"You know what this evening reminds me of?" Vic called out from the bedroom.

Walt rubbed his hand across the fogged-up mirror. "What?" he asked.

"Getting ready for the prom," she replied with a laugh.

"Prom? We're going to Omar's," he said.

"I know….but we're putting on clothes we don't usually wear. Getting picked up for the big event. Not quite knowing what to expect. I don't know, it just feels a little like we are going to prom."

Silence came from the bathroom.

"Did you get ready at your date's house before the prom?"

Vic laughed out loud. "I said it was similar…not exactly like going to prom. I also realize we aren't teenagers." Vic paused as she pulled her dress over her head.

"Who did you go to prom with?" she asked when her head surfaced.

A pause. "Peggy Campbell."

"Peggy Campbell. Walt and Peggy. I can see it. Did you ask her?"

Another pause. "She asked me."

"Really? Was she your girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"Did you want to go with her? Or were you just being nice? Or were you so overwhelmed or flustered when she asked you, that you couldn't turn her down?"

"That last option."

"You were a catch. Quarterback. Good looking. Tall. Quiet, and probably a bit mysterious. Well-mannered. All-around decent. She probably had her eye on you. I bet there was a long line of girls who wanted you to take them to the prom, and she just got to you first."

"I don't think so."

"You're just being modest. Or you were so oblivious to the attention girls gave you back then. What am I talking about…you're pretty oblivious now. One of the reasons I like you so much."

"Who did you go to prom with?" Walt asked.

"John Santori. Friend of one of my brother's. I had just broken up with my boyfriend and sworn off guys for a while, but Johnny convinced me to take him."

Walt stepped into the doorway, causing Vic to look up. A huge smile broke out on her face.

Walt looked Vic up and down, taking in her knee-length teal dress and then settling on her face. An appreciative look in his eyes.

"You look…amazing, Walt. Glad I don't have to compete with Peggy Campbell tonight."

"It's no question who would win," Walt said, his eyes never leaving her face.

Vic smiled, her cheeks slightly coloring.

"You look…I don't think I've seen you with your hair so combed and in place…since…since your party the night before the election," Vic said.

"I don't think I've seen you in a dress since that same evening," Walt returned, running his hand along the back of his hair.

Vic continued to smile as she thought back to that night.

"You were…very…easy on the eyes that evening, Walt. I remember scolding myself because I kept staring at you. Think I had a few too many drinks because of it."

"I'm the one who couldn't keep my eyes…my thoughts…off of you," Walt said. "I was supposed to be mingling…but it was you who had a great deal of my attention."

Vic smiled up at Walt, stepping closer to him.

"You were wearing that purple dress," he said quietly, almost to himself.

"You remember what I was wearing?"

A pause. "Of course."

Vic stepped up. Masked her blush by bringing her attention to his open shirt, grabbing both sides. Without looking up she focused on fastening the remaining buttons. When she finished, Walt tucked the ends of the shirt into his jeans, his eyes on Vic the whole time.

"Where's my corsage?"

"Your corsage?" Walt asked, the crease between his eyebrows deepening.

"You know. Prom. I'm your date."

"Oh. Um. I.." he started, looking down at the floor.

"I'm just kidding Walt."

He smiled, still not lifting his eyes.

"I…uh…I do have something for you," he said, sounding a little uncertain.

"For me?" Vic said, lifting an eyebrow with curiosity.

"Yeah...it's…" Walt stepped past Vic into the bedroom, and headed toward the closet. He walked in, but paused at the door.

"It's…um…it's something I got for you..." He ducked into the closet, returning with a box.

"You got me a gift?" she said, looking at the box in his arms as he approached.

"It's kind of an extension of your birthday gift. I thought now that it's cooler outside..." He placed the box on the bed, stepping back so she could step closer.

Vic leaned in, lifting the lid.

"I know how you like to drink coffee out on the porch first thing in the morning…and we tend to spend a good deal of time out there…so I thought you might like…The guy at the store said it was the warmest one I'd find. And extra big. Special ordered it."

Vic pulled the thick blanket out of the box, bringing it to her chest. Rubbing her cheek against the material as she held it close.

"I love it," she whispered, looking over at Walt. "Thanks." He smiled in return.

"Is that what time it is?" Vic asked as she glanced at the clock on the bed end table. "Cady and Henry are going to be here soon. I've got to finish getting ready."

Walt reached out, taking the blanket from her.

"We'll test it out later," Vic said with a gleam in her eye.

Walt nodded, watched as she made her way to the bathroom, and then walked out to the front room. He folded the blanket and hung it over the back of the chair, and then returned to the bedroom.

Glancing at the bathroom, Walt paused and then looked down at the clothes he had on. After making up his mind, he walked into his closet, carrying the blazer Cady had bought him back out with him. He slipped it on, and then went to the opening of the bathroom, leaning against the door jamb as he watched Vic apply her makeup. She caught his eye in the mirror, a grin surfacing as she saw what he was now wearing.

"The night just keeps getting better and better."

The moment of silence that passed between them was interrupted by a knock. The corner of Walt's mouth gave a final upturn, and then he walked out to the front room, finding Cady at the door, and Henry coming up the stairs.

"You ready for Omar's shindig?" Cady asked as Walt let them in.

"As ready as I can be," Walt responded.

"Walt's responsibility is to scowl at any of the men who look inappropriately our way," Vic said as she entered the room. "For some reason he's not looking forward to that. I think I am quite going to enjoy it."

"Wow. You both look really good," Cady said enthusiastically as Vic stepped to Walt's side.

"You too! I love your dress," Vic said, matching her enthusiasm.

"What about me?" Henry asked. "Do I not clean up well?"

"I did notice you're not wearing your usual plaid," Vic said with a laugh, placing her hand on his upper arm. "You clean up very well."

"Alright, let's get this show on the road. Omar's probably pacing back and forth wondering where his honored guests are," Cady said, her hand on the doorknob.

"I think he may only be worried that Vic is backing out," Walt said with a half-smile as they made their way outside.

Vic and Cady laughed.

"Henry, who's Peggy Campbell?" Vic asked as they reached the top of the steps.

"Peggy Campbell?"

"Yeah. The girl Walt went to prom with."

"Ah. Yes. Peggy Campbell."

"Do you mean Peggy Lawson?" Cady asked. "You went to prom with Peggy Lawson, Dad?"

"Peggy Lawson. Why does that name sound familiar?" Vic asked.

"That's Peggy Campbell's married name. She owns the bookstore on Main Street," Cady said.

"That's the Peggy you went to prom with? You left that detail out. That she works in town, not far from the office."

Walt looked over at Vic.

"It didn't come up."

Vic gave Walt a nudge.

"So I told Walt that it kind of feels like we are headed off to prom. All spiffed up."

"Oh that reminds me. Wait here," Cady instructed as she dashed over to her car. She opened the front door, reached in and then stood back up, a camera in hand.

"You can't have prom without taking the obligatory prom picture," Cady smiled as she made her way back to the steps. "Dad and Vic, let's get a picture of the two of you. We need to capture this moment for sure. My Dad…once again wearing the clothes he insisted he would never wear. Gotta get some more photographic evidence."

Walt stood, hands on hips, glancing back and forth between Cady and Vic, and then landing on Henry.

Henry shrugged and then smiled. "I am in agreement with Cady. This moment seems like one that should be documented," he said stepping off the porch steps to get out of the way.

Vic pulled Walt in close, wrapping her arm around his waist, and then looking up at him. With a glance in her direction, Walt placed his arms around her shoulders and pulled her closer. A genuine smile appearing. Vic beamed as she looked back at the camera. Cady snapped the shot.

"Can you get one on my camera as well?" Vic asked, reaching into her purse and then handing over her phone.

"Sure," Cady said, taking a picture when Vic had returned to Walt's side.

"I also want to get one of the four of us. Let's see. Oh, I've got it." Cady made her way to the side of the cabin and returned with a step ladder. She opened the ladder and placed it a few feet in front of the steps.

"Henry, get in there next to Vic. I'm going to set the timer and then step in next to Dad," she said as she looked at the screen and determined where to place the camera. When she finally had it where she wanted, she activated the timer and then made her way over to the steps, sliding in next to Walt.

"Say 'prom,'" Vic called out, causing the group to laugh just before the flash went off.

"Ready?" Cady asked as she closed the ladder and leaned it against the edge of the porch.

Walt and Vic climbed into the back seat. Henry joined Cady up front. As Walt slid over closer to Vic and closed the car door, Vic placed her hand on his knee and smiled when he looked at her.

"Walt, stop getting all handsy back here. I know it's prom, but your daughter is sitting in the front seat. She doesn't need to see you trying to get to second base."

Looking in the rearview mirror, Cady saw Walt close his eyes, drop his chin and shake his head slightly. She couldn't hold back a giggle when she glanced over at Vic and saw her wink at her.

"It's going to be a long night," Walt said.

"And we have not even talked about the dancing yet," Henry said.

Walt froze.

"Dancing. I didn't even think of that. Is Omar going to have dancing? Oh, I hope he does. Walt still needs to pay up on the bet he lost. As I said, this night just continues to get better and better," Vic said with glee.

She looked over at Walt and his still frozen expression.

"If you don't dance with me, you know Omar's going to offer to jump in," Vic said with a smile.

XX

Cady pulled her car in front of the cabin, and then turned in her seat to look back at Walt and Vic. She smiled at Vic as Walt reached out and opened the door.

"I had fun," Cady said.

"Me too. But don't tell Omar," she said as she looked up at Walt and then back at the two in the front seats. "'Night Henry. 'Night Cady. Thanks for driving."

"Goodnight Vic. Goodbye Walter," Henry said.

"'Bye Dad. Goodbye Vic."

Walt leaned down to Henry's open window.

"'Night, Punk. Henry," Walt nodded at his friend as he placed his hand on Henry's upper arm and then stepped back.

Vic waved as the car pulled away and then the two of them headed for the front steps. When Vic stepped inside, she took off her shoes and then grabbed the blanket off the chair.

"I'm going to go test this out. Care to join me? It's a beautiful evening," Vic said over her shoulder as she turned back to the door.

Walt paused. "I'll be out in a moment."

Walt walked over to the desk, pulled out a record and placed it on the turntable. When the music started he made his way to the kitchen. After pulling two beers from the fridge, he grabbed a pack of matches from the nearby drawer before heading back to the front of the cabin. Turning off the porch light and leaving the front door slightly ajar so that they could still hear the music, he stepped outside.

The light coming from the window enabled Walt to see that Vic was seated. Her legs tucked in beside her. Already wrapped up in the blanket. He stopped just before the porch glider and lit the lantern sitting on the nearby table.

"This blanket is frickin' amazing!" she said as Walt sat down beside her. He handed her one of the beers as she opened up the blanket to share it with him. Walt scooted closer and placed the blanket around his shoulders. Vic cracked open her beer and then settled back into Walt's shoulder.

They sat in silence for a little while, taking in the crisp, fall air. The shadows cast by the flickering lantern. The surrounding darkness.

"Tonight was better than I expected it to be. I had expected Omar to go all out, which he did, but I hadn't expected to enjoy myself. You've got to admit it wasn't as bad as you thought it would be. You actually seemed quite comfortable chatting it up with some of Omar's clients."

Walt nodded, bringing his beer to his lips.

"And that food was amazing. That alone made going worth it. Of course, what's discussed on this porch glider, stays on this porch glider," Vic said with a laugh. "I will never admit to Omar that I enjoyed his party. That could only lead to bad things."

"I agree," Walt said, smiling into his beer.

"I'm totally bummed that there was no dancing. Although, the number of men to women was rather uneven, so I guess that made sense. And maybe that wasn't exactly the dancing kind of crowd. I guess you lucked out, and will have to pay up on your bet another time."

The pair returned to a comfortable silence. Vic's hand landing on Walt's thigh. Walt's fingers twining in her hair. Etta James voice filterinh through the opening of the door.

After a few minutes Walt put his beer on the table next to the glider and stood up, causing Vic to look up.

"Going in?" she said, the disappointment in her voice apparent to Walt.

Walt held out his hand. Vic paused and then took it, allowing him to pull her to a standing position. Not letting her hand go, Walt took her beer from her and placed in on the table, and then pulled Vic in. He changed the position of her hand in his, and then placed his other hand at her back. He began to slowly move them, in sync with the music. Vic looked up and smiled, wrapping her free arm around him and leaning into his chest.

The two danced together, one song blending into the next. After the third song, Vic pulled back.

"I thought you didn't like to dance."

"It's not that I don't like to dance. I like this slow dancing. With a partner I want to slow dance with. I don't like being the center of attention. I don't like feeling awkward trying to make small talk with a dance partner I don't really know. But this….this is nice."

The beat of the next song picked up a little, and Walt began to move them across the porch.

"Who taught you how to dance?" Vic asked.

"My mother. She loved to dance. Of course she had to put up with my father, who, like me, was not a fan of dancing in public. But the two of them would dance quite a bit at home. Especially when they thought I wasn't around."

"Did you and Martha have dancing at your wedding?"

Walt looked down at Vic, her face coming in and out of the shadows as they moved.

"We did. At my wedding I was able to get away with doing a couple of the opening dances, and then spent the rest of the time off the dance floor greeting all the people in attendance."

"Sounds like you."

"What about you and Sean?"

"We were dancing fools. A Moretti wedding is all about food, family, music and dancing."

"I can see that. Big wedding?"

"Yep. The Morretti clan is large. Sean's family was pretty big too. Throw in a whole slew of police officers…And as the only daughter, my parents went all out. Threw quite a party," Vic said, pulling Walt a little closer. "A little different than your wedding?"

"Just a little," Walt said with a laugh.

They suddenly realized the song had ended and they had been dancing in silence.

"Do you want me to go change the record? I don't…I don't really have any of the music you like," he said.

"I like your music too," Vic said, squeezing his hand. Suddenly she stopped moving and stepped back. "I have an idea."

She let go of Walt's hand and went inside. She returned with her phone and a pair of headphones. She plugged in the headset, selected a song, and then placed the phone in the pocket of Walt's shirt. She placed one of the earbuds in Walt's left ear and the other in her right one. She picked his hand back up and stepped into him, wrapping her arm around his other side. They began to move slowly, in sync with each other and the song in their ears.

"Was a big wedding important to you?" Walt asked after a few minutes, pulling back slightly to see her face.

Vic paused before answering. "I think it was important to my parents. And weddings really seem to be less about the couple, and more about the parents. But now that they've had their big wedding…I think my brothers have had it easier. Had more control of their wedding plans than I did. By the time Michael marries, he could elope and I think my parents would be ok with it," she said, smiling into Walt's chest. "Ok, maybe not ok with it, but if that's what he wanted, I think they would give in. Or at least negotiate."

They continued their slow dance, the song switching to the next in her playlist.

"What about you? Do you wish you had eloped? So you wouldn't have had to be the center of attention at all?" she asked, tucking her head in just below his chin.

"No. I recognize the importance of a celebration with friends and family. About finding an option that works for both parties involved," Walt said into her hair.

When the song came to an end, Vic stepped back.

"Going in?" Walt asked, disappointment momentarily flitting across his face.

"This girl is ready for the final stage of prom," Vic said.

"Oh yeah, what stage is that?" Walt asked, wrapping both arms around her and pulling her close.

"The one where you find out if you're going to get lucky at the end of the evening."

"What are my chances?" he asked with a laugh.

"Let's see…due to you how hot you looked all night in those clothes…the gift that was way better than a corsage…and dancing when you didn't need to…I'd say your chances are looking pretty good," Vic said as she wove her hands in his hair.

She pulled Walt down for a long, slow kiss, and then finally released his lips and stepped back. Turning back towards the glider, Vic put out the lantern, covering them in darkness.

"I'm glad you convinced me to go to Omar's…prom. Of course, I might not admit that out loud later," Walt said. "And I'd like to discuss whether our dancing this evening can count…as my pay back for our last bet."

Vic laughed as they made their way inside. "Is that what you thought I meant when I said you'd get lucky at the end of the evening?"

"It was worth a try," he said, returning her laughter.