After their meeting with the other Constable about Elizabeth's ordeal with Sam, he took Sam to jail to question him. Jack walked Elizabeth back to their room to rest. When they walked in the door, he immediately locked it and sighed. He knew he had to go back to work, but he didn't want to leave her alone in the state she was in. She wasn't talking or looking at him, she just had a blank expression on her face.
She walked over and sat on the couch in front of the fireplace that was cold and empty, the way she felt inside. In her heart and head, she blamed herself for what happened. She assured Jack she could handle herself in the city and that nothing would happen to her. If she hadn't left the room this morning, this wouldn't have happened. She wouldn't be scared out of her mind and her arm wouldn't be hurt and Jack wouldn't be so worried and feeling like he had to take care of her.
Jack leaned against the door watching his wife sitting on the couch, staring at nothing. He couldn't leave her alone like this. He walked over to the phone and called Mountie Headquarters. When the commanding officer picked up, Jack requested the rest of the day and all of the next day off to care for Elizabeth. They agreed to the request stating, though, that he would need to extend his posting because of it. He didn't care. Hopefully by the time he returned to work, he will have convinced Elizabeth to travel home with a Mountie escort.
He went into the bedroom and changed from his uniform to his regular clothes, bringing Elizabeth's nightgown with him. He set the nightgown on the couch next to Elizabeth and made a nice, warm fire. He looked at Elizabeth and she was still sitting staring at nothing but shivering. He sat next to her and touched her arm to bring her out of her daze. She jumped and moved her arm away, not realizing it was Jack. "Hey, it's ok. It's just me."
"What are you doing here? Don't you need to work?"
"I took the rest of the day today and tomorrow off."
"Its ok, Jack. I understand that you can't stay with me. I'll be fine."
"Elizabeth, I'm not leaving you alone right now, not after all that's happened."
"You can though. I promise I won't leave the room again."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we both know that if I had just stayed in the room this would never have happened. So, I'll just stay here and wait for you."
"You blame yourself for this?"
She got up and went digging in her bag for something. "Well, it is my fault, so yes, I do. I'm sorry, Jack, that you married someone so helpless."
"What are you talking about, Elizabeth? Why are you saying things like that?" He crossed the room and stood next to her. She was still looking in her bag. "What are you looking for?"
"My nightgown. See what I mean? I can't even keep track of my nightgown. Oh well, I guess I don't really need it." She started unbuttoning her shirt.
"Your nightgown is on the couch. I brought it to you a few minutes ago." He didn't understand why she blamed herself, instead of the man who did this to her. She was acting very strange.
"Oh, ok thank you." She went over to the couch and finished undressing by the fire and put her nightgown on. She walked back over to the bed and climbed under the covers. "I'm going to take a nap. Want to join me?"
"Sure, but first I need to tell you a few things." He sat down on the bed next to her and waited for her to acknowledge him. She kept her eyes closed. "Can you sit up please? I need to know that you are listening." She sat up, but looked down, pretty sure that her attempt at making him think she was ok, had failed. "What is it, Jack?"
"I love you, more than anything and I'd be willing to do anything for you, even quit being a Mountie, if it meant keeping you safe and happy. On the other side of that, you are more than capable of taking care of yourself." She shook her head and kept looking down. "What?"
"Obviously I'm not, Jack. Look at what happened!"
"You went to eat breakfast. You didn't know he was staying here, did you? You didn't know he was going to come over and try to kidnap you and…we won't even discuss what else. You didn't ask him to hurt you, so how can you say it was your fault? You were in the wrong place at the wrong time."
She sat back against the headboard and closed her eyes. He was right, it wasn't her fault. The relief she felt now that she finally realized that was amazing. She opened her eyes and looked at her husband. He was there, sacrificing work to be with her, to make her feel better. She raised her hand to his cheek and he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. "Thank you for marrying me Jack. I couldn't get through this without you." He leaned in slowly, wanting to kiss her, to be with her, but didn't know how she would feel after today, so he hesitated. "Please, Jack."
"Are you sure?" She nodded and moved over on the bed lifting the covers for him to climb in.
A few hours later, Jack woke up with his beautiful wife in his arms, sleeping peacefully. This is how he imagined their honeymoon, not plagued with fear and uncertainty, not him going off to work and leaving her alone, but loving each other and enjoying their time together.
Elizabeth stirred, momentarily afraid because she felt someone's arm around her, holding her, but then realizing it was the person that was supposed to be there. Someone who loved her and wanted to protect her, not someone who wanted to hurt her. She didn't need to be so scared. Sam was in jail and she wasn't in danger anymore.
"Hey, are you awake?" he whispered in her ear, giving her goosebumps.
"Yes, but I wouldn't mind just staying right here." She snuggled back against him, absorbing his warmth.
"That can be arranged, as long as I can stay too."
"Its more fun that way." She turned her head and smiled at him, kissing his cheek.
"Its so good to see you smile, Sweetheart. I was worried about you."
"You make me happy, what can I say?" She turned over so she was facing him, wincing in the process.
"Are you ok?" She nodded.
"When he grabbed my arm, he pulled me out of the chair and then my arm twisted as he dragged me out of the room. I just need to rest it, I'm sure."
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there to stop him."
"If it's not my fault, it's certainly not yours, Honey."
"I know..I just mean, I wish you weren't hurt. I don't like seeing you in pain."
"This is nothing. Wait until I have a baby."
"At least you get something good at the end of all that pain."
"I get you, now. That seems pretty good to me." She leaned over and kissed him. "Yep, you're my something good and I love you very much."
"I love you too." He put his hand on her hip and pulled her closer. "You're so beautiful. How'd I get so lucky?" He inched closer, so close she could feel his warm breath on her face. His lips so close she could almost taste them.
"I'm the lucky one," she whispered as she captured his lips with hers.
The next day, Jack and Elizabeth relished their time together knowing there wasn't much of it. They talked about Elizabeth going back to Hope Valley and decided neither of them really wanted to be separated for a still undisclosed amount of time, so, she would stay, hoping for some time together.
Then, before they knew it, Jack was going back to work.
"I wish you didn't have to go," she said as they said goodbye at the door.
"I know, me too."
"Please be careful." She was amazed at the power of her feelings at this point, not believing that she could possibly love him more than she already did. He wrapped his arms around her one more time, kissing her once more to get him through the day, and then he walked out the door, leaving her arms empty.
Elizabeth needed to work on her lesson plans for the upcoming school term, but she couldn't concentrate. She missed him but she had an idea. She went to his bag of clothes and took out one of his shirts and slipped it over her head. It smelled like him and it was big on her, but it felt like a hug, so she wore it to help her with her loneliness.
She went over and built a fire in the fireplace and then sat down on the couch to work on her lessons. Before she knew it, she had the whole first week planned out.
Next, she decided to read one of the books she brought to distract herself from the fact that she was alone. Two hours later, there was a knock at the door. She jumped at the noise and then laughed at herself for being so easily startled. "Who is it?"
"Its me, Sweetheart." She quickly unlocked the door and threw herself into his arms.
"I'm so glad you're here. Wait…why are you here?" she asked as they came in the room and closed the door.
"I thought I would come see you at lunch. I have about an hour before I have to leave again."
"I can order some food for us, hopefully you'll have time to eat it."
"I could eat, but I really just wanted to see you." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. "Are you wearing my shirt?"
"Yeah. I missed you, so I found your shirt and put it on. It smelled like you, so it was almost like you were here with me."
"Question…what am I supposed to do when I miss you? I can't just go put one of your shirts on." He winked at her and she laughed.
"I have an idea." She walked into the bedroom and looked in her bag. She found one of her plain necklaces and put her engagement ring on it. When she came back out she handed it to him. "Here. Wear this under your uniform. Then when you miss me, just pull it out."
He started unbuttoning his jacket. "Can you help me put it on?"
She waited until he had the jacket off and then fastened the necklace for him. "There you go."
"Thank you. That should help."
"Do you miss me a lot, Constable?" She teased as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
"More than you know." He sighed as they just held each other.
"What is it, Honey?"
"I may not be back for a few days." Her heart dropped. She pulled back to look at him.
"Ok, thank you for letting me know."
"I need to take some extra clothes and things." She nodded. "I don't want to tell you what to do…."
"But you don't want me leaving the room." She understood completely but it felt like she was going to be trapped. That feeling was worse than being without Jack.
He felt her withdraw from him, stepping back. Her demeanor changed. She looked uneasy.
"What is it?"
"Nothing. Let's get you packed, you need to leave soon."
"I have time. I want to know what you are thinking."
"I don't know." She didn't want to get into it and cause a disagreement right before he left.
"You do. You also know you can tell me anything."
"I guess it bothers me that you want to keep me trapped here, like I'm in Jail."
"I'm not trapping you here."
"Yes, if I can't leave the room, I'm trapped."
"I just want you safe. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."
"I understand you want me safe, but what happened to me being more than capable of taking care of myself? Did you just say that, or did you mean it?"
"Of course I meant it."
"Then maybe I don't understand." She walked over and started putting clothes in his bag for him to take. She started to take off the shirt of his that she was wearing, trying to fight the tears that wanted to fall.
"I want you to keep that, Elizabeth."
"You need it, don't you?"
"Not as much as you do."
"Jack I'm sorry. I don't mean to be like this. Maybe I should go home."
"We talked about that, Elizabeth."
"I know, but maybe it would be easier for you, so you don't have to worry. I mean, obviously this place is more dangerous than Hope Valley."
Jack sighed and sat on the bed. "Would you rather be at home? The truth."
"Is that a trick question? Of course I would rather be at home, but as long as you're here, I don't want to be that far away." She sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder and slipped her hand into his. "You weren't kidding when you said this would be hard." He kissed her forehead. "This isn't what I thought our honeymoon would be like."
"Me either, Elizabeth."
"Of course I'll stay in the room, if you think I should."
"I do think so, but I know I need to stop worrying. It's just I love you so much and if I ever lost you…"
She turned toward him. "I know how you feel, Honey. I worry about you too."
He looked at her. "Promise me, that if you leave the room, that you are careful and go where there are lots of people."
"I promise. You promise me that wherever it is you are going, that you don't take any unnecessary risks. I need you to come back to me."
"Promise." He leaned over and kissed her, lingering, wishing he didn't have to leave her. "I have to go soon," he mumbled against her lips, kissing her again. "Help me pack?" She nodded, holding back the tears she felt coming. This was going to be hard to be without him, but she knew she was strong enough to do it. As they were putting his clothes into his bag, she thought about what it meant to be the wife of a Mountie and how difficult things could be in the future. She knew there was always a chance he would have to leave. She knew his job could be dangerous, but she also knew he would always try to come home and that gave her hope and strength. She needed to give him strength now, to be without her.
She walked him to the door and told him not to worry. "I'll see you soon."
"Love you, Sweetheart." He kissed her once more, holding her close and then he was gone.
Jack was away longer than expected. Four days and nights later, he finally came back to the hotel, struggling to stay awake. He stopped by the front desk to see if they had an extra key to his room, because he didn't want to wake Elizabeth. They gave him the key and he walked to their room. Once inside he didn't even have the strength to remove his uniform. He just took his boots off and crawled under the covers, wrapping his arms around his wife and fell asleep.
When it was morning, Elizabeth woke up and felt Jack beside her and could barely contain herself. She had missed him so much and couldn't wait to talk to him. However, he was in a very deep sleep and didn't move at all when she unwrapped his arm from her waist or got out of bed. She went in to take a bath but he was still sleeping in the same position she left him in. Finally about noon, he opened his eyes. "Elizabeth?"
"Hey, Honey." She walked over and sat on the bed. "Its good to see you, even with the beard."
"What? You don't like it? I grew it just for you. Come here and let me kiss you…" He teased as he grabbed her hand and tried to kiss her.
"Freeze Constable! No kisses until you shave and bathe. I'm guessing you haven't done either since you left."
"Are you trying to tell me I smell bad?"
"Maybe…Let's just say I would enjoy being next to you more if you smelled...better."
"Ok, I'll be out in a few. Don't go away."
After he bathed and shaved Jack came out to join Elizabeth. She stood up and came over to him.
"That's better. You smell really good." He leaned down and kissed her. "I missed you, Elizabeth."
"Me too."
A little later, they were laying in bed talking and Jack broke the news.
"I have news."
"Tell me as long as it doesn't mean you're leaving again."
"We get to go home next week."
"What! That's wonderful, Jack. I miss home."
"So do I. I miss the quiet and calm streets and knowing you won't be in danger when I leave for work. I miss our house and our bed. Oh my goodness, that featherbed is amazing."
"That sounds heavenly." She snuggled closer to Jack, wrapping her arm around his waist tighter. "Do you have to work today, Honey?"
"Nope, I'm all yours."
"Oh good! I have plans for you, husband."
"You do, huh?"
"Let's get dressed up and go out to dinner tonight."
"Ok. That sounds great. We haven't danced in a long time."
"No, we haven't. I can't wait." She kissed his cheek and went to get up.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I was just going to order some food. I'm hungry."
"I have plans for you too, but you have to stay here."
"I'll be back soon."
That night, dinner was wonderful. They ate and danced and then decided to take a walk through the park. They walked slowly, hand in hand, not saying much, just enjoying the peaceful surroundings and being together.
"You look beautiful tonight, Elizabeth." He stopped walking, looking down at his gorgeous wife in the moonlight.
"Thank you." She looked down as her cheeks turned pink. He had always had that effect on her.
"I think going out tonight was a good idea. I feel like we haven't had a lot of time together and this certainly helps."
"I agree." She looked at him, smiling, feeling loved and wanted. "I love you, Honey."
"I love you, too." She stepped into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, feeling comforted and safe and happy.
"I could stay like this forever," she said softly.
"Me too, but let's go back. We can get ready for bed and make a fire."
"Ok, that sounds wonderful."
A half hour later they were under a blanket in front of the fire in their room. Then they heard a knock at the door. Jack got up and opened the door.
"Constable, I came to see my daughter," he said in his no nonsense manner Jack was familiar with.
"Father?! What are you doing here?"
