CHAPET FIFTEEN: THE HAUGHT WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

The second they stepped through the small gate – Waverly with her carry-on trailing behind her, and Nicole with her duffel bag above one arm, and the other around Waverly's shoulders – she had to drop everything, because a tall and gangly 50 pound seven-year-old had flung himself into her arms.

Chuckling, Nicole grunted as she hugged her little brother tight; she was sure he hadn't been this heavy when she saw him at Christmas. "What is Ma and Paps feeding you?" She laughed, as she pressed a kiss to his forehead, their brown eyes locking as he stared up at her.

"Food!" Neville laughed, and he was clearly reluctant to let her go. He buried his head into her neck again and wrapped his legs around her midsection.

Meeting Waverly's eyes above his head, Nicole motioned towards her bag on the ground. "Can you get that?" She asked her girlfriend (because they'd had that conversation two weeks ago, thank you very much), as she turned her head to look around the hall to find their ride and the person responsible for Neville's presence in the airport.

Waverly grabbed the bag and slung it over her shoulder, scouring the place as well, as they made their way through the throng of people at arrivals. She had been fidgeting nervously on the entire flight, worried what Nicole's family might think of her, and concerned about the fact that she was going to be away from a pregnant Wynonna for five days straight.

"Relax, babe, Dolls will be at your place with her for the entire time," Nicole had tried to reassure her, while Wynonna's efforts had been more along the lines of, "Get out of my face, baby girl, I'll try to minimise my intake of booze while you're gone," which had been supposed to sound crude, but was evidently not, because at the same time she had been decorating the nursery in their home, pregnant belly protruding.

"Oh, there!" Waverly suddenly exclaimed, eagerly pointing a finger to the left, "I see another Weasley! Incoming," she joked, striding in front of Nicole towards who Nicole now recognised as her other brother.

"Nicki," Nathaniel exclaimed, and Nicole could tell just how much he had missed her, "God damn, you grow an extra inch or somethin'?" He tried to joke as he leaned forward and offered her an awkward hug (Neville was still holding on for dear life).

"Never got over the fact that I'm taller than you, did ya'," Nicole teased right back, but she could hardly contain her smile.

Nathaniel's face shone with mirth, "You're not taller than me."

The two siblings stared at each other for a few seconds then, and Nicole let her eyes trail over her brother's scruffy face. His red hair had grown slightly longer, curling at the ends, and he was definitely trying to grow that full beard he'd always wanted to have, but his last girlfriend had hated. He looked good, she mused to herself, eyes settling on the dimples she was pretty sure was mirrored on her own face right now.

Then Waverly cleared her throat, and the three Haught siblings all turned their heads to find a tiny brunette tapping her foot expectantly against the tiled floor. "Uhm hi?" Waverly tried then, green eyes shining with amusement.

"Shit," Nathaniel let out, quickly wiping his hand off in his jeans and sticking it out, "You must be Waverly, yeah? I'm Nate, and I'm definitely the better looking Haught."

Scrunching up her nose in the cute way that she did, Waverly shook his hand. "Waverly Earp," she murmured, "and I'm pretty sure I'm currently dating the best looking Haught around."

Nicole felt her face grow hot – not quite used to the way that Waverly had no problem expressing her love and affection so easily for everybody to see – and bit her lip to hide a smile. She pressed a kiss to the side of Neville's head. "Off with you now, Nev," she whispered into his ear. He was growing quite heavy, and they needed to get a move on to make dinner at her parents'.

Reluctantly, Neville slid to the floor and turned to offer Waverly a smile too. "I'm Neville, and Nicole's my sister," he proudly said, and as he opened his mouth to speak, they all witnessed his one missing front tooth.

Waverly took his declaration very seriously, "And I'm Waverly, and Nicole's my girlfriend," she replied, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

Neville watched her for a few seconds, taking in the foreign woman in front of him, but eventually he seemed to deem everything okay, because he nodded his head and stuck his hand into Nicole's. "You're not tall," he stated then, as a matter of fact.

Nathaniel broke into a huge laugh, and Nicole had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from laughing aloud too. Waverly simply looked on, clearly amused and totally enamoured by Nicole's baby brother. "And you're very tall," she gushed, offering him an acknowledging nod.

Dragging Nicole with him towards the car, Neville started to talk about something at home in his room, and Nathaniel offered to grab Nicole's bag, while Waverly trailed along next to them. Nicole caught her eye for a second, as they stopped to remember where they parked the car, and softly mouthed an 'You OK?'. Waverly nodded, strands of long brown hair blowing in the wind, and Nicole felt a sense of happiness settle in her stomach. This was going to be a good extended weekend, she was sure of it.

After her and Waverly officially got together, which broken into technicalities meant that Waverly was now comfortable with the label 'girlfriends' but in literally just meant that nothing between them had really changed, Nicole had opted out of telling her parents over the phone. She wanted to tell them in real life, face to face, now that it was possible and their visit had been so close. She'd told her siblings of course, because that hadn't been an option with Nathaniel's teasing and Nadine's constant – but well-meaning – support, so her older siblings had had to bribe Neville with candy to make sure he didn't spill the beans prematurely.

And now Waverly had done everything to prepare herself for this first in real life meeting, which meant that half of her carry-on suitcase was filled with presents for Nicole's parents. Ultimately the redhead knew that her girlfriend had nothing to worry about in regards to her parents, but she couldn't help but be excited for the fact that Waverly worried so much about them liking her. Her worry meant that she cared about what they thought, and that really meant that she cared about Nicole. So really, it was all good in Nicole's opinion.

The ride to the house was spent mostly with Neville going on about school and a new game for his playstation that he wanted Nicole to try with him; they were sitting together in the backseat of the car. Nathaniel didn't say much; he just drove while casting several glances at Waverly, who was sitting in the passenger's seat. The brunette was glancing out the windows silently, and Nicole slipped a hand over the back of the seat to meet Waverly's fingers in a resting hold over her shoulders.

When they finally arrived at the house, Neville ran quickly up the path to the front door, leaving it wide open in his wake, Nathaniel following him with both of their bags. Nicole took this probably very rare moment of quiet to rest her forehead gently against Waverly's and lock their eyes.

"You gonna be OK?" She whispered, sensing Waverly's nerves rolling off of her in waves.

Waverly's tongue darted out to wet her lips. "I've never met parents before," she honestly whispered then. "What if they don't like me?"

Nicole felt her heart flutter in her chest; so filled with love and adoration for this incredible woman in front of her. "Everybody likes you," she reassured her girlfriend in honest (she vaguely remembered Waverly telling her something about a sash and being voted the nicest person in Purgatory), "My parents will be no exception."

"God," Waverly hoarsely whispered, "I hope you're right."

Nicole pressed her lips to Waverly's forehead as she pulled back. She intertwined their fingers and guided the other woman with her up the path to the two story house. She felt the familiar pressure in her chest; the warmth of family and love oozing from the atmosphere and limbering her body. It was so familiar, and Nicole was thrilled to be able to share this side of herself with Waverly. It was such a huge part of her after all.

As they entered the house and closed the door behind them, Nicole heard the familiar sound of her mother bickering with Nathaniel in the kitchen, and her father's booming voice streaming out of the dining room. She heard kids laughing in playfulness, and Nadine's scolding "Voices down children, God," from the living room.

Kicking off her shoes, Nicole offered Waverly's hand another reassuring squeeze before opening her mouth. "Ma! Paps!" She hollered, "Your favourite child is back!"

And thus came the rest of the Haughts; Molly was there first on her little legs, enveloping Nicole in a giant hug, and then came her mother's head, peeking around the corner from the kitchen, and her father strolling into the hallway with a beer in his hand.

"Nicki," he said then, his eyes trailing over his daughter's form, without a doubt checking to make sure that she still had all of her limbs.

Nicole wrapped her arms around him, "Paps," she said, pulling back and gesturing towards Waverly, "this is Waverly Earp, but you're already familiar, I guess," she chuckled, remembering the Skype-conversation that ended with this invitation. It felt like forever ago to be honest, but in reality it hadn't been that long.

Albert reached a hand forward then, wrapping his giant palms around Waverly's small hand and shaking it enthusiastically. "Waverly dear, it's so nice to finally meet you. My, you're even tinier in person," he chuckled, his eyes shining with mirth.

Waverly flushed slightly. It was barely even noticeable, but Nicole saw the pinking of her tan skin. "Likewise, Mr. Haught," she grinned, "I have to say, I'm usually not this much smaller than the other adults, you Haughts are just tall," she joked, dropping his hand and returning to her place next to Nicole, an arm around her midsection.

Nicole's arm immediately found its favourite place around Waverly's shoulders, and the smaller woman nestled herself against her side with a sigh. "Well, that just means you fit right next to me perfectly, yeah?" Nicole mused, pressing her lips against Waverly's temple.

Albert watched them silently, their casual familiarity not missed, and Nicole knew he was doing the math in his head. He couldn't hide the grin that magically appeared on his face then. "It's Albert to you, Waverly. And what am I sensing here?" He questioned, eyes moving to Nicole's eagerly, "Are you dating my youngest daughter?"

Waverly grinned. "Alright. Albert," she chuckled, tasting the word on her tongue as she undoubtedly tried to get used to this dynamic she had somehow stepped into. After all, Nicole knew that familial closeness, anything resembling a normal family, was not something Waverly knew a lot about. "And yes, I guess I can't hide the face that I am very much in love with Nicole," she let on, tilting her head backwards and looking up at the redhead.

Brown met green, and Nicole lowered her lips to peck Waverly's.

Marie, who had been watching them from the doorway to the kitchen, took this as her cue to interrupt, and she trotted forward, opening her arms to them both. "Oh this makes me so happy, girls," she whispered, tittering and wrapping an arm around both of them, thus forcing them into a bone-crushing three-way hug.

"Hi Ma," Nicole chuckled as her mother stepped back. She couldn't very well hide her own happiness at this moment; she was at home, visiting her family, and she had Waverly with her, Waverly who was her girlfriend, and everything just seemed damn-well perfect because of that. She knew that there was still plenty of time for her family to embarrass her greatly before she and Waverly had to go back to Alberta, but right now she simply couldn't care less.

"Thank you for having us," Waverly smiled, offering Marie her mega watt smile. It seemed that she was getting over her initial worries and shyness; she already appeared to be settling into her usual chipper Waverly self.

"You're always welcome, dear," Marie replied as she reached a hand out to cup Waverly's cheek. "Now," she said then, stepping back and casting an obvious glance over the couple, "I really must return to dinner, lest Nate manages to ruin it all for us!"

Nathaniel's head poked through the doorway with an offended, "Hey!"

Waverly laughed and stepped forward, "Let me help you? I quite enjoy cooking, I don't know if Nicole has told you that?"

"She has," Marie said as the two turned to walk down the hallway to the kitchen. Waverly turned around briefly to shoot Nicole a tentative smile, and the redhead offered her girlfriend a supportive thumbs-up as they rounded the corner.

"Kiddo," Albert said then, wrapping an arm around Nicole as he guided her towards the living room where Peter and Neville could be heard arguing over some kind of toy. "Let's have a beer, shall we? It's so good to have you back."

Nicole let her father guide her into the living room, where her brother-in-law and Nathaniel's new girlfriend greeted her, Nadine trusting a cold bottle into her hand. "It's good to be back, Paps," Nicole honestly said as she fell into one of the spare chairs and stared around her childhood home. Indeed, it was good to be back, but the most amazing part? Waverly was there with her.

—

The next day was spent preparing for the celebration, and Nicole and Waverly helped as best as they could. Most things were already taken care of, but they ran a few errands for her parents while the kids were at school, and it worked out very well for them, because Nicole used that time to show Waverly around her home town a bit.

Everything was going so wonderfully; Waverly fitted in so perfectly with Nicole's family, almost with an eerie familiarity, as if this was something they had done many times before and this was not her first visit. But it felt great, and Nicole couldn't wait to show Waverly off to everyone else who was going to be at the anniversary party. All of her parents' friends as well as the rest of the family.

Waverly especially bonded with Nicole's mother who loved that she loved to cook, and who shared all of her good advices about pregnancy for Waverly to take back home to Wynonna. Nicole enjoyed being able to spend some time with her father as well, and she didn't really mind leaving Waverly to fend for herself, because she knew that her girlfriend was more than capable.

Waverly was a bit nervous again though, as they arrived with Neville at the hall where the party was being held. Nicole understood that; this was a bit more people, a lot of new faces, and Nicole didn't even know everyone who was going to be there. Neville had taken a liking to Waverly though, as had Peter and Molly, and he was practically glued to her hand, tucking in between them as they greeted all of the arriving guests.

Nicole couldn't help but admire her girlfriend though. Waverly looked beautiful; dressed in a turquoise, loose- fitting dress with a blazer over it and dark pumps that gave her just a bit more height than her mere 5'3. Her hair was done in an elaborate tangle of braids and waves, and she was charming the pants off of practically every guest she talked to.

"This is Waverly," Nicole said for the umpteenth time; she'd lost count of how many times she had uttered those words, but she honestly felt like she was never going to ever grow tired of introducing her, "My girlfriend."

The dinner was a buffet, in true Haught family style. Waverly and Nicole had promised their parents to take care of Neville, because Nicole wanted them to just enjoy their evening and not worry about her baby brother eating and behaving. It wasn't long into the dinner though, before Neville ran off with the other kids to a playground outside, and they could fall into a conversation with the rest of their table which was Nicole's siblings and their partners.

"So your sister is pregnant?" Nadine asked then, as she nursed her glass of white wine, taking a break from the delicious food they'd all been enjoying. Waverly was done too, but both Nicole and Nathaniel were still eating.

Waverly beamed, nodding eagerly. "Yes. She's really starting to grow a belly now. I can't wait for the baby to come," she paused as her hand found Nicole's thigh next to her, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "The best part is that it's Nicole's friend Dolls who's the father, you see. So it's actually because of their whirlwind of an affair that Nic and I even know each other."

Nodding, Nicole gulped down a sip of beer to wash down her mouthful of food. "Yes, you won't even believe it. Dolls met her when she was thrown in jail," she explained, winking teasingly at Waverly.

Huffing, the brunette immediately came to her sister's defence. "Well, she wasn't in jail per say. She was thrown in holding for causing a ruckus. You know, being all Wynonna and shit."

Nathaniel broke into a full blown belly laugh. "A ruckus? I can't wait to meet this Wynonna someday."

"Don't worry," Waverly promised him then, eyes shining with mirth, "I'm sure you will."

Nicole couldn't hide her smile as she pushed her plate back a little, scanning her wrist to check the time. "She's something, I gotta say," the redhead replied, mentally trying to talk herself into what she knew she had to do soon. She'd been pushing it, and there had been other speeches, but she was mentally scolding herself for offering to be the one of the Haught kids to do the speech. She knew her parents would be disappointed though, if they didn't get a speech from their kids, even though they'd never say it aloud. "Did I tell you that I had to take her to the hospital? And of course Shae's there and get to meet a pair heavily inebriated Earp sisters."

This time it was Nadine's turn to laugh. "No way! I'm sure Ms. Prissy just loved that."

"Hey," Waverly said then, playfully scolding Nadine, "be nice to Shae. She's a very sweet girl, and she took just great care of Wynonna's arm, hm?"

Grabbing Waverly's hand to tickle her fingers, Nicole playfully continued, "Yeah, and did I also tell you guys that apparently Waverly and Shae are best friends now?"

"I'm gonna go grab some more drinks," Waverly said then, pushing her chair back and looking around at the table. "Anyone want anything else?"

They all pitched in with their drink orders, and Nathaniel's girlfriend offered to help, because there were too many for Waverly to carry on her own. The two of them was off then, going to the bar with interlinked arms. Nicole and Nathaniel watched them leave, and Nicole couldn't help but admire her girlfriend's behind as she leaned over the bar to talk to the server.

"Ah, look at you two," Nadine teased then, successfully demanding their attention as she leaned back in her seat, her husband's arm coming to rest around her shoulders. "Young love, isn't it cute, darling?"

"It's very cute," he teased too, pressing his lips to the side of Nadine's face. He wasn't much of a talker, never had been, but he was perfect for Nicole's bossy older sister, because he took every hurdle, every demand, with a smile and his laid-back attitude.

Nicole stuck her tongue out at them, once more letting her eyes scan her wrist watch.

"No shit though," Nadine said, offering her a kind smile, "I really like Waverly. She's just… such a sweetheart."

Feeling the familiar warmth in her chest that always appeared whenever Waverly was near her or simply just mentioned, Nicole bashfully lowered her eyes. "Yeah, she's … she's really great."

Nathaniel took a sip of his beer, effectively emptying the bottle. "So when are you two moving in together? I think I've heard something about lesbians and a U-haul."

"Ha, ha," Nicole drily replied. She knew he was joking, but so was she – it really wasn't the first time she'd thought about moving in with Waverly. If her girlfriend wanted to be close to Wynonna and the baby, maybe she could move in to their house with them. Sure, it'd be filled with plenty of people, because Dolls was practically already living there as well (much to the joy of Eliza who just loved having the apartment to herself as long as Dolls was still paying half the rent), and Nicole would of course have to bring Calamity Jane. But really, she simply couldn't imagine not spending the rest of her life with Waverly, and she kind of just wanted to get started on it. Sure, they couldn't live with Wynonna, Dolls and Baby Earp forever, and eventually they'd find their own place. Maybe not even in Alberta, because Nicole had always wanted to be a small town deputy. And Waverly just wanted to teach and do her activism.

It all sounded really, really great, to be honest.

"Ah look," Nathaniel continued to tease her then, "Nicki's blushing."

Nadine winked at her, "It's OK Nicki, we all approve. Ma practically wants to adopt her, and I think Neville is trying to steal her away from you."

Smiling around the table at her older siblings, Nicole met their eyes. Her fingers were fiddling with the label on her empty beer bottle as she spoke. "You guys seriously like her? You don't mind?" She heard herself question. It's not like she'd been really worried about what they would think, because they were always great, but it meant a lot to her that they liked Waverly – especially because she really loved her. And their road to this place hadn't been an easy one, and Nicole would just hate if her siblings disliked Waverly for how they had gotten there; how her girlfriend her taken a while to lower her walls and admit that there was something really special between them.

"We seriously like her, dude," Nathaniel promised, and she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was sincere. Nadine's husband nodded in agreement next to him.

"Nicki, we don't care how you got here," Nadine said then, reaching a hand out to clasp it over Nicole's, effectively ending her playtime with the label. "I mean, sure, it wasn't nice to hear how upset you were for a while there, but I can see that she really, really loves you-"

"-like really loves you," Nathaniel butted in.

"And you're looking at her with heart-eyes," Nadine finished, squeezing her hand for good measure. "So there."

Nicole felt a sense of calm settle over her, "Thank you," she whispered.

"Thank you for what?" Waverly interrupted them, just as they returned to the table, carrying various different drinks for all of them. She reclaimed her seat next to Nicole and leaned over to peck her cheek.

Nicole felt herself blush. "Just uh, they were just approving my speech that I wrote, you know," she paused, swallowing loudly, "for our parents."

"Baby," Waverly said in true exasperation, her eyes turning wide. "I didn't know you were doing a speech! Why haven't you said so?"

"Nervous," Nicole just replied and her hand moved briefly to her pocket to make sure that she had remembered the piece of paper with the keywords on it. It was there. 'Thank God.'

Nadine winked at her, "Speaking of," she said, motioning towards the big clock behind Nicole, "isn't it about time?"

Nicole knew it was, so she wasn't even going to begin to argue with her sister on that one. She gave them all a curt nod and took in a deep breath; she could do this. Nadine and Nathaniel had approved of her speech just last week, and she had Waverly right next to her, and her parents were going to love it no matter what. So she took a hold of her spoon and gently knocked it against her glass of water, thus ending all conversation in the room.

She pushed her chair back, feeling Waverly reassure her with a brief squeeze of the hand, and stood up, feeling all eyes on her. The most important pairs of eyes were from her parents though, and they already looked like they were about to cry.

She unfolded her speech and awkwardly cleared her throat, "Uhm hi," she said nervously, which caused a few chuckles around her, "I'm uh, I'm Nicole," she said then, glancing briefly around the room, "for those of you who don't know. I'm Marie and Albert's third child, youngest daughter, and I was bullied into making this speech by my older siblings."

Nadine gasped, "Hey! There was no bullying."

Nicole continued on, undeterred, "I uh, I live in Alberta where I study, so I don't see my parents as much as I would like to, but that doesn't mean they don't support me fully," she said, angling her body slightly to the side, so she was facing her parents more. This was a speech for them after all. She could feel her nerves all over, but it was getting better by the second. She could do this, she was just thanking them for being awesome. "But uh, that doesn't mean they don't support me," she repeated, lifting her eyes to glance at her parents. "And uh, Mom. Dad. I would really like to thank you for that."

Marie's hand came to rest upon her chest, and Albert was already moving to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye.

"You guys have been the best parents I could have ever dreamt of," Nicole continued then, her voice faltering slightly as she spoke. "I mean, it probably wasn't in your plans for your third child to come out as gay in this small town that we live in, but you never once expressed disappointment or doubt in me. Your support helped me through some tough times in high school," she paused, feeling the gravity of what she was saying as it settled in the space between them, "I know it's not something that we talk a lot about, because we all believe that it's not something I should thank you for, because why should I? I've just been me, always, but I really want to just thank you for letting me figure stuff out on my own accord. Letting me be Nicole, uh, just Nicole. You didn't pressure me, and that's just so… so admirable," she chuckled, glancing briefly down at Waverly, who was looking up at her with such adoration and support, "and that's something I just really want to copy when I one day have a marriage and a family of my own."

Waverly smiled warmly up at her; to the brunette it wasn't far off that it could be them to have that marriage and that family. Even if she had been afraid of commitment – and probably still was most of the time – because she was so scared that it'd all get torn away from her again, there was no doubt in Nicole's mind that a marriage, family and a most of all commitment was what Waverly wanted with her.

"That's still a bit off though," Nicole made sure to tell her parents, which caused a brief eruption of laughter in the room, "Waverly and I are not having kids right now, calm down parents!"

Marie shook her head, "Such a disappointment you are," she teased, but there was a complete look of love in her eyes just the same.

Nicole laughed. "Well, I look at you guys, and you are such an inspiration. I know Nate and I talk about it all the time. I think Nadine's figured it out a long time ago, she's been copying you guys for years with her own beautiful family," Nicole paused, looking briefly to her older sister, "But really, I think you guys figured out the way to make things work, and I just really, really envy and applaud you for that. You're great parents, great spouses, great people. Great role models," she reached for her glass of wine then, raising it as she smiled fondly at her parents, "And I just really want to say that… if in fifty, sixty years, Waverly and I are half as happy as you guys," she paused, "then we'll still be the happiest couple I know."

Albert was crying now, using the sleeve of his suit to dab his cheeks as he grinned at her.

"To Ma and Paps," Nathaniel butted in then, standing up and raising his glass of wine, only to clink it to Nicole's.

"Ma and Paps," Nadine echoed from her seat, before everyone in the entire hall did the same and drank to them.

Nicole took her seat again, breathing out heavily and folding her speech on the table next to her. The speech had gone better than she'd feared it would, but it was nice that it was over. She'd meant every word of course – her parents truly were the best role models she could have wished for – but that didn't mean it was easy to say so in front of all of those people. She was glad that she had done it though, glad that she'd told Nathaniel that she could do it, even if he'd offered to do it for her just three days ago. She was glad Nadine had suggested it was her turn to speak on their behalf, because she really had had a lot on her chest that she usually didn't get to tell them. It was nice to have it all out there, and it was even nicer that Waverly had been there to witness it as well.

Pressing a kiss to Nicole's cheek, Waverly whispered hotly in her ear, "You did really well, baby," she said, "I'm so proud of you."

Nicole turned to look at her then, and for a second it was as if everyone else disappeared around them, and it was just the two of them, in their own little bubble. "Yeah? You are?"

"Mh," Waverly promised as she wrapped her arms around Nicole's shoulders, pulling her closer. She pecked her lips once, twice, before resting their foreheads together.

"It wasn't too much?" Nicole heard herself question. Perhaps she really just wanted Waverly to reassure her with another kiss.

Chuckling, Waverly did just that. "Not too much, just the perfect amount," she promised, and her green eyes were sparkling with happiness, love. Nicole felt like she could get lost in them forever if Waverly allowed her to.

Damn, she really just loved this woman a whole lot.

"So uh," Waverly whispered, tongue darting out to wet her lips, eyes still settled fondly on Nicole's, "marriage and kids, huh?"

"Yeah," Nicole bashfully replied, resisting the urge to avert her eyes from Waverly's to the table cloth or perhaps her fidgeting fingers. "Is that OK?"

Waverly's smile was huge as she replied, "It's more than okay," she whispered, and her fingers were doing that thing at the back of Nicole's head, where they played with her hair and generally made Nicole feel really loved and cared for.

The redhead breathed out. "I'm glad."

Waverly leaned forward, lips settling on Nicole's as she kissed her deeply, "I love you, you know," she said, as she pulled back briefly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Nicole felt warmth settle all over her once more; it moved from her heart all the way to her fingers and her toes, colouring her pale cheeks in a pink flush. She felt her heart beat madly in her chest, and she felt those somersaults in her stomach, because she just really, really cared for this woman in front of her. Like, unexplainably much. "Yeah?"

"Mh," Waverly whispered, nudging their noses together. "I'ma show you just how much later, m'kay?" She continued to whisper, lowering her voice as her eyes held promises of things to come.

"Yeah?" Nicole heard herself rasp again.

Waverly hummed, kissing Nicole just once more for good measure.

Closing her eyes, Nicole breathed out, "I love you too, you know?"

Waverly smiled warmly at her. "Oh yeah," she said, nodding her head and turning to join the rest of the table who had, thankfully, averted their eyes during this little exchange, "I know, Nicole. I always knew."

Pressing a kiss to Waverly's hair, Nicole turned to join her siblings as well. She reached for her beer and raised it to her lips, just as her hand came to settle comfortably, familiarly, on Waverly's thigh. She had no idea when her life had taken this turn and everything had fallen into place just as perfectly as she'd always dreamt of, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

Actually, scratch that. It had happened the second she had met Waverly Earp; her entire life had changed its course, and everything had appeared to make much more sense. With one simple request for just one beer, Nicole's entire world had turned on its axis, and she saw Waverly, just her sweet, perfect Waverly.

That woman… that woman was truly something.

"Nicki, you want to go make out in the bathroom?" She heard Waverly whisper then, as her hand came to rest dangerously close to the place where Nicole's thighs met.

She pushed her chair back. "Definitely."

Laughing, Nicole pulled Waverly with her towards the hallway where she continued to kiss her girlfriend.

She didn't even notice the way that her parents gazed lovingly after them, knowing very well that it wouldn't be long before there was another wedding to plan and grandchildren to be had. Marie and Albert Haught simply couldn't wait.

Last chapter - thanks for reading!