DISCLAIMER: Nikki & Nora are the property of Nancylee Myatt and Warner Bros. Television. No infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Written using theme set beta from 1sentence. Title from a Marilyn Hacker poem.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Terms of this Covenant
By sat10
1. walking
For the first few weeks of their partnership, Nora thinks that Nikki opens doors for her to be polite; then she turns around one day to say something to Nikki and catches her watching her ass as she walks through the door.
2. waltz
They dance with male acquaintances at a colleagues' wedding and wish they could be dancing together instead.
3. wishes
Nora wishes she hadn't made that deal with Nikki; it turns out that Nikki really does expect a new pair of shoes every time Nora brings crawfish into the house.
4. wonder
The wonder in Nora's eyes after their first kiss ends prompts Nikki to initiate their second kiss immediately.
5. worry
In the few moments of radio silence between the sounds of shots fired and Nora's voice assuring them she's okay, Nikki thinks about what she would do if Nora was hurt.
6. whimsy
"I'm sorry you're all sticky, baby, but whipped cream seemed like a really good idea at the time!"
7. waste/wasteland
"We don't care how awful it looks - it's our home and we're going back."
8. whiskey and rum
Though usually a whiskey girl, Nora appreciates how rum and Coke makes Nikki's mouth even sweeter.
9. war
They fight more about their daughter's name than they ever have about anything else.
10. weddings
An announcement for the commitment ceremony of two women is published in the Times-Picayune, and Nikki realizes she wants something she'd never considered before.
11. birthday
Nora buys herself black lingerie for Nikki's birthday and tells her about it just as they finish dinner.
12. blessing
When Nikki comes out of Lloyd Delaney's study with his arm draped over her shoulders, Nora knows they have his blessing.
13. bias
A grizzled old detective a month from retirement tells them, "Nothin' personal, ladies, but I just don't think women belong in the precinct."
14. burning
"Hand me that bottle of aloe and remind me to never let you talk me into sunbathing naked ever again!"
15. breathing
Until the baby starts to cry, neither of them dares to move or take a breath.
16. breaking
The first time they touched was when Nikki put her hand on Nora's shoulder to get her attention and Nora dropped a mug of coffee in the middle of the precinct.
17. belief
Nora believes Nikki when she tells her she's never loved anyone so much.
18. balloon
Nikki learns the hard way that pregnant women do not enjoy being compared to a balloon that's about to pop.
19. balcony
At midnight Nora arches against the wrought iron railings of their balcony and is grateful for the cover of darkness.
20. bane
Nikki loves her cell phone more than she loves her shoes, even, except when it interrupts their evenings together.
21. quiet
Nora puts her hand over Nikki's mouth and glares at her, whispering that they are in her parents' house and have no wish to be caught making love.
22. quirks
Nikki figures that since Nora puts up with her compulsive shoe-shopping, she can put up with Nora's crawfish cravings.
23. question
Nikki catches Nora checking out her cleavage one day and thinks to herself, "Well, that answers that question."
24. quarrel
The entire precinct is tense when Nikki and Nora don't speak for three whole days.
25. quitting
When Nora goes to Dan to hand in her letter of resignation, he tells her, "Apologize to your girlfriend and you'll get your partner back."
26. jump
In the darkness, Nikki jumps as Nora trails an ice cube down her stomach.
27. jester
"How come you get to be the courtesan for Halloween and I have to be the fucking clown?"
28. jousting
They tease one another mercilessly, but there is always affection just underneath the verbal jousting.
29. jewel
Nikki has a speech planned, but when she hands Nora the tiny velvet box they both burst into tears and can't speak coherently for quite some time.
30. just
Nora wraps her partner up in a crushing hug as they sob about the little boy whose murderer was found not guilty.
31. smirk
From across the room Nora mouths something lewd and smirks when Nikki blushes.
32. sorrow
"I'm sorry you never got to meet her, because my grandma would have loved you."
33. stupidity
After their wedding, several uniformed cops apologize for hitting on either or both of them.
34. serenade
Nikki pulls her girlfriend out of the bar before Nora can begin drunkenly crooning love songs to her.
35. sarcasm
"Sure, you can watch, as long as I can come watch you fuck your wife too."
36. sordid
For all her genteel manners, Nikki is disturbingly fond of slumming in places Nora didn't even know existed.
37. soliloquy
"I love your daughter so much and I want to make her happy and I'm going to do that whether you approve or not but I really would like it if you would give us your blessing…"
38. sojourn
For their first vacation together, they go to Savannah and walk hand in hand while they explore the city.
39. share
Soon after they meet, Nora realizes that her new partner expects to share her beignets, her coffee, her chips, and Nora pretends not to think it's charming.
40. solitary
Nikki had planned to ask Dan if she could work alone for a while; then she gets a look at her new partner.
41. nowhere
Even when the woman at her side is infuriating, Nora wants to tell her there's nowhere in the world she'd rather be.
42. neutral
Bobby tries and fails to maintain a neutral expression when his sheet-clad sister comes out of her bedroom with a guilty but defiant look on her face.
43. nuance
It only takes a few times for Nikki to learn the difference between Nora's "keep going" moan and her "I can't take any more" moan; she decides she loves each one.
44. near
Nora had always had trouble spending the entire night at someone else's house, preferring to leave in the middle of the night; she surprises herself by pulling Nikki closer and falling asleep immediately after they make love for the first time.
45. natural
When Nora asks Nikki on a real date, she says yes as if it's the most natural thing in the world to date one's female partner on the force.
46. horizon
They cuddle on the beach and watch the storm work its way over the water.
47. valiant
Dan makes a valiant effort not to laugh at the lipstick on Nora's collar after his two best detectives return from a two-hour lunch.
48. virtuous
When their first date lasts until the next morning, Nikki says, "Now you're going to think I'm easy!"
49. victory
The legislature passes a marriage equality bill in February; they are officially married three months later.
50. defeat
Their daughter's tiny shoulders slump in defeat when she realizes her moms aren't going to let her stay up later; when she leaves the room Nikki and Nora blame her stubbornness on one another.
The End