Notes: Sometimes, it's easier to say things via text than face-to-face…Sorry for the delay. Was still getting over the shock from Friday's episode!

Purgatory Sheriff Department

Nicole, Wynonna, and Waverly had been in the conference room discussing everything Nicole had observed or tracked down about Steven and the happenings at Laird Park. Nicole handed them pieces of paper and notes she had taken during her surveillance trips.

"So every Thursday, there seems to be some sort of gathering at that warehouse," Nicole said.

"The one with the circle painted on the floor?" Wynonna asked.

"Yes. We thought maybe some sort of gambling was going on so we got a warrant to go break it up and when we got there, they were all huddled on the floor racing toy cars," Nicole said.

"Well that doesn't make any sense," Waverly added. "Why would you have a circle instead of a straight finish line? And it definitely didn't look like a track to race the cars around since toy cars don't have good turning capabilities." Both Nicole and Wynonna were staring at the younger woman in surprise. Waverly looked embarrassed when she noticed both of the women staring at her.

"Have a bit of a toy car fetish, do ya?" Wynonna teased. Waverly reddened.

"Champ," Waverly said, her eyes rolling and shoulders slouching. How many ridiculous nights had she spent watching Champ and his buddies drink and race cars? To many that she cared to admit.

"That's actually really helpful," Nicole said genuinely, offering Waverly a reassuring smile as Waverly looked up at her. "Confirms even more that something else may be going on there." Nicole grabbed the sheet of paper and added Waverly's name and her comments about bad turning abilities in toy cars. Waverly smiled at her. Gosh she had cute handwriting, Waverly thought, watching Nicole's hand move across the sheet of paper. What she wouldn't give to be that piece of paper right now. Knock it off, Waverly, she mentally berated herself, refusing to get distracted by thoughts of Nicole right now. She looked back to Steven's file.

"And these are photos of all the people you've seen leaving the trailer park?" Waverly asked Nicole, handing the photos to Wynonna.

"Yeah," Nicole said. "All of them that I could get photos of without being noticed." Wynonna studied the photos – many of these individuals looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't ID most of them. However, Waverly could and was already scribbling away, adding names to a list Nicole had already been working on. Wynonna looked at all the last names.

"Revenants," she unknowingly whispered, staring at Waverly's list. They had different first names, but that's why they looked familiar – all of these people were descendants of the revenants she and Waverly had put down in their other life.

"Sorry, what's a Revenant?" Nicole asked, her brow furrowed. Both Waverly and Wynonna stared at her.

"What now?" Wynonna asked, not realizing she's mumbled the word out loud.

"Sheesh silly, you haven't heard of the revenants? The unofficial biker gang," Waverly blurted out. Wynonna shot her a disapproving look.

"Gang?" Nicole asked, concerned.

"Well not really, a gang, gang," Waverly fumbled. "More like a bunch of 'wannabe bad boys' with very loud motorcycles to compensate for their lack of abilities to please their woman. Silly men…am I right?" Waverly nervously laughed as Nicole looked at her suspiciously. Wynonna stared at her and shook her head. Luckily, Nicole's phone rang, reprieving Waverly from the confused look the redhead was giving her.

"Oh, sorry, I need to answer this," Nicole said after seeing who was calling. She jumped up from the table and stepped out into the hall, but left the door slightly ajar so the women could still see her. "Hey baby…" Waverly heard Nicole say from the hallway before Wynonna began berating her.

"What are you doing?!" Wynonna quietly asked, staring her down.

"Sorry, it just came out." Wynonna continued to tell Waverly what a bad decision it was to tell a cop about an unofficial gang, but Waverly was only half listening as she tried to hear what Nicole was saying in the hallway.

"Babe, that's so great to hear," Nicole affectionately said into the phone. Waverly assumed she was talking to Amy. Waverly had been really curious to hear how Amy's job interview had gone. "So when do you find out if you got it?" Nicole was fiddling with her utility belt, a habit Waverly had noticed that she did when she was nervous or thinking deeply about something. "I see. Well that's great babe. Sure, we can definitely celebrate tonight. I've got to get back, but I'll see you when I get home. Okay, love you too. Bye." Nicole hung up the phone and came back into the room to find Waverly staring at the list of names and Wynonna rubbing her temples.

"Sorry," Nicole said with a sheepish smile, taking her seat back across the table. "So where were we?"

"I think we should stakeout the trailer park tomorrow night," Wynonna said. "Steven's back from his hunting trip so something might go down."

"That's good to know, but I've been doing surveillance every Thursday for weeks. Nothing suspicious is being moved in or out," Nicole said. "Well, at least not from what I've seen."

"Where did you take these pictures from?" Waverly asked, studying the angle of the photos. They all seemed to be taken from the same spot which unfortunately seemed to have many blind spots. They couldn't see into the warehouse from any of the photos Nicole had taken.

"Why do you ask?" Nicole said, hesitant to give up her lookout spot. Both Waverly and Wynonna looked at her, waiting for a response. She sighed. "The old water tower. It's not the best spot, I know."

"I think I can get us closer," Waverly said excitedly. "And I know someone with a pretty fancy telephoto lens that owes me a favor. Not that Purgatory Sheriff's Department equipment isn't doing the job, but in case you need, an alternative." Wynonna beamed at her and Nicole flashed a proud smile so big that it sent chills Waverly's arms. A vibration on the table from Wynonna's phone interrupted all of them.

"Ugghhh, looks like I'm out," Wynonna said, checking the text message on her phone. "Apparently, Thursday is monthly bingo night with Dad and Willa. If I miss another outing, she's going to get suspicious." Waverly's eyes diverted to the table and her shoulders slumped at the mention of her father which Nicole instantly picked up on.

"Waves and I can handle it," Nicole said excitedly, hoping it would perk Waverly up that someone wanted to spend the evening with her. Waverly stared at her. "That is, if you're free, and don't mind bumming around with a cop for a night."

"Not at all," Waverly replied, smiling back at the redhead. Both she and Nicole reddened as Wynonna glanced back and forth between them.

"Great," Wynonna said, shaking her head at the two women who barely even noticed she was in the room.

"Thanks again for your help," Nicole said to the two women behind her as they exited the conference room a short while later. Nicole headed back towards her desk.

"Of course," Waverly said kindly as she watched her go. The sisters stepped outside the police station and headed down the street.

"I better get back to the homestead before Willa's meeting ends," Wynonna said, glancing at her watch.

"About time for my shift at Shorty's," Waverly said. Waverly was about the say goodbye to Wynonna for the night when Nicole's voice stopped her.

"Hey Waves," she heard Nicole say, walking towards her.

"I'll text you later," Waverly said, pausing as Wynonna nodded and headed to her SUV which was parked a few blocks down the street near Willa's shop to avoid suspicion. Waverly turned back towards Nicole.

"Miss me already?" Waverly teased, not sure where this confidence came from. Nicole grinned as though she was being caught doing something naughty.

"Umm…I wanted to give you back your tupperware," Nicole said, fumbling her words due to Waverly's teasing.

"Oh, thanks," Waverly said, taking the now empty container from Nicole.

"You really made Paul's day with the muffins," Nicole said with a big smile on her face.

"Glad he liked them," Waverly replied, secretly wondering if Nicole was smiling so big because she had enjoyed them too.

"Also, here's my number…my personal cell. If you want to um…coordinate for tomorrow," Nicole anxiously said, handing Waverly her business card. Nicole had scribbled her personal cell number below her work phone number. "You can call or text or um…whatever. About tomorrow, or anything really. If you, you know, need anything." Waverly smiled at Nicole's nervousness. Usually she was the one blabbering on like an idiot to all of those around her so it was refreshing to see Nicole fumbling.

"Thanks, Nicole," Waverly said. Watching Nicole's face light up at the way Waverly said her first name would never get old for the brunette. The two lingered for a moment before Nicole rubbed her hand across the back of her neck, flashed her one more smile, and said goodbye since she should get back to work. Waverly watched her leave before turning, humming a happy tune the whole way back to her jeep.

En route to The Homestead

Wynonna was jamming out in her SUV on the way back to the homestead, her windows rolled down, hair blowing in the wind as she enjoyed some alone time. She still had a lot of unanswered questions and hadn't been able to track down Tim, but for now, she just needed a minute to get lost in a song. Of course that moment was interrupted when a phone call came in through the Bluetooth.

"Damn," she said, fumbling with the controls. "How the hell do I answer this?" She had still been trying to figure out her car and finally managed to answer the call after yelling a string of profanities at all the buttons. "Hello?"

"Is this Wynonna Earp?" a male's voice asked.

"Yes," Wynonna said, finally getting the windows rolled up.

"This is Levi from Z Towing returning your call," the man said.

"About damn time," Wynonna said.

"Sorry, ma'am," Levi said, unapologetically.

"Whoa, I am not a ma'am," Wynonna replied.

"Right…um well, you wanted to know about that truck we fixed a few weeks ago." Wynonna rolled her eyes. Of course they'd only listened to part of her message and didn't really know why she was calling.

"Actually about where the tow truck picked me up," Wynonna replied.

"Oh right," Levi said. "Uh…looks like we picked you up over in Ridgefield on the south side."

Ridgefield, Wynonna thought. What the hell? That was a part of the big city she didn't ever go to. Wynonna pulled the SUV over to the side of the road.

"Do you have an address for the building?" Wynonna asked, scrambling to find a pen and paper.

"Yeah, just a second," Levi said as he found the paperwork and then rattled off the building number.

"Thanks so much," Wynonna said, hanging up the phone before Levi could reply. She typed in the address to Google Maps. What the hell? she thought. It was in a part of town she'd never seen before and looked like a large industrial yard. When she typed the address into google, a webpage showed up: Shapiro Investigations. "Shapiro, why does that sound familiar?" she said aloud in her car. Shapiro…Shapiro…"Holy eff." She scrolled down and saw the name: Eliza Shapiro, the former BBD agent that had helped them rescue Dolls in their "other" life. Why was she meeting with her and why had she insisted on borrowing Nicole's truck in order to do it?

Shorty's

Waverly had been on cloud nine all evening as she scurried around the bar. The place was busier than usual as some sports game was playing on the TV, but nothing could bring her down after the afternoon meeting at the police station. The closeness with Wynonna and the blossoming friendship with Nicole had given her a purpose and happiness that she hadn't even realized she had been missing. And everyone around her noticed the pep in her step as she hummed while pouring a beer.

"Waverly, what's got you in such a good mood tonight?" Ed asked.

"It's just been a really good day," Waverly said, offering Ed a big smile. "Need a refill?" Ed nodded. As Waverly went to pour him another, she looked up to see a flash of red hair at the door and smiled even bigger as Nicole walked in. She was wearing civilian clothes, a pair of tight black jeans and red flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows which made Waverly swoon as she rarely saw her out of uniform. Waverly's smile only partially faded as she saw Amy walk in behind her. Nicole leaned over whispering something in Amy's ear before Amy headed towards a table and Nicole walked towards the bar.

"Uh Waves, I think it's full," Ed said as beer ran out of the mug and all over the bar.

"Oh crap," Waverly said, shutting off the tap and setting down the beer mug. She quickly wiped everything down and tried to dry the mug. She looked up to slide the beer over to Ed when she saw Nicole had come up to the bar and was standing next to Ed, watching her fumble awkwardly trying to dry everything off. "Sorry, Ed."

"Not a problem, sweetheart," Ed said. "A cold beer tastes just as good out of a sticky mug as a dry one." He flashed a smile and then scooted off his stool and down the bar to chat with some of his friends.

"Well hello again, Officer," Waverly said, turning her full attention to a smiling Nicole.

"Hi," Nicole said simply, her face in a soft smile and her eyes almost sparkling under the bar lights as she looked at Waverly.

"Uh, what can I get you?" Waverly asked, having to shift her focus away from that face before she got lost in those brown eyes again. She used the towel to try and dry off her sticky hand which also proved a useful distraction.

"Can I get a beer and a…" Nicole started to say, but was cut off as Amy walked up.

"I'm sorry hun, I changed my mind," Amy said, wrapping her arm around Nicole's waist.

"That's okay, you caught me just as I was ordering your drink," Nicole said, giving Amy a friendly smile. Waverly felt a bit jealous as she watched the pair interact, but tried to hide it with a smile. After all, she had no right to be jealous. She and Nicole were friends and she should be happy to see her friend happy. Right?

"Hi Amy," Waverly said, trying to sound as nice as possible without sounding fake. "What brings you two in tonight?" She hardly ever saw the couple in Shorty's on a weekday.

"We are celebrating," Amy said. "I had a really amazing job interview today."

"That's great," Waverly said, smiling. She briefly glanced at Nicole who was still smiling, but Waverly could sense it was a heavy smile as she tried to be excited for her girlfriend, but was also slightly disappointed.

"I should hear back in a couple days if I got it," Amy replied, looking between Waverly and Nicole. "I just felt like getting a drink tonight even though this one…" Amy's right hand came over and playfully nudged Nicole's side, "didn't want to come to Shorty's tonight." Waverly's smile partially faded and her heart sank. Nicole gave a small smile and then looked down at the floor. Waverly noticed it was a habit of hers whenever she felt a little embarrassed or ashamed about something.

"Long day at work and all," Nicole said quietly, unwilling to meet Waverly's eyes.

"That's because you work too much," Amy said. "You're always at that station."

"I know, babe," Nicole said, almost annoyed, but trying to be supportive towards her girlfriend.

"So what is your celebratory drink of choice, Amy?" Waverly asked, trying to sound enthusiastic for the couple.

"I'm thinking a whiskey sour," Amy replied. "And a beer for this one. She doesn't handle her hard alcohol that well." Waverly smiled and went to making their drinks as Nicole pulled out some cash. Waverly set their drinks in front of them and waved Nicole off as she tried to pay.

"First rounds on the house," Waverly said. Nicole tried protesting and Waverly just stared her down and shook her head no.

"Thank you so much, Waverly," Amy said as she grabbed her drink and moved towards their table, pulling Nicole with her. Waverly watched her go and felt a sadness wash over her at the fact that Nicole hadn't wanted to come out to Shorty's tonight. Was it really work or was it because she didn't want to see Waverly again today? Waverly tried pushing it out of her mind as she went back to helping the other customers, a little less pep in her step than earlier in the day.

Amy had been the one that came to the bar for their second and third rounds insisting that Nicole keep playing pool. The pair had partnered up against a pair of the local guys and had stayed busy humiliating them all night so Waverly still had no clue why Nicole hadn't wanted to come out to Shorty's. As the bar started emptying and Waverly had a quiet moment alone, she felt the weight of the business card in her pocket. She could text her right? That seemed a little desperate. She'd only given her the business card earlier that day; although she did say to text or call whenever so they could coordinate about tomorrow. She was going to be spending tomorrow evening with Nicole and now she felt a little awkward about the whole thing.

To get her mind to stop running in a million directions, Waverly decided to just go for it. She took out Nicole's card, typed her number into her phone, and sent off a quick text.

Waverly: Hey it's Waverly. Now you have my number too. About tomorrow…we can postpone if you need a break. We Earps are a lot to handle every day ;)

Waverly read over the text and took a deep breath. Was it a little desperate? Maybe. Somehow, Nicole had turned her into this worrying mess of a person, but without knowing how Nicole felt about anything, she couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. Well, here goes nothing, she thought as she hit the send button. She forced the phone into the back pocket of her jeans, trying not to stare at it. And then she waited. She glanced over as she saw Nicole pull out her phone and lean against the wall near the pool table. Waverly tried to appear busy but caught Nicole looking over at her out of the corner of her eye.

Waverly turned her back to her and reached under the bar for some more napkins when she felt a vibration in her back pocket. Holding her breath, she took out her phone and opened the message.

Nicole: Not a chance in hell. I think my handling skills might surprise you ;)

Waverly stared at her phone in disbelief. Had Nicole really just texted her that? She felt her face turn red. She slipped her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and stood up, a goofy grin across her face. When she finally had the courage, she turned towards the pool tables, but Nicole and Amy were nowhere in sight. They must've headed home while she was pretending to be busy tidying up the bar. Waverly let out a sigh, almost relieved that Nicole wasn't there to see her all flustered. Then she felt a vibration again. She pulled out her phone and was surprised to see another message from Nicole.

Nicole: Goodnight, Waves. :)

Waverly smiled as she typed a message back.

Waverly: Goodnight, Nicole. :)

And then she smirked, picturing Nicole's breath catching and the grin on her face at the use of her first name…