For people who have been reading for a while: I'm just doing a bit of reorganizing of the chapters. For those who are just coming: please leave your thoughts in the review section.

Nicole clutched her jaw. "I deserved that for what you think I did." That didn't make it hurt any less. Not just her mouth-her girlfriend was strong enough to do enough damage there-but someone down deeper too. Where she could feel that bond of trust they had kindled between them...cracking.

Nicole hadn't cried in front of anyone since she was ten years old, so as she felt her eyes water, she really prayed the Earp sisters thought it was from the physical pain.

When she worked up the courage to look back at Waverly in the eye, she didn't want to accept what she saw. The pure heated anger on the face that was always so sweet, the sharp needle pain she had shoved underneath, the drink reddened cheeks. I forced Waverly to drink. I did that. How much lower can I get?

"Hey, Babygirl," Wynonna placed her hands on her sister's shoulders, like she was trying to protect her and stop her from going anywhere at the same time. "Why don't we go inside? You guys can talk it out then?"

"Maybe take a nap? Sober up and I'll wait downstairs for you?" Nicole suggested.

"I don't wait you in our house." Waverly hissed. She didn't see Nicole gulp down the insult.

"I'll just wait in my car then. Come outside whenever you're ready."

Waverly glared at her, but couldn't come up with a response quick enough before Nicole was backing away off the porch and back into her cruiser. She could barely hear the murmured whispers Wynonna encouraged Waverly back into the house.

Nicole blasted the radio as loud as she could while knowing Waverly wouldn't hear it in the house. She was hoping it would drown out her thoughts. It didn't.

A giant banging on her window startled Nicole even over the still-blaring music. She must have fallen asleep. She nearly punched the radio power button and rolled down her window. Waverly Waverly-Wynonna. It was the elder Earp sister at her door.

"Oh thank god. You were going to give all the county a migraine."

"Sorry," Nicole mumbled, rubbing her temples. She did have a headache, though she wasn't sure if that was from the music or the stress.

"You wanna come in? Waves finally fell asleep, but I doubt she'll be up for another few hours."

"She said she didn't want…"

"And I say I do. Come on. We have pasta and some doughnuts left over from this morning." Nicole hesitated. Maybe she hadn't done anything that wrong in reality, but Waverly didn't know that, and she didn't want to do anything that would make her uncomfortable. "Come on Haughtstuff don't make me watch the pbr by myself."

"You have bull riding on?" She had been so busy with all the moving and then spending time with Waverly, she hadn't seen a contest in so long. She had loved watching them with her siblings growing up, always betting old candy on who would win.

Wynonna flashed her weak attempt at a pouty face. She would never beat her sister in that department. "Fine." Nicole sighed, and popped open her door.

"Top shelf. Top shelf." Wynonna chuckled, somehow coaxing out a smile from the officer.

The tv was on low when they went inside. For all her bravado, Wynonna really did care about her sister. So even when rodeo was the louder the better, she didn't push her luck on a napping drunk that was sure to wake up with a hangover.

Nicole took a doughnut when she plopped on the couch, but after a few bites it did little more than spread powder on her fingers. She tried focusing on the insane Vegas cowboys and whatever Wynonna was talking about this time, but her mind was on one thing. Well, many things that all circled around one thing. One person.

Like the time when Waverly had gotten the flu and they had curled up on this couch and had a Harry Potter movie marathon. How Waverly cried when Dobby died and tried to point out everything that was different in the books. How Nicole had gotten sick a few days later, just as Waverly was recovering and the little Earp had brought her chicken soup and stayed over at her apartment until midnight just talking.

The walk they had taken through the hills just beyond the homestead, where Nicole had first told Waverly she loved her. Waverly had tried to kiss her while they were still walking and had tripped. They had rolled all the way down the still snowy hill together until Nicole had slammed into a tree trunk. It had hurt at first. Until Waverly was kissing her senseless. She still remember the way her lips had formed the words I love you too for the first time against Nicole's own.

Or the time when they had volunteered a Saturday at the local shelter with a group of other people and Waverly had gotten the job to walk all the dogs while the rest of them cleaned out the cages. Nicole could still remember the way she had gone home smelling like bleach, wet dog and poop and Waverly was still as fresh as she had come in, plus a little hair from an overzealous german shepard. It had been worth it though, because Nicole had been able to watch her through the window to the mini shelter dog park, laughing, playing fetch and smiling all day. She had never seen anything brighter.

She wanted that back. God, how much she wanted all of that back. She didn't care what she had to do to get it.