A/N - sorry for the delay in getting this final chapter up. Busy with Xmas preparations. Thanks to everyone who read my first Longmire story. Love this character, love this show. Long Live Longmire.

Chapter 9

The next morning, Cady arrived at the cabin early as arranged. She was surprised not to see Vic on the couch, even more surprised to see the pillow and blankets still neatly folded in a pile where she had left them. She smiled, realizing what must have happened.

"Good morning," she hollered, loud enough to make sure her father and Vic heard.

Vic heard her alright and sat up in the bed like a shot. She quickly realized what was going on and was mortified.

"Fuck! Fuck! Walt, get up. Cady's here," she said, shaking him roughly to wake him. "Tell her I'm just using the shower."

"What? Vic…..I think she'll have figured it out," Walt said, rubbing his eyes and sounding groggy.

"No, I don't want…...God, Walt, just tell her."

"Why? We did nothing wrong. We're both adults," Walt told her, ever the pragmatist.

"I know, but….it's too soon. I'm not sure what's going on here," she admitted. "I don't want it out there just yet."

"Cady will be discreet, but whatever you want. Hand me that crutch and some pants and I'll go talk to her," Walt said, getting up.

Vic helped him with his pants and gave him his crutch before disappearing into the bathroom. She turned on the shower and stepped in. The water was cold. The water heater hadn't been turned on, but at least it gave her a chance to hide out for a few minutes while Walt smoothed things over with his daughter.

"Good morning," Cady said cheerily when her father appeared out of his bedroom. She was unable to hide the smile on her face.

"Eh, Vic is just in the shower," Walt blurted out without being asked.

"Is she now?" Cady asked, coming over and giving her dad a kiss on the cheek.

Walt leaned on his crutch and felt a little like an awkward teenager after being caught out by his folks.

"She must have been up early. I see she tidied away the blankets and everything," she said, patting down the pillow as she passed by. She was deliberately winding him up.

"Eh, yeah," Walt replied.

"Are you hungry? I think I'll make some eggs," Cady asked.

"Sure, just let me shower," Walt said, turning to re-enter the bedroom.

"Isn't the shower already occupied?" Cady asked with devilment.

Walt gave a nervous laugh.

"Hah, yeah. Eh, I'll just wait until she's finished," he said, sitting into the armchair near the fireplace.

"You had a good night then?" Cady asked, insisting on winding him up further.

"What? I…we eh, …..," Walt stammered, not quite knowing what to say.

Although she was enjoying watching him squirm, she decided it was only fair to let him off the hook.

"A good night's sleep, Dad? Were you in any pain?" she asked.

"Oh, eh, no. No pain."

As Cady rooted around in her dad's refrigerator she smiled broadly. She had no qualms about Vic and her dad getting together. He was such a private person and she knew the very thought of her knowing or even suspecting that anything went on last night would mortify him. She decided to let it lie and play along.

Vic finally emerged from the bedroom. She was fully clothed and her hair was tied up in a towel.

"Good morning," Cady said, giving her a wry smile as she entered the kitchen.

Vic mouthed the word "what", trying to play the innocent.

"Nothing," Cady said jovially. "Sleep well?"

"Fine, thank you," Vic snarled, feeling a little trapped.

"Dad seems to have worked up an appetite. Must be the fresh air," Cady commented. "I'm cooking eggs if you want some. The coffee is brewing."

"Thanks. Coffee would be good," Vic said, toweling her hair dry.

She walked out to where Walt was sitting and they had a whispered conversation.

"Do you think she suspects?" Vic asked.

"Yup," Walt replied.

"What? How? I mean, our story was believable, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Mostly, but maybe if the couch didn't look so untouched, she'd be more inclined to believe us," Walt said, gesturing towards the neat stack of blankets and pillows sitting on the couch.

"Shit," Vic said, starting to see the funny side of things. She looked into Walt's eyes. "What happened last night, we should probably talk about it."

"We should."

"I'll come by tonight after work, if that's okay," she said.

Walt nodded. He desperately wanted to kiss her and hold her again. She stood to leave and then quickly turned back and gave him a peck on the cheek. She grabbed her travel mug from the side counter and filled it with some of the fresh coffee that Cady had made.

"I'll be off so," she said. "You take it easy, Walt," she said and then winked at him.

He smiled broadly at her as she headed out. Cady caught the smile. It felt good to see him smile. It was a rare thing these last few years.

"Will you be able to manage in the shower, Dad?" Cady asked, as he pulled himself up awkwardly.

"I'll be fine," he said.

Walt had his shower. It was difficult, trying to keep his bandaged leg dry, but he managed. When he came out, Cady had toast and eggs and fresh coffee prepared. Walt was hungry and he sat down and tucked in. Cady sat across the table from him. She watched as he ate. She was grateful that he was recovering and that he was happy. It could have ended so differently.

"I'm glad for you," she said, before taking another sip of her coffee.

Walt knew what she meant, but didn't give much away. He nodded and shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth. He didn't want to talk about it. Cady knew he wouldn't, but she wanted him to know that she didn't have a problem with him moving on.

Vic drove to work on a bit of a high. She wasn't expecting what had happened to ever actually happen. She had thought about it, even dreamed of it, but never thought anything would come of it. The fact that it was so unexpected made it even more exciting. He was a good lover, so gentle yet so strong. She felt a bit nervous about the future though. Would Walt want a future for them or would she be his sordid little secret? She tried not to think too much about it. They definitely needed to talk. A mature open discussion was required.

Her thoughts turned to Sean briefly. She hadn't seen him in weeks. He must have heard about Walt, but had never contacted her. She should sign those divorce papers that were sitting in her house for the last month or two. Give him what he wanted, now that she had what she wanted. She hated the fact that he would now be able to turn around and say "I told you so". He had suspected her feelings for Walt long before she recognized them for what they were. She did love him. Sean was right. The fear she felt when Walt had been shot was the most intense fear she had ever experienced. The love she felt was just as intense. She just didn't want to screw this up too.

She continued on to work. She was helping Branch with the Molly Grady case. They had identified her attacker as a 34 year old, former army corporal, Miles Hirsch. He had gone missing from a VA facility in Nebraska over 6 months previously. He had a history of violent rages and had previously hospitalized a member of his unit before being admitted for psychiatric treatment. Their case was solid. The DNA was a match to samples taken from the scene. He was being held in a secure unit in Sheridan until his arraignment. She just had to make sure all the paperwork was in order. A nice, reasonably quiet day was in store for her.

Walt, meanwhile, spent a relaxed morning at home. Cady fussed, making him take a nap before lunch and insisting he take his meds like clockwork. Walt chilled out on the porch that afternoon and flicked through a book he had been meaning to read for a long time. He began to get restless so he asked Cady to get him his rifles out of his truck so he could clean them. He spent a while cleaning and oiling them meticulously and by the time he had finished they were like new.

Later in the afternoon, he decided he needed to take a walk. Of course Cady didn't think it was a good idea, but Walt was headstrong and insistent. He took his crutch and started off towards the paddock.

"Where are you going?" Cady asked, the pitch in her voice giving away her nervousness.

"I'm only going down to the stable to check in on the horse," he said, trying to allay her fears.

"I'll come with you."

"Cady, I'm fine. I can manage a short walk," he insisted.

"Okay then. Just call me if you need me."

Walt took his time and hopped on his single crutch towards the paddock. He was careful to keep his full weight off his injured leg. Horse was loose and grazing in the enclosed space. Cady had let him out earlier that morning and fed him. Walt called him over to the fence and the beautiful black beast threw back his mane and sniffed the air then lopped towards him. Walt patted his nose and slapped his neck affectionately; glad to see him after almost two weeks. What Walt would give to mount up and gallop through the grassland towards the foot of the mountains. He loved the freedom horse-riding gave him.

He stood at the fence and rubbed Horse down for some time until the animal grew bored and wandered off. Walt leaned on the fence, putting his weight on his good leg and looked out over his property. He was a lucky man. His home stood on one of the most breath-taking vistas in the county.

He was contemplating his life these last few years, as well as what had happened last night, when a voice broke his musings.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?"

Walt turned, a little startled by the interruption, and faced this young woman, in her early twenties he guessed. He didn't recognize her.

"Eh, yeah, sure is," Walt said, reaching for his crutch before turning around towards her.

"Oh, sorry if I startled you," she said with a kind smile.

"No, you didn't," Walt said. "I just don't usually get many visitors through here."

"I'm not visiting," she said. "I ran out of gas about a mile back. I'm such and idiot. If my dad finds out he'll kill me."

"Are you from around here?" Walt asked, suspecting not.

"No. I'm originally from Texas," she told him. "But my folks moved to Sheridan a few months ago and I'm driving around exploring."

"Alone?" Walt inquired.

"Yeah, I tend to prefer my own company," she replied.

Walt nodded and gave a friendly smile.

"I'm Ellie, by the way," she said, extending her hand.

"Walt," he said, accepting her handshake. "I have extra gas in my truck," he told her pointing to the sheriff's department truck parked up close to the cabin. "Come on up to the house."

She walked slowly alongside him as he limped back towards the house.

"How did you do that?" she asked, pointing to his injured leg.

"Oh, this? Eh, a work accident," he replied vaguely.

"You're the sheriff around here?" she asked, making the assumption from the truck.

"Yup," Walt replied, continuing on slowly.

Through the window, Cady spotted her dad on his way back to the house with a girl she didn't recognize. She waved, but they didn't see her. She went to the front porch and waited for them.

"Longmire, right?"

"Yeah," Walt replied, getting an uncomfortable feeling as this girl showed a bit too much interest in him. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.

"Do you remember a guy called Dale Boucher?" she asked, her tone changing as she suddenly stopped walking.

Walt stopped as well and whipped around and found her with a Sig Sauer aimed at his belly.

"So you do remember him then?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Not really. I've heard his name, that's all," Walt said calmly, all the while his mind was working overtime.

He was injured. He had no gun on him. His daughter was in the house. This could end so badly.

"That's all? You killed him!" Ellie growled at him. "So I'm going to kill you."

"Look, I didn't mean to kill him. He shot me first, almost killed me. I didn't even know I hit him," Walt told her honestly. "I really wish I hadn't. It was just…."

He struggled to find the words. She raised her gun just as Cady came out of the cabin door.

"Hey, have we a visitor?" she called down the yard.

She unwittingly distracted the girl for a fraction, giving Walt enough time to charge at her. He dropped his crutch and grabbed for the gun, pushing it skywards when a shot rang out. Cady screamed with shock as she watched her father and the visitor tumble to the ground and grapple for the gun. Unfortunately for Walt, they both landed heavily on his injured right side which left him in agony. Pain shot through him and black spots danced before his eyes.

His survival instinct told him not to pass out. He had to fight to stay awake. He was able to wrestle the gun from her hand. She was quicker to get to her feet than he and Walt feared she would disarm him so he threw the gun over his head and into the long grass. He didn't want to kill another kid if he didn't have to.

Cady, realizing what was going on, had run to the other side of the porch and grabbed her father's Winchester rifle. Her dad had taught her when she was much younger how to load and fire the rifle. Luckily, he had left a box of cartridges alongside his cleaning kit. She fumbled with the shells, but managed to get it loaded. She yelled at the top of her lungs for them to stop. She looked down the yard and saw the girl getting to her feet and kicking her dad viciously in the torso.

Walt tried to protect his body from the onslaught. He curled into the foetal position and protected his head with his arms. He received a sickening kick into his ribs and back which took the wind out of him. He could hear Cady yelling. Then a loud shot echoed around them. However, the onslaught didn't stop.

Ellie yelled obscenities at him and then another brutal kick, this time to the head, left him battling to remain conscious. The ringing in his ears meant he could no longer hear his daughter yelling at his attacker as she bravely charged towards them both, rifle in her arms.

"Get away from him you crazy bitch," Cady shouted. "I swear to God I'll shoot you right now."

Ellie continued her attack on Walt unfazed by the armed woman racing towards her. Cady stood and placed a carefully aimed shot on the ground close to Ellie.

"The next one goes in your head," she warned.

Ellie stopped and turned towards her with a crazed grin on her face.

"Go on, do it, Bitch," she said, charging towards Cady.

Calm under pressure, just like her father, Cady changed her grip on the rifle and when Ellie got close enough she swung it like a baseball bat and whacked her under the chin, knocking her backwards and out cold. Cady immediately rushed to her father's side. His eyes were closed. His eyebrow was split and bleeding heavily.

"Dad? Come on, dad, wake up," she said, gently tapping the side of his face. "Please be okay."

Walt's eyelids fluttered and his eyes opened. He groaned loudly and his hand immediately went to his pounding head.

"Where is she?" he asked, struggling to sit up.

Cady helped him sit and she pointed to the prone figure lying in the dust.

"Get my cuffs from the truck," Walt said, anxious to secure her. "Hurry."

Cady did as he asked and ran to his truck. Walt's whole body ached. His head was throbbing. He lay back down in an effort to stop the world spinning. Cady was back quickly with the cuffs.

"Roll her flat on her stomach and cuff her hands behind her back," Walt instructed her.

Cady did as he asked and soon she had her secured. She returned to her dad.

"Come on, let's get you inside," she said, trying to help her dad to his feet. "Are you okay?"

Walt mumbled affirmatively and got painfully to his feet with her assistance. As soon as he stood, the world tilted again and he swayed, causing Cady to grab hold of him even tighter. As they staggered to the cabin, Walt stopped suddenly, turned to one side and retched, bringing up his lunch.

"Oh God, Dad, you're not okay. I'm calling an ambulance," Cady said, clinging to him.

"No, I don't need an ambulance. It's probably just a concussion. I'll be fine," Walt insisted.

"Hmm, we'll see," Cady said, helping him up the step and into the cabin.

She guided him to the couch. She saw the pain in his face as she eased him down onto it.

"You just lie there. I'll call Vic and get some help," Cady said.

She grabbed the telephone and called the sheriff's department. Ruby answered. Cady, in her slightly panicked, state told Ruby what had happened. As she was making the call, Walt shouted at her to tell Vic to get Agent Mason to come also. Cady did as he asked, finished the call and then went to the freezer and got some ice. She spilled it into a towel and handed it to her dad. He held it to his throbbing head.

From the bathroom she got a damp cloth and cleaned the cut over Walt's eye.

"Keep a watch on her," Walt said, referring to the unconscious lunatic outside their house. "Take the rifle."

Cady finished cleaning the blood off her father's face, then walked outside and stood guard over the unconscious girl. After about ten minutes she regained consciousness and gave Cady dog's abuse. She twisted and squirmed and tried to roll over. She made a feeble attempt at spitting at Cady, but Cady ignored her and eventually Ellie wore herself out and just started to cry.

Cady was relieved to eventually see Vic's truck thundering down the road. She ground to a halt close to the door of the cabin and jumped out.

"Where is he? Is he okay?" she said, tearing into the house. "Walt!"

She found him lying on the couch looking a bit worse for wear.

"Oh, God, I was so scared," she said, kissing him on the lips and hugging him tightly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Vic," he said, feeling so much better by her reaction.

"You're not fine," she said, taking in his injuries. "We need to get you to the hospital."

"No, Vic. I'm okay. Cady called Doc Bloomfield's office. He'll call by later," Walt told her.

"Are you sure? I mean, did she check your wounds? And it looks like you took a bad knock to the head, Walt. You could have a concussion," Vic reminded him.

"I'm pretty sure I do have a concussion, but it's not my first," Walt told her. "You need to concentrate on the woman outside. She's the driver from the robbery. She took it bad that I killed her partner and decided to take her vengeance."

"Are you serious?" Vic asked. "She came to take you out? She obviously didn't know who she was dealing with," she said, hugging him.

"Yeah. Get her secured in the truck until Agent Mason gets here. I'm sure he'll want to take her in," Walt told her.

Vic stood up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, worried about him.

"I'm fine," he insisted. "Could do with a beer though," he said, chancing him arm.

"I'm not falling for that," Vic replied. "Cady would kill me. Don't move. I'll be back in a while."

Walt lay there, unsure as to what part of his body hurt the most. He closed his eyes tightly to try block out the pain and nausea he was feeling. He could hear other vehicles pulling up outside. There were male voices that he didn't recognize. He could hear Vic involved in the discussion. The he heard no more.

The cars arriving were two FBI SUVs. Agent Mason stepped out of one and marched to where Cady, Vic and their prisoner were standing. He wanted to talk to Walt about what happened and take an official statement, but the girls told him that he was hurt and waiting inside on the doctor. Agent Mason was insistent, much to Vic's annoyance. He marched into the cabin and found Walt asleep and looking beaten and bloodied on the sofa.

He turned, realized he should have waited and apologized to a fuming Deputy Moretti.

"Do you need help to get him to a hospital?" the agent asked.

"No, the doctor is on his way. Just take that crazy chick away from here before I give her a taste of her own medicine," Vic said, referring to Ellie, who was being led to one of the SUV's by another agent.

"Okay, but when the sheriff is up to it, we'll need to talk to him," Agent Mason reminded her.

"Yeah, whatever," Vic replied, looking over with concern at Walt.

Cady was over with him, trying to waken him.

"Dad, wake up. Come on, you need to wake up for me," she said, gently shaking his shoulder.

Walt opened his eyes and found his worried-looking daughter looking down at him.

"Hey," he said, shifting sorely on the sofa.

"I know you're tired, but you need to try stay awake, Dad. You've got a concussion," Cady reminded him.

"I'm okay, Punk," he said, taking her hand to reassure her.

By now, the FBI was leaving and only Vic and Cady remained. They both fussed over Walt. Vic was no longer worried about what Cady thought. She fussed over him, gently wiping his face with a wash cloth, removing the dried in blood and clay.

Cady took a bottle of malt whiskey from the kitchen cupboard and poured herself a finger to steady her nerves. Witnessing the attack on her father and having to spring into action had shocked her greatly. It was not something she would experience in her normal daily life. She offered Vic a drink, but she declined. She knew her dad would love a shot, but didn't want to give him anything until he had been seen by the doctor.

Eventually the doctor arrived. They were expecting Doc Bloomfield, but Dr. Weston, from the hospital walked through the door.

"How are we doing, Walter?" he asked, walking immediately over to his patient.

"I'd be fine if they'd let me have a drink," Walt said, through gritted teeth.

"I don't think so, Walt. Let's have a look at you," he said, putting down his medical bag and pulling a chair over to the sofa. "So, who is going to tell me what happened?"

As the doctor examined Walt, Cady told him the story of the afternoon's drama. The doctor checked for a head injury and, as expected, diagnosed a concussion. He cleaned and sutured the wound on Walt's eyebrow to close the gash. Then he helped Walt open his shirt so he could check his healing bullet wound. He was happy that it looked okay. He wanted to check the leg wound so he helped Walt into the bedroom to lie down would make it easier to examine him.

Vic and the doctor each took an arm and assisted Walt to his room. They helped him remove his pants and saw the blood on the dressing covering his leg wound.

"Damn it, Walt," Vic said, seeing the renewed bleeding.

Walt sighed.

"I was taking it easy. She attacked me, remember?"

"Yeah, I know. Sorry. It's just...sorry," Vic said, stumbling through an apology.

"It's not too bad," the doctor said, having removed the bandage. "Looks like it's just the stiches. Nothing deeper," he said, relieved that the muscle tissue had healed well enough to prevent further injury to the recently repaired blood vessel. "I'll suture it and re-dress it. You'll really have to rest up, Walt. You could have done without this."

"I know," Walt said, shifting in the bed.

"Let him rest, just wake him every couple of hours. If he complains of headache or nausea, bring him in to the hospital. If you're worried at all, come straight in," the doctor advised.

"Thanks, Doc," Vic said, showing him out. Cady thanked him too.

"You probably need to get back to work," Cady said to Vic once they were alone. "I'll stay with him."

"No, I'm good. I'd rather see he's okay," Vic told her. "Anyway, Branch and Ferg will be in by now."

Both Vic and Cady stayed that evening. Walt slept and slept. Fending off the attack had exhausted him. It took more than a few days to recover, but he had Vic and Cady fussing over him morning, noon and night.

After about a week, he'd had enough of lying around and of women invading his space. He insisted that Vic drive him to the office. He still walked with the aid of a cane, but was stronger now and far more mobile. Branch, Ferg and Ruby were more than surprised to see Walt and Vic walk through the door.

"Walter? What are you doing here?"

"Afternoon, Ruby," he said, hanging his hat in the usual spot and looking like he meant business.

"Vic, I thought he was supposed to be resting," Ruby said, glaring at her.

"He was," Vic said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I've done enough resting," Walt grumbled, limping to Ruby's desk. "Any messages?"

"Yes, plenty, but none for you," she said sharply, making sure he got the message that she wasn't happy that he was rushing back to work.

"Well then, I'll be in my office if you need me," Walt said, leaning heavily on the cane as he entered his office.

"So, does that mean he's back?" Ruby asked, sounding unconvinced.

"Yep, he's back."

The End

A/n - thanks so much for reading. Happy Christmas to you all.