Writer's Note

Hi! I'm Chloe,

I used to write stories on here years ago, but always ended up giving up, but I'm back with a new found determination, and a burning need to have more Wayhaught fanfiction in my life, so here we are!

I would love to hear what you think, how I could improve, etc. I've had a long break from writing so I am rusty, hopefully with a little warm up, I'll get back into the swing of things.

Thank you for stopping by!

_

Chapter 1:

Nicole loved Shorty's. She loved that the little bar had such a warm energy, always welcoming in new people. She hadn't been in town too long but it didn't take long at all to realise that Shorty's had been a blessing to her, introducing her to so many amazing people.

She'd met Dolls and Wynonna first, the latter being a sassy badass hothead, but incredibly charming none the less, though not in a conventional way. Dolls went for more of a calm approach, he didn't speak too often, but when he did he had everyone feeling at home. He also matched Wynonna's sass, but it was much more subtle. Then there was Doc, he was certainly different, he had an old western look about him and spoke like he'd been around for hundreds of years, but he was such a respectful man with the kindest intentions, he managed to make a friend out of everyone he spoke to. Jeremy was a clumsy man but his heart was always in the right place, and although his inner nerd came out far more often than he clearly wanted it to, everyone found that this was a characteristic that made him the guy he is, and he was loved for it.

Then, there was Waverly. Waverly was Wynonna's younger sister, but they were truly opposites. She was the sweetest bundle of energy Nicole had ever met, and she had a heart of gold. She captured the hearts of everybody in the room too, though her being gorgeous also helped there. Don't underestimate her though, she could be fire-y when she wanted to be. Nicole heard that she once used a shotgun to scare off some unwanted company in the bar, though she ended up having to pay for the damage she caused due to shooting the gun at the ceiling. Wynonna said that the younger sister had been really sheepish about it, but that everyone found it to be so badass that nobody actually minded.

Nicole kind of adored her. And by kind of, she meant completely and utterly. Like, beyond the realm of friendship. It made it kind of hard to stay nonchalant with her though, because she was constantly trying not to confess just how much she liked the girl.

Friendship was great too though, don't get her wrong. She loved spending time with Waverly, she couldn't get enough, and luckily they were such a close group that the two spent most of their spare time together.

Times like this though? That's when Nicole really felt like she had to take a step back.

Waverly normally worked behind the bar at Shorty's, but she had the day off today so she had decided to really let her hair down. As well as slipping into the tightest dress Nicole had ever seen, hugging her in all the right places, and it really made concentrating so much harder than usual. Nicole kept having to drag her eyes away from the brunette, choosing to focus on anything else instead, just so she didn't get caught. She felt kind of bad because she was absolutely avoiding Waverly, the fear of getting caught staring all too real, and it wasn't fair on the other girl because she had no idea why.

She couldn't keep away from her all night though, Waverly simply wouldn't allow it.

Nicole was stood by the bar, sipping from the bottle of beer in her hand, choosing to observe the room rather than really include herself in any of the conversation. This didn't last though, because she noticed that Waverly was speed walking her way towards her, fast as a bullet, and before Nicole had the time to turn away and pretend to be busy, the shorter girl had stopped right in front of her, looking like a fuming little ball of fury.

"Oh hey Waverly, I'm sorry, I just need to go to the bathroom, I'll be right back!" Nicole stated apologetically, starting to turn away, but the hand that fell on her arm stopped her, she gulped and turned back to Waverly. She looked down in shame, but that just brought her face to face with Waverly's gorgeous figure, which had Nicole's head shooting back up, flushed. She felt her pulse throughout the entirety of her body just by being this close to the brunette. She smiled nervously, waiting for Waverly to say something, anything to stop her eyes from wandering anymore.

"Have I done something wrong? You haven't spoken to me all day." Waverly asked, looking completely dejected, and Nicole wanted nothing more than to hug her. She almost did, but all the alarm bells were ringing, and they sounded an awful lot like they were saying 'Don't do it, this is too close as it is' which Nicole thought was probably very true, so she stopped herself. She frowned instead, angry at herself for hurting Waverly's feelings.

"Of course not, Waves. I've just been a bit distracted today, that's all." And although it was vague, it certainly wasn't a lie.

"Oh, what's wrong, is it anything I can help with?" the brunette asked hopefully, looking up at Nicole with the most adorable caring expression and all of it was really making Nicole feel things.

Nicole rested her back against the bar and sighed quietly, running her hand through her hair nervously, looking over at the other girl with a dejected look that must have rivaled the shorter girls earlier look. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak. "I'm not sure you can, it's something I have to deal with on my own." And that was all Nicole wanted to share, worried that even that was too much. "Anyway, what're-" Nicole started to change the subject, but a familiar voice interrupted her.

"Nicole?" Nicole's eyes widened, looking behind Waverly at the tall girl standing there with a small smile on her face, a look of surprise shining in her eyes. Nicole swept her eyes over the other woman, a slight grin making its way onto her face.

"Rosita!" Nicole exclaimed, gently pushing past Waverly and pulling the other woman into a tight embrace that she returned happily. "Man, it's been so long, where have you been?"

"Oh, you know, here and there" Rosita replied, grinning at Nicole and eyeing her up appreciatively, before turning to the shorter girl standing just behind her, frowning for a second before leaning forward and whispering "Is this your girl of the month?" though she wasn't whispering enough because they both heard Waverly squeak angrily. Nicole laughed nervously, blushing ever so slightly.

"Those days are over, Rosie. I'm not nineteen anymore, I can't get away with it" Nicole answered, laughing it off, hoping to move the conversation on quickly before Waverly asked questions.

"I don't believe that for a second, I know it's a small town, but the ladies must be gravitating towards you and your cute little hat" Rosita stated bluntly, flicking the Stetson on Nicole's head with a bright smile, blatantly flirting. Waverly just stood there behind them, arms crossed, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, and then back again, frustrated. "Cool that you're a cop, by the way, I bet that wins you some extra points too" She finished with a cheeky grin, and it only grew when she saw Nicole's cheeks turn a deep red, but her flirting was cut short my Waverly, who cleared her throat.

Nicole straightened herself suddenly, stumbling over her words a few times before finally calming down enough to say "This is Waverly, she's honestly just a friend" Nicole introduced, smoothly hiding the disappointment with a bright smile. Waverly's frown deepened, before she butted in.

"-Best friend" She clarified, smiling at Rosita, though it didn't reach her eyes.

Nicole nodded before continuing, "Waverly, this is Rosita, she and I used to be in college together, I haven't seen her in ages but clearly she's still got the mind of a nineteen year old. Somethings never change, huh?" Nicole said, turning back to Rosita with a laugh, Rosita elbowed her gently, before crossing her arms in mock anger, though it didn't last. Waverly huffed in frustration, turning to look at the other people around her, but she couldn't help herself, quickly turning back to the two women again.

"Anyway, I was just checking the place out, though I'd love to meet up soon, Nic. I'm around for a while, my grandma lives here. I'm looking after her. Small world, huh? So, plenty of time to meet up, catch up, have some fun.." The last sentence was said with a cheeky wiggle of her eyebrows, but Nicole just rolled her eyes. At this Waverly turned, grabbed Nicole's drink and finished it off, putting the empty bottle down on the bar, which Nicole noticed but didn't think too much about.

"Definitely, we can grab a coffee sometime, or come here for a drink, throw me a message. Do you still have my number" Nicole asked, and Rosita smiled.

"Of course, Nic." She said, smiling, softer this time. She then turned to Waverly and smiled, though it was a smaller one this time, one that lacked warmth, before turning away and leaving the bar. Nicole watched her go with a shake of her head, before turning back to Waverly. The girl seemed irritated, her arms were crossed over her chest while her eyes stayed glued to the door, her tongue pushing against her cheek and frowning deeply.

"Hey" Nicole started, her own smile falling from her face, she reached for Waverly's arm, resting it there, "I'm sorry, that must've been kind of awkward for you, I didn't mean to put you in that situation." Nicole finished, apologetically. She really did feel bad, she should have included the shorter girl more than she did, but she was just so thrown off. Waverly looked up at her, the frown deepening slightly before she let it fall from her face, smiling, though it didn't seem to meet her eyes.

"She seemed nice. Funny that she thought that we were dating, huh?" She laughed, but it sounded strained. Nicole knew exactly what that meant, she wasn't foolish. Waverly was uncomfortable at the thought of it. Nicole looked down, feeling like somebody had punched her in the gut. She looked back up at Waverly, a small reassuring smile on her face.

"It's okay, I'll make sure to make it clear that we're just friends. She gets ahead of herself." Nicole stated, looking around the room, shuffling awkwardly. She didn't feel much like staying anymore, she felt quite sick. She wanted nothing more than to just roll into bed and snuggle up with her cat, maybe cry a bit too. She looked back over at Waverly once more, "I think I'm going to make a move, can you tell everyone I said goodbye?" Nicole said, only waiting for Waverly to nod before turning away and making a beeline for the door, not noticing that the frown Waverly had earlier had returned, though it wasn't laced with irritation, just sadness.