He shudders again and shakes his head, rubbing his eyebrow as he actually goes and takes a step back. She's hit his limit -- not by mentioning the dream, but by saying it'll be something else. That presupposes that there might really be a day he won't be a Mountie at all, and if he's just about ready to admit to that fear, he's far from ready to entertain the possibility of it coming true in any real sense.

"No-- no, you know what?" he says in a tight, anxious voice. "You were right. It doesn't matter whether or not I'm on duty, in the end. After all, as I mentioned, I often wore the uniform to events even when they were outside the strict confines of my jurisdiction."