Purgatory Sheriff Department

Waverly yawned as she entered the station, fumbling with her coffee and a tupperware container as she made her way to the desk, cursing Champ under her breath. It was way too early for her to be awake after spending so long at the station looking over Steven's file with Wynonna. She had gotten back to Uncle Curtis' around 3am, showered, and had just laid down when she got the call from Paul that Champ was locked up in a cell for the night. Paul told her they weren't planning on charging him with a DUI so she could come pick him up in the morning after he slept it off. And now here she was, back at the sheriff's department at 8am to pick up her boy-man despite having to work at Shorty's later that day.

"Hey, Paul," Waverly sighed, setting her coffee and the tupperware container on the desk. "Still working?"

"Just for few more hours," Paul said, sighing and rubbing his forehead. "Nedley's got us on 12-hour shifts since we're so short-handed."

"Sorry to add drunk Champ to the mix," Waverly said.

"I don't know how you do it, Waverly. He babbled on forever about some bet he lost to Carl before finally crying himself to sleep a couple hours ago."

"Well hopefully these at least partially make up for your bad morning," Waverly said as she lifted the lid off the tupperware container exposing freshly baked blueberry muffins. She knew that muffins were one of Paul's weaknesses and also hoped Nicole might enjoy them after not getting her sugar fix the other day.

"Oh they definitely help," Paul said grabbing a muffin and taking a big bite. "Come on, let's go wake the child." He ate the rest of his muffin, grabbed the keys, and they handed back to the cell. Paul jiggled the keys against the cell bars creating a loud clanking that made Champ jump up. "Let's go, rockstar. Your lady is here to bail you out." Paul unlocked the cell and opened up the door for Champ.

"It's about time," Champ said, grabbing his jacket that he had balled up to use as a pillow. "This place stinks, Paul, and it's cold."

"It's not meant to be the Holiday Inn," Paul replied. "How about you think about that next time you're drunk and trying to outrun a Purgatory Sheriff's Deputy."

"Champ, really?" Waverly said, not knowing Champ had caused Nicole so much trouble when she arrested him.

"It's not a big deal, Waves," Champ said. "Besides I was just going home."

"You took out two mailboxes and a fence on your way home," Paul said. "They're still trying to round up Scotty's horses thanks to you."

"Well if that ginger cop didn't have it out for me, I wouldn't have had to take the back roads by Scotty's and his fence would be fine."

"Right," Paul said, eyeing Champ up. He turned to Waverly. "Get him out of here."

"Come on," Waverly said, grabbing Champ's arm and dragging him towards the front door. As they passed the front desk, Champ eyed the muffins but Waverly quickly slapped his hand and forced him out the door.

"Ow, I'm hungry. What's your problem?"

"You, you are my problem," Waverly said as she stomped down the sidewalk towards her jeep. "What were you thinking?"

"It was Carl's fault, he was cheating at pool," Champ said.

"Oh here we go," Waverly replied, rolling her eyes. "It's Carl's fault, Nicole's fault, everyone but yours."

"Hey what's your deal lately? You've been riding my ass all week."

"Because you're driving me crazy," Waverly yelled at him. By this time, several people in the street had overheard their arguing and were pretending not to listen while slowly meandering on their way.

"We both know this isn't about me. It's about her." Champ replied. Waverly stared at him for a moment, all expression lost from her face. Surely he wasn't observant enough to know about her small, kind of, sort of, crush on Nicole. The three of them were rarely in the same place together except Shorty's and he was usually downing beers or playing pool. "Wynonna," he finally said. Waverly took a breath of relief, but then looked confused.

"What are you talking about, Champ?" she asked.

"She's finally paying attention to you, acting like she needs you around, and you're wondering when she's going to kick you to the curb again," Champ said. "Just like she did a few weeks ago."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Waverly said, holding back tears, trying to not let her emotions get the best of her.

"Yeah I do," he sternly replied. "You came crying to me when she went back to ignoring you after her break down at Curtis'. Your sister doesn't need you when Willa is paying attention to her. And you're too stupid to see she's doing it again." Waverly surprised both of them when her hand came up and she slapped Champ across the face. Tears filled her eyes as she looked at him. He was dumbfounded. Waverly had rarely ever stood up to him. She didn't give him a chance to say any more as she turned on her heels and marched back to her jeep.

"Find your own damn way home," she yelled over her shoulder as she got into her jeep and took off, leaving a still stunned Champ on the sidewalk rubbing his cheek which was now red from where she had slapped him.

Somewhere in Purgatory

Waverly felt a rush of emotion as she sped down the road. Her hands were shaking. She had slapped Champ. She had slapped him hard and somehow she felt better, but then the guilt came over her. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, she thought as she paid no attention to her speedometer. One of the primarily reasons she was so tired was because he had been arrested and she had to go pick his ass up. Besides, who the hell did he think he was talking to her like that? Waverly sighed. Okay, maybe in some ways he had been right. She was scared that this closeness she had with Wynonna was going to go away when Wynonna finally filled Willa in on everything, but couldn't she just enjoy it for now?

Waverly was too lost in thought to even notice that a cop was behind her with their lights flashing. It wasn't until they she heard the siren that she finally snapped her eyes to her rearview mirror before looking down at her speedometer. 80…shit. The speed limit was 55 on this road.

"Fuuuucccck," she said out loud as she pulled the jeep over to the side of the road, the cop car pulling in close behind her. She rolled her window down and then checked her face in the mirror. Her eyes were puffy and red. She looked like hell. She kept rubbing at her eyes with a tissue, desperately trying to get the crying to stop as she heard the car door close and the officer's boots crunching through the snow. "I'm sorry, Officer. I wasn't…" she said meekly as she turned her head to see the brown eyes of Nicole Haught staring back at her.

Nicole had originally been trying to hide a smile, planning on teasing Waverly with her best serious cop impression, but she changed her tactic when she saw the brunette's face. The small hint of a smile faded and was replaced with a look of worry as she noted Waverly's eyes. She heard Waverly sigh when she saw that it was Nicole. Waverly looked away, pushing her hair behind her ears, almost embarrassed that Nicole had seen her like this. She kept rubbing at her eyes, but her tears wouldn't stop.

"Out of the car, Waves," Nicole said in a serious tone as she opened the door. Waverly looked at her in surprise.

"Are you going to arrest me?" Waverly asked, desperately.

"What? No," Nicole replied, almost chuckling at the desperation in Waverly's voice as she stepped out of the Jeep. Nicole closed the jeep door and then took a few steps back, resting her hands on her utility belt and leaning against the jeep. "You want to talk about it?" Waverly stared back at her in surprise. Not only was she not arresting her or lecturing her for speeding, but Nicole was actually acting like her friend. They were friends…well in some ways. They had always exchanged pleasantries at Shorty's, but never really interacted much outside of the bar except for the occasional hello at the grocery store or diner if they spotted each other. Waverly turned so her back was against the jeep and she folded her arms in front of her. She huffed a little as the tears continued to fall from her eyes.

"It's nothing," she said as she stared at the ground in front of her. She dabbed her eyes again with the tissue, trying to get the tears to stop.

"Well, it's obviously something if you're this upset," Nicole said in a supportive tone. Waverly shrugged her shoulders. "Someone with a clean driving record doesn't decide to just speed past a cop going 80 for no reason." Waverly looked over at her.

"You looked up my driving record?"

"Hey, you're not the only one that does research," Nicole said, grinning at her, a slight hint of those dimples showing on the sides of her mouth. Waverly gave her a small smile and shook her head, wiping at her eyes again. "Now you going to tell me what's going on or are we just going to freeze out here?"

"I slapped Champ," Waverly said, staring at the ground in front of her.

"Really?" Nicole said, chuckling, a big smile on her face. "Huh. I'm impressed."

"Aren't cops not supposed to condone violence?" Waverly asked looking at Nicole. Nicole's smile was so large that her dimples were showing, the same dimples that made Waverly swoon.

"Well he definitely deserved it after what happened early this morning. I had to chase his truck for twenty minutes before he finally ran out of gas."

"I thought he took out a fence?"

"Oh that was after the fence that I just spent the past hour helping Scotty repair this morning. Yeah, Champ's been quite the ass today."

"He's always an ass," Waverly said, somberly, again looking at the ground in front of her. Then why are you still with him, is what Nicole wanted to say and what she secretly thought to herself, but she didn't want Waverly to feel any worse than she already did. Instead, she opted to ask a safe question.

"Is that why you slapped him?" Nicole asked quietly. Waverly shook her head no and took a deep breath hoping that would keep the tears from falling since they had finally stopped. She rubbed at her now dry eyes which were swollen and starting to hurt as she felt Nicole's eyes watching her.

"He basically told me I was stupid for believing that this closeness I have with Wynonna is going to last. For thinking that she and I were finally going to have the type of sisterly relationship I always hoped we would."

"Waverly, you're definitely anything but stupid," Nicole said affectionately. Waverly had never heard her talk so softly before and when she looked over at Nicole, Nicole's eyes had a softness to them she had never really seen before either. "I think he might just be a little bit jealous."

"Why would he be jealous?"

"Well, you've been spending a lot more time with Wynonna and doing all this research for her. He might feel a little bit threatened. Champ doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that likes when you give other people attention besides him."

"Yeah," Waverly said, gazing back in front of her.

"Hey," Nicole said, her hand coming up and gently gripping Waverly's elbow. Waverly's eyes moved to the touch and then back to Nicole's face. It was a subtle touch, but enough to send a warm shock through Waverly. Their touches in the past had always been brief, typically just grazed hands when money was exchanged or when Waverly handed her a coffee cup. Waverly was surprised at the effect it had as she looked into Nicole's comforting brown eyes. "You're not stupid for wanting to have this relationship with Wynonna. She needs you and obviously trusts you with a lot more than she does Willa right now. And Champ can just get over himself." Nicole smiled as her hand slowly moved back to her utility belt.

"I guess you're right," Waverly said, missing the warmth of Nicole's hand on her elbow. Nicole was looking at her with a comforting, supportive gaze and a slight smile that was making Waverly feel a little weak in the knees. "Wow, you have had quite the day already, Officer," Waverly said with a small smile, trying to lighten the mood with humor as she started to feel slightly embarrassed given her current state. She knew her face must look awful.

"You Earps definitely keep life interesting," Nicole said, chuckling.

"So no speeding ticket?" Waverly asked with a big toothy smile in the most innocent tone she could. Nicole let out a big laugh.

"I guess I'll let this one slide," Nicole said, her right hand brushing the back of her neck. Waverly noted how she almost looked a little nervous and fidgety whenever Waverly smiled at her. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking. "Nah, I understand being distracted by…personal things. I caught myself speeding yesterday afternoon too. Just don't tell anyone I let you off, alright? Or I'm going to get reminded of it every time I pull someone else over for speeding."

"Mums the words," Waverly said, making a zipping motion across her mouth which produced another laugh from Nicole. "Why umm…why were you speeding yesterday?" Waverly asked carefully, not meaning to pry, but also not ready for this conversation with Nicole to end. She was enjoying her company and the chance to get to interact one-on-one with the officer. A quiet moment passed between them as Waverly saw Nicole's expression change, her gaze dropping and the slight hint of sadness washing over her face.

"Amy has a job interview in the city tomorrow. I should be happy for her, but well…she keeps trying to get me to apply for a job with the police department there too."

"You're going to leave Purgatory?" Waverly asked sadly. Nicole's gaze returned to her.

"I don't know, Waves," Nicole said sounding defeated. "I really like it here. You know, I was kind of hoping to be sheriff one day when Nedley retires. Plus, Amy and I haven't been seeing each other that long. And honestly, we've already had some…issues."

"You two seem really happy together," Waverly commented. Nicole made a small chuckle.

"She doesn't like that I work so much and figures that there are more cops in the city so the deputies there may actually have normal shifts instead of this 12-hour nonsense."

"I'm not sure it works that way," Waverly said, shaking her head.

"Not really," Nicole replied. "It's all about how long cases take and some take longer than others."

"Like when you have to pull over an emotional, hot mess speeding down the highway because her boyfriend is a douche?" Waverly said facetiously, smiling at Nicole.

"Exactly," Nicole said, smiling back. They shared a much needed laugh together even though the air was heavy with many lingering questions.

"So what are you going to do?" Waverly asked in a quiet, serious tone.

"I don't know. It depends on if she gets the job." Nicole fidgeted with her utility belt and sighed.

"I really hope you don't leave, Nicole," Waverly said. Nicole looked at her with questioning eyes. There was the use of her name again causing Nicole's breath to catch just a little which Waverly definitely noticed. Waverly felt her own breath catch at the way Nicole was staring back at her.

"Why?" she faintly heard Nicole ask. Waverly felt like a deer caught in the headlights as she needed to say something, but her brain didn't comprehend how to form words with the way Nicole was staring at her. Their eye contact lingered, Nicole's searching hers for an answer to her question.

"I…" Waverly started to say, but she was interrupted by the static on Nicole's radio and Paul's voice. The two women had jumped apart, not realizing that they were almost leaning towards each other.

"Officer Haught, do you copy?" They both glanced at Nicole's radio attached to the shoulder of her jacket.

"Officer Haught here, over."

"A good samaritan just reported a sighting of Scotty's horse out by Jackson Pond. Nedley is requesting that you follow Scotty out to the property to retrieve the horse since he and the owner aren't on the best terms, over."

"10-4," Nicole replied with a tired sigh. "Duty calls."

"Of course," Waverly said, giving Nicole a small smile.

"You okay to drive now?"

"Definitely."

"Okay," Nicole said, turning to leave.

"Nicole…" Waverly said as Nicole turned back towards her. "Umm thanks, thank you."

"Any time, Waves," Nicole said. "Just, keep your head up. And…slow down. You're definitely getting a ticket next time." Nicole smirked at her before she turned and went back to her cruiser. Waverly chuckled and turned back to her jeep. Once she hopped in, she watched Nicole leave in her rearview mirror. This crush she had on Nicole was only getting worse every time she saw the redhead. I'm so screwed, Waverly mumbled to herself before placing her head against the steering wheel and taking a deep breath.