Outside Of Life [WayHaught]

Coffee

The walk to Outsider headquarters wasn't a long one. Waverly wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. On one hand, it was nice to see her sister having a laugh as if the zombie apocalypse had never happened, but on the other hand, she was now totally the third wheel.

"Come on Waverly! We haven't got all day, you know." Wynonna rolled her eyes at the younger Earp and jogged ahead of Nicole.

The redhead looked over her shoulder and smiled at the brunette, Waverly's cheeks suddenly becoming warm in the chill of the morning air.

"You ok back there?" Nicole said, still beaming.

Waverly nodded her head as the Sergeant slowed her pace to walk beside the brunette. "It's nice to see Wynonna having fun actually; seeing her drink Shorty's dry can be a bit worrying."

The redhead adjusted her cap and put her hands into her trouser pockets. "I know what you mean. I try to avoid the bar for that exact reason."

"So you don't see my sister 'disturbing the peace'?"

Nicole laughed and shook her head. "No, not exactly. I see myself in Wynonna sometimes and although that isn't a bad thing, it just reminds me that with my responsibilities, I can't afford to let myself go that much. If you get what I mean?"

"I actually get exactly what you mean."

"Oh, right," the Sergeant mumbled. "I'm guessing Wynonna doesn't realise quite how much time you spend looking out for her, right?"

"You could say that. I don't mind it; she's my sister after all." Waverly shrugged, watching as the elder Earp ran straight into Doc, almost knocking him over. "It would be nice to let my hair down too sometimes. Though I suppose with the world turning into zombies, now isn't really the right time."

Nicole stopped walking and put her hand on Waverly's shoulder. "You don't need to drink to have fun, Waves. And also, we should all be celebrating the fact we're still alive, especially with what our job involves."

"Oi! Haught stuff! We going to work or not?"

The younger Earp looked over to her sister where she was now bickering with Doc over something or other. No doubt they'd be hearing all about it for the rest of the day.

"You keep going, Earp!" Nicole shouted back, waving at Doc. "We're right behind you!"

Wynonna took hold of Doc's hand and pulled him further down the street until they were almost out of sight. She'd never been one for hanging around.

"How about we go for a coffee after today's mission?"

"You have coffee?"

"Well I found a tin of instant a few days ago, so, for now, I do, yeah."

Waverly bit her lower lip, impressed that no-one had heard of the legendary substance being held by the Sergeant. If Wynonna had been hoarding chickpeas and Nicole coffee, what else were people keeping to themselves? "Coffee it is then," she said quietly, pulling her scarf tighter around her neck.

Inside the main office for Outsider headquarters stood Dolls, Doc and Wynonna. All we still and silent, staring straight ahead at the wall. Needless to say, Waverly felt uneasy seeing them so... not them. Wynonna shot her a death-stare-type-glance and then looked back at the wall.

The brunette had no idea what her sister was trying to say, nor did a glare help translate the elder Earp's muffled cries. Waverly felt even more perplexed by the situation when Nicole walked straight past her and stood beside Dolls at the end of the line, also standing in silence facing the wall.

"At ease," came a booming, yet soft, voice.

Waverly felt herself jump from her skin as she turned around on the spot. Behind her stood Sergeant Major Nedley, the man in charge of keeping everyone in the city alive. The man in charge of keeping the Outsiders alive.

"Miss Earp," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "It's nice to finally meet you." The Sergeant Major held out his hand and Waverly told herself to shake it. She couldn't remember doing so, her body frozen solid, but somehow she managed the polite gesture and the Sergeant Major gave her a smile.

Nedley walked along the line, starting with Nicole. He mentioned a slightly off-centre cap in a hushed voice. To Dolls, he suggested carrying two more packs of ammo if he'd run out last time. Doc was told to consider bringing a different hat for the job as the wide brim of his leather stetson was like wearing a target. Wynonna was simply told to try being sober for once and that was all. The Sergeant Major spoke loud enough that Waverly could hear a meter or so away, but he wasn't declaring their flaws to the world; Nedley was considerate of their feelings. No wonder Jeremy liked working for him.

"Now, Waverly," the Sergeant Major said, holding his arm out to guide her to a spot next to Wynonna. "When I enter the room, it's kind of a tradition that everyone stands to attention. The Outsiders being the highest ranks in the room form a line as well, as you can see."

Waverly nodded her head, trying to make sure she'd remember every word he said for later. Of course she was going to practice in her bedroom when she got home, how else would she be perfect the next time?

"To stand at attention it's pretty simple," Nedley said, moving her arms to her sides, and angling her head so she looked straight ahead at the wall like her sister. "You just need to stand still like this, until I say you can stand at ease. I'm sure your sister can explain what to do then."

"Ok, I think I've got it," Waverly mumbled.

"Well good luck with your mission today, and make sure they don't leave you behind."

The brunette nodded and smiled to herself, aware of the stone-cold glare Nedley was giving Dolls.

The Sergeant Major then left the room, closing the door behind him. Nearly everyone let out a heavy sigh, but Waverly could only giggle at the whole situation - she'd never seen Doc and Dolls look so scared before. Although saying that, Dolls didn't really show much emotion of any sort, however, the beads of sweat on his forehead weren't hiding much anymore.

"Right, come on then," he said, clapping his hands and making everyone jump. "We need this planned out perfectly to be home as quickly as possible. Got it?"

The team nodded and got to work. It was then that Waverly realised she felt like part of the group; she knew what her job was, she knew what they wanted to achieve, and she was ready to help wherever she was needed.