Chapter Text
December 20.
Wynonna walked to the car, smiling broadly. She was glad that Nicole had run away, but she was more pleased that Blunt was left with nothing. But then it occurred to her that Nicole herself could not escape. Without outside help, at least: she after surgery and certainly hardly moves independently.
"She said six weeks." - Thought the brunette.- "Until the lung fuses. Six weeks. And even one week hasn't passed yet..."
Carried away by thoughts, the girl did not immediately realize that someone was calling her. Only when a pebble hit her, she turned indignantly in the direction from which it came. And she saw Holiday, who was actively waving his hands, urging her to come over. The young girl didn't just come up, she literally ran up.
— Are you crazy? — She pushed him with both hands. — What are you doing?
— Quiet.— John said.— Come with me.
— Are you kidding? — Wynonna asked, puzzled.
Then he roughly squeezed her wrist and whispered through his teeth: — Yes, shut up already. Follow me.
The young girl, surprised by his behavior, just followed the man. He walked along the side of the building and led to the nearest shrub, which looked more like a fence. She just managed to smile and was about to laugh, and John pushed her inside. Wynonna took a wide step and almost fell. John immediately followed. The brunette noticed the car and wanted to demand an explanation, but John still silently grabbed her hand and led her to the car.
— Holiday, motherfucker! —The young girl's indignation finally reached a peak, she stopped and pulled her hand away. — Tell me what the hell is going on, or I won't budge.
— Someone want to talk to you. — John said.
— Who? — Wynonna crossed her arms over her chest.
— Go there. — John nodded at the car. — You'll find out.
— Listen! You, a fucking scout! — Wynonna replied.— I'm tired of your secrets and riddles. Either you tell me who needed me so urgently, or...
— For me.— A faint voice came from the car. — I want you to give something to your sister.
Wynonna turned around - Nicole was standing by the car, pale, holding on to the car door. A hospital gown peeked out from under the outer clothing.
— Haught?! — The brunette was almost delighted, and then turned her gaze to John.— So you helped her escape?
— Nicole, why did you get out? You need to lie down. Let's go to back.
John was at the car in two steps and helped the girl back into the car. Wynonna came closer-There were no rear and front seat on the left side. But there was something like a couch, on which Nicole was located.
— Yes, I helped her escape.— John turned back to Wynonna. — She's my soldier's sister. So it's almost a family and I won't let her offend. She didn't want to go to jail. It was clear that one day they would come for her. They need a scapegoat to put the brakes on the case. You don't think Blunt would have confined himself to questioning, do you?
— Yeah.— Wynonna nodded her head. — But Nicole needs medical help.
— Don't worry about that.— Holiday smiled.— In case you forgot, I'm not only a military man, but also a doctor. And bullet wounds are just my profile.
— Well yes.— Wynonna said. — Only I forgot, why am I here? If you have everything captured?
— Here.— Nicole handed her an envelope. — Tell Waverly. Please.
— What is it?— Wynonna didn't even raise her hand to take the envelope.
— This is the answer. At your request.— Nicole replied sadly. — I wrote everything there. She'll understand.
Wynonna slowly took the envelope, silently turned around and left without looking back.
December 22.
Waverly sat down on the steps of a dilapidated staircase, an abandoned house. She stared at her sister.
— Wynonna, what are we doing here? Christmas is coming soon. I have a lot to do. My father is preparing some super enchanting celebration to celebrate my release at the same time. And Nicole is also missing. The lawyer told me he talked to Blunt.
— Babygirl. — The brunette hesitated.— She's not missing, she is... She's gone.
— And left me? — Waverly chuckled.— Don't make me laugh. She loves me.
— I think that's why... — Wynonna sighed and handed her sister an envelope. — She asked me to give you this.
Waverly looked at her sister in bewilderment, but took the envelope and ran through the text with her eyes: Forgive me, Waverly. We're not meant to be together. You're an angel, and I am... I've done a lot of bad things and that's why I'm leaving. You deserve the best, be happy. Goodbye, my love. P.S. Please, please don't look for me.
The young girl jumped up from the steps and poked a piece of paper at her sister.
— What does that mean? — Waverly cried out. There were tears in her eyes.— What is she talking about?
— I have no idea, I haven't read yours...— Wynonna replied.
— You're lying! — The brown-haired young girl stamped her foot. — I can see in your eyes that you know something! Speak!
— Waverly. Maybe it would be better this way? — Wynonna tried to hug her sister, but she pushed her away.— You don't know her at all...
— Better? For whom? — Waverly asked. — I love her! That's enough!
— Waverly.— Wynonna sighed.— She's a killer. She killed people.
— So they were bad people. — Waverly snapped.
— She killed Hardy. — Wynonna applied the last argument.
— What was required to prove! — The brown-haired young girl wiped tears from her cheeks with her palms.
— Waverly..... — Wynonna said in surprise — Didn't you hear me?! She's a killer!
— I heard. — Waverly replied. — I don't care! I can't breathe without her! Will you help me find her?
Wynonna opened her mouth in surprise: Waverly has always been a sweet and kind young girl. At least it seemed so. This was the first time she had seen her sister like this.
— I'll find her anyway. — Waverly tore the letter into small pieces. — Will you help? Or not?
— Waverly... — Wynonna watched with surprise what her sister was doing. — I do not know where to start... We last saw each other a couple of days ago. She was with John...
— So, Holiday. — Waverly shrugged. — Great.
And she left the house, got into her car and drove away. Wynonna remained standing in disbelief.
February 17.
Do you know how cool it is to breathe deeply? Nothing can compare with this feeling.
Yes, I remember that at the very beginning I said that when I was carried away on a stretcher, that this was the end. The end of my story. Well, not really. It was the end of the story as Nicole Haught's killer, but as the beginning of the story of another Nicole Haught story. I would even say a different Nicole Haught. So...
I went out on the porch of my country house, where I arrived today to spend the rest of my life in peace and quiet. A snowball started falling in the morning and it was very fresh. I took a deep breath and exhaled with pleasure. I decided to take a walk. I left the house and ... I came face to face with Waverly.
Nicole silently looked at the young girl, and she silently looked at her.
— Hello.— Nicole finally said.— What are you doing here?
— I... — Waverly looked at Nicole and could not believe her eyes. — I'm stuck. Or rather a car. I wanted to ask the owner of the house to help.
— I live here. This is my home. — Nicole smiled. — You must be cold. Do you want to have some tea?
— What about the car? — Waverly gently touched Nicole's arm.
— We'll call a tow truck. — Nicole squeezed her small hand gently.
In the house, Waverly looked around critically - the house did not produce the appearance of habitable.
— Are you sure it's yours? — Waverly asked doubtfully and walked over to the mantelpiece. She ran her finger over it - there was a thick layer of dust on it.
— Exactly. I just moved in today just. And also... — Nicole smiled and hugged the young girl from behind.— I really missed you...
— Really? — Said the brown-haired young girl and throwing off Nicole's hands, abruptly stepped aside.—And who asked not to look for you?! In a letter?
— I thought it would be better. For you. — Nicole spread her hands guiltily.
— Yes, you all conspired or something?! — Waverly cried out. — Has anyone asked me?
— I'm sorry.— Nicole reached out and touched the girl's chin. — I REALLY thought it would be better this way. I felt very bad without you.
— What are you like...— Waverly stepped closer and hugged Nicole.
— What one? — Nicole smiled, hugging the girl to her and inhaling the smell of her hair.
— Stupid.— Waverly raised her head and looked straight into Nicole's eyes.
And Nicole leaned over and gently kissed her. Waverly returned the kiss with a little moan. Suddenly the door opened abruptly and Winona entered the house.
— Waverly, fuck with tools! Maybe a tow truck is better ...
The young girls stopped and synchronously turned in her direction.
— Haught! — Wynonna was delighted.— And I thought you were dead!
— What she was talk about? — Nicole asked, not taking her eyes off the brunette, but still hugging Waverly.— What's she doing here?
— She's my new security guard. — Waverly replied.— I'll tell you later. Come on, I'll come back in a couple of days and we'll talk about everything.
— Okay.— Nicole nodded.
Waverly kissed Nicole on the lips goodbye, got out of the embrace and took her sister by the hand, dragged her to the exit.
February 20.
Waverly came three days later. During this time I managed to put the house in order, buy groceries. I waited for her and thought how everything would go, but it still went wrong, I assumed. We started kissing almost as soon as she came in. And then they tested my bed for strength for three hours.
The young girls were lying on the bed, clothes were scattered around. Nicole intertwined her fingers with Waverly's.
— Well, tell me, how did you live these two months? — She asked.
— I was afraid you were dead.— Waverly said.— When you disappeared so suddenly.
— Again! Why all of a sudden such ideas?— Nicole propped herself up on one elbow. — Is this some kind of joke?
— It was written in the newspaper. — Waverly looked at the young woman in bewilderment — So you don't know... Now.
She jumped out of bed and wrapped herself in a blanket and left the room. She returned a couple of minutes later with a newspaper in her hand, which Nicole held out. It was the "Purgatory Bulletin".
— Here. Look. — She said.
Nicole took the newspaper and began to read while Waverly threw off the covers and returned to Nicole under the covers.
Today we learned that the daughter of tycoon Ward Earp has been found. She does not speak to journalists and is under the supervision of doctors. But here's what our newspaper managed to find out: she was abducted by a senator. He wanted to get her father's concern in this way. But a certain young woman saved her, but the young woman herself was seriously injured. And at the moment when the authorities came to interrogate her, she ran away. She just disappeared. We managed to talk to her doctor and he said that she would not survive without medical help. And since no one went to the hospital with such an injury, then most likely she died somewhere in the forest. Where apparently she ran away.
— What nonsense! — Nicole angrily threw the newspaper on the floor.
— Not nonsense, but salvation. — Waverly stroked the scar on Nicole's chest. — Randy wrote that on purpose, now no one will look for you for sure. Surely Wynonna had a hand in this.
— Speaking of Wynonna. Since when is she your security guard? — Nicole turned to the brown-haired young girl.
— She made such a scandal there - Blunt had to conduct a thorough investigation and under the weight of facts and evidence, he still found the senator guilty of everything.But Blunt did not remain in debt either - as a result, Wynonna was asked to leave the service. She came to my father, charmed Dolls and now she's my guard. And how did you escape?
— John helped me. He's a medic. And I helped him. I told him the whole truth about his soldiers. John didn't talk to me for a long time, about two weeks. Maybe he was getting used to the truth, maybe he was angry, but he continued to treat me. I was afraid he would snap and start drinking again. In the end, we talked and made a deal. He doesn't drink anymore, and I'm giving him Riley's apartment.
— Did you give him the apartment? — Waverly was surprised.
— Of course! — Nicole got out of bed and dressed. — You should have seen the house, if I may say so, where he used to live. And so, I think it's fair. I didn't know what I was going to do with it anyway, and I have this house. I was going to live here.
— You're so wonderful. Can I live here with you? — Waverly asked.
— I would really like that. But you don't know anything about me. And when you find out, you won't want to. After all, I...
— I don't want to know anything about your past.— Waverly put her hand over Nicole's mouth.— Someday you'll tell me everything. But not today. Okay?
— Okay. — Nicole kissed her on the palm. — Get dressed and let's go eat. And then I would really like to take a walk. Do you want to go to the bridge?
— I want to. — Waverly smiled. — What are you going to cook?
— I don't know yet, but! I bought green tea.
Waverly laughed.
We then spent a gorgeous day: walking on the bridge, sitting in a cafe. Already at home, falling asleep, I thought not to change my name or again? Only for good. So that the past never interferes with our future with Waverly.
Epilogue.
Ward Earp stared at Wynonna, who was sitting opposite him with a bored look.
— So Dolls recommended you for the position of a security guard for my daughter?
— Exactly. — Wynonna looked at her nails.
— Still. — Ward leaned on his folded hands on the table.— You remind me of someone. You said you look like your mother. What was her name?
— It's amazing that you remember our conversation. — Wynonna looked into Ward's eyes.— Michelle Gibson. Her name was Michelle Gibson. She left my father and me when I was five.
— Michelle? — Ward stood up abruptly. — That was Waverly's mother's name. And she left us when Waverly was five...
— Yes. Apparently she is not created for family life and this is the maximum as far as she is enough.
— Oh, my God.— Ward rubbed his cheek. — But then it means that you are with my daughter...
— Sisters. On the mother's side. Yes. — Wynonna nodded.
— Oh, my God.Have you seen her? Michelle. After she left? Do you know anything about her?
— No, of course not. — Wynonna chuckled. — Why do you think I went to the FBI to work?