"Nicole, I'm heading on out. You sure you don't want to come for some supper?" Sheriff Nedley hovered over Nicole's desk as he awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. "You uh, you've been working pretty late all week." The sheriff was a man of few words. He wasn't usually so outwardly concerned about his co-workers, but the young rookie had been breaking her back to impress him since she first got to Purgatory.
Nedley had noticed. He wasn't dumb, and he sure as hell wasn't blind. It just wasn't that easy for a man like him to be vocal with his praise. Nedley was old school. He generally conveyed his thoughts and feelings with grunts of various tones. Most of his deputies knew that, and Nicole was well on her way to learning. So his asking her out for supper caught her by surprise.
"Uh…" she stared up at him like a fish out of water; eyes wide and unblinking. For one brief, horrible, second she thought he was asking her out out. Then her brain caught up with her eyes and ears and she realised he was just trying to show concern for her. She quickly recovered, adopting a more neutral expression. "I'm sure, Sheriff. Thanks for offering, but I'm good." She nodded, trying to seem casual about the whole thing as Nedley nodded stiffly back.
"Alright then… just don't work too hard Officer Haught." With that, he tipped his hat at her before walking out the station. The place was always empty around this time, with the day shift having already ended and the night shift (or more precisely, the single deputy who worked the night shift) starting in a little over an hour. Nicole was the only police officer left in the building; though she wasn't alone.
"Officer Haught." An alluring voice greeted her almost the second the door closed behind Nedley. Nicole couldn't help the wide grin that spread over her face at the sight of Waverly Earp leaning against the open door to the Sheriff's office. It was an automatic reaction. Whenever Waverly was around, Nicole couldn't help but smile.
"Waverly Earp." She replied, already rising to her feet. Her long legs carried her the few steps she needed to take to be standing right in front of Nedley's office; and Waverly. "After you, Ma'am." She reached for the door handle, letting her fingers brush against the side of Waverly's hip as she opened it and extended the younger girl an invitation inside.
"Why, thank you ever so kindly, Officer." Waverly exaggerated her accent, barely suppressing a giggle as she slipped past Nicole. the other woman hadn't left much space between them. The game was familiar. They had played it out countless times since the first time Waverly jumped Nicole in this very office.
Waverly sees to the blinds, while Nicole closes the door behind her and slips off her utility belt. As much as she hates parting with her gun, she really can't take one more 'Is that your gun, or are you just happy to see me?' joke from Waverly. It was funny the first four or so times, but the bulky belt and the cumbersome gun tended to get in the way.
Nicole preferred as few barriers between her and her girlfriend as possible - and her uniform and the other girl's dress meant there was already plenty between them. Waverly slipped off her denim jacket and lay down on the couch, beckoning Nicole over with a wave of her finger.
The public servant was more than happy to comply. Walking confidently over to the couch, she stopped short, knowing how much it irked Waverly when she did that. Wearing a fake frown, Waverly reached up and grabbed a handful of Nicole's shirt, yanking the deputy down on top of her. Her hard work was rewarded with a searing kiss.
"Hey." Waverly grinned at her as they finally parted, both breathless and flustered.
"Hi." Nicole replied, letting some of the tension go in her arms as she lowered herself so she was lying over her girlfriend. She'd been afraid to put any of her weight on her at first, though Waverly had eventually won her over; convincing Nicole that - despite her tiny size - she wasn't fragile.
She stroked a lock of Waverly's hair back behind her ear, letting her fingers linger on her cheek as she stared at her in wide-eyed wonder. She still couldn't quite believe that this was actually happening. That Waverly Earp was her freaking girlfriend.
The first time that Waverly had kissed her had felt like winning the lottery. In comparison, taking Waverly into her bed had felt like winning a rollover jackpot. Nicole hadn't wanted to rush her. She'd been patient with the other girl, trying not to push her past her comfort zone. As with their first kiss, Waverly had been the first one to initiate things.
The youngest Earp was an endless ball of energy and curiosity, eager to learn and master new skills. Nicole couldn't be quite sure just how Waverly had done her research on having sex with another woman, but - as usual - she had excelled at putting her knowledge to good use.
"Waves." Nicole spoke her name like a warning as the other girl's hand crept between their flush bodies. Her lithe fingers were working at the zip of Nicole's pants. "Babe, we can't do that-uh…" Her protests quickly died into a low moan as Waverly's fingers skirted over the top of her cotton briefs.
"Here. We can't- Wave!" She tried again to get Waverly to stop, but the other girl had no intention of wasting their time together. She slipped her hands under the waistband of Nicole's briefs, drawing out another desperate moan.
"That's what you said last time." Waverly pointed out, deliberately pitching her voice low and husky as she raked her nails lightly over Nicole's mound. "And I seem to remember coming out on top then too." Despite Nicole being on top of her, there was no doubt that Waverly was the one in charge.
"Hmm…" Nicole breathed out, arching down into Waverly's feather lite touch. She was teasing her on purpose, drawing out the inevitable to make Nicole even more antsy about doing it in her boss's office. She had never expected Waverly to be such an exhibitionist, but the other girl was full of hidden layers. Nicole had very much enjoyed exploring each new depth that Waverly Earp had to offer her. "Waves, please-"
Whatever she had been about to say next died in her throat as the door burst open. The sheriff strode in, heading straight for his desk; where he had left his keys. Nicole and Waverly both froze, Waverly still with her hand down Nicole's pants. She let out a surprised squeak, making Nedley look up.
His eyes widened to the size of saucers as he took in the sight of his Deputy laid out on top of Waverly Earp on his couch. His cheeks reddened as he averted his gaze to the floor. "Uh, just forgot my keys." He shoved them into his pocket and turned for the door.
Nicole was still staring after him as he stopped at the door. "Sir, I-"
"Save it, Haught… Next time try waiting until I actually get out of the station."
"Next time?" Waverly didn't think it was possible for Nicole's blush to deepen anymore, but somehow she managed it. "Sir, let me explain-"
"Nicole, you're a damn fine Deputy. You're good at your job and what you do in your private life is no concern of mine, but just learn to cover your damn tracks. I've had to plump them cushions up every damn day for the past two weeks! And I didn't become sheriff by a popularity vote… Miss Earp." With a nod of his head towards Waverly, the sheriff quickly turned around and headed out of the door, slamming it shut behind him.
Nicole stared blankly at the spot he had just been. She was struggling to process everything that had just happened. It felt like her brain had short circuited. She was finally pulled from her stupor as Waverly started giggling below her. She glanced down, staring at her in disbelief.
Sheriff Nedley had just walked in on them in a compromising position - on his couch of all places - and had barely batted an eyelid. Nicole was still in shock. The second he had walked into the room she had expected to be berated to the high heavens. Her future had flashed instantaneously in front of her eyes. Dismissal. Public humiliation. Kicked out of town and far away from Waverly.
"He… He…" Nicole couldn't form a coherent sentence as her mouth flapped. Below her, Waverly pulled her hand free of Nicole's pants and used it to cover her mouth in a futile attempt to stop the fit of giggling that had come over her. "He knows." Nicole finally coughed up what she was trying to say.
She hadn't exactly hidden her sexuality from her boss, or the good people of Purgatory, but being an out lesbian in a small town, and screwing her girlfriend on her boss's couch were two completely different things.
The door opened a second time.
"And another damn thing! Learn to lock the door! Rookie…" He shook his head at Nicole, ignoring the way Waverly buried her face in the deputy's shoulder and shook with laughter at her rabbit-in-the-headlights expression. He left the two women to it, calling out over his shoulder as he shut the door behind him. "I'll radio you a two-minute warning when I'm headed back."