Safe Place ~ WayHaught

Talking Isn't The Only Way To Communicate

~Nicole POV~

I know, Wynonna told me to talk to Waverly, but ever since last night, I haven't managed to find any words. I've been trying to fall asleep for hours now, but the nightmares are keeping me awake. Every time one of them tries to break through, I find myself clinging to Waverly just a little bit stronger. I'm not ready to make things official with her, yet, but it's nice to know that she's here. She's resting comfortably, curled up into my side, my arm around her shoulders. And she's beautiful.

I can see the stars outside through her bedroom window. It must be close to 4 a.m. now. For a while, she's been peaceful, but I'm able to feel her shaking now. Her breathing is getting choppy and irregular. I can hear her muttering things so quietly that I can't quite make them out. She's terrified. I start to hold her as close to me as possible and try to wake her up.

"MICTIAN!" She screams out so loudly that it wakes her up. She jumps up and I hold her steady as she tries to calm down. I guess she has nightmares too.

I reassure her and she starts to relax into my arms again. I hear her sob and start wiping tears from her face as they make their way down her cheeks.

"It happened. It was real." She sits up and pulls me with her to Wynonna's room. "It's back, Wynonna. Mictian is back."

~Wynonna POV~

"It's back, Wynonna. Mictian is back." I shoot up at my little sister's words. I trust that she knows what's going on, but I still try to deny it. I run up to her and put my hands on her shoulders as I try not to panic. This can't be happening. Not again.

"Are you sure?" I ask my first question before almost immediately moving on to my next. "What happened? How do you know? Did it hurt you?" I stress the next question. "Is it in you?"

I look over and realize that Nicole is still here. She looks scared, I mean, who wouldn't be? But my attention goes right back to Waverly as she starts frantically explaining.

"Me and Nicole were asleep upstairs and I started having a nightmare. It was talking to me. I guess Nicole could tell something was wrong cause she woke me up, but the nightmare didn't end." Waverly looks over at Nicole as if she's apologizing. "I could feel it, fighting with me for control. Wynonna," Waverly takes in a deep, shaky breath. "It took over. Not for long, but I could feel it happen. I can still feel it. It's trying to take over. It's fighting me."

That demonic little shit ticket.

"Nicole, please, I need you to leave." I cannot let this poor girl get dragged into this mess. We may be Earps, but Nicole isn't. She doesn't deserve this.

Nicole doesn't move from where she's standing. Her hands are clasping Waverly's and she's moving her thumbs over Waverly's knuckles. She isn't moving, but she isn't saying anything either. She's almost completely silent. I can't help but wonder how long she's been like this, how long she's been quiet. I wonder if it started when Mictian came back or if she's been silent since our talk. But if she doesn't want to go, I guess I can't make her.

"Okay. Fine, you can stay. But you have to help." I run over to my nightstand and grab Peacemaker, then over to the wall to get Waverly's shotgun. I hand the gun to Nicole and explain the situation as best I can. "So, here's what's going on. Last year, Waverly got possessed by a demonic entity called Mictian. It could get hard to tell if Waverly was herself or the demon. She's strong, she can fight it, but sometimes it takes control. We exorcised Mictian once already, but apparently a piece of it survived and it's in Waverly." I sigh at the words that I know I'm about to say. "Nicole, Mictian can regenerate body parts, so if it comes at you, don't be afraid to shoot Waverly. Just, please, don't aim for the head."

Nicole nods at me to let me know she gets it. I notice that she's still holding onto Waverly and I hate to pull them apart, but it's dangerous to be in contact with her. I pull their hands apart and I can tell that Nicole understands.

~later~

I like her. She's strong, she obviously cares about my sister, and she's not backing down from this fight. I can tell she's been through something supernatural before, I don't know what, but something happened to her. The sun is up now. Nicole hasn't moved from her chair that's set across the room from Waverly. She's watching her, but she knows that her friend isn't here right now. She's challenging Mictian. Without saying a word. And I think she's actually scaring it.

~the next day~

Nicole still hasn't spoken. But she hasn't left either. When we can tell that Waverly is in control, her expression softens. I don't know why Nicole stopped talking. It's been a day and a half. I don't know when or if she's going to speak again. I can tell that Waverly misses her voice, but I've learned something.

Talking is not the only way to communicate.