This is a post-season 5 story, so stop reading NOW if you haven't seen it and want to stay spoiler-free.

This story picks up a little while after the tenth episode, but since I want Henry to be in this story, we'll just say the final couple Henry-related scenes didn't happen.

Alright, stage set, and spoiler warning given. Here we go...

He was only half-paying attention to the book in his lap when the headlight beams sliced through the blinds of his front windows. Not expecting anyone, he lowered his gaze back to the page he'd been on, but the crunch of gravel and the sound of the engine being cut informed him that his cabin was the driver's intended destination.

From his position on the couch he couldn't see the car, and he briefly wondered if he could pretend not to be home when the visitor knocked. There were so many people he didn't want to see right now. But his Bronco was parked outside, and the lights from within the cabin could clearly be seen by anyone out front, so he pulled his feet down from the coffee table with a sigh.

With a rub of his hand across the face, he placed the book on the end table beside him, and stood. Ready to turn toward the door, the Rainier cans on the coffee table caught his eye. He had no idea who was stopping by, but he didn't want a pile of empty beer cans to be the first thing they saw. It's not like he had consumed them all that evening. He'd only had two. But it wasn't a good visual. He'd never really worried about the visual before, but lately, as his lawyer continued to remind him, the visual was critical.

As he placed the empty cans in a paper bag under the sink, he looked over his shoulder. Whoever had parked out front had still not knocked. Maybe they'd changed their mind. Or figured out they were at the wrong place. But he didn't really have any neighbors close by for his address to be mixed up with someone else's.

He straightened and made his way back to the front room, opened the door and peered out. No one was standing there, but he could make out a bumper of a truck in the near dark. With his right hand he switched on the porch light and the Dodge Ram came into view. There, a few steps past the post at the top of the stairs, stood Vic looking somewhat startled.

"Vic?"

She blinked but remained silent.

"Everything ok?" She blinked again.

Glancing over to his answering machine and confirming that it did not have a blinking light with a message he'd missed, he propped open the screen. "Do we have a new case? Did a body drop?"

"Oh...uh, no." She finally stepped forward. "I..."

He scanned her face trying to gauge whether she'd been drinking. Her flustered state was not typical for her. Nor was it typical for her to stop by his place unannounced, late at night.

"Are you ok, Vic?"

She glanced to the right, squinting toward the edge of his porch. "Did you know that my family has never visited me since I moved out here?"

Unsure where the conversation was headed, he ran his hand across the hair at the back of his neck.

"Not when I first moved to Durant and was getting settled in."

His eyes stayed on her, but she continued to look to the side.

"Not when I was overwhelmed in those first months, and a bit homesick."

Her gaze dropped to her boots, and he watched her kick at one of the boards.

"Not when Sean was traveling a lot for work, and they knew I didn't know many people here."

She looked up, her eyes grabbing on to his.

"And not even after Sean and I separated, or when he left, or when the divorce was finalized. No one visited. Not even once."

He nodded, not knowing if she was actually asking him a question. Again she looked off to the right for a moment, and then began to pace in front of him.

"But now...now is when they decide to show up on my front steps. Now, when I'm living in an RV that barely fits me, let alone the four of them. Now, when I'm trying to get my shit together, but haven't made enough progress to want anyone else to see it yet. Now when I'm plastered across the headlines. And you're plastered across the headlines. And things are being misconstrued. Now, when I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell them..."

She suddenly stopped talking, pausing mid-stride, her eyes going big.

"They, um..." Her unfamiliar flustered state was back. "They showed up at my place a couple hours ago. My parents, and two of my brothers. No heads up. No particular reason for being here other than the fact that Monday is Labor Day, and they decided to make the most out of the long weekend, and come and surprise me."

Barking out a laugh, she rolled her eyes. "Surprise me! Like they live in the neighborhood, and just casually decided to drop by. What if I was out of town? What if I had plans this weekend? I mean I don't, but I could have. I have Monday off too."

She paused, her head dropping. "I'm sorry. Here I am, doing what they did, dropping by unexpectedly."

"It's ok."

Running her hand across the top of her head and then down her ponytail, she looked up at him. "I...uh...I need to ask you something."

"You can have tomorrow off."

"What? Oh...uh, no I'm still planning to come into work...I, uh..." Her hands waved in the air. "I stopped by Cady's but then remembered Henry saying something about her being out of town until Sunday. And, uh...I called around, but all the reasonably priced hotels in the area are full because of the casino, and...I was...I was wondering if..." She paused, her eyes shifting to the side. "I was wondering if I could stay on your couch tonight." She looked back at him, both eyebrows slanting upwards. "Just tonight. Tomorrow I'll figure out some other arrangement for the rest of the weekend."

"Oh…uh..." He must have paused too long because he saw a shift in her expression as she played with the zipper of her jacket.

"You know what, I don't want to burden you." She began to back up toward the top of the stairs. "I'm putting you on the spot, like they put me on the spot. I'll just grab some sleep on the cot at the station, and figure things out tomorrow." And with that, she turned and headed down the steps.

"Vic, wait." She stopped on the last step and looked back at him. He didn't let himself dwell on whether this was a good idea or not. "You can stay here. It's not a problem."

She was looking at him as if she didn't quite believe him. "You're sure?"

He wasn't. This wasn't like the last time she'd spent the night on his couch. The conditions had changed. "Yes."

She continued to stare up at him, frozen in spot, so he stepped on to the porch and held the screen door open.

Vic lifted a finger. "Just a sec." She ran to her truck, returning with a backpack, and then bounded up the stairs. They both found themselves standing just inside the doorway, staring into the room.

He stepped forward. "I'll...uh...I'll get some bedding for you. You can use the bathroom if you want."

"Ok."

He watched her adjust the backpack strap on her shoulder as she crossed the floor and then disappeared into his room. Walt busied himself with finding sheets, a blanket and a pillow.

With her boots off he didn't hear her return to the room until she came up beside him, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. "I'll take those." She lowered her bag to the floor and held out her arms for the bedding.

Passing them to her, he glanced back at the entrance to his bedroom. "You could have my room. I'm fine with sleeping on the couch."

As she placed the pile on the coffee table she looked up at him. "Don't be ridiculous. This is your house. I'm the one intruding. I'm not going to kick you out of your own bed."

He suddenly had a vision of her lying beside him on the mattress, giving him a playful kick.

"What?" She straightened and was staring intently at him.

He blinked. "What?"

"You were grinning about something."

He decided to play innocent. "I was?"

"You were." With an arched eyebrow, she turned and started to lay one of the sheets across the couch cushions. He stood there, watching her tuck in the corners until she looked at him over her shoulder and caught him staring.

"Ok. I'll...uh...I'll just let you settle in. And I'll...uh, see you in the morning." He began to back up until he ran into his chair, banging his calf hard against the corner, his forehead creasing in both surprise and pain.

"You alright?" She was looking at him with concern.

He lied. "Yep."

He tried his best not to limp as he headed for his bedroom. At the doorway he turned, finding her standing in front of the couch, staring down at the covered cushions, the second sheet in her hands.

"Everything ok, Vic?"

Her head jerked up, but she didn't look back at him. "Yep." And then she spread the sheet open with a snap, before lowering it.

XX

Vic moved her arm in an arc above her head and stretched, releasing a yawn as she squished her eyes closed. Opening them again, she glanced around the room. From the low light coming in the windows, she could tell it was still early. With a twist of her head, she glanced over to the bedroom, finding the door closed. The kitchen behind her was dark, and everything was completely still.

She raised herself to a seated position, perched on the edge of the cushion, her bare feet flat on the cool floor. Leaning to the right, she dragged her backpack in front of her. Unzipping the main compartment, she dug in and pulled out a pair of shorts. With a quick glance at Walt's door, she shifted on the couch and pulled down her sweatpants, and then yanked them off completely. She stood, quickly stepped into her shorts and then pulled them over her hips. Lowering herself, she again reached into her bag and retrieved her sports bra and a tee.

Once fully dressed, she dove one final time into her bag. With her running shoes and socks in hand, she rose.

As quietly as she could, Vic made her way across the room. She opened the front door slowly, and then reached out to push the screen door open, her fingers stilling on the handle.

Walt was sitting at the top of the steps.

"What are you doing up this early?"

He didn't turn. "I could ask you the same thing."

Pushing the screen door open, she stepped across the porch until she was standing beside him. He glanced up at her, before his gaze fell to her bare legs, and then dropped back to the mug in his hands.

"I'm going for a run. What's your excuse?" She plopped down next to him, and started putting on her socks.

"Just taking in the view."

Her gaze swept across the stretch of land in front of them. "It is gorgeous out here. Especially in the morning."

She turned to see his jaw pulse. "Yep."

"How long have you been out here?"

"Not long." He turned to his right and then turned back toward her, placing a thermos in her hands.

Vic looked over her shoulder. "You brought the coffee maker out here?"

"I didn't want to wake you."

"I probably would have slept through the noise."

"I was more worried about the smell."

Vic lifted the thermos to her nose and took a sniff. "True."

Bringing it to her lips, her eyes closed at the first sip. "Mmm. You even added milk and sugar."

After a few more sips, she placed the thermos next to her, and followed Walt in looking out to the tree line.

"You don't need to come into work today."

She turned to look at him, but he stayed focused on the view before them. "It's Friday. Of course I do."

"I'm giving you the day off."

She paused. "What if I don't want the day off?"

He turned to face her. "Take the day off, Vic. We don't have any active cases. We'll be ok without you."

She started to protest, but he cut her off. "And like you said, your family has never visited before. You should spend as much time with them as you can. Since they made the trip all the way out here."

She held his eyes for a moment before breaking contact. Digging her right foot into one of her running shoes, she leaned forward to tie the laces. "I'll think about your offer on my run."

"Is an early morning run your routine, or are you avoiding going back to your place?"

Her hands on her laces, she turned and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Yes."

He nodded with a smile. "I didn't realize running was your thing."

"It wasn't. But I'm trying to make some improvements in my life."

"Get your shit together?"

She laughed at the fact that he remembered her words from the night before. "Yes. I'm trying to get my shit together, and part of that means taking better care of myself. I'm even trying to cut back on caffeine." She picked up the thermos and took a sip. At his raised eyebrow she grinned. "I'm not completely giving up coffee. I still need to survive. But I'm not drinking as much."

She returned her focus to her laces.

"Why are you avoiding your family?"

"Just giving myself a little extra space."

"They're only here a few days."

She nodded. "Yep. That's a lot of time."

"They can't be that bad."

"You only say that because you haven't met them." She finished tying the bow and sat up. "You should have seen the look on my mother's face when she arrived last night. Her utter disappointment at learning her daughter lives in an RV."

Walt took a sip of his coffee. "It wasn't disappointment."

"Believe me. It was disappointment."

"It wasn't disappointment."

"You weren't there. How do you know what look she was giving me?"

"Because I'm a parent. And because I know you. You aren't a disappointment."

Biting her lip she swallowed and then looked away. She picked up the thermos and then rested both of her forearms on her thighs.

"You weren't ever disappointed in Cady?"

"When a parent comes across as being disappointed, they're usually just masking their concern."

"Is that what's going on with you and Cady right now? Concern?"

He lifted the mug to his lips. "We're talking about you, and why you're avoiding spending time with your family."

"And not you, and why you're avoiding spending time with your daughter?"

He looked over at her but said nothing.

"She hasn't stopped by the station in a while. Or tried to call you there lately."

He shrugged. "She's been busy."

"Busy establishing her legal aid office, working for Jacob Nighthorse, you mean?"

His eyebrow arched again.

"I actually talk to your daughter from time to time."

Again he shrugged. Again he stayed silent.

Vic tightened her grip on the thermos, and the two sat for a moment, coffee in hand, eyes out before them.

"I have no idea what to do with them this weekend. Clearly we can't hang around the RV or we'll all go crazy."

"They want to get a glimpse of your life out here."

"So they can point out all the things that are wrong with it?"

"So they can picture you here when they talk to you on the phone. So they're not so concerned about having let their daughter move so far away."

Vic bit down on her lip.

"You should give them a tour of Absaroka County. It'll give you ideas of things you could do with them while they're here."

She took a sip. Walt reached out and pulled the thermos from her hands.

"Hey."

He smiled. "I thought you were cutting back on caffeine."

"I am, but that means cutting down on coffee, not going cold turkey."

She reached out and tried to snatch it back from him but he pulled it further away.

When she looked up at him she was surprised at how close he was, and her breath caught. The corners of his mouth lowered, as his smile faded, but his eyes stayed bright. She could lean in and put her lips to his, he was that close. But she was moving on, right? That's what she'd told him. That's what he expected. Plus, he had a girlfriend.

She pulled back, and then quickly looked away. A moment later he handed her the thermos.

Again they returned to staring out in front of them.

"How'd you sleep last night?"

She laughed lightly. "I forgot how comfortable your couch is."

"I know. I find it a little too easy to fall asleep out there sometimes."

"Plus it's so quiet out here."

"Sorry. It's a little isolated."

"No. It's great."

He paused as he shifted the mug in his hand. "Ok. Good."

"But it took me a while to fall asleep. I was a little worried that someone might stop by to return a book, or something."

His eyes flashed over to hers.

She shrugged. "We've been in the papers. There's a legitimate reason your girlfriend might be jealous this time, and want to check in on you."

A small smile lit his lips as he bowed his head. "That was a bit awkward last time. With Lizzie."

She laughed. "Just a bit."

They both took a sip, before Vic lowered the thermos to the porch and stood. "Well, I should get my run in before it gets too late. Can't avoid my family forever."

Walt rose, and stepped on to the porch. "Would it be ok if I joined you for your run?"

Vic's lips parted. The surprise must have been evident on her face.

"What?"

"I'm just trying to picture you...running."

"I run."

"I mean other than chasing after the bad guy."

"So do I."

"And wearing something other than your jeans and boots."

"I have something other than jeans and boots."

She crossed her arms with a grin. "This I'd like to see."

He smiled. "Ok."

She returned the smile with one of her own. "Ok."

He paused, and then pointed at the cabin with his thumb. "I'll go change."

As he stepped forward and opened the screen door, she laughed again. "Why the sudden interest in running?"

He looked back at her, the screen door propped open. "You're not the only one who has to get their act together."

"You mean get your shit together."

"Exactly."

His eyes stayed on her, and she shuffled her feet under his scrutiny. "What?"

"Donna wouldn't have stopped by last night."

"You didn't loan her any books recently?"

"Actually I did. But I'm probably not getting it back. We broke up."

And then he turned and disappeared into the cabin.