A/N: Hey friends! If you're new to this story please disregard this message. To those who are returning, listen up: you are not dreaming – I have indeed posted Chapter One twice. Like I said in the original post, I wasn't happy with what I'd written so I spent a good deal of time figuring out how to make it better. This was the result.

Updates (for now) will be sporadic. I'm still in hospital and have managed to pick up a head cold on top of everything else so please bare with me. I honestly don't know where in the seasons this is set but I'll let you know when I figure it all out (I'll be doing a more detailed storyboard soon).

Please R&R, and if anyone wants to talk about Nicole and her tie, please message me because I'm barely coping! Happy reading!

Trigger warnings: violence, swearing

…

Nicole rounds the bonnet of her cruiser, door having swung closed behind her. The snow underfoot crunches beneath her feet as she trudges tiredly toward the Earp homestead. It was the end of a long week and she wanted nothing more than to be relaxing in front to the fire. The snowfall over the past few days had been heavy and unrelenting, with many calls coming in from people needing assistance. Between the increased workload and the overtime she had been pulling, Nicole hadn't seen Waverly in almost seven days. Luckily for her, Waverly's call for help came in just as she was finishing her shift, giving her the perfect excuse to pay the woman a visit.

Waverly's red Jeep was indeed snow-bogged, its right, rear wheel having slipped off the road slightly on the approach to the homestead. Nicole had told her to stay with the vehicle, hoping that she would remain bundled up in the cabin with the heating on. Upon further inspection though, it was clear that the other woman had been as stubborn as always and decided to walk home. She looks toward the residence, hoping to catch a glimpse of the youngest Earp, but the snow-covered barn blocked her view. She quickly made her way to her car, climbing in and driving the rest of the way to the homestead, parking as close to the front door as possible.

When there was no answer to her knock, Nicole tested the door handle, not surprised when it turned in her hand. She shoved the door open a crack, poking her head into the main foyer and calling out to her girlfriend. Toeing off her boots in before stepping over the threshold, the deputy removed her coat, smiling as she noticed Waverly's hanging on the stand to the left of the door. She pulled her holster off her belt, leaving it on the side table and stepping further into the room.

The house was dark, blinds closed to keep the heat in. The fire was quickly dying but had managed to keep the lounge room relatively warm up until that point in time. Flipping on the light switch, Nicole stepped toward the fireplace, noticing Waverly's phone on the mantle, her handbag leaning against the pile of small logs to the right. As she approached the couches she heard movement off to the right, presumably in the kitchen. A small smile slipped onto Nicole's face, the though of finally seeing Waverly sending a flush to her cheeks.

'Wave, I thought I told you to wait for me,' she calls, softly padding toward the kitchen, not waiting for an answer before continuing, looking up as she rounded the corner and into the doorway. 'It's too cold out there to be walking.'

The sight that met her stopped Nicole's breath in her throat.

In front of her, bound by rope to one of the kitchen chairs, sits Waverly, gag stuffed into her mouth. Her face is stained with blood which still oozes from a deep wound on the left side of her forehead. Tears run down her cheeks, terror evident in her eyes. The small table has been thrown aside, now sitting upside-down against the right-hand wall. Anything that was resting on it had been scattered across the floor along with the remaining chairs.

'Holy shit, Waverly,' Nicole breathes, rushing toward the other woman, reaching down to remove cloth from her mouth.

Waverly croaks her name, voice catching in her throat as Nicole's hands work quickly try to free her from the binds, realising quickly that they are too tight to do manually. Her breathing is heavy, panic setting in as she glances around for something sharp enough to cut through the rope.

'Nicole,' Waverly says again, voice a hoarse whisper. 'You've got to get out of here before they come back.'

'They?' Nicole questions immediately, standing to search the countertops for a knife or scissors. 'How many are there?'

'Two,' Waverly answers quickly. 'Nicole, you've got to go.'

'Not without you.'

'Nicole,' she starts, breath catching in her throat as a man moves into the doorway that Nicole had just come through.

Nicole hears the creak of a floorboard as he steps forward, whipping her head to the side, barely registering the figure before his fist slams into her face. Her body flies backward, collecting the countertop with her side as she reels before gaining her footing once more. Her mouth fills with the metallic taste of blood and she can feel where her teeth have pierced her lip. Despite this she moves quickly, advancing on her attacker and swinging a closed fist toward him. The hit lands, and he stumbles back, giving her enough space to lift her leg, delivering a powerful kick which throws him painfully into the doorjamb where he goes limp, head hanging awkwardly to the side.

Nicole wastes no time, spinning on her heel and rushing toward Waverly. She spots a pair of kitchen shears and snags them on her way over, ribs protesting as she twists her body to reach them. She positions herself to the woman's side, keeping the man in her line of sight at all times as she fumbles with the scissors.

'Nicole,' Waverly urges, heart beating erratically, 'get out. Please, get out.'

'Fuck,' Nicole hisses, still wrestling with the rope in front of her. 'It's not working.'

'Nicole,' Waverly tries again, tone commanding attention.

The other woman looks to her, face swollen, blood smeared across her cheek from where a hand has swiped at it. Her eyes are panicked, her breathing sharp and shallow.

'What?'

'You need to leave,' Waverly starts, tears covering her face, rushing to speak again before Nicole can protest. 'Please? They need you to get to me and, oh god…Nicole!'

Waverly's shriek gives little warning as a pair of beefy hands reach over Nicole's shoulder, one grabbing at her right wrist and the scissors, the other forcing her left arm behind her body, pinning it between her shoulder blades. Nicole cries out, face twisted in pain, arching her back as she is forced into a standing position. Her wrist is crushed between strong fingers, forcing her own to release their hold on the shears. Waverly is crying out her name but Nicole is almost solely focused on the man dragging her backwards, across to the other side of the kitchen. The man that she had knocked out was starting to come around, spurred on by a kick to the foot from one of her own flailing legs. He groans loudly prompting the man holding Nicole to talk to him.

'You good, Fletch?'

The man on the ground moans again, lifting his head to look at Nicole who is still squirming. Her movements slow to a stop as she watches the man get up from the floor, using the wall for support.

'Fuck,' he drawls, holding his head in his hands, gaze shifting to size up Nicole. 'You,' he snarls, grubby finger pointing straight at her as he advances.

Waverly watches in horror as he stalks toward her, screaming at him to 'leave her alone' as she sees the man ball his fist. The man draws up short though, refraining from striking the deputy, deciding instead to take her face in his hands, squeezing her cheeks tightly and angling her jaw so that she was staring straight into his eyes.

'This is going to be fun,' he whispers, looking over his shoulder to where Waverly sits frozen in fear. 'You better be ready, Earp. Things are about to get…interesting.'