48. Chapter Forty-Eight

Eric was waiting for her when she walked out of the men’s bathroom in search of Doc. He fell into step with her as she made a beeline to the bar where Doc seemed to be having a conversation with Frank Mason, who owned the old butcher shop off of Cabot Street.

He wasn’t hard to spot with his clothes straight out of the 1800s and she may have dug through everything Waverly had on the gunslinger the first time they spent in a hotel on their road trip.

“Another BBD case?” Eric questioned as they weaved in and out of tables towards the bar.

“Mhm,” Nicole hummed, eyes locked on Doc as Frank poured them both another shot from a bottle of Forty Creek .

“Alright well, I'll see you back at the station.”

He sounded almost disappointed to Nicole's ears and it had guilt eating at Nicole for what felt like the hundredth time today.

She hated herself for hurting the people she loved, the people she cared about. She hated that she disappointed them, that she done the one thing she always swore she’d never do.

She had to make things right somehow with Eric, with Waverly. She had to apologize for the hurt and disappointment she caused them both and she had to make sure that it never happened again.

She had to be better, do better for them, for the people that loved her, that believed in her and she needed to start now.

Nicole grabbed Eric’s forearm stopping him from walking any farther from her. “I’m sorry, Eric. I can talk to Dolls and Nedley, try and bring you in on this.”

He was her partner. He jumped into running an investigation on the down low with her without so much as a second thought. He deserved her loyalty. He deserved to be apart of this as well.

“You don’t have to do that,” he dismissed with a wave of his hand as if it didn’t matter one way or the other and maybe it didn’t matter to him.

Maybe the disappointment she thought she heard wasn’t actually there but either way it mattered to her. Their partnership, their friendship mattered to her.

“We’re partners, we should be working along side each other, riding alongside each other.”

They didn’t always ride together, didn’t always work the same shift but to her they were partners and more than that, Eric was also her mentor.

Whatever she didn’t learn from her Grandpa growing up, whatever she didn’t learn from the academy about being a cop, she learned from Eric.

“And we’ll always be partners, Haught.” Eric shook his head with a small smile. “Look, I’m a small town cop and a father, whatever it is you and Black Badge are working on, are dealing with here.” He motioned towards the bathroom Dolls and the Earps just emerged from.

The Earps moved towards the bar, talking in hushed voices among themselves as Dolls waved the coroner over then followed him into the bathroom but not before meeting Nicole’s eyes and nodding towards Doc.

He was telling her in his own silent way to get a move on and arrest Doc before he tried to leave the bar, before he got away.

“It’s more dangerous than being a small town cop and Linda,” he gave a sheepish smile and looked at her with excitement in his clear blue eyes. “She wants to have another baby and I can’t put myself in any more danger than I’m already in. I have to be around to take care of my family. I want to be around to take care of my family.”

He squeezed her shoulder and gave her a wide smile, showing almost all his coffee stained teeth. “So you do your BBD thing and when it’s all said and done, when you save the day and all the people in this town we’ll ride together again.”

He had so much faith in her, in her ability to help Dolls and Wynonna save the town from whatever Bobo and the other Revenants had planned.

And his faith, strong and unwavering, made her believe that she actually could help protect and save the town. His faith in her made her believe in herself more than she ever has before.

He gave her left shoulder an affectionate punch. “I’m headed out. When you’re done here, we’ll get lunch, my treat.”

He turned and started towards the door but before he could get too far, Nicole grabbed his hand, stopping him from leaving once more.

“Thanks, Eric.” She gave him a small smile which he returned in full force. “For believing in me, for always having my back.”

There was more she wanted to say, more she had to thank him for.

“Always,” he promised, tipping his stetson at her and giving her a ridiculous grin before turning on his heels and walking away.

This time Nicole didn't stop him. Even though there was a thousand other things she wanted to say to him, to thank him for.

Instead she let him go, watching the saloon doors shut behind him then turning towards where Doc was still drinking with Frank.

Her eyes meet Waverly's as she made her way to Doc and she paused mid step, watching as Waverly's walls that she long since broke through slid back into place, keeping the world and everyone in it at arm's length.

Nicole was torn between making things right with Waverly and doing her job.

Both of equal importance to her. Both something she couldn't bare to lose.

Her decision was made for her when Doc got up from the bar, bidding farewell to Frank with a tip of his cowboy hat that in Nicole's opinion had seen better days.

She took one last look at Waverly, mouthing an ‘I'm sorry’ before following Doc out of Shorty’s.

“Mister Henry, hold up,” Nicole called out, holding her head high and standing tall as she took long strides to catch up with him.

Doc stopped and turned around to face her, eyeing her under the brim of his hat, bushy mustache twitching as he tried to place who she was.

Though they have never met, Nicole knew that he knew who she was. She knew that he has been to the homestead, where a picture of her and Waverly is pinned on a corkboard by the front door, where a picture of their misfit family hangs on the fridge.

“Ahhh.” He stepped forward holding his hand out to her. “Miss Haught, you are friends with dear, sweet Waverly, correct?”

“It's Officer Haught and I'm her girlfriend.”

He didn't blink, didn't even seemed fazed by the word girlfriend and Nicole wondered just how a man from the 1800s didn't even bat an eye at her when so many others born in the twenty first century hated, disowned and even attacked people for liking, loving the same sex.

And if someone like Doc could be okay with someone being gay then why couldn't the rest of the world? Why couldn't her parents?

“My apologies. It truly is a pleasure to meet you, Officer.”

He actually sounded and looked remorseful for the incorrect labeling of her relationship with Waverly and she almost felt bad for what she was about to do.

But then she remembered that he had taken a shot at Waverly, could have killed her and the feeling went away.

“It won't be a pleasure for long,” Nicole mumbled, reaching behind her and grabbing the handcuffs from it's pouch on her belt.

His upper lip curled in confusion, eyebrows drawing together and his nose scrunching up, head tilting to one side as he stared at her.

“And why is that, Officer Haught?”

“Because John Henry, you are under arrest.”

In one quick movement, Nicole reached out and grabbed his right arm, clicking the cold metal cuffs around his wrist.

She was thankful that he didn't try to fight her. Instead he turned and allowed her to cuff his other wrist behind his back.

“Marshal Dolls, I presume?”

He practically spit the name out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

As if on cue Dolls walked out of Shorty’s with the coroner. He cast a glance their way and Nicole swore she saw him smirk at Doc.

She suppressed a sigh, silently hoping that she didn't just put herself in the middle of some bullshit pissing match between the two.

“I did not, I would not kill that man, Officer Haught.”

He sounded genuine, honest and Nicole may have taken his word at face value if she didn’t know how good of a poker player he was.

Part of her wanted to believe him, the part of her that seen and heard how much trust Wynonna had in him, the part of her that seen and heard how much Wynonna believed in him.

But then there was the cop part of her, the part of her that was loyal to Waverly that didn’t want to trust him, didn’t want to believe him because he shot at Waverly, because Waverly who was an excellent judge of character didn’t trust him.

She felt like she was being torn in two again and it wasn’t a feeling she liked, wasn’t one she wanted to get used to.

“Just tell the truth Doc,” Nicole led him towards her squad car, opening up the driver side backdoor. “If you’re innocent, you have nothing to worry about.”

“What makes you think the Deputy Marshal cares whether I am innocent or not?”

Nicole didn’t have an answer to his question. She knew absolutely nothing about Marshal Dolls. For all she knew Doc could be right, Dolls may not care if Doc is innocent or not. He could very well be on a witch hunt. Or could be trying to close this case as fast as possible.

Instead of answering Doc’s question, Nicole removed the hat from his head and threw it into the backseat before getting him in as well.

“The world is not always so black and white, Officer Haught.” Doc stared up at her, eye contact unwavering. “Sometimes it is the lawman that is the most corrupt.”

Was Dolls corrupt? Or was this just Doc’s way of throwing suspension off himself? Either way Nicole would be keeping a close eye on both of them. At the very least to keep the two from killing each other.

Doc’s words and her own suspicion of both men stuck with her while she saw booking Doc and running his prints for Dolls.

She wanted to interrogate him herself but Dolls had given her strict orders to stick him in a room and leave him to stew until he was ready.

She figured that Dolls was hoping to unnerve Doc, set him on edge, make him paranoid, but Nicole wasn’t sure that would work on Doc. Then again, Doc did spend a long time in a cramped well and the room she was taking him to was small , so if Doc was even the tiniest bit claustrophobic, he may just panic.  

Nicole led Doc to the only interrogation room the station had, uncuffing one of his wrist and attaching the cuff to the metal ring in the middle of the table.

She planned to just leave without a word, per Dolls’ orders but something in her made her say something to him, reassure him.

“Marshal Dolls should be in here soon.” Nicole walked towards the door, eyes going to the mirror she knew Waverly and Wynonna were standing on the other side of before she turned back to Doc. “Just tell the truth. If you are innocent then I won’t let him pin this on you.”

“You are truly a good person, Officer Haught. I can see what it is that Waverly sees in you.”

“I’m just doing what is right.” Nicole shrugged, trying to shake the mental image of Waverly and the hurt in her eyes from her mind. She really needed to apologize to Waverly. Sooner rather than later.

“Perhaps, but doing what is right is not always easy. It takes a brave man,” Doc waved the hand not cuffed at her. “Or in your case, it takes a truly brave woman to do what is right.”

The door to the room opened and in walked Dolls, looking unhappy to see her still in there. Though she couldn’t quite be sure if that was true or not. Dolls kinda always looked unhappy.

“That will be all, Officer Haught. Thank you.”

That was quite possibly the nicest Dolls had been when dismissing her and it threw her for a loop. She had half the mind to press the back of her hand to his forehead and see if he had a fever.

Nicole stared at him for a few seconds before actually leaving the room as heading next door to watch the integration with the Earps.

Neither Waverly nor Wynonna paid her any mind when she entered the room and she suppressed a sigh, moving to the far corner of the room and leaning against the wall.

She didn’t blame them for ignoring her. Waverly was upset and Wynonna was just taking her sister’s side. But she kind of wished Waverly would say something , even if it was just her yelling. Anything would be better than the cold shoulder.

Nicole tore her eyes away from the back of Waverly’s head and looked through the two way mirror, watching Dolls closely.

“Wynonna has told me a lot about you,” Dolls said, taking a seat on the edge of the table, staring down at Doc as he sat a foam coffee cup in front of him.

Nicole’s gaze shifted to Wynonna, trying to figure out if Wynonna really did tell him who John Henry actually was. Or if he was just lying to make Doc believe he was more in the know than he actually was.

“Peculiar. She has told me nothing about you, Mister?” Doc picked up the coffee cup, bringing it to his lips but not taking a sip just yet. Instead he smirked up at Dolls and Nicole groaned softly in response.

Doc was trying to get under Dolls’ skin just as much as Dolls was trying to get under his. This was the kind of bullshit pissing match she had been afraid of.

If they were too busy trying to get under each others skin, trying to one up the other, then whoever actually killed Megan Halshford and Jay Novak were going to get away with it or worse kill again.

“Dolls. Deputy Marshal Dolls. And you’re in serious trouble Henry .” He put unnecessary emphasis on the name as he stood from the table, slamming the files he had been holding down on the table. “You are looking good for two homicides.”

Dolls turned towards the two way mirror, staring right where Wynonna was standing and even though he couldn’t actually see her, Wynonna shifted uncomfortably, folding her arms across her chest.

Nicole wasn’t sure exactly what Dolls knew but it was definitely more than what little Wynonna had told him and judging by how uncomfortable Wynonna was at the moment, she must have known that Dolls knew more.

“Oh, now, that is one thing that we can agree on. I do look great.”

Nicole wanted to beat her head against the wall. They were getting nowhere and they would continue going around in circles if those two didn’t get over whatever their issue with the other was.

“You know, I ran your prints through IAFIS, then Interpol, then every single national database I could think of. And you know what I found on you?” Dolls placed his palms on the table, leaning forward into Doc’s personal space. “Nothing. You’re a non-entity, which means you have no rights. So start talking.”

Nicole stood up straighter and moved closer to the two way mirror at Dolls mentioning Doc having no rights.

Maybe Doc had been right. Maybe Dolls really did not care if he was innocent or not.

No matter what the system said, no matter what any government agencies said, Doc had rights and Nicole wasn’t going to let Dolls violate them.

“I am a professional card sharp, Mr. Dolls, so I can read a man’s eyes. And I do not like what I see in yours.” Doc stared unblinking into Dolls’ eyes and Nicole wondered just what he saw in them, what he didn’t like.

“No shit.” Dolls hit the table in front of him then pulled a chair out. It’s metal legs scraping against the floor before he sat down. “Tell me.”

“Ooh, I see a captain piloting a ship full of secrets through a stormy sea. And as a gentleman who cares about Wynonna,” Doc’s eyes flicked to the mirror and Nicole gazed at Wynonna, looking for a change in her demeanor but finding none, “I will recommend she quit you lest she drown.”

Dolls busted out laughing, leaning forward and slapping the table.

It was unnerving and just a little bit scary watching, listening to such an emotionless man laugh. It felt wrong .

“Is Deputy Marshal Dolls laughing?” Waverly asked, her gaze meeting Nicole’s briefly before she looked back at Wynonna.

Waverly’s eyes still looked guarded, like the walls around her heart were still in place but the anger and hurt in them didn’t burn quite so hot and that relieved some of the worry and guilt in the pit of Nicole’s stomach.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

“I have to get back to work,” Waverly said, squeezing Wynonna’s hand before leaving the room.

Nicole pushed off the wall with every intention of following Waverly and apologizing but was stopped by Wynonna stepping in front of the door, blocking Nicole's path.

“I don’t know what you did to upset Waverly, but you better fix it, Haught.” Wynonna looked from her back to the interrogation room. “I’m really fucking short on people I can trust right now and I can’t afford to be at odds with you.”

Any other time Nicole would have been ecstatic to know she was one of the few people Wynonna trusted, truly trusted, but she only focused on the fact that Wynonna didn’t seem to really trust Doc and Dolls.

“You don’t trust them?”

Wynonna sighed and stepped closer to the glass. “Not fully. How can I? Dolls is a government agent who thinks civilian casualties are okay, are acceptable and Doc, he took a fucking shot at Waverly.”

Nicole wanted to question Dolls and the whole civilian casualties thing, but each second she spent in this room, spent talking to Wynonna the further Waverly got, the longer this whole misunderstanding went on, the longer Waverly remained hurt and upset.

“Whether you can trust them or not, I have your back Earp.” Nicole promised moving to the door once more and grasping the door handle.

“Just make sure you have Waverly’s back as well.”

Nicole paused with the door halfway open, looking over her shoulder at Wynonna, brown eyes meeting blue. “Always. I will always have her back.”

Wynonna nodded seeming to accept her words and Nicole didn’t wait another second to go after Waverly.

She practically spirited down the short hallway, sparing a quick glance into BBD’s offices as she passed by, not seeing any signs of Waverly.

When Nicole made it to the lobby of the station, she looked around almost frantically for Waverly, catching the attention of Eric, who sat at his desk, report in one hand, coffee in the other.

“You good there, Haught?” Eric asked, peering over the edge of the report in his head, far more interested in what she was doing than whatever was in that report.

“Did Waverly already leave?” Nicole asked, silently hoping she had stopped off in the bathroom or something. “Did I miss her?”

Eric put his report down and gave her his full attention, his unkempt eyebrows drew together and a frown pulling at his lips. “She left just a few seconds ago. You can probably catch her if you hurry.”

Nicole shook her head, rounding the front desk to her own. She slumped down in her chair and pulled her phone out of her pocket, debating whether or not to call or text Waverly an apology.

No . She had to apologize in person. Anything else was a cop out, an insincere apology.  She’d just have to wait until her shift was over.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall. In five hours.

It was nearing the end of Nicole’s shift when Waverly walked into the station carrying a mountain of files and concern etched into her features.

She approached the front desk Nicole was sitting at in hurried strides and as she got closer, Nicole could see the fear in her hazel eyes.

Nicole was up and out of her seat, moving around to the other side of the desk before Waverly could say anything.

“What’s wrong?” Nicole asked, almost about to reach out and touch Waverly’s cheek but stopped herself, balling her hands into fist at her sides.

She had no right to touch Waverly until she had the chance to apologize.

“I need to see Doc,” Waverly said, motioning down the hallway that led to the holdings cells. “Wynonna's in danger and Doc may be the only one able to identify the revenant in time.”

“What do you mean in time ?” Nicole asked, leading Waverly down the hall, taking a few of the files from her.

“The revenant gave her two hours to find everyone she’s hurt and beg their forgiveness. Oh and, he moves through mirrors, so Wynonna can’t kill him until we identify him and find his body.”

Waverly was rambling and while Nicole could make out the words flying out her mouth at a rapid pace, they didn't make much sense to her. All she knew, all she understood was that Wynonna was in danger and even if she didn't understand how a revenant could move through mirrors, she knew that she needed to protect Wynonna. And that, was enough for her.

“But everyone in town hates her,” Nicole stopped mid step, eyes widening as she looked over at Waverly. “Oh God, she’s screwed.”

“Dolls has some way to stop him, to save Wynonna, but we need Doc’s help.”

Nicole nodded walking faster down the hallway, hand finding the small of Waverly’s back and guiding her along at a quicker pace than before.

All thoughts of their misunderstanding, of the hurt in Waverly’s eyes gone. Her only focus was on helping Wynonna, saving Wynonna, not allowing Waverly to lose another person she cared about.

Nicole stopped outside the large metal door separating the rest of the station from the holding cells and dug in her pocket for the key.

“Nicky,” Waverly said softly, voice small and her free hand trembling as she reached out for Nicole’s.

Nicole grasped it, intertwining their fingers and bringing them up to her lips, pressing a kiss to the back of Waverly’s hand, hoping to offer some sort of comfort, to stop the trembling of Waverly’s hand.

She may want to be professional when on the job, when in uniform, but she wasn’t going to stand by and do nothing when Waverly was scared, when Waverly needed comfort.

“It’s gonna be okay, Waverly.” Nicole promised even though she knew better than to make a promise she didn’t know she could keep. “You’re going to identify this revenant and you’re going to help Dolls save her. I know you can do it”

Waverly nodded and sniffled, letting go of Nicole’s hand to wipe at her nose with the back of her hand.

“Ready?” Nicole asked, inserting the key into the lock but keeping her eyes on Waverly.

“When this is all said and done, can we talk about you pulling from my kiss?” Waverly asked in no more than a whisper, looking down at her feet.

“Of course,” Nicole said, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat and unlocking the door, pushing open the heavy door and holding it open for Waverly before following her inside.

Nicole leaned against the iron bars, content to just watch and allow Waverly to handle this.

“I used to get a good night’s sleep in the old gray bar hotel, but now it is pure torture.” Doc sat up, placing his hat beside him and locking eyes with Waverly. “Which I gather you have come to enjoy watching.”

“You said some really mean things.” Waverly said, the hurt in her voice evident and Nicole wanted to go to her but she stayed put.

Waverly didn’t need her help. She could do this on her own and Nicole was going to let her. She wouldn’t treat Waverly like this fragile thing that needed everyone to defend her, protect her. She wouldn’t treat Waverly like she wasn’t capable of working alongside them. Wynonna did that enough for the both of them

Wynonna may be the heir with the big ass gun capable of sending revenants back to hell, Dolls may be a government agent with experience and a badge to back him up and she may be a cop with decent training but, Waverly was smarter than all of them put together. She had more heart than all of them.

She could do so much more, could help so much more if Wynonna would just give her the chance.

“You tracked me like a common horse thief.” Doc defended himself, his actions, whatever words he said that hurt, that upset Waverly.

“Then you shot at me.”

Waverly seemed oddly calm about the whole thing and Nicole wondered how she was able to remain so calm when earlier her anger and distrust towards Doc rolled off her in waves.

“No, I shot near you,” Doc said with a wave of his hand as if that distinction made any kind of difference. “Nonetheless, I regret the episode. Is that why you came down here?”

“No,” Waverly shook her head. “No. I come with a proposition. You saw the revenant, right? The guy in the mirror?”

Doc nodded, leaning forward and Waverly continued.

“You help me identify him; I’ll get you out of here.”

“Ha, I will most happily oblige.” Doc stood moving towards the bar, towards Waverly as Waverly shifted the files in her hand and Nicole handed over the ones she’d been holding.

Her free hand now dropping down the her pistol, just in case Doc tried something. He may not be behind these killings but that didn’t mean Nicole fully trusted him.

“Okay. Here.” Waverly passed Doc the files through the bars. “Newspaper clippings, municipal records, police reports that I’m totally not supposed to have.”

Waverly chanced a glance at her, a sly grin on her face, but Nicole just shrugged. If Waverly had managed to dig up police reports from the 1800s then she deserved to have them. Besides it's not like anyone in the station had even known they were missing.

Doc shifted through a couple of the files before looking up at Waverly.

“Waverly, you have put together the most thorough resource on the revenants.” Doc looked and sounded impressed and Waverly beamed. Her smile stealing the breath from Nicole’s lungs. “You are one natural-born investigator, just like your great-great-granddaddy, and I reckon, the true keeper of the Earp flame.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. Now he was just laying it on a little thick.

Though Nicole had no doubt that Waverly was a natural-born investigator, that she was the true keeper of the ‘Earp flame’ , she was sure that Doc was just sweet talking Waverly now, hoping that he could charm his way out of that cell if it turned out he couldn’t help.

“Can’t blame you for being miffed.”

“What? ‘Miffed’? Who said I was ‘miffed’?” Waverly asked, voice high as she avoided both Doc’s and Nicole’s eyes.

Nicole knew Waverly was upset that after everything, after all the work and dedication, time she spent researching the Earp curse that she wasn’t the heir, wasn’t the one able to break the curse. Upset that Wynonna who left town the first chance she got, who ran away from her responsibilities, from the curse was the special one, the one destined to break the curse.

If only Waverly knew just how special she was, knew how essential she was to helping Wynonna break the curse. If only Waverly knew just how important she was with or without the ability to break the curse then maybe she wouldn’t be miffed , maybe then she wouldn’t hold being the heir against Wynonna.

Maybe then she could forgive Wynonna.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Doc pulled out a file, showing it to Waverly. “Here. This is the face of the man I saw.”

He handed the files back over to Waverly and Nicole took all but the one Doc identified from Waverly, tucking the stack under her arm and moving to stand next to Waverly, reading the file over her shoulder.

“August Hamilton,” Nicole read aloud, bending down close to Waverly’s ear and whispering. “Told you, you could do it.”

“Everyone went to see Auggie for a shave and to confess their sins.” Doc said, propping himself up against the iron bars with one hand.

“What was he? Like, the Father Confessor?”

“Well, in a town with no church, you needed one. But Wyatt found out about a cattle rustler who confessed his crimes to ole father Auggie. So Wyatt aimed to put Auggie on the witness stand.”

“Let me take a wild guess, Auggie never made it to court.”

“Mm-mm,” Doc hummed, standing up straight and placing his hands on his hips. “Disappeared the night before the trail. People say foul play was involved.”

“Wait,” Nicole held her hand up stopping the both of them from going any further. “How can August be a revenant if Wyatt didn’t kill him? Isn’t that the whole thing with the Earp curse, you have to put down Wyatt’s resurrected kills?”

“Oh but he most definitely did kill him.” Doc answered, only confusing Nicole further. “See, by forcing him to testify, Wyatt signed his death certificate.”

Nicole’s brows furrowed as she stared at Doc. How many innocent men were made into revenants, cursed to live and die in a endless cycle because Wyatt Earp indirectly caused their deaths?

“Wynonna needs my help.” Waverly looked down at the file in her hand then up to Nicole before finally the door.

“Hey, you promised my release,” Doc called, gripping the bars and pressing his face against them as they moved towards the door.

Waverly stopped and turned back to him and Nicole reached for the keys on her belt, knowing that Waverly would keep her word.

“You know, Dolls is going to kill me. I really should ask him first.”

Nicole sighed. Dolls wasn’t going to kill Waverly. It would be her he would kill because she was going to be the one to let Doc out of the cell.

And yes, she promised Doc that she wouldn’t allow Dolls to pin these murders on him if he was innocent and he was innocent but Nicole didn’t want to release him until this case was over, just to be sure.

“You let me out of here, we go see him together," Doc tilted his head to the side and gave what Nicole thought was supposed to be a charming smile. "He won’t mind a bit.”

Nicole cuffed Doc to a table in BBD’s main office so he couldn’t try to run off while she and Waverly talked before Wynonna and Dolls showed up.

She grasped Waverly’s hand and led her to what she believe to be BBD’s armory, if the gun lockers along the far wall were anything to go by. She left the door open just a crack, enough to be able to keep an eye on Doc while still giving her and Waverly a bit of privacy.

“Look about earlier,” Nicole started, keeping her and Waverly’s fingers laced and rubbing at the back of her neck with the other.

She had been waiting, wanting to apologize to Waverly from the moment she stepped away from her kiss, but now that she actually had the chance to do so, she wasn’t sure how. She wasn’t sure how to explain what had been going through her head in that moment, wasn’t sure how to explain why she backed away from Waverly’s kiss like it was unwanted.

“I want to be a good officer. The type of professional, no nonsense officer than Nedley expects me to be. The type of officer he’d be proud of.”

Waverly caressed Nicole’s jaw, her face twisted in confusion. “I don’t understand, Nicole. What does that have to do with you pulling away?”

Nicole leaned into Waverly’s touch, unable to keep her eyes from sliding closed, unable to keep from letting out a content sigh.

She wasn't making sense, at least not to Waverly and she didn't know how. Maybe it was best to start at the beginning, start with this morning and Eric’s teasing and the hickeys.

Nicole took Waverly's hand from her face and pressed a quick kiss to it before letting it go. After a peek towards Doc to make sure he was still there, she stood up straight.

“What's different about me today?”

“Nicky,” Waverly shook her head, a frown forming. “I don't understand what this has to do with anything.”

“Just humor me, Waves and I'll explain everything. Just tell me what's different about me, what's different about my uniform.”

Waverly sighed, stepping back some and folding her arms across her chest. She was still wearing that frown that tugged at Nicole's heart and made her want to step forward and hug her, do anything to make it go away.

Though she still had that frown and her eyebrows were still drawn together in confusion, Waverly did as she asked.

Waverly's eyes swept over her once, twice, three times before her eyes landed on the top two button on her shirt.

“You buttoned your shirt all the way. You never button your uniform all the way,” Waverly stepped forward again, reaching out for Nicole’s shirt and undoing the top two buttons and Nicole drew in a deep breath, happy to have the shirt not so tight against her throat.

“You hate how tight it is against your throat, how it restricts your breathing.” Waverly ran her thumb along the base of Nicole’s throat. Her frown finally giving away to a small smile. “And you can’t help showing off a little skin.”

“Why is your shirt buttoned all the way? And what does that have to do with you pulling away and you wanting to be a good officer?” Waverly asked, forehead creased as she looked up at Nicole.

This time Nicole reached out and ran her thumb along the lines of Waverly’s forehead, smoothing them out before she pulled the collar of her shirt to the side, revealing the hickeys there.

It took a few seconds before realization dawned on Waverly's face. “Oh. Hard to come off as professional when you look like a honry teenager. That’s why you pulled away, you didn’t want to look unprofessional in front of Dolls and Wynonna on your first day with Black Badge.”

Nicole nodded and leaned her forehead against Waverly’s. “Super smart.”

“You could have just told me, you know.”

“I know. I was going to, I swear but then I got put on this case and I didn't have a chance to talk to you alone. And you tried to kiss me goodbye in front Dolls and Wynonna,” Nicole sighed, aware of the fact that she was rambling. “I panicked, I backed away from you and I'm sorry, Waverly. I didn't mean to hurt you or upset you.”

Nicole reached up and cupped Waverly's cheeks, thumbs rubbing soft, small circles there. “I'm sorry I made you feel like your kiss, you weren't wanted because Wave that is the furthest from the truth. I always want you, I will always want you in every way, shape and form.”

“It’s okay, Nicky. I know you’d never intentionally set out to hurt me.”

“But I did hurt you,” Nicole mumbled, looking down and away from Waverly’s eyes. Shame and guilt washing over her.

The last thing she ever wanted to do was hurt Waverly, intentional or not. The last thing she ever wanted to do was cause pain to Waverly, whose life had been nothing but one painful experience after another.

She wanted to be the one person Waverly could count on not to hurt her, not to ever make her feel unwanted, unseen. She wanted to be Waverly’s person .

“Hey,” Waverly whispered, long nimble fingers grasp her chin, tilting her head up until their eyes met. “I forgive you, Nicole. It’s okay, we’re okay. Just talk to me from now on, let me know what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours, okay?”

Nicole nodded and Waverly smiled at her, dropping her hand from Nicole’s chin and smoothing them down Nicole’s uniform shirt before button it back up.

“So no PDA when on the job, when in uniform?” Waverly asked, stepping back and putting some space between them. “And no more hickeys where they can be seen while you’re in uniform?”

“Mhm,” Nicole answered, absentmindedly reaching for Waverly’s hand and bringing her closer again, pressing their foreheads together again.

“I guess I can try to control myself when you’re in uniform.” Waverly smiled, fingers fisting in Nicole’s shirt. “As long as when we’re alone, like this I get to kiss you.”

“Of course.” Nicole drew in a shaky breath, allowing Waverly to pull her down for a kiss, heart thumping in her chest, heat rising in her, a wetness starting to form between her legs as Waverly tugged on her shirt.

A kiss that never happened. Just before their lips could touch, yelling in the next room started, signaling that Dolls and Wynonna had finally showed up.

“Later,” Waverly whispered, smoothing the creases in Nicole’s shirt before marching out of the room, whistling to get the bickering trio’s attention.

Nicole followed her, leaning against the door frame and crossing her arms over her chest.

“Hey! You should be ashamed of yourselves!” Waverly pointed a finger at each of them before walking closer to them. “The Barber is coming to slice up Wynonna, and you guys are blubbering like a big bunch of bratty babies.”

Each of them looked down, equal parts ashamed and scolded and Nicole couldn’t help but to grin. Waverly was adorable when bossy, when in charge.

“Thank you,” Waverly sighed before turning around swiftly to face Nicole, pointing a finger at her, eyes hard.

The smile on Nicole’s face dropped and she stood from her spot leaning against the door, dropping her arms to her side.

“And you ,” Waverly said, her voice hard, stern but her eyes softening. “Wipe that smile off your face and help Marshal Dolls set up his stuff.”

Nicole stood there, trying her hardest not to smile at Waverly, not to go to her and kiss the hell out of her.

Waverly was trying to give her what she wanted, was trying to help her be professional, to be seen as professional, as more than just the rookie officer who got put on the team because of her girlfriend, because she stumbled upon a revenant.

If Nicole hadn’t already been so madly in love with Waverly already, she’d have fallen in love with her then and there.

Nicole gave Waverly a mock salute, unable to keep herself from smiling this time. “Yes, ma’am.”

Wynonna made a barfing noise, face twisted in disgust. “Gross. You guys are gross.”

After Nicole and Dolls set everything up, a mirror placed in the middle of a pentacle star, drawn on the floor in black chalk. Dolls pulled out a dust covered book from his duffel bag, blowing the dust off of it and walking over to Waverly, whose eyes lit up at the sight of the book.

“You studied ancient languages, right?” Dolls asked, handing the book over to her.

“Yeah,” Waverly said softly, running her fingers over the cover of the book.

Wynonna leaned forward from her spot next to Nicole. “You have?”

Waverly gave her an ‘ are you serious?’ look as her eyes briefly flashed with hurt before she turned her attention back to Dolls.

“She speaks at least four languages fluently,” Nicole informed her, not lost on the look of sadness and guilt that passed across Wynonna’s face.

“How do you know that?”

Nicole shrugged, hoping she wasn’t going to make Wynonna feel worse. “I listen. I pay attention to her and the books she reads, the books collecting dust on the shelves in her room. It’s not hard to get to know her, Earp. You just have to listen.”

“How is your Latin?” Dolls asked, opening the book up to whatever page they needed while Waverly held it, eyes trying to take in every page he skipped past.

“Ego sum totaliter stupet balls.” Waverly grinned so wide her smile seemed to take up most of her face, her eyes crinkling in the corners and nose scrunching up. “That’s Latin for ‘I’m totally amaze-balls.’ ”

Nicole bumped her shoulder into Wynonna’s, grinning along with Waverly. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”

“Yeah,” Wynonna nodded, her voice taking on a sort awe. “Yeah, she is.”

“Okay, then. Let’s do this.” Dolls said, moving to light some candles.

Things happened fast after Waverly started the ritual, invoking August Hamilton by name.

Two distinctively female voices echoed all around them, seeming to be coming from everywhere at once, calling out to Dolls by his first name.

A shiver ran down Nicole’s spine as she looked around them, looking for the source of the voices but finding nothing, no one other than them.

Nicole wouldn’t lie, she hadn’t actually believe this would work. Demons? Sure. She’d seen one with her own eyes. Magic gun? Fine. she’d seen it in action. The real life Doc Holliday ? Yeah, okay. She was standing across from him.

Ghost? Spirits that killed using mirrors? She didn’t quite believe it because she couldn’t see it.

But now? She believed. She couldn’t see the spirit or ghost, or whatever it was but, she could feel it’s presence around them.

It made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end, made goosebumps erupt along her arms, made her breath come in quick, short pants.

Doc and Wynonna pulled their guns out but Nicole left her in its holster. They couldn’t shoot something they couldn’t see.

“No, Mikshun, you will not pass,” Dolls said firmly, eyes looking around the room frantically. “Waverly, don’t stop. Go.”

“Xavier.” The voices called out again as Waverly continued reading from the book.

The mirror in the center of the pentacle star started to glow a dark blue and Dolls seized up, screaming in pain through clenched teeth, jaw locked tight.

They all jumped, Waverly letting out a small yelp as the lights around them blew and Dolls fell to the ground.

Nicole’s heart hammered in her chest as she reached for her pistol at her hip, undoing the strap holding it in place but not yet removing it.

There was enough frightened people holding guns, they didn’t need another one in the mix.

Nicole moved to stand in front of Waverly as Dolls lifted off the ground, hovering in the air, eyes black as night.

His head moved to the side in an unnatural way as he looked around at all of them. “I’ll dine on your souls.”

His voice was demonic, much like a revenant’s as he turned to look at Wynonna, chomping his teeth at her in a move that reminded Nicole of Bobo.

“Sorry, friend that is not on the menu.” Doc cocked his revolver and pointed it at Dolls, drawing his attention from a wide eyed Wynonna.

“No, Doc. Wait!” Waverly yelled from behind Nicole, panic evident in her voice as she tugged at the back of Nicole’s utility belt. “Uhhh, here! Try 50,000 volts!”

“What?!” Wynonna turned to them as Waverly handed her the taser from her belt.

“Zap him!”

“No, that will kill him!” Wynonna argued but made no move to stop her.

“Well, he’s gonna kill us.” Doc countered as Nicole brought the taser up, aiming at Dolls and trying to steady her hand.

He was an asshole and Nicole didn't really care for him one way or the other, but she didn't want to tase him.

Dolls growled, moving towards Wynonna and any hesitation Nicole had flew out the window as she pulled the trigger, blowing off the yellow and black protective covers as the two probes shot out hitting Dolls in the chest.

Dolls’ body convulsed and he screamed but it was demonic, evil. It made Nicole cringe like nails on a chalkboard.

Dolls fell to the ground and Nicole dropped the taser, rushing forward.

“Wynonna!” Waverly yelled but Nicole’s focus was on Dolls, who wasn’t breathing.

There was a gunshot as Nicole started CRP then Waverly kneeled beside her, eyes wide as Nicole concentrated on counting each compression.

“Dolls! Wake up,” Waverly pleaded, sounding as scared as Nicole felt.

“Waverly,” Nicole’s voice shook and she had to clear her throat before starting again. “Waverly, I need you to tilt Dolls’ head back and lift his chin. When I say I need you to pinch his nose and give him two breaths. Okay?”

“I can’t,” Waverly shook her head, hands trembling and eyes filling with tears.

“Okay. It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.” Nicole looked up, eyes locking on Wynonna, who was just staring at the scene, motionless.

Where were the fierce, stubborn, fearless Earps when she needed them?

“Wynonna!” Nicole yelled, reaching thirty compressions and moving to tilt Dolls’ head back, pinching his nose and giving him one breath, waiting then another. “Goddammit, Wynonna. Get your ass into gear and help me.”

“Yeah,” Wynonna blinked, kneeling on the other side of Dolls as Nicole started compressions again. “Sorry. I’m here.”

“Come on, Dolls. Come on.” Nicole mumbled, continuing compressions as Wynonna stroked the top of his head and Waverly held his hand tightly.

Doc was hovering behind Wynonna, hat pressed to his chest and mouth set into grim line.

“If you don’t wake up Dolls, I’m going to tell the whole town about demons and Black Badge.”

It was an empty threat, Nicole knew it was but dammit, she was hoping he could hear her and would come to just to threaten her with treason.

Nicole stopped compressions, sitting back on her heels and motioned for Wynonna to go ahead with the two breaths.

This time Wynonna took over the compressions as Nicole positioned herself to be ready to administer the breaths.

“Dolls, please,” Wynonna begged and by some miracle, Dolls grasped, drawing in a unsteady breath as his eyes opened, no longer black but back to their usual brown.

Nicole sagged in relief, sighing heavily.

“Oh, thank God,” she said, falling back on her ass and leaning her head against Waverly’s shoulder. “I thought I killed you.”

“You did good, Haught.” Dolls coughed looking over at her before turning his attention back to Wynonna.

Nicole felt pride swell inside of her at his words. Unable to stop a smile from forming on her face.

“Hey,” Wynonna whispered, her hand still resting on his chest.

“Hey.” He gave the smallest hint of a smile before looking around the room. “Ah, we need to regroup. Gotta make a plan. He’s gonna come back for you soon.”

“Wait, I don’t get it,” Waverly jumped in, her hand running up and down Nicole’s back.

All thoughts of pda and looking professional in front of Wynonna and Dolls were gone. At that moment, Nicole didn’t care.

She needed Waverly’s reassuring touch to help calm her rapidly beating heart, to calm the trembling of her hands.

“Wynonna shot him right between the eyes with Peacemaker.”

“No,” Dolls sighed, eyes closing briefly. “He wasn’t made flesh. He was toying with us.”

He started coughing again and this time Wynonna helped roll him over onto his side.

“Well, he might be traveling by mirror but he’s still a revenant. Okay?” Waverly glanced around at all of them as if hoping one of them had the answer. “His body has to exist somewhere.”

Dolls started coughing again, rolling over onto his stomach before sitting up on his knees, a puddle of water in front of him.

“Oh, my god. He’s coughing up water.” Wynonna stated the obvious and stood up with the help of Doc as Waverly moved to rub Dolls’ back.

“Well, if you give him a bit laudanum, he’ll be alright.” Doc waved his pistol around over Dolls, Waverly, and Nicole, making Nicole very uneasy.

“That’s not what I mean. Look,” Wynonna pointed at shoe prints made with water that were all around them. “Okay. Okay. Water! That’s reflective, right?”

Before Nicole or Waverly could answer her question, she went on. Rambling in that same adorable way Waverly did when she was excited.

“Okay. So what if his body is in water? What if he’s using the water to project himself?” Wynonna clapped her hands together and grinning at Doc. “I feel so smart right now!”

“We gotta go. We need to go.” Dolls mumbled, trying to push himself up off the floor but Nicole pushed him back down.

“No,” Wynonna said as Nicole kept him down. “You need to sit your ass down and rest.”

“We got this, hombre.” Doc held a hand out to Waverly and helped her up.

“I’ll stay with him.” Nicole said, pulling her gun from its holster and handing it to Waverly. “Be careful and please don’t lose my gun.”

She could probably get in a lot of trouble for handing her gun over to a civilian, but she didn’t care. Not when Waverly may need something to protect herself or Wynonna with.

Waverly nodded and mouthed ‘ I love you.’

She turned her attention to Doc next. “Holliday, I am holding you personally responsible for both of their safeties. If something happens to them, you better not come back.”

Doc bent down so they were eye level and placed his hand over his heart. “I give you my word, Officer Haught no harm will come to them.”

“You better hope so,” Dolls wheezed before another coughing took over.

Waverly gave them one last look before the three of them left, leaving Nicole alone with Dolls for the first time.

“Are you alright?” She asked, pushing herself up off the ground in search of something for him to lay his head on.

“I’m fine.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, grabbing his jacket from the back of an office chair and rolling it up into a misshapen ball.

She knelt back down beside him and placed the jacket under his head. “Who the hell is Mikshun?”

His eyes met hers and for the first time, Nicole saw fear in them.

“Someone, something you never want to meet.”

Nicole was just about to settle down to a movie and leftover pizza when there was a knock at her door.

Nicole huffed and sat the pizza and her beer on the kitchen table.

It had been a long day and Nicole wanted nothing more than to enjoy her pizza, a cold beer and a shitty action movie while she waited for Trent to get home so they could play video games a couple of hours.

Nicole shuffled to the door, not bothering to look through the peephole before she opened the door.

“Do you always answer the door in your Captain America boxers?” Waverly asked, smirking as her eyes roamed over Nicole.

Nicole could see her exhaustion in the way she held her body, slouched, arms hanging limp at her sides. Eyes dull and slightly unfocused.

“Only when I know it's a pretty woman.” Nicole held the door open wider and stepped to the side to let Waverly in.

She felt this almost overwhelming need to apologize to Waverly again for earlier but bit down on her bottom lip to keep from doing so.

Waverly stepped through the threshold and turned, pressing her forehead against Nicole's chest and wrapping her arms around Nicole's waist.

“Hey.” Nicole shuffled them to the side so she could close the door before she wrapped her arms around Waverly. “What's going on, baby?”

“It's just been a really long day and I really needed this, needed you.”

The words were muffled by her chest but Nicole heard them, felt them all the same when Waverly tried to pull her closer.

“Are you and Wynonna okay?” she asked smoothing her hands up and down Waverly's back.

From their phone call after the Barber she knew Waverly had finally admitted that she should be the heir, that she held it and leaving against Wynonna.

She also knew that Waverly finally forgave her, but sometimes when things like that are laid out in the open, laid bare for all to see cut deeper than any Revenant’s knife ever could.

“We're okay,” Waverly said, turning her head so her words weren't so muffled. “We talked and drank in true Earp fashion. She went to check on Dolls.”

Nicole kissed the top of her head. “Wanna watch shitty movies and share half a pizza?”

Waverly nodded before stepping back and standing on her tippy toes to kiss Nicole's cheek.

Nicole intertwined their fingers and led Waverly to the kitchen to grab the pizza and two beers.

Once they settled on the living room floor in front of the coffee table, pizza in hand and beers open, Nicole pressed play on her Xbox controller.

Waverly leaned against her side, looping their arms and munching on the slice of supreme pizza as Air Force One started.

“You know, Wynonna and Dolls were really impressed with you today,” Waverly said a few minutes into the movie, tilting her head to look up at Nicole.

“That so?” Nicole asked reaching for her beer and downing half of it.

“Mhm.” Waverly hummed, taking Nicole's free hand in her own. “Every one of us froze today, me, Wynonna even Doc. We froze but you snapped into action, kept a clear head and saved Dolls’ life.”

Nicole shrugged picking at the label of her beer, movie forgotten for the moment.

All she'd done was her job and she had no doubt that if she hadn't been there, Wynonna and Waverly would have done just fine on their own.

“You're so worried about being a good cop, one Nedley would be proud of that you never stopped to realize that you already are.”

Nicole never really thought of it that way. Even if she had, would she have even believed herself? Or would she just continue to push herself to be better?

“You think so?”

In the end, at the end of the day the only person whose opinion of her really mattered was Waverly's.

“I know so.” Waverly kissed her cheek then turned back to the movie.

Nicole shifted, tucking Waverly's hair behind her ear before pressing a kiss just below her ear. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Nicky.”

As the end credits rolled on screen, Waverly traced the raised vein on Nicole's hand, the stroke of her finger like that of a painter's, steady and sure.

“Your hands are beautiful,” Waverly said softly, flipping Nicole’s hand over and tracing the lines on her palm with the same steady stroke as before, sending shivers down Nicole’s spine.

Nicole watched, almost transfixed as Waverly brought her hand up and pressed a series for light kisses to her palm before bringing Nicole’s hand to her cheek.

“They’re so strong yet, so gentle when you touch me,” Waverly whispered, nuzzling into her hand. “As if I’m the most precious thing in the world.”

“You are.” Nicole brushed her thumb along Waverly’s bottom lip, ignoring how desperate the words came out, how desperate she was for Waverly to believe her.

The look of hurt on Waverly's face this morning still played in her mind on a loop. And though Waverly had forgiven her, Nicole hadn't forgave herself and that made her feel like she had to apologize over and over.

“God, Waverly you are the most precious, most important thing in this world and I’m sor-”

“Shhh.” Waverly silenced her with gentle kiss, shifting until she was straddling Nicole’s lap, not once breaking their lips apart.

Her heart beat faster as she kissed Waverly back with an almost desperate passion as her hands found their home at Waverly's hips, pulling her closer.

Waverly's fingers laced in Nicole’s hair, bringing them closer together. “No more apologizing. Just kiss me, touch me.”

Nicole swallowed, eyes shifting from Waverly to the clock hanging above the tv. They had a few hours before Trent would be home. Plenty of time for her to make Waverly come undone around her fingers more than once. Plenty of time for her to make Waverly feel like the most important, most precious thing in her life, to make her feel loved and wanted .

“Whatever you want, Waves.” Nicole breathed against Waverly’s neck, lips brushing along a hammering pulse point as her hands slipped under Waverly’s shirt and along her ribs. “Whatever you want.”