Chapter Text
It was the silence of the place that wrapped around Waverly’s shoulders like a ghostly touch. Long after Nicole had retreated into the house, Waverly remained on the porch, watching the world change colours around her.
For once, she had time, there was nowhere else to be, so she lazily shifted her gaze from the leftover decorations in the yard to the mountains, still snow-peaked and mighty before her.
The word home continued to roll about her thoughts, its edges smoothing with each moment Waverly spent thinking about it. She was home in a way that she had never known before. The land was her home. And Nicole was her home.
And Wynonna…
Wynonna was her home too. Which meant that her home stretched out before her, covering the Ghost River Triangle and beyond.
Nedley had taken Rachel and Billy with him and Jeremy had left, the sadness in his eyes replaced by hope for the first time in a long time.
So it was just Waverly. And Nicole.
And the quiet. Waverly took one more moment to watch the prairie breeze blow across the grass, and as the sun set and the air chilled for the night, Waverly stood and turned towards the door.
Nicole was puttering in the kitchen, Waverly enjoyed the sound, again struck by the simple silence. There was no Rachel making Tik Tocks or Wynonna hollering outside. The only sound was the water running in the kitchen sink.
Waverly inhaled deeply, looking around at the mess of the day. Chairs were stacked in one corner and the wedding toppers had been placed on the mantle of the fireplace. The lights were out, except in the kitchen, and Waverly felt as though she could step into the feeling of contentment. It was somehow all around her and within her and she could not stop smiling.
Nicole stood by the sink, her back to the door, and Waverly took a moment to watch the simplicity of the scene. There were suds in the sink and Nicole’s blazer was tossed over one of the chairs, which left her arms and shoulders bare. Waverly so loved those shoulders.
“Cleaning up, honey?”
Nicole turned, her smile so wide that it would have blinded anyone else. But Waverly was not anyone else.
“Just a bit. Hi, Mrs. Haught-Earp,” Nicole said.
“Hello yourself, Mrs. Earp-Haught,” Waverly replied, matching Nicole’s grin.
They’d yet to decide on what to do with their names, but for now, the giddiness of the day was still with them. It didn’t matter.
Nicole dried her hands and crossed the room and Waverly settled into her arms effortlessly.
“You look so beautiful,” Nicole said against Waverly’s hair.
Waverly leaned forward, her nose brushing Nicole’s shoulder and collarbone.
“You’re my wife,” Waverly whispered, her voice full of awe.
“Wife,” Nicole said and Waverly could hear the smile in her voice.
“Does it feel different this time?”
Waverly already knew the answer. Nicole’s previous marriage used to bother her, but after their day it no longer seemed to matter. She just wanted to know that Nicole was happy. That she had no regrets.
“Baby, there’s nothing to even compare.”
Waverly hummed against Nicole’s shoulder, inhaling her wife’s scent, happy just to be held.
At least for the moment.
“Are you hungry?” Nicole asked, but Waverly shook her head.
There was an odd shyness between them for a moment, an awareness that going upstairs meant something different on this night. A few hours before they’d been in the barn, laughing at how much they wanted each other, but now? They both knew that something emotional lay ahead. Something heavy in the best of ways.
“Upstairs?” Waverly finally said because Nicole always made her feel brazen.
“Yes.”
~*~
They paused before their bedroom door because Nicole stopped moving and Waverly stopped too. When Nicole scooped Waverly into her arms, Waverly laughed, the wild, booming laugh of someone delirious with happiness.
Nicole easily stepped over the threshold, pushing the door shut with her foot, and then she set Waverly down and breathlessly looked at her.
They were alone in a way that they had rarely been before. Interruptions and accidental witnesses were so much a part of their lives that it had become a joke. Almost routine.
But now…
Now there was no one around for miles.
Nicole spoke first, her eyes wide and direct in a way that made Waverly shiver.
“That dress…” Nicole said, her eyes drifting from Waverly’s face to her chest.
“You like the alterations?”
Nicole nodded and licked her lips.
“Think you can help me out of it, Sherriff?”
“Not yet,” Nicole whispered before crossing the room and setting her hands on Waverly’s shoulders.
She kissed Waverly’s lips first, the chaste kisses of the day replaced by something more now. When she was done, Nicole moved her mouth to Waverly’s throat, and then the swell of her breast and then down.
Waverly had been slightly unsure earlier in the day about removing the lace. It was revealing, somewhat immodest, but Wynonna had encouraged her. Now she was relieved by her choice because Nicole was on her knees, worshipping her, kissing the skin the dress revealed to the world.
“Nicole…”
Strong hands settled on Waverly’s hips and when Waverly looked down, Nicole stared back, eyes wide.
“Take me to bed,” Waverly said.
Nicole was never one to deny Waverly anything.
~*~
They lay beside each other. Two heads on one pillow.
Waverly could taste Nicole and when she kissed Nicole she could taste herself. They were wrapped up in each other, legs and arms haphazardly tossed in a tight embrace.
As if they could never be close enough.
“I don’t want this day to end,” Waverly whispered, her forehead pressed to Nicole’s.
It was after midnight. The day was long over. But she wanted to hold on forever.
“Don’t you want to see what happens next?”
Nicole’s voice was breathy, a sigh, and Waverly could feel her still catching her breath. The rise and fall of Nicole’s chest was Waverly’s entire world.
“I love you so much, Nicole,” Waverly said, her hand reaching up, fingers seeking the raised symbol on the back of Nicole’s neck.
“Do you ever feel…”
Nicole paused, and even though it was dark, Waverly could see her wife’s blush.
“Feel what, sweetie?”
“Do you ever feel like it’s never enough. The wanting? I want you so much, all the time.”
Waverly moved her hand again, this time so she could reach her arm around Nicole’s body and cradle her close.
“I’m yours forever,” Waverly promised.
The room had cooled Nicole’s skin. Waverly shivered a little.
They breathed the same air, neither willing to move very much. Waverly knew that sleep would do them both good. It had been a long day. But she also wanted to hold onto this moment, this impossible, perfect moment. If only she could bottle it.
“Do you miss her?”
Nicole’s face was pressed into Waverly’s throat.
“She’ll come home. I know she will.”
This time it was Nicole who shivered. When she stilled, Waverly expected to hear the tell-tale signs of Nicole asleep. The little whimpers. The comforting inhales and exhales.
Instead Nicole spoke once more.
“You’re my wife,” she said, awe-struck, exhausted and elated.
Waverly took Nicole’s hand, the metal of their wedding rings clinking softly in the night.
“You’re my home,” Waverly answered.
The slept holding hands.
Two heads on one pillow.