"Cady? Can you take a look at this?"

Mandy pointed to her computer screen, nervously waiting for her mentor to review her college application. Cady nodded and went to her desk, leaning over the young woman's shoulder as she read the essay she had written.

As she finished, she cleared her throat, emotion clogging it for a long moment. Blinking rapidly to clear the tears burning in her eyes she stood straight and smiled brightly down at Mandy.

"They'd be crazy not to take you," she assured the younger woman.

"Really?" Mandy asked hesitantly, "I don't…my grades weren't that great and I don't have a lot of experience…"

"You have better grades than a lot people I went to high school with and they got into college just fine," Cady assured her, "And as far as experience, what do you call working here for the last year?" she demanded lightly, lifting a teasing brow.

"I…yea," Mandy nodded uncertainly.

Cady dropped a hand to her shoulder and nodded to the computer screen, "Submit it. Then forget about it until you hear. There's a waiting room full of people that need legal assistance and just a few of us to help them," she reminded the younger woman.

Mandy smiled hesitantly and swallowed hard before turning back to the computer staring at the SUBMIT button for a long few moments before she clicked it and exhaled sharply. Cady squeezed her shoulder and grinned, "Come on, lets get through the rest of the day and then celebrate," she mused, eliciting a sharp grin from Mandy.

They went out to the waiting area of the legal clinic and Mandy helped an older woman to her feet, guiding her into the storage room that had been converted into a small second office for the two other lawyers that had joined Cady's practice.

Cady smiled at the people waiting for legal aid, her heart warm. This wasn't just a job for Mandy, it would help propel her future and it would give her the chance to help her people.

Someday, this would be theirs, together.

February 2017

It was almost Valentines Day and the Red Pony was decked out to reflect the oncoming holiday, garlands of hearts and cupids hanging everywhere.

Mandy gagged playfully at the sight and rolled her eyes at the multitude of couples surrounding them as they waited for their celebratory meal.

"Not your favorite holiday?" Cady mused playfully, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"It's so fake. It's just an excuse to force people to be happy and declare to everyone that they're so happy in their relationship. I mean, come on, if you're really happy people can just tell," she argued waving a hand towards Cady, "Like you and Mathias. People know you two are happy and you don't go running around declaring how desperately in love you are. In fact, you're one of the few couples I don't mind being around," she confided.

Cady grinned and leaned forward, "Well, I appreciate that we make it easy for you," she teased. Her fingers played idly with the engagement ring hanging around a chain on her neck. When she had first put it on there Mathias had stared, brow furrowed, silent.

She had carefully explained that she wanted to take her time telling people, starting with her father and Henry, and his family. They had cleared those hurdles in the first two weeks and from there mutually decided to tell people as it felt right.

Since then, she hadn't told anyone else, but now, with Mandy leaving for college in the fall, she wanted to.

"So, uh, speaking of Mathias and I," she murmured hesitantly.

"Oh god, did you guys break up?! What the hell?!" Mandy cut in, wide eyed.

Cady smiled and shook her head effusively, laughing softly, "No, no. The opposite actually," she murmured, lifting the ring up for Mandy to see.

The younger woman's eyes went even wider if that was possible, darting between the ring and Cady's face, mouth open in an O of surprise.

"OH. MY. GAWD," she breathed, surprise washing away in a tide of joy. She launched out of her chair to knock Cady back slightly with the force of her hug, squealing and laughing. "Holy shit! This is so awesome!" she laughed, breathless with excitement.

Cady laughed and hugged her back, patting her shoulder so the younger woman would release her. When Mandy had settled back into her chair she grinned and leaned forward, "So, since I'm sort of your adopted sister and I'll need to know the traditions of the tribe before we make it official and all, will you be my maid of honor and tutor?" she asked hopefully.

This time Mandy teared up and nodded unrestrainedly, reaching out to take Cady's hand, "Of course. You're my sister, I'll make sure everything is perfect," she assured her.

"Thank you," Cady murmured, thick voiced and teary eyed.

A weight lifted off Cady's shoulders knowing that Mandy was on her side. Brandi had already agreed to share the role with Mandy if it was okay with both, and she didn't think they would have any problems moving forward.

It was gratifying to see that both women were extremely excited for the wedding even though Mathias and Cady had no idea when it would be. For now they were just interested in being together and living relatively normal lives.

"We don't have anything planned yet, and Brandi is going to be your co-maid of honor, as long as you don't mind. I don't really have anyone else but you two and I wanted you to share the role since you both mean so much to me. Without you guys I wouldn't be as welcome on the res as I am," she told Mandy.

Mandy's brow furrowed as she shook her head, "That's not true, they like you for you. For what you've done for our people, for your people now," she reminded her. "And of course I'll share with Brandi! She's gaining an awesome sister, she deserves to be a part of this, more than I do anyway," Mandy murmured with a smile.

Cady shook her head sharply, "You were my first real friend from the res when you didn't have to be, when you didn't even really like me," she said with a laugh, "We've come a long way since then and I want to honor that."

The women shared a warm look before lapsing into a comfortable silence as their food arrived. Cady had even convinced Henry to bring Mandy a beer for them to toast her college application with.

When Cady dropped Mandy outside her home she watched as the younger woman ran inside with a backwards wave and a grin over her shoulder.

A long way indeed.

Mathias watched as the new recruits to the tribal police force went through the firing range, using different caliber weapons and aiming at progressively more distant targets. Of the five new recruits, three had outstanding potential and the other two were rough—but he had hope.

For the first time in a long time, he had hope for the future.

The government had given the res a large grant to hire more officers, get better weapons and bullet proof vests, invest in new technology—everything he had been asking for for nearly a decade.

With the new bodies on the force he was spending more time training and guiding, readying the force for the day that he retired. He was especially invested with his longest serving deputy, Matthew, who would be taking his position when he retired. He didn't have a date in mind yet, but he knew he wanted it to be before he and Cady got married.

The only thing he wanted more than retirement was to actually marry her, but he knew they were in a strange transition period, still recovering from the shooting and the miscarriage. Sometimes she would wake up screaming his name, her dreams filled with choking smoke and blinding pain, desperate to find him, only to find his dead body.

His weren't that different.

But they were getting better, slowly and surely.

Once he was retired he wasn't sure how he was going to spend his days, though he had a few ideas…mostly ones that revolved around keeping his new wife naked and in bed…or on the couch, or the floor, or the shower…

He smirked, rubbing a hand over his mouth as he tried to shake thoughts of a naked and eager Cady out of his head and focus on what he might do after retirement.

He had been considering helping out the folks who needed aid getting around on the res or possibly work done on their property…sighing softly, he shook his head and turned his attention back to the recruits.

Slapping the buzzer on the wall he watched the red light blink, indicating the shooters should stop firing and lower their guns. When silence fell he nodded, "All right guys, that's good for today. I want you all to study the cold cases you've been given and the legal texts pertaining to tribal versus county versus federal law and their applications before next Friday. The only test you'll have is real life," he advised solemnly.

They men and women nodded and quickly went to work securing their weapons and ammunition. Pride filled him as he watched the recruits; they wouldn't make much and their jobs would be difficult and often thankless, but their people needed them.

So yea, he was damned proud.

Cady was waiting for him when he got home, tired and sore. She was cooking dinner, drinking wine as she hummed along to music playing softly on her phone, and he stood watching her for a minute, smiling faintly as she swiveled her hips and sang.

Setting aside her spoon she half turned and smiled at him, wrinkling her nose in delight. "Come here," she ordered softly, wiggling her fingers in a beckoning manner. He crossed the kitchen slowly and took the proffered hand, pulling her around and twirling her slowly before she came to rest against his chest with a grin.

They danced slowly through the kitchen, her cheek pressed to his as she hummed to the music, his arm firm around her waist and the scent of his cologne enticing in her nose.

"How was your day?" she asked quietly.

He sighed tiredly and lifted a shoulder noncommittally. "Good, but I don't think any of them are ready for real work yet. They've been taking soft ball cases, keeping em busy and learning on the fly like I had to, but I worry," he admitted.

"That they won't live up to your expectations?" she prodded.

He hummed in disagreement, "Nah, more that they won't be able to help the community. That I won't teach them well enough and they'll end up failing because I didn't do the right thing," he admitted softly.

Cady frowned and pulled back slightly, bright eyes worried. "You won't let them down Mathias, and you won't fail them or this reservation. You've served your people with honor for twenty years and those men and women who are following you now are going to do the same thing."

They had stopped dancing, his hands rested on her waist, holding her firmly as though he was scared she was going to slip away if he let go. Her hands cupped his neck, thumbs rubbing reassuringly over his jaw as she stared intently at him.

"You'll screw up because you're human, but Mathias, you're an amazing, wise, and capable man and those men and women are going to learn from you and be everything that this reservation needs," she assured him.

His dark eyes held steadily to hers, heart clenching painfully in his chest at her words. One of his hands left her waist to cup her cheek and he shook his head slowly, a wry smile curling his mouth up.

"I dunno how I got so lucky to have you," he murmured, eyes warm with affection.

Cady grinned and turned her chin slightly to kiss his palm, "We're both lucky," she replied softly.

With a nod he pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to her temple, enjoying the feeling of her arms tightening around his waist. They held each other for a few minutes until she pulled away regretfully, the pasta sauce needing attention.

Mathias leaned against the counter and she smiled over at him, "I told Mandy today, she was really excited."

"I'll bet. If it wasn't for her, I probably wouldn't have gotten my head outta my ass and we wouldn't be together," he told her with a wry grin.

"Oh?" she commented lightly, brow rising.

He chuckled and took her wine glass, sipping at it thoughtfully. "She told me that you had feelings for me and were open to listening, so I started sending flowers and dropping by again. I knew you were mad at me for disappearing on you, but I had to keep trying."

Cady snatched her wine glass back and took a long sip, eyes warm with amusement. "Guess I should thank her then," she murmured with a soft laugh as she moved into his arms once more.

As his arms went around her waist, hers curled around his neck, eyes hooded as his hands slipped down to cup her ass. The kiss tasted of wine and tomato sauce, her tongue peppery and hot against his.

He pulled her hips against his, a low rumble of pleasure vibrating through his chest at the delicious friction. She gasped faintly and dug her fingers into his shoulders, kissing him with abandon.

Loud knocking at the front door pulled an annoyed groan from Mathias's throat, his fingers tightening on her waist as she attempted to pull away.

"Don't," he growled against her throat, nipping softly so she whined and rolled her hips into his.

When the knocking occurred again she pushed gently at him, "I gotta," she whispered. He dropped his head to her shoulder and sighed in a put-upon manner before letting her slip away.

Cady straightened her shirt and hair as she ran to the door, hoping she didn't look too ruffled. Pulling the door open, she smiled warily at the two people hovering on her front porch, their breath puffing in the cold February air.

"Can I help you?" she asked warily.

The woman stepped forward and offered her hand, "Ms. Longmire, I'm Ellie Black and I'm with the Democratic National Committee. This is my colleague, Jason Brand. May we come in?" she asked politely, a pained smile on her face as the wind whipped.

Cady nodded and stepped back, "Please." Mathias was standing in the kitchen doorway, watching them with a faint look of concern furrowing his brow. She smiled softly at him and then turned her attention to their two guests.

When their jackets had been hung and shoes laid near the door she offered them glasses of wine before ushering them into the living room, lowering the heat on the sauce until it was barely simmering.

Mathias wrapped an arm behind her on the couch, his hip pressed to hers as Ellie and Jason sat across from them by the crackling pot bellied stove. "So, what does the Democratic National Committee want with me?" Cady asked nervously, fingers wrapped around her wineglass tightly.

Ellie and Jason shared a look before she leaned forward and smiled, "I don't know if you're aware, but mid-terms are a little over a year away. We're seeing a huge groundswell of support for liberal candidates, especially candidates of color, females, and LGBTQ. The response to this administration has been…" she hesitated for a moment and then grinned, "strong."

Cady nodded; she knew of many people who had voted for the current President, and many more who hadn't. It hadn't surprised her that the man had been elected, but it had disheartened her. So, with a careful lift of her brow, she asked, "What does that have to do with me?"

Jason leaned forward, "Cady, we want you to run for office. There's a seat opening up in the mid-terms and with the support you have in Washington, you can win," he assured her.

There seemed to be a rushing noise in Cady's ears, she shook her head minutely, trying to dislodge it.

"I…" she trailed off, unable to find the words.

Jason and Ellie shared a look and Jason cleared his throat, drawing Cady's gaze back to him. "Cady, I know this is a lot, but we think you can do this," he told her gently.

"Why?"

The question came from Mathias, and both political talent scouts looked confused for a moment.

"Why do you want her to run? Because she's a woman and that's what you need? Because she's liberal? Because she's smart? Or because she got shot and has a good story?" he challenged.

Cady inhaled sharply at that, her hand on his thigh gripping tightly. Was that why they came?

Ellie shook her head, a frown turning her lips down. "No sir, we're here because we've heard of the work Cady has done fighting Halcyon and serving as legal aid to the reservation. Her work at the BIA and in this region has also brought attention to her name and speculation is that she would be a strong contender for the seat. The facts of her shooting and her political stance are items on a list, neither of which are more important than anything else on it. If Cady doesn't want to run, we'll accept that."

Cady cleared her through and Ellie's eyes flashed back to her eagerly. "When would I have to decide?" she asked quietly.

Ellie was clearly fighting a smile and nodded, "We'd need to know by May. After that we have to jump into the election and get fundraising and campaigning."

Cady turned to stare at Mathias, her eyes wide and fearful. His hand covered hers and squeezed gently, nodding at her once before turning his gaze to the man and woman eagerly waiting for a response.

"We'll let you know by May."

They took business cards from Ellie and Jason, setting them aside in favor of dinner. The meal was quiet that night, both of their minds heavy with thoughts of the future. That night they lay side by side in bed, staring up at the ceiling, hands entwined between them.

"What do we do?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.

Mathias stared at the ceiling and sighed, turning his head to look at her. "We make a decision by May."

Cady grinned ruefully, "Right. Pro/Con list it is," she murmured before rolling over to press her backside against his hip. Mathias smiled and took the hint, turning to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer.

His lips pressed against her neck with a soft sigh, eyes closing in exhaustion.

"I love you Cady," he whispered, "just in case you were wondering."

She grinned in response and tugged his hand at her waist up to press against her sternum so he could feel her heart beating. "I wasn't. But I love you too," she murmured, sighing in contentment.

AN: Hey all, so sorry I didn't post this update last night, I've been home sick with a bad head cold and some pretty severe back pain (might be a disc issue, not sure yet) so I was pretty knocked out on muscle relaxers, pain killers and cold medicine (it's a party! lol not really. I fell asleep at like 9). I'm hoping you enjoy this chapter and the prospect of Cady running for office! Hit me with your best campaign slogan and it just might get used! thank you as always for reading and commenting, I can't wait to hear from you all as we approach the end of the story. We've got four regular chapters left and then the epilogue-with a special note from me at the end! Happy International Women's Day!