Title: GOODBYE'S THE HARDEST WORD

Author: Lysangelle

Fandom: Wynonna Earp

Pairing: Wayhaught

Rating: G

Summary: What's left to do for WayHaught after watching the baby being taken away but to comfort each other. Take place right after the Helicopter took off. Lots of talking.

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. As this work is an interpretation of the original material and not for-profit, it constitutes fair use. Reference to real persons, places, or events are made in a fictional context, and are not intended to be libellous, defamatory, or in any way factual. No infringement intended.

(This is my first attempt at a WayHaught fanfiction and it's been forever since I wrote anything, don't be too hard on me ;-)
Unbeta'ed, all the mistakes are mine. Also English isn't my first language; please be tolerant.

I still hope you'll like it.)

Nicole Haught kept her eyes closed, unable to look any longer at the helicopter that was taking baby Alice away. She kept them closed long after its loud noise had died off. Her chin resting on Waverly's head, she tightened her hold on the small woman who was crying in her arms. Cocooning her as well as she could in the open field. The redhead swallowed her own tears, fighting her feeling of guilt. In her mind, she knew she just helped fulfilling Wynonna's wishes, that it was the best for the baby's safety. Her heart, on the other hand, was bleeding for the pain inflicted on both her love and Wynonna who had become a dear and trusted friend. She had just followed the plan but a part of her couldn't help feeling guilty.

They stood together unmoving, until Waverly's sobs quieted down.

"Hey baby." Nicole sighed before kissing her girlfriend's forehead; "You want to go home?"

Waverly nodded silently and allowed Nicole to lead her to the cruiser. The tall woman opened the door for her and held her small hand until Waverly was settled inside the car.

"To the Homestead it is." The redhead commented as she started the car, trying to stop Waverly from sinking into a prolonged silence. A silent Waverly was never a good thing.

Her attempts thwarted, they drove in silence. They were halfway to the Earp Homestead when Waverly's phone beeped. She dug it out of her jacket's pocket and read the notification.

"It's a text message from Dolls," she had to clear her still tight throat before explaining the rest to her lover. "He took Wynonna home but she took off on her bike before he was even off of the property."

Nicole didn't like that news but she didn't want to alarm her girlfriend.
"Maybe she needs some alone time." She suggested helpfully.

Waverly frown deepened. "Why would she...You told me yourself she would need me after..." her voice broke off before she could finish.

"Baby," Nicole said softly as she took Waverly's hand, feeling her frustration. "You can't be there to support her if you don't know where she is."

"I'm being ridiculous, huh?" Waverly whispered, turning her head against the headrest to look at her girlfriend.

"You're upset and you're determined to be there for your sister." Nicole answered gently. "There's nothing ridiculous about that."

A loud notification from the phone she still held in her hand made Waverly jump, she swore under her breath at her own nervousness.

"Voicemail." She commented.

"It's her." She said at length. "She says she's ok. To not worry about her and that she'd let me know when to expect her back home."

"Did she sound ok?" Nicole asked tentatively.

"Yeah." Waverly answered with a shrug. "I mean; I guess. You know how she can be..."

Nicole brought her lover's hand to her lips and kiss the back of it; "You mean; like an Earp?"

Waverly had to chuckle despite her lingering misery.

"Yeah, exactly like that. She said I was her sister and an Earp, no matter what." She added quietly.

"Because you are. It's not sharing the same blood that makes you sisters, Waves; it's the love that bounds you together."

Waverly sighed. "How come you always know what to say to make me feel better?"

"Not always." Nicole whispered with a frown.

If Waverly heard her, she didn't show it.

Instead, she sighed deeply; "Since Wynonna's not home, can I stay at your place instead? I don't want to be alone at the homestead tonight."

"I wouldn't leave you alone, Wave." Nicole objected. "But sure, whatever you want, baby. You want to go home get some clothes first?"

"I'd rather not." The younger woman answered in a shaky voice.

"Then we won't.' Nicole simply said.

A short while later, they were driving on the deserted road, just out of Purgatory, that was running alongside the field where Nicole's house stood.

The two stories house with its white siding sat about a hundred yards from the road itself, a dirt driveway leading to it.

"You know, I always wonder how you could afford that house on a Purgatory deputy sheriff's income." Waverly mused; the car drive and the constant caress of Nicole's thumb on the back of her hand had considerably helped her calmed down.

The redhead shrugged. "Job's perk, really."

Nicole chuckled when she saw Waverly incredulously squint her eyes at her form the corner of her eyes.

"It was!" she exclaimed teasingly.

"Ok, truth is," she started more seriously. "When Nedley came in the city to offer me a job, I wasn't that interested. I'm a big city girl; I wasn't imagining myself in a small redneck town, no offense."

Waverly shrugged in dismissal, she might have never left Purgatory but she was smart enough to see why it would be considered that way. "None taken."

"I had no interest in having to be discreet about who I am when I could be out in the big city. But Nedley wouldn't give up for some reason."

"I'm happy he didn't." Waverly tenderly smiled up at her lover.

Nicole smiled back, sharing a meaningful look with her.

"He started piling up perks; promises of fast promotion, of lots of action thanks to the lack of concurrence for said promotion, health insurance, dental. And when I still looked like I was on the fence, he added the free staff housing, and here we are." Nicole finished with a chuckle.

"I doubted Lonnie got the same offer." Waverly joked, half-heartedly.

Nicole all but snorted at the thought of the hapless colleague she had to deal with daily.

"The house is owned by the town, and usually used as the Sheriff's staff house. So I think it's pretty safe bet to say it was a one time deal." The beautiful deputy explained. "I guess it only was possible because sheriff Nedley already had his own home."

Nicole turned on her driveway and parked next to the house.

"So," Waverly s teased. "You accepted the job for a nice house. Let me guess, it was the wrap-around deck that got to you?"

Nicole smiled sadly, as she started playing with her girlfriend's fingers. Her eyes fixed on their joined hands.

"No, not really. Though it is a nice house." She tried to joke. "No. It just was time for me to leave the city. Things with my parents got worse and I needed a fresh start. Away from everything I knew."

Waverly leaned forward, trying to catch her lover's eyes. This day was turning into more of an emotional rollercoaster that imaginably possible, for all of them.

"Whatever brought you here?" She whispered tenderly. "I'm glad it happened. Because I don't know how I, or Wynonna, would have managed without you."

Nicole just closed the distance between them and tenderly kissed the younger woman, their foreheads naturally coming to rest against each other in a familiar show of affection.

They stayed that way, savoring the intimacy until Waverly suddenly shivered.

"You're cold, "Nicole stated softly, "Let's get you inside."

In no time Nicole had unlock, opened and ushered Waverly through her front door. The house felt nice and warm after the chill from spending too much time in the dampness of an open field. And a ride in a heater defective cruiser didn't help much.

Waverly stood right past the entryway, barely a couple of feet from Nicole as she hung their jackets on the coat rack. Her hazel eyes sweeping the living room, remembering the events that took place there just a couple of days ago. Between the time spent in the hospital, the visit in an alternative universe and the events since Wynonna reappeared she couldn't even say how many days had actually passed. It didn't matter really; it felt like it's been decades anyway.

The pieces of the broken coffee table were gone, living in its place a large brownish stain on the rug in front of the couch. Nicole's blood, Waverly realized and her heart skipped a beat.

She nearly jumped right out of her own skin when long arms wrapped around her waist. Nicole's chin came to rest on her shoulder and she leaned into soft red hair.

"Are you ok?" The taller woman whispered in her ear.

Waverly smiled and wrapped her own arms around Nicole's; "At this exact moment, yes I am." She turned to gently kiss a pale cheek.

"When did you find the time to clean up this mess?" the brunette asked as she stroked the hands resting over her stomach.

"I didn't." Nicole answered softly. "I barely took the time to shower and change when I came here after leaving the Homestead, earlier. There was a note on the desk. Sheriff Nedley sent someone to clear up the place and feed Calamity Jane since he was stuck in the hospital."

When Waverly didn't acknowledge her, she followed her gaze and saw the spot the younger woman was staring at.

She frowned but tried to go for levity. "Seems like whoever he sent wasn't an expert in carpet cleaning."

When she felt Waverly starting to shake lightly in her arms, Nicole kissed the still chilled cheek and let go of the small body.

"You know what?" She started as she stepped to the farthest edge of the rug. "I never really liked this thing anyway."

Nicole started rolling the heavy fabric over itself, relieved when she saw that the blood didn't get through the rug to stain the hardwood floor.
She threw the rolled up rug over her shoulder and headed to the front door, Waverly carefully stepping out of her way. The redhead opened the front door again and threw the heavy roll of fabric on the porch.

Waverly was smiling tenderly at her by the time she had the door closed and locked and was walking toward her again.

"You're crazy, Nicole Haught."

Nicole shrugged, a small smile on her own face, happy to see something other than sadness on her love's face. "You realize it means that now you have to browse Ikea's site with me for a new coffee table AND a new carpet, right?"

Waverly chuckled. "I think I can manage that."

"Glad to hear it. But not right now." Nicole teased as she took the shorter woman's hands in hers.

"Waves!" she exclaimed when she felt the icy fingers between hers. "You're still freezing. Common, you need a hot shower." She declared as she pulled her girlfriend toward the staircase.

Waverly didn't resist. At that time she was satisfied to allow Nicole to take care of her. Actually she was craving it. She was so used to putting others' needs before hers, especially the last few months, with Wynonna's pregnancy. It felt good to have someone putting her first for once. She should have known Nicole would be that person. It's what the tall deputy has been doing since their first meeting, when she thought about it.

That's when a piece of the puzzle fell into place for Waverly. As misdirected as Nicole's decisions had been, she had opened and kept those DNA results from her to save her some pain. She probably had wanted to prepare her, after all the results were in Nicole's purse, practically under her nose. If the redhead had wanted to hide them from her altogether, there was a lot of much better places to leave them.

The young brunette was still somewhat mad at her lover, and disappointed. But coming so close to losing her was a sure way to put things into perspective.

She allowed Nicole to lead her to the second floor and the bathroom adjoining the bedroom. The redhead pulled a couple of big fluffy towels from the closet and placed them on the radiator.

"There," she smiled at her small girlfriend, "they will be nice and warm by the time you're done."

Waverly pouted slightly, "You're not joining me?"

Nicole smiled again and pulled the shorter woman in her arms. "As much as I'd like that, I don't think it's a good idea."

When Waverly started tearing up; the taller woman quickly added; "Today! Today isn't the best time. Raincheck?" she asked, tilting her head hopefully.

"Of course." Waverly chuckled, relief flooding her as the feeling of rejection left her.

Nicole's dimples flashed as she leaned forward and dropped a soft kiss on her lover's forehead. "Good. I'll leave some clothes for you on my bed. I'll go feed the cat, take your time."

"Where's that fluff ball of yours?" Waverly asked, not ready to let go of her girlfriend just yet. "She usually comes running when you enter the house."

Nicole made a face. "She was a bit traumatized after everything that happened here. She was hiding under the bed when I came in earlier. I'm hoping the call of food will bring her out."

"Ok, go then." Waverly conceded. "I don't want to be the cause of Calamity Jane's starving."

Nicole was just as reluctant to get away from her girlfriend, she finally let go with a last tender kiss. "I'll be downstairs."

Nicole went to her bedroom to look for the clothes she promised her Lover.

She dug up a pair of sweatpants and looked for one of the couple of crewneck sweatshirts she owned, thinking a hoodie might be awkward with Waverly's long hair. Both would be too large for her small girlfriend but they'd have to do.

Waverly turned the water on to heat up and undressed quickly, only then realizing how cold she really was. She was barely under the hot flow of water when she felt tears start to slowly run down her cheeks and she understood why Nicole decided to leave her alone to shower. Soon, painful sobs were wrecking her chest as she let the hurt of the day escape her body.

After a few minutes of heart wrenching crying, the sobs subsided, leaving behind swollen, sore eyes and a dull pain around her breastbone. Waverly tilted her head back, letting the water run down her face, hoping it would sooth the soreness from her eyes.
She was still panting but she was surprised to realize her sadness and feeling of loss had lost their cutting edge.

She showered quickly, unsure of how much longer the apparently endless supply of hot water was going to still last. She smiled as she grabbed Nicole's vanilla scented shampoo. The memories of the alternative universe were getting fuzzy and she wondered if it would be like dreams and fade from their memories. She hoped not, the idea that the two of them were destined to be together in whatever universe was very heartwarming and reassuring.

She quickly finished and wrapped one of the warm towels around her long hair before drying off with the other. Appreciating the soft heat still coming off the radiator.
The Homestead was her home but the old house lacked some basic luxuries such as central heating or airtight windows.

A short while later, Waverly was coming down the stairs. Her hair still slightly damp, but the rest of her warm in Nicole's borrowed sweats. She stopped on the small landing, taking the time to watch the scene before her. Nicole was sitting on her couch, reclining against the pillows. Calamity Jane was lying on her chest and the deputy sheriff was softly cooing to the cat while scratching her under the chin.
Waverly was too far away to hear her lover's soft words but she had no doubt that the cat was purring. 'I know I would be.' She thought with a smile.

"Think she'd share her comfy spot?" The small brunette asked gently.

Despite the soft tone she used, Calamity Jane tensed up and jumped off from her comfortable perch, making Nicole let go of a loud huff. In three bounds she was safely tucked behind the nearby chair.

Waverly quickly ran down the short flight of stairs stopping short of the couch. "I'm so sorry! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, just taken by surprise when I became a launching pad. "Nicole reassured her quickly. Her brown eyes looking at her girlfriend closely for the first time since Waverly came down the stairs. If she noticed the traces of fresh tears, she didn't mention it. Instead a dimpled smile slowly appeared on her face.

Waverly looked down at herself and frowned. "Don't laugh!" she warned heatedly.

Nicole smiled widely but shook her head. "I wasn't going to laugh; you just look totally adorable."

With her sleeves and the bottom of her sweatpants rolled up multiple times, the short brunette looked even smaller and a wave of tenderness washed over the beautiful redhead.

Nicole got up and walked up to her girlfriend. "I know these are way more casual than what you usually wear but you do look absolutely adorable, baby."

Waverly playfully narrowed her eyes at her. "Well, your adorable me has cold toes, can your adorable self help with that?"

"Oh! Socks!" Nicole jumped. "I knew I was forgetting something."

She headed to the closet under the stairs and dug around for a while.

"I wanted to put these in your Christmas stocking but they'll be more useful now." She explained before pushing the closet's door closed and walking back to her girlfriend.

"Here." She innocently said as she handed over an unwrapped pair of fluffy socks to the smaller woman.

Waverly looked down briefly before shooting a disbelieving look at her lover. "Really? Unicorns?"

Nicole looked at her expectantly, biting her own lips as Waverly's cheeks reddened in realization.

"Oh Gooood." The tiny brunette moaned. "You remember that? Of course, you remember that!"

Nicole chuckled. "It wasn't that long ago, Waves. And it was pretty memorable. It was rather funny, too. I mean, once I calmed down and thought back about it."

Waverly groaned and playfully slapped her girlfriend's arm with the back of her hand.

"Besides," Nicole added with a tender smile. "I remember every single one of the conversations we had since the day we met."

Waverly's emotions were still all over the place, knowing she wasn't able to answer with words without breaking down again; she wrapped her hand around Nicole's neck and brought their heads gently together.

They stayed that way until the brunette took a deep steadying breath.

"Come here, beautiful." Nicole whispered, grabbing her lover's hand and leading her to sit on the couch. Once the small woman was situated she kneeled in front of her and gently slipped the socks on Waverly's feet.

"Better?"

Waverly smiled. "Much."

Nicole smiled back before leaning and gently kissing soft pink lips.

"Will you be ok fighting off Calamity Jane for a short while?" she asked teasingly. "I really need to take a shower."

Waverly chuckled. "Of course, I'm pretty sure I can take her. Go, but don't be too long."

The redhead lifted an eyebrow in question. "Didn't you just say you can take her?"

"Oh I can. But I'll miss you." Waverly whispered with a cute wrinkling of her nose.

When Nicole entered the living room again a short while later, Waverly was sitting in one corner of the couch and Calamity Jane at the other end, the young woman's arm stretched out and her fingers were barely reaching far enough to scratch the cat's soft forehead.

"I see you managed to charm her out from behind the chair." The tall woman teased.

Waverly smiled up at her from her less than comfortable position. "Well, I kind of cheated; I found your stash of cat treats on the kitchen counter."

Nicole laughed and came to sit on the couch's armrest next to her love.

She noticed Waverly's phone next to her leg on the seat.

"Have you tried to call Wynonna again?" The redhead asked, her hand automatically starting to rub circles on Waverly's back.

The brunette sat up, making sure not to dislodge the hand stroking her back. "Yeah. It still goes to voicemail." She answered with a deep frown.

"Give her time, baby." Nicole comforted softly. "She'll come back when she's ready."

Waverly looked up in her lover's face. "Are you sure? Did she say something to you?"

Nicole shook her head. "No, nothing about leaving."

"Last time she left, I didn't see her for three years." Waverly whispered, getting choked up.

"Well, she won't stay away this time." Nicole said with certainty.

Waverly swallowed hard, as tears were threatening again. "How can you be so sure?"

"Waves, you're the person Wynonna loves the most in this world, she won't stay away from you. Not again."

"I may have lost the favourite spot today." Waverly smiled sadly, thinking about the precious baby her sister gave birth to just hours before.

Nicole leaned and kissed her lover's hair. "Maybe, second spot then. In any case, her daughter is the other reason Wynonna won't stay away."

Waverly gave her a curious look.

"Think about it. If Wynonna doesn't manage to break the curse..."

"The baby will become the next Heir." Waverly concluded, thinking sadly that Wynonna didn't even have the time to tell her if she picked up a name for the baby.

"Exactly." Nicole's soft voice brought her back to the present. "She won't let that happen, she'll just fight that much harder to avoid just that. And we all will be here to help her."

The small brunette smiled sadly again. "When did you become the Wynonna whisperer?"

The redhead chuckled. "Wynonna might hide behind her sarcasm and 'I don't give a damn attitude'; she's more transparent than she thinks."

"Or maybe you're just better at reading her." Waverly stated quietly. "When did you two come up with this plan, anyway?"

Nicole looked uneasy for a minute, knowing reminding Waverly of some of her own actions was going to bring back the guilt. But she promised to not keep secrets from her lover anymore.

"When you ran away from the hospital after I woke up, she became very agitated. I couldn't get her to tell me why she reacted that way or even why you ran." The redhead paused, trying to pick her words carefully to avoid more pain for her girlfriend. "She fumed for a while and then became very quiet like if she was thinking hard. When she finally came to sit next to me, she was determined and nervous. I think she believed she had more time but whatever... happened, kind of put a rush on things. Retrospectively, I think maybe that's when she just realized that she really didn't have any other choice. Not considering what was about to happen."

Like expected, Nicole easily read the guilt flooding through Waverly at the thought of what her actions had set in motion. She rushed through the rest of her explanation in the hope to distract her lover.

"That's when she explained her plan to send her baby away for her own safety, she told me she already had talked to Gus. Then she asked me to take care of the arrangements for her."

"And you accepted." Waverly commented, her tone just short of accusing.

"You know I love Wynonna, Waves. Even if things got awkward between us for a while." The redhead admitted. "She trusted me with this. And I'll always do everything in my power to help her. And I would have done anything for that baby."

Tears gathered at the corner of big brown eyes. "Even if it was unrealistic; a part of me was looking forward to watching you take care of that child."

Waverly let go of a sob and pressed hers face against her lover's side. Long arms instantly wrapping around her.

"Besides it was only fair after what I asked her before the doctors put me under." Nicole mused, without thinking, while pressing her cheek against the shorter woman's hair.

"Why? What did you ask her?" Waverly asked with a slight frown, leaning back in the embrace.

"Huh. Nothing?!" The taller woman offered with a slight tilt of her head.

Waverly moved away with a suspicious look.

"Haught!" she growled, raising a threatening index finger in Nicole's direction.

Nicole's eyebrows lifted in question when her girlfriend's mouth opened and closed a few times without uttering a sound.

"Ok!" Waverly started again excitedly, "Your last name?! Not the best when a girl tries to use it to intimidate you!"

The redhead had to smile at her pint-sized spitfire's retort.

"Come here." She said softly as she sat down in the now empty seat. She took Waverly's hand and pulled the small woman in her lap.

Despite her previous heated remarks, Waverly couldn't resist the pull of their connection. She never could, she always had to touch Nicole, in some way. Even with the slightest touch.

Her hand moved to the back of the redhead's neck where she started playing in the soft short hair.

"Baby, maybe this is not the best time..."

Waverly interrupted her. "Just tell me, Nicole."

The redhead sighed.

"When I woke up the first time, after the doctors resuscitated me, I was in so much pain; I really thought I wasn't going to make it. And I knew you wouldn't let me go..."

Waverly changed her mind and shook her head, understanding where this was going; "Please, don't."

"Baby," Nicole whispered, leaning her forehead against her lover's. "We need to talk about this; now that we started we might as well get it over with."

Waverly shook her head again, refusing to go through anymore heartbreak that day. Nicole swallowed hard. She hadn't wanted to talk about that and she hated having to press the issue but she knew there would never be a good time to talk about this again. And she had to take the opportunity while it was presenting itself.

When this would be done with, they'd be able to start the healing process for all the hurt they went through in the recent weeks.

"Waverly," she started again softly. "Do you know why I never bothered with the divorce before?"

"Because Shae is a gorgeous doctor who's hard to let go of?" the younger woman offered, her voice full of insecurity.

Nicole huffed. "No silly!"

"Then why?" Waverly asked brokenly.

"Because I thought I'd never met someone I'd love enough to want the whole nine yards, real thing, with." Nicole answered. "Until I met you."

"Now that I'm divorced, I want you to have power of attorney and you need to know some things. Like the fact that I don't want to be kept alive hooked up to machines." Nicole felt her girlfriend shiver against her and took the time to kiss her tenderly, trying to reassure her of her presence before continuing.

"When I felt at the worst and I thought it might come to that point, I asked... I actually had to beg Wynonna to be the one to do whatever would be needed if, you know..."

Waverly whimpered; "Can we stop talking about that for now?"

Nicole sighed and dropped a small comforting kiss on the small brunette's nose, making her smile slightly. "Of course, Waves. Anything you want."

She felt as emotionally drained as Waverly looked. She leaned back deeper against the couch's back cushions, bringing the smaller woman with her until Waverly was curled on her lap, her head resting against her shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me about her?"

Waverly didn't need to say who she was talking about.

"Honestly, I don't think about her or the marriage a lot." Nicole admitted quietly. "Everything about it happened so fast, it's almost like it hasn't been real, you know? I mean what we had was fun, it was exciting, it was Vegas! But it was also rash and definitively not my proudest action."

"Shae said practically the same thing." Waverly mumbled from where her face was buried in Nicole's neck.

"She did?" The redhead asked, thinking she'll have to find out more about what has been said between them while she was asleep.

At Waverly's silent nod, she continued: "Very soon I realized it has been a mistake but I tried to make it work because..."

"Because you're you." Waverly smiled as she wrapped her arms around her love.

"Right." Nicole snorted." After a couple of months it was obvious to both of us we were going nowhere and we decided to go our separate ways. It was amicable and easy. I came home, took off my ring and basically put the whole thing behind me."

She leaned and kissed the top of the brunette's head.

"After a while I moved to Purgatory and caught a glimpse of Shorty's most beautiful waitress and she became all I could think of."

Waverly dig her fingers in her lover's side. "Smartass." She grumbled without moving from her comfortable spot. "She seemed to know about me though."

"She does. When I realized how crazy about you I was, I called her to let her know I met someone and that it was serious. It seemed like the right thing to do, knowing I'd get to a point where I'd need to ask for a divorce. I hope it wasn't presumptuous of me..."

"Nope. It wasn't." Waverly interrupted and Nicole could feel her lover smile against her neck.

Nicole grinned in return.

"Then I wanted to tell you but I was waiting for the right time."

"Like for the DNA results?" The brunette ventured.

"Yeah, exactly like that." Nicole groaned while throwing her head against the back of the couch. "Man! I have a real problem with timing!"

Waverly chuckled at her reaction.

"Are you still mad at me?" Nicole asked, her voice uncertain.

Waverly sighed. "A bit. But when I thought I was going to lose you, all of that became so trivial. All that matters is that you're here right now."

Nicole wordlessly kissed Waverly's forehead.

"Not that I'm looking for excuses, because I don't have any," the redhead started again, keeping her tone playful as she tried to keep the mood light. "But things got pretty crazy around here in the last few months. And I mean crazier than usual, which is saying something on the Purgatory's scale! There never seem to be a right time in this town anyway."

Waverly snorted. "You can say that again."

"There never seem to..." Waverly lifted her head from the redhead's shoulder and her hand covered Nicole's mouth before she could finish. She could feel her love's smile under her palm before a gentle kiss caressed it.

The small brunette smiled and replaced her hand with her own lips for a tender kiss.

"Life is never dull around the Earp sisters." Nicole teased gently.

Waverly smiled, and realized with relief that being called an Earp didn't bring the sting it used to ever since Bobo planted the seed of doubt in her mind.

"Good, that way you won't get tired of me too fast."

"Not a chance." Nicole answered quickly. "Not going to happen. Ever."

Waverly buried her face in her girlfriend's neck again with a sigh. And they stayed that way until Nicole felt the brunette start to doze off. She wrapped one arm under her lover's legs and the other around her back then tried to get up without disturbing the younger woman.

"Mmmhmmm. What are you doing?" Waverly asked sleepily.

Nicole made a face at her failed attempt. "The plan, Sleeping Beauty, was to take you to my bed."

Waverly nuzzled the redhead's neck.

"See? Now you're living up to your name, officer Haught."

The End