"Nicole!" Came a familiar squeal, accompanied by tiny thumps of rushed foot steps. It could only be one person and the thought brought a smile to her lips.
Turning in her seat, ready for impact, Nicole greeted the little girl she'd become so found of in recent months. "Kenzi!"
The six year old was often at the station to see her dad, bring him his lunch or to just hang around with whoever was at their desk doing paperwork. After their introduction Kenzi had managed to always migrate back to her. Nicole loved it, the wild strawberry blonde girl never failed to make her giddily happy.
A second later the wind was knocked out of her. Kenzi smashed right into Nicole's waiting embrace, wrapping her little arms around the officer as best she could as Nicole did the same.
"You've gotten so big since I last saw you." Nicole said over excitedly in the girls untamed pigtails.
Kenzi backed up to properly shoot the woman a bewildered face. "I saw you last week." She giggled.
"I know and I'm telling you, you've grown. You almost crushed me with those arms of yours!"
Kenzi beamed up at her, eyes shinning and cheeks growing pink. "Really?"
Nicole nodded eagerly. "You've been working out haven't you?"
"I've been going on the monkey bar-"
"There you are." A woman, who Nicole recognized as Kenzi's mother, sighed in relief. But her expression quickly changed into one only a mother could produce as she got closer to Nicole's desk. Hand on her hip she addressed the girl. "Mackenzie Sarah Collins, how any times have I told you not to wonder around on your own."
Kenzi visibly shrunk back, shoulders slumped and head down, toeing the tile of the station. "I'm sorry mama. I jus' wanted to see Nicole."
Nicole watched the scene with mild amusement. She'd watched it happen many times before, the little girl was a bit of a runner and tended to sneak off to see her when around the station, and so she knew Kenzi's mom wasn't that mad and was really just frightened about not knowing her daughters whereabouts. But no matter how any times she saw it though her heart broke a little every time the girl's usually bright eyes dimmed. So Nicole stepped in, it was her job to serve and protect after all.
"I'm sorry too, I should have made sure you or Mack knew where she was." Nicole said coolly but apologetically. Abby met her gaze and flashed her an appreciative grin.
"I'll let you both off this time." She winked at the officer before her daughter looked up and her face fell back into halfhearted discipline. Nicole bit her lip to keep from smiling, not wanting to give the six year old the wrong idea.
"Does that mean I can sit with Nicole?" Kenzi instantly let the moment wash off her back now that she had been forgiven and replaced it with unbridled excitement.
Nicole swore her heart nearly exploded with the question. She was a sucker for kids and the fact that this little girl she met only a couple of months ago was practically begging for her company, it was overwhelming, it filled her with such joy and warmth not many could. Well there was only one other person that could top that feeling, one Waverly Earp. Nicole sighed at the thought of the history buff. She wondered if Kenzi and Waverly would like each other as much as she liked them...
"I'm okay with it, but you have to ask Officer Haught if she is too." Abby's eyes flicked between the two of them.
Kenzi spun on her heels to directly face the officer. "Can I?" She asked, basically vibrating on the spot. Nicole's heart melted just that little bit more.
"I would be delighted." Nicole pulled the girl out of her baited breath with faux regality.
Kenzi jumped and squealed with delight, making both women (and a few surrounding officers) laugh, ending the show with a little happy dance that Nicole could feel reciprocating in her veins.
"Alright, I have to get going then. You be good for Nicole." Abby crouched down to the girl's level and held out her arms. Kenzi didn't hesitate in throwing herself at her mom, mumbling something into the embrace that no one else could decipher. Then with a kiss the two parted and Kenzi was back on her favourite redhead.
Nicole shuffled the girl in her lap, moving to get them both comfortable. "I have some work to finish up before I can get lunch, so how about you draw something for the break room fridge while I do boring adult things." She suggested as she opened a drawer to get some blank paper and a box of crayons she recently bought for such an occasion.
Dear Future Husband quietly sang from Nicole's phone on her desk. The two had been hard at work, both content to hum along to whatever song came on and do their own thing. Every now and again Kenzi would ask a random question and they would stop to chat for a second, but other wise it was quiet. Nicole liked the company the six year old provided, not only was she adorable (especially wearing Nicole's Stetson) and hilarious but her wonder and curiosity reminded her of a certain Earp. And again her thoughts ran off with bright, curious eyes, stumbling words and adorable babbling.
"Do you have a husband?" Kenzi asked, bringing her out of her day dreaming.
Nicole shook her head in answer and in an attempt to clear her head.
"A boyfriend?"
"There's no man for me." Nicole smiled to the girl next to her. Kenzi sat up on her knees, the chair far too big for her, and braced on both of her arms on the desk. Not for the first time Nicole found herself noting how adorable she was.
Kenzi stopped her colouring and met Nicole's gaze. Flicking the too big hat up so it wasn't in her eyes, confused, and nose scrunched slightly, "why not? You're the bestest." She inquired.
Nicole laughed lightly. "Thank you. But you see, it's not because of those things, I just like girls instead." She explained. She waited for a moment, carefully watching the gears work behind Kenzi's dark brown eyes. If she was being honest she was a tad nervous. Nicole had dealt with angered parents before, telling a curious child that she liked women and having the parent yell at her for it was not something new. But she was confident that Kenzi's, nor her parents, would care. Almost. There was always that little unknown when it came to coming out, the people you thought were going to be fine and ended up being the worst.
And then Kenzi smiled, a mischievous little number Nicole had only seen once before. She shifted in her seat to fully face the woman, and again lifted her borrowed Stetson out of her face. "Does that mean you have a girl?"
Nicole couldn't help the blush that crept up to the tips of her ears and the smile that accompanied it was one a school girl wore around a crush. She licked her lips, buying time to find her answer. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. The name was on the tip of her tongue, ready and waiting to slip put, but it would be false. Waverly wasn't hers. Waverly had a boy-man.
"No." Nicole finally replied, her disappointment not lost on the girl's ears. A moment passed before either said anything.
"'Member the play I'm in?"
Nicole smiled. She very much remembered the play, in fact she'd rehearsed lines with Kenzi the one time she babysat her. "Wouldn't forget."
"It's nex week and I was wonderin' if you wanted to come see?" Kenzi asked shyly.
"I would love to."
Kenzi beamed up at the redhead in response. Then something caught her eye behind Nicole and her entire expression somehow morphed into further elation. "Wavelee!" She exclaimed and scrambled to stand on her chair, hat almost falling off in her hurry.
Nicole swivelled around so fast she whacked her knee on her desk, though she hardly felt it once her sights were set on a wide smile and twinkling eyes. There stood none other than Waverly Earp, exiting the room taken over by The Black Badge Division, and looking her way with her signature glow. Nicole could feel her heart pick up pace.
"Kenzi Collins, I didn't know you worked here." Waverly said with exaggerated disbelief as she approached Nicole's desk. Her gaze flicked to Nicole for a second, "is Officer Haught your partner?"
Kenzi giggled.
"Yup, got the hat and everything." Nicole played along and threw a wink at the girl.
Kenzi touched the Stetson as if to make sure she still had it. "Howdy partner." She tried in her best serious voice and tipped her hat to the women whose attention she stole.
Nicole and Waverly laughed at the same time, making the girl join in too. That was a sound Nicole hadn't quite heard yet, Waverly's laugh was what songs were made of and she planned to play that particular one on repeat for as long as she could. She met the brunette's gaze and she swore her heart stopped, or maybe it exploded, she wasn't too sure but honestly none of it mattered in that moment.
"Wavelee are you comin' to my play?" Kenzi asked as the laughter calmed.
"I would love to! When is it?"
"Nex week." She answered. Then proudly stated, "Nicole is going too. You guys should go together."
Waverly blushed the same shade as when Nicole had introduced herself weeks ago. "We should, should we?" She questioned the girl.
Kenzi nodded. "Yes. Like a date, because Nicole likes girls and you are a girl and very nice an' you guys should get married." She stated offhandedly yet seriously.
Waverly's blush deepened but her grin never faltered, in fact it might have gotten bigger. Though that could just be wishful thinking on Nicole's part, who's ears were beginning to burn bright red, and had been dreaming of nothing but the woman next to her for months.
Waverly stepped forward and with one finger she tapped the Stetson down over Kenzi's face, causing the girl to giggled. "We'll see about that." Waverly mused.
Nicole's heart sang letting loose a million fireflies in her belly. She was such a goner.
A/N: So this is my first for this pairing, please tell me of anything I could improve on. And I'm always open for prompts on here or my tumblr which is the same url. Thanks for reading!