20. Who Wants Beer?

Willa, Wynonna, and Waverly all sat on one side of the table (forced upon by Gus and Nicole) while Nicole sat on the edge with her gun at her hip, locked and loaded. Gus was on the other edge, pointing a shotgun right at Bobo, who was sitting on the opposite side from the three Earp girls.

“I don't see why this kind of treatment is necessary for him. He just came by to say hello!” Willa complained, propping her head up on her arm. 

Wynonna and Waverly threw her a glare. “You realize that he’s one of the most dangerous men in this town, right?” Waverly huffed, getting her a warning look from Nicole. She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms.

Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose. “Anyways. What’re you doing here?” she asked the man. “And how are you here?”

Bobo snickered and threw his leg over the other. “Well, I just came by to see how Willa was settling in. I heard she came back from the dead and I had to see it for myself.” He threw a smile in her direction. “And for your other question . . . I guess no one has fixed that, uh, problem since the attack that took sweet, sweet Wa-”

“You best believe you’re gonna keep his name outta your mouth or so help me,” Gus snarled, readjusting her gun.

“What’re you talking about? What problem?” Wynonna demanded.

Bobo casted his glance towards her with his brows furrowed. “Revenants used to not be able to walk your land, it was impossible. Someone must have, I don't know, buried the talisman years back.” He flicked his eyes to Waverly, but quickly back to Wynonna. “And now we have been free to.”

Everyone turned to look at Waverly, who seemed to be lost in thought. “Waves . . .?” Nicole questioned quietly.

Waverly looked up at Nicole with worry in her eyes, but she snapped them to Bobo, standing up and rushing to the other side of the table. “You made me do that on purpose, didn’t you!?” She was trying to get closer to him, but Nicole was holding her back, now standing with a strong arm wrapped around her front. “You told me it would make them stop fighting! B- But . . . You were supposed to be my friend, Bobo! I trusted you!”

The man nodded his head and stood up. Waverly stopped wriggling in Nicole’s grasp, and instead, scooted back into her, body going stiff. Nicole raised her gun as he took a step closer to them. Wynonna was also up now with Peacemaker pointed at him. “I’m afraid I had to somehow. Using you was the best way I could think to do so . . . And I’m sorry, but I have no friends,” he grinned, reaching out and stroking a piece of hair that hung around her shoulders before finishing with a hum, “Babygirl.”

Nicole pushed Waverly behind her, raising the gun up to his forehead. “Don't you ever fucking touch her,” she growled through a clenched jaw.

Bobo chuckled, stepping back and raising his hands in the air. “Oh, did I hit a nerve there, Cowgirl? I’m not Champ, don’t worry.”

Nicole was about to charge at him, but when she saw Wynonna press Peacemaker to the back of his head, she stood down. “Out.” That was all she said. Bobo turned to face her, and she pressed the gun against his forehead, burning his skin with a sizzle. “Now.”

He complied and headed towards the door. “It was nice to see all of you again, especially you Willa.” He threw a wink in her direction. “I hope you all will be attending the Poker Spectacular. All the high-end gamblers from around the area will be attending.” He ran his thumb against his fingers, symbolizing that they will have lots of money. Wynonna pushed him out the door, slamming it behind them.

Nicole set her gun down on the table and turned around to Waverly, placing her hands on her upper arms. She went to say something but was cut off when Waverly wrapped her arms around her middle in a tight hug. Nicole let out a breath and pulled her closer with her arms around her shoulders, resting her chin on her head. “You ok?” Nicole whispered after a few seconds. Waverly responded by nodding her head against her neck. Nicole pulled out of the hug and tilted Waverly’s chin up with her finger. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m good,” she assured with a small smile. Nicole nodded, kissing her forehead.

All heads turned to Gus when they heard the oven ding. “Dinner’s ready,” she mumbled. “Waverly, Willa, go wash up. Nicole, go fetch that sister of theirs.” They all nodded and went off to complete their orders.

Nicole grabbed her gun off the table and headed outside in a search for Wynonna. She spotted her walking back up the driveway with Doc by her side. Searching her eyes along the fields in front of her, she saw no sign of Bobo, so she figured Wynonna must have sent him on his way. She tucked the gun in the back waistband of her jeans and walked towards them. Doc tipped his hat at her when she reached them and she gave him a nod. “He didn’t cause you too much trouble, did he?” Nicole asked Wynonna.

“Nah, we won’t be seeing him around here anytime soon,” she answered with a smirk, but it faded into a more serious look. “What’s that tailman or whatever he was talking about?”

“A talisman is basically some iron wires wrapped around vertebrae. Some type of hoodoo-voodoo shit that prevents demonic evils from entering a perimeter, and from what I could gather, Bobo made Waves bury it somewhere so they could . . . enter.”

Wynonna cocked a brow at her. “Do I want to know why you know that or . . .” 

“Let’s just say Dolls has been making me research some stuff,” she answered with a shudder. “I came to tell y'all dinner’s ready, by the way.” Wynonna’s face lit up with that, and Nicole shoved her hand in her pocket and they all headed back inside.

A stronger smell of lasagna filled the Homestead when the trio walked in. The table was now decorated with plates and the food was sitting out, the lasagna being cut by Gus. “Looks amazing, Gus,” Nicole smiled, washing her hands at the kitchen sink.

“Thank you, Dear.”

They all sat down around the table, Doc and Gus at the heads, Waverly and Nicole on the left, and Willa and Wynonna on the right. “Who wants beer?” Waverly asked, and She heard “me” from everyone. “Oook, then.” She stood and walked over to the fridge.

“You’re a bartender, Babygirl,” Wynonna chuckled, wiping Peacemaker down with her napkin. Waverly threw her a look.

“Hey now, no weapons at the table,” Gus ordered. Wynonna got up with a sigh, followed by Doc and Nicole. They put their guns in the living room and returned to the table.

Waverly came back, placing their beers down. “The only guns allowed are these ones,” she grinned, squeezing Nicole’s biceps and leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek.

She sat down and Nicole turned slightly to her. “What, these guns?” she asked with a smirk, flexing her arms, making her muscles bulge under her t-shirt sleeves. Everyone at the table began to laugh, except Willa. They all noticed but decided not to say anything.

“Ok, I’m hungry. Let’s eat, people!” Wynonna shouted, shoving a piece of garlic bread into her mouth. The majority of the table let out a sigh, shaking their heads at her as they piled food on their plates. As they ate, they made chit chat about random things, told stories, and further discussed their plans for Bobo’s party. When they finished, they all chipped in to help clean up, forcing Gus to go sit down and relax. Waverly washed the dishes, Nicole rinsed, and Wynonna dried and put them away. Willa wiped the table and counters down and Doc swept the floor. Together, they got the job done in no time, all gathering outside afterward. Most of them were on their second or third drink, so the conversation was starting to get a little interesting.

“Woah, did you see the Civil War?” Waverly asked with a grin from her spot under Nicole’s arm.

Doc chuckled. “ I did indeed. My father was actually a Confederate Officer in it.”

“That’s the slave people right?” Wynonna questioned.

“Yep,” Nicole and Doc answered.

“Waitwaitwait- Did your family have slaves?” she asked with wide eyes.

Doc adjusted the hat on his head. “Uhm . . .”

“John Henry Holliday, how dare you!” Waverly snapped, standing up and towards him but almost tipping backward when Nicole grabbed her arm. She quickly stood to catch her. “Woah, a lil' tipsy,” she mumbled.

He cleared his throat. “Waverly, my family owned a slave, not I. I was only eight or nine when the war broke out.” Waverly slumped back into her seat next to Nicole with a huff, and Doc cleared his throat. “And I think that is my ticket to leave.” He stood and stomped out his cigarette. “Thank you kindly for dinner tonight, Mrs. McCready, it was lovely.” He gave her a smile.

“You're welcome to stop by anytime, Doc,” she replied.

“Yeah, go ahead and bring your slaves with you, too,” Waverly muttered. Nicole smacked her arm, shooting her a look.

He gave her a sorry smile and tipped his hat. “Evenin’, y’all.” Everyone handed out their goodbyes and Doc left, leaving the ladies by themselves.

Wynonna finished off her beer, slamming the bottle down on the arm of her chair. “Alright, Babygirl, time to go find that man tail thingy you hid. I don’t want no dead guys walking around my front lawn anymore.”

Waverly looked at her girlfriend worriedly before standing up. “Um . . . Ok, go get something to dig with,” she mumbled. Wynonna nodded and headed off towards the barn.

“It’s getting late, kids, I think I’m gonna turn in for the night,” Gus said with a wave as she headed inside.

“And I need to find a dress for the party,” Willa sighed, following Gus inside. 

“Is it my fault?” Waverly asked Nicole, grabbing her hands as she stood up. 

“Is what your fault?” she asked softly.

“The attack. They wouldn’t have been able to come in if I wouldn’t have buried that thing, right?” Tears started forming in her eyes.

“Oh, Baby, no. Don’t think like that. It’s not your fault, no.” She pulled her girlfriend into a hug, rocking her back and forth.

“They wouldn’t have been able to-”

“Shhhhh.”

They stood like that until they heard Wynonna’s voice come from the barn. “Alright, love bugs, let’s go!” Nicole grabbed Waverly’s hand again, and they walked towards Wynonna. “Where’s this thing even at?”

“Pet Cemetery,” Waverly mumbled sadly.

Wynonna’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say what was on her mind. “Alright, let’s go,” she sighed, throwing the little shovel over her shoulder. They walked down the driveway and out the arch. They came upon an area with a couple of makeshift headstones, and Waverly dropped to her knees in the middle of it. She held her hand out, and Wynonna handed her the shovel. She began digging and pulled the talisman out, handing it over to her sister with her head down. Wynonna examined it, turning it over in her hands. “So you’re telling me this thing is magical?”

“Apparently,” Nicole answered, looking it over when Wynonna handed it to her before looking up at waverly. “So Bobo was your . . . friend when you were a kid?”

“I thought he was my imaginary friend. Turns out he was just a demon hunting my family,” Waverly grumbled, standing and dusting her pants off. “Now what do we do with it?”

“Chuck it away, I think,” Nicole answered. 

"You do it," she mumbled. Nicole nodded, taking it in her right hand and launching it far into the distance. Waverly widened her eyes at her and Nicole threw her a wink, taking her hand. 

They walked back into the kitchen and Nicole grabbed another beer out of the fridge. Waverly wrapped her arms around her, pressing her front into her back. “Can you stay here tonight?” she asked sweetly.

Nicole turned around to see puppy dog eyes from her girlfriend. “What about . . . my house?” she asked with a smile, wrapping her own arms around her.

Waverly’s face lit up and she pulled her into a kiss. “Mhm." She pulled back. “Ima go pack.” Nicole pecked the tip of her nose and Waverly scurried up the stairs with a giggle.

Nicole took the opportunity to talk to Wynonna about it. “Hey, Earp,” she greeted, wrapping her arm around her neck and giving her a hard noogie from behind the couch.

Wynonna turned around and yanked her over the back of the couch. Nicole sat up and gave her a playful shove. “What can I do for you, Officer?” Wynonna asked through a laugh.

“I was, uh, wondering if Waves could stay at my place tonight . . .” She looked up at Wynonna nervously, handing her the beer she had previously grabbed.

“I don’t care. She just better not come home limping,” Wynonna smirked, throwing her a wink.

Nicole rolled her eyes, knowing she was blushing. “Oh God, Wynonna, we seriously haven’t even done it yet.”

Wynonna’s eyes widened, now having heard it from both of them. “Really? I thought she was lying about that.”

She dropped her hands from rubbing her face, shooting her a look. “Well, I mean, we’ve done things, but we haven’t done it,” Nicole clarified with a smirk of her own, purposely giving her too much information.

Wynonna scrunched her face together. “WAVERLY, HURRY UP! OFFICER BANG BANG IS GIVING ME VIVID INFO ABOUT YOUR SEX LIFE AND I’M EXTREMELY FRIGHTENED!” Wynonna screamed, knowing the whole house could hear her. 

“Wynonna!” Nicolesmacked her on the arm with a snort.

They heard Waverly pedaling down the steps with a bag over her shoulders. “What!?” she shrieked, staring at Nicole.

The duo fell against each other, laughing harder than before at the complete terror on her face. After a minute, they wiped their eyes, and Nicole stood up off the couch. “Got you to move a little quicker, didn’t it?”

She let out a breath. “Oh my God, I thought she was serious,” she mumbled.

Wynonna walked over to them. “I was serious, Babygirl,” she said, throwing her arm over Nicole’s shoulder. Waverly’s jaw dropped at Nicole, and she shook her head to assure her that Wynonna was just messing with her.

They heard Gus approach from the back bedroom. “What the hell?!” she demanded, looking at Wynonna with her hands on her hips.

“I was just messing with them!”

“Well, it’s 8:30 at night, and this old woman is trying to sleep!”

“It’s 8:30?!” Nicole questioned, digging her phone out of her pocket to check the time, and sure enough, it was. A little past, even. “We gotta go, Waves!” She grabbed her hand, pulling her towards the door.

“Okay? Bye Gus, bye Wy. Love you!”

“Love you, too!” hey called back

Nicole rushed them to the car, still being a gentlewoman and opening Waverly’s door for her, though. She hopped in the car and started it up. “You wanna do something fun?” she asked, pulling out of the driveway.

“Always,” Waverly answered with a smile.

“Good, ‘cause it was gonna happen either way!” With that, Nicole flicked her lights and sirens on, speeding off in the direction of her house.

Waverly let out an excited giggle. “Isn’t this illegal?” she asked with an open smile, watching the yellow lines turn into a blur. Nicole laughed, swerving around a line of cars. 

“Yeah, pretty much.”

They pulled up to her house and she shut her car off, checking the radio for the time. “8:49, ok, we’re good,” Nicole breathed out, sounding relieved.

“What’s your rush?” Waverly asked, stepping out of the car and grabbing her bag. 

“My babies are on at nine!” Waverly went to question it more but figured she would find out eventually. She followed Nicole up to the door and she unlocked it, letting Waverly in first.

“Do you mind if I shower real fast?” she asked, leaning on the island in the kitchen.

“Go ahead, Baby,” Nicole responded cheerfully, reaching up for something in the cabinet. “Make yourself at home. Towels are in the cabinet by the toilet”

“Mk, be right back.” Waverly skipped off to the bathroom.

.  .  .

“JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, PAYANO, MY GREAT GRANDMA CAN PITCH BETTER THAN YOU!” Waverly slowly walked back into the living room, pulling her wet hair up into a messy bun as she watched Nicole standing up and screaming at the TV.

“Are we ok in here?” she asked cautiously, rounding the couch. Nicole looked at her and slumped back down, tossing her cap onto the table and taking a drag of her beer. Waverly scooted up next to her.

“No,” she mumbled, wrapping her arm around her shoulder.

“Whatcha watchin?” The commercials were now on, and Waverly hadn’t seen the screen before. 

“The Rangers getting their asses handed to them by one of the worst teams in the league,” she sighed, throwing her head back against the couch.

“Ooo, Rangers, that's . . . baseball, right?” she asked giddily.

“Yes, Wave, that’s baseball,” she answered with a laugh.

“Where are they from?”

“Good old Dallas, Texas.”

“And what’s so good about them that makes you love them so much?” 

Nicole turned her head towards her with a little smirk. “I gotta have a sweet spot for my hometown, Baby.”