53. Chapter Fifty-Three

Waverly tapped Nicole’s hands twice and Nicole stepped back releasing Waverly, watching as she grabbed the box the skull was in, turning it around and handing it off to Nicole without a word.

Nicole tucked the box under her arm without giving it much thought. Tucking a human skull under her arm should give her pause, should provoke some kind of emotion from her but instead, she just accepted it with a grimace and a shrug.

She was sure this wasn’t going to be the weirdest thing she’ll ever do for an Earp. Weird or not she’d do whatever Waverly or Wynonna asked of her. Within reason that is.

She would put her life on the line for the Earps, cross a lot of lines and break a few laws if it meant protecting them and this town, but she’d draw the line at things went against her moral code.

Breaking the law, any law should go against her moral code, but her grandpa, a cop himself  raised her to understand that some laws must be broken to protect people, help them where the law failed them and doing so didn’t necessarily make one a bad cop.

“Meet me at your truck in five,” Waverly said leaning up on her tippy toes to kiss Nicole on the cheek before heading towards the storage room where she kept her things during her shift.

“Wait,” Nicole called out stepping forward and grasping Waverly’s wrist, out of habit her thumb caressed the smooth skin under it. “Where are we going?”

She supposed it didn't really matter where they were going, where Waverly wanted her to take her, she'd follow Waverly anywhere, take Waverly wherever she wanted to go.

And maybe it was a bit sappy, her willingness to follow Waverly to the ends of the earth without question, without complaint. And maybe if anyone else said they'd follow the person they loved anywhere she'd tease them relentlessly for it, but this was Waverly and sappy or not, it was the truth.

“We're going to see the Blacksmith.”

“We? You want me to go with you?” Nicole asked half expecting Waverly to want to go on her own.

Waverly was forever stuck in the shadow of the Earps that came before her, underestimated and disregarded more often than not, and Nicole just assumed she'd want to do this on her own, prove to the people around her and herself that she is capable of more than what people think she is.

And even though Nicole wanted to go with her, wanted to not only protect Waverly if the need arises, but also witness her shine and flourish to her full potential, she'd happily stay behind to give Waverly a chance to do just that.

“Of course I want you to go with me,” Waverly paused, and the smile she was wearing moments ago fell as she stepped back.

Nicole released her wrist without a fight, allowing Waverly to put space between them, even though she wanted to pull her closer.

“If you don't want to come that's fine too.”

The disappointment that laced Waverly’s tone and the hurt that flashed in her eyes had Nicole mumbling a ‘fuck’ under her breath.

Waverly may want to do things on her own, may want to prove to Dolls, Doc, and especially Wynonna that she is capable of handling herself, but she is still very much the little girl left behind by her sister.

She was still the teenager who didn't fit in with kids her age.

She was still the woman Champ blew off time and time again in favor of doing something or someone he wanted instead of taking interest in Waverly and her own interests.

Waverly has grown a lot since Nicole met her, even more so since they started dating. She has healed in a lot of ways, but the memory of being left on her own, of being ignored would likely never fade.

Nicole knew these things and always tried her best to make Waverly feel seen, feel important and never ignored, but sometimes she slipped up.

Sometimes she said something without much thought, or Waverly misinterpreted something she said and ended up feeling like Nicole couldn't be bothered, like she had more important things to do.

It happened. No one could be perfect all the time, certainly not Nicole and misunderstandings were bound to happen, but that still didn't stop her from beating herself up over it, didn't stop her from doing everything in her power to make it up to Waverly. To help Waverly understand what she meant.

She reached out for Waverly but stopped just shy of touching her and dropped her hand back down to her side, aware that Waverly pulled away from her for a reason.

Nicole ducked her head, meeting Waverly’s gaze, breathing a sigh of relief when Waverly didn't pull away, didn't look away.

“I want to go with you, Waverly. You just don't need me to.” This time when Nicole reached for Waverly, she didn't drop her hand to her side.

Instead she touched the tips of Waverly's fingers before intertwining their fingers.

“You can do this without me. You don't need me or anyone else looking out for you. You can take care of yourself, but as long as you want me, I'll be by your side. For this,” Nicole raised the skull up into view. “And for everything else life throws at you.”

Waverly's free hand came up, caressing Nicole's cheek, thumb moving along the indent of the scar there. Something Nicole realized Waverly liked to do as much as she liked brushing her fingers along the dimple of her cheek.

She often wondered if Waverly found the same sense of comfort in the act as she did. Or if she even realized she did it at all.

“How do you always know what to say?” Waverly asked, her words just as soft as her smile. Her thumb continued its caress of Nicole’s cheek as she pressed their foreheads together. “How do you always know what I'm feeling, what I'm thinking when I can barely put it into words myself.”

Nicole smiled leaning forward and closing the distance between their lips. The kiss was chaste, nothing more than a gentle kiss over before it could turn into some more, but Nicole felt it everywhere. In the quickening beat of her heart, the tingling in her lips and the fire in her belly that yearned for more.

It was always the gentlest kiss, the softest touch from Waverly that set Nicole ablaze. A brush of her fingers against Nicole's skin, a kiss to the corner of her mouth or cheek.

Nicole had never been with someone that made her feel the way Waverly did, that set her world on fire the way Waverly did.

And maybe it was because Nicole had never loved anyone, never trusted anyone the way she loved and trusted Waverly.

Maybe that level of love and trust made every touch, every kiss, every look that much more intense than anything Nicole had experienced before.

Whatever the reason Nicole hoped that intensity, that fire never faded, never burned out.

She wanted the fire, the passion she felt for Waverly to burn bright and hot until her hair turned grey and she drew her last breath.

“I've told you before, I know you as well as I know myself.”

The words are barely out of her mouth before Waverly was pulling her in for another kiss. This one with more teeth than the last as Waverly smiled against her lips, whispering ‘I love you’.

Nicole pulled away, kissing the tip of Waverly's nose when she started to pout. “I love you too, but can we not kiss while I'm holding a skull? It's really weird.”

“Of course,” Waverly said, patting the skull fondly and grinning up at Nicole. “Not in front of my legacy.”

Nicole isn't sure what she expected the Blacksmith to live in. Maybe something like the Homestead, a small two story house in need of a bit of work.

Instead what Nicole parked her truck in front of was a worn down barn in need of more than a bit of work. Boarded up windows and patched holes in some spots on the outer walls.

The tin roof was rusted over and covered in a light layer of snow, it's gutters or the one remaining gutter rusted as well, looking like one strong gust of wind across the prairie would tear it down.

The junk - for lack of a better word - scattered around the front of the weathered barn looked like it has spent ages out in the elements. The snow and rain taking its toll on the wooden projects and bits of metal stacked in random piles, leaving most if not all of the pieces unrepairable.

There was a curved metal poll acting as an archway, caked in rust with what looked to be a deer skull hanging from it by its antler.

The deer skull was not the only skull hanging around the yard. There were a few cattle skulls mounted on the side of the barn, making the already creepy place look even creepier.

She and Waverly exchanged a wary glance before Nicole shut the truck off and reached across Waverly to open up the glove compartment, digging around until her fingers closed around the grip of her Colt 1911.

The Colt wasn’t her service weapon, nor was it the gun she usually had strapped to her ankle since David. Her Colt - given to her by her grandpa when she graduated from the academy - was more of a back-up for her back-up pistol.

She checked to make sure the clip was loaded and there was a bullet in the chamber before she stepped out of the truck. She made sure the safety was on before tucking the pistol into the waistband of her jeans.

She shivered at the cold metal pressed against her hip and ignored the uneasiness washing over her and setting in the pit of her stomach as she grabbed the skull Waverly held out to her, tucking it under her arm and holding a hand out to Waverly.

Nicole isn’t sure what caused the sudden uneasiness she felt. Maybe it was the erie feel the barn gave off. Or maybe it was because they were about to walk into a situation that could potentially be dangerous or turn dangerous at a moments notice.

Waverly had very little information on the Blacksmith and that lack of intel, of knowledge of who exactly the Blacksmith was made Nicole nervous.

All Waverly knew about the Blacksmith was that they were an artist, a loner who rarely came into town, and someone who knew a lot about the Triangle.

Nicole doubted the Blacksmith got the information the same way Waverly did, late hours spent in front of books and documents older than she was.

Waverly wrapped her coat tighter around her as a strong wind whipped around them and looked to Nicole, a bottle of wine held tight in her grip.

“Ready?”

“Lead the way.” Nicole gave a curt nod, slipping into her no nonsense cop persona and motioning out in front of them with her hand.

They just passed under the archway, both of them stepping well wide of the hanging skull when the barn door opened, and a woman with long black hair falling over the back of her dark brown welder's jacket stepped out, already glaring at the two of them.

“You did see the “No trespassing” sign, didn’t you?” The woman asked, pointing back the way they came where Nicole knew there was a ‘No trespassing’.

She saw it on the drive up the long dirt and snow covered road. She ignored it and pressed on, knowing that this was important to Waverly.

“I need to talk to you,” Waverly’s said, her voice firm and showing no indication of her nervousness. Her white knuckle grip on the neck of the bottle of wine did, however. “My favorite Uncle left me a skull.”

“And you think an eight dollar bottle of pinot is going to make me listen?”

“Hell, no. No, the wine’s mostly for me.” Waverly took a couple of steps forward and Nicole followed, staying silent for now and allowing Waverly to handle this.

“And what's she for?” The Blacksmith nodded her head towards Nicole, though her eyes stayed on Waverly.

Nicole kept her face neutral, giving a half hearted shrug. “I'm just here to carry the skull.”

She grabbed the edge of her jacket and pulled it away from her body, showing the colt tucked in her jeans. A silent warning not to try anything.

The Blacksmith’s eyes followed Nicole's movement before returning to Waverly, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Smart girl, but Curtis told you to tell no one. Not bring a guard dog with you.”

Nicole rolled her eyes, but otherwise did her best to keep her hard cop facade in place.

“He trusted her.”

There was a hard edge to Waverly’s voice, almost boarding on angry as she glared at the Blacksmith, almost daring her to say something else, to call Nicole something else.

“And do you trust her?”

Nicole didn't like being talked about as if she wasn't standing right there, but she knew better than to interrupt  them. It wasn't her place and this wasn't her fight, it was Waverly’s. She was just there for moral support, and besides it wasn't like Waverly needed her to step in.

Waverly could do this on her own.

“With my life.” There was no hesitation to Waverly’s answer, no doubt in her voice and Nicole couldn't help but to grin, her hard cop, no nonsense act falling away at Waverly’s words.

“Alright. Come in.” The Blacksmith waved them over, not waiting for them to take a step towards her before she turned on her heels and walked inside the barn. “Hurry up.”

“Here.” Nicole held out the skull to Waverly, reaching for the bottle of wine with the other. “You take this and I’ll hold that.”

“Wait.”

Waverly pulled the cork from the bottle and brought the bottle up to her lips, taking a long swig before holding the wine out to Nicole and wiping her mouth with the sleeve of her jacket.

Nicole turned down the wine with a shake of her head. While she knew one sip of wine would not impair her or dull her senses, she’d rather stay clear headed, senses sharpened just in case something went wrong, just in case the Blacksmith tried something, turned on them.

She would not put it past Bobo to have people working for him, lying in wait to gain the trust of the Earps, waiting for the perfect moment to strike, to harm or capture Waverly or Wynonna.

The possibility of the people of Purgatory working for Bobo, wanting to bring harm to her Earps put Nicole on edge, made her look at everyone with distrust, kept her on edge every time Waverly or Wynonna were out of sight.

There were things Nicole could not protect them from. Whispers from the people in town, the destruction the curse caused, the pain of their childhood and losing the people they loved, but Nicole could protect them from harm.

She could put her life on the line, could help bring them one step closer to breaking the curse, could help them get the normal life they so desperately deserved.

Waverly put the cork back into the bottle and handed it to Nicole. She took the skull from her then held out her free hand.

Nicole intertwined their fingers and brought their hands up to her lips, kissing the back of Waverly’s hand. “Ready?”

Waverly swallowed hard and nodded, walking towards the open barn door, her grip on Nicole’s hand growing tighter with each step they took.

Nicole rubbed soothing circles on the back of Waverly’s hand, hoping to ease her tension, the anxiety rolling off of her.

“You can do this.” Nicole whispered as they stepped into the barn.

She looked around them, eyes lingering on the old forge taking up most of the barn. There was an old stone wheel to the left of the forge that looked older than the three of them put together.

Various tools used for blacksmithing hung along the walls, as well as a variety of animal skulls, some attached to different pieces of metal.

Waverly had said that the Blacksmith was an artist and Nicole could certainly see the work put into the many sculptures hanging around. Though she wasn't too sure who would buy pieces where skulls were the main focus.

But this was Purgatory and she was sure someone would be interested in this type of art.

When Waverly released her hand, Nicole pulled her eyes away from one of the sculptures and looked to Waverly, watching her walk across the barn to the Blacksmith with her head held high and shoulders straight, giving off an air of confidence Nicole hoped she actually felt.

“We need to bond you to the skull as I did with Curtis,” the Blacksmith said taking the skull from Waverly and setting it on an old, weathered table.

She pulled it from the box, tossing the box off to the side and setting it back down on the table.

“What does that mean?” Nicole asked, grabbing a hold of a wooden chair and dragging it across the dirt covered floor over to Waverly.

The Blacksmith said nothing, just moved around the room with a quickened pace, gathering different things and setting them around the table.

Candles, a bowl of water poured from an old dusted decanter. A wooden box with symbols -that Nicole didn't immediately recognize carved along the top and sides.

“You can wait outside.” The Blacksmith directed her words at Nicole as she shoved a fire poker into a barrel of hot coals sitting next to the table then started lighting the candles.

“I'm not going anywhere.” Nicole folded her arms across her chest and stared the Blacksmith down.

She wasn't about to leave Waverly alone with this woman.

If the Blacksmith wanted her to wait outside, she would have to physically remove Nicole from Waverly's side, and Nicole wouldn't go without a fight.

The Blacksmith rolled her eyes and turned to the table and skull. “Do not say anything, do not touch either of us.”

She grabbed Waverly's hand and placed it on top of the skull, opening the wooden box and reaching inside. She came away with a handful of what looked like ashes and poured them onto the back of Waverly's hand.

“I ask the Earth to give up this ash.” She leaned down closer to Waverly's hand, blowing lightly. “I ask the air to silence it's name.”

Waverly sat tense in the chair, breathing deeply with her head bowed and eyes closed. Nicole dug her fingernails into her arm to stop herself from reaching out to Waverly to calm her.

The Blacksmith dipped her hand into the bowl of water and dribbled a few drops on top of the remaining ash. “I ask the water to cleanse this girl.”

“I ask the fire…” The Blacksmith reached for the fire poker, pulling it from the coals, it's end burning red hot and Nicole could no longer stand by and watch.

She strode forward, gripping the Blacksmith’s forearm and keeping her from bringing it anywhere near Waverly's hand.

“If you hurt her,” Nicole spoke through gritted teeth, her jaw aching from the tension.

“You'll what? Shoot me?”

Nicole chuckled and shook her head. “No, I won't shoot you.” She tightened her grip. “I'll arrest you and turn you over to the secret government agency in town. I'm sure they could use someone with your talent.”

It was an empty threat. If she did hurt Waverly in any way, Nicole would arrest her, but she would not turn her over to BBD. She wouldn't allow them to exploit or hurt the Blacksmith or anyone for that matter.

“The man who came with Wynonna Earp?” She asked, a flash of fear appearing in her eyes before she quickly looked away from Nicole's eyes.

Nicole nodded.

Part of Nicole felt bad for scaring her, for causing that level of fear in something, but that part of herself was overshadowed by the part of her who would do anything to protect Waverly.

“Understood.”

Satisfied Nicole released her arm and stepped back.

“I ask the fire.” The Blacksmith moved the fire poker over Waverly’s hand in a circular motion. “To loosen its hold. Free from the tethers, purified by the elements, Waverly Warp, you are now open to receive this fragment of man into your life.”

Nicole’s upper lip curled at the wording but didn’t interrupt again, didn’t move from her spot.

“Do you accept?”

Waverly nodded, eyes still closed and taking a deep breath in. “I do.”

Waverly’s eyes pop open and she leaned towards the Blacksmith, whispering just loud enough for Nicole to be able to make out her words from where she stood. “Wait. Did I just marry a skull?”

“What?!” This time Nicole did step forward. The word ‘marry’ echoing in her mind as a flash of panic rose in her chest.

Obviously Waverly couldn’t marry a skull and Nicole knew that, but it doesn’t stop panic and jealousy from overtaking her.

Waverly is supposed to marry her and not some damn skull.

“You are connected. You are one. The Keeper of the Bones,” The Blacksmith continued, ignoring both of them and Nicole swallowed down her questions and tried to pay no attention to the tightening in her chest. “The Stone Witch's Son.”

The Blacksmith’s voice was suddenly deeper as if someone else was speaking, as if someone was speaking through her.

The candles flickers and both Waverly and the Blacksmith jumped. The Blacksmith snatching her hands away from Waverly and the skull as if she’d been burned, panic falling over her face.

A chill ran down Nicole’s spine, her body tensing up and hairs on her arm standing on end. That voice, whatever had been speaking through the Blacksmith reminded Nicole a lot of David, when he stood over her, eyes like fire.

The fear from that night came rising back, rooting her to the spot, frozen as she stared at the Blacksmith, eyes unseeing. A phantom pain burned in her leg where David’s nails had dug in. Fear gripped at her heart and she broke out in a cold sweat, David’s voice, his cruel twisted laughter echoing in her mind.

“Okay, what have I done?” She asked herself, turning wide eyes to Nicole. “When I bonded Curtis to the skull, I didn’t know whose it was. It never told me.”

The pure terror in the Blacksmith voice broke Nicole from her trace. She blinked a couple of times before everything came into focus.

“What?” Waverly asked, looking between Nicole and the Blacksmith confused.

“She’s going to be coming for me. I need protection. I need to find some salt.”

Nicole finally moved from her spot, grabbing ahold of the Blacksmith’s arm when she tried to move away from Waverly and the table.

“What did you do?” Nicole questioned, barely containing her own fear, own worry.

The Blacksmith was scared, truly scared of whoever the Stone Witch was, and Nicole was afraid Waverly was in more danger than before.

Nicole grabbed her other arm, giving the Blacksmith a shake to make her focus, to give Nicole the answers she needed.

She could not keep Waverly safe if she didn’t know what or who would be coming after her, after the skull.

“Is she in danger?” Nicole asked, her voice raising and bouncing off the walls of the barn. “Answer me!”

“Of course she is. That’s what it means to be blessed.”

“You mean cursed,” Waverly said from over Nicole’s shoulder, her hand pressing into the middle of Nicole’s shoulder blade, her free hand coming up to Nicole’s, silently telling her to let the Blacksmith go.

“You poor sweet girl,” The Blacksmith looked at Waverly with sorrow filled eyes and shook her head. “What was Curtis thinking?”

“How do I protect her?” Nicole asked, her voice nothing more than a desperate plea. “How do I protect you?”

Nicole’s first priority would always be Waverly, but that didn't mean she wouldn't try to protect the Blacksmith as well. Even if she was the one to bond Waverly to the skull and put her in danger in the first place.

Nicole couldn't just leave her to face whatever, whoever was coming for her alone.

She could take them to the station, keep both Waverly and the Blacksmith in a interrogation room until she came up with a better plan.

The Homestead was likely a safer option against Revenants, but Nicole wasn't sure it was Revenants coming after them and the Homestead was too open, too exposed for Nicole to defend on her own.

The Blacksmith shook her head. “You can't protect me.”

“I can. I can protect you.” Nicole loosened her grip on the Blacksmith’s arms, but didn't let go completely. “Please. Let me help you….”

Nicole trailed off unsure of what to call her. For some reason calling her ‘Blacksmith’ didn't feel right. Not in this instance.

“Mattie. My name is Mattie.”

Nicole softened, releasing Mattie’s arms and took a step back, giving her some space. “I can keep you safe, Mattie. Just let me, tell me how.”

“I'll protect myself,” Mattie nodded at Waverly. “Just keep her safe. Hide the skull and tell no one you have it.”

Nicole wanted to argue with her, talk her into coming with them, but Waverly tugged on the sleeve of her jacket and shook her head softly.

“Come on, Nicky. She'll be okay on her own.”

“Okay,” Nicole mumbled reaching into her back pocket for her wallet, pulling it out and sliding one of her business cards out, holding it out to Mattie.

“If you change your mind, if you need anything call me.”

Mattie took the card, but the look on her eyes told Nicole she wouldn't call even if her life was on the line.

Nicole waited silently by the barn door as Waverly placed the skull back in its box, covering it with a cloth handed to her by Mattie.

As Waverly went to meet Nicole at the door, Mattie grasped her wrist, pulling her to a stop.

“I'm sorry, Waverly."

Nicole sat by herself in a booth at the diner, waiting for Amy to join her for dinner. Her leg bouncing up and down uncontrollably with anxiety, causing the few people scattered about the diner to give her weird looks.

After getting back to Shorty’s, Waverly told her to go meet Amy for dinner. Even though Nicole was halfway to dialing Amy’s number and getting a rain check.

Nicole didn't like the thought of leaving Waverly alone, didn't want to leave Waverly alone, but Waverly reminded her that no one would try to come after her in the middle of a packed Shorty’s.

She knew Waverly was right, knew that Waverly was safe in a crowded Shorty’s, especially with Nedley being a near permanent fixture at the bar during happy hour.

But not being able to see that Waverly was safe and okay with her own eyes set Nicole on edge, practically vibrating with anxiety and worry.

She stared down at her phone, sitting across the table from her and just out of her reach, wrestling with the idea of calling Eric and having him keep an eye on Waverly for her.

There was two things keeping her from calling him. One, he didn’t want to get involved in whatever the Earps were involved in because he wanted to be around to take care of his family and Nicole, she didn’t blame for that.

And two, Waverly would be upset with her if she assigned someone to look after her when she could take care of herself.

As much as Nicole wanted to protect Waverly, she wouldn’t treat her like a child, wouldn’t treat her like she was helpless and in need of saving all the time.

“Hey, Officer Haught. Ready to order?”

Nicole looked up, expecting to see Hetty standing next to her table, her usual half smile in place, but Nicole found Jackie in her place instead, a scowl on her face.

Jackie was one of Stephanie Jones’ friends and didn't care too much for Nicole. Why, Nicole didn't know. She'd been nothing but nice and polite to Jackie since they've met.

Maybe Jackie didn't like her because Steph didn't. Because Nicole was one of the few people who would call Steph on her shit, wouldn't allow her to bully Waverly.

Jackie tapped her pen impatiently on her notepad, her scowl deepening when Nicole didn't answer right away.

“Just a glass of water for now. I'm waiting on Amy.”

Jackie tucked her notepad and pen in the pocket of her apron, eyebrow arching in interest.

“Does Earp know you're having dinner with Amy?”

Jackie uttered ‘Earp’ like it left a bad taste in her mouth, so full of hate neither Waverly or Wynonna deserved.

Nicole's fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palm. It wasn't just the hate in Jackie's voice that angered her, but also the way she looked at Nicole as if she caught her doing something she shouldn't.

She looked at Nicole like she was no better than Champ freakin’ Hardy.

“Where's Hetty?” Nicole asked ignoring her question and looking around the diner for Hetty,  hoping she was here somewhere and would take over for Jackie.

Nicole has never eaten here without Hetty serving her, already putting in her usual order the second she walked in the door. They weren't exactly friends, but they were friendly enough and Nicole always made sure to leave a nice tip.

Come to think of it Nicole had never come in and not seen Hetty serving customers and Mama Olive at the kitchen window with an order.

She was half convinced they lived here and that this place didn't run without them.

“She and Mama are out sick.”

Nicole suppressed a sigh and gave Jackie a tight lipped smile. “Just the water for now.”

Jackie seemed to take the hint and walked off as the bell above the door chimed signaling someone's entrance.

Nicole looked up towards the door as Amy walked in, already pulling her scarf and coat off as she made her way to Nicole's booth.

Nicole slid out of the booth when Amy reached the table, taking her coat and scarf, tossing them on top of her own before pulling Amy into a hug.

“Hey.”

Amy was quick to pull away, tucking her curls behind her ear and sliding into the seat opposite of Nicole. She looked around the diner and frowned when she found Jackie staring their way.

“Where's Chrissy and Trent?” Amy asked grabbing a menu and looking over it even though Nicole knew she'd just end up ordering her usual grilled chicken salad with dressing on the side.

“I'm, I'm not sure. They’re not joining us.” Nicole answered confused as to why Amy would think they  would be joining them.

The whole point of them doing dinner was for the two of them to catch up, for Nicole to make up for being a shitty friend and not making time for Amy.

It was supposed to be just the two of them. And as much as Nicole loved spending time with her brother and Chrissy, she wanted to be able to give Amy her full attention. She didn't want Amy to feel left out of the loop anymore.

“Yea, they are. I invited them,” Amy said, putting her menu up and looking at Nicole, a soft smile gracing her features.

“Why?”

Trent didn't mention anything about him and Chrissy meeting up with them for dinner. But then again they had been a bit busy moving stuff for Waverly this morning. Not to mention dealing with Wynonna and the whole thing she was doing with her motorcycle.

“Because this town talks, Nicole,” Amy said softly. “They get bored and make something out of nothing. And I don't want those rumors to get back to Waverly and cause her to doubt you or question whether or not you're faithful.”

Nicole reached across the table, taking one of Amy’s hands in her own.

“I appreciate you wanting to protect mine and Waverly's relationship, but you didn't have to do that. You didn't, you don’t have to put mine and Waverly's relationship before our friendship. Waverly and I trust each other, and she knows that neither of us would hurt her like that.”

If there was one thing her and Waverly had it was trust. She trusted Waverly completely and in turn Waverly trusted her.

They had both been burned by previous relationships and that made trusting someone so completely difficult, but it wasn’t like that with Waverly. They had something rare, something special and rumors spread by bored townsfolk wouldn’t cause either of them to doubt the other.   

“Champ cheated on her a lot, Nicole and no matter how much she trust you that fear, that worry of being cheated on again will always be there in the back of her mind, especially since we've already slept together.”

Amy shook her head as if she was trying to gather her thoughts before continuing.

“I don't want to be the cause of Waverly’s worry or fear. I don't want to be the cause of a strain in your relationship. Waverly is finally happy and she deserves to keep that happiness as much as you do.”

Nicole just stared at Amy amazed at how much she has grown since they first met.

There was a time when Amy didn't like Waverly and didn't make much of an effort to be friends with her or even nice. But now, here she was thinking of Waverly’s feelings, putting Waverly before herself.

Nicole wanted to lean across the table and hug Amy, thank her for being one more person Waverly could count on, for being another person to have her back.

Now if only she could get Amy and Wynonna on friendly terms then they really could be a misfit family.

At some point Nicole had taken the task to get as many people on the Earps side that she could. The whole town didn't have to love them, but when push come to shove or a finally showdown with Bobo happened, she wanted as many people willing to step up and be there for them as she could get.

The Earps are already willing to put their lives on the line for this town and the least the town could do is repay them in some small way.

Nicole sat back in her side of the booth, resting her arm against the back.

“Well, while we're waiting for them to show. Tell me about this girlfriend of yours.”

A wide from spread across Amy’s face, making her nose scrunch up and the corner of her eyes crinkle.

“Where do I start?”