We All End Up In Purgatory

Officer Heat [1]

*This fic follows the timeline and events of season 1-3 MINUS Bulshar*

Waverly has been planning Nicole's 29thbirthday for months. She ordered party hats, string lights, a backdrop for pictures, a beautiful unicorn cake with Nicole's name written in cursive and even barrels of whiskey to make Wynonna and Doc happy. She made invitations out of old west paper. "You have been invited to Nicole's 29thbirthday party on January 5, 2020."

She made sure that she was as secretive as she could, staying at Nicole's place instead of the homestead, never mentioning her birthday, and even getting the whole crew in on the surprise to make sure it was one for the books. Waves was so excited to finally throw a party since there were no current revenants to be sent back to hell. She knew Nicole really didn't enjoy being the center of attention, but Nicole ultimately knew that there was no stopping an Earp, especially one named Waverly. She spent hours stringing the lights perfectly and placing name cards strategically to make sure no one would suddenly throw fists or food across the table.

The only person that had the capability to ruin the surprise would've been Jeremy. He already had a close call with Nicole once before. When he told Waverly, she freaked out. Not upset, just worried that Nicole wouldn't be surprised, and all of the secrecy would've been for nothing.

"Hey Officer Heat. Are you excited for Sunday?"

"What's on Sunday?" She had forgotten about her own birthday.

"Oh shit- oh! Shit! Um, nothing. No nothing at all. Just- yay! Another Sunday. You know time really does fly when you're having fun." Nicole looked at him confused, not know what had just come over Jeremy. "You know Robin and I have been together for 6 months now. Yeah- crazy, right?"

"Uh, yeah Jeremy. Listen, next time you see Wynonna, let her know that I have a couple case files I'd like her to look over. I want to get ahead of the storm."

"Yeah! Sure. Sure thing." There he went with that nervous chuckle. "Alright well, have a good day." Nicole sharply inhaled, walked away and shook off whatever she had just encountered.

"Jeremy! You almost ruined the surprise. Oh my god. Do you think she knows? Oh my gosh, she must know. Oh no! This whole thing isn't going to work. She's going to hate it. She hates being surprised. I have to redo everything." Waverly spit out words so quickly that even Jeremy's super brain couldn't keep up.

"Whoa Waves. She's going to love it. She loves everything you do, and she'll love it even more because this is all you, and you'll be there. She doesn't know, she had no idea, at least I'm pretty sure. It's going to be fine." Waverly still looked nervous, starting to bite the nail on her thumb, "Hey. Let me help you hang these streamers."

Finally, it was time for the party. Wynonna wore her classic leather pants, tight, low cut shirt and her leather jacket. Doc was wearing a paisley button down shirt, a long coat and of course, his hat. Jeremy and Robin coordinated button downs just to make sure everyone knew that Jeremy did in fact, have a boyfriend. Nedley was in uniform and Nicole wore her favorite blue cardigan that reminded her of Dolls, skinny jeans and her Stan Smith Adidas shoes. A classic Nicole look. And then came Waverly. High waisted jeans, a lovely floral crop top, short boot heels and a cardigan draped around her shoulders. Her hair was in a side braid with her wispy bangs framing her face perfectly.

"Ok everyone. Let's eat!"

Everyone was quick to get to the food, diving into the buffet style meal that Waverly had perfected and prepared with ease. Pasta, potatoes, veggies for days, tofu stir fry (for our lovely vegans) and barbecue style wings. She even made donuts, everyone's favorite. Whisky was flowing and laughs were spilled all around the homestead. They ate for a good while talking about Nicole's job, what she wants to accomplish in her 29thyear and of course, her future plans with Waverly.

"We're actually planning a vacation, aren't we honey?"

Waverly chimed in, "Oh yes. We're deciding between Hawaii, Brazil or Barcelona. I think it'll be nice to have a break from Purgatory."

"But you're not leaving for too long, right?" Wynonna said, with a sad tone and a tinge of jealousy.

"No, of course not. We know you guys need us here and Nicole can't take off of work too long. She's going to be the sheriff!"

"Really? Bunny Loblaw is backing you?" Wynonna said with that sadness and a jealousy cocktail once more.

"Yes, she did. It sure was tough, but she grilled me for hours and she assured me that I'd get the job" Nicole said proudly.

Jeremy spoke up, "Well I think that's great. Purgatory needs a sheriff like you. No offense, Nedley."

"None taken. She's ready and she'll do a great job."

"Ok! Let's put on our hats and I'll bring out that cake!" Waverly jumped up and scurried into the house.

Wynonna looked at the party hat with disgust and Doc looked at it like it was sent down from space, even though he had no idea what space entailed. When Waverly emerged from the house, the sun was setting and provided a cotton candy sky and the string lights were shining and twinkling like stars in the night sky. The birthday song began, and Nicole was at the head of the table proudly watching her girlfriend deliver the cake across the field. Wynonna and Doc had drinks in hand ready to chug and Jeremy placed his head on Robin's shoulder and joined in on the chorus. The song faded from Nicole's mind and all she saw was Waverly. She was perfectly dressed, and the cake was immaculate. Waverly put on her biggest, most amazing smile and all Nicole could see was her. Of course, having a celebration was lovely and having everyone around was a blessing but she was really so happy that she had someone in her life that went to such extremes just to celebrate life, especially after Waverly discovered Nicole's past. Nicole closed her eyes and tried to capture this moment. Everyone happy, no revenants and a wonderful group of friends that really were family to her. She drew in as much air as she could and blew all of the candles out in one big happy breath. Waverly popped confetti and immediately Doc stood up and drew his gun.

"Whoa! Doc! Relax. It's just confetti. No guns." Waverly held up her hands to prove.

"Phew. Sorry. All I heard were gunshots."

"Sit down Doc. Enjoy the party." Wynonna clinked glasses with Doc and took a large swig.

"Happy birthday, baby. Here's to many more." Waverly caressed Nicole's face, held up her glass of wine and offered a toast to which everyone reciprocated.