A/N:

Hey guys, this one is a little shorter because I wanted to use a whole chapter for the proposal instead of breaking it in two. So next week, the proposal will happen. I am excited to share it with you guys!

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Rosemary asked Vivian once she was satisfied that the girl was safe.

"I was playing in my bedroom and then I saw something outside, so I snuck downstairs to see what it was." Vivian rubbed her eyes. "It was bird, and the wing looked funny, so I followed it. When I stood up, I didn't know where I was in the forest."

"I found her sitting by a tree, crying." Lee interjected.

"Honey, you need to be careful. The bird can take care of itself." Rosemary said, rubbing Vivian's shoulders.

"I know." Vivian nodded. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you, and I'm so glad that Papa found you. You scared me, but I'm glad you're okay. I love you, don't forget it." Rosemary gently tapped Vivian's nose.

"I love you too." Vivian said as she burrowed deeper into the comfort of Rosemary's arms.

"Why don't I help you get ready for bed and then we can read a book in our bed?" Rosemary suggested.

"Okay." Vivian nodded. Rosemary took her hand and helped her get ready for bed. She knew Vivian could do it herself, but she didn't want to let Vivian out of her sight. Once Vivian was ready, the two of them went back to Lee and Rosemary's room and got comfortable. Lee came and joined them, and Vivian picked out a book. As Rosemary read it, Vivian's eyes slowly closed, until she was sleeping against Rosemary.

"I think she's asleep." Lee whispered. Rosemary nodded. "Do you want me to take her back to her bed?"

"No," Rosemary shook her head. "She can stay here."

"Alright. Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goodnight." Rosemary replied as she laid down. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep. She checked that Vivian was right beside her multiple times.

Sometime later that night, Lee woke up and heard Rosemary crying softly. He sleepily sat up and then went to her side of the bed. Sitting down quietly, he gently put his arms around her. She lifted her head to lean against him, and he held her until she fell asleep. It had been a long day for everyone.

Rosemary woke up the next morning with renewed energy. She had a proposal to plan! She hummed to herself as she started mixing the pancake batter. A few minutes later, Lee and Vivian came downstairs. Lee walked over and gave Rosemary a kiss. "Good morning sweetheart. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, that's fine. These pancakes are almost done." Rosemary smiled. When enough pancakes were done, the three of them sat down for breakfast.

"How many days do we have until the proposal?" Lee asked.

"Four days, it'll be on Friday."

"Perfect. What do we need to do to get ready?"

"Just a few things, not too much. The big work will happen on Friday."

"Alright. Well, I should head off to work." Lee said as he stood up. He gave Vivian a hug, Rosemary a kiss, then he was off.

When he was gone, Rosemary turned to Vivian. "Well, honey, how about you help me clear the table and then we'll go over to Elizabeth's?"

"Okay!" Vivian nodded excitedly. The two of them quickly cleaned up; Vivian cleared the table and Rosemary washed the dishes. After that, they headed over to Elizabeth's. It was mid-morning, so the sun was up and the day was turning hot quickly. Elizabeth's door was open, so Rosemary and Vivian walked right in.

"Elizabeth?" Rosemary called into the house.

"Out here." A voice answered her from the backyard.

Meanwhile, Lee was hard at work in the lumber office. He was drafting plans for a surprise for Rosemary. He knew that with the arrival of the baby, the rowhouse was going to be tiny. As he was overlooking land, the door opened and Nathan walked in. "Hi Lee."

"Hey Nathan." Lee looked up to see Nathan wearing plainclothes. "Not on duty today?"

"Not right now. Do you have a minute to help me with something?"

"Of course." Lee cast aside his papers. "What is it?"

"I'm sure Rosemary told you that I plan on proposing to Elizabeth," he began. "And, well, I want to do something else." Nathan cleared his throat. "I'd like to build a house."

"And you were wondering if I could help you with that." Lee guessed.

Nathan nodded. "I've already bought a parcel of land, all I need now is lumber. I'm just not sure how much it's going to cost."

"I'd love to help if I can, and I'm sure we can come to a deal." Lee smiled. "This is exciting. I'll let you in on a little secret, as long as you promise not to tell Rosemary. I want to build us a house too, I just need to find a plot of land."

"Well, I know Bill owns a plot near mine. Maybe he'd be willing to sell."

"It's been hard to find, since Walden has bought up most of the land around here. I'll check with him and see. Anyways, let me check my prices and I'll pull up a couple things for you."

"Thanks, Lee."

The next few days passed quickly while Rosemary prepared for the upcoming proposal. She planned everything out and got everything ready for the big night. Friday arrived on schedule and Rosemary woke up early, leaving Lee asleep. She slipped downstairs and started breakfast, then sat down at the table to go over her lists. A few minutes later, the kitchen smelled of coffee and pancakes.

Lee came down the stairs and saw Rosemary working. He walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them. "Good morning sweetheart."

"Good morning." Rosemary replied. She stopped writing and just sat there, enjoying it.

"Smells delicious." Lee said.

"Oh, I should check on it." Rosemary stood up and groaned softly. "I can't wait until I don't have to carry this thing around anymore." She said, motioning to her very round stomach.

Lee chuckled and gave her a kiss. "It will be wonderful to finally meet this little one."

Rosemary nodded and smiled as she walked over to the stove. "But for the meantime, I'm hot and uncomfortable. Can you go get Vivian?"

"Of course. I'll be right back." Lee slipped back up the stairs. In a few minutes, he returned with a sleepy but dressed Vivian. They all ate together, and then Lee left for work. He'd be meeting them at the dock at lunchtime to do everything, but meanwhile, Rosemary needed to get over to Elizabeth's. Plans had been made earlier for Rosemary to watch Little Jack while Elizabeth went with Nathan and Allie to Union City. It would keep Elizabeth busy and make sure she didn't go into town.

"Elizabeth?" Rosemary called into Elizabeth's rowhouse.

"Coming." Elizabeth's voice came from upstairs.

"Come on, sweetheart, let's go inside." Rosemary said to Vivian.

A few seconds later, Elizabeth came down the stairs with Little Jack. She was dressed in a light cream blouse with a mustard-colored skirt. "Hi Rosemary."

"You look beautiful." Rosemary smiled. "Are you excited to go to Union City?"

"I am." Elizabeth set Little Jack down, and he and Vivian ran to play. "Nathan should be here any moment. It was so nice of him to ask me to go, and thank you for watching Little Jack."

"Not a problem. It'll be nice for you to spend some time with just Nathan and Allie."

"I'll pick him up before supper, I think we're getting back around four."

"Oh, no need. I'll drop him off sometime later this evening." Rosemary quickly replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. We haven't had him over in such a long time so I want to spend as much time with him as possible."

"Alright then."

"Hi, Mrs. Coulter, Mrs. Thornton." Allie said as she and Nathan stepped into the rowhouse.

"Hi Allie, Nathan. I should get going, I'm sure you all are anxious to be off on your trip." Rosemary smiled at both of them. "I'll go get Little Jack and Vivian." She disappeared out the back door but returned in a moment with both children.

Elizabeth gave Little Jack a hug. "You're sure you don't mind, Rosemary?"

"I'm positive. Don't worry about me. You go and have fun!" Rosemary said as she waddled out of the house. She led Vivian and Little Jack back over to her house, and then let them go play. She carefully lowered herself onto the couch and sighed as she rubbed her lower back. She'd been getting cramps, but she knew from talking to Faith and Carson that it was normal. Even still, she couldn't wait to meet the new baby, boy or girl.

The morning passed quickly. Little Jack and Vivian got along well, and Rosemary did some writing for her newspaper. Soon, it was time to go meet Lee. He had offered to leave the car for her, but she knew walking was good. "Little Jack! Vivian! Let's go to town and see Uncle Lee!" She called out the back door. They both came running in.

"Wee!" Little Jack said excitedly, grasping Rosemary's hand.

"I want to see Papa!" Vivian exclaimed, taking Rosemary's other hand.

Rosemary chuckled and squeezed both of their hands. "Alright then, let's go." They were able to make it to town and meet Lee by the dock.

"Papa!" Vivian called. She let go of Rosemary's hand and took off running, Little Jack close behind her. She launched herself into Lee's arms. "We're going to get the surprise ready."

"Hey princess," Lee gave her a huge hug, then opened his arms again for Little Jack. "Hey little guy." Finally, Rosemary made it to the small group. "Hi, sweetheart," he said as he gave her a kiss. "What do we need to do?"

"Well, you have the candles, right?"

Lee nodded.

"And I have the decorations, which we can tie around the posts. So we can start with that."

"Alright." They worked hard, together with Vivian and Little Jack. Vivian and Little Jack put the banners around the dock poles, and Rosemary and Lee carefully positioned the candles. They would come back later and light them up. Then they headed out to the forest and found the spot that Nathan had marked. Rosemary put down the blanket, but she would return later to lay out the food. After, they went back to the dock and Lee's car.

"Well, we're going to head back home now." Rosemary said as they got closer.

"I'm coming too." Lee said.

"Nonsense, you have to keep working."

"No, really, I'm done for the day. I'm at your disposal for the rest of the afternoon and evening." He smiled.

"Really? So, you can give us a ride home?" A big smile spread across Rosemary's face. Walking was good for her, but she was willing to give it up.

"Yes," Lee chuckled. "I can do that."

"Wonderful!"