61. Alice

Waverly quickly paced back and forth across the waiting room with her arms folded across her chest. When the large blue double doors opened, revealing a man in light blue scrubs, Waverly froze. The doctor pulled down his surgical mask and she quickly realized he wasn’t the doctor she was waiting for. She sighed and continued her pacing.

“Why is this taking so long? Should it be taking this long? I don’t think it should be taking this long…” Waverly rambled as she continued her hurried steps.

“It’s not like in the movies, love. Labor usually takes a few hours,” Nicole reassured with a small smile that Waverly didn’t even look at. The brunette was too busy scanning her eyes around all of the doors, impatiently waiting for some news.

“What if something happened to her? Or the baby? And nobody’s telling us a damn thing!”

Nicole stood up from her chair and carefully wrapped her hands around Waverly’s upper arms, effectively stilling her movements. “Hey,” she said in a soft voice, and hazel eyes looked up into hers. “If something were wrong they would tell us. I’m sure everything is fine.” The corners of her mouth pulled up when she felt the muscles under her grip let go of their tension.

With a subtle nod of her head, Waverly clenched her jaw and sighed. She knew Nicole was right, but it was difficult not to worry. Especially with how cursed her family was – metaphorically speaking, of course.

“Want to sit down with me?” Nicole gestured toward the chairs against the wall before leading the compliant brunette to sit down. She looked over at the brunette’s shaking leg and chuckled under her breath as she slightly shook her head. “I know that being in the hospital is usually a negative thing, but this is the one time where it’s actually something good. Wynonna’s about to have a baby. You’re going to be an aunt.” She nudged her girlfriend as she gave her a warm smile and a wink.

“We’re both going to be aunts,” Waverly replied as she smiled back as much as she could with all of the negative thoughts taking over her brain.

Nicole looked down at the floor between her boots as she tried to hide the dopey grin on her face. She and Waverly had never actually talked about Nicole being an aunt, so the unexpected reassurance from Waverly warmed her heart.

“And I know, I’m happy and totally excited,” Waverly continued, “But I’m also nervous. I’ve never raised a baby before. Heck, I’ve never even held a baby before. I’m the youngest child, none of my friends have kids, and it’s not like there are a ton of people getting pregnant in this town. Most of the people who live here are old, and anyone young usually moves away after high school. I mean, we literally know everyone in this town who is in their 20s, and we know that none of them have kids. So, my textbook knowledge of babies may be impeccable with all of the research I’ve done in the past nine months, but my hands-on experience level is a little lacking at the moment. And by ‘a little’ I mean very much lacking.” She huffed as she simultaneously sunk back into her seat.

With a sympathetic look, Nicole grabbed Waverly’s hand sitting on her lap. “None of us know how to do this. It’s new for all of us. But we’re going to figure this out together. The four of us. And we have Gus to help us too. She raised you, so she’s obviously pretty good at it.” Nicole looked at Waverly with knowing eyes and a lopsided smile.

“Hey! Pretty good?” Waverly replied, feigning offense.

The redhead shrugged. “Well, I mean, you do tend to leave all of the lights on even when you’re done with them…and you have a habit of leaving the almond milk out…and come to think of it, I’m always finding empty containers in the pantry and fridge…”

“Oh, is it tell-each-other-our-pet-peeves-about-one-another time? Because I’ve got plenty of ammo.” Waverly quirked an eyebrow as she playfully folded her arms across her chest.

Nicole held her hands up in surrender. “No, no. I was just saying.” She wrapped an arm around Waverly’s shoulders and pulled the brunette into her side as she lifted her leg up to rest on the opposite knee. “Everything is going to work out. Don’t worry so much about it and just trust that we’re going to get it right.” She kissed the top of soft, brunette hair, lingering a bit to breathe in the familiar scent before dropping her head back to rest against the wall.

Waverly hugged Nicole’s waist as she relaxed into the comfortable position. She tried to keep her eyes open, but she couldn’t stop them from fluttering shut. It was nearly six thirty in the morning, and the caffeine she’d had earlier was beginning to wear off. She felt herself beginning to drift off to sleep. Ultimately, she blamed Nicole for having such a comfortable shoulder.

“Waverly,” Nicole said in a hurried tone as she patted the brunette’s leg.

Waverly’s eyes shot open and she bolted upright. “I wasn’t sleeping!” She immediately noticed the doctor walking towards them with a smile on his face and without missing a beat, she bolted up from her chair and rushed over towards him with Nicole following closely behind.

“Is she okay? Is the baby okay?” Waverly asked frantically as she looked at the tall, middle-aged man with hopeful eyes.

“Everything is just fine. Mom and baby are both doing great,” He replied with a warm smile. “Would you like to come and see her?”

A sigh of relief mixed with a small chuckle escaped through Waverly’s open-mouthed grin as she looked over at Nicole.

“You go ahead. I’ll call Gus and give her the news.” Nicole punctuated her sentence with a slight nod and a wide smile plastered to her face. She couldn’t wait to see the baby, but she knew Waverly couldn’t wait even more. And someone had to call Gus to tell her to get down here ASAP.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll catch up in a few minutes.”

“Okay.” She squeezed Nicole’s hand and beamed at her in excitement before letting it slip from her grip as she followed the doctor. It was only a few paces later when she rushed back towards Nicole and wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist in a tight embrace. “We’re aunts.”

Nicole wrapped her own arms around the petite woman and rested her chin atop her head as she closed her eyes and smiled. “We are.”

Waverly pulled back and gave Nicole’s cheek a quick peck. “Don’t take too long!” She ordered before rushing back towards the doctor, who was waiting at the double doors for her with his usual charming smile that she had gotten used to.

As soon as she walked into the room, her eyes landed on Wynonna, gorgeous as ever, holding the tiniest human she had ever seen in her entire life. Doc was standing beside the bed, hunched over as if watching the most delicate thing in the world. He didn’t even take his eyes off of her when Waverly entered the room.

Wynonna looked up at Waverly with a small but endearing smile. “Come here,” she said softly.

Waverly quickly wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek as she walked towards the side of the bed closest to her, opposite from Doc. She stared at her little niece, peacefully sleeping in her older sister’s arms. “She’s beautiful,” Waverly whispered without looking up. Now that she was closer, she instantly understood why Doc hadn’t taken his eyes off of the precious girl. The sight before her was mesmerizing.

“Her name is Alice. Alice Michelle.” Wynonna said as she looked up at Waverly.

“Named after both our mothers,” Doc added in the softest voice Waverly had ever heard from the usually ardent cowboy.

Waverly leaned over the bed and said in a high-pitched whisper, “Hi Alice.” She didn’t expect her niece to acknowledge her or even hear her since she was asleep, but she just had to say it.

“Auntie Waverly is here to see you,” Wynonna spoke in a similar tone before kissing the top of Alice’s head. “You’re lucky to have her as an Aunt, because she’s the best. Her and your other Aunt, Nicole. They’re going to help me take care of you so that we don’t fuck you up.”

Waverly’s ecstatic facial expression from the first part of Wynonna’s statement was quickly replaced by a disapproving one. “I know I’m still new at this, but I’m pretty sure we shouldn’t be dropping f-bombs around the baby.”

“Why not? It’s not like she can distinguish between the word ‘fuck’ and the word ‘poop’.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Okay, but just don’t shout it around her or anything. I’m sure adding aggression behind the word will make a difference.”

“No promises,” Wynonna grinned.

“She’s waking up,” Doc interrupted with his eyes glued to her face. He reached out with his index finger and placed it in her hand for her to hold, which she gripped tightly. “She’s got a strong little grip there.” He smiled.

“I think we both know that she gets that from me.” Wynonna smirked with a wink, making sure the innuendo wasn’t lost on him.

“Oh, I definitely do,” Doc replied with a mischievous smile as he and Wynonna locked eyes.

Waverly groaned as she rolled her eyes. “Only you two would talk about your sex life when we’re all admiring a newborn baby.”

“I mean, that’s kind of how she got here in the first place,” Wynonna replied as she looked at Waverly, as if it were obvious.

“Wait, look look! She’s yawning!” Doc whispered excitedly in a voice that arguably could’ve been higher-pitched than Waverly’s.

They all watched the cutest little yawn any of them had ever seen when Nicole walked through the door.

“Just in time, Haught. She just woke up.” Wynonna looked at the redhead and gave her a short nod.

“Her name is Alice Michelle,” Waverly beamed. When she felt Nicole wrap an arm around her waist, she placed her hand on top of the slightly larger one just above her hipbone and entwined their fingers together.

“She’s so cute,” Nicole grinned. “She’s got your eyes, Wynonna. And Doc’s nose.”

“I’m just glad she didn’t inherit his ‘stache,” Wynonna said dryly.

“I thought you liked my mustache,” Doc asked in slight offense.

“Yeah, but that’s because you look sexy with a mustache. I don’t want my daughter looking anywhere near sexy.”

Nicole frowned as she squinted at the two. “How did this conversation take such a weird and disturbing turn?”

After a few silent seconds of shrugging and shaking heads, Waverly asked, “What did Gus say?”

“She’s heading over here now.” Nicole smiled.

“Do you think she’s gonna cry? I’ve never seen her cry,” Wynonna asked in excitement as she looked up in thought. “I mean, Doc cried…”

“Of course I cried. What kind of a monster doesn’t shed a few tears at the first sight of his own daughter?” Doc replied.

“I think she’s going to be ecstatic,” Waverly smiled as she gently cupped her hand around the back of Alice’s barely fuzzy head before leaning down to place the softest kiss on her forehead.

---

One week later

…okay, well, technically nine days later, but you get the point.

Nicole and Dolls pulled up to the station together in the squad car. As they took off their seatbelts, he looked over at her with a frown. She had been silent the entire car ride, aside from the occasional overdramatically loud yawn.

“Hey, you alright?” He asked as they walked towards the front doors.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she nodded. “Just a little tired is all.”

“Alice?”

Nicole nodded. “I love her to death, but she spends the entire night crying. And she’s so loud. I swear she gets that from the Earp side of the family.”

Dolls chuckled as he gestured for Nicole to sit down at the table in the break room while he made them coffee. “And how’s everyone else doing with it all? Has Waverly gone back to work yet?”

“Doc has been working a lot to make some extra money. Waverly’s still taking off work to help Wynonna. I think she’s going back on Wednesday. Everyone seems to be doing fine. Waverly is the best aunt.” Nicole smiled as she stared down at the table. “She’s going to make a great mom.”

Dolls’ eyes widened as he looked over at the redhead, who was staring off into space with a dreamy look on her face. “Are you…I mean, have you two…” He furrowed his brow. “You’re not…are you trying to get pregnant?”

Nicole quickly shook her head. “No, no. Not any time soon. We’re not making plans or anything. I just mean, some day. When the time is right, she’s going to make a great mom.”

“Oh,” he chuckled lightly at his misunderstanding. “You’re both going to make great moms, you know. And I’m sure you’re just as great of an aunt as Waverly is.” He handed the mug out for the redhead to take as he sat down in the chair beside her.

With a grateful smile, Nicole took the mug from him and instantly brought it up to her lips. She had already had a cup of coffee at the homestead before she left, but these days she could use the extra caffeine. After taking a modest sip, she carefully placed the generic navy blue mug down on the table in front of her. “I think the hardest part about all of this is that we haven’t had much alone time.”

“And by alone time, you mean…” He raised his eyebrows.

“Well, I mean just like any time in general to be alone. By the time I get home from work she’s either with Alice or she’s talking with Wynonna about baby stuff. And then when we go to bed she instantly falls asleep.” Nicole sighed as she slightly shook her head in disappointment. “But yeah, that too.”

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“I haven’t yet. I don’t want to sound too needy, or like I’m more important than Alice.”

“But you’re important too. Your relationship shouldn’t have to be put on hold just because there’s a new baby in the house. You should talk to her. Soon. Before you bottle it up and it just explodes in a negative way. Because that’s going to make it so much worse.”

Nicole pursed her lips together and furrowed her brow in thought when they were interrupted by the sound of loud, heavy footsteps entering the room.

“We’ve got an anonymous tip about a reckless driver. Possibly drunk.”

“It’s barely 8 a.m.?” Nicole replied in confusion.

“The woman who called it in says it looks like Steve Thompson’s car.”

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Of course it is.” They used to get a domestic abuse call about that son of a bitch every week. But since his wife finally divorced him and filed a restraining order, he’s become twice the drunk he was before. So it was no surprise that he would be out on the road, drunk off his ass this early in the day. Hell, Nicole wouldn’t be surprised if he was just still drunk from the day before. With this guy, nothing surprised her anymore.

“Do you want both of us to take it?” Dolls asked as he jumped up from his seat, ready to spring into action.

“Well, both of you seem to be the ones always taking his cases. After all, it was you two together who convinced Patty to finally leave that bastard and file that restraining order. I think putting both of my potential sheriffs on this case would be the smart way to go.”

Nicole grinned at the comment. Nedley had been mentioning the whole potential sheriff thing a lot lately, which got her excited. Of course, she’d miss having him as her boss, but she was ready to take on the responsibility. …that is, if she was picked for the job.

She jumped out of her chair and stood directly beside Dolls in the same eager pose. “Let’s go cuff that son of a bitch.”

---

After five more calls about different kinds of disturbances – two of them being prank calls, enough paperwork to drive someone mad, and the most tiring 10-hour shift Nicole had experienced in a long while, she was finally on her way back to the homestead after checking in on Calamity Jane. She couldn’t wait to see Waverly, and Alice…and even Wynonna, if she were being completely honest with herself. She trudged up the steps of the front porch with a sigh of relief, happy to finally be home. When she walked through the front door, she immediately spotted Waverly and Wynonna sitting on the couch.

“Hey guys,” she greeted as she dragged her tired body into the house before swinging the door shut behind her.

“Shhh!” Wynonna hissed.

Nicole furrowed her brow in confusion. “What?”

“Alice is finally asleep,” Waverly clarified with a sweet smile as she walked over towards Nicole to give her a chaste kiss.

“Oh, sorry.”

As soon as the words left Nicole’s mouth, the sound of shrill crying rang out from the nursery down the hall.

“Looks like I spoke too soon,” Waverly chuckled, and Nicole smiled weakly.

“Nice going doofus.” Wynonna said while looking directly at Nicole. She sighed as she slumped into the couch and pressed her palms against her eyes.

“Sorry. I didn’t even shut the door that hard…” Nicole mumbled as she hung her coat up on the coat rack.

“I think she’s just hungry. Isn’t it about time for her to eat again?” Waverly asked.

Wynonna’s eyes popped open as she sat up. “Oh yeah. Can you bring her to me?”

“I can get her,” Nicole volunteered as she started walking towards the nursery.

“You sure?” Waverly asked, even though she was already sitting back down on the couch.

With a genuine smile, Nicole replied, “Yeah, don’t worry. You two sit.”

It had been a long day of work and Nicole already knew that holding Alice would make her day ten thousand times better, even if it was only for a few short seconds. She walked into the nursery and peered over into the crib, where Alice was writhing around on her back as the strong cries escaped her tiny mouth. Yep, she definitely got those powerful lungs from Wynonna.

“Shh, it’s okay, I’ve got you,” Nicole cooed as she leaned over and picked her up from her crib. She rocked her niece in her arms for a little bit, and the cries diminished until Alice was silently looking up at red hair. Nicole smiled at how quickly she had gotten Alice to stop crying, until a small hand reached out and grabbed a chunk of her hair, tugging on it and watching it slip through her fingers with intrigue.

Nicole chuckled and shook her head. “Happy to entertain you, sweet girl.” She kissed the top of Alice’s soft head before taking her into the living room, where Wynonna was ready to take her. She figured she could use this opportunity to talk to Waverly while Wynonna was breastfeeding – something Nicole didn’t really want to observe.

“Hey, can we talk?” Nicole said quietly as she hovered down towards Waverly sitting on the couch.

Waverly looked at her with concern for a moment before replying, “Yeah, of course.” She stood up from the couch and followed Nicole into the nursery, who shut the door behind her.

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was just wondering if we could spend some time together this week? We haven’t had a chance to be alone since Alice was born and I just miss you.” Nicole walked towards Waverly and wrapped her hands around her waist as she smiled down at her girlfriend, who looked beautiful as always.

“I guess it has been a while. I’m sorry, I didn’t even realize how much I’ve been neglecting you.” Guilt washed over Waverly’s face as she shook her head that was lowered down towards the floor, clearly disappointed in herself.

“Hey,” Nicole grabbed Waverly’s chin with her index finger and thumb and lifted it up so that the brunette was looking into her eyes. “Alice and Wynonna both need you. You’re not doing anything wrong, I’m just saying I miss you is all.” She wrapped a hand around the back of Waverly’s head and gave a gentle, lingering kiss on the smaller woman’s forehead.

Waverly closed her eyes and smiled at the gesture before grabbing Nicole’s face and pulling her down into a passionate kiss. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time they had even kissed like this. She had been so wrapped up in their new lives with Alice that she had unintentionally put Nicole on the back burner. She pulled out of the kiss and sighed as she rested her forehead against her girlfriend’s.

“I forgot how good that felt,” Waverly chuckled as she pursed her lips together. She could still feel Nicole on them, even though she wasn’t.

“I know. I think this is the longest we’ve gone without sex too,” Nicole said teasingly – even though it was true.

Waverly pulled back with a furrowed brow. “Really? It’s only been, what, like five days right?”

Nicole slowly shook her head in disbelief and amusement. “Waves, that was last Saturday. Today is Monday.”

As her jaw dropped in shock, her eyes also went wide. “Nine days?! Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s been that long! It feels like it was just a few days ago that we brought Alice home from the hospital. Ugh, I feel terrible.” Waverly buried her face in her hands.

“No, it’s okay baby. I wasn’t saying it to make you feel bad.” She reached out and effectively pulled Waverly’s hands away from her face. “I just mean, it’s been a little busy around here. I’m pretty sure Doc and Wynonna are in the same boat. It happens.”

“Well not anymore. Tomorrow night, we’re going on a date. No interruptions, just us. And we’re sleeping at your house.”

Nicole drew her eyebrows together. “What about Wynonna? Is Doc working late again tomorrow?”

“Gus can help her. I’m sure it’ll be fine. But we need some alone time. It’s been far too long, and I miss you as well.”

Nicole grinned at the thought of finally having Waverly all to herself for the first time in what felt like forever. Sure, it had only been a little over a week, but when you’ve spent practically every day of your lives together over the past nine months, nine days is a long time.

“Deal.” Nicole leaned forward and pressed her lips against Waverly’s soft ones. As soon as she began to drown in the comfortable and familiar feeling of her girlfriend’s sweet kiss, the sound of Wynonna calling out Waverly’s name rang through the house.

The pair pulled away and sighed.

“Only one more day,” Nicole said as she let out a heavy breath.

“One more day.” Waverly reassuringly wrapped her hand around Nicole’s arm and gave it a loving squeeze before walking out of the nursery and back towards the living room.

---

The next twenty-four hours went by so slowly. Nicole had spent her entire time at work checking the clock, just waiting for the minute hand to hit the twelve, pushing the hour hand towards the seven. The moment it did, she practically jumped out of her desk and hurriedly put on her coat. A look of frustration spread across her face as she couldn’t find the hole of her other sleeve.

“It’s inside out,” Dolls said as he pointed towards the sleeve with his pen.

Nicole looked behind her and saw the sleeve hanging on the inside of her jacket. “Oh.” She pulled it out and successfully put the rest of her coat on.

“Where are you going that’s got you in such a hurry tonight?” He asked as he set his pen down and leaned his head back into clasped hands.

“Waverly and I are going on a date.”

“Oh nice. Dinner?”

“Actually, we’re going bowling.” She grinned. “We wanted to do something fun.”

“Sounds awesome. Have fun!” He smiled.

“Thanks.” Nicole swiped her keys off of her desk and gave him a short nod. “See you later.” And with that, she rushed out of the station and headed straight for her house to get changed.

She already knew what she was going to wear – her gray henley baseball tee with maroon sleeves that Waverly loved so much. That, and her black skinny jeans. Waverly had mentioned once or twice semi-recently how much she had missed seeing that outfit, and Nicole made a mental note to save it for a special occasion just like this one. After getting dressed and giving Calamity Jane a little pep talk about how she knew that she hadn’t been home much but she would be home tonight – which only earned her a tail to the face in response – she headed out of the house to pick up Waverly, but was surprised to see the girl’s red Jeep pulling into driveway. Nicole drew her eyebrows together in confusion as she walked over towards the driver’s side door that Waverly was already stepping out of.

“What are you doing here? I thought I was picking you up?”

Waverly shut the door and went around to her trunk to grab her bag. “I know, but I really wanted to see you and I saw that you hadn’t left the house yet so I figured I’d just go ahead and come here.” She grinned as she shut the trunk door and swung her bag over her shoulder.

“Sounds good to me,” Nicole shrugged before leaning in for a quick kiss. “Well why don’t we go ahead and take your stuff inside then.” She took Waverly’s bag from her and swung it over her own shoulder as she walked up the front porch. Waverly followed closely behind, silently appreciating the outfit the redhead had strategically picked out.

When they walked inside, Waverly was almost instantly greeted by the orange tabby, who was purring and rubbing all over her boots.

“Hey Calamity, did you miss me? It’s been a while.” Waverly said in a high-pitched voice as she ran her hand over Calamity’s back before scratching behind the cat’s ears.

Nicole chuckled to herself as she set Waverly’s bag down on the couch. “I think she missed you more than she missed me.”

Waverly smiled as she stood up from the crouched position she had been in. “Yeah, well I missed you more than I missed her.” A confident smirk spread across her face as she unexpectedly pushed Nicole against the wall. She scanned her eyes down Nicole’s body before bringing them back up to slightly enlarged pupils. “And don’t think I didn’t notice the outfit.”

Nicole swallowed thickly before saying in a sultry voice, “Good. Because it’s all for you.” She swallowed thickly as she felt soft hands running up underneath her shirt and across her abdomen. She instinctively reached around and set her own hands on Waverly’s backside over her dark washed jeans and pulled the brunette in as close as possible, causing Waverly’s breath to hitch.

Without hesitation, Waverly leaned in and crashed their lips together as she simultaneously inhaled through her nose. Nicole wasted no time in reciprocating the kiss with her insistent lips. The room was filled with the sounds of gliding lips, heavy breathing, and pounding heartbeats. The heated kiss was over in just a matter of seconds, when Waverly pulled back and stepped away from Nicole, causing the redhead’s eyelids to open and reveal sad eyes.

“After I beat you at bowling,” Waverly winked before making her way towards the door.

Nicole stood there in disbelief. She was sure that kiss had just completely ruined her panties. She internally debated whether or not to run upstairs and change them out for some dry ones.

“You coming?” Waverly called out from the stairs of the front porch.

“I wish,” Nicole muttered under her breath with a sigh before walking out the door.

---

Waverly looked around the bowling alley with a huge grin on her face. The entire place was slightly dark with colorful neon lights everywhere. The electronic dance music that played from the overhead speakers wasn’t exactly her style, but for some reason she found it oddly satisfying for the vibe of the place.

After paying and grabbing their shoes, the couple sat at the table at their lane across from each other to change into their bowling shoes.

“Want me to go grab the food while you set everything up?” Waverly asked as she finished tying her laces.

“Sounds good to me,” Nicole smiled.

“Want a beer or anything?”

“Nah, just water is fine for me tonight.”

“Got it.” Waverly smiled as she shot up from her seat and practically bounced towards the counter.

Nicole chuckled as she watched the energetic brunette for a moment, enjoying the entertaining view, before grabbing some bowling balls for both of them and setting up the names on the scoreboard. She started to type in ‘Waverly’, when an idea hit her. She smirked as she typed both of their ‘names’ into the scoreboard on the screen.

When Waverly returned with a large order of vegan-friendly nachos and a couple of waters, she instantly noticed Nicole snickering behind her hand. “What’s so funny?” She asked with a quirked eyebrow as she cautiously set everything down on the table where Nicole was sitting.

The redhead cleared her throat and shook her head as she grabbed a chip. “Nothing.” She lied in a high-pitched voice before popping the chip into her mouth.

Waverly squinted her eyes dubiously. “Mhm. Then why do you look guilty of something?”

“I’m just excited to be hanging out with you,” Nicole shrugged.

Waverly continued to look at her girlfriend with hesitation, but eventually brushed it off. “Whatever. Who’s going first, you or—” As soon as she looked up at the scoreboard, she pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. “Did you seriously put our names as ‘Winner’ and ‘Loser’?”

Nicole instantly busted out in a cackle as she rolled around in her chair.

“Nicole! That’s not funny!” Waverly whined.

“Oh, it’s funny all right. And it’s accurate, because I’m going to win!” Nicole challenged.

Waverly folded her arms across her chest and lifted a gorgeous eyebrow in the amused redhead’s direction. “Oh yeah? Well just for that, I’m going first.”

Nicole abruptly stopped her laughter when she noticed Waverly heading straight for the ball return. “Hey, wait a minute! I’m ‘Winner’!”

She chased after the brunette, but Waverly picked up her pace. The brunette giggled and squealed as she grabbed one of the balls and tossed it haphazardly down the lane.

Nicole had reached out and grabbed Waverly to stop her, but she was half a second too late. The pair froze in their position of Nicole stood behind Waverly, holding the girl in her arms, as they watched the ball slowly drift down the lane, and straight into the gutter. As soon as the pinsetter began to check for any knocked-down pins, Nicole turned her head to look at Waverly with a scowl on her face, and Waverly grinned back in satisfaction.

“Well, you can either start the game with a gutterball, or you can be ‘Loser’. Your choice.” Nicole groaned as she let go of her girlfriend. “I really don’t like you.”

With an amused chuckle, Waverly followed Nicole over towards the table, and smiled when the redhead plopped down into the chair with a pout. “No you don’t. You really like me.”

“I don’t. I don’t like you at all.” Nicole said with her eyebrows pushed together in faux anger and sternly crossed her arms.

“Really? Not even a little bit?” Waverly sat down sideways on Nicole’s lap and crossed her legs at her knees, and Nicole instinctually wrapped her hands around the brunette for support.

“Nope. Not even a little bit.”

“Really?” Waverly placed her arms around Nicole’s neck and twirled the ends of her fiery locks around her finger as she sported a pout that was even cuter than Nicole’s.

Nicole started to crack a smile, but quickly pushed it away with an overcompensating scowl. “Really.”

Waverly leaned in and planted a kiss, and she instantly felt Nicole’s breath being taken away from her. After she pulled back, she smirked when she noticed Nicole sitting there in shock with her eyes closed. “You sure you don’t like me even the slightest bit?” She slowly ran her fingertips Nicole’s outer arm, all the way to her shoulder.

Nicole opened her eyes and shook her head. “Well now I hate you.”

With a playful laugh, Waverly pushed Nicole in the arm, earning a contagious chuckle from the redhead in response. “But maybe I kind of like you. Just a tiny bit.”

“So, it’s okay that I kissed you?”

“Oh, I’m definitely okay with that.”

“What about the whole ‘we can’t just go around making out with each other because I have to set a good example’?”

Nicole looked around the bowling alley and shrugged. “Nobody seems to be looking. Besides, it’s a Tuesday. The place is pretty empty anyways.

“So, does that mean you’re okay with us sitting here making out?” Waverly asked teasingly as she slowly leaned in, but was quickly stopped by Nicole pushing her off of her lap.

“Uh, no way! We’re here to bowl. Now hurry up and finish your turn. I’m ready to beat you.”

“Does that mean that you’ve chosen to be ‘Loser’ then?” Waverly asked with a satisfied grin on her face.

“It means I’m letting you be ‘Winner’.”

---

Nicole ended up winning the first game, and Waverly won the second. They were now in the tenth frame of their third and final game. Waverly’s final score was 159, and Nicole needed at least two strikes to win. She held the ball in front of her face in concentration before swinging it back and gracefully rolling it down the middle of the lane.

Strike.

She fist-pumped and looked over her shoulder at Waverly with a look of triumph. “Only one more strike and I win!”

“Yeah yeah,” Waverly waved her hand in dismissal as she picked at the broken chips at the bottom of the basket. She really didn’t care about winning this game, but she kind of wanted to see her overly-competitive girlfriend take a beating.

She watched as Nicole rolled the ball down the lane, smashing into a few of the pins. More pins were slowly falling as the ones on the floor rolled around. Nicole licked her lips as she watched eight of the pins fall down.

“Come on. Just two more pins.” She whispered to herself. One more toppled and fell to the ground and began to slowly roll towards the last one. “Just one more. Come on, you can do it.”

The last one tipped back and forth a couple of times, before sticking to the ground in an upright position, ending the game and declaring Waverly the winner. She stood there and watched the pinsetter sweep up the pins in defeated silence.

Waverly skipped up behind Nicole and tapped her on the shoulder before clasping her hands behind her back. Nicole sighed and turned to face her girlfriend.

“Guess what?”

Even though she already knew the answer, Nicole played along and asked, “What.”

Without missing a beat, Waverly loudly declared, “I won!” She danced around the redhead in excitement.

Nicole tried to be upset, and a huge part of her was disappointed that she didn’t win. But she was also really entertained by Waverly’s dancing, and that was the part that took over her facial expression. She smiled as she let her eyes roam over her adorable girlfriend during her celebration. Nicole sauntered over towards the energetic brunette and took her hand, effectively stopping the girl’s movements.

“You ready to go home?” She asked with a smile.

Waverly beamed as she slid her fingers in between Nicole’s as far as they would go. “You bet.”

They spent the long drive back from the city enjoying the comfortable silence while holding hands and stealing glances. Waverly couldn’t believe how she could forget about the moments like these. Sure, there was a new baby in the house and a lot of things were different, but that was no excuse. She wasn’t going to neglect her girlfriend any more. And Nicole deserved an amazing night of her full attention. Which was why as soon as they got out of the car, Waverly practically yanked Nicole inside the house.

“Someone’s in a hurry,” Nicole chuckled as she jogged into the house behind Waverly, who’s hand was still clamped around hers.

“I just missed you is all,” the brunette smiled before leading them straight towards the bedroom. As soon as they entered the room, Waverly pushed Nicole down onto the bed and immediately began to crawl on top of her. “Now, where should we begin…” She smirked before leaning down to capture unsuspecting lips between her own.

Nicole hummed and gently pushed Waverly off of her. “Wait.”

The brunette quickly rolled off of her girlfriend in concern as she watched the redhead raise up into a sitting position. “What’s wrong?”

“Is it okay if I take a quick shower first? I didn’t have time to take one after work and I kind of want to be…you know, clean.”

“Oh. Yeah, of course. Want me to shower with you?” Waverly asked with a playful grin as she rubbed the inside of Nicole’s thigh.

Nicole chuckled and shook her head. “I really want to start with the bed. But I’ll be quick, okay? Promise.” She gave Waverly’s forehead a quick peck before jogging off into the bathroom and immediately turning on the water.

With a sigh, Waverly laid down on the bed as she waited for Nicole. Her heavy muscles relaxed in the comfortable position, and her eyelids involuntarily began to shut.

It was only about eight minutes later when Nicole emerged from the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around her, but it was apparently enough time for Waverly to doze off, if her quiet snoring was any indication. Nicole let out a breathy laugh and shook her head at the adorable sight in front of her before walking over towards her dresser and putting on a clean pair of boyshorts. She ruffled the towel through her damp hair a little bit before hanging it over the curtain rack in the bathroom and slipping into bed beside Waverly. As soon as she wrapped her arm around the sleeping brunette, Waverly shot up in an upright position with wide eyes. “I’m awake!”

Nicole chuckled and urged Waverly to lay back down. “It’s okay baby, you’re tired.”

“But…we were going to have sex.” The brunette pouted as she reluctantly, yet eagerly, laid back down and curled up beside Nicole.

“I know, but it’s okay. You haven’t been getting much sleep with Alice constantly waking everyone up, and to be honest neither have I. This is the first quiet night we’ve had to ourselves, and it’s okay if you just want to sleep. I have the day off tomorrow, so we can sleep in and have sex after we’re energized.” She smiled as she reassuringly rubbed her hand up and down one of Waverly’s biceps.

“Are you sure?”

Nicole nodded without hesitation. “I’m sure. Honestly, as much as I would like to make love to you right now, I wouldn’t mind just cuddling until we fall asleep.”

Waverly grinned as she reached under the covers to dispose of her jeans before doing the same with her shirt and bra. She wrapped her arm around Nicole’s stomach as she tucked into the redhead’s side and rested her cheek on the woman’s chest.

“Okay, but tomorrow we’re definitely having sex.” She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath through her nose at the incredibly comfortable position.

“Definitely.”