A/N:

Happy New Years! I hope for all the best for you and your families in 2022. Thank you so much for following along on the Coulter family's story. This story may be finished soon, but I will keep writing fanfiction for them. And as always, thank you for all your kind reviews and for reading it. I appreciate it so much!

Jesse dropped Lee and Rosemary off at the train station with the promise to pick them up again on Monday afternoon. Lee made sure all their bags got on the train, and then he and Rosemary found a place to sit down. "I'm so excited!" Rosemary exclaimed for the fiftieth time.

"Me too." Lee replied, again for the fiftieth time. He thought back to his reason for this trip and hoped Rosemary's excitement would stay.

Rosemary chattered along for most of the trip, telling Lee about her hopes for the newspaper, how much she missed Vivian and Aaron, and that she really wanted to know what play they were going to see. Lee just nodded and smiled, still refusing to tell her what his plans were. Eventually, she stopped bugging him and began working on her article for when they got back. "Even when we go away, my work doesn't stop," she reminded him.

The train pulled into the Vancouver Station at one o'clock, and Lee and Rosemary got off. They found their bags, and Lee had arranged for someone to drive them to the hotel. "Reservation for Coulter." Lee said at the hotel's front desk.

"Lee, look." Rosemary touched his arm. "It's so beautiful!"

"Room 204, on the third floor," the receptionist said, handing him a key.

"Thanks." Lee turned and took Rosemary's hand. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

"I love it!" Rosemary declared excitedly. "I can't wait to see our room."

When they reached the third floor, Lee searched for the room. At the end of a hallway, he found it – Room 204. He unlocked it and pushed the door open. Rosemary gasped. In front of them was a large room with a settee and two chairs around a table. There was a small counter with a coffee pot on it, as well as a light switch to control the indoor lighting. On the left side of the room was a door, which opened into their bedroom. A large queen bed sat in the middle, with two nightstands on either side of it. There was a comfy chair in one corner, and an a-joining bathroom as well. Their luggage was waiting for them in the main room.

Rosemary plopped down on one of the chairs. "Wow...Lee. It's amazing. Hotels are so fancy now." A huge smile came over her face. "Thank you so much for doing this."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. What should we do now?"

"What time is the play?"

"The play is at 7, but I thought we could go for dinner beforehand, maybe around five thirty."

"So that gives us three hours. Why don't we unpack a little and then go for a walk?" Rosemary suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." Lee agreed. They worked for about half-an-hour, then put on their coats and scarves and headed down to the lobby. They walked along the street, looking at all the tall buildings and the beautiful clear blue sky.

"Reminds me of New York." Rosemary said. "It's a beautiful city."

"It sure is."

They walked around for a couple hours, then headed back to their hotel room to get ready for dinner. Lee changed into a nicer suit, but Rosemary left on her purple dress, just adding a lovely necklace and some makeup. "I think I'm ready," she announced close to five-thirty.

"You look beautiful." Lee complimented.

"And you look dashing as well." She chuckled lightly.

"Shall we?" He asked as he offered her his arm.

"Absolutely."

Lee and Rosemary took the elevator down to the dining room and found a nice table in one of the corners of the room. They both ordered, then waited for their food to arrive. "Will you tell me now what play we're going to?" Rosemary asked again.

Lee shook his head. "You'll know when you see the signs."

Rosemary rolled her eyes, but laughed. "Alright." The food was delicious, and they talked the hour away. At six-thirty, a coach brought them over to the theatre. "Macbeth!" Rosemary breathed when she saw the signs. She clutched Lee's arm. "This is one of my favorites."

"I told you you'd know." Lee grinned back when Rosemary hit his arm. He helped her out of the carriage and tucked her arm in his. "Do you want the tickets?"

"Yes please." Rosemary grinned and nodded.

When they entered the theater, Rosemary proudly gave their tickets to the ticket man. "Enjoy." He said as he waved them on.

"We will!" Rosemary replied back. She and Lee found their seats in the beautiful room, the perfect spots to see everything. "I can't believe this is really happening!" She said in a whisper.

Lee didn't say anything, just grinned. It made everything worthwhile to see Rosemary so happy. As the curtain opened and the lights dimmed, Rosemary grew quiet. Sometimes she would explain things to Lee, but for most of it she just held his hand and watched, entranced in the story of Lady Macbeth. When final scene was over, she was the first to jump to her feet and clap.

"That was so good!" She breathed as they made their way out. "The actress brought Lady Macbeth to life. I loved the way she portrayed the murder scene, although it's a bit different than I was taught to do it. But still! She did a phenomenal job, don't you think so?"

"It was a wonderful play, Rosie." Lee agreed. What he didn't mention was that he had spent much of the play just watching her, and not really paying attention.

Rosemary talked about the play all the way back to the hotel and as they sat in the comfy chairs. "It was perfect." She finally declared. "What else are we going to do?"

"What do you mean?" Lee relaxed against the chair. "We have a whole weekend yet."

"Well, will we go see more plays? Go for walks?"

"I thought we could relax, and go for some walks. There's a beautiful park near here. As well, we will go see one more play and attend a couple fancy dinners."

"Sounds wonderful."

"So, tomorrow, why don't we go to the park after we eat breakfast. I think you'll love to see the ocean."

"I haven't seen the ocean in so long!" Rosemary was already excited. "It'll be perfect." She looked over at Lee and put her hand on his. "Sweetheart, is there something you want to talk about?"

"Why?"

"Well, you've seemed slightly distant and you're doing a lot of nice things. Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

Lee smiled. "You know me too well. Yes, there is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Do you want to talk about it now?"

"No." He shook his head. "But I'll let you know when I do."

Rosemary nodded. "Alright." A slight smile crossed her face. "I love you. Thank you for doing all this."

"I love you too. I'm so glad we could do this."

The next day, Lee was the first one awake. In order not to disturb Rosemary, he closed the door quietly behind him and slipped into the living room part of the hotel. The skies were blue and it looked like a cool but beautiful day outside. He started some coffee, and then sat down next to the window, watching the people down below.

"Good morning." Rosemary said as she came out of the room. She still looked tired, but refreshed. "Did you make enough coffee for me?"

"Yours is in the pot still." Lee replied.

"Wonderful." She got herself a cup and then came to sit beside him. "It sure is a beautiful view."

"Yeah. I've just been sitting here and enjoying it." Lee agreed with a smile.

Rosemary took a sip of her coffee and drew in a deep breath. She placed her hand on top of Lee's. "Sweetheart, I know you said you wanted to wait, but can you please tell me what's bothering you? It bothers me to see you bothered. If I can, I want to help."

Lee smiled slightly and flipped his hand over to hold hers. "Alright." He said softly. "I'll tell you."

Rosemary just nodded. She didn't want to interrupt him.

Lee took a deep breath and looked at the floor, then back at Rosemary. "I have to tell you something. I should have told you earlier, but I didn't want you to be worried when there was so much going on." He paused and his eyes flicked down to the floor. It was so quiet; Rosemary didn't dare interrupt. "Rosie, I don't think I can keep doing this. Being both mayor and running the sawmill is too much. I've asked Jesse to consider taking over, but his heart isn't in it. He doesn't want to run the whole business. I...I'm not sure what to do, but I know I have to do something. I don't like being so busy and dropping so much of what I'm supposed to be doing both at home and at the sawmill on other people's plates." He took another breath. "What do you think?"

Rosemary stayed silent for a moment while she thought about what to say. "Lee. It's true. You have been very busy. And I had talked to Clara about the possibility of Jesse taking over the sawmill. She told me the same thing you did. But sweetheart, are you sure you need to step back from being mayor? I thought that was something you really wanted to do."

"I love being mayor, but even more I want to leave a legacy behind for our children, which I would hope would include the sawmill."

"Well...who else would be mayor?"

"I was thinking of handing it over to Fiona. I feel like she would do a good job. Either her or Abigail."

Rosemary was speechless again. She didn't know what to think, or why Lee had felt this way. "I suppose you could talk to them." She finally said. "But Lee, I never have felt that you didn't place your family first. You're always doing the most you can for us and I appreciate that so much."

"Thank you, Rosie. You and our kids mean the world to me and I want to make sure that you're completely provided for – even when I am gone."

"Well I hope that won't be for a while." Rosemary declared with a slight smile.

"Still, it doesn't hurt to be prepared." Lee continued. At Rosemary's questioning glance, he shrugged. "It won't be for a while, I know. But I want to enjoy the time I have now."

"That's fair." Rosemary nodded. "Speaking of enjoying things, shall we enjoy our walk?"

A true smile came over Lee's face. "Absolutely. I would love to take a walk with the love of my life."

"Sounds like a plan." Rosemary stood up. She placed her hand on Lee's shoulder. "Thank you for telling me. I hate to see you so sad."

"That's what you're here for, sweetheart, to make me happy. But I'm glad to get it off my shoulders too." Lee stood up and gave her a big hug.

"Onto that walk?" She asked with a chuckle.

"I like it." He replied.

As they walked along the ocean, Rosemary couldn't help but be excited. It was cold, and the ocean breeze only made it could, but it was wonderful. The big waves came roaring and crashing against the sand, blocking out all noise except their own. Rosemary and Lee barely talked, just walked hand-in-hand and enjoyed the view and the sounds. When they got back to the main sidewalk leading up to the hotel, it suddenly got very quiet as the ocean noises faded into the background. "That was amazing." Rosemary said quietly. "The ocean is beautiful."

"And so loud." Lee agreed. It was a special sight to see Rosemary brought to quietness by the grandeur all around them. "I'm glad you could be here to see it."

The rest of the weekend was spent with them just relaxing. They attended another play on Sunday night, Much Ado About Nothing, which Lee said was his favorite. By Monday morning, even though they had enjoyed their time away, they were ready to get back to their kids. The train brought them to Union City at one o'clock in the afternoon, and Jesse was waiting to pick them up. He drove them back to their house, where they unloaded everything, then they drove over to Elizabeth's. "I can't wait to see the kids!" Rosemary exclaimed as they pulled up to the rowhouse. She got out and hurried to the door, throwing it open. Lee was right behind her.

"Mama!" Vivian shouted as soon as she caught sight of Rosemary. She ran right to Rosemary. "Papa!" She exclaimed as she gave Lee a hug. "I've missed you!"

"We've missed you too, Viv!" Rosemary smiled. Allie was holding Aaron, and she brought him over to Rosemary. He started smiling immediately, reaching out his arms for Rosemary. Rosemary gladly picked him up and hugged him tight. "Hey little guy. I've missed you too."

Shortly, she passed him off to Lee. "Where's Elizabeth and your uncle?"

"They're at the infirmary." Allie said. "Mr. Flynn didn't tell you?"

"No." Rosemary slowly shook her head. "What happened?"

"Elizabeth got hurt this morning. I've been babysitting with Mrs. Stanton most of the day. School's cancelled." Allie explained.

Lee and Rosemary turned to look at each other. What had happened?