Forced Declaration
It was a monumental effort to force one foot in front of the other. I need Wynonna. Nicole didn't bother to force the thoughts away anymore. It was too much work to convince herself that the real enemy was Bobo. Wynonna's gonna pay. The cut on her cheek began to itch, so the officer didn't hesitate on clawing away at her cheek. Fresh blood dripped down her cheek, to her chin, and down her neck.
There was a fire ignited deep in Nicole's eyes, so she figured that that was why everyone on the street was crossing the road to get away from her. The station was just in her sights, but before she could open the door, it was pushed open for her. Dolls and Doc came to a stop when they caught sight of Nicole.
"Miss Haught?" questioned Doc. "Are you feeling up to par?"
"What are you two doing?" Nicole demanded when she saw the guns and ammo they were toting.
"That's classified," dismissed Dolls as usual, which prompted an eye roll from Doc.
"Purgatory is overrun by revenants, a.k.a, Wyatt Earp's resurrected outlaws. Bobo del Rey's their leader. I am Doc Holliday, yes, that Doc Holliday, and Dolls here? He's just a dick." informed Doc Holliday.
Dolls bore holes into Doc with a stunned and agitated look. Despite the ringing in Nicole's ears, she had to admit that she wasn't that surprised. She knew all along that Purgatory was more than "quirky", as Sheriff Nedley liked to put it.
"I knew it! Thank you!" exclaimed Nicole, relieved that she wasn't going crazy, but she spoke too soon as a particularly strong wave of pain pulsed through her body.
Nicole staggered and swayed on her feet, and Doc was quick to rush forward to catch her before she fell. The concern in his eyes soon shifted into grim realization. He swore under his breath, but pulled her to her feet.
"We're on our way to find a cure." assured Dolls monotonously. "In the mean time, hang on tight while we go raid Shorty's."
Nicole, unable to say much else, nodded just a fraction of an inch. When Doc and Dolls' figures disappeared, Nicole slumped against the glass door to catch her breath. I'll get the cure myself. I just gotta find Wynonna. With that thought in mind, Nicole braced herself as she slowly slipped her way inside the building. The farthest she could make it was to the break room where she immediately slumped to the floor, exhaustion quickly claiming her body.
...
Nicole's stomach was alive with butterflies that wanted out. No matter how many times she fiddled with her uniform, her first day jitters still wracked her body. The new rookie was well aware of the things she was losing by moving to a new, much smaller town to get the position, but she kept telling herself that it was worth it. After releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, Nicole got out of the car along with another deputy that rode along with her.
It was a simple call. Officer Wright, the man who accompanied her on the call, assured her (almost mockingly) that Ms. Jenkins' cat was always getting away from her.
"You'd think that batty old lady would take the hint that that cat just don't like 'er!" said Wright with an eye roll.
Nicole ground her teeth together, her temper flaring. This deputy was certainly getting on her last nerve. He was always belittling her as if she were a child in need of assistance just because she was a woman. He always had a sexist joke on the tip of his tongue like it was ammo, and when he caught her eye as the rest of the department laughed their asses off, he would send her a wink.
Long story short, she disliked him with a passion. Yet, there wasn't much she could do about it. They were from a small town, so that was the way they all thought. Just because Nicole came in didn't make a difference, and she would come to accept that. It didn't mean she liked it, because in no way did she care to listen to Wright's words, but she was the rookie, and they were all over her head. So in the mean time, she'd bide her time and bite her tongue like a good little rookie.
"Some people just won't take a hint." she replied with more bite than necessary as she sent him a look out of the corner of her eye.
"Hm," grunted Wright in agreement.
Thirty minutes and a rescued cat later, Officers Haught and Wright were back at the patrol car. Ms. Jenkins was a sweet, somewhat odd lady. Nicole's face burned as she could still hear Wright's laughter in her ears. When they first arrived, they couldn't quite find the old lady. After searching around for her, they just about all but given up and calling it quits. Just when Nicole turned her back to head back to the patrol car, an old, croaky voice called out.
"It's hot in here!" the voice groaned loudly, miserable.
Nicole nearly jumped out of her skin in fright. That voice sounded anything but nice. In fact, it sounded kinda demonic. She whirled around, her hand instinctively reaching for her gun, but stopped suddenly when she noticed an elderly woman coughing up a lung and waving a hand in her face. Wright was biting his fist to conceal his peals of laughter. Nicole cleared her throat, her face red, and proceeded to question Ms. Jenkins about her missing cat.
"Rule number one, rookie: Never turn your back in any situation, even ones as simple as a cat rescue." drawled Officer Wright, and Nicole was about to reluctantly agree before he continued, "It'd be a relief to have that ol' bag off our hands, but you'da been charged with manslaughter, and that's no fun."
Needless to say, she ignored his statement. When Nicole rolled her eyes, she caught sight of one of the most beautiful women she's ever seen. She was wearing a crop top, but Nicole couldn't make out the words from such a distance. The brunette had a blissful smile etched onto her face as she talked animatedly to a different (maybe a little less stranger) elderly woman.
The beautiful woman (as Nicole now dubbed her) laughed at something that was said, and her eyes crinkled. In that moment, she happened to glance over, and their eyes met. The air was ripped from Nicole's lungs as the brunette waved over at her. The rookie waved back in a daze, and continued to wave until the other woman looked away. Wright witnessed the exchange, and snorted.
"You stay away from them there Earps... Nuthin' but trouble, they are." said Wright. "Although, that Waverly is the best of the bunch, but that ain't sayin' much considerin'."
"Waverly..." whispered Nicole. "I think I might just introduce myself, ya know, to get acquainted with people and all."
"Luck with that, but if you really wanna meet 'er so bad, she works over at Shorty's."
With that encounter said and done with, both officers drove off with one woman on both their minds: Waverly Earp.
...
The sound of voices roused Nicole from her sleep. The officer accidentally fell into a fitful slumber in the break room since that was as far as she could get without blacking out. She could vaguely recall the voice as Chrissy Nedley, Sheriff Nedley's daughter. She sounded hysterical and desperate. With a sigh of frustration, Nicole pushed down the ache settled in her bones, and headed towards the voice, which just so happened to be in her boss' office.
"Uhm, Chrissy? What are you doing?" Nicole questioned from the doorway.
Chrissy spun around, a phone in her hand, and a wild look on her face. Her eyes darted to something hidden behind Nedley's desk before meeting Nicole's eyes once more. The redhead squinted suspiciously, and rounded the desk, only to stop short at seeing exactly what, or in this case, who was there. Waverly stared up at her with wide, pleading eyes. Her eyes zeroed in on the blood coating Nicole's face, and they widened even more in alarm.
"Chrissy, what do you think you're doing?" Nicole repeated slowly as she gently peeled off the tape covering Waverly's mouth.
"What happened to you?!" shrieked Waverly the second she could.
"I need Wynonna! So I took what would get her here the fastest." snapped Chrissy, her hands shaking.
"I need her, too, Chrissy," Nicole spat, trying to ignore the bewildered look on Waverly's face, "but you don't harm Waverly. I won't allow anyone to hurt her."
"You... We both... How are you not-" Chrissy stammered, unsure of what to say exactly.
"Yes, we're both poisoned," Waverly flinched; "and we are gonna die if we don't find a cure, but we won't hurt the innocent! You think Waverly had anything to do with this? She's your friend dammit!"
"You think Wynonna had a part in this?!" Waverly countered, growing angry and hurt that her friend and girlfriend (kind of) were blaming her sister.
Nicole at least had the decency to look ashamed, but for Chrissy, she was too far gone to care about anything or anyone except the antidote. She went back to her phone, maybe to call her father, Nicole presumed, but the sound of a door slamming opened startled everyone in the room. They could hear Wynonna and Willa's voice as they entered the sheriff's office.
"Where's Waverly?" Wynonna demanded.
Willa didn't take the same course of action, and knocked the poor girl out cold. Nicole stared at the oldest Earp, who shrugged, uncomfortable with the spotlight suddenly on her.
"What? She kidnapped our sister." drawled Willa, clearly bored.
Wynonna nodded slowly, but paused at the sight of Waverly tied up with Nicole crouched low beside her. The blood and the foam that stuck to the corner of Nicole's mouth instantly sent Wynonna into action. There was a gun pointed at Nicole before anyone could blink. The redhead was more impressed by the speed than terrified by the gun in her face.
"Quick draw Earp... Did Doc Holliday teach you that?" Nicole asked with an arched eyebrow. Two pairs of eyes widened in shock while the third pair hardened with hatred.
"What do you mean?" Wynonna asked with faux innocence.
"I had a pretty interesting conversation with Doc and Dolls, now get that goddamn gun out of my face!" spat Nicole, her irritation for Wynonna steadily rising.
"Unless you plan on buying me dinner, I don't do orders about what I do with my gun." countered Wynonna. She cocked the gun just to show she was serious.
"Wynonna!" Waverly yelped in fear. She wiggled her way between the two women she cared the most about. "Don't hurt her!"
"She wants to hurt me, baby girl!" Wynonna whined pettily.
"If I wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it by now... Bobo said dead or alive, and I don't really plan on becoming a murderer just for you." Nicole said monotonously. Waverly gaped at her.
"Nicole!"
Wynonna grew tired of the back-and-forth banter, so she moved forward slowly, her gun still positioned on Nicole. When it was clear that she wasn't going to try anything, Wynonna set the gun down, and untied Waverly. She was too focused on untying Waverly and shuffling everyone out of the office that she didn't realize her other sister coming up behind her until she snatched away the gun.
Nicole, Waverly, and Wynonna stared open-mouthed at Willa. Waverly wasn't really shocked by the turn, seeing as she wasn't trusting towards her since the moment Wynonna brought her home like a stray cat. Nicole was marginally stunned. Willa was a dickhead, but the Earps were family. Surely that would've meant something at least... Looks like she was wrong. Wynonna was completely flabbergasted.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
"I know she took Peacemaker, so give me the gun before I punch a bunch of holes in Waverly's girlfriend." Willa commanded as she shifted the gun to focus on Nicole.
"Girlfriend?"
"Oh great, two Earps threaten me with a gun in one day... I'm on a roll, maybe I'll get the third one by midnight." muttered Nicole in annoyance.
"Now really isn't the time for your sarcasm." Wynonna quipped, still reeling from the revelation that her sister was in fact into chicks, and was currently dating the new officer in town.
"But my sarcasm is my best feature." Nicole clapped back with a growl.
"If I don't have it in three..." Willa shouted.
"No please!" pleaded Waverly, her now free hands searching behind her to grasp any part of Nicole, only to realize with dismay that Wynonna shoved her as far away from them as possible.
"It's the only thing that'll stop Bobo." said Wynonna begrudgingly.
"Two..."
"Wynonna,"
"I can't." stated Wynonna, glancing over at Waverly.
"Please... I love her." Waverly whispered, hoping that Nicole hadn't heard.
It was far too soon for I love you's, and they weren't even sure of what they were. Waverly herself was shocked, but just fractionally. It wasn't too much of a surprise that the officer swooped in and stole her heart. She treated her far better than Champ ever did. Nicole actually encouraged Waverly and her research, whereas Champ always insisted on "shutting her brain off" as he so kindly put it. Nicole was more chivalrous than her ex-boyfriend, and she reveled in it everyday.
So no, Waverly meant what she said, she just wasn't ready to put them out there yet. Leave it to Willa, because it was always Willa, to force the confession from her prematurely. The gears were turning in Wynonna's head, and it was clear in her eyes.
"Okay..." she whispered before turning to Willa. "Okay!"
Willa had her hand out quicker than Doc could draw a gun. The gun was still pointed at Nicole, who was twitching where she stood. She was mumbling under her breath, and her breathing was labored. Her hands were pulling at her loose strands of hair, amd if Waverly wasn't so terrified, she would have rushed over to comfort her girlfriend, but she couldn't, and it was torture.
"This isn't over. I'm coming for you." Wynonna swore as she reluctantly passed Peacemaker to her older sister.
"I better slow you down."
With that said, a gunshot rang out along with a scream.