Chapter 37: Beyond Words

Disclaimer: The characters in this Fan Fiction are based upon the characters of When Calls the Heart which is the property of Crown Media, Hallmark, & Believe Pictures, except for the characters that I made up myself, of course.

This story takes place forty plus years after Jack & Elizabeth were married. They have three children: daughter Emily (husband Matthew Oke, son Jacob, daughter Rebekah); twin sons Thomas (wife Cynthia) and William.

To put things into perspective, this chapter begins with the last paragraph of the last chapter…

Elizabeth walked over to him and began to kiss him passionately. She moved her hands over his chest and around his back and turned him around. She untied the apron and threw it on the floor. She took his hand and led him down the hall to their bedroom. Nothing more needed to be said. Jack knew that he was in for another surprise…

The next morning Elizabeth walked out to the kitchen and found Jack sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee. He was just shaking his head as he was looking down at his coffee cup as if to say…

"Good morning, Jack!" Elizabeth said. "Didn't you sleep well? Why are you shaking your head?"

Jack looked up at Elizabeth and uttered, "Beyond words."

"Excuse me, Jack? What is beyond words?"

"You, Elizabeth. You never cease to amaze me."

"What did I do?"

"Last night...it was beyond words, Elizabeth. How you still do that to me…I would never have imagined at my age…"

"Oh. You do that to me too, Jack. I never tire of loving you...it is beyond words."

"But Elizabeth, did you ever think our desire for each other would still be here after all these years? Honestly, I never thought it would. In the beginning it was very exciting but I never thought it would continue the way that it has…"

"Well, the first time I saw you in your red serge I had only imagined how it could be…" Elizabeth responded.

"The first time you saw me in my red serge, while you were standing at the mine on your first day of class, you thought about me…and loving me…at that point?" Jack asked.

"Well, I had no idea what it would be like or anything Jack, but yes, I imagined it if I'm being honest."

Jack looked down and added, "I had no idea. I thought only guys thought that way."

"No, Jack, women think that way too. It's just that women don't share those thoughts with others the way men do," Elizabeth smiled. "What about you, Jack? When did you first think about us…you know…in an intimate way?"

"Well, it wasn't the first time I saw you. I found you incredibly attractive but you were holding that little boy so I didn't allow myself to go there and think those thoughts…" Jack responded.

"Oh, I see. When did you think those thoughts?"

"Well, let me think. I'd have to say it wasn't long after that. Probably when I had dinner at Abigail's and you answered the door with that shiner. I thought to myself, Jack Thornton, there's a real woman there!'"

"Jack! That's mean!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she swatted Jack's arm.

"Seriously Jack, when?"

"I think I had thoughts about you from the beginning, Elizabeth. You were so beautiful…and you took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting to meet anyone like you. I was thrown off by my attraction to you. But I guess the first time my thoughts went there was when you were giving the gravity lesson. When you climbed up on that table and took off your hairpin and let your hair down, well, let me just say, I imagined letting that hair down for you…" Jack smiled.

"Why did it take so long for us to admit our feelings for each other?" Elizabeth asked.

"Well, I think we were both focused on our careers, you as the schoolteacher, and me as the Mountie. And you know I didn't want to be stationed here…but the Lord works in mysterious ways, Elizabeth. He brought us both here together. I firmly believe that and I know it was His plan all along. Otherwise, we would not feel the way that we still do. How we still love to be together and enjoy each other the way that we do," Jack added.

Elizabeth chimed in, "I hope our children are able to experience what we've had Jack, a love that is beyond words…"

"If they put God first and recognize that He is the One Who put them together, and if they commit themselves fully to each other, they will experience what we have Elizabeth, and it will be all they can ever imagine," Jack added.

"Jack, I think our love is more than I could have ever imagined. When I think back to the first days we met, the first days we courted, the first days we were married, the first days as parents, our love was far greater than I could have imagined. Let's reminisce, Jack. Can you give me a glimpse of what you were thinking and feeling during those times?"

Well, I'll need another cup of coffee first, Elizabeth, to give me some time to think about all of that," Jack responded. "Let me see. What was I thinking and feeling when I first met you…

Well, as I've told you before, when I first met you I thought you were already taken or were one of the deceased miner's wives. When I first met you in the saloon and we introduced ourselves, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. But as soon as you told me that Mr. Thatcher was your father, I have to admit I was angry. But you didn't back down and I liked that. I liked your spirit. When I saw you at Abigail's with the black eye I thought to myself, now there's a woman! And then you did the gravity lesson and you not only got the kids' attention, but mine! How you took that hairclip out of your hair…oh, beyond words. And how about you going into that mine, Elizabeth? The way you looked in those pants…you filled them out pretty well, Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth added, "Jack, you did a good job of hiding your feelings back then…that is until we went for our little walk after church that one Sunday and you asked me if I had written anything in my journal about you. I knew then that you were interested…but you sure took your good ole time pursuing me!"

"I needed to be sure, Elizabeth, that you were the one for me…after Rosemary. And you know that not just any woman could be a Mountie's wife and lead the life that we're expected to lead," Jack responded.

Elizabeth asked, "Jack, what were you thinking and feeling the first few days we were courting?"

Jack replied, "Well, it would be easier to answer if Rosemary hadn't come into town."

"You mean after our first date at Abigail's, you didn't know that I was the one for you, Jack? You weren't sure if it was Rosemary or me?"

"Elizabeth, I knew you were the one for me long before that. And that date, our first real declaration of courtship, was incredible. I had never felt closer to anyone in my life at that point…even Rosemary. I knew that evening that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you…that I needed to spend the rest of my life with you. But I had received my transfer order and I didn't know what to do. When I was transferred to Cape Fullerton after that, you know that I didn't want to go. But we both decided that I needed to give it a try since that was my life-long dream. But I was chasing an old dream at that point, Elizabeth. You were my new dream and I didn't know what to do. During my time away from you and taking the Toliver gang to justice, I realized that I couldn't wait any longer…that I had to tell you…that I no choice but to love you. And then Rosemary showed up and it slowed things down. But never once did I ever consider being with her again. It was always you, Elizabeth."

"Rosemary did throw us both for a loop, Jack. When you rode into town and she threw her arms around you, it was if you were already married, Jack. I didn't know what to think. You were engaged to another woman!"

"We were only engaged because we grew up together and that's what was expected. She was more like a sister to me than anything else. Marrying her was an easy path because she knew the Mountie life and everyone expected it. Just like everyone expected you to marry Charles," Jack added.

"Well, that wasn't going to happen, Jack. Charles was a friend…and similarly, he was like a brother to me. The feelings I had for Charles were so different than the ones that I had for you. My thoughts about you were beyond words."

"What about our first days of marriage, Jack? What were you thinking and feeling at that time?" Elizabeth asked.

"Must I, Elizabeth? Jack asked. Elizabeth gave Jack a quizzical look. "Oh, what I won't do for you!" Jack stated.

"It all started with you walking down the aisle on our wedding day, Elizabeth. You were so beautiful...the most beautiful bride I could ever imagine. I really struggled with staying put throughout the ceremony. I wanted to pick you up in my arms and show you how much I loved you…right then and there!"

"Right then and there…in front of the guests, Jack?" Elizabeth laughed.

Jack made a face, "seriously, Elizabeth? Do you want to hear this or not?"

"I'm sorry, Jack, I couldn't resist…"

"Elizabeth, our first night together as husband and wife, well, it was completely beyond words and more special than anything I could have imagined. I remember that we spent the night in our new home and left for our honeymoon the next day. That first night," Jack smiled and shook his head. "I remember carrying you over the threshold and setting you down inside the door. I didn't want to carry you right to the bedroom although I yearned to touch you. I remember you looking at me shyly and I was concerned and didn't want to frighten you. I knew that we needed to take it slow…at least I thought so until you took my hand and led me down the hall to our bedroom. You began to kiss me and I began to unbutton your dress. After I had undone all of the buttons, your back was to me and I began to slide the dress off of you. I asked you if you were okay."

Jack stood up and shook his head, "Elizabeth, I'm not sure we should continue this discussion about our first few days of marriage…just talking about it now gets me going."

"Please continue, Jack. I'd really like to hear it…" Elizabeth said. Jack sighed and walked around the kitchen for a few minutes. He poured himself another cup of coffee.

"Well, after your dress was off you said that you were okay and you told me how much you loved me. As you stood there, I couldn't express what I was feeling…how I desperately wanted you…how I couldn't wait to make love to you. I knew that it would be beyond words…it already was. You then asked me to help unlace your corset and you excused yourself to the bathroom. You came back into the bedroom wearing a blue negligee and it brought out the blue in your eyes…not that I was looking at your eyes. You were such a vision, Elizabeth, and you were my wife and I couldn't believe it. I was in shock at that point and just stood there staring at you. But you knocked me out of my stance when you walked over to me and began unbuttoning my shirt. Once you had undone all of the buttons and you slid your arms around me and began kissing my chest…I couldn't resist any longer. I picked you up in my arms and kissed you like I had never kissed you before, with a passion that we had never experienced to that point. I lay you on the bed and you kept your eyes on mine as I crawled into bed with you. As we were consumed with our love that evening, Elizabeth, I had never experienced anything both so tender and exhilarating at the same time. For the next few days, I was consumed with the thought of making love to you. I had never experienced anything so completely in my life…and I also knew how much I'd want to experience you for the rest of my life."

"When did you stop being consumed with thoughts of me, Jack?" Elizabeth asked.

"I still think about you all of the time, Elizabeth. But like anything else, over time it…"

"Faded away?" Elizabeth interjected.

"I was going to say it changed…but, Elizabeth, it became more special!" Jack stated.

"I'm sorry, Jack…I shouldn't have finished your sentence. I guess I've always wondered how much of it has been based upon your physical need versus your emotional need," Elizabeth stated.

"Well, in the beginning it was definitely more physical…I couldn't get enough of you. But over time…it became more emotional…more intentional…more fulfilling," Jack added. "It definitely never 'faded away.' What you still do to me…what you're doing to me now…is beyond words."

"I guess all of this talk has gotten me a little worked up, Jack. How about we take a walk?"

"A walk, now? A walk down the hall?" Jack asked.

"No, a walk to the park. I still want to hear what you were thinking and feeling when we had our children, Jack."

Jack reached for Elizabeth's hand, shook his head and mumbled, 'beyond words.'

To be continued…