Don't want to close my eyes

I don't want to fall asleep

'Cause I'd miss you, babe

And I don't want to miss a thing

-Aerosmith, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"

It turned out that Bill Avery was not as oblivious to what he'd interrupted in the livery as Nathan had thought-or hoped. Bill usually didn't hide his feelings, so sometimes it was easy for Nathan to forget how shrewd and observant the man was. He had been a forensic investigator for the Mounties for years after all. Nathan had caught the often-surly judge eyeing him not-so-subtly from the corner of his eye since they'd mounted their horses that he knew he'd never survive the whole trip to Buxton if Bill was going to keep throwing him somewhat surreptitious looks.

They had only been out of Hope Valley for about three minutes when Nathan broke. It was a good thing he wasn't a keen gambler because he was sure to lose every last coin to his name due to his lack of a poker face or patience.

"All right, Bill, just say whatever it is you're dying to say," Nathan said, resigned to his fate of the 'If you hurt her I'll kill you' speech. It was just a testament to the wonderful person Elizabeth was and how much her self-made family loved her, so Nathan wouldn't take offense to the warning. Thankfully, there was enough room between the two of them and the wagon, extra guard and noise from the horse team that they wouldn't be overheard.

"I don't know what you mean," his companion said, faux innocence coloring his tone and expression. Nathan gave him a look that clearly said You really think I'm that stupid? Bill gave up the pretense immediately. "Oh, all right," he grumbled, apparently perturbed Nathan had seen through him so quickly. "How long has this been going on? Everyone knows you've had feelings for her for months, but last time Elizabeth and I talked about it, she'd still not made up her mind."

"Mmm, about twelve hours, give or take," Nathan said as nonchalantly as he could, hoping to shock Bill and completely glossing over the idea of how foolish he must look in the eyes of the Hope Valley residents if his feelings had been so widely acknowledged. He really didn't have a poker face! He was rewarded because Bill's eyes actually widened and his mouth dropped open. Nathan laughed softly at the comical sight of a speechless Judge Avery.

"I-that's very sudden," was all Bill managed.

Nathan chuckled again. "Maybe," Nathan said, shrugging. "I'd like to say I finally found my courage and it was me asking her to dinner, but it was Elizabeth who asked."

"That sounds like Elizabeth."

Nathan inclined his head in agreement. "I was very surprised, actually. I'd tried to ask her yesterday morning, and the day before that, but I couldn't get the words out. Then yesterday afternoon she came to talk to me at the jail. She invited me over for dinner and I accepted."

"Well, it's about time is all I'll say," Bill said in his usual gruff-ish, no-nonsense manner, but there was an undertone of affection and amusement as well.

Nathan appreciated the fact Bill didn't feel the need to threaten him. He was sure Bill knew his character well enough by now to know that he would take the greatest care of Elizabeth and his godson.

They were just rounding a bend in the road when a young woman Nathan vaguely remembered seeing around town the last few days suddenly stepped out of the brush. The sight of the rifle in her hands, which was aimed in his and Bill's direction, pushed all other thoughts from Nathan's mind. He wasn't sure what made him dismount from Newton, and a part of him screamed at him it was a bad idea to try and talk the young woman-Jenny O'Rourke-from her actions, but he needed to try to keep her from ruining her life further.

Nathan knew he'd been getting through to Jenny, he could see it in her eyes, her expression, the way she'd lowered the rifle when everything abruptly went wrong. Bill's shout of "No, don't!" and the vibration as the gun discharged radiated through his entire body from where he'd grabbed the barrel, his ears ringing from the sound of the gunshot. In that moment, a series of images flashed through his mind in rapid succession. They all consisted of Allie, Elizabeth, and Little Jack.

Allie's eyes lighting up when she would feel the tug on her fishing line; Elizabeth smiling at him in wonder as he'd given her the plaque with Emerson's quote; Little Jack's joy when Nathan promised they could visit Newton. Nathan also saw images that hadn't happened yet. Allie was all grown up, holding her arm out for him to take as she stood beautifully in a white dress, a bouquet of flowers in her other hand; Elizabeth with tears in her eyes, hands on her stomach, and a smile of pure happiness on her face; Little Jack, hands indignantly on his hips and a scowl on his seven- or eight-year-old face, staunchly telling people he was just 'Jack' because he was no longer 'Little'!

Nathan closed his eyes even though he didn't want to, knowing deep in his soul he was more than likely going to miss of all these real and wonderfully imagined moments. So much time he had wasted, and now on the cusp of having everything he wanted, it was all gone.

Elizabeth took a deep breath of the chilly late-October air. She was on her way to the mercantile after having given Little Jack over to Laura to take back home. Allie had run off when she'd spotted Robert and Harper by the pond. She had thought about stopping by the saloon to speak with Lucas, but had decided against it. There really wasn't a whole lot of time before she would need to head to the schoolhouse, and she didn't want to just drop by, say, "So Nathan and I are courting, and we can't be together. Have a good day!" and leave. It would be so much more than rude and definitely not what Lucas deserved.

The mercantile was her destination, so Elizabeth set off with purpose. She was hoping Ned had gotten a supply of colored papers in. It was a bit early, but soon the children would be asking to start on making their new Christmas ornaments and decorations for this year. She was too soft-hearted to deny them, but made sure it was only done as a reward for exceptionally good days, so she wanted to be prepared. She stopped by the counter first, meaning to ask if she had any letters. She was expecting a letter back from Charlotte any day after having sent some pictures to Little Jack's grandmother a few weeks back. It was important to Elizabeth to make Charlotte a part of her grandson's life as much as possible.

Fiona rushing in and asking Ned for extra medical supplies because someone had been shot had shocked Elizabeth to her core. Someone shouting they thought it was Nathan froze her in place, blood turning to ice in her veins. And then she rushed from the building, running toward the crowd surrounding the prisoner transfer wagon that she'd seen barely fifteen minutes ago. Her heart plummeted to the bottom of her stomach when she didn't see Nathan with Bill. The only logical conclusion was that it was indeed Nathan who'd been shot.

"He's gone," Carson said after climbing down from the wagon, his voice soft as he delivered the sad news.

He's gone.

Two words. It was just two words. That was all it took to shatter Elizabeth's world. Again. The devastation that hit her was immediate and acute. Her ears rang with a buzzing sound, it was so loud she couldn't hear anything else around her. Her vision started to blacken around the edges, her eyes stinging in the effort of trying to hold back tears. This can't be happening! her mind screamed. Not again! Please, God, not again!

Elizabeth suddenly couldn't bear to stand only a few feet away from her now-lost future any longer and she turned around, intending to leave; to go anywhere that wasn't there!

And there he was, slowly walking toward her, the reins to Newton held loosely in his hand, a shell-shocked expression on his face. It took a moment for Elizabeth to realize that what she was seeing was in fact Nathan and not a figment of her overwrought imagination.

Oh, oh thank God! She thought, relieved but unable to move a muscle yet. And then she ran, straight toward him, not caring at all at how many people were watching. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, hugging him, leaving no space between them. She needed to feel as much of him as she could just to make sure he was real. Nathan returned her embrace, resting his chin on the crown of her head. She rested her cheek against the soft fuzziness of his red serge jacket and could hear his heart beating beneath her ear. It was a little fast, but it was there, loud and clear. In that moment, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

Bill felt torn. He was vacillating between anger at Jenny O'Rourke and Constable Novak. He was sad and upset, of course, that the Mountie had died, but he should've seen that Nathan had the situation under control. Jenny had been only moments away from ignoring her brother's encouragement to break him out and surrendering the rifle to Nathan. And now the Mountie was dead. Bill knew Novak was young and inexperienced, but still, they trained how to best handle these types of situations. He also knew it was unfair to be upset with Novak, and there was nothing to be done about it except to make sure he was properly taken care of until the Mounties could arrange to send him to his family.

Jenny O'Rourke was misguided in her attempt to 'rescue' her brother. She should've let the defense lawyer handle it in Buxton, but she obviously wasn't willing to take the chance that Elias would not be acquitted of his crimes, which he wouldn't have. His crimes were too numerous and there was too much evidence stacked against him. And now his sister would be charged with murder. Both of their lives were permanently, irrevocably ruined. Jenny would be lucky if her sentence was not life in prison.

He spoke quickly with Carson, asking if it would be all right to take Constable Novak into the infirmary for the time being. Carson agreed without hesitation and they asked a few of the men to help move the body. Thankfully, none of them balked at the request, clearly aware that the Mountie deserved respect, even in death.

Bill saw that Elizabeth and Nathan were still embracing each other in the middle of the street. He also saw Lucas staring in their direction, a pained expression on his face. It was apparent that he was not yet aware of the new status of their relationship. Despite feeling a little bad for the man, Bill felt his next priority was taking care of Nathan and Elizabeth. He wanted to get them out of view of the bystanders that had begun to stare at the overt display of affection. Just like him until a little while ago, the rest of the town was aware that Nathan and Lucas were both vying for Elizabeth, but neither had won her heart yet.

Feeling they needed a little privacy, Bill approached them, wanting to usher them into the parlor of the cafe. Nathan opened his eyes as Bill came to a stop in front of them. Speaking softly, Bill said, "Would the two of you like to join me in the parlor?" He gestured in the direction of the cafe.

Elizabeth, who had turned her head to look at him at the sound of his voice, blushed as her eyes widened, becoming cognizant that they were being either openly gawked at or having numerous discreetly curious glances thrown in their direction. She took a small step away from Nathan and smoothed invisible wrinkles from her coat, looking at the ground the whole time. "Yes, I think that's a good idea," she said quietly. Nathan nodded his agreement and the three of them walked to the cafe.