Ch. 10
Walt lay on the cot looking at the darkened ceiling. He wondered if Vic had Jude yet. He hoped they were together and that they were okay. He heard the door unlocking and sat up, his feet coming to rest on the floor.
"Hello, Walt."
He grimaced.
"Bryant."
"How are you accommodations?"
The man laughed at his own joke.
"Are you here to kill me?"
"Right to the point. I like that in a man. No, I am not here to kill you. Not yet, anyway. I have people for that."
"Don't want to dirty your own hands?"
"Exactly."
"What do you want then?"
"I trust young Micah came to see you. He was most eager to speak with you."
"Yeah, he was here."
"I'm curious about something. How does it make you feel to know your wife is with another man?"
Walt could feel heat creeping up his neck and face.
"Is that all you people do is gloat?"
Bryant smiled a little.
"You've got to admit, it's something to finally have Walt Longmire where you want him. To succeed where so many others have failed."
"I believe the saying is pride goes before a fall. Something like that."
The smile on Bryant's face grew. Walt felt the impulse to beat it off his face.
"Micah won't know what hit him. He's got no experience with women. That's obvious."
"I have to agree with you there. Your wife is a lot of woman. Anyone could see that. I wouldn't have minded sampling her for myself. She's very loyal to you, though. Almost to a fault."
He knew the other man was only trying to get a reaction from him. He was determined to not give him what he wanted.
"She's the most loyal person I've ever known."
"Yet here you are and there she is."
"She didn't chose this. She's just as much a prisoner as I am."
"True. Your son is with her. He was returned to her unharmed. I told her before…I prefer not to have to hurt a child. It's almost like they're a happy family. Do you think Vic would be willing to have more children with him? I know she's not exactly young but she's still child bearing age."
Walt's jaw tightened. He wondered exactly how much this man knew. Jude wasn't planned so much as left up to fate and they had begun to wander if it were in the cards for them at all.
The camping trip had been Walt's idea. She had been lukewarm on the suggestion but he had talked her into trying it. Now, sitting in front of the fire he had built and looking up at the perfectly clear sky, she could see the appeal. Nothing would ever replace electricity and bathrooms for her, but it was undeniably beautiful out here.
They were on Walt's property, although she couldn't have found it again if her life depended on it. The spot he had brought her was perfect for pitching a tent with a nice flat area that sat close to a creek. The creek was some of the clearest and coldest water she had ever experienced.
"So?"
She glanced over at him. He looked quite satisfied that he had proven her wrong.
"You were right. It's nice. Still wish there was a toilet, though. Maybe a hot shower."
He smiled and shook his head.
"Can't take the Philly out of the girl."
"Damn straight."
He chuckled lightly and then grew quiet. Vic eyed him curiously.
"Something wrong?"
"No, no. Everything is right. That's what scares me."
"That's my line isn't it? Being scared of all this."
He lowered his eyes to the fire and watched the flames dance.
"Not anymore."
She nodded slowly in agreement.
"Not for a long time."
She had finally given up on attempting to split her time between his place and her RV back at the trailer park. Their nights apart had become less and less until she was at the cabin nearly every evening. It had been a gradual change but Walt had given her the time and space she had needed to work through her insecurities without pressure. She knew he was disappointed on nights she went home but he never said anything and he was always happy to see her when she found her way back.
For the first two months after that, the RV had sat on his driveway empty. A sort of safety net for her, he assumed. Walt knew she liked to have her independence. He, again, didn't say anything about it. The one thing he knew to be true about Vic was that she needed to make her own decisions in her own time without feeling pushed. He smiled to himself when he had come home one afternoon to find she had moved the RV close to the highway and stuck a for sale sign on it. It had sold within the month to a young hippy couple intent on seeing the west.
Now, another three months had passed and it felt like she had always been there. They had their moments, however. Walt felt out of his element a bit. His relationship with Martha had been traditional. Marriage, living together, having a family in that order. Vic challenged most of the things he had ever considered socially acceptable. She made him realize he'd been a victim of his own rules and that the world was a different place. He no longer carried the burden of being an elected official. It afforded him a sense of freedom he had never known to live his life to his own satisfaction and not be concerned about what the citizens who had elected him Sheriff would think.
He was still watching the fire intently and quietly, lost in his own thoughts. He felt her bump his arm with her elbow lightly. She was watching him curiously, edging into concern.
"What's up? You seem weird. Well…more weird than normal."
Despite her teasing tone, he could hear the questions underneath the surface.
He finally shifted his gaze away from the flames and onto her. In the orange glow, she looked more beautiful and ethereal than normal. There were times her presence took his breath away. He vaguely wondered if she had similar moments.
"I love you."
He wasn't sure what else to say except exactly what he was feeling. He wasn't the best with words. He was painfully aware of that. It had gotten him in trouble more than once in his life, including with her.
A warm smile washed over her face, along with something that looked like relief.
"I know that. I love you, too. You know that. Why are you acting so strange? Are you sure everything is okay?"
He should have known her ability to hone in on his moods would make it difficult to accomplish anything without her being suspicious. Her eyes were fixated on him and the flames were giving them an eerie hue, with more gold than normal.
Shifting his right arm, he dug into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a small box. The smile faded from her face and her eyes widened in genuine surprise. He slowly extended the box to her and waited. He had to concentrate to keep his hand from shaking. After hesitating, she took it from him and opened it. The ring was simple but beautiful. He had foregone a traditional engagement ring and had gotten a band with small diamonds set in it that could represent both engagement and marriage. He was almost embarrassed to admit how long it had taken him to pick it out.
The flames flickered off the gold. She continued to look at it and finally murmured.
"Shit, Walt."
"Is that a good shit or a bad shit?"
She burst out laughing at his question, breaking the tension he was feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Good. I mean…wow."
He breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't felt nerves like this since he had first kissed her sitting in his Bronco on the edge of a potential shootout.
"I want to marry you, Vic. I know we haven't talked about it. If you need more time…I don't want to rush you. But, I do want to marry you if you want to."
Her eyes returned to the ring. She pulled her lower lip between her teeth. He felt a growing sense of tension coiling in his stomach all over again. She pulled the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger, studying it. She turned her gaze back to him.
"How did you know my ring size?"
He shrugged sheepishly and grinned at her.
"Educated guess."
Vic rolled her eyes and then looked back at her hand.
"I would probably say yes if you actually asked me."
He could hear the teasing tone back in her voice.
"Will you marry me?"
She came as close to giggling as he'd ever heard from her.
"Yes, I will."
He let out a breath and she folded herself into his arms, pulling his face to hers and kissing him. Her weight and fore ward motion pushed him onto his back as she shifted her legs so she was straddling him. Planting her hands on either side of his head firmly on the ground beneath them, she looked down at him with an inquiring gaze.
"Did you really think I would say anything but yes?"
He smiled up at her.
"You had me scared for a minute."
Lowering herself onto him she kissed him again deeply. Suddenly he was feeling hot all over despite the chill of the night air. Pulling her mouth from his, she shifted it close to his ear and whispered, her breath warm air blowing across him.
"Want me to show you how strong of a yes it is?"
He swallowed and nodded his head, every part of him feeling alive and restless.
"Please."
It had been a little over a month later when she had gotten a positive test result on a home test. Her nerves had gotten the better of her and she had visited her OBGYN to confirm the result and to make sure that everything looked good. Once she had her projected due date, she had counted back on the calendar and a small smile had crossed her face.
xxx
Vic twisted the ring on her finger. It was morning and she had dodged a bullet the previous night. Micah had agreed to sleep on the floor while she took the bed with Jude. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to put off physical contact. He was watching her. She could feel it. Turning, she found her instincts were right. His blue eyes were settled on her intently. Jude was in the bath. The door was cracked and she could hear him playing in the water, singing some made up song.
"What?"
"You should probably take that off."
He gestured towards her left hand where she was turning her wedding band around and around on her finger, while she was lost in thought. She mentally cursed herself for calling attention to it with one of her oldest habits. Vic looked down at her hand and stilled her motions, a sense of dread coming over her.
"My ring?"
"Your wedding ring. You won't be married for much longer. Anyway, it's disrespectful to me for you to wear another man's ring. Here?"
He held out his hand.
Vic shook her head at his outstretched hand, her expression resolute.
"I'll take it off, but I'm keeping it."
"That's not really appropriate. It will just be a reminder that makes it harder for you to move on."
Her mind was churning. She couldn't imagine a scenario that involved voluntarily giving him her wedding ring.
"I'm not giving this to you just to throw away. It means something to me and it always will."
He placed his hands on his hips.
"I've done a lot for you the past day, Vic. I got you your son. You're safe. He's safe. You owe me something. I've been respectful of your wishes. I think I deserve that in return."
Vic sighed. It continuously surprised her how oddly warped his mind was. This all seemed perfectly rational to him.
"Fine. I want to give it to Walt, though."
"I can do that."
Vic shook her head.
"I want to do it myself."
He grew quiet and then dropped his arms to his side.
"Fine. I'll set it up."
xxx
"What are you doing here?"
Walt was confused by her appearance. Vic looked around the small room. She made a mental note that he was now being kept in the house and how to get down here from where she and Jude were being kept. It was information she would need.
"Nice digs."
"Not exactly a luxury suite but it has a toilet."
She smiled sadly at his attempt at humor.
"I have something for you."
Her voice was intentionally soft and low.
She slid the ring off her finger and held it out towards him. Walt looked at it and then back up to her face, his eyes searching hers for an explanation.
"Your wedding ring?"
He was sitting on his cot, looking at her with sadness.
"Vic…"
"Walt, ssshh."
She sat down next to him and took his hand. She pressed the ring into his palm and closed his fingers around it.
"I need you to keep this safe for me."
He looked down at his hand.
"Safe?"
She understood the question in his voice.
"Yes."
He tightened his grip on the ring.
"You have Jude?"
"Yeah. He's okay."
"Good. Tell him…tell him that I love him."
His voice cracked slightly and his throat bobbed as he swallowed a swell of emotion.
She leaned her face against his and brushed her lips along his jaw.
"No goodbyes. Remember."
She felt a slight nod.
"Not goodbye but just in case. Tell him. For me."
"I will."
She glanced at the half open door. Micah had walked her down here himself and refused to let her close the door all the way. She knew he was trying to hear what they were saying. She took his hand and pulled him to his feet as she stood. Walt tucked the ring into his pocket and let his hands drop to his side. Vic leaned her head on his chest and breathed him in.
"You're getting a little ripe."
Walt laughed in spite of his dark mood.
When she spoke again, her voice was so low he had a hard time hearing her.
"Hold me. Just for a minute."
Walt slid his arms around her and pulled her up against him. He felt her hands on his back. Then, he felt them slide down to the back of his jeans and partially into his back pockets before sliding back up to his lower back. After a few more seconds, she pulled back.
"I gotta go."
He nodded his head as she stepped away from him and offered him a smile.
As soon as she was gone and the door closed, he ran his hands over his back pockets where Vic's hands had wandered. He felt a small crinkle in the left one. Sliding his hand in, he felt a small piece of paper. He pulled it out and sat down on the cot.
Walt glanced at the door and then down at the paper in his hands. It was small and folded. She had clearly ripped it off of something in haste. Opening it up, he smiled. He would recognize her handwriting anywhere. Something about it was so…Vic.
His eyes scanned over it. She had only written two words. He assumed that's all she had time to write. She had more than likely done it in the bathroom to avoid Micah's probing and curious eyes. He was getting more possessive of her. That had to be giving her the same sense of urgency he was feeling. Walt looked at her scribbled message again and felt a growing sense of need for them to make a move.
"Be ready."