When the alarm on her phone starts blaring out music at three thirty in the morning she surprises herself by shooting awake, alert at once, which is a feat in itself. A small smile graces her features, even though she is awake at an ungodly hour, because today is the day. It has finally arrived, after so much waiting and so much anticipating. Today is the day, moving day, and she honestly can not wait.
She's out of the homestead (the family cottage) in less than half an hour, sad to leave but more than ready for the change that is about to occur. With her coffee in a travel cup to go and her suitcases packed into the trunk of her car, she's off before she has a chance to think. She's newly showered and bright eyed in her excitement, despite the early hour. Before the sun has even started to peak over the horizon, she's halfway towards the airport. It's quite an achievement in her books, because she lives in the middle of freaking nowhere. The closer she gets to Heathrow the faster she drives, ignoring the fervent protestations of her worn out bug.
It's barely six when she pulls into the car park, her insides coiled in excitement and something akin to nerves. She almost can't believe that this is finally happening, after so much waiting. She knows that this change is going to be more than worth the wait. As she steps out of the car, her stomach seems to ties itself in knots, tightening further with each step. She finds herself fiddling with the hem of her sweater as she steps into the brightly lit airport. Her fingers barely skim the hem, because it's Nicole's and she stole it the last time she'd seen her.
She'd put it on the last time she'd visited Nicole in Chicago, more than eight months ago, and she'd refused to remove it. She'd used puppy dog eyes and a well timed pout to make Nicole agree to let her keep it. Anything to make it feel as though she was taking a piece of her girlfriend with her back to England. Now she's heading back to her girlfriend, to a country that seems further from home than should be possible. This time she's heading back to the states for good, and she couldn't be more excited about the prospect. After four and a half years, it won't be all long distance phone calls and heart felt letters and fleeting visits that never seemed to last long enough. It'll be lazy Sunday mornings on the couch with Calamity Jane (Nicole's cat) and burning food in attempts to make dinner and being together through all the ups and the downs.
By the time she gets through the security at Heathrow, there's barely an hour until her flight. She finds herself getting more nervous by the second, to the extent that she literally wrings her hands together. At the same time she can't wait to land in Chicago and start the next chapter of her life. She can't wait to see the woman she's spent the past four years of her life loving. She can't wait to get back to Nicole's cramped little apartment, because it's now theirs. This time she won't just be a visitor, she'll be a permanent figure.
She rings Wynonna whilst she gets breakfast, because she's gonna miss her big sister, even if she is beyond difficult to live with. She'll miss her loud but well meant support. She'll miss the gruff 'I love you, baby girls'" and the three am drunken calls that she'll never admit to liking. If she'll miss anything about England, it'll be her crass big sister. So if she gets a little choked up on the phone, well it's just because her hot chocolate went down the wrong way. Nothing else.
As she boards the plane, she almost can't quite get over the fact that this is finally happening. When she pinches her arm and feels the pain, she finally accepts that she's not dreaming. Although she's still not totally sure. She finds it hard to accept that everything is actually falling into place. They've been planning this for a little over two years, at first in the abstract and then as a concrete plan for their shared future. Now they've arrived at the whole putting the plan into motion, they've worked through all the pain and the struggles and the lonely nights where they just couldn't hold each other, and it's all been worth it.
Throughout the journey she finds herself holding the overly long sleeve of her sweater in front of her nose, because it's still smells slightly like Nicole. Even after all this time. She's exhausted but she can't sleep, something to do with the whole being in a flying tin can, or so she thinks. Being Waverly (and therefore extremely sentimental by nature), she finds herself thinking back over the evolution of their relationship.
They'd started out as just friends, and it had stayed that way for quite a while. When Nicole had first messaged her, she'd been in a relationship with her high school sweetheart. At the time she hadn't known that replying to that particular message would change her entire outlook on life, but it had. Nicole had shown her that she deserved more than Champ Hardy could give, she deserved more than she had settled for. It had shaken her to her foundations, down to her very core. It had flipped her entire world upside down. She'd loved every second of it.
Then the pair of them had fallen into something that had felt entirely like a relationship, oddly domestic given the fact that they had never met and Waverly hadn't had the faintest idea of what was happening between them. Nicole was kind and funny and intelligent and fiercely protective of her. She'd also been the most beautiful person Waverly had ever seen, and from the start she had found herself oddly entranced by her. It had all been confusing and new and so very different from everything Waverly had ever known. From the very start, she'd known that Nicole was gay, but she'd never considered that she night be attracted to girls.
The pair of them had tiptoed around whatever it was between them for a long while. That was, at least, until the fateful day in which she'd video called Nicole and found her in the company of her Mother. Nicole had introduced her as her girlfriend, a questioning and searching look in her eyes, apprehension painted across her features, and Waverly had relaxed and smiled. At that moment it had struck her, she was in love with the other girl.
Four years later and still they were going strong. She'd been with Nicole through the Academy, and the gruelling rookie status days, and all the moments in which she didn't think she could go on. In return Nicole had been there for her through coming out to Wynonna and Gus (whom had both been beyond supportive) and through finishing her degree and through Curtis dying. People often sneered at their relationship simply because they didn't understand how long distance relationships worked. They questioned their love, not believing it to be real, but not once had this made what they felt waver.
Waverly spends the entire flight inside her own head, thinking her way through their entire relationship. It was in her nature to question everything to ever happen in her life, but not once had she ever had cause to question what was between her and Nicole. They'd always been certain in regards to the connection between them, and everything else had come naturally. She wanted to be with Nicole for the rest of her life, living together would be tough but they could face the challenges together.
As the flight starts to descend she finds herself moving on to future possibilities. Futures full of choosing the perfect home to share, picket white fence and all. Futures of "I do's" that mean a solemn promise of forever and full commitment, which Waverly has never been so eager to give before. Futures of tiny feet pattering against wooden flooring and high pitched giggling. A future with her and Nicole as a family. It's something that they're finally on their way to, and Waverly can't wait to see the end result.
After what feels like hours, each passing moment making her more and more antsy, she's finally through customs and passport checks and security. Then she's at the baggage reclaim, and after hefting down her two heavy cases (both of which are almost as big as she is) she's on her way. Mere steps away from the gates, her stomach knotting tighter than a pretzel, she sees a flash of flaming red hair tied back in a french braid through the crowds of people ahead of her.
She steps through the thinning crowd and the warm brown eyes that feel distinctly like home meet hers. There's a small smile on Nicole's face that morphs into a full blown and very dimpled grin as her eyes linger on hers. She takes a few full strides towards Waverly across almost empty space in long legs before she pauses. Waverly is too busy trying to heave her cases forward with tired arms to take note of the glint that enters Nicole's eyes. She looks up to see Nicole running (almost bounding) towards her, and her cases are dropped without further ado, long forgotten before Nicole even reaches her.
The Nicole is upon her and she's in her arms, feet off the ground as Nicole spins her around. She kisses her, firmly but gently, before placing her back on the ground. Nicole's arms wind their way around her waist, pulling her against her front and holding her there. Her own arms snake around Nicole's back and hold her close, wondering (despite the bruise clearly marring the skin at the inside of her elbow) whether this is all a dream. After all this time, it simply seems too good to be true.
Nicole buries her face in Waverly's hair, inhaling the scent of her shampoo. She finds herself feeling off kilter at how right such simple intimacy feels. It's been more than a while, but Nicole's arms feel like home as much as ever. "Baby," Nicole murmurs into her hair, and it sends shivers down Waverly's spine, leaving her tingling all over "Baby, I can't believe you're really here." She pulls Nicole closer to her in response, eyes closed tight in elation because it feels more real than the phantom of Nicole does in her dreams. They stand in the middle of the airport in each other's arms for quite some time. Lost in the feel of each other after so long apart, it's not until Nicole's phone chimes that they come back to reality.
When Nicole draws herself back slightly, still enclosed in Waverly's arms, her eyes are crinkled at the edges, vividly alight with happiness. Her gaze feels like home and Waverly can't wait to awaken to this every morning for the rest of her life. She feels warm and safe and happy. Happier than she would have thought possible five years ago. When Nicole takes her hand and a suitcase and starts to lead her to the exit, that particular dimpled smile on her face, the one that is exclusively for Waverly, the warmth in her chest intensifies and the excitement within her builds, because she's home.
Today is the day, the start of the rest of their lives. As Waverly gets into Nicole's car, she can see the future that they're working towards stretching out for years in front of them. It all started with a message and a friendship, and this is where it has led them so far. When Nicole looks at her from the drivers' seat and says 'Lets go home,' Waverly can't help the smile on her face, because when she looks into Nicole's eyes she's already there.