Chapter 1

The past few weeks had been more than stressful on Waverly. Losing her uncle Curtis was harder than she expected. She spent hours alone sometimes after closing up Shortys just sitting by herself thinking about the past and what would happen now. Sure she knew Gus would still be there to take care of her like she always had after Waverly had gone to live with them after losing her father and Willa. And now everything seemed so different. On this particular night Waverly had just finished wiping down the bar and was carrying a basket of dirty wet towels towards the back when she heard the door open and someone walk in.

"Sorry, we're closed" Waverly said over her shoulder without looking back to see who walked in.

"That's the best 'Happy Birthday' I get? Sheez should have stayed in Greece!"

Waverly stopped dead in her tracks and dropped the basket. She turned around slowly to be sure she was not imagining things, "Wynonna?" She asked slowly.

"Yeap, Baby-girl its me!" Wynonna said slapping her hands down on the bar leaning over it peering behind to see what booze was within arms reach.

Waverly was in shock. She hadn't seen her sister in over three years now. She looked at her in disbelief recalling when Wynonna had ridden out of Purgatory on her Harley with a finger in the air claiming nothing in hell could make her come back.
She just stared taking Wynonna in. Her hair was longer than she remembered and a little darker? More auburn definitely. Wearing her signature leather cropped jacket and low cut shirt she was definitely her sister. Then Waverly saw the blood
on Wynonnas cheek.

"What happened to you?" Waverly asked reaching under the bar grabbing one of the few clean towels left.

"Well mostly I travelled around for a bit introducing the world to Wynonna..." She started before Waverly cut her off.

"No to your face!" She remarked rounding the bar and reaching out with the towel for Wynonna to grab.

"My face?! What no!" Wynonna grabbed he towel quickly blotting over her face until Waverly saw her wince in pain as she found the cut on her cheek. "Damn re-" was all she could get out before she winced in pain as Waverly had grabbed the towel and was
blotting the blood from her face.

"What happened!?" Waverly demanded now behind the bar wetting the towel to remove he dried blood from Wynonnas face now noticing the mud on her jacket and sticks in her hair. It looked like Wynonna had been thrown from a bus.

"Well I was on my way here..."

The door to the bar opened again for the second time after closing and a worried looking man came in his face pale white. He wore a uniform that Waverly couldn't quite place and the man seemed in such a state he didn't even notice the two women standing
there, or that the bar was obviously closed.

"Sir...?" Waverly looked at him. He just sat there staring forward. Waverly looked at Wynonna who wasn't paying the man much attention as she was looking at her reflection in the brass backing of the beer taps wincing as she tried to clean her wound the
best she could.

"Sir..." Waverly questioned again moving slightly closer to him this time, "I'm sorry bu-"

And the door opened a third time for the evening Waverly noting to her self she needed to lock the doors first thing after closing from now on. In walked Sherrif Nedley, he was an older gentleman whom the Earps were quite familiar with, especially
Wynonna. He walked down the few steps and nodded to Waverly. Then turned towards the gentleman sitting at the bar.

"Larry." Nedley said firmly with a clap on the shoulder. The man slowly turned and looked at the Sheriff. "Let's talk." Was all Nedley said and the gentleman turned and stood and walked over to a table as Nedley took the chairs that Waverly had
spent an hour picking up and putting on top of the tables and placed two down so they both could sit. He pulled out a notebook and a pen and the two spoke quietly.

"Psssst" Waverly's concentration of trying to hear what was being said was broke. "Psssssssstttt!" Wynonna made the noise louder this time and was bent down like she was trying to hide behind the taps and waved Waverly over.

"What?" Waverly asked apparently louder than Wynonna cared for as she made a motion with both her hands indicating for Waverly to be quiet.

"That's him!" Wynonna squeaked. Bending over the bar moving back and forth behind the taps. "What's Nedley doing here?"

"Who's him?" Waverly asked now whispering with Wynonna and leaning down as well.

"The bus driver!" Wynonna said looking at Waverly like she was crazy.

Waverly started to think her assumptions that Wynonna had been thrown from a bus were right.

"What bus driver?" Waverly whispered back. Obviously not following her sisters conversation. Wynonna rolled her eyes annoyed that her sister wasn't catching on as quickly as she hoped. They both stayed quiet trying hard to listen to the Sherrif
and Larry.

"Why did she get off the bus?" Nedley asked.

"Who got off the bus?" Waverly asked looking at Wynonna, "no one gets off the bus." Waverly said pointedly. It was a fact that while no one really knew why they just knew, you don't get off the bus outside of town.

"I did." Wynonna said matter of factly.

"What? They are talking about you?!" Waverly said a little louder than she intended while standing up. "We should tell them.. Ow!" Wynonna grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back down.

"No. They are talking about Kiersten." Wynonna said.

"Who's Kiersten?"

Wynonna just rolled her eyes and pressed her finger to her lips.

Nedley patted the man on the shoulder again and stood up turning towards the bar. Wynonna practically fell to the floor. "Waverly could you give Larry here a shot and charge it to my tab." He said holding his hat in his hands. His face was sullen. "And
do you have any coffee?" He asked almost as if he didn't want to impose. Waverly smiled her signature smile and reached under the bar. She always had a pot going at night it helped whine her down after the long shifts. She poured the Sherrif
a cup and set it on the bar while pouring Larry a shot of whiskey and walking it over to him.

"I know your down there Wynonna Earp." Nedley said as he took a sip of his coffee. Wynonna slowly stood turning to look at Nedley with a smile like a 5 year old who had just gotten into trouble. "Do I need to arrest you?" He asked over his
coffee cup. Wynonna looked worried. "For old times sake?" He said taking another sip.

"Better not risk it Nedley," Wynonna rebutted reaching over the bar grabbing the closest bottle of booze she could and taking a swig. "We all know your only one grope away from an early grave."

Nedley scoffed. "When did you get into town?" Wynonna looked side ways at him. "Happen to take the bus?" Wynonna took another drink.

Nedley just looked at her over his coffee cup daring her to lie.

"Maybe" said Wynonna taking another generous swig of the cheap liquor.

"Wanna tell me what happened out there?" Nedley took his notepad out of his pocket.

"Coyotes. Big ones." Wynonna never broke eye contact with Nedley. He stared back at her unwavering.

"Mmhmm" Nedley mumbled putting his notebook back in his pocket. He took another drink of coffee put it down and slid his hat back on his head as he stood up. "If you happen to remember anything else.."

"Yea I know your number..." Wynonna smirked.

Nedley escorted Larry out of the bar and Waverly turned back to Wynonna. She approached her and pulled her into a hug much to Wynonnas dismay.

"Geez come here!" Waverly said giving her a squeezed before letting go. "Now tell me what happened." Waverly said grabbing a glass from the bar and pouring herself a drink from Wynonnas bottle getting first a "hey!" From Wynonna then a smile of approval
as Waverly handed the bottle back.

Waverly woke up the next morning with her head pounding. She sat up moaning as the room seemed to spin. She thought back on the events of the previous night. She looked over in her bed and there was Wynonna sprawled across the bed snoring and drooling
heavily. She grabbed some clothes off a chair and a towel and headed towards the shower to wash off the alcohol she felt seeping from her pores.

In the shower she thought about how Wynonna had told her last night that they were attacked when Kiersten got off the bus. She managed to fight him off but got a nasty cut on her cheek and some good bruises. "I've had worse birthdays" Wynonna had
joked.

When she came back feeling slightly better she walked into Wynonna staring at her wall of pictures she had collected from her research. Pictures of her father, her grandfather, great grandfather and Wyatt Earp himself. Newspaper clippings, maps, etc.
everything she had been researching was there. "I told you. I'm ready to help." Waverly said standing there towel on her head.

"What the sweet hell is this?" Wynonna asked seriously disturbed by what she saw.

"My research. You know after all this research." Waverly said walking over grabbing a box and sitting it on the bed. "A reason why I couldn't break the curse." Waverly was remembering their conversation from the previous night. How Uncle Curtis had sent
Wynonna a desperate text before he died. Telling her that they had found him. That the revanents were on to him.

"We are getting the hell out of here!" Wynonna grabbed Waverly by the wrist and drug her out of the apartment above Shortys bar, Waverly's towel flying off as they stumbled down the stairs.

"Stop! Wynonna!" Waverly tried to stop her sister while not falling. "Stop!" Waverly broke her wrist free. She started going back up stairs and turned and noticed Wynonna just stood there.

"Waverly, we need to leave."

"We need to break the curse." Waverly crossed her arms standing her ground. She looked her up and down, if one thing she thought she could never call her sister it was a coward. As she looked down at Wynonnas feet she noticed it, Peacemaker. Her eyes grew wide and Wynonna noticed her gaze. Wynonna took a few steps back. "You had it this whole time!?" Waverly said stepping down towards Wynonna. Wynonna backed away more.

"Yea I did." Wynonna said raising her hand to block Waverly coming any closer. "I was a scared kid and I hid it. After you passed out last night I went and got it. I threw it down a well." Wynonna dropped her hand and sighed. "We should just leave this place. Leave this curse behind." Waverly stopped approaching as she saw the expression in Wynonna change. Wynonna had already tried to do it before and here she was again. They walked to the bar where Wynonna laid Peacemaker on the bar and grabbed a bottle.

Waverly had nothing to say just sat down beside her sister placing an arm around her shoulders laying her head on her shoulder.

"So how do we get started?" Waverly asked Wynonna as they were walking across the street. Wynonna had announced she was done sitting and needed coffee so the pair had left Shortys heading for the local cafe for some coffee and breakfast.

"Wynonna Earp" Wynonna grabbed the switchblade from her waistband and turned so fast that Waverly nearly fell down. She stood knife to the throat of a tall man. Who said nothing but reached inside his black suit jacket pocket and pulled out a badge. "Deputy Marshall Dolls."