35. Orange is Not His Color

       Wynonna’s apology to Nicole the next day had been a whole box of donuts- scratch that, 9 donuts. She got hungry on the ride back from the bakery. She hadn’t dared to ask her what had happened, and when she had asked Waverly, she got an earful about minding her own business. By the end of the day, they were at Shorty’s, drunk and bothering the younger Earp. She was done with both of their dumbasses by the time her shift ended, so she let them sleep it off on the floor in the living room of the Homestead. 

.  .  .

       On the day of the trial, Waverly woke up in Nicole’s arms. She could tell she was awake already by the way she was breathing against her front. And maybe because she could hear the faint sound of Angry Birds coming from behind her head. She let out a small noise, hugging herself closer to her chest. “You could’ve gotten up, ya know,” she mumbled into her shirt. 

       “You looked too comfortable,” Nicole shrugged, clicking her phone off and dropping her hand to her hip, sticking it up the back of her shirt and slowly running her fingers up and down her back.

       Waverly looked up at her with a sleepy smile. “You’re warm.” 

       “Probably because you make us sleep with a minimum of 3 blankets,” she chuckled, resting her chin on the top of her head. 

       “Shhhh.” They laid in silence for the next 10 minutes, the redhead still rubbing her back. 

       “What time is it?” Waverly asked, removing her head from its home against Nicole’s neck.

       “7:12,” she answered with a yawn.

       Waverly rolled to her back, popping all of her bones out. “I guess we gotta get moving then . . .” They were meeting with Mr. Barnes and the attorney at 9.

       Nicole rolled to face her, cupping her cheek. “I’m not gonna lie to you. Today’s gonna be hard. Probably one of the scariest, nerve-wracking things you will ever go through. And that’s not just because he’s gonna be there. The questions his people are going to ask you are going to try and belittle you. But you, Waverly Earp, are the strongest woman I’ve ever met. And I know you’re gonna handle this like the Superwoman you are. So when you are getting nervous or scared, just look at me. Take a second and look at me. Can you do that, Baby?” She nodded. Nicole brushed some hair out of her face, leaning forward and giving her a kiss. 

       “How do you always know what to say to make me feel better?” She asked with a smile, flashing heart eyes at the redhead. 

       “I can read your mind!!” She danced her fingers up her stomach, getting a giggle out of the smaller girl. 

.  .  .

       Nicole pulled up to the courthouse and parked the Jeep. She got out, dressed in a blue dress shirt with a navy tie, shirt tucked into black slacks. She opened Waverly’s door for her. She was in a simple black skirt and white blouse with a black blazer over the top. They walked into the building and got directed to the room their lawyer was waiting in.

       Jessie was already there when they walked in. She stood, walking over to them. “Hey,” she said quietly, giving the brunette a hug. 

       “How are you doing?” Waverly asked. 

       “Well . . . I’m here, so I guess that’s a good sign.” Waverly gave her a smile, squeezing her arm. The trio walked over to the table, the lawyer and attorney sitting on the other side. They sat down and they began going over a couple of key details about what was going to happen. They told them the order that they would be going on the stand, Jessie first, then Waverly, then Nicole. After them, Champ would be put up there, if he chose to testify. They also informed them that there was a strict no-contact rule between the girls and Champ. He’d be handcuffed the whole time and at no point was he allowed to talk to them without their consent. After an hour, they had everything worked out, everyone was on board with everything. Now, they just had to wait until they were called into the trial. Nicole had her arm wrapped around Waverly’s waist and Waverly had her hand on Jessie’s leg. The two brunettes had done a lot of catching up over the past couple of weeks. She learned she and her boyfriend had recently gotten engaged. Waverly told her how she had finally applied to a college a few days ago and she would find out if she got accepted in a week or so. Jessie and Nicole were both very certain that they would accept her because, as they both said, who wouldn’t? 

       As time ticked closer to 11, nerves were flowing at top speed. “Are we allowed to go get some air?” Jessie asked, looking towards the two girls next to her. Her foot had been tapping for the past 10 minutes.  

       “I dunno, let me ask.” Nicole stood up and walked out of the room. She returned a few seconds later, waving her hand for them. They followed her out and a security guard walked them towards the front entrance of the building. When they turned a corner, Nicole caught the sight of Champ being hauled in their direction towards the courtroom. Nicole wrapped her arm tighter around her girlfriend. “Just keep walking,” she said, just loud enough for the girls on either side of her to hear. 

       “Orange is not his color,” Waverly mumbled. He was dressed in an orange jumpsuit. 

       “Holy shit, he got big,” Jessie gawked. 

       “His arms are almost as big as his ego,” the other brunette joked, getting a snort out of both women. Champ looked up at them as they walked past him with his sad puppy face. Nicole shot him a menacing glare and he quickly looked straight ahead.

       “Aw, he wants us to think he is sorry,” Jessie grumbled, rolling her eyes. They walked out of the front doors of the building and leaned against the rail against the steps.

       The Officer spied the familiar hairline of Mr. Patrick Owens climbing the stairs. She let out a small laugh. “Watch this,” she whispered. He eyed her timidly the whole way up and when he passed them, she stomped her foot, causing him to fumble the papers he was holding, almost dropping them everywhere. He quickly rushed to the door, looking back at her as he went inside. All three of them laughed. 

       “Jeez, Nic, what’d you do to him?” Waverly asked, bumping her with her hip.

       “Enough to make him scared shitless of me,” she sighed.

       They all shook their nervousness to the best of their abilities and headed back inside. Not even 5 minutes later, they were called into the courtroom. Their prosecuting attorney, Mr. Clay, sat on the far right, then Mr. Barnes, Nicole, Waverly, and Jessie. Once everyone was situated, the jurors were selected and all sworn in. After so, the two attorneys gathered at the front with the Judge, confirming that both parties were ready to start.

       Mr. Clay approached the jury.  “Today, we are here to hear the case of Ms. Waverly Earp and Jessie Reyes versus Mr. James “Champ” Hardy. For Ms. Reyes, it was almost 5 years ago, and for Ms. Earp, it was just last month. What did he do, you ask?” He turned, walking halfway to where Champ was seated, quickly pivoting back towards the jury. 

       “This man attempted to sexually assault these two women. In both cases, it was generally the same chain of events. They had been in a relationship with Mr. Hardy, and when they ended it, he got angry. Delusionally so, you might even say. He was convinced that both women were still in love with him, that they were just confused. And he was going to try and show them that.” Nicole was slowly running her thumb in patterns on Waverly’s thigh, chewing open the hole in her cheek again. “Let’s start with Ms. Reyes’ story.” He walked back towards the jury. 

       “In September of 2011, Jessie ended her relationship with Mr. Hardy because he had been fooling around with other girls. A couple of days later, she was at a small gathering at the park in town. She confirms that everyone there had been drinking wine coolers throughout the night. As she walked away from the pavilion to take a phone call, Mr. Hardy approached her, clearly intoxicated, begging for her forgiveness. She continued to brush him off, telling him to leave her alone. She walked away from him, heading back to her friends, but he grabbed her by the wrist and held her there as he tried to convince her to come back to him. She refused once again, struggling to get away from him. He finally blew his top, proceeding to push her up against the telephone pole nearby. He forced himself on her in a completely non-consensual manner, kissing her, pleasuring himself against her, touching her in inappropriate places. He had her pants pulled down and as he was working on his own when one of the male friends at the party happened to see what was happening, so he rushed over, pulling Mr. Hardy off of her. There was a verbal and physical altercation between the two, alerting everyone else of the situation. The police were called and Mr. Hardy was arrested soon after. Ms. Reyes dropped the charges against him before any further investigation could be held.” Jessie had her head leaned on Waverly’s shoulder and she was comforting her throughout the retelling of her experience. 

       “Now. Let’s flash forward to March 13th of this year.” Waverly let out a breath, grabbing Nicole’s hand that was still on her leg. “Earlier in the day, Waverly Earp confronted James Hardy when he visited her at work. She pulled him to the side and broke up with him. He had been cheating on her and getting in repeated trouble with the law for minor offenses. He left the bar and she continued on with her shift into the early evening. She took a trip to the bathroom when she went on break. Hardy followed her in there, grabbing her hips from behind, surprising her. He was again intoxicated and told her the same sorry story he had told Ms. Reyes years prior. When she began to fight back, he pushed her into the stall and immediately began the attack. Kissing, grinding, touching, same as Ms. Reyes. He didn’t get quite as far with Ms. Earp, though. Outside the bathroom door, Purgatory’s Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught heard the commotion, so she rushed in and hit him with a beer bottle, knocking him unconscious. He had only managed to unbutton her pants. He was soon after arrested and Ms. Earp went through with the charges against him.” He turned, walking and standing in front of Champ. 

       “Over the course of this trial, you will decide whether or not, the defendant, James “Champ” Hardy will be convicted for these offenses. He has pled nonguilty to the two charges of attempted sexual assault. Ms. Reyes will be questioned about that night by both I and Mr. Reinhardt, the defense attorney. After her, Ms. Earp will also be questioned and we will show you the physical evidence from her assault and Sheriff’s Deputy Haught will take the stand to recall what she witnessed. It will be then that Mr. Hardy will decide if he wants to testify.” Mr. Clay turned to Mr. Reinhardt. “Do you have anything you’d like to add?” 

       “No, Sir. We can carry on to the first witness.”

       He nodded. “The court calls Ms. Jessie Reyes to the stand,” the Court Clerk announced as he moved to a small table next to the judge. She got sworn in and took a seat.

       Mr. Reinhardt approached her first. “Ms. Reyes, I am going to ask you probably the number one question the jury has at the moment.” He leaned up against the Judge’s stand. “Why is it that you dropped the charges against my client after the alleged crime was committed?” 

       “I had just turned 16, so when my friends told me that I’d be treated differently by guys in the future if I went through with it, I was too young to realize that wasn’t true.”

       He widened his eyes with a nod. “Just turned 16, you said?” 

       “Yes.” 

       “And in your statement, you said you were drinking alcohol?”

       She pursed her lips. “Yes,” she confirmed, a touch of annoyance in her voice. 

       “Do you recall how much you had drunk, Ms. Reyes?” 

       “It’s been a while, so I’m not for sure. Probably 2 wine coolers if I had to give you a guess.” 

       “So, you are saying that it could have been more?” 

       “I suppose so,” she mumbled. 

       “Ok. Let’s get back to this gathering that you were attending. How many people were there?”

       She thought about it for a second, looked to be counting in her head. “9, including me.” 

       “And my client was not one of those people, correct?” 

       “Right.” 

       “And you were pulled away from this group by a phone call?” 

       “Yes.” 

       “What was so important about this phone call that it called for you to leave the group?”

       “It was my sister. She was calling to ask when I would be home that night.” 

       “So, theoretically, there was no reason why you couldn’t have taken someone with you instead of venturing out into the dark by yourself?”

       She bit her cheek, looking down. “I guess not,” she mumbled.

       He nodded, turning towards the jury, pacing back and forth for a few seconds. “I’m going to suggest that this encounter was completely consensual.” There were a few murmurs around the room. Jessie’s eyes widened at the man. He turned back to her. “I don’t think that call was from your sister, as you say. I think it was from Mr. Hardy.” 

       “Objection!” Mr. Clay called, eyes burning into the back of Mr. Reinhardt’s head. “Speculation.” 

       “Your Honor, so far, all her story is is a speculation. We have no physical evidence to prove otherwise.” 

       “That’s the point of a trial, Dominick,” Mr. Clay reminded. 

       “I’ll allow it. For now,” the Judge said, shooting a warning glare to the man.

       Mr. Reinhardt nodded, turning back to the brunette. “I think Mr. Hardy contacted you and you walked in that direction alone to meet him, do you agree or disagree?” 

       “Disagree,” she said firmly. 

       “I’m going to suggest that you both met up to perform sexual acts with one another. And when you heard the boy approaching it, you made it seem otherwise because you were embarrassed or maybe even feeling some regret towards it. And that is also why you immediately dropped the charges. You didn’t want him to go away for something he didn’t do. Am I correct, Ms. Reyes?”

       She blinked at him. “No, you’re really not,” she scoffed. 

       “Well, with no physical evidence, I’m afraid this allegation is just a game of he said, she said. That’s all the questions I have.” He turned away and took a seat.

       Mr. Clay stepped forward, clearing his throat. “Ms. Reyes, when I told your story to the court, did you agree with everything I said? Can you confirm that the story I told was what actually took place?”

       “Yes. That’s actually what happened.” She sent a glare to the defense attorney. 

       “Right. And not only were you not consenting to the sexual acts, but you were also slightly inebriated as well?”

       “Correct.” 

       “Mr. Hardy,” he tutted, turning towards him. “Taking advantage of a scared, intoxicated young girl? What a shame.” He turned back to Jessie. “How long had you been in a relationship with James?”

       “Almost 9 months.”w

       “And had he ever let his anger take control of him? Was he ever verbally or physically violent towards you?” 

       “We got in occasional fights that included yelling and him saying mean things, but it wasn’t to the point where I felt I was unsafe in the situation.”

       “But, when he approached you that night, when was it that you did feel unsafe?”

       “When he grabbed me and held on. He’d never done something like that before.”

       He walked towards the jury, turning back around to face her. “Why is it that you decided to bring back the charges?”

       “Well. When I heard about what happened to Waverly, it made me feel . . . guilty? Cause I know she would have never dated him if he would have been prosecuted. I guess I just wanted to make sure that he doesn’t do something stupid to anyone else. Because we both got lucky. Someone stopped it before it got bad. And I know not everyone gets lucky like that.”

       He nodded with a smile before looking towards the Judge. “Thank you, Your Honor.” He took a seat. 

       “Ms. Reyes, you may return to your seat,” the Court Clerk informed. She nodded, standing and walking back over to the table. Waverly stood and gave her a hug before she sat down. “The court calls Ms. Waverly Earp to the stand.” She swallowed the lump in her throat, looking nervously to Nicole.

       She gave her a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “You’re gonna be ok,” she assured. Waverly nodded, walking up to the table and got sworn in. She took a seat and Dominick Reinhardt approached her. 

       “Ms. Earp. What is your relationship with Sheriff’s Deputy Haught?” He asked, raising his eyebrows, a small smirk on his lips. Her mouth fell open slightly, definitely not expecting that to be a question. 

       “Objection!” Mr. Clay declared. “Relevance?!” 

       “I’m going somewhere with it, Seamus, don’t get your panties in a twist.” 

       “Go ahead, Mr. Reinhardt,” the Judge sighed. It was clear he was not his favorite attorney, to say the least. 

       “Ms. Earp?” The attorney asked, turning back to her. 

       “She’s my girlfriend,” Waverly informed with a glare. 

       “Wow. You moved on quite fast, don’t you say?” 

       “Objection!” Mr. Clay called again. 

       “Sustained,” the Judge agreed. “C’mon, Reinhardt. Get to the point.” 

       “So. Were you two seeing each other before you broke things off with my client.” 

       “No,” she answered flatly. “I had talked to her twice before what happened.” 

       “I see . . . Moving on. So, now I ask, what is your relationship with Jessie like?” 

       “We were in the same grade growing up, so I’d say we’ve always been pretty good friends. We hung out with the same people so that usually meant with each other, too.” 

       “Pretty good friends, aye? How long after her incident was it until you and Champ got together?”

       She pursed her lips. “A little less than a year.”

       He nodded, turning the jury. “I’d say it's a little abnormal to go out with a guy that allegedly tried to sexually assault your friend. Did you know what had happened?” 

       “I had heard rumors, but when I asked her, she told me the charges were dropped, nothing more.” 

       “So, you did know, Ms. Earp?” He asked, raising his eyebrows. 

       “Yes.” 

       He came forward and leaned on the table. “Yet, you continued to date him anyway? Why?”

       She sighed, blinking annoyedly. “I didn’t actually think he had done it, for one,” she informed. “I didn’t think he was capable of something like that. And I was head cheerleader, he was the quarterback, that’s just kinda how it goes.” 

       “Right. But, you stayed together throughout high school all the way until now?” 

       “Yes.”

       “Did you see a future with him?” 

       “Maybe? He cared about me, told me he loved me. Yea, he was a jerk sometimes, but he was one of the only people that actually cared about me at the time, so I stayed with him.”

       “What changed?”

       “It sounds bad, but I kind of outgrew him. Him and his stupidness. He had continuously slept with other girls throughout our whole relationship. And, as I was becoming an adult with plans for the future, he was still that high school jock that just messed around all the time. I wanted to actually be able to talk to someone that wasn’t just staring at my boobs the whole time.”

       “So . . . It had nothing to do with meeting Officer Haught?”

       She clicked her tongue, casting her glance to the redhead. “A small portion had to do with her, yes,” she admitted. “But, he had gotten in a fight for screwing around with girls at Shorty’s the night before I broke up with him and that’s why I decided to in the first place. It was kind of a wake-up call.”

       He nodded, pushing himself off the table and walking towards the jury. “Did it ever cross your mind after you broke up with him? The rumor of what he had done?” 

       “No, I don’t think it did.” 

       “And did it when he started assaulting you?”

       She clenched her jaw. “I was more focused on protecting myself, Mr. Reinhardt.” 

       “I have no further questions.” He sat down and Mr. Clay stood up, walking over to the TV on the other side of the Judge’s stand.

       He picked up a remote and turned it on. “As I said earlier, we have physical evidence of Ms. Earp’s assault. These pictures were taken by Sheriff’s Deputy Haught after Waverly gave her initial statement.” He clicked to the first one. Waverly looked away, seeing Nicole was also looking away. The redhead locked eyes with her, nodding her head, signaling that she was doing good. “These scratches were on her hip from Mr. Hardy clawing at her to pull her shorts down.” He left it on the screen to make sure the jurors got a good look. “And these bruises were left on her wrists from the force he used to hold her hands above her head.” He waited a few seconds again, Waverly keeping her eyes locked on Nicole’s. He turned the TV off and walked over to her. “Did you have any other injuries, Ms. Earp?”

       She looked toward him, swallowing the lump in her throat. “No physical ones,” she stated. A hushed murmur crossed the room again with that.

       He nodded. “You said earlier that he would tell you he loved you. Do you think that was true?” 

       “I don’t know, to be honest. In his world, he might of.” 

       “Did you love him?”

       She was quiet for a few seconds. “At the time, I thought I did. But, sitting here now. I know that was not love.” She looked towards Nicole, who had a small smile on her lips. 

       “Aw, she loves the dyke, how cute,” she heard Champ grumble from across the room.

       Her head snapped in his direction. “Sorry, what was that, Champ?” She asked, tilting her head at him. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

       He looked towards her wide-eyed at the sound of his name. “What . . .?” He looked just as shocked as everyone else in the room. 

       “I asked you to repeat what you just said. I don’t think the jury caught that.” He looked around the room, almost like he was searching for help. 

       “You heard her, James. Repeat it,” the Judge huffed. 

       “Aw, she loves the dyke, how cute,” he mumbled, just loud enough so they could hear. Waverly could see that Jessie was gripping Nicole’s arm in the corner of her eye, keeping her calm. 

       “If Nicole is who you are referring to, then yes, I do love her, and she doesn’t need to try and rape me for me to know that.” There were a few oo’s and damn’s heard.

       Champ clanked his hand up on the table, handcuffs restricting him from throwing his hands out like he wanted to. “Waves, I was drunk!” Everyone’s eyes were wide. He had just technically admitted to doing what he was accused of to the jury. Mr. Owens quickly turned to him, advising him not to speak anymore.

       Mr. Clay cleared his throat after a few seconds. “I have no further questions, Your Honor.” He took his seat. 

       “Ms. Earp, you may go back to your seat,” the Court Clerk informed.

       She walked back over, Nicole standing up and placing her hand on her arm, other holding a piece of paper that was covering her mouth as she leaned in to whisper in her ear. “Was that on purpose?”

       Waverly turned her head, covering her mouth with her hand. “Of course it was. I wanted to egg him on.” 

       “Did you know he was going to say something like that?” 

       “I hoped he would,” she smirked. 

       “And it worked.”

       “Like a charm.” She pulled her head away, giving her a sly smile. 

       “The Court calls Sheriff’s Deputy Nicole Haught to the stand.”

       Waverly squeezed her hand. “Don’t be stupid,” she warned. Nicole threw her a look, walking up to get sworn in. She took a seat and Mr. Clay approached her first. 

       “So. Sheriff Deputy Haught-”

       “Uh, Nicole’s fine, Sir,” she corrected with a smile.

       He nodded. “Nicole. What do you remember about that night?”

       She pushed a hand through her hair. “Uhm . . . When I got to Shorty’s, I ordered a beer and asked the barmaid where Waverly was because she wasn’t behind the bar. She had told me previously that morning that she was breaking up with Champ and breaking up with someone after 4 years is usually not the easiest thing to do so I wanted to check up on her. She told me she had headed off to the restroom on her break so that’s where I headed. I had planned on just waiting outside the door, but as I got closer to it, I heard muffled screaming and crying coming from inside, so obviously I went in. The first thing I saw was Champ’s back. I moved over to the open stall door and saw Waverly in front of him and, at this point, he was trying to undo her pants, so my first instinct was to bash him with my beer bottle. It knocked him out and I immediately cuffed him and made sure she was ok.”

       Mr. Clay walked forward, leaning up against the table. “Right. So, I am going to assume you were off duty at this point, correct?” 

       “Yes.”

       “You said you recognized it as Champ right away. So you had met, or at least seen, Mr. Hardy before?”

       “Yea. I helped break up him and his buddies fight up the night before at Shorty’s. I hadn’t known he was one of them at that point, but about 2 hours before the attack happened, I saw him wandering down the middle of the road with a bottle of tequila. I stopped him and found out he was Champ and pretty tipsy. I told him to go home and gave him a warning that I would take him up to the station if I saw him walking around again that night, which I did not.” 

       “And had you known about his previous assault on Ms. Reyes?” 

       “No.” 

       “When did you learn about that?” 

       “Later that night.” She could see the slightly shocked look on Waverly’s face from the corner of her eye. 

       “And do you recall him ever bringing it up while he was at the Sheriff’s Department?” 

       Technically he hadn’t talked about it there. Only at the barn. “No, I don’t remember him ever saying anything.”

       He nodded, moving towards the judge. “I rest my case,” he announced, walking back to his seat.

       Mr. Reinhardt approached her, still with a grumpy look on his face. “I do have to ask, for the sake of my own curiosity, isn’t against protocol to drink at a bar in uniform?”

       She let out a small laugh. “Sir, have you been to Purgatory?” She asked with a cocked eyebrow that got a few laughs from the small number of people in the visitor's area, along with Waverly and Jessie. Even Champ nodded his head. The attorney pursed his lips. “No such protocol there.”

       “How long have you been working there?” 

       “About 2 months now,” she nodded.

       He widened his eyes. “So you are still a rookie, aye?” 

       “At Purgatory, yea. An officer, no,” she said, a bit confused why he was questioning her personal life. 

       “And where were you before?” 

       “Calgary.”

       He nodded, seeming to be a bit surprised. He turned to the jury. “So. A former Big-City cop takes an offender out with a beer bottle?” She ran her tongue along the inside of her bottom lip at the smug smirk he threw her way. “How much of that beer had you had, Officer Haught?” 

       “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught, thank you. And for your question, I had maybe taken 2 sips? Like I said, right after I got it, I walked straight to the bathroom.” 

       “Smacking him with a beer bottle was your sober judgment call?” 

       “It was, yea.” She could feel the anger bubbling up inside her. “All my weapons, besides the switchblade I carry most of the time everywhere, were in my car because I knew I was going to be drinking. And stunning him was the best judgment call in my opinion. It was the safest option. If I were to have confronted him verbally, he would have had the chance to pull any weapon he had on her, potentially acting with it. If I would have pulled him off of her, he could have pulled said weapon on me before I would have had a chance to react. I wasn’t going to stab him for obvious reasons. Therefore, by stunning him, I would have had the time to prepare myself for whatever his next move was and it would have given Waverly enough time to clear the area if he did plan on doing something stupid. Him passing out was not my intention, but either way, my judgment call kept Waverly safe, kept me safe, diffused the situation, and left me able to arrest the offender. Oh, and we know he didn’t die or anything from it, so yea.” She gave a little shrug at the end. Mr. Reinhardt’s jaw was literally dropped. His ego was so hurt from the way she had just deflected his insult.

       The Judge spoke up. “And you thought through all of that in about 15 seconds?” 

       “I . . . suppose I did, yea. That just comes with the job, I guess. Having to make difficult decisions in difficult situations with limited time to think about it.” 

       “Very true,” he admitted. “Alright, Mr. Reinhardt, you may continue. Or do you still need a second to take all of that in?”

       He caught himself last-second from throwing the Judge a glare. “I rest my case.” The Judge nodded as he returned to his seat next to Champ. 

       “Sheriff’s Deputy Haught, you may exit the stand,” the County Clerk said. She did so.

       Waverly yanked her tie when she sat down. “You carry a switchblade everywhere?!” She questioned through her teeth.

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow. “Yes?”

       She yanked on it again. “Why don’t I know this?!”

       Nicole smiled nervously at her. “Because I thought you did? It’s sitting in the cupholder of your Jeep right now, Wave.” She pursed her lips, letting her go and turning forward in the chair.

       The Judge was privately speaking to the Deputies in the room. They all turned away, heading back to their positions after a few more seconds. “I’d like to call a recess of the court while the jurors make their decisions. This could take an hour, a day, a week, who knows. The Deputy with your group will give you more information.” He hit his gavel. 

       “All rise,” the Deputy with the jurors called. Everyone in the room stood and the jurors left out a door to the right of them.

       Their Deputy led them out a different door on the right, taking them to the main hall. “You can stay in the room you were in before you were called to the trial, or you may leave, go get lunch, go home, whatever. If you choose to leave, you will be called to be alerted when your attorneys go in to hear the predetermined sentence. They get to discuss their reasoning with the Judge and he will make the final decision. You are not allowed in the room at this point. When he had made his decision, both you and Mr. Hardy will be called back in and his conviction will be read.”

       They nodded.“Ya’ll wanna go get lunch, chill out for a while?” Nicole asked the two.

       They looked between each other, shrugging. “I guess, yea,” Jessie replied. 

       “I’ll escort you out,” the Deputy said with a smile. They followed him as he led them out the front doors.

       They walked to their cars and stood at the back of Waverly’s. “Where do we wanna go?” She asked. 

       “I’m not really that hungry, I just wanna clear my head a little,” the other brunette admitted. 

       “Me neither.”

       They looked at Nicole. “So, we’re all not hungry. Great start.”

       They both laughed, Waverly bumping her with her hip. “You just want to go find a little cafe or something?” She suggested.

       “Fine with me,” Nicole agreed.

       “Yea, sounds good,” Jessie said. They looked it up and found one not too far away, so Jessie headed off to her car and the couple climbed in the Jeep.

       Nicole picked up the switchblade, flicking it out and twirling it around her fingers. “Seeee?” She said with a goofy smile. 

       “Oooh, I think I’ve seen this before,” she said, taking it from her and looking it over. It had a dark wood handle with Haught engraved on one side and had a skinny black blade. “You seriously always have this on you?”

       She handed it back and the redhead closed it, shoving it in her pocket. “Yep,” she confirmed, popping the p. “I got it when I started college, carried it all the time since.”

       Waverly gasped. “Have you ever stabbed anyone?!” 

       “No, but I’ve been stabbed with it.”        

       She widened her eyes. Nicole held out her left hand, showing her a scar in between her first and second knuckle that was almost identical on the opposite side. “In college, I was at this bar and someone bet me $300 bucks that I wouldn’t hold my hand up against the dartboard and let them throw it at it. Let’s just say I soon after upgraded my twin sized bed in my apartment to a full size.”

       Waverly shook her at her. “You’re a dumbass,” she laughed. 

       “So I’ve been told,” she smirked, pulling out of the parking lot behind the other brunette. Waverly hooked her arm around her elbow, wrapping it around it and laying her head against her shoulder. The 5-minute drive was relatively silent. They parked next to Jessie when they got there and climbed out. Jessie was on the phone with someone so she stayed in her car. Nicole leaned up against the Jeep and Waverly fit herself right next to her. She furrowed her brow, looking at her and feeding her arm behind her back, giving her hip a squeeze. “You ok?” 

       “Yea, why?”

       “You’re all spacey and touchy, which I’m not complaining about, I’m just wondering.”        

       She groaned, pulling her into a hug. “Sometimes I hate dating a cop,” she grumbled, resting her chin against her front, looking up at her.

       Nicole smiled. “Sorry.”

       Waverly rested her head against her chest. “What if he doesn’t even get put in prison? Like he just gets parole or something? Cause I don’t know if I can handle that.”

       The redhead hugged her tighter. “If something like that does happen, which I’m sure it won’t, that Judge will get an earful, maybe even a threat or two, who knows. Depending on how ballsy I’m feeling at the moment.”

       The brunette sighed a small laugh against her chest. “Please don’t do that. I don’t need you in jail.” 

       “I personally think I would look good, per usual, in an orange jumpsuit,” she smirked.

       Waverly raised her head, rolling her eyes. “I’m sure you would,” she sighed, cupping her jaw, pulling her head down into a kiss. The redhead smiled, sliding her hands around to her hips. 

       “Can you two wait to be nasty until Topher gets here because he kinda just invited himself,” Jessie grumbled with a smile as she got out of the car.

       Waverly pulled away with a blush. “I thought he had to work all day today?” Nicole asked as they walked inside.

       “His boss let him take off after he begged him about 1000 times,” she sighed.

       They sat down at a table. “Aww, future hubby’s so sweet,” Waverly cooed, pressing her hands to her chest. 

       “Mhm,” she mocked with the same expression. She stood. “I need coffee.” 

       “Coffeeee,” both girls echoed at the same time, standing up and walking up to the counter. 

       “How often do you two do that? It honestly scares me at this point. It’s like you’re connected up there or something.”

       Waverly laughed, reaching up and tickling her fingers around on the sides of her head. “She can read minds!” Nicole giggled, wiggling her hands off of her. They got their coffees and headed back to the table. 

       “So . . . Are we not going to talk about how much of an asshole Mr. Reinhardt is?” Jessie asked, propping her arms up on the table. 

       “Seriously!” Waverly agreed. “But are we surprised that Champ hired the douchiest lawyer and attorney on the whole entire Earth?” 

       “I couldn’t believe that story he came up with for you, Jessie. That was . . . just horrible,” Nicole sighed. “I get that’s his job, but god damn.”

       She nodded, pushing her hand through her hair. “I just never want to go to court again. This was exhausting,” she sighed. 

       “And we’re going to have to probably testify at Tucker’s,” Waverly groaned. Nicole rolled her eyes, taking a long drag of her coffee. She saw Jessie’s face lighten up, looking past her. A tall man with silver-dyed hair and tattoos sat down next to her, giving her a kiss. Waverly gasped. “Can we be gross now?!” She asked, clapping her hands together. 

       “Be my guest,” the other brunette laughed. “Gays, Topher. Topher, Gays.” Nicole shook his hand, introducing herself. 

       “Sorry I couldn’t be there, my boss is really an ass,” he said, taking a drink of his fiancee’s coffee, getting a smack. 

       “It’s fine. You didn’t miss anything too exciting, just Champ basically admitting to the whole courtroom that he did it,” Waverly smirked.

       His eyes widened. “Wow. She said he was stupid, but . . . wow.” 

       “I think stupid is an understatement,” the redhead mumbled. Jessie nodded in agreement, clinking their cups. 

       They continued on with friendly conversation for an hour or so more, still no calls from anyone from the courthouse. The Officer could tell her girlfriend was getting antsy by the way her fingers were tapping on her thigh. She leaned in, whispering in her ear. “You ready to go, Baby?” She asked, placing her hand on top of hers. The brunette nodded. She looked back to the couple across from them. “I think we’re gonna go, guys. The courthouse closes at 4 and it’s already 3:30, so they’re not going to hold the hearing tonight.”

       Jessie nodded. “Yea, I was thinking the same thing,” she admitted. Topher stood up, offering his hand to her. They all walked out of the cafe. They all handed out hugs, Nicole shaking Topher’s hand, thanking him for coming. They were about to part ways when Waverly’s phone rang. It was Daniel Barnes.

       She answered it, putting it on speaker. “Hey, Mr. Barnes. Jessie’s right next to me.”

       “Hello. About 10 minutes ago, Mr. Clay and Mr. Hardy’s attorney went into the courtroom to begin the sentencing debate. I was just informed that, as of now, the hearing is set for 9 AM tomorrow morning.”

       She nodded, looking up at the other woman, who also nodded. “Ok, that sounds good. Anything else we need to know?” 

       “No, I don’t think so. I guess I’ll see you two tomorrow.” 

       “Yep! See you then!” She hung up. The two couples finally parted ways, heading to their cars. Waverly sighed, pulling her legs up onto the seat when she sat down. 

       The redhead started the car. “My house or yours?” She asked, pulling away from the cafe. 

       “Mine,” Waverly decided. “But . . . Can you stay with me tonight?”

       Nicole smiled sweetly at her. “Of course I will,” she assured, placing her splinted hand on her thigh. 

       Waverly shifted her body, leaning sideways and laying her head on her arm, wrapping both arms around it. “Thank you,” she said quietly, running her finger over the ends of the pins that were sticking out of her hand. 

       After running to Nicole’s to feed her cat and grab her some clothes for the night and the next day, they got to the Homestead. “I’m gonna shower, ok?” The Officer said, hanging her outfit for court up on her closet. 

       “Mk,” she mumbled, changing into some comfier clothes. Nicole gave her a small smile as she walked out of the room. Waverly checked her email, still nothing from the college. She threw her head back, groaning loudly, and shut the lid of her laptop. She wandered out of her room and was about to go lay on the couch, but a hint of blue on the counter caught her eye. 

.  .  .

       Nicole slowly walked down the stairs, hearing a familiar voice screaming along to the Sesame Street theme song. “Wave?” She asked, walking over to the back of the couch. She saw her sitting on the floor, leaning up against it.

       She tipped her head back at the sound of her name. “Hey, Baby!” She slurred, pointing at the TV. “M’watchin Sesame Street!”

       Nicole blinked at her, walking around to her side. Her eyes widened downward. “How much did you drink?” She asked, picking up the over-half empty bottle of blue raspberry vodka. 

       “It tastes like Jolly Ranchers!” She exclaimed, going to stand up. She immediately fell backward, giggling at herself. “That light’s spinnin.”

       Nicole sat down on the couch and grabbed her wrist, sitting her back up. “Baby, was this full?” She asked with concern, holding it up. 

       “Yap,” she mumbled, tracing her finger along the hem of her shorts.

       Nicole put the cap on it, setting it on the table. “Waverly, it is 6 PM.”

       She pulled herself up onto the couch. “It looked pretty, though,” she slurred. 

       “You’re going to feel so sick tomorrow, Love,” she groaned, grabbing her hand as she slid it up her thigh. 

       “Thassa tomorrow problem,” the brunette smirked, straddling her lap. 

       “Waves-” She cut her off with a sloppy kiss. The redhead pushed her back. “No. You are going to bed.”

       Waverly pouted her lip. “Whyyyy?” 

       “Because you are drunk. I don’t think you can even walk right now, Babe.” 

       “Then we don’t gotta go nowhere.” She snuck her hands up her shirt, cupping her bare chest. The Officer pursed her lips, pulling her hands down. 

       “We’re not doing anything while you are shitfaced.” She tried to push her off her lap, but she squeezed her thighs around her hips. “Waveee,” the redhead begged with a smile. “C’mon.”

       “Jus a little bit,” she mumbled, dropping her mouth to her neck.

       The front door opened, Wynonna walking in, immediately gagging. “Not on the couch!”

       Nicole got her off her lap and stood up. “She’s drunk off your stupid candy vodka,” she grumbled, holding up the blue liquid. 

       “She drank all that?!” 

       “Yea, in less than 45 minutes. I don’t know how you Earps do it.” She held her hand out to the smaller girl. “Let’s go, Wave. Upstairs. You’re gonna sleep this off.” She took her hand, standing up and falling into her. Nicole sighed, throwing her arms around her neck and picking her up by the thighs. She carried her to the kitchen and set her on the counter, holding her upright with one arm and getting her a glass of water with the other. “Drink.” She handed it to her. She threw her a look but complied.

       Gus walked in as she was chugging it down. “Waves is wasted,” Wynonna snickered, taking a swig of the vodka. 

       “I told you to not let her find that,” Gus sighed, shaking her head at the girl.

       Once she was finished with the water, Nicole picked her back up and headed for the stairs. “I’m hornyyyyy!” She complained, gripping each side of her face.

       Nicole blushed a little, knowing Gus was standing right there. “Too bad. You’re going to bed.” She got them into her room and laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her and giving her a kiss. “G’night, Love.”

       The brunette grabbed her arm as she turned away. “Noo, Cole, don’t leave me.”

       Nicole smiled down at her. “I’ll be right back.”

       Her lip wobbled and she tugged on her arm again. “Please? I- I don’t wanna be alone.”

       The redhead sighed, nodding her head as she climbed over her, laying down. “Ok. I’m staying right here, Baby.” She rolled over, hugging herself to the taller girl’s side. “What’s wrong?” She heard her sniffle. “Hey . . .” She rolled to face her, hugging her arms around her. 

       “I’m just so scared, Nic.”

       She felt her tears against her neck. “Of what?” She asked quietly, pulling small tangles out of her hair. 

       “Like . . . What happens when he gets out? We all know he’s gonna come back here. What if he tries to talk to me, or- or-” 

       “Shhh. I won’t let him talk to you. And if he does . . . Well, I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to think about what I’d do.” She felt the silent sobs shake through her, so she sat up and pulled her onto her lap. Waverly pushed her legs behind her back, hugging tightly around her neck. “It’s all gonna be ok, Love.” She shut her eyes, pushing her head against her shoulder and tightening her grip around her waist. 

       After a while, she calmed down, so Nicole laid them back, pulling the blankets up and turning the lamp off. “Get some sleep,” she whispered, running her hand up and down her back, knowing that always made her sleepy. 

       “Mm, lu'you, Cole,” she slurred.

       Nicole smiled, pressing a kiss into her head. “Love you, too, Waves.” She snuggled her head into her chest and the redhead knew she was asleep within a few minutes. She let out a sigh. It was still only 6, so she wasn’t tired at all, but her girlfriend needed her, so she was going to stay. 

       Earlier on trial was the first time she had thought back to the events of the brunette’s attack for a while. Yea, she had thought about it, but not completely through with what she saw. What she heard. The sounds of Waverly screaming and crying out for help filled her head. The look of pure terror on her face filled her thoughts. She shook her head, blinking hard in attempt to make it go away, rubbing her eyes with her left hand. It didn’t stop. She let out a shaky breath, hugging her arms tightly around the sleeping girl, pushing her face into the top of her head. She blinked a single tear out of her eye, slowly breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo, bringing herself back to the present. She decided she had nothing better to do than try and sleep. And, as it turns out, she might have been a little more tired than she thought.