CHAPTER TWELVE
October 2017
It wasn't like so much had changed between them the last few weeks, and Waverly was quite honestly thankful for that. She was happy (although she wasn't entirely sure that that word could even begin to describe the extend of her feelings) that she now knew exactly where she came from, and she was pleased with how exactly right it felt – but she'd also always liked the dynamic that all of them had come to share in the last year or so, so to her it didn't matter that most things were exactly the same.
Because they were right the way they were. Their family was hardly perfect, but it was definitely right for them.
Sure, Wynonna had acted out a little bit, but Waverly didn't blame her. Who wouldn't have, if they found out that their sister was really their daughter? But she'd thrown herself into finding Bulshar and getting him dead, and that was OK too. Mostly because this time – unlike the time were she'd just said goodbye to her child – she was doing it the healthy way, you know, eating, sleeping, drinking an appropriate amount of whiskey.
And Doc had been absolutely amazing. He'd thrown himself into their new roles in a way that Waverly had never anticipated or expected from him. Honestly, she had come to realise, not much had changed between them either, because he'd always protected her, taken care of her exactly like a father would, and the bond that she'd always shared with him had only grown stronger the last few weeks.
It was the start of something at least.
Doc was firing up the grill, getting ready to grill meat and vegetables for them all; the food that Gus was preparing in the kitchen right now with Jeremy, getting pointers on vegetables and healthier grilling, something that their family had never really been much into – the healthy part that is.
Michelle was assisting Doc by the grill, which mostly consisted of her drinking beer from a lawn chair and shouting out pointers that were not helpful at all.
Dolls and Wynonna were off on some hunt somewhere, and for once Waverly was happy to not be a part of it, because she was quite contend where she was right now; sitting on the porch swing with Nicole's arms wrapped tightly around her from behind.
Besides, Dolls and Wynonna had some shit to figure out together. To say that Wynonna had been mildly pissed at him for sending her child back in time was an understatement. But at the same time she had definitely understood why he'd done it, so at least she hadn't shot him or anything. Waverly herself had yelled at Dolls, losing her famous Earp-temper as Nicole called it, telling him that he better not hide something like this from them again, and that he had been a moron and acted like a shit-ticket, that she loved him, and oh that he'd been a shit-eater too. And then she'd kissed his cheek, because Dolls' tendency to do what was right instead of always doing what he should according to his friendships had not only allowed Jeremy to test the Widow poison on him, but now also saved Waverly from tumbling into non-existence if the past been altered.
She owed him great thanks, even though he'd still been a shit-eater and lied to them all. And she knew that there were still so many things they needed to talk about – between all of them – but for now she was just quite happy to be.
Waverly Earp. Daughter of Wynonna Earp and Doc Holliday. What a peculiar although very fitting title.
She sighed happily and snuggled even closer into Nicole's warm embrace. It was getting even colder now, and she was always happy to have her bonus blanket – also known as her girlfriend, Purgatory's sexiest police officer – at close hand if she ever needed it.
Nicole pressed a kiss to her temple. "How are you doing, Waverly Earp?" She whispered into her ear.
The brunette felt a shiver run down her spine when Nicole's hot breath touched her skin. "I'm good, Nicole Haught. Never been better," she happily sighed.
"Good," Nicole replied, snuggling her nose into Waverly's hair. "Have you and Wynonna, y'know, talked?"
Waverly stared straight ahead and watched as part of Doc's coat caught on fire, and Michelle did nothing to help him put it out. For a second she felt Nicole tense behind her as they watched Michelle fall out of her lawn chair, laughing, but the redhead relaxed again when Doc managed to stomp the fire out.
"Not really," Waverly replied then, "I'm not sure she knows what to say. Maybe she just needs a little more time. But we're good, we're definitely good," she added, rubbing her hand over Nicole's arm for good measure. And for the first time in a very long while she actually meant it when she said that she was good. There was no lie coming across her lips as the words spilled out.
Waverly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she stuck her hand into it, slipping out the device. She saw Rosita's name on the screen and quickly opened the message, letting Nicole read along with her from above her shoulder.
Rosita (15:48 PM): You can come by the bar for tequila if you need to talk. Just tell me when.
"Rosita not coming today?" Nicole questioned, truly sounding surprised. Waverly knew she hadn't been pleased when she found out what Rosita had tried to pull during the birth at Shorty's, but she had been surprisingly calm when Waverly had continued to text with Rosita after her trip to the city. She had tried to explain to Nicole that Rosita had not actually wanted to harm anybody, but that it had been a difficult time for her, because she knew she had a death-sentence looming above her. It had seemed to resonate somewhat with Nicole, and they had come to the agreement of giving Rosita a chance to redeem her past actions.
Waverly shook her head. "Nah, I haven't really discussed it Wynonna yet," she whispered, chancing a glance up at girlfriend. "Rosita's OK with being shot last if Wynonna can forgive her for trying to snatch Alice away…" Waverly paused when she realised her mistake. A mistake she, more than anybody else, had continued to make throughout the last few weeks. "Uh, me away," she added with a bite to her lip. "Rosie just wants to come back to her family, she says. And I uh, I really want her here."
Nicole's arms squeezed her tighter. "Then you should have her here," she replied, and Waverly just knew that she was being truthful. Nicole had just been so fucking amazing with everything.
"It's kinda weird though," Waverly replied, finally saying something aloud that she hadn't dared say to anybody since it had all been revealed. "I've, y'know, held myself," she motioned with her arms, pretending to cradle a baby in them against her chest. "I held myself as a baby, I even, y'know, sort of helped myself being born."
Humming in agreement, Nicole said, "Yeah, and you carried yourself across the border too."
Waverly couldn't hide her little smile. "It's kinda weird, right? It makes me kinda weird."
"No," Nicole whispered then, her brown eyes meeting Waverly's, and there was so much love shining through them. "As I've said before, it makes you extraordinary," she whispered, lips curving into a little smile.
Waverly stared at her girlfriend, truly taken aback by her amazingness. She couldn't tare her eyes away, she was just so completely enamoured with everything that was Nicole. Nicole Haught; the most beautiful woman in the entire world.
"Sorry you two lovebirds," Gus' voice cut through to them, effectively stopping their little moment of lovingly gazing at each other. "Jeremy is requiring your salad chopping expertise, Officer Haught," she said, holding out two beers and offering them both a smile. "You mind helping the poor kid out while I have a chat with Waverly?"
Nicole scooted out of her seat with a hum, effectively leaving Waverly to fend off the cold for herself. The brunette immediately missed her bonus blanket, and Gus just couldn't cut it when she took a seat next to her on the porch swing and offered Waverly one of the beers. "How are you doin', kiddo?" She questioned, taking a long gulp of her bottle.
Raising the bottle to her lips, Waverly took advantage of the time to really think about this. Her Aunt Gus, more than anyone else, had acted like a mother to her throughout her childhood, and Waverly would be eternally grateful for how she and Uncle Curtis had raised her. Even if that childhood had been filled with lies and secrets as the two grown-ups hid things from her. They'd just wanted for her to be safe, and Waverly understood that more than anything right now. She swallowed her beer. "Honestly Gus," she whispered, green eyes settling on the horizon that was already starting to turn orange, "I'm really good. I've… I've never been better. Everything's sorta falling into place, y'know?"
Gus placed an arm on her hand, padding it lightly. "You've always been such a great kid, Waverly," she honestly said, love shining through those eyes the way it had always done regarding Waverly. "Gosh, you made Curtis and I proud throughout school. He always believed in you. We might have not known, you know, back then where you truly came from, but we knew that you were special. And kiddo, you really are."
Waverly took another sip of her beer. "I think I'm finally starting to realise that myself."
"You should," Gus commented, following Waverly's line of sight. "I remember Michelle telling me where you came from, how you came into our lives, and I knew that I had to shield you from everything until it was absolutely impossible not to," she whispered and turned her head then, eyes fierce as they met Waverly's. "Can you forgive me, kiddo? For lying all these years?"
"Honestly, Aunt Gus," Waverly whispered, and this time it was her turn to pad Gus' hand carefully, "I'm not even mad. I'm just so," she searched for the right word, "thankful." She shook her head, closing her eyes and breathing out. "Everything has happened the way it was supposed to, I think. Wynonna had to leave, and then she had to come back. And we had to really find each other as sisters, and Doc and Dolls had to come into our lives, and I had to meet Nicole," she paused briefly, heart speeding up slightly at the thought of her beautiful girlfriend. "And now this. It's all as it's supposed to."
There was a lonely tear peeking in the corner of Gus' eye, but Waverly pretended not to notice, because Gus liked being a hardass and she hated crying, so Waverly wasn't going to say anything. Instead she stared at Michelle and Doc who were now sitting together by the grill, on each a lawn chair, clinking their beers and smoking their cigarettes.
Gus was watching them too. "So Doc Holliday, huh? I knew curses and demons were real, but men with eternal life? Psh," she sipped her beer.
Waverly stared at the older man – her true father, which she had never really had before – and couldn't stop herself from smiling. "I can't believe I'm the daughter of the greatest gunslinger there ever lived," she whispered, hiding her smile behind another sip of her beer. It was just insane.
Sighing, Gus replied. "There's so many things I can't believe. It's gonna be nice though, to be able to visit more. Maybe that sister of mine will even stay still for a minute or two," she finished.
"That'd be nice," Waverly commented.
A comfortable silence fell upon them then, as they sipped their beers, rocking back and forth on the porch swing as Waverly remembered doing with Gus throughout her childhood and early teens. Gus used to read to her while Curtis cared for his tomatoes, and Waverly even remembered sharing her first kiss with one of the York boys – she wasn't entirely too sure which of them it was – on a swing not entirely different from this one. This one was from Nicole though, and she'd put it up last week, and Waverly had had an all together different kind of kiss on a porch swing this time around. A kiss with her girlfriend.
Dolls' car came rolling up the gravel road then; he was driving and Wynonna was leaning halfway out of the window, cheering at them with a bottle in one hand and Peacemaker in the other. The car came to a stop not far from the grill, and they all greeted each other; happier than Waverly had seen them in a long time.
She felt Gus rise from the swing next to her, just as Jeremy and Nicole made their way out of the kitchen, struggling with trays of food that were going to the grill. The redhead offered Waverly a warm smile, and the brunette mouthed a silent 'I love you', as they made their way towards the grill. Doc greeted them with a rise of his hat, and Gus went into the kitchen to grab the rest of the food. Waverly wasn't sure who else was joining them, because it seemed like they were planning to cook for more than eight people, but then again, Gus had always cooked for more than eight, even when they were just three.
Gulping down some of her beer, she looked up, only to find Wynonna staring at her from her place amongst their family. She had a smile on her face, Waverly could tell, and there was this look in her eyes; they were soft, caring. And she nudged her head slightly towards the barn, silently asking Waverly to join her there.
The youngest Earp offered a nod, and the two made their way towards the barn from their different locations; Wynonna leaving all of their family and friends to do the grilling, and Waverly leaving the comfort of the porch swing. She followed in Wynonna's steps and entered the barn a little after her, closing the door behind her with a thud, thus effectively shutting off the sound of their family laughing together outside.
The barn was slightly warmer, shielding them form the wind, and the orange glow from outside was streaming in through the cracked windows. Waverly didn't think she'd ever seen anything quite as breathtaking.
Wynonna padded the spot beside her on the bed, and Waverly tentatively sat down next to her, remembering how she had offered Doc to sleep in their barn, because friends didn't let each other get killed by revenants. It seemed like such a long time ago, but really – it had hardly been a year. So much can happen in a year.
"How are you?" Waverly asked then, bending her head slightly and looking up at the other woman. She might have just told Nicole that everything was good, and truly, it was, but she couldn't deny the slight awkwardness there had been between her and Wynonna since it was all revealed. She just wasn't sure how she could fix it.
"I'm," Wynonna's voice cracked slightly, and she took a moment, pausing, before she continued, "I'm good. I eh, I talked to Dolls today. You know, about shit," she nodded her head, pushing a stray curl away from her face and finally meeting Waverly's eyes. "He said that uh, that Juan Carlo must have buried the blanket with the note in the well," she licked her lips, "You know, after I threw it away. He'd wanted to preserve it, make sure that it could withstand the weather and shit."
Nodding, Waverly thought that that sounded reasonable. "Are you and Dolls OK?"
Wynonna made a face, perching her lips and biting the inside of her cheek. She breathed out. "Yeah. Dolls explained it all to me, so we're, we're good. Just shooting rev-heads and chasing Bulshar, you know, regular Friday on the job."
Waverly couldn't hide her grin. "It's Tuesday."
Rolling her eyes, Wynonna reached a hand out and drew Waverly in. When their bodies settled against each other, and Waverly felt her cheek press against Wynonna's chest, she realised that this was the first time they'd touched like this since they found out the true nature of their relationship. She hadn't realised it was there, but suddenly all the tension between them seemed to dissipate.
"Come here, baby girl," Wynonna whispered, brushing her hands over Waverly's hair and pressing kisses to her forehead repeatedly. Waverly could hear the tears in her voice when she said the next words to her; words that she'd probably wanted to say for a while. "You're damn well the only thing I've ever done right," she breathed.
Feeling the tears well up in her own eyes, Waverly buried her head even further into Wynonna's chest and hugged her tight. They stayed like that for a while, hugging each other closely and breathing in each other's scent, all the while the distant sound of their family's chatting was streaming vaguely into the barn from outside. It didn't matter though; it was just them, Waverly and Wynonna Earp, in their own little bubble. Together.
"I can't believe you came out of my vagina," Wynonna said then, probably to ease the tension and emotion between them, but probably also because she just couldn't believe it.
Waverly chuckled as she pulled away from her. She ran the back of her hand over her cheeks, wiping her tears. "I can," she replied, placing a hand on Wynonna's cheek and forcing them to look at each other, locking their gazes. "Of all things in this world, I can quite honestly say, that I am pleased to know that I came out of your vagina."
Wynonna made a face. "Don't say it like that, baby girl," she placed a hand on top of Waverly's against her cheek, "I've walked in on you with your head between Nicole's thighs. Don't spoil my picture of my innocent daughter, huh."
Again, Waverly couldn't hide her smile. She knew that it was messed up, and that her and Wynonna would probably never really see each other as mother and daughter, but they were sisters. Great sisters. And perhaps their sisterhood would only grow closer and stronger after this. Perhaps someday Wynonna would feel even more like a protecter, and mother, to Waverly than she already did. But then again, she'd felt like that since Waverly was a baby. "I love you so much, Wyn," she whispered then, barely able to see Wynonna's blue eyes through the blurriness of the tears in her own.
"Damn Waves," Wynonna replied, not needing to say it back, because Waverly knew, she always knew. "Now it makes so much sense to me why Bobo said that you were special."
"It does?" Waverly breathlessly whispered.
Nodding, Wynonna dropped their hands to her lap and let them stay there, their fingers intertwined as she glanced down at them. "You've time-traveled two times, and you're the child of a man who has lived for more than 150 years and a woman with a magic curse. Of course you have depths, of course you're special," she paused, finally locking their eyes again, "Not that I needed him to tell me that."
Licking her lips, Waverly replied. "I've thought about something too," she revealed, glancing at the beautiful woman in front of her nervously, "I've thought about how I wanted to break the curse before you came back, you remember?"
"Yeah," Wynonna hoarsely replied, "and you couldn't find a reason why you shouldn't be able to."
Waverly continued, "But of course I couldn't!" She said, shaking her head and running her fingers through Wynonna's, "Not only was I not 27, but I'm also the next generation," she paused, letting the words hang in the air for a few seconds, "I am an heir though, you see? I'm the first born of the air, and 'Nonna, if you can't do it, I'm gonna have to."
Freezing, Wynonna seemed to finally realise that this was true. That Waverly actually was going to have to do the things that she was doing right now, if she didn't finish the job. She squeezed Waverly's hands tight. "I'm not gonna die and let you handle that shit, baby girl," she promised, and there was a determination in her eyes, in her voice, on her face, that Waverly had never seen before.
"Don't worry," Waverly promised her with hope, "we're two heirs right? So you and me, we're gonna kill those rev-heads together and end this curse once and for all. For your future kids. My future kids."
"You're gonna have kids?" Wynonna interrupted her then, eyes big and curious. They were glistening with something akin to happiness.
Waverly couldn't help but let out a tiny giggle. "Of course I am," she said, pressing a kiss to the back of Wynonna's hand. "Nicole and I, we're gonna have a bunch of kids. Some of them are gonna be redheads, some of them are gonna be brunettes. But we'll have kids for sure."
Wynonna's face lit up in a goofy grin. "Haught's gonna be the mother of my grandchildren I see?"
The youngest Earp just shrugged her shoulder with a little smile. "Guess so," she whispered, blinking, "Or you can be the aunt, that's up to you."
"I think I'll be an awesome grandma," Wynonna replied in mock-offence, eyes going wide, and grin never leaving her face. "I'll be the coolest grandma there ever was, dude."
Waverly couldn't help but think that she was absolutely right about that. Sure, maybe their family tree was going to be a tiny bit confusing for any future children, but it was never like it wasn't going to be confusing either way. Their family had never been normal, and they never were going to be. They were Earps, and Earps would do their thing, Earping away. Earps had never been normal.
"Hey," Waverly whispered then, as she remembered something else that Bobo had said to her; the words that had ultimately set off onto this entire journey. "Bobo said I wasn't even an Earp, but… I am though?"
Quirking an eyebrow up at her, Wynonna shook her head. "Darling, you may technically be an Earp, because you're, y'know, half of awesome me, but… you're definitely a Holliday, I see that now." She nodded her head, eyeing Waverly up and down. "I mean, by old-timey standards and shit, you're definitely a Holliday, and damn, Doc cannot stop talking about it."
Bending her head down to hide her blush, Waverly felt her heart soar. Sure, she was an Earp, and she was always going to be an Earp – but she was definitely a Holliday too, and that sure as hell meant something to Doc. And it meant the world to her too, because many things could be said about Doc, and she'd called him many names – to his face and in her head – but she cared so deeply about him, and she was honoured to think that he was happy to have her be his daughter. "He's really happy I'm his?" She whispered, raising her head and meeting Wynonna's eyes.
Wynonna huffed. "What? Are you kiddin' me?" She questioned, staring in disbelief at her. "Waves, he's like ecstatic."
Smiling at Wynonna, Waverly hummed.
"Dude, you gotta talk to him," Wynonna winked at her, before sighing heavily and motioning with her hands towards the closed door. They heard someone squeal loudly outside (it sounded a lot like Jeremy getting caught on fire), and she stood up, extending her hand to Waverly. "Wanna join the party?"
Grabbing her invitation, Waverly let herself be pulled off the bed and fell into Wynonna's side, an arm around her midsection, and Wynonna's arm around her shoulder. "Hey Wyn?" She breathed, as they pushed the door to the barn open and stepped outside.
Gus and Michelle were setting the makeshift table with plates and drinks, shaking their heads at the others. Dolls and Nicole were trying desperately to get out the fire that had caught onto Jeremy's scarf, while he did nothing to help the situation; jumping around, squealing and disrupting their mission to safe him. Doc was getting steaks off the grill, scrunching his face in disgust at the sight of the grilled vegetables on tiny spears before getting them off the grill as well.
"Yeah?" Wynonna answered as they moved to join the others.
Nicole greeted them with a wide grin, finally having put out the fire. Jeremy fell to a lawn chair, breathing heavily as Dolls handed him a can of soda. Waverly felt her chest swell with so much love for all of these people in her life.
She grinned sheepishly up at Wynonna. "Don't kill Nicole with your shovel talk, alright?"
A devilish smile appeared on Wynonna's face. "You know I gotta do, what I gotta do, right baby girl?" She winked.
"You all good?" Dolls asked them, eyes moving between the two Earps as they joined everybody else at the grill.
Nodding, Waverly stepped closer to Doc, placing a kiss on his bearded cheek. "Need any help, Doc?" She asked him, eyes lingering on the sizzling food, before they turned back to look at him, and she found his eyes settled on her adoringly, and with a hand upon his cheek where she'd just kissed him.
"I do believe I have this grillin' managed, baby girl," he replied to her then, before his eyes focused back on the remaining steak, and Waverly turned to find Michelle watching them with a giant smile on her face.
Wynonna grabbed a beer from the table and popped it open, before turning to Nicole with a stern look in her eyes. Waverly bit her lip to keep herself from grinning when she realised what was about to happen. Wynonna stepped closer to Nicole, nudging her in the side with her elbow. "So eeh, Haught-stuff?"
Nicole grabbed a beer from the table as well, popping it open before offering it to Waverly, who gladly welcomed it and took her place by Nicole's right side. The redhead grabbed a beer for herself as well. "Yeah?" She questioned with curiosity as she popped that one open as well and took a long gulp of it.
"I know you've like, been with Waverly for a while and shit," Wynonna begun, forehead crinkling as Waverly buried her face in Nicole's side. "But you also gotta realise that now I'm not just Waverly's sister, so the roles have changed, yeah?"
A slightly scared look fell upon Nicole's face then, undoubtedly when she realised what was about to happen to her.
Wynonna continued, undeterred. "And I realise that you and Waverly have done the deed, frankly I've maybe seen a bit too much of that deed being done," she added, as Nicole shifted uncomfortably next to Waverly and her cheeks started tainting a soft pink. "And I just gotta say, y'know, if you ever," she raised a finger pointedly, eyes boring into Nicole's, "ever hurt my baby girl, I'ma chase you all the way out of Purgatory so fast your Haught little ass can hardly take it."
Nicole stared at Wynonna with wide eyes; her entire body was rigid and Waverly had to bite her lip to keep herself from cracking up. Wynonna was pulling off this shovel talk better than Waverly could have imagined, and Nicole was completely buying it. "Wynonna, I-" the redhead cut herself off, shifting on her feet and looking down at Waverly with sheer panic in her eyes. "I swear, I'm not gonna-"
The oldest Earp couldn't play pretend any longer and she broke into a full-blown belly laugh, taking Nicole completely off guard. "I'm just shitting you, Haught-pants!" She cheered, clinking her bottle against Nicole's and taking a sip of it.
Waverly giggled and pressed a kiss against Nicole's cheek. "Wynonna loves you, baby," she promised as she took a gulp of her own beer as well.
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and laughed nervously as Wynonna turned to entertain Doc with a crass comment about his choice of beer, and Waverly snuggled into Nicole's side again. The taller girl squeezed her tightly, wrapping an arm around her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Are you sure it's all good, Waves?" She wanted to know, just checking, just one more time, just to be sure.
As Waverly stared around at the people surrounding her; Gus and Michelle by the table, scooping salad onto their plates; Jeremy on the lawn chair, still inspecting his burnt scarf; Dolls passing vegetables around; and Doc and Wynonna arguing over by the grill – especially Doc and Wynonna arguing over by the grill – Waverly knew that for the first time in a really long time, she really was sure that it was all good.
She nodded her head, gazing lovingly up at Nicole, only to find her staring back down at her, brown eyes shimmering. "Yeah," she whispered, nodding her head a bit, "yeah, I'm really good. Finally."
Nicole's face cracked into a pink-lipped smile.
Thank you so much for reading and reviewing throughout this story! It's been greatly appreciated. This was the last chapter, and I hope you've enjoyed this time-travel piece with me. Take care!