All Paths Lead to You
Summary: With Cady as Sheriff and Walt retired, a new era has begun in Absaroka County. With a new crime to solve and the appearance of someone from Walt's past, all of their resolve will be tested as will the bonds, both old and new, that they all share.
Ch. 1: Wyoming Wind
The small car rocked slightly as the wind whirled around outside. A high pitched whistling noise reached the woman as she sat in the sedan. That combined with the moaning sound that the trees surrounding her created as they swayed in the heavy winds went a long way in creeping her out. The dark, desolate road that she found herself on did little to help that frame of mind. This was a situation right out of a television show. Only, if she were at home watching herself, she would be cursing about how stupid she was to be in this situation in the first place.
This wasn't TV, though. This was real life and the anxiety that was coursing through her was equally real. She had no idea where she was at this point. The battery on her cell phone was dangerously close to being dead. Not that it mattered. She was in the middle of nowhere and hadn't had a damn signal for the last half hour of her drive.
The road her car sat on was paved, but poorly so. She didn't know how close she was to the next town or even how far she was from the last town she drove through. She figured it was maybe twenty miles back. Too far to simply try and walk. Not that she wanted to walk in this weather. The wind and the low temperatures made that thought unfeasible. The fleece jacket she wore would be no match for the cold. The heater in her old car had been struggling to keep up all evening.
Admittedly, she was unprepared for the situation she now found herself in. She knew it wasn't gas. According to her gas gauge, she had about a quarter of a tank left. It had to be something mechanical. She probably should have gotten the car checked out before taking on a job like this. Money and time ended that thought before it ever got started. Her biggest mistake was relying on her phone GPS and not bringing an actual map. Once her phone lost its signal, the map app that was on her phone stopped working and she was left with only her sense of direction.
That was how she wound up on this road to seemingly nowhere with a car that sputtered and died. She managed to steer it mostly off the road. Now, she was stranded and her phone wasn't working. Were she near civilization, she would have the option to call for help. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen in current conditions.
The woman pulled into herself. It was cold and getting colder as she sat and thought through her options. Staying here all night and hoping that help would come to her didn't seem like a great idea. She wasn't sure at what temperature she would actually be in danger. She did know she was already starting to shiver a bit.
The idea of walking was just as unappealing. She didn't know where she was. She wasn't entirely sure she could backtrack. Even if she could, was she supposed to just walk until someone happened upon her or she found a house or business. Neither seemed to exist in the darkness that surrounded her. The blackness of the night was complete and total. It made her feel isolated as though she existed in a world only she knew about.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light in her rearview mirror. The woman twisted around and peered through her back windshield. Twin orbs of light were pulling up behind her car.
Headlights.
Relief washed through her when she realized it was another vehicle. A truck. The woman let down her window as the driver's side door swung open and a figure appeared in the glare of the headlights.
A man approached. She could hear loose rocks from the road crunching under his feet as he walked up to her halfway open window and bent down so that his face was visible. Or, somewhat visible. The man wore a knit hat that was pulled down so far, the edge nearly touched his eyes. It was too dark for her to make out much detail in his face. His eyes appeared dark and the bottom half of his face was partially concealed by a beard.
"Broke down?"
The woman nodded. His voice was somewhat rough, but didn't seem unconcerned with her predicament.
"Yeah."
He eyed her.
"This is a bad night for that."
"I noticed. Do you have a phone I could use?"
The man shook his head.
"No phone. Wouldn't work even if I did."
She held up her own phone with a sheepish look.
"Tell me about it. Do you think you could give me a ride?"
The man raised a gloved hand and ran it over the dark hair of his beard.
"Sure. C'mon."
It crossed her mind that taking a ride from a strange man should not be a part of her playbook. She knew better. She watched the news. Problem was, she didn't have a lot of options. She supposed she could ask him to send help. That would leave her sitting here for God knows how long.
So, she unlocked and opened the car door. The man stepped back to give her space. She grabbed her bag and shouldered it, dropping her useless cell phone inside as well as her car keys. She locked the door and pushed it closed.
Now that she was standing near him, it occurred to the woman just how large this man was. It wasn't just that he was tall. Burly was the word that came to mind. He didn't seem to pay her very much attention. As soon as she was out of the car, he started back for the truck. The woman followed as the wind pressed in on her. She tugged open the truck door. It was an old model that smelled of cigarette smoke and old food when she climbed inside. It reminded her of a truck her grandfather drove when she was a small child.
However, it was running and it was warm on the inside. The woman settled into the seat and tucked her hands into her pockets. The man got in and shifted the truck into drive. He gave her a look as he pulled back onto the road and around her car.
"You don't have a coat?"
The woman shook her head.
"No. I wasn't planning on being outside."
He didn't say anything. He turned his attention to the road that disappeared into the darkness and pressed slightly harder on the gas pedal. The old truck rumbled over the rough road.
"What's the closest town?"
"There's one about five miles away."
He didn't offer up the name of the town.
"Thank you."
He grunted what she assumed was an acknowledgement. As the truck rolled on, the woman fished her phone from her bag and powered it back on. The screen lit up as it came to life. She waited for her home screen to appear so that she could keep an eye on potential service. Before that could happen, the phone was slapped from her hands. It thumped into the floorboard as the woman turned to see the man's hand still extended. She made a move to reach for her phone as a very real fear started to take hold of her. The man's large hand clamped down on her arm and tugged.
"Don't do that."
xxx
The persistent ringing of her cell phone brought Vic out of a sound slumber and into the stark reality that was the middle of the night. She rolled towards the sound and reached out a hand, grappling for the phone in the darkness of the bedroom. She felt her hand hit the phone, but it slid from her grasp and from the bedside table. Vic heard a thump as the phone hit the floor and slid closer to the edge of the bed.
"Shit."
Letting her arm fall off the bed, she felt around on the floor until she found the now quiet phone. It didn't stay that way for long. As she brought the phone back up so that she could see who called, the screen lit up and it started to ring again. The jarring noise nearly made her drop it again, but she recovered and managed to peer at the screen.
Work.
Of course.
She didn't really expect anything else.
Vic swiped her finger across the screen and lay on her back as she pressed the phone to her ear.
"What?"
There was a brief silence before she heard a response.
"You awake?"
Vic rubbed her free hand over her face.
"No, I'm talking in my sleep. What's going on?"
"We have a report of a body out by the river."
Vic didn't bother suppressing the sigh that pushed its way out.
"Shit."
"My sentiments exactly. If I text you the location, can you meet me out there?"
Were she less tired, she might've come up with a better reply than she did.
"Yeah."
When had she ever refused to show up at a possible crime scene? Especially one that involved a body.
"See you in a bit. Dress warm. Cold out."
The call ended and Vic wondered how Cady sounded so awake. She set her phone on the bed beside her and pushed the blankets off. She knew by the temperature in the cabin that Cady was right. It was warm when she went to bed, but hours crept by and the fire she had going then would have died down some.
Vic swung her legs over the bed and gave herself a moment to get oriented. Her phone told her it was about a quarter after one. With the situation being what it was, there would be no coming back here before work. A scene like this would bleed directly into the workday.
Slowly, she stood and fumbled around in the dark for clothes. She purposely avoided turning on the light. Her mind was still adjusting. There was no good reason to blind herself until she had to. She was careful to layer thermals under her clothes. Once she was dressed, she flipped on the bathroom light. There was no avoiding it now. In the bathroom, she quickly brushed her teeth and pulled her hair back. There wasn't time for much else than that. Turning the light back off, Vic left the bathroom and bedroom.
In the living room, Vic clipped her badge, cuffs, and holstered Glock onto her belt and shoved her feet into her boots. She pulled her jacket from the hook it hung on and tugged it on, zipping it up. From her jacket pocket, she pulled a knit cap and pulled it on as she headed out the door, locking it behind her.
The cold hit her like a wall and took her breath away. She jogged to her truck and hurried to get it started and the heat going. She would probably be there before the damn truck actually warmed up to a comfortable level. As promised, Cady texted her before she was out the door.
The road was dark as she drove. She was the only vehicle out. That was no surprise. Sane people were at home in the bed. From Walt's cabin, it wasn't a long ride. She still thought of it that way. As Walt's. Even though it was her home as well as his, she didn't expect that to change. The old her might not have liked the feeling. There was a time it would've made her uncomfortable all things considered. She was no longer that person. Even though the metamorphosis she'd been going through for months now didn't feel complete, she could feel the transformation. Walt and his cabin seemed to be an inseparable thing. It was hard to envision one without the other at this point.
Although, it wasn't like he was there right now.
Vic's thoughts dissipated as she pulled off the main road and started down a rut filled two track to the river. Her truck bounced along as she navigated the narrow route that would open up to the river.
Rivers should be beautiful places. They should be enjoyed and appreciated. Unfortunately, due to her career choice and the propensity for criminals to get rid of bodies in and around water, that wasn't possible. She would never be able to look at a river without the dark memories that were engrained in her psyche.
Cady was already there when she arrived. The lights on her Jeep were a beacon to the spot of death. No matter if this turned out to be a crime or an accident, that was a fact. Vic parked and left her lights on as well. They would need all the illumination they could get. Vic pulled the camera bag from behind her seat and started to Cady. She took in the scene as she did so. A dark form lay in water that was shallow. That was one positive thing. At least it wasn't deep. Water washed away evidence. It wasn't a coincidence so many victims were discarded this way.
If this was a victim.
Her mind made one attempt at not being pessimistic, but it didn't last long. This time of night and in this weather, Vic doubted this was an accident.
"Hey."
Cady greeted her. Vic slung the bag from her shoulder and set it on the rocky ground.
"Hey, what's it look like?"
Cady's face answered the question.
"Not good."
Vic pulled a pair of gloves from her pocket and pulled them on.
"Who called it in?"
"Would you believe it was anonymous?"
Vic shrugged.
"Not much I won't believe anymore. You take the call?"
"Yes. I forwarded the phones at work to my cell."
"Man or woman?"
"It was a woman. All she said was that we would find a body here. Took me a while to pinpoint the spot she was talking about. She said it and hung up."
Vic bit her bottom lip.
"The phone wake you up?"
"Yeah."
Vic shook her head as she looked around.
"Why the hell do you sound so awake then?"
Cady huffed out a breath and didn't answer.
Vic turned her attention to the body that was laying face down in the water. Only the face was submerged. The back of the head rose above the water. The dark hair was wet and matted. Vic moved carefully around and used two fingers to gently move the hair. With Cady's headlights, she could see the way the hair stuck together. She could offer a guess as to what that was.
Blood.
"Jesus."
"What?"
She felt Cady more than she saw her. Vic straightened up and pulled off the gloves. She walked over to Cady's Jeep and tossed them on the ground for pickup later on.
"It's hard to see, but I'm willing to bet she's got one hell of head injury. Let's get some pictures before we disturb anything. You call anyone else?"
Cady shook her head.
"Not yet. I wanted to know what we were dealing with first. Want me to get Ferg out here?"
Vic knelt down in front of the camera bag.
"Yep. We're gonna be here for a while."
xxx
A while turned out to be past daybreak. That didn't surprise Vic. Working a potential murder scene was a long process that looked nothing like television made it appear. It took a certain amount of diligence to go over a scene and look for evidence. Especially when they were still hours from daylight.
Some things couldn't be hurried.
Cady was still learning as she went where her job of Sheriff was concerned. One noted difference between Walt and Cady was that Cady took a more administrative approach as opposed to Walt being hands on. It made sense. Cady lacked the on the job experience that Walt possessed when he was elected as Sheriff. Vic liked that Cady was willing to defer to those with more knowledge than she possessed. And, she managed to do it without conceding her authority.
By the time the sun came up, they had taken pictures of the scene, given the body a cursory exam, and combed the area for evidence in the water as well as on the bank. Anything found was bagged and marked. They found some tire tracks that were pressed into the snow and took pictures of those as well. Based on the size of the tires and remote location, the vehicle was likely a truck with four wheel drive. Once that was done, they carefully moved the body so that it could be transported to the hospital for autopsy. Cady called for an ambulance to do that job. She was less willing than Walt to load dead bodies in the back of her vehicle and move them herself. It was just as well. There seemed to be something more official doing it this way.
By the time the scene was cleared out and Vic arrived at the office, her back and knees were aching and she had a headache. She found Ruby at her desk and Zack pouring himself a cup of coffee. Ruby gave her a long look.
"Long night?"
"Hellacious and long."
Zack held up his mug.
"Want some?"
Vic blew out a breath as she shrugged out of her jacket and draped it over her chair.
"I need more than you got there."
Zack offered her a smile and moved to his desk. Her stomach rumbled and reminded her than she hadn't eaten since dinner the night before. Dinner being leftover pizza that was probably a day past being good.
"You look like you need a good cup of coffee and a hot meal."
The comment came from Ruby.
"You're not wrong. Cady is over at the Busy Bee now getting some breakfast."
Her stomach growled again at the thought of food. On cue, the door opened and Cady came in with exactly what she needed. Cady set a large bag and a cup holder down with a breath. The smell hit Vic immediately and the urgency of her hunger threatened to tip into nausea.
"I hope that's strong."
Cady pulled a cup from the holder and passed it to Vic.
"Dorothy assures me it is. Not that it'll matter once you add sugar."
Vic gave Cady a fake smile as she pulled off the lid and did just that. Paper rustled as Cady opened the bag and set two wrapped breakfast sandwiches on Vic's desk.
"Here you go."
Vic pressed the lid back on her cup.
"Thank you."
Cady nodded and moved away from Vic's desk, offering Zack and Ruby a choice from the bag as well. Vic sat down and took a cautious sip of coffee. She really wanted to chug it, but it was too hot for that. She busied herself unwrapping one sandwich then the other and sitting them side by side on the spread out paper they were packaged in. She half expected Cady to retreat to her office. Instead, she brought her own breakfast over and pulled a chair close to Vic's desk.
Vic was chewing when Cady sat down.
"Have you heard from dad?"
Vic raised her eyes as she continued to chew. Once she swallowed, she took another sip of coffee.
"Not since day before yesterday."
Cady frowned.
"I figured you would hear from him more than that."
Vic shrugged and continued to eat.
"There's no service where they are. You know that."
"I know. But… he managed before."
"Yeah, it was a good walk for that two minute conversation. Cady, believe it or not, your father doesn't check in on the regular when he's out doing his guy stuff with Henry."
Cady smiled at her.
"Oh, I believe it. I just feel like we should set higher expectations with him now that he has a phone."
Vic finished her first sandwich and started on the second.
"I guess we can only expect so much change from him."
Cady laughed.
"You know…you have enough time. You could've gone. I know he asked you to."
Vic made a face.
"Cady, I would rather sell my soul than be where he is and freeze my ass off. It's too cold for that."
"Well, it has to be cold. That's why they call it ice fishing."
"No shit."
Vic's reply was dry. Done with her food, she balled up the wrappers and wiped her hands off on her jeans. She leaned back in her seat and grew serious.
"Walt and Henry need some time. They don't need me being a third wheel."
"Wouldn't Henry technically be the third wheel?"
"In this situation, no."
Cady nodded and gave Vic a long look.
"They're doing better."
"Yeah, they are. This trip was exactly what they needed. The casino has settled down and Walt's done working on the cabin. Or…so he says."
"When are they due back?"
"Supposedly tomorrow."
"Supposedly?"
"Since he retired, he's not great with time. He doesn't have to be."
"I've noticed. You know…that would drive most women crazy."
"Yeah, well…he's certainly earned the right to do what he wants."
The smile Cady gave her was sincere. It hadn't always been that way.
"He's lucky to have you."
Vic looked away. She liked Cady. She considered Cady a friend. That didn't necessarily make conversations like this one easy.
"Maybe."
Without warning, Vic stood up and deposited her wrappers in the trash.
"Weston give you any idea when the autopsy will be done."
Cady rose from her seat.
"He said he would do his best to get to it today."
Vic knew what that meant. If they were very lucky, they might get the report. Tomorrow was much more likely. They tossed all the trash cups into the trashcan and Cady went into her own office. Vic took a seat back at her desk and started going through what they found at the scene. She raised her hand to cover a yawn and sighed.
It was going to be a long day.
xxx
It was a long day. One of the longest in recent memory. As early as the day started, the rest of it dragged on and took a toll. There was no autopsy report which they needed for the clues it might carry. From their own exam, there was an assumed cause of death. That wasn't enough. It was just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.
"Go on home."
Vic leaned on her desk and rested her arms as she looked up at Cady.
"I was thinking about it."
"There's not really anything else we can do today. We'll start fresh tomorrow. I'm leaving, too. Zack is getting the phones tonight."
Vic sat up and pushed back from her desk. She didn't need to be told twice. She gathered up her things and left with a quick goodbye. Outside, it felt colder than the last time she'd been out. Tonight was set to be another brutally cold night. Hopefully, she could spend the entirety of it inside and warm in bed.
On her way out of town, she stopped and grabbed some food. She knew there wasn't much at the cabin to eat. If she were less tired, she might be inspired to stop by the grocery store. Today was just not that day. She ate her less than stellar dinner as she drove to the cabin. The burger and fries weren't great, but it was something on her stomach. That was really all she needed right now.
When she pulled in, she dumped all the trash and went inside. The first several minutes were spent at the fireplace working on a fire. She was better at this than she once was. She would never be as quick as Walt. The results were satisfying when a healthy fire was crackling away. Leaving the fire to do it's work on the rooms, she left all the doors open to allow the warm air in and got a shower.
She wanted to linger under the warm spray of water. She didn't for fear of falling asleep where she stood. She knew sleep was not going to be hard to find tonight. As a matter of fact, she would get in bed early to try and make up for what she lost the night before.
Once she was done, she dressed in warm pajamas and spent a few minutes blow drying her hair. By the time she wandered back into the living room, it was pleasantly warm and smelled of wood smoke. That was not a bad thing in her mind and gave her a sense of comfort. Vic sat on the couch for a while checking her email and skimming over the news from the day. She answered a text from her youngest brother and set her phone on the cushion beside her. Vic considered getting a book and trying to read. That felt too much like a lost cause and would surely put her out. So, she spent some time just sitting in the quiet and watching the fire.
There was a time when silence grated on her and was hard to manage. She was born and raised in a world of chaos. Philadelphia was many things. Calm was not one of them. Neither was growing up with four brothers in her parent's modest house. When she first moved here, the space and the quiet unnerved her. It was so different than back home. Now, after all this time and everything that happened, she was able to find some appreciation in the quiet. She was also able to hear the less obvious sounds that tended to fade to the background. The fire. The logs shifting. The wind pressing and whirling around the cabin.
Vic felt her head tip slightly and pushed out a breath. She needed to go to bed before she fell asleep on the couch. That was something she had no desire to do. She wanted to stretch out under the layers of blankets that were on the bed. Vic stood from the couch and carefully added another log to the fire. She would leave the bedroom door open to allow it to stay warm longer. Taking her phone, she went into the bedroom and climbed into bed. Letting her body relax entirely felt like the best remedy for her fatigue and the still present ache in her back.
She was definitely right about sleep. It was quick in coming.
Vic wasn't entirely sure what roused her. It wasn't her phone. That was a jarring sound that ripped her from sleep. This was a more gradual awareness that she wasn't really sleeping soundly anymore. It wasn't enough for the drowsiness to release her from its grasp, though. She turned on her side and pressed her cheek into the pillow, keeping her eyes closed. It wasn't until she felt the bed move that her eyes popped open with a slight start.
She recognized him even in the dark. Even in her half asleep state, she knew that it was Walt as soon as her eyes landed on the bulk of his shadow. He paused in his movements and she felt his hand on her arm.
"Didn't mean to wake you."
His voice was low and somewhat gruff. Walt slid the rest of the way in bed and settled in beside her. Vic's brow furrowed.
"What're you doing here?"
He hadn't planned on being back until sometime tomorrow.
"Got back early."
Were she less tired and more awake, she would've had a sarcastic comment for that.
"No shit."
But, her mind was foggy and she wasn't alone anymore. There were questions on the edge of her mind that stayed at bay for now. She lowered her head back onto the pillow and felt Walt move closer to her. He smelled clean, like soap. The bar soap that he always used. He had been home long enough to shower. She must have slept through that. Vic pressed her face into his shoulder and inhaled him. He smelled good and felt better. His skin was warm and inviting. Vic stretched her arm out across his stomach and closed her eyes.
xxx
Walt was up before her and in the kitchen making coffee. His impromptu arrival had seemed like a dream. Yet, here he stood dressed and seemingly rested. Retirement certainly agreed with him. He no longer seemed burdened the way he had when he was Sheriff. He was by no means idle. There was something about him that seemed peaceful.
"What time did you get in last night?"
Walt kept his concentration on the coffee that he was pouring into mugs for them both as he answered.
"Bout ten."
Vic made a face.
"Seemed later than that."
Walt added sugar to her coffee. She resisted the urge to tell him that she was capable of doing that herself. It was something that he liked doing for her, so she let him. He passed her the mug and leaned his back on the counter so that he was facing her.
"You were sleeping pretty hard. Tried not disturb you."
"You're not the worst wakeup call."
A smiled crossed his lips before a more pensive look.
"Rough day yesterday?"
"Yeah."
She took a drink of her coffee while he waited. If there was one thing Walt was good at, it was waiting. That talent seemed amplified when it came to her.
"A body was reported night before last."
His eyes sparked with interest.
"Murder?"
"Possibly. Cady called me way the hell before dawn yesterday morning because someone reported a body."
"They found it?"
Vic shrugged.
"Don't know. It was an anonymous call."
"That's interesting."
"Well, I could deal with less interesting and more helpful. Didn't get very far yet."
Walt set his mug down and looked towards the refrigerator. She could see the question on the tip of his tongue and shook her head before he voiced it.
"Don't bother."
He nodded.
"I'll go to the store today."
Vic changed the subject. She would be dealing with work issues all day and had little desire to spend her morning discussing it.
"So…why did you and Henry come home a day early? Fishing that bad?"
Walt gave her a noncommittal look.
"Yep."
"So you drove home that late?"
"Only a couple of hours."
She considered him and suspected there might be more to the story than she was getting. Walt wasn't one to lie to her. Not really. He would keep information from her in the name of not upsetting her or protecting her. He thought he was doing her a favor. She found it annoying.
"Did something happen with Henry?"
"No."
Walt supplied the answer quickly.
"Did you have a nice time?"
"Yeah."
Vic sighed.
"You're getting on my nerves."
There was no malice or anger in the comment. It simply was. Walt set his coffee cup down and closed the distance between them.
"I'm sorry."
He placed his hands on her hips. Vic looked up into his face.
"No, you're not."
A smile tugged at his mouth.
"The trip was fine. We just weren't having any luck."
"You could've just said that in a complete sentence instead of one word answers. I still don't understand why you just didn't come back today."
"Maybe I missed you."
"Maybe?"
Her voice filled with amusement.
"Maybe."
When he said it, he tipped his head down and kissed her lightly on the mouth. The contact fueled something in her. She pressed into it. Walt was not a man of many words. He was also not a man who tossed out words unless he meant them. There wasn't much about him that anyone would consider romantic in a traditional sense. Walt expressed himself best with action.
When he pulled away, his eyes dropped.
"I…was hoping you might be able to take today. But…"
"You know I can't. Not with this case."
Walt raised his eyes to hers.
"I know."
He did. There was no judgement in his face. There was no frustration. If there was anything he understood, it was her job.
"Guess I'll have to find a way to occupy myself."
He said it in the most intentional way. She knew that was not by accident. Vic cocked her head to one side and pushed at his chest.
"Don't do that."
Walt gave her an innocent look.
"Don't do what?"
"Be an ass. Or…make this day any longer than it's already going to be. You know…"
Her hand stayed on his chest.
"…I suppose it's good that you didn't really wake me up last night."
"Why is that?"
Vic gave him a smile and it had the effect that she intended. Two could play at this game.
"Because neither one of us would have gotten any sleep and I have a lot to do today."
With that, she pushed up on her toes to kiss him quickly. Vic stepped away from him before Walt was able to react. He gave her a slightly flustered look and Vic felt a sense of satisfaction. She started for the living room with Walt behind her.
Vic pulled on her jacket as he watched.
"I'll go to the store today and get some groceries."
Vic nodded.
"Okay. I…don't know how today's gonna go. We're hoping to get the autopsy report sometime this morning."
He got what she was saying without further explanation. There was some relief to be found in Walt's ability to read between the lines. He tempered his expectations to what he knew reality was. It was a welcome change from her previous life with Sean.
"Okay. Call me when you leave and I'll make you some dinner."
Vic felt something stir in her chest. That was what he was so damn good at. Being sweet in a non-assuming way that seemed to blindside her even when she should have been accustomed to it. It was the way he said "you" and not "us." His choice of words gave her something she didn't know she was missing before all this. And, she knew it was deliberate on his part. He certainly wasn't perfect. Neither of them was perfect, or anything close. But, the other aspects of his personality, the ones that were harder to deal with, took a backseat because this was the man that he was when she needed him to be.
If that made sense. It did to her and Vic figured that was all that really mattered. What went on between them was their business and no one else's. It was one of the reasons she struggled when Cady inquired about the two of them.
"Sure."
He gave her a barely there smile and Vic zipped up her jacket.
"I gotta go."
She made the comment but didn't move to leave. She continued to stand there and look at him. She missed him while was gone, of course. The truth was that she didn't realize how much until he was back. It was that way every time he left.
"Something else?"
She must have lingered long enough to make him wonder what was going on in her head. Vic blinked and shook her head.
"No. I was just thinking."
A beat of quiet passed between them. He was doing that waiting thing again.
"About what?"
Walt broke the easy silence between them.
Vic shrugged and gave him a smile.
"That maybe I missed you, too."
Walt smiled at her, a real smile.
"Maybe?"
Vic took hold of his shirt, the material bunching up in her fisted hands. She tugged him in closer to her and kissed him again. It was not a chaste kiss either. It left nothing to the imagination. It was the kind of kiss that would lead to scattered clothes and rumpled sheets if she wasn't careful.
Vic released him and stepped back, putting some space between them.
"Yeah. Maybe."