Chapter 2
Hey anyone and everyone. If you somewhat enjoyed the chapter one taste please let me know so I can keep writing and posting what I already have. Your feedback is my muse. Hope you enjoy!
The next day Nicole Haught pulled into the town's sheriff's office. Today was the day she would become the first person to be running the town as well as the local BBD. No pressure she thought to herself. She was scheduled to meet with Nedley to sign over the official documents that would make her Sheriff. Nedley was another casualty in the Wayhaught break up; he was like a father to her, but had not seen him in years, her pride too strong to come visit him and risk seeing the girl. A thing she regrets because as she walks into the office she sees that Nedley looks older and more tired than she remembers the man.
"Nicole!" Nedley excitedly makes his way over to hug the tall woman. "Oh how I've missed you, but if anyone asks no I hadn't missed you." the man chuckles.
"Nedley I missed you too. I promise I am back this time for good. Someone has to take care of this town now that you'll practically live on a fishing boat." Nicole said with a big smile on her face.
"Just me, my fishing rod, and an ice cold beer. That's the dream. Anyway here are all the documents you know all the boring stuff before you get into the action. BBD sent this over as well since you will be taking over that operation they need you to sign off on some new stuff too." The man said, handing Nicole a stack of documents.
The two sat and talked while Nicole signed paper after paper. After she signed the last page the man stood from behind his desk grabbing a box from the bottom shelf.
"With that Nicole you are officially Sheriff of Purgatory." Nedley said, taking out an old Stetson with a shiny new badge on the front of the hat. Nicole recognized it immediately; it was her old stetson from when she graduated academy years ago. Before she was recruited to BBD she was one of Nedley's deputies. The only difference was that the stetson now had a silver badge with the words Sheriff engraved into it. The man walked over placing the hat on top of the woman's head. Nicole felt a sense of pride and joy that she hadn't felt in a while.
"You kept it?" Nicole said softly, her hand reaching up to graze the brim of the hat.
"This town is yours now. I'll be here for you if you need anything, but Nicole this town couldn't have a better sheriff than you." Nedley said, giving the woman one more big hug.
"Thank you Nedley I will do my best." Nicole said hugging the man back.
"Ok well I am off to the lakes. Good luck Nicole." Nedley said, making his way out of his former office.
Nicole stared in awe as this was now her office. As a student she would come in and volunteer here. Countless times she sat here working with Nedley as he taught her everything he knew. She grazed the top off the old wooden oak desk as she made her way behind it. Slowly she sat in the cair taking in every moment of this new chapter of her life. Nedley had left her a new name stand that read Sheriff Nicole Haught. She grabbed it and stared at it for a while, the moment so surreal. She worked her ass off to get here and she did it.
"Well well well if it aint the new sheriff. You reading that because you forgot your name?" Nicole was taken out of her trance by the sound of the playful voice. There she was Wynonna Earp leaning on the door frame.
"Wynonna!" Nicole said hurling herself at the other woman. Usually they tried to hide their excitement around each other, but Nicole did not care. She hadn't seen the girl in years.
"I missed you." Nicole said, her face now buried in the other girl's leather jacket. Wynonna embraced the girl with strong arms.
"I missed you too Haught." she said, not being able to hide her feelings. After Waverly they were each other's favorite person. The two had bonded over their love for the younger Earp but that flourished into a beautiful friendship of mutual love and respect.
"I thought you weren't gonna show up. I read the email last week and didn't believe it. Thee Nicole Haught was going to come back to Purgatory. What made you do it?" Wynonna asked
"You know I have always wanted to protect Purgatory, that's what I've been working on my whole life." Nicole answers.
"With your credentials, why not work in a bigger, better department?" Wynonna asks as she walks around the redhead's office.
"It has always been Purgatory for me ." Nicole answers plainly as she makes her way to her seat.
"Well didn't seem like that when you signed your life away to BBD and practically vanished the next night." Wynonna said hurt peaking in her voice. When Nicole left she didn't just leave Waverly she left her too. Nicole was one of the only people Wynonna felt she could be herself with and not be judged.
"Wynonna you knew I had to do it . You know there's more to Purgatory than meets the eye and I needed to be trained. Ready to fight by your side. We all can't be natural heirs." Nicole defended.
"You left her behind, you left me behind. It killed us." Wynonna said more hurt than she would have liked.
"I came to visit!" Nicole said frustrated.
"Yea for like two weeks out of the whole first year. You think that was enough? It killed her that you left!" Wynonna said her voice now stronger.
"Nonna you're not gonna be around forever I had to make sure I was ready to protect your sister from everything! Although it seemed selfish every decision I made Waverly was the first thing on my mind. Always. At least until she dumped me then I had to deal with everything without her." Nicole had gone through anger, hurt, sadness all in one sentence.
"She didn't want to do it you know. She still loved you heck I think she actually still might." Wynonna said, now calming down.
"Don't say that. Not when she is engaged and when I finally found someone who likes me for me. All parts of me including my career." Nicole said, as she mindlessly arranged papers into a drawer.
Wynonna knew Nicole was still hurt by everything. She would love to have her sister and her best friend just run back into each other's arms, but she knew other people were now involved; it wasn't that simple.
"Alright then, what if we continue this conversation at Shorty's after work?" Wynonna offered.
"Sure, I missed that old dump." Nicole answered. Wynonna smiled looking at her best friend. Almost not believing she was there.
"He is a prick you know." Wynonna stated simply.
"What?" Nicole said, a little confused.
"Jon Richards. He is a boring cocky accountant who thinks he is the shit." Wynonna continued.
"Well if he won Waverly's heart he has something to be cocky about." Nicole said. Maybe it was the buried jealousy but she did not like hearing about Jon at all. Wynonna smiled as she heard that.
"Well I haven't told her about you coming back so if you want me to tell her let me know." Wynonna said.
"No thanks. It's not like she'd care and frankly I shouldn't either." Nicole said her faux hard face on.
"Nic not caring about something? What has this town done to you?" A voice said coming from the door.
"You must be Shae." Wynonna said, turning towards the woman coming into the office.
"That's me. Wynonna right?" Shae said extending her hand out to the burnett. "I have heard so much about you and your family." Shae said with a smile on her face.
"Hopefully all good, but I am sure that's not the case." Wynonna laughed.
"Baby wow! You look hot in that hat." Shae said, fully looking at Nicole for the first time. As she approached the red head.
"Ahh yea. That stetson drove all the girls crazy even when she was just a wee little deputy." Wynonna said. Nicole knew Wynonna was taking a jab at how much Waverly used to love seeing her in uniform.
"Well thanks for letting me know I'll have to keep an eye out." Shae said as she stood behind Nicole's chair leaning down to wrap her arms around the woman.
"I'll let you two ladies have a moment. Nicole don't forget Shorty's after you're done in the office. I need to catch you up on cases." Wynonna said making her way to the door.
"Yea. I will text you when I am done." Nicole agreed.
"Nice to finally meet you Shae. Should I close the door?" Wynonna said with a wink.
"Nonna. Get out of here!" Nicole laughed, throwing a pen at the retreating figure.
"So looks like you have dinner plans?" Shae said, kissing Nicole's cheek.
"Yea is that ok with you? I know it's our first official day here but maybe..." Nicole rambled.
"Babe don't worry. It's work and your old friend just dont be home too late. Plus Ashley offered us dinner. I'll just tell her it will only be me tonight." Shae interrupted. Ashley was the doctor friend who had helped Shae with the transfer.
"Thanks baby. Please tell Ashley she should come have dinner at ours once we have the place ready and that I am sorry for missing tonight." Nicole said. Shae nodded in response.
"So Sheriff Haught. The way you look in that uniform I kind of want to be bad." Shae seductively whispered in the redhead's ear. Nicole let out a laugh as she stood up pushing the other woman down on the chair she was just seated on.
"I don't think you could be bad even if you tried." Nicole said, leaning down placing her hands on the arms of the chair. Shae gulped at her girlfriend's sudden dominance enjoying every second.
"You behave alright." Nicole whispered her mouth grazing Shae's ear.
"Now, I have to take some papers to city hall. You know, show my face there." Nicole said, now making her way to the door. "Feel free to stay here as long as you want, but maybe you should go to work too. I'll see you tonight baby." Nicole winked as she left the office.
"You tease!" Shae yelled at the retreating woman.
Later that evening Nicole found herself sitting on a stool at Shorty's. Wynonna would be there soon so she sipped on a beer while she waited. People came up to her to say hello and ask how it was like being back in town. It felt nice to see familiar faces, thankfully most of them seemed pretty siked about having her as town sheriff. Some asked about Shae since they saw her at her new home. She did the polite, that's my girlfriend's conversation. That was the one thing she hated about small towns. She knew somehow everyone would know everything about her return by tomorrow. However, she paid no mind she was out and had every right to be back trying to start fresh with her girlfriend.
"Haughty get two shottys!" she heard from the entrance.
"Wynonna I thought this was also a business meeting." Nicole laughed.
"It is. Trust me you're gonna need them after the recap of all the shit that's gone down. Plus I have some best friend questions first." Wynonna answered.
"Shoot." Nicole said.
"Ok first I want the full story of how you were recruited. I was born into this, what about you?" Wynonna asked.
"Well as you know after being titled deputy I was approached by Moody." Nicole began.
Flashback
"Ms. Nicole Rayleigh Haught, the youngest deputy of purgatory. Top of her class in the college academy hybrid course. Nedley's little prodigy. Daughter of a deadbeat dad and your mom passed away when you were six so you lived with your aunt and cousin most of your life." Moody said entering the sheriff department.
"Umm excuse me? Can I help you?" Nicole said, offended and confused by the man's sudden entrance.
"The name is Moody. I've been watching you since middle school deputy."
"Creep?" Nicole said.
"Quite the opposite actually. I know you Nicole, you have a good moral compass and the courage of a lion. I also know your one weakness is your fear of not being able to protect the ones you love. I am here to help with that." Moody said. Nicole's attention was struck by that statement.
"And how can you do that?" she asked
"As you know BBD is planning on bringing more security to the GRT. Wynonna and Dolls are great but they need help from someone who has a close touch to reality. Quite frankly Dolls and Wynonna aren't normal, they both hold supernatural powers. Wynonna being the heir has acquired skills that us humans have to work for. Dolls well you know dolls." Moody said as he confidently walked around the station.
"I need to shape a young leader who will take care of BBD and our human citizens. Nedley agreed that you would be perfect to take over his reign in the future and now I think you can take over BBD here too. But, you must be trained." Moody stated.
"More training? I already finished the academy and got a degree, what else?" Nicole asked.
"This training would be all over the world you need to be put in the action to fully be ready. I am offering you a job. You will be paid top dollars to let us shape you into BBD's best agent and in the future best chief. Five years of intense training." Moody said.
"I don't know that sounds like a long time?" Nicole thought out loud.
"Waverly Earp. You love her don't you? You want to defend her from anything right?" Moody said, pulling out his big card.
"Of course I do." Nicole answered.
"I promise you after you're done you will be ready to protect her from everything, even the supernatural. With you and Wynonna she will practically have an army guarding her. Right now you aren't ready, but you could be if you say yes." Moody said his voice laced with persuasion.
"Five years? I need to think about it." Nicole said.
"You have 24 hours Nicole if not I have other people who would die for this offer." Moody said as he left the office.
Nicole was left in awe and confusion with the man's offer. After sitting in silence for 20 minutes the doors to the office opened again. This time Waverly stepped in in all her angelic beauty.
"Hey sweetie pie you're almost off right?" she asked, as she sat at the edge of the red heads desk.
"Yea yea 10 more minutes." Nicole answered, still distracted.
"Baby whats wrong?" Waverly asked leaning down to grab Nicole's face between her hands.
"You know I love you right?" Nicole asked.
"Of course baby and I love you with all my heart." Waverly answered.
"I would do anything for you." Nicole said.
"I know you would and I would too. Are you ok, what's wrong?" Waverly asked.
"Nothing babe. Actually I need to run home after this. Can I meet you at the homestead later tonight? We need to talk." Nicole asked, needing a little more time before breaking the news about the offer.
"Umm yea babe sure I'll see you later." Waverly said, placing a small kiss on the girl's cheek and leaving the office.
"After that well you were there for half of it. I told Waverly about Moody and she freaked out. We both cried then you found us crying in the kitchen because it meant I would be gone for a while." Nicole ended the story.
"It seemed like the right thing at the time. I just think none of us expected it to be that intense. I know I didn't expect it to be that bad. I mean I missed birthdays, anniversaries, holidays. I missed it all for two years before she ended it." Nicole said sadly.
"She agreed Nicole, but like you said it was much more than any of you could have imagined." Wynonna said sympathetically.
"Yea I know." Nicole whispered. She was still very conflicted about everything. She loved being able to have a good career that trained her to protect the woman she loved, but that cost her her girl.
"Look no more sad talk right now. You have a great job, a beautiful girlfriend, and an amazing best friend. That's enough for now. Let's talk business" Wynonna said, calling over the bartender.
"Yes I do." Nicole said, trying to convince herself this was true.
The two women spent the rest of the night talking about everything Purgatory. Apparently Bobo was back in town and so were some other not so friendly creatures. Thankfully Dolls and Wynonna had a good control over everything supernatural.