Nicole’s was deep into reading the report on the mauled girl when Waverly dropped her backpack on Nicole’s desk with a thud. “What the fu…” Nicole’s head snapped up with both startle and confusion. She first looked at the bag and then she noticed the girl that came along with it and her demeanor changed from annoyed to embarrassingly giddy.
“Hey you” she said with a smile as she got up from her chair to return the report back to the filing cabinet it came from, “what’s with the pack?” Waverly watched her every move and before she knew it, Nicole was standing right in front of her. As Waverly looked up at her, Nicole said in the most serious tone she could muster, “don’t you think it’s too soon for us to run away together?” They both laughed as Waverly playfully nudged Nicole’s arm but Nicole put her hand on Waverly’s cheek instead. She gave a quick look around the empty office and leaned down for a light kiss before returning to her chair.
Waverly couldn’t help the big goofy grin on her face after Nicole snuck that kiss in so she pulled up a chair next to the officer and began her answer about the contents of the bag. “Right, so the bag; well I had an idea that maybe we can have a picnic.” Waverly said semi-excited.
“A picnic?” Nicole replied skeptically.
“Yeah”.
“Waverly, it’s 5 degrees outside”.
“Ah, but this wouldn’t be just ANY picnic, it would be a backseat picnic” Waverly said enthusiastically.
“Oh really?” Nicole replied intrigued and feeding off of Waverly’s enthusiasm.
“Yeah, so I have Wynonna’s truck with the covered flat bed, I have blankets we can lay out, sandwiches, fruit and Gus’ famous hot cocoa to warm us up” Waverly rattled off the contents of the backpack. “So, what do you say?”
“I say…I don’t think we’ll need the hot cocoa to keep us warm”, Nicole added with a wink and a mischievous grin.
Before when Nicole made these flirty comments, Waverly brushed them off with flattery but now that they were something, she knew Nicole said them just to see how much she could embarrass Waverly and make her blush. This time instead of turning her head away in embarrassment, Waverly leaned closer to the officer, “always the sweet talker you are. Shall we say 12:45?”
Nicole followed suit leaning in to Waverly so that their faces were just mere inches apart, “yeah, it’s a date.” Nicole smiled and leaned in further to seal it with a kiss but was surprised when Waverly pulled back.
“What? NO! This is not a date.”
Nicole was surprised and a little disappointed, “it’s not?”
“No way, I’ve planned our date to be way better than sandwiches in the back of Wynonna’s truck” she said confidently.
Nicole’s worry subsided as she remembered their first meeting and how Waverly said she was a planner. Even though Nicole made no secret in her pursuit of Waverly, she really let Waverly take the lead at her own pace. “Okay, so what is the big date plan then?” Nicole asked sitting back in her chair.
“Well I was gonna use the room above Shorty’s but since Bobo bought the bar and I quit my job, that’s out of the question. And my place is a little…crazy with Doc and Wynonna drama but anyway.” Waverly stood up and started to get really animated with her description, “the room was going to be filled in candlelight for a really romantic vibe, I would’ve cooked, music would be playing” Waverly knew she had Nicole on the hook so she went and leaned on the desk right next to her. She took Nicole’s hand and in a voice just above a whisper continued “and then you’d show up in a sexy black dress with a low…”
BOOM! Just like that Hurricane Wynonna barreled into the station breaking the girls apart once again. “Wave, I need you” she said bluntly not even acknowledging Nicole.
Waverly was confused but as usual, she followed Wynonna. She looked back at Nicole and mouthed the word ‘sorry’ before heading out of the her office and into the BBD office. Nicole walked a step or two behind Waverly and heard her say to Wynonna “where have you been all night” before the door closed to the BBD. Nicole opted to sit at the counter desk to watch the BBD door for when Waverly reemerged.
About half an hour later the door to the BBD swung open. Nicole swung her chair around to see Wynonna and Waverly come through the door. Wynonna walked by with intent throwing Nicole an acknowledging “hey” this time that Nicole graciously ‘hey’d’ back but it was the younger Earp sister on the officer’s radar.
As Waverly walked up to the desk, Nicole took an excited beat and started, “Okay, so where were we because I seem to think it was something about candles, you trying to get me into a sexy black dress something’s wrong.” Nicole’s demeanor changed as she saw the distant look on Waverly’s face.
Waverly shook herself out of it, “Oh God, a lot of things might be wrong; Dolls and Wynonna and her gun.”
“Okay, what is the deal with that gun anyway?” Nicole questioned.
Before Waverly could answer, the dispatcher started, “We have reports of a pink 4-door sedan driving erratically on highway 81, please reply...”
Waverly listened intently as Nicole watched her confused, “did she say pink?”
“Yeah…?”
“Nicole, we have to respond to that call!”
“We? Oh no you don’t, you’re a civilian, I can’t put you in danger” Nicole said matter of fact.
“I won’t BE in any danger, it’s Doc” Waverly pleaded with Nicole. “But why is he on highway 81?” she said more to herself. “Please Nicole. I’ll bring the sandwiches” she sealed the deal with one of her Waverly smiles that Nicole could not resist.
"Fine" Nicole couldn't even resist Waverly for a second before she picked up the radio and replied, “Dispatch, this is Officer Nicole Haught, I’ll respond.”
Waverly gathered her coat and followed Nicole out to her squad car. She couldn’t help but earn additional brownie points by saying, “it’s kind of sexy when you sound all official”. Waverly finally made Nicole blush but Nicole just playfully rolled her eyes and tried to keep her professional face on.
Nicole has been curious about the strange happenings in town and she knew that the Earp girls were involved somehow but she didn’t want to start asking Waverly questions (who knew if she’d even get answers) because she didn’t want to use her for information.
Before Nicole could bring up their date again Waverly started talking or ranting more like, “What is he trying to pull here, I mean I told him he should learn how to drive the darn thing not take it for a joyride.” She looked out the window around at their desolate surroundings, “where is he headed anyway?”
They saw the pink Cadillac up ahead and as they approached Nicole turned on her lights and siren, “Waverly, when we pull up, you have to stay in the car” Officer Haught told her sternly.
At first Waverly was going to object but she noticed the seriousness on Nicole’s face and went along with it, “all right, all right”.
They pulled up behind the stopped car and Nicole gathered her notepad, “stay here” she gave Waverly one last warning before getting out of her car and walking over to the driver window of the Cadillac.
She leaned down at the window and received a pleasant smile and nod from Doc but she had to keep up her stern cop appearance. “You were doing 140 in a 50 zone”. Doc’s smile faded slightly probably due to not understanding the driving lingo. “License and registration” she continued.
Doc stared at her because now he really didn’t know what she was talking about, “Why, it’s me Officer Haught…and I have neither of those things” he said scrunching his face.
A door slammed behind them and Nicole saw, Waverly walking towards them with determination. She knew Waverly wouldn’t listen to her to stay in the car but she had to try, “Oh Boy!” Nicole said.
“How bout a frickin’ explanation, huh?”
“If there’s any kindness in you, you would arrest me and quick.”
“Sorry there, ‘Stone Cold’” Nicole said ripping off a ticket and handing it to him, “not getting off so easy.” Nicole walked backed to her car leaving Waverly to talk things through with Doc. Nicole didn’t quite understand what Doc was to the Earp girls but she saw how hurt it made Waverly to see him go. So Nicole just sat in her cruiser watching Waverly talk some sense into Doc while enjoying one of Waverly’s sandwiches and the hot cocoa.
“So where do you think you’re going?” Waverly asked.
“Well I thought I’d visit my Momma’s grave in Valdosta, bout time I reckon” Doc answered back.
“Bullshit, you’re headed northeast” Waverly responded angrily, well as angry as Waverly gets.
“I have vanquished my enemy, I have taken her horse, I am finished here Waverly.”
“This was you plan the whole time.”
“No, this was your plan, you told me to learn how to drive” he said in his charming Doc way, softening Waverly.
“But I didn’t mean leave Purgatory without a word” she said.
“I do hate goodbyes” he replied sincerely.
“Look we need you, okay” Waverly said looking down on Doc who gave her a flattered smile, “she needs you”.
“Well she had Dolls” Doc said with a roll of his eyes and a bit of annoyance in his voice.
Waverly looked at him with her most puppy-like Waverly face and said, “can’t you at least try, I mean I’m trying with Nicole”.
Doc looked her straight in the face, “the difference is, she adores you back” and with a tip of his hat, Doc started the car and was off.
Waverly watched as he drove off, dipping her head in sadness. It wasn’t long before she felt a hand on her shoulder, “hey, are you okay?” Nicole wasn’t sure what Waverly was feeling but she was ready for anything; sad Waverly, angry Waverly, whatever.
“He’s gone, and I don’t know if or when he’s coming back” she said as she turned and buried herself in Nicole’s body. She wrapped her arms around the taller girl’s waist and Nicole followed suit wrapping her arms around Waverly.
“It’s okay Wave, I’ll be here for you for whatever you need.” Nicole said as she rubbed her hands up and down Waverly’s back.
Although it was freezing out, they were keeping each other warm so they didn’t mind it too much; for a few minutes anyway.
Nicole felt Waverly pull back, “thank you. We can go now” Waverly said. But before Waverly could separate herself from the taller girl completely, Nicole took her hand instead, not wanting to lose full contact. Waverly looked down at their hands together and smiled, even though she was sad about Doc she was happy she had Nicole in her life.
Nicole walked Waverly back to the police cruiser and even opened the passenger door for her. Nicole leaned against the door waiting for Waverly to get in but not before Waverly turned back to her and pulled her down for a kiss or 3.
As they drove back to the station, they didn’t say much. Waverly had a sad smile on her face and for the most part she stared out the window to look at the beautiful white scenery. Every now and again Nicole caught Waverly’s eye and she reached out to take hold of the smaller girls hand or just rest her hand on Waverly’s thigh to let her know it would all be okay; which Waverly appreciated.