A little while later, Gabriel and Lillian made their way back toward the house. They walked with their arms around each other's waist. Lillian couldn't deny that it felt right to be this close to Gabriel. She also felt safe, even though her life experiences had taught her that Gabriel wouldn't be able to protect her from everything, even if he wanted to. However, she knew without a doubt that he would do everything that he could to protect her.

Lillian remembered asking her adoptive mother during one of the many conversations they'd had during her illness at the end of her life how she had known she had found the right man. Her mother had told her she had known by the way she felt when she was with Lillian's father. She had told Lillian that though her father dedicated a lot of time to his job, when he was with her she felt like she was the most important thing in his world. She said that in those moments, he managed to make her feel safe and cherished. For her mother, Lillian knew those were the feelings that mattered, not all the evenings she felt lonely because her father was wrapped up in the plans for his latest project.

In some ways, Gabriel's job was never done. He may take off the uniform at times, but that didn't mean he was completely off duty. Even being on medical leave hadn't completely protected him from that. Gabriel had been needed to help someone in trouble and he had felt duty bound to go.

Lillian understood that. In some ways it was much like her own job. Gabriel's assistance could be called for at any time of the day, much like the children might need her even if she was supposed to have some free time. However, those demands though just meant that they needed to cherish the quiet, little moments like this.

As they approached the house, Lillian saw that Chuck and Grace had returned from their walk. The two were sitting next to each on the bench. As soon as Grace saw them approaching, her younger sister was on her feet and heading toward them. Lillian immediately thought something bad had happened.

"Grace, what's wrong?" Lillian asked, letting go of Gabriel as Grace rushed toward her.

"Nothing is wrong," Grace replied, the joy obvious in her voice as she stopped in front of Lillian. "Chuck proposed!" she stated, holding up her left hand. A small diamond caught the light from the lantern that Gabriel held and sparkled. Even the sparkling jewel though couldn't shine brighter than the joy on Grace's face.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you!" Lillian exclaimed, throwing her arms around her sister and embracing her tightly.

"Congratulations," Gabriel said, shaking hands with Chuck who had joined them.

"Thank-you," Chuck replied, the smile on his face just as big as the smile Grace wore.

When Lillian finally let go of Grace, Gabriel gave Grace a quick hug, congratulating her, while Lillian gave Chuck a hug.

"I need you to keep things quiet for the next day or two," Chuck told them, as he put his arm around Grace and held her close. "My mother didn't even know I was going to propose, and that news needs to come from me. As long as nothing comes up, I plan on telling her at dinner tomorrow night."

"I won't say a thing," Gabriel promised him, those words echoed by Lillian. Continuing, Gabriel added, "I definitely don't want to be the person your mother hears that news from, even inadvertently."

Chuck laughed. "I've invited her to dinner at the hotel tomorrow," he told them. "I figured she might put up less of a fuss if we're somewhere public."

"Let me know how that works out," Gabriel told him.

"You two are making me nervous," Grace commented worriedly. "Perhaps I shouldn't have said yes."

"Nonsense," Chuck replied, pulling Grace closer to him. "I can't guarantee my mother will be happy about this, but I do know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I hope she'll accept that. If she doesn't, I still choose you," he told his fiancé placing a kiss on the top of her head.

Grace smiled as she leaned her head against him. "Say that again."

"Which part?" Chuck asked.

"The last part," Grace told him.

"I still choose you," Chuck said, looking down at Grace.

"After all the times I wasn't picked growing up in the orphanages, those words sound almost magical," Grace said with a sigh.

Lillian gave her sister a sympathetic look. She knew it had been hard for her sister growing up in orphanages without real family. It was just one of the many reasons she hadn't given up searching for Grace. She was happy her sister had found someone who cared for her like Chuck did. She only hoped Tess Stewart didn't rain on the happiness that Grace was feeling right now.

"Then I promise to say those words often," Chuck assured her.

"Good," Grace replied.

"Have you told Eleanor yet?" Lillian asked.

Grace shook her head. "I wanted to make sure my big sister was the first person I told," she replied.

"Then let's go inside and tell her," Lillian said. "We can have some coffee with the sponge cake I baked earlier."

"I thought that was for dinner tomorrow," Grace commented.

Lillian shrugged. "I'll bake another one tomorrow while the kids are at school," she replied. "It's not every day my little sister gets engaged. I want to celebrate." Lillian turned her head to look at Gabriel. "You can stay a little longer, can't you?"

"I'd be happy too," Gabriel replied.

Reaching out, Lillian slipped her hand into his. "Let's all head inside then," she said, as she started walking toward the house.

Lillian was happy for her sister. Chuck was a good guy and would treat Grace right. She wanted nothing but happiness for the two of them. However, she also knew that she needed to take a lesson from Chuck and Grace. There were obstacles to the two of them being together, a major one being Tess Stewart. However, neither one of them was trying to avoid those obstacles. They were facing those obstacles together.

It was something that she needed to have the courage to do with Gabriel. She didn't know what the future held for the two of them, but she found herself hoping that someday soon she might be making a similar announcement to the one Grace had made tonight.

She was in the second floor hallway, rushing toward the stairs. She had heard the gunshot. She hoped it didn't mean what she knew in her heart that it meant. She hadn't gotten a chance to tell him what was in her heart. It just couldn't be too late.

The dread in her heart told her that it was though.

Reaching the stairs, she hurried down them and stopped as she reached the bottom. The sight before her was the one she had been afraid she would find.

Gabriel was still tied to the chair. In fact, it was the bindings that she had tied which kept him secured in the chair as he slumped forward, chin on his chest. The darker red spot on the chest of his jacket showed where the bullet had entered.

Running forward, she fell to her knees in front of the chair, throwing her arms around him. There was no response to her presence though. She had missed her opportunity to tell Gabriel how she felt.

"Noooooo."

Lillian sat up with a gasp. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took in her surroundings. In the dim moonlight slipping through the crack in the curtains, she recognized the familiar furnishings of her bedroom. Her anxiety started to ease as her mind recognized the face that she was safe. However, she jumped as the door to her bedroom flew open.

"Are you okay?" Grace exclaimed, coming into the room. Even in the dim lighting, Grace's fear was clear.

"I'm fine," Lillian tried to assure her sister, hearing the waver in her own voice. The fact that the doorway behind Grace was filling up with faces told Lillian that she must have called out during her dream, or perhaps nightmare would be a better term. "I just had a bad dream," she added, hoping to assure everyone gathered. "I'm sorry I woke everyone."

"You or Miss Grace always come to comfort us after a nightmare. We don't mind doing the same for you," Mary Louise supplied.

The chorus of agreement that followed made Lillian smile despite the lingering effects of the nightmare. "Thank-you, but I'll be fine. You should all go back to sleep."

"Yes," Eleanor said. Having come up from downstairs, she was at the back of the group. "I will tuck you all back in. Let's go."

As the children turned and left the doorway, Grace made her way further into her sister's room. "Was it the same dream as before?" Grace asked as she sat down on the edge of the bed.

Both sisters had experienced nightmares right after the robbery. They had helped each other through them then. Lillian had thought she was past them, but apparently the mention of Jack Trenton's trial had brought them back. Or at least a variation of the old nightmare.

"Not exactly," Lillian said, bringing her knees up toward her chest and hugging them. "This one was worse," she said, the image of Gabriel's limp body leaning forward in the chair coming back to her, the splotch of red spreading on his jacket. That image was somehow worse than the reality of coming down and seeing Gabriel leaning against Chuck.

Reaching out, Grace laid her hand on Lillian's arm. "Talking about it will help," Grace said softly, wanting to give Lillian that option without pressuring her sister.

"I'm not sure I want to put the image into words," Lillian admitted quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was make the nightmares seem more real. However, she knew Grace was right. Talking about it would help, just like she told the children. Just as her adoptive mother had told her when a bad dream would wake her up right after she came to live in this house with the Walsh's. Her mother had been right that talking about the dream and sharing it had helped ease the fear.

"Perhaps doing so will make them seem less real."

Again, Lillian saw the images from her dream. She felt a shiver go up her spine. That dream could have easily been her reality. Gabriel had put himself in a very vulnerable position to keep her, Grace and everyone else safe. That alone was proof enough that he cared about not only her but also the people who she cared about.

"I could have lost him before I found the courage to tell him how I felt, Grace," Lillian confessed to her sister.

"You didn't," Grace replied as she shifted on the bed so she could sit beside her sister. Grace slipped her arm around Lillian's shoulders and pulled her sister close. "We're all okay and Gabriel is back protecting the town."

"He told me he's going out of town next week. He's traveling to High River for Jack Trenton's trial."

"He'll be just fine, Lillian," Grace assured her sister. "We knew it was likely he would need to go eventually."

"I know," Lillian admitted. "I guess I just didn't realize it would be this hard to let him go or that it would bring back memories I had managed to move past. At least I had thought I had moved past them."

"It's only been about two months," Grace said. "I don't think anyone totally moves past what we went through in such a short time. I know I still dream about having the gun held to my head at times."

"You haven't said anything lately."

Grace gave a weak smile. "I didn't want to burden you. Besides, the dreams come less frequent. When they do come though, they seem so real in the moments after waking up."

"They do," Lillian admitted, once again seeing the final images of her dream. "Grace, do you think you could sit with me until I fall asleep again?" Lillian asked.

"Of course I can," Grace assured her. "Go ahead and lay down," she said, moving her arm from around Lillian's shoulders.

Laying back down, Lillian settled against the pillows. Reaching out, she took her sister's hand. Just like her mother had held her hand after a nightmare all those years ago, now Lillian had her sister by her side. There was something comforting about that.

Lillian just hoped the dream didn't return during the rest of the night.