"I wish you didn't have to go," Cady murmured, frowning faintly. Mathias sighed and pulled her tighter against him, his back resting on his vehicle. Her fingers wound around the panels of his jacket as she leaned into him, her eyes averted so he wouldn't see how disappointed she was.
"I know Red, but I've gotta get back. I don't wanna leave the res alone for too long," he told her, running his hand over her hair as she snuggled into his chest. "I'll call you when I can, don't worry," he told her softly.
She snorted and shook her head faintly, "Fat chance of that," she murmured.
Mathias smiled sadly, gently pushing her away so he could meet her gaze. "I promise I'll stay as safe as I can," he told her, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek.
She sighed softly. She didn't want to make him feel worse about having to go and do his job, she simply worried about his safety.
Nodding, she leaned in and kissed him softly, breathing in the mint on his tongue and the scent of tobacco on his skin. Mathias sighed against her mouth, his nose brushing against her cheek for a moment.
"You've gotta stop smoking," she murmured softly, smiling weakly.
He sighed in a put upon manner, but smiled warmly at her, "I'll do my best," he replied softly.
"Good, I kinda want you around for the future old man," she teased, eyes bright with laughter as he scowled playfully at her. Her gaze dimmed as she stared at him and she struggled not to let her concern wash over her face.
"Try not to get hurt while I'm gone, will you?" she murmured, reaching out to brush her fingers over the remnant of a bruise on his cheek.
He nodded and ducked his chin, squaring his jaw against the flush of emotion filling him. He hadn't had anyone to care about his well being in a long time—other than his family that is. When he glanced back up at her his eyes were shadowed and his lips were pressed together firmly, trying to keep his thoughts captured inside.
They stared at each other for a long time until finally Mathias smirked ruefully and shook his head, "You're somethin Red," he murmured, his eyes warm with affection.
She looked back at him with the same intensity and before he knew it she was kissing him, strands of red brushing his cheeks as her fingers curled around his neck, splaying against his jaw. Her kiss was rough and unsteady, her breath huffing against his cheek when she pulled back, eyelashes fluttering against his skin in a strangely erotic sensation.
"Let me know when you get back," she breathed, her lips trembling into a half smile as he nodded and squeezed her hip before she stepped back, allowing cold air to rush between them. He took one last long look at her before sliding into the vehicle and pulling out of the parking spot.
Their eyes met and he smiled sadly when she waved—a small, abortive gesture from a hand tucked against her throat, as though she was straining to keep some emotion or noise in. He glanced into his rearview mirror and nearly turned around at the sight of her, hand covering her face.
Instead he steeled himself and pointed the vehicle north; he had a reservation and a tribe of people counting on him. He'd see her again soon enough.
November 20th, 2016
"There's someone here to see you boss."
Mathias looked up from the stacks of files and paperwork on his desk, frowning deeply in concentration. One of his deputies was hanging around the frame of the door, giving him an expectant look and after a moment he realized the man was waiting on his reaction.
"Yea, yea, send em in," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his face as the man disappeared. A moment later Aisha Littlewolf was entering his office, casting an obviously nervous look over her shoulder.
The door shut behind her and she hesitated a moment before taking a seat in the chair across from him. He remained silent, his gaze running over her, noting the new and fading bruises scattered across her skin like some kind of sick constellation, mapping the abuse she endured.
After a moment or two she breathed out slowly and he saw her shoulders drop, her mouth trembling before she lifted her gaze from where her hands twisted in her lap.
"He's going to kill me," she told him in a voice barely above a whisper.
Mathias didn't refute her; he gave a short nod of his head, accepting her belief. "What do you want to do?" he asked, leaving the decision with her.
Her breath shuddered out and she twisted her hands together before replying, "I want him gone. I can tell you about the stuff happening on the res and at the casino," she told him, her voice firmer.
Mathias frowned, "What's happening at the casino?" he demanded softly.
Aisha hesitated and then swallowed hard, lips pressing together as she shook her head, "I need to know you'll protect me," she told him, "Anton can't know I'm helping you; he'll kill me," she reiterated.
He thought about it for a moment and then nodded slowly, "How are you going to explain being here?" he asked.
"I'm reporting a noise I heard outside our home last night while he was working and I was home alone. He said it was just raccoons but when I went outside I saw a man in the shadows watching the house," she replied, her voice surer with each word.
"Is that true?" he asked, shuffling through his papers in search of a form for her to fill out.
Her smirk was lightning fast and dark, "Unfortunately, it is."
Mathias nodded and began filling out the form, asking questions as he did, getting as much information as he could before he had her sign it and scanned it into the computer, sighing as the system slowed to a crawl, processing the data.
He grabbed a notepad and glanced up at her, "Tell me everything you know," he ordered gently and then bent his head, writing furiously as she spoke.
When he had filled two pages with notes, her voice trailed away and he glanced up to find her frowning at her phone.
"I have to get to work in an hour. I need to…get ready," she murmured, edging around the issue of her bruises.
When she rose Mathias followed and held out a hand to stop her, withdrawing it as she flinched. "I think…if you contact Cady Longmire from the free legal aid clinic, she'd help you with divorce papers and a restraining order," he told her softly. "I can call her and ask if you want," he offered.
She stared at the ground for a long time before nodding slowly, "I would appreciate that Mathias. Thank you," she murmured.
He came around the desk and opened his door for her, watching as she scurried out and walked quickly down the hallway, her head bowed under the gaze of his deputies. He remained staring, thinking, until his phone rang and he turned back to answer it, shutting the door once more.
The Feds had been splitting their time between Walt and Mathias, gathering as many details as they could for the case before they headed back to the Casper office, leaving just Mathias and his deputies to handle the chaos that was slowly swallowing the reservation.
An icy rain pattered down, turning the snow to slush and the roads black with ice.
Mathias hated being out in this kind of weather, but he had no choice. Two of his deputies were recovering after being injured at yet another meth fire, and the other two were working with him to run shifts, searching for connections to the Russians and the casino.
Even with Aisha's information and the cases he and Walt were working on, he didn't have as much as he would have liked. He guided his SUV through the shitty conditions and headed for Standing Bear's home above the Red Pony.
If there was anyone who knew the secrets of the res, it would be Hector.
Bright headlights blazed behind him, drawing far closer than was safe in these conditions and he frowned, eyes flickering between the road and his rearview mirror, tracking the vehicle as it followed him, turn for turn.
As he slowed for the turn into the Red Pony its engine roared and a moment later it was disappearing down the road, leaving him with only a quick impression of the type of vehicle that had been following him.
He quickly wrote down the details before flipping up the hood of his coat and sliding out into the shitty weather.
Striding inside quickly he motioned for Standing Bear to come to the edge of the bar, murmuring quietly what he needed and a moment later they were in the older man's office.
Henry shut the door behind them and then turned to stare at Mathias, a wary look furrowing his brows.
"Have you told Cady who I am?" Henry demanded.
For some reason this struck Mathias as funny and a soft chuckle rumbled in his chest. With a heavy sigh he shook his head and sank down onto the worn couch, "No Standing Bear, I've told no one," he replied.
A sigh of relief shivered out of Henry and in a move that affirmed the weakness of his knees, he sank down in the chair behind his desk. "What do you need then Mathias?" he demanded, anger flashing in his eyes.
"I need to know if Hector has been told anything of what's going on with these Russians and the casino," he told Henry.
Henry stared at him for a long minute, his face wiped of expression, leaving Mathias anxious, wondering if the older man would refuse him. After another moment Henry sighed and nodded, "I may have something that could help you. Wait here," he instructed.
Mathias nodded and waited as the other man left the room, leaving him in a blissful silence and resting on something far more comfortable than his SUV or office seat. His eyes slipped closed and he relaxed marginally into the leather, weariness sinking deep into his bones.
It was too late for him to call Cady he decided tiredly, but if he got back to his office before midnight he'd send her a text, maybe give her a call in the morning. She had been going non-stop on the Halcyon case, leaving them scant time to call each other, let alone see each other.
He hadn't been able to visit since that first long weekend, and it wasn't looking like he would get another anytime soon.
The door opening startled him into reaching for his gun, his eyes flying open. Henry hesitated in the doorway for a moment until his hand slipped from his holster, the tension sliding from his gut.
Three slips of paper were shoved towards him and he took them, leaning forward towards the light to better read the cramped and messy script on the ripped pages. After a moment he nodded and glanced up, "Can I take these?" he asked, waving the slips of paper in one hand.
Henry nodded, "Anything to help your investigation," he replied.
Mathias stood and thanked the man, tucking the paper into his jacket pocket before heading towards the door.
"Have you heard from my niece?"
His hand stilled on the doorknob and he hesitated, wondering if Henry was going to berate him for dating Cady. The man had seemed affable enough at the Halloween party, but maybe he had changed his mind?
"A little," he admitted, "We're both pretty busy."
"Her father and I are worried for her. She's working herself to the bone," Henry murmured, sounding concerned.
"You don't have to tell me, I've tried to get her to slow down," he replied dryly, a faint smile on his face as he thought of the arguments they had had over her work schedule.
"If you speak with her soon, can you please encourage her to take care of herself?" Henry asked.
He nodded and shifted his shoulders, distinctly uncomfortable with this discussion of Cady with one of the men in her life he knew would lay waste to anyone who hurt her. He had no intentions of doing so, but still….
With a brief goodbye he slipped out and hurried back to his SUV, determined to get back to the office and finish up his paperwork so he could go home and get a few hours of sleep.
His eyes were bleary as he pulled up at his house, exhaustion weighing them down with each blink. Dawn was coming; the edges of the sky were pink against grey, letting him know the sun was just under the horizon.
Shouldering his front door open he heaved a sigh as he slipped his jacket off, hanging it as he kicked off his boots.
It took him longer than it should have to realize someone was in his home, but admittedly he had been awake for nearly two days with about three hours of sleep spread out between them.
It wasn't until she was walking out of the hallway and into the dim light of the living room, the faint light illuminating her porcelain skin and turning her hair a dark shade of copper that he realized it was her and not some Russian sent to kill him.
His hand slipped from his gun as a surprised breath slid from him in a long exhalation. Their eyes met and held, each remaining where they were for a long, tenuous moment.
A breath later and she was across the room, his arms opening for her as her own slid around his neck, her forehead pressing down against his jaw as she breathed unevenly. His hands fisted in her hair and the silky softness of her worn cotton shirt, the scent of her reaching him with each inhale.
She trembled against him and a moment later her hand slid down his arm to his hand, clenching tightly around it as she whispered. "Come to bed."
He followed her willingly, forgetting his exhaustion as her pale limbs wrapped around him, holding him close.
He knew in an instant he wasn't alone in his bed; his limbs stiffened in confusion before his eyes slid open and the sight of a mass of coppery hair on the pillow beside him sent a bolt of relief through him.
Cady was here.
Then confusion struck again. Shouldn't she have been in Casper? What had happened with her case?
Admittedly it had been well over two weeks since they had seen each other and he was happy to have her back, but it worried him. He watched her sleep, brow furrowed as he tried to determine what had brought her back to the res.
Seeing she was still deeply asleep, he rolled over and glanced at his alarm clock, scowling when he saw it was 9am. He had gotten roughly four hours of sleep, and would need to be back in uniform and at the station in under three hours.
Flopping back against his pillows he grimaced when she made a soft sleepy noise and rolled over to face him, pushing weakly at the hair in her face. Smiling softly at her he brushed his fingers over her cheek, his rough calluses catching on strands of her hair as he tucked it behind her ear.
"Morning," she croaked, smiling blearily at him.
He hummed softly, thumb stroking her temple, watching as her eyes drifted shut, a look of pleasure suffusing her face.
"Feels good," she murmured, sighing and relaxing under his touch.
He continued to stroke her brow, his other arm sliding around her waist to pull her closer. A smile warmed her mouth as she tucked her head under his chin, her slow sleepy breaths warm against his skin.
"Missed you," she hummed, her lips brushing against his skin as she spoke.
"I missed you too Red," he replied softly, eyes drifting shut. He would enjoy this while he had the time. "Somethin happen with the case?" he asked.
She shook her head faintly, "Recess for Thanksgiving. The government has been ordered to complete the land impact studies they should have done and negotiate with the tribe in good faith. If the report proves my case—which it will—" she asserted, "Halcyon will be forced to abandon its pipeline."
He ran his fingers over her back idly as he pondered what she had told him, "So how long you back for?" he asked, somewhat warily.
"Till December 10th," she replied.
"Is that enough time for their tests?" he asked.
"I don't know, but the judge was angry they hadn't completed them to begin with. He set the date short intentionally. But it works for us, because if they can't prove that either way that the pipeline would do damage, the case still gets tossed until they have actual proof from the studies that it won't."
He nodded thoughtfully, "That's good. People are going to be happy," he told her.
She sighed tiredly against him, "Maybe. Hopefully."
He pulled back slightly and stared down at her, frowning when he saw she looked nearly as tired as he did. His thumb stroked under her eye, tracing the lines of stress there. "You been sleeping Red?"
Her smile was weary and jaded, "Like a baby every night," she drawled.
Snorting, he rolled his eyes and pressed his lips to her temple, "You gotta rest," he told her softly, trying not to sound too concerned.
"I know. But this is too important to let anything slip by. Besides I have almost three weeks to rest," she murmured and then pressed her lips to his throat, mouth curling into a smile, "among other things," she whispered suggestively.
Almost three weeks since he had last held her like this. They had shared a passionate embrace and a fervor of kisses the previous night, but exhaustion had waylaid his plans to see if he could get her to make that little raspy moan when he fucked her slow and steady.
Less than three hours till he had to be in the office, and he was still exhausted.
With a disappointed noise in the back of his throat he disengaged from her and gave her a wry smile, "Trust me Red, I'm lookin forward to other things, but I've got to get some sleep before work," he told her gently.
She frowned softly but nodded, tracing a finger over his taut pectoral muscle, up to his firm shoulder and down his lean bicep. The sensation of her touch sent shivers over his skin, little fires of arousal dampening into embers beneath his skin for later.
Leaning in she pressed a kiss to his mouth softly, "Go back to sleep," she urged, "I'll go visit with Henry and Dad."
He nodded faintly and watched as she rose from his bed, walking over to her suitcase to pull on jeans and a sweater. Propping his head on his palm he watched her as she gathered her things, her smile warm when her eyes met his occasionally.
When she had dressed and gathered her suitcase she came back to the bed, leaning one hand onto the mattress, the other winding through his hair to draw him up slightly for a kiss. Her nose brushed his for a moment and she sighed softly, smiling against his mouth.
"Sleep old man, I can't have you getting hurt out there because of me tiring you out," she teased, though he heard the real warning in her tone and saw it in her eyes when she pulled back to smile faintly at him.
She really did worry about him.
Somehow it struck him more now than it had before and his throat stuck and it was a moment before he could say anything.
"You got it Red," he replied seriously, his fingers curling around her wrist lightly, pulling her hand out of his hair and around to his lips. Brushing a kiss against her palm he curled her fingers closed around it and released her hand slowly, their eyes locked on each other intently.
She nodded slowly and cleared her throat, ducking her chin and averting her eyes. He thought they might have been shinier than usual, but if they were, he didn't say anything.
He heard her pause at the doorway and turned his chin to find her staring at him.
"I'll see you later," she told him, no question in her voice; it was more an order—she would see him, or there would be hell to pay.
A smirk rose to his lips and he nodded once, "You'll see me later."
Her lips quirked for a moment and then she was gone, shutting the door behind her.
He felt the loss of her like a punch to the gut and reached out to wrap his arms around the pillow her head had rested on, drawing it against his chest, the soft scent of her perfume still clinging to the material.
Eyes drifting shut, he sighed softly, a faint smiling crossing his lips.
His woman was home.
AN: I loooooove these two...le sigh. I've only got one more chapter written up, but I'm going to work my butt off to get more done. I think I'm going to transition to twice monthly updates so I have time to write and edit between updates. I know that's a little slower than you'd probably prefer, but it'll give me time to write quality AND quantity! So thank you for all your sweet reviews, and please keep em up! I love reading your kind thoughts and I hope to hear more! Only two days till the final season is here!