Chapter Text
Nicole always loved flying.
As a little girl, her mom would take her out to the airport to watch the planes come and go. They would sit for hours talking about the adventures people were going on and coming back from. Nicole would sit and watch in awe as the ginormous metal crafts made their ascent, taking complete strangers off on journeys to faraway places. During one of these outings, the young redhead promised herself that she would do whatever it took to be the person flying that plane one day.
__________
Waverly had always hated flying.
At the age of 9, her flight home to Calgary from a blissful trip to Disneyland had to be diverted due to engine trouble. By the time the plane landed, there was smoke emitting from a wing, emergency crews surrounding the plane, employees hurrying passengers off, and a terrified little girl wearing Mickey ears clutching her Uncle Curtis’s leg for dear life. As an adult, practicality and common sense taught her to not trust something you were not in control of, and nerves and apprehension, combined with her one previous experience on an airplane, solidified her dislike of the activity. She had, of course, seen statistics proving that flight was the safest method of travel, but it did nothing to soothe her discomfort of her current circumstance.
Stepping out of the cab of her aunt’s truck, which her sister had borrowed to drop her off in, she looked up at a nearby a giant tube catapulting unsuspecting people to god knows where, and internal panic rose almost immediately in her chest.
“Are you sure this is fine?” She said as she met her sister walking to the bed of the old Ford to grab her suitcases.
“Baby girl, I have flown plenty. It’s not terrible. I mean, it’s not great, don’t get me wrong... The plane sometimes smells like farts, the air is musty and stale, and heaven help you if there is a baby on board… but I am sure it’ll be fine. Plus – just concentrate on the fact that you will be in New York when you land!”
“Don’t remind me. I am still not sure what is worse, having to get in that metal death trap to fly thousands of miles to a foreign land, or presenting my research proposal to the recruitment panel at Columbia. I mean, I hope I get in of course, but what if I get in?” Her anxiety grew with every passing sentence, causing her already dramatic hand gestures to grow exponentially and her voice to speed up to an almost incomprehensible babble. “Wynonna, I’ve never left Calgary for longer than a few days before. I don’t know what I’ll do. It’s such a big place and so there are so many people there and I am so small, and yeah, my Krav Maga instructor says I am doing great but --”
“--Hold up, crazy pants! Let’s breathe for a moment. You are going to do great! Your plane ride is going to fly by – HA, I punned! Did not mean to… unintended pun high five, Baby Girl.” She said as she held up her hand, which was only met by the shorter brunette to appease her older sister. “Anywho, I PROMISE you will do great. You will get there just fine. Your presentation is going to be amazing - I know because you made me listen to it a million times. If there is one person on the planet that deserves this, it is you. The universe is looking out for you, I know it. Now get out of here nerd, before you miss your flight!”
The sisters embraced before the older one got back in the truck, blew a kiss and started to drive off as Waverly stepped through the sliding glass doors of the airport.
After checking her bags and going through security, she headed for her gate. Sitting down next to the walkway of the concourse, she noticed her plane was already there and crews were walking around below it, likely prepping it for their departure. She eyed the plane suspiciously as she reached into her bag and rummaged through until she found the book she was looking for, before settling down to read to pass the time until it was time to board.
“Excuse me. I think you may have dropped something.” Startled, the young brunette looked up to see a dimpled stranger with fiery red hear wearing a crisp black and white uniform, looking down at her.
Dumbstruck, Waverly just stared while the redhead crouched to pick up an opened notebook near her bag. “Is this yours? It looks important – something about the Latin language, the Roman empire, and its ties to current civilization.” She said as she squinted to make out the writing, before closing the book.
There was a long pause before the pilot spoke again. “Um… hello?” The redhead questioned as the small woman was still staring up at her. She paused before continuing, “Oh maybe you are Deaf, that is rude of me... Why didn’t I think of that?”
Finally snapping into reality, Waverly reached forward and grabbed the book and hurried to assemble some thoughts. “Thank you so much! These are important notes for a presentation I have tomorrow! I would have died if I lost these!”
“Glad I saw them, then! Do you mind me asking what your presentation is for?”
“Oh no, of course not. I am interviewing at Columbia for their history PhD program. These notes are 60% of my presentation tomorrow. I can’t believe I almost lost them… How can I make it up to you for finding them for me? Can I buy you a cup of coffee?”
“As lovely as that sounds, I really should be going. I have a plane to catch,” she said with a wink.
“Silly me. Of course, I knew that. Well, thank you – I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”
“Nicole. Nicole Haught. And yours?”
“Waverly Earp.” Standing up and reaching forward to extend her hand, she noticed that the pilot’s eyes were the most reassuring thing she had seen all day; they were a gorgeous brown that accentuated her red hair perfectly. When the handshake ended, Waverly noticed a sense of loss at the broken contact. Almost as if she was losing a part of herself at the ended exchange. Unsure as to why, she dropped her hand awkwardly and furrowed her brow, before realizing the gorgeous pilot was still watching her. “Where are you flying to?” She asked with a hopeful lilt to her voice, hoping to prolong their connection for as long as possible.
“Today has me going to New York, then Vancouver, followed by LAX. But definitely JFK first.” She smiled a perfectly dimpled specifically at the shorter woman as she leaned down to grab her black leather Pilot’s carryon.
“Hey! I am going to JFK! Seems you are my captain! Well not my captain, but the captain of the plane I am about to board, along with these fine people.” Gesturing awkwardly at the travelers sitting around her, she ducked her head and hoped she had sufficiently covered up her awkward fumble.
With a smirk, the redhead waited until the brunette looked up again before responding. “I am more than honored to be your captain today, Waverly. I will see you in there, yeah?”
“Yep a doodle!”
“Okay! Glad to hear it! It was a pleasure meeting you.” And with that headed down towards the jetway to board the plane.
Sitting back down, Waverly had a chance to gather her thoughts. 'Yep a doodle?’ Really? Way to play it cool, Waverly. And why was I sad when we finished that handshake? What was that about? It was just a handshake with a stranger. Her mind was racing as she picked up her book to continue reading. She sat there rereading the same paragraph a few times before realizing her train of thought was derailed, so she closed the book and opted to pull out her phone to check Instagram instead.
Typing in the search bar “Nicole Haught” she decided to do a little research on the pilot who was about to take her thousands of miles on the plane ride she suddenly wasn’t so worried about.