didn’t believe there would ever come a time when the smell of death wouldn’t get to her.

It hung around in the air, clinging to every surface and every piece of clothing she wore, following her around all day until she finally got home and stripped her clothes off and stepping under a hot shower.

She often wondered if the smell was in her head more times than not. She wondered if Waverly could smell it clinging to her clothes, her hair. If she did, she never mentioned it to Nicole.

“I spent a summer’s probation on roadkill removal.” Wynonna let out an exaggerated breath and motioned around the room, still staying close to the door, eyes following Nicole around the room. “This is nothing.”

Confirming the body on the first table wasn’t the one they were looking for, Nicole stepped over to the one lying on a metal stretcher, checking it’s toe tag as well and moving to the third body in the room when the numbers weren’t a match.

“Here she is.” Nicole confirmed the numbers on the toe tag with the numbers in her file. “Joyce Arbour.”

Wynonna stepped further into the room then, coming around the table, eyes locked on the sheet covered body and blindly setting the bottle of whiskey down on the side of the table.

With an eye roll, Nicole took the bottle and set it on an instrument tray on the other side of the table so it didn’t accidentally get knocked over onto Joyce.

Joyce Arbour had already went through an unspeakable amount of horror in her final moments in life and she deserved a little bit of respect from them.

Wynonna slowly pulled back the sheet covering Joyce’s face, folding it over her chest, only revealing as far as the jagged, crude Y incision that wasn’t from the autopsy performed by the Purgatory medical examiner.

Nicole’s stomach churned at the sight and she had to move her gaze to the woman’s face. This wasn’t the first time she’d seen Joyce’s injuries and this time they were much clearer than the first time she had seen them, but the sight of it still made her queasy.

Not because she couldn’t handle the gross and gruesome parts of the job, but because when she looked at those cuts all she could think about was how scared Joyce must had been, how much pain she must have been in.

Blinking a few times, Nicole’s eyes focused on Joyce’s face, noticing for the first time how similar she and Wynonna looked. They had the same shaped eyes and nose. They shared the same hair and eye color, the same jaw.

They didn’t look exactly alike, but they could easily pass as sisters.

“She kind of looks like you, Wynonna.” Nicole didn’t realize how low her voice was, barely above a whisper as if the words shouldn’t be spoken too loud.

“Jesus Christ. Who did this?”

“Someone who knew what they were doing.”

Nicole whirled on the voice coming from behind them, hand dropping down to her pistol at her hip to undo the leather strap holding it in place. Her heart pounded against her ribcage, threatening to beat right out her chest as her whole body tensed, readying for a fight as she shoved Wynonna further behind her.

Or it was until her eyes landed on a tall, slender man wearing scrubs with a Twizzler handing out his mouth. His short black hair greying around the sides, making him look older than he probably was.

“Dude! This is a morgue,wear a bell or something, okay?” Wynonna barked from behind Nicole, trying to get her breathing and heart rate under control.

“Sorry. Once a ninja, always a ninja.” Doctor Reggie - local negligent medical examiner’s assistant forced a laugh neither Nicole or Wynonna returned. “Plus I forget I’m wearing these cotton balls for shoes.”

Nicole closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath as the man lifted one of his shoes up for them to get a good look at them.

Nicole had dealt with Reggie very few times in the months she’s worked for Sheriff’s Department, choosing instead to deal with his less creepy boss. On the rare occasion when she did have to interact with the man directly, it was usually to complain about the state of the autopsy reports on behalf of Sheriff Nedley.

“They help absorb the smell.” Opening her eyes once more she watched Reggie looked between both her and Wynonna, an unreadable expression on his face. “But you two pretty ladies don’t care about that.”

Nicole gave him a tight lipped smile, shaking her head, keeping a firm grip on her pistol as Reggie held his hand out passed her to Wynonna.

“Um, I’m Doctor Reggie, the unlucky SOB who has to make sure the dead don’t rise again.” He nodded his head with a small chuckle, waiting for the two of them to laugh at his joke. They didn’t.

He dropped his hand to his side when he realized Wynonna wasn’t gonna shake it, a frown tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“You suck at your job,” Wynonna mumbled and Nicole elbowed her in the stomach as Reggie looked questionly between the two of them.

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Nothing.” Nicole gave him a small smile before turning to glare at Wynonna, who was no longer paying attention. “Did you do this autopsy report?”

Nicole held the report out to him, hoping to draw his attention away from Wynonna and her comment as she continued examining Joyce’s body.

“Uh…” Reggie flipped through the report, appearing to be reading a few lines before looking back up at Nicole. “If I’d done this, I wouldn’t have misspelled ‘breasts’ .”

Nicole bit the inside of her cheek to keep from commenting on the fact that half if not all of his reports were so illegible that she’d never be able to tell if he misspelled anything or not.

“I can tell you something about the body. Did my own examination.” He seemed excited, the frown forming moments ago turning into a smile that sent a shiver down Nicole’s spine.

She wasn’t sure what it was about this man, but he gave her the creeps.

“Anything unusual or creepy,” Wynonna shared a look with Nicole, seeming to be just as creeped out by him as Nicole was. “About the wounds or the way she died?”

“Well, she died because humans can’t survive when their organs are removed.” Reggie simply took a bite of his twizzler as Nicole and Wynonna stared at him in horror.

“She was alive when he took them out?” Wynonna asked and Nicole could feel her stomach churn again, her dinner threatening to come up back.

Nicole wasn’t entirely sure what she thought might have really happened to Joyce, but it definitely wasn’t having her organs removed while still alive and possibly awake.

“Correct.” Reggie nodded stepping closer to Nicole and practically pressing himself again her side. “But the incision isn’t what killed her. He drugged her, hooked her up to an IV, a blood bag. Just like any surgeon would doing open heart or intestinal surgery.”

Nicole’s hand fell to her pistol again as she took a few side steps away from Reggie. He sounded almost impressed, awed by the killer’s methods.

“But here is the uber-weird part,” Reggie took another bite from his twizzler, leaning in closer to Joyce’s body. “The wounds were cauterized as they were made.”

“So he cut her open with something hot?” Nicole directed her question at Wynonna but Reggie answered instead, twizzler hanging out his mouth.

“Like light saber hot.”

“Hellfire hot,” Wynonna whispered, eyes meeting Nicole’s with a meaningful look.

Nicole gave a subtle nod, understanding that whoever did this was probably wasn’t human and was likely a Revenant. One they needed to find and put down quickly. He already had three victims under his belt and he would likely drop a lot more if they didn’t find me quick.

“Alright,” Nicole said, starting to pace along the front of the table Joyce was on. “So, you remove the organs if you’re going to sell them on the black market. Why would you take them out and put them back in?”

“Maybe somebody was looking for something.”

She wasn’t really asking Wynonna. It was more of a rhetorical question as she tried to come up with theories on this Revenant.

“You keep looking at her neck,” Reggie said and Nicole almost jumped again, forgetting he was there at the moment while she tried to recall the MOs of the Revenants from Waverly’s research.

She thought about calling Waverly and asking her to go through her research to try and find her and Wynonna something to help narrow which Revenant was responsible for this level of brutality. But after a few seconds, she dismissed the idea.

Waverly was having a normal night, with normal friends, free from all things curse related and Nicole didn’t want to ruin that. Waverly deserved a night off, deserved to just relax and not worry about anything Revenant related.

“Yeah,” Wynonna pointed to spot on her neck Nicole couldn’t see from where she was standing. “There’s a welt. I saw it in some of the photos, it’s the shape of a spade, like on a deck of cards.”

Nicole stepped over to Wynonna before Reggie got the chance, leaning down and getting a good look at welt she was talking about.

Just below Joyce’s ear was indeed a welt, no more than a few centimeters in length that looked more like a brand than anything else.

She had noticed in the photos, but without seeing it first had, Nicole hadn’t been sure what to make of it or if it was even important at all. But of course, it was. It was the killers mark, his signature.

“What would have caused that?” Nicole asked herself, standing up and getting ready to start pacing again as she turned the facts of the case over in her head, trying to make sense of it all.

“Well, she was hit with something in the shape of a spade, right?” Wynonna threw out there

Nicole shook her head. “It looks more like she was branded, like cattle.”

Footsteps coming from another room drew both Nicole and Wynonna from their musings as they tilted their heads nearly at the same time, straining to make out where they were coming from.

A few seconds later the footsteps stopped and a beeping sounded at the far side of the morgue, followed by a blue light coming on.

“Someone just went in the cooler. You guys come alone?” Reggie asked, eyes wide and locked on the cold storage door.

“Yes.” Wynonna pulled Peacemaker from its holster, fingers wrapped so tightly around the grip they were starting to turn white. “Is there more than one way of getting into the cooler.”

“Uh, yeah. Rear exit,” Reggie replied, nodding towards the door they had come in from. His voice shaking with a bit of nerves.

Nicole withdrew her own gun from its holster, clicking the safety off and positioning her trigger finger along the side.

Her Grandfather’s voice floated through her head like it did every time she drew her weapon.

“Treat every gun like it is loaded and never ever put your finger on the trigger unless you are prepared to pull it.”

She’s been twelve at the time in his backyard, small 22. Bolt action rifle in her hands, staring down a red and white paper target taped to a metal plate. He was teaching her how to shoot, but first came gun safety and a code he held all his children, his grandchildren and even his deputies too.

You treated each and every gun with respect whether it was loaded or not. You did not put your finger on the trigger unless you were prepared to shoot. You did not point a gun at anyone unless you were fully prepared to take their life.

It was a gun safety code that Nicole took to heart, one she remembered every time she strapped her pistol into its holster.

“I'll check the rear.” Nicole started for the door they entered from, pausing with her hand on the doorknob and looking over her shoulder at Wynonna. “Don't shoot me, Earp.”

Wynonna rolled her eyes and waved her off, taking long strides to get to the cooler door.

Nicole took a deep breath and pulled the door open slowly, leveling her pistol down the hallway, left then right and left again, eyes scanning for any sort of movement before leaving the safety of the morgue behind.

She took two steps away from the door, letting it shut softly behind her. She brought her free hand up to the butt of her pistol, getting a better, firmer grip on it before she quietly made her way down the hallway towards the exit, ears straining for any footsteps that were not her own.

It was a short hallway with very few rooms to check yet it seemed to stretch on forever. The fluorescent lights overhead flickering and casting the stark white hall with an eerie yellow glow straight from a horror movie.

“Why’d it have to be a morgue?” She mumbled, reaching for the doorknob to her right, twisting it only to find it locked. She continued on, inching forward slowly bit by bit until she reached the front door of the building, heart thudding against her ribcage, breathing even and shallow as she tried to keep her nerves from getting the best of her.

She was an officer of the law. Trained to handle dangerous situations and not to crack under pressure, to keep her cool and not allow her nerves or fears to get the best of her, but none of her training prepared her for Purgatory, for Revenants. And she wasn’t too proud to admit that ever since David attacked her and nearly killed her, she was just a little bit terrified of them and the fact that her gun was useless against them.

With one last calming breath, Nicole pushed the glass door open and stepped out into the cool night air, sweeping left and right with her pistol for anything out of the ordinary, any vehicles that weren’t supposed to be there.

The medical examiner’s office was adjacent to the Sheriff’s Department, sharing the same small, cramped parking lot. The only vehicles there was her squad car and Dolls’ black SUV though she hadn’t seen him in the station for hours.

“Also I think mine might be dead.”

Wynonna's words from earlier floated back to her and she made a mental note to find and check up on Dolls when they were done here.

Satisfied that no one seemed to be lurking in the shadows created by the streetlights that dotted the parking lot, Nicole headed for the side of the building where bodies were brought through.

Head on a swivel, she crept around the building slowly, eyes searching for movement in the darkness, body coiled tightly as she waited for someone, something to jump out at her, but nothing came.

Nothing was lurking in the shadows waiting to catch her off guard, waiting to pounce when her back was turned.

Nicole released the breath she’d been holding and carried onto the back entrance of the morgue, still on high alert, still listening for any movement besides her own. Upon reaching the door, she grabbed the handle and pulled, only to it locked. Giving it one more hard yank and satisfied that it wouldn’t bunge, she turned and hurried back around the front and into the building, eager to check and make sure Wynonna was okay.

“The door was locked. I couldn’t get in.” Nicole announced as she walked into the morgue, holstering her weapon as she went.

Wynonna and Reggie stood over Joyce’s body, shoulders tense. Wynonna had a white knuckle grip on Peacemaker.

Wynonna turned to her, a trail of bright red blood coming from her nose though she didn’t seem to notice.

“Jesus, Wynonna.” Nicole lifted her hand up to her nose, wiping away the blood that wasn’t there. “Are you okay?”

Wynonna wiped at her nose with the back of her hand, turning back to Joyce’s body once more before bolting from the room without so much as a word.

Nicole watched her go before her eyes shifted to Joyce. A playing card, an ace of spades that wasn’t there minutes before was now stuffed into her mouth.

“Wynonna!” Nicole turned on her heels shouting after the Earp heir and giving a hurried goodbye to Reggie over her shoulder as she exited the room, catching sight of Wynonna rushing through the door leading to the parking lot.

“Wynonna! Wait!”

Nicole quickened her steps, taking longer strides down the hallway, hoping to catch up with Wynonna before she had a chance to run off and leave the station.

She didn’t understand what was going on. She didn’t understand why Wynonna was getting nose bleeds or how a fucking playing card up appeared in Joyce’s mouth. She didn’t understand anything at the moment and she just wanted Wynonna to explain things so she could help, so they could figure out the hell was going on and who the hell was killing women in Purgatory.

Nicole pushed through the door out into the cool night air, stopping long enough to look around for Wynonna. She saw her slip into the station and raced across the small parking lot after her, shoving the station door open and stepping through, letting it slam shut behind her.

“Wynonna, stop for a second.”

“I need a drink,” Wynonna said making her way through the front of the station towards the break room.

“No one keeps booze in here, Wynonna.” Nicole shut the door behind them just in case someone happened to be around. “Expect you.”

She walked further into the room, leaning against the only table and crossed her arms over her chest, watching Wynonna search the cabinets frantically.

“You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?” She asked as Wynonna slammed one cabinet and moved to the next.

Revenants she got, for the most part. But whatever was going on here, whatever had Wynonna so freaked out and kept causing her nose to bleed, she didn’t understand. And honestly she wasn’t sure how much Wynonna understood either.

Waverly would know what was going on or at the very least be able to help them make sense of it.

God, how she wished Waverly was here.

“Yeah. Dry morgue air is murder on the schonz.” Wynonna quipped not bothering to even look at Nicole.

Nicole sighed heavily, digging her nails into the underside of her arm.

She thought they were past Wynonna not trusting her, past Wynonna not letting her in on things going on with the curse. She thought they were friends. And the fact that Wynonna seemed to not trust her at all, hurt her more than she cared to admit.

“Bullshit. Something is going on. Someone is toying with you. The killer is toying with you. Why?”

“I don’t know, Nicole. I really don’t know.” Wynonna’s shoulders slumped and she stopping her search for a bottle of whiskey. She sighed before her shoulders tensed up once more and she turned to Nicole that same look of distrust in her eyes she had when they first met. Eyes narrowing as she took a few steps towards Nicole.

“How do I know you don’t have a deck of playing cards in this utility belt, huh?” Wynonna reached for her belt and she slapped her hand away, taking a few steps backwards.

That hurt she felt before flared up once more before twisting into the same type of anger she felt towards her father.

“How do I know you didn’t double back to mess with the body?” Wynonna asked, blue eyes cold.

“Fuck you, Wynonna.” She tried to sound angry, to push her fury into her words but they just came out sounding hurt and defeated.

It was one thing for Wynonna to withhold information, to have those blue eyes look at her with distrust, but it was a whole other thing to have Wynonna accuse her of something like that, to have Wynonna believe that she was working against her, against Waverly.

She blinked a few times to keep from tearing up and looked away from Wynonna down to her boots.

“Maybe I should be grilling you about this case. Maybe you’re the crazy one.”

Nicole took a deep breath and stood up straight, squaring her shoulders as she looked Wynonna in the eyes.

If Wynonna just wanted to hurt her because she was scared and confused, well two could play at that game. She wouldn’t just stand around and let Wynonna use her as a punching bag, she’d fight back and she’d hit Wynonna where it hurts.

“You of all people should know better than to try to make me question my sanity.”

There was a flicker of hurt in Wynonna’s eyes before they hardened into narrow slits, a quiver in her jaw before she gritted her teeth.

For a moment Nicole felt bad, ashamed with herself for taking such a low blow at Wynonna. She knew how sensitive Wynonna was to being called crazy, being treated like she was crazy.

Nicole turned and walked out of the room without another word. She wanted to apologize for what she said, she wanted to help Wynonna get to the bottom of this case despite her words and accusations, but her stubborn pride - the only thing she’d gotten from her father - wouldn’t let her.

So instead of apologizing she walked to her desk and dropped into her chair, leaning over and placing her forehead on the cool wood of her desk. She took a deep breath, calming herself and sat up, reaching for one of the many reports sitting on her desk.

It was almost an hour later when Wynonna came rushing up to Nicole’s desk, eyes wide with panic, almost too tight grip on her phone, her knuckles starting to turn white.

“Waverly’s in trouble.”

Terror and panic, dread settled deep in Nicole’s chest as her mind ran a million miles a minute, going through different scenarios of what could have happened to Waverly, what could be happening to Waverly that very second.

Those three words were all she said before she was heading out of the station. Those three words propelled Nicole into action.

She followed quickly, grabbing her stetson and keys, practically running out the door after Wynonna, knowing every second counted.

The Homestead was thirty minutes away. Thirty minutes . In that amount of time any number of things could happen to Waverly, to Chrissy and Steph. Thirty minutes and by the time they get there it could be too late.

Revenants may not be able to get onto Earp land, but Revenants weren’t the only things lurking in the dark. The Blacksmith, Mattie had said the Stone Witch would be after Waverly, after the skull.

Did the Stone Witch find Waverly? Or was it just some regular, non-supernatural person?

In Nicole’s mind the possibilities were endless and each possibility she thought of was worse than the last.

An image of Trent and Chrissy laughing together at the bar in Shorty’s came to mind, the smiles on their faces, the happiness and love shining in their eyes stuck in Nicole’s head, reminding her it wasn’t just the woman she loved in danger. It was also her friend and the woman Trent loved as well.

Nicole did her best to clear her mind and focus on driving as she slid into the driver seat of her cruiser, unlocking the passenger door for Wynonna and putting the key in the ignition. She barely gave Wynonna time to put her seatbelt on before she was peeling out of her parking space.

“Did she tell you what was happening?” Nicole asked, taking her eyes off the road long enough to look over at Wynonna, who was gripping Peacemaker  with one hand and the handle above her door with the other.

“She said something about killing a stripper and people under some kind of spell attacking the Homestead.” Wynonna shook her head as if she was trying to clear and gather her thoughts. “I don’t know. The call kept going in and out and I could only pick up bits and pieces.”

Nicole’s mind skipped over the part of killing a stripper, filing it away for later and focused on the part of people being under some kind of spell. The Stone Witch.

Nicole pressed harder on the gas pedal sending the cruiser lunging forward as the needle on the speedometer continued to climb, forty, fifty, sixty and climbing.

She knew they needed to get there safely, in one piece and that she should drive at a safe speed, but all she could think about was the fear in Mattie’s eyes when she spoke about the Stone Witch and Mattie’s fear had her pushing the cruiser as fast as it could go.

The next ten minutes of the drive was spent in silence, Nicole gripping the steering wheel tightly, eyes focused on the dark road ahead of them and Wynonna starting out the passenger window, leg continuously bouncing up and down.

“I’m sorry.” Wynonna broke the silence, her words spoken so quietly Nicole almost missed them.

She took her eyes from the road to look over at Wynonna, finding the Earp Heir staring at her with a look of remorse.

“For accusing you of planting that card and for making it seem like I don’t trust you. I’m sorry.”

“Do you trust me?” Nicole asked unsure of where Wynonna actually stood on that matter.

Before tonight she was sure that Wynonna trusted her. She was sure they were friends, possibly the closest thing to a best friend Wynonna had, but now she had no idea where she stood with Wynonna, what Wynonna actually thought of her.

Did Wynonna only tolerate her because she was dating Waverly? Did she only let her in on the Earp Curse because she stumbled her way into it?

“I do trust you, Nicole. I do.” Wynonna paused there and out of the corner of her eye Nicole could see her shifting before settling and looking out the window again. “I’m just not good at trusting people, at letting people in and earlier I lashed out because I was…. I was,”

“Scared and confused.” Nicole finished for her when Wynonna stumbled over her words. “I get it, Wynonna but you’re gonna have to get better at trusting people, at letting people in because like it or not, we’re a team and not just because I’m dating your sister but because we’re friends. I am your friend.”

Silence fell over the cruiser again and Nicole was okay with letting it remain. She said what she needed and later when they knew Waverly and everyone else was safe, they’d talk again and she’d apologize for what she said. Until then they needed to focus. They had no idea what they were driving into.

“We are friends. You are probably the closest thing I have to a best friend.” Wynonna said quietly, not looking away from the window.

Despite the situation, Nicole smiled to herself but didn’t reply, knowing how hard it was for Wynonna to admit that.

Pulling up to the Homestead, Nicole stopped the cruiser next to a pink Cadillac, throwing it into park and jumping out with Wynonna following closely behind. She drew her weapon, clicking the safety off and scanned the area, taking in the four figures beating on the side of the Homestead, making a mental note not to fire upon them unless absolutely necessary and even then only to wound, not kill.

She held her weapon out in front of her and fell into step behind Wynonna, keeping an eye out around them for anyone trying to sneak up on them.

They crept forward quietly, taking slow and soft steps to keep the snow under their boots from making too much noise. Sure whoever or whatever was here more likely heard the cruiser pull up and them getting out but they didn’t want to reveal where exactly they were at.

The barn door was open a crack and for a moment Nicole thought of splitting off and checking to see if anyone was inside, but thought better of it. They should stay together until they knew exactly what they were dealing with.

The four figures beating on the Homestead seemed unbothered by their presence as if they hadn’t even noticed their arrive. They just continued to claw and beat at the boarded up windows as if they had a one track mind.

Were these the people under some kind of spell? What were they tasked to do? Was Waverly inside trying to keep them from getting in?

Nicole took a few seconds to study the blonde woman attempting to pull the shutters off the front window. Her body type looked familiar but she couldn’t place them from this far away.

Tearing her eyes from the woman, she turned her attention back to Wynonna and their surroundings. Their steps were slow, it seemed to take forever for them to make it a few feet and each second Nicole couldn’t see Waverly or Chrissy, couldn’t make sure they were okay, her fear and worry grew, twisting at her stomach like a knife.

She was trained for moments like these, but with Waverly and Chrissy both in danger all that training felt useless to her now. The people she cared about were in danger and no amount of training could prepare her for that.

Her heart pounded against her ribcage, echoing in her eardrums almost drowning out the sounds around them. Her hands were sweaty making it hard to get a good grip on her pistol. She took a second to clear her mind of everything but the task at hand. She did her best to push down her worry and fear, knowing she needed to be clear headed to perform her job to the best of her ability.

She couldn’t let her emotions get in the way.

A scream echoed around them and it only took a second for Nicole to recognize it as Waverly’s, followed closely by the scream of another woman. And any thoughts of not letting emotions getting in the way were thrown out the window. Her mind focused on Waverly and Waverly alone.

Her screams bounced around Nicole’s mind on an endless loop.

Wynonna must have come to the same conclusion as her because she took off running around the other side of the barn, Nicole quickly following behind. They rounded the corner of the barn just in time to see Waverly being thrown against it by some unseeable force.

“You will die!” An almost demonic voice echoed from a blonde woman standing a few feet away from Waverly, holding a knife that glowed blue almost in the same way Peacemaker glowed orange when pointed at a Revenant. Her eyes glowing that same chilling blue.

The Stone Witch.

Nicole aimed her weapon at the Witch’s heart, finger hovering over the trigger, waiting for the Stone Witch to make a move towards Waverly, but Wynonna beat her to the punch.

“Someone will.” Wynonna shot at the knife, disarming the witch, who growled at Wynonna in return. The sound sending a chill down Nicole’s spine that had little to do with the cold night air.

Nicole knew they were standing in the presence of someone much stronger than them. Someone who could probably kill them in mere seconds and she wasn’t too proud to admit that this woman scared her.

Not because she was afraid to die, she made her peace with dying for this town, for the people she loved after she found out about the Earp curse. She wasn’t afraid for herself but for Wynonna, Waverly and Chrissy. She was afraid of what this woman, this witch could and would do to them if given half the chance.

“She’s mine.” Doc growled coming out from nowhere and firing his pistol once, twice and catching her in the shoulder, sending her staggering back a step or two. The second shot barely grazing her before embedding itself into one trees behind her.

The sound of bodies dropping to the hard ground drew their attention from the Stone Witch to the Homestead, where the people who had been tearing the Homestead apart laid limp and unmoving on the ground.

They whipped back around to look back at the Stone Witch only to find that she had disappeared. A splatter of red on the snow left in her wake.

The sound of an engine turning over drew Nicole’s attention towards to driveway, watching helplessly as the pink Cadillac drove off. She turned her attention to Waverly, who was still sitting in the snow, leaning heavily against the side of the barn.

"Wave," Nicole whispered barely loud enough for anyone to hear. She shoved her pistol back into its holster and took a few steps towards Waverly.

She dropped to her knees not caring that the snow was soaking through her khakis. She shrugged her jacket off and placed it over Waverly’s bare shaking shoulders. Reaching out Nicole cupped Waverly’s cheek, gently turning Waverly to face her.

“Are you okay?” She asked,  brushing her thumb along Waverly’s cheek, drying the tears that had fallen while Wynonna and Doc exchanged words behind them. She paid them little attention as she looked Waverly over for signs of injuries.

Waverly cradled her left arm to her chest as it shook from cold or pain Nicole wasn’t sure.

Nicole had been ready to exam her arm to see if it was broken, already reaching out for it when she heard Wynonna approach. Instead of looking it over, she kissed Waverly on the head, whispered that she was going to check to make sure everything was safe and stepped back to allow Wynonna to care for her sister.

She didn’t want to leave Waverly’s side. She wanted to wrap Waverly in her arms and hold her, but she knew that Wynonna needed to check on her sister, needed to see for herself that she was okay and Nicole knew she needed to step back and give them that moment alone.

She wasn't the only one who cared for and loved Waverly and she couldn't try and be the only person to protect Waverly, the only person to take care of her. She had to step aside and allow Wynonna to be that person as well.

Nicole watched them for a few seconds, the tightness in her chest and the fear she felt since Wynonna came up to her desk was slowly starting to dissipate. For the first time since Wynonna said Waverly was in trouble, Nicole felt like she could breathe again.

Waverly was okay. She was safe. Now Nicole just needed to make sure Chrissy was as well.

Nicole turned away from the pair and towards Doc who was standing awkwardly to the side, looking down at his boots.

“Check and make sure no one else is lurking around. I’m going to make sure Chrissy is okay.”

Not giving him a chance to reply or argue, Nicole headed towards the Homestead, stepping over the bodies lying face down on the ground. She’d deal with them once she knew Chrissy was unharmed.

When she stepped into the Homestead a blur of blonde launched itself at her, arms wrapping tightly around her neck and squeezing too tightly, her stetson being knocked to the floor.

Chrissy shook in her arms, quieting sobbing into her chest as Nicole rubbed her back doing her best sooth her.

“Shhh, it’s okay, Chrissy. It’s over. You’re safe, you’re safe.”

Dawn had risen by the time the scene had been cleared away, the bodies identified and taken to the morgue. The crime scene techs had come and took their pictures and samples of blood, leaving the mess behind for the Earps to deal with. Sheriff Nedley had come to check on his daughter, only leaving to come up with an official story of what happened here.

Now Nicole was leaned against her car, taking Chrissy’s statement for the second time. The first, the one for BBD had been taken at the kitchen table, bottle of whiskey being passed around as Waverly, Chrissy, and Doc told Wynonna and Nicole what happened.

The one Nicole was taking now was for the official report, the non supernatural report  to be filed away with all the other false reports Nicole had written since she started working with Dolls and BBD.

When Chrissy was finished Nicole pulled her into another hug then sent her back to where Waverly was waiting on the porch, wrapped in the blanket that was usually draped across the back of the couch.

Nicole turned her attention to Waverly, giving her a small smile and wave, wanting nothing more than to go up there and wrap Waverly in her arms, hold her close. She had taken a few steps to do just that when she caught sight of Wynonna shoving her phone into the pocket of her jacket and walking towards her with a purpose.

“Have you been able to get ahold of Dolls?” Nicole asked as Wynonna got closer.

Wynonna shook her head, trying to appear nonchalant, but Nicole could see the worry in her eyes.

Nicole reached out to rub Wynonna’s arm reassuringly, but thought better of it and dropped her arm to her side.

“You know what, we should get some breakfast. And then we’ll go find Dolls,” Nicole said, opening her door and tossing her notepad in the backseat.

Wynonna nodded, walking around to the other side of Nicole’s squad car and opening the door.

“I could murder a stack of pancakes.”

Nicole shook her head with a smile, sliding into the driver seat and buckling up. She waited for Wynonna to buckle up as well before she put the keys into the ignition and started the car up, slowly pulling out the driveway.

Wynonna bounced her leg up and down, staring out the window as she had done hours before when they had been racing to Waverly’s and Chrissy’s aid.

Nicole tightened her grip on the steering wheel to keep herself from reaching over and placing a reassuring hand on Wynonna’s leg.

They may have gotten over their earlier fight and they may have admitted to being each other’s best friend, but they weren’t in a place where Nicole could just reach over and touch Wynonna. Only Waverly held that right and Nicole knew it had very little to do with her and more to do with Wynonna’s own issues and the distrust she had in people’s motives and actions.

“I’m sure he’s okay,” Nicole said instead, trying to make her voice sound hopeful and light when in reality she was just as worried.

She wasn’t sure what could have happened to Dolls, but she knew that normally when Wynonna called, when Wynonna needed him, he answered. He was always there.

She turned her attention back to the road ahead as a figure came out of nowhere and stepped out onto the road.

Nicole slammed on the brakes and threw an arm out across Wynonna to keep her from lunging forward from the sudden stop.

“What the hell, Haught?” Wynonna asked but Nicole ignored her, keeping her eyes on the figure standing a couple of yards away.

Nicole threw the car into park and unbuckled. Opening her car door, she stepped out, glancing down and inside to Wynonna.

“Stay here. I’m going to see who it is and what they want.” Nicole left her door open, dropping her hand casually down to her pistol and slowly unlatching the strap of her holster that held it in place.

“Nicole!”