Chapter 14: Bless My Soul, Nic Was On A Roll

After informing Bobo of Pete quitting the show, Waverly had been thrown into the hot seat. She explained the situation, taking full responsibility for Nicole's actions since she failed to do anything to prevent what happened. Nicole, on the other hand, refused to apologize for what she did, claiming that protecting Waverly was always her number one priority, and that she would deal with the potential consequences of her actions later.

Bobo, and his ever-present soft spot for Waverly, only sighed and warned them about what would happen if they were to lose another actor at the hands of Nicole's overprotective nature. Both girls nodded and Bobo gave Waverly a date and time for which they were going to be holding a short, one day audition to fill Pete's former role of Nessus. No one showed up for the audition, which didn't surprise Waverly. Well, one person showed up, but Waverly wasn't surprised at who it was either.

Tucker Gardner.

She had know he would come, as he took any opportunity he could to get as close to the youngest Earp as possible. Wynonna called him a pervert, Nicole called him a stalker, but Waverly thought he was just plain creepy. Thankfully, Tucker came less than underprepared for the audition and bombed his performance which made rejecting him easier on Waverly's part. After refusing to leave, Waverly turned to her backup. She was never one for confrontation, which is why Waverly let her sister and her girlfriend take care of it. Waverly had politely asked Tucker to leave, again, and Nicole marched up onto the stage when he refused, again. Grabbing his arm, Nicole led Tucker out of the auditorium and sat down next to Waverly.

Since no one else showed up, the three girls, and Bobo, found themselves at a dead end. Waverly had suggested Wynonna call Doc and make him be in the play as a last resort, and Wynonna merely shrugged her shoulders and pulled out her phone.

"I mean, it's only fair. If I'm being forced to be here, I might as well force him to be here with me." Wynonna had said.

Thanks to Waverly's idea, and a lot of yelling from Wynonna's end, they found the replacement the cast needed without having to deal with any other annoyingly stupid guys. With the play now less than a week away, Waverly found herself to be busier than she ever thought possible. Not only was she in charge of overseeing the finishing of the set, but she was also in charge of final fittings for every actor's costumes.

The set was finished, the only thing left to do was let it dry, so the brunette's focus fell mostly on costumes and makeup. For the most part, the costumes were simple, most people in the play wearing simple toga-like outfits, paired with sandals. It was the costumes for actors with major roles in the play, the actors whose costumes were more elaborate, that Waverly found herself to be the busiest with.

She was currently in the backstage dressing room with Nicole, making last-minute adjustments to the redhead's outfit as they were needed. The two were alone, and they were far away from everyone else currently in the auditorium, which meant they were making absolutely no progress on Nicole's costume whatsoever. Waverly was working – well, trying to work – but she would stop every time she caught Nicole's eye in the mirror in front of them. The redhead would flash an innocent, dimpled smile and Waverly would find herself to be putty in Nicole's hands.

With Champ and Pete out of the way, and Wynonna giving them space, Waverly and Nicole found their relationship to be thriving. They were closer than they were before, spending more time together and refusing to be apart unless they had to. Nicole was leaving soon, Waverly wasn't going to leave her side until she absolutely had to. It was going to be tough for both of them, but it was moments like these that helped them keep their minds focused on what was important: the time they still had together.

"See something you like?" Nicole's voice brought Waverly out of her thoughts. Waverly shook her head and blinked a couple of times.

"I um...what?" She asked and continued to adjust part of Nicole's top, near her right arm.

"You were staring at me for a while, there." Nicole smiled. "I almost thought you fell asleep with your eyes open or something, you were so quiet."

"Oh, uh," Waverly blushed fiercely and cleared her throat, "I was just thinking. That's all."

"Thinking about what?" Nicole looked at her girlfriend in the mirror, watching her work.

"About you." Waverly mumbled.

"About what?" Nicole asked. "I didn't catch that."

"Shut up ." Waverly bit her lip and lightly smacked Nicole's arm. "Yes you did."

"No, seriously, I didn't hear you." Nicole grinned. "Tell me what you said."

"It's nothing of importance, Nicole." Waverly stated simply, moving down to her knees to adjust the length of the deep blue cape cascading down Nicole's shoulders, to the backs of her thighs.

"If it's nothing, then why are you getting so flustered about it?" Nicole questioned.

"I'm getting flustered because you keep questioning me about it." Waverly replied and gave a gentle tug to the end of the cape.

"You were thinking about me." Nicole said and slowly turned around to face Waverly. "That's what you said."

"What makes you think that?" Waverly asked, looking up at the redhead from her place on the floor.

"Because you're a terrible liar." Nicole raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, first of all, that isn't true." Waverly bit her lip. "And secondly, so what if I was thinking about you and lied about it? What are you going to do about it?"

Nicole narrowed her eyes and leaned down slightly. "What I'm going to do," she husked, "is show you what'll happen when you don't lie to me, so you'll never do it again."

"I'm not so sure I like the sound of that." Waverly lied. "Why would you show me for when I don't lie when I've just lied? I don't really think that logic works."

"Ah, so you admit you did lie." Nicole smirked.

"I...What?" Waverly groaned. "You sneaky squirrel." She bit back a smile. "I see what you're trying to do."

"Oh? And what is it that I'm trying to do?" Nicole leaned down closer to Waverly's face.

"You're trying to distract me from my work." Waverly replied, her eyes darting between Nicole's eyes and her lips.

"I'd say that depends." Nicole shrugged.

"Depends on what?" Waverly swallowed hard.

"Is it working?" Nicole lifted a hand to brush a stray piece of hair behind Waverly's ear.

"Yes." Waverly whispered after a minute.

Nicole smiled, causing her dimples to appear, and Waverly sank lower to the floor, unable to hold her own weight with Nicole standing over her and looking at her like that . Nicole cupped Waverly's face and gently pulled her to her feet, connecting their lips in a searing kiss once the brunette was standing. Waverly dropped the measuring tape she held to the floor and wrapped her arms around Nicole's neck. It was an awkward situation, their proximity in the tiny dressing room more than just slightly uncomfortable, but they didn't seem to mind it.

Waverly threaded her fingers through Nicole's fiery red locks, which now sported a shorter cut, having gone from shoulder length to just above her chin. Nicole thought it looked terrible, but Waverly thought it was her best look yet.

Waverly twirled the short strands of Nicole's hair around her fingers and stepped forward, bringing their bodies closer together. Their kisses were gentle, lips fitting together perfectly. Their touches were soft, caressing each other tenderly. Nicole's hands rested firmly on Waverly's waist, holding her in place and keeping her grounded in the moment.