Summary: As Walt tries to transition power, a case shakes Absaroka County

I adored most of season 6. It's probably my favorite season as a whole for obvious reasons. That said, there was one or two things I thought seemed a bit of a stretch. The biggest was Cady being sheriff. It just felt weird to me. I liked that Walt retired, just not Cady running for sheriff with no law enforcement training or experience. Admittedly, Cady was never my favorite character anyway. I get what they were trying to do but I would've almost preferred that left more open ended. Anyway, on that note, this story takes place in TV land but borrows from the books in what feels like a better resolution to that particular thread. It's set post "Goodbye is Always Implied" but diverts from portions of the storyline. For the most part, it is canon.

The devil's going to make me a free man, the devil's going to set me free

~Broken Bones by Kaleo

Ch. 1

"You're serious."

It wasn't a question. She could see by the expression on his face that he was serious. It was more just a statement, an observation. Vic turned the can of beer in front of her around in her hands. The condensation had left a dark circle on the wooden tabletop. The beaded perspiration on the cold aluminum surface left her fingers cool and damp. Walt nodded at her from across the small table in his kitchen. The remnants of dinner littered the plates in front of them. He had never excelled at timing so he had just sort of brought it up halfway through dinner. Now, the food sat forgotten and cold. His blue eyes settled on her with an intense openness.

"Yes, I'm serious, Vic."

Vic drummed her fingers on the table, her eyes shifting downward. They were aimed at the half empty plate in front of her but were not focused on anything in particular. Her mind was whirling with a multitude of thoughts. Walt leaned back in his chair and studied her with a practiced and patient eye. He had been hesitant to even have this conversation with her at this point. Everything was still so much in flux. Their worlds were still shifting, trying to find a place of balance. But, wasn't that always the case? Was there ever a perfect time for anything? There would always be some vague excuse to postpone the inevitable.

She stood up abruptly from the table and picked up her plate. Using her fork, she scraped what was left of her food into the trash and set the plate into the sink. It made a low clatter as the ceramic base hit the metal of the sink basin. Walt remained seated and let her move about. He knew her well enough to know that she couldn't be pushed. She needed time to process and react. After standing at the sink quietly for a moment, she retook her seat. Her hands returned to playing with the can. He figured by now, it was mostly empty but she needed to direct her energy. She returned her eyes to his. They were filled with questions and curiosity.

"How long have you been thinking about this?"

"A while."

She tilted her head to the side, her hazel eyes taking him in. He had always found something in her stare that made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was the unusual color of her changeable eyes. It could have been the sharpness that lived there, not giving him a place to hide as he so often did. Walt was more inclined to believe it was the fact that she had always possessed an uncanny ability to know when he wasn't being completely forthright. She wouldn't allow him to hide behind the excuses he had relied on before. She never accepted his lack of communication. Vic was a force of nature with a dogged determination when her mind was set on something. That could be an advantage. Sometimes, it produced the same single mindedness she accused him of. Her stubborn streak could be a blessing and a curse.

"That's not an answer."

Her tone didn't betray any frustration with him. It was conversational. Walt sighed, his mind rewinding a host of scenes.

"Since the last election really."

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Was it Branch that made you run?"

That was something it had taken him some time to admit to himself. In elections past, he had made his intentions clear. That was his method. Honest and direct. After the death of his wife, his tether to his job had loosened considerably. He had drifted in and out of the station almost like an unpredictable breeze. He had tried to call it delegation. The truth of the matter was that he had nearly stopped caring. That had been his first glance of Vic digging her heels in when there was something she wanted to achieve. He had a hard time believing her appearance in Durant when he had needed someone to push him the most was a coincidence. He had never been a huge believer in fate. But, he had to admit, sometimes the universe seemed to know when something was needed.

He nodded.

"Yep. I was done. Or I thought I was. Until I saw his signs. Then I knew I wasn't ready to give it up."

She gave a slow nod indicating she understood his point. She had been there to witness the ever spiraling relationship between himself and Branch. It was one of the regrets Walt had in his life. It was one of the things he wished he could go back and fix. But hindsight is twenty-twenty and you can't go back, only forward.

"But you are now."

Again, it wasn't really a question. It was an affirmation of what she was reading in what he wasn't saying. Still, he gave a slight nod.

"A lot has happened."

A smile with no humor behind it ghosted across her face. She knew that better than anyone. A lot of it had happened to her.

"Yeah, no shit."

He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. When he spoke again, the tone of his voice had shifted and taken on a more intimate tone.

"You don't have to decide right away, Vic. There's not an expiration date on this. I want you to be sure."

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and continued to study him like he was a puzzle with a missing piece. Inwardly, he smiled. He was certain he had mentally catalogued all of her mannerisms in his mind. She was thinking.

"You know what people are going to say once everything comes out. He's only doing this because she's sleeping with him. That's how some of these small minded people think."

Walt nodded his head. That had crossed his mind, although he knew their relationship didn't affect anything. She was the most obvious choice in the department.

"Does that bother you?"

He knew it didn't.

She gave him a half smile.

"You know I don't give a shit what other people think. I almost like the thought of pissing them off."

He fought the urge to laugh at her predictable response. It was nice to see her return to form.

"That's what I thought.

Her eyes lingered on him.

"What would you even do if you retired, Walt? I mean…it's not like you're gonna sit around here and knit."

He smiled. He could always count on her being honest with him. She had never been afraid to ask him the tough questions.

"I have some ideas."

"But you're not sharing."

His shoulders rose and fell slightly in a half shrug.

"Nothing concrete. Just some thoughts."

Feeling like the conversation had run its course, he deposited his own plate in the sink and ran some water over it. He turned back towards her.

"Just let me know what you're thinking when you feel ready."

"Sure."

He nodded his head in the direction of the front of his house.

"Come on."

She knew what he wanted. Even with everything still relatively new, they had already developed something of a routine when she was here. Her chair made a scraping noise on the floor as she pushed back from the table and trailed him to his porch. He had quickly figured out how much she enjoyed looking at the scenery that stretched out around his cabin. Over the years, he had gotten accustomed to it. He would even admit with some reluctance, until he had been in danger of losing it, he sometimes took it for granted. In the uncertain time when her RV had sat on his driveway, she had come to take solace in the peace he had hoped she would find here.

It had been a weak excuse. Peace and quiet. It wasn't necessarily a lie, but it hadn't been his primary motivation. Fear had pushed him to move her home without permission. Fear that she would face retaliation. Fear that she wouldn't be able to face her own losses. Fear that he would lose her in one way or another. He would find out later, the last one had nearly materialized in the most unthinkable way possible. There had been something selfish in the choice. He had wanted her close to him. He wanted access to her. He had needed her close as much as he thought she might need someone close. But, he knew her and she wasn't one to admit weakness. Walt was well versed in grief and his lessons had been learned the hard way. He had wanted to spare her that. He knew he couldn't carry her burdens for her, but he hoped to lighten the load somewhat. Or, at least, keep her company on her journey through the darkness.

The sun was low on the horizon when they sat down on the bench at the end of the porch. The days were still warm but they both knew that would end soon. The clouds were streaked with an array of colors as the light softened and faded into a blue and purple haze. Walt angled himself and stretched his arm across the back of the bench, knowing she would lean into him. They had learned quickly they shared a mutual need for physical contact from each other. More than likely from years of denying themselves that very thing. It didn't even have to be earth shattering or incredibly intimate. Whether it was laying solidly against him or simply her hand resting lightly on his thigh, her touch made him feel whole in a way he had longed for without knowing it. For Vic's part, his constant touching of her hair or his hand idly running over her back was like an anchor that kept her grounded and focused. Sure enough, she leaned against him and positioned herself almost in his lap. His arm relaxed around her and her head came to rest on his chest.

They sat in comfortable silence while the seconds turned into minutes that stretched on while the colorful sky melted into an inky darkness smattered with stars.

"You staying?"

His voice broke through whatever thoughts had been percolating while she sat. Vic turned her head so that she could see him under the white glow of the porch light.

"Do you want me to?"

Her smile was soft and unquestionably intimate.

She was teasing him. It was a sport for her.

"You know I do."

The truth Walt had not said out loud was that he wanted her to stay all the time. The solitude that had once been a harbor of safety for him now felt more like a gray walled prison. Since they had gone to bed for the first time, he hated being away from her. But, Vic's losses were more recent than his own. Her hurt was fresher. There were still times when she wanted to be alone with her thoughts or to escape them. Admittedly, those were occurring with less frequency all the time as she allowed herself to be happy in a way she had all but abandoned hope of.

Their union had been contradictory and inevitable all at the same time. They had been on this trajectory since the first time she had come into the station to fill out a job application. It was new and it was old. Feelings that were being confessed for the first time had existed for some time. The awkwardness that sometimes littered new relationships had never reared its head in theirs. They were, quite simply, too emotionally entangled with each other to be concerned with all the nuances one normally worried about in these circumstances. Vic had never been one to be shy about her feelings and Walt had known for some time that she cared for him. He had been afraid to admit it or let it in but he had known it all the same. In more recent times, he had attempted in his own Walt way to convey those things to her without seeming pushy. The distant and recent past had reminded them both that no one is guaranteed the gift of time and sometimes the present is all you have and should be seized.

His lips pressed onto the sensitive skin behind her ear without warning and she inhaled sharply. Her elbow jabbed into his ribs and she giggled. The sound always warmed him. They both carried a world weariness in their bearing and had for years. Partially born from being in law enforcement and in some ways from personal experience, neither excelled at optimism. So much of Vic was made up of pure gumption and sarcasm, it was easy to overlook the softer side of her. The side that wasn't a deputy or a badass. It was the part of her that was simply a woman. It was a part of herself that she protected fiercely and he felt honored that she had chosen him to reveal it to.

She twisted and muttered a curse that was lost when she pressed her mouth into his without preamble. Invading all of his personal space, she all but crawled into his lap and looped her arms around his neck pulling him to her. He hauled her up against him and stood, lifting her with him. The kiss broke off and she laughed against his neck when he laid her onto his bed and looked down at her with an unrivaled affection. Her eyes shone in the dim light of his bedroom as she pushed herself up and he lowered himself down and they met each other halfway.

xxx

The car sped over the dark roadway. The driver knew this part of the state well. It was less densely populated than some of the other counties. This time of the night, the roads were all but deserted except the occasional big rig that zoomed by. It should have never come to this. None of this should be happening but here they were. The driver's eyes scanned the tree line looking for the perfect spot.

A few miles down the road, it appeared. A narrow dirt road that turned off the main highway at a sharp angle. The driver nearly missed it completely. The headlights turned off as the driver's hand flipped the switch. No reason to call any undue attention to the vehicle. There was no illusion that this wouldn't make the news at some point. That was normally the mistake that was made. That one had committed the perfect crime. In all honesty, there was no such thing. Technology was becoming too advanced. Once upon a time, it had been easy to erase traceable evidence. Those days were a thing of the past.

The old car rattled to a stop. The exhaust smelled nauseating and it smoked. It wasn't far from winding up crushed in a junkyard somewhere. For the time being, it got the job done despite burning oil and guzzling gas. The driver got out. Pulling a flashlight, the beam clicked on and shone around the area. This little road was infrequently traveled. That was common knowledge for anyone who lived around here. The light bounced to the back of the car. The key slid easily in and the trunk popped open.

With a lot of grunting and tugging, the driver was able to pull the load free. It didn't seem like it should be this heavy. Chalk it up to fatigue. That would work. The driver carefully picked through the brush. There was no way to do this without some signs but the damage to the surrounding bushes and saplings could be kept to a minimum. There was no need to make anything more obvious than it needed to be. Leaving the heavy load on the ground off the road, the driver retrieved a shovel from the trunk. It scraped the ground with a metallic rattle.

It felt like hours had elapsed before the driver was satisfied that the load was securely hidden. A simple glance at the time would have proven that feeling untrue. Adrenaline pumped through the driver's veins. Despite the reluctance that had accompanied all of this, there was something oddly thrilling about all of this. It was reminiscent of a teen sneaking out and trying not to get caught by parents or breaking in and hoping the occupants slept through the invasion. The reaction was purely physical.

The driver lit a cigarette and took a long drag on it. With exhalation came a satisfying cloud of smoke. The flashlight clicked off and was tossed into the passenger seat of the old car. The driver pulled the door shut and cracked the window. Turning the key, the old engine sputtered to life. One of these days, it was going to be DOA but tonight it had not failed its owner. Putting the car into reverse, the driver managed to get the car turned around without the surrounding trees scratching the surface. A few more scratches wouldn't have mattered anyway at this point.

The driver waited until the car had pulled out onto the main road and gone a bit before the headlights turned back on. The speed limit was observed. Play it cool. Like nothing had happened. That was the plan. It was done now. There was no need to linger on anything that had occurred tonight. There was no taking it back at this point. The driver just wanted to go home and get some sleep. The entire thing had sapped any energy that was there beforehand. The car left a trail of smoke and the lingering scent of something burnt in its wake.