I failed.

I should have tried harder.

I… I failed.

Those words bounce around Nathan's head as he brings Newton into town, walking slowly as if time is sludge. His body is numb. He can only see what was in front of him, which is the wagon with a young man inside. He can't feel the icy wind on his face. He can't feel the slight jostle that comes when he accidently stumbles into Newton on the long walk back to town.

He can't feel anything.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he is worried about Allie, about how he could've been the one to have been shot which would have left her alone.

He doesn't think about that now, though as he hears the wind carry the words that stab him through the chest, "He's gone."

Still in agonizing slowness, he steps closer.

A wall of purple hits him square in the chest. The force enough to knock him backwards.

Elizabeth. Her name is like a breath of life in his dead lungs.

His entire body jolts to life as he wraps his arms around her, the numbness fading like color coming back to a previously gray picture. He can feel now. He can feel how her arms wrap all the way around him, pulling him into her arms, hands repeatedly touching his back, as if reminding them both that he is here; he's alive.

He rests his chin on her head as she buries her face into his neck.

A sob escaped her as she pulls him closer if that were possible. "Yes," she sobs.

The word makes some of the fuzziness clear from his head. He pulls away, just enough to see her eyes spilling over with tears. Nathan lifts his hand, wiping the tears away from her face with his thumb. His face must show his confusion, but he has no idea what she is talking about.

She chuckles awkwardly and wipes her face with one hand. "Yes, I'll go to dinner with you." Elizabeth whispers. "I realize I never gave you an answer."

Nathan sighs deeply as he hugs her to him again.

"Uncle Nathan!" a voice yells from the other side of the wagon, the words breaking. The voice yells again, more panic rising with each passing moment. "Uncle Nathan!"

Allie.

He tears from Elizabeth, but she finds his hand and moves with him. "Allie!"

The girl emerges from the side of the wagon, her body shaking as tears fall freely from her face. She runs towards him, flinging herself into his arms.

Another jolt of life shoots through him. "It's ok," he says when he finds his voice, "It's ok. I'm… I'm safe."

He chances a look at Elizabeth, who has let go of his hand and has a look he can't place.

"I- I should probably get her home." He sets Allie down, gently, before putting his arm around her. "Um, how's tomorrow for dinner?"

Elizabeth takes a deep breath as she shakes her head. "Can't. I'm meeting with a few students and some parents. Thursday?"

Now it's Nathan's turn to shake his head. "Paperwork. It will take me all day, maybe into the night. Friday?"

"More meetings all day for school." Elizabeth sighs, a shaky laugh escaping her.

"Saturday?" Nathan asks hopefully, "We can make the day of it?"

Elizabeth's entire face lights up with a smile as she nods.

Allie squeezes his middle, reminding him there are other people around. Nathan glances around. The crowd that had gathered to see who was in the wagon has now taken an interest in the two adults. The two of them have spent the past two years flirting and bantering back and forth, but now is one of the only moments where Nathan can feel the realness of their forming relationship.

"I'll see you Saturday, then." His voice is soft now, almost a whisper.

"Saturday." Elizabeth agrees, in the same hushed tone.

"How," Nathan starts as he paces up and down his office, "am I supposed to plan an entire day with just the two of us?" He looks at Bill and Lee. The two men responded to his urgent call earlier the next morning. "It took me a whole day to ask her to dinner at the café and then I almost died!"

Stress radiates off his body in waves. He now has two days to plan a whole amazing day with Elizabeth. The thought alone makes butterflies flutter in his stomach as he continues to pace up and down his small office.

Lee chuckles as he looks at him, obviously amused. "Well, the café was a mistake anyway."

Nathan freezes now totally confused. "What do you mean?"

"That's where Jack took her," Bill answers. The man dusts off a section of Nathan's desk before leaning on it. "Jack and Abigail got the students to help serve and they had a few candles. Just the two of them. Very romantic."

Lee and Nathan meet Bill with a look.

"Or so I heard." Bill says, clearing his throat. "Anyway…"

"Yes, anyway…" Lee starts before trailing off.

Nathan sags his head.

They're doomed.

"I'm going to see if Fiona can make a phone call for me," Bill states as he makes for the door.

What does a phone call have to do with my date? Nathan wonders.

Nathan almost asks Bill what phone call he must make, but he is already out the door. A long, heavy sigh escapes Nathan as he slumps in his chair.

Lee shuffles awkwardly. "We could ask Allie? Maybe Rosie can help?"

As if summoned, Allie bursts through the door with Opal, Emily, and Robert behind her. Allie grins as she plops down in a chair, breathless.

"Hey, Uncle Nathan," she pants. "I heard you need some help."

Lee and Nathan share another look.

Nathan runs a hand down his face. Bill said that Jack got the lady named Abigail, who Nathan never had the pleasure of meeting, and the children to help him with his first date. That may not have been a bad idea.

"Yes," he sighs, "ok, yes, I need some help. My…" he hesitates, "My date with Mrs. Thornton is on Saturday. We're making the day of it and I'm lost. What do you suggest?"

Surprisingly, the kids were a great help. They even pulled Rosemary in the group. Of course, she swatted Lee's arm when she learned that neither Elizabeth nor Lee had bothered to tell her about this date and was simply appalled.

Then she started helping.

During the rest of the week, Rosemary oversaw making sure Elizabeth wore the right outfit and since Nathan had no idea what on Earth that meant, he decided Rosemary was perfect for the job. She also made sure that Allie knew what Nathan should wear.

Something about matching?

Allie snaps her finger in front of his face. "Earth to Uncle Nathan."

He takes a deep breath, raking a hand through his hair.

"Hey!" Allie swats his hand. "I just fixed that!"

Nathan apologizes as he takes in his appearance one more time in the mirror.

Rosemary and Allie had dressed him in a blue shirt with the top buttons undone, his white undershirt peaking out. He still thinks that he should button those, but when he tries Allie hits his hands again. His eyes worked their way down to the simple pants and boots that according to Rosemary "ties the whole outfit together".

Whatever that means.

He stands up, about to leave, when the phone starts ringing.

Nathan's entire body freezes. What if Elizabeth was calling to cancel? What if all the planning was for nothing and they went right back to square one.

A million different scenarios fly through his mind as he moves quickly down the stairs, reaching for the phone in the kitchen and answers in a cracking voice, "This is Nathan Grant."

"Constable?" a woman asks. It was Fiona. "I have a call for you."

Nathan's heart is now pounding. "Is it Elizabeth?" He doesn't bother with formalities, he knows his voice is shaking.

Fiona answers in confusion. "What? No, it's not Mrs. Thornton."

Now he is the one to be confused. "Um..."

Who else would be calling?

"Shall I put it through?" Fiona asks him, her voice surprisingly patient.

Nathan clears his throat. "Yes, please, put it through."

"Connecting you now."

Nathan waits, looking over at Allie who appears beside him, just as confused as he is. She mouths, "Who is it?"

Nathan shrugs.

The line goes silent for a beat until a new woman's voice comes through. "Hello? Is this Constable Grant?"

Nathan replies immediately, his mind, body, and voice going into the professionalism that he senses he may need.

"Speaking. How may I help you ma'am?"

The woman's voice was smooth and melodic as she chuckled. "No need to be formal with me, young man. I received a wire that my services may be required."

Nathan is beyond confused now.

"My name is Abigail Stanton," the woman- Abigail- tells him. "I understand today is a big day for you, Constable?"

Nathan pulls out the chair beside the table he is standing at and sinks into it. "Yes ma'am, it is."

Abigail's smile can be heard through the phone. "Bill Avery called me on Wednesday. He said that he was lost as to any kind of advice and thought it best if I gave it a shot."

So that was who he had to call, Nathan realizes.

"Ma'am-" he tries.

"Abigail," she reminds him.

Nathan wavers. "Abigail… I care for Mrs. Thornton- Elizabeth- a great deal. I don't want to mess this up."

The next words the woman speaks shake him. "In many ways, you are just like Jack." There is a pause. "But in many ways, you are very different from him. Jack was very macho, very sure of himself. He put his work first and at the beginning of their relationship and marriage there were many rocky waters."

Nathan frowns into the phone. He knows people in town compared him to Jack. He was a great man, although Nathan never met him personally. Even when he first came to town, he could tell that the people of Hope Valley had a certain prejudice against him because of who he was replacing.

"However," Abigail continues. "Bill tells me you are a very brave man, yourself. He told me that you have a niece, which you care for very much. You are kind and considerate, but still firm in your morals and faith and you challenge Elizabeth. I think you are exactly what Elizabeth needs. She can be stubborn," Abigail's chuckle fills his ear. "But from what I've heard, I have no doubt that as long as you stay the way you are and challenge her to be her better self, I know that you two will be very happy together."

"Thank you." Nathan's entire body relaxes. "I am sorry I never got to meet you in person. Elizabeth and the whole town speak very highly of you."

He can hear the smile in her voice as she says, "Just be sure to send me a wedding invite."

"Yes ma'am," he chuckles. "Thank you again."

"Anytime, Constable."

With that, he hangs up.

Allie chooses that moment to give him a big hug from behind. "I'll see you tonight," she says, pulling away. "Don't mess this up. I really like Mrs. Thornton. I'll have everything ready for when you get back."

Nathan laughs, "Yeah, I know."

Allie pushes him toward the door. Not even a goodbye and he is off to Elizabeth's house, his heart beating at the same speed as Newton's hooves when he's in a gallop.

To say that he is nervous is an understatement.

He is terrified.

His palms are sweaty. His knees feel like jelly as he stops in front of Elizabeth's house. He almost hyperventilates before he shakes himself.

"It's fine," he tells himself. "You've already done the hard part, which was asking her." He starts pacing. "Now you just have to… not screw it up."

He hears the door open and spins around. He is about to scold himself for not knocking on the door, but his breath completely leaves his body.

Elizabeth stands before him on her porch. Rosemary dressed her in the same shade of blue as his shirt, but hers highlights the way her eyes light up when she sees him, drinking him in the same way he is her. Her hair, usually pinned to one side in today's fashion (according to Rosemary) now has soft curls hanging down her face as some hair is pinned behind her ears. He is sure Rosemary made it so that the wind wouldn't blow her hair into her face, but all he really wants to do was run his fingers through it.

"Wow," he breathes.

Slowly, he makes his way to the stairs, stopping on the bottom step where they were eye level.

"Lizabeth," he says softly, the nickname he gave her slipping out easily, "you look beautiful."

A light blush appears on her cheeks as she pulls the door closed. "You look mighty handsome yourself."

Nathan feels the tell-tale sign of a blush of his own creeping up his neck and he rubs it away with his hand. "Rosemary and Allie picked it out for me," he admits.

Elizabeth laughs, her amusement evident on her face. "She does have good taste. Is that why she insisted that she buy me a new outfit after looking at my closet?"

Nathan shrugs, pretending to be oblivious.

He takes a step down before offering his hand to her. "Have you eaten anything this morning?"

"Not really," she says, shaking her head as she walks down the stairs. They fall in step with one another easily. "Only a cup of coffee and some toast. I was up early writing this morning."

Nathan nods in understanding. "How about I fix you some breakfast?"

Allie has suggested he do something romantic. He didn't want to do anything that Bouchard or Jack had done.

Elizabeth stops, her mouth dropping open. "Oh! You don't have to do that!"

The crisp air is sharp in his lungs as takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Lizabeth-"

"Nathan-" She doesn't scold him, but her lips are pressed together in a way that she does when she is going to be stubborn.

"I want to," he whispers. He glances down at the ground, watching in amazement when her hand slips into his. "Nothing fancy. I was thinking pancakes?"

That seems to surprise her. Elizabeth's mouth drops open. "I haven't had pancakes in years."

Nathan steps back, his free hand going to his chest dramatically, as if she had stabbed him. "Well, that settles it then, we are having pancakes!"

A laugh floats between them. By the time they reach the house, she is slightly shivering. It would appear that in Rosemary's eyes it is more important to look fashionable than to be warm. Nathan directs her to sit in front of the fireplace as he puts another log on the fire and drapes a blanket across her shoulders.

"I can't have you catching a chill on our first date, now, can I?" Nathan teases.

Elizabeth rolls her eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. "It's so cold out there. I think we might get some snow."

Nathan hums in agreement as he goes into the kitchen.

Why did I say I could make pancakes? He scolds himself silently, although in his mind he is screaming. Last time I made these Allie was eight and she threw them at my head!

Nathan clears his throat. "One batch of pancakes coming up!"

He rushes to the kitchen, gathering his supplies. In reality, he hadn't planned on coming back home so soon. He was thinking of taking a walk, but it was freezing outside, so that wasn't going to work. The weather had turned bitter cold in the last few days.

Nathan goes through the recipe he was thankful he saved all these years, checking that he got everything he needed. He should have asked Clara for a crash-course in all things pancake, but it's too late.

Nathan looks at the recipe.

Two eggs it reads.

Nathan looks around. Eggs, eggs…. Where are the eggs? He dashes to the cupboard. He manages to get the eggs out of the pantry when he hears Elizabeth clear her throat.

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" she asks, barely containing her laughter. It obviously entertains her to watch him rush around the kitchen.

Nathan stands, swiping a hand through his hair. "Absolutely…"

Elizabeth looks at him, her head now tilted in the way she does when she knows one of her students Is lying.

"Absolutely…. not," he admits, a nervous laugh creeping up his throat.

Elizabeth steps fully into the small space, taking the eggs from him, and begins to look for the recipe. She begins cracking the eggs and mixing them so quickly that Nathan stares at her for a few moments before he takes the whisk out of her hand.

She turns to him, their bodies inches apart as she takes the whisk back. "I want to help," she tells him.

For a few moments, the two adults simply stare at each other. This is probably one of the only times they have ever been alone, just the two of them. He went to take a step closer…. Until his body hits the bowl that holds the flour mixture and turns it over on the floor, spilling some on the two of them.

Nathan looks down at the floor then back to Elizabeth, expecting her to be mad at him for trying to take over and ruining her dress. He braces himself for her lashing tongue until laughter fills the room once again.

"Oh, what a mess!" she laughs. Her eyes are wide as she catches sight of his face. "You missed a spot!"

Flour hits him in the mouth. He blows out a cloud of white.

"Did you… Did you just throw flour at me?" Nathan asks once he gets over the initial shock.

Elizabeth laughs again before throwing another handful at him, hitting his square in the chest.

"Oh, so we're playing like that, huh?" Nathan laughs as he returns the favor.

Handfuls of flour are exchanged between them as they each try to cover themselves with random cookware. Nathan has a bowl on his head to protect his eyes before he realizes that they no longer have any flour. Squeals of laughter fill the house.

Finally, after realizing they are out of ammunition, the two stop and try to catch their breath. The kitchen is full of air-borne flour and has made a total mess.

Elizabeth is covered in flour and some of the pancake mixture. Her once blue dress is now covered in white powder. Her hair now hangs in string in front of her face as some escaped the pinned hairstyle. For all that Rosemary did to keep it up, nothing could survive a flour attack.

Nathan does a quick once-over of himself. He too is covered in white powder. He knows that he will have to wash it soon, but right now all he cares about is the sound of Elizabeth's laugh filling the house.

"Here," she chuckles, "you got a bit on your face"

Carefully, she steps closer to him and removes the bowl. Her hand gently swipes away at the flour on his cheeks.

For just a moment, he thinks of kissing her. He is almost sure that she is thinking the same thing. The two of them lean in towards each other, mere centimeters apart when a loud knock thuds on the door, jarring them both.

Elizabeth sighs heavily, her irritation matching his.

They look at each other once more. A ghost of a smile tugs at her lips.

"I should probably get that." Nathan whispers, even though the moment is ruined.

He takes a step back as the sound of the door being pounded on echoes through the small house. Nathan shakes himself, dusting off his clothes a bit more as he tears the door open.

Opal and Emily stand before him, each of them holding up a hand, looking at him dumbfounded.

"Uh… Hi Constable Grant." Emily says brightly, ignoring the flour all over his clothes. "We came to see if Allie was here."

Nathan clears his throat. "No, she isn't. Sorry. Uh, check the library or Mrs. Coulter's house."

"Ok!" the two girls exclaim as they skip away, down the road.

Nathan sighs as he closes the door. He leans against the door jam. This day is not going the way he wants it to at all. Pancakes. He should be able to manage pancakes.

Elizabeth's giggle gets his attention. He turns to look at her. She managed to get most of the flour off her face and clothes. Now only white streaks light up her hair and for a moment Nathan is sure he can see into the future with the flour being gray hair and Elizabeth's smile being just as young and vibrant as it is now.

"How about," Elizabeth suggests, bringing him back to present day, "I check to see if we have any more flour and we both make the pancakes?"

Nathan straightens. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

The rest of the morning passes in less excitement. Aside from him almost catching the house on fire when he forgot to flip one of the pancakes, the two of them enjoy the fluffy treat in contentment.

They discuss their workweeks, how the paperwork is coming along, how the children are doing in school with the excitement of Winter Break coming up. Elizabeth tells Nathan that Jack plays with the toys he made him almost every day. The simple statement fills him with pride and an outrageous amount of joy.

Nathan tells Elizabeth about the now successful prison transfer of the brother and sister. Technically he shouldn't discuss it with anyone, but after Tuesday's events he wanted to keep her up to speed.

They talk for so long that when Nathan sees it getting darker in his living room, he stands so quickly he almost falls over.

"Woah!" Elizabeth exclaims as he rights himself. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Nathan gathers the dishes from in front of her. "Nothing," he says before he remembers that she doesn't know they are almost late. "I have something else planned for tonight, but it's in town."

Elizabeth glance down at her dress then back to him. After the pancakes, they had cleaned up the flour that was all over the kitchen. It didn't look like they had been in a flour battle, but Nathan was sure he still had flour up his nose.

"Do I have enough time to change?" Elizabeth asks as she gets her coat.

Nathan nods.

Elizabeth walks to the door. "I will meet you in ten minutes."

He is almost to the door when she places a hand on his chest. "No, Nathan, it is not improper if you don't walk me back. I'll meet you back here in just a bit."

She surprises him with a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Ten minutes," she says before disappearing out the door.

Nathan stares dumbfounded at the door for a solid minute before he shakes himself and gathers some water on a clothe to rinse his face and arms. In case he did end up coming back home, Allie had laid out his typical brown outfit that he wore whenever he needed to relax for the day.

Sure enough, ten minutes later Elizabeth was standing outside his door just as he opened it. This time she was wearing a coco-colored skirt and a tan blouse with a thick brown coat over her shoulders.

Arm in arm they start towards town. They discussed their plans for the week and what they hoped to see after the school break. Elizabeth even mentioned that she thinks that she is almost done with her book and that she might even have a chance to get it published, if anyone would be willing to take a chance on her story.

Elizabeth keeps talking about her story until Nathan pulls her to a stop in front of the café.

Nathan scratches his neck. "Lizabeth, I have to confess something…"

Elizabeth freezes.

"I had a lot of help to put together today," he admits to her. "I also got a wire today from an old friend of yours."

Elizabeth stares at him, waiting.

"Abigail Stanton," Nathan clarifies. "She, Bill, Lee, Rosemary… they all helped make today possible."

Elizabeth gasps. "You… You heard from Abigail?" Tears briefly form in her eyes before she blinks them away.

Nathan nods. "She is a wonderful lady with some sound advice."

She nods. "Ok, that is a surprise, but why tell me?"

Nathan takes a deep breath, his hand placed on the café's doorknob. "Because Bill told me about you and Jack's first date, and I don't want you to think I'm copying him."

Elizabeth is about to ask more questions, no doubt, when Nathan opens the door to reveal Allie and little baby Jack sitting at a table against the wall.

Elizabeth takes hold of his arm as she drags him inside.

Nathan has no idea what her date with Jack first looked like, but he heard that it was just the two of them with candles. Nathan didn't want anything like that. He really wanted a time where they could be a family for just a little bit and dinner seemed the perfect way to do that.

"Oh, my sweet boy," Elizabeth coos as she sweeps the child into her arms. "How have you been today? Have you been good for Auntie Rosemary?"

Allie grins at him.

Nathan pushes her head. "I'll tell you later."

Nathan and Elizabeth sit next to one another as conversation about everyone's day picks up.

Bill sweeps in with asking what everyone wants to drink, while studying Nathan in his typical scowl. Nathan just grins as he turns to drape an arm across Elizabeth's chair.

Bill harrumphs as he goes back to the kitchen.

Nathan is just about to ask Allie if Opal and Emily found her when the bell on the café door rings.

"Ah, there you are."

That voice…

Nathan's hand curls into a fist on the table. Even his voice gets on Nathan's nerves.

Lucas Bouchard appears at the edge of the table. His mischievous grin aimed straight at Elizabeth.

"You are a difficult person to find, Mrs. Thornton." Lucas says playfully.

Nathan is about to tell him to get lost, when he feels Elizabeth lean back against his arm. Something about the way her body angles toward Nathan instead of the other man makes Nathan's anger simmer down.

"Lucas, I'm a bit busy, can we discuss this later?" she asks kindly.

It is at that moment that Lucas looks at the scene he walked up on.

"Oh," he says stupidly.

Yeah…. Oh is right. Nathan almost growls the word 'leave' but Elizabeth places a hand on the fist that is on the table.

That motion alone makes Lucas' shoulders slump. He leaves without another word.

Nathan is so surprised by how quickly he leaves that he almost cheers. Instead, he winds his fingers through Elizabeth's hand before he raises it to his lips and presses a kiss on the backside of her hand. He doesn't even realize that he has become so comfortable touching her.

"That will be fun to deal with later," he mumbles against her hand.

Nathan should be worried about the looks he may be getting from the other guests in the café. He should be embarrassed that he just displayed physical affection in front of his niece, but he can't find it in him to care.

Elizabeth blushes lightly at the action. "I'm sure he will get over it."

Nathan grins as Bill places their food that they never ordered in front of them and leaves without a word.

The rest of the evening passes by in never-ending laughter and joy. The four of them walk back to Elizabeth's house, stopping by Nathan's house, where Allie briefly kisses him on the cheek before excusing herself to go faceplant onto her bed.

"I'll be in shortly," he tells her as she disappears behind the front door.

The two of them continue walking, the silence stretching between them. His mind is busy with thinking about what he should say to her that he doesn't notice that they are at her front door.

"Would you like to come inside?" Elizabeth asks. She indicates to the slumbering little Jack that is currently wrapped in Nathan's arms. "I can put him down then make us something hot to drink."

"No, thank you, that's ok. I can put him down," Nathan offers.

Nathan follows Elizabeth up the stairs. Carrying Jack is one of the purest things he has ever done. Last time he held Jack like this was at Jack's christening, but then he was wide awake and more than happy to laugh at the goofy faces that Nathan made. Elizabeth steps inside the room motioning at the crib. Gently, Nathan sets the child down, a tug pulling at his heart.

"He looks so peaceful," Nathan whispers as he stares at him for a few more moments.

Elizabeth nods her head. "Give him until the early hours of the morning then tell me how peaceful he is."

Nathan hums. Elizabeth extends her hand to him, which he accepts, and leads him down the stairs to her kitchen. His heart is pounding as he watches her move around the kitchen, pulling out a teapot and filling it for water. He knows he should tell her that he should be getting home, where Allie is probably passed out on the couch, but he can't bring it in himself to leave.

"Today was amazing."

"Yeah?" he asks, surprised. He leans against wall, crossing his arms.

Elizabeth turns to him from the stove. Her hair falling over her shoulder, her smile knocking the air out of him. She seems like she is about to say something, but the teapot squeals, signaling that the water is done boiling. Quickly, she turns back to take the pot off the burner and pours it in two cups with a scoop of coffee grins in each. Turning back to him, she hands him a cup before she begins to study him.

Nathan gratefully takes the cup from her, slightly uncomfortable beneath her gaze. A few moments of silence pass as they wait for the coffee grins to dissolve. In the silence, Elizabeth reaches up, brushing his hair away from his face.

Nathan is so close to pulling away, afraid he might do something reckless. He knows that this is an intimate moment between them, but then it dawns on him that Elizabeth Thornton, his Lizabeth, is here with him and they're safe.

"I," Elizabeth whispers to him as she turns to set down their cups, which neither of them have touched, "want to say that I will inform Mr. Bouchard that he and I will only be dealing with each other on a professional level. If he doesn't understand then I will find someone else to edit and publish my book."

For a moment, Nathan thinks about being mad that she is thinking of that no-good magician, but she keeps on.

"He will have to agree. I know that I've strung you both along the past two years, Nathan, but if you'll have me, I think I'm ready to take the next step with you."

Nathan is sure that she can hear his heart beating as it pounds in his chest. "Really?" he breathes, his face lighting up with pure happiness. She chose him. After all they have been through, after the disagreeing and the battle against Lucas, she had chosen Nathan.

Nathan reaches up, slowly, as if not to scare her, then he kisses her. He kisses her, his love for her swelling in his chest. They stand with their forehead touching, their breaths mingling.

"I knew that morning," she tells him.

He pulls away from her just enough to see her eyes in the growing darkness. "Huh?"

"I knew that morning when you asked me to dinner." She keeps her face down, staring at the floor. "Lucas and I had had dinner in the library the night before, but I didn't feel anything. I didn't know what that meant until you had asked me. And then I wasn't even able to answer you…" A shaking sigh escapes her. "Then I thought you were almost shot, and I thought I lost my chance…."

Nathan tilts her face up. "I'm here, Lizabeth. I will always be here."

"I'm scared." She admits, "I am so scared."

Nathan holds her against his chest. "We will take it one day at a time. We will figure it out together, ok? Whenever you're ready."

Elizabeth wraps her arms around him, seeming to be more comfortable with touching him more as the night goes on. "Ok."

Nathan sighs. "Whenever you're ready."