Officer Nicole Haught stopped just inside the doors of Shorty's Bar, removing her Stetson and pausing to allow her eyes to adjust to the dim interior. Glancing around but not finding the person she was there to see, she stepped up to the bar, leaning on her elbows. "Um excuse me..." she raised a hand to catch the attention of the woman serving drinks.

Without even looking over from the beer taps, a gesture of her head gave Nicole as much direction as her words. "She's in the back room."

Nicole blushed that her inability to stay away from Waverly wasn't much of a secret. But they were just friends. Nothing more. Oh sure, there had been flirting between them...but it was harmless. Because Waverly was straight. And Waverly was with Champ. So, see? They were just friends. And now Nicole headed down the hall to find her beautiful, spunky, intelligent, and very straight friend.

She was just turning to step through the doorway at the end of the hall when she pulled up short. Her heart stopped, and she willed her eyelids not to blink lest she miss a single moment of the fiery brunette up on her tiptoes, stretching to reach a tequila bottle on the top shelf, shirt riding up to expose a an expanse of creamy, smooth skin. The red head quietly set her hat on a nearby shelf, hooking her thumbs in her gun belt and grinning as Waverly mumbled what sounded like Latin curses and worked the bottle closer to the edge with her fingertips.

Seeing the bottle dangerously close to toppling, Nicole moved swiftly, reaching over the smaller woman to catch the bottle the moment it fell. They froze together in that moment; Nicole leaning lightly into Waverly's back, cheek pressed to the side of her head. She couldn't help taking a slow, deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent that was uniquely Waverly; only just barely stopping the groan that formed deep in her chest. Instead, Nicole spoke softly into her completely-straight-friend's ear, "hey."

For her part, Waverly's breath caught in her chest when a starched blue shirt suddenly reached over her, a taught, warm body pressing into her from behind. Not even trying to resist the urge to turn her head slightly toward Nicole, she inhaled the familiar scent that was uniquely Nicole.

They stood together, content to simply breathe for several long moments. Nicole's thumb gently caressing the bare skin at Waverly's waist before she realized it and took a step back, scratching her forehead shyly. Waverly cleared her throat and turned around, leaning back against the shelf and quietly watched Nicole.

When Nicole spoke, her words were rushed; partly from suddenly remembering why she had sought Waverly out in the first place, and partly because her body was in overdrive. "Oh! There's...if you're not doing anything tonight...I know it's cold out and it's last minute and you're a planner and you probably already have something to do with Champ...or Wynonna...but I just heard that there's this thing happening tonight...and I was wondering if you would like to go see it...watch it...with me. It's silly...nevermind."

Waverly grinned at Nicole's nervous rambling. "What is it? And no, I'm not doing anything."

"It's a..."

But before she could finish, they both jumped when they heard Champ's voice holler from the hallway, "Babe?"

Nicole instinctively put a few more steps between the two of them just as Champ strutted through the door. "Hey, there you are." He pulled Waverly tightly against him, going directly for a full tongue assault on Waverly's mouth. Nicole stomach flipped with a wave of disgust, and she felt it reflected on her face momentarily before she could reign it in. She couldn't manage to look away, it felt like the punishment she deserved for what had happened moments earlier. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Nicole's brows furrowed when she noticed that Waverly's eyes had remained open, and were locked on her for a moment before she shoved Champ away.

He didn't seem at all fazed by the abrupt end to the kiss. "So, the guys are having a poker night tonight. You can come hang out with Pete's step-mom."

Nicole's heart sank and she turned to pick up her hat, but hearing Waverly's rather sarcastic tone gave her pause. "Wow, Champ, as enticing as that sounds...Nicole has already invited me to a thing with her tonight."

Nicole half turned, seeing Waverly's eyes pleading with her.

Champ shook his head, confused. "Who's Nicole?"

The woman in question cleared her throat loudly and raised a hand when Champ spun around. "Uh, that would be me."

"Oh yeah. Officer Cute or something, right?" He slung a possessive arm around Waverly's shoulder.

"Haught." Waverly supplied with a dejected whisper. "Officer Haught." She was completely embarrassed by Champ.

He acknowledged that she had spoken with an uninterested grunt before asking, "So where are you two going?"

Nicole's eyes darted between Waverly and Champ, not sure where to settle. "It's nothing. Just a meteor shower." Waverly's face immediately transformed with excitement. Her authentically eager smile was infectious and Nicole couldn't help but catch it.

Champ's barking laughter jarred Nicole. "You mean like shooting stars? God! Are you a nerd, too? Waverly's been trying to drag me out to look at the stupid sky for years!"

Nicole's smile faded at the sadness that washed over Waverly's face.

"Um, yes. Well," Nicole said, stepping forward to give Waverly the tequila bottle she still held. "It's supposed to begin a little after 11. Pick you up about 10:20?"

Waverly nodded silently, lips pressed tight in humiliation.

"Ok, great. Here? Or your place?"

Waverly glared at Champ, praying he didn't say anything else awkward before responding. "My place."

Nicole gave her a nervous half-smile. "um, well...Ok then. I guess I'll see you tonight." She glanced over to Champ and tried to sound equally as friendly, but failed. "Champ. Always a pleasure." Then she spun on her heel, and eagerly took her leave.

Champ whispered, "She's so weird."

Waverly jerked out from under his heavy arm, moving to storm out of the room only to whirl back around, eyes blazing. "She is NOT weird. She's kind, and sweet, and brave, and intelligent. And she's my friend."

It was 10:18 pm and Waverly had been alternating between pacing and peeking out the window for several minutes.

"Waverly!" Wynonna barked from her spot on the couch. "Sit. You're bugging the shit out of me." Waverly did as instructed and flopped down in a chair. Wynonna studied her sister as she sipped a bear. "What's wrong with you anyway?"

Waverly rubbed her hands on the chair arms. "Nothing. Nothing, why? Nothing. Just excited."

Wynonna squinted skeptically. "Mmhmm. Whatever. Just be careful tonight."

Laying her head back, Waverly stared at the ceiling. "You know I'll be with Nicole, right?"

"Yes. But she doesn't know about revenants, now does she?"

This question brought Waverly abruptly forward in her chair. Frustration evident in her voice. "You're right. She doesn't. Why can't we just tell her? You KNOW she can help! She could be so good for us!"

Wynonna just shrugged. "Dolls said no. And he's the boss, Waves."

Waverly growled her frustration at Dolls, at Wynonna, at the whole situation. She had just leaned back again when she heard tires on gravel. Jumping to her feet with a grin, she grabbed her coat and was already out the door when she yelled a distracted "see you later! Love you!" back to her sister.

Waverly was standing on the porch still grinning when Nicole stepped out of her truck, returning her grin.

They said "hi" in unison and then chuckled.

Hands in her jacket pockets, Nicole looked up at the night's sky. "Clear night."

"And cold."

Nicole leaned back against her truck, still looking up. "Yeah, that's what makes it a perfect night for it. Warm air holds moisture, which blurs our view of the sky. So colder air holds less moisture, giving us a better view." She looked down to Waverly, and smiled. "I brought blankets."

Waverly was still grinning as she stepped off the porch. When Nicole opened the truck door for her, the grin only grew. It just felt so damn good to spend time with Nicole; she should probably feel guilty for that, but she didn't. There was nothing to feel guilty about. They were just friends. She was straight. She liked boys...men...Champ.

Nicole hopped into the cab and turned to face her. "So, where should we go? I have a couple ideas, but you know the area a whole lot better than I do."

"Um..." Waverly drummed her fingers on her thigh as she thought. "Oh! There's a lake that will be perfect! I'll navigate."

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay, just head back to the main road."

They drove for a while in comfortable silence until Nicole spoke softly. "You can turn the radio on, if you want. To whatever you fancy."

"Whatever I fancy, hmm?" She tried to laugh, to appear normal. But the truth was, the unnamed warmth that flowed through Waverly felt so weird — no, not weird. It was unsettling. Champ absolutely never let her touch his radio; in fact, he would explicitly say "don't mess with the radio" almost every time she got in his truck.

When she did reach out and push the power button, calm, smooth voices came through the speakers. "What's this?"

Nicole's response was casual, giving a nonchalant gesture toward the radio. "NPR. But you can change it."

Intrigued, Waverly regarded Nicole —subtly studying her friend's profile, lit green by the light of the dashboard — before turning to look out at the dark through her window. "No," she replied, her voice soft, distant. "I like it." It was so confusing, and frustrating. Why couldn't Champ be more like Nicole? Life with him was just so...small.

The silence had grown heavy, something had changed. Nicole chewed her lip, tapping a thumb on the steering wheel. She tried to focus on the topic of the NPR conversation, but it was just buzzing nonsensical noise. She had no idea what had happened, but something had upset Waverly. When she couldn't take it one more minute, Nicole's concerned voice broke into Waverly's musings. "You ok?"

"Hmm?" Waverly was dragged out of her thoughts, back to the cozy warmth of the truck filled with the scent of Nicole. "Oh, yeah. Peachy." She picked up the thermos lying atop the pile of blankets that lay between them. "Coffee?"

"Nope." Nicole popped the 'p' with a smirk, anticipating what was coming when she answered, "hot cocoa."

And she wasn't disappointed with the squeak Waverly released. "Chocolatey Haught-ness!"

Nicole laughed at Waverly's purely genuine enthusiasm, and before she could stop herself, the words "God, you're adorable" had escaped. Her heart stopped for a moment before Waverly accepted the compliment with a sincere, but shy, "thanks."

Following Waverly's directions, Nicole pulled off the main road and onto a rutted, dirt road. And finally onto a faint path which led them through the woods surrounding the lake. Even without foliage, the tangle of overhead branches blocked the night's moonlight, making their drive along the winding path rather dicey.

Now that they were in the middle of nowhere, in the dead of the night, Nicole was getting nervous to be alone with Waverly — not just about keeping her own thoughts in check, but she also needed to keep Waverly safe in a place where seriously weird shit happened. But through her anxiety and fears, she was elated to be here with Waverly...strictly as friends of course. Because Waverly was straight. And Waverly was with Champ.

Escaping the press of the trees, the lake lay before them. The still water a sheet of shimmering silver. Parked, Nicole took a deep, cleansing breath. Looking to her friend, warmth flowed through her to watch Waverly's gazing out her window at the sky.

"This is absolutely perfect." The quiet awe in Waverly's voice sent tingles through Nicole and all nervousness in her body instantly vanished. She was simply thankful to enjoy tonight with her friend.

She opened her door and stepped out, turning to grab the blankets. "Back of the truck ok? I think the ground will be too cold."

"Oh sure. I've spent plenty of time in the back of Champ's truck." The words were out before Waverly realized them and the look in her eyes was utter horror.

Nicole just blinked, mouth moving silently for a moment before she clenched her jaw and picked up the blankets, slamming the door shut with a foot. "God, gross!" She muttered to herself, grimacing while she thought 'Of course Waverly can do whatever she wants with whomever she wants because we're just friends...and she's fucking straight Nicole!'

She shifted the load of blankets into one arm, freeing up a hand to lower the tailgate. Dropping the pile, the biting cold of the metal gave her a physical focal point as she pressed her palms flat. Her head sagged forward while she struggled to dampen the heartache and wrangle in the many emotions fighting for control. She could feel Waverly's eyes on her when she shook herself and hopped into the truck. The air between them felt weird and she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

Pulling the top blanket off the pile, Nicole spread it out in the truck bed, taking her time to straighten each corner unnecessarily. Standing, she took a deep breath before returning to the back of the truck. Nicole worked to keep her face neutral as she peered down at Waverly looking up at her with uncertainty, wrapped in a puffy coat, moonlight shining down on her. Realizing her fists were clenched, blunt nails digging into the flesh of her palms, she forced her fingers relax as braced herself — both physically and emotionally — to reach down and pull the smaller woman into the truck with her.

Waverly let out a squeak and steadied herself with a hand on Nicole's shoulder, dropping it almost instantly. "Nicole, look, I'm sorry..." She started, her voice hesitant and apologetic.

Nicole couldn't handle what she thought might be regret and sadness in Waverly's eyes so she turned away, mumbling a quiet "don't worry about it."

It really was a chilly night — actually, it was colder than chilly — but not unbearable. To Nicole, the frigid air was fortifying, cooling the heat that burned in her cheeks whenever Waverly was near.

Handing two blankets to Waverly, Nicole took the last for herself and sat, legs crossed. After a moment, she peered up at Waverly with a shy smile, patting the spot beside her. Waverly smiled back. And just like that, the weirdness between them vaporized.

Nicole inhaled the crisp, fresh night air deep into her lungs. "I love it out here, you know? The air. The sky. It's ridiculous! How can it be real? Nothing matters when I'm out here; all my problems disappear into the ethos." She leaned back on her elbows, stretching out her long legs. Eyes still dancing across the star filled sky, she spoke softly to the woman next to her. "You've been here all your life; you may not even see it. But in so much of the country, people can't even see the stars anymore."

Waverly shook her head, fidgeting with her blanket. "No. I haven't been seen the country. I haven't even been anywhere that I can't get there and back again on a single tank of gas. But I do appreciate how amazing it is out here. I see the beauty and magic of it. I've heard people say it makes them feel small. But not me. I feel it all right here..." she tapped two fingers against her chest, between her breasts. "Like everything is connected." She sighed, staring into the distance, eyes unfocused for a few moments before giving herself a subtle shake. With a little chuckle, tinged with self-deprecation, Waverly turned to pick up the thermos. "Hot cocoa?"

Nicole blinked, breaking free from the spell of her friend's sweet voice. She pulled in a deep breath, coming back to herself. "Hot cocoa." She said, trying to sound normal. "Good for what ails you."

Waverly poured a bit of the chocolatey liquid into the thermos lid, clutching it tight to her chest; apprehension evident in her voice when she asked, "Are you ailing?"

Nicole let herself lay all the way back, hands behind her head. "No. I'm just...peachy." But when Waverly took a sip of the hot liquid, Nichole was anything but peachy; she clenched her jaw and squeezed her eyes shut at Waverly's moan of enjoyment. `This was all a very bad idea.'

"Nicole, this is amazing!" Waverly turned to look at Nicole, who looked as if she had just stubbed her toe. She took another sip before slowly holding out the cup to the red head.

Nicole cleared her throat and shifted her weight onto one elbow so she could take the cup. "Glad you like it. My Nana used to make it like this for Christmas Eve."

"So...it's...special to you?"

Nicole smiled softly, dimples visible in the moonlight. "Yeah. It is. Special occasions only." She raised the cup in a solute to Waverly and to the sky. She drank deeply, finishing off the cup and handing it back to Waverly for a refill.

More of the hot liquid cupped between her hands, Waverly couldn't stop the silly smile that formed. Another swallow, and she could feel the warmth of it moving inside her. Glancing up, she saw the first meteor streak across the sky. "Oh! It's starting!" She handed the cup over to Nicole again before laying back and pulling the blankets up. Nicole took another sip before setting it down and laying back.

They lay there, side by side in silence, watching the amazing display above them. Nicole sighed, "I've never seen anything like this." A moment later, she felt Waverly's fingers tentatively brush the back of her hand before coming to rest against it. She couldn't stop her body from reacting to the hesitant touch, her throat tightened, her heart skipped, and her hand turned to cover Waverly's.

Waverly didn't know why she had reached out to touch Nicole; she just allowed herself to enjoy the warmth and softness of Nicole's hand on her own for a while. "Thank you." She said softly. "For this."

"It's no big deal, Waves. It's not like I placed an Amazon order for a meteor shower."

"You may not have created this..." Waverly waved her free hand around them. "But here we are, and this is...well...I'm just glad you asked me to come with you tonight."

A spontaneous thought popped into Waverly's head, and before she could think herself out of it, she turned onto her side, pulling Nicole's arm around her shoulders, curling into Nicole's body, laying her head on Nicole's chest. Even through the winter coat, Waverly could hear Nicole's heart pounding wildly beneath her ear as she draped her arm across Nicole's waist.

Nicole couldn't breathe. Her eyes closed. She swallowed. And she tighten her arm, pulling Waverly in closer. She shouldn't be doing this. She shouldn't be allowing this. They were friends. Waverly was her straight friend. A straight friend who was in a relationship. But she was so weak where Waverly was concerned. And she slowly relaxed into it, watching the show in the sky, fingers playing with Waverly's hair. She pulled her blanket up to cover Waverly's arm.

"Can I ask you something, Waves?"

"Is it about Champ?"

"Yeah."

"Then no."

"Ok. Then can I ask you a different question?"

Waverly chuckled. "Sure."

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?"

Without even hesitating, Waverly answered "everywhere. I want to see everything there is. I want to see museums, mountains, oceans, ancient ruins. Everything."

Nicole turned her face into Waverly's hair. "Someday." She mumbled. She didn't say "maybe someday," she had said "someday." And Waverly heard it. There was a very big difference between the two; one of them felt like a promise.

Waverly hesitantly asked, "So can I ask you a question?"

"Mhmm."

"When did you know?"

Nicole kept her face buried in Waverly's hair and grinned. So they were going to have THIS conversation. She wanted to mess with her friend...just a little. "Know what?"

"That you're gay."

"What makes you think I'm gay?"

Waverly panicked and began to sit up, but Nicole held tight and chuckled. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." Waverly smacked Nicole's stomach, which caused her to laugh harder. "Ok, I'll be serious. When did I know? Well, I finally put words to what was going on inside me when I was 13. But it was horrible, I didn't want to accept it, I fought it. I hated it. I hated myself. Not to be Debbie Downer on such an amazing night...but it was really hard. So I isolated a lot. Then when I was 18 I met someone, a woman, who saw me...really saw me, she was like me, she understood me. She was secure and confident in life, in business, in her own skin. And she helped me learn how to live a life I wanted, a life I dreamed, a life I would be proud of 50, 60 years from now. And so all of that has led me here, tonight."

Waverly was quiet, processing Nicole's story. "Did you love her?"

Nicole took a deep breath before answering. "Well, I thought I did. But it wasn't love. It was admiration, infatuation, and gratitude. We both needed something from each other at the time. And then..." she paused. "Then it came to an end."

"What happened? At the end?"

Nicole sighed and shrugged. "Oh, what usually happens when two people are together for the wrong reasons...they grow apart, they head in different directions. I needed someone who made me feel normal, accepted, even special. She needed someone to need her. That all sounds very dramatic, but it was mostly about sex. And then I wanted more...and she didn't."

Waverly couldn't help but cringe, her body stiffening, and her stomach turned sour. That reaction confused the hell out of her. Part of her wanted to pull away, move away from Nicole, stop touching her. But the other part of her - the one that had been completely drawn to this woman from the start - won out...so she burrowed closer to Nicole, tightening her arm around her waist.

They lay that way for a while longer. The meteor shower passed, but still they lay there. Nicole let herself enjoy it for what it was, for only this moment. When she felt Waverly shiver with cold, she took a deep breath and rolled them over. Resting her weight on her elbows, she looked down at Waverly's surprised face...surprised but not uncomfortable or scared. They just looked at each other, breathing, taking in the other's face in the shadows; eyes, nose, mouth.

Waverly whispered, "I like your hair down, Nicole." She reached up with one tentative hand, touching it.

Nicole was fighting every urge to kiss the woman only inches below her. She thought Waverly wanted it, wanted her. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. Waverly was with Champ. So she took another breath, closed her eyes and rolled off Waverly and onto her back. "We should probably get going. I have to work tomorrow." She lifted her arm to look at her watch. "Today" She amended.

Waverly was trying to clear her head, too. "Ok. Champ is picking me up in the morning to help me clear out Uncle Curtis's stuff."

Nicole groaned at Champ getting to spend the day with Waverly, but her sympathy for Waverly having to go through her beloved uncle's things took over. She stood up, offering Waverly a hand up. "I know that'll be hard on you. Call or text me if you need to talk...or if you just need a distraction from the heaviness of stuff. I'll drum up a knock-knock joke or two, just in case."

Waverly took the hand and stood up, laughing. "I will."

They folded the blankets, and Nicole hopped down then reached up to take hold of Waverly's waist, lifting her down. She just couldn't stop herself from letting Waverly's body slide down her own, and it felt so good.

With Waverly on her feet, Nicole stepped back and picked up the blankets and thermos. She lifted the tailgate back into place and moved to the passenger door, sliding the pile of blankets into the middle seat. Once Waverly was settled in her seat, Nicole shut the door and walked around the front of the truck.

After opening her own door, Nicole hesitated with one leg lifted before climbing into her seat. Waverly gave her a shy smile from the middle seat, the blankets relegated to the passenger seat. Neither of them said anything about it as Nicole started the engine. With Nicole keeping two hands on the steering wheel, focusing intently on the rough dirt road, Waverly asked if she could turn the heat on.

Nicole quickly looked over at Waverly, shocked, and then back out the front window. "Waves...yeah...yes of course!" Waverly bit her lip and fiddled with the nobs.

They bounced around in truck cab when they hit a big dip and Waverly's hand landed on Nicole's thigh. They both looked down at it, then at each other, then out the front window. But Waverly left her hand where it was.

Nicole could barely breathe, heart in her throat, mouth dry. Her thigh burned where Waverly's hand rested. She knew she should move it, ignore it. But she just couldn't. And when they were back on the main road, with the pavement smoothed out, she released the wheel with one hand to cover Waverly's.

Waverly had never felt so content. None of her dates with Champ had ever left her feeling this way. Wait...she shook her head...this was not a date. She glanced up at Nicole's profile. Things were changing in Waverly's life, inside and out, and it was terrifying.

They were quiet the rest of the way to the Earp homestead, but it wasn't an uncomfortable sort of quiet. They just each had a lot of thoughts racing around in their minds.

When Nicole pulled to a stop outside the Earp home, she released Waverly's hand to put the truck in park. They sat there, in the dark, in the silence, both uncertain what to do now. So Nicole took the situation in hand and made the first move; she got out, turning to help Waverly.

Standing in front of Nicole, Waverly leaned against the side of the truck. She looked briefly to the house, but all was dark there, then back to Nicole who was watching her intently.

"What are you thinking, Nicole?"

What was she thinking? She was thinking that she wanted to push herself up against the smaller woman. She was thinking that she wanted to kiss Waverly, to make her moan into her mouth. She was thinking that she wanted to smell Waverly's hair again before the magic of this night faded. But she couldn't say any of those things. So instead she simply said, "Sleep well, Waves."

"You too, Nicole" Waverly pushed off the truck and Nicole watched her walk up to the house, watched her walk in the door, and returned a small wave before door was shut. And with that, Nicole took a deep, head-cleansing breath. The night had been amazing, it had been far more than she had been thinking about all day long. Now it was over. Waverly was probably already calling Champ. So she climbed into the truck and headed back to town, back to her own place. Alone.

She heard her phone ding, a text message alert. But she waited until she was parked outside her place to check it.

Waverly: get home safe?

Nicole: just now

Waverly: tonight was amazing. Thank you

Nicole: yeah. It was pretty great. Glad you were there with me.

Waverly: I have a lot of thoughts...and I don't know what they all mean.

Nicole: they'll sort themselves out in time..just listen and trust yourself

Nicole: No matter what...I will ALWAYS be your friend.

Waverly: Thank you. Good night, Nicole

Nicole: Good night, Waves.

Nicole smile. Walking in her place didn't feel so alone now.