Chapter Text
What died didn't stay dead
Friday - January 04th, 2008
The sun was setting when Nicole hit the brakes and parked in front of the Earp Homestead. She stepped out of her black Corrado, but before she could reach the front porch, a short brunette ran out of the house towards her. Waverly didn’t say anything, she just threw her arms around the redhead in a tight hug.
“Hi, baby,” Nicole whispered.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Waverly sniffed.
“I’m sorry, too.”
“Are you still mad?”
“I am mad about you, gorgeous,” Nicole teased.
“I hate fighting with you,” Waverly said.
“I hate it, too. Girlfriends fight, it’s normal. But we made out of it. This is the important part,” Nicole held her girlfriend’s hand.
“Can it be our last fight, please?” Waverly begged with tears in her eyes.
“I hope so, love,” Nicole leaned down and kissed the brunette. She sighed pleased to be with Waverly again.
“Let’s go inside,” the brunette said.
“Wait,” Nicole went back into her car and came back with a bag in her hands. “I bought us dinner.”
“You are the best, you know that?” Waverly opened the door for them.
“Hey, Haughtstuff. Did you two fixed your shit?” Wynonna said when she saw the two women in front of her.
“Yeah, we are fine,” Nicole said.
“Good because if I have to hear If I ain't got you one more time, I swear I’m going to strangle someone,” Wynonna complained.
“Hey, don’t talk about Alicia Keys like that,” Waverly said.
“You can pretend that you are a badass as much as you want, but we all know you are a big softie," Nicole turned to Waverly. "She cried watching Click ."
"Come on, how could I know an Adam Sandler movie would end like that?" Wynonna pushed the redhead away.
"Sure. Let's pretend this is the real reason," Waverly started to open the boxes with food.
They stayed there, just watching TV and having dinner together, with Waverly cuddling on Nicole. Wynonna had her feet over the coffee table, no matter how many times Waverly told her not to do it.
"I love Olivia Benson," Wynonna said. "You have got to be like her, Haught."
"Yeah, I know you would love that," Nicole chuckled.
"I'm going to bed. Please keep it quiet, you two. I want to sleep tonight and not hear you defiling my baby sister, Haught."
"Wynonna!"
"Night, losers," Wynonna got up and went to her bedroom.
"Oh my goodness," Waverly groaned.
"Don't worry about her, babe."
"I think I want to go to bed, too," Waverly said. "Will you stay tonight?"
"If you want me to," Nicole replied.
"Always," Waverly pulled her girlfriend by her hand and guided them to the bedroom. After they brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas, they laid in bed. The brunette entwined their legs and buried her face on Nicole's neck. "I'm exhausted."
"Wynonna said you listened to Alicia Keys all day. Tell me you did not spend your day crying because of our fight," Nicole said, but Waverly didn't reply. "Baby…"
"I thought I lost you," Waverly whispered.
"That's never gonna happen," Nicole held her tighter. "But you need to know that nobody, nobody, deserves your tears. I promise that I'll do everything that's in my power to never make you cry again. I'm sorry we didn't solve things earlier today."
"I'm sorry, too. I love you, Nicole."
"You are the love of my life, Waverly Earp. Now let's sleep, we have a full day tomorrow."
They fell asleep fast and neither woke up during the night. The sun was high when Nicole noticed lips leaving kisses all over her neck. She smiled at the feeling.
"Good morning, birthday girl," Waverly whispered between kisses.
"Best birthday ever," Nicole said with a croaky voice.
"You say this every year," Waverly giggled.
"That's because I get to spend it with you every year," the redhead simply said.
"Charmer."
"With you? Always," Nicole moved a little to her side so they were facing each other. "I'm going to marry you one of these days, Waverly Earp."
"Are you proposing?"
"Not yet," Nicole pushed a lock of brown hair behind Waverly's ear. "You’re still in college, I know how important it is for you. But now that we finally can, I will marry you. One day, I will surprise you. Just you wait."
"I can't wait to be your wife," Waverly brushed her lips over the redhead. "Happy birthday, my love."
"Thank you, gorgeous. I know we'll meet everybody tonight, but I told my Grandma I would have lunch with her today. Will you come with me?"
"Of course. But first, your gift," Waverly jumped out of bed and came back with a small package. "I hope you like it."
"Waves, it's beautiful," Nicole opened the box to find a necklace. The pendant was a four-leaf clover, with a green stone in the middle of it.
"The four-leaf clover is for luck," Waverly explained. "The crystal inside is a bloodstone. It's for courage and the ability to find other ways in a difficult situation. You'll need it as soon as you become a cop, so you'll always come back to me."
"Thank you, Waves," Nicole put the necklace around her neck. "I'll never take it out."
"I'm so glad I can be with you today," Waverly held the necklace and pulled it, making her girlfriend get closer to her for a kiss.
They walked hand in hand inside Nicole's home.
"Grandma?"
"In the kitchen," she shouted.
"Good morning, Grandma," Nicole said.
"Hello, sweetheart. Happy birthday, my darling," the woman with white hair and dimples just like Nicole hugged her granddaughter tight. “I’m so proud of you and so glad I get to witness the amazing person you are turning into.”
"Thanks, Grandma."
“I love you so very much, Nicole. I want you to know it every day of your life.”
“I love you, too, Grandma.”
“I can’t believe you are so grown up,” the woman chuckled. "Hello, Waverly. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you, too, Maggie."
"I'll go change into some clean clothes," Nicole said. "I'll be right back."
"Are you two alright?" Maggie whispered to Waverly as soon as they were alone.
"Yes, we are ok," Waverly smiled.
"I told her yesterday to go talk to you, put things in the right place, and not to let you go," the older woman said. "You are good for each other, and love each other. No fight can be stronger than this."
"Thank you, Maggie. It's very good to know that you are on our side."
"Always, Waverly. Tell me something, how old are you?"
"I'm twenty."
"You see, I'm not getting any younger," Maggie smiled. "Nicole is a good girl, but she gets inside her head too much. Will you take care of her when I'm no longer around?"
"Maggie, you'll still be with us for a long time," Waverly said.
"I know, honey. I just want to be sure my little girl won't be all alone."
"I won't leave her side. I promise."
"Thank you."
"What are you two whispering about?" Nicole was back with them.
"I'm telling Waverly a little secret," Maggie smiled.
"You two, please don't get in trouble," Nicole begged.
"We are not you and Wynonna," Maggie chuckled. "What are you going to do today?"
"The guys want to stop by Shorty's for some drinks."
"Sounds fun. You tell Shorty he should retire soon. He's too old to stay there every day."
"Yeah, Grandma, sure. I'll tell the man to get out of his business right on my birthday," Nicole teased. "We would be kicked off."
"Oh, you big baby. Come on, let's prepare lunch. Waverly, Nicole told me you are not eating meat anymore, so I thought about some roast potatoes. How does that sound?"
"It's perfect, Maggie, but you didn't have to worry about me," Waverly tried to dismiss her.
"Nonsense. You are family. Of course I have to worry."
"Did you hear that?" Nicole held Waverly from behind and whispered into her ear. "She thinks you are family."
"What do you think about it?"
"I think you are more than family," Nicole confessed. "You are part of my soul."
"You are part of mine, too," Waverly turned around inside her girlfriend's arms to kiss her briefly.
When the day ended and the moon was up, Waverly and Nicole went to Shorty's. It was a cold night, but it was warm enough inside the bar. The couple looked around and saw some of their friends already there.
“Finally she is here,” Perry shouted. “The birthday girl, everyone!”
“Hey, guys,” Nicole said, already sitting with them.
“Happy birthday, Nicole,” they started saying one after the other.
To anyone looking from the outside, they were a strange group of people, but they fitted quite well. Doc was already going to the bar to bring some drinks to them. He came back with nine shots, one for each of them.
“There you go, everyone. Let’s make a toast to the one and only Nicole Haught.”
“22, Nicole. Damn you are getting old,” Perry joked.
“Shut up, dude. You are three months older than me,” Nicole refuted.
“Come on everyone,” Doc handed the drinks for them, but Wynonna pushed her away. “What’s up, Earp?”
“I have my gin over here, I’m fine, thanks,” she replied.
“Oh, I love gin,” Waverly said. “Can I have some?”
“Sorry, Babygirl. If you want some, buy one for yourself,” Wynonna pulled the glass closer to herself. “So? Aren’t we going to celebrate Haught Dog?”
“Definitely,” Robin said. “To Nicole Haught, our favorite jock who is about to be the greatest cop the world has ever seen!”
“To Nicole!” They all screamed.
“Thank you, guys. You are all awesome,” Nicole said. “I don’t know what I would do without any of you. I’m one of the lucky ones just to get to call you all my friends.”
“Don’t make us cry already, Nicole,” Chrissy said.
At some point in the night, Nicole found herself playing pool with Wynonna, Mercedes, and Perry. Waverly, Robin, and Chrissy were still at the booth, laughing about something the blonde girl had just said. At the bar, Jeremy was explaining something that seemed to be too hard for Doc to understand.
“Gotta piss,” Wynonna said.
Nicole looked around and saw the glass from which Wynonna was drinking. She grabbed it and put it under her nose. Weird. She couldn’t smell anything.
“I’ll be right back, guys. You can keep playing,” Nicole told her friends. She walked back to the booth where the others were talking and interrupted them. “Sorry, guys. Can I steal my girlfriend for a second?”
“Hey, baby,” Waverly held her hand. “What’s up?”
“We need to talk to Wynonna,” Nicole guided them to the bathroom. “I think there is something wrong.”
“What? Why?”
“Isn’t it weird that she refused the shots and that she’s not having whiskey tonight?” Nicole asked.
“A little, yeah,” Waverly frowned. “But she’s having gin.”
“However, it wasn’t gin,” Nicole replied. “I checked her glass. I think it was water.”
“What?” Waverly was shocked. “Ok, so something is definitely wrong.”
They went into the bathroom right in time to see Wynonna stepping out of the toilet.
“Sup, losers. Did you come here to make out? I can give the Homestead for you tonight if you want.”
“We came to talk to you,” Nicole said.
“With me? Why?”
“We know something is wrong with you,” Waverly simply stated.
“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Wynonna huffed, trying to dismiss them.
“Oh, no? Good. So let’s go there and drink some whiskey,” Nicole crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I’m paying.”
“I hate you,” Wynonna said after a long and quiet pause.
“No, you don’t.”
“We are worried about you,” Waverly got closer to her sister.
“I fucked up, Babygirl,” Wynonna sighed.
“What is going on?”
“I’m pregnant.”
A deafening silence filled the place. Nicole leaned against the sink and closed her eyes for a few seconds. Waverly was frozen and speechless.
“Nonna…”
“I don’t know what to do,” Wynonna started pacing around. “I’m only halfway into medical school. And I am me, Waverly. How can I have a baby?”
“How far are you?” Nicole asked.
“I don’t know yet. I found out today.”
“Wait, so you might not be pregnant,” Waverly tried to argue.
“That would be a surprise,” Wynonna laughed humorlessly. “I took like six tests after you guys left this morning.”
“No matter what you decide to do, we’ll be by your side to give you one hundred percent of support,” Nicole stated.
“Fuck, I don’t know what to do,” Wynonna mourned. “Gus and Curtis are gonna flip. Fuck.”
“Let’s not worry about it yet,” Nicole reasoned.
“Wynonna, who is… who is the father?” Waverly asked nervously.
“It’s ah… it’s Doc.”
“Fuck,” Nicole groaned.
“Are you in love with him?” The younger Earp asked.
“It was just sex, Waverly,” Wynonna sighed. “I know it must be hard for you to understand that because you have Haught over here hanging on your every word since always, but some people are happy with just sleeping around.”
“I was just curious,” Waverly explained.
“Sorry, Waves. My mind is exploding. I shouldn’t have snapped. I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright, Wynonna.”
“Can we go now? I don’t want everyone being suspicious and asking questions I don’t have answers for.”
“Sure, yeah,” Nicole said. “And Wynonna, you can always talk to us, ok? You don’t have to hide things from Waverly and me.”
“It’s your birthday, Haught Shot. I didn’t want to ruin it.”
“You wouldn’t,” Nicole shook her head. “But I would always prefer a bad day on my birthday than have you sad or distressed.”
“God, you are a walking bumper sticker,” Wynonna walked out, leaving the two girls behind her. “Babygirl, take your girlfriend away from me before I barf.”
“Great detective work, Officer Haught,” Waverly smirked.
“Are you making fun of me?” Nicole tried to hold her girlfriend, the brunette slip from her fingers.
“Maybe.”
“I’ll do something about it later when we are alone,” Nicole whispered mischievously.
Saturday - January 12th, 2008
It had been a week since Nicole’s birthday and during this time, Wynonna confirmed her pregnancy. She was still very anxious about the decision she had to take in a short time. Nicole was nervous about it, too. She has known Wynonna since she was fourteen and they had quickly become friends.
“Nicole?”
“Yes, Grandma?”
“Are you alright, darling? I’ve called your name a few times but you didn’t seem to hear me.”
“I’m sorry,” Nicole sighed. “My mind is in a rush.”
“You are worried about Wynonna,” Maggie stated.
“I am. She doesn’t think she’s ready to be a mom.”
“What do you think?”
“I think she can do anything she wants if she sets her mind to it,” Nicole said without any doubt.
“You should tell her that, then.”
“I did! But you know Wynonna, stubborn as a mule,” Nicole was exasperated.
“She is what? Twenty-four?”
“Twenty-three.”
“She’s young, and those Earp girls have been through a lot,” Maggie patted her granddaughter on her knee. “Just make sure that she knows she’s not alone and things will be fine.”
“I’ll do that,” Nicole sighed. “Did you want to ask me something earlier?”
“I’m going to the supermarket to buy some groceries to prepare you a special lunch and I wanted to know if you want something,” the older woman said.
“I’m good, but you don’t have to do anything different, Grandma.”
“Nonsense,” Maggie gasped. “In two days you’ll be back to Vancouver and the academy. I have to enjoy these last few moments and feed you properly.”
“Ok, Grandma. Thank you.”
“I’ll be back in an hour,” she grabbed her car keys and walked out. “I love you, honey.”
“I love you more, Grandma.”
Alone, Nicole looked around the room she has been living in since she was fourteen and was kicked out of her parent’s house. She didn’t know what she was going to do in the future. The original plan was to stay in Vancouver and work there, but now, with Wynonna pregnant, it was obvious that Waverly was going to stay as close as possible to her sister, and there was no way Nicole would stay away from her girlfriend. If Wynonna decided to keep the child, there was a great possibility that she would like to raise the baby in Purgatory. The redhead took the room in, thinking that maybe that could be her permanent house again. Living forever in Purgatory didn’t seem like a bad option. Her life only started to be happy once she moved to that place. Sheriff Nedley seemed to like her, so she could ask him for a job there.
Her phone rang inside her pocket, taking the redhead out of her daydream. She looked at the screen and a smile popped on her face when she saw her girlfriend’s name.
“Hi, gorgeous.”
“Hi, love,” Waverly said.
“Hey, what’s up with that voice?” Nicole noticed something was off. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, it’s all good,” Waverly replied. “I just had a restless night and some bad dreams.”
“I’m so sorry, love.”
“Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Nicole said.
“Are you sure you are fine?” Waverly urged. “I have a bad feeling, Nicole.”
“I promise that everything is alright. Grandma is going to cook something special since we are leaving soon. What if you came here to have lunch with us? You and Wynonna.”
“There’s no way for me to go,” Waverly said. “Wynonna is out helping Curtis with something because Gus is working. Her truck is still not working, so she took my jeep. And she left her phone home.”
“What if I went there to pick you up? We can even drive around to look for Wynonna.”
“Would you do that?”
“Oh, I would do everything for you, Waverly Earp,” Nicole stated. “Ask me for the moon and I’ll find a way to bring it down.”
“Gosh, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Okay, but only if you promise to be extra careful,” Waverly declared.
“I promise, love. Give me half an hour and I’ll be there.”
“Okay, see you soon.”
Nicole rang up the phone and wrote a note, leaving it at the top of the counter so her grandma would know she was going to pick up Waverly. Getting inside her car, she noticed a notebook forgotten there. It probably belonged to Jeremy, since she gave him a ride the day before. The redhead decided to stop at his workshop and give it back to him. He had spent all his free time there, so it could be important. Luckily, the workshop was only a few blocks away from her house, so she wouldn’t waste much time.
She knocked, but nobody answered. Nicole could hear some noise coming from inside, so she decided to go in by herself. She saw Jeremy leaning over the table, focused on some math. She placed her hand on his shoulder and he jumped startled.
“Yeah, it’s not the Jonas Brothers,” he said while he took off the headphones.
“Hi, Jeremy,” Nicole laughed.
“Hey, Nicole.”
“You forgot this yesterday,” the redhead showed him the notebook.
“Oh, thanks.”
“So, what are you working on?”
“Ah, it’s nothing much,” he dismissed her.
“Come on, you are a genius. I’m sure you are doing something important.”
“I’m… well, I’m actually working on something my dad created.”
“That is nice, Jeremy,” Nicole encouraged him. “You know, he would be really proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“So, tell me what you are working on.”
“Oh, you are not going to like it,” he chuckled. “Or believe me.”
“We are friends, Jeremy. Of course I’m going to believe you.”
“It’s… It’s a time machine,” he looked really excited.
“A time machine? Like to send people to the future?” Nicole asked.
“Or past. Depending on which one you choose,” Jeremy said. “Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I think it works.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I used all the math he left in this notebook and the machine he built,” Jeremy showed her the device. “I managed to send a bottle one minute and a half in time.”
“Wait, did it really work?”
“That’s what I’m telling you,” he almost jumped. “I still don’t know much because it’s his work and this notebook is the only source I have, but I plan to learn more about it soon. Now I have to find a way to send heavier bodies in time. It’s hard because he spent all his life working on this, and I just found out about it.”
“Can I see inside the machine?” Nicole asked.
“Yeah, sure,” Jeremy moved in a rush. He opened the door of the device and put his dad’s notebook on the bench right next to the cabin. “It’s in here that magic happens. No, not magic, science .”
“Very nice, Jeremy.”
“The only thing we need is to plug it in,” he went outside the machine and connected it.
Nicole smiled at his excitement. The machine looked nice, but she doubted it could work. Curiosity took the best of her and she ran her hand over all the buttons. Suddenly it started to beep and she got desperate. She pressured a few of those buttons but it never stopped, it only got louder. And then a loud blast erupted in the place. Jeremy jumped away with the sound and cringed on the floor. The buzz still echoed in his ears and it took Jeremy a few seconds to move.
“That was intense, right?” Jeremy turned around to look at the machine and it was as his heart had fallen to the ground. The time machine was empty. There was no sight of Nicole. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no.”
He walked toward the cabin of the device and it was like Nicole had never been there. Was it possible that he had left the machine programmed? It was very unlikely, but not impossible. What would have happened then? He thought back and remembered that he had programmed the previous travel for the bottle to end right outside of the workshop.
He ran outside and started to look around. Besides Nicole’s car, he only saw the usual houses and trees that surrounded the place. He checked his watch for seconds and waited. Seconds became minutes and nothing happened. The boy turned his attention back to the workshop and noticed there was smoke coming from the inside. Going back in there, he saw his father’s machine on fire. He paced around for a few seconds until he remembered that there was an old fire extinguisher close to the back door. It took him too long to be able to unlock it and finally stop the fire. It was too late. The machine was destroyed, as well as the notebook with all of his father’s notes. Jeremy was alone in there. He put his hands in his head and pulled his own hair.
“Nicole!”