Notes: Wayhaught friction…and drunk Nicole (although not as amazing as on the show because it's hard to even compare to that perfection)!

The Stakeout

Waverly and Nicole's eye contact lingered as Waverly fought the urge to close the distance between their mouths. Nicole was so close to her and Waverly was so overwhelmed by the smell and feel of her that she was compelled to risk their friendship to see how the redhead would respond. She was about to make a move when Nicole turned her head, breaking their eye contact. Both women heard the sounds of the van fading into the distance. Nicole slowly slid partially off Waverly to peak over the blind. The van was gone and darkness had fallen across the trailer park. The warehouse doors were now closed, but faint lights could be seen inside. Seeing that the coast was clear, she launched herself back from Waverly.

"I think we're good now," she said sternly. Waverly slowly sat up and investigated the camera, surprised to see it wasn't damaged after Nicole had tackled her. The air felt heavy between the two women. "I think we should get back to the station." Nicole didn't look at her as she started packing up their things.

"Good plan," Waverly said softly, packing up her stuff as well. They grabbed Mr. Romaine's cushions and slowly climbed down from the RV. They placed his things on the porch along with a thank you note before getting into the Challenger and driving back to the station. The drive back was full of silence as Waverly had the sinking feeling that Nicole was mad at her for something. For what, she wasn't sure, but the redhead looked annoyed as she gripped the steering wheel.

Part way back to the station, Waverly felt a buzz from her pocket. Nicole looked over as Waverly pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"It's Wynonna," Waverly said. "She wants to know if we found anything."

"You should ask her to meet us at the station," Nicole said flatly. "I think we all need to talk." There was a rigidness to her tone that made Waverly feel nervous as she sent the message to Wynonna. They rode back to the station in silence.

Purgatory Sheriff Department

Waverly had followed Nicole into the station as Nicole stomped towards her desk. Paul was already off shift and had headed home. A young rookie cop that Waverly didn't recognize was manning the front and looked nervous as Officer Haught stormed past him and threw her duffle bag onto her desk. Waverly felt uncomfortable and moved to the civilian side of the front desk as she waited for Wynonna. She felt a wave of relief when Wynonna rushed into the police station.

"You have NO idea what I found out today," Wynonna said as she saw Waverly. "Hey, what's wrong with Haughtstuff?" She looked over at Nicole who was pacing in front of her desk, holding Steven's file in her hands. Waverly shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"Close call," Waverly replied, although she wasn't sure if she was talking about the stakeout or their moment on top of the old RV. Nicole looked over, noticing Wynonna was there, and stomped out the swinging door and towards the sisters.

"Conference room. Now," Nicole said at both women as she stormed past them. Wynonna looked at Waverly in confusion as she followed Nicole into the conference room. Nicole waited until they were in the room and then closed the door a bit more strongly than she had intended.

"Whoa, what's going on, Red?" Wynonna asked, pausing behind her seat. Waverly stood off to her right, watching an angry Nicole paced around the room.

"What the hell are you playing at, Wynonna?" Nicole demanded, stopping a foot away from the sisters.

"What are you talking about, Nicole?"

"They knew we were coming tonight. They didn't know exactly where we were, but they strangely knew to look at the water tower which only the two of you knew was my surveillance spot," Nicole said. "Even Waverly was surprised when she saw them scope out the water tower. I did surveillance for weeks and no one noticed. Suddenly they realize where I was? Who did you tell?"

"First off," Wynonna started to say as she took a step towards Nicole. "I didn't say a goddamn word to anyone so why don't you back off. I spent the day in the city finding out that I've been investigating Steven for weeks and had to cover my tracks because even I was nervous that I was being followed."

"What?" Waverly asked Wynonna. Wynonna looked over at Waverly.

"I think Willa may have known which is why I borrowed Nicole's truck a few weeks ago and can't find anything in the house about my meeting with the P.I.," Wynonna replied. She turned back to Nicole. "Second, I may not be a huge fan of cops, but I would never rat you out, especially not when you're with my baby sister. Why don't you ask one of the other flatfoots around here why they took that file off your desk and sold you out to Steven."

"Flatfoots? What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nicole asked, sounding offended.

"Guys, obviously someone's watching our moves," Waverly remarked. "It's not going to help if we turn on each other." Both Wynonna and Nicole continued to glare at each other. "Can we just agree to give each other the benefit of the doubt?"

"Sure," Wynonna mumbled, never taking her eyes off Nicole. "Just remember, we came to you willingly and shared everything we knew about Steven with you because we just want to protect our sister. If your ego gets in the way of that, that's not our problem."

"You came because you got caught snooping where you weren't supposed to," Nicole replied. "And now I think you should go before someone gets hurt."

"Fine by me," Wynonna said. "Come on, baby girl. We'll figure this out without her help." Wynonna didn't wait for a response as she stomped out of the conference room. Waverly looked anxiously between where Wynonna had departed the room and over at Nicole, but Nicole wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Nicole…" Waverly said, taking a step towards the redhead.

"Just go," Nicole said softly, shaking her head. Waverly took a deep breath and sighed.

"Now, Waves," Wynonna yelled from the hallway. Waverly took one last look at Nicole who was staring at the ground before she moved to the door.

"Thank you for the Oreos," Waverly said softly. Nicole looked up at her as Waverly turned and walked out of the room.

The Homestead

It was Sunday, about three days after the blowout at the cop shop with Nicole when Wynonna found herself pacing in her room at the homestead. She had convinced Waverly that they shouldn't go by the police station and should probably avoid texting or calling each other for a couple days until they could figure out who was following them. Instead, Wynonna had decided to follow Willa's every move, inviting herself along wherever Willa went. She had also gotten Willa to return to the city with her, showing her the dress she had seen at her appointment on Thursday which Willa had miraculously approved of. So now she had a dress for the wedding, but still had no memory of David.

David returned home on Sunday, needing a shave and to pick up more clothes. He needed to go back to the city later that night, his team working diligently on the new account they had landed, but he had also invited Wynonna to go back with him if she wanted a break from wedding planning. Deciding it was time to be straight with him, Wynonna sat him down and told her about her memory issues, again using the excuse of hitting her head in the barn as the reason. He was a little surprised to hear she had no recollection of their relationship and even quizzed her on some facts he knew she would never forget.

"Shit, you're serious," he said after had failed all of his questions.

"As serious as a heart attack," Wynonna joked as they sat on the front porch together. "It'll come back though. The doctor said to just give it time." She lied about visiting a doctor and her memory returning, but figured she should spare his feelings.

"Is it bad that I'm a little relieved?" he asked quietly. She looked at him quizzically. "I thought you were being distant because you were having second thoughts about the wedding."

"I'm questioning the wedding right now because I can't remember who you are," Wynonna said cautiously. "Or our life together. Or anything."

"I think we should postpone the wedding until your memory comes back," David said. "That way, you can decide if this is what you really want. If I'm what you really want." Wynonna smiled at him. He was an amazing man and she felt lucky that he was reacting the way that he was. They both agreed to postpone temporarily.

"So, who's going to tell Willa?" David joked, nudging Wynonna.

"Speaking of that," Wynonna commented, her voice getting quiet so only he could hear her. "Did I say anything recently about looking into some things that Steven has been doing?"

"No, not really," David whispered back, "but you did clear some things out a few weeks ago that you took to our apartment in the city. You said you didn't want them laying around here where Steven or Willa could see them, but you didn't say why. I figured it has something to do with your Mom or Waverly since both Steven and Willa get offended when you bring them up."

"Do you think you could look through the things for me while you're at the apartment?" Wynonna asked.

"Of course. What am I looking for?" David asked. Wynonna smiled at his devotion to her as she explained she was looking for any kind of documents or a notebook as well as an old cell phone that might have some information on it about Laird Park. They weren't allowed to talk about the matter further as Willa interrupted and insisted they have a barbeque together so David could have a home-cooked meal before he had to go back to the city.

Shorty's

Waverly stared down at her phone. Her life felt a bit empty ever since Wynonna had convinced her not to text or go by the cop shop until they figured out who was following them. It felt weird not having her sister in her life every day, but it really felt weird for her not seeing or talking to Nicole. The redhead had avoided Shorty's as well and hadn't text Waverly since their blow out on Thursday. Waverly let out a deep sigh as she flipped her cell phone around in her hands.

"Don't worry, babe, you still have me," Champ said as he came up and gave her a series of slobbery kisses on her cheek. She groaned, hating that he had been right. She also hated that Nicole was so upset with her, and still hadn't quite figured out what had happened between them. For a moment, she had thought Nicole was on the same page as her, finding herself overwhelmed by their closeness on top of the RV, but maybe it had just been worry and betrayal. After all, something bad could've happened if Steven's men with the rifles had seen them on top of the RV.

Waverly tried to put both Wynonna and Nicole out of her mind as she finished her shift at Shorty's. Champ had luckily decided to go have a bonfire with his friends and had taken off hours before she closed. With it being so quiet, Waverly sent everyone home and agreed to lock up once she was done sweeping the floor and wiping down the bar. She wrapped her coat around her as she stepped out into the cold night. It was pretty chilly around midnight, her breath showing in the cold air as she locked the door to Shorty's and headed to her jeep. She paused by the jeep door as she heard a familiar voice across the street.

"Oh crap," Nicole had said, dropping her phone and her keys in her hand. Waverly heard Nicole giggle at herself before sighing and trying to kneel down to grab her stuff. The redhead seemed to have to steady herself with her hand as she leaned down.

"Nicole?" Waverly asked cautiously as she moved closer to the redhead.

"Waves," Nicole said, sounding excited to see her before she must've realized they were still in a weird place. Her face turned to worry and embarrassment. "What are you…what are you here for?" Waverly smiled at her, not sure exactly what the redhead had just asked her.

"Are you…drunk?" Waverly asked, chuckling.

"Nooo," Nicole said, as she rubbed her hand over the back of her neck, her arms swinging a bit around her body as though she were having trouble coordinating them. "Some of the guys suggested a drink down at Marshall's after work and well, I may have had a couple." Marshall was a guy who sold home-brewed beer out of his garage. Although illegal to sell his beer without a license, Marshall often got the cops to turn a blind eye by offering to let them drink for free. His beer was strong and caught up with you real quick. "I'm just going back to the station."

"Can I walk you back?" Waverly asked.

"Oh no no no, Waves, I'm fine," Nicole insisted. "Besides, you're not supposed to see me. Or not supposed to be seen with me, right?" Nicole attempted to wink at her but it turned into more of a scrunching of half her face as she staggered around.

"It's really no bother," Waverly said. "How about we just walk together?" Waverly slowly took a few steps towards the police station hoping Nicole would follow her. Luckily, Nicole did just that as they walked up the street.

"You really don't have to babysit me," Nicole replied. "It's pretty cold out here and you, Waverly Earp, do not wear weather appropriate clothing." Waverly smiled at the redhead as she stumbled up the sidewalk while following the brunette.

"I guess not," Waverly replied.

"Those tiny shirts…no no, they aren't warm," Nicole muttered, waving her finger around as Waverly continued to chuckle. She was a very cute drunk although it was rare that Nicole even appeared tipsy in public. She didn't like the sense of not being in control, especially when she was supposed to set an example for the town. They walked up to the front of the cop shop and stopped. "This is my stop." Nicole turned to face the door and pulled only to find that it was locked. She groaned.

"Something wrong?" Waverly asked.

"Aw nuts," Nicole said, searching her pockets. "I forgot that Sims has the keys. He'll probably be awhile. I'll just wait for him out here."

"Whoa no," Waverly said. "You're going to freeze to death. Do you want me to call Amy for you?"

"NO," Nicole said quickly. Then she whispered, "She can't know."

"Why not?" Waverly asked.

"Because she's all excited about getting this new job and I haven't celebrated with her yet," Nicole replied. "She'd be really upset if she knew I had a drink with the guys and didn't invite her."

"She got the job," Waverly said. That explained a lot. Perhaps that's why Nicole had agreed to go have a drink with the guys down at Marshall's when she knew better.

"Yeah," Nicole said, chuckling. "And found an apartment in the city, all in like 37 hours which makes no sense since I have a very nice house. It's big. Too big for just me and the cat, but it's here. No bueno." Waverly laughed at her again. "Glad I can at least entertain one Earp sister." Waverly's expression turned a bit serious as she realized how upset Nicole probably was about their blowout.

"Nicole, you can't stay out here, and since you can't go home, why don't you come home with me?" Waverly asked.

"No, I can't put you out like that," Nicole replied. "Plus, you're not supposed to see me."

"Well I don't care," Waverly said. "Come on." She looped her arm in Nicole's and started pulling the redhead down the street. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."

"But Waves…" Nicole said, trying to protest. She continued to protest and rambled about all of the dumb things that her male coworkers talked about during the night as Waverly drove her back to Uncle Curtis'. Waverly tried to keep her talking, hoping the redhead would stay awake long enough for the brunette to get her inside.

Once she pulled up to the McCready house, she walked the drunk and stumbling Nicole to the front door, trying to be quiet. Nicole's boots clanked across the floor as Waverly put her arm around Nicole's waist and tried to guide her to her room.

"Almost there," Waverly said as she pushed open her door and set Nicole down on her bed. They had made a lot more noise than she had wanted, but at least Nicole was warm and safe now in her room.

"Waves?" Gus and Curtis asked as they came down the stairs and looked at her.

"Sorry," Waverly said. "Everything's okay, please go back to sleep."

"Champ again?" Gus grumbled. Then they heard Nicole's voice and giggle as she stumbled around Waverly's room. Waverly was guessing she was struggling to remove her shoes based on the sounds coming from Nicole's mouth.

"Nicole," Waverly said quietly. "She doesn't really drink and had a bit of a rough night. I didn't want anyone to see her. Please don't say anything to anyone."

"That's mighty sweet of you, Waves," Curtis said.

"We won't say a thing," Gus said, patting Waverly's arm.

"Make sure she gets some water in her, huh?" Curtis said as he turned and went back up the stairs.

"Of course," Waverly replied. Gus also handed her a bottle of advil that had been sitting on the counter before telling Waverly goodnight and going back upstairs to her bedroom. Waverly got a glass of water and opened the door to her room to see a disheveled Nicole sprawled out across the bed, one shoe off and the other partially untied. Waverly laughed as she shut the door, set the glass of water on the stand beside her bed, and moved to untie Nicole's shoe. This caused Nicole to sit up and look at the brunette.

"Sorry, Waves," Nicole said apologetically.

"It's okay, Nicole," Waverly said, removing her shoe and placing both of them by the door. "Come on, let's get this coat off." She helped Nicole slip her arms out of her jacket and folded it up, placing it on top of Nicole's shoes by the door. She saw Nicole pull at the top of her uniform shirt, the top two buttons already unbuttoned as Nicole laid back on the bed.

"This is really soft," Nicole said, snuggling into Waverly's pillow. Waverly laughed, grabbed the water and advil, and moved to the other side of the bed. She plugged her phone into the charger and then sat down on the bed next to Nicole.

"Here, you need to drink this and take these," she said as she coerced Nicole into sitting up on her elbows.

"Thanks, Waves," Nicole said, popping the pills in her mouth and grimacing as she drank the whole glass of water. Waverly set the glass down on the stand beside the bed and went to get up when Nicole grabbed her arm. "Really, thank you."

"Of course, Nicole," Waverly replied. "I wasn't going to leave you in the street."

"I'm afraid I'm a bit of a mess tonight," Nicole said laying down fully on the bed.

"Is it because of Amy's job?" Waverly asked, looking down sympathetically at the redhead laying beside her.

"How do you know what to choose? I mean, choose my future, choose this life, choose this person. I mean…how does one even make these decisions, Wavssess?" Nicole asked, slurring her name, her face scrunching as she realized she had said Waverly's name wrong. "And what if I'm wrong?" Nicole looked at her with pleading eyes.

"That's a lot of 'what ifs', Officer," Waverly said. She smiled down at the distraught looking redhead who was looking at her like a sad puppy.

"I'm sorry," Nicole says, her eyes moving back towards the ceiling as she fidgeted with Waverly's blanket.

"For what?"

"For the other night."

"What are you talking about, Nicole?"

"I was mad at myself at the trailer park and I took it out on you and Wy…*hiccup* Wy…*hiccup* well, your sister." Nicole said, licking her now dry lips. Waverly chuckled at her hiccupping.

"Why were you mad at yourself?" Waverly asked softly, still looking down at the officer. Nicole paused and looked up at Waverly. Nicole sat up quickly and swayed a little, folding her legs in a seated position, facing the brunette. She let out a deep breath. Waverly couldn't help but laugh a little at her awkwardness as she tried to help steady the swaying redhead.

"Because…you are very pretty," Nicole said, her eyes moving from Waverly to the bed as her body slightly swayed around. "And I noticed."

"How dare you, Officer," Waverly said, chuckling. She really shouldn't tease the drunken redhead, but something about the sweetness and honesty of Nicole just made her laugh.

"It's not funny," Nicole said, huffing and pushing Waverly with her hand, her body still swaying as she tried to look at Waverly. "I…*hiccup* more than noticed." Her eyes found Waverly's as the two stared at each other. Nicole scowled and broke the gaze as she looked at the bed.

"What does that mean, Nicole?" Waverly asked quietly in a somewhat more serious tone.

"It means…" Nicole started to say. Her eyes went back to Waverly's, her body still swaying. "I…" She saw Nicole's eyes go to her mouth and then her scowl returned as she looked away. Nicole bit her bottom lip and then shook her head no. "I should sleep."

"That might be a good idea," Waverly whispered. She wanted to know so badly what Nicole was thinking now that her guard was finally down, but didn't want to push the redhead any further. And she really didn't want the awkwardness between them to return. With some help from Waverly, Nicole clumsily found her way under the covers and laid down on her back. She threw her arm over her eyes. Waverly went to move off the bed when she felt Nicole's hand grab her arm.

"Stay?" Nicole asked, sweetly, looking up at her with soft brown eyes. "Just for a little bit? I don't need all this room." As Nicole moved a little further away from Waverly, she almost moved too far and fell out of the bed, but caught herself. She finally settled into a comfortable spot on her right side, her face turned towards Waverly's.

"Okay," Waverly said. While it was difficult for her to imagine sleeping next to Nicole just as friends, she realized Nicole really needed a friend right now. So she pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she crawled under the covers and laid on her back.

"Thanks, Waves," Nicole said quietly as she snuggled into Waverly's pillow. "For everything."

"What are friends for," Waverly remarked, producing a loud chuckle from Nicole, but before she could ask her why she chuckled, she saw Nicole's eyes were closed and her breathing started to get a little heavier. Waverly smiled at the redhead sleeping beside her. She closed her eyes, not realizing how tired she was as sleep finally consumed her.

Waverly's Bedroom

Nicole slowly opened her eyes and looked around her, not sure exactly where she was. She groaned at the pounding in her head and rubbed her left hand over her forehead before feeling a pressure on her chest. Looking down, she saw brown hair cascading across her as she suddenly realized she was in Waverly's room. The brunette was snuggled into her, her right arm wrapped around her waist as she slept. The night's events were slowly coming back to her as she remembered Waverly finding her and bringing her here. She remembered pieces of her conversation with Waverly, but it was all a little hazy.

She was relieved to find both of them fully clothed and looked over to see her jacket and shoes neatly placed by the door. Waverly must've helped her get them off before she had crawled into her bed. She slowly tried to extract herself from the sleeping woman, but felt Waverly's arm grasp onto her just a little bit tighter as she moved. She smiled at how innocent Waverly looked wrapped up against her, but knew she really shouldn't be there in the brunette's bed. Reaching up, she grabbed the pillow behind her head and slowly slid it under Waverly's arm and pulled herself out of the bed. She saw Waverly wrap around the pillow and drift back to sleep as she grabbed her shoes and jacket and tiptoed into the hall.

Nicole was pleased to see it was still dark outside, but looked out to notice her car wasn't there meaning Waverly must've driven her. She had just finished typing up her shoes when a soft voice startled her.

"Good morning," Curtis said softly, trying not to spook her. Nicole jumped, obviously startled, but trying to hold in the noise to avoid waking anyone up in the house.

"Good morning, Mr. McCready," Nicole whispered.

"It's Curtis," Curtis said.

"Right," Nicole said. "Thank you for allowing me to stay in your home last night."

"Waverly's friends are welcome any time," Curtis said. "Now come on, I'll give you a lift back to the station." Nicole went to protest, but Curtis stopped her. "Unless you plan on walkin', Deputy." Nicole sighed as she realized she didn't have much of a choice.

"No, sir. A ride would be great. Thank you," Nicole said.

"It's no bother," Curtis said. "The misses has requested I bring back donuts so hope you don't mind a stop at the coffee shop." He winked as Nicole smiled at him, following him out of the quiet house. Coffee sounded like heaven.