This is my first attempt into writing a fan fiction story. This is a Nathan and Elizabeth story and I hope you like it. I do not have any rights to the characters in this story. Since I have read a lot of Fan Fiction with Nathan and Elizabeth pairings many times over, I apologize if I have inadvertently copied someone's work, or character other than the obvious ones. If you send me a private message, I will gladly respond to work out something including giving credit where it is due. I sincerely have no desire to steal another's work. I have been working on this story since a month after the finale as a form of therapy. I stopped for a bit because it seemed as fast as I could start a new chapter someone came up with a similar one. But this story and a few others I have running through my mind won't stop and so I will work to complete it. Constructive thoughts are always welcome and appreciated but please be kind and fair.

CHAPTER 1 – OLD MEMORIES

Abigail Stanton sat at a table in her café after closing for the day. As the mayor of Hope Valley, she had to think about the future of the school and the students. Rosemary, Lee, Bill, Carson, Florence and Molly had met about it earlier and had just left. Currently Rosemary was teaching the kids after it became too much for Florence. It was unknown when Elizabeth could return to teaching if at all. So far, Rosemary was able to handle lessons with Elizabeth helping with occasional lesson planning. But Rosemary was very concerned because Elizabeth was very detached from everything. She spoke in a monotone way and though she accepted invitations for meals from Lee and Rosemary she never really ate. he children which is what led her to think about Elizabeth and Jack. But as a "mother" she was heartbroken for Elizabeth and in fact the entire town. She was thinking about Elizabeth which led her to think of Jack. There wasn't anyone not affected by the death of their beloved constable. This led her to think of the history of the town and her own losses. Originally the town was named Coal Valley before being renamed Hope Valley by former mayor Silas Ramsey. It had seen forty-seven men lost their lives in one day in a terrible mine explosion. Abigail herself lost both her husband and only son that day. Sadly, all but two of them had wives and children. For three months the widows struggled to get through each day and all, but Abigail had children to watch over. Having children though, she was sure, made their struggles more complicated because they had sad children to comfort and care for. Further complicating that was the prolonged recovery efforts over the 3-month period. The ones deeper in were the last to be found and buried. At least in that Elizabeth had been spared that heartbreak and uncertainty. She had been so glad that when Noah and Peter's bodies were recovered Elizabeth had been there with her. Elizabeth was also the one who not only gave her the idea but gave Abigail the encouragement she needed to give up her rowhouse and take a risk on opening the café.

As she reflected more on those dark days she realized exactly when things began to turn around for the widows and all the children. It began shortly after the arrival of two wonderful and very special people who transformed an entire town by restoring light, laughter and hope back to its people. The first was Elizabeth Thatcher a young, beautiful, loving schoolteacher from Hamilton from a priveleged background. Then 3 days later the town was surprised by the arrival of Jack Thornton a young, handsome, yet ambitious Mountie, Jack had vision of adventure, excitement and danger in his service as a Mountie and to help in the fight to correct injustice. Abigail smiled as she remembered the progression of their relationship. She had been blessed to have a front row seat to the whole thing since Elizabeth lived with her. Abigail chuckled as she recalled how she had managed on her first night to burn down the teacherage leaving only the outhouse remaining.

'I wonder what Jack would have said if he had been there when it happened given his first impression of Elizabeth. Though he probably found out shortly after his arrival because the whole town had laughed about it for weeks afterwards. It didn't help that people were reminded of it every time they passed by the field' she chuckled. It's hard to miss an outhouse standing by itself in the middle of a field.' Unlike when the church burned down there was only scorched grass and a couple small pieces of wood to indicate a building ever stood there.

Poor Elizabeth had felt so bad and looked so pitiful standing on Abigail's doorstep. It was bad enough that a lot of her belongings were stolen when the stage was robbed on her way here but then what hadn't been stolen burned up in the fire. Abigail mused with a rueful smile.

"I think if it would have been someone else, they probably would have started walking right then back to Hamilton. But not Elizabeth, her girl was made of much stronger stuff and stuck it out eventually being able to laugh about it along with the others as she found her footing.'

Suddenly Abigail laughed thinking how ironic that the location where Jack and Elizabeth had coached opposite teams in the baseball game two years before was where the teacherage once stood.

'I wonder if anyone else would have realized it since it just now occurred to me. But then the town has changed a lot over the last 4 years since the mine shut down. Not to mention I don't think there are very many of the original Coal Valley residents left.'

Elizabeth had quickly become like a daughter to her, and it wasn't long before Jack became like a son. She chuckled again and thought 'oh, how they disliked each other once he realized how he came to be stationed in Coal Valley.'

Both went from "disliking" each other to quickly forming a friendship which eventually led to a beautiful lasting love. They had sparred with each other from that very first dinner at Abigail's house she recalled. At first, she didn't realize the tension, due to still being caught up at times in her grief, but it wasn't very long before she did. Then she coldn't help but notice the sparks that flew when they were around each other. Her and the other widows enjoyed watching from afar and often had a laugh or two because Jack and Elizabeth seemed to be the only ones unaware of it. Even the children saw they had feelings for each other. After the hidden picture that Jack had painted on the Founder's Day backdrop was seen by Gabe Montgomery and a couple other students, they began to tease their beloved teacher bringing a blush to her cheeks. Abigailand some of the widows teased Jack too. One memory came to her mind. He had been warning the widows about a thief. They all knew he thought it was a certain single miner that was interested in the schoolteacher.

When he asked her "why does everyone keep asking if I'm not just jealous of Billy Hamilton Abigail? I'm just concerned for a citizen and trying to protect her." She flat out told him " Maybe it's because you're giving them a reason to Jack."

She knew that despite his protests that he cared for the young woman very much. Elizabeth had told her about his confirmed bachelor stance based on the Mountie principles and that he wasn't interested in her. However, Abigail knew that despite Jack's protests he cared for Elizabeth very deeply and was in fact eaten up with jealousy. Abigail often wondered what would have happened if Billy Hamilton hadn't come to Coal Valley and moved Jack to jealousy. Though she disliked the man and his treatment of Elizabeth she was glad he came to town. It allowed her to point out to Jack that Elizabeth wouldn't always be available and there would come a time when it would be too late to speak up. It could even happen while he was still the town Mountie. Since he already had the experience of having to stand by and watch with Billy, he knew he wasn't willing to risk it happening again. Once he thought about what Abigail told him he realized his true feelings and what he stood to lose out on. Billy's arrival allowed Elizabeth to see how much Jack really cared about her and that he only wanted her wellbeing even if it made her angry when he was proven right about Billy. Of course, things weren't smooth sailing from then on but even after going through some rough patches including Rosemary coming to town to win Jack back, Charles coming and proposing to Elizabeth to Jack going to the Northern Territories their love endured throughout.

Abigail was brought out of her reverie when she heard the door close to the private entrance of the café. As she looked up and saw Bill, she rose from the table make them each a sandwich and a cup of tea. It had become a nightly occurrence since Jack passed and she had encouraged it. Both struggled in their shared grief for a man they considered a son and the deep concern for the shattered young woman they thought of as a daughter. As the mayor and sheriff, they both felt the weight of responsibility for a town full of people grieving over the loss of their beloved Mountie and heartbroken for the unfairness and deep pain it caused their beloved schoolteacher. A town that only a few months before happily celebrated the long awaited wedding between them.

"Abigail are you alright?" Bill asked as she put the tea and sandwiches on a tray and returned to the table and sat down."You looked deep in thought when I came in. Is there something on your mind you want to talk about?"

"Oh, I was just reminiscing about old memories of Jack and Elizabeth." she sadly replied. "I'm guessing that everything is locked up as it should be this time of night?"

"That it is thankfully and hopefully it stays that way." Bill replied. "Any ideas on how to help Elizabeth?"