6. Chapter Six

“This guy is drunk off his ass, buck naked except for his cowboy boots and cowboy hat running down the sidewalk of main street with my father and uncle chasing after him,” Nicole waves her fork full of cheesecake in the air as she talks, her grin as big as Waverly had seen it and she can’t help but to smile and laugh along.

Champ’s hand crept up Waverly’s inner thigh for the third time since they had started eating dessert. Waverly pushed his hand away with a shake of her head, eyes never leaving Nicole as she spoke animatedly.

It was captivating watching Nicole tell stories about her family. She was captivating in the way she spoke with her hands and the way her eyes light up and danced with laughter as the story progressed. Waverly was completely captivated by everything that is Nicole Haught.

“My older brother Mike, who was a rookie at the time comes spiriting around the corner of some shop and runs straight into the man.” Nicole sets her fork down long enough to smack her palms together mimicking the sound of two bodies hitting on another, trying to keep her bubble of laughter in as she remember the look on Mike’s face when he realized the man on top of him was in fact naked.

Dinner had been nothing like Waverly had been expecting. Where she had thought that she would get to learn more about Nicole and maybe just maybe end up telling Nicole some things she kept buried, had turned into Nicole and Champ sharing light hearted stories from their childhood.

Stories that Waverly didn’t really have, leaving her feeling slightly left out at some points. But Nicole (ever the savoir), pulled her back into the conversation every time she started to feel left out. Whether it be with her directing her words at Waverly, making eye contact and holding it as she spoke. Or just simply brushing her foot against Waverly’s, letting her know that she hadn’t forgotten that she was there.

They were incredibly small gestures but they meant a lot to Waverly. She was so used to disappearing into the background, so used to being forgotten by the people around her that Nicole making sure that she was apart of the conversation and not forgotten meant everything.

Nicole was still talking with child like amusement, stilling waving her fork with the last bit of her cheesecake around in the air when Champ’s fingers climbed up her leg once again, this time with more insists, scooting his chair as close to her’s as he could.

To hide her discomfort and annoyances, Waverly reached for her beer, downing the lukewarm liquid with a grimace, looking anywhere but at Nicole. Champ pawing at her like she was some toy he could play with whenever he wanted was not something she wanted Nicole to see.

Waverly looked back at Nicole trying to concentrate on what Nicole was saying instead of the discomfort settling in the pit of her stomach. She tried to push his hand away once more but he dug his short, sharp nails into her thigh, refusing to budge.

“Till this day, the first thing you see when you walk into my parent’s house is a picture of Mikey with that drunk cowboy,” Nicole rolled her eyes, looking away from the couple as Champ leaned in to kiss Waverly’s neck, his eyes flickering up to meet hers.

She was too sober to sit and watch him try and devour Waverly in front of her. To watch him make a show of marking his claim on Waverly.

Honestly did the boy-man have no respect for Waverly? It was obvious in the way her body was stiff, cheeks flushed with what Nicole was sure to be embarrassment and not arousal, that she was clearly not into his advances.

She wanted to say something, to stop him, to save Waverly from what she thought was discomfort but it wasn’t her place. She hardly knew Waverly and did not want to risk upsetting her by instituting that she couldn’t take care of her.

So instead Nicole pushed away from the table, away from the couple, chair scraping against the hardwood floor and began gathering the empty beer bottles from the table.

Seeing a way out of Champ’s grasp without flat out rejecting him and embarrassing him in front of Nicole, Waverly shot up and began stacking the dishes on their side of the table. “Here, let me help.”

“You don’t ha-,” Nicole stopped short as her eyes met Waverly’s pleading ones. “Thanks.”

Waverly gave her a grateful smile and proceeded to take the dirty dishes to the sink.

Nicole set the empty bottles next to the sink to recycle later and turned towards a very annoyed Champ. “Can I get you another beer?”

She may not like the guy, okay she did not like the guy at all (it wasn’t her fault that he was a grade a douche), but her mother always told her to be polite to guest even if you didn’t care for them and well that was what she was going to do (or at least try to).

“No, it’s getting kinda late, we should be heading home in a few.”

Waverly turned away from the sink and shook her head at Champ. She knew that his momma had raised him better than that, raised him to have manners.

“Nicole was nice enough to make us dinner, the least with can do is help her clean up.”

Champ rolled eyes. “Guess I’ll take that beer.”

Nicole grabbed a couple of beers out of the fridge, passing one to Champ and the other to Waverly. “You can make yourself comfortable in the living room while we clean up if you want.”

“Whatever,” Champ mumbled, standing up and making his way into the living room and throwing himself down on Nicole’s couch and turned the T.V. on.

“Ass,” Nicole mumbled to his back.  

When Waverly was sure Champ wouldn’t hear her, she turned to Nicole. “I’m sorry about him, he’s usually not like this.”

Nicole shook her head slightly and placed her hand on Waverly’s upper arm, thumb brushing back and forth across the silky skin there. “You don’t have to apologize for him, he’s a grown man. At least I think he is.”

Waverly looked down at the hand on her arm, getting lost in the feel of the callused thumb moving across her arm then back up at Nicole, into warm brown eyes that shined with a hint of amusement and a impossible softness no one has ever looked at her with. “Someone has to.”

Maybe Nicole was right. Maybe she shouldn’t have to apologize on Champ’s behalf. Maybe he should act like the grown man that he supposedly is. Maybe he should try to show some manners. But could Waverly not apologize for the way he acted towards Nicole?

Nicole who had been nothing but kind, caring and overall amazing to her since the moment they met. Nicole who somehow seemed to get and understand her without even trying. Nicole who did not just see an Earp but saw her as her, as Waverly.

How could Waverly not apologize to Nicole for Champ being an ass when she had been so amazing to her?

“You never have to apologize to me Wave, not for him, not for anyone.” Nicole squeezed her arm lightly before dropping her hand and turning towards the sink, turning the hot water on to run some dish water, pouring a generous amount of dish soap into the water.

Waverly study Nicole from her peripheral vision. How could someone be so incredible? So nice? So understanding? And to her, an Earp of all people?

She wasn’t used to it. Sure people in town loved her and cared about her but she was still an Earp, still Wynonna, the town’s pariah’s little sister. The people of Purgatory were friendly sure but, they did not go out of their way to get to know her, to understand her, to be friends with her outside of Shorty’s.

What did she do to deserve someone like Nicole Haught in her life? What good did she do in this life or the last to get someone so amazing, so good as her friend? Was this, was Nicole the universe's way of making up for the shitty hand she had been dealt all her life?

Whatever it was, whatever the reason, be it fate, or destiny or, the universe or, just plain dumb luck Waverly was thankful to finally have someone like Nicole.  

“Thank you.” Waverly wasn’t sure if she was actually thanking Nicole or whatever, whoever brought Nicole into her life.

Nicole cocked her head to the side to look at Waverly. A soft expression mixed with something else Waverly couldn’t placed graced Nicole’s features. “For what?”

Waverly shrugged. “For tonight, for putting up with him,” She nodded towards the living room. “For just…. For being you.”

The redhead swallowed the words fighting their way up her throat and out her mouth. It was too soon, too much for words like ‘I’d do anything for you, put up with anything and anyone for you, I’d be anything, anyone for you.’

No matter if the words were true (and they were, God were they true), no matter if Nicole would mean every bit of it. No matter if Nicole would do anything for Waverly, be anything for Waverly, saying so could and would ruin their friendship before it really had a chance to fully form. And well, Nicole wasn’t willing to take that risk.

So instead Nicole hipped checked Waverly, smirked down at the shorter woman and letting a playful cockiness seep into her tone. “I am pretty amazing, aren’t I?”

“And full of yourself apparently,” Waverly rolled her eyes then proceeded to dip her hand into the warm soapy water, coming away with an overflowing handful of bubbles.

“Don’t do it Earp,” Nicole warned pointing a stern finger at the grinning woman, clearly seeing the other woman’s intent as she backed away. “I’m serious.”

“Or what Haught?” Waverly’s grin turned into a playful smirk as she struts forward, flicking her fingers at the redhead, sending the bubbles splattering across Nicole’s face.

Her and Wynonna used to have bubble fights all the time when they were little (before Willa and their Daddy had been killed, before Wynonna had been sent away, before her life changed forever). Their bubble fights had been one of the few happier moments of her otherwise bleak childhood.

She had tried multiple times over the course of them dating to get Champ to have a least one bubble fight with her, to help her relive one of the happier times of her childhood but he never would. He had always said it was childish and stupid but really he just didn’t want to get bubbles in his hair.

Waverly was sure Nicole had never looked cuter, more adorable than she did in that moment. Suds clinging to her eyelashes, splattered across her cheeks and chin, trying to fight off a grin and look angry but failing.

Bubbles dripped from Nicole’s nose onto her shirt as she stalked forward, causing Waverly to walk backwards until she hit the sink.

She could have stopped Waverly, could have grabbed her hand before she even had a chance to hit her with the suds but, Waverly had this look of absolute pure joy in her eyes that Nicole couldn’t bare to snuff out, didn’t have the heart to.

Nicole looked down at the shorter woman, grin long gone, face showing no emotion but her eyes held a lightheartedness,a softness to them as she trapped Waverly against the sink, allowing their bodies to press together.

Nicole’s breath caught in her throat all she could feel was Waverly against her. All she could smell was the hint of vanilla, the hint of coconut and something that was entirely Waverly Earp.

She hadn’t been expecting Waverly’s body to feel so good pressed against her own, to feel so right. To almost mold into her body as if they were meant to fit together.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” Nicole cursed at how low, how rough her voice sounded in that moment. She hoped the shorter woman couldn’t tell how much their bodies touching affected her.

She was playing that dangerous game again. Testing herself, her restraint, how close she could get to Waverly without making a move, without kissing her. She needed to know what her limitations were.

Waverly watched helpless as Nicole’s eyes drifted down to her lips then darted back up to her eyes before slowly drifting back down to her lips. Nicole’s eyes finally met hers again and she smiled softly at Waverly.  

Waverly bit down on her bottom lip, suppressing a moan at the intensity of desire (and fondness), burning in Nicole’s eyes.

No one had never looked at her with that level of want, that level of desire and so much affection that it made her heart swell and a warmth spread and settle in her lower belly.

Waverly was vaguely aware that Champ was in the other room. Hell she was vaguely aware that he existed at all. Nicole assaulted every one of her senses. All she could see, all she could feel, all she could breathe in was Nicole.

“Why’s that?” Waverly asked, trying to ignore the fire burning through her veins, trying to ignore how utterly amazing Nicole felt against her. She should push Nicole away, put some distance between them before either of them did something they would regret but she just didn’t have the will to.

Nicole got impossibly closer, dipping her head down until Waverly could feel her breath on her lips. The tips of their noses brushing together, smearing the bubbles on Nicole’s nose onto Waverly’s.

She was so sure that Nicole was going to kiss her and she was too lost in the amount of want in Nicole’s eyes to stop her.

What scared Waverly was the fact that she didn't want to stop Nicole. She wanted Nicole to kiss her. She wanted to feel Nicole's lips on her own.

And God she shouldn’t want that but she did. God help her, she wanted nothing more than for Nicole to kiss her.

“Because now I have to do this,” Nicole husked and before Waverly knew what was happening, Nicole stepped back and lightly hit her in the cheek with a handful of bubbles. Then proceeded to smear the bubbles all across her face.

Waverly drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her beating her, trying to rid the smell of Nicole from her lungs and forget the feel of Nicole’s body against hers (though she knew she never would).

The want that had consumed every part of her being a few seconds ago was replaced with guilt. An almost overpowering wave of guilt filled Waverly and she could hardly look the other woman in the eyes.

She was going to let Nicole kiss her and Champ, her boyfriend for God’s sake, was sitting in the other room. A boyfriend (who admittedly could be better), who had always treated her well enough, who had always been there for her, who had been the only person that hadn’t left her (besides Gus, Curtis, and Shorty but they were family, so it really didn’t count).

“That’s a great look on you.” A smile tugged it’s way onto Nicole’s lips then fell just as quickly at the distraught look on Waverly’s face. “Hey, are you okay?”

She took a step forward, reaching out to place her hand on Waverly’s arms but Waverly recoiled from her touch. Her heart sank as she dropped her hand to her side and took a couple of steps back, giving Waverly plenty of space.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole whispered looking down at her socked feet, ashamed. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

She really hadn’t meant to upset Waverly, make her uncomfortable. God, the last thing she wanted to do was make Waverly uncomfortable, upset her in anyway. If she for one second thought that what she did was going to make Waverly uncomfortable, she wouldn’t have done it at all.

Suddenly Nicole felt sick to her stomach. She had acted no better than Champ had been earlier. She had pushed her way into Waverly’s space. Touched Waverly without her consent (maybe not in the same way Champ had but that was just splitting hairs). She was no better than Champ freakin’ Hardy.

“God, Waverly, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, you have a cat,” Champ’s voice floated to their ears, stopping Waverly from telling Nicole that it was okay, that it was her fault, that she hadn’t meant to flinch away from her.

She was the one who wanted to kiss someone other than her boyfriend. She was the one who should be sorry, who should feel guilty (and she was and she did).

Nicole had actually forgotten that he was even there. She was too lost in shame, too lost in the guilt at making Waverly uncomfortable. Too lost in the distraught look on Waverly’s face. Too lost in the way Waverly recoiled from her.

“I wouldn’t go near her,” Nicole called out, wiping what little bubbles remained on her face with the back of her arm, looking anywhere but at Waverly. “She doesn-.”

Before she got to finish her sentence there was a yelp of pain coming from the living room. Followed by McGonagall hissing, something like glass breaking and Champ cursing loudly.

Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose and heaved a sigh, following a now worried Waverly into the living room. “Men, she doesn’t really like men.”

McGonagall bolted by them as they came to stand next to the coffee table (with Nicole giving Waverly plenty of space). Where Champ’s beer bottle laid broken on the ground with him kneeling next to it, holding a hand to his cheek.

“She attacked me,” he mumbled, looking every bit like a bratty kid that just got told no.

Honestly Nicole could not see what Waverly saw in the man child. He was not even remotely attractive. He could barely hold a conservation that did not center around him. He wasn’t very bright. He seemed to only care about himself. He was extremely disrespectful to Waverly.

He just wasn’t worth Waverly’s time, did not deserve her in any way. At least in Nicole’s opinion. And then she remembered that after the way she had just made Waverly feel uncomfortable, after she acted like she did, that she wasn’t worth Waverly’s time either, that she did not deserve Waverly either (and knowing that? hurt a lot more than she was willing to admit).

Champ removed his hand from his nose, revealing three deep scratches along his left cheek. A steady flow of blood dripped down his cheek and onto his shirt.

McGonagall is definitely getting extra treats tonight.

Okay, so maybe it was wrong to find the tiniest bit (it was definitely more than a tiny bit) of amusement from McGonagall attacking Champ but Nicole was sure the douche had done something to deserve it.

“Don’t get blood on the carpet, come on,” Nicole gripped Champ’s arm and hauled him to his feet, admittedly with a little more force than necessary (which was wrong, she was mad at herself and she shouldn’t take her mistakes out on him). “We’ll clean this up in the kitchen.”

When Waverly bent down to start cleaning up the broken bottle, Nicole reached out to stop her then pulled her hand away before she could actually touch Waverly.

She would not touch Waverly in any way without her consent again. She would not make Waverly uncomfortable again.

“I’ll get that later.”

Waverly met Nicole’s eyes. Eyes that were clouded with what she would describe as shame mixed guilt and a hint of anger. “Are you sure? I don’t mind cleaning it up.”

“It’s fine Waves, this isn't Shorty’s you don't have to clean up after,” Nicole stopped short. She's pretty sure calling Champ an idiot wouldn’t help the situation.

“You don’t have to clean up after anyone, just grab the first-aid kit from the bathroom yeah?” Nicole nodded towards the hallway off to their right then pulled Champ along to the kitchen.

With a nod, Waverly headed towards the hallway, flipping what she hoped to be the light for said hallway on.

Bright white light illuminated the surprisingly long hallway with three doors (at first glance, Waverly hadn’t thought the apartment to be very big), two on the left and one on the right.

A picture frame hanging on the wall at the far end of the hallway caught Waverly’s attention (the only personal object she had seen in what little of the apartment Nicole had shown them).  

What was so special about this one picture that Nicole had hung it up? When the rest of her apartment was bare, lacking a personal touch, lacking an insight into who the woman really was?

Curiosity getting the better of her, Waverly made her way down the hallway and to the picture frame. She usually wasn’t nosy, usually didn’t snoop (unless it had something to do with her family history). She usually respected other people’s privacy but the need, the curiosity to learn more about Nicole momentarily overruled

Imperfect brush strokes of pink and orange hues swirled together with hints of midnight blue across the sky. Pinkish, purple clouds streaked across the orange orb peeking over a grassy field.

In the bottom left corner of the painting, in shaky yet still beautiful handwriting read, ‘The sun always rises Nicky, always.’

“Waverly, what are you doing?” Nicole’s voice carried down the hallway, followed by her soft footsteps.

“It’s beautiful,” Waverly said softly when Nicole came to stand next to her. Close enough that their shoulders could brush if one of them were to move just the slightest bit towards the other but, far enough to give Waverly plenty of space.

“Mhm.” Nicole agreed.

It was her favorite painting, by her favorite artist. The last painting ever done by that artist. A painting that reminded her of the good and the bad of her childhood. A painting that meant a lot to her.

“My grandma painted that a week before she passed, two weeks before I left for the academy,” Nicole’s voice was thick, with a sorrow that only came with loss, a sorrow Waverly knew all too well.

Nicole ran her fingers over the words on the painting slowly. “Despite those stories I told, I didn’t have a very good childhood, things were rough for me growing up, my father, he uh, he didn’t accept who I was, even before I really knew who I was...”

Nicole’s voice trailed off and she dropped her hand from the painting, letting it fall in between them. Waverly reached out and took Nicole’s hand in hers, offering her silent support (if anyone understood shitty and rough childhoods, it was Waverly).

Nicole’s body tensed before relaxing and allowing their shoulders to brush lightly and intertwining their fingers. Relief flooded through Nicole, Waverly initiated the contact, maybe she hadn’t ruined this fragile friendship after all.

Very few people outside of her family, outside of friends from her hometown knew what her childhood was really like. She did not speak about it often, or at all really. Talking about it just brought up painful memories and anger she couldn’t let go of, no matter how hard she tried.

She wanted Waverly to know about her childhood though, her real childhood. Not just the hallmark stories she had told earlier. The painful ones that she could never truly let go of. The ones filled with so much anger, so much hate, so much hostility.

There were happy ones of course. Time spent with her grandparents. Time spent with Trenten on their family’s 15 acres of land. Time spent playing basketball in high school.  Time spent with her high school girlfriend and friends.

“It put a strain on my relationship with my parents, with my siblings, except for my little brother Trenten, it made me an outsider in my own home, made me the enemy in my own home,” Nicole finally spoke, squeezing Waverly’s hand, trying to anchor herself in this moment before all that hurt and anger took over.

“When things got really bad and I felt so alone, she used to always tell me that the sun would always rise, that no matter the pain and hurt the day had brought, that no matter the terrible things that happened that day, that no matter how terrible my father had been that day, that no matter how alone I felt.” Nicole’s voice was low, barely above a whisper and if Waverly hadn’t been standing so close, listening so intently, hanging on every word, she wouldn’t have heard any of it.

“A new day would always break and bring with it hope and change and a new beginnings,” Nicole looked away from the painting to Waverly, eyes filled with tears. She could practically hear her Grandma’s voice in her head. “And suddenly things didn’t seem so terrible you know? Because she was right, the sun would always rise and things would be beautiful and peaceful even if for just a moment.”

When things got hard, or things didn’t go quite as she planned, or her life just felt out of control (which happened a lot more than she’d like to admit), Nicole would repeat that simple phrase ‘The sun always rises’  over and over again.

Until her mind calmed, until she could come up with a new plan, until she felt in control of things, of her life again.

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hand and leaned her head on her shoulder. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Nicole asked, resisting the urge to press a kiss to the top of Waverly’s head. She had already made things awkward and uncomfortable once, she didn’t need to do it again. But God, did she want to.

“For sharing something so personal with me, something that’s obviously close to your heart.”

“I’d tell you anything Waverly Earp, all you have to do is ask.” And she meant it. If anyone were to know her, every last bit of her, she wanted that person to be Waverly.

Waverly believed she would, the level of earnest in her voice told Waverly that Nicole was willing to open up to her and she just hoped that she could open up to Nicole as well. She hoped that she could tell Nicole about her not so great (borderline horrific at times) childhood as well.

She wanted someone she could be totally honest with. Someone she could tell every memory she had to. Someone who could to some degree understand. Someone who wouldn’t judge her and wouldn’t think less of her. And she was pretty sure Nicole could be, would be that person if she would just let her.

“What’s taking so long?” Once again Champ interrupted them but this time the two were reluctant to pull apart.

“Come on,” Nicole gave Waverly’s hand one last squeeze before dropping it and turning towards the bathroom for the first-aid kit.

“So how did your date go?” Eric asked the younger officer as they made their way down main street towards the coffee shop for their early morning caffeine fix and maybe a doughnut (or two, or three).

“It wasn’t a date, just dinner,” Nicole corrected him, slapping his stomach lightly. “Champ ended up joining us.”

“Tough break,” Eric held the door to the coffee shop open for the redhead then followed her through the threshold, allowing the door to shut behind him with a dull thud. “But how was it? Besides Champ crashing it?”

“It wasn’t too bad.” She shrugged walking up to the counter, where Amy stood behind it, looking as stunning as ever.

If there was one person in all of Purgatory that could rival Waverly’s beauty, it would definitely be Amy Hale. What with her pale blue eyes that twinkled in the fluorescent lights of the cafe, her long curly dirty blonde hair that framed her face perfectly and, a smile that kept customers coming back almost as much as the coffee did.

“Officer Mills, Officer Haught!” Amy smiled brightly at the pair as they stopped at the counter. “Have to say I’m a bit disappointed that your uniform is up to regulations this morning.”

Nicole shrugged with a smirk gracing her lips. “Can I get a lar-”

“Large cappuccino to go and a sprinkled doughnut?” Amy finished for her, giving Nicole her best flirty smile, causing Eric to roll his eyes from beside Haught.

“You know me so well,” Nicole grinned and winked, leaning her hip against the counter and crossing her arms over her chest.

Amy looked over at Eric expectedly, waiting for his order, before turning her eyes back to Nicole. She couldn’t help it, not really. Nicole Haught was striking in her uniform, sexy and unbelievably hard to take her eyes off of.

“Oh what you don’t know my order too? I’ve been coming here longer than Haughtstuff here.” Eric teased though Amy wasn’t really paying him any attention, her eyes were too busy roaming the redhead officer’s body.

“Don’t be an ass Eric, he’ll have a coffee with two sugars and a plain doughnut.”

Amy nodded, a blush crawling up her neck to her cheeks and turned away from them.

“You know, Amy isn’t bad to look at and she’s single,” Eric leaned over and whispered to Nicole.

“Shut up.”

They chatted quietly for a few moments about Eric’s family while they waited for their orders.

“Here you go Officers,” Amy said, setting their orders down in front of them.

“Thanks,” Eric picking up his coffee and the baggy containing their doughnuts and headed for the door, calling over his shoulder. “Breakfast is on you this morning Haughtstuff.”

Nicole rolled her eyes at his retreating form and pulled her wallet out of her back pocket, pulling out a couple of bills but Amy’s hand on hers stop her.

“How about a date instead?” Amy caressed Nicole’s hand and gave her a hopeful smile.

“A date?” Nicole asked with an raised eyebrow.

“Mhm, tomorrow night?”

It’s not like she didn’t want to go on a date with Amy. She was funny and beautiful and fun to be around. It’s just that she wasn’t the person that had captured her completely attention, that set her skin of fire with just a simple touch, that voice was like music to her ears and that she could listen to for days, that had a smile that melted Nicole’s heart, that sent a spark throughout her entire body with just a simple look.  

In short Amy wasn’t Waverly Earp but Waverly had Champ and was straight as far as Nicole knew and Nicole wasn’t in the business of cheating, of falling for straight girls. And Amy was here and pretty and wanted to go out with her and who was she to say no to such a pretty girl?

“Sure.”