A Seat Not Taken - Chapter Seven
Author's Note: I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has been reading this fic! I am so happy with how many people are enjoying it and keep coming back for more chapters! The reason I write is for all of you, so as long as you're happy, I'm happy!
Talk about a cliffhanger though on the season finale! I sure wasn't expecting that! The Wayhaught was adorable though; Waverly loves Nicole! And I'm sure Nicole loves Waverly too-she was just really surprised that Waverly said it, plus there was the obvious gun pointed at her, but, you know, love is real! Anyway, enjoy chapter 7!
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Wynonna Earp. Otherwise, it would've been renewed a LONG time ago!
Christmas came a lot faster than Waverly cared to admit. Waverly was working overtime at Shorty's due to the increase in customers coming in to enjoy the eggnog and festive spirits of the holidays. Most days, she went home reeking of alcohol and sweat, only to fall asleep on the couch without showering. Wynonna would help out sometimes by waking her up, complaining about her stench, but most of the time, Wynonna was one of the ones enjoying the eggnog.
Waverly hadn't spent much time with Nicole either, due to Nicole's work hours and overtime shifts. Nicole was spending many days breaking up bar fights that got out of hand and responding to noise complains, mostly due to relatives arguing about old scores that were never settled. Nicole always made sure to swing by Shorty's after her shift. Even if she spent less than five minutes there, Waverly always made sure to take her break the minute the cop walked through the door.
"What are you doing tonight?" Waverly asked on Christmas Eve. She and Nicole were spending Waverly's fifteen minute break in the back room, leaning against the wall.
"Probably eating leftovers and watching It's A Wonderful Life," Nicole said, shrugging.
"That's no way to spend Christmas! Come have dinner with me," Waverly said. "Well, Wynonna and me. Probably Dolls too."
"Sounds like a party," Nicole said, chuckling. "I'm in." Waverly grinned and brought her lips to Nicole's. For several seconds, the pair kissed, until Nicole slipped her tongue between Waverly's lips. Gasping for air, Waverly tugged Nicole closer, leaning back until she rested on the floor with Nicole on top of her. The pair couldn't get enough of each others lips, but there was still a gentle sense that caused Waverly to open her eyes and make sure that she wasn't simply imagining things. The two continued their heavy make-out session until Waverly's alarm sounded from her phone, signaling that her break was over. The two caught their breath, but didn't pull away from their position on the ground. Waverly looked up into Nicole's beautiful eyes and saw something in them that she'd never seen before and something told her it was reflected in her eyes as well.
"I-I'll see you tonight," Nicole stuttered out, giving Waverly one last kiss before sitting up and heading toward the door. Waverly sat up to and smiled at the retreating figure.
"Dinner is served at seven," she called. Nicole looked back and winked before exiting the back room. Waverly leaned against the wall, thinking back to the moment she looked into Nicole's eyes. She knew the feeling that she had inside her when she gazed into her girlfriend's eyes. She's never felt it before, but she knew exactly what it was. It scared her to death, but at the same time gave her joy. She only hoped Nicole felt the same way.
—
That night, Waverly was setting the table when the doorbell rang. She smiled, smoothed out her dress, and checked her teeth in the mirror before opening the door. Her smile faltered when she saw Dolls standing in the doorway in a suit and tie.
"Expecting someone else?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Waverly shook her head and smiled.
"Merry Christmas!" she exclaimed, moving to the side to allow Dolls to walk in. "Wynonna is upstairs, but she'll be down soon."
"I brought a bottle of wine," Dolls said, holding out a bottle that Waverly had failed to notice. "Where would you like me to put it?"
"How sweet! I'll pour some now," Waverly cheered, taking the bottle from Dolls' hands and bringing it into the kitchen to pour into glasses.
"Merry Christmas, Agent Dolls," Gus called from the kitchen. "Take a seat; dinner will be ready soon!"
Waverly brought over the glasses of wine and was about to take a sip when the doorbell rang once more. She quickly smoothed out her dress and fixed her hair before opening the door again. She grinned as she saw Nicole standing in the doorway, holding a tin of hot chocolate mix.
"Merry Christmas!" Nicole exclaimed, embracing Waverly.
"Merry Christmas to you too!" Waverly replied, pulling Nicole's body into hers.
"You look breathtaking," Nicole whispered, giving Waverly butterflies in her stomach.
"You look gorgeous," she replied.
Nicole really did. She was wearing a blue dress that reached down to her mid-thigh and was decorated with jewel patterns all over the front and sleeves. Her hair was curled and out of her usual braid. Waverly couldn't help but run her hand through Nicole's red hair, trailing down to the back of her neck. She gently pulled her closer and attached her lips to Nicole's, not caring who might be watching in the next room. The kiss was brief, but it still left Waverly breathless. The pair smiled before Nicole stepped into the house and handed Waverly the tin of hot chocolate mix.
"I figured after dinner we could all have hot chocolate; it was one of the traditions I used to do with my parents when I was little. It's still one of my favorites," Nicole admitted.
Waverly smiled and said, "I think it's a wonderful tradition." She took the tin into the kitchen and returned with two glasses of wine, one for her, one for Nicole.
"I probably shouldn't since I'm driving," Nicole said, pouting. "Gotta set a good example for the rest of Purgatory." Waverly looked toward Dolls and Gus, who were both talking adamantly about something, before pulling Nicole around the corner and into another room.
"Well," Waverly began nervously, "I was thinking that maybe you wanted to…or if you didn't want to, that's totally okay…I just thought…"
Nicole smiled and ran her hand down Waverly's arm.
"Are you asking me if I wanted to sleepover?" Nicole asked. Waverly gulped and nodded.
"If you don't want to, that's okay," Waverly said quickly. Nicole quieted her with a chaste kiss.
"I would love to," she said, smiling down at the brunette. The two shared yet another kiss before breaking apart upon hearing Wynonna clomp down the stairs in her heels.
"Where are the Christmas spirits?" Wynonna asked to no one in particular, chuckling slightly at her own joke.
"Dinner is served! Wynonna, bring the wine into the dining room, would you?" Gus called.
The five of them seated themselves at the small dining room table, Gus at the head with Wynonna and Dolls on her right-hand side and Waverly and Nicole on her left-hand side. For a while, there were no sounds other than the clink of forks and knives on plates and the occasional thud from a glass touching back down onto the table.
Nicole finally broke the silence and said, "this food is amazing. Thank you so much for inviting me over; this food is so much better than what I would've come up with!"
"My pleasure," Gus said proudly. "I'm glad you were able to join me and the girls tonight. Same to you, Dolls."
The rest of the meal passed by with polite conversation about their plans for tomorrow and the rest of the holiday. Waverly excused herself briefly to clear everyone's plates, only to fine Nicole standing up to help her. The pair carried the dishes into the kitchen and began washing them, Waverly scrubbing, Nicole drying.
'We make a great team," Nicole said, smiling at Waverly after they finished putting all the dishes away. Waverly smiled back and wrapped her arms around Nicole neck, Nicole's snaking her way around Waverly's waist.
"We really do," Waverly agreed, gazing into Nicole's eyes once more. Nicole leaned down and caught Waverly's lips in hers for a deep, passionate kiss. The two clung to each other, even after their lips broke apart.
"I guess we can get enough of each other tonight, can we?" Nicole asked, amused.
Someone cleared their throat, snapping the two girls out of their own private world. It was Dolls. Waverly quickly detached herself from Nicole's arms and faced him. Dolls eyes shifted back and forth between the two girls before saying, "Wynonna and I are going to leave now. Gus is getting ready to leave, too, before it gets too late."
"It's eight o'clock!" Waverly exclaimed. "And what do you mean, 'Wynonna and I are going to leave'. Where are you going?"
"I'm sleeping over at his place," Wynonna said, appearing next to Dolls, holding a duffle bag and her purse. "Don't worry; I'll be back in time to open presents tomorrow morning." Wynonna gave her little sister and kiss on the top of her head before leaving with Dolls. Gus followed soon after, giving Waverly another kiss as well.
"Merry Christmas, Waverly," she said as she walked outside. "And you too, Officer!"
"Well, that wasn't hard getting alone time with you," Nicole said as they collapsed onto the couch.
"D'you want to watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?" Waverly asked, opening her laptop. Nicole grinned and nodded.
The two spent the rest of the night watching the movie and drinking hot chocolate that Nicole got up to make. Once the movie finished, they quietly sipped the last of their cocoa and told stories of Christmases they remembered from long ago. Finally, at around eleven o'clock, the two made their way upstairs to bed.
"I still want to take things slow," Waverly said cautiously. "But I really wanted to curl up in bed with you." She blushed, thinking how awkward that sounded, but Nicole smiled.
"I've wanted that too," she reassured.
The two stripped down to their underwear and climbed under the covers and blankets and snuggled up against one another. Soon, Nicole's front lay against Waverly's back, their bodies slightly curved. Nicole was happy to see that Waverly enjoyed it when Nicole ran her hand up and down Waverly's body, making her shiver, but not from the cold. The two fell asleep with their arms wrapped around one another, smiling contently at how happy they truly were that Christmas Eve.