AN: Again, thank you for your thoughtful comments. I think I've straightened my ff problems out, and am back on track to respond to individuals. Also, I know I said 9 chapters, but it is going to be 10, apologies for my long windedness!

On with the show.

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Kitty blinked to get her bearings. Matt was here, right here in Doc's office. How was that possible? Her eyes wandered over his face. Doc mentioned Matt hadn't been well, and she realized that in her shock at seeing him in New Orleans, she hadn't looked at him closely. He'd lost weight, and lines of fatigue were prominent in his face. His skin was unnaturally pale. She ached to put her arms around him.

Matt kept his eyes on Kitty without moving or speaking. She had always been a strong woman, but the past 9 months had to have tough for her, real tough. Having a baby all on her own, caring for him, finding a place to live, and all the rest. He should have acknowledged that in New Orleans.

Unable to let another second of silence tick by, Matt cautiously held out his hands and said one word, "Kitty." His voice, so soft and loving, soothed her soul. She tentatively reached out and touched his fingers. "Matt." He gently took her hands and pulled her to him. All barriers dissolved. She fell into his chest and closed her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, Kitty." She felt safe, and warm and happy, and wanted time to stop so she could stay that way forever. She allowed her self a moment of pure contentment before looking up. "Matt, I love you. When I left Dodge without telling you about the baby, I thought it was for the best. I-I was wrong to do that, there were things I didn't consider, but I wish you had just ….." She took a deep breath. "We need to talk."

"Yep, we sure do, but how about this, we start with talking about the future not the past." He smiled crookedly. "Doc's idea, and a good one, but Kitty you wouldn't believe how much he sounded like Festus the way he said it."

Kitty lifted an eyebrow. "Festus would love to hear that." They chuckled the way best friends and long time lovers do. Matt slid down into Doc's armchair, and gently pulled her onto his lap. "I want you close while we talk, if that's all right."

She leaned into his chest. "Feels right to me. You first."

"All right. I'd like an answer to one question. Kitty, what do you want to happen - what would make you happy? You don't own the Long Branch anymore, and you've made a life for yourself in New Orleans. You have a house, own part of a business, know people there. Where do you want to go from here?"

Kitty pressed her lips together. She had to think this through. It was true that she'd quickly established herself New Orleans. She had a modest, but comfortable home, baby Matthew was a joy, and she was part owner of a profitable Cafe. She even liked working there and meeting all kinds of people. But being without Matt left a hole in her heart. Without him in her life she'd always be lonely, no matter who else or what else she had. Besides he was Matthew's father and had a right to be part of his life. Maybe they could find a way to make it all work, with no one giving anything up. Matt could stay on the job in Kansas, keep the badge, and come to New Orleans for week or so every few months. It would be like being on vacation together. He'd be a presence in Matthew's life. The three of them could share good times, do things around town, set their worries aside. She and Matt would have time together, and then go back to their separate lives.

"Kitty." Matt lifted her chin and looked into her eyes, She could swear he was reading her mind. "Kitty, I'm asking what YOU want, not what you think I want or need, or what you think would work."

She slowly nodded. "Well then, Matt, I don't know how we're gonna do it, but I want us to be a family, a real family sharing everything. I want Matthew to be raised by both his parents."

He held her eyes, "That's what I want too, so I'll ask officially – Will you marry me?"

"Matt, what about your job? You always said you wouldn't marry, while you wore that badge. Even if you changed your mind on that, Matthew won't be safe in Dodge with you being marshal. We both know that."

"Kitty, I've had a good, long run as a US Marshal. I always knew it wouldn't last forever, but I slowly came to realize that I was never going to wake up one morning, decide I'd done enough, and set the badge aside. I was going to have to be pushed. When pneumonia took me down, I thought I might not get back enough strength to continue on as marshal. I did, but I knew the job would end some other way – a bullet maybe, or the War Department telling me it was time to retire, or something else in life. Turns out I'm luckier than I deserve to be. Instead of losing the badge to sickness or death, or being told I'm no longer wanted, I'm losing it to a chance to have a 2nd life. That doesn't mean I won't miss being a US Marshal, but missing something isn't the same as resenting you don't have it. I'll always be proud of the way I wore this badge, and I'll want to tell our son about it. So I'll ask again - Will you marry me?"

"Yes." She reached around his neck and pulled him closer. Their lips touched lightly, caressingly, then deep and hungrily. Filled with each other's taste and scent, the world around them faded. Finally they grew breathless and pulled apart, bodies pulsing with desire. It had been a while. Their heads turned towards the examination table, just a few feet away. It wasn't wide, or soft and comfortable – but it would do. They looked at each other. Matt sat up straight and swallowed hard, "Um – I – Kitty. I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe we should talk first."

She jumped up from his lap and smoothed back her hair. "I can't believe I'm agreeing, but I am." She took a shaky step towards Doc's pot bellied stove. "Looks like there's a pot of hot coffee. I'll pour us some." She grabbed two mugs from a shelf, and took deep breaths as she filled them with steamy, hot brew. From the corner of her eye she saw Matt reach into his back pocket, take a small pill from a packet and slide it between his lips. It had to be for the pneumonia he spoke of. She'd deal with that later. "Here you go." She handed Matt a cup of black coffee and sat in a chair across from him, holding her own steaming mug with two hands. "Matt, where do we go from here. Once we're married, I mean."

He sipped his coffee and made a face. "By the taste of this stuff, it's two days old, at least." He set the mug aside. "Kitty, the few times I pondered life without a badge, I thought about ranching. I know horses, and what makes good stock. I could make a go of it, build something up." He smiled and shook his head. "But, I can't see you living out on a ranch miles away from the nearest town and neighbors, so it's not much of an idea. What do you think?"

"I'm afraid you're right about me on a ranch." She stared into her mug and set it aside without taking a sip. "What about New Orleans? Like you said, I have a house and own part of a cafe. Matt, I think you'd grow to like it there."

He nodded. "I could probably find work with the local police. Former US Marshals are in high demand in law enforcement."

"NO." Kitty blinked, startled by the vehemence of her own reaction. "Matt, I know it wouldn't be like being a US Marshal, with same degree of danger or responsibility, but New Orleans has its share of crime and criminals. I – I don't want to live with the day to day worry of you being in the thick of all that." She took a breath, "Matt, listen, you've worked unbelievably hard for 20 years. Come with me to New Orleans and relax and enjoy life, you deserve it." She saw his eyes darken. He could no more spend his days reading the newspaper, paying with Matthew and taking long walks than she could be happy on a ranch. She reached over and took his hand. "Matt, please tell me we'll find a way to make this work."

"We will. Tell you what. Let's take care of the wedding plans first. Judge Brooker is due in tomorrow. We'll ask him to marry us in a very private ceremony, with a few invited guests – Doc, Festus, the Ronnigers and whoever else you think. Anyone with gossip on their minds about you and the baby, can be told that we were secretly married before you left, and George Monroe was a crazy rumor."

Kitty grinned. "Perfect."

"And I'll ask the judge to – to file the paperwork for me to legally adopt Matthew. That way he'll be a Dillon not a Monroe, like his birth certificate says."

Kitty couldn't miss the catch in Matt's voice. Having to adopt his own child bothered him, and she couldn't blame him. "Matt, I'm so sorry. There were so many things I didn't consider, important things."

"Kitty, there were important things I didn't want to think about, so I avoided discussing them. That's on me. I should have made sure that you knew, there was nothing we couldn't talk through together. What matters now is that we love each other, and we have a son to love and care for."

"DILLON I KNOW YOU'RE UP THERE, LOOK OUT THE WINDOW OR I'M GONNA SHOOT SOME FINE CITIZENS OF DODGE."

Their heads snapped towards the window. The voice from outside was familiar to Matt, but he couldn't quite place it. He hurried to the side of the window and carefully moved the curtain to peer down onto the street. A well muscled man, feet spread apart, stood in the middle of Front Street, with a rifle at the ready. Folks were scattered about, frozen with fear. Matt's eyes narrowed as he stared at the man - medium height, brown hair and unusually muscular arms. Arms like that came of blacksmithing, laying railroad tracks, or years of hard labor in prison.

"Cal Stewart, right?" Matt's voice cut through the uneasy quiet of Front Street. "I arrested you for armed robbery and a jury found you guilty. You were sentenced to 7 years in prison."

"Good memory Dillon." Stewart was turning from from side to side, rifle ready to shoot. Around him children clung to their mothers, and cowpokes and businessman didn't dare move. "Dillon, I know you don't want me shootin' any of these good people. So you'd better come down here, unarmed." Cal grinned. "When you get here, I'm gonna put a bullet through your chest, and I don't care what happens after that. If you don't hurry up, I'll start shooting folks at random. I can hit at least a couple of kids and maybe a lady, before I'm stopped."

"I'm coming – unarmed." Matt unbuckled his gunbelt and dropped it onto Doc's exam table. He looked at Kitty. She didn't try to stop him. He hurried out the door.

Kitty's eyes rested on the gun he'd left behind. She got to her feet, and went to the window.

TBC