I hail a cab outside of the stadium. Once tucked in the back, Vic, leans in, "How come we are staying so far from the stadium?"

"Well, I figured the hotels near the stadium would be packed with potentially rowdy football fans and I thought some quiet time was in order. Should we have stayed closer?"

"Nope. How long have you been planning this?"

"Can't really, say." I look over and smile because it's true I don't know when I actually started planning it or rather when I gave myself permission to consider planning it.

Vic leans into my shoulder and we take the 15 minute ride back to our hotel.

"Deciding to take a cab to the game is genius that much I know. No parking headaches and no worrying about driving under the influence. You're one smart cookie."

The cab driver throws his shady eyes up into the rearview to cast his immediate judgment on this conversation and on me. I'm going to have to get used to the wolf check. Something I haven't had to do since Martha.

"Ok, I know things are bigger in Texas but the size of this hotel is ridiculous, Walt."

I shake my head with a closed lip smile, "What you don't like the ½ mile walk to the elevator followed by the 20 turns to get there and the lap to the suite?"

"No!"

She leans into me, "but it's quite beautiful and well the company has been exceptional so it will due."

As I put the keycard in the slot, I take note that I am doing it correctly, Vic presses her body against mine making it hard to concentrate on this simple task.

"You have a nice ass but you can't tell when you wear those baggy jeans. I like these, they fit just right."

I don't respond to her because my mind is starting to go places.

Once inside the room, Vic retorts, "Am I embarrassing you, Walt Longmire?"

"A little bit."

Vic grabs me by the collar of my t-shirt, come here, and she begins kissing my neck and ear barely reaching them.

"Hey, we have dinner reservations."

"mmm hmmm. Can't I just have you for dinner?"

I don't know what to say and return her kisses.

"Let's eat. We will need our strength later."

"Ok, that's convincing because it's promising."

Vic insists that I get showered first and I do. While she is primping in the bathroom I put on my new black 501's, my new white western shirt with a black southwest design that the store clerk said would bring out my eyes, my dress ropers and my O'Farrell. I look decidedly like the top hand. When Vic emerges from the bathroom she looks stunningly beautiful in a simple black dress, an elegant strand of thin pearls, earrings to match, and black open toe heels. "Wow, you look stunning."

"So, you like?"

"Yeah, I like. How did you fit that in your bag? Wow."

"Silly man. That's why I had you shower first I had to press out the wrinkles. It was smooched in there just in case I needed it along with my shoes."

"I want to kiss you but I don't want to ruin your lipstick"

"There's more in the tube" and she flashed that hungry smile. I kissed her gently but was making promises for later while I was doing so.

Over dinner and during the second bottle of wine Vic turned melancholy.

"What's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong. That's just it. This is perfect. I was thinking about tomorrow. You know when we leave this fantasy we have been in the past few days."

"I don't think it's a fantasy"

"You don't? Really? We can't get lost in Durant."

I stare at my fork as if it would start speaking for me and holding up my end of this conversation I don't want to have.

"Can we just….just deal with it tomorrow…I don't want to ruin our last night here."

"It's not ruining anything. It's facing reality. The reality of our situation, Walt."

I pause, take a sip of my wine, "Our reality is what we make of it. How we define it."

"What does that mean? We haven't even talked about the idea of "us". Hell, you asked me for a dirty weekend and I said yes."

"Is that what this is to you a dirty weekend?"

"No, but that's how it started, wasn't it?"

"You know better than that." I was starting to get angry but my heart told me she was upset about something else and I just needed to find out what it was. The good thing about being my age is knowing when to shut up, which in my case is quite often, so I shut up.

"Listen," she took my hand in hers, "I'm sorry. I'm being a bitch. There's so much going on in my head." I could see the glisten in her eyes and I knew if I pressed it she would start crying so I remained silent. We finished our dinner and besides the customary pleasantries didn't have much to say. This was not the Thanksgiving dinner I planned and I thought how much happier I would be at this moment at the Red Pony with Henry eating a Thankstaking dinner.

"Originally, I thought you may want to go out dancing after dinner but I think we should call it a night. What do you think?"

"Call it a night," Vic didn't look up at me but rather concentrated on her hands folded on the table. She was checked out and back in Durant as far as her mind was concerned.

Back in the room, we both changed, and for the first time in 48 hours we both put on pajamas. Vic climbed in bed after turning down the covers on my side and rolled onto her side, "Good night, Walt."

"Night"

I stand on my side of the bed and all I can think of is the rest of my life. It's as if the fork in the road is here in front of me. It's no longer a distant illusion. I have to make a choice, period.

I walk over to Vic's side of the bed and tap her bottom, "Move over", she does and I can see the tears angled down across the bridge of her nose. I sit down on the edge of the bed, throw back the blankets covering her beautiful body and pull her up to me. I wrap my arms around her feeling her soft silky hair on my face. I just sit, hold her, and let her get it out, my grip around her tightening every so often.

Eventually, I lean her away from me and look into her eyes not allowing her to avert her eyes. "Now, what is really going on?"

"Everything"

"ok"

"It's like waking up from a perfect dream, Walt, only to realize the crummy life you really have. I mean what are we going to do when we get home? I was all brave before we left not caring what people said because they were going to figure out we went away together for the weekend but you know that was bullshit because I do care and a part of me can't believe that I didn't stop myself from going."

"Are you sorry you did?"

"No, and that's the problem because I don't know what I'm going to do, what we are going to do once we get back home, this trip has only confirmed to me that I love you. It's not just a physical thing which is definitely undeniable and definitely exciting and everything I could ever imagine. Actually, I couldn't have imagined last night, " she blushes, "but it happened. Now what? We roll up in Durant like nothing happened?"

"Why can't we just go on loving each other?"

"Are you seriously sounding like a 18 year old college freshman right now? Let's start with you are Sheriff Longmire and I am Deputy Moretti."

"So"

"So. Really that's your answer"

"Yup"

"That answer isn't going to work"

"I don't see why we can't be the professionals we have always been at work. Why does one have to influence the other?"

Vic laughs loudly, "Because it already does! You already treat me differently, Walt and after this weekend you can look me in the eye and tell me it won't be worse?"

I hold my head down because I know she is right. I'm already overprotective and take crazy chances where she is concerned. I think of Chance and the circumstances that have led us to this night.

"Vic, can we have tonight together? We have tomorrow and a lifetime really to sort the rest out?"

She strokes my face with the back of her palm and looks at me as if I am a fool.

"Ok," she says, the genie giving the jester the last and final wish from the magic lamp.