This missing scene from S3E9 occurs at the station after Walt has gotten the call from Jacob Nighthorse.

Vic is pacing from the cell to Walt's office door and back again. She's not very good at sitting and doing nothing on a good day and this has not been a good day. She never should have agreed to stay at the station until Ferg gets back. She should have known better. But, here she is, once again waiting on some man. It's a theme that has monopolized far too much of her life since moving to Wyoming.

The ticking of the clock on the wall alternates with the fall of Vic's footsteps. It's a sound she doesn't typically notice. Tonight it echoes in her ears, seeming to get louder with each lap she takes, mocking her impatience. She should have heard from either Walt or Ferg by now. What could possibly be taking so long? She stops short just as she's making another pass by her desk. She tries to keep the fear that's suddenly rising in her chest suppressed but she can't. What if something's happened to Henry? He's the type of man who wouldn't simply leave a building when a fire starts. He would make sure everyone has made it out safely and then go back in to help more people get out if necessary. While that's a very noble action, it's also the kind of thing that can get someone hurt, or worse. She resumes her pacing, moving more quickly across the floor than she had previously been. No, Henry has to be okay. He doesn't deserve to die in a fire and Walt has already lost too much. To lose Henry could push him past the point of no return. No matter what, she won't let him go down that road.

Vic's had thoughts like that before. This time, however, she doesn't experience the usual stab of guilt to which she's grown accustomed when having them. It serves to confirm she did the right thing by going ahead and signing the divorce papers tonight. No reason to delay the inevitable. Maybe now she and Shaun can both find some peace. Her mind wanders, wondering if maybe she can find something more... She shakes her head. Now is not the right time to go there. There's too much going on to allow that kind of distraction to take over. She needs to stay focused.

It's a relief when Vic finally hears someone on the stairs. She jumps on Ferg the moment he walks in the door, "It's about time you got here."

"I was helping run interference for the fire department."

"Is Henry okay?"

"Yeah, Henry's fine."

"What the hell happened?"

He hesitates for a moment. It still doesn't seem real to him, "Well uh, Henry set fire to the Red Pony."

"You're shittin' me! Why would he do that? He loves that place!"

"Apparently he threatened to burn it down if Malachi refused to tell him where that Darius guy was the night Miller Beck was killed. Malachi wasn't talking, so..."

"Henry threatened to burn down his own bar? And then did it?" Just when she thought the day couldn't get any more bizarre this happens.

"Not entirely. Not at all actually. The outside's scorched but that's it. The fire department got there pretty quickly to put it out."

"Why did Henry think Malachi would care if the Red Pony was gone?"

"Malachi's been strong arming Henry to try to get him to sell the bar to him. Henry thinks he wants to use it to launder money."

"That's messed up."

"Yeah. He thought it was the one thing he could dangle in front of Malachi to get him to tell the truth about Darius. The worst of it is, when Malachi finally opened his mouth, it wasn't good news that came out of it. Darius wasn't in Denver that night. He was in another state. Cady's already confirmed it."

"So the whole Darius thing is a dead end." She shakes her head, "That must have been Henry's last hope. He never would have risked the Red Pony otherwise. What did Walt say about it?"

"Nothing to me. I didn't get a chance to talk to him much and then he got that phone call."

"Phone call?"

"Yeah, Jacob Nighthorse called about 45 minutes ago wanting to talk to Walt. I lost track of him after that. He was gone by the time I left to head back here."

"He didn't tell you where he was going?"

"No. After I gave him my phone to talk to Nighthorse, I went back to trying to secure the scene. By the time the gawkers had all been sent on their way and the firefighters has finished, Walt was gone. I found my cell on the front seat of my car."

"Shit."

"We could try to get him on the radio, see where he is."

"That's only if he's answering."

Vic knows Walt has no problem ignoring or turning off the radio if he is so inclined.

"It's worth a shot."

She can't argue with that. She has no idea where to start looking for Walt and the last thing she wants to do is hear the smugness in Nighthorse's voice if she were to call to see what he knows. It would give him too much pleasure and she isn't in the business of bringing Jacob Nighthorse pleasure. No. They would just have to figure out where Walt went on their own. Before she can decide on where to look for him first her phone rings. She's quick to pick it up, hoping it holds the answer to his whereabouts, "Walt?"

"No, it's me."

Her heart drops when she realizes the voice at the other end of the line doesn't belong to the sheriff.

"Who is this?"

"Come on, Vic, you're breaking my heart."

She's not in the mood for guessing games, "Look shithead, I don't have time for this. Tell me who you are now or I'll come arrest your ass when I finally figure it out."

"Easy girl, it's Travis."

"What do you want? I'm in the middle of something."

"It's Branch. I told your boss he needed to do something about him."

"What did he do?" Walt told her this afternoon that Barlow had come to pick up Branch. She'd assumed daddy had taken him home to straighten him out.

"He's completely lost it! He just barged into the garage and pointed a big ass shotgun at my chest. He's pretty pissed off."

"Shit." Barlow hadn't done a very good job keeping track of his wayward son.

"He said he was going to tie up some loose ends. Then he took my car and left. I wanted to warn you that he may be headed your way."

"Thanks, Travis." She hangs up the phone, fills Ferg in on what Travis said and grabs her duty jacket, "I'm going to go look for Walt. Branch could go after him just as easily as he'd go after me."

Ferg grabs her arm, "No."

She looks at him pointedly, "You'd better let go if you want to keep that hand attached to the rest of you."

Ferg knows Vic doesn't like answering to anyone but Walt and she doesn't always like answering to him. On a normal day it would be almost impossible for anyone else to get her to do something she doesn't want to do. Ferg knows he's certainly not high on her list of authority figures but he's the only other person here. He's still feeling the sting of Walt's big boy desk comment from this morning, but he knows he can handle this situation and get her to listen to reason. He just needs to prove it to himself and everyone else.

"Vic, think about it. You have no idea where to start looking for Walt. It's dark. Visibility is next to nothing out there so finding him's going to be almost impossible without any leads. Besides, you said it yourself; Branch is crazy. For all we know, he's sitting downstairs right now just waiting for you to walk out these doors so he can finish what he started earlier today."

"I'm not scared of Branch Connelly."

"Of course, you're not. But Vic this isn't just Branch and his usual antics. He's snapped and we don't know who he may have recruited to take down that road with him. Travis is easily manipulated but he never wanted to hurt that guy they kidnapped. This time Branch could have found an accomplice much worse: someone who actually enjoys causing people pain. We don't know what he may be capable of. Do you think that's a risk you should take right now?"

Vic's pause encourages Ferg to continue and he decides to hold nothing back, "Think about Walt, Vic? How would he handle it if something happened to you? You didn't see his reaction this afternoon when he came back and found out you were out there somewhere and didn't know that Branch was on the loose, probably looking for you...He was more than concerned, Vic...He was scared...I could see it in his eyes... After the way Branch attacked you, the last place Walt would want you to be right now is out on the streets alone. Not until Branch is no longer a threat."

Vic's freaked out and exhilarated at the same time. She hates that Walt was worried about her. He has enough on his plate right now without adding to it. At the same time, the girl inside of her is a little giddy that he wants to keep her safe. Of course, Walt would want that for any of his deputies. Concern doesn't necessarily mean anything. She hates the unsure and vulnerable feeling that is running through her body. It's not in her nature to hide but Ferg is right. Branch is unpredictable right now and unpredictable is dangerous. Walt would be pissed if she put herself at risk by going to look for him right now even though he would and has already done the same for her. She knows If she were to get hurt while doing it, he would never forgive himself. She sighs and reluctantly agrees to stay put, "Okay, I'll stay here for now."

"Okay then." Ferg lets go of Vic's arm as she glances at the open blinds in the windows. She's suddenly aware that anyone outside has a clear view into the station. She feels like a big shiny target. Ferg follows her eyes and has the same realization, "Walt's office?"

"Yeah."

He walks to the door with her, "Lock the door in case Branch comes in trying to find you. I'll see if I can get Walt on the radio and we'll go from there.

Thanks for reading. I have not abandoned In my arms, I'm just running up against some walls with that particular story. I will get back to it when I can. Life has been super busy and I haven't had a chance to even read any stories for at least two weeks, probably longer, much less have I had sufficient time to write. I need some vacation time to catch up on my fanfic!