Disclaimer: I do not own the characters within this story. All rights and much respect go to Crown Media, Hallmark, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., the actors, creators, and writers of the show "When Calls the Heart."

Chapter 14- Fresh Start

Jack stretched before his eyes opened. He inhaled deeply, taking in her Lavender scent which covered her pillow and he smiled.

Elizabeth finished a cup of coffee before heading back down the hall. She stepped into the bedroom and observed him lying still, staring at the ceiling. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He turned to look at her and his smile broadened. It was now his turn to pat the side of the bed. "Why don't you join me?"

"My sir, you're a bit forward. What do you think my boyfriend would say?" she giggled as he took her hand and pulled her on top of him.

"Probably the same thing my girlfriend would say…"

"Have fun," they both stated in unison before laughing.

Her hands were placed on either side of his head, holding her up slightly above his body. His hands were comfortably placed on the curve of her hips as she quickly gave in and lowered her body onto his.

Their eyes never drifted as he pulled her closer. He was like a kid at an amusement park; he desperately wanted access to the most exciting ride, but he knew that he wasn't allowed. He truly wasn't certain how much longer he could go without experiencing all of her, but given what happened the last time, he would most certainly keep his passion under control.

Elizabeth's lips met his with the excitement of the new day, remembered love and old dreams. His hands moved over her back, pulling her tighter into his body. Her lips opened slightly, welcoming him, inviting him, as his tongue happily slipped through.

Her gentle moans as his tongue tenderly brushed across the sensitive skin on the inside of her mouth excited him as he rolled over, taking her body with him.

With their bodies touching, their eyes never wavered. Jack rested on one elbow as he gingerly brushed several loose strands of hair behind her ear. His hand cradled the back of her head as he lowered his lips to hers.

"I love you; I'm sure you know that, but I don't ever want you to forget it…don't ever doubt it," he stated as his forehead rested against hers. "Thank you…"

"For what?" she asked.

"Just for being you," he stated as every scent that was her flooded him. He enjoyed the soft touch of her fingers as they slid down his arms. The warmth of her breath on his skin was like a fire, burning in his soul. He felt electrified as his lips met hers, innocently at first, but with each new kiss came more fire and passion.

He could easily taste the caramel macchiato on her lips as he quickly realized that this was his new favorite flavor. Oh who was he kidding? He knew that easily whatever fragrance she wore or flavor that graced her lips would be his favorite.

His lips gently slid up her neck and she felt the sensation of his tongue as he tasted the salty skin under her left ear. He gently nibbled on her earlobe as he softly whispered, "E-liz-a-beth."

She felt her heart flutter, savoring the sound of his voice as he prolonged each syllable in her name. No other man had ever made her feel so warm inside. No other man had ever made her feel so important. No other man had ever made her feel so loved.

Realizing that they were fast approaching the danger zone, and remembering what happened the last time, Jack took a deep breath and backed away slightly. "You are truly going to be the death of me, Doc," as his hand ran up his face, over his forehead and roughed up the hair on his head, before falling back on the bed.

"I'm sorry Jack. I need to get going to the clinic. I have appointments this morning," she advised before getting out of bed and grabbing a set of clean scrubs from her closet. "Would you like some breakfast before I go?"

"I thought you were my breakfast," he stated with a soft laugh. "No, I need to see my Captain about getting back to work," he advised as he sat up in bed.

"Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Elizabeth, you know you can ask me anything."

"I know that last night when we talked, you told me that you weren't taking the job in Tampa. You've had a night to think about it…"

"Are you pushing me away again…?"

"What…? No, no, no, Jack, I love you and I don't want you to go, but I also don't want you to regret not taking the position and somewhere down the road you resent me…"

"I don't want the job. I was only going to put some distance between us…"

"Well, I wasn't saying that you go alone. What if I opened a vet clinic in Tampa…?"

"You would do that for me…?"

"Jack, I love you. I just want you to be happy…"

"Elizabeth, come here," he patted the bed beside him asking for her to take a seat. "I love you. I love you for thinking of me; for offering to turn your world upside down for me, but the truth is I want to stay," he put his arm around her and pulled her into his body.

Jack continued, "Honey, you're settled here, not only with your clinic but with this place too. By staying, I can also keep an eye out for my mom. So, please don't worry. I'll be happy being here with you in my old job."

"But it won't be quite the same without Maverick," she replied.

"No, it won't, but I'm okay with that…" he tried to continue but her eyes caught his. He laid her back on the bed, "Do you have any idea how much I love you?" he whispered as tears slipped from the outside of her eyes, which he immediately swept away.

"You're changing the subject…"

He smiled before capturing her lips, "You know I could stay here all day with you."

"Jack stop; you know we both have things we need to do, so as tempting as that sounds, we better get moving…"

Even though Jack repeatedly told her that he was fine with Maverick no longer being his partner, she could easily see the light dim in his eyes when the topic was discussed. Elizabeth stood up beside the bed, glancing down into his eyes, "I'm so sorry about everything…"

Jack immediately stood beside her. He placed a finger to her lips, "No more sorry; no more sadness. We're together and I'm not going anywhere. I love you Elizabeth Thatcher." He reached down and felt his pocket, immediately feeling his own sadness by the thought that the ring he had carried for months was now sitting in his dresser drawer miles away. However, proposing in her bedroom didn't seem quite right either.

"Okay, if you're sure," she remarked.

Jack placed a finger under her chin to lift her eyes up to meet his, "I'm positive, so no more worrying about it, okay?"

Elizabeth smiled before leaning in and gently brushing her lips across his cheek. "Would you like some breakfast before I go?"

"Thank you, but I'll just stop for coffee on my way to the precinct," he stated.

"Um, you might want to stop by your place and change your clothes," she mentioned as she pointed out several lipstick stains on the collar of his shirt. "WOW, sorry about that. Maybe I need to try that new lipstick that doesn't come off. But then again, when people see that, they know you're taken."

His hands framed her face, "Yes, I'm very much taken by you." He leaned down and met her lips. "Let's go out tonight. I want to take you to a nice restaurant and maybe dancing afterward."

"Jack, we can cook here, and dance in my den," she replied.

"Honey, trust me, it's not the same thing. I want tonight to be very special," he suggested. He jumped up and looked in her closet, "Oh WOW, this is nice, wear this," he asked as he pulled out a little black dress and held it up."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes, it's a special night," he stated as he hung the dress back up in her closet.

"Oh no Jack, is today your birthday? I don't remember when your birthday is. Did I miss it?" she asked, seemingly embarrassed.

"No, it's not my birthday. For future reference my birthday is October 4th," he reminded her. "We're together; we're staying together, right?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she quickly responded.

"Then I would like to take the love of my life out for a nice dinner and dancing, and we'll see what happens from there," he stated as his hands gently ran up her arms causing her skin to tingle.

"Are you assuming that something is going to happen?" she teased.

"No assumptions here." He kissed her once more before putting on his shoes and heading for the door. "6:30 tonight, you are all mine, okay?"

"I'll be ready," she responded with a broad smile.

They both headed outside and went their separate ways, Jack to the precinct and her to the vet clinic.

After her clinic hours, Elizabeth went shopping, happy when she found the lipstick that didn't bleed onto everything, most importantly her date. She picked up a pair of black shoes, knowing that they'd be beautiful with her dress. However, feeling more comfortable in tennis shoes and Crocs, she wondered if she'd be able to walk in them.

As she drove through the parking lot, the word "SPA" caught her eye and she stopped in. She had a manicure, pedicure, facial and massage, and quickly realized why many of her girlfriends set aside time for such pampering.

She returned home and was unloading the car when Maggie and Shane walked through the path into her yard.

"Need some help?" Shane offered.

"No, I've got it, but thanks," she replied.

They each made small talk and Jack's name never came up.

"You know what? I'm a lawyer and I'm known for speaking my mind. Did you talk to Jack yet?" he blurted out.

"Shane if she wanted to talk about him, she would," Maggie scolded him.

Elizabeth laughed, "No, its okay. I was just actually wondering how long it would take before either of you mentioned his name."

"You look happy," Shane quickly noticed.

"I am. Jack and I are fine. As a matter of fact, he's taking me out to dinner tonight, so I need to get my chores done and get ready," she stated as she closed the door to the truck and started for the house.

"What are you wearing?" Maggie asked; a question that eluded Shane.

Shane headed for the barn, "I've got your animals. You get ready for your date."

"Are you implying that I need a lot of time to make myself presentable?" she laughed.

"Absolutely not; I'm sure that Jack would gladly take you out in your scrubs. I'm just happy for you, for both of you, and I thought you and Maggie might want to talk," Shane explained as he disappeared around the back of the house.

Maggie followed Elizabeth inside and they immediately went back to the bedroom to talk. Elizabeth pulled the dress out of the closet.

"Elizabeth, that's beautiful, but this one is even more special," she stated as she held up another dress that was in the back of the closet, which she had never worn. "Look the tags are still on this. WOW, $370 for a dress?"

"My mom got me that dress a long time ago. I don't know, maybe it's true, but we used to laugh that she thought if I wore it I'd find me a man. I think she was worried that I'd be alone all of my life," Elizabeth sat down on the side of her bed as she continued to hold the dress.

Elizabeth ran her fingers over the material, "It was just too special to wear for just anybody."

"Jack isn't just anybody, right?" Maggie asked.

Elizabeth glanced across the room, "No, he's someone very special. You know, Maggie, I feel really stupid being 30 years old and never having been with a man, you know in that way."

Maggie started to laugh, but hearing the uncomfortable tone in Elizabeth's voice, she stifled it. "You know Elizabeth, that part of you is very precious. You've waited for just the right man, and when the time is right, and he's right, you'll know it. But you know, Jack is still here, so he is obviously willing to wait."

Maggie had a thought, "Hey, you said that tonight was a special night. Do you think he's going to propose?"

Elizabeth started to change out of her scrubs, "I don't know. I mean, maybe if it was a few months ago when we were doing well before the accident, I'd say probably. But, we just got back together, so I'm not so certain that he feels comfortable with "us" yet."

"If he did; what would you say," Maggie asked.

Elizabeth thought for a moment.

"Are you seriously going to sit there and not answer?" Maggie was shocked.

"Gotcha…of course I'd say yes, but it's probably not that. He just wants to take me out, and if anything else happens then we'll deal with it at that time. So don't bring it up again. It's bad luck if you talk about it," Elizabeth prophesied.

Elizabeth slipped on a bathrobe and walked out of her room as Maggie headed home. Elizabeth jumped in the shower, suddenly very excited about the prospects of the night.

Jack walked into his townhouse unable to shake the disappointment when Maverick wasn't there to greet him. He didn't blame Elizabeth for his choices, the biggest one being his leave of absence which led to Maverick's reassignment. But he did worry that as time went on that she would blame herself.

He took a shower, pulled out several suits from his closet and finally settled on the blue one. Before walking out the door, he slipped back into his bedroom, reached into the top drawer of his dresser and pulled out the velvet ring box. As he opened the lid, his heart began to pound, hopeful that the evening would turn out as he planned,

Once out of the shower, Elizabeth blew dry her hair, even pulling hot rollers from under the cabinet to give her hair some curl. She slipped into her special little black dress, choosing the one that Jack selected, and pulled her hair up on the sides with clips. She did her makeup, no more so than usual, as she always had a concern about looking like a clown. She decided to wait until the last minute to put on her shoes, hoping that she wouldn't break an ankle with the heels that were quite a bit taller than what she was used to.

The doorbell rang and she felt her knees wobble as she made her way to the front door. She smiled as Jack, appearing unusually nervous, held a bouquet of red and white roses. She invited him in, taking the roses from him in exchange for a tender kiss to his lips.

"They are beautiful Jack, Thank you so much," she stated as she walked into the kitchen and placed them in a vase. "Jack…Jack…are you okay?"

Jack swallowed hard, "Elizabeth Thatcher, you have completely taken my breath away." He couldn't take his eyes off her, as his eyes moved from her face all the way down to her feet. "Are you going barefooted?"

She laughed, "If it wasn't cold outside I would." She grabbed her shoes and then leaned on Jack as she slipped on her heels and buckled the ankle straps.

"Do you mind if I ask where we're going?"

"Cantwell's on Atlantic Avenue…"

"Oh Jack, that is a beautiful restaurant and it's right on the water. I'll bet the view is amazing…"

Jack took her hand and turned her to face him, "The view I have right here, right now is better than I could have ever imagined. I love you, Elizabeth…" he leaned in; his hand rested along her neck as his thumb stroked her cheek and his lips met hers.

"Mmm, are you sure you want to go out?" she asked.

"I think we'd better. If I stay here with you, I'll get into trouble," he replied as he led her out to his vehicle.

"Jack, you have a police vehicle again. Does that mean you're back on the force? Back in the K9 Unit?" she asked obviously thrilled with the possibilities.

"I have the undercover vehicle and I'll get my new partner soon. They're talking about a Belgian Malinois, but we'll see," he stated as he opened the door and helped her slip inside. He again saw the sadness on her face, "Please don't be upset about Maverick. He's in a good home and I don't want you worrying about him, or me…okay?"

Elizabeth forced a smile, "Okay."

Once at the restaurant they were seated along the window with a breathtaking view of the ocean. The waiter took their order and brought back a bottle of Pinot Noir, pouring Jack's glass first. He tasted the wine and nodded to the waiter to pour Elizabeth a glass.

Once the waiter had left the table, Jack picked up both glasses, handing one to Elizabeth and made a toast…

"Because I love you truly,
Because you love me, too,
My very greatest happiness
Will be sharing my life with you."

"Elizabeth, may I talk to you about something?"

"Of course…"

"Where do you see us in five years?" he asked as his hand stretched across the table and entwined her fingers with his.

"Well, to be honest with you, I hope we're married, with maybe a baby or two?" She hesitantly offered.

"I feel the same wa…"

"Jack Thornton, is that you?" a man unfamiliar to Elizabeth stopped by the table. Jack jumped up from his seat to acknowledge the man, shaking his hand. "What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"I took a job at NASA, but I live out here in Croatan," he stated.

His friend glanced over at Elizabeth, "Oh, I'm sorry. His is Elizabeth Thatcher. Elizabeth, this is Gene Templeton. We were friends in college. Where's Hannah?" Jack asked as he began to glance around the restaurant. "I heard you two finally got married."

Gene leaned in, "We split up two years ago."

"What?" Jack stated in obvious shock.

"That's what happens when you jump into marriage. She decided that three years of dating wasn't long enough to get to know someone," Gene quickly added.

Jack just as quickly changed the subject, "What are you doing here?"

"I've got a date. I saw you come in and when Shelly went to the restroom, I thought I'd come over and say 'Hi,'" Gene replied.

"Well, it was nice seeing you Gene. I'm sorry to hear about you and Hannah, but I hope you have a nice evening with…"

"Shelly, her name is Shelly."

As Shelly returned to the table, Gene excused himself. Jack was happy to see Gene, but hearing about his divorce was not what he wanted to do on the night that he'd planned to propose to Elizabeth.

The waiter brought their meals, Surf and Turf for Jack, and Chesapeake Lump Crab Cakes for Elizabeth.

Jack seemed quiet at times, but would then begin rambling and it was evident to Elizabeth that he had something on his mind.

"Jack, are you okay?"

"Elizabeth, I'd really like to talk with you about something…"

"What is it Jack?"

He felt the box in his pocket before reaching his hand across the table and taking hold of hers.

Elizabeth suddenly became excitedly nervous as she thought, "Maybe this is it."

Jack's thumb gently moved across the skin on the top of her hand, "I love you. Elizabeth and although I know that we've had our issues, I believe that we've resolved them and come out stronger on the other side."

Jack reached his free hand into his pocket as he started to stand, "You're so special to me and I…"

A loud voice caught everyone's attention, "Ladies and Gentlemen; we have a slight problem and we need to ask everyone to evacuate."

"Really, is this seriously happening now?" Jack stated in a disgusted tone as his hand left his pocket without the ring box and feeling somewhat defeated, he fell back into the chair.

"Jack," Elizabeth grabbed her clutch as he took her hand. "What is it, Jack?"

"I don't know honey, but let me get you outside and then I'll find out," he stated as the patrons initially began to leave in an orderly fashion.

Jack led Elizabeth outside and handed her the keys.

"Get to the car, I'll be there in a minute," he stated as he kissed her cheek and headed back inside the restaurant.

"Jack," she yelled out but he had already disappeared through the crowd of people who were continuing outside.

From outside the restaurant Elizabeth couldn't see anything wrong. She assumed that possibly it was a simple grease fire until suddenly…

**BOOM**

The explosion blew the door from the kitchen into the dining room, knocking over several people. Several windows of the restaurant blew out and the remaining people inside began rushing for the door.

Within minutes several fire trucks, an ambulance and two police cars arrived. Flames could be seen bursting through the blown out back windows as well as the roof above the kitchen.

Elizabeth remembered Jack's instructions to head for the car, but she couldn't move. Pushed back by the police officers, she immediately advised them that one of their own was inside.

"Whose inside?" one of them asked.

"Jack…Jack Thornton," she yelled back.

"Hey Tommy," the first officer called out to the second, "Sgt. Thornton's inside."

As the firemen quickly set up their hoses and attempted to venture inside. Jack exited the restaurant carrying the unconscious cook. They fell to the ground just outside the door as the ceiling caved in. Jack and the cook were quickly assisted by the firemen and police officers on the scene.

Elizabeth ran up toward Jack, but she was turned away as Jack and the cook were loaded up into the ambulance and driven away.

Elizabeth was frantic. She was cold, scared and suddenly felt unintentionally abandoned. Not comfortable in the shoes she'd purchased to wear with the dress; she removed them and started running for Jack's vehicle.

Standing outside the SUV, she realized that this was a police vehicle, and she didn't have permission to drive it. Suddenly she remembered the wise words of her mother when she started dating many years ago, "Always carry your cell phone and enough money for a taxi." She glanced in her clutch, which was only big enough to carry her lip gloss and a comb. No cell phone and no wallet.

She stood there for what seemed like an hour, contemplating her next move. As the City veterinarian, technically she was an employee, so she jumped inside and headed for the hospital.

She pulled into the parking lot at Sentara Virginia Beach General and ran inside the ER entrance. Before she could even approach the desk, Jack walked out through the swinging doors.

"Jack," she rushed to him, stopping just short of hugging him, not certain of his injuries. "Are you okay?" she asked, quickly noticing that he was wearing his trousers, but was no longer in his suit shirt, tie and jacket.

"I'm fine; just a small burn on my arm and a bigger one on my back," Jack showed her the bandages on his arm and through his open hospital gown across his shoulder blades. "I'll be fine," he assured her.

"Jack, I'm so sorry. Did they give you anything for pain or an ointment or anything?" she asked.

He held up a small bag, "Everything is in here. Let's go home."

They got to the SUV and Jack took the keys, "Are you sure you can drive?" she asked.

"I haven't taken any painkillers yet. I'll do that when I get home," he stated.

Once they arrived at Elizabeth's farm, he walked her to the door, gingerly leaned in and kissed her good night. She opened the door expecting him to follow her inside.

"Where are you going?" she asked as she stepped inside, turned around and observed him walking down the steps.

"I'm going home," he stated.

"No you're not. You are staying here so I can keep an eye on you," she demanded, and he smiled as he walked passed her and into her house.

Elizabeth got him situated in her bed. She went to the kitchen and brought back with her a glass of water and his pain medication. "Here, you need to take this."

"It's going to make me want to sleep and I don't want to," he verbally fought her.

"Jack, you need to rest, and I'm sure you're in pain, so please take this," she handed him the pill, which he eventually swallowed.

Once his body gave up, he fell fast asleep. She sat with him while he slept comfortably and held his hand during times when his dreams caused him to mumble. She couldn't hear much of what he said, but one topic was quite clear, "I love you Maverick. Be a good boy. I'm sorry Maverick." It was as if every verbal thought he had that did not pertain to Maverick was garbled. However, everything to do with his four legged best friend was as clear as the blue sky.

Once he was finally in a deep sleep, Elizabeth walked to her desk. She grabbed her journal and a pen and returned to the empty side of her bed and took a seat. She glanced over at Jack, taking in the bandages on his arm and back, and suddenly the true gravity of the situation struck her.

She opened her journal and flipped to the next blank page. Thinking back at the trauma that they had both experienced that evening, she attempted to put her feelings onto the paper…

"We are truly blessed. From waking up each morning, to the people we meet, the work we do, and the love we share, blessings are all around us. We are therefore tasked with making the best of any situation. Often forced to fight the fear, we must seek the good within.

Love life…love your life. Be thankful for all of your blessings and your ability to identify them. Be happy with who you are, content with what you have, and thankful for the love you have found. Many people who are dissatisfied in life feel as though happiness is too far from their reach. Often times, people are unable to find that much sought after happiness because they view the past as being much better than it was, the present as much worse than it is, and the future as less certain than it will be. So to obtain true happiness, we must realize that it doesn't come to us when this, that or the other falls into place. It will only happen when we open our hearts and realize that which we have it truly everything we need."

She closed her journal and laid it beside her on the bed. She rested her body on her elbow as her free hand gently brushed the hair off his forehead.

"I love you Jack Thornton. There has never been a braver man than you. If I had never met you, I could easily be alone. But you have shown me what it's like to truly love someone now, so you can't leave me," she whispered.

The next morning Jack went home to get his place ready for his new partner. It was almost as if Maggie was watching, waiting for him to leave as he'd barely made it out onto the main highway when she was knocking on the door.

"So, let me see it," Maggie stated, certain that Jack and Elizabeth were now engaged.

"There's nothing to see here," Elizabeth stated as she held up her left hand.

"He didn't propose…?"

"No, and I don't know if he was going to but in his defense, did you hear about the explosion as Cantwell's?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, that must have been scary…"

"It was," Elizabeth replied.

"That's where he took you?" Maggie asked.

"Yes; it was wonderful until they announced for everyone to leave. Jack led me out but ran back inside to make sure everyone was safe. There was an explosion…I was just frantic and then he carried the cook out just before the roof caved in," Elizabeth provided her first hand story.

"Well, he gets a pass then," Maggie replied. "I'm so glad that both of you are okay. The video of the fire was so dramatic."

"I'm fine, but Jack suffered a few burns," she responded. "He's in some pain, but he should be okay."

"Well, put it out of your head; don't think about a possible proposal. It will happen when you least expect it," Maggie advised.

"Maggie," tears filled her eyes, "when I heard the explosion and he wasn't with me, I was so scared. I just consider myself lucky that he wasn't hurt worse," her expression showed the fear she experienced.

A week passed and Jack was healing nicely. However, since he was placed on desk duty until being released from his physician, his pairing with a new K9 partner was also delayed.

Elizabeth slipped into the precinct unnoticed as she made her way down the hall to meet with Jack's Captain. Once finished with her short meeting, she walked down the hall assuming that she could slip out just as easily.

Sitting at the desk, Jack looked up, "Hey, what are you doing here? Did you come to see me?"

"Um, yes," she stated. However, under her breath she whispered, "Yes, we'll go with that."

Jack's Captain walked passed, "Dr. Thatcher; thanks for coming by."

"So you didn't come to see me?" he asked.

"Of course I did, but I also have to turn in some paperwork to Human Resources," she stated as she stood with her arms empty.

"Elizabeth, HR isn't in this building," Jack advised her.

"I know that now. Jack stop with the third degree. I'm here now, and I have an afternoon free, so I thought we could go to lunch," she quickly suggested.

"I'd love to honey but I just went out to Subway and brought my lunch back," he stated to her disappointment. "I'll share with you."

"That's sweet, but I have something I need to take care of, so I'll see you later?" she looked around, leaned over the counter and kissed his lips soundly. "I'll see you later handsome," she whispered before turning to leave.

He breathed police work, and loved the precinct, but as she walked out the door, he would have given his eye teeth to have been accompanying her.

She walked to the truck and pulled out her cell phone to make a call. At the end of the call she stated, "Please let me know as soon as it happens. I definitely want in on it."

To be continued…

NOTE:

Sorry but I got writing again and the chapter became so involved, with lots of happenings, so I needed to cut it in half. I promise the next chapter is done (with the exception of my journal entry), so I'll post the next one soon!