Ch. 11: take it on the other side
Vic walked into the office and paused when she saw it was empty. Setting her laptop bag on her desk, she glanced towards the coffee pot. It was mostly full which told her that someone was either here now or was earlier. She started that way with her Flyers mug with the intention of getting some coffee.
Setting her mug down, she reached for the coffee pot, but paused when she heard voices. Vic cocked her head and took a step back from the coffee pot. It was coming from Walt's office, but Walt wasn't in. She knew that for certain.
Listening, it only took her a moment to recognize the voices as Cady and Zack. They were talking in low tones, but it was quiet enough for her to hear.
"We should get back out before someone comes in."
"Yeah."
They were speaking in low tones with voices that Vic could only coin as intimate. Several alarms went off in her head at one time. The moment she noticed before when she saw a quick look pass between the two of them suddenly made sense.
They were involved.
Vic heard them coming and stepped back to the coffee pot, lifting it. There was no way to pretend like she wasn't literally standing right there, so she didn't.
She heard the pause when they saw her and looked up. Zach ducked his face and headed for his small desk. It was Cady who lingered and stared at her with wide blue eyes.
"Vic."
Vic turned and sipped her coffee.
"Good morning."
Cady seemed to snap out of her funk and nodded to her.
"Morning."
Vic took a seat at her desk and started shuffling through paperwork and files. Cady milled around, the measured steps of her boots on the floor. Vic looked up once to find Cady watching her. When their eyes met, she didn't look away. It was Vic who dropped her gaze after a moment of prolonged, somewhat uncomfortable eye contact.
The silence was broken by the door opening and Walt coming. Cady tossed another look in Vic's direction before she offered her father a smile.
"Morning, dad."
He paused just inside the door.
"Morning."
His eyes traveled from Ruby's empty desk to Cady.
"Where's Ruby?"
"She has a doctor's appointment that slipped her mind. Called this morning. I…"
There was a noticeable pause, at least to Vic, before she continued.
"…was in early."
Walt nodded and continued the trek to his office, nodding to Vic as he passed.
"Morning."
She looked between him and Cady.
"Hey."
Walt disappeared into his office and they could hear the sounds of him moving around, pulling out his chair, taking a seat. Cady hovered, her eyes on the space he vacated. Finally, she turned her attention to Vic and approached her with a trace of nerves that were obvious.
"So…what's on the agenda for today? I'll be gone for the rest of the week.
Vic leaned back in her chair, thinking. After a moment, she looked around the office and stood up slowly.
"Let's go shooting."
Cady seemed a bit surprised, but didn't voice it.
"Okay. Sure."
Vic held her up her hand and walked the short distance to Walt's office where she leaned in. He looked up when he heard her.
"Me and Cady are going to the range. Call if you need us."
He nodded, his expression somewhat unreadable.
"Okay."
With that she gestured for Cady to follow her and they left the office.
In her truck, she could sense the uneasiness in Cady. A few times, the younger woman looked over at her as though she might say something. Vic kept her eyes on the road, shaded behind the dark lenses of her sunglasses.
The ride the shooting range was short and familiar. Vic pulled in and parked, sliding from the truck with Cady following along. In her hand was a case for a weapon she was considering. It was a 9mm, similar to what Vic used.
This early, they were the only ones at the outdoor range which was fine with Vic.
"So…"
Cady finally started something approaching an explanation, while Vic checked her own weapon. Vic looked up.
"You and Zach?"
She was a cut right to the chase kind of person. She didn't require any actual confirmation. Just coming right out with it seemed like a better option than watching Cady flounder like a fish on land looking for water.
Cady nodded very slowly.
"Yeah. Me and Zach."
Vic dropped her eyes back down to her gun.
"How long?"
"Few weeks."
Vic snapped her clip in and looked back up.
"I'm assuming you didn't want anyone to know."
"No, we didn't. Not yet. That…that includes my dad."
Vic bit her bottom lip and looked away. Stepping up, she lifted her gun in both hands, aimed, and fired. The act was satisfying, shooting when there wasn't anyone shooting back at you. The feel of the gun recoil in her hands and the sounds. She fired off six rounds and then lowered her weapon.
From where she stood, she could see the neat holes that she left in the target. Cady blew out a breath.
"That's impressive."
Vic shrugged and lay her gun down on the table.
"Practice. You."
Cady nodded and started to open up the case. Vic watched her as she handled the gun slowly and carefully.
"I'm just worried that it'll affect his relationship with Zach at work. You know how he was with Branch."
She kept her eyes on her task as she spoke.
"Zach isn't Branch."
"I know. It's just…it's not serious right now. We're just…having some fun. You know?"
Vic jutted her chin at the target in the distance.
"Shoot."
Cady nodded and stepped up, donning her ear protection. Vic waited off to the side while she took aim and fired. Once she was done, Vic walked down to grab the target. When she was back, she passed Cady the target.
"You're getting better."
Cady smiled.
"Yeah."
"Reload and go again."
Cady went back to work, quiet settling over them.
Cady fired again, this time with slightly better results. Once she was done, she lay her weapon down and gave Vic her full attention.
"Please don't tell him."
Vic pressed her lips together and looked out across the range. She would be just fine not knowing any of this. It would certainly be less complicated. The one time she was actually early for work and this happened.
She looked at Cady.
"You're asking me to keep something from Walt that he would want to know."
"I know. That's…I'm sorry you found out this way. We should have been more careful."
"Yeah…you really should have."
Vic holstered her weapon.
"This is not a good position for me to be in, Cady."
"I know. I'm…I'm really sorry. I just…please, Vic. Give me some time."
Vic inhaled a deep breath and gestured at the discarded gun still lying between them.
"Let's finish up."
Cady stared at her for a long moment before she nodded and went to work.
xxx
It was unusual for Walt to find himself alone in the middle of the day. That's what was happening, though. He wasn't sure where Vic and Cady were. Maybe patrolling. Maybe getting some lunch. Vic wasn't in the habit of checking in with him on a regular basis while she was working. Not unless there was a reason behind it. Curiosity didn't qualify.
Ruby called apologetically and told him that her doctor was running incredibly late. Her appointment had been rescheduled for the afternoon and Walt told her just to take the day. It was relatively quiet so far. It was Ferg's day off and Zach had popped in to tell him he was going to grab some lunch. Walt declined an offer to have Zach bring him something.
He sat in his office engulfed in the silence that surrounded him. He was catching up on his paperwork and trying to organize his thoughts. There needed to be a smooth transition when he left office. That took planning. He would gradually slip from beneath his tasks and delegate them until the incoming Sheriff was able to take over everything.
Hopefully that was Cady.
He heard the door open and close, the sound of shoes. Whoever it was paused. Walt stood up and headed out of his office to see who was and what they needed.
The last person he was expecting to see was Donna.
Again.
She stood there looking around with a degree of uncertainty until she saw him.
"Did you run everyone off?"
It was a stifled attempt at a joke. Walt stopped several feet from her. Possibly a safe distance. Possibly not depending on who walked in.
"Something like that."
She looked around the room as thought it might be different than the last time she was here. It wasn't, of course. It seemed like stayed still in this office. At least, under his tenure. That would likely change in the coming months.
"Can I help you with something?"
He didn't know what else to say.
"Um…not really. I was in town…at the hospital…and I thought I would stop by. Are you free for lunch?"
She said the words haltingly. Walt shifted his weight from one foot to the other.
"I'm not."
She nodded, not surprised.
"I figured that might be the case when I realized you were the only one here. Have you had lunch?"
"Uh…no."
"I could…pick up something for us."
Walt shook his head at the offer.
"I…"
She didn't give him time to finish.
"Or…maybe not while you're working. Dinner maybe."
He wasn't good at conversations like these. Especially when he was caught so off guard. He hadn't heard from her since that awkward day at his cabin. He had pushed the experience to the back of his mind and pressed forward. The only reason she entered his thoughts was because of the talks that Vic was insistent they needed to have. She was right. He knew that. He had been married for a long time. He knew it wasn't good to ignore problems. Problem was, that was a usual tactic of his.
It seemed like all the women in his life, past and present, complained about that.
"I can't."
He pushed out the words. Donna studied him with the practice of someone who did it for a living.
"Can't or won't."
A clarifying question.
"I can't."
She tilted her head, her eyes still on him. The way she looked at him made him uncomfortable.
"Are you…seeing someone?"
She ventured the question with some caution. Like maybe she didn't want to know the answer. In reality, she did him a favor.
"Yes."
There it was. The truth. Part of it, at least. Her face didn't betray any real reaction. But, she was like that. It was one of the reasons he struggled so with her. As volatile as Vic could be when pushed, at least he usually knew where he stood with her. He never felt on solid ground with Donna.
"That surprises me."
He felt almost like she was baiting him and didn't respond. Classic Walt was what Vic would call it.
"You're so emotionally closed off."
Walt scuffled one foot over the floor looking for some kind of a response. All he really wanted was for this encounter to end. The fact that seeing Donna didn't really elicit any emotions or feelings was telling. The falling outs he had with Vic, the ones that were his own doing, left him feeling sick and sour.
Donna shrugged and gave him a not really there smile.
"I should go. You're…probably busy."
Walt nodded as she took a step back towards the door.
"Goodbye, Walt."
Walt dipped chin slightly.
"Goodbye."
She pulled open the door and nearly collided with Vic, whose hand was poised to grab the knob.
Walt felt his stomach lurch when the two women took each other in. He noticed the tightness through Vic's jaw almost immediately. She never really attempted to hide the dislike she held for Donna. Not even when he and Donna were seeing each other. Donna was just as guilty, though.
Donna took a step back.
"Deputy."
Vic looked from Donna to Walt and back.
"Doctor."
She stepped to the side and Walt could see Cady behind her. His daughter was wearing an expression that told him she could piece together this wasn't the best situation. Donna offered Vic a tight smile and left.
Vic stood in the doorway, her eyes following Donna as Walt heard her take the stairs. It was nearly a minute before she came into the office with Cady following. She pushed the door closed.
Her eyes stayed on him and Cady cleared her throat. The sound drew Vic's attention. Her gaze left him and Walt retreated into his office before anything could be said about the unexpected guest.
He knew there would be a conversation about it later.
xxx
Vic felt restless. She shifted in her seat, her eyes continuously drifting to the window despite the fact that Cady was wat her side and they were supposed to be working. All she really wanted to do was talk to Walt. But, this wasn't the time or the place for that. Not when the conversation was so personal.
Donna was the last person she expected to see when she walked into the office. Not much had been said about the woman outside of their conversations about past transgression. Donna's solitary visit to Walt's cabin wasn't even on her mind these days. There was too much going on for her to waste her time on that woman.
She hadn't ever liked Donna. She was puzzled as to what Walt saw in the woman. She knew the feeling was mutual. But, she never cared what people thought about her. Not those who didn't mean anything to her. She sure as hell wasn't changing that for Donna Monaghan. It didn't escape her that the doctor treated her with a disdain that equaled her own. She found the woman full of herself and patronizing. Vic hated people who thought they were better than others by virtue of occupation or education. That was the impression she got from Donna.
Still, she wanted Walt to be happy. If that wasn't with her, she would have to accept that as hard as it was. She always sensed there was something off about the relationship, though. She never voiced that to Walt. At the time, she knew it would only be met with hostility. He wasn't in a frame of mind to accept that from her.
Not then.
Vic pushed the thoughts out of her head. That was over. Turned out she was right. Walt and Donna mutually ended a relationship that never really got started. She didn't now all the details until much later. In the moment, she felt a stick of relief that made her feel just as guilty. The feeling passed, however, when she realized that Walt wasn't particularly broke up about the break up. If you could even call it that.
Outside of her conversations with Walt, she didn't give Donna much in the way of thought. Her sudden arrival at the cabin that day seemed like the distant past even though it wasn't. As much confidence as she tried to have in her own relationship with Walt, there was still a twinge of uncertainty that tugged at her. It made her mad at herself. In recent days, the past notwithstanding, he hadn't given her any reason to doubt his feelings with her.
Her doubts were just that. Her own.
"Vic?"
Vic's head turned sharply at Cady's voice.
"Hmm?"
Cady was watching her with eyes that were perceptive enough to remind her of Walt's in that moment. It made her immediately and immensely uncomfortable. Despite the fact that they worked well together, Cady hadn't cemented an opinion on the relationship between her and Walt. It was a topic that they avoided, keeping their conversations focused on work. Especially where Walt was concerned. There was no reason to change that now. There was no reason to pull Cady into their problems.
Her problems.
"Are you okay?"
Vic nodded and looked down at the work that was spread out on her desk. What she and Cady were supposed to be working on. But, her mind simply wouldn't allow it. Her thoughts wouldn't give her any kind of reprieve since she nearly walked into Donna.
Walt hadn't offered any explanation. No surprise there. That wasn't his style. Not to mention that this was not the place for it. Outside of Cady, no one here knew anything about them. This sure as hell wasn't the way for them to find out.
"Yeah fine."
Cady continued to study the side of her face.
"You know…I don't really believe you."
Vic gave her another look but didn't respond. She didn't know what to say. This wasn't a conversation that she wanted to have with Cady. Not now. Not here. Her eyes held Cady's.
"That's your right, I guess."
Cady let her eyes leave Vic's and glanced around the office. They weren't alone.
"You want to take a ride?"
The offer caught Vic off guard. There were times she still wasn't sure that Cady actually liked her on a personal level. That got along well enough. That didn't mean they were friends. Making friends was something she wasn't ever good at. Not real, true friends. Back in Philadelphia, she had plenty of what she considered friends. Now, she knew that they were more acquaintances than anything else. They were fun and offered up conversation. On a deeper level, most of them failed them to support her when she needed it the most.
"A ride?"
Cady nodded slowly, now seeming unsure about the offer.
"Yeah. You look like you could use some air."
Vic eyed her and shook her head.
"I'm fine."
She again tried to turn her attention back to whatever it was that she and Cady were supposed to be doing. Cady didn't seem interested. She continued to alternate between looking around the room and looking at Vic.
Finally, she pushed her chair back and stood up, stretching her arms up over her head. She used her hand to stifle a yawn before it dropped back to her side. After a few seconds, she reached out and took Vic by the elbow. The contact was unexpected. Vic wasn't all that accustomed to people simply touching her. It wasn't exactly the kind of vibe that she gave off.
"Come on. You're full of it. Let's…"
She used her free hand to gesture around them.
"…get out of here."
She pulled on Vic's arm. Vic was too surprised to do much more than stand up at Cady's urging. Cady grabbed her truck keys and tossed them to her.
"Come on."
Vic held the keys in her hand and hesitated a final time before she nodded and followed Cady out the door.
They were in the truck and driving up the street before Cady ventured to say anything.
"Did seeing her bother you?"
Vic glanced her way.
"What?"
"Donna. Did seeing her bother you? Or, was it that she went to see dad?"
Vic shrugged and didn't respond. Beside her, she could feel Cady sitting there and waiting for an answer. Vic kept her eyes on the road. She didn't have an actual destination in mind. This wasn't even her idea. It was Cady who urged her out here.
Cady sighed from her seat.
"Seriously? It's not like you not to have anything to talk about."
"What do you want me to say, Cady?"
She could hear the impatience in her own voice. It didn't seem to deter Cady. Maybe that was also a Walt trait.
"I don't want you to say anything. I would imagine that you would like to get a few things off your chest."
Vic huffed under her breath.
"Do you have any friends?"
Vic frowned at the utterly unexpected question.
"What?"
Cady started to reply, but Vic waved one hand at her before returning it to the wheel.
"Oh I heard you."
Cady smiled at her.
"I don't mean to imply that you don't. I…I really don't know. Do you?"
Were she being fully honest, her list of friends was short.
"Let me rephrase. Do you have any female friends?"
Vic gave the question some unnecessary thought.
"Not really."
It was an honest answer. She often didn't get along with other women very well. She always felt more at ease around men. It could have been the fact that she was raised with four brothers. Or, it could have been that her career choice was one that was dominated by men. With women, there was frequently a sense of competitiveness whether it was warranted or not.
"Figured."
Vic tossed her a look.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You…can be intimidating."
Vic nearly smiled. It wasn't the first time she had ever heard that.
"I feel like you're lawyering me here."
Cady laughed.
"I like to call it being observant. It can be hard…feeling like you don't have anyone to talk to. Are you close with your family?"
Vic sighed.
"That's a can of worms I would rather not open."
"Isn't it always. I just mean…can you talk to them?"
Vic shook her head.
"Not about what goes on out here. All they ever tell me is to move home. That's their solution for everything."
"Ah…I see."
Cady paused and grew serious.
"I know…I acted…kind of bratty when I found out about you and dad."
"Cady…"
"Let me finish. I like you, Vic. More than I thought I would."
"Gee…thanks."
Cady smiled.
"You know what I mean. You and I are…different. I just…I think we could be friends. Real friends. So…if you need to talk…"
Vic looked her way and their eyes met briefly before Vic turned her eyes back to the road.
"I appreciate that. It's just…he's your father. I just don't think it's a good idea to pull you into the middle of things."
"Fair enough."
Cady grew quiet for a few minutes.
"So…about Zach…"
Vic pushed out a breath.
"I really don't want to know more than I do."
"Right. I just…you never really answered me. Can you keep this to yourself?"
She didn't want to have this conversation. She didn't really even want to know about what was going on between them. It put her in an unenviable position. She and Walt were just starting out and keeping information about Cady from him didn't seem like the best way to proceed. He was bound to find out down the road. That would leave her with a hell of a lot of explaining to do. On the flip side, she could understand where Cady was coming from. She hadn't even told her own parents about her involvement with Walt. She knew what kind of headache that would bring about. She was sympathetic to Cady's point of view there. Walt was prone to overreact where Cady was concerned. With Zach working for him, things could certainly get messy in a hurry.
"He should hear it from you."
Cady tapped her fingers nervously on her pants.
"I know. I'm just not ready to go there yet. I don't even know if it's serious. I'm tired of everything always being so dramatic. Zach and I…we have fun."
"Maybe don't have so much fun at work. I could have been Walt. He finds out like that…he's gonna take it out on Zach. Not you."
"I know. We were careless. It won't happen again."
Vic didn't respond to that. At some point, they were all a little guilty of carelessness.
"So…"
Cady prompted her again. Vic lightly chewed her bottom lip.
"I won't say anything for now. But…you need to tell him at some point. I don't like keeping things from him."
"I know. I'm sorry."
Vic just kept her eyes on the road. Beside her, Cady turned slightly in her seat as much as her seatbelt would allow.
"Thank you."
xxx
"She asked you out?"
Walt stood in the kitchen at the sink washing dishes. Vic sat on the counter with a dish towel in her hands to wipe them down as he passed them to her.
"Yes."
This time, he took a more direct approach and brought it up himself. It seemed like the safest option in light of everything. He didn't want her to think he was trying to hide anything. Not this time.
"I assume that since you're here with me you told her no."
"Of course."
Walt passed her the last plate. Vic swiped her towel over it before turning slightly to stick it in the cabinet. Wiping her hands, she tossed the towel on the counter and watched as Walt drained the sink.
"You know…they make these machines called dishwashers. They're pretty cool."
He smiled.
"I've heard of them."
He wiped off his own hands and turned to her.
"She knows I'm seeing someone. It shouldn't happen again."
"Did you volunteer that?"
"She asked."
"Figures. She ask who?"
"No."
Vic slid from the counter, her bare feet thumping onto the floor. Walt lingered where he was and she eyed him curiously.
"Something else?"
Walt ran his damp palm over his hair.
"She told me she was surprised by that."
"Why? Because no one could possibly compete with her."
He nearly smiled at the comment. It was dripping with sarcasm.
"No. She said I'm emotionally closed off."
Nothing in Vic's expression registered surprise.
"Well…you are."
He tilted to respond, but Vic read his face and beat him to the punch.
"Come on, Walt. Getting into your personal space is like trying to scale the Great Wall of China."
"You made it."
"Yeah…after a stupid amount of bullshit"
There wasn't a solid argument to be made against that. Walt glanced around.
"Want to go out on the porch."
Vic nodded.
"Sure."
She trailed him out to the porch. Walt took a seat and Vic lowered herself beside him. She turned and leaned on him much like she had that first morning they spent together. It felt like so much had changed since that night and morning in some ways.
"I thought…you would be mad?"
"About Donna?"
"Yeah."
Vic shifted around, trying to get settled into a comfortable spot.
"I think we've both wasted enough time being mad about dumb shit, Walt. It's not worth it. She's…not a threat."
She said it hesitantly. Walt pressed his chin into her hair. It smelled good.
"No. She's not."
He cleared his throat.
"How're you feeling?"
"Fine. I told you I was just overtired."
"You should take better care of yourself."
Vic turned her head slightly.
"You did not just tell me that. You…who thinks it's okay to stand in front of moving vehicle as it speeds towards you. Or…who goes off on his own and gets shot at. Or…"
"Okay. I get it."
"Do you?"
The question came out serious. Walt suspected it was more serious than she might have originally intended.
"It's my job."
"It is not your job to get killed. You would be so pissed at me if I did something like that. I'm not sure why you think it's acceptable for you. Or…why you think I should be okay with it. I'm not…by the way."
"I know. You've made that clear."
"Good. Because, sometimes you're dense in the head."
"I'm retiring."
"I know. And, I fully expect you to stay alive until then."
"Yes, ma'am."
"I mean it, Walt. You need to spend as much time worrying about yourself as you do the rest of us."
"Okay. I will do my absolute best to not die."
She elbowed him, knowing he was still making light of the situation.
"You're not funny."
"Sorry."
He paused momentarily.
"I do want you to take it easy these next few days, Vic. While Cady is gone."
"That's sort of dictated by work, you know."
"Let Zach handle as many calls as possible. He needs the experience."
She didn't reply. A moment later, he spoke again.
"I like him."
The seemed to catch her off guard.
"Who?"
"Zach."
"Oh…yeah."
She was quieter than normal and he couldn't figure out why. She insisted that she was feeling better. She wasn't upset about Donna showing up at the office.
"Why are you so quiet?"
Vic twisted against him so that she could see her face.
"No reason. Just thinking."
"Do you want to talk about something?"
Vic turned back around and he was unable to see her face.
"No."
She lapsed back into silence. Walt's hand moved and landed on her arm, tracing his hand up her forearm.
"Phone's quiet."
It was just a comment to fill the void between them. He wasn't normally bothered by silence. He wasn't sure what was nagging at him now. It felt heavier than it should.
"Good. I don't really want to go back to work."
She was covering for Ferg.
"Did Ferg tell you what his plans were?"
"No."
He felt like normally Vic would have asked. There was definitely a time when she would have.
"Probably something over the top."
"Yeah. I think Ferg considers himself a romantic."
"Hmm."
He didn't really know what to add to that. He knew his young deputy was pulling out all the stops to win back Meg. He wasn't in the loop as to what happened between them. But, he and Vic did witness a pretty big fight.
"Do you think he is?"
He wasn't sure what compelled him to ask her that. In that moment, he and Vic didn't have the freedom that Ferg did to express himself. That came with the territory when trying to keep a relationship from becoming public knowledge. They hadn't even been out on a date. That was one of the things about all of this that left him feeling off kilter.
It felt like he and Vic skipped some steps.
Maybe all of them.
Vic sat up and pulled her feet up as she turned.
"Where did that come from?"
Walt shrugged.
"It's just a question."
Her eyes roved him.
"Nothing is ever just anything with you."
"I was just curious."
The look on her face told him that she didn't believe that.
"I…guess. He's certainly willing to do what it takes to impress Meg. I suppose that's romantic. He screwed up and he's working to make up for it."
"He screwed up?"
"He arrested her ex and accused her of being complicit in robberies. I call that a massive screwup. And…let's be real. It was jealousy that pushed him. So yeah…he screwed up. You guys and your jealousy."
"Us guys?"
"Yep."
"Don't tell me you've never been jealous."
"Of course I have. But…you…and Ferg…overreact. I think a lot of guys do."
"When is the last time you were jealous?"
Again, he didn't know why he asked her that.
"I was jealous of Donna."
"I told you…"
She shook her head, cutting him off.
"Not now. Before. When you were together. I wanted to be with you and she had you. So…yeah…I was jealous. But…I also wanted you to be happy. Even if it wasn't with me."
She said the remark in an offhand manner, but it struck him hard.
"Vic..."
She disengaged.
"I don't want to talk about this It's…we've been over this."
He nodded slowly.
"What do you find romantic?"
Her brows went up.
"What?"
"What's romantic to you?"
"Uh…I don't know. It's been so damn long."
He felt something in his chest tighten.
"I'm not really helping that. Am I?"
"What do you mean?"
He sighed.
"I haven't done anything for you."
Vic stared at him.
"You haven't done anything for me."
She repeated the word back in a measured fashion.
"Yeah."
His reply came out low.
"Are you fucking kidding me?"
Her reaction wasn't what he expected.
"Walt, you saved my life. You…you took care of me."
"That's not romantic."
"Maybe not in the traditional sense. But…why did you do it?"
He hesitated.
"Because I care about you."
"Isn't it…sort of the same thing?"
"Yeah, but I don't mean it like that. What I mean is…"
He stumbled characteristically. He never was very good at this.
"…we...we haven't even been on a real date."
Vic bit her bottom lip.
"Does that bother you?"
He shrugged.
"It just feels like…"
He stopped yet again to try and collect his thoughts. Walt released a breath.
"I don't want you to feel like…like I'm taking you for granted."
"I…don't."
Her confusion was evident and her patience was eroding.
"Walt, for the millionth time, if there's something on your mind…just say it. Stop beating around the bush."
He sighed.
"Compared to Ferg, it feels like I'm not putting in any effort."
Slowly, a smile stretched across her face.
"Did you just compare yourself to Ferg?"
"Maybe."
Her smile grew.
"First of all…wow. Second…I don't think you can really compare us to them. Walt…they're not much more than kids. This is the first relationship Ferg has had the entire time I've known him. I just…I have no idea where this is coming from. Do you want to go out?"
"That's just it. We can't."
She considered him.
"That's not entirely true. We can't go out in Durant."
What she was implying clicked in his mind.
"We could go out somewhere else."
"Sure. If you wanted to."
"Do you?"
Vic cocked her head.
"How in the hell did you ever get married?"
She smiled when she said it, the teasing in her tone obvious.
"I was never good at this."
It wasn't much of an admission. He knew that she knew that.
"No shit."
Walt took a breath. Her smile faded a bit as she leaned towards him and kissed him. Walt returned the kiss and pulled her to him. Breaking off the kiss, he pressed his forehead up against hers. His breathing was heavy.
"I want to do something for you."
Vic swallowed.
"I can think of some things that have nothing to do with going out."
Her words struck a cord in him that he didn't even know existed. For about the millionth time, he wondered how she was able to do that to him. He kissed her with more force and started to stand up. Taking her hands, Walt tugged. Vic came along willingly.
He was grappling with the door knob when a sound pulled his attention away from Vic. She pulled back from him, a frown on her face as her hand moved to her back pocket.
"Damn."
Vic pulled out her phone and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know it was work. Her shoulders drooped as she swiped her thumb over the screen and brought the phone to her ear. Vic brushed by him and opened the door to the cabin. Walt followed her inside. She was talking, but his mind was still scrambled and he wasn't really following the conversation.
"Okay."
The word sounded final coming from her and Walt snapped back into the present moment. Vic shoved her phone back into her pocket and turned to face him.
"If you really want to do something for me, get the people in this town under control."
Walt ran a palm over his hair to smooth it down.
"Work call?"
Vic nodded and headed into his bedroom where she started to change. Walt followed her, wanting more information than that. Maybe their whole night wouldn't be ruined. Maybe it was something relatively minor.
In the bedroom, Vic pulled her t-shirt over her head and tossed it on the bed. Walt's eyes fixed on her momentarily taking her in. She paused and gave him a long look.
"You might want to tuck in your shirt and put on your boots."
"That bad?"
Vic nodded as she tugged on tank top and grabbed her uniform shirt.
"Worse. We've got a body."