A short time later, Nathan and Elizabeth were walking arm and arm toward Abigail's café. The cloudy sky had made it dark early, and Nathan had lit the lantern so it could guide their way.

"Are you expected rain?" Elizabeth asked, noting the umbrella that Nathan carried in the hand that her arm was looped through.

"Gabe is," Nathan commented.

"Oh?"

"Apparently the shoulder he was shot in acts up before a storm. Guess we'll see how good it is at predicting the weather," Nathan commented. "If he isn't, then I guess I carried this for nothing."

"Well, the clouds sure didn't look to peaceful earlier when I was out gathering my laundry from the line," Elizabeth commented.

"Thanks for helping Ally with her hair today," Nathan told her. "She's been wanting to braid it for a while now, but that's not something I learned how to do."

"It wasn't a problem," Elizabeth replied. "It reminded me of when I was younger and I taught Julie how to braid her hair. I told her I'd work with her so she can do her hair herself."

"Just don't make her look too grown up," Nathan said, a wistful tone to his voice. "She's managing that fast enough on her own."

Elizabeth smiled as she leaned her head against Nathan's shoulder. "I know what you mean," she commented, thinking of Little Jack. Her baby boy was growing up quickly before her eyes. In a few months he would be turning two. She wasn't sure she was ready for that. "I actually shed a few tears the last time he didn't fit into one of his outfits."

"Well, Jack is still going to need his mama for quite a few more years, even if you do need to buy him bigger clothes."

"I suppose so," Elizabeth said with a chuckle.

"The older Ally gets the more I realize how unprepared I am for her teenage years," Nathan confided. "Not just with simple things like her hair either. I remember some of what it was like for my sister when she reached her teenage years. Seems like every other week there was some new emotional turmoil."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Elizabeth commented trying to recall her own teenage years. Sure there had been some turmoil but they seemed far outnumbered by the happy times.

"I don't think I am," Nathan countered. "If it wasn't worry over having the correct dress or hair ribbon, then it was some new fad among the girls at school. Not being up with the latest fad seemed to be devastating for her and don't get me started on how she acted when she and her friends started gawking at the boys."

Elizabeth laughed. She supposed from the outside some of the antics of young girls could seem amusing. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, my father survived the teenage years of three daughters. You're a Mountie. Surely you could survive one girl."

"Survive, yes. What I don't know how to do is to guide her through those teenage years like my mom did with Colleen. Sure, I can console her when Ally comes home crying because some girl said something to upset her, but what advice do I give her. I'm convinced that a man was not meant to raise a girl alone."

"But you're not alone, Nathan," Elizabeth replied. "Not now. Hope Valley looks out for its own, even our younger members. Ally will have female role models she can go to as she grows up, including me. It's one of the wonderful things about this town and something that Abigail pointed out when I was pregnant with Little Jack."

Elizabeth paused as she thought back to that emotional time as her son's birth got closer. She didn't know what she would've done without Abigail, Rosemary and the others. "I didn't find out about Little Jack until after Jack's death. At first I was just thankful that I was going to have a piece of Jack in my life. As time went by though, the thought of raising a child on my own started to get overwhelming. I couldn't even bring myself to get the nursery ready. Every time I tried, I'd start missing Jack and thinking that I couldn't do this alone."

"When Abigail realized it, she recruited Rosemary, Florence, and Molly and they ended up doing the work with my input. That act more than anything else made me realize that I wouldn't be raising my child alone because I would have the support of the town."

Elizabeth shifted her head and looked up at Nathan. "That's true for you now too. Any help you need with Ally, there is going to be someone to help you. I'll be around to help. We've got each other to help raise the children now."

Even in the dim light, Elizabeth could see her words were making Nathan uncomfortable. She had expected they would. She had learned that Nathan preferred to muse over his emotions before trying to express them to people. However, she also already knew how he truly felt about her. His actions, especially his over reaction in the cabin in the woods, told her how much he cared about her.

"You asked at the pond to let you know when I figured out what was in my heart. Well, I've figured it out Nathan. It's having a family for my son to grow up in. I want Jack to have a father figure in his life, not just a memory. I want him to have siblings to confide in and fight with, in turn. Once I figured that out, I started seeing you and Ally as part of that future. I'm not trying to rush you. We all move through this at our own pace. However, that's what in my heart Nathan, though for now I'm content just getting to know you better."

The two continued the walk to the café in silence, Nathan trying to sort through the emotions stirred up by Elizabeth's words while Elizabeth was content to give him the time he needed. Right now, Elizabeth was just happy to be with. She was willing to let their relationship unfold at its own pace, though she didn't regret making it clear to Nathan where she expected this to go.

Gabriel paced the first floor of the little row house rubbing circles on Little Jack's back. The little boy had not been thrilled about his mother leaving him with someone that he barely knew. Not that Gabriel took it personally. It wasn't the first time he had been left with a crying child, having gone through this with a couple of his nieces and nephews. He had even gone through it with Ally when he had been helping Nathan out when he had left Calgary after his sister's death.

"He looks like he's asleep," Ally said softly, as Gabriel walked pas the table where she sat. She was writing something though Gabriel hadn't yet asked her what it was she was working on.

"I think you're right," Gabriel said, making his way over to the crib in the living area of the house. Giving the time of day, and the reason that Jack was sleeping, he didn't think the little boy would sleep long. As he and Ally would be cooking dinner, he preferred to have Jack on the same floor for now.

Reaching the crib, Gabriel laid Jack down gently. With the first hurdle of the night crossed, Gabriel returned to where Ally was sitting.

"Ready to start dinner?" Gabriel asked her.

"Yes," Ally said, placing her pencil down on the paper as she got to her feet.

The two headed for the kitchen where they had left the basket of ingredients, they had brought. Gabriel placed the recipe where they could both refer to it. As they started the prep work for their meal, Gabriel got the conversation started with a question.

"So, what were you working on? Schoolwork?"

"Yes," Ally replied hesitantly, trying to decide how much information she wanted to give her uncle's friend. However, she did want to talk to someone about the situation, and she had always found Gabriel to be a good listener. "It's sort of an extra assignment because I didn't completely finish our in class writing assignment on Friday."

"What was the writing assignment?" Gabriel asked.

"We were supposed to write about what we would wish for if we were given three wishes. I wasn't comfortable sharing my wishes with Mrs. Thornton and I didn't want to lie. So I just wrote that explanation on the paper."

"So your teacher gave you another assignment."

Ally, nodded, looking over at Gabriel as she paused in her task. "It's a creative writing assignment. I'm supposed to write a story about a girl finding a magical lamp and what her three wishes would be. It's due on Monday. Do you think I should tell Uncle Nathan about the special assignment?"

Gabriel thought about the situation before he answered. "I don't think that it's really necessary as you've worked it out with your teacher. I can tell you, he would be understanding if you did explain the situation to him."

"Yeah, but I'd be afraid that he would want to know what I'd want to wish for that I didn't want to share."

"There is that possibility," Gabriel consented. "Would you like to share them with me?" he asked, having a feeling that if she was hesitant to write them in a school assignment that her wishes involved Nathan and Elizabeth.

"You wouldn't tell anyone?" Ally asked.

"Not a soul," Gabriel replied. Placing his right hand over his heart, he added, "Mountie's honor."

"Is that really a thing, Mr. Gabe?" Ally asked skeptically.

"It is now."

Ally gave a small smile. The dinner preparations went on in silence for a few moments before she spoke again.

"Well, my first wish would be that Uncle Nathan would be happy. I know how nice it feels to be truly happy since we've come to Hope Valley. I thought Uncle Nathan would be too, but lately I'm not so sure anymore."

"I think your uncle is happy here too. It's just things are-"

"Complicated, I know," Ally said. "My second wish would be to have a mother. When I was little, I use to wish my mother would come back, but as I got older I realized that would never happen. Then I felt guilty because as much as I wanted a mother in my life I didn't want to replace my mother."

"No, one can ever replace your mother in your life, Ally," Gabriel told her, reaching out to place a hand on Ally's shoulder. "She's always going to have a special place in your heart."

"That's what Miss Angela said when I stayed with her," Ally admitted. "It scares me sometimes that I have a hard time remembering her though."

"You were young when she passed," Gabriel said. "It's understandable that you don't have a lot of memories. I bet there is something special that you can remember."

"I remember her voice signing. I can't remember the words but I remember the sound of her voice."

Gabriel nodded. "As long as you remember something, she's always a part of you. Also know that if you ever need help remembering your mother, you've got people in your life that can help you remember her."

"Do you remember my mother, Mr. Gabe?"

Gabriel smiled as the two of them return to dinner preparations. "I only met your mother a couple of times," he admitted. "The first time was at the Mountie graduation ceremony for your uncle and me. She was so proud of him that day. I remember her telling him that 'now she would always have a red knight to come and save her'. Your uncle's face turned the shade of our red jackets."

Ally laughed at the image.

"Red knight," Ally said softly. "It fits."

"So, what about your third wish?" Gabriel asked.

Ally hesitated and Gabriel wondered if she would keep her last wish to herself. Just when he was going to change the subject though, Ally spoke up.

"I wish I could call Uncle Nathan, dad," Ally admitted. "He's been like a father to me all these years. He's the one that took me in when my mother died. He's always there when a nightmare wakes me up. As vague as my memories are of my mother, I have none of my father. Perhaps that's because he wasn't around much during my childhood even before my mom passed and he left. Uncle Nathan told me that he came back one time and he was drinking. He told me that you helped convince my dad to give up custody of me."

"It was for the best, Ally. Your father had a problem with alcohol. That wasn't a good situation for a child to be in."

"I know," Ally said. "Besides, if he really loved me, he would have fought for me. Like Uncle Nathan did. Uncle Nathan's always been there, like a father should be. I've wanted to ask him if I could call him dad a few times. I've even had to stop myself from calling him that on occasion. I don't want to upset him."

Gabriel put down the utensils that he was using. Kneeling down, he reached out and turned Ally to face him. With a hand on either arm he said, "Ally, there isn't much you can do to help the first two wishes come about. You just have to wait and see what happens, but my advice for your third wish is to tell your uncle how you feel."

"But I wouldn't know how to bring the topic up. It doesn't seem like something to just blurt out over breakfast."

Gabriel smiled. The girl had a point.

"Then the next time you find yourself wanting to call him dad, don't stop yourself. Just do it. Granted, there might be some tears, but they won't be because he's upset."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive," Gabriel told her. "You are his world, Ally. Never forget that."

Ally nodded, before reaching out and hugging Gabriel. "Thank-you, Mr. Gabe," she told him.

"Anytime, Ally," Gabriel told her, hugging her back. "You can always talk to me. Remember that."

As Ally took a step back, she nodded her acknowledgement.

"Now, how about we finish dinner. I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Okay," Ally said, a genuine smile on her face once more.