Author's Note:

So, my sister read my first story, loved it, but said she kept waiting for Vic to wake up from a dream, which made me start thinking. She also pointed out that a trip from even the fictional Durant to Whitefish Montana would be around 19 hours both ways, so that didn't make sense and she was right.:) She called me on my lack of research and I've made up for it in this latest endeavour of mine. What if Vic had been only dreaming? Events take place after Season 3 and are from Walt's point of view this time around, but with no other real time line established. It's really just my take on what I'd like to see happen, how I'd like to see it happen and purely all my own imagination and blatant ignoring of facts that might contradict my flight of fancy:). Hope you enjoy this story. I've broken it down in to chapters and there will be an M rating coming along, but for now…..read on and let me know what you think. I like it, but it's YOUR reviews that keep me coming back to this site to share. Thanks so much, all of you, for reviewing, favouring and following me and encouraging me to carry on! If you find my writing style too convoluted, let me know; I can take a LITTLE criticism…. And now 'unto the breach' we go…and ya, there might just be more fireworks xox - and yeah, there is!:) I LOVE fireworks:) LOL

CHAPTER ONE…

Here I am, New Year's Eve, driving down an unsurprisingly empty stretch of highway, heading for home. It's late, past eleven, and will more than likely be near midnight by the time I reach my destination. It's at least a nine hour round- trip from Durant WY to Bozeman, MT, but it was worth the drive to hand over the little punk I'd arrested yesterday after his cross-border car-jacking spree had landed him in my county. I'd just wanted to hand Bozeman back their garbage as Vic had said and I smiled, recalling that comment. I believe her exact words had been 'Why do we have to give Bozeman back their fuckin' garbage? Can't they come get it themselves?"

I gave a quiet chuckle and looked down. There she was, asleep beside me, her head on my shoulder, her blonde hair tickling my chin. I know she'd be mortified if she woke up right now, so I just pray she doesn't. I like her beside me like this. I like my arm around her shoulders, her warm breath on my chest. I like the clean, fresh scent of her shampoo and the feel of her right hand resting against me, just above my belt and the way her left hand is tucked under her chin. She fell asleep a couple of hours ago, leaning up against the passenger door, but somehow, she ended up here…and I'm sure not complaining about it! I'd heard her mutter something about 'doofus' and Whitefish Montana' and then there was the little 'eeww' she gave out and I wondered what she was dreaming about….

Vic.

I couldn't help but give her a little squeeze and she responded by snuggling in closer. I smiled down at the top of her head and then turned my attention back to the highway. Outside the windshield, the full moon hung high in the sky, washing the snow-covered ground in its surreal silver light. Stars shone like diamonds and I was reminded of how lucky I was to be heading in to this.

I should've been tired, but I wasn't. Sleep and I were not the best of friends, anyway. When Martha had died, I couldn't sleep. When Henry had been arrested, I wouldn't sleep. When all of it had been resolved and Henry was exonerated and I'd made my peace with Martha's murder and had finally let her go, I should've slept…and I did, but now, sleep brought different dreams with it, dreams that left me tossing and turning and wondering just what the hell I was doing. Sleep brought me dreams of Vic, dreams that left me aroused, confused, sometimes ashamed and in this moment, under this night sky, I couldn't help but wonder if she ever dreamt about me and felt those same things.

"You crazy old man" I told myself, but the self-scolding was only half-hearted.

Vic and I were close in ways I'd never thought possible. The only other woman I'd ever been this close with had been Martha and that's why I'd married her, but I never expected to feel that way about any other woman, especially not Vic! It wasn't that the two of them were so very different from each other; Martha had had her fair share of fire and hadn't been afraid to speak her mind or give me a piece of it when needed; but Vic…well, I'd never really known a woman as outspoken and feisty as she was. I'd arrested a few and been told to go fuck myself in the process, but that was all in the heat of the moment. When Vic told me to fuck myself, well….it was somehow endearing, or had certainly become so over the years we'd worked together. I smiled quietly again, surprised at the ways Vic had changed me without me even being aware of it until just lately.

I remembered the first time she'd dropped a load of 'f'-bombs; I believe it was the first day I met her in the job interview and I recaledl looking at her like 'are you done yet' and being mildly irritated, but not really offended by her language. I was actually curious and intrigued by the way she could use the word in so many different contexts, but after hiring her, I did try to get her to limit her use of profanity with pointed glares, but after blatantly ignoring me, I'd just given up. Maybe if she hadn't been so good at her job, I could've used her profanity as an excuse to fire her, but after seeing her and her mind in action, I'd been thoroughly impressed.

Then there was the way she had of drawing me out or getting in my face. Calling me on my bullshit and lightening me up all at the same time. I didn't intimidate Vic one little bit and that was something new for me. My size alone could be daunting and I know my demeanor didn't exactly welcome friendly feelings from most people, but Vic had never shown an ounce of caution around me, except in those moments when I'd been unable to completely hide the pain that certain circumstances had brought me….and in those moments, Vic had been quietly comforting and a little unsure of herself, but there for me, nonetheless.

That side of her should have surprised me, but I think I welcomed her quiet support too much to be surprised…and I think I'd let her in without even being aware of it. On the other hand, Vic hadn't let me in easily. She'd guarded her secrets and sins until there'd been no other choice but to tell me about them. I wouldn't have chosen to make her tell me anything, but again, circumstances had other plans for both of us.

We were a pair, me and Vic. After Henry, she was my best friend, my equal, my welcomed companion. I didn't have to take her on this trip with me, but I'd wanted to. She wasn't obliged to say yes, but she had. Sure, she'd complained like hell all the way there and most of it back until she'd finally nodded off, but I'd seen the spark in her eyes. I was beginning to believe that her complaining was her way of expressing grudging happiness. Vic. "My Vic"…and ya, I said it out loud and it sounded so right, at least to my ears.

My Vic, curled up against me, so warm, so soft, so like a little girl.

…..and therein lay some of my shame, but damnit, I couldn't help feeling what I felt for her. Convention, maybe even morality would probably say I should fight the feelings, but my body and more importantly, my heart, told me otherwise. I was what, thirteen, fourteen years older than her, had a daughter six years younger than her, but tonight, I was so done with thinking about all that. Vic was a grown woman, her own woman and I was a man who'd given this situation a lot of thought; too much thought.

With her beside me like this, I didn't want to think of the possible wrongness of it all. I only wanted to think about how right it felt. It was New Year's Eve, a time for saying goodbye to what was and a time to welcome what lay ahead. A time to take dreams and make them reality. I'd purposely asked Vic to come with me because I wanted her with me. I wanted to be alone with her. I wanted to talk to her about this thing between us.

Of course, on the drive up to Bozeman, talking on a personal level had been out of the question, with our prisoner cuffed to the metal grill that separated the cab of the Bullet from the back of the vehicle, but I was a patient man and knew that we'd have time for talking on the ride back. We'd stopped at a diner on the way home to grab a bite to eat and once back in the car I'd tried to start the conversation.

"So…do you have any plans for New Year's Vic?" I'd asked but that simple question had only seemed to ignite Vic's displeasure with the trip. She'd grumbled about the whole thing, but I'd been unable to keep from smiling, if only slightly. She'd let me have it, I chose to ignore her and she'd finally settled down. After a few moments of hearing nothing more from her, I'd glanced over and seen her asleep against the door…and so much for my idea of having a little chat about 'us'. I suppose her ending up against me sort of made up for it, though.

I slowed down to take the exit off the highway. It wouldn't be long now until we were home. Too bad we weren't both going to the same home, but maybe there was something almost as good. I headed for the Red Pony, knowing that Henry would be throwing a raucous New Year's Eve party and the least I could do was buy Vic a beer to get back in to her good graces. If I'd been alone, I probably would've gone straight to the cabin but this New Year's I didn't want to be on my own. Didn't really want to take Vic out, either; would've preferred to take her home with me. Would've driven all the way to Canada just to keep her beside me like this, but as pleasant as either thought was, I knew I had to at least allow her a choice in the matter. I couldn't imagine the hell she'd give me for kidnapping her! But I wanted to do just that…and would she REALLY mind it? I was beginning to have my doubts about her imagined objections.

When I stopped letting my head think about the situation between us and let my gut take over, I began to feel that maybe I wasn't so crazy to think that Vic had feelings for me; deeper feelings than just strong friendship and mutual respect. I'd been a cop for the bigger part of my life and going on instinct was a huge part of who I was. Who I AM! Reading people and situations quickly and making split-second decisions is second-nature to me and a great deal of it relied upon my gut telling me what to do and when to do it…and my gut was telling me that if I pulled over right now, woke Vic up and kissed her, she'd respond. She'd wrap those arms of hers around me, maybe straddle my lap, press those sweet looking lips of hers against mine, open her mouth so I could explore its depths with my tongue….and we'd be making out on this deserted stretch of highway, abandoning everything else in a frantic attempt to REALLY know each other….and boy, howdy, what I wouldn't give to know Vic THAT way!

…and that's when my head kicked in and asked my gut if taking that course of action was the best thing to do, because it would change everything. My body sure did like the idea. My breathing had quickened, my heart was beating faster and I was decidedly uncomfortable below the belt. Not counting that disasterous 'liason' with Lizzie, I hadn't been with a woman since well before Martha had died….and once upon a time, any thought of Martha had been enough to check my desire and set me right on the path to celibacy, but I'd made my peace with all that and I think it was just the simple fact that it was Vic who was arousing my desire and not just any woman. I know in my heart that Martha would approve of this attraction; would've liked Vic and her outspoken, unbridled take on life. Vic hadn't set her sights on me, the way Lizzie had. Vic hadn't used her sexuality to back me in to a corner and wear me down. Vic had only ever been the best deputy I'd ever had and the best female friend I'd ever known.

It took a lot of looking in to those amazing gold-flecked brown eyes of hers to see even a hint of a deeper attraction, but I know I'd seen it, especially lately since her divorce from Sean…and God, I wanted to see what she really felt for me, blazing from her eyes. If she ever did let it show, I'd be a goner. I'd let the veil over my own eyes disappear and let her see just what she did to me. I know I'd been slipping of late, but I was pretty good at keeping my true thoughts to myself.

As a cop, it was just another talent that came with the job, although my nature seemed to make me perfect for a career in law-enforcement, rather than the other way around. I'd always been good at keeping my true feelings and thoughts to myself. I'd never been much of a talker or an extrovert and in the majority of circumstances, I'd never let much get to me. I was a simple man, living a simple life, simply doing my job to the best of my abilities…or at least it HAD been a simple life until Martha was taken from me. I'd withdrawn so far in to myself that even I'd been afraid I'd never make it back, but then Vic had entered my life….

"Show me, Vic," I whispered. "Show me so I can show you…" but did I really have to wait for her or was I only too afraid to take the first step, make the first move? There wasn't much I was afraid of, but when it came to this, I did feel some fear. What if I hadn't read her right? What if I'd only seen my own feelings reflected in her eyes? But then again, what if I had seen something there and did nothing about it? Was I going to let fear of possibly making a fool of myself stop me from finding out that truth? I'd never let the fear of dying stop me from throwing myself in to dangerous situation where my job, friends or my daughter were concerned so was I really going to let the fear of making as ass of myself stop me from finally finding out just what it was that was between Vic and I?

As I pulled in to the parking lot of the Red Pony, I decided that I could probably live with being an ass and that if I was wrong about us Vic would more than likely kick me there, just to make the point that I'd been wrong. It was almost midnight, the whole world was on the delicate edge of a new year and I wanted a new life. I certainly wasn't getting any younger and sometimes the Universe decided to take away the luxury of waiting…

The parking lot was packed, but I managed to find a spot as far from the bar as I could get. Even at this distance, with the windows rolled up, I could hear and feel the music blaring from inside the Pony. I hesitated a moment, knowing I was going to have to move my arm to put the Bullet in park and when I did that, Vic would wake up. I could keep my arm around her, but eventually, she would open her eyes and become aware …or I could put the car in park and get it over with. "You're a MAN" Vic had told me when she'd been doped up on tranquilizers that time she'd gone 'hunting' with Omar and because I wanted to be HER man, I moved my arm from around her and shoved the gear shift in to Park. I turned off the ignition.