AN: Thanks to Sheller2 for the encouragement! It is greatly appreciated. Cheers to those who are following the story. This one's a little short, but I'll post another in a couple hours.
Ch 4
Vic tensed up when Walt lay down on the couch and nonchalantly used her thigh for a pillow. Him taking her hand earlier was surprising, but she knew he was using it as a distraction. This was different. Lizzie certainly wouldn't approve and neither would Sean. But Vic did. To hell them all! This man just confided in her and she was going to give him whatever comfort he needed.
"Talking too much gives me a headache."
She laughed heartily at his deadpan remark. Truth and humor. Once again they were at ease and she grabbed her phone setting a timer for them to be up and moving before anyone came by. She put the phone back on the sill, then started to trail her fingers through his hair. He breathed a sigh of relief and closed his eyes.
She watched over him, letting her mind process all he had told her about Martha, about Cady, about himself. She couldn't imagine the pain he went through, physical or emotional. The drive he had to make all the way to Denver, just to watch his wife die. The injuries he got later, that sounded like he confronted whoever it was that killed her and got ambushed for his trouble. She wondered why he didn't take Henry. Probably to keep him out of the kind trouble he found himself in. Now he had a detective making trouble for him. Was it some kind of vendetta or just a man doing his job?
She felt Walt getting restless in his sleep, so she resumed running her fingers through his hair and placed her other hand on his chest trying to calm him. It seemed to be working. The rise and fall of his chest returned to normal and his muscles relaxed. Satisfied that he was returning to sleep, she returned to her thoughts.
It must have been hell for him to find out about Cady and Branch the way he did. She wondered if he would hold it against her that she had figured it out but didn't tell him. He didn't seem angry at her about it, but then again he may just be keeping a lid on it. All the lies, then the fight with Cady in the office and on top of that cake, the icing that was the detective telling Cady that her mom was murdered. He didn't say much about the argument with Cady at the cabin, but it seemed to have been the catalyst for him calling her and asking to talk of all things.
Vic wondered why he decided to call her. She knew that they have been learning more about one another through work, but that was mostly one sided. Professionally, they were starting to mesh really well. She was learning to be an old school cop, because of their strained budget and because of the old school cop teaching her.
While most of her colleagues back home would probably view her job as a demotion and as a source of comedy, Barney Fife to his Sheriff Taylor, she was enjoying her job more than she ever had. She fit in with the team. She wasn't constantly jockeying for respect among all her male peers or having to fend off advances from them. Sure there was an adjustment period and Walt seemed to bristle when she used more colorful language, but they all got along and did their jobs. Well, they did until Branch started having sex with the Sheriff's daughter. And contesting him in the election. And pretty much questioning every decision Walt made trying to look Sheriff-y, which so far had mostly backfired on Branch. She wondered what Branch would do if he lost the election to Walt. Would he come back or run off to Daddy's company and play executive?
Stiff from not moving, Vic stretched out her upper body and checked her phone. There were 7 minutes left before the alarm was due to go off, so she disabled it and looked down at Walt. He looked at peace in his sleep and she hated to wake him, but she knew that was better than being caught here with her. She smoothed his hair back and rubbed his shoulder.
"Rise and shine, cowboy."