Every story has a beginning

Part 1

She sat in the cell looking down at her boots. They were scuffed and well worn. She had been thinking just last weekend she needed a new pair but she was loathe to have to break in new ones for work. It seemed like a stupid thing to be worried about now. Vic Moretti stood and walked the length of the jail cell. This wasn't right. She had spent pretty much all of her adult life on the other side of the law. Save for one embarrassing incident when she was seventeen, Vic had never been in jail before. She didn't care for it. Not at all. She knew they wouldn't let her stay in Absaroka long. She would be moved in the morning at the latest, mostly likely to Cumberland under the watch of that asshole Jim Wilkins. How he kept getting elected stupefied her and anyone else with a brain. He'd had it out for Walt Longmire for a while now and maybe she was the next best thing if he couldn't nail Walt.

Walt. She had been trying not to dwell on him. He hadn't been in to see her since Wilkins had cuffed her and brought her here for holding. Things had been tense between them then. Surely, he knew these allegations were bullshit. This so called evidence was trumped up at best. God, she missed him. She missed the feel of him and the smell of him and pretty much everything else about him. She chastised herself.

"Get a grip. It's only been a few hours."

She heard the door to the Sheriff's office open and bang close. Ferg bustled in. He glanced at her and then looked away quickly. He almost seemed afraid of her. Vic assumed he just felt awkward. Ferg had always been that way. She sat back down and leaned against the hard wall, resting her head. The door opened and closed again. Vic heard faint talking but made no move to see who it was. She heard boots shuffle across the floor and a shadow fell over her.

"Hey."

Her head pivoted towards his voice.

"Walt."

Vic stood and crossed the cell. He was standing with his hands on his hips looking like everything she didn't know she needed.

"Are you okay?"

She rested her arm on the cold bars.

"Are you trying to be funny?"

His face was serious.

"No, I've been trying to see you all day but Wilkins was trying to block it. Cady had to go into attorney mode with him."

"God, he's such an ass."

Walt almost smiled at the predictable comment.

"So, are you...okay?"

"Well, I've been better."

"Vic..."

She shook her head.

"I'm okay for now."

He nodded his head slowly, his blue eyes fixated on her.

"Walt, you know none of this is true. Right?"

For what seemed like forever, he didn't respond to her. Vic felt a sense of dread starting to claw it's way into her stomach. Surely, he believed her over Wilkins. His eyes moved beyond her and he lowered his face.

"Vic, the evidence..."

She felt an emotional cocktail swirl through her. Anger mixed with disbelief and hurt.

"Fuck the evidence, Walt."

She stepped back from the bars, her face incredulous.

"You don't believe me."

His eyes returned to hers.

"Right now, I don't know what to believe."

Her shoulders drooped. It hadn't occurred to her that Walt wouldn't believe her. Walt was always in her corner.

"Then why don't you just go?"

"Vic..."

She slumped back onto the cot in the cell.

"Just go, Walt."

3 Weeks Earlier

Vic toweled her hair dry as she came from the bedroom dressed in cotton pants and a tank top. Her bare feet made no sounds as she crossed the floor. Walt was sprawled on the couch asleep. Vic couldn't help but pause and smile. He looked peaceful and relaxed. Reaching down, she placed her hand on his arm and shook slightly.

"Walt."

He groaned and opened his eyes slowly.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to bed or sleeping here on the couch?"

He looked at his watch and frowned, sitting up slowly.

"Just sat down for a minute. Didn't mean to fall asleep."

He ran his hands over his face briskly.

Vic tugged at his arm.

"C'mon. Let's go to bed."

He stood and trailed her into the bedroom. She disappeared into the bathroom and he could hear the familiar sounds of her brushing her teeth. It was odd how comforting those small things were. His years alone here had brought a silence that had swallowed him. He relished in the sounds of day to day life with Vic.

"Are you going to shower?"

The sound of her voice broke through his thoughts. She was standing in the bathroom doorway, her eyes on him.

"Uh..yeah."

He brushed by her into the small bathroom. When he was done, she was stretched out on the bed under the sheets with her eyes closed. Walt felt his heart speed up a bit. She always did that to him. She didn't even have to try. Her eyes opened when she felt the bed dip under his weight. Walt lay down on his back and let out a soft groan. Vic rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hand. A smile crossed her face.

"What are you groaning about? You're retired."

"That doesn't mean I don't work."

He tried to fake irritation but her smile only widened. Moving under the sheet she pushed herself up and over him, one leg sliding over him until she straddled him. She placed her hands on either side of him and hovered over him, her hair hanging down around her face. A few strands tickled his face. His hands moved to her hips and rested there. She lowered her face close to his.

"Maybe I should take it easy on you."

He swallowed hard at the tone of her voice. With a sudden movement that would have made any self defense teacher proud, he brought his leg up and flipped her onto her back. Her eyes flashed up at him as he came to rest on top of her.

"Maybe I should go easy on you."

Her smile turned downright lupine.

"That's the way you want to play it?"

He lowered his face until only air separated them and paused. Vic squirmed under him. He chuckled and finished closing the distance as his lips made contact with hers.

"Asshole."

The word came out muffled by his mouth over hers. Her hands tugged him closer, as if that were possible. He felt like she was going to devour him. She finally released him and he stared down at her breathless. Her chest was heaving when she spoke.

"You know I play to win."

He couldn't help but grin down at her.

"I'm counting on it."

xxxxx

Vic lay in the silence. Walt had been asleep for quite a while. She was restless tonight. The bedroom was dark, too dark to see much. She could hear Walt breathing the deep breaths of a restful sleep. She quietly tossed back the sheets and pulled on the clothes they had discarded earlier. Brushing her hair out of her face, she pulled on her Flyers hoodie over her tank top. She quietly left the bedroom and made her way onto the front porch. The air was cool but not cold. Disregarding the bench she generally favored, she leaned her forearms on the porch railing looked out into the inky Wyoming night. What moon there was hid behind a cover of clouds. The endless array of stars that were visible on clear nights was also sparse. The darkness made her shiver more than the chill in the air. Vic inhaled, bringing fresh air into her lungs. Night in Philly had never been this dark or this quiet.

On one hand, the stillness here offered a reprieve from day to day life. On the other hand, sometimes it left you with only your own thoughts. In her case, that wasn't always pleasant. In the weeks and months that had followed her new found relationship with Walt, she had managed to tame most of the demons that haunted her. Time has a way of doing that. As the pain of her miscarriage had began to lessen to more of a dull ache, they had begun to speak more of the future. Their future. It was a side of him that was new to her. He had always been so fixated on the past, the future had seemed like something that was nothing more than a fairy tale.

A new restlessness has begun to take a hold of her. She'd had a taste of something only to have it snatched away. She and Sean had talked about having children in passing but had always pushed it aside because of his job or her job or some other vague reason. Being a mother had never been a particular goal of hers. Then she had suddenly been thrust into the idea of motherhood. And then it was gone. Walt could sense something in her that seemed amiss.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He had come to her one night here on this porch with questions in his eyes.

"Talk about what?"

"Whatever has you so far away lately."

She had looked out at the landscape, unsure of how to broach the subject. She wasn't sure how well received it would be. They had settled into a comfortable routine since his retirement and Cady's unopposed election to the position of Sheriff.

"Vic?"

His voice was soft. It was a voice he only used in their most private moments.

So, true to character, she had laid everything out. At first, he had been hesitant and evasive about the prospect of having a baby at his age. It was the reaction she had expected but it still hurt her. She suspected that was what had eventually turned the tide. To his credit, once he had committed himself to the idea, he seemed as much or more excited than she ever did. It had never dawned on either of them that she would have a hard time conceiving. After an accidental pregnancy, she had assumed a planned one would come easily and quickly.

It had not.

As the months wore on and nothing happened, it became clear it would not come easy.

Secondary infertility was what the doctor had called it. There were options. There were procedures. Vic had shaken her head at the prospect of medical intervention.

In the end, he had pulled her tightly to him.

"I love you, Vic. Nothing will change that."

She had nodded. She knew that.

They had moved on more or less. At night, she still thought about it sometimes. She heard a creak behind her and turned. He stood in the cabin doorway with concern etched into his face.

"Is everything okay?"

His voice was heavy with sleep. She nodded.

"Yeah. Everything's fine. Go back to bed."

He joined her at the porch railing.

"Can't sleep?"

"Just feeling a little restless tonight. I didn't want to wake you."

They stood in silence for a few moments listening to the sounds of the night.

Walt was all too familiar with sleeplessness. He had self medicated with beer for years. In their time together, he had noticed that it came and went with her. There had been a great deal of upheaval and change in both their lives. He was hopeful that finding a routine and rhythm would relieve her of the burden. His hand found hers in the darkness. She glanced down at the contact. He gave a light pull.

"Let's go to bed."

She relented and allowed him to lead her back to the bedroom. Settling in next to him, she waited for sleep to come. Walt drifted off quickly, one arm draped over her. His presence was always comforting. She had just began to feel sleep overtake her when her phone vibrated a single time. Her head perked up and she saw a text notification. Curiously, Vic reached over and pressed the message. Two words appeared on her screen. She furrowed her brow at the two simple words.

"I'm coming."