"One more, my lovely deputy," said Emily the physical trainer, known privately to Nicole as Nurse Torture. She was short but muscular, with a perky blond ponytail and green eyes. She was also entirely too cheerful for Nicole's piece of mind. "You're wimping out on me here."

Nicole gritted her teeth and pushed harder against the weight of the leg press. Before the accident she could push three sets of two hundred pounds, but now she was gasping and wheezing over one set at a measly fifty. She scowled, willing her shaking legs to finish.

"And done! Good job, Nicole," Emily announced cheerfully, nonchalantly ignoring the dirty look Nicole was giving her. "Next time we go up to sixty pounds!"

Tommy handed over her water bottle without comment, but he winked when he caught Nicole's eye.

She sighed and handed it back. "Pretty pathetic. At the academy the trainers would have told me I hadn't earned my water yet."

Tommy shrugged. "A couple of weeks ago you couldn't even use this machine." He took back the bottle and handed her a towel. "Give yourself a little credit, Cole."

The towel was soft and clean against her sweaty face and Nicole held it there a moment, willing her breathing to slow and the pain to subside. After a moment she sat up and tossed it at Tommy's head, smirking when he failed to catch it.

"Too slow," she mocked.

He glared in response. "Very funny, deputy. Isn't it time for your arm curls?"

"Sure is," Emily chirped as she returned and helped the groaning Nicole up to her feet. "Last exercise for today, then I will release you from your torment."

"Can't wait," Nicole muttered as she limped slowly but steadily to the arm machine. The week before she had finally ditched the wheelchair, but to her disgust she still needed a cane for anything more than about ten feet away. She settled onto the bench and gripped onto the handles the trainer passed to her.

"Nice and slow, Nicole," Emily reminded her. "Smooth movements only."

Nicole merely grunted, blowing out hard on each lift. The twinge in her elbow that had plagued her since the accident was mostly gone, to her immense relief. As a person who was used to keeping busy with physical tasks, not being able to use her hands as usual had been the most aggravating aspect of her recovery.

During this whole process, the Earp sisters had been unflagging in their support despite her general state of grumpiness, particularly after Tommy had had to go back to work and was now only coming to Purgatory on the weekends.

When she tried to apologize for exploding in frustration one night after falling in the shower, Wynonna had merely rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, Haught-shot. You're a pussy cat compared to me."

Waverly had shrugged and grinned at Nicole. "She's not wrong. Now drink your tea and take your anti-inflammatories before I put you over my knee."

It was hard to argue with that.

Since then Nicole had been working extra hard to be able to attend Waverly's graduation and after party, to support her friend who had done so much for her. She had been hoping to think of a reason for Tommy not to attend the after party as she wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Waverly worked at a strip club, but Wynonna ruined any plans by announcing Tommy was sitting with her at Shorty's, for Waverly's final performance.

Emily interrupted her musings. "Three more, deputy — you've got this — and two, here we go, one more, and done!"

Nicole dropped the bar, chest heaving. She glared at the light amount of weight she was stuck using. Next week that was going up, too, if she had anything to say about it.

"Not bad, Cole," Tommy observed as he handed her the water bottle again.

She wiped her mouth of gulping down half the bottle then grunted noncommittally. "Got a ways to go yet."

Tommy shook his head and sighed at her stubbornness, but made no further comment.

Emily wrote some notes on her clipboard, then clapped Nicole on the back. "Try not to get into too much trouble this weekend, okay?"

"Ha! She'll be trying to keep me out of trouble," Tommy joked, nudging Nicole gently with his arm.

Nicole rolled her eyes as Emily giggled.

"You're too funny, Mr. Haught!" She gave them both hugs before trotting off in search of her next victim. "See you two on Monday!"

"Only if I don't kill you first," Nicole muttered sourly at Tommy. "Mr Haught."

"Like you could," he scoffed back good-naturedly. "My lovely deputy."

"Shaddup."

—

The day was warm and bright. Banners flapped in the wind as the long line of black robed and capped graduates marched across the stage. The chancellor, a very tall and thin man with a wild mop of gray hair and a shockingly deep voice, proudly announced each graduate. Nicole's eyes stayed focused on the tiny figure of Waverly as she climbed the steps.

"Graduating cum laude with a double major of Classical Studies and American History, and a minor in Mathematics, Waverly Adelia Earp!"

The polite clapping was eclipsed by the roar from Wynonna who jumped up and down on her chair waving a huge sign that read "Earps Kick Ass And Take Names!"

Beside her Dolls looked mortified but Doc, Gus, and Shorty all laughed at her antics.

Nicole clutched the bouquet of flowers in her hands as next to her Tommy clapped enthusiastically. Rowdy lounged at their feet, sporting a bow tie Wynonna had managed to find in the university's colors.

"Adelia?" He murmured in her ear, his voice amused.

She didn't respond, distracted by the brilliant smile on Waverly's face as she looked out and laughed at her frantically waving sister and her slightly more abashed companions.

Tommy sat back in his seat as he dropped his hands. "Two majors and a minor. That's some brain on our girl."

Wynonna beamed as she finally climbed off the chair to the immense relief of the family sitting behind them. "They don't make brains sharper than hers, I'll tell you that much."

Doc rumbled his assent. "She is indeed an intellectual marvel who often impresses me with her snippets of knowledge, even if sometimes she uses that knowledge for evil." His lips were curled in a faint smirk as made this unexpected statement.

Gus glared at him as Nicole spluttered. "Are you still mad that she beat you at chess, Doc? She won fair and square!"

He huffed in mock outrage. "She used a strategy not seen since the fifteenth century!"

Shorty snorted. "About as old as I am, then." He took a deep breath of the grass-scented air and looked around in contentment. "I knew she'd get here some day."

"We all did. That girl is going places," Gus agreed. "Be relieved to see her leave after tonight."

Shorty snorted. "It's a sad day when a boss is happy to see a good employee go."

Gus smacked him. "You know what I mean, old man."

He chuckled. "I do, I do. At least we're gonna send her off proper. Shorty's style."

"That we are." Gus' eyes had a wicked glint. "No one will forget this night for a good long time, partner."

"Legends will be born," Wynonna intoned, her own eyes merry. "Movies might well be made."

Tommy look over Nicole. "Should I be worried?"

Nicole looked at him, her eyes wide. "Maybe? I think I might be…"

Wynonna took one look at their nervous expressions and burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, Haught Potatoes One and Two. You best brings your 'A' games for tonight!"

—

The sky was fading to violet with the stray pink cloud when they drove into town. Waverly gasped and Nicole's jaw dropped as they turned the corner and Shorty's came into view. The front of the building was completely covered in streamers and balloons. A raucous crowd was already milling out on the sidewalk holding signs at the ready.

Wynonna blew her horn, catching the attention of the crowd. As one they turned and started cheering wildly.

"You seem to have quite a lot of friends, Waverly," Tommy observed drily.

She blushed. "Um—"

Wynonna was on a roll. "She was voted most likable person in Purgatory three years running!"

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "Really."

"She even got a sash!" Wynonna informed him gleefully.

Nicole glanced over at the red-faced woman. "A sash?"

"It's pink with gold glitter," Wynonna added, her grin positively wicked.

"Shut UP, Nona," Waverly muttered, but couldn't hide her smile when Nicole snickered. "What can I say? It's all in the smile and the wave."

Tommy leaned forward to read the signs. "Hrm. 'Congrats my favorite school girl.' Interesting." He pursed his lips. "'You can Thunderball me anytime.' That's quite supportive, yes. Oh, and 'Shake me all night long!'" Tommy sat back, chuckling. "I'm gonna be glad I left my badge at home, I think."

Wynonna's truck was swerving wildly from her laughing so hard, but thankfully she pulled up in front of the crowd without managing to kill anyone. Doc, having arrived earlier with Dolls, Gus, and Shorty to finish getting ready for the party, pushed his way to the truck and gallantly opened the door for the beaming Waverly.

He held out one hand with a wink. "If I may, Miss Waverly."

She accepted his hand as the crowd started chanting it's enthusiasm.

"WA-VER-LY! WA-VER-LY! WA-VER-LY!"

A honor guard of her fellow dancers draped brightly colored feather boas around her as she passed through the doorway. As one, the excited crowd poured after her into the dark depths of Shorty's, leaving a still laughing Wynonna and a bemused pair of Haughts standing on the suddenly quiet sidewalk.

Rowdy huffed and whined as he pulled on his leash towards the door. He clearly wanted to follow Waverly, to Nicole's amusement.

"You said it, bud," Wynonna cooed. "Time to go celebrate our girl!" She turned to Tommy. "You, sir, are with me, and you," she turned to Nicole. "You have a special seat. Let's go."

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked her in suspicion.

Wynonna's face was pure innocence. "Just so nobody steps on your broken bits."

"Sure," said Nicole flatly. "My broken bits."

Wynonna slung her arms around each of them. "Come on, Haughtsauces! Our party awaits!"

—

If the exterior of the building was a crazed mass of decoration, the interior looked like the party store had thrown up after a bad night out drinking. Every conceivable surface was covered in a riot of disposable color. Pre-poured pints of beer and shots of whiskey stretched down the long bar, with most of the cheerful partygoers grabbing one of each before claiming a spot around the stage where two dancers swirled around each brass pole, the energetic thumps of Rihanna's Please Don't Stop the Music providing the rhythm.

Wynonna pushed her way towards one corner of the stage, Nicole and Tommy in tow, before pointing Tommy to a couple of empty seats being saved by the stern-faced Dolls around a table already laden with waiting drinks.

"Sit your fine butt down there, Sheriff, while I deposit your niece onto her throne."

Nicole looked desperately at Tommy for help, but he merely grinned and waved her on.

"Come on, Haught-y Mc-Haught-y! You're over here."

Nicole stopped dead and glared at the smirking bounty hunter. "You're kidding."

"Nope. You get the VIP couch, Deputy." Wynonna leered, then at Nicole's wooden expression, she relented. "Honestly, we suspected there were so many people coming that I was worried about your partner. This way he can't get stepped on."

At Wynonna's grudging admission, Nicole smiled. "Aww, Wynonna," she teased. "Are you saying you like my dog?"

Wynonna scowled at her, a faint bloom across her cheeks as she cleared her throat. "More than I like you, as a matter of fact." She blew a kiss at Rowdy than jumped down to the main floor to plop herself down between Tommy and Dolls.

To Nicole's utter shock Tommy pulled a couple of stacks of bills from his jacket, clearly prepared for a night of tipping. He caught her staring at him and shrugged cheerfully.

"Rowdy," she said to the pit bull sprawled happily at one end of the couch as he got a belly rub by a raven haired beauty wearing a leather bikini. "I think we're in for quite a night."

"Woof."

[AN] Sorry for cutting off there, me beauties, but still working on The Party(tm) details. Will get it out as quick as I can!

Also, Adelia was one of Wyatt Earp's many sisters — I assume the name traditions would be strong in general with this family...

:)