Chapter Text
Waverly darted down Main Street toward the Municipal Building, her heart pounding wildly, not from physical exertion, but from concern for Nicole.
“Please be okay. Please be okay,” she repeatedly mumbled under her breath.
The brunette burst through the building’s entrance, startling everyone in the hallway. People stopped what they were doing and gawked as she sprinted to the BBD office.
Wynonna looked up from her kneeling position near the couch when the office door flew open, and Waverly entered.
“Babygirl!”
“What happened, Nonna? Is she okay? Why haven’t you taken her to the hospital?”
Waverly fell to her knees next to her sister and took Nicole’s hand into her own. Her girlfriend lay eerily still. Waverly checked for a pulse, sighing when she found one, and that it was strong and steady.
When her sister didn’t answer, she turned her watery gaze to Jeremy, Doc, and Dolls, shouting, “Someone answer me!”
Dolls cleared his throat and said, “It’s a spell.”
“By the Stone Witch,” Doc added softly.
“Jeremy’s pulling the video and audio feed from the interrogation room right now,” Dolls said, gesturing to the man typing away on his laptop.
“Interrogation room? Why was she alone with a witch in the fudging interrogation room?”
“She wasn’t alone,” Wynonna mumbled as she wiped a tear from her cheek.
“I do believe it would be helpful if you start from the beginning, Wynonna,” Doc suggested.
Wynonna sniffled as she explained, “Nicole and I were in the break room when I spotted Constance Clootie marching into the station like she owned the damn place. She was yelling for Nedley.”
With a huff, she added, “I thought Lonnie was going to wet himself. Anyway, we came up behind her, and I told her to leave, that Nedley was out. “
Wynonna sighed, “Of course, Nicole, being Nicole, asked if she could help. Clootie just stared at us. I could practically see the wheels turning in her head.”
Wynonna shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor.
“I should have known she was up to no good, but she said she had something to explain to the Sheriff’s Department. When Nicole volunteered to listen, Clootie said I should come along, too.”
Wynonna wiped her eyes and sniffled, “Nicole brought us all into the interrogation room.”
“Why there, and not the conference room?” Waverly asked.
Wynonna shrugged. The choice had confused her, too.
“When you turn on the lights in that room, it automatically starts the video and audio recording. I’m guessing Nicole chose it for that reason,” Dolls explained.
“Deputy Haught is very wise,” Doc said.
Jeremy spoke then, “I have the video up, if you’re ready, Wynonna.”
Wynonna nodded, and Jeremy hit play.
Nicole walked into the room first, followed by the Stone Witch and Wynonna.
“Have a seat, Ms. Clootie,” Nicole said as Wynonna closed the door to the nearly empty, windowless room.
“I think I’ll stand. This won’t take long,” she replied, then flicked her hand at the other women.
Wynonna flew over the table and hit the wall before sliding to the ground. Peacemaker slipped from her boot-holster and fell to the floor.
Nicole was tossed back into the closed door, but quickly scrambled to her feet. She glanced at Wynonna, still lying on the floor.
The witch snatched up Peacemaker and cackled, “Well, that was easy.”
Peacemaker began to burn the witch’s hand, causing her to drop it onto the large table with a yelp.
”Not as easy as you thought, eh?” Nicole responded with a chuckle. “You aren’t going anywhere with Peacemaker.”
Nicole kept her hand on the grip of her holstered service weapon while blocking the only exit.
The blonde witch gave Nicole a withering glare while hovering her hand over Peacemaker.
Wynonna slowly got to her feet, and Nicole reached out to steady her friend.
“Hey, Stone Cold. You can’t touch that, you know.“ Wynonna said. When she reached out to collect Peacemaker, she found herself frozen in place.
The witch grinned manically at the heir and began casting a spell.
From the darkness spirits creep,
To hide this relic in her sleep.
Bury it where memories are preserved,
Of the location where the disaster occurred.
Bind its powers, choke its flame,
Quench its thirst to reclaim.
Change its will and connection,
Allowing his minion to claim the hidden munition.
Peacemaker disappeared, and Nicole dropped to the ground with a thud.
Constance Clootie flounced out of the room, which allowed Wynonna to move. She sank to the floor and cradled her best friend’s head.
“Nicole, wake up. Nicole?” Wynonna taped the redhead’s cheek, receiving no response she yelled out the door.
“Lonnie? Lonnie!”
Lonnie’s eyes grew wide when he appeared in the doorway. “Haught-“
“Get Dolls! Go!”
Wynonna looked back to her friend, “You better wake up, Nicole, or Waverly will kill us both.”
“What happened?” Dolls’s deep voice boomed into the room. He knelt next to the two women and checked Nicole’s pulse.
“Stone Witch. She used a spell. Nicole collapsed, and Peacemaker disappeared.”
Dolls’s eyes flicked between Nicole and Wynonna. “Let’s get her to the BBD office.” He scooped up the limp redhead and left the room with Wynonna hot on his heels.
When the video ended, Waverly’s sniffles were the only sound. Dolls rubbed his chin, deep in thought. Jeremy put on his headphones and replayed the video to transcribe the spell.
“Peacemaker can’t just disappear. Did you search the room?” Waverly asked.
“I did. It is not there. There is nowhere to hide it in that room. No windows. Nothing but a table and two chairs,” Doc explained.
“Lonnie agreed to search the entire station,” Dolls said. “Chrissy managed to get hold of Nedley. He’s on his way back, but it may take a while. He was out at Monument Lake on a fishing trip with his curling team. Chrissy is heading to Nicole’s place to collect Calamity Jane.”
“Is that necessary? How- How long-” Waverly’s voice cracked.
Dolls placed a hand on Waverly’s shoulder. “It’s only a precaution, Waverly. One less thing to think about, okay?”
Waverly nodded and glanced back at Nicole. She lovingly brushed some stray hairs off her girlfriend’s cheek.
Jeremy pulled off his headphones and said, “I have the spell. Waves, are you up to helping me figure it out? I’m not even sure where to start.”
Waverly kissed Nicole’s knuckles and gently placed the redhead’s hand onto the couch before saying, “Yeah. Let’s break it down. I have some texts that may help.”
Taking a deep breath to collect herself, Waverly made her way to the corner of the room where she kept her least-used reference books. She lifted the three largest and plopped them onto the conference table.
Grabbing a fresh notebook from the stack Dolls had replenished last week, she sat next to Jeremy, uncapped her favorite pen, and mumbled, “Why does stuff like this always happen to Nicole?”
Although she said it to herself, it was the same question everyone in the room had on their minds. There had been quite a few attacks on Nicole since she had first arrived in town, even before she began working alongside BBD.
“First line?” Waverly said.
“From the darkness spirits creep, to hide this relic in her sleep,” Jeremy quoted. Dolls and Doc sat down at the table, but Wynonna remained on the floor. She turned to face the group and leaned back against the couch. The heir was wracked with guilt for not being able to protect her friend.
“The relic must be Peacemaker,” Dolls said. “I’m pretty sure Nicole isn’t a relic.”
“Great start, Captain Obvious,” Wynonna snarked at her boss.
“Hide this relic in her sleep, hide this relic in her sleep,” Waverly repeated as her mind swirled with possible explanations. “I don’t think the Stone Witch physically has Peacemaker.”
“It’s not in the room. Did she, like, teleport it somewhere? Is it invisible? Maybe she shrank it?” Jeremy asked. No guess is too outrageous in their line of work.
“Wherever it is, it’s related to Nicole’s unconsciousness,” Doc added.
“So, if we can wake Nicole up, Peacemaker will return,” Dolls stated firmly.
“IF?” Waverly glared at Dolls.
“When. Sorry. When we wake Nicole,” Dolls quickly backpedaled.
“Next line, Jeremy?” Waverly asked.
“Bury it where memories are preserved, of the location where the disaster occurred.”
“That must be where Peacemaker is hidden,” Waverly said.
“There have been a multitude of disasters in Ghost River Triangle,” Doc explained.
“We need to make a list of these places,” Waverly said as she added it to the team’s to-do list.
“Next,” Waverly stated.
“Bind its powers, choke its flame, quench its thirst to reclaim,” Jeremy recited.
“This seems very straightforward. Restricting Peacemaker’s powers,” Doc reasoned.
“But if she could do that, why hide it? She would have been able to pick it up and walk away,” Wynonna asked.
“To make sure we cannot fix it?” Doc suggested.
“Maybe,” Wynonna replied.
“What’s the last line, Jer?” Waverly asked.
“Change its will and connection, allowing his minion to claim the hidden munition.”
“It sounds to me like she’s trying to change Peacemaker’s allegiance,” Dolls said.
“To whom?” Waverly questioned.
“One of Bulshar’s followers, or the revenants, or demons. Take your pick of evil,” Wynonna said flatly.
“Minion is singular. So I feel it’s directed to one specific being,” Dolls mused.
“That would give one of Bulshar’s followers quite a bit of power,” Doc said.
“They could use it to open up the Triangle and free the revenants,” Wynonna said.
“Plus, the power to send any of those revenants back to hell if they don’t cooperate with the long-term plan,” Dolls added glumly while rubbing his tired eyes.
“What does any of this have to do with Nicole?” Waverly said, wanting to make sure that saving Nicole doesn’t get lost in the search for Peacemaker.
“And why sleep?” Jeremy asked. “Is this like Sleeping Beauty? Maybe try waking her with a kiss, Waves.”
Waverly’s eyes landed on Dolls, the most skeptical of all of them. He shrugged and said, “Fairy tales are based on reality. It’s worth a try.”
Waverly stood and nervously made her way to Nicole. Lowering herself to one knee, she bent forward and placed a gentle kiss on Nicole’s lips. Pulling back, she stared at Nicole’s eyes, hoping to see them flutter open.
Nothing.
Waverly sighed, her shoulders sagging in disappointment.
“We knew it was a long shot, BabyGirl,” Wynonna said as she rubbed her sister’s back. “I think this sleeping spell is just to fuck with our heads and put us off our game,” Wynonna reasoned.
“Seriously, though. Why sleep? Clootie had the chance to, sorry Waverly, but she could have easily killed Nicole. If having her sleep was a distraction, murdering her would have derailed us entirely.” The group sat quietly contemplating Dolls’s words.
“Waverly, what has Nicole said about her past? Does she have any ties to the Earps before she arrived in Purgatory?” Doc wondered.
“Or revenants?” Dolls added.
“Nicole is not a revenant!” Waverly met Dolls’s eyes with a glare as she returned to her seat.
Jeremy gulped, glad that look had never been directed his way. He built up his courage and said, “Wave, no one thinks Nicole is one of them or has associations with anyone on Bulshar’s side. But maybe it’s something she doesn’t even know about?”
“Like a relative or something?” Wynonna asked, confused.
“Nicole is an only child. Her grandparents died before she was born. Her mom was an only child. Her dad had an older brother, but he and his wife died when she was like five or six, I think. They didn’t have kids,” Waverly explained.
“The Haughts aren’t very fertile,” Wynonna snarked.
“She doesn’t talk much about her past. Her folks really hate the government and cut her off when she applied to the police academy. They thought she would go to law school to defend against government prosecutions, but instead, she became ‘part of the problem’. Those were the words they used.”
“Harsh,” Wynonna said, horrified.
“She said they were never close. They were busy fighting ‘The Man’, and they left her alone. “ Waverly shrugged. “That’s all I really know.”
“Alone? Like home alone, or didn’t interact with her much?” Wynonna asked.
Waverly’s eyes opened wide, “I never thought about it. When Nicole said they weren’t close, and they left her alone, I assumed she meant they didn’t talk much. Do you think they just left her on her own?“
Jeremy once again laid his hand on his best friend’s shoulder and said, “I’m sure it’s the first one. That they weren’t too involved in her life.”
“Why did she decide to go into law enforcement?” Doc asked.
“She said she wanted to protect people,” Waverly shrugged as she spoke.
“Did she grow up in the Ghost River Triangle?” Dolls asked.
“No, she was born in Toronto, but they moved around a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. It made it difficult for her to make friends. She went to three different schools when she was twelve. But you know all this, Dolls. BBD did a background check, right? You’re checking to see if she told me the same story,” Waverly said with annoyance. How many times did Nicole need to prove her loyalty, Waverly thought.
Dolls nodded. “I was, and she did.”
“Of course, she did. She doesn’t have it in her to lie. Especially to Waverly,” Wynonna explained.
“What do we do now?” Jeremy asked.
Wynonna stared at Nicole, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. The brunette nodded, stood, and looked at her posse. “We do what we always do.”
“So we don’t make a plan.”
“We run around the GRT like chickens with our heads cut off.”
“We do a lot of reading in dusty texts.”
“We avoid dying.”
“Exactly!” Wynonna said with a smirk.
😴
Waverly searched through old reference books about the wording of spells. Jeremy and Doc made a list of disasters within the Ghost River Triangle. Doc was able to recall several incidents from the 1800s. Jeremy searched old news articles, then the BBD archives for the truth behind each event.
Nedley arrived back at the office in a frenzy. He didn’t want to hear anything from the group until he laid eyes on his Deputy. He had abandoned all his supplies and bolted straight to his car after receiving Chrissy’s panicked call. Nicole had become family to the Nedleys. Once the Sheriff was satisfied Nicole was stable, Jeremy played the video for him.
“I need to arrest her,” Nedley stated firmly.
“Not yet. Besides, she knows we’ll all be looking for her. She’s either in hiding or ready to kill anyone who comes close to her,” Dolls reasoned.
Nedley nodded. He knew better than to run mindlessly into a situation, but he was so concerned for Nicole that he wasn’t thinking logically.
After taking a few deep breaths to clear his mind, the Sheriff said, “What now?”
“Right now,” Dolls sighed, “You take care of the Sheriff’s Department, and let us handle this.” Dolls placed a hand on Nedley’s shoulder and looked him directly in the eye, “I promise, I will keep you in the loop. No secrets.”
“And you will get her back? Wake her up?” Nedley pleaded.
“Yes,” Dolls said firmly.
Jeremy and Doc glanced at each other. Both men knew Dolls shouldn’t promise something like that. There was no way to know if they would be successful.
“Okay,” Nedley said while nodding. “Okay.” He let his gaze fall on Nicole one more time. “But I want constant updates.”
“Of course.”
Nedley sighed and left the room.
😴
The group reconvened briefly to decide on their next step. It was late in the evening by now, and everyone was feeling a bit vulnerable without Peacemaker’s protection.
“We should take Nicole to the homestead,” Dolls stated.
“I think you guys should stay there, too,” Waverly added.
“Doc and I can check a couple of the places on the disaster list on the way,” Wynonna said.
“I'm not sure if that’s a good idea,” Waverly’s voice quivered slightly.
“We have to go out and search at some point, BabyGirl. Dolls will get you, Nicole, and Jeremy safely to the homestead.” Looking at the two men, Wynonna asked, “You have go-bags here, right?”
Jeremy nodded, and Dolls replied, “Of course, should we take Haught’s, too?”
“She has enough of her stuff at the homestead,” Waverly said. “I think I want to talk to The Blacksmith. She may be able to give us some insight into how to break the spell. Mattie won’t do it herself, but she might have some ideas.”
“There’s always a price with witches,” Doc warned.
Waverly nodded, “I know.”
“Do not talk to her alone,” Wynonna demanded. “Doc and I will stop by her place. One of the disaster locations isn’t far from her place.”
“Okay,” Waverly agreed.
“I’ll go talk to Nedley, and we can get going,” Dolls said.
“Tell him he’s welcome to stop by and check on her anytime he wants,” Waverly said as Dolls walked out of the office door.
😴
Waverly paced around the living room of the homestead. She couldn’t stay still for more than a few minutes at a time.
Jeremy exited Wynonna’s room, where Nicole was lying on the bed, and sat next to Dolls at the kitchen table.
“I inserted an IV drip into Nicole’s arm,” Jeremy explained. “If this goes on for more than 24 hours, we should discuss a feeding tube and maybe a private nurse. Or have her admitted to a hospital. Wynonna will shoot me if I even suggest taking her to the BBD medical unit.”
Dolls nodded, “I’ll talk to both Earps in the morning. They’re less likely to try to hurt me.” Dolls grinned at his young friend.
Jeremy blew out a breath and said, “Thanks.”
The sound of tires on gravel caught the trio’s attention. Waverly, first to the door, yanked it open and stepped out.
“What’s with the shotgun, Babygirl? Do you no longer like pizza?” Wynonna said, holding up three pizza boxes.
Although she didn’t aim it at anyone, Waverly had grabbed her shotgun just in case. “You can never be too sure.”
“Any changes?” Wynonna asked.
“No,” Dolls and Jeremy said together while Waverly only shook her head.
“What about you? Any insight from the searches?” Dolls asked.
“Can I see her?”
Waverly peeked around Wynonna and saw Doc standing with Mattie Perley, The Blacksmith. “Hi, Mattie, thanks for coming out. I’ll take you to Nicole.”
Waverly watched Mattie examine Nicole. Mattie took her pulse, pulled down her lower lids, then placed her hand on Nicole’s forehead. With closed eyes, Mattie muttered under her breath.
When she was finished, Mattie nodded and said, “Let’s go talk to the others.”
Entering the kitchen, Waverly grabbed two plates and handed one to Mattie. “Get some pizza and tell us what you’re thinking.”
Once Mattie and Waverly sat with their full plates, Wynonna could no longer wait and blurted out, “Well?”
Mattie chewed then swallowed before saying, “Well, you did well deciphering the spell. I read it on the ride over. I needed to see Haught to confirm my thoughts.”
Mattie took another bite of pizza, “This is good-“
“Yeah, yeah, delicious pizza. Now back to Haught,” Wynonna demanded.
Mattie nodded and swallowed again, “Fine. The Stone Witch is definitely trying to change Peacemaker’s allegiance.”
“Do you know where it is?” Wynonna asked.
“It’s in the past. Specifically, Nicole’s past.”
The group exchanged confused looks.
“How often are her nightmares?” Mattie asked Waverly.
“Nicole has nightmares?” Wynonna asked.
“Yeah. Sometimes multiple times in a night. How did you know?”
Mattie ignored Waverly’s question and asked, “What are they about?”
“She says she doesn’t remember them. Based on her mumbled words, I think they are about different things.”
“That will make things a bit more difficult.”
“What do her dreams have to do with Peacemaker?” Dolls finally asked the question they were all thinking.
“Peacemaker is somewhere in Haught’s memories. A bad memory that causes her to have nightmares. The Stone Witch is trying to change Peacemaker’s alliance to one of Bulshar’s followers.“
“How?”
“What?”
“Huh?”
“Can you explain, please?” Dolls asked.
“Somewhere in Nicole’s past, she crossed paths with one or more of Blusher’s followers. Apparently, the Stone Witch is aware of this interaction. She sent Peacemaker into Nicole’s memories to be retrieved by whoever Nicole met in the past.“
Mattie finished eating while the others took in her words. Waverly’s plate sat untouched. She looked at Mattie and said, “What happens to Nicole once Peacemaker is retrieved?”
Mattie looked Wynonna in the eye. She understood without words that Haught wasn’t going to make it. “We will get her back, Waverly. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Wynonna said instead.
“What do we do?” Wynonna asked.
“We send you into her memories, Earp.”