Chapter Text
Within the unofficial boundaries of the Ghost River Triangle, the windows of the Homestead gave way to a view that a lot of people would have paid for in their fancy vacation getaways. It was postcard picturesque. The old snow from previous storms had long since taken on a grungy, dirty look but that had all changed when the newest storm rolled in, one that had started as a gentle cascade but in no time had buried everything in a fluffy blanket from the big heavy flakes.
The homestead had always had a rustic appeal to it as it stood stoically against the swirling snow, its weathered appearance was still acting as a focus point against a white canvas in what would be a photographer's dream. The old barn that stood a short distance from the house aided in giving the whole thing look so surreal, a painting-like quality in its little fort of comfort against the blistering storm. It blurred the boundaries between mundane and beautiful.
The storm also brought a quiet hush that muffled the usual sounds around the homestead. The wind, laden with the whispers of the Ghost River's secrets, weaves through the snow-kissed trees, creating a visual beauty of the land. The air is charged with quiet energy as if the storm itself was an integral part of the signal that shifts the winter season into the holidays.
As the snow accumulates, the landscape undergoes a change. The grounds, once familiar and well-trodden, transform into an expanse of pristine white. The farmhouse, framed by the frozen world, takes on an almost a sanctuary-like quality within the wintry expanse.
The homestead's architecture, weathered by time, stands against the tell tail signs of time. The wood, aged and marked by the passage of countless years, contrasts sharply with the fresh snow. Smoke rises steadily from the chimney, a tangible sign of life within—a beacon of warmth against the cold indifference of the storm.
The frosted windows revealed a soft, inviting glow. A refuge where they could find peace within the chaos of the world. Through the storm, the homestead emerges as a sample of the Earp's history—where the past and present collide, and where the inhabitants navigate the complexities of their lives. It's a place of contradictions, of memories good and bad.
Inside the living room was softly lit with the flickering orange hue of the fireplace dancing with flame, the dry heat acting as a balm against the snow-battered lands outside. Waverly, who was now in her early 30s, sat alone on the old sofa with a comforter wrapped around her shoulders and a photograph clutched in her hands.
Soft tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.
Muffled steps on the old hardwood floor give away Wynonna’s return to the room with a fresh bottle of unopened whiskey in hand and concern etched on her face, from the direction of the kitchen she lifted the bottle and gently placed it against Waverly’s shoulder and let go once her younger sister took it.
“You need it more”
Wynonna softly squeezed her shoulder soon after and then walked around to the front of the couch so she could gingerly slide herself down next to her sister.
“What’s going on baby girl?”
The teary-eyed Waverly lets go of the bottle to let it sit on the couch cushion so she can swipe away a watery tear that spilled down her cheek.
“It’s just.. I miss her so much. And the holidays.. It’s so hard.”
Wynonna sighed as she let the silence settle between them and then she reached over to pluck the bottle off the couch and cracked open the seal with a twist, after she took a swig she handed it over to Waverly.
“Me too. But you don’t have to go through this alone, let me help.”
The younger Earp wiped away a second tear and then finally took a sip from the bottle while still visibly upset.
“Even when we were on the base it felt like Christmas because we were all together, this, this just doesn’t feel right.”
“I know.”
Wynonna Responded, her voice hushed before speaking up again.
“But it’ll be okay, maybe we can save this. Nicole is still going to try and Facetime us, maybe we can decorate the homestead for her. Have a small party, you know she would want you to try and enjoy it even if she can’t be here.”
Waverly nodded but stayed quiet as she contemplated the idea. Maybe it could be the distraction she needed.
“I just feel so empty without her.”
Wynonna carefully scooted closer to her and wrapped her arms around the woman to hold her tightly.
“It might help”
Waverly sunk into her sister's arms and curled up into her.
“How am I supposed to celebrate Christmas when my fiancée is in an active war zone.”
“We celebrate by being together. Remember the laughter, the joy. Even if not all of us are here. And who knows, maybe it’s just what you need.”
For the first time that evening, there’s a small teary smile on Waverly's face.
“You think so?”
“I know so. We have each other, and that's something worth celebrating. What do you say? We gather everyone for Christmas. You can even make your weird vegan Eggnog thing that everyone loves.”
Waverly sniffles a short laugh as she wipes away the last of the tears that seem to be drying up.
“Okay.”
=====
Waverly’s heart still felt weighed down by the burdens she carried from the previous day but her sisters' suggestion was helping, immersing herself into the planning and organizing for the Christmas get-together was becoming a welcome distraction. The guest list had been the first thing she had put together and she had RSVPs from most of them, Wynonna, Doc and Jeremy were for sure while Rosita & Robin were dependent on when they could get out of work. It wasn’t a large by any means but it was just enough to hopefully chase away the holiday blues.
She had already carried the boxes of Christmas decorations down from the storage room in the attic and was sitting on the floor by the fireplaces waiting for someone (her) to get rid of the dust that clung to the tops. It had been a few years since any of the boxes had been so much as opened. The Earp sisters had spent the last two Christma’s on deployment, Well, Wynonna had been. It had been by sheer dumb luck alone that Waverly had been out there on a military contract to help their team with the linguistics puzzle that the rebels were using to communicate. It had been some of the most challenging times of her life but it had also brought Nicole into her life and for that, she would always be grateful.
Christmas on the base had never been anything like home, sure there was always someone who managed to create a makeshift tree and decorations out of nets and other supplies they could get their hands on and they had their turkey meals in the mess halls but it had nothing on snow covered tree’s, the soft glow of Christmas lights and gifts wrapped in paper. However, the one thing that the base did have, was family. Those precious evenings spent with Wynonna and Nicole had been some of her most cherished memories.
With memories abundant, she pushed aside the bigger boxes and pulled the smallest into her lap, like a prized possession she opened up the top of the small box.
As Waverly delicately unpacked the homemade ornaments from their time on the base, memories of those times spent together with her now-fiancée flooded her thoughts. Each decoration held a cherished memory, and Waverly found herself reaching for an ornament that held a special place in her heart. It was hardly a Christmas decoration, the little plastic toy helicopter dangling by some yarn - a symbolic reminder of her partner's chosen profession and the true depth of the miles that separated them.
She cradles the small toy in her hands until the silence of the room felt too much and then Waverly sets it down on the fireplace mantle so she can continue to open up boxes, and pull out strings of lights to untangle all the while wearing a tight but determined smile. Doc had been by earlier to stand up the Christmas tree and she had to admit, dressing it with lights, garland and trinkets was helping. The smile that she had now was bright with it all as she retrieved the little helicopter and found a branch for it to hang from. The only thing the tree needed now was the menstruangel but for that, she would wait for Wynonna.
Shifting her focus to the rest of the room she used the remaining strings of light to decorate the room with what was hopefully going to become a soft warm glow, perfect for late nights with a cup of hot tea. As the lights twinkled in the quiet calm of the evening, Waverly settled onto the couch with a warm drink and gazed at the empty space beneath the tree, the gifts would have to wait until she could get into town and get the shopping finished.
The festive decorations that now helped with the ambiance of the season served as a poignant reminder of the silent wish that Waverly’s heart carried - for the safe return of her pilot and for the future celebrations that she wished to have together.
=====
Waverly pulled the puffy white jacket over her arms as she walked through the doorway of the kitchen, her thoughts were on the list in her hand but she still noticed Wynonna abruptly ending the phone call that she had quietly taken earlier and then haphazardly slid off the counter that she had been sitting on. Waverly raised her brows in question as Wyn shoved the cell phone into her back pocket with too much gusto to be considered normal.
“Who was that?”
“Just Doc. Let's go.”
“Why are you being weird?”
“Why are you...”
Wynonna waved her hand in a random pattern in Waverly’s direction.
“What?”
“What?”
Looking for the escape Wynonna squeezed herself sideways through the kitchen threshold and then quickly returned to grab her keys off the table before leaving again.
“Come on, let's go.”
=====
The radio in the old blue 150 played the best it could through aged speakers as the two sisters sat in an uncomfortable silence while they made the quick hour-long drive into Calgary, Wynonna trying her best to find the lines on the road in front of them interesting while Waverly stared at her but it wasn't long before she broke under Waverly's scrutiny.
“Ok. Fine. I was talking to Nicole.”
At this point Wynonna wasn’t even sure Waverly had blinked at all in the past ten minutes, every time she glanced over she was met with those eyes and now it had suddenly turned into a glare.
“Why didn’t you just say so?”
It was a good question, it’s not like Waverly owned all rights in talking to the pilot, Wynnona had even met her way back when Nicole and Wyn had been fresh out of boot camp. They’d been close friends before Waverly had ever met the redhead.
“Because you’ve been more like yourself since we started planning this Christmas thing and I didn’t want to be responsible for fucking that up.”
“Wynonna, you’re allowed to talk to your best friend without needing to hide it from me.”
“I know. I just don’t like seeing you sad.”
The conversation drifted from there, from Nicole to the partially snow-covered highway to the shopping list that Waverly had in her pocket. In theory, the shopping trip was supposed to be easy. Frozen and fresh finger foods, another string of lights for the living room, alcohol and the all-important raw cashews and coconut milk to make the rich and creamy base for Waverly's wildly popular vegan Eggnog.
It was probably the only drink that she had been able to find that everyone, including Wynonna, loved. It had taken a little convincing for everyone (mostly Wynonna) to give it a chance but once they did, it quickly became the only eggnog that their friend group asked for. Waverly had almost all of the ingredients at home already but they hadn’t had any cashews and barely any coconut milk so those two things had quickly become a key focus. It was tradition, one that had started the year that Wynonna had left for basic and she wasn't about to let if stop now.
It didn’t take long for the items to start piling up in the shopping cart, ingredients for nachos, pigs in blankets, crackers, cheese, the iconic candy cane and a host of vegan options to go with it.
Once they got through the checkout and had loaded everything up, the last stop was to restock their alcohol supply and then they were driving back up the highway in a much lighter mood than the drive down had been.
Once home getting everything inside in one trip was easy enough between the two of them and as they started to put everything away in the kitchen, Waverly started to check through the last two bags of food and gave out an exasperated groan.
“We forgot the coconut milk.”
Wynonna paused for a brief moment as she put away the past box of frozen finger foods in the freezer and then turned back to the table to pull out the boxes of crackers from one of the bags.
“I thought we grabbed that?” Wynonna replied.
“Now I’m going to have to go back into town.”
There was a little bit of frustration hidden under Waverly’s usual cheery tone and part of Wynonna felt a little bad for having maybe accidentally on purpose made sure it was left out. Using the task of putting away the last box as an excuse for the delay, she turned around and waved the idea off.
“Don’t worry about it Waves, we’ve got a couple of days and I have to go into town tomorrow anyway.”
“You know which one to get?”
“Yeah, I got it.”
With both of them helping the rest of the groceries were put away quickly and it left ample time to finish decorating the inside of the homestead to make the place look like it was a happy little homestead that wasn’t missing anyone at all.
=====
Bacon Donut:
She’s going to be pissed at me, you owe me.
Haught shot:
You’ll live.
Bacon Donut:
Says you.
=====
Wynonna had spent the better part of the next day back in the city again going through the checkup with her doctor, being told the same thing they told her the last time, that she was still making progress and that the PT was working. Her PT appointment went through a similar routine that told her more things she already knew but at least this time the ‘homework’ changed and she had to admit that it had been helping. Her back still ached but her mobility was up and she could spend more and more time on her feet. Not having to pay for it out of pocket was also nice. Hooah. She was still on the fence about whether or not the purple heart was worth it. Probably not.
Something she’d never admit to Waverly was that she wasn’t entirely sure that she wouldn’t have gone back if they had allowed her to, being here with her sister was nice and she was glad that she could comfort her but, her best friend was still out there and now there wasn’t a damn thing Wynonna could do to make sure she came home safe.
But at least she could do this.
She stood quietly in the same grocery store that she had just been in yesterday as she lost herself in her thoughts staring at the coconut milk, a vibration from her pocket pulled Wynonna from her thoughts. Fishing her phone from the pocket she glanced at the text from her sister reminding her which brand of coconut milk she needed to get for the eggnog. She then promptly turned and left the isle without it.
After running the few items she did get through the checkout, she dropped the bag in the passenger side and then pulled out of the parking lot. The drive back to Purgatory went without any fanfare and by the time she made it back inside the homestead, Waverly was already halfway through making dinner.
Waverly glanced over from the old stove and eyed the single grocery bag with some suspicion.
“That looks a little light. Please tell me you didn’t forget the one thing we needed?”
Wynonna fidgeted with the handles of the bag for a moment and gave her younger sister a sheepish grin.
“I-may-have-forgotten-it-please-don’t-kill-me”
She blurted out quickly in one long rush as she sidestepped closer to the centre of the kitchen to put the table between herself and her sister. It wasn’t exactly a move ground forces were known for but this was angry Waverly, far more scary than any rebel.
“What?! Wynonna! I need that, how am I supposed to make the eggnog without it?”
“I’ll get it before everyone gets here tomorrow, it’ll be fine. I swear.”
=====
The day of the party Waverly had gotten up and left early in the morning hours so that she could drive into town herself and get the last ingredient that she desperately needed to make this little friendly gathering complete. After the previous day, there was no way she was going to let her sister make a second attempt at getting the coconut milk when she could just do it herself to make sure it got done.
By the time she got back to the homestead, it was nearing noon and when she stepped inside the home, Wynonna was wearing a chaotic onesie with a big fluffy hood on it that looked all the more ridiculous but there was also a big grin greeting her as she gestured to all around her to the fully decorated room.
“Finished!”
“Thank you, It starting to feel a little more like Christmas. All we have to worry about now is the food.”
Waverly carried the large carton of coconut milk on the counter and quickly went to work organizing everything she was going to need.
Wynonna glanced at the coconut milk briefly and then shifted her attention to her younger sister as she moved to lean against the very counter that the carton was on.
“How’re you feeling about this whole thing now?”
The younger of the two froze as her sister gently questioned her, she worried her lip a little and then set her hands down on the edge of the cool sink.
“I wish she was here with us.. But this is helping. It was a good idea, thank you again for suggesting it.”
The distraction was what she needed to get through this, it gave her something to focus on. Something to look forward to. Her hand tapped the edge of the sink and then after a brief pause, she went back to her list to see what she needed to cook ahead of time and what could wait.
The prep for the evening was going smoothly aside from the odd mishap like a dropped plate courtesy of her sister but everything was on time, some of the finger foods were already out and the sandwiches she had prepped earlier were sitting in the fridge, pre-cut into easily handled snacks that she could pull out for their guests when they arrived in a few hours.
The eldest Earp had been secretly off and on her phone for most of the afternoon and she was a little impressed with herself that she had managed to hide most of it from Waverly, not that she could take full credit. Jeremy had come over early so he could help her prep the food since Wynonna herself was all but useless in that area and he had helped fill the house with his on-brand cheerfulness and laughter as the two worked side by side to prepare a slew of meat-based and vegan dishes.
There was just one more thing left to do and she kind of really hated having to do it while her sister looked like she wasn’t carrying the extra weight on her shoulders. Wynonna took in a deep breath and then after checking the last text message that had popped up on her phone, she walked into the kitchen and tried to casually walk towards the counter where the coconut milk had been sitting.
She waited until Jeremy and Waverly left the kitchen and then ceasing the moment, she quickly grabbed the carton and took her pocket knife off her belt and cut along the seam of the carton to burst it and then shoved the knife into her pocket and nudged the carton off the counter as Waverly walked back into the kitchen just in time to see everything spill all over the floor.
The younger girl gasped and rushed to the scene of the crime to try and save the carton but it was too late, most of it had spilled all over the floor and gone to waste.
“No no no no! Wynonna! What happened!”
Wyn stepped back out of the puddle of milk that had quickly formed and tried her best not to look too guilty for the distress that was now all over her sister's face.
“I just bumped it, I’m so sorry waves. I can get another one, I'll leave now. It’ll be okay.”
“There’s no time. It’ll take you two hours to get it.”
Waverly’s voice was dejected as she stood there in her soaked socks. This was the one thing that she promised them all, the one tradition that they had managed to come up with together. The homemade vegan eggnog was their thing and now it was ruined.. Just like Christmas was because Nicole wasn’t here. Tears threatened to spill over as everything she had tried to not think about came flooding back.
“Oh god Waves, please don’t cry. I'll figure it out.. I'll get one delivered! Then it’s only an hour and the others aren’t here yet.”
“Delivery? Wyn, that’ll cost you a fortune out here.”
“It’s my fault it spilled, Let me fix it”
“Fine. Just help me clean this up.”
=====
Dolls had arrived not long after the eggnog fiasco and Rosita soon after that, Doc was the last one to arrive as the clock ticked closer and closer to that promised timeline for the coconut milk delivery. Wynonna kept looking down at her silent phone and then out the window as she tried to will this to happen faster.
She’d been watching her sister all evening as she tried to keep the cheerful facade up for their friends but Wynonna knew, she saw it the way that her smile never reached her eyes. Her sister had it bad and she wanted nothing more than to just go over there and to tell her the truth to get her to smile for real but that wasn’t the plan.
She promised to keep her end of the deal.
Then her phone buzzed. Wynonna had to hide her grin behind her glass of whiskey as a SUV pulled into a parking spot that had been empty for far too long.
=====
Outside a nondescript black SUV had been carefully going up the long driveway, through the front gates and then it was parked as quickly as possible so the headlights wouldn’t risk giving her away before she was ready. Quietly she sat there in the driver's seat and just absorbed the scene around her, the fresh snow was reflecting the light from the moon and had the whole place almost glowing. It was beautiful.
The stars were so bright in the sky and the muffled world around them just felt like home. Nicole took a deep breath as she finally felt the tension roll off her back, the last week had been nothing but last-minute plans as her commanding officer had finally been able to approve the week-long leave but it had happened last minute, leaving Nicole to have to scramble to book flights, the car rental and work out the timing with Wynonna.
But now here she was. Sitting outside the first real home that she had ever had.
She sat there in total silence for twenty minutes just needing a minute to relax and take everything in until she finally climbed out of the driver's side and opened up the back door to pull her rucksack from the backseat then she very gingerly closed it and the driver's side door before she walked around to the other side to grab the carton of coconut milk that she had grabbed on the way here.
Her phone started to hum quietly as the notification of a Facetime popped up and with a grin she made sure all that could be seen behind her was the SUV before she answered it.
When her screen came alive with the love of her life brightly displayed before her, her dimpled smile flashed.
“Hey baby”
Waverly’s watery smile beamed.
“I miss you so much.”
“Me too baby.”
The chilled nighttime air caused puffs of visible air to escape while she spoke and Waverly immediately noticed it, at no point during any of their video chats had that happened. In fact, Nicole had always only ever had a tee shirt due to the heat of the desert and yet the image that stared back at her had the taller woman clearly buttoned up in her full combat uniform jacket. Waverly’s brows scrunched together.
“Where are you?”
Nicole shrugged and stepped away from the side of the SUV and started to head towards the door of the homestead.
“Classified.”
Waverly sighed, not quite picking up on the slight tease as she took it for face value. Her mind was just too focused on how much she missed the woman to notice much of what was going on in the background of the streaming video.
“I spent all week decorating the homestead, I planned out a party at the last minute to try and distract myself and it was kind of helping until Wynonna dropped the coconut milk that I needed and suddenly all I could think about was you and how none of it mattered without you here.”
The pain in her fiancée’s eyes put an ache in the pit of Nicole’s stomach, she loved her job but she hated having to put Waverly through this separation.
“Coconut milk? For the eggnog?”
Waverly nodded but before she could say anything else, Nicole added in.
“Oh, I have some. I'll be right there.”
The younger woman laughed a little at the joke but then Nicole knocked at the door and Waverly froze.
“What?” Disbelief flooded Waverly’s voice.
“Open the door”
The video playing on Nicole's phone fumbled into darkness as Waverly rushed to the front door and threw it open to find her fiancée standing there in uniform with a bag slung over a shoulder and a carton of coconut milk in one hand.
Tears flooded Waverly’s eyes as she dropped her phone, rushed forward and jumped into Nicole’s open arms, wrapping her legs around the woman as she squeezed as tightly as she could. Wynonna had come up not far behind Waverly and took the carton from her best friend's grip so Nicole could wrap both arms around Waverly and hold her pressed up against her chest.
“Is it really you?”
Nicole’s voice was pitched as she tried to whisper into Waverly’s ear between her own soft tears, Waverly’s voice was the only Christmas gift she needed.
“Get in here and check” Waverly all but sobbed tears that had finally turned grateful.