Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me, they are all Syfy's, just thought I would have a bit of fun.

Can't Go to Hell…

archaeobard

Chapter 2

For the next two hours and twenty-seven minutes, Nicole sat clock watching. She'd screwed up. If she thought about it, how else could Waverly have behaved? And she'd just slammed her down. When her relief arrived at the end of the shift, she bolted for the door, not even bothering to pick up her Stetson.

It was just her luck Shorty's seemed busier than usual. When she burst through the door like the hell hounds were after her, too many accusing glares headed in her direction. She scanned the bar but could not see Waverly. Gus, however, caught her eye and jerked her head in a come here gesture since her hands we're busy pulling a beer.

Nicole pushed by several people on her way to the bar, her feet leaden.

"Is Waverly in?" She asked as she leaned across so Gus could hear her better.

"She's at home, sick."

"Sick? What's the matter with her?"

Foam slopped on the counter as Gus dumped the beer and took payment. "Figure you may know more about that than I do, Officer Haught."

"Why?"

"Because she came running in here wailing about you." Gus mopped at the spilled foam with a cloth before it dripped onto the floor.

Nicole blushed, "Ah, we had a bit of an altercation."

"An altercation...seems to me she was offering you heart-on-sleeve honesty the best way she knew how."

Nicole hung her head and tapped at the bar, "Yeah, about that…"

"Don't you think you should head off and apologise?"

She met Gus' eye and saw something twinkling there. "Yes, yes I do," Nicole said, backing up and stumbling into a patron as she attempted to make her way to the door.

"Officer Haught?" Gus called out behind her and she turned her head. "Don't you hurt that baby girl again."

Nicole smiled her acknowledgement and blushed at the implied threat. A brief speck of hope blossomed. She had to get to the Earp homestead.

All was in darkness with the curtains drawn as Nicole pulled her vehicle up, frosted snow crunching under her tyres.

"Where the hell is everyone?" she mused, killing her lights. She made her way over the crystalline, moonlit ground to the front steps. "Waverly!?" she banged on the door and got no response. Her hand went instinctively to her service weapon and she popped the safety strap. "Wave, you in there?"

"Go away!"

A cloud of vapour roiled out in front of Nicole's face from a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. She secured her handgun and banged on the door again. "Come on, Waverly, I just need to know you're ok."

"I'm fine."

"That's woman speak for you're really pissed at me but are too upset to do anything about it yet, right?"

Silence.

"Don't you make me kick this door in, Waverly."

"That would be stupid of you."

"Why?"

"Because it's not locked."

Nicole grinned despite herself, "Can I come in, it's freezing out here?"

Another pause for silence. Nicole was just about to give up and go in uninvited when a quieter voice reached her, "Sure."

She turned the door handle and eased herself into the entry, allowing her eyes to adjust to the interior dimness after the snowscape. A pale, amber glow came from the living room and she headed in that direction, careful not to knock anything on the way.

Waverly sat, legs drawn up beneath her, curled in a blanket in a large chair by the fire. She was staring at the flames dancing in the grate. Nicole stood by the chair, her shadow jumping on the wall behind her with the flames.

"Where's Wynonna?"

Waverly shot her an angry glare, "That's the first thing you say to me? Where's Wynonna? She's not here."

Nicole hunkered down by the arm of the chair and put a tentative hand on Waverly's bundled up arm. She felt her flinch away under the blanket and pulled her own hand away, frightened she'd done the wrong thing.

"I was just making sure we're alone, Wave."

"So now you want to be alone with me?"

"Waverly-"

"I'm always frikken alone." She pulled the blanket tighter about herself.

"Waverly, I'm so sorry."

"Because I'm alone, or because you're an ass?"

Nicole frowned, "The second one...although I'm also sorry you're alone."

"You are an ass."

"Yes I am, a great big stupid ass, and I'm sorry I pushed you away. It was selfish of me. I was protecting myself, and not thinking about how much courage it must have taken for you to do what you did."

"You need to protect yourself, from me?"

Nicole shrugged, "There's not much use denying it, I'm going to feel what I feel regardless."

Waverly unfolded herself partly from the blanket and turned to face Nicole. She searched the woman's face in the firelight and saw nothing but openness. "What...what is it that you feel?"

Nicole reached out then and took one of Waverly's hands in her own. She drew it to her and placed it against her chest. She took a deep breath, "My heart," she said, "is full."

"God, you've got a way with words."

"Really?"

"Definitely," she slipped the blanket off her shoulders with her free hand and slid to the floor.

Nicole raised Waverly's hand to her lips and gently kissed at the palm before drawing Waverly to her. She brushed a loose strand of hair away from Waverly's face, allowing her fingertips to trail lightly over her skin and down the side of her neck. They came to rest on the pulse point there and Nicole smiled, her lips forming a sensual curve. Waverly moved into the touch and Nicole took full advantage, curling her fingers around Waverly's neck, coaxing her gently closer. Her other hand traced a line up Waverly's forearm, guiding her from the elbow to put her arm about her waist. They both drew each other in, Nicole leaning to catch Waverly's lips with the lightest of kisses. It was a graze of soft warmth and sensation that captured both women in its desire. Their contact deepened, hands reaching and touching, their breath mingling.

Nicole pulled back, dragging her lips away from Waverly, "Stop…stop, stop, stop!"

Waverly gave her a pained look, "What now?!"

"Gun!" Nicole gasped, struggling desperately with her holster belt, "Don't want to accidentally shoot you, or me, or both of us. Shit, I can't get this thing off." She threw up her hands in frustration.

Waverly smirked, "I'm sure you could if you really tried."

"Waverly!"

"Ok," she let the word linger, "then let me help." Waverly moved forward on her knees, the neck of her satin night shirt falling forward. Nicole swallowed against her rising desire as she felt Waverly's hands on her belt, fingers trailed along the leather, over her hips to the buckle, where they slipped and tugged and pulled, each small movement subtle and erotic.

The belt and holster fell away and Waverly reached around to drag it from about Nicole's hips, her lips dangerously close to Nicole's. Nicole feigned a kiss and smiled at the flicker of frustration in Waverly's eyes.

"That was mean," Waverly said, depositing the belt and holster on the chair beside her. "Now," she said, crawling her way up Nicole's body and pushing her down to the floor, "where were we?"

To be continued?