Sorry it's been so long since my last update. Honestly, I've been sitting on this one for awhile and just forgot about it, but I hope it makes up for it. XD
You're not my best friend.
You're my sister, and that's
more.
–Jenny Han
Serena found herself staring at a door not long after she'd awakened and threw on some clothes, waiting for the occupants inside to answer. She knew they had seen her, could hear them whispering heatedly inside, debating on even opening the door.
She fidgeted, hearing the voices grow louder, before fast footsteps hit her ears and the door was flung open.
"She didn't even say goodbye, did she?" Waverly asked tearfully.
"I…" Serena drug a hand through her hair. "No, she didn't. She's Wynonna."
She, of all people, knew that saying goodbye would have only made it hit harder to home that Wynonna was leaving, and the girl might have even cried, which she hated doing.
Hence, the sudden departure.
"Waverly, what have we told you about opening the door like that, darlin?" Gus planted her hands on her hips and stared down at the girl, stern. "You couldn't have known who it was."
Waverly blinked up at her. "I looked out the window."
"Wynonna is gone?" Gus quirked a brow at Serena. "Yes, it's been all over this here town, you know. And that no one saw you with her. Why didn't you hightail it outta here first chance you got, girl?"
The words were not meant unkindly, but they still stung a bit.
"I promised Waverly I'd stay," Serena managed politely. "Wynonna understood. She needed to get away. I came to tell her, maybe...maybe go out somewhere."
"Can I?" Waverly turned to her aunt, eyes wide. "Please?"
The woman positively melted. "Well, I...alright, just be back by dinner."
"Thank you!" the girl hugged Gus round the waist, before pushing past Serena, who noticed how she was already dressed, looking absolutely impeccable and completely awake.
Gus watched them until they drove out of sight.
"Are you okay?" Waverly finally asked, brows furrowing. "You...I mean, Wynonna is my sister, but you...you guys were practically soulmates."
"I wouldn't put it that way," Serena tiredly corrected, before yawning. "I need some coffee. Wanna hit Shorty's?"
"Sure," the girl shrugged, and they sat in silence for a few moments before she heard a sniffle and pulled the truck over.
Once at a stop, she put her arm on the back of the seat and leaned toward Waverly. "You okay, kiddo?"
"I'm not a kid," Waverly's voice cracked.
Serena sighed, unbuckled herself, and scooted closer. "Everything will be fine, Waves. Promise."
"How can you even be sure?" the preteen furiously swiped her hand over her eyes. "She left me, Serena! God, I...you would have left me, too!"
"But I stayed," the older girl muttered, a bit rueful as she pulled her lips into a smile. "For you."
There was another sniffle, before Serena abruptly found herself with a lapful of Waverly Earp, slim arms hooked around her neck and body heaving.
The only thing Serena could do was hold her.
~~~xxx~~~
Waverly stared at Serena, who was sitting across from her in their booth at the diner, licking all over her ice cream cone without a care in the world.
She had barely made a dent in hers, whilst Serena was tearing her own apart without a care in the world. To be honest, the twelve-year-old found it amusing, and honestly reminiscent of Wynonna.
They were best friends, she reminded herself. Of course they'd be similar.
"Really?" Waverly placed her chin on her hand and watched as Serena cocked her head to the side, ice cream held aloft.
"Huh?" she asked after a moment.
Waverly gestured to the ice cream mustache the other girl was sporting. "Aren't you supposed to be an adult?"
"Hey," Serena suddenly pointed an accusing finger at her, licking away the mustache. "Growing old is mandatory, growing up is a choice."
Then, she leaned forward and promptly pushed Waverly's own ice cream right into her face, leaving the younger girl to splutter and grab for the napkins.
Serena only laughed.
"Not cool!" Waverly exclaimed, rubbing the napkin over her nose. "It's not even-stop laughing, it's not funny!"
The older girl actually snorted, she was laughing so hard, and plonked her forehead down on the table, body heaving as she managed, "The look on your face was fucking hilarious!"
"Shut up!" Waverly threw the napkin at Serena, freezing when it got stuck in her hair.
Serena slowly raised her head, laughter ceasing abruptly. "Run."
Hastily, Waverly nodded and bolted.
~~~xxx~~~
Serena had been driving by when she heard it.
A scream. Not just any scream, no, it was the scream of Waverly Earp, and it had her swinging her truck off the road, jamming it in park. She leapt out without a second thought, racing in the direction she had heard it.
She found herself in a back alley with Waverly pinned to the wall, a boy not much younger than Serena herself, maybe sixteen, all but breathing in her face, demanding money.
"I-I don't have any," Waverly insisted, though her voice trembled.
"Then you can just give me something else, instead," he grinned at her.
He got no more words out before Serena descended upon him, shaken out of her stupor, seeing red and she jerked him back and threw him up against the opposite wall.
Her blood boiled, and she did not think, could not, as she pounded her fist into his face, again and again. She was barely aware of her own body catching blows, adrenaline filled as she was, and was only barely snapped from her rage induced haze when she was thrown to the ground.
The boy leaned over her and spat, "You bitch! Who do you think you are!"
"Serena fucking Moon, is who I think I am," she snarled at him, getting to her feet and feeling great satisfaction in watching him freeze. He obviously hadn't recognized her. "And if you lay another hand on my sister again, I swear I will rip your fucking balls off and feed them to you!"
Serena brought her knee up into his crotch and then shoved him hard, sending him toppling, groaning in pain.
She grabbed Waverly by the arm and left him bleeding on the ground.
Once in the truck, she leaned over to check the younger girl over for injuries, asking harshly, "Are you hurt? Did he touch you?"
"No," Waverly said shakily. "At least, n-not yet. Serena, you…"
"I what?" the words, yet again, came out rougher than intended, and when Waverly flinched, Serena recoiled.
She hit her head on the back glass as she tipped it back, closing her eyes and gripping the steering wheel hard. When she opened them again, she willed herself to keep an even tone and not think about what had just happened, what could have happened.
"I'm sorry, Waves," Serena let out a breath, tapping her fingers restlessly on the wheel. As her heartbeat gradually began to slow, she could feel her knuckles stinging, her temple throbbing, and her stomach quivering, as if she had been hit there hard. Maybe she had. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just...I can't let anything happen to you. Okay?"
"You called me your sister," Waverly finally managed. "And I'm not afraid. You only startled me. After what happened and seeing you fight like that, I'm still quite shaken up."
Her high intelligence and vocabulary always astounded Serena. "Oh. Sorry. And, yeah, why wouldn't I? You are my sister."
"I just don't think I've ever heard you say it out loud before," Waverly suddenly frowned, running her fingers over the older girl's knuckles, and then bringing a hand to her temple. "You're hurt. Take me back to yours, okay? We can bandage all this up…"
Serena licked her lips, and when she tasted copper, softly cursed. "Son of a bitch got me in the mouth. I didn't even notice."
Waverly did not comment on her swearing, far too used to it by now. "Serena…"
"I'll be fine, Waves," Serena shook her head. "I've had way worse. Remember when that one guy broke my arm and Wynonna got sent to jail because she nearly killed him?"
It made Waverly laugh, if only barely, and she pulled back onto the road, headed for Curtis and Gus's.
It did not take long to reach there, of course, and Serena walked Waverly to the door, which swung open before they had even gotten to the front step.
Gus pulled the girl into her arms, looking worse for wear.
"Where were you?" she cried. "I thought you were going to the library? There was a call about a boy found beaten in an alley...you could have been hurt!"
Curtis suddenly popped up in the doorway, and his eyes found Serena's roughed up form, lingering on her split lip and soon to be black eye.
"I think we found who did it," he said wryly. "The hell happened to you, girl?"
"She saved me!" Waverly came to her defense immediately. "I was walking back and this boy tried to mug me. When I said I didn't have any money, he...he…"
"Did he touch you?" Gus echoed Serena's words from earlier, voice rising with worry as she hurriedly checked the girl over.
"No!" Waverly ducked out from under her arms, lips tugging into a frown. "A-Almost, but no. Serena saw us and brought me back."
"Did you give that boy what he deserved?" Curtis leveled a hard gaze at Serena.
She did not get a chance to answer at first, because a cop car with flashing lights was slowly driving up the street.
"Well," Serena said finally. "I guess so, considering I'm going to jail."
When Nedley pulled up and brought out his cuffs, she groaned and allowed him to cuff her arms behind her back, far too used to this procedure already.
Tonight was going to be fun.
~~~xxx~~~
Days turned into months, and Serena found herself driving Waverly to and from school, and it was made clear (though not verbally) that if anyone so much as looked at the Earp girl the wrong way, they would be facing her.
Curtis and Gus were slowly warming up to her, especially after they bailed her out of jail the night she was arrested. They liked that Waverly had a protector, and so she was allowed far more freedom with the younger girl as a result.
It was nice.
But, that didn't mean her heart still wasn't smarting after the departure of Wynonna. It didn't mean that she still didn't feel completely whole without her.
Waverly insisted she would be back by at least age twenty-seven, which was eight years from now, due to the need for the Earp heir to defeat the demons and break the curse.
Even now, Serena was still convinced demons were what had drug Ward and Willa Earp away, the latter having been legally declared dead.
Waverly was a smart kid, putting up a big wall of research in her room, going over it again and again.
All this time spent with the girl, though it made Serena fonder of her than she already was, is what drove her to drinking tonight.
It had been a year since Wynonna left, and she had not been any trouble at all since then. Nothing was the same anymore without her partner in crime, the Tweedledee to her Tweedledum, the other half of the Dynamic Duo.
Wynonna had not called.
Serena had received a letter on her birthday with a picture of her friend partying it up in Greece, but that was about it. She did not resent Wynonna for it. How could she, when she was the person who knew the other girl better than she knew herself?
Besides, it wasn't as if Serena had gotten the chance to call much, either, what with having a job and all but half raising Waverly.
Serena groaned and tipped back her bottle, guzzling the contents and relishing in the burn it brought as it went down her throat. She wasn't supposed to have it, but it had always been easy to get. Too easy, as a matter of fact.
Well, she thought, glancing over at the other two bottles. She may as well not let it go to waste.
~~~xxx~~~
Serena was more than pleasantly buzzed and sleeping when her phone rang, and she fumbled about for it, moaning, "Why does the world hate me?" when she saw who was calling this late at night.
She answered anyway.
"Hey, Serena?" Waverly's slightly panicked voice came from the other end of the phone. "Er, what are you doing right now?"
"I was sleeping," Serena grumbled. "like everyone else in this town."
"Oh. Sorry," the girl did not sound at all apologetic. "Well, you know how girls are supposed to have their periods?"
Serena rolled over, tangling her hand in her hair as she remembered how she and Wynonna had first reacted; they'd freaked.
"Yes. Can't you talk to Gus about it?"
"Gus had to go visit her Mom, remember? I'm stuck with Uncle Curtis, and he doesn't exactly...he doesn't get it. I tried waking him up, but he told me to stick one up it and rolled back over and I don't know what that means. There's blood everywhere...I don't know what to do!"
"Did no one ever actually explain this to you?"
"No! Can you please just come over here?" she could hear a squeak from the other end of the phone. "Like, fast?"
"Waves, I'm—"
She did not get to finish, and Serena groaned when she noticed that her phone went dead. She had a feeling she shouldn't have been drinking tonight, of all nights, and this was apparently why.
But, she was drunk. It was one thing to drive around with Wynonna drunk and get arrested, but it was another to drive to Waverly's completely plastered.
Oh well. Waverly needed her, and Serena could hold her alcohol well anyway.
~~~xxx~~~
Serena had stopped by the store, first, to get a bag full of supplies for Waverly to choose from, and now, she was letting herself into the house, moving through and calling, "Kid? Where are you?"
"In here!" came a squeak.
Serena managed to find the bathroom, and she lingered in the doorway, immediately shutting her eyes when she saw that Waverly was sitting in the tub, naked.
"Waverly!" she groaned. "Are you kiddin' me right now?"
"I keep trying to wash it off, but it just keeps coming!" Waverly cried. "I-I looked it up in a book, it told me why it would happen and what it was, but it never said anything about this! You've gotta help me!"
This seemed oddly reminiscent of a conversation Serena had with Wynonna after she herself had gotten her first period. The other girl had had to help her clean up the bathroom.
"You're naked!"
"And you're my sister, come on, I need you right now!"
"Ugh!" Serena opened her eyes, sat the bag on the floor, and closed the door behind her. She kept her eyes purposefully focused on Waverly's face, where wide eyes were watching her. "Alright, look, stand up."
Cheeks flushing, Waverly did as she was told.
Serena leaned over without preamble and turned on the shower, Waverly shrieking when cold water hit her, and the older girl threw a clean washcloth inside and shut the curtain.
"Sorry!" she apologized, flopping heavily down onto the closed toilet lid and closing her eyes as the room spun. "You'll haveta...you'll haveta adjust the water. Wipe yourself down and junk, then get out and we'll find you some clothes…"
She managed to rest her eyes for a few minutes, even actually dozed off, but she was snapped awake by Waverly, who was standing in front of her in a fluffy towel, hair wild around her face.
"Clothes now?" the younger girl asked quietly, sheepishly.
Without a word, Serena led Waverly to her bedroom, where the girl picked out her clothes, and then threw the bag she'd brought on the bed.
"Alright," Serena brought out a box of tampons, watching as Waverly's cheeks flushed. "This is what Curtis was talkin' about. Okay? You stick them up your—"
"I get it!"
"You stick 'em up there, and they soak up the blood. Me and Wynonna use those. These," she held up a large bag of pads. "Go in your underwear, to catch the blood. You have to change 'em sometimes, like diapers, 'kay?"
"I-I think I'll use a pad," Waverly reached for the bag, opening it, but then frowned. "How do I use it?"
Serena bit back a groan and instructed Waverly to get dressed, but keep her pants down. This was extremely awkward…
"Okay," Serena opened the pad up and pulled the offending item out. "You take off this sticker on it here," she did so, and then pressed it into the younger girl's underwear. "Now just fold the wings beneath it on the other side."
Waverly did so, and then hastily pulled her pants up, cheeks burning.
"You'll have to put the pad on this, as well," the older girl held up the leftover paper. "And roll it up, then throw it away to get rid of it, 'kay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it," Waverly looked extremely embarrassed. "Thanks, Serena. Sorry I woke you up for all this."
Serena pushed the girl's wet hair back on her head with both hands and then pressed a tired kiss to her temple. "It's fine."
There was a long pause as Waverly stared up at her, brows furrowed. "Have you been drinking?"
She hadn't been about to tell the other girl, but now that she had guessed…
"Eh, yeah."
"Serena!" Waverly slapped her arm, hard. "You-you could've wrecked or gotten arrested again or—"
"Left you sittin' alone in the bathtub until Curtis found you?" Serena raised a brow, focusing for a moment on not slurring her words. It did not work very well, not when she was so exhausted.
"Oh." the younger girl bit her lip. "Sorry. Are you going to go now?"
Serena hummed in agreement and headed for the door. "Yup."
"You could always stay here," Waverly was eyeing her hopefully when she turned around.
"Nah," she shook her head. "Home is better. I'll see ya sometime tomorrow, kid."
"I'm not a kid!"
Serena only raised a careless hand and walked out the door.
~~~xxx~~~
Waverly was fourteen, and she was about to go on her first date with a boy by the name of John. Serena did not know who he was, nor did she care as she found herself leaning in the doorway, watching Waverly fuss over her appearance.
"You do realize you're only going to the diner, right?" she asked the girl, raising a brow and crossing her arms.
"Still, he's the first boy I've ever liked that doesn't think I'm crazy!" Waverly cried, combing her hair through her fingers. "Or, well, he doesn't care about you or Wynonna."
"Oh, I have a feeling I know what he cares about," Serena snorted, thinking of her past experiences with men (though pleasurable, none truly liked her for her) in general.
Waverly shot her a look. "It's not like that, he's—"
There was a knock to the door, and both girls exchanged looks, before they bolted for the door in unison, pushing and shoving each other in their haste to get there.
Serena tripped Waverly and managed to get to the door first, opening it in one smooth, fluid motion and a too wide grin.
"You must be Jeremy!"
"Er, John," the blond boy before her corrected fidgeting as she scrutinized his buck teeth. His eyes fell upon her not so covered stomach (her shirt was tied back), then hit her chest, and his cheeks turned red. "I, um...uh...w-who are...where's…"
"Dead," Serena deadpanned, smiling sweetly. "But you can go out with me if you'd like."
John spluttered as Waverly pushed past her, shooting her a glare.
"I'm sorry about her, John," the girl apologized. "She likes to tease."
Serena only smirked at the boy, before nudging Waverly forward. "Go on, then. Be home by ten like Gus said, and bring me back my jacket."
Waverly had been going crazy over what to wear with her outfit, so Serena had shrugged off the offending item and leant it to her.
"Will do," said Waverly hurriedly, and began pushing John to his mother's car.
Serena waited until they were gone before she got in her own truck and left.
~~~xxx~~~
On Waverly's fifteenth birthday, she was thrown a party, and so many children attended that Serena had to step out of the room.
She had not known Waverly was that popular.
Then again, popularity was something foreign to her, because she and Wynonna had certainly never been any kind of popular. Everyone had hated them, and the feeling was mutual.
She'd forgotten that Waverly had become the town's sweetheart.
"She's so big, isn't she?" Curtis sidled up beside her and sighed. "Our baby girl all grown up."
"I think you're looking for Gus," Serena told him, bewildered by his words.
Curtis glanced at her. "Oh, no. I'm talking to you. She's as much yours as she is ours, y'know. You helped get her this far."
"I haven't done much," the young woman shrugged, ducking her head.
The man clapped a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Ah, don't be like that. I know we weren't all that fond of ya at first, but you've grown on us. You've matured. Lord knows we wouldn't have made it this far with Waverly without ya."
"I don't know," Serena could hear the girl laughing amidst the noise. "She's a pretty independent kid. She would've done just fine without me."
"Hey," Curtis shook his head. "Look here, now. Who saved that little girl when she was attacked in an alley?"
"Me, but—"
"And who did she call when she started having lady problems?"
"Me, but—"
"Who was there for her after her sister left?"
"Me, but—"
"Who takes her everywhere? Who was there for her first date?"
"Me, but—"
"See there?" Curtis raised his brows at her. "She does need ya, whether you think so or not. When you're not here, that girl babbles on about you, ya know. You made her stop hurting so bad after Wynonna, even though we all know you haven't felt so good 'bout it yourself."
"Time for the cake!" Gus called.
Curtis smiled at her and looped his large arm through hers. "Now, c'mon. Let's go watch our girl blow out her candles."
Serena, a bit overwhelmed but with her heart warming, followed along.
When she was bombarded by an earnest Waverly Earp, she could not help but smile.
Their girl indeed.
~~~xxx~~~
The phone rang one morning, months later, and though Serena did not know the number, answered it on a whim.
"Hello?"
"Serena?" the familiar, hoarse voice on the other side of the line had Serena freezing.
"Wynonna?"
"Ah, yeah," Wynonna sounded tired. "How ya been? Sorry I haven't...you know. Sorry. How's Waverly?"
"She's fine. You left me to help her with her period, which was embarrassing."
"Oh. Sorry," the other young woman apologized again, then paused. "I'm in France now. D'you think she'd like anything? I could-I could mail it…"
"Books. Just find some books," Serena ran a hand through her hair. "Happy Birthday, Wy."
There was a sudden, choked laugh from the other end. "God, I miss you."
"Course you do. I'm fabulous."
"Serena, I'm serious!"
"So am I."
"Dude."
"Okay, fine, sorry," Serena could not help but smile slightly. "I miss you, too, Wy. Three years, finally, huh?"
"Yeah," there was static on the other end, and Serena could have sworn she heard Wynonna swallow hard. "Yeah. Three years. The world is amazing, you know...what I've seen of it, anyway. All the different cultures, the people...the booze."
"Of course you'd bring up alcohol at a time like this."
There was silence for awhile, before abruptly, "Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"Wy—"
"I know, I know, your promise to Waverly," Wynonna's voice was rushed. "But, what if you just took a little vacation? Ya know, buy a plane ticket, hop on over here for the summer. It couldn't hurt, could it?"
The idea was quite amazing in itself. She'd see Wynonna again, and she'd get to see new sights, get out of Purgatory, but…
"I don't know, Wynonna. Waverly needs me."
"Ask her, then!" she had never heard Wynonna Earp sound so desperate. "I know the little squirt loves you, she's bound to say yes! Look, call her now, okay, and then call me back…"
Serena sighed, but nevertheless ended the call and dialed up Waverly, heart pounding hard in her ears. The wide smile on her face had dropped, and when the younger girl picked up, still did not return, even though when she answered she sounded quite excited, babbling on about a new discovery.
"Waves," Serena interrupted. "I called to tell you something."
"Oh," said Waverly, pausing. "What is it?"
"Wynonna called."
"What?" the younger girl actually sounded eager. "When? What did she say?"
"A minute ago. Listen, she wants to know if I can go hang with her for a summer, catch up and stuff…"
"Oh."
"Yeah. Look, if you want me to stay…"
"No!" Waverly almost shouted at her, before lowering her voice. "No. You need to see her and get out of here for awhile...I get it."
"I'm not trying to get away from you, if that's what you're thinking, Waves. I'll come back."
"Are you sure? Wynonna is really persuasive, and being out in the world like that…"
"I'll come back," Serena repeated again solemnly. "I promise."
Waverly sounded relieved, though perhaps a bit disappointed. "Alright, good. Then, yeah, go see her. Bring me back some stuff, okay? I need some new books."
That made Serena smile. "Thanks, Waves. I'll see you tomorrow."
She ended the call and hastily dialed up Wynonna, who answered on the first ring with a hasty, "Well?"
"She said yes," Serena's smile widened, and she could feel her excitement building as Wynonna screamed on the other end of the line, nearly shattering her eardrum. She did not care.
"Really? I love that kid! Look, I'm booking you the first flight out, okay? This is gonna be so fucking awesome…"
The smile turned into a grin. "Yeah, it is."
