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A crack of bright morning light arose through the flat Canadian fields, pouring across open farmlands and flooding throughout Purgatory. The rays cut into a small homestead, breaking through the parted curtains to wake the household. It shone in her eyes, waking her before her alarm had the chance to do so, making her initially turn away from her window. The alarm blared by her head until their local radio station booted up. She sat up, turning off the white noise to begin her day, starting off with her sister. Through a thin sheen of sleep, she found her way one door over, barging into the unlocked room where her sister was still sound asleep. She kicked her mattress, watching the frame shift as she woke up.She groaned at the rude awakening, only verbally protesting after the third kick, “HEY! Okay, I’m alive, Jesus woman.”“It’s time to wake up,” she informed her.“Too frickin’ early.”“Same time as always, Wyn,” Waverly informed her.“Still too early,” she whined.Wynonna sighed in defeat and grabbed her jeans from the night before, yanking them on while she hobbled to the small wardrobe to grab a shirt and bra. Stretching as she made her way to the bathroom, the siblings split paths with the elder one still getting ready at her usual lackadaisical speed while Waverly went down to the kitchen to make breakfast. Even with her sister’s inability to play nice with others, she found it efficient to do most of the more menial tasks her sister chose to avoid.She pulled out strips of venison from their icebox and onto a hot pan, where they sizzled until an enticing scent drifted down the basement where their farmhands were living. Xavier, their transporter ascended the stairs, his loud footsteps clomping against the old wooden planks until he hit the first landing.“Smells good, need any help?” he asked, rubbing his hands together.“Yeah, can you go grab the milk and water from the fridge?”“Of course, anything else, Miss Earp?”“Yeah, can you wake up Doc, I need him to do a quick check on the goats to make sure they're okay. They were a bit loud last night.”“Of course,” he said, walking back down.Waverly sighed and cleared her throat, flipping the meat onto a plate before moving to the next part of their meal, English muffins. She placed them in the oven until they turned golden brown before pulling out butter and setting their food on the table with four plates. Waverly turned back around and grabbed a bowl of fruit from the window sill, to top off a healthy and nutritious breakfast.Wynonna came back in through the kitchen door with her full report. “The blueberries look almost ready. Same as the strawberries.”“Peaches and cherries?”“Pfft, nowhere close. They need maybe another two weeks to be ready for picking,” she added, popping a fractured piece of bacon in her mouth. “Hot, hot.”“Yeah, they’re fresh off the pan,” Waverly half-heartedly warned.“Yeah, I guessed,” she playfully bit back, flicking the back of her sister’s head.“Did we ever get a claim on the job posting?”“I don't know… maybe,” her sister shrugged.“Great,” she sarcastically remarked as she took her seat at the table.“What was with the goats?”“Already have Doc checking on them.”“Good,” Wynonna said, looking at their breakfast displayed out on the table. “Looks great, need any help?”“Just tell the boys breakfast is ready.”“Yokkie-doke.”Doc moved out of the way for the older Earp and looked at his crew. “Waverly,” he greeted, tipping his hat as he left for the barn. “Y’all can start without me.”The other two returned from the fields, taking their places at the small table as they began to feast, taking a small share of everything their chef had prepared. Wynonna smiled and licked her lips, taking a piece of bacon then a few of the sliced nectarines and an English muffin. They continued to engorge themselves, leaving enough for Doc until the mustachioed gentleman came back, sitting down with them.“Didn't see anything outta the ordinary. All of them are still there,” he reported.“Okay, thank you,” Waverly replied.“I heard we were getting a new farmhand. Any ideas?”“We haven't gotten any applicants, yet,” she disappointedly informed them, “Due to the latest yield, Dolls, you’re moving to the arbor, Wynonna in the greenhouse, and I’ll work in the fields. Doc, you’re in charge of the grass fields until a greenhorn comes along.”“Okay, so I’m still with the goats, right?” Doc asked“Yeah, you remind them of their kin,” Wynonna quipped behind her glass of water, earning a sarcastic smile.Once they had all finished, Dolls and Wynonna cleaned up while the others went off to their posts. Waverly grabbed the large baskets from the doorway and left the rest for Dolls. She went out towards the rising sun, checking the crops, seeing that her sister was right in saying that the blueberries were almost ready. She began to harvest the ripe ones, leaving behind the pink and purple berries. From that session of picking, she plucked over a hundred berries, making it now only barely over two-fifths of the projected yield so far, but good for midseason. She went back through, checking for the others she had missed.Waverly walked over to the homestead again, continuing to the cooling room as she washed them and left them to dry. She came back inside, checking the time, three hours had passed. She sighed and washed the purple juice off of her hands, distracted until there was a firm knock on the door. Waverly walked over, thinking it was Dolls or Wyn accidentally locking themselves out. She opened the door, surprised to greet the shoulders of a tall and pale woman. Waverly looked up and met the kind brown eyes of the redheaded.“Hi,” she quickly greeted in surprise.“Hello ma’am, I’m here about farm work? I’m Nicole Haught.”“Haught? Oh, sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. Come in,” Waverly beckoned, moving out of the way.The taller woman took off her leather jacket, holding it over her shoulder as she followed the owner inside. She looked around, smiling at the cute quaintness of the farmhouse. There were old crocheted blankets and embroidered throw pillows on the couch comfily decorating the living room. She noticed the pictures around the house. Most of them were recently taken with the owner and a few other people she suspected they worked or grew up with. They both sat down at the small dining table decorated with a simple plaid cloth where Waverly began to interview her.“Really, I called yesterday morning? Are you Miss Wynonna Earp?” she inquired politely.“Oh, no. I’m her sister Waverly. She must have forgotten,” she pleasantly smiled, settling into her chair. “Anyway, we plan to have you do mainly prep work for us, you know, working the grass fields for the winter. Help our goat handler, fetch water for the crops and animals. Are you planning on living here or off-site?”“Off-site. What would my hours be, ma’am?”“7am-5pm, 8 hours of work with two one hour breaks whenever, Monday thru Friday. Pay will be $13.60 per hour, so $1360 for your biweekly paycheck.”“Sounds great. So, when would I begin?” she smiled, resting her arms on the table.“Work begins in four days. We’ll need some time to file the paperwork and get it approved.”“Okay, thank you, ma’am.”Waverly smiled and walked off to grab the employment papers from Wynonna’s desk. She returned a moment later with them and a pen, pulling them away for a second to ask, “Wait, you’re not a murderer right?”Nicole glanced at her in shock and sincerely answered, “Well… no, of course not, Ms. Earp.” Waverly only smiled, making her new coworker relax, and turned the papers around for Nicole to fill out. She watched the young woman intently read the contract before signing with her neat and curly calligraphy. “Nicole Haught. Perfect,” Waverly thought. Nicole sat up straight and gave the contract and pen back. “Thank you. You won't regret this,” she finished with a genuine smile.“We need another girl on the team. Even better when there’s someone as muscled as you. Have you worked on a farm before?”“Yes, I grew up on a ranch, so I worked there until I was 19,” she divulged, relaxing back into the chair as she studied the bright woman in front of her. Nicole watched as her eyes flicked from her to the contract spread out in front of her, then back up to the redhead. Her hands sorted through Nicole’s papers before she continued to ask her questions.“What animals?”“Horses, chickens, and geese.”“Perfect.”Waverly watched as the young woman stood, quickly going to let her out, opening the door with a smile. She looked outside to catch her sister gawking over the bike by the homestead. Nicole looked at her, squinting to see who it was.“That’s Wynonna.” she introduced.Her sister glanced up at the sound of her name and asked, “Who’s bike is this?”“Mine,” Nicole answered.“This. Is. Beautiful. Where’d you get this, what’s her name, how much was it?” she asked in a flurry of excitement.“Detroit, America. Black Beauty, or Beauty. A little more than $7k US.”“Oh my god,” she continued to gawk, “Wait, why Detroit?”“Cheaper from the source.”“Hmm,” Wynonna answered, looking at the shiny black bike. “Impressive. Hired.”“Oh, I’m-”“A little sarcasm, she’s just being a mechanophile,” Waverly interrupted.“Oh okay,” Nicole chuckled, watching the older woman gaze at her beautiful bike. She put on her helmet and mounted it.“See you on Monday, Ms. Earp,” Nicole winked to them, starting the bike and driving off.“We need to file that paperwork now,” Wynonna said.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole woke to the low southern twang of a country singer, ringing through her deep slumber. With the paperwork filled out and her new boss’s updates, the young rancher took up her new tasks with a revitalized gusto she hadn’t felt for a long while. She needed this new job to distract her from the boring hermit tasks of the day that had recently plagued her life after she had finished her degree. Living an hour out of Purgatory, Nicole took to the kitchen, fixing a small breakfast of grits and sandwiches before finishing the other menial work like feeding her long-haired orange pain in the ass, Calamity Jane before escaping the small apartment in Calgary. As she took the early morning commute to the Earp’s homestead, Nicole couldn’t help but think about the quirky Earps and their goat farm, an animal she now could understand such a unique pair of sisters caring for.~“So the newbie starts today?” Dolls asked, wiping his mouth.“Yup, Nicole, she seems like a hard worker,” Waverly answered.“Will she live out here?”“Nope, you two scared her off,” Wynonna sarcastically claimed.Doc finished first, placing his dishes in the sink before leaving out the back to start loading up the truck. Dolls and Wynonna followed suit, leaving Waverly to clean everything up as she waited for their new worker. She looked over at the clock now showing 6:45 on the face and peered past the kitchen wall to check if Nicole had arrived yet. When she walked out of the house, Wynonna and Dolls were already going out to their posts while Waverly left for the barn to perform her menial task of checking on the goats before letting them out to pasture. On her way back, she spotted Black Beauty racing over the hill. Checking her watch, the young Earp noted her perfect punctuality, regarding her new farmhand as she dismounted her bike and rested it right in front of the porch of the homestead. Nicole removed her helmet and set it on the ground behind Beauty, shaking out her hair to fix the short red locks as she approached her boss.“Sorry, hi Nicole,” Waverly quickly greeted with a firm handshake.“Good morning Ms. Earp, so, where do I start?” she politely inquired.“Ready to work, nice. Well, the grass is perfect for cutting, so I’ll need you to do that, then stack it, please. Once you’re done, ask Doc in the barn or me in the fields behind the house if you can help. Doc takes care of the goats and around this time of year we weed out the ones that are ready for the house.”“Okay,” she confirmed, catching the bright tone in those final morbid words.“You know how to use a scythe right?” Waverly asked, walking towards the field“Like, the old style?”“Well yeah, modern made, not an old, you know, rusty one from the 1700s, but still a scythe,” Waverly awkwardly explained. She sighed with a smile and continued, “Let me show you where the tools are.”~After a few grueling hours, the field was cut and the browned grass had been layered across the ground to dry. Nicole set the scythe down and began towards the homestead to grab a drink before returning to the homestead for a bite and nip. Once inside, she spotted Waverly by the sink washing some berries.“Ms. Earp,” she greeted with a nod.“Haught,” the other farmer greeted.Nicole refilled her bottle, “Just taking a quick break. Do you need help in the fields?”“Wait, did you already finish in the grass?”“Yes.”“And scattered it to dry?”“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole proudly nodded.“Fast work, well done.”“Thank you, ma’am.”“That’s really impressive for two hours,” Waverly complimented. “I was never able to do it that fast. But then again, I enjoyed washing and shearing the goats more than the ag stuff.”Nicole nodded in agreement, “So, this is a family farm?”“Yup. My great-great-grandpa started the farm as a side job from being a for-hire officer.”“Wow, so why goats?”“Small and versatile.”“What do you mean?” Nicole asked drinking from her bottle again.“Well, you can eat them, drink them, wear them, and work them. Cows are drinkable, edible, and wearable, but not really workable as well as they’re large and require a lot of land compared to goats.”“When did you switch?”“Back when Grandpa Edwin ran this homely land,” Waverly playfully informed her, “Did you grow up in the area?”“No, I’m from the outskirts of Calgary.”“Oh, I love Calgary!” she beamed. “It’s so beautiful and exciting!”Nicole couldn’t help but smile at her colleague's genuine interest in her. “Yeah, a lot happens there but definitely a nice mix of rural and city life.”“My ex-boyfriend brought me up to the zoo there. I absolutely adored the reptile exhibit.”“Reptiles?”“Yeah, you know, exotic creatures from around the world.”“I always loved the aviary exhibit. They’re so beautiful. So, you’re a bit of an adventurous soul, are you ma’am?”“Yes, well, I’ve always enjoyed traveling, but the farm keeps me grounded.” Waverly smiled and looked out at the barn before pulling her gaze back to the farmhand, “I hope I’m not prying by asking you this, but… nevermind.”“What?” Nicole gently pressed.“Nevermind, it’s a stupid question,” she sputtered out as she tried to cover up her mistake.Nicole rolled her eyes and gently asked, “There’s not much that offends me, ma’am. What is it?”Waverly awkwardly sighed and asked, “Are you… gay?”“Well, first day and already hitting the personal questions.”“I’m sorry, I shouldn't have asked.”“Yeah, you shouldn't’ve,” Nicole began screwing the top back on her water bottle, “but you did, so I’ll answer. Yes, ma’am, I am in fact gay.”“You are?”“Yes.”Waverly bit her lip feeling completely stupid and yet, curiosity still flared beneath the naive surface of her question. “You must get asked that often, sorry…”“Not really.”“I’m sorry. Um, Doc will need help in the barn, so you can help him there, I’m almost finished in the fields,” she tried to smooth things over.“Yes, ma’am.” Nicole walked out of the cramped house to join Holliday.She walked to the creaky building to find Doc at the doorway watching the goats as he smoked a hand-rolled cigarette, hie tilted down a bit to block the sun. He glanced up at the new worker and smiled below that dark thick mustache.“Good morning,” he greeted in a very thick southern accent. “You must be Nicole.”“And you’re Doc?”“Pleasure to meet you,” he nodded as he stood up to shake her hand.“I was wondering if you needed help.”“For now, I just need to refill some of the water troughs. You can help me, but after that, there’s nothing else to do.”“Okay.” Nicole followed him to the well and began pumping water into the buckets, lugging them back to the barn as they each took turns dumping the water into the troughs. Nicole smiled again as the kids nudged into her while she walked. She laughed as she and Doc dumped water into the last trough. He was an unassuming man, Nicole pieced, and a big softy by the way he cared for the younger livestock. In the brief time of working with him, he was a gentleman, something Nicole had misjudged as being an act from his style and sound.“Do you guys have a hay baler?” she asked.“Yeah, it’s in the back by the truck, just hook it up to the ol’ tractor and drive it to the field. Turn it on and you’ll be good to go.”“Thank you Doc,” Nicole finished, turning on her heels to ask, “So, why Doc?”“Just my childhood nickname,” he wistfully smiled.Nicole smiled at his brief but predictable answer and walked back to the fields where Waverly said she would be. She looked for the young Earp amongst the bushes and approached her as she stood up.“Hey, you need help?” Nicole called out to her.“Huh? Oh, yeah,” she absentmindedly answered. “Yeah. I mean no. Sorry. Did you finish helping Doc?”“Yes ma’am. Now just waiting for the grass to dry before I rotate and dry it again.” Nicole watched for a moment, the awkward silence filling the void that was once full of eager interest in one another. “Would you want to join me for a lunch break, ma’am?”“Sure, I’m finishing up on the second round of blueberries today, so I can take a short break right now. I don’t have a helmet, though,” Waverly told her. “Oh, wait, Wynonna does.”“She has a bike, too?”“Yeah, it’s our uncle’s.”“Perfect. So, is there anywhere to have a nip this early in the afternoon?”“There’s this local bar in the town center, Shorty’s,” Waverly suggested with a smile.“Sounds great.”“It is,” she said going off to store the berries.Waverly quickly finished her task and joined Nicole for their thrilling adventure. Her farmhand pulled on her helmet and slapped the visor down to protect her eyes from the sun then sat still for Waverly to climb on. She tentatively put her hands on Nicole’s shoulders, then slid them to her waist as they drove off. Nicole sped to the town center, the wind whipping past their bodies as they broke through the countryside. The rolling hills looked even more majestic at high speeds, and with the cloudy day, partial shadows were cast over the grass in long streaks while low winds combed over the untamed reeds. The land flattened again as she approached the main street paved through archaic shops meant to preserve the Old West. They finally happened upon Shorty’s, hard to miss by the large sign outlined in lights, and dismounted the bike, Waverly led the way to the old bar. When they walked in, almost everyone greeted the young heir.“You seem quite popular,” Nicole commented“I used to work here part-time,” she explained as they found a spot at the bar.“Barmaid?”“Waitress because I wasn’t old enough to sell alcohol,” she explained, catching the attention of the current woman presiding over the saloon.“Waverly, how are you, sweetie?” Gus greeted.“I’m doing really well, could we have two of the house ale?”“Oh, just one,” Nicole interrupted, “I’ll just have pop, thank you, ma’am.”“No problem,” she nodded as she poured out two small glasses and slid them over to the farmers before attending to the other patrons.“That’s Gus, she’s my aunt. Curtis and his friend, Shorty, own this place.”“It’s nice. Is that why you’re very popular?”“Not the only other reason why,” Gus cut in with a slight smile as she cleaned a few glasses within earshot.“That doesn’t matter, not really,” Waverly instantly intervened.“So, who are you?” she directed towards the new farmhand.“I’m Nicole Haught, new to the Earp farm, ma’am,” she said with a smile.“It’s great to see people still wanting to work there. I always told Waverly that she should have traveled, she’s a free spirit.”“But we need to keep our feet on the ground,” she intervened again.“You’re too smart for Purgatory, Waves. You deserve more than this town than that farm,” Gus berated, leaving to serve another customer.Nicole looked at Waverly, head cocked to the side in curiosity. “What does she mean by not the only reason you’re popular?”“My great-great-grandpa was Wyatt Earp. He owned that small farm and raised his family there.”“The Wyatt Earp? I thought I recognized your last name.”“Yup,” Waverly smile, sighing as she looked down at her drink.“So exploring the world was on your bucket list?”“Yeah, but it was only a dream. Have you explored outside of Canada?”“I have and I have to say that once you explore the world, you’re excited at first, but then find that it’s not what you expected because of all of the issues you find at home you find everywhere else, just with a different mask. It’s better to learn about the world slowly so there’s always more to see, more to do, more to… feel.” Nicole said drinking from her cup.“Wow, were you a philosophy major?” Waverly asked.“I always enjoyed philosophy, but I actually majored in justice and law,” Nicole casually joked.“Wow, any idea of what you’d do?”“Become an officer, maybe, or become a detective. Though for now, I’m working on a goat farm for a charming lady and her bike-loving older sister.”“Thank you,” Waverly bashfully accepted. “Why not go straight into the force?”“Well, I wanted to take a while off to get settled again before I have to go to the academy.”“Why law enforcement?”“I wanted to be one of the good cops. I want to improve our system by seeing and experiencing how it works from the inside.”“How noble,” Waverly carefully considered.Nicole blushed and glanced away, drinking from her glass. “I’m glad that we have this time to talk.”“Me too,” Waverly agreed.They watched as the hour passed with only a few lapsing moments of silence, seemingly having forgotten about the awkward question that briefly made Nicole wish she had taken a different job. The two women walked out of the bar, mounting Beauty, and headed back to the homestead. Nicole left first to continue her work in the fields where she began to flip the grass. The hard labor proved to be more mindless than she had originally planned, spending most of the time recounting her small excursion with Waverly. Once she finished the work, Nicole walked to the fields behind the house where Waverly said she would be and called out, “Miss Earp, would you like me to help?”“Yes, please,” she called back. “I need to pick the strawberries now, they just all popped. You know how to pick these, right?” Waverly asked, wiping her fingers off on the red and purple-stained rag.“Do they just fall off?”“Not really,” she corrected, handing her a spare pair of clippers from the basket. “We pick them when they’re a bit green still and what ones that are too ripe we sell in town or keep for ourselves.”Nicole knelt down next to her and began to pick the ripe red berries from the bush, gently dropping them into the basket. There must have been three fifty meter rows of strawberry bushes and another three rows of blueberries Waverly had picked earlier. They worked quickly and diligently, hoping to be able to rest for the remaining portion of their workday. The two women picked the berries side by side, talking as they worked.“So, books or video games,” Waverly randomly asked.“It depends,” she methodically began, “I like books a bit more but I also enjoy a well-written game, too.”“Okay. What kind of books do you like to read, then?”“I enjoy Sue Grafton or a well thought out novel about ancient history.”“Really?” Waverly asked excitedly. “So, which ancient society do you believe really pushed the progression of man?”Nicole smirked at her excitement and thoughtfully answered, “The Sumerians. With a very intricate religious system copied by the Babylonians and Egyptians which was copied by the Greeks and Romans, as well as a simple written system, I think that they really did aid in the formative years for mankind. What do you think, ma’am?”“Wow,” Waverly murmured in awe of Nicole’s genuine interest and knowledge. She bit her lip and asked, “What about women in history, which do you believe was the most progressive?”Nicole perked up an eyebrow about the subject, finding it an interesting one to compare with ancient societies. “Oh, I think either the Sumerians- again- or maybe Ancient East Africa because of the matriarchal rule in some tribes. Well, now that I think about it, definitely the Sumerians because there was a woman leader who is regarded positively and women could be equal to men if they tried unlike many cultures, ancient or modern” Waverly just looked at the young worker and smiled. “Are you alright, ma’am?”“Yes, yeah, I’ve just never met anyone so passionate about history. Everyone here is either a local running their own shop or working on their farm, so there aren’t a lot of people who like to talk about history for fun. Usually, it’s because it’s their homework… and they’re just asking for their homework.”“Well, I’m glad that you approve of my overall nerdiness, Ms. Earp,” Nicole sarcastically engaged.“Gosh, I embrace it with all of my heart because I'm not the only nerdy person in town now.”Haught continued to smile as they went back to work, feeling her employer’s eyes on her every moment or so. Whenever she caught her eye, a light blush would cover her cheeks in an instant and she would go back to her task. As they finished the final row of strawberries, Nicole glanced at her watch seeing that she still had two hours left on the clock. She excused herself and went to retrieve the small green tractor, connecting it to their old baler. The young farmhand drove to the front of the lot and hopped out to bring the hay together in individual rows. She then got back on the tractor and slowly drove over the mounds of grass as they collected and ultimately turned into seven dense round bales. She drove the tractor back, taking everything apart when she spotted Waverly in the house beckoning her inside. Nicole approached the manor, brushing off all of the excess grass, and walked in.“Hey, you busy?” her employer asked“I just have to bring in the hay, but other than that, no, ma’am.”“Just wondering. I can help you,” Waverly offered.“Thank you, ma’am,” Nicole accepted, pulling her gloves on again as she led the way to the field.They each grabbed a bale and walked to the barn where Doc must have been on a break as the goats meandered the fields to drink and graze, pushing through one another. The farmers dropped the bales on the ground and began traveling back and forth for the remaining ones. After the last drop off, Waverly climbed up the ladder to the storage space with other extra bales.“What was your aunt saying about you moving on?” Nicole asked as she tossed a bale up to her.“Well,” Waverly huffed as she caught it. “I was a history and linguistics major, nothing like Wynonna or anyone else in the family. Gus has been trying to get me on a different track ever since my dad passed away. She even helped me through college.”“Why did you decide to stay, if you don’t mind me asking, ma’am?”“This is my home, and when Wynonna left I took care of this place with Uncle Curtis, just to get by. I found happiness here. Peace,” Waverly simply added, catching the last bale and setting it down. “Love.”“Ms. Waverly Earp,” she beckoned, climbing up the ladder, “why did my sexuality matter to you?” Nicole only earned a defiant sigh and she pushed herself onto the deck. She merely looked at Nicole as she tried to put her thoughts in order as quickly as she could while the worker encroached upon her. “Close enough to touch,” she thought to herself. A foot apart, Waverly gazed up slightly to study Nicole’s features before nervously breaking their connection with a soft sigh. “I’m not really great with words,” Waverly tried to explain away, “You know what, pretend I didn’t say anything, Nicole.”“With all due respect, ma’am, I really don’t think that’s possible,” she bluntly stated.Waverly bit the inside of her lip as she tried to fight off the urge to do or say anything out of line, especially when her counterpart was so formal. “Nothing, I shouldn’t have said anything,” she tried, nudging her coworker aside by the waist before she descended the ladder.“Waverly,” she called down to her, “I apologize if I have been out of line in any way.”“I’ve been out of line, Nicole,” the young caretaker affirmed as the barn doors opened.“Good afternoon, ladies,” Doc greeted, a fresh smoke peeking out from under his mustache.“Hey, Doc,” Waverly quickly smiled, walking past him.Once out of earshot, Nicole approached him to ask, “Is she usually like this?”Doc tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear and shrugged, “Like what?”“Awkward.”“I guess sometimes? The best thing to do with these Earps is to let them defuse in solitude rather than intervene,” he informed her. “Thank you for the hay.”“No problem, Doc,” she nodded, following Waverly to the homestead.“I mean it, Haught,” he warned her. “Leave it be.”“I still have an hour left.”“I have to herd the goats in if you want to help, that’ll eat up a good fifteen,” he asked, lighting the end of his tab.
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With a new routine in place of her helping Doc in the barn, Nicole quickly acclimated to the old ways the Earps chose to run their land. It took a fair amount of time to care for the animals between helping shear the goats and cleaning out their fur before selling, she was surprised that Doc ever did it on his own. She couldn’t even imagine what the other two performed as their own daily routines between the two acres of orchards the eldest sister cared for and the constant prep Dolls had to do before transporting their goods to a facilitator.The two fairly awkward moments between Nicole and Waverly had settled into an unspoken agreement that they would both erase the barn from their minds. At least it seemed that way as Nicole found it easy to brush through her next few weeks with little to no distraction from the younger Earp. It wasn’t until they found themselves back in the barn, alone, that her shell seemed to crack once more.“Nicole,” Waverly interrupted in the silence, as they carried in buckets of water.“Yes, ma’am?” she distractedly nodded.“I’m sorry about, you know, what happened-”“I apologize for being rude, but I’m done with this conversation. You always back out of what you’re really trying to say. Either say it or don’t ever speak of it again,” she huffed setting the partially empty bucket down. “You know, I’m more than the people I love.” Waverly gripped the handle of her bucket and nodded. “Thank you.”“It’s just that I’m scared,” she said after a moment. “No, terrified.”“About what?” Nicole asked, resting against the barn wall. She took her pale stetson off, smoothing out the brim in her hands as she waited for a response.“Rejection,” she reluctantly muttered. “I’m sorry that I’ve hurt your feelings, that’s the exact opposite effect I had hoped to have on you.” Waverly quickly set the bucket down and began to pace the barn, the shuffling hay arousing the kids and nursing nannies. “Goddammit- I’m so bad at this stuff.”“I’ve given you an ultimatum, Ms. Earp.”Waverly nodded, clenching her jaw before finally taking a deep breath and quickly explaining, “Look, I’ve always been afraid of doing new things, always. And I chicken out of things I want to do… things like kissing people I’m attracted to. People like you," she quickly added. She then took a second and furrowed her eyebrows. “Wow, that sounded much more romantic in my head. Just jump in at any time, please, Nicole, because I really, really don’t know what I’m doing?”“Oh, sure you do,” Nicole flirted, stepping closer to her until she could pop the stetson on her head.Waverly fixed its placement so she could look at Nicole. Gazing at her warm pupils with doe eyes, she whispered, “Maybe I should stop talking?”“Maybe?” she teased in response while she beckoned her closer by the side of her belt.“Maybe you should stop talking, too?” Earp continued to clench and unclench her jaw as her eyes graced her features.“Maybe you should make me?” Nicole prodded, leaning in to tease the brunette. She bit the inside of her lip, curious glances flicking across her features, then back up for a response.Waverly nervously looked up at her while her hands found their way to the ones at her hips. She bit her tongue before building up the courage to kiss her. Finally after a few moments too long, she pulled her hands to the back of her neck and tugged her close, instantly locking lips.Nicole smirked at her newfound confidence, a small chuckle escaping through the shy grunts as Waverly tried to push her back against the barn wall. She peeked an eye open for a brief moment to catch the sunset glinting past the warped panels and spreading through her chestnut locks. A fresh spark of excitement poured through her as they jostled for dominance.The smaller girl eventually won, having Nicole’s hips pinned against the wooden walls. She finished with a pleasantly content sigh, taking a small step back. Nicole perked up an eyebrow as her heart thudded in her chest before taking her Stetson back. She tipped the hat down low enough to cover her eyes and at least shade the redness of her cheeks and ears.“See you tomorrow, Waves,” she whispered, sliding past her to clock out. Nicole took a moment to catch her breath and then mounted her bike.“Wait!” Waverly called after her. Nicole turned in response, tucking her helmet under her arm. “Do you want to go to the Purgatory History Museum on Sunday?”“Sure,” she nodded, tugging Waverly’s shirt back in place, “sounds like it’ll be one helluva date.”“Cute,” she sarcastically reprimanded.“Have you heard that one before?”“A few times.”Nicole chuckled as she began to think of puns, “Sunday at noon then, we can get lunch and go to the museum?”“Yeah, it’s a date!”“I’ll see you then, Waves,” she finished with a wink.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole came up the hill that Sunday afternoon, approaching the old homestead, and knocked on the door. Wynonna answered it, an apple hanging out of her mouth.“Hey, Nicole. Is it Monday already?” she asked in a tired voice.“No, I’m here for Waverly, we were going to go to the history museum.”“Oh, cool, I don’t- I can’t even say have fun. Just don’t die of boredom, I guess,” she jested through the red fruit. “Come in, I’ll go get her.”Nicole followed the older Earp sister inside, taking her place at the dining room table. There were fruits on the window sill, adding a bit of color to the otherwise faded blue monochromatic room. Nicole looked around, stopping as she watched a shirtless Dolls walk up from the basement. He glanced at Nicole, waved to greet her, and then quickly made his way back to his room. She cocked an eyebrow and shook her head, smiling when she saw Waverly hurry down the stairs. She was wearing fairly normal clothing that seemed a bit nicer than her daily attire, all paired with a dark leather jacket. Her hair was pulled back in a long tight braid that fell to the middle of her back with a bike helmet tucked under her arm.“Hey, Nicole,” she greeted with her usual bright smile.“Hey,” she repeated, standing up. “How are you?”“Good, I’m ready to go, you?”“Ready as I’ll ever be. So, Museum then Shorty’s?”“Sure, yeah, sounds like fun.”“Your sister would say otherwise.”“Yeah, she has a lot to say about our museum.”“Why?”“She was a bit of a trouble-maker when we were younger,” she finished as they left the house.“Did you ever get into trouble?”“Me, never,” Waverly innocently defended. “I was always too busy to get into the kind of trouble she did.”They walked to Beauty and mounted it, the bike roaring to life as they drove out of the ranch. Waverly placed her hands on her date’s shoulders, quickly slipping them around her waist as they broke through the countryside. She glanced at Purgatory as it flashed past her, taking in the sights was something she always loved to do whenever she was a passenger. She could smell the grass through its seasons and experience the sounds that penetrated the whirring of the wind and engine.Nicole turned into the practically empty parking lot of the museum, taking a moment to flatten out their hair before entering the building. Once they got to the small building, the two women dismounted and walked into the free building, regarding the various artifacts, many of them being Wyatt Earp’s, while Waverly became a docent for Nicole.“Another Wyatt artifact, just a replica of his prized possession,” she noted at the pristine firearm.“Replica?”“Yeah. The original is in the Smithsonian. She’s a beauty, Peacemaker. We still own it, we’re just getting a bit of money off of loaning her out.”“There’s a lot of stuff from your great-great-grandad. What about his friend, Doc Holliday?”“Oh, well that’s over here. He died young and only stayed here after he was already sick. They have some pictures of him and a short bio, too,” Waverly said, leading Nicole over to a small area on the western icon. “Actually, our families have finally been brought back together. Doc is the great-great-great-grandson of The John Henry Holiday.”“What about Dolls, does he have connections to the Earp family?”“No, he’s just an amazing farmhand, like you.”“Thank you. So, what’s next on the tour?”“Oh, yeah. Okay, so.” Waverly began, bringing their attention to the other exhibits in the small building.They continued to walk through the museum for another hour before leaving for Shorty’s. Waverly walked in first, spotting Gus at the counter having a serious conversation with Curtis, which was interrupted when Shorty broke through, grabbing old McCreedy and dragging him to the pool table for a talk. Gus rolled her eyes and invited them in, already pouring two drinks for them.“Waverly!” Shorty greeted in his low and inviting tone.“Hey, how’s it been?”“Business as usual, but we do still miss seeing you all the time.”“I do miss how easy it was to get tips,” she joked. “Oh, this is Nicole, she’s our newest addition to the farm.”“Hi, Nicole, “ he greeted shaking her hand. “Wow, she has a great handshake,” Shorty complimented.Nicole glanced away for a moment. “That just proves how strong she is,” Waverly answered patting her on the back. “How’s the heart?”“Well, it’s working. I hate to leave y’all so soon, but Curt and I have some business to attend to. It was nice seeing you,” he smiled, rushing out of the bar.Waverly brushed off the bizarre scene and approached the counter where her aunt was and called her attention.“How are you, two ladies?” Gus smiled, sliding their drinks over.“Thank you, ma’am. We just came from the history museum,” Nicole informed her.“Wonderful, it’s great that you finally found a real friend,” Gus directed to her niece. “So, what’s next for you two?”“Nothing really, drink a little then go back home,” Waverly told her.“Well, that’s great that you two are taking time outside of work to get acquainted.” She took the payment from Waverly, giving her back the few cents in return. “I’ve changed my mind, it’s a good thing you stayed.”“I’m glad I have a friend here. It’s hard to live anywhere without at least one,” Nicole smiled before partaking in the dish of pretzels.Gus smiled and left when one of the patrons asked for another round. Waverly turned to her date and smiled, “I think she likes you.”“I don’t know, are you sure?”“Of course, she tends to be fairly standoffish towards people she doesn’t like. Like my ex.”“Who was your ex?” Nicole asked.“A non-college frat local boy, so it was good for my reputation.”“Well, I’m also glad you didn’t follow him around the globe.”“Mm, yeah.” She considered her archaic relationship with him but repressed the thought. “You know, I was thinking about cutting my hair.”“To match your new-found sexuality?” Nicole joked quietly.“Yeah, a bi bob. No, I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I need something new, I’ve been with the same long hair for years, I think I need a break.”“Long or short, you’ll look absolutely beautiful,” she mused with a smile.“Thank you, I love it when people feed my ego,” Waverly said, flipping her hair.“After this, do you still want me to drop you off at your house?” Nicole asked after sipping from her glass of soda.“Yeah, but you can stay if you want, Doc and Dolls usually cook dinner while Wynonna and I just kinda hang around.”“Why not, it’ll be a great way to know the rest of the family,” she shrugged with a content smile.Waverly smirked and chuckled as she finished her drink. “Well, there are a few things you should know, then.”“What’s that?”“Well, my sister running the farm was kind of unforeseen. She left once she graduated until our dad passed away.”“Why did she leave?”“Because Purgatory wasn’t big enough for her, I mean, I don’t blame her, I just wish we had prepared a bit more for his passing.”“You pulled through, though?”“An Earp always does,” Waverly ruefully chuckled.During their mostly private conversation over a cheap meal, they spoke about Waverly’s family and the farm. Their conversation weaved around Nicole’s own family and life until they quickly circled back around to the Earp family and Purgatory. As their conversation carried over into the early moments of Happy Hour, Waverly glanced around the bar as she finished her Long Island.“Anyway, are you ready to escape?”“Yes, ma’am,” Nicole smiled, finishing her drink before they returned to Beauty.She waited for Waverly to join her before they made their way back to the homestead, the sun setting behind the hills with traces of indigo breaking through the yellow and pink sky. Five minutes from the Earp house, Waverly tapped on her shoulder to grab her attention, so the redhead pulled over.“There’s somewhere we should go,” Waverly suggested over the idling engine. “It’s nice out and I’m still wide awake. So, the next fork, take a left then another left, you’ll find a place called Point Blank.”“Okay,” she answered, putting her helmet back on. She sped off to the location, slowing down once she spotted and approached the bar. It was not the nicest bar, she noted as they found their way through the barn turned gay bar, but there were a fair amount of neon lights from old stores that had since closed or gotten rid of their decorations to light up the place. After checking in their gear, Nicole followed her guide to the double doors and closer to the thumping bass. The young woman by the door who had checked their IDs followed them in and plucked Waverly back, whispering something in her ear that made her shake her head before the couple continued inside. Nicole grabbed her hand as they entered the flaring dark pool of young queer adults dressed up and down out having fun. The music was weirdly slow and melodic, the bass and drums echoing over their melody, while the lights were a mix of maroon and red switching to hot pink and purple throughout the song. Nicole was gripping nervously onto Waverly’s arm as she looked around the room, struggling to take in her surroundings, so Waverly brought her to the bar.“You okay?” she asked over the music. She stood in front of her, trying to call her attention away from the scene.“Yeah, just a lot here,” Nicole tried to explain away.“If you want, we can leave, Nicole,” she comforted her, a hand pushing the red locks off of her shoulder.“No, I’m fine, I just need to get adjusted,” she whispered in response“Okay,” Waverly nodded, getting off the barstool, offering her hand. “Is this your first time at a gay bar?”“No… well first time to one like this, but not my first one ever, no.”Nicole followed her again, this time to the dancefloor as they joined the early patrons. She looked around, smiling when she saw the other couples. There were two boys near them, one wearing gaudy bear drag while the other was dressed in his casual day clothes. Another group was a mix of men and women, some in drag others just dressed up in cheap clothing from the thrift store or knick-knack shops. Waverly placed her hands on the redhead’s neck, swaying to the music as she regarded her features. She pushed back a lock of her hair feeling a bit of nervous sweat on her forehead. Nicole only looked at her, distracted by her own thoughts and discomfort of being in the large crowd. Waverly tipped her head back so they were looking at each other again, pulling her a tad closer as the music changed. She felt her heart beat faster in their private moment and Nicole’s hands glided to her waist, eyes desperately searching for a reaction as she lightly pressed her lips against the back of her date’s hand. Haught tugged her closer, lifting her chin up to peck her jaw. Nicole slipped her hands down to her hips, gripping her harder until she felt her pelvis beneath her thumbs. She stumbled closer to her which caused her heart to nervously flutter in her chest. They continued to dance, the lights and sounds getting drowned out by their intimate contact as the couple felt the humid alcohol and candy-flip laced air envelope them in a tight vice. Slick sweet sweat formed over their skin as the rank room seeped into their bodies and clothes, seemingly pulling them even closer. Waverly finally wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck and kissed her, partial pain fleeting away even as her date’s tight grip slid up to her obliques. She clamped her teeth over Nicole’s lower lip, playfully tugging back to take in a quick breath before they were connected again. Only a breath apart as they gazed at one another, Nicole whispered, “I think I’d like to stay a bit longer.”“I’m glad you changed your mind, but it is getting kind of late, can we go home?” she asked, peeling Nicole’s fingers off of her sides.“Sure,” she agreed, going to check out her belongings.They quickly escaped out to the chilly afternoon, the crisp night air nipping at their skin. Once Nicole felt the young woman sit down behind her, wrapping her arms around her core tightly to fend from the cold, they drove off, weaving around on the street bends and regarding the darkness that crept behind them. She hung a “U” down the next fork and headed towards the homestead where the warmly lit house greeted them. Nicole stopped near the front porch and dismounted after her date, tucking her helmet under her arm as she bashfully looked at the moonlit barn. Waverly regarded her in the restricted yellow light, brushing a bit of stray glitter from her cheek. she gripped the helmet with her right hand and slipped her fingers under her lapel to fix her jacket.“I should go home,” Nicole whispered, “I’ll see you tomorrow, Waves.”Waverly kept her hands on her lapel and tugged her close to kiss her again. Her helmet fell with a loud crack against the porch making them both jump apart. Nicole quickly lunged for it and handed it back as the door opened.“Good afternoon, ladies, how was the museum?” Wynonna greeted.“Don’t answer, she doesn’t really want to know,” Waverly smirked as she pushed her sister back inside.“You never know how quickly my tastes change?”“Bye, Nicole.”“Bye, Haught,” she called past her sister.~~~~~~~~~~In the final weeks of the summer to fall season, the Earp sister sat in the kitchen working on the books as they prepared to ship off their crops. Waverly stood up and paced around the room, then left for the porch. She leaned on the railing, gazing out at the ranch, and hung her head. Waverly heard footsteps behind her, not bothering to turn around until she felt lips press against her cheek. She opened her eyes to find Nicole next to her.“What’s up? You okay?” she asked, taking her hand.“Yeah, stress from planning for next season as well as selling. It’s obnoxiously difficult,” she explained to her, shaking her head to recompose herself. “That doesn’t matter. How’ve you been?”“I’m doing well,” Nicole responded, placing her hands on the young Earps arms. “I’m gonna go in and get a drink. If you need anything, I’ll be in the barn with Doc.”“M’kay,” Waverly sighed with a slight smile.Nicole swept a bottle of water before heading to the barn to join Doc as he finished milking their livestock. She went through, gathering the goats to wash them while her partner then brushed them. Nicole stayed at the barn, herding the goats back into the pen. She glanced at the young farm boy as he walked around.“Those Earp girls are hard to please but easy to like,” Doc joked, “Especially with their goats. They love ‘em more than anything in the world.”“I can see why, they’re cute animals.”“Ha, yeah. More like demons. Smart little imps,” he chuckled petting one of the kids as they cut in front of his legs.Nicole watched as the young goats play fought, glancing around the acres to regard the beautiful prairie land that surrounded them.“Nicole,” Waverly’s voice gently called. Haught turned around and hopped the fence, walking over to her. “You wanna take a break?” she asked.“Why not? Hey Doc, I’ll be back in a while, call me if you need anything,” she informed him, trying to push through the goats that meandered in front of her. “So, how’d it all go?”“Not too bad. We switched vendors, so we’re just trying to get used to how they work, you know, what they want and how they want us to give our crops to them,” Waverly explained following her. “That doesn’t matter now. It’s done, and on Wednesday, we’re sending Dolls out with the fruit and Wynonna’s going to order more seeds from the local store for the fall. That means that you, Doc, and I are going to be holding down the fort.”Nicole ascended the stairs to the porch. “What do you usually grow in the fall?”“Grains, rye, and barley. It’s kinda boring. But once winter comes, no crops, just caring for the goats. Keeping them healthy during the winter and picking the ones who are getting butchered before the new season arrives,” Waverly bluntly informed her. “So, where do you wanna go?”“My place?” Nicole offered. “I live a way out there, but I wouldn’t protest an early day off.”“Cool,” she nodded, grabbing her helmet from the coat stand before clocking them both out. “Ready when you are.”“M’kay,” Nicole said with a smile.They mounted her bike and sped off towards her flat. Nicole wove through the streets, getting to her place in about a half-hour. She got off her bike and jogged up the stairs to her small apartment, glancing back over her shoulder to see how far behind her girlfriend was as they entered the quaint flat. Waverly followed in, taking in the quaint apartment that was littered with photos of Nicole at various ages with her family, usually a boy and some with her grandma, but none with her parents. She saw one where Nicole was with another woman not much older than she was and picked it up.“Who’s this?” she asked, hoping it was a relative.“Who?” Nicole asked peering over her shoulder. “Oh, that’s my aunt Theresa. She and her wife actually got married two months ago? Three? I can’t remember.”“She’s young.”“Yeah, she’s five years older than me? What do you want to eat?” Nicole asked, walking to the fridge.“You,” Waverly sarcastically answered, earning the reaction of a slightly blushing Nicole. “Jk. How about a sandwich?”“Okay.”Waverly watched for a moment as she started to make their food before meandering around the room again to look at the simple pictures. She picked up another picture frame that was face down, this one had a boy standing next to her. He had a black suit and his dark red hair was gelled into a neat style. Nicole had long hair, reaching the middle of her back, and had a fancy black dress and cardigan. They weren’t smiling, only a slight fake grin for the photo. They carried flowers, red and white for Nicole, blue and green for the boy.“What’s this from?” Waverly asked.Nicole walked over and studied it. “That was my parent’s funeral. My brother, Andrew, and I were twelve when it happened.”“I’m sorry, I know how it feels to lose a parent.”“When did they pass away?”“Well, my mom moved to the States when I was five and my dad passed when I was fifteen,” Waverly reflected, picking at the frame.Nicole stood behind her and took the photo out of her hands, placing it facedown on the small table in front of them. She wrapped her arms around the young Earp’s shoulders, smiling at the way her girlfriend held onto her forearms. Waverly turned around and leaned up to kiss her, pulling her in by her jaw.“You have the weirdest, turn-ons,” she nervously jested, drawing herself close enough to kiss her again.Waverly glanced up as she dipped her hands under the hem of her tank top, gauging her reaction before slipping her hands down to her belt. She glanced back down as she unbuckled her black belt, getting stopped when Nicole grabbed her wrists, gently huffing as she pulled away.“Wait, are you sure you’re ready?” she asked her.Waverly bit her lip in apprehension then shook her head before pulling herself back up to kiss her again. As she led her to the old couch, she pulled away to explain her actions to her visibly confused girlfriend.“We should wait for that, but I’m okay with other stuff…” Waverly awkwardly phrased.Nicole bit her lip and nodded as her girlfriend kissed her again, pulling her into her lap by her muscular thighs.
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Waverly combed a hand through her long hair before pulling it into a tight braid and capping up. She walked out of the house to the front lot where everyone was digging up the freshly fallen snow from the pathway to the barn. Nicole zipped up her thick jacket and pulled a thin thermal mask up to cover her nose. Dolls and Doc had fully grown out their facial hair, unkempt beards, and mustaches galore. Wynonna dawned a thick wool cap and a puffy jacket with a faux fur trim around the hood while she watched the others dig.The surrounding area reflected the bright white snow while the overcast sky was still dark grey, not even the sun poking through the dense clouds. The weather said no more snow for the rest of the day, so everyone quickly went to work. With conditions too hazardous to drive in, Nicole stayed with the others on the couch, helping them with the morning routine like clearing the driveway.They shoveled through the two feet of snow in the middle of that December afternoon. Waverly was holding a pail of salt, setting it on the ground, and took a broom to sweep off the leftover snow. She then grabbed the bucket and began to sprinkle its contents across the ground, her sister grinding it into the icy dirt to break up the frozen water. Nicole clambered up on the bank of snow and began digging into it to get to the barn door. Doc and Dolls finished packing the sides of the path they’d created. They then began to dig into the snow and tossed it behind them onto a higher pile. Nicole opened the door and began to care for the livestock while the others were busy clearing, packing, or salting. She counted them all and began to do her checks to weed out the old ones.She felt a hand rest against the middle of her back, turning around to see Waverly’s bright smile. She smiled back and pecked her forehead, going back to the kids then the billy goats. “Looking at the livestock, they’re all strong for their age. The older ones like Mary, Ophelia, Petra, and Goatlet I think are ready,” Nicole informed her.“Aww, not Goatlet,” she whined in response.“Really, Goatlet?”“Well, it can’t be Ham-let, he’s a goat.”Nicole shook her head, “You’re such a nerd.”“I know,” Waverly replied, smiling up at her girlfriend.The young farmhand climbed up the ladder and tossed down a bale of hay for Waverly to spread. She climbed back down and helped her clear out the old fodder.“So, I was thinking, maybe we could go on a vacation? Montreal or Toronto?” Nicole suggested.“How long would we be gone?”“About one week.”“I’ll have to think about it, the others could take care of everything,” she said, “When would it be?”“Sometime during the winter.”Waverly nodded and thought about it. “What about during January?”“Okay,” Nicole agreed, pulling the brunette into a kiss. “Hey, does your sister know yet?”“Pft no, she’s way too oblivious.” Waverly scoffed. “Basically everybody knows. Gus, Doc, Dolls, Shorty, Uncle Curtis. She didn’t know Champ and me were dating until we kissed in front of her after we’d been together for two years. Over two years.”“Don’t you think she should know?”“Eh, it doesn’t matter. Neither of us cares about who sleeps with whom,” Waverly shrugged, threading her hands around her girlfriend’s waist.Nicole smirked and yawned, “God, okay. Sorry, what do we do with the ones we’re gonna get rid of?”“We watch over them, then at the end of the season we get rid of them unless they die of natural causes earlier.”“Okay. What now?”“I mean, I guess check on the others.”“Yeah, or we can plan our vacation.”“I’d like that more.”They left the barn and went inside with the others. Waverly jogged upstairs to her room to grab her laptop. She rushed back down to the parlor room where Nicole was sitting with Doc. Wynonna walked in, standing next to Dolls. She was drinking a beer. Doc got up and went downstairs to rest up while Dolls and Wynonna went out to get food for the next week.Nicole looked around and joked, “We know how to clear a room.”“Okay, so we’ll need to decide where.”“Toronto, I’ve always wanted to go.”“Okay, how does the sixteenth through the twenty-second of January sound?”“We should stay out of the city, stay in the calmer areas.”“Okay, can you look up some hotels?”Waverly nodded as they spent the next twenty minutes finding a place and booking it. The younger woman rested against her partner, smiling as Nicole wrapped an arm around her shoulders.“So, where to?” She asked.“Ripley’s Aquarium?”“Let’s see, oh, there’s a history museum, let’s go there! And an ancient art exhibit here.” “Okay, then we should reserve tickets. What about every other day, so second, fourth, and sixth?”“What about the other days?”Nicole smiled and kissed her cheek. “Whatever we want.”“Hmm… like what?”“I don’t know, whatever you want?” Nicole whispered in her ear, wrapping both of her arms around Waverly.“You know, Wynonna moved out of my room.”“Is that a proposition?”Waverly got up first, grabbing the laptop and closing it as she jogged upstairs. Nicole raced up after her. She opened the door for Waves, looking in the small bedroom. The walls were an off white with a very light green trim. The bed had a geometric pattern of muted colors, a great departure from the occupant’s style. Pearlescent magenta and green decorations were hanging from the ceiling, twisting and turning to elegantly reflect the light. Waverly plugged the laptop back in before walking straight up to her girlfriend. She pulled Nicole in close, kicking the door closed and pressing her against the faux oak to lock it. Haught bit her lip, pulling her partner up by the lapel of her winter jacket before peeling it off and tossing it to the ground. She felt Waverly grab her wrists and pin them against the wall. Nicole smiled locked lips with her, chuckling softly at the aggression. Waverly took off Nicole’s jacket, letting it drop below, and kissed her a bit more aggressively. Nicole pressed her hand against her chest to push her away.“Take it slow,” she whispered.“Sorry,” Waverly blushed with a nod, leaning in to kiss her againShe placed her hands on Nicole’s waist, feeling her soft muscles through the thermal shirt she wore. She slid a hand under her shirt, lightly dragging her fingers down her abdomen and to her large belt buckle, which she used to tug her closer, pulling her girlfriend off balance from the motion. She undid the leather belt and opened the button on her pants, ripping the zipper down and snaking her hand back up her pale skin.Nicole closed her eyes, exhaling softly as a warm glow in the pit of her stomach blazed even with their icy surroundings. She suddenly kissed Waverly, pulling her close with a hand at the small of her back. Her fingers found their way to the hem of her shirt and almost tore it off. Waverly wrapped her arms around her neck as she felt Nicole slide her hands down to her thighs and lift her up off the ground.She walked to the bed, bracing herself against the mattress as she hovered over her girlfriend. She briefly closed her eyes then opened them to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. They kissed again and Waverly pulled off her jeans, tugging and yanking off Nicole’s thick pants as well. The young farmhand held onto her thigh and pulled away, nudging her nose against Waverly’s.“Do you want me to continue?” Nicole asked, looking into her girlfriend’s eyes.“Yes.” Waverly asserted with a nod.~~~~~~~~~~Waverly opened her eyes, glad to be waking with a familiar redhead in her arms. She looked down at her little spoon and smiled. The blanket was pulled up to their shoulders as the winter morning chilled the old house. Waverly looked around the dark room, glancing over her shoulder to check the time. 5:09. She turned back to Nicole and cuddled into her, stirring her awake only enough for her to adjust their position. Nicole placed her hand on her girlfriend’s bare chest. Waverly smiled and kissed her forehead, closing her eyes and falling back asleep. She soon awoke again to the slight disturbance of her partner now waking up. Waverly opened her eyes to see the back of Nicole’s head. She heard her sigh and wrapped her arms across her torso.“Good morning.” Nicole greeted.“Morning.”“What time is it?” She turned so they were face to face.“About 7:50,” Waverly answered, checking the clock.“Should we get up?” Nicole asked.“Should we, yes, but I just want to eat and lay here next to you.”Nicole smiled, her dimples showing, and slowly sat up until the blanket fell off of her shoulder. She placed her hand on Waverly’s arm and looked out at the window.“Hey, Waves. If it’s almost eight, why is it still dark?” Nicole asked as she approached the window, her flannel neon pink and salmon pants being the only thing to be seen moving in the room.Waverly got up onto her elbows, shivering in the cold now. Nicole opened the curtains and wiped the window with her hand. She was met by a partially snow-covered window. She turned around to face her partner. “We should wake the others.”Waverly nodded and hopped out of bed, grabbed her clothes including a thick jacket on her way out of the room. Nicole quickly followed suit, stuck buckling her pants when Wynonna came out, half asleep, still pulling on her bottoms. She nodded at Nicole and walked to the hatch in the roof of the house, pulling it so a ladder slowly unfolded. She climbed up, Haught at her heels, and turned on the light. The warm air was instantly sucked out of the house in place of the frozen air.They looked out to the snow that piled up about a yard below the door. “Well uh-oh,” Wynonna remarked, closing the door. “We need shovels.”Nicole nodded and went back down to retrieve the tools from the hallway closet. She and Wynonna climbed back up again and clambered to the front door to dig themselves out. Waverly and Dolls joined five minutes later, Doc following behind by another minute or two. They miserably dug through about thirteen feet of snow within a few hours. The boys packed the snow while the Earp sisters began to dig a ramp to get to the barn. Nicole was given the task to grab their bag of industrial salt and poured it into a bucket. Once outside, she spread it and ground the crystals into the icy dirt. She sighed and set it down, watching as the guys jumped down from the packed snow and walked in to get something to eat. Haught walked in with them to grab her keys. Nicole closed the door behind herself and searched for her keys. She found them at the end of the duvet. As she left, she opened the door to Dolls standing before her in a towel wrapped tightly around his waist.“Every time. Sorry about this. Waverly has my razor though.”“Razor?”“Yeah. I can just get it, don’t worry,” he said walking in and grabbing the black and silver electric razor from the corner of Waverly’s desk. “You know, you two are really cute together. I’m glad she’s found someone who treats her well,” Xavier informed with a smile on his way out.“Thank you,” Nicole considered, glancing at her phone before leaving for the barn.She jogged back down the steps and found Wynonna on her way back inside. The ramp they created was nice, although it was slick on the way down, Nicole almost slipping and stumbling a couple times until she finally fell. Nicole caught herself on all fours then slowly stood up, brushing the snow off her jacket on her way into the old barn. She opened the doors to see Waverly sitting on the ground petting her livestock. Nicole sat down next to her, an arm wrapped across her back.“Dolls likes me being with you,” she informed her.A speckled red and white kid climbed onto her and bleated in her face. She jerked back then nuzzled the young goat. “This is Jeremiah, he's a confident little guy.”Nicole smiled and leaned against Waverly, glancing up then pecking her cheek. She tucked her hands in her pockets and curled into her even more.“You share a razor with Dolls?” The redhead asked.“Oh, yeah. Mine broke, so I’m waiting for a new one to come in.”“Why do we always run into each other when he’s half-naked?”“Yeah, he talks about that. It’s weird because he’s almost never topless.”“I guess I’m just lucky.” She sighed with a smirk. “Lucky to be with you, to be working, and to see half-naked Xavier.”Waverly laughed and nudged the goat back out with the others. She smiled as it jumped and ran back to the others then stood up with an outstretched hand for Nicole. Wynonna walked in, rapping on the barn door.“Hey, Haughtstuff, some narc is looking for you,” she politely interrupted.Nicole walked out, seeing a clean-shaven ginger man in a thick jacket and black slacks was sitting on the porch. She approached him, studying him as closely as possible. He smiled and went to hug her, “Hey, Nicki. You look great. I see you couldn’t stay away from farming.”“Hi Andrew,” Nicole greeted in surprise, “how’s everything going with you?”“It’s been good, I haven’t seen you in a long while. Yeah, I… look, there’s no easy way to say this, but the farm’s in trouble and I might have to sell it.”“What about grandma? Where will she go?”“That’s the other thing,” he slowly explained, looking at his feet. “She’s been sick for a while.”“Wait what?” Nicole asked, backing away. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”“I didn’t thi-”“How long has she been sick?”“...Since last year.”“Andrew!”“I’m sorry.”Nicole huffed in indignance, taking a deep breath. “What does she have?”“Stage four pancreatic cancer.”“When was she diagnosed?” Nicole asked quietly, looking at her brother.“5 months ago.”“What do you want me to do?”“I want you to come back with me.”“When?”“As soon as you can. She doesn’t have long, Nicole.”She nodded and sat against the wall, hands covering her face before going inside of the homestead. Nicole clocked out and walked back out to her brother who was already on his way to the car. She followed him in and closed her eyes, feeling her brother’s hand on the back of her shoulder.“I’m sorry I had to break the news.”Nicole shook her head, looking down as her phone buzzed. “Shit,” she thought, “Waves.” She sighed and unlocked her phone.“Where are you?”Nicole looked out of the window and texted her back. “I’m taking a leave of absence for family matters. I’ve already clocked out.”“What happened, babe?”“Just some things I’m still processing.”“Nicole.” Waverly texted, waiting three minutes before texting again. “Nicole.”Nicole silenced her phone, turning it to ‘Do Not Disturb’ and relaxed against the door. She gazed out the window, listening as the wind whipped past them in the tundra-like terrain they sped past. Her brother was focused on the road, not looking at her nor the new area he was in. They drove down south for two hours, non-stop. Through all of the snow and sleet, they found their way back home. Andrew pulled up to the old beautiful house they grew up in. Nicole exited the car, closing the door behind herself, and went inside. She saw her aunt and uncle in the parlor room. Riley and Tommy’s signature ginger hair tousled from sleepless nights. Nicole walked in further, smiling at her old clan. Riley came up and hugged her, smiling and brushing a hair from her face.“Dia duit,” (Hi) she greeted, pulling away to look at her. “How are you?”“Not too well to be completely honest. I just learned about all of this, so-”“Andrew! Cén fáth nár chuir tú in iúl di? Ba chóir go mbeadh náire ort!” (Why didn’t you let her know? You should be ashamed!) She berated in their native tongue.“Tá a fhios agam, I’m sorry.” (I know)She shook her head and walked to the kitchen. “Do you want anything to drink?”“No thank you.”“Ní dhéanfaidh aon ní? Caife, tae, beoir, anything?” (Nothing? Coffee, tea, beer?)“Gan buíochas a ghabháil leat, Riley,” (No thank you, Riley) she answered. “Where’s Alli?”“Sa bhaile,” (At home) she responded from the kitchen.“Okay, tell her hi when you go back.”“Will do. So, what’ve you been doing?”“Working on another farm over in south Calgary, a place called… well Purgatory.”“Purgatory?” Tommy said with a hearty laugh. “What kinda name is that?”“The name of where my girlfriend lives.”“Leannán cailín, cad é a ainm?” (Girlfriend, what’s her name?) He asked.“Waverly. She’s insanely smart. Too smart to be working in such a small town, but it fits her personality.”Tommy smiled up at his younger half-sister as she reentered the room. “Fuaimeanna sí go hálainn.” (She sounds perfect.)“Tá sí.” (She is.) Nicole answered, her smile turning into a slight grimace. “How’s Mhamó?”“Not well. The doctors say she won’t get any better,” Andrew informed her.“There’s nothing we can do?” Nicole asked.“Nothing.”She nodded and looked at her phone. “Oh boy.” Waverly had texted about ten times and called five times. Nicole left the room and checked what she missed. “Nicole, answer, please baby. What’s wrong?”Nicole called her up, sighing as she looked out at the old property. A few seconds passed before the call connected.“Where are you? Are you safe?” Waverly urgently inquired.“Yes, yeah. I’m back home.”“Home home?”“Yeah, at my grandma’s. The ‘narc’ was Andrew, my brother. He told me that grandma was really sick and…” Nicole stopped, tearing up, trying not to cry into the receiver. “... she may not make it.”“Nicki,” Waverly whispered. “If you need anything, I’ll be here, just call or text me. I love you.”“Love you, too,” Nicole answered, locking the phone before she finally broke down on the porch.She covered her face and wept into her hands, muffling her sobs in her arms. She felt a hand rubbing her back, and caught her aunt’s eye and the cup of coco she was holding. Nicole took it and sipped at the scorching liquid and tuned out Riley until she was again alone on the stoop of the front porch. She sat there for twenty minutes, reflecting on all of her memories of her with her family, the summers spent in their tiny homestead.She smiled when she recalled her aunt getting caught sneaking out when they were younger. Her uncle was about forty-seven and helping out on the farm with his wife and very young children who were five and nine years younger than Andrew and herself. She and her brother would prank their neighbors in that little town but spent their time in church every Sunday being the best Catholic angels. An innocent time she debated ever wanting to relive through such dangerously rose-tinted glasses.~Waverly locked her phone, all eyes on her in their parlor room.“So?” Dolls cut in. “She doesn’t seem like the type to just leave with someone random.”“I agree. Should we call the police?” Wynonna asked.“No, she’s fine, just dealing with some family issues right now,” Waverly reassured them.“Okay,” Dolls answered.“Hey, why don’t you two rest up?” Wynonna suggested.“Of course,” Doc agreed with a tip of his hat as the two gentlemen left.“What happened?”“Her grandma’s really sick and might pass away,” Waverly explained. “I just wish I was there for her. She shouldn’t be going through this alone, Wyn.”“Give her space, I think she just needs some time to think this all through while she’s going through this moment of her life. Remember after Daddy passed away?”“Yeah, you just took off without saying a would like mom. You tried to take on the world while leaving your helpless little sister behind in the dust. As if you didn’t care about me. But I stayed, I saw Daddy lowered into the ground, his cold lifeless body stuck in those closed caskets because of how severe his injuries were while you were in Greece on a bender.”“I’m sorry.”“No, don’t be. It’s too late for that,” Waverly huffed, standing up and leaving.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole woke up in her old room with her aunt sleeping on the top bunk. She sighed and shifted around, momentarily forgetting that Waverly was back at the farm. The young woman sat up and went to the bathroom, getting ready before escaping to the kitchen where Uncle Tommy was making breakfast. She smiled and hugged him.“Maidin mhaith, Nicole,” (Good morning, Nicole) he greeted as he spread Irish butter across a pan.“Morning.”“I can tell you miss her.”“Who?”“Your girlfriend, I miss Liza as well. She’s at home with the kids. You know, Oliver is seventeen now, a senior in high school. Victor’s turning thirteen in the summer. He’s really excited about high school. He wants to try out for the hockey team.”“Really? I didn’t think that he wanted to follow in Andy’s footsteps. What’s Ollie been doing?”“Water polo and track and field.” Tommy placed the bacon on a plate and started to cook the sausage. “He hates running, so he does the uh… cad a thugtar air… oh shot-put.” (What’s it called?) “Wow, impressive. Any ideas afterward?”“He wants to coach, work for parks and rec., he loves that kind of stuff. So, once he’s graduated, he’ll get his AA then start coaching your old swim team. What about you? Are you just gonna stay at the farm?”“At first, I was only gonna stay until I was accepted into the police academy, but now. I don’t know. Things have changed.”“Do whatever you want to do. Police work, farm work, etc.,” he noted with a smile as he finished cooking.Tommy looked up at Nicole as she went to brew up a pot of coffee. “So, when’ll we visit grandma?”“Today, when they let us in at about 10.”“Okay.”“Could you go wake the others?”“Of course,” she said, leaving for her room where her aunt was already pulling on a jacket.“Hey, Nicki,” she greeted with her trademark grin.“Cén chaoi ar chodail tú?” (How’d you sleep?)“Bhuel, agus tú?” (Well, and you?)“Like a baby.” Riley mulled over her words before asking, “Other than Mhamó, you’re sad, did something happen between you and your girlfriend?”“No, actually, we were going to go on a trip next month. Andrew just tore me away.”“I’m sorry that your plans have possibly been pushed back.” Riley gave her a supportive smile and hugged her. “Tá sé ceart go leor. Bricfeasta a ithe, by the way.” (It’s fine. Breakfast is ready)They joined the others in the kitchen where Andrew and Tommy were by the sink drinking some black coffee. The Haught boys were talking in their varying Gaelic accents, something about forgiveness before they looked at their sisters. Andrew sat in his old spot at the table, followed by the others and they dug in. Somber minutes passed awkwardly until Riley had to break in, as always.“Remember when Seanathair Brody undercooked the potatoes?” she asked with a playful stab to the spud slice on her plate.“Oh my god, we had to call up the Nomadsons and give half the morning meal to their pigs,” Andrew recalled.Nicole scoffed and ate her food, smiling as she looked around at her small family. She finally broke out into a full-hearted chuckle when her brother spilled some of his plate on his lap. He cursed and cleaned up, still eating the fallen food that hadn’t touched the ground.~~~~~~~~~~Waverly woke up that morning, cold in the drafty house without her loved one by her side. She went to the kitchen where Wynonna slept face-first at the table with an empty bottle of whiskey tipped in her death grip. Waverly frowned and pried the bottle out of her hands, placing it in the recycling bin by the door. She wiped off the table and gently awoke her older sister. Wynonna stretched and glanced up at her sister before bursting out of her seat to give her a bear hug that sent them stumbling a few inches back. She lightly pushed her away and began her daily tasks.Waverly sighed evenly as she turned on the stove, trying to fend off the encroaching memories of her sister’s sudden departure in their youth. She remembered Gus coming with social services to take her away to her new room above the bar. Curtis cared for the homestead but sold off the goats, crops, everything Waverly grew up with. She remembered being so lost, sad, and scared.She blamed Wynonna for everything, all of her bad luck. Her sadness, depression, any bad thing that happened, was her fault. Waverly gripped onto the counter and felt a strong hand grip her shoulder. She slapped their hand away and left for her room, not even looking at her friend. Dolls watched her, not knowing what to do. He then took her place, secretly planning on how to help her without seeming nosy. He put together two plates and called over the household while he walked up to Waverly’s room.“Waverly, it’s Dolls,” he said through the door. He waited for a moment before continuing, “I brought you some breakfast. Toast, orange preserves, and bacon.” Waverly cracked open the door and contemplated taking the food. “Do you wanna talk?”“Yes… well no, but I should,” she grumbled, grabbing the plate and opening the door wide enough for Dolls.He followed her in and took his spot in the chair in the corner while Waverly sat on her bed. Xavier waited for his friend to speak first, listening to her plight. She glanced at him then awkwardly bit into her toast before speaking.“I was having some flashbacks,” she began, “and as hard as I try, I can’t help but fall back into my old habits. I’m just worried about Nicole. She’s lost so many important people that I don’t want her to feel like she’s alone.”“Do you think you’re worried because you feel alone?”“Not helping me, Xavier,” she grumbled.“Hey, after work, do you want to go out to Shorty’s?”“Not Shorty’s, I want to go somewhere where I don’t know anyone.”“Okay.”~~~~~~~~~~Nicole sat at the edge of her grandmother’s hospital bed and watched her diligently work on her crochet. The monitor was steadily beeping with her heart even as she was quickly whispered with Tommy. Nicole could pick up some topics including ‘I love you’, ‘Take care of them’, and a brief word about the house. Andrew was sitting in the corner with a magazine while Riley was on the phone outside. Nicole felt her own cell buzz in her pocket, the caller ID revealing Waverly as the caller.“Hey sweetie, how are you?” her girlfriend opened with.“We’re at the hospital with my grandma. She’s bored out of her mind. How are you?” she asked on her way out.“Good, Dolls and I are on our way to a bar.”“Who’s the DD?”“Dolls.”“Okay, I love you,” Nicole somberly finished.“I love you, too.”She locked her phone and glanced at her surroundings. Tommy was now next to her brother while their grandma continued to crochet. It looked like she was making a blanket. She walked to the bedside chair to sit next to her and gently took her wrist.“Nicole, níl eagla orm.” (I’m not afraid.) She comforted her.Even though the words were meant to be comforting, Nicole couldn’t help but be startled by her morbid words. “How’d you meet Seanathair Brody?” Nicole asked.“Ah,” She began with a smile. “Well, back in ‘56 when I was eighteen, I found myself alone on an old boat to Canada. It looked like the same one from the turn of the century. This young lad, about nineteen, spent most of his time on the wealthier levels. We met; I was a lowly merchant’s daughter, and he was practically a noble. He offered me a toitín on the first night of the voyage right outside of the galley, I obviously accepted. He chose to leave his family, unlike me and when we got off the boat in Québec, we moved to a place where they actually spoke English, easier for us. We got married that year and bought an old farm. Then our little devils came. James and Tommy, and much later Riley.”Nicole smiled at her uncle, then looked back at her grandma. “Agus le mo dhaid a bheith ina scot?” (And with my mom being a Scot?)“I accepted after a while,” she joked.Her children and grandkids smiled as they listened to her stories. Nicole held her hand, never wanting to lose a single memory, ever. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the scratchy hospital blanket.
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Waverly slumped at the bar, her eyes locked with the fresh popping bubbles in her beer. Dolls sat next to her with a Shirley Temple in hand. He was more focused on taking in the new bar, including some not so innocent leers at the barmaids that passed. Waverly sipped from her glass and rested against the muscular man next to her.“Fuck, I need to apologize to her don’t I? I just totally lashed out at her,” she pondered into her third glass.“You should wait until you’re not drunk if you want to apologize.”“True. I have to be all there when Nicole comes home.”Dolls nodded and partook in his free soda before paying a tip to the bartender. He helped Waverly up as they walked over to his truck, taking a few moments for her to sober up, then leaving the bar.“I can’t believe that I pushed Wynonna away,” she whined, looking at her phone. Dolls instantly grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket, earning a hard slap to the arm. “What the hell Dolls?!”“Ow. You’ll regret texting whomever it is you wanted to text tomorrow.”“Fine… What if Nicole texts me?”“Get over it, for now, I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”Waverly sighed and turned on the radio which started to play a pre-set old R&B station. She smiled and listened to the music, watching the afternoon sun set into the snow. Earp had almost forgotten her worries about her sister and girlfriend until a familiar tone rang from Dolls’ jacket.“Dolls, that’s Nicki. Can you please check it?” she pleaded.He pulled over with a loud sigh and took out her phone. “You’d better sober up fast, Earp,” he solemnly informed her when he read the text from her lock screen.“What happened?”“Her grandma just passed.”“I didn’t think it’d be so soon,” Waverly whispered, slapping a hand over her mouth. “What should I tell her?”“I don’t know, you’re still pretty… drunk.”“Why did I have to drink? I’m so stupid.”“No you’re not, it’s just bad luck.”Waverly nodded and sighed, “Text her, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry, sweetie. If you need anything, just call me. I’ll be here for you. I’m ride or die.’”“Mmm… maybe leave off the last part,” he advised.“Oh shit, yeah. Maybe just say ‘I love you’ instead?”“Okay.” After a minute, she responded. “Thank you. Love you too.”Dolls gave Waverly back her phone and began towards the homestead once more. They arrived after a half-hour to Wynonna and Doc talking on the porch. Doc was smoking and drinking coffee while Wynonna was probably sipping on some Irish coffee, that is if she had remembered to buy some more at the store. Waverly got out of the car and trudged through the ankle-high snow.“You can still walk?” Wynonna jibed“Only drank three beers,” Dolls answered for her.Doc glanced between them and frowned. “What’s wrong Waverly?”“Nicole’s grandma passed away.”“Oh,” Wynonna whispered.Waverly walked inside to sleep off her buzz while the others talked.~Nicole sat by the bed, holding her grandma’s hand as Tommy and her prior guardian talked about pulling the plug. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She didn’t want to hear it, she just wanted to hold on. Remembering everything as time dwindled down to mere hours. Nicole felt numb but still quite aware of all that occurred around her. The doctor came in with a form for Tommy to sign. Only three hours.Grandma talked to everyone individually. One hour. They sat in the room, very little silence as they tried to fill the remaining time with laughter and tears.Half-hour.They sat in the hallway.Five minutes.Andrew wept on Nicole while Riley and Tommy held each other's hands.18:47; December 5, 2016. Nicole felt an intense aching in her heart as if someone was squeezing the life out of it. The world was collapsing on her shoulders, all of the perfection gone as her mother figure passed in the room beside her. She gripped her brother's jacket as he wept on her wool sweater, but Nicole held everything back, trying to be the anchor like Tommy. Trying so hard. Nicole closed her eyes, a few tears dropping, not what she expected. Maybe she was now numb to death. Mom, Dad, Seanathair Brody, Gram Gram, Grandpa Randy, Grandpa Brian. Maybe nothing really affected her anymore?She stood up and went to the restroom when the doctor returned with another form. She didn’t want to hear it. Nicole couldn’t believe it. Not at all. How? How? She looked in the mirror and redid her hair, flattening out any flyaways before returning to her family. She sat down with the others, looking at their solemn faces. Nicole helped her brother up, gathering the rest of her family before the nurses took their grandmother out of the room. Nicole turned on the car as they waited for Tommy to join them at the old farmhouse.~Riley went to bed, likewise with Andrew. Nicole pulled Tommy aside. “An féidir leat mé a thiomáint abhaile ar maidin?” (Can you drive me home in the morning?)“Ar ndóigh.” (Of course)“Go raibh maith agat.” (Thanks)She nodded and jogged upstairs back to her old room. Nicole climbed into the bottom bunk and pulled the old knitted blanket up to her chin. She inhaled the old smell of her house, trying to look back on the old days when she, and everyone else, were younger. Haught remembered the times she and her brother spent caring for the horses on the ranch. Her grandmother chasing the geese for dinner. That proud Irish woman would flank the simple-minded foul and grab their slim neck before ringing it and preparing the dinner.~Nicole dragged herself out of bed and walked to the car while Tommy.“Are you sure you want to leave?” he asked her.“Yes,” she answered flatly.Nicole got into the truck and fell asleep, waiting to go back to her Waverly. Her uncle glanced at her, sad to see her leave so soon. He pulled into the driveway and gently awoke his niece. She stretched and hugged him tightly.“Is breá liom tú, Tommy” (I love you, Tommy.)“I love you, too.”Nicole climbed out of the car and walked up to the porch, watching as her uncle backed out and drove off. She leaned against the banister, eyes closed, and felt the bitter cold bite at her face and neck like pins pressed against her pale skin. A pair of arms wrapped around her torso, pulling her into a tight embrace. Nicole rubbed the back of her hugger’s hand.She watched her uncle’s car disappear behind the hills and her increasingly blurring sight. The definition of the snow flowed into one white blob. She felt her knees buckle before she collapsed to the ground, tears flowing as she sobbed.Waverly knelt down with her, holding her close as her girlfriend was doubled over in despair. She buried her face into her back and tightened her grip, trying to keep her close even as her body shook and heaved. Waverly crawled in front of her and pulled her face into her chest, rubbing her back. She held her close knowing there was nothing she could ask or tell her at the moment. She kissed her forehead, still holding her while Nicole gripped onto her own arms, still shaking as she cried.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole fell asleep, glad to be held by Waverly. Her protection and support giving her what she’d missed so much in the short time she was gone. She’d dreamt that she was back on that old porch, alone as she had been after she learned about her grandmother’s condition. Nicole felt that sinking feeling in her chest as she remembered the loss of someone who was her guide, her guardian, her family. Tears trickled down her face as she thought of the news. An arm came to her back, trying the comfort her. She looked up and saw her sitting next to her. Nicole embraced her, crying into her shoulder as she hugged the one person she loved more than Waverly. She closed her eyes, trying her best to remember that imagined moment with her grandma, recalling her scent, her skin, the gray-ginger tint of her hair, her old hazel eyes, and her tenderness. She pulled away from her granddaughter.“Ná caoin, Nicole.” (Don’t cry, Nicole.) she tenderly commanded, wiping the tears from her eyes.“Airím uaim go mór thú.” (I miss you so much.) Nicole responded.“I know, but you have to be strong,” Nicole nodded to her, still distracted.“What’s bothering you?”“I wish I kept more in touch after I left. I’ve let the family down. I’m sorry.”“Don’t be, Nicole. You could never do that to us.”Nicole smiled and looked at Mhamó.“You should do what makes you happy, leannán,” she comforted.Nicole sprung up out of bed in tears, which woke Waverly.“What? What’s wrong?” She asked, holding her girlfriend.“Nothing. Nothing,” Nicole informed her, punctuating her point with a kiss.“Okay,” Waverly answered confused.~Nicole smiled at her girlfriend as she passed her the bale of hay. Waverly grinned back and spread a scant amount.“Oh, you know. Don’t mind me, just milking these goats. I don’t need help.” Wynnona called to them from her task of milking the goats.“Eh, you look fine,” her sister replied.“Waves,” Nicole berated.“No mind, I got this, ladies,” Doc told the couple.Waverly grabbed her partner’s hand and led her out of the barn to the melting landscape stretched out before them. Their breath steamed out fairly far during the early afternoon sunset. She glanced over at Nicole, concerned about her somber expression which changed the instant they looked at one another. Earp leaned over and pressed a few chaste kisses against her jaw and cheek.“What did you dream about?” she asked her.“I dreamed that I spoke with my Mhamó about being so out of touch.”“And what did she say?”“I love you,” she emotionlessly mentioned.Waverly looked up at her a bit perplexed. “Isn’t that good?”“Yeah,” Nicole whispered.“What’s wrong?”Haught opened her mouth to say something, biting her lip and shaking her head, “Nothing to really worry about.” Waverly pulled her partner in for a soft kiss, holding her jaw in her hand. Nicole pulled away first to peck her nose, smiling a bit before letting go, but then gently tugged back in for a tight embrace. Nicole looked down at her girlfriend and tucked a stray hair into her beanie.“My Uncle, Tommy, says he wants to hold the service in two weeks.”“Okay, do you want me to go with you?”Nicole shrugged and grated her teeth against her bottom lip as she considered her offer. She nodded and kissed her again.“I love you,” Waverly tried to comfort her. “We all love you and we’ll always be here for you, okay.”Nicole took her hands and nuzzled her neck saying, “Thank you. I still want to go to Toronto.”“Me, too. Everything’s still in place.”“Okay.”Waverly smiled and went to the porch, resting against the banister. She watched Nicole pass her to go inside the warm house, pulling her gaze back to the snowy scape. Far off in the road, Waverly watched their truck return from the trek off to their vendor. Dolls hopped out, check in hand, as he approached his employer.“Got it and a bonus for the month. Hey, what’s up?” he asked, noticing how she half-heartedly took the check.“Nicole seems so distant. I just want to be there for her, but she keeps pushing me away.”“How?”“Well, for a personal example, when she kissed me, it was as if she wasn’t even there. I don’t know what to do.”“Without pushing her for information, ask her how she is. Watch how she’s acting with the others. I mean, her grandma just died. She’s just going through the stages. She needs time and it seems a little space,” he tried.“Okay.”Waverly walked inside to be with Nicole, finding her sitting at the table on her phone. She stood behind her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pecking her cheek.“Hey,” she whispered into her neck.“Mm, hi,” Nicole awkwardly responded, pulling her arm away. She locked her phone and set it on the table. “Not now, babe. I’m a bit busy.”“What’s up?”“Riley’s kinda freaking out right now.”“What happened?”“Just some personal stuff.”“Okay, if you need anything, I’m gonna take a nap,” she gently told her.Nicole stared at her phone, only breaking her focus to glance up at Waverly as she walked away. She bit her lip and sighed, looking down again as her cell buzzed in her hand.“Shit,” she exhaled.~~~~~~~~~~Three days passed with Dolls’ stupid advice, but Waverly was completely done with it. Nicole needed to talk at least a bit and not just dismiss her. Waverly was sitting in her bed with one of her aunt’s books, nose deep when Nicole finally crawled into the bed. She leaned against Waverly, pressing her nose against the brunette’s neck, kissing her gently then moving up to her cheek and closer to her lips. Waverly rolled her eyes and gently nudged her away before abruptly pulling back to look at her.“No, Nicole, you can’t just abandon and push me away for the past week and then expect me to just let you fuck me,” she snapped.“You’re seriously holding that against me?” she bit back. “I’m going through some difficult shit. I’m sorry that my life has inconvenienced you.”Waverly set her book on the table. “No, I’m not, it’s the aftermath. You’re trying to be alone, don’t do that,” she calmly explained, placing her hand on Nicole’s arm. “Please don’t, I don’t want to see you become what I was after everything my dad passed away. I don’t want you to hermit yourself while you’re going through this.”Nicole took Waverly’s hand and kissed her palm, “I love you.”“I love you, too,” she assured her.Nicole slid out of bed to close the blinds on the setting sun and then made her way to the closet for a set of clean clothes. She pulled off her work attire and tossed them into the bin. The bed squeaked as Waverly scooted off of it, but she guessed that. As Nicole began out of the room, she was instantly yanked back in by Waverly. She stumbled back, shocked at her sudden action. Waverly kicked the door closed with a loud crack and pulled her down into a passionate kiss.She placed her hand against her stomach and pushed her backward until she fell into the door. Earp kissed her neck and clavicle, nipping at her pale flesh lightly enough to leave little to no marks. She felt her vein pulse against her teeth and lips, the pumping blood pushing back against the pressure they were under. Nicole held her breath even though her lungs begged for fresh oxygen in her adrenaline-laced stupor.Waverly continued to nip at her sensitive skin, eliciting soft moans and sighs from her partner. She snaked her hand up Nicole’s shirt, resting it on her waist, and firmly gripped her, smiling when she felt her muscles tense under her fingers. Waverly dragged her nails down her stomach and to the waistband of her flannel pants. She carefully listened to her breathing, biting her lip as she slipped her hand into her underwear.Nicole closed her eyes and tipped her head against the door then spread her legs further apart as Waverly stroked her. Earp kissed her, smiling against her lips as she felt Nicole’s legs shake every moment or so. Her girlfriend kissed her back and threaded her fingers through her long brown locks, her grip tightening when Waverly pushed inside of her. Nicole moved her lips to her girlfriend’s neck to bite at her, the other woman moving her free hand up her thermal shirt to her breast. Waverly gritted her teeth when she winced at the sharp pain in her neck.She continued to finger her, chest to chest until Nicole pulled off her shirt and dropped it to the ground before kissing her again. Waverly broke away and placed her hand on her back, pulling her forward to lick and suck her breast. She pressed her thumb against Nicole’s clit, the sound of her low moans sending burning hot pleasure down to the pit of her stomach. The feeling only increased when Haught ground against her hand, holding back her moans through gritted teeth. She reached up with her free hand to grab the door frame, using her other hand to keep Waverly close, as she let out a few shaking breaths. Nicole exhaled slowly and pressed her forehead against her girlfriend’s, her hands still gripping tightly onto her body.“I love you,” she sighed.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole found herself, holding onto Waverly’s arm that was draped over her stomach. She glanced over at the clock, 7:15, then turned around to look at her girlfriend and curled into her. Nicole watched her sleep, though something sank in her heart. She couldn’t quite explain it. There was something about being here that felt wrong. Leaving her family so abruptly made her sad and not even imagining her Mhamó’s words could console her. She missed her family so much, but she also knew that she belonged here. She just didn’t want to bring such an amazingly positive woman into her depressing mess. Nicole closed her eyes and sighed against Waverly’s warm body, listening to the soothing rhythm of her heart.Waverly stretched over and smiled down at her, nuzzling her nose into her fiery locks. Haught stirred in her arms in her drowsy state before turning into her and looking at her sharp features. She traced the shadow of her profile on her chest, smiling as Waverly’s chest vibrated with her chuckle. She traced her hand up her jaw to draw her into a kiss. Nicole sighed out of the kiss and looked down, placing her palm on her chest to feel the slightly rapid pace of her heart.“I love you,” she whispered. “Thank you for being here, I need it.”Waverly smiled and pulled her into another kiss, ending tit to brush the tip of her nose against Nicole’s. She then sat up and swung her legs over the edge of the bed and tossed her hair back into a ponytail as she got ready. Nicole followed in suit, pulling on her trousers before cutting Waverly off for another amorous encounter. Her girlfriend smiled as she tugged on her shirt. She peeled her hand off of her thermal and escaped for yet another hard day of work.Nicole swiped her jacket from the window sill and pulled it on, jogging down the steps to start her shift with the goats. Dolls followed her out while the other three stayed behind to eat. He jogged up to Nicole, trudging through the snow to catch up to her.He huffed during his brief jog, his breath freezing in the early morning air. “Hey, I heard you were thinking about going into the law. Any idea of when?”“Maybe June or May. I just need to get through all of this first. I’m gonna be sad to leave you guys. You’re the closest thing to family outside of my blood,” she confided to him.“Yeah, though it will be nice to not accidentally run into you… well you know,” he joked.“Yes, although, impressive. As a lesbian, I compliment you on your… body,” she awkwardly stated.They laughed to Xavier’s slight embarrassment. He grabbed the clipboard, while Nicole began to milk the goats, and took the counter to mark off all of the livestock. He then went through the older goats to check their health. He grabbed the pails of milk to chill in holes dug into the snow under the awning. Nicole got up after an hour of work and brought the last two pails to Dolls. She helped him by checking the temperature while her partner brought the truck around. They took out the three large fifteen-liter milk containers and funneled the milk into the canisters. She wiped the sweat from her brow and watched as Xavier began to funnel milk into the next container.“How is all of this going?” he said.“Good, my uncle’s taking care of all the stuff even getting ready to sell the house. He wants to give it to the government to give back to the community.”“That’s fantastic. What about Waverly?”Nicole glanced down passing him the next pail. “Yeah. I don’t know. I love her, but I don’t know if she’ll stay here or leave. I don’t want to control her. It’s her life, not mine.”“She loves you and will follow you to the end of the world and back just to see you smile. I’ve honestly never seen her so elated.”“I just don’t want to push her. She’s amazing, but I need her to know that she shouldn’t change her life to fit into mine. The police academy isn’t too long, but then it also depends on where I get stationed.”“It just feels like excuses for you to not follow your dreams?” “Okay, but they are realistic excuses, though. Maybe I’ll be here, but there’s also a chance I’ll be placed somewhere else. I just don’t want to displace her.”Dolls nodded and took the last two buckets, draining them and handing them back to Nicole for her to clean. She piled all of them up and washed them out before placing them back inside while the other screwed on the tops and closed the fridge before driving off. Nicole closed the barn door and walked back to the homestead.Doc and Wynonna were talking about the Spring and Waverly had been reading something on her phone. She sat next to her and held her hand.“How’s it going?” Waverly asked.“Good, got about forty-five liters this morning. I tracked their amount and it’s good so far.”“Great,”“You okay?” she whispered.“Yeah, why?”“You seem distracted, usually you ask about Goatlet?”“Oh yeah.”“He’s good by the way. You know, I was thinking about going to the police academy after the Spring crops are planted.”“Oh, so soon?”“Yeah, it’s just a good time to be in the academy.”“Okay, well, you always have a place here,” Waverly mentioned in an increasingly hushed tone. “Are you sure you want to leave?”“Well, yes. I’ve always wanted to be a police officer,” she explained.“What about us?”
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Nicole looked at her partner from across the table, her face was still frozen by that question. She looked down at their hands and brushed her thumb against Waverly’s ring finger.“I honestly don’t know, it depends on where I’m stationed. And the education itself is about fourteen weeks. So, I don’t know. I’ve been saving and I have way more than enough to get through school,” Nicole explained.Waverly nodded, “Well, you always have a place here.”“Thank you, I was planning on working here while I went to school, just once I graduate I’ll be stationed somewhere,” she explained reaching up higher on Waverly’s arm.“I just want what’s best for you,” Earp gently encouraged, standing up and pulling her hand away.“Waverly,” she whispered in annoyance while she walked out of the parlor room. “What the fuck?”Nicole walked out to the porch, resting against the house, and looked out at the same old pure white snow that reflected the sun’s blinding light. She squinted at the intensity then rested on the old wooden bench and watched as Doc came out of the house to the barn. Wynonna at his heels but stopped to turn around when she saw Nicole alone.“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.“The sky.”“Technically it’s the roof.”“Technically it’s an awning.”“Either way, you’re wrong.” Earp joked, frowning when Nicole answered with a sigh and weak nod. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She earned another nonchalant nonresponse. “Okay, let’s go. There’s a place around here I used to go to.”“Alright,” she answered.~“Did you know my nickname in college was Firefox?”“Firefox, why?” Wynonna inquired with genuine interest.“Because of my drink of choice, which neither of these are,” Nicole commented.“Well, if you don’t want it then…” she trailed off taking a long gulp of a beer.“Hey, no drinking for you!” she slurred taking the glass away and chugging half of it down. “You’re my ride.”“Fine.” She stuck her tongue out.“God, I love her so much!” Nicole exclaimed over the trashy music.“Yeah, you guys make every love story look bleak. But now…”“I just feel so fucking shitty for bringing her into this mess. Mhamó’s dead, school’s starting. There’s just so much going on.”“You’ll get over it. You two are, like, relationship goals.”“Don’ tell Waverly this, but I’m gonna get a dog soon.”“What type?”“Malamute.”“Boy or girl?”“Boy named Lorcan, I have to get my place checked out first.”“Great!”“Yeah, I like him so far. He seems so laid back unlike a lot of other dogs. So why’d you bring me here?” she asked with a long gulp from the stein then throwing back another shot. “This is so good, here, you can have one.” She slid over a peppermint shot. “It’s like drinking Christmas,” she whispered a bit louder than she probably wanted.“You’re such a cute drunk,” she complimented as she took the shot. “Mmm. Yeah, this is really something, a bit like mouthwash though.”“Do you know about any positions in the Purgatory PD?”“Kinda, there’s a good amount of officers, but no Deputy.”“Tha’s great. Perfect! I just need ta breeze through, then ask to join. Hey,” she said holding the older Earp’s hand, “don’t tell Waverly.”“I promise. Scout’s honor.”“I wanna surprise her,” she said.“Let’s get you home drunk ‘n donuts.”“Okay, to my apartment. Waves shouldn’t see me like this.” She shook her head in embarrassment.The two young ladies stood up and walked to the old blue truck. Nicole clambered in and rested against the cold window as they set off to her flat. She looked over at her drunk employee and smiled pitifully, hoping things could just go back to the way they were before. Her sister and friend were getting too hurt in all of this. The older Earp helped Nicole out and up the stairs to her flat.“See you later, Haught,” she said hugging her. “Don’t do anything stupid.”“Okay. Hey, can you pick me up tomorrow?”“Of course.”Wynonna walked to the car, watching as Nicole closed the door behind herself, and drove off. She thought about the situation, caring enough to get into it, but not knowing how to help. Her sister was hurting so badly and all she wanted to do was blame Nicole until she saw how hurt and unsure she was too. She hated this kind of drama, it was easier when one side was to blame. Once back at the homestead, Wynonna spotted her little sister outside of the barn, eyeing her suspiciously.“Hey,” she called out.“Hi. Have you seen Nicole?”“Oh yeah, I got her drunk. She’s just gonna sleep it off,” she explained. “She is such a cute drunk.”“I know right?” Waverly smiled. “Anyway, will she be back tomorrow?”“Yeah. Why?”“Well, she has her grandma’s funeral this Saturday.”“Really, so soon?”“Yeah, she was going to stay down there until Sunday, then drive back up Monday night.”“Great, great.”“What’s wrong?”“Nothing, I’m just thinking about how I only drank a sip of beer and a soft shot. A Christmas shot,” she reflected.“What is the world ending?” Waverly sarcastically overacted.Wynonna smiled, “You never know?”Waverly smiled and waved at her sister before escaping back to the old barn to finish up her daily tasks. As she passed the goats, she brushed a hand through their thick winter coats, reveling in the beauty of the mixed and swirling colors of their hair. She smiled at the male teens that play fought with their short horns. Waverly sat down on a bench outside of the pen, watching her prized livestock rest and callout to each other. She smiled when Jeremiah, a young goat, bleated at her through the pen door. Waverly picked him up and let her get comfortable as he rolled up into her abdomen, soon asleep in her embrace. Her heart sank when she thought of the woman she loved. Waverly stroked his sleek fur and smiled at his small form. She sat, mindlessly petting for him as the day ticked away slowly. She felt bad for acting so horrifically towards Nicole. Though, she also did want to know exactly what would happen to them. Would Nicole stay or will she just be another memory? Waverly clenched her jaw, the depressing thoughts forcing her to hold back this sadness even more.~~~~~~~~~~Nicole woke up to the sun blinding her in her drafty apartment. She sat up and stretched, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Her day clothes were laid out on the ground showing that even Drunk Nicole is also very responsible. She smirked and prepared for the day, first jogging downstairs to her mailbox, surprised to find a letter. She shoved it in her jacket pocket when she saw Wynonna pull up into the parking lot next to her bike. Nicole hopped into the old truck and greeted her friend.“How’re you feeling?” Earp asked.“Better, much better. How much did I drink?”“Two beers, five shots of peppermint vodka.”“How am I perfectly fine?”“I don’t know but, I thought you needed it.”“I did, thank you.”“No problem, Red.”Nicole smiled and looked at her phone. “Oh, did you get my text about Waverly and me leaving for the funeral?”“Yeah, but Waves already told me.”“Okay, great. Did I say or do anything embarrassing?”“Other than telling me your plans for school and that there is a deputy position here in town, nothing in particular. Oh, and you’re getting Bryan.”“Wow, I was drunk.”“You were, but nothing too embarrassing, Firefox,” Wynonna smirked in triumph.“Oh god,” she muttered.“Hey, don’t worry about it. We’re not about to lose you to some unworthy town.”“Thank you.”Once at the homestead, Nicole climbed out of the truck and clocked in before going to the barn to perform her duty of counting and checking up on the goats. The small animals pushed through each other, rooting around for the bits of feed while their current caretaker worked. She glanced up when a gust of cold wind entered the barn. Waverly stood in the large doorway, her demeanor slightly shifted from her usually inviting aura. Something about the way she walked to the milking goats was different. Kind of in a way that made Nicole want to leave the room and hide. Maybe she was envisioning it. Nicole pleasantly smiled at her but gripped her board tightly. She so badly wanted to tell her her plan, but only if it made her happy.“Hey,” she greeted.“Hi!” Waverly beamed. “I see you recovered very well.”“Yeah, yeah. I was surprised I didn’t get sick.”“I’m glad you didn’t. We need you here,” she said, emphasizing ‘need’.Nicole’s faux smile twitched, so she put the clipboard back to distract herself. “Yeah, I’ll miss working here. So… what’d you do after I left?”“Oh, Doc and I milked the goats and Dolls drove it out again. Then I spent some time with Jeremiah,” she said pointing to the speckled kid.“Wow, he’s growing fast.”Waverly nodded glancing at her partner before going back to work.“Nicole.”“Yeah?”“I… I love you,” Waverly quickly said.“I love you, too,” she smiled, trying to read her. “Umm… let’s. Let’s get this stuff ready to ship.”~~~~~~~~~~Waverly got into her red car, starting the engine and defrosting the windows as she waited for Nicole. She smiled when she saw her at the steps and quickly flipped the radio to her favorite station. She leaned over to kiss her girlfriend, placing a gloved hand on her jaw. Haught sat back to nap for their two-hour journey south. Earp glanced at her sleeping figure and grinned a little. Her hand tracing the tendons and veins on the back of the Scot-Irish girl’s hand. They passed miles of snow-covered farms and towns while they approached the Haught homestead. An hour passed and the music became fuzzy, so Waverly changed it to anything that wasn’t country, she hated that genre, preferring anything else over it. Nicole woke up and gazed out the window, watching as snow bounced off of the window at their speed. Another hour passed, practically silent between the two before they arrived. The old house had five cars parked in front of the lot. The couple got out of the car and approached the property where the door was opened surprisingly as if they were open arms even in the bitter cold. Nicole went in first, hearing the booming laughter and conversations of her relatives in their Gaelic-English. She approached the living room, Waverly at her heels, and stood in the archway. Andrew sat across Tommy and his sons. Riley was leaning in the kitchen doorway. Her aunt turned to the other couple with a bright smile.“Nicole!” she greeted warmly, “how are you, sweetie?”“Hey, this is Waverly,” Nicole deflected.“Hello, I’m sorry that we have to meet under such depressing circumstances,” Waverly apologized, hugging the other redhead.“Oh, that’s okay. It’s great to meet you though,” she replied. “This is Andrew, the boring twin,” Riley introduced, pointing to the boy who was Nicole’s age. “Tommy, my brother, and his sons Oliver and Victor,” she continued pointing to the older redhead, the strawberry blond, and the raven-haired boy. Riley turned around and walked into the kitchen, dragging out a mixed raced woman with dark eyes and long coily hair pulled back into a bun. “This is Alli, my wife.”“Hi,” she greeted in a timid voice.“Hello. I’m Waverly,” she replied.Nicole smiled and awkwardly slid closer to her aunt. “So, what were you ladies doing?”“Ó, gnéas a bheith agat ar an gcuntar,” (Oh, fucking on the counter) she joked. “We were making some lunch. Ba mhaith linn cabhrú linn?” (Wanna help us?)“Why not. Do you want to converse with the ladies or the sixth graders?” Nicole asked Waverly, directing the insult to her cousins loudly.“Hey, I’m in 8th grade now, amadán!” Victor retorted.She smiled and looked back at Nicole. “I’ll stick with you three.”The women all went into the kitchen, Alli resting against the fridge while Riley sat on the counter and Nicole at the dining room table with her partner.“So, with everyone here, who’s taking which rooms?” Nicole inquired.“Us four are staying in our old room, Tommy’s in the guest bedroom, and Andrew, Victor, and Ollie are in his old room.”“Do you know who’s going to the funeral?”“I know Rachel and her family are coming, a lot of the Irish family’s coming over and I know that the Nomadsons and some church friends.”“That’s great. I haven’t seen the Nomadsons since I in three years, dang.”“Yeah, well their eldest daughter’s trying to become the mayor of our town, and their sons have taken over the farm.”“Is it still a pig farm?”“No, they’ve made it into a green power plant and raise foul. We’re gonna sell our remaining livestock to them.”“That’s smart. What about Roger and Mary?”“They traveled cross country for the past two years and arrived just last month.”“That’s great for them.”“Yeah, they took some pictures of Quebec in the winter and they are absolutely beautiful, especially the historical parts.”“I’ll have to see them then,” Nicole noted. She turned to Waverly and asked. “Hey, you hungry?”“A little.”“Okay, I’ll make you something,” Nicole directed to her aunt. “None for the boys though.”“Of course not, wouldn’t dream of it.”The Haughts dug through the kitchen, pulling out food to make some sandwiches. Nicole handed a plate to Waverly and sat back down on the table. She leaned down and kissed Waverly’s cheek. Her girlfriend smiled, eating her food. She glanced at the others in the room, catching the side glances from Alli and her wife as if they were recalling a time when they were like that. They held each other's hands and Alli pecked the redhead on the cheek. Waverly looked back at Nicole, her girlfriend preoccupied with listening in on her uncle’s conversation. She finished the sandwich quickly, not really realizing just how hungry she was, and grabbed her phone. She pulled up her sister’s conversation and texted her while Nicole and Riley spoke in their native tongue.“Hey Wyn, you free?” Waverly typed.“Yup, why? Already lonely at the funeral?”“No, I just really need to tell you something.”“What’s up baby girl?”“I think Nicole and I need to take a break.”“What! You sure?” her sister sent after a minute.“Yeah. I just think this’ll be for us. She’s going to school and I’m caring for the farm.”“Just take a moment, okay. After all of this, then think if you should take a break.”“Okay. Thanks. Love you.”“Love you too.”“Waves?” Nicole asked.“What, sorry?”Waverly said, closing her phone.“Oh, umm. I asked, do you want to check out the farm?”“Oh, yeah,” Waverly answered in embarrassment.Nicole stood up and took her hand, leading her through the back door as they trudged through the low snow. She closed the door behind herself and went around the old equestrian lot. The place was so empty now. No more horses since she’d turned twenty, it was well kept though with strong fences and clean stables. Nicole hopped the fence and walked to the barn, sitting on an old banister. She smiled when she found the play cards still over the stalls.“Did you have a horse?” Waverly asked, her voice echoing quietly in the silent stables.“No, none of us did. Mhamó grew up working on a farm with her sisters while my sin-seanathair raised his son for the merchant life.”“Who was your favorite?”“There was one horse, we got her as a foal and brought her up before having to sell her.”“What was her name?” Waverly asked as she sat next to Nicole.“Lightning Rose, she had a reddish light tan coat and almost white hair. She also had small stripes only on her left side.”“She sounds beautiful.”“Yeah, she was. I loved her. She was actually like you. Everyone loved her, the adults we cared for were always around her, but… she loved hanging around this old female. A black mare named Midnight who was terribly shy. . But… something about Lightning Rose changed her,” Nicole reflected with a smile as she held her girlfriend’s hand. “She was so lonely and pushed others away. No trust in even us sometimes.”“I’m glad they met in such a beautiful place.” Waverly leaned against her girlfriend. “I’m glad that we met in such a beautiful place as well.” Nicole smiled up at her and blushed, glancing back down. Waverly looked at her and furrowed her eyebrows, tilting Haught’s chin up. “What’s up?”“Nothing,” she answered softly. “I’m just remembering everything.”“What happened here?” she asked, threading her other hand through Nicole’s hair.Nicole placed her hand on Waverly’s arm and leaned into her, pressing her forehead against her girlfriend’s. “My childhood, teenage years, and before I met you. I felt so alone and scared. Seeing you…”“You changed,” Waverly finished. “I changed. I used to be so confused that all I could find was a placeholder for love. Until you came along, as cheesy as it sounds.”Nicole grinned wider and pulled Waverly into a peck, still holding onto her tightly in a warm embrace.~~~~~~~~~~Waverly woke up in the uncomfortable bed, twisting away from the sunlight through the window, and rolled into Nicole. She sighed into her shoulder and opened her eyes, catching Nicole’s eyes, and smiled at her. She regarded the pastel sunrise of pink, blue, and violet. Greens tracked through the horizon while the morning sun rose above the flat farmland, black silhouetted trees speckled throughout the plains. Nicole brought her gaze back down when Waverly placed her hand against her chest. She could feel her heart beating against her cold hand, there was a small smirk across her face, something slightly malicious about it. Waverly cuddled into her, brushing her lips against her neck, and nipped at her throat. She sighed and closed her eyes. Nicole sat up and placed her hand against Waverly’s waist and rubbed her back before climbing over her to get ready.“Already?” Waverly asked.Nicole nodded in response as she pulled her thick jeans and a thermal shirt before heading to the kitchen where Oliver was standing with his dad.Nicole waved at them. “Maidin.” (Morning)“Maidin mhaith,” (Good morning) Tommy greeted. “Breakfast’ll be ready in ten minutes.”“Okay.”“Conas a chodailfeá?” (How’d you sleep?)“Bheul, you two?”“Good enough.”“Except for Andy’s snoring, that is” Ollie added.“Yeah, he always had a good set of lungs on him,” Tommy sarcastically noted as he cooked their breakfast. “Where’s Waverly?”“Getting ready I think,” Nicole responded, looking around.“I heard my name. What’s up?” Waverly asked, poking her head in the doorway.“Just wondering where you were. Riley and Alli still asleep?”“Yup. Smells great.”“Thank you.”“He’s a true chef,” Nicole told her. She looked over at her girlfriend and smiled. “I’m gonna go wake up the others. We’re leaving at 10.”As the family trickled in, Waverly served the food with Tommy, finding a spot by Nicole. She stole a glance from her girlfriend every now and again, making sure to look at the others, too nervous to talk to them in their native tongue while they feasted. Her plate was cleared within a matter of minutes, unlike the others. Maybe it was nerves? No, it was definitely nerves. Meeting the family at a time of great sadness, being here, not knowing almost anyone including the deceased, but Waverly smiled as she watched Nicole. Everything about her comforted her in any moment of distress. She loved hearing Nicole’s voice, especially in that beautiful language.~~~~~~~~~~Finally, in the comforts of the Earp homestead, Waverly brushed her hand over Nicole’s cheek to wake her from their emotionally draining day. “How can you be so perfect? People like you don’t just come into your life every day. You’re strong, kind, smart, funny, perfect,” she finished. Nicole nuzzled into her hand in her drowsy state. “I love you.”She gently threaded her hand through Nicole’s hair, scratching her scalp enough to finally wake her up. Haught stretched in her seat, taking her partner’s hand to kiss her palm and wrist. She looked around in meer awe at the late evening sky but soon followed Waverly went inside, their light bags in tow. Nicole flopped onto their bed, not even bothering to unpack her belongings, only undressing with the least amount of energy used. She knelt next to Waverly and pulled off her scarf and boots, setting them aside before helping her out of her jeans and pulling the covers up to their shoulders. Waverly slipped off her own and dropped it next to her shoes on the frozen ground. Nicole scooted close enough to cuddle her getting pulled tighter in her warm embrace.In her slumber, Nicole pondered her aunt’s concerning words of wisdom about Waverly’s increasingly distant state. Was Waves really drifting away, or was she just stressed out? They were getting ready for their trip to Toronto, maybe there was some stress about that? Or the funeral? Or Tommy may have told her about the police academy. It didn’t matter, she was wrong, there was some stress, but Waves is understanding. Nicole slipped into a dream that concerned her current plans. She and Waverly were in Toronto at the history museum they looked up. They were holding hands and reading about the different artifacts in the room, but weird things started to happen. It felt like Waverly was there physically, but emotionally she just wasn’t invested in the time they were spending together. In the dream, she tried talking to her, but there was no response. No noise came out of her own mouth so Waves couldn’t hear her. She screamed, and nothing again. She cried out Waverly’s name and snapped near her face. Nicole tried to scream again, getting shaken by an outside force.“Nicole,” it echoed, slowly growing clearer. “Nicki.” Haught opened her eyes and kissed Waverly instantly as she woke up. She kissed her back, confused, and pulled away. “What’s wrong?”“I’m gonna try to get a job for Purgatory PD,” she blurted out.“Really?!” she asked.“Yes, I love you so much, I- I can’t bear to be without you,” Nicole rambled. “I love you.” Waverly smiled and chuckled against her chest. “Why were you awake?”“You were calling my name, but you were asleep. Then you sounded afraid and I thought that I should wake you up.”“Oh, sorry.”“No no, I’m glad I heard the news.” She gently pecked her on the lips before laying back down. “Good night.”“Night,” Nicole whispered by her shoulder.~Nicole felt something almost crawling across her stomach, even in her deep state of sleep. Her eyes cracked open to greet the bright sun, allowing her to once again question her choice of that spot. That’s where the sun rose every morning? She sighed and glanced down to see a pale hand dangling across her bare torso. Nicole smiled and glanced at the clock before looking out at the horizon, 7:13. She closed her eyes and listened to the silence all around her. Waverly’s hand moved again, this time draping lower almost touching her stomach again. She dragged her nails across the pale flesh, resting her lips on the back of her neck. Nicole couldn’t help but chuckle at her action, Waverly slid her other hand under Nicole’s neck and hooked her hand around her shoulder, bringing her left hand down to her hip and pulling Haught closer. She nipped the nape of her neck and slid her hand to the waistband of her underwear. Waverly pushed it down lower and kissed her neck. She pulled her close and lightly nibbled on her earlobe, dragging her hand closer. Nicole sighed and bit her lip as her girlfriend slipped her hand into her underwear. She spread her legs as Waverly brought her hand closer to her center, turning her head up to kiss her.Her breath hitched in the back of her throat as Waverly tracked her fingers through her slit, pulling her wetness up to her clit. She sighed and bit her lip harder as Earp continued to drag her finger up and down, kissing her quickly before moving her arm between Nicole’s legs and slipping two fingers into her. She added a third finger, lightly pressing her thumb into her clit. Waverly bit her lip as Nicole’s hips rolled against her hand.Nicole groaned, exhaling quietly as Waverly got her off. She continued to moan almost silently, holding onto the arm across her chest. She felt herself get closer to the edge, squeezing her eyes and breathing quickly, anything to muffle the others from hearing her.She started to close her legs and curl into Waverly. Her legs shook as she tried to keep them open, but failed when she came, moaning softly as she came back down. She sighed quietly and tipped her head against the pillow.“I wish I could just stay here,” she heard Waverly whisper.“Me too,” Nicole breathlessly responded, turning to face her. “I love you.”“I love you, too.”
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August 21st, 2017Nicole exited her flat. She wished she could have surprised Waverly, but she also knew that things may not have lasted had she held back. Her heart pounded as she walked to her bike, stressed about her first day at Purgatory PD. She jumped a bit to get rid of her nerves before hopping on and driving to the police station, the uniform neatly folded in her synched backpack. She smiled at the familiar plains of Purgatory as she sped by in Beauty. Nicole missed the quirky town. She passed by Shorty’s, slowing down before she got to the department. Her heart continued to beat just as fast, no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.She walked into the station, warm air filling her lungs. Her hands shook a bit as she went to the locker room and changed into her uniform. Khakis and a blue button-up and a white stetson. She hated having her shirt done all the way up but followed the rules as closely as she could. She began her rounds in the squad car, taking on menial tasks in their sleepy town. Her heart pounded as she approached the Earp residence, driving down the familiar road and pulling into the driveway. She exited the vehicle and sat on the hood of her car. Waverly’s smooth voice carried out from inside the manor. Nicole forgot how different it sounded when they were face to face. Though the conversation was difficult to make out, Nicole could hear some of the words through the thin walls, tilting her head down and smiling at the conversation.“Who the fuck did drugs?” Wynonna yelled.“Wynonna,” Waverly berated her.“What, there’s a cop?”Waverly jogged out in her shorty’s shirt and jeans. Nicole peeked up from under that hat, glancing as Wynonna watched them. As the younger Earp sister approached her, Nicole pulled her in by the waist and looked at her, taking off her hat. Waverly’s face lit up and she kissed her, pulling on her starched lapel, undoing the first three buttons, and wrapping her hands under the collar and around the back of her neck. Nicole smiled and kissed her back, moving her hands down to her hips and pulling her closer. They backed away and regarded one another.“I missed you so much.”“Me too,” she reflected, pecking her cheek. “How’s the farm?”“Amazing! Not the same without you though,” she said kissing her again. “God I missed you.”“I get off at 5.”“Is that an invitation?”“Yes, ma’am, it is.”“Meet you at Shorty’s around 5:30?”“Of course,” Nicole murmured, nuzzling her nose.