Long time, no see friends!

I started this before my vacation and then spent the last week struggling with it, but I think I'm finally happy with how it turned out! And it's one of my longest shorts too, so hopefully that'll make up for the long wait!

This chapter we're diving into Quality Time, which our Lucas is pretty dang good at already if you ask me. Horse back rides in the morning, afternoon drives through the countryside, picnics by the lake, and a whole slew of other moments just spent together. He's happiest when he's spending time with Elizabeth and he knows it.

Only a couple of love languages left after this one - gifts and physical touch - and hopefully I won't make you wait quite as long for those. ;)

Enjoy!

When it came to Lucas Bouchard, he may own the Queen of Hearts, but he was the king of grand gestures. This was the man who regularly bought Ned Yost out of candles, planned elaborate picnics, and got tickets to sold out readings of famous authors just...because. Since day one of their courtship, he had always been adamant that no matter how busy things got, they still found time for one another.

So why then was she so distraught over a letter from her sister?

Having been married for a number of years already, with children of her own and a beautiful house in London, Elizabeth hadn't seen her sister since those early days with Jack in Hamilton. Due to the distance and the hazards of traveling across not just an ocean but an entire continent while pregnant with her third child, Viola hadn't been able to attend their wedding, which had taken place a number of weeks earlier. It hadn't been a shock to Elizabeth that her sister couldn't come, but what was a shock was the way she wrote of her own marriage.

Viola had always been so put together. As the eldest of the Thatcher sisters, she was determined, mature, and well-aware of the important role she played in maintaining the social status of their family. Unlike Elizabeth and Julie, Viola rarely talked of marrying for love, but had always seemed happy with Lionel nonetheless.

Or at least, she had until now.

Elizabeth was sitting at her writing desk, rereading the letter for the third time when the door opened. Lucas walked in, quickly shutting the door behind him to keep out the cool fall breeze.

"Good evening, My Love," he greeted as he took off his coat, coming to stand behind her a moment later. His hands rested on her shoulders as he leaned down to press a light kiss to her cheek. She didn't move. "You look concerned. Is everything alright?"

"It's just my sister, Viola," she sighed, her eyes never leaving the paper in front of her as she continued to reread.

"What did she say? Is everything alright with the baby?"

"The baby is fine, but something seems off, Lucas. I know you've never met her, nor have you met Lionel, but I think they're struggling with their marriage," Elizabeth explained.

Lucas pulled a chair around to the other side of the writing desk, sitting so he could face her. "What makes you say that?"

She bit her lip as she glanced through the letter again. "Well, Viola mentions that she's been stuck in bed most of the time during this pregnancy, and that Lionel has been so busy with work that she rarely sees him. The children are, of course, happy to keep her company, but it sounds almost like this is how it's been since their wedding. With him away on work trips all the time…"

"You think she might be feeling lonely," he finished for her when she trailed off. She nodded, and he let out a breath in response. "Has she talked to him about how she's feeling?"

"I don't think so. I'm not sure she's even really ready to admit it to herself."

Lucas reached out across the table to gently peel the letter away from his wife so he could grasp her hand tightly. "Perhaps once the baby is old enough they could come stay here with us for a while?" he suggested, trying to find a helpful solution.

Elizabeth laughed loudly at his suggestion. "I'm fairly certain that coming to Hope Valley is the last thing Viola would ever want to do, but that's a very kind offer and I'll be sure to extend it regardless. I'm just worried that…" she trailed off again, her expression growing somber.

"Worried that what?"

"Nothing," she replied, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Come on, it's about time for dinner."

She made her way into the kitchen without another word, and as Lucas watched her go, he wished for nothing more than to ease whatever worries plagued her.

~ E & L ~

Elizabeth was certain that it must be somewhere around three in the morning, and she had yet to find sleep. Lucas was breathing evenly next to her, turned away at the moment, and she struggled to refrain from tossing and turning. Their evening together with Jack had proved a welcome distraction, but in the darkness of the night, her mind turned back to her anxieties, which were growing with every passing moment.

I know that you were robbed of your time with Jack, and never truly had a chance to experience married life.

Viola was right. She hadn't been granted much time to relish in her first marriage. They'd barely been pronounced husband and wife when Jack went off to the Northern Territories, and when his life ended much too early, they'd spent only days together as a wedded couple.

It meant that there had been no time for routine. No breakfasts together followed by a kiss goodbye. No reading next to one another on the settee after a shared evening meal. No expected kisses when someone walked through the door at the end of a hard day or late night conversations while snuggled in bed. No watching their son grow up side by side. They'd been, as Viola put it, robbed of it all.

And if I could give you any advice as you enter into this new phase of life, it would be to make time for one another. Do not let life get in the way of the relationship you two share, because if it is anything like what you've written to me, it is something to be cherished.

As Viola's words repeated in her mind, suddenly Elizabeth was struck with fear. They were busy. He was running the saloon full time and still had a hand in the oil business on top of that. She spent the majority of the year teaching, often working late into the night as she graded papers and planned lessons. Plus, they had Little Jack to worry about, and since she sat on the town council and he was heavily involved in planning all town events, there were plenty of days where they barely saw one another.

They were already letting life get in the way.

A tear escaped from one of her eyes as Elizabeth moved to lay on her side, facing away from Lucas in the process. He must've sensed her movement, however, because his arms quickly snaked around her waist, pulling her back against him.

"Try to get some sleep, My Love," he whispered roughly, pressing a kiss into her hair as he settled once again.

She didn't respond, and sleep didn't come for several more hours.

~ E & L ~

With the dawn of a new day, Elizabeth tried to push her concerns from her mind. The morning light brought renewed energy to the world, and with it, new perspective.

She'd awoken still wrapped in Lucas' arms. He'd been nuzzled in against her neck, thumbs running over their joined hands, and once he knew she was awake, she could feel him smile against her skin. They'd stayed like that for a while, relishing in the quiet, and while she was exhausted from her lack of sleep, she didn't want to waste a moment she had with her husband.

Perhaps she was overthinking things. After all, she had no reason whatsoever to believe that she and Lucas would let their crazy schedules cause them to drift apart. They'd spent the better part of two years dodging the woes of multiple jobs while raising Jack and dealing with the chaos that often found Hope Valley. They hadn't even been under the same roof yet but found a way to make it work, and this was no different.

Elizabeth found herself humming as she packed her basket for school. Jack was sitting at the table, happily eating his breakfast. Just as he did every morning, Lucas made his way down the stairs and kissed Jack on the top of his head before moving to kiss Elizabeth on the cheek. "Good morning," he said to both of them, and Jack responded through a mouthful of pancake.

"Good morning, Daddy!"

Lucas squinted, "Now Jack, what have we talked about? We don't talk with our mouths full, do we?"

The young boy turned a bit red, realizing his mistake, and swallowed. "Sorry."

Elizabeth laughed at the display, earning herself a sideways glance from her husband. Somehow the man next to her scolding their son about proper eating etiquette was the same man who, when he first arrived in town, got on her bad side for teaching a student a card trick. "Would you like some pancakes too, Mr. Bouchard?" she asked, still stifling a laugh.

Before she knew it, she was in his arms again. He kissed her repeatedly on her cheek, over to her ear, down her jaw, and back to her lips. Elizabeth giggled, only half trying to push him away as she let herself get caught up in the moment.

When they ran out of breath, they paused, still holding tightly to each other. Jack coughed a bit, but continued to eat his pancakes, and Elizabeth turned beet red. Lucas cleared his throat, "Actually, I should be going soon. I forgot that I have an early meeting with an investor for the oil company this morning."

Elizabeth's face fell, an action that he caught immediately, knowing all too well that his trip into town early would mean he wouldn't be able to walk her to school.

"If you're almost ready, I can still drive you if you'd like," he offered as she turned to put the last of her lunch in the basket. He wanted to reach out for her again, but decided against it.

"You don't have to do that. Robert isn't here yet and I could use the fresh air anyway."

Lucas didn't look convinced, and a guilty expression remained on his face. His will broke, and he reached for her, hands running down her arms once she'd turned back toward him. "I really am sorry. I'll make it up to you later, I promise."

A slight smile returned to her face, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I love you," she replied, leaning up to kiss him soundly.

"I love you too, Sweetheart. Have a wonderful day at school." He then gave her one last, quick kiss before turning to kiss Jack on the head once more, "and you have a good day with Robert."

Jack smiled, waving as Lucas headed toward the door. Elizabeth watched him go, certain that this wasn't a sign.

~ E & L ~

She could count on one hand the number of times Lucas had missed picking her up from the schoolhouse since they'd started officially courting. He would always show up just as the children were leaving, like clockwork, which is why it came as a shock when all the students had left for the day and he was still nowhere to be found.

A quiet voice crept into her head, telling her that perhaps her sister was right, but once again, she pushed it out of the forefront of her mind. This was just one day, and with how Lucas had sounded that morning, it was likely that he was wrapped up in negotiations. Still, she decided to stop by the saloon on her way home to check in on him.

The saloon was relatively quiet when she entered, a few patrons scattered throughout the room. It was still early though, and the number currently situated there suggested that it would be a busy night indeed.

"Good afternoon, Gustave," Elizabeth greeted as she almost ran into the chef walking through the back curtain.

"Bonjour, Elizabeth! How are you today?" he asked, his French accent thick as usual.

"I'm doing well, thank you for asking. And you?"

The chef nodded, "I'm well. Here to see Lucas?"

She smiled guiltily, "I'm hoping to surprise him. It sounded like he was going to be busy today, and he didn't show up to walk me home from school."

"He probably lost track of the time. He has been in meetings and on the phone all day, but go on in," Gustave responded, tilting his head in the direction of the office. He stepped aside so Elizabeth could pass, and then headed out into the dining room.

Elizabeth knocked lightly, and when she heard a quick "Come in," she proceeded into the familiar room.

Her husband was, as Gustave had suggested he might be, on the phone. It sounded like he was in some sort of heated debate about pricing for alcohol, so as she waited for him to finish, she set down her basket and unbuttoned her coat, sitting on the settee to wait for him.

"I'm going to have you call you back, alright?" he said with a tone of finality a moment later, quickly hanging up the phone after that. As he set it back on the desk, he let out a frustrated sigh. "You wouldn't believe the prices they're going to start charging for this alcohol now," he lamented, adjusting his vest as he crossed the room to sit next to her.

"Well, at least you'll be able to sell it again now that they've repealed the laws. That alone will make plenty of people happy," she offered.

Lucas laughed nervously, "but at what cost? I'll have to raise prices here, and I can't imagine anyone will be overly happy about that. Bill already gets on my case about how much it costs him to have a beer."

Elizabeth snuck her arm under his, entwining their fingers once she joined their hands, and rested her chin against his shoulder. "And if Bill wanted to find his own beer, he could go ahead and do that."

His laugh was genuine this time, and he turned to kiss her, lips just barely brushing against hers. She was about to deepen it when he forcefully pulled back. "What time is it?"

"Just about four," she responded, still trying to lean back in to continue their kiss.

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry. I lost track of time and…"

She sighed, giving in to the realization that their diliance was already over. "It's alright, Lucas. You obviously have already had a stressful day. I'm more than capable of walking myself home. Or, in this case, to the saloon."

Lucas frowned, "yes, but I promised you earlier that I'd be there, and I wasn't, and that's the second time today."

"You could...make it up to me by walking me home now?" she suggested coyly.

"That sounds nice, Mrs. Bouchard. Shall we?" he asked, pulling her up with him. She giggled as he dragged her toward the door, grabbing his jacket as she reached for the basket. His hand was on the door handle when the phone chimed loudly on his desk. Lucas winced.

Elizabeth glanced at the phone and then back at her husband, crestfallen that their plan had once again fallen through. "You should get that. I should get home to Jack."

There was a pain in Lucas' eyes, the same frustration that Elizabeth felt, but they knew he had to stay and she had to go.

"I'll see you for dinner, alright? I'll bring something from here if you'd like."

"Just bring yourself, ok?" Elizabeth pulled him down for a kiss goodbye and then playfully pushed him toward the desk, hoping that her disappointment wasn't too apparent.

As she left the office, saying goodbye to Gustave on the way, and made her way back bright afternoon, the weight of the day fell on her shoulders all at once. Again, she reminded herself that this wasn't evidence of how their normal routine went. This wasn't a sign that they were going to drift apart in the future.

She wasn't going to let Viola be right.

~ E & L ~

As the clock struck seven, Elizabeth was just lighting the last of the candles. After getting home, she'd paid Robert for the day and then, after Jack was settled, set to work on planning an evening for her and Lucas.

The smell of roast chicken and potatoes permeated the rowhouse, and the soft glow of candlelight provided a romantic atmosphere. She was about to set their favorite record to play, assuming that he would be home any minute, when a knock sounded at the door.

Heading to the front of the rowhouse, she racked her brain as to who could be knocking at such a late hour. Lucas would just walk in, and she found herself praying with each step that it wasn't something that would disrupt their evening. When she opened it, she found Allie and Opal on the other side.

"What are you girls doing out here so late?" she asked, an eyebrow raised at her students.

"We can't find the book we need at the library," Allie answered immediately, and Opal nodded in agreement. "We've looked everywhere."

Elizabeth frowned, for more reasons than one. "The book you need for your group project, I assume?"

The girls looked rather embarrassed. "That's the one," the older student confirmed. "I know we probably should have started sooner, but we've been looking all afternoon and…"

"What seems to be the problem?" Lucas interrupted as he walked up to the house.

Allie and Opal quickly turned their heads in his direction, but it was Elizabeth who responded first. "Allie and Opal were just telling me that they were having a hard time finding the book they need for their group project I assigned last week."

"Ah," Lucas nodded, stepping up to stand next to Elizabeth and the girls. "And what book would that be?"

"A book on Napoleon," Opal piped up.

"It should be in the history section," Allie added, "but the library is...a bit of a mess."

Her student's words were like a punch in the gut to Elizabeth. She couldn't remember the last time she had stopped by the library to get things organized, and the fact that they couldn't find the book was, thus, likely her fault.

"Perhaps I could accompany you to the library to look?" Lucas offered to the girls, glancing at his wife out of the corner of his eye.

Elizabeth laid her hand on his arm, "I'll go help the girls. You stay here with Jack. He's already in bed and there's food for you in the kitchen.

Lucas glanced through the open door behind them, noticing the candles scattered through the room, and then back at Elizabeth, really noticing her elegant dress for the first time since arriving home. "Are you sure you don't want me to go?"

"No, you've had a long enough day as it is. Plus, I haven't spent as much time organizing the library as I should lately."

His eyes searched hers, but he let her get her coat, remaining on the front porch as Allie and Opal shifted awkwardly from foot to foot as they waited. When Elizabeth reappeared a moment later, the girls smiled and hurried down the stairs, starting their walk back toward town.

"I'll be home before you know it," Elizabeth said as she pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.

He smiled weakly, and they looked at one another for a moment longer. "I'll keep some food warm for you," he called after her when she'd finally pulled away and stepped down the stairs herself.

She didn't look back, however, too absorbed in her own thoughts to truly hear his comment.

Maybe Viola is right.

~ E & L ~

Finding the book hadn't been easy.

Allie was correct in her assumption that it should have been shelved in the history section, but somehow the biography of Napoleon had ended up mixed in with the children's books, much to Elizabeth's horror.

Once they'd located it, Allie and Opal had hurried off to work on their project, but their schoolteacher stayed behind. The library was a mess, and the true extent of her neglect was staring her in the face. Throughout the room, stacks of returned books were piled higher than the oil derricks. Upon closer inspection, she found that the Napoleon biography wasn't the only work out of place, and worst of all, it looked like the ledger for those checking out books was full, causing people to scribble over names already there to write current loans on any patch of space they could find.

"Well, at least they're being honest and still writing their names down," Elizabeth said to herself as she ran a hand over her face, already exhausted at the thought of getting the room back in order.

She knew trying to do everything would be a ridiculous task, and at first she had only intended on putting the misplaced books back in their correct categories. The stacks could be dealt with later, and she'd have to have Lucas order them a new ledger. But once she'd fixed the first problem, she felt motivated enough to start on the stacks, finding that the focus required to maintain the library took her mind off of her worries.

But when she turned around to find the last of the stacks gone, she was completely unaware of how much time had passed. It was dark outside now, signaling that Lucas would be more than worried if she wasn't home soon. He probably was already.

Finding a lantern to take with her home, Elizabeth started on her way, but as she walked, the anxiety crept in tenfold, Viola's words once again echoing through her mind.

I know that you were robbed of your time with Jack, and never truly had a chance to experience married life. The responsibilities of marriage leave little time for the elaborate evenings and wistful moments together that you experienced during your courtship, and I fear that you will enter your new marriage with the assumption that your husband will continue to lavish you with these engagements. Still, if I could give you any advice as you enter into this new phase of life, it would be to make time for one another. Do not let life get in the way of the relationship you two share, because if it is anything like what you've written to me, it is something to be cherished. I hesitate to say this, because I do hope that your Lucas proves me wrong, but I would be a terrible sister if I did not warn you.

How were they supposed to make time for one another when they couldn't even walk home or eat dinner together? They hadn't planned a picnic or a date since long before their wedding, too caught up in the planning to find time, and since their short honeymoon, school had started and preparations for the Christmas festival required more of Lucas' attention every day.

And Viola was correct - she had no experience in balancing a marriage on top of her other responsibilities, and suddenly, only weeks into their marriage, Elizabeth felt like a failure. If Viola, who had limited responsibilities other than to attend to her family and social schedule, was struggling to make time for Lionel, how was Elizabeth supposed to find adequate time for Lucas?

Arriving home, she took a moment to herself outside the rowhouse. She was breathing heavily and felt overheated in her coat despite the chill of the night. A glance up at the windows told her that most of the lights were off, unsurprising considering the late hour, but a faint glow still shone through the front window.

With shaky legs, she made her way up the steps and took one last deep breath before turning the handle of the door, pushing it open.

It only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the light in the room, lit by one remaining candle. Lucas was asleep on the settee, jacket, vest, and tie long gone, a book in his lap. She tried to close the door as quietly as possible, but his brown eyes opened before she even heard it click shut.

"You're home," Lucas said, his voice cracking with exhaustion. He stood, running a hand through his hair as he did so. The book, forgotten, fell to the ground with a thud, causing him to jump. "Sorry," he whispered, expecting her to laugh at his reaction.

When she didn't, still looking distracted and somber, Lucas crossed the room and wrapped her in his arms, rocking her back and forth.

"Why are you still down here?" she asked quietly.

"To wait for you, of course. I was going to come looking for you pretty soon."

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, "you were asleep."

Lucas tightened his grip on her. "I would have woken up when the clock chimed on the hour," he returned as though it were obvious. "Did you find the book?"

"We did. Allie was right about it being in the wrong section. Once we found it, I started cleaning and I guess I just lost track of time."

"Seems to be our theme of the day," he joked. When she again didn't laugh as he expected, he pulled away to look down at her, concern evident in his gaze. "Will you come with me?"

"Come where?" she asked doubtfully.

His lips turned up in a smile, "you'll see."

Too tired to argue, Elizabeth let him pull her toward the back of the rowhouse. She grew confused when he picked up his jacket from one of the chairs in the kitchen and led her to the back door. Once outside, he brought them to stand in the middle of their backyard.

"Lucas, what are we doing out here?"

He quieted her with a finger to her lips, "listen."

The night was still. Their neighbors were all long asleep, and as winter neared, the only sounds were the occasional chirp of a remaining cricket or the sound of the breeze passing through the trees.

"Now look up."

Letting the cool air fill her lungs once more, Elizabeth did as he requested, looking to a sky filled with what seemed to be an endless number of stars. They reminded her of her first night in Hope Valley all those years ago, when, as the teacheridge burned in front of her, she became distracted by the view above, so foreign to her in a city like Hamilton that was filled with light on every street corner. They reminded her of the night she'd seen Halley's comet, her and Jack standing on opposite ends of main street, but in agreement of where their relationship would go next. They reminded her of the lanterns that Lucas had sent into the sky just for her, perfection and beauty floating above their town.

She continued to gaze at the heavens when Lucas stepped behind her, his strong arms pulling her tight against him. Instinctively, Elizabeth let herself settle into his warmth, closing her hands over his where they rested on her stomach.

"Moments like this? These are the moments that make me happiest," he said eventually, his voice barely a whisper.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow, but made no attempt to move. "What?"

She felt him rest his head against hers, his breath tickling her ear. "I know that you're worried we don't have enough time for one another, and you think that because we haven't had any elaborate dates recently that we'll drift apart, and if that's something you need, if that's something you want, then that's something we can do."

About to protest, she opened her mouth, but shut it again when he gave her a squeeze, his sign that he needed to continue.

"But Elizabeth, I cherish every moment we get together because I get to spend it with you. Dinner just the two of us with Jack means more to me than any date we've ever had, our walks every afternoon are my favorite part of the day, and as long as I get to spend every night with you in my arms, I'm forever going to be the happiest man on the planet."

It felt like a weight was lifted from her, and she leaned her head back against his shoulder, twisting to look up at him. "How did you…"

Lucas grinned, "I had a feeling after I came home to find you in this dress, our house covered in candles, and a roast chicken in the open, but you also left Viola's letter sitting open on the coffee table."

Elizabeth smirked at her husband, giving him a nudge in the ribs, "you read my letter?"

"I inadvertently glanced at your letter while I was placing it back on your desk, nothing more" he countered innocently. "I would like you to know, however, that I wholeheartedly intend on proving your sister wrong."

"I have no doubt that you will." Reaching a hand up to the back of his head, she pulled him down and into a kiss, finally certain that no matter what life threw at them, they had plenty of time to figure it out together.