Waverly cheered from her seat in between the benches, watching the Devils fighting hard in their game against Brandon. MacKinnon dug around for the puck that was being pinned up against the wall, pulling it out of the scrum and flipping it up out of the zone. Jamie was able to touch it to save the icing call, but wound up being called for offsides instead.
The ensuing faceoff came in the neutral zone, and Waverly had a great feeling the Devils would gain possession. Nedley had sent out the Jenna—Nicole—Shae line for a reason, of course.
Waverly readied herself to mark down the result as the puck was dropped. Nicole was a split second too slow, and the Bobcats' center won it back to her defenseman. The visitors wasted no time in setting up their offensive attack once they gained entry to the zone.
The Bobcats moved the puck crisply, looking to open up seams in the Blue Devils' defense, but they all held their zones and did what they needed to, making it hard for their opponents to get chances. Eventually, the offense was left with no choice but to force a shot in hopes of getting a bounce or opening something up on a rebound, causing a deflection into the right corner boards.
Nicole took off in a foot race with the forward she was matched up against, and Waverly had an uneasy feeling of déjà vu as she watched her girlfriend barrel into the corner. When she saw the hit becoming imminent, she averted her eyes, but couldn't escape the sound of bodies colliding with an immovable object. Whistles blew and chaos followed, but Waverly couldn't tear her eyes off of Nicole lying practically facedown in the corner, stiff as a board.
Waverly opened a door inside her box that she didn't even know was there and sprinted onto the ice. She needed to make sure Nicole was okay. Nicole had to be okay. Just as she reached her girlfriend, however, she stumbled (stupid ice), and when she regained her bearings, she found herself blinded by lights somewhere that was most definitely not the rink.
The smell of antiseptic stung at her nostrils and the clinical sights and sounds hit her like a truck.
How the hell did she end up at the hospital?
She spotted Wynonna, holding an ice pack to her face, talking to a police officer while a young doctor stitched up a cut on her cheek. Apparently she had found her way to the ice and kicked the shit out of whoever hit Nicole.
Wait, Nicole. Where was she? Was she okay?
She jogged over to where her sister was, hoping to find an answer. Waverly was about to open her mouth to ask the question when a doctor burst through the door, looking for the Earps.
"Where is she? How's Nicole?" Waverly asked frantically.
"Waverly," the doctor said, their voice firm, sounding like not great news. "I don't know how to tell you this."
"Tell me what," she felt her chest tighten and her stomach turn.
"Nicole…her injuries were too severe, we did everything we could, but," they paused, "Nicole is dead."
Waverly bolted upright in bed, clutching one of the many blankets to her chest, trying to get a hold of her breathing and calm her racing heart.
A nightmare, she thought through the fog. Just a nightmare, right?
She looked around, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room looking for the one thing that would confirm the one coherent thought in her racing mind.
When she could finally see, she looked over to find Nicole Haught, sleeping soundly, her mouth hanging open ever so slightly and a few strands of hair straying into her face. Waverly watched and listened to the even breathing beside her; reached out to feel her girlfriend's warmth.
She was okay. It was just a bad dream.
Waverly laid back down, knowing it would be next to impossible to get back to sleep, wrapping her arms around the redhead to keep her close. Nicole hummed contentedly in her sleep and burrowed her head into the brunette's chest, while Waverly used the contact and the reassurance to calm herself down.
(She hadn't had any nightmares about the incident since Nicole had woken up relatively okay, so what the hell did it mean to having one so long after?)
She found that she did eventually get back to sleep, because when she awoke, a few rays of sun had started to filter through the curtains. She rolled over, still slightly frazzled from waking up in the middle of the night, and reached an arm across the bed hoping to feel Nicole there.
Instead, the redhead's side is empty, and the sheets there are cold. Waverly sits upright and frowns. Had she imagined Nicole there last night? Was she actually hurt and in the hospital? Had it not been a dream at all? Had Nicole actually died?
She pulled on the hoodie hanging at the foot of the bed and slipped on a pair of socks before exiting the room, needing to find answers. As she padded down the stairs, the questions continued to fly around her mind and only stopped when she heard voices from the kitchen.
"Wynonna, I swear to god," one of them came, most likely through gritted teeth, "leave them alone."
(Waverly released a huge sigh of relief, knowing her mind hadn't tricked her last night).
"Hey, if they're on the table, they're fair game, everyone knows that."
"Jesus, I mean it, Earp, they're not for you," Waverly turned into the doorway in time to see Wynonna reach for, and take a bite of, one of the waffles stacked up neatly on a plate on the kitchen table.
"Damn, Haught, who knew you were such a good chef?" Wynonna said through a mouthful of waffle, her smug look growing scandalized as Nicole reached out smack it from her hand and on the floor. "How dare you!?"
"I made this breakfast for me and Waverly, you can fend for yourself." Nicole said pointedly, placing the plate of remaining waffles onto a tray with strawberries, yogurt with granola, some orange juice and a bottle of champagne. (Topped off with a big vase of the prettiest bouquet of flowers Waverly had ever seen).
About to pick up the tray, the redhead caught sight of Waverly in the kitchen doorway and she smiled softly, though Waverly picked up a sense of disappointment in her look as well. "Aw man, it was supposed to be a surprise—breakfast in bed."
"Oh, I can always go back up to bed," she suggested with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
"If it's going to lead to you doing nasty things to my sister in bed, I'm gonna take all your waffles." Wynonna interrupts, already reaching to steal another one.
"Not happening," Nicole swatted at her hand in warning, "now scram."
Wynonna picked a strawberry from the bowl with a mischievous smile before scurrying away. Nicole rolled her eyes at the older brunette, but motioned for Waverly to join her at the kitchen table, pulling out her seat for her.
"Well, don't you know how to make a girl feel special first thing on a Monday morning?" Waverly cooed, watching Nicole pour champagne into her flute of orange juice.
"Not just any Monday morning," she replied when she finally took her seat, reaching over to grab Waverly's hand. "The Monday morning that happens to be our second anniversary."
She knew that, obviously, and her heart soared at hearing the words aloud. Two whole years of loving the gorgeous redhead in front of her. She'd ask where the time had gone, but she knew. God did she know. Their relationship had been tested in one of the fiercest ways right from its early onset, and things hadn't gotten much easier. Nicole's rehab, Waverly's promotion, the reappearance of Hannah, the break. Their first anniversary had been ruined—the Devils were out of town in on an East Coast road trip, and it had been around the time the pair reached their disconnect at Hannah's joining of the team. So while Waverly spent their special day taking phone calls and controlling Bunny Loblaw, Nicole spent most of the night in bed with her muscles and joints aching from a particularly strenuous rehab session. But here they were, still going strong, both of them happy as ever. (If only she could shake the images from her nightmare, today might actually be a perfect day).
"Oh, so that's what today is?" Waverly smiled coyly. "Here I am thinking you pulled out all the stops to cure a bad case of the Mondays."
"Well, yeah, that too," Nicole says as she puts the bottle back down on the table.
"What, you're not mimosa-ing?" Waverly wonders aloud, "Is that a word? Mimosa-ing?"
"Well, I'm not sure about that, but considering drinking on game days is generally frowned upon, I don't think I should be doing it with the Assistant GM."
"Pick a lane there, Haught," she teased, "am I your boss or your lover?"
"Under the right circumstances, on the right nights, you'd be both."
(She swears she hears Wynonna gag from upstairs).
"When you talk like that, it makes me question why I date you."
"Well, if you've got all these questions, maybe I will let Wynonna take the food."
"You wouldn't dare," she gasped, pulling her plate closer to herself.
Nicole smirked, taunting her girlfriend. "Don't test me."
"I hate you," Waverly said, but had no truth to it.
"That's quite unfortunate considering how much I'm in love with you." Nicole popped a strawberry into her mouth and winked.
"I can't believe I'm in love with such a cocky idiot," she sighed dreamily, taking a sip from her glass. "God, two whole years, huh?"
"Best two years of my entire life," the redhead fixed her with a starstruck gaze, "I wouldn't change any of it for the world."
"None of it?" She asked, knowing there'd been a lot of trials and tribulations over that period.
"Not a thing," Nicole confirmed, "because every. Single. One of those moments—good, bad or indifferent—led me here, to this moment, with the most beautiful, most perfect human being in the whole wide world."
"You are," her words come slowly, deliberately, so Nicole knows she means everything she is about to say, "the most incredible thing to ever happen to me, Nicole Haught."
"Well, I don't know about all that," the redhead deflected. Waverly hated when Nicole did that, and she did it all too often for her liking; her girlfriend had a nasty habit of not believing she deserved the praise she got, "but I do know that you are extraordinary, Waverly Earp."
"Earp!" Waverly heard her name shouted across the hallway in the shrill tone that told her today wasn't going to be an easy one. "Waverly Earp! Come here—why are you ignoring me?"
"I'm not ignoring you, Bunny," she answered calmly.
"Oh, well," the woman huffed and turned up her nose, "I have something very important to tell you."
Waverly wasn't necessarily religious but, oh dear sweet lord god help her.
"What can I do for you?" The brunette asked, putting on her best professional smile.
"It appears that I have been locked out of my Twitter account," the owner informed like it was the most preposterous thing in the world.
"Mhm," she nodded, playing like she hadn't changed the password to the account after the latest run of games. The woman was so very close to devolving into insanity and with the Devils struggling to win games as of late, Waverly and Dolls feared that she was on the verge of tweeting something that would inevitably plunge the team into scandal. That was the absolute last distraction they needed right now as they tried to figure out how to get back to winning ways, and Waverly resolved to just shut the whole thing down before it came down to that. "Let me see what I can do about that."
Bunny handed her her phone and Waverly wasted no time in deleting the app from the device. It's better that way. She fiddles around with the screen for a minute or so before she hands the phone back to its owner.
"Gee, Bunny, I don't know what to say," she feigned being completely lost, "I think Twitter just might be broken. They just don't build apps like they used to."
"They sure don't. Stupid, rotten, good-for-nothing kids," Bunny agreed. "How the hell am I supposed to tell the world all of my brilliant thoughts, now?"
Waverly's not stupid. She knows that simply changing the password or deleting an app is going to silence Bunny, so she thinks on her feet. (And to the TV she'd been watching last night).
"You know, the audience you're looking for doesn't use any of these silly apps anyway," Waverly told her like it was something the woman should've known all along.
"They're not?"
"No, but I can show you what they are using."
The owner, whose only character trait seemed to be unhinged narcissism, perked her head up at that. Waverly led her down the hallway that led to Bunny's office and opened a word document. She hid the screen from the woman for just a moment while she crafted a jazzy-looking header and an official looking "website" at the top.
"Here you go, Bunny, if you wanna reach the type of people who are dying to hear what you have to say," Waverly bit back her laughter, "this is the place to do it."
"www .bunnysworld .gov/bunnysthoughts ?" The woman asked, intrigued. "What is this?"
"It's your own personal blog. They're all the rage right now," she told her, pointing to the screen. "And look! You've already got four and a half million followers." (A fake followers tab for a sham blog did deserve a hilariously implausible follower count).
"I always knew people were hanging on my every word," Bunny straightened herself up with an air of importance, practically shoving Waverly out of the seat, "now move so I can give the people what they want."
Waverly stood and excused herself from the room. As if Bunny could be bothered to notice, too busy with her newfound fame and typing away furiously adding words to the document. She collided with Dolls as she exited the office and he looked at her with an almost playful curiosity about the scenario.
"Do I even dare ask what crazy nonsense landed you in Bunny's office now?" He released the closest thing to an amused chuckle he was capable of.
"Actually, I think you might like this one. I think I might've actually saved us some sanity."
"Oh do tell."
"She figured out I changed her Twitter password and locked her out," she explained, "so I deleted the app from her phone and created a phony blog in a word document. I told her everyone who wanted to read her thoughts would be waiting. She thinks she's famous."
Dolls peeked into the office, seeing the woman clicking away. "Brilliant. How'd you come up with that one?"
"I stole it from an episode of The Office."
"Nice work," he praised. "Hey, you up to talk to Vance before the game tonight?"
She frowned slightly. Not really. She wasn't really in any sort of mood to deal with the guy who'd been doing nothing but slandering the team all season. "This doesn't sound like I have a choice."
"You do, but it's either talk to that asshole or blow off the appearance and give him free reign to talk whatever smack we both know he will."
"Fine," she figured it best to bite the bullet, "when is it?"
"Now."
Perfect.
"Where is he?"
"Media room, slot three," Dolls told her. As she walked away, not really looking forward to the interaction, Dolls added a "Thanks, Earp. You're a lifesaver", that all but confirmed that he was supposed to talk to the media man, but pawned it off onto her.
She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the media room. She straightened out her blazer and tightened her ponytail. On the off chance this was going to be recorded and broadcasted on the network, she was at least going to look put together.
Waverly spotted the man almost instantly; everyone had come very familiar with the man since he decided to start running his mouth about the team's play and their legitimacy as a contender. He stood there in his assigned spot, fiddling with his phone—probably already writing a scathing article or a series of tweets—when she approached him, eager to get this over with.
"Vance Kerr?" She asked even though he hardly needed to introduce himself. He perked his head up and closed whatever he was writing to smile and extend his hand. Waverly accepted the shake, "Dolls tells me you've got some questions pregame?"
"Yes ma'am. X should know by now that I'm full of questions."
(She knew for a fact that Dolls would not be appreciative of this guy calling him X.)
"Alright, let's get started then, shall we?" She proposed professionally.
Thankfully there had been no cameras, but he did open the recording app on his phone to keep notes on the pregame talk.
"Just a couple questions today, I promise."
"Go ahead and shoot 'em at me then."
"Okay, first one," he doesn't even stop to look at the notes he'd been carrying with him. "It's been no secret that the team has struggled down the stretch, what can you say about their play of late?"
"Well, obviously it hasn't been ideal. Everyone wants to play winning hockey, but there's gonna be a rough patch from time to time. Mental toughness is going to be key if we wanna turn the ship around."
Vance nodded, but looked rather unpleased not to have provoked a better reaction.
"Any insights into why the team might be struggling so badly? Was the record season two years ago a fluke?"
That was the reporter's calling card lately. It was his ticket to more screen time—ranting and raving about how this team had never been a legitimate threat. (That "Even a broke clock is right twice a day"; which she wasn't even sure he was using the right way).
"Vance, you've been around this game long enough to know that success in this league isn't easy to come by. This is a good squad and a turnaround is around the corner," she fed him the lines that Dolls had crafted ever since the reporter decided to go on this crusade against the Blue Devils.
Vance nodded, looking just as disappointed at this response as he had been for the previous one.
"Alright, I'll leave you with one last question," he said. "There have been rumors circulating around the league that Nicole Haught may be making her return to the ice this week. Any chance that happens tonight?"
"Well, Nicole is close to ready to go," Waverly answered. She'd been allowed to answer questions like these, but wasn't supposed to reveal any firm details. "But, that final decision's gotta come from the training staff and from Sheriff Nedley."
Waverly went about the rest of her pregame business, checking everything off of the daily lists she got from Dolls. Today's game was a special one, so the lineup card from Nedley would wait until right before warmups.
One of the last things on that list was to make sure Bunny wasn't out somewhere unattended creating more drama for the team. She'd turned down the hallway the sound of footsteps practically sprinting toward her, right before a flash of black striped with baby blue crashed into her. Naturally, it was Wynonna.
"What are you running around down here for?" She said from where she laid on the ground.
"Oh shit, my bad babygirl," Wynonna held out her hand to help her sister up. "I'm looking for Robin."
Waverly smoothed out her jacket and regained her balance, looking Wynonna up and down at her odd search. What the hell did she need Robin for fifteen minutes before warmups.
"He's in the sound booth getting ready for the game, why?" She added skeptically, like she knew the brunette was up to something.
"I've got a special request for him tonight," Wynonna said mischievously and now Waverly knew she'd been up to something.
"Any chance you'd tell me what that is?"
"Waverly, you've known me for 23 years," she snickered, "you know I won't."
"Wynonna, it's almost time for warmups—Sheriff's gonna be going into the locker room any minute now."
"Correct," her sister nodded her affirmation, "so if you could get out of my way, I can do what I need to and make it back in time."
Waverly pinched the bridge of her nose, but moved out of the way, "Make it quick."
Wynonna jogged off in the music director's direction, while Waverly continued on with her pregame check on Bunny, with the added worry of however her sister was most definitely bothering poor Robin right about now. She paused in front of Bunny's door—the nameplate on it bedazzled with rhinestones and embellished with an actual, literal spotlight over it—debating whether or not to knock and subject herself to more insanity. Instead, Waverly simply peeked in through the window, almost grateful to find the woman still furiously typing away. She wondered if she'd been at it nonstop since Waverly had set it up for her, and then shuddered at the thought of what that word document looked like.
(Waverly let the woman be, seeing as she was actually quiet and corralled for once. She'd let Dolls handle the job of prying her away from her new toy to go up and watch the game).
A reminder chimed from her phone and Waverly practically skipped the entire way down to her office. It was almost game time, and more than that, she and the team had a special surprise for a special someone. She grabbed what she was looking for off of her desk and then skipped all the way down past Nedley's office and only stopped when she reached the coach and his assistants at the locker room door.
"You got it?" He asked as he handed her a copy of his lineup, keeping one for himself.
(She could tell he was trying not to cringe at the sound of Barbie Girl by Aqua being blasted in the room on the other side of the door, but she found it hilarious. The team at least sounded like they were ready to go).
"Mhm," she nodded excitedly. This was a long time coming, and Waverly was ecstatic to be a part of it. When the decision had been made official, Nedley had been the one to suggest Waverly be there for the announcement.
"Alright then," he gave a nod and a smile, "let's see if they're ready then."
The Sheriff knocked three times on the door and waited only a second before Shae Pressman responded, the music in the locker room being cut immediately. The captain moved out of the way of the door, allowing them access to the rest of the team. Inside, the squad sat attentively in their stalls, waiting for what their coach would have to say.
Waverly sighed in relief when she saw that her sister had made it back to the room in time, but cracked a wide smile when she made eye contact with Nicole. The redhead sat in the stall, completely geared up, but looking confused and worried at the fact she was the only one on the team who didn't have a jersey.
"Ladies, it's no secret we haven't been getting the results we all wanted," Nedley said gruffly, "but today's a new game. You all can make the choice to be a completely different team starting tonight; the team you all know you can be." The team nodded along to the words of their coach. "Make smart decisions, don't take stupid penalties, and for Christ's sake, have each other's backs out there."
Nedley turned to Waverly and gave her the look. Behind her back, she gripped the object from her office a bit tighter, just about ready to burst from excitement. Turning back to the team, Nedley called Shae up to the front of the room and handed her a lineup card. He stepped aside to give the captain the center of attention.
"Alright gang, starters on deck," Shae called in a voice ready to rile everyone up, the drumroll of foot stomping and banging on the locker stalls starting up. "We're gonna start from the back today—in between the pipes, we've got Thriller Miller! We've got the best of both worlds out on our blue line with Hannah Montana and Lil' Miss Georgia Peach," the captain called, earning a laugh from the D-pair of Hastings and Thomas. "Yours truly is on the right side, and the world's biggest pain in the ass is on the left—the one and thankfully only, Wynonna Earp!" Wynonna stood to take a bow, earning playful eye rolls from many of her nearby teammates. "And in the middle, a moment I think we can all say we've been waiting for, making her return to the ice, Big Red herself—Nicole Haught!"
From beside Wynonna, Nicole smiled brightly as the team cheered and patted her on the back. Still jerseyless, she looked around to anyone who might be able to solve her issue. Waverly's heart swelled with pride at what would be coming next.
"Uh, thanks guys, really," Nicole said awkwardly, "but I don't think I can play without a jersey."
Nedley gave a chuckle. "Settle down Haught, we're gettin' to that."
He nodded now to Wynonna, who stood up in her stall to talk.
"Nicole Haught, you uptight, goody-two-shoes, hoity-toity, rule followi—"
"—Wynonna," Nedley interrupted, instructing her to get to her point.
The redhead frowned in confusion.
"You, you glorious ginger bitch, have been a backbone for this team, even when no one asked you to. You had your own shit going on, and you had every right to take a look at this team and completely ignore it for the sake of dealing with your own issues. But once you got yourself back on your feet, you took it upon yourself to have everyone's back, even when you couldn't play," Wynonna never broke eye contact with the redhead, and the team agreed with everything the woman had to say. "You've fired everyone up before games. You've been supportive when things have gotten tough. Hell, you've even managed to get me to get my shit together," Nicole raised a questioning eyebrow before Wynonna conceded, "mostly. You have worked harder than any single one of us to get to this day, and your perseverance is inspiring. You're the toughest fucking bitch I know, even if you are a dorky fucking idiot most of the time, and I think I speak on behalf of everyone on this team when I say that you deserve this."
The redhead looked at Wynonna, and then up at Nedley and around the room at the faces of her teammates, perplexed and definitely a little lost. Waverly stepped out from beside the head coach and motioned for her girlfriend to come to the front of the room.
The shorter brunette produced a black jersey with a baby blue stripe across the middle (reminiscent of the style of a Montreal Canadiens jersey), and handed it to Nicole. The redhead ran her fingers across the stitching breathlessly, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She looked up, wide-eyed, at Waverly as if she were questioning what was going on.
"Put it on," she nudged her disbelieving girlfriend.
Nicole pulled the sweater over her head and over her protective equipment, straightening it out and looking down at the Blue Devil emblazoned in the center. She turned around to show the team, all of them bursting into cheers and whistles as she showed them what was so unbelievable to her—a large white capital letter 'A' just underneath her left shoulder.
"When Wilson retired," Nedley spoke up, mostly to the redhead, "there was a vacancy. A leadership role needed to be filled. I held off on handing it out, waiting to see who would step up, be a presence in the locker room. I should've know you'd be a voice, but I will say I was pleasantly surprised that it came despite you not being able to be on the ice with your teammates." The coach put a hand firmly on Nicole's shoulder, like a mentor does before they're about to say something important. "Now I wish I could take all the credit for the decision, but your captain over there," he nodded to Shae, "suggested we take it to a vote to fill the alternate captain slot."
"It was unanimous," The woman smiled.
Waverly could tell Nicole was fighting back tears, like she still couldn't believe any of this was real, that any of this was actually happening.
"It's for all your hard work, so don't go slacking now," Nedley coached, "but you've earned this, Haught. I'm proud of you. We're all proud of you."
Nedley pulled her in for a quick embrace, and muttered a few words to the redhead that Waverly couldn't quite make out. She knew it was something meaningful; those two had a bond that went beyond just coach and player. Once the moment had passed, Nicole moved to return to her seat, when she was cut off by voices.
"Speech! Speech!" Powers and Finning called, cupping their hands over their mouths as they yelled. The rest of the team joined in, and Nicole could do little to refuse it.
"I uh," Nicole scratched at her head, her hair growing back out long enough to put into a braid again. "Wow," she looked down still in shock at being bestowed with such an honor. "I'm sorry I don't have much to say, I guess I'm not sure I deserve this—"
"—Boo!" Most of the team called, a series of "Shut the fuck up"s and "Of course you do"s followed.
"Well, thank you guys. You know, I never thought I'd get back here, to do this thing I love so much with all of you, so to know that this is what you guys think of me," she looked down a the 'A' for what had to be the hundredth time already, "I know for a fact that I am the luckiest girl in the world." The team cheered and hollered. "Alright, enough of that. We've got a game to win, yeah? Let's fucking give it our all then."
The team gathered for their cheer and grabbed their equipment, ready to head out to the ice. Nicole hesitated in going to her locker, finding Waverly first.
"You were behind the surprise, right? Because I know for a fact these things usually happen in Nedley's office."
"I may have been," Waverly smiled coyly. "When Doc told Dolls and I that you'd be ready to go on November 16th, I knew that it'd be the perfect day to do this."
"I must say, this is the greatest anniversary present I could've ever gotten."
"Always the best for my best baby," she stepped up on her tippy toes to place a quick kiss on Nicole's lips, the skates adding a couple more inches to the already existing height difference between her and her girlfriend. "Now, go out there, have fun and please for the love of god be safe."
"Of course," Nicole smiled as Waverly booped her on the nose.
Vance Kerr (VKerr_CEWHLN)
Will the Blue Devils' woes continue? A 7-11 record in Purgatory is just another on the growing list of proofs that their trailblazing season two years ago was little more than a fluke. Management remains vague, and maybe overly optimistic. IMHO it's time to make a big move if the Devils want a chance at turning things around.
16 Nov—4:07 PM MST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
BACK IN BLACK—The Devils take to the ice for the first time in their new "blackout" alternate jerseys as Nicole Haught returns for her first game in 576 days.
16 Nov—6:53 PM MST
CEWHL (CEWHL)
Video: Nicole Haught's solo lap in warmups—a welcomed sight for the star's return after 18 months. ( PC: IG/bluedevilsCEWHL).
16 Nov—7:01 PM MST
CEWHL (CEWHL)
'A'-Okay!—Purgatory fans welcomed Nicole Haught back to the ice with a new addition to her jersey, joining captain Shae Pressman and alternate captain Corine Saunders as the locker room and on-ice leadership of Randy Nedley's squad.
16 Nov—7:12 PM MST
PURGATORY BLUE DEVILS (bluedevilsCEWHL)
Puck drop!
Starting lineups— BOBCATS: Clanton-Redmayne-Simms, Griffin-Jackson, Brown
DEVILS: Earp-Haught-Pressman, Hastings-Thomas, Miller
16 Nov—7:29 PM MST
To say she was pretty much a blubbering mess would be an understatement. For all of the trouble and the pain and hardships she'd had to watch Nicole suffer through, it was nothing compared to the pride that swelled in her chest at the sight of her girlfriend back out there, doing what she loved. It was a moment, eighteen months, three weeks, and four days in the making, and it was finally here. She welcomed anyone to talk shit about her; she didn't care, it was an emotional moment and she'd shamelessly show every single one of them.
Waverly clocked the tears Nicole was choking back as the screen showed a short welcome back video, waving to the crowd from where she stood on the ice. Nicole deserved every second of the praise and glory and attention she was getting tonight.
Something about seeing her girlfriend playing with her sister seemed so foreign to her, like she couldn't believe this was her life now, but she wasn't complaining. Nicole's first shift was energetic, though Waverly could see the rust and apprehension on the redhead's face. She'd disclosed that she was still getting used to skating in full equipment with her knee and ankle braces, so Waverly imagined that was playing a big part in it.
Wynonna, still a loose cannon, had mellowed some since being switched to play with Shae. She still took bad penalties, usually out of frustration, but had learned to pick and choose her spots a bit better. There was an immediate chemistry in her play with Nicole that was evident, though of you told her two years ago that Wynonna and Nicole would get along the way they do, Waverly would've laughed in your face.
Nicole got a chance halfway through the second period and Waverly couldn't help the way she stood and hung onto Dolls' jacket in anticipation. The man looked at her strangely, though if he was annoyed, he kept it to himself. Nicole's shot rang the post and careened out of play, the redhead throwing her head back, looking up at the sky, wondering how she missed her chance.
Waverly continued to cheer from her seat beside Dolls, watching the Devils fighting hard in their game against Brandon. As the game rolled into the third period still locked in a scoreless draw, MacKinnon dug around for the puck that was being pinned up against the wall, pulling it out of the scrum and flipping it up out of the zone. Jamie was able to touch it to save the icing call, but wound up being called for offsides instead.
The ensuing faceoff came in the neutral zone, and Waverly had a great feeling the Devils would gain possession. Nedley had sent out the Wynonna—Nicole—Shae line for a reason, of course. One of the areas the Devils struggled in with the absence of Nicole and the loss of Wilson was at the faceoff dot. Nicole's return had already paid dividends, the Devils holding a sizeable advantage in that department.
Waverly could all but count the draw as a victory for her girlfriend, yet Nicole was a split second too slow, and the Bobcats' center won it back to her defenseman. The visitors wasted no time in setting up their offensive attack once they gained entry to the zone.
The Bobcats moved the puck crisply, looking to open up seams in the Blue Devils' defense, but they all held their zones and did what they needed to, making it hard for their opponents to get chances. Eventually, the offense was left with no choice but to force a shot in hopes of getting a bounce or opening something up on a rebound, causing a deflection into the right corner boards.
Nicole took off in a foot race with the forward she was matched up against, and Waverly had an uneasy feeling of déjà vu as she watched her girlfriend barrel into the corner. Not the same corner from the incident, but it may as well have could feel the sense of dread from her nightmare creeping in on her as the scene unfolded, a big hit from Cleo Clanton becoming increasingly imminent. She grabbed onto Dolls' arm with white knuckles, unable to register if she was hurting him, hoping her dream hadn't actually been a premonition.
As if sensing the hit, Nicole swerved away from the woman coming in hot, sending the opposing forward crashing into the corner. Waverly gasped, partially thinking that this may have been the first time Nicole actually successfully evaded a hit. Maybe she was making strides in being a smarter player after all. The redhead escaped the corner and started to headman the puck up ice toward their attacking zone. Unfortunately, the puck flipped up on edge, causing Nicole to hesitate for a second to regain possession, leaving her in line for an open-ice collision that knocked her off her skates.
Waverly held her breath while she waited for Nicole to climb back up to her feet. Like she knew Waverly was watching intently to make sure she was okay, Nicole pushed herself up to a knee, readjusted her helmet and smiled at her girlfriend with a disbelieving shake of her head. Baby steps, she supposed.
Nicole jumped back into the play, Wynonna holding the puck along the half-wall. Because of her delayed entrance, the Bobcats were caught off guard by the redhead barreling down the center of the zone. Wynonna laid a saucer pass onto Nicole's stick, which she settled with ease and quickly toe dragged the puck around the defender's poke check. Beating the defender cleanly, Waverly watched her girlfriend snap the puck over the goaltender's shoulder, popping the water bottle out of its holder as the top of the net bulged with the scoring of her goal.
Openly sobbing now, Waverly jumped to her feet, pulling Dolls along with her as she bounced on her toes and tugged at his jacket. Not a single bit of her excitement, pride, or adoration for her girlfriend could be contained in that moment, and apparently it was contagious because Dolls actually vocally cheered in celebration.
The arena erupted, not just at the skilled play, but at how important they knew this goal was. The players on the ice mobbed Nicole, who couldn't contain her own excitement. Over the noise Waverly heard something that was definitely not the team's normal goal song.
"I get knocked down, but I get up again; You are never gonna keep me down; I get knocked down, but I get up again—"
She rolled her eyes, catching the proud smirk on her sister's face. So this was the important, pressing matter that she needed to bother Robin for. Nicole was mobbed again by the rest of the bench as she skated by for fist bumps, but her eyes were locked solely on Waverly, patting her right hand over her heart before pointing at the brunette. Even from the distance, she could read her lips—I Love You.
PURGATORY SPORTS REPORT (JeremyC_PG)
Nicole Haught wastes no time in her return to the ice, potting the game winner in her first game back with the Devils.
16 Nov—9:52 PM MST
SportsCentre (SportsCentre)
#TOP10—Top play of the night comes from the CEWHL, Nicole Haught of (bluedevilsCEWHL) takes the sweet feed from Wynonna Earp and executes a slick toe drag before popping the bottle to win in her first game back from a devastating injury.
17 Nov—1:01 AM EST
They spent an inordinate amount of time talking to the media after the game, practically every outlet wanting to get a piece or a quote from the returning star. It was attention she deserved after all the work she put in to get back, and Waverly was sure to mention it in the interviews she was saddled with.
By the time they returned to the homestead, Waverly wanted little else than to get out of her pantsuit and cuddle up to the woman who had made her so emotional all day. For most couples, an anniversary would mean a night out with a romantic dinner, but Waverly couldn't imagine anything she would've rather been doing on this night than what had transpired. She didn't need a big fancy dinner or an expensive gift to know how much Nicole loved her. And, she knew Nicole wasn't the type of girl to expect big fancy gifts to know Waverly loved her, deciding the jersey surprise was the best way to do so. It was also the only gift she'd give Nicole that the redhead wouldn't try to refuse or say "You didn't have to, really" to.
Nicole had beaten her upstairs to her room—essentially their room—so Waverly had been plenty caught off guard when she opened the door to be wrapped up in strong arms, enveloped by the scent of vanilla that she loved so much. The room was dark, the only light source coming from the small bedside lamp that was much dimmer than it once had been.
"Well hello there," she breathed, tilting her neck to allow Nicole access to the spot just below her ear that the redhead knew drove her crazy.
"Has anyone told you how hot you look in this suit?" Nicole whispered in her ear, sending a shiver up her spine.
"You may have mentioned it a time or two."
"The only place it would look better is on the floor," Nicole nipped at her earlobe, letting her hands wander over the brunette's body. "Right now, maybe."
Waverly kicked the door closed behind the pair and turned herself around in Nicole's arms to capture her lips in her own, escalating the kiss as the taller led their entangled bodies over to the bed. In a move of boldness, Waverly switched their positions, pushing Nicole to the bed and climbing up to straddle her. She hadn't forgotten what Nicole had said over breakfast and wanted the woman to know that. She may be a lover, but technically she was also the boss.
Below her, she took in the sight of the gorgeous redhead, flush and breathing heavy, eager to reengage in their activities. Obliging, Waverly crashed her lips into Nicole's again, one of her hands finding its way into the locks that were only still slightly damp from the postgame shower. They moved in sync, like they'd known each other forever; like they'd had every single millimeter memorized. She could feel the heat coursing through her body, and pushed how badly she wanted Nicole to tear the suit right off of her to the back of her mind for now, her hands moving from long hair to find the hem of a Nike Dri-fit t-shirt.
Nicole's skin was hot against her palms, feeling her girlfriend's toned abdominal muscles tense in anticipation, chest heaving from the way her oxygen was currently being used. A small moan escaped Nicole's lips as the brunette's hands roamed upward, giving a firm squeeze to one of her breasts underneath the sports bra (that Waverly couldn't think logistically enough to find a plan off attack to get that thing off). The sound, as sinful as always, allowed Waverly to maintain her dominance by slipping her tongue in between her girlfriend's teeth.
With her hand flat against Nicole's sternum, she found herself mesmerized by the steady pounding there that she was responsible for. She knew hers was beating just as hard, though that wasn't the only thing pulsing through her body.
Distracted, Waverly didn't realize she'd lost dominance, allowing Nicole to use her strength advantage to flip their positions with ease. The redhead's hands tugged immediately on Waverly's belt, pulling her closer and undoing it quickly. The belt was discarded onto the floor, and before she knew it, Nicole had undone the buttons of Waverly's shirt with expert ease.
Nicole paused for a moment above her, taking in her sight before smirking mischievously and pulling off her own shirt. She leaned forward, and the way that her thigh pressed closer and closer to the heat between her legs gave Waverly goosebumps. Nicole used her advantage like Waverly had, using the space between moans to slide her tongue into her mouth.
"Can I?" As her hands found the waistline of the brunette's pants, Nicole broke the kiss momentarily, asking for permission to escalate.
"Always." She nodded, heart racing, chest heaving, and the throbbing between her legs growing more unbearable by the second.
Nicole resumed, finding the button of the pants and undoing the zipper, ready to remove them in one fell swoop when…
"Haught you gotta see—Oh my god!" Wynonna burst through the door (as she does).
Nicole rolled off of Waverly as the latter pulled a blanket up to cover herself even though she was still (unfortunately, annoyingly) mostly clothed.
"Wynonna!" Nicole growled, hurling a pillow in the intruder's direction, "Get out!"
Wynonna backed away, shielding her eyes and mumbling about how they needed to invest in a lock for the door as she closed it behind her.
Nicole looked back to Waverly, a mixture of love and lust in her eyes—mostly black from her fully dilated pupils, but just enough of the brown showing to be made gorgeous golden color by the light of the lamp beside them. (Easily Waverly's favorite color).
"So," Nicole whispered through a breathy chuckle, "where were we?"