Wynonna and Nicole had barely made it into the house before Dolls, Waverly, and Jeremy were barraging them with the usual questions.
"Anything to report?"
"How many people were there today?"
"Did anyone see you? Seriously? Do you think he knows?"
"What did you learn?"
Wynonna shook everyone away, kicked off her shoes, and made her way into the kitchen for a glass of whiskey. Luckily for Nicole most of the group followed her, questions still pouring from their mouths even as the heir gave an exasperated shout "Can't I even get a simple hello and a drink first?"
Nicole chuckled as she untied her shoes.
"Hey baby." Waverly said leaning against the doorframe to the living room, arms crossed; a small smile on her face.
"Hey you." Nicole answered, removing her shoes before opening her arms to Waverly. The younger woman allowed herself to be enveloped in her fiancés hug.
The two shared a slow kiss.
"How was your day?" Waverly asked after a moment of warmth.
Nicole kissed her again. Wanting to stay in their little domestic feeling world a minute longer.
"It was good." She said finally as the two broke apart. "Lots of people buying guns. I'd be interested to see how many of them actually have proper licences."
Waverly chuckled. "This is Purgatory babe."
"That's exactly what Wynonna said." Nicole answered gesturing towards the kitchen where she could still hear the eldest Earp being interviewed about the events of the day. The shared a brief laugh. It became clear that both were intent on continuing the odd bit of normalcy being created.
"How was your day?" Nicole asked as she took Waverly's hand and led her into the empty living room, settling them both on the couch. The redhead leaned back on the cushions, while Waverly stretched her legs out over her partner's.
"It was fine." Waverly said propping her head on her elbow to look at Nicole. "Did some inventory on everything we have. Did a little bit of research."
Nicole toyed with Waverly's toes through her socks. "What did she research?"
Waverly giggled and retracted her feet so that they were curled underneath her. "Just some stuff." She answered off-handedly.
The older woman understood the coded language the Earp was using. Waverly had been researching for any leads on how to save Nicole. As she had been doing since they'd begun staking out at O'Grady's . To her credit the youngest Earp had been hiding her true desperation in trying to save Nicole very well the last few days with a pleasant demeanour and chipper conversation; but Nicole still knew that at night Waverly (even after Nicole was beside her pretending to be asleep) would spend hours nose deep in a book looking for solutions.
"Waves." The taller woman reached out and gave the smaller woman's hand a tight confident squeeze. "It's going to be okay."
Several waves of emotions washed over Waverly's face. "Okay." She said finally, mustering a smile and crawling up Nicole's form to settled laying down in her arms in a tight snuggle.
The couple sighed deeply at the comfortable contact, letting their eyes flutter shut, relishing each other's warmth.
Nicole immediately wished the house were empty so she and Waverly could slip even further into a state of intimacy. Whatever was to happen in the next few hours she was going to make sure that she and Waverly had the house to themselves by the end of the evening.
As they lay there Nicole began to feel Waverly's form get heavier on her, and the brunette's breathing deepen as she began to drift off to sleep. Memorizing every sensation and feeling she was experiencing Nicole too began to succumb to the exhaustion that was clutching her. She was just letting herself begin to drift deeper when…
"What do you mean we are doing it tomorrow?" Xavier Dolls' booming voice jolted the couple awake so abruptly that Waverly toppled off Nicole onto the floor.
"What?" She asked bewilderedly from the ground.
Nicole sat up and was just helping Waverly back onto the couch when the occupants of the kitchen flooded back into the living room.
"Haught!" Dolls demanded. "What is this that Wynonna's saying in you wanting to do this raid tomorrow?"
Waverly's once sleepy eyes were now wide awake as she stared at Nicole in a mild sort of panic.
Taking a deep calming breath Nicole looked Dolls square in the eye. "We are ready." She said firmly. "We know when we can do it, we know how we want to do it, and another week of us sitting on a hill isn't going to do anything but increase our risk of getting caught by O'Grady."
Beside her, Nicole could feel Waverly tensing. Doing her best to ignore it, the officer turned to address everyone in the room. "I know that this is hard, and we all are stuck in this state of wanting to get this over with but not at the same time. But this is the moment, we need to do it. We can't keep putting it off."
Finally she turned to look Waverly in the eye. "Please, can we just get this over with?"
The couple stared at one another for a long time. Waverly's mind overflowing with protests and reasons why they needed wait a little longer, but as she stared into Nicole's desperate eyes she felt herself deflate.
"Nicole's right." She said turning to the rest of the room. "This needs to end." She looked at her sister. "For all of us."
The Earps nodded at one another; jaws set.
"I am assuming the plan will be as we discussed?" Doc said from the doorway. "That Officer Haught and Wynonna will enter the premises as quickly and quietly as possible and dispatch of Mr O'Grady?"
"Yeah." Wynonna nodded.
"And the rest of us." Dolls said, sitting himself in an armchair huffily, accepting defeat "Will be placed throughout the perimeter in case he tries to make a break for it." In front of him was Nicole's coffee table where a bird's eye view google maps image of O'Grady's outpost lay. Dolls placed his fingers on the three red dots, their predetermined stakeout areas.
"Jeremy and I." Waverly said, sitting on the floor next to the table looking down at the plans. "Will slash his tires as soon as Nicole and Wynonna are inside so he can't make a break for it."
Everyone nodded. They'd been going over this plan every evening for the last few nights. Finessing it. Trying to poke holes in it. Willing it to be a reality. Of course no one dared discuss what was to happen the moment after they were successful. When O'Grady was pulled into the fires of hell leaving Nicole the last Revenant left in the world of the living. No, that was not to be discussed in these moments, that would a be time no one could plan or rehearse for.
"So that's it then?" Wynonna said an hour later after they'd all gone over the plan almost a dozen more times.
Dolls stared at the map for a moment longer before looking up and nodding solemnly. "That's it." He glanced up at Nicole's living room clock. It was just after 7pm, the sun had long since set and the night was dark. "I should get going." He said rising and making his way to the front door.
"I suggest." He called as he took his coat from a hook. "That you all get a good night's sleep."
"Let's meet back here around 3 tomorrow?" Waverly asked looking around at her fellows.
Everyone nodded with the exception of Wynonna who very clearly had something to say.
"We can't just leave." She stuttered, eyes glancing at Nicole. "This could be Nicole's last..."
The officer placed a hand on Wynonna's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze.
"Let's get through tomorrow's fight first." She reassured. "O'Grady is going to be a tough one no matter how much we've prepped."
Waverly could feel tears behind her eyes as she watched her sister and partner have a moment of true friendship.
"Once we win tomorrow's fight." Nicole continued. "We can figure out how to end the battle."
Wynonna didn't argue and instead, to everyone's surprise pulled Nicole into a firm hug. The embrace was short but everyone in the room could tell a large quantity of emotions and words were being conveyed. The moment Wynonna released Nicole the heir left the living room.
"Shorty's is calling my name." She said slipping her shoes on and snagging her coat from its hook. She was out the door before anyone could even say goodbye.
"I've got her." Doc said also rising; catching the furrowed brow of concern Waverly had instantly developed.
"We both do." Jeremy said following the cowboy. "Have a good night you too." He said with a smile that was truly genuine.
"Bye Jeremy." The couple said together as the younger man shut the door to the house. Nicole immediately got up and firmly locked the front door leave she and Waverly alone in the house.
