"Oh, Nicole, you haven't opened Wynonna's present yet." I spoke, standing up to grab the little box Wynonna had given her.
"Oh, right," Nicole responded. She stood up and walked over to me. I handed her the box and she looked at me, nervously. "Do you know what it is?" She asked.
I shook my head. "No. But I am kinda scared to find out..." I muttered.
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Nicole asked.
I shrugged. "Honestly, it's Wynonna, so who really knows?"

Nicole sighed and opened the box. She looked at the whatever was inside and smiled a bit. She took it out of the box and smiled even bigger. It was a gift certificate for a spa weekend. The weekend right before we went back to school.

"Wow... I didn't even know there was a spa around here," Nicole said.
I chuckled. "There isn't," I told her.
"So where is this?" She asked, confused.
"It's over in the city. Almost an hour drive," I replied.
"Oh. Well, it's still nice. And it says it's for two," Nicole said. She looked up at me and smiled. "I'm assuming the "two" is me and you."
I smiled. "How sweet of her... but as much as Gus and Curtis love you... I doubt they'd let me go away with you for an entire weekend... alone."
Nicole nodded a bit. "Yeah, that's true," she said. She looked down and shook her head slightly. "That's- that's okay. I'll just ask Wynonna to go with me." She looked back up. "Hey, it would give me some time to get to know your sister a little more." She said with a smile.

I sighed and opened my mouth to respond, but was cut off by a knock on the door.

"Uh- Come- Come in," I said.

The door opened and Wynonna walked in. She looked at us and smiled a bit.

"You opened it." She said, looking at Nicole.
Nicole nodded. "Yeah. Thanks, Wynonna. It's really sweet." she replied, smiling.
Wynonna nodded. "No problem. I figured you'd wanna take some time to relax. Spend some alone time with Waverly," she said.
"Actually-" Nicole started.
Wynonna's eyebrows furrowed. "What? Is there something wrong with the gift? I- I just thought you'd rather have like- an experience or whatever instead of, like, a material thing... Plus, I wasn't sure what you liked so I just- I- I didn't wanna get you the wrong thing or- or something too expensive, so I just-"
Nicole shook her head. "Wynonna, the gift is fine. I love it, really. It's just that... Waverly thinks Gus and Curtis won't let her go," she said.
Wynonna sighed. "Oh... Right. Well..." She trailed off. She closed the door and walked over to us. "I could drive you guys over there... Make Gus and Curtis think we're all going together?" She suggested.
My eyes widened. "You'd do that?" I asked her.
"Well, yeah. They whole point of that damn certificate is so the two of you can enjoy it. I sure as hell am not going to a spa," Wynonna chuckled.
Nicole smiled. "Thanks, Wynonna. Really, this means a lot."
Wynonna nodded and smiled. "Yeah, yeah. Of course."

Wynonna left the room, leaving me alone with Nicole, who was sitting on my bed. I walked over to her and straddled her, sitting on her lap. Nicole put her arms around me and smiled. I smiled back and ran my fingers through her hair.

"I'm so lucky..." muttered as my eyes scanned over her face. I'd memorized practically every detail of her features. She was so perfect...
Nicole chuckled. "No, baby... I'm the lucky one," she told me.

I blushed as Nicole leaned forward and placed a very gentle kiss on my nose. I looked at her and cupped her face in my hands and caressed her cheek. I leaned forward, closing my eyes and brushing my nose against hers. Nicole's arms tightened around my body, bringing me closer to her. Our lips touched, and my heart was pounding. I felt chills being so close to her, even after being with her for the amount of time we have so far. Nicole's lips were so soft... and warm... I deepened the kiss, moving my hands down to her neck.

I pulled away from the kiss and smiled at her. "We should... get ready to go to that spa," I told her.
Nicole chuckled. "Just... one more kiss," she whispered. She put a finger under my chin and leaned forward a bit, kissing me softly.
I giggled, smiling into the kiss before pulling away. "Okay... Maybe just a few more..."

We kissed again, our lips moving against each other. After a while, we pulled away and Nicole buried her face in my neck. Her arms were still wrapped around me tightly. I wrapped my arms around her neck, hugging her. She inhaled deeply, through her nose, and then sighed. She lifted her head, and her mouth was right next to my ear.

"I love you," she whispered.
Her warm breath tickled me and her voice sent shivers down my spine. "And I love you," I replied.

Nicole pressed a kiss on my cheek, then my jawline, and then my neck. I smiled, feeling the heat rise up my neck and cheeks. I was warm, and blushing. I reluctantly pulled away and looked at her.

"We have to start packing for the weekend," I told her.
Nicole sighed. "Alright..." She groaned. She stood up with me still on her lap, hooking her arms around my legs and holding me in place. She stood up straight, lifting me as if I weighed absolutely nothing. She spun around a couple of times, and I held onto her for dear life, giggling like a little girl.
"Nicole! Don't drop me!" I squealed, laughing. I ended up pinned against the wall, Nicole still holding me up, my legs wrapped around her waist.
"I would never," Nicole promised me. She looked at me, her warm brown eyes full of love and admiration... No one had ever looked at me like that before... "No matter what, baby. I will never, ever, let you fall."
Tears welled up in my eyes as we stared at each other. I knew she really meant it. "God-" I let out a quiet laugh. I let go of Nicole just long enough to wipe my tears away as they fell. I chuckled and looked at her, holding onto her once more. "How did I get so goddamn lucky?" I asked.

Nicole let out a quiet laugh before kissing my cheek and then letting me down onto my feet. She kissed me one last time before smiling at me, and we went ahead and started to pack up for the weekend. We headed downstairs with our bags, where Wynonna was waiting.

"Hey, you two. What took you so long?" Wynonna asked with a wink.
I rolled my eyes. "We were talking," I lied.
Gus snorted, causing us to all look at her in disbelief. She looked up at us. "What?" She asked.
"What was that?" Wynonna asked, an amused smile on her face.
Gus smiled. "Oh, it was nothin'. So all three of you are going on some spa weekend?" She asked.
Wynonna nodded. "Yep. It's Nicole's birthday present from me. I figured they'd wanna, ya know, relax before having to go back to school. These last few months are gonna be actual hell for them," she said with a nervous chuckle. She was worried Gus would find out that she was letting me and Nicole spend the weekend alone. Honestly, I was too.
Gus nodded. "Okay. Well, you take care of your sister, ya hear? I want her coming back here in one piece, Wy."
"Of course, Gus. I'd never let anything happen to her. You know that." Wynonna swore, her expression serious now.

We said bye to Gus and Curtis and promised to be careful, before we went out to Wynonna's truck. We put our bags in the back of the pickup, before climbing onto the surprisingly roomy backseat. We buckled our seat belts and Wynonna started the truck.

When she started driving, I decided to ask her where she was planning to go for the weekend.

"What do you mean?" Wynonna asked.
"You can't go back to Purgatory. Gus and Curtis are gonna know that you're not with us," I replied.
"Ohh, right. Shit. I really didn't think about that," Wynonna muttered. She shrugged. "Eh, well. I'll figure something out, I guess."
"You sure? I mean... You can always take my place," I offered.
"What? No. Nicole is your girlfriend. I already told you, that gift was for both of you," she told me.
"I just don't want you to be alone for three days." I said sadly, a frown on my face.
"I know, Wave, but I don't want you to miss out on something like this. Besides, you two deserve some alone time. You won't be getting much of it after this week," Wynonna said.
Nicole shrugged. "It's okay. I mean, as long as I'm with Waverly, I'm perfectly fine," she told Wynonna. I blushed. God, this girl is too amazing.
Wynonna made a fake gagging sound. "Barf," she muttered. She rolled her eyes and then smiled. She was joking.

We figured that Wynonna was right and left things alone for the rest of the drive... Or so she thought. While she thought we were cuddling, we were actually texting each other, making up a plan. We decided to pool our money together and buy Wynonna her own gift certificate for the same spa weekend. Once we got there, however, would be the tricky part. We'd have to distract Wynonna long enough to actually pay for it. But we had it all figured out. For the most part, at least. I was going to be the one paying, while Nicole was going to be the distraction.

NH: Are you sure this is gonna work?
WE: Absolutely. Just make sure she doesn't leave while I take care of everything else.
NH: Okay... It's just that your sister seems a little... stubborn.
WE: Oh, she is. But if you're gonna be a cop someday, you'll have to learn how to deal with stubborn people ;)

Nicole chuckled at the text.

NH: I guess you're right
WE: I know I'm right. The police in Purgatory have to deal with a hell of a lot worse than Wynonna. Trust me. Wynonna'll be a piece of cake!

Nicole kissed my cheek before whispering, "I hope you're right."

I smiled, looking in Wynonna's direction to see if she'd noticed. She didn't.

When we got to the spa, Nicole and I got out of the truck and started our plan.

"Hey, Wynonna, can I talk to you about something? Like, something kinda personal?" Nicole asked.
Wynonna made a face. "Uhh, sure, Haught. What's up?" She asked, getting out of the truck.
"I'll just go check us in. Be back in a jiff!" I said to them. Wynonna nodded in response, and I headed inside.

I walked up to the desk and pulled out the money Nicole and I had put together. along with the gift certificate Wynonna had given to Nicole.

I smiled at the woman. "Hi, is there any way I could add another person to this?" I asked, handing her the certificate. I looked at her name tag, which read Ashley. It fit her.
Ashley looked at it and shook her head. "Uh, no. I'm sorry," she answered. She handed it back and I sighed.
"Ah, well, I'd like to buy another certificate. For one," I told her.
Ashley nodded. "That'll be... $100." She told me, looking at her computer.
"$100?" I asked. She nodded. "Oh, God, okay. Shit," I muttered. I counted the money Nicole and I had put together. We were about $10 off. I sighed and looked behind me. Wynonna and Nicole were still talking. I looked back at Ashley. "All I have is $90," I told her.
"Sorry, there's nothing I can do."
"Please? It's just $10. I'm trying to do something nice for my big sister. She gave me and my girlfriend this certificate and we just don't want her to be alone all weekend. Please?" I begged.
Ashley sighed. "Alright. $90 is fine. Just- don't tell anyone," she muttered.
I nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah. No, of course."
She took the money and handed me a certificate for one. "Are you ready to check in?" She asked.
I nodded. "Yeah. Yes. Please," I told her.

Ashley checked me in and handed two pairs of room keys. One for Nicole and me, one for Wynonna. She then handed me a list of things the spa offered for the three days. It wasn't the best spa, or the most eventful little retreat thing, but it was still something.

I thanked Ashley for the help and then went back outside. I tossed Wynonna her key. She caught it, but looked at me like I was a calculus problem.

"We got you your own certificate for the spa retreat," I explained.
Wynonna looked at Nicole, who nodded, and then back at me. "Guys, this is amazing, but you really didn't have to," she said.
Nicole shrugged. "Don't worry about it," she said.

I handed Wynonna one of the lists I had and me and Nicole grabbed our things. Wynonna had a bag of clothes that she always kept in the truck in case of an emergency, so she grabbed that, and the three of us headed inside to go to our rooms.

When Nicole and I found our room, we went inside. It wasn't huge, but it was pretty nice. Th'e bed was big enough for both of us, so that was good. I set my bag down as Nicole closed the door and walked over. She set her bag down next to mine and stepped behind me, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her chin on my shoulder. I smiled and leaned against her, my hands on hers.

"This is nice already," I said.
Nicole let out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah. It is," she agreed.

Nicole reached up and moved my hair away from my neck before pressing a soft kiss on my skin. I got goosebumps and smiled a bit. I turned around to face her, her arms still around my waist. I reached up and brushed her hair behind her ears. I smiled at her before leaning forward and kissing her. Eventually, we decided to take showers and go to bed. We wanted to wait until the next day to really do anything. Nicole went first, and I went second. She was already in pajamas and laying on the bed when I got out of the shower. I dried off and wrapped a towel around my body, using another one to dry my hair.

Nicole was on her phone, scrolling through something. I walked over to the bed and climbed onto it, sitting on my knees. I grabbed my hairbrush from my bag and started brushing it. I smiled at Nicole.

"What are you looking at, baby?" I asked.
Nicole showed me her screen. "This," she said.
I stopped brushing my hair and looked at her phone. I put my brush down and grabbed her phone, looking at it closer. They were pictures of adorable cats! I smiled and giggled. "Aw! That's cute," I said. I handed her phone back to her and picked up my brush, continuing to brush my hair.
Nicole smiled. She locked her phone and watched me. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" She asked.
I blushed. "Thank you." I replied. "You know..." I finished brushing my hair and put the brush down. "You're the first person that's ever told me that," I told her.
She looked at me in disbelief. "What? Really?" She asked. She was clearly shocked.
I nodded. "Yep. Not even Champ," I said.
Nicole rolled her eyes. "Well, Champ is just a shithead."
I chuckled. "Believe me, I know. I thought being called "hot", or "sexy", or- ya know- "bomb" was enough... I thought it made me feel good about myself... But it didn't. I felt really, really objectified. It wasn't just Champ though. A lot of guys talked about me like that."
Nicole shook her head. "I mean, you definitely are all of those things. But you're also beautiful, and gorgeous."
I smiled. "Thanks, baby."
"I'm just speaking the truth." She smiled and leaned in to give me a kiss.

I kissed back before we pulled away and smiled at each other. I stood up before gabbing my pajamas out of my bag. I was going to go change in the bathroom, but decided it really didn't matter. I mean, Nicole and I have had sex before... Not very many times, but we've still done it. She's seen me naked plenty of times. I put my clothes down on the bed and dropped my towel. Nicole seemed completely unfazed and just smiled at me. I smiled back, grabbing my panties and slipping them on. I pulled on my shorts, and then my shirt. I didn't bother putting a bra on since I'd just be in bed.

I went into the bathroom with my towels and hung them up before going to brush my teeth. When I was done, I walked back out of the bathroom and joined Nicole on the bed. We got under the covers and Nicole wrapped her arms around me. I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes. I tried to go to sleep, but I wasn't tired. I lifted my head a little bit. I pressed a kiss against Nicole's cheek, causing her to smile. I moved to kiss lower, on her neck.

"Waverly," Nicole said.
"Yes?" I asked. I lifted my head to look at her, smiling.
"What are you doing?" She asked, grinning.
"Mm... I think you know," I told her.

Nicole chuckled. I kissed her neck again, this time parting my lips. I bit her neck gently and she made a quiet sound. I straddled her and kissed her neck a few more times before kissing her cheek again.

I looked at her. "I want you," I whispered.

Nicole kissed me, one of her hands on the back of my neck, her other on my lower back. With every kiss, I felt my body get warmer. The kisses deepened and Nicole's hands moved down to my butt. Eventually, she rolled us over so that she was on top, my legs wrapped around her waist.

Nicole pulled away. "Wait-" she said. She looked at me. "This... this is illegal now, isn't it?" She asked.
My eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?" I asked her.
"Waverly, I'm eighteen now..." Nicole answered.
"So?"
"You're sixteen... that's- this is illegal."
"I'm not gonna tell anyone."
"I know, but what if someone finds out that we did it? Like Gus? Or- or Curtis?"
I shook my head. "Baby, they probably know that we've done it before."
"Well, then your dad? Or Willa?"
"How would they find out?"
Nicole shrugged. "I-... I don't know." She sighed. "I'm just scared. I don't wanna get in trouble if someone finds out that we're having sex."
I nodded. "Okay. That's okay. We don't have to," I told her.

Nicole nodded and laid down next to me. She kissed my cheek and wrapped her arms around me. I sighed and rested my head against her chest. I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep to the sound of her heart, and the feeling of her chest moving up and down with each breath she took.

I did fall asleep at some point, because the next morning I woke up to the sound of urgent knocking on the door. I opened my eyes just as Nicole stood up.

"What is that?" I asked her groggily.
"Just the door, baby. Go back to sleep," Nicole told me. She bent down and kissed my forehead before walking to the door to open it. "Wynonna, what-"
Wynonna cut her off by pushing her way into the room. "Waverly, we have to go now." She said quickly, looking at me with a worried look on her face.
I sat up immediately. "What? What happened?" I asked.
"Willa's in the hospital," Wynonna told me.
"What?" I exclaimed. "Oh, my God."
"Daddy's not at the Homestead. Gus said it looked like he took all of his things and left. They tried to call him to tell him what happened to Willa," Wynonna explained.
"Where would he go?" I asked her.
She shrugged. "I have no idea," she responded.
I sighed. "We should head back to Purgatory," I muttered.
Wynonna nodded. She looked at Nicole. "I'm so sorry you didn't get to enjoy this..." She said.
Nicole shook her head. "Don't even worry about it. Family comes first," she replied. She kissed my cheek. I flashed a small smile.

Wynonna stood up so that we could pack up our things and leave. I sat in the backseat of the truck with Nicole again and just spent the whole ride cuddled up against her side. She held me tightly, which made me feel secure. Like if she let go, I'd fall apart. Sure, my family was beyond dysfunctional, and Willa and Daddy weren't the best people- okay, they were pretty bad- but they were still family. Now Willa was in the hospital, and Daddy was missing.

I didn't wanna let go of Nicole.

Not even when we arrived at the hospital to visit Willa.