I do now own Longmire.

A May December Romance

Chapter 5: Friends & Lovers

Vic stared out the office window watching as the sun bared down mercilessly on the afternoon crowd, her own patience wearing thin. It had been an uneventful day to say the least. No major cases to crack, no fugitives to apprehend. Nothing at all. And by nothing, she really meant Walt. He hadn't even bothered to acknowledge her presence by singling her out today. Something he always managed to do.

When he arrived this morning, coffee and breakfast sandwich in hand; all courtesy of Henry and the Red Pony and Continual Soirée, he grumbled a good morning to the entire group, headed for his office and closed the door behind him. Vic waited all day for Walt to talk to her, say anything resembling recognition of what had been left unsaid.

Maybe he was embarrassed to confront her. It's not like Walt was the open book type. Hell, it'd taken her a year before he'd even tell her what his favorite color was.

Walt often gave the appearance of the tough, brooding type, which was furthest from the truth. He was caring and sensitive. But on the flip side, he was also strong-willed; which oft times became his downfall.

After lunch, Walt sent her on patrol with the Ferg; some bullshit errand she'd surmised and once they'd returned, he still had his door shut.

Vic had had enough. She tried be patient, tried not to become the aggressive pursuer as she had in the past, but it was obvious Walt needed a little prodding. She snatched a file from off her desk; a bogus case which she hoped would be the opening to a conversation.

Her hand hovering over the doorknob, she hesitated just as she was about to knock. And almost as if he knew she was there, the door swung open, his own expression dumbfounded.

He opened his mouth to say something, but what he emitted was a stammered jumble of words Vic couldn't piece together. So, she took the lead.

"Walt, I really need to talk to you about this case."

He looked at her quizzically; he knew of no case that they were working on.

God, he was slow sometimes Vic thought. "This. Case."

"Oh, yes. That case. C'mon in Vic, and close the door behind you."

Vic could feel Branch and Ferg's eyes on her as she lingered in the doorway, and could almost hear them as they snickered behind her back.

Shutting the door behind her, she took a seat directly in front of him. Once inside, she was quiet, pensive, and not sure of how to proceed.

Clearing her throat, she nervously continued. "Walt, I think we should talk."

"Bout?"

"About the other day. About what happened at your house."

Walt's mouth went dry, "Uhm."

"I know it was inappropriate what I did, and I wanted to apologize."

His eyes hooded, he didn't even bother to look up at her. "Nothing to apologize for."

"But there is. I put you in an uncomfortable position and I wanted to make sure we were okay."

"Yep. We're good."

Vic could see Walt wasn't going to budge, so with trepidation she pushed on.

"Walt, don't you think something…. happened between us."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Now exasperated, she let out a rushed breath. "Yes, Walt. You do."

Walt stared at her with a blank expression, which only proceeded to piss Vic off further.

"Walt, would you say something!"

"I think you should get back to work."

Heart stuck in her throat, Vic swallowed her pride and stormed from the room. How could she has been so stupid? Well, she sure wasn't going to put herself out there again just to make a fool of herself. As far as she was concerned, the ball was in Walt's court now.

Little did Vic know that she had Walt shook. As soon as she walked into his office, he froze. Struggling to articulate, he locked his eyes on her. His mind a torrid of naughty thoughts of all the things he wanted to do to her.

He imagined them riding in the Bronco Bullet down some back road. They'd pull over to the side and crawl into the back seat. Walt dragging her down so that she sat on top of him and allowed her to ride him at her leisure just so he can watch the way her eyes sparked when she came. And it didn't stop there. The entire time she talked, he dreamt of sexual acts with her, each more lewd than the next.

Thats also another reason why he ultimately dismissed her. He was in no position to answer her questions as he'd lost all resolve. It was a good thing no emergency presented itself at that moment because he had a raging hard on that would be difficult to conceal.

Besides, he didn't know what to do at this point. Though he hated to admit it to himself, he did have romantic feelings for Vic. The problem was that every fiber of his being was telling him it was a bad idea to pursue a relationship with her. Oh, he wasn't worried about public perception, or Cady and Henry's reactions for that matter. He wasn't concerned that they wouldn't be able to perform their duties. He was most worried about losing her.

Their job was far from a walk in the park; anything could happen and usually did. It was a dangerous and unpredictable profession. He'd already lost the love of his life, Martha to a to a cruel and unfair disease. But he also had to ask; how many chances does one get in a lifetime to find true happiness?

Maybe it was clandestine that Vic came to Wyoming, to this particular county and to this particular town. But then again, what if she turned him away?

Vic was right about one thing though; they had to clear the air. So, after dismissing Ruby for the evening along with Branch and the Ferg, Walt called Vic into his office for a little chat.

She entered the room and immediately the air grew thick. This time, Walt didn't hide behind his desk, but stood front and center. He did make sure to lock his private door to assure they wouldn't be interrupted.

My God, was this really happening he thought.

Once inside, the reality of what had occurred and what was about to shocked him like a cold hard slap across the face.

"Vic, we can't."

She knew exactly what he was referring to. "Why?"

"Because, i'm too old for you. "

"Walt, you're older… not old."

"And I'm you're boss."

"Semantics." With each excuse he made, she gave a had a retort which shot his attempt to pieces.

"I think we know each other well enough that we won't permit a relationship between the two of us to interfere with work. Our personal lives are just that."

"You say that like we're already a couple?" Walt said.

"Walt you may not want to admit it, so I will. I think you and I both know that we've been a couple for quite some time, we just hadn't put it into context."

"You're married."

"Not anymore. If you'd bothered to speak to me today I could have shown you. My lawyer called today and the papers have been finalized. I'm a free woman."

Vic moved closer so that she now invaded his personal space. Her boots touching his, she stood toe to toe.

"So Walt. What's your excuse now?"

"Vic…" his speech softening, "we're friends. And I don't want to ruin that."

She paused, deep in thought and for once, he believed he'd finally gotten through to her.

… So he thought.

"Walt, all great romances should start with someone who's a friend. Listen, if you don't want me, then tell me. But I can't keep going on like this. The longing looks, the flirting, the accidental touches. Walt I want to be with you… don't you want me?"

The pleading in her voice broke him. Here it was, their defining moment. What else could he do?

Walt swooped Vic up off her feet and kissed her full and hard so that it left no doubt he wanted her too.

Near missing a beat, Vic pressed her body firmly against his, her fingers entangled in his hair. His kisses made her feel a little dizzy. As if she'd drunk at least three Rainier's.

Taking a breath, she watched as the corners of his mouth curled up into a half-smile. Cocking her head to the side, she peered into his eyes. She could still see something dark and heavy that had kept his emotions hidden away.

"Walt, look at me."

He viewed her cautiously and peered up and over her head.

"No." Vic took hold of both shoulders, forcing him to see her. "Look. At. Me."

He obliged knowing that he either had two choices; break the spell now by putting and end to this before it went to far or acquiescing to her request. He chose the latter and was met with her eyes which reflected all he needed to know.

What happened in the next few minutes were a complete blur.

Face-to-face with the lean stubbly jaw she'd been dreaming about earlier, she kissed the rough lips until they melded into a soft kiss which quickly turned more sensual, until she resignedly pushed her newly minted partner away toward the desk.

God, Walt thought, she made him feel like a man again. Vic had a way of getting under his skin and she felt so good in his arms.

What the hell had just happened, they both surmised. One thing was for sure, they had crossed the point of no return. From here on out, it was going to be the two of them. No more time for confused theories.

Their mouths greedy, they met in an impassioned embrace. Walt could still taste the mint from the mouthwash she'd used after she'd brushed her teeth at lunch.

Vic now on her tiptoes, he allowed his hands to roam freely only where he'd dared not place them before. Sure, he'd touched Vic before, but not like this… not like this. Walt allowed his body to relax as he felt her push is back and steer toward the couch.

"So we," he placed the emphasis on "are doing this."

Vic responded by unhooking the top few buttons of his shirt, exposing his masculine chest.

Damn, how she had longed to run her fingers though his tuff of hair.

And there they stayed, making out like two randy teenagers until the wee hours.

At last coming up for air, Walt knew they had to end it for the evening and walked her to her car. There was nothing left to say for the moment, just two people who'd opened their hearts to each other.

Just before she pulled off, Walt called out.

"Victoria, would you like to get some dinner with me on Saturday?"

"Walter longmire, are you asking me out on a date?"

"That depends. Is that a yes?"

"Yes."

"Well, then. It's a date."