Jack Thornton stood alone at his grave, well, it was his brothers grave, the brother he didn't know he had. All these years his mother had kept him a secret. In his heart he understood, but on the surface he was angry that she had kept it secret. It was because of this secret that his brother was dead, taken from his family, but, then again, it was because of the secret that he himself was alive and with his own family.

His family, it was still so strange to him to have a son. It wasn't surprising. He remembered his and Elizabeth's last night together, so passionate, so deep in love with one another. It hurt, knowing that he was taken from them.

He heard the horse trot up behind him but he didn't look up. He knew who it was.

"How long have you known Bill"?

"About as long as I've known your mother".

"How could you keep it from me"?

"Jack, you've been through a lot, I get it, but I've been through and seen things you've never dreamed of. The war in the north was bad, sure, but before you were born Thomas and I fought another, tougher, meaner war in the south. The gangs were more violent and they would mutilate our fellow mounties and string 'em up as a warning. So we did things, things that keep me up at night, just so we could put an end to that damned war. That would have happened to me if Thomas Thornton hadn't saved my life, and I owe him that much. So when he asked me, on your mother's behalf, to keep the secret, I did. At least I can go to my grave knowing I didn't betray him".

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Wynn sat with Elizabeth and Charles in his office. He and Charles broke down everything for Elizabeth, who listened intently.

"About a month after Jack was presumed dead", Charles began, "I did some digging to see if he had left a will. I didn't find anything so I searched for his mother to see if she knew of anything Jack may have left behind and I found two marriage certificates, one from her marriage to Thomas Thornton and another to Jarrick Evans. I knew it wasn't much to go on, so I contacted mountie headquarters and that's when I found this". Elizabeth immediately recognized her husband's face on the poster.

"It's a forgery", Wynn said, picking up where Charles left off, "not authorized by the RCMP, but a good attempt none the less. I had gotten a call to meet my Superior Officer before this, informing me of the poster. Then, when Charles came to town we got to work clearing this whole mess up. After that it was a waiting game for Jack to emerge. It was the mountie that came to discuss a gold shipment from Rob to Calgary that caught my attention. I had never seen him before, which isn't a big deal, but I noticed a brand on his hand that looked similar to the brand a gang up north had. They were gone, but I imagine he still had hard feelings about what happened. His name was John Gibson and had killed the mountie who was supposed to meet with Mayor Stanton and Mr. Jenkins in regards to the gold shipment. That's when I presumed that there were no guards on the train".

"But, four mounties boarded the train here in Hope Valley", Elizabeth interrupted.

"Imposters", Wynn answered, "they were John Gibson and three others. Jack was already on the train, most likely to avoid his being recognized".

"But it still doesn't make sense", Elizabeth said, rising to her feet and pacing, "why take Jack in the first place"?

"Gibson hated Jack because he was the one who led the final charge against the gang Gibson was a part of. Jack took away any chance for Gibson to have any control over the northern territories. From what Jack told me, Gibson had planned on pinning the robbery on Jack and reveling in the joy of watching the mountie's golden boy locked aeay for a long time. That's why Gibson forged the wanted poster and killed my brother". This last part he said with a note of pain in his voice.

"It must be hard for you, seeing Jack", Elizabeth said tenderly.

"A little. It'd be worse if they were identical twins, but they looked just enough alike for Will to be mistaken for Jack after the landslide. But it doesn't matter, I at least have one brother still with me".

Elizabeth walked over and pulled Wynn into a hug.

"You also have a sister".

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Charity Phillips had never thought of herself as adventurous, but when Charles had asked her to come visit him out west, well the very thought excited her to say the least. She knew he worried about how she would react to the idea of living out west without the comforts of home, but she loved him, deeply and truly and she was willing to make sacrifices for him, wether he asked or not. Her suffragette sister would say she was being ignorant and submissive, but she believed that it was the wife's responsibility. It was in one of her foundation verses for a healthy marriage that she found this to be true. Reading it now she felt love for her God and her fiancee, to both she had bound herself.

Ephesians 5:24-25

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Love was something that went both ways, not just one. Submission was an act of love, the act of doing something, not because you have to or are being forced to, but because you love that person. it was hard to understand without actually experiencing the act of love. She loved Charles because God had shown His love to her, and it was simply to much to contain, so much so that it poured out to others.

She felt that love as the train pulled into the brand new station at Hope Valley and saw Charles and, who she presumed to be Elizabeth, waiting for her. She knew, without a doubt, that she could do this.

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Lee Coulter had offered his car to Charles and Elizabeth to drive Charity to Elizabeth's and Jack's, where she would stay for the entirety of her trip. Jack and Bill had taken Charlotte back home and were taking the trip back as an opportunity to reconnect and, as Bill hoped, help Jack with his post traumatic stress, something he himself knew about. As stated, Lee had offered his car, but Charity had declined, insisting on seeing Hope Valley from a personal view instead of a passerby. After all, if she was going to live here she needed to see it for herself, and she instantly fell in love, as most people who passed through had.

"It's a far cry from Hamilton isn't it", Charles asked.

"It's perfect", Charity insisted, clinging to her fiance's arm, "I love it". They walked through the town and eventually made their way past the church/school causing Elizabeth to brag about her students.

"Would you like to see the inside"? Elizabeth asked Charity, having finished her spiel on her students.

"Yes, I would love to".

Charity's eyes grew wide at the deauty of the room. The walls were covered in posters and artwork made by the children. Her heart grew more room as the love she felt from the room pour in.

"Charles tells me you're a teacher yourself", Elizabeth said, smiling as she watched as Charity visibly fell in love with, not just her classroom, but Hope Valley itself.

"I've only gotten a certificate to teach. No doors have ever opened for a teaching opportunity though".

"Well, Jack and I are planning on taking an official honeymoon and, if you're available, I would love it if you would fill in for me".

Almost immediately Charity knew ehat she should do, and she felt God tell her, This is what I have planned for you.

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Alright, this is a little shorter than what I normally write but it felt like a good place to end.

First off, no Elizabeth is not alluding to another sibling, only that she is in all but blood his sister.

Second, I want y'all to know that Charity is not going to be a Bible thumper or an extreme Christian, she just has an intense love for God and others and, as a Christian myself, I wanted to have a character that is representative of my beliefs.

Third, Elizabeth and Jack are not leaving. They may in the future, as Jack will be retiring, have a smaller role as I eant to focus on the new characters and build them properly, but Jackabeth is not leaving.

As always I love y'all and will speak to y'all soon.

Sincerely,

Ficmaniac12