Finally Home: Wayhaught

Before she could ask though, Nicole's head popped up just as the song on the radio changed to something which Waverly didn’t recognise.

"So can we get a cat?" She asked hopefully and Waverly's eyes widened. 

"What?"

Dropping her shoulders, Nicole shrugged. "You told me to ask when you were awake.”

"Yeah, but I thought you were joking.” Waverly laughed softly as she stood up to change the station to something more modern. Usually, she knew Nicole would protest, but she took the opportunity whilst the redhead was distracted and wanted something.

"Why would I be joking?” Nicole winced a little when One Direction came on, but softened when it changed quickly to James Bay.

"I don't know, it just came out of nowhere.” Sitting back down, Waverly closed the paper and took another spoonful of cereal, smiling across at Nicole.

"Well can we?” The insistence of her girlfriend made Waverly chuckle slightly and she shook her head smiling.

Casually, Waverly pretended to read the front page of the paper, keeping her eyes trained on that as she answered with a smile. "I don't know, how about I call Chrissy and see if we can go over to the shelter tonight after work?” 

"Really?!” Nicole hadn’t expected her girlfriend to give in so easily and she almost fell off her chair in excitement. Truth was, Waverly had known for months Nicole had wanted a cat. The redhead was always showing her pictures of kittens or ‘cats in hats’ which she’d found on Tumblr, so Waverly had already taken it upon herself to figure out if it was logistically possible for them to get a cat in case Nicole ever worked up the nerve to ask her. 

“This isn't me saying yes though, it's me saying we will see." She raised her brow and tilted her head, waiting for confirmation.

"Yeah, I know, that's okay. Its great actually! You're the best!" Finally Nicole practically slurped her cereal down before leaping up from the chair to put her bowl in the sink.

"It's not a yes Nicole!" Waverly called after her, shaking her head and continuing to eat her own cereal at a much more normal and acceptable pace. 

“I hate this station.” Nicole grumbled as she walked back from the counter to the table. Waverly let out a hearty laugh at the mere seconds it had taken for Nicole to go from letting her do whatever she wanted, to criticising her music taste.

“I know but you’re going to get dressed anyway.” She grinned, sipping her coffee triumphantly.

“Are you coming?” Nicole smirked wrapping her arms around Waverly’s shoulders from behind and kissing the side of her head.

Waverly looked up from her chair, smirking back. “Are you offering?” She grinned and Nicole almost choked on the air around her.

“Wavesssss.” She pressed her face into the small girl’s neck. “Why do you always do this before work?”

Leaning her cheek against Nicole’s still smirking. “Do what?”

“Try and make me horny when you know it takes ages to put that uniform on properly.” Nicole mumbled into Waverly’s neck before finally pushing off to stand up. 

“Well you could just put it on not properly.” Waverly suggested, picking up her now empty bowl and standing up next to her girlfriend.

At that, Nicole’s mouth fell open and she blinked in shock. “Wha - what are you suggesting. This is my job.” She gaped in surprise.

“Well it was worth a try.” Waverly giggled and shook her head, leaning up to kiss Nicole on the cheek before turning to put her bowl in the sink. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled as she saw Nicole cross legged on the floor, with Whiskey rolling around on the floor in front of her as she stroked his belly.

“You know we only have half an hour until we have to leave so you better go and put that ‘very difficult’ uniform on. I wouldn’t want you to be late.” She winked over her shoulder and caught Nicole scowl at her, but stand up anyway. 

“Why are you being mean to me today?” Nicole pouted, muttering at Whiskey not to jump up.

Shaking her head, Waverly turned around smiling. “Because-“ she dried her hands quickly on a tea towel and sauntered over to Nicole, pushing onto her tippy toes to wrap her arms around her shoulders. “Today I can get away with the teasing since I’m taking you to look at cats tonight.” She grinned, kissing Nicole’s cheek. 

“That is… a very good point.” Nicole decided, turning slightly so their lips connected, smiling into the kiss. “I love you.” 

Nicole turned to head upstairs with Waverly following behind, shaking her head. “I’m still in charge of the AUX in the car.” Nicole didn't look back, but heard Waverly groan anyway. 

“You always choose it.”

“Uh yeah, because you and Jer have an unhealthy obsession with One Direction and frankly baby it’s getting a little out of hand.” As they enter the bedroom she gestured towards a 2014 cardboard cutout of Harry Styles which was leant against their dresser.

“It was a jokey gift from Jeremy!” Waverly protested, pulling off her tank top and clipping on her bra.

“Why do we still have it then?” Nicole raised a brow as she buttoned up her shirt, careful not to crease it as she fixed the poppers around her waist to hold it in place. 

“Because it was a gift I don’t want to be mean!” Waverly squeaked, pulling on her jeans now and fixing the button just above her belly button.

“Well can we at least put it in the closet, it’s weird.” 

Waverly feigned offence as she sat down at the dresser to do her makeup, looking up at Nicole attempting to tuck her shirt into her jeans without creasing anything.

“Nicole.” She hissed. “You know how hard it is to get back out of that thing.” She smiled, lifting her hands to cover cardboard Harry’s ears. 

Rolling her eyes Nicole reached for her tie, attempting to tie it four times before deciding it was good enough. She looked herself over in the full-length mirror, nodding as she straightened her collar and brushed her hands over her trousers ensuring they were straight. She looked to her right and saw Waverly pinning her hair into a half up pony-tail and smiled. She loved when her girlfriend wore her hair like that because it meant she could see all of her beautiful face instead of it being hidden by her flowing hair.

“Ten minutes, don’t be late.” Waverly grinned, standing up, slipping her black wedge boots on, kissing Nicole on the cheek and heading downstairs to make their lunches. She grinned as she reached the kitchen, knowing Nicole would never be late for anything, but didn’t correct her anyway. She hummed to herself as she quickly tore up lettuce leaves and tossed some tomatoes, olives and chopped peppers through it feeling positive about the day. 

Remembering her earlier conversation she pulled her phone out of her pocket, dialling her high school friend and putting it on speaker. After a few rings, the girl picked up.

“Waves! How are you!” Chrissy chirped from the end of the line and Waverly grinned as she heard soft meows and ceramic bowls moving around in the background. 

“Hey Chrissy! I’m great how are you?” She pulled out two tubs and started serving the salad up.

“I’m good, it’s a busy week, we’ve got a lot of appointments which is exciting but stressful.” Waverly could almost hear her friend smiling down the line as she closed the tubs and dropped everything into the sink.

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk to you about, Nicole and I are thinking about getting a cat-“

“Are you sure you two aren’t married?” Chrissy interrupted and Waverly rolled her eyes, but felt her heart jump a little at the suggestion. They’d only been together less than two years, but the longer they lived together, the more Waverly wanted to be able to introduce people to her ‘wife’ not just her girlfriend. She knew they didn’t need to be married to promise each other forever, they were already doing that everyday, but Waverly was a romantic, and a dreamer and she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t spent a significant portion of her free time imagining how beautiful their wedding would be. “When did you want to come?” She added on.

“Well actually I was thinking tonight, but if you’re really busy we can wait?” Waverly smiled and waved at Nicole who had entered the kitchen after fixing her boots and rolling her trousers ‘properly’. She flicked the phone off loudspeaker and held it up to her ear.

“Well we close at 7, you can come in after that if you like?” Chrissy replied without hesitation.

“No no it’s fine you don’t have to stay late, we can-“

“Relax Waves it’s fine, I’ve gotta stay for an hour after close to do the final checks, plus you’re practically family so it’ll be nice to see you both anyway.” Waverly smiled and leant back against the counter, watching Nicole pouring their coffee into matching travel mugs and muttering something about ‘her sister’ who needed to ’stop moving everything around in their kitchen’. She smiled as she heard her friend on the end of the line talking about Nedley and how he already looked to Nicole like a daughter and she’d ’never seen him so taken with a deputy’. Waverly sighed contentedly, this was her family and she was pretty darn happy about it. 

“Great, that’s perfect Chrissy thank you so much, we’ll see you tonight then, at 7!” She bit her lip trying not to laugh as Nicole’s head shot up from where she was fastening the lids on the coffee cups. 

’Tonight?!” The redhead mouthed with wide eyes and Waverly nodded, eliciting a small squeak and fist pump from Nicole.

“Can’t wait! Love ya!” Chrissy hurried out, as Waverly heard a door close, assuming it was a customer.

“Love you too, see ya.” She hung up and Nicole was already in front of her, leaning down to cover her in kisses.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” Nicole practically bounced up and down in front of her.

“It’s still not a yes Nicole.” Waverly reminded her as they made their way toward the door.

“Fine we can listen to One Direction.” With a snort, Waverly slid into the passenger seat of the cruiser shaking her head.

She might only have been in Purgatory a year, but she already felt like it had been a lifetime; she could barely remember her life before here and she certainly couldn’t imagine being anywhere else now. Maybe it had something to do with the fact she was dating and living with the ’nicest person in Purgatory’ but she already felt a part of the community; she felt as though her presence was valued and she could actually see the difference she was having with the reduction in vandalism and the lower amounts of teenagers hanging around the kids park at night. It was small, but it was a start, and she already had plans to adapt big city methods into a more subtle, small town plan in the hopes of cutting down speeding and drink driving.

Right now though, she had about half an hour to get through as many of these reports as possible before it was her turn on patrol. She should have gone on her lunch break an hour ago, but she’d texted Waverly telling her she’d have to skip their coffee date today. The last thing she needed was to fall behind, plus she could eat her salad in the car and pick up a coffee to-go from Shorty’s. The coffee machine at the station had broken since Lonnie had been using it without dusting off the filter and Nicole was honestly considering taking an hour of her schedule to put together a presentation explaining how coffee boosted productivity and how they needed a new one ASAP. 

Slipping one of the files into the ‘completed’ pile which needed to be properly ordered later, she pushed back and stretched out her arms before standing up and making her way into the bull-pen. She smiled nodded at Jamie Gilbrand - a non-binary rookie that Nicole had instantly hit off with over a shared love for Elvis - who called out asking if they were still on for their regular Friday night drinks and darts which Nicole and a few of the team had organised a while back. 

After a few short conversations, she came to a stop in front of the tanned young man with dark curly hair, a chiselled jawline which contrasted against his soft dough eyes. Mikey handed her a fresh coffee without even looking up from the file on his desk and she felt her jaw drop. When he looked up she caught the smirk on his face and the glimmer in his eye. 

“How did-“

"Same time everyday Haught.” He nodded at the clock on his desk. “Plus Waverly warned me what you’re like without coffee so I got you one on my patrol because I knew you’d be here to bother me right about now.” Nicole felt her mouth open and close, but no words came out as she gaped at the young officer.

Finally she composed herself and squinted. “I am not here to bother you.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m here to see if you’re finished with the files on the break-ins.” She held her hand out expectantly and he flipped the file shut and dropped it into her hand with a nod.

Once it was in her hand she nodded thankfully. “Did you find anything?” She had given the case over to Mikey a couple of days ago and asked him to pull information about the households involved.

“Yeah, they’re all original, founding families. Whoever did this had a personal vendetta.” He put his hand on his heart and put on an Italian accent. “Tis a crime of passion.” She rolled her eyes. Everything about Mikey was Italian from his dark, curly hair to his passionate temperament and his over-excited hand gestures. He was so Italian it still surprised Nicole every time he opened his mouth and spoke with a Canadian accent.

“Well I’m not sure Miss Wallace is going to be thrilled with me explaining to her that her new china lawn ornament was broken because someone was passionate.” She shook her head, but smiled anyway as they both remembered standing among scattered pieces of china as the erratic fifty something year old yelled at them, both holding their breath, trying not to laugh. 

“I can’t believe she was more upset about her lawn ornament than her ‘9 carrot diamond earrings’.” He made his voice higher to imitate the old woman and Nicole couldn’t help her snort this time. 

“Honestly I think she was just upset that Nedley hadn’t gone to deal with it.” She winked, sipping her coffee as Mikey snorted.

After a second, Mikey smirked and sipped his own coffee, spinning his chair around as she leant against his desk, coffee in one hand and paperwork in the other, crossing her legs at her ankles.

“How’s the wife?” He grinned.

Nicole felt her cheeks flush and she took a huge gulp of her coffee to hide her face. “We’re not married.” She mumbled.

“Yet.” Mikey raised a brow. “Honestly Nicole if you don’t marry Waverly Earp, I’ll never read a romance novel again.”

“You don’t read romance novels anyway.” She laughed, shaking her head.

“'Ruthless People' counts as a romance.” He said pointedly, folding his arms.

“Of course it does buddy.” She paused, “and titanic is a comedy movie.” 

He rolled his eyes and smirked. “Oh and hurry up because I don’t have $50 to give Gilbrand.” 

Nicole’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean $50?!” 

“$50 said you’d be engaged by next summer.” He grinned.

“You- you placed bets?!” She raised her brows in shock and he laughed heartily.

“I actually tried to get Waverly in on it, but she just told me to get ‘my muddy boots’ off your ‘freshly washed rug’.” He did his best Waverly impression and Nicole snorted, tipping her head back.

“She doesn’t sound like that.” She shook her head, laughing still. “Oooo!” She suddenly remembered their evening plans, clicking her fingers. “We’re getting a cat!” Her eyes widened.

Mikey mirrored her expression, with wide eyes. “You are? Since when?”

“Tonight! We’re going to Chrissy’s tonight to look at them!” 

The young brunette squinted his eyes. “Why do I feel like Waverly doesn’t know you’re getting a cat?” He asked.

“She’s the one who said we could go and look!” 

Now Mikey snorted at Nicole needing her permission for even going to view the cats. “Mhmm.” He hummed, and as she was about to protest, a voice boomed from behind her.

“Haught!” She turned and caught Nedley’s eye and he nodded at her gesturing he needed to speak to her.

“Do you think he knows how to use his call button?”  Gilbrand asked from a few desks over and Nicole rolled her eyes pushing off Mikey’s desk.

“Later Falcone.” She smiled at Mikey, tapping his desk as she pushed off towards the corridor where Nedley’s office was, leaving her paperwork there for the time being.

She stood to the left slightly and knocked a couple of times.

“Come in Haught.” Even though she couldn’t see him, she could feel him roll his eyes at her knocking when he’d obviously left the door open for her.

Without asking this time, she sat in the chair opposite his desk, knowing he would tell her to, and straightened her back.

“I’ve got something for you.” Without hesitation, he pulled something from his top drawer and slid it towards her on the desk, his hand lingering a little before he let go. 

She looked at him with a furrowed brow and flipped the overflowing, heavy file open and scanned it quickly.

“This is-“

“Everything we’ve covered up and every still open case from the past 12 months.” He finished her sentence.

“Sir, why are you giving this to me?” She asked with wide eyes, letting her hand flip through the pages to other cases.

“Because I’m retiring.” He stated matter of factly and she didn’t look up from the papers.

“I know that, but-“

“No. I’m retiring next week.”

Her head snapped up from the file, letting it close itself as she stared at him. 

“What?” She breathed out, unable to form a proper response through her surprise. “Sorry, I mean I uh -“

“It’s been a long time coming Haught.” He continued, giving her time to fathom the situation.

“When I gave you this job I had high expectations. I had seen first hand your work in Toronto and the passion you had for this line of work.”

“Sir I -"

"But-“ he interrupted her, pausing, to emphasise the point and she let him speak. “But I couldn’t have foreseen the way you care about this community.” 

“Sir-“

“Let me finish will ya kid.” He smiled to soften the words and she nodded, sitting back slightly. “Moving to Purgatory is a damn hard thing to do Nicole. It’s a small town and everyone here grew up in each other’s backyard - hell it’s called Purgatory for christ sake.” She smiled at him, but let him go on. “There aren’t many people who could come and make this old place home, but you’ve done more than that. This town loves you Haught. The kids ask for you to patrol the games, the old folk ask specifically for you to take their call-outs, the parents trust you to look after their families and we all know the Friday night darts was your idea.”

“Well-“

He scowled at her slightly and she shut up instantly. “What I’m saying if your girl wasn’t already a sure winner of nicest person in Purgatory, you would have absolutely taken that title.” He paused smiling at her tenderly. Her heart fluttered at the way he called Waverly her girl. “You made it your mission to make up for lost time, mowing everyone’s lawn last summer, volunteering to renovate Shorty’s after the flood, helping arrange charity events for the kids spring fete. You’ve made this town your home. I already knew you were a damn good officer, but now I know you’re a damn good person too and I’m not surprised you’re with the nicest person in town, because between the two of ya’ you’ve kept the spirit in this town alive and the people alive whilst you’re at it.” He laughed slightly. “Oh and I know you skipped lunch today to finish those reports.” He raised a brow, but stopped talking, indicating he was done.

“Sir… I, thank you.” Was all she managed, before shaking her head. “You’re giving me too much credit.” She laughed lightly. “This town really feels like home and that’s because everyone here welcomed me without hesitation. I hadn’t expected it, not after the coldness of the city, but I will never be able to thank you enough for believing in me and allowing me to make this place home.”

They both paused for a moment of comfortable silence, contemplating the gravity of the past year, before Nicole sighed and shook her head slightly.

“Everything good I have in my life is because I came here.” She breathed out almost silently, but Nedley caught it.

“Well I’m glad to hear that Haught.” He smiled, his smile warm and welcoming and everything Nicole felt towards this town was reflected in his tender smile. “You’re not going to be able to escape any time soon, because I’m asking you to be Sheriff.” His voice was soft and rough as the words left his mouth and Nicole felt her entire body flood with warmth. 

She had thought it felt good being promoted in the city, but now she realised it had always felt empty. She had felt proud out of spite for those who said she couldn’t, but now she felt proud out of love for those who said she could. She felt a warmth and a glow at the thought of being able to go home and tell Waverly tonight, to tell Jeremy and Robin and receive her inevitable fist bump and to tell her best friend and watch the squint on Wynonna’s face as she tried to figure out a snarky comment to make about her being a try-hard. She felt proud for being able to show those who believed in her that they were right too. Her heart leapt a little as she thought about calling Ash and hearing her make a snide remark about how she ’told her so’ or telling Jack and hearing him joke about second time lucky. 

In the city it had never felt right. The title of Sheriff was all she’d had, but there was an uncomfortable weight which told her she’d never be happy there. She never would have left though, for the sake of the effort she’d put into earning the title. Now the thought she would have stayed in that old apartment with only two people who cared about her feeling lonely, insignificant and isolated terrified her. Now she knew what community meant, what family meant and she knew this title was forever.

“If I’m going to be Sheriff, can we get a new coffee machine?” She grinned, tilting her head.

“Don’t push it Haught.” Nedley answered quickly, but his own lips twitched into a smile and her grin didn’t falter.

“Yessir.” She paused, getting serious for a second. “Seriously, thank you, for everything. I couldn’t have done this without you.”

Nedley shook his head. “Damn right you couldn’t.” He said, but he winked, indicating he knew she could have, but taking the credit anyway.

She smiled and shook her head. “I’ve got patrol.” Pushing up out of her chair, she looked down and nodded at him. “I won’t let you down Sir.” She promised with a nod as she walked towards the door.

“There’s a new one coming Monday morning.” He smiled at her, referencing the coffee machine as she looked over her shoulder and a grin formed again.

As she was making her way back to the baseball pavilion from her jeep, she heard a small voice call out from behind her. 

“Miss Waverly!” She spun on her heel to see a small ginger boy who she remembered from the soccer games Nicole patrolled occasionally.

“Hey Jakey, how are you buddy.” She softened, walking towards the boy who was probably about 10 years old. 

“Can I come and see your cat?!” The boy burst out excitedly, pressing on the handles of his bike as he bounced up and down.

“My wha-“

“Officer Haught said I had to ask you if I could come and play with it.”

Waverly groaned. “Oh she did, did she?” She sighed and softened her face. “Sure you can Jakey, but don’t be late back to school - lunch is almost over!” She tilted her head and the boy nodded excitedly, hopping onto his bike.

“Thank you!” He called as he rode off and Waverly shook her head, pressing a hand to her forehead and groaning slightly.

“You’ve got a cat?!” Jeremy came up beside her. “Since when?!” His eyes were wide and she rolled her eyes.

“No. No we don’t have a cat.”

“But Jakey-“

“Yeah I told Nicole we could go and look at them in the shelter tonight and she must have told the entire station and everyone on her patrol.” She sighed, making her way back towards Wynonna.

“You told her you could go and look?” Jeremy raised his brow and she nodded feebly. “Oh you are sooooo getting a cat.” He wiggled his brows.

“Whose getting a cat?!” Wynonna called, looking up  from her duffle bag on the floor and pulling out three necklaces with crosses on them and handing one to each of them.

“I’m gonna kill her.” Waverly mumbled pulling the necklace over her head and fastening it at the back.

One hour later, a flask of holy water and some well practiced chanting down, the pavilion stank of sage, but the exorcism was complete. As the three of them headed back out to the car Waverly pulled out her phone to call Nicole and let her know, but almost dropped it when she saw her jeep was gone.

“Where did you park again?” Wynonna mused, looking both ways down the road.

“I… I- right here!” Waverly threw her arms up and stepped forward onto the road, noticing a pile of broken glass in the road.

“Oh boy.” Jeremy muttered beside her and she spun around with wide eyes.

“It’s gone!” She began to pace. “Why would they take mine! It’s bright freaking red, everyone knows it’s my car! Surely someone must have seen them take it?! Or at least seen someone driving it. I mean why didn’t they take yours!” She gestured wildly to Wynonna. “Yours would blend right in!"

“Hey! Axl is very unique!” Wynonna huffed.

Usually Waverly would mock the fact her truck was named after the lead singer of guns and roses, or argue that the fact the front bumper was falling off didn’t make it ‘unique’.

“It’s gone Wynonna! It’s freaking gone! My truck! I’ve had her since I was sixteen!” She felt her entire body shaking with a combination of anger and heartbreak.

“Okay, okay, calm it. Call Officer Perfect and get her to come out here before you actually have an aneurism.” Wynonna said, putting a hand on her shoulder to still her. 

Waverly scowled and swallowed hard, but nodded anyway, pulling up Nicole on her phone.

It took only a few rings, before the redhead answered and Waverly would never stop being thankful that she was dating a cop.

“Hey baby, did you manage to get th-“

“My jeep is gone!” Waverly yelled into the phone, almost in tears and after Nicole pulled the phone away from her ear, wincing at the volume, she quickly put it back and replied.

“What do you mean gone, is it-“

“It’s been stolen! It was here, just parked on the curb and now it’s gone and there’s glass so someone obviously smashed the window and -“

“Okay baby breathe, where are you?” 

“The baseball pavilion!” Waverly yelled again and Nicole winced, but kept the phone there this time.

“Okay, what about Wynonna? Is her truck still-“

“Yes. Her’s is still here! It’s here and it’s freaking fine and mine, my jeep is-“

“Okay Waves, stay there and don’t let anyone touch the glass or the parking spot. I’ll be less than five minutes. It’s gonna be okay baby, we’ll get her back.” Nicole promised through the phone, even though she couldn’t guarantee it.

“Okay, okay.” Waverly sighed. “I love you.” She said softly. 

“I love you too, five minutes baby.” Nicole said, quickly hanging up the phone and bolting out the door of the station, calling behind her to tell Mikey she had a call out.

Waverly sat down on the curb and put her head on her knees as Wynonna went to check on her own truck and Jeremy called Robin to tell him. 

It was less than five minutes before Waverly saw Nicole’s squad car pull up across the road and the cherry light flick off as she cut the engine. Her head lifted out of her lap and before she could even push up to standing, Nicole was already over crouched in front of her, reaching out to cup her cheek.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Nicole asked softly, but with a hint of panic in her voice as her eyes scanned over Waverly’s body, looking for any indication she was hurt.

“I’m fine, I just can’t believe it.” She shook her head. “We were just in there doing the exorcism - oh by the way, that went fine.” She sighed and Nicole just nodded, prompting her to go on, not at all caring about the pavilion right now. “We came out to head back to the station and it was just gone.” With a small tear, she dropped her head into her lap again and Nicole stroked her hair, with a soft expression in her eyes.

“Okay, it’s okay I think it’s connected to what Mikey and I are working on which is good right? We have a lead already?” She tilted her head as Waverly lifted her head back up with slightly wet cheeks.

“Yeah?” She asked softly, and Nicole felt her knees go a little weak at the tone of her voice.

“Yeah. They’re targeting the original families and the Earp’s have been here forever right?” She stood up and offered her hand out to Waverly to help pull her up. 

Waverly nodded slowly and Nicole gave her a reassuring smile. She refrained from telling Waverly that it was probably actually really helpful that they targeted her, because it would significantly narrow down the suspects. There were a lot of people who would want to hurt the founding families - most of which were stuck-up rich recluses. However, the Earp’s were popular in the town and even someone targeting the original families would usually exclude them from the list - that is what Nicole had assumed at least when they’d figured out the pattern, but now that she’d been wrong it narrowed that list down significantly. She also refrained from telling Waverly that there was a very big chance that her jeep was already destroyed as the thief had a tendency for destruction.

Suddenly she stiffened, realising the jeep might not have been the end of it.

“Where’s your sister?” Nicole asked quickly, ducking to look into Waverly’s lowered gaze.

Without speaking, Waverly nodded towards the truck where Wynonna was circling it like a shark, looking for any scratches which looked new. It was futile as the entire truck was already battered beyond belief, but she did it anyway.

“I’ll be back in one sec.” She promised, quickly hurrying towards Wynonna. Stopping in front of the older Earp, she pulled her up to standing. “Do you have anything of significant value at the homestead?” She asked without hesitation.

“Nice to see you too jeez.” Wynonna raised her brows and Nicole scowled. “What do you think? The most expensive thing I own is my signed Mac Suzuki baseball.” She gasped dramatically. “MY SIGNED MAC SUZUKI BASEBALL!” She yelled as though it was a theatrical performance.

Nicole shoved her lightly. “Wynonna. I’m being serious, Waverly is upset!” 

The brunette softened slightly. “That jeep was on its last legs Haught.”

“Says you!” Nicole kicked at the tire of the truck softly. “And that’s not the point anyway, she loved that thing.”

“Loved? You’re talking like it’s dead.” Wynonna raised a brow.

“Wynonna.” Nicole hissed, looking over her shoulder to make sure Waverly hadn’t heard and pushing the girl round behind the truck. “Do you have anything of monetary value at the homestead.” She repeated and Wynonna shook her head.

“No. Other than the electrical stuff. Waverly took all of her expensive jewellery and shit.” She shrugged.

Nicole’s eyes widened. “They wouldn’t rob a police officers house would they?” 

Wynonna snorted. “If it was yours they would you big softie. You don’t scare anyone.”

They both knew that was a lie. Nicole might be soft with Waverly and even Wynonna, but everyone knew how seriously she took her job and the few people who didn’t respect her enough to stay in line, feared her excellent detective skills enough.

“You head to the homestead and let me know anything out of the ordinary. Take Jer with you. I’ll take Waverly home and check our place.” She nodded assuredly and turned quickly, heading back over to Waverly who was kicking the curb like a lost and disoriented child. Nicole felt her heart physically break as she walked towards her.

“Waves? I’m gonna take you home okay?” Waverly nodded, taking her hand and walking towards the car. Once she was in the passenger seat, Nicole reached into the back and pulled out a DSLR, heading back to take photos of the scene.

She picked up her walkie talkie, calling it in. “10-23 Haught here. Stolen Red 1987 Jeep YJ. 10-28: Plate no. BVK 1457.”

“Copy 10-20 Haught.”

“Front entrance of the Baseball pavilion. Directly opposite no. 67.”

“10-4. Do you need assistance?”

“No. I’m photographing the scene now and then going to check the houses.” 

“10-4.” There was a momentary pause, before she heard Andrea from front desk inhale slightly. “Hang on, a red 1987 jeep isn’t that-“

“Waverly’s? Yes.” Nicole clarified without missing a beat.

“Is she alright?” Nicole knew now that the woman was asking as a friend and not as a respondent right now.

“She’s upset, that jeep was a gift from her mother and she’s had it since she was a teenager, but physically she’s fine.” 

“Okay, you take care of her now Haught.” The middle-aged woman replied with assertion and Nicole nodded, looking back to the car where she could see Waverly fiddling with the buttons on the radio. She clicked a few more photos and started walking back.

“I plan too. Thanks Andrea.”

“10-4.” The woman replied, brining it back to professionalism.

“10-86. Be back at the station in half an hour. Get Falcone on it, suspect can’t have gone far. Tell him the target was the Earp’s - that's important.”

“Will do. See you soon Haught.”

The call clicked off just as Nicole slid into the drivers seat, hearing Adele coming through the player. She smiled slightly at the familiar sound of the ’sad Waverly’ playlist.

“How are you doing baby?” Nicole leaned over now, checking there was no one around and finally kissed Waverly softly.

When she pulled away she saw her girlfriend’s shoulders drop slightly, letting some of the tension go.

Waverly shrugged, setting her hands in her lap as Nicole put the car into reverse. 

“Do you actually think we’ll be able to get it back?” She said softly and Nicole glanced over quickly, sighing.

“I don’t know Waves. I hope so, but I don’t think they’ll try and sell it and they probably won’t keep it so I can’t promise you they won’t uh, damage it.” She looked for the nicest word to essentially say ‘destroy’ it. She knew all of the local garages would have been given the information so they wouldn’t be able to sell it without it being called in and it was too much of a renowned car for anyone other than Waverly to keep it - even if they painted it - so she could only see one option. 

Waverly didn’t say anything, she just looked forward and remained silent for the rest of the 10 minute drive to their place. 

"Just wait here for five minutes okay baby?" Nicole reached across and squeezed her knee, opening the door with her other hand.

"It'll be quicker if I come." Waverly replied resting her hand on top of Nicole's.

"Yeah you're right, but I'm armed." Nicole said softly and Waverly nodded and sat back, not in the mood to argue right now anyway.

"I'll be five minutes." Slipping out of the car, Nicole hurried towards their front door, pushing it open with her elbow and readying her pistol. She didn't think there would be anyone there, but she wasn't taking any chances, not after last time. 

She moved silently through the downstairs, checking for anything out of place and silently thanking both herself and her girlfriend for how tidy they were. Once upstairs she smiled, noticing Whiskey asleep in his bed on the landing and relaxing a little as she moved to check the bedroom. After checking the bedroom she lowered her gun and hurried back downstairs and out to the car.

Nicole slid into the drivers seat and turned on the gas, ready to tell Waverly that the house was fine, but Waverly got there first.

"Where are we going." She turned to look at Nicole who paused before reversing out.

"I'll drop you with your sister, then I've got to go back to the station." Nicole smiled tenderly.

"Can I stay here?" Waverly mumbled and Nicole knew she would let her do whatever she wanted, but not without trying to keep her integrity for at least a minute.

"Waves, I-"

"Please?" Waverly turned in her seat to face her and Nicole’s stomach flipped at the slight pout.

"I just want to be sure its safe, we don't know if they'll come here next, I'd rather-"

"They won't come here. They already got the Jeep, they won't risk it." Waverly said matter of factly.

"Waves we don't know that it's just one person."

"I just want to be alone." Waverly sighed. Nicole knew that meant lying in bed with ice cream, the dog and Pretty Little Liars on Netflix, but she gave in anyway.

"I can get Wynonna to come here?" She asked hopefully, but Waverly shook her head. "Okay, can you at least call me every half an hour?" Nicole practically pleaded and before Waverly could protest about not needing a babysitter, continued. "Not for you, but just because I worry, I can't help worrying Waves, just call me me everything is good and then you can keep watching TV or reading or whatever." She tried to make it sound as casual as possible.

"Okay." Waverly mumbled, leaning over to kiss her quickly.

"I'll be home in 2 hours." Nicole promised checking the time and seeing it was 16:00. 

Waverly nodded and Nicole watched her go inside and lock the door before puffing out her cheeks and exhaling sharply. She drove quickly back to the station to file the report, call Wynonna and check in with Mikey. All the while she kept thinking how anyone except Waverly Earp would want someone with them after a robbery, but not her girl, she was stubborn and brave and frankly it sometimes terrified Nicole, but she loved her all the more for it.

Mikey was already halfway through the records, pulling anyone with a vendetta agains the Earp name, Wynonna had texted her the all clear and she was nose deep into her own research an hour and a half later, when the phone rang again.

"Waves its not been half an-"

"I think there's someone downstairs." Waverly hissed.

"Where are you?" 

"Bathroom." Waverly whispered back and Nicole didn't want her to keep talking in case she was heard. She was already halfway out of the station by this point.

"On my way. Stay there don't make a sound." She whispered, putting the phone down. Moments like this she wished she'd left a gun in the bedside table, anything upstairs so Waverly could defend herself instead of being forced to hide helplessly.

"10-31!" She called out to Mikey, running through the bull-pen.

"Location?" Andrea called from behind her.

"My place." She called back, turning to check gesture at Mikey to follow. The room fell silent as everyone realised Waverly was at the house and Nicole heard heavy boots thudding behind her as Mikey chased her.

"I knew I should have made her go to the homestead. Damn it!" She slammed a hand down on the wheel as she sped through town, her heart racing and her breathing heavy.

“Nicole, she will be fine. We’re after a thief not a killer.” Nicole winced at his words.

“Yeah well you can’t underestimate people.” She muttered and he turned to look at her.

“Nicole-“ 

“We’re here.” She said, already halfway out of the car, Mikey hopped out after her and readied his weapon as they opened the door loudly.

“Purgatory Sheriff’s department, stay where you are we’re armed!” She called out, but before the sentence even left her lips they heard a clatter of the back door and Mikey shot off around the corner, through the living room and out the door in the kitchen after the suspect.

Nicole took off back out the front door and round the left of the house, hoping to catch him from another angle. 

They charged down the alley behind her house, Ted slightly ahead and both of them able to see the back of a thin man slightly on the shorter side, wearing a red hoodie and straight leg, dark blue jeans.

The man jumped a fence and Mikey went right, cutting through a gap in the fence in case the suspect turned right at the crossroads on the opposite side. Nicole vaulted the fence and turned left when neither of them could see him. They split off and Mikey kept running right, Nicole left, but neither of them could see him after he’d jumped the fence. 

“Shit!” She called, spinning to find Mikey walking back towards her shaking his head. They met at the gap in the fence.

“We lost him Haught.” He said. And Nicole slammed her head into her hands and muffled her yelling.

“How the fuck did we loose him, he was right here and -“ her eyes widened. “Waverly!” She darted through the gap in the fence, not looking back for Mikey and sprinted down the alleyway, through the backdoor of their kitchen and up the stairs, taking two at a time.

“Waverly?” She breathed out, resting her hand on the bathroom door and trying to catch her breath. 

“Nicole?” The voice which replied was small and close to the door and Nicole felt her heart rate slow and her shoulders drop for the first time since the call.

“Yeah it’s just me baby.” The redhead heard the lock click and stepped back as the door opened. Instantly Waverly threw her arms around her and sighed and Whiskey ran out from behind her, jumping onto the bed and settling down.

Nicole held her closely and inhaled the soft scent of strawberries and roses, savouring the moment and how thankful she was that it wasn’t worse.

“Are you okay, he didn’t find you did he?” Nicole was pretty sure she knew the answer, but asked anyway, needing to know her girlfriend was okay.

“I’m okay.” Waverly promised. “Did you get him?” She rested her head on Nicole’s shoulder and the redhead rubbed her back softly, resting her chin on her head.

“No he got away. He had a head start and we lost him at a crossroads.” With a sigh, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to hide her own frustration. 

They held each other silently, before she heard Mikey call out to announce he was coming into the house.

“You’re going to have to come down to the station, is that okay?” Nicole pulled back and ducked her head to look at her girlfriend with a soft smile.

“Yeah I knew you’d say that, it’s fine.” Waverly smiled, moving past her to get changed quickly. 

“I’m gonna go and check if he took anything from downstairs, I’ll be back up in a few minutes.” Nicole nodded, heading to the doorway and protectively closing the bedroom door, knowing Mikey was downstairs.

Mikey was already taking pictures of the fixture on the back door which had been knocked in and Nicole silently made her way around the kitchen, careful not to touch anything, knowing they would need to take fingerprints. She pushed her sleeve over her hand and pulled open the drawer with the small jar of cash they kept as an emergency fund and the other old jewellery and her grandad’s old pocket watch. Everything was still there.

“He didn’t take anything.” She turned and shook her head, confused.

“It’s like he was looking for something.” Mikey turned, taking photos of the kitchen and Nicole slumped into a chair, folding her arms and looking around their kitchen. “There’s literally a $1500 laptop on the couch and a bluetooth speaker over there worth a couple of hundred dollars. Your guitar is worth a lot too and those ornaments were expensive. There is so much he could have taken, but he didn’t take a thing, not even the laptop.” He paused and Nicole scowled.

“What could he have been looking for?” 

Mikey shrugged and Nicole groaned, pushing up. “I’ll get Waverly and you can call it in.” She paused momentarily, turning to face him. “Did you see his hair? He had a cap on and I couldn’t see the colour, but it had to be short because it wasn’t sticking out.”

“No I didn’t catch it, but I’ll relay that Haught.” He nodded and she headed upstairs, pushing into the bedroom.

“Waves you good?” She opened the door and saw Waverly lying on her back on the bed with her legs dangling over the edge. “Baby what’s going on?” Carefully she lay on the bed next to her, twisting onto her side to look at her girlfriend who was staring at the ceiling. 

With a huff, Waverly shook her head letting out a humourless laugh. “I’m exhausted, it feels like days ago we were sat in the kitchen table joking about getting a cat.” She sighed. “It’s just been a day.”

“I know baby, let’s just go and fill out the report and then we can come home.” Nicole reached out to stroke her hair, tucking a strand behind her ear.

“We were supposed to go and see the cats.” Waverly turned with wide eyes and the redhead smiled, her eyes glistening with love. 

Nicole shook her head, unable to believe that Waverly was still thinking of her even when stressed and tired. “It’s okay, text Chrissy, we have forever to go and see them, I just want to come home and cuddle.” She pushed up onto her elbows and then stood up, reaching out for Waverly.

“Cuddling sounds good.” The small girl smiled sheepishly and Nicole pulled her into a brief hug as her phone rang. She stepped back and checked the caller ID. 

Noticing it was Andrea she took it, one hand still on Waverly’s hip.

“Officer Haught.” She stated, lowering her voice from girlfriend Nicole to Officer Haught.

“Haught, they found the jeep. Someone abandoned it.” Nicole held her breath, looking down at Waverly who had raised brows, wanting to know what the call was about. 

“How bad is it?” She answered, trying not to give Waverly any indication of the call.

“I haven’t seen it, but from the call it’s pretty busted, you’d have to go and see for yourself, but someone’s taken a hammer to it.”

“Where is it?” 

“In front of the farm on route 77.” Came the quick reply and Nicole nodded, squeezing her hand against Waverly’s hip.

“Okay thank you, we’ll head there now before stopping in at the station.”

“Alright, be careful Haught.”

“Always.” Nicole hung up, resting her head against Waverly’s. “They found the jeep.” She sighed breathily and Waverly stiffened, pulling away.

“They found it? What do you mean?” Waverly shook her head in disbelief.

“It was abandoned on route 77.” She paused. “Andrea said it’s damaged, but she doesn’t know how bad. We could still fix it though?” Nicole promised, looking down hopefully.

Waverly nodded, taking her hand and hurrying downstairs. “Let’s go.” 

Once downstairs, Nicole gave Mikey the forensic kit from her squad car and permission to swab their house whilst they went to find the jeep.

“Oh my god.” She heard Waverly breathe out beside her. The small girl felt sick looking at her car, it was almost unrecognisable. The only thing she had which was a gift from her mamma before she abandoned them, the one thing which she had taken more care of than she had of herself over the years was almost in pieces in the middle of a field. It wasn’t just that it was sentimental though, the sight was terrifying. Whoever had done this was furious and hated her enough to not only steal, but brutally vandalise her car and the thought made her shiver. Nicole noticed the stillness and fear in her girlfriend’s wide eyes and leant over to squeeze her shoulder.

“Let’s go and look together. I’m gonna have to take some photos, but then we can call in Pete, maybe it can still be fixed baby? At least we have it back?” She tried and Waverly nodded weakly. Nicole knew the small girl was close to tears and seeing Waverly cry was the one thing which made her feel like she couldn’t breathe, like someone had shot her in the hip all over again. Every time Waverly broke down the image of the small girl sobbing on the landing flashed in her mind and she promised herself everyday that she would do whatever it took to make sure Waverly was never hurt again, but some things were out of her control.

They made their way towards the jeep and Waverly let out a sharp breath as they got a closer look. Savage gashes had been made to all four tires, both wing mirrors were clean off, every window was smashed and the fabric of the interior seats torn up as though by an animal. A hammer had been taken to one side and the other side what looked like a knife and huge dents had been made all over the roof and hood. Nicole knew if she popped the hood there would likely be some mechanical damage too, but she needed to take photos first.

Gently, she pulled on Waverly’s arm to stop her and gave a reassuring smile as she moved away from her and took a few photos before returning to her side. Together they lifted the hood and although neither of them were particularly advanced in mechanics, it was clear some wires had been cut and a hammer had been taken to the engine. 

Waverly was shaking softly and Nicole wasn’t sure if it was out of fear, anger, sadness or a combination of all three. No matter how long she spent as a cop, she would never get used to how cruel and malicious people could be for the smallest reasons. 

“Let’s call Pete. He’s the best mechanic around, we can get it fixed?” She squeezed Waverly’s hand gently.

The brunette shook her head. “Nicole it’s going to cost thousands. I can’t afford to pay for all this, it’s destroyed!” Her voice was loud, but the words sounded more like sobs. The 17 year old girl inside her couldn’t help feeling like she just wanted to take it home, that leaving it out here in the field meant she didn’t care and that it would become a home for lost animals. 

“Waves. We can afford it, we have the stash under the sink, plus-“ she paused, not sure now was the right time to talk about her promotion. “Plus I think I have a bonus coming from work. We can afford it together.” Nicole smiled reassuringly. “Don’t write her off yet, Sandy's still got a few years in her yet.” She winked.

“Nicole you don’t have to-“

"I want to help.” Nicole reassured her, turning to rest her hands on Waverly’s hips and grounding her. “I want to help fix this. We live together now, we’re a team and it’s either we fix her or we buy another car and I’d rather spend the money on getting her fixed.”

“But… but she’s old, it would make more sense to replace her.” Waverly bit her lip and looked down, not wanting to, but knowing it was the logical solution.

“Old doesn’t mean bad.” Nicole clarified, tilting Waverly’s head up. “My Panasonic tape player is stronger than ever and he’s been around decades.” She stated proudly and Waverly let out a small laugh.

“Is he though?” She laughed softly and Nicole smiled, kissing her gently.

“We’ll get her fixed Waverly. I’m already quite attached.” With a wink, she pulled out her phone to dial Pete the mechanic. 

Twenty minutes later, they saw the tow truck pull up beside Nicole’s squad car and Pete hop out.

They stood up from the old bales they’d been sitting on and walked towards him.

“God someone really did a number on her huh?” Pete scratched his neck, eyeing the truck raised brows.

Waverly kicked the dirt and Nicole steeled beside her. “Yeah, can you fix her?” She asked with confidence, hands rested on her belt and her work demeanour on.

“I’ve gotta check the engine, but the exterior will mostly need patching and some areas replacing…” he popped the hood and whistled sharply shaking his head. “Engine is gonna need replacing too, as are these.” He flicked a few of the wires and Nicole scowled at his blaze attitude. “It’s gonna be an expensive repair Haught.” 

Waverly sighed, still looking at the ground and Nicole stepped towards him, looking at the engine too. “But you can fix it?” She repeated.

“Yeah, like I said, some parts will need replacing and it’s gonna take about a month, but I could have her back almost brand new - or as brand new as she was in the 80s.” He winked and Nicole dug her nails into her belt hard.

“Got a quote?” She said professionally, looking over her shoulder at Waverly.

“You’re gonna be looking at between $8-10,000.” He stated plainly and Nicole’s eyes widened. She heard Waverly’s trainer catch on a stone and she turned to see her girlfriend’s eyes as wide as her own. 

Against her better judgement she swallowed and nodded, turning back to make eye contact with the man who was smiling softly. “Okay.” She said. “Take it with you and let me know when you’ve had a proper look at her. Start with what is necessary - the mechanics, tires and windshield - and then we’ll pay for bodywork as and when.” She suggested and Pete nodded.

“Gotcha.” He said, heading to the truck to grab the towline. 

“Nicole.” Waverly stepped forward and Nicole took a deep breath trying to compose herself. Something about Pete rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe she was being short-tempered because she’d had a bad day, or maybe it was the fact he didn’t understand the sentimental value of the car, but she didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.

“Let’s go. I’ll give him my card and then he can call once she’s at the garage.” Nicole stormed towards Pete and handed him her card. Waverly watched from the side of the squad car as the man gave an apologetic smile and nod and Nicole turned with a smile heading towards her car.

The rest of the evening had flown by. They collected Mikey, filed out an incident report at the station, cancelled on Chrissy, gotten a take-out and finally crawled into bed after 11pm exhausted and drained from the emotions of the day.

Waverly’s hand was draped over Nicole’s shoulder and Nicole’s was twisted in the soft waves flowing over Waverly's exposed collar bone as they lay facing each other, naked under the covers.

“How are you feeling?” Nicole mumbled, with closed eyes, her hand mindlessly caressing Waverly’s cheek now.

“Tired, but thankful. That the car is in the garage and that you were there for all of it.” Waverly replied, her eyes open and her mouth turned up into a smile at the sleepy redhead opposite her. “You were going to tell me something earlier, I could see it in your eyes at the farm, but you didn’t because it wasn’t the right time.” Waverly paused, moving closer and entwining their legs under the covers. “What was it?” She finished, resting their foreheads together.

Without opening her eyes Nicole felt her mouth pull up into a smile, her body tingling from the soft touch of Waverly’s legs under the sheets and from the warmth of pride at the news she had. This wasn’t how she’d planned to tell her girlfriend, she had wanted a big dinner and fancy flowers and a huge buildup speech, but none of today had gone as planned. Right from Waverly’s acceptance of the cat visit, to Mikey’s surprise coffee, to Nedley’s announcement, to the theft and the break in and finding the vehicle in the end. They didn’t always have time to wait for the ‘right moment’ and there was only one person she wanted to tell right now and that was Waverly.

She opened her eyes and pulled her head back slightly, to look at Waverly as she said it. “Nedley is promoting me. He’s retiring next week.” She smiled, rubbing her thumb over Waverly’s cheek, but the small girl’s eyes widened and she sat up quickly, catching Nicole off guard.

“To Sheriff? You’re gonna be Sheriff?!” Her voice was high, but still quiet from tiredness and Nicole felt her heart flutter slightly at the sound. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna be sheriff. Next week.” She smiled sheepishly. 

“Baby this is big news!” Waverly reached out and pushed red hair out of her face.

“Well it’s -“

“No it’s big news Nicole.” Waverly asserted with a huge smile.

“I know.” Nicole ducked her head smiling slightly. 

Waverly grinned and leant forward kissing Nicole’s forehead softly. “I’m so proud of you baby.” 

Blushing, Nicole looked up and connected their lips, relaxing into the moment after the roller coaster of a day.

After a moment Waverly pulled away with a sparkle in her eye. “How did he do it? Did he just ask you?” She grinned. Her, Chrissy, Rosita and Stephanie had grown up as best friends and Nedley had become like a second dad to her after her own father passed away. She couldn’t imagine the old man doing anything other than getting straight to the point, but something so important intrigued her.

“It was actually really sweet.” Nicole smiled fondly. “He just said he was happy I’d made myself a part of the community and he knew he’d made the right decision.” She felt her cheeks redden in the soft glow of their bedside lamp. 

“That’s really nice.” Waverly paused to kiss her cheek. "He’s right though.” Then she kissed Nicole’s forehead. “i feel like the luckiest girl alive. You moved out here for me, but you stayed for us, because you made this your home and your family.” She cupped Nicole’s cheek gently. “You’re the best thing to ever happen to this place, and everyone loves you baby. You deserve this, Sheriff Nicole Haught.” She grinned and kissed Nicole passionately on the lips. 

The redhead wrapped her arms around her and held her close, loosing herself for a moment in the electricity flooding through her veins. Waverly was the only person who could make everything seem better at the end of the day. She had time to tell everyone else, but right now, hearing the words from the woman she loved was enough for her. 

“Oh and by the way.” Waverly mused as turned to lie in Nicole’s arms. Nicole wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her close, resting her head in the small of her shoulder.

“Mhmm.” She hummed, entirely content and relaxed after the craziness of the days events.

“I know everyone loves you, because they always stop me to talk about you.” Waverly started with a smirk that Nicole couldn’t see.

“Really?” Nicole replied, her eyebrows slightly raised, as she kissed Waverly’s neck softly.

“Yeah, which is why I know you’ve told half the town we’re getting a cat.” Lifting her head, Waverly looked over her shoulder with a scowl, although her mouth twitched up into a smile. She saw Nicole lift her shoulders gently and give a goofy smile. Moments like this gave Waverly goosebumps. Everyone else saw the stoic, professional Nicole, or even the fun, chatty, caring, protective friend and girlfriend, but no one else got to see the vulnerable, goofy side of Nicole. This was the side of Nicole that Waverly would catch dancing around the kitchen singing Survivor when the Raptors won a game; or the side of Nicole that would put on funny voices whilst they watched a movie, just to make her giggle. This was the side of Nicole who would promise her PowerPoints on why they should get a cat, or hold fake funerals when one of her tapes got damaged. This was the side of Nicole that was entirely hers and the side that made her feel safe and protective and in love more than anything else. Right now, with her goofy smile and excited eyes, Waverly knew that they were getting a cat.

“You better start picking out names then cutie.” Nicole lulled, pushing forward to connect their lips with a smile. 

Waverly smiled and shifted back around, so her back was pressed against Nicole’s front and the redhead’s warm arms were around her waist. “I’m vetoing Garfield.” She mumbled and felt Nicole’s warm breath against her neck as she laughed. They lay entwined, smiling to themselves, Nicole very definitely dreaming of their future cat and what they would name it and Waverly definitely dreaming of watching Nicole play with it.