Say what you will about Wynonna (and a lot of people did, regardless of where they ended up) but she had always been an incredible sister.
Their parents had been killed when Waverly was twelve and Wynonna was sixteen, and as soon as the social worker informed Wynonna that it was highly unlikely that, because of their differences in age, they would be houses together, they decided wouldn't be staying in that children's home.
Wynonna understood, no one wants a sixteen year old, traumatised kid who watched their parents die. At least with Waverly she was still somewhat young, less likely to rebel. She understood what the social working was trying hard not to say; Waverly was salvageable, Wynonna wasn't.
They had been in the kids home for a night when Wynonna shook Waverly awake, telling her to grab her things, that they were leaving, and Waverly followed her without a word. She would follow her sister to the end of the earth if she asked.
Wynonna left most of her clothes behind in favour of filling her bag with essentials like food and blankets, she also took any money she could find and they were gone.
And, over the past four and a half years, they had moved from small town to small town and, in that time, Wynonna ensured that Waverly never went hungry (even if that meant Wynonna didn't eat), she would steal books and textbooks for Waverly because education was important, and she would always find them a place too squat for the short amount of time they stayed in each town.
There was always whispers, locals wondering who the hell the broody teenager, and the timid teenager were, and who they belonged too. They didn't stay too long, not long enough for the locals to figure out that they didn't actually belong to anyone (it was roughly around two to three months each town).
Waverly was a month away from her seventeenth birthday when they arrived in Purgatory.
"Our lives the past few years have been like purgatory, are we really going to live here?"
"I'm working on getting a job here,"
"It is a small town, Wynonna, they don't hire outsiders. If you want to get a decent job we will have to go to a big city."
"We can't, Wave." Wynonna insisted, gripping onto the straps of her backpack as they walked a little further into the town centre. "All that have to do is a simple background check to realise we are runaways. From experience, small towns tend to be more likely to deal in cash."
"They can't send you back, you are eighteen now."
"No, but they can take you away. I won't let them do that." Wynonna stated definitely. "And I think I will get into a lot of trouble for taking you away."
Waverly sighed, her hands holding onto the straps of her own backpack and her head drooped to look at her feet. "We can't keep stealing from and scamming people, Wy, you will get into a lot of trouble if we do."
"I know," Wynonna agreed, ignoring the curious look from a man walking past them, slipping her arm around her sisters shoulder. "Don't worry, kid, we've survived this long. We just have too be ready to take off at any moment,"
"I know the drill," Waverly grumbled.
"Wave," Wynonna sighed, gently taking ahold of her sisters wrist and turning her around to look at her, ducking her head too catch Waverly's eye. "Do you want me to take you back? You don't have to keep running."
The thought of leaving her sister was terrifying. Waverly had never really been all that great at defending herself, Wynonna had always kept her out of danger. Like the situation three towns back, where they had scouted out a house for almost a week, ensure it would be empty before sneaking inside (the house was huge, okay? They were sure the woman who owned it wouldn't miss a little food and a few trinkets they could sell). It just so happened that, that night, the woman just so happened to come home early, catching the sisters rummaging through her pantry.
They had tried to run but the woman had a gun and looked more than ready to use it, so Waverly tried to talk them out of it. The woman didn't even pretend to listen, levelling the gun on Waverly.
Wynonna didn't think twice about stepping in front of her sister, glaring at the woman in front of her. "You keep that gun on me, lady." she had warned and Waverly gripped onto the back of her sisters shirt.
They got away, taking off out the back door when the woman went to answer the door to the cops. Waverly insisted that she could still shoot them, that they shouldn't run, but Wynonna promised that she wouldn't, not with the police there. And she was right.
They left the town less than an hour later.
She didn't want to leave her sister. Not now, not ever.
"No, I don't want that."
"Good, because I don't want to keep doing this without out." Wynonna smiled, squeezing Waverly's cheeks with her hand. "Besides, we work better together."
They found an abandoned house on the outskirts of town, it was run down, didn't have a lot of furniture but it was a roof over their heads to shield them from the winter, it had a fireplace and a decent floor to sleep on. Hell, it even had a lake near by that they could use for water and to wash themselves.
"We I'll figure it out," Wynonna commented as they laid on the floor of their new home, one arm tucked under her head while the other was wrapped around her sister, attempting to keep the girl warm. "It might not be this town, or the one after, but eventually, we will make roots, find a home, jobs."
"I know," Waverly whispered against Wynonna's shoulder. "I trust you."
"I will go into town again tomorrow, look for a job, you can have a look at those textbooks we got in the last town."
Waverly nodded, the younger sister was obviously exhausted from all the walking they have done the past twenty four hours, so Wynonna let her sleep.
When Waverly woke up the following afternoon Wynonna was gone and she was buried under a mountain of blankets, Wynonna's obvious attempt to keep her warm in the chilly October morning.
There was a sandwich wrapped in a little ziplock bag and a bottle of water beside her, along with the Latin textbook they had stolen a few towns back and a note warning Waverly to study ('gone to look for a job, you better her some reading done. you don't wanna be dumb, kiddo').
Waverly smiled against the makeshift pillow she had crafted from a pile of clothes, stretching out her limbs, waiting for herself to wake up before getting up to eat the sandwich.
She didn't have any doubts that Wynonna would get a job, she was initially quite charming, the only problem with her sister was her inabilities to keep her job. She was a free spirit, she had always rebelled against anyone in an authoritative position, including her bosses.
She hoped with every new town, with every new job, things would be different.
It never was.
But that was fine, they couldn't make roots yet anyway, not until Waverly was eighteen and child services didn't have any legal pull over her.
Waverly couldn't wait for that day. Wynonna promised that, as soon as she turned eighteen, they would head too Calgary, make roots there.
Waverly was lost in the Latin textbook she was studying when Wynonna returned, grinning excitedly at her sister.
"Bar?" Waverly asked, raising an eyebrow at Wynonna.
"Bar," Wynonna nodded, sitting down on the floor beside her sister. "A place called Shorty's, I start tonight."
"Should I go see about getting a job, too?"
"No, don't worry about it, kid." Wynonna waved her hand dismissively, reaching over her sister to grab the bottle of water. "I'm going to go to the grocery story in town in a little while, do you want to come with me? Get outta this house."
"Sure,"
Wynonna relaxed for a little over an hour before dragging Waverly away from her reading and dragging her to the grocery store in town.
Waverly pushed the cart while Wynonna picked out food they could eat without a cooker or a microwave, as well as keeping an eye on how much it was costing, making sure not to go over the very limited budget they had.
Waverly braced her elbows on the handle of the cart, concentrating on the book she had brought with her, following obediently behind her sister. The store was quite so she didn't really have to worry about running anyone one with the cart.
Waverly glanced up as she turned a corner, ensuring she didn't knock over at displays. Instead of a display her eyes landed on a pretty girl who was making her way in their direction.
The girl caught Waverly's eye just as Waverly looked up, a little grin dimpling her cheek when she noticed Waverly staring (which, really, she wasn't. They had just looked up at the same time) (but, jeez, was she cute).
Waverly was so distracted by the pretty redhead, her head turning as she walked past her, that she didn't notice her sister had stopped walking, causing her to barrel right into her back with the cart.
"What the hell, Wave?" Wynonna huffed, whirling around to look at her sister, who held her book up sheepishly.
"I was distracted," She only half lied. She was distracted, just not by a dead language.
"We are almost done, anyway." Wynonna said before turning down an aisle.
Waverly glanced back over her shoulder, her lips twitching to form a smile when she saw the redhead standing in front of the milk fridge, completely ignoring the milk in favour of staring at Waverly. She perked up when the youngest Earp turned to her, her lips pulling back into a big smile and she winked at Waverly.
And, yes, maybe Waverly blushed because if that.
"Let's go, baby Earp, I'm starving." Wynonna called, startling Waverly out of whatever strange daze this girl had her in.
She quickly glanced at her sister, to the redhead when back to her sister, rushing to catch up with Wynonna.
"Why are you so flustered?" Wynonna sided eyed her sister as they stood at the checkout.
"What? I'm not - no. Nothing." Waverly rushed to explain, shaking her head quickly and pulled a face that she knew showed that she was blatantly lying.
"Okay," Wynonna drawled, frowning down at her little sister. "You okay, kiddo?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." Waverly assured.
They checked out their food, ignoring the curious look they received from the woman behind the checkout desk, briskly leaving the store (and so what if Waverly glanced back inside in hoped of getting another look at the redhead?)(and so what if she was somewhat disappointed when she didn't see her?).
"Who has you so distracted?" Wynonna asked a little later on, as she ate the sandwich she had, watching Waverly as she stared at the same page of her book for over ten minutes.
"Hm?" Waverly hummed, looking back at her sister as she stretched her toes out in front of the fire. "No one, what are you talking about?"
"You've just been a little spaced since you ran me over with the cart earlier."
"I'm just thinking," Waverly shrugged. "When i'm eighteen this is over, right? No more running?"
"I've told you, Wave. As soon as you're eighteen we are fine but, until then, they can take you away from me." Wynonna scooted closer to her sister, giving her thigh a little squeeze. "I don't want that to happen."
"I don't either," Wavily admitted in a whisper.
"Then we won't let it happen, we've survived this long, Wave. We just have to keep this up of another year, another year and we are set."
Waverly nodded, letting her head fall against her sisters shoulder.
"We will be okay, Wave." Wynonna stressed, gently taking ahold of her sisters chin, forcing her to look up at her. "You believe me, don't you?"
She did, of course she did. This was her big sister, the girl who had raised her, the girl who would do anything, give anything, to protect her. She had never given Waverly any any reason not to believe her. "Of course,"
"Good. Then relax, kid." Wynonna give her cheeks a little squeeze before standing up, disappearing for a few seconds before reappearing with a bottle of water of reach of them.
"What time do you start your job?"
"I have to leave soon, I should be home by one."
"Can't I come with you?" Waverly asked, a frown worrying her brow.
"Not tonight, kid; probation. But soon, okay?" Wynonna waited to Waverly to nod before placing a kiss on her hairline. "Don't wait up."
Of course, she did wait up, a little afraid too sleep without her sister there, which was ridiculous, she was sixteen of crying out loud.
"Wave, you should be asleep." Wynonna whispered as she slipped into the makeshift bed, wrapping a protective arm around her sisters waist.
She knew it was stupid, it had been four and a half years, but she was still terrified that the man who had murderer her mother and father would come back for her. She was half way across the country at this point, he wasn't coming for her, but she was still to afraid too sleep alone.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you," Wynonna whispered soothingly against the back of Waverley's head, obviously sensing Waverley's anxiety. "You can come to the bar tomorrow, okay?"
Waverly nodded, whispering 'thank you' as she finally let her body relax and her exhaustion take over.