A/N: So I have this posted at AO3 and I just never took the time to post it here as well, considering I've had a account far longer than an AO3 account it felt weird that I never did, so here you guys go! It's not done, I'll be posting chapter 3 on both here and AO3 soon, so I hope you guys enjoy! Also I'll be trying to get back into my Glee zombie apocalypse AU in case there's anyone interested in that. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy!

Waverly sighed as she wiped down the bar for the umpteenth time, re-organized the cups and bottles for the umpteenth time, and mopped the floor for the umpteenth time.

She sighed again, for the umpteenth time.

Waverly knew she was being uncharacteristically gloomy, but she felt like it was a much deserved gloom fest.

She was worried, stressed, and tired.

Worried and stressed because Wynonna was back in her life- not that she wasn't upset to have her big sister back! She was ecstatic. But also worried she was going to leave again and stressed that despite happily living with her Aunt Gus, Wynonna seemed dead set on fixing up the homestead that had been long since abandoned by the family.

Waverly didn't know if she was ready for the homestead to be, well, a home again.

And to top it all off, she was tired of dealing with Champ again.

She heard her phone vibrate against the bar table, the sound deafening in the now silent bar. She lazily picked it up and upon unlocking it she groaned at the messages on her screen.

Hey babe can we talk? – Champ

Please? – Champ

C'mon don't be like this! – Champ

Waverly felt a wave of annoyance surge through her body. She quickly brought the phone closer and slapped her fingers on the keyboard, the words themselves barely able to keep up.

Stop calling me that, we broke up. This time it's real. – Waverly

She threw the phone back onto the table, annoyed. Annoyed that despite the unrelenting texts she had received, Waverly Earp still felt the need to apologize.

She started to feel the walls closing in, the bar table a little too close to her body, and so she carried the mop back to its rightful place and gathered her belongings. She felt her phone vibrate again but chose to ignore it, instead opting to give one more look-over of the bar. Giving herself a satisfied nod, she spun on her heels and walked out the door.

The cold air nipped at her skin, giving he ra reminder of how late she had stayed at Shorty's.

I hope Gus isn't awake, otherwise she'll be worried. She quickly locked the door behind her and began speed walking to her car. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as she cursed herself for forgetting it was Carl's birthday. She should have known full well it was going to be just like any other of his birthdays: Meeting up with all of his friends, both (mostly) in or out of his biker gang, and the whole lot of them drinking until stupidly drunk and making a racquet.

As such, she didn't arrive earlier like she usually did to beat all his friends there AND to prep for the busy day. So now she had to brave the longer walk to her car. She shook her heads of anymore thoughts to dwell on and looked up.

Only to stop dead in her tracks.

There, in front of her car was a tall looking figure in a distinctly looking police uniform. She saw a piece of paper getting pulled from a notepad and her night, somehow, still got worse.

"No, no, no," Waverly couldn't help but panic. She began running up to her car and the officer. "Oh my gosh, officer, there wouldn't be any way that-" She stopped, finally seeing the face of the officer.

She was tall, Waverly had gotten that assumption right, however her height wasn't the only striking thing to Waverly. The street lamp that Waverly had parked in front of shined down on the woman, lighting up some of her features from the dark night, and Waverly felt her heart skip a beat.

She saw strands of long red hair peak out from under her Stetson, and despite the shadows on her face, kind brown eyes still seemed to shine from underneath. The woman looked startled for a brief second, no doubt probably not expecting the owner of the car to come running and yelling out to her.

"Um, I mean," Waverly tried again, much less frantic, and suddenly at a loss for words. The officer gave her a sympathetic smile and held up the ticket.

"I'm sorry, I already wrote it," She apologized, and from the tone Waverly thought it was sincere. "No parking past two am, and iiiit's," She glanced at the watch that was on her wrist. "Two-fifteen." Waverly's eyes widened.

"Oh crap, I didn't realize," She muttered to herself, then, remembering the officer was still in front of her, staring. "Sorry," She added, letting out an awkward laugh. "It's been a long night." The officer smiled and laughed lightly as well.

"Hey, I get it," She grinned, showing off a one-sided dimple. Waverly stared, captivated by the half-smile. "And don't worry, this," She held out the ticket to Waverly, who gingerly took it. "Happens to everyone, even me."

"Even you?" Waverly scoffed. "Doubt it."

"Hey now, as an officer of the law, I would never lie to a fine citizen of Purgatory," Nicole said with a cheeky grin and Waverly giggled at that, well, particularly at the idea that anyone from Purgatory being an exemplary citizen. It was just an old, small, dingy town with simple people living simple lives.

"Well, I'll get going now," The officer spoke again. "Just remember to pay that off and you'll be fine," She tipped her Stetson at Waverly and began walking back to her cruiser. "Drive safe." She called out over her shoulder, giving Waverly one last grin.

Waverly simply watched her go, eyes raking over that smile she had on her face, to her strong shoulders, eyes lowering to her lower back, the sway of her hips and-

Her faced immediately flushed and she whipped around, her face beet red. She fumbled with her keys until she finally unlocked her truck, and clambered in. Once inside and the door shut, she started the car, feeling the rumble of the engine as she brought her hands up to her face.

What on earth was she doing? She chastised herself for her eyes exploring the officer without the other woman's knowledge, at her eyes lowering like that. What was she, some kind of pervert? She shook her head and looked at the ticket in her hand, at the name of the officer.

Officer Haught. She laughed at the name. Seriously? Well, Waverly mused, she certainly wasn't unattractive. Just that thought had her bolt upright and quickly shake her head, as if that was enough to stop her mind from going in all the strange directions it suddenly had been. She peeled out of the parking lot, noting that officer Haught still sat in her cruiser, and once Waverly had passed, she took off in the other direction as well.

It had been a whole week since she had gotten her parking ticket, and she was currently wiping the bar at Shorty's like last time. Except now it was much calmer than it had been that other night as it was early in the afternoon.

This time, she was lightly humming to herself, back in her normal mood. She had to admit, knowing she had collected enough tips to pay off the ticket at the station and get the weight of it off her shoulders certainly did help.

"Alright, girlie," She heard a voice behind her and saw her Aunt Gus behind her. The older woman smiled kindly at her as she moved behind the counter, washcloth in hand. "Shifts over, get out of here."

"Are you sure you don't need any more help?" Waverly asked. It was early and if she was being honest, she hadn't been doing much besides staying in her head for too long, so work was a nice distraction. Gus snapped Waverly's towel out of her hand in response and Waverly rolled her eyes and huffed as she walked away.

"I know you'd rather be here right now but go and enjoy yourself." Gus said, shooing her once with her hand.

"I guess." Waverly muttered.

"You could always visit the homestead, Wynonna's been working hard trying to fix it up." Gus said as Waverly sat down on the other side.

"I don't know if I'm ready to visit it," Waverly admitted. Though the thought of her older sister running around fixing it up for her did make her smile a little bit. Wynonna had suddenly come back to Purgatory after being gone for a couple of years doing who knows what and was dead set to not only make up for lost time, but also fix up the homestead that had laid abandoned for so long.

Ever since Daddy passed… Waverly felt her mood worsen. Everyone in her family had left, in some way, one by one.

And now Wynonna was back and she was so happy and so scared that she was going to leave again. She felt a hand on hers and looked up to see Gus smiling at her.

"Take all the time you need, Wynonna might grumble about it, but I'm sure she understands." Gus chuckled.

"You're probably right," Waverly replied. Looking at the time, she got up and put on her coat. "I'll get going, see you Gus." Gus gave her a silent wave, already tending to a customer who had taken a seat at the bar.

It was a quick drive to the police station, and she parked her car and immediately got out. She didn't like to admit it, but the police station was a common place for her to be. Or rather, it was, when Wynonna was in town.

She briefly wondered if Wynonna was going to end up at the station regularly again.

She walked down the corridor and turned to the large service desk, already digging through her purse. She glanced up to make sure she didn't crash into anyone, and immediately froze again.

That woman.

Directly behind the service desk stood the same officer that had given her the very ticket she was digging for.

In the bright light and no hat, she was able to see her features more clearly. Her fiery red hair shined in the light, and Waverly could see how long it was, twisted into an intricate braid. She stood tall, currently engrossed in the documents in her hand, and without the police jacket, Waverly could see the uniform cling to her body in all the right places. Her eyes wandered from her collar, to the buttons that covered her chest. Waverly felt her face redden and she diverted her eyes.

…To farther down her body. Oh crap, what the hell am I doing.

"Oh, Waverly," A gruff voice spoke behind her, causing her to yelp in surprise. She saw the woman, Officer Haught, look up and right at her. She spun around and saw Sheriff Randy Nedley standing behind her, smiling warmly. "How you doing, kid?"

"Oh, uh," Waverly stuttered for a second. "I'm doing okay. How's Chrissy?" At the mention of his daughter, he sighed but the smile never left his face. If anything, it only got larger.

"She's good," He spoke with pride. "Always giving me a run for my money, ever since she was little, but you know that," He chuckled. "She said she was off work today, you should stop by."

"I'll definitely try, it's been a while," She admitted. She knew ever since her last breakup with Champ she hadn't gotten out much at all, and she did miss her best friend. "Maybe after I pay this ticket." Waverly explained.

"Oh, of course!" Nedley said, slightly embarrassed. "I'll let you go, tell your aunt I said hello," At Waverly's nod he began walking away, but halted and looked back at her. "And please, tell Wynonna to not get into trouble." Waverly laughed at that.

"I'll try my hardest, but you know her." At that, Nedley groaned as he walked back to his office. She turned back to the desk, where Officer Haught was now sitting down, looking at some paper, and was most definitely trying to hide a smile. Collecting her nerves, she walked up and the officer looked up at her, eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Hi," Waverly greeted, fingers nervously tapping on the wood. God, why was she so nervous? No, it was just from embarrassment. It had to be.

"Hi." The redhead replied, voice light and smiling brightly. "How can I help you, miss… Waverly, right?" Waverly let out a sigh as she thought back to Nedley scaring her, all because she got distracted. By another woman.

"Yeah, that's me, oh god, I embarrassed myself so much," She cringed. "I'm sure the whole town heard me." At that, Officer Haught laughed.

"It's fine," She reassured. "I'm sure the people we bring in for public intoxication have done more embarrassing things around here."

"At least they got the mercy of not remembering it," Waverly grumbled, and the officer chuckled. "Oh! I'm sorry," She quickly placed her purse on the desk and dug through it. "Wasting your time…" She spoke under her breath. The redhead simply sat at her seat, head cocked to the side, as she watched Waverly with a lingering half smile. "Here we go." She pulled out the ticket, as well as her wallet.

"Oh, paying the ticket? No problem." Officer Haught said, hand already out. As Waverly passed her the ticket, she glanced down at the officer's name.

"Officer Haught, huh?" Waverly mused, and the other woman smiled sheepishly.

"That's me."

"You know, I've lived here my whole life and I don't think I've seen you before, it's a small town you know." Waverly explained, casually leaning her arms on the counter. She grabbed the cash she needed, knowing in the back of her mind how slow she was being.

But she found that she didn't mind.

"I actually just moved here," The redhead admitted. "Actually, your ticket is the first ticket I've issued here…" She paused and winced. "Sorry about that."

"Oh, its okay," Waverly smiled. "You were just doing your job. It's nice to meet you, by the way, despite the circumstances," Waverly reached out her hand. "I'm Waverly Earp."

"Nicole," The redhead reached out and shook her hand. "Nicole Haught." Nicole gave her a dimpled smile and gave her hand a small squeeze. "Nice to meet you."

She had a name now.

Nicole Haught.

The beautiful redhead with a dimpled smile and warm brown eyes that seemed to make her stomach do summersaults. It was odd. Waverly had just met Nicole and it seemed the redhead already had a sort of hold on her.

And yet, Waverly couldn't find a reason to complain about it. She almost… enjoyed the feelings she had whenever she was around Nicole.

After she had paid the ticket, she realized she had nothing left to do, and while talking to Nicole more was enticing, she knew the officer was at work, and as such didn't have all day like she had. So she unfortunately tore herself away from the desk and, after saying their goodbyes, walked outside and was currently in her car, debating on what to do.

Normally, she would spend her days with Champ, well, more like Champ would constantly see if she was free. Which would then be of them fooling around in the apartment above Shorty's, or in one of their cars, or at Champ's house. It was only now after they broke up that Waverly realized they never really spent time doing anything nice, anything Waverly would have liked.

Like maybe having a simple coffee date, or just relaxing watching documentaries, or Champ even just listening to all the cool new things Waverly liked to research and learn. Anytime she would try, it would always be the same.

I've missed you.

I've been so lonely.

Babe, you're too pretty to think about stuff like that.

She shook her head, thinking about Champ wasn't an enticing option to spend her day, nor would it help her mood. Looking at her phone, thinking back to her run in with Nedley, she scrolled through her contacts until she reached upon a name, her lips turning upward into a smile. She dialed the number, holding it up to her ear, and it didn't have to ring very many times until the person on the other end picked up, voice as perky as ever.

"Waves!" She heard Chrissy squeal, and she realized then how much she had missed hanging out with her best friend, and that her relationship with Champ seemed to have stopped a lot of things happening in her life. Like what she knew she needed right now, an afternoon catch-up with her best friend.

It had been another week when she saw Nicole again, when Nicole had walked into Shorty's a little bit before closing. She turned around at the sound of someone walking up to the bar and beamed at Nicole.

"Nicole, hi," Waverly greeted, slightly surprised but not disappointed at seeing the redhead. Nicole sighed as she eased herself at the bar, setting down her Stetson.

"Oh," Nicole looked at her in surprise, which then turned into a smile. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yep," Waverly smiled. "I was actually here working late when you, you know, gave me that ticket," She laughed nervously, and Nicole simply looked down, immediately making Waverly mentally slap herself for her words. "I mean, like I said, it's alright, it was actually my fault for taking too long cleaning up and-" Nicole's laughter cut her off, and Waverly let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, I'm sure you learned your lesson then," Nicole teased, giving her a toothy grin. "Anyway, you think I can get a drink? Had a long day myself."

"Sure!" Waverly said, slightly louder than she intended. "What can I get you?" At that, Nicole paused, and she knotted her brows together, an act Waverly found rather cute. When the other woman realized Waverly was staring, she let out a nervous laugh.

"Actually… I usually don't go out for a drink like this…" Nicole admitted, rubbing the back of her neck. "Uh, scotch maybe? Or uh, some beer?" She let out a nervous chuckle, her hand moved from her neck to run through her hair while the other began drawing small patterns on the surface of the bar. Waverly placed a hand on Nicole's that laid on the table, causing the other woman to still.

"Why don't I start you off small. A beer? Probably our most popular one, how does that sound?" Waverly asked gently. Nicole could only nod, and when Waverly removed her hand from Nicole's, she let out a breath of air she hadn't realized she was holding.

She was already feeling her hand become colder again.

After getting Nicole her drink, Waverly had spent much of the rest of her night watching Nicole from the corner of her eye. She casually noted how Nicole's mood seemed to be low, nothing at all like she had at the station. She did say she had a long day… Was it also a bad day? What did bad days even look like for cops? For Nicole? Waverly was so preoccupied trying to figure out Nicole's somber mood she nearly missed the person that had walked up to the bar.

Throughout her entire shift, Waverly had to force herself to focus on the other patrons, and she found it surprisingly difficult when Nicole was still sitting at the counter, silently nursing her drink. Shoulders slumped, head low, seemingly lost in her own thoughts.

So in her thoughts that Nicole was still sitting there when Waverly yelled out last call. By then, the only ones that were around were the (mostly) drunk regulars. Most of which stumbled out of the building.

A few did try to come up for the usual 'just one more drink, we promise' tactic, but one look at Nicole in her uniform had them immediately turn around with their tails between their legs.

I should keep her around more often. Waverly thought to herself. She glanced at the redhead, who sighed and grabbed her Stetson again.

"I should probably go too," She got up and before Waverly could say anything, Nicole paused and looked around the room. "Actually I guess I should stay a little longer, keep you safe, you know," Nicole offered with a grin and a wink. Despite the action, she still sounded less jovial than she had the other week, her eyes not quite lighting up like it had before.

And yet, Waverly still felt the flush on her face.

"Are you feeling okay?" Waverly asked, choosing to ignore the effect Nicole seemed to have on her, and focus on attempting to offer a comforting hand to her. "You just seemed down, that's all." She began wiping down the counter, eyes on Nicole the whole time.

"Kinda," Nicole said, running a finger along the cup Waverly had yet to take back. "I mean," She paused and glanced up at Waverly for a split second before looking back down. "I've been just on ticket duty for a while now, and… that's not what I became a cop to do. I should be out in the field, helping! I know I can do it, I'm better than some tickets." She grumbled the last bit under her breath, and Waverly found that act adorable, though realizing the Nicole was having a moment, she made sure to keep that thought to herself. Nicole let out a frustrated groan and took a swig of her drink, only to grimace and sputter it out. She quickly wiped her mouth with her sleeve, glancing at Waverly, who this time had an obvious amused smile at the scene.

"Sorry…" Nicole mumbled embarrassedly; voice muffled by her arm. Cute. Waverly giggled and grabbed the glass.

"Warm beer sucks, it's okay," She began washing the cup, her body slightly facing Nicole. "And I'm sure you won't be doing just tickets for very long, in fact, I've heard Nedley say nothing but good things about you."

"Really?" Nicole asked, eyebrow raised in slight disbelief.

"Yep, I'm actually best friends with his daughter, Chrissy, and he mentioned you last time I was over," She walked over to Nicole, leaning her arms against the counter. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Nicole."

Nicole gave her a cheeky smile and Waverly felt the flutters in her stomach again. They stood there, the only two in the bar, oblivious to the rest of the world. Waverly's eyes glanced down at Nicole's lips, and when the realization of her gaze hit her, she quickly turned around. Before she could fully walk away, she felt Nicole's hand graze her wrist. It was hesitant, as if she was afraid to hold on too strong, but it still made Waverly pause and her breath hitch.

"Thank you." Waverly peeked over her shoulder and saw Nicole smiling at her so warmly. Waverly could only nod, face flush and most definitely not able to trust her voice. Nicole drew her hand back and Waverly went back to cleaning up, the two falling into a comfortable silence for the rest of the night until they parted ways.

Nicole stood in front of Shorty's, just having gotten off her shift, and thus, still in her uniform. She stood in the center of the sidewalk, looking up at the building with apprehension. She had her Stetson in her hand, wringling with her fingers. She took a deep breath and began walking to the front door. Then quickly stopped and spun around, beginning her walk back to where she had started.

This is so stupid. Nicole chastised herself. It had been just yesterday that Nicole had stayed, and Nicole was glad she had. She had come in feeling down and listening to Waverly's words, feeling her hand on hers, she had never felt so reassured before. Sure, Waverly didn't say much, but just from looking at her beautiful face, or listening to her angelic voice, that alone made Nicole feel comforted.

And warm.

She turned around again, looking at Shorty's.

Would Waverly even be working tonight as well? Would it come off as creepy if she visited twice in a row?

Did Waverly even want to see her again.

Jesus Christ, Haught, do something. Nicole shook her head and placed her hat on her head and began walking up to the doors again.

Worst case scenario, Waverly wasn't at work and Nicole would just sip a few beers before going home.

Best case scenario, Waverly was at work and Nicole would try her best to not make a fool out of herself in front of the woman.

With new resolve, she walked into the bar and made her way to bar table. It didn't take her long to find the other woman behind the bar, serving drinks, smiling brightly at her all the patrons. Nicole could feel the smiling growing on her face the closer she got, and by the time she got to the bar, she leaned against the table, watching Waverly work.

Waverly turned around and their eyes met, and Waverly gave Nicole a bright smile that nearly took the redhead's breath away.

"Nicole, you're back." Waverly greeted as she easily made her way to the side Nicole had placed herself at.

"What can I say," Nicole chuckled. "I just couldn't keep away." She gave Waverly a dimpled grin and the other looked down for a second, her brown locks covering her face for a second, and Nicole could have sworn she saw the other woman blush.

"Well," Waverly popped her head back up, a cheery smile on her face. "Lucky me then." Nicole laughed and ordered a drink, watching as Waverly spun on her heels and moved behind the bar with expertise. Once Nicole received her alcohol, she stayed at the bar, taking sips as she stared down at the cup.

Truth be told, she was feeling rather down again, still not being as much out in the field as she had wanted. It was part of why she wanted to go to Shorty's again, she had felt much better after she had left. After she had spoken with Waverly. Nicole sighed and took another swig of her drink, simply enjoying the moment.

Nicole couldn't explain it, but the shorter woman had a pull on her that no other person had. Maybe it was her angelic smile, or her sweet voice, or her bubbly personality, but something about Waverly felt so… right to Nicole.

She had to admit she was starting to doubt her decision to come to the small town of Purgatory, but just as she thought about packing her things and trying again somewhere else, Waverly popped up in her mind and all her will evaporated.

"Nicole?" Nicole blinked, realizing she was day dreaming and Waverly was looking at her with those worried eyes. "Are you okay?" She placed a hand on Nicole's, a movement that seemed to start to become a habit between the two.

"Huh? Sorry, got sort of lost in thought, I guess." Nicole smiled sheepishly. Waverly giggled and went back to cleaning up. Nicole looked around, recalling the patrons that seemed to be regulars and all knew each other by a first name basis. Clearly, it was a sort of tight-knit town.

"Waverly?" Nicole rang out, and Waverly simply hummed in response, busy at work but clearly still listening. "Do you like it here?" The question made Waverly pause.

"Do I… like Purgatory?" Waverly looked at Nicole, who nodded. "Oh, gosh, I guess? I mean," She began mopping the floor, having called last call while Nicole was lost in thought. All the patrons had left by now, but Nicole made no rush to leave, nor did Waverly seem bothered by her presence at the bar after hours. "No one's really ever asked me that. I mean, no one really chooses a place like this, people just… stay,"

Nicole nodded in response, thinking on Waverly's words. They weren't very uplifting. Waverly glanced over at Nicole as she began mopping outside the bar table, seeing the taller woman lost in thought, a slightly frown on her face.

"But this isn't a bad place!" Waverly continued, not wanting to paint a bad picture of her hometown to a newcomer.

She didn't want to drive Nicole away.

"The people of this town are super nice! And I have my Aunt Gus, and Wynonna's even back and fixing up the homestead! Though I haven't seen it, but I will… eventually, but this is my home and I do-" She hadn't realized her pace had slightly quickened as she word-vomited all over the place. She took a step back on an already mopped part of the floor and yelped as she felt her foot slip and her body fall backwards.

Luckily she had been mopping relatively close to Nicole, who shot out of her seat. She was at Waverly's side in a flash, wrapping an arm around her mid-section and the other was pressed against Waverly's shoulders.

"Love… this place…" Waverly mumbled as she felt her momentum stop suddenly and she was enveloped in strong, yet soft arms. Nicole's face suddenly looking down on her, expression painted into one of worry. Waverly had reached out without realizing and had grabbed a fistful of Nicole's uniform in an attempt to keep her balance, and now the two stood in the middle of the room, both unable to look away from each other.

"A-are you okay?" Nicole asked softly, voice laced with concern. Her eyes looked down at her with worry but Waverly thought she saw something else in her eyes she couldn't quite place. Nicole moved her eyes from Waverly's own hazel ones to her lips, and she had subconsciously bit her lip.

"Yeah…" Waverly spoke, and Nicole pulled her eyes away from Waverly's lips, looking away in embarrassment. Waverly mused the two looked like quite the scene, in the middle of the room, holding each other as they stared at one another in some sort of trance. Nicole, in her police uniform still, holding up Waverly whose hand was grabbing Nicole's button up, no doubt wrinkling it from her death grip. The other was limply holding the mop that had led them to their current situation.

Waverly felt her body heat up, suddenly very aware of Nicole's arms, of Nicole's everything really. She wanted to stand up, thank her, and finish cleaning, but it seemed she was frozen in place. Her mind was blank and it didn't seem it was going to clear up anytime soon.

God, why does she smell so freaken good? In the midst of her thoughts she hadn't realized her grip on the mop was rapidly loosening until a loud bang erupted throughout the room, causing the two to nearly jump out of their skin.

Nicole eased her back up fully to her feet and let go, taking a good step back and awkwardly clearing her throat. Waverly cursed herself as she bent down to pick up the mop, not quite sure if she was madder that the moment was ruined or that she even allowed herself to become so… engrossed in the taller woman. She glanced at Nicole; whose color of her face now matched her hair.

"I, uh," Waverly stuttered. "Thank you. F-for catching me."

"Yeah, yep, no problem Waverly," Nicole said hastily, hands shoved into her pant pockets now. She was refusing to meet Waverly's eyes, instead looking as though she was ready for the floor to swallow her up whole. Waverly mused that maybe the floor could swallow her up too. She quickly put the mop away and called it quits, both walking out of Shorty's together.

Despite the cold air feeling refreshing against her suddenly hot skin, it didn't seem to help much.

She looked at Nicole out of the corner of her eye, watching the woman zip up her coat in response to the frigid weather. Nicole glanced at her, causing Waverly to look at her shoes, tucking her chin into her scarf.

"Thank you for staying late with me again, and again, for saving me from falling on my butt." Waverly said softly and Nicole chuckled.

"Of course, I just want to make sure you're getting home safe at night," Waverly nodded and they silently walked to Waverly's car. "Well, goodnight, Waverly." Waverly was now turned to look at Nicole, hand on the car handle, though she was in no hurry to get inside it.

"Goodnight, Nicole," Waverly replied shyly. Nicole nodded and turned around, walking back to her cruiser. Waverly stood at her car, simply watching Nicole's retreating form.

Just as Nicole was about to reach her own car, she saw the taller woman look back behind her, at Waverly. Nicole gave her a shy smile and Waverly returned it, offering the tiniest of awkward waves with her hand, and quickly got into her car. As soon as she got inside and began the drive home, she placed her hand on her chest.

She felt her heart thumping in her chest, and she had no explanation as to why. Well, she did. However, she wasn't sure how she felt about that explanation.

That Officer Nicole Haught made her feel unlike how any other person in her life had made her feel. She had been on and off with Champ for years and he never made her feel the way Nicole did. A single smile never sent her heart fluttering, nor did she ever get lost in his eyes like she got lost in Nicole's. Those dimples. Those almost irritatingly charming dimples that lit up her face and turned Waverly's insides to jelly.

And Waverly couldn't get enough.