60. That's Illegal, Ya Know

       The man standing at the edge of the porch removed his hat, looking up at her with the slightest bit of fear in his eyes. Wynonna continued to blink at him in shock, but her eyes slowly narrowed. "You left." 

       ". . . And now I'm back." 

       She slowly looked towards Nicole. "Why?" 

       "Later, ok? I'm going to bed." She moved past Wynonna, walking into the house. Doc slowly followed, closing the front door as Wynonna's eyes pierced through his skull. 

       The redhead gently pulled the blanket off of Waverly and lifted her up bridal style, carrying her off to the bedroom. 

       Wynonna snatched up the blanket and plopped herself down on the recliner, kicking the feet out, not giving another look towards the man. He sighed, taking Waverly's spot on the couch and laying his hat over his eyes. 

       Nicole laid her down on the bed and quietly changed out of her uniform. She crawled up next to her, trying her best to prevent waking her up. 

       But her heart stopped when she felt her moving.

       She watched the back of her head with wide eyes as she continued to shift, finally flipping over to face her. Waverly's eyes were barely open, but they quickly blinked open at her. She stared at her in confusion and shock wrapped up together as her half-asleep brain tried to process what was going on. "Cole?" 

       Nicole gave her a half-smile as she turned to her side. "Hey, Baby," she whispered, cupping her cheek.

       The brunette stared at her for a long couple of seconds, brows furrowing tighter and tighter together. The Officer grew worried as she watched thoughts rack over in her head. Waverly finally let out a relieved breath, scooting closer to her and pushing her head into her front as she wrapped her arm tightly around her. “I’ll be mad at you tomorrow,” she mumbled, body relaxing at the touch of her hand on her waist. 

       Nicole rolled them so she was on her back and pulled the blankets up more, wrapping her arms loosely around her body. “I love you.”

       “Don’t push it.” 

.  .  .

       Nicole’s eyes fluttered open from the sun’s light spraying into their room. She groaned a little, trying to move her legs from their uncomfortable curled up position underneath her. She rubbed her eyes, hearing the soft breathing coming from the girl laying on top of her. 

       But they suddenly bulged out of her head when she felt a searing pain shooting through her right calf. She jerked around, twisting out from underneath her girlfriend. “AAHH FUCK!” She rolled around, trying to bend her leg up. 

       Waverly startled awake, sitting up abruptly. “ What ?!? Nicole, what the hell is wrong with you?!” She tried to grab onto the cursing redhead as she clutched her knee to her chest, still spazzing around on the bed. “NICOLE!” 

       “CHARLEY- AHHOWW SHIT- HORSE!” 

       Waverly pinned her down by the shoulders. “Quit fucking moving, STOP !” 

       She looked up at her as her face contorted with pain. “IT FUCKING HURTS!” 

       “YEA, NO SHIT!” 

       She squished her eyes together with a grimace. “Stand- motherAHH - Stand me up.” Waverly pulled her to the edge of the bed, yanking her to a sitting position. She stood and got Nicole to her feet, wrapping an arm around her waist. Nicole groaned and winced as she tried to take a couple of steps, walking on her heel. “ FUCK !” She fell forward onto the hardwood, bringing her knee to her chest again, gripping her calf. 

       Waverly dropped down beside her, grabbing onto her ankle. “Give me your leg,” she ordered. Nicole complied, trying to keep her squirms to a minimum as her muscle twitched around, sending excruciating jolts up her leg. The brunette propped her leg on her lap, clamping her hands around the muscle. Her eyes widened as she watched it pulse around from above the skin. She began to squeeze her fingers into it, trying to massage some of the tension down. 

       “JESUS, MARY, AND JOSEPH!!!” Her body jerked around for a minute or so as the cramp slowly faded away, muscle finally relaxing. The redhead let out a sigh of relief, removing her fingers from where they were attached to the sides of her thigh. 

       “Better?” Waverly asked, looking down at her face.

       She nodded, staring up at the ceiling. 

       “What in the blazes is going on in here?” Doc asked with concern from the doorway, rubbing the sleep out of his left eye. 

       Nicole rolled her head to look at him from her position on the floor. “Leg cramp,” she said with a sorry smile, knowing she had probably just waken up all of the late sleepers of Purgatory. She sat up, looking over at her girlfriend, who was staring at John Henry with her jaw on the floor. 

       “ DOC ?!” She screeched. Her head snapped towards Nicole, and she pointed at the door. “DOC!” 

       Nicole took her hand and kissed her knuckles. “I know, Sweetheart. I brought him here.” 

       She snatched her hand back, standing up. “ What ?” 

       Nicole stood up with a sigh, using her shoulder for support as she tested out her leg again. When it proved to be working fine, she let go. “Doc, go smack Wynonna with a pillow or something to get her up and moving. We’re all going to the Homestead.”

       “Why?” They both asked at the same time. 

       “Don’t you want me to explain everything?” She questioned. 

       Waverly slowly gave her a nod and Doc walked off to wake the beast. Nicole closed the door and went over to their closet, pulling a white and grey hoodie and some grey joggers out. She pulled them on and tugged a black and white Ranger’s beanie on her head. She turned around, stopping when she saw Waverly staring at her, a hint of something in her eyes that was somewhat unsettling. “Wave?” She walked over to her, looking down at her with a furrowed brow. The younger one moved her hands to upper arms, running her hands up and down them a few times before sliding them up and fixing the fold on the beanie. She moved them down to her cheeks, rubbing them with her thumbs. Nicole placed her hands over her’s, pushing their foreheads together as she finally deciphered the look in her eyes as fear. “I’m right here, Baby,” she whispered, quiet enough that if she hadn’t been that close to her, she wouldn’t have heard it. "I'm not going anywhere, ok?" 

       She let out a whimper, pulling away from her. "But you did , Nicole." 

       "I know, Wave. I'm sorry."

       "Sorry doesn’t always fix everything!”

       “Baby-”

       “You know I can’t handle that type of shit, especially not twice in one day! I get that yesterday was really fucking horrible. And I would have given you space if you asked for it. But you just left! I didn't know where you went! And-" Her voice broke as tears filled her eyes. "And it would have been fine if you just would have answered Nedley cause I know you heard him, b-but you didn't a-and . . .” Her voice broke completely, dropping it to a whisper. “I thought you were g-gone , Cole."

       Nicole’s face softened as she took a step towards her, wiping her cheeks. “Don’t cry,” she mumbled. “I hate when you cry.” 

       She flicked her hands off of her. “Don’t touch me.” 

       “ Waverly."

       “You left !”

       “But I came back, didn’t I?” Her voice was slowly gaining an edge. “I was gone for 10 hours . That’s it.”

       “That’s a long time!” 

       She raised her arms in front of her, palms up. “Do you even know what happened yesterday?”

       “Yes, I know!” 

       “How?”

       “She told Ina, Ina told Jeremy, and Jeremy told me and Wynonna.” 

       She nodded her head, frustration tugging at her lips. “Yet you still think I had no right to leave? I didn’t realize I wasn’t allowed to try and cope with my mother leaving me for the fourth fucking time !”

       The brunette’s tears started to fall at a heavier rate. She took a step closer to her. “I don’t care that you left like that! All I wanted was a fucking call, Nicole, what don’t you understand ?!” She began to hit the sides of her fists against her chest to punctuate every sentence. “All I wanted was to know that you were ok ! And that you weren’t going to do something stupid ! A-And that you were gonna come b-back . . .” She trailed on, blubbering things and shaking her head with her eyes closed. Her words soon morphed into incoherent sobs. 

       Nicole grabbed onto her wrists to still their movements, but the brunette pushed against them. “Waves,” she said softly, using more force to hold them steady. “It’s ok, stop it.”  The smaller girl moved her arms to clutch to her front and Nicole let them go, wrapping her arms tightly around her shaking body. “I know I should have told you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t.” 

       Waverly moved her arms, squeezing them around her middle as she tried to calm herself down. 

       "I'm sorry,” she sniffed after a minute or two. 

       "You didn't do anything.”

       "I'm too needy.” 

       The Officer pulled back, cupping her cheeks as she wiped her tears some more. "You're not." She leaned in, kissing her slightly pouted lips. “Everything’s ok, alright?”

       Waverly slowly nodded, letting out a breath. “Ok.”

       The redhead smiled, giving her one more peck. “Get dressed. I’m going to make sure Wynonna didn’t kill him yet.” 

.  .  .

       Nicole pulled the Corvette into the Homestead driveway and Doc and Wynonna came in right behind them. They all got out and walked inside. Gus was standing in the kitchen, reading a newspaper and sipping on her coffee. She looked up at the sound of the door, the cup stopping halfway to her mouth. She slowly set the two items down as they all walked over, the two she had been glaring at following a little slower than the rest. She pushed off the counter, crossing her arms. 

       Doc removed his hat. “Mrs. McCready.” 

       “ Don’t you start, Boy.” Her eyes flicked between them. Nicole gave her a nervous smile. "Would either of my nieces or the ones who leave my nieces like some coffee?" They all gave her a slow nod or a mumbled yes. She poured four mugs and set them on the table as they all sat down. "So . . . Who's gonna start?" 

       Nicole wrapped the strings of her hoodie around her pointer fingers as she leaned her elbows on the table. "Uhm . . . This all actually started last month . . ."

-  -  -

       “She just laid in bed all day,” Waverly mumbled, running her fingers down the two scars on her hand, a habit she had picked up, as she leaned her head back onto her shoulder. 

       “Really?” She asked, handing her the tumbler of Bailey’s spiked hot chocolate. 

       She took a drink. “Yea . . . I’ve never seen her like this before, Nic.” Her voice trembled a little.

       The redhead let out a sigh as she looked out at the sunset in front of them, hugging the blanket tighter around them. “He’ll come back, Wave.” 

       “But we don’t know that.”

       “He will,” she whispered, pressing a kiss into her temple. “I’ll make sure of it.” She took a drink, swishing the liquid around in her mouth as she got to thinking. Thinking of how she would make that last sentence true. 

.  .  .

       The next morning, Nicole strolled into work, chowing down on one of Waverly’s homemade "sausage McMuffins" that she had definitely eaten too many of in the past few weeks. She walked back to the breakroom and poured herself some coffee, finishing up the last of her food as she stopped at Nedley’s open door. “Sir?” 

       He looked up, giving her a tired smile. “Morning, Haught.” She walked into his office and closed the door behind her, scooting one of the chairs up to sit right in front of his desk. “Is everything alright?” 

       “I need you to send out an APB,” she said bluntly. 

       The Sheriff furrowed his brow. “On who?” 

       “Doc.” 

       “. . . He’s not missing, Nicole,” Nedley reminded quietly. 

       “We don’t know where he is. That makes him missing.”

       He pursed his lips. “I can’t send an APB out on Doc Holliday.” 

       “Nedley. Wynonna is literally flipping her-”

       “ No . I can’t send an APB out on Doc Holliday ,” he emphasized. 

       She saw the look on his face and understood what he was implying. Maybe it wouldn’t be a good idea to tell all of the police in the surrounding area to look for a guy that was supposed to have been dead 100 years ago. “Ok. Send one out on a John Doe with his description, I don’t care how you do it. I just . . . really need you to. Please, Sheriff?” 

       He let out a heavy sigh as he turned towards his computer, grabbing his mouse. “This stays in this room. Understood?” He looked towards her with raised eyebrows as he waited for her answer.

       A small smile brushed her lips. “Yes, Sir.” She stood up and walked towards the door, giving him a nod as she walked out. 

       The first step of her plan to get him back was complete. 

.  .  .

       Two weeks later, Nicole found herself outside of the Homestead, banging on the door at 8 AM. She pulled her hood over her head to shield it from the wind as she hit the side of her fist against the door for the third time. “Wynonna, open up!” She shouted.

       After another minute, she let out a loud groan of annoyance as she dug her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the door with the emergency key Waverly had given her. She quickly closed it, rubbing the cold off of her hands. “Wynonna!” No answer. 

       She traced her eyes carefully around the surrounding rooms, seeing no sign of the older Earp or Gus. Her brow furrowed as she climbed the steps, knocking on her bedroom door. “Earp, you better not be sleeping.” She cracked it open, sticking her head in. 

       And sure enough. The snores echoed off the wall, proving she was out cold. Nicole huffed, walking over to her bed and smacking her with the stuffed whiskey bottle toy that was sitting on her nightstand. “Wake up .” 

       The brunette startled awake, shooting straight up. “It wasn’t my idea!” She defended groggily as she snapped her eyes about the room, finally landing on Nicole’s confused, yet annoyed face. She reached up and rubbed them, bringing herself out of dreamland. “What the shit, Haught Cakes?” She grumbled. 

       Nicole set the toy back down. “What by be ready by 8 did you not understand!? Your appointment is in 30 minutes, let’s go.” She grabbed her wrist, pulling her to get off the bed. 

       Wynonna tugged her arm back, crawling back under her blankets. “I’m not going.”

       “What do you mean you’re not going?” She questioned, tipping her head at her. 

       “Uh, I mean that my butt is staying right here in this bed so I can go back to sleep,” she informed, flipping over. 

       “You can’t just not go.”

       “Watch me.” 

       “No,” she huffed. “I am really not in the mood for stubborn asshole Wynonna today.” She grabbed the blanket and pulled it off of her. “I’ll buy you breakfast after, c’mon.” 

       Wynonna’s ears perked up and she slowly rolled over. “. . . Promise?”

       The redhead rolled her eyes as she stuck her pinky out, locking it with the brunette’s.

       The nurse tied a tourniquet around Wynonna’s arm and cleaned a spot so she could draw her blood for some standard testing. Nicole’s foot tapped as she watched her stick the needle in to fill up the vial. After it was done, she capped it and pulled the needle out of her arm. “All done!” She said with a smile. “You’re doctor should be in in a bit, hang tight!” She gathered her supplies and turned, shooting Nicole a flirtatious wink with a smirk as she walked out the door. 

       “Hey, I’m gonna run to the bathroom, alright?” The redhead said to Wynonna. 

       “Mk, don’t fall in.” 

       Nicole threw her a look as she walked out of the room. She shook her hands out, letting out a slow breath through her mouth as she slowly followed behind the blonde nurse, hanging a right as she did so. She checked behind her, seeing that the short corridor was empty and that there were no cameras anywhere. 

       She took a couple of larger steps to catch up to her before grabbing onto her the crook of her elbow, keeping her from walking forward. The nurse quickly inhaled, jerking around to look at her. Her face relaxed as she recognized the redhead and she smirked, grabbing onto the front of her hoodie. 

       Nicole pulled her hands off, taking a step back. “I’m gonna need that vial,” she informed with a tight-lipped smile. 

       The woman’s brow furrowed in confusion. “. . . Do you just expect me to give it to you?” 

       Nicole rocked on the balls of her feet. “Yea, kinda,” she admitted. 

       She took a step towards her as her smirk widened. “That’s illegal , ya know . . . I’m not just going to hand it over . . . for free .” 

       The redhead let out a small laugh as straightened her posture a bit, taking another step away from her. “ Yea , I think you are.” 

       The blonde stared at her for a second and Nicole was trying to figure out what her deal was.

       But she learned. Very, very quickly. 

       It took her a second to realize that the woman’s lips had crashed into her’s. She caught her balance by gripping her hips and then shoved her back, eyes wide with horror. Her brain quickly comprehended it and a rush of anger stormed through her body. Her lip hitched into a snarl and she shot towards her, grabbing her by the upper arm and twisting her around, shoving her front against the wall as she slid her hand down and pinned her wrist behind her back, using the other to smack the badge that was in her pocket in front of her face. The nurse's eyes widened as she let out a startled gasp.

       “Here’s what’s gonna happen,” Nicole started in her drawl, the snarl still dusting her features. “You’re gonna give me that vial. Then , you’re gonna wait five minutes and go back, telling her that you made a mistake and were supposed to have taken two. After that, you’re going to carry on with your life, acting like this never happened. And if you tell anyone , I’ll arrest you and tell my girlfriend that you jumped me in a hallway and she’ll most likely beat your skull in.” She put her badge back and held her hand out.

       The Officer felt her take in a deep breath as her back rose against her front. A slightly disturbed, but not quite scared look came over her face as she set the tube in her hand. Nicole let her go and stepped back, chest heaving with anger. 

       The nurse glared at her as she pushed away from the wall. “Fuckin’ flatfoot,” she grumbled under her breath, stomping off in the other direction. 

       Nicole turned and made a b-line for the one-roomed bathroom, locking the door behind her and rushing right to the sink. She groaned as she turned the water on, pumping eight squirts of soap in her hands and scrubbing them like she had just touched something toxic. She rinsed them off, splashing water on her mouth and face, rubbing it until the area around it turned red. Grabbing some paper towels, she dried her hands off, pacing back and forth as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and hopped up onto the sink counter, pushing it to her ear. 

       “Hey, Babe, what’s up?” Waverly answered after a few seconds.

       Her eyes closed as she chewed on the nail of her thumb. “Hey, Wave.” 

       “What’s wrong?” She asked softly with concern.

       “Nothing . . .” Her voice dropped to an almost-childish mumbled. “I love you.”

       “Yea, I love you, too, Nic . . . What’s going on? Are you ok?”

       “I just wanted to make sure you knew,” she shrugged lightly. “Cause you’re my Wavey and I love you.”

       “You wanted to make sure I knew you loved me cause I’m your Wavey and you love me?” She questioned with a chuckle. 

       “Mhm.” 

       “. . . Are you sure you’re ok, Baby?” 

       “I’m ok,” she assured. 

       “Ok. If you say so . . . I need to get this project done before work, Nic, I’m sorry. I’ll see you later, ok?” 

       “It's ok . . . See you later,” Nicole responded quietly. 

       “Mk, bye, Love. Call me if you need me.” 

       “Bye, Waves. I will.” 

       The line went dead and she let out a heavy sigh, dropping her hands to her lap. She felt a little bit better now. She hopped off the counter and walked out of the bathroom, heading back to Wynonna’s room. 

       After she followed through and bought her some breakfast, she dropped her off back at the Homestead and drove to the other side of town. 

       “Hey, Nicky,” Jeremy smiled after he opened his front door. 

       “Hey.” She walked in and leaned against the back of his couch. 

       “You look tired,” he mused, stopping in front of her. 

       She blinked at him annoyedly. “After getting home from a 12-hour shift at 4 in the morning and then having to wake up at 7, I’d expect one to be.” 

       He made a face in disgust of the thought of that. “. . . I’m going to assume you’re not here for a normal friendly visit considering that we facetimed for 4 hours yesterday and any possible tea that we could have spilled has already been.” 

       “That was four hours?” She asked quietly in disbelief. He slowly nodded. “Damn.” She flipped backwards, laying down on the couch. He walked around and slumped down on the other side. 

       “What’s up?” 

       “So . . . Theoretically . . . If you were to be given a blood sample from a pregnant woman, would you be able to find the baby’s DNA in it?” 

       He stared at her for a good four seconds. “ Theoretically , yes.”  

       She nodded. “And, uh . . . Still. Theoretically. If you were given a . . . potential father’s toothbrush, would you be able to, ya know . . . get the DNA off of it and run it against it?” 

       His eyes widened. “ Nicole -”

       “ Jeremy ,” she cut off. “We are being theoretical here, remember?” 

       “ No you’re not !” 

       She pursed her lips. “Please?” 

       “That’s illegal!” He retorted.

       “Jer,” she whined. “Do you know what kind of bullshit I went through to get this?!” She pulled the vial out of her pocket. 

       “ NICOLE !!”

       She smacked his leg. “Quit looking at me like that!” 

       His eyes were bugging out of his head as his jaw was falling through the Earth’s crust. “You stole her blood!” 

       “I know I did!” 

       The man was at a loss for words for a few seconds. His eyes darted between the vial and her face as he slowly calmed down, trying to decide what to do. “I hate you,” he muttered as he stood up and walked over to his basement door. 

       She got up and followed, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and pushing an annoying kiss to the side of his cheek. “Wuv you, Jer Bear.” 

       The redhead pushed their door open, seeing Waverly sitting on the couch with her headphones on and a stack of papers in her hand that she was reading through. She slipped her slides off, walking over to the couch and dropping her head onto her lap. She inhaled deeply, balling her shirt up in her hand.

       The smaller girl placed her hand on her head, gently combing her fingers through her hair. The Deputy was pleasantly surprised and thankful that she hadn’t snapped at her for it because she usually wasn’t allowed within a 3-foot vicinity of her. 

       She tugged the blanket that was sitting on the arm of the couch off, pulling it around herself as she closed her eyes, focusing on the faint sound of music coming through her headphones and the way her nails gently grazed her scalp. 

       But she just couldn’t tear her thoughts away from the feeling of another woman’s lips on her’s. It was one of the most disgusting, unsettling feelings she had ever experienced. Just the thought of kissing anyone but Waverly sent a ripple of fear through her. But now that she was reliving it actually happening over and over in her head? A hard shiver traveled through her body that made her sick to her stomach. 

       Waverly must have felt the way her body stiffened because she moved the papers that she had been reading over her head, now noticing the way her jaw was clenched and how hard her eyes were scrunched together. “Nic?” She brushed some hair out of her face. Nicole looked up at her sadly. “What is it, Honey?” The Officer shook her head, tugging the blanket up to cover half her face as she closed her eyes again. Waverly furrowed her brows in concern. "Hey." She pushed another red lock behind her ear. 

       Nicole's jaw locked. "A girl kissed me," she mumbled just above a whisper.

       Waverly's hand stilled in her hair. She wasn't sure if she had heard what she thought she had just heard. "Did you just say-" 

       "Mhm."

       Her eyes widened down at her. "Who the fuck- "

       "One of the nurses at Wy's appointment."

       The brunette shoved her head off her lap, jumping up off the couch and looking down at her with bulging eyes. Nicole sat up, pulling her knees up to her chest. Waverly stared at her with a questioning eye. "So she just . . . kissed you? For no reason whatsoever?" 

       "Well . . .-" 

       " Well ? What do you mean well ?" 

       Nicole stood up, stepping towards her quickly. "No, not like that, Wave. I was talking to her and she jumped at me."

       The brunette cocked her head. " Talking or flirting ? Cause sometimes I feel like you can't tell the difference."

       "Oh, Waverly, come on," she huffed in offense. "You know I wouldn't cheat on you." 

       "Yea, well, I didn't think Champ would try and rape me either, but look how that turned out." The words were out of her mouth before she even realized it. Her eyes widened, mouth falling open as she watched the look of hurt smack Nicole across the face. “Nic, I didn’t mea-” 

       The redhead pushed passed her, shaking her head. “I’m glad that’s how you see me, Waverly.” 

       She quickly spun and grabbed her arm. “No, Baby, I’m sorry-”

       The Officer whipped around, cupping her hands gently around the sides of her neck as she looked deeply into her eyes. The brunette let out a small squeak, for she was startled from the sudden action, but her heart eased as she looked right back into her eyes. “Do you realize how much I fucking love you, Waverly Earp?” She asked, voice breaking with emotion. “So fucking much. So when I tell you that I was terrified when she kissed me, I mean it. Because the thought of being with anyone else but you scares the ever-living shit out of me . . . But if you want to be mad at me, be my guest.”

       She traced her eyes over Waverly’s face, looking for any sign of an answer. 

       But this time when she felt lips crash into her’s, she wasn’t fearful. She relaxed into it, shoulders dropping with the release of tension. The smaller girl backed her quickly to the wall, already ripping her hoodie off and tangling her hands in her hair. 

.  .  .

       “Don’t get her started on the Astros,” Sharon chuckled. 

       “Hey!” Nicole snapped. “We do not speak of them in this house!” 

       She put her hands up, holding back a laugh. “Sor-ry.” 

       Waverly blinked a few times, sitting up off of her lap as she felt her phone ringing in her pocket. The redhead pulled it out, pressing it to her ear. “Hey, Sheriff,” she answered. 

       “Haught. I just got a call from up North . . . There was a hit on the APB.” 

       She stood up off of the couch abruptly. “When?” 

       “About 5 minutes ago. From the people up in Alberta Beach.” 

       She nodded along as he explained it a little more, heart thumping in her chest at a million miles an hour. It had been a hot minute since she had heard anything about it and she was starting to think that he might have fled down to the US. “Yea . . . I’m on my way.” 

       Nicole pulled into the station’s parking lot at the same time as Jeremy. They stepped out of their cars, sharing a quick glance as they walked in, heading towards Nedley’s office. He was standing with a phone to his ear, facing the wall as he talked. He turned after a few seconds. “Jeremy, how good are you with computers?” 

       He let out a small chuckle. “I know a thing or two about the ol’ thinking machine.” Nicole smacked his arm, shooting him an annoyed glare. He widened his eyes, looking back to her boss. “Uh, yea. I’m good with them,” he quickly nodded. 

       Nedley moved around to his computer and let him sit down in front of it. “The Sheriff says that they sent a security camera’s feed to this, but I don’t know how . . . that works.” 

       The man nodded as he clicked around for several seconds. Not only had Jeremy helped with the paternity test, but after they found out the answer, he had taken it into his own hands to work on finding him (with a little help from BBD Headquarters). But even they had been coming up empty. “Here we go.” A box showed up on the screen, live footage of a cabin-looking structure front and center with the beach in the background. 

       “He says this is live from the cabin they think he is staying in,” Nedley informed. 

       “How did the police there find out about him?” Nicole questioned as she leaned in and took a closer look. 

       “Well . . . They said they got a call for prostitution in the area. And when they went up there, a woman . . . came out of his room.”

       The redhead blinked a few times as she stood up straight. “Yea, that sounds like Doc, alright,” she muttered. 

       “But that’s the only thing . . . They said his description was only a partial match. Something about no facial hair.” He waved his hand around. “But now we have to watch the feed until he comes out of his room so we can identify him ourselves.” 

       “. . . And by we you mean Jer and I ?” She questioned knowingly. 

       He smiled and gave her a light pat on the shoulder. “You two have fun, now,” he said as he placed his Stetson on and walked out of the room. 

       Nicole shoved Jeremy out of the office chair, quickly sitting down in it herself with a smirk. He got up off the floor with a huff, wacking her on the side of the head as he walked around and grabbed one of the other chairs to sit in. 

       "I don't like you," Jeremy mumbled, looking down at Nicole on the floor as she rocked out some pushups. "How many of those have you even done today?" 

       They had been sitting in Nedley's office going on 5 hours now and each time Nicole got too bored playing their game of count the cars , she had dropped down and either done some pushups or sit-ups. "267 . . . 268 . . . 269 . . ." 

       "Do they deliver pizza here?" 

       She stopped counting and looked up at him mid-plank. "We're going to the Homestead for dinner in an hour ," she reminded. 

       He leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. "I don't see us going anywhere if he doesn't come out of that dang room." 

       Nicole sighed, standing up off the floor and plopping back down in her chair. "He'll have to come out at some-" She slid her chair forward abruptly, bringing her face right next to the screen. 

       The door of the cabin opened and a woman walked out, turning back to the figure in the door. They stepped into the light and, low and behold, there stood Doc Holliday. 

       Nicole pulled her radio off of her shirt. "Sheriff, come in." 

       "Go ahead, Haught." 

       "It's him. Another hooker just walked out and he's standing at the door." 

       "Are you sure it's him?" Nedley asked.

       "I know that stupid hat from anywhere," she answered. 

       "Alright . . . I'll be there in a minute."

       Right as his fizz faded, another rolled over. "Units, we've got a report of a hit and run. Red Chevy Pickup fled the scene about 5 minutes ago. Last seen knocking mailboxes down on Oak Drive." 

       Nicole stood quickly, bringing her radio back to her mouth and walking around her desk. "10-4, Haught en route.” She pulled her jacket on, looking towards Jeremy. “We’ll figure out what to do tomorrow. Go get ready for tonight and do not mention you were with me, got it?” 

       He nodded with a wave as she rushed out the door. 

.  .  .

       The white SUV skidded out of the driveway and Nicole watched it go, lip twitching with anger. Her hands were tightly balled at her sides and she tried to pull a couple of deep breaths in to calm herself down before she did something stupid. 

       She finally trudged through the snow towards her car, wiping her teary face with her sleeves as she closed the door, pulling her keys out of her pocket. 

       She was tired of it. She was tired of parents leaving for reasons that weren’t the child’s fault. She was tired of kids having to grow up with only one, sometimes none. She was tired of people hurting from the actions of other people. 

       And she was so goddamn tired of not doing anything about it. 

       She pushed the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the Homestead driveway. 

       The Officer climbed out of the Corvette, taking a sip of the 7-Eleven coffee she had picked up about 45 minutes earlier. It was a four and a half hour drive to Alberta Beach, so time was ticking close to 11 PM. She eyed the cabin as she pushed off the Corvette, setting the coffee cup on the top of the car. 

       She let out a breath as she stopped at the door, looking down at the paper in her hand. She rolled it up and raised her fist to the door, giving it a firm knock. Her ears picked up on the sound of footsteps approaching the door a few seconds later. “Who is it?” The gruff drawl asked. 

       Her eyes widened for a millisecond as she quickly had to think of a response. “Sheriff’s Department,” she informed, altering her voice the slightest bit. 

       “Sheriff’s Department?” She heard him mumble to himself as the door unlocked and came open. “What do you people keep botherin-” He stopped as the light from inside illuminated her raised eyebrows and lips set in a straight line. His eyes shot open, lips parting in fear. 

       Nicole took a step forward, pushing past him into the cabin, dotting her eyes around for a second before turning back to face him. “Nice place you’ve got here,” she mused, crossing her arms and standing up straight. 

       “How’d you find me?” He questioned in a whisper. 

       “Well, for one , about 25% of the people you left are cops of some sort, so those odds weren’t in your favor. And two , we got a hit on our APB of your description when somebody got taken in for soliciting a prostitute, so.” 

       He kept staring at her as he closed the door. “Now, Officer Haught, you’ve gotta understand, it was not my intention to hurt you like-”

       She let out a huff, taking a few steps closer to him. His eyes widened some more and he pressed his back to the door. “Maybe I should be mad that you knocked two of my teeth loose and one out.” She pulled her lip down, showing him the metal wire across her bottom teeth. “But I really don’t care right now.” 

       His face softened apologetically and she could tell that his emotions were genuine. “So you’re not here for revenge?” He asked slowly. 

       “No, I’m not here for revenge,” she said with a small unamused laugh. 

       His brow furrowed in confusion as he stepped away from the door. “Then what are you here for?” 

       She looked down at the paper in her hand. “I’m here to bring you home.” 

       Doc’s body stiffened. “I’m not going back there.” 

       “You are.” 

       “No, I am not,” he huffed. 

       “You’re either going to go willingly or I’m gonna drag your ass because you, Sir, have a baby to raise and I am not going to let her grow up without a father.” 

       His eyes grew cold. “Well, I’m sure Dolls will be happy to help with that .” He turned away, walking past her. The redhead grabbed his arm and turned him around, shoving the paper into his hand. He cocked an eyebrow as he unrolled it. “What is this?” 

       “Well, why don’t you read it?” She suggested. 

       He looked back down at it, taking several seconds to skim it over. “This is just a whole bunch of numbers, Nicole.” 

       She grumbled something under her breath as she snatched the paper out of his hand and held it out in front of them. “What does that say?” She asked, pointing to the bottom collum on the sheet. 

       “ Chance of paternity: 94% .” He looked up at her with a furrowed brow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

       “It means that you’re her father, Doc.” 

       His eyes shot open and he looked back down at the paper. “Wh- Well, you don’t know for sure. It’s only 94%.”

       She waved her hand around. “That’s cause I used your toothbrush and the DNA wasn’t the best,” she explained. “But you’re her father. And now you know it for sure. So . . . Can you please come home? Wynonna needs you . . . She’s been a mess since you left.” 

       He removed his hat and pushed his hand through his hair as he let a breath out. She watched as he gathered his thoughts, decisions flying through his mind. “. . . Can I have the night to think about it?” 

       “No. You shouldn’t even have to think about it, Holliday.”

       He pursed his lips, looking down at the floor as he placed his hat back on. “You’re right,” he mumbled, rubbing his face. “I’ll get to packing.” 

       She smiled, relief rushing over. “Can you maybe . . . make that quick? Waverly doesn’t know where I’m at and I’m sure she’s freaking out.”

       He stopped, mid-bending over to pick a shoe up off the floor. “You left without telling that girl where you were going?” He questioned with raised eyebrows

       She rubbed the back of her neck with a pained expression on her face. “Yea . . .”

       He shook his head, completing his journey down to grab the shoe. “She’s gonna beef ya,” he muttered. 

-  -  -

       “And then we loaded all of his stuff and drove back. I was going to have him stay at our house for the night so he didn’t give Wynonna a heart attack in the morning . . . But you were at our house, so that didn’t really work out as planned.” Nicole traced her eyes around the four faces staring back at her nervously, for no one had talked throughout the whole retelling of what had transpired to get them here. 

       The older Earp was the first to break the silence. “So . . . Let me get this straight. You sent a text to all your cop buddies to look for a dude with a mustache and some 1800s get up, stole my blood, got it tested to prove that he’s my baby daddy, and then went and convinced him to come back with all of us being none the wiser?”

       Nicole slowly nodded, spinning one of the rings on Waverly’s hand that she was holding in her lap. “I guess . . .” 

       She stared at her for a few long seconds before nodding her head in approval. “I’m impressed, Haught Ham . . . But if you ever pull some freak-type-shit like this again or steal anything that has come from my body, I’ll rip you a new one.” 

       Nicole put her hands up. “I didn’t plan on it, Wynonna.” 

       The brunette stood up and looked down at the cowboy with a glare. “You. Barn. Now. We need to talk about some things.”

       Doc swallowed and stood up. “Yes, Ma’am.” They both headed for the door.

       “I have a feeling they’re going to be doing a lot more than talking,” Waverly mumbled. The Deputy looked towards her with a small smirk on her lips as she nodded. The smaller girl got up and smiled down at her. “And w e have a Halloween party to get ready for.” 

       Nicole grinned excitedly. “Indeed, we do.” 

.  .  .

       The Officer finished pinning her hair up and pulled the purple beanie over her head, tugging it down over the little bits of red that were peaking through. 

       “Nic, should I curl my hair or leave it normal?” Waverly asked, walking into the bathroom where she was standing. 

       Nicole made eye contact with her through the mirror. 

       And almost choked on her gum. 

       Waverly had spent hours on their costumes over the past week or so, but Nicole had yet to see her in her’s. 

       Well. Not until now. 

       There she stood, dressed in an insanely tight yellow flannel crop top with a white vest with black cow patches on top of it. She had some denim very short (ok, booty shorts) on, with the addition of a red bandana around her neck, a brown cowboy hat, and some cowboy boots. 

       “Nicole.” 

       The redhead snapped out of it, darting her eyes back up to her smirking face. “Uhh . . . What’d you ask again?” She questioned, face flushing. 

       She shook her head with a giggle, taking a few steps closer to her. Nicole’s arms automatically wrapped around her, hands reaching down to cup her ass as she leaned into a deep kiss. She let out a breathy sigh as she could feel just how short those shorts actually were.

       Nicole lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around her waist as she set her on the counter. Waverly ran her hands down her upper arms, seeing how the white sleeved shirt that she had painted the front to look like Buzz’s uniform hugged them tightly. The Officer had white skinny jeans on and some cardboard-cutout wings on her back. 

       Waverly pressed open-mouthed kisses up her neck as she made her way to her ear. “'Dyou know what they say about us cowboys?” She husked, meeting her eyes. She rolled her thumb down her lip. “ We all know how to ride .” 

       The redhead’s breath caught in her throat as the grin took over her girlfriend’s face. Waverly dropped her head back to her neck and Nicole pulled her off of the counter, walking them out of the bathroom, already kicking her shoes that she had just pulled on off. “Should I tell them we might be late?” She asked with a smirk as she dropped her down onto the bed, yanking open the bottom drawer of their nightstand. 

       Waverly sat up, tugging her hips forward and finding the button on her pants. “We’ve got over an hour, we’ll be fine.” 

       Nicole kicked her pants off and propped her wings to rest against the nightstand, pulling the harness up her legs before setting the tip in her open mouth. “Whatever you say, Sheriff.”