Author's Note:

It is said that 'patience is its own reward'. Needless to say, this chapter is for ALL of you that follow me, but it is also a little gift to one fan in particular. A fan that I like to think of as a friend and one of my biggest supporters. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE:):) and I do so appreciate your encouragement and support! To all of you that read and follow my stories, I send hugs, good thoughts and GIGANTIC thanks! You all are the GREATEST!:):).

Update October/2016...Life is complicated and so is this story, but yes, I'm still working on it!:)

CHAPTER 2

I ended my call with Walt and turned to smile at Henry, a little red-faced, but I don't think he'd heard our conversation. Still, just talking to Walt made me…warm and it showed. Henry might not have heard the conversation, but he got the gist of it just by looking at me. I couldn't hide the goofy grin.

"I take it Walt is on his way home?"

"Yeah, he is! I was kinda hoping, but didn't really expect it. He just caught me a little off-guard is all."

Right, Vic, babble away like a giddy teenager! Keep hugging your cell phone to your chest like some love-struck groupie! How mature of you to fall under the spell of a day you always used to scoff at. Just because it was Valentine's Day, just because Walt was coming home on this particular day. Just because the mere sound of his voice made you weak. Just because the thought of kissing him, touching him made you breathless…Get a grip, girl! Henry didn't want to see you melt in to a puddle at his feet.

"Uh…um, are we done here? Is everything ready? I know we weren't expecting this…"and I held my cell phone up, indicating Walt's surprising call.

"Everything is fine, Vic. No need to worry." Henry smiled softly at me, telling me without words that he understood my silly, immature behaviour.

I loved all of Henry's smiles and the way he gave them so freely. I just had to go and give him a little peck on the cheek for being his accepting, forgiving self.

He always blushed whenever I gave in to that impulse. That's what made it so much fun to do. Henry liked to think he had the stoic look of a drug-store Indian, but more times than not, his emotions were plain to see on his face.

He hugged me quickly and then held me at arm's length, looking down at me.

"I am so happy that Walt will be here with you on your first Valentine's Day together. It is as it should be and so is his little surprise."

"Do you think he'll like it, Henry? I mean, it's hardly romantic…"

"But necessary. You are the practical one in this relationship, Vic. Walt could use some of that as he is overly romantic. If it were up to him, you would survive on love, which, while a nice thought, is not always conducive to getting things done."

"I guess that depends on what you want done," I just had to throw out there. We both laughed.

Walt - a romantic. I'd always known it, maybe not right from the start, but as time had gone on and I'd spent more of it with him, it became clear what a softie he really was. That was the amazing thing about Walt; you had to get to know him to REALLY know him. And he had to get to know you, before he'd let you in, and boy, did he ever take a long time getting to know someone! I thought I was going to be old grey and half dead before he ever said he loved me...

Of course, he'd been the first one to say it. At the time, it had been the LAST thing I'd wanted to hear from him...

I moved away from Henry, my smile fading a bit.

"Do you think we can ever really make up for the mistakes we've made, Henry?" I asked softly, absently fiddling with the other present I'd made with my own klutzy hands for Walt. For us.

"I BELIEVE that if the intention to right our wrongs is strong in our hearts, then we can overcome anything. We can change everything."

He came up behind me, rested his warm hands on my shoulders.

"All the bad times are behind you, Vic. You gave them up to the Fire and The Great Spirit. Ma'heo'o saw your sacrifice and smiled down upon you…and Walt. Both of you are in Harmony, the Thunder and the Lightning are together now, as they were meant to be, as they always will be. There is no Thunder without Lightning and so there is no Walt without you and no you without Walt. You two are The Storm. The calm before it and the calm after it. It is how you will live your life, together. You were meant to BE."

I felt silly tears sting my eyes at Henry's words. I tried to hold them back, but they betrayed me and fell from my eyes anyway. Damn, fucking emotions! It seemed that I was always near to tears these days. I dashed them away and turned to face Henry, the present held absently in my hands.

"You spout such stupid shit, Henry! If you're so wise and wonderful, why are you here instead of being out with YOUR true love?"

Don't know why I said that when Henry had painted such a beautiful picture of me and Walt with his soothing words. I honestly did feel that Walt and I were thunder and lightning, all wrapped up in each other. The first time I'd ever heard him speak, I heard the Thunder and he surely had seen my Lightning. He's seen a lot of it over the years.

"I am here because you needed my help. You should have asked for it in the first place, Vic. I cannot deny you anything. You are my brother's woman, his he'e. When he cannot be here for you, then it becomes my job to be here and my pleasure."

Lucky for me, Henry didn't seem to be offended by my lame attempt to lighten the mood. Lucky for him that I didn't take his words as being sexist! He just carried on being profound. Wise and wonderful. Simply Henry, and bound and determined it seemed to teach me acceptance and some Cheyenne words as well. So far, I was pretty useless at it, mostly with the language, that is, but he always kept trying and so did I, with both things. I saw a glint in his eyes and the beginning of a smile tugged at his lips before he spoke again.

"All that being said, helping you is not the only reason I am here. I am having some difficulty determining which one of my current lady friends IS my true love."

"You are such a fuckin' player, Henry!" I laughed, letting go of the present with one hand to smack him in the chest; my signature move.

"When are you EVER going to settle down with ONE woman?"

"Perhaps when the right one comes along?" and then he laughed, too.

I loved seeing and hearing Henry laugh. His whole face lit up, his eyes sparkled. His laugh was infectious. It was almost as good as hearing and seeing Walt laugh, REALLY laugh. In Walt's case, it was a rare and beautiful gift that he shared only with the ones he loved. With Henry, it was just who he was; free and at peace with his world.

"I'd like to see you with a woman of your own, Henry." I was back to being serious.

"One day, maybe. Maybe not. I am open to the possibility, but not living for it. Na'pe'vetano, I am happy with the way things are, Vic…and you…You are happy, too, despite your tears."

I should've known he'd seen them! That soft smile again. Those deep, dark eyes…

I looked down quickly a little embarrassed, AGAIN, trying to find a way to tell him just how happy I was. Instead, I found myself choking up, both hands back to fiddling with the delicate thing in their grasp. Damnit! What the hell was wrong with me?

Henry's hands found my own.

"Real happiness can be a bit overwhelming," he said softly. He took the present from my hands and held it up, examined it.

"I believe you will have little need of this. I do not foresee any bad dreams in your future or Walt's…"

"It's a stupid present, isn't it? I should've just bought him a new knife or something!"

"No, Vic. That is not what I meant. This Is an exquisite dreamcatcher and you made it with your own hands. Walt will love it."

"You helped, Henry!"

"I simply told you the story of the dreamcatcher. You are the one that collected the feathers, the beads, all the little things that went in to this to make it uniquely yours and Walt's. YOU are the Creator of this beautiful thing. I simply meant that I do not think there will be many bad dreams for it to catch."

"There's always bad spirits roaming around, though, or so you say!"

"They are out there, never doubt it. It is always best to be prepared, but as you created this, so will you and Walt create the world you want to live in. The world where you both belong. Moving in here with him was a good first step."

I blushed. I actually blushed when he brought that up. I looked around the cabin, feeling as I had so many other times, that this place really was my home. Through his honesty with me, Walt had excised Martha's ghost. This poor old cabin had been only half done for so long, but after that night, EVERYTHING changed. Walt actually got around to finishing the kitchen so now the cupboards had doors on them, and he had a plan for putting some real stairs and railings on the front porch! Too cold in the winter months to actually do the work, but he kept himself busy with his drawings, done in clean, crisp lines, so like his writing. He kept saying he was going to put a proper shower in, but work and the fact that he'd actually managed to put in a 'guest' bathroom of sorts where the washer and dryer were, kept getting in the way. I'd helped him with that, Henry, too. Much nicer for guests to use the bathroom without going through the bedroom

Slowly but surely, the place was being transformed even if most of it was just on paper for now. Every step of the way, he asked my opinion. We were going to make this place OUR home. No more ghosts. No more holding back. No more secrets between us. Nothing but me and him and the connection that had always been there. The connection that Henry said would always be there. The connection that I felt so strongly, no matter where he was, the way I was feeling it now.

The last step, in Walt's mind, was for me to move in. My house, which I'd rented out after the divorce had finally sold. The lease on the apartment I'd moved into was almost up and after everything we'd gone through, what was the point of being apart? Walt's mind and my mind had been totally in synch on this idea! We'd had it all planned out and then Montana had called. I'd stuck to the plan. Just one thing I HAD to do, though

The very last step in MY mind was to finish that damn shower and that's what I'd set about doing. Had hired a contractor to do the job, but the job he'd done was so totally wrong.. I'd called Henry to help me fix it up, make it less modern and more rustic. Since it was done on time, it was one of my presents to Walt, for Valentine's Day. Yeah, I sucked at 'romantic', almost as much as I sucked at learning Henry's language, but I thought Walt would enjoy having one thing crossed off his 'to-do' list. At least, I hoped so.

There was one redeeming little present I had for Walt, though. It was safely tucked away in a dresser drawer. Henry didn't know about it. Didn't need his opinion on it. According to Walt, when it came to ALL things sexy, I was da bomb! Yeah, like he wasn't?

I didn't think that Walt would ever get used to thinking of himself that way, but I did my best to keep reminding him, which was so much fun. At least I had one thing for him that I KNEW he'd enjoy. We both would.

That and a nice supper. Better get moving on it! Walt would make it in under two. That didn't give me much time!

"Henry, thanks so much for helping me with everything, even this." I held up the dreamcatcher. I couldn't believe I'd made it. It was beautiful. Yeah, hard to believe I could make something so delicate and not screw it up, but maybe there was hope for me.

"You're staying for supper, right?" I was a little hesitant about that, what with Walt on his way. Still, it had been the plan. After all his help, I'd felt Henry deserved to have someone else make him a meal for a change. "I'm sure Walt would like to see you…"

"I had been wondering how to break this to you. If Walt were not on his way back, I would definitely stay for dinner, but since he is... Well, there is a certain someone and a certain somewhere else I could be." Sweet, Henry was blushing again!

"You dog, you!" Again with the chest slap but this time, it was more out of relief. He laughed. "You were going to ditch me anyway?"

"I was going to stay, honestly, but since Walt is coming home…" he shrugged. " Besides, he will only be interested in seeing you! He would be somewhat disappointed to find me here and then he would be awkward…"

"And then he'd stammer and yeah, that would kind of ruin the mood, wouldn't it?"

We both laughed

"Alright, Henry, go see your mystery woman".

"I will. Enjoy your evening, Vic. Tell Walt I will see him later in the week. Your man, hetane, is coming home to you."

He bent slightly to give me a kiss on the cheek. I grabbed on to him, to hug him to me. Again, those damn tears filled my eyes, spilled over on to the collar of his shirt.

"I don't know what's wrong with me these days, Henry." I gave a little laugh and stepped away from him. "Must just be tired from all the working and moving, I guess…"

"Me'esevotse," Henry replied with that little smile of his, knowing he'd said something I didn't understand at all. I'd never heard that particular word/phrase before!

"Is that your Cheyenne way of telling me I should get some sleep?" I teased.

"I was simply telling you that you better get some sleep while you can. You and Walt both."

No, that's NOT what he'd SAID. I could tell by the gleam in his eye. That word,'me'esov-whatever' had more to do with NOT sleeping. I think he'd just pulled a fast one on me, but I wasn't one hundred percent sure. He was definitely enjoying himself, though and taking advantage of my not understanding. Didn't quite know how I felt about that. Sometimes, Henry was just too damn' mystical' for me!

But I loved him anyway. I'd learned to embrace that gushy word in the last little while. It was a good word once you actually convinced yourself that saying it wouldn't totally end your world or cause you to end someone else's. Oh, the things I'd learned in this strange new year!

"Oh, we'll get some sleep, eventually!" I teased, just in case Henry had been talking about what Walt and I were going to do the moment he walked through the door. Okay, maybe supper first and then, y'know…It had been a long week without him.

"I hope so, for your sake." He turned up the collar on his jacket and moved to the door.

I threw on a sweater and stepped out on to the front porch with him. The last few weeks had been strangely warm, but there was a real chill in the air now. The sun was just going down. The sky was on fire. Every shade of red imaginable streaked across the sky.

"It's so beautiful," I whispered in awe.

"Yes, it most certainly is," Henry agreed quietly, "but there is a storm coming…"

"Can you smell it, feel it?" I asked, preparing myself to be amazed by more of that mystical intuition of his.

"No. I can see it in those dark clouds moving in!" He chuckled. I groaned.

Oh, yeah, he could be as funny as Walt sometimes!

Walt. He was coming home and I was here waiting for him. There was no better feeling in the world, not yet, anyway. Couldn't stop thinking about how good it was going to feel to put my arms around him, rest my head on his chest and all that would come after that first hug…

"Henry, thank you. Nia'ish. Did I say that right?" He took one of my hands.

"You did and you are most welcome. Get inside now before you get cold." He gave my hand a squeeze.

"Walt should be ahead of the storm and here before you know it. I stacked more firewood at the end of the porch, enough to last the night, so go on in, get ready, test out the new shower or the tub if you prefer and do not worry about anything, Vic. He will adore your presents, just as he adores you."

This time, I managed to hold the tears back. Even managed to smile. I gave Henry's hand a tight squeeze and then he was going down the log-rounds that passed for stairs, getting in his truck and pulling away.

I spent a few more moments lost in the sunset, thinking it was one of the most beautiful ones I'd seen. Wondered if Walt was seeing it too. Thinking that he probably was started the tears again.

"Fucking Valentine's Day" I muttered with a slight smile, knowing this was going to be the best one of my life.

It had to be the day, the thinking about it while I'd worked on Walt's presents, the missing him, his phone call telling me he was on his way to the place where his heart was. Those seemed like good excuses for me being such a blubbering wuss lately. Good enough, anyway.

If I got my ass in gear, maybe instead of a quick shower, I'd be able to lounge in the new 'old' claw foot tub Henry had found for me; that would be nice. Sprinkle some sweet smelling oil in the water, relax a little. Dream about the things I wanted to do to Walt between the fresh new sheets I'd bought. That thought, strangely enough, made me think of the other little touches I'd added to the place.

New cushions for the couch, new curtains on the window, a nice mat in front of the door. Those and a few more little extras that Cady had helped me with. I'd picked most of the things out myself and she'd helped me carry them to the truck. We'd ended up having lunch and a good day together. The two of us actually getting along was also another wonderful gift the new year had blessed me with.

'Blessed me with'? Flowery vocabulary had never been my style, nor the flowery feelings that went along with it. Then again, though, I'd never been so in love with the life I'd been living as I was now…

With one last look at the sunset, I turned and went back inside to get everything ready. I had less than two hours and a lot of things to do.

Walt was coming home. I felt my grin turn in to a big old smile. Probably a dopey smile. Whatever. Walt was coming home.

To me…