"You think Bobo is Robert Svane?"

My eyes follow the droplet of sweat as it moves from a neck smooth as silken alabaster over a clavicle creating a valley amongst a shoulder of white snow.

I was completely unprepared for the sight of Nicole Haught wielding an axe when I came to the barn after class. And thus, I am currently at a loss for words. My eyes remain locked onto sweaty muscles flirting from a tank top. Fudge nuggets! How is anyone supposed to form coherent thoughts with that in front of you?!

"Waves?"

My ears continue to ignore as my eyes continue to explore the shimmering marble expanse. Who knew that swinging an axe could make someone look so excruciatingly attractive?

"Earp!" I blink. Rachel's annoyed voice finally forces my sense of hearing to return, curing my temporary blindness. Blindness caused in a similar fashion as when one stares at the sun for too long.

"Uh, sorry could… could you repeat that?" I ask, my ability to speak clearly still very limited.

"Waves, are you okay?" My hazel eyes meet worried brown as I finally look back towards Nicole's face.

"Yes. Sorry, you are just very hot today." Too late do I realize my slip, my eyes widen in panic as Nicole looks at me with eyebrows raised in confused surprise.

"It's! I mean it's just very hot today." I ignore the snicker coming from behind me, making a mental note to give the grumpy heifer to Rachel to milk tomorrow morning.

"It's okay, Waves. You say you think Bobo is Robert Svane?" Nicole repeats with a small smile.

I shake my head to try and rid myself from the effect of being in the presence of perspiring perfection.

"Yes. Bobo is a common nickname derived from Bob, which originates from Robert. At least that is what Google says." I look down in embarrassment. "I don't know, maybe it's a far stretch."

A gentle hand on my arm draws my gaze to meet encouraging brown. "No Waves, you have a good point." Nicole's expression morphs into thoughtful, the adorable little wrinkle appearing at the bridge of her nose.

"I mean let's think about it. Robert disappeared years ago. Then all of a sudden, his parents die in a fire just before Bobo appears in town and buys Shorty's. That sounds a little suspicious."

Encouraged by her consideration of my theory, I start putting the facts together.

"Yeah… and if you think about it, Robert could have had motive to want to off his parents. They sent him away because they were ashamed of him. They probably made him feel like a disgrace after what he did."

"That's an uncool move of his parents, sure. But murdering them for that? I don't know." Rachel comments, disbelief in her voice as she starts rummaging in one of the boxes on Nicole's IKEA bed.

"The way Robert looked at the camera in any picture, might convince you otherwise." Nicole says, removing the articles we looked at last night from a shelf above her bed and showing them to Rachel. The younger girl pauses her rummaging to run her eyes over the picture of young Robert scowling at the camera as Nicole's dad cuffs him.

"Okay, yep that guy gives me major Ted Bundy vibes." Rachel says. "But if this dude is Bobo del Rey, surely someone would have recognized him when he came back to town?"

"You have a good point, kid. But he was gone for a long time and people change as they get older. Perhaps he changed so much they could not recognize him after all those years. And Bobo del Rey was quite the character…"

Nicole goes to reach for the shelf above her bed again, the movement causing her tank top to ride up and reveal toned planes that deserve a spot on the list of the world's most mind-blowing places to see.

Seriously, my breath catches at witnessing the effect of many hours of hard labour. I feel eyes on me and catch Rachel giving me a knowing smirk.

I quickly compose myself and throw a murderous glare at the little drug stealer just as Nicole returns to an upright state. She holds a photograph in her hands, the one she had held yesterday as I blatantly stared at her profile.

"I found this picture of Bobo del Rey amongst Mrs. Nedley's other documents yesterday."

Rachel skootches closer on the bed as Nicole sits down and I take a seat on her left. Three pair of eyes observe a photograph of a man with a mohawk and a fur coat scowling menacingly at the camera, his hand on the door to the Glory Hole.

"That's the great Boobs del Rey?"

"It's Bobo, Rachel. But, yes that's him." Nicole confirms, biting her lip as she runs her brown eyes over the photograph once more.

"Well, his scowl does look a lot like Robert Svane's." I say, causing Nicole too look up at me.

She grabs the Svane article behind her on the bed and holds up the two pictures side by side, double the scowl staring back at us.

"You are right, Waves." She sighs before putting the article down again. "But unless we had a tattoo or DNA match, there is no way of knowing for sure."

"Tattoo…" I remember something and hurriedly grab the photograph from Nicole's hand, my eye falling on the blotch peeking out from Bobo's exposed wrist as he holds onto the door handle.

"Look! That right there. Doesn't that look like a tattoo?" Nicole and Rachel both focus on the blotch.

"Mmm yeah that kind looks like a…" Nicole squints, her tongue sticking out adorably. "A bird?"

Rachel grabs the photograph, her eyebrows raised. She then grabs something she had placed next to the box. "Could it be something like this?" In her hands she holds a piece of origami.

Looking back at the picture, the shape of Bobo's tattoo does resemble the piece of paper art in Rachel's hands.

"You might be right, Rachel. But what does it mean?" Nicole asks.

"Maybe Boobs was just really into pigeons." Rachel says with a shrug.

"Why would Mrs. Nedley have this origami? Surely it cannot be coincidence." I say, taking the origami from Rachel's hand and flipping it over. On the other side it has a singular word written. Svane.

"No way…" I breath in surprise, showing my findings to the other two girls. They look at me in bafflement.

"What does it mean?" Nicole asks. I rack my brain trying to see the reasoning as to why Mrs. Nedley would have written Svane onto the Origami.

I take out my phone and start Googling origami bird shapes. I find the one most similar to that in my hands. The description has my heart racing with excitement as something finally clicks.

"Guys, this is not a pigeon, it's a swan!" I jump up in excitement at my revelation, the other girls look at me as if I have gone mad.

"Don't you guys get it? Svane!"

Crickets.

I sigh. "Svane means swan!"

I practically see the lights flickering to life in their eyes. Finally. Nicole's eyes widen. "Woah…"

"Yeah! It can't be coincidence, right? I think Mrs. Nedley might have figured it out too. How else do you explain this?" I hold up the origami. Nicole gets up and starts pacing, rubbing her hand over her chin in thought.

"You might be right, Waves. Maybe Mrs. Nedley actually figured out that Bobo del Rey was Robert Svane…" She drops her hand looking at me sadly. "And maybe… maybe he knew that she knew too much so he…"

"It wasn't an accident." I breath out in shock. My heart breaks and burns with anger at the same time. That bastard.

Rachel breaks my murderous train of thought. "Alright… so let's say that Bobo is Robert Svane. It would definitely have been really suspicious that he bought Shorty's right after his parents died in a fire. And obviously he would have wanted to keep that piece of information buried. But… how exactly does this help get my mom back?" The younger girl says, her voice lacking its usual sass.

I look over at Nicole, her eyes meeting mine with concern before she moves over and sits down next to Rachel. "I don't know yet Rach. But it gives us some insight into what made Bobo the way he is. I do have another angle that could potentially help too. If I got a map of Purgatory, would you be able to point out all of the previous drop zones on it?"

Rachel nods slowly. "Yeah, sure. Why?"

Nicole gets up and stretches her lengthy body. "I am not sure, but maybe we can find some kind of pattern or indication of where their base of operations is." This makes Rachel perk up.

"Yeah! That might just work! I'll go grab the burner phone." She gets up and makes a beeline for the barn. I grab her by the arm before she manages to exit.

"Woah there. I think we have done enough research for today. We both have test weeks coming up and need to study." I practically feel the younger girl slump in my grip. "Besides, Nicole has farm work to do." I say, looking towards the redhead for help.

Nicole looks over at me with a subtle nod before turning her attention to the deflated girl in my grip.

"Waverly does have a point." A smile consumes her beautiful face then as she meets Rachel's pleading eyes. "But how about we checkout the map tonight after dinner?"

The younger girl practically jumps in excitement, but she seems to remember herself right before her feet lift from the ground.

"Okay, sure. Cool or whatever." She says with a nonchalant shrug. "See you losers tonight then." With that she turns on her heel and makes her exit, leaving Nicole and I alone once more.

I look over at her, the way she smiles back at me has my knees feeling like they are made of gloop. I swallow, looking away. "Uh… you are really good with Rachel." I mumble.

I hear her laugh softly. "Thanks Waves. I guess I just know what it can feel like to be worried for your parent's wellbeing." Her voice holds a hint of somberness and once again my heart aches for her. I itch to move over and just hold her tightly.

In an attempt to escape the urge to run over and hug her, I say instead "The way you care for everyone around you is one of the things I really love… uh like… uh admire! What I really admire about you."

My cheeks feel like they are on fire with the heat of my embarrassment. I risk meeting Nicole's eyes to see the damage done by my fumble. All I am met with is warmth and hopefulness. My heart hammers inside my chest, the reaction catalyzed by the intensity of her gaze.

"Yeah?" She asks almost shyly.

I fear flames might come out of my ears if I remain in her presence a second longer, so I simply give her a brief nod before practically sprinting out the barn.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

Nicole's POV

Once we finished our stir-fry, compliments to Chrissy, Rachel and I head over to the barn again. Waverly had not joined us for dinner. Naturally, this had me worried. But Rachel stemmed any fears I had, explaining it was because Waverly had fallen asleep doing homework. She must have been exhausted from studying.

With a map of Purgatory procured from Nedley under my arm, I walk over to the workbench in the barn. I remove the tools, nails, screws and oil cannisters strewn all over the top and spread out the map on the cleaned surface. I place pebbles on each corner of the paper to keep the map from rolling up. Then I remove the string and thumbtacks from my pocket.

"All right, kid. Tell me where to pin." I instruct the younger girl beside me.

Rachel takes out the burner phone from the pocket of her jeans and starts searching through the messages.

"Okay, so the first drop point was in an old vent in the alleyway between the hardware store and bike shop on the corner of Andras Street.

I search for the location in question, placing the thumbtack securely in position on the map. "Got it. Next one?"

Rachel scrolls on her phone again.

"Second drop point was the inside of a tire near the swings in Adaline Park along Ghost Road."

I nod and place the second thumbtack.

"And the third one was the dumpster at the school."

I place the final pin in place and then attach the string to each of the three thumbtacks. Once done, Rachel and I both stand back and try to make sense of it.

"All righty then… so the pins make a triangular shape. And at their center there seems to be three primary businesses. There's the canning factory to the west, the fish and tackle shop to the south and that new flower shop to the east." I conclude, rubbing my chin in thought.

Rachel leans on the table to get a better look. "Okay then, which one screams evil drug lair the most?" She deadpans.

"Usually, I would go for the canning factory. But it has been there for years and everyone knows Mr. Marston, the manager, to be an honest family man. He runs a tight ship and the factory makes good business. I don't think he would have a reason to be running a drug operation or house a fugitive drug lord." My eyes move to the fish and tackle shop.

"The fish and tackle shop is very tiny, with huge glass windows. It would be impossible to run any covert operation from there, especially drug smuggling. I mean, the lab alone would take up the whole shop."

"Okay, so that leaves the flower shop then." Rachel states, tapping her finger at the spot on the map.

"Yeah. I drove past it the other day when you made the drop. It is quite new, must have been opened very recently. Maybe Nedley knows something about it. I'll ask him."

Rachel sighs and stretches. "Well, that seems like a good start. Let me know what he says. But I have to get back to my books now, got a stupid biology test tomorrow. Good night, Nicole."

"Goodnight, kid." I tell her with a warm smile and watch as she goes toward the barn door. Right before she exits, she pauses and turns back to me. 'Hey, Nicole?' She says, causing me to raise my eyes from the map. "Yeah?"

"Thanks. For everything." She says simply.

Taken aback by the heavy gratefulness in her tone, my eyebrows raise in surprise. I quickly compose myself and give her another small smile. "It's no problem. I promise to do anything I can to help get you mom back." I tell her honestly, meaning every word.

With one last nod in my direction and the smallest hint of a smile, Rachel is gone.

I turn back towards the map and make a few more observations before Waverly pops back into my mind. She sure has been acting odd lately… there are these moments where I swear, she looks at me with the same desire I know are in my own eyes anytime I gaze at her.

It has me wondering that just maybe I am not the only one who wants this so desperately, who needs it so much. I decide to hold onto the miniscule bit of hope it stokes in me.

Urged by a sudden need to see her, my feet carry me out the barn and in the direction of the house.

XxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxX

The house is quiet when I near the door. I make sure to clean my muddy shoes properly before entering. It had started to rain again this evening; the hot humidity of the day had given way to another thunderstorm.

As the lightning flashes, I walk past the living room and wave to Chrissy and Nedley. I hear the familiar sound of Law and Order from the TV, which is the Nedley evening binge show of choice.

I quickly head up the stairs, noticing the sliver of light peaking from the small gap at the bottom of Rachel and Jeremy's doors. Waverly's door is open, her room blanketed in darkness. I take a tentative step inside and note a figure slumped over a pile of books at the desk in the corner.

Seems I was right, Waverly had become exhausted from studying and seemingly passed out right on her books. I find it extremely endearing and approach her figure with an adoring smile.

As I near the brunette, I hear the soft melody of Missing Piece coming from the earphone that had fallen out of her ear. I find her phone and quickly pause her Spotify. Then I remove the pen still in her hand before lifting her from the chair gently.

I slowly move over to the bed and deposit her softly under the covers, just as the rain starts pouring loudly against the roof. I spare another moment to admire the other girl's beautiful features in their relaxed state, before turning to exit the room.

I don't get very far, a bony hand holding me back.

Thinking Waverly had woken up, I turn to apologize for coming into her room unannounced. The strained look on her sleeping face stops me in my tracks.

She starts shaking and her grip on my hand tightens involuntarily. Her whole body becomes restless in a clear sign of someone experiencing a nightmare. I wrap my arms around her just as she releases a terrified shout.

"We need to stop the bleeding Wynonna!"

The agony and terror in her voice fills my insides with dread. I ignore it and hug her tighter instead.

"Shhh, Waves. It's okay. You are safe. Shhh." I gently rock her, feeling moist droplets against my neck.

I feel her stiffen in my arms just as lightening lights up her bedroom. "Nic… Nicole?" She says through her tears, her voice sounding small.

I move my head to meet her eyes, conveying safety and trust as much as I can. "Hey, yeah it's me. You had a nightmare, is all. You are safe in your bed, okay?" I tell her gently.

She releases a sniffle, gripping my shirt. "Y… yeah, I get them all the time. But uh… thanks… for being here again."

"No problem Waves." I feel a little embarrassed for having invaded her space and seeing her at her most vulnerable, knowing how hard she works to appear strong. So, to reduce any discomfort she must be feeling from my presence, I slowly start getting up.

But once again she stops me, her hand gripping my arm. "Nicole, wait. Can… can you stay?" She asks, her voice practically pleading.

I hesitate, unsure if that was a good idea. She looks at me desperately. "Please? I want to tell you about it."

I shoot her a questioning gaze. "Tell me about what?" I ask softly.

She takes a breath before indicating for me to lie down next to her. I still feel hesitant, but the need to be close to her trumps my doubts. So, I pull my lanky body onto the bed and lay my head on the pillow.

My breath catches in shock when Waverly lays her head against my chest, her hand going to grip mine. The weight of her body so close to mine is both comforting and terrifying, my heart hammering out every feeling I wish to keep secret.

"I want to tell you about my nightmare." The lightning flashes again, right before Waverly's next words freeze the blood in my veins. "The real one, where I killed my father."