"Do you have to go?" Elizabeth asked, looking at her husband with her arms folded over her body.

"You know I do," Nathan said gently, cupping her cheeks in his hands. "I'm sorry this came up so suddenly. I hate leaving you and Allie like this for so long."

Elizabeth slipped her arms around him, holding him close. Though he would only be gone for four days, it somehow seemed like a lifetime. He had become such a steady presence in her life. She knew they would be fine, but she was going to miss him.

Nathan had been called as a witness in a murder trial in Indianapolis. He had arrested the man two years ago while he was on the force, but it had taken a while for the trial to actually commence. Since leaving the force, he hadn't been updated on the proceedings, but he had received a phone call just last night saying he was needed in Indianapolis for the next few days. Now he and Elizabeth were standing by his car, putting off their goodbyes. Nathan had already said goodbye to Allie and then tucked her in for her afternoon nap.

"I miss you already," Elizabeth said, her face buried in his shirt.

Nathan chuckled, lifting her chin with his finger. Gazing deeply into her eyes, he smiled tenderly. "I'll be home before you know it. But just so you don't forget how much I love you…" He bent and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her thoroughly. By the time he pulled back, Elizabeth was slightly disoriented from his intensity. She leaned her head against his chest once more, taking deep breaths. "That'll help," she murmured.

She could feel Nathan's soft laugh against her cheek. "Good." His arms held her close as his chin rested lightly on her head. "I'll miss you too, Elizabeth." He sighed. "And I do need to go if I'm going to be in Indianapolis for the pre-trial meeting."

Elizabeth reluctantly lifted her head, not wanting to let him go. They shared one more kiss before releasing each other, and Elizabeth watched as Nathan got into his car and drove away. He waved before turning down the street and fading from view. Giving her own sigh, Elizabeth turned and went back into the house.

It felt quiet and empty. She walked to Allie's room to check on her. The child was sleeping soundly, her breathing deep and even. Elizabeth watched her for a few moments, her heart swelling despite her current feeling of loneliness. Allie was doing so well. Elizabeth couldn't be more grateful. Jack's marrow was working splendidly, healing Allie's body faster than they could have expected.

She frowned slightly as she made her way to the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. Jack still hadn't told them about being Allie's father. He was set to leave for New York soon, and if anything, it felt like he had been avoiding them for the past couple of days. Elizabeth vividly remembered the moment she had found Nathan on the porch steps three days ago, looking as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Nathan!" she'd exclaimed, sitting beside him and taking his hand in hers. "What in the world is wrong?"

The flat look on his face had terrified her. He hadn't been able to answer for a full minute. Finally, he looked at Elizabeth, his eyes haunted. "Jack is Allie's father."

"What?" Elizabeth gasped.

"I just heard him tell Lee," Nathan said, looking over at Jack's house. "That's why he was a perfect match."

Elizabeth hadn't known what else to say. Neither had Nathan. They had sat in silence, Elizabeth holding his hand tightly to show her support. Finally, Nathan sighed. "I don't know what is going to happen, but I trust that Jack will tell us when he's ready." His throat tightened. "I just hope he doesn't try to take Allie from us."

Elizabeth used her other hand to lightly rub Nathan's back. "Jack wouldn't do that, sweetheart," she said softly.

Nathan rubbed his face. "I know that deep down," he said. "But one of my biggest fears is losing my little girl. We could have lost her to the cancer, Elizabeth. Thankfully she's doing well. But now...now we enter the unknown again."

Blinking back to the present, Elizabeth took her tea to the living room couch. She had thought Jack would say something before leaving, but so far he was silent.

A knock sounded at the door. Elizabeth got up and opened it to see Jack standing there, shuffling from foot to foot. "Hi, Elizabeth," he said.

"Hi, Jack," she said, giving him a light smile and stepping back. "Come in."

Her neighbor seemed nervous, but he came into the house. "I can't stay long," he said, glancing around. "I have to head to the airport in a few minutes."

Elizabeth's brows raised in surprise. "You're leaving today?" she asked. "I thought you were heading to New York tomorrow."

Jack shrugged. "My plans changed." He was trying so hard to look casual, but Elizabeth could tell he was struggling. Her heart went out to him. Trying to help him feel more at ease, she smiled and gestured to the couch. "Would you like to sit?"

He shook his head. "No, thank you. I just came over to say goodbye to you and Nathan and Allie." His hands found their way into his pockets. "Is Nathan here?"

"You just missed him," Elizabeth said. "He left for Indianapolis fifteen minutes ago."

Jack's brow creased. "Indy? Why is he going there?"

"He's a witness in a murder trial," Elizabeth said. "It came up very suddenly. We only found out last night."

"Oh," Jack said, seeming at a loss for words. He was quiet for a moment, looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry to miss him," he said. "I'm not sure when I'll be back in town. I wanted to thank him for his friendship over these past months." He looked up, looking her in the eyes for the first time since arriving. "So I'll say thanks to you, Elizabeth. You've been a good friend to me as well. Please let Nathan know that I value his friendship." He cleared his throat, then stepped forward, pulling her into a hug. "I'll miss you all."

Elizabeth hugged him back, then gave him a smile. "Jack, I think Nathan would love to hear that from you. Why don't you call him?"

Jack looked down again. "Maybe," he said, noncommittal. He took a deep breath. "Is Allie here?"

Before Elizabeth could answer, a sleepy Allie came down the hall, rubbing her eyes. "I heard Uncle Jack," she said, her eyes brightening when she saw him. She came forward, wrapping her arms around his legs. "Hi!"

Jack's eyes shone with an emotion Elizabeth couldn't quite label. He swung Allie up in his arms and hugged her close. "Hey, Allie girl!" he said, kissing her cheek. "How're you doing?"

"Good," she said, hugging him around the neck. "Are you having dinner with us?"

Jack's face didn't change, but Elizabeth could see him swallow hard. "I'm afraid not," he said, keeping his voice light. "Remember how I told you I'm moving to New York?"

Allie nodded. Jack blinked back obvious tears. "I'm afraid I have to leave in a few minutes," he said. "I came over to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Allie said, her lower lip starting to tremble. "Are you going to come back?"

Elizabeth felt tears spring to her own eyes watching the scene in front of her. She suddenly knew that Jack wasn't going to say anything. He was going to keep his secret, leaving them to live their lives with the knowledge that Allie was theirs and not attempting to interfere. She had a feeling he wouldn't visit as often as he would like for that very reason.

"I won't be coming back to live, but I'll visit," Jack said, swallowing again. "I promise I'll come see you, Allie." He smiled through the tears, winking at her. "I'll always be your Uncle Jack."

"Promise?" Allie asked, holding up her pinky finger.

Jack wrapped his pinky around hers with a nod. "I promise." He pulled her close once more in a tight hug. "I love you, sweet girl."

"Love you too, Uncle Jack."

Elizabeth saw a couple of tears escape Jack's eyes, but he wiped them away quickly as he set Allie on her feet. "You be good for your mom and dad, okay?" he said, smiling down at her. "They love you very much, you know."

Allie smiled up at Elizabeth, taking her hand. "I know."

Jack glanced at his watch, then smiled apologetically. "I have to get going," he said. "Thank you again for everything. For letting me be a part of your family."

Elizabeth stepped forward involuntarily. "Jack…" she said. Glancing at Allie, she realized she couldn't say anything about his parentage. Jack was looking back at her with a raised brow. Elizabeth pursed her lips. "Are you sure?" she said, imploring him with her eyes. "Are you sure about New York?"

Surprise flashed in Jack's eyes. He hesitated, his eyes darting between her and Allie. Taking a deep breath, he nodded slowly. "This is my dream," he stated. His words sounded true, but Elizabeth thought she detected a tremor in his voice. Before she could reply, Jack squared his shoulders. "I have to get going." He quickly hugged both Allie and Elizabeth again, then walked to the door. Before going out, he turned and looked back. There was no mistaking the tears in his eyes as he smiled at them one last time. "Goodbye."

Then he was gone.

Nathan rolled down the window as he drove out of Indianapolis. The cool April air helped clear his head. The trial had been more draining than he was anticipating. He'd been out of the force for long enough that he hadn't been mentally prepared for the emotions that had washed over him while rehashing the case.

He couldn't wait to get home to his family. He needed to be with them again.

His mind wandered to Jack. He'd received a text message from him a few days ago, letting Nathan know he had arrived in New York and was settling in. Nathan had texted back wishing him all the best, and that had been the extent of their communication. He was sorry he had missed Jack before he left, and he also felt a strange sense of relief and guilt. Relief that Jack wasn't trying to take Allie, guilt that he hadn't let Jack know that he knew about him being Allie's biological father. His feelings were all over the place, so he pushed them down, determining to reexamine them at a later date when he wasn't raw from an emotional trial.

The three hour drive passed slowly, but eventually Nathan was pulling into his driveway again. Pulling his suitcase from the backseat, he let out a sigh of relief. He had missed his girls more than he'd anticipated. He hurried to the front door, and before he could open it, it swung open to reveal Elizabeth and Allie greeting him with giant smiles. Allie launched herself into Nathan's arms. He dropped his suitcase and caught his daughter, holding her tightly.

"I missed you, Daddy!" Allie exclaimed, burying her face in his shoulder.

"I missed you too, munchkin," Nathan said, breathing in the sweet scent of his little girl. Allie pulled back and patted his cheeks. "Mom said the days would go by fast." She wrinkled her nose. "She was wrong."

Elizabeth and Nathan both chuckled. Elizabeth slid her arms around both of them. "I was definitely wrong," she said. "Those were the longest four days ever, weren't they, Allie?"

"Yeah!" Allie agreed emphatically. "Don't do that again, okay Daddy?"

Nathan smiled, basking in the love he felt emanating from Elizabeth and Allie. "I'll do my best," he said. The three of them stood in a little circle hugging each other until Allie wiggled to get down. "I'm going to go play with my dolls," she said. "I'll make you a tea cake, Daddy! Can we have a tea party in a little bit?"

"I would love nothing more," Nathan said, ruffling her hair. "Call me when you're ready."

"Okay!" Allie said, beaming. "Mom, you can come too."

Elizabeth laughed. "Thank you, honey. I'll be there."

"Yay!" Allie said with a clap of her hands. "I'll call you when it's all set up!" She raced for the stairs and disappeared quickly.

Nathan took Elizabeth into his arms, burying his face in her hair. He felt her arms fold around him, and he felt safe and warm in her embrace.

"You look tired," she said quietly, gently rubbing his back. "How was it?"

"Hard," Nathan admitted. "The trial is still going, but thankfully I was only needed for the beginning, though they did say I might have to come down again for another day before it's over." He pulled back, leading her to the couch where they sat side by side. He leaned his head against hers, drawing strength from her presence. "In all my time as a detective, I never got used to seeing a murderer sitting at the defense bench, looking so stoic and unrepentant. It always gave me chills. But when I was on the force, it was something I dealt with from time to time. I was used to chasing criminals. After a year of being a professor, I'd forgotten how hard that part of being with the police was." He sighed. "It was draining, to be honest."

Elizabeth placed a hand on his cheek. "Maybe you should get some rest," she said, her voice empathetic. "Why don't you take a nap after the tea party?"

Nathan smiled. "That does sound nice." He pulled her a little closer. "But I've missed you so much, Elizabeth. I'm not ready to leave you again, even if it's just for a nap."

"I'm ready!" Allie called from the base of the stairs. "The tea is set up!"

"We'll talk about this more later," Elizabeth said, raising a brow at him with a slightly reproachful note in her voice. "I don't need you getting sick, you know."

Nathan smiled, hearing the concern in her voice. He kissed her cheek. "If it makes you feel better…"

"It would," she interrupted. "Please."

"Alright," he said. "I won't argue."

"Good."

They had their tea party with Allie, the three of them laughing together and telling stories. Eventually Allie's eyes began to droop. "It's naptime," Elizabeth said, scooping Allie into her arms. When she saw Nathan's yawn, she raised a brow at him. "For both of you."

"Yes, ma'am," Nathan said, keeping his promise not to argue. They went up the stairs together, tucking Allie into bed for her nap. Once she was settled, Elizabeth practically pushed Nathan into their bedroom, pointing to the bed. "Your turn," she said. "And don't you get up for at least an hour, you hear?"

Nathan gripped her wrist lightly, giving her a tender smile. "Only if you join me," he said.

"Nathan, I have to…"

"Please, Elizabeth," he said softly, pleading with her. "I need to hold you."

She stilled, hearing the raw emotion in his voice. She studied his eyes with a little frown. "Was it really that bad?" she asked.

He simply nodded. Elizabeth's eyes softened. "Alright," she said. They slid into the bed together, and Nathan wrapped his arms around Elizabeth, holding her close. Her proximity was enough to soothe him, and with her tucked against his side, he soon fell into a dreamless sleep.