It was a week later when Waverly was released from the hospital. She was told to take it easy as the stitches were still doing their job and her ribs were still cracked but she was healed enough that home was the right medicine.

Earlier in the week Doc had come by and brought Alice before leaving Purgatory. It was the first time she was able to hug her niece since she had handed her off to her father before she flew away to safety and she understood that that needed to happen again. Still, that moment was beautiful. She wished that Nicole was able to surprise her the way she intended but knew that the circumstances had changed. Ultimately, whatever was being planned didn't matter. The safety of her family did. She tried to get Wynonna to go with them but stubborn Wynonna just raised her eyebrow at her sister and called her an idiot.

Waverly was forced into a wheelchair and was wheeled out of the hospital by Nicole with Wynonna right beside her. Once outside she asked her wife if she could walk as she had barely been allowed out of the bed while admitted. Nicole was hesitant but told her to lean on her for support. She led her over to her Jeep and helped her into the back seat where she sat with Wynonna, head resting on her shoulder from the exhaustion she was suddenly feeling, as Nicole got into the drivers seat and drove away.

"How you doing Waves?" Nicole questioned with her eyes in the rearview mirror looking at her wife. She had gained some of her color back over the week but had lost some of it on the way to the car.

"I'm okay, just tired," Waverly responded as Wynonna brushed some of her hair from her face. She took a deep breath, chest still hurting every time, and turned her head to look out the window, head still on her sisters shoulder, but she didn't see what she expected.

Doc and Wynonna were talking quietly, but not quietly enough that she couldn't hear.

"Why did we bring Alice to this god forsaken place? To appease your bratty little sister?"

"I was trying to be nice but apparently nothing can go the way that's planned. She's just trouble." Wynonna turned around and stared at Waverly, that hate in her eyes very apparent. "You will never see her or us again you ungrateful half-sister. I miss Willa."

Waverly abruptly lifted her head off of Wynonna's shoulder and pushed her away, tears in her eyes. Her breaths were now coming shallow and she felt like a fish out of water. Her chest was on fire and her stitches were pulling with each short gasp.

"Babygirl what happened? You're okay, you're okay," Wynonna kept repeating as she put her hands on Waverly's shoulders to steady her. Her sisters eyes were wide and full of tears. She looked terrified.

"Wynonna what's going on?" Nicole yelled back as she heard her wife in distress.

Wynonna just shrugged at her sister-in-law who was still watching through the mirror.

"I...I don't...I don't know what happened," Waverly finally got out after a minute of just staring at Wynonna who has trying to have her mimic her breathing, like a woman in labor.

Waverly felt a pain in her chest but it wasn't from her cracked ribs. It was like her heart was ripping. She remembered clearly what she saw but couldn't tell her wife or sister.

You can't tell them because this isn't your reality Waverly. This is all just a dream. What you just witnessed, that is your reality, spoke the voice in her head. You need to snap out of this before everyone gets hurt. Before you lose your family for good.

She shut her eyes tight and brought her hands to her eyes. Her head also hurt now. What was going on?

"You're almost home baby," she heard Nicole say and that helped ground her. She opened her eyes, removed her hands, and looked towards Nicole whose eyes were only on her as they had stopped at a red light. "I got you and you're okay." The love in her voice was loud and clear. She was going to be okay. Right?

xxxxxx

At the homestead Waverly sat down on the couch, the most comfortable thing she sat on for the past week. Nicole sat with her as Wynonna went into the kitchen to make them some tea.

"Wait, you drink tea now?" Waverly called after her sister. "Do you add whiskey?"

"I'm a mom now," Wynonna called back. "Of course I add whiskey."

Waverly smiled as she grabbed Nicole's hand. Her wife's attention again focused purely on her as she held tightly. "Are you okay Nicole? I haven't even asked you."

Nicole laughed, her dimples appearing at the genuine concern and admiration. "Of course Waves. You're home and I am absolutely perfect because I have you."

Nicole was as far on the couch as she could get from Waverly, arms crossed and not a smile or dimple to be seen.

It was a quick flash, but she saw it. The look was seared into her memory.

Present Nicole, still holding tightly to Waverly's hand, noticed the smile on her wife's face drop quickly. "Are you sure you're okay though?"

Waverly shook it off, the pain in her heart and head still there but dim for now. "I just wanted to be home with you."

"Don't forget about me!" Wynonna said as she carried three mugs of tea in her hands and a bottle of whiskey under her arm.

"You make it impossible to forget you Earp," Nicole joked.

The three women sat on the couch and drank their tea, Wynonna asking if anyone else wanted to add a little kick to theirs. Nicole gave her a kick of her own and reminded her that Waverly was still on antibiotics and pain meds. They talked about the party that never happened, how Montana had been, and how Black Badge was functioning under Jeremy. Finally, Wynonna had to ask the question that was on her and Nicole's mind.

"Waves, can we talk about what happened? I mean if you don't want to I understand but we need to find her."

Waverly nodded her head and put her empty mug on the table. She described everything that happened inside Shorty's and after they had exited before Wynonna had some questions.

"So you've been practicing huh?" She asked.

"Yeah. I needed to know I could help." She looked at Nicole who was still fixated only on her, even when Wynonna had spoke. "I needed to be able to protect you if anything happened. Heal you..."

"You did protect me baby. That was a pretty impressive shield you threw up," Nicole interrupted as she noticed her wife's voice trail off. "I didn't realize how much you were actually able to do."

Waverly shook her head. "I wasn't aware either. I just saw you getting shot at and I used everything I had."

Nicole remembered the toll it took on Waverly. She had seen her collapse into her captors' arms of exhaustion. She wondered if because Waverly had been protecting her it had ended up putting her in more danger, maybe it was her fault everything that followed.

"And no," Wavery said, breaking Nicole out of her spiral, "what I did to protect you did not make it worse for me. I would do it again."

"You guys are still gross," Wynonna interrupted this time. "But babygirl, what happened in the woods?"

Waverly snapped her head to Wynonna. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead, her head started to spin and her vision became blurred. She shut her eyes as hard as she could. When she began to open them the scene in front of her changed.

"Ms. Earp? You need to wake up." A woman was standing in front of her in a dark alley Waverly noticed as she fully opened her eyes.

"What happened?" Waverly was able to ask. She realized she was laying on wet concrete.

"You kind of just fell down. Are you alright?"

Waverly nodded and stood up. Her head was spinning. She was confused because this isn't the last thing she remembered. She turned around to look behind her. "Where's Wynonna and Nicole?"

As she turned around she noticed the woman that had helped her was gone. What is going on? she thought to herself. She felt her abdomen and shoulder which were completely devoid of any wounds. She reached into her pocket for her phone and when she turned on the screen she noticed that the picture on the lock screen was not the one she remembered. Instead of a wedding photo it was a picture of a flower. She began to scroll through her contacts to call Nicole and waited as it connected.

"What?" Nicole answered harshly.

"Nicole thank god. Something really weird is hap-" Waverly started but was cut off.

"Waverly, I don't know what this is but you need to stop contacting me. I don't care," Nicole said before she hung up the phone.

Waverly pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at the screen. She felt her chest grow tighter and breaths getting harder. Another panic attack. Again she closed her eyes tightly.

As she opened them she found herself sitting in her running shower. She was still fully clothed but quickly removed her shirt to notice the bandages that resided on her stomach and shoulder.

"Waves, you've been up her for a while. Are you alright?" Nicole said as she entered the bathroom. She peaked around the curtain and noticed Waverly on the floor of the tub, obviously crying. "Baby what happened?" She immediately climbed in and sat behind her wife after shutting off the water, noticing the bright red skin from the steaming hot shower, and held her close.

Waverly couldn't speak. She didn't know.