There is more duplicate action between the two threads as the stories continue to grow closer together.

It's wrong to be so excited and I'm probably going to hell for it but I don't care. I haven't been this happy in a long time and I'm going to let myself enjoy it.

I go ahead and put on my uniform shirt. It feels so good to have a reason to wear it that I don't want to wait until later. Plus, by putting on my work clothes, I won't have to change before I go on duty this afternoon. That's right, I get to go to work today. But, I have to take care of a couple of things first.

I pull into my usual space and throw it into park. Since I'm not here in an official capacity I lock my gun in the truck and have to fight to keep from skipping to the door, especially since I can finally skip without feeling dizzy and falling over. My obvious exuberance earns me a raised eyebrow from the eternally cheerful security guard stationed just inside the door.

"Good Morning, Vic."

"Hey, Chad."

"It's great to see you! How are you feeling?"

"I feel good!"

"I'm glad to hear that. We've really missed you around here. You're a little more talkative than your boss is."

"I guess he's been having to cover most of our court appearances since I've been out."

"Yeah, and I think it makes him cranky."

I put on my public smile, the one I save for when Walt needs me to play nicely with others, "With the Sheriff, quiet doesn't necessarily mean cranky, but I know what you mean. Hopefully his demeanor will improve a little now that things are getting back to normal around the office."

He takes in her uniform, "So, you're back at work?"

"Yes! I'm starting back today."

"Well then you must not have gotten the message that Judge Conner is out of town. His daughter-in-law had the baby yesterday and he and his wife went to go see the new grandson. They moved today's docket to next week. I know Judith called Ruby to let you all know. Maybe she didn't think to tell you since you've been out for so long."

Shit, so much for my cover, "I'm actually here for Judge Simms today, not Conner."

"Oh, okay. Well family court is still in session. You need to testify for a CPS case?"

I ignore his question and keep walking, "Have a good day, Chad!"

I'd like to avoid as much scrutiny as possible today. Too much is riding on how things go, both in and out of the courthouse. I know Walt's nervous about me coming back to work. He trusts the doctor but told me on the phone last night that he wasn't going to allow me to push myself too much, too quickly. I think he's also a little nervous about the change in our relationship and how that's going to play out. I told him we are both adults and can keep it professional when we have to, especially if we get to be down and dirty at home. He was speechless for a minute after that comment and in typical Walt fashion, moved the conversation in another direction without responding. Well, the doctor cleared one of the two barriers to that type of activity at my appointment yesterday and I'm getting ready to take care of the other one.

I make my way up the stairs to Judge Simms' chambers. I had previously spoken with him about trying to keep a low profile through this whole process. Coming to the courthouse to finalize my divorce somewhat qualifies as shitting where you eat but it's not like I had a choice of venue. The judge said he has finished up divorce proceedings in his chambers before and considering the circumstances, and the fact that Shaun and I are in agreement about everything, he was more than willing to meet us there before he has to be in the courtroom for the day. I glance around the hallway, wondering if Shaun's arrived yet. I haven't seen him since he came to the house the day after I got out of the hospital. Though it wasn't terribly surprising that he didn't care enough about me to come back from Alaska when he heard I was unconscious, but I was a little hurt by it. Well, at least after today I'll never have to see him again. It's not like we have a reason to stay in contact after this is finished up. I reach the judge's outer door and stop. Taking a deep breath, I grab the doorknob and turn the handle.

Walt has been pacing around the office all morning. Vic has finally been cleared to return to light duty and he's excited and nervous at the same time. He knows her definition of light duty is likely different from his or the doctor's but he was able to get her to agree to a compromise to help keep it in check. She'll start off working half days to ease her way back in and has to take someone with her if she goes on any calls. She didn't like the idea at first but hated the alternative so she eventually agreed.

He picks up the phone and dials her number to see how she's feeling. He's surprised when she doesn't answer. She was so excited about coming in today, he figured she'd be up and ready by 6:00 am. He can't help but wonder why she's not answering the phone. Still, she's not due in until noon. Maybe she had some errands to run. Or maybe she just wanted to get out of the house. She almost seemed more happy about being able to drive again than she was about anything else. He wishes he could have been there to see her face when Doc told her she could come back to work. Unfortunately, he had to make a run to Cheyenne yesterday and got back too late to go see her last night.

He's going to miss their twice daily visits at her house. Sure, he'll see her at work, but it's not the same. There won't be any hello or goodbye kisses at the office and he is not willing to give those up. He leans back in his chair and allows his mind to wander further down that road. He's spent a lot more time there since they had the conversation several weeks ago when Vic told him that she fantasizes about him. He's started to ask her specifics several times but knowing Vic and how her mind works he thought better of it. It's hard enough as it is to leave her and return to the cabin alone every night. To hear her say exactly what her plans are for him might be too much to handle.

"Walt?"

Ruby's standing in his doorway. He feels guilty that she caught him daydreaming about Vic. He hopes his thoughts weren't readily apparent on his face. Her smirk tells him she noticed his distraction and she's probably been there a little while. He straightens up in his chair, "Yes?"

She walks in to hand him two post-its, "Jimmy from the Bar 12 Ranch called. He needs you to come check out some suspicious damage to his cattle pens, says he's tired of losing livestock. Also, Vic called."

"Thanks."

Not wanting to appear too eager, Walt waits until Ruby is back at her desk before looking at the message from Vic.

Red Pony

6:00

Not much of a message. He wonders why she's called it in when she could have just talked to him about it when she gets here and kept Ruby out of the middle of it. Of course, Ruby knows where he's been going everyday for lunch. She's pretty sharp. It wouldn't take much for her to put two and two together. He's relieved that she's the type that will keep it to herself. He's not sure he's ready for the public scrutiny being seen with Vic at The Pony will bring. Sure, they've been there together plenty of times before but now things are different.

He looks down at the top post-it and sighs. He decides to grab lunch and head on out to see Jimmy. He won't be here when Vic comes in but he should be back early enough to get her up to speed on the things she's missed since she's been out.

Walt checks his watch again.

"Am I keeping you from something, Sheriff?"

"No Jimmy, go on."

The trip to the Bar 12 has taken longer than Walt had anticipated and he's not sure he'll make it back in time to see Vic before she leaves for the day. He really wanted to be there for her first day back, especially after not seeing her yesterday but at least he knows he'll see her tonight. When he finally leaves the ranch he's pressed for time so he calls Ruby on the radio to tell her he won't be back to the station until the morning. He drives home to take a shower, change into fresh clothes and try to mentally prepare for the evening ahead.

Once again, one chapter has been waiting patiently, already written while the other gave me fits but finally they have both come together, at least somewhat. Looking forward to seeing what's in store at the Red Pony tonight...