44. Chapter Forty-Four

Waverly stretched her arm across the bed, searching for Nicole and the warmth her body provided and coming up empty. Her hand finding nothing more than cool bed sheets. Nicole's body heat long gone.

They had fallen asleep in a tangle mess of legs with Joel at the foot of the bed, his snout pressed against the heel of Waverly's foot.

“Nicky,” Waverly whispered into the dark bedroom, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes with the heels of her hands.

With no answer, Waverly slid out of bed, moving as quickly and quietly as she could across the cold hardwood floor to her suitcase. She rummaged through it blindly, in search of a pair of socks.

With socks now on and her feet warming up, Waverly padded to the bedroom door and down the hallway towards the kitchen, hoping to find Nicole there.

She knew that Nicole was having trouble sleeping but usually Nicole would wrap an arm around her waist and pull their bodies closer together, burying her face in the space between Waverly’s shoulder blades.

The light above the kitchen sink was on and there was a kettle on the stove still steaming, but Nicole was nowhere to be found.

Waverly moved pass the kitchen and towards the front door, finding it open and looking out the screen door to find Nicole sitting on the front steps with her head tilted towards the night sky and blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Joel laid behind Nicole, looking up as Waverly stopped at the door before laying his head back down.

She looked so small hunched under that blanket, curled in on herself as if she was protecting herself against the world and how cruel it and the people in it could be.

Nicole’s tall frame looked so small, like it was caved in on itself and it was such a huge contrast to the brave, strong woman Waverly had come to know and love.

Waverly knew that Nicole couldn’t be strong, couldn’t be brave all the time and she didn’t want her to be. She didn’t want Nicole have to hide what she was feeling, whatever those feelings may be.

She wanted Nicole to be able to come to her with her problems, come to her when she was at her breaking point and needed someone to listen, someone to hold her.

She didn’t want Nicole to wake in the middle of the night from whatever was eating away at her and deal with it alone when Nicole could wake her and they would deal with it together, when they could talk it out.

She didn’t want Nicole to feel like she had to go through things alone.

She thought Nicole already knew that she could come to her with anything, at anything time of day. She guessed she was wrong.

“You can join me,” Nicole said, not bothering to turn around to look at Waverly.

Waverly pushed the screen door open, making a face at the groan of protest it made that seemed to be amplified in the quiet of the night.

“What are you doing out here?” Waverly asked, taking a seat next to Nicole and leaning over to smooth the messy tangle of hair from Nicole's face and press a kiss to her temple.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Nicole mumbled, lifting the blanket up enough for Waverly to slide in closer and get underneath it as well.

Nicole passed her a chipped mug, warmed from whatever was it in.

Waverly held the mug tightly in both hands, thankful for the warm it provided her cold hands.

“It's mint tea. I know you prefer green tea, I can make you a cup if you want.”

Nicole started to push herself up from the steps but Waverly pushed her back down with a firm hand on her shoulder.

“This is fine love,” Waverly said softly, taking a sip from the mug and passing it back to Nicole, though she was reluctant to lose the warmth. “Wanna talk about why you can’t sleep?”

Nicole shrugged, turning her attention back towards the star filled sky. With not a cloud in sight, they had the most breathtaking view of them and the nearly full moon.

Views like this were one of Waverly’s favorite things about being so far from city lights. It was one of her favorite things about Purgatory, endless night skies and countless number of stars.

Being able to share a view like this with the woman she loves most in the world somehow made it mean more, somehow made it all the more beautiful.

“I keep dreaming of David,” Nicole whispered after several beats of silence, the hand not wrapped around her mug of tea, trembling just the tiniest bit. “And this time he's the one holding the gun, he's taunting me and I breathe, I can't move, I can't think. Then suddenly you're there and he's pointing the gun at you, pointing my gun at you and everything in me is screaming at me to do something, to save you but I can't, I'm frozen in place unable to look away as he s-shoots…”

Nicole trailed off, voice cracking and hand trembling even more now.

Waverly grasped her hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing each of her knuckles.

She wished she had the answers. She wished she knew how to stop Nicole’s dreams and allow her to live, to sleep in peace once more. She wished she could go back and save Nicole from all of this.

“I'm not afraid of dying. I made my peace with death when I was fighting David. I'm afraid of losing you, of watching you die, of not being able to save you and protect you.”

Nicole shook her head when Waverly went to say something and Waverly allowed her to continue, knowing that Nicole needed to get this out, that Nicole needed to talk about this.

“I know you can protect yourself, Waverly. I know you don't need me to save you, but I'm scared that when push comes to shove, when the stakes are high and your life's on the line, I'm going to fall short, I’m gonna fail you and you will be the one to pay the price.”

Waverly chewed her bottom lip, trying to find the right words to say. Trying to find the words that made Nicole truly believe that she could never fail her.

Waverly knew that Nicole would never fail her. Even if God forbid she died because of a Revenant, it wouldn’t be because Nicole failed to protect her, failed to save her.

Making Nicole understand that, believe that wouldn’t be easy. Just saying the words wouldn’t make her believe them but it was all Waverly had.

“Look at me,” Waverly commanded softly, waiting for Nicole to finally meet her eyes before continuing. “Nicole Haught, you could never fail me. Do you hear me? There is no way in hell you could possibly fail me.”

“But,” Nicole started but Waverly cut her off by pressing a finger to her lips.

“No buts, Nicole,” Waverly whispered, her fingers curling around Nicole’s jaw, stroking the soft, pale skin there.

There was something about Nicole’s jaw that Waverly loved. Something about it that had Waverly always reaching for it, caressing it. Something about it that drew Waverly’s fingers to it every time they kissed, like how Nicole always held onto her wrist gently.

“No buts,” Waverly repeated, just as softly as before. “You could never fail me, no matter what happens with the curse or anything else, okay?”

Nicole blinked a few times, her eyes watery but no tears falling as she nodded her head. “Okay.”

Waverly hoped Nicole believed her.

“You, me, Wynonna, Dolls, and Doc, we'll have each other’s backs. We'll keep each other safe and we'll break the curse together,” Waverly said, though she wasn't sure if she was assuring Nicole or herself.

Joel pressed his nose into Waverly's side and whined softly, drawing their attention from each other to him.

“Guess he's ready to go back inside,” Nicole said, standing up and setting her mug on the porch railing before folding the blanket up and tucking it under her arm before extending her hand out to Waverly and helping her up from the steps.

“Come on, Waves. Let's go back to bed.” Nicole moved towards the door but Waverly caught her hand, unwilling to let her go until she knew that Nicole was okay, at least for the time being.

“Are you okay?”

She couldn't take Nicole's fear away. She couldn’t rid her of the things she was afraid of, not with the curse hanging over their head like a black cloud but, she could hold her tight until the fear passed for however briefly.

She could replace Nicole's fear with love, at least she hoped.

“For now,” Nicole answered, leaning in and kissing Waverly on the top of her. “I'll be okay, I promise. It helps, talking about it and getting it out in the open.”

Waverly wasn’t sure if Nicole was telling the truth or if she was just saying it to keep her from worrying so much but either way, she guessed she’d have to accept it for now and keep a close eye on Nicole.

Joel nudged her leg and whined again. This time Waverly reached out and stroked the top of his head, smiling at the way he leaned into her touch the same way Nicole did whenever Waverly caressed her cheek.

Nicole leaned her forehead against Waverly's and sighed. “I love you.”

She continued petting Joel’s head with one hand and caressed Nicole’s cheek with the other. “I love you too.”

Nicole couldn't remember the last time she walked down the streets of her hometown feeling at such ease, so happy and carefree.

For once she wasn't looking over her shoulder for her father and his hateful, disappointed glare. She wasn't looking for her older brother Mike in hopes of avoiding him.

For once she was content here. Content to walk down the street hand in hand with Waverly and Joel walking in between them, his head brushing their legs every few steps, his leash hanging around Waverly’s wrist.

Every once and awhile an old classmate or a friend of her grandpa’s, people she’s known since she was little would stop them, asking Nicole how she was doing and how she was settling into her new life, her new job.

Each person that stopped them made sure they introduce themselves to Waverly and involved her in whatever quick conversation they were having.

Nicole was reminded how much she missed the people in this town, the ones she got to know on countless number of ride-alongs with her grandpa over the years. The ones that showed her support when most of her family didn’t.

It’s one of the only things she missed about this town.

They didn’t have a particular destination in mind. They’re content to walk about the town aimlessly, enjoying their last day here before they got on a bus back to Purgatory tonight.

Their things are packed and sitting on a freshly made bed. They spent the morning after breakfast with her grandpa, packing up a good chunk of Nicole’s room into boxes labeled with the Homestead’s address. Boxes they dropped off at the post office no more than ten minutes ago.

It felt a lot like packing her old life away, like packing away the pain and anger that still lingered deep in her chest.

She felt lighter afterwards. Her heart wasn’t weighed down with so much pain anymore. Her heart wasn’t weighed down with the looks of disappointment and hate her parents gave her.

Despite the shooting that brought her here, despite the less than warm welcome from her mother, despite the inevitable shit storm bond to happen when her luck finally runs out and she runs into her father, Nicole had never felt this good , this free , this happy .

She knew it every bit of her happiness, of this lightness she felt was because of the woman next to her, whose hand fit in her’s perfectly, like they were made for one another and Nicole was pretty sure they were.

“Is there anyone else you wanted to see before we leave?” Waverly asked, peering into an antique shop owned by Mr. Hoffman, one of her grandpa’s poker buddies that went to every one of her basketball games, cheering just as loudly as grandparents.

He caught sight of them over the shoulder of a customer he was talking to and waved with a giant smile on his face. Nicole waved back smiling just as wide as Waverly dragged her to the next store front.

“I don’t know.” Nicole shrugged and rubbed at the back of her neck with her free hand.

She knew she should probably see her father before they leave, show him the person she had become, the cop she had become despite him trying his hardest to break her, to keep her from becoming the person she wanted to be.

Seeing her father was the last thing she needed to do in order to completely rid herself of the last bit of anger, hate, and pain she was holding on to.

Only problem with seeing him was that he still had the ability to cut her down, to hurt her with nothing more than a few well placed words. He knew how to push her buttons and send her so close to her breaking point.

“We don’t have to see anyone else, if you don’t want to.” Waverly squeezed her hand and gave her a soft smile. “We can spend the rest of the day doing absolutely nothing.”

Nicole shook her head and dropped her arm by her side, letting it swing freely as they walked down the old cracked sidewalk that had seen some of the best and worst days of her childhood.

“I should probably see my father?”

It came out as more of a question than a statement and Nicole could hear the uncertainty in her own words.

Waverly stopped walking but Nicole didn’t realized until she was yanked backwards, finding both Waverly and Joel staring up at her.

“You don’t have to,” Waverly reminded her, letting go of her hand and tucking some of Nicole’s hair behind her ear, fingers lingering at the curve of Nicole’s jaw, those beautiful hazel eyes locked with Nicole’s.

Nicole was lost in Waverly’s eyes, in the love and support staring back at her. For a moment she forgot where they were as she leaned down to brush her lips against Waverly’s soft lips, glossy from her recently applied chapstick.

Nicole’s own lips are cracked and dry, a resort of nerves that had her constantly wetting her lips since they stepped foot in town days ago.

She was sure her lips are rough and unpleasant against Waverly’s but to Waverly’s credit, she kissed Nicole back just a gently as always, those fingers that lingered at her jaw sliding around to the nape of her neck and tangling in the hair there.

The sound of a car door slamming behind them startled Nicole and reminded her exactly where they were. She reluctantly pulled away from Waverly and turned around, swallowing hard when she saw her eldest brother Mike and her father leaning against an old blue truck, arms crossed and their faces twisted with disgust.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice now,” Nicole mumbled, more to herself than Waverly, mentally preparing herself for whatever Mike and her father would say.

That feeling of contentment she felt earlier, that happiness vanished in an instant, leaving her feeling hollow and like a teenager again. Angry, hurt, and small.

That was until Waverly intertwined their fingers, giving Nicole’s hand a gentle squeeze, reminding Nicole that she was no longer a teenager, no longer someone her father or brother could verbally abuse, no longer the type of person to lock her jaw and allow words to be thrown at her like knives without standing up for herself.

She stepped in front of Waverly, never once letting go of her hand as Mike moved towards them with three long strides looking every bit of a carbon copy of their father with his black hair cut high and tight, his beard trimmed neatly with not a single hair out of place.

Mike and her father, Greg, were dressed almost identical in washed out blue jeans and camo t-shirts. Only difference was that her father wore sunglasses hiding his light brown eyes and the glare Nicole could feel boring into her.

“You’re disgusting, you know that?” Mike said through clenched teeth, leaning into her personal space, the whiskey on his breath washing over her face. “Both of you.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, having heard that line a countless number of times since she was sixteen. She hardly cared what he called her. She’s heard every name in the book from homophobes but him calling Waverly disgusting had a rage building in her chest, pressing against her ribcage.

She would not allow someone to make Waverly feel like there was something wrong with her just because she happened to like the same sex. Too many people looked down on Waverly just because she was an Earp, too many people treated her terribly just because Wynonna was her sister and Waverly didn’t deserve any of that.

Waverly didn’t deserve to have to deal with Nicole’s homophobic family.

“Fuck off, Mike,” Nicole sighed, standing tall and keeping her head held high. She refused to show him any signs of weakness.

“What are you even doing here?” He asked, a twisted smirk making its way onto his face and she knew that whatever else he was about to say was meant to hurt her. “Couldn’t cut is as a cop and had to come running home to grandpa?”

Nicole clenched her fist at her side, nails digging into her palm, leaving crescent shaped indents in her skin but she didn’t rise to his bait. He was just trying to get under her skin, he’d been doing it her whole life. Problem was, he was really, really good at it. He knew her weaknesses, her insecurities and he knew just hot to use them against her.

“Oh,” Mike snapped his fingers as if he just remembered something he had forgotten. “That’s right, you came home because you’re such a piss poor cop that you had to shoot and kill somebody because you were too weak to detain them.”

“You’re right,” Nicole shrugged feeling Waverly’s grip on her hand tightened. “I did have to shoot someone and they did die but, that’s what I was trained to do. See, unlike you,” she leaned around her brother and looked at her father. “And you, I went to the academy and I graduated top of my class. Unlike you two, I got a job on my own merit, on the hard work I put in day in and day out, despite you two trying your damnedest to make me give up.”

Nicole’s heart pounded in her chest, threatening to beat right out of her chest, whether from nerves or finally standing up to her childhood bullies, she wasn’t sure. Either way she ignored it, pushing on before Mike or her father could say anything.

“Unlike every Officer Haught since Grandpa, I am the only one fully qualified for the job, I am the only one who didn’t get their job handed to them by their father. I am the only one who worked and trained and studied the law.”

Nicole stepped around her brother to face her father fully. Waverly’s thumb smoothed back and forth over the back of her hand, giving her that last bit of strength she needed to finally stand up to her father, to finally tell him off.

“You tried so hard to break me, to make me fall in line and be the person you thought I should be because who I really was, really am wasn’t and isn’t good enough for you. And it kills you, doesn’t it?” She asked, raising a single eyebrow at him then kept going unwilling to give him a chance to say anything. “That despite everything you tried, everything you did to me, I came out the other side, perhaps a little broken and whole lot scarred but I came out the other side as me . I’m still gay and I still became a cop, a highly sought after cop at that and you can’t stand it.”

Her father’s face was red, his upper lip twitched, his thick black eyebrows furrowed, all clear signs of his anger.

All things she’d seen a thousand times and usually when he was angry like this she tried to steer clear of him, tried to keep him from directing his anger at her but, not this time.

This time she wasn’t a teenager scared of her father’s wrath, this time she wasn’t holding out hope that he would change, that he would love her, accept her because she knew it would never happen.

This time she simply just didn’t care because in the end, after everything that happen in this town, during her childhood, she had won. She hadn’t allowed his hate or anger change her and she was happy, truly happy, with a woman she was madly in love with and with her dream job.

She won.

Her father opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he couldn’t find the words to say and Nicole couldn’t help but to smirk. She had never seen him speechless before, never seen him without a hateful or hurtful comment ready to be thrown like a hand grenade.

He always had to have the last word, always had to toss a comment meant to cut you like a knife over his shoulder as he walked away.

Her smirk widened as he continued to struggle to find something, anything to say.

She won. And dammit, nothing had ever felt this good.

“I should thank you,” she said, watching as both her father and Mike stared at her with matching confused expressions. She could feel Waverly’s eyes on her as well and she doesn’t blame any of them for being confused because she’s just as confused herself.

That wasn’t what she meant to say but in a way she guessed she should thank me.

Everything she was, everything she had accomplished was to prove him wrong.

He told her women couldn’t be cops because they weren’t strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, they didn’t have the stomach to handle things seen on the job. She went and graduated top of her class, beating out every single male in her class.

He told her she’d never find a home, never find people that accept her for she was. She went out and made a home in Purgatory, found a misfit family that love and accept her no matter who she loves, no matter who she is.

“Everything I did, everything I’ve become has been to spite you. I reached my full potential just to prove you wrong. I should thank you because every hateful word you threw at me, every time you put me down, it just fuled me to be better, work harder to achieve my dreams, to be the person I wanted to be.”

She had always known that proving her father wrong, that showing him and everyone else that she could become a cop and a damn good one at that has always fuled her, has always kept her going when she felt like giving up but this Waverly the first time she has said it out loud.

“I should thank you,” she repeated, her words a little shakier this time and Waverly squeezed her hand in response, offering her silent support and reminding Nicole that she could do this. “But I won’t. Why should I thank a piss poor excuse for a father, for a man like you?”

That finally sprung her father into action. He lifted his meaty hand and pointed his index finger at her. “Now you listen he-”

“No!” Nicole interrupted him, ignoring the way his nostrils flared and his hand shook with anger. Ignoring the way he took a threatening step towards where she stood in the middle of the sidewalk.

It was then that Nicole remembered where they were and how many people had passed by them, staring at the scene unfolding but never stopping to gawk, to form a circle around them and watch.

Even though this town lived off gossip, off drama in the same way Purgatory did, the people of this town allowed Nicole to say her peace, allowed her to get every bottled up feeling out without interrupting her.

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say. It’s probably some homophobic, sexist comment anyways and I honestly don’t give a shit anymore.” Nicole said, words coming out a lot harsher than she meant for them to but did it really even matter that they had?

This man had spent more than half her life being mean and cruel and harsh over things she had no control over. So why should she care if she’s just as mean, just as cruel, just as harsh as him, to him?

Then she remembered why it matters, why she should care and why she does care. She’s not him and she never wants to be anything like him. She doesn’t want to be cruel, harsh, heartless.

Her shoulders slump but she held her head high, staring at her reflection in his sunglasses.

“I spent years thinking there was something wrong with me, spent years wishing, praying that things would change and you’d love me because I’m your daughter and it’s what you’re supposed to do,” Nicole sighed and swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“It took me a long time to realize there was nothing wrong with me and that it wasn’t me that needed to change but you who needed to change. It wasn’t me that failed you, it was you that failed me.”

Nicole wet her dry lips though she knew it was useless. They would just dry out enough more at the action, crack to the point that it became painful and the tiniest hint of blood would be seen.

Waverly would scold her for it later as she applied medicated chapstick to Nicole’s lips with her thumb. A tsk leaving her lips as she examined the damaged Nicole caused herself.

It would be a soft moment between the two of them, one that reminded Nicole just how loved and cared for she was.

“You failed me and you’ll have to live with the fact that I will never forgive you for it or the hell you put me through.”

She felt free. Though she would never be able to forgive him for all the horrible things he’d done, she felt free of the pain, the anger, the hatred she had been carrying around.

She had nothing left to say to him or Mike and she was ready to go home , to go back to Purgatory. There was nothing left in this town for her to do, no one else she felt the need to face. She could finally put the past, the pain this place caused her behind her.

Nicole looked to her side, to Waverly who was watching her with a soft smile then tilted her head in the direction of where her grandpa’s truck was parked. “Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are, Nicky.”

Nicole brought their joined hands up and kissed the back of Waverly’s hand, ignoring the scoff from either her brother or father and leading them back down the sidewalk they walked along before.

“You’re still going to hell!” Her father called after them causing her to stop and turn around to face him once more. Joel ran into her legs, not expecting the sudden stopping and change in direction.

Nicole almost laughed at him. After everything she had said, everything she had gotten off her chest, that was all he managed to come up with, that was all he had to say.

“What? For loving her?” Nicole looked over at Waverly, who was staring back at her, nothing but love shining in those hazel eyes. “She’s worth an eternity in hell.”

There was another loud scoff followed by the sound of slamming doors but Nicole paid it no mind too focused on the way Waverly was looking at her.

“I’m proud of you,” Waverly whispered, leaning up on her tippy toes and kissing the tip of Nicole’s nose then her lips. “I’m so damn proud of you, Nicole Haught.”

Nicole sat in her grandpa’s mustang, fingers wrapped around the leather steering wheel as she stared out the windshield at her childhood home.

She had wandered over to the car while Waverly was inside making sure they had packed everything up, that they wouldn’t accidently leave something behind.

They’d be leaving soon and while Nicole was so ready to go home, to get back to work, to see Trent and McGonagall and everyone else. She was going to miss being back here. She was going to miss waking up every morning and having breakfast with her grandpa.

She was going to miss all the quiet moments with Waverly without some pressing matter hanging over their heads. Picnics and smores by the fire. Soccer with her niece and walks around her grandpa’s property hand in hand. Nights spent on the porch with a blanket around them as they watched the sky.

Sure, they could do most of that stuff back in Purgatory but it was different here. Here it was just the two of them able to do as they please, able to do anything or nothing at all if they wanted.

Here they could just enjoy each other’s company, be two young people in love with no responsibilities. They could be carefree and silly. They could just be .

She released the steering wheel and ran a hand along the dashboard. She was going to miss this car, miss seeing Waverly in the passenger seat with her arm hanging out the window, palm stretched out wide as the wind rushed past the spaces between her fingers, her hair whipping wildly in the wind and a gorgeous smile on her face.

A knock on the passenger side window had Nicole pulling her eyes from the house to her grandpa standing outside the car, waiting for her permission to join her.

She waved him in and turned her attention back to the house as Joseph opened the door and slid into the seat next to her.

“I heard about your run in with Greg and Mike,” he said softly as if he was unwilling to completely shatter the quiet that fell over the car once more. “I’m proud of you, Kiddo.”

Nicole blinked rapidly to keep the tears forming in her eyes from falling. All it took was those five words from her grandpa to make her cry.

All she ever wanted was to make him proud, to be the person he believed her to be. And knowing that she’s done just that means more to her than she could ever describe.

He was her childhood hero, her savior. He still is. He would always be the person she could count on, she could look up to. He would always be the person she could go to with absolutely anything and know that he’d never turn her away, never think less of her.

He was and always will be her shelter in a storm.

She looked over at him, drawing in a shaky breath and gripping the steering wheel once more, fingers curling around the cool leather, taking comfort in the way it creak as she tightened her fingers around it.

“I'm gonna miss you, Papa.”

The words are no more than a sigh, a whisper in nearly silent car, save for the sound of the leather seat creaking as Joseph turned in his seat to face her fully, resting his hand on her shoulder.

“I'm just a phone call away, Nicky.”

“I know but, it’s not the same.” Nicole shook her head, a frown marring her features. “What am I supposed to do when I need one of your hugs? Or when I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me it’s gonna be okay?”

She never considered herself a needy person but lately she felt like she was. She needed her grandpa to place his hands on her shoulders and tell her things would be okay. She needed Waverly to hold her and love her.

And maybe it wasn’t that she was needy. Maybe now she just knew that it was okay to break down, it was okay to lean on other people. Maybe now she knew that it was okay to not be strong all the time.

“You call me and you lean on your brother, on Waverly. And God, Nicky remember that you don’t need to be strong all the time, remember that it’s okay to need people.”

Nicole nodded and looked back towards to house, finding Waverly sitting on the porch swing, Joel curled up next to her with his head in her lap as they swung back and forth slowly, Waverly scratching behind Joel’s ear as she talked on her phone.

Waverly glanced up at her and gave her a small smile and wave before petting Joel once more. Nicole waved back, unable to keep from grinning at her girlfriend.

Joel had taken to Waverly just as fast as the rest of the Haughts. Nicole wondered if that was because of Waverly herself or if the Haughts just had a weakness for beautiful women with gorgeous smiles and sad eyes.

Since they gotten Joel from Blake, he has followed Waverly around everywhere, always trying to get her attention, always trying to get her to throw his rope for him or trying to get her to scratch behind his ears.

She was pretty sure that dog loved Waverly as much as he loved Trent and honestly, Nicole couldn’t wait to see Trent’s reaction to that news. Joel was his baby and he might just have lost him to Waverly.

“I didn’t buy your bus tickets.”

“What?” Nicole whipped her head to the side to look at her grandpa, gritting her teeth at the way her neck crack at the action.

The bus was the only way they were getting home. Nicole couldn't afford two last minute flights and even if she could, she didn’t care for flying.

Nicole could feel her heart rate pick up, could feel the panic rising in her chest and stress wash over her as she tried to figure out how in the hell they were going to get home.

“Relax Nicky, you’re taking the car,” Joseph said, smiling softly at her as he pulled the car keys out of the front pocket of his t-shirt and handing them over to her. “All you have to do is sign the title and get it switch over when you get to Purgatory and then she’s yours.”

Nicole let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding and pressed her forehead against the steering wheel. “Asshole.”

She said it halfheartedly, unable to contain the smile on her face.

Since the moment they started restoring the mustang, spent weekends under the hood together covered in grease and burnt motor oil, bonding and helping Nicole work through anger issues, Nicole wanted this car.

More importantly she wanted the memories that came with it every time she put the key in the ignition.

“There’s one more thing,” he said, opening the glove compartment and pulling out a small black box, handing it over to her.

Nicole stared at the velvet ring box in her hand, cradling it like it was the most precious thing in the world and to Nicole, it was.

She knew what this box held, what ring sat between the two small pillows inside.

Nicole wet her lips and opened the box slowly, gasping softly as the sunlight shined off her grandmother’s diamond ring.

A two carat, princess cut, diamond sat in the middle of the silver band with several smaller diamonds down each side of the band.

It was the ring her grandpa had given her grandma on their 50th anniversary. One that Nicole had always loved.

“Your grandma always wanted you to have this.” Joseph said softly and Nicole could hear the break in his voice, the tears.

Nicole knew it was because her grandma was supposed to be the one to give it to her, not him but things hardly ever went according to plan.

“She knew I was planning on asking Jennifer to marry me.” Nicole looked up from the ring and over at him. “Why didn’t she give it to me then? I mean, we looked at rings together.”

It had been a half baked idea, one that Nicole hadn’t put much thought into. She hadn’t really wanted to marry Jennifer so young but it was the next step. They were already living together and it seemed like a good idea before she headed off to the academy.

But then her grandma out sick and all thoughts of marriage slipped from Nicole’s mind.

“She never liked Jennifer,” he shrugged. “Didn’t think you two would last.”

Nicole dropped her gaze back to the ring, running the tip of her index finger along it. “She never said anything.”

“Nicky, you had so many people trying to tell you how to live your life, who you should be, who you should be with and she, we weren’t about to be another one of those people.”

He was right. All her life there was someone tell her who to be, how to live her life but never her grandparents. No, they allowed her to make her own mistakes, to find her own way in life and they were there to help her pick up the pieces if need be.

“But she would’ve loved Waverly Earp.” He smiled softly with a small shake of his head, sounding so damn sure of himself and the words he spoke. “One look at the two of you and how you look at each other as if the other was the key to the universe and she’d given you the ring then.”

Nicole swallowed pass the lump in her throat, glancing up at searching for Waverly, finding her in the same place as before. “You think so?”

“Kiddo,” He started, leaning over the center console and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Pulling her into his side at an awkward angle. “You two got the type of love people dream about but never find.”

He tapped the lid of the box twice. “You remember the type of love you two share when you fight or one of you makes a mistake or when it feels like the world is crashing down around the both of you and you feel like you won’t make it out the other side together.”

He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter into him. “You remember that what you have with Waverly is special, okay? You can’t let it slip through your fingers, Nicole. You can’t let that woman slip through your fingers.”

Nicole stared down at the box still cradled in her hands, images of Waverly wearing the ring playing in her mind. “I won’t let her slip through my fingers. I’m her’s as long as she’ll have me.”

As Nicole placed the rest of their things in the trunk of the mustang, Blake pulled his squad car to a stop next to her. Hunter jumping out the car as soon as it was in park, making a beeline for Nicole.

“Aunt Nicky!” Hunter called, launching herself at Nicole, fully trusting her aunt to catch her.

Nicole caught her with ease, placing her on the roof of the car and standing in front of her to keep her from falling. “What’s up, Haughtshot?”

Though they hadn’t spent much time together Nicole was going to miss her niece, was going to miss playing soccer with her and hearing her laugh, miss seeing her little dimpled smile.

Hunter grinned at the nickname before it fell slowly and turned into a frown. “Daddy says you’re leaving.”

“Yeah,” Nicole nodded, brushing Hunter’s wild hair out of her face. “I gotta go back home to Uncle T and my job.”

“Back to bein’ a hero?” Hunter asked softly, reaching out towards Nicole’s stitches, touching them just as gently as the first time.

Nicole waited for her chest to tighten, for her stomach to twist at the words but they never did.

She looked over Hunter’s shoulder to find Waverly watching her on the other side of the car, Blake standing next to her speaking softly to her.

She didn’t feel like a hero but Hunter saw her as one, Waverly saw her as one. So maybe she was despite what she felt.

“Yeah Hunt, back to being a hero.”

“Can I come visit you, Uncle T, and Aunt Waverly?”

Nicole choked on her saliva as she stared at her niece's wide hopeful eyes. The small velvet box in the pocket of her hoodie suddenly felt heavier and she could feel the weight of both Waverly’s and Blake’s eyes on her.

“Of course you can come visit,” Waverly answered for her while she continued to stare at Hunter like a deer caught in headlights. “We’ll even get Aunt Nicky to put up some soccer nets so we can kick her butt again.”

Hunter grinned once more and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck, hugging her tightly. “Ima miss you.”

“I’m gonna miss you too, Hunt.” Nicole hugged her niece back just as tightly, kissing the top of her head.

“You two should get on the road before it gets dark,” Joseph said coming to join them by the car, opening the passenger door so Joel could get in the backseat where Nicole had laid a sheet over the leather seats.

Nicole released Hunter and helped her down off the car, watching with a small sad smile as she ran around to give Waverly a hug.

Blake and her grandpa came around to her side of the car. Blake rubbing the back of his neck and Joseph rocking back and forth on his heels.

She found a small comfort in the fact that this was just as hard for them as it was for her.

Leaving wasn’t supposed to be hard at all. It was supposed to be as easy as it was to leave the first time around but the thought of not seeing her grandpa every day, of not being able to see Blake or Hunter at all had her chest tightening and tears blurrying her vision.

Blake stepped forward first pulling her into a tight hug and whispering to her. “Hunter isn’t the only one whos gonna miss you, Bug.”

“I’m just a phone call away, okay? Let’s not go years without talking again,” He pulled back from the hug and wiped at his eyes. “Hayley and Owen wanted to come, wanted to make amends but they couldn’t get off work. I told them we’d set something up if you wanted.”

Hayley and Owen were twins, a few years old than Blake and while they hadn’t been nearly as hateful as Mike, they hadn’t been kind either.

Nicole wasn’t sure if she wanted to ever see them, to make amends but she’d give it some thought before making a decision.

“Maybe.”

Blake nodded and stepped back, allowing their grandpa to step forward and pull Nicole into a big hug.

She buried her face in his neck, fingers grasping the back of his shirt and holding on with a white knuckle grip.

“You’ll be okay, Kiddo. I’ll come and visit as often as I can.”

Nicole nodded her head but didn’t release him yet. She just needed a few more moments, just needed him to hold her a little longer.

“I love you, Kiddo and I’m so damn proud of you.”

The sun was just starting to set when Nicole drove pass the Aston town sign, Waverly’s hand in her’s as they sung along to Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ I Love Rock 'N RollI.

Nicole slowed the car down and performed an illegal u-turn, driving back to the town sign and parking in front of it. The headlights illuminating the faded red and white sign and it’s block lettering.

Nicole put the car in park and shut the engine off as she undid her seatbelt, popping open her door.

“Come on,” she said, climbing out the car with her phone in hand.

Waverly followed with furrowed brows, stopping in front of the sign and turning to Nicole. “What are we doing?”

“Taking a picture,” Nicole said simply, wrapping on arm around Waverly’s wasit and pulling her closer as she held her phone out with the other. “I want to remember this trip.”

She wanted to remember everything that happened in this town, the good, the bad.

The Waverly looked every bit like an actual angel in the glow of the bonfire their first night here. The way Waverly teased her about the car. The way Waverly stood up to her mother, stood up for her. The way Waverly kissed her in front of Jennifer, full of love and raw passion.

She wanted to remember the way Waverly felt coming around her fingers and the way she sounded moaning her name. The way Waverly touched her, unsure at first then growing in confidence.

She wanted to remember the way Waverly was with Hunter, childlike laughter and all smiles. The way Waverly looked in her ballcap and sunglasses.

She wanted to remember it all because suddenly this town wasn’t filled with so many bad memories and when she looked at the town sign, she’s no longer filled with dread, with anger, with pain.

She wanted to remember the way Waverly helped her reclaim this town. She wanted to remember all the ways Waverly changed her life for the better.

As Nicole hit the button to capture the picture, Waverly didn’t look at the phone. Instead she just looked at the side of Nicole’s face, that smile that always reminded Nicole of bottled sunshine on her face.

“Happiness looks good on you, Nicole Haught.”