Chapter Text
5 years later.
From the balcony, Waverly huffed and turned off her computer. She stretched on her chair and cracked the knots in her neck, her eyes barely closed as high-pitched laughter and screams interrupted her moment of tranquility. Small, light, frantic footsteps echoed through the apartment. The brunette shook her head and tidied up the table before moving towards the French window. When she opened it, she was greeted by the sight of her wife and a little girl, all smiles and disheveled hair. The two of them hadn't noticed her entrance into the living room and continued to mimic a wrestling session on the couch, the pillows flying in every direction.
"What did I say about running inside? " she asked with a strict tone, one hand on her hip and lips pursed.
"Not indoors," replied both of them in apologetic unison. Nicole got up from the couch and with a mischievous look, winked at her. "Sorry baby, but this little scoundrel couldn't stand still, no sooner did her feet touch the floor than she was off like a draft."
The journalist looked at the little brunette, eyebrow raised and inquisitive air, "I swear, the more she grows, the more she looks like her mother!". She moved closer to the two troublemakers and snuggled into Nicole's arms, placing a kiss on her shoulder, "she's a carbon copy of Wynonna when she was little, a real ball of energy!"
Nicole laughed and tightened her arm a little more around her wife, "she's training us," she ruffled Alice's hair and indicated for her to pick up the pillows on the floor. Alice looked at them with a jaded look and huffed, putting the cushions away on the couch as best she could, while grumbling. "A real mini-Wyn! God, that's scary," the redhead said with a laugh.
"And again, she's four. Imagine when she’ll be a teenager," Waverly joined in, wiping away a tear that had escaped from laughing so hard.
"I feel sorry for your sister and Doc in advance," Nicole laughed even harder, "but she's still too cute to stay mad at, right kiddo?"
Alice gave them a toothless smile and ran back into her mother's old room, laughing her head off. The two women exchanged a smile and laughed again, before joining their niece in her room, hand in hand.
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Nicole joined her wife in the living room, two cups of tea in hand. She smiled when she saw Waverly struggling not to fall asleep under her four plaids, the young Earp had taken care of bathing and putting her niece to bed. All the energy of her day had died down and tiredness had set in shortly after sharing a meal with the redhead. Yawning, she shifted on the couch so that her wife could sit next to her. Nicole handed her her cup and took her legs to put them over her lap, gently massaging one of her feet with her free hand.
"I feel like she sucked all my energy, I love her but the first day is always tiring," Waverly hid her yawn behind her cup.
"It's normal, her parents let us have her two long weekends a month, it's the time we get into the swing of things. We do not have the same rhythm. But at least, it allows Wynonna and Doc to have a little time to themselves," Nicole put her cup on the coffee table and continued to massage, with both hands, the soles of the brunette's feet a little more consistently.
"You're right, I'm just waiting to go to bed, don’t you hear our bed calling us?"
"Come on finish your tea, sleepy head," her wife nodded and finished her drink. Nicole did the same and went to put the cups in the sink. When she returned to the living room, Waverly had slowly fallen into a heavy sleep. Smiling adoringly, the redhead put one hand under the legs of the brunette and the other around her shoulders, to raise her delicately and to bring her in their room.
Instinctively, Waverly nestled her head in the redhead's neck and mumbled something incomprehensible. Nicole gently placed her in their bed, tucked her in and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. She checked that her wife was well asleep and went to check on their niece, before quickly returning to bed and spoon her wife.
Finally, in their bed, she wrapped her arm around Waverly's waist and nuzzled her nose in the honey-brown hair of her love. Before falling asleep, she contemplated the highlights of these last five years. Shae packing her stuff and leaving town after Nicole moved in with Waverly. Wynonna deciding to move in with Doc as soon as they learned of her pregnancy. Waverly's promotion, followed by a year later, Nicole's. Rosita becoming one of the owners of Shorty's, Jeremy and Robin moving in together, Chrissy and Perry's wedding. Then the last two years, which she considered her favorite, their wedding and all the times spent with their friends/family, and especially Alice.
With a heart full of joy and a happy smile on her face, Nicole fell asleep and dreamt about the next steps in their future.
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Shoes and coat in hand, Waverly swore under her breath and ran after her niece, trying with difficulty to dress the little terror, "Alice Michelle Earp! Mommy and Dad will be here soon. If I catch you...", her niece giggled and ran away from her desperate aunt, again.
"HA HA! Octopus Auntie Nic caught you, what do I do with you?", Nicole pretended to think and then gave a wicked smile with dimples to her niece. "Do I bite you?", she mimed biting her arm then added, "or do I tickle you?". The little girl looked at her with wide eyes and tried to run away but the redhead pinned her down on the couch and began to tickle her without restraint.
"No, no, Auntie Nic! I promise I'll stop running!", begged the young girl.
"Oh, is that the truth, baby girl?", she continued to tickle the little girl who begged even more to stop this sweet torture.
Waverly watched them from the entrance of their apartment, head tilted to the side and lip between her teeth and eyes crinkled like moon-shaped. She was contemplating how lucky she was to have Nicole in her life, her unconditional love for her, her family, and her friends. She pulled out her phone and filmed her two loves, full of joy and carefree.
"Auntie Wavey, help!!!"
"I think Nic is having fun, you should have come and put your shoes on," she replied with a laugh. Her niece grunted loudly and tried to beg again but exploded with laughter instead, Nicole having tickled a soft spot.
The doorbell reminded Waverly that her sister and Doc were coming to pick up the girl. Opening the door, she invited the couple inside quickly and handed Alice’s coat and shoes to her sister. Wynonna laughed as she saw the mess in the living room, turned to her sister and teased, "Well, did a tornado come through here?"
"Your daughter, what do you think. She takes after you!"
"Much to my chagrin," Doc muttered, receiving an elbow in the ribs before coming around, "I'm kidding, you're the apple of my eye and I love you both just the way you are."
Wynonna narrowed her eyes and was about to retort when a loud 'hmpf', followed by bursts of laughter interrupted them. The trio turned their heads toward the living room and saw Nicole, on the floor, under Alice savagely knocking her out with a pillow.
"Yes, kick her ass baby girl, knock out HaughtStuff!"
"Wynonnaaaa," Nicole growled. Waverly shook her head and jumped to her wife's aid, lifting her niece off her and carefully handing her to Doc.
"Oh my poor baby," she tried to pull her wife up, but Nicole pulled on her arm, causing her to lose her balance. The brunette landed on top of the redhead and planted her arms around her head, gently leaning in to kiss her.
"Okay, you horndogs! Let's go, Alice. Say goodbye to your aunts." The little girl blew kisses and waved, actions mirrored by the two women laying on the floor. Not wanting to impose more, Wynonna hurriedly pushed her little family out the door. Before slamming the door behind them, she teasingly shouted, "use protection!"
Nicole exploded with laughter but nearly choked when she saw her wife gave her bedroom eyes. Waverly stroked one of her hands from the redhead's chest to her neck and joined their lips together eagerly. The brunette whispered against her lips, "What do you think about starting our own family?"
"I'd say we can start right now!", Nicole smugly replied as she tried to sit back down as best she could with Waverly on her lap. This cuteness made the petite woman laugh as she tightened her arms around her neck, eliminating any space between them.
"By all means then, let's do it, baby!", she murmured happily. Waverly brushed her nose to Nicole's and leaned in to kiss her again, the latter wrapping her arms around her slender waist. Before the kiss could get any more torrid, the brunette patted the firefighter's nose and gave her a little push to lose her grip. The redhead tried to grab her wife's arm, to no avail. The brunette laughed before sprinting towards their bedroom. Leaving behind a trail of clothes. Nicole scrambled to her feet and caught up with her wife, with only one objective in mind. Mission baby Wayhaught initiated.
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