81. I’ll Shove My Bouquet Up Your Ass

       “I don’t like that one,” Nicole mumbled, looking down into the glass case where Waverly was pointing. Since there was no school still because of Winter Break and Nicole was off, they decided to finally go and buy their wedding rings to get it out of the way. 

       The one the brunette was pointing to was the same color rose gold as her engagement ring, but only had a single band and singular diamond. “You said simple, Babe. I don’t know how much more simple you can get than that.”

       She shrugged a little, sticking her hands in her jeans’ pockets. “I just don’t like it.” 

       Waverly furrowed her brow at her for a second but let out a sigh as she grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the counter, walking her out of the store and over to the seating arrangement in the middle of the mall. They had been at this for over thirty minutes now, and she had turned down almost every single ring Waverly had thrown at her. She sat them down and turned sideways to face her, holding her hand in her lap. “Nic, look at me,” she said softly, running her thumb across her knuckles. The Sheriff lifted her head and met her eyes. “What’s wrong?” She shook her head, looking away from her with a shrug. “No.” She tipped her head back towards her, rubbing her cheek before dropping her hand. “Talk to me. Cause I won’t know what you want unless you tell me, Love.” 

       “I just don’t like any of those.” Her voice was soft, just like the rest of the features of her face. 

       “Yea, I got that much, thank you,” she huffed with a tip of her head. “Why? I- I don’t get it.” 

       Nicole looked down at their interlocked hands, and she slipped her hand out, bringing Waverly’s to her face and rolling her engagement ring around before letting out a sigh, “This? . . . It’s just not me. It’s you a hundred percent. But I’m not sparkly and fancy and pretty and . . . that . It’s just not me, Wave. And I don’t wanna be that.”

       She looked up from the ring and met the brunette’s eyes, seeing how she had a slight glare in them. Her face saddened and she dropped her hand, pulling her own to her lap with a swallow. “. . . Would it seriously have been that hard to tell me that you didn’t want a more feminine ring before I dragged you around half the store?” A small smirk pushed it’s way onto her face, and it was then that the redhead realized that she wasn’t mad at her. 

       “. . . You seemed so excited about those ones.” 

       “Nic, I am just excited in general. I don’t care what you get, ok? You walked over there first, so that’s why figured that’s what you wanted. If you’d rather a Ring Pop then go for it , I couldn’t care less. It’s not about the rings. It’s about us . They’re just a symbol and a way that I can show the guys at Shorty’s that I’m not up for grabs.” A small smile finally made it’s way onto Nicole’s face and the brunette matched it. “Okay?”

       She nodded. “I don’t want a Ring Pop, though. I’d end up eating it before we even started our Honeymoon.”

       She let out a small giggle, leaning forward and pushing a kiss to her cheek. “Do you wanna hit the food court and then come back?” 

       There were those dimples she was waiting to see. “As long as we can get Tim Hortons.” 

       Waverly rolled her eyes with a laugh as she stood and grabbed her hand as they began to walk towards the escalator. “Some would swear you were actually Canadian.” 

       They returned to the jewelry store, each with a coffee in hand, and Waverly led her over to the middle of the store where the unisex rings were. “Ok, go crazy.” 

       Nicole looked towards her, chewing her lip. “. . . I’m scared.” 

       “Oh my God,” she muttered, pushing her closer to the counter and moving beside her. “D’you leave your big girl pants at home or something?” 

       “I did, actually.”

       “Babe,” she breathed out. “Just look for something. I’m not picking for you.” Nicole let out a dramatic sigh as she looked down into the case, tracing her eyes over all the metals and designs. 

       She heard footsteps approach after a minute, and looked up to see an older woman stop in front of them from behind the counter. “Hi, Ladies. What are we looking for today?” 

       “Wedding bands,” Nicole answered with a smile. 

       “Ooh! For which one of yous?” 

       They blinked at her for a blink before answering together, “Both of us.”

       Her brow furrowed, but then she put it together. “Oh, gotcha! Ok. And we’re starting with you?” She pointed to Nicole and she nodded. “Great. Well, what did you have in mind?”

       “I’m not sure, really.” She looked towards Waverly and took her hand, setting it on top of the glass. “Something that will match that somewhat nicely.” 

       The woman- Carrie, judging by her name tag, nodded, raising her eyes to her’s. “May I see it for a second?” 

       “Yea, totally!” The younger girl pulled it off her finger and set it in her hand, and she brought it closer to her face, looking it over. 

       “So are we talking matching the color or matching the design ?” Carrie asked as she walked down the line a bit, stopping in front of some bands that were better to pair with Waverly’s ring. 

       “The color, I think. But the infinity sign bit would be nice, too,” Nicole answered, leaning forward onto the glass as the smaller girl glued herself to her side. She wrapped her arm around her waist as she took a sip of her coffee while they both looked down at the rings.

       Carrie pulled out a shelf and set it on top of the counter. Most of them had either rose gold on them or a twist of some sort. But the top two rows seemed to have both. She handed Waverly her ring back. “I think these here would be your best bet, but I’ll see if I can go find you our catalog if none of those seem to strike you as the one.”

       They nodded and the brunette held her ring up next to one that Nicole’s finger was by. It was just two simple bands that weaved in and out around the whole thing. “Too dark,” the Sheriff mumbled, casting her eyes elsewhere. 

       “That one’s cute.” Waverly pointed to one that was a thicker rose gold band with a hammered finish. 

       “I like the twisty though.” She ran her finger across one of the two of the infinity signs on her ring with a pout. 

       The younger one smiled softly up at her before looking back down at the shelf in front of them and handing her the ring. Nicole looked over all of them, but none of them were really standing out too much. 

       That was until her eyes wandered over to the case to the right of them. She dropped her arm from her waist and walked over, poking her finger into the top of the glass as she looked up at the jeweler. “Can you get that one out?” 

       “Absolutely.” She opened the back and pulled the shelf out, setting it down as Waverly walked over. Nicole lined the engagement ring up with the band that was shiny black on the outside and rose gold on the inside. But the same-colored gold as the inside connecting infinity signs that were carved onto the front were what caught her eye. She looked towards her fiancée with a smile, raising her eyebrows. 

       Waverly pushed in front of her, taking her spot holding the ring as Nicole leaned into her back, resting her hands on her hips and peering over her shoulder as she took a look. She turned her head with a smile. “It matches.”

       “I know,” she said with a grin.

       “Do you like it?” 

       “Do you?” Nicole was sure the look on her own face was enough to tell her that she did.

       “I didn’t think I’d like black, but . . .” She glanced back down at it for a second before looking back to her. “I really do.” 

       Nicole smiled ear to ear, hooking her chin and pressing a kiss to her lips. She stepped out from behind her and leaned against the counter. “I think we’ve found the one.”

       Not long after, they found a ring for Waverly. It was rose gold as well, patterned with black stones and the diamonds that matched her engagement ring, and it would be made to align with it, curving around the center stone. After filling out their ring sizes and final details, they were ready to pay. 

       “ Nicole Rayleigh Haught , you better move out of the way, or I swear to God.” 

       “Wave-”

       “No! You’re not buying your own ring! What is wrong with you?” 

       “Babe, it’s fine-”

       “It’s not fine . You are already paying for three fifths the damn wedding because, yes , Mama told me what you did.” 

       Her jaw clenched. Maybe she had talked to Julian and Michelle in private, for they both had chipped in properly, and took some of the parts that they were planning on paying for into her own hands. She had the means that they didn’t, after all, and she didn’t think it was right. “She wasn’t supposed to tell you that,” she mumbled. 

       “My mother is a horrible liar, where do you think I get it from?!” 

       She pursed her lips with a sigh, “I was just helping, ok?” 

       “No, you know what?” She pulled her out of the way and smacked her card onto the counter in front of Carrie before she could stop her with a look of apology and grabbed her arm, dragging her to the other side of the store for some privacy. “I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but I hate when you do that.” 

       “Do what?” 

       “Your helping . Because it's not helping , Nicole. It’s really nice of you and I know you mean well, but when you do it for me , it makes me feel like shit , and I’m sure it's the same for other people, too.” 

       Her face twisted with confusion and sadness. “What? Why?” 

       “Because! It makes it seem like you don’t think I’m capable of paying for things out of my own pocket, especially lately cause I’m not working as much now. And when you offer in front of other people it’s embarrassing . I’m not even just talking about Liz’s money either. You barely let me pay for any bills around the house and you barely let me pay or even tip when we go out to eat or do fun stuff and I just feel bad. And-” Her voice broke. “And you spoil me all the time , whether it be Christmas or my birthday or just randomly and it’s really sweet of you and I love you for it cause I know that’s just how you are. But you’re an adult with a Sheriff’s salary and a jackpot in your wallet, and I’m barely an adult, working part-time as a bartender, and I’m throwing money at both sets of my student loans every month.” She let out a breath as she shook her head, rubbing her hands up and down her face. She dropped them with a swallow, looking up at her with tears in her eyes. “It makes me feel like an ass . . . Cause I can’t do any of that for you, even though I want to. B-But I can’t.” She let out a huff, trying to push the couple of tears that fell back into her eyes.

       Nicole looked down at her with a frown. “Wave, I- . . . I’m sorry. I never thought about it like tha-” 

       “No.” She reached out and rubbed her wrists, shaking her head with a sniffle, “Don’t be sorry. I don’t want you to be sorry about being yourself. You just like to help people. I mean, it’s literally your job. But sometimes your big, beautiful heart is too much.” She moved her hand up to rest on her chest. “So sometimes you just need to take a step back. You get me?” 

       She looked down at it for a second before meeting her eyes with a nod, making an attempt at a smile. “Yea, I get you.” 

       Waverly matched her smile and took a step forward, mirroring her hand on the opposite side of her chest as she stood up on her toes to press a gentle kiss to her lips. She dropped back to the flats of her feet, staying close to her front. “I love you- All of you.” 

       The redhead blushed slightly, leaning down to give her another kiss. “I love you, too. Are we good now?”  

       Waverly nodded, “We’re good. Let’s get out of here and go tease Nonna some more about how Alice said Dada first on Christmas.” Nicole smirked, giving her hip a squeeze as they turned back towards the counter. 

.  .  .

       “WAVERLY, WAKE UP!” 

       The brunette’s eyes snapped open, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of the screaming or the fact that Jessie was jumping up and down basically on top of her. She let out a groan, “What?” She rubbed her eyes, sitting up when her friend tugged her off her bed. “ What , Jess?” She grumbled as she was further dragged out of the room and down the hall, telling by the lack of light in the house that it was the ass crack of dawn. She was startled by the screech the group standing in her living room let out. Her eyes blinked around, seeing Jessie, Calli, Alexa, and Robin smiling at her. It took her a second, but then she realized it was her Maid of Honor, bridesmaids (minus Wynonna), and bridesman (minus Doc), and she suddenly put it together. She looked towards the kitchen, seeing Nicole sipping away at some coffee, leaning back against the counter with a smile as she crossed her arms over her uniform. “Guys . . .”

       “Waverly Earp.” Chrissy took a step forward with the evilest smirk on her face. “Are you ready for The Best Bachelorette Road Trip of your life?!” They all unrolled the shirts they had been holding, lifting them up to reveal a rocker hand with Ride or Bride in big puffy letters on the outside tire that the hand was in the middle of. 

       The brunette let out a shriek, happy clapping with a huge smile on her face as she bounced up and down. “ YES !” 

       Robin smirked as he and Alexa stepped to the side, revealing an easel standing there with a covered board on it. He whipped the bed sheet off and pulled the plastic pointer finger out of his back pocket, smacking it against the top of the map. “We will start at the lovely diner here in Purgatory for some breakfast. And from there, we will head to the beautiful Glacier National Park in British Columbia for some sightseeing, ending the day in our very own log cabin . Tomorrow, we will continue on to Vancouver for some shopping and eating before arriving at Border Control by nightfall. After a stay at a gorgeous hotel at the very top of Washington, we will head down to Seattle, where we will take a stroll through the beautiful city and take a trip to the top of the Space Needle. And to end the night , we will head over to CenturyLink Field, where we will, of course . . .” He flipped the page and smacked his pointer finger on it. “BE FRONT ROW FOR THE DEMI LOVATO CONCERT!”

       “NO FUCKING WAY!” Waverly shouted, mouth dropping to the floor. 

       “WAY!” Calli and Alexa laughed as they each pulled out three concert tickets from their pockets. 

       She let out a loud scream as she ran towards the group, wrapping as many of them as she could grab ahold of in a tight hug. “Oh my God! I love you guys so much!” They all laughed as they circled her to complete the group hug. 

       They calmed down after a few minutes and Robin flipped the page, continuing through their stops on the way back to Purgatory, but nothing could outshine Demi Lovato. It was impossible. 

       “Ok, Girly!” Chrissy threw her shirt at her, the only white one out of their light blue ones. “Go get dressed! We need to get a’movin!- Oh, and don’t worry about packing. Your future Mrs. already did that for you.” 

       The brunette looked towards Nicole with a blush and she shot her a wink over the rim of her mug. She gave her a small smile, turning away to the bedroom to get ready for her Ride or Bride Road Trip.

       Dressed and ready, Waverly made her way out into the living room, chatting with the group for a few minutes before her eyes drifted to the redhead, remembering one of the only two rules they had set. 1 was no strippers or strip clubs . And 2 was that they weren’t allowed to communicate at all throughout their parties or the night that she returned. Only when they both arrived at the altar the next day.

       Since they had moved in with each other, the longest they had been apart was three days and it was because Nicole had gone to an all-weekend Sheriff’s conference in Calgary, not soon after the Summer Slasher’s killings stopped, but they had still been able to talk to one another throughout the day. She let out a small sigh, looking back to her friends in front of her. “Hey. You guys can go wait in the van. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” She flicked her eyes towards Nicole for a second and they got the message, all wandering out of the house to the vehicle. She pushed her hands into her back pockets and walked over to her, stopping in front of her.

       “Are you excited, Baby?” Nicole asked, reaching her arms out and wrapping them around her middle, locking them behind her back as she tugged her close to touch her front. 

       “I am so, so, so excited!” She giggled. “Did you know what they were doing?” 

       She nodded, “They’ve been planning this since last year .”

       “Really?” 

       The Sheriff nodded.

       She raised her eyebrows a bit, but relaxed them after a few seconds, chewing her lip as she looked up at her. “. . . I’m gonna miss you, Cole.” 

       The redhead hugged her a little tighter. “I’m gonna miss you, too. Like, a lot .” The smaller one huffed sadly, dropping her head to her chest. “Hey. Just think. Around this time next week, we’ll be getting ready for our fricking wedding .”

       She let out a soft hum, lifting her head up with a smile and resting her chin on her chest. “That is true, isn’t it?” Nicole nodded. “Damn, it feels like we got engaged yesterday .”

       “Doesn’t it?” 

       “8 days, Baby. 8 .” 

       Nicole’s smile was big enough to slice her face in half. She reached up and cupped her face, pulling her into a loving kiss and waiting until she needed to breathe to release, pushing their foreheads together. “I love you. So much.”

       “I love you, too,” the younger one mumbled, holding onto the front of her shirt in her fists as if to keep her there a few seconds longer. 

       “Hey. You’re going to have a great time, ok? Don’t worry about me. Worry about you and them.” Nicole gave her a dimpled smile, running her thumb on her cheek. 

       She let out a deep sigh with a nod as she looked away from her for a second. “You have fun, too, ok? I already know what Jer’s got planned for you.” 

       She widened her eyes a bit but shook her head with a little laugh. “Lord, I can only imagine.” 

Waverly giggled as she tipped her head up into one last kiss, treating it as if it actually was . She pulled away with a sigh, looking up at her with a smile. “Don’t be hungover on our wedding or I’ll shove my bouquet up your ass.” 

       “Oo, kinky,” she smirked with a wink. 

       “ God ,” the brunette gagged, shaking her head as she pulled out of her arms. “Behave. Don’t bother Wynonna- she’s already freaking out as it is. Keep Mama’s head on straight. And, please , clean the litter box.” 

       Nicole scrunched her face through a smile. “I will, Love. Get going! They’re waiting!” 

       She let out a giggle as she pulled the front door open, blowing her a kiss with a wave. “I love you.” 

       The redhead waved back, leaning her hip against the counter. “I love you, too. Take care of Robin. Jer will kill me.” 

       “I will,” she assured. “Everyone on my watch will be returning home in one piece, I can promise you that.” 

       “Oh, I don’t doubt it, Baby,” Nicole smirked. 

       Waverly grinned as she took the step out the door, poking her head in right before she closed it. “Don’t forget your vows!” 

       She popped out as fast as she popped in and Nicole’s mouth opened slightly as a small bubble of fear brewed in her stomach. “. . . Yea, I should probably write those down right about now.” 

.  .  .

       The Sheriff looked up at the knock at her door, kicking herself for that small sliver of a thought that it was Waverly. It’s been three days, Haught. Seriously? She sat back in her chair and set down her pen, smoothing her shirt out. “Come in!” 

       The door opened and Pearson stuck his head in. “We just put two boys in the big cell. They’re asking for you.” 

       She cocked an eyebrow as she stood, walking around her desk. “Who is it?” 

       He gave her a shrug, closing her door behind her as she walked out and turned towards the holding cells. “Dunno. Never seen ‘em before.” 

       Nicole cocked an eyebrow but otherwise nodded as she continued on. She pulled the door open and stepped in slowly, eyes widening at the sight. 

       “You wanna play some hockey ?” 

       “Nah, sorry , it's not cold enough for me.”

       “Oh. Then how bout some maple syrup, aye? ”

       “I prefer poutine .” 

       Nicole blinked between the two with a small smirk working up her face as she tried to hold down laughter. She rolled her eyes and cleared her throat excessively loud. “Y’all two havin’ fun in there?” 

       They both looked towards her and the biggest smiles broke out onto all three of their faces. Nicole snorted as she walked forward and pressed the button on the wall, grabbing the cell door and ripping it open as the two men came barrelling out, wrapping her in the biggest hug. 

       “I missed y’all’s country bumpkin asses!” Nicole said as she squeezed her arms around each of their necks.

       “Aww, I missed your igloo buildin’ ass, too,” Joseph laughed as he wiggled out of the hug. 

       “Yea, Red. It’s been too long,” Romeo added. 

       She looked towards him with a shrug. “I’ve been busy. With the wedding planning and work, I haven’t had any free time.”

       “ Well . . .” Her cousin started, “I have a feeling that we are going to be giving you a lot of free time. Let’s go, Sheriff!” He gave her a push to the door, Romeo opening it and leading them out. 

       She was met with Jeremy, Dolls, and her old partner, Melody, in the pit. She smiled with a wave, seeing Luke and Rory chatting in the corner of the room away from the rest of them. She looked back towards her bridesmen and bridesmaid, squinting slightly when she realized what they were wearing. 

       Baseball jerseys.

       Team name?

       The Bridal Bunch.

       Her eyes lit aflame with excitement when she put it together in her mind. They were a team apparently. And what do teams do? Oh, they play. 

       She quickly handed out hugs to everyone, an adrenaline high pumping through her veins. She stopped at Jeremy and shook her head with a toothy smile, for the look on his face told her that it was all his idea. She pulled him into a bone-crushing hug, rocking him back and forth, spraying thank you’s into his ear. He tapped her shoulder for release and sucked in the air she had been depriving him of. “Would you like to figure out what is going on now?” He questioned with a smile. 

       “Fuck yea, I would!” 

       He grinned, clearing his throat. “So. After a lot of phone calls and a lot of planning, we are officially able to head up to Edmonton today to the AAA field there to play one of the best minor league teams in Alberta . WA-BANG!” 

       “REALLY?!” She gasped. 

       “Really,” Jeremy nodded. 

       Her eyes were almost as wide as her smile. “DUDE, THAT’S AWESOME!” 

       “RIGHT?!” Half the room agreed. 

       She leaped towards him and lifted him off the ground in a hug, shaking him around a bit before setting him on the Earth again and pressing a big kiss to his forehead. “Dude, I love you.” He smiled bashfully, giving her arm a pat. “No offense to you, but two questions.” 

       “Ok . . . Go ahead.” 

       “First, how are we a team with only six people.” 

       She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, so she turned her head to look, seeing Rory and Luke pulling their hoodies off as they walked towards them, also sporting jerseys underneath. The door opened across the room and Doc walked out, also sporting one. Her smile grew, for she knew he wasn’t able to be with Waverly because, in order to get out of the country, he needed a passport. And that was something he simply could not acquire. 

       She looked back towards her best friend. “Alright. And two, do you even know how to throw a ball?”

       “I figured you would ask that,” he answered flatly, but he gave her a wink. “Fortunately for you, we all have been having secret practices all week, so I think we are ready to roll.” She did a long, impressed nod, but looked up after hearing a honk from outside. Jeremy shoved her silver, blue, and white jersey, a pair of white and silver baseball pants, a matching light blue custom cap, and a pair of cleats at her (all what the rest of them were wearing). “Our ride’s here. Go get changed and meet us outside. The bag Waverly packed for you is already on the bus.” 

       “Bus?” She ducked down to look out the glass doors of the station, seeing a yellow school bus sitting outside with the one and only Marty Fasbinder sitting in the driver’s seat. It didn’t take her long to notice that the logo on their shirts seemed to have been spray-painted onto the side, as well. She shook her head with a breathy laugh, “Oh my God, this is the best.” 

       They all turned to go and she noticed that they all had their last names and a number on the backs of their jerseys, so she pulled her’s out of the pile in her arms to look at her own. She let out a single snort, shaking her head with a smile as she walked towards the bathroom. 

       It wasn’t her last name or her number.

       She was The Catch, number 00. And the zeros, of course, were rings .

.  .  .

       The beat of the song faded, and the entire stadium erupted into cheers, for Demi had been rocking the house so far. Waverly and the gang were standing right at the edge of the stage, adding a good chunk of noise to the screaming. 

       “You guys having a good time tonight?” Demi asked with a smile as she stepped off the part of the stage where she had last performed. The crowd whooped in agreement. “Good! I always love my Seattle shows. Everyone is always so excited and smiling here!” She turned up the thin stretch towards the area that they were standing. “Some shows I go to people are just too busy either filming me or getting drunk to actually be smiling and looking like they are having a good time in the moment, but it seems most of you guys aren’t doing any of that.” The crowd whooped again and the group watched the smile that pushed onto her face. “Well, since you guys are having such a good time, let’s get it sta-”

       She paused.

       Turned.

       And looked Waverly dead in the eye. 

       Her eyes flicked down to her shirt (because they were obviously wearing their Ride or Bride shirts again), then back up to her. “Oh my God, are you getting married?!” She asked with a grin as she dropped down to her knees in front of her. Her brain turned off from the fact that Demi Lovato was talking to her, so she simply nodded quickly with a big smile. “ My concert is part of your bachelorette party?!” The look on her face proved that she was honest to God honored by the fact. 

       “Last stop on our road trip before we go back,” she confirmed. 

       “ Awww , wait, that’s so cute. Come up here.” She called her with her hand as she stood to her feet. 

       Her eyes bugged out. “ Really ?” She asked in disbelief. 

       “Yes! I need to hear about this!” 

       The brunette let out a laugh, looking side to side at her friends as they freaked out, pushing her forward encouragingly. She shook her head at herself as she pulled herself up onto the stage, looking out at the crowd as a cheer rushed over. 

       Demi grabbed her hand and walked her closer to the middle of the stage. “Ok, first of all, what’s your name?” 

       She tipped the microphone towards her with a grin and the brunette giggled, “Waverly.” Some member of the crew tapped her on the shoulder with another microphone, so she took it.

       “Waverly. And who is the lucky . . .?” 

       “Woman?” 

       “ Woman ?” Demi gasped, bumping her arm. 

       “Woman,” she laughed with a nod. “Her name’s Nicole.” 

       “Waverly and Nicole. I love it. So what is this-” she glanced down at her top for a second, “ Ride or Bride road trip?” 

       “Well, we started near Calgary cause that’s where we’re all from and then we hit some places on the way to Vancouver, and from there we got into the US and came over to here. The wedding is on the 16th, so we’re gonna head back tomorrow, heading some of the places we skipped over.”

       Demi’s smile never left her face. “That is the cutest thing ever. A Bachelorette Road Trip.” The crowd let out a whoop in agreement.

       Waverly nodded with a shrug, looking towards Chrissy. “It was my Maid of Honor’s idea. Blame her.” 

       Demi leaned back to look at who she was pointing to with a smile, giving her a thumbs up. She laughed, giving her a double thumbs up back. She looked back towards Waverly. “Does Nicole know where you’re at right now?” 

       “I mean, she knows I’m coming here. But we aren’t supposed to talk , so I dunno.” 

       “You two haven’t talked since you left?” She asked, raising her eyebrows. 

       “No. And we’re only halfway at three days in and I already can’t take it, so thanks, Guys .” She shot a playful look towards her friends. 

       Demi squinted at her for a second, then tipping her head around her again to look at the group. “How bad would it be if she broke that rule a little right about now?” They all widened their eyes, quickly shouting words of encouragement to do so. “Ok. You have consent.” She looked up to the crowd. “What do you guys think? Should we give almost-Wifey a call?” They also gave a cheer of encouragement. She looked to Waverly. “I think we should give her a call.” 

       She slowly pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Are you sure?”

             “I am one billion percent sure,” Demi assured, squeezing her arm. 

“Ok . . . Should I FaceTime her?” 

       She let out a loud gasp, “Even better . Here, wait.” She turned around. “Can someone figure out how to get her phone screen to show up on that thing?” She pointed up to the big screen to the right of her and a member of the crew ran up after a few seconds and took her phone, messing with her settings for a second before it suddenly popped up and they rushed back off. “Perfect! I’m so excited, ok. Everyone listen. I want you to be able to hear a pin drop in this place, alright? I don’t want her to know what’s going on at first. Can you guys do that?” There was a small cheer of agreement before it quieted down completely, which was slightly haunting but also the coolest thing ever. “Alright, let’s do it.” She looked towards the shorter girl with a grin. 

       “There is a possibility that she might not answer. She’s a Sheriff so if she's on a call or whatever . . .” Waverly let out a breath as she hit the FaceTime button. 

       “I won’t be complaining if I see her in uniform,” the singer mumbled away from her microphone as she looked down at the phone from an angle that she couldn’t be seen, and the brunette let out a snort. 

       Waverly’s heart rate picked up at the sound of the phone answering as Nicole’s face appeared on her screen. But instead of a smile, she looked worried. “Wave, what’s wrong? Why- We said emergencies only - Are you hurt? I swear-” 

       “ Baby , I’m fine. Chill,” she said with a laugh. Nicole’s face lost it’s worry, but her brow remained furrowed. The brunette realized by her hat and the background that she was at the baseball field. She looked to Demi, and she met her eyes, dropping her jaw playfully as she fanned herself. A small chuckle passed over the crowd with a few wolf whistles, but she put her finger to her lips with a smirk.

       “What the hell was that ?” Nicole asked.

       “What was what?” Waverly questioned faux-obliviously, cocking her head as she held down a smile. 

       “That noise- Wait, where even are you?” She asked in utter confusion. 

       “Oh, I’m at the concert. It’s really great so far.” 

       She blinked at her for a beat. “Waves, Baby, you’re gonna get us in trouble. Jeremy and Chrissy are gonna beat our heads in if they see us talking.” 

       “Chrissy said it was ok.” She flipped the camera around to face her best friend, and she gave her a nod with a thumbs up.

       “Wait, are you on stage ?!” Nicole gasped, eyes bugging out of her head. 

       She flipped the camera around to face her, turning her body to get the singer in the shot. “Did I not mention that?- Oh! Your face is up there, too.” 

       Demi waved at her with a smile when she brought it back down to face her, seeing the completely dumbfounded look on the redhead’s face. “Hi, Nicole!” 

       “HOLY SHIT!” She smacked her hand over her mouth, dropping it slightly after a second. “Wait, can I say shit?- Damn it, I said it again.” A laugh passed over the crowd and her eyes widened even more. 

       “You can say shit, Potty Mouth,” Demi laughed. 

       “Ok, good. Now why the hell is my fiancée on your stage?” 

       “Uh, cause she’s awesome ,” she huffed. 

       “Fair enough,” the Sheriff nodded in agreement. “How big is that place?” 

       “Uhh.” Waverly flipped the camera again, doing a slow sweep of the stadium as the room erupted into cheers. She turned it back, smiling at her slightly paled face. “Pretty big.” 

       “Aw, they can all see my gorgeous face?” She asked with a grin, dimples on full display. They only deepened as the room whooped and hollered. 

       “I mean, just putting it out there, you can arrest me anytime you want, Sheriff ,” Demi informed with a smirk as she leaned into view and wiggled her eyebrows.

       “I’ll keep it in mind,” Nicole winked. The crowd went crazy .

       “If you wanna marry Demi instead, Nic, be my guest,” Waverly sighed in mock offense when they calmed down.

       “Darlin’, I’d be insane to pass you up. Trust me when I tell you I wouldn’t trade you for the world.” She tipped her head with a soft smile. 

       Waverly forgot that she was in a room filled to the brim with people for a second as she melted, lip pouting. “Quit,” she mumbled. 

       “Just stating facts, Baby,” the redhead shrugged in her drawl. 

       Waverly let out a groan, covering her face slightly as her cheeks went red. “You take her,” she mumbled, handing her phone over to Demi. 

       “You two are literally the cutest thing I have ever seen, I’m not even lying,” she said with a little laugh. “Also where the hell  in Canada are you from with that southern accent?” 

       “Oh, I’m originally from Dallas,” she corrected. 

       “Ahh, see, that makes a lot more sense now.” She looked towards Waverly with a smile. “Well. I would love to listen to that sexy voice and stare at those dimples all day long , but this show must go on at some point.” 

       “And I have a bachelorette baseball game about to start here in a few minutes,” the redhead added, tipping her phone down to the front of her jersey for a second. 

       “You two are just living it, aren’t you?” Demi said with a breathy laugh. 

       “We really are,” Waverly agreed, shaking her head in amazement. 

       “ Damn . . . Ok, well. It was really nice talking to you, Nicole!” The singer smiled. “And I wish the both of you the best of luck in marriage. From what I can tell, you two are perfect for one another.” 

       “I just got lucky,” Waverly admitted, giving Nicole a smile that she mirrored. “I love you.” 

       “Love you, too, Babe. And thank you, Demi. I’m sure you’ve made my girl’s night.” 

       “Oh, it’s my pleasure. You two have made my night, so it’s only fair.” She handed the phone back over to the brunette.

       “I’ll see you Friday,” Waverly smiled. 

       “Bye, Waves,” she grinned with a little chuckle. “And bye Seattle! Enjoy the rest of this Killer Lady’s show!” The room cheered and clapped as Waverly smiled at her, giving her a little wave before pressing the end call button. 

       She let out a raspberry, looking towards Demi with a smile. “That’s Nicole for you.” 

       She nodded, raising her eyebrows, “So where can I find my Nicole?” 

       Waverly laughed with a shrug, “Mine pulled me over, so just knock your tail light out and you might find yourself a redheaded Deputy Haught.” 

       “ Haught ?” She questioned with a laugh. 

       Waverly smirked, “Yep. Fitting, right?” 

       “ Very . So are you switching to Haught or staying . . .” 

       “Haught or Earp?- yes, that Earp. Or Haught-Earp or Earp-Haught?” She turned her head to her friends. “Well, I would tell you, but they aren’t allowed to know yet.” She threw them a cheeky wink and they all shot her a look. 

       “Aw, c’mon,” Demi pleaded. “Now I wanna know.” Waverly let out a little laugh, pulling her microphone away from her face and leaning to her ear to whisper it. “Ahh. Nice,” she smiled. “Your Sheriff is one lucky woman.”

       The younger girl let out a small huff, turning her phone back on and going into her camera roll, quickly scrolling through until she found a picture of Nicole in uniform staring at the camera with a confused look on her face, boots in one hand and the other held out in question of why she was getting her picture taken. “I get to see this every day. I’m pretty sure I’m the lucky one.” 

       They both turned their heads to look at the screen that it was still projecting on and the room let out some whistles and cheers. “Sheriff Haught ,” the singer muttered into her mic. 

       “Oh, you want one better?” The crowd whooped and Demi turned her head towards her, raising her eyebrows in wonder. “Ahh, she’s gonna kill me,” she chuckled as she clicked off of that picture and scrolled up in her camera roll, opting for one that Nicole had taken of herself. It was a bathroom mirror selfie where she had cleared the fog off of part of the mirror to reveal herself freshly showered in nothing but a sports bra and a towel around her waist that was hanging dangerously low, leaving the V of her abs very visible. And the smirk on her face as she purposely flexed her arm while she pushed her free hand through her wet hair made it known that she was being a tease. “I got this one while I was in the midst of student teaching some 6th graders a week or so ago, so, uh, I guess showing this to 20,000 people is payback?”

       “You might just be the luckiest woman on Earth,” Demi said with a breathy laugh. 

       “I know right?”

       She glanced down at her phone screen, feeling it buzz in her hand. She read the message just as fast as everyone else did judging by the laugh that rolled over, for the text was at the top of the screen. 

Nic ❤️ ❤️ : WAVERLY EARP I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD GET IT OFF

       She cocked an eyebrow, wondering how she knew, but she turned her head and saw that Robin had his phone screen pointing at her and she realized she was now on a FaceTime with him. And her face was very, very red. She giggled as she hit the home button and turned her phone off, blowing a kiss at her with a little wave. He turned the phone back towards himself and she looked to Demi with a chuckle, “I win.” 

       “I have a feeling you’re gonna pay for that.” 

       “Oh, I’m sure I will. But it’s so worth it.” 

___

       “I’m going to kill her,” Nicole groaned with a facepalm. 

       “You really don’t fuck with an Earp,” Robin mumbled. 

       “Yea, no shit.” 

       “I’m jealous, she just got a hug from Demi Lovato ,” he grumbled. “She’s coming back over here. Do you wanna talk to her?” 

       “Is Chrissy gonna yell at me?” The redhead questioned, speaking loud enough so she knew she would hear her. 

       “No, I’m not gonna yell at you ,” the blonde mocked, sticking her face in front of the phone. 

       Nicole rolled her eyes, watching her screen as her fiancée’s smirk appeared a few seconds later, for she had climbed off the stage. “That was rude of you.” 

       “Well it was rude of you to send that to me, Honey,” Waverly said with a smile. 

       “ Cute .” 

       “Hey, Demi called you hot, why are you complaining?” 

       The Sheriff scoffed, “Maybe because now the whole stadium and Demi Lovato has seen me almost naked?” 

       “I could have shown them one of you completely naked,” she pointed out. Her friends groaned beside her.

       “HEY!” 

       The brunette snorted, “I would never . The only person allowed to see you naked is me and I’d like to keep it that way.” 

       “What naked pictures of me do you even have ? I’ve never sent you nudes.”

       “Mhm,” Jessie mumbled from beside her. 

       “I haven’t! I’m a Sheriff and not a horny teenager!” 

       “That is true, she hasn’t,” Waverly said in her defense. “That one is about as naked as she’s ever sent. And to answer your question.” She raised her brows at the redhead. “Remember when we went skinny dipping in the pool in Vegas the first time I went with you cause we couldn’t sleep?” 

       Her brows raised. “I do,” she mumbled, mouth drying at the memory. 

       “Mhm. I have a nice collection of evidence from that night.” 

       “Well, if my memory stands , I believe I was wearing something ,” she smirked. “Maybe not clothes , per se.” 

       “OH GOD ,” Chrissy gagged as she put it together. Calli and Alexa were busy cackling while Jessie’s face twisted in disgust. 

       “Am I missing something?” Robin questioned slowly. 

       “Oh, Robbie, you poor thing,” Nicole sighed, smirking at how red Waverly’s face was. Her head lifted when she heard her name called, looking up from her phone to see Jeremy waving her over. She stood and looked quickly down at her phone. “Hey, I think the game is gonna start here soon. I’ll see you later, ok?” 

       Waverly frowned a little, knowing this would be the last time she got to talk to her before the wedding. “Ok. I love you, Nic. Good luck out there.” 

       “Love you, too, Baby. Thank you. Bye, Guys!” 

       “Bye, Nicole!” They echoed in unison. 

       “Oh! Hey, one more thing!” Nicole said right before Waverly hung up.

       “What?” She questioned confusedly. 

       “Don’t trip down the aisle,” she smirked, getting her payback from the days prior. 

       “ NICOLE RAYLEIGH HAU- ” 

       The redhead laughed, hanging up the phone to cut her off and setting it down with her things before walking further into the dugout where the rest of them were. “Is it starting?” She asked, peeking out onto the field where the umpires were chatting. 

       “I think they are gonna introduce you or something. They said they want you out there,” Romeo said with a shrug. 

       She nodded, taking a drink and tossing the bottle onto the bench before walking onto the field towards the huddle. She looked out into the crowd, smiling with a wave when she saw Gus, Michelle, and Wynonna with Alice sitting in the stands. “Y’all wanted me?” She questioned when she stopped in front of them. 

       The huddle opened up and her jaw dropped. 

       She wasn’t sure if it was out of shock or surprise, but what she did know was that Orion Wu and Jorge Posada were standing in front of her. “No way . . .” She breathed out, eyes flicking between them. 

       They both had gotten wedding invitations, Orion even being offered to be one of her Bridesmen, but they had each told her they were busy.

       But considering that they were standing in front of her, she figured it was a big fat lie. 

       Her brain finally caught up with her eyes and she let out a breathy laugh, “Holy shit!” She barrelled forward and smothered them each in a hug. “Oh my God!” She pulled back, looking back and forth between them. “You made it!” 

       “You really think I’d put any other plans over your wedding , Kid?” Jorge said with a laugh, clapping her shoulder as he pulled her into an individual hug. 

       She pulled away after a few seconds. “I mean, yea,” she admitted a little sheepishly. 

       “Of course not!” 

       She gave him a little shrug as her face blushed before looking towards Orion. “Jeez, dude, you’re as tall as me now,” she mumbled, for when she saw him last the year before for his 14th birthday he was closer to Waverly’s height. 

       “Yea. It’s called puberty , Coach,” he said with a smirk. 

       “Oh my God , you sound like a MAN !” She gawked. “How old are you now? 39?” 

       “I’m 15 ,” he laughed. “You literally sound like my mom.” 

       “Oh, you want me to show you Mom , huh?” 

       “No-” 

       Orion was very quickly cut off as he was squashed in a hug and lifted off the ground, wiggled around for a couple of seconds. “Oh my baby! You’re so grown up! You’re such a big boy, yes you are.” 

       He pushed at her with a laugh until she set him back down. “You’re going to wrinkle my jersey ,” he said with a playful huff, sliding his hands down his matching uniform. 

       “Holy shit, you’re playing?” 

       “Yep. You really thought Rory could stick his hand in a glove with those nails?” He asked with a laugh. 

       “Y’know I was trying to figure that out,” she admitted, turning her head to look at Jorge. “Are you playing?” She questioned, noticing he was in the uniform, too. 

       “Nah. I’m coaching third. I’m getting old, Kid.” 

       “ Bullshit ,” she scoffed with a smirk. “Who is the first base coach then? Rory?” 

       “Rory and Jeremy.” 

       “Jer said he was playing, I thought?” 

       “ Lies ,” they both said with shakes of their head. 

       “Oo, Red Haught’s up,” Wynonna said, pointing her phone more towards home plate. It was the 7th inning and the teams were surprisingly tied 4-4. Waverly was back at the hotel from the concert, so she had hooked her phone up to the TV once Wynonna called her, and they were all watching. 

       “C’mon, Baby,” the older Earp heard her sister mumble. 

       “HAUGHT, YOUR GIRL IS WATCHING YOU!” She shouted as the redhead tapped her bat on the plate a few times. Nicole turned her head, smirking as she spun her bat around a bit and pointed it at her before hitching it to her shoulder and letting out a breath. 

       The pitcher would up and fired one at her that she let pass. She’d only watched this reliever pitch for the last inning and she had already noticed his pattern. For the best team in Alberta, they weren’t that great, but then again, they were going up against a team with Nicole, an all-star catcher, Romeo, the Marines’ baseball team’s MVP pitcher, Luke, a very speedy center fielder, and Dolls, a literal dragon playing 1st. 

       Nicole sucked in some air as he loaded back up and sent a curveball her way. She hitched her leg and swung with everything she had, hearing the loud crack of the bat as it collided with the ball. She didn’t even need to look at it to know it was gone. She let out a laugh as her mouth curved into a huge grin. She tossed her bat away and spun towards Wynonna, backpedaling a few steps as she kissed her hand and pointed at her phone with it before turning forward and rounding the bases as Joseph went from second to home, giving them a 6-4 lead, but at this point, she didn’t care if they won or lost because that moment right there was all she needed.

.  .  .

       They ended up pulling through with their two-point lead, even though the team swore they let them win . Either way, they had quite the after-party to celebrate it. Nicole woke up the next morning with a pounding headache but it didn’t dim her spirits much. They all packed their things and loaded the bus back up, spending a couple of hours bullshitting around the Capital before heading for home. 

       The bus ride home consisted of a 5-hour hungover sing-along that featured some shockingly beautiful renditions of Jessie’s Girl, Life Is A Highway, Don’t Stop Believin’, Africa, Little Red Corvette, and No Scrubs, of course. 

       The Pokemon Theme Song, though, took the cake with Nicole and Dolls as the lead singers. 

       After the end of the beat faded out, Nicole tried to catch her breath as she looked out the window, seeing that they were just getting to Calgary. She racked a thought over in her brain, painfully ignoring the beginning of Sugar, We’re Going Down as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts, pushing her phone through her ear. 

       “Hey, Toph! I gotta question for ya . . . Yea, are you at work right now?”