The spring in Nicole's step seemed like it was going to be a permanent fixture for the day. She already had a reputation at the station for being energetic and enthusiastic, but even by her usual standards she was a force of productivity with a friendly and cheerful grin in place at all times.

By lunchtime she'd completed all her usual paperwork for the day, cleaned out the staff fridge, dealt with various incoming calls about neighbourly feuds, lost pets and noise complaints and all with an infectiously positive and upbeat disposition that nobody seemed able to shake.

Even Sheriff Nedley seemed to be catching the cheerful fever, offering to make her a cup of coffee when he went to refill his own. She'd been so taken aback by it that she'd politely declined despite actually quite wanting one, which led to the awkward dance I'd waiting for him to disappear into his office before she could go make one herself. But even that couldn't get her down. She was was running in a high octane dose of 'just met a pretty girl' like she'd never experienced before, and it was such a high.

Her mind kept see-sawing back and forth from an intense focus on her work to a total daydream where she replayed her encounter with Waverly Earp over and over again. She agonised over the things she knew she should have said differently and swooned over the moments that she was grateful had happened. She did wish that she'd actually remembered to ask about the disturbance report, but the way she saw it that was just a good excuse for a return visit.

She chewed the inside of her lip nervously at the thought. She really needed to get her head in order before she tried for round two with the breathtaking brunette. She knew there was no romantic opportunity there which was… hard to take, but she still really wanted to make a good impression. Waverly was special. That much was abundantly clear after just a minute talking to her, so she really didn't want to screw up her chance of getting to know her a little better.

No, she needed to get her mind right before engaging in another conversation where she might go off-script again with loaded, flirtatious advances. She never normally needed to work so hard to be a functional participant of conversation, but Waverly had an effect on her that she wasn't used to. She took her breath away and made her feel all fuzzy and warm and distracted…

'Distracted' was the word as her surge of activity had once again coasted to a halt in lieu of her current daydream about the town's favourite Earp.

Snap out of it Nicole, you're working and Lonnie over there has started to notice your dopey smile.

Fortunately she was saved from Lonnie's suspicious eyes by the arrival of a courier at the front desk. She hopped to her feet and skipped over to sign for the package.

"Have a great day!" She waved cheerfully at the courier who did not wave back, and then turned the package over.

It was addressed to Deputy Marshall Dolls, Black Badge Division.

Ah yes. The Black Badge Division. Nedley had been pretty closed lip about the mysterious Deputy Marshall Dolls and she'd known better than to keep pushing for answers. Could be that Nedley himself was on the disappointing side of a need-to-know basis. All anyone was sure of was that since Dolls arrived and commandeered an entire corner of the station there had been a tension in the air that you could cut with a knife.

Well, that was before Officer Nicole Haught had caught the happy bug. Seemed to her that Black Badge and the Sheriff's department were neighbours and the best cure for for community feuds was just good old fashioned neighbourlyness. She tucked the package under her arm and set off down the hall determined to make a new friend.

She knocked and pushed the door open. Deputy Marshall Dolls was in the room beyond, along with a woman that Nicole didn't recognise. Dolls turned his deadpan face towards Nicole as she leaned around the door, brandishing the parcel with a friendly smile.

"Hey! Check it out: another piping hot delivery from…" she glanced down at the label on the box. "Wow, 'CSIS'."

The pair were looking at her expectantly, Dolls wearing expression that said he was yet to be impressed.

"Oh, I'm Nicole. Officer Haught," she said, handing the parcel over as Dolls stepped forwards.

She looked around at the somewhat spartan arrangement of boxes and files and wondered what exactly the Black Badge Division was for. Given the somewhat covert impression that they had made upon arrival, Nicole had assumed it would be a slicker operation than paper folders, coffee cups and what looked suspiciously like a box of doughnuts.

Then again, they hadn't been there long. Perhaps they were still getting things set up and organised. They may not even have had everything they needed yet.

"Y'all getting settled in alright? What is all this stuff?"

Dolls had taken the parcel and then taken an extra step forward until he was a little more up in Nicole's personal space than she generally allowed a man to be. He looked her in the eye with that same unreadable expression.

"Nice to meet you, Officer Haught," he said, his tone suggesting that it wasn't nice at all. Nicole was taken aback by his unwavering eye-contact as he went on to say: "If you ever enter my offices again without knocking, I'm gonna have you arrested for treason. OK?"

She stared back incredulously.

Screw neighbourlyness.

"Nice to meet you too," she retorted, throwing on as much sass as she could manage.

She turned on her heel and left the room, closing the door behind her with a snap. She stood for a moment outside in the hall, simply processing what had just taken place.

What an asshat.

Nicole ground her teeth angrily and clenched her fists, unable to displace the rage bubbling up inside. Nothing quite like the threat of treason to ruin a good mood.